Bag of Randomness

  • Happy New Year!
  • Is it twenty-oh-nine or two-thousand-nine?
  • WifeGeeding and I stayed in and watched Dick Clark.  I can’t decide seeing Dick Clark in his present condition continue his New Years Eve countdown as heroic and courageous, or awkward and sad.  Maybe both.
  • When the honor is eventually handed down to Ryan Seacrest, I wonder if he will remove Dick Clark’s name from the event, after he’s dead and buried of course.
  • I think Seacrest is very good at what he does and has worked very hard to get there.
  • Can you guess how long Dick Clark has been doing this New Years gig?  I had to look it up on Wikipedia which you can also do so here.  I wasn’t aware it first started on NBC, or during the turn of the century he didn’t have his special.
  • It was neat seeing that special show Dallas for a brief moment.  Maybe I’ll go one year, but I wish they had something other than local bands.  It would be cool to book a room at the W or Ritz and be part of the festivities.
  • As a kid I always told myself that one day I will spend New Years Eve in Times Square.  Now, I don’t know if I want to.  My biggest fear would not being able to find a restroom.
  • For the last couple of years you hear John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ right before the countdown.  Nice tune, I like some of the lyrics but some of them I don’t.
  • I’m always surprised how quicly Times Square is evacuated after the countdown.
  • I’m still surprised Carson Daily still has a job.
  • It felt weird watching the Cotton Bowl on the second day of the year as opposed to the first day of the year.  I mainly watched it since it was the last Cotton Bowl at the actual stadium and because I really enjoy Pat Summerall.  His commentary of games, which is really this one event nowadays, brings back great memories of watching football games with my father.
  • One of the craziest things I’ve ever seen happened in football occurred in that game.  Towards the end, Tech scored a touchdown, and on the two point conversion two unsportsman like conduct penalties were called on them, thus resulting in them attempting an onside kick from their seven yard line.
  • Mike Leach was on 60 Minutes.  That was interesting.  It would have been better for 60 Minutes if Tech would have actually won the Cotton Bowl.  For all those Tech fans that keep crying that they aren’t taken seriously, well, you gotta win games against higher ranked teams in a bowl game and you can’t lose by 40 points in other match ups.
  • Houston Nutt is one heck of a coach.  NFL owners looking for a head coach should at least check him out.
  • During halftime of the Sugar Bowl I saw that the University of Alabama band had an electric guitar.  Weird.
  • Noticed those inspiration G commercials in black and white with sports legends of today and yesterday?  You never learn what the G is, but I’m here to tell you it’s a new Gatorade ad.  Here’s a couple of those commercials in case you are curious.  One and Two
  • For the first time in my life I watched Planet of the Apes, the original one with Charlton Heston.  I think he tends to overact, but the movie itself was very thought provoking and enjoyable.  It makes me want to check out the version that came out in 2001 . . . almost.  I’m just not a Tim Burton fan.
  • For the longest time I always thought it was Charlston Heston.  Did you know he was born John Charles Carter?
  • What’s really fun after watching a classic movie for the first time is to go to IMDB or WIkipedia and read up on the film, especially the trivia sections.
  • I’ve read a lot of blog entries on why Billy Graham decided to move his membership from FBC Dallas to one in North Carolina, 85 miles from his house.  I always thought it was weird that his church membership was in Dallas, considering he never lived in Texas.
  • My church membership is still at the church I atteneded in college.  I’ve been meaning to move it for quite some time, but I guess like Graham, does it really mean anything?  I guess for me it does as I’m a recovering Baptist.
  • I’ve visited two Mainline Protestant churches in the past two weeks.
  • I saw a special on the History Channel that covered Julius Caesar’s Rhine Bridge.  What I found most amazing considering the time it took place was that is was build in only ten days.
  • I finally watched The Right Stuff. Turns out I recorded the TV version with commercials that was edited, so I was a little disappointed, but still enjoyed it.  It wasn’t as good as I have hoped for, but then again it was the TV version.
  • Of course I had to do some research after watching it.  It was interesting to know that Gus Grissoms real name is actually Virgil Ivan Grissom.
  • I also found out that the last time the U.S. had astronauts perform a splash down was in 1968.  This Wikipedia article provides a map of all the slashdowns, all on the East Coast.
  • And just for good measure, here’s a list of Space Shuttle missions.
  • In 1991someone from my hometown of Mineral Wells actually flew on the Space Shuttle.  Link
  • Somehow that lead me to Chuck Yeager’s website.  He’s 85 and still does speaking engagements.  He’ll actuall be in Fort Worth and Abilene early this year.  Link
  • I remember a BBQ joint in Abilene that had a large portion of the restaurnt dedicated to Yeager, I wonder if he has ever visited it.  EDIT:  Ahhh, with a little research I found that place is no longer, but interestingly enough, that place has turned into a chicken place who’s owners are friends with the people that own the Babe’s franchise here in DFW and will use some of the same recipes.  Link
    The comments sections helped answer a lot of questions.
  • Here’s the best footage I’ve seen of what it is like to ride in a fighter jet.  [Thanks, Danny!]
  • A Prius owner used the car to power his house during a snow storm.  Link
  • The copyright on Popeye is over in Britain, but still enforced in the U.S.  Link
  • Here’s the best article about Dubya’s personality that I’ve ever read.
  • Fantastic pictures of a Chinese freighter fighting off Somali pirates.  Link
  • Hi-tech sewing.  Link
  • This kid is stuck.  Link
  • Don’t wear a green tie and do the weather.  YouTube
  • There’s nothing like North Texas jails that have recliners to help encourage kids from committing crimes.  Link
  • FBI Famous Persons Listing.  Link
  • Bacon tattoo.  Link
  • Everything you ever wanted to know about a Phillips head.  Link
  • On Saturday the high temperature of the day was 82.  On Sunday it was 42.
  • Only the kitchen sink wouldn’t drain, and since the pipes under the sink were clear I was left with the choice of calling a plumber that would cost about $200 or go to the Home Depot and rent a sewer snake for $36.  I went with the latter.
  • It was cold outside working that sewer snake.  I found the oldest sweater in the closet, which was a Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl XXX sweater I forgot I had.  Wow, it’s now 13 years old.
  • Speaking of Cowboys, I finished that book WifeGeeding got me for Christmas.  I’ve never read a book that long, something like 365 pages, and I did it in a week.  There’s lots of parts of that book that stands out, but one in particular is of Charles Haley riding a motorcycle into Randy White’s restaurant.  After Haley smarter off to White after he offered a ride home since Haley was drunk, White knocked him out with one punch.
  • I never thought I could share a heart warming storing that involved me renting a sewer snake, but here it goes.  The man I was renting the tool from at Home Depot is named Steve and he asked for my I.D.  He noticed I was born in 1975, and mentioned that everytime he sees that year he’s reminded of the fall of Saigon when he was a soldier.  I told him a little about my visit, and he shared about his last day in Vietnam.  The U.S. was pulling out of the country and trying to help families escape, and there was this one Vietnamese man he befriended over the years but couldn’t take with him.   Steve reached in his wallet and gave the guy a hundred dollars and told him to use that money to try to escape.  He never saw the guy again until 30 years later while he was working in the Lewisville Home Depot and the Vietnamese man was a customer.  They hugged and embraced and caught up with each other, and the very next day the Vietnamese man came back to the store with his wife, kids, and grandkids.  Not only did the Vietnamese man tell his family that it was because of Steve they all now have a life in America, but he paid Steve back the $100 that was given to him so many years ago.
  • Grace
Posted in Goofy | 7 Comments

Bag of Randomness

  • Mark my words, Michael Vick will become a Dallas Cowboy.  Jerry will see him not only as a viable backup that he can sign for somewhat cheap, but a way to implement the Wildcat offense.  I’m not saying I want this to happen, I’m just saying it will.
  • Mike Shanahan got fired . . . I didn’t see that one coming.  This helps make for more drama in the NFL, which is another reason I love this league.
  • I rarely drink any alcohol, and when I do I feel real flushed and my face gets red.  I was told that it was because that Asians don’t respond to alcohol very well, and with me being half-Asian, I thought that sounded about half right.  I mention that because I’ve been reading a new comic strip called Secret Asian Man.  Oddly enough, it’s a comic strip about an Asian man that’s married to a white woman and their child, and it focuses a lot on stereotypes and race relations.  Yesterday’s strip addressed the Asian-alcohol issue.
  • Allow my inner geek to come out for a moment . . . I’ve seen terabyte hard drives on sale for under a hundred bucks.  I remember being amazed when the first gigabyte hard drive came out.
  • I saw that the two most admired women are Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.  In a way, I just find that strange.  Both women are from opposite ends of the spectrum, and I feel both are extremely polarizing.  As for me, I admire Miley Cirus.  I’m joking . . . trust me.
  • I didn’t realize there are only 14 different calendars.  January 1 can occur on any of seven days — but some years are leap years and have an additional day.  Link
  • I may pick up the next issue of Vanity Fair because this article about an article in the magazine sounds quite interesting.  Ex-Bush staffers talk about how things fell about with the American people after Katrina, how he is like Sarah Palin, and a bit about the misconception of the power of the Religious Right leadership.  Edit – Or I could just read it here.
  • I finally pulled the trigger on that elliptical.  Watch out Hugh Jackman.  Watch out.
  • A goldfish survives out of water for 13 hours?  Link
  • Lost will start up again in January, but I think I found their island.  There’s maybe only one community on that island, and if you continue to zoom out you’ll see it’s in the middle of nowhere.
  • That place is actually called Tristan de Cunha and has under 300 people.  Wikipedia
  • How’s that for random.
  • This man has not shaved or cut his hair in ten years.
  • DirecTV has always offered the NFL Ticket package by breaking it up into six months of payment installments.  Yesterday I noticed you can now break it up to ten months.  I guess they are trying to help the paying customer adjust to the rough economic times, but I don’t plan on biting.
  • I couldn’t fall asleep the other night and ran across one of the ESPN channels that was showing nothing but ‘This is Sportscenter’ commercial.  It was good stuff, and was a great trip down memory lane.  I learned that the very first one of those commercials involved only two athletes, Roy Jones Jr and Dallas Maverick Jason Kidd.
  • A have a few favorite ‘This is Sportscenter’ commercials, but I think I prefer the ones with the straight lace Charlie Steiner.  This Melrose Place version is one that sticks out.
  • You can view more of those commercials at this URL:  www.espn.com/thisissportscenter
  • Say good-bye to VHS tapes.  Link
  • Searching online increases brainpower more than reading books.  Link
  • That was just one of 50 things we didn’t know last year, here are the other 49.
  • Speaking of 50, 50 Jokes for 50 States
  • I’ve noticed that IHOP no longer serves warm syrup with their pancakes.  You have to rely on the cold slow dripping stuff left on the table.  The world as I know it is crumbling.
  • The NASA Columbia reports brings back some memories of that fateful day.  I was in Mineral Wells about to get my oil changed when I heard the loudest boom I ever heard, so loud it shook the windows.  I search around the house trying to find something that may have cause the boom, but nada.  (Graphs of the sonic boom can be found here)I then turned on the local news and they were showing tape of the shuttle flying over, but what they were showing were several small flashes going through the sky.  You can tell the reporter wanted to say that looked odd, but was too afraid to do so, then a few moments later they mentioned the communication was lost with the shuttle.  Later the weather lady came on (Rebecca MIller) to do her forecast and the Texas satellite map showed a bunch of red particles over East Texas and Louisiana.  I couldn’t find a video of it, but here’s an animated image of the radar.  She stressed it was nothing to do with the shuttle and was some other kind of abnormality, but I knew better.
  • It was interesting to see how reporters could go over the details of how they died in detail yet without any emotion.
  • I remember NASA giving the family of the crew members over $26 million after the disaster.  As sad as that moment was, I didn’t think that was right.  I think it’s similar to when a soldier dies, they know what they were signing up for.
  • I wonder how much of Columbia is still scattered and uncovered.
  • I wonder how many pieces were found and never turned in.
  • It was a bit creepy watching that video of what was going on inside Colubia as they were entering Earth’s atmosphere.
  • If I had the chance to go into space, I would do it in a heartbeat.
  • If someone could arrange for me to fly in a fighter jet you would have a best friend for life.
  • WifeGeeding and I can’t decide if we are going out tonight.  We haven’t been out on New Years Eve in about six years.  There’s a small chance we will end up at Victory Park tonight.  Usually we watch Dick Clark, even thought it’s been kind of awkward the last couple of years.
  • It’s crazy to think we are almost through the first decade of this millenium.  Time flies, try to appreciate it as much as you can.
Posted in Personal | 5 Comments

Bag of Randomness

  • I’ve thought about upgrading to a better TV recently, and then yesterday WifeGeeding calls me at work and tells me that the TV isn’t working?  Is it a sign from above, or temptation?  Long story short, I stayed ‘humbled’ and replaced the bulb and all was well.  Actually, better than well, it’s much brighter and sharper.
  • I’m staring to learn that just about everything I need to know repair wise can be found on the Intertubes.  For instance, here’s a video and pictures on how to replace the bulb on my TV.
  • I’m still really tempted to buy an Blueray DVD player, but I we just don’t watch many movies to justify the cost.  Maybe when they start to drop closer to the $150 I’ll consider.
  • That last line reminds of a scene from ‘The Wedding Singer‘ where the ‘bad guy’ states he just spent something like $5000 on a CD player.  Remember, the movie took place in 1985.
  • A collection of weird car accidents.  Link
  • Quite possibly the worst family Christmas card ever.  Link
  • Most of Christmas day was spent watching a House marathon.
  • I really need my 401k to rebound from last year.
  • A photo collection of dogs that chased a dude’s car.  Link
  • For you fellow 30 Rock fans, this glove story might be entertaining.
  • Speaking of 30 Rock, when I drove to visit the in-laws I listened to some sort of interview with the cast and crew that I downloaded off of iTunes.  It was in that interview that I discovered that one of Jane Krakowski’s first movie roles was in Nation Lampoons Vacation as cousin Vicki.
  • Through marriage, I actually have a cousin Vicki.
  • I’ve decided that I will no longer purchase the NFL Ticket on DirecTV.
  • One of my best purchases of 2008 was my custom made arch supports.  My back and my feet are thankful.
  • As you know, I’m a U2 nutcase, but I’m disappointed the band is coming out with five editions of the new album.  That’s just silly.
  • I remember when Jerry fired Barry Switzer and one of my friends put together a resume of all his high school and Madden accomplishments and sent it in to Jerry with a cover letter.
  • I actually sent Jerry a wedding invitation back in the day.  The idea came from a friend who was a Packers fan.  He sent a wedding invitation to them and actually got a very nice thank-you letter in return.  I didn’t hear anything from Jerry.
  • I’m a passionate Cowboys fan, but I don’t think I would go this far.  And surely there has to be YouTube video of this somewhere.
  • I’ve meant to post this a while back, but I’ve found the absolute best pet stain remover in the history of ever.  Eco-88.  All you have to do is spray very liberally and that’s it.
  • DogGeeding isn’t a young pup, and I’ve notice for a while now that when I play with him he no longer does his energetic strut.  However, I found some healthy treats for him at Petsmart that I have to him for Christmas.  Ever since I’ve been feeding them to him his strut has returned.
  • WifeGeeding could eat at Chick-Fil-A everyday I’m convinced.
  • There’s a radio station in town that is still playing non-stop Christmas music.  That should have stopped by the 26th at the latest.
  • Sarah Palin’s grandson is a Tripp.
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments