BagOfNothing.com

• I bought a new television for our bedroom. It’s nothing special, but I like to test a new television using The Dark Knight. In particular, the armored car chase scene and especially the Joker interrogation scene. The Joker’s face with his sloppy white and red makeup against that black background can almost provide a three-dimensional effect.
• I had back surgery eight months ago today. To be honest, I wish I was more pain-free than what I am but thankful for the mobility and strength I do have. The pain is constant and worst while sitting and pretty bad when I bend over. It’s not that I regret having the surgery, I received opinions from an orthopedic and a neurosurgeon and both agreed I’d eventually have to have the surgery, and recovery at a younger was a huge factor for me. And to be even more transparent, I probably should have hit rehab harder, but I was too scared of screwing something up and had a negative attitude. One month ago today I was at Disneyland and I considered that a great test for the six-month post surgery mark. I still have a small number of pain pills left but chose not to take a single one while I was there. I think the three-hour plane ride was worse than walking the park and riding the rides. There was one night I was hurting pretty bad and was tempted to take a pain pill, but it was a very active day visiting Disneyland in the morning, the beach in the afternoon, and returning to Disney that evening.
• The New York Times had a nice article on Jimmy Carter, a few items which stood out:
  • They live in the same house they built in 1961 –  “a two-bedroom rancher assessed at $167,000, less than the value of the armored Secret Service vehicles parked outside.” “Their one-story house sits behind a government-owned fence that once surrounded Richard Nixon’s house in Key Biscayne, Fla.“
  • The first former president to make money from the speaking circuit was Gerald Ford.
  • Ex-presidents often fly on private jets, sometimes lent by wealthy friends, but the Carters fly commercial. 
  • Carter costs U.S. taxpayers less than any other ex-president, according to the General Services Administration, with a total bill for him in the current fiscal year of $456,000, covering pensions, an office, staff and other expenses.
  • Carter doesn’t even have federal retirement health benefits because he worked for the government for four years — less than the five years needed to qualify. He says he receives health benefits through Emory University, where he has taught for 36 years.
  • They have no chef and they cook for themselves, often together. They make their own yogurt.
• While watching ‘Wheel of Fortune’, the announcer referred to Paris as the “City of Light” but I always thought it was “City of Lights”. Wikipedia’s cites the etymology as “City of Light” as does Britanica.com,  so I learned me something new.
• When I think about the latest, or I guess you can say, the on-going scandal of the Catholic church, the “300 predator priests” really stands out. That’s just the number caught or identified, the actual number must be much higher. I’m curious to know if Pope Benedict, who is still alive, knew how bad things were and if this played in his decision to no longer be the active Pope, or whatever the proper term is.
• Yes, a horrible event happened several miles from GeedingManor at an apartment complex, a father stabbed his 16-month old boy to death while yelling, “Jesus is coming.” The father was shot by in the leg by a concerned neighbor. I’m curious if the man was somehow influenced by the story of Abraham who almost sacrificed his son, Isaac, until God stopped him. Of course, I’m not saying that’s justification or saying the Bible is at fault.
• I don’t think Kim Wexler likes the idea of Mesa Verde expanding but I have a feeling she ends up working for them in another city. But then again, that seems too simple. Also, I wonder when Chuck wrote that letter since it wasn’t dated, which doesn’t seem like something he’d do. I bet it’s one last dig at his brother and he wrote it shortly before killing himself.
• Two Florida Chick-Fil-As open within 587 feet of each other
  • The existing Merritt Island Chick-Fil-A, the one at Suite 164, is located in the food court of the Merritt Square Mall. The new Chick-Fil-A, the freestanding one, is located in the mall’s parking lot.

• To kick off the school year, our church has a small annual event called “Blessing of the Backpacks” during Sunday service. Normally, they just ask all the kids to come up at the same time, but this year, they asked them to come down as they called out different grade levels, which I thought was cool because it gave me a chance to what grade each child was in. I did get a kick out of one child, who is home-schooled, debating with her mother about what grade she’s actually in.
• One reason I love storing my photos on Google Photos is that it will randomly surprise me with a collage, GIF, movie, or something else it makes all on its own. On Friday, it spit this out. I remember taking that picture on the left. We just wanted to take a picture of DaughterGeeding for her first day of preschool, but BoyGeeding was sad he wasn’t going to be in the picture. So, we took a picture of him along with his sister and then snapped a solo one of DaughterGeeding with her sign.
  
• A loyal reader was nice enough to share an article about a Denton high school football player who visited WifeGeeding’s ocularist, the man who made her glass-eye. To our surprise, WifeGeeding’s eye surgeon is also mentioned in the article.
  • Randy Trawnik stood out as one of the top specialists in the country, thanks in large part to his own experience overcoming a similar traumatic injury. Trawnik lost his eye at age 17 and later dedicated his life to creating prosthetic eyes that are an exact match to the original. “Physical looks are important to young people,” Cody Schroeder said. “He’s worked with babies, children and celebrities. To know he actually experienced this situation and has a profession that depends on his eyesight — and he has single [monocular] vision — made us feel very comfortable that he was going to walk through this process with us step by step.”
• One quick story about her ocularist. He was making WifeGeeding a new prosthetic eye about a decade ago and he showed me a piece of red yarn. He told me that a lot of the eye will be painted but he uses that yarn to make the blood vessels. He went on to tell me that he happened to pick up the yarn about 15 years prior visiting a random store with his wife while on vacation. The yarn caught his attention and he noticed if he tore it apart in tiny threads it would give a three-dimensional effect paint couldn’t replicate. The color, texture, and workability was something he hasn’t been able to find since.
• Speaking of eye-related stuff, I’m surprised with Troy Aikman’s wealth and resources, he’s asking Twitter for medical advice.
  
• Texas Monthly – San Antonio Judge Threatens to Make Feuding Lawyers Kiss in Front of the Alamo
• The Flower Mound high school dress code video made national news. I like how the principal owed up to making a mistake and taking ownership. However, my biggest question is, in today’s technically advanced world, why was the video filmed in ultra-low-definition?
• Former CIA director Robert Gates and Admiral William McRaven both signed letters to President Trump criticizing him of revoking John Brennan’s security clearance. Gates was the President of Texas A&M University. McRaven was Chancellor of University of Texas Systems. Aggie and Longhorn united in a common cause.
• Vets group seeks to hold 5K race after Trump cancels military parade: ‘One K for each of Trump’s military deferments‘
• GIF – I love the way this Batman gets out of his Batmobile after being pulled over by Canadian police.
• All expecting babies between October and January – Baby boom at Arizona hospital with 16 pregnant nurses
  • Nurse Jolene Garrow joked, “We all formulated this plan to have the holidays off!”
• Mormons don’t want you calling them Mormons anymore
  • From now on, it prefers that people use the church’s full name, and when a shortened reference is needed, to just use “the Church” or “Church of Jesus Christ.”
• What Went Wrong With IBM’s Watson – The A.I. project was supposed to change the state of cancer treatment. Here’s what happened instead.
• Vitamin D, the Sunshine Supplement, Has Shadowy Money Behind It – The doctor most responsible for creating a billion-dollar juggernaut has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the vitamin D industry.
• Disney World started their Halloween festivities over the weekend, two weeks earlier than last year. Hey Mickey, let’s at least get out of August first.
• I’m not opposed to male cheerleaders in the NFL, but I didn’t think they would be performing the exact same routines, so it’s going to take some getting used to. At least give the man some pompoms.

Check out the debut of Jesse Hernandez as a member of the Saintsations before the start of Friday's game in the Superdome. pic.twitter.com/EC85gD5xV2

— SaintsNOW (@SaintsNOW) August 18, 2018

• This short video makes you do a double-take and then laugh.

https://twitter.com/ClintFalin/status/1030913596715356160?s=09

• That picture is the result of WifeGeeding making the bed and DogGeedingII refusing to move.
• I tuned in to ESPN to catch the start of Jason Witten’s broadcasting career. Granted, I didn’t watch much, but he was silent for much of the start, I’m sure the producer wanted to yell, “Talk! Say something! Is your mic in the on position?” I’m sure he’ll get better, and I’m certain he will work hard at it, I just don’t know if he has the talent or charisma.
• I’m afraid Jason Witten is taking fashion advice from Daryl Johnston.
• Sometime when I’m driving to a destination and having trouble finding the place, I’ll say, “Any of you boys seen an aircraft carrier around here?”
• Florida man shouldn’t have gone to jail for getting a job at Michael’s instead of Home Depot, court rules
• Warning, some of these images are not family or work friendly – All Hail The Monumental – Horror Image How Striking Scenes From ‘The Shining,’ ‘The Wicker Man,’ ‘The Exorcist,’ And Other Iconic Horror Movies Make An Indelible Mark On Us.
• Rolling Stone – Hear Steve Perry’s First New Song in Nearly 25 Years
• Fox News Mistakenly Uses Photo of Patti LaBelle in Aretha Franklin Tribute
• Aretha Franklin:
  • As many have already pointed out, the Queen of Soul died the same day as the King of Rock and Roll and the Sultan of Swat. There’s something cool about that. She also shared a birthday with Elton John, who wrote and performed songs for Lion Kings Mufasa and Simba.
  • I wasn’t a fan of Aretha, but I did have an appreciation for her.
  • I forgot she did a duet with George Michael.
  • Sang at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral and sang at Obama’s inauguration. That’s a wondrous connection for black culture and history.
  • Her father was shot by burglars in 1979 and remained in a coma until his death in 1984.
  • I suppose her most well-known song is ‘Respect’. When I was a DJ in college, there was one sorority which always requested the song and I heard it so much it started to wain on me. However, I think her best work was ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’. Her best performance of it was at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors in which she sang it for the co-author, Carole King. I love this version because she plays the piano herself. As a matter of fact, she was a self-taught pianist who learned without knowing how to read music. In the clip, most like to point out how it brought a tear to President Obama’s eye, but I was more moved by Carole King’s reaction as she starts to sing. Here’s an excellent write-up of the performance with the organizers and people who were there, and it explains her tradition of walking onstage with her purse.
  • My favorite performance was when she was on ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ and sang Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ (video below). Adele has a phenomenal voice and is a one of a kind, but I love Franklin’s version more (I’ve also proclaimed Eva Cassidy sang ‘Over the Rainbow’ better than Judy Garland. ((And yes, Brent, I know you prefer Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole’s version))). As impossible as it might sound, she brings more soul to it, she steps on Father Time’s throat, and I love how she blends  ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ into it.