Bag of Randomness for Monday, January 28, 2019

  • DaughterGeeding is going through a small little health issue, nothing concerning, but the eight-year-old did need to have her blood drawn. She was a trooper as the nurse tried twice but couldn’t get a draw, who called in her supervisor who also couldn’t get a draw after two attempts. The supervisor then called in the owners of the pediatric practice, a husband and wife team of doctors. They couldn’t get a draw after several attempts. Despite all those failed attempts, DaughterGeeding didn’t cry or wince once. The problem is despite being well hydrated, she has tiny veins which get even tinier because they constrict. One of the doctors said even though she’s not being emotional or showing physical distress like crying, she internalizes her stress which results in her veins constricting as the needle is struck.
  • I overheard a conversation debating who had a better gait, John Wayne or Robert Mitchum.
  • I’m loving Marershala Ali’s performance in this season of HBO’s ‘True Detective’. I first noticed his work on Netflix’s ‘House of Cards’ and recall reading an article on his preparation for a role. He creates a soundtrack for his character and listens to it over and over again. I’d love to know the songs he included in the soundtrack for his ‘True Detective’ character considering his role covers four decades. Stephen Dorff also does a good job with his role, his comedic timing was a surprise.
  • Speaking of the new season of ‘True Detective’, and I don’t think this is a spoiler, but after watching that first episode, I was surprised there wasn’t an ounce of racism implied, especially considering the time and location. However, that quickly changes in the following episodes. If HBO would have dropped the series all at one time, like Netflix, I would have binged them in one day or night easily.
  • The kids were baptized yesterday. After the service, a lifelong member in the church’s denomination kindly asked why we decided to have the kids baptized now rather than as infants. I thought it was an insightful question which made me thankful I spent time in more than one denomination. Some folks feel real strong about infant baptism, others for only those who are in an age of discernment or past the age of innocence. Both feel justified in their beliefs through scriptural interpretation, study, prayer, and conviction. I’m not going to judge one way or another, and I don’t think this church member was being that way, he was genuinely curious. Jovially, I told him as “recovering baptists” old habits die hard, and further explained it wasn’t WifeGeeding and me deciding to have them baptized as it was our kids asking about it and us providing our blessing and support once we had a deeper conversation about it as a family and another with the pastor. It was important for us that they were choosing to be baptized not because it would make anyone happy or think it was a free pass to get in upstairs or that it changes them in some magical way, or that they will now be allowed to partake of communion. We wanted them to do so because they understood it was a sacrament and a symbolic act of their personal faith. I’m sure some of you think this is poor Christian parenting and an odd way to reason things. I’m not going to defend it, but it’s how we honestly approached it. I’ll post a few pics later this week because I selfishly think they looked adorable.
  • This Is What Happens When You Try to Sue Your BossMillions of American workers sign away legal rights without knowing what they’re in for: Arbitration Hell.
  • I love how Wade Phillips is honoring his father on the way to his second Super Bowl. I can’t believe he kept the jacket after all these years.

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Bag of Randomness for Friday, January 25, 2019

  • I’m not sure the last time I’ve seen President Trump wear a non-white dress shirt. Maybe he’s worn a light blue dress shirt and I just confused it for a white shirt. That’s not a criticism, just an observation.
  • Republican Senator Joni Ernst Says She Was Raped in College
    • I have no comments about the article other than to say it states her ex-husband’s name is Gail and I can’t recall any males named Gail other than football great Gale Sayers and the fictional character Gale Boetticher in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul”.
  • While I’m not a fan of Senator Ted Cruz, I hope he continues to keep the beard.
  • 2018 Top Dallas Nightclubs & Bars by Liquor Sales
  • Weezer released a surprise album in which they cover a lot of “classic” songs. Their version of “Africa” has been enjoyable and fun, and after listening to these samples, I’m sold.
  • Christmas is pretty far back in the rearview mirror, but I noticed Fellowship Church in Grapevine toned down the outdoor decorations quite a bit.
  • The kids will be baptized this Sunday. I really appreciated our pastor stopping by the house to have a chat with them, speaking about the tradition and symbolism of the sacrament but also explaining how it is not a qualification or something which makes them extra special (sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun).
  • In my last post, I made a comment about Texas accents. That has since reminded me about this clip of Fred Armisen discussing and performing Houston, Austin, Dallas, Corpus Christi, and Amarillo accents. The video below should be qued for you.
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Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, January 23, 2019

  • Back in October, WifeGeeding and I watched Netflix’s “Haunting of Hill House”. It was a fun and scary watch, better than we expected, and would recommend it. There’s a bit of a bell curve to the series, peaking in the middle and dropping off slightly for the last two episodes. While watching the first episode, it freaked us out a bit that the date displayed on character’s phone was the same day in which we were watching it, month/date/year. I never took the time to research it, but wonder if it was simply lucking timing on our part or if Netflix manipulated the date on the screen. I know Netflix has been working on making the viewer experience immersive.
  • Armchair Conspiracy Theorist Time – CBS rejects Super Bowl ad touting benefits of medical marijuana
    • “CBS News asked to see the ad but the company didn’t provide it.” Maybe the company never created the commercial or intended for it to ever air knowing CBS and the NFL would shoot down the offer and they would bank on the free publicity from the media coverage of the rejection.
  • When I used to work on a team with members in NYC and Boston, they would often say that us Texans speak so slow. I don’t disagree we speak slower, but I have the unsubstantiated theory that the further west you go in Texas, the slower Texans speak. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. One of my doctors is from far West Texas. He’s highly intelligent, but his ability to deliver a message slowly makes me feel like I’m not being rushed and gives me a chance to better process what’s being told to me.
  • Alphabet (Google) made a quiz to help you detect phishing scams – You can take the quiz here.
  • One thing which really annoys me in any movie or television show is a scene in which an adult needs to speak to a teacher. You know the scene, a teacher is speaking to the class but then an adult in the hallway needs to speak to the teacher. Sometimes the person who needs to speak to the teacher is a detective or some other acquaintance. It bugs me the teacher is always interrupted and has to stop or dismiss class. The detective or whoever never thinks to visit the teacher outside of teaching hours, like right after school. I don’t think any dramatic effect would be sacrificed by making this adjustment.
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Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, January, 22, 2019

  • I don’t have a desire to become a celebrity, but should it happen, I hope it’s somewhere below or above “Big Brother” and “Dancing with the Stars” status.
  • I noticed Chick-fil-A’s plastic utensils are a new color, a dark blue-grayish color. I like the color so much I’d be willing to take a piece to get color matched and paint my home office that color.
  • DaughterGeeding and BoyGeeding will both be baptized this Sunday. As I’ve mentioned, our pastor will be retiring this March so I think this may be his last baptism as pastor of our church. Our pastor requires a short home visit before the baptism, which I like because it’s a bit old-fashioned and gives me the “small town” feeling. There are so many mega-churches in DFW I wonder how often the senior or lead pastor actually visits the home of a congregant. In case you are wondering, our church membership is around 250 and the baptism won’t be full immersion, but more than just a sprinkle.
  • Contest Winners Share Tale Of Playing Miniature Golf With U2
  • “Britney Spears” is an anagram of “Presbyterians”.
  • History of the X-Acto Knife – How The X-Acto Knife Went From Battlefields To Craft Rooms
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