Bag of Randomness for Thursday, April 5, 2018

  • You can find out what political leaning Facebook has literally labeled you by going to Settings > General Account Settings > Ads > Your Information > Your Categories > US Politics. WifeGeeding was labeled “Very Conservative” and I want to shoot myself. She never posts or follows anything remotely political, so I guess it’s going off the people she follows and the stuff she has liked. Facebook also says she a huge soccer fan.
  • I took the kids to a nearby pond so they could cast the fishing rods DaughterGeeding’s father gave them. If you know me, I’m almost the last person you’d want to teach anyone how to fish. But hey, at least I put forth a little effort. The rods didn’t even have hooks on them and I doubt there are any fish in the pond, I just wanted them to have fun.
  • The pond I took the kids to has been there for as long as I can remember living in the neighborhood and last year a big fancy church was built on the property. Funny thing about the church, as big, new, and modern as it is, they didn’t build enough parking spaces yet there’s enough room on their property to do so. Church members have been parking on the grass and the city has been citing them for parking violations.
  • I wish I could provide enough context so I don’t sound like a mean unspirited parent, but I had a talk with DaughterGeeding about the amount of attention and praise she’s been seeking from us. I told her that one day I hope she’ll look back and appreciate the day Daddy told her she wasn’t going to be babied and congratulated for every little thing.
  • When I was young, I wasted an enormous amount of toothpaste trying to squeeze it on the toothbrush to make it look just like they did on the commercials and on the cover.
  • “DNA testing helps people make new and powerful discoveries about their family history and identity.” – Ancestry.com DNA test reveals fertility doctor is woman’s biological father
  • GIF – Cute: Baby rhino guards mom during toe treatment
  • The Dallas Morning News – Gordon Keith talks God and the literal truth of the Bible with Baptist pastor George Mason – Gosh darn, can I relate to this guy.
  • If you watched ‘The American’s’ last night, you’d agree that Paige will have a certain mental image of her mother stuck in her mind for the rest of her life.
  • For the second time, a resolution to denounce neo-Nazis has failed in the Tennessee legislature
  • Is chronic pain something more people should accept? – Amid the opioid crisis, the concept of “pain acceptance” is gaining credibility.
  • How 50 Famous Female Characters Were Described In Their Screenplays
    • Terminator – SARAH CONNOR is 19, small and delicate-featured. Pretty in a flawed, accessible way. She doesn’t stop the party when she walks in, but you’d like to get to know her. Her vulnerable quality masks a strength even she doesn’t know exists.
    • Bull Durham – ANNIE SAVOY, mid 30’s, touches up her face. Very pretty, knowing, outwardly confident. Words flow from her Southern lips with ease, but her view of the world crosses Southern, National and International borders. She’s cosmic.
  • Video – Shark Comes Out Of Nowhere, Attacks Spear Fisher
  • The Man Who Spent $100K To Remove A Lie From Google
  • If you’ve been following the Sinclair media story, you might find this Huffington Post article interesting.
    • We spoke to a Sinclair anchor this week about the script, the blowback and what people have gotten right and wrong about Sinclair’s relationship with the local stations. The essay below, based on an interview with the source ― who requested anonymity for job security reasons ― has been edited and organized for clarity.

    • All those people who are like, “I would quit,” that’s really easy for you to say. CNN put something out calling all the news anchors complicit or zombies or whatever yesterday, and I just think that portion of this is unfair. These jobs ― they’re very hard to come by. And if I quit, I owe the company 40 percent of my salary, plus a percentage of the [redacted] years remaining on my contract, plus any bonuses that they’ve paid to me and any reimbursements that they’ve paid to me.⁵ And they’re going to take me to court for it. And in the time that I’m in court, I’m not employable.

Posted in Personal | 6 Comments

Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, April 4, 2018

  • In the fall, DaughterGeeding’s class wrote letters to President Trump. Yesterday, they got a small package in the mail from the White House. It included a signed letter from the President, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, a copy of the Bill of Rights, and red and white “Make America Great Again” rubber wristbands for everyone in the class.
  • Okay, that last item wasn’t included. I totally made that up.
  • DaughterGeeding was in amazement that President Trump actually signed the letter. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that’s not his actual signature. It would have been too much, considering two days earlier she found out the Easter Bunner isn’t real.
  • Okay, I made that Easter Bunny thing up. She actually never believed in the Easter Bunny, at least I don’t think she ever did.
  • I mentioned way back when that DaughterGeeding isn’t a fan of President Trump ever since the “No More Oreos” speech, and later, other things. Since she was so impressed with his signed letter, I asked her if she was now a fan of the president. She told me no, that she could appreciate the letter and respect his leadership role but still didn’t have to like the guy.
  • It is believed that Harry S. Truman was the first president to make use of the autopen. Also, the “S” in Truman’s name doesn’t stand for anything other than just the letter. There’s some proper grammar debate as to whether or not a period should be included after the “S” when referring to the former president’s full name. Since Truman included it in his signature, most editors agree it should be included in an official capacity. As for why his parents gave him that initial for his middle name, he said it was a compromise between the names of his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young.
  • I’ve never watched Footloose, the original or the remake.
  • GIF – This dog seems like he heard a funny joke.
  • Why would a band named “Alabama” sing a song about how to play and Texas and that a fiddle must be included?
  • I don’t like how Dr. Green advertises his lawn care service.
  • CBS News recently interviewed MLK’s children. Two things stood out:
    • MLK III said, “We’ve sort of dumbed down Dad to some degree.” It was neatly strange to hear someone refer to such an iconic figure simply as “Dad”.
    • If you watch the video and see her eyes, you just swell up with sorrow for her:
      • “What I vividly remember is the day of the funeral,” Bernice said. “I’m sitting right on the corner here at Ebenezer, I’m in my mother’s lap, and mom said he couldn’t speak to me, but a child knows the dad’s voice and if you look at the film I’m looking around like this, like where is he? So I remember that to this day, in this sanctuary.” 
  • One thing which always stood out to me about that iconic MLK assassination photo, both his feet were under the railing. Here are other pictures from that night, the most macabre would be the man cleaning up King’s blood and saving some in a jar.
  • Early morning evening April four
    Shot rings out in the Memphis sky 
    Free at last, they took your life 
    They could not take your pride…
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