Bag of Randomness for Halloween 2017

    • There’s an over 80% chance of rain during prime trick-or-treating hours tonight. Because of that, we took the kids to a Holloween related event last night.
    • John Boehner Unchained – The former House speaker feels liberated—but he’s also seething about what happened to his party.
      • This is a long read but I really enjoyed it. Some highlights (language warning):
        • His heckling once provoked Don Young, an Alaskan himself, to pin Boehner against a wall inside the House chamber and hold a 10-inch knife to his throat. Boehner says he stared Young in the eyes and said, “Fuck you.” (Young says this account is “mostly true,” but notes that the two became good friends, with Boehner later serving as his best man.
        • The Boehners, like others who knew him, were dumbfounded. “Denny Hastert was the nicest guy,” Debbie says. “But you know what? His wife never came to D.C.” Did they ever notice anything unusual, I ask? “Only his staff,” Boehner tells me. “He had more gay staff than anybody I knew—at a time when it was a bit unusual.”
        • Boehner, point, surprises me by saying he’s proud of Cruz—whom he once called “Lucifer in the flesh”—for acting responsibly in 2017. Do you feel badly about calling him Lucifer, I ask? “No!” Boehner snorts. “He’s the most miserable son of a bitch I’ve ever had to work with.
        • “So 43 says, ‘Hey, are you talking to Ryan? Are you giving him advice?’ I said, ‘Yeah, if he calls I give him advice.’” Boehner takes a long, satisfied drag. “And he texts me back: ‘He needs to call you more.’”
        • Boehner tells me that when Bush, while in office, refused to join Burning Tree—due to the optics of a president golfing someplace women aren’t allowed—he told the commander in chief, “You’re a pussy.” Years later, when Bush became a member after leaving the White House, Boehner says he told Bush: “You’re still a pussy.”
        • Ryan has, however, found comfort in torturing Boehner: The speaker inherited his predecessor’s security detail, and whereas Boehner demanded they be freshly shaven Ryan let them grow unruly beards—pictures of which are often texted to their former boss, code name “Tan Man.”)
    • SI.com – The Making of Tony Romo, CBS NFL Analyst
      • I had no idea Brad Sham helped him out:
        • Prior to the exhibition season, Romo called numerous games off videotape in a Dallas-area studio alongside Cowboys radio voice Brad Sham.
      • Romo had to learn replay angle titles such as “cart angle,” which is an isolated camera on the quarterback or “Pitt framing,” which is the camera ISO that goes from tackle to tackle and covers all the interior line play. Rikhoff said there are various names of ISOs that cover specific parts of the field and/or players.
    • Just because…

Chewpaca the alpaca playing chase 

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Bag of Randomness for Monday, October 30, 2017

  • Friday was a big family night. It started with all of us playing Monopoly, a first for the kids, and ordering pizza. We then watched E.T.
    • That movie is very different watching it as an adult than as a child.
    • WifeGeeding pointed something out I never caught before, but then again, I’m pretty slow. When E.T. gets left behind, we see’s a red light far out on top of a hill over the city. That red light is in Elliot’s backyard and is why E.T. ends up there.
    • Hugh, after typing this I just noticed something else. E.T. and Elliot share a lot of feelings and thoughts throughout the movie, and even their names are similar since “Elliot” begins with an “E” and ends with a “T”.
    • We aren’t the type to shelter our kids from cursing or what have you from what’s shown on television. Don’t get me wrong, we monitor what they watch and avoid highly inappropriate things, but if something comes up with normal viewing and they question it, we’ll discuss it. Well, there’s a scene in the movie where Elliot gets mad at his older brother and calls him “penis breath.” That led DaughterGeeding to wonder out loud, “Does a penis stink?” and BrotherGeeding to respond, “No SisterGeeding! They don’t stink!”
  • WifeGeeding and I watched the first episode of the second season of  “Stranger Things”. There’s a character named Keith and the show proves the notion that Keith is a terrible first name.
  • We had our first flag football game in cold weather, which I thought for great. Bad weather makes for better memories. It’s a five-on-five league but only four of my players showed up. When things “go wrong” it makes for better memories.
  • Yu Darvish was pretty graceful in his response to Yuli Gurriel slanted eyes gesture. Not to take anything away from Darvish, but it helps that Gurriel was in a vulnerable position hoping to not get suspended for any World Series games. I don’t understand how Gurriel could do that after living and playing in Japan.
  • Other examples of why I think WifeGeeding and I grew up in two different countries: 1.) She’s never heard of the Bloody Mary folklore legend. 2.) She’s didn’t know any film named Mad Max existed.
  • I’m thinking the World Series telecast should be Sunday Night Football in the ratings, right?
  • Private prison company moves annual conference to Trump golf course
  • Former President Obama called to jury duty in Cook County and plans to serve
  • I liked it better when the Redskins wore white at home and forced the Cowboys to wear their bad luck blues. I think there’s a story about how the Washington owner or coach didn’t like it how the Cowboys chose white as their home colors. All other teams wore white for their travel jerseys and dark jerseys for home games. Because of this, the Cowboys almost always wore the same color uniform whether home or away and it was a marketing success. So, to irk the Cowboys, the Redskins would choose to wear white at home and force the Cowboys to wear their dark jerseys and buck the trend just for spite.
  • The Redskins running back Rob Kelly scored a touchdown he gave the ball to lineman Morgan Moses to spike. I love that bit, it shows how a running back appreciates his offensive line and tries to put them in the spotlight and share the glory. I think Walter Payton did that often. Even if he didn’t, don’t tell me I’m wrong, that’s how I want to remember him.
  • A few more thoughts and tidbits from my book about the relationships amongst presidents:
    • A common thread presidents have is they expect loyalty from their friends and those who have served under them. I get that, but I think in some aspects they expect too much and are too sensitive. For instance, if a friend or person who has served the president publically criticise him, they feel betrayed. It’s like those friends or former employees can’t freely express their opinion.
    • When George H.W. Bush’s daughter died of leukemia, she told her father, “I love you more than tongue can tell.” It’s a phrase that is often quoted by the Bush family. The father also worried less about policy than the burden put on his son.
    • George H.W. Bush, like any father, didn’t like hearing all the criticism about his son. At one point, Laura told him to stop watching the news.
    • After 9/11, the father really offered just one piece of advice. He thought his son should reach out to Muslims in the U.S., mindful of how many American leaders mishandled the Japanese internment issue during World War II.
    • Before sending troops to Panama in 1989, the older Bush had trouble sleeping the night before and was literally unable to move its neck or arms due to the tension. Since he was in combat himself, he felt responsible for the lives of the servicement he was sending into combat.
    • John Danforth was both George H.W. and George W. Bush’s second choice to be their VP.
  • BoyGeeding almost scores a touchdown.

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Bag of Randomness for Friday, October 27, 2017

  • In a recent group conversation, one of WifeGeeding’s friends asked if any local restaurants still serve chicken-fried steak and then doubted anyone who claimed any place which did.
  • WifeGeeding and I both grew up in the same state, but sometimes it feels like we are from two different worlds. I referenced the idiom “cop a feel” and she said it was the first she ever heard of it.
  • DaughterGeeding gets frustrated, maybe even upset at times, when she doesn’t score a 100 on her homework. WifeGeeding doesn’t want her to put so much pressure on herself, I like the idea she has high standards and expectations of herself.
  • I really don’t know how to accept a compliment. I think that’s because I don’t think the majority of compliments I receive are warranted or sincere.
  • I’m not rooting for the Houston Astros, but it’s pretty darn cool J.J. Watt will throw out the first pitch.
  • Funny sports bit – Brooklyn Net Trevor Booker sneaks into the Cleveland Cavaliers’ huddle
  • Another funny sports bit (video included, major facemask violation) – Marshawn Lynch practices with old high school during suspension
  • A new mirror won’t show a reflection unless you flash it a smile – The concept may seem playful, but industrial designer Berk Ilhan invented the Smile Mirror to uplift the spirits of cancer patients.
  • Political humor – A USA hat for those who don’t favor the current president.
  • Armchair Conspiracist – Trump held back the release of some of those JFK files because Ted Cruz begged him, he didn’t want evidence of his father’s friendship with Lee Harvey Oswald to be made public. Expect Cruz to support and advocate a lot of Trump’s initiatives.
  • For those folks around Fort Worth who have appreciated the Homeless Christmas Tree.
  • It’s that time of year where you’ll see NFL cheerleaders dress up in Halloween costumes.
  • In case you didn’t know the difference between the deep web and the dark web:
    • The deep web refers to anything you can’t access in a search engine, either because it’s protected behind a password or because it’s buried deep within a regular website. The dark web is a subsection of the deep web that you can only access with a special browser like Tor to mask your IP address. It includes illegal markets like the infamous Silk Road, along with plenty of other less-objectionable websites.
  • GIF – Puppy dog eyes
  • That’s a lot of work just to eat an apple – How to wash pesticides off apples, according to science
    • Holding an apple under running water for a few seconds isn’t enough to get rid of the pesticides on its skin, new research says. Your best bet is to soak your fruit in a baking soda solution — for 12 to 15 minutes. And if you’re really concerned, of course, you can always peel your apples.
  • What Boredom Does to You – The science of the wandering mind.
    • Mann devised an experiment wherein a group of participants was given the most boring assignment she could think of: copying, by hand, phone numbers from the phone book. 
    • In the next experiment, Mann ratcheted up the boring quotient. Instead of copying numbers out of the phone book for 20 minutes, this time they had to read the phone numbers out loud.
    • Elpidorou argues that boredom “acts as a regulatory state that keeps one in line with one’s projects. In the absence of boredom, one would remain trapped in unfulfilling situations and miss out on many emotionally, cognitively, and socially rewarding experiences. Boredom is both a warning that we are not doing what we want to be doing and a ‘push’ that motivates us to switch goals and projects.”
    • The article references daydreaming a lot and how and why it’s important, which certainly caught my attention.
  • How the Humble Hospital Scrub Became a $10 Billion Business
  • Creepy last words of German serial killer Peter Kürten
    • Shortly before his head was placed on the guillotine, Kürten turned to the psychiatrist and asked the question: “Tell me… after my head is chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures.” When asked whether he had any last words to say, Kürten simply smiled and replied, “No.”
  • An update on the Micromachine Man

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