Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, September 5, 2017

  • My Labor Day weekend started by taking WifeGeeding to a symphony, which was a first for both of us. Every now and then the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will show a film where they provide the score. This time it was La La Land. I really didn’t want to watch the film for the third time, but it was worth it seeing how joyful WifeGeeding was the entire night. I’ll admit it was neat knowing a certain musical part was about to happen and watching the different sections of the orchestra come to attention and then collaborate. I was certainly out of my element.
  • I can only recall being underdressed for an occasion once in my life. It happened in middle school. It has bothered me so much I tend to overdress. The goal is not to be the least underdressed. I guess in the end it doesn’t really matter and no one will remember. I say all that because I was surprised by how some men dressed going to the symphony in “swanky” downtown Dallas. Most were dressed appropriately, there were just a handful of guys wearing jeans, but one dude was in sandals and shorts and another in a t-shirt and jogging-suit pants.
  • The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center offers free charging for electric cars.
  • There’s no doubt in my mind that J.J. Watt will be NFL Man of the Year. And it’s almost certain he’ll now retire as a Texan, whenever that day comes. As of Sunday, he hasn’t spent a cent of the $20 million he’s raised but already started distributed relief packages. He’s been in contact with Katrina veterans to learn what they did right and wrong and how best to spend the funds.
  • Wisconsin sends 17,000 pounds of cheese to Houston
  • So…much….baseball…movie…nostalgia….greatness…colliding – Charlie Sheen Reunites With ‘Major League’ Cast At Real ‘Field Of Dreams’
  • GIF – Two birds kids one stone ball
  • Is anyone having a better year than Jerry Fallwell Jr.? He supported Trump and got to attend his inauguration, the President spoke at his school’s commencement, and now his school’s football team beat Baylor on their home turf. The best joke I heard about the game was that it was referred to as the “Lottie Moon Bowl”.
  • Texas college football looks dismal. Texas, A&M, and Baylor lost. Tech and TCU won, but they both played soft teams so it’s not like you can get a really good idea of what they are capable of. But then again, Texas and Baylor didn’t quite play powerhouse schools either. Funny, I griped at Baylor and their powder-puff schedule for years, I guess they know what they are doing after all.
  • Speaking of Baylor, they are the gold standard of releasing news on a Friday afternoon or before or during a holiday – Baylor does about-face, supports Briles in letter
  • Schoolgirl has legendary holiday after pulling 4ft sword from Cornish lake ‘where Arthur’s Excalibur was thrown’ (good job she’s named after a famous English queen)
  • Photos of Cameras and Lenses That Got Destroyed by the Solar Eclipse
  • DaughterGeeding is having a hard time adjusting to her new school and making friends. She says at recess she just waits until a swing becomes available so she can swing by herself.
  • The man who set the record for quickest hike of the Appalachian Trail – 2,190 miles on the trail from Georgia to Maine, 45.6 days, an average of 48 miles a day
    • He saw 16 bears and four rattlesnakes.
    • Consumed around 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day.
    • He did the trail nine days faster than anyone in recorded history.
    • It was an “unsupported hike” – no aid of food or water along the way from others waiting at pre-arranged spots on the trail. He stopped in towns to get supplies and pre-mailed himself care packages of things like Oreos and shoes that he picked up at delivery sites along the way.
  • CNN –  Read the Inauguration Day letter Obama left for Trump
    • I think it stinks one of Trump’s friends leaked the contents of this letter. I think this sort of thing should be kept away from the public until after Trump leaves office. I also think it’s the sort of thing presidents should only share with the first lady and no one else.
  • A few more thoughts and tidbits from my book about the relationships amongst presidents:
    • I’ve seen this photo several times and always thought Carter was the acting president. But per the book, Reagan was the acting president. Egypt’s president, Anwar el-Sadat, was assassinated. It was too dangerous for Reagan to go, so the three former presidents were part of a delegation to attend his el-Sadat’s funeral.
    • Also part of that delegation was a 14-year-old boy from the small town of Liberty, S.C. who was a pen-pal with the Egyptian president. If that isn’t touching enough:

      • The first thing the Brown family did after they got the news was to take Sam to a local department store to buy a three-piece gray suit, a shirt and a tie. ”It cost $175,” Sam said today, a little in awe at the cost. ”But the folks at the store cut the price in half.” Citizens in Liberty also took up a collection for Sam’s plane ticket to Washington. The Brown family lives in a modest mobile home. Mr. Brown, formerly a meat cutter, has back injuries and supports his family on disability checks. – NY Times

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