Bag of Randomness for Monday, January 16, 2017

  • WifeGeeding and I watched La La Land for a second time, but this time we brought the kids around. After the movie, DaughterGeeding told me she wished we would have watched Star Wars instead. That girl can melt my heart sometimes.
  • During the game yesterday I got up to use the restroom during a commercial break but didn’t make it back in time before it resumed. Without and sort of prompting, four-year-old BoyGeeding paused the game and told me he didn’t want me to miss any of it. That boy can melt my heart sometimes.
  • The Cowboys can break my heart sometimes, but despite their slow start, I’m proud of them overall and was highly entertained this season. It was great seeing the community come together again and rally behind this team, and unlike other years, we’ve got hope going into the next season. I’ve got the utmost respect for Aaron Rogers and his team.
  • The weather was so bad in Lewisville we lost our DirecTV signal and missed the game-winning field goal. But then again, I wasn’t at the game, witnessed the devasting loss, and had to go out in a thunderstorm and walk to my car parked seven miles away.
  • I don’t care what anyone says, Tony Romo should have played, he would have blocked that field goal.
  • Resale market for Super Bowl tickets slips after Cowboys ousted
  • I was just a little peeved, okay, maybe more than just a little, at PBS last night when I was watching the season and possibly the series finale of ‘Sherlock’. During a pivotal scene, for about two minutes, they scrolled a severe warning message at the top of the screen but stopped all audio from the show and replaced it with an announcement. Hey, I get their commitment to public service and safety, but seriously, the red banner scroll at the top of the screen with maybe a few warning beeps would have been enough. Taking out two minutes of audio to hear a verbal warning along with the message at the top of the screen was overkill.
  • I missed the first forty minutes of SNL but watched it NBC.com. To my surprise, I didn’t have to sit through one commercial.
  • WifeGeeding and I did an escape room challenge. It was my third and her first. We got out with eleven minutes to spare. But it was the first time I did one without my closest friends, who I all believe are vastly more intelligent than me. So it was great being able to do it with a room full of strangers and being able to vastly contribute by being the first to solve many of the puzzles and locks and find some hidden clues. I dunno, I felt validated for some reason, and it was great being to do it in front of WifeGeeding, who contributed greatly herself.
  • Armchair Sports Psychologist – For any major football game in which you can tell nerves are getting the best of your team, always start with rushing the ball. Players start to settle down after that first play and rushing the ball is less likely to cause a turnover or loss of yardage.
  • Portable toilet names covered for inauguration
    • Workers preparing for the inauguration Jan. 20 have taped over the name of the company — “Don’s Johns” — that has long supplied portable restrooms for major outdoor events in the nation’s capital. Virginia-based Don’s Johns calls itself the Washington area’s top provider of portable toilet rentals. But the name apparently strikes too close to home for organizers of the inauguration of Donald John Trump.
  • I think the Bush twins are exceptional women, and they taking the time to write a letter to the Obama girls about life after the White House is a nice touch of grace and civility we lacking in society. However, the cynic in me would have appreciated the gesture more if Jenna Bush didn’t work for the ‘Today’ show and make it into a segment with them reading the letter in front of the American flag. The sincerity was lost.
  • A man in Greenwich, Connecticut got in a political argument with a female coworker, grabbed her by the *um-hum*, and allegedly said, “I love this new world, I no longer have to be politically correct.”
    • As he walked out, he warned her that it would be “his word against hers” but apparently didn’t realize there was surveillance footage police would later use to confirm the whole event.
  • On Saturday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket and took 10 satellites into space for voice and data company Iridium. I thought I knew a decent amount of space, but had no idea more than one satellite could be taken into space at a time.
  • If I were to write a script or put on a play regarding Noah and the Ark, as the animals start arriving, I’d want some to say to him, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Most folks incorrectly state that famous line as “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
  • I’m guessing this Buzzfeed article on the “growth mindset” was written by a British author. He kept using the word “math” in the plural form, “maths”, and it was throwing me off because I’ve never seen it in the plural form.
  • Sports trivia tidbit:
    • There are 22 states that have at least one NFL team.
    • There are 21 states (plus D.C.) that have at least one NFL team.
    • There are 17 states (plus D.C.) that have at least one MLB team.
    • There are 16 states (plus D.C.) that have at least one MLB team.
  • Some folks will spend money and think differently about appearances and fandom than me.
  • Random somewhat recent Roger Staubach story:
    • Just last week, Staubach had a meeting at his commercial real estate company, JLL, and one of his employees said that to land a New York real estate deal would “probably take a Hail Mary to pull off.” Staubach just looked at him thinking, dude???
  • A very good Sports Illustrated article on Stephen Jones, here are a few pieces which stood out:
    • Stephen, too, had been a standout prep quarterback, in Little Rock, good enough to be recruited by Princeton, where he would have competed for the QB job with a ginger-haired freshman named Jason Garrett.
      • Here’s another article on Stephen which adds a bit more to that story.
        • By senior year, he was recruited by Lou Holtz to play at Arkansas. But Princeton wanted him, too, and Jerry was thrilled with the idea of an Ivy League son. “I don’t want to go to Princeton,” Stephen said. “Let me sleep on it,” Jerry said. The next day, Jerry gave his familiar refrain: “I’ve got a deal for you.” Stephen could attend Arkansas if he took the most difficult academic program offered. “I think I still might be the only scholarship football athlete at Arkansas who majored in chemical engineering,” he said.
    • Some days, if Stephen was going to be in the building, connecting with coaches and watching tape, he’d wear a polo shirt. On others, when he was selling suites or sponsorships, he’d don a suit, complete with a pocket square. Parcells would see the suit and sigh. “I’d walk into his office, and he’d go, ’Stadium Steve today.’” Pointing at the pocket square, Parcells would say, in an accusing tone, “See that hankie? That means you’re gonna be out there selling Dr. Pepper and Pepsi and Ford trucks today, working on things that aren’t important to Bill.” Then they’d both laugh.
    • The story also mentions how the city of Frisco was outbid by The Colony to land Nebraska Furniture Mart – “After losing that bid, says Jones, “[Frisco] used that property to do their deal with us.” The city kicked in $90 million toward a parking lot and 12,000-seat indoor stadium.”
  • A 1985 LA Times article about Texas Stadium getting its first luxury suites.
    • This summer, 118 Crown Suites have been added to the 178 Circle Suites. This cost the stadium about 1,500 seats. But this will cost suite patrons $26.50 per game ticket. That’s right, J.R., tickets are not included in the $1.5 million cash you paid for your 20-seat Crown Suite. What do you think this is, Arlington Stadium?
    • Unlike the Circle Suites, the Crowns come pre-decorated. You may choose from three color schemes–gray, maroon or blue on gray. Each suite comes with reclining chairs, wet bar, VCR hookup, two TVs (one computerized) and electric windows, just like your limo’s.
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