Bag of Randomness for Thursday, December 8, 2016

  • Those pics are my attemp at trying to take artsy fartsy photos of GeedingManor.
  • For the first time in a long time, “Ricardo Perry” left a comment. Every time I see that commenter name it makes me smile and I’m not sure why. No offense, Coach Mackovic, or any others.
  • DaughterGeeding attends a charter school and yesterday they sent home a form to complete if we’d like to enroll her in an after school program called “Studying Virtue Through Scripture” which would cost $40. You can read the form here. I’m a bit surprised (not insulted or upset) that they could offer such a program since they only use taxpayer funds to run the school. Perhaps it’s possible because it’s an after school program and materials are paid for by the individual. I’m not sure, I’m ignorant.
  • I really don’t know much about the new University of Texas head football coach, but I thought this was a neat/inspiring tweet: 
  • Vinyl album sales out-perform digital downloads for first time
  • Here’s something for you fans of Tina Fey and David Letterman from The Hollywood Reporter –  The Tina Fey Interview, by David Letterman (and yes, they do gripe about politics)
    • I’m sure everyone can relate with Fey about this experience as a kid:
      • “I can remember the feeling of, “Oh, it’s Sunday,” and you hear the 60 Minutes theme and start to have a panic attack because you didn’t do your homework.”
    • However, I relate with Dave about this:
      • “The humiliation of bombing is so much lower than the exhilaration of doing something well.”
    • Dave doesn’t know much about church, but then again, this doesn’t happen at my church either:
      • Letterman: Wait a minute, there’s a doughnut line at church?
  • Mathematician Hannah Fry tells the intriguing story of how the number zero was ‘discovered’ – and why we couldn’t predict the future without it.
  • Johnny Depp Ranked Most Overpaid Actor for Second Straight Year
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, December 7, 2016

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  • Interesting how times have changed. In that picture, you see all sorts of people standing in front and besides the president, something you won’t see ever again.
  • I wonder if FDR had any idea how much the word “infamy” would stand out, and now when spoken or written, makes Americans think of one specific event in history. Instead of “infamy”, “world history” was originally in place.
  • ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ had a segment on FDR’s speech
    • The speech lasted just 6 1/2 minutes, 2 1/2 pages. Sometimes, shorter is better, just ask Lincoln. I can’t imagine another president giving such a short speech in front of Congress after such a grievous tragedy.
    • The State Department drafted a 17-page speech rehashing the history of U.S.-Japanese relations, but Roosevelt set it aside and went with his gut.
    • Per his secretary – “He dictated most of it without interruption, punctuating, letting her know where the periods and the exclamation points needed to go. “After he finished she left the room and typed it up, brought it back to him. And then FDR himself did all of the editing in pencil to his own speech.” And here it is — edited by Roosevelt in his own hand. Two-and-a-half pages in length, it begins with what would become one of the most famous sentences in American history.
      day-of-infamy-speech-draft-620
  • Of course, I’ve been aware of the sinking of the USS Arizona, but it’s not until becoming an adult that I got a real grasp and power of the death toll:  1177 – the single largest loss of life in American naval history, and there were 23 sets of brothers.
    • Hangar 79, still bears the scars — the bullet holes in its bright blue window panes remain, reminders of the serenity shattered on a quiet Sunday morning.
      screenshot-2016-12-06-at-11-09-38-pm
    • “At that moment we were the 14th military power in the world, behind Sweden.”
      • “It is the transition day when we shifted from being an isolationist nation to being a global superpower.”
  • The ‘CBS Evening News’ had a cool segment on how the University of Arizona honors the USS Arizona
    • Three years ago, he started work on an idea for a thin red outline across the bustling commons at the University of Arizona. It is something new to remember something old: The exact measurement of the doomed battleship’s main deck. “In the initial outline of the ship, 597 feet long, and we had 5/8 of an inch to spare,” Carter said. In the middle, a structure like a ship’s bridge with a medallion for each man who died. More than 700 were 22 or under — college age.
      uss-arizona-smaller
  • Men’s Health – How This 104-Year-Old Pearl Harbor Survivor Packed On 20 Pounds Of Muscle
  • I’m not suggesting there’s any truth behind this, but here’s something fun for the conspiracy theorist. Trump made comments about Boeing yesterday which caused their stock price to slide in premarket trading; however, they fully recovered by the end of the day. Trump did this as a favor to someone who was trying to short the stock. Again, I’m just having fun with a conspiracy theory, and not suggesting there’s an ounce of truth in what I just wrote.
  • Seeking advice:
    • A question for you auto mechanic types – I own a 2007 GMC Acadia. When I turn on the blinker to turn right, it blinks at a rapid rate, which led me to believe the bulb was out, and that appears to be true. I did some research and discovered the Acadia uses LED lights, which means you can’t replace the bulb and forced to replace the entire housing. Before I purchase one, which can cost $65-$120, I thought I’d check to see if a fuse was blown, and they all appear to be in working order. Before I buy a new housing or light assembly, I thought I’d check with you experts to see if I’m missing anything obvious.
    • A question for your veterinarian – DogGeedingII was playing fetch with the kids. I wasn’t outside watching them, but the dog came back home limping, not putting any weight on his back right leg. I’ve inspected his paws and didn’t notice any thorns or the like, and I gently moved every joint in his leg and hip, but he shows no signs of pain whatsoever. It’s been a week, and he still won’t put any weight on it, and I’ve checked his paw and joints numerous times rotating them in every direction they are supposed to go – nothing, no pain. He’s still full of energy and hasn’t had a loss in appetite, and he still brings the ball to play fetch, but I have to keep hiding his ball because I’m trying to get him to rest and heal. His only limitation is that he can’t put weight on it and can’t jump on the sofa or bed. I thought after a week he’d be well by now, any thoughts before I schedule a vet visit?
    • A lot of folks I know who own a DSLR really don’t know how to use it well, but there’s a new tool that might make it easier. I spent a good half-hour toying around with it.
    • Wired – Learn How To Use A DSLR Camera, With This Nifty Web Tool
  • Stuff about Arizona Iced Tea I didn’t know until yesterday
  • Gun-wielding Alabama Mannequin Challenge leads to 2 arrests; weapons and drugs seized
Posted in Personal | 7 Comments

Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, December 6, 2016

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  • Finally, I don’t have to put the damn tree up all by myself.
  • CBS11 interviewed former Cowboys head coach Dave Campo and he used the word “vacillating”.  I’ll admit I had to look it up. In case you are wondering, it basically means to dither.
  • Last night, WifeGeeding wanted to watch the ‘Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show’ but I wasn’t interested and decided to get ready for bed. However, as I walked away, the first song the models came out to was U2’s “Vertigo” and then I decided to watch a few minutes of it.
  • If you are not a morning person and irritated by cherry morning folk who wish you a good morning, Proverbs 27:14 is your friend:
    • If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.
  • This photo didn’t make the rounds as much as I thought it would (WSJ Article):
    castrojeeppushcapture
  • Like most folks around these parts, I was surprised at Brian Loncar’s death. He was a local attorney known for his commercials as “The Strong Arm”. His unexpected death comes two days after his 16-year-old daughter’s funeral, who battled depression and took her own life. I know nothing about what he and his family are like, but even the most hardened person would have to have some sorrow for his wife who just buried her daughter and then becomes a widow two days later. Other survivors are his parents and five kids.
    • In a Facebook post about his daughter, Loncar wrote, “She told me she could never feel love.” As a person who suffers from depression and thoughts of suicide (at least weekly), I know exactly how she feels. This won’t make sense to you, but it feels like anyone who “loves” you is purely conditional, in spite of something, that it’s not genuine like it’s some means to an end, that you can’t be accepted for who you really are and have to put up a front, that you are only being placated – and that’s not what really love is. And if something were to happen to me, any sorrow wouldn’t come from me not being around but because they lost a means to an end.
      • Please don’t freak out by any of that, I got it under control, but it’s battle and it takes a lot of planning and preparation to overcome.
    • I thought .
    • Here’s the only thing the firm’s website says about his death:
      • (DALLAS, December 4, 2016) “Brian Loncar’s colleagues and employees are shocked and enormously saddened by these tragic events. We are remembering and honoring his passion, commitment to his clients and skillful representation of people who are in pain and need the firm’s assistance. You know his message as being ‘the strong arm’ for people who have been injured. Please know the team Brian built here is resolved to continue service to you that is reflective of Brian’s winning record, strength, expertise, wisdom as well as his deep sense of caring for his clients and people in need of help. We will continue to fight for you.” Editor’s note: This will be the only statement from Loncar & Associates tonight.
  • A Muslim-Owned Restaurant Has Invited Homeless People For Christmas Dinner
    • The Muslim-owned Shish Restaurant in Sidcup, southeast London, has said it will provide homeless and elderly people with a free three-course Christmas dinner this year. “No one eats alone on Christmas Day,” it said in a leaflet. “We are here to sit with you.”
  • Wedding thoughts:
    • The wedding was held at a venue called the Deer Cove. As you have guessed, it is heavily deer themed. For my fellow ‘Game of Thrones’ fan, I thought I was in House Baratheon.
    • The wedding had to be moved indoors since it literally rained all day and the temperature was in the low fifties.
    • I was part of the wedding because who I thought was my second cousin asked me to be a groomsman. However, from Wikipedia learned he is actually my first cousin, once removed.
      • People occasionally mistake the child of their first cousin as their “second cousin” – however that would actually be a first cousin, once removed. The removal denotes the generational difference.
      • Relationship wise, I’m closer to him because we are closer in age and both lost our fathers in our late twenties. If you recall, my father had me late in life, he was born in 1923 and I in 1975. Dad had a slightly younger sister, Eyelene (my aunt), and she had kids at a “normal” age, and her kids (my first cousins) always felt more like an aunt or uncle.
        • As noted before, Eyelene had a leg removed to cancer, but I do find humor in how her name sounds “I lean” and her having only one leg to stand on. Also, I only recall one conversation I ever had with that woman.
      • As I mentioned, the groom’s father is dead. He was my first cousin, so his mother is my first cousin by marriage. I find it interesting that these older first cousins are the ones I tend to bond with. I’m guessing it’s because they are able to fill in a lot of questions for me regarding family I’ve never got to know or only knew through a child’s perspective. I really don’t know much about my mother’s family in Vietnam, have been disconnected with my father’s side of the family, so finding out “who” they were as a person and the kind of relationships they had with others is absolutely fascinating for me.
        • The person I think who got the most out of the wedding is the groom’s mother. She expressed how she hasn’t had real substantive conversations with her brothers and daughter, and this wedding gave them an opportunity to really connect, express resentments, and but a lot of things behind them. I was really happy for her.
    • Depending on the wedding, a thought which will often go through my mind is if the bride understands the difference between a wedding and a marriage. It’s one thing to throw a party to be a princess for a day and be the center of attention, it’s entirely another thing understanding the work ahead that it’s not about you, but building a relationship in which you put the needs of the one you love ahead of you. And yes, there’s a difference between needs and wants, and a lot of this goes for the groom as well.
    • I know weddings and setup can be chaotic, but I’m a stickler for being respectful other people’s time and at least having a framework of organization and cluing others in on what’s going to happen. For instance, I was asked to show up to an apartment at noon to help move stuff. The groom was about 45-minutes late and the bride didn’t show up until about a half hour later.
    • A lot of people came from out of state – Oregon, California, Nevada, Arkansas, Florida, and Houston. Before arriving in Azle, most went to Waco to visit that Magnolia thing and the Dr. Pepper Museum. They were overwhelmed by the Magnolia thing and supremely underwhelmed by the Dr. Pepper Museum. Funny thing, but as of late, I just can’t escape anything Fixer Upper related, and I kept hearing references to the show all day on Friday as we set things up because the venue looked heavily influenced by it.
    • There was a kid who had a GoPro attached to his chest and was instructed to just roam for the evening.
    • Because I was part of the wedding party, I partook in my first mannequin challenge.
    • I needed to return my tux the next day at the Men’s Warehouse. A little after 10:00 AM Sunday I approached the door and found it was locked and noticed they didn’t open until 11:00 AM. Right when returned to my car, an employee, a woman probably in her sixties, told me that if I was responsible enough to return the suit early the next day then she was going to open the store early just for me. She let me in, inspected the suit and made sure I didn’t leave anything in the pockets, and then booted up the register and gave me a return receipt. Her kindheartedness made my day.
  • Art Briles hired “super agent” Jimmy Sexton back in September. It looks like (at least to me) Sexton tried to use an ESPN reporter to float a rumor that the University of Houston, Briles alma mater and where he coached before Baylor, was interested in hiring him. But Houston’s vice president for athletics shot that down in an almost embarrassing way, saying it was Briles who contacted them.
    • “Earlier this week Art Briles expressed interest to me regarding the Houston head coach position. After discussion with University of Houston leadership, we developed a list of candidates to be interviewed that did not include Art.”
  • Everything about that ‘Pizzagate’ story freaks me out.
  • I say it every year, but I love how the City of Lewisville will out a Santa on a firetruck and drive around the neighbor throwing candy as lights and sirens occasionally go off.
  • I’m not a Rick Pitino fan, but his Louisville team played Grand Canyon University recently and beat them 79-70. Grand Canyon University becomes eligible for the NCAA next year, and they had a compacity crowd when Louisville came to town. To help the program, Patino said the following:
    • “In college basketball, my 40-plus years, (that) was the toughest crowd I’ve ever faced,” Pitino said. “Awesome. “You got something special here, really special. When you have this type of enthusiasm, it made us a much better team tonight. Whether we go to Duke, Kentucky, nothing was as tough as that environment tonight.”
  • Brave bird wears goggles and flies through a laser for science – The bird was willing to do all that for some seeds
  • I absolutely love this:
Posted in Personal | 1 Comment