Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, April 2, 2024

  • TwitterX really wasn’t much fun yesterday. I usually like April Fool’s Day jokes, but it seemed like everyone yesterday thought they were pulling one over everyone, which was blatantly obvious.
  • I wasn’t a fan of the Texas Department of Public Safety sending me a text at 10:45 PM last night to remind me that my vehicle registration would expire in three months. It’s a legit text, I’m not being scammed. I received an email notification earlier in the day. I don’t mind the text; I’m just surprised they would send one out so late in the evening.
  • After watching Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune came on. I had not been a fan of the show since childhood, so I planned on changing the channel, but the introduction caught my attention. Oddly, the gameshow announcer introduced Vanna White and actor Jared Leto. Then he nonchalantly jumped into hosting, “All right, everybody, grab those devices; it’s time to give away some money. A $1000 in our first toss-up, the category is on the map.” The show then continued as normal, cutting back to regular host Sajak as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t find anything about it online until later in the evening. It was just an April Fool’s joke, which I thought was pretty solid. But, it was not as solid as the April Fool’s Day 1997 when Sajack and Alex Trebek switched hosting duties. I forgot that Pat and Janna played as contestants. It must be odd being a contestant on the show you host.
  • I’m rediscovering my love for the night. I’ve always been more of a night person than an evening person. But, when I married a morning person who was always early to bed and early to rise, I did my best to convert. I was told by her and many others I didn’t need to go to bed at the same time as my then-wife, but I thought that was important and something to build on. I loved those conversations as our day came to an end.
  • That kind of humor will not influence anyone to follow the Christ he claims to follow.https://twitter.com/jennycohn1/status/1773511106868519312
  • Never play Luka in a game of HORSE.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Bag of Randomness for Monday, April 1, 2024

  • The design and style of the Texas Rangers World Series rings are exceptional, but the size of it makes them gaudy.
  • I can’t remember if Rangers fans pointed out that as they went undefeated on road trips during the playoffs, all the teams they beat spelled out ROAD – Rays, Oriels, Astros, and Diamondbacks. I think someone did point it out in November. No matter, it’s a pretty cool feature of the Rangers championship ring, and using the first letters of the opposing team’s logo was a nice touch. Here’s a video that explains the reasoning behind all 19 elements that make up the gaudy World Series ring.
  • As National League champions, the Diamondbacks also get rings. This is true for all major sports, and is dumb.
    https://twitter.com/Dbacks/status/1773885507711455307
  • Journalists have been told to stop stealing souvenirs from US President Joe Biden’s official aircraft.
    • An inventory check on Air Force One after Mr Biden’s visit to the US west coast in February found several items were missing from its press section. Branded pillowcases, glasses and gold-rimmed plates are among the items that have allegedly vanished from the jet.
  • Bruce Springsteen was on last night’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and was better at acting than I expected.
  • Robotic police dog shot multiple times, credited with avoiding potential bloodshed
  • It’s hard for me to accept that 1984 was 40 years ago. To me, 40 years ago will always be the Fourties or Fifties. It’s not that I don’t want to accept it, or anything like that. I bet one day, it will finally sink in.

  • If you are a fan of basketball, you’ll appreciate the passing and how well the Mavericks executed this play. It’s a thing of beauty.
    https://twitter.com/MavsFilmRoom/status/1774122439095497172
  • I predict that Texas State Representative (D) James Talarico will win a state-wide election. My guess is he’ll be the next Texas governor or Senator. Not only is he a current member of the Texas House, but the 34-year-old is fulfilling a passion project by going to seminary. I guess you can do that when you don’t have a spouse and a family.
    https://twitter.com/kirkacevedo/status/1774438287694062044
Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Monday, April 1, 2024

Bag of Randomness for Friday, March 29, 2024

  • Seriously, we couldn’t even get the banner unraveling right? They only had five months to work on it. It unraveled awkwardly and slowly, hung crooked and wrinkled because it wasn’t stretched out, and our stupid governor insisted he throw out the first pitch.
  • For the longest time, I’ve wanted to post a video or tweet at the top of a blog post and have it center justified, but I could never figure it out. Sure, it does sound simple to do. There was countless trial and error. But thanks to AI, it took less than five seconds.
  • This video of a college graduate complaining about how hard it is to find a job is making the rounds. Yes, that’s a college graduate and not a 12-year-old like she looks (and acts) like. Reality is hitting her, and it’s hitting hard. I’m a little sympathetic and will give her some slack because I was once like her when I got out of college, but not to this level. Granted, she left a lot of context out, such as what she got her degrees and one certificate in. I have more thoughts below for those of you who choose to watch it.

    • In case you are wondering, she attended Rider University, a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. The school she earned her certificate was West Chester University.
    • How exactly is she more qualified? If she were an accounting major and did an internship for an accounting firm, I’d be more sympathetic. But I have a feeling she thinks getting a piece of paper that shows you went to college makes her more qualified and elite than everyone already in the workforce.
    • All Bart did was be generous to her, and she’s basically making fun of him as if she wasted her time speaking to him.
    • A mentor needs to tell her to take an entry-level job at a firm in an industry where she wants to work. Do the job well, be reliable, help the company profit, and you will advance quickly. I would also add she needs to have the attitude that the job is not beneath her. That was a mistake I made. I accepted an entry-level job just to get my foot in the door. But I made a mistake by focusing more on getting the next job or planning ahead than focusing on the job I was hired for and excelling in that one first.
    • Making this video is only going to make her less hireable.
    • Let’s work on some interviewing skills.
    • It may take her a while to understand it’s not what you know but who you know.
    • We all have had our moments. I wish her the best and hope she learns a lot in this season of her life. I also wouldn’t doubt if the video was fake.
  • Idiot – Michigan GOP lawmaker falsely labels March Madness athletes ‘illegal invaders’ – On social media, Rep. Matt Maddock said buses near a Detroit airport had been “loaded up with illegal invaders.” The airport later said the buses were “transporting the basketball teams and their respective staffs.”
    https://twitter.com/Spawn_03/status/1773343663231250687
  • Language warning.

  • It has indeed. The mid-range jumper is gone. No one drives to the lane, which shows a lack of defense. Defense today is little more than a hand in the face.
  • Yesterday was the first day of district play and DaughterGeeding hot her first hit of the season. Here she is about to get thrown out at second.
Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Friday, March 29, 2024

Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, March 27, 2024

  • I need to give y’all an update on my mental/emotional and spiritual health. But for now, I want to pass on my physical health (other than my triglyceride count) is the best it’s been for at least the past two years. For the majority of last year, I had to rely on using a cane or a walker to get around. Seriously, that’s not hyperbole. Now, I’ve settled into a pleasant morning routine. After letting the dogs out, I drink a cup of generic grocery store brand’s lightly roasted morning coffee as I check my daily news and social websites. After that, I feel the need to do some light stretching and exercising. I never thought I’d get to the point again in life that I felt so good I wanted to exercise that it wasn’t toil but a desire. When I no longer really notice the chronic physical pain that has plagued me, my mood is boosted, and so is my energy level. I do small things like laugh at my own jokes, dance, play hide-go-seek with the dogs, and do my best to enjoy my wife with the current cards that are dealt to me.
  • I still haven’t started on my taxes, which I usually finish in early January or late February.
  • The Telegraph – The triumphant USA is now producing more oil and gas than any nation ever has. – We and our friends have no need to truckle to the Kremlin or Saudi Arabia
  • A distant cousin of mine lost her mother a handful of months ago. Yesterday evening, while at the grocery store, I found a shirt with a sloth on it. She loves sloths, so I took a selfie with it and sent it to my cousin, just to let her know I was thinking of her, her mother, and the rest of her family on that oceanfront property in Arizona and, while I may no longer have hair, I’m still haven’t forgotten about the time she got gum stuck in my hair when we were kids.
  • I asked my Google assistant what I thought was a straightforward question, “Who is the best player in the NBA?” She said she didn’t understand, I repeat myself and get the same answer, and even tried to rephrase it a few different ways, like, “Who is the best basketball player in the world?” No luck. I asked because I heard someone say it was Nikola Jokic. I don’t follow the NBA closely but I surely didn’t think it would be a lanky white guy. It turns out I’m wrong, and I found several different sources that back up the claim Jokic is the best player in the world right now. Luka is fourth, so two white men are in the top five. Dallas actually has three of the top 100 players, for what that’s worth.
  • Elementary teacher on leave in response to school newsletter item calling for students to dress as ‘slaves and hobos’ for jazz event
    • Perhaps the person I trust most in life lives in Spokane, Washington, where this happened. So, I keep an open ear on all things Spokane. Racism in that area seems to make national news. You may recall the story of the president of their local NAACP chapter presented herself as black despite being born to two white parents.
    • This seems so obvious not to do that I’m led to think it was purposely done to promote an organization or cause. Turning Point USA does stuff related to this, but more so on college campuses. I’ll have to keep an eye on this.
    • This happened at an elementary school named after Woodrow Wilson, perhaps the most racist U.S. President ever. I’m often amazed at how truth can be stranger than fiction.
  • Trump is selling ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles for $59.99 as he faces mounting legal bills
    • It’s not surprising. I’m wondering what took him so long. Surely, he didn’t have the patience to wait until Holy Week. And included inside are copies of several of our nation’s most important documents like the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Most of his folks treat those docs as if they are scripture anways.
    • Who was the first president to do something similar? Thomas Jefferson. He edited his own version, which took out the miracles or anything mystical. The most complete form Jefferson produced was inherited by his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, and was acquired in 1895 by the National Museum in Washington. The book was later published as a lithographic reproduction by an act of the United States Congress in 1904. Beginning in 1904 and continuing every other year until the 1950s, new members of Congress were given a copy of the Jefferson Bible. Until the practice first stopped, copies were provided by the Government Printing Office. A private organization, the Libertarian Press, revived the practice in 1997. In January 2013, the American Humanist Association published an edition of the Jefferson Bible, distributing a free copy to every member of Congress and President Barack Obama. A Jefferson Bible For the Twenty-First Century adds samples of passages that Jefferson chose to omit, as well as examples of the “best” and “worst” from the Hebrew Bible, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, the Buddhist Sūtras, and the Book of Mormon. Check it out online and examine the old pages here.
    • Trump, who became the presumptive Republican nominee earlier this month, released a video on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday urging his supporters to buy the “God Bless the USA Bible,” which is inspired by country singer Lee Greenwood’s patriotic ballad. Trump takes the stage to the song at each of his rallies and has appeared with Greenwood at events. “Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless the USA Bible,” Trump wrote, directing his supporters to a website selling the book for $59.99.
      https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1772664772577603971
  • I spent 90 minutes trying to find (confirm) the name(s) and/or email(s) of a small-town high school counselor(s), and it was NOWHERE to be found. It was one of those things where you ask yourself, “Surely, their names or contact info can’t be that hard to find,” and continue to search and search even though you know you could contact someone else about it. Really, I just wanted an email address. That made me curious and I wondered how difficult it would be to find the names and contact info for the Perin-Whitt and Mineral Wells High School counselors. Each search result took less than two seconds. Eventually, I caved and went to bed. In the morning, I called the high school in hopes I would finally find what I was looking for. A very friendly woman answered and asked for the contact information of the counselor in charge of scholarships. She seemed confused and clarified, “So you just want to talk to her?” As I inhaled to take a breath to reply, she must have handed the phone to the person right next to her who introduced herself as the high school counselor. Right after introducing myself, she said, “Yeah, I know you,” and then asked me questions. It was like a Bugs Bunny role-reversal moment. There’s a lesson in there to be learned somewhere.

Posted in Interesting, Personal | Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Wednesday, March 27, 2024