Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, August 4, 2015

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  • Around 23 years ago my church youth group visited Burger’s Lake, and despite never going back, I fell in love with the place.  It’s a beautiful slice of summer Americana which takes you back and time and reminds you of all those goofy camp movies.  The place is unique in that it’s filled with natural spring water that’s been chlorinated.  Along with sandy beaches, there’s a trapeze, small and gigantic slides, and diving boards that range from ordinary to twenty feet in the air. I always told myself that if I were ever blessed with a family of my own, I’d return.  That happened yesterday, and it was the best day of summer by far.  I felt like I was on a real vacation, and at one moment, I just had this sense of feeling refreshed.
  • Back in 2008, Burger’s Lake had a big scare with the parasite cryptosporidium and closed for a while.  I have to admit that was a concern, but the next year they installed a new ozone-based water-filtering system and there haven’t been any issues.
  • I was also impressed with the lifeguards, all of which seemed really on top of their game, extremely watchful and professional.  They don’t put up with much either, but at the same time, were extremely friendly.
  • As a teen, I had a lot of confidence running off a diving board, even bouncing at the end several times to jump skyward.  Now that I’m older, I take smaller steps and just bounce once because I fear I’m going to slip and fall off looking quite the fool.
  • The trapeze that swings over the water is the most popular thing, but sometimes it’s hard to grab the bar as it swings back.  There’s a hook to help snatch it, and right as I was about to use it, a six-foot-six-inch high school kid grabbed it for me and said, “Don’t worry sir, I’ll help you.”  That was one nice and respectful young man, but at the same time, man, did I feel small and weak.
  • WifeGeeding swinging from the trapeze – She sounds like a cat just got run over but she nails the landing.
  • Speak of the teens, a lot of them had their GoPros.
  • One last Burger’s Lake mention, here’s an article that talks about the history of the place.  It would be a hoot to be there when they drain the lake and to see everything visitors have lost over the summer.  You don’t really understand how cold 69 degree spring water is until you actually feel it entering the lake.
  • It’s kinda hard to figure out which blonde woman our country is in love with the most this summer –  Ronda Rousey, Amy Schumer, or Taylor Swift.
  • An interesting read that was first published back in January – Even Robert E. Lee Wanted the Confederate Flag Gone
  • A Florida man attempted to chew off his fingerprints while in a patrol car to avoid being identified by the police.
  • Man Throws Chain Saws At Deputy During East Texas Chase
  • Weezer, Fitz and the Tantrums to headline downtown Dallas’ new Reunion fest during Texas/OU weekend
  • Today’s does of ‘MURICA!
  • Absolutely no gore GIF of the day – Unexpected accident at crocodile show
  • Sneaky Pete trailer: our first look at Bryan Cranston’s new show – Sneaky Pete stars Giovanni Ribisi as an ex-con who steals his prison cellmate’s identity and starts working in the bail bonds industry.
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Bag of Randomness for Monday, August 3, 2015

barryjimmycowboys

  • My father would have turned 92 yesterday.  Even if he lived a life without smoking, I’d doubt he’d live that long.  He died back in 1998.
  • Things my father always carried in his pocket, and things I don’t many men carry on their person today – handkerchief, comb, pocket knife, change.
  • Thirty years ago yesterday, nine-year-old Geeding was on his first airplane ride.  We departed DFW to Hawaii on a Delta flight and it wasn’t until we checked into our hotel room we learned that Delta Flight 191 crashed after our takeoff from DFW.   For some reason I thought there were no survivors, but I’m wrong.
  • Speaking of DFW Aiport, there was a comment on a Reddit thread about the airport that caught my attention.  Here’s a summarized version – “I helped build that terminal. You would not believe where the jail cells are hidden. When you step off the plane and step onto the actual terminal, you are no more than 30 paces from one. The next time you’re there look around right before you enter the tunnel. If you see a panel that has some smudges or fingerprints that’ll be the panel hiding the cell entrance. Forget about screaming or using your cellphone because it will be useless. It’s sound proof and has a Faraday cage built into the walls.”
  • I started to read a Reddit thread about generational nicknames, but it didn’t cite any reliable sources.  It stated, “the nickname ‘Skip’ identifies someone who has the same first name as their grandparent but not their parent, essentially ‘skipping’ a generation.”  So that means my son, Walter, can use the nickname, “Skip”.  That’s a bit funny for me, as my first dog was named “Skip” or “Skippy”.  My brother only referred to him as “Skipper” because he stated the dog was named after the ‘Gilligan’s Island’ character. For a third generation that has the same first name, “Trip” or “Trey” can be used.  For the fourth generation, the name “Ivey”. The fifth generation carrying a name  may be referred to as Quincy, or Quinton.
  • I discovered there’s an old and unkept cemetery in Augusta County, Virginia named  Geeding-Keller Cemetery.
  • U2 will have two specials on HBO that wil air in November, and means it’s their early Christmas present to me.  A behind the scenes documentary about the conceptualization of the new tour will air on Saturday, Nov. 7, and then a week later the concert they performed in Paris on that day will air.
  • We ate at Back Forty Smokehouse in North Richland Hills on Friday and it has now cracked the top five of my best BBQ list.  My listing is mostly based off brisket.  Pecan Lodge is still the reigning champ, followed by a tie of Lockhart and Hutchins, then Back Forty and Meet U Anywhere.  Back Forty offered a very moist brisket, decent smoke penetration, a nice char with a rub that provided a bit of kick that wasn’t too much but just enough to be noticed.  Their menu is plentiful and the atmosphere is grand.
  • A ‘dive-bar TopGolf’ called the Goat Ranch is coming to East Dallas – They are going for the redneck or deep woods approach as evident by this sentence – The owners envision the concept more like golf target practice, and are currently scouring Craigslist and junkyards for a variety of things that will make noise and break when you hit them. Think rusty cars, metal signs, mannequins, dunk tanks and other “rusty old cool stuff,” said Spivey. 
  • When Grubes was a board op at The TICKET, I bet all of us P1s never thought he’d be featured in a Sports Illustrated article.
  • Buzzfeed – A Couple Had A Second Wedding After The Wife Lost Her Memory In An Accident
  • Not only are they deadly as the official state speedbump, but they can be bulletproof – Texas Man Injured After Bullet Ricochets Off Armadillo
  • Sneaky cops in Georgia – one metro police department says going undercover is an effective way to bust drivers texting, tweeting or checking emails behind the wheel.
  • This post is about nine-months-old, but it’s still new to me – Blogger George Prior Drinks 10 Cokes A Day For 30 Days; The Result Is Nothing Short Of Disastrous
  • The electric bill came in the mail Friday, and for our two-story house the total was $241.
  • Armchair political pundit time – The news of VP Joe Biden making a presidential run is growing, and most of the stories relate to his son telling him to do so on his deathbed.  If that’s true, whoever leaked that story has no spine.  I heard a story about a year ago that makes more sense.  He’s always wanted to be president but knew there wasn’t a way to beat Hillary or cause a huge party division, but since he’s the next most qualified candidate for his party, he’d stay on the sidelines ready to go just in case the S.S. Clinton started to spring some leaks, which it appears to be doing.
  • My laptop is five years and I found a great deal on a new solid state drive (SSD).  The data transfer took less than I thought, a little less than two hours for $200 GB of data, and the actual physical install was super easy.  I’m really impressed with the upgraded performance of my laptop, it’s like having a new computer.  Bootup time is super fast, and it opens a Word or Excel doc in less than two seconds.  Before the upgrade, it took a good thirty seconds for those apps to open.
  • Here’s something if you are into local highway names – Highway name games saddle Dallas-Fort Worth corridors with multiple monikers
  • But do they have a catch song like FarmersOnly.com? – GlutenfreeSingles is a dating, networking, and informative website where you never have to feel alone, awkward, or a burden because you are gluten-free. Our website is a welcoming place where people can find gluten-free dating partners, friends, and activity groups.
  • Eerie Oklahoma news – Balloon Released at Father’s Grave Amazingly Comes Back Home – after leaving the cemetery, running a few errands, and driving 25 mile back home — the balloon’s note showed up at their house.
  • The New Ghostbusters Visit Boston Hospital In Full Costume
  • Stephen Colbert meets Mitt Romney in new Late Show promo
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