Bag of Randomness

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  • That Santa has been doing the Santa gig for 15-years and 94% of his body is covered with tattoos, many of them Christmas themed.
  • I remember the first major sporting event I attended, which I proudly did with my immediate family, holding my dad’s hand as we walked up the ramp and hearing the roar of the crowd and seeing more people in one setting, which was larger than the population of my home town by more than three times.  That event was so special to me I hoped to be able to do the same with my immediate family when the kids are the right age so they can have a similar memory with their old man.  Yesterday ,WifeGeeding informed me that her father wants to purchase Cotton Bowl tickets so all his children, grandchildren, and children-in-law can watch Michigan State and Baylor play on his dime.  That’s an extremely nice gesture, but I’d prefer my children’s first big sporting event would be like I imagined it – just the immediate family, and certainly not a Baylor event.  If I say no to this gesture or don’t attend myself, I come off looking like douche, so it means that the most noble thing I can do is accept the gift and swallow any pride or expectations I have with my kids and their first sporting event.  Perhaps if Baylor wasn’t coached by Art Briles, presided by Ken Starr, and wasn’t baptist affiliated (or just two of the three), I’d feel more comfortable about the whole thing.
  • We might be horrible parents because we aren’t doing the whole Elf on the Shelf thing.
  • I was asked to expand on my broken toilet story that lead me to buy the 4Runner.  When we first moved into GeedingManor I noticed the toilet rocked a bit when sitting on it.  As a new homeowner, I decided my first project would be to fix the rocking and tightened the toilet floor bolt.  My error was tightening that bolt too tight which broke the base.
  • Barry over at LiberallyLean.com mentioned that Craig Miller of The TICKET got a divorce, I had no idea.  It was in reference to a caller saying he’s harsh on Art Briles because his ex-wife went to Baylor.  It’s funny how we can all make observations about things and come to different conclusions, because I always thought he overreached defending Baylor.  But I will say one thing, being married to a Baylor woman is very unique and takes a very special man, and most of the time I don’t feel up to the task.
  • LiberallyLean also stated, “Art Briles being shown on the video board after the game getting in the face of the Big 12 commissioner was a crazy scene that has been under reported.”  I read on a few message boards (you know how reliable those can be) that event was orchestrated by the PR firm Baylor hired, but the media saw through it refused to be part of it.  I guess that’s plausible, but I can’t find much fault in trying to get your school in a place no one ever thought it would be and doing what you can for your players.
  • I remember some folks asking Michael Jordan why he didn’t take a stand on certain issues, and he said it’s because both Republicans and Democrats buy shoes.  So seeing LeBron James wearing a “I Can’t Breathe” shirt is a bit jarring.
  • Yesterday FedEx dropped off a form letter from the new CEO of Sprint thanking me for my loyalty and offering a few free incentives.  Sending things by FedEx is a nice touch but that’s a silly expense to get a message across.
  • Jalopnik – Owning A Ferrari For A Year Was A Disappointment
  • If you’re a fan of ‘The Walking Dead’, I’m sure the folks at Terminus used something like this as a reference.  I had no idea the lungs were full of iron.
  • Where to Celebrate Christmas 2014 in Dallas
  • Norman Lear was on ‘The Daily Show’ last night and for a 92-year-old, that man had one hell of a strut walking on stage and you can tell his mind is still as sharp as a tack.  Sometimes I long for a good Archie Bunker segment.  I tried to visit Lear’s website during his appearance on ‘The Daily Show’ and it crashed.
  • President Obama was on ‘The Colbert Report’ last night, and even though he was just promoting the Affordable Healthcare Act when he sat in Colbert’s seat and took over the show, it still was pretty funny and felt a lot like an SNL skit.  Obama is a great orator and I think he does a good job at trying to connect to the American public, but he just doesn’t have that natural gift like Reagan or Clinton.
  • Joaquin Phoenix was on Letterman last night and I made sure to tune in because he pulled a bit on Letterman a few years ago.  Phoenix is an odd character, but he seems to have this real and sincere appreciation with Dave, and even ended the interview with a big hug.
  • Today’s dose of ‘MURICA! – Presidential Fight Club
  • And for today, a dose of Canada, eh.
  • Found this on Reddit – Well done, Wal-Mart, well done
  • Washington Wizards player John Wall breaks down in this interview after last night’s double overtime victory talking about his six-year-old friend Mya who died of leukemia on Saturday.  Kuddos to the broadcast crew who decided to break away from the scene and give the guy some space.
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Bag of Randomness

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  • If given a choice of owning the replica car from ‘Knight Rider’ or ‘Magnum P.I.’, I’d probably have to go with the car from ‘Magnum P.I.’.
  • While listening to a podcast, I learned that when most people enter the Graceland tour and walk into the house, most everyone is unaware that right above their head is where Elvis died.  The bathroom where he died is immediately above the front entryway.
  • The College Football Playoff Committee couldn’t have made a better decision.  Despite the Big XII’s slogan of “One True Champion”, there wasn’t and it makes the conference look weak and hypocritical.  The argument to include both TCU and Baylor in playoff without a Big XII championship game is a tossup for which team is better, and if both can’t get in, then both shouldn’t get in.  I would like to see a rematch of those two on a neutral field.  In the future, I’d like to see both Big XII teams with the best conference records overall, not from each division, play in a championship game at Shelton Stadium on the Hardin-Simmons campus in Abilene.  Yeah, that last part is a stretch.
  • It’s quite easy and reasonable to argue for the Baylor win in the head-to-head matchup against TCU, and it’s just as easy to reasonable argue against Baylor’s win over TCU.
  • If there is one problem I do have with their selection, it’s hard for me to understand how TCU can be ranked third and drop out of the top four a week later despite a strong win on Sunday.  That tells me they shouldn’t have been ranked that high to begin with.
  • Baylor won the head-to-head over TCU (with a great comback despite behind outmatched most of the game), but the odd and frustrating thing with college football is voters and committee members only like to look at the now, not what happened a week or few weeks earlier or the entire portfolio, for the most part.  Baylor got solidly beat by West Virginia, and TCU beat West Virginia.  Baylor squeaked by Texas Tech 48-46 on a neutral field, and TCU annihilated Tech 27-82.  This leads me to think that all sports talk personalities should send a percentage of their income to this College Playoff Committee because it’s given them a plethora to talk about and energized fand to be a part of it all.
  • I’m amazed how many people still credit Ann Richards for Baylor’s involvement into the Big XII when it was really Bob Bullock doing all the behind the scene work.
  • It is kind of interesting how the College Football Selection Committee made their decision just outside of Fort Worth and chose to exclude the Frogs.
  • I feel like most of DFW is pro-Baylor than pro-TCU, even with TCU being part of the actual area.
  • Last year I saw a Baylor fan hold up “We Want Bama” sign and I saw the same thing this year.  My suggestion to the the Baylor administration, get rid of those games against teams like Buffalo and Incarnate Word, and try to schedule legit talent like Bama, and then your play on the field will definitely do all the speaking.  That’s not me being mean, but some actual constructive advice that would better the program.
  • For TCU, all they had to do was finish strong at Baylor.  Patterson has made some of his worst coaching decisions against Baylor.
  • I haven’t watched a lot of Kansas State football games, but when a player is injured on the field, it seems like head coach Bill Snyder always goes to that player to check on things.  It’s crazy what a rarity that is, for a coach to actually check on a player that is injured.
  • Congrats to my Oklahoma State Cowboy readers on their victory over OU.  That’s basically just a shout out to you, Brett.
  • Mark Wahlberg is asking for a pardon for his past crimes.  I believe he’s a changed man and has done a lot of things to help the community and influence others for the better, but it’s always bugged me he never personally apologized to his victims.
  • WifeGeeding found an article that lists the Top Snobbiest Places in Texas.  I think the list is a bunch of crap because Southlake isn’t even listed in the top 50.  Heck. Lewisville and Bedford even makes the top 50.  Number one on the list our neighboring city, Coppell, which it states has more college grads than any other Texas city (63.36 percent of residents had a college degree).
  • We did attend the Coppell Christmas parade on Saturday.  To my surprise, they don’t throw candy but hand them out to each child.  I’m guessing they didn’t do that because it was dark and people could get hit in the face, and it keeps candy from being left on the streets which won’t attract squirrels and whatnot from eating it.
  • For numerous reasons, I put my SUV up for sale on Craig’s List back in October, and after it didn’t sell for about ten days we decided to keep it.  I forgot to take the listing down and was contacted about it last week and I ended up selling it on Saturday for a price I’m pretty happy with.  It’s weird, but I tend to get attached or sentimental about inanimate objects.  I think it was my favorite of all my vehicles.  I always wanted a 4Runner and I finally owned one, and I can’t recall ever having a problem with it.  Heck, I brought both my children home in that thing from the hospital.  We bought it the first week we moved into GeedingManor.  The toilet in the master bath broke and I couldn’t fit a new toilet from Lowe’s in either of our Honda’s, so on a whim we bought the 4Runner.
  • Buzzfeed has a post about a chubby “ugly duckling” girl who was bullied when she was twelve-years-old by a boy over her looks, and she used that as motivation over the next ten years to lose weight and work on her appearance.  She ran into that guy at an event who asked her out on a date.  She agreed, but stood him up; however, she asked the waiter to give him a note she wrote about his bullying with a picture of her twelve-year-old self attached.  The Buzzfeed post is applauding her actions like some kind of Taylor Swift song of feminine justice, but I think it’s pretty petty to judge someone by their actions ten years ago.  Heck, the boy wasn’t even in his teens yet.  But at the same time, most twenty-two-year-old men and women aren’t as mature as the think they are.  At least the guy took it well and took the high road.
  • You can find more pics of that burning Santa here.
  • At least there’s still 94.5 – HOT 93.3 FM Has Already Given Up on Classic Hip Hop
  • Report: The Father Of Video Games, Ralph Baer, Has Passed Away
  • Thoughts on the NFL Network’s ‘A Football Life’ on Roger Staubach:
    • He wasn’t suppose to pass an eye test relating to seeing color while at the Naval Academy, but the person overlooking the test missed something and Staubach was admitted.  He wonders what his life would have been like he that person actually failed him on that eye test.
    • While at Navy, Bill Belichick’s father was on the coaching staff and a the youngster use to play catch with Staubach often.
    • When he won the Heisman, he stated he wanted to break the trophy up in 44 pieces to share with is teammates since he considered it a team award.  His teammates still ask him for their piece of the trophy today.  There were also a lot of pictures if his children riding the trophy like a horse.
    • Local folks know that on Thanksgiving morning he plays a game of touch or flag football with friends and family, playfully calling it the turkey bowl.  It use to be played in a park, but you see int his episode that they now play in Cowboys/AT&T Stadium before the bi game.
    • They showed the 72-year-old working out, and it’s impressive the shape he’s still in.  Heck, the spirals and accuracy of this throws in the clips of this year’s turkey bowl were impressive.  They also showed him shooting free throws in a sleeveless shirt, and he’s got the most impressive guns for a 72-year-old I’ve ever seen.
    • When he was in Vietnam, Gil Brant use to send him lots of footballs to practice, but he sometimes had to request more because the place where he stored the footballs was bombed.
    • I forgot that he used his two weeks of leave while in active duty was spent at Cowboys training camp.  Gosh, you gotta love that determination.
    • Surprisingly, Clint Longley was interviewed.  Morton’s last act before leaving the Cowboys was  sucker punching Staubach and driving off.
    • When he won the Super Bowl MVP he was awarded a Dodge Charger, but asked if he could exchange it for a station wagon since he had three or four kids at the time.
    • NJ Gov Chris Christi was interviewed and stated he has a signed football of Staubach in his office much to the dislike of Giants ownership.  It’s because of Staubach he’s still a fan of the team today.
    • There was a picture of a very young John Elway getting an autograph from Staubach.
    • I still get a kick out of Steve Young telling the story of him meeting Staubach for the first time, his childhood idol, in the NFC Championship game and how he said it actually phased him a bit.
    • Tommy ‘Hollywood’ Henderson and Charlie Waters talked about how Staubach saved their lives when they were at their lowest of lows.  For instance, Waters son died and Staubach offered him a job with and office and salary, and told him he didn’t even have to come in until he felt he was ready.
    • A lot of folks talked about how he should have run for political office.  I remember when George W. Bush was first elected there was a lot of talk about Staubach becoming the Secretary of the Navy, which would have been cool.
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