Bag of Randomness

HVmwr

  • It’s nice to hear others have visited Haystack and enjoyed it.
  • With some of my coworkers getting laid off it took me a while to process something.  My team is split between Austin and Dallas, all Dallas employees on my team were let go.  There are still Dallas employees on other projects, but that made me raise and eyebrow.
  • As I was entering the workforce the last thing I wanted to do was operate my own business because I wanted someone else to manage and worry about profits, benefits, and things of the like.  Now, I’d much rather be in charge of my own destiny and job security than leaving it to someone else.
  • Remember when the ‘American Idol’ finale use to be a big thing?
  • ‘Survivor’ changed up their finale by not having it on Sunday and actually starting out in a studio and going back periodically for contestant and audience segments.  I thought it was pretty cool and welcomed the change, and I certainly prefer having two finalists instead of three.
  • I haven’t watched a Tyler Perry production or a movie in which he was a main cast member, but I do know he’s a big Star Trek and Survivor fan per his involvement in those things.
  • I’m still waiting for a Survivor set in Vietnam.
  • Last night I tried Kirkland ice cream based upon their high ranking in ‘Consumer Reports’ and my gosh, that might be the best store bought ice cream out there.
  • Miles Austin received permission from Bernie Kosar to wear the number 19.  If I was a Browns fan, I’d be ticked.  Heck, it was bad enough seeing a number 12 Tony Banks shirt at the Vista Ridge Champs Sports store back in the day.
  • I identified with this more than you know, and less than you’d think – Why I Miss Being A Born Again Christian
  • This is the first time I’ve seen our area referred to as Dallas – Fort Worth – Arlington, TX – The 20 Deadliest U.S. Cities for Pedestrians
  • And I was just talking about tollway construction the other day – Dallas North Tollway to get additional lanes, new turnpike interchange
  • There’s a new ’30 for 30′ short on Shawn Bradley.  In this short he stated he had to pay a $10,000 fine because he refused to attend a team meeting that was held at a strip club and he even worked in a leper colony in India. Jeff Van Gundy makes a great point that most people will only judge him on 12 years of his life instead of his entire life.  I remember a friend spotting him in the Mineral Wells True Value.  At the time he had a place out at Possum Kingdom and he was trying to find parts to repair something.
  • “Don’t chase the grade, chase the knowledge.” – The most memorable quotes and moments from Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Dallas visit
  • Found on Reddit: “Texas” is the only state name that can be typed entirely with the left hand in home position.
  • Police arrest man accused of drugging and kidnapping victim when she was 15, forcing her into marriage and fathering child with her –  The woman is now 25 and I’m sure stories like this gives families of missing children hope, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, when I’m sure in most cases they sadly just need closure.
Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

A Three-Minute Daily Exercise

Sitting behind a desk all day makes me worry about my posture.  A few months ago I found this video of a three-minute exercise to do twice a day, and I’m surprised at just how much better my posture has become and noticed that I now sit more upright when driving and sitting.  All you need to do is stand up against a wall and perform these exercises twice a day.  I usually do them right after the shower and a little bit before I go to bed.

When I first watched the video I thought it was a bunch of nothing, but then I tried it and was surprised at the muscle burn I felt in my upper back.  You can especially feel it when you work on muscle compression or in other words, add some mental/imaginary resistance as you go through your sets, as if you are actually trying to climb with your body weight.

So after giving this a go myself and liking the results, I thought I’d share.

Posted in Interesting, Personal | 1 Comment

Bag of Randomness

IHd2Fo0

  • I felt like I dodged a bullet yesterday, two coworkers on my team were laid off.  As thankful as I am to have not gotten the axe, I really feel for my friends.
  • I was informed that my new favorite burger place, Haystack Burgers and Barley, is owned by fellow Hardin-Simmons graduates, and it appears I have have actually attended school with them.  So that means I went to school with a TICKET personality (Big Strong Jeremy Moran) and these restaurateurs but never interacted with them on what was a very small “everybody knows your name” kind of campus.
  • If I were laid off yesterday,  would have highly considered contacting them and seeing if I could pool enough money together to franchize a second location in Las Colinas.
  • A friend had me try a sample of Fireball Whisky.  He told me it tasted just like the candy Hot Tamales and I didn’t really believe, but gosh darn it to heck, it sure does.
  • I heard the guys on BaD Radio saying they all watch movies and television with the captions on so not to miss any dialog.  I started to do that with kids when the news was on and just kept them on and found that I prefer to have the captions on and that I’ve often missed some important stuff I normally wouldn’t have noticed.
  • I find myself eating not so much because I’m hungry but for the instant gratification, and that explains why I’m overweight.
  • Buzzfeed – 29 Stuggles People Who Grew Up In The Texas Heat Can All Relate To – Cicadas? We call them locusts.
  • Zagat – 30 Things You Need to Eat and Drink This Summer in Dallas
  • GIF – A great way to package a burger, fries, and a drink
  • Palestine, TX Version of Mount Rushmore Coming Soon
  • Florida high school charging $200 for ‘premium’ graduation seats
  • Just a random test article on CBSNews.com.
Posted in Personal | 2 Comments

Bag of Randomness

809

  • I’m almost sure everyone that’s gone to watch a major sporting event has joked with someone to look for then on television.  Well, that actually happened to me when I was at the Rangers game on Friday night.  The weird part was that we were in the cheap seats, just about 10 rows from the very upper row in the stadium.  The camera happen to catch me coming back from a commercial break (YouTube).
  • As we entered the park we passed a giant macaroni noodle that looked like this one.  One of my friends fittingly called it Sky Noodle (local sports joke, but here’s the reference).  I also got a kick out of this message at the bottom of the sculpture.
    2014-05-16 18.06.10
  • Security had us walk through a metal detector with our mobile phones held to the side of our face.  I didn’t mind doing it in the slightest, but couldn’t figure out the reason why the phone had to be held next to our face.
  • I actually ate something healthy at the game, a grilled chicken kabob with green and red peppers, onions, pineapple, and it was all one a bed of rice.  It was large enough to feed two to three folks and ‘only’ cost $13.  Surprisingly, they also offer a free refill if you bought a souvenir cup.
  • Unsurprisingly, I ate something unhealthy.  I paid seven bucks for bacon on a stick.  It was basically a thick piece of ham with a sweet syrupy glaze, and it was damn good.
  • They had fireworks after the game and that made me realize there are three kinds of people.  You have the kind that will stay and watch the fireworks set to music, you have the kind that will leave early and watch the fireworks from the parking lot to get a head start on traffic, and then you have those that just want to leave.  We were in the latter, but since the fireworks were being launched from the parking lot (which surprised us, we thought they were launched from behind the scoreboard) we had to watch in our car until the fire department allowed us to leave.
  • The Rangers game was a let down for us.  Not so much because of the score, but the loud speakers and the seating arrangement proved to be an obstacle in catching up.  That also meant when we got home, everyone was so worn out we had to push things back until the next day to select a scholarship winner.  Age is now playing a factor in what we do.
  • There were a lot of street musicians after the game playing for tips, I don’t recall seeing that before.
  • Matthew McConaughey was introduced to the crowd at the game, and the next day it looks like Brad Pitt threw a beer to him and Drew Brees from one balcony to another in New Orleans.
  • I saw that Dirk was at the Michael Young ceremony on Saturday night, as he was for Modano.  I love that guy, he’s adopted this area and the people wholeheartedly, you’d think he’d be in Germany by now after getting eliminated from the playoffs.
  • If seeing me on the Rangers telecast was nauseating, then watch this kid win this older girl’s heart by giving her a foul ball.
  • I found a great new burger place, Haystack Burgers and Barley.  The burger ranks in my top three in the area as well as their fries.  I’m not much for alcohol, but the have a frozen drink called the Haymaker which is made with their special iced tea, Makers Mark whisky, lemon and orange juice was the best alcoholic beverage I ever had.  That place is so well run, the service so cordial, friendly, and polite, and the food so darn good, I’d highly consider quitting my day job to franchize a new location.
  • Adam Savage and a fan has kept a great photo tradition alive.
  • Lance Armstrong was playing Cards Against Humanity and had an awkward moment.
  • BoyGeeding is a 27-month-old so we still have gates at the stair entrances, but last night he actually climbed a gate like he was Richard Kimble or something.
  • I’m a huge David Copperfield fan; that is, the illusionist not the novel.  I’ve got a lot of great memories of watching his specials with my father.
  • A pretty clever open/closed sign for a restaurant.
  • I would love a hammer like this.
  • I have one of those mailboxes that’s encased or bordered by brick.  The mailbox needs to be replaced but it looks pretty labor intensive considering the brick and mortar involved, but I found a retro-fit solution that makes it a snap.
  • I saw Venus Williams being interviewed about her clothing line named Eleven.  When asked about the name, she said that it means it’s better than a ten, which made me think of this Spinal Tap clip.  I’m aware of the clip and joke, but have never seen the movie, which I hear is great.
  • The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the fashion trend for men’s shorts this summer is for them to be above the knee.  Yeah, that’s not gonna happen unless you are under thirty.
  • Buzzfeed – The Cast Of “The Avengers” Came Together To Make A Dying Man’s Wish Come True
  • The hologram Michael Jackson performance was suppose to be a surprise but was ruined because of a lawsuit between competing hologram companies.  If you didn’t catch the performance you can see it here.
  • Jay Z and Beyonce made a fake movie trailer with several other celebrities.
  • ‘Mad Men’ thoughts which don’t really have any spoilers:
    • I don’t like the way last season ended with Peggy wearing pants and her not sporting them once this season.
    • It’s been great seeing how the Don and Peggy relationship has evolved.
    • It was good seeing Trudy and Bob make an appearance.
    • Don sure does seem energized, it must be good having work to do and having your wife back.
    • “Family” has a different meaning to Peggy and Don than it does to Pete.
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments