Scattershooting 10-12-14

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to the great

Paul Revere (of and the Raiders)

Sunday's Summary

My incomplete recap of the week

In light of the passing of Paul Revere this past weekend (10/4/2014) I thought I'd do a ‪#‎MusicMonday‬. Here is the Paul Revere and the Raiders first big hit. It reached #4 on Billboard and #3 on Cash Box in 1966. You gotta love the outfits, hairdos and dancers. Here is Kicks -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP8G4clUJBY

Scheduling error on my part. I got home about 10:30 (10/7) from our morning walk but then putzed around until about 1:30 when I rode to the store. Shoulda gone at 10:30 when temps were in the 70's or low 80's. At 2:00 it was in the mid 90's and showed 101° on my bike in the sun. What can you expect, it's only October, practically the dead of summer.

If anyone is interested the Highway 55 restaurant in Bedford next to Kroger has just put up an "Applications Now Being Taken" sign in the front window (10/7). Guess they will finally be opening soon. It has been a very slow construction project.

Update 10/12 - There are now tables and chairs set up in the space so I guess construction in the dining area is finished.

I'm a Wendy supporter. Let's break the good ole boy, insider, stranglehold on Texas politics.

Is no cloud safe and secure?

Oops!

What the hell was that singing God Bless America at the Washington-San Francisco playoff game?

With permanent wrinkles -

Good news for cyclists in D/FW -

A 64-Mile Bike 'Superhighway' Will Connect Fort Worth To Dallas 

That was interesting. I left home this morning thinking I was going for a walk around Boys Ranch with my favorite walking buddy, Penny, and then catch some football games on TV. We wound up at the Texas State Fair on Red River Rivalry (still should be RR Shootout) Saturday. Had a good day with Christie and family doing fair stuff, eating completely unhealthy food and drinking beer. Bruce not only provided chauffeur service but won a huge stuffed toy on the midway. Most of this year's new fried foods are OK but do not under any circumstances get the funnel cake ale. Fun day. - at State Fair of Texas

Here we go with this weeks's ‪#‎SongSunday‬. This is an iconic version of what was originally an old English folk song. It has been recorded by numerous artists in different genres. Bob Dylan did a version on his first album. It was sung by many of the folk music groups of the late 50's and early 60's. This version is probably the most famous, certainly with my generation. The group is The Animals. A young Terry and Billy saw The Animals live in the summer of 1965 at the old Jacksonville Coliseum. It was a last minute concert that was barely advertised and therefore poorly attended, just a couple of hundred folks. We had floor seats very near the front. It was not the best performance by The Animals but the opening act, The Gants, was terrific. We had fun, we always did. Here is the September 1964 #1 hit and still popular The House of the Rising Sun. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgTSfJEf_jM

wjh

Truluck's Seafood Steak & Crab

After spending a few hours Saturday (10/4) in the Oktoberfest crowds on the main Southlake Square we walked a couple of blocks to the much more quiet and elegant Truluck's. Which is located at the back of Town Square near the hotel. We started with a drink in the bar until the hostess came to show us to our table. I had ordered flowers since this was an anniversary of sorts for us. They had already been placed on the table when we were seated. On this visit, Dan was our very knowledgeable, competent and personable waiter. No appetizers this trip, but we shared a delicious Caesar salad. My lovely companion had the Jalapeño Salmon Béarnaise served with parmesan mashed potatoes and topped with blue crab, shrimp and béarnaise sauce. I had the Pan-Seared New England Sea Scallops with crab and tomato salad, Szechuan green beans and sweet tomato butter. I'm not exactly sure what all that description means but it all worked. I also added a side of balsamic-glazed portabellos that we shared. The salmon and scallops were tender, moist and flavorful. The mushrooms were delicious. The surprise hit of the meal was my Szechuan green beans. They were lightly steamed but still very crisp with a wonderful flavorful sauce that had a little kick to it. They were topped with shaved almonds. I shared a couple with my companion and she then dove into my plate for a few more. These green beans are available as a side if they don't come with your entree. I highly recommend adding them or maybe substitute them for the standard side. Even though we required a doggie bag (or is it doggy bag) it is required that a decadent dessert be ordered at a fine restaurant. The choice was the carrot cake which went straight into the doggie bag. It was a huge slice. The disadvantage to being small people is that we often can't finish the whole meal and almost never have room for appetizers or desserts. The advantage is that we often have leftover meals, snacks and dessert for the next few days. 

Truluck's Carrot Cake

As usual the service was impeccable. Dan was not intrusive but we didn't lack for service when needed. The manager stopped by to check on us too. On our last trip to Truluck's, I had a very minor issue with my entree. Our waitress and the manager were very apologetic and he comped our dessert. This trip we had no complaints and gladly paid for dessert.

Speaking of that previous trip, I had the stone crab claws. They were very good as was the mustard dipping sauce. I actually more enjoy stone crab in a casual setting, maybe al fresca, with plenty of cold beer. I prefer to eat with my fork in a nice restaurant. We have never tried the steaks at Truluck's but I'm sure they are excellent. 

Truluck's is a nice space with excellent food and service. The main dining area is mostly dark plush half circle booths. The decor is very nice. The bar seemed to be hopping with a live piano man providing the music. Highly recommended. It is so nice to have excellent food served by professionals. If you are in Southlake at dinner time give Truluck's a try. They have five Texas locations, four in Florida and one in California. I don't think you will be disappointed. Reservations highly recommended. The dining room and bar were both full. 

Truluck's - Southlake, TX

wjh

Football 2014 - Week 6

My recap of the only football games that matter

It was a very interesting football week so let's get started.

In our current quest to fill every media outlet with a football game every night we once again begin with Thursday games. In the pro ranks I think there was a game that involved the frozen tundra (maybe not frozen yet) and was a blowout. The fireworks were in the college ranks. This wild weekend began when unranked Arizona beat #2 Oregon in Eugene 31-24. Just the first of many.

My one bright spot over the past couple of seasons continued on their winning ways. Bishop Kenny beat district rival Ribault 20-6. The Trojans scored first on an interception but that was it for them. The Crusaders then reeled off 20 straight points. They too had an interception for a TD. Not a very good offensive showing by either team. Kenny only had 247 yards of offense and Ribault was held to 89 yards. It was a sloppy game. Ribault had four turnovers and the Crusaders had six, four interceptions and two lost fumbles. A win is a win. BK remains undefeated at 4-0, 3-0 and lead their district. Next up they travel to the Westside Wolverines (the former Forrest Rebels) which is also undefeated in district play.

As usual this season LD Bell got clobbered 35-8 by Richland. Total yards were 432-190. The Blue Raiders had only 34 passing yards, two interceptions and a fumble. Inept might be an appropriate description. They are now 0-6, 0-2 on the season. They will be 0-7, 0-3 after the next game against their main local rival Trinity Trojans. In two weeks Bell plays the also winless Haltom Buffaloes. That should be an exciting game.

If you are a college football fan, Saturday was amazing. I'm sure millions of dollars were won and lost on bets and the underdogs won the money this time. I'm sure all the college football fantasy leagues are in shambles.

Let's start with my college teams games, one of which was involved in one of those big upsets. The South Florida Bulls had an open week. The Gators traveled to Knoxville for an SEC East game against onetime big rival Tennessee. For a few years the Gators and Vols were the cream of the crop in the SEC East. No more although Tennessee fell sooner and farther. This was a game between offensively inept teams. Florida scored ten fourth quarter points for a thrilling 10-9 victory. Neither team deserved to win. Total yard were dead even. The Vols mostly through the air and the Gators mostly on the ground. Each team had three turnovers. There was only one TD scored in the game and that was by the Gators on a magnificent five play 30 yard drive. The one bright spot is that brain dead head coach Muschamp finally benched QB Jeff Driskel after his third interception. We'll have to wait and see if freshman QB Treon Harris starts the next game. Florida now amazingly has a 3-1, 2-1 record. Next up is LSU in Gainesville. LSU hasn't looked great this season, but they do look better than Florida.

Monday update - freshman QB Treon Harris has been suspended from the team pending investigation of an alleged sexual assault.

On to the great news. The #4 Oklahoma Sooners came to Fort Worth to play the lowly #25 TCU Horned Frogs. Oklahoma did not go back to Norman with that #4 ranking. It was an exciting game. TCU got out to a 14-0 lead but OK tied it at the end of the first quarter. Then they traded scores for a 24-24 halftime score. It was again tied at 31 after three periods. TCU scored early in the last quarter on an interception and then the defenses took control. Final score Frogs 37, Sooners 33. A great day for TCU and Ft. Worth. As expected in a dog fight like this, the stats were close. TCU won the total yardage battle 469-461. Frogs had three turnovers and the Sooners two. Unfortunately for TCU they can't savor this victory for long. Next week the have to go to Waco to battle the now #5 Baylor Bears.

Now a short recap of the other major surprises. In the SEC #11 Mississippi beat the mighty #3 Alabama Crimson Tide. Not to be outdone by their state rivals #12 Mississippi State beat #6 Texas A&M. My guess is that the entire state of Mississippi is still celebrating and will be at least until next Saturday's games. I cannot remember both Mississippi teams being this good at the same time. In fact neither team is considered a contender in the SEC West very often. Kentucky beat a fast fading South Carolina. All the SEC games were in-conference so the final tally for the week was 6-6. Arkansas and Missouri were idle.

Outside the conference there were other big upsets too. Utah State beat #18 BYU, Utah won over #8 UCLA, Arizona State topped #16 Southern Cal and #17 Wisconsin lost to Northwestern. Of course this all played havoc with this weeks polls. It also left many of the talking head "experts" with egg on their faces. 

FSU remains at #1, the state of Mississippi is in third place as Ole Miss and Mississippi State tied for #3, they meet in Oxford on 11/29. TCU moved up to #9. Despite all the shakeup, the SEC still has four teams in the top seven, six in the top 15 and seven in the top 25. The playoff picture is very cloudy. There are still several undefeated teams and many of the preseason favorites have stumbled. Stay tuned.

Pro Sunday was a perfect 0-3 for me. Let's start with the still winless Jaguars. Not a blowout as they lost to Pittsburgh 17-9 but once again the offense was terrible and did not score a single TD. This was Blake Bortles first NFL start so we'll cut him some slack. He was 22/36 for 191 yards with two interceptions, one for a pick six. The Jags led at the end of the first quarter and only trailed 10-6 at halftime. They only managed 56 yards on the ground and the Steelers had the ball over 10 minutes longer. Jacksonville's defensive unit has done pretty well but eventually the offense needs to score some points. Hopefully Bortles learned a few things. The Jaguars are now 0-5 and next go to Tennessee for an AFC South game.

Atlanta went to New Jersey this week to get beat by the Giants 30-20. On paper it looks like it should be a Falcons win. They outgained NY and had one turnover to NY's two. The problem was on 2-13 third down conversions. Atlanta falls to 2-3 and next heads home to host the Bears.

Tampa Bay played NFC South rival New Orleans. A close game that the Saints won in OT 37-31. The hapless Bucs led 31-20 early in the fourth quarter. From there, they failed to either score or keep NO from scoring. They even gave up a safety which enabled the Saints to tie the game with a FG in the last couple of minutes. Talk about snatching a defeat from the jaws of victory. To be fair, New Orleans did dominate the yardage stats but they also had three turnovers. Too bad, it would have been a nice lift for TB. They fall to 1-4 for the season and next host the Ravens.

So, no good news in the pros but TCU pulled off a big upset over Oklahoma and the Gators eeked out a sloppy victory. Bishop Kenny continues to win. Let's do it again this weekend.

wjh

Scattershooting 10-05-14

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to the great

Derek Jeter

Sunday's Summary

My incomplete recap of the week

Missed ‪#‎SongSunday‬ so I'll go with ‪#‎MusicMonday‬. This week's entry is both sides of the first 45 RPM record I bought. I had a small 45 turntable that I'm sure sounded like crap but I didn't notice or care. We were used to AM radio. The record was released in 1958. It reached #6 on the charts which is unusual for an instrumental. The song is Rebel Rouser and was written by Duane Eddy and Lee Hazelwood and performed by Duane. I met Duane in the mid 60's. He was playing a small teen club that was either in Vilano Beach or just across the bridge on the mainland. He was a nice guy and the song sounded way better live than on my little record player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8uZutr1avs

Here is the "B" side of the record which I think I liked just as much although it never charted. Here's Stalkin' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su6pT7F-fQ8

Interesting. Aretha Franklin was on Letterman tonight (9/29). I haven't seen much of her lately. She sang the Adele song Rolling In The Deep (We Could Have Had It All) which I thought was a little strange but it's on her new album. A couple of thoughts. She can still sing and it was a good performance. Big band and several backup singers supporting her. The other thought is that a woman of Aretha's age and size should not wear a strapless gown. Although not as big as she once was, there must be better wardrobe choices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl8iBkjnRdA

As far as my baseball teams go, we are done for the year. Texas, Tampa Bay and Atlanta are now in "wait 'til next year" mode. Nevertheless I will watch much of the playoffs. That's what baseball fans do. So, who do I root for? In the AL I'll probably go with Baltimore. They have a ton of former Rangers including their manager on the team. Maybe the Giants in the NL although they have an uphill battle as a wildcard team. I was a NY/SF Giants fan when I was a little kid because Willie Mays played for them. I think Willie retired a few years ago though. Let's see how the games unfold.

It's about time (pun intended).

MLB Implementing Experimental Pace of Play Rule Changes for Fall League

No surprise here. Good baseball and PR move. GO RANGERS!

Report: Michael Young joining Rangers' front office

For ‪#‎TBT‬ another trip way back in the archives. These are school photos of my dad at Washington School in Kearny, NJ. First is his 7th grade class in 1925. The next two are his 8th grade graduation class in June, 1926. Dad is the one in the slightly yellow circle. These are large pictures glued to even larger pieces of cardboard. Thanks again to my Mom for keeping all this stuff.

Here is a view of the same school as it looks today. Amazingly it is still in use as a school after all these years.

Something (10/02) finally got our D/FW Ebola epidemic (one person) off the news. We now have our trusty weatherman in his shirtsleeves reporting full time on our thunderstorms. I'm sure we will have more ominous Ebola news later when the storms pass.

Saturday we went to Oktoberfest in Southlake. Weather was be perfect (Sunny & 78°). Enjoyed some German beverages along with the craft vendors and some oompa music. Didn't get there in time for the wiener dog races at 10:00. Good luck to the Frick contestants. Met up with the Buchanan's later in the day.

Target advertising at it's best. I just received an email for big and tall clothing.

As expected, we had a great dinner at Truluck's tonight (10/4). Salmon for Penny and scallops for me along with a delicious Caesar salad and sides. Adult beverages were involved too, starting in the bar before being seated. There was a large doggy bag needed that included about half a carrot cake. Great food, great service, great atmosphere and of course the greatest company.

 — at Truluck's Steaks & StoneCrab.

Time for ‪#‎SongSunday‬ again. This week it is one of my favorite songs from a group many have never heard of. This acoustic ballad is not their normal style which is usually more like Van Halen. The group is Extreme which is really Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt and two other guys. This song was written by Gary and Nuno. Gary sings it with guitar and harmony by Nuno. The song was released in 1990 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1991. I hope you enjoy the lovely More Than Words -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrIiLvg58SY

 Here is a bonus version of More Than Words from last year's The Voice. It was three of the contestants along with Nuno. It's a good rendition of the song but what struck me when I first saw it was that Nuno looks the same. The video above is from 1990 or 91, this one was 2013. Most rockers don't age that well in 20+ years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVhAjq5OJH0

wjh

Very Random Thoughts - October 2014

• Here's a new and profound idea - "The young are our future." Who comes up with this stuff?

• It seems to me that the cooking directions on most packaged foods vastly underestimates the time needed. Is that to fool us into thinking it is fast food?  

• Is the phrase odd couple an oxymoron?

• Somehow the most important news on September 8th was that Princess (?) Kate (whatever her made up name is) is pregnant with a royal baby. Also, she is suffering from morning sickness. It's not 1650 AD and this child will never rule England.

• I have finally realized that new trends in fashion do not have to be attractive, comfortable or practical. They only need to be different. 

• Why is it that sexual harassment and sexual assault accusations against famous people are not brought to light until several years after the alleged wrong? Why can't the alleged victims speak up within a few hours or days? 

• Every newscast whether local, national or international is now POP NEWS. Doesn't matter it it's CNN, CBS or Entertainment Tonight. Pop shit is the most important story. The whole world is at war but somehow Kate's pregnancy tops the news.

• I bet Ray Rice is very thankful that Adrian Peterson disciplined his kid and grabbed the headlines. The NFL, not so much.

• Hesitation, it's a good word and a better concept in our current knee jerk, rush to judgement, viral internet society. Take a breath, count to ten, sleep on it.

• It's amazing to me that the vast majority of football sideline reporters are attractive women. I guess attractive, often young, women have an innate talent for that job.

• The best quarterback on a losing team, and sometimes even on a winning team, is the backup QB. It happens in colleges and the pros all over the country. Just ask the fans.

• I have absolutely no intention of consuming any pumpkin flavor lattes, beer or donuts this fall season. Pumpkin is for pies and jack-o-lanterns.

• For a few days the new iPhone 6 and 6+ were the most important news in the world. Bet ISIS was pissed they got pushed out of the headlines.

• What ever happened to the John Birch Society?

• If I don't write down, dictate, act on or otherwise engage a new thought within about 30 seconds, it is gone forever. In my younger days those thoughts and ideas lasted a little longer.  

wjh

Football 2014 - Week 5

My recap of the only football games that matter

The Gators did not lose this week. The dynamic Muschamp/Driskel led Florida team has the week off. They need it to recover from the pounding they took at the hands of Alabama. They travel to Knoxville on October 4th to play the Tennessee Vols in an SEC East game.

As usual the NFL kicked off the week with a Thursday night game. I'm sure two teams showed up and played an exciting game.

Bishop Kenny had a district home game against the Paxson Eagles. The Crusaders got out to a 21-0 halftime lead and ultimately won 34-12. I couldn't find any statistics on this game at either the Florida Times-Union or MaxPreps. Kenny is now 3-0 on the season and next host Ribault in another district game. Kenny is currently ranked #7 in the state for class 5A.






While my alma mater continues their winning ways, the local Bell Blue Raiders continue going in the opposite direction. They traveled to Coppell to play the Cowboys in a district game. New game, same old results. Bell was pounded 42-3. They actually scored first but that was it for the evening. They even out rushed Coppell by six yards with 195 on 50 rushes. Unfortunately they were outgained in the air 203 to 58. The Cowboys scored on an 83 yard kickoff return (the one after Bell's FG), a 75 yd run, a 90 yd pass and a 62 yd pass. Seems big play defense is not a Raiders strong point. Bell falls to 0-5 for the season. Next up is a district game against the Richland Rebels at home. Although Richland is only 2-3 this season, they have scored 109 total points in their last three games and have not scored fewer than 21 in any game. Meanwhile, the Raiders have scored 21 total points in their last three games. 

As mentioned, the Gators had the week off. USF's trip to #19 Wisconsin didn't work out too well. The Bulls held their own in the first half and went to the intermission tied at three. Unfortunately they lost the second half 24-7 for a final 27-10 score. As usual South Florida was inept on offense. They were outgained by the Badgers 454-245 yards. Possession time was 41 to 19 minutes in favor of Wisconsin. The Bulls are now 2-3 for the season. They have an off week to work on the offense. Next game is back in Tampa against conference rival #22 East Carolina on October 11th.. Good luck with that.

In the battle for the Iron Skillet, the TCU Frogs demolished SMU 56-0 in Dallas. The Frogs amassed 645 total yards. Amazingly the Mustangs held the ball 4:30 more minutes. They also had three turnovers. TCU remains undefeated at 3-0 but things get a little more difficult next game. They host the #4 Oklahoma Sooners in a Big 12 (which has 10 teams) conference matchup. In fact the next three games are in conference against ranked teams. TCU squeaked into the AP top 25 at #25 with the win.

There were a few other interesting college games. #1 FSU got a scare against unranked North Carolina State. The Seminoles trailed 24-21 at the half but managed a 56-41 win. That's a potent offense but the defense certainly doesn't look national championship caliber. They also had four turnovers. Overall stats were very close. The rest of their schedule is pretty soft except for #9 Notre Dame in Tallahassee on October 18th.

As usual we had an upset in the SEC. Unranked Missouri went to #13 South Carolina and won 21-20 in an exciting game. The Fighting Spurriers led 20-7 in the fourth quarter but couldn't hold on. The Tigers scored the go ahead TD with 1:36 remaining. The SEC East is wide open at this point.

In other SEC games, #12 Georgia held on 35-32 against unranked Tennessee and #6 A&M came back from a 28-14 deficit after three quarters to win in overtime 35-28 against unranked Arkansas. None of the SEC games are easy. 

Overall the SEC was 7-4 and 3-0 in non-conference games. They still have seven teams in the top 15 and eight in the top 25.

In the pro ranks, as expected the Jaguars made a very long cross country trip to San Diego to suffer a lose. They only trailed 17-14 at the half but then failed to add any more points for a 33-14 final score. Amazingly, Jacksonville had more first downs, plays and time of possession than the Chargers. We are now in the Blake Bortles era for the Jags. The rookie's stats weren't too bad, 29/37 for 253 yards but he did throw two interceptions. It's going to be a learning year. The Jaguars are now 0-4 on the year and next play at home against the Steelers.

Speaking of the Steelers, they managed to lose at home to the mighty Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24. Not only did the Bucs win, but they managed to stage a ten point fourth quarter comeback. They kicked the winning FG with 0:07 on the clock. It was their first victory of the season. My prediction is now that Tampa Bay has tasted victory that they will go on to the Super Bowl. Next up they are in New Orleans for a game against the division rival Saints. 

My other team, the Falcons, got clobbered 41-28 in Minnesota. Atlanta was leading 28-27 after three quarters but couldn't score again. The Vikings won the statistical battle plus Atlanta QB Matt Ryan threw two interceptions. So far I've been disappointed in the now 2-2 Falcons. Next up are the Giants in the Meadowlands.

A couple of other games of interest. I hardly ever watch the Cowboys games even though they are on my local TV every week. I have never been a fan. I can't stand Jerry Jones. Nevertheless, I watched the whole game Sunday night because I was a at a friend's house who is a Cowboys fan. She had a great time watching. This was by far the best performance by the Cowboys in a long time. They beat the Saints 38-17 and at one point led 31-3. So here is my theory, this is the first Cowboys game I have watched in a long time and it is the best they have played in a long time. So, it must be me. Therefore I should be receiving compensation from the Cowboys to make sure I watch their games. My Cowboy fan friends should be supplying me with snacks and beverages.

Finally, I caught some of the Monday night game, Patriots at Chiefs. Wow, what has happened to the once mighty Patriots. The great glamour boy QB, Tom Brady, looked very ordinary off a 14/23 159 yard performance with two interceptions and a fumble. Isn't their coach, Bill Belichick, a genius? Perhaps you need good football players on your team to be a great QB or genius coach. Kansas City easily won 41-14. Brady was on the bench at the end of the game during mop-up time. Times change.

wjh