Scattershooting 08-03-14

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to the great

Gabby Hayes

Sunday's Summary

My incomplete recap of the week

You can be sure I'll be subscribing to this. I'm sure it will be mentally stimulating.

http://news.yahoo.com/sarah-palin-launches-online-subscription-channel-041149751.html

Where is the logic? I went to the bank today to deposit a few hundred dollars in cash (casino winnings). I went to the drive-up teller and put the cash & deposit slip in the vacuum tube. Teller asked for my ID. I was on my bike & didn't have it with me so they wouldn't take the cash deposit. Solution - rode around to the ATM and made the deposit. Obviously the ATM didn't ask for ID. Go figure.

Apple ain't got nothing on on pirates. Aaaaaarrrrrrrg.

Oh no, hide the women and children. Special weather report (7/30) and Larry Mowry has the jacket off. It's raining in Gainesville.

Very random stuff from my not quite right brain - Very Random Thoughts - August 2014

Sad day for Braves fans. I spent many evenings watching or listening to Pete and Skip on TV and radio broadcasting the games on TBS and WSB. They were knowledgeable, entertaining and funny. Now they are back together. Thanks for the memories. RIP Pete.

http://www.11alive.com/story/sports/mlb/atlanta-braves/2014/08/02/pete-van-wieren-longtime-braves-broadcaster-passes-away/13506345/

For some reason the combination for my gym locker just popped into my head. It was 34-36-6. Then I remembered that I didn't have a lock on my school locker. I never had anything stolen although on occasion someone would rig it so all the books (and maybe cigarettes) would fall out. Funny that we locked up our stinky gym clothes but not our books, supplies, coats, jackets, sweaters or cigarettes.

Another pain in the ass from corporate America. I got a new card in the mail today for a credit card that still had over two years before it expired. I was puzzled. Then I noticed that the account number had changed. The pisser is this is the card I use to make all my online purchases and my automatic payments. So, I will be spending the next few days trying to remember what sites I've stored this account number on or what auto-pays I have. I've had this card for many years with the same number. Seems the issuing bank/financial institution decided to change from MasterCard to VISA so the number had to change. (All MC numbers start with 5 and VISA start with 4). I'm sure VISA offered the bank a 0.00000003276% better deal. Thanks a lot.

FYI for all my Jacksonville peeps &/or Elvis fans. There is a 1972 behind the scenes program on AXS of the Elvis Presley tour. From about :20 minutes until :35 minutes of the show is of Elvis in Jacksonville for an April 1972 concert at the old Coliseum. There are scenes of him going to the concert over the Main St. bridge and a few other local shots. The show is being repeated a couple of times on Tuesday night (8/5) on AXS if you want to see or record it. Not a great program, but some interesting stuff.

I almost forgot ‪#‎SongSunday‬ today, so here is my rather ironic choice. This is a way back song written and recorded in 1951, before rock & roll hit the scene. It became the signature song of one of the best singers of the 20th century. One I remember seeing on the old TV variety shows and listening to on the big record player in our living room. The song has been recorded by hundreds of singers but this is the original and still the best. Enjoy Unforgettable by the great Nat King Cole. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy_JRGjc1To

Nice -

wjh

Very Random Thoughts - August 2014

• At what age is it too late to make new old friends?
• You can love someone without being in love, you can be in love with someone you don't love (or even like) and if you're lucky you are in love with that someone you love and they both love you and are in love with you. 
• Is the fact that Germany beat Argentina in the World Cup enough proof that the Christian God doesn't really care about sports? The Pope is an Argentinian.
• We all hate when we get a song stuck in our head. It's especially troubling when it is a song we don't like.
• Infants and old folks often get away with the same inappropriate behavior.
• Another viewpoint on this whole Hobby Lobby fiasco: Why the hell are employers involved in the health insurance process at all?
• Is it really a good idea to praise and celebrate formerly overweight people for becoming more fit via bariatric surgery, liposuction and plastic surgery? 
• Has the term "breaking news" lost all inference of urgentcy or even importance?
• When a news organization promotes an "exclusive interview" what they really mean is that they were the only one interviewing the person (president, speaker, senator, secretary, etc.) at that precise moment on that day at that exact place. The other news outlets are either just through with their interview or are waiting in the wings to do one. 
• When you wear a coat and tie with jeans and sneakers is that ambiguous, rebellious, fashionable, lazy, ...? 
• I have about a million great ideas every day. Unfortunately I don't remember more than one or two of them longer than a few nanoseconds. 
• Don't answer those stupid Facebook questions like "I bet you can't name a city without an 'A' in it". These folks are just trolling for comments or "likes". Marketing data.
• When your phone autocorrect makes an incorrect change should we call that a phone phart?
• Eventually everything we do, eat or drink will be proven by some study to be harmful.
• If you know the news outlets get the facts wrong on subjects you are familiar with, how much faith do you have in the stories you don't know about?
• Hitting your "funny bone" is hardly ever funny.
• I'm not a NASCAR fan so I'm sure I don't understand but, how can Dale Earnhardt, Jr. remain the most popular driver while being one of the least successful top name competitors?
• If you see the adjectives "artisanal", "curated", "chef driven", "locally sourced" or any of the other current buzzword you can be pretty sure it's a bunch of BS. 
• Remember when "time is money" was what we thought? Since growing older and being retired I now realize that "time is time" and it slips away much faster than money.
• No doubt another one of our current annoying catch phrases is when people begin the answer to every question with "no doubt".
• We had a couple of days of very unseasonably cool days and nights for a Texas July. Lows in the 60's and highs in the 70's. Still, I hear air conditioners humming and most windows are still closed. I think that is sad,
• Why do we get so upset about a relatively few deaths from things like shark attacks, airplane crashes, hot air balloon accidents, etc. yet we refuse to change laws, perception, behavior about the really big killers like automobiles, tobacco, poor health and eating habits or guns?
• I see a lot of Sonic commercials because they advertise on Rangers games. Sonic is always coming up with new menu items. Not one of which is healthy.
• It is extremely hard to not hear or see the results of a sporting event you recorded earlier. 
• If you are going to spend time on the internet, you will need to either suspend your spelling and grammar radar or you will go crazy. Very hard for those of us who were trained by nuns. 
• If everybody likes a little ass but no one likes a smart ass, what about a little smart ass? I'm curious because I think I are one.

wjh

Scattershooting 07-27-14

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to the great

Roy Rogers

Sunday's Summary

My incomplete recap of the week

I haven't had this happen to me, but I have been buzzed, yelled and honked at and cut off at intersections. It's usually teenagers or rednecks (same maturity level) in a pickup truck. It amazes me how brave some people are when they are in a 5,000 lb. vehicle harassing a person on a 20 or 30 lb. bicycle or even a pedestrian wearing a 1 lb. pair of Nikes. Not sure if the truck in this video has a rolling coal modification or just a poorly maintained diesel. It does sound like crap. There are about 30 cyclist that this jerk smoked in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdDxjge5hmY

Here's what happens when you follow an obscure sport. I set my DVR to record the 15th stage of the Tour de France (TDF). A fake golf tournament among old retired sports guys and some quasi celebrities with one of those wacky scoring systems (a point for this, 3 points for that, 6 points for something else, 107¾ points for a double quadruple eagle pigeon, etc.) was delayed by rain. So naturally NBC Sports preempted the premier cycling race of the year for a fake golf event.

The injuries keep on coming. Remember the strange situation of four catchers on the Rangers active roster? Well, we are down to three. Geovany Soto, who missed the first half of the season with knee surgery just got off the DL after the all-star break is back on the DL.

GO RANGERS! (to the infirmary)

Geovany Soto

These beverage containers for your bike are nice, but the beer caddy is $55 and the one for wine is $36. Genuine leather. That's a lot of money to carry PBRs or Ripple.

It appears that Facebook and the internet are able to survive without me. Because of circumstanced that were completely within my control, by choice, I have been mostly off the internet since Thursday. Just quick checks of emails and glances at other stuff. It was refreshing. Spent a few days with very good company doing fun stuff. Managed to come home from some Shreveport gambling with more money that I took. More than enough to pay for the meals, gas, etc. Always fun, but even better when you win.

Apparently my socks haven't thought this far ahead.

Let's have a duet for this #SongSunday. This song reached #1 in 1986. It was written by Burt Bacharach and his former wife Carole Bayer Sager. It turned out to be the biggest single ever for both singers. While both singers can tend to oversing at times, this number is more restrained. As a result it's a great rendition of a sad song with a well done video. Here is On My Own by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsH63qJlIMM

There aren't too many blue laws left on the Texas books but this one hangs on. You can not buy beer or wine anywhere until noon on Sunday, 10:00 AM if it's with brunch. I needed groceries & beer so I had to wait until it got hot to ride to the store. Temperatures were bearable early this morning but damn hot by noon. My bike computer showed 107° on the way home from Kroger. Blue Laws can kill, repeal all Blue Laws.

 

I forgot to mention that after we got back from Shreveport we went to Matt's for dinner (after a dead battery adventure). Very good food, beverages and service once again. We forgot to ask for the senior discount and I'm sure our server didn't mention it because we look so young. We walked through Whole Foods after we ate. I was underwhelmed. Some good stuff, but nothing special except the higher prices. Looking forward to Sprouts opening in a few days.

wjh

Scattershooting 07-20-14

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to the great

James Garner

Sunday's Summary

My incomplete recap of the week

Well Rangers fans, this could be the best stretch of the season. Texas will not lose a game for the next four days. Enjoy the All Star break.

GO RANGERS!

Finally got around to watching the premier of Extant, the CBS summer series starring Halle Berry. The best I can say is undecided. Not bad but not much watch TV either. Several stories going on this one. I guess I'll watch another episode before I make a decision on this one.

Once again the Prime Prep Academy is in the news and not for outstanding academic achievement. The school was co-founded by jerk, self-promoting, bigmouth Deion Sanders. About every six months the school shows up in the news, always for the wrong reasons. They are now threatened with lose of their Texas school charter. Here is Deion's articulate Tweet about the situation -
"Years of existence. In no form or fashion has me or my administration done any wrong regarding feeding or educating our students. TRUTH
— DeionSanders (@DeionSanders) July 15, 2014"

Apparently English and grammar are not priorities of the curriculum.

Good line by Jon Stewart tonight on The Daily Show while talking about the immigration issue. "We have always been a nation of immigrants who are against the newer immigrants."

There is a series airing on Encore Westerns called "Western Heroes of Gower Street" about the B movie westerns of the 1930's & 40's. The first one is about Roy Rogers. Old footage plus background information by film historians. Although I wasn't around in the 30's, I have seen many of these movies on TV. Good stuff.

The Colbert Report did a funny segment on our All Hat, No Cattle Governor Perry. The segment starts around 4:00 into the show, but there is also a funny line at the very top.

http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/full-episodes/o9kphe/july-16--2014---bill-de-blasio

This may be a first. The Rangers currently have four catchers on their 25 man active roster. A couple of them are slated to play first base but it still is a strange roster. More proof of what a mess this season has been.

GO RANGERS!

This is sad. It is becoming more obvious that Verizon is using it's power to squeeze more money out of the internet content providers. I'm sure Netflix isn't completely innocent either, but I think Verizon, my former employer, is mostly to blame here. Much as I bitch about AT&T U-verse, I hardly ever have buffering problems with Netflix on a much slower connection than the 75Mbps mentioned in this article.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/18/5916153/netflix-verizon-vpn-streaming-congestion-speed

I thought The Clymb was a shopping site for outdoor and sports stuff. Seems sometimes while you are outside you need to poop and The Clymb tells us how. One tip from me, avoid the pine cone option. I always thought that bears were the ultimate authorities on how to shit in the woods.

HOW TO POOP IN THE WOODS

Let's go back to 1961 for today's #SongSunday. This is a song that reached #1 for three weeks that year. You can still hear it occasionally on oldie radio stations. It is the very strange The Lion Sleeps Tonight by the Tokens. I remember going to the Hendricks Ave. Youth Center (or was it called Southside Youth Center) after school with Joe Conselice. We would jump on a bus or hitchhike. There was a pool table in the room under the pool. We would shoot pool and listen to the juke box for an hour or so then catch a bus home. This song was on that juke box and we always played it, often multiple times. Fun times and a fun song. Wimoweh -

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

I may have missed the mark on #SongSunday. Today, July 20th, in 1965 Bob Dylan released Like A Rolling Stone which is recognized as one of the greatest rock songs. So here is a second song for this Sunday morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTE4RaLnniA

or

http://vimeo.com/5124986

Oh joy. Went on the patio to fill the bird feeder and ran into a foul smell. It seems one of my doggy neighbors left a stinking steamy pile of poop about two feet from my railing. Bad news is we are back to the 90° days so it will stay steaming and stinking. Good news is it is back to 90° so I've closed the windows and turned on the A/C. Pick up after your dog you inconsiderate pet owners. Or teach them this trick.

 

wjh

James Garner - RIP

I'm very sad today. Another one of my favorite people died sometime yesterday. This is not a favorite person who I knew personally or one who I hung around with at school, the neighborhood, work or even the bar. No, this is a person I spent many hours with as a viewer of his movies and TV shows. He was pretty much around most of my life. He made me cry and he made me laugh, mostly laugh. Even when he made me cry I was glad I had spent time with him. I don't think he ever disappointed me. Sure, sometimes he was funnier or more compelling than other times, but he was always damn good. He even made bad scripts and production values tolerable.

Of course I'm talking about James Garner. We lost Jim on 7/19/14 at age 86. This is the worst celebrity death for me since Paul Newman passed in 2008 at age 83. They were easily my favorite actors of the last half of the twentieth century. A couple of others came close for a few years, like Burt Reynolds, but they all faded because of personal or career problems. Matthew McConaughey has a chance to be this generation's everyman star, but he is already in his 40's and has some strange behavior traits. James and Paul performed at a high level until the end. Neither had any significant scandals in their personal lives. They both had outside interests. They were both pretty boys but didn't act that way. Most importantly neither took themselves seriously but they took their work and responsibilities very seriously. Newman was married to Joanne Woodward for 50 years, Garner exceeded that by being married over 55 years to his first and only spouse, Lois.

I've probably seen most of the stuff Garner has done, both TV and movies. I am amazed that he didn't need to build a new wing on his home to store all his Emmy's and Oscars. He won one Emmy for Rockford and he never won an Oscar. He deserved many more. 

I am not going to recount James Garner's career here. There are plenty of articles and obituaries that have done that.

I have two questions for you - Did you ever see Jim give a bad performance? Would you like to sit down with him for a beer and a conversation? My answers are no, never and hell yes. Enough said.

At times even 86 years old is too young for some to die. Thank you for all the joy you brought to us Mr. Garner. You will be sorely missed. Have fun with Mr. Newman driving fast cars. Wish I could see that race. RIP.

wjh

Lazy Bike Ride Observations

I had a nice bike ride this morning. It will be the last day for our unseasonably cool snap. I went out at daybreak, around 6:30, and got back home about two hours later. It never got above 69° during the ride with light winds, perfect.

Here are a few observations from the ride.

• Went by the new Whole Foods but they don't open until 8:00. You will all be happy to know that they have several bicycle parking spots. 
• The Old Mayor's House has been torn down and the property is up for sale. Guess the folks at Next Wood Fired Bistro have given up on opening a new restaurant there although it looks like their garden is still going. 
• Speaking of Next, they have finished their remodel and are open.
• The new housing development next to the Colleyville police station has a street with entrances on Bluebonnet and right by the police station back gate. Looks like some utilities have been put in put still mostly a muddy mess.
• Bluebonnet road is already showing damage from the heavy trucks going in and out of the new development.
• The big house behind the Colleyville Center that usually has sheep mowing their large front yard has switched to cows.
• Apparently the new Studio Movie Grill in Colleyville provides the neighborhood with music 24/7. The outdoor speakers were blasting at 7:00 even though the theater was closed. 
• Stopped at Market Street for a cup of coffee, they open at 6:00. They have Peet's coffee & tea but my cup tasted bitter to me. Not a coffee connoisseur and I had a regular cup of joe, not the fancy stuff. 
• Lotsa folks already at Lifetime Fitness Center by 7:15. Saw a couple of the Colleyville soccer moms in their cute little shorts, tank top, tennis shoes with pink shoelaces and pony tails going in. Nobody in the pool but a couple of guys on the tennis courts. By the way, they too have plenty of bicycle parking although there were no bicycles there. Lexus SUV's seem to be the vehicle of choice. 
• Went by the donkeys' and llamas' house but they weren't out yet. The big pond at the house a couple of doors to the west had about 50 geese and a few ducks on the banks. Farther west I think I woke up a horse that was sleeping close to the road.
• In spite of the fact that we had decent rain Wednesday night and Thursday, many sprinklers were going full blast. Several roads should be showing new growth since they too were being watered.
• Seems every time I ride through the Colleyville neighborhoods there are more older homes for sale. These mostly medium size one story ranch style houses are disappearing fast. Once sold they are being replaced or significantly remodeled into McMansions. Often the property is divided and multiple McMansions with small lots are built. Is this progress? 

That's it for the morning ride. I probably need to head south or east or west for my next report.

wjh

Scattershooting 07-13-14

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to the great

Nat King Cole

Sunday's Summary

My incomplete recap of the week

It's too bad Fox News doesn't have a review board for standards and balanced reporting. Same for MSNBC. Have no fear, as the BBC reduces access by climate deniers, I'm sure Fox will ramp up theirs.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/7/7/bbc-climate-change.html?utm_campaign=ajam&utm_source=Google%2B&utm_medium=SocialFlow

Let's give credit where credit is due. It is almost impossible to allow the Houston Astros to score six runs in an inning. Well, the Rangers can do it. 

Be very careful around knives. I bought a new serrated knife yesterday. I came within a millimeter of slicing my finger when I was getting it out of it's packaging. No, no, I was never in danger from the knife blade. It was the damn industrial strength plastic it was encased in. Once cut with scissors that plastic is as sharp as the knife. It would probably be safer if we packaged the plastic in knives.

I think I want one. Would have loved this when I was growing up. We had some very tall pine trees in the back yard that would have been perfect anchors. Of course I would have had to dodge Mom's clothes lines. 

http://interestingengineering.com/sleep-in-the-trees-in-the-tentsile-tree-house-tent/

Watching Halle Berry on Letterman. In case you forgot, Halle is a fairly attractive woman.

Warning, do not go anywhere near 26 & Glade today (7/8). It is Opening day for the new Colleyville Whole Foods store. I expect every soccer mom in Colleyville to be there. I may stop by next week.

It's Softball Night in America. Big game tonight (7/9). This one could decide the league championship. Will WGTR bounce back after their lose last week? It's a rematch against the Broncos, the only team to beat WGTR in two seasons. 

Update - The boys  got back to their winning ways and are now tied for first place.

GO We Got the Runs!

Guess what day it is? No (7/10), we already past hump day. It's #TBT. Here are a couple of photos circa 1955 (maybe '54). It was the first trip my Nana Kelly made to Florida after we moved from New Jersey. In fact it was her first trip ever to Florida or anywhere outside the Northeast. Those of you who know my history may recognize two things here. The photos were taken at the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. I was obviously doing some early reconnaissance for later visits to the fort. The other is that I was apparently wearing cowboy clothes in preparation for my move to Texas in later years.

Because my Nana, Mom and Dad are dressed well, I would bet that we had lunch or brunch at the Ponce de Leon Hotel before going to the Castillo, mission and St. George St. Always loved St. Augustine.

As some of you may know, President Obama is in Texas and met with Governor Perry about illegal immigration. This is a serious problem but it seems that Perry, who has been in office since W's first term, forgets how old this problem is. This is not an Obama problem, it is an old national problem. Those of us who grew up in the south know that. I remember having thousands of Cuban immigrants/refugees back in the Eisenhower administration. BTW, here's the real problem, this sign should be in Spanish. The immigrants can't read it. They would stop for sure if they knew it was the US border.

Get the insect repellent out. A mosquito at Central & Cheeks-Sparger tested positive for West Niles.

This may come as a shock to those who remember me as a dominant NBA big man but I really don't give a damn where LeBron James plays basketball next season. I will admit though if I had a choice of Miami vs Cleveland I'd choose Florida. The less money and Cleveland choice indicates severe brain damage.

While it was only 99° officially (7/12), my patio thermometer was showing 101°. First time I've noticed triple digits this year although I did have a 105° reading one day last week on my bike. Direct sun and on a blacktop road. Welcome to Texas.

Like Dilbert, I made zero fashion decisions today.

I have lots of socks of which I have only two pair of dress black socks that are exactly the same. Last time I emptied the dryer I wound up with three of these socks. I can't remember if I have just lost a sock or just found one.

Let's try a little folk music for this #SongSunday. This is the 1964 song Four Strong Winds by Ian & Sylvia, whom many of you may not remember. They were a Canadian married couple that performed through the 1960's and part of the 70's until a divorce ended the duo. Tommy Ewart and I drove from USF in Tampa to Miami in his VW bug to see them perform in a small club in 1965 or 66. We stayed with friends or relatives of Tommy. The show was worth the drive. Enjoy -

Update - Tommy remembers that is was The Gaslight South Club in Coral Gables.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3m7ckGhnsc

Here is the whole Ian & Sylvia Reunion Concert in 1986.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWNA8gD0jUY

wjh