See how I am? I latch onto a musician and won’t let ’em go, especially one that “strikes a chord”. I found Jon Schmidt on a random YouTube search and he has become an enjoyable listen ever sense.
Careful with this one – it might reach out and touch your heart and make you singalong in harmony: Continue reading “Singalong, a bopalong, and a listenalong”
Okay gang. That was the week from all-get-out.
Most of you know of this aged guy taking a major hickey test this week; studying like his life depended on it; stressing like a heart attack….
and about heart attacks, the musically talented lowly of a man Michael “has anyone seen my kids” Jackson died; and then of anal cancer, as did everyone my age’s fantasy girlfriend Farrah Faucett; and then of sadness and loneliness, as did second-to-none sidekick extraordinaire Ed McMahon.
Needless to say, I’ve taken several days and stayed away from the ol’ Blog scene (and Facebook too). But I just can’t stay gone for long. So busy was I over the past several weeks, both professionally and personally, I actually slept when I would typically write a thing or two. But now I’ve caught up on some sleep (and work)…let me tell you all about it:
Picture-a-day (aka 365) has continued to “shutter”. Check out my Flickr site – the 2009-365 gallery kind of tells a story of the day-to-day experiences. It gets updated weekly (ususually on the weekend)….
Spent a weekend at Dad’s, along with brothers and family – I wrote about that on 5/22 but it is worthy of a repeat (in my biased opinion): Got in a partial round at least. That was fun but Dad was much too much on the puny side of health, but he’s good now (so he says). The real golf game is next Friday. Pride and beers are on the line….
After finally getting a handle on a sizeable backlog of emails, I found this forwarded link from OFSIL Bec that struck a cord (no pun intended) with me…this day…at this time. Thanks Bec! I can visualize FS wanting to do something like this (maybe a few years ago before the college years passed him by) – being at either end of the camera…or both. You can still go out and do this Beeba – I’ll stand by ya! Whenever you’re in trouble won’t you stand by me Continue reading Stand by me
As I often do, during the lunch hour I roam around town trying to find interesting, odd, or unusual photo opportunities. Those that I’m with, I sometimes (often times) make them stop and tolerate my picture taking. Either way, when working in a town with 2 major universities (accounting for about 40,000 students combined), you will find those opps without too much effort.
Today’s venture takes a student housing / architectural look at the town I grow to thoroughly enjoy more each day. Having one of the universities as my client, I was walking back to my off-campus parked car after an on-campus meeting. I looked across the street and asked a simple question to my fellow meeting attendees: “what happened to the roof of that building?”. All I got was a rather odd look of “why would you notice that?”, followed by some chuckling. Continue reading “College town cribs”
Weather was windy. Weather was rather chilly. Weather was climatically miserable. Family was there. Family was ready to party. Family was generally pleasurable.
OK…it was Mick’s 1st birthday last week Thursday, but we celebrated collectively on Sunday. Mick chose a day of 55° temperatures and a north wind gusting to 45 mph to gather everyone to watch him. Continue reading “The Big ONE”
Yesterday was one of those unique opportunity days to experience and photograph – not a “One of those days” day like I posted Monday, but one to remember (in more ways than one) for sure. Co-worker Adam received and shared the following email:
FYI: If you live or can get anywhere near this, it will be an awesome sight to see! They will be coming down 114 from DFW to 35W, then north on 35 to Gainesville. Estimated time to leave DFW is 5:00 – all highways will be shut down to allow them to pass. By the way, these are MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS coming to Gainesville for our annual event. There will be 8-9 gentlemen being escorted 
in. Channel 8 helicopter supposed to fly with them, at least part of the way. There is indeed a Pearl Harbor veteran – John Finn, the oldest living survivor and MOH recipient. He will turn 100 in July. Find a safe spot to watch, and help us welcome them to our area!
This announcement is for those who wish to honor Veterans. The Patriot Guard Riders and several area police and fire departments will be escorting an unknown number of military war veterans from DFW Airport to Gainesville, Texas for a gathering to honor these veterans. It is rumored that a Pearl Harbor veteran will be among these veterans. It is estimated that 200 or more Patriot Guard Rider motorcycles will be part of the escort. This will be the largest escort of it kind to move through our area.
Continue reading "Patriot Guard Riders escorting Veterans through Sanger"
Ever had one of those days, with camera in hand you come upon so many odd photo opps? That was how part of my morning was spent in Little Elm – so much to photograph. All taken within minutes of each other. BYW, the Buffalo and the shored-up building were pictures taken in the soon-to-be wealthy town of Prosper (a few miles up the road from Little Elm)
Every so often, one should clean out a closet or pantry just for grins. Deb did just that (for grins) to our pantry today but her intent was more for getting rid of expired dry foods and giving a sense of organization to the shelves. She accomplished her goal and came across a “family keeper” crumbled way in the back on the top shelf. Continue reading “Re-visit the Past, Favorites, Ideals, and Wishes”
The life of this blog has provided an outlet for many different emotions over the few short months of its existence. Through my stories the blog has tried to make you smile, laugh, love, remember, cry, enjoy, celebrate, relax, reflect, anticipate, honor, and most of all think. This evening, I find myself working through all those emotions. The weekend had a roller coaster of ups and downs worth of emotion. An accident 500 miles away and a third birthday only 15 minutes from home made for an trying time for all of us when all said and done; wrap the weekend and put it on the shelf.
My great niece Madison (Deb’s niece’s daughter) celebrated her third birthday with mostly family this afternoon. “Madi” is a charm of a kid that can melt even the hardest of hearts. Fortunately, a Madi-party has attendees that she’s already mushed their heart. So we all just sit, watch, and hope we get a long hard hug from her when it’s our turn (a few of us try to capture just that right picture of her). Three years old – oh my – and she’s already able to tame a heart, heal if it’s broken, and instill hope in the hearts of all who know her. Many of us struggle our entire life just trying to accomplish one of those attributes.
We’ve all shaved a few strokes, or maybe just didn’t count a few of our duffs, OB’s, whiffs, tee-taps, foot wedges, and shots into Dad’s golf cart cubby hole – I think I’ve written about that already – playing the so-called “gentleman’s game” (no offense intended lady golfers). This article in today’s Dallas Morning News comparatively pales our minor offenses and is a better example of how cheating in this wonderful game does not make the recreation any more enjoyable. So count those strokes fellow golfers and remember this story of cheating on a golf course…I wonder if these guys will claim a “mulligan” in court? Continue reading “Cheating the game of golf”
Most of you know of the bond I have with my Scottie, Mackie, and of her bond with our family…that’s entirely on her terms. It’s a dysfunctional quality that is enjoyed every day (as she lays at my feet, licking her own, with total disregard for me telling her to stop). She brings a smile to my face and she knows all the buttons to push and strings to pull in maintaining an unrelenting grip on our household.
Friends and family have this breed: Gal Pal Jai Jai, although I’ve yet to meet them, has three personality-unique Scotties (her parents until just recently had 2 – now 1); OFNi Sarah has adorable Wallace (rescued Scottie mix) and Kingston (rescued Schnauzer that thinks he’s a Scottie); OFSIL Sue B has the fun and funny Brodie; Friend Dawn has 2 black Scottie that love most to pose for photographs. I have yet to meet a Scottie that didn’t make me smile. In fact, at the Westminster Dog Show this year one did just that: a Scottish Terrier named Sadie competed for Best in Show.
Continue reading “A life lesson: always pee first before going on stage”
On February 28th America lost an iconic, legendary radio man. No one, not his son, not Gil Gross nor any other sit-in voice (Dallasite Ron Chapman) will replace the incomparable Paul Harvey. Many young people have missed out on his folksy, comforting, fatherly, friendly, familiar voice delivering the News! and “the rest of the stories”. It is sad to think the youth of today will know not what they’ve missed.
I for one took great comfort listening to Paul on the radio. My commute into Dallas each day was not complete without Paul telling me the day’s stories at 7:30 a.m. on The Big WBAP 820. While on my way to work, I remember a fateful day in the mid-80’s when Paul reported a Hollywood-style kidnap and murder event in western Kansas over the radio. I took interest because of the story’s geographic closeness to home. It was an incident involving ex-cons, sheriff and state police, and one innocent man. That man – the victim of a violent shoot out – coincidentally was my wife’s uncle. Paul Harvey hit a little closer to home that day with his News! than he usually did. It was his comforting grace – a grace for the family that would be expected from a compassionate preacher at an emotional funeral – that eased the mournful shock and started the healing.
Yesterday marked a milestone in the life of FD. She turned the big 2-9…an age that will now be with her for a couple years at least ( ;) ). 
T is a special person in so many ways. In the family lineage, she is the first born to her Mom and Dad; she is the first grandchild born to her paternal grandparents and the fourth to maternal grandparents; she is the first “girl” on the May side – Grandma was elated if I remember right; she is the first born in our family so she could (or try at least) tell second-born FS what to do and when.
We spent nearly two hours on the phone with her this morning (she appreciated her parent’s duet version of “Happy Birthday” on her voice mail yesterday when she was out and about with friends in the big city…she called it “angelic”…she’s so kind, in a tactful, diplomatic, and funny sort of way). In talking with her, memories of her growing up came to mind. Those only cause a smile, a nose-tingle and color change, a lot of blinking to happen – they are happy, loving tears only a father could have in the privacy of his home office while writing a blog post about a favorite daughter nicknamed so often, but most fittingly, still “Sunshine” and “Sweets”.
Every month or so I venture to my long-time, golfing buddy, dear pastor friend’s church for what I call my dose of “Dr. Bill”. He speaks to the common parishioner with a simple elegance and understanding for even those that typically absorb Bible-based preaching on a Sunday morning rather slowly…like me.
Last Sunday, the “Dr. Bill dose” spoke of knowing evil. His sermon was based on Mark 1:21-28. Many times Bill’s sermons hit home with me for reasons I might share in another post, but this sermon struck the house, rattled the windows, and flickered the lights causing a re-reading of the passage multiple times. Here’s my take (not Bill’s words mind you, and maybe not even his point) on the message given by Bill to his congregation last Sunday.
Slap on some rouge and plaster the lips, this old man has given in to joining the Facebook cosmetic line. Much to the dismay of perhaps family and peers, after reading Mark Davis’ article in Sunday’s Dallas Morning News (don’t anyone tell OFB Tony that I read and listen to conservative talk show host Mark quite often) and his recent membership to the legion of some 150 million population of Facebook, I did it anyway. The CEO of Facebook – one 24-year-old founder Mark Zuckerberg – says “If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth-most-populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia, and Nigeria”. I’m now the 150,000,001 member – yeah right, and I would like to announce my candidacy for President of this new found country. I guess it’s OK to join – it’s free and they welcome all ages (I’m good with both of those qualifications).
It’s a new socializing and networking opportunity for me; and I certainly only intend its use as yet another venue to “express” myself and maybe just find a few long lost friends. Oh yeah, and I think nearly every nephew and niece I have (on both sides of the family) has a Facebook account. IF they accept me as a “friend” (because they don’t have a “Crazy Uncle” option), perhaps I can annoy them on Facebook much like I do some of my regular, as well as infrequent or new blog readers. But not to worry all the pretty little blog heads that do read this stuff…at this webpage, by no means am I giving up WordPress, Flickr, SnapFish or any of my other Internet “socializing and networking opportunities” already in place.
With corporate America extending their hand(s) for a government bailout, and half our population wanting the other half to feed, house, transport, and provide entertainment for them…at no cost to them mind you…the Fed talks about spending – or should I say “stimulating” – with a few hundred billion here, a few hundred billion there. They toss about these numbers as if Joe Six-pack’s half-full wallet of hard-earned dollar bills really can compete with the volume of bucks being talked about.
OK, the soapbox pose was short-lived. Thanks to an an article found/read in the Dallas Morning News on Thursday (1/29/09), research conducted by John Hopkins University, Congressional Budget Office, The Washington Post, and Dallas Morning News will help be fill up a blog posting:
How much is a trillion? Continue reading “Spread your arms wide for showing a trillion”
A follow up on my previous blog: Oh the humility (and irony) of it all :
So the Christian-based The Covenant School apologizes and says it was wrong to stomp, kick, beat, maim, crew them up & spit ’em out Dallas Academy girls basketball team 100-0…
So the coach, Micah Grimes, says The Covenant School’s apologetic postion is absurd (my words used here)… Continue reading “The humility (and irony) continues”
So yesterday I read about this girl’s basketball game in the Dallas Morning News…and today it’s home page news on Yahoo.com:
The game was last week between two private schools – The Covenant School (a Christian-based institution) versus The Dallas Academy (known locally for having notable success educating students with learning disabilities). Anyone else find the teaching conflict (and irony) of a Christian school basically ignoring their Christian/Bible-based education philosophies, opening a can of whup, and dishing out a bucket full of wrath on their lesser opponent?
Local radio personalities Ernie and Jay (KRLD 1080 on the AM dial) have a 12 o’clock noon program call “Flip Off”. It allows callers (listeners) to “vent” any frustrations they have by simply flipping off whomever. Today’s Flip Off had me agreeing and smiling on all of them until the last guy with the GPS gift…then I laughed out loud, in my car, in traffic – I’m sure the drivers around me thought I was bothered to some degree. Any who, listen if you can/want/have the time…but if you start, you’ve got to listen past the same Key Whitman Eye Center commercial … Continue reading Flip Off
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