November Serve Out

Really? Is it really the end of the month again? It seems like I just looked in the bit bucket and drug out the leftovers and now it is time to do it again.

This month's theme can best be described as "I just don't care."

 "Why yes.The sink did back up. Why do you ask?"

 "Honk all you want Sonny! I've got the right-of-way!"

 "What buckles?"

" I always have coffee on the patio. You got a problem?"

I'm not crossing. I'm loitering!"

"I feel so useless."

 "Yes, it is an economy car."

 "We've seen the shuttle before."

 "I'm hangin' with my homies, that's what."

 "One count of faulty muffler, one count of..."

 "Do you know how hard it is to find a place to sit?"

 "I'm NOT standing on the monument."

"We're busy. Don't bother us."

Random thoughts while sitting in an airport

Airports remain the premier people-watching venue; nowhere else do you see such a diversity of human-kind thrust into such unnatural situations. One can watch the parade for hours, and since you have to get to the airport hours before your flight, you have hours to do just that. Families with children provide some of the best entertainment. Especially if they are not waiting for the same flight you are. Please, please! Don't seat me next to that kid!

Somebody help me understand here. If you know that you are going to have to take your shoes off when you go through airport security, why on earth do women insist on wearing knee-high boots when they go traveling? Maybe I'm projecting an image from cowboy films when it took two people to pull a boot off - today's fashion apparel may just slip right off, but I doubt it. And there is no place to sit down and take them off. Put them back on, yes, but do women sit on the floor to do this?

And while they are easier to take off and put back on, why do other women wear high, high heels to travel? You know that you are going to walk a mile and a quarter to your gate, dragging 3 rolling bags and lugging 2 enormous purses. Wouldn't something a bit more sensible be, well, more sensible? But then again, I'm a man so what do I know about these things?

In addition to shoes, it is always interesting to see what is being worn to travel in these days. It is always a mix of the bare minimum (and I do mean bare!) and how many coats can one person carry? Granted, your destination makes some demands on you, but I noticed a guy headed for Burbank in a top coat, hat and woolen scarf. It's easy to spot the professional men and women in their bespoke outfits; teen-age girls most often go for the grunge look, dragging their pillows along with them. Little old ladies dress up to travel just as they dress for church; single men range from Indiana Jones to Harley-Davidson leathers.

And one simply does not travel without one's electronic gadgets (never mind that I am writing this on my iPad while I sit and watch). Everyone is talking on the phone, or texting on the phone, or playing games on hand-held devices, or flipping tablet pages. Ear buds and headphones go on in the terminal and stay on through the flight regardless of the flight attendant's admonishments otherwise. The chair that I'm sitting in has multiple electrical plugs and USB charging outlets. Sitting on the floor to recharge is so yesterday! But this is  a newer airport; there are still places where you have to take extreme measures - like this:

Don't be that guy. Recharge before you leave home, else - - uh oh! Battery is dieing. Where did I pack my charger? Oh, no it's in

Monday Meanderings - 11.26.2012

Left town last Tuesday, one day after a record-setting 23,000 passengers flew out of ABIA. Didn't think about that when we booked this trip. I noticed as we were leaving that in 4 more years the TSA will not require me to take off my shoes when going through security. I guess they think that at that age I'll be too old to bend over and ignite anything. 

Drove down the Pacific Coast Highway. Without a doubt, one of the really outstanding highway vistas anywhere. Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur and Fall colors. Beautiful! Stopped at a beach-side resort for the night and at check-in they told us the bonfire on the beach was scheduled for 9pm. Turns out the proper way to attend one of these is to stop by the resturant and get a bottle of wine. Sort of an open-bottle bonfire, as it were. When we got there they were all singing Kum By Yah!  

I went to a college football game on Saturday with Jason and the boys. Did you know that bands march up and down the field during half time? I thought that they only had Sports Center during the half. And did you know that they only have that yellow line on TV? If you are actually at the game you have to keep up with the down markers on the sideline. That, or wait until the announcer tells you what yard-line the ball is on. And without the camera following the play, it's hard to tell who has the ball!

The Armed Services were being honored at the game and a couple of jet fighters flew over the field before the game. That will get your attention! The opposing team was the Air Force Academy, and they brought the falcon for the traditional flight around the stadium, but for some reason chose not to let the bird fly. No explanation given.

The Air Force team really got pushed around on the field; I guess it is counter to the Air Force mission to recruit 300 lb. pilots.

And here's some Fall color from Julie's back yard.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm taking the week off for some personal time and to stuff myself silly. See you Monday.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here - in my humble opinion - is one of the best segments ever broadcast on TV.

Monday Meanderings - 11.19.2012

The inaugural Austin Formula One race has come and gone, and apparently a good time was had by all. The weather was gorgeous, the crowds were plentiful, and traffic was handled with dispatch. About the only thing we noticed in our part of town was a marked increase in helicopter traffic; didn't notice an increase in rich foreigners in Walmart.

All the equipment, cars, and teams are already on the way to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where they will do it all again this coming weekend! Meanwhile, another hundred thousand people are expected in town for the UT-TCU football game on Thursday. Gotta love this town.

Sometimes you need just a little more information. This past week an article in the ACU Optimist stated: 

"Renovations in the kitchen of Smith-Adams Hall have been completed after a fire...
The fire occurred Oct. 15 when Sean Branchaw, sophomore finance and math major from Derwood, Md., was in the kitchen making smoke bombs. Two fire trucks responded to the call around 11 p.m. and residents were forced to evacuate when the fire alarms went off as smoke was spreading from the kitchen."

I think there is an obvious follow-up question here, but it was not addressed in the column. Inquiring Minds Want to Know.

Is it just me, or does it look like these suspicious-looking boxes are plotting something?

Nothing succeeds like secession.

Not unexpectedly, a number of people are upset over the result of the Presidential election. There have been the usual mutterings; threats to move to Canada, warnings about layoffs and demonstrations of all sorts, but the form of protest that seems to be gaining traction is the petition to secede. If I can't have it my way I'll just take my state and go home.

At this point, petitioners from all 50 states have joined in the movement to remove their state from the Union and go paddle their own boat. Among them, Texas has reached critical mass with more than 110,000 signers to the petition. Interestingly, the Obama Administration itself has conveniently provided the vehicle to petition the government; there's an official webpage that encourages you to engage the government on the issues that matter to you. If more than 25,000 individuals register to add their names to a petition in a 30 day period, the White House is obligated to respond. Forgive me if I think that that response may be in the form of an electronic raspberry, but the process exists, nevertheless.

The majority of the petitions address burning issues such as "Outlaw offending prophets of major religions" and "Not allow the FDA to regulate premium cigars" and "The U.S. Government Must Redress Wrongs Against the Chagossians," but fifty of them say, "Peacefully grant the State of (insert name of your favorite state here) to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government."

Texas, under the guidance of Governor Goodhair is certainly doing everything it can to disencumber itself from any and all intervention of the Federal Government (except when it needs money for things like, oh, say disaster relief). And then there's that old legend about Texas retaining the right to secede (doesn't exist). Goodhair, during his disastrous run at the Presidential nomination seemed to be all for it, but now that Romney's out of the way and the Gov is looking at 2016, he now says it's a bad idea.

And then there is the petition that says, "Peacefully grant the city of Austin Texas to withdraw from the state of Texas & remain part of the United States." Only 7,200 of my neighbors have signed up for this one thus far, so it may not even get a raspberry. Somehow this petition seems appropriate, given that the official city motto is "Keep Austin Weird."  And in a bright Red state, Austin has always been that little island of Blue. I guess we could become the "State of Austin," like that county in Tennessee that became "The Free and Independent State of Scot"  in protest of the state's separation from the United States during the Cival War.

I'm thinking maybe I should start a petition to form the "Free and Independent State of Bob." Just not sure who to send the petition to. I'll get back to you on that.

Ready or not, here comes Formula One

Two and one-half years after the announcement,  after a stop, a re-start, a postponement, four lawsuits and twenty months of construction, a couple of big political stinks over how much the City of Austin is kicking in (almost nothing), how much the State of Texas is kicking in (it may, or may not be $25 million dollars a year) and a last-minute annexation of the track site by the City of Austin, we are actually going to have a Formula One race this weekend.

No one is certain just how many people are going to show up, but ticket sales indicate at least 120,000 people, including 20,000 from outside the US are headed to Austin for the weekend. Officials suggest that a a bunch of people will show up just for the party; no ticket needed. This week six 747s brought more than 1 million pounds of equipment from Abu Dhabi, the previous race location; equipment needed by the Formula One management - that doesn't include the cars and the equipment that the competing teams will bring in.

ABIA is expecting fifty-eight international charters and private flights over the next few days; the airport issued 240 permits for domestic charters and private planes. A new customs facility has been opened, along with additional security checkpoints. At least three heliports have been set up city-wide, with as many as 200 helicopter round-trips scheduled for each, much to the dismay of nearby residents.

Then there’s the vehicular traffic. About 17,000 fans are expected to arrive at the track by private vehicles. The rest will arrive on 400 shuttle buses running from downtown, the Travis County Expo Center and two other lots. Some will arrive by limo, some by taxi. Bicyclists, oddly, aren’t allowed; instead they must lock up their bikes at a park near the airport and take a shuttle from there. Will all of that be enough to avoid a massive traffic jam in the Texas 130 corridor and other routes to the track? Last weekend they held a Formula One Run - a foot race on the 3.4 mile track. About 5,000 people turned out - and created a massive traffic jam. Uh oh.

Traffic jam or not, the economic benefit to Austin is astounding. Financially, it has been compared to a Super Bowl a year for the next ten years. Plus, the race is a great excuse for a party! Bring on the bands - Formula One Fan Fest will complete the total paralysis of the city with acts such as Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Willie Nelson, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, Pat Green, Jerry Jeff Walker, Cindy Cashdollar, Del Castillo, Ruthie Foster and the Quebe Sisters.

As for the race itself, someone said, "F1 is like soccer, arranged marriages and eating dogs. Many Americans aren’t interested, but it’s huge elsewhere." Plus, the drivers turn right as well as left. That's just wrong.

Is this a great place to live, or what?

Monday Meanderings - 11.12.2012

Darrell K Royal passed away this past week. Even those who don't know much about college football will recognize Coach Royal as a legendary figure in the history of the game, and an Austin icon. Services for Coach Royal will be held in the only building in town large enough to hold the crowd - the Erwin Center.
 
Even I had an up close and personal moment with the coach. Well, actually, it involved Edith, his wife. Shortly after we moved to Austin we stopped at a Baskin Robbins down on the Drag for some refreshment. As we were leaving, the door got away from me and lightly bumped a woman entering the store with her husband. Yes, I banged the door into Edith Royal. Only later did I realize that if I had injured the woman, we would have had to move. Assuming we were not run out of town first.
 
All the election hoopla this past week reminded me that for many years my parents volunteered as election officials in my hometown. I recall a story they told about the 1960 Presidential election, when John F. Kennedy had named Lyndon Johnson as his Vice-Presidential running mate. Johnson was already on the ballot, running for re-election to the U. S. Senate (he had Texas law changed to allow him to run for both offices). He was elected to both offices, but according to my folks, one voter marked Johnson out as the Vice-Presidential candidate, marked him out as the Senate candidate, wrote him in, and marked out the write-in!
 
McRib is back. I have been reading that McDonalds was going to wait and offer the McRib starting in late December, but I guess they realized how badly I was craving me some McRib.
 
Windy weekend - hard to keep up with the falling pecans. Here's Saturday morning's crop:
 

 

Read much? - Stories for my grandchildren

At the Learning Ally studios the other day, I was reading a college text that dealt with media; there were chapters about radio, chapters about TV, chapters about newspapers and magazines, etc. The section I was working with covered books, and how the publishing industry came about, progressing through early papyrus scrolls, the invention of moveable type, the printing press, and mass market printing and global distribution.

Among the early books of note was the series of The Eclectic Readers by George Mcuffey, widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century (and still used today in some private schools and in homeschooling). May I point out that the McGuffey Readers were not in use when I went to school, but I do remember the readers written by William S. Gray and Zerna Sharp, featuring Dick, Jane, Sally and Spot. Published from the 1930s through to the 1970s, this series was widely used to teach children to read in the United States.

I think, however, that I learned to read from the comics in the daily newspaper. I remember clearly my mother reading the comics to me, and at some point I began working out the meaning myself. Strips like Hatlo's Inferno and Ripley's Believe it or Not! are part of my earliest reading memories.

At some point, I switched to encyclopedias. In later elementary grades and at least through Junior high there were encyclopedias in the class room, and I read them, from Aardvark to Zuzim. We even had a set at home. The small end table now by my recliner originally held a set of encyclopedias in the lower, V shaped shelf. I'm guessing that the table came with the books - a successful sale by some door-to-door salesman who convinced my parents that the proper education of their children depended on readily-available reference books. It worked for me. I read them all.

I became a good customer of the public library at an early age. At that time, the library was in the YMCA building, sharing space with the indoor pool and the gymnasium (later better known to me and my peers as the Teen Canteen location). The librarian, Pansy Pace, patiently guided me through all of the Bobbsey Twins, Hardy Boys, biographies and suitable fiction for years. Mrs. Pace, a life-long resident of Breckenridge, served as the librarian for 48 years!

I'm still reading. Barb and I both are voracious readers; I just took inventory, and there are 15 library books stacked up, waiting to be read or waiting to go back to the library, including 2 on the Kindle. I got an App to help me keep up with titles that I have read and it says that I have added 552 books since installing the App in January, 2011. That works out to an astonishing 25 books a month! Barb keeps her "Read List" in journals; she's currently on her 5th volume. And did I mention magazines?

I would write more, but there's a new John Sandford book Barb just brought home from the library, and if I act now I can get started on it before she does.

Signs of the day

It's over. No more campaign hype. No more protests. No more protest signs. But there were some really interesting and creative messages over the past few weeks Here are some samples:

Monday Meanderings - 11.5.2012

News reports and photos of the devastation of superstorm Sandy were very sobering. Among them, I saw photos of water flooding into the Battery Park Tunnel. BR (before retirement), I worked with a customer whose offices were at 55 Broadway in lower Manhattan.  If you looked straight down to the street level from the office I worked in, you could see the entrance to the Battery Park Tunnel. From the same window, if you looked two blocks to the right, you could see Ground Zero.

For a number of weeks we have passed a billboard (sponsored by a jewelry company) that had a life-like photo of a young man on a ladder, painting the message, "Joan, will you marry me?" Thought this was a clever ad. However this week, the message read, "Marry me, Catherine Wyndham - love, William." I'm guessing that if you buy the ring at the sponsoring jewelry store, you get to put your message on the billboard.

Without fanfare, Bank of America posted to my account my share of a class-action court settlement, labeled "Overdraft Fee Settlement." Since I had no knowledge of the settlement, or that I had even had an overdraft, for that matter, I looked it up on the Internety thing and found that this was way back in 2001. I can't remember what happened last week, let alone back in 2001, so I assume that I am due a settlement. Now I just have to figure out how to best invest my $1.24.

Keeping Austin weird. Here's a photo of some people in Austin waiting in line to vote. Notice anything unusual?

That's right. The guy in the suit and tie is completely out of character. This is Austin, after all. Oh, the guy in the Big Bird costume? That's John Kelso, humorist for the American Statesman. Turns out the guy in the suit was his bodyguard, in case someone took offense.

Gumby and friends - Stories for my grandchildren

I was watching a college football game the other night when I spotted a student attired as Gumby. You know, the little green dude who palled around with Pokey, the orange horse. For several years we had a life-size version of Gumby hanging around. Well, he was life-sized if you were sort of on the small size. You can judge his size here as a passenger in Barb's little Civic.

Gumby's specialty was to show up where he was not expected, like in the car, ready to go on some trip. Or posed in the bathroom, caught in the act of... well, you know what he was in the midst of. Or hanging out at the mailbox, waiting for the kids to come home from college on a visit. Or on the treadmill, or in the closet, or in your bed.

I don't know where we acquired Gumby, and for that matter, I'm not sure where he went when he left us. I do know that he had developed a chronic leak on a hard-to-patch seam and it became harder and harder to get him pumped up for some adventure. My guess is that he moved on during a garage sale.

Gumby had a buddy that he hung out with at our house - Dino. Given that one of Barb's favorite teaching units was dinosaurs, it is not surprising that we had a less-than-life-size (thank goodness) T-Rex as well. 

Here's a shot of Dino working off the effects of an over-indulgent Thanksgiving. Like Gumby, Dino couldn't take the pressure.

I searched for a picture of the other creature that lived with us - the adult-sized dinosaur costume that Barb made and wore, on special occasions, during the dinosaur unit.  I recall that I wore it at an IBM function once, but I cannot for the life of me remember why I would do that. The dinosaur suit may - or may not - be in the family still. You'll have to ask John about that.