A good political Debate

Is raging on over at the KRuMB (http://krmb.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/fine-feathers/).

 

Just for the record, I voted in the state and local elections but I did not cast a vote in the Presidential election for the first time since I have been eligible to vote. I did so because cannot support any candidate on the ballot. Some will see it in a negative light but when I cast a vote it is a vote of support and confidence. Something I have for none of the men or women listed.

Better

I’m better today. Amazing what a nice weekend with a Longhorn victory will do for your spirits. Now if Glenda were only feeling better…

Sad

I need some happy thoughts. I’m not sure why (maybe it was the bad chicken from the cafeteria) but I have thrown myself into a funk. I started thinking about all the things in the past that brought me joy and are now gone.

My sister, my dad, Astroworld, the Beach House, friends I don’t talk to any more (David, Jorie, Leslie, Mike I, Donette, Mike L).

I guess it is just a day to remember.

 

Oops

Funny!!! I'm sure it was an accident, but it sure looks like he meant to hit him. I love Les Miles comments on the subject.

What Color?

When asked what color American would paint its new Boeing 787 aircraft since the traditional polished steel that American is known for will not work on the composite skin of the 787 CFO Tom Horton said AMR was looking into painting them a particularly ugly color: burnt orange.

 

Mr. Horton was playing to the boss. Mr. Arpey has his BA and MBA from the University of Texas, while Mr. Horton has his undergraduate degree from Baylor and his master's from SMU.

 

Personally I think it is a grand idea!

 

Bolivar Update

I was just reading the KRuMB regarding MB’s obvious lack of interest in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike (smiles) and realized that I too have been lazed in my updating of the situation at the Beach House.

I spoke to Bob a couple of days ago and he has spent a couple of weekends down there doing some clean-up and to assess the situation. As you know from previous posts the Brown House survived and Bob’s informs me that it is fixable.

My disdain for the main stream media is no secret (be sure to read the article at the KRuMB referenced above) and it comes as no surprise that they neither care to report accurate information nor do they feel any consequences when they are wrong. And wrong they are when it comes to Bolivar. The media was reporting that it would be at least a year before services are restored to most of the peninsula but alas, someone forgot to tell wonderful people at Centerpoint. When Bob went down a few weekends ago he was surprised to count over 200 Centerpoint (and other) power trucks lining the highway putting up brand new poles. While Bob was in front of the house a supervisor drove by and asked if he was planning on fixing the house (remember it was the only one left on the block). When he said yes, they guy marked something down on the clipboard and the next day a transformer showed up. Wonderful!!!

Centerport is now reporting that the lights should be on sometime in November! And the city is reporting that water will be back on around the same time. I guess you just can’t keep determined people down.

Bob says spirits are high and the feeling is that a lot of folks will repair or rebuild. His goal is to have the Brown House ready for our annual family reunion and crawfish boil. What a party that will be. Ya’ll come!

Texas #1

There is nothing better than seeing an empty half of the Cotton Bowl on the second Saturday in October. Texas is #1 in both the AP and Coaches Polls for the first time since 1984.

Giant Catfish Eats Man

And yeah, I’m serious… apparently. Holy crap!

 

A fearsome fish has started killing people after feeding on human corpses, scientists fear.

They reckon that a huge type of catfish, called a goonch, may have developed a taste for flesh in an Indian river where bodies are dumped after funerals.

Locals have believed for years that a mysterious monster lurks in the water. But they think it has moved on from scavenging to snatching unwary bathers who venture into the Great Kali, which flows along the India-Nepal border.

The extraordinary creature has been investigated by biologist Jeremy Wade for a TV documentary to be shown in Britain.

“The locals have told me of a theory that this monster has grown extra large on a diet of partially burnt corpses,” Wade said. “It has perhaps got this taste for flesh by feasting on remains of funeral pyres. There will be a few freak individuals that grow bigger than the other ones and if you throw in extra food, they will grow even bigger.”

Wade discounted theories that crocodiles could be responsible for the carnage before turning his attention to goonches — among the world’s biggest freshwater fish.

He caught one which tipped the scales at 161 lbs and was nearly 6 feet long — a world record weight and far bigger than any landed before.

“If that got hold of you, there’d be no getting away,” he said

 

Death In The Family

I had a death in the family today. My laptop died. And as one would expect of a laptop in my world would do, it died in a grand fashion. I plugged it in at work as normal and the fan goes crazy and the thing shuts down… no life… no fussing… nothing. I figured I didn’t sit the thing correctly in the docking stations so I go to pick it up and just about burned my hand. The bottom was very hot. Not the kind of hot you want your computer equipment to be. So now I’m sitting around waiting for tech support to bring me a new one. All I have is a borrowed laptop that gives me access to the internet and email, that’s it. None of my usual applications. As you may guess, I’m being very productive.

Texas vs. OU

This is my favorite week of the year. A week where the heat gives way and fall announces its presence. A week where kids start thinking about what they want to be for Halloween. A week when the most ambitious of us start Christmas shopping.

And the week for the Greatest Rivalry in Sports! Texas vs. O.U.

I admit, I’m a bit biased, but not much. The Texas – OU game is consistently ranked by fans, players, writers and coaches as one of the top three rivalries in College Football and is unique in the manner in which it is played. Some facts:

This Saturday will be the 103rd meeting between Texas and OU.

When the series began, Oklahoma was not a state.

The game has been played in Dallas, which is equal distance between Austin and Norman, since 1912.

The game has been played in the Cotton Bowl, during the State Fair of Texas since 1929.

Tickets for the two schools are divided equally in half and split The Cotton Bowl at the 50.

Since 1945, either Texas or OU or both have been ranked in the Top 25 coming into 61 out of 66 games.

Since ranking teams began, the game has featured the number one team 11 times.

Since ranking teams began, the game has featured both teams in the top 5 11 times including 3 #1 vs . #2.

The first time the two teams met, neither had a nickname.

Texas leads the series 57-40-5.

WHAT TIME IS IT?!

I'll never ask again

I admit that I have had a few beers and then went looking for love from my wife… I guess I will reconsider from now on.

 

BENTONVILLE, Ark.  —  A 75-year-old woman told police she was "at her wits' end" when she shot her husband to death as he was sleeping.

Myrtle Marie Walter was being held Monday without bond in the Benton County jail on a capital murder charge in the slaying of Paul Walter, 74, at their home in Rogers.

She told police she and her husband had been drinking Friday night and she had four or five beers. She said her husband wanted to have sex but she did not want to, and she could no longer tolerate the mental abuse, according to court records.

She retrieved a loaded gun, returned to the bedroom and shot her husband once, then fired two more times when she saw him move, court documents say. Rogers police arrested her Saturday and recovered a .357-caliber revolver that was on the bed.

Myrtle Walker told police she aimed at her husband's head, but did not know where she shot him because the bedroom light was off, according to court documents. She said her husband was asleep, lying face down. She said she was sorry for shooting him, but relieved he was gone, according to court documents.

 

Kyle at the Beach House

This is the photo to which Glenda was referring. It was taken Easter (April) 2001, just two months after returning from Kyle's adoption in Russia. Kyle was 20 months old and it was the first time many of the family had first laid eyes on Kyle. I think all of us would agree that it was a different time in our world. Five months later the world would change.

Beach House Before and After

As I said earlier, Mom and Bob got down to Bolivar on Sunday. I managed to find a before and after shot from about the same angle. This really brings it home for me. I am saddened greatly. I know it is just material things and a lot of folks tell me it could have been worse, and it could of. I am thankful that no one I knew was seriously hurt or killed, but I can't help morn the loss of this spot of Earth that meant so much to so many of my family and friends and of course to me. It is really hard to put into words.