Texany

We Went With THIS

2011-09-07T14:03:00.008-05:00

I think someone made a HUGE marketing error.

You’ve seen the commercials. The hamsters are dancing and rapping, grooving in their cool Alien Green Kia Soul.

The Soul is geared toward a “younger” driving audience, for sure. Check out the mood-lit speakers which can be set to pulsate with the bass or change colors randomly. And the interesting exterior and interior color combinations (red/black is a popular option). We went with the houndstooth cloth which gives our Dune Soul ! a classy touch.

But have you seen any kids driving them?

I haven’t.

The majority of Soul drivers (in my own unscientific poll based strictly on observation) are middle-aged “Baby Boomer” types. Older than me.
I think what happened is that all these people grew up driving cars with very identifiable designs. The vehicles weren’t necessarily aerodynamic, but they did have distinctive, recognizable shapes and that’s why the Soul is so appealing.

It isn’t the cookie-cutter “egg” shape of most of the other autos on the road.It’s different.

It’s eye-catching. It’s a little off the beaten path, and due to the fact that it looks different than all but just a handful of other vehicles on the road, it’s appealing.

Especially to the generation who created the internet.

So while the Soul may have been designed with youth in mind, the older generation doesn’t seem to mind. They’re not the types of people to be intimidated by rapping hamsters trying to sell cars to kids.

They know what they like. And the Soul has more unique appeal than almost everything else out there. It’s cute, different, and fun to drive.

No, I’m not getting a sales commission.

✪

Rest in Peace

2010-06-05T09:44:00.007-05:00

I'd noticed the package of raisins. It lived behind my box of regular instant oatmeal.

I don't know who originally chose this particular item from the grocer shelf, whether my husband or daughter. But since they weren't mine, I'd left them alone, thinking someone would eventually eat them or dispose of them.

Every morning when I got out a packet of oatmeal for breakfast, I saw the raisins. I admit I'd started to just tune them out, like background noise.

But this morning, for reasons known only to my subconscious, the raisins caught my full attention.

I grabbed the bag and noticed they seemed to have hardened. My investigatory nature kicked in and I searched until I found this:

Yes, they were expired. Had been for over a year.

Amazing!

I remember my younger days, when I didn't sign apartment leases for longer than 6 months. I packed up literally every item I owned, large and small, and transported it to a different location twice each year, for years. Anything not needed was tossed out.

Yet somehow, this unopened bag of raisins had sat quietly for over a year in my kitchen cabinet.

I no longer cared whose they were. I tossed them.

✪

PassCard

2010-04-04T20:55:00.005-05:00

I just had my picture made.

It was a passport photo for one of those new Passcards - a passport card that can be used to cross the border (land only) into Mexico and/or Canada.

It's a really cool, official looking card that I probably won't ever need, but I liked it, and it was only $20 (with a valid passport). Well, plus the cost of the photo.

But it's cool and it can be used as id, just like a passport.

So, for instance, the next time you write a check, or try to buy cigarettes or wine or whatever, you can show your smart new, really official-looking federal id card, rather than the usual, expected, over-used, dare I say cliched? driver's license.

Fancy.

But when I accidentally catch a glimpse of myself these days, it's startling. I'm just not as attractive as I was 20 years ago.

Or even ten.

I guess it's time to start developing a good personality.

✪

Me and Sarah, Today

2010-01-11T20:46:00.023-06:00

It's been almost a year since I first realized Sarah Palin and I are basically twins.

I thought I'd post a follow-up in response to recent events: Ms. Palin has accepted a position with Fox News and her number one best selling book beat out a new release by Stephen King.

(I'm the one on the left. No news on this front, other than that continuing uncanny resemblance.)

✪

Agility Quin

2010-01-03T14:02:00.006-06:00

New Year's Day 2010

I loaded up my daughter, two dogs, various assortments of crates, chairs, food, dog treats and blankets, and my brand new electric heater and headed to the Rendon Arena at 7:30am. The car temp gauge said it was 30 degrees, and inside that breezy metal arena the temps never got above 45 all day long.

It was cold.

And it was a long, long day. We were there for nine hours to compete in 6 runs: 2 Jumpers Elite and 2 Regular Elite with my agility star Elliot, and 2 Jumpers Novice runs with my new boy Quin.

Aka Big Goofy Boy Dog.

His first run was a blast. For him.

I spent most of those 40+ seconds in the ring trying (not successfully I might add) to get his attention. He took the first two jumps perfectly. It was downhill from there.

He got distracted by the pole setter, sitting quietly in the corner. He went to see her. She ignored him. He in turn ignored my pleas to get back on course. The pole setter continued to ignore him. He lost interest and came back to see what I was hollering about.

Something about a tunnel... Nope, he didn't see any tunnels, as he galloped joyfully beside it, rather than through it.

Several times he got ahead of me and turned to bark at me because I was slowing him down. I admit, I was having some trouble following Quin's course design, which seemed to twist and turn based upon interesting sights and smells obvious only to him.

At the tire jump, he barked at me every time I said "Hoop!". "Quinny, HOOP!" Bark. "Hoop!" Bark-bark.

I gave up and went to the next jump-tunnel-jump series, which he obediently completed before running off to sniff the ground. We were eliminated.

Fortunately, his next run was much better. He was focused and seemed to remember at least a little of his training.

He twirled too many times and wasted some time barking at me again, but I was so pleased he followed me through the course, I wasn't even upset about the knocked pole, which knocked us out of a qualifying score.

In the end, he had fun and every one thought he was adorable.

Agility is about fun, and bonding, and it was created for and meant to be - for all intents and purposes - a spectator sport.

So, for that, I guess we did a good job.

✪

Flight of the Conchords

2009-05-06T18:12:00.039-05:00

Live Concert
Nokia Theater
May 5, 2009

After a lot of consideration, we decided to bite the bullet and pay the 600% markup price for tickets to the Conchord's first Dallas area concert. The theater holds 6,300 or so, and it was packed.

(I took the photos with my phone, so you'll have to trust me: that's them.)

We weren't disappointed. Bret and Jemaine were brilliant. Witty, charming, goofy.

When we first saw all the instruments on the stage we wondered if they were performing with a band these days. But no, they played all of them themselves. (With one exception. They had an accompanying cello player, "the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra".)

They both played guitar and took turns on drums. Bret even played a melody on his toy piano with his left hand, and sat down at a keyboard with his guitar still strapped on, and alternated between the two instruments on several songs.

They performed quite a few old favorites (chosen mostly - completely? - by audience request), including Foux du Fa Fa, Bowie, Mutha'uckas, Jenny and Bus Driver.

They had a new one, too, a country song. Jemaine explained that back in New Zealand they had invented "country music". (A slight detour from their running joke about inventing hip hop.)

I'd read reviews about their concerts and expected more banter; at the concert last night the songs were coming pretty much non-stop. They explained at the beginning of the show that that was the way it usually went: a few songs and some talking. Song-talk.

Well, Jemaine explained, sometimes it was "talk-talk" but we probably wouldn't notice. In fact, he said, sometimes they didn't even notice.

Many of the songs on their prepared play list were from the 2nd season of their show. They did one of my personal favorites, Hurt Feelings. Bret's lyrics, "some people say we are not rappers" was followed by Jemaine's:

"We're rappers. What are we doing right now?"

And I loved the movie replacement in the song. Bret's friends were lined up to see, not Maid in Manhattan (or in New Zealand-speak, "Manhadden"), but He's Just Not That Into You.

At one point Bret commented about a woman in one of the front rows who was recording the concert (the venue has strict "no video" rules). He told her she should have at least put tape over the red button so they wouldn't know what she was doing. Not embarrassed or phased in the least, she never put the camera down.

Jemaine finally called for their stage hand Matt to come out and record her recording them. Bret said they'd have it (the video of the woman with the camera) uploaded to Youtube later that night. (Twist.)

When Matt momentarily turned the camera on Jemaine, Jemaine called for security to escort Matt out, for violating the rules by recording the show. (No, security didn't show up.)

Another audience member participated in the show when he returned to his seat at the front. (He was tall, with dark curly hair.) Jemaine caught sight of him and said, "Hey, Bret, there's you! You've come back from the future to warn yourself about something."

Toward the end of the concert, a woman walked up to the stage and handed Bret a Mexican sombrero (I'm assuming in celebration of Cinco de Mayo) right as they were beginning Sugar Lumps. Bret managed to tie the hat to his pants while singing and proceeded with his own hilarious version of the "Mexican hat dance", even at one point hopping up to stand on the arms of a female-occupied front row seat.

They both invited women to join them on stage, and then promptly called - again - for security.

Their second and final encore was Demon Woman. They both came out in costume (Bret in leopard-skin and Jemaine in gold pants). Jemaine played the drums and at one point began to twirl one of the drumsticks. Very slowly and clumsily, and finally gave up, tossing it into the audience.

They are masters of irony, and it was a great concert. If you get the chance, and can afford the tickets (Texas: Land of Legal Ticket Scalping), I highly recommend it.

✪

Who are you, and what are you doing there?!

2009-04-22T14:27:00.007-05:00

Quin and the small concrete alligator have peacefully coexisted for several months, ever since it took up residence on the ground beside the table on our back porch.

Yesterday I relocated the alligator to the table.

This morning I heard him barking. Relentlessly. Monotonously. By himself.

I knew it wasn’t a real threat since Elliot wasn’t out there with him, backing him up with her shrill combination howl-bark.

When I went to investigate the noise, I found him about a foot from the table, in an apparent stand-off with the concrete alligator.

I can’t be sure, but I think the fact that it was ignoring him made Quin bark all the more furiously.

✪

War

2009-04-01T19:07:00.013-06:00

I received one of those emails with lots of amazing photos...

...but these two were impossible to forget.

✪

Run Faster Re-Doux

2009-03-23T14:18:00.007-06:00

Do I really run like that?

Still?

After all my hard work the past few months: stretching, jogging, running, even lifting weights, I still run "like a girl", as this video proves beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Elliot did great, as usual. She qualified with First Place in both her regular runs (Open).

Unfortunately, she was less than a second over the course time in both Jumpers (Elite) runs. So even though the runs were perfect, she didn't qualify because of the .35 second time faults.

But I'm sure that was my fault, since she was waiting on me.

I know. I need to run faster.

✪

Spring!

2009-03-15T18:20:00.033-06:00

It's Spring time in Texas... and all the flowering trees have started blooming.

I took these photos around my neighborhood this afternoon. It will only be a few weeks before the leaves and grass turn green again...

✪

Secretary of Education

2009-03-11T09:33:00.028-06:00

My musician husband has traveled all over the world and met quite a few famous people. He has a photo of himself with M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple).

Through the years he's also met, among others: Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, Joel Grey, Dom Deluise, Leslie Nielsen, George Lindsey (Goober), Herve Villechaize (Fantasy Island), Grandpa Jones and Roy Clark (Hee Haw), Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Leann Rimes, and a few of the Dixie Chicks.

But I wasn't really impressed until a few months ago when he called from a gig: "The Secretary of Education is here."

If you've seen Mike Judge's Idiocracy you'll remember the Secretary of Education as the armed, mute presidential cabinet member.The Secretary was played by Texas resident Danny Cochran, who also happens to be a drummer.

At my somewhat insistent suggestion, my husband asked if he'd mind being photographed.

Mugging the Secretary's expression, Mr. Cochran posed while my husband snapped this photo of him with his cell phone.

Now, that is cool.

✪

CIA Personality Quiz

2009-02-25T20:03:00.025-06:00

I was researching countries that might be good to relocate to, and noticed most of the information coming up in my google searches was based on CIA analyses.

Curious, I went to their main page, clicked on "careers" and found a CIA Personality Quiz.

I grew up on tv spy shows and at one time wanted to work for the CIA, so naturally I took their quiz. According to my responses to their 10 questions, my classification is:

Daring Thrill Seeker

Huh. I'm wondering if the results are skewed slightly to fit that kind of dangerous, covert operations kind of personality who would be most likely to take the test...

I mean, I don't think my answers were all that daring. With responses like "nerd" and "sunbathing on my yacht in the mediterranean", I was half expecting to see a big hand with a stamp slamming down with red ink letters stating REJECT.

But overall, I'm happy with the results. It makes me want to sign up for skydiving classes or something else fun and daring. Thrilling, if you will.

For anyone else interested in finding out how our government would classify you, here's the CIA link:

https://www.cia.gov/careers/cia-personality-quiz.html

Oh, they do offer the disclaimer, "for entertainment purposes only" regarding their quiz, just so you don't take the results too seriously.

And they're also very sincere about the fact that your computer will not be tracked, no one will call, and your family will remain safe.

Good luck.

✪

The Camera

2009-02-23T11:23:00.013-06:00

A few days ago I sold my Nikon 35mm SLR camera on Craigslist.

I'd purchased it back in my photography days, but had inexplicably grown bored with taking pictures soon afterward.

Not sure why. Maybe all the new automatic technology of the N70 took the fun out of it for me.

My previous 35mm camera, a Pentax K1000, had been like a best friend. Everything was manual on this camera. And I liked it that way.

Life during those Pentax days was carefully documented on Kodak paper.

During those 15 or so years I kept detailed records, organizing the photos into books by date. The various people, animals and travel destinations in my life were labeled in the pictures. The negatives were filed neatly in boxes, and the best photos were blown up and framed for placement around the house.

My daughter looks at those photos and wonders where I am. "Why aren't you there? Are you at work?"

In picture after picture I am somehow missing: her with her dad, or patting a dog, or holding out a cat like a prized award. One of my favorites shows her as a three year old in our front yard, holding a water hose high above her head, the water trailing down to the flower bed at her feet.

Then, for some reason, my role as photographer screeched to an abrupt halt.

I ended up using my brand new Nikon N70 (complete with zoom lens, wide angle, various filters, tripod, and lights) no more than a few times. It took beautiful photos.

But the expensive camera and equipment sat in the closet, unused, untouched, for almost a decade.

In the inimitable words of Chico Marx (complete with Italian accent): "I gotta wait for inspirashe."

Well, inspiration hit a few weeks ago, and I realized it was time to jump feet first into the digital age.

I found the camera I want: the Canon SX 200 IS. It has built-in zoom and wide-angle, plus it does video (for recording dog agility trials).

So I got the old Nikon off the shelf, wiped off the dust, and posted it for sell.

I wasn't sure I'd even be able to sell it; does anyone even used film anymore?

This paradigm shift seems all-encompassing. The good news is that I sold it very quickly, in only a few hours. The bad news is that I only got a fraction of what I paid for it: $85.

I'm hanging on to my Pentax, though.

Who knows... the digital age could end just as quickly as it began.

✪

1973

2009-02-19T12:40:00.019-06:00

Last night I was watching pieces of Life on Mars between flipping channels.

I love time travel. If there is a time travel theme, I'm there.

So the first few times the show aired, I eagerly watched it. And I appreciated the commitment of all the stars (Gretchen Mol, Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli) involved in the series.

But I just couldn't get interested.

It may be because of all the brown. I mean, the show is really brown.

Sepia seems to be the tint of choice for camera lenses filming scenes set in the '70s, just as black and white represents the '50s. We tv viewers understand the camera's transition cues and accept the color/time correlations.

The brown is probably a pretty accurate portrayal.

I was a child at the time, but I remember the clothes of the '70s being mostly earthtones of tan and brown. Cars came in various hues of tan and brown.

And interior decoration followed all the subtle variations of the same theme: brown shag carpet which coordinated nicely with the brown shades in the plaid upholstery and tan draperies.

On Mars we also get plenty of reminders of the violence, discrimination, crude biases, bad hairstyles, and awful clothes...

Watching the show last night I realized:

If my only destination choice for time travel was the year 1973, I'd probably stay home.

✪

Flight of the Conchords

2009-02-12T10:34:00.022-06:00

We recently got HBO.

So we recently saw Flight of the Conchords for the first time. As I'm sure most people with HBO are already aware, they are amazing.

I tend to do total immersion when interested in something new, so after watching the first season of the Conchords on On Demand, I naturally purchased the DVD. Then started watching youtube videos and reading articles and interviews.

My husband is a musician/composer/voice over actor. You may remember him from the '80s, a little band called Canyon; they had a few videos on CMT.

He's also the voice of the George Bush doll, featured in the DMN several years ago. A few months ago a piece of music he composed was picked up for use in a documentary.

And everyone knows him as the "voice" of Humphrey the dog, who made a guest appearance on Jay Leno a few years ago.

(I'm so proud.)

Anyway, last night during dinner I brought up an interview I'd read about the Conchords.

Me: So the interviewer said they'd used most of their songs during the first season, but they didn't seem too concerned about having to write new ones.

Husband: They didn't use all of them.

Me: Yeah, I know, but the point is that they didn't seem too concerned about having to come up with new...

Teen daughter, interrupting: What is it with both of y'all and your obsession with them?

Me: They're the most creative guys I've ever seen.

H: I wouldn't go that far.

TD: Their songs are stupid.

Me: They won a Grammy. They sing, dance, write music, play the instruments, write the series, act, and they're comedians. For quality and quantity, they're unmatched.

TD: They write the show?

Me: Yes. I'm telling you, they're amazing.

H: There are more creative song writers. And Bret can't act very well.

Me: The fact that they're very creative in many areas makes them more creative than someone who is only very creative in one area.

H: The Beatles did most of those things.

Me: You're actually comparing them to the Beatles? And besides, they weren't comedians.

H: They were.

Me: John Lennon?

H: Yes.

Me: Ok, maybe.

So there you have it. A professional opinion: The Flight of the Conchords are right up there with the Beatles. Only funnier.

And taller.

✪

Happy Birthday, Elliot!

2009-02-08T19:57:00.013-06:00

My female Aussie is 2 years old today.

To celebrate, I decorated her, stuck a bow to the top of her head and then took her picture to post on the internet.

Fortunately, she's a good sport.

To add to the fun, H made a party hat for Big Boy...

Nope, he wasn't amused either.

He looks a little scared, but that's just pretty much his usual expression.

✪

Freezing Fog Advisory

2009-01-30T09:32:00.011-06:00

North Texas was under a Freezing Fog Advisory yesterday.

I admit this is one I've never heard before.

Texas has more than its fair share of extreme climate conditions: tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, sand storms, smog, fires, ice storms, earthquakes, sleet, 100+ degree days, droughts... but freezing fog is news to me.

Is it safe to breath frozen air?

✪

Run Faster!

2009-01-16T10:54:00.041-06:00

I remember watching the video playback of my first agility trial.

During those 30 seconds in the ring, it had felt like everything was moving very fast. So I was surprised to see myself on the video, meandering around the course like I had all day.

I seemed especially sluggish compared to the other handlers with more experience, who were running, stooping, spinning, turning, stopping, and waving, all while flawlessly directing their dogs around difficult and elaborate course designs.

On the video I watched my dog fly across the dogwalk and then stop correctly in the contact zone. She stood waiting for me to catch up, looking back over her shoulder, and I could tell she was thinking, "Come on! Where is she?!"

"What am I doing? Why am I just standing there?" I wondered. A friend who was mentoring me during this first trial said helpfully, "You need to run a little faster."

My husband likened this suggestion to a piano teacher advising his student to "Play better."

Before I got involved (as more than a spectator) I considered dog agility to be one of those OSQ*, "almost a sport" activities. I was wrong.

This video shows how physically fit the handler has to be, especially at the higher levels of the sport. It's hard, but try to keep your eye on the handler, rather than the dog:

Since I'd never participated in sports, my first few times running a full agility course with my dog ended painfully. After several muscle strains and pulls, I learned. Now I complete an elaborate system of stretches and warm-ups before agility course runs. And to help condition myself for the trial ring, I started running.

Sort of.

Distance, for me, is measured in houses, not miles. At first I could only run about one house width, but I've worked up to about 10 houses (almost a whole city block) around my neighborhood. And I've been happy with my progress, and with the lack of injuries.

I can actually run through the courses now, and can stay up with Elliot well enough to qualify with several 1st place ribbons.

We've been practicing mostly on our own for the past 6 months, but last week we joined a class taught by a trainer who came highly recommended. It was great. The instructor was helpful and positive, really knew her stuff and offered valuable suggestions. It was a small-ish class and everyone was friendly.

It's out in the boonies, about an hour from my house. I was enjoying the class, being outside, and even the grass surface, so different from the hard packed dirt of the indoor arenas or the flying dirt of my own backyard. And I was pleased with the fact that Elliot was doing well, especially in an unfamiliar place with new dogs, sights and smells.

(She was really interested in several holes she found around the yard; we were told there were rabbits.)

Through it all, she was focused and happy, following my directions almost perfectly; we were operating as a team. All the things I love about agility.

The instructor watched each student/dog team run through the course and then offered feedback. I had to laugh when it was our turn and her advice to me was: "You need to run faster."

One of the men at the class said he used to tell his wife the same thing: "You're slowing the dog down; run faster!" Then, he ran the dog through the course and was surprised it's so much harder than it looks.

Note to self: Run faster.

* Obscure Sports Quarterly (see Dodgeball)

✪

Me and Sarah Palin

2009-01-15T12:36:00.060-06:00

A man came in to my office the other day and almost immediately asked, "Who do you look like?

I asked what he meant and he explained, "You look familiar. Who do people say you look like? Oh, I know: Sarah Palin."

She's known as a "beauty queen". From what I've read about her, she was in the running for the pageant title of Miss Alaska, but didn't win. Still, a nice comparison, I thought. (After all, he did say "look like", not "sound like", "act like", or "share the political views of".)

I mentioned it to my husband later. He seemed skeptical. "Were you wearing your glasses at the time?"

Well, I was, but still... Let's not be hasty in dismissing the whole "beauty" thing, ok?

And no, I wasn't wearing my hair in the infamous Sarah Palin-style "up do" at the time, so... Yes, I'm sure it's the "beauty" thing.

My husband thinks Sarah Palin has a generic quality and insists that any similarities are purely coincidental.

By the way, I'm the one on the left.
✪

Man vs. Machine

2009-01-15T09:59:00.018-06:00

I had a strange experience with a car dealership recently.

My car is a Toyota, so I haven't had many problems with it. But it's over six years old now, and was acting up a bit, so I decided to take it to the dealership (instead of the usual, local repair shop my husband frequents with his older pickup).

The Toyota dealership Service Attendant (SA) was nice: he gave me a loaner/rental at No Charge (a brand new Camry, very nice, with a sun/moon roof and hi-tech cup holders). I think they expected me to love the new car so much that I'd forget about my old car, because 3 days later they still hadn't worked on it.

I know this because of the phone call I received:

SA: The key you gave us won't work. We made another key based on your VIN# and it won't work either. Did you change the locks on the door?

Me: No, I haven't changed the locks. The key I gave you works. It's the valet key that came with the car, and I always use it. I just used it when I dropped off the car last week.

SA: Well, the service tech can't get into your car so we need you to bring us another key.

Me: I know the key works. Can you try it again? I'd have to take off work to bring another key in.

It seemed strange. Couldn't get into my car? Three days later?

They called back a few hours later and said they had managed, finally, to get the door unlocked.

With the key.

Hmmmm... The service tech -- the guy I'm trusting to work on my car -- couldn't get the key to open the door?

Well, on second thought, maybe that's a good sign. Maybe it shows that his training is so current, advanced, up-to-date and hi-tech that he's confused by the old-fashioned method.

The key I gave them was not the kind of key that beeps. It's the kind that has to be inserted into the hole under the door handle, and turned.

In the end, they did give me my car back. They didn't fix the original problem, but found a few other (expensive to repair) problems I wasn't even aware I had...

And they charged me $7.95 for that extra key.

The one that wouldn't work.
✪

Consumer Un-Alert

2009-01-09T20:16:00.019-06:00

This is not a test...

I can tell by the sincerity of the local tv news people who have begun speaking in almost panicked tones and by their stern countenances.

Granted, the local news people often speak as if their stories were life-threatening, in desperate attempts to make their news channel The News Channel for all your Scary News needs.

That's actually why I stopped watching The Scary News several years ago. To make up for a lack of news-worthy items, the news people had begun to speak, act, and make faces designed to back up their efforts to convince us -- the news-needy lay people -- that every item they reported on was Very Important.

Very Important Scary News.

They rarely have the patience to wait and start trying to scare us while we're enjoying our evening fun shows. During a Chuck commercial break, the news person will pop on for just a few seconds, just long enough to scowl at us with these words:

"What is really in your tap water? Find out tonight at 9."

or

"Something you're eating may be killing you. Find out what tonight at 10."

Recently they've been doing their best to scare us with their own worse fear: the thought of not being able to scare us.

Well, it's not really their fault. Someone higher up is scaring them, so they're simply passing it on. In fact, this one is coming from the Highest Up Scary people: the government. The National Scary News goes something like this:

CONSUMER ALERT

This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation’s transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. For more information, call the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission’s digital television website at: www.dtv.gov.

Ok, let's all just take a deep breath and calm down... try to look at this thing objectively.

From what I understand, the complete, absolute worst thing that could happen is that I might not be able to watch tv...

If things ever got to this point, I guess we could just do what they did back in the old days. Gather around the radio and tune in to some scary radio news. Or maybe take a ride. Or a walk. Or just go online to find out what's happening in the world now that our TV lifeline has been unplugged.

I hope I'm not giving away the punch line before the news comes on, but I'm pretty sure: Everything is going to be alright.

Don't let their faces scare you.
✪

Mud and Ice

2009-01-05T15:26:00.059-06:00

The temperature is hovering right at 33 degrees, so it's raining instead of snowing.

But it is cold enough for the water to freeze on the leaves and branches, weighing them down almost to the ground.

Actual snowfall here is a rarity, for exactly that reason. If it's cold enough to snow, the skies are beautifully clear. If it's overcast and wet, it's too warm for the white stuff to fall from the sky. What's on the ground usually freezes overnight, though, creating the hazardous "black ice" on the roads.

(Was it only two days ago that it was a balmy 83 degrees?)

It's been raining long enough now that the water is beginning to pool in the backyard. We used to have grass back there, actually fairly recently. But when we got the Boy Dog and he grew into a smallish version of a Clydesdale, the grass began to wither and die. I over-seeded for the winter and faithfully watered the seed every evening for two weeks... but the grass that came up was either trampled or eaten.

Boy Dog is destructive. He doesn't mean to be, but when you combine that puppy-brain with 60 pounds of bone and muscle mass, sometimes things accidentally might get destroyed.

Anyway, the yard used to be nice, with St. Augustine grass and ivy ground cover. But lately it's been looking like the dust bowl days.

Just add water.

Normally the dogs don't like to go outside when it's wet. But this morning I think they were enjoying the cooler weather, and must have been in the middle of a particularly exciting game of chase when it started raining, and they didn't notice. By the time they realized they were wet, it was too late.

When I saw them next they were both a dark, rich chocolate color, covered almost completely in mud. Their whites were not white.

Left: Before the mud party.

Right: No, that's not remorse. He just doesn't understand the injustice of not getting to dry himself on the couch cushions.

Once inside the house, Mud Boy proceeded to rub up against the walls... which aren't white anymore either.
✪

Winter

2009-01-02T18:46:00.004-06:00

It's a lovely winter evening... 6:30 p.m. and a most agreeable 72 degrees.

Yep, 72 degrees.

As I was driving home, I sang along with my Mammas and Pappas cassette to California Dreamin, but my heart wasn't really in it. (The old, worn-out cassette, which I recorded from the original vinyl, has seen better days. Purchased by my brother-in-law back in the day, the LP has been in my custody for the past 15 years or so.)

All the leaves are brown (well, at least on the trees that aren't evergreens) but the skies, far from being gray, this evening were painted a lovely deep blue as the sun set. A few wispy pink and orange clouds floated on the horizon just before dark.

It's supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow, before a cold front returns things to "normal".

Normal in Texas, though, means wild extremes. I think that's what makes us so hardy, like the mustang grapevines that grow wild throughout the state. The trees, animals, and people who thrive here have a look that just isn't quite 'domesticated'. Reminds me of Terms of Endearment, where Debra Winger's character said she missed the wildness of Texas.

You adapt; you get used to the sudden extremes of heat and cold. 80 degrees one day, freezing the next. And you enjoy what you have.

I've been for a walk on a winter day... And the weather was perfect.
✪

Anything by Dave Barry and Time Travel

2008-12-30T15:55:00.004-06:00

I must be more naive than I thought, because I'm actually surprised that other people on this blog site listed anything by Dave Barry - exactly, word for word - under "Favorite Books". The link pulls up something like 165 people, in addition to myself, who listed that as one of their favorite books.

I also find it interesting that it was not an original idea of mine to list "Time Travel" as an interest. Because really, technically, does that even qualify as an 'interest'?

Speaking of alternative modes of transportation, back when gas was over $4/gallon my family was discussing hydrogen powered cars and magnetic trains. I said, "I'll just be glad when they perfect teleportation." My husband's quip: "Oh, are they close?"

One can hope.

Anyway, I'm a newbie - I admit it. I'd heard of blogging, but had never blogged or read any blogs until a few days ago. But I'm really impressed with this blogger.com site. It's user-friendly, makes sense and is easily customized.

There must be 165 others who share my enthusiasm.

PS: I know, Sliders is parallel worlds, not time travel. I just like the show.
✪

Californication and Other Alternate Realities

2008-12-29T10:33:00.001-06:00

I don't go to Blockbuster all that often, but I had little choice. I'd seen every movie (or opted to pass on it, after viewing the trailer) currently offered on TW's On Demand and was left with little recourse.

Browsing the "new releases" was frustrating. Cliches and violence. How about a creative idea? A new voice, something uplifting?

I finally settled for a TV show I'd never seen and knew almost nothing about: the first season of Californication. I was not disappointed. It was entertaining, different... dare I say original? I watched the entire 2 set DVD in a few days and then actually ordered Showtime to pick up the 2nd season, not yet available to rent.

I know, I'm a demographic.

I came across a review of the 1st season DVD on amazon.com. In a nutshell the reviewer wrote that "no self-respecting woman" could enjoy the show. I consider myself to be highly self-respecting. But, if there's one thing I've learned from my religious studies, it's that - a lot of the time - you have to chew the meat and spit out the bones.

Or kiss a lot of frogs. Speaking of which, the saving grace of Californication is the character of Hank Moody, who is really interesting. Among his good traits: he's witty, fearless, cute, intelligent. And he never really lets his excesses get too far out of control.

Most of the rest of the show is without.

The women are simple male fantasy caricatures. I mean, come on. Didn't anybody else take Psych 101? Or at least spend some time listening to Dr. Drew?

On the other hand, we probably have enough "reality shows". The show isn't realistic, and probably isn't trying to be. In fact, if it was a little more grounded in reality, we'd probably be bored with it. After all, if we want reality, we have our own lives. Entertain us!

I came across something that I haven't verified as fact: that Tea left David for Billy Bob, whom she met on the set while making Manure. Is that right?

That sounds so much like Hollywood crap trying to pass itself off as entertainment, that I'm no longer sure there is a line between satire and reality... at least in my view of LA, which is, admittedly, from a distance.

Hank is a caricature as well, although a more easily accepted one. Our culture has been feeding us the lie of the fantasy man for a long, long time... so long that I think we may have come to believe he really exists. In life and entertainment (whether real or not), everyone has to chew a little meat and spit out a few bones.

So as I sat through episode 24 last night, the 2nd season finale, I was entertained. Pained a little at times, especially at that most unlikely of "endings" where Hank chooses to stay in LA... but still, entertained.
✪

A Democrat in Texas

2008-12-28T09:08:00.003-06:00

It's lonely on the left here.

I only know two other Democrats in the entire state, one of whom is my husband. And technically, even though he grew up here, he's not a Texan since he was born in Kansas.

The other Democrat in Texas is an ex-neighbor. Her daughter is the same age as mine and the girls grew up best friends before the family moved away. They recently took a trip to the east coast where she said she encountered "her people" for the first time. The so-called "smart states"...

I'm often the token Democrat. Especially at work. But I've usually managed to keep my mouth shut in the interest of continued income. The only time I really got into it was when a co-worker was touting the younger Bush as a "man of prayer". I consider myself to be a person of prayer, and I didn't appreciate the comparison.

"And Al Gore isn't?" I asked as politely as I could manage (tact never having been my strength). I've forgotten how we got around to it, but the conversation degenerated to the point where I remember saying something about the right-wing church vote.

Like I said, tact is not one of my stronger traits.

So now I keep my opinions to myself. I'll keep fighting the good fight, quietly. And every once in a while, I'll enjoy a win.

As my neighbor said recently, "The polls finally turned out right."

✪

Commitment: The Blog Name

2008-12-27T19:58:00.009-06:00

I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe. It took months before I finally said "yes" to my husband. It was 7 more years before I took the gigantic leap into parenthood. And I take the commitments I do make seriously...

So the decision on the name for this blog was not entered into lightly. I google searched "blog names" and found several very helpful sites, including one with several hundred interesting and creative names for blogs...

But still nothing I could commit to.

Until H (Husband), T (Teen daughter) and I went to dinner tonight. Our first choice, Chili's, had a long waiting line. (Waiting is something I loathe to do for any reason, much less for food.) T suggested I-Hop. Not only was there no wait, but we had the place mostly to ourselves, which was surprising until I realized they were playing Christmas music for our dining enjoyment. Something about hearing Christmas music several days after Christmas doesn't bring much cheer.

T, playing the part of a 15 year old, only child, continued a running monologue about herself, including comments about how she was describing herself, specifically about how she sounds, which she described as "Texan-y".

It sounded like a play on Tuscany, and I was hooked. I haven't told her yet, but I will give her full credit.

I'd love to go to Tuscany. Or anywhere, really. H (Husband) recently discovered virtual driving tours on google maps. Type in an address and the photo pops up. Our neighbor was visiting on Christmas day when H shared his newly discovered technology. We typed in our current addresses and up popped photos. We typed in addresses of neighbors, our childhood homes, our relatives' homes and everyone we could think of. It was fun. And it wasn't. We were a little creeped out by the stalker possibilities.

But I've enjoyed it, too. I've virtually visited places I've always wanted to go: San Diego, New York, Scottsdale. I "drove" through streets in Seattle where T plans to attend college and meandered through a nice lakefront neighborhood in San Angelo. I went the wrong way on a one-way street in Charleston. From the shadows on the ground, it looks like a small truck with a very high camera mounted on the roof is responsible for shooting the photos. Wonder how you get that gig?

H has frequent flier miles we just haven't used yet... T wants to go to London. H says he'll stay home with the dogs and the two of us can go wherever we want. I admitted I might not want to spend a lot of time alone with her. "Why is she so irritable?" I asked.

"How could she not be?" He countered. The implication was clear: T takes after her parents. Or more accurately, H meant T takes after her mom. T and I both rolled our eyes.

Even if I do end up traveling with the typical teen, I'm thinking I'd still be content lying on a beach. Or enjoying a walk in Tuscany.

✪

Texany

We Went With THIS

Rest in Peace

PassCard

Me and Sarah, Today

Agility Quin

New Year's Day 2010

Flight of the Conchords

Live ConcertNokia TheaterMay 5, 2009

Who are you, and what are you doing there?!

War

Run Faster Re-Doux

Spring!

Secretary of Education

CIA Personality Quiz

The Camera

1973

Flight of the Conchords

Happy Birthday, Elliot!

Freezing Fog Advisory

Run Faster!

Me and Sarah Palin

Man vs. Machine

Consumer Un-Alert

Mud and Ice

Winter

Anything by Dave Barry and Time Travel

Californication and Other Alternate Realities

A Democrat in Texas

Commitment: The Blog Name

Live Concert
Nokia Theater
May 5, 2009