Water tower mascots

There's an entertaining, if unfocused, story in the Star-Telegram today about towns painting their high school mascots on their water towers.

It starts by talking about O'Brien (which is way out there and I've driven through it), a town that recently installed a new water tower. And then painted on a tribute to the high school's six-man state championship. Even though the championship was in 1972. And the school has long since shut down.

I think it's a great subject. I recall Hico just recently installing one of those golf ball-tee water towers, and the local folk then grumbling until a donor came through with enough money to paint "Home of the Tigers" on the top.

I can only imagine the stories out there.

The weird thing about the S-T piece is that it's half talking about mascots on water towers and half about O'Brien's championship run. It's either two stories shoved together or one that kind of sprawled all over the place.

Still. Entertaining. I recommend it if you're interested in that kind of thing.

Also: Click on the audio slideshow. They don't show nearly enough water towers, but about halfway through the background interview, you hear a rooster going off.

Sam's de-butt* in the Star-Telegram

You'll have to click on the link to find out why I made such a lame pun, though you can probably figure that out before clicking.

Anyway, for a quick update:

About a month ago Sam started trying to walk. Basically, he'd take a step and fall down. On Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008, he managed to string five steps together and I thought, "I'm calling it, he's walking."

Then, for a bit, he seemed to lose interest in walking at all. Yesterday, he took his five steps and, instead of falling down, he stopped, regained his balance, and took five more. Then he sat down violently. I keep worrying about his spine, the way the boy slams his butt down.

Anyway, here's a series of shots of Sam walking. I realize he looks almost maniacally happy in these shots, but I've discovered my boy is a bit of a ham when you point the camera at him, plus, I'd be happy to get above the evil cat myself.

*Pun stolen from an old Dick Tracy cartoon, which explains the cheesey.

Road trip

Lubbock.

As beautiful as your favorite ugly dog.

My sister's family (all four of 'em), has been playing in a local theater group's production of "The Music Man" for the past few weeks. Most of my family attended the performance two weeks ago, but I wasn't able to make because of my wedding anniversary or something.

Meredith was too busy to make it last weekend. I knew I'd miss her and the boy, but I also saw it as an opportunity for a single man roadtrip, something I haven't done for about two years now.

So I loaded up one of the dogs and headed northwest, where the highs are in the mid-80s and the humidity hangs around 60 percent. And some Lubbockites complained about that.
The trip didn't lend itself to any kind of story, so here's a few pictures and fewer comments.

Tom and Bingo's Bar B Q

I came into town with two culinary goals: Breakfast Burritos at Josie's and a meal at Tom and Bingo's.

Josie's is just a classic taco stand. I'd never been to Tom and Bingo's, but decided to go after Texas Monthly listed it as one of the better places in the state for barbecue. The weird thing was that I was familiar with the building -- a faux log cabin that I always thought was a little cheesy for Lubbock.

The place serves only sandwiches -- small ones at about $5 a pop. It's also the only place on a Texas Monthly list I've visited and immediately thought, "Oh yeah, I can see why it's there."

I could cry for the years that have gone by without eating their barbecue.

Little League practice at Southwest park.

Managed to catch my brother (on the mound) and his son (fielding) for a bit on Saturday morning. They're in the same location we played Little League as kids.

Fishing at Maxey Park.
They didn't move the entire time I was there.

Outdoor theater, Mackenzie Park.

My nephew played "Winthrop," the kid with the lisp. Ron Howard played him in the movie, a few months before he went bald.

It's a nice a little area. You catch breezes coming of the creek and it's kept in good shape. The place's acoustics need some work, though.

*Sorry for the lack of posting. School started up this week and I've been brain dead since Monday.

Drudge headline of the day

Living with humans has taught dogs morals

Huh. Always thought it was the other way around.

Anniversary details

Or, How I learned to Sit Through Two Hours of ABBA and Not Let the Rage Inside Erupt Into Barbarism During "Waterloo."

My wife set a worrisome precedent last weekend.

She reassured me -- as we entered to theater to see Mamma Mia! -- "Don't worry, it'll give you something to blog about."

I admit I already had some ideas -- A wrist-slashingly good time! -- but the thought that she can tell me to just make fun of something later when I don't want to do it in the first place ... well, that doesn't bode well. Next thing you know, I'll be expected to go shoe shopping for three hours without buying anything.*

To explain the situation more fully:

Mamma Mia! is a movie musical built around ABBA songs. ABBA was a popular Swedish group in the '70s. Their main demographic: Womyn from ages 5 to 60. (I'm happy to think that some in the audience may need the info.)

A full six weeks ago, me and Meredith had already planned to do something small for the anniversary -- dinner and a movie -- as times are tight and only look to get tighter. That led to an ongoing conversation about which movie to see.

I voted for "Wall-E." I heard it was excellent and I'd never seen a Pixar movie on the big screen. My wife wasn't enthusiastic, and suggested the latest Batman flick, and just passingly consdidered Mamma Mia!, which I vetoed outright.

But.

My wife has had a hard time the last few weeks. She's had some nagging health problems, stress at work, a gruff husband who's not pulling his weight at home.

So, the day of, I'm in a giving mood. She springs "I want to see a romantic comedy" into the movie discussion. Mamma Mia! it is. Only later did I realize she had worked that angle for six weeks before pouncing.

(Extra comment: Before the movie, we had to sit through eight or nine trailers for films that looked so bad, you wonder how people in Los Angeles can look in a mirror, much less a camera.**)

As far as Mamma Mia!, if you've read any of the criticisms, you know what you're going to get. A ridiculous plot and enough kitsch to choke on.

The good things about Mamma Mia!:

• Greece is beautiful. I should go there some day.

The bad things about Mamma Mia!:

• You get a group of girlfriends who greet each other by screaming their heads off for 10 seconds before breaking into some asinine chant. Twice.
• You get Pierce Brosnan singing.
• You get a morbidly obese peasant woman throwing down her load of firewood so that she, too, may participate in the "Dancing Queen" number.
• You get an island inhabited by about 12 stereotypical Greek peasants and about 90 of the coolest frat guys and sorority girls ever.
• You get Pierce Brosnan singing, again.
• You get a girl who was born in 1988, the summer of love.
• You get a cathartic wedding cancelation, followed by an on-the-spot wedding, that everyone is just fine with.
• And finally, you get an overlong scene of people dancing in a geyser, complete with close-ups of sopping wet, 60-year-old men ripping off their shirts.
• (I would have said "spoiler alert," but it's not like you can't see it all coming.)

But.

I realized at one point that I don't actually hate ABBA.

Hear me out. ABBA was huge when I was growing up, so it's not like I could help having the songs pounded into my head day-in, day-out until my tenth birthday. It's hard to hate something that familiar, or to even be able judge if it's good or bad.

And it's not like the songs are really hateable. The music and lyrics bend over backwards to not be offensive, only catchy and easy to sing. Hating ABBA is like hating Sesame Street for not having an edge.

Tho I'll admit that, if Honey Honey doesn't stop running around in my head soon, I'm going in after it with an ice pick.

*The resulting blog post: "Yaaaaawwwwwpppp!"
**"A Playboy bunny gets thrown out of the mansion and unwittingly becomes the housemom for the dorkiest sorority on campus."

Two years ago today ...

Me and Meredith tied the knot.

And I have to say that, despite the MASSIVE cut in video game playing time, it's easily the best decision I've ever made.

Happy anniversary honey.

Whoa

This picture will be on my mind today.

It's kind of like one of those mind-game images where the photo could be a vase or two faces. I'm seeing it, but my brain keeps changing it from four ears to two.

Endearing, cute story here.

Perhaps a sign that the end is near ... for Texas

Or maybe the end is just near for Dallas and its burbs. The place has only been tangentially Texan for quite some time.

From WFAA in Dallas. This is kind of maddening ...

Jim Greenwood of Frisco said he never dreamed his HOA would have a problem with his new Ford F-150 pickup. Then he received the first of three notices threatening him with fines.

"Mr. Greenwood, you're violating a subdivision rule that prohibits pickup trucks in your driveway," the notice reads.

Stonebriar HOA rules allow several luxury trucks on driveways, including the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline and Lincoln Mark LT.

But most Ford, Dodge or Chevy pickups are restricted.

This reminds me of some of the things me and my wife have talked about on tract housing. I'll update this after I sleep.

Oh yeah? When I was a student, North Texas gave us a box with deodorant samples and a coupon to Domino's

The Dallas Morning News Techno blog, via John ...

Approximately six months after Abilene Christian University announced its intent to bring mobile learning devices into the classroom, every member of the freshman class will be presented with an Apple iPhone 3G or iPod touch this weekend. This deployment to more than 950 students marks the first time that a university has introduced these mobile devices as learning tools on such a large scale.

Several reactions here.

• First up, public colleges are now offering some pretty nifty things as well. I understand North Texas now has a workout area where all the bikes and treadmills have their personal TV monitors. I understand they have to upgrade like this to keep up with the private schools. This is all well and good, save for the fact that I'm taking two classes at UTA this fall and the costs are already above $2000. My first semester's tuition at UNT was a quarter of that.


• Second, is this making for a better education, or just making everything more MTV-ier for people who can't focus on anything for more than 20 seconds?


• Third, Abilene Christian University? Hah! I bet the iPhones come with motion sensors that'll sound klaxons anytime someone starts moving rhythmically.*

*Because they're Church of Christ, and aren't supposed to dance. ... I know, obscure.

Paging Dr. Scooter

Strange thing happened today.

I went to see the doctor, as my snoring has recently risen to marriage-threatening volumes.

Went through the usual rigamorole -- waiting in lobby, waiting in small observation room, wondering if I'd have to get naked for some reason.

The doctor comes in. And HE'S YOUNGER THAN I AM.

I had no idea how to react. All my doctors up to this point have been old, usually angry, men. The last one I had in Abilene was especially bitter, a man with graying hair in his 50s that'd yell questions at me.

"How much weight have you gained? Are you still drinking? When was the last time you had a donut!"

"Ummm ..."

"Don't answer! Did you eat something before you came in? Do you know how much time I'm wasting on you? How hard is your life that you want to spend 20 years of it hooked up to a respirator? Answer me!*"

No such treatment from this guy. He spent about five minutes talking to me, suggested that I continue losing weight and made a referral for a sleep study.

Then he took me into his office to pick up a business card. He had pictures on the wall from when he played in the Arkansas state football championship.

Weird. I didn't know if I should shake his hand or give him a high-five.

*Apologies to Bill Cosby

A joke for readers of westerns ...

The Star-Telegram has a list of the best restaurants in the Fort Worth Stockyards and includes a place called the "Lonesome Dove Bistro."

I dunno. I understand the food is delicious, but I hear the wait staff is surly and the chef keeps killing everyone's favorite dishes off the menu.

Hah!!!

When they figure out how to deep fry it, I'm in ...

Wife just sent me this story summation with the greeting, "And I immediately thought of you."

CHOCOLATE-BACON
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Here are three little words that might give the staunchest snacker pause: Chocolate-covered bacon. It sounds so wrong. But it tastes just right, says Joseph Marini III, who sells the bacon bonbons at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk seaside amusement park. “It’s not just for breakfast any more,” he says with a grin ...

No, I didn't watch the Olympic opening thing

I don't plan on watching much, period. But, who knows -- maybe if I happen to be flipping channels and can spend 10 seconds watching a race ...

I tire of the media saturation-type coverage of this track meet/one-world love in. I read today that BMX racing is now a medal event. Am I supposed to root for our adult kid-bike riders to beat the Russian adult kid-bike riders?

"Go! Pop a wheelie with more attitude! Flip on your handlebars better! Show those former commies and now-thugocracists!"

I don't care. I have no plans to care. The most enjoyment I've gotten from the Olympics so far is watching the posts on the Drudge Report about how things have occasionally teetered toward disaster for China.

And the only thing I noticed in coverage this morning was this photo, and how our first lady is way hotter than China's.

Otherwise, I got football practices to keep track of.

Big 12 mascots: Best to worst

Since football has been on my mind: I've read every list ESPN has come up with: Best players, best clutch players, most hated schools, most intense rivalries, etc.

So, with an attempt to judge without prejudice, here's a list from the blogging staff on the best and worst Big 12 mascots we'll be seeing this year, listed in order from best to not-so-hot. The criteria: Appropriateness, originality, fame and coolness.

1. UT's BEVO

Keep in mind, I'm talking solely about the mascot, not a school or obnoxious fans or their unfair access to more money than everyone else. I'm talking about a bovine.

And what a great bovine it is: A breed that's a major part of Texas history, a distinctive color, majestic horns, and -- appropriate for Austin -- he's drugged out of his mind at every game. (At least according to rumor. Makes sense, a frantic longhorn at a football game could do some seriously bad things.)

He's also tied into the school's image so much that he brings out a sense of hatred from the opponents. You talk to UT haters (a big group of people). They hate UT players, the coach, Chris Simms (forever), and they really, really hate the hoofed, grass-eating mammal that represents the orange and white. That's pretty cool, all things considered.

2. A&M's Reveille

I'm not one to get excited about all 867 of Texas A&M's traditions -- "Oh, so you reverse the fork and knife after a tie. Wow. You've got spirit, yes you do."

But the way that the school has made its mascot such an integral part of campus life is something to envy. The traditions behind the dog are both amusing and cool: A corps member has to give up his bed if that's where Reveille wants to sleep; the dog goes to class -- and the lecture is canceled if she barks twice. And the mascots that pass away are given full military funerals and buried at Kyle Field.

She's not at the top of the list because, when you think Aggie football traditions, you're just as likely to think about male yell leaders, that swaying thing or the corps in general.

I'm also partial to dogs. Which you should be if you have a soul.

3. Tech's Masked Rider

Attack my impartiality, but seeing a black horse at full gallop storming onto the field is an awesome sight.

Besides, he's my mascot and I love him.

TCU's SuperFrog

Sorry, just reliving some Southwest Conference memories.

4. Nebraska's Herbie Husker

Hey, you grow corn. And you are white as the pure-driven snow. Might as well celebrate it.

5. OU's Sooner Schooner

A little team of miniature horses pulls a miniature wagon onto the field. Adorable.

6. Colorado's Ralphie

He was higher on the list until the thought struck me: "Wait a minute ... just how many buffaloes roam the Rockies, anyway?"

7. KU's Big Jay

A version of a "JayHawk", which requires a wikipedia search to define -- a cross between a sparrow hawk, a blue jay and an abolitionist. Admirable. Pretty well-known. But nothing that gets me going.

8. Baylor's Judge

The first of the generic mascots that could represent any school in any state in the country. That's a big gripe of mine -- surely you can come up with something original? Otherwise, the bear pit is nice, and Baylor really takes good care of them.

9. OSU's Pistol Pete

I suppose he's appropriate to Oklahoma, but he's also appropriate to just about every great plains school in the country. A mascot is something that should pop into your head the moment you think about a team. With Oklahoma State, I can only think "I'm a man! I'm 40!" Maybe they could get Pistol Pete to yell that at kickoff ...

10. KSU's Willie the Wildcat

Pretty much a toss-up at the bottom of the list. Two cat mascots that I wouldn't recognize if I walked by them on the street -- and that's with them wearing the big fluffy cat suits. I'm sure that wildcats at least exist in Kansas.

11. Mizzou's Truman the Tiger

Generic, not native to Missouri, or this hemisphere, and makes me think about cereal.

Hmmm ... forgot Iowa State.

Eh, who cares?

The joyous season

(Play for mood)



That's right, college football practice begins.

It's like Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, only with 350-pound sweaty guys slapping each other on the butt.

A combination of incredibly hot weather and life being in a state of flux really has me looking forward to the return of football. It also helps that the Raiders of Red are up in the rankings. I've even succumbed to the ultimate of sports geekery -- watching football simulations on XBox using the no-player option. And the game is from 2002. (Fight Kingsbury! Fight!)

So deck the halls with your lame, 20-year-old football decor and pretend that things won't be going horribly wrong by the middle of October.

Texas Monthly is weird

Thumbing through the July edition at the barber's shop:

• TM has apparently started a series on where Texans worship. The July edition prints a positive profile of a mega-baptist church in Abilene. I suppose the purpose is to draw more religious types in. The odd bit is that the profile was immediately followed by:
• A sentimental look-back at the pornflick Debbie Does Dallas by Star-Telegram critic Chris Kelly. (The lead: "How do you capture XXX-rated lightning in a bottle?") Kelly argues that the movie has heavily influenced today's cinema, and just coming from the church article, I'm a little too slack-jawed to comment.
• This is followed by An Open Letter to Cormac McCarthy: Please Go Away by one Don Graham. Apparently McCarthy, who wrote The Road and No Country for Old Men has embraced his celebrity, thereby lowering his status on the cool-o-meter. Graham pleads for McCarthy to crawl back under a rock.
• We then get to the main piece, a glorification of the Texas Cowboy by western writer Elmer Kelton. I've read several of his novels, but I find this story a little to sweet to get past the first page.
• At the end of the magazine, Kinky Friedman writes his own love letter, a non-sarcastic thanks to Bill O'Reilly. Seriously.

Strange. They've mapped out the id of Texas.

Nerd/Copy editor humor

Yeah, nerd/copy editor does dovetail nicely.

Anyway, from Caren:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1823766

Massive wind power project slated for West Texas

I reported on the subject a bit (a small bit), when I was in Abilene. The primary complaint I heard about wind energy then was that West Texas did not have the power lines to take the electrics to the I-35 corridor.

The idea here is to change that (from AP):

"In what experts say is the biggest investment in the clean and renewable energy in U.S. history, utility officials in the Lone Star State gave preliminary approval Thursday to a $4.9 billion plan to build new transmission lines to carry wind-generated electricity from gusty West Texas to urban areas like Dallas."

I guess this is what T. Boone Pickens has been blabbing about on his radio ads here in D/FW.

The idea causes me mixed feelings. I'm doubtful of wind energy: It's not affordable without a tax break, takes up a lot of space and kills lots of little birds. (Still better than ethanol, which is driving up food costs and killing lots of little African children.)

On the other hand, something that can bring back Fluvanna can't be all that bad.

Netflix recommendation: The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Whoa. I just watched a documentary on this guy from the Austin music underground and am blown away by the story.

I know nothing substantial about music. I'm not going to pretend that I can be any judge as to the songs Daniel Johnston wrote (is writing). His voice is a screechy high-pitched awful and he doesn't play his instruments so much as bang on them. It's like modern art -- best when translated by someone who knows what they are talking about.

If you're like me, the only bit of his work you're familiar with is a piece of his art that became kinda well-known for some reason or other.

Still, the story of a young, creative guy who seems to be making the scene and then goes dangerously bonkers is told well in this movie from 2005. I put it on my movie queue as a random choice.

I'll add it was much better than the film on Townes Van Zandt, which made me want to give up independent documentaries on not-so-well-known-musicians-who-eventually-lose-it.

Le Burger Time

Heh. New York Times does a piece on how hamburgers are now big in exclusive Paris restaurants.

"It is a startling turnaround in a country where a chef once sued McDonald’s for $2.7 million in damages over a poster that suggested he was dreaming of a Big Mac. Hamburgers were everything that French dining is not: informal, messy, fast and foreign."

This is good news. Me and Meredith had talked about a trip to a French restaurant for the upcoming anniversary. Now we can go to Whataburger.

It's interesting. The French have added their ideas to the burger -- odd spices, super-expensive meat. One chef sells his at $56 a pop.

I'll at least give them credit for trying. I tried several burgers in England, and they were universally terrible. It's like they were made as a statement of what they thought of American culture.