For Daddy

I bought about a dozen cookbooks today at a garage sale and one is called 'Kansas Cookin' and inside is a poem that is not at all credited and I found it online and it says 'author unknown'.  I really like it and give all kinds of snaps to the author, whoever he is.

Cowboy Life

I've met a heap o' cowboys, and some were real top hands.

I saw a million cattle, and read a lot o' brands.

I've seen some hard old winters, when nearly all the cattle died.

I've rode some cuttin' horses that could turn right out their hides.

I ate my share o' beefsteak, and drunk some whiskey too. 

An' done a little dancin' with nothin' else to do

'Been bucked off old outlaws that I couldn't start to ride,

An' saw some great old buddies go over the Great Divide.

With friends and family now I'm makin' my last stand

An hopin to be horseback when I reach  the Promised Land

The President's Own--The United States Marine Corp Band

Last night, I went with my dear friend Sarjim to the Civic Center to see this band.  They are a band established by an Act of Congress in 1798 to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commander of the U S Marine Corps.  According to their brochure, this makes them the oldest continuously active professional music organization in America.    They made their White House debut on New Years Day 1801 for then President John Adams.  They perform about 500 times a year and can boast that march king John Philip Sousa was their director from 1880-1892.

They are an impressive bunch, about 130 strong and all are commissioned into the U S Marines for duty in this band only.  None but the directors rank above Master Sergeant.  I was a way back and there was no flash photography so my picture is not great but they are impressive in their red, white & blue uniforms:

As expected, the crowd was older and very patriotic (as am I, without shame) and at the end, they did the armed forces song and asked people to stand if it represented them.  They actually asked for anyone who was related to anyone either but I think it should be for those that served so I did not stand even though my dad was in the army.    It was funny that at the end, they started the Marine Corp anthem and they all stood up at once.    I have to admit I am not much on classical music and on a couple of the songs I was concentrating on the conductor, waiting to get to the last page of the song but the marches were fun and they did a tribute to Lerner & Loewe with a soloist who sang 'On the Street Where you Live' from My Fair Lady,
'If Ever I Would Leave You' from Camelot and 'They Call the Wind Maria' from Paint Your Wagon, the last thousands of times better than the original I heard...Lee Marvin & Clint Eastwood...should never have happened.    A final rendition of 'God Bless America' and all left feeling all warm and fuzzy.

This has little to do with the band but outside were Marine recruiters dressed in blues and quite spiffy looking. I did not enlist but there was a handsome major (sadly, not pictured) who could probably talk me into anything.

Stay or go? TV new season

I officially have more free time on my DVR than taken time..  First time since Christmas.  I had recorded a few shows, oldies and newbies and the normal Bold and Beautiful, Jeopardy & Judges Judy, Alex and Millian.  I also  had the known good ones...Castle, Law & Order SUV, Good Wife...and the newbies ...Blue Bloods,  L&O LA, CSI New York (new for me), Hawaii 5-0.  

The oldies stay.

Blue Bloods is really good.  Bad night  Love my DVR.

Like L&O LA,

CSI NY is out,

Hawaii 5-0 is ok but a no on weekly record.,

Watched almost all of the oldies.   All caught up now.

Now just 20 or so movies left.

Better DVR time management is a goal,

Speedy Gonzales computer

I have never used my laptop too much because it is so slow...I had a guy look at it for $45 and he cleaned it up and it is now officially amazing!!    Woohoo!!!!

Drama

Sometimes there are people in your life that are all about the drama.  Life is too tough.  No one has ever had it harder than they have.   They try to turn a simple thing into a big magilla.  They have made different choices from yours and then whine, whine, whine about the results!!    They will complain about having no time yet will waste too much of it.   

I don't like drama!!!     I am frustrated with this!!!  

Now I'm the whiner.

Sorry no readers.  Frustrated

State Fair

The game was on the State Fairgrounds so I also got to make my 1st trip ever to the State Fair of Texas.  Our game was at 11 so we caught the Dart and made it to the fairgrounds about 930.  When we walked in, it was just opening and we had some clear time to look around.   Lots of barkers were trying to get us to play their games but even though we expected Conner as our date to win us big prizes but he finally convinced us that after he won them, he'd have to carry them and it would just slow us down, so no games.    We did, in great fair tradition have corn dogs for breakfast.    And Conner had a fried caramel apple.  We can fry anything in Texas!!

After the game was a different story...2 schools' fans were sunburned, thirsty and hungry after a 4 hour game so the crowd around the stadium was horrific.    We made it to a building with a little A/C and had lunch and liquid and were a little better to explore after that.    The press finally let up and we went through a few buildings but they were still crowded so we decided to get our fried whatever and drinks & then head back to the hotel to watch the Rangers game.  I had a regular, not fried caramel apple and some fair lemonade, you know the stuff with the 1/2 inch of sugar at the bottom.  Lindsey and Holly got fried butter and fried chocolate.   The big thing this year was fried frito pie but the line was long.  All in all, had a great time with my friends and the food was good.    Do have to admit the heat had gotten to me a little and at the hotel had to chill out with a wet cloth for a while til I was functional again.   Had supper at Red Robin (never been there either, loved it!!) and spent the night at the hotel and Holly  & I caught up on too many years apart.  Next trip:   Vegas!!

They're frying Oreos I think

We did get some fair pictures:

Big Tex

Ferris Wheel

Texas Tech-Baylor Football Game

Welcome to the Cotton Bowl

The bottom words are true...not sure about the top

On October 9, I met my friend Holly, her daughter Lindsey and Lindsey's boyfriend Conner in Dallas to go to the Texas Tech v Baylor football game being played at the world famous Cotton Bowl.  The Cotton Bowl is on the State Fairgrounds so we got free entrance to the fair to make our day complete.  Lindsey was our official photographer and did a great job, although Holly and I are in none of the picture, so no one can prove we were even there.   But we were.  

Lindsey & Conner

Here is Lindsey with our date Conner.  Holly actually took this one.  Check out the level of our seats.  But the seats were not really that bad and we were close to the jumbotron.  The only real problem was no shade.

We won the game.by a touchdown

Cotton Bowl Entrance

Cotton Bowl

Masked Rider

Band Double T

Good one, Clint!!

"You couldn't get a job as an Oompa-Loompa making gobstoppers." 


 --Clint to David on The Apprentice

RED Movie Review ~~Spoilers~~

I saw the movie RED which I've read means Retired, Extremely Dangerous and was based on a comic book.  It stars Bruce Willis as a retired CIA agent who finds himself the target of some very determined assassins who are trying to kill him for reasons unknown.  With the help of an adventure seeking pension agent going along for the ride, he enlists the aid of some old friends to help him find out who is trying to kill him & why.  Morgan Freeman, John Malcovich and Helen Mirren are all RED and join Bruce on his adventure.

The plot is sort of confusing & there is a lot of gun violence but it's all a lot of fun.   And the funny part for me was the Vice President--he was played by Julian McMahon, with a butt a little chunkier than what we've all seen plenty of as Dr Christian Troy on Nip/Tuck.   I barely recognized him!!

I recommend for the geezers 100%

Hello World Series

Woohoo!!!    The Rangers are World Series bound after beating the dreaded NY Yankees in the ALCS.   I hate the Yankees.  I hate their payroll, their smugness, their egos.  Any team with the ability to buy any player they want should be able to win all the time.

My friend Deb is a Yankees fan and wanted Andy Pettite to get the chance to pitch just one more time for sentimental reasons.  What-the-hell-ever!!    He got to pitch and lose in the ALCS.    She says it may be the last year for Pettit, Jeter & Rivera to play together.  Well, all things must come to an end.  Buh-bye!!

   Rangers!!!    Rangers!!!

Bullying Day

Today is a day chosen to speak out against bullying.  Recent events, including a freshman college student who committed suicide because his roommate and another person decided it was ok to broadcast him having sex with another man live on a webcam has brought to light a situation that is out of control.  Kids start at an early age picking on others who are different or weaker than they are.  Parents don't take it seriously and schools make a 'no tolerance' proclamation which is a joke and not enforced.

I was bullied growing up.   My first experience was in about 3rd grade where the older sister of one of my classmates decided that I was fair game and proceeded to follow me while I was walking to school and call me names and throw rocks at me all the way.  This went on until my mom called her mom and the following stopped although I did get called names when she did see me.  I was very shy and cannot imagine what could have possibly brought this on.  I certainly never fought back, verbally or physically.   I can honestly remember laying in bed at night crying and dreaming of ways to kill her.  She let up after about a year for some unexplained reason.  Probably found a new victim.

My 2nd experience was in my sophomore year of high school where, still shy, 2 girls decided to call me names and make fun of me and put gum in my hair on a regular basis.  I was overweight and new in school and again, an easy target.  Luckily, I only attended that school for a couple of months so I'm sure they too found another victim after I left.  One of the girls and I have a mutual cousin and she knew me but she was actually the follower.   I may have seen her over the years but she is not really in my orbit in any way so she is ...whatever.   The leader was very popular at the time and I take a little joy in the fact that I think she's had a pretty miserable life.   Failed marriages, financial problems and a sweet daughter that was raised by her sweet grandparents.

The problem is of course magnified because of the internet and particularly networking sights like Facebook and My Space.  Kids and even adults use these sights to make fun of or tease or even set someone up for major heartache and humiliations.  They again pick a target and find a weakness and prey on insecurity and lack of confidence to make someone else feel less while making themselves feel better.    There was even a case where a mom set up a fake My Space account portraying herself as a teen boy who then contacted a little girl who her daughter had problems with, flirted with the little girl and then dumped her telling her that she was worthless and should just kill herself.  This woman was allowed to reproduce mind you!!    The little girl took her advice...she killed herself.  There are too many of these stories to document but they seem to pop up every day.  Sadly the mom did not break any laws on the books at the time and was not convicted of anything.    She would like us all to be sad that she had to move out of her neighborhood, that she was shunned by friends and had to close her business.  Sorry bitch...not sad.    Cases like hers have painted this problem in a new picture and have at least started a dialogue about anti bullying laws.  Its not a done deal yet but I guess it's progress.

So count me in as saying out loud that bullying is in not now nor was it 45 years ago acceptable.   It does not matter if someone is smaller or weaker, if you don't like their name, nationality, skin color, sexual orientation, tennis shoes or taste in soft drinks.  You don't have that right.  Trust me, you wouldn't like it if it were happening to you.  It doesn't run or ruin my life but I have never forgotten.  Parents, schools and lawmakers need to let all know that it is NOT ACCEPTABLE to bully another person and that consequences apply!!

30 day blog Day 3 Favorite television program

Wow, another hard choice.

I loved 'Quantum Leap' & 'Sisters' but my number 1 winner is 'Homicide, Life on the Streets'.    I have to qualify that probably only seasons 1-5, the Pembleton years.  After he left, the cases were good but the acting went way, way down hill.

Set in a Baltimore police detective squad room, we met Pembleton, Bayless, Lewis, Kellerman, Crocetti, Bolander, Russert, Howard, Felton, G and of course, Munch.   We watched their lives, we watched them live and die and we watched them do the best the could to solve crime in the city they all loved.  I don't remember if it was all of them but I know most grew in Baltimore, their dads working hard to make sure they had better lives.  They were guys that saw the futility of what they were doing and still came to work every day to "speak for the dead".   There were guys--and 1 girl, at the beginning, Kay Howard--of all ages and experiences who brought a unique perspective to a job that would eat you alive if you let it.  The first 5 years, the scripts were good, the acting brilliant.  Sadly it went on too long.  Too many losses of a good cast and the addition of of...whatever...not good.  I've got the set on DVD and when I want to watch brilliance, I put them in the dvd player.

30 day blog Day 2 Favorite Movie

This one is complicated too but I'd have to say 'Casablanca'.    Perfect story, perfect cast.  Humphrey Bogart is Rick Blaine, the owner of 'Rick's Place' in WWII in Casablanca, Morocco which was neutral during the war.  It was a safe place where the Germans and the Allies co-existed pretty peacefully.  Rick claims no loyalties to either side but is secretly a gun broker for the Allies.  Ingrid Bergman was never as beautiful as Ilsa, the woman Rick loves and who stood him up in Paris because she had a secret, her husband Victor Laszlo,  a war activist she thought dead, played by Paul Henreid.     Ilsa and Victor come to Casablanca to escape to America and Rick is the one who can help them.  Will he help the woman who betrayed him and her husband escape?  

There are 3 scenes that stand out and make me cry everytime.  Ilsa comes to try to explain to a drunken and crying Rick and he is very cruel to her.   Later she explains what happened in Paris and why she stood him up.  And the 3rd shows the German officers singing their national anthem and Victor striking up the band to play La Marseillaise to drown them out.

Others in the cast include Claude Rains as the local police captain and Sidney Greenstreet as a shady businessman.

It's a great movie, great characters, moving story and not an "F" word in site.

Amazing.

Divorced Barbie

The Divorced Barbie Doll

One day a father gets out of work and on his way home he suddenly remembers    that it's his daughter's birthday. He pulls over to a Toy Shop and asks the    sales person, 'How much for one of those Barbie's in the display window?'    The salesperson answers, 'Which one do you mean, Sir? We have: Work Out    Barbie for $19.95, Shopping Barbie for $19.95, Beach Barbie for $19.95,    Disco Barbie for $19.95, Ballerina Barbie for $19.95, Astronaut Barbie for    $19.95, Skater Barbie for $19.95, and Divorced Barbie for $265.95'.

The amazed father asks: 'It's what?! Why is the Divorced Barbie $265.95 and    the others only $19.95?'

  The annoyed salesperson rolls her eyes, sighs, and answers: 'Sir...,    Divorced Barbie comes with: Ken's Car, Ken's House, Ken's Boat, Ken's    Furniture, Ken's Computer, one of Ken's Friends, and a key chain made with Ken's balls.

Thanks to my Facebook friend Donald for this one

They are not my pants

I've heard people have said it but did not believe it.

When I was a police dispatcher several years ago, I was riding with my friend Paul and we stopped this guy staggering down the street.  We both saw him drop something out of his pocket and Paul found a bag of some drug.  Paul asked the guy if it was his and he said no.  Paul told him that it came out of his pocket.  And the guy actually said it:     They are not my pants.

30 day blog Day 1 Favorite Songs

I stole this from another blog because I need to write and I cannot always think of what to write about.  




Day 1  - your favorite song 

This one is kinda hard....I like 2 for different reasons.


1st would be 'I Just Can't Help Believin' by B J Thomas.  I love his voice, always have.   I love it because he's a man in love.     It came out in the most impressionable musical time of my life, 40 years ago when I got the 1st radio that belonged just to me.    I saw him in concert twice, once in college when he was on a gospel tour and then just a few years ago at the Cactus Theater where I happened to read on Sunday afternoon that he was going to be there that night.   I went alone and while standing in line, a man gave me a ticket and it was a great seat.    He has been through a lot, drugs and what he calls a lot of wild and crazy times.   It shows in his face.  But his voice was still strong, beautiful.   I remember him saying, as he started 'Dont Worry Baby' that if he'd known he was going to live this long, he'd have recorded it in a lower key.  


Here is a Youtube link to a live performance.   He makes it look effortless.   And is possibly wearing someone else's pants.  But... Amazing.


I Just Cant Help Believin


2nd would be 'Amazing Grace'     An amazingly simple song with an amazingly simple message.


Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.
That saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost but now I'm found,
Was blind but now I see.


Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.


Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come
Tis grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home


When I've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun


Does anything else have to be said about that?

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It's October 1 and the awareness begins!!   There are thousands of diseases out there that need attention and I often think maybe this one gets more than it's share.  I wear a pink shirt and carry a pink grocery bag and have a pink ribbon pin.  The AJ was pink today and the Susan G Komen walk is tomorrow.   And I participate in it all because on May 31, 1997 I lost my big sister Cathy to breast cancer.  She had many battles and it finally won.  And statistics show that I have a high probability of meeting it in my future too.  So I'd like a cure  so if that happens, it will benefit me.   For now, I choose to honor Cathy and walk in her name...for me her sister, for her daughters, for her granddaughters.   Lets get rid of this disease so we can concentrate on another.