10.09.2013

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts



  • Last night I saw about 15 minutes of the NFL concussion documentary by Frontline, League Of Denial. It looks fantastic. And it's online. (An onslaught of Wife and Kids In The House busting though the door pretty much shut it down for me.)
  • And former Southlake and current University of Houston QB retired mid-season yesterday because of concussions. I expect to hear a similar announcement soon from UT's David Ash.
  • I suffered massive blows to the head as a kid: (1) I fell off a diving board and hit my head on the side of the pool as I flopped into the water with blood everywhere, (2) I ran into a brick wall during a neighborhood basketball game, steadied myself, and then tell over backwards hitting my head on the concrete -- I was out cold for two hours (during which, get this, a home doctor's visit occurred), (3) I hit my head on the tile floor of the gym during a Bridgeport elementary school dodge ball game that caused me to throw up two hours later, and (4) I fell over backwards in a chair hitting my head on the edge of a filing cabinet which required stitches.  All of this was before eighth grade. And now you know. 
  • Today the house will be invaded with guys (1) rebuilding our back yard fence, (2) installing a new dishwasher, (3) looking at our tricked up cabinets in order to replace the microwave, and (4) switching out the cable box which is on the fritz. Kill me.
  • Tonight, in honor of all that foot traffic,  I'll watch The Money Pit with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long and will then go upstairs and fill up the bathtub only to have it crash through the floor. I plan on laughing maniacally
  • And in another dimension of time and space, Troy Aikman just spent $4.3 million for a home in Highland Park that he will probably tear down. 
  • Government shut down analogy: Tampa Bay lost to Boston last night to lose the American League Division Series. The Rays should have just locked up the stadium and cancelled any transportation for the Red Sox in order to "negotiate" with Boston as to whether the win should count. 
  • And back to actual baseball: "Interesting that the Red Sox need Bull Frog sunscreen ... for a night game ... in a dome." Does that stuff have some alternative purpose? Conspiracy? (Source.)
  • OK, one more Breaking Bad thought: This post-death/near death fantasy theory is growing on me more and more, and I think the writers at least subtly injected that theory into the last episode. That way you have two groups satisfied: Those who just wanted everything wrapped up nice and tidy, and those who want to continue to think about the show and search for a deeper meaning. For me, it was too nice and tidy -- and that's not the always-plot-twisting Breaking Bad way. But when you consider that the episode is exactly the way Walt would have envisioned his life to wrap up, it begins to make sense. And isn't it odd how Walt just "appeared" in Skyler's apartment and in the home of the Grey Matter couple? Almost ghost like. Almost fantasy like. 
  • You guys occasionally ask me why I listen to conservative radio or watch Fox News. Why would a person want to live in an echo chamber that just re-affirms beliefs that may or may not be true? 
  • The annual release of the silly and gimmicky Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog beats me down every year. And the always cutting edge WBAP dedicated a whole segment to it this morning. 
  • Had a guy tell me that the natural gas boom in Wise County is over and now it's all about oil production in West Texas. True? 
  • "Cleveland Browns executive Jon Sandusky, son of Jerry Sandusky, arrested on suspicion of drunken driving." If there was ever a guy with an excuse to get liquored up, Jon has one. 
  • From the Update: "RALLY – Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment will have a rally 2-5 p.m. Friday at the U.S. 81/287 and Farm Road 407 overpass." I didn't even know overpasses had any political positions.