How Was Your Weekend?

I was getting ready to watch Saturday Night Live when I got a call from Brother In-law. He needed a co-pilot for a last second hotshot run to Rock Springs, Wyoming. It's been a while since I've made a run West, like 23 years! I jumped at the opportunity to see the Rockies again.

BIL had never been west of Vernon, Tx much less the Continental Divide. I was happy to be his swamper/human GPS/scout.

We loaded up the parts and pulled out of Decatur at 11pm. We stopped in Iowa Park to fuel up and I took the nightshift so he could grab some sleep. I took the route thru Raton, NM and took advantage of the deserted highway to make some time. We reached Colorado City, CO just before dawn, refueled and swapped drivers.

Up I-25 to Fort Collins then 287 to Laramie, WY where we stopped for fuel and a quick kickass breakfast buffet at the Petro Iron Skillet. Then back on the road fighting the wind across I-80 to Rock Springs. We got there about 3pm, dropped off the parts, got our paperwork signed and were homeward bound.

We stopped for the night in Fort Collins. Both of us were ready for dinner and a decent night's sleep.

One note about Fort Collins, Colorado. They DO NOT know how to cook a steak. Both of us ordered medium rare ribeyes at Charcobroiler 1716 East Mulberry Street and were served charred bloody rare steaks.The meat was tender, but grotesquely undercooked. We were tired and hungry enough that we ate them and didn't complain. Besides, I'm leery of sending back food in an unfamiliar restaurant. But I will be happy to recommend you DO NOT EAT at Charcoalbroiler 1716 East Mulberry Street.

#GordonRamsey

I should have known it was going to go badly when we were seated in "The North Forty" dining room.

Back on the road at 6:30am this morning, just in time for Monday morning rush hour in Denver. Yaaay!! A couple notes about Denver, Colorado. First, they have added a few traffic twists since my last visit. Mainly a new toll road (E-470) that we should have taken to bypass all the construction on I-25. If we had taken that to I-70 then followed 287 we would have saved a couple hours on the way back. But, there were higher powers at work as we shall soon discover.

Second, they hate the Dallas Cowboys. The morning sports radio was quick to defend Tim Tebow's execution by the Lions (biblical pun intended) keeping it short and sweet. Then they went into an extended, excruciatingly detailed, blow by blow massacre of Tony Romo and the Cowboys at the hands of the Eagles. Both games were amazingly similar and both QB's made carbon copy postgame comments. But they devoted 3 times the coverage to a Romo/Cowboys bloodletting.

Stay classy, Denver! 

#Tebowing

We stopped for lunch at a little gas station/cafe that I wish for the life of me I could remember the name of about a half hour north of Clayton, NM, a/k/a BFE. The place isn't even on the map, but it's been the community gathering spot since the early 1900's and they had the old photos to prove it. It wasn't the same building, but the name was the same. Close enough. It was actually kind of surreal watching people slowly wander in from who knows where slowly filling this cafe in the middle of the desert, nothing else in sight but a view that would take your breath away. I was waiting for someone to yell "CUT!".

There, I found the greatest cheeseburger on the planet... The Green Chile Cheeseburger.

#AnthonyBourdain

They top a ground sirloin patty with pepper jack, grilled onions and green chiles. If Heaven was a cheeseburger, this was indeed paradise. Come to find out, the Green Chile Cheeseburger is huge in New Mexico. I found other burger joints in New Mexico advertising a green chile cheeseburger.  People we are missing out on a New Mexico culinary juggernaut. It's the reason the state is called "The Land of Enchantment". It's world peace and the meaning of life all wrapped up on a bun.

Trust me on this, you need to try a Green Chile Cheeseburger! 

We rolled back onto The South 40 at 9pm. 2172 miles in just under 46 hours.

A 15K '64 1/2 Mustang?

Well, sort of:

Ford Motor Co. will soon sell brand-new 1965 Ford Mustangs for just $15,000 each. The only hitch: There's some assembly required.

As part of its Ford Reproduction business, Ford revealed today it had approved a new stamping of the steel bodies for first-generation Mustang that buyers could then build into their own 1964 1/2 through 1966 Mustang, using whatever engine, axles, interior and other parts they can find on their own.

The first-generation Mustangs rank as America's most-restored vehicle, and the cottage industry of reproduction parts has grown to where it's possible to build a Mustang just as it would have appeared on the showroom floor in the mid-1960s, down to the pushbutton AM/FM radio.

Ford says the new body shell built by California-based Dynacorn has been improved only slightly with modern welding techniques and rustproofing, and comes out of the crate nearly ready for paint and assembly. The company already offers metal bodies for Mustangs from 1967 through 1970, and has been in talks with Ford to remake the original body of the Ford Bronco. There's still life in those old horses yet.

There Is No Joy In Mudville

The St. Louis Cardinals are the 2011 World Series Champions. Congrats to them, the better team won. It was painful to watch my little red shoed Rangers come oh so close (1 strike) to their first Championship and then watch it all slip away. That's what we do as Ranger fans, we are keenly aware of what losing feels like and how to deal with it. But the fall from the top of the ladder hurts a little more than from the bottom.

But seriously, 1 lousy strike?!?!  The baseball Gods are cruel.

The Rangers didn't lose the series tonight, they lost it in Game 6 when they couldn't put that final nail in the coffin even when given multiple chances. It just wasn't in the cards. But man, what a ride they gave us thru the post season.

Beaten, battered and worn down they put it all on the line and came up 1 strike short. Game 7 was merely a formality.

Game 6, Let's Light This Candle!

Hopefully I will be doing "The Wash" and posting pics of the Rangers celebrating a win in a few hours.

UPDATE: So this is what being bi-polar feels like.

UPDATE: F^@# !!!

That's What A Rapist Would Say

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I need one of these for Halloween

Game 5 In Pictures

More pictures from the Star Telegram.

Uber-high definition Gigapan pic from MLB.com

Brother Inlaw was deep in thought contemplating the next batter, I was wooping it up and got my head cut off! Bonus points if you can find us. (Hint: I'm wearing a blue Ian Kinsler shirt, blue Rangers cap and no head... heheheh.) Nobody said it would be easy. But WCSP members should spot Brother Inlaw's hat.

http://mlb.mlb.com/photos/gigapan/?c_id=tex&gpId=63f3ef5080d13234e946dfbe5faba395#

Panoramic image made during game 5 of the World Series at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX on October 24, 2011. Photo is made up of 390 photos (30 across by 13 down) stitched together taken over a 40-minute span during the second, third, and fourth innings. The final hi-res file is 86,168 X 25,587 pixels or 2,204 megapixels. Photos by David Bergman.

Memories of Game 5

• I did not see 1 angry person at the game. I didn't see anyone get arrested, get in a fight, vandalize anything, ect. In this day and age that was amazing.
• Lots of Cardinal fans showed up, most with Standing Room Only tickets. 1 lucky Cards fan from Denton bought an SRO ticket right before the game when the price dropped. He and a friend saw 2 seats that were empty after the 2nd inning. He walked down and asked if the seats were taken and the lady sitting next to them said no, go ahead and sit down. The lady was Chris Carpenter's Grandmother and the section was reserved for Cardinals players family. 
• I didn't see many empty seats except for the 2 next to ours at the end of the row. We quickly spread out and had a little extra room. Nobody ever came for those seats.
• I have a sore throat from yelling NAP-O-LI !
• There was a verry funny heckler ripping into Matt Holliday in Left Field after he hit into a double play with bases loaded to end the Cardinal 5th. He had our section in stitches.
• I've been to larger sporting events, but I've never been a part of anything like that before in my life. It was something very special and every person there knew it.

WOOOO!!!

When I saw the sign I told her, "you're getting on TV with that one". I was right, she was on several times. Brother Inlaw and I were 2 seats away.

The Ballpark was ROCKIN' last night! I've never heard it that loud in that stadium. I even felt it start to shake a little when the final out was made. That was an awesome experience. (If they had just Jimmy-jacked a couple to Left instead of Center it would have been perfect.)

NAP - O - LI !!!  NAP - O - LI !!!  NAP - O - LI !!!!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

Heading out to The Ballpark in Arlington (I'm old school) to watch The Rangers and The Cardinals in Game 5 of the World Series! I'll try to update as the game progresses, but I have a feeling cell connections will be spotty at best.

The South 40 Is Rockin' With The Zoo!

Labella and Rody- Radio Gods in the late 70's - early 80's. They inspired me to enter radio and I actually wound up working right across the hall from Studio H at Belo. I also got to meet John Rody when I backed into him trying to snag a parking spot in the Communications Center parking lot.

Belo had the mother of all overcrowded parking lots in downtown Dallas. I had to report by 2pm for my shift as a rookie mobile traffic reporter on 570 WFAA-AM and it was 1:56. I finally spotted someone backing out, hit the brakes and put it in reverse. I barely took my foot off the brake when I felt a bump. Oh shit! I backed into somebody... I jumped out of my van (it was very cool looking red custom Chevy Van than was a total POS, but it looked very cool) ran to the back and saw a late model Lincoln Continental with a completely totalled front end. I looked at my bumper and saw nothing but 2 tiny scratches. I looked back at the Lincoln and saw $4000 worth of damage, easy. Completely stunned I look at the driver... John Rody. The man that inspired me to get into radio in the first place. John Rody... the biggest star of Dallas rock radio. Me , the lowly part-time traffic reporter on the AM side.

What can I say? I had a panic attack that would make Tony Soprano proud. I sounded like Ralph Kramden, "humina, humina, humina". Rody looked me square in the eyes screamed at the top of his lungs "I'm late for the news!" and burned rubber getting out of there.

I... am a dead man.

I did my shift and tried to find him in the offices after work, but he was already gone. I don't think I slept a wink that night knowing I had to face him the next day. I missed him after the morning shift and went back right after lunch. He was at his desk and I went in literally hat in hand ready to plead mercy. I had no idea my Chevy van was a tank and Lincolns were beer cans. I introduced my self and started to beg mercy. John stopped me after a few seconds and said "Don't worry about it, kid. I had a wreck on Central 2 days ago." Thank you Jesus! Here I was sweating losing my career, my car, my... wait a second. You knew I didn't cause the damage and made me sweat it out?

Thanks a LOT!

Awesome Performance

Zooey Deschanel just owned the National Anthem at Game 4 of the World Series. That was the most moving performance I've ever heard and she didn't trick it up 1 iota like a lot of performers do.

Just The Facts

With the World Series tied at 1-1, in the last 15 years the winner of Game 3 has gone on to win the series 12 times.

The 2011 Texas Rangers haven't lost back to back games since they played Boston on August 26th.

The winner of Game 3 historically has a huge advantage the rest of the way, and the rest of the way means two victories to baseball immortality.

Those Game 5 Tickets Are Legit!

Meet My Next Exwife!

I ran across this video and immediately started booking the honeymoon.What a wholesome, sweet, innocent little neck popper. I'm a neck crack addict myself and just know we have tons in common. I've got a feeling we could make a beautiful percussion section together.

Then I find out she's got dozens of videos on the web cracking various joints:


Sorry, but the wedding is off. I'm starting to get just a little creeped out. Now all I can think of is Peggy Hill and her underground foot fetish videos from Transnational Amusements.

Limbaugh: Obama Helping Muslims Kill Christians

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Oops...

Father Of The Year?

Hell, I done the same thing for Dad 1000 times.

Looks Like Somebody's Been To Lowe's

And they swung by the liquor store on the way back.

You Want Fries With That?

Ladies, the next time you and your girlfriends decide to play Gangsta Gurls and jump the counter to beat up the clerk that was just doing his job, you might want to find out if he just did a 10 year stretch in the pen for manslaughter before he went to work at Mickey D's...

Full video HERE.

Full story HERE.

I say it was self defense all the way. The sad part is he will probably wind up back in the pen and they will get a big fat payday, when it should be the other way round. 

Scratch That Off The Bucket List

Game 5, 4th row from the rail in Left field near the foul line. 

I have a very good feeling about this.
Does anyone have a glove I can borrow?

The Missing Link

To be quite honest with you, life's been been pretty good around The South40 so far and I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, BUT there's something missing. I've been pseudowidowed for 4 years now and it's time to move on. The problem being I've not found anyone even remotely in the same league. I know I've set the bar too high, but that's what you're up against girls.

Is it really so hard to do a Fosbury Flop in CFM heels?

Now that I finally have the ability to travel and do my Anthony Bourdain impersonation, I have no one to share the experience with (or hold the camera) and that kinda sucks all the fun out of being there in the first place.Ok... maybe not ALL the fun. But that really depends on your Taxi driver and your conscience.

Would you buy a motorcycle from this man?

Damn straight, Skippy.

Cool Fountain

Not only is it an amazing use of dot matrix technology, it makes one heck of a babysitter.

I Didn't See That Coming (or The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend)

The season finale of Breaking Bad was nothing short of spectacular. I won't give any spoilers in case you missed it, but suffice to say they out did themselves once again. Just when you think the writers can't come up with something to top last year's cliffhanger, guess again.

Plot twists? M. Night Shyamalan would be jealous.

But for as many loose ends as they tied up, they left just as many juicy new ones dangling for the final season.

Best.

Show.

On.

TV?

Ding!

Just Win, Baby!

Al Davis 

1929 - 2011

Moving

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

George Harrison: Living in the Material World

HBO has always been known for excellence in documentary films. Their latest entry is no exception. Martin Scorcese's profile of Beatle's legend George Harrison is nothing short of greatness. It's full of nostalgia and little told stories from old friends that will put a huge smile on the face of any Beatles fan. Even if you're not a Beatles fan, the story is spellbinding.

One minute you're a nobody kid with a cheap guitar and you wind up hiding in the bathroom just for some peace from the world (not just paparazzi, THE WORLD) chasing you. That's a lot of pressure for someone to handle and this film walks you thru how George delt with it.

But The Beatles was only a small part of George's life. He was truly a spiritual artist that changed the world in many ways.

The film is in 2 parts. Part 1 was last night, Part 2 is tonight on HBO. It's also available online at HBOGO.com if you are an HBO subscriber.

Hello, Patent Office?

You can't tell me that gal hasn't been to Wise County Park a time or two.

More Westboro Baptist Idiocracy

Sent from her iPhone?

They're Baaaaaack!

I've been waiting for the new Cheech and Chong movie for like ever man. Wait... what?

On The Radar

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's the case Mad Men should be very flattered. Retroshows hit the air this fall and none are in the same league as Mad Men. NBC has already axed The Playboy Club, their sexy 60's entry, which to be honest was just plain awful. Not only did it piss off women's and religious groups, it pissed off viewers that will never get those 60 minutes back they wasted watching a truly dreadful show.

ABC's entry has fared a bit better. Pan Am also features a cast of hunks and hotties, but it actually has well written scripts and interesting storylines. You better have a good script when half the show is inside the cabin of a 707. Pan Am is not as daring as Mad Men, but you wouldn't expect it to be on network TV. However they are adding a bit of cloak and dagger to keep things interesting. Let's hope it does.

What really caught my eye about Pan Am is the sweet/spunky French stewardess Colette, played by  stunning Canadian actress Karine Vanasse. I thought I'd do everyone a favor and see if I could find a "hey now" photo. AHEM, let's just say there's a foreign film called Angle Mort that has just been added to my watchlist and no I'm not posting the pics. Google is your friend.

I definitely recommend checking out Pan Am to catch a glimpse of the lovely Karine. Um, and the writing... yeah the writing...

Can You Feel The Love?

It was a Wide World of Sports moment

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat can coexist side by side.

The only thing missing is a Simpson's "HA, HA!" when Beltre points to the guy.

Have Some!

The kid's name is Dyshawn Davis... and he's a freshman linebacker? Wow.

Romo Gives Jones The Brush-off

This bit of video seems to be making the sports blog rounds this morning. Not sure that's the hand you want to be shrugging off if you're Tony Romo and you just blew the biggest lead in Cowboys history.

This will make for some great fodder for The Musers.