Mind Over Blather

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Wednesday, January 24, 2007

New Feature

I added a permanent comments section on the right sidebar of this blog. Thought it would be very easy to do, so I did it and it was. You all are welcome to leave any thoughts, requests, rants, or random bits of wisdom there. I figure that I'll let it grow until it gets too large and then archive it somehow. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Newest comments are listed first, unlike most Haloscan comments setups. Comment post time is in 24-hour, military time. I learned this when I worked at the hospital. It seems much more practical to me and takes up less space since the AM/PM is not required. For those of you who are not familiar with military time, any hour that's greater than or equal to 12 is PM. To convert, just subtract 12 from any hour greater than 12 and you'll have your PM time. Examples:

0:00 = Midnight
0:15 = 12:15 AM
3:30 = 3:30 AM
6:45 = 6:45 AM
9:20 = 9:20 AM
11:59 = 11:59 AM
12:00 = Noon
12:15 = 12:15 PM
15:30 = 15-12 = 3:30 PM
18:45 = 18-12 = 6:45 PM
21:20 = 21-12 = 9:20 PM
23:59 = 23-12 = 11:59 PM

There. Now you know military time too.

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Friday, January 19, 2007

Boring But Freaky

I've noticed that I have a freaky talent that can only be attributed to a higher level of psychic awareness. It's never going to make me famous or wealthy but nevertheless, it is quite an innate talent and always surprises me.

You wonder, what could this talent be? Well, I grocery shop at Whole Foods. It's a nice grocery store (except for the hippie employees) with a lot of good stuff that you can't find in regular grocery stores, like Argentine Parmesan, which I love to eat. Also, they have many bulk items available such as herbs and spices, legumes, pasta, nuts, grains, polenta, cereals, dried fruits, etc. That bulk stuff can actually be more economical than buying them at other places. For example, a bottle full of oregano will be around 80 cents but if you bought the bottle at a typical grocery store, you'd pay over $2. I use a lot of spices and haven't purchased a bottled spice from a grocery store in years.

So where's this talent? Patience. Anyway, I will go along, happily shoveling all the bulk items into plastic bags, tying them, neatly labeling them. When I get home, I have to unload everything. All the stuff in those plastic bags must be transferred to glass containers for storage. Here's the talent. Are you ready to have your mind blown? Somehow, someway, without giving it any thought whatsoever, I always manage to put the exact amount of spice or rice or whatever into the plastic bags to EXACTLY fill the different sized glass containers. I'll pour out the entire contents of each plastic bag and it will invariably fill the jar or bottle, never too much, never too little. It's bizarre.

This capacity to just magically measure stuff extends to other things too. Just now I made a cup of instant coffee. I like to add about a quarter amount of hot water and fill the rest of my coffee mug with warmed milk. So, what happens - every time? I'll pour some milk into a sauce pan to heat. When the kettle starts whistling, I'll pour a bit of hot water into the mug, stir it up to to dissolve the coffee and sugar, and then I'll pour in the warmed milk from the sauce pan. Every single drop of milk goes in, right to the rim of the mug! I don't measure the water, I don't measure the milk. It just works out perfectly.

There are so many cases of this supernatural ability of mine, but I'll stop here. I don't think you all could handle any more.

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Archived Comments

EN ~

... OK. LOL

Jan 20, 2007 07:10

Taylor ~

Is that a skeptical laugh I hear coming from the land of the fruits and nuts? Yes, I realize that this is hard to wrap your mind around, but I would not post about this if it was not true. I am NOT the New York Times, you know... :)

Jan 20, 2007 07:22

Taylor ~

You know, I could very well be one of those idiot savants. Would explain a lot...

Jan 20, 2007 07:37

Spacebunny ~

Nope, no supernatural ability, you just have a very good spatial relations ability. It's generally an ability that men tend to score very highly on in tests compared to women. In our house it is reversed. If it were possible to score in the negative numbers Vox probably would (looking at an IQ test it would be interesting to see where he would score if this section were removed considering where he already is) whereas for a woman I score rather high in this ability.

Jan 20, 2007 08:04

Taylor ~

Aw, come on, SB! You mean, I can't call myself Super Spatial Relations Girl? And wear some kind of tight body suit with long gloves, a cape, and spiked heeled boots, sporting ultra-cool shades. Then lasers of different wavelengths would shoot from my fingertips at will and echo back to me the exact measurements, volume and density of any object. You are just no fun at all to come along with your worldly explanations.

OK, so Vox would try to fit a square peg into a round hole. He's got plenty of talent and IQ as it is. As long as one of you knows the difference...

Jan 20, 2007 12:18

firefly ~

My mother had that talent. She never measured anything, but the pie filling always filled the crust perfectly.

Jan 20, 2007 16:15

Spacebunny ~

You mean, I can't call myself Super Spatial Relations Girl? And wear some kind of tight body suit with long gloves, a cape, and spiked heeled boots, sporting ultra-cool shades. Then lasers of different wavelengths would shoot from my fingertips at will and echo back to me the exact measurements, volume and density of any object.

You certainly can. Not only can you, but I'm betting every guy here not only hopes that you do, but that you post pictures!

Jan 20, 2007 20:04

Taylor ~

Hello firefly. You know, I must have gotten it from my own mother. It was impossible to get a precise recipe out of her. She'd go, "Well, you add some of this and some of that". I'd asked, "How much?" Mother would respond, "You don't want to put too much or not enough. You just put as much as it needs". It'd drive me nuts. She was a great cook.

Jan 20, 2007 20:13

Taylor ~

You certainly can.

No, SB, you've totally burst my bubble. Alas, I don't have supernatural abilities. And in that outfit, I'd just be another delusional skank, otherwise known as a Feminist. Forget that! :lol:

Jan 20, 2007 20:22

Spacebunny ~

LOL - I don't think anyone would ever call you either of those things!

Jan 20, 2007 21:19

Res Ipsa ~

"wear some kind of tight body suit with long gloves, a cape, and spiked heeled boots, sporting ultra-cool shades."

Pictures please!

We could have a contest, SpaceBunny, Taylor and Firefly as their favorite super girl, wearing the costume of course. 8)

Jan 20, 2007 23:19

EN ~

"I'm betting every guy here not only hopes that you do"

I would gladly judge in a private setting. After all we wouldn't want to turn this into eye candy for the great unwashed. As always, I'm here for you Darlin'.

Jan 21, 2007 00:28

Difster ~

I humbly offer my services as a judge in that contest as well.

Jan 21, 2007 05:54

Spacebunny ~

Told ya.

Jan 21, 2007 15:18

Taylor ~

Let's see here, we were talking about spatial relations and superpowers, then somehow, somewhere we're now onto poses in a costume contest, complete with judges! LOL. Looks like once again I opened my big mouth - must be another talent of mine...

Jan 21, 2007 19:53

WaterBoy ~

"I opened my big mouth - must be another talent of mine"

Words, dear lady. You may want to choose different words.

Fuel on the fire, and all that.

Jan 21, 2007 20:35

Taylor ~

Fuel on the fire, and all that.

Wait a minute. There is a little bunny provocateur at work here that we've completely overlooked. She will try to hop out of it, no doubt (bunnies are not as innocent as they appear - especially the Space variety), but we all know better...

Jan 21, 2007 21:36

Spacebunny ~

Excuse me? I merely pointed out that spatial relation was not, in fact, a super power. You're the one who went all tight body suit on the poor guys....

Jan 21, 2007 22:15

Taylor ~

Well? Who first made mention of pictures? And what superhero, male or female, does not wear a tight-fitting outfit? I wasn't going to be Super Spatial Relations Girl in a burkha.

Besides, I simply could not pass up on the opportunity to use the phrase "bunny provocateur".

Jan 21, 2007 23:24

Res Ipsa ~

Spacebunny isn’t a big tease though. Should that bum Nate ever get the harem back up again you could see that she looks quite nice in a yellow two piece. At least I think it was yellow.

Jan 22, 2007 04:03

Taylor ~

Yeah, well, this is the blogosphere, where a little teasing is pretty much innocuous. Believe it or not, in reality, where it counts, I conduct myself quite properly, almost icily... I doubt any of my colleagues, friends or family would ever describe me as a tease.

I did see that shot of Spacebunny on the beach in her bikini. She does indeed look quite nice.

Jan 22, 2007 06:42

Spacebunny ~

I wasn't going to be Super Spatial Relations Girl in a burkha.

C'mon, what's wrong with a burquini?

Jan 22, 2007 06:50

Taylor ~

I saw those on some online video, from Australia. No way, not for SSRG. As if she'd ever don some Muslim garb. Geesh, SSRG is all about measurements! And she's going to hide hers?

Jan 22, 2007 08:54

DF ~

Now that you've talked about it, your powers will disappear. ;-) Hopefully not!

Jan 22, 2007 18:49

Taylor ~

I know, DF. Superpowers are tricky. I'll have to put this whole discussion out of my mind. The way my head has been lately, it shouldn't be hard.

Jan 23, 2007 04:52

Telephoney

So, I'm sitting here looking up info online on how to fix my toilet tank. It's not filling up with water anymore. Dammit. Good thing I have three bathrooms. According to what I'm reading on the How Stuff Works site, it would appear that I have a problem with the toilet ballcock. Oh, boy. I know absolutely nothing about fixing faulty ballcocks. They have always worked perfectly for me! But, they say, "The ballcock assembly looks more complicated than it really is". This is heartening. I'll have that ballcock filling up my tank in no time...

Anyhow, the home phone rings. I look at the caller id as I always do since I will not answer calls from people that I don't know. Caller id reads:
Jehovahs Witness
2143508702

I HAVE to take this one.

Me: Hello?
Female JW: Hello, I'd like to first say that I'm not selling anything. I was calling to share some thoughts on Scripture with you.
Me: I have my own thoughts on Scripture. Thank you.
Female JW: Uh, ok.

I hang up.

I could have kicked myself. I should have told her that I was happy that she called because I could really use some help; that I have a ballcock problem and I'm not sure what to do about it. Bloody Jehovah's Witnesses.

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Archived Comments

Difster ~

I get calls from a JW ALL THE TIME. She talks to my daughter too.

Oh, did I mention it's my mother? haha

Jan 20, 2007 05:40

Taylor ~

Oh. Um, well... Ahem. I don't normally go out of my way to insult JWs. It does irritate me, though, when anyone directs their unsolicited spiel in my direction.

I am no respecter of man when it comes to the things of God.

Jan 20, 2007 06:09

Spacebunny ~

It does irritate me, though, when anyone directs their unsolicited spiel in my direction.
I am no respecter of man when it comes to the things of God.

Okay the irony of this comment made me laugh mostly at myself since I agree with it. First of all, I don't particularly like it either BUT as Christians we are actually called to do exactly that - direct our (or rather His) unsolicited spiel at the unsaved.

Jan 20, 2007 08:07

Taylor ~

You are correct, of course. I am seriously lacking in this regard. Rarely, if ever, will I talk about God to the unsaved - unless they ask.

Mostly, I try to witness by example. By being the best that I can be through the power of Jesus in me, I hope that my actions and words reflect my beliefs. It is not my nature to convince anyone of anything with respect to their own lives. Probably because I know that no one can convince me of anything.

Anyway, this JW phoning was out of line. She had no clue to whom she was speaking. I regard this as intrusion, not witnessing. I do not like speaking with strangers and do not appreciate them calling me at home, about anything, least of all something as personal as my belief in Jesus Christ. Never mind that I think they're kind of nutty to begin with.

I'm sorry, Difster. I really don't go for any denomination. I'm as nutty as the rest, only, I prefer to be a stand-alone nut. :)

Jan 20, 2007 13:02

Res Ipsa ~

I think it would have been funny if you would have thought to mention your ballcock problem. Too bad I always think of stuff like that too late to say it.

Jan 20, 2007 16:20

Jamie R ~

It can't be solved Taylor! Just let it go. Let it go. You're going to have to. Instead, use that toilet as your trophy room. Send a big turd on its way, let it plant itself nice and proper, then leave it as a Museum of Turd.

Two other bathrooms to use woman! By destiny, turd shall reign there...

Either that or you'll want to get it fixed real badly once that museum opens and you'll be surprised what you'll do once a turd cannot be flushed.

Jan 20, 2007 18:41

Taylor ~

*muttering to self* I am a Christian. I am a Christian. I am a Christian.

Thank you, Jamie dear. It was most thoughtful of you to post your advice here. While I do appreciate it, the ballcock problem in my toilet tank has been fixed. I do feel very fortunate to have been able to fix it, though, as there are some ballcocks that are just simply impossible to fix and are probably best yanked out, stomped on and thrown in the trash... :)

Jan 20, 2007 19:25

Jamie R ~

No worries.

Any other home improvement issues? No?

Jan 20, 2007 19:26

Taylor ~

Goodnight, K-Bear. It's way past your bedtime, Down Under.

Jan 20, 2007 19:32

Taylor ~

I know, Res. I hate it when that happens. Afterwards, I was laughing to myself thinking of how the conversation might have unfolded...

Jan 20, 2007 20:03

WaterBoy ~

Some useful sites for the single woman homeowner:

Lowes DoItYourself About.com

Don't say I never gave you nothin'. Now, about that cheesecake....?

Jan 20, 2007 21:06

Difster ~

Fortunately, my mother isn't hard core JW anymore. Still believes the same thing but she's really mellowed out.

I suppose I only escaped by the Grace of God just like any of us.

Jan 21, 2007 05:57

Taylor ~

Thanks, WaterBoy. I have been to those sites a time or two. It's really amazing the things I've be able to do around here only from instructions on some great site.

Bad news about that cheesecake, WaterBoy. My old oven went kaput - it's a wall oven. The new oven I want doesn't fit in the opening, so I need to find someone to cut the brick wall. This is something I won't try myself. Things where I can get hurt I won't try. Can't afford to be laid up in the hospital or dead.

Jan 21, 2007 20:14

WaterBoy ~

That's alright, I can wait. 8) I have no doubt you'll have that problem solved in a jiffy.

Jan 21, 2007 20:41

Taylor ~

Difster, I think your free will had much to do with you not being a JW now. I was raised Catholic, Catholic grade school, Catholic high school. Never bought into it. Being stubborn and skeptical does have its rewards.

You think for yourself, Difster. I don't see how people who will not think for themselves can be exercising their free will - other than to freely relinquish it.

Jan 21, 2007 20:41

Res Ipsa ~

If she comes raftng I know of a oven that she could make a cheese cake in. I'm sure watergirl would let her.

Jan 22, 2007 04:05

Taylor ~

I didn't realize how much I use my oven until I didn't have it anymore. I even bought a little one at Sam's for the meantime - a Delonghi convection oven for the countertop. I was so happy to have an oven again, even a small one.

So, I'm working while the faina is cooking in my new oven, its little fan convecting away and suddenly I hear nothing. I jump up to check and it's totally dead, zero power, nothing. I tried everything but with no luck. I ate soggy, half-baked faina (an Argentine thin bread made out of garbanzo flour). Returned the defective oven and haven't replaced it.

As you can see, I have far too many things to handle on the domestic front to even think about getting away on a rafting outing. Just as well, ResBaby. I don't know if you could handle such a terrible tease as myself. :)

Jan 22, 2007 08:27

Res Ipsa ~

Taylor,

You're all wet. There is no reason you can't find 3 or 4 days to hang out in Colorado and bake Waterboy a cheesecake. Watergirl is a lot of fun and if I can drag Mrs Ipsa along (she won't raft with the baby) we'd all have a blast.

Jan 23, 2007 03:44

Taylor ~

You're all wet.

Tell me something I don't already know, Res.

Hey, you don't have to sell me on the good times to be had in Colorado with you guys. The thing with me is that I can't enjoy myself if I've got responsibilities to take care of. I have always been this way. I know myself. There is so much that I need to do now that I won't even go out for one evening. I tried and all I did was think about everything I should be doing instead - couldn't wait to get back home. Call it a mental disorder, but I can't change this about myself. Seriously.

Jan 23, 2007 04:42

Jamie R ~

Call it a mental disorder, but I can't change this about myself.

Soooo.... is this about where I jump in again?

Can't enjoy oneself with responsibilites to take care of... Entertainment Deficit Disorder.

Jan 23, 2007 14:38

Taylor ~

You would be correct! I have a serious case of EDD.

Jan 23, 2007 18:01

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

From the email bag...

I'll Drink to That

It has been scientifically proven that if we
drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the
year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of
Escherichia coli bacteria found in feces. In other
words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop!

However, we do not run that risk when
drinking wine (or rum, whiskey, vodka, beer or other
liquors) because alcohol has to go through a
distillation process of boiling, filtering, and
fermenting.

It is better to drink wine and talk shit...
than to drink water and be full of shit

There is no need to thank me for this valuable
information. I am doing it as a public service.

Bride for the Fourth Time

A woman married three times walked into a bridal shop one day and told the sales clerk that she was looking for a wedding gown for her fourth wedding.

"Of course, madam," replied the sales clerk, "exactly what type and color dress are you looking for?" The bride to be said: "A long frilly white dress with a veil." The sales clerk hesitated a bit, then said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but gowns of that nature are considered more appropriate for brides who are being married the first time - for those who are a bit more innocent, if you know what I mean? Perhaps ivory or sky blue would be nice?"

"Well," replied the customer, a little peeved at the clerk's directness, "I can assure you that a white gown would be quite appropriate. Believe it or not, despite all my marriages, I remain as innocent as any first-time bride.

You see, my first husband was so excited about our wedding, he died as we were checking into our hotel.

My second husband and I got into such a terrible fight in the Limo on our way to our honeymoon that we had that wedding annulled immediately and never spoke to each other again."

"What about your third husband?" asked the sales clerk.

"That one was a Democrat," said the woman, "and every night for four years, he just sat on the edge of the bed and told me how good it was going to be.

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Archived Comments

Difster ~

Point The First: I am fond of pointing out that when you smell someone's fart that you are actually sniffing little particles of their poop in to your nose. There is simply no telling how many pounds of poop we sniff every years.

Point The Second: As much as I despise the Democrats, the punchline could have also read, "That one was a Republican and every night for four years he would get undressed, we would engage in foreplay and then tell me it's just not the right time to implement his agenda."

Jan 17, 2007 21:56

farmer Tom ~

I saw your comment on the cold weather down there, did you see my latest post?

There is the cure for the cold weather!

Jan 17, 2007 22:20

Difster ~

There is the cure for the cold weather!

It's called 'California'. Unfortunately, the cure is worse than the disease.

Jan 17, 2007 22:42

Taylor ~

Difster, that's not true! LOL. I hope you didn't go and tell your little daughter this...

And as to your comment about Republicans - that's not true either...

Jan 17, 2007 22:57

Taylor ~

Hey, farmer Tom! I've got you on my list here now. I guess when it's -1 Fahrenheit there's not much to be done outside. I'll bet there aren't many other farmers blogging. And I'm positive there are none like you.

You need a nice graphic in your header - cows, land, sky... I can help you if you want.

Cure for the cold weather? Um, let's see... Lots of exercise! That always gets me hot. Yes, my weightlifting does wonders to combat the cold... :)

Jan 17, 2007 23:01

Taylor ~

Speaking of cures for the cold and farmers and stuff. You know, farmer Tom, I got my first real kiss in a barn. I love barns...

I love Southern California weather, Difster. Well, the normal weather - before global cooling came long... Of course, the earthquakes, fires, smog, etc, etc, do offset the advantages thereof...

Jan 17, 2007 23:08

Difster ~

I love Southern California weather, Difster.

So do I Taylor, I just don't like much else about the place. It's too freaking expensive here and so many of the people are shallow, materialistic and selfish.

And no Taylor, I don't tell my daughter how awful it is to live here; she'll figure it out on her own.

And getting your first real kiss in a barn sounds like something out of a country song (BTW - I like country so that's not a slam).

Jan 18, 2007 00:24

farmer Tom ~

I realize that I'm supposedly required to like country music because I'm a farmer, but I'm more southern rebel than I am farmer I guess cause I love Southern Rock, think Lynard Skynard, Allman Brothers etc.

Can't remeber where I got my first kiss, ain't that weird?

I need lots of help with my blog, Taylor, I can't get Haloscan to work, I can't get the tractor picture to post as my profile pic,

as I've said before, I'm computer illeaateeda;k, nothing ever works the way it's supposed to for me. I do much better with a hammer, a cutting torch and a welder, then I can fix anything better than new.

Jan 18, 2007 02:47

Taylor ~

Hey, Difster, I got your comment about Haloscan. This happens only when the stand-alone post is loaded. I can't be bothered to fix it. It's a new blogger issue. Thanks. I'll get around to it eventually.

Country music is one of the styles of music that will put me in a bad mood if I am forced to listen to it for more than 30 seconds. Looks like cowboys are out as prospective husbands. Although, in general, I think they're great folk.

Jan 18, 2007 18:05

Taylor ~

Farmer Tom, you've got the new blogger version. Haloscan has finally come out with the integration process. Have you followed Haloscan's installment instructions?

Jan 18, 2007 18:11

farmer Tom ~

Taylor, I never get that far in the process. I recieve e-mails that I have registered at Haloscan with my password, but when I attempt to login in, the thing tells me that no such account exists. But I hae the e-mail that says it does, I don't get it, rather I'm confused.

Jan 18, 2007 18:51

Taylor ~

Farmer Tom, you received the registration confirmation from Haloscan. When you log in to Haloscan, instead of typing in the username and password, cut and paste each of the username and password that Haloscan emailed to you. Make sure there are no spaces before and after. Try this.

Jan 18, 2007 19:08

Difster ~

And if either of you need help, let me know. I'm pretty good with this stuff.

Taylor, there has to be a solution to Haloscan not loading on a stand alone post.

Jan 19, 2007 19:26

Taylor ~

There is a solution. I just haven't given it any thought yet. I'll fix it whenever I get around to it. But, thanks for your offer to help, Difster.

Jan 19, 2007 20:16

Achtung!

When EN, in his ever diplomatic and eloquent manner, stated, "Quit being so damn temperamental", I first laughed then thought that yes, I should do something about my enervated condition. So, I turned to Wagner as I always do when my spirit is in need of a jump start. The overture to his opera, Tannhäuser, at wall-vibrating, cat-rattling volume, always puts my feet solidly back on this Earth, ready to do battle with life again.

Here's the musical genius of Richard Wagner. Those violins have a way of exorcising the mind-numbing beast of complacency.

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Monday, January 15, 2007

A Case of Blogger's Block

Always try to help a friend in need

Believe in yourself

Be brave...but it's ok to be afraid sometimes

Study hard

Give lots of kisses

Laugh often

Don't be overly concerned with your weight, it's just a number

Always try to see the glass half full

Meet new people, even if they look different to you

Remain calm, even when it seems hopeless

Take lots of naps

Be weird whenever you have the chance

Love your friends, no matter who they are

Don't waste food

RELAX

Take an occasional risk

Try to have a little fun each day...it's important

Work together as a team

Share a joke with friends

Fall in love with someone...

...and say "I love you" often

Express yourself creatively

Be conscious of your appearance

Always be up for surprises

Love someone with all of your heart

Share with friends

Watch your step

It will get better

There is always someone who loves you more than you know

Exercise to keep fit

Live up to your name

Hold on to good friends; they are few and far between

Indulge in the things you truly love

Cherish every Sunday

At the end of the day... PRAY

....... and close your eyes

And smile at least once a day!

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Friday, January 12, 2007

Yeehaw Y'all

Here are some little known, very interesting facts about Texas ...

1. Beaumont to El Paso : 742 miles

2. Beaumont to Chicago : 770 miles

3. El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas

4. World's first rodeo was in Pecos, July 4, 1883.

5. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North
America built over water.

6. The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach for Rice University in Houston.

7. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America.

8. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.

10. The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900 caused by a hurricane in which over 8000 lives were lost on Galveston Island.

11. The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, was "Houston".

12. King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island.

13. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July 1979.

14. Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, (known as Constitution of 1845 by Republic of Texas to enter the union) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag, and may divide into 4 States. We're also the only state that can legally secede from the rest of em.

15. A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.

16. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.

17. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period after Dr in Dr Pepper.

18. Texas has had six capital cities:

1. Washington-on-the-Brazos
2. Harrisburg
3. Galveston
4. Velasco
5. West Columbia
6. Austin

19. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. (by 7 feet).

20. The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas.

21. The State animal is the Armadillo. (An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies! They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females. Well, I thought it was interesting anyway!)

22. The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston.

23. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS - TEXAS STYLE People here in Texas have trouble with all those "shalls" and "shall nots" in the ten Commandments. Folks here just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks out in west Texas got together and translated the "King James" into "King Ranch" language:

Ten Commandments, Cowboy Style.

Cowboy's Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas.

(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff

Now that's kinda plain an' simple don't ya think?

Y'all have a good Day.
Ye hear now?

"THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU"

View Archived Comments

Archived Comments

WaterBoy ~

"...interesting facts about Texas ..."

Oxymoron.

:lol:

Jan 12, 2007 21:08

Taylor ~

Hey there now. We Texans don't take none too kindly to fancy-pants talk, especial whenin tarnt true...

Jan 12, 2007 22:25

Giraffe ~

If they cut Alaska in half, Texas would be the third largest state.

I know a couple fellers from Texas. Everything's bigger, they say, but mostly its just big talk.

Jan 12, 2007 23:24

Taylor ~

Let the moose have Alaska. Who wants to be that close to Russia anyway? And yer not gittin one ward out of me consarning that 'everything's bigger in Texas' business... Nu-uh!

Jan 13, 2007 00:22

Difster ~

3. El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas

Don't I know it!

I drove from Costa Mesa, CA (right on the coast) to El Paso in quite a bit less time than it took me to drive from El Paso to McKinney, TX the next day.

And to add to it, I was driving about 100 MPH most of the day.

Jan 13, 2007 05:17

Giraffe ~

And yer not gittin one ward out of me consarning that 'everything's bigger in Texas' business... Nu-uh!

Sheesh. I was thinking about egos.

Jan 13, 2007 18:21

Jamie R ~

Texas rocks.

Jan 13, 2007 18:37

Jamie R ~

You know there's only one place outside of Australia I reckon I'd die to defend and it's Texas. That's a big statement, cause I have my doubts about defending Sydney and Brisbane, but Melbourne and Adelaide, no question. But fuck Perth.

Jan 13, 2007 18:39

Taylor ~

Yes, Difster, I've made that trip, starting from this end, 3 times, back and forth. It's torture for me. And from El Paso to the DFW metroplex is so flat and boring! The scenery is as drab as can be. My boyfriend once talked me into going with him to visit some friends on the coast, against my protests that I had sworn to never make that trip by car again. I believe he pulled into an airport at one point along the journey to unload me. He should have heeded my warning... I was simply impossible the whole trip. But, I was much younger and spoiled then...

Giraffe, so was I. :)

K-Bear, I'm sorry to say that Texas is going the way of every state. The filthy libs are running it into the ground. Everyone keeps moving further North to get away from the Mexican infestation. It's a bloody mess. Dallas has a lesbian Hispanic sheriff! I never would have believed this was possible. We're still better than everyone, but that's not saying much anymore.

Jan 13, 2007 20:35

Jamie R ~

Fucken dig up the Duke! Fucken get him to clean it up!

Jan 13, 2007 21:39

Arielle ~

Taylor,

I'm sorry this is off-topic and has to do with the thread at Vox's in which he asked why people don't like G-d. I'm answering you here because the comment thread was huge by the time I saw your question.

I've pondered the question as to why G-d created us, and I'll share my belief in the matter - I think He placed us in His creation because He wanted beings that could (and hopefully would) freely choose to love Him. After all, which would you rather have? A bunch of people that hung out with you because they had to, or a bunch of people that hung out with you because they really like you and want to spend time with you? And then there is the commandment which Yeshua said was the greatest: love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, mind and soul.

I'm sure there's more to it than the conclusions that I've come to, but I hope this will at least give you some food for thought when you're pondering that question for yourself.

Jan 14, 2007 04:57

Taylor ~

Arielle, thank you for coming over and sharing your thoughts here. And you don't have to apologize for off-topic comments. I am a most indulgent blog hostess.

I agree with you that God created us to share in His eternal love. We call it love, but it is the essence of His being. It couldn't be anything else - a creative force which engenders life, love - the terms we use.

I've thought about this, mostly when I think about what a mess we've been throughout our existence and still continue to be. Thinking that God would create such a disaster as ourselves seems contradictory to His perfect nature. But, as I said, I can't see it from His perspective. We have the capacity to be like Him in holiness through the Holy Spirit if we so choose and thus be part of Him or we can choose not to and be lost, separated from His life force.

What I don't understand is His need for any other beings, to be loved by lesser beings. I don't understand why the I AM would need anything at all. We must be very, very special beings though, to think that He would go through all the trouble that He has gone through for us. Perhaps we are little pieces of Him which He will reconcile back to Himself. Little pieces that reflect His love, thus making His existence meaningful to Himself. I don't know. I can't know. It's not for me to know. I do know that we were made in His image and that we need love. I do know that a life without love isn't worth the oxygen it takes to sustain it.

Perhaps it is God's nature to not only give love but to receive it as well - this is how we are made in His image. You can't force someone to love you. God, who can create the universe, can't force us to love Him. Now, that's a powerful thing, this love business and probably much more in essence than we realize in our fallen state.

Jan 14, 2007 08:33

Taylor ~

This might also explain why God has no use for us outside of our ability to give and receive love - on His wavelength. It doesn't seem as if anything else is meaningful to Him.

Jan 14, 2007 10:20

Spacebunny ~

Who wants to be that close to Russia anyway?

Yeah, because proximity to Mexico is something to brag about ;)

5. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water.

Big deal, FL has the only hotel under water.

Jan 14, 2007 17:54

Taylor ~

Hey, SB. That underwater hotel sounds kinda nifty.

Jan 14, 2007 23:09

Spacebunny ~

If you are a diver it's pretty cool. It's an old underwater lab that was converted.

Jan 15, 2007 07:41

Difster ~

What I don't understand is His need for any other beings, to be loved by lesser beings.

If you had children, you'd understand that PERFECTLY. :D

Jan 15, 2007 07:46

Taylor ~

SB, I looked up the hotel - Jules' Undersea Lodge. Seems like it would be cozy and kind of fun.

For some reason this brought to mind when, as kids, we'd have tea parties at the bottom of the deep end of the pool... all the girls sitting in a circle, drinking pretend tea, still chatting - nine feet of water wasn't going to stop us. We were like little fish.

Jan 15, 2007 19:13

Taylor ~

You're right, Difster. I can understand what joy children bring to their parents even without having any of my own. I'm a great auntie!

Jan 15, 2007 19:30

Spacebunny ~

Taylor - I remember botttom of the pool tea parties too!

When I was in the in the keys iin college I wanted to stay there. It was back in the days when I was still teaching SCUBA. Sigh...

Maybe some day!

Jan 15, 2007 20:46

Taylor ~

Looks like little girls will be little girls - everywhere...

I can imagine those were good times in the Keys. Oh boy, you must have had quite a line of eager, mostly male, SCUBA students...

Jan 15, 2007 21:55

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