End of an Era

I know that I haven't posted in a while, but I've been doing other things and haven't really had much to say. My reason for posting now: Well, it's a sad day for yours truly. As some of you may or may not know, I left San Antonio in late 2005 to move back to Maryland. One of the things that I was looking forward to when I got back was going to my favorite watering hole, The Loft. Unfortunately I found out less than a week ago that it would be closing for good on the 5th of January. For those of you that may be wondering, The Loft is the typical blue-collar bar where I hung out at when I lived in Maryland from 1997-2001, especially since late 2000 when my marriage was breaking apart and I met some very cool people there that helped me get through that very rough part of my life. Now I'm sure that some of you are probably going to say: 'Oh, so he hid in the bottle instead of facing his problems'. Well, to those of you that may think that, you have no clue what I was going through and this place was much more than where I went to drown my sorrows.

It's also the place where I picked up my new hobby, shooting pool. I actually started playing seriously in March 2001, and the Loft is was the launching pad for that. I eventually played on a Monday Night travel league out of there during the Summer and Fall of that same year. When I moved to San Antonio, I played pool every now and again, but not to the degree that I played when I started playing in 2001. I eventually played on an in-house league in San Antonio not too long before I moved back to Maryland and I have been playing Monday Night league out of the Loft since. Not only am I losing the place where I met so many good folks, but I'm also losing the spot where our league team played their home games.

Perhaps this is a sign that it's time to make new friends and try different places. Change can be good, even with how difficult it seems. But one thing remains clear, I will miss The Loft and the good times that I had there. For that, I say thank you, and so long.

I'd be a Paladin in 1400 AD

The Paladin You scored 26% Cardinal, 43% Monk, 52% Lady, and 54% Knight!

You are highly moral but also don't shy away from using force if your lord commands it. You are honourable to the point that you would readily sacrifice yourself for a noble cause. Your name will be the subject of tales and song for generations, however their concentration will be less on your deeds in life as on your martyrdom. You scored high as both the Knight and the Lady. You can try again to get a more precise description of the Knight or the Lady, or you can be happy that you're an individual.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 25% on Cardinal You scored higher than 55% on Monk You scored higher than 84% on Lady You scored higher than 61% on Knight

Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid

Shame on You, Barbara Bush!

I usually try to avoid this sort of chastising, but I could not resist to comment on this story. As reported by various news organizations, former First Lady Barbara Bush paid a visit to hurricane evacuees who are currently seeking shelter inside the Astrodome in Houston and made some very Marie Antoinette-esque comments towards the evacuees. Here is one of the quotes: 'What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.' The first part of that statement smacks of plain ignorance. What is so scary about them wanting to stay in Texas? These people have lost everything and have nowhere else to go. It will take months for New Orleans to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Are you afraid that they're all going to become wards of the state and become a burden to the taxpayers? Think about how this country grew. People moved westward to start new lives and to establish themselves and their families in places they could call home. The hurricane survivors aren't very different, they just have a different set of circumstances.
Here is another quote from the former First Lady: 'And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this -- this is working very well for them.' I don't see what that has to do with the fact that a hurricane came in and swept away everything that they had. There are people of various socio-economic paths that are being sheltered in Texas and other places across the country and how much money you have (or had) doesn't have any bearing on what happened. Did you think Katrina thought itself 'Hmmm. Maybe I'll just take out the poor section of town and spare the rich folks.' Sorry to burst the bubble, but natural disasters (much like alcoholism, drug use or any kind of illness for that matter) don't discriminate. I think that this type of behavior by a former First Lady is very inexcusable and shows that this country still has a ways to go when it concerns not only the economic disparity between the "haves" and "have-nots", but the difference in their respective attitudes and philosophies.

Mrs. Ferguson puts the "un" in unselfish

I just wanted to say a few words about something that I witnessed last night and that I feel is very unselfish. You see, Mrs. Ferguson has been quite heartbroken about the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina and last night she decided to do something about it. She called the American Red Cross national hotline and spoke to someone about volunteering her time to assist the victims that are currently in San Antonio. She was eventually put in contact with the local Red Cross office in San Antonio and she found out that the registration takes about 20 minutes. She plans to start volunteering this coming Monday morning. I am extremely proud of her and her determination to help out the victims as much as she possibly can and I am very fortunate to be involved with someone that has such a big heart. I already know what kind of person that she is, which is why I'm not surprised that she decided to volunteer her time to those people that have had their worlds turned upside down by this recent tragedy. I Love You Very Much, Sweetheart and you are an inspiration to me and everyone that knows you! If you would like to follow Mrs. Ferguson's path, as well as the path of numerous others that have unselfishly dedicated their time and care, please call 1-800-HELP-NOW, or simply click here .

Blame Game for Katrina

I've been reading the different stories in the media about who is exactly to blame for what has happened in New Orleans and most of the Gulf Coast with Hurricane Katrina. Everything from the declaration of a State of Emergency to whether or not the people that are there to help are actually doing enough to alleviate the situation. I know this is going to sound foolish, but I wish everyone would grow up and focus on the task at hand, instead of trying to make themselves look good by blaming someone else for the shortcomings that have occurred. The ultimate losers in this blame game are the poor folks that have had their lives turned upside down and the last thing that any of them care about is where the blame should go. Who cares? Imagine if this kind of behavior would have occurred during 9/11. Can you imagine the bickering that would have taken place concerning what was done (or not done) to prevent that tragedy from taking place? I just wish that the folks that are playing the blame game would work with the same spirit and brotherhood that was exhibited in the days immediately following 9/11, so that these folks that have been hit hard by this disaster can start to get their lives back to normal. And in the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that!"

Puppet Mania!

Well, I can see that Puppet Mania is starting to hit the Blog world, but I'm not going to post mine until I can find one that perfectly describes me and my personality. Not that I'm a perfectionist or anything like that, I just don't want to make it seem that I'm just trying to fit in with the "cool kids". I promise you'll see the right puppet to represent me in due time.

Daylight Saving Time

Congress recently passed a new energy bill,
which included language that will lengthen Daylight Saving Time (DST) by approximately
one month, starting in 2007.

DST will begin on the second Sunday in March (three weeks earlier than the current start of the first Sunday in April) and will end on the first Sunday in November (one week later than the current end time of the last Sunday in October).
This will increase the total amount of time that DST is in effect to eight months out of the year, which begs to question if there is any real need for the term Standard Time.

Congress had originally debated the possibility of increasing the period
of DST by two months (starting the first Sunday in March and ending the
last Sunday in November [just after Thanksgiving]) because of an antiquated
study that was performed during the oil crisis of the mid-70s which stated
that extending DST would have saved the equivalent of 10,000 barrels of oil
per day. After finding out that the study was so old, Congress decided to
scrap that proposal and adopt the DST language in the energy bill.

Had the original proposal gone through, there could have been an even
stronger argument for dissolving the Standard Time as we know it.
Perhaps they could revise the term and refer to the period between early
November and early March as Non-Daylight Time and abbreviate it as NT
(e.g. Eastern Non-Daylight Time would be abbreviated at ENT), because let’s
face it, Standard Time is no longer that and Daylight Time has become the
new standard.

I propose the following measures to put this issue to bed once and for all:

1) Have DST run from the first Sunday after the first day of Spring until
thefirst Sunday after the first day of Autumn (Fall). The start time
would not be much different from when DST is scheduled to start in '07 and
it would coincide with the beginning of Spring. It would also cut back on
the amount of electricity used for air conditioning in September
(yes, people still use their A/C in September [try living in South Texas
for a couple of years, you'll find out the hard way that the 90-plus degree
heat doesn't go away until late September or early October])

2) Invest more time and money into researching alternative energy sources. The price of oil has been spiraling upwards at a break-neck pace and there is no relief in sight. Solar energy and safe usage of nuclear energy are two very good alternatives that could be used for everyday living and help curb the demand for oil.

At the rate that things are going with DST, standard time may become a thing
of the past. There is a good possibility that DST could be extended to the timeline originally proposed by Congress or even beyond that (say maybe only a month or two of Standard Time) and that would totally defeat the purpose of having it. DST should be used a little more judiciously and remain the exception and not the rule.

New Pet

Well, Mrs. Ferguson has been doing some research online and even going talking to different folks about caring for a house gecko (see Mrs. Turd Ferguson Is Drunk for related article). So, we have decided to go ahead and purchase one of these creatures as a pet and let me tell you, there is quite a bit to do in order to care for these little guys (or gals). For one, making sure that the temperature and lighting is just right is key. Ignoring either of these concerns can make for one very stressed-out gecko. Another thing is their diet. They feast on small crickets and other small insects as well as the occasional mealworms for a treat. The material for the bottom of their cages needs to be of a certain material so that they don't get sick if they try to eat it. There is just alot to do for this creature that usually runs about $7 at a local pet store, but I feel that it will be well worth the investment, since it'll certainly give the both of us some practice in parenthood (although I'm not trying to compare the two concepts). So, Dudley
(we decided we're going to purchase a male gecko), wherever you are (probably in a Petco store that we'll be going to buy him at), we look forward to getting you home and into your new surroundings.

26% Pure...Well I never claimed to be like Ivory!

Your Kissing Purity Score: 26% Pure

You're not one to kiss and tell... But word is, you kiss pretty well.

Kissing Purity Test

More Liberal than Conservative (But I could have told ya that!)

Your Political Profile

Overall: 30% Conservative, 70% Liberal

Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?