August 2003 Archives
31 August 2003
I Hate Liars
A week ago, I emailed the folks at the Cowboys Radio Network website and asked why Cowboys games are not being carried in the Houston market this year, and got this response:
There are unfortunate circumstances, mainly legal, that will not allow us to carry the Cowboys in Houston this year. We would love nothing more than to deliver our broadcast to our biggest market. Please be sure that this is outside the realm of our control, but that we will be back in 2004. In the meantime, please check to see if you can pick up our Beaumont affiliate on KLVI 560 AM. Thank you for your interest.Apparently, though, the Comical's David Barron was told something a little different:
This is the first year that Infinity Broadcasting Corp., which owns broadcast rights for both teams, is abiding by a reported "gentlemen's agreement" between Texans owner Bob McNair and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones not to arrange broadcast affiliations for the Texans in Dallas-Fort Worth or the Cowboys in Houston.It sounds like the folks at Cowboys radio didn't quite tell me the truth. Or didn't quite tell David Barron the truth. Either way, they should get their story straight.Thus, the dulcet tones of Brad Sham and Babe Laufenberg on the Cowboys radio network will no longer be heard on Clear Channel's KPRC (950 AM) and KTRH (740 AM), ending a long run for Cowboys radio in this market.
The Clear Channel stations will pick up at least half of the Cowboys' games from Westwood One, including games in September against the Falcons and Jets, but they won't have that ever-so-familiar hometown flavor Cowboys fans enjoy so much.
The giant sucking sound you just heard is Bill "Cowboy" Lamza holding his breath until he turns blue. Come to think of it, Ken Charles, Clear Channel's Houston AM programming majordomo, isn't exactly thrilled either with the way things have worked out.
"The Texans think that everybody should be a Texans fan, and in America, it doesn't work that way," Charles said. "They're trying to prevent Cowboys fans from being Cowboys fans, and that's too bad.
"I don't understand why the Texans and Cowboys can't get together on this. All it does is hurt the little guy, and that's the shame of it all."
And maybe the Texans should worry about upgrading that Swiss cheese offensive line, and let me (and the market) determine which football team to listen to on the radio.
Thankfully, the Beaumont station comes in just fine. So I'll be happily listening to Brad Sham (one of the best NFL radio broadcasters), no thanks to Bob McNair and Jerry Jones.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/31/03 23:48 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (5)
Briles Wins Debut
Looks like it was a good debut for Art Briles as head coach of UH last night, as they destroyed Rice 48-14.
Arguably, it should not be surprising that a large state university beat Rice at football, but such are the depths to which the UH program has sunk over the last decade.
And despite the dearth of talent at Rice, they are a well coached football team. Ken Hatfield gets about everything he can out of his players (just as he did at every other coaching stop). So it's certainly a positive that UH was able to play so well in its first game, with new coaches and new systems on offense and defense, against a well-coached opponent.
Unfortunately, I suspect UH's trip to Michigan next week will reveal the major differences in talent between the two programs. But it should be good for the budget, at least, and then they can travel and beat the hell out of Louisiana-Lafayette the following week.
I should get around to a Big 12 Wrap tomorrow. Had to wait for the Texas game tonight.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/31/03 22:39 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)
Caitlin Cary At The Mucky Duck
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the Caitlin Cary show at the Mucky Duck.
I've really gotten into her two studio CDs the past couple of weeks. She's one of those rare types who's a great vocalist, writes fine songs, and has a surprising knack for arrangement (surprising in the sense that she doesn't play guitar or keyboards).
Being able to put it together in the studio doesn't always translate into great live performances, but it certainly did last night.
Her voice is beautiful, of course. Lots of depth. Very evocative. There's something about it that reminds me of Christine McVie's voice (McVie's songs being my favorite Fleetwood tunes because of her voice). And it's even better live, because it's real. She really brings her songs to life.
And her band is excellent. Caitlin handles the fiddle, but what really helps make the band's sound is the keyboard work Jen Gunderman, who played for several years with the Jayhawks (another favorite -- the alt-country world is wonderfully small, eh?). And the harmony vocals with cary, Gunderman and the guitarist (sorry, I don't have the name).
Clearly, this is Caitlin Cary's show, and her voice steals it. But unlike some singer/songwriter types I know that have gone on to solo work after gigs with a band, Cary leaves plenty of room for her band to shine, and they compliment her well. And Gunderman really rounds out the sound. She's good, and has a nice stage personality.
This was the best show I've seen in quite a while, certainly this year (maybe longer). It didn't hurt that we had a table in the room's sonic sweet spot -- just to the left of the soundboard (which, for whatever reason, is just off center of the sweet spot), straight back from the stage and several tables deep. The sound was perfect.
It also was nice that this was the best behaved, most serious music crowd that I've experienced at the Duck in a LONG time. There was actually silence during a couple of songs that grew quiet, instead of the usual bunch of blabbering idiots who think it's fun to pay money to see a band and then talk over 'em (that used to never happen at the Duck, but lately blabbermouths who are unserious about music have been a problem at shows I've seen there). It was a slightly older crowd than I was expecting. By that, I mean that I expected Whiskeytown fans of my age and maybe slightly younger, but I would say the average age was probably ten years older than me. I can see Cary's appeal to that age group (and maybe KPFT plays some of her stuff -- anybody know?), but I just would have expected more of the younger Whiskeytown crowd. *shrug*
Unfortunately, I didn't take the camera to the show, so no photos to share (I was otherwise occupied). It's too bad, because these guys really seemed to enjoy playing (and Cary pointed out that it was good to be home -- apparently she lived in Houston for a time), and I like to get photos of musicians who obviously love what they're doing.
Anyway, I'm hooked on Caitlin Cary. Go see her band if you have a chance, and/or grab her newest CD ("Cello Girl" is a song that's still haunting me, and it sounds great live as well). I hope she makes it back soon.
PS Did I mention the alt-country world is small? Well, it turns out that some of Cary's friends were in the audience, and are members of a band named King Coal. They'll be opening for old favorite Scott Miller at Rudyard's on Wednesday, and Cary was kind enough to plug their show. So I'll be interested in hearing their sound (especially since their website is a little bare at the moment).
(09-01-03 Update) Dave Bartholomew is/was Caitlin Cary's guitarist, on the latest CD and at this show.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/31/03 22:07 | Music | Technorati | Comments (0)
More Wacky Greeks
I hope Callie rides her bike carefully when she eventually makes that trip to Greece.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/31/03 13:42 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
30 August 2003
Close, But Typically Stupid
I was flipping the channels to see how many have college football on, when I ran across Mayor Pothole on public access. I stayed for about 30 seconds, and got this from him:
Do Unto Others As You Would Do Unto Yourself.
Err, sorry Mayor Pothole, but that's not quite the Golden Rule.
Close, but typically stupid.
That could be the motto for your administration, actually.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/30/03 11:11 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (1)
Football and Music
OU opens its football season later (with retro uniforms and field decoration).
OSU and Nebraska open the Big 12 season.
And Caitlin Cary caps off the evening at 10pm tonight at the Duck.
Not a bad start to my three-day weekend.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/30/03 09:22 | Other | Technorati | Comments (2)
29 August 2003
On Groups
Steph links to this fascinating commentary that specifically addresses software design for online group interaction, but in reality is a much broader article about social dynamics of groups (and organizational pitfalls).
There's just so much for a political theorist to love in this:
In the Seventies -- this is a pattern that's shown up on the network over and over again -- in the Seventies, a BBS called Communitree launched, one of the very early dial-up BBSes. This was launched when people didn't own computers, institutions owned computers.Anarchocapitalism at work?Communitree was founded on the principles of open access and free dialogue. "Communitree" -- the name just says "California in the Seventies." And the notion was, effectively, throw off structure and new and beautiful patterns will arise.
And, indeed, as anyone who has put discussion software into groups that were previously disconnected has seen, that does happen. Incredible things happen. The early days of Echo, the early days of usenet, the early days of Lucasfilms Habitat, over and over again, you see all this incredible upwelling of people who suddenly are connected in ways they weren't before.
And then, as time sets in, difficulties emerge. In this case, one of the difficulties was occasioned by the fact that one of the institutions that got hold of some modems was a high school. And who, in 1978, was hanging out in the room with the computer and the modems in it, but the boys of that high school. And the boys weren't terribly interested in sophisticated adult conversation. They were interested in fart jokes. They were interested in salacious talk. They were interested in running amok and posting four-letter words and nyah-nyah-nyah, all over the bulletin board.
And the adults who had set up Communitree were horrified, and overrun by these students. The place that was founded on open access had too much open access, too much openness. They couldn't defend themselves against their own users. The place that was founded on free speech had too much freedom. They had no way of saying "No, that's not the kind of free speech we meant."
But that was a requirement. In order to defend themselves against being overrun, that was something that they needed to have that they didn't have, and as a result, they simply shut the site down.
It is simply assumed that members of the group share the same premises, and will always share the same premises. All members of the group hold equal political power. Obviously, if it turns out that some members of the group hold quite different premises than the ones originally assumed, they can wreck the group. There is no mechanism for dealing with that happenstance. And that happenstance (to take a Hobbesian view) is pretty much what one would expect from groups of humans.
And it's not just Communitree, as the author points out later. I recall the same thing happening when the Neo-Tech nitwits pretty much took over the alt.philosophy.objectivism newsgroup, finally forcing the creation of humanities.philosophy.objectivism. This sort of thing happens all the time, even in groups that seemingly share important premises.
This is an interesting observation:
People who work on social software are closer in spirit to economists and political scientists than they are to people making compilers. They both look like programming, but when you're dealing with groups of people as one of your run-time phenomena, that is an incredibly different practice. In the political realm, we would call these kinds of crises a constitutional crisis. It's what happens when the tension between the individual and the group, and the rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups, gets so serious that something has to be done.That bolded statement is fairly profound, if you think about it. It is broadly applicable well beyond the design of social software, because it suggests that a (potential?) corollary of human nature is constitutionalism (preferably written constitutionalism). Pages could be devoted to fleshing out that topic, of course (but that's not going to happen here). We'll just leave it at the conclusion drawn by this author (again, the topic here is software design, but I am suggesting this is broadly applicable politically):And the worst crisis is the first crisis, because it's not just "We need to have some rules." It's also "We need to have some rules for making some rules." And this is what we see over and over again in large and long-lived social software systems. Constitutions are a necessary component of large, long-lived, heterogenous groups.
All groups of any integrity have a constitution. The constitution is always partly formal and partly informal. At the very least, the formal part is what's substantiated in code -- "the software works this way."Constitutionalism often works that way, because not everything CAN be spelled out in text. A framework can be constructed, and in some cases specific issues can be dealt with in the text (thereby removing them from contention). But not all specific issues can be anticipated and addressed in a constitution. And that's part of the challenge of constitutional design.The informal part is the sense of "how we do it around here." And no matter how is substantiated in code or written in charter, whatever, there will always be an informal part as well. You can't separate the two.
There's just so much of interest in this article that it could really be the subject of a coffeeshop discussion. Or an icehouse discussion, I suppose. Some of the notions the author has of groups being able to defend themselves from individuals who would hijack the groups are really a manifestation of the tension between direct and representative democracy, which leads back to human nature (and my skepticism of those fans of anarchocapitalism, who want me to believe that everything will be fine).
Fascinating stuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/29/03 22:24 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)
An Update
I just updated an older entry by adding an illustrative photo of me, circa 1978 (I think). For those interested in such things, it's here.
Ah, those blond skinny days....
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/29/03 21:15 | Other | Technorati | Comments (2)
28 August 2003
Barbs?
So the Comical runs this story on the upcoming Rice-UH snoozer with the caption Barbs Fly At Luncheon For UH-Rice.
But after reading the story, I'm surprised that anyone actually stayed awake during the luncheon. And staying awake during the actual football game will probably be nearly as tough (I, of course, am taking my friend Dave's advice, who wisely warned when I mentioned I was trying to decide between Caitlin Cary and UH-Rice that I could catch mediocre football anytime). Certainly I wouldn't call what transpired barb laden.
Barbs would be what come flying out of Bob Stoops' mouth during OU-Texas week, or Jimmy Johnson's mouth when referring to Jerry Jones' cosmetically altered dome.
These weren't barbs.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/28/03 23:28 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)
The Bid Is $37.66 As I Write This
People will buy and sell anything on eBay.
Even nothing at all (the auction is gone now, but people bid on, literally, nothing).
So Callie sent along tonight's eBay oddity, pictured to the left.
The title for the auction listing is Weird Gross Bra That Fell Out Of My Ceiling.
And as I said, the bidding is up to $37.66.
For THAT.
Strange.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/28/03 23:08 | Other | Technorati | Comments (5)
More Memories
Jack Sparks has a great story up about his grandfather and catching carp. With Wheaties.
And that certainly brings back the memories.
Because when I was a little kid, I used to go out fishing all the time with my (very patient) grandfather and father. Mainly we went to various ponds fishing for bass and crappie. But sometimes, we'd go down below the lake in Pawhuska and fish for carp.
With a Wheaties doughball concoction that my grandfather made.
But instead of using plain water to mix the thing, he always went one step further: Strawberry Love soda pop.
I don't know if that actually made any difference at all, but as a kid it certainly seemed to make a lot of sense to me.
And I have to say, catching a carp is FUN. They are big strong fish that are damn hard to land when the thing is about half as long as you are! I should have my mom scan a photo and send it so I can post it here.
Nobody would ever eat the silly things, but that was never really the point.
(08-29-03 Update) My mom scanned an old photo of me and the very first carp I ever caught and landed entirely by myself (above). I was not exaggerating -- it was nearly as big as me. Also, you can't really tell, but I'm wearing a faded t-shirt with #12, Roger Staubach on it. Proof that I'm not just making it up when I tell you people I've loved those damn Dallas Cowboys forever! I'm no longer that skinny and no blonde hair, but I still have Cowboys shirts!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/28/03 22:50 | Outdoors | Technorati | Comments (1)
Strauss Meets Red Dirt
Okay, I'll admit that I've read and been around too many Straussian types. I sometimes obsess over seemingly innocuous phrases. And that's what happened when I ran across this bit in a (terribly written) feature on Mike McClure:
While with The Great Divide Mike found himself with some songs that he felt did not fit the band's sound. Mike explained, "I just wanted to go into the studio and knock them out myself just to see what came of it. All of them were very personal songs. I was working on Cross Canadian Ragweed's album Purple at the time, so I went in and just rented the studio. Susan Gibson, (who wrote "Wide Open Spaces" for the Dixie Chicks), happened to be playing a gig there in Denton where I was working, so her and the Grobees; which used to be her band; came by & we recorded three tracks. I had a blast. It's just a bunch of messing around, having fun in the studio."Err, that would be Groobees.
But they weren't "her band" -- which makes it sound like they were a bunch of studio musicians who moved to the direction of the songwriter/arranger known as Susan. It wasn't quite that way (indeed, the Groobees existed as a band PRIOR to Susan's joining them). They were a BAND in the true sense of the word, with the two main vocalists splitting songwriting and the guys playing a big role in arrangements. At least they were a band until one of them decided she didn't want to be a part of a band anymore.
And I guess the grating thing about comments like this is McClure KNOWS better. I mean, he saw fit to record a song by two prominent Groobees (Scott Melott and Gary Wayne Thomason) on the Great Divide's last album -- a song that Scott's current band belts out better than TGD. So he knows firsthand those guys were much much more than studio hands. Hell, anyone who's heard both the Dead End Angels and Susan's solo stuff has a pretty good idea who was the force behind the musical arrangements of the Groobees.
Anyway, I wonder about people and their agendas when they make comments like this. Maybe it was innocuous. Maybe not. Hard to say.
What is not hard to say is that I AM very much looking forward to seeing the post-McClure incarnation of The Great Divide, which will be playing The Firehouse (where else?) on 20 September. And opening will be No Justice, an up-and-coming Oklahoma band I've been wanting to see for a while.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/28/03 22:01 | Music | Technorati | Comments (2)
Memories
It's too cool to hear from a friend that some students have resurrected a little conservative tabloid that I started back in the day (in college) and that sort of withered after I left. They've even kept the original name. Heh.
I remember that we largely produced the thing on a 386-16 Mhz machine and a laser printer, and then did lots of stuff by hand to get it ready for the newsprint company. There was no accompanying website because there was no commercial web then.
I do love the march of progress!
And obviously, I never stopped dabbling in stuff like this.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/28/03 21:41 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
Thank You Friggin' Beaumont
The Texans are having an atrocious evening.
No big surprise there.
But the good news is, I'm able to listen to the Cowboys on the Beaumont AM station.
Who knows if it will still come in on Sunday afternoons (when most games are played, when you suck as badly as Dallas and Monday Night Football doesn't want you very often), but it's gotta be a hopeful sign that the reception is good this evening.
And the Cowboys are having a scoring explosion tonight! 31 points in a half. Did they even have a GAME last year when they scored that many? I don't care if it's preseason. When you've won 15 games in three years, you take what you can get.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/28/03 20:37 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
Today Is My Dad's Birthday
Happy Birthday Dad!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/28/03 07:32 | Other | Technorati | Comments (12)
27 August 2003
Big 12 Thoughts
There's some interesting Big 12 talk in the Star-Telegram.
On Oklahoma State:
Was Oklahoma State's 2002 season a fluke, and what should we expect from the Cowboys in 2003?It's not a fluke, but without better defense, I don't see them taking the next step. But who knows -- a win at Nebraska could springboard them.Barnhouse: No, 2002 wasn't a fluke. I think Les Miles is Bob Stoops Lite. He's done a great job installing a winning, prideful culture in Stillwater. But considering how tough the South is, the Cowboys could be a better team with a worse won-loss record.
Burch: I wouldn't call it a fluke, but I wouldn't count on a lot of staying power, either. As soon as Rashaun Woods and his magic hands head to the NFL, you can forget about projecting OSU as even a darkhorse title contender. But this year, he's still in Stillwater, and Cowboys' fans can dream big because Woods is that good. There's no bigger difference-maker in the Big 12.
Caplan: No, it wasn't a fluke. You don't beat Oklahoma two seasons in a row and have it be a fluke. Les Miles has that program on the rise. They've got talented offensive players and an attitude that they can compete at the highest level. The Cowboys are still only the third-best team in the Big 12 South, at best, but they'll get to another bowl game.
Jones: No. And more. The Cowboys have gone from thinking they can win to knowing what it takes and expecting to. And they have what it takes, especially on offense.
On Nebraska:
Will Nebraska do well enough to save Frank Solich's job?It's not clear to me why Solich was retained this year. That OSU-Nebraska opener is just huge. For both teams. I can't imagine Solich turning around the season and surviving as coach if he loses at home.Barnhouse: Yes and no. The Huskers won't do that well; they could finish third in the Big 12 North. But even if there's some improvement, I don't think new athletic director Steve Pederson will pull the plug on Solich and his new staff. 2004 might be a different story, though.
Burch: Solich is toast. Because of marginal recruiting classes, Nebraska's talent level has dropped significantly over the past four years. The Big Red is about to be passed by Missouri, relegating the Cornhuskers to fourth in the North Division in 2003. Solich cannot post a second-tier finish in his own division and keep his job.
Caplan: It will be tough only because Cornhuskers fans' expectations are too high. These aren't the good old days anymore. The fact is, it's almost impossible to remain on top consistently. Look at Penn State, Florida State and Notre Dame. Programs can't hand out scholarships like they used to, and there are more good athletes to go around.
Jones: No. The Cornhuskers' season and Solich's future could hinge on the first game of the season at home on national TV against Oklahoma State, and the educated guess is that this is not the way to open a new package.
But it strikes me that it's stupid for the Big 12 to begin a season this way, and I wish the conference wouldn't approve such moves. Conference games ought to come later in the season, when the teams are playing good football and it means something. Both of these teams should be in bowl contention, and either one could have a little luck and be in division contention late in the season. So why are they playing each other in August? Let me repeat: STUPID.
And finally, on Baylor:
Ha ha ha ha!What would you do to cure Baylor's football ills?
Barnhouse: Join the Sun Belt Conference.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/27/03 23:00 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (2)
Scott Miller
Scott Miller gets some love from John Nova Lomax in the latest Houston Press. Lomax seems to like Miller's latest effort. I haven't quite made up my mind on it. It's good, but it's kind of all over the place. Some of it reminds me of the style of a young Joe Ely (and that's certainly a compliment), although I don't think Miller counts Ely as any sort of influence. He seems to be getting some good press with it.
This is kind of amusing:
One song does appear on Upside Downside that even predates that era: the rowdy rocker "Pull Your Load." Of it Miller writes in the liner notes: "I had just come home from my first year away at school and wrote a song that sounded like a kid who had just had freshman English -- I think it even made reference to Samuel Beckett." ("Sartre and all that shit -- I was all about it, baby! Enlightened!" Miller tells me.) "I then walked out of a room into a speech by my father about how I needed to get some real work done around the farm. I turned around, went back into my room and wrote this."
And elsewhere, Lomax writes this:
Miller turns away from Beckett and Sartre these days. Thank God.Ha ha ha! Shades of Max Camus Stalling. But at least Miller's gotten it out of his system.
I can't wait to see Miller next Wednesday at Rudyard's. When he finalized his (all too rare) Texas swing a few weeks ago, that date immediately went on the pda. This should be good.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/27/03 22:10 | Music | Technorati | Comments (4)
Houston's Shadow Government
Mayor Pothole is just a damn embarrassment.
Is it any wonder the city is falling down around us? His cronies go around cutting deals with the former mayor, and Brown doesn't even know about it even though he's in the same damn room:
On the morning of the pivotal Metro meeting last week, the mayor still hadn't signaled to the five city appointees who control the nine-member authority board how he wanted them to choose between alternate transit proposals to go on the ballot for the upcoming November referendum. Months of maneuvering by pro-rail forces, including mayoral candidate Bill White, had gone into placating traditional rail opponents and averting a disastrous defeat at the polls. Now it appeared that on the last turn the train was about to plunge into a political gorge.That is classic Lee Brown, isn't it? Six years of shite like this explains a lot. And all you liberals who voted for the b@stard three times must be pleased to see your champion working so hard for you.Brown's advisers were appalled. "It was such a no-brainer," says one source. "I think there was some frustration that everybody had really worked to get to a place, and the mayor was going to stop that from happening."
At stake was the future of light rail in Houston. Brown's chief administrative officer, Al Haines, transit adviser Ed Wulfe and former mayor Bob Lanier, a rail opponent, had put the finishing touches on the compromise the previous week at a luncheon at La Griglia. Coincidentally, Brown was in the restaurant at the same time for an event and was unaware of the rail negotiations.
Or his cronies working hard for themselves.
Or something.
*sigh*
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/27/03 21:53 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (3)
Berry Profile
The latest Houston Press runs a fairly lengthy profile of mayoral candidate Michael Berry. Tim Fleck gets some digs in, and the article may not entirely please the campaign, but it seems like a fairly decent profile to me.
I've certainly had some fun with Berry's candidacy on this site, but I must say that given Orlando Titanic Sanchez's implosion and Berry's ability to win support from unusual quarters, the guy has a realistic shot in this race.
And after reading this profile, I'm starting to think that he might actually make a better mayor than councilman. Let me qualify that a bit. It appears as a councilman that Berry had a tendency to freelance and to be a bit of a maverick. Consequently, he didn't get far in terms of legislation. But while that style isn't well suited for a councilman, it might actually work in an executive role.
Or not. Hard to say. But he's going to have to be taken seriously in this race, and that obviously is something that has come as a surprise to me.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/27/03 21:49 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (0)
Too Cool
MusicMatch Radio has added a classical music category. But unlike most of the other streaming services, they further break it down by period. At the moment, I'm sitting at work plugging away to Baroque. It's quite nice -- and free. I'm not sure what extras one gets by subscribing, but I may have to investigate.
And yeah, I'm an alt-country-listening, football-worshipping Texan backpacker who loves Baroque music.
Deal.
(Update) The selection is a bit limited, but it's still a nice change of pace.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/27/03 10:56 | Music | Technorati | Comments (4)
26 August 2003
Explosion
I made my first trip of the year to the Juice Container tonight (courtesy of some awfully nice guys who passed along tix to some primo seats), and saw the Astros' offensive explosion.
I must be good luck. Someone should give me great seats for the rest of the season. Well, except for when there is Big 12 or NFL action or live music I need to see. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/26/03 23:11 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)
Typical Brilliance
Here is some typical brilliance from the UH Daily Cougar:
Briles likes what he sees, so far. That's high praise from a man who made the Texas Tech running game among the best in the rugged Big 12 Conference during his three years as the Red Raider running backs coach.The story is referring to new UH head coach Art Briles, who coached running backs at Texas Tech.
And it seems to have been written by a sports columnist who is clueless about Texas Tech and the "rugged Big 12 Conference."
Why?
Because Texas Tech was dead last in the Big 12 last year in rushing yards per game.
There's a reason for that, namely that Texas Tech head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Leach could care less about running the football, and tends to use his spread offense's short passing game in lieu of any real effort to run the football. I observed this as a fan of OU when he installed the offense there (and also think OU is much better now that Kevin Wilson has revamped the blocking schemes and running attack).
But it's stupid of the Daily Cougar columnist to talk about Texas Tech's powerful running game. They really don't have a running game.
Which doesn't reflect on Art Briles at all (I think he's going to do good things at UH).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/26/03 16:16 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)
Umm, YEAH
I read this in a back issue of Upstream (an oil industry trade publication) earlier today:
The detention of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi by Burma's military junta is yet another dose of bad news for Total, Unocal and other players operating in country.No doubt!
But it's decidedly WORSE news for Suu Kyi and her NLD, I would think. The ruling SPDC's notion of "protective custody" is a little different than our Western variant.
Too bad some of the Ashcroft-hating social libertarians in this country can't focus more of their attention on places like Burma/Myanmar.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/26/03 16:00 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
Cafe Michael Burger
Personally, I would rank Cafe Michael Burger higher than #42.
But then again, I don't live on Galvatraz.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/26/03 12:00 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (0)
25 August 2003
Those Wacky Greeks
I saw part of a Kojak rerun when I was flipping channels a few days ago, and wondered out loud if Telly was the star's given name.
And Callie speculated that his real name was probably Aristotle.
No way, thought the native Texan boy.
Way.
She has a cousin named Socrates, by the way, but so far as I know, he does not go around annoying strangers with constant questions, nor does he stand in the rain pondering his existence, nor does he make odd allusions to homosexuality at dinner parties (at least none I've been to).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/25/03 22:34 | Other | Technorati | Comments (4)
Dear Gawd
This disaster of a city is going to be an Effing Laughingstock after the Super Bowl comes and the horrified national media rip us a new one for several weeks (maybe months).
I just hope they don't have to paint the dead grass green, like they did during the Big 12 Championship. When it came off on OU's uniforms, it really didn't look very good with the crimson and cream. Sorry.
At least it will make everyone forget about the GalleryFurniture.com Bowl.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/25/03 22:18 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (2)
Brutally Honest
Credit Bill Parcells for being brutally honest.
Mickey Spagnola quotes him talking about the Cowboys woeful Third-Down Efficiency numbers last year (worst in the league) and how the Cowboys must get better:
"So you want to make the third downs more manageable," Parcells said. "If I had to answer definitively, how are you going to do that, I don't know. I know what I'd like to try to do, but I'm not certain we can do that, and if we can't do that, then we're going to lose."That's pretty realistic. A lot more realistic than Dave Campo having the players punch in with a timecard last year. *sigh*
But the decline of the Cowboys wasn't really Campo's fault, or Gailey's, or Switzer's. The bumbling personnel duo of Jones and Lacewell can take most of the credit. To wit, check this out:
There goes two more draft choices, John Nix and Michael Wiley. Nix was released Monday. Wiley could be if there are no trade takers by Tuesday's 3 p.m. deadline when rosters must be trimmed to 65. No biggie on Nix. He was just one of three seventh-rounders in 2001. Seventh-rounders rarely become stars. But Wiley was a fifth-rounder in 2000. Other than sixth-round pick Mario Edwards, that entire draft will become a washout - Dwayne Goodrich sentenced to 7½ years in prison; Kareem Larrimore in the Arena League; Orantes Grant with Washington. And the Cowboys don't even have anything to show for the third-round choice, traded to Seattle for James McKnight, who eventually signed a free-agent deal with Miami.Edwards would not be starting this year if Ross weren't injured. It's hard to win if you don't have any legitimate starters on your team from a draft as recent as 2000. Thanks Jerry and Larry.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/25/03 22:11 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
James Allen Is Kidding, Right?
Think any NFL teams are interested in a mediocre running back who underperformed last year, and decided to "retire" this year because he was too lazy to finish two-a-days in Houston heat?
Yeah, I don't think so either.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/25/03 15:10 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)
Losers
Get this.
I couldn't find a Houston radio affiliate listed on the Dallas Cowboys radio website earlier.
So I emailed them to see what it was.
And the answer: There isn't one this year.
Yeah, that's right. The largest city in Texas will not have the Cowboys on the radio this year.
Unbelievable.
I know we have the Texans, and the Cowboys ratings are probably crap when there's a Texans game. But still. The games ought to be on somewhere as a loss leader if nothing else (I presume Jerry would still like to sell an occasional jersey in Houston?).
Hell, Houston Oklahoma Sooner alums have maintained an area radio affiliate for OU football games for years. EVEN WHEN JOHN BLAKE WAS THE DAMN COACH (I use that term lightly, though there was nothing light about him).
Pitiful. The Cowboys blow on this, and of course Houston as a sports town has always blown.
(08-26-03 Update) Okay, I finally got this email from the Cowboys people. Not sure what to make of it, but at least there's hope for next year:
There are unfortunate circumstances, mainly legal, that will not allow us to carry the Cowboys in Houston this year. We would love nothing more than to deliver our broadcast to our biggest market. Please be sure that this is outside the realm of our control, but that we will be back in 2004. In the meantime, please check to see if you can pick up our Beaumont affiliate on KLVI 560 AM. Thank you for your interest.
*shrug*
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/25/03 15:04 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (7)
24 August 2003
Things That Make Me Laugh
So, I ran across this website earlier, and had a chuckle over the following:
With a major label behind him, [Pat] Green should not only become the greatest thing in country since a certain Oklahoma boy with the initials GB, but he might just awaken the poetry and subtlety of a music form that has drifted so quickly towards banal clinches in recent times.There you have it. I hate those banal clinches too.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/24/03 22:52 | Music | Technorati | Comments (2)
Titanic
So, most of the local bloggers have commented already on this latest fiasco from the Orlando "Titanic" Sanchez campaign.
It's really inexplicable. But here's one part that has me even more baffled than the stupidity of the campaign:
Marticiuc said Sanchez called him from Los Angeles the next day to discuss the matter and apologize.Los Angeles?
Is Titanic running for Mayor of that city? Or maybe for Governor of California?
No, I didn't think so.
So why is he there instead of here, where I thought he was running a campaign for mayor (hard as that is to believe) of this city? Maybe a fancy new restaurant opened in LA???
Anyway, I guess the candidate I once supported wholeheartedly is the latest to earn a nickname -- Titanic, for his ability to sink faster than anyone ever could have imagined.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/24/03 20:54 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (0)
Cross-Eyed Tom
It may be impolite to ask this, but I won't let that stop me:
Has anyone else noticed that Tom McClintock, one of several GOP candidates in the recall election in California, appears to be cross-eyed?
Just wondering.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/24/03 16:48 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)
College Football Season Arrives (or, Big 12 Wrap: Week One)
Last year, I had lots of fun doing a Big 12 Wrapup each week during football season.
I'm not sure if I'm going to do that again this season, or just comment on team/games that I'm interested in.
But I guess I have to decide pretty soon, because the Big 12 season is now underway, with K-State beating Cal in their opener.
K-State doesn't look to be in midseason form just yet, but they shouldn't be -- it was the 23rd of August, which is ridiculously early for college football. The defense seemed especially weak, but that's rarely a problem for a Bill Snyder team.
Up next week: The Sooners' opener, and OSU-Nebraska.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/24/03 09:16 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (3)
23 August 2003
My Ambitious Day
After a wonderfully lazy day that (so far) includes sleeping nearly till noon, getting a very thoughtful comment from a favorite drummer, a nap, some VH-1 I Love The 70s, and a final mockup of Dave's blog (but there's still a Nucleus install/port to do, and configuring, and such), it's Miller time.
Well, actually, Coors Light time. Off to the Icehouse for a few brews and maybe a steak. Maybe Bleu at the Firehouse afterwards. Maybe not. We'll see.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/03 17:50 | Other | Technorati | Comments (7)
Q Gets The Nod
Bill Parcells just announced that Quincy Carter will be the Cowboys starter. It seems less an endorsement of Quincy than an assessment of the inadequacies of Chad Hutchinson:
Parcells said Carter gives the team the best chance of winning now.Now that Carter's the guy at QB, maybe a RB will emerge before long.Carter beat out Chad Hutchinson, last season's starter for the final nine games. Carter, the starter the first seven games last season, was benched after a 9-6 loss to Arizona on Oct. 20.
"Chad hasn't played enough football to run a pro football team right now," Parcells said during his news conference Saturday.
Carter has outplayed Hutchinson this preseason, leading the Cowboys to points in four of his 16 possessions. The offense has gained 424 yards in his 81 snaps overall.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/03 14:31 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
Forget Thelma's And Go To Harlon's
Alison Cook, formerly the Houston Press food critic and now one of the best writers at the Comical, recently made a trip to Thelma's BBQ, which I visited after Rob Walsh's glowing reviews.
Cook was not impressed with the food (which was good when I was there) or the service:
I had looked forward to eating here ever since Robb Walsh -- my counterpart at the Houston Press and a man so passionate about barbecue he wrote a book on the subject -- had given the dumpy, struggling little warehouse-district joint a rave review last summer.Thelma's is way too much trouble. Instead, I would recommend Harlon's. As I've mentioned before, the location in the Galleria (believe it or not) serves up some of the best BBQ I've had -- easily better than Thelma's -- and the two ladies who work there are nice as can be. I can only imagine their "real" locations are even better.He found the brisket "buttery" and "extra-smoky," its inside "slick with juices." He reported you could order it in-and-out to be sure you got plenty of crusty pieces. He declared it the best brisket in Houston.
[snip]
Now, a year and a cameo on a PBS food special later, something seemed to have gone terribly wrong. The brisket before me was dismal stuff, the kind of thing you pick at dispiritedly, lug home because you feel guilty throwing it away, and end up tossing a week later, uneaten, the guilt merely postponed.
The ribs were much better: big, meaty, crusty enough to get your teeth into. Still, the blanket of sugary sauce got in the way of my enjoyment.
It worked better on the sliced links, a tight-textured grocery-store style of sausage that was salty enough to counter the sauce's sweetness.
The coleslaw was sweet, too. So was the potato salad. I gave up on them after a couple of bites.
I was nonplussed. Thelma's is the kind of place I instinctively want to like: tiny and ramshackle and full of pluck, turning out primal Houston grub in a scrappy part of town.
Maybe Thelma's standards had crashed in the face of so much new business. Or maybe the kitchen had just been having a really bad day.
The brisket was somewhat better on visit No. 2. It was reasonably smoky but slightly dry -- and more than slightly chewy. I was glad I had some respectable barbecued chicken, burnished to a deep mahogany, to console me.
On my third try, I caught a glimmer of what all the fuss had been about. The brisket was moister, smokier, better acquainted with its fatty side. Nothing to rock my world, but way above average.
I hear Scott Chaffin is about ready to give them both some competition, though. But the drive is kind of tough.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/03 11:47 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (5)
Do Not Use The Jeep For Evil
Children DO like the Jeep.
But it is NOT NICE to use the Jeep for evil.
Not nice at all.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/03 00:58 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)
Quincy?
Gerry Fraley pretty well sums up my feelings on the Dallas QB controversy:
Anoint Carter and get on with preparing for the regular season. Give Carter two full weeks of practice as the starter in advance of the opener against Atlanta.I have to admit that I was certainly not much of a Quincy Carter fan last year. But Bruce Coslet's scheme and staff were jokes (they're ALL out of the NFL this year), and they never gave Quincy much of a chance to succeed.Let the offense know who is in charge.
That has been the biggest difference between Carter and Hutchinson.
Carter does not have all the tools of a prototypical quarterback, but he has acted like one. Hutchinson has all the tools of a prototypical quarterback, but he has not acted like one.
The contest can be examined from different viewpoints. Carter came back from the dead. Hutchinson squandered a huge precamp advantage.
Each perspective makes a telling statement.
The quarterback has more responsibilities than fattening his statistics, Parcells said. Parcells, while not comfortable with the military analogy, said the quarterback must "exude" the aura of a battlefield commander.
Carter has. Hutchinson has not.
Carter has stayed calm and produced. Hutchinson has acted frazzled and made mistakes, topped by three fumbles in only 46 snaps.
Carter has been more comfortable with the leadership duties required of a quarterback. It helps that he has made plays. Success breeds confidence and assertiveness.
Quincy does not have great velocity. Sometimes he throws floppy passes. He won't make anyone forget Staubach or Aikman. But he's the best of the Cowboys options. Let's see if he can get it done in a Parcells/Carthon/Payton offense, and if not, we'll know what the Cowboys need for next season.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/03 00:33 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
Oops
I do love the Comical. Check this out:
Troy Hambrick, the expected predecessor for NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith, lost a yard on three carries. He has negative yardage in two of three preseason games.Just one problem: Troy Hambrick is the expected SUCCESSOR to Emmitt Smith.
I can't blame this one entirely on the Comical, as they swiped this story from the AP. But an editor might have caught the mistake. Call it a team effort.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/23/03 00:22 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
22 August 2003
Weekend
My gawd, this work day has DRAGGED... but it's finally a wrap.
And the reward -- at least in a few hours -- is a sold-out Dead End Angels house concert.
(Update) Some reward. Callie and I were both dragging so badly that we managed to make it through the opening artist (Hayes Carll) before heading back to Houston because we were tired. A fitting end to a crap week, I guess. But we'll get to see 'em plugged twice in Houston in two weeks. And I think the weekend will officially start tomorrow, with sleeping in, maybe a few brews at the Icehouse, and quite likely a trip to see Bleu at the Firehouse.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/22/03 15:51 | Music | Technorati | Comments (1)
21 August 2003
Stunning
Julie's back, and has posted some beautiful photos from her Colorado trip.
Sadly, that's as close as I'm gonna make it this year. But next year, it's off to the Flat Tops for some backpacking.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/21/03 22:33 | Outdoors | Technorati | Comments (1)
Cowboys QB
I have to think that Quincy Carter will be named the starting quarterback tomorrow.
But what do I know?
(08-22-03 Update) Apparently, not much. Coach Parcells says he'll study the tape and let everyone know next week.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/21/03 22:02 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
Bliss and Baylor
Randal Robinson sent a trackback ping my way the other day for his post on Dave Bliss and Baylor.
And Jason Whitlock expresses some similar concerns on this ESPN Page Two article that came out a few days later.
Plenty of good points in both places. I certainly won't defend the multi-million dollar business that is the NCAA, and it does seem like everyone but the (potential) multimillion dollar (student)-athletes benefit immensely from the multimillion dollar business that is college sports these days.
It certainly doesn't help that Baylor is in a conference in which it just can't compete in the major sports. As I repeat ad nauseum, nice job Ann Richards!
(08-22-03 Update) The Baylor Doesn't Belong bandwagon adds another member.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/21/03 21:57 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)
I Don't Think He's Gonna Be The Starter
Chad Hutchinson looked like he wanted to cry after his first series.
If anyone should look like that, it's Bill Parcells.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/21/03 20:16 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
Oh Those Longhorns
Hope springs eternal this time of year for Mack "Roscoe P. Coltrane" Brown:
"In this business, we're telling our players to compete, to fight," Brown said. "If a soft team won't compete, it's hard to make 'em. You can back 'em off, and that's easier than pushing them forward."They talk such a great game in August.A team whose fortitude has often been questioned in big games — most of them in October — is at least practicing like a team with a chip on its shoulder.
The coaches have used more inside running drills than ever in Brown's six seasons here. Texas has scrimmaged more and longer this fall.
"In the past, you'd barely get the seat warm at our scrimmages," offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. "I think it is a tougher team. Besides telling them we need to finish, 'strain' is another term we've used. Strain your body, push it further."
Brown has sent the team a clear message. Don't back down. When the Longhorns showed up for their first practice at Denius Fields under a punishing sun, Brown said he thought briefly about going inside the bubble.
"But," he correctly said, "I thought that would send a terrible message."
But they never seem to show up against Top 10 opponents. That's been the story of Mack's career. That's been the story of Mack versus Stoops. That's probably going to be the story this year.
But it's fun watching Kirk Bohls wee wee all over himself and hope this year might be different.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/21/03 20:01 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (4)
Countdown
Cowboys-Steelers in 30 minutes.
I know, it's just a silly preseason game.
But this will be the final tuneup for most teams, because they won't play their starters much (if at all) next week in the final set of games before the season.
And since Dallas has so many questions still, this ought to be interesting.
I AM READY FOR FOOTBALL SEASON TO GET UNDERWAY.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/21/03 18:34 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (6)
Texas Power
Callie found this interesting article explaining why Texas has its own (reliable) power grid, separate from the others.
It's much better than this pitiful article from KHOU a few days ago.
I had to laugh when I saw the reference to Michelle Foss and the UH Energy Institute. That woman seems to pop up everywhere! Even on Slate. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/21/03 18:26 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (0)
Bustling Galleria
Just ran across the street to the Galleria at lunch for some quick birthday shopping, and the place was REALLY bustling, as it has been for a couple of weeks now when I've gone over.
That Bush economic recovery seems to be kicking in at the local retail level, which no doubt upsets the Nine Dwarves. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/21/03 13:01 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (5)
20 August 2003
Thunderbird
I was complaining last week about MS dropping further development on the standalone Outlook Express email client, and asked if anyone had any suggestions for substitutes....
Well, I'm giving the Mozilla Thunderbird client a try tonight, and like it quite a bit. It seems a bit heavy on resource usage, but maybe I'm just imagining things. On the plus side, it was able to import my old Outlook Express email, is highly customizable, and acts much like Mozilla Firebird.
Not sure if I'll be making the permanent switch just yet, but it looks promising.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/03 21:43 | Web Stuff | Technorati | Comments (3)
VIN Discrepancy
I just got a letter and a check from Farmer's Insurance today.
The letter begins:
We have completed a comprehensive review of the vehicles we have insured in Texas over the past five years. The review indicated at least one of the vehicles we insured for you had a vehicle identification number (VIN) discrepancy. It has been determined that because of this discrepancy, you are entitled to a premium refund.And there was a check for $31.
So what the hell was the VIN discrepancy all about? They thought I owned a Dodge Ram Duallie instead of a Dodge Dakota? What?
Weird.
But I'll take the cash. Gawd knows that b@stards have sucked enough of it out of me over the years.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/03 18:36 | Other | Technorati | Comments (5)
Is Mack Brown Running Orlando's Campaign?
Orlando Sanchez has been an extremely QUIET mayoral candidate.
So much so that I wasn't entirely joking a few weeks ago when I asked if he was still running.
Well, the answer is yes. I guess. Greg found this report on KHOU-11 earlier:
11 News has discovered what some might find troubling information about the spending habits of one of the candidates for Houston mayor. How Orlando Sanchez has been using his campaign money may surprise you.One of the things that has always bothered me about Orlando is a nagging feeling that his desire to "serve" the public had quite a bit to do with enjoying feeding at the public trough way more than any self-described conservative should, up to and including getting donors to pay for his daughter's education (Sorry, but my private reaction to that has always been "get a job and support your daughter yourself, deadbeat").La Colum Dor is a fine restaurant in the Montrose area, and a place to entertain. That is what you might expect from a politician.
But 11 News started looking beyond the handshakes and found some intriguing details deep in the latest filings by the Orlando Sanchez campaign. Literally thousands of dollars have been spent on dining and drinking and travel. Page after page of entries written off as meetings with political supporters, from as little as ten bucks at a River Oaks Starbucks to six visits to the upper Kirby cigar bar Downing Street to hundreds of dollars of dining at nearby Pesce.
In all more than $22,000 has been spent at bars and restaurants around Houston.
The Sanchez campaign funds also paid for quite an itinerary of trips all over the country. Three trips to Washington, D.C., Vail, Colorado, over New Years, two visits to New Orleans and trips to Charleston, South Carolina, Santa Fe, New Mexico, San Antonio, Austin and two weeks after he lost the 2001 mayoral race there was a pricey visit to Beverly Hills, California.
There he dined at the famous Spago restaurant running up a nearly $700 tab.
All those trips were taken after he had lost the mayor's race and before this campaign began.
So what does the candidate have to say about it? "If you recall after the runoff I made the decision that I would be a candidate for office again," he says. "Just because there isn't an election right around the corner doesn't mean you stop campaigning."
Sanchez says that all of the trips and all of the spending is above board. That they are legitimate political expenses with legally raised campaign funds.
"That has been a policy of mine since I entered the political arena," says Sanchez. "It has served me very well 'cause I don't owe anyone anything. I pay for my own lunches and in fact I'll pick up their tab."
And all this does is reinforce that (previously private) notion.
Sorry, Orlando, but I didn't donate to your campaign last time so that you could continue to avoid EVER getting a private-sector job and paying for your OWN damn meals at La Colum Dor, Pesce, Vail, and elsewhere.
This sort of spending is STUPID in purely political terms (and your spin is weak, my friend, OH SO WEAK).
But at a purely personal level, I find it offensive. I don't tolerate slackers and lazy asses who don't pay their way in my personal circle (at least not for long). And I don't find the slacker/user mentality very appealing in a mayoral candidate.
I won't go so far as to say I'm shopping for a new mayoral candidate just yet, but let's just say that Orlando (like a number of other people I know, actually), is getting perilously close to being purged.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/03 18:24 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (3)
Sorry About That, Mac Users
Well, I didn't realize it, but it seems that the site has just been a mess for Mac users visiting with either Netscape 7 or Mozilla 1 series browsers.
A big thank you goes out to Eric Siegmund over at the Fireant Gazette, who helped me do some troubleshooting, and then isolated the culprit when BrowserCam was indicating I had solved the problem (but hadn't). All of this BEFORE he got THIS GREAT NEWS. Thanks again Eric, and congrats on your news!
Also, I finally implemented Kathy Kinsley's suggestion, so you NS 4.x holdouts aren't served a stylesheet at all. It's not pretty, but it's prettier than the mess NS 4.x makes of the "pretty" stylesheet.
I'm sure I probably broke something for someone as I tweaked things, but here's what I'm looking at after the changes. Please let me know if YOUR version looks notably different.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/03 17:30 | Web Stuff | Technorati | Comments (2)
Virus
I think I must have gotten a dozen of those silly virus attachments today before I finally managed to filter the dang thing at the server.
How annoying!
Thanks, Microsoft. And thanks, all you people who didn't bother to download patches, got infected, and are now trying to share with others.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/03 16:26 | Other | Technorati | Comments (4)
Demolish Dem Headquarters
If you're a Houston Republican and have some free time Sunday afternoon, Rob Booth has posted details of an outing that should be great fun!
I'm tempted, but I'm also lazy. We'll see.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/03 09:03 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (1)
*cough*
Okay, the stench is back today.
And on a Wednesday.
The same day as last time.
I don't know what that means, it's just something I noticed.
Please don't call me Columbo.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/20/03 08:59 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)
19 August 2003
A Fun Letter
Our blog buddy Jack Sparks recently put together this great letter/email to send to various radio stations. I asked him if I could reproduce it here with some regional dressing up, he said sure, and then I promptly got busy/sick/forgot about it.
Well, here it is:
Greetings,I've been a Country Music Fan all of my life. Through my friends, relatives, and acquaintances, I came to love the music of Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, EmmyLou Harris, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and many others. The music represents an artistic achievement to me; it's cultural, deep, and sometimes personal. I hear my own struggles and joys in the authentic and gritty performances of the singer/songwriters that are so typical and central to this genre of music.
However, the last twenty years of Country Music and Country Radio have caused distress in both my heart and ears. Stations like yours have chosen to play artists like Shania Twain ad nauseam under the thinly rooted explanation that she is what WE want. I am writing to tell you that as a Country Music fan, I believe 3 things about Ms. Twain: 1) She and her music are not Country, 2) She and her husband are solely focused on creating some kind of Pop Music crossover monstrosity, the artistic and economic implications of which are going to be disastrous for Country Music in the long run, and 3) She in no way, shape or form represents what I want.
After reading a few things, I was encouraged to do this by a wild-eyed hillbilly DJ from Minneapolis who promises to encourage me to do other things as long as she remains a part of your playlist. He and I agree that you're alienating the core Country Music audience in favor of a shallow demographic report that is as heretical and biased as it is phoney. As Mark Twain once said, "There are 3 kinds of falsehoods in this world, Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics."
Thank you for your time, and please remove this soulless automaton from the music I love immediately, and replace her with a genuine alt-country/Americana artist like [INSERT APPROPRIATE REGIONAL ALT-COUNTRY ACT HERE]. Stop relegating this music to niche shows and godforsaken hours of the night; put it into your regular rotation. WE are a very committed part of the Country music audience, and if you continue to ignore us, it will come back to haunt you.
Sincerely
INSERT YOUR NAME HERE
Since so many of the readers here are Texans and Okies, why not shoot off this email to your big-city FM Country Music Radio Stations/Tampon Sales Promoters in Dallas and San Antonio and Tulsa and OKC? In Houston, those stations would be KILT-100.3 and 93Q Country (vomit). I'm sure those of you elsewhere can find the appropriate station for your city.
Why not suggest to them some or all of the following: Cross Canadian Ragweed, Reckless Kelly, Joe Ely, the Randy Rogers Band, Caitlin Cary, Scott Miller, Slobberbone, the Derailers.... all of whom have relatively recent CDs out and/or are touring like mad. Feel free to throw in your own favorites as well!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/03 21:12 | Music | Technorati | Comments (5)
Shocker: Toby Keith Sucks, Live Or From The Studio
American Statesman columnist Michael Corcoran certainly didn't enjoy himself at the recent Toby Keith show in Austin:
From the moment country hit-maker and Ford pitchman Toby Keith took the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater stage Saturday night, levitating from an F-150 pickup, to his final encore, 120 minutes had passed. But you couldn't really say Keith put on a two-hour concert. This set had more padding than a Dolly Parton look-alike contest at Oilcan Harry's.Look, I'm no Toby Keith fan. The fact that he brought his "co-songwriter" out on stage with him tells you all you need to know (although it is a little shocking, because it's supposed to be FM Country Radio's BIG SECRET that most of these tampon-selling prettyboys don't *gasp* write much of "their" material). For me, it's about the music. And that stuff is dreadful. Vomitous. Dreck.Toby talked, mostly about how the current era of political correctness has encroached on his constitutional right to be a flag-wavin', beer-drinkin', gangster-lynchin' mullethead. He led unimpressive sing-alongs on numbers like "Shoulda Been a Cowboy" and "Let's Talk About Me" and took several breaks, most notably while singing "Beer For My Horses" and "Who's Your Daddy."
Those huge hits from his most recent "Unleashed" album were delivered as if Keith were being fed the lyrics from a TelePrompTer while wondering what's for supper.
But don't you get the sense from Corcoran's review that, really, it was Toby Keith's POLITICS that ruined the show for him? That the ignorant redneck from Oklahoma should have known better than to come pull that conservative crap with the OH-SO-SOPHISTICATED Austinites?
Beats me. I couldn't get any kind of feel for the show itself from reading Corcoran's review (and it's not the first time). I just got a good feeling of all the things that Corcoran likes to bitch and moan about. But really, bitching and moaning is no substitute for a smart review.
For my own reasons, I enjoyed this line:
There are the jingoistic jingles that have made him infamous in some circles, the boogie numbers like "When Country Comes To Town" that have made him rich and the love ballads that made Saturday's crowd predominantly female.Corcoran might have pursued the point a bit further, which would have led him to question why anybody outside of Nashville would think tampon sales and musical ability are one and the same. But, in fairness, I think Corcoran was having *ahem* personal problems of his own with tampons by the time he got around to writing this review.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/03 20:49 | Music | Technorati | Comments (33)
CBS Preseason Silliness
A couple of Sooners make the CBS Sportline preseason All-America football team:
Tommie Harris (DT)
and
Lance Mitchell (LB)
No arguing over Tommie Harris. He is a manster in the middle.
But Lance Mitchell isn't even the best linebacker ON HIS OWN TEAM.
That would be the speedy assassin, Teddy Lehman, TSN's Big 12 defensive player of the year last year.
I just love it when outfits like CBS try to analyze college football. They do about as good a job as they do with the news.
While I'm complaining, it's also a travesty that OSU wide receiver extraordinaire Rashaun Woods isn't on this list. Of course, CBS knows Roy Williams of Texas. Everybody knows him. But Woods is every bit as good, AND comes through in big games (ask my Sooners). We all know how Texas, Mack, Roy, Cedric, and crew perform in big games. Williams may well make a better pro player -- maybe -- but Woods is the best in the Big 12. And he should have been a preseason All-America.
Not that anyone should pay any attention to retarded CBS.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/03 20:21 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (3)
News From Pawhuska
Ah, it's always good to see what's going on back where I grew up:
A Pawhuska man who was shot by a woman he allegedly was attacking appeared Monday in federal court in Tulsa after being charged with two counts of attempted sexual abuse and two counts of first-degree burglary.Funny that she would think that after a strange man came in, fondled her breasts, and rubbed her genital area. Allegedly.He was shot three times by the woman, court records state.
Terrence Anthony Brown, 24, is charged in federal court because the alleged July 31 and Aug. 9 crimes occurred in "Indian Country" in Osage County.
A Pawhuska woman told investigators on Aug. 9 that she had been asleep on her couch in the early morning hours when she was awakened by a knock on her door, a court affidavit shows.
The woman told authorities that the person spoke in "a little bitty voice" and claimed to be "Jody," which is the name of her next-door neighbor's granddaughter, the affidavit says.
The woman said that when she opened the door, she was met by a man who said he wanted to use the bathroom.
When she tried to close the door, he allegedly pushed it open, grabbed the woman, fell on top of her, fondled her chest and rubbed her genital area.
According to the affidavit, the man grabbed her head and forced it toward his penis. She told investigators she was able to get away from the man and into the kitchen area after faking an asthma attack and telling him she needed to get her inhaler.
The woman got a handgun and fired three rapid shots, according to the affidavit.
The man tried to get out of the house, but the front door was jammed by a rug, the report indicates. The two reportedly struggled near the door as the man allegedly kicked and hit the woman with his fist before running out the door.
The woman reportedly fired a fourth shot at the man as he fled. She called 911 and told authorities that she thought the man was the same person who had tried to rape her July 31.
The woman claimed that someone had entered her home that day through her closed, unlocked door while she slept on the couch. She alleged that a man attacked her from behind, began choking her and reached down her sweat pants.
According to the affidavit, the man went outside when someone called, and the woman took the opportunity to lock the door and call 911. She said she then found that jewelry, including two rings, had been taken.
On Aug. 9, a nearby homeowner found Brown, who had collapsed after being shot in the right arm, right side of the chest and left leg. After the homeowner called 911, Brown was flown to Tulsa for medical treatment.
Brown was questioned by authorities at St. Francis Hospital on Aug. 9 and 11. He reportedly first claimed to have been a victim of a drive-by shooting but reportedly signed a statement Aug. 11, admitting that on Aug. 9 he pushed open the woman's door and knocked her to the floor.
According to the affidavit, Brown reportedly wrote: "I guess she thought I was going to have sex with her. She thought I was going to rape her. She got her gun and started shooting me."
If you get the promotional brochure from Pawhuska with the pretty pictures of the Tallgrass Prairie and that slogan "A Pleasant Community With A Lot To Offer" don't you believe it! Just keep on driving. Don't even stop for gas if you can help it. And don't drink the water.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/19/03 20:09 | Other | Technorati | Comments (5)
18 August 2003
Mind Games
Lots of speculation on what "message" Bill Parcells was trying to send when he and the entire coaching staff walked out of practice yesterday.
Ever the coy one, Parcells says he wasn't trying to send any message:
Hint: Coach isn't talking about himself or his fellow coaches with that WE.One day after disgustedly leaving practice because of his team's lackluster performance, Bill Parcells and his staff returned to practice Monday morning.
The Cowboys' coach said he wasn't trying to send his players a message by walking out and didn't really care that players put in 30 minutes of additional practice time on their own. The rest of the coaching staff as well as the training and equipment staffs also left practice Sunday.
"When things aren't going well, we have to find enough resourcefulness to handle the situation," Parcells said. "We didn't handle it well yesterday."
On ESPN earlier, former Cowboy great Michael Irvin got in a good crack about Coach Parcells probably hoping that one of his quarterbacks would step up and take charge after the walkoff, and instead he got fullback Richie Anderson. Michael may not have been too far off:
Parcells said his quarterbacks didn't "take command of the situation" Sunday. Then he backed away from criticizing the quarterbacks and blamed the entire team.Okay, so maybe technically Parcells wasn't sending a message. Rather, he was creating a situation so he could see the response. And the response was lacking."If you can't stop the negative flow," Parcells said, "you're not going to win."
So how long before he gets Ray Lucas signed? Sometime after the game Thursday night?
The news gets worse, too. Willie Blade, the only player on the roster with the size and potential to hold down the jumbo DT position, went down with a knee sprain that will have him out at least several weeks -- this after finally showing some signs he might realize his potential. So, training camp is almost over, and of the four problem areas (CB, QB, RB, jumbo DT), the Cowboys can only feel very good about one (CB). Parcells may have a stroke before this season is over.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/18/03 20:36 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
17 August 2003
Freaky
I think I picked a good weekend largely to stay inside, away from trouble:
Hitoshi Nikaidoh, 35, of Dallas, a surgical resident at the hospital at 1919 La Branch, was stepping onto a second-floor elevator in the main building around 9:30 a.m. when the doors closed, pinning his shoulders, said Harold Jordan, an investigator with the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office. The elevator car then moved upward, severing the doctor's head, Jordan said.What a terrible way to go.
You Houstonians be careful next time you're in Christus St. Joseph hospital.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/17/03 20:34 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (2)
I'm Not The Only One Who Roadtrips All Over For Music
Rob has posted an amusing review of his experience seeing Glenn Tillbrook in Austin this weekend.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/17/03 20:31 | Music | Technorati | Comments (2)
San Antonio Laughs At Houston
It's pretty bad when a Texas city WITHOUT an NFL team gets to make fun of Houston. But it's justified:
The Texans are still so proud of their 19-10 win over the Cowboys nearly a year ago in the season opener, that a Houston sports radio station recently ran a rebroadcast of the upset [I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS, BUT HOW EFFING PATHETIC IS THAT?!]. A radio rebroadcast, mind you, hearkening to a simpler time when families gathered around the "talking box" for a little imaginative entertainment.At what point will someone in THIS town begin to ask Saint Casserly what the hell he was thinking in giving up valuable draft picks on two quarterbacks (one of whom is in the Yankees minor league system) and a recuperating running back (supplemental draft), when this team desperately needs offensive lineman to protect Carr, who has some decent receivers who never see the ball because there's no time to throw? And if Saint Casserly thinks he has supplied the coaches with enough talent, then when will Chris Palmer be held accountable for this terrible offense?It's safe to say, however, that the Texans should stuff any film, audio and the like of Friday night's lopsided preseason 34-6 loss to the Cowboys in Texas Stadium in the basement, never to see the light of day, except for maybe educational purposes.
As in, how not to play offense, defense or special teams — at least for most of a mostly bland four quarters.
Just wondering. I doubt we'll see such tough questions from the pitiful local media, though. Maybe some San Antonio writer can phone it in?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/17/03 15:57 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)
Bad News For The Dannyskins
Little Danny Snyder (left) and Visor Steve Spurrier were just delighted when they overspent on journeyman free agent defensive tackle Brandon Noble, since they were able to sign him away from the hated Cowboys.
Although Noble was always a hard worker, he's not much of a physical presence, and was never going to be an adequate replacement for Daryle Gardener or Dan Wilkinson (last year's tandem for the Dannyskins).
Now that he's injured and out for the year, the Dannyskins are in trouble.
I feel bad for Noble. A DISLOCATED KNEECAP?!
Noble, who had an injury-free career during his four seasons in Dallas, said he knew immediately he was in trouble when the pile landed on him Saturday.Holy hell."You kind of know where your kneecap is, and when it's not where it's supposed to be," he said.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/17/03 15:37 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)
Archer City
Who would have guessed that Archer City, Texas (population 1,848) has one of the best used bookstores in the entire state?
Thanks to author Larry McMurtry, it does. His used bookstores occupy four buildings on the town square (hell, they ARE the town square I imagine), and house 200,000 - 300,000 books.
Wow.
I wouldn't have guessed (although I had seen McMurtry's collection mentioned here before). I'm sensing a roadtrip coming on at some point (although Archer City really is in the middle of nowhere). I don't get to the used bookstores as much as I did in grad school, but I do still love a good used bookstore. Especially one that's new to me.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/17/03 14:44 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (4)
16 August 2003
Jerry Being Jerry
It's all happiness and love at this point, but you have to wonder how long it will take Bill Parcells to get tired of Jerry Jones sounding like Jerry Jones.
As in:
"Quincy is getting to do the things he does best," owner Jerry Jones said. "You saw how he threw on the run. And how he used his mobility to escape the pocket and nearly turn it into a touchdown on a naked bootleg.and"He showed his running skills and did things that make you have to consider him for the starting job."
Jones said it looked like Carter did a much better job of making correct reads against Houston.Thanks, Coach Jones."Early on, I was concerned about his decision-making," said Jones, referring to a pair of passes that were nearly intercepted, "but he has a chance to grade out real well this week. He was exposed this week – and he didn't mess up."
But you'll pardon me if I don't take anything you say all that seriously, especially since you're the bozo who drafted the idiot in the second round when there were plenty of players around who could have helped this dreadful football team.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/03 23:49 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (0)
Fair And Balanced Chocolate
A followup on an earlier blog post about a Montrose chocolate store:
Several readers weighed in on the letter from a mother who says her children were "chastised" by a worker at The Chocolate Bar, 1835 W. Alabama.We report, you decide, fair and balanced (yeah, I felt like working it in. Sue me, FoxNews).Michael Peyton of Houston reports a similar experience with his sons, ages 5 and 7. They went in for ice cream but what they got was "yelled at, abused and just plain rudeness." His sons wanted to order themselves "because it makes them feel special and important." Instead, they were told, "This is an adult establishment. Children cannot order for themselves because they don't know what they want."
Jim Wallace of Houston says "thumbs up" to the owners for keeping their customers' kids in line. "I wish more store owners/managers would do so."
Margie Beegle of Houston says she's a frequent customer and the employees are always pleasant and treat customers like old friends. "I can only imagine that three toddlers are too many for one person to handle in a candy shop," Beegle writes.
Rhonda Powell of Houston says in the two years she's been a customer, she has never witnessed a child being reprimanded. In fact, she's heard some children being spoken to by name, and the owners had Halloween treats last October for children in costume.
Linda Rhodes of Hockley reports only pleasant experiences with the shop owner, even when it's busy. "An 18-month-old has not yet developed adequate motor skills to gently pick up an item. If packaging or delicate merchandise is damaged, of course it should be purchased."
R.A. Griffin of Houston says she takes exception to the Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" comparison. Griffin says she expects parents to watch that their children don't make every place a personal playground. "Don't get me started on children in Central Market's produce section who grab fruits and vegetables and, when told to put them back, drop them on the floor as their parents continue on, oblivious."
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/03 23:19 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (6)
News Of The Strange
I don't even know what to say about this.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/03 23:11 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)
I'd Rather Be There At The END Of The Season
The AP preseason college football poll came out today, and my Oklahoma Sooners are ranked #1.
For a record ninth time.
I still think there are question marks at QB, RB, and TE, but every other aspect of the team is stronger than the crew that won the national championship in 2000. And it's not like there's not talent at the three positions I just listed. Plus the schedule is relatively favorable. The non-conference opponents will boost the RPI, but they are all manageable. The conference schedule is always tough, but the layout is decent (unlike poor Oklahoma State, which has gotten a royal screwing from the Big 12 schedule makers; then again, OSU is playing a bunch of girls non-conference, so I don't feel too bad for 'em).
It all gets started on 30 August, with OU-North Texas. (Yeah yeah, so OU scheduled some girls to open the season. But 'Bama, UCLA, and Fresno aren't girls.) And OSU gets started at Nebraska. Seems goofy to start conference play in AUGUST, but hey, nobody asked me.
(Update) With so much Big 12 football on 30 August, you just KNOW I've gotta think this Caitlin Cary gig is gonna be one good show. You Houston peeps should really come on over to the Duck on 30 August.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/03 21:17 | Big 12 Football | Technorati | Comments (2)
FLUSH (or, The Sound Of Where Atlanta's Season Is Headed Now)
I saw Joe Montana on Fox Sports earlier, and he suggested that Michael Vick had better adopt the practice of sliding and dumping the ball off to open receivers instead of taking off like he's a running back trying to get to the end zone every time, because sooner or later he was going to be taken out.
Scary that Joe Montana was proven right just a little bit later.
Atlanta is likely to revert to being a terrible football team while Vick is recuperating. Not good.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/03 21:07 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)
A Top 20 List To Check Regularly
Jack Sparks has gotten a preview copy of Wayne "The Train" Hancock's new live CD, and has good things to say about it. I've never managed to see Hancock, although I did catch his impressive guitarist Chris Masterson sitting in as a guest for the Dead End Angels one night, before the amazing Rick Poss joined my favorite Texas band. Masterson's good (although I'm not sure if he's still playing with Hancock regularly).
Of course, Hancock just played the Continental Club in Houston LAST weekend, which I discovered just now. Only a week too late. Oops.
I see that Joe Ely's latest has made Jack's latest Top 20. Cool. I think it's one of Joe's best efforts in a while, very stripped down. It should make good fodder for his upcoming acoustic shows at the Mucky Duck (with Joel Guzman sitting in, I hear).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/16/03 14:30 | Music | Technorati | Comments (0)
What A Bunch Of Horse Crap
Stories like this one from KHOU-11 here in town make me cringe, because 1) we (Texans) come off as even more arrogant than usual (and the usual amount of arrogance is plenty!), and 2) it's just begging for something to go wrong, and then the West Coast, East Coast, and Iraq will all be laughing at us.
Here's the story:
HOUSTON -- A history making blackout is stubbornly being reversed in the northeast where 50 million people had no power at one point Thursday. It could take days to get electricity running at full strength.*sigh* Maybe it's true, but breakdowns do happen. It's nice to know the rest of the country will reciprocate our compassion when/if it happens here.New York was the worst hit, but the power was coming back on throughout Friday.
The same can't be said in Cleveland where the blackout continues for many as electric crews try to restore full service. The National Guard is trucking in fresh water because of a water shortage there.
As for what exactly happened, that remains uncertain. But in general here's what happens when power is lost at the source: When one part of an electrical grid is knocked off-line other power stations try to compensate for the loss. This can overload transmission lines so circuit breakers automatically cut power to prevent damage to the system. This puts even more demand on remaining parts of the grid, causing them to go offline as well. Nuclear plants, which require power to cool their reactors, may shutdown too to prevent meltdowns. In just minutes blackouts can spread a large area.
But you won't find that problem in Texas. Texas is an energy expert.
Didn't build hardly nothing. Nice grammar, Ovidiu. There are times when I'm SO proud to hold a Ph.D. from this fine institution of higher learning. This is not one of them.
There is nothing that sounds better a little sub-station humming along, especially after what happened Thursday in New York and the Midwest."Well, I'm not so surprised," said University of Houston professor Ovidiu Crisan. He said most of the country is vulnerable to breakdowns because states haven't invested in the infrastructure. "The best example is California where they didn't build hardly nothing in the last ten years."
Well, that's good. But instead of acting like we're so superior, we might be cognizant of the fact that College Station isn't exactly New York City, and that there indeed could be weaknesses in our own grid that need shoring up. Even though we're in Texas. And superior. And all that.So think of the nation's power structure as a grid of dominoes and cascading blackouts. Fortunately, Texas stands apart from the rest of the country. And on those days when the dominoes are falling across the country we're safe.
"Texas, we're our own little country within the country. So I think we'll be all right," said one man.
"You can never say never," said Tom Standish, the president of Centerpoint Energy. He believes the state's infrastructure is better. "The state of Texas has never had, is the only grid in the U.S. that's never had a blackout."
Meaning the entire grid has never collapsed.
Remember three, four, five months ago when Bryan and College Station blacked out? It was much like New York, except miniaturized. But that blackout had no ripple effect in Houston or anywhere else.
The lights did not go out across Texas.
Geez.
(08-20-03 Update) Dan, your comment has been deleted because it was impolite. This is my blog and I can and do say what I like within the limi