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Friday, April 13, 2012
A Return to Blogging
I have been away from BDS for a good while. The creativity was just not there. You get busy with the day to day activities and deadlines, etc. A lot can happen and if you don't take the time to document events they can slip into the ether and disappear. So, with that in mind I will be posting more random observations; more travel logs, more trips down memory lane. I hope you enjoy these ramblings as much as I do.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
I had four biscuits, then I ate one. Now I have three.
The dry spell is over. Beaten Down Stories relauches soon. Stay tuned for more content.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Story From My Hometown Paper
Not sure what I enjoyed more, that fact that the driver had a chance to "hit her breaks" or that the accident occurred just west of the bait shop.
Copied from the online version of the Bowie County Citizen's Tribune.
Maud bus rear ended
28 evacuated after driver fails to stop while bus unloads children on Hwy 67
By Robin Aaron
Tribune News
Twenty-eight Maud school children aboard bus 596 got a shock yesterday afternoon when a vehicle hit their bus from behind.
According to reports, the driver simply did not see the bus stopping to let out one child on Hwy 67 after school dismissed. The accident occurred on Hwy 67, just west of the bait shop in Maud.
Department of Public Safety Troopers Turner and Holt worked the accident, but could not be reached for comment. According to Director of Transportation Jim Norman, there was only one possible minor injury, which he attributed partially to the bus driver’s good work in keeping all the passangers seated.
"She did a great job," Norman said. "She even had the seating chart ready to hand to DPS, Sandra did everything as she’d been trained.
Sandra Miller, who has been driving for Maud for the past 7 years. She was able to unload the 28 kids after the accident, with the assistance of the Maud Volunteer Fire Department.
"She does a really good job of keeping control and keeping everybody seated," Fire Chief Roy Beckett said. "the bus was unloading one kid when they were hit, but nobody really received any injuries."
It is unknown how fast the vehicle was travelling at the time of the accident. The driver said she was able to hit her breaks, but not in time to avoid the accident, according to Beckett.
Copied from the online version of the Bowie County Citizen's Tribune.
Maud bus rear ended
28 evacuated after driver fails to stop while bus unloads children on Hwy 67
By Robin Aaron
Tribune News
Twenty-eight Maud school children aboard bus 596 got a shock yesterday afternoon when a vehicle hit their bus from behind.
According to reports, the driver simply did not see the bus stopping to let out one child on Hwy 67 after school dismissed. The accident occurred on Hwy 67, just west of the bait shop in Maud.
Department of Public Safety Troopers Turner and Holt worked the accident, but could not be reached for comment. According to Director of Transportation Jim Norman, there was only one possible minor injury, which he attributed partially to the bus driver’s good work in keeping all the passangers seated.
"She did a great job," Norman said. "She even had the seating chart ready to hand to DPS, Sandra did everything as she’d been trained.
Sandra Miller, who has been driving for Maud for the past 7 years. She was able to unload the 28 kids after the accident, with the assistance of the Maud Volunteer Fire Department.
"She does a really good job of keeping control and keeping everybody seated," Fire Chief Roy Beckett said. "the bus was unloading one kid when they were hit, but nobody really received any injuries."
It is unknown how fast the vehicle was travelling at the time of the accident. The driver said she was able to hit her breaks, but not in time to avoid the accident, according to Beckett.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Signs of Spring
Ah yes, Spring is in the air. I can feel it. Hard to believe that only 10 days ago it was snowing in the Hub City and this week's forecast is calling for a high in the 90's on Wednesday. Can't wait.
But, the change in the season brings another bane of my existance- nasty feet in flip flops. Yes, I detest the flip flop. Now I accept that flip flops have their place-in locker rooms, the beach, the pool, the lake, backyards, but that is about it. I swear when the mercury breaks 60 in Lubbock I see some Tech kids wearing flip flops. And I am sorry but flip flops and jeans look stupid. Flip Flops are the most disrespectful form of footwear- they scream to the world "HEY EVERYBODY! I DON'T GIVE A SH*T." I guess that they are so poplar because of all the Asian nail salons, or maybe vice versa; could this be another chicken and the egg conundrum? Tech games, even when it's cold some idiot is wearing flip flips.
I guess what really bugs the hell out of me is flip flops in a business situation. Unless you are selling beachwear (on a beach) or renting canoes or tubes, you have no business wearing flip flops- that includes retail and offices. No one wants to see your feet, especially me. If I was in charge of the dress code at my work there would be no open toed shoes- period. One dude in my office sports sandals on Friday- Uhhhh, no thanks. I would not even allow Crocs (what a terrible shoe- Mrs. Ed used to wear Crocs until she saw Chris Winn wearing the exact same pair at the Fourth On Broadway Parade- she knew it was time to throw them away). According to orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Speight Grimes ( who gave a grate presentation to the Grater Southwest Lubbock Rotary on Feet), Flip Flops are the worst. They offer no protection for the toes and have no arch support. There are few things I find as annoying as the sound of flip flops coming down the hall- with the possible exception of gum popping and bad breath.
I suppose my dislike for feet comes from my time at Baylor. There were a couple of guys with whom I had classes who were too cool for school (most were Sigma Chis) and thought it was cool to go to class sans footware. So disrepectful. Now I am not saying everyone needs to wear wingtips but have some decorum!
Anyway, Happy Easter.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Taking Advantage of the Man Upstairs
I am onboard with church. I don't attend as much as I should but for the most part I support the mission of spreading the gospel and relieving suffering. However, two news articles have called that into question:
The story concerns a residence in Washington DC frequented by Republicans which is classified as a "church" for tax reasons.
This story irradiated me as well:
A northern Texas tax appraisal district has agreed to exempt the $3.3 million jet owned by Kenneth Copeland Ministries from property taxes.
The Tarrant Appraisal District's concession is at the heart of a settlement reached with the Newark-based television evangelist's ministry last week. KTVT-TV of Fort Worth and Dallas reported the district also agreed to drop its requirement of salary information on the ministries' directors.
The Tarrant Appraisal District's concession is at the heart of a settlement reached with the Newark-based television evangelist's ministry last week. KTVT-TV of Fort Worth and Dallas reported the district also agreed to drop its requirement of salary information on the ministries' directors.
A $3.3 million dollar plane? Really? That's necessary for winning hearts and minds to Jesus?
I have serious problems with mega-churches that are more like country clubs than houses of worship. How can you really get to know you fellow church members when there are five or more worship services?
We live in a free country in which we can choose how we worship. But these big mega churches abuse their tax exempt status in my opinion. They own vast swaths of valuable real estate and other tangible personal property- all exempt from taxation.
Worship how you want, just don't expect the rest of us to foot the bill for your socializing.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Music To My Ears
I know a couple of folks who have those Sonos music systems that stream music from the intercom and music library throughout their very comfortable houses. I was always impressed with these systems- both the functionality and the price. You can drop some serious bucks on those. So I was intrigued when I saw a more budget friendly alternative- The Logitech Squeezebox. Once I got past the uncomfortable name, I wanted to try it. Not sure of my level of committment I opted for the Squeezebox Radio as my Christmas present. I was not disappointed.
This little jewel is snap to set up. It immediately connected to the intercom via my AT&T uVerse wireless network and I was streaming Slacker in no time. It also has a nice search feature for Internet Radio stations. I found The Ticket, Lone Star 92.5 , KXT and KTAO very easily and quickly. It also streams Sirius Online. We are an XM family and it will stream XM with some plugins. My entire iTunes library is available and I can download an app to my Applefone which will control the radio like a remote. Anyway, for the money you can't beat it. The sound is exceptional for such a small device and it has an input for your iPhone/iPond.
http://www.logitechsqueezebox.com/products/squeezebox-radio.html
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