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Leslie reminded Austin it was getting too big for its britches

We end on a sad note this week.

The bonafide character of Austin, the sometimes homeless, scraggly and cross-dressing, Leslie Cochran died this week at the age of 60. If you have read this blog from the beginning, you might remember that Leslie was my original choice for Texas governor in the 2010 election. He didn’t win. He didn’t even run. Some say Leslie exemplified what helped “keep Austin weird.” I’m not so sure. I’m not even sure Austin is any weirder than, say, Marquez, or maybe even Dime Box.

Creative Commons photo by Johanna McShan Photography

Perhaps Leslie was what helped Austin from being just another large Texas city with too much traffic and too little infrastructure. Or perhaps Leslie’s thong-exposed butt was stuck out there on South Congress Avenue to help remind others that the city and its folks aren’t nearly as cool as they think they are.

That’s not to say I hate or don’t like Austin. I do like it. I’ve liked it since the 70s when it was a little city with a refreshing absence of blatant self-superiority. It was certainly more enjoyable when you weren’t forced stop for traffic jams at all hours of the day on I-35 or other crowded byways. Or, of course, it was definitely more favorable when the Armadillo World Headquarters still existed. Those were the days, such as when a topless UT coed sunbathing and literally “hanging out” at Barton Springs Pool was more as a act of simple youth enjoyment rather than an exercise of entitled chic.

Many headlines and news clips today say Austin is less weird with Leslie gone. I just say Austin is left a little less colorful and minus a living example to warn a city that it can get a little too big for its britches.

 

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Verizon’s lightning fast speed delivered in geological years

Verizon Wireless likes to tout its “lightning fast 4G speeds.” I have the third 4G device from that company in less than two weeks. It is a Samsung mobile hotspot. I used the term “MiFi” the other day. I think that is actually Novatel’s version. Both are similar gizmos. The mobile hotspot is a very simple little box that allows one to allegedly connect up to five computers at once and deliver the Internet at, once again, its “lightning fast” speed. Wow. Lightning. That would be pretty damned fast wouldn’t it? All kidding aside, it has allowed me to tame the rowdy piece of crap Lenovo half-tablet, half-notebook, half-ass computer I have to use at work. That is an unintended consequence however.

Sometimes the device does come up with some very fast speeds, both uploading and downloading. It’s best if you stick it in a window though. The hotspot also has a tendency to stall and, it seems at least, it takes a bit of time to reboot the device.

What has been the worst feature about this wireless gadget is that, as fast as Verizon claims to be, they turn out to be very slow and very careless in getting the gizmo to the customer. For instance, I got the device itself on Monday. Since the battery had to be shipped from a different point than the hotspot, the battery didn’t come until Tuesday. I spent a day of annual leave to make sure I was home for the FedEx guy.

Upon opening the package with the battery, I noticed that the charger that was supposed to come with the battery was nowhere to be found. It is pretty crucial because the battery uses up its juice in less than five hours. Fortunately, my phone charger fit the mobile hotspot. Actually, it is more like amazing because as anyone who has bought more than one electronic gadget knows, every device seems to have its own unique battery charger. It’s kind of like each snowflake being different.

My charger came today, but since I was working I will have to pick it up at FedEx tomorrow. And guess what else I discovered? The Verizon geniuses sent me the wrong battery cover. I kind of wondered why the battery seemed to bounce around when I pull it out of my computer bag after a drive home from work. Now I know. The young girl I spoke to at Verizon awhile ago said that Tuesday was the earliest I could receive what is the right battery cover. That means I probably won’t get it until Wednesday.

This would all be good for a big laugh were this not a product of rampant stupidity on the part of Verizon and its employees. Or maybe it is rampant stupidity mixed with gross negligence or they are just being mean to me. I know that the latter sounds paranoid but I really have been riding their asses at Verizon like jockeys at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Poor little gal, the last I spoke to, I told her rather loudly that “I DON’T CARE IF YOU SEND THE THING AT CHRISTMAS!!!” That is probably what they will do.

Now that I have that out of my system, perhaps I will let someone know what I really think about Verizon.

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Wherever Manning goes, the best to him

This afternoon I have tried to write a few thoughts concerning the so-called “amicable divorce” between 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning and his longtime team the Indianapolis Colts. Nothing has come together. There are a number of reasons, mostly the fact that I have had similar cervical spine surgeries. Mine have left me with chronic pain treated with methadone.

Manning said he plans to play somewhere despite being cut by the Colts as a means of saving more than $30 million. I wish that he would retire, for his own safety and perhaps to save him a little pain although the latter is maybe just wishful thinking. I used to not understand why a man would do such a thing. I guess listening to sports talk radio has helped me realize that football is a way of life for Manning as well as those of his ilk, and not just a sport guys play professionally on Sunday afternoons — or Monday nights or Thursday nights or Sunday nights or Thanksgiving Day, and so forth. It is a job. It is a game. It is more. Okay, I get it.

Eventually, Manning will retire. It might happen after he is brought out of the game on his own power or on a gurney. It may be three years. It might be less.

Bearing all that in mind, the most important facet of the story today in my mind is that Manning will likely not play for my favorite team, the Houston Texans. That is good because I think Texans QB Matt Schaub can lead the team next season to a Super Bowl, a thought that even people more knowledgeable of the game than I have discussed. Whether Manning ends up in a division opponent or even another AFC team might be of concern. Likewise if he plays for a NFC team that will face the Texans next season.

I believe great athletes should, at every opportunity, go out on top. I feel that way for Manning because he is one hell of a quarterback, football player and as well seems like a pretty good guy to boot. But just as was the case when Manning led Indianpolis as an intra-divisional rival against Houston, if he plays my team I hope his team gets beat though I wish him the best of luck and safety. It’s his party and he can cry if he wants to.

 

 

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A “rat” awesome blog post, it is

Holy Foley, there is a lot going on and I don’t have time to put my two-point-five cents’ worth in, to escape ending with a preposition. I haven’t been here in a few days thanks to Verizon. I finally got my second replacement for the 4G upgrade I received a week or so ago. The replacement’s replacement is a “MiFi,” or “Jetpack.” which is basically a device smaller than my cell phone that provides a mobile wi-fi hot spot wherever I go. In theory. The device and battery arrived in two separate boxes on two separate days. It’s a funny thing but there is little communication between Verizon and FedEx. I bet that surprises the hell out of you if you’ve ever dealt with either one of those companies. I still am awaiting a charger for the MiFi which will come in maybe one, maybe three days. I can use my phone charger on the MiFi for the time being, thankfully.

I have a doctor’s appointment at the local VA, the monthly type, in about 1.5 hours, but I will write a few things, go to the doc, well, nurse and then come back to this labor of love (Say what?) when I finish my rat-killing. Oh lighten up, PETA, I’m not really killing rats except the ones that come inside where I live and chomp on rat bait. “Doing your rat-killing” or “Finishing my rat-killing” is just an East Texas way of saying I am going to run errands or do some chore or the other.

All hail the President

President Obama just held his first news conference since October. He announced that SEAL Team 6 has been sent to take out Rush Limbaugh. That’s a joke, son. I think the most poignant remark Seamus O’Bama made today concerned all the saber-rattling taking place all over the place. Some folks such as John McCain — who never saw a problem that couldn’t be taken care of with by a Cruise missile, Tom or otherwise, wants us to bomb Syria. Captain McCain wants us to help out the Syrians fighting against the dictator Assad. That might not be so bad if we knew Assad would not be replaced by some Hezbollah-Bolla-Slop-Bucket or that rockin’ group named Al Cicada and His Exploding Crickets.

Then there is Iran to bomb. Israel would probably have already bombed them had there not been more targets in sunny Teheran than Newton Yahoo has in his Tel Aviv arsenal. President O’Bama said it is easy for folks to stand on the sidelines and say “bomb ’em,” to paraphrase.

“Now, what’s said on the campaign trail — you know, those folks don’t have a lot of responsibilities, said the Prez. “They’re not commander in chief. And when I see the casualness with which some of these folks talk about war, I’m reminded of the costs involved in war; I’m reminded of the decision that I have to make, in terms of sending our young men and women into battle, and the impacts that has on their lives, the impact it has on our national security, the impact it has on our economy.

“This is not a game,” the CINC said. “And there’s nothing casual about it.”

Soup or Tuesday?

Remember the movie “Willard?” The original is the only one I remember. There was a remake too. The point is that Willard loved rats. Whether Willard Mitt Romney loves rats, I don’t know. If he thought it might get him votes, he might get in bed nekkid with a whole passel of rodents and roll around with them. You can probably substitute rodents there with $100 bills. Tonight, Willard could lock up the Republican presidential nomination. And then he might not. I’m kind of tired of that whole rat race. What is it with the rat theme today, anyway? To celebrate Soup or Tuesday, I will hopefully watch “Justified” tonight because the stupid hotel in which I was staying in San Antonio last week didn’t carry FX on its cable.

I’m off to the VA!

Ugh. What a way to spend an afternoon of leave. That is it today, bucakangaroos!

 

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On 4G turmoil and watching a skinny Sinatra fighting an ever rotund Borgnine

The weekend is starting much like the last, which is languishing in 4G territory. So far, I’ve had two USB modems from Verizon for my 4G Internet coverage and both had problems that the tech people don’t seem to know how to fix. I have probably spoken to 20 different people at Verizon over the course of a week.

Next on the agenda is “MiFi,” which is Verizon’s 4G mobile hotspot. It’s like carrying a WiFi hotspot around with you. Sounds like a pain in the Santorum. We shall see though. I may just end up raising carrier pigeons.

I stayed up much later than I had planned last night, knowing I had work today, watching “From Here to Eternity.” It isn’t the type of war movie I normally like — with a few minutes of Pearl Harbor attack — but I guess the fact that it is so supremely crafted that it has kind of mesmerized me over the years. Certainly great acting, a ton of Oscars, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed in supporting roles. Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift were nominated for best actor but lost to William Holden for “Stalag 17.” I grew up watching Ernest Borgnine playing comedic roles so seeing him as a heavy, no pun intended, a bully is kind of hard to grasp. But he does his job well, right up to the … Spoiler alert, perhaps I should have said.

Here is hoping you have a great weekend, whomever “you” might be.