WHY GAS?

I just finished ordering my personalized license plate for my Chevrolet Volt.  What do ya think? :-)

I literally tried every combination you could think of and this was the only one left.  I tried NO GAS, ZERO GAS, ZRO GAS, N0 GAS, X GAS and others, but to no avail.  I think I chose a pretty cool one nonetheless.

Back In The Day - Judy Garland and The Supremes

$1, really?  Hell, even the 2, 3, 4 and 5 dollar ticket prices sound amazing.  Talk about a deal.  

Ironically enough, the vintage ad is for a concert at the old Astrodome here in Houston.  

If only the ticket prices still existed. LOL.  As for the Astrodome, it's still standing; for now.

Don't Mess With Texas: Report A Litterer

If there is one thing I have been guilty of, it's littering.  Yes, I will confess.  When I was in my twenties and early thirties I threw my cigarette butts out the window after I was done smoking.  Fortunately for me, this all stopped when a passenger threw out a Snicker's bar wrapper out my window and we ended up getting a $250 ticket for it.

But today, I will report your ass!  Yep, the most envied state in the union has given me the opportunity to report you!  And I say this now, because as I was driving my brand new car home after work one day, an idiot (me in past life), threw a cigarette butt out his window and it landed on my hood.  I was not a very happy camper.  I was furious.

Click on the image above and follow the instructions.

Here's what to do

So what can you do when you see trash blowing in the wind and eventually landing on the side of our highways? Instead of delivering your own method of justice, we suggest turning the litterer in through the Texas Department of Transportation’s Report a Litterer Program. It’s an anonymous way to gently remind litterbugs they Don’t mess with Texas.

1. Keep all hands in the vehicle and take some notes

When you see litter thrown or flying out of a vehicle, intentionally or accidentally, take down the following information—license plate number, make and color of vehicle, date and time, location, who tossed the litter, and what was tossed. Be as accurate as possible and submit:

via dontmesswithtexas.org

Crimes of the Century - No. 23 - The Sad Saga of Andrea Yates, 2001

The Sad Saga of Andrea Yates, 2001

For those of us living in Houston, we vividly remember this story, the trial and the events leading to the verdict; Only to be exonerated several years later for this heinous and vicious act.  Everyone blamed the Husband (I was one of them), and felt he should have gone to prison just as she did.

While the article by TIME (below) gives insight into the crime, you can also go here to read the drama as it unfolded on that terrible day in 2001.

***

The prosecution in the trial of Andrea Yates argued that she may have drowned her four young sons and infant daughter in the family bathtub as a kind of symbolic revenge for the emptiness of her life with their father, Randy. However, as shocking as the June 20, 2001 drownings were, much of the speculation was over Yates' mental condition. Did the fact that she had five children, each spaced about two years apart, have anything to do with mental illness, brought on perhaps by repetitive post-partum depression? And what of her conservative Christian husband and the home-schooling of the children? How much time did the young mother have to herself? Absent from Yates was the viciousness of Susan Smith, who had locked her two young sons in a car on Oct. 25, 1994, let them slide into a lake, all in order to be free to run off with a wealthy lover. Instead, the focus was the insidiousness of mental illness. Yates confessed to the murders and would undergo two trials. The first rejected insanity as a defense and sent her to prison for life. An appeal gave her a second trial in which she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She has since been committed to a mental health facility. Her husband has remarried.

***

TIME Magazine posted this article online several years ago, along with a list of 24 additional notorious crimes that I have been posting and will continue to post every Saturday on my blog.  Hope you enjoy.

***

To read the previous 22 crimes - click my logo below.

 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - Issue No. 10

This is pretty cool.  And if you're a Texan you'll definitely want to share this.  A gentleman by the name of Nathan Hoang used to live in Texas for 25 years.  He started to get a little homesick so he took on a project he hopes to continue for the 50+1 states.

He listed all the things he missed about Texas and made it into a poster.  A "Love Letter" to his home state.  He's also made a video and explains why he would like to call his project "HOME".  Feel free to check this out on his kickstarter page.

It's been 3 months since I posted an issue of "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words", so for those who haven't seen my previous issues I started this series as a way to introduce my readers to the world of art through words.  And by words, I mean where the artist has taken several hundred pieces of text and created a masterpiece; it could be a self-portrait, landscape or still-life.  It's called Typographical Art, much like a typographical quote you see posted on a Facebook news feed from time to time. But with hundreds, if not thousands of words instead of just a few.

North Texas, South Texas, East Texas, West Texas and Austin

LOL...North Texas, South Texas, East Texas, West Texas and Austin. We would then move to the free state of Austin. I always love his videos.  I'm referring to my partner, Peter's recent posting of "Can Texas Secede From The Union?"  The video was so smart and hilarious.

Yeah, I could definitely see many of our out of state liberal friends wanting this state to leave. Hell, sometimes I can't even stand many of its' ill conceived policies run by an idiot that was voted in by idiots. The fact is though that with its' faults it also has many promises like lots of available area to live, work and start a family in a climate that's lovely minus the occasional hurricane and constant humidity. This with its' thriving economy, and promise of jobs and lower taxes and costs of living, many outsiders have flocked to this state in a mass migration.

The great news is that the people that are moving are coming from more expensive and liberal states, and they are not ashamed to bring their views with them. This state can only be the crazy conservative state for so long before its' changing population starts voting the other way, turning the state blue. It will happen. If things like gay marriage and immigration rights are no longer a party issue then it won't be too long before the conservative religious parts of the republican party just stop voting, as they're threatening to do now. Once that happens, along with cultural changes and time, Texas will be a thriving liberal state and Rick Perry will be a relic from the past. We will party when that day arrives.
 
I cannot wait. Texas will not be its' own country. It's heading in the complete opposite direction to one day be just like the other large, liberal states in our country, and there's nothing that these conservatives can do about it except move. Problem is that the only countries that still share their views are third worlds parts of Africa and the middle east, and last time I checked most bible belt religious fanatics don't really like black or brown people. They could build a space ship and colonize another planet in their conservative image, but that would mean they'd have to believe in science first to actually accomplish such a feat. 

The only option I could think of left would be if God himself came down and brought them all up to heaven, which I'm sure they're all hoping for. Only, last time I checked, God didn't approve of haters. Tough luck people. Sucks to be you. Your time has past and our victory is nigh! Someone hit the play button to Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" already. 

The Lovely 29 States That Can Fire You For Being Gay

Yep, and my lovely state of Texas if one of them.  I look at this sea of red and can't figure out why these state legislatures would allow this to happen.  I have my theories, but there are not enough curse words in the English or Spanish language to voice my frustration.

Thankfully, employers make their own decisions in our state.  And while M.D. Anderson doesn't provide health insurance for our spouses, they do support the GLBT community.  Now, Ryan's bank, on the other hand, provides domestic partner benefits, and this is across the board - all over the U.S. 

I honestly believe that if conservatives and republicans could find a way, they would make it illegal to be Gay.  I honestly believe that. They hate us that much.

via upworthy

Can Texas Secede From The Union?

NOOOOO!!!
 
Our wonderful Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has threatened to secede from the Union many times, and yet this nut job doesn't know it never can.  Don't ask me why he's our Governor; I ask myself that every day.  Lol.  Actually, I'll tell you why, it's because of all the itty bitty towns you see in red to the West, North West, East and North East.  And a few in the South.

All that aside, one of my favorite YouTube Vloggers, CGPGrey is back.  He explains that by law, Texas can divide itself into 5 states, but secede?  Not so much.

If you liked this video you will definitely want to check out CGPgrey's other fantastic videos I previously blogged about.
Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever
Daylight Saving Time Explained
Pennies Should Be Abolished
2012 & The End of The World
Primary Elections Explained 
10 Misconceptions Rundown
8 Animal Misconceptions Rundown
What Is Leap Year?

What Cowboy Hat Are You Wearing?

If you live in Houston and the surrounding area, you know what's happening tonight.  Lady Antebellum is rocking the stage tonight.  But it's more than just concerts galore for 3 weeks straight.  It's the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!  Which by the way is the world's largest live entertainment and livestock exhibition.

If you're out and about you may notice the various cowboy hats people are wearing.  Ever wonder what type of cowboy hat a particular person was sporting?  Well, now you can with this handy little chart.  10 hats - 10 styles, check them out.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm... Texas vs. Chile

I've known this for a long time, but just in case none of my fellow Texans knew...

We not only stole the flag design from Chile, we stole their damn motto too.  LMAO.

Chilean Flag

In order for Texas to differinteate itself from Chile, they made their star bigger and the blue extend from top to bottom on the left hand side.

Texan Flag

As for the motto, Chile's "La Estrella Solitaria", is "The Lone Star" in English.

And we are????  

The Lone Star State - go figure. 

Now that is something to really make you go, "hmmm".

The Cities Where A Paycheck Stretches The Furthest

So now you can add the city of Houston to another list of accomplishments.

Not only has the fourth largest city in the nation been previously ranked the #1 fastest growing city in North America - it's #1 in job growth, #1 in manufacturing, #1 in wage growth, and the #1 world's fastest growing metro area.   And if that isn't enough for you, it can now call itself the #1 best city to live in.  

According to Forbes Magazine, Houstonions can stretch their paychecks much further than any other city in the country.  Houston has the lowest cost of living when it comes to utilities, transportation, consumer pricing, and most importantly housing costs; Buying a house in Houston has never been more affordable.

Check out the article here, and be proud of our city.  Don't worry Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth - you rank 5th and 8th respectively.

Thank you, Mayor Annise Parker, for sharing the news on Facebook yesterday!

Houston Thieves!!!

I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but if you live in Houston, Texas (the fourth largest city in the nation), the Houston Police Department releases a monthly report on vehicles stolen for a particular month.  Last week they released April's monthly report and here are the "Top 10" makes of vehicles stolen during the month.  Report courtesy of ABC13.com.

1. Ford Trucks 144

2. Chevrolet Trucks 126

3. Honda Cars 109

4. Dodge Trucks 64

5. Toyota Cars 43

6. Chevrolet Cars 37

7. GMC Trucks 34

8. Dodge Cars 21

9. Nissan Cars 20

10. Toyota Trucks 18

And this is why my new car is parked in the garage, especially since Toyota cars happens to be #5 on the list.

Raining for Time

If there is any indication that rain and daylight saving time affects one schedule, today is the perfect example.  Geez, it's the afternoon in Texas, and I have yet to blog about one issue or topic of the day.  But it's a good thing;  Every now and then we need a little break - a little rest.  I will blog for the remainder of the week, but after Saturday, I will be taking a one or two week break, depending on how I feel.  

Ask any Blogger and they will tell you - it's time consuming, exhausting, and it takes most your day or evenings.  In my case, I have to blog the day or night before so that everything posts in a timely manner the next day.  There are times, like breaking news and such, where I'll immediately stop for the day to blog about the event, but that's far and in-between.  In either case. Hope you enjoy your Sunday.  And if you're in Houston, Texas - enjoy the rain... :-)

Entire Houston Area High School Lip Dubs to "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan

If you want something to make you smile, something to make you proud we live in this great country, or something just to make your day.  WATCH. THIS. VIDEO.

 

With all the craziness in the world, it's amazing how a video with over 1,800 High School students can make your day feel so much better.  Maybe it's because we were all high school students once, or maybe it's because we had or have teenagers who are in school, I don't know.  Maybe it's a combination of all those things.  Regardless, the entire student body of Stratford High School in Houston, Texas, created this video of them lip dubbing to K'naan's song, "Wavin' Flag" and it was absolutely fantastic! Absolutely, absolutely wonderful!

What a Hot Mess: Waitstaff Walks Out on Chef and Local Restaurant

I knew that Ryan's birthday was coming up, and wanted to plan dinner for his birthday.  One of the three choices was The Rainforest Cafe, Dave & Busters or The Ruggles Grill.  

We had previously mentioned the Rainforest Cafe to our friends, but we hadn't told them of Ruggles as an option.  When it came down to having dinner at Dave & Busters or Ruggles, we decided on the latter.

So you can imagine my surprise when I came across this article on Facebook this morning.  The Ruggles Waitstaff Stages Walk-Out, Alleging Non-Payment of Tips.  What a Hot Mess!

According to the article, 

"This past Saturday night at Ruggles was a busy one. There were nearly 200 customers packing the restaurant at Westheimer and Montrose, with a skeleton crew of only five waiters out of a normal 10-man crew. And at 7 p.m., all five of those waiters -- as well as Ruggles's general manager -- walked out, closing the restaurant behind them."

"We told the customers there was a gas leak," said Jeremiah Villarreal, 28, a University of Houston sports medicine student who had been a waiter at Ruggles since June.

Lucky for us, we planned dinner for Sunday, because we couldn't make dinner on Saturday. And two, Dave & Busters ended up being the best choice.  We had a great time, and played some arcade games afterwards.

The article has since been udpated, with the owner/chef, admitting that he owes "about $14,000 to $15,000 to catch everybody up."

Source: Ruggles Grill

Are People Really This Stupid? Issue No. 14 - Corvette Racing Fail

So what do you do when you drive up behind two corvettes at a red light?  

You tape the idiots driving them with your cell phone.  

And then you watch as they rev up their engines, anxiously waiting for the green light.  Never mind that seconds before, you see a father running alongside their child on a bicycle, several cars crossing the street, a cyclist coming alongside one of the corvettes as the light turns green.

Wait till you see what happens to both of these fools.  Sad thing is... this happened next door to Ryan and I, in The Woodlands, Texas on Thanksgiving Day.

What Are The Most Dangerous Blocks In Your City?

So the only thing I can think of is that New York and Houston are so big, that crimes in these areas can't be mapped just yet.  But when you look at cities, like Austin, San Antonio and Dallas, I'm thinking maybe I don't want to know.  Geez.

Trulia maps is the newest, most innovative way to visualize the most dangerous blocks in your city.  Literally. To the very street you live on.  And I'm sure you'll feel absolutely wonderful once you realize your block is the most dangerous one in the city.

The information Trulia uses to power these sortable—by location, crime, and time of perpetration—displays isn't anything new; sites like EveryBlock.com and SpotCrime.com, among others, have been making local crime statistics publicly available for years. But when it's all laid bare for you, and you start seeing some yellow/orange seeping into your cul de sac, well, you may just take that neighborhood watch a little more seriously.[source]

Let's take a look at Austin, Texas, for example.  Look at all that sea of yellow and red, doesn't it make you shiver?  Well, it should.  Click on the image and check out Trulia Maps to see how your city fares in this country full of crime.

Governor Rick Perry says, "Ooops".

Please help me understand how our state has elected this man for three consecutive terms?  Oh, I know, the corrupt Republican machine, who is now in the process of redistricting, and finding ways to suppress voters.

If you're Latino or a student, good luck.  Republicans are in control of both houses in this state, so they can pretty much pass whatever they want.  Soon Democrats won't be allowed to vote. LOL, j/k.

During last night's presidential debate, Governor Ricky Perry forgot the third government agency he would eliminate as president.  "Commerce, Education, and the.... um...um... what's the third one there? let's see....Commerce, Education, and the um. um...um.."  Really?  And when the moderator asked him if he was serious, he continues mumbling and still can't remember, which in turn leads him to say, "oops".

So now you know why he never wants to debate when he's running for Governor.  He refused to debate Mayor Bill White of Houston during the last election.

Back To Blogging After Week Long Vacation

Mom, Liliana, and Dad

Wow, it seems like forever since I posted a blog, but Ryan and I took a vacation for a week and headed down to Corpus Christi to visit family and our new baby niece, Liliana. She is absolutely precious and adorable.

Liliana is the first grandchild and niece "by blood" in our family. My sister and her husband have been trying for years to have a baby and were blessed with a miracle 10 months ago when she became pregnant.

In either case, Ryan and I had a fabulous time! We went to the Texas State Aquarium, Port Aransas, and took my mother shopping. Ryan also took the liberty of taking on a new hobby - seashell collecting. Whatever makes him happy, I love him dearly.

I may throw in a few posts here and there over the weekend, but I should be back in full force by Monday, October 3rd.  Enjoy your weekend and have a fabulous day!

President Obama Telephones The Man Who Wants His Job...

According to the Associated Press, President Obama called up Rick Perry to express his concern for the residents near Houston, Texas who have been amid one of the most destructive fires in Texas history.  The President was on top of it all, and made it clear to Mr. Perry that the federal government would continue to provide assistance at the state and local level.

This is by far one of the most horrible things I have ever witnessed.  It's on every local news channel, day in and day out and yesterday we got news from our University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center President that several employees lived in the areas where the fires took place; Some have even lost their homes.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose everything, especially with Ryan and I both at work, not knowing what's going on at home.  Good thing Ryan works 5 minutes from home, so he could save our puppies quickly.  There's no easy way to say this, but I'm also grateful that the winds took the fire in a northwestern direction because I have family on the northwest side, and it's something I couldn't fathom if something happened to them.  I'm hoping and praying that this fire can be contained soon, because I know many people are being affected.