details & dating

Behind the locomotives

Recently, I stopped for a few minutes south of Tower 55 near downtown Fort Worth to watch a Union Pacific freight roll by. With the locomotives heading directly into the sun at solar noon, and a distracting background of freeway overpasses, the resulting photo wasn't much to get excited about. But I had my camera ready all the same, just in case I happened to notice an interesting railroad logo or moniker as the cars rolled past. The phrase, "Sign up now; graffiti contest ends soon" came to mind as I counted no fewer than 15 monikers gracing the sides of the cars.

Wonder what's behind this trio of UP units...

... no less than 15 Paintstik sketches and signatures...

Repeat visitors to this blog will recall that I have discussed freight car monikers (hobo & railway worker drawings on the side of freight cars) before:

July 5, 2008
February 6, 2008
January 10, 2008
December 22, 2007
July 25, 2007

I continue to watch for them and photograph the ones I find interesting, whether I've seen them before or not. As I complete the 13th year of my railroading career and grow increasingly weary of look-alike locomotives on the Class One megasystems, freight car scrawls are something that help me stay interested in going back to the tracks to watch trains.

These days, monikers are attracting something of a cult following among graffiti artists and proponents, many of whom view and respect them as the "original" freight train graffiti, the forerunner of today's proliferation of aerosol spray graf. Witness the following albums on Flickr, for example:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/true2death/sets/72157603840278784/

http://flickr.com/photos/stealw0rker/sets/72157605242646773/

http://flickr.com/photos/seetwist/collections/72157600000655012/

Next time you get stopped at a crossing for an approaching choo-choo, instead of turning your car around and trying to beat it to the next crossing, stick around and watch. You never know what will be behind those locomotives.

Other detail shots...

ACI tag

Chicago & Eastern Illinois buzz-saw

Huh-huh... it says...

Whiskey goes dating

As my recent divorce progressed through its final stages, I began to wonder what kind of women (if any) I'd be able to attract when I began dating again. Chalk it up to low self-esteem and a battered sense of self-worth, but I just could not comprehend the idea of women being attracted to me or wanting to make me a part of their lives. But the combination of my weight loss, a new attitude a new "look", and support from my friends helped to restore my self-confidence to the point that I decided that I was ready. I quickly found that lack of interest was NOT going to be a problem. I also quickly discovered that not everyone who showed an interest was compatible with my wants, needs, and interests. But that's part of the fun of dating and meeting new people, right? Even though I didn't make a romantic connection with everyone I've met, I'm glad that I've made some new friends... at least one of whom holds a job with a certain amount of municipal authority (Pssst... hey, Detective R.W., do you think you could use your "influence" to convince a certain north Texas police department to dismiss my recent speeding ticket?)

A text message representation of my recent dating life. Alas, none of these women would end up being the "right one" for me.

So who is the "right one" for me? Well, I will admit to having met someone I've been spending quite a bit of time with lately. But I don't want to give away ALL my secrets all at once. Keep checking back and you'll learn more soon.

Sports scene

Thanks once again to WBAP's Hal Jay, who keeps Cowboys fans laughing when all we want to do is cry. Hal decided to make "lemondade" out yesterday's "lemon" (the loss to the St Louis Rams) thusly:

"I discovered yesterday that my tv would block a vodka bottle from being thrown through the wall!"

And...

"The local U-Haul dealer is offering a 25% moving discount to anyone who can prove that they're the Cowboys coach."

Well put, my friend... I have a feeling I'll be turning to Hal for some more cheering up during the next few Monday mornings.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays have made it to the World Series. For those of you who are even more "casual" baseball fans than I am, or for those who just haven't been paying attention, four out of the four (yep -- all of 'em, 100%) expansion teams since 1993 have reached the World Series. This year it's the Rays, last year it was the Rockies, in 2003 the Marlins won the W.S. (and also won it in 1997, their fifth season) and in 2001 it was the D-backs (in just their fourth season).

And what have the Texas Rangers, the poster-boy examples of perpetual mediocrity in the AL West, done for us lately (besides being swept in consecutive divisional playoff series against the Yankees in 1998 and 1999 (and only winning one game against the Yanks in the '96 playoffs)? They've been in Arlington since 1972, are one of only three major league teams to have never played in the World Series, and have never even won a single playoff series. Now that the fourth expansion team of the past 15 years has reached the Series, Texas Rangers fans should be rioting in the streets. At least they have been voting with their wallets... the season attendance totals at "Rangers Ballpark in Arlington" -- below 2 million for the first time since 1995 -- should tell the owners everything they need to know... right?

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np: Moe Bandy - "Roll on, Big Mama"

(Insert clever title here)

Just a few odds and ends from the past couple weeks...

Hangin' with Whiskey on the weekend

It was "Mullet Night" at the Ft Worth Cats (minor league baseball) on Sunday the 22nd. K and the kids and I enjoyed the game -- and our complimentary mullet wigs.

Sporting our Tennessee Tophats, M and I give a "thumbs up" to the mullet promotion.

We were amazed by how natural this looked on M.

K fashioned a pair of mullet wigs into a Princess Lea 'do.

Oh yeah, there was a baseball game, too... The Cats beat the Pensacola Penguins in dramatic fashion, 7-6 in 10 innings.

***

On Sunday the 29th, the kids joined K and me for a trip to Main Event to help celebrate my friend Lance's 50th birthday. Main Event is a bowling alley that also has Laser Tag and lots of other games. We each bowled two games -- the kids tried their luck without bumpers the first time around. I had trouble hitting my groove, but at least I was consistent-- I bowled a 99 and a 100. And K and I finished the second game with a tie score.

M tries to pick up a spare...

L takes her shot...

Yay! No one's a loser (except both me and K)

Should we talk about the weather...

We made it through July, and the mercury still hasn't hit 100 yet this summer. Who would've thunk it! But National Weather Service data suggests that we may not be out of the woods just yet... there have been several years when the first 100-degree day wasn't recorded until mid- or late August. There have only been two years recorded with NO 100-degree days (1906 and 1973). At any rate, it has been a cool summer, and that's ok with me.

At the movies with The Simpsons

This display at the Fort Worth Cats game helped psych us up for the Simpsons Movie.

I took L to see the Simpsons Movie a few nights ago. It was about what I expected it to be... a decent plot, typical Simpsons gags and writing, and lots of laughs.... which leads me to an interesting observation. Iwas probably one of the oldest guys in the audience. Most of the people in our theater looked to be in their late teens or early 20s. What surprised me was that nobody was really laughing much. I was sitting there chuckling my ass off every 30 seconds, but I had the impression that I was the only one there who thought most of this stuff was really funny. Was the generation behind mine brought up with no sense of humor, or did they just not get most of the jokes? (and it's not like they were that hard to"get".)

At any rate, you'll probably want to see it if you're a fan. I haven't seen that many new episodes of the tv series during the past five years or so... of the ones I have seen, some have been great and others have been pretty lame. But the movie is right up there with the best of the newer episodes.The animation is interesting; with the increasing popularity of CGI computer animation (Toy Story, Shrek., etc) it is refreshing to see a more traditional form of animation on the big screen. And with a bigger screen to work with, the animators were able to add more detail than viewers of the tv series are used to seeing. There are even a few subtle references to some of the earliest episodes of the tv series. Near the end of the movie,when Bart and Homer jump over Springfield Gorge on a motorcycle, watch for the crashed ambulance -- a reference to the "Bart the Daredevil" episode from the second season -- on the far side of the gorge. Check it out, y'all....

Surviving the trade deadline

Well, the Rangers emerged from Tuesday's Major League Baseball trade deadline with a few key names no longer on the roster -- Mark Teixeira gone to Atlanta, Eric Gagne to Boston, and Kenny Lofton to Cleveland. Teixeira was touted as the big name to watch in this year's trades, and the Rangers will definitely miss his bat in the lineup, but I was actually more disappointed to see Gagne leave. Good pitching is damn hard to come by, and I hope the Rangers don't end up regretting letting a quality closer like Gagne get away. As for Teixeira, it became obvious that he didn't want to be here; Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton reported that Tex (and his agent) turned down an 8-year, $140 million offer from Rangers owner Tom Hicks. To hell with Tex; Atlanta can have him. Too bad we couldn't figure out a way to add some kind of trade clause where Atlanta had to take back Kevin Millwood also.

Teixeira's last game as a Ranger was Sunday, July 29, which Texas lost (appropriately) to the Royals, 10-0. Here's a shot of his last at-bat.

So the Rangers have pretty much written off the 2007 season (hell, they could have done that by the end of April), and it looks like it's time to start rebuilding for 2008. Then again, they haven't been playing THAT badly during the past couple months... the fact that they have played better than .500 baseball since early in June seems to have gone almost unnoticed. Too bad the season didn't start on June 1. Oh well, like we say every season... "wait til next year."

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np: Robert Earl Keen - Death of Tail Fitzsimmons

Postcards from paradise

Home from Hawaii

Well, by all accounts, K and I had a very enjoyable vacation to the Aloha State. We left from D-FW on the morning of Easter Sunday, and returned on the morning of Sunday the 15th. We spent two nights in Waikiki on Oahu, four nights north of Kona on the Big Island, and our last night on the plane on the way home. I'll be posting several sets of photos during the next couple of weeks. Until then, here's a peek...

A view from our balcony at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel, located north of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Mauna Loa, Hawaii's second-highest mountain peak, is visible in the background behind the palm tree to the left.

Whiskey and K enjoy an evening at South Point, the southernmost point in the United States.

No-hit Rangers

Congratulations to the Texas Rangers for surrendering a no-hitter last night to Mark Buerhle and the Chicago White Sox. It's always a special thing to be part of a no-hitter (I was in the crowd for Nolan Ryan's 7th, back in 1991 -- and yes, I do have the ticket stub to prove it), but it would be nice if it was the RANGERS pitching the no-hitter and not their opponents. Meanwhile, Kevin Millwood, the supposed "ace" of the staff and the highest-paid player on the team, surrendered 5 runs in 5 innings. Sigh.

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nr: The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger

np: Eleven Hundred Springs - "The only thing she left me was the blues" from the "Bandwagon" album

Gearing up

Ride for Heroes

On Saturday morning (Mar 31) I rode in the "Ride for Heroes" bike ride out at Aledo. Aledo is a small suburb between Fort Worth and Weatherford on the Tarrant - Parker County line. The ride benefitted the fire departments of Aledo and its neighboring towns of Hudson Oaks and Willow Park. The organizers offered several routes, varying in length from 8 to about 75 miles. I signed up for the 40 mile course, which ended up being the farthest I've ridden at one time since last October. My legs were pretty tired by the time it was over, especially since the route had lots of hills, and there was a steady wind from the west. It was a great day to ride, though... we had sunny skies, cool temeratures (50s & 60s) and some nice north Texas scenery. See below...

Near the west shore of Lake Weatherford

Riders enjoyed lots of views of wildflowers in bloom

well-posted directions

On Sunday, I went back and drove along part of the route to snap a few photos that I missed during Saturday's ride. There were a few nice spots that I missed getting a photo of due to cruising along at 20 or 25 mph on my bike and not having the camera ready!

a scenic view west of Aledo along the "Ride for Heroes" course

approaching Wright Cemetery northeast of Weatherford

Also on Sunday, I caught a UP eastbound coming in from Sweetwater.

UP eastbound stacks at Preble. April 1, 2007

Logos like this one make stack trains fun to watch...

As I had hoped, Saturday's bike ride was helpful in improving my motivation to get out and ride... with a 40-mile ride behind me, it was easier to get out and ride on Monday and Tuesday. I guess maybe I'll have a decent 2007 season after all.

A "Texas" scene - seen during a bike ride north of Saginaw

Don't mess with Billy Joe

The Associated Press reported a few days ago that Billy Joe Shaver shot a man outside a bar down in Lorena on Saturday night. Apparently the guy was drunk and approached Shaver while brandishing a knife. Acting in self defense, Shaver shot the guy in the face. The victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. I just have one thing to say... how cool, how "country" -- TEXAS "country" -- is that? Not only has Billy Joe lost fingers in a milling accident, endured turbulent marriages, battled alcohol and drugs, busted his ass in Nashville to become one of country music's most respected songwriters, NOW he has shot a guy. I'll bet you my next paycheck you'll never see Kenny Chesney or Keith Urban making the headlines for doing that.

Shaver later surrendered to authorities, was jailed, and then posted bail for his release. It'll be interesting to see how all of this shapes up. If nothing else, the experience might give him some subject material for a couple of songs on the next album...

Why I like Galloway

You might or might not be familiar with the rantings of Randy Galloway, a Metroplex-area sports radio talk show host and longtime sports columnist (first with the Dallas Morning News, now with the Ft Worth Star-Telegram). I skim his columns once or twice a week, usually during football season to see what kind of shots he's taking at Jerry Jones, Terrell Owens (they're such easy targets), and the rest of Cowboy nation.

But his recent column on the subject of the removal of the "Ameriquest" name from a certain sports venue here in Tarrant County reminded me that I should by no means ignore his grumblings during baseball season. Galloway, an outspoken opponent of the Rangers organization's ties with Ameriquest, especially with regard to the naming rights to the Ballpark in Arlington, wrote the following:

"Armed with heavy-duty blow torches and a noisy jackhammer, a couple of construction workers were doing the work of the Lord last week. They totally demolished that atrocious 'bell' that hung huge over left field for the last three seasons. For the home opener on Friday afternoon, 101 seats will occupy the space that formerly represented corporate crap."

Galloway has never been one to pull any punches (come on Randy, tell us what you REALLY think!) but the use of terms like "the work of the Lord" and "corporate crap" in the above example serve to illustrate just how strongly he believes in what he writes. For sheer entertainment value, you could do a lot worse than a Galloway column.

At any rate, if the Rangers ever again become too cozy with a questionable corporate partner, I hope that we fans can count on Galloway to be there to steer them back in the direction of good judgment . Now, about that 0-3 start...

Vacation time again

K and I will be leaving on a trip soon to celebrate our anniversary. I don't want to give away all the details, but it's someplace warm and tropical. If we remember to come back home, you'll be able to read a report here in a couple weeks. Until then... Aloha, baby!

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np: "King of the Hill" syndicated rerun

Party time

Last weekend, my friends Matt and Stephen were both in town for a visit. On Saturday the 24th, we caught Dale Watson at Dan's in Denton. Dale kind of has a "Jerry Reed" sound, and his repertoire includes more than a few truckin' songs. Dale was backed by a full band (bass, drums, fiddle, and pedal steel), and seemed to clown around on stage as much as he played. But it was nice to hear him include covers of songs by Merle Haggard and Hank Williams -- and even Jerry Reed. And the abundance of attractive ladies in the crowd kept the dance floor full; Matt and Stephen both swore to move back to Texas as soon as they could.

Dale Watson at Dan's in Denton

Matt and Stephen salute the "Ameri-CAN flag" at Dan's

On Sunday the 25th, we had M's 6th birthday party at the Little Gym in Keller. Including M, we had about 15 kids (relatives, neighbors, and friends from school) in attendance. The staff of Little Gym did a great job of organizing the party and keeping the kids entertained. Thanks, y'all!

Looks like M was late to his own party...


a new generation of dodgeball players

Replenishing the kids' sugar supply

Are you ready for some (bad Rangers) baseball?

Check out this AP re-cap of one of the Rangers' final spring training games, a 24-7 loss to San Diego:

"Texas' pitching might need some work. Starter Kevin Millwood gave up 12 hits and nine earned runs in 4 1-3 innings. Reliever Eric Gagne allowed four runs and five hits in a 20-pitch inning. Left-handed reliever Ron Mahay got just one out while being touched up for seven runs. "

Looks like it could be another long season in Arlington.

On the road (barely)

I don't know if it's the weather we've been having (cool, windy and cloudy) or the medications I'm on, but I've been having trouble getting motivated to get out much on my bike. I usually ride in the mornings while the kids are at school, but this spring, I just haven't been in the mood to get out much. It has been a struggle just summoning the will to leave the house, and by the time I do finally get rolling, I don't have time to cover much more than 10 or 15 miles. I'm signed up to ride 40 miles at Aledo's "Ride for Heroes" tomorrow. And I'm looking at doing 30 miles in the "Tour Dallas" on Saturday, April 7. Maybe those will help rejuvinate me and get me more interested in riding this year.

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np: Wayne Hancock - "Big City Good-time Gal"