Random Thursday
For a desert, things are awfully wet around here.
- MLB has been graced by her employer with a brand spanking new Blackberry, ensuring her the privilege of never being out of contact with the office. But there are a few challenges. One is the protocol of just how attached she should be to the device. Should she take it to lunch? (Probably) How about to the restroom? (Umm...)
But the bigger issue is that, after years of spending who knows how many dollars to buy the newest smaller cellphone so that it will fit in her stylishly svelte handbags, she's now saddled with this big honkin' thing (it's the model with the full QWERTY keyboard). If she was a guy (or a geek), she'd just hang it from her belt, but she doesn't swing that way and so the fashion obstacle is profound. I'm sure she'd appreciate any advice you can provide, seeing as how I proved myself to be worthless in that regard when I suggested hanging it from a chain around her neck. - I alluded above to the fact that we've had some unusually damp weather around here lately. In fact, I've measured 4.7" of rain in our backyard since May 2, and almost 12" year-to-date. Those numbers may not be impressive unless you realize that our average annual rainfall is 14". And while no one who's lived out here for very long will complain about getting some good downpours (except those poor souls whose homes have flooded), we're all secretly wishing for a few days of sunshine. After all, this is the desert, and if we wanted to mildew, we'd have moved to Houston when we had the chance (which all of us have had, at one time or another).
- This is the point at which I'd normally employ the adage that living in Houston is like living in the mouth of a dog, but I've been threatened with legal action by the Bayou City Chamber of Commerce if I do it again, so I won't.
- The Big Bend Open Road Race was held a couple of weekends ago in Fort Stockton. By all accounts, it was another successful event, but everyone was abuzz (ha! Oh, that's premature...) over the Close Encounter of the Bird Kind experienced by the driver who came upon six buzzards in the middle of the highway, and managed to avoid five of them -- while doing 195. The sixth ended up having a bad day, as evidenced by these photos. Amazingly, the car went on to win its class (Provisional Unlimited) with an average speed of 172 mph. No word on whether it was later disqualified for carrying an unauthorized passenger.
- Did you catch the types of vehicles entered in the Unlimited class? Talk about diverse. A 1999 NASCAR entry, followed by a 1962 Dodge Polara. The third entry, a '99 Grand Prix, had a DNF due to a DNS, which, when you think about it, is a fairly predictable outcome.
- I'll close with a movie trivia question. Earlier this week I watched a movie on TV. The dialog was in English, but the movie had Dutch subtitles. Any guesses as to the movie's title?
Point 1: there is no solution, so you might as well just make sure that the car is gassed and the credit card is not expired.
Point 2: Yeah
Point 3: point taken, the analogy is correct in more ways than just being hot and humid.
Posted by: Will at May 10, 2007 08:25 AMGreat stuff Eric but lets talk about some real news.
Jr. has left DEI and Teresa has made the biggest mistake of her career. Now you have to have to have an opinion on that??
Posted by: shannon at May 10, 2007 12:46 PMAs another woman who has seriously refrained from being too closely connected at the hip to my office, I am waiting for the day when I am "issued" (i.e. ordered) a Blackberry, or Treo, or something equally evil (heck, I can't even reliably leave my cell phone turned on). So I think the suggestion that she wear it on a chain around her neck is at least symbolic, if not a terribly unsightly nuisance (which it is anyway, regardless of how you choose to carry it). ;-)
Posted by: Gwynne at May 10, 2007 02:16 PMBabette's Feast.
Posted by: Jim at May 10, 2007 02:21 PMre: movie
"Rembrandt's Dog---Van Rijn Tin
Shannon, sorry -- I don't follow the soaps. ;-)
Hey, why didn't you tell me you started blogging again? I just now noticed that you're leaving an URL instead of an email address.
Jim, Deborah -- I'm glad someone actually read all the way to the end and was willing to make a guess...wrong though it may be.
"Van Rijn Tin." Heh. (Uh, excuse me while I go google that just to make sure it's a joke. OK. Thought so. Heh.)
Gwynne, the upside is that she can read the Gazette 24 hours a day in almost any location on earth. That is an upside, isn't it?
Posted by: Eric at May 10, 2007 03:46 PMEric, true enough. If it were strictly for personal use, blogging, etc. it would all be good. ;-)
Posted by: Gwynne at May 10, 2007 04:24 PMAh the dilemma of the woman and the crackberry. (Please don't take it into the restroom - my supervisor does this and it's freaky to get emails when you know where he is. Plus, he tries to hand you the thing and I can't guarantee that only washed hands are pushing the buttons, but declining is awkward.)
I suggest lots of clothes with pockets.
Lame, I realize. But it's the best I can do. Maybe Jen could make her a nice beaded lanyard.
Posted by: beth at May 10, 2007 06:53 PMYLB has a built in device to carry her blackberry... Her wonderful & loving husband. Should he not be around, me thinks it would be a good reason to buy a new handbag hehe.
We should test if it works all over the world...Come to NZ hehe. It's the responsible thing to do lol.
Posted by: Rachel at May 10, 2007 08:19 PMGet two sections of chain, one short (6 - 10 inches) and one longer, maybe 3-4 feet. To one end of the shorter length, attach a heavy ball -- metal is preferable, but a baseball will do in a pinch -- and to the other, fasten the Crackberry. Attach the midpoint of the smaller chain to the longer section, and then fasten or wrap the longer chain around YLB's ankle.
From there, you're on your own, although I'd suggest about a 10-12 mile bike ride at that point. With any luck and a few sharp turns near large, immovable objects, it should stop buzzing around mile 4 or 5.
Down here in the dog's mouth,
Bret
Posted by: Bret at May 10, 2007 08:21 PMYou guys have all been a lot of help. My wife expresses her thanks. Sort of.
I guess everyone's also giving up on the movie trivia question. And I worked so hard on it. *sniff*
Posted by: Eric at May 10, 2007 09:14 PMEric! What's the name of the movie?
Posted by: Deborah at May 11, 2007 08:45 AMThe blackberry is pretty klunky and geeky. There's just no way to be fashionable about it. The Treo on the other hand... :)
Posted by: mis_nomer at May 12, 2007 06:57 AMIf she was a guy (or a geek), she'd just hang it from her belt, but she doesn't swing that way and so the fashion obstacle is profound.
Maybe she could get a couple strategically-placed tats, hook it to a chromed chain, and stuff it in the hip pocket of her baggy jeans. You know, Hell's Angels style.
Or not.
Speaking of buzzards, we saw some honkin' huge ones at the tops of several of the long climbs, this past Sunday. Makes you wonder how the expression "bird brain" came to be derogatory.
Posted by: Foo at May 13, 2007 09:22 AMAbout the publisher
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I will suggest to your MLB that she take her new Blackberry to a florist, which will convert it into the latest rage, the Blackberry wrist corsage. This has the added advantage of not getting in the way of any ballroom dance moves you might attempt.
Posted by: Kelly at May 10, 2007 08:20 AM