Game Night

The hottest part of the daytime is around the middle. It starts to cool off long before sunset. Night is different; it keeps getting colder until sunrise.Last night the news said it would be down in the 20s overnight so I knew I would probably see some ice on the road this morning since I get to work over an hour before dawn. I've never driven on ice before today. It was boring and slow, which is good I'm sure. Back in 2000 I seriously thought about buying a Tacoma pickup instead of the Corolla I ended up with. Today is one of the days that decision looks like it was a good one. I still face the occasional temptation to get an FJ Cruiser 4x when I see gas at under $1.50 a gallon, but that wont last.I recently bought a really warm hat made in a really large country in Asia. I wish I had a red star to put on the "fur" flap on the front. The label says the fur is fake. I'm sure fake is cheaper than dog so it must be true.By the way, the day before a cold snap is the wrong day to get your power bill.At first I thought they had lost a payment, but no, I'm just that soft and undisciplined.Back in San Diego, the singles group would have an occasional "Game Night ". This meant Dominoes, Hearts... games. In Texas, game night is about what's for dinner. So far I've had dove, venison sausage (which rocked), and catfish from Louisiana caught the Good Ole Cajun Boy way. No rod, reel, or boat, just hip-waders, bait and a good thick glove. Hold the bait under water till a good size cat takes your hand, then pull 'er on up and loop a chain through the gills so it wont get away.
Yes, way. Google catfish noodling

Xmas in Texas

My last Christmas away from friends and family was back in 1989 when I was living and working at the Kay-Bee toy store in El Centro. El Centro had just one book store, and that was second hand only. There was no Amazon.com or even an Internet back then (insert your own Al Gore joke here). The two main choices were text books from the community college, or books sold at VONS... bleak. As I recall, I got two days off between Thanksgiving and Christmas that year. What an amazingly depressing Christmas that was. I was reminded of that when I saw on the news that Kay-Bee is bankrupt. I tried to tell them it was a mistake to fire me, but they wouldn't listen.
This picture is the big tree at Dallas' Galleria Mall. Rumor is that it's the biggest indoor tree in the country... or the state... probably the country. It's the biggest in the mall for sure. Made sure to stop by "Galleria Drugs" to see if the drugs were displayed aesthetically. It sounds funny when you say it... like Gallery of drugs. You get it.
Dallas is a much better place to live than El Centro. Really nice sunny day today. I stepped outside at lunch; lured by the cloudless sky and beautiful weather, but HOLY CRUD!! It was 40 degrees outside with a 30 mph wind to make sure you noticed. Maybe I'll just stay inside till spring.