Author Archives: site author

When I was a small child I liked to play Houdini. I’d get my sister to tie me up and then I would escape. I was good at it. That all came to an end when both of my sisters hogtied me. I couldn’t get loose and got really upset. My parents put an endContinue reading “The Gordian Knot”

Father’s day is one of my favorite holidays, mostly because I like being a daddy so much. My wife and daughters have done many things to make it special. Right now I’m going to mention Fathers Day 2014. My favorite basketball team, the San Antonio Spurs, were playing the Miami Heat in the NBA finals.Continue reading “The Beautiful Game”

In southern states many kids attend something called cotillion. Sheldon Cooper from the Big Ban Theory defines it as “a process that teaches preadolescent children social graces and dance skills needed to function in 18th century Vienna.” We didn’t have cotillion in my hometown, but we did have Mrs. Laird’s ballroom dance lessons. Against myContinue reading “Dancing Backwards”

One of my favorite movies is Broadcast News. The setting is a network news office. It’s about the ethics and personalities of three cast members. I discussed it with my friend Bill, who has been in the new business for years. He said he wasn’t able to tell who was the hero and who wasContinue reading “The Whole Enchilada”

I have been volunteering at a local food pantry. People from the community can get a shopping cart of food once a month. There is no qualification needed except to live in the area. Volunteers walk through the pantry with the shoppers, letting them know the limit of various items. A wide variety of peopleContinue reading “Stay in Your Lane”

Raising cattle on the Texas coastal plains presented two overriding hazards, snakes and getting stuck in the mud. I looked at the ground when I walked to watch for snakes. I also carried a long chain in the back of the truck in case I got stuck, which happened often. Getting stuck gave me aContinue reading “5 x 5”

This past football season Michigan won the college football championship. They were coached by Jim Harbaugh. The Baltimore Ravens made the NFL playoffs. They are coached by Jim’s brother John. The announcers told a story about their dad, Jack Harbaugh. As the story was told, the Harbaughs didn’t have a lot of material possessions, butContinue reading “Who Has It Better Than Me”

I really hate it when I go somewhere and leave something at home that I need. That happened often until I found a simple solution. Whatever I need to take with me I put with my car keys, because that is the one thing I have to have to leave home. I also found thatContinue reading “The Key”

I’ve had several nicknames in my life. Most I didn’t like and won’t go into. My favorite by far was Cowboy. As I’ve mentioned my family had a ranch where I worked while growing up. My dad often called me Cowboy. I wear his highschool graduation ring daily. Their mascot was The Cowboys. It’s aContinue reading “Cowboy in the Jungle”

I’ve said in other posts that I am a five on the Enneagram, the Investigator. I live in my head, always thinking and taking things apart mentally. I’ve hacked a lot of things about life through research and thought. That being said, people who know me well might be surprised that I reached the pointContinue reading “A Real Cool Hand”