Odd Sight

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Originally uploaded by banj.

So here's one I snapped in one of Saturday mornings rainstorms. These two dudes riding up Central Expressway on motorcycles in a thunderstorm! Now realize that the rain was coming down much harder than it looks. I was running around 65 mph and had to get to 75 just to be able to snap this picture! I have ridden often and for quite some time, but to ride in these conditiions? I don't know why you would wanna try. No, I don't think they were touring, they were local, just not real sharp.

Go Fly a Kite

March. I don't like it. It's actually my least fave of all the 12. It's kind of the "hedge" season. It's not winter...yet it's not spring. The freaking wind blows, sometimes gusting to 40 mph out here in the corn fields. The grass begins to grow, but so do the weeds. The trees barely bud out. It's also cold one day and 80 the next. It most definately is a month of transistion. Not to complain too much as I love to see things begin to grow. My starter seeds are coming up as well, so that's all good. Now if I could just get the lawnmower started in order to mow the dandilions...

Hydrogenated Oils

I've been doing some research on certain foods and what they can do our bodies. We have been on a tear for a number of years on eating what is marketed to us. Doughnuts, coffee creamers, cookies, margarine, cooking oils, ice cream, whipped toppings and on and on. Hydrogenated oils are killing our population. They are trans fats. Trans fats are foods such as oils that have had their molecular structures changed (thus the "trans"). They are abnormal foods that are very bad. In 2006 the FDA finally has made it a requirement to list the percentages of these trans fats on labels of foods containing them. I came across a good article on hydrogenated oils. Here is an excerpt:

Research studies show conclusively these deadly oils cause non-insulin dependent type II diabetes, or hyperinsulinemia. This is a disease which can eventually burn out the pancreas and cause insulin dependent diabetes. These changed molecular oils dramatically increase the risk of coronary heart disease, breast cancer, other types of cancers and auto immune diseases. Over 100 research studies show how harmful these oils are to the human body. However, these findings have been largely ignored by the mass media and the FDA. In addition, the Commercial Edible Food Industry has suppressed these research findings for sometime. Why? Money and lots of it! Food processing companies and the companies that own the patents on this process would lose billions of dollars if they had to change their method of food production of hydrogenating oils. The main reason oils are hydrogenated is that the hydrogenation of the oils act as a preservative. This leads to increased shelf life of products and less returns or spoilage of products. But at what cost is it to the human body?
The human body needs the type of essential fatty acids that mother nature has provided. Hydrogenated oils are molecularly changed oils that are toxic to the body. Soon after food production companies started using hydrogenated oils, substantial increases in several diseases occurred within a few years. In particular was a new disease which the medical profession had to name because they did not know what was causing it. It was not the normal type of diabetes but a new type. This new type of diabetes was named diabetes type II. Over the last fifty years since the introduction of hydrogenated oils, this disease has increased over 1000%. Over 90% of the foods produced today contain hydrogenated oils. On my website is a listing of contact information for food production companies, your Congressman and Senators. I urge all of my readers to write, fax, call these food companies and your elected representatives to stop the usage of hydrogenated oils in food production.

Get this stuff out of your pantry and out of your childrens mouths! Read, get educated, and don't buy it! Now I'm on a tear, to eliminate this stuff from our systems.

Texas Music Revolution

So if you are a Dallasite that likes Texas/Austin music, you already know that tomorrow is the day the Texas Music Revolution happens at Southfork Ranch. If you are not aware of the event, take a listen to KHYI 95.3 radio for about 5 minutes and you'll get it. They're the sponsor and have put this whole thing together. It's the 9th year of the event that has been moved to Southfork from the Mesquite Rodeo grounds. I'll post the schedule:

TMR9 SCHEDULE:
SHINER BOCK STAGE
1:30-2:10 Darryl Lee Rush
2:40-3:20 Amazing Rhythm Aces
3:50-4:30 Gary P. Nunn
5:00-5:40 Randy Rogers
6:10-7:00 Jack Ingram
7:30-8:20 Chris Knight
8:50-9:30 Rodney Crowell

NETPORTUSA STAGE
(AKA: Long-Haired, Goateed,
Honky-Tonk Hippie Stage)
1:00-1:30 Becca Dalrymple
2:10-2:40 Eleven-Hundred Springs
3:20-3:50 Hayes Carll
4:30-5:00 Max Stalling
5:40-6:10 Larry Joe Taylor
7:00-7:30 Greencards
8:20-8:50 Ed Burleson
9:30-10:00 Jay Johnson

Personally, the only real draw for me is the Greencards. I was turned on to this group after talking with Pat Flynn (New Grass Revival guitarist and Nashville session musician extraordinare). They's kinda uh strang band and bluegrass and newgrass stuff all uh rolled up togather. They're a pretty hot group. Most of these other guys - as I've posted before, I don't really get it. But, then again they do have a following. If'n youse likes Texas music, get cha tickets before Sunday. They're $20 at the outlets including Ticketmaster. If you wait, better get ready to shell out $35 each. Yeeeeehaw!

New Earth!

Saturday is supposed to be awesome weatherwise. Mid 70's, clear skies. I'm putting in a full sized garden this year. We have a "wall" around the front of the house. Each year it holds very prosperous jasmines, rosemary, basils, oreganos, tomatoes, strawberrys, patcholis, onions, chrisanthimams, sages, thyme, and on and on and on. This year we are breaking out the big artillery. We will be adding gooseneck squash, eggplant, green beans, more tomoatoes and much more. It looks like the area is probably 30 by 40 feet. I'll end up fencing it from the dog and netting it from the birds, but it will be great. I'll report on the groundbreaking later. We started seeds of tomatoes, peppers and some wildflowers yesterday. If this March wind would stop blowing for a bit, we might see some rapid growth.

Anniversary!

So I didn't go to the Skaggs concert. I lost $30 there. They guy that I was going with trashed me on it. I won't go in to detail, wouldn't be prudent.

Today is our 22nd wedding anniversary. My Love had to work tonight. I had to edit today and tonight, but I bought her a gift. It will blow her away. We were pretty rocky before she left for work. I had a 15 hour day yesterday, ran out of time to pick up this gift I'm talking about, and fixed dinner for her when she got home at 1 a.m. this morning. I got a call at 6:30 a.m. from the television station that no one had signed us on. I dealt with that, went back to sleep, got a phone call at 8:30 from the guy that screwed up. Woke up at 9:00 a.m., drank coffee, started on my edit job and she got ready for work! She reserved us a cottage at a nearby B&B for tomorrow. It should be relaxing. We've stayed there before. So happy anniversary to us! The Lord has blessed us so very much over the years.

I've gotta pick out a card for my gift. I'll reveal it here after she recieves it. It's pretty awesome.

PICKY RICKY!!

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Originally uploaded by banj.

He's coming to the Winstar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma on Saturday the 5th (also my anniversary), and I'm there!! I bought tickets last evening. Ms. Banj has to work unfortunately, so I'm going to check out his band Kentucky Thunder. What he's doing down here I don't know. His schedule shows him way of the way to be performing here one night. They must be paying well for this venue. Ahhh pick it Rick!!