Stylin' in 78250...

There is a reason that I keep my camera at the ready at all times...I know, there is a large population outside the great state of Texas who would find it hard to believe that this is not how we all travel - when we aren't riding our horses to the General Store to get some more branding iron fluid. But trust me, this is not your typical daily driver, even in 78250.

Strange.

Texas Comforts Oklahoma...

This is simply too enormously funny not to post here, given that the uncle of the star (the Texas girl, not the Oklahoma girl) is none other than the niece of our Mission Trace correspondent, Sid Seidenberger. Her name is Lindsay and we originally told you about her here.

Sid gives us some insight on the video:

Yes, this is Lindsay in the response video to the original CRYING SORORITY GIRL video.

This video TEXAS COMFORTS OKLAHOMA was made by a production company, Rooster Teeth, based in Austin. She was given a script to read, Rooster Teeth spliced and edited the original Oklahoma girl video, and Lindsay became the Texas girl in the video response, which took a turn toward the sports rivalry between Texas and OU.

If you have not seen the original Crying Sorority Girl on YouTube, it is actually pretty cruel (but I confess to laughing, since I don't know the girl). This version with Lindsay is by far a lot better use of the footage.

Here it is:

Texas House Bill 218: My View...

I have a neighbor and fellow neighborhood volunteer who is very good about sending me information regarding various community activities that may be of interest. He passes along things such as invitations to Meet the Candidates nights, town hall meetings and information on classes being given by the city. I try to post the messages on the GNWatch Blog so people interested in the information can find it.

Several days ago, he sent me a notice about a Texas State Bill being sponsored by our representative, Jose Menendez. You can find the entire text of the bill here, but the short text is:

Excerpt: REGULATION OF SALE OF AEROSOL PAINT; SURCHARGE. (a) A county by order or a municipality by ordinance may require a person who sells aerosol paint to: (1) require proof of identification from the buyer before making a sale to that buyer; and (2) record the sale, including the identification information, in a log and maintain the log for at least two years after the date of the sale. (d) An order or ordinance adopted under this section may require a surcharge not to exceed one dollar on each ...

I have had the pleasure of meeting (if you consider shaking hands and briefly chatting, “meeting”) Representative Menendez several times over the years. First when he was running for the District 6 City Council seat at one of those candidate debates at Anson Jones Middle School, and another time at Westwood Terrace Elementary School. During those times, I was really impressed with him, especially when another candidate questioned his resume, and Jose was quick to whip out a certificate showing the degree being questioned.

Later, as he was walking the neighborhood campaigning, he happened upon my wife and I working in the garage of the house we had just purchased in Silver Creek, and he told us how we had bought the house right out from under him! He was a good sport about it, but really, what do you say? Uh, sorry.

So long story short, though I’m sure there are issues that I wouldn’t agree on 100 percent, like when he was among the group of legislators who left Texas to avoid having a quorum, I have repeatedly voted for Jose Menendez because I think he is an overall good representative and means to do positive things for our district.

After receiving the e-mail from my neighbor, I read through the proposed legislation put forth by Rep Menendez and I had to send a response back telling him that I totally oppose this effort. Yes, graffiti and specifically tagging is a problem. Not just in our neighborhood, city or in the state of Texas; it is everywhere. I applaud the efforts of people to address the problem, but seriously, this proposal is nothing more than “feel good”, “look at us, we are doing something” crap.

Let’s think this out. They want places like Home Depot or Lowes to check your ID when you buy a can of spray paint. Then they want them to log your name and keep a record of the transaction for 2 years. Then they want you to pay up to one dollar per can. Attention foes of the Patriot Act: feel free to pipe in now.

Forget the extra tax on the paint (to be used for what?); now people at hardware stores have to go through all this extra nonsense just to be in compliance with the law, when the fact is, it does nothing to stop tagging. I'm sure that will lower prices in a tough economy.

Think about this: The police show up to the crime scene. Someone has sprayed black paint on a fence. Does the officer call out the CSI people to come and do an analysis of the paint to determine where it came from? What store sold it? Let’s say hypothetically that the tagger leaves the can of spray paint on the ground and it actually identifies the Home Depot brand. Which Home Depot does the officer go to, and then, what does he look for once he has the list of all the people who purchased a can of spray paint in the last two years? Now, count the number of times there is a new fence tagged in San Antonio everyday. And times in the state of Texas, every day. Keep in mind; we are still talking about a misdemeanor.

I’m sure Rep Menendez means well, but this is bad legislation and does nothing, zero, notta, to solve the problem. So what do we need?

For starters (and there are other efforts underway to pursue this), we need to put first time offenders, regardless of age, in jail, even if it is only for a few nights. We need to make the offender (and parents of juveniles) liable for the damage. We need to tie the amount of that damage to all of a taggers combined offenses, not just the one he was caught doing. In other words, if a guy is known as “Joe the Tagger” and he has marked up buildings and fences over a period of a year with a JTT symbol and is finally caught, he should be required to be held accountable for all the damage that can be reasonably proven to have been caused by him. This is why I always take pictures of the graffiti in my area. And I have a huge collection.

I am a fan of community service, but I oppose community service being tied to anything that the offender would otherwise be doing. For example, I have heard that some judges will assign a number of hours of community service to an offender, to be carried out in that offender’s church. Really? If a kid is in the Scouts, don’t give him community service that will help him get a few more merit badges. Community service must be meaningful and pay restitution to the community harmed.

I think convicted taggers including first offenders should have their pictures displayed on a web page. Adults and Minors. If the newspaper can print the picture of the student of the week, there is simply no excuse that we should not know which teens amongst us are convicted taggers. More importantly, we need to know which parents have kids that are convicted taggers. In the same way you can go online and do a search by Zip code to find out who the registered sex offenders are in your neighborhood, I want to be able to go on-line and see a picture of the kid who tags, and what his known tagging signature is. That way, if it shows up again on a fence, everyone knows who did it. I suspect that will create a far better deterrent than paying a dollar extra for a can of spray paint.

I am a huge fan of peer pressure. I would like to know what our schools are doing about ostracizing the taggers in the same way they teach children about how bad their parents are for smoking or drinking? If a tagger is caught defacing a school, in addition to whatever other trouble the kid gets into, his face needs to be plastered on the wall as a vandal. For some, this will surely be a badge of honor, however, this type of thing can motivate parents to keep an eye on their own kids. Not that most of these parents attend PTA meetings, but if as part of one of those meetings, the school police officer listed a who’s who of taggers with associated markings, other parents might recognize similar tagging in the neighborhood and be prompted to let the parents know about it. The last thing a parent wants is the neighbor coming over to tell them that Little Jimmy has been tagging the fence again.

If people want to spend tax money on something beyond arresting these offenders, why not spend it on MTV? Better yet, why don’t MTV and other youth oriented media have ongoing campaigns to deglamorize this vandalism? Instead of “Rock the Vote”, how about, “Beat the crap out of the tagger!” I’d approve of that message. I know that the city of San Antonio has Graffiti eradication programs to try to get youth to move from tagging toward art. That’s fine, but much of the problem is not artistic in any way at all, it is pure vandalism and marking of gang (or wannabe gang) territory. Why no public service announcements on local TV showing taggers to be the losers they are?

When do we stop simply painting over the vandalism and start doing something about it? I have learned that this type of vandalism isn’t something that the police are going to send multiple squad cars, blaring sirens, and sealing off streets and neighborhoods as helicopter flies overhead doing a search with K9 units going house to house. Yet, this vandalism is systematically creating the appearance of a deteriorating neighborhood and lowering the values of homes. Many good families are opting to leave rather than stay. Many homes are purchased as investment properties and rented out increasingly as Section 8 homes, bringing in people who often do not have the financial wherewithal to maintain a home beyond the minimal rent they pay.Meanwhile, I call the city of San Antonio at least once a week (usually several times) to report that Oscar Perez Memorial Park has been tagged again. The city Parks Department sends a crew out, the tagging is painted over and more often than not, the next day, some new tagging is present.The city built some sort of small baseball diamond park right next to Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium on Callaghan Road near Hiway 90. I pass this place on my way to work each morning and after over a year, I notice that they still have one of these surveillance systems installed. This system is monitored and it will light up with spotlights, sirens and verbal warnings if someone trespasses. You see these things in use at a lot of construction sites. Don’t you think it is time that the city start installing these things in areas, like Oscar Perez Memorial Park, so we can begin to identify the taggers, or heaven forbid, deter them from tagging the park in the first place?

I’m sure there are many other productive ways to deal with this growing problem but I got a suggestion from my brother who is a big fan of caning. We are reminded of that kid in Singapore several years ago who was caught and convicted of tagging and vandalism. The punishment: caning. I suspect that kid never tagged there again.

My brother’s idea is slightly different. What is missing from the current process is the punishment factor. A kid is sent to see a judge for truancy or maybe even tagging. The judge orders the kid to go to school and perform some community service hours. My brother suggests that each courtroom be assigned a professional spanker. That is, a guy who is certified to assess body size, weight, muscular structure etc, and then equipped to deliver an exact, certified paddling to the offender, in front of courtroom spectators. The first appearance in court would result in two solid whacks. Each subsequent appearance would add two more whacks. If a kid gets up to 8 or 10 whacks, he is surely ready for some jail time. Just a thought. I know, the days of corporal punishment are long gone, but we can dream.

My wife will tell you that I am overly passionate about this subject. I tend to be long winded and my blood pressure tends to elevate each time I talk to a person about the problem of tagging in our area and in our city. In truth, I could simply turn a blind eye to it like many others have. I could pretend that the little scribbling along fences I drive past adds a sort of artistic urban flavor to the place. After all, these are just young people looking for an outlet, right? I don’t mean to pick on Rep. Menendez’ attempts to do something, but I’m afraid he has neither researched this topic adequately, nor added anything useful toward the fight.

I do not believe that most of the taggers get their paint at Home Depot. I believe it comes from art stores, via the internet and in local stores that have nothing to do with hardware. I’m sure some of it comes from the garages and sheds of unsuspecting parents, grandparents and neighbors. Putting yet another requirement on businesses that ultimately will yield very little change is in my mind, the wrong approach. I encourage you to do a little research on your own. Google is your friend; type in “Graffiti Supplies” and learn more. And do like me, and take a minute to send Representative Menendez your thoughts on how we might better handle this problem.

And of course, you can tell me your ideas.

Downtown Report: War Memorial, Main Plaza, Gumby...

My wife had seen a news story on a small memorial created to commemorate the many fallen soldiers we have lost from Texas. It seems that some veterans have assembled this memorial and are showing it here before going to Austin with it. She wanted to zip down to Alamo Plaza to take a look, and I thought this might be a good day to do just that, and take a quick look at the new Main Plaza redevelopment project.I know for those who happen upon this site from other cities and states, you have seen the image of The Alamo, taken from an angle that takes advantage of our lack of any skyline behind it. This allows us to continue to sell post cards, and get a spiffy view when sporting events head into commercial breaks.But how many of you have ever wondered what the Alamo looks like from behind? This view is from Crockett and Bonham streets.How about inside the yard? I bet you had no idea the Texans had vending machines to keep them cool during the big battle.

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Just outside the shrine in Alamo Plaza, we found the small memorial to the fallen soldiers of the current conflict.Without saying it, my wife and I both looked for a picture of our young friend, Dane Balcon who was lost in Iraq. Although he attended high school here, because he transferred to Colorado to finish school, they did not list him. I'd like to say we didn't know of anyone on the memorial, but two other fallen had connections. A kid my son competed with in drill attended John Jay, and as it turned out, his mother attended Jay with my wife. They figured out the connection at the funeral of all places. Another young man had worked for my wife for a few years before he joind the military.It was nice to see a small tribute like this, but it would be nicer if the rest of the tiles could remain blank.

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Having paid 10 bucks to park, we decided to walk over to Main Plaza rather than drive. It really isn't that far, but note to all people who walk in mid day: There are two sides to the street. One side will have full exposure to the sun, the other will be shaded. Stay on the shady side of the street.Anyway, I have been wanting to see this Main Plaza deal ever since they had the grand opening. Hello? What got opened that was so grand? The place looks fully under construction, only half or less of the pavers are in place and the landscaping is far from complete. Call me gullible, but they had the grand opening months ago; I just assumed that meant they were done working on it.Anyway, I guess it will be nice once it is more than open. There were already people sitting around on tables and chairs and there was a band of some sort getting ready to play. The public restroom aren't open yet but there was a kiosk selling ice cream.We did go into the air conditioned restrooms behind the gift shop next to San Fernando Cathedral which makes one side of the Main Plaza. It was nice to get out of the heat. A smelly homeless guy asked me for two dollars but sadly, I only had a debit card with me, and he didn't have any of those credit slips with him. Anyway, if I was homeless, I'd live in these restrooms.My wife took a picture inside the ladies restroom. It shows San Antonio is concerned about saving water. Flush up if you go number one. Flush downward if you go number two. What if you do both?Finally, on our way back from Main Plaza, we came upon the big sculpture given to San Antonio as a gift from Mexico. We like to call it Gumby. I didn't like it at first, but it grows on ya.

Did you venture out into the fireball today? Slather on some sunscreen and tell me about it.

Priorities Report: This Year, I Learned A Lot...

So it was just about a year ago that I began this little endeavor to take note of the things I encounter as I live in my neighborhood and in San Antonio. I enjoy life in Texas and I think that if you give it a fair shot, you’d enjoy living in San Antonio. So to those of you who have stumbled upon this blog from somewhere else and come back for more even if you don’t live here, thanks. We can still be neighbors, just from a distance.

During about the same time that I started SilverCreek78250, my wife and I made the decision to take a greater interest in our neighborhood association. In addition to attending Board meetings, we got involved in the Neighborhood Watch program. So in the last year, I have gotten at least a partial understanding of things, I think, and for the most part, I have tried to use this blog – in-between frequent reports of trips and lunches and dinners and such – to inform local residents about the happenings within the association. So if you can indulge me for a few pages, I’d like to address something of a local nature that doesn’t involve food or goofy looking people I encounter. I won’t be offended if you hit the back button now, but if you are a reader from within the Great Northwest, I hope you can take a few minutes for this.

Over the last year, I have attempted to gain a greater understanding of the inner workings of the Great Northwest Community Improvement Association, the personalities that make up the board of directors, the residents who volunteer their time and labor to make our association better and the staff that keep it all together. What I have found generally is that almost without exception, the people I encounter are motivated toward a common goal of making the seven neighborhoods that make up the Great Northwest, a better place to live. And that is a good thing, don’t you agree?

Sadly, I have also learned that a great majority of the people who live in the GNW simply don’t care to get involved in anything that goes beyond the boundaries of their homes. I confess, I’ve been there; life is hectic, there are only so many hours in a day and as long as my neighbors weren’t painting their homes bright pink or neon green, I was pretty satisfied that my assessment was being well-spent and happy to leave it up to the staff and those faceless people who ran the board.

When my wife and I started attending the board meetings and the neighborhood watch meetings, we began to see something very interesting. It is incredible how a small number of residents give of themselves so much for the betterment of the community. And these are not simply retired people with too much free time on their hands (as I might have said at one time or another). Most have full time jobs, and other activities that they somehow juggle while putting in unbelievable hours in meetings and consulting staff.

To their credit, the board goes through stacks of paperwork generated by the community manager and his staff so they can understand the needs of the various departments; recreation, maintenance, security, DRACO, and then through voting, guide the staff on matters that need approval. Aside from common sense, they have to consider the covenants, deed restrictions and the bylaws adopted by the previous boards dating back to the founding of the GNW Community Improvement Association back in the mid 1970’s.

Each year, the sitting board can propose changes to the bylaws and in fact, this year there are several changes being voted on in May. But what does it take to change the covenants and deed restrictions that were established in 1976? The answer my friends, is you. Or at least 75 percent of you.

In the neighborhoods that make up the GNW, there are approximately 5,000 homes. With one vote per home, it would take 3,750 homeowners to agree to approve a change. And that means that all 3,750 of those people agree to whatever the change is. If the board wanted to give away free $100 dollar bills, we couldn’t get 3,750 residents to show up to vote, much less agree on it. So in effect, we are stuck in 1976 with the ideas and deed restrictions that seemed like a pretty good idea back then.

As our original neighborhoods have grown older and newer neighborhoods have sprung-up, we see quite a few changes in attitudes, how people live their lives, and how people want to use their homes. I think 32 years later, we can all agree that we want to live in a neighborhood where yards are mowed, junk vehicles are not up on blocks in the middle of the yard, people don’t make additions to their homes that look like a clubhouse pieced together by the Little Rascals. Can I get 3,750 head nods on that? But what of new types of construction innovations that we hadn’t thought of in 1976, or taking into account the age and lifestyle changes that have taken place since some of the original families moved into the Great Northwest?

A simple drive down my street will reveal that nobody uses the two car garage for actual car parking anymore. Many of the garages are used as storage or have been converted into to family rooms. Today’s larger SUV’s and trucks simply won’t fit into my garage. We have a deed restriction that will not allow you to park a small travel trailer in your driveway, yet you can park a full-sized passenger van (which is nearly the same size) without concern. From what I gather, this deed restriction was put in place to keep people from having RV’s used as homes. As a guy driving down the street looking at homes, I don’t see an RV trailer as detracting from the neighborhood in the same way I see a boat covered with one of those cheap blue tarps, yet, the boat with the cheap blue tarp is welcome according to our deed restrictions.

Have you had to replace your roof lately? It isn’t cheap. Recent innovations in technique and modern architectural design have made the metal roof design a one-time investment. Unfortunately, this technique isn’t acceptable as part of our deed restrictions. You can approach the architectural control committee, but I understand recent requests for this design have been denied. I’m sure there are not 3,750 of us ready to go out and buy new metal roofs this week, but doesn’t it stand to reason that after 32 years, we could use a little change?

Consider newer environmentally friendly methods of construction. Did you know that unless your home is made of plastic (which would be a violation), you cannot use one of those new recycled plastic out buildings or any of the new fencing materials available – since fences visible to the street must be made of either wood or masonry and outbuildings (storage sheds) must match the design and color of the existing home.

I’m sure there are any number of other things that you can see needing minor tweaking or outright elimination, but the sad fact is, based on the turn out at board meetings I have attended, I don’t see 3,750 of us agreeing on, much less voting on anything.

And this leads to what I believe is a very important point, and quite possibly the point of my message. Those that bother to participate, vote-in a board to act in the best interest of the community as a whole. That elected board and the management the board puts in place, need to prioritize what precious resources we as a community have. To that end, they need to recognize that 3,750 people are not going to take the leadership needed to act in the best interests of the Great Northwest and change or modify restrictions and covenants that, had they been written today, might look dramatically different.

I am not asking the board to act in bad faith by taking action that would go against the certified restrictions, but I am asking them to use their authority to act and to not act as necessary to reflect the real needs of the community.

Today, there is only one single issue that has more of an impact on the residents of the seven neighborhoods that make up the Great Northwest. It is not travel trailers in driveways, it isn’t basketball hoops on sidewalks, and it isn’t trash cans left in the front yard. The single biggest detractor to the value of my home, and your home, and every home in this neighborhood is Graffiti. Make no mistake.

Ask yourself this: If you wanted to purchase the house you live in right this minute, would the fact that your association has tennis courts have more of an impact on your decision to buy or not to buy, than if you drove down Timber Path road and saw an entire city park and an entire church covered by tags left by apparent gang members?

Think about it for a moment, and I’ll sit here and restring my tennis racket while you do it. Oh, that’s right; I don’t have a tennis racket.

Friends, while our security staff is out writing deed restriction violation tickets to residents for a travel trailers in the driveway, our parks are being vandalized and taggers are leaving gang signals along the fences of our main thoroughfare through the Great Northwest. My complaint is not with our staff, it is with the board and the management that won’t put priorities where they need to be.

I fully understand that much of the graffiti (or tagging as it should be properly called) happens on property outside of the association boundaries. But that doesn’t raise my house value or make me any happier about it. And, clearly, the people tagging outside of our association are just as active tagging within our area. So if we can put a stop to it on either side of the jurisdiction line, everyone benefits.

The board is in the process of purchasing security systems for the common areas – this may help. But why not spend a small amount of these funds on purchasing some mobile camera systems that can be moved from place to place to catch these taggers in the areas along the hardest hit portions of our association – along Timber Path and Timberwilde Roads? The board needs to work with residents along the prime target areas and one way or another get all the fences painted a uniform natural color that can be easily painted over with matching paint immediately after it has been tagged.

The board should adjust the duties of all staff personnel to include “painter”. Everyone from security to maintenance to recreation should be able to pitch in to help volunteers paint over the tagged areas as soon as possible. The sooner it is covered, the more likely the taggers will give up.

Seriously, before I see a single ticket given out to a resident for a trailer in the driveway, I want to be able to invite a friend or relative to my home knowing that they won’t have to drive through a path of privacy fences covered in vulgarity and unintelligible gang signs.

Honestly, is that asking too much?

If you'd like to become a member of the GNWatch, or join the A-Team, a group of volunteers to help make the GNW better, please, check out the GNW Web Page, or feel free to e-mail me.

Movie Report: No Country For Old Men...Sucks!

I don't really do movie reviews here. The reason is, frankly, over the years, I have proven to be a terrible gauge on what regular people I know find entertaining about a flick.

I loved Lost in Translation - my wife thinks it sucked. But, since we seem to agree on this one, I'll go ahead and tell you that at the end of the movie, we were both in total agreement; this is the worst movie I have ever been suckered into purchasing.

Yes, yes, I understand that many awards were given and some guy I don't know was the best actor. Make no mistake - the acting was brilliant. Tommy Lee Jones is always a favorite. You know he just plays himself in every movie - but according to people who have run across him here in San Antonio, he is simply an obnoxious dick in person. I won't hold that against him because after all, he has to face a knowing public who payed good money to see this stupid movie. He probably is upset that the director screwed this flick up and is taking it out on his adoring public.

That other guy with the weird haircut; who came up with that fashion tip anyway? It wasn't that he didn't do a good job of acting, it just seems as though the lines he was reading never seemed to add up to a full storyline. Call me a doofus, but can someone please tell me what was going on?

Yes, I know that the Josh Brolin character found the dead drug dealers, the dope and the money. I get that he wanted to send his wife off to the mother for safety. I can even understand splitting up - send her on the bus and maybe take a different route. But what did I miss that made him want to go to Mexico?

And who did the creepy haircut guy work for? Or did all the dead businessmen work for him? And when did Woody Harrleson get his hand back?

So intertwined in this unneeded chase - after all, who amongst us would find a briefcase full of money and opt to keep it in the same briefcase while we try to avoid detection of the bad guys? And if the guy empties the money into a gym bag or a laundry basket, or if he does like most of the rest of the normal people in Texas would do - bathe nekkid in the pile of found cash and send Polorids of your fat ass covered in Benjamin's in a polite letter of resignation e-mail to your boss, there wouldn't be a chase because the little homing device would have been found from the word go. But I digress.

Underneath this little chase plot, we have Tommy Lee Jones, mostly eating breakfast and drinking other people's milk. He looks like Agustus McCrae has died again and again and it is weighing heavily on his mind. If Robert Duval had only been in this movie, perhaps we could have had some references to Napalm in the Morning and such, and it might have helped me better understand why Tommy Lee's character was so down. For good measure though, he does meet up with Barry Corbin for a little chat, even though the two never actually met up in Lonesome Dove.

So here's the deal - and please, don't misunderstand; the acting was great and there was this incredible photography of Texas and many of the scenes were simply done with such great skill I can understand the desire for people to want to call this "an Instant Classic" (David Ansen, Newsweek). But when the movie ended, my wife and I looked at one another and in near unison with jaws dropped said, "You gotta be shittin' me!"

If you haven't seen the movie, please don't let my little report pique your interest, because then I'd feel bad that you spent the money on a rental or bought the DVD. Though I suspect at our next garage sale, you'll find this one on sale with a Low Mileage sticker on it in the bargain bin. I won't feel bad if you give us a few bucks for it.

Jackpot!

My wife and I have made a few trips to Las Vegas, not because we are gamblers of any aptitude, but because it is a fun place to go. It has been several years since our last visit and each time I hear stories of people wanting to legalize gambling in Texas, I'm all for it. Again, I say that as a non-gambler.

I do believe it is worth the dollar you could spend once or twice a week to have the momentary fantasy of playing the state Lotto and actually winning a Bazillillon dollars, but I only believe that is true if you can restrain yourself from fantasizing your paycheck away. And that is the primary reason people seem opposed to allowing gambling here.

I just think it is somewhat awkward that the people who decide whether or not we can increase our tourist trade by opening casinos, are the same people who have depended on the state lottery to subsidize schools so they can spend your tax dollars on other pork projects. But I digress...

I say we are not gamblers but we are not opposed to designated a small amount of disposable income to simply throw it into the wind on the very unlikely chance that we could win something bright and shiny, like a quarter or a watch.So my wife is always going to this little convenience store that is also a Post Office to mail packages to our daughter, and we found this little machine that really was fun. If you think of a slot machine in that, if you put in a quarter (or an electronic bet) you get a play and when the mechanical thing is done, you either win something or lose. In our case, you lose. This little machine lets you throw in your money, but here you can see first hand how you are going to lose your money. There are two shelves that move back and forth. You toss your quarter into the slot and as it lands on the first moving shelf, it takes up space which in turn, moves the existing quarters. If one or more quarters on the first shelf are pushed onto the second shelf, the same thing happens; more room is needed and when a quarter or a prize on the second shelf falls, it goes into a little chute, and you win it!

Yes, I know; you are not ever going to win as much money as you put into it. But the same is true about the state lottery. I know this to be true. But I'm cool with that.

Dinner Report: Lone Star Grill...

Friday evening, my wife and I took a short trip up Tezel Road to check out a place called The Lone Star Grill. It's in the same location as an old catfish place I never seemed to get around to going to. So close - so very close and I let it slip by. Anyway...

This is a fairly new place in our area and it came highly recommended by friends who had done breakfast and had burgers.

We tried it in the evening and found the place to be nice and clean, a friendly staff and atmosphere. I enjoyed that there were multiple TV's and we really liked the Texas Theme (get it? Lone Star Grill?). Anyway, both my wife and I had the chicken fried steak which the girl who took our order suggested. I had mashed potatoes and green beans as sides and my wife had corn and mashed potatoes with her order. The green beans and corn were directly from a can with no seasoning or effort to make them unique or even restaurant-like at all. The mashed potatoes were fine as was the gravy that came with the potatoes and the chicken fried steak, and the Texas Toast was excellent!

The chicken fried steak was definitely not homemade. My guess is it came from one of those frozen bags in counts of 50, and they either tossed it in a microwave or possibly in an oven. Please don't get me wrong, I understand that not all restaurant meals are prepared from scratch in the kitchen. This came across as something from a school cafeteria (if memory serves). The texture and appearance left a lot to be desired.

Our meals were okay. We did not leave in a huff or decide we would never return - in fact we liked the atmosphere and the people seemed very friendly. Have you ever wanted to really like a place? Anyway, we probably will give the Lone Star Grill another shot. I have heard that the burgers are great so I will try that next time.If you do go, skip the bland green beans and corn and opt for something besides the chicken fried steak.

Friendliness Report: HEB Shoppers

Don't let anyone tell you that people in Texas and especially, here in San Antonio are not some of the most helpful and friendly folks.

Why just today, I was filling up at the HEB on Guilbeau and Mystic Park and some kind person was helpful enough to make the little Post-it note on the gas pump more user-friendly.

Have a nice day, ya' hear?