How to put this delicately?
My two dogs, Gracie (the big one) and Panda (the little one) have selected for themselves, an alternative lifestyle. I have no issue with this, after all, they've been fixed and I don't think we should be so judgmental as to what they do when they aren't serving our family as faithful companions.
But it is a little awkward. The fact is that if these two bitches (they are technically female dogs) who are lesbians could only dance, they'd be the Ellen DeGeneres version of an Animal Planet variety show.
Instead, they just seem to lick each other, and I mean, all the time. Sweet sainted mother of Ceasar Millan; these dogs take sniffing butts to a new level. Eeeewwwww!
But that isn't the problem.
The problem is that the little one has started licking and biting the base of her tail to the point that she has created a small bald spot. At first, I thought this might be her doggy attempt at some sort of Mohawk. She'd get one side bald and then start on the other side in a few days. The tail would represent the spiky area in the middle. But, it has been limited to one side.
The other dog, Gracie, was just recently attended to by the dog groomers, so she has no need for a new fashion statement. Yet, she too has been doing some out of the ordinary scratching.
Oh, and now, they are attempting to perform doggy first aid on one another by licking each other in the itchy areas. The areas near the butt.
So, my wife is pretty disgusted by the whole thing. But the good news is, we have family coming in from out of town this weekend. I suspect someone will pose the question, "What do ya'll do for fun in Texas?"
Cue the Gracie and Panda DeGeneres show...
But if you have an idea of what all this licking and such is about, e-mail me.
Have you ever noticed people driving to work in the morning who are so worried about being in the good lane that they change from lane to lane and never seem to make any real progress? Yea, well then quit following me!
I admit I am always looking to get in a stream of traffic that is flowing smoothly, and further admit that I hate getting behind some idiot on a cell phone who is oblivious to the fact that they are going 10 mph under the speed limit.
But when it comes to bumper to bumper, parking lot like traffic, you aren't going anywhere until the lights change.
So this morning as I made the drive down Culebra, I came across this scene unfolding before my very eyes. It seems that dude in the SUV was just sure that the left lane would provide a better route for his commute. Meanwhile, dude in the little Honda was convinced that he could go faster if he could just get into the right lane.
And, they both made the move at once. And then they stayed perfectly side by side for another mile before one turned off.
I got a giggle from that one.
Like most Texans, I tuned in for NBC's Sunday Night Football this evening and caught the pre-show with Bob Costas and Chris Collinsworth. Toward the end of the show, they announced that the NBC network was doing some sort of Green is Universal kind of gimmick where they would dim the lights on the set resulting in enough savings to provide electricity to a home for a full month or something.
Good for them. I trust they will also be eliminating the door to door limo service or that big bus John Madden rides on. Give that fat bastard a moped and an iPod, and see you next Sunday night as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, after some stupid report by Matt Lauer who promoted Nobel Peace Prize wiener Al Gore, they flash back to a giggling Chris Collinsworth who is obviously hip to how stupid it is to sit there on national TV in candle light, talking about football.
I'm all for the environment and despise litter and waste of resources. But seriously, can NBC get anymore ridiculous?
I joined GNW Board Director Richard Garcia Saturday morning for a little surveying of the hood, and some clean up of the Emerald Valley Park. We did some graffiti clean-up and a lot more trash pick-up over a short few hours, and I just wanted to leave you with a few comments.
When I was a kid, it was drilled into my head about the obscenity of littering. I can tell you that to this day, the sight of somebody tossing trash out the window of a car or leaving a public place in disarray leaves me quite pissed. Graffiti simply elevates that disgust because it is no longer an act of poor manners, but in fact a criminal act.
I'm at a loss as to why we treat this crime as a simple nuisance rather than a crime punishable by 10 whacks with a cane in a public square. In fairness, I have been known to condone the use of water boarding as a means for extracting information from GITMO residents, so I probably don't qualify as an arbiter of reasonable punishment for unruly teenagers.
I don't think that the trash problem is a result of bad kids, I think it is more likely, bad parents. The fact is, we only spent about ten minutes dealing with the graffiti. We easily spent another hour or so picking up plastic bottles, napkins, cups and other assorted items, most often within tossing distance of garbage cans.
In other words, people have an easy choice of placing an empty bottle in a garbage can without having to lift a lid even, or placing the empty bottle on the ground less than a foot or two away from the can. They choose the ground.
This is a failure of parents. It is also a failure of the community.
I don't have some long list of what we need to do as a community to fix this problem, but I know that we could start by using the resources we have already paid for. I don't want to make anyone's job harder, but shouldn't our maintenance staff be at least emptying the garbage cans at the parks before the start of the weekend? Aside from the trash that was tossed all over the ground, a few park visitors at least attempted to do the right thing by using the trash cans - several were full beyond capacity.
If this isn't part of the job description for maintenance, how hard would it be to create a handful of part time positions for either some of our senior citizens or some high school aged kids who would spend a few hours a week doing the simple task of picking up the discarded trash left by obnoxious, ill-mannered park patrons (you know - your neighbors), and being certain the garbage cans are empty so those people who want to do the right thing can use them.
Director Garcia mentioned to me that if a group like The A-Team were to do what he and I did over a few hours, it could be knocked out in about 15 minutes. What a great idea.
I don't want to take the burden off of the maintenance department, but this is our community and for the number of residents, we should be able to put together a mob of volunteers for something so simple.
Like many residents, I work full time and can't tell you I can give up 20 hours a week to go pick up some unruly kid's trash or paint over the foul graffiti of some criminal who has no respect for the community he lives in, but 15 to 30 minutes once or twice a month?
I drive by the soccer fields on weekends and I see hundreds of people enjoying our great facilities. What if immediately following a soccer game, the kids and families of two teams hit one of the parks for a 20 minute clean-up? Simply making sure empty soda bottles were in the cans, discarded candy wrappers were picked up and yes, even soiled Pampers were properly disposed of. Parents, there has to be some reason you are enrolling your kids in soccer - surely it has to do with sportsmanship and being part of a team, right? Why not take a few minutes and also teach them to be good citizens? This doesn't have to be an every weekend thing. With the number of soccer teams we have, it could be rotated so each team does it once or twice a season.
I'd love to hear your ideas on how to keep the place clean. I'd also like to hear what you think about the worsening graffiti problem. I tried to submit a suggestion to the board for the budget process, but not quite sure they received the e-mail form I submitted it on. So I'll tell you about it here.
I propose that the board purchase some surveillance camera equipment that would be owned by the association but provided to residents on an temporary basis. I think of these people whose homes line Timber Path Road who are constantly the victims of graffiti. A resident would contact Chief Burton and his security staff to arrange for the loan of the equipment. The security staff could then assist the resident in installing a camera on the resident's property. After the vandals do their deed, the resident could contact SAPD and turn over the evidence to them, and the equipment would be returned to security. Yes, yes, yes, I know - we better consult the lawyers or we could be liable for something. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. ((Please forgive that outburst, it was directed toward the people who can't wipe their nose without first seeing if it is in the By Laws or if the association lawyer thinks it prudent.))
I don't expect this idea to end world hunger, but I think it is a step in the right direction toward identifying these little bastards and taking some action toward letting their parents know what their precious little Rembrandt's are up to on Friday nights.
A second suggestion I have is to provide the security staff with a digital camera. I believe that every incident of graffiti should be photographed and cataloged by date and location of the crime. I'm next expecting Chief Burton and his staff to be Jim Rockford or Magnum PI, but how hard is it to snap a picture and record the location and date. The point of this catalog is to attempt to allow the SAPD to make a connection to other crimes the vandals of done when the catch someone via the surveillance cameras mention above.
I fully understand that handing the district attorney a bunch of pictures of graffiti is not going to send these little punks off to Huntsville, but I suspect that a SAFFE Officer showing up at the home and presenting the information to parents might help get their attention.
Aside from busting out shotguns and patrolling the streets (which I oppose) what suggestions do you have as to how to deal with this situation? Tell me about.
As this little neighborhood-centric blog has enjoyed over 7,000 visitors (or just a lot of my wife and I looking at what I have posted), I am really pleased with the number of visitors from places beyond San Antonio and Texas.
I can attribute a handful of these "beyond Texas" visitors to people who are "lured" here by my occasional comments to the blogs I visit from other cities and states. Further, I can easily see that some out of state visitors end up in good ol' 78250 simply because a Google search led them astray.
But if you look down at the very bottom of the page, you will see a little world map that seemingly depicts where the people are visiting from. Of particular interest to me, is the person who visits us from Japan.
Konnichiwa! Hello and welcome. Perhaps a military member serving overseas who wants to stay in touch with the home town? Good for you and thanks for the visits.
More importantly, thank you for your service. E-mail me. If there is anything or place you'd like me to report on. Let me know and I'll post some pictures of home!
I was driving up Culebra Road on my way home from work today when I saw an advertisement from Bogart's, a local club in our area. Bars and clubs always have these little hooks to get you to come in and join in the fun - sometimes it is Karaoke Night, or perhaps dart leagues. Some clubs even feature strippers!
But here in 78250, we get the "Tight Jeans Contest".
Now, I can see how this might be an appealing idea. Say you take your normal super model and put her in some snuggly fitting jeans and have her prance around letting all the perverts gawk at her thinly covered buns; I can see the logic.
But what really made me take note was the sign below the ad for the Tight Jeans Contest.
Hello? Big and Beautiful? Well no wonder the jeans are so tight.
I think I'm gonna have to pass on this one. (Not that my wife would let me go, otherwise.)
*There is more strange stuff here.
This evening, I was otherwise detained until around 8:30PM and was not able to make it to the first hour of the meeting of Great Northwest Community Improvement Association Board of Directors. Based on my brief attendance and by all credible accounts from what I missed, this was quite the event.
Herewith my notes of the short time I was available to dictate. And by the way, if you were one of the many residents who attended the meeting, held at the Emerald Valley facility, or a member of the board, please don't hesitate to pipe in with a second opinion. This particular evening, I wrote as fast as I could, but honestly, couldn't keep up with much of the banter and bickering.
When I came in, the discussion was hot and heavy about the tennis courts. If you recall from my last report, a few residents had voiced concerns about the crappy state of the tennis courts, and some people opined that there was not enough interest in tennis to spend the money needed to repair them.
A counter to that argument has been that if the courts were in good shape, people would use them. I fall in the group of people who probably will never step foot on the courts, but want them maintained simply because in a deteriorated state, they do not provide any added value to my home, and possibly detract from same.
So apparently, before I arrived, Director Guy Pucci must have been talking about spending the needed capital on the courts to bring them back to serviceability. Director Richard Garcia brought a quickly assembled plan before the board to propose a 30-day feasibility study with at least some of the following points:
- 30 days of free tennis lessons to interested kids and adults
- Fixing up/cleaning/painting the courts enough to make them usable
- Paying a tennis pro a reasonable fee to give the lessons
Director Garcia proposed that the board could do this study for $1,500 to $2,000. Director Pucci pointed out that this idea was less of a feasibility study and more of a new program. He countered with the idea that the Rec Director could poll the participants of existing sports programs to see what the interest was. Further, he would like to see a determination of how much other programs charge for participation. In other words, in the same way that the association charges a participation fee for soccer and other team sports, if we engaged in a program of tennis lessons or something like this, it would be for fee.
There was much "discussion". I had seen people in the audience yell out remarks in the past, maybe one or two people with brief comments such as, "Mr. Chair, Director Long is out of order.", but this was different. People through out the audience were making statements; hell, even I piped in with an unwarranted comment or two. One gentleman sitting behind me prefaced his remarks with, "I know I'm not allowed to say anything, but..."
Finally through all of the ruckus, Director SK Sharma, whom I had never heard speak before, gave quite an eloquent statement regarding the fact that he has lived in this association for over 22 years and when he finally retires and sells his house, he expects to turn a profit. Further, he pointed out that the facilities, including the tennis courts are intended to raise the value of the homes, not detract from that value. I don't have the verbatim quote but the gist of it was that even if a single person doesn't play tennis, we need to maintain the courts. At some point or another, he also used the word "Bloody". In the end, his remarks drew applause from the audience, though I must confess, I think I instigated it with my loud clapping.
Director Janet Doherty pointed out that the demograhics of the neighborhood has changed in the years since the original tennis courts were built and there is far less interest these days. Director Sigrid Long rebutted that if the courts were in proper shape, perhaps people would utilize them.
To this, Maintenance Director Fred Murphy made a suggestion that we could go from four tennis courts to two, relocate the basketball court onto the other tennis court, then turn the abandoned basketball court into a parking lot. This would relieve some of the parking issues at the pool. Brilliant!
In the end, Chairman Lee Besing had Director Garcia restate the motion about the feasibility study and it simply was not seconded by any other directors and thus died.
Up next, an issue near and dear to my heart: Grafitti. Turns out that this past weekend, the Lodge at Silver Creek got tagged. It was mentioned that Director Garcia has been going out and painting over the tagged areas on his own and sure could use some volunteers. Director Long brought up the fact that they should take advantage of the A-Team to help, but that drew lots of discussion from the crowd (myself included).
As a side note - and unrelated to the meeting, my wife and I along with several neighbors had signed up to volunteer for the A-Team a while back. Apparently, it has taken some time to get things going because none of us have been contacted by the coordinator. We'd still like to learn more about this program, so if you happen to be coordinating, please leave a comment or e-mail me.
In the end, I did volunteer to assist Director Garcia with his painting efforts and if you feel like you can help out, I'm sure he would love the company.
Given that the meeting was supposed to go to the discussion of the budget, Chairman Besing noted that a lot of time had already been spent on other business and that perhaps they should delay the budget discussion for a special meeting next week.
Director Pucci instead presented a motion to set the 2008 assessment to $222.00. This is a rollback from the current assessment of $235.00. His motion drew lots of quibbling amongst the crowd. Most residents were for the rollback but at least one person, former Chair Joe Martinez pointed out that it was senseless to make such a decision without having come up with a budget. Director Garcia quickly seconded the motion and Director Doherty immediately was in favor.
There was a very humorous exchange between Directors Long and Sharma during the confused discussions. From my seat, it was obvious that Director Long had been out of the room when the motion was made and seconded. It appeared that the other board members did not realize she had slipped out for a short potty break. So when Chairman Besing asked her if she had any comments, she was clearly confused, thinking the discussion was about a budget item. When Director Sharma started to restate the motion, Director Long interrupted him and Sharma quickly and bluntly stated that if she wanted an explanation she should be quiet and let him explain. This drew guffaws from the assembled crowd.
This time, when the vote was taken, Directors Long and Sharma voted against the motion and stating that it would not be prudent to set the assessment, Chairman Besing also voted against, killing the motion.
But this created a further discussion point and that is, that the GNWCIA has $926,000.00 in the bank. Yes, of course there are bills to be paid. But there are also assessments (whether they are $222.00 or $235.00 or more), the pot only gets bigger.
In the end, the board could not agree on a day to hold a special meeting next week to discuss the budget, so they will wait until the next scheduled meeting.
See you there!
My two dogs, Gracie (the big one) and Panda (the little one) have selected for themselves, an alternative lifestyle. I have no issue with this, after all, they've been fixed and I don't think we should be so judgmental as to what they do when they aren't serving our family as faithful companions.
The other dog, Gracie, was just recently attended to by the dog groomers, so she has no need for a new fashion statement. Yet, she too has been doing some out of the ordinary scratching.
