You asked for a couple pictures so here is one. This is a shot of a lighthouse in the Lake Michigan Harbor. The Tall buildings in the background are not office building but apartment complexes in "Lincoln Park." This is a fairly affluent area of Chicago.  

Its That Time Again!

Thats right avid readers and Triviameisters, its time for MORE trivia. And since this is the Wednesday before Haloween, your treat is an extra Trivia Quote!
You know the rules so away we go!

"I want to go to Mt. Splashmore,
Take me, take me, take me, take me now!
Now! Now! Now! Now! Now!
Mt. Splashmore, take me there right now!"

"I am just a simple paperboy,
No romance do I seek...
I just wanted forty cents,
For my deliveries last week..."

"These Four Things I KNOW are True!"

"I used to play the field,
I used to be a roamer,
But the season's turning 'round for me now,
I finally bagged me a homer.
That's right, I finally bagged me a Homer."

"Moe Moe Moe,
why dont you like me,
nobody likes me"

Free Ipod

How would you like a free ipod? If so go to the following link:http://www.congaworld.tk/
Once there click the forum:mp3players4free. Once inside you will get all the information you need. I have an ipod, now you can get one too. And unlike other online offers, you do not have to refer anyone here!

How do you do it Big Tex?

People often ask me how I am able to post on here multiple times per week and always have interesting things to say. They ask me how it is I am able to write such interesting pieces so regularly. Am I an amazing writer? Do i lead an extraordianry life? Am I a lousy speller? The answers to those last three questions are yes, no, and you better believe it. But ANYONE can do this. Even you!

All I do is write about the world that I see. Part of what I am learning in school is to be observant. One thing that I am learning is to see the words a person uses, their tone of voice, the way they move their hands, their overall comfort level. In short, I am observing the whole person. So, when I see people, I am constantly doing this. I see little things which other people might not.

But trust me, you will see these things too if you just observe carefully. Life is moving around you at a quick pace. There are so many people all around you with so many stories about them. A lot of what I erite about tends to come directly from the bus. Real people doing real activities. Thats what I write about. All the people you read about here are real. Nobody is a fabrication. You see them in your life, just like I do. The only difference is, I have trained myself to be a little more observant. Thats the only difference. Try something tomorrow. On your way to school or work, when you are on public transportation, or walking down the street, look at the world around you. I am sure you will see more then you have ever seen before. And then you will be one step closer... closer to me, Big Tex.

Yall Have no Reason to Hang Your Head

This goes out to to my boys and girls in H-town.

I know what yall were hoping for and I know that yall are likely a little dissapointed right now. I am. But here is the thing, in a couple of days when you get over your dissapointment, you will look back on this season with pride.

It took 42 years for our beloved Stros to get out of the first round. Think about that, 42 years. The Red Sox and Cubs make a big deal out of not winning the world series since WWI. Big deal. The Stros/Colt 45's never made it out of round 1.

I dont know how many of yall read this, but the day after the Clemens signing, there was an article in the Chronicle talking about key signings and the results. Remember in '94 when we signed Doug Drabeck and Greg Swindell? Remember how Drabeck was supposed to take us to the next level? Remember how nothing really happened that year? Rememember in '99 when we acquired Randy Johnson? Rememeber getting kicked out of the playoffs by the Braves? Again! I really hoped that we could make it past the first round.

And we did. We finally bested the Atlanta Braves and came within a hair of beating the Cards. Not only that, but we showed Drayton something. We showed him that if you spend the bucks, good things will happen. Drayton, there is a guy on our team named Carlos who will need a sizable paycheck to stick around. In order to get him to stick around you will also have to reach into your wallet and get Roger to stick around for another year. I know it will cost some money, but it will be well worth it. See what happens when you spend? Good things do happen.

So boys and girls, be thrilled. Be happy. Be refreshed. You saw some great baseball out of a team we all knew could do something if given an oppertunity. Dont look at this season as a waste, but as a great stepping stone. Remember proteins are made of amino acids, and championships are built slowly. Remember, celebrate the season for what it was, not what it wasn't. Congraulte, dont take away. Rememeber boys, Big Tex has your back. Rememeber girls, Big Tex still loves you.

Yall Just Dont Get It, Do You?

You know, it irritates me when I see people not understanding simple basic concepts. I was watching the Yankees-Red Sox game on TV yesterday and today and it is fairly obvious that Yankees fans just don't get it.

Now, I am not a Red Sox fan. I personally do not like the team and have been against them for years. I am not a Yankees fans and have booed and jeered them for years as well. I recently realized my personal bitterness against the Red Sox was directed at many of their fans but thats another post alltogether.

What disgusts me was the behavior of the Yankees fans at the last two games. Now, I realize that yall are dissapointed over your team not playing well. Trust me, I know about sports teams blowing big leads. If you don't know what I am refering to think Houston Oilers-Buffalo Bills playoffs. But there is no excuse for throwing crap onto the field. I understand that you are venting frustration but it is never an appropritate time to throw crap onto the field. Save that temper tantum for the little leagues. Oh, by the way, even little league players know better.

Here is the thing, baseball is a game, and a game is meant to be fun. Fun is not throwing a ball at Damon's head(yes I did see yall do that in game 7). At the end of the day, does it really matter who wins? At the end of the day can you look at yourself in the mirror and be proud of your actions? At the end of the day did you enjoy yourself? I can, can you?

Here is the thing which yall just dont get:Baseball is our national past time. Enjoy the series for what it is. Enjoy the thrills of winning and the agony of defeat. Yankees, yall lost this year. Big deal, in a few weeks yall will buy Beltran and possibly Beltre and be on your way to next year's playoffs. Red Sox, yall won this game. Good job, but in the off season yall too will go and buy some big name free agents (maybe Beltran and Beltre) and you too will likly be on your way to the postseason. So after the Red Sox face either the Astros(hopefully) or the Cards, yalls season will end, and you will do the same thing as the Yankees will. So you know what: yall are a lot closer then either of yall would ever care to admit. And thats why yall just don't get it.

Trivia Quotes Revisited.

Allright trivia hounds, here we go. More quotes for your brains to think about. Today we are going to do only three quotes groups. I hope you enjoy them. As always, let me know the TV show, character(s) and the epsiode synopsis.

"Oh, look at me! I'm making people happy! I'm the Magical Man from Happy-Land , in a gumdrop house on Lollipop Lane! Oh, by the way, I was being sarcastic."

Character1: Yes, we do, the cookie told me so.
Character 2: Deserts aren’t always right.
Character 1: But they’re so sweet!

"When the weight of the world has got you down and you want to end your life. Bills to pay, adead-end job, and problems with the wife. But don't throw in the towel, cuz there's a place right down the block Where you can drink your misery away."

Big Tex Lays Down the Law

It seems that people do not know what they should do/should'nt do on the bus. Therefore Big Tex will let you know whats appropo.

Allright, while applying makeup certainly does bug me to a certain amount, there are two things which bug me even more. Singing and talking. Now, I understand that it is occasionally important to use your cell phone to make a call, but there is no reason to conduct a long conversation. Furthermore it is not neccesary to speak so loudly that the entire bus can hear your voice. Nobody cares about whatever it is you did. Trust me, you dont lead an interestingly enough life that I would want to hear about it on your cell phone. Laughing loudly also is not neccesary. I dont care what YOU think is funny, nor do I want to hear the joke thjrough your laughter.

Ok, so now that you have hung up your cell phone, you take out your headphones and start listening to your music. That is a good start, but do not ruin it by starting to sing along with your favorite song. No matter how much you try your voice will sound nothign like your favorite artist. Furthermore you are just irritating everyone on the bus. Nobody wants to hear you sing at the top of your lungs nor do they want to pull their fingernails out with a pair of pliers. Both are bad, but your singing is just a tad worse. If you feel the need to sing, stuff a sock in your mouth, better yet, why dont you turn your music off and read something.

So what should you do on a bus you ask? Why dont you look out the window. If you are on the Lake Shore Bus, you will be able to see Lake Michigan or Lincoln Park. How about areading a newspaper? All citites have newspapers, and if you live in CHicago you can choose between the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun Times. I have read both of them and will offer my opinion of both in the next few days. How about reading a book? Yeah, you know those things the library is always giving away for a couple of weeks at a time? They are called books. Get your ass to the library immediatly and get a couple for your next bus trip.

Big Tex hands out Awards!

Allright here we go folks. Since we are in the postseason, I think its time to hand out the Big Tex regular season MLB awards! These awards are coveted by every major league player and hold a special place on their mantle! Remember, these are my opinions. If you do not agree with me, then you are welcome to comment and let me know. And now, on to the awards!

National League MVP: Adrian Beltre,
Honroable mention: Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds

This category is for MOST VALUABLE PLAYER, not best player. In my opinion without Adrian Beltre, the Dodgers would have had trouble staying ahead of the Diamondbacks. He is that good. He led the major leagues with 48 HRs, had a .334 batting average, and 121 rbi's. St Louis had three players on their team, and while Bonds was very good, he did not single handidily carry the Dodgers for most of the season.

American League MVP: Vladimir Guerrero
Honorable mention: Manny Ramierez and Gary Sheffield

I really wanted to give this award to Manny. I really did. he had a season that was a marvelt o watch. However, his lineup for the most part is pretty stacked(Ortiz, Damon, etc) whereas for most of the season, Vlad had nobody else around him. He kept the Angels within striking distance all season then led them to capture the divison in the last few days. Sheffield had a wonderful season as well, but his lineup is more stacked then Manny's.


National League CY Young Award Winner: Roy Oswalt and Roger Clemens
Honrable Mention: Jason Schmidt, Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano

This was a tough tough decision for me. There is precedent in splitting the CY Young, and I will take that choice. Simply put, Roy Oswalt and Roger Clemens were the only two reliable pitchers for the Astros down the stretch. Houston came back from 7 games and jumped over 5 teams becuase of these two guys. With 20 and 18 wins, these guys dominated the league. Randy Johnson had an amazing season but played for a poor team, and didnt get many chances for wins. Jason Schmidt stumbled in the end of the season and Carl Pavano just was not crisp enough. Good seasons, but not quite Cy young seasons.

American League Cy Young Award Winner: Johan Santana
Honrable mention: Curt Schilling

Lets face it, the difference between these two in wins is negligable(1). But the difference in ERA is dramatic(0.65). Also factor in that when Santana went into a game, opponents peniciled in a loss. He was that dominating this year. Schilling was very very good this year, but Santana was just a bit better.

National League Reliever of the Year: Eric Gagne
Honrable Mention: Brad Lidge

This was by far the toughest category. I gave the award to Gagne for one reason and one reaosn alone: intimidation. He blew 2 saves this season and ended up with 45 saves. Also in non save oppertunities he went 7-3. This guy was near automatic this season. Brad Lidge migth have won this award had he pitched as closer all year, but since he spent part of the season as a setup man for Octavio Dotel. However he did mamage to give Dotel the lead 17 times so he was very effective there. So if you add those 17 holds to his 29 saves and subtract 4, he still has fewer saves then Gagne. His strikeouts were ridiculous, and down the stretch he was the best reliever in the game hands down. But this award is for the whole year, not just the last couple of months.

American League Reliever of the Year: Mariano Rivera
Honorable Mention: Francisco Cordero

This was by far the easiest award to give out. Rivera was just that much more dominant then any other relief pitcher in the American league.

Best National League Player on a bad team: Randy Johnson
Honrable mention: Brad Wilkerson(MTL) and Jim Thome(Philly)

When you have a 2.60 ERA, 290 k's and a record of 16-14, something is very very wrong. And what was wrong was the Diamondbacks. He threw a no-hitter, and essentially needed to bge near perfect just to get to 16 wins. Wilkerson and Thome were the only reasons to watch really bad Montreal and pretty bad Philly, but Randy was a Cy Young Candidate on a really bad team.

Best American league Player on a bad team: Suzuki Ichiro
Honrable Mention: Miguel Tejada

Lets face it, why would you even consider watching Seattle this year? Simple to see Ichiro go after Sissler's 84 tear old record. Why would you watch Baltimore? To see Tejada. Ichiro's record was more important then Tejada's play. Point: Ichiro.

And there you have it. If you disagree with any of this, be sure to comment. If I see no comments I will assume that yall agree with me and that this list is perfect. And it is! Its the Big Tex List!

TRIVIA WEDNESDAY!

Its Wednesday, and you know what that means! More Trivia quotes for you! As always, some of these are Simpsons and others are another show that I like. Please name the SHOW, the speaker, and the episode summary. Good luck

"I moved here from Canada and they think I'm slow..... eeeeeeh?"

"Who driving car? Bear driving car!"

"Your hand, while firm and masculin, is soft as a velvet child"

"My prices are so low, you'll think I suffered brain damage!"

Ok folks, thats it. Have at em!

Where does Big Tex go on Sunday morning?

So if you are reading this, there is a fairly good chance that you know me. Since you know me, answer the following question: Where does Big Tex go on Sunday mornings in Fall? Alltogther now: TO THE SPORTS BAR!

Ok. So for the past few weeks I have been frequenting this sports bar called Goose Island. It is a nice place with plenty of TV's, good beer, and decent food. So last Sunday I was at Goose, and I figured I would watch both the Stros-Braves 4th playoff game and the Texans-Vikings football game. So I get to the bar and guess what is on their big screen TV's? Now you might think the baseball game was on(since it was a playoff game), or you would think maybe the bears game(since it was Chicago), but you'd be wrong in both cases! In fact the Chicago Marathon was on the Big Screens.

Let me say that agian, The Chicago Marathon was on the Big Screens. So, when I request both games, the manager isn't too thrilled with me, but he grants my request. So as I am watching both games, drinking my beer, eating my burger, I am feeling great! Of courser in the third quarter of the Texans-Vikings game, the manager tries to change the channel, but I remind him I am watching the game. Later on he tries the same thing with the Stros-Braves game, but again, I remind him I am watching it. I think he pretty much regreted his decision to let me have two games, but oh well. I will be there next week early, and I WILL GET MY TEXANS GAME.

In fact what was funny was that as the day wore on, the bar actually got crowded, and some people asked for strange football games(why anyone would want to watch the Browns is beyond me), but the manager had no TVs to offer, becuase all of them were occupied! People actually sat down near me and grumbled how a person was using two TV's!!!!! Score one for BIG TEX!
Though Htown lost both games, they played very well in both and the Stros managed to win their seroes with the Braves in 5 games, and the Texans earned a lot of respect by hanging with the NFL's best offense.

So enjoy your playoff baseball, and love your regular season football. This is one of the best times of the year as baseball and football are both in season. So when you drink your next beer, raise a glass to your ol buddy Big Tex. He would do the same for you. In fact he will on Sunday...

Its Time For More Trivia Quotes Revisited

Ok Trivia hounds here we go. Now two of the quotes were correctly identified. If you want to know them, just go to the trivia post and read Carter's comment.

Now for the two which people didn't get:

Since we were in the midst of the political season I used these two:

I don't usually help out Republicans, but it would be nice to be on the winning side for once"

"You lawyers are screwing up this country"

Ok the first one. This is a Simpson's quote which was spoken by Lisa to Krusty the Clown. This is the episode in which Krusty runs for Congress.

The second one: This was much harder as it seems it can be a lot of shows. However, if you knew the other three quotes you would know that you must not think Simpson's here as I mentioned that there would be a non simpsons quote, and this is the one. This actually comes from a very amusing show called "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. The quote is said by a character named "Funky Phantom" to the main Character Harvey Birdman. The episode is the one in which Harvey's assistant, Avenger leaves the office for another job. Avenger, an Eagle, is replaced by a variety of other birds from a sparrow to an emu, and hilarity ensues. Trust me it is hilarious.

Thanks for playing and look for the next set of Trivia Quotes!

You asked for it, so here he is! Your hero and mine: BIG TEX! 

Um? Ok.

Allright, I might end up losing a friend becuase of this post, but I'll deal with that later.

Here is something I do not get. What are Goths trying to prove? I really do not understand it. Are they trying to possibly look as unattractive as possible? Are they trying to see how many piercings they can get? I really do not get it. I mean cmon, you are not impressing anybody, least of all me. If you really are trying to look unattractive, you have completly succeded. I honestly do not think any of you look attractive dressed like that. Here is an idea, wipe the black away from your eyes and see what results. I gurantee that you will look ALOT better.

Here is something else I do not get. Why are Goths sad all the time? I dont know if they are sad, but they certainly look like it. What are yall so sad for? Were you not able to afford that 15th piercing for your ear? Maybe it is your wardrobe. Perhaps if you mix in the occasinal blue, it would do you some good. Oh wait, you do mix in the occasional BLUE. Did you finally run out of place to pierce? No seriosuly, why are yall so sad?

So here is the goth movement: sad unattractive people walking around. Um, ok, that makes sense to me. No wait, it doesnt. Anyone care to explain this one to me?

Its Time For More Trivia Quotes!

Well here we go again! More Trivia quotes for you. As always, some of these are Simpsons and others are another show that I like. Please name the SHOW, the speaker, and the episode summary. Good luck!

"I don't usually help out Republicans, but it would be nice to be on the winning side for once"

"You lawyers are screwing up this country"

"The key to Springfield has always been Elm Street. The Greeks knew it. The Carthaginians knew it. Now you know it."

"Do you kids want to be like the real UN, or do you want to squabble and waste time?"

Ok folks enjoy!

"Red Sox...I Hope They Lose Early"

I was talking with a good friend of mine from Boston this evening. We discussed the VP presidential debate, the evils of managed care, and eventually about Boston Sports. Allow me to present to you a transcribed piece of the conversation:

Big Tex: Did you flip to catch scores on the Yankees-Twins game?
Friend: No, I hate sports
Big Tex: You are a big sox fan though arent you?
Friend: not even a little bit. I actually hope they lose early, to spare my city the misery
Big Tex: wow!
Big Tex: thats a first
Friend: what difference does it make to me?
Big Tex: I have never heard a person from Boston say that!
Big Tex: i am just sitting here stunned!
Friend: well now you have

So there you have it. According to my friend in Boston, they should lose early and spare the city the misery. I agree with this sentiment. The Red Sox should lose early and spare the city the misery. Then again, misery does help my profession, so cmon Boston blow it agian and again! Lose Early and Lose Often!My profession appreciates your business!

Makeup

Ok, as a man I will tell you right off the bat that I do not know the first thing about makeup. There are many things I do not get about makeup, like the process of appyling pounds of makeup so that you come up with a look that seems you are not wearing any makeup at all. Ok whatever. You know, I honestly dont care about makeup, what I care about is where you apply it.

Now, appyling makeup on a woman seems the equivalent of shaving for a man. In both cases, you are taking your face and altering it. This alteration is temporary for the next day you must redo the alteration if you want to achieve the same effect. So, I was on the bus today, and I saw a woman applying her makeup in her seat. I could not believe she was doing this. It only took her baout 5 minutes, but I mean cmon! Could you not have gotten out of bed 5 minutes earlier and done this in your home? Could you not have gotten to bed, 5 minutes earlier, so that she could have woken up 5 minutes earlier in order to apply the makeup at home?

The thing is this is not the first woman that I have seen appyling her makeup on the bus. Do you see men shaving on the bus? No. You do not see men shaving on the bus, yet you do see women applying makeup on the bus. Why is it that women feel that they must apply their makeup on the bus? I dont know, I just find it irritating. Do any of you?

Thanks Barb

I was at the Academic Resource center getting a little help with a paper. I wanted a little help in cleaning up the grammer of my paper as well as as the content of my paper. The paper was about the kid I observed at the school last week. Anyway, the paper looked pretty good and I have a couple ideas as to how the make the paper outstanding. Anyway, while I was waiting for help, this guy walked up to the front desk and asked the guy there for help with SPSS.

For those of you that don't know, SPSS is a statistical program that allows a person to analzye data in a fairly easy way. Well the person behind the desk only knew how to enter data into SPSS not actually analyze anything. Well the guy seemed like he needed some help, so I mentioned to him that I had used SPSS before. He explained the problem to me and within a 10 minutes I had been to answer his question as well as show him a better way to do the stats then he had thought. In essence, I was able to help him with his project. After that he shook my hand and said,"Its good to see people who know SPSS working here." I then told him that I didn't actually work there, I was getting help on a paper!

So, I say thank you Barb, for helping me to learn SPSS. And per this description, it shows that I do know how to use SPSS. So, dont you think its time to change my RDA and Social Psych lab grades to reflect that?! I do.

Old Habits

It occured to me today that it seems some habits that I have picked up are hard to break. I am not talking about bad habits like smoking(which I don't) but neutral habits. For example, I went grocery shopping today and took my utility cart with me to drag back the groceries. When I got to the front door of my apartment complex, I opened the first door and instintivly reached for my wallet to pull out my ID card to open the second door. For those of you that are wondering why I would pull out an ID card to open a door, let me explain to you that when I was in college, we had a keyless lock system. In order to get into a building you would hold your ID card next to the card reader on the door. This was a system that I had used for four years, and I find myself still trying to use my ID card to open the second door on my aprtment complex even though I have been here for a month.

It also occured to me today that i have a habit of licking my door twice before I go to bed. I am not sure where this one started, but I think it must have started when I was in college. Before I get into bed, I walk to the lock on my apartment door, unlock the bolt, lock the bolt, unlock the bolt, and then lock the bolt. Then I will unlock the chain, and lock the chain, unlock the chain, and then lock the chain. I have noticed though that I do not do this at any other time, only when I am about to go to sleep. I don't do this when I walk into the apartment after coming back from class nor do I do this when I am heading home from watching football.
Do you have interesting habits that you do? If so why dont you share them here?!