General – Page 94 – The Bald Heretic – Short, bald dude with a goofy beard

Slitherin!

When I was a a kid I loved snakes. I had several as pets growing up. My mother was pretty tolerant of them as I recall. She said anything was better than the pet tarantula one of my older brothers came home with once.

I can recall hunting for snakes in the lots around my house and on camping trips. I caught Garter Snakes, Hognoses, Water Snakes, whatever I found. I even caught a Speckled King Snake at Astroworld under the Texas Cyclone.

My favorite pet snake was a Texas Rat Snake I named Smaug after the Dragon in The Hobbit. He was cool. When threatened, Rat Snakes will vibrate their tail really fast and when they are in some dry leaves is can sound just like a Rattlesnake. Smaug was a feisty fellow and would do the tail thing at the drop of a hat.

Today while returning from the store after running a quick errand I was flagged down by a woman on the side of the road who was pointing and yelling “SNAKE! SNAKE!” Sure enough, there was a huge snake making his way near the curb next to some apartments right off of Westheimer. Instinct took over and I parked the car and moved toward the reptile. He was obviously a Texas Rat Snake and about 4 feet long. I must have been quite a sight as I did my best impersonation of the Crocodile Hunter and grabbed the tail causing the snake to double back on itself as he attempted to plung his fangs into my arm. I was quick and avoided the bite. After a few more tail stops and near misses I had him coiled up on my food rattling his tail against the side of my shoe and poised to bite the living crap out of me.

I distracted him with one hand and quickly grabbed him with my other just behind the head so he couldn’t bite me. He coiled up around my arm and I got back in my car and drove home.

The whole experience brought back a flood of memories. There was a time when finding something like that Rat Snake would have made my entire year.

I let him go in the back yard. I figure he’s got a better chance there than he had near that apartment complex. I might have kept him but I think Cynthia would have had a heart attack.

I snapped a few pics. Click on the thumbnails to see Smaug II before I released him.

Glad to be of assistance

As you might imagine, I have answered a LOT of computer questions over the years as a result of my chosen path as demagogy-free radio talk show host and newspaper techno-pundit.

The questions come via e-mail, IM, the phone, in person and via third parties, friends and relatives. Everything from consumer advice to complex network troubleshooting. Sometimes I know the answer and sometimes I am quick with a well executed Google search and on certain occasions I just grunt my displeasure at being used in this manner and go back to what I was doing before I was so rudely interrupted.

Since all my Q&A’s I write for the Chronicle are archived in the Helpline Blog they are turning up in the search engines when people are looking for an answer to a problem. This means that I am answering questions now without actually interacting with the person experiencing the problem.

There’s no way to track this. I simply have no idea how much assistance (or damage) I am perpetrating. I do, however, have an inkling based on the steady stream of replies to one particular posting I made back on Sept. 9, 2005.

My screen is sideways

It was a Q&A I put together based on a real live helpdesk issue that I solved with one of my users in the course of my workday. In terms of publishing it was kind of a “throw down” posting in that I did not see this as something that affected very many people and would possibly be more filler than anything or perhaps just demonstrate a quirky computer factoid.

I was wrong.

This week I have received three comments thanking me for that one single answer and I have received around 28 since it was posted. And since I rarely hear from people I have successfully helped the true number of people this has helped may never be fully known.

I can only imagine how many people have been suffering with a monitor turned on it’s side looking for a solution.

I’m glad I could help.

Just say no to Kinky Friedman

There’s finally some well thought out information becoming available on Kinky Friedman’s bid for the governorship of the great state of Texas.

I’ve been tracking Burnt Orange and Stop Kinky

Of particular interest is Conservative Kinkster and Conservative Kinkster II, Friedman and Race

It pays to be informed.

Art Car Parade 2006

Cynthia and Jay at the Art Car Parade

Early Saturday Cynthia and I headed into town to wander amongst the art cars as they got into position for the parade. This is the best way to see the cars. You can walk up to them and talk with the artist and it’s all before the full heat of the day. Plus you see them at your pace rather than waiting for a few hundred cars to slooooooooooowly drive past you.

I didn’t shoot all that many pics of the parade but the few I did are available HERE

Art Car Ball 2006

Another art car weekend has come and gone.
While I did not participate in all of the weekend activities I did take time to go to the Art Car Ball which is one of the most unusual parties of the year.

It’s a celebration of the artists and their works. This year’s theme was Ole Time Revival. The theme tends to be more of a suggestion than anything else. Some people participate but for the most part people just do what they want. Seeing Tom dressed as a TV minister, complete with TV, was probably my favorite.

The music was not so great this year but I did have the opportunity to catch up with some old friends and the weather was spectacular for being outside with the cars.

Shameless self promotion

2006 Houston Press Music Awards

It’s always nice to be on the ballot.
Please take some time and nominate my band, The Flying Fish Sailors, for the Best Folk Music category!

The nomination form is located at houstonpress.com/musicshowcase/2006/

Who you callin’ bird brain, bird brain?

Bird-tacular II

Ricky and Lucy have been raising two babies in the yard. They have taken to escorting them in close to the feeders in an attempt to teach them how to feed on their own.

For now Ricky has been flying to the feeder and then to a nearby tree where the infant awaits hungrily. Every now and then the infant attempts to land on the feeder but has not been successful that we have seen.

Of course the whole family is quite skittish and getting a good shot is difficult as I am having to shoot out of the back window and use the highest digital zoom settings on my camera.

We are also seeing some juvenile House Finches and many young sparrows as well.

Yesterday as we were in the yard we noticed a huge Swallowtail butterfly swooping and diving in the yard. Photographic evidence later revealed she was probably laying eggs on our plants.