Welcome To Case's Column
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.
In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
Scattershooting Once Again / A Barbecue Closure
Time to do another roundabout with the here and there. It's almost the middle of another week and, besides, I couldn't sleep. Not to worry, as all your happenings and news of the moment (well, the Case way) will all be right here. We'll make this thing work out just fine.
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Is it possible for a barbecue chain to overbuild? Quite possibly, and that's when you consider the fact that this chain occupied a former Grandy's location and, secondly, it was located in an aging shopping center with a Hobby Lobby and very little else. That's what's happened in Carrollton, Texas, where Dickey's Barbecue Pit had built one of their many new locations a couple of years ago near the George Bush Turnpike and Old Denton Road. It is now closed, and likely due to a lack of business. It was one of two locations that were closest to my apartment in Lewisville, but both of them are now closed. So I will resort to a location in nearby Coppell, which is not a bad drive. But either people are complacent, service is poor, the food is inconsistent, or Dickey's has just done too much too fast. Could be a combination of the above. They're trying to build more than fifty locations nationwide this year alone, but they've probably overdone it in the D/FW area. We'll see where this all goes.
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Three new middle schools are opening up in Frisco, Texas, for this coming fall. The place continues to boom, as the city also awaits new construction in the town square, and additional new businesses, homes, and restaurants continue to pop up throughout town. By the way, the middle schools' new mascots should be announced any time now.
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Here's another 'uh-oh' from Wall Street:
Dow tumbles 225 as Europe worries grow- Market Dispatches - MSN Money
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Another broadcasting legend has passed away. We're losing the great ones, and this latest is from the baseball world:
Broadcaster Ernie Harwell Dead at 92 -- MLB FanHouse
********
It's the end of an era in San Antonio, and the downtown area will not be the same again. That's because the TV antenna had just been removed from the long-standing Tower Life building. The plan was to put in a 100-foot flagpole (which had been the original design when the skyscraper was first built over 80 years ago), as said antenna had become obsolete. My next trip down there should be in October sometime, if not sooner, and it's going to be weird seeing that change. Sometimes, all good things have to come to an end, whether I want them to or not.
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Hard to believe what has just happened in Nashville over the last few days. Here's that link: Heartbreaking Videos of Nashville Flood (The One) - Urlesque
********
Want more dumb criminal news? Well, here's a new take on crimefighting the superhero way.
'Spider-Man' stops comic book theft - UPI.com
********
Something's wrong at KDAV radio (AM 1590) in Lubbock, Texas. I listen to that station from time to time on my computer, but it's an old rock-and-roll station with a miniscule staff and no production crew to speak of. And now this: they've got serious computer problems. Much of the regular programming, including the station's jingles and ID's, have been absent from the airwaves in recent weeks due to the problem. They're still playing music, but not with all of the same bells and whistles that you expect when everything is running kosher. I sure hope the FCC does not revoke this station's license because, technically, when you don't do a station identification at the top of the hour every hour, you violate FCC regulations. Uh, KDAV staff? You might want to get it fixed.
********
And now, for that all-important Word Of The Day, which is vacation. I've finally arranged my plans for a July vacation, and all the permissions were granted by the folks at work. My calendar is set, as is my hotel, so I will be on vacation in just a few short months. Yipppeeee!!!!!
And there you are.
********
Is it possible for a barbecue chain to overbuild? Quite possibly, and that's when you consider the fact that this chain occupied a former Grandy's location and, secondly, it was located in an aging shopping center with a Hobby Lobby and very little else. That's what's happened in Carrollton, Texas, where Dickey's Barbecue Pit had built one of their many new locations a couple of years ago near the George Bush Turnpike and Old Denton Road. It is now closed, and likely due to a lack of business. It was one of two locations that were closest to my apartment in Lewisville, but both of them are now closed. So I will resort to a location in nearby Coppell, which is not a bad drive. But either people are complacent, service is poor, the food is inconsistent, or Dickey's has just done too much too fast. Could be a combination of the above. They're trying to build more than fifty locations nationwide this year alone, but they've probably overdone it in the D/FW area. We'll see where this all goes.
********
Three new middle schools are opening up in Frisco, Texas, for this coming fall. The place continues to boom, as the city also awaits new construction in the town square, and additional new businesses, homes, and restaurants continue to pop up throughout town. By the way, the middle schools' new mascots should be announced any time now.
********
Here's another 'uh-oh' from Wall Street:
Dow tumbles 225 as Europe worries grow- Market Dispatches - MSN Money
********
Another broadcasting legend has passed away. We're losing the great ones, and this latest is from the baseball world:
Broadcaster Ernie Harwell Dead at 92 -- MLB FanHouse
********
It's the end of an era in San Antonio, and the downtown area will not be the same again. That's because the TV antenna had just been removed from the long-standing Tower Life building. The plan was to put in a 100-foot flagpole (which had been the original design when the skyscraper was first built over 80 years ago), as said antenna had become obsolete. My next trip down there should be in October sometime, if not sooner, and it's going to be weird seeing that change. Sometimes, all good things have to come to an end, whether I want them to or not.
********
Hard to believe what has just happened in Nashville over the last few days. Here's that link: Heartbreaking Videos of Nashville Flood (The One) - Urlesque
********
Want more dumb criminal news? Well, here's a new take on crimefighting the superhero way.
'Spider-Man' stops comic book theft - UPI.com
********
Something's wrong at KDAV radio (AM 1590) in Lubbock, Texas. I listen to that station from time to time on my computer, but it's an old rock-and-roll station with a miniscule staff and no production crew to speak of. And now this: they've got serious computer problems. Much of the regular programming, including the station's jingles and ID's, have been absent from the airwaves in recent weeks due to the problem. They're still playing music, but not with all of the same bells and whistles that you expect when everything is running kosher. I sure hope the FCC does not revoke this station's license because, technically, when you don't do a station identification at the top of the hour every hour, you violate FCC regulations. Uh, KDAV staff? You might want to get it fixed.
********
And now, for that all-important Word Of The Day, which is vacation. I've finally arranged my plans for a July vacation, and all the permissions were granted by the folks at work. My calendar is set, as is my hotel, so I will be on vacation in just a few short months. Yipppeeee!!!!!
And there you are.
Total Comments 7
Comments
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October is usually a good month for SA, provided there isn't severe weather. It can happen then, though not as often as this time of year. It's usually the beginning of the "cool season," which is why I like it. Its downtown does need to expand to a size more in line with an area of 2 million people though. Maybe the River North project will allow for that.
Maybe KDAV does the station ID on the radio, but not on its online feed?
That is tragic about Tennessee. Seems like there was a lot of bad news this past week.
Finally here's a YouTube video from a year ago that shows recent improvements in Lubbock (caution: may contain music that's objectionable to fans of Tech rivals' ears
):
YouTube - Marsha Sharp Freeway and Other Progress at TechPosted 05-09-2010 at 12:04 AM by shoe01
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The Sharp Freeway is completed from Avenue L to just past the Loop. Good ride.Posted 05-09-2010 at 02:12 PM by case44
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Actually, with KDAV, you do get everything you hear on the radio online, shoe. It's not corporately owned, so everything they hear in Lubbock's airwaves, I get on my computer. By the way, that problem of theirs has been fixed.Posted 05-09-2010 at 02:14 PM by case44
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Cool! In April I only saw the part between L and the stadium. I didn't know it was finished to 289 yet. Hopefully it will be finished to I-27 by fall of 2011. I read that info from a usually trustworthy internet source who apparently heard that from a TXDOT insider.Quote:The Sharp Freeway is completed from Avenue L to just past the Loop. Good ride.
They listened to you!Quote:Actually, with KDAV, you do get everything you hear on the radio online, shoe. It's not corporately owned, so everything they hear in Lubbock's airwaves, I get on my computer. By the way, that problem of theirs has been fixed.Posted 05-10-2010 at 11:37 AM by shoe01
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Posted 05-19-2010 at 05:45 PM by shoe01
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Well, that was a nice approach to 4th Street and the new Mercado district that's getting worked on. Shaky camera work, however. That all-too-brief video was done by someone other than the usual suspect who had taken previous videos in recent years.
By the way, with you being a San Antonio resident, shoe, I'm surprised you haven't commented on the Tower Life Building makeover. Thoughts?Posted 05-19-2010 at 08:23 PM by case44
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I think the Mercado district is no more. The parking garage is being constructed by a local developer/recent Tech grad who saw the need for parking for students and football fans, and decided to build a nice 11-story structure complete with a restaurant on the ground floor and a bar on top, with trees. Next to it will be upscale apartments, and then retail will be at University. Here's a pic:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2394921_n.jpg
The Tower Life building is a jewel. It should look nicer when done. Like most residents, I don't get to see it up close very often, so I don't know much about what's happened with it.Posted 05-19-2010 at 11:21 PM by shoe01
