ModestGeniusXL

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Spring Break Randomness

I probably could have posted about my trip on a daily basis.  Maybe came back and post-dated a bunch of entries to clue all of you in on the happenings that transpired over the course of the last week.  However, I already told you I'm not into updating on a daily basis any longer.  Plus, everything could best be summed up better in more random thoughts anyway.  So here goes...

I was pretty much sick the entire trip from the road trip down there.  It should have been a 12 hour drive but it amounted to 14 hours with all the stopping.  I honestly didn't think the wings from the lunch the day before would have that strong of an effect on me.  Guess I was wrong

I swear everytime I go to Dallas I end up taking a different route each time.  What makes it even more strange is I'm using the GPS.  Maybe they're using some type of rotating maps I don't know about

XM Radio makes long road trips SO much better

What does every place south of Kansas City have against rest areas?  I never saw another one after that the entire trip

One of these days I will learn to better pick hotels based on the type of beds they have

It's a shame when my phone's hotspot connection is more reliable than the hotel's internet

I'm not afraid of heights per se but those overpasses in Dallas (AND Houston) can be rather intimidating

I almost forgot there is Blue Bell ice cream there.  BEST.  VANILLA. ICE CREAM. EVER.  I must have had at least three or four of those pints in all during the whole time I was there

Tried a few new different restaurants that are indigenous to the area.  Probably should have done an independent post on all of them but I'll sum them up here instead:

T-Bone Tom's:  Featured on 'Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives' which is of course the reason why I picked it.  The armadillo eggs were AMAZING.  The marinated rib-eye steak was just as good

Abuelo's:  Still not sure if there is such a thing as a restaurant down there that truly features 'authentic' Mexican food.  This joint gave it their best shot and wasn't too bad.  Then again, it wasn't a whole lot different from the Mexican food we have available here

BJ's Restaurant Brewhouse:  E insisted on it since it was his favorite pizza joint.  Pizza was so-so.  Same for the cajun pasta I ordered (Lucallan's continues to hold the crown in that regard).  Their strawberry lemonade was some of the best I've ever had

Still managed to find time to watch my Cyclones win their first round NCAA game against the defending National Champs UConn.  And better yet it was at E's house.  Watching the NCAA tourney games just like we used to do back in the day

Texas folks sure love them some Dodge Chargers

I should have stuck with my original idea of making the trip down there in January instead of over Spring Break.  It seemed like EVERYONE was vacationing down there that week.  Couldn't hardly do any tourist stuff because there were crowds and lines everywhere

It's funny how time can both creep by yet go so fast at the same time while on vacation.  Especially when you're sick 95% of the time.  I didn't get around near as much as I wanted to so missed out seeing family I wanted to see while down there.  However, the time there did reinvigorate my desire to make that migration south

Pictures?  Oh I got pictures alright.  But again, not near as many as I wanted.  I've been posting them periodically on The Book complete with it's own separate photo album.  I even went as far as to create a special high-definition album for everyone else to enjoy as well.  Check it out by clicking here:  Spring Break 2012

Best thing about the vacation...hands down...was seeing my two oldest.  I just wish Mariah could have gotten time off so I could have spent more time with her as well.  But if everything works out then maybe that won't be an issue before the end of the year...

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIJAH!!!

Of course I didn't forget my oldest son's birthday.  I've just been busy spending it with him during this Spring Break.  So I gave him a shout out for it on The Book but neglected to do so here.  So allow me to do so with one of the many shots I have of him from this Spring Break.  Then forgive me as I get back to spending time with the family...

Random (XL-Images) Pic of the Day

There He Goes...

If someone would have told me this would be the first Monkee to go, I would have never believed them.  Not that I was making bets on how they would keel off, but I could have sworn Mickey Dolenz would be the lead-off man.  That's why this one was definitely shocking. 

Monkees lead singer Davy Jones passed away last Wednesday after suffering an apparent heart attack.  He was only 66-years-old.

My first exposure to Davy Jones was watching "The Brady Bunch" in syndication.  It was the renown episode where Marsha was set on getting him to perform at her prom and he was the guest star.  I had no clue who he was at that time.  Little did I know that he had already made a huge splash with The Monkees and was actually embarking on a solo career by the time that episode rolled around.  But thanks to MTV I would be schooled on that later on. 

That was the one good thing about MTV going with non-music video programming in those early days.  They exposed my generation to the greatness that was The Monkees while we were still in our impressionable high school years.  I don't know anyone from my circle of friends that were big on the Beatles at all.  However, give us a knockoff group that was created for the sole purpose of trying to be a comedic alternative to that group and we were all in.

The most ironic thing about the news of his passing was I had just recently discovered that this local cable station here called Inspiration runs "The Brady Bunch" episodes in the late afternoon.  Of course I started watching them.  For some odd reason, I had been thinking about that Davy Jones episode wondering when they would get to that one.  Then this news came.  Definitely not the way I wanted to have that episode resurface.  Although it was nice that they decided to run it back to back in memory of him.

I've long been clowned for having some corny music among my favorites.  It's the curse of having a diverse musical palate.  I will have no problem making a mix cd that will include Kanye's "Blame Game" and The Monkees' "Daydream Believer" on the same list of tracks.  And I still rock Monkees' tunes to this day due in large part to Davy's vocals.  At least we will aways continue to have those even though he is no longer with us.

Rest in peace, Davy.