theIndispensableMattWhaley's Xanga

I've been shot!

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:16:41 GMT

Tis the season. Flu season that is.

Uninsured

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:58:04 GMT

According to a recent Census Bureau survey, almost 1 in 4 Texans don't have health insurance.

Texas is the second-most populous state in the U.S., with 23.8 million residents, meaning that more than 5.7 million Texans are uninsured, according to the bureau's data.
Cannon said the large levels of the Texas' uninsured could reflect the large number of illegal immigrants in the state, which shares a border with Mexico. Joanna Turner, a statistician with the Census Bureau, said the bureau does not ask participants about their legal status, so those numbers are hard to pin down.
Bernstein [of the National Academy of Social Insurance] said that Texas, unlike Massachusetts, "is just not into protecting the generality of its population."

Mr. Berstein's quote rubs me the wrong way, but whatever side of the aisle you sit on, 24% uninsured is no bueno.

Crazy statistics

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:36:48 GMT

I ran across a couple statistics in the last couple days that make me stop and go "whoa". Thought I'd share...

#1 - A report from the Mortgage Bankers Association said 13% of Americans are either late on their mortgage payments or in foreclosure, a record-high number.
#2 - Among Republicans, Palin has a 73 percent favorable rating, with 16 percent holding an unfavorable view. [source]

In the interest of full disclosure, I happy to say I am in the 87% majority of people who are still paying their mortgages on time. It boggles my mind though that over 1 in 10 of homeowners are in this bad situation though!

Also, I'm in the 27% minority on the second issue. I still consider myself a Republican, but would not call my view of Palin "favorable" (regardless of my Halloween costume). Do Republicans these days no longer watch TV? Two words: Katie Couric. Or maybe they just watched the RNC and nothing since? Or maybe I'm no longer a Republican and have become an independent...

Hot hot hot

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:41:45 GMT

At the start of June my office in north Houston relocated to downtown and I started riding the bus to work again. I have great timing... it's flippin' hot outside. When I was about to leave yesterday to get the bus I saw this...

At least it was cooler than it was in my car after it baked in the sun while I watched the Astros blow a lead 9th inning lead with Taps, my father-in-law, and Chip.

Welcome to summer in H-town.

Texas secede?

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:03:45 GMT

With all the frustration that people feel toward the federal government as jobs disappear and companies get bailed out it seems that you can't turn on the news without hearing about "tea parties" and now there's talk of Texas seceding. Really? I thought this random fact from a Time magazine article was interesting.

Most experts say the notion that Texas can legally secede is mistaken, but the state does have the right to split into five states, offering the prospect of 10 U.S. Senators, math that would send cold shivers down any Democratic back.

So what do you think? Is all the secession talk just political posturing by the governor of Texas? Or would my fellow Texans seriously consider the possibility of splitting the state in 5 or even consider more drastic action like secession?

March Madness

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:21:14 GMT

I have only put in ~5 hours total watching college basketball so far this year and ~2 hours researching NCAA tourney matchups, but that won't keep me from filling out a bracket with teams I know nothing about (and talking smack about it)! If the president can take time to fill out a bracket, surely I can too.

I don't care so much what the computers say, but I am worried my wife and inlaws might not be happy with me not picking UNC to win it all. I think the Tarheels got hosed by the selection committee as they have quite a tough road to the Final Four...again. But lest you all forget what happened last year, don't take me for granted!

Booyah.

Free electronic stuff!

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 14:54:08 GMT

If you or anyone you know would provide a loving home for some of my electronic stuff that Tapley is making me get rid of, let me know and it's yours for free (provided I haven't sold it already).

Acer 40X CD-ROM - http://houston.craigslist.org/ele/1036197690.html
~~SBC DSL modem - Efficient Networks Speedstream 5100~~
~~Fuji Fujifilm 2600Z digital camera w/ Smartmedia flash~~
Mushkin 128MB PC100 computer memory - http://houston.craigslist.org/ele/1036229006.html
~~Dell 17" CRT computer monitor~~
~~DLO TranspodFM for iPod FM transmitter~~

Also, if you know of a good cell phone donation charity, please let me know. There are tons of places online that claim to recycle them, give them to womens' shelters, give them to soldiers, etc, but I have no idea which of them actually do what they claim.

May all your electronic devices live long and fulfilling lives.

The Apostle

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:20:05 GMT

I'm going on Friday to see Chip in his one-man show The Apostle. I've seen it before, but never in a theatre. Appears he has impressed (or paid) someone from the Houston Press.

This isn't the archaic, yet stirring, poetry writ in the exotic Jacobean style of the King James version, but there's still plenty of drama packed into Paul's devout epistle concerning sin, belief and "the way." Simmons mines every nugget. In overcoat, baggy jeans and scuffed work boots, with his hair disheveled, he's a hip proselytizer, a corner prophet... His eyes sear as he stammers passionately, finding the right expression for the inexpressible and thumping his forehead as he searches for meaning.

I hate to bust their bubble, that's just how Chip normally looks, minus the overcoat. Love you, Chip. Many props.

Facebook

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:08:50 GMT

Over the holidays both Tapley's mom and my mom threatened to get Facebook accounts. They seem to think this is the best way not to miss out on all the pictures their children's generation posts and then talks about like everyone has seen them (which they have if they are under 40 years old).

In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought this summary of Facebook was pretty amusing, as ripped from the MSN Regrettable Trends in Pop Culture: 2008 Edition.

For many, 2008 was the year that passed in a blue-and-white blur of Facebook status updates, inane friend comparisons and awkward "poking" situations with complete strangers.
We spent hours throwing cupcakes at people we barely spoke to in high school. We compared our taste in movies with that of our ex-boyfriends' new girlfriends. We let everyone know we were fans of Starbucks, Battlestar Galactica and pants.
Worse, where we used to just send e-mail messages, now we send the messages through Facebook. Then Facebook sends our recipients e-mail that our friends then use to then log in to Facebook so they can see what we've written. Then they send their replies to our Facebook accounts, which send us e-mail, which prompts us to log back in. New technology that's three times as cumbersome as the old! Give us more!

Someone just the other day was telling me about trying to explain to their parent that just because you delete an e-mail about a Facebook message that the message still exists in your Facebook Inbox. Ha. Welcome to 200X, you Baby Boomers and Generation Jones alike.

It's officially Christmas

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:16:38 GMT

The tree is up.

Now, where did those ornaments go...