Continue reading »]]> A couple of days before Thanksgiving, our neighbors in our duplex let us know they were going to be moving out in December. They purchased a house, but told us that the landlord intended to raise their rent $500 a month if they had chosen to renew their lease. I contacted the leasing agent, who confirmed the increased rate. This caused a sense of panic to creep in, knowing that our lease was due to expire at the end of February. Convinced that we would see a similar spike in our rent, a spike that would certainly put our unit out of our budget, my wife and I began to plan on moving out at the end of our lease.

Moving is a bitch, but it’s something I’ve grown all too familiar with. Shortly before my first birthday, my family moved into the house my parents had built. We remained in that same house for almost 18 years. Since I’ve turned 18, I’ve lived in 16 different locations, including college dorms and my current residence, spread out across 8 different cities and towns (Atlanta (TX), Bloomburg (TX), College Station (TX), Dallas (TX), Jacksonville (TX), Kilgore (TX), Texarkana (TX) and Tyler (TX) ). That’s a little over a move a year during that time period. The longest I’ve lived in one place during that time period is 36 months. Amazing, I’ve managed to keep my drivers license and voter’s registration card updated at all times.

I knew I had been quite nomadic in college, but never realized just how much I had moved around until earlier this week when the guys on the local sports talk radio station were talking about the subject of moving. By their standards, I would be considered a sort of “extreme mover”, but it hasn’t all been for naught,  I have learned a lot over the course of these moves.

I’m happy to report this story has a happy ending of sorts. We have since talked to the landlord and the rent in our particular unit is only going up $100/month. This is right in line with rent increases across the Metroplex. This will allow us to stay in this unit for at least another year, but when the time comes to pack it up and move on to the next location, make no mistake about it, I’ll have all the experience necessary to execute the “perfect move.”

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The face of pure evil for many progressives is Thoms the Train.

In June of 1997, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) voted to boycott the Walt Disney Company–literally the entire company: movies, theme parks, merchandise, etc.–for what they called Disney’s “anti-Christian and anti-family direction.” What the men in leadership positions within the SBC really wanted to do was send a message to Disney that they–the Baptists–were sick of what they perceived to be Disney’s growing “gay friendly” environment. The SBC pointed to Disney extending employee benefits to homosexual partners, special GLBT events at Disney’s theme parks and even “gay themes” in Disney’s movies. I’ll never forget hearing some Baptists demonize the use of subliminal messaging on the part of Disney cartoonists, trying to “convert” legions of children to homosexuality.

Most rational Americans; indeed most rational Baptists, rejected the SBC’s call and had a good laugh at their expense. I know a lot of Southern Baptists, but don’t know a single one that boycotted Disney. Clearly, the vote was more political than anything and the SBC paid for it in the media, becoming the source of endless scorn and ridicule.

A few years later, another famous Baptist, the Reverend Jerry Falwell, made headlines for coming out against another child entertainment empire–The Teletubbies. Rev. Falwell determined, via a highly scientific process, that one of the Teletubbies was, in fact, a flaming make homosexual complete with a purse & purple hot-pants. It’s been 12 years, so my memories of this incident aren’t vivid, but I do seem to remember stories that this particular Teletubbie would use a pejorative often used to describe homosexuals. If a toy maker wanted to encourage homosexuality, would he really have it use a gay slur?

Well, we all know logic never was Falwell’s strength and this post is not about Disney, Teletubbies or homophobic religious zealots. Instead, I use these stories to illustrate a couple of ways folks with a wacky political agenda have attacked children’s entertainment. Allow me to add another example, this time from the far Left, intellectual elitists.

Jessica Roake, described as someone who “writes and decodes children’s shows”, penned a piece for Slate.Com ripping Thomas and Friends for being too “right-wing.” Everything I know about Thomas comes from my 3 year old nephew (the greatest nephew in the world, by the way). Thomas happens to be his favorite show and his favorite line of toys. Seriously, I think he must have 10 of every train engine made, not to mention a series of books, movies and other Thomas items. I’ve had the privilege of reading him several Thomas books as bedtime stories and watching several episodes of the TV show with him.  I see nothing but positive lessons being taught by the Thomas line and, indeed, my nephew is one of the most well-behaved, well-mannered, well-rounded 3 year olds  you will ever meet.

However, Roake spares no time ripping into Thomas

Thomas espouses top-down leadership, is male-dominated, punishes dissent, and is uninterested in the mushy sensitivity of its PBS counterparts. (Thomas and his “friends” often “tease” like this: ” ‘Wake up lazy bones! Do some hard work for a change!”) Its innate conservatism is as obvious as the liberalism of cooperative, solar-panel-building BobtheBuilder and his band of hippie hammer-lovers.

Seriously?

Of course, later in the piece, Roake hints that this all might just be a bit, something that appeals to the twisted humor of progressive–like Tina Fey or Jon Stewart.

Having failed to reach that perfect bar of parenting, no television at all until Harvard, the exhausted parent critic sits with a train-obsessed child and the TV. I’m overeducated and understimulated, with shelves full of long-ignored critical-theory books, trained in the reading of “texts” through Marxist, feminist, and postmodern perspectives. It’s no wonder that the dormant critical theorist within me awakens when faced with the coded wonderland of children’s programming. Hitchcock is well-covered territory, but Thomas and Friends presents a minefield of untapped deconstructing opportunities!

I tend to be a very open-minded, compassionate guy. In short, I love everyone, but if you are a frequent reader of this blog, you will know that the Intellectual Elitist is a frequent target of mine and statements like the one above are the reason why. They come off as being extremely callous, narrow-minded and completely disconnected with the “real world.” Ironically, the Intellectual Elitist tries to make Christian Fundamentalist enemy #1 in their life and they’re really not that different, both embracing the “if you’re smiling, you be must be sinning (or ignoring the Revolution)” philosophy.

Continue reading »]]> Last night, I penned a piece on the debt-ceiling that I’m sure incensed many of my progressive readers. Today, I’m sure I will anger, even offend, some of my more conservative readers, but this is my blog and I control 100% of the content.

I would like to take brief moment to congratulate my friend “Marie.” If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll remember “Marie” from my post, The Politics of Marriage. I learned last night that she and her partner, “Beth,” are expecting their first child.

Marie, Beth, mazel tov!  I know you will be wonderful parents. There may be some speed bumps along the way, but that’s why you have friends and family. We’re here to help you through those rough spots.

Continue reading »]]> We recently moved into a new place and as with any move had to set up all the vital services (water, power, Internet, TV, etc.). For years, we had been loyal DirectTV customers, but our new place does not allow dishes, so we opted to go with AT&T U-Verse as provider for TV and Internet. Last week, I received our first bill and was dumbfounded when I discovered it was for almost five times the amount I was expecting.

I viewed the itemized billing statement and noticed a couple of “one-time” charges–one for $29.00 and another for $150.00. I decided to call the U-Verse customer service center to have them walk me through the bill.

What I learned was that the tech who handled our installation had “inadvertently” added the $150.00 charge to our bill for our adding a couple of jacks in our house. The only problem is that he did not install any jacks, rather use the ones already in place. The lady with U-Verse Customer Service was very helpful and got the fee taken off of our bill. Had I not called, we would have paid $150 for a service never rendered.

Instead of attacking AT&T for deceptive practices, I choose to look at this as a teachable moment. ALWAYS read your bills completely. If something doesn’t look right, call customer service. You never know how much you might end up saving.

Continue reading »]]> Today, around the globe, thousands (dare I say hundreds of thousands) of Aggies will gather to observe what is known as “Aggie Muster.” No other American university has a tradition like Muster and like so many Aggieland traditions, it fits in the category of “from the outside looking in, you cannot understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.”

The Muster grew out of a gathering on campus on April 21, 1903, when students gathered to observe Sam Houston’s victory at San Jacinto and Texas’ independence.  From there, it grew into an annual meeting to recognize Texas independence and to honor all A&M grads who have passed on and include the traditional “roll cal of the absent”, where someone will call out “here” for each fallen Aggie.

Growing up in a family of Aggies, I repeatedly heard the phrase, “true to each other as Aggies can be.” If you’re not from Texas, you may not understand exactly what that means, but if you ever have the opportunity to attend Muster, you will quickly learn that all Aggies share a deep bond and that there is no such thing as a “former Aggie.”

The following poem, written by Dr. John Ashton, class of 1906 is traditionally read:

In many lands and climes this April day

Proud sons of Texas A. and M. unite

Our loyalty to country, school, we pay

And seal our pact with bond of common might.

We live again those happy days of yore

On campus, field, in classroom, dorm, at drill

Fond memory brings a sigh–but nothing more:

Now we are men and life’s a greater thrill.

Before we part and go upon our way,

We pause to honor those we knew so well;

The old familiar faces we miss so much today

Left cherished recollections that time cannot dispel.

Softly call the muster,

Let comrade answer, “Here!”

Their spirit hover around us

As if to bring us cheer!

Mark them “present” in our hearts;

We’ll meet some other day.

There is no death, but life eterne

For old friends such as they!

Continue reading »]]> On Monday, my wife and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Like many new husbands, I struggled for months to pick out the perfect gift to commemorate our first year of matrimony and was rather disappointed with the help I found on-line. I knew that in order to nail the perfect gift(s), I would have to get a little creative.

My research revealed that “paper” is the traditional first anniversary gift, while a “clock” is the modern first anniversary gift. I’m a traditionalist, plus I figured you could be more creative with paper than a clock, so I chose to go the “old school” route. I wanted to ensure the gift would be one that would last, something we could both look back on our 50th Anniversary and enjoy. What better way to give a paper gift that lasts a lifetime than by giving tickets to a show that will create memories?

I knew Ben Folds was coming to town to play a show with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; I knew my wife (and I) love both Ben Folds and the Dallas Symphony. Indeed, I had found the perfect gift.

But I wasn’t done.  No anniversary is complete without flowers. When picking flowers, it’s important to understand it’s the thought that counts. Ordering a dozen roses is an easy give up and shows very little thought. Sure, most women “like” roses, but most women like other flowers and plants as well. I remembered that my wife’s wedding bouquet was made of blue hydrangeas and felt that would be much more sentimental than rose, tulips or star gazers, not to mention they are more durable. I found a beautiful arrangement of blue hydrangeas on ProFlowers.Com and my wife loved them.

But wait, that’s not all…..there’s still the issue of the card.

I’m sure the good folks at Hallmark at their best and brightest working on anniversary cards, but a good chunk of them are extremely bland, boring and generic. I wanted a card that fit our personality and I found TWO, not one, that did just that. Spend some time in the card section. Don’t be afraid to pull the ones labeled “Humorous”. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to express your personality.

All in all, I could not have asked for a better first anniversary. Without a doubt, the greatest gift I received was watching the look in my wife’s eyes as she received each of her gifts, knowing that I had effectively expressed to her how much she means to me. If I had any words of wisdom for you men approaching your first anniversary, it would be to relax and just follow you heart.

Continue reading »]]> My apologies to all my loyal readers; I know it has been a while since my last post, but the wife and I have been busy with a move. Though we’re still in the process of getting everything set up in the new place, I have managed to get most of the home office put together, so expect regular blog updates and a return to podcasting very soon.

Until then, I thought I’d share a few tips on moving. As you know, moving can be one of the most unpleasant events in life, so I thought I would try and make your next move a bit easier.

1.) Budget in Advance – No matter the distance, moving can be very expensive, but there is no reason it should make you reach for your credit card or visit your local pay-day loan store. My wife and I found out last summer that the building we had been living in was slated to be demolished the  Summer of 2011, so we began budgeting for the move (approximately $50 a piece, per pay check). When it came time to book movers and buy moving supplies, we had a very liberal moving budget to work with and came in well under the allocated amount. Now that money goes back into our savings.

2.) Do Your Homework – We are a fiscally responsible couple and refuse to buy a home unless we can put 15-20% down on a 15 year mortgage. Until that time, we will continue to rent, that doesn’t mean we have to settle for cheaply built, poorly maintained, generic apartments. On the contrary, we have found some great rental units with great charm and character. Plus, we’ve been able to manage to stay in the best neighborhood in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, something we would not be able to do if we chose to buy at this point.

In order to find a good quality rental, you have to look. Forget the corporate run complexes, they will over-charge you and you’ll be stuck in a box. Instead, get out and see what’s available in the neighborhoods you like. Make a list of all the realty agencies in your area and be sure to scour their website for rental property.

Once you find a place you like, do a little research on the block. The best place to start is your counties’ tax appraisal district’s website to get a general idea of the value of the property. You will also want to try and find out how long the property has been on the market and how much other rental rates for other properties in the neighborhood.

3.) Negotiate – Just as the price on a vehicle in a car lot is a starting point, so to the asking price on a rental unit is a suggested starting point. You will find that you can easily talk down a potential landlord based on a number of factors, including how long the property has been on the market, the market rate for your area, your leasing history, a willingness to extend your lease past 12 months, and an overall willingness to make his or her job easier (i.e. agreement to make simple repairs, etc.).

4.) Get Everything in Writing – Remember, your landlord is no better than you. I recommend conducting all your communications with your leasing agent and landlord via e-mail. It’s far more efficient than doing business over the phone or in person. After your first visit to your potential new home, e-mail your leasing agent and/or landlord with any potential questions you may have. Ask them to explain in full anything regarding the property you may not be completely sure about and do not be afraid to produce this chain of correspondence should your Lease contain anything contrary to what you have been guaranteed.

5. Know Your Lease; Know Your Rights – In Texas,  Leases are tilted heavily in favor of the Landlord, but you can still assert your power as a tenant. First, as stated above, review your Lease carefully to ensure everything your leasing agent presented to you matches the terms of the Lease. I have a notebook I keep that contains all e-mail correspondence with our leasing agent dating back to September 2010, as well as a first copy of our Lease, and an executed copy of our revised Lease. The reason we have a revised copy is that there were a few things in the original lease that ran contrary to what our leasing agent had presented. I don’t think he was trying to be dishonest; he honestly didn’t know. Still, it would have been our loss had we no written record of the discrepancy.

Continue reading »]]> As someone who prides himself on being different from the bloggers on the East and West coasts, I apologize for not making this recommendation sooner. I’ve been reading Oxford American for a few years now, after my mother turned me onto the magazine for its emphasis on Southern writing. But Oxford American is much more than a collection of essays on small towns, trailer parks and Truman Capote wannabes. It is a medium for Southerners and non-Southerners alike to share their unique cultural insights of this most colorful of American regions. In fact, I’ve found this best writing to come from the annual Southern foods edition. The magazine also features yearly specials on Southern films & music (much more than just Elvis, Lynryrd Skynyrd, and the Allman Brothers). Whether or not you’re from the South, I highly recommend this magazine. If nothing else it serves as definite change from the stagnant views you find in the generic East Coast publications.