Dallas Skyline 42, Lake Highlands 27

From 2009 Football

By the time you finish reading this article, a question is likely to occur to you. So let's get it out of the way up front. What are Ellen and I doing still attending high school football games years after Scott and John graduated from high school? Well, you might as well ask why 105,000 people attended the Dallas Cowboys' game, when no more than a few ever knew anyone who worked in the NFL. High school football is great entertainment, with the game, the bands and color guards, the drill team and cheerleaders, all for just $6 per ticket. Compare with the $160 average ticket price of a Cowboys' game and the choice is clear. Friday night lights for me.

The next question that might occur to you is why are Ellen and I going to a game that doesn't involve the Berkner Rams? Well, the Rams played Thursday night away. This Friday night, the game to see involved Lake Highlands and Dallas Skyline.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Pres..., err, Walt and Ruth

Appletree Court celebrates Family Night once a month with dinner and live entertainment. September's theme was a '50s Party with hamburgers and Cokes and Marilyn Monroe. Ruth and Walt have birthdays Friday and Sunday, so Marilyn serenaded both with a sultry "Happy Birthday, Mr. President." Judging by that big red smacker on Walt's forehead, I'd say a good time was had by all.

Myers and Briggs Have Been Spying On Me

There's an old joke in which a man is asked if he believes in astrology and he answers, "No way. We Scorpios are very skeptical." Well, I take the same attitude to psychological profiling. Myers-Briggs, for example. Rod Dreher recommended it in The Dallas Morning News. So, naturally, I just had to debunk it.

Fresh Shoots in Telecom Corridor

Ten years ago, Richardson's economy was thriving thanks to a booming tech economy and the concentration of telecom and networking giants in Richardson. With Nortel, Alcatel, MCI, AT&T, Cisco and others having a significant presence in Richardson, the Chamber of Commerce even coined the term Telecom Corridor to promote Richardson. That was then. Then the bubble burst. News out of Richardson for the last decade has been more likely to be announcement of layoffs or bankruptcy than good news. In an effort to diversify, Richardson attracted Countrywide Financial to fill office space in the decimated Telecom Corridor. Yes, Countrywide, the nation's No. 1 mortgage lender came to Richardson just in time for the housing bubble collapse. The city couldn't catch a break.

Still Fighting the Civil War

Somewhere in my formal education I learned, or thought I did, that the question of whether states can secede from the Union had been settled once and for all by the Civil War. Now living in Texas, I realize that many Texans don't think it's as settled a question as I once thought. Even Texas Governor Rick Perry hinted that secession is not out of the question. At an Austin "Tea Party" in April, Perry said:

"When we came in the Union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that. My hope is that America and Washington in particular pays attention. We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot."