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Ghost of LL

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Ghost of LL last won the day on February 11 2021

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About Ghost of LL

  • Birthday 01/01/1975

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  1. Beyond the cost is the small matter of getting an interbasin transfer. The water in Lake Lavon is owned by the North Texas Municipal Water District. Even assuming NTMWD would sell some of that water to LCRA (Hint: it wouldn't), it'd have to get a permit from TCEQ to transfer that water from the Trinity River Basin to the Colorado River Basin (somehow skipping over the Brazos). That permit wouldn't be forthcoming because, among other people, Houston would pitch an absolute fit because that would mean less water going into Lake Livingston. So no--forget about it.
  2. Oh, look--I understand the economics of it. It's part of the death of rural America. There's a great leaving-behind. People who have the intelligence and wealth to leave have done so. And that leaves behind a poorer, less intelligent, and generally older group. And that's not a group that is clamoring for quality ingredients or preparation. It's a big change for 30 years ago. And its indicative of other societal changes that are reflected in a whole variety of things that you wouldn't necessarily think about if you're coming from urban or suburban Texas.
  3. And Will's not doing any better.
  4. Oh, dear. This game is going to get rough.
  5. It is funny how nobody in the crowd even starts to stand up until the ball is almost in the bullpen. And being at the game, that's how it felt--just like it was going to be a long out or maybe a foul. But the damned thing just kept carrying.
  6. How many "points" wins the game today? "Points?"
  7. There is a real open question about whether he is "coachable." And I mean that not in the standard way the term is used. Will he actually listen to any coach who isn't is dad (and on whom he's not dependent for an inheritance)? It's like a home-schooled kid applying to college? Will he take instruction from anyone who's not a parent? I mean, I don't know. But it wouldn't surprise if the admissions department decides he's just not Princeton material and the kid can only get into the University of Illinois.
  8. I think it's part of a larger discussion of small-town malaise. Cost is obviously a big part of it. Canned and frozen stuff last a lot longer than fresh, leading to less food waste. Pre-formed and pre-packaged is easier, meaning you probably need less kitchen staff. But at the same time, fresh shit can be sourced cheaply if you put in a little work. I mean, ok--it's significantly more work than just calling Sysco. But still, in a rural area it shouldn't be that hard to source fresh meat and produce from local providers. And yeah--pounding out the CFS yourself rather than buying the shitty pre-formed things takes a bit of time. But is it really that much more work? The real problem is a complete absence of pride in the product. And that lack of pride probably derives in large part to the issue you identify--your customer base wouldn't appreciate it even if you did put in the extra work. They're happy with Sonic and Subway. So why put together a decent meal if you're not going to be rewarded for it? Thirty years ago, if I were to drive from Austin to Marshall or to Wichita Falls or to Marfa, there'd probably be a half-dozen places in random little towns that you'd really look forward to stopping at. And virtually every little town would have a place that would be at least worth a stop. Today--not a one. Genuinely, not one. I mean, maybe Perini Ranch is on the way to Wichita Falls. I don't know. But other than that, Brisket's right--the local Mexican place is the only place you ought to consider eating in small-town Texas.
  9. Friendly amendment accepted.
  10. Bill Brasky knows what's up. This is a weird thing in Northeast Texas, and it's absolutely fucking awful. I once had a hearing in Gilmer, and @Brisketexan told me to go to Gilmer's after my hearing and grab some hot links for lunch. I think I finished two before deciding I'd prefer just to drive through a McDonald's off I-30 on my way back to Dallas. I only just made it to I-30 before I had to have the most unholy out-both-ends experience of my life. That poor McDonald's bathroom. Fucking never again.* But that raises a bigger issue: food in small or medium-sized Texas towns sucks ass. Perhaps there was a time when there were restaurants in small towns that used fresh ingredients that were locally sourced in traditional recipes to come up with some fantastic shit. But those days are in the past. Now, it's much cheaper/easier to used canned or frozen ingredients, and everyone in small-town restaurants does. And absolutely none of the recipes are any good when you use inferior ingredients. It has to be noted, too, that our palettes have changed. Stuff that we thought was good 40 years ago now seems bland, uninteresting, and mundane. It's even worse when you use canned green beans rather than fresh, or when you use pre-formed frozen hamburger patties. But that's all you're going to get outside the major metropolitan areas. * Speaking here both of eating Pittsburg hot links and of taking Brisket's advise on eateries.
  11. That was pretty textbook interference. The Colorado player had Harley lined up the whole way and moved to block him off.
  12. I'll agree with the characterization of "weasel words." There was some ambiguity in his statements. I think it mostly fell down along the lines of being gay isn't a sin, but sex outside marriage is a sin (both heterosexual and homosexual). But he also pointed out that surrounding facts and circumstances may lessen the culpability for sinful behavior, even to the point of zero. So if you're in a homosexual union that has been blessed by the Church, does that lessen your culpability for having sex within that union to the point of zero? He left that pretty vague, but implied that that might be the case. So who the fuck knows? Cardinal Pizzaballa is probably one of the frontrunners at the conclave. No joke.
  13. He did more than try. He made major changes, including: Reversed the Church's position on the death penalty; Held that it is no sin to be gay; Permitted clergy to bless same-sex unions; Made it easier for divorced couples to get an annulment; Enabled women who have had an abortion to get absolution. And you can say that those things are overdue and not enough, and I'd agree. But I'd also observe that it's a big organization with a lot of members in Africa and Latin America that don't agree with the changes he did make. So those things are pretty monumental. And the biggest thing he did--he appointed more than two-thirds of the College of Cardinals. That's who's going to appoint his successor. And it's disproportionately people who have agreed with his outlook.
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