I watched Steven Spielberg’s newest movie, Disclosure Day, yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. At 79 years old, there’s no telling how many movies he’ll direct, especially when it comes to science fiction. His last science fiction film was 2018’s Ready Player One. Also, he was able to get his musical score compadre, 94-year-old John Williams, to come out of retirement to make this his final score of his legendary and iconic career. (Variety: ‘Disclosure Day’: John Williams Recorded Two Hours of Music Over a Six Month Period for his 30th Collaboration with Steven Spielberg (Exclusive). However, the famed director said he has talked to him about scoring his 31st movie. But as for Spielberg, I think we’ll be lucky to get three or four more films from him as the director.
From the previews and commercials, I was a bit skeptical about what Emily Blunt would bring, but after understanding the context and complexity of her character, I think this was the best performance of her career. I also thought the cinematography was great and will end up winning an Academy Award.
Colman Domingo’s performance stood out, and as good as Colin Firth is, his performance annoyed me a bit.
If you are an X-Files fan like me, you’ll certainly appreciate this film. You’ll also appreciate this film if you are a fellow die-hard U2 fan, as Bono’s daughter, Eve Hewson, has a prominent role.
A cat took to the stage during the final scene of a Romeo and Juliet ballet performance by the Imperial Russian Ballet Company in İzmir pic.twitter.com/R3MmFt8Yex
‘Bodies in Motion’ aired nearly 600 episodes over 42 years, first on ESPN from 1985 to 1996 before moving to other networks including Fox Sports and FitTV.
Local World Cup Tidbits:
It’s pretty amazing how much the Dutch and Dallas have embraced each other. Kinda interesting to see all this enthusiasm for a game in the Cowboys’ home stadium, yet Cowboys fans have never been this enthusiastic for their home team.
Check out this time-lapse of thousands of Dutch fans marching behind the @dutchorangebus on our way to the stadium! The Texas heat has nothing on this incredible World Cup energy!
There are certain things I absolutely admire about the Japanese culture.
Japan fans doing what they do 🙌🇯🇵
Following their incredible 2-2 draw with Netherlands, @jfa_samuraiblue supporters once again demonstrated their impeccable manners, tidying the stands before departing Dallas Stadium. pic.twitter.com/clODmtsH2w
One thing I’m a little tired of is seeing all the reactions of foreigners visiting Buc-ees for the first time.
Solar generates more energy than coal in US for 1st time: In May 2026, solar supplied 12.8% of U.S. electricity, while coal supplied 12.2%, according to an analysis of official monthly and preliminary hourly generation data.
When I first saw the headlines for this, I thought it had to be fake. And there’s footage; thankfully, all I’ve seen has the final part blurred.
When horrific events like these happen, I often think about the workers who are responsible for retrieving the body and the cleanup. I’m sure there’s a certain amount they get used to, but I’m sure there’s a whole lot they will never get used to.
Dallas Cowboys fans have long been frustrated with Jerry Jones as the General Manager because, instead of focusing on football like any normal general manager, he’s preoccupied with non-football matters like real estate, oil and natural gas, and other business ventures unrelated to building a better roster or supporting the coaching staff. He’s done nothing but make the Cowboys mediocre.
President Trump, likewise, doesn’t focus on presidential matters and gets preoccupied with paving over the Rose Garden, tearing down the East Wing and building a massive and over-budgeted ballroom, revamping the Kennedy Center, hosting the Kennedy Center Honors, painting the reflecting pond (that’s now covered with alae), building a Triumphal Arch, hosting a tacky UFC match on the grounds of the White House, and that’s just what I can come up with off the top of my head.
As Jerry Jones has done nothing but make the Cowboys a mediocre franchise, Trump is doing the same to our beloved country, and that’s indisputable.
A recent survey from Reuters/Ipsos showed many Americans were also apprehensive of what has been dubbed “UFC 250,” with only 16 percent calling it appropriate to host such an event at the White House.
A federal court ordered that Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center by the end of the day Friday. They complied, albeit hours late and in the most cowardly way, and I feel sorry for the workers who had to work at that odd time.
Around 2 a.m., crews began constructing scaffolding around the signage site, according to live footage of the process. The workers later dropped a covering over the site, blocking a view of the removal process.
The scaffolding with a tarp remains after the removal of the lettering early this morning from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, following a federal judge’s order to remove U.S. President Donald Trump’s name from the institution, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 13, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
But several folks snapped a pic through an opening on the side.
Resurrecting such a gigantic tarp at odd hours may be the perfect metaphor for an administration that lacks transparency and is full of cover-ups. Sadly, as of last night, the giant tarp was still up.
And I haven’t even mentioned the literal circus at the White House this weekend.
— Jody Dean (dfwjodydean.bsky.social) (@DFWJodyDean) June 13, 2026
Speaking of recent circus-related politics.
An African elephant named Paige urinates on the floor of the Texas GOP Convention in Houston as it is paraded near delegates and press following Gov. Greg Abbott’s speech, June 2026. pic.twitter.com/tfJQmizcX0
— Future Adam Curtis B-Roll (@adamcurtisbroll) June 13, 2026
And I bet some minimum wage worker had to clean it up.
I’m not sure what was up with ABC’s coverage of the Knicks’ win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, which gave them their first championship in over 50 years. After the final buzzer, they followed Wemby and several San Antonio players to their locker room rather than focusing on the winning team celebrating on the court. That’s just a weird decision. Heck, if they were so intent on how the losing team reacted, they could have done a picture-in-picture thing and kept the focus on the champions. In case you are wondering, all the Spurs players seemed composed; it was nothing special.
Yes, the City of Arlington did indeed try to woo the Stars.
🇯🇵 Japanese speaking Dallas Cowboys cheerleader cheering for Samurai Blue at the World Cup 🫶 pic.twitter.com/fI0vS4GdDW
It’s well known that our country will celebrate its 250th birthday this summer, the semiquincentennial, and that’s why you see this logo quite often.
If you’re interested, here’s an article about the logo. But just for kicks, I was wondering what the logo would look like if they used Roman numerals like the NFL typically does for the Super Bowl. Well, if we went that route, instead of seeing the numerical 250, you’d see CCL, and that’s just not visually appealing. And CCC isn’t appealing for the 300th, either.
DogGeedingII had a check-up yesterday. The vet said his heart sounded much better and that his heart medication seems to be helping.
The Knicks’ historic comeback victory in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals is a win for all of us who put things off until the last minute.
For the last few months, I’ll sleep for two or three hours, wake up, and just can’t go back to sleep.
I’m not sure why I’m seeing Reha Seehorn and the cast of Pluribus make so many media appearances lately. The second season is nowhere near finished. In a 45-minute chat/interview with Bryan Cranston, she stated she’s been with her partner, realtor Graham Larson, for 13 years and has been engaged for 11 of those years.
For those of us who grew up when ESPN’s SportsCenter was at its peak, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this series Rich Eisen has been doing. Episode one is with Dan Patrick, and the second is with Chris Berman. It’s some great stuff.
I’m reminded of a line from the U2 song If God Would Send His Angles, “Jesus never let me down / You know Jesus used to show me the score / Then they put Jesus in show business / Now it’s hard to get in the door.”
Today, give yourself the most simple and doable of tasks: just don’t make stuff worse.
For some reason, I decided to start riding my bike again, and had a decent streak going. I really overdid it yesterday and had to take a day off. For the heck of it, I looked up my activity on my Google Fit app.
President Trump’s pick to fill the Director of National Intelligence position, Bill Pulte, has no known background in intelligence. He would be overseeing the nation’s 18 spy agencies. The 38-year-old also has no military or foreign policy experience.
It’s just a dumb (and even dangerous) idea, even if it’s only for the interim, to put someone with zero professional experience, education, or work history in the intelligence community, the military, or the national security sector.
And here I thought the dumbest nomination a president has made in my lifetime was George W. Bush’s choice of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court.
People are spotting these Tesla Robotaxis all over Dallas, especially the Medical District, and the reviews have been somewhat positive. Inside, they are roomier than a Waymo. However, I have read several reports of them making errors. The current introductory pricing in the Metroplex follows a formula of a $3.25 base fare plus $1.00 per mile, according to their website.
I enjoy watching these restoration videos. The work they do really is amazing. The paper they work with is so delicate, especially when they wet it. And I had no idea you could get rid of the yellowing of white plastic.
Posted inPersonal|Comments Off on Bag of Randomness Friday, June 12, 2026
My WordPress stats state this is my 22,778th post using their platform. Of course, I’ve also used other platforms to publish this blog, but 22,778 is nothing to sneeze at. I mean, let’s say it took me, on average, ten minutes to write a post. That means I’ve spent 3,796 hours and 20 minutes. Which, if you ask, seems low to me.
I’ve been watching and really enjoying Apple TV’s horror-comedy Widows Bay with the great Matthew Rhys, probably best known for his role on The Americans. However, during the first two episodes, I couldn’t help but think the lead role was written specifically for Jason Bateman. Another of the main characters is played by the under-appreciated Stephen Root. It’s a funny mixture of Parks and Rec, Jaws,The Shining, and Twin Peaks.
Fun Fact: The series is created by Katie Dippold, a former writer for Parks and Recreation. Dippold actually submitted the original, much lighter draft of the Widow’s Bay pilot as her writing sample to get hired on Parks and Rec in 2009. There are certain elements of the show that have a real Pawnee, Indiana feel.
If you’re a fan of the series, then you’ll appreciate this Google Easter Egg when you search for the show.
Here’s a teaser trailer for the series if you’re interested.
Several articles I read yesterday about the weekend box office used the word “creepypasta.” That’s a new one for me.
Norway’s team photo for the World Cup is pretty badass.
I have a feeling the screwworm is going to dominate Texas news over the next several months. I hope I’m wrong.
Well, if you get fired from the most prestigious news magazine, the best thing you can do is have an hour-long uninterrupted interview with the Paper of Record.
What I took away from the interview was that integrity and character still matter. And I couldn’t help but think of my favorite poem If while watching this interview.
Meanwhile, President Trump walked out of an interview because he can’t take any pressure to be held accountable for making up stories, and that he’s the epitome of being a coward. Compare and contrast that with how composed Pelley answered any question that contradicted his actions. He chose courage over cowardice.
Andy Rooney famously tackled the disappearing “pound of coffee” in his classic 60 Minutes commentaries. He frequently pointed out how manufacturers would advertise a pound of coffee but quietly reduced the net weight of coffee cans, dropping from 16 ounces to 14, then to 13, 12, and even 11 ounces, while charging the same price. I thought about that when I saw this sign in my neighborhood. Mini-gallons?!
In light of Scott Pelley’s firing, this short segment with the late Morley Safer about story approval and management oversight is very telling of how 60 Minutes is getting murdered by Bari Weiss.
Long-time readers know my admiration for Scott Pelley, who grew up in Lubbock and got his start locally at WFAA. He’s just a great, salt-of-the-earth, kinda guy. A man from another era.
Other than CBS Sunday Morning, I’m not sure I’ll watch any of their programming.
If you were wondering about the letter the Musers were reading from Keith about the percentage of high school football playing surfaces that are now synthetic, with a brief mention of Santo, TX- yep, that was me.
I recently took both dogs to the vet for a check-up and vaccinations. DogGeedingII is 15, and I was told that his mother, who is four years older than him, died earlier this year. I was pretty optimistic going into the appointment. However, he’s been diagnosed with a bad heart, and I have to give him medication twice a day.
Ted Turner died last month on May 6, 2026. I sorta had a negative impression of the man, but I recently watched a five-part documentary on him and have changed my tune.
However, the funniest comment I read about his death, and I’m sure he’d even get a kick out of it, was this tweet. And for anyone of my generation who doesn’t get it, shame!
The documentary also referenced the Turner Doomsday Video. He chose that song because he learned it was the last thing played on the Titanic.
The Turner Doomsday Video is the internal title of an apocalyptic video intended to be broadcast by CNN at the end of the world. The video, created at the direction of CNN founder Ted Turner before the network’s 1980 launch,is a performance of the Christian hymn “Nearer, My God, To Thee” performed by multiple members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine bands in front of CNN’s original headquarters at the Turner Broadcasting Techwood Campus in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia.
The recording was made right after “The Star-Spangled Banner” was recorded for CNN’s sign-on (which also appeared in TNT’s sign-on from 1988). After they recorded it, Turner asked if they would record a song just in case the world came to an end. At CNN’s launch, Ted Turner declared, “Barring satellite problems, we won’t be signing off until the world ends”:
We’ll be on, and we will cover it [the end of the world] live, and that will be our last, last event. We’ll play the National Anthem only one time, on the first of June [1980], and when the end of the world comes, we’ll play “Nearer My God To Thee” before we sign off.
I hope they prove me wrong, but there’s no way DART rail will run near the future home arena of the Dallas Mavericks. Like Jerry, there’s just too much money to make when it comes to parking. They call that area of 635Hell-BJ for a reason.
City records show the decision comes after a RedSpeed traffic study looked at 31 school zones across 29 campuses. Investigators discovered severe speeding issues at 18 of those locations, with daily averages ranging from 200 to more than 3,000 violations per school zone.
Cameras counted 17,044 total vehicles and flagged 6,043 speeding violations, which averages out to 3,021 violations each day. The data tracked speeding during morning arrival, afternoon dismissal and the standard school hours.
At the first divorce support group session I attended, I made a friend, and we’ve remained close, especially since our experiences were eerily similar in many ways. He said he would never marry again, and he would do everything he could to prevent me from doing the same. However, he met someone and quickly fell for her. Next thing I know, he surprised her with a trip to Paris to watch the Olympics and proposed to her while eating at the Eiffel Tower. They even had a child together, who I think just turned two. He called me yesterday to talk as he left the courthouse after filing for divorce.
WIRED He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut – A federal IT staffer filed a complaint about DOGE, then went public. Shortly after Elon Musk boosted a post calling his claims false, his brake lines were cut. Now he’s suing for defamation.
Now he says that bill “may not make it into my priorities the next seven months.”
ESPN has an article that has just about everything you’d probably want to know about that UFC stage sitting on the front lawn of the White House. Some highlights:
It’s owned and being constructed by a Belgian event-staging company called Stageco.
The company shipped most of the equipment in 18 containers by boat and flew other pieces from Germany and Belgium.
It was assembled in Pennsylvania for a test run, then shipped in 14 trailers for the Secret Service to inspect as it was guarded at a holding facility.
Disassembly will take seven to ten days, though I’m sure you’ve heard Trump tease it will be a forever structure like the Eiffel Tower.
I’m surprised the article didn’t mention that U2 had a version of the claw, four of them, actually, that was part of a world tour.
