I have mentioned previously of efforts to tidy up my home, shop and personal spaces. One look at my office will inform you as to the progress, which is almost nil. However, I can provide updates and clarifications that have left some readers concerned and anxious. The majority, I know, will not really care. But I must write something, if only to fill space on a page.
Bicycling Adventures: OK, I may have exaggerated my fears and the horrors of my mountain biking a little. But the experience did cause me to consult with medical specialists and get checked out. Happily, all testing indicated that my heart is in great shape, no clogs were found in my arteries, and a brain scan found nothing. No surprise there, LOL! Evidently, I am just extremely out of shape, which, seeing as I sit at a desk for eight hours and spend four hours a night in a recliner, is not all that unexpected. So, I am biking when weather permits, and using the elliptical machine that has taken up space in my home for many years to build up endurance and leg strength. If I die while on my bike, it will most likely be due to being hit by a car while crossing a street. In all seriousness, Northwest Arkansas has some of the best biking trails in the world, and our region is profiting greatly from the influx of bikers.
Chicken Craze: Siloam Springs has a new fast-food chicken place. I won't mention the name so as to not give undue publicity to the store. But their chicken sandwiches caused quite the uproar last year. Hundreds stood in line to get a taste of their particular brand of bread and chicken. Apparently, the flavor is to die for, as one person in Maryland was stabbed to death while waiting for their order. I've tried the supposed delicacy. It's good, but not worth killing someone for it.
Dare We Hope? So far, Arkansas' basketball team is looking really good. No, I mean it this time; they are really good! I know, I most likely just jinxed them. It must run in the family because my son not watching St. Louis Blues hockey games is the reason they won the Stanley Cup last summer. Every time he tunes in a game, they start losing. When he turns it off, they win, even coming back twice from 3-goal deficits. I am petitioning the Blues front office to pay my son to not watch or attend any Blues games. It's the least they can do to insure another Stanley Cup for St. Louis.
Technology, Revisited: I got a GoPro camera as a present for Christmas. I was supposed to wear it on my bike helmet but decided to mount it on the dash of my truck. I am compiling evidence as to the idiocy of drivers in our area. A friend of mine got yelled out for "not stopping" at the yield signs on South Broadway and East Central Street. He was in the right, as no one was in the crosswalks, and so did not have to yield to cross traffic. But, still, there are many who wrongly assume it is a 4-way stop. I will eventually have video evidence of such actions to post and shame.
"What, Me Worry?": To those who wish I would write more about politics I reply, "Are you a glutton for punishment?" We are inundated with politics. We are fed up with politics. The very subject affects our mental state. If I write about politics, it will be to poke fun or bring attention to some absurdity. Lord knows, there is enough material provided.
I promised my family to have the pontoon boat repaired and out of my shop for a Spring launch. The space it leaves behind will be filled by some other project, I'm sure. But it can wait. The warm days of fishing on Loch Lomond definitely take priority.
-- Devin Houston is the president/CEO of Houston Enzymes. Send comments or questions to [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 01/22/2020