Scattershooting / Weather Or Not? It's All Around Me

Gather around your computers or apps once again, because your favorite blogger is back with more Scattershooting for the masses. Spring is in the air, so be sure to spread peace, love, and spring..............without the allergies!

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Never mind not having much of a winter in North Texas. Spring, indeed, has sprungeth nigh and that brought some dangerous weather patterns with it. My lands, if you live in North Texas, did you see what's happened yesterday (Sunday, the 26th at this writing)? Forming tornadoes nearly touching the ground, hail ranging in size from nickel all the way to softball, thunder, lightning, seemingly the whole gamut. Now, here's an interesting scenario: Ol' Case was on a brief road trip. I spent the afternoon in Glen Rose, Texas, before retreating to my hotel in Alvarado, some 30 miles to the east. And, because LaQuinta had a good enough rate for my room that I didn't have to pay on credit card and I took advantage so as not to lose their member status for points.

Anyhow, last night, I spent all evening watching television, flipping through the local channels as well as WeatherNation, seeing where the severe weather was hitting. North of my suburban Dallas apartment, there was violent hail. South of my hotel, there was violent hail. All places in between? Nothing. It was the durndest thing. So, this writer saw a few raindrops outside and was treated to a lightning show north and south of the hotel site, but no car damage. And no apartment damage upon my return back to it this morning.

And to think I didn't have to be in the middle of things when it came to severe weather. I do feel bad for those who had cars and homes damaged by the storms. Best wishes to all there.

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Speaking of WeatherNation, it was refreshing to see that channel on the LaQuinta TV (presumably DishNetwork). Great, for a change, as opposed to trying to watch it on my computer because my sorry-@&#%&@ cable company would not offer it. It beats watching The Weather Channel and their tired attempt at documentaries.

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New Houston Astros TV play-by-play man Todd Kalas decided to pay tribute to his late father with a home run call.

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/03/26/...-home-run-call

His dad is none other than Harry Kalas, legendary voice of the Philadelphia Phillies, but who was also the voice of the Astros in his early days. He also once worked at KHOU-TV (Channel 11) as a weekend sportscaster.

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Recently, I made a hubbub about the Hub City (that's Lubbock) hotel binge that construction workers and planners are throwing at us, what with so many new structures either about to be completed, still under construction, or are planned. Well, I looked at Lubbock in the Loop, the website dedicated to consumer retail in the metro area, and they've pointed something out in the Hotels section. Best Western Hotels is adding one more location for now, but not two as originally revealed. They have an Executive Residency model not far from opening up at the Marsha Sharp Freeway at West Loop 289. The franchise has apparently decided to shelve their Plus project on Avenue Q, probably just for now. It had been slated to replace the old and craggly Travelers Inn that used to sit there. No word yet on when or if they'll continue to pursue the site, or if another chain will step in and purchase the property.

Meanwhile, Lubbock civic leaders are hopeful for the projects already going as they gauge how many visitors will be in the Hub City this year. This while they await the completions of an aquarium, an adventure park, a baseball museum, and a new performing arts center.

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When will Republicans get their acts together? All they have to do is repeal and replace the train wreck known as the (Un)Affordable Care Act. You'd think that, in eight years' time, that party would be able to develop something that would be better for all Americans.

Well, they piddled around instead.

While conservatives continue to worry about what the media thinks of them or how they'll be perceived because Barack Obama was African-American, our nation has seen the free market health care system all but destroyed by that stupid law. Hey, Republicans, quit wasting your time worrying about a mainstream media that's never going to like you. Do what you were elected to do. If you get replaced by a hardline, extremist Democrat one day, then it will be your fault. There's nobody else to blame. Own it. President Donald Trump is getting things done. You should, too. Get busy now!

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Last night's spring storms also brought damage to school buses in Little Elm, Texas. Saw it on this morning's local news. Mirrors and windows shattered. Dinks on the tops. So, now, the buses are unusable until the district can hurriedly find a way to get them repaired. And it doesn't help that tomorrow's forecast also calls for severe weather.

Can you imagine the parents of those little ones who, now, will have to become temporary taxi drivers by jamming the parking lots of those schools as the kiddos head off to class?

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I don't know why, but I have this major crush on Carrie Keagan. She's so-o-o-o-o-o-o good looking! You may know her as the girl on VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live, but she's also been on Fox News Channel's RedEye with Greg Gutfeld.

Having seen her on Google searches and YouTube, I can't get over how beautiful she is. And how clean!

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Frisco (TX) school district Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Lyon is calling it a career. He has decided to retire this spring after just five years with the district. Officials and board members have begun a search for a new sup.

But all of this leads to this thought: Frisco does not need yet another high school whose name begins with L. I say this because superintendents usually get named on high schools, but also because high schools get other names of historic figures or common American patriotic values. Frisco has two high schools named for former sups (Wakeland and Reedy) and three more beginning with the letter L (Liberty, Lone Star, and Lebanon Trail). After Memorial opens in 2018, they'll have at least two more that could open in subsequent years. The district needs to get to other names that are bigger in the city before they get to Lyon, who hasn't even been in Frisco that long to begin with.

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And speaking of Frisco, the Shops at Starwood has a new tenant. It's called Trend Empire, a men's clothing and boutique outlet.

It's only a matter of time before Phase III finally gets all of its tenants lined up. Opportunities abound for retail and office space. The two new buildings have already been completed not too long ago and await their first activity.

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Jennifer Lopez and former major-league baseball player Alex Rodriguez have been making a splash romantically. They've done so since the holidays.

But a little bit ago, I saw an article where neither could crack a smile on a recent outing to an Italian eatery. Either they have been choosing to stay low-key about this, or they've got something to hide.

One thing's for sure, and that is, you can't stay away from the paparazzi. And you already know how they behave (or misbehave).

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Two notable passings in the last couple of weeks. The music world lost a legend in Chuck Berry. Look what he had done to create rock and roll as we've known it. He brought forth infusions of rhythm and blues in a mixture with the then-new rock sounds of the day, giving it a certain distinction. He was 90 and will be sorely missed.

Secondly, we lost Chuck Barris. You remember him from "The Gong Show", but he also created "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game", which became ABC-TV staples many years before most of us would even hear of him. I still remember him for his hand-clapping between sentences with his bumbling personality on TGS. In all seriousness, he made a lot of contributions to daytime television, and we thank him for it all. He was 87.

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Hope you stay safe from life's storms long enough to crack a smile.

And there you are.