Answering a Comment, And Runners? Self Important?

dear all,

I ran the Cowtown 1/2 today. It took place in Fort Worth, TX. I try to have a good attitude during the runs -- which can at times be hard.
Call me silly, but it dawned on me that runners are kind of self-important. We run out of our own free will. Then, after two and a half, or three hours (or however long it takes you) of everyone telling us how great we are, and saying, "good job! keep it up!" we think we deserve free soup, ice cream, burritos, pasta, and other things!

I received a comment after the last blog. Inquiring about the documentaries mentioned in the previous blog.

Dear Driveways Essex,
Thank you!!!
I don't believe the documentaries can be watched online.
Since they are kind of low budget, I'm not sure of details of their upcoming releases. What I can think of is to keep checking the links to the movie sites, which were included in the last blog, AND to lobby your theater, and ask if they will show them.
If I hear anything else about Swingman, I'll let you guys know.
Here is the link for the Thin Line Film Festival, in Denton, TX.

On that note, THE END.
Alice (north dallas homegirl)

Don't forget it's Black History Month. I watched a documentary about Whitney Young Jr. If you want to learn about black history, you can start by learning about him.

Hey Bathrobe: I'll Meet You In The Driveway. And 3 Documentaries It Would Be Shameful Not To See

Since it is likely that only .001 percent of this blog will be read, I'll make it easy for you:

I saw someone in their bathrobe the other day. In front of their house, in the morning. The man was walking back into his house, when I saw him, including the flip-flops.
Technically, there is nothing wrong with this.
However, in actuality, I could not help thinking: what was happening outside of his house, to make him go outside in his bathrobe??

Here are 3 documentaries I highly recommend you do not miss. All were screened recently at a documentary film festival in Denton, TX.
Eleanore And The Timekeeper. This is about a 91-year-old mother and her mentally challenged son. Gosh I just hope I make it to 91.

Bat City USA. It discusses the work of biologist Merlin Tuttle. I've heard of the bats and the Congress Avenue bridge (in Austin, TX), but never seen them. Sounds batty to me. Watch the trailer here.

Dinner At The No-Go's. The filmmakers ignored those silly travel advisories, and ate dinner with the locals.

And of course, please also see Swingman.

The End.
Thank you for reading!

Alice
or, North Dallas Homegirl

Captain Marshall Allen: A Swingman To Be Reckoned With!

The blog is on a serious note.

This is Captain Marshall Allen.

The woman next to him is author Alex Allred, who wrote a book about him. (It's nice to see a writer follow through on her goals--she wanted to write about him from the first day she met him!)

So, back to Capt. Marshall Allen.
He was a "fireman's fireman," (the movie poster that said this should have said "firefighter's firefighter," but that's okay) excellent at his job--and one day he was injured and then paralyzed.
He displayed great amounts of tenacity and courage after the injury, and shows these things every day in his life.
Capt. Allen's is not a Woe-is-me tale. It's a tale of not feeling sorry for yourself.
Capt. Allen has been clinically depressed, and is not afraid to talk about it.
I saw the movie "Swingman," at a Denton, TX film festival. (As was in my previous blog). The filmmaker is Mark Birnbaum.
After, I met both Capt. Allen and Alex Allred. I was honored to meet both of them.

I am not sure if the movie (documentary) is going to be widely released. But if it is released near you, please go see it!
Alice
truly, North Dallas Homegirl

the movie poster for "Swingman," outside the theater:


(A side note: I used to drive to Denton almost daily. I have not driven there in so long, and I was shocked that some of the businesses that I used to see on the drive, 6 years ago, have not changed. I am glad the movie got me out of my comfort zone.
Also, the sign for Morrison's Corn Kits has not changed--a large sign once you enter Denton. What is a Corn Kit???) The End.

Go. See. Swingman. And, Miguel? Say What?

As usual it's news to me that there is a documentary film fest going on in Denton, TX. It is until Feb. 18. (It is the Thin Line Film Fest).
There is a documentary called Swingman. This documentary is about a firefighter (formerly of Fort Worth) and a bunch of other things.
I have never seen it. However, from the brief description, it is most likely a tragic, and very, very unique documentary.
You can see it Saturday, at 12 p.m.!

new topic:
There is this singer called Miguel--and there is really no need to mention him. He gave a Grammy performance. I find his name slightly confusing. However, it is more confusing that I did not find out who he was until after the Grammy Awards.

Goodbye.
The end. The end. The end.

Alice (North Dallas Homegirl!)
(happy valentine's day)

"Love's Truck Stop Has Good Sweet Potato Pie" And The Cliff! Shiny Toy Guns! Parquet Courts!

Hello:

At McDonald's recently, a man asked the McDonald's employee if they had any sweet potato pie.
The cashier said they did not.
"Well, it must be only truck drivers that like sweet potato pie," the middle-aged man replied.
Then he said, "Love's truck stop has good sweet potato pie!"
Good to know!

Since it is a special music night, I am going to tell you about 3 excellent bands & their relevance:

The Cliff is a band I heard recently from Oak Cliff. Oak Cliff is located in Dallas, TX.
They are pretty much mostly a local band, and guess what? ALL members live in Oak Cliff.
How's that for authentic.

Shiny Toy Guns: I realized that there is a song by this band, called Le Disko, that I like.
The singer at the time the song was released, Carah Faye Charnow, is apparently no longer with the band.
But, their relevance is due to the fact that they will be at the House of Blues in Dallas on Feb. 13! At 8:00 p.m.!

Parquet Courts: A band apparently from Denton, TX. I watched the video whose link I share, and was skeptical, but then rapidly impressed. Go, Dentonites!

That's all for the special music night and three extremely relevant artists.

Also, there is a model--really, model and football player-- named Myles Crosby, allegedly from Colleyville, who I read about recently.

The End.
Alice
or, North Dallas Homegirl

Thanks for reading.