My Trip Out West
Thomas B Gray
My girlfriend and I recently returned from a two-week sojourn out
west. Our official purpose was to attend a wedding, but we also visted
friends and did a lot of sightseeing (hey to the 12 rolls of film sitting
on my dresser).
In order to make this post relevant to r.s.f.c, let me first say that I
got to see the football stadiums at UTEP, NMSU, ASU, NAU, OU and UNT. I
liked the Sun Bowl the best.
Now, for my other observations:
- Thanks for the smoke, Mexico! Had it not been for all the haze, I'm sure
my trip through the Texas Hill County would have been very scenic.
- El Paso is perhaps the ugliest, dirtiest, grimiest city I have ever
seen. (And as a native Houstonian, I'm afraid that's saying a lot).
- Since I drove through New Mexico, I guess I should say something
complimentary about it: Nice, uh, dairy farms.
- "The Thing" is to I-10 as Wall Drug is to I-90. The advertisements
for this place begin east of El Paso.
- Phoenix, Arizona is the epitome of the sprawling, land-intensive,
low-density city, but at least the freeways are pretty.
- Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix: could they have made that thing any more
massive? It's twice as big as the rest of downtown.
- The UFO-like concert hall on the edge of ASU's campus shows that, yes,
even Frank Lloyd Wright made mistakes.
- Sedona, Arizona might be a charmless, touristified, yuppified,
new-age-ified hellhole, but at least the area around it sure is pretty.
- They really need to install a Super Happy Fun Slide along the side of
the Hoover Dam.
- Las Vegas roller coaster report: The tiny coaster that runs around the
top of the Stratosphere cost $9 to ride and was, in my opinion, not worth
it. The Manhattan Express roller coaster at New York New York, on the
other hand, cost $6 to ride and was worth every penny.
- By the way: Las Vegas RULEZ!
- You could spend a full week in Southern Utah and not see half the stuff
there is to see there. God's landscape architect was on some serious acid
when he designed that place.
- What's the deal with the crappy fuel octanes in Utah and Colorado? What
passes for medium-grade unleaded out there wouldn't make it as regular
unleaded here in Texas.
- The drive across the mountains from Grand Junction to Denver is awesome
(note to the engineers who designed that new section of I-70 outside of
Glenwood Springs: you rule, dudes). However, the faux-alpine look of Vail
and other resort towns is a bit much. Saabs as police cars? ODL!
- I was in Denver when the WAC broke up. I feel lucky in that I got to see
probably the only front-page converage either of the Denver newspapers
will ever give Colorado State and the USAFA.
- Since I drove through Kansas, I guess I should pay it a compliment:
Nice, uh, grain silos.
- Every time we passed through a small Kansas or Okie town, we came across
a sign that said "jake brakes prohibited." WTF?
- I still want to know: why is Oklahoma City's airport named after a dude
who died in a plane crash? ($1 to somebody).
- What's with the fake trolleys running around Norman? Are regular-looking
buses not good enough for you Okie Meteorologists?
- The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is lucky in that it doesn't
have spend money repainting any of the bridges along I-35 south of OKC.
It appears that OU students give each bridge a fresh coat of paint every
October.
- To the architects who designed all that hideous crap along the Dallas
North Tollway: have fun in Hell.
All in all, it was a great trip.
Thomas B. "Keifer" Gray : tbg...@mail.utexas.edu
B. Arch University of Houston 1996
MSCRP University of Texas at Austin 1999
Oh yeah... Did I mention that Vegas RULEZ?
stefan
On 12 Jun 1998 01:14:52 -0500, tbg...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Thomas B
Gray) wrote:
>My girlfriend and I recently returned from a two-week sojourn out
>west. Our official purpose was to attend a wedding, but we also visted
>friends and did a lot of sightseeing (hey to the 12 rolls of film sitting
>on my dresser).
>
>In order to make this post relevant to r.s.f.c, let me first say that I
>got to see the football stadiums at UTEP, NMSU, ASU, NAU, OU and UNT. I
>liked the Sun Bowl the best.
>
>Now, for my other observations:
>
>- Thanks for the smoke, Mexico! Had it not been for all the haze, I'm sure
>my trip through the Texas Hill County would have been very scenic.
>
>- El Paso is perhaps the ugliest, dirtiest, grimiest city I have ever
>seen. (And as a native Houstonian, I'm afraid that's saying a lot).
The huge flag in Juarez across the river is pretty cool! And don't
forget that El Paso is home to the world's largest Harley
dealership... Have you ever been to Detroit or Philadelphia?
>- Phoenix, Arizona is the epitome of the sprawling, land-intensive,
>low-density city, but at least the freeways are pretty.
Yes, and wonderful to drive on after 5 years on shit roads in the deep
South.
>- Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix: could they have made that thing any more
>massive? It's twice as big as the rest of downtown.
Nice pool huh?! Downtown is not *that* small if you count the Central
Ave corridor north of the "regular" downtown.
>- The UFO-like concert hall on the edge of ASU's campus shows that, yes,
>even Frank Lloyd Wright made mistakes.
Palm trees on campus are good for the soul...
>- Since I drove through Kansas, I guess I should pay it a compliment:
>Nice, uh, grain silos.
And sunsets...
--
/stefan, valley of the sun
Deke Arndt
I envision an elementary school in Svoth Paark, Sweden.
SVTAAN: Hey Stefan, are you coming over today?
STEFAN: No. I don't hang with you any more.
SVTAAN: Hey man, what is the deal?
STEFAN: I heard Errik und Kvenne talking about your clothes and
the way you comb your hair. You are a looser.
KAARTMANN: Ha, Stefan come on over here! We want to show you
something?
STEFAN: Ja, okkay, cvool.
KVENNE: Will you consider selling your soul and degrading yourself
and prostrating yourself before us for our fvriendship?
STEFAN: Ja, okkay, cvvol.
KAARTMANN: I'm so popular.
STEFAN: Yes, you are. So am I.
KYYVL: You guys are all loosers.
STEFAN: Ha, Kyyvl, will you be my best fvriend?
Boomer Sooner,
Deke
"Make America proud by keeping the American Dream alive.
You can do it. You are America's greatest resource."
- U.S. Rep. Julius Caesar Watts
El Goob (Gary W. Smith)
In some article, Thomas B Gray <tbg...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
...
->- The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is lucky in that it doesn't
->have spend money repainting any of the bridges along I-35 south of OKC.
->It appears that OU students give each bridge a fresh coat of paint every
->October.
What part of "Tuck Fexas" do you not understand????
- goob (brings a tear to my eye every time) smith
Daryl D. Spillmann
Thomas B Gray wrote:
>
>
> - Every time we passed through a small Kansas or Okie town, we came across
> a sign that said "jake brakes prohibited." WTF?
>
jake brake = Jacob's Engine Brake
A jake brake is a device on a diesel engine which, when enabled, basically
turns the engine into a big air compressor to help slow down the truck. This
helps reduce heat build-up and wear on the brakes on the wheel. The reason
many cities pass ordinances prohibiting their use is because they are louder
than hell.
HTH.
--
-------------------------
Daryl D. Spillmann
-------------------------
Ralph Kennedy
tbg...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Thomas B Gray) writes:
> - The UFO-like concert hall on the edge of ASU's campus shows that, yes,
> even Frank Lloyd Wright made mistakes.
The only thing "shown" is that you know
absolutely nothing about architecture. How
dare you criticize the most brilliant architect
of all time, who produced in Gammage Auditorium
what is widely regarded as one of the most
acoustically superb orchestral halls in the world.
--Ralph Kennedy, {ames,gatech,husc6,rutgers}!ncar!noao!asuvax!kennedy
pedantically {allegra,decvax,ihnp4,oddjob}--^
yours ^---------------The Wrong Choice
internet: ken...@asuvax.eas.asu.edu
stefan
Beautiful. Then again, aren't you merely projecting your own childhood
onto others?!
--
Deke Arndt
Vil voo be mein fvriend, Polly Prissy Pants?
Deke
Gary McManus
Um, no, he will not become your friend, but he won't be your enemy
either.
Gary McManus
Gary McManus
Thomas B Gray wrote:
>
> - What's with the fake trolleys running around Norman? Are regular-looking
> buses not good enough for you Okie Meteorologists?
I got a 1-week ban from riding the trolleys when the busdriver pissed me
off.
Suffice it to say, if a heavy-set woman (hey to Kate) is asked "What are
you up to", don't speak up with "Looks like 300 pounds"...
They get upset...
Gary McManus
Daryl D. Spillmann
Deke Arndt wrote:
> stefan wrote:
> >
> > Beautiful. Then again, aren't you merely projecting your own childhood
> > onto others?!
> > --
> > /stefan, valley of the sun
>
> Vil voo be mein fvriend, Polly Prissy Pants?
>
>
Arndt, you owe me a new 19" monitor.
Thomas B Gray
In article <6lr7el$17g$2...@news.tamu.edu>,
El Goob (Gary W. Smith) <goo...@unix.tamu.edu> wrote:
>In some article, Thomas B Gray <tbg...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
>...
>->- The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is lucky in that it doesn't
>->have spend money repainting any of the bridges along I-35 south of OKC.
>->It appears that OU students give each bridge a fresh coat of paint every
>->October.
>
>
>What part of "Tuck Fexas" do you not understand????
All I saw this time was "Texsucks Blows." I agree that "Tuck Fexas" is an
all-time best, though. It makes me miss the SWC.
Thomas B. "Keifer" Gray : tbg...@mail.utexas.edu
B. Arch University of Houston 1996
MSCRP University of Texas at Austin 1999
"Going to Houston and not renting a car is like going to Venice and not
renting a boat."
-Joel Garreau
Thomas B Gray
In article <EuGC0...@asuvax.eas.asu.edu>,
Ralph Kennedy <ken...@asuvax.eas.asu.edu> wrote:
>tbg...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Thomas B Gray) writes:
>> - The UFO-like concert hall on the edge of ASU's campus shows that, yes,
>> even Frank Lloyd Wright made mistakes.
>
> The only thing "shown" is that you know
>absolutely nothing about architecture. How
>dare you criticize the most brilliant architect
>of all time, who produced in Gammage Auditorium
>what is widely regarded as one of the most
>acoustically superb orchestral halls in the world.
Dude, what part of "the only architect who has never made a mistake is
Philip Johnson" do you not understand?
Thomas B. "Keifer" Gray : tbg...@mail.utexas.edu
B. Arch University of Houston 1996
MSCRP University of Texas at Austin 1999
Besides, I am KNOW to be the DOMINATE architectural critic of this chat
room.
Chris Grovich
tbg...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Thomas B Gray) wrote:
>All I saw this time was "Texsucks Blows." I agree that "Tuck Fexas" is
>an all-time best, though. It makes me miss the SWC.
The what?
---
Chris Grovich -- President
Pennsylvanians Against the Big Ten
http://members.tripod.com/~grovich/bigten
Andre Ervin
> >All I saw this time was "Texsucks Blows." I agree that "Tuck Fexas" is
> >an all-time best, though. It makes me miss the SWC.
> The what?
Oh, YOU know!!
The conference that recently broke up! The one that had delusions
of grandeur! The...
Or was that the WAC?
--
dre http://www.wcic.org/~dre
(same diff)
Steve Casburn
In article <EuGC0...@asuvax.eas.asu.edu>, ken...@asuvax.eas.asu.edu
(Ralph Kennedy) wrote:
>
> Thomas B Gray:
>
> > - The UFO-like concert hall on the edge of ASU's campus shows that, yes,
> > even Frank Lloyd Wright made mistakes.
>
> The only thing "shown" is that you know
> absolutely nothing about architecture. How
> dare you criticize the most brilliant architect
> of all time, who produced in Gammage Auditorium
> what is widely regarded as one of the most
> acoustically superb orchestral halls in the world.
Typical architectural denial.
Steve
--
Steve Casburn (cas...@gslis.utexas.edu)
"Shut up he explained"
-- Ring Lardner, Jr.
Jim Leahy
In article <casburn-ya0240800...@newshost.cc.utexas.edu>,
cas...@gslis.utexas.edu (Steve Casburn) wrote:
> In article <EuGC0...@asuvax.eas.asu.edu>, ken...@asuvax.eas.asu.edu
> (Ralph Kennedy) wrote:
> >
> > Thomas B Gray:
> >
> > > - The UFO-like concert hall on the edge of ASU's campus shows that, yes,
> > > even Frank Lloyd Wright made mistakes.
> >
> > The only thing "shown" is that you know
> > absolutely nothing about architecture. How
> > dare you criticize the most brilliant architect
> > of all time, who produced in Gammage Auditorium
> > what is widely regarded as one of the most
> > acoustically superb orchestral halls in the world.
>
>
> Typical architectural denial.
You're closing the gap, bovine boy! I'm wavering on that vote now.
Jim Leahy (still leaning toward Tallahassee, but keep up the good work)
S.C.O.F.F.E.R
>>
>> On 12 Jun 1998 01:14:52 -0500, tbg...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Thomas B
>> Gray) wrote:
>>
>> >- The UFO-like concert hall on the edge of ASU's campus shows that, yes,
>> >even Frank Lloyd Wright made mistakes.
It's a birthday cake, idot.
Scoffer
I eat more chicken than any man ever seen.
Brett Kottmann
Chris Grovich wrote:
>
...
> >an all-time best, though. It makes me miss the SWC.
>
> The what?
SWC == Sub-WaC
It was the WAC with training wheels.
Stupendous Man
"All the defense, non of the offense."
Daryl D. Spillmann
Thomas B Gray wrote:
> In article <6lr7el$17g$2...@news.tamu.edu>,
> El Goob (Gary W. Smith) <goo...@unix.tamu.edu> wrote:
> >In some article, Thomas B Gray <tbg...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> wrote:
> >...
> >->- The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is lucky in that it doesn't
> >->have spend money repainting any of the bridges along I-35 south of OKC.
> >->It appears that OU students give each bridge a fresh coat of paint every
> >->October.
> >
> >
> >What part of "Tuck Fexas" do you not understand????
>
> All I saw this time was "Texsucks Blows." I agree that "Tuck Fexas" is an
> all-time best, though. It makes me miss the SWC.
>
>
My favorite is...
KEEP FRED^H^H^H^HDAVID^H^H^H^H^HJOHN
--
------------------
Daryl D. Spillmann
------------------