The Jewel of Arlington... Automotively Speaking

Plenty of pretty people, with their equally pretty money will be in Arlington, Texas on February 6th to see the Super Bowl in the NFL's glitziest stage. However, there is a place within walking distance of Cowboys Stadium that has its share of pretty things. Very pretty things indeed. Within the shadow of JerryWorld, lies a rather understated building full of overstated pieces of American automotive ingenuity and power. Berry Motor Cars on Division Street, is a place where the dreams of car enthusiasts and gearheads can come to fruition.

Back in October of 2010, my parents came for a visit, and like most of their visits to North Texas during baseball season, we took in a Texas Rangers game. Knowing that my dad was going to be in Arlington, my uncle asked him to swing by Berry Motor Cars to order a part for a 1968 Camaro that he is restoring. I thought that we left for Arlington with enough time, unfortunatley we got to BMC just after closing. I was a little disappointed knowing what laid inside- the opportunity to help my uncle with his project, but I also wanted to show my daughter all the awesome classic cars parked inside the showroom.

Well, as luck would have it, I spent enough time peering in through the front doors that I got the attention of the owner who came to ask if I needed help. I told him that my parents had come in from South Texas and that may dad had hoped to order a part before the game. The gentleman said that he had stayed around the shop afterwards to work on a few things and that we could help us. So as my dad spoke to Mr. Berry about the needed part, I was able to show my daughter around the showroom: fully restored Chevelles, Camaros, and a couple of Corvettes, intermingled with a few Plymouths and Mustangs. I couldn't help but shake my head in amazement at all these beautiful cars and how much one would set me back. Let's just say that I could get a fully restored 1967 Camaro for the same price as a brand new 2010 model!

Being able to see those cars and share the moment with my daughter made that weekend even more memorable. Thankfully, she's following the footsteps my dad and uncle laid out for us in appreciating the beauty of these classic machines. My thanks again to Mr. Berry and his hospitality for helping us that day. I hope that the glare that surrounds the Super Bowl shines some of its dollar-signed goodness towards Mr. Berry and his company.

The 2-Space Police Are Out To Get You!

As I read an article on Slate.com about how two spaces after a sentence's period is a writing faux pas, one of John McEnroe's most infamous on-court blowups came to mind: "You cannot be serious!"

And according to the article's author, yes, he is serious.

So it looks like millions of us, including myself, are wrong for having been inserting that extra, evil space after a written sentence. And Mr. Manjoo makes us feel horrible for having neglected this rule. All that I have written over the years should have gotten a big red X for all those superfluous spaces. Too bad for me that the professors from my undergraduate years and up into my graduate work were not part of the 2-Space Gestapo.

The article itself is well written but the best part of it was a comment left by a reader. I'm paraphrasing, but he pretty much said that he wasn't going to take any typing advice from someone with a foreign sounding name. I couldn't help but bust out laughing when I first read it. Now, I can't read into that commenter's intent, but I doubt he meant it as a xenophobic observation as some folks have noted. I think it was a comical observation seeing that the article was not written by a regular Tom, Dick or Harry Smith.

Though I make no bones about my grammatical know-how, but it will take me a while to unlearn 20+ years of typing experience. Adding that good-for-nothing second space is as second nature to me as breathing or cheering against the New York Yankees.

Rare January Tornadic Storm in the Coastal Bend

Many residents of the Coastal Bend woke up sooner than they expected last Sunday morning when a rare January tornadic storm blew through the area producing a gamut of severe weather, which included an EF1 tornado, hail, and strong winds. The squall line gathered strength as it neared the coastal prairies and put down a tornado that ran for over 20 miles.

Storm reports from my family include my grandmother hiding in her hallway as the hail pounded the paint off one side of her house in central San Patricio County and my uncle heard a freight train sounding noise when he took his dogs outside to do their business as the storm crossed into southeastern San Pat County. And my folks reported lots of hail and strong winds as the storm arrived. In addition to this, the 8am mass at my old church back home was done in candlelight due to the power outtage after the storm passed.

I'm pleasantly relieved that there were no injuries reported, or at least I did not see report of any. It is amazing that this storm was so strong to produce so much severe weather considering the timing of its genesis. One can only imagine how bad the storm would have been had it occurred during the day (the far northern end of this weather feature dumped several inches of snow in the DFW area!).

Please click on the link below to Corpus Christi's National Weather Service office's report of the January 9th storm. Tremendous kudos to the staff of the NWS office for an equally impressive summary of this impressive winter-time storm. That has to be the most imformative storm summary I have seen since perhaps their Christmas Eve/Day snow storm story of 2004.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/?n=jan092011squallline