Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas

Sergio Kindle resurfaces at the Cotton Bowl and in the newspaper

If you listened to the radio broadcast of Saturday's Texas-OU game, you heard the name of UT defensive player "Sergio Kindle" called again and again, along with the occasional mention of Kindle's alma matter, Woodrow Wilson High School. Lo and behold, in the latest Woodrow PTA Wildcat Weekly newsletter, Sergio was mentioned again, this time for a great article written about him in the Austin American Statesman newspaper. If you remember Sergio's football exploits at Woodrow, you know he was almost bigger than life. But when he arrived at UT three years ago, he kind of disappeared for awhile, along with making a mistake or two. But now he appears to be back; hope things keep going well for him.

BL girls volleyball fundraiser

I took my 10-year-old daughter to a Bishop Lynch girls varsity volleyball game Tuesday night, to show her how it’s done. These girls are beasts (and that’s a good thing, as LH blogger Carol Toler explains here). Tonight the Lady Friars plan to use their smashing skills for the greater good  at a “Hit for Heart” fundraiser to benefit the American Heart Association. The players in tonight’s Lynch versus John Paul II game have secured pledges for all score-making offensive attacks (“kills”). So the more kills, the more funds raised for the AHA, get it?

This will be a killer game, alright … but wait there’s more: the first 150 people to enter the gym will receive a complimentary American Heart Association cookbook magazine and a red dress pin – the symbol for women and heart disease. Additionally, all those who make a donation on Thursday evening will be entered in to a raffle drawing. The catch: the game’s at John Paul II – all the way in Plano, but it’s sure to be worth the drive.

Popular road race will cap registration

I know I write lots about running these days, but I can’t help it. I’m hooked. I’ve been training for the White Rock Marathon through the Dallas Running Club and so I get all the DRC newsletters and Race Nation notices. Race Nation is like a Facebook for runners — looks real cool. I’ve signed up and posted my picture but I haven’t participated in any discussion. My blogging hours are committed to Back Talk. But I digress. I actually posted this evening to let you know about the DRC Half Marathon Sunday, Nov. 2. I just received word that race organizers will cap registration at 4000 and that it is already half full. They say the White Rock Marathon and Half is filling up fast too. In other words, time to make a commitment and make it official.

Marines expect to run DRC Half — from Japan

Hopefully, in your October issue of Advocate, you read the story about the 30 or so Marines that the Dallas Running Club has adopted as so-called "running mates" in the DRC Half Marathon Nov. 2. One of the men who helped think up the whole idea, 2nd Lieutenant Ryan Bintz, was kind enough to send me this photo of the platoon. (Unfortunately it got here too late to make it into the magazine layout). I think you can get a better look by clicking on the photo. If you want to read the whole story, well, you can't read it on our web site yet as it's getting a makeover ... but I'll place the story after the jump for any of you who didn't get a chance to read it. 

Josh, Michael, Tom and the gang: The Observer does 'em all proud

There are three great stories in this week's Dallas Observer, if you're interested in Josh Howard, DISD's budget problems and the taxpayer-owned convention center hotel.

Jim Schutze weighs in on DISD Supt. Michael Hinojosa and his culpability, or lack thereof, in the budget mess. I was standing next to Schutze for about an hour of last week's board meeting (we were jammed together in four-by-five-foot area behind the chairs, pressed against the wall by all of the TV station camermen and reporters gathered for the meeting), and his account of the portions of the meeting he cited is correct. I don't necessarily agree with his conclusion, but he persuasively argues that Hinojosa is more responsible for the mess than he seems willing to admit.

Citizen journalists we appreciate (need) you

... and so does the community. 

Over the weekend Keri Mitchell and I attended a Blog/New Media Expo in Las Vegas. I am sure we will sporadically share our newfound wisdom with you over future days and weeks, but for now I’d like to touch on one important thing I derived from the experience:

I learned that in order to have an outstanding neighborhood blog, you have to have outstanding folks out in the neighborhood writing regular, interesting, super-local posts. Advocate has a stellar editorial staff, if I do say so myself.  But we are but a very few people putting out five neighborhood magazines every month, plus the occasional special addition. While we want to be all over the place covering news for Back Talk, we can’t be more than one place at a time — or should I say we haven’t figured out how to yet. 

That brings me back to my aforementioned assessment — we need the citizen journalists, such as Back Talk contributor Norman Alston, who help us keep our finger on the pulse of Lakewood and do a great job of writing about it.

Runners and headphones: what do you think?

I saw a friend when I was running around White Rock Lake last night — this is one of those pull no punches, tell-it-like-it-is sort a friends. As usual I was wearing my iPod nano with the ear buds, and he says, “What are you doing wearing headphones out here? You’re going to get run over.” Oh, here we go, I thought.

I explained to him that I keep my headphones low enough (usually I keep only one ear in) that I can hear passing cyclists, etcetera, and that it really doesn’t hinder my ability to stay safe. But he (who unlike me actually passes people when he’s running) has experienced big problems, especially as the park draws bigger and bigger crowds, with runners who “are completely oblivious, lost in iTunes or whatever".

We agree to disagree in the end, I guess, as he runs off saying “just concentrate on your running and save the ear buds for the gym,” or some self-righteous nonsense of that nature. (I mean that in the friendliest way.) So have some of us runners been so reckless as to warrant the boycott of earphones on public trails? I have to admit, I've seen headphone-wearing runners nearly flattened by cyclists shouting in vain that they are passing. What do you guys think? And remember, if you comment, be nice to each other.

Daily news roundup: Big Tex, Barefoot, toy guns and Warren Culbertson

If you're tired of reading about the big financial-system bailout, DISD screwups and how great the Dallas Cowboys look this year, check out these diversions in today's Dallas Morning News:

     • Remember the big city council vote in May 2007 to criminalize "displaying or brandishing a replica firearm in public? I don't remember it either, and apparently it's a law that even the police have forgotten about. Dave Levinthal reports that since the ordinance was passed, not a single ticket has been written for a violation — talk about your effective ordinance or your irrelevant one; take your pick. In the story, Levinthal asks councilman Angela Hunt: Was it all a big waste of time and resources? "Probably so," she says.

Race at Dallas Arboretum Saturday

The race that promises to be the next big thing for White Rock area runners — Tour Des Fleurs at the Dallas Arboretum — is this Saturday, Sept. 20. Organizers are smart in that they’ve planned an event whose date and distances (a 10K and a 20K) coincide with White Rock Marathon and half marathon training. Smart because there are hundreds if not thousands of folks in this area training to run The Rock. Plus, Tour Des Fleurs kicks off the Arboretum's famous fall season, so it’s fun for all—even those who couldn’t run from a fire.

Tour Des Fleurs Saturday

The race that promises to be the next big thing for White Rock area runners — Tour Des Fleurs at the Dallas Arboretum — is this Saturday, Sept. 20. Organizers are smart in that they’ve planned an event whose date and distances (a 10K and a 20K) coincide with White Rock Marathon and half marathon training. Smart because there are hundreds if not thousands of folks in this area training to run The Rock. Plus, Tour Des Fleurs kicks off the Arboretum's famous fall season, so it’s fun for all—even those who couldn’t run from a fire.