Tarantula Anyone?

I just received this e-mail from University Park Elementary:

UP Science Lab is looking for summer caretakers for our science lab critters.
We have one guinea pig, one gecko leopard lizard and of course Magnificent Millie (tarantula).

Here’s my question: If I take care of the giant spider all summer can I get out of the 4th grade mom’s skit without anything going on my permanent record?

Stephanie, I Think This Call is for You

So I got a call today that started out so totally flattering with the person on the other end saying, “OMG, your column this week was so great [bla bla bla]…the best part of the whole thing was the headline.”

But I don’t write the headline, Hutson does.

2008 Cattle Baron’s Raffle Items

Local hot-mom Carol Robertson is selling raffle tix. Here’s the scoop:

$25 each or 5 for $100

-Bottega Venetta- A year of the Knot bag (1 bag for each of the four seasons) Value $8000

- Citi- $10,000 debit card. Spend it anyway you’d like

-Eiseman Jewels- $10,000 towards a purchase of a Rolex

-NorthPark- $10,000 in NorthPark Gold and a luxury prize package from some of NorthPark’s finest retailers values at $4,000 Total Value $14,000

-One Key- 7 nights in a luxurious private home. Winner can choose from homes in 30 domestic and international locations Value $16,200

-Mix and Match - Do not need to purchase all of the same kind

$100 each or 6 for $500

-Park Place Mercedes Pick your Benz! - Choosed from the all new C Class sedan, the sporty SLK280 convertible or rugged ML350 Sport Utility Vehicle.

All item descriptions with pictures will be on the website at cattlebaronsball.com.

Parkies Presidential Politics

I like getting comments from James Tucker because he uses, as far as I know, his real name, and because he’s civil and likes to debate ideas.  So, James, I hope you don’t mind my reprinting your comment to my earlier post about my support of Barack Obama, and my response to that comment.  I apologize for the links not pasting here as they appeared, but interested readers can look back at James’ comment.

James Tucker @ May 12th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Sorry everyone, I have a policy about internet free weekends. I don’t particularly feel like defending John McCain, John Hagee, or the RNC at this time. However,

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Re: Run For Ryan on Wednesday

Merritt sends us this update:

Attention All UP Parents:
The manager at the Tin Star restaurant in Preston Center is wanting to donate to the Run for Ryan cause. He has offered to give back 15 percent of the total top line revenue in sales between the hours of 4 and 9 tomorrow night. Please pass the word onto your students to dine there tomorrow night. You do not need to mention anything about the Run when you go to eat…just enjoy knowing you are helping out the cause!

Run For Ryan on Wednesday

HPISD students and community members are banding together to raise money and search for a kidney donor for 11-year-old Ryan Michael.

Ryan’s fellow students at McCulloch Intermediate School are raising money to help offset the considerable expenses associated with Ryan’s kidney transplant with the Run for Ryan. The fund-raiser will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the MIS track. If you would like to sponsor a runner or get more information about the Run for Ryan, please contact MIS Assistant Principal Dr. Marcia Pool at poolm@hpisd.org or call 214-780-3500.

Jump for more info.

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Highland Park Baseball Team Sets Series

The Highland Park Scots have set up their regional quarterfinal series against McKinney North.

Game 1 will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Game 2 will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday. If necessary, Game 3 will be at 1 p.m. Saturday. All of the games will be played at Rockwall-Heath High School.

HP (32-6) is fresh off a sweep of Texarkana Texas High, while McKinney North (22-7-2) took down Lindale in three games.

The winner of the series will move on to face the Waxahachie-Ennis winner in the regional semifinals next week.

Six State Titles in Six Days For the Scots

Highland Park athletics had itself a pretty good week.

The Scots brought home six state championships in the span of six days, beginning last Tuesday when the boys and girls golf teams both won state in Austin, while the doubles team of Natalie Leitch and Abby Stainback won it all in Lakeway the same day.

Three days later, Patrick Todd crossed the finish line first in the 800-meter run at the University Interscholastic League State Track and Field Championships in Austin.

Finally, both Scots lacrosse teams won state titles on Sunday in Friendswood. The Division I team beat defending champion Episcopal School of Dallas, and the Division II team also knocked off a defending champ, Cy-Fair.

Memo To UIL Track Volunteers

Bless the hearts of the volunteers that help put on the UIL State Track and Field Championships. They sit or stand for hours helping put on five track meets over a 36-hour period each year. I feel for you — but lighten up already.

So I’m at the Mike Myers Track Stadium on the UT campus Friday. I was in the stadium for all of 23 minutes to watch Patrick Todd’s 800-meter race, and in that time I was barked at twice by UIL volunteers, once by a UT meet timing official, and led by the arm out of an unmarked no-media-allowed viewing platform which was next to the awards area. OK, in two of those instances, I was standing where I wasn’t supposed to be (unknowingly, honest). The other time I just happened to block the view of an official but was within the designated media viewing area. Hey - when I’m just trying to get access to the athletes for an interview, how about a little diplomacy from the staff?

The volunteers acted like the media was the enemy. Memo to volunteers and UIL officials: Do you want the athletes to get some recognition, or what? Barking at the media in terse language, ushering others (I wasn’t alone in this) away like third-graders, won’t promote good coverage. I know it was 95 degrees out there — we were sweating all day, too. But geez, lighten up.

Honestly, it makes me not want to cover the event next year if courtesy gets thrown out the window as the temperature goes up.

Big Weekend For Scots Sports

Sports editor Chuck Cox can elaborate on this later, but I want to get the news out there now. The short version:

Chuck and I were in Austin on Friday to watch HP senior Patrick Todd win the state title in the 800-meter run. Todd beat the same runner from Lancaster who he had lost to two weeks earlier at the regional meet and had won the Class 5A championship at Skyline last year. It was a fantastic mark for Todd, who had the finishing kick he needed this time to win by 0.34 seconds in 1:55.14 and finish off an injury-shortened season. Last year’s state meet was a different story for Todd, as he was clipped at the finish, placing second by an agonizing 0.04 seconds.

Alex Weber also competed in the pole vault at state, and placed sixth by clearing 10-6.

Sunday in Houston, Chuck was there to watch HP sweep the Division I and II state lacrosse championships. The Scots won the Div. I title, 9-3, over rival ESD. The Div. II Scots beat Cypress-Fairbanks, 17-11.

You can read more from Chuck later today, or in Friday’s Park Cities People along with photos from all three events.

It’s Tough Being First . . .

Merritt, per your post below, actually it’s Preston Hollow that will miss getting some publicity from HBO’s apparently-not-going-to-get-to-the-network 12 Miles of Bad Road. I’m not a big fan of Lily Tomlin, anyway. Isn’t her best work still 9 to 5?

Anyway, glad to see the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on board with this late-breaking local entertainment news . . . a story that our own Preston Hollow People and reporter Austin Kilgore broke a month-and-a-half ago.

We’ve got promotional DVD’s of 12 Miles of Bad Road’s six existing episodes under lock-and-key at the office.

Parkie Reality, Will We Ever See it on T.V.?

Here is a little bit of a blast e-mail sent a few months ago by Rogers Healy and forwarded to me last week by an Overheardian. The reality show possibilities seem to be everywhere in the Park Cities but when will one of them actually hit the airwaves? There sure are a lot of producers out there running around asking Parkies to star in their own show. I heard that a crew followed some Armstrong moms for awhile too. (more…)