Shane and the Coyotes...

Many of you have been curious how the tradition of "Running With the Coyotes" all began.

It all started with a brave trek into the wilderness (a field on the side of the road, down Bellevue) to visit the future home site of the brother-in-law Shane and my sister, Yecats. Alas, it ended sadly when I drove my new SUV into a bog. Many tried to pull it out, many failed.







A 4-wheel drive with a wench - got stuck.

A tractor - sunk like a rock.

A tow truck - refused to try.

Finally, after the sun had retired for the evening, a bull dozer saved the day... but what happened during the quiet moments before the dozer's arrival, is what we are here to discuss. The inspiration that created the frantic joy and celebration that is...
"Running With the Coyotes"


The sunken vehicle was a far piece off the road and it was, like I stated earlier, dark (country dark, not city dark... reference the two obviously different photos if you are unfamiliar with the two terms). Yecats, Shane (alias Stain) and I were sitting in another vehicle (in a neighboring home's driveway) awaiting rescue when I noticed I had forgotten my cell phone. Shane offered to retrieve my purse from the SUV. He left the safety of the car and disappeared into the dark... I wondered, then, if we would ever see him again.

But those thoughts were quickly dismissed as my sister turned up the song "One Night in Bangkok." Soon, Yecats and I were engaging in talk of delightful childhood memories (like when I told her sea shells were candy and she ate a handful) when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?"
"PANT PANT HUFF HUFF!"
"Hello?" Asked in a higher octave.
"MEET ME AT THE ROAD!!! PANT PANT! DRIVE THE CAR.. HUFF HUFF! DOWN THE ROAD! PANT PANT! HURRY! HUFF HUFF!"
"Shane?"

The line went dead. In a panic we realized something had gone terribly wrong! Shane was in trouble! Yecats fired up the engine and we sped out of the driveway turning in the direction of the sunken SUV. Understand, it was impossible to see through the inky blackness so we coasted slowly along Bodcau with our heads out the window craning to spot the obviously fleeing man, but what he was running from? We did not know!

In no time at all a bobbing white glow materialized... Shane's dress shirt! (he had come from work) Then his face faded into view. He was moving fast, and yelling incoherently. We stopped and Yecats leaned back across the seat to open the door. With one swooping dive Shane landed in a full body flop across the back seat, spun around, grabbed the door and slammed it, as he yelled "Roll up the windows! Roll up the windows!"

"What is it?" 'Cats asked as she hit the gas to escape the threat.
"Just roll up the window!" Shane replied, exasperated and exhausted.

We let the silence fall around us as we sped away. Shane's fevered heaves slowed.

"What happened?" Yecats asked.
"Coyotes." Shane answered.
"What?"
"Yeah, they were after me... I- I think."
"Chasing you?" 'Cats asked to confirm.
"Yeah. I heard them howling first. Then it sounded like they were getting closer, so I started walking faster, away from the truck, then I heard them running."

We didn't return that night. Shane's buddy came with the bulldozer and fished out my truck. By dawn, the fright was fading into a beautiful inspiration... Running With the Coyotes!

Years Later: Here is a pic of Shane
with his new-fangled head-light just about to happen on a coyote pup waiting for the games to begin!! Boy, I bet that was a good chase!

If you would like to be a part of H-Town's grandest celebration "Running With the Coyotes," simply contact the festival's headquarters and ask for Shane. He'll hook you up. (Please be up to date on your rabies vaccinations. The Running With the Coyotes festival is not responsible for any scarring, emotional or physical.)


As for the future home site, well yes, they proceeded with the construction of their home, despite the horrifying memories and possibility of further encounters with rogue wildlife. You can see a coyote on the actual land this event took place... Bellevue Coyote. This is the creature that started it all (along with my brother-in-law, Shane, whom I lovingly call Stain).

Running with the Coyotes

It's a time honored tradition in Haughton, Louisiana that have many scurrying through the back woods with adrenaline and excitement unmatched by most modern-day activities... It's
RUNNING WITH THE COYOTES.
My brother in law, SHANE WALLACE, (featured in the untouched photo) is revered and respected in the pastime due to his experience off of Bodcau Road.

More on this story coming soon...

Perilous ADD

LSU's wonderboy is no more... you all already know the ill fated Perrilloux story, here is my theory why he fell from grace in the first place. Sources have reported he was diagnosed with OCD (yeah you know me) but never took his medicine because he and his Mother did not think he had the disorder... so was he too busy washing his hands to keep his commitments? Probably not, especially if there were doubts that he had it.

What sounds familiar to me is the dismissive way he let his fame and fortune slip away... that so smacks of mental problems that run in the OCD family, such as ADD, anxiety, etc. Many of the following issues you read you will say, "Everyone has some struggles with this stuff. Sounds like an excuse." But what you have to remember is the OBSESSIVE factor in these personalities that make normal struggles impossibilities...

Top ten issues ADD/ADHD people struggle with:
Memory problems
Boredom ( I am talking fear of boredom that perpetuates an uncontrollable urge for change and stimulation)
Time management problems
1- Hyperfocusing - Oh, no! It's what time? I should have left 20 minutes ago!
2- Running late. Also often known as "just-one-more-thing-itis"
3- Over-commitment. Many ADD adults tend to cram far too many things into each day. This leads them to be highly stressed and usually late to each of the day's commitments.
Procrastination
Difficulty with Long-term projects
Detailed Work Requires organization, self-discipline to complete boring tasks, and attention to detail - all of which are typically difficult for those with ADD... aka meetings, training, practice
Interpersonal difficulties
Distractibility
Impulsivity
Hyperactivity


His slights to the team were just that... slight. I mean, what kind of person lets an obviously successful future die on the vine because of seemingly simple responsibilities? I'll tell you who... people with ADDish disorders. He may be lazy and spoiled... but I am suspicious of the mental thing as well... am I wrong?

Another Audition Audacity!

What is up with this? Please give me your take because I am wondering if I am off base here...

My daughter tried out for the "Show Choir" where she must sing and dance. I found out she and the other two girls in her group were the only three that did not make it. My daughter told me she made mistakes. I wasn't surprised because they learned the dance at 3:00pm and tried out at about 3:30pm. Not a lot of practice time.

But here is the kicker...

She told me her group was the only one that did not get a live audition. Their song and dance was video taped because the judge was late. The judge came in, watched the rest of the groups live then viewed the first group (my daughter's) on video. She judged them on pitch, dance, personality, positive attitude and overall appearance.

I called foul on this because live singing is much different than an amateur video tape, especially if the singer is not mic'd. Am I wrong???

6 Turds

Whoa... What a weekend. Friday and Saturday I had the privilege of chaperoning the 6th grade choir on a trip to Dallas for a competition and jaunt through 6 Flags... or as I would later come to refer to it as 6 Turds. The kids did an awesome job! Won gigantic trophies and were very entertaining kids!!!




Really, they were mostly great. They were excited, hyper and sillyness was out of hand, but that is to be expected. What I didn't expect were a few subtle habits that concerned me. One was TEXT MESSAGING ADDICTION! There was a precious girl that had every reason in the world to be chatting, goofing around and having the time of her life, but could not pull her head up and actually see where she was because she was texting constantly. I haven't seen this type of addition before, and have even scoffed at others that said it was a problem... not any more. This kid had it bad. I am talking never, NEVER, put it away... always looking at it... always had the thumbs going. It really saddened me. Here she is in 6Flags with her buddies and can't break away from this device. There is no telling how much life she is missing due to this habit. Parents beware!

Then there was 6Turds... Wow... what can I say? I rode the Titan and literally almost blacked out twice. I saw stars and billowy black clouds closing in on my eyesight... then nothing... then came out of it... then more stars and clouds. I read later that it had a tunnel... never saw it... NO- I mean I kept my eyes open the whole time and never saw it. It was scary, but I expect to be freaked on this country's 3rd most intense roller coaster.



What I didn't expect was that it was going to take me 2 hours to stand in line to get a drink!!! Yes. Nothing says fun like standing in a hot, miserable line for 45 mins just so you can get to the window and have the food girl say "Um... we're out of drinks." What is this? A school carnival? Am I at Field Day? NO! IT'S FREAKIN' 6 FLAGS! THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FILTER THROUGH THIS WORLD OF WHIRL EVERY STINKIN DAY! ARE YOU JOKING? no. no, they weren't joking. So I had to stand in another line for a long, long, long, long time, to get a drink. Best part about it was this park sponsored this "event" we were at and new how many people were coming ahead of time! Guess they were just messing with us! ha! Well, it was funny. Very very very funny.





Then there was the child on the trip (not mine) that wanted to take over... knew everything and argued with literally everything I said,
"Well, it's 6:45 now..."
child "No it's not, it's 6:46!"
I would open my purse to get out something, she would reach in and try and snatch it away from me saying "I'll do it!". She insisted on walking beside me and veering into me, stepping on my feet, bumping me, etc, because she would walk in a diagonal line. AND she was the only one with no cell phone, but kept running off! I had to go looking for her several times. That was also a fun way to enjoy 6 turds.

The bus ride home was an assault on my senses... Alvin and the Chipmunks playing for 2 hours, sub-zero temperatures after sweating all day, and the scent of raw sewage wafting through from the bathroom. I was hysterical by the time I got home. I really felt like I needed some sort of therapy.




When my husband picked me up at the drop off place three hours later, he had the dogs with him... my chiweenie bites (everyone) so with 90 kids running around looking for parents in the dark it was a brand new level of stress that was reached by yours truly. THEN my husband joins me in the vehicle and explains that the reason he brought the dogs (maltese and chiweenie) is because they had been through a harrowing ordeal that day.

That's when my man stops being my man and puts on his "news hat". Blow by blow, detail by detail a riveting story of how the chiweenie's dog tag got hooked through my little maltese's eye lid...

Hold it! Stop right there!

Good bye everybody! Aly's mental and emotional fortitude has left the building! Nighty night!

I'm otta here!

A Shot at an STD? Yikes!

Uh... Does anyone understand why this chick is grinding and licking all over other women and men at 2:30 in the afternoon?

I rarely turn on the TV in the daytime, but did looking for a radar loop and accidentally flipped by MTV. Did not realize MTV had a new meaning... Mo' Trash Viewing.

This woman's name is Tila Tequila and apparently there are so many people watching her sex-romp on daytime tv that MTV awarded her a second show. "A Shot at Love 2 with Tila Tequila " Reality show, of course, where this bi-sexual brat stomps and jiggles around looking for "love." Gross. AND (here is where these people really make me sick because the kids jump on the computer and google this) if her reality show leaves you with an urge for more Tila-cowbell just check out her myspace! It is choc full of filth juust for ewww! Grossness.

She is an adult and it's her business which sex (male, female, whatever) she chooses, I don't care that she and the, obviously desperate, competitors on the show would waste their lives (and dignity) to chase this woman... what I DO CARE about is the TIME OF DAY this is being shown AND who is watching this... YOUR TWEENAGERS! Tween - as in 12,13,14... not quite teen. How do I know? Look at the top members on the show's message boards. Check the next link... The majority are Jonas Bros. fans, and that group is the tweens. They come home from school, turn on the tv and plug into this crap... What happened to watching Lavern and Shirley? How bout Bewitched?

What I don't get is every wholesome movie that comes out makes TONS more $ than the filth-flicks... one would think the TV-heads would at least get that. But instead our children are being sexualized at a scary age... but for what? What is the motivation? What is the agenda? It doesn't translate into a bumped bottom line... so what is the fascination?

AND we wonder what's wrong with our society? DUH. What are your kids watching on TV when you aren't home?