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The never-ending quest to find stuff out!
Real Name: Leslie Wilber Address: 311 Constitution Victoria, TX 77901 Member Since: December 26, 2007 Last Signed In: August 27, 2008 Profile Views: 899 Blog Views: 3559 Just when I thought I had figured out When you can't get wetter If you want to whip up a souflet or thwart Nazis, Julia's your girl Keeping track of FOIA requests I said no mayo, brown mustard! Some days, I look at the silver lining The things you learn from public records Good, uncleaning fun Hey! Follow that cash! ring-ring December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 
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I was really beginning to pride myself in my ability to search records in the district clerks office. That's not really saying much -- it just means that for the past few weeks I didn't have to bother the extremely patient staff for help in EVERY search I made. Just most of them.
But now, they've gone and switched everything from Heart (which I almost knew how to use) to Odyssey, which I officially can't find anything in. I'm sure it's a very nice system, but darn it, I'm a little...
Squish.
That was me, putting on my helmet this morning. We went for a ride yesterday and got stuck in the downpour. We tried to wait out the rain under a downtown awning. After 30 minutes or so, we got antsy watching gutters burp up streams of water. So we headed home.
There is, naturally, a point at which you can't get wetter. And at that point, riding in the rain would have been almost fun -- save a couple of factors. The water splashing up from the streets is gross. Seriously. And the...
Maybe Julia Child taught you the secrets of french cooking: making hollandaise that doesn't separate, flipping an omelet or constructing a sugar cage for a cake (spectacular, but tricky).
But it turns out, Child kept a few secrets from us..... Oh, like, she was a SPY. In WWII. According to the AP Child's name among those listed as spies for the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. Considering Child's husband was a diplomat, I guess it's not THAT surprising....
I'm the first to roll my eyes at Hints from Heloise (If I crush crackers it will make cracker crumbs? If I make mistakes on a crossword puzzle I should use pencils, not pens? You don't say) so if this seems obvious, go ahead and make fun.
I'm not inclined to organize -- but I do need to keep track of FOIA requests. As soon as I make the request, I file a copy. Then, I count 10 days business days on my Outlook calendar, and mark that day as the deadline to hear back from the department...
This from a Florida police blotter, courtesy of TheSmokingGun.com.
Sometimes public records track misspent funds. Sometimes they show official misdeeds. Sometimes they reveal problems in the community.
But sometimes, they just remind you that some people really need to take a chill pill.
When it took an AG's ruling to get use of force reports from the Victoria Police Department, I was a little grouchy. But really, that was nothing. Just an exercise in waiting out routine procedure.
The Beaumont Enterprise is having a much harder time getting use of force reports, according to the latest issue of the FOFT newsletter. The reports, requested in October, included information about Frank Coffin III -- a police officer and the chief's son. In December, the AG ruled most...
Today, I realized I don't have very much stuff.
I was reading a police report about a burglary. Among other things, three TVs were taken from one house. At first, I thought, "Oh my gosh, who has three TVs?" Then I answered myself, "Uh, lots of people. People you know."
Reading reports of burglary sometimes gives me a major case of avarice. Some people have a Wii and the latest Play station and Nintendo. Well, had. I have a few components of a Sega Genesis. I'm...
So I started to clean house Friday night (gasp!). I didn't get very far, because I hate cleaning. Once I get sort of started, a dust bunny shaped even a little like Elvis can knock me completely off track.
Needless to say, I curled up beside the unfolded laundry on my sofa to read a book produced by the people behind this website. I swiped the book from a friend who was throwing away almost all the contents from his college apartment years ago. Then I forgot about...
Here's an appropriate open-records site to look over this election season.
Here's what I've learned, just this morning: dentists and beer distributors are alike, in that they donate scads of money and lean Republican. The folks at AFLAC and the National Association of Realtors can't make up their minds. State, county and municipal employees are the all-time top campaign contributors -- and strongly Democratic.
This is a -- dare I say fun? -- Web site, if you're a total dork...
The Victoria Police Department has a new phone system. Need to talk to them? Call 361-485-3700.
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