Craig Watkins: 2008 DMN Texan of the Year
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Politics, Society & Culture
Earlier this week the Dallas Morning News named Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins as its 2008 Texan of the Year. The criteria for earning honor is to be “a Texan (or Texans) who has had uncommon impact; who exemplifies Texas traits of trailblazing, independence and staring down adversity; and who has affected or influenced lives (positively or negatively).” The board then selects the finalists and winner through an internal vote.
I have to say Watkins is very deserving of this award. Hate him or love him, he is making his mark on the country by using DNA testing to free those who were wrongly convicted and sent to prison. I admire his position on keeping the justice system fair. Everyone deserves a fair and just trial and he’s doing his best to make sure that happens under his watch. He’s changing the way people view Texas justice and as we all know change can be a painful process. But only time will tell whether or not the moves he’s making will benefit the Dallas community. My congrats to him on at least making the effort.
Past Dallas Morning News Texans of the Year include the illegal immigrant in 2007 (for the profound ways in which this group of people impacted Texas), Roy Velez of Lubbock in 2006 (for exemplifying love and compassion in the face of overwhelming tragedy following the war-related loss of his two sons), the city of Houston in 2005 (for its stellar response to Hurricane Katrina victims), Karl Rove in 2004 and George W. Bush in 2003.
For further information you can read the editorial on the Dallas Morning News website. I’d also recommend reading the comments. They’re always full of interesting information.
Staying Organized
One of my biggest issues is staying organized. With all the I have things going on, I’ve had to come up with new ways to keep my life in order. This next year, instead of using a day planner, I plan on going online. I’ve tried to keep from going there, but figured why not give it a try. My day planner will be replaced with Google Calendar and for general day-to-day tasks I’m using a website called rememberthemilk.com (RTM). Google calendar and RTM work with well with each other and both will integrate with my Windows Mobile phone.
The problem with my day planner was that I seemed to never have it when I need it. It would be in the car or at home and I was bad about checking it every night. I’m hoping the online solution will work a little better because I’m always on the computer and I always have my phone with me.
My plan is to enter events, appointments and important dates in Google Calendar. From there I will use Google Calendar Sync to copy my dates to MS Outlook on my PC. Outlook will sync the dates to my phone when I plug it in to charge. Daily tasks will be entered into RTM. I like RTM because I’m able to enter tasks using their mobile website when I’m not on my PC. They also have an application that will sync the website to your Windows Mobile phone or iPhone. Whenever a task with a specific time is due I get a reminder text message an hour before the deadline. I’m also able to enter a task using the RTM Gmail widget (I use this all the time).
While I’m sure I’ll miss my day planner, it’s going to be interesting to see how this works out. I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, so I’m sure it wont’s be too much of an additional hassle. What are you going to do to stay organized? Any tips are welcome.
Get Things Done with Google Calendar
Be Careful With That Fried Turkey Grease
Despite how unhealthy they may be, there’s nothing like the taste of a flavorful fried turkey. I’ve seen one done and there’s a lot of grease involved. The City of Dallas has a campaign to help remind you to not throw the grease in the drain at ceasethegrease.org. This is the first I’ve seen them do this and thought it would be good to share. While most of the info is specific to the Dallas area, there are some good tips that apply to all. Check for disposal centers in your area.
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Be safe when frying those turkeys and please keep the kids away when doing one!
Just a quick reminder to check your credit report before the end of the year. I know it’s last minute, but if you haven’t done so, get to it. Every year the 
