I would choose the talent for learning foreign languages easily and quickly; a hyperpolyglot. I could travel to many countries and come home speaking many languages fluently.  I could redeem myself for returning from Spain and not being fluent in Spanish. I lived in Spain for four years.When I returned home I did not speak […]

If you enjoyed today’s Monday Morning Memo written by me, Indy Beagle, you can send all your affirmations, accolades, and cash to indy@wizardofads.com

Here’s the link for all the earlier chapters of Potato Chips.

Three versions of the same song are below. First, as the opening scene of a BIG movie. Second, the new, official video of that same song from Redbone. Third, the original version sung on The Midnight Special in 1974. You’ll love it.

Kalie, The bad news is that things will likely get worse for 3 more years before they start SLOWLY getting better. The worldwide economic blowback of Covid-19 has yet to be seen. Likewise, social unrest is likely to get worse before it gets better.  2023 is the zenith year. I really wish I had happier news. […]

Favorite Possessions My favorite possessions have to be divided into Before Spain and After Spain. Before I went to Spain to live, my favorite possession was my ‘77 Corvette. Owning a Corvette was always on my “Someday” list along with Learning to Fly a Plane and we already know how that turned out. “Someday” Owning […]

And thus ends “Potato Chips” by Manley Miller with Roy H. Williams– Indy Beagle  

Here’s that link for all the earlier chapters of Potato Chips.

The Golden Girls Janice, Theresa, Dee and I have been friends since 7th grade.That’s 70 years, people! We were as close as you can imagine. We were tight. We did it all. We did it together. No matter that we were all such different personalities, we loved each other like only Best Friends Forever can. […]

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Polaris – the North Star – the only star that never moves – that unchangeable guiding light – is forever perched like a hummingbird on the hilt of the sword at the top of the tower at Wizard Academy. Watch all the other stars revolve around it during the night in this 11-second time-lapse video. […]

Yes, Paul ultimately finished the song and it won him the Grammy Awardfor Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. I’ve got the song below cued so you can hear the choice he made. – Indy

Indy I was reading what the Wizard had to say about the pitfalls that can happen when companies follow the siren call of data.  He is absolutely correct.  Data tells the journalistic story of what has happened. History. What occurred. What went right and what went wrong.  Looking at data does not tell us why things happened, what […]

You Saw this Speech in the MMMemo Two Weeks Ago. I sometimes blow off the wizard, but I never blow off Princess Pennie. So when she asked me to put this speech in today’s rabbit hole, I said, “Yes ma’am.” In 1744, when ­Thomas Jefferson was still in diapers, all of North America outside the […]

13 feet tall and 26 feet wide, the White Shaman rock painting has also been mapped by the University of Texas (Below)

The White Shaman symbol showing the 5 springs from Austin to San Antonio has been rotated, but otherwise left unaltered. Don’t you find it interesting that a rock painting this accurate was created 2,000 years ago spanning the 82 miles between Barton Springs and San Pedro Springs, and that it was painted 209 miles away?

457 BC – In the 7th chapter of the Old Testament Book of Ezra, King Artaxerxes of Persia issues a decree to rebuild Jerusalem which results in the rebuilding of that city under Nehemiah. Go west from Jerusalem across the Mediterranean, west across the Atlantic, then halfway across the landmass of North America and you’re in Central Texas. […]

The map below shows how cities in Texas (green dots) sprang up around the the natural springs (blue asterisks) that gush water from underground.

Daniel was a prophet of Israel during the Babylonian captivity about 600 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The book that bears Daniel’s name contains six court tales, followed by four apocalyptic visions. In the second court tale, Daniel becomes the leader of the astrological magi, or wise-ards, of Babylon. Among his apocalyptic visions is […]

I was freshly married to Pennie and barely old enough to see over the dash of a car but I wanted to show her the magical places of my childhood, so we saved up enough money for 3 tanks of gas and made the 200-mile drive from Broken Arrow to Ardmore, Oklahoma. I never knew […]

The Gift of the Magiby O. Henry, written Dec. 10, 1905 One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close […]

My Dad, The Iceman Before the refrigerator there was the icebox. The icebox required ice, of course. You could either buy it yourself at the ice plant or you could have it delivered to your house by the iceman. My Dad was The Iceman. Dad delivered ice to homes and businesses in our town for […]

In 2006, a high school English teacher asked students to write a famous author and ask for advice. Kurt Vonnegut was the only one to respond – and his response is magnificent:  Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta: I thank you for your friendly letters. You […]

The flag of the State of Oklahoma consists of a traditional buffalo-skin shield with seven eagle feathers on a sky blue field. The shield bears crosses symbolic of stars, as is common in Native American art. The peace pipe is a symbol of peace for Native Americans and the olive branch is a symbol of peace for […]