I Lay in the Long Grass, So Many People, So Many People Pass

Congratulations to Mr. Joey Halbert for correctly naming "Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel as the Tuesday Song of the Day.

"Standing with your hands in your pockets is another way of saying, 'I'm scared to death.'"

At least that's what I was told yesterday by a Smith County Deputy Sheriff during my visit to the Smith County Jail. The officer should probably understand that in the great majority of social situations I choose to put my hands in my pockets rather than the other alternatives which could include shadow puppets, pugilism, or obscene gestures.


I'm pretty sure the statement was just the product of a Sheriff's Deputy who wanted to show me that I was in a place much like Kurt Vonnegut described in Welcome to the Monkey House (his words) and he could sense my "fear". Nonetheless, I did appreciate that a Smith County Sheriff's Deputy made a Vonnegut reference in the midst of my visit to his wonderful place of business.

I still remember the trips that we took to the County Jail in 3rd and 8th grades. I guess it was designed to "scare kids straight", but I can vouch for the fact that some of my classmates were still not deterred in their journey towards the Texas Penal system. Perhaps they were enthralled with the scene in Finding Forrester* where the prestigious Manhattan prep school "Mailor-Callow" holds basketball practice in a rooftop cage and wanted to replicate that bit of cinematic brilliance wearing an orange jumpsuit in downtown Tyler.

"You're the man now dog!!!"

*It should be noted that this statement is obviously anachronistic because Finding Forrester premiered in the early 21st century when I was in high school but go with it anyway.