Sweet surrender: Mr. B couldn’t get rid of multiple facial flaws by shooting Botox or drinking Rejuvicate, so GM Rick (son of George) Harrison at the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa bet a dinner at Shula’s 347 Grill that his Spa B could do the trick. Thirty minutes later, Mr. Mudface was feeling fine and looking lavish, and holding a certificate for your 30-minute facial or massage and a $20 perks gift card for coffee and snacks to go. Swimming in holiday cheer: At his salary, Mr. B obviously does not have a pool, but he is not denied a pool party on the 4th of July. He has found a gorgeous Pulliam Pool being constructed near Colonial Country Club and after sneaking onto the course for nine holes of par golf Monday morning, he’ll relax by the pool during the afternoon. Pulliam Poolmeister Debra Smith sent over two incredible baskets of red, white & blue goodies for B’s holiday smackdown, but he can only use one. So your party can be adorned in Old Glory, too.

The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has a history of “firsts,” we learned last week at the West Area Council membership luncheon held in its new spiffy conference area. For example, it housed the first planetarium ever in a children’s museum, and, built in 1954, it was the first planetarium named after a woman, Charlie Mary Noble, a Fort Worth teacher and astronomer. Teletouch Hawk Electronics was represented by Paul Beene, Chris Mundt, Celeste Davenport,  Stacey Magovern, and (not pictured) Danny Carter and Michael Dickens. See photos here.   Sponsored by

Longing for longnecks: How could a holiday party be called a party without beer from Coors Distributing of Fort Worth? Now, really. And boss man Larry Anfin assures us that the labels on these bottles turn blue when you’ve had almost too much to drink. So, if you promise not to drink and drive, Larry has got beer here for four readers. Each winner will receive one case of Coors Light longnecks, one case of Blue Moon Belgian White longnecks AND one case of Ed Hardy Premium Beer longnecks.

Goin’ nuts: The only colors better than red, white & blue are chocolate and white chocolate. And Rhonda always is able to enRich us with fabulous nuts from her Ellis Pecan Country Store. Just in time for your holiday snacking, we have five gift baskets, each containing pounds of chocolate and white chocolate pecans. The start of a new birthday tradition.

Major domo promo: Mr. B's great effort writing the Newz-E-Letter earned him a $.005 raise in May. Chief editor Andra, who has kept Mr. B from crossing the line on a weekly basis and put up with his repeated stabs in Chamber editors’ backs, has been promoted to Senior Director of Communications. The guess is she bribed boss Miserly Mistress with a birthday bottle of Brown Noser Shiraz. Andra’s biggest payoff is Mr. B finally is out of her hair.

Kudos by two: Plaza Medical Center has received Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credential Center. And Imagetek Office Systems received the Pros Elite 100 as one of the top 100 independent office technology organizations in the United States based on its servicing ability.

No Cowboy blues: For her honeymoon last year, Jos. A. Bank sales consultant Billye Hines wished for an African safari. What she got instead was a trip to Fossil Rim, returning in time for the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game. This November, she’s getting a three-week African safari. But what about the Cowboys games? “I don’t know,” she said, “and I don’t care.”

She’s baaaack: After a few bogeys, GM Alison Wise is back to work at Hawks Creek Golf Course and hopes to be a club swinger by early July.

M.D. your credit: Some new rules start July 1 for merchant services stuff. Something about non-compliant terminals getting worms? Charge cards, debit cards, Mr. B sure doesn’t have money for that. But if you retailers understand that language and you think you have non-complaint terminals, the fine is $1,000 starting tomorrow. Doogie Howser, M.D.: The School of Bio Medical and Sciences at the UNT Health Science Center will offer a program for high school students to earn substantial college credits before graduation. Program is called Doctors With Pimples. SAC-k of good news: The South Area Council is the largest in Chamber membership and it’s doing great things with its Adopt-A-School--South Hills High School. Thanks to the First Command Educational Foundation, the board presented a $500 scholarship to Areli Casiano, a Peruvian who struggled to learn English. She will realize one big dream when she starts classes at UT-Austin in the fall.

Food frenzy: Things we learned about charcoal while grilling chef Gabriel Ochoa during our Vidalia’s cooking school:

• Olive oil for grilling, canola or corn oil for searing;
• At home, Gabriel uses real charcoal wood, not briquettes, and he uses a smoker/grill that you can buy for under $100.
• Mostly, he accessorizes with olive oil, salt and pepper, including lots inside fish and whole chickens.
• He uses a 10-inch forged steel Mundial knife “for everything.”
• He marinates chicken and other meats in a brine mixture for one to four hours.
• He loves to go to other restaurants to “see what they’re getting away with on their specials.”

Inside tip: Named Inside Sales Manager in April, Cathy Brooks of Leaman Container thinks outside the box. Second quarter revenue was up 20 percent and to celebrate, the company closed for an afternoon to play Laser Tag. Fashion forward: Maggie Estes, chief Cliburn communicator, said it was OK to wear your swimsuit to the store on Memorial Day. Is that good for July 4th, too? Big Loser: Eleven years ago, Dick Vitek of Fisher & Boone Plumbing Co. weighed 245 pounds, but a strictly protein diet—steak, fish, eggs, bacon – helped him lose 70 pounds in 75 days. Now he’s 10 pounds heavier than he wants to be and it’s back to the protein diet.

Flat-out clever: Witty Balcom-ite Lynn Swihart says she recalls a Michelin ad campaign -- "Remember, you should check inflation pressure only when the tires are cool — meaning they are not hot from even driving just one mile." Says Lynn: “I'm in Texas .... my tires won't be cool again until October.”

Lead me to a land free of pain: Dr. Jason Walker of Walker Chiropractic Clinic is a new member of a Leads Group led by EdwardJones’ Don Marable. Walker noticed that Farmers Insurance owner Angela Lamb was having trouble turning her neck. After the Leads meeting at the Ronald McDonald House boardroom, Walker suggested to Lamb that he could help. He maneuvered her head and gave a quick twist. She screamed, but voila, her pain was gone.

Yakety yak, don't talk back: Can't get enough news & opinion about the euro, emerging markets and government spending? If not, do you need a sleep aid? Either way, there's good news. The Chamber has  video of interviews with Jeffrey Garten, annual meeting keynote speaker, online for your viewing pleasure.