Spring? Today, it was 50 degrees and tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 60's. What the hell is going on? Obviously, this is part of a Russian plot to confuse us into lowering our guard and overlook the weird things that Putin is doing... in Syria?
Did you notice the name similarity? Putin .. Palin
Here are a few more ramblings... I'm sorry but I can't help it.
Malcolm X
The autobiography of Malcolm X starts with all the bad things that he did in his youth.. and then it turns to the good things, in his estimation, that he did. A good way to get and keep attention. So.. as I am planning "my autobiography" I think that I will try to do what Malcolm did. First, if I have enough chapters available, I will outline all of the bad things I did in my youth... and then, I will outline what a "goody 2 shoes" I became in my later life. It might work... I'll try it.
Schools No Fun Any More!
For years, elementary school boys have been sticking "Kick Me!" signs to teachers' butts... but no longer since a New York City principal has classified such action as "Infraction A33 - engaging in bullying behavior" and punishes "evildoers" with an automatic two day suspension.
Bird's Eye View
One of Elaine's friends, Sue Yingling, writes a nature column for the Carroll County Times. Some times she likes to show us quotes related to birds... here are a few:
"Oh, for a horse with wings." .. William Shakespeare
"There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud." .. Carl Sandburg
"The early bird catches the worm." .. William Camden
(Yeah ...but look what happened to the worm for getting up early... Prepop.)
(Or, in better words from Franklin D. Roosevelt: "I think we consider the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.")
"God gives every bird his worm, but He does not throw it into the nest." .. P. D. James
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." .. Harper Lee
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." .. Disbert
And last, but not least... this is a quotation that I wrote out for a fellow worker who was getting discouraged by feeling she was not as computer-savvy as her coworkers. This quote served her well in her future endeavors.:
"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang there except those that sang best." ... Henry Van Dyke (Think about that!)
Bladder Problems Solved?
This is old news from Bottom Line Health 2005, but I'm putting it on my blog, hoping that it will trigger a response. Maybe it was a solution.. maybe not.
"In an Austrian study of 20 women, doctors transplanted the patients' own stem cells into the wall of the urethra. Once infected, the stem cells form new muscle cells that contract more tightly and prevent urinary leaking. The procedure is not yet available in the U.S."
This was before Myrbetriq.
By the way, Orange is the New Black had one segment that focused on women's ignorance of their own plumbing. I know that men probably have no idea of female anatomy... but I wonder if women do. Maybe it's taught in school now.. but I doubt it.
.....................................................................................................
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Alarms; Trump; Cruz; Diane Rheem; Click and Clack; Word Puzzle; Dumb Thief; Rapper Bob; Flat Earth; Uber; Sarah
Alarms. Here at the Village, we have a number of pull-cords to activate for help, if needed. Seven of these needed service today.
Here's some more rambling:
Iowa Primary Contenders on Religion:
Trump: New Yorker: "Trump sometimes stumbles through the subject of religion... he uses a family Bible too obviously as a prop and recently discussed a passage from 'Two Corinthians'."
Cruz: New Yorker: "Cruz speaks the language of evangelicals....He vows that on the first day in office, in addition to rescinding Obama's 'illegal and unconstitutional' executive orders and ripping up the Iranian Nuclear Deal, he will investigate and prosecute Planned Parenthood, tell the IRS that the 'persecution of religious liberty' is over, and begin the process of moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."
Oh no! Don't Go!
Diane Rheem is retiring from her wonderful show on WMAR (DC). I have been listening to her show since the 1970's. She always addresses issues of great interest and has guests who cover all sides of a topic. I understand that she will now be advocating for "right to die" legislation.. apparently, this is related to the death of her husband a short time ago.
One of her producers, Denise Couture, should be in line to take over. She is the daughter of a high-school friend of mine, Donald Couture. In fact, Don and I were in the Air Force at the same time and were in Basic Training at Sampson Air Force Base in frigid upstate New York. One morning, as I was marching in my group, I spotted Don marching by. I smiled at him and waved. This did not go unnoticed..... For punishment, I spent 16 hours in the kitchen hand peeling potatoes
Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers
Have you ever wondered what these guys' first names are? Today, they called each other by: Frank and Charlie. But they probably were just kidding... remember, their shows are edited versions of prior broadcasts... because one of the brothers died recently.. unfortunately, probably from suicide. However, the shows are nicely edited to make them sound like they are completely contemporary.
Puzzler
Click and Clack had this question for this week's puzzler:
What is the same for all of these words?
assess
banana
bozo
dresser
grammar
potato
revive
uneven
voodoo
Answer: If you take the first letter and put it at the end, you can spell the same word backwards.
Iced!
NPR News: A Danish thief could not get the stolen safe open, so, in frustration, he threw it into a lake. Unfortunately for him, it was Winter, and the lake was frozen over.\
Science News
NPR News: Rapper Bob has now declared that the world is flat, and is in "rap battle" with people who do not agree with him.
UBER News
NPR News: When a rider in an uber cab told the driver that he was going to throw up, the driver pulled a gun and kicked the rider out. He did not want his cab messed up.
When I drove a cab in New Bedford, I experienced:
A drunken relative who messed up my cab whenever I carried him home.
A very smelly cab whenever I would drive Fish Mary home from her "lumper" job on the Pier.
Pugnacious Norwegian fishermen who spilled beer and threw up in my cab, and punched me when they didn't like me asking them for the fare.
Remember... there was no Fabreeze back in the 1950's. Cabs had to be scrubbed out by hand, and while you were so busily engaged, other cabbies took your jobs and made your tips.
The Sarah
The Week: This is too good not to quote... from 2011 archives:
"Sarah Palin, after a former aide wrote a book that contains hundreds of her e-mails, including one in which she says, as governor of Alaska, 'I hate this damn job.' Palin, it was also reveled this week, maintains a Facebook page under an assumed name, 'Lou Sarah', in which she praises and 'likes' whatever Sarah Palin says."
......................................................................................................................
Here's some more rambling:
Iowa Primary Contenders on Religion:
Trump: New Yorker: "Trump sometimes stumbles through the subject of religion... he uses a family Bible too obviously as a prop and recently discussed a passage from 'Two Corinthians'."
Cruz: New Yorker: "Cruz speaks the language of evangelicals....He vows that on the first day in office, in addition to rescinding Obama's 'illegal and unconstitutional' executive orders and ripping up the Iranian Nuclear Deal, he will investigate and prosecute Planned Parenthood, tell the IRS that the 'persecution of religious liberty' is over, and begin the process of moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."
Oh no! Don't Go!
Diane Rheem is retiring from her wonderful show on WMAR (DC). I have been listening to her show since the 1970's. She always addresses issues of great interest and has guests who cover all sides of a topic. I understand that she will now be advocating for "right to die" legislation.. apparently, this is related to the death of her husband a short time ago.
One of her producers, Denise Couture, should be in line to take over. She is the daughter of a high-school friend of mine, Donald Couture. In fact, Don and I were in the Air Force at the same time and were in Basic Training at Sampson Air Force Base in frigid upstate New York. One morning, as I was marching in my group, I spotted Don marching by. I smiled at him and waved. This did not go unnoticed..... For punishment, I spent 16 hours in the kitchen hand peeling potatoes
Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers
Have you ever wondered what these guys' first names are? Today, they called each other by: Frank and Charlie. But they probably were just kidding... remember, their shows are edited versions of prior broadcasts... because one of the brothers died recently.. unfortunately, probably from suicide. However, the shows are nicely edited to make them sound like they are completely contemporary.
Puzzler
Click and Clack had this question for this week's puzzler:
What is the same for all of these words?
assess
banana
bozo
dresser
grammar
potato
revive
uneven
voodoo
Answer: If you take the first letter and put it at the end, you can spell the same word backwards.
Iced!
NPR News: A Danish thief could not get the stolen safe open, so, in frustration, he threw it into a lake. Unfortunately for him, it was Winter, and the lake was frozen over.\
Science News
NPR News: Rapper Bob has now declared that the world is flat, and is in "rap battle" with people who do not agree with him.
UBER News
NPR News: When a rider in an uber cab told the driver that he was going to throw up, the driver pulled a gun and kicked the rider out. He did not want his cab messed up.
When I drove a cab in New Bedford, I experienced:
A drunken relative who messed up my cab whenever I carried him home.
A very smelly cab whenever I would drive Fish Mary home from her "lumper" job on the Pier.
Pugnacious Norwegian fishermen who spilled beer and threw up in my cab, and punched me when they didn't like me asking them for the fare.
Remember... there was no Fabreeze back in the 1950's. Cabs had to be scrubbed out by hand, and while you were so busily engaged, other cabbies took your jobs and made your tips.
The Sarah
The Week: This is too good not to quote... from 2011 archives:
"Sarah Palin, after a former aide wrote a book that contains hundreds of her e-mails, including one in which she says, as governor of Alaska, 'I hate this damn job.' Palin, it was also reveled this week, maintains a Facebook page under an assumed name, 'Lou Sarah', in which she praises and 'likes' whatever Sarah Palin says."
......................................................................................................................
Friday, January 29, 2016
Battery; AAA; Tattoos; Trump; Porn in New York; Archie Comics; Drones
Battery. A nice guy showed up from AAA to check out my dead battery. I don't remember, but I bought this battery from AAA last September.. so, it is still under warranty. Anyway... apparently, I had left a "dome light" on overnight, and that killed my battery. The AAA guy made sure that the battery was still in excellent shape and I raced around Westminster for 50 minutes to charge it up.
That was my excitement for today.
Tattoos
The Week: One in three adults under the age of 40 has a tattoo. The inks are not regulated by the FDA and may contain harmful chemicals.
I've mentioned before that when I was in the Air Force, a bunch of us Basic Airmen went on a drunken spree and everybody but me wanted to get tattoos. Finally, after a lot of pressure, I agreed to have my girl friend's initials tattooed on my shoulder. "EL" for Elaine Langlois... who I later married. She died in 2000 and after a while I met another Elaine (Lottes) and she became my girlfriend... and... I did not have to change my tattoo.
Personally, I think tattoos are an abomination... look what happened to those Jews in Auschwitz who had tattoos... after they were gassed, their tattooed skin was cut off and I'm told, made into lampshades for guards' houses.
Trump Lover
On CNN today, an Iowa lady was asked why she was going to vote for Trump. "Because he will fix up the mess we are in." .... what mess? .. "Why... the current mess caused by Obama." ... could you be more specific? ... "Well, its just a mess here in the U.S." ... why ... "Well, I'm not sure.. but Trump will fix things." ... Can you give me an example of something that is messed up here in the U.S.? ... "Good bye."
Porn in New York
The Week: New York Public Library officials announced that viewing Internet porn on library computers is protected by the First Amendment..."Customers can watch whatever they want on the computer."
Out of the 'Archie' Closet
Archie Comics is bringing out its first openly gay character named Kevin Keller.
I, Drone
The Week: The Pentagon has developed a robotic hummingbird that can conduct surveillance with a tiny camera as it flies in and out of windows...it even flaps its wings as it flies.
That's enough for now.. I'm tired.
.........................................................................................................
That was my excitement for today.
Tattoos
The Week: One in three adults under the age of 40 has a tattoo. The inks are not regulated by the FDA and may contain harmful chemicals.
I've mentioned before that when I was in the Air Force, a bunch of us Basic Airmen went on a drunken spree and everybody but me wanted to get tattoos. Finally, after a lot of pressure, I agreed to have my girl friend's initials tattooed on my shoulder. "EL" for Elaine Langlois... who I later married. She died in 2000 and after a while I met another Elaine (Lottes) and she became my girlfriend... and... I did not have to change my tattoo.
Personally, I think tattoos are an abomination... look what happened to those Jews in Auschwitz who had tattoos... after they were gassed, their tattooed skin was cut off and I'm told, made into lampshades for guards' houses.
Trump Lover
On CNN today, an Iowa lady was asked why she was going to vote for Trump. "Because he will fix up the mess we are in." .... what mess? .. "Why... the current mess caused by Obama." ... could you be more specific? ... "Well, its just a mess here in the U.S." ... why ... "Well, I'm not sure.. but Trump will fix things." ... Can you give me an example of something that is messed up here in the U.S.? ... "Good bye."
Porn in New York
The Week: New York Public Library officials announced that viewing Internet porn on library computers is protected by the First Amendment..."Customers can watch whatever they want on the computer."
Out of the 'Archie' Closet
Archie Comics is bringing out its first openly gay character named Kevin Keller.
I, Drone
The Week: The Pentagon has developed a robotic hummingbird that can conduct surveillance with a tiny camera as it flies in and out of windows...it even flaps its wings as it flies.
That's enough for now.. I'm tired.
.........................................................................................................
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Blizzard; Great Decisions; Snow Tragedy; Confiscated Guns; Dumb Robbers; President Harding; Unibomber; Tough Seniors; Rich Folks; Food Label Scams
Blizzard. I decided to wait to call AAA and get my car going again because I wanted to attend the first session of the Great Decisions program for 2016. I'll call tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I took the campus shuttle to the program and walked home thru a little snow via the Bistro. I was using my cane, so walking wasn't too bad... it's my hips that get tired and decide not to work efficiently. Old age strikes again!
OK... here are some more "ramblings."
The Great Decisions program was number one of four about Middle East situations. Very confusing at the beginning... very confusing after the speaker and a video... but even the speaker says that he is confused. However... two things most of the group agreed with the speaker about:
1. The IRAN agreement should keep that country from developing an atomic bomb, at least for 16 years. Without the agreement, the bomb would probably appear in just 2 years.
2. George W's escapades created the current crisis and got lots of American lives lost. Obama's policy of trying to let Middle Eastern countries settle their own problems has resulted in hardly any Americans losing their lives.
Snow-related Tragedy
A 5 year old girl was sledding down her house's driveway and slid right into the street... where she was hit by a car and killed.
Guns in Flight
During 2015, a total of 2,653 workable guns were found in carry-on luggage. (Current example: yesterday at the Baltimore Washington airport, a pistol was found on the person of a man boarding a plane. Although the pistol was empty, he had 6 bullets in his pocket. He was arrested.)
Dumb Robber #1
A 30-year old "bright bulb" tried to hold up a Royal Farms store with a bb gun... he neglected to notice that one of the customers was a uniformed policeman.. who immediately arrested him.
Dumb Robber #2
A Delaware thief, running away from the scene of his crime, was observed by a State Trooper, who followed his footsteps in the snow, right up to his front door.
Orange
I missed my daily dose of Orange the Next Black... damn! Guess I better double up tomorrow.
POTUS Stuff
It was said of President Warren Harding that his speeches were "an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea." You remember Harding... he's the guy who actually had a pit dug into a house yard in DC, and people would come and throw money into it... yes, a "money pit."
The Unibomber
Ted Kazinsky's (sp?) brother has written a book in which he describes what it was like to turn in his beloved older brother to the FBI. If he had not... the Unibomber would probably have been able to mail the potent bomb which was found under his bed and kill a bunch of people. The brother was interviewed on the Diane Rheem Show this morning. Extremely interesting. Ted is in psychiatric custody somewhere and has disowned his brother... and apparently is able to carry on an extensive correspondence with others who share his schizophrenic viewpoints.
Don't Mess with Senior Citizens!
The Week (2011) When Somali pirates tried to board a luxury cruise ship... they were rebuffed by a group of retired British and German tourists, hitting them with deck chairs.
Where do the Rich Folks Shop?
The Week: John Travolta is worth $200 million.. yet he does all of his shopping at WalMart and Target. He says that "I like to save a buck when I can." (Watch out for pitchforks, John!)
Some Food Label Scams
1, Organic: save your money... probably doesn't mean anything.
2. Reduced-fat: probably just means that more sugar was added to replace some of the lost flavor.
3. Cholesterol-free: all foods that come from plants are free of cholesterol.. so this label is meaningless.
4. Natural: the term is not defined by the FDA, so it could mean anything. Ignore it.
....................................................................................................................
OK... here are some more "ramblings."
The Great Decisions program was number one of four about Middle East situations. Very confusing at the beginning... very confusing after the speaker and a video... but even the speaker says that he is confused. However... two things most of the group agreed with the speaker about:
1. The IRAN agreement should keep that country from developing an atomic bomb, at least for 16 years. Without the agreement, the bomb would probably appear in just 2 years.
2. George W's escapades created the current crisis and got lots of American lives lost. Obama's policy of trying to let Middle Eastern countries settle their own problems has resulted in hardly any Americans losing their lives.
Snow-related Tragedy
A 5 year old girl was sledding down her house's driveway and slid right into the street... where she was hit by a car and killed.
Guns in Flight
During 2015, a total of 2,653 workable guns were found in carry-on luggage. (Current example: yesterday at the Baltimore Washington airport, a pistol was found on the person of a man boarding a plane. Although the pistol was empty, he had 6 bullets in his pocket. He was arrested.)
Dumb Robber #1
A 30-year old "bright bulb" tried to hold up a Royal Farms store with a bb gun... he neglected to notice that one of the customers was a uniformed policeman.. who immediately arrested him.
Dumb Robber #2
A Delaware thief, running away from the scene of his crime, was observed by a State Trooper, who followed his footsteps in the snow, right up to his front door.
Orange
I missed my daily dose of Orange the Next Black... damn! Guess I better double up tomorrow.
POTUS Stuff
It was said of President Warren Harding that his speeches were "an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea." You remember Harding... he's the guy who actually had a pit dug into a house yard in DC, and people would come and throw money into it... yes, a "money pit."
The Unibomber
Ted Kazinsky's (sp?) brother has written a book in which he describes what it was like to turn in his beloved older brother to the FBI. If he had not... the Unibomber would probably have been able to mail the potent bomb which was found under his bed and kill a bunch of people. The brother was interviewed on the Diane Rheem Show this morning. Extremely interesting. Ted is in psychiatric custody somewhere and has disowned his brother... and apparently is able to carry on an extensive correspondence with others who share his schizophrenic viewpoints.
Don't Mess with Senior Citizens!
The Week (2011) When Somali pirates tried to board a luxury cruise ship... they were rebuffed by a group of retired British and German tourists, hitting them with deck chairs.
Where do the Rich Folks Shop?
The Week: John Travolta is worth $200 million.. yet he does all of his shopping at WalMart and Target. He says that "I like to save a buck when I can." (Watch out for pitchforks, John!)
Some Food Label Scams
1, Organic: save your money... probably doesn't mean anything.
2. Reduced-fat: probably just means that more sugar was added to replace some of the lost flavor.
3. Cholesterol-free: all foods that come from plants are free of cholesterol.. so this label is meaningless.
4. Natural: the term is not defined by the FDA, so it could mean anything. Ignore it.
....................................................................................................................
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Blizzard; Statues; Planned Parenthood; Orange; Snowzilla; New Bedford; President Obama; Executive Order; Hate Groups
Blizzard. Our newspapers for the past 5 days finally showed up, but our mail is still missing. It looked like our car had been shoveled out, so I happily tried to get into our car to go for groceries... but.. it looks like our battery is dead... I can't imagine why... lights in my Rav4 shut themselves off.. ??? So, I will call AAA tomorrow... meanwhile, I walked the 2 or 3 blocks to the Bistro to get our food. One way... my hips were giving out..... on the way back, after sitting quietly for a while .. my hips were giving out again. It was a good workout for me... I just have to remember that I am not 18 years old anymore.. and go easy with my exercise stuff.
Figs?
BBC News: Today some Iranian bigshot visited Italian Government offices... to avoid shocking the Iranian's Moslem sensibilities, the naked statuary was boarded up!
Planned Parenthood Wins One
The Texas Grand Jury that looked into the allegation that Planned Parenthood was selling human tissue, found that this was a false allegation and the persons who set up a "sting" type were indicted instead.. the tables were turned.
Orange
Mendez has been suspended. Bennett has pointed out the contraband in the Neptune case. Red may be in big trouble. The Jesus freak is getting ready to kill our heroine. Wow! So many stories here!
Another No-No Word for Snow Storms like Jonah
snowzilla
New Bedford
Today, I finished volume one of the picture history of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Great information... it filled in lots of gaps in my knowledge of my favorite places that I knew when I was a street kid there. Now, I'll be reading volume two.. which ranges from 1925 to 1980. 1950 was my time... it seems like only yesterday. A gentler time.. at least for me.
Presidential Executive Order
President Obama has issued an executive order that mandates no solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in Federal prisons. Most people who think about it, consider solitary confinement as torture.
President Obama's Legacy
Re: Southern Poverty Law Center Magazine: I quote (kind of) from "The Last Word":
The economy is purring like a kitten after years of growling like a sour tummy.
Jobs are coming back,
Wages are beginning to rise.
The stock market is way, way up.
The war in Afghanistan is finally over.
More than ten million previously uninsured Americans now have health insurance.
The price of gas keeps dropping.
Hate Groups in the United States
Per: Southern Poverty Law Center: There were 784 active hate groups in the U.S. in 2014.
They break down as shown:
Ku Klux Klan 72
Neo-Nazi 142
White Nationalist 115
Racist Skinhead 119
Christian Identity 21
Neo Confederate 37
Black Separatist 113
General Hate 165
Number of hate groups by state (some):
California 57
Florida 50
New York 44
Pennsylvania 38
Texas 36
Maryland 15
Massachusetts 13
Wyoming 1
Alaska 0
.................................................................................................................
Figs?
BBC News: Today some Iranian bigshot visited Italian Government offices... to avoid shocking the Iranian's Moslem sensibilities, the naked statuary was boarded up!
Planned Parenthood Wins One
The Texas Grand Jury that looked into the allegation that Planned Parenthood was selling human tissue, found that this was a false allegation and the persons who set up a "sting" type were indicted instead.. the tables were turned.
Orange
Mendez has been suspended. Bennett has pointed out the contraband in the Neptune case. Red may be in big trouble. The Jesus freak is getting ready to kill our heroine. Wow! So many stories here!
Another No-No Word for Snow Storms like Jonah
snowzilla
New Bedford
Today, I finished volume one of the picture history of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Great information... it filled in lots of gaps in my knowledge of my favorite places that I knew when I was a street kid there. Now, I'll be reading volume two.. which ranges from 1925 to 1980. 1950 was my time... it seems like only yesterday. A gentler time.. at least for me.
Presidential Executive Order
President Obama has issued an executive order that mandates no solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in Federal prisons. Most people who think about it, consider solitary confinement as torture.
President Obama's Legacy
Re: Southern Poverty Law Center Magazine: I quote (kind of) from "The Last Word":
The economy is purring like a kitten after years of growling like a sour tummy.
Jobs are coming back,
Wages are beginning to rise.
The stock market is way, way up.
The war in Afghanistan is finally over.
More than ten million previously uninsured Americans now have health insurance.
The price of gas keeps dropping.
Hate Groups in the United States
Per: Southern Poverty Law Center: There were 784 active hate groups in the U.S. in 2014.
They break down as shown:
Ku Klux Klan 72
Neo-Nazi 142
White Nationalist 115
Racist Skinhead 119
Christian Identity 21
Neo Confederate 37
Black Separatist 113
General Hate 165
Number of hate groups by state (some):
California 57
Florida 50
New York 44
Pennsylvania 38
Texas 36
Maryland 15
Massachusetts 13
Wyoming 1
Alaska 0
.................................................................................................................
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Blizzard; Orange; Phantom; Strong Man; Goldfish; Fire Hydrants; Helmets; Congress; Benghazi; Hurricane Katrina; Abe Vigoda
Blizzard. Our water heater died yesterday and today a crew worked for 6 hours installing a new one. The new one seems to be working ok... I just took a nice warm refreshing shower.
Orange...
Since our household activity was being disrupted by workmen, I was able to watch three episodes of Orange is the New Black. Yes.. I am hooked.. and my juices get stirred as they go through each inmate's story.
Daughter Diane and her husband just came home from a week in Florida. She called to offer a ticket to Phantom of the Opera at the Hippedrome. Unfortunately, I had to turn her down because of all the things that Elaine and I have to do right now... The ticket is part of a pair of season tickets that my son and his wife enjoy.
I can still remember the early Phantom movie... it scared, yet intrigued me as a young kid. I think I was most fascinated by the sewer scenes... image all that activity right under the streets of Paris.
Now there was a Strong Man!
Leonid Zhabotinsky died at the age of 77 this month. He won gold medals in weightlifting in both 1964 and 1968. Big Arnie and I both admired him and felt he was the strongest man in the world.
Leonid was 6'3" and weighed 365 pounds. Big Arnie kept a photograph of Leonid taped to his bed when he was a teenager.
The New York Times reports that Leonid had other talents as well... he earned a doctorate at the Kharkoy Pedagogical Institute; he coached the Soviet Army in weight lifting and left the military in 1991 as a Colonel. He also worked for the Moscow Institute of Business and Law.
A Fishy Story
The Week Magazine: One of the three teenagers who burgled an apartment in Chicago told police that the reason he had poured mustard and hot sauce into a goldfish bowl, was because the three goldfish would have been able to identify him, so he had to kill them.
Inventive Crook
The Week Magazine: A California man was arrested for stealing 45 fire hydrants, leaving big holes in the sidewalk. The creative thief dressed as a city worker and nobody tried to stop him. He sold the hydrants for $1800 to a scrap metal dealer.
A Great Fan
The Week Magazine: In Sandy, Utah, Brad Keene, Jordan High janitor sold his car, canceled his savings and spent $6000 on 20 safety helmets for the high school team. Wow!
Congressional Priorities
Harper's Index mentions that Congress has spent almost 5 million dollars to investigate the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.... and only 85 thousand dollars for preparation and response to Hurricane Katrina.
Another Professional Passes
Abe Vigoda passed away today. An amazing actor, in my opinion. RIP Abe.
..............................................................................................................
Orange...
Since our household activity was being disrupted by workmen, I was able to watch three episodes of Orange is the New Black. Yes.. I am hooked.. and my juices get stirred as they go through each inmate's story.
Daughter Diane and her husband just came home from a week in Florida. She called to offer a ticket to Phantom of the Opera at the Hippedrome. Unfortunately, I had to turn her down because of all the things that Elaine and I have to do right now... The ticket is part of a pair of season tickets that my son and his wife enjoy.
I can still remember the early Phantom movie... it scared, yet intrigued me as a young kid. I think I was most fascinated by the sewer scenes... image all that activity right under the streets of Paris.
Now there was a Strong Man!
Leonid Zhabotinsky died at the age of 77 this month. He won gold medals in weightlifting in both 1964 and 1968. Big Arnie and I both admired him and felt he was the strongest man in the world.
Leonid was 6'3" and weighed 365 pounds. Big Arnie kept a photograph of Leonid taped to his bed when he was a teenager.
The New York Times reports that Leonid had other talents as well... he earned a doctorate at the Kharkoy Pedagogical Institute; he coached the Soviet Army in weight lifting and left the military in 1991 as a Colonel. He also worked for the Moscow Institute of Business and Law.
A Fishy Story
The Week Magazine: One of the three teenagers who burgled an apartment in Chicago told police that the reason he had poured mustard and hot sauce into a goldfish bowl, was because the three goldfish would have been able to identify him, so he had to kill them.
Inventive Crook
The Week Magazine: A California man was arrested for stealing 45 fire hydrants, leaving big holes in the sidewalk. The creative thief dressed as a city worker and nobody tried to stop him. He sold the hydrants for $1800 to a scrap metal dealer.
A Great Fan
The Week Magazine: In Sandy, Utah, Brad Keene, Jordan High janitor sold his car, canceled his savings and spent $6000 on 20 safety helmets for the high school team. Wow!
Congressional Priorities
Harper's Index mentions that Congress has spent almost 5 million dollars to investigate the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.... and only 85 thousand dollars for preparation and response to Hurricane Katrina.
Another Professional Passes
Abe Vigoda passed away today. An amazing actor, in my opinion. RIP Abe.
..............................................................................................................
Monday, January 25, 2016
Blizzard; Orange new Black; Keurig Fix; Gun Homicide Stats; Hot Cars; Drones; Coffee; Stress Reduction;Stamp Heaven
Blizzard. We are still snowed in... some of my neighbors are out there with shovels, apparently trying to trigger another heart attack... average age of these Hercules guys is probably 79 or 80. Where we live, our "keepers" get our shoveling done for us. So.. each of these guys must have a death wish... or.. they are trying to prove that there still is a little life in their tired old bones.
Speaking of "Keepers"
I am now hooked on Orange is the new Black. Lots of what one might call "porn".. but true to life (I know this because I drove a cab for a couple of years.. and lots of these characters are obviously patterned after most of my "broken ass" customers.) However, this is not your grandmother's idea of something that you should take your time watching. But.. it is great fun!
Keurig/Coffee/Bullion
Did I mention that I figured out how to fix my non-working Keurig machine with a paper clip? I found the tip on YouTube. I just cooked up some broth with the machine.. to warm my tummy. I'm trying to decide if I should go back to regular coffee now that my blood pressure is so good...
Small Arms Survey
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed these stats in the New York Times.. I'm not sure of the time frame:
Gun Homicides per Million People
El Salvador 446.3
Mexico 121.7
United States 31.2
Chile 14.3
Israel 7.5
Canada 5.6
South Korea 0.4
Japan 0.1
Time for Jail?
AARP reports that a Virginia mother left her two young children in a hot car while being booked on a charge of leaving her children in a hot car. She first got in trouble for leaving her kids in her car while she shopped; the second time it happened, she left the kids in the courthouse parking lot while she settled the first charge.
The Future of Drones
Raymond Lesser writes in Funny Times: "The military ... has drones to do its targeted killing and pretty soon those will be self-directed. When the enemy gets the same capability, the drones can spend all day killing each other while the rest of the armed forces occupy themselves with more important tasks like taking selfies and playing (games ) on their phones, like the rest of us."
More Coffee
Mental Floss magazine writes that in 2001, Brazil introduced a coffee-scented postage stamp.
Reducing Stress
Katie Morell mentions Deepak Chopra's 3 top tips to reduce stress:
1. Focus on one thing at a time. (Multi-tasking is a myth.) Even computers have to work on one thing at a time.. but they can make it look like they can do lots of stuff simultaneously.
2. In any stressful situation, take time to STOP.
S - Stop what you are doing.
T- Take a few deep breaths.
O- Observe your body and smile.
P- Proceed with kindness and compassion.
3. Take 20 minutes for yourself. Sit quietly , without an agenda.
These tips were written with women in mind, but they can help all of us.
Postage Due?
Mental Floss magazine writes about the USPS Stamp Fulfillment Center. It's in Kansas City, 150 feet underground and inside a limestone cave called "SubTropolis" The center stores up to 600 million stamps for distribution. The cave has consistent temperature and low humidity.. which keeps the stamps in mint condition.
Speaking of "Keepers"
I am now hooked on Orange is the new Black. Lots of what one might call "porn".. but true to life (I know this because I drove a cab for a couple of years.. and lots of these characters are obviously patterned after most of my "broken ass" customers.) However, this is not your grandmother's idea of something that you should take your time watching. But.. it is great fun!
Keurig/Coffee/Bullion
Did I mention that I figured out how to fix my non-working Keurig machine with a paper clip? I found the tip on YouTube. I just cooked up some broth with the machine.. to warm my tummy. I'm trying to decide if I should go back to regular coffee now that my blood pressure is so good...
Small Arms Survey
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed these stats in the New York Times.. I'm not sure of the time frame:
Gun Homicides per Million People
El Salvador 446.3
Mexico 121.7
United States 31.2
Chile 14.3
Israel 7.5
Canada 5.6
South Korea 0.4
Japan 0.1
Time for Jail?
AARP reports that a Virginia mother left her two young children in a hot car while being booked on a charge of leaving her children in a hot car. She first got in trouble for leaving her kids in her car while she shopped; the second time it happened, she left the kids in the courthouse parking lot while she settled the first charge.
The Future of Drones
Raymond Lesser writes in Funny Times: "The military ... has drones to do its targeted killing and pretty soon those will be self-directed. When the enemy gets the same capability, the drones can spend all day killing each other while the rest of the armed forces occupy themselves with more important tasks like taking selfies and playing (games ) on their phones, like the rest of us."
More Coffee
Mental Floss magazine writes that in 2001, Brazil introduced a coffee-scented postage stamp.
Reducing Stress
Katie Morell mentions Deepak Chopra's 3 top tips to reduce stress:
1. Focus on one thing at a time. (Multi-tasking is a myth.) Even computers have to work on one thing at a time.. but they can make it look like they can do lots of stuff simultaneously.
2. In any stressful situation, take time to STOP.
S - Stop what you are doing.
T- Take a few deep breaths.
O- Observe your body and smile.
P- Proceed with kindness and compassion.
3. Take 20 minutes for yourself. Sit quietly , without an agenda.
These tips were written with women in mind, but they can help all of us.
Postage Due?
Mental Floss magazine writes about the USPS Stamp Fulfillment Center. It's in Kansas City, 150 feet underground and inside a limestone cave called "SubTropolis" The center stores up to 600 million stamps for distribution. The cave has consistent temperature and low humidity.. which keeps the stamps in mint condition.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Blizzard; Carousel; Tears; Seven Deadly Sins; Winter Cliches; Dante's Hell; Women's Undies; New Gymnastic Movement
Blizzard. Well, it finally stopped snowing and blowing. Our house is completely blocked in by drifting snow... but it is a nice sunny day just the same. Our over the hill neighbor that we call "Burnie" has his driveway and walkways already completely shoveled. I think he had his wife shovel... or, maybe he has a snow blower. It looks like one of the fences near his property is almost collapsed from the snow.
Tearing up
I'm listening to the music from the musical Carousel on XM radio. I really like that music... and some of the songs make me tear up. Billy Bigelow says: "... The sky's so big, the sea looks small..."
"If I love you, time and again I would try to say.. all I want you to know.... round in circles I'd go... longing to tell you, but afraid ....soon you'd leave me... never, never to know.. how I love you, if I love you."
When I hear this, I remember my late wife, Elaine, ...who did leave me... but I hope she knew how much I loved her.
Repent, you Sinners!
On this morning's TED radio hour, the subject was the seven deadly sins. Some ideas about each were spoken in an interesting manner, I thought.
LUST: The speaker said that lust is not a sin.. it is a natural thing for certain mammals, such as humans, apes and dolphins. Other creatures only desire sex when the female comes into estrus.
GLUTTONY: The speaker was the mayor of Oklahoma City, who was appalled by the city's inclusion in a list of places with the most obese citizens. So, he put the whole city on a million pound diet... when this goal was reached, he found that the city was no longer on the "most obese" list, but, instead was on the "fittest" list.
SLOTH (APATHY): Yes.. why are Americans so apathetic when it comes to voting? Now, politics seems to be a spectator sport. The speaker said that you must become greedy and get into politics to help obtain what you and your neighbors need. Cultural barriers need to be overcome.
ANGER (WRATH): The speaker said that gun violence is a contagious disease that is catching. In an attempt to treat this disease, a group called Cure Violence has been formed. This group is concerned in finding what/who is infecting their neighbors, isolating it/them and curing them.
GREED: The speaker reminded everyone that as the "haves" continue to amass more and more wealth through greed.. the "have nots" will get out their pitchforks. A small, but potent first step that the "haves" should take is to get legislation passed to raise the minimum wage. The Middle Class needs to grow!
ENVY: The speaker reminded everyone that envy is universal... even babies get jealous. He said that it is a good thing.. because it causes the envious to work harder to succeed.
PRIDE: A famous case of "Hubris brought down" occurred when IBM's Watson computer defeated the Jeopardy champion.
What can be learned from WAIT, WAIT, DON'T TELL ME!
1. Winter cliché terms, not to be used on the radio:
big chill
hunker down
deep freeze
snowpocalypse
white stuff
snowed in
2. The 7th level of Hell.. is the cold one....true? I will not check this because Dante's Inferno has not been my favorite reading material. When I have tried to read it, I fell sound asleep.
3. In Britain, the Government tried to stem the influx of men trying to bring their "wives" into the country. They started to ask the husbands about the color of their wife's undies. Guess how long that lasted.
4. A new gymnastic move has been approved for the Olympics... it's called "The Dick Move".. this is named after the inventor, Melissa Dick.. why? were you thinking of something else? Shame on you!
..............................................................................................................
Tearing up
I'm listening to the music from the musical Carousel on XM radio. I really like that music... and some of the songs make me tear up. Billy Bigelow says: "... The sky's so big, the sea looks small..."
"If I love you, time and again I would try to say.. all I want you to know.... round in circles I'd go... longing to tell you, but afraid ....soon you'd leave me... never, never to know.. how I love you, if I love you."
When I hear this, I remember my late wife, Elaine, ...who did leave me... but I hope she knew how much I loved her.
Repent, you Sinners!
On this morning's TED radio hour, the subject was the seven deadly sins. Some ideas about each were spoken in an interesting manner, I thought.
LUST: The speaker said that lust is not a sin.. it is a natural thing for certain mammals, such as humans, apes and dolphins. Other creatures only desire sex when the female comes into estrus.
GLUTTONY: The speaker was the mayor of Oklahoma City, who was appalled by the city's inclusion in a list of places with the most obese citizens. So, he put the whole city on a million pound diet... when this goal was reached, he found that the city was no longer on the "most obese" list, but, instead was on the "fittest" list.
SLOTH (APATHY): Yes.. why are Americans so apathetic when it comes to voting? Now, politics seems to be a spectator sport. The speaker said that you must become greedy and get into politics to help obtain what you and your neighbors need. Cultural barriers need to be overcome.
ANGER (WRATH): The speaker said that gun violence is a contagious disease that is catching. In an attempt to treat this disease, a group called Cure Violence has been formed. This group is concerned in finding what/who is infecting their neighbors, isolating it/them and curing them.
GREED: The speaker reminded everyone that as the "haves" continue to amass more and more wealth through greed.. the "have nots" will get out their pitchforks. A small, but potent first step that the "haves" should take is to get legislation passed to raise the minimum wage. The Middle Class needs to grow!
ENVY: The speaker reminded everyone that envy is universal... even babies get jealous. He said that it is a good thing.. because it causes the envious to work harder to succeed.
PRIDE: A famous case of "Hubris brought down" occurred when IBM's Watson computer defeated the Jeopardy champion.
What can be learned from WAIT, WAIT, DON'T TELL ME!
1. Winter cliché terms, not to be used on the radio:
big chill
hunker down
deep freeze
snowpocalypse
white stuff
snowed in
2. The 7th level of Hell.. is the cold one....true? I will not check this because Dante's Inferno has not been my favorite reading material. When I have tried to read it, I fell sound asleep.
3. In Britain, the Government tried to stem the influx of men trying to bring their "wives" into the country. They started to ask the husbands about the color of their wife's undies. Guess how long that lasted.
4. A new gymnastic move has been approved for the Olympics... it's called "The Dick Move".. this is named after the inventor, Melissa Dick.. why? were you thinking of something else? Shame on you!
..............................................................................................................
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Blizzard; Bird Seed; Sarah Palin; Trump; Gas Prices; Planet 9; Piano Lessons; Nighttime Prayer; Gun Death Statistics
Lotsa snow! There are drifts covering the first floor windows of the house across the street. Our back deck has snow drifts about 4 feet high. It's 6 pm on Saturday, and the wind is still blowing a gale... with the drifts getting bigger and bigger. Elaine loves to watch the snow.
Bird Feeding
Some of the birds that are excitedly munching on our bird seed and old bread and rolls:
doves
cardinals
sparrows
juncos
blue birds
We hadn't seen any of these birds for the past 3 weeks. There are two trees on the side of our house that have brilliant red berries...lots of them... but the birds have not touched them yet. I wonder why?
Sarah Pops Up
Looks like we will be having fun again this year, since Sarah Palin has hooked up with the Donald. What a pair! Just think if they were running the country.... or even worse.. think about Ted Cruz running the country... omg!
Lower Gas Prices
Today US Crude Oil had a price of $27 per barrel. Fantastic! Some gasoline in the US is selling for 80 cents a gallon. (I remember when I paid 16 cents per gallon... I can't imagine that price coming back.)
New World?
Planet 9 has been found beyond former Planet Pluto.... found is a funny word to use because the planet is invisible to us... we just think we know its there because of the perturbation it is causing to other space entities.... it is said to be 20 times as large as Earth... and it takes 20,000 years to orbit the sun...!
The Music Man?
I can't really follow in the footsteps of my Uncle Allen and Aunt Mary because I do not know how to play the piano. Family rules require me to emulate Allen and Mary's musical activity. They both loved to play the piano and sing hymns at loud decibel levels in the middle of the night. I would really like to have that ability. Maybe I'm too old? No way! I am going to look for someone to be my teacher. All I need to learn is some of the old-fashioned hymns and a little bit of Scott Joplin. Wish me luck.
Listen-up, Grandma!
Klausi ist beim Nachtgebet. Zum Schluss ruft er ganz laut: "Liebes Christkind, schenk mir doch bitte ein Schaukelpferd!" Wundert sich der Vater: "Warum schreist du den so? Das Christkind it doch nicht schwerhoerig!" Klausi: "Aber die Oma negbenan in der Stube!"
Gun Death Stats
The Nation magazine says that there was a total of 27 gun-related homicides in the past year in Austria, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Estonia, Bermuda, Hong Kong and Iceland...COMBINED!
Bird Feeding
Some of the birds that are excitedly munching on our bird seed and old bread and rolls:
doves
cardinals
sparrows
juncos
blue birds
We hadn't seen any of these birds for the past 3 weeks. There are two trees on the side of our house that have brilliant red berries...lots of them... but the birds have not touched them yet. I wonder why?
Sarah Pops Up
Looks like we will be having fun again this year, since Sarah Palin has hooked up with the Donald. What a pair! Just think if they were running the country.... or even worse.. think about Ted Cruz running the country... omg!
Lower Gas Prices
Today US Crude Oil had a price of $27 per barrel. Fantastic! Some gasoline in the US is selling for 80 cents a gallon. (I remember when I paid 16 cents per gallon... I can't imagine that price coming back.)
New World?
Planet 9 has been found beyond former Planet Pluto.... found is a funny word to use because the planet is invisible to us... we just think we know its there because of the perturbation it is causing to other space entities.... it is said to be 20 times as large as Earth... and it takes 20,000 years to orbit the sun...!
The Music Man?
I can't really follow in the footsteps of my Uncle Allen and Aunt Mary because I do not know how to play the piano. Family rules require me to emulate Allen and Mary's musical activity. They both loved to play the piano and sing hymns at loud decibel levels in the middle of the night. I would really like to have that ability. Maybe I'm too old? No way! I am going to look for someone to be my teacher. All I need to learn is some of the old-fashioned hymns and a little bit of Scott Joplin. Wish me luck.
Listen-up, Grandma!
Klausi ist beim Nachtgebet. Zum Schluss ruft er ganz laut: "Liebes Christkind, schenk mir doch bitte ein Schaukelpferd!" Wundert sich der Vater: "Warum schreist du den so? Das Christkind it doch nicht schwerhoerig!" Klausi: "Aber die Oma negbenan in der Stube!"
Gun Death Stats
The Nation magazine says that there was a total of 27 gun-related homicides in the past year in Austria, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Estonia, Bermuda, Hong Kong and Iceland...COMBINED!
Friday, January 22, 2016
Blizzard; Panic; W.C. Fields; Black millionaire; New Bedford; Frederick Douglass; Sharpen your Brain; Sleep; @ ; More Coffee
Well... our much anticipated blizzard has started. But.. everyone in Carroll County is prepared... and you can tell that is true by checking the supermarkets.... they are all out of milk, bread, toilet paper, and a little surprising: Jif peanut butter!
Panic
During the Washington, D.C. rush hour last Wednesday.. a light sprinkling of snow suddenly fell (much less than 1/4 of an inch....) But, that little amount of snow got commuters in a panic and some folks who normally take 1/2 hour to get home.. took 5 (count'em) hours!
Health Tip from W.C. Fields
"I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it."
Interesting Book about an Interesting Person
Prince of Darkness by Shane White was reviewed by Mental Floss magazine in October 2015.
I quote: "A decade before the Civil War, Jeremiah G. Hamilton rose to prominence as a ruthless Wall Street broker. When he died, he was New York's only black millionaire, owning a mansion and stock in railroads that he could not legally ride in." (!)
In the books about New Bedford that my cousins sent me.. several rich black persons are mentioned. Also, remember that Frederick Douglass escaped slavery and began a new life in New Bedford..
Care for your Brain
Mental Floss magazine for October 2015 also mentioned three things that you can do to sharpen your ability to recall things:
1. Drink two to five cups of coffee a day.
2. Stop killing your brain cells by watching TV.
3. Always get a good night's sleep.
Speaking of Sleep
At a cardiologist office visit today, I was encouraged to get tested for sleep apnea. I have avoided this test for years... and, you know, I definitely would not be agreeable to having some kind of facial device intruding on my life. It's like colonoscopies... when I had them before, no polyps were found and all looked well... and now.. in my old age, why would I want to subject by system to such a test. Even if they found something wrong... I would probably die long before the treatments took effect.
Keyboard Symbol @
Mental Floss again.... they say that the @ symbol goes by many names around the Earth:
monkey tail -- Dutch
Elephant's trunk -- Sweden
Rolled pickle herring -- Czech.
and in the US: at sign
More Coffee
Raymond Lesser says: "... the nerve of coffee chains that pay crummy wages and then have a tip jar at the register. I'm supposed to wait in line to order and pay for my coffee, wait in another line to pick it up and take it to my table ... but they think I should tip their cashier?,,, I should be the one getting a tip."
.....................................................................................................
Panic
During the Washington, D.C. rush hour last Wednesday.. a light sprinkling of snow suddenly fell (much less than 1/4 of an inch....) But, that little amount of snow got commuters in a panic and some folks who normally take 1/2 hour to get home.. took 5 (count'em) hours!
Health Tip from W.C. Fields
"I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it."
Interesting Book about an Interesting Person
Prince of Darkness by Shane White was reviewed by Mental Floss magazine in October 2015.
I quote: "A decade before the Civil War, Jeremiah G. Hamilton rose to prominence as a ruthless Wall Street broker. When he died, he was New York's only black millionaire, owning a mansion and stock in railroads that he could not legally ride in." (!)
In the books about New Bedford that my cousins sent me.. several rich black persons are mentioned. Also, remember that Frederick Douglass escaped slavery and began a new life in New Bedford..
Care for your Brain
Mental Floss magazine for October 2015 also mentioned three things that you can do to sharpen your ability to recall things:
1. Drink two to five cups of coffee a day.
2. Stop killing your brain cells by watching TV.
3. Always get a good night's sleep.
Speaking of Sleep
At a cardiologist office visit today, I was encouraged to get tested for sleep apnea. I have avoided this test for years... and, you know, I definitely would not be agreeable to having some kind of facial device intruding on my life. It's like colonoscopies... when I had them before, no polyps were found and all looked well... and now.. in my old age, why would I want to subject by system to such a test. Even if they found something wrong... I would probably die long before the treatments took effect.
Keyboard Symbol @
Mental Floss again.... they say that the @ symbol goes by many names around the Earth:
monkey tail -- Dutch
Elephant's trunk -- Sweden
Rolled pickle herring -- Czech.
and in the US: at sign
More Coffee
Raymond Lesser says: "... the nerve of coffee chains that pay crummy wages and then have a tip jar at the register. I'm supposed to wait in line to order and pay for my coffee, wait in another line to pick it up and take it to my table ... but they think I should tip their cashier?,,, I should be the one getting a tip."
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Thursday, January 21, 2016
Blizzard; Raw Milk; Peddling Milk; Special Milk?; My Marvelous Gift!
Cold day... with a warning that a blizzard is coming.. tomorrow (Friday), Saturday, and maybe Sunday. A couple of feet of snow. We'll see... sometimes these storms pass us by.
I had to do some shopping at the Giant Supermarket... and everybody who lives in Westminster must have been there buying bread, milk and toilet paper. This is a Baltimore custom. There were only 3 gallons of milk left when I picked up mine.
Speaking of Milk
There is a lot of agitation these days by people who want to be able to buy unpasteurized milk. Here in Maryland, one has to drive to Pennsylvania to get some. I've had some from time to time.. and I find it to be one of the most delicious drinks I have ever had.
It's legal, of course, to drink it... if you can get it, and want to take a chance with potential illness. Right now, it is against the law to move unpasteurized milk across state lines.
Peddling Milk
As I've mentioned before, I spent my sixth grade by getting up every morning at 4 am, helping load the milk delivery truck, and then racing to deliver the milk in bottles to everybody's back porches.
I was the solution to a problem that the milk company had: they had retired the old nag that used to pull a truck filled with milk. That old horse knew every customer's location... So, they decided to AUTOmate. They bought a truck built just for milk delivery. There was a seat for the driver and he definitely needed a helper..... the helper would be allowed to sit on unsecured milk crates.
Somebody suggested that I needed a job to help with household expenses.... It was certainly an interesting job... with some problems:
I froze on cold mornings
The driver farted all the time
The driver spent coffee breaks every hour or so... with his sisters (or so he said.)
I fell asleep a lot in class.. in fact, I can't remember anything about my sixth grade classes.
I don't think I made much money... all of it went to my Grandparents anyway
But there were some good things too:
I often was able to see the Aurora Borealis at 4 am
I kept in great shape
I was able to provide lots of milk to my family
When I collected milk payments from older lady customers, they would usually offer me tea and cookies (and, of course, other things... but remember I was only 11 years old.. so get those naughty thoughts out of your head.)
Milk Question
When I peddled milk, I was not allowed to touch certain milk bottles that were kept in a special case on the truck. I asked the driver about it, and he said that it was "special" milk.. and very expensive.. and "keep your goddamn hands off of it!" Was this unpasteurized? Drug infused? Kosher (is there such a thing?) Maybe the milk in the bottles was diluted by water, gin, vodka? I never found out.
My Best Christmas in January Gift!
Yesterday, out mail lady struggled up to our porch and handed me a very heavy package. I could not imagine what it was... a weight to be added to my barbells? The Encyclopedia Britannica? Rocks for my garden?......NO... none of those things... I couldn't wait to open the very tightly wrapped package.
But when I did get it open, my heart leaped... it was something I had heard about but never thought I would own..... it was a two volume pictorial history of my old home town, New Bedford, Massachusetts!! I think that this is the best gift I have gotten in many many years.
The books are from my beloved cousins, Allen and Diana Vaughan, and they could not have pleased my more!!
....................................................................................................................................................
I had to do some shopping at the Giant Supermarket... and everybody who lives in Westminster must have been there buying bread, milk and toilet paper. This is a Baltimore custom. There were only 3 gallons of milk left when I picked up mine.
Speaking of Milk
There is a lot of agitation these days by people who want to be able to buy unpasteurized milk. Here in Maryland, one has to drive to Pennsylvania to get some. I've had some from time to time.. and I find it to be one of the most delicious drinks I have ever had.
It's legal, of course, to drink it... if you can get it, and want to take a chance with potential illness. Right now, it is against the law to move unpasteurized milk across state lines.
Peddling Milk
As I've mentioned before, I spent my sixth grade by getting up every morning at 4 am, helping load the milk delivery truck, and then racing to deliver the milk in bottles to everybody's back porches.
I was the solution to a problem that the milk company had: they had retired the old nag that used to pull a truck filled with milk. That old horse knew every customer's location... So, they decided to AUTOmate. They bought a truck built just for milk delivery. There was a seat for the driver and he definitely needed a helper..... the helper would be allowed to sit on unsecured milk crates.
Somebody suggested that I needed a job to help with household expenses.... It was certainly an interesting job... with some problems:
I froze on cold mornings
The driver farted all the time
The driver spent coffee breaks every hour or so... with his sisters (or so he said.)
I fell asleep a lot in class.. in fact, I can't remember anything about my sixth grade classes.
I don't think I made much money... all of it went to my Grandparents anyway
But there were some good things too:
I often was able to see the Aurora Borealis at 4 am
I kept in great shape
I was able to provide lots of milk to my family
When I collected milk payments from older lady customers, they would usually offer me tea and cookies (and, of course, other things... but remember I was only 11 years old.. so get those naughty thoughts out of your head.)
Milk Question
When I peddled milk, I was not allowed to touch certain milk bottles that were kept in a special case on the truck. I asked the driver about it, and he said that it was "special" milk.. and very expensive.. and "keep your goddamn hands off of it!" Was this unpasteurized? Drug infused? Kosher (is there such a thing?) Maybe the milk in the bottles was diluted by water, gin, vodka? I never found out.
My Best Christmas in January Gift!
Yesterday, out mail lady struggled up to our porch and handed me a very heavy package. I could not imagine what it was... a weight to be added to my barbells? The Encyclopedia Britannica? Rocks for my garden?......NO... none of those things... I couldn't wait to open the very tightly wrapped package.
But when I did get it open, my heart leaped... it was something I had heard about but never thought I would own..... it was a two volume pictorial history of my old home town, New Bedford, Massachusetts!! I think that this is the best gift I have gotten in many many years.
The books are from my beloved cousins, Allen and Diana Vaughan, and they could not have pleased my more!!
....................................................................................................................................................
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Harry Morgan; Hearing Aid; Food Bumps; Starbuck Stories; Dim Sum; Used Phone Booths
Goddamn cold weather! The weather gurus have predicted lots of snow for the end of this week. Everybody is racing to buy toilet paper.
Another Hero Passes
During part of 2013, I was under the care of Hopkins and Dr Gerald Lazarus. Being very concerned with my own condition, I missed some things that were going on. One was:
Harry Morgan died.. (1915-2013) Harry, alias Col. Sherman T. Porter, Commander of the famous MASH unit in Korea. He played Potter from 1975 to 1983 when the show went off the air.
I really looked forward to all of the parts that Mr. Morgan played, either in the movies or on TV. His name at birth was Norwegian: Harry Bratsburg, not Hollywoodish enough, so he changed his last name to the more memorable Morgan.
RIP Colonel Potter!
What kind is it? Ten o'clock.
Well, here we go again.. after losing either two or three hearing aids, I ordered another one today... quite expensive... Over $3000! And.. I don't really think I need it... but Elaine says that I do because I don't always hear what she says.....oh? Anyway, in this house, there are hidden two hearing aids... perhaps the "borrowers" have them in their stash below the floor boards.
Bumpy Food
Solveiga Pakstaite is 23 years old, and she has devised the Bump Mark, a series of raised bumps coated with a layer of gelatin on food packaging....says Mental Floss Magazine.
As the gelatin decays, the bumps grow and become perceptible. When you feel the bumps, you know that your bumpy food is now past its prime and should be thrown out. This is supposed to be much more accurate than reliance on those dates stamped on packages.
Old Starbucks Stories
The Week magazine wrote up two Starbucks situations back in 2011. I just found them.. a little late.
1. Three horseback riders rode into a Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Starbucks to get coffee and snacks... They also got Tasered and arrested.
2. A California lady with a wooden leg problem was hurrying to get into the Starbuck's ladies room to get it hooked back on. Unfortunately, a barista barred her way because she had not yet made a purchase.
Dim Sum
I always wanted to know that dim sum was, and last week, the New York Times Magazine answered it... but only a little bit. Chef Tang says: "The literal translation of dim sum is 'with a touch of heart'. It alludes to the tender care with which everything (in the dim sum menu).is made. Everything is hand-pleated. It takes decades of culinary experience. But, if you wanted to say you're eating dim sum in Cantonese, you'd say 'yum cha,' which means drinking tea."
So.. what the devil is dim sum? I think it is thinly fried dumpling-like "anything" that tastes good.... fish, meat, veggies, etc.
Poor Superman
Japan, just like the rest of the civilized world, has been blessed with lots and lots of abandoned phone booths. The city of Osaka has come up with a solution for the phone booth problem: They have rearranged them to hold water as goldfish aquariums and have placed them around the city. Nice idea!
........................................................................................................
Another Hero Passes
During part of 2013, I was under the care of Hopkins and Dr Gerald Lazarus. Being very concerned with my own condition, I missed some things that were going on. One was:
Harry Morgan died.. (1915-2013) Harry, alias Col. Sherman T. Porter, Commander of the famous MASH unit in Korea. He played Potter from 1975 to 1983 when the show went off the air.
I really looked forward to all of the parts that Mr. Morgan played, either in the movies or on TV. His name at birth was Norwegian: Harry Bratsburg, not Hollywoodish enough, so he changed his last name to the more memorable Morgan.
RIP Colonel Potter!
What kind is it? Ten o'clock.
Well, here we go again.. after losing either two or three hearing aids, I ordered another one today... quite expensive... Over $3000! And.. I don't really think I need it... but Elaine says that I do because I don't always hear what she says.....oh? Anyway, in this house, there are hidden two hearing aids... perhaps the "borrowers" have them in their stash below the floor boards.
Bumpy Food
Solveiga Pakstaite is 23 years old, and she has devised the Bump Mark, a series of raised bumps coated with a layer of gelatin on food packaging....says Mental Floss Magazine.
As the gelatin decays, the bumps grow and become perceptible. When you feel the bumps, you know that your bumpy food is now past its prime and should be thrown out. This is supposed to be much more accurate than reliance on those dates stamped on packages.
Old Starbucks Stories
The Week magazine wrote up two Starbucks situations back in 2011. I just found them.. a little late.
1. Three horseback riders rode into a Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Starbucks to get coffee and snacks... They also got Tasered and arrested.
2. A California lady with a wooden leg problem was hurrying to get into the Starbuck's ladies room to get it hooked back on. Unfortunately, a barista barred her way because she had not yet made a purchase.
Dim Sum
I always wanted to know that dim sum was, and last week, the New York Times Magazine answered it... but only a little bit. Chef Tang says: "The literal translation of dim sum is 'with a touch of heart'. It alludes to the tender care with which everything (in the dim sum menu).is made. Everything is hand-pleated. It takes decades of culinary experience. But, if you wanted to say you're eating dim sum in Cantonese, you'd say 'yum cha,' which means drinking tea."
So.. what the devil is dim sum? I think it is thinly fried dumpling-like "anything" that tastes good.... fish, meat, veggies, etc.
Poor Superman
Japan, just like the rest of the civilized world, has been blessed with lots and lots of abandoned phone booths. The city of Osaka has come up with a solution for the phone booth problem: They have rearranged them to hold water as goldfish aquariums and have placed them around the city. Nice idea!
........................................................................................................
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
NETFLIX; Orange: Pilgrim Thirst; Plymouth; Mayflower Society; Vaughan Century; Genealogy; Yiddish Curse; Abraham Lincoln
Typical Winter day: Very cold, windy, and sunny. Actually, it's too cold to sit out in the sun today.
NETFLIX
I finally got NETFLIX running under the INFINITY overhead.. I watched the first episode of Orange is the New Black. Several people have recommended it to me. Quite true to life.. interesting, but I would not want my grandkids to watch it.
Pilgrim Thirst
For years, I have been telling people that the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod because they ran out of beer... nobody really believes me. But in The New Yorker for January 4, 2016 there is a review of the book Drinking in America by Susan Cheever... and it says the following:
"Beer was more potable than water in seventeenth-century Europe, and when the Mayflower's supplies were running low its captain made an impromptu landing at Cape Cod."
However, the Cape Cod water didn't make the best tasting beer, so the Pilgrims sailed across the Bay and found good water at Plymouth. So they decided to stay there.
Plymouth
The Mayflower Society is located in Plymouth, and for years I have been subscribing to their monthly magazine. Even though I am related to about 11 of the original Pilgrims, I haven't pursued joining the group....just lazy I guess.
Well, suddenly, this month, I received a nice letter from the group, with society address labels... and other goodies.... In other words, somebody must have made a mistake and sent me stuff that should have gone to somebody who has proven their lineage.
The Vaughan Century
While sorting and reorganizing my boxes of "stuff", I came across my epic creation: The Vaughan Century..... a genealogy treasure-trove of family information. When I published it and sent it to all the relatives I could think of... it was very well received. However, it needs to be updated now (10 years later).. lots of deaths.... some births.... some facts need to be re-researched.
Family Mystery Solved?
For years I have been trying to find my cousin Billy Etheridge in genealogy information, but with no luck....now I think I know what the problem is.. in the 1940's there were two Ethridge families living in Boston.. one family had: mother: Laura age 38; father: William age 54; daughter: Pauline age 17.
The other family had: mother: Lurana age 38; father: William age 54; daughter: Pauline age 8; son: William age 5 (Bingo!). So... for years, I have been working with the wrong family info.. I'm not alone in this. So... it's time to get this straightened out.
Another Yiddish Curse
Sazol dir azoy dreyen boyd me zol meynen az sayiz a katerinke.!
May your innards turn and grind so much, people will think you are an organ grinder.!
This is how POTUS does it
When President Lincoln first met with his Cabinet to present his proposed Emancipation Proclamation, he asked for a vote on the issue.
The Cabinet voted overwhelmingly against it. After all the "no" votes had been counted, Lincoln raised his right hand and said: "The ayes have it!"
........................................................................................................
NETFLIX
I finally got NETFLIX running under the INFINITY overhead.. I watched the first episode of Orange is the New Black. Several people have recommended it to me. Quite true to life.. interesting, but I would not want my grandkids to watch it.
Pilgrim Thirst
For years, I have been telling people that the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod because they ran out of beer... nobody really believes me. But in The New Yorker for January 4, 2016 there is a review of the book Drinking in America by Susan Cheever... and it says the following:
"Beer was more potable than water in seventeenth-century Europe, and when the Mayflower's supplies were running low its captain made an impromptu landing at Cape Cod."
However, the Cape Cod water didn't make the best tasting beer, so the Pilgrims sailed across the Bay and found good water at Plymouth. So they decided to stay there.
Plymouth
The Mayflower Society is located in Plymouth, and for years I have been subscribing to their monthly magazine. Even though I am related to about 11 of the original Pilgrims, I haven't pursued joining the group....just lazy I guess.
Well, suddenly, this month, I received a nice letter from the group, with society address labels... and other goodies.... In other words, somebody must have made a mistake and sent me stuff that should have gone to somebody who has proven their lineage.
The Vaughan Century
While sorting and reorganizing my boxes of "stuff", I came across my epic creation: The Vaughan Century..... a genealogy treasure-trove of family information. When I published it and sent it to all the relatives I could think of... it was very well received. However, it needs to be updated now (10 years later).. lots of deaths.... some births.... some facts need to be re-researched.
Family Mystery Solved?
For years I have been trying to find my cousin Billy Etheridge in genealogy information, but with no luck....now I think I know what the problem is.. in the 1940's there were two Ethridge families living in Boston.. one family had: mother: Laura age 38; father: William age 54; daughter: Pauline age 17.
The other family had: mother: Lurana age 38; father: William age 54; daughter: Pauline age 8; son: William age 5 (Bingo!). So... for years, I have been working with the wrong family info.. I'm not alone in this. So... it's time to get this straightened out.
Another Yiddish Curse
Sazol dir azoy dreyen boyd me zol meynen az sayiz a katerinke.!
May your innards turn and grind so much, people will think you are an organ grinder.!
This is how POTUS does it
When President Lincoln first met with his Cabinet to present his proposed Emancipation Proclamation, he asked for a vote on the issue.
The Cabinet voted overwhelmingly against it. After all the "no" votes had been counted, Lincoln raised his right hand and said: "The ayes have it!"
........................................................................................................
Monday, January 18, 2016
Pakistani Hand Cutter; Boehner; Joe O'Gorman; Yuengling Beer; Tasteless; New England stats; MENSA
COLD! But sunny.
Assholes are getting younger!
A Pakistani teenager was accused of blasphemy by an imam, and was told that if he didn't do something about it, he would burn in Hell. So, this 17 year old went home and cut off his hand. Now.. some of his relatives are treating his cut-off hand as a holy relic.
How can the world survive with such celebrated ignorance!
Public Citizen
This organization reminds us: "On Capital Hill, John Boehner, the Speaker who shut down the government for 16 days in 2013, and held 50 (count-em) votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act (was) sacrificed.. for being insufficiently conservative!"
More of Joe O'Gorman
The other day, I wrote about our recently departed friend, Joe O'Gorman. I forgot to mention that he was a great lover of Yuengling Beer. I wonder if Bob Packard knew that. Bob has had a love affair with that beer for many years. Some years ago, I toured the Pennsylvania brewery in Pottsville (Town?).
Kids!
Die Tante ist zu Besuch. Ploetzlich steht Gabi aut, lekt am Kleid der Tante und sagt: "Mutti, du hast Recht, das Kleid ist wirklich geschmacklos!"
Yankee Magazine Statistics
In an endeavor to get me to be a subscriber again to Yankee Magazine, they sent me some interesting New England information:
1. Rhode Island's official state drink: Coffee Milk.
2. Boston's subway system services over 500,000 riders each weekday.
3. In 1797, 24 whale oil lamps illuminated Highland Light, the first lighthouse on Cape Cod. (New Bedford supplied the whale oil that lit America for many years.)
What is MENSA?
I think that the following is the best explanation for Mensa that I have seen for a while. It was appended to a "Day-a-Day" tear-off calendar, presented to me on Christmas by my beloved daughter-in-law, Kathleen.
"MENSA, the international High IQ Organization, connects more that 110,000 members worldwide by one common characteristic: a score in the top 2% on an accepted standardized supervised intelligence test, with 57,000 members in the United States. MENSA has a mission to identify and encourage human intelligence for the benefit of humanity while providing a stimulating intellectual, and social environment for its members. MENSA also provides scholarships, a research journal, and educational outreach for gifted youth through the MENSA Education and Research Foundation."
Wanna join?
.....................................................................
Assholes are getting younger!
A Pakistani teenager was accused of blasphemy by an imam, and was told that if he didn't do something about it, he would burn in Hell. So, this 17 year old went home and cut off his hand. Now.. some of his relatives are treating his cut-off hand as a holy relic.
How can the world survive with such celebrated ignorance!
Public Citizen
This organization reminds us: "On Capital Hill, John Boehner, the Speaker who shut down the government for 16 days in 2013, and held 50 (count-em) votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act (was) sacrificed.. for being insufficiently conservative!"
More of Joe O'Gorman
The other day, I wrote about our recently departed friend, Joe O'Gorman. I forgot to mention that he was a great lover of Yuengling Beer. I wonder if Bob Packard knew that. Bob has had a love affair with that beer for many years. Some years ago, I toured the Pennsylvania brewery in Pottsville (Town?).
Kids!
Die Tante ist zu Besuch. Ploetzlich steht Gabi aut, lekt am Kleid der Tante und sagt: "Mutti, du hast Recht, das Kleid ist wirklich geschmacklos!"
Yankee Magazine Statistics
In an endeavor to get me to be a subscriber again to Yankee Magazine, they sent me some interesting New England information:
1. Rhode Island's official state drink: Coffee Milk.
2. Boston's subway system services over 500,000 riders each weekday.
3. In 1797, 24 whale oil lamps illuminated Highland Light, the first lighthouse on Cape Cod. (New Bedford supplied the whale oil that lit America for many years.)
What is MENSA?
I think that the following is the best explanation for Mensa that I have seen for a while. It was appended to a "Day-a-Day" tear-off calendar, presented to me on Christmas by my beloved daughter-in-law, Kathleen.
"MENSA, the international High IQ Organization, connects more that 110,000 members worldwide by one common characteristic: a score in the top 2% on an accepted standardized supervised intelligence test, with 57,000 members in the United States. MENSA has a mission to identify and encourage human intelligence for the benefit of humanity while providing a stimulating intellectual, and social environment for its members. MENSA also provides scholarships, a research journal, and educational outreach for gifted youth through the MENSA Education and Research Foundation."
Wanna join?
.....................................................................
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Snow; Mittens; Cocoa; Sunburn; Owling; Planking; Engelbart; Mouse; Hypertext; INFINITY; Wine Club: Golden Eye
SNOW! Our first snow of 2016... just a little flurry. Time for some Winter stuff:
HealthCentral.com says:
1. Mittens keep your hands warmer than gloves.. they keep your fingers together, so there is less surface from which heat can escape.
2. Hot drinks do not keep you warm in the cold. A cup of hot cocoa might keep your hands warm for a couple of minutes.. but you would have to drink a quart or more of it in a short time, for it to affect your body heat.
3. You CAN get a sunburn in Winter. Think about the sun reflecting off of snow drifts.
Mystery?
In an old crossword puzzle (from 2013), one of the clues was "Owling and planking, e.g."... the answer worked out to be "fans".. but I could not find decent explanations for the clue words. I guess something passed me by on this.
Unsung Computer Pioneer
The year 2013 was also the year that Douglas Engelbart died. He invented the "mouse" in 1964. What would your computer experience be without a mouse? (The official name was: the "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System.")
In 1978, Engelbart told everyone about what his experimental research had been doing at Stanford University. He demonstrated word processing, video conferencing, and desktop windows, 13 years before the IBM PC.
He also developed hypertext!
Doug never got the recognition that he deserved, but he didn't really care. He was too busy working to obtain funds for his Stanford group.
INFINITY
A Comcast technician visited this morning and gave me a new cable box and fixed it us so that we can access all the features of Infinity... I've been paying for it for three or four months, but have not been able to utilize it. Now I can... looks like fun.. it has some new features that are tempting.
Wine by mail?
My son joined the wine club that mails you different wines every month or so. I thought that Maryland did not allow such mailing. But Chris says he gets his mail through the mail. I'll look into it. The New York Times advertises a wine club in every issue.
Marvelous Movie!
Last night, I was reviewing an old VCR taping and was surprised to find that the taped movie was
Reflections in a Golden Eye.... a remarkable movie. I never get tired of seeing it... this was perhaps the tenth time ... as a classic, every time I watch it, I see something I missed before.
Marlon Brando plays the closeted homosexual Army Major who stalks an enlisted man, who just happens to be able to sneak into the Major's wife's room while she sleeps in a drunken stupor, so that he can sniff her undies while watching her sleeping and snoring.
Elizabeth Taylor, the wife, was in excellent shape for this movie.. she plays the spoiled daughter of
a former General. Julie Harris plays a neurotic cuckolded wife who is best friends with her effeminate Phillipine houseboy, Anacleto. Brian Keith is the cuckolder, who is messing around with the Major's wife. All of this observed by a naked horseman (Private Williams.. played by Robert Forster).
In my opinion... everyone in this movie should have received an Academy Award... they played it perfectly, in my opinion. I will be ordering the original novel for my Kindle and look forward to reading it.
John Huston directed this movie in 1967.. based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Carson McCullers. Mr. Huston had all of the scenes suffused with gold color, except for one object (like a red rose) normally colored in each scene. Unfortunately, the public could not handle the color, so it was quickly redone... but the movie still bombed. I guess it took too much thought to make it easy to watch.
....................................................................................................................
HealthCentral.com says:
1. Mittens keep your hands warmer than gloves.. they keep your fingers together, so there is less surface from which heat can escape.
2. Hot drinks do not keep you warm in the cold. A cup of hot cocoa might keep your hands warm for a couple of minutes.. but you would have to drink a quart or more of it in a short time, for it to affect your body heat.
3. You CAN get a sunburn in Winter. Think about the sun reflecting off of snow drifts.
Mystery?
In an old crossword puzzle (from 2013), one of the clues was "Owling and planking, e.g."... the answer worked out to be "fans".. but I could not find decent explanations for the clue words. I guess something passed me by on this.
Unsung Computer Pioneer
The year 2013 was also the year that Douglas Engelbart died. He invented the "mouse" in 1964. What would your computer experience be without a mouse? (The official name was: the "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System.")
In 1978, Engelbart told everyone about what his experimental research had been doing at Stanford University. He demonstrated word processing, video conferencing, and desktop windows, 13 years before the IBM PC.
He also developed hypertext!
Doug never got the recognition that he deserved, but he didn't really care. He was too busy working to obtain funds for his Stanford group.
INFINITY
A Comcast technician visited this morning and gave me a new cable box and fixed it us so that we can access all the features of Infinity... I've been paying for it for three or four months, but have not been able to utilize it. Now I can... looks like fun.. it has some new features that are tempting.
Wine by mail?
My son joined the wine club that mails you different wines every month or so. I thought that Maryland did not allow such mailing. But Chris says he gets his mail through the mail. I'll look into it. The New York Times advertises a wine club in every issue.
Marvelous Movie!
Last night, I was reviewing an old VCR taping and was surprised to find that the taped movie was
Reflections in a Golden Eye.... a remarkable movie. I never get tired of seeing it... this was perhaps the tenth time ... as a classic, every time I watch it, I see something I missed before.
Marlon Brando plays the closeted homosexual Army Major who stalks an enlisted man, who just happens to be able to sneak into the Major's wife's room while she sleeps in a drunken stupor, so that he can sniff her undies while watching her sleeping and snoring.
Elizabeth Taylor, the wife, was in excellent shape for this movie.. she plays the spoiled daughter of
a former General. Julie Harris plays a neurotic cuckolded wife who is best friends with her effeminate Phillipine houseboy, Anacleto. Brian Keith is the cuckolder, who is messing around with the Major's wife. All of this observed by a naked horseman (Private Williams.. played by Robert Forster).
In my opinion... everyone in this movie should have received an Academy Award... they played it perfectly, in my opinion. I will be ordering the original novel for my Kindle and look forward to reading it.
John Huston directed this movie in 1967.. based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Carson McCullers. Mr. Huston had all of the scenes suffused with gold color, except for one object (like a red rose) normally colored in each scene. Unfortunately, the public could not handle the color, so it was quickly redone... but the movie still bombed. I guess it took too much thought to make it easy to watch.
....................................................................................................................
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Tribute to Joe O'Gorman .. and Danny Boy
Another interesting day. I went to the viewing and funeral for Joe O'Gorman. Joe was an amazing person. Let me try to recap as much as I know about him.
Joe was born in 1920 (!) in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Lawrence was once the textile capital of the world ( at least of the US). Workers came to Lawrence to work in one of the many many mills. They came from French Canada, European Countries, and especially Ireland. The Irish suffered much discrimination...... job opportunities would say: INNA (Irish Need Not Apply).
Joe went to the local high school where he joined the ROTC (Reserved Officers Training Corps). After he graduated, he went to work in some important industry (probably making clothing for soldiers... since it looked like war would break out soon.)
He did sign up for the Army in 1937 (17 years old) but they didn't keep him long because he was needed in his special industry work. Meanwhile he and his high school sweetheart planned a marriage. He was called back into the Army when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (1941). Before he got his first assignment, he and his girl friend got married.
Joe went to OCS (Officers Candidate School) and became a 2nd Lieutenant. He served at several stateside army bases and in 1945 he was sent to the Phillipines as a Captain to help prepare an invasion of Japan. However, events changed his job... namely, the Japanese surrendered.
After Joe was discharged, he used the GI Bill to get an education as an Engineer. Meanwhile, he and his wife raised a big family. He worked all over the country as an Engineer. I think that he worked and retired from a large number of companies.
His wife died a few years ago, and 2 years ago his daughter helped him come to live at Carroll Lutheran Village. (CLV). where he could relax and "play" for the rest of his long life.
Elaine and I met him at the Geneaology Club at CLV. He recognized my Massachusetts accent right away. We also went on two food "adventures" at CLV. He was always with the lady he was very friendly with... Dorothy. She has to use a scooter, and Joe helped her get around. They made a very nice couple. At one function, Joe used his Irish trickery to get me to spring for their drinks. I didn't mind at all.
Joe was a swimmer, and used the CLV pool every day, making new friends all the time.
On Christmas Eve, Pastor Jimmie Schwartz was surprised to see Joe standing in the back of Krug Chapel. (Joe was apparently not a very religious guy.) He offered Joe communion and was surprised when Joe acquiesced. Afterwards, Joe went home and suffered a stroke. Four days later he passed away.
In Joe's honor, I want to show the words to Danny Boy... an Irish song which is guaranteed to bring tears to youor eyes:
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
OK... why did I write this "obituary" for Joe O'Gorman. Well, I really liked the guy and I wanted to get something written about him, so that I could refer to it in the future and remember what a nice guy he was.
RIP Joe!
............................................................................................
Joe was born in 1920 (!) in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Lawrence was once the textile capital of the world ( at least of the US). Workers came to Lawrence to work in one of the many many mills. They came from French Canada, European Countries, and especially Ireland. The Irish suffered much discrimination...... job opportunities would say: INNA (Irish Need Not Apply).
Joe went to the local high school where he joined the ROTC (Reserved Officers Training Corps). After he graduated, he went to work in some important industry (probably making clothing for soldiers... since it looked like war would break out soon.)
He did sign up for the Army in 1937 (17 years old) but they didn't keep him long because he was needed in his special industry work. Meanwhile he and his high school sweetheart planned a marriage. He was called back into the Army when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (1941). Before he got his first assignment, he and his girl friend got married.
Joe went to OCS (Officers Candidate School) and became a 2nd Lieutenant. He served at several stateside army bases and in 1945 he was sent to the Phillipines as a Captain to help prepare an invasion of Japan. However, events changed his job... namely, the Japanese surrendered.
After Joe was discharged, he used the GI Bill to get an education as an Engineer. Meanwhile, he and his wife raised a big family. He worked all over the country as an Engineer. I think that he worked and retired from a large number of companies.
His wife died a few years ago, and 2 years ago his daughter helped him come to live at Carroll Lutheran Village. (CLV). where he could relax and "play" for the rest of his long life.
Elaine and I met him at the Geneaology Club at CLV. He recognized my Massachusetts accent right away. We also went on two food "adventures" at CLV. He was always with the lady he was very friendly with... Dorothy. She has to use a scooter, and Joe helped her get around. They made a very nice couple. At one function, Joe used his Irish trickery to get me to spring for their drinks. I didn't mind at all.
Joe was a swimmer, and used the CLV pool every day, making new friends all the time.
On Christmas Eve, Pastor Jimmie Schwartz was surprised to see Joe standing in the back of Krug Chapel. (Joe was apparently not a very religious guy.) He offered Joe communion and was surprised when Joe acquiesced. Afterwards, Joe went home and suffered a stroke. Four days later he passed away.
In Joe's honor, I want to show the words to Danny Boy... an Irish song which is guaranteed to bring tears to youor eyes:
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
OK... why did I write this "obituary" for Joe O'Gorman. Well, I really liked the guy and I wanted to get something written about him, so that I could refer to it in the future and remember what a nice guy he was.
RIP Joe!
............................................................................................
Friday, January 15, 2016
Heart Cath; Lasix; Peepee; Rolls Royce gift to cousin Allen; Sheep Disappeaance
What a day! My son, Chris, drove me to the Carroll Hospital Center for a Heart Catheterization procedure. I was a bit apprehensive, but the nice nurses and Chris gave me the courage to continue.. and so, it wasn't so bad The prognosis... a lot of water that needs to be pumped out of my body. So.. I will be increasing my LASIX pills for 4 days and then checking with my cardiologist to see if it made a difference.
"Peepee in the morning, peepee in the evening, peepee in Winter time.
Peepee am and peepee pm.. peepee all of the time!:
In one of my blog entrees, I mentioned that my grandfather had a club, whose membership consisted of country boys who had survived the initiation without complaining. The initiation was called "Pee More Yet!"
The initiate was blindfolded.. and each of the members took turns peeing in his pockets. I know.. I know.. juvenile stuff.... but they were country kids in the early 1900's.
During the six hours that I was having the procedure, 4 of those hours was spent with me bending my son's ears. I couldn't be shut up... however, once in a while, Chris got a word in and I learned a lot from him. He sure is a bright guy!
My cousin, Allen Vaughan, Jr.., received his Rolls Royce model today. I was hoping it would be anonymous...but my name apparently was on some of the paperwork enclosed, so he found out right away it was from me. He seemed to be happy to get the model.
The sheep and little lamb next door, at the Malin's, have disappeared... I think they took them inside for the Winter season. I hope so.. I would not want them to have been stolen.
I'm so tired that I'm falling asleep sitting up. Bye for now.
"Peepee in the morning, peepee in the evening, peepee in Winter time.
Peepee am and peepee pm.. peepee all of the time!:
In one of my blog entrees, I mentioned that my grandfather had a club, whose membership consisted of country boys who had survived the initiation without complaining. The initiation was called "Pee More Yet!"
The initiate was blindfolded.. and each of the members took turns peeing in his pockets. I know.. I know.. juvenile stuff.... but they were country kids in the early 1900's.
During the six hours that I was having the procedure, 4 of those hours was spent with me bending my son's ears. I couldn't be shut up... however, once in a while, Chris got a word in and I learned a lot from him. He sure is a bright guy!
My cousin, Allen Vaughan, Jr.., received his Rolls Royce model today. I was hoping it would be anonymous...but my name apparently was on some of the paperwork enclosed, so he found out right away it was from me. He seemed to be happy to get the model.
The sheep and little lamb next door, at the Malin's, have disappeared... I think they took them inside for the Winter season. I hope so.. I would not want them to have been stolen.
I'm so tired that I'm falling asleep sitting up. Bye for now.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Whites Only?, The Richest Candidates; Hurricane's Birth; Emergency Kits; Episcopalians; Smart Axeman; Beer Report
Amazing day! AARP Board Meeting. NARFE general membership meeting. I had arranged to have Dick Ellsworth come and talk about his books... and his many years as a policeman in Baltimore City. The crowd loved it. When I left, there was a line of people waiting to buy his books. Dick looked happy.
Contamination?
A guy on the radio this morning said he was a buddy of Kanye West, as a kid in downtown Los Angeles. One very hot summer day, he and Kanye were watching the "whites only" swimming pool and decided that they couldn't take it any more. They whipped off their clothes and jumped into the pool. Immediately, the whites began to clamber out of the pool.. and then the life savers began to drain the pool.
GranMa Sez: What.. did they think that the color was going to melt off of their bodies?
Who is the richest candidate?
Forbes Magazine did a survey and found out that all but four of the folks running to 2016 office are multi-millionaires. The top of the list showed these Net Worth statistics:
Donald Trump $4,5 Billion
Carly Fiorina $58 Million
Hillary Clinton $45 Million
..and on the bottom:
Martin O'Malley (ZERO!)
Are you Ready?
Hurricane Alex has been born off the coast of Africa. May not get to us before getting destroyed by cold Atlantic ocean water. I think this is one of the earliest hurricane births.
Emergency Kits
One should probably keep an emergency kit in one's vehicle... in case of Hurricanes, Floods; Blizzards, and Tornados. Maryland Episcopals have put out a list of suggested items to keep in your emergency kit.
a shovel
windshield scraper and small broom
flashlight
battery-powered radio
extra batteries
water
snack food
matches
extra hats, socks and mittens
first aid kit with pocket knife
necessary medications
blankets
tow chain or rope
road salt and sand
booster cables
emergency flares
fluorescent distress flag
Episcopalians
These folks are having trouble with their African branches, who do not think it is right to ordain homosexual priests. In some African countries, homosexuals can be arrested and hung. Looks to me as though there will be a break-down in this church because of this issue.
In the meantime, I like the story that Episcopal Bishop Sutton relates:
"The story is told of two woodcutters who were given a full day's job chopping. One of them chopped all day, not stopping for a moment's rest. After his eight hours of nonstop chopping, he had a large pile of logs.
The other chopper worked for 15 minutes, then took a 10-minute break. he worked calmly and steadily, but worked less actual time than his coworker. At the end of the day, the one who had taken periodic breaks had a much larger pile that the one who did not.
The man who worked nonstop was amazed and asked his coworker, "How can this be possible?" He replied, "It's simple... when I stopped to rest, I also sharpened my axe!"
Abraham Lincoln told a version of this story.. about guys sawing wood.
Beer Report
I just tried The Truth IPA.. another great craft beer from Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, MD.
8.7% alcohol. Nice taste. I like it, and you will probably like it too.
Contamination?
A guy on the radio this morning said he was a buddy of Kanye West, as a kid in downtown Los Angeles. One very hot summer day, he and Kanye were watching the "whites only" swimming pool and decided that they couldn't take it any more. They whipped off their clothes and jumped into the pool. Immediately, the whites began to clamber out of the pool.. and then the life savers began to drain the pool.
GranMa Sez: What.. did they think that the color was going to melt off of their bodies?
Who is the richest candidate?
Forbes Magazine did a survey and found out that all but four of the folks running to 2016 office are multi-millionaires. The top of the list showed these Net Worth statistics:
Donald Trump $4,5 Billion
Carly Fiorina $58 Million
Hillary Clinton $45 Million
..and on the bottom:
Martin O'Malley (ZERO!)
Are you Ready?
Hurricane Alex has been born off the coast of Africa. May not get to us before getting destroyed by cold Atlantic ocean water. I think this is one of the earliest hurricane births.
Emergency Kits
One should probably keep an emergency kit in one's vehicle... in case of Hurricanes, Floods; Blizzards, and Tornados. Maryland Episcopals have put out a list of suggested items to keep in your emergency kit.
a shovel
windshield scraper and small broom
flashlight
battery-powered radio
extra batteries
water
snack food
matches
extra hats, socks and mittens
first aid kit with pocket knife
necessary medications
blankets
tow chain or rope
road salt and sand
booster cables
emergency flares
fluorescent distress flag
Episcopalians
These folks are having trouble with their African branches, who do not think it is right to ordain homosexual priests. In some African countries, homosexuals can be arrested and hung. Looks to me as though there will be a break-down in this church because of this issue.
In the meantime, I like the story that Episcopal Bishop Sutton relates:
"The story is told of two woodcutters who were given a full day's job chopping. One of them chopped all day, not stopping for a moment's rest. After his eight hours of nonstop chopping, he had a large pile of logs.
The other chopper worked for 15 minutes, then took a 10-minute break. he worked calmly and steadily, but worked less actual time than his coworker. At the end of the day, the one who had taken periodic breaks had a much larger pile that the one who did not.
The man who worked nonstop was amazed and asked his coworker, "How can this be possible?" He replied, "It's simple... when I stopped to rest, I also sharpened my axe!"
Abraham Lincoln told a version of this story.. about guys sawing wood.
Beer Report
I just tried The Truth IPA.. another great craft beer from Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, MD.
8.7% alcohol. Nice taste. I like it, and you will probably like it too.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Odd Facts; Money Management; Incarceration Cost; Garbage; Palin; Senior Lyrics; Increase Employment; Milk Shake; Coffee
Hi there... let's see if I can come up with about 10 weird things that might intrigue you:
Some Random Facts from Ted Saffran (HCFA)
A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.
50 United States are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at a red light.
The Cruise Liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel fuel that it burns.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
Managing Your Money (from Cathy Hiebler)
1. Check your credit record.
2. If you buy stock... diversify.
3. Join or start an investment club.
4. Look for "found" money. (?)
5. Reduce your mutual fund fees by combining them.
6. Open a treasury direct account (like DRPs)
7. Get an estimate of your Social Security Benefits.
8. Get proper beneficiaries on your pension, 401K accounts, insurance policies, etc.
9. Trouble saving? Pack a lunch.
Introduction for Old Club Standby
"Allan has been president, treasurer, and secretary of this club for many years. Please help me welcome a real "Has Been".
The Cost of Incarceration
In 2011, California spent an average of $225,000 on each minor in its juvenile detention system.
I would have thought that we would be first
Harpers says that Canada is the largest producer of garbage per capita in the industrialized world.
The Price of Politics
Harpers reports that Sarah Palin was paid almost $16 per word she spoke on air during her two year Fox News contract.
New Lyrics for Senior Hipsters
John Koziol lists the following revised lyrics for aging Baby Boomers:
Ringo Starr: I get By With a Little Help for Depends
Helen Reddy: I am Woman. Hear me Snore.
Willie Nelson: On the Commode Again.
How to Increase Employment
I published these suggestions some time ago... but I haven't gotten an award for them yet.
1. Reinstitute supermarket loaders (also: Lowes, etc)
2. Do away with ATM's.. more tellers will be needed.
3. No longer be allowed to pump gas!
4. Require elevator operators.
5. Bring back home milk delivery.
6. Hire street sweepers, like they have in Russia.
7. Hire table bussers.
8. Roadside junk picker-upers (not prisoners)
9. Bread delivery.
10. Receptionists.
11. Clear forest areas and parks of tree damage, etc.
12. Ice cream delivery.
13. Home dry cleaning
14. More than one mail delivery per day.
White Russian Milk Shake Recipe
This is called "The Lebowski Shake".
One 14 oz container of vanilla ice cream
1 oz coffee liqueur (like Kahlua)
1 oz vodka
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
Blend until smooth.. put in a chilled glass and enjoy.
Starbucks Coffee
I think I mentioned that yesterday I had the worst coffee I have ever had in my life at a Starbucks store. Well, some folks must really like it out west... Santa Fe Springs, California, enjoys the world's highest concentration of Starbucks outlets. There are 560 (count'em) Starbucks stores within 25 miles of the town.
Coffee Fit
Right now... my XM station is playing: "I love coffee, I love tea.... a cuppa cuppa cup...!"
I'm having a hospital procedure on Friday and I can't have caffeine either today or tomorrow ... and I keep thinking about it....and I just drink decaf. But: "I love the Java Java.. and it loves me."
.............................................................................................................
Some Random Facts from Ted Saffran (HCFA)
A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.
50 United States are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at a red light.
The Cruise Liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel fuel that it burns.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
Managing Your Money (from Cathy Hiebler)
1. Check your credit record.
2. If you buy stock... diversify.
3. Join or start an investment club.
4. Look for "found" money. (?)
5. Reduce your mutual fund fees by combining them.
6. Open a treasury direct account (like DRPs)
7. Get an estimate of your Social Security Benefits.
8. Get proper beneficiaries on your pension, 401K accounts, insurance policies, etc.
9. Trouble saving? Pack a lunch.
Introduction for Old Club Standby
"Allan has been president, treasurer, and secretary of this club for many years. Please help me welcome a real "Has Been".
The Cost of Incarceration
In 2011, California spent an average of $225,000 on each minor in its juvenile detention system.
I would have thought that we would be first
Harpers says that Canada is the largest producer of garbage per capita in the industrialized world.
The Price of Politics
Harpers reports that Sarah Palin was paid almost $16 per word she spoke on air during her two year Fox News contract.
New Lyrics for Senior Hipsters
John Koziol lists the following revised lyrics for aging Baby Boomers:
Ringo Starr: I get By With a Little Help for Depends
Helen Reddy: I am Woman. Hear me Snore.
Willie Nelson: On the Commode Again.
How to Increase Employment
I published these suggestions some time ago... but I haven't gotten an award for them yet.
1. Reinstitute supermarket loaders (also: Lowes, etc)
2. Do away with ATM's.. more tellers will be needed.
3. No longer be allowed to pump gas!
4. Require elevator operators.
5. Bring back home milk delivery.
6. Hire street sweepers, like they have in Russia.
7. Hire table bussers.
8. Roadside junk picker-upers (not prisoners)
9. Bread delivery.
10. Receptionists.
11. Clear forest areas and parks of tree damage, etc.
12. Ice cream delivery.
13. Home dry cleaning
14. More than one mail delivery per day.
White Russian Milk Shake Recipe
This is called "The Lebowski Shake".
One 14 oz container of vanilla ice cream
1 oz coffee liqueur (like Kahlua)
1 oz vodka
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
Blend until smooth.. put in a chilled glass and enjoy.
Starbucks Coffee
I think I mentioned that yesterday I had the worst coffee I have ever had in my life at a Starbucks store. Well, some folks must really like it out west... Santa Fe Springs, California, enjoys the world's highest concentration of Starbucks outlets. There are 560 (count'em) Starbucks stores within 25 miles of the town.
Coffee Fit
Right now... my XM station is playing: "I love coffee, I love tea.... a cuppa cuppa cup...!"
I'm having a hospital procedure on Friday and I can't have caffeine either today or tomorrow ... and I keep thinking about it....and I just drink decaf. But: "I love the Java Java.. and it loves me."
.............................................................................................................
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Some naughty jokes; Dreams; Julius Caesar; The Resurrection; Beer Name Suit settled? Personal Ad
This is a reissue of a blog entry from 6 1/2 years ago. I hope it doesn't shock your sensitivities.
.........................................................................
DREAMS
Do you dream in color? I woke up the other morning from a black and white only environment and was almost blinded by the sun's rays.
What is Data Processing?
A planned operation on facts (data) in a series of logical steps to achieve a desired result (information).... now you know.
Cryptographic Hint
Only these 10 words constitute more that one quarter of any text:
the, of, and, to , a , in, that, it, is and I
Caesar SEZ:
"Cowards die many times before their death;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange
That men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come."
Shakespeare (Did Caesar say this to Brutus?)
Postal Solution
Dmitri Borgmann says that a solution to the Postal Services money problem would be to have stamps that weigh 7/8th of an ounce. (Think about that for a few minutes.)
Alan Kaufman Joke
A man takes his wife to a doctor because she was not feeling well. The doctor examined her and told the husband: "You wife needs sex twice a week."
The man says: "Well.. when?"
The doctor says: :How about Tuesdays and Thursdays?"
The man says: Well, I can bring her in on Tuesdays, but she'll have to catch a bus on Thursday."
Allan Misch Joke
Wife (22) loses her husband (85). She is distraught and the undertaker asks her to elaborate.
She says: "Well we had a wonderful sex life once a week only, when the church bells rang.. and if it hadn't been for that damn firetruck, he'd be alive today."
The Resurrection
A Pastor was presenting Children's sermon and asked if they knew what the "resurrection" was. One little boy raised his hand, and when the Pastor called on him, he said: "I know that if you have a resurrection that lasts more than four hours, you are supposed to call a doctor."
Beer lover.. tell me how this ended up...
In 2010, a craft brewery sued Michigan's state liquor board for denying a license to its Raging Bitch Beer. Flying Dog Brewery pointed out that the board previously approved its Doggie Style label.. but Michigan says the Bitch depiction is "detrimental to the welfare of the general public." I do buy Raging Bitch Beer here is Maryland. It is wonderful IPA beer.
Personal Ad from Florida
"Long term commitment: Recent widow who has just buried fourth husband, and am looking for someone to round out a six-unit plot. Dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath not a problem."
...........................................enough of this foolishness... bye bye..........................
Monday, January 11, 2016
MVA Refund; Beer Testing; Granma SEZ: Baby Boomers; Telephone Robots; Chinese Names; Mexican Crime; Obamacare Repeal; Baby Mozarts;
Sunny morning... but cold and windy. Winter is here now.
MVA Refund
Sometimes you win. My auto insurance company screwed up dates on my account and it appeared that I did not have auto insurance for one day. That is a "no, no" in Maryland, and I was fined $150. After lots of action by me and help by a nice lady at the MVA, I received an MVA letter saying that I would be getting my $150 back.
Beer Testing
Tell Tale Heart IPA: It is, of course, brewed in Edgar Allen Poe's old "stomping ground", Baltimore, at the Peabody Heights Brewery, 401 E. 30th St. At 7.3% alcohol, it has a marvelous flavor. I heartily recommend it to one and all.
Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce: supposedly this is Ben Franklin's recipe, using molasses and spruce tips and sprigs. At 5% alcohol, it's OK, but not great. I was hoping that the spruce would give it a special flavor, like beers that I really liked when I was in Germany. But, it didn't come close and I thought the taste was kind of ordinary. Try it.. you might think differently.
MVA Refund
Sometimes you win. My auto insurance company screwed up dates on my account and it appeared that I did not have auto insurance for one day. That is a "no, no" in Maryland, and I was fined $150. After lots of action by me and help by a nice lady at the MVA, I received an MVA letter saying that I would be getting my $150 back.
Beer Testing
Tell Tale Heart IPA: It is, of course, brewed in Edgar Allen Poe's old "stomping ground", Baltimore, at the Peabody Heights Brewery, 401 E. 30th St. At 7.3% alcohol, it has a marvelous flavor. I heartily recommend it to one and all.
Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce: supposedly this is Ben Franklin's recipe, using molasses and spruce tips and sprigs. At 5% alcohol, it's OK, but not great. I was hoping that the spruce would give it a special flavor, like beers that I really liked when I was in Germany. But, it didn't come close and I thought the taste was kind of ordinary. Try it.. you might think differently.
Granma SEZ:
Elaine says that Hermine Saunders had the dates wrong for Baby Boomers (see my earlier blog entry). She says it really is from 1946 through 1964. She knows this is true because she was born in 1946.
Telephone Irritations
Have you ever called a company and had a robot tell you to wait while they connected you.. and while they supposedly did so.. you heard some kind of phony computer sound...the whirr of magnetic tape, the click of a printer, or other irritating noise? I get that all the time, even when I call a communications company. How dumb do they think we are?
Also, what about the robot voice that says: "Listen carefully, as our menu has changed recently."
You know that is usually a lie.
I do not like to talk to a robot. They never understand me and it takes forever to get to talk to a human being. As soon as I can, I press zero, and sometimes I do get relief.. sometimes not.
Name Changes
I read that the government of China is telling the population that they should be giving their kid's typical Chinese names, and not names that reflect Islam.
Gunsmoke II
Texans were confused about the new open-carry gun law. The law doesn't specify the number of guns a person may open-carry. Private businesses are still able to ban guns on their property.
I'll bet that Texans will want to hire another Marshall Dillon when gun fights start to escalate.
You Think Crime is Bad in the US?
The Week magazine says that "Nearly 100 mayors and more that 1,000 municipal officials have been killed since 2006, when the Mexican government first deployed troops to fight the nation's drug cartels."
Repeal of Obamacare?
The Republicans in both the House and Senate did receive the anticipated veto from the President on their (wait a minute... you won't believe it...) 62nd try to repeal Obamacare... and, of course, there were not enough votes to override the veto.
Raising Mozarts?
A Spanish company is marketing the Babypod, which is a miniature speaker that can be inserted into a pregnant woman's vagina to stimulate the fetus with music. I did read where some scientists have said that playing music to unborn babies is a waste of time. I don't think so.
..........................................................................................................................
Sunday, January 10, 2016
S[ecial Blog Entry... Chihauhau, Mexico trip... SUGGESTION!
If you do not live in Carroll Lutheran Village, please disregard this special blog entry.
I'm writing this because I think that some residents will shortly miss out on a fun time, at no fault of their own.
A few minutes ago, as I was on my porch for some reason, I noticed that one of my neighbors took something from his mailbox. I checked our mailbox and found a "flyer" for a CLV Express Supper on Friday, January 22. The theme of this special supper will be a train trip stop at Chihauhau, Mexico. To sign up, one must call in a reservation on Monday, January 11, at 9 AM... that's tomorrow, folks! (If I had not seen my neighbor, I would not have checked my mailbox until around noon on Monday...and that would be too late.)
There are two ways that notices like this are made available to residents at CLV.
1: They are placed in the cubbyhole mail places of apartment dwellers.
2. They are placed in the outside mailboxes of house dwellers.
If in the cubbyholes.... apartment dwellers can check quite easily visually. However, they could miss checking on Sunday.
If in the mailboxes.. this is what usually happens, if it is placed on Sunday. Mail comes on Monday, after noon, so, if one doesn't check the outdoor mailbox on Sunday, and finds the flyer when the mailman comes at 1 pm.. it obviously is too late to call, and they miss a chance to participate in the "fun" time. This happened to us once.
I'm sure there are arguments to cover why the notices are given out the way they are. But, the call-in time should be easy to change.
So.. I am making a very simple solution. Just ask people to call in their reservations on Tuesday instead of Monday.
I'm writing this because I think that some residents will shortly miss out on a fun time, at no fault of their own.
A few minutes ago, as I was on my porch for some reason, I noticed that one of my neighbors took something from his mailbox. I checked our mailbox and found a "flyer" for a CLV Express Supper on Friday, January 22. The theme of this special supper will be a train trip stop at Chihauhau, Mexico. To sign up, one must call in a reservation on Monday, January 11, at 9 AM... that's tomorrow, folks! (If I had not seen my neighbor, I would not have checked my mailbox until around noon on Monday...and that would be too late.)
There are two ways that notices like this are made available to residents at CLV.
1: They are placed in the cubbyhole mail places of apartment dwellers.
2. They are placed in the outside mailboxes of house dwellers.
If in the cubbyholes.... apartment dwellers can check quite easily visually. However, they could miss checking on Sunday.
If in the mailboxes.. this is what usually happens, if it is placed on Sunday. Mail comes on Monday, after noon, so, if one doesn't check the outdoor mailbox on Sunday, and finds the flyer when the mailman comes at 1 pm.. it obviously is too late to call, and they miss a chance to participate in the "fun" time. This happened to us once.
I'm sure there are arguments to cover why the notices are given out the way they are. But, the call-in time should be easy to change.
So.. I am making a very simple solution. Just ask people to call in their reservations on Tuesday instead of Monday.
(I brought this up at Drawing Room Meetings and I thought that it was to be done.)
Thanks for listening.
TWITTER; HBOMB; Oregon; Trump; Cologne; MUFON; Bible sale; American Generations
Sunday... the sun is poking through the clouds.. it may become a pleasant day.
Today, I will be talking about some activity that occurred in the last few days... interesting to me.. maybe to you too.
TWITTER
Increase in the comment area will serve a great purpose to those of us who have that disease that causes us to talk, talk, talk, for a long time, even when we don't have much to say. I gave up on TWITTER when I chose to follow a politician who then began to tweet hundreds of times each day.
North Korea
Did they or didn't they explode an H-bomb? I talked about this in an earlier blog entry. I like to watch the Korean army march.. they look just like the evil Witch's army in the Wizard of OZ.
Today, I will be talking about some activity that occurred in the last few days... interesting to me.. maybe to you too.
Increase in the comment area will serve a great purpose to those of us who have that disease that causes us to talk, talk, talk, for a long time, even when we don't have much to say. I gave up on TWITTER when I chose to follow a politician who then began to tweet hundreds of times each day.
North Korea
Did they or didn't they explode an H-bomb? I talked about this in an earlier blog entry. I like to watch the Korean army march.. they look just like the evil Witch's army in the Wizard of OZ.
Oregon Assholes
One of the columnists predicts that when they run out of toilet paper, they will decide to go home. I do appreciate that these folks told the machine-armed white militia members who just showed up (to protect the borders) to go home. Wise move. But, we haven't heard the last of this situation. I just hope that the Government leaves them alone and avoids any shooting.
Trump and the Muslim Lady
I also talked about this in an earlier blog entry. Stand by... more Trump stuff will probably happen soon again.
Cologne's Female Harassment
Unbelievable to me that North African or Syrian refugee men molested German women on the streets of Cologne, Germany. I love that city. I spent most of my spare time there when I was stationed in Germany. I would take a carton of American cigarettes to that city, where it was snapped up by the Black Market... the German money I made, provided for a pleasant, all expenses covered weekend.
As far as the refugees being sex-starved.... check this out:
When I first arrived in Cologne and got to know a few people, I asked why there were long lines of men outside of a building in the center of town. The line moved fast and the people in the line seemed to be a happy lot.
Well. I learned that . the building was a government-sponsored Pfanthaus or Poof (I probably have the name all wrong... it's been over 50 years after all.) That could be translated to Whorehouse. For just 2 Marks (equivalent at the time to 50 cents, American), German men could get their needs taken care of, and could be assured that they would not get a sexually transmitted disease.
Perhaps, nobody has explained this set up to the refugees.
UFO and Alien Encounters
I belong to a group named MUFON, which investigates all UFO sightings (old and new) and publishes their findings. Most sightings are easily explainable, but quite a few are not. Well, Hillary Clinton has now said that when she is President, she will look into the situation and make sure that there is not any alien encounter information that has been covered up.
I had a UFO situation in Germany, but I never did see what might have been alien spaceships.
Naughty Bible Sale
There is a version of the King James Bible that has a famous misquote in it. The only copy sold this week for thousands of dollars. The misquote: "Thou shallt commit adultery."
Six Generations
A friend, Hermine Saunders, writes today in a Carroll County Times column about six generations of Americans still alive and kicking in the good old USA:
The GI Generation (The Greatest Generation) .... 1901-1924
The Silent Generation .... 1925-1942
Baby Boomers .... 1943-1964
Generation X ... 1965-1980
Millenniens .(Generation Y) .... 1981-2000
Generation Z .... 2000-2015
....enough for now....
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Mr. Trump; Muslim Protests; Senility; POPEYE's Joke Book: St. Peter; Homesick; Music; Lobsters
Well, Mr. Trump has done it again... he had a peaceful protesting Muslim woman ejected from one of his rallies. Some of his supporters made their feelings felt and it all sounded like a Nazi crowd razing Jews 80 years ago. I threw a person out of one of my meetings last year.. but, in my case, the lady was not quietly protesting.. she was yelling at me and my attendees, telling them how dumb they were. Anyway, Mr. Trump is always in some kind of trouble. Just visualize the state of affairs if he were to become President.
I went to a friend's funeral today... but since I was the only one, I thought that I should check the obituary again... yep... I had misread it.. the funeral is next Saturday. Am I getting senile in my dotage? That's the second "meeting" this week where I was the only attendee!!
Some years ago, I found a wonderful book at a local auction. It is a book of jokes by a noted Westminster, Maryland raconteur, Willam M. Passano, SR. It was published by Popeye's Publishing Company, Boston.. in 1985. Which, I believe, was a property established by Mr. Passano, whose family and friends have called POPEYE for years. (Like me as PREPOP.)
There is a printed warning that none of the book can be reproduced in any form. However, the book contains jokes... which are all in the public domain... nobody owns jokes, although some comedians probably think they do. I want to defy the warning and reproduce some of the jokes (all of which I think are great... Popeye must have been a great storyteller.)
Jealous Husband
Jim was given the afternoon off by his boss. As he came home, he smelt cigar smoke in his house and his wife was dressed in a negligee and looked flustered. Jim looked out the window and saw a man hurrying along the sidewalk. Thinking that this guy had probably been messing with his wife, he grabbed the nearest thing he could put his hands on, which was a refrigerator, and threw it out of the second story window. It landed on the hurrying man, killing him instantly.
But this exertion had been too much for Jim, and he had a heart attack and died.
Subsequently, three guys showed up at the Pearly Gates.
Saint Peter asked the first guy what happened to him. He said, "I had a domestic problem and I overexerted myself, had a heart attack and died."
Saint Peter asked the second guy what happened to him. He said, "I was walking along, hurrying to work, when somebody threw a refrigerator at me and killed me."
Saint Peter then asked the third guy what happened to him. He said, "Well, I was sitting in a refrigerator minding my own business...."
Homesick
A salesman has been out on the road for several days and he orders for breakfast warm orange juice, two eggs boiled hard, burnt toast and lukewarm coffee. When this arrives he says to the waitress: "Now nag me. I've been on the road for a month and I'm homesick."
Music
A guy goes into a bar, orders a martini, and goes into the men's room. When he comes back, he finds a monkey on the bar with its tail in his drink. He complains to the bartender, who says "It belongs to the piano player, talk to him." So he goes over to the piano player and says: "Hey... do you know your monkey has his tail in my drink?" The piano player responds: "No, I don't, but if you hum a few bars I think I could pick it up."
To finish today's blog entry.. here is what I consider the best of the lot of jokes:
Lobsterman
A lobsterman had been tending his pots in Maine all morning, and when he returned to the dock in the afternoon, he saw a crowd of people gathered there. When he went ashore, he was told that his mother in law had fallen off the dock and drowned. When they hauled her up, she was covered with lobsters. They asked him what they should do, and he said: "Well, pick them off and set her out again."
..............................................................................................
I went to a friend's funeral today... but since I was the only one, I thought that I should check the obituary again... yep... I had misread it.. the funeral is next Saturday. Am I getting senile in my dotage? That's the second "meeting" this week where I was the only attendee!!
Some years ago, I found a wonderful book at a local auction. It is a book of jokes by a noted Westminster, Maryland raconteur, Willam M. Passano, SR. It was published by Popeye's Publishing Company, Boston.. in 1985. Which, I believe, was a property established by Mr. Passano, whose family and friends have called POPEYE for years. (Like me as PREPOP.)
There is a printed warning that none of the book can be reproduced in any form. However, the book contains jokes... which are all in the public domain... nobody owns jokes, although some comedians probably think they do. I want to defy the warning and reproduce some of the jokes (all of which I think are great... Popeye must have been a great storyteller.)
Jealous Husband
Jim was given the afternoon off by his boss. As he came home, he smelt cigar smoke in his house and his wife was dressed in a negligee and looked flustered. Jim looked out the window and saw a man hurrying along the sidewalk. Thinking that this guy had probably been messing with his wife, he grabbed the nearest thing he could put his hands on, which was a refrigerator, and threw it out of the second story window. It landed on the hurrying man, killing him instantly.
But this exertion had been too much for Jim, and he had a heart attack and died.
Subsequently, three guys showed up at the Pearly Gates.
Saint Peter asked the first guy what happened to him. He said, "I had a domestic problem and I overexerted myself, had a heart attack and died."
Saint Peter asked the second guy what happened to him. He said, "I was walking along, hurrying to work, when somebody threw a refrigerator at me and killed me."
Saint Peter then asked the third guy what happened to him. He said, "Well, I was sitting in a refrigerator minding my own business...."
Homesick
A salesman has been out on the road for several days and he orders for breakfast warm orange juice, two eggs boiled hard, burnt toast and lukewarm coffee. When this arrives he says to the waitress: "Now nag me. I've been on the road for a month and I'm homesick."
Music
A guy goes into a bar, orders a martini, and goes into the men's room. When he comes back, he finds a monkey on the bar with its tail in his drink. He complains to the bartender, who says "It belongs to the piano player, talk to him." So he goes over to the piano player and says: "Hey... do you know your monkey has his tail in my drink?" The piano player responds: "No, I don't, but if you hum a few bars I think I could pick it up."
To finish today's blog entry.. here is what I consider the best of the lot of jokes:
Lobsterman
A lobsterman had been tending his pots in Maine all morning, and when he returned to the dock in the afternoon, he saw a crowd of people gathered there. When he went ashore, he was told that his mother in law had fallen off the dock and drowned. When they hauled her up, she was covered with lobsters. They asked him what they should do, and he said: "Well, pick them off and set her out again."
..............................................................................................
Friday, January 8, 2016
AARP Meeting Day; Senior Citizen Classic Joke; Mitzi's Pens; Burnie is polluting again; Gun Census; Astronomy
This was AARP meeting day.. 35 people showed up at the American Legion. I had submitted meeting info to the Carroll County Times, and they said they would publish it (if they had time)..I guess they didn't have time.. but, I was glad that our loyal members showed up anyway.
Classic Senior Citizen Joke
Bill Engelhardt publishes the HCFA/CMS Newsletter and I stole this joke from that publication.
An elderly senior couple, Mary and Bill, were invited to an old friend's home for dinner one evening.
Mary was impressed by the way her lady friend preceded every request to her husband with endearing terms, such as: Honey, My Love, Darling, Sweetheart, Pumpkin, etc.
The couple had been married almost 70 years and clearly, they were still very much in love.
While their husbands were in the living room, Mary leaned over to her host to say, "I think it's wonderful that, after all these years, you still call your husband all those loving pet names."
The elderly lady hung her head. . "I have to tell you the truth," she said. "His name slipped my mind about 10 years ago, and I'm scared to death to ask the cranky old bastard what his name is."
Pens
I noticed that Mitzie Lepke always has a plastic bag filled with ball-point pens. Each pen has a different set of writing on it. Mitzie got these pens online. They are pen company rehects, She paid $29 for 300 of them. Sounds like a great deal to me.
Burnie
Our over the back hill neighbor, we call Burnie, is having lots of fun today in our deep fog. He has his patio burner going strongly... and the smoke is combining with the fog, so that it looks like Beijing all over our campus. And.. stink! He gets loads of "throwaway" pallets, breaks them up, and burns them almost every night.. This is pine, and burns fast and hot.... I wonder why he hasn't burned his house down yet.
Who owns guns?
Tricia Bishop of the Baltimore Sun suggests that there be a census of gun owners.
Louise Miller's Joke
I forgot to type in Louise's joke before I did mine. Here goes.
Three political candidates were asked what their goals would be astronomically if they were elected President.
The Democrat said he would put a man on the moon
The Republican said he would put a man on Mars.
The (?) said he would put a man on the Sun.
A reporter said.. don' t you know that you would be burned up when you reach the sun.
? says: "If course... but we are going to go at night
.................................................................................................................................................
Classic Senior Citizen Joke
Bill Engelhardt publishes the HCFA/CMS Newsletter and I stole this joke from that publication.
An elderly senior couple, Mary and Bill, were invited to an old friend's home for dinner one evening.
Mary was impressed by the way her lady friend preceded every request to her husband with endearing terms, such as: Honey, My Love, Darling, Sweetheart, Pumpkin, etc.
The couple had been married almost 70 years and clearly, they were still very much in love.
While their husbands were in the living room, Mary leaned over to her host to say, "I think it's wonderful that, after all these years, you still call your husband all those loving pet names."
The elderly lady hung her head. . "I have to tell you the truth," she said. "His name slipped my mind about 10 years ago, and I'm scared to death to ask the cranky old bastard what his name is."
Pens
I noticed that Mitzie Lepke always has a plastic bag filled with ball-point pens. Each pen has a different set of writing on it. Mitzie got these pens online. They are pen company rehects, She paid $29 for 300 of them. Sounds like a great deal to me.
Burnie
Our over the back hill neighbor, we call Burnie, is having lots of fun today in our deep fog. He has his patio burner going strongly... and the smoke is combining with the fog, so that it looks like Beijing all over our campus. And.. stink! He gets loads of "throwaway" pallets, breaks them up, and burns them almost every night.. This is pine, and burns fast and hot.... I wonder why he hasn't burned his house down yet.
Who owns guns?
Tricia Bishop of the Baltimore Sun suggests that there be a census of gun owners.
Louise Miller's Joke
I forgot to type in Louise's joke before I did mine. Here goes.
Three political candidates were asked what their goals would be astronomically if they were elected President.
The Democrat said he would put a man on the moon
The Republican said he would put a man on Mars.
The (?) said he would put a man on the Sun.
A reporter said.. don' t you know that you would be burned up when you reach the sun.
? says: "If course... but we are going to go at night
.................................................................................................................................................
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Trump and the UK; Repeal of Obamacare; GranMa SEZ; Murder Stats; Coming Out; Pothole Praying; Lincoln SEZ
My views are included in the following:
Politics
The United Kingdom Parlement will be deciding whether or not to bar Donald Trump from England because of the dumb things he says. . I doubt that they will bar him because he feeds them lots of money and has several outstanding billion dollar deals in the mill with entities in the UK. I think that the US should bar him from the USA.... only kidding.. our Constitution allows dumb speech like he spouts. The only way his utterances could be curtailed, would be if what he said was intended to stir people up so that there was a "clear and present danger" to the American people.
Here we go again!
Both the Senate and the House have passed "another" bill to repeal Obamacare and cut spending on Planned Parenthood. It is awaiting the President's veto. The Republicans are readying a "task force" to try and override the veto. Good luck.. ... and are they still investigating the Benghazi situation? And Obama's birth records? Can't these guys see themselves... they are really pathetic. Just visualize how it would be if any one of them was the President. Why can't they find a decent candidate?
Gun Control
From time to time, I will include good ideas from Elaine Lottes (GranMa).. they will come under a separate title:
GranMa Sez: "Forget about GUN control. Instead, use BULLET control. Restriction of ammunition. Guns do not work without bullets."
Murder Statistics
Both New York City and Baltimore had close to the same number of murders in 2015... 344 murders for NYC with 8.4 million population ... and also for Baltimore with 620,000 population. Think about that for a while.
In 1993, Baltimore had a record homicide rate of 353. At that time the population was 720,000. Hey! What happened to cause the 100,000 drop in population in 22 years?
Come on out
Jon Winokur writes about Bob Smith who said: "It wasn't easy telling my family that I'm gay. I made my carefully worded announcement at Thanksgiving. It was very Norman Rockwell. I said 'Mom, would you please pass the gravy to a homosexual?' She passed it to my father. A terrible scene followed."
Pothole Solution
Chuck Shepherd writes the streets of Jackson, Mississippi, which have massive potholes, but no money in the city's budget to fix them. The Mayor isn't worried. He is a church pastor and says: "I believe we can pray those potholes away."
Abraham Lincoln on Ambition
"Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say, for one, that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed by my follow man, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem."
..................enough..........................................
Politics
The United Kingdom Parlement will be deciding whether or not to bar Donald Trump from England because of the dumb things he says. . I doubt that they will bar him because he feeds them lots of money and has several outstanding billion dollar deals in the mill with entities in the UK. I think that the US should bar him from the USA.... only kidding.. our Constitution allows dumb speech like he spouts. The only way his utterances could be curtailed, would be if what he said was intended to stir people up so that there was a "clear and present danger" to the American people.
Here we go again!
Both the Senate and the House have passed "another" bill to repeal Obamacare and cut spending on Planned Parenthood. It is awaiting the President's veto. The Republicans are readying a "task force" to try and override the veto. Good luck.. ... and are they still investigating the Benghazi situation? And Obama's birth records? Can't these guys see themselves... they are really pathetic. Just visualize how it would be if any one of them was the President. Why can't they find a decent candidate?
Gun Control
From time to time, I will include good ideas from Elaine Lottes (GranMa).. they will come under a separate title:
GranMa Sez: "Forget about GUN control. Instead, use BULLET control. Restriction of ammunition. Guns do not work without bullets."
Murder Statistics
Both New York City and Baltimore had close to the same number of murders in 2015... 344 murders for NYC with 8.4 million population ... and also for Baltimore with 620,000 population. Think about that for a while.
In 1993, Baltimore had a record homicide rate of 353. At that time the population was 720,000. Hey! What happened to cause the 100,000 drop in population in 22 years?
Come on out
Jon Winokur writes about Bob Smith who said: "It wasn't easy telling my family that I'm gay. I made my carefully worded announcement at Thanksgiving. It was very Norman Rockwell. I said 'Mom, would you please pass the gravy to a homosexual?' She passed it to my father. A terrible scene followed."
Pothole Solution
Chuck Shepherd writes the streets of Jackson, Mississippi, which have massive potholes, but no money in the city's budget to fix them. The Mayor isn't worried. He is a church pastor and says: "I believe we can pray those potholes away."
Abraham Lincoln on Ambition
"Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say, for one, that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed by my follow man, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem."
..................enough..........................................
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Life is Short; Lottery; The Producers; Le Gourmet Bag; Black Hole; Doodles; Hydrogen Bomb; Selfie; Lincoln
Temperature is in the 30's, but sitting in the brilliant sun with SuZee, it feels like it's 80!
This morning was interesting. Somehow, I didn't get included in the email that canceled the meeting that I showed up for. So I had my own personal little meeting. (Like Jefferson dining alone?)
After my meeting, and after almost getting clobbered by an impatient car driver, I found Books A Million, in the Town Mall... and was able to get Life is Short (No Pun Intended) by the "Little People" that Elaine loves to follow on TV.
Next, I bought a lottery ticket for Elaine... as a chance to win about a half a billion dollars. The odds are a little high.. perhaps 350 million to one. Good luck to her.
Funny Movie
Yesterday, Elaine and I watched the latest movie version of The Producers. Marvelous! I wonder what the Germans think about this movie. Can they see how silly all that Nazi stuff was? Whenever I hear Mr. Trump speak, I'm reminded of things that Hitler said. The Republicans have agreed to support him as their candidate if he gets selected. Yeah.. I'll bet! So.. if he doesn't get supported, will he create a third-party candidacy? If so.. Hillary is a shoe-in for the Presidency.
French Food Crisis
The French have never gotten in to the "Doggy Bag" program. But, now, the French Government is complaining that too much food is being thrown away.. especially true in 2015. So, the populace is being prodded to begin taking home the food that isn't completely eaten in the restaurants. (Tourists have been the only ones to do this for years in France.) The receptacle will be called "le gourmet bag".
Excuse me!
Scientists report that they have found a "burping black hole" in a "not so far away" galaxy.
Burning Question
Do our doodles get better as we age?
Here we go again!
North Korea claims to have detonated a hydrogen bomb over the weekend. Scientists did note a slight earthquake reading from the test area. NK is trying to develop a submarine-launched missle that could reach the west coast of the US.
I remember, during WWII, one of my "gang" had been brought to New Bedford, Massachusetts from San Francisco, because there had been "bombing" in California. None of us kids believed that such a thing was occurring.... however, now, history reveals that some bomb-laced balloons did float over from Japan and a few detonated on US soil.
Recognition
I took a selfie and saw my grandfather.
Hat Trick!
Abraham Lincoln's silk stovepipe hat was part of his office. It served as his desk when he would jot notes on its flat top and also his file drawer where he would keep his datebook,checkbook, and letters. When he would think of an idea, he would scribble it on a piece of paper and then insert it in the hatband.
..... adios......
This morning was interesting. Somehow, I didn't get included in the email that canceled the meeting that I showed up for. So I had my own personal little meeting. (Like Jefferson dining alone?)
After my meeting, and after almost getting clobbered by an impatient car driver, I found Books A Million, in the Town Mall... and was able to get Life is Short (No Pun Intended) by the "Little People" that Elaine loves to follow on TV.
Next, I bought a lottery ticket for Elaine... as a chance to win about a half a billion dollars. The odds are a little high.. perhaps 350 million to one. Good luck to her.
Funny Movie
Yesterday, Elaine and I watched the latest movie version of The Producers. Marvelous! I wonder what the Germans think about this movie. Can they see how silly all that Nazi stuff was? Whenever I hear Mr. Trump speak, I'm reminded of things that Hitler said. The Republicans have agreed to support him as their candidate if he gets selected. Yeah.. I'll bet! So.. if he doesn't get supported, will he create a third-party candidacy? If so.. Hillary is a shoe-in for the Presidency.
French Food Crisis
The French have never gotten in to the "Doggy Bag" program. But, now, the French Government is complaining that too much food is being thrown away.. especially true in 2015. So, the populace is being prodded to begin taking home the food that isn't completely eaten in the restaurants. (Tourists have been the only ones to do this for years in France.) The receptacle will be called "le gourmet bag".
Excuse me!
Scientists report that they have found a "burping black hole" in a "not so far away" galaxy.
Burning Question
Do our doodles get better as we age?
Here we go again!
North Korea claims to have detonated a hydrogen bomb over the weekend. Scientists did note a slight earthquake reading from the test area. NK is trying to develop a submarine-launched missle that could reach the west coast of the US.
I remember, during WWII, one of my "gang" had been brought to New Bedford, Massachusetts from San Francisco, because there had been "bombing" in California. None of us kids believed that such a thing was occurring.... however, now, history reveals that some bomb-laced balloons did float over from Japan and a few detonated on US soil.
Recognition
I took a selfie and saw my grandfather.
Hat Trick!
Abraham Lincoln's silk stovepipe hat was part of his office. It served as his desk when he would jot notes on its flat top and also his file drawer where he would keep his datebook,checkbook, and letters. When he would think of an idea, he would scribble it on a piece of paper and then insert it in the hatband.
..... adios......
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