Vacation Observations

The family took a vacation recently.  Being a trained noticer, saw a few things that interested me along the way.  

Yes, we went to Disney again.  Took the four night cruise then went to Orlando for a couple days afterwards.  Thought I’d write a few of them down to get them out of my noggin.

  

• Had my first real parents-aren’t-hip faux pas during the trip.  My son and daughter were having a little back and forth about something.  My girl got a real good zinger on my boy.  I said, “Oooh, you got  burned.”  Apparently, the phrase these days is “you got served.”  Received a few hearty guffaws for that one.  Oh well, just the first of many I suspect;
• On the drive down, got behind a car that had an Auburn Tiger bumper sticker on one side.  The other side had a sticker which had a Rebel flag with “Fighting Terrorism Since 1861” written on it.  Have to admit was more than a little relieved to see my university was not on the car AND it had a Florida license plate on it instead of Alabama.  We lost the War of Northern Aggression.  Get over it already;
• Never really realize how much you use your smart phone to pass them time until you can’t get a signal.  Kept mine with me on the cruise for the camera.  Can’t tell you how many times I reached for it to look something up on the internet only to realize I didn’t have a signal out there.  We’re thinking about looking into the international plan with our provider for next year’s cruise;
• My son and I went to see a Braves spring training game.  We sat in the grass out in left field behind the Mets’ bullpen.  One pitcher out there was giving autographs.  My son stood in line with about 10 other people and got one.  When I asked him who it was, he didn’t know and didn’t care.  Looked the dude’s number up on the spring training roster and couldn’t find him there, either, which probably means he has no chance of making the big team.  Dawned on me how people want your autograph and don’t really care who you are as long as you are wearing one of those uniforms;
• Went to a pin trading event while we were at Disney.  Wife and kids had a real ball at it.  Didn’t trade for anything myself, but enjoyed the people watching.  Was a wide variety of people in attendance there.  Reminded me of the Cantina scene in Star Wars: A New Hope;
• While I was standing in the hour-long line for Soaring (we were there at 11:30 PM), it hit me how people can patiently stand in line for hours on end at Disney but they can’t stand to wait two minutes at Walmart.  Disney has trained us well… 

As always, we had a great time.  Have already booked a cruise for next year.  Gonna go the first week of June this time so the water will be a little warmer.  Can’t wait.

Y’all have a good one!

Are You Serious?

Every now and then, you read a story that just makes you want to say, “Are you serious?”  Sometimes it’s cuz you can’t believe what you just read.  Sometimes it’s cuz you have to wonder why is this a story in the first place?  Well, have seen a few of those this week that I feel the need to comment on.  So, if you’re curious what makes me say, “Are you serious,” here we go:

• Bunch of folks were commenting on Twitter and Facebook about the dad-blamed Video Music Awards.  Ain’t exactly sure why, either.  First of all, they are on a channel called Music Television, which don’t even play music anymore, much less music videos.  Second of all, seems like there’s some sort of award show on every other week.  Feel like we are in award show overload.  To me, the only purpose for most of ‘em is for the artists to pat themselves on the back about what great artists they think they are.  Third, the artists feel like they have to get more and more extreme every year so people will pay attention to them.  (Reckon you probably heard about Lady Gaga’s meat dress or Cher’s plastic body whether you wanted to or not)  Guess mostly just can’t figure out why folks make such a big deal about the awards when MTV has nowhere near the influence on music and culture that it used to.  Hoping someone will explain it to me;
  
• From the “Only in Alabama” department, some lady tried to set a roller skating rink on fire and to blow up the house of a roller derby coach apparently cuz her roommate and the coach were having some sort of dispute.  There’s barely any legitimate reasons to do something like that, much less over some stupid game.  That’s just plain nuts.  Hate to think what she would try against any opposing teams if they won against the team.  Imagine it will eventually come out she’s got some sort of mental deficiency (duh).  At least I sort of hope so.  Hate to think someone would have such little regard for human life to do something like this without some sort of mental defect.  Unbelievable.  And, all of this cuz of roller derby.  Roller derby?  Are you kidding me? Now, if she’d been upset over an Alabama or Auburn game…Just kidding, but sadly more Alabamians would understand why she did it;
  
• If you’re gonna wear your britches around your knees while packing heat, try not to get busted for selling marijuana.  Dude in Minnesota was arrested for selling pot outside of a local restaurant.  During the process of the arrest, his baggy pants fell on the ground.  The female officer reached down to pull them up and felt a pistol in one of the pockets.  The suspect tried to claim it was an illegal search and seizure and pled it all the way up to the MN State Supreme Court.  The Court disagreed and now he’ll spend some extra time in the pokey cuz of his baggy britches.  Well, in all honesty, sure the officer would have found the pistol eventually and am sure the court probably took that into consideration.  But, still, sort of lends credence to the old saying, “Drugs will make you stupid.”  Just glad the court had some smarts about ‘em…for a change;
  
• From the “Your Government Dollars at Work” category, read an article about how some of the stimulus money has been spent.  Apparently $823,200 went to a scientist at UCLA so he could study the effects of washing genitals after sex in South Africa.  Supposed to be about AIDS prevention.  Now, I’m about as much of a “big picture” person as you’ll probably ever find, but am having a hard time trying to figure out: A. what AIDS prevention in South Africa has to do with anything in the US; and, B. how this is supposed to stimulate the US economy and create jobs.  Guess you can argue preventing AIDS in Africa might eventually help prevent AIDS in the US.  And reckon the money did create (sort of) jobs for the scientist and his assistants.  But, still, don’t make much sense on the surface when that money could have gone towards creating jobs for people who have no kind of job at all.  After all, that’s what the stimulus bill was supposed to be all about.  And politicians wonder why the citizens have little to no confidence in their abilities…;
  
• Am glad the preacher in Florida decided not to have the Koran burning after all.  The better angels of my nature would like to think they never really intended to go through with it all along.  Reckon we’ll never know, though.  Did see a poll on CNN.com this week asking if they had the right to burn it in the first place.  Can’t believe this is actually debatable.  Of course they have the right to burn it.  But, as I’ve said before, just cuz you have the right to do something don’t make it right to do that something.  But, what really struck me about this question was the attempt to grossly oversimplify the whole situation.  This whole story was about ignorance, censorship, intolerance, and attention-grabbing more than anything else.  That’s one of the downsides of our freedoms: the media is a big part of the problem in these matters.  The preacher became addicted to the attention and the media just kept fueling him on with it’s continuous coverage.  But, if the press ain’t free, we ain’t free so reckon we have to put up with the bad so we can have the good.  Still don’t make their question make any more sense to me, though;
  
• Every time I got in the car today, the folks on ESPN radio were talking about something Derek Jeter did that was just so egregious they couldn’t believe he did it.  Irritating thing was they never would say what he did.  So, when I got in, had to look it up.  Folks, here’s what he did that was so bad:  he faked getting hit by a pitch.  Holy cow!  Stop the presses!  A player tried to get an advantage in a game!  Oh, the humanity!!!!  Turns out the pitcher threw inside and hit the knob of the bat (Jeter admitted after the game he had not been hit).  The umpire asked him if he got hit and he started flopping his arm around like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack.  The Yankees were trailing at the time and he was doing anything he could to get on base, which is his job.  The next dude happen to hit a home run.  Yankees still lost the game, though.  Now, no-way, no-how am I anything close to a Yankees fan, but have to applaud the man for what he did.  Even the opposing manager, who got thrown out of the game for arguing Jeter didn’t get hit by the pitch, said he didn’t think Jeter did anything wrong and would encourage his own players to do the same thing.  The real rub to the media is Jeter’s a real media golden boy and they now feel betrayed cuz he’s just a competitor trying to win at all costs just like everyone else in the world.  Well, I say, get over it!  It’s called taking advantage of baseball’s stupid decision not to use replay more.  Nobody would be complaining if he had leaned into the pitch to get hit.  They’d be praising him for “taking one for the team.”  Not much difference in my mind.  It’s debatable whether either one is ethical, and getting hit intentionally is agin the rules, too.  So, chill out, Baseball Media.  You’re making a big deal out of absolutely nothin’;
  
• Finally, in case you don’t know, marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal out in California.  Well, for those folks who want the effect from the HTC but don’t want to inhale, they now have marijuana-flavored ice cream.  Article I read says every pint is the equivalent of about eight joints.  Said it is literally flying off the shelves of the places that can legally sell it.  If you build a better mousetrap…  Now, never had a hankering for mary jane myself, but have seen and heard about the mythical “munchies” the stuff can cause.  Reckon having weed mixed in with your ice cream might solve that little dilemma.  As the great Briscoe Darling, Jr., used to say, “More power to ya…”   

Well, reckon that’s enough for now.  Appreciate ya making it to the end of the mumbo-jumbo that are my thoughts, if you want to call them that.  As always, all comments are welcome whether you’re fer me or agin me.

I’m out!

Do What?

Been some things in the news lately which just make me want to scratch my head and say, “Do what?”  So, thought I’d share them and maybe you can help them make more sense to me.  So, if you’re ready and willing, as the late great Jackie Gleason used to say, “And awaayyyy we go”:

• See where Steven Slater has parted ways with his now former employer.  You may be asking who he is.  He’s the Jet Blue flight attendant who cursed a passenger, grabbed a beer, and went down the emergency chute as the plane was coming up to the gate.  People were calling him a hero.  Got no idea why, though.  Wonder how many people missed their connections because of that yahbo?  Figure they couldn’t let people get off the plane after that.  Were people celebrating the fact he treated one of his customers like *$&)?  Unless he was physically in danger, it shouldn’t matter what the passenger said to set him off in the first place.  Were they celebrating that the goober was telling his employer to take their job and shove it?  Isn’t that nice in these times where about 1 out of 10 people are out of work right now?  It just never ceases to amaze me how and why some folks suddenly become folk heroes for acting like idi-ahts.  Maybe somebody out there can tell me;
• A headline the other day said some cleric over in Iran says the Holocaust is nothing more than a “superstition,” whatever that’s supposed to mean.  Well, reckon it means he doesn’t believe it really happened.  Have never understood how people can deny the Holocaust.  Guess they’re idi-ahts, too.  Know it’s hard to imagine 6 million people being killed for nothing more than the religion they were born into, especially over such a relatively short period of time.  Met a man once who told me he was one of the first Americans to go into one of those camps.  The old codger started crying while he was trying to tell me about what he saw.  This was in the mid-90’s, almost 50 years after he’d been there.  Ain’t no way I’ll ever doubt it happened, not that I really doubted it in the first place.  Anyway, not really sure what prompted the cleric to talk about the Holocaust, but it’s hard to imagine a man of God/Allah could really be so dense.  Which leads me to my next “do what?” moment…;
• There’s a preacher down in Florida somewhere trying to organize a Quran/Koran burning.  Talk about something that makes no sense at all.  Even General Patraeus (you know, the big chief of our armed forces in Afghanistan) is talking about how stupid this idea is.  He’s got enough on his plate to worry about without having to think about something like this.  But, I digress.  One thing I’ve never really understood is how some people proclaiming to be Christians can be so intolerant of others.  The Bible is pretty clear that Jesus preached a lot about tolerance of others, don’t avoid sinners or non-believers, and love one another whether they are your friend or your enemy.  As a Christian, it just boggles my mind how some Christian “leaders” can’t see that they are more like a Pharisee than than a disciple.  Does God want us to spread His word and brings others to Christ?  Absolutely.  No doubt about it.  But, God gave us free will because He knows forced love ain’t love at all.  We are supposed to bring others to Christ through love and compassion, not hate and condemnation.  Maybe it’s like a quote I saw on Twitter the other day, “To some Christians, the Bible is like the terms of agreement, everyone checks the box but few actually read it.”  Certainly hope these folks change their mind and don’t go through with it.  Of course, that would imply their brains are working in the first place (Yeah, yeah, I realize the irony in the fact I am judging them…);
• Glad to see Hurricane Earl turned out to be a bunch of nothing.  But, the downside is all the media hype leading to nothing will make people block some of the hype out each time it turns into nothing.  Then, when the big one really does hit, it will be Katrina all over again and folks will get killed cuz they think it’s just a bunch of nothing again.  Reckon it’s a double-edged sword, though. They have to use the hype so folks will pay attention nowadays, which leads to overstimulation of the senses, which turns it into white noise, which leads to even more hype to get people to pay attention again.   Just a vicious never-ending cycle.  I always follow the storms on-line, usually on wunderground.com or the National Hurricane Center websites.  Dr. Jeff Masters has a great blog on wunderground.com, too.  Also use intellicast.com to watch the Atlantic satellite pictures so I can see which systems I think will develop.  The best thing about following things on-line is I can choose how much information to look at and believe.  So, if that kind of stuff interests you, check ‘em out;
• Well, football (yes, football, not footy, for any non-Americans reading this) season is finally here!  Glad it’s finally time for the games, too.  Had our usual Favre saga this year.  The dude I talked about last time finally signed, too.  Hope all we have to yak about now are awesome games.  Saw where Matt Leinart was cut by the Cardinals the other day.  Remember when he was drafted, all the so-called “experts” were talking about what a “can’t miss” prospect he was.  Same thing with Reggie Bush.  Ain’t neither one of ‘em had the kind of career people yammered on and on about.  Just goes to show how tough it is evaluate talent sometimes.  Always thought they were kind of overrated myself.  Could be a little biased about that, though, since I’m such a big SEC fan.  If the Boise State/Virginia Tech game is a sign of things to come, will be a great season this year!;

Well, that’s all I got this time.  Thanks as always for trying to follow my rambling thoughts.  Hope you are doing well, and, as always, am interested in your opinion, too.

Ya’ll have a good one!

A Little Bit of Fun

Time for a blog, but ain’t feeling very political these days.  SueMac on the Run had the following questions on her blog the other day.  Thought I’d take a crack at them just for funsies. 

And, awaaayyyyy we go:

1.   You have $100 to spend on a fun present for yourself.  What are you going to buy?

Not really sure.  Probably let my wife and/or kids spend it on something they wanted.  It’s more fun watching them buy stuff than buy stuff myself.  But, if I had to spend it on myself, would probably give it to the sushi chef and tell him to keep surprising me until the money runs out.  Always wanted to do that.  Mmmmmmm.  Suuuuuuushiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

2.    Accomplishment I'm most proud of...... 

The thing I’m most proud of in my life are my wife and kids, but wouldn’t really consider them accomplishments, so to speak.  More like blessings.  Think I would have to say the accomplishments I’m most proud of are every time I make someone laugh.  Very few things in life feel better than laughter.  We should all be proud of any time we can make someone laugh, whether it’s with us or at us.  OK, maybe more with us.

3.    What’s your favorite smell?

Hard to narrow it down to just one cuz have lots of favorite food smells ranging from my wife’s roast beef cooking in the crock pot to my grandmother’s apple pies.  But, if had to choose one thing to smell the rest of my life, would probably choose cedar trees.  Not the hard-core-knock-you-off-your-feet smell of a cedar chest.  Just the smell you get when you are standing next to a tree or two.  Love it!

4.    You’re dream car

A Jeep CJ-7, which for you youngsters out there, was the Jeep Wrangler before folks got excited about vehicle rollovers.  Have always wanted one.

5.    Favorite Season

Fall.  Just something about the leaves changing colors, the air getting cooler, football on Saturdays, and lots of other things that make this my favorite season.

6.    Favorite Way to Relax

Favorite way by myself:  Settin’ in the woods or on the water watching nature come by.  Hard to beat that getting-away-from-it-all feeling I get whenever I get the chance.  Hope to pass that feeling along to my children someday.  Favorite way with others: Vacationing with the family.  Don’t really matter where, either. 

7.    What was your favorite candy as a kid?

Anything with chocolate and caramel.  Always fondest of the Marathon bar.  Don’t think they even make those any more…

8.    It’s a cold winter day, you’re home alone.  Now what?

Put on a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt.  Wrap up in a blanket.  Find some sort of sports on TV.  Take a nap.  Might even skip step #3…

Well, those are my answers.  Feel free to share what yours would be.  Hope you’re enjoying the 80’s music.

Y’all have a good’n!

My Takes

Both of you who read this blog are probably wondering why I haven’t had any comments on the news lately.  Well, as you may have seen, been on vacation part of the time.  And, it’s been kind of slow in the news department so just haven’t been motivated to write…What’s that you say?  There has been some news?  Are you serious?  Just kidding.  Just needed to blog on the funner stuff first.

So, in case you’re curious about my thoughts, here we go: 

• So, healthcare reform finally passed.  Not real sure what I think about it to be honest.  Am happy there’s no “public option”…yet, anyway.  Have to imagine that will be debated again in the years to come.  From what I’ve read and heard about the current version, am willing to see what will happen.  Although my instincts are not real happy about it, my rational side hasn’t seen anything that really upsets me.  Am certainly not like the nut mentioned in U S Common Sense or any of the other people out there threatening Congressmen with physical harm.  Reactions like that just cause more people to turn agin ya rather than fer ya.  If you really want to hurt a politician, vote against him and/or donate to his opponent;
• Have been hearing all the hullaballoo about VP Biden dropping the mother of all curse words before some press conference on healthcare.  Nobody ever said he was the brightest bulb in the bunch, but think this is being way overblown.  I’m of the same opinion expressed by Seth Frederikson in his blog.  You should definitely think before saying something like that in front of microphones and cameras.  As a disclaimer, while I agree with Mr. F’s take on this situation, I did not vote, will not vote, and certainly did not work to elect nor will work to re-elect the current administration.  But, just cuz we don’t see eye-to-eye politically, don’t mean we can’t get along and just agree to disagree on some things.  Anyway, learned all I needed to about Ol’ Joe when he plagiarized a speech way back when he ran for the Oval Office.   Bottom line, if you’re going to be dropping f-bombs, only load them in the bomb bay doors when you are far from the never blinking eyes and ears of the media;
• Have read a little about the lesbian in Mississippi causing the prom to be cancelled.  Now, if she wants to wear a tux and bring a girl with her to the dance, that’s her business as far as I’m concerned.  My issue is why did she ask for permission in the first place?  The conspiracy theorist in me thinks she got the answer she was hoping for so she could draw attention to herself and/or her cause.  Could be wrong, but…Otherwise, why not just show up with who she wants to be with wearing whatever she wants?  And, of course, the media has played along just like the lapdogs they are.  But, reckon if idiots like me didn’t click on the links to read the stories, they wouldn’t follow these stories…;
• The Indian military has made a weapon out of the bhut jolokia, a.k.a. – the world’s hottest pepper.  It’s a bomb which guess can be called the nuclear bomb of all the tear gasses.  To give you an idea of just how hot these peppers are, a jalapeno rates up to 8,000 units on the scale used to judge the heat in peppers.  This one rates at over 1,000,000.  Pretty dang hot.  The plan is to use it as a non-lethal weapon in their war against terrorism.  Reckon they figure to smoke more information out of them by turning up the heat.  The article also said they are looking to develop it for civilian self-defense.  Talk about too hot to handle;
• Have you heard of Corey Poitier?  He’s a Republican running for Congress in Florida.  The other day he made a comparison to Buckwheat in one of his campaign speeches.  People have interpreted it to say he was talking about his Dem opponent (who is black) or President Obama.  So, you’re thinking just another white, male Pub without a clue, right?  As one sports dude would say, not so fast, my Friend.  Mr. Poitier is actually black.  For the record, he says he was referring to the healthcare bill and not to anyone in specific. (Guess I would, too)   He also said he and his brother have used that term for years and it essentially means “dummy” to them.  To me, just goes to show there’s people on both sides of the aisle who need to think before they open their pie hole;
• Been an exciting year for the NCAA tournament this year.  Lots o’ good upsets.  This is what sports should be all about.  Everyone has a chance and folks love to root for the underdogs.  People say the basketball tournament proves that a football playoff would work.  Not so sure about that cuz, in college football, people like for the powerhouses to win the championship.  Anywho, as of tonight, the SEC still has two teams left so I’m still really interested.  If and when they go out, will only remain interested enough so my sports-minded friends will still think I’m cool.  OK, sort of cool.  Well, not as big of a geek…hopefully;
• Was looking at my friend suggestions on Facebook the other day.  Some of them I understood cuz we have mutual friends.  Some of the others made no sense at all cuz, not only do we not have any mutual friends, got no idea who they are in the first place.  Just wonder what criteria they use to make those suggestions;
• Still thinking about the Twitter thing.  Have almost made the decision to try it out although I’m not really sure why.  Might be a little too long-winded for the 140 character limit.  Will have to see;
• A friend of mine said he went through a drive-thru the other day and they asked him if it was for here or to go.  Guess someone was having a long day.

Well, that’s all for now.  As always, thanks for making it to the end with me.  March 27 marks the one year anniversary of my very first blog.  Where does the time go?  Want to thank every one of y’all who let me clear out the voices in me noggin.  Well, quiet ‘em down, anyway.

Y’all have a great weekend now! Ya hear?

Disney Vacation

Well, just spent a week visiting with The Mouse.  Went on the cruise then headed over to Orlando for a couple of days of the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.  As usual, had some random observations rattle around in me noggin.  So, will share ‘em with you so I can clear ‘em out of me head.

If you’re ready, here we go:

• What is it about Disney that inspires people to plop down $30 on crazy hats which you won’t wear the next day much less after you get home?  You know the ones I’m talking about.  The sorcerers hats, the ears, etc.  We were guilty of it, too.  Bought a bunch of stuff for the Pirates in the Caribbean party on the boat which will probably never be worn again.  Unbelievable; 
• Disney is all about customer service.  They will do anything they can to make a guest happy as long as it’s within reason.  About the only time they willingly disappoint guests is when the characters leave with people still in line to see ‘em.  There’s just no way around that, though;
• That being said, they’re all about customer service cuz they’re all about the Benjamins.  Happy guests open their wallets way more often than unhappy ones.  They nickel and dime you until you’ve spent way more than you realized/wanted.  Nothing wrong with keeping your business afloat, but wish they would let me keep some of my money for when I get back home;
• Quote of the week from my daughter:  “You mean they charge to get into Disney?!”  as we were pondering a last  minute trip to the Magic Kingdom.  Ah, the innocence of childhood;
• Quote of the week from my son: “Why do people congest the roads” as we were sitting still on the interstate for the umpteenth time for no apparent reason while trying to get home Saturday.  Wish I had an answer for him.  Just can’t understand how traffic can stop on a road with no stoplights or stop signs when there are no wrecks;
• There are some Bama fans that work at Disney.  When I took pictures of Mickey and Minnie on Castaway Cay, both gave me the thumbs up for the Bama cover on my iPhone.  Figured they did that for everyone regardless of the school.  Well, when I took my son’s picture with Capt. Hook, he did the same thing and gave a hand cheer when I said, “Roll Tide.”  My son said, “War Eagle” (yes, he cheers for the other side, sigh) and Hook gave him a thumbs down.  Would guess that’s not standard procedure;
• The smiles on your family’s faces make it worth all the money  spent and time spent standing in lines.  Memories truly are priceless.

A cast member asked us if we were having a good time.  Told ‘im we wouldn’t be talking with him to book our cruise for next year if we weren’t.  Although we had a great time, it’s always  nice to get back home and sleep in your own bed…even though it rained, hailed and snowed the day we got back with a little bit of sunshine thrown in, too. 

Thanks for letting me reminisce a little.  Hope it made you think of some of your own great vacation memories.

Until next time…

 





 

Random Synapse Gaps

Every time me thinks the news just can’t get any stranger,  it does.  Reckon that’s what I get for thinking.   So if you want to read  commentary on some recent news, please continue.

• If you are into smoking left-handed cigarettes, Statewide Insurance Services has decided to add coverage for medicinal marijuana to their health insurance policies.  They said it’s already legal in 14 states and they figure won’t be too long before the rest follow suit.  Would it surprise you to find out they are based in California?  Anyway, if you’re into that kind of thing and want some coverage, all you need is to live in a state where it’s legal, find a doc to give you a prescription, and buy their insurance.  Now, that’s what I call thinking outside the box;
• It’s come out the former mayor of Birmingham won 555 times at the local electronic bingo establishments over the last 3 years.  Total winnings:  around $1.5 million.  Although he says he doesn’t remember winning like that, claimed the winnings on his taxes so it must be true.  Some days he won close to $100,000.  Several workers have said they were told by management to take him to the “lucky” machines.  Imagine that.  Don’t have anything against gambling myself. But, does go to show what kind of character the gambling moguls can have.  In case you’re wondering why he’s the former mayor, he was recently convicted of taking bribes from several other folks and is about to be sentenced to the pokey.  Surprised?;
• See where Tigger went home from rehab a little over a week after his statement.  Wonder why he couldn’t have waited another week or two?  Maybe he really was trying to stick it to the sponsor who dropped him during their tournament.  Or, maybe he just wanted to be able to get away for a while from the media hubbub he knew would come after he talked.  Who knows?  The real question to me:  is he sleeping in his bed or on the couch?;
• Nancy Pelosi said the other day the politicians should vote for healthcare reform, even if it jeopardizes their political career, cuz it’s what the people want.  As a friend of mine said, if it’s what the people want, why would a vote for reform put their careers in jeopardy?  Sometimes people really should think before they open their yap in public;
• Read where the Chilean earthquake caused the earth’s axis to shift slightly.  Something about the rocks moving  which caused the earth’s weight to shift.  Anyway, it will result in shorter days.  Have lost about 1.26 microseconds according to a NASA scientist.  Not something I would necessarily think about with an earthquake.  The article said the fact it happened is not that unusual but the length of time is.  In comparison, the quake that triggered the tsunami in 2004 only altered the time by .06 microseconds (whatever that is).  On a side note, have found it interesting the world is not coming to Chile’s aid like it did Haiti.  Reckon it’s cuz of the lower death tolls.  Still a sad event, though;
• Guy Morriss, the head football coach at Texas A&M-Commerce, was bragging about teaching his players how to steal.  Seems the student newspaper had a headline about several players getting busted for selling drugs so he told his players to go out and get every copy they could find.  Problem was, the first paper was free then it’s $0.25 for every copy after that.  Since they were taking them stacks at a time without paying the quarters, the paper accused them of stealing.  Coach said there was nothing wrong with telling his players to take the papers.  How much you want to bet there will be another headline soon which reads, “Morriss Gone!”?
• Just how fickle is the American public?  Jay Leno, who couldn’t draw flies to his prime time show, handily won the ratings war when he returned to his old time slot Monday.  Go figure.  Can’t imagine his show is any different.  Maybe it’s cuz the head musician got canned when they moved back.  Who knew?;
• See where Sully Sullivan has decided to hang up his wings.  Might as well, he’s been making so many public appearances (and rightly so) after he landed that plane, probably doesn’t have enough time for his real job.  Congrats on making it to retirement, Sully!  Hope you have a long and fulfilling flight into the sunset.

Well, that’s all I got for now.  Thanks as always for hanging on to the end.  Y’all have a good one!
Until next time…

Just Some Stuff

Well, been some interesting things in the news over the last week or so.  Would you be shocked to find out had an opinion or two on them?  Figured as much.  So, if you’re willing, here we go:

• Have had a chance to mull over Tigger’s statement.  Think there was something in it for everyone.  If you are wanting to forgive him, he said all the right things.  If you ain’t ready, yet, there’s been lots of debate about if this was the real Tigger or just another incarnation of an image he wants us to believe.  Not really sure myself and not real sure I care.  Did think it’s interesting Elin wasn’t up there with him.  Not sure what to read into that.  All I really know is am tired of hearing people talk about it.  Know what I mean?;
• Have seen some hubbub about Scott Brown voting with the Dems on the job bill.  You’d think he was the only Republican to do it, but the reality is 4 others also voted with the Dems.  According to one article I read, a lot of folks on the right actually supported the bill.  They just didn’t like the way Harry Reid was somehow forcing it on them.  Since they knew it would pass anyway, they could vote no in protest.  As for Mr. Brown, I’m glad (at least on this vote) to see he is his own person.  Somebody has to break ranks.  That’s the only way we’ll be rid of some of the gridlock in Washington;
• Watched a little of the healthcare summit.  What a joke.  Read where the Dems spoke for about twice as long as the Pubs, although Obama claimed his time shouldn’t count since he’s the prez.  First of all, seems like the Pubs were being told they were going too long more than the Dems during the short time I watched.  Second of all, why the heck would anyone be timing either side in the first place?!  Seems like someone who was just looking for an axe to grind going into it.  Doubt this show accomplished very much for either side.   Sad to say, know it didn’t hold my interest very long.  Just seemed like a bunch of politicians wanting a little press time.  The Dems will probably use it as an excuse to proceed without the Pubs now, too;
• Eli Manning has agreed to give up $500,000 owed to him by a hospital for PR work.  Seems the hospital is already deeply in debt so he’s agreed to forgo the rest of the money owed him.  He’s even going to continue working for them.  Some folks are griping that he should give the $500 G’s he’d already received from them.  Just goes to show you can’t make everybody happy.  From what I can tell, the hospital was OK with it, so why should anyone else get upset by it?  Anyway, it’s a class move by him, especially since he has said he will keep working for them;
• Well, there’s already been a lawsuit filed in relation to the dude flying his plane into the IRS building.  Now, I’m not necessarily saying a lawsuit isn’t in order.  But, filing one within a week of the incident seems a little premature to me.  Guess that’s the American way now.  When something happens to you, don’t try to work things out on your own, feed the lawyers so they can drag things out forever and then end up getting more than you do.  Like lawsuits, there’s a time and place for lawyers, but seems a little early to get them involved in this case;
• Read a story last year where the mayor of Moscow said he was going to prevent snow from falling there this winter.  Supposedly had some scientific way to make it go around Moscow.  Saw another story this week where it’s snowed there this year just like it always does.  When are we going to learn that we are not God, nor do we play Him on TV?;
• ESPN has suspended Tony Kornhiser from his TV show for two weeks because of remarks he made on his radio show about a female co-worker.  He apparently didn’t like the outfit she was wearing one day and made some comments about it.  He later called her to apologize and then apologized on the air the next day.  Have heard TK make many comments like these before without any repercussions from his employer.  What makes these different is they have a no-tolerance rule for public criticism of fellow ESPN employees, even in non-ESPN outlets like his radio show.  So, it’s not what he said so much as who he said them about.  Guess it’s OK to bash folks as long as they don’t work for ESPN with you.  Somehow, that just don’t seem right to me and just another reason I rarely watch that channel, listen to their radio shows, or surf their site anymore;
• Very sad about the trainer at Sea World.  We went to the dinner with the whales on our trip last year.  Had the same whale during our dinner.  The trainers will constantly remind you that these are wild animals and can be unpredictable.  Sad way to be reminded of this.  Bout the only positive in this whole situation is the trainer went out doing what she loved, which ain’t much in the grand scheme of things.  Thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends;
• See where the Russian male figure skater has his knickers in a wad cuz he came in second during the Olympics.  Been complaining to anyone who will listen that the judges cheated him out of the gold.  That’s why I don’t like to watch those “sports” where the winner is chosen by subjective judging.  Never really know if things are on the up-n-up or not.  That being said, he’s just being a sore loser.  Get over it already;
• PARTY ON!!!  Hockey has a saying “GAME ON!” which means it’s time to play.  Apparently the Canadian women’s team likes the first one, too.  After they won the gold, they returned to the ice with beer and cigars to celebrate.  Some folks didn’t like it and complained.  Now the IOC is going to conduct an investigation although not really sure what they are going to investigate.  Maybe where they kept the brewskies and stogies during the game?  Who knows?  Maybe they should spend their resources investigating the men’s skating judges instead of worrying about some folks having a little fun. Geez, Louise.

Well, that’s the news for this week.  Thank you for your time.

This is Scot, and I am outta here!

See you next week.

100 Things About Me - Part Two (aka 51-100)

OK.  Now that you've had time to absorb the first half, gonna pick up where I left off.  If you liked the first 50, hope you enjoy these, too.  If you didn't, well, maybe you'll like these better.  Automatic numbering system won't let me start at 51, so you'll just have to use your imagination.  Ready?  All right, here we go:

1. Although I watch more baseball and football than anything else, if I had my druthers about attending a live game, would choose hockey 6 days a week and twice on Sunday. Much more exciting game, especially in person. Too much standing around in football and baseball at live games. Just wish it translated better onto TV. That being said...;
2. Really enjoy going to baseball games, too. It's natural pace allows you to sit and enjoy the company around you. Have had some real in-depth conversations at baseball games;
3. Prefer to watch football on TV.  There's lots of things you can only see with instant replay.  Can also go to the bathroom or get a snack without walking 100 yards only to wait in line for 10-15 minutes and miss part of the game; 
4. Hope to get to a NASCAR race someday.   Just want to feel the rumble of the engines;
5. My favorite classic TV shows include Frasier, M*A*S*H, St. Elsewhere, Northern Exposure and the king of all the classics, The Andy Griffith Show;
6. My all-time favorite episode of any TV show is the one where Wayne Fiscus gets shot on St. Elsewhere. He travels from Purgatory to Heaven and to Hell several times each to learn things about himself and his beliefs. Really makes me think, too. Awesome show;
7. Barney Fife buying a motorcycle is a close second.  The scene where he drives off leaving Andy sitting in the sidecar makes me laugh every time;
8. Enjoy the winter Olympics much more than the summer ones. Think it's cuz can picture myself doing more of the winter sports. Would love to compete in the ski jump competition. Not really sure why since I'm not big on heights. But, it seems like the most fun;
9. Think Thomas Jefferson, a wise and great American, and Benjamin Franklin are two of the smartest people this country will ever produce. People will be talking about them long after most of today's so-called geniuses;
10. One of my guilty pleasures includes pro wrestling. More of an old-school fan from back in the days of Ric Flair and the Road Warriors in their prime. Follow it today through a newsletter, but don't go out of my way to watch it, anymore. Too many meatheads and not enough personalities and actual wrestling talent today. Yes, I know it's scripted, but so was that movie you watched the other day. Didn't stop you from enjoying it, did it?;
11. Between January 1 and Dec 31, 2009, lost around 40 pounds,  Used C25K and Lose It! apps on my iPhone.  The Lose It! app was most eye opening cuz didn't realize how many calories had been consuming in a day and had not been burning as many as I thought.  Also lost about 4 inches off my waist;
12. Tend to be on the quiet side. You know, "It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt." Probably live that a little too much although some of you probably think just the opposite;
13. Am I the only person who doesn't know what a "flash mob" is?;
14. Wonder why folks can't just accept the probability that Plato made up Atlantis?;
15. Think it would be neat to take a trip to either the Arctic or Antarctica;
16. Happy that my kids enjoy reading. Hope they keep it up;
17. Probably one of the few people who enjoyed watching golf more before Tigger came along. Don't get me wrong, he's one of the best golfers of all time. However, like to see more of the field when he's playing. Also, if he's not in contention, don't need to see every one of his shots that day;
    
18. Still think Jack in his prime would have beat Tigger on a regular basis. Just think Jack had the mental toughness not to be intimidated by him.  Hard to make a fair comparison, though, cuz courses and equipment are so much better these days;
19. Am looking forward to the day when I can tell my potential in-laws stories about things my kids did when they were younger;
20. Love all kinds of music.  And, no, that is not just country and western.  About the only kind I don't like is ska.  At least that's what I think it's called.  It's ultra-heavy metal on steroids.  Anyway, many people would probably be surprised at the variety on my iPod;
21. Never know when I might throw out a quote from a movie and/or TV show;
22. When people ask about injuries from running, my answer is always along the lines of I don't run fast enough to get 'em;
23. "One of the saddest days of my life was the day I realized I could beat my father at most things." Homer Simpson. Very true.  Think Homer Simpson is a tad bit smarter than most people give him credit for;
24. Curling is one the few things enjoy watching even though got no idea what is going on;
25. Have never really figured out why Ashton Kutcher is so popular;
26. The Kardashians, either, for that matter;
27. Really miss my kids watching the Wiggles.  Think they were purty good before Greg left.  Hadn't seen the new guy to know if they still are or not;
28. Know healthcare reform is needed.  However, until Congress presents a bill that also applies to them, not really interested in anything else they may put out there;
29. One of the best feelings in the world is taking my shoes off;
30. Another one is praying with someone who just accepted Christ as their savior;
31. Seems to me like the easiest way to share Christ with folks is to talk about what He has done for my life.  Can't figure out why that's seemed so hard to do more times than I care to admit;
32. Am immensely proud of our veterans and am forevermore indebted to each and every one of them.  If you are a vet, thanks to you and your families for the sacrifices you have made to ensure my freedoms.  Just can't say that enough.  And, if you are the family member of someone who made the ultimate sacrifice, a special prayer is lifted for you because a thank you is just not enough;
33. Would love to spend a couple weeks on either the Northwestern or Time Bandit crab fishing.  Probably couldn't make it much longer than that and not even sure could make it that long;
34. Can't really think of a job would rather do permanently than the one I got now, so it must be my dream job;
35. Guess if I had to choose something else, would probably pick political/social commentator/columnist.  With some of the hacks out there, hard to believe it takes four years to get a degree in journalism.  Guess that could be said about a lot of professions, though;
36. Believe it's difficult to convince a child something is right if all you can say is "just because" or "they say" when they ask why;
37. My favorite color is dark green (that's hunter for all you aficionados) followed closely by dark purple (eggplant) and many styles of camouflage; 
38. One of my favorite Far Sides is a kid, trying to walk into a school for the gifted, pushing on a door with a big sign which says "Pull."  Think about that every time it happens to me; 
39. When my boss once told me I needed to start dressing "more like a leader," went out and bought a camouflage wallet just so I could do what he advised but still counteract that in my mind.  Such a rebel...;
40. Have adjusted to drinking Coke Zero, unsweet tea, and various other diet drinks much better than expected; 
41. Hope to go whale-watching someday. Want to go elk hunting, too;
42. The first time felt middle-aged was the day had to buy reading glasses.  Only need them when wearing my contacts, but still...;
43. Never forget a favor...Well, try not to, anyway;
44. Got my first new personal laptop this week.  Purty neat.  Usually just get a hand-me-down whenever someone else gets a new one;
45. Believe there's no such thing as useless knowledge.  Never know when something you've learned will come in handy;
46. Have discovered math word problems aren't as hard as I thought when I was in school.  In fact, have figured out just about everything involving math in real life is a word problem.  Wish I'd known that then.  Might have been easier for me; 
47. Have also realized lots of things learned in school apply to every day life more than I thought they would at the time;
48. Was never really patient until I started dating.  Then really had no choice;
49. Favorite outfit is jeans, t-shirt, and hiking boots;
50. Now that I'm a parent, realize even more just how hard it had to be for God to sacrifice His son for us.  Truly one of the greatest gifts we could ever receive.

Well, that's it.  Thanks for hanging in there with me.  Takes a lot of thinking to come up with 100 things about yourself.  Didn't think I'd struggle with it like I did.  Might should have used Gomer's bucket to help me out.  He said you can do lots of thinking under there.

Y'all keep 'em straight out there!

Really?

Been some things in the news which make me think "really?" when I either see the headline or read the article. Just in case you have missed them, thought I'd share some with you. Might even add a snide remark or two. So, if you're ready...

• Someone has finally figured out what killed King Tut...they think.  The conclusion was he died of malaria.  Sure glad that issue has been solved.  Can't tell you how many nights of sleep I've lost over that.  Anyway, not sure why it's been so important to figure out.  Ain't gonna change our world today as far as I can figure.  But, if someone out there is happy this may have finally been resolved, more power to 'em;
• President Obama took credit for preventing a depression with the stimulus package passed last year.  That's the good thing about "preventing" something like that.  No one can really confirm or deny that you are right.  Just like W can say he prevented the next Hitler when he invaded Iraq.  Short of going to the parallel universe where these things happened because of something we didn't do, no one can really know for sure things were stopped or not.  Just so I can feel in the spirit, will now take credit for preventing the sun from not rising and not setting every day because I told them not to stop; 
• Saw a headline that said "Bill Maher Calls Dick Cheney A Liar."  Who cares? If you've ever seen Maher's show on HBO, this should not come as a shock to you.  He's as far to the left as Rush Limbaugh is to the right.  Plus, what difference does it make?  Maher is an actor, not a politician or leader of any sort, and Cheney is no longer in office. Seems like some writer needs more to do with their time.  Now, if he'd said Cheney was right all along, THEN you might have a story;
• There are billboards popping up in Minnesota and Wisconsin asking if we're missing W, yet.  No one seems to want to take credit for them.  Even if we were, what difference would it make?  Bush has served his two terms allowed by our Constitution and can't come back even if he wanted to and could somehow get re-elected.  Seems like the money could have been spent advertising someone who can actually run for office.  Guess some folks really do have more money than sense;
• That's something else about the dude who flew his plane into the IRS building in Austin, TX.  You reckon he had all his faculties about him?  Anyway, when you consider close to 200 people work in that building, it's lucky there were only 2 people killed (one of which is apparently him) and 13 people injured.  Only two of them went to the hospital.  Who knows what he was trying to accomplish?  Even set his house on fire before he did it.  Guess he wanted them to get an empty lot when they foreclosed.  More and more people want to go out in a blaze of glory (pardon the pun) nowadays.  Media feeds right into 'em, too, with their non-stop coverage of even the most minor things.  Not that this was minor.  Have to admit my first thought was another terrorist attack, too.  Sad sign of the times, I suppose;
• So Tigger has made his statement about what happened.  Whoop-de-doo.  Like have said before, this should be between him and The Mrs.  Have read comments saying he's being selfish for having the "press conference" on a Friday, a day when the tour is playing.  Other comments include he's taking away from the Olympics.  Hard to believe all the major networks covered this sham live, not to mention all the cable stations.  If that's what the public wants, then shame on us.  S'posedly the reason he had the conference when he did was cuz he has to head back to rehab after a week-long break.  Wonder why he couldn't have waited until he was done to make his statement/apology?  Could be just another step in the rehab process.  Might have been more interested if the lapdog pressmen that attended could have asked questions.  Probably not since they would have most likely asked wiffle-ball questions.  Sure the press will do the bathroom dance again when he finally plays in a tournament, then again when he wins.  Can hardly wait...; 
• A friend of mine posted this on Facebook the other day:  People will always be more violently opposed to the wearing of fur than leather for the simple reason that it's far safer to harass rich women than biker gangs.  Think about it;

That's all I got for now.  Interested to hear what you might have to say.  Might give me a different angle to think about.  Not such a bad thing sometimes.  Please feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me an e-mail at ScotPS23@yahoo.com

Y'all keep 'em straight out there.

Back to Randomness

Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser every day.  It's snowing more in Alabama than it is in Vancouver.  The Obama administration is sounding more like the W administration than they would probably care to admit.  All sorts of crazy things.  With that in mind, got some thoughts to get out of my head.  Please feel free to continue if you're curious.

OK.  You've been warned:

• Well, happy to report that January thunder did in fact bring February snow to our neck of the woods.  Had about 3 inches of snow on Friday; a trace of snow Sunday night; then about an inch Monday evening.  Most snow folks around here can remember for at least 15 years.  You can insert your own global warming joke here;
• Read an article where the current administration says people who criticize it are actually playing into the hands of Al Qaeda.  Hmmm.  Where have we heard that before?  Guess the more things change, the more they stay the same;
• Robert Gibbs made fun of Sarah Palin writing notes on her hand the other day.  Now, not saying she doesn't deserve some ribbing for what she did.  But, would think that president's spokesman would be above that.  Surely they don't see her as a threat to their administration, do they?  Hope not.  Would think they'd be more worried about creating jobs, fighting terrorists, and multitude of other things than someone who has to write notes on their hand;
• Very sad to see Captain Phil Harris died last week.  Fans of the show will remember he had a blood clot break loose from his lung two years ago.  He was lucky to have survived that.  Last reports were that he was recovering well from his stroke.  Then we get the news about his death.  Just shows how fragile life really is, and that we should be prepared to go at any time;
• Have been amazed at not only my reaction but the reaction of the public at large to Capt Phil's passing on.  There's been a huge outpouring of support and a real sense of loss from fans of Deadliest Catch, which isn't a surprise.  What's amazing is how much we feel like we actually know Phil, Josh and Jake (and all the others) just from watching them an hour a week on a TV show.  Would venture to say we know a lot less about them than we actually know.  Tells me what a great job the producers of the show really do, and that they've made it more about the personalities than the fishing;
• Supposedly there was $82.7 million legally bet on the Super Bowl this year, and Vegas cleared $6.86 million.  The article said both numbers were actually down this year cuz people didn't play the side bets such as who wins the toss, scores the first touchdown, etc., as much as in years past.  Side effects of the economy, I reckon.  Wonder if they will be asking for a stimulus package?; 
• Completed my taxes a couple of weeks ago.  Have already received my federal refund.  All the state will tell me is they have approved my refund, they will send it to me as "funds will allow," and they appreciate my patience.  Wonder if I could get away with that with them?  Somehow doubt they would be as patient as they want me to be;
• According to my useless trivia up top, male Indian elephants are not interested in the opposite sex until they are 21 years old.  Probably lots of human parents who wish their children were the same way.  You're reading the thoughts of one of 'em;
• Speaking of things up top, the quote the other day was, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it," credited to Sir Winston Churchill.  Shows what confidence he had as a leader.  Also a reminder that the victors are the ones who get to write history; 
• Saw where Louis Gossett, Jr. has prostate cancer.  Not sure what stage it is in, but am lifting prayers up for him and his family.  Shows how important it is that men get checked for it.  Like many cancers, it can be beat if you catch it soon enough;
• Wonder if Mardi Gras in New Orleans was a little wilder this year?  (Is that even possible?)  Imagine they're still riding the high of winning the Super Bowl so it probably was.

Well, that's all for now.  Hope you enjoyed it, or, at the very least, might have something different to think about now.

Y'all have a great week!

100 Things About Me - Part One (aka: 1 - 50)

Have seen this thing called 100 Things About Myself going around the blogger world.  Thought I'd take a crack at it even though it's probably a little self-indulgent.  Will start out with 50 so you won't get too tired of reading.  Know quite a few people reading this already know me, or, at least think they do.  But, might throw something out there you didn't know about me.  Heck, might even learn something myself.  Will try not to mention anything you'd rather not have known.  If I do, hope you'll continue to be my friend, anyway.  So, if you're interested, here we go:

1. Was born June 15, 1968, in Mobile, AL, also the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the US.  (Sorry NOLA friends, you only resurrected it first after the Civil War);
2. Married since 1996 to my wonderful wife, Stacey
3. Have boy/girl twins who were born in 2001.  You'd be surprised how many times I've been asked if they are identical;
4. Although was born in the South, have lived here a majority of my life, and am dang proud to be a Southerner, will tell folks I grew up in Towanda, IL, cuz that's where we were during my formative years; 
5. Hobbies include golf, deer hunting, and fishing, or at least they used to be.  Now they are attending my son's sports games and my daughter's cheerleading events, playing with them when I am at home, exercising, and toodling around on the computer.  Really enjoy my new hobbies, but wish I had time to do the originals every now and then; 
6. Both of my parents are still alive as are both of my grandparents on my momma's side.  Am truly blessed all around to still have all of them;
7. Am a Christian; 
8. Member of First Baptist Church of Trussville; 
9. Graduated from W.A. Berry High School (it's now Hoover High for all you Two-A-Days fans);
10. Have a history degree from the University of Alabama.  Roll Tide;
11. Read the Bible just about every night.  Wife bought me an archeological Bible for Christmas this year.  Have learned a lot from it so far; 
12. Love a good debate (NOTE - debate, not argument) every now and then.  The subject don't really matter as long as I learn something from it;
13. Have a tendency to be a smartalec.  Because of the dry nature of my wit, people can't always tell whether I am joking or being serious.  Sometimes I really enjoy that ambiguity;
14. Love Clint Eastwood movies, especially the westerns; 
15. Love the entire Lonesome Dove series of novels/mini-series; 
16. Favorite animals: Tigers (an odd thing for an Alabama graduate) and ducks
17. Am in TV heaven right now since Biggest Loser, Amazing Race, Pawn Stars, Ax Men, Madhouse, and the granddaddy of them all, Survivor, are now on the air.  Will reach the next level of TV heaven when Deadliest Catch is back on the air with them; 
18. Really gonna miss Captain Phil Harris of the F/V Cornelia Marie.  Have some more thoughts to share on that in my next random subjects blog;
19. Drive a 2007 Toyota Tundra; 
20. Favorite vehicle I ever owned was a 1994 4-wheel drive Chevy S-10;
21. Duck Hill, MS, is one of my favorite places on earth.  Used to deer hunt there when I was a kid; 
22. Worked on my grandfather's farm in Sarah, MS, for four summers growing up.  Wouldn't trade those experiences for anything in the world; 
23. Favorite food:  Grandmama's apple pie.  That's all I'm gonna say about that; 
24. Second favorite food:  Sushi from Yamato's in Pensacola, FL.  Used to be like Terry Bradshaw when it came to sushi.  (You know, "they call that bait where I come from")  A friend of mine had me try it when I was in Miami once.  Been hooked ever since.  Yamato's has the best I've ever eaten;
25. Have met family all the way up to my great, great grandmother.  Think I was 5 or 6 when she died at the tender age of 98.  Her daughter (my great grandmother) was 93 when she passed.  Her daughter was mentioned in # 6.  Hope my longetevity gene comes from that side of the family; 
26. Can't always tell it, especially when you read this blog, but I minored in English.  Bet my ninth grade English teacher, Mrs. Hughes, wouldn't be happy to read this blog.  She got mad whenever we would say 'tin' instead of 'ten' for the number 10.  She was still one of my all-time favorite teachers, though;  
27. Not a very formal person.  Probably already figured that out, though;
28. Although I know the South had no chance of winning and we were dang fools for actually starting it, will still refer to the Civil War as the War of Northern Aggression when I'm in a playful mood;
29. Abraham Lincoln is my second favorite president.  Few people could have saved the US like he did.  Went to his memorial while in DC.  Took my hat off when I saw his statue and didn't realize it until I put it back on.  Only time can remember ever doing anything like that;
30. Would rather you think I'm not the brightest bulb in the bunch than think I'm a genius.  Realize that might not be much of a stretch for most of you;  
31. Have lived in Mobile, AL, Bloomington, IL, Towanda, IL, Knoxville, TN, Hoover, AL, Mobile, AL and Trussville, AL; 
32. Been known to sing in public, on purpose.  Ain't been booed off the stage, yet, but don't know why; 
33. Although I claim to be independent, have a tendency to vote Republican.  Did vote for Ross Perot back in 1992, though; 
34. Will usually write in a candidate whenever I'm not real happy with whoever's on the ballot.  Voted for my college bud Scott C for state supreme court once.  Now that he's moved to California, usually vote for my friend David V in the local/state elections.  Will still vote Scott for president, though, although we are on opposite ends of the political spectrum;
35. George Washington is my favorite president.  Hard to top the original cuz he could have turned it into a kingship if he were a lessor person.  Glad he didn't;
36. Believe the ancients were actually a lot smarter than we are today.  We could never build the things they did today without a computer, calculator, or some other sort of technology not available back then.  Ronald Reagan once said, "We might not have had those things.  But it took our generation to make them" in response to some kid asking him how RR's generation could understand the younger generation when they didn't have many of today's amenities.  Think that applies to many prior generations; 
37. Sometimes I wonder if we really are better off than our ancestors; 
38. Love Milk Duds and Milky Ways;
39. Would sit down and eat a gallon Cold Stone Creamery's Cookie Doughn't You Want Some if my wife would let me; 
40. Have enjoyed jogging a lot more than I thought I would, but don't think I want to run much further than a 5K; 
41. People seem to follow me but ain't figured out why, yet.  Maybe they are just curious to see where the monkey is going;
42. If it weren't for my wife, might not have a personal laptop or cell phone, yet; 
43. Always glad when I realize new friends are now old friends but wonder when the exact moment is that the transition is made; 
44. Learned a lot more about corporate life while working on the farm than you would think.  Will have to write a specific blog about that someday; 
45. Often wonder when all this gray hair showed up.  Gonna blame it on the time I had hi-lights put in my hair.  Don't ask; 
46. Got nine tattoos:  Calvin and Hobbes, a mallard, Taz, Yosemite Sam, a Christian fish, a black panther, a smallmouth bass, the Japanese symbol for twins, and the Japanese symbol for deer; 
47. Few things warm my heart more than listening to my children sing and/or hum; 
48. College was four of the best years of my life but don't think I would want to relive them; 
49. Can't think of many things in my life I would change if I could have a do-over; 
50. Hope to drive the Alaska Highway someday.

Well, that's all for now.  Not as easy as you would think.  Will finish in the next week or two.  Will have a random thoughts post before the week is out.

I am outta here.

A Whole Lot of Another

Been lots of interesting things in the news here lately.  Everybody must be trying to get things in before the Super Bowl since things always seem slow down afterwards. So, if I can thaw my fingers out, will try to give you a little food for thought if nothing else.  Here we go:

• Man!  What a Super Bowl!  Didn't care a whole lot who won.  Only hoped for a good game, and it was delivered.  Was glad to see the Saints pull it off.  They and their fans certainly deserve it after 43 years of heartache.  They played a great game and Sean Payton showed he wasn't just glad to be there.  Calling for an on-sides kick to start the 2nd half took some real courage.  WHO DAT!!!;
• Thought this year's ads were just kind of OK.  Liked the Doritos ad where the kid told the man not to touch his mama or his Doritos.  Didn't realize the Tebow ad was on until he tackled his mother and had to rewind it to pay attention to it.  Like many other things in life, it was much ado about nothing.  Certainly wasn't as controversial as you would have thought.  Think some groups decided to "protest" it beforehand just to get their name in the papers.  Can't always believe the hype, I reckon.  Imagine that.  Did read where one group said tackling his mother encourages violence against women.  Guess they had to complain about something since the ad didn't live up to other expectations.  Would think most people are smart enough to see the humor in it and don't think the ad is saying it's OK to tackle women, especially your mother;
• Did anyone know we are apparently fighting in Pakistan now?  Or, at least we have sent "advisers" there. (Ain't that how we got started in Vietnam?)  Anywho, three were killed in a suicide bombing the other day.  Looks like the reigning Nobel Peace prize winner may be expanding the war on terror, or, whatever they are calling it these days.  (Apparently that phrase is a no-no with the White House and its staff.)  Anyway, not saying there's anything necessarily wrong with it.  Just wondered if you knew about it;
• Read where Michelle Obama is catching some flak about using her daughters as examples in her fight against childhood obesity.  Said might be setting them up for eating disorders and/or poor self-esteem later in life.  Think as long as she keeps it in proper perspective for them, they will be OK.  If the doctor said they need to lose a little weight, she should be praised for trying to do something about it (as long as she didn't do anything out of the ordinary) instead of ignoring the problem.  Shouldn't be anything wrong with using a personal example, either.  Just hope they don't turn it around later and say they don't want their children to be in the spotlight.  Can't expect to have it both ways if you are going to put them out there yourself.  That don't mean someone should go out of their way to put them out there in a bad way, though;
• Sarah Palin spoke at the Tea Party convention over the weekend.  Had notes written on her hand like she was cheating on a civics test in high school.  Not sure about all the particulars as to why she wrote on her hand and not on note cards.  Maybe she thought of something she wanted to be be sure to mention as she was walking to the stage.  Don't know.  But, it don't look real good.  Not very professional at best.  Mostly unprepared at worst.  Just something someone already looked down upon by the media should consider; 
• Read some speculation the other day that the Feds are being tough on Toyota since they are competition for Government Motors (that's what some folks are calling General Motors nowadays).  Since we the people own most of GM now, it will help our bottom line to make the competition look bad anytime they can.  Not saying I necessarily buy it, but some interesting food for thought;
• Hard to believe NASCAR has started back up again.  Got the Daytona 500 this weekend.  Looks like Danica Patrick will run in the Nationwide (one step below the Sprint Cup in case you don't know) race on Saturday.  Could be interesting.  Hope she does well.  The sport could use a little boost.  Lost interest myself last year when they flat out caught Jimmy Johnson and Mark Martin cheating in a Chase race and did nothing about it. Both cars were about an inch lower than NASCAR allows.  Don't sound like much, but it was a race they totally dominated over the rest of the field so it must have been something.  If they allow the drivers to start racing again instead of just driving around in circles, will probably watch again this year.  Will have to see;
• Read an interesting snippet on Dale Earnhardt, Jr, this week.  Someone asked him if he had to win to be a central figure in the sport.  His reply: "Apparently not."  Purty astute if you ask me.  Hasn't won a race in a couple of years, and he's still the most popular driver, probably for no other reason than who his daddy was and how he died.  Think all he wants to do is race and be himself.  Too many other folks want him to be his daddy reincarnated, and that ain't fair to him.  Ain't but one Ironhead and there won't ever be another.  If you ask me, all of The Intimidator's fans should have gone to Tony "Smoke" Stewart.  He's the closest thing out there to Number 3.  Anyway, hope Jr has a good year this year.  While Smoke is my favorite driver, will be rooting for anyone but Jimmy this year;
• Certainly been some odd weather around the country this year.  Heard last year that if there's thunder in January, there will be snow in February.  Well, we had thunder around here in January.  Will see if it happens this year.  Had thunder last year and snow on March 1, which was purty close.  Had some snow flurries Saturday and Sunday.  Might have to count that.  One odd thing is, with all the snow we're having in the States, read they are having to haul snow in for the Olympic snowboarding events next week in Canada.  Strange days indeed. 

Well, that's all I got fer now.  Thanks for hanging in this long.  Y'all have a good'n!

Later.

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Been an interesting week in the news.  Lots of stories in the news ranging from sports, politics and entertainment.  Got my own opinion to share on some of 'em. If it ain't in line with yours, might at least give you a different angle to think about, anyway.  So, if you're interested, here we go:

• Before we get started, was watching TV with my son the other day.  Some commercial with a remake of The Beatles' "All You Need is Love" came on.  My son said it was a "real catchy" song.  Replied that's probably why it's been popular for pert near 40 years.  He was amazed it was that old.  That's the problem with getting older, you see very little that is new and actually impresses you.  Ah, to be young again and discovering things in the world;
• Been reading about all the hoopla surrounding Tim Tebow's Super Bowl commercial.  To be honest, not real sure why some folks are upset about it.  After all, we do have a little something called "freedom of speech" in this here country.  If they have the money to run a counter to it, more power to 'em.  If CBS declines to run it, then you might have something to complain about.  Anyway, doubt the ad will change many opinions about the subject.  Most people are purty dug in on whichever side they are on so they won't be budging.  More surprised there hasn't been much hullaballoo about CBS turning down an ad for a gay dating website.  When I read the storyline of the ad (it ends with two guys making out on a couch), wasn't so surprised they turned it down.  Not sure many people would want to see that.  Lots o' folks are open-minded on that subject, but that don't mean they want to see it, not to mention the folks who ain't so open-minded about it;  
• Saw where J.D. Salinger died last week.  Tried to read Catcher in the Rye when I was in college.  Had a difficult time getting into it and don't think I even finished.  Interesting thing to me is most of the stories I read about him always talk about what a recluse he was.  Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) has the same kind of stories written about her.  Guess the media folks have a hard time accepting not everyone is hungry for fame.  Must be an anomaly for them cuz they're used to dealing with narcissistic egomaniacs most of the time.  Not sure about Mr. Salinger, but have heard from people who know that Ms. Lee is just an ordinary person who wants to live her life like most other normal folks. Ain't a thing in the world wrong with that, either;
• Heard where President Obama wants to do away with the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.  Got no problem with that.  Times have changed a lot since the military decided to ban gays and lesbians.  Now, have to admit have never served in the military myself so not sure what, if any, effect it will have on unit morale.  However, there were also huge outcries when women, blacks, and other groups were first allowed to join.  Now, most people don't think twice about it.  Reckon this might happen here, too.  Truth is there are already gay folks in the military so it shouldn't be that much of an adjustment.  Most straight folks I know who are leary of gays are worried they're gonna get hit on.  Have several friends I know who are gay and several others I suspect but have never asked and they ain't tellin', either.  None have ever hit on me and feel comfortable when they are around my children.  In other words, like many other fears, has more to do with what you don't know rather than having a legitimate reason to fear or hate.  Imagine it will all work out in the long run;
• Looks like there's finally a issue both sides of the political aisle can work together on.  The president's office announced they are going to look into getting a playoff for Division One (or whatever it's called now) college football.  This all got started when Republican Orrin Hatch got his panties in a wad cuz Utah wasn't in the championship game last year, or at least given a piece of the championship since they were undefeated.  Glad to know we've solved all our minor issues such as the economy, unemployment, health care reform, two wars, terrorism, et al.  What's that?  You say we haven't solved those things, yet?!  Surely they have or they wouldn't distract themselves with petty issues like a football playoff?  Man o' man;
• Kurt Warner has decided to retire from the NFL.  His story is the true American dream.  As Carl the Greenskeeper use to say, "A true Cinderella story.  Coming out of nowhere to win..."  To go from making $5.50/hour as a grocery clerk to winning the MVP and the Super Bowl the next year is truly amazing.  Will be a long time before his story is duplicated. Sure he will hit the speechifying circuit sharing his faith (very devout Christian) now. Good luck in retirement, Kurt;
• Went out to eat the other night and ran into an old college friend I haven't seen in close to 20 years.  Weird thing is, since we've 'talked' on Facebook over the last year or so, we didn't feel the need to sit there and chat in a loud restaurant trying to catch up on the last 20 years in 5 minutes or less.  Another example of the power of the internet;
• Realized the other day have only watched one episode of American Idol this year, and haven't really missed it that much, either.  Might get more interested in it once the finals start.  Don't know.  Not a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres so maybe not.  Possibly after Biggest Loser is over.  We'll see.  Think the biggest problem with the show is, outside of Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, none of the winners have really struck it big.  Some who were culled from the herd have done OK such as Chris Daughtry and Clay Aiken, but that ain't quite the same.  Think once Simon leaves the show, it will have really jumped the shark. (What exactly does that really mean, anyway?  What does this expression have to do with something not being popular, anymore?);
• Added a link to a blog called You're So Vain (link here and over to the left).  It's a lady in Northern Virginia who posts photos of a different vanity plate every day.  Pretty neat if you ask me.  Must be lots of them plates around there.  Not sure I could find a different one every day in my neck of the woods.  Found it just hitting the Next Blog button at the very top of the page.

All I got fer now.  Thanks for making it to the end with me.  If you know where "jump the shark" originated and/or why, please leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.  Please feel free to leave any other comments, too.

Y'all have a great week!

Gapses in the Synapses

Have a veritable smorgasboard of material to cover this go around.  Subjects ranging from politics to the power of TV to sports, among other things.  So, if you're game, here we go:

• Want to know the true power of television?  My son had been playing his Nintendo DS in the living room all morning with the TV turned off.  I went into the kitchen to fix myself some breakfast and turned the TV in there on while I was eating.  He came in the room, while still playing his game, just to listen to the show I was watching. It was a show about the different stages the earth went through as it was being formed, too.  Riveting television for a nine year old.  He didn't leave until I turned it back off, either.  Reckon only got myself to blame for that;
• If you have any political ambitions, better make sure you know your local sports teams.  According to David Gergen, a well-respected political analyst, part of the reason the Dem lost in Massachusetts was cuz she didn't know who Curt Schilling is.  She was asked during a radio call-in show about him, and she apparently made some comment about him being a Yankee fan.  Per Mr. Gergen, the fact she didn't know who the hero of the 2004 Red Sawx is didn't set well with the Sawx fans and probably cost her a bunch of votes.  Just never know what may appeal to or turn off voters.  We sure are fickle sometimes.  Who says we only care about the issues?;
• Know this will sound crass, but if there's anything positive coming out of the whole Haiti crisis, it's that celebrities have something to rally around now.  Been worried about them since they don't have W to kick around any more.  Didn't watch the Hope for Haiti stuff last week, but it wasn't cuz it was hard to find on TV.  Counted at least 7 stations that were covering it, including the major networks.  Read the concert has raised almost $58 million so far and it's still coming in.  Did see an article today saying overall donations for Haiti are already slowing down.  Guess we've almost reached our saturation point.  Talk about a short collective attention span;
• Read an article saying the best gift you can give is cash if you are interested in donating for Haiti.  Have to say I agree with that.  Was down on the Gulf Coast for nine months after Katrina hit.  Saw piles of water, food, clothing and diapers still outside a lot of facilities when I left from there.  At some point, they are going to need to start purchasing building supplies and other things.  A lot easier to do that with cash instead of diapers.  Also easier to ship cash to Haiti than actual supplies;
• Saw where Grant Desme, one of the Oakland A's top prospects, is leaving pro baseball for the priesthood.  Have to admire someone who will give up potential millions to follow his heart.  He was the MVP of his league last year so he obviously had potential.  Said he had been conflicted since he turned pro and now he's at peace within himself. The article I read said there is 10 years of training involved to be a priest.  Never knew there was that much to it, but, then again, ain't Catholic, either.  You go, Grant, and God bless;
• Did you watch the NFL conference championships this weekend?  As much as Brett Favre has aggravated me this year (well, more the media covering him than him), have to admit he played a whale of a game while pretty much getting his brains beat out for most of it.  Wish could say it's surprising his last pass was an interception, but it ain't.  The game was his career in a nutshell.  Great plays because of the risks he's willing to take along with bonehead plays for the same reason.  Excited to see the Saints and Colts in the Super Bowl.  Can honestly say will be happy with whoever wins.  Da Bears are home watching, too, and am fans of both Peyton Manning and the Saints;
• Saw where Pernell Roberts died today at the age of 82.  Loved him in Trapper John, M.D.  Was also pretty good in Bonanza.  The article I read said he marched with Martin Luther King, Jr, somewhere in Alabama. Selma, I believe.  He also protested having an all-white stage crew for Bonanza.  Never knew he was that big into the civil rights movement.  Not a bad legacy for an old Georgia boy;
• Was looking at my map today and saw where someone from Istanbul, Turkey, had visited the blog.  Purty cool.  Wish it would tell me how long they were on the page.  Sometimes I will click on the "Next Blog" link at the very top of the page to see what else is out there.  Imagine that's what happened here.  Most of the websites are in other languages.  Oddly enough, most I run across are in Portugese.  Reckon that shouldn't be much of a surprise since the Portugese settled the half of the New World that the Spainsih didn't. A translation button comes up so can translate any that really look interesting to me.  Still, gives you some perspective on just how global the internet really is.

Well, that's all I got for now.  Appreciate you making it this far.  Hope you have a great week!

And, I am outta here!

Things in the News

Been some interesting things in the news over the last week.  Have some comments on a few of them.  So, if you're interested, here we go:

• The Democrats lost the senate seat formerly occupied by Ted Kennedy.  Shouldn't be that much of a surprise.  If memory serves right, seems like he had to struggle to win his last election.  Shows what happens when people take things for granted.  The Republican ran on the mantra the seat belongs to the people, not Ted Kennedy.  Have read the Dem didn't do a whole lot in the beginning cuz she thought she was a shoo-in for the seat cuz he did.  Time they figured out she wasn't, it was too late.  Guess people are still wanting change.  Politics are a lot like sports, the fan favorite is usually the guy sitting on the bench when they don't like what's happening on the field. (Independents are a fickle bunch) Even though the Republicans got rid of the supermajority, they still only have 41 votes.  Will be interesting to see how this affects President Obama's agenda and what happens later in the year during the mid-term elections;
• The governor of our great state is agin legalizing casinos cuz he believes gamblin's immoral.  Alabama has set up a task force under his watch to get rid of illegal gambling in the state. Anyway, the head of the task force won $2,500 (legally) in a Mississippi casino last week and had to resign.  Guess it's wasn't immoral to him, anyway.  Yet another politician with the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do syndrome. Purty sad;
• See where the president wants to tax banks to get the TARP money back from 'em.  Just have one question, where does he think they will get the money from?  That's right.  Most likely it will come from increased fees being paid by the customers and reduced interest being paid to the customers.  Banks move money, they don't create it;
• Lots o' coverage about the Haiti earthquake, and rightly so.  However, won't be too long before Americans will reach their saturation point and start tuning it out.  Whenever I get onto CNN.com on my iPhone (which shows fewer stories), all the news stories are on the earthquake.  Not that there's anything wrong with continuous coverage, but there are other things going on in the world folks probably need to know about;
• Saw where Danny Glover blamed global warming for the earthquake.  Read the article several times and still not sure what his angle was.  Said something about the earth warming caused the quake (hard to believe he really thinks that), but think mostly he was saying it was retribution for nothing getting accomplished in Copenhagen.  Can't help but wonder why he didn't get the same press Pat Robertson got for his comments.  Guess preachers are easier targets;
• Favorite Facebook post over the weekend:  Romo on the ground, Romo on the ground, Looking like a fool with Romo on the ground!  (Thanks, Donnie P!)  Not sure if it was copied or original, but thought it was purty funny.  Picked all four games and got three of them wrong.  Guess that's why this ain't a sports blog, for the most part.  Any offers to pick against your favorite team this weekend?

Well, that's all the time have for now.  Just needed to get a few things out of me noodle.

As always, thanks for reading.  Added a new blog link over on the left-hand side.  Please feel free to check it out along with the others.  Hope you enjoy the daily quotes and useless knowledge at the top, too.

Peace out!