What a Bunch of …

Been an OK week so far.  Weather’s been nice.  Pollen is gone (for the most part).  And, been some interesting things in the news.  Have a veritable smorgasbord of topics to cover this time.  See if you can stretch your imagination to figure out the common theme.  Hope you enjoy:

• Did you hear about Boobquake?  Seems an Iranian cleric said we are having all these earthquakes cuz women ain’t covering up like he thinks they should.  So, some American lady started a movement on Facebook for women to show a little cleavage so folks could test that theory.  It quickly spread onto other outlets such as Twitter.  Even saw a story on several of CNN’s outlets.  Not sure how many people really participated in it, but it’s amazing how quickly things like the color of women’s bras and exposed cleavage on Facebook get coverage in the mainstream media.  Talk about titillating coverage.  Anyway, last time I checked, still haven’t been any major earthquakes cuz of it.  Maybe y’all should try again. Uh, in the name of science, of course;
• Seems KFC is selling chicken in pink buckets to advertise the fact they are making a big donation to the Susan G Komen Foundation, a great and wonderful cause.  Should be noted, money is NOT being donated based on each individual purchase.  They are just making a big donation.  Anyway, some group I’ve never heard of came out this week saying KFC is taking advantage of poor people and the SGK Foundation, a great and wonderful cause, shouldn’t be attaching their name to something unhealthy like fried chicken.  Guess they haven’t heard KFC sells grilled chicken now.  Anyway, think the most absurd statement I saw from the group I’ve never heard of was “poor people can’t help it if they don’t make healthy choices” or something to that effect.  As the late great Lewis Grizzard used to say, “Do what?”  Now, I know healthy food does tend to cost more than not-so-healthy food.  But, there are affordable healthy choices, too.  And, funny how people in the Great Depression weren’t pushing 250.  Besides, last time I checked, the grilled chicken at KFC is the same cost as the fried.  To me, this is just another case of a group you’ve never heard of trying to take advantage of something to get a little free publicity.  If you don’t like it, don’t buy it; 
• Lane Bryant recently produced a TV ad for lingerie which several networks said was a little too racy to be aired during the “family hour” of TV.  Saw the ad on another blog site (thanks for posting it, Sue Mac) and don’t think it was worse than anything else you’d see on network TV nowadays.  Actually liked it more cuz the models are a lot more realistic.  Better lookin’ to me, too.  Anyway, lots o’ folks are speculating it was turned down because the women in the ads ain’t what you normally see in these types of ads.  Personally, just cuz they show the other ads, don’t mean they should be, especially in the so-called “family hour.”  But, if they are going to show the size 0’s, they should show the size 10’s (and larger), too.  Wouldn’t feel too sorry for Lane Bryant, though.  They got a lot more publicity out of the free media coverage than they would have by paying for the ad time.  Maybe there was a method to their mad-ness…;
• Speaking of free publicity, Apple sure got a lot of it after the prototype for the latest iPhone was left in a bar.  Totally on “accident,” of course.  This case may end up solving a lot of issues.  First, were lots of rumors out there about the new phone before and this has answered a lot of ‘em.  Second, was this really an accident?  Some folks think the dude who left the phone may have planted it as a free market test.  Eh, maybe, maybe not.  Third, the question of whether bloggers are considered media or not may be resolved once and for all.  Seems there’s a California law which says members of the media cannot be forced to give up their confidential sources.  There’s been all kinds of search warrants and police questioning trying to find out who found the phone and sold it to the bloggers who broke the story.  The bloggers say they are members of the media so they should be exempt from all this harassment.  Imagine we will be hearing about this stunt for years to come.  If we are considered media folks, where can I send my request for media credentials to the Super Bowl and the Masters?;
• Reckon you’ve heard about the immigration bill passed by the State of Arizona.  Lots of folks ain’t necessarily agreeing with the new law.  Do believe there is cause for concern that legal citizens could be subject to random questioning by the police.  What I can’t understand is why folks are concerned about the rights of the ILLEGAL immigrants?  They are not exactly law-abiding citizens since they are in the US ILLEGALLY.  Would think people who came here legally would have the most to gripe about, too.  Why should someone who entered ILLEGALLY have the same rights of someone who did it the right way?  Think most folks seem to be missing the other point that Arizona passed the law cuz the Feds won’t do anything about ILLEGAL immigration reform.  Do I think the Arizona legislature made a wise choice?  Probably not.  In the end, guessing the courts will overturn the law based on the 4th amendment.  Can’t just stop a citizen without due cause.  Last time I checked, the way you looked ain’t considered due cause, either.  At least it better not be; 
• Been a lot of chatter about Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Great Britain, calling some lady a bigot the other day while leaving a photo op for the upcoming election.  Apparently he forgot he was still wearing a wireless microphone.  Naturally, the media heard the comment and immediately put it out for everyone else to hear.  He’s now apologized twice and some reports say the lady has even forgiven him for the comment.  Think this is much ado bout nothin’ myself.  Politicians are human just like everyone else.  They have their opinions and biases just like everyone else.  They should be entitled to make ignoramus comments just like the next guy, too.  One poll said 90% of those asked said this won’t affect the way they will vote.  Reckon the media has to have something to yak about.  Some things I’ve read indicate he wasn’t too far off with his comment, but would still suck for him to call me a bigot whether I deserved it or not.  Think he was already behind in the polls so not sure this will cost him the election.  Purty sure it won’t help, though.

Well, that’s all I got for now.  Were you able to figure out the theme?  You may have to think literally and figuratively on this one.

Y’all take care.

More Gapses in the Synapses

Before I get started, want to point out the music which is playing. This song is the Apocalyptica song I've talked about several times on here. It's their version of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters using nothing but cellos. Hope you like it. If you don't, you can always turn your volume down. Thanks to my wife for showing me how to get it loaded on here.

A few random thoughts:

• Really enjoyed running in the Susan G Komen, a great and wonderful cause, Race for the Cure 5K this weekend. Hope you can tell that from my previous post, but thought I would say it again. It is an awesome cause. The only drawback is there are a lot of walkers who start in front of people who want to run. Think I covered an extra half mile weaving in between all of them. One or two people walking together is not a big deal. But, when there are 6 people walking side-by-side, that is a little much when you choose to start in front of runners. Not trying to discourage people from participating any way they can. Just think you should be a little more cognizant of your surroundings if you are going to do that;
• My kids are out on fall break for the next two days. Fall break?! We never had that when we were in school. Why, we had to walk to school in 6 feet...wait, never mind about that. Anyway, it seems like they take a lot more breaks nowadays than when we went to school. More power to 'em, I reckon;
• Anybody play Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook? Can't decide if I like this new version or not. You score a lot more points, but it seems a little less challenging. Does anybody else think of Bill Murray in Caddyshack when the voice says, "Excellent"? Kind of sounds like Montgomery Burns on The Simpsons, too;
• So, the Nobel committee awarded President Obama their peace prize. It's their award. Reckon they can do what they want with it. Couldn't believe it when I first heard it. Made a little more sense when I read they sometimes do that to encourage people to continue their course. Hope no one is mad at the president for it. He didn't vote on it and probably would tell you he doesn't deserve it at this point, either. Personally am in the school of thought that thinks this may make things even tougher on him. We shall see;
• Looks like there will be some form of health care reform before too long. All for that, just hope they hold the course with no public option. There's no way the country will be able to afford it, and there's only so long we can keep spending money we don't have. We may all be millionaires in the future but a loaf of bread will cost $5,000 because the dollar won't be worth the paper it's printed on. That's what happens when governments keep printing money with nothing behind it. It leads to inflation, which is a deeper discussion than I want to get in to right now. Just to give you an idea of what can happen: after World War I, Germany kept printing money so its people would have money. They eventually printed so much of it that it was worthless and people were using their paper money as wallpaper. Let's hope that doesn't happen here;
• Saw where someone is auctioning off some of Michael Jackson's hair which was burnt back in 1984. First, wonder who would want to buy it (although I'm sure someone will)? Second, why would someone keep something like that all this time? What is this world coming to?
• This is a good time of year for TV. Survivor, Biggest Loser, and Amazing Race are all on the airwaves. If they could have Deadliest Catch on, too, it would be perfect. Of all of them, I would want to be on Survivor the most followed by Amazing Race. I'm overweight, but nowhere near enough to be considered for the Biggest Loser. Was disappointed Coach Mo was sent home from BL last night, but when I saw him wearing that boot, figured that was foreshadowing he was not much longer for the show. Am soooo ready for the lawyer to be out of AR. He just grates on my nerves because he always talks about how smart he is but he can't find his way out of a paper bag then blames it all on his soon-to-be wife. Oy;
• Was sad to see Captain Lou Albano died yesterday. You may know him from the Cyndi Lauper videos. Or, you may actually know him from WWE wrestling but just don't want to admit it. He was a great villain and knew how to keep the crowd involved. Not many around today like him. RIP, Captain Lou;
• In case you're curious, my cholesterol came back at 173. At least it's below the 200 threshold, but still have to watch it. Encourage you to have yours tested, too. If you have health insurance, check to see if you have preventive medicine coverage cuz this would fall under it and there's usually no deductible for that particular coverage. Have to go back Monday to get my blood pressure retested to see if I will need to start medication for that. Not holding out much hope on that.

In the words of the great Mick Foley, "Have a nice day!"

Susan G Komen, A Great and Wonderful Cause, 5K

Had the opportunity to run in the Susan G Komen, a great and wonderful cause, Race for the Cure 5K over the weekend. It was an awesome experience to see that many people come together for one cause. According to what I've heard, there were about 14,000 people who ran in either the 5K or the one mile fun run in Birmingham alone. A great turnout, especially for a cool and rainy Saturday morning in the middle of college football season.

The picture above is our crew of folks that ran. We belong to the same church and most of us are in the same Sunday school class. One other husband also participated, but he had stepped away for a moment when the picture was taken. Several things stand out to me when I look at this picture:

1. Sure have some skinny legs compared to the rest of my body. (Lost 25 lbs in the last couple of months so the rest of my body is catching up);


2. The 7 year old was the fastest of the bunch;


3. More importantly, statistically speaking, at least one of the women will be struck by breast cancer at some point in her lifetime. Think about that for a second. Pretty startling.

While I was running in the race, my mind wandered to many subjects. The one that kept coming up was how breast cancer has affected my family. My grandmother and mother both are survivors. My aunt was not so lucky although she put up a good fight. That's three women in two generations of the same family who have been affected. Chances are good that other women on this side of the family will also have to battle the disease before it's all said and done.

Thought about my aunt Tricia when I saw folks running in memory of someone else. She was a great woman who taught first grade. She loved kids but oddly enough never had any biological children of her own. Can still see the tears streaming down the preacher's face while he was giving her eulogy. Still think about her often and wonder why God chose to bring her back home. Maybe He liked her singing and was ready for her to join his choir. Don't know. Do know her battle has inspired a lot of people, and that probably had something to do with it, too. Funny how He works that way. Anyway...

Breast cancer research is one of those things I always give to whenever I can. Do it in honor of my mother and grandmother and in memory of my aunt. I'm sure there's someone in your life who has been touched by this disease and would encourage you to do what you can, too. Even if you don't contribute to finding a cure for this disease, giving to research on another disease could lead to the cure for that one and a whole bunch of others. Already planning to run again next year.

If you are a woman, be sure to check yourself early and often for lumps and make sure you get your mammograms when you are supposed to. Right now, early detection is the best and most effective way to defeat this disease. Someday these won't be necessary, but, for now, they are. And, men, just for the record, we get breast cancer, too, although it's a much smaller percentage. So, it won't hurt to check yourself, either.

Until next time...

Shallow Thoughts

Do any of you remember the old Saturday Night Live vignettes Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey? Well, these are some of my shallow thoughts, but thought I would pay homage to him, anyway. Loved those things. Anyway...

• Tried to watch Monday Night Football tonight, but all the Brett Favre worship is making me sick. Yes, he is one of the all-time greats of the game. But, every time he completes a pass you would think it was the greatest pass ever thrown and no one else in the NFL could have done it. Just reminds me why I hardly ever watch ESPN anymore. Too much hype and not enough substance. Oh brother;
• Can't really figure out why some media folks are making such a big deal about David Letterman and his office romances. Doubt he's much of a role model to kids, especially since most of them are in bed when his show comes on. He's never really been one to take the moral high-ground, either. At least he didn't when I used to watch his show. He's an entertainer. He's not a journalist or anything else where he has to establish credibility. He makes his living telling jokes. Now, don't get me wrong, not saying what he's done is acceptable to me. But, he's human, which means he's a sinner just like the rest of us;
• Went to the doctor today and had high blood pressure. Bet my bloodwork will show I have high cholesterol, too. Thought my recent diet and exercise would help all that. Guess I'm getting old. Probably can't expect to erase years of not paying attention to my health in just a few months, either;
• Did you watch Amazing Race Sunday night? Loved Phil's line to the attorney, "Looks like the gazelles and zebras are outrunning the lion right now." That dude's been bragging about how he's the lion and the rest of the contestants are his prey and also talking about how smart he is. He gets lost just about every time he gets out of the cab or off the plane. Reminds me of the old joke where the "smartest man in the world" grabs the backpack instead of the parachute;
• Today my daughter told me I had a great job. When I asked why she thought that, she said because the people I work with really like her. The things a child thinks. Wouldn't it be nice if adults would think that way sometimes?

Only five more days until the Susan G Komen, a great and wonderful cause, 5K. If you are a woman, or just love one, please make sure you check (or remind them to check) for lumps on a regular basis. You can never be too cautious about something like that.

Peace out.

Quick Hits

OK. So I said I'm gonna start posting more often and haven't, yet. Apologize for that. The hotel I've been in had lousy internet reception so wasn't able to write like I wanted to. Hopefully will be able to write more now that I've made it back home.

Anyway, have some quick thoughts would like to share. Hope you will indulge me.

• This is my favorite time of year. Leaves are changing color with a bit of chill in the air. College football kicking off. (Roll Tide, by the way!) It's a great time to be alive. Not that there are many bad ones, mind you;
• Forrest Gump is on TV right now. Love that movie. Tom Hanks is vastly underrated as an actor. Know that doesn't sound right when he won consecutive Oscars, but don't think he gets the credit he deserves, which is probably a real testimony to his acting abilities. You don't even notice them;
• Still on track to finish the Susan G Komen, a great and wonderful cause, 5K in Birmingham. Won't make my 30 minute goal, but it's more about the cause than the time for me. Did I mention it's a great and wonderful cause?
• Heard people giving President Obama grief about going to meet with the Olympic committee. My knee-jerk reaction was against it. But, the more I thought about it, it made sense. It would have been great for the country if they would have come here. Will give him the benefit of the doubt he would have done it for another city, too. Too bad we didn't get it. Oh well, both the Mayan and Chinese calendars say the world is going to end in December 2012, anyway. Might not matter in the long run;
• Speaking of the world coming to an end, watch those shows on the History Channel all the time. Interesting to see people's rationale for these things. We've heard these things before. (Remember how everything was going to go haywire on Jan 1, 2000?) Not sure if there are more bad things happening in the world or we just hear about them more thanks to our 24 hour news channels. They got to fill the airs with something. Sure you've heard the old saying, "If it bleeds, it leads." Anyway, the Bible says only God knows when the world will end, and He ain't tellin'. Think I'll go with that;
• Does anyone else see the irony in Michael Moore making a movie about how bad capitalism is? Wonder if any of his movies would have been made much less released if he lived in Russia or China and made those kinds of movies about them? Just saying. Think that's what infuriates people about liberals. Won't say all of them, but many are more "do as I say not as I do" than the other way around. (Want another example? Think about the Clintons campaigning on being anti-Reaganomics when they made a bunch of money doing the same thing, and that's only one of many examples) Anyway, think they have a legitimate desire to help people, but it seems like they think they are smarter than the people they are trying to help and those folks are incapable of doing it themselves. Well, if you keep giving a man a fish, he's going to keep expecting you to provide them rather trying to catch them on his own;
• Heard where the inspiration for "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" died this week. Think her name was Lucy Vodden. Lots of folks think that song is really about LSD. Does have some unique imagery in it. But, sometimes a song is just a song. If you have kids, take a look at their artwork. Their view of the world is usually a little diferent from adults. There's no vast conspiracy in the world where everything really means something else. At least, that's what my music tells me;
• Survivor has been pretty good so far. Evil Russell is keeping things interesting. At least he's honest to the cameras about what he's doing. A lot of times people take the attitude what they do is honest and it's just playing the game. Then, when someone else is doing it, all of the sudden it ain't fair. He knows what he's doing is wrong and doesn't pretend to think anything else;
• Speaking of Survivor, was glad to see Ben get voted out last night. What kind of person thinks calling a black woman "ghetto trash" has no racist overtones? As the wise and great Bugs Bunny used to say, "What a maroon!" It bothers me they referred to him being Southern. The boy's from Missouri, which ain't a part of the South on my map (and, yes, I know what side of the war they fought on);
• Amazing Race is looking pretty good, too. Understand the logic of not letting people know you are a millionaire poker player, but come up with something better than you work with homeless kids. You have to know somewhere somebody's going to recognize you and blow your cover, especially when one of you was all over ESPN last year. Telling that lie will just make people not want to help you even more. Will say they have been pretty spot-on when they've shared their observations about the other racers. Have a hard time believing any jury would be sympathetic to that lawyer;
• Saw where Jon Gosselin now thinks it's not good for his kids to be on a reality show. Hmm, wonder if that anything to do with the fact he's been canned from the show? Just sayin'...

Thanks for indulging me. Actually had a pretty good time on my trip. Got to see a few old friends haven't seen in a while. That's always nice.

If you have time, check out some of the blogs I follow. Their links are on the left. I don't get paid anything if you do, but, I like them so you might, too.

Have a great weekend!

Gapses in the Synapses

A few random things firing in between me synapses:

• Sometimes travel is not fun. Spent a total of 10 1/2 hours between airplanes and airports yesterday. The bad part is only spent 1 1/2 of those hours flying through the air. A combination of bad weather and maintenance issues for one of the planes was supposed to be on. We even had to wait on the tarmac for about 40 minutes in Atlanta because two mechanics were flying to Bloomington, IL with us so they could repair a plane there. The wait was for the tool they had to take with them. Billions of dollars in equipment and they only had the one tool for the whole country. Just hope it wasn't something the local hardware store had;
• Was disappointed to hear former President Jimmy Carter thinks resistance to Obama is due to his race. If that is the case, what was the reason people didn't support healthcare reform when Clinton proposed it? Will give President Obama credit for saying, while there probably are some people against him because of his race, most folks oppose the fix and not the color of the person proposing it. Bill Clinton came out and reaffirmed Obama's thoughts today. Now, there's no doubt in my mind there are some people who don't like Obama because of his race. But, would say most people oppose either his party or his policies because they disagree with one or both and his race has nothing to do with it. There were people who were against Bush because of his party and policies, oddly enough, some of the same ones now crying racism. Just think it's an easy out myself. As I've said before, people usually resort to name calling when they can't support their platforms with facts. Glad to see these allegations have not slowed down legitimate political debate...for now, anyway;
• Heard all the hullaballoo about Obama scrapping the missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Actually took the time to read an article on it. Turns out that, yes, they are scrapping this system, but they are replacing it with new technology which will allow greater coverage/protection. That's what this article said anyway. Read it on cnn.com so you can take it for what it's worth. Usually pretty reliable, though. Seems to be another case of media using overreaction to sell papers, etc.;
• OK, on to some lighter subjects. Thanks to all of my time in the airport and Disneyworld lately, have seen some "interesting" people, to put it politely. Just wonder sometimes what people are thinking when they wear some of the stuff they do. Seen some material stretched in ways the Good Lord probably never intended on more than one occasion. Also saw some body parts exposed that shouldn't be exposed in those settings. Wooshhh;
• Wonder what people are thinking with some of the things they buy at Disneyworld? Why would you spend $25/30 a Goofy hat that you will never wear again anywhere else? Good word;
• What's the deal with people wearing scarves nowadays? Saw quite a few folks wearing them yesterday. Wasn't because it was cold. Even saw a man wearing one with his suit and tie. More power to 'em, I reckon;
• Just finished Couch to 5K today. Even ran a little extra time so I could cover the whole 5K. Ran it in a little under 35 minutes. Not too bad, I reckon. Have signed up for the Susan G Komen run, a very worthy cause, in Birmingham on October 10. Going to run in memory of my aunt and in honor of my mother and grandmother;
• Friend of mine said it was snowing at his house in Colorado today. Strange weather we've had this year. Enough to make you think;
• Was glad to see Jordan won Big Brother. Sometimes nice people do win. Now the best reality contestant shows can start, Survivor and Amazing Race!!! Survivor looks like it's going to be awesome with Evil Russell on it this year. Hope he lasts a while;
• Running and watching my calories has helped me lose a little over 20 lbs since the end of June. Woohooooo!!!! Hoping to lose at least 15 more before it's all said and done.

Well, that's it for now. Gonna try and start posting a little more regularly. Will probably have lots of thoughts now that Congress is coming back in session. Could be an interesting fall. Also have some more travel on the horizon. Enduring these things has been a little easier now that I look at it as blog material. When life gives you lemons...

Have a great week!