Sunday, February 28, 2010
How Do You Forget Things Like That?
I was reading an interview in Parade
magazine with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer when something jumped out at me. She described losing her father to an auto accident
when she was "22 or 23".
Which one is it, Diane? People go through traumatic events in their life,
but I would think that someone would remember how old they were when their father died.
I'm sure she has a lot
on her plate and has experienced a very filling life, but I thought this was rather odd. Maybe it's me, but I don't understand
her thinking.
6:47 pm est
Saturday, February 27, 2010
From D To T
Like most owners of a Toyota,
I have followed the drama unfolding in the media. Both of my recall issues have been taken care of.
We have been
introduced to Akio Toyoda, grandson of the founder, Kiichiro Toyoda. I've wondered how Toyota got its spelling . Apparently,
Kiichiro switched to a "t" from a "d" because the "t" character takes only eight strokes to
write instead of 10 for the "d". Eight is considered a lucky number in Japanese culture.
We learn something
new every day. I didn't know this when I woke up this morning.
2:33 pm est
Friday, February 26, 2010
I Love Electricity
It was quite a storm last night. The
ride home from the comedy show was wild on the highway with the wind and rain. I was home for about 30 minutes before I lost
my power at 11:30pm. Fortunately, I had heat, hot water and gas for cooking. It was rather dark inside my place.
This morning. I drove around town and saw numerous power lines and trees down. One guy had his van crushed by a tree. The
power finally came back around 3pm much to my relief. I hope things are getting back to normal.
We can complain
about the high cost of electricity, but when you don't have it, you realize how life can be more difficult without it. I will
now pay my monthly bill with more enthusiasm.
6:14 pm est
Thursday, February 25, 2010
An Issue of Paper
I'm doing what I can to stay proficient
with technology. I think the many of the products on the market are outstanding and wish they were around years ago. However,
I can't bemoan that fact. I can only adjust and learn.
I recently purchased an IPod Nano and upgraded my phone
to a Motorola Android. Both products have numerous features. With any technology product, it boils down to the user experimenting
with them.
I was surprised to see that both products came with a manual that barely met the minimal requirements
to use them. I have found user guides on-line that should answer most of my questions and assist me in becoming more proficient.
I must have been naive and old-school in thinking that the manufactures would include a paper-based guide with their
product. It's a way of keeping the cost down. The manufacturers assume the users are the type that don't want hard copies.
I down-loaded both guides to my desk-top. I will refrain from printing them. I'm sure I will print out a page
or two just to make it easier to follow a procedure or understand an application.
I recently bought a can-opener
and the instructions came in five different languages. Go figure!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
No Offense Back Then Either
I saw an item of trivia which
mentioned that the car on the back of the U.S. ten dollar bill was a 1925 Huppmobile. I was curious and did some further research.
The Huppmobile Car Company was founded by Roger Hupp who left Oldsmobile to start his own. The car was manufactured
from 1909-1940. It was a big selling car with the classic "roadster" look.
According to a website dedicated
to the history of Hupp, the U.S. Mint did not select the Hupp as the car on the bill. Instead, it was a composite of
several Detroit models. Apparently they did not want to offend anyone or play favorites so a bit of each company was included.
That sounds like something that would be done today!
11:09 am est
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A Great Investment
In today's economy there are not many
places where you can invest your money and get a good return. There are always exceptions. Taxi medallions in New York City
have been increasing 15% annually in value over the last decade.
The city limits them to a total of 13,237 taxi
cabs. This is an occupation that is primarily done by the immigrants. From my own observations, they are mostly Eastern
European, Middle Eastern and Indian drivers who put the long hours in.
There are countless stories of
immigrants who have achieved success in America by starting off as cab drivers and now own their own medallion. I've
had some interesting conversations while sitting in a cab in traffic.
Speaking of investments, the medallions are
now selling for $775,000 each. What a valuable commodity on the open market!
10:56 am est
No Donuts For Me
I have not done donuts for many years.
The last one I ate was in 1989. I can't believe I use to eat them. On the other hand, I stopped doing donuts with my car in
snow covered parking lots many years ago.
Someone brought that topic up the other day. I liked doing them.
They were fun when cars were bigger. You don't get that same effect with the smaller cars of today. Bigger was always
better.
11:40 pm est
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Don't Say These Words
I have some form of the flu. I'm not
sure which. I have a sore throat, body ache, stuffy head, but no coughing. Maybe, I've discovered another strain.
I always get a great sense of relief whenever I sneeze. It doesn't happen often because I'm not a big sneezer. I know
the story behind saying "bless you" or "gesundheit", but I never say it to anyone. I think it sounds stupid.
I feel better when I sneeze. People should say "I'm happy for you". That's what I want to hear.
To me,
sneezing is a personal issue.
2:25 pm est
Saturday, February 20, 2010
One Issue First
With all of the stories of professional
athletes bringing guns into the locker room and getting into trouble off the field, it's good to hear that Major League Baseball
has issued a directive to all personnel which now prohibits the possession of guns, knives and explosives on baseball property.
This will go a long way in eliminating some potentially dangerous situations.
Trying to deal with the wide-spread
use of human growth hormone is another story. Don't look for this to be resolved soon.
3:11 pm est
Friday, February 19, 2010
Someone Made A Bad Decision
When I went to the local library yesterday,
I noticed that workmen were replacing the counter-top of the circulation desk. The place was very crowded because of public
school vacation.
What I immediately noticed were the horrible fumes coming from the adhesive being used by the
workers.
I mentioned it to a couple of the library employees. They were upset over working under those conditions.
It was a very unpleasant odor. I had to get out of there. I remarked that someone made a very poor decision in replacing the
counter-top during business hours. I went as far as telling the employees that they should file a grievance with their union
for working under hazardous conditions.
It didn't do any good. The library was still open several hours later when
I drove by.
3:19 pm est
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
ZICAM To The Rescue, I Hope
I felt it when I was going out tonight
to do comedy in Portsmouth,NH. I'm wondering if I'm coming down with a cold. I have a sniffle and a dry nose. My throat is
ok.
I've tried so hard to stay healthy this winter. It came on all of a sudden. I decided to take action when I
got home.
I took one of my ZICAM tablets. This is quite a product bought over the counter. Like anything else,
they had a better product when it was a cotton swab that you stuck up your nose. That worked wonders, but the FDA took it
off the market after some fatalities. I can't blame them for doing so, but I wonder what the circumstances were of the people
involved.
I hope this works. Whenever I get a cold, it seems to linger. I didn't get a flu shot because of after
effects I had in the past. Here we go!
11:52 pm est
Monday, February 15, 2010
Not Very Green
Becoming "green"
is very in vogue nowadays. Everyone wants to jump on the band wagon.
I was out at UMass Amherst last Sunday for a basketball
game. I met up with an old friend. We ate at the dining commons.
I've read how UMass and other schools have downsized
food portions and eliminated the use of trays. Students carry less food and hopefully cut down on the amount wasted.One
school said how much water they saved by not washing trays.
In the past, students would place their tray
on a conveyor belt. As we carried our dishes and glasses, I saw a worker placing trays on the conveyor belt. I mentioned about the
elimination of trays. He said that was true, but the only way they could get the dirty dishes and glasses ready for cleaning
would be to place them on a tray on the conveyor belt.
The trays still get washed. So much for saving water.
11:41 pm est
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Lamb Joins The Team
This sounds a bit like signing a free-agent
to a professional sports team, but I'm pleased to announce that I will now be incorporating ground lamb into my diet. The
other night, I had a delicious baked leg of lamb dinner at a local Greek restaurant. Now is the time to start eating
lamb on a regular basis.
I purchased some ground lamb at a local supermarket and broiled a lamb burger for lunch.
It was awesome. I have a limited history with lamb, usually eating it only once a year at an annual cookout. Now, it will
join bison as one of my alternatives to beef.
At home, I have eliminated other forms of beef from my diet, staying
only with the lean ground burgers. Bison and lamb are two great alternatives. They are low in saturated fat and actually contain
the "good" fats.
My future shopping days will now include purchasing both bison and lamb. I'm not sure
what took me so long to realize this, but it's better late than never.
3:58 pm est
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Stage is Set For Curling
The opening ceremony for the Winter
Olympics is tonight. It's all about pageantry and made for tv. I'll be watching a some events over the next few weeks, but
I can't say I'm totally excited about the Games.
There are so many sports that nobody really cares about. Curling
can be fun to watch, but nobody remembers who won the gold medal four years ago.
Whenever someone falls or wipes
out in their event, they are guaranteed to make the highlight film on the nightly news.
My biggest question is:
who will make the cover of the Wheaties box?
10:35 am est
Write It Right
A story in the news mentioned
that kids today are losing their ability to write and their level of concentration is changing. This is due to the use of
computers which allow the kids to flip through subjects and topics, rather than focusing on one specific item.
In prior times, kids were forced to focus
on the material at hand and process the information using a thought process. Experts feel that kids are developing a shorter
attention span.
The use of email and texting is also dumbing down the population. Nobody write an email in a complete
sentence. Texting has created a language of its own. I don't text much, but when I do I try to avoid too many abbreviations.
I maintain three blogs on this website and sometimes catch myself writing something that isn't a complete sentence.
Although the thought and idea is being conveyed to the reader, I have a hard time not writing in a complete sentence.
I'm not trying to be the grammar police, but I don't want to lose my ability to write a complete thought out and make
it sound sensible.
11:57 pm est
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The News Isn't Always News
All of the headline news is not
always "news". It's not the most important stuff out there. Newspaper and other forms of media know that they are
in a business to make a profit and need to capture the public's attention.
It's intersting to note that the New
York Post admitted that Tiger Words broke a record by appearing 20 consecutive days on their front page during his recent
sex scandel. His marital problem was considered to be newsworthy.
It broke the previous record of 19 days
for a story that was really news; the attacks of September 11, 2001.
5:13 pm est
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Let's Panic Now
Sometime late Wednesday, we are "suppose"
to get at least 8 inches of snow. They news people are salivating over this story. Nothing like making people panic. I find
this so boring as it usually never snows as much as "they" say it will.
I can only imagine the super
markets tomorrow as everyone tries to load up on the essentials, thinking that they will be stranded for days on end.
I'm scheduled to go early tomorrow morning to buy my usual stuff. I predict right now that this storm will be a dud.
10:50 am est
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Mystery of Abe
The Super Bowl had a lot of great commercials.
One of them featured Betty White and Abe Vigoda. One thing I've learned from doing comedy is that cultural references can
be a challenge.
I was familiar with both of them, although I never knew what Abe did until I checked him out on
Wikidpedia.
Years ago, Johnny Carson was always referencing him during his monologue on the "Tonight Show".
I was unaware that he played "Salvatore Tessio" in the "Godfather". It was a great movie, but I haven't
seen it in years.
He also played the role "Sgt Phil Fish" on "Barney Miller" from 1975-1977.
I never saw an episode of the show. In fact, I use to confuse it with "Barnaby Jones", another police show I never
saw.
I'm glad I finally resolved the mystery of Abe Vigoda. I'm also Happy for him for making some money
and still being alive.
5:02 pm est
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The Passing of the Seasons
It's been a long and wonderful football
season culminating with the Super Bowl tonight. Back in August, I attended the Patriots training camp wondering how the season
would play out. The 2009 New York City Marathon was 12 weeks away. The 2010 Boston Marathon was in the distant future.
As of tomorrow, the 2009 football season is history and the 2010 Boston Marathon is only 10 weeks away. I just sent
my entry in for the 2010 NYC Marathon.
By the time the NYC Marathon comes around, it will be the mid-point
of the new football season. A lot will happen between now and then.
Whenever I run these day, I wonder how
the Boston Marathon will go. Sometimes the journey is the most enjoyable part, but it's always a special feeling when you
get to your destination.
4:15 pm est
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Not Made In America
It
took 10 years, but my Timex Ironman watch finally died and has been replaced by the newest version. It does all of the the
same functions as the last one except it can only record 30 splits instead of 100. That's ok by me. I only need 27 for my
marathons. I don't plan on running any further than that.
The best thing is the price. Ten years ago I paid
$70. Now it's $30. You can't beat those Chinese products. It seems like we don't build anything more in America. If this was
made here, it would probably cost $70. No wonder we have such a trade deficit. Naturally, I bought it at Walmart, one of China's
biggest customers.
4:37 pm est
Friday, February 5, 2010
Everyone Should Get One
It's that time of year for Oscar nominations.
The Academy of Motion Pictures announced that categories will be increased to 10 deep this year.
I never
go to the movies, but I'm sure there are a number of films that deserve nominations. It's a bit of a stretch to have 10 nominees
for Best Picture. I think they could have trimmed it to five or six.
Nominations are a great boost to ticket sales.
Movies are advertised as such. It's a great honor to be nominated in an individual category.
The last time there
were 10 nominees per category was in 1943. That year, Casablanca ran the table picking up Best Picture, among others.
News of the watering down the Oscars came on the same day as the NCAA announced that they are considering expanding
March Madness from 65 teams to 96. It's all about the money and television ratings.
In this day and age, everyone
needs to be considered a winner. Nobody is allowed to lose. Why don't they give an Oscar to every movie nominated? That way,
nobody will have their feelings hurt.
12:16 pm est
Thursday, February 4, 2010
What Do You Do With It?
Insurance salvage is a big industry
with bargains to be found. The jet that Capt. Chesley Sullenberger ditched into the Hudson River last year will be up for
auction. Insurance giant AIG will be trying to recoup some of its losses on the jet insured for $70 million.
It's expected to fetch $100,000. I'm not sure what you do with it once you own it. The seats are probably musty as well
as the carpets. It's too big for someone's backyard. I hope they don't plan to fly it again.
1:14 pm est
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
I Won't Be At The Party
There is a buzz in the air today because
it's Groundhog Day and the premier of "Lost," now entering its sixth season. I know some people who are planning
parties around the show tonight.
I must admit that I'm clueless about this show. I've never seen one minute of
it. I can't make an intelligent comment about the plot or characters. I wonder what all the hype is about. Maybe some people
say the same about the Super Bowl.
I'll also admit that I've never seen one minute of "24." You can also
add "Survivor" to the list. I
don't plan on watching any of these in the future.
11:50 am est
Monday, February 1, 2010
Great While It Lasted
The summit of Mt Washington in New Hampshire
has held the distinction of recording the highest wind on record. Back in 1934, a gust of 231 mph set the standard that has
been held since.
The world Meteorological Organization has just awarded the record to Barrow Island in Australia
for a reading of 253 mph during Cyclone Olivia in 1996.
Records are meant to be broken. I congratulate Barrow Island,
but wonder why it took almost 14 years to get around to doing this. They said it was a result of a "review of climate
data".
That's fine, but are they backlogged that much? Maybe they need to hire additional staff to get through
all of that data. They should also check for overdue library books.
10:14 am est
