Consumer Product Safety Alert

It's going to take some getting used to this arctic weather that the Divas came back to - it was upper 60s and sunny while we were in Sin City, and when we got back to the Ville, it was in the teens.  What's up with that?  I've got a major case of jet lag, and have been freezing this evening once I heard that it's supposed to get down to 2 degrees this weekend.  But with this single-digit temperatures coming up in a few days, let me give you, my faithful readers a warning: be very careful about your cell phone.  I think my year-old Motorola Razr went into temperature shock this afternoon.  After being in the warm desert for DLV2, it didn't adjust to the frigid temperatures here at home very well.  For you see, this evening, the caller ID display screen shattered into pieces.  Yes, it shattered.  No, I didn't drop it nor slam it against anything.  It was safe in the pocket of my coat.  One minute it was fine when I was talking on it, and 5 minutes later when I took it out of my pocket to put on the charger, the screen was shattered.  All I could think [and say] was WTF? 

After making a few calls to Verizon, they said the best they could do was to have me wait until the end of March when I have one year left on my contract and they would let me do an early renewal and would "give" me a new Razr for $99 less a $50 rebate.  No thanks.  I immediately got on eBay and bought a new replacement screen and a set of tools to work on the phone for just a couple of bucks.  I'll keep you posted on how my phone repair goes.  And in the meanwhile, protect those cell phones in these cold temperatures.

Farewell, Barbaro

TWIT is sad to report that Barbaro has died.  The Kentucky Derby winner was euthanized yesterday after complications from his gruesome breakdown at last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that made him even more of a hero than he was as a champion on the track. 

We all grimace as we remember the moment at the start of the Preakness when Barbara shattered his right hind leg.  He underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints, after which the surgeons said his survival would be a coin toss.  But Barbaro's recovery seemed to go well.  The bones that had shattered in the Preakness were healed and the only major concern was in Barbaro's left rear leg, where 80 percent of the hoof had been removed in July when he developed laminitis.   But the laminitis in both hooves and an abscess in the right rear hoof,  proved too much for the gallant colt.  Barbaro was given a heavy dose of a tranquilizer and an overdose of an anesthetic and put down at 10:30 a.m..  The owners and doctors knew it was the right thing to do.  They could clearly tell Barbaro was suffering and in pain, and they did what they had to do. 

Barbaro was a hero - not just because he won the Derby, but because he was a fighter and survivor, and because he didn't give up.  The world could use a few more Barbaros.

 

More DLV2

I have to repeat what I said in yesterday's post:  my 44th birthday will go in the record books as the best birthday ever.  After the trip to the Grand Canyon by helicopter, we had a great birthday dinner and did some shopping, and then last night we saw the awesome Cirque du Soleil show "Love."  It was spectacular - that's about all I can say.  Then afterwards, we did a little clubbing just like the youngsters do.  We're proud to say that for a couple of older chicks, we can hang in there with the youngun's and do everything they can do; only we need to take a nap. 

Link Of The Week

As you know, I'm currently in Las Vegas for our trip known as DLV2.  Let me be the first to tell you that Las Vegas is the melting pot of humanity.  In the two days that we've been here, we've heard more languages spoken than we've heard English spoken.  For example, on our shuttle bus trip to the helipad yesterday, the two Divas were the only Americans on the bus.  We had people from Chile and France on our bus.  To make matters worse, the Divas were separated on the bus, so while the foreigners were all chatting away in their natives language, the Divas were text messaging each other.  It's times like that when I wish I could speak another language.  Thanks to a link I found last week, I can now learn another language from the comforts of my own home.  If you would like to learn to speak Spanish, check out http://www.learn-spanish.co.il/.  When I get back from DLV2 and have time to get rested up, I intend to check it out and become bilingual.  I'll keep you posted.

Saturday Funnies

A man and his wife are dining at a table in a plush restaurant, and the husband keeps staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sits alone at a nearby table.

 

The wife asks, "Do you know her?" "Yes," sighs the husband, "She's my ex-girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up seven years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since."

 

"Oh, for Heavens sake", says the wife, "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?"

DLV2 Continues

I'm very happy to report that today has been the best birthday I've ever had.  Diva Stacy and I took a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon.  I ask you this - how many people have drank champagne with their best friend as they are standing on the floor of the Grand Canyon?  That's what I thought. 

It's DLV2!!!

First of all, let me say that I tried up until 11:00 last night to post in TWIT, but AOL was having some major issues in the blog world and I was unable to post.  You are well aware that you can count on one hand the number of times I have been unable to post in my two and half years of blogging. 

Now on to more pressing matters.  Today is the official start of what Diva Stacy and I call "Divas Las Vegas 2" - or DLV2 for short.  This morning begins our second vacation to Sin City.  Unless there are still AOL journal issues going on, I will continue my daily posting while I am vacating. 

I'd like to share with you the official DLV2 playlist on my iPod:

1.  Viva Las Vegas - Elvis Presley
2.  Galvanize - Chemical Brothers
3.  Party Up In Here - DMX
4.  Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
5.   Diva Megamix - various artists
6.   Viva Las Vegas - ZZ Top
7.   Girls Girls Girls - Motley Crue
8.   Dude Look Like A Lady - Aerosmith
9.   London Bridge - Fergie
10. Wind It Up - Gwen Stefani
11. Twilight Zone - 2 Unlimited
12. Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilara
13. Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
14. Viva Las Vegas - The Grascals featuring Dolly Parton
15. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite - Beatles
16. Kiss - Prince
17. Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Preslty
18. Tell Me Something Good - Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
19. Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad - Tammy Wynette
20. White Lightning - George Jones

What A Disappointment

When we went to bed last night, the weatherazzi made mention of a "chance of snow flurries" over night.  Being here in the Ohio Valley, we know that that can mean anywhere from a dusting of snow to a foot.  We didn't know what to expect when we got up this morning.  Personally, I expected a few inches.  Imagine my disappointment when I got up and looked out our French doors to find only a a few flakes accumulated on the back porch ramp and on our neighbor Boots' car.  I should have been trudging through 3 or 4 inches of snow as I lugged the garbage bags out to the end of the driveway this morning. 

Officially, in the weatherazzi called it a "dusting of snow."  But it might as well have been an inch of ice; there were wrecks everywhere this morning - most of them on overpasses.  I'm sorry, but if you travel to work and drive over an overpass, then you already know that overpasses and bridges are the first to be freeze over and be slick.  So wouldn't you take extra precautions when there was a dusting of snow?  Apparently not, because in the eastern part of the county this morning, there was a 13 car pile-up.  Yep, 13 cars involved in a big wreck this morning.  Out of those 13 cars that were wrecked in that accident, I'd like to know what percentage of them travel that road every morning.  I'd venture to guess it was at least three-fourths of them.  You'd think they'd know better by now.  Apparently not.

New Product Review

I love Campbell's chicken and noodle soup, just like most Americans.  So when I came across Campbell's microwavable soups, I thought I'd try one.  The label said "Just Heat And Sip" and the lid was a pop top -- much more convenient than spending half of my lunch trying to find our community can opener, plus I could heat it up in its own container instead of spending the other half of my lunch trying to find a bowl.  I thought the "Chicken and Mini Noodle" would be a good choice, figuring it would taste just like the old school chicken and noodle soup.  Boy was I wrong. 

I knew something was wrong when I stirred up after adding a few dashes of pepper.  It was very thick instead of watery like old school Campbells chicken and noodle soup.  Before I could taste it, a co-worker warned me that most of the mini noodles stayed on the bottom of the cup, so I would need a spoon.  I took a sip, just like the lablel said, and was very disappointed.  It tasted nothing like the Campbells chicken and noodle soup that I know and love.  This had a very weird taste - one that I can't describe.  I was hungry and drank/ate it, but I have to say I won't buy it again.  I will give Campbell's props for one thing, though - each of the "Soup At Hand" microwavable soups is less than 100 calories.  It was filling, I have to admit, but as I said, I won't buy it again.  Unfortunately, Campbell's Soup At Hand Chicken and Mini Noodles does not receive the TWIT seal of approval.

The Most Depressing Day Of The Year?

Those British scientists are at it again, faithful readers.  Once again, they've declared the fourth Monday of January to be The Most Depressing Day Of The Year.  British scientist Dr. Cliff Arnall developed a scientific formula to calculate the most depressing day of the year.  And for its third time, it happened to fall on the fourth Monday of January. 

Here's Arnall's forumla: [W + (D-d)] x TQM x NA.   All of the letters and symbols apparently represent a sort of mathematical code to track the following:

W: How bad the weather is at this time of year.
D:  Amount of debt accumulated over the holidays minus how much is paid off.
T:  The time since the holidays.
Q: Amount of time passed since New Year’s resolutions have gone south.
M: Our general motivation levels.
NA: The need to take action.

Let's look at this realistically.  The weather and a lack of daylight is a major issue in January and February, especially in the northern latitudes. And that’s the primary cause of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  We feel bummed because it's cold and cloudy and because it gets dark after supper time. 

Another universal dilemma around this time of year is debt.  I read that the average person spent $935 on Christmas gifts this year, and the majority of the $935 was charged.  When the bills start rolling in in January, it's more than enough to cause a person to become depressed. 

Psychologists say that late January is also time to confront reality.  Difficult decisions about jobs, family and relationships are often put off until after the holidays because people don't want any more drama than they already have. So while we may wake up feeling very positive on Jan. 1, life may look a lot less shiny a few weeks later when we start breaking our New Years resolutions.

Let's look at this another way, shall we?  Let's look at the formula in terms of me:

W: How bad the weather is at this time of year - other than a few days of really cold weather, we've had more warm and sunny days than we have cold days.  And Lord knows we haven't had any snow.  So I would give this part of the equation a very low numerical value.
D:  Amount of debt accumulated over the holidays minus how much is paid off.  Prior to receiving my bonus, I would have given this a numerical value to the 2nd power.  But after paying off about half of my entire debt, I'd give this a middle numerical value.
T:  The time since the holidays.  Up until this Friday, I haven't had a work day off since we came back from New Years.  But I'm getting ready for ten days away from work, so I'll also give this a middle-range numerical value.
Q: Amount of time passed since New Year’s resolutions have gone south. I made only one New Year's resolution and I broke it the third day of the new year.  So unfortunately, this gets a very high numerical value.
M: Our general motivation levels. I've started my spring cleaning a few months early, and I'm paying off bills, so I will say I'm very highly motivated now, giving this part of the equation a low numerical value.
NA: The need to take action.  As I already said, I'm doing my spring cleaning and decluttering early, and am on the road to financial freedm, so I've taken action already.  This part of the equation is also non-issue, so it gets a low numerical value.

So when we add, subtract, multiply and divide, I don't believe I'm depressed at all.  How can I be depressed when I leave for Las Vegas and The Trip Of A Lifetime in just four short days?  That's what I'm thinking.

 

Link Of The Week

Everyone likes to feel safe - whether it's at home, at work, out shopping or on the internet.  One of the best tips that security experts give is to be aware, and I have to agree - we need to be aware of what's going on around us at all times.  But that's something that we should already know and do. We can't always pack when we go to work or to the store, nor can we have eight firewalls protecting our computer, but there are some things we can do.  If you'd like to feel safer, I found a great site this week that can help out.  Visit http://security.tipcentral.net/ and you'll feel safer and more secure in no time.  To quote the site, "This web site offers various tips and techniques on security, including both starting and advanced tips covering a wide range of security topics - persona, home, computer, network, work, travel, family, financial, identity theft and awareness.  I spent over an hour reading the information on the site, and it's useful and easy things that we can all do to help become safer and more secure. 

This Explains A Lot

My dear friend and faithful reader Big Mama is always up on news.  She gets the latest news from CNN, Rolling Stone, People, and multitude of other news sources.  She sent me a photo that I feel I must share with you, my faithful readers. 

Big Mama was doing some online reading and research, and found some information about an archeological dig that is happening in our nation's capital, Washington DC.  A team that has been digging for artifacts has uncovered 10,000 year old bones and fossil remains of what is believed to be the first politician.  

Farewell, Denny Doherty

TWIT is sad to report that singer/songwriter Denny Doherty has died.  He was only 66.  Doherty died at his home in Mississauga, a city just west of Toronto, after a short illness. He had suffered kidney problems following surgery last month and had been put on dialysis. 

In case you're not familiar with the name, Doherty was a founding member of the awesome folk/pop group The Mamas and Papas. While you probably don't recognize his face nor name, if you've heard "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" then you know him, for he was the voice behind those two monster hit songs.  Most people thought that group member John Phillips was the lead singer on those two hits, but it was Doherty.  Phillips wrote most of their songs, but Doherty sang most of the male lead vocals.  He was overlooked, but he definitely carried the group.

In 1998, the Mamas and the Papas were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group's catchy sound was a blend of '60s upbeat pop and the folk music that had become popular in the early part of the decade.  The group became popular in 1966 with the top 10 smash "California Dreamin'." "Monday, Monday" went to number one on the charts and won the band a Grammy for best contemporary group performance. The Mamas and the Papas were pioneers in pop music by having women and men in one group at a time when most singing groups were unisex. John Phillips, the group's chief songwriter; his wife, Michelle; and another female vocalist, Cass Elliot, teamed with Doherty.

I remember seeing video clips of the Mamas and Papas on shows in the 60's, and in most of them, Doherty is wearing a very cool fur hat while he performed.  He would fit right in if he were performing today.  You will be missed, Denny Doherty, but we'll remember you each time we hear your smoothe, almost-haunting voice.

 

File Under: WTF?

I read a very disturbing news article today.  A nine year old runaway boy managed to get through airport security and get on not one but two flights before he was finally caught. 

This Monday, the boy walked up to the Southwest Airlines ticket counter at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was given a boarding pass after he lied and said his mother was already over in the boarding area.  Apparently, the boy's information matched a paid, ticketless reservation for the flight.  So the agent gave the boy a boarding pass and he got on the plane.  He made it through airport security, not needing picture identification because of his age, and I'm assuming he had no more than the regulation three ounces of any liquid with him or else he would have been stopped for sure.  He flew to Phoenix, then caught another plane to San Antonio, where airline employees stopped him from boarding a flight to Dallas because he couldn't explain why he didn't have a boarding pass.

Southwest employees first thought he was lost, then called police when they realized he was lying, and he was taken to the police station when he persisted in giving false information about his age, name and where he had come from, officers said.  Police determined early Tuesday that he fit the description of a missing person report his mother had filed.  Apparently the boy didn't like where his family had moved, and wanted to runaway to see his grandfather in Dallas.   

As I said earlier, this disturbs me, mainly because in one week I will be flying on Southwest Airlines to and from Las Vegas.  In a day when airlines will not even let people take Chapstick on a plane any more, this future thug managed to get through airport security and get on a plane.  I can't be sure about the competency of the airport and airline workers, but I would think that they've heard on the news about how terrorists strap bombs on little kids and send them off to do their dirty work.  

Are My Shoes Too Distracting?

Tonight was our monthly visit to the nursing home, and the kids across the street went with me again.  Mom was bummed because she didn't get to go because she was still fighting the stomach bug, but our two neighbor kids and their mom went along again.  As soon as they get home from visiting the nursing home, the kids write next month's visit on their calendar - they enjoy it that much.  Tonight, they came into the house to say hi to the 'rents before we left, and we noticed the girls had on some of their Christmas outfits.  The oldest girl, almost 10, had on very cool jeans and a pair of Uggs.  In case you don't know what they are, Uggs are furry winter boots.  We all three told her how cool her boots were, and she said "I can only wear them at night or on the weekends.  I can't wear them to school because they said they're too 'distracting.'" Let me just say this post could have easily been titled "File Under: WTF?".  Too distracting?  A pair of boots?  I could see if the child had gotten a drum or a horn for Christmas and brought it to school, but for a school to say kids can't wear boots because they're too distracting is beyond me. 

Granted, she and her little sister go to a Traditional school, where they are more strict and where they wear uniforms - navy or khaki pants or skirts for the girls, and white, navy or dark green shirts.  She said the only shoes they can wear are tennis shoes, and they have to be fairly plain.  The cool tennis shoes that light up when you take a step aren't allowed. Now I could see where light-up tennis shoes would be distracting, but furry snow boots aren't allowed?  I'm sure glad we haven't had any snow this winter for those kids' sake. 

Major News From The 'Ville

If you were on the MSN, CNN or MSNBC home pages this morning at around 10:00, you would have seen this headline under "Breaking News" - KY train derailment, fire prompt road closure.  Flames, black smoke seen rising from wreckage: area is evacuated.  Wow.  Yeah, wow. 

The train derailment happened in a town just a few minutes south of Louisville called Shepherdsville.  A CSX train consisting of 80 cars and 4 locomotives derailed, and a quite a few of the cars exploded and burst into flames. A number of cars on the train were carrying flammable liquids and gases.  Hazardous materials carried on the train included one empty chlorine car; three cars of liquid propane and four cars of butadiene, an industrial chemical used to make synthetic rubber. Neighborhoods were evacuated, nearby schools bussed their students to other schools, and I-65 was closed.  It was quite the drama in the area today. 

Until this happened, people were talking about 4 barges that drifted from their towboat over night, but once the derailment happened, nobody cared that one of those barges full of yet more chemicals sunk in the Ohio River. 

Mullet Watch

I'm very happy to report that we've had our first mullet sightings in the new year.  In the latest installment, we've got a record five to report; four are courtesy of TWIT's #1 Mullet Spotter, JMc, and one was just seen by yours truly less than a half an hour ago. Before we get to the reports, let's take care of a bit of housekeeping, shall we?  I took a short poll among my faithful readers, and the general consensus was to start a new Mullet Count for the new year.  For the record, we ended 2006 with 38 mullet sightings.  I know we will break that record in 2007.  No onto the sightings:

As stated earlier, the first four mullet sightings are brought to us by our #1 Mullet Spotter, JMc.  Here are his accounts:   The first mullet sighting was at the Valley Station Wal-Mart, excuse me LOWER Valley Station Wal-Mart.  The mullet actually worked there.  It was poodle curly on the front with gray mixed into the light brown color.  Full blown goatee finished the assemble.

The second mullet was located at the Kroger next door, but this mullet was on a chick.  It was dark brown in color, with no gray visable.  I'm guessing the brown was courtesy of Miss Clairol. 

The third mullet was sighted at a far away distant land known in CB lingo as Shaker Town.  That's right, in the San Francisco bay area.  It was spotted actually south of San Francisco in San Jose, which was pronounced San Josie from a Louisville Intergalactic Airport worker.  I was enjoying my meal at the local Outback bar when I spotted a light brown Rod Stewart spike mullet buying a couple of . . .anyone?. . . anyone?  You guessed it! Beers.  I like beer, too, though.

The fourth mullet was spotted at an apparent local hot spot for mullets, Kroger in LOWER Valley Station.  This one was on the skimpy side, being thin-haired and dirty blonde.  The mullet roosted on, a new term I learned during my trip to the San Francisco bay area, a bull dyke.

Thank you for your hard work as a faithful reader and reporter, JMc.  You rock.  Now onto my sighting just minutes ago.  I was getting gas on my way home when I spotted a female Mullet going into the convenient store.  It was an ordinary straight mullet, with no curls nor fanfare.  At one time, the entire mullet had been peroxide blonde, but that was months ago, for the top half of the mullet was brownish-gray, and the bottom half was peroxide blonde.

Mullet count: 5

 

Link Of The Week

I'll let you all in on a little bit of Puddin trivia: I used to have a vanity plate back in the early 90's.  I had the plate on my prized Nova.  No, it wasn't an old school Nova; it was a the new model - the body was a Chevrolet Nova and the engine was from Toyota.  It was an awesome car, and everybody got a kick out of my vanity plate that said "YNOTME".  In case you didn't know, I was a huge Judds fan and wanted the plate because The Judds' song "Why Not Me" was my favorite song at the time.   I had the plate for three years, and when I sold the Nova and got my Blazer, I just used the plate that was issued to me.

I've always gotten a kick out of reading the many vanity plates I've seen out on the roads.  Some I can figure out, and some leave me clueless.  I found a site this week that is dedicated to vanity plates.  They have pictures of vanity plates from all over the country.  Take a look at http://www.coolpl8z.tom and see for yourself.  My two favorite ones on there today are the "PMS 24-7" and "LOL WTF".  

Cooking At The Compound

It's been a dreary, rainy Saturday here at The Compound.  Add to that the fact that Mom has been sick all day with a stomach virus, and you've got a recipe for strained nerves between me and the Old Man.  But not today.  While Mom rested on the couch this morning, we watched a few of our favorite Food Network shows.  I guess they inspired us, because before I knew what was happening, I was at the stove browning a pound of ground beef while the Old Man was making macaroni and cheese and gathering other ingredients.  Last night, he spent over an hour reading our new issue of the Kraft recipe magazine, and he picked out a recipe he wanted to try.  And what a better time to try it than today when Mom was sick and unable to feed us.  The dish was simply titled "Taco Bake" and it was awesome.  It took less than an hour from start to finish, and that even includes a ten-minute trip to the store for a box of the mac and cheese, too.  It turned out so pretty, I had to take some pictures of it to post on TWIT.  We even called our neighbor Bev to come down and taste it.  We got nothing but rave reviews from her.  Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try it.  If I can help make this and it turns our great, anyone can. 

Taco Bake

Recipe Rating:
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 35 min
Makes: 6 servings

1 pkg. (14 oz.) KRAFT Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

1 lb. ground beef

1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Taco Seasoning Mix

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

1 cup TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Prepare Dinner as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, brown meat; drain. Add taco seasoning mix and water to meat; simmer 5 min. STIR sour cream into prepared Dinner. Spoon half of the Dinner mixture into 8-inch square baking dish; top with layers of the meat mixture, 1 cup of the cheese and remaining Dinner mixture. Cover. BAKE 15 min. Top with salsa and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.Bake, uncovered, an additional 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

KRAFT KITCHENS TIPS Size-Wise Keep an eye on portion size when you enjoy this hearty meal. Jazz It Up For extra crunch, prepare and bake as directed, topping with 1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips along with the salsa and cheese.

Now That's A Great Idea

Dodgers to open all-you-can-eat section

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Right field at Dodger Stadium used to feature cheap seats. This year, there will be lots of food and seats that are no longer cheap. The Los Angeles Dodgers are converting their right-field pavilion into all-you-can-eat bleachers. Takers will have access to as many hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, nachos and soft drinks as they want. "Instead of paying cash, fans ask for whatever they want, and they get it. There are going to be some self-service parts, buffet-style, as well," said Dodgers executive vice president and chief operating officer Marty Greenspun. Around 3,000 seats right-field seats will be sold for $35 in advance and $40 on game day with the all-you-can-eat special. Left-field tickets, meanwhile, will sell for $10. The stadium's cheapest seats, in the top deck, will go for $10 next season instead of $6. Greenspun said the Dodgers tested the all-you-can-eat concept three times late last season. "The response was overwhelmingly positive," he said. A few other teams have had all-you-can-eat sections. "The St. Louis Cardinals have done it," Greenspun said. "It hasn't been anything of this size." In addition, he said, "the other ballparks charge a higher rate than this." There are limitations. The food booths open 90 minutes before games and close two hours after it begins. And if someone asks for 100 Dodger Dogs, that won't fly. "If a persongoes up there and asks for four for his family, he won't be told no," said Camille Johnston, the Dodgers senior vice president of communications. All-you-can-eat isn't exactly the most health-conscious concept these days, but as Greenspun put it: "We're offering a fan amenity. Fans can elect to choose it or not choose it. We are offering basic ballpark fare that most fans enjoy." Besides, the most fattening foods -- beer, ice cream and candy -- aren't part of the package. They will be sold at regular ballpark prices.

I'm sure I've mentioned that I'm a proud mini-package season ticket holder for the Louisville Bats minor league team.  If the Bats offered a deal like this, I'd sure take them up on it if they included fried bologna sandwiches on the buffet menu.  I did some research, and found out that the fried bologna sandwich is one of the most popular concession stand items at Slugger Park. 

I'm getting a vision of a concession stand in this section of bleachers - plastic garbage bags full of popcorn that you scoop out yourself; a soft drink dispenser like they have in the convenience stores; trays and trays full of hot dogs.  Let me tell you something - I've been to Slugger Field on Dollar Day and it's not a pretty sight to see thousands of people clamoring over a dollar hot dog.  I'm glad that the ball park has set some rules.  I could see it turning ugly, with people trying to eat enough hot dogs that they could win one of those competitive eating contests. 

With the high prices they charge at the ball parks, I think $35 a person is within the realm of reason.  You'd pay $10 for the seat, and if people like to eat junk like all of us at Slugger Field, it wouldn't be too hard to spend $25 on soft drinks, hot dogs, peanuts, nachos and popcorn.  I'd probably go for it, even if they didn't have all-you-can-eat fried bologna.

 

Farewell, Yvonne De Carlo

TWIT is sad to report that "Munsters" star Yvonne De Carlo has died.  The actress died of natural causes this Monday.  She was 84 years old.   De Carlo launched her career by appearing in B-movie desert adventures and westerns, and worked her way up to guest-starring roles in the 50's, where she appeared with legends Rock Hudson, Burt Lancaster, Charlton Heston, and Clark Gable. 

De Carlo was born Peggy Yvonne Middleton in Vancouver, British Columbia on September 1, 1922.  She was raised by her mother in poor circumstances after her father abandoned them.  She took dancing lessons and dropped out of high school to work in night clubs and local theaters, and she continued dancing in clubs when she and her mother moved to Los Angeles.  She was also classicly trained in voice, and sang opera at the Hollywood Bowl.  When movie roles were scarce, De Carlo turned to stage musicals.  Her greatest stage performance came on Broadway in 1971 when she appeared in "Follies," which won the 1972 Tony Award for best original music score.  She sang the showstopping song "I'm Still Here" - a song about a former star's account of the highs and lows of her life and career.

In 1956, the actress changed her screen image when Cecil B. DeMille chose her to play Sephora, the wife of Charlton Heston's Moses in "The Ten Commandments."  The following year, she co-starred with Clark Gable and Sidney Poitier in "Band Of Angels" as Gable's girlfriend who learns of her African American heritage.  Incidentally, "Band Of Angels" was set in Kentucky, and is high on my list of favorite movies.

While De Carlo was one of the biggest beauty queens of the '40s and '50s and co-starred with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, she'll be best remembered as Lily Munster.  In fact, she'll probably always be known as Lily Munster.  In case you've never watched TV before, she starred opposite Fred Gwynn in the series "The Munsters."  The show only ran from 1964 to1966, and then went into immediate syndication, where it remains today.  Lily Munster is an icon.  Even though Herman wore the pants in the Munster family, it was Lily who presided over the cobweb-filled house at 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

Yvonne De Carlo was in deed one of Hollywood's glamour girls.  If they'd used the term "hottie" back in the '40s and '50s, it would have described her to a tee.  She was a very beautiful woman behind the pastey Lily Munster makeup, with almost exotic looks.  She was one of my all time favorite actresses, and will be missed.

Parking Lot Watch

It's that time of the year again when our attention at work turns to this year's version of Parking Lot Watch.  In case you've forgotten, we watch the parking lot to see who bought a new or new-used car shortly after receiving our profit sharing checks.  Well, we received them yesterday, so the 2007 Parking Lot Watch has officially started.  We didn't actually get checks, though; effective January 1, we now get our paychecks by direct deposit.  So yesterday, all we physically got was a check stub, and the money was already in our checking accounts yesterday evening.  I'm sure a few co-workers probably went out car shopping after supper last night. 

There will be no new car purchase for yours truly this year, so if any of my co-workers are reading this (and I hope you are) you can scratch me off of your list of possible candidates.  Maybe next year.  Or the year after that.  Or the year after that.  I'll report back to you, faithful readers, who the winner of Parking Lot Watch 2007 is as soon we we see a new car out in the parking lot.  I'll even take a picture of it and post it for all to see.

Happy Birthday, All My Children

TWIT would like to wish a happy belated birthday to the best soap opera on daytime television, "All My Children."  AMC turned 37 years old this past Friday.  I'm a fairly new fan of AMC; I've only been watching it for about four years, while I know people who have been watching it since the first episode aired back in 1970.  I started watching it when my cousin's son auditioned for a part on the soap in the spring of 2003.  He didn't get the part, but I can at least brag that he auditioned for "All My Children."

For 37 years, “All My Children” has established itself as the leader in daytime dramas as one that educates through entertaining. Over the past three decades, viewers have watched the characters deal with both social and personal issues including abortion, HIV and AIDS, substance abuse, eating disorders and many more. "All My Children"  made television history as the first daytime drama to incorporate a lesbian character (Bianca Montgomery, our beloved Erica Kane's daughter).  The writers  pushed the envelope even more a few years later when another historic moment was made when the show aired daytime televisions first same sex kiss between two women.   The show continues to be cutting edge with another controversial storyline currently going on.  In a storyline unusual evecn for a soap opera, "All My Children" has introduced a transgender character who is beginning to make the transition from a man to a woman.

Through 37 successful years, the program has maintained its popularity and continues to be one of daytime’s most compelling dramas. “All My Children” took home the 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, the third time the show received this top honor, having also garnered the award in 1994 and 1992. In 2004 the show also received its third consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Writing, its third Writers Guild Award and its third GLAAD Media Award in April of 2004.

The soap was created by Agnes Nixon, and premiered on ABC on January 5, 1970, as a half-hour show; seven years later it expanded to an hour. TWIT would like to congragulate executive producre Julie Hanan Carruthers, and head writer Megan McTavish , and directors  Conal O’Brien, Casey Childs and Angela Tessinari on a job well done.

Not So Subliminal Advertising

I was typing in today's journal entry while watching "CSI: Miami" when a commercial came on that made me erase the paragraph and instead decide to write about the commercial.  The commercial was for Cialis.  In case you haven't watched TV in a couple of years, Cialis is a drug for men who need help with erectile dysfunction.  That having been said, let's get on with the commercial, shall we?

The stars of the commercial was an older gray haired couple, probably in their late fifties.  They were in their house, getting ready to get romantic when all of a sudden the doorbell rings and before you know it, their son and a half dozen grandchildren come bounding through the front door, definitely putting a cramp in their style.  The next scene in the commercial was what really caught my attention and made me almost say "WTF?" The scene showed the couple walking along a shoreline with a huge lighthouse in the background.  Yep, a huge, tall lighthouse.  I don't think they could have showed anything more phallic than lighthouse.  In fact, I think this commercial should receive an award for Best Use Of A Phallic Symbol In A Commercial For Erectile Dysfunction Medication.  Up till now, the award belonged to one of the first Viagra commercials that showed a man throwing a football through an old tire. You get the picture.

Link Of The Week

It's a cold, rainy day today - quite a contrast to the sunny and almost 70 degree weather we've had this past week.  I'm sure just alot of people here in the 'Ville will spend the afternoon either watching NFL playoff games or surfing the internet, or both.  I've got a pretty cool site for my bored faithful readers to check out today while they're inside watching it rain.  Have you ever wondered what you, or someone else, would like like if they were, say, a monkey?  Well, thanks to some very smart web people on the other side of the pond, we can find out.  Just visit http://www-old.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~morph/Transformer/index.html and see for yourself.  You'll need a jpeg format photo, which you'll simply upload and then the website will do the rest.  In addition to seeing what you or someone else looks like as a monkey, you can also see what they would look like as a child, someone from western Asia, or even someone in a Boticelli fresco painting.  One more note before you start morphing pictures of your mother-in-law: if you don't have the latest Java software already installed in your computer, the site will ask if you would like to download it.  It's safe, and there is no spyware, adware nor viruses in the Java download. Have fun, and stay dry today.

File Under: WTF?

According to the weatherazzi, yesterday we had a record high of 68 degrees here in the 'Ville.  Yes, almost 70 degrees during the first week of January.  WTF?  In anticipation of the upcoming Divas Las Vegas II trip in a few short weeks, I've been watching the Las Vegas weather pretty close, and for the past few weeks it's been warmer here in Louisville than it has been in Las Vegas.  I know - it was hard for me to believe that it's been warmer here in the Ohio Valley than it has been in the desert in Nevada. 

From listening to the news this week, all kinds of things are out of sorts.  First of all, I saw robins out in the yard this past week; we normally don't see them until mid- or late March.  Second, I saw where the cherry blossoms are blooming in Washington DC this week.   The weatherazzi and scientists are blaming it on global warming and El Nino.  All I know is we haven't had any snow so far this season.  In fact, since I bought our snow blower two years ago, we haven't had any snow.  I guess it was good insurance, huh?  If we had a truck we could have packed up the snow blower and headed out west to Denver and made a fortune this winter. 

Happy New Year?

It's only the 5th, but it has sure been a long month so far at work.  And we only worked 3 days this week, too.  The first work day of the month is always busier for our department, because we have to do the month-end close in addition to our regular daily work.  On top of that, we were as busy this week as we generally are in the spring; something very unusual for January.  But with the warm temperatures this winter, people are buying and behaving like they do in the spring, so that made for a very busy week.  It was also a very somber and somewhat scary week at work this week - this week, we saw two of our co-workers get fired.  One happened the first of the week and the other happened just this afternoon.   I'm not sure, but I think that's a record for our company - two office people getting fired in one week. 

There was already a different mood in the air this week after the first co-worker got the ax. Once the word traveled through the ZCO grapevine on Wednesday, people were pretty quiet and were being the model employees after the fear was put into them from the firing.  Then the second firing happened just a few minutes before quitting time today.  Suffice to say,  I'm pretty sure there will be a huge spike in productivity on Monday.  And I think it will last a pretty good while, too. 

The two people that got fired were really nice people.  They would have done anything for you that you asked them.  But based on the information I received, they had made a lot of mistakes, and unfortunately didn't learn from them.  This week's firings was our "come to Jesus" time, and it taught us that nobody is really bullet proof from being fired - no matter who you are or how nice a person you are.

You Go, Gladys

Great-Grandmother, 80, Bags First Deer

AP

HENDERSON, Ky. (Jan. 1) - Gladys Schaefer likes to get things done. The 80-year-old western Kentucky great-grandmother followed that mantra in her first outing as a deer hunter. She bagged a doe within 30 minutes in late November. "Don't stop doing things 'til you're in the grave!" Schaefer says.

She's a mother of four, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of seven who loves boating, plays golf three or four times a week and is getting ready for a trip to Las Vegas.

"She's a totally amazing woman," said Mark Lynn, her son-in-law.

Her grandson-in-law, Christopher Connell and Lynn took Schaefer out for the Nov. 20 hunt. They picked her up the day before to take her out for some target practice.  She said she hadn't fired a gun since her teens, but she hadn't forgotten a thing. She did well with a rifle mounted on a tripod, and the trio retired to a trailer for the night.

The thermometer dropped to 24 degrees that evening, but Schaefer said she fared just fine. By 6 a.m. the next day, she was in a blind at the foot of a tree where Connell served as deer spotter and relayed information to her and Lynn over a walkie-talkie.
Within minutes, a doe came within 50 or 60 yards of the blind, and she fired a shot.
"Ka-powie! I let it go! I thought my heart would beat right out of my chest. I was so excited," she said.

Schaefer, a breast-cancer survivor who lost her husband of 54 years last August, praises her family for supporting her notions and "being so wonderful to me."

"She just wants to do whatever she's big enough to do," Connell said. "I love her to death. She's a great sport, fun and fun-loving."

Now Schaefer is happily distributing to friends the many pounds of sausage from the deer, and she's looking forward to another hunt in 2007.

 

I've never been to Henderson, which is only about two hours from here, but I think I might have to plan a roadtrip there and stop by and meet Gladys Schaefer.  She is my kinda woman.  I think we all should do whatever we're big enough to do.  I'm going to do some Googling and see if I can get in touch with Gladys, and see if she's going to be in Vegas when Diva Stacy and I go in three weeks.  We sure would love to hook up with her.  But I'm not sure we could keep up with her.

Way To Go, Cards

TWIT would like to congratulate our hometown team the University of Louisville Cardinals on their win last night in the Orange Bowl.  U of L beat Wake Forest 24 -13. The Cards endured through quite a few turnovers and three messy quarters before kicking in gear and winning.  This was U of L's first major bowl victory in 15 years; their last bowl win was the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. 

Quarterback Brian Brohm threw for 311 yards and Anthony Allen scored two touchdowns, one on a trick play, to help Louisville finish 12-1 and clinch its highest end-of-season ranking ever.  Their only loss this season was to Rutgers - a loss that most likely cost the Cardinals a chance to play for the national title.  But that is something that the Cards are already thinking about.  Just minutes after the game ended, Brohm, a junior, said "Right now, coming back and trying to win a national title looks very appealing." But in the press conference following the game, Brohm said he would talk with his family about the decision to come back for his senior year or to turn pro. Let's hope his family will talk some sense into him and that he'll finish out his senior year at U of L in hopes that they will in deed go after the national title next season. 

There were anxious moments off the field as well last night.  Fans were buzzing about the rumors that University of Alabama had contacted Bobby Petrino about coaching the Crimson Tide.  One rumor said that they had offered Petrino $40 million. But at the press conference after the game, Coach Petrino told reporters he was looking forward to next season and a shot at the national title. 

Congratulations Coach Petrino and the entire U of L Cardinals football team.  We're proud of you.

Don't Fall For It

Thanks to the spam filters on my computer, I now only get a dozen or so junk emails per day in my mailbox.  I don't know if the spammers are getting tired, but I seldom get spam for Viagra or get your Masters Degree online.  Most of the spam I get now is for debt consolidation and even debt cancellation.  At first, I thought "Hmmm.....maybe they're trying to tell me something."  But after doing some checking, it seems everyone is getting blasted with this type of spam.  I hate spammers as much as anybody, but I have to give them credit; they're timing is pefect.  These emails started coming right around Thanksgiving - which coincidentally is when the holiday shopping season started.

The emails offer all kinds of credit help:  you can get a credit card if you'vce been previously turned down for a credit card or eve if you've filed for bankruptcy;  you can consolidate all of your bills into one easy monthly payment; and for a nominal fee, you can even get your bad credit history repaired and restored. There's even emails offering you the chance to get all of your credit card debt erased.  The first few will cost you dearly in the long run, but they are legitimate.  The last two, however, I'm pretty sure, are not.

I don't need to tell you the first tell-tale sign of the scam would be the email saying you need to pay them to have your credit card debt erased and to have your bad credit history erased.  I'm sorry, but no matter how much you pay these shiesters, it just isn't going to happen.  The FTC tells us that no one can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report. The law allows you to ask for an investigation of information in your file that you dispute as inaccurate or incomplete. There is no charge for this. Everything a "credit repair clinic" can do for you legally, you can do for yourself at little or no cost, according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  

 

Happy New Year

I spent New Year's Eve afternoon the same way I spend every Sunday afternoon: visiting with Diva Stacy.  After an hour or so of sitting on my ass while I watched her working in the kitchen, we moved the party to the living room where we watched another great episode of "Gunsmoke."  After watching a dozen or so commercials, we noticed an interesting theme: the restaurants really wanted us to have a very happy new year. 

Half of the commercials were advertising great deals on super duper hamburgers, and the other half were advertising heatlhier alternatives to the super duper hamburgers.  How cool is that?  The restaurants and fast food joints wanted us to have a great new year by giving us great deals on their food.  They wanted us to end the year on a happy note by giving us a lower price on delectible burgers, and at the same time they wanted us to start the new year off right by giving us lower prices on low carb, low fat, and low calorie foods at their restaurants.  I sure didn't know they cared about us that much.