The Year Of Trying New Things

I'm proud to report that I have tried one more new thing.  Just days ago I reported that I tried asparagus and actually kinda liked it; now I am happy to report that I just tried Benedictine, and kinda liked it, too.  In case you're keeping track, that was two new things in one week; that's definitely a record.  Benedictine is a cucumber-based spread made with cream cheese and a few other ingredients. The Benedictine that I tried was white - not lime sherbet-colored green like most.  I think the green color is what scared me off. That, and the fact that I don't like cucumbers. But the Benedictine was pretty darned tastey. 

I come from a line of benedictine lovers - my Grandpa loved it.  We would have it at Christmas, and it always looked to pretty spread between two slices of the little square rye breads.  On a related note, while other people were setting out milk and cookies for Santa Clause on Christmas Eve, my family set out a Benedictine sandwich.  I guess Santa liked it, too, because on Christmas morning when I would check the plate, all that was left was just a few bread crumbs. 

In case you're like most people, chances are you've probably never heard of Benedictine spread.  I'm very proud to report that Benedictine spread originated here in the 'Ville.  The recipe was the brainchild of Jennie Benedict.  Jennie was born in the east end of Louisville in an area called Harrods Creek in 1860.  By the age of six, she was already catering parties. She opened her first restaurant in the 'Ville at Third and Ormsby in 1893.  Her business grew and her first official catering business opened in 1900, and a few years later she opened Benedict's Restaurant on South Fourth Street. It was at Benedict's where Benedictine spread was first served.  In case you'd like to try it, here's Jennie Benedict's original recipe:

Benedictine Spread
6 ounces cream cheese
Grated pulp of 1 medium cucumber, peeled
1 small grated onion
A dash of salt (more to taste)
Mayonnaise
Dash of Tabasco
2 or 3 drops green food coloring

Mash the cheese with a fork and work in the cucumber, which has been squeezed fairly dry in a napkin.  Add onion, Tabasco, salt and enough mayonnaise to make a smooth spread. (Note: Miss Jennie used homemade mayonnaise of lemon juice, olive oil, and egg yolks.) Add enough food coloring to give a faint green tinge. 

Farewell, Paul Newman

                          

TWIT is very sad to report that Paul Newman has died.  The Hollywood icon died Friday after a courageous bout with cancer.  The Hollywood icon was 83 years old. 

Paul Newman appeared in 65 movies over his 50 year career.  He made his Hollywood debut in the 1954 "The Silver Chalice." A year and a half later,he inherited from James Dean the role of the boxer Rocky Graziano in "Somebody Up There Likes Me." Dean had been killed in a car crash before the screenplay was finished.

Newman was best known as the self-destructive convict in "Cool Hand Luke" in 1967; as Butch Cassidy "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in 1969; as pool shark Fast Eddie in "The Hustler" in 1961, a role he recreated 25 years later in "The Color Of Money" in 1986.  That performance brought Newman his sole Academy Award for best actor, after he had been nominated for that award six times.  In all, he received eight Oscar nominations for best actor and one for best supporting actor, in “Road to Perdition.” “Rachel, Rachel,” which he directed, was nominated for best picture.

But the movies and the occasional stage role were never enough for him. He became a successful racecar driver, winning several Sports Car Club of America national driving titles. He even competed at Daytona in 1995 as a 70th birthday present to himself. In 1982, as a lark, he decided to sell a salad dressing he had created and bottled for friends at Christmas. Thus was born the Newman’s Own brand, an enterprise he started with his friend  A. E. Hotchner. More than 25 years later the brand has expanded to include, among other foods, lemonade, popcorn, spaghetti sauce, pretzels, organic Fig Newmans and wine. (His daughter Nell Newman runs the company’s organic arm.) All its profits, of more than $200 million, have been donated to charity, the company says.

In addition to his acting, Paul Newman was also known for his marriage to Joanne Woodward.  They were married for over fifty years. In an industry where celebrity marriages lasty only a few yerars, theirs was known for its endurance and committment.  But they admitted that it was often turbulent. She loved opera and ballet; he liked playing practical jokes and racing cars. But as Paul told Playboy magazine, in an often-repeated quotation about marital fidelity, “I have steak at home; why go out for hamburger?”

In an interview this summer, Newman was asked about what legacy he would want to leave behind when he died.  He said his charity work was his greatest legacy.  The money from the sale of Newman's Own was used to create a string of Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, named for the outlaw gang in “Butch Cassidy.” The camps provide free summer recreation for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. Newman was actively involved in the project, even choosing cowboy hats as gear so that children who had lost their hair because of chemotherapy could disguise their baldness.

The one thing I admired most about Paul Newman was the fact that throughout his career we never heard one bit of scandal about him nor any of his family.  They were just good people.

You will surely be missed, Paul Newman.  There will never be another pair of blue eyes like yours. 

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Link Of The Week

This week's Link Of The Week comes to us courtesy of my good friend and faithful reader Big Mama.  Big Mama is a huge music lover like me, and always sends me cool music links.  This week, she sent me a link that to a very cool site called "The #1 Song On This Date In Music History."  Click on the month you're looking for, and then click on the year and it will bring songs for that date by decade.  Check it out at http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm and find out the song that was #1 on the day you were born.  Personally, "Walk Right In" by the Rooftops was #1 on that blessed day back in 1963. 

TWIT would like to give major props to Josh Hosler, the owner of the site, for taking the enourmous amount of time to research and archive all of those songs on his site.  Way to go, Josh.  You've got an awesome site.  Keep up the good work.

Happy Heart Walk Day

Fall is in the air, and the temperatures are finally getting a little bit cooler, and it made for a perfect day for the Heart Walk.  Mom and I rolled out of bed early this morning and drove downtown where we joined a group of about 60 co-workers, friends and family members of a beloved co-worker who died a few months ago.  Today, we all walked in memory of our friend Steve McMillen.  He left us all way too soon at the young age of 55.  He was the head of the accounting department at work, and if you asked anyone at the company, they would all probably say that he was the best guy at the company, and was one of the most loved.  A few weeks ago, one of his daughters emailed the employees at work and asked if we would like to join the team she was putting together for the Heart Walk, and I'm happy to say we had about 25 from work participate in Steve's memory.  I don't know the exact number of people on our team, but it was the second largest for all teams participating in today's walk.  I'd say that's pretty darned impressive.

The walk itself was great - like I said, the weather was perfect, except for cloudy skies, but at least it wasn't hot and humid.  We started out at the Great Lawn on the waterfront and walked down the street and over the Second Street Bridge and back - a total of 3.5 miles.  It wasn't a hard walk for me, since I've been riding and walking every day, but I have to say that when I got home, I ate some lunch and took an hour nap.  But then I got up and rode 11 miles to make up for the chicken burrito I had for lunch, so I guess it all evened out.

I wish I'd thought to take a picture of the walk today to post on here.  One of the most awesome sights I've seen was when we were just starting to go up onto the bridge.  As far as I could see was nothing but a sea of people.  And they were all joined together for a couple of hours for the same cause.  It was truly an awesome sight.

Flashback Friday

With banks and other financial institutions going belly up left and right this week, everyone's focus is on the current financial crisis.  To sum up all of the analysts, debt - from homes, cars, credit cards and other loans - is the problem.  As I watch the nightly news and hear all of the financial doom and gloom, I think back to when I was a kid when I had no debt, and all I had in my financial portfolio was a passbook savings account. 

When I was 7 years old, the 'Rents took me with them to Citizens Fidelity Bank where they did their banking, and I opened a savings account with some money I'd received for my birthday.  The 'Rents and Grandma and Grandpa said they'd give me an extra dollar in my allowance with the stipulation that I put the extra buck in my savings account every week.  How cool was that?  It was a win-win situation for a 7 year old -- I was getting the same amount of allowance, plus an extra buck to save.  So saving money wasn't really costing me anything. 

Every Friday evening when Mom and Dad would go to the bank to deposit part of their weekly pay, they would take me along and I would deposit my dollar.  I felt like 70's equivalent of Donald Trump when I would present my savings book to the teller and she'd stamp it with the date and write down the amount of my deposit and then initial it.  I might as well have been depositing a hundred bucks. 

I kept that savings account until my early twenties, when Citizens Fidelity was sold out and PNC Bank took over.  But I still have my little savings account book in my cedar chest.  As I look ahead to the future and am putting together a plan to get totally out of debt in 2009, I sure wish I'd kept that same discipline of saving every week.  But it's never too late to save.

State Of Emergency?

The Relative has received a bizillion texts and phone calls in the past two days, giving him the story of the latest financial crisis to hit the U.S. -- the largest Chevrolet dealership in the world is closing.  And it so happens that the largest Chevrolet dealership in the world is located in his fair city of Columbus, Georgia.

His cell phone has been buzzing non-stop the past two days with co-workers and friends calling to give him the news about Bill Heard Chevrolet closing. Details are sketchy, but from what I've put together, the dealership called all of their employees together yesterday after they closed, and gave them their last paycheck.  I cannot breathe when I begin to imagine how those people must have felt. 

The Relavite is the chief lending officer at a credit union in Columbus, Georgia, and his people have been calling non-stop with the latest news about the dealership's closing.  Combine that news with the stories we're starting to hear about Tennessee and North Carolina running out of gas, and I do believe we've got the workings of another State Of Emergency.

Mullet Watch

I'm very happy to report that I spotted a mullet this evening at what has become the mullet mecca of Kentucky, the Wal-Mart.  This was a short version of the Fem-Mullet, but was still a mullet nonetheless.  It was dark brown and very spikey on top, and the waterfall wasn't very long, but in deed it was a mullet.  Let me also say that it was almost 90 degrees today, but the Fem-Mullet host was wearing a plaid flannel shirt. 

Mullet count: 26

Mullet Watch

Our #1 mullet spotter JMc sure has been busy -- he brings us a record 6 mullet sightings.  Here's his reports:

My son plays on a soccer team that has a single mother with 2 children.  Her son plays on the team with my son. She sports the Fem-Mullet.  It's reddish-orange in color and wavy, but a mullet nonetheless.  I'll be seeing this mullet at practice and games to come until the season is over this can only count as 1 sighting.

My youngest son's cross country meet produced a new mullet.  This one was gray on top with streaks of brown and gray flowing down the waterfall.  The length of the falls was impressive - it dropped just below the shoulder blades.  An older gentleman in his fifties was the host. On a related note, I did see the previously reported Fem Mullet at another cross country meet.  Apparently they enjoy running adventures.

Leave it to Meade County to produce 4 more mullets.  That's right, I said 4. And one was another Fem Mullet.  It all started at another cross country meet that my youngest son participated in.  The first mullet sighting was the Fem Mullet, light brown in color with the "I'm gonna kick yo ass" attitude female host.  The second mullet could classify as a Buzz Mullet.  It had real short hair all the way around with the mud flap in the back - a Buzz-Let, if you will.  The third mullet was the typical light brown Kentucky waterfall.  The fourth mullet sighting of the morning was what I call a "Silver Fox Mullet".  An older gentleman in his late fifties was sporting a silver slicked-back front and top with a tight curl covering his neck.

Mullet count: 25.

 

The Year Of Trying New Things

I am very  happy to report that this past weekend I tried a vegetable that I thought I would never ever try: asparagus.  And I liked it.

It was steamed, and still in the al dente stage, and I have to say that it wasn't bad. If you'd asked me a year ago if I would try asparagus, I would have told you that you were crazy.  But I tried it and I liked it.  

 And on a totally unrelated noted, my cousin visiting from Georgia went shopping this weekend and bought Mom an asparagus steamer.  I have to admit that I'm looking forward to our first family portion of steamed asparagus.  I'll keep you posted. 

Link Of The Week

After a few years of daily blogging, you already know that I love my gadgets, and love to be one of the first to get something new or unusual.  This week I found a very cool website that has some of the latest, coolest things on the market.  Visit http://www.storetrooper.com and check it out.  This isn't an online catalog - they merely list the latest coolest things.  For instance, you can read about a USB thumb drive that is made like a piece of sushi.  Now I ask you - how can you resist buying something as cool as that?

State Of Emergency, Day 7

After a day full of running errands and riding almost 13 miles on my bike, I'm pretty tired as I type this. Add to that A Relative living with you and getting your normaly routine discombobulated, and you've got one tired Puddin right now.  

As of this afternoon, there are still about 100,000 homes without power in the 'Ville.  I can't begin to imagine how they must feel.  Even dealing with the short time we were without power made me a nervous wreck - I can't imagine how people must feel who have been without power for almost a week.  We saw a friend this afternoon who is still without power, and he said it's costing him about $25 a day in gas to keep his generator running at his place. We offerred to let him use our generator but he said he couldn't afford to keep two running every day. 

But do not despair - even though 100,000 homes are still without power in the city, the Ryder Cup is still going on without nary a hitch in their plans.  I know you all were as worried about that as I was.  

Flashback Friday

It didn't take long for the weatherazzi and the news media to start comparing the big windstorm to the April 3 tornadoes that we experienced back in 1974.  They said that the wide-spread damage was three times as worse as when the April 3rd tornadoes moved through Louisville.  From what I remember, I sure believe them.  My most vivid memory of the April 3rd tornadoes was not the afternoon when the tornadoes ripped through Louisville; it was the day after. 

Schools here in Jefferson county were only closed for one day, whereas they've been closed all this week.  The morning after the tornadoes, Dad had gone out with some friends and was working in Cherokee Park cutting down trees and helping clear the roads, and Mom and Grandpa and I went up to the drugstore and to the Gateway Grocery.  The reason the day after stands out in my memory was the weather.  In my 45 years I have never seen a sky as blue and clear as it was that day.  The air was a little cool and it was the prettiest day that I believe I have ever seen.  The weather on this Monday was similar - it was clear, sunny and a bit cool, but it wasn't like April 4, 1974.

State Of Emergency, Day 6

As of this evening, about 100,000 homes are still without power.  But thank goodness all of the traffic lights on the streets close to The Compound are back on.  I pedaled by the infamous Swamp and the VFW Post, and discovered their power had been restored sometime since I pedaled past there last night. So things are getting back to "normal" in our area. 

Work today was anything but normal.  I've been through major problems and crises in my time at ZCO but I'd never witnessed anything like today.  Things were chaotic, but cool heads prevailed in the Production Scheduling department and even though we worked through lunch and a couple of us worked over, we were able to get all of the schedules shuffled around. 

And on an unrelated note, The Relative From Georgia arrived safely this a.m. at about 3:00 and has enjoyed his first day at The Compound.  He's off from work for one week, plus he's with me and the 'Rents; I ask you: what isn't there to enjoy?

State of Emergency, Day 5

I'm very happy to report that full power has finally been restored at ZCO. At a few minutes before 2:00 break this afternoon, there was a power surge and we heard the gigantic generator kick off.  A few minutes later, the PTB kicked into high gear and in a matter of an hour and a half, every factory employee had been called and notified that they were to report to work.  Then our department kicked into high gear and started working our scheduling magic.  It didn't take too long for us to shuffle numbers and get schedules straightened out for the next few days. 

As of tonight, about 150,000 homes are still without power, and about one-fourth of the county's public schools are still in the dark.  But the city should be happy becauase the highly hyped Ryder Cup started today without any problems.  On a more local scale, our 'hood is ecstatic because power has been restored to our Krogers, Speedway, McD's, Rite-Aid and the liquor store.  All we need now is for our new Wal-Mart to get back in operation. 

On a quasi-related note, even though a State of Emergency is still going on,  Relative will be arriving at The Compound later tonight for a week visit.  Sunday night, I explained to The Relative that we were under a State of Emergency, but he still insisted on going ahead with his visit. I'm sure there will be drama like there was when he visited last September.  I'll keep you posted.

State of Emergency, Day 4

Day 4 of the current State of Emergency is drawing to a close, and as I type this there are still about 200,000 homes without electricity.  In our area, stores, gas stations, fast food restaurants and other businesses are still without power.  Today marked Day 3 without power in the factory at work.  We did, however, get our single-phase power back so now we have lights in about one-third of the factory, but still no three-phase power to run the machinery.  At least I was able to do my factory walking today because I was finally able to see without having to wear a coal miner's lantern hat.

Mom and I just got home from being out in the middle of the State of Emergency.  We travelled to three different stores trying to find one that still had eggs and hamburger buns.  During tonight's travels, we discovered that there are more traffic lights out than are on, and we even saw the National Guard directing traffic at quite a few intersections.  Yep, the National Guard. 

It's just been on hell of a week, and we still have two more work days left, faithful readers.  So far at work, all of the PTB (Powers To Be) have been calm, but I'm afraid as the power outage continues, they might not be so calm tomorrow or Friday.  Earlier in the week they were handing out flashlights to everyone; tomorrow they might consider handing out some Xanax.

State Of Emergency

If you're within viewing distance of our local TV channels, you already know that our Governor and Mayor declared a State Of Emergency here in the city and state.  Day 3 of the State Of Emergency is drawing to a close, and we've got Day 4 to look forward to.  Thank goodness the power is back on at The Compound, but we still have no power at work.  The office has power thanks to a gigantic natural gas-powered generator out in our parking lot but the factory is still down.  From the news reports that we're hearing, the city is saying it could be 10 to 14 days before power is fully restored to the 'Ville. You can't throw a rock without hitting a home or business that doesn't have power. I'm not sure there's enough batteries in the state to keep all of the lanterns and flashlights going. 

On top of dealing with no electricity, we have to deal with gas stations being either closed because they have no power or out of gas.  Yesterday evening, it was pandemonium in the area when gas stations ran out of gas.  I'm almost ashamed to admit that I waited in line for half an hour to fill up last night.  But I needed gas so I didn't have much choice.  I could have made it to and from work today, and at one point I decided to say screw it all and just call AAA and have their Rescue Ranger come to work today to bring me 3 gallons of gas.  Instead I drove to about a dozen gas stations before finding one open and still selling gas and filled up the Blazer. 

Schools are still closed tomorrow, and will probably be closed at least the rest of the week.  I have a feeling our factory will still be closed the rest of the week as well.  But we've been muddling through the past two days thanks to battery-powered lanterns and flashlights out in the Shipping department.  In fact today, the Purchasing department issued out a new Ray-O-Vac flashlight to anyone who wanted one.  But even with flashlights it's still as dark as a cave out there in the factory.  And to add insult to injury, our phone lines, email and internet was down today so we had no communication with the outside world except through our cell phones.  I told a co-worker today that now I know how the Amish people feel. 

Hurricane Ike Update

It's been over twenty-four hours since the remnants of Hurricane Ike slammed into Louisville, and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses here in the metro Louisville area are still without power, and are being told it could be a week or longer before power is restored. Schools here are closed, and they say they could be closed all week.  Stores, gas stations and restaurants are closed, causing major drama for people who need gas, ice, batteries, food, etc.  It's amazing how all of this happened when the forecast was just calling for a "wind advisory" on Sunday afternoon.

The National Weather Service said that the sustained winds we had in Louisville yesterday were the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane.  They're preaching to the choir on that one.  The wind storm lasted from about noon until 6:00 last night, and believe me that was six hours too much.  I've been in storms before and have heard people say that it sounds like a freight train when a tornado comes through.  Up until yesterday afternoon I've never personally witnessed that, but at about 3:00 when we heard the loudest roar of the wind, we thought for sure the roof on the house was coming off.   But thank the Lord and the carpenters (my Dad and Grandpa) that built our house because The Compound made it through in tact.  Unfortunately we can't say the same for most of the trees at The Compound; it looked like a war zone not just in our area but all over the city. 

Sure, it's been a major inconvenience not having power - I couldn't have my regular Sunday Afternoon Cocktails nor could I watch my Titans play yesterday afternoon, but at least we're safe and other than about a dozen or so shingles blowing off the house is safe.  A co-worker (who is also without power) said this is just like camping - except we get to sleep on a much more comfortable place then in a tent.  Makes sense to me. 

Ike Can Leave Now

Ike has torn up the 'Ville. The power has been out since 1:30 but the generator is running and we're safe at The Compound.

Ike Came Early

Contrary to what CNN is reporting, I believe Hurricane Ike hit the 'Ville at about noon today.  It was so windy while I was attempting to ride my bike, that I got blown back into the garage a half dozen times before I even started out.  Yeah, that was a [weak attempt at a] joke, but it sure was extremely windy today.  The heat index was over 100, too, and it felt like I had a gigantic blow dryer pointed at me,  but the heat didn't bother me nearly as bad as the damned wind.  What should have been an hour ride turned into an hour and a half, because I stopped every mile or so to rest because I was worn out from riding into the wind.  And before you can say it, the wind was changing directions because I rode into the wind coming and going.  It wore me out twice as much as the fifteen mile ride up all of those hills a couple of weeks ago.  Easily.  I've been home almost two hours from riding and I'm still tired.  A time or two, I thought I was going to fly up in the air like Elvira Gulch in "Wizard of Oz."

I just got an email weather alert saying a wind advisery is in effect for the area from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. tomorrow.  I can tell you right now there won't be any riding out on the bike path tomorrow - I'll drag the stationary bike into the garage where I can ride without being in a wind tunnel.

Flashback Friday

Top Ten Funny Songs of the Seventies

1.  Amos Moses

2.  The Streak

3.  Spiders and Snakes

4.  Bertha Butt Boogie

5.  Troglodytes

6.  Sister Mary Elephant

7.  The Man On Page 602

8.  Guitarzan

9.  Wildwood Weed

10. Ahab the Arab

 

New Appliance Day At The Compound

                                             

I'm very sad to report that after 26 years, our beloved Litton microwave oven bit the dust this week. To be honest, it was still in operation, but there were huge cracks in the oven, and we really didn't want to risk being exposed to harmful microwaves while we tried to pop one more bag of microwave popcorn.  So yesterday the 'Rents went out in search of a new one, and came home with the above GE model.  It's simple and easy to use (our main prerequisite) and more importantly, this model has a "Popcorn" setting on it. It also fits in nicely with our other white appliances in the kitchen.  In case you didn't know, I'm all about color coordinating.

As for our old microwave, I guess appliance manufacturers just don't make things to last these days.  I bought the Litton microwave in September of 1982 with my first official paycheck as a working quasi-adult.  Maybe we'll get our money's worth out of the new one. 

Good Luck, Lance Armstrong

TWIT would like to wish Lance Armstrong happy unretirement.  Yesterday, Lance announced he was coming out of retirement to compete in next year's Tour de France.  If he can win the race, it will be his eighth Tour de France win.  His first win was in 1999, and he retired after his seventh win in 2005. 

If you ask me, I think that Lance Armstrong heard that I rode in the 2008 Tour de Cure and he got a bit nervous over the competition.  If you're reading this Lance, you don't need to worry; I have no desire to enter the Tour de France. But if you're ever in the 'Ville, I'd love to have to join me on the River Walk bike path. 

 

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

Adulthood, as explained by a friend and faithful reader's seven year-old son to his three year-old sister:

"College is the last school you ever have to go to.  Then you become a mommy or a daddy." 

This Place Has Gone To The Dogs

It was a great night for my bike ride - it wasn't in the 90's with 90 percent humidity for a change; it was down right pleasant.  And even though I was a bit tired, I made it through my ten miles in record time tonight.  But the trip was not without drama.  I was about two miles from home when I saw a woman ahead of me walking her small poodle on the bike path.  I came up behind her and yelled out "passing on your left" as I started to pass them on their left.  The woman turned to me and said hi, and then her little dog started barking and growling at me.  The dog lunged, the woman was startled and dropped the dog leash, and the dog started running toward me.  Yep, a small poodle was chasing me while I was riding my bike.

The woman started yelling for "Angel" the poodle to stop but Angel was having no part of it; she was too busy chasing me.  I started to slow down and turn around and go back to see if I could help the lady catch Angel, but I decided that might not have been the best thing to do; I didn't want to accidentally run over the dog, nor did I want Angel to bite me on the ankle.  So I just kept on pedaling and continued on my home.

In my six months of bike riding, I have to say this was the first time that a dog has come after me.  On the average I see at least one person walking their dog on the bike path every evening, but those dog walkers kept a tighter hold in the leash then the lady tonight.  This was also the first time that a dog had growled at me, too.  Rarely will a dog bark at me when I'm pedaling past them; I guess they don't care.  Maybe Angel had a bad day and needed to vent. 

Link Of The Week

Today was the official opening day of the 2008 NFL season.  If you were like me, you watched some awesome games this afternoon, and can watch yet another game tonight and tomorrow night.  The new NFL season also means another awesome opportunity to help those less fortunate with our friends at Campbell's Chunky Soup.  This year's Click For Cans is a different then years past -- visit http://www.chunky.com/ClickForCansLanding.aspx and click on "Vote Now."  Every day, you can visit the site and for for the team that you think will win the match-up in next Sunday's games.  As always, the good folks at Campbell's will donate cans of soup to various cities' food banks.  All 32 NFL teams will get 1000 cans of soup; the AFC and NFC winning teams will each get an additional 12,000 cans of soup, and the Super Bowl winner will get an additional 5,000 cans of soup -- all to be donated to food banks in their cities.  So please set this link in your favorites and vote every day. 

Saturday Funnies

Two blonde girls were working for the city public works department. One would dig a hole and the other would follow behind her and fill the hole in. They worked up one side of the street, then down the other, then moved on to the next street, working furiously all day without rest, one girl digging a hole, the other girl filling it in again. An onlooker was amazed at their hard work, but couldn't understand what they were doing. So he asked the hole-digger, "I'm impressed by the effort you two are putting in to your work, but I don't get it -- why do you dig a hole, only to have your partner follow behind and fill it up again?" The hole-digger wiped her brow and sighed, "Well, I suppose it probably looks odd because we're normally a three-person team. But today the girl who plants the trees called in sick."

Flashback Friday

Everyone in the 'Ville woke up this morning and discovered something very, very odd going on: it was raining.  It started at about 2:00 this morning and has drizzled almost all day long.  In fact, it was still drizzling about an hour ago.  It hadn't rained in weeks.  Our yard at The Compound is brown, and crunched when you walked on it.  But I digress.  I didn't grab my raincoat this morning, because it's still kinda warm, but I did take my trusty Totes umbrella with me to work.  As I was driving to work, running an errand at lunch and coming home from work (all while in the rain) something odd occurred to me - I hardly saw anyone carrying an umbrella. 

As a kid, I remember everybody carrying an umbrella when it rained - kids and adults alike.  Men weren't embarassed to carry an umbrella; heck, they wanted to stay dry just like the women did.  Back in the day, I remember my Grandpa and Dad both having very cool wooden handle umbrellas that they carried.  And they were probably the most manly men I've ever known.  And while being real men, they were also smart men, and had sense enough to carry an umbrella in the rain.  For some reason today, people just don't carry umbrellas like they used to.  The reason can't be the price - you can find them at the dollar stores for a buck.  I honestly don't know why people don't carry umbrellas anymore.

What about you, faithful readers? Do you carry an umbrella when it rains?  I'd love to read your comments about this.

Mullet Watch

Our latest mullet sighting is brought to us by our #1 mullet spotter JMc.  It's our second celebrity look-alike mullet. Here's JMc's report:

I saw a wonderful Joe Dirk look-alike the other night at my son's school.  There was a concert from a MySpace group called Shaded Tree - they sounded okay, but as I was waiting outside for my son and his friend, I saw this wonder gray "Joe Dirt" special in the passengr side of a mini-van.  Could not believe it.  To phrase a co-worker's sayings, "Shut up", "No way", "Get out."   It's true.

Mullet count: 19

Word Of The Day

It seems we have a new trend with the Presidential election: the introduction of a new word into our vocabulary.  In the previous election, you couldn't turn on the TV without hearing someone talk about those pesky chads.  In case you've forgotten, chads are the tiny little squares of paper that popped out on the punch-out election ballots.  To be more specific, we all became familiar with hanging chads.  It didn't take long before we came up with the current buzz word from the 2008 election: vetting. 

Webster's Dictionary defines vetting as "subjecting to usually expert appraisal or correction", as in vetting a manuscript; in the political sense, to vet also means "to evaluate for possible approval or acceptance", as in vetting the candidate for a position; more specifically as in vetting Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.  They mentioned vetting so many times during the nightly news last night that I lost count.  Up until this week, vetting is a word that maybe you would have only heard a college professor use when talking to a graduate program research student.   Now we hear it non-stop during the nightly news and during the Republican National Convention. 

I'd venture to guess that the majority of Americans are unfamiliar with the term "vetting." The only reason I was familiar with the word was because when I was a graduate student, one of my favorite professors asked me to help her with some research papers she was grading, and asked me to vet them.  I'm sure I looked at her like she had three heads.  She simply explained that I needed to look up some of the cited references they used to make sure the info was accurate and not plagurized.  So that's what vetting meant.  I just wonder what the election buzz word of 2012 will be. I can hardly wait.  

Good Luck, Broadway 3A People

TWIT would like to wish the best of luck to our friends and faithful readers downtown at the Broadway AAA office.  Today, some of them began a "Lose 20 by Christmas" program.  Note I did not use the word "contest" -- that means that there is one winner and the rest are losers.  In a program like this, they are all winners because they will hopefully all be losers. 

While I didn't pay the $20 entry fee for this program like the 3A participants, I am going to participate vicariously through them, and starting today I am stepping up my bicycle riding and healthy eating and hope to lose another 20 pounds by Christmas with the 3A'ers. 

Once again, I wish you all the best of luck.  You can do it. 

Happy Labor Day

It's been a great Labor Day.  First of all, I didn't have to work today.  Second, I was able to do my bike riding this morning before the temp got into the 90's.  Third, I  spent the afternoon down at Slugger Field for the final regular season Bats game (unforunately, they lost).  Fourth, I'm getting ready to enjoy a nice hamburger and then crash on the couch for the rest of the night. Yep, it's been a great Labor Day.  Only one thing could make this Labor Day any better:  if I knew someone that was having a baby on Labor Day.