A Busy Day For The First Lady

First Lady Laura Bush sure was a busy lady today.  This morning, she was down in Memphis at Graceland with her husband and the Prime Minister of Japan.  Then this afternoon she was just across the bridge in southern Indiana at a campaign fundrasier at Huber's.  She sure gets around.

For those who aren't familiar with Huber's, it's about a half hour from Louisville, and it has orchards, a farm, a restaurant, and u-pick-it fruits and vegatables. Personally, I would have rather stayed at Graceland. But that's just me. It's an ok place to visit, but I'm not real crazy about going there.  We go there once a year - usually the beginning of June - when the strawberries are in.  And for the record, we don't u-pick-it any more like we did back in the day.  The older we get, the more we're willing to pay for convenience.  We buy already picked. The restaurant is good - especially their fried chicken.  And they give you huge portions of the meat and then serve the rest family-style in big bowls.  They also have an award-winning winery, and a cheese shop. But it's just not one of my favorite places to visit.

The local news channels had live coverage of The First Lady's speech at the fundraiser, and the reporter said that she didn't even eat dinner at the fundraiser dinner.  I can't believe that The First Lady didn't eat any of Huber's awesome chicken and dumplins.  They said she was there about an hour and then left. Maybe she was going back to Graceland.

New Product Review

I apologize for no journal entry yesterday.  Insight Commincations had some issues and I was unable to get an internet connection.  And even worse, I was unable to watch the Soap Network on cable.  The issues are resolved and all is well after one day without internet and cable.  So to make up for no post yesterday, today I'll give you two journal entries in one.  For your reading enjoyment, TWIT will be giving you not one but two New Product Reviews, both brought to you courtesy of the good folks at McD's.   The first is by yours truly and the second is by my best friend and co-Diva Stacy.

I don't go out to lunch very often, simply because our department only gets a half hour for lunch. So unless it's someplace extremely close to work, it's just not worth the effort.  The other day, I didn't have time to pack my lunch so I had to run out and pick up something.  All morning long I'd been craving a McD's cheeseburger, so I had to satisfy that craving and headed to the Golden Arches.  Luckily there's one about 5 minutes from work.  I ordered my cheeseburger and then I saw the sign advertising an orange shake for a limited time only.  I'd also been craving something sweet so I ordered one.  I took a sip of it on the way back to work and I honestly thought I was going to drive off the road - it was that good.  It tasted just like one of the old school orange push-ups, only better.  It wasn't too orange, and it wasn't too vanilla; it was just right.  My only regret was that I bought a regular size.  If I'd known, I would have ordered the biggest size they sold.  I urge you to try one on your next trip to McD's.  Their orange shake most definitely gets the TWIT seal of approval.

And here's what Stacy had to say about the new McD's chocolate-covered cone:

Yesterday while shopping for a tablecloth at my favorite linen and bath store I had an overwhelming urge for something sweet to eat.  When I walked out of the store I saw the golden arches across the parking lot.  I decided to jet through the drive -thru for an ice cream sundae.  But while I was waiting in line I saw a big poster advertising a Chocolate Covered Ice Cream Cone.  I figured the chocolate coating would crumble and get all over me during the drive back to work, but what the heck?   I ordered one anyway.  Boy, was I in for a treat!  My first bite off the top and I realized the chocolate was not the crumbly kind, but was still warm and deliciously gooey!  It was however, firm enough to stay put.  If you are a choco-holic  like myself you will understand when I say my head started spinning when I dug into the thing.  It was out of this world.  When I got back to work I told my boss about this treat.  She knew all about it and said sheorders hers in a cup, sans cone.  One word of warning, the warm chocolate melts the ice cream so be careful, it will drip.  McDonald's Chocolate Covered Ice Cream Cone earns a big choco-holic seal of approval, and the TWIT seal of approval.

Farewell, Eddie

I'm sad to report that Eddie, the dog on the "Frasier" TV show, has passed away.  He was sixteen years old (in human years).  The 16-year-old Jack Russell terrier, whose real name was Moose, passed away of old age Thursday at the Los Angeles home of his trainer Mathilde Halberg.  The canine character Eddie drove lead actor Kelsey Grammer's character Frasier crazy for ten years on the show.  His contribution to the show's and Grammer's success was publicly noted by the actor when he accepted a 1994 Emmy for best actor in a comedy.  "Most important, Moose, this is for you," Grammer added good naturedly.

Moose was originally owned by a Florida family, but was too hard to handle.  He couldn’t be house trained; he chewed everything; he dug and barked a lot; and he was constantly escaping and climbing trees.  His Florida owners gave him to Birds and Animals Unlimited, a company that trains animals for TV and motion pictures. At the age of two and a half years old, Moose was put on a plane and sent to the Los Angeles chapter of the show-biz animal company.  Within six months, Moose had calmed down and learned his craft and he beat out other dogs for the roll of Eddie. 

I wasn't a big fan of "Frasier" but I will admit that I watched the show just to see Eddie.  The funniest part of the show was whenever Eddie would jump up on Frasier's father's easy chair or up on Frasier's expensive couch.  Moose wasn't as hyperactive as most Jack Russells are, so he didn't jump around like a Mexican jumping bean while on camera.  He was fairly calm, and "Frasier" fans loved it whenever he would stare at Frasier.

 

One Of My Best Moments As A Forty-Something

I went out with some of my friends from college the other night to one of the Bats baseball games (I'll refer to them as School Friends).  They're a small group of men and women that I became friends with while attending Webster University.  Most are about my age, but there are a couple that are younger and a couple that are older.  It was a fun evening - the Bats won, and there was no internal drama among the School Friends, as there sometimes is.  And I was quite the hit at Slugger Field that night, too.  I was wearing my cool pink faux sequin hat and my cool pink sunglasses and, I think a dozen people - most of them strangers - said to me "Wow - what a cute hat" or "You look cute in that hat."  Even the two Indianapolis Colt cheerleaders that were at the game that night said that I looked cute in the hat.  I felt like Rudolph did when Clarice told him he was cute. 

After the game, we were heading back to the School Friend's house where we all left our cars and carpooled to the game, when one School Friend said she needed to stop at Rite Aid on the way home.  We all said no problem, and we all went in the store with her to look around while she shopped.  She was checking out, and had a twelve-pack of pop and a fifteen-pack of bottled water, and a cumbersome large bottle of laundry detergent and a few other items including a bottle of Absolut vodka that was on sale.  When she had paid and was picking up her bags, we all grabbed for a bag to help her out.  I reached over to the counter and the closest bag to me was the bottle of vodka.  I grabbed it and the clerk behind the counter stopped and said to the School Friend "Is she old enough to carry that?"  We all stopped in our tracks and turned toward the clerk in disbelief.  School Friend said "What?" with a quizical look on her face.  The clerk said "You have to be 21 to even pick up a bottle of liquor.  Is she old enough?"  Believe me when I say I almost dropped the bottle of vodka on the floor.  Everyone else in the group was cracking up; I felt ten-feet tall.  I got in my purse and showed the clerk my drivers license and told her "Ma'm, I'll be 44 my next birthday.  If I had any cash left on me I'd sure give you a big tip for saying that."  School Friend was not very amused by this.  Maybe I should have said "Oh sorry, Mom - you'll have to carry that yourself."  Not only did the pink hat make me look cute, it also apparently made me look younger.  I think I'll wear it all the time. 

Link Of The Week

I'll let you in on another piece of Puddin trivia: I love bracelets. My favorites are ones made of leather or with small beads.  If I had to guestimate, I'd say that I have probably over one hundred bracelets.  Yes, I know I can only wear one (or maybe two) at a time, but I just love collecting bracelets.  Whenever friends or relatives go on a trip and ask me what they can bring me back, I always tell them a bracelet. 

This week, I found an excellent site where you can get not one but two free bracelets.  Actually, they're bracelet kits - you can make your own with the cord and beads they provide.  And while you're making yourself or someone else a very cool bracelet, you're also helping out in the fight against cervical cancer.  Please visit https://www.maketheconnection.org/ and sign up for not one, but two free bracelet kits.  For every person that signs up, our good friends at Merck Pharmaceuticals will donate one dollar to the Cancer Research And Preventation Foundation.  Please take the time to sign up, and to send a link to the site to everyone in your email address book. 

Ladies Auxiliary State Convention Report, Day 2

The second day of the festivities in the Ladies Auxiliary State Convention are over for me, I'm happy to say.  This morning's events weren't nearly as interesting as yesterday's; it was 95% awards presentations.  Which means we over four hours of sitting there listening to the various chairwomen give awards to the Ladies Auxiliary chapters. I'll be honest and say it was a very boring morning.  I used my time wisely, and read over the latest regulation changes from the Kentucky Gaming Commission.  I'm a multi-tasker, if nothing else.   

I'm very happy to say that our own Mill Creek Post #5421 received quite a few awards today, mostly in the Junior Girls category.  One of our members is running for Junior Vice President, which is only two steps away from the coveted President's spot.  She's a shoe-in, too (nobody was running against her.) And I'm very happy to report that our chapter tied for first place with the most delegate votes - 11 plus the president's vote. 

My portion of the State Convention is over.  I won't be attending tomorrow's last session - probably the most important - the state office elections.  I'm needed  elsewhere.  Since the 'rents are out of town on their Canada trip, I will be stepping in for Dad tomorrow and will be leading the singing in the service, in addition to my regular Fourth Avenue duties as treasurer.  I wear quite a few hats, as you can see. Speaking of hats, I won a very cool pink sequin hat at St. Polycarp's picnic last night.  I'm hoping to be able to post a picture of me wearing said hat later on tonight or tomorrow morning.  I know you can't wait.

Ladies Auxiliary State Convention Report, Day 1

Today, I received my first major does of the pomp and circumstance that goes along with the VFW - I attended the VFW state convention as a delegate. It was held here in the 'Ville, at one of the big hotels about 15 minutes from The Compound.  There's not too many outside activities that I would use vacation days for, but our district president said that I had to attend, so I was there. It started a bit too early for my liking - 8:00 - but I was there early and met up with our chapter President and Treasurer.  The morning meeting was interesting.  It was a joint meeting with the men and the Ladies Auxiliary. I was very impressed with the color guard, and even more impressed that the National VFW Commander was there. The state officers and a few of the district officers marched into the meeting in a very cool march called "The Cross of Malta".  I didn't do any online research about this, but I will say that it was very well choreographed, and the ladies doing the marching pattern had to have very good memories.  Nobody got out of step nor messed up.  I was very impressed.

I had heard from others that the convention was boring, but I have to say in all honesty I wasn't bored.  I was rather fascinated.  I was getting into the paegentry with the flags and the marching in and all.  I was especially into the saluting.  I just wish I was a veteran so I could have worn one of those cool envelope-shaped hats.  But I did get an "I support the troops" bracelet to wear, plus I got a very cool pin from the National Commander, which I will wear proudly.

The one thing that made this day-long session not boring was what the National Commander said in his address.  He told about how he just got back two weeks ago from Iraq and Afghanistan, where he visited with the troops.  He told stories from his visits to the troops in the military hospitals and to the troops in combat.  The one theme kept repeating as he told the group what the troops had told him - they all said how proud they were to serve their country, and how they were proud of an organization like the VFW.  I'm not ashamed to say that a few of his stories brought most of the crowd - including yours truly - to tears.  How could you be bored when you heard something like that? 

File Under: WTF?

Coming back to work from lunch today, I saw a personalized license plate that gets my award for The Stupidest Personalized License Plate. It was on a newer Lexus sedan, and the personalized plate said "LXSUS."  Ohhhhhkay. As if we could not see the Lexus emblems in various places on the car, and I guess we could not also see the actual word "Lexus" on the back of the car, so the owner had to get a personalized license plate just so there would be no doubt he was driving a Lexus. I just shook my head.  I almost started to take a picture of the plate with the camera in my phone, but I didn't feel like wasting the energy for something so stupid.  There's not much else I can say about that, other than it was just plain stupid.

That's Chairman Puddin, Thank You

We had our first planning and organizing meeting for the annual VFW picnic last night.  It's not until August 5, but nothing had been done except get the raffle tickets printed and mailed out to the members.  They told me that they usually start planning the next picnic a month after the previous picnic.  Needless to say, it's past the middle of June and nothing had been planned.  I had a feeling that this was going to be the family's big initiation into the wonderful world of charitable fundraising.  I already had my feet wet dealing with the Thursday night bingo, so I'm not charitable fundraising virgin like the 'rents. 

The meeting started with the VFW Quartermaster (our neighbor Painter Steve) going down his list and reading off the various booths and events and then writing down whoever volunteered (or was volunteered) to be the chairman.  If noone volunteered then he appointed someone.  Before we went to the meeting, Dad gave strict instructions to Mom and me to not volunteer for anything tonight; he said we would see what booths they had and then decide later on where we wanted to work.  I don't even need to tell you that about ten minutes after the meeting started, he had already volunteered Mom and hisself to work in the cake wheel booth, and to help Steve's wife Bev with her doll booth.  I just sat there and shook my head; I couldn't believe he caved so soon. So much for his "we're not going to sign up for anything tonight" speech.

The meeting went on and on, and as they were discussing the various booths, I started brainstorming and tried to come up with a fun booth to run. I already knew what prizes I wanted to have - cool hats or anything inflatible. Those things are the hit of the Catholic church picnics this summer. But I still wanted to come up with a cool but unique booth. Then it hit me: corn hole. I whispered my idea to Dad and then started talking about it with a couple of my Ladies Auxiliary members sitting by us and before I knew it, we had a hit on our hands.  I proudly put my hand in the air, waiting to be recognized by the Quartermaster and then when I was called upon, I spoke up about my idea for a corn hole game booth.  They loved it.  They loved my idea so much, that they made me the chairman of the booth, and said I could set the price, the rules, and even pick out the prizes.  Now all I have to find out is how to pay for the prizes.  I'm going to try and get inflatible hammers, guitars, swords and other cool things that the kids (and maybe adults) would like to win.  And I'm going to get cool hats for prizes, too.  I'm thinking pimp hats with zebra print will go over big.  The kids (and adults) love them. 

It didn't take us long to get the logistics worked out.  We'll use either my folding canopy or get one from the post, and we'll put some lights in it so people can see to throw the corn-filled bags after dark.  We'll simply put the boards on the ground at the front of the booth/canopy and then mark off a spot for adults to stand and another spot closer for the kids to stand.  I'm thinking we'll give them four chances for fifty cents, and they have to get in two to win.  It sounds fair to me.  I know I'd pay good money to win an inflatible guitar or a pimp hat. 

Damn These Storms

It was another long, sleepless night at The Compound, and probably all over the city. That translates to a lot of cranky people at work today.  As soon as we settled down after supper to watch TV and relax, the weatherazzi was on the air, giving us up-to-the-minute information on a big storm headed our way.  Actually, we went through the same thing Sunday afternoon.  Anyhoo, the weatherazzi gave us continuous coverage until the storm had moved through the Louisville area, and then we went back to our regularly scheduled programming.  The lightning had quit, so people were able to take baths safely without fear of lightning hitting the house and frying us in the tub. Then we all settled down for a long summer's nap.  The nap is just about all we got, considering we were roused from our sleep at about 1:45 to the loudest thunder and lightning I think I've ever heard.  It went on and on.  The lightning was so bright that no matter how tight I closed my eyes it still seemed like I could see it.  Now that's bright. 

These severe storms are popping up all the time it seems.  Back in the day, we almost never got a bad storm in the late spring/early summer.  Now they're a weekly thing.  Maybe Al Gore explains it in his documentary that's out in the theaters now; I don't know.  I do know that I'm fed up with the storms knocking out the cable, making the lights flicker off long enough for us to have to reset all of the digital clocks, and keeping us awake at night. I should be thankful because we haven't had any storm damage other than losing the tarp-covered carport a couple of months ago, and I am.  I'm also thankful that we haven't lost power for more than 3 minutes.   I know there's nothing that you or I can do about this, but it just feels good to vent.  I feel a little bit better now.

Another Pet Peeve

As most children did yesterday, I asked Dad where he wanted to eat for his Fathers Day dinner.  Let me rephrase that: I asked where he would like carry-out from.  He doesn't mind going out to restaurants, but it's a Sunday tradition for us to change into our comfy clothes after church and get carry-out and eat and then relax.  He said he would like to have some fried shrimp from our awesome 'hood fish place, Mike Linig's.  The place has been there for over 80 years, and it's a south end landmark.  People drive from a county or two away just to get fish at Mike's.  It's about 2 miles from our house, so needless to say we're frequent customers.  On weekends, the wait can be almost an hour for your food.  And people don't seem to mind waiting for it, either.  Yep - it's that good.

As I pulled in the parking lot, I saw a pretty long line going to the little desk-on-wheels where you place your orders.  During the week you can go inside but they have the outside area for the busy weekends.  I parked and made my way up to the end of the line.  I was behind a grandfather and two granddaughters, who from what I could tell, were picking up food to take back home where the rest of the family was.  It was a good ten-minute wait before we made it to the PAT taking our orders.  The grandfather and the girls got up to the PAT and when the PAT said "What would you like?" The grandfather was still looking at the menu and said "Give me a minute."  WTF?  He had enough time to decide what he wanted while he was waiting in line - he was there for at least the ten minutes while I was there in line.  That's more than enough time to decide what you want from a fish place that has a limited menu.  His granddaugthers must have felt our pain because they both started whining and said "Come on, Grandpa - hurry up."  Then after what seemed like an eternity, the grandfather finally said "We'll have six fish sandwiches.  To go."  Then the PAT still had to ask more questions, like what kind of bread he wanted.  By the time he finished ordering and it was my turn to order, my nerves were shot.  I quickly rattled off my order, got my ticket and walked off.  I went inside the restaurant to wait for my order, and saw the grandfather at the bar ordering soft drinks for him and the granddaughters.  I shook my head and was thankful I didn't want anything to drink.

Link Of The Week

I'm in the market for a new digital camera.  My current camera, an old Polaroid digital, is one of the first digital cameras that came on the market back in the day.  It still takes great pictures, but I want one with a zoom lens to take to concerts.  So I've been shopping around online, and have probably looked at a hundred different websites and reading countless reviews.  I found a site the other day that I wish I'd found when I first started my search.  It's the Digital Camera Resource Page and it can be found at http://www.dcresource.com.  It's the most comprehensive website for digital cameras that I've found after a few weeks of thorough research.  Just enter the camera you want to research and it will give you more than you ever wanted to know about that particular camera.  For you price comparison shoppers, it will also give you a list of online stores and their prices.  On a side note:  if you print out that page and take it to Wal-Mart, they will match the price.  

Happy camera shopping, faithful readers. 

Happy Fathers Day

TWIT would like to wish a very happy Fathers Day to all of the fathers, grandfathers, uncles, sons, nephews, and cousins out there.  I think that just about covers every male, doesn't it?  The fathers et al have gotten a bit of a bad rap when it comes to their holiday.  The phone experts say that Mothers Day is the busiest day of the year for phone calls.  They also say that Fathers Day is the day of the year when most collect calls are made.  That's kinda sad when you consider that in the great scheme of things, you have to have a Father in order to make a Mother.  

 I'd especially like to wish my Dad a happy Fathers Day.  He's taught me so much during the years.  Some of the most valuable life lessons he's taught me are: 1) always change the oil in your car every 3000 miles and rotate your tires every 6000 miles; 2) don't try to be something you're not; 3) don't do anything that you would be ashamed to do in front of your father; and 4) never draw to in inside straight.

Happy Fathers Day, Dad.  Thanks for everything.

Some Jobs Do Have Perks

I always watch "Good Morning, America" while I'm getting ready for work in the mornings.  If I don't hit the snooze button on the alarm, I can catch Robin Roberts giving the headline news.  As you know, I like to be informed.  Yesterday morning, I hit the snooze button and by the time I turned the TV on, Robin Roberts had finished with the major news, but I did hear one interesting story.  It seems that President Bush's personal aide, Blake Gottesman, has resigned and is going to attend Harvard Business School to obtain his Master's Degree.  In and of itself, that's not real big news. Lots of twenty-somethings quit their jobs and go to graduate school. But there's a little more to this story.  Blake Gottesman does not have an undergraduate degree - no Bachelor's Degree, and not even an Associate's Degree. In fact, the guy dropped out of college after only one year.  Granted he quit college to take a job as the President's personal assistant, but he's still a college drop-out nonetheless. 

I did some research and found that the chances of someone getting into the graduate program at Harvard Business School without having an undergraduate degree is almost impossible.  But I guess when they saw that the President of the United States - who just happens to be a Harvard graduate - was his previous employer, I think they made an exception.

I checked with some of my Webster University alumni and found out that Webster will not admit anyone into their graduate program unless they have a Bachelor's Degree.  Maybe if I could have gotten a job carrying the President's briefcase or toting around his dog, I could have skipped those years of going to school at night and gotten into the Harvard Business School strictly on who I knew.  It sure would have saved me a lot of time, effort and money.  Heck - I might not have gotten the viral infection or pneumonia that I got from wearing myself to the ground.  I could have just skipped all of the research papers and statistic charts and supply and demand curves and headed straight to graduate school.   But Blake has learned one of the valuable lessons that they don't teach you in business school - it truly IS who you know.

Odds And Ends Friday

Bon Voyage
I'd like to wish a safe, fun, and happy trip to my dear friends T and S.  They leave in a couple of days for their two week trip to Costa Rica.  I'll think of you guys every time that I use my cool Watusi glasses that you gave me.  Have a great trip and don't do anything I wouldn't do.  Ha ha.

I'd also like to wish my 'rents a safe, fun and happy vacation.  They leave next week on their annual trip to Perrault Falls, Ontario.  I'm sure they will bring back lots of fish, and lots of fish tales.  And while they're gone, please say a pray that all vines, roots, bushes and trees that produce any type of vegetable or fruit will not produce said vegetable or fruit until they get back. 

Get Well Soon
I'd like to ask you, faithful readers, to please add our VFW commander Donnie to your prayer list.  He was diagnosed with cancer a month ago and is now undergoing his chemo treatments.  He looks great, and the doctors are calling for a complete recovery. So hurry up and get back to the post.  We all miss you.

Hurry Back
I'd like to personally welcome back my dear friends and co-workers SH and PW.  They've both been out of the office this past week on vacation and I've missed them bigtime.  I know you two might think differently, but I can't wait till you're back at work.  I haven't had anyone to goof off with.

I'm Glad You're Back
I'd like to give a major shout out to my second mother PJ. She's back in action after her heart surgery in January.  You look great PJ, and I'm glad to have you back.  I need all the help I can looking out for me. 

Hang In There
I'd like to give another major shout out to my dear friend T.  Hang in there.  I'm so proud of you, and just remember that I've got your back.  

 

Let's Hope The Manny Has Quick Reflexes

There's been lots of celebrity bay news in the headlines for what seems like an eternity.  First, we had to endure Tom Cruise going on incessantly about how he bought an ultrasound machine so Kate and he could see the baby before it was even born.  Then we all waited for official word from north Africa that Angelina Jolie had given birth to Brad Pitt's baby.  Even though baby Shiloh is a few weeks old now, she's the talk of Hollywood.  While we followed these two celebrity births, Britney Spears was still making headlines with her nine month old baby, Sean. Unfortunately the headlines for baby Sean weren't as joyous.  First of all, we shook our heads in disbelief when we saw pictures of Britney driving with the baby in her lap.  Second, we gasped for air when we heard that some dropped baby Sean as they were putting him in his high chair.  Talk on the street was that it was the nanny that dropped the baby but I wouldn't put it past either one of the kid's parents.  Even though baby Sean has been competing with Shiloh and Suri for air time the past few weeks, he's still in the news.  Now we find out that baby Sean has a new nanny - a guy.  But not just any guy.  His name is Perry Taylor, and he attended the Naval academy, and served on the USS Iwo Jima. They're calling him a "manny".   Actually he's more of a body guard for Britney and baby Sean, but like the paparazzi, I like calling him a manny instead of a bodyguard. 

I can't think of a better job for this guy.  Poor baby Sean needs all the protection he can get. And being involved in the VFW, I think it's cool that Britney hired a veteran to help with her baby.  I'll give her props for that.   I hope the new manny is as quick on his feet as her previous one.  The picture above was taken a few weeks ago when there was yet another infant-vs-gravity mishap.  We're told Britney was holding a drink in her right hand and Sean in her left as she maneuvered through a crowd of onlookers. Britney moves through the crowd and then she suddenly trips, the baby's head goes backward and his hat flies off his head. Britney regained her balance and the baby seemed ok. And she didn't spill a drop of her drink, either.

Quite frankly, all of the chatter about Spears' seemingly insufficient parenting skills has been blown out of proportion.  We can't base that on an isolated incident in which it looked like she apparently asked her son to drive a getaway car and an equally isolated incident in which the baby was the victim of a tragic high-chair malfunction.

It Just Ain't Fittin'

I ran up to our 'hood drugstore earlier this evening to pick up a few things and saw something there that made me almost say out loud "WTF?"  There in front me in the checkout line was a man - an older yuppy, probably in his mid-forties.  He had on khaki shorts and a navy blue golf shirt. That didn't make me want to say "WTF" - his shoes did.  He was wearing slip-on dress shoes without socks.  They had tassles, too.  And they were some type of reptile hide, too. 

I see men wearing slip-on shoes with no socks a lot here in Louisville.  They're usually penny loafers or leather lace-up deck shoes.  But every now and then I'll see a guy wearing slip-on dress shoes without socks.  It's just weird.  I'll admit I wear my Dexter leather lace-up shoes without socks, and I've even worn my penny loafers a time or two without socks back during my preppy era in the early 80s, but the man wearing dress shoes without socks was just odd.   I don't know why this bothers me but it just does.It just doesn't look right.

I would have expected to see this type of fashion ensamble in the east end of town, but not in the south end.  Here in the south end, you would expect to see men wearing flip-flops or those black rubber sports sandals with socks. You're also liable to see young women wearing flannel sleep pants with the sports sandals and socks, too, but we've already covered that in a journal entry back in December.  Maybe the guy at the drugstore was en east end wannabe - he might been in the south end but he was sure dressing the east end part. 

Get Well Soon, Ben Rothlisberger

TWIT would like to wish a fast and full recovery to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  Yesterday, Big Ben underwent over seven hours of surgery to basically put his face back together after he was involved in a crash on his motorcycle early Monday morning.  Roethlisberger was not wearing a helmet; in fact he said he preferred to ride his bike sans helmet.  In addition to his jaw, nose and other facial bones being broken, he also ended up with a nine-inch gash in his head.  Steelers officials say it's way too early to determine if Big Ben will be recovered by the time the 2006 football season starts. 

Roethlisberger was on his Suzuki Hayabusa - the fastest street bike manufactured.  Yes, he was riding a crotch rocket without a helmet.  How stupid is that? A man who wears a helmet as part of his [multi million dollar] job doesn't wear a helmet when he's riding his motorcycle.  It makes no sense to me, either.  Ben's mother was killed in a car crash fifteen years ago as she was on her way to pick him up - you'd think that might have made a slight impression on his safety. 

Some might think I'm being a hardass about this, but I'm not apologizing for my opinion. As of July 1, Kentucky will put into place the mandatory seatbelt law.  Up until now, if you were pulled over for something else and weren't wearing your seatbelt you could be ticketed for not wearing your seatbelt.  As of July 1, you can be pulled over by the cops if they see you not wearing your seatbelt.  Period.  No questions asked.  Yet in Kentucky, they don't have a mandatory helmet law.  First of all, let me say that I wear my seatbelts, and I know firsthand that seatbelts do save lives.  But now the cops are going to give me the blues if I don't want to wear my seatbelt, yet they could not cre less if I want to buy a crotch rocket like Roethlisberger and ride down the streets without a helmet?  Once again, it makes no sense. 

I hope Ben has learned from this terrible accident and will become a helmet wearer.  I have a feeling his Mom would want him to.

A Good Waste Of Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

I've never been the kind of person to mix my food up on my plate.  I'm not anal like some people about their food touching - that's fine with me.  But I don't mix things up on my plate, like some people mix peas or corn with their mashed potatoes.  So as soon as I heard about KFC's new "Famous Bowls" I was not in a hurry to check them out.  

When I first heard a commercial advertising the "New Famous KFC Bowls" I thought for sure that KFC was going to be an official sponsor of some big college football game. I was kinda disappointed when I found out that wasn't the case.  I was hoping to get to watch a college football game on Thanksgiving Day or New Years Day and see "The KFC Bowl." Imagine my disappointment when I found out was a new item brought to us by the good folks at Yum! headquarters. 

In case you didn't know, the new KFC bowl is a small bowl of their awesome mashed potaotes and gravy, with a layer of corn and popcorn chicken topped with cheese.  Yes, you heard right.  Gravy and cheese - all in the same dish.  If that doesn't sound like a sure fire recipe for acid reflux, I don't know what is.  It just sounds gross to me with it all mixed together.  If they packaged the items separately, I might be tempted to buy it.  Everybody likes corn with their fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy - that's a Southern staple.  But mess it all up by mixing it together and putting cheese and more gravy on top of it is almost sacriligious.  Ordinarily, I'd be the first to say anything is better with some melted cheddar or colby on it.  But not KFC's bowls.  I don't want anything on my mashed potatoes except gravy; more specifically, brown gravy.  My aversion to white/milk gravy is a story for another day.

Link Of The Week

We've all received and probably sent emails with funny or bizarre newspaper articles. Most of them have to do with dumb criminals or something similar.  I've read a couple and wondered "Is this for real or has it been Photo Shopped?"  I love a good joke, especially when it's a joke I can play one someone unsuspecting and make them laugh along with me.  This week, I came across a website that I believe I will be using a lot to make my friends and co-workers laugh.  It's called the Newspaper Clipping Generator.  It's a scream.  You can make a jpeg image of what looks like an actual newspaper headline and article.  It's easy to make, too.  Just read the newspaper article above about yours truly.  Just visit http://tools.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp and give it a try.  One word of advice - don't try to right-click on the article that you generate and try to save it yourself; it won't work and you'll be banging your head against the computer monitor.  Just do it the easy way and click on the link underneath your article that says "Click here to save your newspaper" and it will save it as a jpeg. 

Happy newspaper article writing.

Wish Me Luck - I Might Be Working For Beyonce

Beyoncé Needs Girl Band for Upcoming Tour
Jun 8, 5:29 PM EST

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Beyoncé Knowles needs an all-female band for her upcoming tour — and fast. Knowles is searching for musicians to play on a tour in support of her second solo album, "B'Day," Columbia Records announced this week.

The album will be released internationally on Sept. 4, her 25th birthday, and in the United States on Sept. 5.

Auditions will be held Monday in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Burbank, Calif., and Weehawken, N.J. The band will include drummers, keyboard players, bassists, guitarists, horn players and percussionists.

Finalists from local auditions must be available to travel to New York to audition for Knowles later in the week and to begin working on the road by June 20, the record label said.

Aspiring band members must be 18 or older and must be prepared to play Knowles' "Work It Out," as performed on the "Beyonce: Live at Wembley" DVD.

Knowles, who fronted R&B girl group Destiny's Child, won five Grammy Awards for her top-selling solo debut, 2003's "Dangerously in Love."

I think I would have a chance.  I can play the guitar - I've been playing it for 30 years.  I think Beyonce would be impressed to see that on my resume. I've also had experience in playing in front of live paying audiences, too.  Not very many times, but a few.  So I can at least say that I've gotten paid to play.  Plus I got my musical start singing at home with my family and at church - just like Beyonce did.  I'm sure that would give me an advantage over the younger guitar chicks.   Once she finds out that I played for the infamous all-girl band "The Bobbed Tail Nags" I know the job will be all mine.

Here's Baby Shiloh

In case this week's edition of People magazine was sold out when you went to the newsstand today, never fear.  Here's a picture of Brangelina's new baby girl, Shiloh.  She's a little cutie. And her father seems to be totally in awe of her.  Her mother could have dressed up a little bit more for the first official baby photo, though.  She's looking a bit WT with the bra straps showing. 

Funny News From The 'Hood

I've mentioned before about the newly renovated McD's in the 'hood.  This is the one with the dangerous drive-thru lanes.  I'm sure you remember a previous post about this - this McD's has two drive-thru lanes with two separate drive-thru menus and the two lanes merge into one as you go to the window where you pay.  Noone has reported any wrecks at the drive-thru merge area to me, so I guess people are paying attention. 

One of my co-workers and faithful readers, SH, was at this McD's yesterday when she read the funniest sign.  She said that visiting this McD's in the 'hood is one of the perks - it gives me quite a few things to write about in TWIT.  Once again, keep in mind this McD's is in the 'hood.  Apparently, their credit card POS terminals were down and they were only accepting cash.  Here's what SH had to say:

I got the biggest laugh this morning:

I drive up to my local McDonald's drive thru in the hood and the (handwritten) sign below the order mike says "We can only take cash.  We cannot use credit/debit card machines.  They broke."

Should I Sign Up For AARP Now?

I don't consider myself old.  I'm 43, and to be honest, I don't even consider myself to be middle age. But apparently Krogers considers me to be old; a senior citizen, in fact. 

I stopped there on the way to work this morning to pick up a pack of bottled water and a couple of other things, and my bill totaled $9.99.  I swiped my debit card through the POS terminal, and on the screen it said "Is $8.99 correct?" I hadn't added up my 3 items, so I didn't know what the exact total should be, but I knew it should be in the $8-$10 range.  I was in a hurry as I usually am when I'm shopping at the grocery store at 7:45 in the morning on my way to work, so I quickly punched "Yes" and got my receipt and bags and left.  On the way to the car I looked at my receipt.  It showed the $2 I saved by using my Kroger card, and then it showed another discount: $1 off for the senior citizen discount.  Sure, I knew the first Wednesday of the month is when Krogers gives senior citizens a 10% discount.  But I'm not a senior citizen. 

I thought maybe I picked up the wrong Kroger card at home some time in the past, but I checked when I got home tonight and the Kroger card I used today is the one I was issued when they first came out with the Kroger cards a few years ago.  I'm fairly sure I put the correct birth year on the form when I filled it out.  But for some reason, Krogers thinks I'm a senior citizen.  I don't mind as long as they keep giving me the senior citizen discount.  In fact, I'm heading back up there right now to take advantage of the discount and get my 8 cans of Stokley canned vegetables for a buck.  Uh, make that 90 cents with my discount.

My Own 6-6-6 Phenomenon

As of right now, Armageddon and the Apocalypse hasn't happened, and we're still here.  In case you didn't know, the Apocalypse was supposed to happen today, June 6 2006.  Using the numerical abbreviation will give you 6-6-6.  Yep, today is 6-6-6.  I'm sure the doomsday cults are out on a mountain top somewhere, just waiting for the end of the world to happen today.  Some people think that a huge meteor will crash into earth today, too.  I've even read where pregnant women who were due to deliver their babies today were taking medical measures so their babies wouldn't be born on 6-6-6. 

The 6-6-6 phenomenon is based on a passgae of biblical scripture from the Book Of Revelation. Verses declare that the "number of the beast" will be 666.   Some biblical scholars claim there was a mistranslation and the number should be 616.  I don't believe that babies born today will be spawns of Satan.  Nor do I believe that a meteor will crash into the earth today.  But I do have my own bizarre 6-6-6  phenomenon: three bosses that I have worked for over the years were born on June 6.  Sure, it's technically only two-thirds of the ful 6-6-6 phenomenon, but three of my bosses have a birthday today on 6-6-6.  That's pretty bizarre, don't you agree?

Let me say for the record that none of those three bosses were what I would consider satanic, nor did they have the aforementioned mark of the beast on their foreheads. And none of their children are named Damien or Rosemary, either. They're all great ladies.  In fact, in their own individual ways, they each taught me more about being a boss than I could have ever learned in business school.  The three of them are hard-working mothers and wives, and each of them faced struggles in their careers and worked hard to get where they are today.  But I'll take this 6-6-6 birthday phenomenon one further and tell you that two of those bosses were my boss here at ZCO.  One is the first boss I had here in the Customer Service department and the third is my current boss in the Production Scheduling department.  The boss in the middle was one I worked for at a part-time job during the summer for about 5 years during the mid-90's.  And to add more weirdness to this, the two bosses at ZCO know my part-time job boss.  Small world, isn't it?

We've got an hour left in 6-6-6, but I have a feeling we'll make it through the night.

Mullet Watch

We've had quite a dry spell for our mullet sightings, faithful readers.  It's been over a month since any of us have spotted one. Maybe they've been like the ground hog or something - they might have seen their shadow in the late winter and were afraid to come out. Never fear - summer is almost here and the mullets are coming out in full force.  I have a few to report:

The first sighting this month was reported by DG, a co-worker and mullet spotter.  He spotted this mullet at a local Ace Hardware store.  He said it was your typical all-business-in-the-front-and-party-in-the-back. 

The second sighting this month was reported by another co-worker, DB.  He spotted this mullet on a priest at his grandparents' church.  I'm very honored that DB gave TWIT our first holy mullet sighting. 

The third sighting this month was spotted by me and my good friend, faithful reader and fellow Fourth Avenue church member RP.  We were working this Saturday at clean-up day at church, and we both spotted a long gray mullet.  In and of itself, the gray mullet was a classic.  But the sighting got better: the mullet was spotted as he came out of the Family Dollar store and started walking down Oak Street carrying a pancake turner. 

I urge you, faithful readers and mullet spotters, to be on the lookout this summer.  It's church picnic season, and I'm sure we can spot lots of mullets at the picnics trying to win NASCAR posters.

Mullet count: 26

Link Of The Week

It's hard to believe that eight years ago, we brought Pancho and Pedro home to live at The Compound.  It seems just like yesterday that we made the trip out to Crestwood to bring them home.  I remember it well.  I made the trip home in the back of Dad's Ranger 4X4 with a miniature donkey setting in my lap.  But we got them safely home to The Compound and the rest, they say, is history. 

When Dad and I first started talking about getting miniature donkeys, I went online and did some research and the first website I found was from a couple in Texas with a ranch called Short Assets. Just from seeing the name of their operation, I knew that the owners, Brenda and Lonnie, had to be cool people.  I read everything on their website, and joined an online email group that they belonged to and soon became friends with them.  I emailed them and over the years have made several calls to them, asking for advice when something wasn't quite right with Pancho and Pedro.  And they never steered me wrong. 

It's been awhile since I've chatted with Brenda and Lonnie, but their Short Assets Farm is still going strong.  Please take a few minutes to go check out their site at http://www.shortassets.com.  They are some of the most conscientious and caring donkey people in the business.  Their site is awesome and the pictures of their donkeys are great.  If you've ever tried to take a picutre of a donkey, then you can appreciate a clear, non-blurry picture.  The most I've ever gotten was close-up shots of noses.

Thanks again, Brenda and Lonnie, for all of your help and advice over the years.  You rock.

My iPod Top Twenty Playlist For June

I apologize, faithful readers. May whizzed passed me and I forgot to post my monthly top twenty playlist for my iPod.  Never fear - here's my current playlist for June.  It's country-heavy this month, but they're all favorites and they got me through a long day of cleaning and vacuuming the sanctuary at church this morning. 

Money Can't Buy It - Annie Lennox
When Love Comes To Town - Bono and B.B. King
The Midnight Oil - Barbara Mandrell
Jesus Take The Wheel - Carrie Underwood
Gypsies, Tramps And Thieves - Cher
Nobody Wants To Be Lonely - Christian Aguilara and Ricky Martin
Come On Down - Crystal Waters
I Don't - Danielle Peck
They Can't Take That Away From Me - Diana Krall
His Eye Is On The Sparrow - Ethel Waters
Golden Ring - George Jones and Tammy Wynette
There Is No Arizona - Jamie O'Neal
Love Like This - Kennedy Rose
Cheap Whiskey - Martina McBride
Cheatin' - Sara Evans
Difficult Kind - Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan
She Didn't Have Time - Terri Clark
Till I Get It Right - Trisha Yearwood
Whiskey River - Willie Nelson
No One Else On Eary - Wynonna

I Thought Easter Was Two Months Ago?

First of all, please click on the "View Larger" link above the picture so you can see what I'm talking about.  Second, you're looking at Brownie, our resident huge rabbit here at The Compound.  He's been here for over two years, and from what we can tell, he's a domestic pet rabbit that someone probably got tired of and was turned loosed out here in our area, and ended up migrating to The Compound.  He's not afraid of people or the donkeys.  One of his favorite spots is out in the pasture with Pancho and Pedro.  I've seen him hopping between their legs and they don't even pay attention to him.  He'll also let us get within two feet of him before he scampers off. 

Anyhoo, I snuck outside the other morning to take a picture of Brownie out in the backyard.  True to form, he saw me and scampered off next door, but I think you can get the visualization on how big he is.  We refer to Brownie as a "he" simply because we're not sure of the gender.  Maybe he is a she.  Who knows.  All we know is Brownie is fertile - we've seen 3 little Brownies out in the garden so far.

The Beet Incident

If you want to find out a person's personality, their up-bringing, and their general typical or atypical behavior, just spend a few minutes watching them at an all-you-can-eat buffet.  It won't take long before, as Cyndi Lauper so eloquently sang, you'll see their true colors shining through.  Case in point: something I call The Beet Incident. 

We were at Golden Corral the other day for lunch and were seated across from the salad bar portion of the buffet, giving us a clear view of the people filling their plates with salad items.  One woman caught my attention.  She had a plate piled high with salad and fresh vegetables, and I heard her ask the Hispanic woman behind the salad bar if they had any beets.  The worker might not have understood English very well, because I saw the woman point to an apparently empty spot on the salad bar and then she repeated in a louder voice "Beets. Do you have any more beets?" The worker shook her head no, and then went to ask two co-workers who also said no, they didn't have any more beets.  Well, apparently this wasn't what the woman wanted to hear.  I saw her go get one of the hostesses (I'm guessing that's the official title for the people that carry your tray to the table and who clear your plates) who also said no, they didn't have any more beets.  The woman was not going to take no for an answer.  She found the manager and dragged him over to the salad bar and he more or less shrugged his shoulders in a helpless sort of way.  The woman walked off, still carrying her full salad plate. 

A few minutes later, I saw the Hispanic worker with a gigantic can.  Yep.  You guessed it.  Beets.  She filled up the empty spot and one of the servers found the beet-loving woman and brought her back to the salad bar to show her they in deed found some beets.  The woman came back carrying a clean plate and then did something that almost made me come out of my chair.  The woman had the nerve to put one little beet slice on her plate.  Yes, I said one.  Not four or five, or even a plate full; one. All of that for one beet.  

I normally mind my own business during incidents like this but it was all I could do to keep from walking over to that woman and calling her out on that.  She aggrivated half of of the staff at Golden Corral over beets, and then only got one little slice.  If I'd been the woman with the gigantic can of them, I think I would have spilled them on her.  Then ran out the door.