It's hard to believe that Roger Clemens will be arraigned this Monday for allegedly lying to Congress about the use of steroids...those of us who saw him pitch loved this guy, even if he pitched for the Yankees...Hey? How about we indict Congress for lying to the American people?...both political parties...what about the other half of players who used steroids?
Congress should stay the hell out of baseball and be figuring out ways to improve our economy, how to get housing back on its feet, how to get small businesses running again and employing people...it's a baseball issue...let Major League Baseball decide if he should be kept out of the Hall of Fame along with Barry and the other boys....
And who cares? The Dodgers still suck!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
LOVING THE LATEST LINGO...
The Oxford dictionary's newest words... some words hard to believe, some words most interesting and a few words that don't mean what you think...
It's early on Sunday and baseball games haven't started, golf tournaments are barely underway and I just finished reading the Sunday L.A. Times , so I'm spending a little time browsing the internet, the latest word replacing surfing and I'm discovering the words of the year are 'un-friend' and 'de-friend'...if you're a facebooker you know what it means...
other newest words...
chillax - telling someone to chill out and relax...
paywall - a web term blocking access to a website to be reviewed by paid up subscribers only...
vuvuzella - the horn instrument buzzing in the stands during World Soccer...
LBD - little black dress...
staycation - not travelling outside your city, state or country for vacation...
cheeseball - a person lacking in taste or style...
blamestorming - finding someone to blame for a mistake...
gaydar - a gay person's ability to find another gay...
grrrl - a young woman regarded as strange and aggressive in her attitude to men or her sexuality...
threequel - the 3rd film, book or event in a series...can fourquel be far behind?
screenager - persons in their teens or twenties with aptitudes for computers...
ego-surfing - searching the internet for your own name or website...
meatspace - the physical world, as opposed to virtual...
benjamin - $100 bill...
words that don't mean what you think...
irregardless - means nothing, not a word, regardless says it all...
peruse - means the opposite of skimming or browsing thru a book... it means to read with care...
It's early on Sunday and baseball games haven't started, golf tournaments are barely underway and I just finished reading the Sunday L.A. Times , so I'm spending a little time browsing the internet, the latest word replacing surfing and I'm discovering the words of the year are 'un-friend' and 'de-friend'...if you're a facebooker you know what it means...
other newest words...
chillax - telling someone to chill out and relax...
paywall - a web term blocking access to a website to be reviewed by paid up subscribers only...
vuvuzella - the horn instrument buzzing in the stands during World Soccer...
LBD - little black dress...
staycation - not travelling outside your city, state or country for vacation...
cheeseball - a person lacking in taste or style...
blamestorming - finding someone to blame for a mistake...
gaydar - a gay person's ability to find another gay...
grrrl - a young woman regarded as strange and aggressive in her attitude to men or her sexuality...
threequel - the 3rd film, book or event in a series...can fourquel be far behind?
screenager - persons in their teens or twenties with aptitudes for computers...
ego-surfing - searching the internet for your own name or website...
meatspace - the physical world, as opposed to virtual...
benjamin - $100 bill...
words that don't mean what you think...
irregardless - means nothing, not a word, regardless says it all...
peruse - means the opposite of skimming or browsing thru a book... it means to read with care...
Monday, August 16, 2010
What is it?
As a young kid I could name just about any car on the road…OK…it helped that there was just one body type of each car, and not like today when there are probably ten types of Fords and ten types of Chevy’s…
I have an ongoing thing with Sunny, my 10 year old grand daughter, when ever we’re driving together…I’ve been pointing out names of cars along with their logos and she’s learned a few of the easy ones, like Mustang with the galloping stallion, Toyota with it’s easily recognizable logo, the cool Beamer badge and the awesome VW badge which hasn’t changed since day one…Chevy logos are easy to spot but the type of car is not easy to identify...
There are fewer and fewer cars these days with actual names on the rear end…manufacturers have gone to logos and initials like CRX and we’re supposed to know what kind of car we’re following…some of the cars we’ve see were total puzzlements…
It isn’t easy at it once was when there was one four door, two door or convertible Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Pontiac, Buick
Or ‘gone with the wind cars’ like Hudson, Studebaker, Nash, Rambler, De Soto and Packard...
Dodgers' Dog Days…
It's the approaching end of summer, days will be getting shorter, it's almost the beginning of football season and one month away from the start of hockey season …
The Dodgers are 10 games out with too many good teams in their division…they've had bad luck beating teams in other divisions... they have hardly a chance of playing more than 162 games this year…I hope I’m wrong, but with their lack of good pitching and hitting it looks like when the playoffs begin next month and the World Series in October the Dodgers will be watching the games on TV too, playing golf and vacationing themselves…
It's the cruelest time...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Who’s your grand-daddy?
Kids expect a lot from their grandparents – love, snacks, but mostly a lot of attention, plus chocolate chip cookies… no no… wait… cookies are from grandmas…
I took the day off yesterday and took my 3 and a half year old grandson Ely to the park, and as I was strapping him into the back seat he said:” This is gonna be a good day”…WOW, got me right thru the heart…didn’t know it was that easy to make the kid happy…I tossed his tricycle into the trunk and took off…
On the drive to the park I stopped at a 7-11 for a bottle of water… I had to bring him in, even tho the checkout stand was about 10 feet from where I could see my parked car…as we walked to the cooler to get the water he spotted an orange ‘push-up’ and ‘made’ me buy it… telling him he had to wait until we got to the park to open it didn’t work… he opened it in the car and in about ten seconds it started dripping …then I remembered it’s the reason I bought leather seats…
We made it to the park where he threw the leaking empty-push up in a trash can as he three-wheeled up the concrete walk…
I parked myself under a shade tree as he began digging holes in the sand…we were both sorry I had forgotten to bring his beach bucket and shovel…I know a grandma wouldn’t have forgotten those…
After playing on the swings he climbed up a ladder to the slide only to discover it was burning hot…in park design slides should be facing north and east to keep the afternoon sun off…this slide was facing south and west…bummer of a design...
A young man with his dog walked by and Ely asked him what the dog’s name was…the guy said Scooter…he said that was a funny name for a dog…by then we had polished off the water and he was getting warm and had to take a pee…HOLD IT I yelled!!!I had to stop the kid from whizzing in the sand box and decided it was a good time to head back home…on the way back he ‘made’ me stop at McDonald's for a chicken nugget happy meal and a toy…
We had a great time there as his happy meal toy was a Captain Marvel figure with a shield…the shield had a blue star on it, but he called it a Frisbee…
I’m taking him swimming this weekend hoping he can have another good day…I know I will…
I took the day off yesterday and took my 3 and a half year old grandson Ely to the park, and as I was strapping him into the back seat he said:” This is gonna be a good day”…WOW, got me right thru the heart…didn’t know it was that easy to make the kid happy…I tossed his tricycle into the trunk and took off…
On the drive to the park I stopped at a 7-11 for a bottle of water… I had to bring him in, even tho the checkout stand was about 10 feet from where I could see my parked car…as we walked to the cooler to get the water he spotted an orange ‘push-up’ and ‘made’ me buy it… telling him he had to wait until we got to the park to open it didn’t work… he opened it in the car and in about ten seconds it started dripping …then I remembered it’s the reason I bought leather seats…
We made it to the park where he threw the leaking empty-push up in a trash can as he three-wheeled up the concrete walk…
I parked myself under a shade tree as he began digging holes in the sand…we were both sorry I had forgotten to bring his beach bucket and shovel…I know a grandma wouldn’t have forgotten those…
After playing on the swings he climbed up a ladder to the slide only to discover it was burning hot…in park design slides should be facing north and east to keep the afternoon sun off…this slide was facing south and west…bummer of a design...
A young man with his dog walked by and Ely asked him what the dog’s name was…the guy said Scooter…he said that was a funny name for a dog…by then we had polished off the water and he was getting warm and had to take a pee…HOLD IT I yelled!!!I had to stop the kid from whizzing in the sand box and decided it was a good time to head back home…on the way back he ‘made’ me stop at McDonald's for a chicken nugget happy meal and a toy…
We had a great time there as his happy meal toy was a Captain Marvel figure with a shield…the shield had a blue star on it, but he called it a Frisbee…
I’m taking him swimming this weekend hoping he can have another good day…I know I will…
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
GOOD NEW / BAD NEWS
Good news: I’m super stoked that Teemu Selanne will play for the Ducks one more year…he’s 40 years young and destined for the hall of fame…when he's on the ice he makes things happen...
Bad news: The Gulf oil spill has tainted crabs and similar delicious creatures... Gulf food will remain unhealthy to eat for a long time…one of my favorite pastimes used to be eating Gulf of Mexico oysters and garlic bread (while sipping Vodka shooters) after a day of downhill skiing with my family…I no longer downhill ski and have to kiss off the oysters…I haven't given up the shooters...
Good news: Steven Slater, the Jet Blue flight attendant who went semi-postal yesterday, was released on bail today, even though he was suspended by his employer…but I think he’ll go free after the details of his ‘rampage’ are cleared up…if you haven’t heard about this guy yet you don’t watch the news, read newspapers or listen to the radio…good for you…
Good news: Tiger Woods is preparing for the PGA this weekend, the year’s final major golf tournament, by playing with a swing coach on the course… it’s not the same watching golf on TV when he doesn’t contend…I hope he does well…Sean Foley, the swing coach, is also helping other golfers…when asked if he was working with Tiger he said he wouldn’t say but there was a possibility…at a probable $1,000/hour I wouldn't say a thing either...
Bad news: The weather here in Riverside continues to be in the 90’s every day with hot winds blowing…it’s a far cry from Lake Forest where light breezes blow with temperatures in the 80’s…in the late afternoon when I get into my car to head home, the thermometer in my car usually reads well over 100 degrees and it takes a good half an hour for the car to cool down…weather is forecasted to get even hotter this week…the Inland Empire sucks big time…
Good news: Our grand daughter Sunny created her own blog a few days ago and has already posted twice…this soon to be fifth grader is super comfortable with a computer, has exceptional writing skills and is an excellent photographer like her mother…the good genes get passed down, don't they?
Bad news: The Gulf oil spill has tainted crabs and similar delicious creatures... Gulf food will remain unhealthy to eat for a long time…one of my favorite pastimes used to be eating Gulf of Mexico oysters and garlic bread (while sipping Vodka shooters) after a day of downhill skiing with my family…I no longer downhill ski and have to kiss off the oysters…I haven't given up the shooters...
Good news: Steven Slater, the Jet Blue flight attendant who went semi-postal yesterday, was released on bail today, even though he was suspended by his employer…but I think he’ll go free after the details of his ‘rampage’ are cleared up…if you haven’t heard about this guy yet you don’t watch the news, read newspapers or listen to the radio…good for you…
Good news: Tiger Woods is preparing for the PGA this weekend, the year’s final major golf tournament, by playing with a swing coach on the course… it’s not the same watching golf on TV when he doesn’t contend…I hope he does well…Sean Foley, the swing coach, is also helping other golfers…when asked if he was working with Tiger he said he wouldn’t say but there was a possibility…at a probable $1,000/hour I wouldn't say a thing either...
Bad news: The weather here in Riverside continues to be in the 90’s every day with hot winds blowing…it’s a far cry from Lake Forest where light breezes blow with temperatures in the 80’s…in the late afternoon when I get into my car to head home, the thermometer in my car usually reads well over 100 degrees and it takes a good half an hour for the car to cool down…weather is forecasted to get even hotter this week…the Inland Empire sucks big time…
Good news: Our grand daughter Sunny created her own blog a few days ago and has already posted twice…this soon to be fifth grader is super comfortable with a computer, has exceptional writing skills and is an excellent photographer like her mother…the good genes get passed down, don't they?
Saturday, August 7, 2010
BEGONE. BOOKS
MAN OF THE HOUSE
By Chris Erskine
This is taken from the LA Times Saturday morning Home section...for me, Chris Erskine is one of the best writers on their staff...I especially loved the following very timely article today and had to pass it on...you are gonna love this...
They say these Kindles and other electronic reading gizmo's will replace books one of these days, and to that I say, "NOT SOON ENOUGH!"
I am all for that. I can never get paperbacks or hardcovers to work. They won't hold a charge, and they're so hard to reboot.
The other day, I was trying to upgrade a cherished old copy of "The Great Gatsby" and I couldn't get the install to go. Then it froze up on me. I mean, it wouldn't do anything, this stupid book. It wouldn't upload, it wouldn't download. It just sat there. Seriously, the traditional book must be the dumbest, most antiquated thing ever.
Yep, books blow. It seems only right that they have no future, for their past is so mixed. A book never changed the world. Oh, there was the Bible, sure, and Shakespeare wrote some stuff that might've advanced love and language, so what? Surely "Tom Sawyer" was pretty good in its day, but children change and so should books.
There was also, if I remember, "Mein Kampf," which didn't really do the world much good, not to mention any of the crud Nicholas Sparks ever wrote. See, books aren't only obsolete. Many can be harmful. I actually can't wait to see them go.
Know what I really hate? Days like this — warm August afternoons by a lake or an ocean, when there's a gnat floating in your margarita, both of you comatose. On a perfect day like this, how do many people spend the time? They ruin it with books.
Fitzgerald and Conroy, Updike and King. Those are just some of the writers to be wary of. John Irving? I've wasted weeks of my life reading his novels, cover to cover to cover to cover.
Here's more good news: If we don't need hardcover books, soon we will no longer need bookstores, or those annoying old libraries where, if you're not careful, you end up whiling away an entire day.
Ever spent a rainy afternoon in a library or a bookstore? There's nothing worse. As a young man, I was once seduced in a bookstore. Her name was Jane Smiley. I loved her. She didn't even know I existed. That's the heartbreak of books.
Perhaps worse than libraries or bookstores are those homes lined with books. I've rented summer cottages just brimming with books. Do people really think that's appealing? Really, a home full of books is no home at all.
What happens in such a place is that you start browsing till you find a title you just can't resist. You'll crack open the book, and it'll smell a little musty, like the forest after a good rain. And, if you're really unlucky, its binding will crackle like an old set of stairs.
You know what'll happen next? You'll sack out on the couch or on an Adirondack chair in the yard, and you'll get lost in this book. The next thing you'll know, the whole day is ruined.
Yep, a book can go anywhere — the beach, the bathroom, the moon. They are so low-tech they can ingest salt or sand or sunscreen and still keep right on working. No company would ever support that kind of lame technology. Imagine producing a product that would still work in 100 years. That would just be stupid. Who could make money like that?
Obviously, a book is an awful, out-of-date thing. I have no patience with them, the way they steal our attention and clutter up our lives forever. To be rid of them is the best possible outcome.
In fact, here's what these soon-to-be-gone books remind me of: They remind me of oysters, another simple-stupid thing that evolution left behind. Oysters are just ridiculously succulent rocks. And books are just ridiculously succulent trees (but with a few more pearls).
So, yeah, it's a no-brainer to get rid of books; we're actually lucky to see them go. Good riddance, books. Please take those lousy oysters with you.
chris.erskine@latimes.com
By Chris Erskine
This is taken from the LA Times Saturday morning Home section...for me, Chris Erskine is one of the best writers on their staff...I especially loved the following very timely article today and had to pass it on...you are gonna love this...
They say these Kindles and other electronic reading gizmo's will replace books one of these days, and to that I say, "NOT SOON ENOUGH!"
I am all for that. I can never get paperbacks or hardcovers to work. They won't hold a charge, and they're so hard to reboot.
The other day, I was trying to upgrade a cherished old copy of "The Great Gatsby" and I couldn't get the install to go. Then it froze up on me. I mean, it wouldn't do anything, this stupid book. It wouldn't upload, it wouldn't download. It just sat there. Seriously, the traditional book must be the dumbest, most antiquated thing ever.
Yep, books blow. It seems only right that they have no future, for their past is so mixed. A book never changed the world. Oh, there was the Bible, sure, and Shakespeare wrote some stuff that might've advanced love and language, so what? Surely "Tom Sawyer" was pretty good in its day, but children change and so should books.
There was also, if I remember, "Mein Kampf," which didn't really do the world much good, not to mention any of the crud Nicholas Sparks ever wrote. See, books aren't only obsolete. Many can be harmful. I actually can't wait to see them go.
Know what I really hate? Days like this — warm August afternoons by a lake or an ocean, when there's a gnat floating in your margarita, both of you comatose. On a perfect day like this, how do many people spend the time? They ruin it with books.
Fitzgerald and Conroy, Updike and King. Those are just some of the writers to be wary of. John Irving? I've wasted weeks of my life reading his novels, cover to cover to cover to cover.
Here's more good news: If we don't need hardcover books, soon we will no longer need bookstores, or those annoying old libraries where, if you're not careful, you end up whiling away an entire day.
Ever spent a rainy afternoon in a library or a bookstore? There's nothing worse. As a young man, I was once seduced in a bookstore. Her name was Jane Smiley. I loved her. She didn't even know I existed. That's the heartbreak of books.
Perhaps worse than libraries or bookstores are those homes lined with books. I've rented summer cottages just brimming with books. Do people really think that's appealing? Really, a home full of books is no home at all.
What happens in such a place is that you start browsing till you find a title you just can't resist. You'll crack open the book, and it'll smell a little musty, like the forest after a good rain. And, if you're really unlucky, its binding will crackle like an old set of stairs.
You know what'll happen next? You'll sack out on the couch or on an Adirondack chair in the yard, and you'll get lost in this book. The next thing you'll know, the whole day is ruined.
Yep, a book can go anywhere — the beach, the bathroom, the moon. They are so low-tech they can ingest salt or sand or sunscreen and still keep right on working. No company would ever support that kind of lame technology. Imagine producing a product that would still work in 100 years. That would just be stupid. Who could make money like that?
Obviously, a book is an awful, out-of-date thing. I have no patience with them, the way they steal our attention and clutter up our lives forever. To be rid of them is the best possible outcome.
In fact, here's what these soon-to-be-gone books remind me of: They remind me of oysters, another simple-stupid thing that evolution left behind. Oysters are just ridiculously succulent rocks. And books are just ridiculously succulent trees (but with a few more pearls).
So, yeah, it's a no-brainer to get rid of books; we're actually lucky to see them go. Good riddance, books. Please take those lousy oysters with you.
chris.erskine@latimes.com
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
AN EXCELLENT ANALOGY
The owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, Robert Sarver, opposes AZ's new immigration laws. Arizona's Governor, Jan Brewer, released the following statement in response to Sarver's criticism of the new law:
"What if the owners of the Suns discovered that hordes of people were sneaking into games without paying? What if they had a good idea who the gate-crashers are, but the ushers and security personnel were not allowed to ask these folks to produce their ticket stubs, thus non-paying attendees couldn't be ejected. Furthermore, what if Suns' ownership was expected to provide those who sneaked in with complimentary eats and drink? And what if, on those days when a gate-crasher became ill or injured, the Suns had to provide free medical care and shelter?" -Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer
"What if the owners of the Suns discovered that hordes of people were sneaking into games without paying? What if they had a good idea who the gate-crashers are, but the ushers and security personnel were not allowed to ask these folks to produce their ticket stubs, thus non-paying attendees couldn't be ejected. Furthermore, what if Suns' ownership was expected to provide those who sneaked in with complimentary eats and drink? And what if, on those days when a gate-crasher became ill or injured, the Suns had to provide free medical care and shelter?" -Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer
Monday, August 2, 2010
from a retired friend
Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
I would rather carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring groceries in.
The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent an A-hole from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
I would rather carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring groceries in.
The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent an A-hole from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
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