Mega-Mergers

I just can't let it happen! First, it was the BellSouth/A.T.&T. Merger, then it was the Delta/Northwest Merger - okay, really and truly, I don't give a flying flip about those but NOW I have to take a stand! Arby's is merging with Wendy's!

Wendy's is the ONLY place on earth that does NOT make their burgers up a week in advance and let them sit under the heat lamp for days. It is the ONLY place where the meat and cheese is hot and the lettuce, tomato and pickles are cold and crisp! Now that is a real hamburger!

Arby's doesn't even know how to make a hamburger - much less a square one! And don't even get me started on how Arby's could screw up a Frosty by putting Horsey sauce on it!

At various times during our country's history, there have been uprisings against injustice - I think it's time for another one! We can't sit idly by and watch the demise of the only decent fast-food hamburger joint on the planet!!!

Gotta go, now. I'm making signs and headed for a protest march!

Idol Pool Update

Five Idol pool participants have added points to their score:

April now has 200 points
Kristen now has 200 points
Terry H. now has 200 points
Terry W. now has 200 points
Chuck now has 200 points

Everyone else remains the same as the last post.

I am bummed about Carly being voted off last night. I have been ready for Brooke to go for some time - really don't understand her appeal but obviously somebody does. I think Carly is a much better singer than Brooke. I'm pulling for Jason to stay because I have a chance of winning the pool if he is # 1 but truthfully, I don't think he has been very good lately. I think he just about murdered "Memory" the other night. (And he didn't even know it was sung by a Cat!- Sheesh!) Where have all these kids been! Oh yeah, I guess they weren't born when lots of these songs were written.

Stay tuned for future updates on scores.

Forwarding E-Mails

I know you have all gotten them - you know the e-mails that end with," Send this e-mail to at least 144 friends in the next 60 minutes and you will receive a huge monetary reward. If you do not do this, a large bird with intestinal flu will land on your head and you will be very sorry you broke the chain. I know this to be true because it actually happened to a friend of my sister-in-law's next door neighbor's mother."

If any of my readers ever contemplate sending me one of those, I can assure you the chain will be broken. First of all, I don't have 144 friends; secondly, I will not have read far enough in the long e-mail to know I am supposed to forward it; and finally, if a large bird lands on my head, I will freak out and die long before I know whether or not I have been crapped upon!

In other words, you can save yourself the trouble of sending me e-mails which must be forwarded in order to avoid some sort of disaster - just send them to people who have lots more time on their hands than I do. After all, in my spare time, I have to post profound topics on my blog!

German Parking Garage

This is an actual parking garage in Munich. They save lots of space by just sliding the cars into a slot on the little motorized lift.

I think you would be SOL if you forgot something in your car and had to go back after it.

My Yard in the Spring

And By Remote Satellite - Idol Results so Far !

Our FOX Network has been off the air for the past two nights so in order to post an updated Idol poll result, I had to rely on text-messaged results from Columbus, Ga., so assuming my source is correct about Michael Johns being voted off tonight, these are the current standings:

Sara - 100 points
John - 100 points
Kirk- 100 points
April - 100 points
Kristen - 100 points
Terry H. - 100 points
Susan T. - 50 points
Benji - 100 points
Terry W. - 100 points
Amy - 100 points
Claire - 50 points
Chuck - 100 points
Susan C. - 100 points

Bad news for Kirk and John. Kirk had Michael Johns # 1 and John had him # 2. They took quite a hit tonight.

Stay tuned for additional updates.

FINALLY - A Left-Handed Burger !!!

For those of you who know me and read my blog, you know I am left-handed. I even blogged about celebrating Left-Handers Day on August 13, 2007. I have a Left-Handers daily calendar on my desk which reminds of the famous people who have lived in a right-handed world and have accomplished great things! Well ----- left-handers around the world ---- we are finally being recognized by the one of the world's largest burger chains!!!! McDonalds is introducing a left-handed burger !!! YIPPEE !!!!!!!

First, it is wrapped differently. It is wrapped by folding the left side of the paper first then folding the remaining paper over it. That way, when you hold it in your left hand, it makes it easier to unwrap. Then the condiments are placed on it with lefties in mind. That way, the mayonaise is on the cheese side and the ketchup is on the meat side. And finally, the lettuce, tomato, and pickles are rotated 180 degrees so they will be more conducive to being held in the left hand without falling out.

Thank you, McDonalds, for recognizing the 32 million of us lefties who struggle in a right-handed world. We will definitely buy your burgers !!!

The Official Entries

The Official Entries for the American Idol Pool are listed below: The pot totals $260.00

Sara Quinn:

1. Jason
2. Carly
3. David Cook
4. Michael
5. David Archuleta
6. Brooke
7. Syesha
8. Kristy Lee
9. Chikezie
10. Ramiele

John Quinn:

1. David Cook
2. Michael
3. Carly
4. David Archuleta
5. Brooke
6. Jason
7. Syesha
8. Kristy Lee
9. Chikezie
10. Ramiele

Kirk Tcherneshoff:

1. Michael
2. David Cook
3. David Archuleta
4. Carly
5. Syesha
6. Brooke
7. Jason
8. Chikezie
9. Kristy Lee
10. Ramiele

April Tcherneshoff:

1. David Cook
2. Carly
3. David Archuleta
4. Michael
5. Brooke
6. Syesha
7. Kristy Lee
8. Jason
9. Chikezie
10. Ramiele

Kristen Tcherneshoff:

1. David Archuleta
2. David Cook
3. Carly
4. Syesha
5. Brooke
6. Michael
7. Kristy Lee
8. Jason
9. Chikezie
10. Ramiele

Terry Hawkins:

1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Brooke
4. Jason
5. Carly
6. Syesha
7. Michael
8. Chikezie
9. Kristy Lee
10. Ramiele

Susan T. Hawkins:

1. Syesha
2. Jason
3. David Archuleta
4. Kristy Lee
5. David Cook
6. Michael
7. Chikezie
8. Brooke
9. Carly
10. Ramiele

Benji Willmon:

1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
2. Syesha
4. Carly
5. Brooke
6. Michael
7. Jason
8. Kristy Lee
9. Ramiele
10. Chikezie

Terry Willmon:

1. David Cook
2. Brooke
3. David Archuleta
4. Michael
5. Carly
6. Syesha
7. Jason
8. Kristy Lee
9. Ramiele
10. Chikezie

Amy Shipp:

1. David Cook
2. Carly
3. Jason
4. Brooke
5. David Archuleta
6. Syesha
7. Michael
8. Kristy Lee
9. Chikezie
10. Ramiele

Claire Davidson:

1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Brooke
4. Jason
5. Michael
6. Chikezie
7. Syesha
8. Carly
9. Kristy Lee
10. Ramiele

Chuck Hawkins:

1. David Cook
2. Brooke White
3. Michael
4. David Archuleta
5. Syesha
6. Chikezie
7. Carly
8. Jason
9. Ramiele
10. Kristy Lee

Susan C. Hawkins:

1. David Archuleta
2. David Cook
3. Brooke
4. Carly
5. Michael
6. Syesha
7. Jason
8. Chikezie
9. Kristy Lee
10. Ramiele

American Idol Pool Rules

The business systems administrator, Terry Hawkins, has provided me with the official rules for the American Idol Pool. Entries are due by 5:00 p.m. today and will be posted tomorrow, March 27, 2008. No entries will be accepted after 5:00 p.m. March 26, 2008.

Entry Fee: $20.00 - to be paid to Sara Quinn, General Manager of the Pool

Point System:

1. Winner of American Idol 400 points
2. Second Place Winner 300 points

3. Finishing 3rd or 4th
4. in any order 200 points each

5. Finishing 5th, 6th, or 100 points each
6. 7th in any order
7.

8. Finishing 8th, 9th, 50 points each
9. or 10th in any order
10.

There's a Criminal on the Loose - and it's Me!

Today, I was minding my own business while driving down the main street of my small hometown. A quick peek in my rear view mirror revealed the flashing blue lights of a police car. Assuming he was on his way to thwart a major crime, I pulled over to give him plenty of room to pass and he pulled up right behind me.

I ran through my possible list of traffic infractions quickly - did I run a stop sign ? run a red light? fail to yield? was I speeding?

The office got out of the car carrying a large contraption which he placed on my car. Was it a breathalizer? did he think I was drunk at 10:00 a.m.?

He asked for my license and proof of insurance and called in to headquarters to verify my identity --- still no clue what I had done wrong -- but then came the moment of revelation!

"The reason I pulled you over, ma'am, is that I think your windows exceed the tint limit."

WHAT ?????

I explained that I had not had my windows tinted but that they were that way from the Volvo factory - same windows that were in the car when I purchased it new three years ago.

Another line of questioning ensued --- where did I purchase the car? how long ago? blah de blah de blah ???

The aforementioned contraption was then placed on my windows - "Ah ha" the culprit is caught!!!! The allowable amount of blackage in Alabama is 32 and I have 28!

So, my choices are: (1) trade cars, (2) have all the windows replaced, (3) spend a go-zillion dollars having the tinting removed or (4) drive only at night and hope another cop doesn't notice me! This cop said he would let me go but the next cop probably wouldn't be as lenient!

Let's see --- this month in my hometown there was an armed bank robbery, a murder, two rapes, a kidnapping, three meth labs busted, and a cock-fighting ring broken up --- oh yes, and a woman stopped for having her windows tinted!!!

Boy, our cops are on their toes!

Man's Best Friend

They say a dog is man's best friend! If you don't believe it, try this experiment.

Lock your dog and your wife in the trunk of your car for an hour and see which one is glad to see you when you let them out!

Ugly Shoes

Here are my entries in the "Ugly Shoe Contest".

John's New Car

This is John's car just obtained today! It is a GMC Acadia - black, of course and big enough to carry family AND golf clubs!

Ads From the 30's

Times have changed! Here are a couple of ads from the 30's:

#1 Ad claims that you can eat all you want and remain thin by just purchasing a can of tape worms and taking a couple a day.

# 2 Ad claims that most doctors smoke Camel cigarettes.

And my personal favorite ----

# 3 Ad claims that you can stay happy by eating LARD! My kind of diet!

All Except One . . .

9 of my top 10 made it through the first round of eliminations. Joanne was voted off. I think she was better than people realized but they are all nervous in the first few rounds and none of them do their best until they get a little more experience.

When they get down to 12, we will have our family pool which in the past has resulted in my two daughters winning the pot - Amy won in 2006 and Susan won in 2007! Maybe I will win this year!

American Idol

After hearing some more renditions from our Idol contestants, my top 10 at this point (in no particular order) are as follows:

Syesha
David A.
Ramiele
Carly
Michael
Asia'H
Jason (with the long hair)
Joanne
Aliana
Alexandrea

I reserve the right to change my mind on this but I was not too impressed with most of them for the past two nights. I thought the song choices were awful!

American Idol Musings

Yes, I admit it - I'm an American Idol junky! It is much too soon for predictions but I have a few observations.

I can't place many names with faces yet but the little Josiah guy had a pretty good voice but I got tired of his blubbering! He cried all the time - I didn't like it.

The little guy named Kyle who said he is running for Governor one day sounded terrible until he sang "You Raise Me Up" made famous by Josh Groban. That song stands on its own and makes anyone sound good so I don't think that was any indication of his ability.

I liked a girl name Carly, a guy named David, and a girl named Asia'H or something like that! After tonight's elimination and they are narrowed to 24, maybe it will be easier to decide which ones I like .

WHAT ??????

Gov. Mitt Romney withdrew from the Republican race for President today and was quoted as making the following statement to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington:

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."

So is he saying that Sens. Clinton and Obama are terrorists ??

P.S.

Well, the pictures in the post about my trip to Orbix were no good and the link to the site didn't work but other than that, it was a good post! :) In case anyone is interested in the Orbix site, you can see it at www.orbixhotglass.com .

A Trip to Orbix

Saturday, I along with some other family members, visited Orbix , the art studio of Cal Breed, which is located at Little River Canyon. Cal is a glass artist who has become well known for his beautiful work. He has been recognized in "O" magazine, Travel & Leisure Magazine, Gourmet magazine and many other publications. His glass is displayed in art studios throughout the United States.

We were impressed with his friendly personality and his work is absolutely gorgeous! They offer opportunities for the public to go to the studio and blow glass ornaments and other simple glass items. I think I will do that sometime.

The pictures are of the two items I purchased plus a small waterfall in the canyon which was right in front of the studio.

Saturday was a good day!