"The Butler Did It"

YouTube - Caron Butler Mavs Old Spice Parody Commercial Here's a parody of the current "Old Spice" commercial done with Caron Butler, the former University of Connecticut (UCONN) basketball star and current NBA Dallas Maverick. Click the You Tube link. It is appropriate that he says "Look at me. I'm on a horse."; as we all know the "Maverick" is a type of horse. Someone had to do this commercial, and "the Butler did it".

"GRAVE THOUGHTS"

I noticed while walking through a local cemetery near my house on Cape Cod the following inscription on a grave marker the phrase "SHE DIDN'T VOTE FOR NIXON".

It is hard to encapsulate any life after that life has ended in one sentence or phrase. However, I don't know if I would personally want to be remembered for something I didn't do instead of hopefully something positive that I did. How about you? There are so many things or experiences that none of us can possibly do or don't do in one lifetime. Does this phrase mean that that she wanted to vote for Nixon and was telling all her friends "I'm going to vote for Nixon" but then her car broke down on the way to the voting booth and then her phone was out of order due to a freak electrical thunderstorm and that she was unable to call any of her friends for a ride? Or, maybe she wasn't a fan of Nixon and wanted to make sure that she was never accused of voting for Nixon in her lifetime and beyond.

Me, I never ate a dog or cat but I don't think I want that to be on my grave marker. I never visited Antarctica so far in my lifetime and probably never will although you never know. What haven't you done that you want to be the phrase that summarises your lifetime?

Hitler and "March MadneSS"

YouTube - Hitler finds out KU lost to UNI in the 2010 NCAA tournament March, the month where the Men's and Women's NCAA basketball tournaments play out each year to determine the national champions. Known as "March Madness" each year the frenzied fans of these college teams root for their schools and fill out their brackets for the 64 teams through the rounds of games to see if they can predict the eventual champion. Many leaders including President Obama also "fill out their brackets". This year President Obama chose the favorite Kansas Jayhawks as his choice for national champion. Alas, this year Kansas lost to Northern Iowa. Another famous leader, Adolph Hitler, also picked Kansas to win the championship. Click on the You Tube link to see how Mr. Hitler reacts when he finds out that Kansas lost.

Hitler seemed so stressed in this video that I wouldn't be surprised if some day he kills himself. Chill out Adolph, basketball is just a game. It's not like the fate of Europe and Western civilization depends on whether Kansas wins the NCAA tournament; plus, maybe Kansas will do better in next year's "March MadneSS".

"Mind Control"

RealClearPolitics - Video - MSNBC Host: Time For "Socialism" In Talk Radio Now that the democrats have succeeded so far with their health care plans to try to make everyone's health and body under government control; maybe the next step is for them to try to manage the radio and television airwaves through a "fairness doctrine" . Click the link to hear Ed Schultz speak with envy about Rush Limbaugh and his radio influence and how he thinks that the government should step in to regulate content and speech because people like Ed Schultz can't command the audiences of a Rush Limbaugh.

Just think, now that the government in effect will be able to control our bodies through health care mandates, and if they control the content of the airwaves in an effort to control our minds, then maybe the next step after that will be a mandate to control our souls and dictate to us how we should worship the State and forget about religion as religion is "the opiate of the people" according to Karl Marx, one of the founders of the communist philosophy.

We may be entering a "brave new world" in America on our road to an all powerful all controlling State where "everybody is equal, but some people are more equal than others."

"There Will Be Blood"

So, they passed the health care so called reform bill last Sunday and this law was signed today. This bill doesn't reform the waste and inefficiencies found in current care due to the need to practice defensive medicine by ordering unnecessary tests in order to try to prevent being sued and offers no tort reform where juries can award gigantic settlements in medical malpractice suits far and away beyond the realm of reason because the trail lawyers are good buddies of the democratic party.This health bill is basically a government power grab to exert more control over people's lives even though the people were overwhelmingly happy with their health insurance and patient/doctor relationships.

Many attorneys general are in the process of filing lawsuits to stop the enactment of this health care law. Come November "there will be blood" in a figurative sense as the Congress gets to feel the wrath of the voter's discontent with the current group of legislators who think they know what is best for the American people despite overwhelming opposition to this governmental power grab.

"The Final Countdown?"

This Sunday 3/21 may be the day that the Congress votes on whether to take further control of the health care system by trying to pass the Senate version of the health care bill. The Congress may resort to using the "Slaughter Solution" which would subvert the US Constitution by voting not on the Senate bill itself but on a series of amendments to the Senate bill while "deeming" that the Senate bill is accepted without having an actual vote on the Senate bill so representatives can say, "Oh! I didn't vote for that Senate bill", while in effect they did vote for this bill even though the vast majority of the American populace is against this putrid piece of dung.

3.....2....1....0....Zero a bunch of Zeros we have in Congress. The final countdown has begun. Can we really afford another trillion dollar program? And, what is this talk about "saving" 500 Billion dollars in Medicare waste,fraud, and abuse found in the current program, IF there is that amount of inefficiency and corruption in the current program why isn't this amount already taken out of Medicare and Medicaid? The problem with government programs is that there is really no incentive to try to run a program as efficient as possible. In fact, if a government program was run efficiently then there is a chance that that program budget would be reduced in following years so what happens is that government spends the money on something just to make sure that their budget is not reduced in future years.

Although we do not live in a democracy in America (a representative republic); it is going to be interesting to see the results that occur on my next birthday (November 2nd, election day) if this turkey health care bill becomes the law of the land against the overwhelming disdain by the public of this health care abomination.

"I'm Traveling over 1,000 Miles An Hour"

I'm traveling over 1,000 miles non-stop an hour. Can you believe it ? It really isn't so hard to do in fact it doesn't require that much effort on my part and I'm getting used to this speed so much that sometimes it seems like I'm standing still. Yes, I'm spinning through space each day and night; even when I'm asleep, how about you?

Do you ever wonder how people in the southern half of the world below the equator such as in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa cope with the fact that they spend their whole life almost upside down as they are at the bottom of the planet? How can they stand all that blood that must be rushing to the head non stop day and night? I don't know how they do it. I guess they are used to it as with me for example if I hang upside down for a minute or two it feels like my head will explode. Also, how do these people keep from flying off into outer space? You may think I'm kidding but this concern of mine has considerable gravity. Of course people in the southern hemisphere probably wonder how us humans in the northern hemisphere deal with the constant pressure we feel on our feet and they must wonder how any blood in our bodies makes its way up to our heads.

"She's So Heavy"

Woman aims to become world's fattest From the Drudge Report check out this link on this lady (Donna Simpson), who wishes to become the world's fattest woman and is trying to reach her goal of weighing 1,000 pounds and expects that it will take her two years to reach her desired weight. I wonder if this is the type of lady that the" Beatles" sang about in the song "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". It must be hard to have a goal of not moving too much so that you don't burn many calories and eat mass quantities of junk food and have a $815.00 per week grocery bill.

I bet she could reduce her calorie burn rate if she had someone brush her teeth for her as well as wiping her after she visited the loo each day as these activities must burn a calorie or two. She should also look into taking a lot of naps each day when she isn't eating but she should make sure she is strapped into her bed so that she doesn't risk tossing and turning while sleeping and wasting valuable calories.She should also have someone dress and undress her as needed as these are also calorie burning activities.

Good luck on your quest Donna! You can do it if you put your mind to it but don't think too much about your goal as thinking burns calories.

"Dunston"

I recently re-watched the classic movie "Dunston Checks In" starring "Dunston" the orangutan checks into a 5 star hotel the "Majestic" and has all sorts of "high-jinx" and mad capped "monkey shine" adventures at this fancy hotel run by Jason Alexander ("George" of Seinfeld) with Faye Dunaway as the heartless hotel chairman of the Board and also with Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) who is hired to kill Dunston.

Some people say that the performances by Ms. Dunaway, Mr. Alexander and Reubens in this movie were some of the best in their respective careers. Of course, the incomparable "Dunston" give his usual great starring performance. Although first released around 1996, "Dunston Checks In" is still a funny and timely film with a happy ending for kids of all ages to enjoy.

To me, "Dunston" is one of the all time great orangutan actors and ranks up there with "Clyde" the star of the "Every Which Way But Loose" movies with Clint Eastwood. Now I don't know if this film could be made today as when "Dunston" first started out he worked for peanuts but now he commands a big salary and of course demands top billing in his movies as he considers himself the top banana.

Winter Salt Marsh

Here's a photo of a North side Salt Marsh in Dennis on Cape Cod taken this Winter as I was inspecting a high value home that abuts this marsh. The owners said they often see deer frolicking in this marsh. Oh dear, it was cold that day! I guess that happens during the Winter; some days are cool and some days are cold.

Every year we having Spring and Summer warming trends and longer days and the days get shorter with cooling trends in the Fall and Winter. For some reason, and maybe it is just me;I think the sun has a lot to do with global warming and cooling based on the length of the days and the angle of the solar radiation as evidenced by the four seasons. Yes, to me the sun is the star of determining global temperatures with a lot more of an important role in temperature changes than any effect than mankind can or cannot affect the climate. Yes, there was "climate change" each year in the northern hemisphere even before the dawn of man.

"THE SECRET WORD GAME"

A few times last year "Annie" who worked with me at the Soundings motel front desk on Cape Cod and I would play the "secret word" game with each other to see who could say certain key words to the other fellow employees first and to see if the other employees would comment about the words we used. For example, it is best to use unusual words such as "Yikes!", "Golly" "Shazaam!", "Gee", or "Gosh" in a sentence such as "Yikes!, there sure are a lot of check-ins arriving at the same time, "Gosh" I wonder if they all got stuck in the traffic on the bridges or the Cape Cod tunnel;"Gee", I wonder when it will slow down to a more reasonable pace of activity, "Shazaam!" here comes some more people.

From what I hear Groucho Marx of the "Marx Brothers" had a television show a long time ago when he had on contestants that had a conversation with "Groucho" and if the contestants said the secret word they would win a prize. I saw a few shows but can't remember too much about them. My secret word game is pretty much the opposite of the Groucho Marx game as we would say the words and gauge the reaction and keep track to see who could say the secret words first.

You should try this game yourself some time. It probably works best with uncommon words or sayings and not as well with phrases "like you know", "n' stuff", "whatever", "and a ", as these are possibly things you say all the time in regular conversation.

Herring River Jetty

Here's a photo from the Herring River Jetty in West Harwich on Cape Cod Mass taken today 3/7/10 with the Belmont Beach and condominiums in the background with Herring river on the right and Nantucket Sound on the left side. I don't know who lifted all the boulders that make up this jetty during construction but they must have been pretty strong. Maybe they used machines of some sort or a barge ship as it would be tough to drive in the water with a tractor without rusting out the tractor or stalling out the engine by getting the engine water logged.

"The Best Restaurant in Town"

Working at a seasonal resort motel on Cape Cod for over thirty years at the front desk I am often asked directions and recommendations for good places to eat by the many Cape Cod visitors each year. Front desk personnel actually have a lot of influence in determining where these visitors end up eating during their visit and help frame the memories of their Cape Cod experience.

If I were a restaurant owner I would name my restaurant "The Best Restaurant In Town" because that is what many guests ask when they come up to the front desk for their dinner advice and driving directions. Hopefully with a name like "The Best Restaurant In Town" this restaurant would be a quality establishment but with a name like that even if you had terrible food and service and were located in the middle of a sewage disposal plant you would get a lot of referrals from the front desk staff and probably everybody around the town as we always want to be cordial and helpful to our tourist friends. I can see it now. "Excuse me, this is our first trip to Cape Cod and we would like to go to the best restaurant in town; (said the tourist to the front desk representative). The front desk representative replies, "Oh, you don't want to go to "The Best Restaurant In Town". The tourist replies, "Yes we do! Can we have please have directions?" The front desk representative replies, "Very well, You take a right on Dutch Elm street, take a left on Abbey Road, then a right on Sunset Boulevard then a left on Mulholland Drive cross Route 66 and then take your second exit off of Highway 69."

So there you go for better or worse, you are bound to get some business if you name your restaurant, "The Best Restaurant In Town".

"The Cunning Senator Bunning"

What's this I hear about Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning trying to stop unemployment benefit extensions and other expenditures just because there was no offset or way to pay for these measures. Since when in Congress has anyone ever stopped to consider where all the money for their out of control budget busting bills and wasteful political pork projects?

Jim Bunning used to be a professional baseball player, a Hall of Fame pitcher in fact, for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and was known for the "brush back" pitch where you throw a fastball close to the batter who is crowding the plate. This man knows how to play "hardball" and now he is playing political hardball by trying the novel approach in the Senate of insisting the the Senators consider paying for some of their proposed bills. How "cunning" Senator Bunning but don't you know in America what we do is "kick the can down the road". We never seem to try to solve issues or pay the cost of current governmental programs when we can stall or just borrow the money from China and worry about paying the real costs in the endless future. Not only do most people in Congress not consider the costs of their lame brain schemes but they get all worked up if someone like Senator Bunning tries to make them show some fiscal accountability. They scream "This is an outrage" and "It's not fair for one Senator to hold up the important work of wasting taxpayer money" and trying to label Senator Bunning's actions as "extreme" and "heartless".

It is a fairly lonely position to take in the modern day Congress of trying to restore some sense of fiscal responsibility. The cunning Senator Bunning has got the Congress running when his major point is his audacity to suggest that Congress follow the supposed lead of President Obama who said that we should stop treating tax revenue like monopoly money. I'm sure President Obama was as surprised as the Congress that someone would actually follow the principle of 'pay as you go". I for one applaud Senator Bunning's efforts to "strike out" against unfunded congressional proposals and his "pitch" for fiscal restraint. This attitude may be the start of a whole new "ballgame" in beltway politics even if it leaves some of the current congressional members in a "foul" mood.

"INVENTING POTATO CRISPIES"

As further described in the posting below, here is a photo of one of my recent brainstorms where I decided to experiment and see what would happen if I cut up a potato into thin slices and fried them in olive oil in a pan over my stove top.

It actually is quite edible, tasty even, and I think I might be on to something big with this idea.

"POTATO CRISPIES"

I'm not a renowned chef or anything but sometimes I come up with a creative idea or two in the kitchen. Just recently, I was in the kitchen and I was getting ready to bake some potatoes in the oven. Now of course everyone has heard of baked potatoes and mashed potatoes but this day for some reason I decided to experiment and I said to myself, "I wonder what it would taste like if I tried to cut up this potato and fry it it olive oil over the stove top?" I also came up with the idea of cutting the potato real thin so it wouldn't take too long to cook. I also had some home made sea salt next to my stove and thought I would experiment and sprinkle some sea salt over these thin potato slices then see how they would taste.

"Eureka"! I said after trying one of these crispy potato slices. "These are real tasty!". I then thought "You know, I'll bet these potato slices would taste mighty fine if I ate them while drinking a beer or a cold soda pop." By Golly!, I tried some of these thin fried potatoes with a beer and really liked this combination. In fact, I liked this combination so much that I applied for a patent on this thin fried potato invention. So, please don't try this at home unless you wish to pay me a licencing fee for this new invention.

Next I had to come up with a name for this tasty salty snack. I ran through a few name choices such as "fried thin potatoes, thin salty potatoes, potato slices, potato crisps," among the many name choices for this new culinary treat. I even thought of potato chips but quickly discarded that idea as they really don't look like chips to me. To me, potato chips would mean little nicks of potato not the slices that I developed. But, potato slices don't convey the fact that these crispy treats are cooked so I think the best name is "Potato crisps" or even better "Potato Crispies".

I am pretty excited about the prospects for my new patented potato invention and intend to try to mass produce these crispy treats and maybe even see if some of the supermarket chains or even bars would be interested in selling this product. I also recently tried eating some of these potato crispies for lunch with a sandwich and thought that was a combination worth exploring. I'm even thinking of trying different flavoring on the potato crispies in the future such as cheese, barbecue flavor and maybe even salt and vinegar.

So what do you think? Does this invention have any potential? I can even imagine some day people might even want to eat my product while sitting on their couch watching TV while a movie or sporting event is playing. Call me crazy but I think "Potato Crispies" just might catch on.