Swept away on the wave of a sub-culture.
So there I am getting my new tires on the beast today. I read my paper, I drank my coffee, and I decided that instead of watching the crappy television in the waiting room that I would walk around the mall.
So, I stepped out into the drizzle and started walking. As I got closer to the entrance of the Mall, The Capitol City Mall in Camp Hill, I saw people going in. Wait a minute, I thought. It is only 8 am. Could it be? Could I have actually happened upon that sub-culture we talk and laugh about? The Mall Walkers? I have heard of them over the years, but I have never ever seen them.
Until today. I went into the mall on the food court side and right as soon as I walked in I was presented with the sight of a good 100 grandparents, and some grand kids sitting at the tables. The Subway was open for drinks, and pretty much everyone had coffee, or soda in front of them. I ventured further in, just past the Starbucks and got swept away in wake of “The Walkers”.
There is a sign up close to the ceiling that signifies the starting/finishing line for the circuit. And I got right to it. And promptly got politely, but firmly, told to get out of the way as a couple of Grandmothers cruised by me. I had to speed up just to not get run over. I didn’t want to be chastised yet once again. That would be embarrassing.
I did my 2 laps to equal a mile and beat a hasty exit for the tire shop. But I got to see a sub-culture at work. Or play. Or whatever.
The Mall Walkers are out there, and doing just fine. As long as people like me don’t get in their way.
Namaste.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Fry me up some oysters
A pearl is made by an oyster because the oyster is being irritated.
Think about that for a minute. A pearl, which is beautiful, is made because its host is being irritated.
That amuses the heck out of me.
The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritates the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The mantle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a pearl.
But what if Gulf oysters produced gold? Gold nuggets.
Would that make gold as affordable as pearls? The fact that nuggets could be as easily produced as pearls? We all could wear necklaces of gold on a daily basis. How cool would that be?
But that isn't the way that it is. Oysters produce pearls that are enjoyed by people world wide, and oysters themselves are eaten and enjoyed by millions throughout the world. Oysters are a low calorie protein food source that is rich in zinc, vitamin B-12, and omega-3 fatty acids. But you have to be aware that if you are a person with liver disease, diabetes or a weak immune system, you should avoid raw oysters. Oysters are not a serious threat to healthy folks.
As long as you don't expect to find a gold nugget.
Namaste.
Think about that for a minute. A pearl, which is beautiful, is made because its host is being irritated.
That amuses the heck out of me.
The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritates the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The mantle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a pearl.
But what if Gulf oysters produced gold? Gold nuggets.
Would that make gold as affordable as pearls? The fact that nuggets could be as easily produced as pearls? We all could wear necklaces of gold on a daily basis. How cool would that be?
But that isn't the way that it is. Oysters produce pearls that are enjoyed by people world wide, and oysters themselves are eaten and enjoyed by millions throughout the world. Oysters are a low calorie protein food source that is rich in zinc, vitamin B-12, and omega-3 fatty acids. But you have to be aware that if you are a person with liver disease, diabetes or a weak immune system, you should avoid raw oysters. Oysters are not a serious threat to healthy folks.
As long as you don't expect to find a gold nugget.
Namaste.
I know, I know
A video post isn't a real post. It a cheater post. But I really like this video. I like Firefall, and this is the only version that I can find of their song "It doesn't matter" on youtube.
Chris Hillman and Stephen Stills worked together on a number of projects. So here it is:
Namaste.
Chris Hillman and Stephen Stills worked together on a number of projects. So here it is:
Namaste.
Plastics, my boy. Plastics
I got the phone call last night that I have been waiting for since June of 2007. My youngest son has been accepted to a college in Michigan. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. We have been talking about college, and what he wanted to do now that he was out of high school since he graduated. We talked about a number of different schools, but one we missed was Kettering University.
And it is in Flint, Michigan! My son lives just outside of Brighton, so Flint would be just a hop skip and a jump for him. He could live at home and go to school. When I started looking at Kettering University I found that US News and World Report has ranked Kettering University as "the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering" in its annual "America's Best Colleges Guide for 2008".
Pretty impressive. Even more impressive is the fact that Kettering University uses a co-op program for its students that starts in their Freshman year. This program pairs students with corporate partners so that the students go to school for 3 months, and then work in their field with a corporate partner for 3 months. Each student has the ability to apply what they are learning in the classroom, along with gaining practical experience in the work place.
Though I can't see my son applying for the engineering co-op programs, Kettering University looks like a great choice for anyone out there looking for a program dealing with industrial engineering. And the number of corporate partners is huge. This school is well worth checking out for anyone looking engineering as a career, where you can gain both academic, and practical experience.
Namaste.
And it is in Flint, Michigan! My son lives just outside of Brighton, so Flint would be just a hop skip and a jump for him. He could live at home and go to school. When I started looking at Kettering University I found that US News and World Report has ranked Kettering University as "the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering" in its annual "America's Best Colleges Guide for 2008".
Pretty impressive. Even more impressive is the fact that Kettering University uses a co-op program for its students that starts in their Freshman year. This program pairs students with corporate partners so that the students go to school for 3 months, and then work in their field with a corporate partner for 3 months. Each student has the ability to apply what they are learning in the classroom, along with gaining practical experience in the work place.
Though I can't see my son applying for the engineering co-op programs, Kettering University looks like a great choice for anyone out there looking for a program dealing with industrial engineering. And the number of corporate partners is huge. This school is well worth checking out for anyone looking engineering as a career, where you can gain both academic, and practical experience.
Namaste.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Nightmare on Marble St.
I am constantly amazed the while I am trying to figure out what to write on this blog that the normal person could find amusing, insightful, or just even mildly entertaining. While I am doing that. The rest of you are looking for this:
Or this:
And, lest we forget, this:
Tell me why I am even trying here, folks.
I could paste pictures of laugh demons here by the butt load and you would still be knocking on my door. Just like when Mike Rowe was stalking me last fall.
But,I won't settle for the least common denominator, just because you people in Europe have. No. Not me. I won't.
Namaste.
Or this:
And, lest we forget, this:
Tell me why I am even trying here, folks.
I could paste pictures of laugh demons here by the butt load and you would still be knocking on my door. Just like when Mike Rowe was stalking me last fall.
But,I won't settle for the least common denominator, just because you people in Europe have. No. Not me. I won't.
Namaste.
The ocean is the life for me
I grew up in Michigan, not far from lake Michigan. About 20 miles or so from our front door to the sand. Growing up I never heard too much about shellfish other than shrimp, and that was only around Christmas. Mostly our aquatic meals had to do with bass, sunfish, and the like.
Then I moved to Pennsylvania. In the store where I work we have a very busy seafood counter. And it isn't just for the fish. Folks are always in looking for shellfish. Especially Gulf oysters. Now, I have to admit that I have never had an oyster that hadn't been fried. I am a big fan of oyster po'boy sandwiches. But I have never had raw oysters before. And I got talking to a customer about them. He loves them. A little bit of tabasco, salt, and pepper and he is ready to go. Me, not so much. Just to be sure that I was being a responsible corporate partner with him, I looked up the website Be Oyster Aware on their site they have a page devoted to their post-harvesting processes that show the efforts they are taking to insure that their customers are getting healthy product. I was impressed.
Not saying that I am going to be doing the raw oyster thing yet, but you have to like a company that puts that kind of information out there for their consumers.
Namaste.
Then I moved to Pennsylvania. In the store where I work we have a very busy seafood counter. And it isn't just for the fish. Folks are always in looking for shellfish. Especially Gulf oysters. Now, I have to admit that I have never had an oyster that hadn't been fried. I am a big fan of oyster po'boy sandwiches. But I have never had raw oysters before. And I got talking to a customer about them. He loves them. A little bit of tabasco, salt, and pepper and he is ready to go. Me, not so much. Just to be sure that I was being a responsible corporate partner with him, I looked up the website Be Oyster Aware on their site they have a page devoted to their post-harvesting processes that show the efforts they are taking to insure that their customers are getting healthy product. I was impressed.
Not saying that I am going to be doing the raw oyster thing yet, but you have to like a company that puts that kind of information out there for their consumers.
Namaste.
I hate Candyland
Yes, you read that right.
I hate the game "Candyland" with a passion that I reserve for clowns. It is a game that had to have been torn, ripped from some sick individuals sick, sick, sick mind.
I talk of this demon game because of something I was reading this morning. I have a couple of writers that I read on a consistent basis, and Lindsay Ferrier of Suburban Turmoil is one of them. She wrote a piece on playing Candyland with her daughter. Brought back way too many bad memories of playing the same game with The Princess.
Candyland was the first game where The Princess learned how to cheat. I would like to think that the developers of the game didn't have that as part of their plan, but I think that every kid has learned how to cheat playing this hideous game.
Enough of this. Just thinking about it is making my nervous.
Namaste.
I hate the game "Candyland" with a passion that I reserve for clowns. It is a game that had to have been torn, ripped from some sick individuals sick, sick, sick mind.
I talk of this demon game because of something I was reading this morning. I have a couple of writers that I read on a consistent basis, and Lindsay Ferrier of Suburban Turmoil is one of them. She wrote a piece on playing Candyland with her daughter. Brought back way too many bad memories of playing the same game with The Princess.
Candyland was the first game where The Princess learned how to cheat. I would like to think that the developers of the game didn't have that as part of their plan, but I think that every kid has learned how to cheat playing this hideous game.
Enough of this. Just thinking about it is making my nervous.
Namaste.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tip toeing through the mine field
Trying to find a reasonable Mortgage in the best of times is daunting. Trying to do it now can be a nightmare of the highest order. Unless you have some help. If you are looking for a Pennsylvania Mortgage click on the link and you will be taken to a site where you can search all of the available sources of funding. I was checking out the sources for Harrisburg Mortgage companies as I still can't believe that I didn't win the last Powerball drawing.
MLW wants a new house, and I have to figure out how to fund that.
More on that later.
Namaste.
MLW wants a new house, and I have to figure out how to fund that.
More on that later.
Namaste.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Why does it seem so long?
I have the day off.
If you wanted to know.
I spent this week engaged in incredibly divergent activites. From one extreme to the other. From sickness, to quasi-health.
Wow.
I lead a very interesting life. Just ask me, I will be happy to tell you all about it..
Let's start with what it is like to drive to work with you head full of Dayquil. Medicine head, anyone? If you were driving down 194 the other couple of mornings, I apologize if I didn't dim my lights quickly enough. I was probably trying to figure out what my fever dreams meant. Or what color white really is. Or if I could use one of my old ties to clean the inside of my windshield.
Went to a yearly company meeting. With medicine head. Way too much like a Dali painting put to film.
And now today, no drugs in my system. My first Dayquil-less day this week. And The Princess wants to go to the mall tonight with one of her BFF's. Actually, she wants her Mom, or myself to fund her so that she can try to implement her own economic stimulus package, drop her and her BFF at the mall, leave (like that will happen), and come back when she calls.
My reply to her opening gambit? I will take you to the mall, I will wander around on my own while you and your BFF do what it is 13 year old girls do, and when I call you and tell you that it is time to go, we will go. Take it or leave it.
I try to be a compromiser.
namaste.
If you wanted to know.
I spent this week engaged in incredibly divergent activites. From one extreme to the other. From sickness, to quasi-health.
Wow.
I lead a very interesting life. Just ask me, I will be happy to tell you all about it..
Let's start with what it is like to drive to work with you head full of Dayquil. Medicine head, anyone? If you were driving down 194 the other couple of mornings, I apologize if I didn't dim my lights quickly enough. I was probably trying to figure out what my fever dreams meant. Or what color white really is. Or if I could use one of my old ties to clean the inside of my windshield.
Went to a yearly company meeting. With medicine head. Way too much like a Dali painting put to film.
And now today, no drugs in my system. My first Dayquil-less day this week. And The Princess wants to go to the mall tonight with one of her BFF's. Actually, she wants her Mom, or myself to fund her so that she can try to implement her own economic stimulus package, drop her and her BFF at the mall, leave (like that will happen), and come back when she calls.
My reply to her opening gambit? I will take you to the mall, I will wander around on my own while you and your BFF do what it is 13 year old girls do, and when I call you and tell you that it is time to go, we will go. Take it or leave it.
I try to be a compromiser.
namaste.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Clarity always helps
After visiting my eldest in Arizona and coming back home to Pennsylvania I have been hit with a profound respect for the working class. The folks who go out everyday to jobs that they sometimes love, and sometimes hate, just to punch the clock so that they can pick up their pay at the end of the week. Folks who are most likely working for the bank, not for their own futures.
They got into this position because of the mindset of wanting the latest, and the best. Working class folks are constantly told that they are nothing unless they have this car, or live in this neighborhood. And the companies who want their dollars have been very inventive in finding ways for people to afford that which they really can't afford. Which has always lead to problems for some and now, with the downturn in our economy, for many more. This has resulted in more folks ending up with the need to use a credit repair service.
It isn't easy to repair credit that has been damaged by mistakes. But it isn't impossible. It just takes work, attention, and a company that takes credit repair seriously. RMCN Credit Services is one such company. They have the experience, and the desire to help you learn how to help yourself.
Namaste.
They got into this position because of the mindset of wanting the latest, and the best. Working class folks are constantly told that they are nothing unless they have this car, or live in this neighborhood. And the companies who want their dollars have been very inventive in finding ways for people to afford that which they really can't afford. Which has always lead to problems for some and now, with the downturn in our economy, for many more. This has resulted in more folks ending up with the need to use a credit repair service.
It isn't easy to repair credit that has been damaged by mistakes. But it isn't impossible. It just takes work, attention, and a company that takes credit repair seriously. RMCN Credit Services is one such company. They have the experience, and the desire to help you learn how to help yourself.
Namaste.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I have a dream
I just wish that I could remember it.
Why is it that your fever dreams are the ones that are the coolest that you have, but because you have a fever, you can't remember them? That just doesn't seem right. I was having this wild, colorful, crazy dream this morning. And when I finally woke up, and quit hacking my lungs up, I couldn't remember any of it. It might have been because the hacking just about made me pass out, I don't really know. All I do know is that I wish I had a dream recorder that I could set when I go to sleep. Most of the dreams would be erased because they are pretty pedestrian, but fever dreams. Now there are some dreams that could be memorable.
Steven Speilberg memorable. Francis Ford Coppola memorable.
That is what we need more than more erectile dysfunction meds. A dream recorder. Get to work on that, Merck.
Namaste.
Why is it that your fever dreams are the ones that are the coolest that you have, but because you have a fever, you can't remember them? That just doesn't seem right. I was having this wild, colorful, crazy dream this morning. And when I finally woke up, and quit hacking my lungs up, I couldn't remember any of it. It might have been because the hacking just about made me pass out, I don't really know. All I do know is that I wish I had a dream recorder that I could set when I go to sleep. Most of the dreams would be erased because they are pretty pedestrian, but fever dreams. Now there are some dreams that could be memorable.
Steven Speilberg memorable. Francis Ford Coppola memorable.
That is what we need more than more erectile dysfunction meds. A dream recorder. Get to work on that, Merck.
Namaste.
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Dawn of the Zombie Dead
I have managed to come down with a cold that has me feeling like this:
Felt fine when I got up this morning, then I dropped something off for MLW at work, and got some coffee, and headed home. At home I got a completed batch prepared for bottling and took care of it. And then I started feeling like someone smacked me with a wet towel. And the gas. Yikes!!
Pray for me, and my family.
Namaste.
Felt fine when I got up this morning, then I dropped something off for MLW at work, and got some coffee, and headed home. At home I got a completed batch prepared for bottling and took care of it. And then I started feeling like someone smacked me with a wet towel. And the gas. Yikes!!
Pray for me, and my family.
Namaste.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Click Here
Well, actually I need you to Click Here for a Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™!
But that is only if you are interested in winning a brand, spanking new Nintendo Wii. I wish I lived in this cable/internet/telephone providers area, because I would be all over this offer like white on rice. You can definitely believe that.
Charter serves 29 different states in the US, Pennsylvania not being one of them. They are also running a contest where the winner can with internet for life. Yes, you read that right. I had to read it twice myself. High Speed Internet for Life. That in and of itself would be the major selling point for me.
We have been playing, what internet provider do I want to have this time game for a few months. We currently are using our cable company for internet, and cable, and another provider for telephone. I would like to bundle them all together. I like only having to deal with one bill. I also like the discounted programs that everyone is offering. Our cable/internet/telephone bill is currently hitting me for about $150 a month. If I can pick up on the right offer, at the right time, I can drop that by at least $50. That is a good thing in my book.
But the tipping point would definitely being able to win Wii or to get free cable for life. I, again, would be all over that one.
Namaste.
But that is only if you are interested in winning a brand, spanking new Nintendo Wii. I wish I lived in this cable/internet/telephone providers area, because I would be all over this offer like white on rice. You can definitely believe that.
Charter serves 29 different states in the US, Pennsylvania not being one of them. They are also running a contest where the winner can with internet for life. Yes, you read that right. I had to read it twice myself. High Speed Internet for Life. That in and of itself would be the major selling point for me.
We have been playing, what internet provider do I want to have this time game for a few months. We currently are using our cable company for internet, and cable, and another provider for telephone. I would like to bundle them all together. I like only having to deal with one bill. I also like the discounted programs that everyone is offering. Our cable/internet/telephone bill is currently hitting me for about $150 a month. If I can pick up on the right offer, at the right time, I can drop that by at least $50. That is a good thing in my book.
But the tipping point would definitely being able to win Wii or to get free cable for life. I, again, would be all over that one.
Namaste.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Scary Clowns, and Zombie Koolaid Guys
Ok, all of you freaks who keep coming here to look for scary clowns, take a seat because it is time for a musical interlude.
I met the guitarist of a local band here in Peoria, Arizona this week while I am out enjoying the sunshine. His name is John, and he plays in a metal band called Internal Defect. I got a chance to check out one of their videos and loved it so much that I shelled out some of my hard earned to give them a listen. You ought to also. Here it is.
Check out this video: Stray’s Breakdown!
Add to My Profile | More Videos
When I first heard them I was thinking reminiscent of Linkn Park, now I am thinking Crossfade. Either way, they sound good. They rock. And you need to buy their CD.
And tell them I sent you.
Namaste.
I met the guitarist of a local band here in Peoria, Arizona this week while I am out enjoying the sunshine. His name is John, and he plays in a metal band called Internal Defect. I got a chance to check out one of their videos and loved it so much that I shelled out some of my hard earned to give them a listen. You ought to also. Here it is.
Check out this video: Stray’s Breakdown!
Add to My Profile | More Videos
When I first heard them I was thinking reminiscent of Linkn Park, now I am thinking Crossfade. Either way, they sound good. They rock. And you need to buy their CD.
And tell them I sent you.
Namaste.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
I am amazed at our culture. we take so many things for granted.
This morning I got onto a plane and headed for Arizona. I basically strapped myself to a jet engine and then just expected that I would take off safely, and land as safely. Think about this for a minute. When we ride in a plane, we are sitting down in an aluminum cylinder, and letting some guy start the engines and point the cylinder to the sky. We end up traveling at a couple hundred miles per hour through the sky. And then expect to end up back on the ground in another location. All in one piece.
Amazing. Of course the same things can be said about car driving. We get in our shiny metal boxes and expect that noone is going to run into us on purpose.
Crazy.
Loving Arizona, though. Lots of sunshine and warm weather. Kinda hated leaving central Pa for that.
Yeah right.
More tomorrow after we get back from the Ren Faire.
namaste.
This morning I got onto a plane and headed for Arizona. I basically strapped myself to a jet engine and then just expected that I would take off safely, and land as safely. Think about this for a minute. When we ride in a plane, we are sitting down in an aluminum cylinder, and letting some guy start the engines and point the cylinder to the sky. We end up traveling at a couple hundred miles per hour through the sky. And then expect to end up back on the ground in another location. All in one piece.
Amazing. Of course the same things can be said about car driving. We get in our shiny metal boxes and expect that noone is going to run into us on purpose.
Crazy.
Loving Arizona, though. Lots of sunshine and warm weather. Kinda hated leaving central Pa for that.
Yeah right.
More tomorrow after we get back from the Ren Faire.
namaste.
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