I did not watch the Super Bowl yesterday. I have not watched it in many years. Boys gone, no more sports on TV.
I mean, why waste time watching on Sunday, when you can watch all the commercials, football-free, on Monday. As a matter of fact, this year I actually saw some before the game was even on.
So, while I have not seen all of them yet, I must give a nod to a few. First, the football fans. The NFL did a nice job with this one, although I am sure some young people will not know all the characters.
Then there is Eminem and Chrysler. Whoever came up with that ad deserves a bonus. Update: 2/8/11 I am told the ad cost $9 million, so forget the bonus. I'll just clap. And despite all the controversy it caused, I think it beats the talking babies and animal tricks. But then, I am not your average Joe watching TV.
And for those of us who are die-hard 'Star Wars' fans, a little chuckle with the VW ad.
Most times I tune out the ads on TV. Some are downright irritating, especially the insurance commercials of late (with the exception of that Australian lizard). Super Bowl ads are in a separate category. Nice job.
Spoofing Michigan
The Oakland Press ran a story this morning about spoofs of the 'Pure Michigan' commercials. One of my sons told me about these videos last summer and I have to say, as a former boater on Lake St. Clair, the fish-fly commercial was really funny.
This morning I went online to see the latest and found one on winter. There is offensive language, but it speaks the truth.
This morning I went online to see the latest and found one on winter. There is offensive language, but it speaks the truth.
Who Reads this Stuff?
I have asked myself on several occasions, 'Who reads this stuff?' Fortunately, Google allows bloggers to track their audience. Since the blog started thirteen months ago, over 5,000 people have read my posts.
Now, in the grand, worldwide scheme of things, that is not a lot of readers. I blogged back in October about some of the readers' locations.
Yesterday, someone asked me why there seem to be no comments on my blog. Other than the fact that I edit them, I do post almost all that I receive.
What is interesting is that people I know who do read it send me an email to an address not associated with the blog. Or to the gmail address shown on the website. And when they do, I have no way of posting that comment.
On the other hand, when someone sends a post through 'blogger', I have no way of responding to them unless they provide a separate email address. So, I hope they do not think I ignore their comments after they get posted.
I also know that some folks have chosen not to be a 'follower' because they do not want to be shown as a reader for 'personal reasons'. And I fully understand that.
Now, at the bottom of each of these posts you have the ability to choose what you think of it: 'Funny', 'interesting', or 'right on'. If you hate it, you can skip to the next blog by clicking the link up top.
All in all, even if no one read the posts, I would probably continue. I find it very cathartic. Especially when all I can see out of my window is 'white'.
Now, in the grand, worldwide scheme of things, that is not a lot of readers. I blogged back in October about some of the readers' locations.
Yesterday, someone asked me why there seem to be no comments on my blog. Other than the fact that I edit them, I do post almost all that I receive.
What is interesting is that people I know who do read it send me an email to an address not associated with the blog. Or to the gmail address shown on the website. And when they do, I have no way of posting that comment.
On the other hand, when someone sends a post through 'blogger', I have no way of responding to them unless they provide a separate email address. So, I hope they do not think I ignore their comments after they get posted.
I also know that some folks have chosen not to be a 'follower' because they do not want to be shown as a reader for 'personal reasons'. And I fully understand that.
Now, at the bottom of each of these posts you have the ability to choose what you think of it: 'Funny', 'interesting', or 'right on'. If you hate it, you can skip to the next blog by clicking the link up top.
All in all, even if no one read the posts, I would probably continue. I find it very cathartic. Especially when all I can see out of my window is 'white'.
A Weather Update
NEARLY ALL OF THE WINTRY PRECIPITATION HAS EXITED TO THE EAST OF THE REGION. HOWEVER...THE LAYER OF ICE FROM EARLIER FREEZING DRIZZLE AND FREEZING RAIN IS STILL UNDERNEATH THE SNOW. MOST ROADWAYS ARE STILL ICED OVER AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN BELOW FREEZING EARLY THIS MORNING. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REACH ABOVE FREEZING BY 11 AM TO NOON ACROSS AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM KERRVILLE TO SAN MARCOS TO LA GRANGE. AREAS NORTH OF THIS LINE WILL BE SLOWER TO WARM...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO REACH ABOVE FREEZING BY NOON TO 1 PM. THE ICY ROADWAYS ARE VERY DANGEROUS. DO NOT DRIVE UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY.
If the cities in the above weather update sound unfamiliar, they should. The update is not for our area, but for Travis County, Texas. That's right folks, Texas.
My son called this morning from Austin to say that while he might make it out of Austin this morning, it is not likely he would get out of Dallas, so the airline said they would rebook him for next weekend. Another visit home bites the dust for now. While we were on the phone, his employer called to say that all of their local buildings were closed for the day.
Several years ago when I was visiting San Antonio, they had an ice storm. Everything closed including the roads. This morning on The Weather Channel, they showed a lone police car patrolling the closed freeways there.
The next time I visited the City the temps were above 100 degrees every day. A bar of soap and I could have showered outside.
Maybe we can't fool Mother Nature, but she sure is playing some nasty pranks on all of us. Maybe she didn't like what those global warming forecasters were saying either.
If the cities in the above weather update sound unfamiliar, they should. The update is not for our area, but for Travis County, Texas. That's right folks, Texas.
My son called this morning from Austin to say that while he might make it out of Austin this morning, it is not likely he would get out of Dallas, so the airline said they would rebook him for next weekend. Another visit home bites the dust for now. While we were on the phone, his employer called to say that all of their local buildings were closed for the day.
Several years ago when I was visiting San Antonio, they had an ice storm. Everything closed including the roads. This morning on The Weather Channel, they showed a lone police car patrolling the closed freeways there.
The next time I visited the City the temps were above 100 degrees every day. A bar of soap and I could have showered outside.
Maybe we can't fool Mother Nature, but she sure is playing some nasty pranks on all of us. Maybe she didn't like what those global warming forecasters were saying either.
How is this fair?
I've snow-plowed-blowered-shoveled (whatever) my driveway today on two separate occasions. I went out at 8:30 this morning to get the accumulation from last night. About four inches of snow on the long part of the drive where it is wide open. About 18 inches in front of the garage door where the snow blew over the roof and landed. So much for the benefits of an L-shaped drive and side entrance garage. Yuck. Twice as much to plow and more aggravation
But I digress. I cleaned the entire area in front of the street area making sure I did not blow into the street, but rather into the mailbox and side yard. I cleaned in front of the mailbox.
No sooner had I finished than the snow started again. I kept checking Doppler radar to watch the snow clouds move across the area. In the meantime, the company that plows our subdivision came through and made a couple of passes down the middle of the street.
So, with the snow stopped and only the wind to deal with, I bundled up and headed out for the second round. When I got to the street, I am sure you can guess what I encountered. The plowing company had piled snow a good three feet by two feet in front of the mailbox and in the end of my driveway. (Actually an improvement over one incident last year where it was four feet high! A neighbor came and helped me clear it out.)
I have had some rather nasty discussions in the past with the men who plow our sub. When I asked them not to cover up my drive after it had already been cleaned, they actually said I needed to hire their company to do my driveway, otherwise they just plow it into my drive. Is that not what is called 'Blackmail?' Do it or else?
Anyway, my point is that the County says it is illegal for me to push my snow into the street. Then why is it legal for a plowing company to push the snow into my clean driveway and block access by the mailman to my mailbox? Just asking.
But I digress. I cleaned the entire area in front of the street area making sure I did not blow into the street, but rather into the mailbox and side yard. I cleaned in front of the mailbox.
No sooner had I finished than the snow started again. I kept checking Doppler radar to watch the snow clouds move across the area. In the meantime, the company that plows our subdivision came through and made a couple of passes down the middle of the street.
So, with the snow stopped and only the wind to deal with, I bundled up and headed out for the second round. When I got to the street, I am sure you can guess what I encountered. The plowing company had piled snow a good three feet by two feet in front of the mailbox and in the end of my driveway. (Actually an improvement over one incident last year where it was four feet high! A neighbor came and helped me clear it out.)
I have had some rather nasty discussions in the past with the men who plow our sub. When I asked them not to cover up my drive after it had already been cleaned, they actually said I needed to hire their company to do my driveway, otherwise they just plow it into my drive. Is that not what is called 'Blackmail?' Do it or else?
Anyway, my point is that the County says it is illegal for me to push my snow into the street. Then why is it legal for a plowing company to push the snow into my clean driveway and block access by the mailman to my mailbox? Just asking.
Facebook: To Be or Not To Be
I may be the last person in the world to be on Facebook. That is because I have no intention of opening an account.
I have received several requests to become someone's 'friend'. Some of these people I do not even know and have no idea why they invited me. I have refused all requests. It is not that I do not like the people involved, but I just do not want to use the service.
Last night I watched the movie 'The Social Network'. It painted the founder of Facebook in a rather poor light. I do not know how much is true, but I really do not care. The movie was entertaining, but not 'award worthy', IMHO.
My concern over social media, including blogging, is that we may be raising children who do not know how to interact 'face-to-face'. Social media removes all tone and inflections from speech. Lord knows I have sent many a personal email that was misinterpreted because the reader read it with a tone that I did not intend.
So, instead of Facebook, I'd rather sit and have lunch or whatever, even sit through slides of your vacation (a reference to my 400+ slides of my European adventure in 1969), versus going online and seeing stuff I have no interest in. Or sharing more than I care to share with you out of some need to post. For now, I'll stick with just leaving my opinions and boring adventures on this blog. Which you are free to ignore at your pleasure.
I have received several requests to become someone's 'friend'. Some of these people I do not even know and have no idea why they invited me. I have refused all requests. It is not that I do not like the people involved, but I just do not want to use the service.
Last night I watched the movie 'The Social Network'. It painted the founder of Facebook in a rather poor light. I do not know how much is true, but I really do not care. The movie was entertaining, but not 'award worthy', IMHO.
My concern over social media, including blogging, is that we may be raising children who do not know how to interact 'face-to-face'. Social media removes all tone and inflections from speech. Lord knows I have sent many a personal email that was misinterpreted because the reader read it with a tone that I did not intend.
So, instead of Facebook, I'd rather sit and have lunch or whatever, even sit through slides of your vacation (a reference to my 400+ slides of my European adventure in 1969), versus going online and seeing stuff I have no interest in. Or sharing more than I care to share with you out of some need to post. For now, I'll stick with just leaving my opinions and boring adventures on this blog. Which you are free to ignore at your pleasure.
Too Much Interference
So, a Federal Judge has struck down Obamacare. Good for him. But as far as I am concerned, that is just another blip, albeit a large one, on the ongoing drama of government interference in our lives.
Some examples:
1. Light bulbs. The United States, while not banning incandescent bulbs, has set standards, due to take place next year, that will make their sale impossible. The State of California (no surprise here) has moved the standards forward into this year.
I tried to put one of these new energy-efficient bulbs in my walk-in pantry. I was out of the pantry before the light was bright enough to see anything clearly. Back to the incandescent. I have one in an spare bedroom and the same thing happens. I might as well rummage around in the dark. This may be good business for the eye doctors. I am sure there are others out there remembering their mothers telling them to turn on the light while reading or they will need glasses. (This is something mothers learn by osmosis, or whatever, during pregnancy, along with that clean underwear line.)
So, I have an entire cabinet in my laundry room stocked with various sizes of incandescent bulbs. I'm set for life. I hope.
2. Salt. I think I actually blogged about this before. So, here we are less than one year later and the government is at it again. Today's Detroit News has an article telling us that your government wants you to eat less salt, less fats, less food. Do these folks have nothing really important to worry about other than telling all of us what to do?
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and my blood pressure was 91 over 61. I tend to have low blood pressure (unless watching a township board meeting). I wonder what would happen if I eliminated all salt from my diet?
Enough already. I am tired of the 'food police', the 'light controllers', and the 'electric car/tree huggers'. Too much control is what causes folks to revolt. Is there something about this our legislators missed in government class?
Some examples:
1. Light bulbs. The United States, while not banning incandescent bulbs, has set standards, due to take place next year, that will make their sale impossible. The State of California (no surprise here) has moved the standards forward into this year.
I tried to put one of these new energy-efficient bulbs in my walk-in pantry. I was out of the pantry before the light was bright enough to see anything clearly. Back to the incandescent. I have one in an spare bedroom and the same thing happens. I might as well rummage around in the dark. This may be good business for the eye doctors. I am sure there are others out there remembering their mothers telling them to turn on the light while reading or they will need glasses. (This is something mothers learn by osmosis, or whatever, during pregnancy, along with that clean underwear line.)
So, I have an entire cabinet in my laundry room stocked with various sizes of incandescent bulbs. I'm set for life. I hope.
2. Salt. I think I actually blogged about this before. So, here we are less than one year later and the government is at it again. Today's Detroit News has an article telling us that your government wants you to eat less salt, less fats, less food. Do these folks have nothing really important to worry about other than telling all of us what to do?
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and my blood pressure was 91 over 61. I tend to have low blood pressure (unless watching a township board meeting). I wonder what would happen if I eliminated all salt from my diet?
Enough already. I am tired of the 'food police', the 'light controllers', and the 'electric car/tree huggers'. Too much control is what causes folks to revolt. Is there something about this our legislators missed in government class?
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