One of THOSE Days

Even before I sat down and booted my laptop, the guy in the cubicle, Rex, told me a couple of tasks he needed me to do once I started working. Yeah. My seat isn't even warm yet and I am already behind. So, I got that done and ended up working through a couple of emails. That put me behind on my normal important morning duties, namely Clarity of Vision and this blog. So, let's knock these out and get back to the stuff that pays my bills.

First, as I mentioned yesterday, I am fresh out of photos to share. However, the GRANDS are coming over this weekend, so that should give me some new shots for next week.

Next, I actually came up with a Clarity of Vision comic because of the guy that caught me on the way in. You saw his name above, but don't let that ruin the spin in the final panel.

I recently wrote to the woman who holds the monthly vegan/vegetarian cooking class nearby. There is a sandwich I like at a nearby restaurant and I wondered how to prepare the ingredients at home. Holly took a couple of days to reply, so I thought she didn't have time to answer, and that was OK. Yesterday, she sent me a response, and it had taken a few days because she was researching options for me. Isn't that nice? It is a sweet potato sandwich, with a fig confit, marinated fennel, tomato, arugula and balsamic vinegar. Does that sound tasty to you? Anyway, I wondered how to roast the sweet potato so that it wouldn't fall apart, and if she had ever marinated fennel. Yes, she had potato preparation suggestions, and no, she has never marinated fennel but she research some ideas on doing so, or maybe replacing that taste with another. See, access to that kind of advice is worth the $10/month we spend to attend her once-a-month sessions.

We use a time-of-day plan at our electric utility, and the less expensive times change tomorrow. Up until now, we have been on the winter rates which are more expensive between 5-9am and 5-9pm. So, we could cool the house all afternoon until 5pm, which would tide us over until 9pm. Beginning May 1, the more expensive hours are 1-8pm. So, we can cool the house until 1pm, but then we have to wait 7 hours before we can crank down the A/C. As you can imagine, the house gets a little warm, especially once we start reaching 110+ later in the summer. So, don't let me forget to reset the thermostat tonight after Survivor.

Well, I have meetings today at 9am, 9:30am, 10am, 10:30am, and 1pm. Other than that, I am open. Well, not really, since the 9am is actually the beginning of an all-day installation task on one of my projects. I should probably check in on that periodically throughout the day. So, I better be sure I am ready. Have a great Wednesday.

I Got Nothing For Ya

We have to thank Jeff Probst of Survivor fame for today's title. It is what he says to the losing team after every reward competition. I am saying it because I am out of photos to share. I know. It surprised me, too.

MBH is back from her international travels. Well, she went to Texas. Aren't they their own country? They were the Republic of Texas for ten years when they first gained independence from Mexico. Anyway, I am glad she's back. And she had a great visit with family. Thanks for taking care of her, Jim and Sue.

Have you ever heard someone say "Yeah, no" at the beginning of a sentence? Or maybe "No, yeah"? It just struck me as funny the other day during a team meeting. So, while I may not any photos to post, I do have a new CoV.

I read an fascinating article about what it has taken to build self-driving cars. I thought, since you read my blog everyday and think like me (OK, maybe I went too far), you would enjoy reading the article from The Atlantic Cities magazine.

While I was there, I detoured and read about a dude making a little road trip in a rented Tesla. Would you buy one with a current range of only 250ish miles? I think it is not quite ready for prime time.

Hey, you iPhone owners. Here are some things that Siri can do that you may not have tried. I know that I haven't, but I might try some of them soon.

Listen, I am outta time (wasn't that the license plate on Back to the Future?). Y'all have a great day.

Where's MBH?

MBH, my loving and patient wife, is headed to TX for a memorial visit to her parent's gravesites this weekend. I hope she has pleasant flights and a good visit with family. While she is gone, I will be going to a BYU Vocal Point concert with my oldest GRAND. We should have a good time.

Let's finish up the Lessons Learned series in today's Clarity of Vision.

When the GRANDS spent the night last week, they watched Frozen. They decided to have their dolls perform the songs while they watched. You can see the scene on the TV as they dance. I guess all the dolls on the floor were waiting their turn in the song.

What was JV doing during the above-mentioned doll dancing and singing? If you know him, you can already guess what he was doing.

Then, he and I retired to the bedroom for some Disney Channel.

I think I will carry a lunch to work, even though there is a department picnic today. I have not heard that it will be vegan-friendly and I'd rather not take the chance. The last event did have black bean burgers, but it was on the grounds of a local farm. Today's event is just at a public park.

Wow, there are no good links on any of my daily websites that I want to share. I guess we can finish early. I am sure you had your hopes up, but I got nothing for you. Have a great weekend, though.

Blew My Nose, Then Blew My Mind

I cannot believe I forgot to upload photos AGAIN. Come on. It was Survivor night last night. Even you have to admit that takes precedence. Admit it! I do have an excuse, though. We got our new iPhones delivered yesterday and I was trying to get them set up. No, I did not finish. By the time I called for the final number transfer, their help desk was closed for the night. So, I have a little more work to do today. We also had to some iTunes deauthorizations to get all our phones linked to separate iTunes libraries.

I just learned the following factoid about the Great State of Texas. "Despite the widely held belief that the state of Texas reserved the right to leave the United States at any time (they do not); they do, however, have the right to split their state into as many as five smaller states without approval of the U.S federal government." Interesting, right?

As I work towards my next Lessons learned meeting with on of my projects, I snarkily comment on it again in today's CoV.

I came across an sad, but fascinating article on the future of physical libraries. When is the last time you visited one? And when did you last check anything out from one? Will you be upset when they are shut down or vastly downsized? For me, I went to a local library about one month ago. I picked up some vegan cookbooks. Sure, you can search the interweb for those kinds of things, but flipping through a book and not having to search for any specific recipe is easier as an idea-generating task for me.

More for you younger types, but this imagining of some classic album covers as seen from the back side has some that are kind of curious.

Well, all this chit-chat must mean it is time for a snack, right? Wait a minute. What does the label say? Wait a minute. Does that even matter? It's tricky, for sure, and even more so once you read this.

It is a fairly rare five meeting day, so I need to finish a task to be ready for the first in 12 minutes. I cannot even say goodb

The Brass Ring Moved When I Reached For It

I certainly used to like roller coasters, but I have never liked the height of them. In fact, when Teacher Daughter and I used to ride, I would close my eyes as we went up and she would tell me when it was safe to open them again. Loops and drops were OK as long as they were not too high. That said, I do not think I would like these uber-high rides.

This is pretty funny. The NYPD wanted people to post pictures of themselves posing with police officers. Instead, they got bombarded with brutality shots. Take a look at the photos in this article.

Quick. Which president gets your vote as the worst one ever? Harding? Nixon? How about James Buchanan? One of those wins the prize, according to Yahoo.

I finished a project a couple of weeks ago and my next step is to perform a Lessons Learned meeting so we can see how to do better next time. So, the boss wants me to knock this last activity out so we can officially close the project. It's just that other projects take up much of my time. Still, I do need to finish it. After all, I don't want him to try and do it for me.

Oh man. A big installation we had scheduled for today just got postponed because the vendor rep is sick today. This project is over one year old, and I thought we were finally going to reach a milestone. I guess we will reschedule for next Wednesday.

No, I did not think to add any photos last night after Chorale practice. I did watch the finale of Face Off and did not have a problem with who won. Now, I will watch the remaining episodes of the Jim Henson Creature program. It looks kind of interesting.

I feel like I need to get Hump Day underway. I like getting a paycheck and want that to continue. So, don't bother me today and I will leave you alone, too. Come back tomorrow, though, OK?

It Was a Weird Day

Yesterday was a weird day. I didn't feel good at all. I was very tired. My eyes and body ached. It felt like the beginning of the flu, except that I wasn't having the congestion problems. After I got home, I was going to work a little, but I fell asleep. Today, I feel more back to normal, which is good since I have some meetings until 4pm.

I expect you will find today's CoV only slightly less controversial than yesterday's comic. However, if you have known me for any length of time, you know I am likely to speak whatever comes to mind with no filtering. So, here we go again all over again.

Congrats to a Dallas high school for getting ranked #1 by US News. Does it mean anything that it is on the other side of Big D from where I went to school? Probably not, right? A Scottsdale high school was ranked #2.

Wow, I am finding nothing to share with y'all today. Let's not waste our time. After all, we've got a whole Tuesday ahead of us. Go enjoy it.

It Slipped My Mind

Somehow, I got involved in work stuff as soon as I got to work this morning and just now remembered that I had not talked to y'all today. So, I am running a bit late on creating blog content.

You can guess that means I did not upload any photos last night, even though I do have some shots from an Easter egg hunt with the GRANDS. We had a family hunt Saturday night, and they got to find 48 plastic eggs. They were everywhere. I think they found them all, though.

I also just now created today's Clarity of Vision. No, it is not Easter-themed, nor even about eggs. It is supposed to reach 97F here today, so, naturally, I wrote about cardigan sweaters. Wouldn't that be your first thought, too?

Because of Teacher Niece's comments at lunch yesterday about how good the season is, we had to watch Game of Thrones last night. It was good, and this is only the third episode of the season. They have plenty of time to twist my brain around. This show is bloody, violent, and profane. Do not watch it if any of those offend you. Luckily, I have no problem because I am all three of those. The dragons did not make an appearance.

MBH did bake up a spaghetti squash for tonight's dinner. Sound good, right? I have some butternut squash I need to roast soon.

There is some kind of reorg happening this morning for at least one of the teams here at work. Luckily, it will not affect me (which sounds horribly insensitive but I know how it feels to be on the other end of that). I hope the team(s) impacted get a chance to stay somewhere in the company.

Two weeks until my schooling begins. Actually, it is two weeks from yesterday, but I don't know how much time I will have on a Sunday. Each week's lessons are due Saturday night midnight, so how I arrange my study schedule is my choice. It will include reading, videos, and in-process quizzes. I think a paper is due by the end of the seven-week course.

A quick perusal of my daily blog sites did not show any links to share. Wow, for the most part, this is one boring blog. Let's cut our losses and try again tomorrow.

A Really Good Friday

Today is the day so many people call Good Friday, and even more so, believers. I am sure much of the world wonders why the day is called good when it is the Jesus was crucified. Well, in two more days, we will celebrate the real reason for today being good.

Is their a bad guy in the story mentioned above? Pontius Pilate? The soldiers? All of them? Well, here is another take on a bad guy.

Here is a flower I saw recently (actually, at Bearizona).

And another one from the next bed.

Since we've gone this far with flowers, let's finish today with all floral images.

Yes, I did sharpen them a bit, and brightened them. My old camera is not working so well. Maybe it's time to move to the next generation of digital cameras?

Speaking of Easter, do you know what an easter egg is on DVDs? Apparently, there are some on all the Pixar DVDs. Check it out here.

Speaking of Easter, how about some Easter Egg Nog? It has apparently been a thing since the 90s.

Or how about some of that old classic, Jellybean Milk?

Thinking to build your own Star Trek Bridge? It's apparently not as easy as it sounds (although it doesn't even sound easy to me). Still, an interesting read.

Let's get our Good Friday going, shall we? It's going to be a good day.

Maundy, Maundy, So Good To Me

Today is Maundy Thursday. Did you already know that? Have you ever attended a foot washing service? I don't think I have, but it seems that is a custom in some places.

This looks like an interesting way to reuse old tires.

One show we saw at Bearizona was "Raptors in Flight". Here three shots I took trying to capture a Great Horned Owl in flight.

Did you see the Southwest Airline attendant's funny safety announcement? We watched it the other night and it is truly a stand-up routine. The passengers even clapped when she was finished.

Doesn't every profession have its own vocabulary? One obvious area with its own words and acronyms in programming. And I am sure that the next generation will be even more immersed in this language. What about those of us for whom PCs and electronic media are "recent" inventions?

Today is the anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba back in 1961. Well, as vegans like to call it, Day of Trichinosis-carrying Trash eaters. OK, maybe I've never heard that before, but I wanted to add a humorous element to today's factoid.

On my commute this morning, I saw a sign advertising that Circle K sells all sizes of Coke for $0.79 (up to 64 oz). Each 12 oz can of Coke has 39g of sugar, so a large Polar Pop cup of Coke would have 207g of sugar. The American Heart Association recommends 37g per day, so that one drink would blow that recommendation out of the water. And to find the calories that translates to, multiply the grams of sugar by 4. So, that one drink would be 830 calories, more than 1/3 of the average daily calorie intake. Whew. Let's agree to cut back.

Wait, when did I become my father?

American Bible Challenge returns May 22. Have you watched any of these during the past two seasons? We enjoy it.

Sure, many in the press call it Government Motors since the feds own such a large piece of GM. However, I will be disappointed if the courts allow them to ignore these lawsuits due to people getting killed because of faulty ignition switches. They claim that was "the old GM", not the new one.

Some of reading this may be of an age where considering Long Term Care insurance makes sense. Read this to make sure you don't suck when you start considering a policy.

What do you think? Have you learned enough and laughed enough for one day? I think you have, and since it is my blog, we will proceed with that assumption. And that means it is time to set today's post free. if it doesn't come back, it never really loved me (or something like that). I'll be back on Good Friday.

Is It WINS-day Already?

We are going to have a great day today, aren't we? Yes, I am talking to you. Let's start make today, hump day, the middle of the week, a day when we have some type of WIN for the week. One where we really accomplish something, whether personal or professional, whether it is a long-term goal or something that just came up. Too often, we feel overwhelmed at everything we have to get done or at all the things still on our list. No, today, focus on what you get done and celebrate it. I think, for my WIN, I will shoot for delivering a special assignment back to my boss. He asked me to help review resumes by the end of the month. If I can knock those out and give a detailed analysis of each candidate, it will be good for both him and me. Let's do it.

Speaking of things to do, did I tell you that my MBA doesn't actually start until May? So, the date in my schedule us correct. But did you tell us that the course material was already posted and open. Yes, my advisor said it is not uncommon for a teacher to get everything set up 1-2 weeks early. I can start on reading and even assignment, but I need to have some of it incomplete because the date on which I deliver an assignment is how the teacher marks attendance.

What's the deal? Have I shared all of the Bearizona photos yet? No, I just did not get around to it after Chorale practice last night. Sorry. I did create a new Clarity of Vision, though. This is about mind maps. Have you ever used them? Some project managers do, but I have never found an effective use for them. Maybe this explains why.

What's next? Technology will recognize me by my thoughts? Here is a new option - vein recognition, which is supposed to be safer than fingerprints.

I was in a band in college called Rasberry Jam (first, that was the kind of band name that was popular back then, and second, the lead guitarist was named Rasberry). Anyway, another of the members was David Butler. You can listen to some of (and purchase) his new CD here. The notes say he wrote the songs, and I remember Nursery Rhymes from our college days. While you are there, you can also find the East Valley Chorale CDs. Hey, I wonder if I can get royalties or something from promoting these?

I am still loading up my new Clarity of Vision site with old and current comics. While I do share the comic in this blog, I do not always give you the specifics of why I created each one. The link is over on the right if you want to check it out. I am using wordpress instead of blogger just to learn something new and to play a bit.

Isn't it funny how life seems to bring around things in threes? Just last night, I was telling my wife I think we should buy an island off the coast of Italy, and then, this article appears online. Actually, that isn't three things, I don't really have the money for an island, and if I did, I would not want a haunted one.

I do not watch Dance Moms, but that main lady does seem to know her stuff. And now, she gets another show. Do you watch DM? Will you watch the new program where she makes over dance studios? Just wondering.

What is going on here? I guess I felt wordy today. That does not count towards today's WIN (in fact, you may think it detracts from it). So, I off to start WINning. Until Thursday, my friends.

Maybe a Seder, Later

Did you think today was the ides of April? Me, too, but it turns out that in the ancient Roman calendar, the ides falls on the 15th only in March, May, July and October. It is the 13th of the other months. Now you know. Anyway, today is tax day, the day the Titanic sank, the day Lincoln died, and the day of the Boston Marathon bombing. Does that make it more dangerous than other days?

We attended a Passover seder last night. It was really interesting. While I did not eat many of the food items, there was a course with lots of veggies and fruits, during which I ate enough for my dinner. During the conversation, I heard someone say she had received a cake from a friend when she left her job. So, I wondered if they could bribe someone to leave by offering a cake.

You can probably guess where we went this past weekend? Yes, up to Bearizona. We had a great time. Here is JV and MBH posing at the gate.

Here are the kids we had with us.

And here are some of the adults, including one who likes to give me her patented smile when she sees me taking a photo.

And finally, some of us from the earlier generation.

Do you ever miss high school stuff, like a prom? If so, or even if you are young enough to plan for one, here is a special corsage that i think no one would ever forget.

Back in my high school days, I was living in this house. This is a Google Maps photo of the lot. The trees are so overgrown that you can barely see the house, and you cannot make out the garage at all.

Nothing else catches my eye this fine Tuesday morning. BTW, we watched Game of Thrones on Sunday night and I don't remember what our show of choice was last night. Sorry. Whatever it was, I do remember that we were not behind on it, so at least it helped empty our almost full DVR.

That'll do it for now. See you in 23 hours or so.

Showing Their Bear Backsides? Shocking!

I am writing this on Monday morning, so I do not have a television set on. However, last night, as we loaded up photos from the weekend, we did watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones. Shocking. More on that later.

We had a busy but fun weekend. How about you? I cannot tell you where we went or I'd have to ... Well, I think you can finish that sentence.

And of course, if I couldn't tell you where we went, you know I cannot tell you what we saw there.

Whatever it was, though, we did get up close and personal with them.

You know what I read today about healthcare.gov? The average user has to go through 75 pages of online questions to sign up. Wow, that's a lot. Just clicking through that many pages would take a while, never mind that each page probably has 10+ questions. Have any of you done this?

We hit Chili's for lunch yesterday. I had a black bean burger, but no bun since they only had their signature potato buns (made with white flour). We got into some kind of employment-related discussion and Dad came up with today's CoV topic.

I certainly cannot see any problem with this headline I saw on drudgereport this morning. Can you?

I saw that Jerry Lewis is only just now leaving his foot- and handprints on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That surprises me since I remember him being a big star many decades ago. And of course, for years, he was the face of the MD Telethon every Labor Day. I also saw he has lost a lot of weight, so they must have taken him off of some of the medications that were causing him to get really big.

I saw this cool banner online depicting the (unofficial) colors of each House in Game of Thrones. I thought it was kind of cool looking. Don't have any idea what I am talking about? Then even this fairly complete Wikipedia page won't help. However, last nights episode, The Lion and the Rose, was especially good. Maybe we will talk about it someday.

Today is the day Lincoln was shot in 1865. Ah yes, I remember it like it was yesterday. Just kidding, I wasn't born until a few years later. Anyway, this Yahoo article reminds us what a complicated assassination scheme Booth had envisioned. It also reminds me of the old joke, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?".

Remind me to tell you about the Seder meal we are participating in tonight. MBH has been before, but this will be my first. Can I eat anything there? I'll let you know.

And with that, Monday is ready to start. I will get out of the way and let it take off. See you soon.

It Feels Like a Friday Already

Most people are not even in the office yet and it already feels like a Friday. Is it time to go home?

We had out healthy cooking class last night. She spoke about how to make eating healthy less expensive. you have heard me opine before about how much this diet costs me (opine is a good word, right?). She talked about how to plan a week's worth of meals around similar ingredients so you can buy and cook in bulk. She talked about how to tailor salads and things around whatever produce you see on sale in each week's newspaper ads. She mentioned Costco and farmer's markets. Yeah, I do need to pay attention to those things. Today's lunch is a Whole Foods kale salad, a quinoa salad that I made at home, roasted sweet potatoes that I made, and fresh raspberries. Yes, that salad was the most expensive.

Does your work environment involve a lot of acronyms? As you probably know, IT does use acronyms for just about everything. Well, maybe fewer than the federal government, but still, we have a bunch.

I found this link about funny engagement photos the other day, but forgot to share it. I just checked and it is still live, but don't delay. Go look at them and have yourself a merry little chuckle.

And an article I read back in February is also still available. Have you ever wondered about the origins of some of the nursery rhymes we learned as a kid? Now you can know.

Last summer, I purchased a 2014 calendar from a local store in Ouray with photos from the area. This month's shot is one from the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Have you ever ridden that? You really should. It is waaay cool. I think I will see about riding it next time we are up there with the GRANDS. The older two would really like it. It is NOT CHEAP! And it takes a whole day. That's why we don't do it very often.

I have dilly-dallied with you long enough. Let's let those CPAs that read this blog get back to their tax returns. And if there are any preacher readers, it's time for them to get their mouth to the spout where the gospel comes out. If you are a retired reader, go do whatever you are doing today. I will almost certainly have more drivel to dribble on you next week.

It's PF Already

Yep, it is Pre-Friday for this week. And it is the second one of the month, so it is time for our healthy cooking class. Tonight's topic is about "how to eat well without breaking your budget", so I'm sure we will hear about cooking a bunch of quinoa on Sundays and then using it through the week, but what other tips will she share. Stay tuned, bat friends.

I heard on the commute this morning that today is the day that The Beatles officially announced they were breaking up. No, I do not remember where I was at the time.

Look at what I read this morning. "Samsung is going where few multinationals have gone before. In India, the South Korean giant will open between 3,000 and 4,000 shops in cities with fewer than 100,000 people, according to the Economic Times." What did that say to you? I read it as saying, in each city where there are fewer than 100K people, Samsung will open over 3K shops. You probably knew that it meant the 3K shops will be spread across all of the cities meeting that criteria, right? Well, sometimes I do read things too literally.

Has anyone besides me been surprised at the number of fashion trends coming back from the 70s? I wonder if other things from the 70s will make their return?

Look out, Siri. It sounds like there may be a new sheriff in town. Actually, I am not sure Siri ever really became sheriff. I never saw much value for Siri on Teacher Daughter's iPhone. Cortana sounds like a definite improvement.

I don't really have a lot to say today. And I do have a lot to work on. So, I am going to say au revoir, even though I have no clue what that actually means. L8r.

What I Meant Was NEXT Month

I just dug up my notes and I found that, on March 17, my oldest GRAND's birthday, I spoke with my advisor who told me that the next classes started April 6. However, I guess since we were too close to that when I finally got enrolled, I moved out to the next classes starting early May. So, no school yet.

What's your favorite number? Come on. You know you have one. This dude has done a study (it doesn't really sound scientific, though) and found it was... No, no spoilers here. Go read the article.

What's your favorite CoV comic? Don't have one? Me either, but here is another to consider.

This article about most beloved Disneyland rides looks interesting, but it is blocked at work. I will check it out tonight when I get home.

Hey, have you ever heard of a group called the Dave Clark Five? This article ponders if they were, in fact, "the poor man's Beatles". They even knocked "I want to hold your hand" out of the top spot on the Billboard charts. You can hear their song, "Glad All Over" on youtube.

Have you ever heard of the Human Barbie? That is just weird.

18 inch tall ABC sandwich, anyone?

Now that I have bedazzled you with links, I will blow your mind with the unexpected end of today's post. Bye.

HB2JV

Happy 2nd birthday, JV. We had fun at your party last weekend, but today is actually your birthday. I hope you have a good day and enjoy playing with the balls and playset you opened last weekend.

Hey, didn't I tell you yesterday that I have temporarily run out of photos? Then why did you expect any today? Come on. I know that's what you were searching for.

And didn't I tell you that Clarity of Vision comics could still be created? Well, they can, and I created one. Here. Read it and weep. Hmm. That didn't sound right. I created this and decided I wanted to add cricket sounds into the last of the middle panels. However, the tool won't let me modify already saved comics. Stinkin' tool.

I saw this article and am not sure that I agree these are the best ten sentences in literature. No, none of mine were chosen.

Remember the news stories a few years ago about cow tipping. Well, it seems the new story is Smart Car tipping. Kind of funny, as long as it is not your car.

I like the title of this video, "Time lapse video makes Yosemite even prettier," even though I have not watched it. This type of link is blocked at work, which is where I am writing today's blog.

Do you remember an old Charlie Sheen movie called Major League. Here are some fun facts Yahoo dug up about the movie.

I hear today ramping up around my cubicle. I think I will go join it. Have a great day (and birthday if that is you) and let's share a little time again tomorrow.

My Mistake There Are No Photos

We attended our grandson's birthday party on Saturday. He received several basketballs, and probably some other junk, too, although he didn't care once the first basketball was opened. Anyway, I took a number of shots, but with my daughter-in-love's camera. So, if you know here or her mother or aunt, you can see those photos on Facebook. Sorry I couldn't help you today.

Man, I am feeling the allergies today. It started Saturday afternoon, but continued through yesterday into right now. I did take an antihistamine, but maybe it hasn't fully kicked in yet. The only nice thing about getting close to 100F on Wednesday is that it will start killing many of the blooming plants.

CoV comics can be built on any internet-capable computer, so I can create them on a Mac or a PC or even a netbook. Today's was made this morning on my work laptop.

Speaking of Mac, have you ever seen a weird symbol on their keyboard (or maybe you have seen one with an apple image on it)? Well, this is an interesting anecdote about the creation of that squiggly symbol.

It is time for our healthy eating cooking class on Thursday. Whoo hoo. This month, she will be talking about "how to eat well without breaking your budget". Sounds interesting, right? Over the weekend, I cooked up a quinoa salad, roasted squash, and roasted fingerling potatoes. I brought two of the three with me for lunch today.

This is cool, and probably even more so for some of my younger readers. It should where some classic album cover photos were taken (captured by the Google View cameras as they map the world).

Do you ever watch shows and think that what people can do on computers is a little far-fetched? Me, too. Here is a little youtube clip of people doing amazing things with photo enhancement. Actually, more impossible things than far-fetched things.

Another article in the same vein is classic paintings and the location they depict as seen by Google. Kinda cool, but less so than the album covers.

The clock shows that my time for finding curious content and fascinating fun facts is over. Tomorrow's news can wait until tomorrow.

No Time for Singing

Our concert this coming Sunday starts less than one hour after we finish our worship service on Sunday, so I cannot attend. Since we are watching the nursery during the normal worship time, we will get released even later than normal. No, I could not find a way (without skipping lunch) to make it on time.

From an idea I jotted down on Nov 21 of last year. According to my comic count in the tool I use, this one is #220. That is NOT the total of all CoV comics since the first one, though.

Check out this pier at sunset. Since it is obviously the ocean, you can guess it was not taken nearby. I came across the shot as I was looking for family photos and found none. So, I applied the Orton effect to this one.

From this article, we can tell that at least one of the students who did this paper is not a Christian. Why? Because he says, "You don’t think of the Bible necessarily as a scientifically accurate source of information, so I guess we were quite surprised when we discovered it would work."

One thing my employers find out about me is that I DO take all of my vacation days every year. I suppose I might not have been so inclined earlier in my career, but now, yeah, baby. This article notes that only 25% of US workers use all their days, and some 15% don't take any days at all. And thanks to the example set by my parents, I am encouraging Salesman Son to take his days and always let his kids see the US and also see him in those less stressful vacation moments.

Wait. So the Goodyear Blimp will now be the Goodyear Zeppelin instead? It just sounds odd. Plus, the article does not explain the difference between a blimp and a zeppelin. The difference, as far as I can tell, is that zeppelins have a metal skeleton inside. The name came from Count von Zeppelin who wanted a steerable balloon. The name is now generic. Blimp, on the other hand, is named from the sound a balloon makes when you thump it. And Led Zeppelin got its name from the drummer of The Who, who said the group would go over like a "lead zeppelin".

I've had fun, but the week is over, and now, so is today's post. Let's get back together in three days and compare notes, OK?

Going In Late

I am writing this on Thursday morning from home, waiting until time for my dental appointment. I am getting two crowns seated. It shouldn't take too long.

How about a photo of Brother? No, they are not related to me. That is the name of the band we heard at the Highland Games. They are based out of LA and are apparently well known. Here is what their press release says. "Chances are you’ve seen BROTHER on NBC’s ‘ER’, maybe heard their music on the classic ‘Baraka’ soundtrack or UPN’s ‘ Twilight Zone.’ The band has shared stages with Joe Walsh, John Entwhistle, Linkin Park, and Alicia Keys and are the only independent band to have played the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fusing signature vocals and guitar with the deep pulse of the didgeridoo, the soaring highs of the bagpipes, and tribal percussion, BROTHER is wholly original." You rarely see bagpipe bands outside of these types of events.

The other band we saw that day was Murder the Stout. Their writeup is much more concise. "Houston based Murder the Stout (MTS) formed in 2004. They play progressive Celtic Rock music led by native Scotsman, Hugh Morrison, on lead vocals & squeezebox."

Since I am writing this at home (BTW, morning news is on TV as I write this), I have access to my photos. And whether I am at home or at work, I also have access to bitstrips to create a new Clarity of Vision. This one comes from an idea I had back in December.

Hmm, this story seems to cast doubt on my diet. However, I cannot tell how scientific their conclusions are. For now, i will continue. After all, it was good enough for Daniel and his buddies in Daniel 1.

Amazon Fire is introduced to take on Apple TV, Roku and the other media boxes. What do you use, if anything? We don't have any, but I think Salesman Son has a Roku that goes along with Amazon Prime. However, I have fussed before about my high cable bill, so maybe we will go with one sometime this year.

We have not seen Saving Mr. Banks, but I know I would like to. This story is interesting telling how the Sherman Brothers came up with the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

OK, time to go. Y'all have a great day.

Not So Fast

If you read all the way to the end of yesterday's post, or even looked at the comments, then you should not be surprised that there is a new post today. No, I did not throw in the towel on sharing my thoughts and pictures and comics with you. It was an April Fool's Day prank. Hilarious indeed.

I shared the fake CBS schedule with you yesterday. Today, check out this new venture from Airbnb called Airbrb (for Be Right Back). And check out these new Smart Fingernails from SkyMall.

I do not have any photos today. I went grocery shopping after Chorale practice last night and got home a little late.

I thought this was clever.

Do you ever wonder where my mind comes up with some of the CoV topics? No? I will explain it anyway. Last night, on my drive home from Chorale practice, I heard a commercial and truly thought I heard it the way I show in today's comic. No, I really did. It was funny, so I wrote it down to share.

I do not understand this article. It implies that Austria finds vegetarians less healthy, but the CDC in the USA says it can be more healthy. Well, for now, I will continue my diet.

This article says the song from the musical Oklahoma is wrong. It should not be All or Nothing. It is more like Goldilocks finding that just right middle size.

I don't find anything else I want to share today, so let's go have a great post-April Fool's Day. I will be back tomorrow, so don't believe anything you may hear to the contrary.

Enough is Enough

It is certainly a challenge to come up with both a comic and a blog post everyday. And with me starting my MBA on Monday, I think I need to take a rest. So, this will be the end of the blog...at least for 18 months or so. Thanks for having been faithful readers day after day.

Have you ever heard of 'Laugh-In Looks At the News'? It was a segment on the old Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In TV show from the 60s. I wrote this next paragraph first and that brought the phrase into my mind. You can see a little of their news here.

I heard a news release today that all cars must have backup cameras by 2018. However, it is what they didn't say that caught my interest.

Whew, those Scots are strong. Look at this dude at the Scottish Highland Games holding that telephone pole in one hand.

Then, he threw it...

... and this kilt-wearing dude decided to try and catch it. Would you?

Now the government is telling me what I should read to my GRANDS? I don't think so. This must have been designed by the same people who made Cookie Monster suddenly prefer broccoli.

I see there is a new large ferris wheel in Las Vegas. It is supposedly taller than the London Eye. I'm sure the view is really nice, but I sure liked seeing London all around me when Salesman Son and I rode it a few years ago.

Did you see that CBS announced it's new Fall schedule and will no longer produce new shows? I copied it below.

Oh, come on. Did you really think you would get rid of me that easily? Of course, my quitting the blog world is an April Fool's Day prank. I will still be around tomorrow, and I hope you will, unless you stopped reading after today's first paragraph and don't know I am not stopping. If you don't know, then it will be your loss.