Getting Personal(ized)

Yesterday, we saw the table with sand bottles on it. Today, we look at a tastier table with water and cookies on it. The pennants spelled out the date of the wedding, but the round symbols separating the date fields depict sand dollars. Cleverly, the cookies on the right side of are Snickerdoodles with almond slivers depicting the slits on the top of the sand dollars. Yup, personalized cookies!

But wait! There's more. Here is a closer look at the water bottles. They have a personalized message on them.

And later, we got ice cream...IN PERSONALIZED CUPS. It was total madness, I say.

It was first introduced in 1937 and gained popularity worldwide after its use during World War II. It became variously referred to as "ham that didn't pass its physical," "meatloaf without basic training", and "Special Army Meat". In 2007, the seven billionth can was sold. Pastor Banta used to claim that he really liked it. By now, I'm sure you figured out that I am talking about Spam. Learn more about it here.

Who among you likes Dr. Pepper? Did you know it was invented in Waco, TX over 150 years ago? Did I hear some of you snickering that "Yeah. It tastes like it"? Anyway, would it then surprise you that that beverage is the most iconic soft drink of Texas? Which drink do you think would be iconic for your state? You can find out by checking out this link.

Yes, I do watch the news almost every night. How about you? I also scan several news sites in building my blog post each day. Even so, I was a bit surprised at my score in this News IQ Quiz from Pew Research. Why don't you try it and see how much you know about current topics?

Take a look at this next graphic. What caught my eye was not the revelation that Catalina Island could sink in the next 3 million years, but the oddness of the inset image. I think the small map is supposed to show where the larger image is with regard to the coastline. However, the small diagram shows a five-sided area and the big one only has four sides. Why didn't they just show the actual part that is blown up?

Toy Story meets The Shining. Curious. You can see the panels depicting Woody as Jack and many other characters placed into scenes from the film here.

In a nod to the "useless gadgets that no one needs but you might want", I think Twinkie Maker is a prime candidate. True, reviews are mixed, but homemade Twinkies? Gotta love 'em.

I am already behind my personal timeline for today's post, so I am choosing to go with a Classic CoV for today. I do have a couple of new ideas percolating, but I am not sure how to present them yet.

Speaking of CoV ideas, Rent-A-Chicken sounds like something I would make up, but amazingly, it is a real thing. You would have the freshest eggs around, though.

As I mentioned above, I have to finish a couple of things for today's 1pm meeting before I start my three morning meetings. Aren't I popular? Have a Wonderful Wednesday.

And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

We went to a niece's wedding in San Diego this past weekend and it was very nice. We had a good time with family and some sightseeing around town. Like a dummy, I did not put on sunscreen before the wedding, nor did I have on a hat, so I did get some sunburn.

Well, you can see we arrived at the beach and the clouds parted and there was a sign. No, I mean it. A physical sign directing us to the seating area and the reception area. You can see that some people chose to take the "shoes optional" part of the sign literally.

Here is the table used for the sand mixing part of the ceremony (the symbolization of the joining of separate lives into a new oneness). You can see there is an empty jar in the middle, a jar with brown sand on the left and one with blue sand on the right. What does that look like once they are blended?

It looks a whole lot like this.

I read that the Pope told new priests, "No more boring sermons." He also used the word 'assiduously' and asked them to not hurry through the Mass. “When you celebrate Mass, be aware of what you are doing. Do not rush through it!” he said.

"Health experts currently recommend limiting children and teenagers to less than two hours of screen time each day." Now, who among you parents is going to try and limit your teenagers time of watching television? maybe you can for the younger kids, but teens? Why should you care? It seems "just ONE hour of TV a day doubles the risk of a child becoming overweight or obese."

Years ago, our family was on vacation in Arkansas and we went to a state park to dig for diamonds. Sounds crazy, right? The park is the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR, and over 75,000 diamonds have been found there over the years. We didn't find any, but this week, a woman did find a 3.69-carat diamond.

"This Chocolate Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread only has 2 ingredients: cinnamon rolls and chocolate spread! And easy breakfast for any special day, it's on the table in under 30 minutes!" Or so claims the recipe. Still, it does sound quite tasty. Why don't one of you test and taste for me and report back?

I was going to share this link about 15 strange fruits from around the world, but I have only tried four of them. So, I decided not to share it. How many have you tried?

I need to get ready for a day of nonstop meetings, so no more blogging this morning. Y'all have a great day.

Quick and Dirty

Let me start out by saying that I am neither quick nor dirty. The title refers to the fact that a) I have no photos to share nor time to search out any, b) I am finding very few articles whose content seems interesting, and c) even today's Clarity of Vision is a retread. Hey, sometimes life happens. I have come in the last two days just after 5am to try and get some tasks completed. Did I make it? I won't know until this afternoon. So, let's see what we have for today.

Yes or No, will Tang (the astronaut's breakfast drink) clean a dishwasher? Will a slice of apple in your dryer help the clothes smell fresher? Does dryer lint have any use around the house? You probably are guessing the answer to the above questions is yes. Otherwise, why would I have mentioned them. Find out and see what other household hacks might help you.

When my young'uns were young'uns, they did not watch Teletubbies. They did not watch Reading Rainbow. They might have watched Ducktales and Danger Mouse. Whether they did or didn't, this next generation might get the chance since all those shows (plus a few more) are looking to make a resurgence in the near future. Read about them and their chances for success here.

I remember having biscuit donuts as a kid. Did Mom make them? Probably, although the details escape me. Anyway, Pillsbury is sharing a way to make them without frying them. Maybe you should try it. Yeah, you. I'm, not likely to.

Did you know you’ve been peeling an orange wrong? Check out this link and see if an orange caterpillar doesn't seem like a better way.

This next link for a pizza dough made from cauliflower is not the implied healthiness of it. It has nothing to do with the taste of it nor of the crunchiness of it (neither of which are even mentioned). It is the fact that I found it on the Rachael Ray site. Come on. You know she's never tried it.

Now, if I were eating ice cream, I might be enticed to try and make my own Wendy's Frosty at home. I do like them. However, we do not have an ice cream maker, and even if we did, our freezer is too full to freeze the bowl. So, I guess I am telling you about it in case you are so inclined.

Before we get a dose of CoV, here's some facts just for Preacher Bro and family about the oldest major soft drink brand in America. Can you guess which one that is? I am sure he already knows.

OK, let's see what delights your daily dose of CoV provides.

And before we go, I saw this headline and am wondering if you read it the same way I did.

Well, did you wonder how you can 'hang up' on someone without answering the phone in the first place? In case you wondered, they even have a term for them. "Courtesy Disconnects"

And my time is at hand. No, I mean just for today's blog post. I'll be out tomorrow, so don't wait up.

Is Moonlight Really Jejune?

The book I was reading yesterday at lunch had some words that I did not know. One of them is the one used in today's title. Do you know what 'jejune' means? It means 'not interesting or dull'. Two other words from the short story were 'limnology' and 'pannier'. 'Limnology' is the study of inland waters. 'Pannier' is a basket, bag, box, or similar container, carried in pairs either slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to the sides of a bicycle or motorcycle. If you were reading something and came across a word you did not know, would you look it up and trust that the meaning would become clear if you power through the section? Well, I chose to look these three up.

I did not have time last night to scan through personal photos, so today is a grab bag of things from my phone. First is some inspiration art that i saw recently at Target. I like this row of boats in black and white. Now, the thing is that I don't know what else I would make as part of a grouping with it. Another boat shot? Maybe a lake with a single tethered boat floating on it? Maybe a river shot winding through grassy hills?

What about this grouping of canvases? Do you like them? Obviously, they intrigue me somehow. I like that they form a triptych, but also that the paintings themselves have the lighter colors on top and the darker colors on the bottom. So, they overall image is physically separated by the vertical frames and visually separated by the horizontal layers of color.

The church where we recorded our CD last weekend looked like this.

And the church where I spent my youth looked like this. They look pretty similar, right? And actually, my childhood church used to have light fixtures much more like the church here. Anyway, it was like deja vu all over again.

I did not know a quadruple rainbow was even possible. Had you ever seen one, or even heard of it? Well, we all learned something today, and that is NOT a jejune fact.

I saw this headline in Yahoo today.

Did you think the same thing that I did? "Uh, ladies, you are actually in a gym and not on the ocean!"

Just when I thought I was through with Yahoo clippings, I came across another one. "There was a woman behind the sign? Did she live there or what?"

Have you been wanting to hear Kurt Cobain perform a cover of The Beatles song And I Love Her? Here you go.

This headline caught my eye. "You're Listening to Music Wrong. Here's How to Do It Right." OK, so I opened the article up and, while it is never explicitly stated, everything I read pointed me towards a Beats by Dre solution. Can you say 'Sponsored Ad'?

I also read "If You Want to Retire in the Next Five Years, Do These 9 Things Now" because of the title. Aren't you curious what things you should pay attention to as you near the next phase in your life?

Have you ever heard of A Hard Days Night? Did you see the movie? Did you own the LP (kids, that is what we called vinyl records back in the day)? Do you wish someone would discuss its cultural importance? Your wish is granted.

Have you ever had someone ask you to taste something because they think it tastes terrible? Me, too.

I have a couple of things I need to complete by 9am, so I need to head out. You guys finish up your visit without me today. See ya.

Out of Commission For a Day

I know many of you were sorely disappointed by the lack of a new post yesterday. I had some kind of stomach bug (likely exacerbated by allergies). So, I finally started feeling better at 2:39pm and am almost 100% today. Still, no goodbye kiss when we finish, OK?

I am thinking this is the last of the photos from San Francisco a few years ago. I don't think each one will need any explanation. They are a series of shots I took as we drove down Lombard Street. I will start with a shot from the Wikipedia article above that shows Lombard Street from Coit Tower (which you will see on the horizon in my photos.

Speaking of San Francisco, and with a nod towards a post from last week, let's talk about Full House. Did you hear that a sequel is being made by Netflix? Yup, it will be called Fuller House and will be aired beginning in 2016. I can honestly say I am as excited about this as I was by the original series.

Did you know that only three TV shows have ended their run while they were rated #1. Do you know which ones hold that distinction? "The Andy Griffith Show," "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld" are the only ones to date.

Speaking of TV programs, how about some heavy-duty binging? If so, here is a list of those shows with 200+ hours available on non-cable providers. Consumerist rated Law and Order: Special Victims Unit as their #1 pick with just shy of 260 hours ready to watch.

Let's move from TV to movies for today's Clarity of Vision.

Do you think the inventor of the Cronut is tired of eating them? Would you be? It turns out that he is not and claims that he still eats one every day.

You can wash the Cronut down with a S’Mores Frappuccino from Starbucks. It is only around for a short time, so grab all the sugar you can (which, if you imbibe along with your Cronut, will be a LOT).

This article talks about how to chill a beer in five minutes. The same trick should also work for Dr. Pepper, right? Or A&W Root Beer? One thing, though. Do NOT use it on red wine (right, Ex-NZ Niece?).

I am waaay behind after missing work yesterday, so I need to get some stuff done before my 8am status call. And then I need to get some more stuff dome before an 11:30am meeting with a stakeholder. I then have a 1pm staff meeting. And finally, I need to prepare for a 4pm Executive Status meeting. So, let's all look busy for a while.

The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow...Probably

Did you go online last night? Did you see the coverage this math problem from a Singapore test is getting? I did narrow the choices using some of the appropriate logic, but did not find the answer. How well can you do?

Do you remember the song Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof? Well, that only relates to the blog tangentially since today's photo theme is sunset shots. More specifically, sunset shots near San Francisco. We will start with one taken at Pier 39.

And here is a shot (which may or may not have been the same evening...I can't tell) from another pier there in the area. As you can see, I was going for having the sun be behind a mast.

And finally, the same shot as above, but rendered in a simplified poster shot, which reduces the colors and simplifies the lines in the shot.

OK, now this is cool. MIT developed a wireless trackpad for your thumbnail to control you laptop or tablet. They cite an example of someone following a recipe and being able to scroll through it while both hands are occupied. Well, maybe it is not as interesting to you, but I like it.

Do you ever use coupons when shopping? While I do not know the percentage of shoppers who use them, I did see that over 70% of you "couponers" prefer paper ones to electronic. And that even holds true for younger shoppers as 61% of millennials use paper coupons, too.

First off, would the idea of artisanal ice cubes be of interest to you? They are supposed to melt more slowly? Does that help? What about at a cost of $1 each? Still not interested? Well, then this last bit of news may now sway you. They ship UNFROZEN! Yes, you read that right. You get a cube of water.

Have you heard of Don Henley, former singer with the Eagles? Did you hear about him suing a company that had a misleading ad that appeared to reference both him and one of the Eagles' songs? Henley had accused Duluth trading Co. of exploiting his name and connection to The Eagles’ hit song, saying customers might think he had endorsed the shirt. Here's the ad. Did they go too far?

I am out of things that interest me, except for one more. Today's Clarity of Vision. OK, I will stop droning on and show it to you.

We made it to the weekend. Have a great one. Oh, hey, remind me on Monday to tell you how the recording sessions for the Chorale went on Friday and Saturday.

Where's The Pic-a-Nic Basket, BooBoo?

I was playing in iTunes last night and thought I might share my list of albums with you today. However, after extracting them, I saw there were 990 albums. I decided not to show you the whole list. I thought for sure that The Beatles would be the group for which I had the most albums (I have 20 of them). Nope. I actually have 21 Pink Floyd albums.

Today, I am presenting the Golden Gate Bridge in fog through three different shots. First, let's take a look at a single photo of the bridge, cropped down to focus on the bridge.

Next, a normal panorama shot of seven photos with a little zoom. Can you tell there is more clarity than the first shot? I did not crop this, so you can see the right shots are taller than the left by virtue of where we were standing.

Finally, a panorama of shots a little more zoomed out. I did crop this to keep it centered on the bridge. You can see it is a bit wider than the others.

Did you realize that there are 29 Pringles flavors? I certainly did not. Which ones do you prefer? Well, to save you some time, Yahoo has tried them all, from the lowest-rated Bacon up to #2-rated Original and the #1-rated flavor.... Nope, You'll have to read the story to find out which one they chose.

Yahoo also helps us answer that age-old question that has been nagging mankind since...well, since 2014. Which smartphone is tougher? The Samsung Galaxy 6 or the iPhone 6? As above, I will NOT reveal the spoiler.

Even though I am not giving you the answer to which phone is more rugged, I will share links showing Things Android Phones Can Do That iPhones Cannot and New iOS 8.3 Features for iPhones. If that is not enough, how about an iPhone case that sticks to anything, even vertical surfaces? Well, it is still in Kickstarter for now, but they have blown through their original goal.

Did you recognize the reference in today's title? It is from the Yogi Bear cartoons of the 60s. We had a department picnic yesterday. I was fairly well handled. Certainly, it was better than this comic implies.

Time is up. Hands in the air, everyone. Put down your reading glasses and get your Thursday on.

Paint the Town Red (Or At Least, the Ladies)

I came across some cool shots of the famous Painted Ladies in Alamo Square in San Francisco. And I apologize for the sensational title on this post. No one actually painted the buildings red, nor should they. Anyhoo, let's start with a view from the park through some trees.

Then we moved up to the other side of the park and framed the houses with a fountain in the foreground and just a peek at the Transamerica Pyramid downtown (you can see the tip in the upper right-hand corner of the photo).

And finally, the family posing "Full House"-style in Alamo Square with the Ladies behind us.

I do not have a tax-themed comic for today. Nothing came to mind. There was a farmer's market at our campus yesterday and I met a friend who has her own bakery. So, let's go with a cupcake theme.

Did you see this photo of a British newspaper and the headlines? There is no way this juxtaposition was an accident.

And another odd headline caught my eye. Sometimes, when I share these, I ask for you to think about how you would interpret them before presenting my own skewed viewpoint. This time, I will reveal my interpretation before I share the picture. "What? They can't sit all the way down? Everyone is kind of in a squatting position?"

I was going to comment on one more, but I have a headache and I just decided, "Meh. Who cares?"

If you get upset about this, remember that I am not talking to you specifically. This is about taking care of myself. Why the disclaimer? I found five moves to reduce a double chin. Now, excuse me while I kiss the sky.

I read this story about the government planning to exhume some 400 remains from Pearl Harbor so they can use DNA to find out who they were and thought that was a good idea. Many families will get their final closure. It made me think of a former pastor who had a way to truly test faith healers. He suggested that, if they truly have the gift of healing from God, they should go into a hospital and heal everyone. That would certainly prove their gift, right?

Did you hear about the daughter of an astronaut who wanted to write a message that her father could see from space? Well, she did it, and here is a video showing how she made it happen. A screenshot of the message is below.

Do you agree with this author's assertions that The Beatles lied to us in some of their songs? I would be more surprised if he implied they did not.

Speaking of The Beatles, have you ever been to London and seen the Abbey Road studios? When we were there a decade ago, we found that you could not enter the building, so I just took a shot from outside. Now, someone has made a virtual tour from hundreds of photos. Go on. Step inside.

Well, I found lots of interesting tidbits today, and I hope you enjoyed them. I did, though, and perhaps that is all that matters. So, until tomorrow, have a Wonderful Wednesday and a Titanic Tax Day.