To Sum It Up, I Use Math. To Paint You a Picture, I Use Art. No Time? How About a 20-Second Update?

Welcome to Math 101. OK, maybe it's a little more complex...102? Anyway, can you figure this first puzzle out?

Apparently, there are two possible answers, although the creator of the puzzle says one of the answers is wrong. Of course, I got the one he says is wrong. Read the specifics in this article. Anyway, how about one based on fruit?

Did you get 16, or 15, or 14? It IS one of those. You can check your answer here.

We were at an annual Mother's Day Brunch at daughter-in-love's house yesterday. OK, sure, it is the same house as SS, but she does all the cooking, so she gets the credit. Anyway, by the time we got home, I just forgot to load any photos. However, after going to Kirklands on Saturday, I captured a few snaps of artwork that I liked. Let's share some now.

First, a couple of dreamy NYC-inspired paintings that I liked. Is the first one the Empire Status Building? I think so. And the second looks like the Brooklyn Bridge.

The colors in both of the above paintings are kind of muted. Do you like that, or do you prefer bolder colors? How about this one of a bridge in a Fall landscape?

In 2001, the TED talks were facing a change in leadership. The lady who would take it over gave a 15-minute talk convincing everyone it could survive a leader change. Here is one of the things she included in the talk.
"Oh, and I broke the tension with an apocryphal anecdote about France’s Madame de Gaulle and how she shocked guests at a diplomatic dinner by expressing her desire for “a penis.” In England, I said, we also had that desire, although we pronounced it happiness, and TED had brought genuine happiness my way."

I came across a savory looking recipe to make cauliflower even better. BBQ-ey, a little sweet, a little spicy. They say you can do the same recipe with chicken.

Sorry, but I must introduce a little sadness into today's post.

No explanation needed for this photo of someone who resembles a fictional character.

It is Monday, but that does not mean we cannot share a drawing from the corrupted coloring book.

I have GOT to be better about writing down my ideas for new CoV comics. MBH and I were talking over the weekend about... something (no, I am not being secretive. I just can't remember)... and I came up with a clever response that we both thought would make a good Clarity of Vision. By last evening, it was gone. Again this morning... nothing. However, as I review old comics, I do sometimes have ways I can revisit them.

Oh, here's a good one to revisit.

And Monday is off to a good start. Well, except for the fact that it is a work day, and I had to wear a suit today, and it is getting warmer every day. Other than that, though....

Have a Marvelous Monday, and check back soon for more shenanigans.

Lots of Videos and Lots of Yellowstone, and some Stuff in New York Harbor

Today is the 79th anniversary of the crash of the dirigible Hindenburg, I read that 35 of the 97 people on board died, plus one more on the ground. However, I am sure there are many worse catastrophes, so what makes this so memorable? For me, it is the combination of the amazing video (more accurately, newsreel coverage) of the event, and the newscaster's spellbinding description of the crash (Herbert Morrison). The phrase that immediately comes to mind is "Oh, the humanity." Surprisingly, there is still one survivor alive.

After our breakfast, we head across New York Harbor to Ellis Island. On the way, we passed by the Statue of Liberty. With out limited time, we did not get off on that island...this time.

Writing about the Status of Liberty reminds me of a song that we did back when I was in a quartet, Assurance. It was called Statue of Liberty and you can hear a version of it sung at a Gaither gathering here.

Here is SS and his family as we sailed over to Ellis.

And here is the building we are headed toward. I can hardly wait to get there. How about you? We should arrive next week.

This morning's song in my head was Your God Will Come by Nick Robertson. This youtube video sounds like the same arrangement we sing, so maybe you can hear what I was singing. This choir is a bit younger than the average age of our Chorale.

Looking up the video for Your God Will Come led me to this next video. The title of the video caught my attention, "Worst Choir Ever?" It may not be, but there were a couple of times when I laughed out loud as I watched it.

I need to finish today's post, but I just finished watching another video that kept me laughing all the way through. Check out the drummer in this video. It's like an old Chris Farley skit.

And another one that is funny, and the subtitles they added make it even more fun.

Have you ever used images.google.com to find out where a photo was taken? I never had until yesterday. I came across a photo of a book cover and was curious about the location in the background. What does it look like to you? I immediately knew where I thought it was.

According to the blurb about the book, it takes place in Portland, OR. Do those buildings look like any pictures of Portland to you? They don't to me. So, I cut out the bottom half of the book cover and submitted it to images.google.com. My suspicion was doubly right. First, it was definitely not Portland, and second, it is "most likely Silverton", which is what I thought it looked like. I have some photos from a similar vantage point. I tried to zoom in to read any license plates, but they are too small in this photo. And I also double checked my Ellis Island photo above with images.google.com and it said it was likely Ellis Island. so it seems like the service is accurate. Whoo to the Hoo.

Today's 365 Stupidest Things Said calendar entry:
If they want to get them right, then getting it right is getting them right.
baseball manager Charlie Manuel when asked what he thought about instant replay

The UK's new polar research ship is to be named RRS Sir David Attenborough, despite the title "Boaty McBoatface" previously topping a public vote. A website inviting name suggestions had attracted huge interest, with Boaty McBoatface the runaway favorite. But Science Minister Jo Johnson said there were "more suitable" names. While the polar ship itself will not be named Boaty McBoatface, one of its remotely operated sub-sea vehicles will be named Boaty in recognition of the vote. Too bad. That name would have been hilarious, and unforgettable.

I have mentioned before that I often look at photo ideas for interesting ways to capture our travel. A South Dakotan photographer took the next step in that type of research and decided to exactly mimic a famous Yellowstone photographer's portfolio to see how things had changed since 1871. You can read about his quest here, but check out a few of the then-and-now photos. I love these.

Hey, do you take a lot of photos using your cell phone each month? Now, you can have those gems preserved as a magazine for only $8.99 a month. Check out the app here.

OK, I found another funny video link on digg.com (I pulled it from a daily newsletter I get). This one is the famous scene of Tom Cruise in Risky Business, but using no music and realistic audio. It is funny.

Which led me to a Grease video without music but with realistic audio. It turns out that John Travolta actually wanted a cow.

One more thing for today. Not nearly as funny as the videos, but something you almost always get from this blog. Today's Clarity of Vision.

People, it is Friday. Don't look so depressed. The weekend is nigh. Have a great one and come back refreshed. I know that is my plan. Now, I just need to figure out how to meet the challenge that I knew Preacher Bro would issue for the Sabbath.

Cinco de Mayo (nnaise?)

You DID read today's title with the appropriate accent, right? It is Mayo, the Spanish word for the month of May, not mayo, a shortened version of mayonnaise. Why do the Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo? It is not their Independence Day, which is Sept 16. In fact, it is not even a big deal in Mexico. It is a much bigger deal for Mexicans who live in the US. It is a day for margaritas and salsa. Anyway, it celebrates a battle between the French and the Mexicans in 1861. Read more here.

So, it is not surprising that today's 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said calendar is related:
In one edition of today’s Food Section, an inaccurate number of jalapeño peppers was given for Jeanette Crowley’s Southwestern chicken salad recipe. The recipe should call for two, not 21, jalapeño peppers.
newspaper correction


Sometimes, you want something sweet after a meal. Where to find a place with a bunch of choices in NYC? Oh, hey, what about this place with all the logos of probably every chocolate and sweets company in the USA?

One day, we grabbed some breakfast items from a food truck on the street and headed down to eat it on a subway train.

Here we are at the 50th St subway station with SS holding our breakfast. Actually, we didn't eat it until we reached the end of our ride and cold sit down and eat.

Finally, we reached the embarkation station for our boat ride to Ellis Island. It was time to eat.

Today's devotional was interesting and intentionally condemning. It talked about how, because of scientific, industrial, and technological achievements, every bit of time in a person's life is booked up because he wants to get the most out of life. Even among those who are reasonably religious, the result has been that Sunday has become the hour of worship. The older among us can probably remember that, in the community, Sunday was once set aside very seriously. People did not work. They usually spent the day at home. Maybe the most secular thing they allowed themselves to do was to read the Sunday newspaper. But over the years, Sunday worship— which used to be kept somewhat as God expects us to keep the Sabbath— has now become, even among religious folks, an hour rather than a day of worship. People go to church for that one hour then perhaps return home. Or, maybe they go to a Sunday brunch at a restaurant. They spend the rest of the time on that day either making money or seeking their own pleasure. Ouch. Guilty. I can hear Preacher Bro asking me (and all of us), "So, what are you going to do about it? How can you make the Sabbath holy in your life?" The truth is...I don't know yet. Every other Sunday or so, the Chorale does have 1-2 concerts wherein we are ministering, but what am I willing to do?

I'm starting to hit the gym again after months of not doing so. Will this help me lose weight? Of course, everyone knows that. Not so fast, say 60+ studies. Get all the details here.

Clever business name time:

Here is a horrible things done to a wrong number texter. They think their shift is covered, and then, just 45 minutes before they are due at work, the unknown recipient responds saying Melanie from Old Navy had the wrong number. Can you imagine?

How would YOU explain the plot of Beauty and the Beast?

As I write today's blog post, I am listening to the soundtrack to In The Heights, a musical written by the author of Hamilton. It is obvious that both were written by the same person, but this one does not even come close to capturing my attention in the same way that Hamilton does. I have a theory on why that is true, at least for me. Hamilton is based on the story of a famous US leader who helped shape our country in its early years. In the Heights is a story of three days in the largely Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. It is based in a culture and environment that have a minimal effect on my life now and on my shared heritage as part of the US. Hamilton tells a real story about someone I have heard of my whole life. I think that is why Hamilton is "Yeah!" and In the Heights is "Meh".

So our options in November are the first woman president or an openly bigoted obnoxious TV personality. It will be a long presidential campaign. I hope one of them steps up with promises that make sense for our country.

Well, enjoy your Mexican food today or however you celebrate Cinco de Mayo. For me, probably nothing, but please, do not let that spoil your plans. See you soon.

Star Wars Day Has Arrived Again

Yes, it is May the Fourth. You remember, as in 'May the fourth be with you.'

It looks like it will be Trump vs Clinton in November. Will you throw away your vote, not use it, or pick one of them? The jury is still out for me.

I watched a little of the news this morning and heard a reporter use a term in, I think, the wrong way. She was talking about the state senate having passed a budget in the wee hours of the morning. She said, "Alas, the budget was passed." Really? Is alas the correct word for that sentence? According to Webster, it means 'an expression of grief, pity, or concern'. So, unless she is upset that the budget passed, she should have chosen a more relevant word. Alas, she didn't.

For some reason, I took more photos of 30 Rock than almost any other single location in NYC. Let's look at a few of them. First, here is the logo of Rockefeller Center. It was emblazoned on a bunch of stuff. I just thought it looked cool.

Let's look at the engraving on the outside of the building. Can you read the date in Roman numerals? It is 1932.

Why is 1932 an important date for this building? Check out this photo. These 11 men are positioned 840-feet above ground at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the GE Building, which was formerly known as the RCA Building. Now a 70-floor, 872-foot-tall building, this photo was taken around the 69th floor during the final months of construction in 1932. There are 19 building that comprise 30 Rock, and the first of them was completed in October of that year.

Here is a shot of the trees lit up at the base of 30 Rock, and you can see a spire of St. Patrick's in the background.

What are you doing on June 12? You can watch the Tony Awards and see how many of the 16 nominations Hamilton actually wins. Yes, it was nominated for a record 16 categories.

Hamilton also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Clever business names sometimes involve a macabre twist, such a this one.

A Corrupted coloring book page can also involve a bit of the macabre:

Luckily for both of us, LED-lit landscapes rarely involve the macabre.

I came across this shot of a cell phone user reacting to a wrong number text.

Did you hear the Ted Cruz has 'suspended' his campaign? Does that really mean Trump will be the Republican nominee? Talk about a sign of the apocalypse.

Finally (or is it 'alas'), we made it to Wednesday. Let's enjoy it, OK?

Where Is the Love?

Do you remember the song 'Where is the love' by Roberta Flack? It was first popular in 1972, but has been covered by a number of groups. You can read about the song here, but that is not my point in bringing it up. I thought of it during the shower this morning because I was thinking about having to get up and go to work. I thought of the famous quote, 'Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life' (Not a Confucius quote as is widely believed. See this). My point is that I don't really look forward to going to my current job. Is it age speaking? Is the the position itself? I don't know, but I hope that those of you that still work are enjoying it like your should. That way, you are not really working, right?

Do you remember the cryptic drawing from yesterday?

I know that I remember some of the meanings, but I am not 100% confident...and I made the drawing. I know that it was planning for what to do the next day. I think the first 30 is the time from the hotel to our first destination. It looks like we need to take the 7, 8, or 9 subway. We must have planned on bagels or donuts for breakfast. Then, I am sure the boat is the ferry to Ellis Island (that's what the LS stands for). Then, we had pizza for lunch, before heading to the 9/11 memorial. I do know that the battery is an option of going to Battery Park (which we did not do). I am not sure of the shape that looks like a boot, nor of why I drew the family.

That evening, we walked around midtown Manhattan. You can see that we walked past Radio City Music Hall. The family is there in front of me.

While we were walking along 5th Ave, I noticed the Empire State Building about 15 blocks away. We did not make it all the way there.

Okay, y’all, are you ready for this one? Three words, only two ingredients: Cinnamon Roll Cobbler. Will you eat this for breakfast or for dessert? Or BOTH?

Remember that we have been seeing some inanimate objects that look like faces? How about a laughing box with a Starbucks cup in it? Does it look like a face?

Remember that we have been seeing some real-life people who look like fictional characters. I had to look at this shot more than once to decipher how the likeness was constructed.

The last two images had kind of a coffee theme hidden in them. I only noticed because I wanted some way to transition to today's Clarity of Vision, which has a wine theme all its own.

Have you considered getting rid of cable TV? I am thinking about it (I would not say I have gone as far as researching it yet). Anyway, I saw this article this morning teasing "Time to cut the cord: $95 gets you a Fire TV and free network TV in HD for life". So, for $95...one time, not per month... I could still watch all my local network shows. With the Amazon Fire TV, I would also still be able to reach Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime. Maybe it is time to look closer. Even if I add a few extra channels, it would surely still be less than the $150 per month that I pay now.

We have a couple of rooms in the house where it gets a little warm during the summer months. It would seem like a worthwhile investment to maybe just use a window unit to target just those rooms, right? But window units are big, bulky, and pretty much permanent. What if they weren't? Introducing a Kickstarter campaign for the Noria Air Conditioner. This looks very interesting, especially for TD's room.

Check out this map. Looks like a pretty roundabout way to get anywhere, doesn't it? It is the plan for a young man who wants to visit all 411 National Park Service sites in three years. So, he will go to 25 battlefields and military sites, 19 nature preserves, 129 historical spots, 112 memorials and monuments, four scenic roadways, five national rivers, 10 national seashores and more. Sound like fun? I think that's a little too much all at once. If he succeeds, he will be the youngest to do this at age 30.

It is time that I get to this work that I love so much. Well, I will admit that it does pay the bills, so I need to get it done. We've got Chorale practice tonight along with a touring group from Cal Baptist, so that should be fun, so I will hold on to that during my day. Have a Tremendous Tuesday.

Packing In the Pachyderms

The other day, I shared how much nicer our hotel room in NYC was once SS got us the upgrade. We also got a better view outside. Here is the view from our first (6th floor?) room.

And this was our view from the second (22nd floor) room.

One night, we went to Heartland Brewery Chop House for dinner. It was really nice, but that is not the key thing I want to share.

This is what I wanted to share. The restaurant had butcher paper on the table, so we used it to plan our agenda for the following day. How much of it can you decipher?

How long can you hold your breath? Thirty seconds? A minute? A minute-and-a-half? With practice, do you think you  could hit two minutes? Three? Even four? Apparently, it is possible. A NZ diver hit 4 minutes, 24 seconds, and dove down to 400ft )122 meters). How deep is that?

In another sign of the apocalypse, a woman is suing Starbucks for $5 million because her iced coffee has 'too much ice'. I did not know that was a thing you could sue over. She is upset that 10 of the 24 oz in her drink are ice. Unsurprisingly, Starbucks calls the suit 'absurd'.

Take a look at these Google Map screenshots. Notice anything different? Yeah, there are a few less town names shown on the current version. Read the article for the details, but the basic reason is mobile phones.

It has been a looong time since I went to the circus. I do have pleasant memories of it growing up, and elephants were a part of the experience. That will not be true for future generations. Last night was the final night of elephants in the Ringling Brothers circus. Whether this is great news or sad news depends on which side of the animal rights movement you fall. I am in the middle, but it does mean circuses will need to revamp parts of their show.

Go, right now, and check out this lady's watercolors. She holds them up against the actual scene where the setting was taken from. Very cool. Here are a couple of them, one from France and the other from Stockholm.

A CoV before we go, OK?

I think that is enough for the beginning of a new work week. Anything else? No? OK, have a Magnificent Monday, minions.