Two Days in a Row?

I am really struggling to find shareable articles or facts to add to the post. Where is all the fun news? I don't want to post an article about Hillary and email server-gate. I'm tired of Tom Brady and deflate-gate. I'll dig a little more before I throw in the towel, but it is pretty dry out there.

I did see this story about a Yahoo writer who tried several of the Starbuck's secret menu drinks. Her #10 is Skittles, which should surprise... no one. I will let you know that #1 is Butterbeer. Read what she says about each and make your own choice.

Remember my vegan days? Me, too. However, I was not obsessive about every ingredient in what I ate. I didn't think about that until I saw this article about foods that vegetarians cannot eat. Just because a food contains gelatin (made from animal skin and bones) was not one of my search criteria. White sugar is bad? Really?

And that article led me to find this next one about how long foods last after opening. Hot dogs only last one week in the fridge? How long have those been in your fridge? More than a week, I would imagine. Wine is also good for only one week? Well, not that I would know any differently. How long for ketchup? Well, I don't want to spoil all the surprises.

Is the 't' silent on the name of the Harry Potter character Voldemort? See what J.K. Rowling thinks.

When was the last time you went to Ikea? It has been a few months for me, but my point is that you pass through the decorative art section on your way out. Have you ever liked the presentation of one of their frames but wished you could replace their art with something of your own? This enterprising person did just that with the Ikea Olunda Shadowbox.

When was the last time you went to a Disney park? It has been a few months for me, but my point is that you do not have to go to a park to enjoy the chilly goodness of a Dole Whip. You can whip one up at home (see what I did there?). When you read this paragraph, did you pronounce 'whip' correctly?

Now, that would probably be a lot of sugar, so drink responsibly. And try to control your intake better than in today's CoV.

When was the last time you whipped out your builder's apron and installed built-in cabinets (see what I did with 'whip' there? Did you pronounce it correctly this time)? Anyway, this English woman had a couple of interesting ideas for how to build you own shelving and install it without just buying and setting up an Ikea unit. And it will look more professional. It does take more time, though.

OK, even though yesterday was a 14-hr workday, it doesn't mean I can slow down today. So, I've gotta run. Have a Thunderous Thursday (does that mean it will be good or bad?).

A Good Day for Some Archived Stories

Do you drink enough water during the day? I usually down 5-6 of the regular-sized water bottles (Arrowhead, thank you very much). Anyway, I will admit it does periodically get a bit boring. Here are a few recipes of adding something to make your water a little more fun. The first sounds the most tasty to me.

Let's see if this video of my grandson will play. Nope, it is too large for Blogger. Sorry. Here is a screenshot from the beginning of the video showing him playing a game with me.

I am finding nothing on the web today. I looked through Yahoo, Vox, and TheVerge. Nothing really captured my imagination or interest.

Oh, but I did save a story from yesterday that I did not have room for. It talks about how much study goes into the snack business.
The Frito-Lay chip company takes their potato chip research and development seriously; after extensive research they determined that consumers like a chip that snaps in the mouth when bitten with approximately four pounds of pressure per square inch.

And in a story I have saved since Aug 26, there are only 3 ZIP codes in the US not represented in the Ashley Madison hack. BTW, I checked and there are over 43,000 total ZIP codes in the US. If you wonder which ZIP codes were not in the hacked database, you'll have to read the article.

Remember the alleged stories and quotes that kids said about the Bible? These two are cute, but may or may not factual.
Six-year old Angie, and her four-year old brother, Joel, were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers."

A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbors wife.

A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then, one day, she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin.

Well, I shared a lot more than I thought I would on a slow story day. Still, when time runs out, it runs out. And guess what? It ran out, and so will I . You know that today is Wonderful Wednesday, right? Back soon.

Show Us the Tote Board!

How was your Labor Day? Did you watch the annual Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon? Of course, you didn't because it was not aired this year. The telethon first aired in 1965 and was hosted by Jerry Lewis until 2010. Did you miss it? I didn't even think of it until I saw a comment online that it was not aired. I did used to watch some portions of it (the national feeds, not the local ones).

Did you have a cookout? We didn't (and it seems many people did not). Sunday night, we had some baked potatoes and chili (Daughter-in-Love made me some with no beef). Today, we stayed home, ate in to save money, spent the money we saved to have some trees trimmed, and watched back episodes of Mr. Robot (man, that is one weird show).

Speaking of robots, do you have one of those robotic vacuum cleaners or robotic mowers? I saw an article saying that the mowers don't do a very good job on your yard. It sounds like, if you yard is perfectly shaped and completely level, it may work for you.

Over the weekend, I saw this photo of a TV Guide-type of magazine with a description of Wizard of Oz that is both accurate and disturbing.

The screenshot above credits the verbiage to late writer Lee Winfrey. However, other research on the interweb shows it was actually penned by Rick Polito. Here are a few more:
Interview with a Vampire: Tom Cruise is a soulless recluse who lurks in the darkness and sucks the life from all who come near him. He’s also in this movie about a vampire. (1994)

Grosse Pointe Blank: A professional killer attends his high school reunion. Unfortunately, you can’t hire him to attend yours. (1997)

The Untouchables: A federal agent in Chicago hampers the work of an enterprising American job creator. (1987)

I carried some games over to SS's house Sunday night, and Oldest Granddaughter and I played a Monopoly Dice game. I snuck by with a win. Otherwise, all we played was MyVegas on our phones. I did come across a couple of online versions of games that I like. One is a online version of Dominion, and the other is an online version of Catan. And I came across a site where you can supposedly play a bunch of board games for free online, but I haven't really tried them yet.

I was scanning for photos to share and I came across a photo of Yosemite from 150 years ago. Thanks to the protection of it being protected by order of Abraham Lincoln, it still looks much the same.

Which then led me to look for another piece of artwork related to Yosemite that looked interesting to me.

Speaking of national parks, I saw 19 cool photos of parks in Fall. I really like photo #2 of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And I took one a lot like #8 in Zion. How about you? Which intrigues you to want to visit the park?

A bit of honey water everyday will make you healthier. That's what Lifehack says. Lose weight. Boost your immune system. Clear up your skin. You've got to read about it now, right? I know. I did, too.

Hey, let's check out a Clarity of Vision comic before we check out for the day.

And now, I need to do some labor (after doing none on Labor Day). Until out next visit, have a Tremendous Tuesday.

Off the Road Again

Today's post title is a clever play on the song made famous by Willie Nelson, On the Road Again. It indicates that I am back from a second trip to Southern CA in as many weeks. We have returned from the funeral of MBH's sister.

Why, then, have I included a photo of birthday cakes? Her son wanted us to celebrate her life and not her passing. So, since she died a few days before her birthday, we held a birthday party following the funeral, sang Happy Birthday, and celebrated her life. It was quite nice. I think Kay would have liked it.

No one knows when their time will come. So, please, enjoy your family. Enjoy life. Update your will. Maybe take a trip this fall to see the foliage colors in your area. Here's an interactive foliage color map to help you time your vacation.

On our drive back, we swung by Big Bear Lake. You could tell the water level was down. Research this morning shows that it is at 59ft, 13ft below being full.

We came in from the Northwest side, which was a desert area. We left from the Southwest side, which was more mountainous. It also took us past Big Bear Village. It reminded My Better Half of Red River, NM, so we might like to go back for a visit sometime.

What do you think of this clerk in KY who will not marry gays for religious reasons? Do you applaud her for making a stand, or is she having a negative impact on the Christian community? I confess that I have gone both ways. While I think she is truly standing up for her convictions, what about the fact that she took an oath to uphold the laws of her country and her state? Huffington Post says she is in jail because was preventing others in her office from doing their duties. Tough call here. What would you do?

Looking for a frosty mug of root beer, but you have neither a frozen mug nor is your can of root beer refrigerated? Well, a Russian man has the answer for you. Compressed air.

Do you still have some Vick's VapoRub sitting around the house? My father-in-law used to espouse its use for all kinds of ailments, and treating mosquito bites might have been one of them.

Donald Trump - our next president? Can you imagine? Could it get anymore preposterous? Oh, Charlie Sheen as his VP? At least we'd be 'winning'.

Did you hear about LA putting in a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics? Do you like the idea of having the games here in the US again? What if it was your city? Would it be worth the millions it will cost? I guess we'll see,

You know what taking days off means, right? It means I am just that much further behind. Wait...should I have said farther or further? Look at this article to learn the difference.

Listen, I have to get ready for my 8am meeting. Have a Fab Friday.

A Sad Time for MBH This Week

I will be away for a couple of days attending a funeral for my sister-in-law, Kay. It is extremely unlikely that I will create a blog post during those days. So, be aware that I will probably post again on Friday, OK?

Do you like peanut butter? Whether you do or are allergic to it, there are other nut butter alternatives. Some of these are also tweaked with other flavors to make new options for your nutty cravings. Check out this article and it accompanying video to see how several of them rate.

Now these items, I do think could have been written or said by children:
Adam & Eve were created from an apple tree.
Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark.
Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night.

Did I already tell you about the article on America's scariest road? If so, ignore this paragraph. If I have not done so, or if I have and you just forgot about it, read on. They say it is a road in central Colorado. Apparently, to them, it has to do with hairpin turns and no guardrails. I have been there, and I think I drove it last time. Well, if you are curious and don't recognize it from the photo below, go here and all shall be revealed.

Now that we have been talking about cars, it is time to reveal what the top car (in terms of sales) is for each state. Spoiler alert: Nissan Leaf for Washington and Georgia. The others are in the Esquire article.

Have you ever gone on a site like tripadvisor.com and entered a review of anything? You know. like a hotel or a hike or a famous landmark? Would you write only positive reviews, or only negative, or just tell about your experience either way? Some people seemed to find the dark cloud in place most see only sunshine. For example, one person said of the Great Wall of China, "if bricks are your thing you may or may not enjoy this (I didn’t), if bricks and walls are not your thing best to avoid, if you can, too big." Read about all these Negative Nancys in this article.

Then again, maybe it is only these people that are willing to speak the truth about famous landmarks? Here's a question for you. What is truth?

You all know that there are 50 states...right now. Wait. What did I just say? Right now? It seems that some in the Great State of Texas want to split off and become a sovereign nation...again. What do you think of that? Supporters are comparing it to Scotland trying to leave the United Kingdom. I don't think I like the idea, but what do you think?

I have limited time this week, so I cannot dilly nor can I dally. I have some stuff to finish so today can get underway. Go have one more cup of coffee and then get your day started, too. Talk again later in the week? OK?

It's My Friday (But You Can Use It, Too)

This photo is not mine. I had to study it to make sure it was even really a photograph. I found it in this article about Landscape Photographers of the Year. What do you think? Isn't that cool and a half?

What about this one? I like the deep monochromatic look of this.I saw a scene similar one year near Yosemite and tried to capture it, but it looked nothing like this.

Again, the monochromatic look drew my eye to these aspens in snow.

Pancakes in the microwave? Apparently. Smoothie made the night before so you don't have to fire up your blender at 6am? So it seems. Scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese in 2 minutes Sure, if that's your breakfast of choice. Oh, all of these recipes require a Mason jar. You've got one begging to be used, right?

Let's keep going with the political theme in today's Clarity of Vision.

Do you like the speed of roller coasters? I like California Screamin' at California Adventure in Anaheim, CA. It launches from zero to 55mph in 4 seconds. However, Consumer Reports tested a car that goes from zero to 60mph in 3.5 seconds. It also broke their rating scale, coming in at 103 in a 100 point scale. Unfortunately, it costs over a $125K. What car is it? Read the article yourself, you freeloader.

What NFL jersey sells best in your state? Can you guess without looking at the image? I guessed my state correctly.

Raise your hand if you were just cogitating on how powerful neural networks have become. How many of you just raised your hand? No one? Someone had the idea to run the opening credits of Star Trek: The Next Generation through an image recognition neural network. It did not do so good. Spoiler alert: there are no waffle irons in the credits.

Why, yes! I do have some aluminum foil sitting around the house that rarely gets used. Why, yes! I would like to know what other uses foil has. Sharpening scissors, you say? Use it as a funnel? An ironing assistant? And more?

I decided to evaluate the story thumbnails offered on the front page of yahoo.com:
85 total stories
6 stories about New Orleans
5 stories on the election and candidates
5 stories around the journalist killings in VA
1 story about singing Smelly Cat

Well, I see nothing else that looks like fodder for today's post. Let's go ahead and start our weekend, OK? See you next week.

Weight of Words

I came across my notes that I have not shared all the Bible stories as told by kids. Here are two more:
The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. One of the opossums was St. Matthew who was, by profession, a taximan.
St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage. A Christian should have only one wife. This is called monotony.

Do you believe that kids said the quotes above? Come on. What child is going to say 'acrimony'?

When I was trying to decide which songs to download this week, I searched for a way to learn about some groups that I don't have but are similar to some of my favorites. I came across music-map. I searched for 'jim croce' and it said the most similar were James Taylor, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, America, Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin. Those all seem reasonable to me. Check for yourself.

I came across some interesting information about the weight of clouds (I have never seen the movie Weight of Water. Maybe it tells you this same info?). They might look fluffy and ethereal but clouds are quite heavy; the average cumulus cloud (the big white cotton-candy-like ones you see on nice days) weigh 1.1 million pounds.

It turns out that you can make Peanut Butter Cookies with an egg, some sugar, and some peanut butter. In less than 10 minutes, you can be eating nice, hot cookies right out of the oven. Go on. You know that you want to.

Still hungry? How about some candy corn-themed cupcakes?

It is headed back up towards 110F this weekend. You know where I'd rather be than here? Well, yes, just about anywhere, but I was thinking of Colorado. Here we are with the folks outside of our cabin a few years ago. Notice that the ladies are wearing jackets and the guys are in shirt sleeves. It must have been in the 60s.

Thinking of Colorado, I can never take a shot of the falls (Cascade Falls, by the way) like this again. They erected a small covered sitting area that blocks the view. Boo.

By the way, Preacher Bro added a comment to yesterday's post correcting my assertion that Dr Pepper contains prune juice. He also commented that it might be OK if I said that for reasons of humor. In fact, I did choose Dr P just to poke a little at his family, who are all crazy for the drink. And I needed to comment on something that could have gone sour in whatever drink I chose. So, it had to be prune juice. Sorry, Preacher family.

Election season is coming, folks. That means caucuses and primaries and negative commercials.

Opinions expressed in CoV do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of A Legend In My Own Mind. Now, if you are of the opinion that this post is long enough, I do agree. Have a Thrilling Thursday.

Cool Products and Hot Weather

Do you watch Shark Tank? We do. I enjoy it, partly just because I am exposed to products that I can either ridicule or praise. It has been on for six seasons now. 122 episodes. So, what do you think have been the most successful products? I actually knew which was #1. Can you guess? #9 is ReadeRest, glasses holder that lets you store your glasses somewhere on your body. I remember that episode. It has sold $8 million since Shark Tank. But #1 has sold over $50 million.

Speaking of entertainment, did you see the video of what Disney princesses would look like without makeup? Most still look pretty good.

It is supposed to be 109F this weekend. That makes me want to retreat to some cool locale and enjoy the weather and view that we just don't get at home. Let's go to a nice little spot just south of Telluride.

Also near Telluride is Bridal Veil Falls. Doesn't that look refreshing for the end of summer? I was playing with filters in iPhoto and liked the vintage look.

We had a summer monsoon blow through tonight, carrying lots of dust and some rain. So, I grabbed a shot of the San Juan mountains with a little storm rolling in.

Do you like Patrick McManus books? He tells stories about his childhood that seem relatable but totally hilarious. Anyway, I came across an article that totally feels like one of McManus' stories. It talks about having an imaginary brother that watches only PBS.

Since we were talking about stories, let's share one that our director tells occasionally at our concerts.
A Minister was walking down the street when he came upon a group of about a dozen boys, all of them between 10 and 12 years of age. The group had surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked "What are you doing with that dog?" One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old neighborhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog."

Of course, the reverend was taken aback. "You boys shouldn't be having a contest telling lies!" he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, "Don't you boys know it's a sin to lie," and ending with, "Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie." There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was beginning to think he'd gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, "All right, give him the dog."

I mentioned the passing of My Better Half's sister in yesterday's blog post. I really got to know her a lot better in the late 90s when she helped watch over our daughter, TD, while she was in college in the L.A. area. TD would go up there on weekends and summer and Aunt Kay would willingly open her house for us. We made several trips over there to visit both and I got to know Kay and her son. Over the years, it seems that some of that closeness was left behind as we all went our ways. Now, I wish we had more time. All of you, stay in touch with your family and friends. Our time here on Earth is limited, even if we take perfect care of ourselves. Build up memories for yourself, your loved ones, and even friends.

116 ft, 7 in of tamale? Yes, please. Well, only if Guinness certifies it, right?

The Beatles in Lord of the Rings? No, please. It didn't happen anyway, but they pursued it. J.R.R. Tolkien turned them down, though.

Come on. Who doesn't like Dr. Pepper?

Come on. Who doesn't look forward to a new blog post everyday? You know that you do. So, let's end this one so the anticipation for the next one can begin to build. It's a Wonderful Wednesday, kids. Enjoy it.

RIP, Aunt Kay

Wondering what the weirdest law is for each state? Wonder no more. This article shares them. As a teaser, I will tell you that exploding golf balls are illegal in MA.

Speaking of states, let's check out a little bit about how the Manifest Destiny impacted the population centers of the country. You can link to the interactive gif, or check out some screen shots of different years here. I will share a screenshot (not interactive. The slider does not work) of 2010 because it shows that 3 cities in TX and 3 in CA are now in the Top 10.

What can you do with WD-40 beside lubricate things? Use it instead of PAM when you cook? Nope, that's not an option. Spray it out of your mouth over a match and launch a fireball? I don't think so. Use it to clean scuff marks? Indeed, you can. And a few more things, too.

Do NOT watch this unless you can handle a fairly realistic looking disembodied hand. It is amazing. I had to watch it twice to really appreciate how well done it was.

Do NOT read this article talking about how we can stay in better shape as we age. It will just depress you because you are probably not doing it. I know that I am not. I do need to step it up and I know that. Maybe this week.

One reason I need to stay in the best shape I can was made obvious this past week as MBH's sister, Kay, passed away on Saturday. She had a heart attack on Thursday morning and was alert enough to call 911. When we arrived Friday evening, she was sedated and resting. They measured no significant brain activity on Friday and her son made the choice to make her DNR if another heart attack happened. It did on Saturday morning and she went home to be with the Lord. We will go back over for her funeral next week. RIP, Aunt Kay. I'll share more about her on another day.

I know that heredity, diet and exercise all play a part in my overall health, but I would think that making better choices in each of them should help. That is one of the reasons I went vegan a couple of years ago and am still 50%+ plant-based eating now. So, if I can just ramp up the exercise....

Another outcome of Aunt Kay's passing is we have a renewed emphasis on making sure that our legal documents are available for the kids if we pass away. Will, living trust, living will, mortgage docs, retirement accounts, car and house titles, etc. Do you know where all your stuff is?

This next story has a huge chart that I had to split into two parts. The first are shows whose finale rated better or even with their average ratings for the show. The second includes those shows whose finale ratings fell. You can see that Glee did great by bringing back everyone for a send-off. Dexter stunk up the airwaves. You are, of course, free to rank them in your own order. And before you check, it does not go back to the M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart days.

Time's up, especially since I have been away for a couple of days. I have to get ready for my 8am call. Have a Tremendous Tuesday.

Pray for Aunt Kay, OK?

Let's start today's blog post with a call to prayer. MBH's sister is in the hospital with congestive heart failure. We don't know the severity yet, but are heading over this afternoon to be with her and the family. We were notified yesterday and I think that no news from overnight is a good sign. So, let's all pray for wisdom for the healthcare workers, strength and recovery for her, and patience for the family as we come together with Aunt Kay.

If the Mythbusters say something, I have to agree with them. Am I right or am I right? I found out that they tested whether it was safer to talk on a cell phone while driving holding the phone or talking hands-free. Which do you think they picked? No spoilers here. You'll have to read about it.

What would the states look like if they were sized according to their population? Hint: the coastal states pretty much win.

The above map looks kind of like a ceramic tile piece. Do you have tiles at home? Is the grout looking pretty yucky? Ours is. Probably I could use some guidance on the best way to clean it. Unbelievably, this article talks about several ways the author tried and what worked best for him.

And speaking of maps, remember these old maps that showed places of interest in each state. I wonder how many I have visited in the states where I have lived or vacationed?

A guy built his own control panel because...why not? You can see an image of it below. He's got buttons and switches and sliders. Some launch apps like Photoshop and After Effects and iTunes. Some launch video clips from Hitchhiker's Guide and Firefly. Some play sound effects. You can see much more here, but be warned there is some offensive language involved.

Could you name states if all you could see was the last three letters of the name? In three minutes? I got 87%. See how you do.

Beer is not really my cup of tea. A beer made from Count Chocula is even less inviting. What about you? Do you like beer? Do you like flavored beers like made from chocolate or honey?

Apple is moving iPods to the “accessory” racks in its stores. I didn't even know they were still for sale. Would you spend money on one nowadays? If you have a smartphone, isn't that the place where you would carry your music? Otherwise, you are carrying around two devices.

Look at this story lede and tell me if you agree. Can everything be explained away with no blame placed on the person? Regardless of what they are thinking, it IS a choice of acting on it. And it IS disgusting. BTW, no, I did not click on the link for the story.

OK, COV and then, I am finished.

Have a great weekend. And keep praying. Thanks.