Bad Dye Job

White Hair - Achieved through the use of smoke and mirrors.
The .50 Cal. Desert Eagle isn't real. I'm merely posing.
Firearms are dangerous. They kill Hippies. 

Darlin' suggested that I share more about myself in my blog about a week ago. Since it's New Year's Eve (Hogmanay in Scotland), I decided to purge myself of this hidden information about myself to all of you who read this blog. 

My hair is not white. It's black as a raven's wing. I dye it white to appear older and more seasoned (which is a euphemism for rotting). Many people used to tell me, "Oh, you're rotten!" Taking that to heart, I decided to keep my hair white all of the time and to conceal my dark hair roots through a non-patented (but infinitely clever) process that I'm not going to share.

Also, I'm sharing some other information about other bloggers. I'm dragging all of you out of the closet!

• Frequent Poster - WoFat: That is NOT his real given name. Many people use it, but it's not the name that he was born with. 
• Frequent Poster - Opus #6: That's not her real name either. I don't know her real name, but I know that she communicates with Donald Trump. Suspicious but true.
• Frequent Poster - Race Bannon: That's not his real name either. Once would think from his screen name that he's a racist but he's not.
• Frequent Poster - Azra: Not an alias, which makes her appearance here on the blog very suspicious. 
• Frequent Poster - Darlin: One of the more dangerous people here because she is a chef - and shows photos of her baked goods (no, not her muffins - get your mind out of the gutter) without actually sharing them.
• Frequent Poster - Coffeypot: Even more dangerous than Darlin. He's a Navy veteran and old sailors never die -- they just get a little 'dinghy'...
• Frequent Poster - Euripides: Yes, it's not an alias. And old Tanners never die, they just go into hiding.
• Frequent Lurker - Anonymous from Reno. Gambling advice: Never do amazing card tricks with the people you play poker with

The Bear Remembered

I was minding my own business when US Ambassador April Glaspie tacitly gave Saddam Hussein a wink, a nod and what amounted to a green light to invade Kuwait. Some people believe that the US Government had the ability to watch tanks and troops marshall on the border and fuel trucks line up to service and refill the armored spearhead that gathered. I don't know about that. America is a long way from the Iraq/Kuwait Border. How could they see that? I'm a skeptic...

When Iraq invaded Kuwait, the President of the United States made Saddam Hussein's business -- my business. I deployed with SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One, Delta Platoon to the Gulf Region. Later to be transferred to SEAL Team Five Alpha Platoon at Ras Al Mishab, where in my role as N2, I planned missions for the US Naval Special Warfare operation in the Gulf. We waited - and I planned - and most of those plans were shot down by none other than General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, US Army as being too dangerous and too likely to lead to serious loss of life. For a young man who had more balls than brains, I was offended.

Then I had an epiphany. The General was correct. And I came to love General Schwarzkopf because of the man that he was. And I personally mourn his passing. They broke the mold when they made General Schwarzkopf.

Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf
Nickname	"Stormin' Norman"; "The Bear"
Born	August 22, 1934 Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	December 27, 2012 (aged 78) Tampa, Florida
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1956–1991
Rank	General
Commands held	1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, 198th Infantry Brigade 1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division 24th Mechanized Infantry Division I Corps U.S. Central Command
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Grenada Gulf War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal Navy Distinguished Service Medal Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Purple Heart

Gun Control Reimagined

In a perfect nation, the only legal rapid fire weapons with high capacity magazines would be in the possession of people who protect politicians from people wielding illegal rapid fire weapons with high capacity magazines.

Is that logic flawed?

Who protects the common innocent mass - the great unwashed - from criminals? The answer goes something like this. "They are on their own. They have no status, no elite cadres of bodyguards and no need for bodyguards because they are not elite. If they have a problem, they can call the police. And the police will come if they are not busy protecting (higher priority) politicians." 

Those who think that this idea makes sense also buy off on the notion that the State should have a monopoly on dispensing "legitimate violence".

When you look at the photo (right) you may ask yourself, "why is that chucklehead smiling?" Why the shit-eating grin? Then if you look closely down to the border of the photo (lower left) you'll note that he has a holstered Glock 21 (chambering a .45 ACP). Are armed people happier people?

Argument in favor of Evolution

I know that many people believe that evolution from one species to another is a myth.

Some people accept that species evolve within an environment such as the shark (above).

Others hold that man somehow developed from an aquatic ape.

I've been doing research on my own by looking at the trendy youth of today (below).

And I think that it's plain that humans are evolving back into a species of fish.

There is a standard human on the left and on the right we see classic indications that those humanoids are well on the path to becoming fish.

In his book, Your Inner Fish, Neil Shublin discusses how humans evolved from fish. The good doctor is afraid (or so it seems) to take that theory one step further.

But is there only one evolutionary track available for humans? Some people suggest that we are not only heading for the ocean, but for the wallow as well:

My end of the world list.

I have neglected a few skills and with the end of the world only two days away, perhaps the way to approach all of those unfinished sill sets is to take a few easy ones and work on them. Like knot tying.

Or treasure hunting. However, I have no idea how much treasure I could amass in two days and what I could do with it once the world ends.

Cryptozoology interests me but if I acquired a hairless cat (the only kind of cats that I like) in the next day or so, playing with the cat for a day seems pointless - and to tell you the truth, I'm not much of a cat lover.

I'm not a drinker, but the idea of constructing an illegal home distillation system to brew illegal alcoholic beverages (bootleg white lighting) seems appealing since I've seen a few episodes of the new reality television series Moonshiners.

The only problem with this plan comes with a mouth full of teeth. I'd need to pull a few and learn to wear denim overalls to meet the current fashion demands of the profession. All in two days? 

Being Ugly is in Vogue!

There aren't many animals uglier than hippos.

But even I have to admit that this one is cute as a bug's ear.**

However when they get a bit older, and "long in the tooth", the genes kick in and the whole cute factor fades - and stereotypes kick in. I've been told that they make poor house pets as adults. Adult Hippos can out run many humans (20 mph burst speed).

They live in Africa and in Colombia, South America (introduced into the wild by Pablo Escobar).

** I've never actually seen a bugs ear, 
but people say that they are cute, so I'm running with it.

Schrödinger's cat

Schrödinger's Cat is a paradox of sorts which revolves around an uncertainty principle which is explained in this way: A cat, a flask of poison and a radioactive source are placed in a sealed box.

If an internal monitor detects radioactivity, the flask is shattered releasing the poison and killing Schrödinger's Cat. There is a 50% chance of that happening, which implies that there are equal chances of the feline being alive or dead. From a quantum mechanics perspective, the cat is both alive and dead at the same time but when you crack open the box and look, you will see that either the cat is alive or the cat is dead. 

Thus, Erwin Schrödinger lighted a firestorm of controversy in the theoretical physics community and you can review the different theories at your leisure if you care. (I suspect that if you care, you would have already done this, but My Journey Blog offers you references)

• Copenhagen Interpretation
• Many Worlds Interpretation
• Ensemble Interprétation
• Relational Interpretation
• The Objective Collapse Theories

Why was Schrödinger doing these experiments (playing dice with the universe)?

My theory takes it a step further.

We Elected the Wrong Guy

Everybody in the mainstream media enjoyed cracking on Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican Party's nominee for president. They called him an out-of-touch rich guy. I'll admit that he's a lot richer than I am, but he shops at Costco, just the same as I do.

What are the chances that after the Presidential Election, you'd see Barack and Michelle buying Christmas wrapping paper, household items and toys for the grandkids in Costco? Setting aside the fact that they don't have grandchildren, my guess is that there is not a chance of that happening. You see, the Romneys don't employ housekeepers, drivers, cooks or other servants. Mitt still irons his own shirts and helps Ann with the cooking and cleaning.

As it so happens, both Mitt and I bought our grandsons the same toy cars, and we both use Kirkland paper towels... I'll take the guy who shops for stuff like everyone else as a leader before I'll take any elitist progressive stuffed shirt.

The Course of True Love?

Is an age difference of sixty years significant in a relationship where love abides?

Yes, just when you thought that you too could date Crystal Harris, she and Hugh Hefner are engaged…again.

It seems after a very public breakup and some time apart, Harris, 26, and Hef, 86, are finally ready to get married. The two plan to tie the knot on New Year’s Eve at the Playboy Mansion - providing that the Mayan Calendar is not correct in which case, the world will end on December 21.

In June 2011, Harris called off her wedding to the Playboy mogul just five days before they were set to walk down the aisle. Earlier this year, she moved back into Hefner’s mansion, and it seemed the two were reconciling.

Crystal is from San Diego, California where she attended San Diego State University. Both of her parents are from England but Crystal was born in Lake Havasu, Arizona. She was a Playmate of the Month appearing as Miss December 2009.

I suspect that you are asking yourself whether or not I actually care about this stuff. The answer should be plain. I don't. Not in the slightest. Except to say that it's comforting to know that if you're a guy, you're rich and you're 86, NOTHING need stand in your way of finding 'love' from a 26 year old bombshell. You don't even need a 14" personality.

What is "too aggressive"?

I didn't valet my car last night. I parked on the street. I didn't want the valet to have access to firearms that may or may not have been in my BMW. I attended a quinceanera (fifteenth birthday party) for a young lady, who I don't personally know. I simply responded to an invitation from a tio (uncle).

note: A quinceanera is sort of like a wedding for a fifteen year old girl with no groom. It's usually a very elaborate birthday party with the 'court' of the birthday girl performing many organized dances, there are MANY speeches and the ubiquitous mariachis.

The joke runs that usually they have the big party when they're 15 because by the time they're 16, they're married and the 'father' ran off so there won't be a wedding... 

My decision not to go with the herd and valet park, and to park off-site and walk sparked a discussion later that evening (before people started drinking) that morphed into a discussion that I am going to throw out here on the blog.

A person accused me of being too aggressive. They didn't accuse me of being criminally aggressive, simply of being "aggressive" as if that was a bad thing. They responded to my assertion that had the Japanese got as far as India in the Second World War, Gandhi's theories of "passive resistance" would have floated down the Ganges River with his bayoneted, beheaded carcass.

The fears of man are many. He fears the shadow of death and the closed doors of the future. He is afraid for his friends and for his sons and of the specter of tomorrow. All his life's journey he walks in the lonely corridors of his controlled fears, if he is a man. For only fools will strut, and only cowards dare cringe. -- James Warner Bellah, "Spanish Man's Grave" in Reveille, Curtis Publishing, 1947.

In modern thought, the old "assertiveness" has been replaced by the new "aggressiveness", which implies that being anything but a 'hive insect' is somehow wrong. The new progressive thought process runs on the order that there is something wrong with people who are attracted to the idea of a nation of individuals who deal with their own problems without relying on an (inefficient, unproductive) central government to tell them how and what to do.

One of the party-goers asked me not to "take out" another person who attended the party, and who I don't particularly like. I replied, "Why would I do that here at this party?" They shrugged and said, "Sometimes you can be on the aggressive side." WRONG. In the past, I've stood up for my rights and for those of people who I care for and am willing to act decisively in self defense. That is not aggression. That is assertive self-defense. Defending one's self has been construed in our post modern, namby-pamby world as "aggressive". Another person standing nearby said, "Ok, but I'll bet you're armed." I replied that, "Of course I'm armed." (legally) That seemed to confirm the opinion of the person who felt that I was aggressive. 

"See, you're armed. You admit it."

"What's wrong with being armed?" (legally)

"It's a sign of aggression."

"It's a sign of preparedness. Aggression is not wrong when properly applied, but being it's better to have than not have, certainly at a frigging quinceanera where people's hispanic gang member relatives and Sinaloan drug dealers are present (which they were, but they kept to themselves and were on their best behavior)."

"Are you saying that you'd shoot one of the relatives here at the party?"

"I would defend myself - and others - if needed, but there is a vast gulf between wanton aggression and being prepared to protect myself. You haven't seen me 'going Columbine' here."

"The night is young."

A mixed bag of military people (in dress uniforms) also attended the large, very formal, banquet-style party and the same person drew a distinction between them (apparently unarmed) and me (armed) as the difference between the "aggressive" and "non-aggressive". However, the difference between most military people and me is that most of them have never fired a shot in anger. Maybe 1/5,000 military people ever fire a shot off the range - and a lot of them don't shoot on the range. At this point, I walked away from the argument. 

US Marines Support Breastfeeding Service Members

OCEANSIDE, CA – A pair of breastfeeding airmen outside the infantry barracks at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton “aren’t fooling anyone,” according to Gunnery Sergeant Leon Rashaun of 1st Battalion 4th Marines.

The mothers, Senior Airman Rebecca Henderson and Airman First Class Emily Rowe, who are normally stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, have been coming by every day for the past two months, which, according to Gunny Rashaun, “is exactly how long both their husbands have been deployed overseas.”

Both women waved at the Gunnery Sergeant, prompting him to give a forced smile through gritted teeth.

Senior Airman Henderson then asked if Alpha Company had come back from their field operation yet.

Airman First Class Rowe then laughed and reminded her that Alpha Company had been in the field last week and Charlie Company was out this week.

“I’m just so happy to be out here with my son Seth,” Senior Airman Henderson said, nursing her infant in front of a large crowd of Marines.

“The Marines here have been so supportive, asking if they can carry my son’s diaper bag, help burp him, massage my shoulders, that sort of thing.”

“We’re totally supportive of all the young mothers around here,” said Sergeant Nathan Devine, also of 1st Battalion 4th Marines. “It can be awfully difficult for them, what with their husbands all the way in Afghanistan… so far away…”

Corporal Anthony Bugg agreed: “If they want to breastfeed in public, or just in the privacy of our barracks rooms, that’s fine with us.”

According to the American Association of Pediatrics, breastfeeding is a critical health decision, vital to the welfare of new infants, a fact repeatedly stressed by Corpsman HM3 Richard Hanson.

“New mothers need to breastfeed as often as possible, no matter how sore or tired they may be,” said HM3 Hanson.

“That’s why all our corpsmen are trained in the art of proper nipple stimulation to help them ensure that their baby gets an adequate supply of milk.”  (H/T Duffleblog)

A Moment of Reflection

It's Thanksgiving and time for the Thanksgiving prayer, which is the same prayer that I utter on other days:

"Lord, make me fast and accurate. Let my aim be true and my hand faster than those who would seek to destroy me. Grant me victory over my foes and those that wish to do harm to me and mine. Let not my last thought be 'If only I had a better weapon'; and Lord if today is truly the day that You call me home, let me die in a pile of expended brass."

And a bit more Metalica...

Sunday Songs

"Unforgiven"

As you all may know by now, I'm a huge 'metal head' (I'm also a 'parrot head' - so I may have a head like a metal parrot... weird)

"Changes in Latitudes - and Why don't we Get Drunk and..."

Walkabout

I've been traveling. And frankly, I'm glad that I missed the US National Election (I voted absentee before I left) because it was a circus and it would have depressed me if I'd have been here to see what 'the other half' wanted in the way of good government.

But life goes on and so does an expanded interest in exporting goods from countries other than the US to destinations outside of the US. I had planned to import both mangos and avacados from Mexico to the US and was working on the business plan before the election. But with the higher taxes on business income and employee costs (taxes) that come with the 'victory', I nixed the effort. When you add 20% more in costs that the Obama Administration has promised by way of taxes, that was my profit margin.

AP item on Monday only told readers that "A record 47.1 million Americans received food stamps in August, the government said, as stubborn unemployment kept enrollment high." While I'd love to participate in feeding more people by starting businesses that generate tax revenue without making profit for me - I'm simply not that nice.

The Doll

Just a little over a week ago, my granddaughter, Alyssa, received a baby sister when my daughter underwent an emergency C-Section. Savannah, still not quite four pounds, went home yesterday. She's about the size of a doll. Alyssa calls Savannah her "new doll". 

Naughty Halloween

I think that this year (as with every year), strange fetish is the theme for Halloween parties that go down  on THE night (dia de los muertos) tonight.

Do you want to PLAY WITH NEMO? 

I can only hope that I'm not out of line when I say that girls want guys to be attracted to them because they appear to be any character from a Disney/Pixar film, really -- means that they are probably due for some counseling. Then again, this costume is less "Nemo" and more "Prostitute who murdered Nemo and is wearing his skin to entice johns."

Turtle Fantasy? This is the laziest costume that I have ever seen. Do you see the sad, tiny little turtle shell strapped to her back? The one that in no way corresponds to the shell pattern on her torso? And think about this: The Ninja Turtles didn't wear clothes. Look it up. Which means that her skirt is actually a part of her presumably grotesquely deformed turtle body.

Darth Mater - "LUKE, I am your MOTHER! 

Barbie-in-the-Box - You need to be blonde or willing to wear a blonde wig (because blondes have more fun) and even though you're not going to he able to stick your hands out and eat snacks at the Halloween party, if you fit in the box right - you may not be a snacker anyway. Though if you get drunk at the party and vomit, it would make a classic photo. (I see it going viral if you have a YouTube video of the event itself)

The Pumpkin Patch

Autumn means pumpkins and pumpkins portend Halloween.

Liam (left) is six months younger than Cannon (right), yet they both are about the same height - and both are mesmerized by the Pumpkin Patch.

Cannon and his older brother Griffin (with their mother/my daughter Amanda) have a difficult time deciding which pumpkin would make the perfect jack-o-lantern.

Do we need Heroes?

Decide for yourself... ;^)



More balls than brains.



Good to the last drop.



British boxer Usman Ahmed shows the world how it's done downtown.

Class Warfare

I live in a place where you can shape your own destiny. There are ladders to success that even the poorest among us can take to go wherever and be whatever we decide to be. That is precisely why the American experiment worked. People had the right to choose to succeed and that choice made all the difference.

Oprah Winfrey (born January 29, 1954) was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother and later raised in an inner-city Milwaukee neighborhood. She experienced considerable hardship during her childhood, claiming to be raped at age nine and becoming pregnant at 14; her son died in infancy. Sent to live with the man she calls her father, a barber in Tennessee, Winfrey landed a job in radio while still in high school and began co-anchoring the local evening news at the age of 19. Her emotional ad-lib delivery eventually got her transferred to the daytime-talk-show arena, and after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show to first place, she launched her own production company and became internationally syndicated. According to Forbes, in September 2010 Winfrey was worth over $2.7 billion.

Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco on February 24, 1955 to two university students, Joanne Carole Schieble of Swiss Catholic descent and Syrian-born Abdulfattah "John" Jandali (عبدالفتاح جندلي‎), who were both unmarried at the time. Jandali, who was teaching in Wisconsin when Steve was born, said he had no choice but to put the baby up for adoption because his girlfriend's family objected to their relationship. The baby was adopted at birth by Paul Reinhold and Clara Jobs, an Armenian American whose maiden name was Hagopian. Paul Jobs was a machinist for a company that made lasers and taught his son rudimentary electronics and how to work with his hands. The father showed Steve how to work on electronics in the family garage, demonstrating to his son how to take apart and rebuild electronics such as radios and televisions. As a result, Steve became interested in and developed a hobby of technical tinkering. He landed a summer job picking apples while he was in school and that became the inspiration for the garage-business that he and Steve Wozniak formed which became Apple Computers.

I picked two people, one of African descent, another of Swiss-Syrian descent (very near to my age) who started off life in the usual way, unremarkable and unheralded. There are many like them. But they were not the victims of CLASS WARFARE. They chose to succeed. And in this place that I call home, they succeeded. They were not nurtured in some socialist hell-hole where "we're all the same" and "you didn't build that" were the mantras of the day.  Neither of these people allowed themselves victims of circumstance.

There are destructive elements in my society who call themselves "progressive" and they promote class warfare based on envy. But envy didn't make Oprah Winfrey and Steve Jobs (and so many others) the success stories that they became. The simple freedom to rise or fall, to succeed or fail made them.

The "Progressive Movement" is completely shameless in the sense that they will never ever, for as long as they can possibly get away with it, going to admit to bad behavior. And in those rare cases where they simply cannot wiggle and maneuver and lie and deceive; or self-righteously tell you how wonderful they really are and all the wonderful things they have done; they will simply pretend they are still virtuous and have been victimized in some way.

And that is why I will NOT vote for Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential election.

Why did the Deer Cross the Road?

How important are wildlife bridges? Yes, they do apparently exist in The Netherlands, as pictured below, but do they really limit auto vs deer collisions? And are they worth spending a vast amount of money to construct?

The Netherlands

Could the same thing be achieved by simply moving deer crossing signs?



Politicians weigh in on the argument.

Canada has wildlife bridges as well (right) but how many wildlife bridges does one stretch of highway need in order to be effective? I live in Southern California and yes, there is a wildlife underpass in the area where I live (under State Route 91 at Coal Canyon). However, I've never see deer road kill on that highway. That may be because traffic is so congested and the cars are moving so very slowly that deer would be able to simply navigate their way by walking slowly between cars. I've never seen a deer do that but an absence of proof isn't proof of absence...

Watch that First Step

The big drop.

I spent some time this Sunday morning, watching the "Mission to the Edge of Space" live on YouTube (8 million other people watched this live on YouTube). Felix Baumgartner undertook a stratospheric balloon flight from Roswell, New Mexico, to more than 128,000 feet - over 24 miles (balloon's float altitude) and made a record-breaking freefall jump to become the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall (at about 750 miles per hour). 

First off, let me tell you that I was very envious of Baumgartner. I wish that I was there in the Red Bull Stratos capsule. 

“Red Bull Stratos is an opportunity to gather information that could contribute to the development of life-saving measures for astronauts and pilots – and maybe for the space tourists of tomorrow,” Baumgartner said in a statement. “Proving that a human can break the speed of sound in the stratosphere and return to earth would be a step toward creating near-space bailout procedures that currently don’t exist.” (Wired)

Skydivers are good to the last drop...

My highest jump was a training HAHO at about 27,000 ft. and I thought that I was "way up there". Baumgartner takes cool to a whole new level.  Bravo Zulu, Felix. 

There are a few things that can go wrong at altitude. Above the "Armstrong Line" at about 65,000 ft. your blood will boil at body temperature unless you're wearing a pressure suit, so any sort of accidental depressurization will result in catastrophic results. Naturally if your parachute doesn't open or if you run out of oxygen before you get into the denser portion of the atmosphere where you can breathe without a bailout bottle (internal oxygen for the suit), you'd run the risk of death. Baumgartner was in freefall for about 5 minutes, so he could technically hold his breath until he got low enough to breathe the atmosphere.

Baumgartner's suit's faceplate visor has 111 tiny wires in it that are supposed to heat it. There was some question as to whether or not the visor heating system was working properly. In the end, it fogged a bit on the way down, but it didn't stop the historic journey.

Joe Kittinger, who held the manned balloon flight (USAF) and jump record (102,000 ft - and a descent speed of about 630 mph), made in 1960, was the capsule communicator (CAPCOM) and worked closely with Felix Baumgartner both in preparation and in the execution of his historic flight.

I'm old enough that I will never make a space flight or even a near-space flight, but it's something I've wanted to do since I was a kid. Even if space tourism becomes possible in my lifetime, I'll be too old by then to participate. My father and grandfather worked for North American Aviation when the X-15 was flying in the edge of space. While a young boy, I met the great Scott Crossfield (X-15 test pilot) on one occasion. So I have had this sort of thing in my blood all of my life.

Knowing where you Stand

Admiral Ernest King, Chief of US Naval Operations during the Second World War was a no nonsense man who got the job done. He had his eye on the end of the game and kept the US Navy focused on that goal. He was known to say, "When they get in trouble, they call in the sons of bitches."

I had lunch with an old friend today, who I worked with for many years. He said the same thing about me. I took it as a high compliment.

Dyson Vacuum Cleaners

My daughter, Heather, was laid off work and lost her full time job, managing 50 people in the fashion industry because the company downsized a year ago (horrible economy in California). Today she starts her part-time job demonstrating Dyson Vacuum Cleaners at the Yorba Linda Costco. And before you sneer, it's a job. Heather has a B. S. in Business from Cal-Poly and a second B. S. from the same educational institution in Marketing. However, like me (and in fact in my house), she lives in California. Even a part time job demonstrating vacuum cleaners is reason to celebrate in this economy. With US$5.00 per gallon gasoline and increasing taxes, there is no indication that the economy here will improve anytime soon.

BUT the vacuums, fans and Dyson stuff is cool. It has nothing to do with my daughter's job. However thanks to her new employer, I've discovered a world of cool stuff that I never would have thought of as trendy, smart and effective.

Can somebody love a vacuum cleaner?

It would seem that the answer is yes.

Tuesday Tunes (all GaGa)

Normally this blog isn't all about tunes, but I decided that it was time for a little GaGa...

"Poker Face" was well received by most critics, who praised the robotic hook and the chorus. The song attained worldwide success, topping the charts in twenty countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and many European countries. "Poker Face" is also the most downloaded song in the British chart history. It is among the best-selling singles of all time, having sold over 12 million copies.

I looked for another GaGa tune and Bad Romance had 448 million views on YouTube. That number staggers the imagination. It was nominated for numerous superlatives, including ten awards at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, where the singer won seven of those, including a recognition for Video of the Year. 

Ok, back to regular blogging.  

Sunday Songs

A blend of older and newer and older.

I started listening to Neil Diamond's "Love on the Rocks" from the Jazz Singer, drifted to Tony Bennett and then ended up with Lady Gaga and finished with Adelle - which suggests that my music tastes are varied and somewhat less than predictable. So I though that I'd share some Sunday Songs.

Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present. As of 2001, Diamond had sold over 115 million records worldwide including 48 million in the USA alone. He is considered to be the third most successful artist on the Billboard chart behind Barbara Streisand and Elton John.

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Lady Gaga came to prominence as a recording artist following the release of her debut album The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success that topped charts around the world and included the international number-one singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". Lady Gaga is recognized for her flamboyant, diverse and outré contributions to the music industry through her fashion, performances and music videos. She has sold an estimated 23 million albums and 64 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best selling music artists of all time.

Anthony Dominick Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett (born August 3, 1926), is an Italian-American singer. Bennett is also a serious and accomplished painter, having created works—under the name Anthony Benedetto—that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He is the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in New York City. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

Living a Life in Harmony

Good judgment comes from bad experience.

Bad experience comes from bad judgment.

Bad judgment comes from ignoring good advice.

Good advice comes from good judgment.

And then, maybe "judgment" has nothing to do with it?

or maybe it goes like this---

And sometimes you just have to "go for it"?