A needed smile

Two cute, amusing stories from around the intertubes:

1) the devil at McDonald’s

2) poof – you’re mommy

Click over.  Times are tough.  You need a smile.

 

Tin foil hat mystery

Why do soft tacos come wrapped in foil?  Almost everytime I go to a Mexican restaurant, I order two soft chicken tacos.  Everytime I do, they come wrapped in foil.  Sometimes they’re individually wrapped.  Othertimes, like yesterday at U.S. Border Cantina off West End, they wrap the whole plate.  Why the foil?

 

Another silly Saturday

And now, the Flight of the Conchords with Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros:

One of these days I’ll remember that it’s supposed to be Feel Good Friday.

 

From my iPhone

Go an iPhone Friday after work. Giving the WordPress app a try.

 

A lesson for schools and everyone else

Schools have long been told that they should focus on the 3 R’s – Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmatic.  Kids, meanwhile have routinely balked that much of what they learn will have no practical effect once they leave school.k  Of course, kids fail to recognize that learning a wide variety of subjects exposes you to different areas which can influence career choice, prepare you for college and, perhaps most importantly, teach you how to think in different situations.  But, schools can easily make the 3 R’s relevant and applicable to daily life.  Schools need to teach basic budgeting.

Back when I was in school, we had a home economics class.  That class was considered a “girls” class and focused mostly on baking cupcakes and sewing on a button.  Little if any attention was paid to how to handle money.  Now, ignorance on basic money handling is a major factor in our current economic problems.

People don’t seem to understand the concepts of not spending more than they have, of making a plan for the future and of living without credit cards.  I know people who are currently out of a job.  None of those individuals have taken the basic steps necessary to handle this crisis.  More than one is living as a roommate with a friend in a house or apartment.  In each case, the jobless person has failed to cut expenses and look for alternative sources of income.  They have maintained their gym memberships, data plans on their cell phones, subscriptions to online games, continued going out for dining and drinks and some have even continued making unnecessary clothes purchases.

And these are not all young people.  These are  folks in their 20s and 30s.  These are people who should have learned the basics of understanding cash flow.  When asked, all one of these guys could tell me was, “I hope to have a job by the end of the month.”  That’s not a plan.  In the meantime, they are falling farther and farther behind on rent and credit card payments.

This is symptomatic of our wide scale econimic problems.  People failed to understand how much house they could afford.  The simple idea that if you can’t accumulate enough for a down payment, you won’t be able to pay the mortgage has escaped too many home buyers.  It has become much too acceptable to borrow money from a bank to buy a shirt, which is what credit card purchases are.  The idea of saving for retirement or paying for one’s own health care have been replaced in our society by the idea that government will take care of those things.  How much differently would everyone live if we could not expect to receive a social security check or medicare health insurance when we are old?

Our public schools can change this.  Not many people will use trigonometry after high school or college.  Everyone will have to look at a paycheck and decide what to do with it.

 

Overheard at the gym this morning

Older white guy on the eliptical next to me to his friend about 10 feet away, “Mount up!” he says, pointing to CNN on the flat screen.  His friend comes closer.  “The Russians attacked Georgia.”  (Pause.)  “Not our Georgia.”

 

Happy Birthday America!!!

Birthday number 232 and the USA is strong.  This  country is a spectacular example of the success of democracy and the universal enrichment of capitalism.  I’m absolutely delighted that I was fortunate enough to have been born as a citizen of this great country.  Of course America has its flaws.  That’s because it is made up of flawed people.  Each of us has a reponsibility to vigilantly guard our freedoms.  As a free people we owe our fellow humans the opportunity to be free and live without the constant fear of an oppressive goverment that deprives its citizens of basic freedoms.

Celebrate our national independence and our individual freedoms in a safe and fun way today!!!

 

Getting Screwed by Steve Jobs

Since the flight to San Diego today is 4 hours, I thought I’d rent a couple of movies off iTunes to watch on the plane.  I read the support pages about renting, reviewed my options and selected The Transporter and Juno.  $2.99 and $3.99.  After downloading them, it was time to sync them to my 5th generation video iPod.  Oh wait.  You can’t do that.  Rented movies can only be viewed on newer iPods.  Surely Mr. Jobs would tell us that, right?  Nope.  Nowhere in iTunes or in the support information provided by Apple does the company provide this rather helpful information.  Only by searching the user forums did I find this information and then only in the complaints of others.  Thanks Steve!

 

Beak’em Hawks!!!!

Being the major sports fan that I am (or . . . whatever) I was glued, GLUED !!! to the television last night for at least the last 7 minutes of the big game. I’m certain that my support at that crucial time helped the boys at my undergraduate alma mater go on to glory on the hardwood.

A “side of Jayhawk“???!!! I don’t think so Governor.

Best dumb comment of by a sportscaster of the last 7 minutes: One of them asserted that Kansas knew about playing in overtime because of the 1957 championship game (a triple overtime loss to the Tarheels).  I’m pretty sure no one with the program 51 years ago is still there.

 

Not to dwell on me, but . . .

I’m continuing to improve!  I can transfer to the wheelchair on my own.  With some assistance, I’ve stood in a walker and sort of taken a few steps.  My hands are becoming more limber.  One of the best things has been my friends.  I have had visitors almost every day and frequent meals brought in from some of my favorite places.

Next Tuesday will be 4 months since this began.  It will be interesting to see how this  experience changes me.