Saturday, March 31, 2007

There'll be alot of blogging goin' on 'round here!

Thank you, Foghorn Leghorn for that cameo appearance.

When last we left you, week three of laryngitis was underway. Finally, on Wednesday, I bit the bullet and called my ear/nose/throat doctor who did the incredible job on my deviated septum in 2003. The fear was it would be awhile before I could get an appointment. Much to my surprise, they set me up for a 3pm appointment yesterday.

I'm very thankful for the work-in appointment. Dr. Cross did the scope (the camera that goes up your nose, then heads downward to see your throat---and NO, it doesn't hurt!), and we could see two things.

--Smooth vocal cords were nowhere near smooth.
--Polyp on the right cord.

Dr. Cross is confident the meds he gave me will eliminate the polyp, and in addition to the meds, he told me not to talk for two weeks.

Two weeks.

How many of you remember the cartoon where a huge snowstorm hits Grannie's house, leaving Sylvester and Tweety snowed in. On the radio, Sylvester hears the reporter say, "..all roads will be closed for six weeks." Sylvester shouts, "SIX WEEKS??!!?? I'LL STARVE!!!!"

He proceeds to go all over the kitchen, finding nothing but bird seed in every cabinet. Sylvester has one choice. Kill da Tweety??

And there you have the cartoon premise, except that in the end, when Grannie can finally get to the house, she's brought whole bags of....bird seed.

So therefore, I'm a cat in a bird seed world, "silenced" in for two weeks. :)

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So far, it's not been bad. I said exactly one word all day Friday and that was a mistake. Early Saturday morning, and I'm up to nine words. Two sentences. OOPS! And it's the weirdest feeling once you catch yourself doing something that comes SO naturally, then chastisizing yourself over it. So, ten words so far. I can return to vocalization on, HA!, Friday April 13th. We may be at the beach, that morning.

Possible first words...."stop pooping on my van!" ?????

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I typed my wife my daily details tonight and told her the next 13 days are going to be very interesting. I'll make no impressions yet, but I do see some "observation" categories already coming into place.

--Who keeps on doing the daily thing with you, communicating and all, even though you can't speak aloud.

--Who decides to have less communication with you, for whatever reason.

--If you are in any type of group setting, how you not being able to speak changes the dynamics of the room. Do I feel like an outsider? An eavesdropper? Who goes the extra mile to make sure what's normally communicated still gets done? Even though you're still "one of the gang", do you feel that way?

--People who demand of you what they've always wanted, and they don't care if you can't talk. You know, like co-workers IN THE BUILDING who pick up their phone to CALL ME, as if I could answer the phone! Get up, walk down one hall, down another, and voila! I'm there!!

--A MAJOR point.....what will I learn about myself?!?!??? Will I be more appreciative of the power of speaking? Will I learn to use it better, more efficiently? Will this help me not only stop taking speaking, but many other things, for granted?

--How will my ability to observe and understand other people change, and, hopefully, improve? You know, sometimes you can't really listen to the whole situation until you shut up.

And now's my chance to get all the details on all the situations. :)

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Needless to say I will probably spend more time here than normal for the next two weeks, the great outlet this is for speaking your mind.

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Final Four CORRECTION---In my Monday post I stated Gary Hess had picked Georgetown to win it all. I was wrong; his email read Florida over Georgetown. Oops!


I'm looking forward to the games tomorrow night.

So, for now, time for good night, plenty of pondering, but, please, as always...no wagering.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Orlando, lots of money.....

....pretzel at Universal Studios....outrageous

....SpongeBob toe socks for little sister....$7.50 on clearance

....going to Florida without Mom and Dad....priceless

The gang returned to school last night around 1030. They were a bunch of exhausted high schoolers. He had a wonderful time, but was ready to come home.

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Me? We're completing day 15 of no voice. This has become WAY past annoying now. Can't talk to kids on phone, can't talk to co-workers in same room, so it's like I'm watching reality unfold around me but I'm in Section 308 instead of on the field where I should be. The coughing sucks, too.

So? I'm contemplating a call to my ear/nose/throat doctor who did an incredible job with my deviated septum surgery back in '03. Just want to make sure that there's not more than meets the eye.

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I, as usual, didn't do very well picking the Final Four.

I got one right, though. And they were also my pick to win it all, so my hope is still alive in that center line in the bracket.

Georgetown.

And here's some optimism....

UNREAL, BUT GET THIS....our Sports Director for WRVA and Virginia News Network (and fellow "24" fan) Gary Hess, correctly predicted all four teams!

He ALSO chose Georgetown to cut down the nets. Maybe I can ride his coattails...:)

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Good episode of "24" tonight....at least the Rick Schroder character shows promise of having more depth than just a bully who got away with something in Denver.

President Palmer's last second phone call seemed a bit surreal, but it is television, folks. And, well.....I'll be interested to see where Vice President Daniels come 6am tomorrow morning.

And Jack....great interaction with Brady. Love seeing the 3D-side of Jack. Great writing, great character, excellent way to bring out that line of the story.

Good night, folks. :)

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

And Mr. Witham's off to Orlando!!

Robbie's high school chorus trip to Orlando, Florida and Universal Studios began tonight as the charter buses left Hermitage High just after 8pm.

I was great there and while waiting for him to depart.

I cried at work before, and when the bus is pulling out of the school. Rachel and I cried, hugged, and she said...even though he bugs me, I still love him.

He's one step closer to being on his own.....and it's all happening way, way too fast.

Happy trails, Robbie! Get some sun and bring back the grand prize!!!

Thank you, Mr. DeForest

Calvert DeForest. Known to millions like me first as Larry "Bud" Melman.

He passed away Monday at age 85. If one person, other than Dave Letterman himself, exemplified the revolutionary humor of the Letterman era, it was Larry/Calvin.

He was just himself, agreeing to do off the wall bits, and was able to make America laugh, time after time. And with such ease. Nothing complex, and not needing to be a "character"; he was just himself. And he had some of the best sense of comedic timing I've ever seen.

If you enjoyed Mr. DeForest's work, thank him, his friends and colleagues, by signing the guest book over at Legacy.com.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Advertisements that are.....

.....an insult to the female gender, part two.

Maxoderm.

I only offer a link because you can see one of their ridiculous ads on their home page. They have two, all over digital cable (you can't watch History International for an hour without seeing this commercial at least once---no one watching History International has "stamina" anymore??)

Commercial one: It's the spot on the site. Long-haired blonde, mid 20s, at the bar, sees older man, is thankful she happens to have Maxoderm in her purse (because he doesn't have time to SAY to her he's got it on him....they're across the room from each other), then heads over, turns back and talks about how Maxoderm is "totally different" than the ED drugs, then turns and walks with Dad....I mean Uncle....I mean Old Boss....I mean tonight's date out the door.

STOP! As an aside, yes I do think God places men and women with significant age differences together, that wasn't a blanket statement about legit relationships. This is all about finding tonight's sex toy.

Now---my question....is she so hard up to find someone that she has to make sure she can provide the, ah, stamina, for said guy by carrying the stuff in her purse?

Oh...and does it even work? That's another post that probably won't show up here.

Hope Blondie also brought a few other things with her to prevent, like, STD's, while that Maxoderm's at work.

Commercial two: Size-six, dark haired, 26 year old woman, partying on the dance floor like it's 1999. Wears the "3/4 shirt" so we get plenty of shots of her slender, shapely belly sweating up a storm while we're entertained by her navel.

*tongue firmly in cheek*

After dancing for six days (just kidding...maybe), guy notices her fluffing her hair around as if she were looking for live animals in her scalp. He goes for his "date choice of the night" and she responds. I guess she's already figured out he's got Maxoderm (in public? HOW?!?), because as he whisks her away, at the door she tells us, "...he doesn't need a prescription, he's got Maxoderm".

What? Did he have his Maxoderm ID bracelet on or something?

So, tonight's lesson is this: women are more likely to involve themselves in risky one-night stands if they either:

---find a man wearing the "I've got Maxoderm in my pocket and I'm happy to see you" T-Shirt

---make sure they've stocked up on Maxoderm at home, in the car, and in the purse, for you never know when you'll find the right guy whose name you do not know.

AM I THE ONLY ONE OUTRAGED AT HOW DISGRACEFUL AND DENEGRATING THESE PORTRAYALS ARE??

Are there women like this? Yes, I know that.

Do I think Maxoderm will be around in five years? Ah, no. I don't see it in the FDA's approval line anytime soon, so it'll have its 15 minutes, then get repackaged with another name and even bigger claim.

And be it known in closing.....I'm not posting this out of jealousy. I don't need Maxoderm. At least, that's what wifey says. :)

Advertisements that are......

...an insult to the female gender.

1) Nutrisystem. These air all over GSN (you know, only fat people watch Match Game), and, there it was on CNN yesterday at McDonalds.....

Check THIS line out (I'm quoting the best as I can....)

"I have my life back; my husband says he has his wife back."

Okay...his wife was GONE because she put on 40 pounds. First, I could on all day with jokes about, you know, "there was more of her, how could he lose her? Ha ha.."

Why do I have the feeling this guy married her, in part (I give benefit of the doubt) because of her shape. And maybe not her shape as it connects to the more important element, her soul. Her heart.

See, my wife has been obese her entire life. So when I hear a guy talk about "getting his wife back" again after she loses weight, I seeth. The ONLY acceptable way to use this logic is if the 40 pound loss aided in reducing or eliminating a medical problem. Then, that's great. But if it's simply because his wife's got "the hots" back? GIVE ME A BREAK.

I've only known my wife to be at under 200 pounds in our 19 years of marriage on two short-term occasions. Add 40 pounds to her, and nothing changes in the heart and soul. She's just as, how shall I say, ah, good in bed no matter what her weight total has EVER been while we've been together.

She had Lap-Band Surgery in December.

I know you now are rolling your eyes thinking, "oh! Now I get it! Your situation isn't vanity!" THINK, people, think.

She has a direct relative who lives in retirement in an easy chair. Not because of the pension plan and the great financial investments of 40 years. It's because she's a minimum of 300 pounds and rarely can go anywhere except from one adult child's house to another.

My wife wants to ride rollercoasters with her grandchildren. She wants to get back to re-doing the backyard landscape...and re-doing, and re-doing.....

She doesn't want diabetes. In less than 90 days since the surgery, she's already off her HBP medication.

And all this she will.

And me? I won't get "my wife back". She never left. In fact, it'll be strange to see her quite a bit less than me (pressure's on me now!).

MY PROBLEM?---She's already had two customers at her financial institution hit on her. I knew the vain men would start noticing.

As for me? I'm going to bed. :) :) :)

Monday, March 19, 2007

I know I couldn't talk, but I didn't mean not to post.....

:)

Welcome to day nine of laryngitis. This has been a strange "cold aka whatever". Nasal congestion, sure. Followed by chest congestion...check. Cough develops. Hardly any cough! And, while taking my cough medicine (an expectorant), almost all the coughs are productive.

Yet, the voice shows a little improvement only. Usually in about a week I'm back in action. Wonder who has the Rob doll and they keep sticking needles in the neck? :)

Anyway.....a few notes over these past few days:

--Three of my Final Four remain alive (Oregon, Texas A&M, and Georgetown, my pick to win it all).
--God bless VCU. What a gutsy performance to beat Duke, and I really wished I saw the Pitt game, especially the big comeback.
--Down side of VCU's national exposure---Anthony Grant won't be their coach very long.
--I was surprised (probably with alot of other fans) at how few upsets there have been. Good news about that--we'll see some MONSTER matchups Thursday and Friday in the Sweet Sixteen.

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Remind me to rail about Nutri-System and their discriminatory advertising.

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Remind me to rail about Comcast, GSN, and a great editorial I saw in the local paper Sunday.

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And, finally, remind me to be thoroughly embarrassed to be an ACC fan right now. How pitiful was this weekend, eh??


P.S.--excellent episode of "24" again this week---they left Maria in "holding" (pardon the pun), the war happy Veep is causing drastic measures himself, and by others, and we learn that, among other things, Jack can fly a drone.

We also learned Audrey Raines is dead. And maybe the plot of "24" the Movie. Jack's revenge in China. Wouldn't surprise me.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Several quick thoughts.....

1) "24" was excellent last night! They were back on their game, especially with the great acting of President Logan, Martha, and Aaron Pierce. See? Jack doesn't have to be on half the show or more! But, we learned that last year. Next week looks really interesting, and I wouldn't trust Suberov for love nor money. :)

2) Hillary is already beckoning the term "vast right-wing conspiracy", and it's only March 2007. There must be some numbers in their inside polling that are already worrying them. Good Lord, she's got to create the "vast left-wing conspiracy" so she can get the nomination!

3) I HATE Maxoderm commercials. The ladies set the female gender back a minimum of 50 years.

4) Fred Thompson? Yeah, I can dig that. My lady in Philly has been telling us this for weeks and weeks, and I think there's a gap in there that he could fill and get right into the thick of the race.

5) After staying out of work yesterday and returning today, feeling better but with no voice, I really haven't studied the Tournament Brackets that much. I need to get this done by tomorrow night.

More to come....but right now, I've gotta eat!

Saturday, March 10, 2007

I'll be Wolfpack Red until I'm dead.......

Go NC State Wolfpack!!

It's been a good weekend for Sidney Lowe, his red jacket, and his NC State Wolfpack.

I was excited when State hired Sidney as basketball coach, because the program finally restored connection to its glory years of Jim Valvano, esp. the 1983 Cardiac Pack National Champions (Lowe was our point guard).

So, I got to see NC State put away Duke Thursday in overtime, and Virginia last night (it's always sweet to see UVA lose!!), and I wake up this evening to find out they defeated Virginia Tech for the 3rd time this season. State is in the ACC Tournament final!!

Here's hoping that this great run ends like the 1983 ACC Final, when State had to win to make the NCAA Tournament; they beat UVA and Ralph Sampson by three, opening the door for them to make the most improbable run to the NCAA Championship ever (sorry, Villanova).

As opposed to 1997, 2002 and 2003, when surprising Pack runs ended on Sunday afternoon, losing to UNC, Duke, and Duke again, in that order.

Go get 'em Sidney! Now, where can I go buy myself a red jacket??

HAVE A HAPPY PERIOD??!!??!!??

NO---I cannot understand a women's period.

I'm a man.

Even if I'm married, work in the same office as three women, and am counting the months until I have to buy the first "supplies" for my daughter.

I don't have a flippin' clue.

But this lady does. Easily one of the funniest blog posts I've ever read. Ladies, enjoy!!! Men, just move on, we don't have a clue. :)

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

When Cable News looks weird......




Kiran Chetry....on CNN.

I haven't seen her on TV there yet; I had heard she bolted Fox after some, ah, negotiating issues, I reckon.

She always struck me as a Fox News person "through and through", as it were. Really don't know why.

So, when I saw the above screen grab online tonight (thanks to reportercaps.com), I thought, surreal.

Kinda like when your favorite wrestler left one promotion for another back in the 1980s or 1990s. What? Hulk Hogan in WCW? It doesn't LOOK RIGHT!!!

Good luck, Kiran!! :)

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Post No. #550-----

Feels like I'm moving up the all-time home run list.....without steroids.

As a kid, buying the Street and Smith's Baseball Yearbook before they cried, "Play Ball!" was one of the rites of spring. And I especially studied the pages that gave the updated all-time leaders in all categories (some of you may not remember when Babe Ruth was the king at 714!)

Quick aside---April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron can break Ruth's record at home against the Dodgers. The game is on NBC's Monday Night Baseball. Storm moves through Beaverdam, and, yep, we lose power. Later, Dad comes in the room to inform bro and I that Aaron hit number 715 (he heard it on battery-operated radio). Hmmm....never did ask him why he didn't just yell for us to come into his room to join him and listen...

Anyway, I'm up to 550 posts on this ol' blog. Most things in life that I've attempted....

---Staying up 24 hours straight
---Staying up to watch all 21 1/2 hours of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon
---Staying up 24 hours straight playing records the whole time

....what's my fixation on 24? Hee hee......

I'm just glad that, for once in my life, I stuck to a personal project, and that's cool. I know it doesn't warm any other hearts, and probably won't inspire anyone to do anything, but, I'm happy.

Now, to go write that novel....or series of children's books I've always wanted to write......

....like my blogger friend in Philly. :)


P.S.----Ms. Clinton preaches the politics of division here. I thought she decried that....hmmm......

P.P.S.----Follow up to last post....here's Hillary does Gomer Pyle (and I mean an impression!)

Monday, March 05, 2007

February's Winning Numbers....

....4, 5, 14, 20, and 26.

Blogosphere Explosion

1) Ann Coulter brings an F-bomb (no, not the word for IC) on John Edwards, and most conservatives reply with disdain and disgust. I, too, join them. There's alot of things she has said/written with which I have wholeheartedly agreed. I also don't have a problem with reasonable satire. Note the word "reasonable". Calling someone a f....., is not reasonable. Period.

2) Good job by Michelle Malkin tonight on O'Reilly explaining this whole mess. Her reminding us of Ronald Reagan's speeches at CPAC brought about the stark contrast between "Morning in America" and, well...that f-word, which "was a joke", Ann said.

3) I'll withhold comment on Hillary's hymn sing until I get a chance to see and hear it for myself.

Dear God, we've got to live with this crap for another 20 MONTHS???!!!???

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"24"! YES, IT IS ON!

Oh, and it's the 5pm hour and Jack just can't get the "going into the consulate" thing out of his system. You'd think 20 months in a Chinese prison would change a guy's mind.......

Let me offer up some conversation banter here.....

Jack taking an ambassador hostage in his own consulate is breaking law, right?
Reid, et al, setting the bomb to kill Palmer is breaking law, right?

Yes, the plot to kill Palmer is much worse in terms of "level of law breaking", but how can I actually sit here and tell Jack to break the law if that's what it takes to find the ultimate bad guy, while booing Reid, Carson, et al, for their lawbreaking. Right? Am I right? The issue tonight, is justification. I'm still developing this line of thought.....

.....as my wife pointed out, the pretty lady from last year's "Invasion" show has landed a job on "24" as the Veep's assistant.

At 5:46PM.....FROM THE JACK BAUER HYMNAL----COUNT YOUR FINGERS, BREAK THEM ONE BY ONE.......

.....and then Jack gets bombed. I think Jack had a brief flashback to the Chinese Consulate and thought it better to get assaulted at the consulate rather than, say, in Siberia......

310-597-3781. If I call that number, do I get CTU or a "24" promo?

Why do you leave a door open to make a secret phone call? Don't you, like LOCK IT to give yourself some extra time???

Season six is not living up to season five (I don't think any season will....), but we'll see what happens from here. I will say this:

THANK YOU to the writers/producers of "24" for not making us go through possible nuclear explosions every two hours all day long. There's more character development, and I do like that. I don't need all the bombs. But I know lots of "24" fans do.

Tonight's "24" brought to you by the Dodge Avenger, and DEEP PURPLE!!

So exactly how does a Dodge Avenger put smoke on the water, and fire in the sky?
I dunno.

Friday, March 02, 2007

It ain't just the stock market......

......my emotions have been going on a huge rollercoaster ride this week, and at the closing bell tonight, I admit that I've experienced significant losses, too.

The good news is I don't plan on selling myself off anytime soon. :)

The bad news is it's becoming apparent that February 19, 2007 will go down as one of the worst days of, say, the past almost 40 years of my life......

Don't ask why. It's private.

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Bloggers----you know this feeling. You see something and want to link to it, hear something and want to comment on it, but are so busy that, three days later, when you finally get a chance to blog......I CANNOT REMEMBER A THING. :)

But I'll try.

First, a couple of links to good stories from this week's CBS Evening News.

---Over 50 years, and they're still playing cards.....

---This lady didn't just play the fiddle, she made it, too! Oh, and she's 90.


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What fringe 0.13 percent of the population elected Al Gore the "next God"??

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Rachel says her school has celebrated her 10th birthday all week by having great lunches, every day this week.

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I'd like to go back to North Carolina this weekend. Had more fun there last weekend than I have this week. And I hear the BBQ is good down there, too. :)

OH, AND FINALLY----to the potential winner of tonight's $275 million dollar Mega Millions jackpot, I know a GREAT way to make a small investment and create nice revenue growth. Call it your "coffee fund".

P.S.----Get off Katie Couric's back!!! I'm sick and tired of hearing everybody gripe about her and call her a failure, yadda, yadda.

Do any of you remember when Walter Cronkite was TAKEN OFF the anchor desk at a 1964 National Convention when CBS News looked for a team to take on the then #1 team of Huntley and Brinkley on NBC??

Alright then. Hang in there, Katie. :)