I couldn't let Walter Cronkite's passing go without a tip of the hat to him. He was literally our first news anchorman. The term "news anchor" was coined with Cronkite in mind.
I will always associate him with the death of JFK. I remember his sobering reporting and that he almost lost it, emotionally, on TV. I also, along with Lawrence Welk, associate him with my grandparents... watching the huge and heavy floor model black and white tv with Walt telling us what was going on in the world. "And that's the way it is... " I knew as soon as the news was finished, a good program would be coming on like Red Skelton or the Ed Sullivan show.
To be honest, I didn't realize Uncle Walt was still with us, but since he was 92 I'm not going to feel bad about it.
PS: Remember when tv programming didn't start until 2 or 3pm... up until then you would only see a "test pattern" on the screen. The programs would cease around midnight or shortly there after. I tell ya, I'm old as dirt!
Instead of saying "HEY! You're eating too much!!!" you can now say "Oh sweetie... you need to watch your portion control, bless your little heart." Its one of the new marketing phrases.
Last week we had a grey and misty/rainy day and I decided to fix some pinto beans while the weather was appropriate (as apposed to now when we are in the 90 degree range). As I waited for the pot to boil I glanced over the product information section on the package. The bag of beans contained 13 servings. I looked at the bag of beans. I looked at the bowl. "I don't think so."
I then checked out 'serving size'.... a serving of pinto beans (dry) is 1/4 cup. (00)
This is approximately 1/4 a cup of beans as the crow flies. (I don't have anything that measures 1/4... this measuring cup starts at 1/2 a cup, so I guessimated by sight.)
This is what 1/4 of a cup of dry beans looks like in a bowl. (For scientific purposes of measurement, I used a striped bowl. Please note color and size of stripe where beans end for later visual referencing.)
This is a bowl showing what a "wet" serving of beans would be... 1/2 a cup of beans. One laddle full. Is this a 'regular' serving for you? Am I outta touch? My serving would be a full bowl of chili. Then seconds.
It feels like a lie. False advertising. The bag of beans said the calorie count was something like 110 calories a serving. Well yeah! When a serving is half a cup.
"Hey, George. Lets promote this product as "reduced calories".... we just need to alter the package and make the serving size smaller. Easy Peasy!"
I don't consider myself a coffee snob, especially since there are so many coffees out there that I have not tried. However, I have spoiled myself and I do not like the massed produced cheap coffee. In the picture you will notice two different bags of coffee. This is a warning. Just because coffee is in a bag it does not mean its good tasting coffee. The Tully coffee SUCKS! Clearly they have used nothing but the cheapest of beans and didn't give a damn about the roasting. Tully coffee tastes like the kind that you pay $3 and get 50 pounds of it. I caved on getting Tully because it was on sale and at the time I was counting pennies. It was buy one, get one free. But as you can see, I quickly replaced the yucky stuff with something better. The Tully coffee will now be put up as emergency rations.
I made myself a treat this morning.... iced mocha coffee. And to make sure it felt like a treat, I used a plastic cup. (hahaha... "ohhhh a plastic cup! What a treat that is!!") My daughter left the cup here and I kept it around just so I could fix an iced mocha and pretend I bought it. You know what the pathetic part of all this is.... its that I'm pretending with just myself. No one else will see it. Yet here I am, sharing this information. I gotta get out more.
The final product looks yummy. One thing about an iced drink...it sure goes down quickly! I think this might be my final 'pretend' with a plastic cup. I'm going to be sticking with a tall glass next time. No sense in putting on airs.
I was just skipping thru links and came across this entertaining blog and thought you might want to take a look, too. Its Miss Doodle's Day. I like how its done. Light, airy, and oh so French.
We had an impromptu sleepover the other night. 'Mom' and the boys stopped by to drop something off. It was late. The boys were already in their pj's and looked all clean, fresh, and innocent as boys their age are wont to appear. Vyron caught me at a weak moment and charmed me. (Its not a difficult task.)
"gamma, can I stay with you? Pleassssseeeeeee" with head cocked to one side, eyes looking up at me between dark lashes, smile playing on the lips. Damn. I dare a gramma to say no to that pressure!! I caved, okay? It took only a second. Sigh.
The boys were perfect that evening. Sweet young things that were actually doing what I asked them to do!! "No, put the screwdriver back in the drawer. There's nothing to take apart tonight." These are the short lived moments that keep hope for future generations alive. When will we learn?
The next day started off alright but progressed downward, as far as Darius goes anyway. Nothing out of bounds, mind you, but just not as sweet as the night before. I guess it might be akin to an evening out. By the end of the evening and the end of the alcohol, magic is in the air and you are surrounded by royalty. The next morning the magic has turned into a dank, smoke-filled room and there's an ugly toad sleeping on the floor. I think Darius was simply getting bored. These are the times that make me dream of the fairy tale. A fairy tale where young children could go outside by themselves (after a certain age, of course) and play until they were called to lunch. Sigh. Norman Rockwell...you big tease!!
Crime fighter, that's me. I don't have a cape or spandex shorts right now, but I think I could find a couple of metal bracelets if I looked for them good enough.
It was about 5am. It was light outside, but the sun had not risen yet. I guess you could say it was "by dawn's early light." I had just silently stepped out of my door to have my first cigarette of the day. One more child can have a medical procedure, but I digress. I leaned up against the building and glanced around. There, coming around the fence along the lot next to us, was a tall man dressed all in black. It was too far away to see faces. He stopped as soon as he saw me...then turned and walked back around the fence. (Its a fence that goes around another property and one side of it is up against the lot next to us.)
My first thoughts as this all happened were...
Who is THAT! followed by "Now that's odd. I wonder what he was up to...hmmmm."
I think I figured it out by the end of the cigarette. Folks in another apartment had locked up a small bike to one of the stair posts. I think the guy was going to rip off the bike... until he saw me. I'm guessing a crackhead. And he probably had not yet noticed the huge logging chain and lock on it.
So once again, I foiled a crime. And me without a cape!
No, its not an obituary column. Not yet, anyway. Its just that I want to acknowledge another passing. I'm not sure why, but perhaps its because it is so unexpected.
Do you know who I mean when I say Billy Mays? Does the name sound familiar? Did someone's image pop into your mind? I'm talking about the pitchman for OxiClean and other infomercial products. You know, the energetic, loud man with the fake black beard. (it looks fake to me ??) He was found dead and there are no apparent reasons for it. He was 50 yrs old.
It was reported that he had said he wasn't feeling well the night before being found. It was also reported that he had a fairly rough airplane landing and got hit on the head by something. (upon landing the plane's tire blew.)
Well that just made me jump to conclusions... like ?? Richardson's passing. Remember? She, the actress, bumped her head while skiing and died later. Is it the same cause of death? (Update: I put ?? for Richardson's first name because I'm not sure I had the correct one earlier. Sorry.)
I just stopped to ask myself WTF? Why all this reporting on death? I'm not sure. At first I thought it was to acknowledge his passing because it may not be widely reported... but I think most of us know who he was. Now I'm conjuring up other possible reasons.
First, the obvious... Love the ones you're with because you may not be with them as long as you think. (I'm paraphrasing something.)
Second, Pay attention. YOU may not be here as long as you think. (notice how I excluded myself?)
Third, is this a sign? Am I prepping myself? I say this only because I watched part of the movie Bruce Almighty where Bruce is praying for a sign. As he's driving along and praying, he's passing by all kinds of signs. Stop, Curves Ahead, etc. And he doesn't connect.
Fourth, I dunno what comes next. That's for you to fill in.
It feels like I'm done with obituary reporting now. The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, and there's some rose buds waiting to be picked.
Relief.... I felt relief that Farrah Fawcett would no longer be suffering. Her valient struggle is over, not only for herself but for those who love her. She was no quitter, that's for sure. And the more early interviews that I see of her, the more impressed I become. I remember seeing the tv movie The Burning Bed and was completely blown away by her acting. She WAS a battered woman in that movie. It was amazing. I know the hole she leaves in the hearts of many will be hard to fill... if they are able to fill it at all. May they feel relief as well. Bittersweet.
And then the shock. Michael Jackson gone at age 50. Stunned. A blur of surreal images. No matter what went on in his private life, I don't think anyone can take away his tremendous talent for performing. He was such a darling little boy. Where did that little boy go? Lost in the sickness that is fame. Worldwide fame.
I always first remember Michael in his early years. Its sad to think of where he started and where he ended up. A freak. Its just sad that he became a poster-boy to warn others about fame and fortune. Sad, sad, sad. That's what makes me tear up the most. Fame and fortune on steroids.
Yet....what a magnificent talent.
Too bad he didn't have an anchor to ground himself.
I suspect the toxicology tests will show a lot. And as time passes and more and more information is shared, I suspect it will be even more freakish. Lisa Marie as much as said so. She was glad they were celebrating Michael now... before more information is shared.
Perhaps both of their passings are a relief. In the long run.
oh dear. My friend (I mentioned previously about her health issues) emailed me today about a dream she had... a happy dream for her. To me it was and is worrisome. Her dream was about meeting up with her fun-loving ex husband (Who died a few years ago) and they had a lot of fun. It ended with her at the base of a bridge where she warned a little girl to put her shoes on....
When someone is waiting at the bottom of a bridge to cross over... its not a good sign. Not from my perspective. It symbolizes a crossing over. And a warning about shoes?! Her circulatory problem is in her legs and feet. oh crap.
I could tell she felt good about the dream. I sure don't. If one pays attention, life gives you a heads up on important things. I think its to help one to cope. Sigh.
That's what I thought as I selected these two drawings to post. Gawd, they could be 'before and after' images." 'Before' shows a fresh young thing with all possibilities still ahead of her. 'After' shows the remains after life has slapped her around a bit....as life is apt to do.
The woman and dog's hats are covered with tulle. (Is that the right fabric term?) I was stumped as to how to draw tulle, how to capture the look of partial opaqueness. (I'll have to check the spelling of that, too, but you get my drift.) In the after image the dog is all she has left. He cares for the woman very much and knows how important he is in her life. Her only friend. Her only companion. Because of this he tolerates her escapades, her misguided trips down doggy-fashion lane. He has a big heart for such a small dog.
It seems like I've gotten out of the habit of posting, but its really because I didn't have anything to talk about. One day leads to another and before you know it a week has passed.
I made my usual Saturday trip to my friend's place for games and conversation. She's experiencing health issues now. We kind of joked about both her and her car falling apart at the same time. Not so funny, truth be told.
Several months ago she had emergency heart bypass surgery. She didn't bounce back the way I expected but she did bounce back. I expected cart wheels and dancing because, you know, her heart is moving the blood around so much better now. It didn't happen... the cart wheels and dancing. Now there's talk of angioplasty surgery. Periphial Artery Disease. Normally I always feel 'everything will be okay', but this one has me feeling just a little concerned. My friend is also diabetic and it takes her longer to heal. They have her on the fast track in getting tests done. Currently she waits to hear what comes next and how soon.
She doesn't talk about it much. You have to ask the questions. I can feel her concern, too. Its bubbling just below the surface.
I was at my friend's place yesterday when she looked out the window and asked in wonderment "are those bicylists naked?" I couldn't answer her question because I was faced away from the window, so being a good friend I jumped up to see.
"Yup.................. They're naked alright."
I would guessimate there were between 10 to 15 bicylcist. I could only see them from behind. When we saw them they were riding down the street between a church and a grade school/park. They could be exposing themselves to charges of indecent exposure.
I don't know what point they were focusing on, but I've seen this type of behavior in previous years on the news. I can't remember why they were doing it, though.
UPDATE: Apparently riding naked is an event that occurs all over the world, according to my local news station. The reasons or purpose of it varies from place to place and year to year.
I didn't have my camera with me, but by the time I would have got it ready to snap a picture, the 'bikers' would have been gone. I'm thinking a cellphone camera would have been handy.
Perhaps the bicylcists were just helping to keep Portland weird. I'd say it showed their commitment, if that's the case. I sure hope they disinfect their bike seats afterwards.
I just got done hooking up my tv converter box. No glitches, although I can see how someone without any experience with electronic technology at all could be frustrated. "Oh dear, what if I push this button and I blow up my tv?! Or just break it!"
I'm not so sure I qualify for being an early bird by getting the converter box connected this morning. It looks like five of our seven local channels are still using the analog signal...probably until later this evening. However, two channels have already switched and one of them is a channel I watch later in the morning.
Now I am a proud owner of two remote controls. An extra remote control to keep up with... it might prove interesting. The downside is that once all the channels have switched to digital signals I won't be able to listen to the tv shows on my walkman. (the walkman I have picked up most of the channels.) Bummer. However, I will be glad when I don't have to watch the PSA (public service announcements) any more.
So... shall I watch old movies or Japanese table tennis?
Added later: Oh great. Everytime I change channels, I have to get up and move the antenna! Sigh.
Sketch using a magazine ad. I chuckled when I looked at the drawing just now. That creek looks to be pretty deep. I'd be wondering what's in the water before I stuck my toes in there.
One of our local morning talk shows had a doctor/author on who has written a book about premonitions. (The Power of Premonishions by Larry Dossey, M.D.) He's, or 'they', are researching premonitions using measurments that will satisfy the sciencific world.
One of the things he mentioned surprised me because I do not remember hearing this about the 9/11 plane crashes. He said all four airplanes were only 20% full on average. He believes that this was as a result of a lot of premonishions happening. (I don't recall hearing this on the news... that the planes were not full. Have any of you heard this?)
Edit: I just googled and the only thing I found indicated there was an average of 61 people per plane, which includes staff. I've never been on a plane, but this sounds like the planes may not have been completely full. Please share if you know about how full or empty the planes were.
One example he gave was a woman, booked for one of the flights, was scheduled to speak before the United Nations. That morning she woke up with a great feeling of malaise. She called the UN and told them she would not be coming... one just doesn't blow off the United Nations, but she stuck to her guns.
Here's a reminder of what its like in the cool of winter. (Some of these scene may have been shown on national tv, so it might look a little familar.) What life can be like if you live on an incline.
ohmygosh... there's quite a few videos showing icy/snowy driving. Just a reminder of why I don't drive if there is more than five snow flakes on the ground. Here's a link to a video taken in Russia. If you watch it, check out the guy who ski's with his feet.
Now when the police shoot and kill someone the medical examiner lists the death as a suicide. How'd the police get the ME to do that?? (rhetorical question.)
And if you want to seek help for a friend or relative that may be going through something emotional, don't call the police. They'll just kill 'em. Some help, huh.
In our area we had a young man who tried to cut his wrists. The police were sent out on a welfare check and it ended up the young man was shot in the chest and died. A witness told a reporter that they just shot him and she didn't see him holding anything, like a knife. "They didn't have to kill him." The witness was quickly taken back behind the police tape so reporters couldn't talk to her more.
Most of us in this area of the country know that if you want to commit suicide and you don't have the guts to do it yourself, just call the police and when they get there throw a cardboard box at them. They will no doubt shoot you because they fear for their own well being.
Feared for their safety... a guy with a knife against several policemen with bullet proof vests, fire arms, tasers... what were they missing? Time? Time to defuse the situation? I don't know. The guy might have planned on suicide by police, but that doesn't mean the police need to actually do it.
"…the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy.All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” –Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichsmarschall
