The Blog Less Traveled

Do you ever drive down the highway and see a sign that you do a double take on? Or, you’re in a store and see a sign and wonder, “What were they thinking?” Over the past week or so I’ve come across some signs and billboards that got my attention for one reason or another.

The first picture is a billboard on US-31 in Michigan. I don’t need to know that Michiganders are proud of breastfeeding. Really, I don’t. Don’t get me wrong. It’s nice that they’re proud. I just don’t need to see a 10-foot breast on the highway telling me that. I’m easily distracted by much smaller ones. I’ve got enough on the road to deal with already. The next thing you know, there’s going to be a 10-foot athletic cup with the caption, “Michigan Men Protect Their Jewels With Pride.”

This second picture is from a urinal in a men’s restroom. As I was standing there doing my thing, I read the following: “Place hand in front of automatic eye for 15 seconds to flush.” Ah huh. I’m going to just stand there for 15 seconds and wait for the stupid urinal to decide and flush. Sorry, folks. Ain’t gonna happen. Maybe five seconds but not 15. Do they really expect someone to stand around that long just to get their urinal to flush? Either put a handle on it or make it flush automatically. I’d like to know how many people are really going to stand around that long and do it. Actually, I’d like to meet the idiot that designed this.

The third picture is a sticker on a 2010 Chevy Camaro SS. My daughter and I were looking at the new Camaros. Back in 2008, the state of California (surprise!) mandated these stickers on their cars. Apparently, they’re finding their way onto cars in all the states. I guess they’re supposed to shame you into buying a “greener” car. The sticker says, “Protect the environment, choose vehicles with higher scores.” Yeah, right. How many people are going to really use this sticker as a determining factor in their car purchase? If someone is in the market for a performance car, then the car’s looks, horsepower and features are going to sway that individual, not the global warming factor. If you’re into economical or high mileage cars, you’re going to look at price and mpg. I can’t imagine that someone is going to use the “Global Warming Factor” or “Smog Score” on the sticker. Plus, if two cars are almost identical in features, engines, etc., chances are, the scores will be pretty much the same. I can just hear the auto customers now. “Gee Mary, I really had my heart set on the Dodge Viper with the 600hp V10 engine but the Ford Taurus has a much higher global warming score so I guess I’ll get the Ford!”

If you’re a chocolate aficionado then you have to try Brookside’s Dark Chocolate Covered Pomegranates. These things are awesome. If you like chocolate covered raisins, almonds, etc., then you’re going to love these. The quality of the dark chocolate is excellent and the taste of the pomegranates will make your mouth water. This is definitely my new favorite chocolate treat. Pop one or two of these in your mouth and you’re in for a great chocolate high. They’ll probably even cure PMS, depression and any drug addition you might have! If you like chocolate but don’t like these, then you’re in serious need of medical attention.

The best price by far for a 2 lb. bag is at Costco. Amazon.com also carries them but they’re over $17 there and only a little over $9 at Costco. Wal-Mart carries them in a 12 oz. plastic tub but I don’t know what they charge.

Let me warn you though. These things are addictive. Bet you can’t eat just one.

Well, it’s been awhile since my last post. Lots of things have been going on in my life but they’re way too personal to discuss on this blog. Writing on the blog has certainly taken a back seat these past several months. I don’t know if I’ll get back into it or not, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

In another lame attempt to impress my lady friends, I give you my version of the omelette. This is my first omelette ever. Basically, it’s a four-egg omelette with cheese, tomatoes and olives. Yeah, I know. What’s with the olives? It’s the only thing I had in the refrigerator besides the cheese and tomatoes. Plus, I love olives, green or black. I figured these would give the omelette a little extra kick in taste. I have to admit, it wasn’t a bad tasting omelette. It was cooked just a little longer than I would have preferred but that was because I wasted a little time in getting the camera and taking the picture. All-in-all, it was pretty tasty and I’ll definitely do it again.

My cooking ability is still pretty pathetic. I’ve only done sunny-side-up eggs, scrambled eggs and now the infamous omelette. I can also cook pasta. That’s pretty much it besides heating TV dinners and vegetables in a microwave. Hey, at least I’m not starving!

Well, until next time folks, keep it tuned here for the next episode of the Kulinary King.

Let’s set the record straight. There is absolutely NO conclusive scientific evidence that man is creating global warming. None whatsoever. Are we causing some pollution in the atmosphere in certain parts of the world due to the burning of fossil fuels? Absolutely. I think that there is common agreement on this issue. We should do everything we can to minimize pollutants in the air. However, I challenge anyone out there to show me scientific proof that man is creating global warming. And no, just because Al Gore says so doesn’t make it so. I am utterly amazed at the gullibility of people that take his movie and slideshows as gospel.

There is no compelling evidence that I can find that backs up, with a high degree of certainty, the claims of the global warming fanatics. For every report in their favor, I can produce one to refute it. It is the United Nations report (United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – UN IPCC) from the late 1990’s that is used so extensively to back up global warming claims. Do you really trust the political motivations and individuals running that show? Based on its less than stellar performance in most other areas, the quality and validity of anything they do is suspect. Did you know that the Earth has actually cooled since 1998?

Here are a few quotes from noted scientists and experts in the field that you won’t find in the standard media outlets:

“There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate,” the petition states. “Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.”

“The models and forecasts of the UN IPCC are incorrect because they only are based on mathematical models and presented results at scenarios that do not include, for example, solar activity.”

“Earth has cooled since 1998 in defiance of the predictions by the UN-IPCC….The global temperature for 2007 was the coldest in a decade and the coldest of the millennium…which is why ‘global warming’ is now called ‘climate change.’”

Here are a few links to read if you’d like to get a more informed opinion.

U. S. Senate Minority Report
The Amazing Story Behind the Global Warming Scam
31,000 scientists reject ‘global warming’ agenda

My blog has a birthday! It was one year old yesterday, March 28th. Woot woot. Since I host my blog on my own domain that I control, I have access to various statistics about the site. The graphic on the left shows the top 25 countries that have visited my blog this past month. I went from about 700 visits/month during my first full month online to about 2400 visits/month for the current month. A very small fish swimming in the big Internet pond. Blogging serves as a useful diversion for me when I get the urge to write about something. However, I don’t expect the New York Times to be knocking on my door any time soon with an offer!

What some people may not realize is just how pervasive blogging has become. Every Tom, Dick and Harry, myself included, is doing it. There are millions of blogs on just about every subject imaginable, and then some. What I found most interesting was discovering that other websites and blogs had links on their sites to my various postings that I’ve written over the past year. There is a technology out there called web robots, or bots for short. Bots are sophisticated software applications that can scour the Internet at tremendous speeds and gather and catalog all the information available on a website. This is the technology that Google and other search engines use to provide you with the ability to find things on the Internet. In my case, companies or individuals are using their own bots to find sites that have certain keywords that they want to catalog and list on their sites. For example, they might be interested in articles that have the word “religion” in them. If their bot finds this keyword, their site will generate a link to that article. They might also extract the first few sentences of the article and include it in their posting. For those of you in the technology business, this is no great revelation. However, it might be interesting to the non-techy type that is reading this blog.

Well, I guess I’ll go now and bake a cake and stick a little candle in it. No, not really. Those that know me know that I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea of how to bake one. I’ll just sing myself the birthday song. Happy birthday to my blog, happy birthday to my blog, happy birthday…

Back in July of 2008 I had written an article about tattoos. It discussed why I had a change of heart on my perception of people who got tattooed. I think I’d like to expand on that idea a little bit more.

Over the years, I’ve formed many opinions on a variety of subjects. Whether it relates to politics, religion, relationships, etc., I have a definite view on what I think is the correct conclusion to draw based on the facts presented. In all honesty, I would have to categorize myself as a bit judgmental. As you get older, I think you have a wealth of experience to draw on. Some might call that wisdom. But that “wisdom” can sometimes be misleading or at least give you a false sense of righteousness. I’m not saying that basing conclusions on past experiences is faulty. On the contrary, experiences, good and bad, are valid barometers on which to base conclusions. However, I think as we get older, we tend to think we’ve seen and heard it all. Our opinions tend to get cast in stone and there’s little anyone can say or do that will change it. Basically, our preconceived notions cause us to rush to judgment. I can honestly say that I’ve been guilty of this on occasion so I’m definitely not throwing any stones from my glass house. I’ve been critical of people and some of the choices they’ve made. On further reflection, some of my opinions may have been too harsh. Just because you have experiences to draw from doesn’t mean they’re enough to form the correct opinion or make the right judgment. You might not have as complete of a picture for the given situation as you think. Sometimes there’s a lot more information that you’re not privy to or maybe the other person is not willing to share that information with you at the moment.

So there you have it. I think I need to do a little more reflecting on occasion or at least make a more earnest attempt to see the other person’s viewpoint. I need to listen more. Some things just aren’t as cut-and-dried as you think they are.

This is my 100th posting. Woo hoo! I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. When I started this blog, I had no idea of how long I would end up doing it. As my “About” page details, and my first posting mentions, I had no agenda in mind nor a particular subject area to discuss. It wouldn’t have surprised me nor bothered me if this ended in one month or one year. I just thought I’d give it a whirl and see what happened. Some months I wrote every other day and some months it was once a week. It all depended on my mood at the time and whether I had something I wanted to say. There are now twelve categories of subject matter. I don’t know if that will expand in the future or not.

So, getting back to the topic at hand, why do I blog? I think my primary motivation, at least in the beginning, was to peel off a little bit of my self-induced shell. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a fairly introverted kind of guy. I’m definitely not the life of the party. There won’t be throngs of people gathering around my end of the room to hear about all of my adventures or listen to my captivating stories. As a matter of fact, shortly after I started blogging, one of my former co-workers told me that she learned more about me after the first few weeks of blogging than she had in the couple of years that we worked together. Heck, I actually thought I was being pretty open at the time. In reality though, few people get past the first layer with me. Not that I’m an overly complicated guy or anything like that. Just the opposite. I’d say I’ve got two shells. A lot of people may get through the first layer, but few, if any, get past the second. If you do, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what makes me tick.

So there you have it. If you’ve been reading most of my blog, you should have a little better picture of who I am and what my opinions and beliefs are. They’re not set in stone although there are certain core values that are not subject to negotiation. I do think there are things that this old dog can still learn. I’ve actually changed my opinion in certain areas in the short time that I’ve been blogging. I’m sure there will be others. Stay tuned…

Today it got up to 63°. That’s a major heat wave for Michigan in early March. This has been a particularly cold and snowy winter. It seems like it has been at or below freezing most of the time. We’re also headed for our second snowiest winter on record. Any temperature above 40°- 50° this year is cause for celebration. I am so looking forward to Spring this year. I’d like all the global warming alarmists to explain to me the cold weather we’ve had the past two years.

Today was my day for running. I had a great run – 13.1 miles (half-marathon for you non-runner types). I do a 10-15 mile run every week. I feel so much more relaxed and in focus after a run. Today was also the first time that I almost fell flat on my face. I never run on sidewalks. I always worry about tripping on a seam or crack. The sidewalk was fairly new and looked pretty smooth. Bad assumption. I was about ½ mile into my run on the sidewalk and I tripped big time. I wish there was a camera to capture the moment. It probably looked pretty hilarious. So, why do I tell you this? If you see a runner running alongside the road when there’s a sidewalk that they could run on, now you know. Don’t curse them. They’re just trying to keep their original skin on their knees and hands.

A couple of days ago there was a little note attached to our mailbox flag by the curb of our driveway. I figured it was the typical advertisement flyer you get for lawn service, maid service or some other commercial enterprise. Instead, it was a note from some high school girl who was trying to raise funds for a trip to Spain with her Spanish class this summer. She asked for any empty soda cans we could spare and to leave them on the porch on Saturday morning and she would come by to pick them up. Well, we figured it wouldn’t kill us to give her some of our empties – we drink way too much soda at our house so there are plenty of cans to choose from. We put the bag out Saturday morning and I then went for a little run – 14 glorious degrees out there people! It was a beautiful crisp morning and I had one of my fastest times in about a year. Ah, but I digress. Anyway, when I returned I found the above little card taped to our door window. What a thoughtful young lady. We certainly didn’t do it with any expectation of thanks. Now I’m glad that we took a few minutes of our time to help the young girl out.

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make you think there’s still hope in this world. Lately, though, the only stories you see on TV or the Internet are depressing and sad. There is a lot of good out there, but the people who control the media seem hell bent on only giving you the bad stuff. The world needs a lot more random acts of kindness. It’s really not that hard – for us it was a couple of empty soda cans. How about you?

Assuming that you’ve read my blog before, you can tell that I’ve updated the look and feel of the blog. I went with a little cleaner and simpler design. I liked the old look, but for some people the gray text on a black background was a little hard on the eyes.

I do like the newer title display. It has a nice little graphic on the left edge showing the month/day the article was posted. The category name is below the title (“Miscellaneous” for this particular article) and is a hot link to that category, and the link to add a comment is now along the right edge of the title.

Additionally, there is a new “Tag Cloud” section in the right sidebar, a sample of which is shown below. It lists all the tags I used to categorize the articles I wrote. You can tell by the size of the word how often that particular tag was used. The tags themselves are hot links and will display all the articles associated with that particular tag.

Finally, you can collapse any of the sidebar lists by clicking on the little triangle on the right edge. Also, you can rearrange the lists by left-clicking and dragging the individual lists.

Anyway, I hope you like the new look. I tested the website on Windows using IE6 and IE7 and on Mac OS X using Safari and Firefox. If you have any suggestions or comments, they’re always welcome.