From the Associated Press: Second-graders who can’t tie shoes or zip jackets. Four-year-olds in Pull-Ups diapers. Five-year-olds in strollers. Teens and preteens befuddled by can openers and ice-cube trays. College kids who’ve never done laundry, taken a bus alone or addressed an envelope. Are we raising a generation of nincompoops? And do we have only… Continue reading “Nincompoop generation?”
Bluegrass Funk/Pop: Heavenly or Hellacious? You decide…
What’s with all these bluegrass musicians doing covers of contemporary songs? First, there was Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby covering Rick James’s classic funk hit, Super Freak: Now, a bluegrass group called The Cleverlys has resurrected the 80s pop classic, Walk Like an Egyptian, originally performed by The Bangles. I have to admit that the… Continue reading Bluegrass Funk/Pop: Heavenly or Hellacious? You decide…
Pomegranates, anyone?
Or, should I say, everyone? Our tree is loaded this year, as the photo below proves. And this is after we thinned out the crop a bit. From the street, the pomegranates look like those big red Christmas tree ornaments. I don’t remember the fruit being quite this red and shiny last year. I think… Continue reading Pomegranates, anyone?
The Statistics of Dead Voters
According to this article, Texas has twelve counties where there are more registered voters than the voting age population. This is hardly news, as certain areas of Texas – especially in deep South Texas – have had a hallowed tradition of allowing dead people to vote. And it’s not a practice that’s limited to Texas.… Continue reading The Statistics of Dead Voters
Mantid cannibalism “fairly rare,” except when it’s not
We’ve all heard stories about the tendency of the female praying mantis to bite the head off the male after mating, right? Well, that’s a gross exaggeration, and unfair to the species. In point of fact, the female bites off the head before mating, which, according to this article, spurs the guy on. Hard to… Continue reading Mantid cannibalism “fairly rare,” except when it’s not
DWTS: Slightly Less Clueless Handicapping
Following last night’s premiere of Dancing With The Stars, it was painfully obvious that my predictions were as bad as Margaret Cho’s dancing (which was just about the only thing I got right). But the good news is that this might be the most interesting season yet, for the simple reason that the show has… Continue reading DWTS: Slightly Less Clueless Handicapping
DWTS Season 11: The most clueless handicapping ever
The new season of Dancing With The Stars is just a few hours away, and I thought this would be the perfect time to share my predictions on how the competition will unfold. Following is the list of participants along with my handicapping of their chances, based on absolutely no insight or wisdom. Feel free… Continue reading DWTS Season 11: The most clueless handicapping ever
Tool Fool
So, I was returning from Sonic with our foot-long coneys and tots (hey, don’t judge…you know you love ’em, too, especially topped with jalapeños and onions) and as I drove around the curve in front of the clubhouse, something black and tool-like resting in the middle of the street caught my eye. I backed up,… Continue reading Tool Fool
Restaurant Rant
Have you noticed that some restaurants have become rather stingy with their oven time? First, it was IHOP, doing away with their iconic warm syrup, forcing us to us the decades-old, occasionally mislabeled communal dispensers. Now, as a kid, I was always amazed at the bounty of available sweet and sticky substances to be found… Continue reading Restaurant Rant
Random Thursday
Some random bloggage while contemplating the inherent unfairness of yesterday evening’s storm that flooded many parts of Midland and yet gave our neighborhood just enough rain to mess up our newly-washed truck. It is, after all, all about me. Solid State Drives (SSDs) are all the rage nowadays. Their manufacturers claim the drives are nearly… Continue reading Random Thursday