Coming soon: Obese Bear

We've been hearing for several years that many kids are heavier than they should be. It's an epidemic. Well, doctors and scientists are working on solutions. The latest one is a doozy. Put weights in teddy bears. It's true. The thought is that if the child has to carry a heavier stuffed animal, they are losing weight. Read about it
here. Are they going to be bench pressing a 50 pound bear? Maybe Teddy could double as a doorstop. Never mind that the solution is simpler than that. Lay off the junk food and get more exercise. The "go outside and play ball or ride a bike" kind of exercise, not the "drag a heavy bear around" type. Maybe we need a Barney or Spongebob exercise video!

Timber!

We know about storm damage here in Springfield. Some parts of town are still cleaning up after the March tornadoes. Did you see what happened at the White House yesterday? A tree came down during a storm. It's notable because if you look at the back of a $20 bill (I work in radio, I don't have $20, had to find this pic on the internet) you see a tree on each side. Well, the one on the left is gone, perhaps it'll be mulch for the rose garden. Unlikely the pic on the money will change, but it's some useless trivia anyway.

Tootsie pops

I'm writing about food again! This time I was inspired by one of those "Unwrapped" shows on Food Network. They show you how candy (or other foods) are made. I think every kid (and adult) likes tootsie rolls. Do you remember the ad campaign for tootsie roll pops? "How many licks does it take to get to the center?" It turns out there was a scientific study done! Read about it
here. Of course, there are many variables involved, so it's hard to say for sure. I remember other cool candies from when I was a kid. Like Blo-pops, which had bubble gum in the center. I always liked Chunky "it's thicker-er" and Marathon bar. It was chocolate covered caramel and was like a foot long! Nowadays, that would probably cost $5. I imagine if you work at a candy factory, you either eat the stuff all the time and weigh like 500 pounds, or you can't stand candy after being around it all day!

Does this bread look ok?

I try not to waste food, really I do. But it invariably happens. I'm at the grocery store and, oooh those bananas look good. So I buy a bunch, have a few and then I don't really have a taste for them anymore. So a few more days go by, and guess what...they're turning black. Recently I've had this problem with bread, a tomato that was in the fridge, a red pepper too. I'm no science expert, but based on the colors, I'd say there's different types of mold! Doesn't penicillin come from mold? Maybe the drug companies could pay me to supply them. I will try to do better. I will buy in smaller quantities and eat what I buy promptly. I will search the whole store for items with the furthest expiration dates. And I'll keep stuff in those ziplock bags. Honest. Meanwhile, if you come over to my place now, I'd say you're safe having a Twinkie (hell, they never expire) and a cup of coffee. What you take milk in it?.....let me check......eeewwwwww!

2500

A sad milestone yesterday in Iraq. 2,500 US Soldiers have died there, over 18,000 wounded. This entry is dedicated to them and their families. Let's train the Iraqis and get our loved ones home asap.

Tossed salads and scrambled eggs

Well, television sweeps are over. Now we settle in for a summer of mostly re-runs, or maybe a new show on cable. But I've discovered a funny show in syndication that I never really watched much when it was on. Frasier. Sure, Cheers was great, but I never really followed Dr. Crane to his own show. It's pretty rare that a spin-off is any good. Look at all the former Seinfeld stars. Or "Joey." But I've caught a few Frasier episodes when nothing else was on, and I like it! So now I've gotta set the vcr to catch more, or just rent the dvds. Ever "discover" a show that you didn't really give a chance the first time around?

Don't laugh, it's paid for

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days, I tried yesterday and couldn't log in. The site seems like it's slow today too, maybe because everyone's reading Steve's Afternoon Blog! Anyway, I came across a site called
beaterz.com where they have pix of some, well, beaters. I'm talking about cars that you wouldn't think even run anymore. The cool thing is we've all had one at one time or another. I had a 68 Chevy that I got from my dad. It was my first car, and thanks to bondo, there weren't too many rust holes in it. The transmission finally died. I also had an Olds that went for close to 180,000 miles before concking out. It had a hole in the trunk so if it was raining, you didn't want to put groceries back there! My current car has 150,000 miles, but I don't know if it qualifies as a beater. It's in pretty good shape, although I've had to crazy-glue the rear view mirror on and the back windows no longer operate. I want to put those things planes have back there, so if you're hyperventilating, an air tube falls from the ceiling. I like what the owner of this beater's done. Notice the wooden bumpers...could use some varnish though!

Is it red or white wine with Milkbones?

Governor of Florida Jeb Bush is about to sign the "dining with dogs" bill. Basically restaurants will be able to allow customers to bring their dogs with them to outside dining areas. If you have a dog, this sounds like a great idea, but I'd like to growl a little about the drawbacks. First, have you ever been at a restaurant where there is an unruly kid at the table next to you? OK, now imagine an unruly dog! Second, most dogs love table scraps. Here comes Fido, going table to table, begging and getting goodies. He'll be overweight in no time! And what about when it's potty time? Not very appetizing. Perhaps my fears have more bark than bite, but I'm trying to keep cafes from a hairy situation!