Funny Money

It's all about the Benjamins, baby. Or the Berkshares as the case may be. A city in Massachusetts has it's own currency. It's a cool idea to stimulate the local economy and encourage people to shop locally. You go to a local bank with $90 cash and get $100 in Berkshares. (You see the benefit here.) The Berkshares are accepted at over 200 business in Southern Berkshire. Get clothes, groceries, books with your Berkshares. They've printed something like $800,000 worth. Of course, when you travel out of town and try to spend your local money, you may get some odd looks!

I (hic) told you (hic) no!

Poor Jennifer Mee. The 15 year old Florida girl is getting hounded by tv shows that want her. No, she's not an American Idol contestant, a Hollywood party girl or even the latest Presidential candidate. Hell, there's so many, what's one more? Oh, yeah, she's too young. Ms. Mee's claim to fame is she has been hiccupping for about a month now. This must make it difficult to sleep. It hurts. Worst of all, she's tried every home remedy she could find, (sugar on the tongue, holding her breath, drinking pickle juice, having someone scare her) nothing has worked. And now everyone wants to talk to her. The day before she was scheduled for the Today Show, Good Morning America called her 57 times to try to get her to their network. She and her mom decided to stay with Today. Ellen, Inside Edition and others are interested in her story as well. Whether she can use her new-found fame to her advantage has yet to be seen. She has to stop hiccupping first.

Baseball season's almost here!

After the recent snowstorm, I am really ready for spring. A sure sign that season is just around the corner, baseball's spring training is beginning in Florida and Arizona. As I've mentioned on past blogs, I am not real confident of the Cub's chances this year. But in spite of news this morning about Kerry Wood injuring himself getting out of a hottub (?)

and news that the Wrigley outfield wall will feature not only ivy, but advertising this year (sacrelige!) I'm excited about baseball. Primarily because a little north of Springfield, Ryne Sandberg will be wearing a uniform again. He's been named the manager of the Peoria Chiefs, a team managed by Jody Davis last year. Sure, making "Ryno" the manager will help fill the seats, but I think it's also a good move for the team. Sandberg played the game without a lot of fanfare or ego and he had a Hall of Fame career. If he can instill some of his wisdom and attitude into the young players, the future of baseball will be in good hands.

Yes, it's snowing out here!

We had a blizzard in Springfield yesterday. No, literally, the blizzard warning lasted all day and we got snow and high winds and schools and even some businesses shut down. Watching the tv news last night, two things struck me. One, putting up a graphic "If your power is out, call this number" is probably pointless. If thier power is out, they're not watching! Two, does it make sense to tell everyone to stay inside and then send a reporter or reporters outside? Sure it's snowing and it's nasty out, we know that. I found a hilarious example of this folly here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijLIqhnEp0o. Watch your step! And Happy Valentine's Day.

Land of Lincoln

Well, Barack Obama is coming to Springfield, Land of Lincoln, to announce his Presidential intentions Saturday. Although I'm sure he's on a tight schedule, I have some ideas. I'm sure he's flying into Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport, perhaps a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum would be in order. Too bad he doesn't have time to stay, or he could get a room at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center. Of course, in warmer weather, a stroll through Lincoln Memorial Gardens would be nice or maybe a stop at Lincoln Park. If he needs a lift, there's Abe Lincoln Limo Service or Lincoln Cab. Maybe he'd prefer to purchase his own coach at Mr. Lincoln's RV Center. Perhaps he'd enjoy a stop at Mr. Lincoln's Souveniers or Lincoln's Great Western Depot. I know he's busy in Washington, but it couldn't hurt to look at a few properties with Abe Lincoln Realty, or maybe Lincoln Tower Apartments. So welcome to Springfield, Mr. Obama. Hope your visit is Abe-tastic.

Go Bears!

Got this in my e-mail and thought I'd share it: This morning a Gary, Indiana kindergarten teacher explains to her class that she is an Indianapolis Colts fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they are Colts fans, too. Not really knowing what a Colts fan was, but wanting to be liked by their teacher, their hands flew into the air.
There is, however, one exception. Susie has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not a Colts fan" she reports.
"Then," asks the teacher, "what are you?"
"I'm a Chicago Bears fan," boasts the little girl."
The teacher asks Susie why she is a Bears fan. "Well, my Dad and Mom are
Bears fans, so I'm a Bears fan, too" she responds.
"That's no reason," the teacher says. "What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was an idiot. What would you be then?"
Susie smiles and says, "Then I'd be a Colts fan."