A Matter of Trust

Did you ever play that game as a kid where you stand with your arms at your sides and someone stands behind you and you are supposed to fall backward, and they catch you? It was meant to build trust. That trust comes in handy now. I was traveling behind a truck loaded with what looked like telephone poles yesterday (the truck pictured here seems tame by comparison.) I wondered to myself as we both sped down the Interstate, "how do I know he has these secured properly?" "Will he hit a bump and send one of the poles flying?" "Would he even see what had happened if one of them came smashing through my windshield?" It made me realize that there are a lot of times where we simply must trust others. In a restaurant, "is this food cooked properly?" "Did the person picking these mushrooms know good ones from poison ones?" Walking down the street, "did the person with that big, mean dog secure the gate or am I about to be mauled?" You get the idea. So remember as you go about your day, it's all a big game of trust.

Miserable

"What does he mean, miserable?" you ask yourself. The word is a perfect description for the weather outside or the feeling Simon gets as yet another American Idol contestant warbles a song completely off-key. However, today the word describes a study Forbes magazine has done. You've seen the lists of the most expensive cities, the best places to live, the fittest cities. Now, the most miserable places to live, as determined by crime rate, unemployment and even the amount of Superfund dollars going to clean up toxic messes in the city. Detroit comes in at number one, followed by Stockton California and Flint Michigan. New York and Los Angeles also show up in the top ten. http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/01/29/detroit-stockton-flint-biz-cz_kb_0130miserable.html Interestingly, the pictures don't look miserable at all, a Stockton bookstore is featured for theirs! You think they could have taken a picture of a Superfund site or abandoned buildings or something more miserable.

This temper tantrum brought to you by...

This story comes from a little community radio station in Austin. The "star" of this story is a 24 year old volunteer for the station. He hosts an overnight internet broadcast. Jazz is his favorite music. One night, he arrives at work to discover someone has changed his music list. He is angry, very angry. In fact, he sets fire to the place and causes $300,000 in damage. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/5493674.html While you're reading the story, note the name of his show, "Mellow Down Easy!"

Music to their ears

It's always interested me, especially since I work in radio, the effect music can have on people. Studies have been done that suggest music can improve people's moods, help babies sleep, even benefit autistic children. A recent study has concluded that animals can also benefit from the calming influence of music. Now before you start playing Aerosmith for Fido, you should read this article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22539914/ It seems harp music is the way to go. There's even a cd available. If it's so relaxing, could it be dangerous for people to listen to in the car? Perhaps before bedtime is a better time to try it.

The Brady Bunch never had this problem

But they didn't have 14 children! A Sacramento, CA, family may want to do a head count next time they drive off somewhere. Six-year-old Thomas was found wandering around a rest stop by himself. His family was on a road trip, made a stop and left without him. No one noticed he was missing. After all, his 13 siblings were in the van! The parents didn't realize anyone was missing until they were tucking the kids in bed. Police say it was an honest mistake and no charges will be filed.

12 for the price of 1

Well, what music lover wouldn't be excited about that offer? I recently came across an ad for the Columbia House DVD club. They've branched out, you see. But when I was young, it was the 8 track or cassette club. Then the cd club. It was great. In fact it's still around, even in this day of digital downloads and file sharing. You get like 10 or 12 cds for the price of 1 (although you have to pay shipping on all.) I remember joining the club, buying the one or two discs you had to buy to fullfill your contract, then quitting. Sure enough, in just a few months you'd get an offer in the mail of so many free cds if you joined again. So the process started all over again. Of course, with all the free cds, I sometimes ordered something I would not have bought ordinarily. Maybe a cd with only one hit on it. Or something that seemed like a good idea at the time, then it arrived and I'd be like "what was I thinking?" I think Kenny Roger's Greatest Hits falls into this category. What cds are in your collection that you pretty much use as beverage coasters now?

Farewell Mr. Knerr

A man who had a hand in providing fun when we were kids has passed away. And we never knew him. Richard Knerr was one of the founders of Wham-o, the company that gave us the original frisbee, Slip N Slide, Superball and other cool toys. Knerr and his friend started the business in 1948 selling slingshots (the company wouldn't have lasted long nowadays.) Ten years later, they took an Australian product and introduced it to the states, the Hula Hoop. I never did get the hang of that one, but I still enjoy a game of frisbee with friends now and then.

For those who hate warm weather

Can you believe there are two US cities vying for the title of "Nation's Icebox?" They both claim they are the coldest. Has the tourism bureau in each city lost it's mind? International Falls Minnesota is right on the Canadian border. It's gotta be pretty darn cold in the winter, but Fraser Colorado officials say they're colder, even in the summer. The two have sued each other. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22649329/ Hey guys, I believe both of you. I will cross both off my list of places to travel. They would probably be ok in July or August though.

Cool idea

OK, here's some modern technology that's really cool. The transparent toaster is based on heated glass so you can watch as your bread toasts and make sure it doesn't burn. Currently, this is in the research stage according to http://inventables.com/Product/ConceptStudio.asp?i=11&t=8. Evidently it doesn't get hot enough to toast bread yet. But when they get it perfected, I'm first in line. Doesn't look wide enough for a bagel though....

Reality Show

From the looks of it, most people are not tiring of reality shows. It seems there are more of them than ever. We can now look in on the lives of Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, wrestler Hulk Hogan or other "stars." We can watch people try to "outwit and outlast" each other or try to dance or sing their way to fame. I have gotten somewhat weary of the format. But I caught part of a new reality series yesterday that I will have to admit has hooked me. Avalanche Dogs on Animal Planet shows real rescue dogs training and then doing what they are trained to do. These fine animals use their keen senses to find people in life and death situations when seconds count. They won't win money or fame, but they're heros in my book. http://animal.discovery.com

The strike continues...

While the Writer's Guild continues its strike, late night tv is back. And Letterman and Conan O' Brien evidently didn't shave while they were away from work. Conan looks good with the facial hair I think, but I'm not sure about Dave. I think he looks older with the beard. If he lets it grow longer, he'd make a great Santa next year though.

BTW, although I could claim solidarity with the writers in my long absence from the blog, you'd see right through that. Yup, I'm being lazy again (and keeping pretty busy at work too.)