We have a station here in Phoenix, KEZ 99.9 that is most folks home during the Christmas holiday season for listening to Christmas music. I know the day after Thanksgiving I tune my car radio to 99.9 for that reason and as with many it gets me in the holiday mood and spirit and I'm reminded each time I/we get into the car.
Now I don't know and I Googled Christmas song among other things to try and find some kind of an answer to the question: How many Christmas songs are there? I seen answers anywhere from 20,000,000 to something in the 100's and really don't know for sure but would bet it's at least in the 100's and multiple 100's at that. So why then does a station like KEZ 99.9 or any other station that plays Christmas songs during this time of the year insist on playing the same 12 songs over and over and over again and again once more?
There are for sure more that 12 Christmas songs so why must I hear Burl Ives, John Lennon, and someone got run over by a reindeer after Little drummer boy and Feliz Navidad each and every hour of the day? I know Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Bing Crosby and 50% of all country singers out there sing Christmas songs and have Christmas albums, hell Elvis has Christmas albums 50% of the Rock world too so why can't we get more of a variety? I would hate to think this too has something to do with "Christ" in Christmas and a station being politically correct, if your a atheist tune to a different station for a couple of weeks and if your a station owner...GET SOME BALLS if that's the case!
OK, all you tree hungers, progressives, socialist and politically correct folks out there that want Christ out of your Christmas I hear you...I need to put in a CD if I don't like the same 12 songs over and over again! Wait, that is a CD, the same handful of songs over and over so I need to buy more CD's if I'm doing more that just running up to the store!
The point is KEZ and other stations like that tell us that during the holidays their going to play nothing up Christmas songs and then they play the same handful over and over and not just each day but each 1/2 hour we get a repeat of the last 1/2 hour and that gets old. I'm sure some of you know exactly what I'm talking about and yes, I already wrote my e-mail to KEZ and made mention of it on their website................hey you know me!
Has anyone heard the marking dogs lately? arf arf arf, arf arf arf.............................
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Is it just me or...........................
I was reading a magazine the other day and on the cover was Opie Taylor from Mayberry, you know Ron Howard. Anyway while looking at his mug on the cover and reading all his many accomplishments and he has many, the kid done well from the days of Opie. What I notice first was his strangely bread with hair going every which way and in no particular order or length, and no really what you called by any means a "full beard"! Then it struck me, the dude is bald, bald as bald can be and really he has been for a long, long, time and he's had this funky red beard if that's what you'd call it for a long time also. But in looking at Opie and his bald head I thought to myself, you know there seems to be a whole lot more bald guys it seems than ever and most of them or at least quite a few of them have some sort of facial hair. I'd venture to say the majority of bald dudes had some kind of facial hair, percentage wise I'd be willing to bet that more bald guys have facial hair than those with full heads of hair, nice comb-able hair.
So I guess the bottom line is I have a blog with a question: Do bald guys grow hair on their faces because they can't grow it on top? Is it to try and put out there............hey I can grow hair, just not on the top of my head! I can't say what I'd do if I was to go bald all of a sudden, but I don't think I'd try and make up for the lack of hair on my head and grow a scraggly beard like the one Ron Howard supports. Opie, get your beard trimmed if you must wear one.
My answer, bald guys want us all to know they can grow hair somewhere, just not were the rest of us comb ours!
So I guess the bottom line is I have a blog with a question: Do bald guys grow hair on their faces because they can't grow it on top? Is it to try and put out there............hey I can grow hair, just not on the top of my head! I can't say what I'd do if I was to go bald all of a sudden, but I don't think I'd try and make up for the lack of hair on my head and grow a scraggly beard like the one Ron Howard supports. Opie, get your beard trimmed if you must wear one.
My answer, bald guys want us all to know they can grow hair somewhere, just not were the rest of us comb ours!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Geminids meteor shower
Last night and early this morning the 14th of December 2010 I again witnessed the Geminids meteor shower from the deck behind the pool in my back yard. The Geminids meteor shower is so named because it originates from the constellation of Gemini and is one of the most consistent and active of the meteor showers. The shower consist of particles of a meteor usually about the size of a grain of sand or smaller and burning up when hitting the earths atmosphere. One of the main reasons this shower is so consistent to view is the fact that the particles travel at approximately 22 miles/second which makes them easy to spot. Whats amazing is how a particle the size of a grain of sand can glow so bright so as to be seen by the naked eye these oh so many miles away! I'm only guessing but those I seen that last the longest just might have been closer to the size of a pea or most likely a piece of minus granite.
Now most news reports and weather men I heard were telling viewers to look towards the east, but we found looking towards the big dipper which from our vantage point is in the north east was the best. Using good peripheral vision while looking toward the north-northeast I seen shooting and falling stars as we call them anywhere from my far left (NNW) to my far right which was ESE. I went out about 10:15 pm and didn't see much so went to bed and got up at 1:00 am and ended up sitting until 2:20 or so and in that little more than an hour I seen between 30 and 40 meteorites. I would say the biggest and longest were in the north and were more falling stars than shooting and those seemed to last the longest, although I did see one from NE to the West shooting across like a rocket..............very cool. There was a point when looking due north I spotted one falling and within less that 10 seconds saw four more right in the same area one right after the other, and I think that is what most folks think their going to see when looking for the first time. The key like with most things in life is patience, just being patient and relaxing and in no hurry.
I would say living here in the west and the desert of Arizona we have a great advantage in viewing these sorts of things. Like I said earlier our desert nights are dark, pitch black as they would say and that makes for easy viewing. Another big factor is the weather, I'm out there tonight sitting in a lounge chair with my bath robe on and a pair of socks! Now I'm sure if my friends and family back in the Midwest tried that tonight they might be out long enough to maybe see one falling meteorite, and that's a maybe. Yep it makes a difference if the temperature is 60 degrees at 1:00 am here in Phoenix or -2 degrees like it was in Davenport, Iowa about the same time, or Des Monies at 5 degrees or Boston at 16 degrees!
Since moving out to the far north end of Phoenix, 20 miles from the city lights the viewing of things like this have been amazing. We're in an area with minimal lighting on streets and in yards and it can be very dark and black at night here in the north Phoenix desert, just perfect for this sort of activity. I do seem to remember last year I needed a coat and blanket, this year we're a bit warmer than normal so far, usually we'd be in the upper 40's or lower 50's this time of year.
From what I've read these showers are pretty much a fall and winter occurrence so we have a bit of a wait for the next viewing, and remember the Geminids comes each year so mark your calendars for 2011................you know I was so busy watching all these shooting and falling stars from here and there that I forgot to make a wish, think I'll go back out and see if I can see one more. And maybe I'll put a telescope on my wish list for next year.
Now most news reports and weather men I heard were telling viewers to look towards the east, but we found looking towards the big dipper which from our vantage point is in the north east was the best. Using good peripheral vision while looking toward the north-northeast I seen shooting and falling stars as we call them anywhere from my far left (NNW) to my far right which was ESE. I went out about 10:15 pm and didn't see much so went to bed and got up at 1:00 am and ended up sitting until 2:20 or so and in that little more than an hour I seen between 30 and 40 meteorites. I would say the biggest and longest were in the north and were more falling stars than shooting and those seemed to last the longest, although I did see one from NE to the West shooting across like a rocket..............very cool. There was a point when looking due north I spotted one falling and within less that 10 seconds saw four more right in the same area one right after the other, and I think that is what most folks think their going to see when looking for the first time. The key like with most things in life is patience, just being patient and relaxing and in no hurry.
I would say living here in the west and the desert of Arizona we have a great advantage in viewing these sorts of things. Like I said earlier our desert nights are dark, pitch black as they would say and that makes for easy viewing. Another big factor is the weather, I'm out there tonight sitting in a lounge chair with my bath robe on and a pair of socks! Now I'm sure if my friends and family back in the Midwest tried that tonight they might be out long enough to maybe see one falling meteorite, and that's a maybe. Yep it makes a difference if the temperature is 60 degrees at 1:00 am here in Phoenix or -2 degrees like it was in Davenport, Iowa about the same time, or Des Monies at 5 degrees or Boston at 16 degrees!
Since moving out to the far north end of Phoenix, 20 miles from the city lights the viewing of things like this have been amazing. We're in an area with minimal lighting on streets and in yards and it can be very dark and black at night here in the north Phoenix desert, just perfect for this sort of activity. I do seem to remember last year I needed a coat and blanket, this year we're a bit warmer than normal so far, usually we'd be in the upper 40's or lower 50's this time of year.
From what I've read these showers are pretty much a fall and winter occurrence so we have a bit of a wait for the next viewing, and remember the Geminids comes each year so mark your calendars for 2011................you know I was so busy watching all these shooting and falling stars from here and there that I forgot to make a wish, think I'll go back out and see if I can see one more. And maybe I'll put a telescope on my wish list for next year.
Monday, December 6, 2010
True Worth or is it Werth?
I just read where a baseball player by the name of Jason Werth who in 8 years played for 3 or 4 different teams last being the Phillie's has signed a 7 year $126 Million contract with the Washington Nationals of the American League. Good for Jason I guess, but this is one of the reasons as time goes on I'm not watching as much sports as I used to. Our Nations economy is in the tank and folks all over are loosing their homes, can't find jobs, paying higher taxes and struggling to put food on the table. In the mean time sports teams and owners are paying huge sums of cash to almost everyone and anyone who puts on a uniform and then they rip us off with the product most teams put on the field of play.
Jason Werth, it's not his fault because I'm relatively sure when he woke up yesterday he never dreamed of anything like this either. Agents taking their 10% or whatever keep this shit going and owner's can't stop it for fear of Unions and government yelling collusion! No we now have an 8 year veteran with a career batting average of .272 with 120 HR's and 727 K's making $126,000,000.00 or $18,000,000.00 a year. You can't spend that kind of money, just think the first year you go out and buy everything and anything you want and for your friends and family and now you all have everything.................oh wait, we get this again next year and for the next 7 years! He plays a game called baseball, plays a game he most likely loves or at one time did and now just try's to hang on to any team that will have him.
Don't get me wrong I say again, good for Jason and his family.................if he's married and has kids they will never have to work or want for anything ever again! He'll have the best agents, lawyers and accountants to make sure he pays as little as possible in the way of taxes so the rest of us poor saps can keep this country a float and running.
OK, I may be a little bitter sounding but I played ball as a kid and was pretty good too, but we didn't pursue it the way they do now...................hell I could go into the bread business (route salesman for a bakery) and make more money than most major leaguer's so why bother, can't say that today! Moral of this story, teach your kid to play catcher or pitch left handed and if your at all good you'll make millions someday!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Broke
Some of you know from face book or from talking to me since my birthday (11/23) about my receiving a book from my son and daughter-in-law as one of my gifts, the book entitled Broke by Glenn Beck. Wow........I can see the hair standing up on some of your necks already just hearing or reading the name Glenn Beck! Well too bad for you is all I can say about that, because I for one don't feel all that ill towards Mr. Beck that some do and I hope you continue to read why.
Did you enjoy History class while in school? Do we as a country still teach History in our schools? Is it the same History I was taught or the history of the past century and not beyond? This is something I'm not sure of and would really enjoy hearing from someone that knows the answers. I know I have scholars out there reading this, so please feel free to drop me an e-mail bringing me up to date on the schools of today.
Anyway, my point is this, Glenn Beck has become my history teacher now that I'm in my 60's and in my opinion a fine one at that. I do not watch Glenn Beck's show religiously by any means, but I do occasionally like his "History Friday" shows. I never was much of a reader and do remember some of what I was taught in my history classes but there is so much more to know and learn about our fore fathers and our Nation. Beck has me reading things like "George Washington's Sacred Fire", "Adams, Jefferson and Monroe", "The Constitution" and the "Declaration of Independence", and it helped visiting the Philadelphia area this past summer for a week or so during Independence Day celebrations.
I have an ex-son-in-law ranting about Beck being "one of the rich" extorting money from the poor somehow and on and on because I showed a picture of his book "Broke" on facebook as one of my birthday gifts. In case you haven't seen it the book cover show Glenn Beck in white T-shirt with Uncle Sam on the front all dressed in red, white and blue and pockets pulled out empty and palms up depicting the fact that our Nation is Broke! And so Glenn himself has a bewildered look on his face, palms up and pockets pulled out empty as Uncle Sam does on his T-shirt. So I get this long ass e-mail and facebook message and comment on facebook telling me that Glenn Beck wants me to think he's broke as if I should buy his book to help him get out of debt or something.....................wrong! This is a good example of looking at the pictures and not reading content, no where does he say he's broke or even talks about his financial status. I've only read the first three chapters so far and let me tell you it reads like a history book plain and simple. It's a hard read for me because it reads like a history book and I'm not sure I was expecting that when I first opened it.
Bottom line is all you history buffs out there would really enjoy the book and I'm drudging my way through it as I did in school and trying to retain a small portion of what I'm reading. For some reason if you weren't a reader growing up it even gets harder when your 64 trying to learn to do this all over again. One thing all of us must keep in mind is that our Nation is in trouble right now financially and we need jobs to get things going once more along with less spending and debt reduction. One line is seems the far left (and the book really isn't about left vs. right or Rep vs. Dem.......especially since Beck blames Bush and his admin. as much as anyone) does believe or understand is this, "When was the last time a poor person created a job?" We want to tax the wealthy and give to the poor via the government..............and the jobs the government creates are government jobs that require more tax dollars to pay those employees! Is it too hard to understand that we don't need more government jobs that we can't pay for, we need private sector jobs creating more jobs and so on................sorry, anyway the book is not about Beck or his wealth or beating down the left, it's some good history lessons so far and I plan on reading on. I'll give more book reports as I go along like it or not!
Did you enjoy History class while in school? Do we as a country still teach History in our schools? Is it the same History I was taught or the history of the past century and not beyond? This is something I'm not sure of and would really enjoy hearing from someone that knows the answers. I know I have scholars out there reading this, so please feel free to drop me an e-mail bringing me up to date on the schools of today.
Anyway, my point is this, Glenn Beck has become my history teacher now that I'm in my 60's and in my opinion a fine one at that. I do not watch Glenn Beck's show religiously by any means, but I do occasionally like his "History Friday" shows. I never was much of a reader and do remember some of what I was taught in my history classes but there is so much more to know and learn about our fore fathers and our Nation. Beck has me reading things like "George Washington's Sacred Fire", "Adams, Jefferson and Monroe", "The Constitution" and the "Declaration of Independence", and it helped visiting the Philadelphia area this past summer for a week or so during Independence Day celebrations.
I have an ex-son-in-law ranting about Beck being "one of the rich" extorting money from the poor somehow and on and on because I showed a picture of his book "Broke" on facebook as one of my birthday gifts. In case you haven't seen it the book cover show Glenn Beck in white T-shirt with Uncle Sam on the front all dressed in red, white and blue and pockets pulled out empty and palms up depicting the fact that our Nation is Broke! And so Glenn himself has a bewildered look on his face, palms up and pockets pulled out empty as Uncle Sam does on his T-shirt. So I get this long ass e-mail and facebook message and comment on facebook telling me that Glenn Beck wants me to think he's broke as if I should buy his book to help him get out of debt or something.....................wrong! This is a good example of looking at the pictures and not reading content, no where does he say he's broke or even talks about his financial status. I've only read the first three chapters so far and let me tell you it reads like a history book plain and simple. It's a hard read for me because it reads like a history book and I'm not sure I was expecting that when I first opened it.
Bottom line is all you history buffs out there would really enjoy the book and I'm drudging my way through it as I did in school and trying to retain a small portion of what I'm reading. For some reason if you weren't a reader growing up it even gets harder when your 64 trying to learn to do this all over again. One thing all of us must keep in mind is that our Nation is in trouble right now financially and we need jobs to get things going once more along with less spending and debt reduction. One line is seems the far left (and the book really isn't about left vs. right or Rep vs. Dem.......especially since Beck blames Bush and his admin. as much as anyone) does believe or understand is this, "When was the last time a poor person created a job?" We want to tax the wealthy and give to the poor via the government..............and the jobs the government creates are government jobs that require more tax dollars to pay those employees! Is it too hard to understand that we don't need more government jobs that we can't pay for, we need private sector jobs creating more jobs and so on................sorry, anyway the book is not about Beck or his wealth or beating down the left, it's some good history lessons so far and I plan on reading on. I'll give more book reports as I go along like it or not!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Face to Face
The above quote came from a friend, college student, football player, pretty sharp guy and actually 2nd cousin and Senior at Emery Henry college I met for the first time this past summer. I read this and said to myself this guy has something here and he's definitely right, it's kind of sad, yes very sad.
It's probably always been easier for most to say things via a letter like a Dear John for example or over the phone and now via texting or face book or any other type of "social networking" medium. E-mail might have been the most used "question game" for a long time now until face book and my space or even twitter. I know and some of you probably know that even I have maybe said or stated things or asked questions I might hesitate to ask in a face to face meeting and yes I know that's wrong. I'm sure there are many out there who have said something in an e-mail or on face book the might not normally said in conversation and wished you could bring it back after hitting the send key! I'd also be willing to bet there have been many relationships changed, ended or put on thin ice due to a comment or question asked via a social network or e-mail that might have been otherwise suppressed.
What's next job interviews over face book or texting.......hell I'm sure that has happen already somewhere with someone. If you don't have video conferencing you may never have to see anyone face to face other than the goofy pictures we post of ourselves on these mediums. The sad side of all this is more and more folks are spending more and more time locked in a room all day doing this sort of thing and asking those tough questions they might not normally ask. How about more and more parents and their children only communicate in this manner, no that is very sad and not bringing us closer as families. When young people would rather hold conversations with their fingers on a keyboard rather than actually talking on the phone in their hands, how unperson-able we've become.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Playing Cards...........
If anyone knows me they also know that I enjoy gambling and playing poker, sometimes to a fault I must admit. But the story line behind this blog is poker and in particular Texas Hold Em, not whether I play or not.
I read this morning where this young 23 year old Canadian named Jonathan Duhamel beat out 7300 other players for the $8.9 million dollar prize! Sporting flip-flops, plaid shorts and a sweatshirt at the final table Monday night, he looked more like someone who just rolled out of bed than the guy who just won $8.9 million in the World Series of Poker. The kid was a Strawberry picker not that long ago and the computer age got him into poker, online poker, online Texas Hold Em.
Remember when a few good old boys would get together at Binion's in Las Vegas for a card game and could win up to 1 million dollars? A few professional poker players and professional gamblers played a game of cards for a trophy (bracelet) plus a cash prize taken from the $10,000 entry fee charged. Do you or did you ever stop to think with 7300 entries now days at an entry fee of $10K that's $73 million dollars someone is taking in plus TV rights from ESPN and others..............it's not a game with a few good old boys from Vegas any longer!
I personally remember being a person standing in the back round watching what at the time was big poker games in Las Vegas at Binion's and at the Golden Nugget, and now in order to fit all the players in the so called tournament is being played in the largest conventions centers of the largest hotels in Las Vegas and other places. Now the so called good players of which they add one or two each year are playing on obscure TV channels amongst themselves and starting new games so as not to allow all these online jokers a seat in the exclusive rooms with no crowds what so ever.
Now to my point of this entire blog..................Texas Hold Em, no skill involved what so ever and a game of totally luck if you have the cash to hang in until the last card. Yea, don't give me that "read" or "tell" crap and feed the rest of us that for the most part garbage of being able to pick up on "tells" the other players have to give you an edge. Sure now and then you'll be able to see by a persons nervous moves or blinks that a card helped his hand but until the dreaded "river card" hits the table it could be anyone's game to win, even the dude with a bunch of money hanging around with a 3 of diamonds and a 7 of spades. Back in the day I'm sure a pair of "pocket rockets" (aces) or "big slick" (ace and king) would win quite a few pots, but today the way everyone stays until the last dog dies to see the river or the flop the only ones you can beat with those cards are the dudes with scared money!
No not even back in the day was Texas Hold Em much of a game of skill, in my humble or not so humbler opinion, it's totally a poker game of more luck than anything...............the strategy if you decide to play a hand is to have enough money to call the other players that might raise the pot. If you got the cash in front of you the hand you hold just may be a winner. When I played with the boys back home on poker nights we played a game called "gut" now and again and that's what Hold Em takes, more money and more guts to hang around with literally shit cards until the end. Sure there is still some bluffing but I'd venture to say not near as much as there used to be when real men played poker!
Just like a whole lot of other things, technology is good but not good for everything!
I read this morning where this young 23 year old Canadian named Jonathan Duhamel beat out 7300 other players for the $8.9 million dollar prize! Sporting flip-flops, plaid shorts and a sweatshirt at the final table Monday night, he looked more like someone who just rolled out of bed than the guy who just won $8.9 million in the World Series of Poker. The kid was a Strawberry picker not that long ago and the computer age got him into poker, online poker, online Texas Hold Em.
Remember when a few good old boys would get together at Binion's in Las Vegas for a card game and could win up to 1 million dollars? A few professional poker players and professional gamblers played a game of cards for a trophy (bracelet) plus a cash prize taken from the $10,000 entry fee charged. Do you or did you ever stop to think with 7300 entries now days at an entry fee of $10K that's $73 million dollars someone is taking in plus TV rights from ESPN and others..............it's not a game with a few good old boys from Vegas any longer!
I personally remember being a person standing in the back round watching what at the time was big poker games in Las Vegas at Binion's and at the Golden Nugget, and now in order to fit all the players in the so called tournament is being played in the largest conventions centers of the largest hotels in Las Vegas and other places. Now the so called good players of which they add one or two each year are playing on obscure TV channels amongst themselves and starting new games so as not to allow all these online jokers a seat in the exclusive rooms with no crowds what so ever.
Now to my point of this entire blog..................Texas Hold Em, no skill involved what so ever and a game of totally luck if you have the cash to hang in until the last card. Yea, don't give me that "read" or "tell" crap and feed the rest of us that for the most part garbage of being able to pick up on "tells" the other players have to give you an edge. Sure now and then you'll be able to see by a persons nervous moves or blinks that a card helped his hand but until the dreaded "river card" hits the table it could be anyone's game to win, even the dude with a bunch of money hanging around with a 3 of diamonds and a 7 of spades. Back in the day I'm sure a pair of "pocket rockets" (aces) or "big slick" (ace and king) would win quite a few pots, but today the way everyone stays until the last dog dies to see the river or the flop the only ones you can beat with those cards are the dudes with scared money!
No not even back in the day was Texas Hold Em much of a game of skill, in my humble or not so humbler opinion, it's totally a poker game of more luck than anything...............the strategy if you decide to play a hand is to have enough money to call the other players that might raise the pot. If you got the cash in front of you the hand you hold just may be a winner. When I played with the boys back home on poker nights we played a game called "gut" now and again and that's what Hold Em takes, more money and more guts to hang around with literally shit cards until the end. Sure there is still some bluffing but I'd venture to say not near as much as there used to be when real men played poker!
Just like a whole lot of other things, technology is good but not good for everything!
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