The other day I was driving down main street in Lowell when I saw a UFO. It passed right in front of my car and landed on the sidewalk. Turns out it was a blue wading pool from the variety store. They had a bunch of them outside on display. It was a windy day. Enough said.
Poking the Bunny.
I was in a meeting the other day when one of our vendors made the comment that she didn’t want to be “poking the bunny”. The phrase struck me as rather unusual and I wasn’t quite sure where she was coming from. And, apparently, I was not alone as everyone else in the room was rather perplexed.
Now, I am told that if you go to a Playboy Club (do they still exist?) you are not allowed to poke, pinch or pat the bunnies. So, the phrase left me some what confused. She went on to explain that as a girl, she was told not to poke the bunny (rabbit) in the cage as that would make it angry. And, since she was bring up a topic that has already been discussed, she didn’t want to annoy everyone with further discussion. Thus her comment on poking the bunny.
We all found it to be quite humorous.
Good Stats!
Michigan reported that industrial related fatalities are down. That would be good new were it not for the fact that industries are down in Michigan.
It could be that the number of fatalities are actually up based on the number of deaths vs the number of workers. But, they only reported on the bottom line. So, when all of the factories close in Michigan, Michigan can proudly proclaim that we have no industrial related fatalities.
Baby Shaker.
Apple Computer wrote a game for their Iphone called “Baby Shaker”. The way that the game works is that the phone starts crying and continues to cry until you shake it. Then, the baby icon on the phone gets Xs on its eyes and stops crying.
Well, needless to say, a lot of people are very upset over the program. (Go figure!) So, Apple has stopped selling the game.
Apple never ceases to amaze me as to how they can be so brilliant and stupid at the same time.
The Silver Line.
Grand Rapids is proposing a new bus line, the Silver Line. The Silver line will run from downtown GR south down Division to the Paul Henry. This bus line will have its own lane and will have priority at all intersections. Because of this, the Silver line will have a much faster travel time than conventional transportation. Plus, during commuting time, the average wait at a bus stop will be only 10 minutes.
Now, Division Avenue is not the greatest area in town. It is known more for drugs and prostitution. Plus, it is a favorite hang out for the homeless. So, I am not sure just how successful the project will be. But, I guess time will tell.
Swine Flu.
The latest media flurry has arrived, Swine Flu. The media has declared it to be the next pandemic to strike the world. They even compare it to the 1918 flu outbreak.
Of course, it has killed far less people than the current non-hyped flu but it is early yet and the media is hopeful. Maybe this year will be the year! Then they can report on the daily death count. They could even have one of those progress thermometers like they have for fund raisers.
Well, at least I had by swine flu shot. Wait, that was 30 years ago and it too never happened!
Freedom of speech doesn’t allow pranksters to yell “Fire” in a crowded theater so maybe the same rule should apply to the freedom of the press.
Texas Leaves.
The other night after supper, I got this really cleaver idea for a blog topic, Texas Leaves. Since I couldn’t blog at the time and since I was afraid that I would forget it, I wrote it down on the white board next to the fridg.
The next day, I remembered that I had a brilliant idea for a blog and went to the white board to see what it was. There it was, plain as can be, Texas Leaves. However, I have no idea what it means.
I guess this is as close to a blog topic as it is going to get. It is just like that episode of Seinfeld
The Original Long Weekend!
Now a days, Passover is usually celebrated on Thursday night. But, originally, it was celebrated on the first full moon of the month. And, this full moon could occur on different days of the week from one year to the next.
However, when Passover occurred on Thursday, not only did you have Thursday night and all day Friday as a holiday, you also had the Sabbath which went from Friday night to Saturday night. Thus a two day weekend.
I speculate that some time in the distant past, they decided that Thursday was the preferred day of the week for Passover so that everyone could have a long weekend.
Color is Extra.
A woman that I work with just purchased a new BMW. When she showed me the car, I asked her why she chose white. She said that any color other than white or black was extra.
Now, help me out here. A BMW is not your basic run of the mill transportation. It is an expensive luxury car. And, if you can afford to buy one, then certainly you should be able to afford it in a color that you like.
Of course, the BMW is a status symbol. So, I will have to point out to her that since she has a white BMW, she is telling the world that she can’t afford a colored one.
Hope Lodge.
Last night, our small groups from church prepared a meal for the folks staying at Hope Lodge. Hope Lodge is an American Cancer Society facility where people undergoing cancer treatment can stay for free. The one in Grand Rapids was sponsored by Peter Wege.
The facility will accommodate about 40 guests and has four kitchen facilities for them to use. The guests are free to bring in their own food and prepare their own meals. However, three times a week, Hope Lodge tries to have family style meals for supper. And to do so, they ask for volunteers to come in an prepare a meal for the guests. So, last night, our small groups prepared a meal for about a dozen patients and their family members.
It was truly a rewarding experience. This is a “must do again” event.