Saturday, March 29, 2014

You know who you are. Or maybe you don’t.

 
Carolyn J. Rose

A few weeks ago I spotted an article about one airline cracking down on the size and amount of carry-on luggage.

Thank you!

It’s about time!

Those of us who check our bags and abide by the restrictions are fed up with watching others flaunt the rules. We’re tired of watching you try to wedge cases the size of young hippos into the bins above our heads. We’re tired of you squishing our backpacks and satchels in the process. We’re tired of you moving our things to inconvenient bins to make room for your excess. And we’re tired of not getting as much as a shrug of apology.

I’d say you all know who you are, but the fact is that many of you probably don’t. You’re too oblivious or selfish or entitled to notice your own behavior—or to care about the effect it has on others.

You’re the same people who halt your cart in the center of a supermarket aisle to have a phone conversation in an outdoor voice. You’re the ones who park straddling two spaces and abandon your grocery cart in a third. You’re the people in line with twelve items more than the posted limit. You’re the ones who don’t get out your wallet until everything is tallied and sacked. Then, without a glance at those waiting, you dig for a coin purse, pour out a collection of nickels and pennies, and count them. Slowly, of course.

You’re the folks who back out of your driveways without looking, zigzag across lap lanes at the swimming pool, never bus your table at a food court, and toss litter along the highway. You’re the folks who walk your dogs by my house every day and don’t bother to scoop up the poop.

If any of this is describes you, isn’t it time you got a clue? Or got your own planet?

Friday, March 21, 2014

The Overflogged Memory


Okay, okay, so maybe the music/dates quiz was a little over the top. But I'm surprised there weren't any music junkies or even out and out cheaters who'd use the internet to come up with the right answers. Here they come. 

 May 10th.                  The Night They Drove Old Dixie           
                                  Down--The Band.

July 4th.                    Saturday in the Park--Chicago  

December 23rd.        I Wanna Roo You--Van Morrison

September 3rd.         Papa Was a Rolling Stone--Temptations

June 3rd.                  Ode to Billy Jo--Bobby Gentry

July 4th.                    Born on the Bayou--Credence 

April 4th.                   Pride (In the Name of Love)--U-2

June 6th.                  Convoy--CW McCall

September 21st.       September--Earth, Wind and Fire

September 1963.       Run Baby Run--Cheryl Crow 

December 1963.        Oh, What a Night--Four Seasons

December 3rd.           Sweet Baby James--James Taylor

Christmas Day.           Levon--Elton John                 

Monday, March 10, 2014

Memory: If you got it, flog it

By Mike Nettleton

"Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most."  Mark Twain

"I never forget a face. But in your case I'll be glad to make an exception." Groucho Marx. 

They say, as you get along in years you should exercise the part of your brain that controls memory, just to keep things tuned. Since, I'm all about service lets have a little fun. Music is useful to stimulate memory. But we don't always retain what we hear in the content of songs. You task is simple. Match up the number specific and not so specific dates in column A with the artist who used them in a song. 

To make it sweeter, I'll offer a free Kindle or Nook download of any of the books I've written or co-written (THE SHOTGUN KISS, THE HARD KARMA SHUFFLE, THE CRUSHED VELVET MIASMA, DEATH AT DEVIL'S HARBOR, DECEIT AT DEVILS HARBOR, DRUM WARRIOR) to the first two to leave the correct answers in the comments section of this blog. 

Asking friends and family to help is kosher. Using the internet is not. As Gomer Pyle used to say "Shame, Shame, Shame. 

1.  May 10                         A. Bobby Gentry

2.  July 4                           B. U-2                                  

3.  December 23                C.  Credence Clearwater

4.  September 3                 D.  Earth, Wind, Fire

5.  June 3                          E. Chicago

6.  July 4                           F. Four Seasons

7.  April 4                          G.  Van Morrison

8.  June 6                          H.  Elton John

9.  September 21                I.   The Band

10. November 1963             J.   C.W. McCall

11. Late December 1963      K.  James Taylor

12.  December 3                  L.  The Temptations

13.  Christmas Day               M. Sheryl Crow 

Dig out the old 45s, LP's, Cassettes and CDs and have at it.  I'll provide the answers and the winners of the downloads sometime next week.