With all the buzz in the various newsrooms about "Great Lakes Bay" I have been watching MLive.com for some news or other announcement. So far I haven't seen it, but I could have missed it because I don't go there everyday.
I did use the MLive.com search function and found a "Great Lakes Bay" site with stories going back to last month. There is also a Facebook page, but you'll have to be a member of Facebook to look on. And then there was this 2009 link. But so far no "Great Lakes Bay" tab on MLive.com although if you click on the "Great Lakes Bay" logo at the top it takes you right back to MLive.com.
So far the news is very light, fluffy and entertainment-centered.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
What's wrong with newspapers: Listen to this (well not anymore)
The publisher of the Bay City-Flint - Saginaw newspapers describes how he plans to save newspapers and his new venture. I looked on MLive.com and either can't find any public announcement or it hasn't been posted yet.
The audio of his announcement about the new "Great Lakes Bay" edition was on line, but has been removed.
Flint launches a new Tuesday edition on March 23. Apparently this new venture includes Midland, which, according to insiders, will include some financing by Dow Chemical and is set to take on the Midland Daily News. The Great Lakes Bay edition begins on Tuesdays starting March 30.
The publisher got scattered applause when he announced the new Tuesday editions.
My favorite part: "We need to change the way people think about newspapers." How about changing back to the old model of writing actually news stories that people want to read and change their hearts and minds. The problem for this faux publisher is that he seems to really believe that people will buy his product even though the public knows they are getting crap.
"Gotta get off our heels and on our toes." This is his comment on going after WNEM-TV and taking back market share.
Good luck, though.
The audio of his announcement about the new "Great Lakes Bay" edition was on line, but has been removed.
Flint launches a new Tuesday edition on March 23. Apparently this new venture includes Midland, which, according to insiders, will include some financing by Dow Chemical and is set to take on the Midland Daily News. The Great Lakes Bay edition begins on Tuesdays starting March 30.
The publisher got scattered applause when he announced the new Tuesday editions.
My favorite part: "We need to change the way people think about newspapers." How about changing back to the old model of writing actually news stories that people want to read and change their hearts and minds. The problem for this faux publisher is that he seems to really believe that people will buy his product even though the public knows they are getting crap.
"Gotta get off our heels and on our toes." This is his comment on going after WNEM-TV and taking back market share.
Good luck, though.
My new lesson in economics and government
I'll probably get an earful from faithful FFE reader Inky, but I received a not-so-free lesson in running my own business yesterday at the office of our tax man.
Two years ago this month I started a small venture - jlsmediaservices - so that I could do a little part time writing work after I left the newspaper business. I picked up one client and in 2009 made a whopping $19,000. After business deductions (losses) I show a profit of about $16,000.
During 2009 I made estimated $900 quarterly tax payments to Uncle Sam. My wife and I each have retirement income for our careers so it was time to pay the piper on Wednesday.
As a "small businessman" I ended up paying a 25 percent federal tax, a 4 percent State tax, a .5 percent city tax and then had to pay both ends of my Social Security - 15 percent - on the profit.
I have to pay the Social Security even though I am receiving my benefits and any more money that I pay into the system will not change what I already receive. It's my little gift to the federal government.
To be honest, I was planning to lighten my work load this year because you can only make $14,000 a year if you are drawing Social Security without paying a penalty.
So, thanks to the government, I will be shutting down my business in June. All done, finished, not going to work anymore. I was mad enough that I was ready to shut it down last night, but I have a responsibility to finish work for my one and only client.
The fact that the government confiscates 45 percent of my profit means that 25 minutes of every hour I work is for the government. Just not going to do that.
Remember, Almighty God only asks for 10 percent.
Looks like my real retirement will begin in June. Thank you, Uncle Sam.
It is no wonder that unemployment is as high as it is.
Your turn Inky. Tell me how wrong I am not to want to give the government 45 percent of my labor.
Two years ago this month I started a small venture - jlsmediaservices - so that I could do a little part time writing work after I left the newspaper business. I picked up one client and in 2009 made a whopping $19,000. After business deductions (losses) I show a profit of about $16,000.
During 2009 I made estimated $900 quarterly tax payments to Uncle Sam. My wife and I each have retirement income for our careers so it was time to pay the piper on Wednesday.
As a "small businessman" I ended up paying a 25 percent federal tax, a 4 percent State tax, a .5 percent city tax and then had to pay both ends of my Social Security - 15 percent - on the profit.
I have to pay the Social Security even though I am receiving my benefits and any more money that I pay into the system will not change what I already receive. It's my little gift to the federal government.
To be honest, I was planning to lighten my work load this year because you can only make $14,000 a year if you are drawing Social Security without paying a penalty.
So, thanks to the government, I will be shutting down my business in June. All done, finished, not going to work anymore. I was mad enough that I was ready to shut it down last night, but I have a responsibility to finish work for my one and only client.
The fact that the government confiscates 45 percent of my profit means that 25 minutes of every hour I work is for the government. Just not going to do that.
Remember, Almighty God only asks for 10 percent.
Looks like my real retirement will begin in June. Thank you, Uncle Sam.
It is no wonder that unemployment is as high as it is.
Your turn Inky. Tell me how wrong I am not to want to give the government 45 percent of my labor.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A tale not told, but a sentence anyway
While I was out of town a sentencing came down in the Kurt Heintz case.
In case you don't remember, this was the story I basically couldn't get past the timid editors and wimpy lawyers 2 1/2 years ago.
So I guess I'm vindicated, but in the meantime an important story was squeezed off the pages at a time that it would have been a significant scoop and a window into the coming housing meltdown.
It was a piece that screamed to be reported and published. Shame on those who squashed it like a bug.
I did have one editor ally in that battle for that story. By the way, she was also "downsized."
In case you don't remember, this was the story I basically couldn't get past the timid editors and wimpy lawyers 2 1/2 years ago.
So I guess I'm vindicated, but in the meantime an important story was squeezed off the pages at a time that it would have been a significant scoop and a window into the coming housing meltdown.
It was a piece that screamed to be reported and published. Shame on those who squashed it like a bug.
I did have one editor ally in that battle for that story. By the way, she was also "downsized."
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Rumor: Is it true?
Looking for a little help here. I received the following comment and wondered if anyone could verify this information:
"Jim, unrelated to any of your posts, but word on the street is that a representative of The Flint Journal/Community Newspapers appeared at a Clio Chamber of Commerce board meeting this week with an announcement that this Sunday's editon of the Clio Messenger will be THE LAST one printed, period. Henceforth, the "paper" reportedly will be available on-line only. No knowledge as to whether others in the Community Newspapers group would be similarly dumped in their dead-tree form, but, if true for one, that would seem likely. Have you seen one lately? Scary bad example of "community" journalism at best. Oh, and here's the kicker, I'm told that this announcement was somehow presented to this particular group of local business owners as "good news." Supposedly, this was already reported on MLive, but I have not been able to find it?"
"Jim, unrelated to any of your posts, but word on the street is that a representative of The Flint Journal/Community Newspapers appeared at a Clio Chamber of Commerce board meeting this week with an announcement that this Sunday's editon of the Clio Messenger will be THE LAST one printed, period. Henceforth, the "paper" reportedly will be available on-line only. No knowledge as to whether others in the Community Newspapers group would be similarly dumped in their dead-tree form, but, if true for one, that would seem likely. Have you seen one lately? Scary bad example of "community" journalism at best. Oh, and here's the kicker, I'm told that this announcement was somehow presented to this particular group of local business owners as "good news." Supposedly, this was already reported on MLive, but I have not been able to find it?"
Bawston: You're my home
Well, not really, but it is the home of my stepdaughter, Elin. We have been there several times and I can attest to many of the things on the following list, which was sent to me by my father, who received it from a friend in Burlingame, California. So, a good source.
"For those of you who have never been to "Bawstin",this is a good guideline.
I hope you will consider coming to "Beantown" in the near future.
Information on Boston and the surrounding area:
There's no school on School Street , no court on Court Street,
no dock on Dock Square , no water on Water Street .
Back Bay streets are in alphabetical "oddah": Arlington , Berkeley , Clarendon, Dartmouth , etc. So are South Boston streets:A, B, C, D, etc.
If the streets are named after trees (e.g.Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar), you're on Beacon Hill
.If they're named after poets, you're in Wellesley
.
Massachusetts Avenue is Mass Ave ; Commonwealth Avenue is Comm Ave ;
South Boston is Southie. The South End is the South End.
East Boston is Eastie. The North End is east of the former West End .
The West End and Scollay Square are no more; a guy named
Rappaport got rid of them one night. Roxbury is The Burry, Jamaica Plain is J.P.
How to say these Massachusetts city names correctly:
**Say it wrong, be shunned**
Worcester : Wuhsta (or Woostah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester:Lesta
Woburn : Woobin
Dedham : Dead-um
Revere : Ra-vee-ah
Quincy : Quinzee
Tewksbury : Tooks berry
Leominster : Lemin-sta
Peabody : Pee-ba-dee
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham : Chaddum
Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set but nevah Summerset!
Definitions:
Frappes have ice cream, milkshakes don't.
If it is fizzy and flavored, it's tonic.
Soda is CLUB SODA.
"Pop" is DAD.
When we want Tonic WATER, we will ask for TONIC WATER.
The smallest beer is a pint.
Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually fish. If you paid
more than $7/pound, you got scrod.
It's not a water fountain; it's a bubblah..
It's not a trashcan; it's a barrel.
It's not a spucky, a hero or grinder,... it's a sub.
It's not a shopping cart; it's a carriage.
It's not a purse; it's a pockabook.
They're not franks; they're haht dahgs;
Franks are money in Switzahland.
Police don't drive patrol units or black and whites they drive a "crooza".
If you take the bus, you're on the "looza crooza".
It's not a rubber band, it's an elastic. It's not a traffic circle, it's a rotary.
"Going to the islands" means Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket.
The Sox = The Red Sox
The C's = The Celtics
The B's = The Bruins
The Pat's =The Patriots
Things not to do:
Don't pahk your cah in Hahvid Yahd .. they'll tow it to Meffa
( Medford ) or Summahville (Somerville) .
Don't sleep on the Common. ( Boston Common)
Don't wear Orange in Southie on St. Patrick's Day.
Things you should know:
There are two State Houses, two City Halls, two courthouses,
two Hancock buildings (one old, one new for each).
The colored lights on top the old Hancock building tell the weatha':
"Solid blue = clear view...."
"Flashing blue, =clouds due...."
"Solid red, =rain ahead...."
"Flashing red, =snow instead...." -
except in summer;flashing red means the Red Sox game was rained out!
Ahtha Impore-int Stuff
Most people live here all their life and still don't know
what the hell is going on with this one:
Route 128 South is I-95 south. It's also I-93 north.
The underground train is not a subway. It's the "T", and it
doesn't run all night (aftaawl, this ain't Noo Yawk)..
Order the "cold tea" in China Town after 2:00 am you'll get a
kettle full of beer.
Bostonians.. . think that it's their God-given right to cut off someone in traffic.
Bostonians.. think that there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R's)
except in "idea".
Bostonians.. think that three straight days of 90+ temperatures is a heat wave.
Bostonians.. refer to six inches of snow as a "dusting."
Bostonians.. .always "bang a left" as soon as the light turns green,
and oncoming traffic always expects it.
Bostonians.. believe that using your turn signal is a sign of weakness.
Bostonians.. .think that 63-degree ocean water is warm.
Bostonians.. think Rhode Island accents are annoying.
Bostonians.believe that Connecticut is a suburb of NooYawk.
Send this to your friends who don't live in Boston (and the ones who do!!)
"For those of you who have never been to "Bawstin",this is a good guideline.
I hope you will consider coming to "Beantown" in the near future.
Information on Boston and the surrounding area:
There's no school on School Street , no court on Court Street,
no dock on Dock Square , no water on Water Street .
Back Bay streets are in alphabetical "oddah": Arlington , Berkeley , Clarendon, Dartmouth , etc. So are South Boston streets:A, B, C, D, etc.
If the streets are named after trees (e.g.Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar), you're on Beacon Hill
.If they're named after poets, you're in Wellesley
.
Massachusetts Avenue is Mass Ave ; Commonwealth Avenue is Comm Ave ;
South Boston is Southie. The South End is the South End.
East Boston is Eastie. The North End is east of the former West End .
The West End and Scollay Square are no more; a guy named
Rappaport got rid of them one night. Roxbury is The Burry, Jamaica Plain is J.P.
How to say these Massachusetts city names correctly:
**Say it wrong, be shunned**
Worcester : Wuhsta (or Woostah)
Gloucester : Glawsta
Leicester:Lesta
Woburn : Woobin
Dedham : Dead-um
Revere : Ra-vee-ah
Quincy : Quinzee
Tewksbury : Tooks berry
Leominster : Lemin-sta
Peabody : Pee-ba-dee
Waltham : Walth-ham
Chatham : Chaddum
Samoset: Sam-oh-set or Sum-aw-set but nevah Summerset!
Definitions:
Frappes have ice cream, milkshakes don't.
If it is fizzy and flavored, it's tonic.
Soda is CLUB SODA.
"Pop" is DAD.
When we want Tonic WATER, we will ask for TONIC WATER.
The smallest beer is a pint.
Scrod is whatever they tell you it is, usually fish. If you paid
more than $7/pound, you got scrod.
It's not a water fountain; it's a bubblah..
It's not a trashcan; it's a barrel.
It's not a spucky, a hero or grinder,... it's a sub.
It's not a shopping cart; it's a carriage.
It's not a purse; it's a pockabook.
They're not franks; they're haht dahgs;
Franks are money in Switzahland.
Police don't drive patrol units or black and whites they drive a "crooza".
If you take the bus, you're on the "looza crooza".
It's not a rubber band, it's an elastic. It's not a traffic circle, it's a rotary.
"Going to the islands" means Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket.
The Sox = The Red Sox
The C's = The Celtics
The B's = The Bruins
The Pat's =The Patriots
Things not to do:
Don't pahk your cah in Hahvid Yahd .. they'll tow it to Meffa
( Medford ) or Summahville (Somerville) .
Don't sleep on the Common. ( Boston Common)
Don't wear Orange in Southie on St. Patrick's Day.
Things you should know:
There are two State Houses, two City Halls, two courthouses,
two Hancock buildings (one old, one new for each).
The colored lights on top the old Hancock building tell the weatha':
"Solid blue = clear view...."
"Flashing blue, =clouds due...."
"Solid red, =rain ahead...."
"Flashing red, =snow instead...." -
except in summer;flashing red means the Red Sox game was rained out!
Ahtha Impore-int Stuff
Most people live here all their life and still don't know
what the hell is going on with this one:
Route 128 South is I-95 south. It's also I-93 north.
The underground train is not a subway. It's the "T", and it
doesn't run all night (aftaawl, this ain't Noo Yawk)..
Order the "cold tea" in China Town after 2:00 am you'll get a
kettle full of beer.
Bostonians.. . think that it's their God-given right to cut off someone in traffic.
Bostonians.. think that there are only 25 letters in the alphabet (no R's)
except in "idea".
Bostonians.. think that three straight days of 90+ temperatures is a heat wave.
Bostonians.. refer to six inches of snow as a "dusting."
Bostonians.. .always "bang a left" as soon as the light turns green,
and oncoming traffic always expects it.
Bostonians.. believe that using your turn signal is a sign of weakness.
Bostonians.. .think that 63-degree ocean water is warm.
Bostonians.. think Rhode Island accents are annoying.
Bostonians.believe that Connecticut is a suburb of NooYawk.
Send this to your friends who don't live in Boston (and the ones who do!!)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wait a minute! I thought Canada had the better health care system
A rich Canadian premier (Newfoundland) turned aside his own country's primo health care system, you know the one we're supposed to emulate to go to Florida to have a heart procedure that apparently isn't offered or that he would have had to wait too long to have.
Newsosaur: Miami "tip jar" quietly disappears
An interesting article about the vanishing "tip jar" on the Miami newspaper site.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
One thing wrong with newspapers: Stupid polls
A series of polls on MLive.com have been running comparing four relatively distressed cities, Midland, Bay City, Saginaw and Flint.
A faithful FFE reader sent me a link to one poll on which has the best police departments, but I guess the comment thread got so blue, the MLive folks took it down.
The rest of the questions are equally inane and ridiculous, but some of the comments are pretty rich.
My favorite question (so far) is the one on where I would seek medical attention regardless of where I live. I'm going with whichever one is closest depending on whether I minutes to live depending on my condition.
Polls are a lazy way to present news and to prompt comments. Want to prompt real substantive comments, unleash a reporter to look into political corruption and wrong doing.
A faithful FFE reader sent me a link to one poll on which has the best police departments, but I guess the comment thread got so blue, the MLive folks took it down.
The rest of the questions are equally inane and ridiculous, but some of the comments are pretty rich.
My favorite question (so far) is the one on where I would seek medical attention regardless of where I live. I'm going with whichever one is closest depending on whether I minutes to live depending on my condition.
Polls are a lazy way to present news and to prompt comments. Want to prompt real substantive comments, unleash a reporter to look into political corruption and wrong doing.
Monday, February 22, 2010
A parable about Basicland: A tale of financial ruin
Over on Slate.com Charlie Munger, an longtime business partner in Berkshire Hathaway and to Warren Buffet has some chilling words about the direction of our finacial system.
For those who think the burgeoning debt isn't a problem, this is a good read.
For those who think the burgeoning debt isn't a problem, this is a good read.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Arkansas Democrat: One Newspaper Prospers
Fortune did a video piece on the success of one newspaper during this time of print collapse.
As I have blogged before many of us old and out-of-touch career reporters were called naive when we questioned the decision to let MLive.com give away the newspaper content for free.
More than one "hip" editor told us, and me personally, that we had no choice but to go online for free to save our audience.
The example in Arkansas seems to prove them wrong. So to those former editors, "We told you so." Interestingly, they are still working in the business and many of us with the smarts to question their decisions are not. Go figure.
As I have blogged before many of us old and out-of-touch career reporters were called naive when we questioned the decision to let MLive.com give away the newspaper content for free.
More than one "hip" editor told us, and me personally, that we had no choice but to go online for free to save our audience.
The example in Arkansas seems to prove them wrong. So to those former editors, "We told you so." Interestingly, they are still working in the business and many of us with the smarts to question their decisions are not. Go figure.
Friday, February 19, 2010
A relic from the past
A frequent reader sent me this which will be familiar to only those who are very old. Click to see full size version.
This website has some great pictures of "old" Flint and photos of the trolleys.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Top 10 lists - a waste of good trees
While in California my wife and I made a short trip to Stockton to visit a man who worked with me at the Michigan State News back in the 1970s.
Mike Klocke was the sports editor at the SN when I was editor-in-chief during 1978-79. He was a great sports editor and I always knew he would go far. Mike has covered many top sports events, including the Super Bowl and was at the famous "earthquake" World Series game in San Francisco.
At some point he left the toy department, as news reporters sometimes referred to the sports department, and went to news and is now the editor of the Stockton Record.
At lunch we caught up with Mike and his wife, Kerry (hope that's the right spelling) who he met during our days at MSU.
During the conversation we were talking about stupid journalism lists and gimmicks and he mentioned that Stockton had made the top of the Forbes "Most Miserable Cities" list in 2009. In anticipation of the list in 2010, he wrote a great column that could serve residents in Flint and other cities frequently dumped on as a template for how to respond.
Two other cities close to my heart also made the list, Buffalo N.Y. (8) and Flint, MI (5).
Mike checks in here from time-to-time so he will appreciate that when I looked up his column from last month the ticker for the Record listed the following stories, which do tend to accentuate the negative:
•Stockton man held in girlfriend's slaying
•Man arrested in midtown Stockton after trying to light his wife on fire
•Stockton facing 'horrific' budget cuts
•Forbes ranks Stockton No. 2 in miserable index
This Week's Most Viewed
•Tearful goodbyes for 'J.J.'
•Man arrested in Stockton in death of his girlfriend
•Teen shot in back in Weston Ranch
•Man stabbed over parking spot
This Month's Most Viewed
•New details emerge in 3-year-old's gunshot death
•Boy, 3, killed near Quail Lakes
•Edison High grieving over loss of football star (UPDATED 1:32 p.m.)
•Actor roped in Linden cattle scheme
Mike Klocke was the sports editor at the SN when I was editor-in-chief during 1978-79. He was a great sports editor and I always knew he would go far. Mike has covered many top sports events, including the Super Bowl and was at the famous "earthquake" World Series game in San Francisco.
At some point he left the toy department, as news reporters sometimes referred to the sports department, and went to news and is now the editor of the Stockton Record.
At lunch we caught up with Mike and his wife, Kerry (hope that's the right spelling) who he met during our days at MSU.
During the conversation we were talking about stupid journalism lists and gimmicks and he mentioned that Stockton had made the top of the Forbes "Most Miserable Cities" list in 2009. In anticipation of the list in 2010, he wrote a great column that could serve residents in Flint and other cities frequently dumped on as a template for how to respond.
Two other cities close to my heart also made the list, Buffalo N.Y. (8) and Flint, MI (5).
Mike checks in here from time-to-time so he will appreciate that when I looked up his column from last month the ticker for the Record listed the following stories, which do tend to accentuate the negative:
•Stockton man held in girlfriend's slaying
•Man arrested in midtown Stockton after trying to light his wife on fire
•Stockton facing 'horrific' budget cuts
•Forbes ranks Stockton No. 2 in miserable index
This Week's Most Viewed
•Tearful goodbyes for 'J.J.'
•Man arrested in Stockton in death of his girlfriend
•Teen shot in back in Weston Ranch
•Man stabbed over parking spot
This Month's Most Viewed
•New details emerge in 3-year-old's gunshot death
•Boy, 3, killed near Quail Lakes
•Edison High grieving over loss of football star (UPDATED 1:32 p.m.)
•Actor roped in Linden cattle scheme
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Things that make you go hmmmmmm!
I've shared a bunch of these on Facebook, but here's the whole list:
1.. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?
2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?
3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?
4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?
5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?
6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?
7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?
8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?
9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game"
when we are already there?
10. Why are they called " stands" when they are made for sitting?
11. Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"?
12.. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?
13.. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?
14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?
15. Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds?
16. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?
17.. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?
18.. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
19. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?
20. Why is bra singular and panties plural?
21.. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control
when you know the batteries are dead?
22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?
23. How come abbreviated is such a long word?
24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?
25.. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
26. Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one?
27.Christmas - What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?
28. Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway ?
I dunno, why do we?
1.. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?
2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?
3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?
4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?
5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?
6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?
7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?
8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?
9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game"
when we are already there?
10. Why are they called " stands" when they are made for sitting?
11. Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"?
12.. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?
13.. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?
14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?
15. Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds?
16. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?
17.. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?
18.. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
19. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?
20. Why is bra singular and panties plural?
21.. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control
when you know the batteries are dead?
22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?
23. How come abbreviated is such a long word?
24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?
25.. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
26. Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one?
27.Christmas - What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?
28. Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway ?
I dunno, why do we?
A trip to Shadowbrook
For a treat I took Joan to the Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola last night. It was a place I used to go many, many years ago and always had a good reputation for good food and atmosphere.You take a little cable car down to the restaurant and even though it was raining last night it was still a beautiful sight.
Luckily we hit the place on a night when the seafood entrees were all $15.95 (they are usually $27-$30) and everything is ala carte. So it didn't break the bank either.
If you take the virtual photo tour on the Shadowbrook website you'll see more photos. (We ate in the Greenhouse Room).
It's a great place and if you ever get to this area of California, put it on your dinner list.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Hello from California
California: The land of my birth, the source of my mirth.Always love coming to visit here, but have been at the mercy of the single, public computer at the hotel we are staying at for the last few days, so hopefully that explains the delay in posting.
The picture was taken yesterday by my son, Timothy, on the long Wharf at Santa Cruz. The pelican was very nice until you didn't feed it then it just snapped at you.
You can see what a nice day it was. Weather today is supposed to turn to rain and tomorrow we head back over the hill to the East Bay.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
America the Beautiful
I really like this rendition of America the Beautiful sent to me by a frequent reader in California:
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