March 31, 2011

OH MY GOD !

Has it almost been a full year since I’ve posted on my blog ?

There have been extenuating circumstances and I must confess that I have strayed into the land of Facebook and instantaneous gratifications…

"Mia cuppa, Mia cuppa, Mia maxima cuppa…"

Having said that… There’s been a lot going on since my last posting… Summer in New Jersey was a deja vous experience…

Yes, there was a trip to the shore and boardwalk [NOT the Casinos]…

A trip to the Battleship New Jersey, anchored in of all places, Camden!

The same day we toured the battleship, we also went through the New Jersey Adventure Aquarium.

NEVER… EVER… Go to a public attraction such as the aquarium on a day that’s raining and every “Rug Rat” in the world has off from school !!!

I have nothing against kids, learning, experiencing and eyes wide open, taking in the various exhibits in the aquarium… Its when their parents, “Get Them Out of the House”, load them up with sugary treats and let them loose on an unsuspecting public, that I take exception!

There was a trip to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania… Could have spent the entire day in the arboridum, taking in the lilly pond and bonsai trees, but there seemed to be a need, “To Do” the entire gardens in one day!

There were a couple BBQ’s and other summer holiday activities…

And there were mosquitoes! OH GOD were there ever mosquitoes !!!

Towards the end of summer [August 3] is when the extenuating circumstances began.

I was hired on into the Quality Department of a glass packaging, manufacturing facility.

I’d never worked with glass as the end product before and admitted that I was curious.

The routine was pretty basic and the labor was not difficult…

The environment WAS…

Summer Heat + 3000 Degree Furnaces and the scheduling of rotating shifts every week, harkened the imagination as to what the “Sweat Shops” of the early 20th Century were all about… and yes! It is a, “Union Facility” !!!

For about eight months it provided me activity and a paycheck…

Fall provided, not only a bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables, but also Mother Nature’s handy work in using her pallet to seemingly create new and vibrant colors for the leaves to change into.

Then Came Winter !!!

Up until December 27, 2010, it had been quite a few years since I had driven in snow, let alone, a blizzard! Weather forecaster’s were all chirping the same forecast…

“A light dusting of snow, maybe one to two inches.”

The next day they were reporting that we had received 18-inches of snow!

I had driven home from work during the pinnacle of the blizzard and I am as certain today as I was then, that divine intervention was my co-pilot during my commute home that day.

The holidays have pretty much all come and gone… A new year has begun…

What does one do during the winter on the east coast?

You shovel or snow-blow snow and pray for an early spring!

The one exception was a trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show!

It had [once again] been years since I attended such an event.

Some of the displays were indeed extraordinary, while others seemed more intent at just throwing something together, calling it modern design, being able to say that they were there and jack up their prices up accordingly.

Once again, I gravitated towards the Bonsai Tree exhibit.

[Seems to be a pattern developing here]

Ironically, what my senses locked on to, probably from many years ago, was the odor of bus exhaust as you walked out the door on to the street.

A quick trip to the Reading Terminal Market across the street was indeed an experience!

You name it, you can probably buy it there! Heavy on “Delli”!

The older I get, the more I cannot seem to deal with crowds, but a return trip there or to the closer [Mullica Hill] Amish Market are in my near future!

So here I am, back to my blogs… There are no guarantees to postings and/or content.

I first have to remember how to post, along with my password, then set time aside to satisfy my rants and roamings.

Happy Mother’s Day & Happy Memorial Day!

I’m back “On Line” via satellite!
My almost 2500 mile trek cross-country from Arizona to New Jersey has been accomplished!

[Oh, there will be tales to post about the trip, so stay tuned!]

Lots of unique days of note for the month of May, so lets get started…

May 1st is “May Day”
The first of May is celebrated around the world. It has a number of meanings. In many other countries it is a celebration of spring and the coming of summer.
To communist and socialist countries, it is a celebration for the workers.

May 5th is “Cinco de Mayo”
On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army defeated the French army at the Battle of Puebla. This single battle was the roots of Cinco de Mayo.

May 5th is also “National Hoagie Day”
You know of this big sandwich as a hoagie, a sub, a grinder or a hero. And, it's a regular on most diets in America. People eat them for lunch, dinner, and even as a late night snack. It's a quick meal or people on the go.

May 9th is “Mother’s Day”
If you haven’t figured this national day out yet… Shame on you!
Did you know? The first Mother's Day was May 10, 1908 in Philadelphia

May 11th is “Twilight Zone Day”
Weird, surreal and perhaps a little scary…
Every once in a while, you have a day like this. And, today is designed to be that day.

May 15th is “Armed Forces Day” - Third Saturday in May
Each branch of the military originally had their own day of celebration.
On August 31, 1949 then Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of Armed Forces Day. President Harry Truman also announced the holiday in a presidential proclamation on February 20, 1950. The first Armed Forces Day was held on May 20, 1950.

“International Jazz Day” - Saturday of Memorial Day weekend
International Jazz Day celebrates Jazz musicians, music and history.
Jazz music was born in America in the 1800's.
The birthplace and home of Jazz music is New Orleans, Louisiana.
In 1991, a statement was recorded in the U.S. Congressional Record recognizing the creation of International Jazz Day.

May 31st is “Memorial Day”
Memorial Day is officially celebrated on the last Monday during the month of May. Memorial Day is dedicated to service men and women who gave their lives for freedom and country. It is also a time to remember loved ones who have passed away. The roots of Memorial Day go back to 1865 and the end of the Civil War.
Memorial Day was first called Decoration Day. It was changed to Memorial Day in 1882.

“God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.”
Jewish Proverb

Happy Easter & Happy Earth Day!

I know its way early, but I wanted to post this before I pulled the plug on my PC…

April 1st is “April Fools Day”
April 4th is Easter Sunday
Earth Day; “A Global Day of Action” is April 22nd.
It’s also “National Humor Month” and “Stress Awareness Month”. [Probably due to taxes]
Here are some other holidays celebrated during the month of April, you may wish to consider…

Did you know that April 2nd, is “National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day”?
If you read last month’s St Patties Day post… You’d be partying with the Goobers by now!

April 14th is “International Moment of Laughter Day”?
Seems appropriate, as the 15th is tax day.

How about April 15th is “Rubber Eraser Day”?
Seems appropriate also, as it’s tax day.
Odd that there’s not a “Cry in Your Beer Day”, right after the tax-filing deadline?

Did you know that April 19th is “National Garlic Day”?
So if you prefer using it as a vegetable, herb, a medicine, to ward off evil spirits or just in your favorite pasta sauce, today is the day to enjoy!
April 19th is also “Patriot's Day” [Big on the east coast] it commemorates the Battle of Lexington and Concord and it honors the ride of Paul Revere.

April 26th is “National Pretzel Day”?
Seems only fair as National Potato Chip Day was last month…
Pretzels date back to 610AD in Southern France. Monks baked thin strips of dough into the shape of a child's arms folded in prayer and presented them to good students as treats.
One soft pretzel and pass the yellow mustard please!

Did you know that April 30th is “National Honesty Day”?
There are a few rules to be followed to properly observe this day…
#1 Just be honest!
[Scratching head…]
Why can I not help but feel, politicians and lobbyists not only do not celebrate today, but also are completely unaware of it?

Don’t forget to fill out, complete and return your 2010 Census form…That way we’ll be able to be represented by the proper number of Bozo’s in Washington DC… Don’t care for the District you’re registered to vote in? Give em a chance… they’ll change that too!

I’ll be off line for a while as I relocate [move] back east… Hope to be settled in, back up and running by late April or early May. So search the web for April, May, etc Holidays and find the link for Holiday Insights. It’s on the web, so it has to be true! Have some fun with it!
Happy Easter and Happy Earth Day.

“The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.” Mark Twain

An Irish Blessing

Beagán agus a rá go maith
[Say little but say it well]

My lineage can best be described as “Heinz 57”, but I do proudly lay claim to at least being 1/8 Irish, hailing from the clans of McGlinn and McBride on my father’s side.

So in honor of my father and my 1/8 claim to Irish fame…

An Irish Blessing

May there always be work for your hands to do

May your purse always hold a coin or two

May the sun always shine upon your window pane

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain

May the hand of a friend always be near to you

and May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

“A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.” Author Unknown

And the Winner is…

Once again its time for The Academy Awards, also know as the “Oscars”.
An annual presentation by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry.

H-m-m-m-m… I wonder what else is on?

I can’t seem to get all that worked up about Hollywood’s show for self-gratification and stroking of inflated egos.
There was a time it meant something, but that time has faded like the movie luminaries of days gone by.
Watching the commercials leading up to tonight’s presentation… Even they seem strained to find some value in a point of tuning in to watch.
Why bother?
Sound bites and video clips will be polluting the airwaves for weeks afterwards.

Maybe its because we don’t really have actors, actresses and directors with a collective body of works that reach into our hearts, minds and souls. There doesn’t seem to be any thought provoking story lines; nothing to feed grit, determination, joy and sorrow into our imaginations.
A while ago there was a mystique about those few individuals, where just enough information was provided to entice us to crave even more of the adaptation of their craft.

What we have now are “entertainers”, with some “name recognition”; cheap and scandalous publicity stunts and new levels of improper behavior.
Whereas the special effects can boggle the mind, there’s nothing left to feed the imagination. There is no longer a mystique, because somewhere in a tabloid or on the Internet, there are nude pictures and grocery lists of tawdry affairs and dealings… Pointing to the inevitable fact that these people have weaknesses and similarities pretty much like everybody else.

I guess I’m finding myself longing for those golden days when an actor or director’s name alone, would stop us in our tracks and there would be instant recognition or recollection of ALL their preceding good and spectacular works.
I miss the “Giants” of the film industry!
That handful of Legends!
Those few names that even today, across the generational pool of audiences everywhere are still recognized…








Bogart, Davis, Wayne, Hepburn, Hitchcock…
Just to mention a few…

These people were recognized for their work and dedication to their craft, not for how much their last project “raked in”, who they are currently sleeping with or what rehab they’re in…

Not one actress or actor today seems to carry that clout!
Some maybe come close, but it seems to be just out of their reach.
The only director… The only “Story Teller” that seems to focus attention to the craft of film making on a continuing bases would be Ron Howard!

Let’s not forget those rising stars of the entertainment field…
That get their big break, their “Breakout Piece of Work”… that show a spark of that seemingly long lost talent, commitment and promise to the craft…
Who unfortunately in some cases will be dead by next year from an accidental drug overdose or who were stalked and murdered by an obsessed fan.

What have we got this year?
Technical advances in the film industry… 3-D cartoons.
Technical advances are good. They provide an increase range of what can be done with the craft, imagination and the storyline.
Those technical advances should be a new “Tool” and not be the actual storyline!

So I guess the winner is, “The Process” and those actors, actresses and directors will be given their commemorative statuette for supporting that process.
We’ll listen to their acceptance speeches, as they thank a litany of faceless people, who they may or may not actually be able to pick out in a lineup and gawk at their costumes worn especially for the presentation or possible shock value.

In weeks to come new ad campaigns will ply us with, “Winner of…” or “Nominated for…” which will have to justify the price increase of a bucket of popcorn from seven to ten dollars… or get us to punch it in on Pay For View.

The winner may be The Process…
The runner up may just be the art...

“What does the Academy Award mean? I don't think it means much of anything.” Sally Field-1980

Spring is in the air…

I’m certain that in parts of the US, still digging out, or digging out again from Mother Nature’s latest winter reminder, there would be a handful of folks ready to, “Take me out back and put a whoopin on me” for the mere mention of such blasphemy! Probably using snow shovels to complete the task.
At the very least, I’m certain there would be more then a few very colorful replies.

According to the almanac and calendar we’re at 16 days and counting…

First, I honestly don’t think that Mother Nature even looks at the calendar anymore… Then again, perhaps Mother Nature has put El Nino in charge of the seasons, similar to the air traffic controller in New York, who brought his son into work and allowed the little lad to direct, although “Supervised”, aircraft arriving and departing the airport.

Second, my comment about spring was principally from my perspective and locale, here in Arizona. We still have cold nights here in the desert, but the daylight hours have begun to warm, provided of course the sun actually puts in an appearance. Yes, Arizona has had snow this winter too, but the clincher is that this year, we’ve had a flood of rain, with more forecast in the next few days.

The Chambers of Commerce here in the Phoenix dust bowl area, tout 360 days of sun each year! They also tout housing, education and economy as receiving high marks overall.
So much for truth in advertising!

The rains we’ve received will launch a bumper crop of desert wild flowers throughout the Sonora Desert and will briefly add a whole new dimension of color to the usual browns and grays common to the spectrum.

So from my perspective, spring is in the air…
All sorts of weeds have begun to make their appearance, popping through the “desert landscaping”.
That landscaping being rocks! Cracked granite.
Notices have already gone out from the KGB, also referred to as the HOA [Home Owners Association] along with notice being served that the exterior of the houses need a fresh coat of paint! Such a “Frank Burns” mentality!

So I’ve begun to do my part… pulling the weeds and running the lawn mower for the first time in 2010.
Not missing a beat, my sinuses kicked right in, providing me with a nasty sinus headache to go to bed with last night and awake with this morning! 3:30 am is one hell of a time to awake in the morning! So spring is in the air here in the desert and currently up my nose!

Other locales will have to hold on to the idea that spring is right around the corner… If you require proof of that and have lost trust in the calendar too, just note how many new commercials are appearing on the TV, that guarantee if you use their little miracle pill or new break through exercise device, not only will you lose weight, but you’ll have sex!
At the very least, you’ll undress with someone.

The seasons are the seasons!
Eventually spring will arrive, then summer, then fall and again winter.
As the recent earthquake in Chile has experts pondering how much the earth has been tilted off its axis…
They’ll get here, when they get here.

Enjoy today, they’ll be something new to ponder about tomorrow.

“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” Mark Twain

Much a do…

I’ve always held fast to my belief in an old adage… the origins of which are unknown and probably out of context, but I refer to it as,
“The Umbrella Theory”…
Better to have one and not need it…
Then to need one and not have it.

It would seem, the devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on February 27, 2010 in the wee hours of the morning; prompting a Tsunami Warning across the entire Pacific Ocean would be a good example of the application of this theory.

Chile is prone to earthquakes, due to the “Ring of Fire” and the subduction activities of the South American and the Nazca plates into the Peru-Chile Trench.
Because of the almost regularity of earthquakes in Chile, that country has spent almost half a century [Since its last massive 9.5 quake in 1960] training its citizens and re-designing infrastructure in preparation for this inevitable event.
They had an umbrella!

As the rescue operations continue and the recovery and rebuilding begins, the number of casualties remains low. This is not to imply that any loss of life is acceptable, but rather a reminder that without provisions in place, the number of casualties might have been far greater.

So too with the Tsunami…
Images from 2004’s tsunami event still clearly in our minds.
Yet another reminder that science has come a long way, but an equal or greater distance of learning still lies ahead for this phenomenon.
Almost a third of the planet was put on a Tsunami Warning after Chile’s earthquake!
An over reaction? I think not.
Better to have an umbrella and not need it?

Like most people, I kept my ear trained on the news throughout the day as I have dear friends living in Hawaii and that state seems to be impacted by most tsunami events.
I will also admit to a sigh of relief and a slight chuckle as I watched the on going CNN coverage from Hawaii, as “Zero Hour” arrived and little or nothing happened.
Actually, something big did happen!
More data was collected.

As a sidebar to the tsunami data gathered…
in the margins it should be noted…
That no matter how much training and instructions are provided, based on the “Live” video feeds from Waikiki beach … you’re still going to have a few idiots walking along the beach or frolicking in the water!

I’m guessing that CNN thought this tsunami was somehow scripted by Hollywood and water levels would respond on cue, as one would see in most disaster movies. That wasn’t going to happen… There was no music in the background building to a crescendo.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Chile as they continue their “in-place” rescue and recovery efforts.
Yet another Phoenix rising from the ashes of Mother Nature’s quirky little habits!
I’m also relieved that the tsunami was milder then anticipated, although I’m still waiting for a confirmation email from those friends in Hawaii.

But wait!
Speaking of Mother Nature and her quirky little habits…
Yet another event preceded Chile’s earthquake by 24-hours on our little global express through the cosmos…
An iceberg, the size of Luxembourg [965 square miles] has broken off a glacier in Antarctica!

Would that be considered an “Ice-Quake”?
Actually, probably not, as it’s fracture was caused by the collision of another iceberg. Sort of like tectonic plates of ice colliding...

People in the mid-west and the northeast are familiar with the loud sound associated with snow melting and sliding off their roofs in big chunks…
Could one begin to imagine the horrific sound or shaking tremblers associated with an ice mass that large, colliding and separating from another ice mass?
Yes we’ve come a long way in learning and understanding, but we still can’t see the horizon.

It’s raining again today here in my little area of Arizona… and I have an umbrella!