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August 31, 2015

Right or Left?

85% of American shoppers go to their right when entering a store.

So says today's trivia calendar entry and I've thought all day long about the stores I frequent.  Both grocery stores I patronize funnel customers to the left.  The United store practically forces you to go to the left, otherwise you'll have to run the gauntlet of check out stands to get to a point where you can enter the aisles.  Going left has you pass by the deli, where the delicious smells of fried chicken and food being cooked stimulates your appetite, therefore making you purchase more groceries.  It's nearly the same way at the other, smaller store I sometimes shop at, but there's no deli. 

I also turn to the left when I go into the Dollar General store; there's a clear lane to the right, but the items I most frequently buy are to the left.  I DO go to the right when I go into the Family Dollar store, but the purpose is much the same as with the Dollar General.

Walmart has several entrances, so I don't know that this "fact" would hold true, but when I enter via the middle entry, I turn to the left to start my shopping.

So, this percentage is skewed by how the store is laid out, plus I must be one of the 15%!

August 29, 2015

Count Me In - Gary Lewis & The Playboys

NOTE: Was looking for an old post and saw this one and thought I'd like to listen to it tonight, but saw the original video was now private. I found another and here it is. Originally posted 8/24/07

The Joy of Being a Koi

Koi fish have been known to live up to 226 years.


Comical Corrupted Content

I was on Yahoo earlier, reading some articles and a link caught my eye:


Now, I'm not particularly a fan of Mr. Trump;  I don't think I've watched more than a few minutes of any of his reality TV shows and I certainly didn't like how he used eminent domain to acquire properties upon which to build his casino in Atlantic City some years back, but I do like the way he is stirring up the Republican presidential primary race - and treating the media with disdain and putting them in their place, long overdue -  and truth be known, although I wouldn't vote for him, I agree with much of what he says.  THAT said, this is what I got when I clicked on the link:


I have never seen that error page before.  Funny, though, considering what I was clicking on.  If Trump sees it, there will be hell toupĂ©e.

August 28, 2015

No Peeking!

Yesterday's trivia calendar entry was this:  "About 40% of people who go to a party in someone's home admit to snooping in the host's medicine cabinet."

If it was a party, then I'm not sure whether they were just being nosy or looking for prescription meds.

I don't even recall snooping through someone's medicine cabinet;  oh, I'm as nosy as the next person, but I'm always afraid something like this would happen:


August 27, 2015

Wrap it Up - The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Note: I heard part of this tune used as "bumper music" in a radio show I was listening to and couldn't remember if I had posted this video before - I had, back in May '08, but the vid had been taken down, so here it is again!

What Do People Love About You?

Sometimes I wonder, but I'm glad I have quizzes like this one to validate my worth! ;-)

People Love That You Are Open and Confident

You're the type of person that's easy to get close to. You're very comfortable in your own skin.

You have no problem showing people who you are, and you're genuinely interested in them in return.

You are an accepting and involved friend. You are truly curious about what is going on in other people's lives.


You may be the first in your group of friends to express concern when someone is having a hard time or making bad decisions. It's only because you care so much. 



Smallest Mammal in the World

The smallest mammal in the world is the Kitti's hog-nosed bat, aka bumblebee bat, from Thailand. The average full grown adult is only 1.2 inches long and weighs around .07 ounces.


August 26, 2015

absquatulate


absquatulate verb [ab-skwoch-uh-leyt]

to flee

Seems to me that by the time you told everyone to absquatulate, you'd have been caught.

But Where is Fay Wray?

The King Kong of all 404 pages, found on abc7amarillo.com.

(click for larger resolution)

Long Live the Queen Ant!

Queen ants can live up to 30 years.


August 24, 2015

Sleep Signing

Sign language users have been known to sign in their sleep.


August 21, 2015

What's Your Food Personality?

You Like Fun Food

You eat simply because you enjoy it, and you love food. You especially love delicious food.

You're not too into foodie trends or the newest diet. If you like something, you'll eat it - simple as that.

You love everything culinary. You love to cook, go out to eat, and grocery shop.


There's nothing you like better than sharing a good meal with friends. Except occasionally keeping it to yourself! 


 

August 18, 2015

Cat Roundup

Well, trying to round them up.

Felix the Cat

One of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid.

August 15, 2015

360° Flying

I love flying vids and think I've seen most of them on YouTube but this is a first and I hope more videos will use this interactive format.

The camera is behind the pilot in the P-51, but use the controls in the top left hand corner to see the F-22 flying in formation for most of the flight.

Uh-oh

From the Examiner.com website:


We can't find the page you've specified. The address may have changed or we may be experiencing a temporary site hiccup.

Maybe you guys need some Internet bicarb.

The Summer of ' 69

A "bump" of this post from August of '08 because today is the anniversary of the first day of Woodstock.

I remember that summer very well; I had made my first real money at my first real job (and the first thing I bought was The Ventures Golden Greats album) and I was due to start high school that fall.

It was in August of that year that most of the class took a trip to Lake Foss in Oklahoma. Several of us boys rode in the back of a long cattle trailer with most of the equipment, the camp stoves, skis, tents, etc. and we joked and laughed and smoked cigarettes all the way there.

Not being much of a skier, I would go off hiking or fishing while everyone else was out on the water. I came from a skiing family, but never cared for the water sport. (one of the reasons might have been the "water skiers enema" I suffered the first time I hit the lake surface and skidded along on my bottom for 20 yards.)

I've also never been able to sleep in a strange place, at least not the first night. It was nearly the middle of the night when everyone else but myself finally fell asleep. Earlier that evening, a couple of the parents who had come along as chaperones had told us "There's some buses full of hippies in a camp down the way...stay away from 'em!"

Not being able to sleep and like most other teenagers when told not to do something, I ventured near the brightly-painted buses like a moth drawn to a flame. As I drew closer, I could hear singing, some musical instruments being played. I quietly walked up to the swing-out door and knocked softly upon the frame. The music immediately stopped, as did the production of the sickly-sweet aromatic smoke that I had smelled.

"Who's there?" challenged a voice. "Uh...just heard ya playin' music...." I stammered. A figure in the darkness came close "It's just a kid." said a soft, sweet feminine voice. Before I knew it, hands were gently pulling me inside. Oh Lord, I thought...what had I got myself into?

"Sit down." came the softly-spoken command from the female who had brought me into the bus. As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, I could see a shapely young woman of around 20 yrs. old, long hair and a flowing dress that clung to her figure which was now deliciously crowded against me on the bus seat. A few questions were sent my way from the dark recesses of the bus, what was I doing there, where was I from, did we have any extra "munchies". After mumbling out my replies, the music started back up and so did the odd smelling smoke.

The musical instruments consisted of many I had never seen; an African "harp", some homemade woodwinds, various weird drums and other odd percussion instruments and the music was unlike any other I had ever heard. It was unstructured, with no obvious theme and seemed to end by some unspoken consensus on the part of the musicians...or when the glowing coal that seemed to float around the bus came to them.

My eyes finally adjusted to the point where I could make out a bit more about the occupants of the bus; most were young men, in their early 20's or late teens, but there were a few girls there, most importantly the one sitting beside me, nudging my body with hers as she swayed in time to the music.

As the smoke swirled around my head, so did the thoughts inside my head; by that time, I couldn't have told you my name or where I was from, but I knew that I was in love with this hippy goddess. She smelled like no other girl I had ever been close to, a combination of sweat and flowers, no perfume but something completely natural, a musky scent I later wish I could have bottled and sold for a million dollars an ounce.

I believe this was my first experience with pheromones and contact highs. I'll never forget it.

"Did you say you had some cookies?" breathed my seat mate's voice in my ear, the sensation being unlike any other I had ever experienced. "I'm hungry." Her words were as lovely as her face and body, words of some newly discovered rare substance that entered my brain like musical notes formed of Jell-O and wrapped in velvet. She laid her head on my shoulder, her hand upon my knee. My heart literally stopped because it was now up in my throat. Her breath was as hot as molten lava on my neck, her eyelashes fluttering on my cheek creating a sensation that I thought must be like being caressed by a thousand beautiful butterflies.

"Mmmm...be right back." I said and jumped up to go get the fair maiden her cookies. I didn't know if we had any in our camping supplies, but I was prepared to go rob a grocery store, kill a Keebler elf for her, strangle him with my bare hands if need be.

I ran as fast as I could go back to our campsite and rummaged through our supplies in the back of the horse trailer. "Whaddyadoin'?" came a sleepy murmur from the front of the trailer where a couple of the guys were sleeping. Ignoring them, I grabbed every sweet thing I could find, I was wanting to get back as quickly as I could, reclaim my king's perch along side my queen, bring her the plundered booty as homage.

With an armful of cookies and Twinkies and honeybuns, I made my light-headed way through the hot and humid Oklahoma night back to the darkened bus, every step filled with urgency. As I drew near the bus, the smell of that smoke was stronger than before. I climbed the steps with the goodies, searching through the darkness for my goddess. Grabbing, anxious hands relieved me of the sweets, but I paid no notice, still looking for the young woman, the only woman in the world, the one destined for me.

"Astrid split." came a voice from the corner of the bus. "She said to tell you she was over there." and I could make out the shape of a hand in the dim moonlight gesturing to a nearby VW van covered in peace signs and orange and red flowers. Not understanding what was meant, I sank to the nearest seat in abject disappointment, nearly sitting on someone who, in a crinkle of cellophane wrappers and grunts of annoyance, moved over so I could sit down. Even without looking, I could tell this certainly wasn't my hippy goddess as the smell was atrocious, greasy hair and unwashed body, a horrible odor that even the strange smelling smoke couldn't mask.

"If you ain't goin', then I am." said my new seat mate through a mouthful of Twinkies. He stood up, brushed by me as I pressed myself up against the seat, hoping that none of that miasma would migrate to me. Being a stranger, I was afraid to open my mouth in protest plus I was also breathing through it instead of my nose, trying to avoid the awful stench. I watched in horror as he strode off through the cloudy night towards my goddess's vehicle, opened the door without introduction knock or greeting and climbed in.

I hadn't the heart to stay after that, even though I found the hippies to be interesting subjects to watch, just like animals in the zoo. They might have well been extinct dodos or passenger pigeons because there certainly were no species like them where I came from!

As I was leaving, I asked one where they were headed. "We're meeting up with some friends from Kansas here and going on in a caravan to a big concert in New York state. " I was barely paying attention, instead watching my beloved's smaller bus starting to rock on its suspension. I didn't know about the facts of life, was ignorant just like most other teens of my age in that day and time, but I certainly knew that VW van was full of the birds 'n bees at that particular moment.

My heart, once in my throat, once stopped by the touch of her hand, was now on the ground, being eaten by the wild dogs of jealousy.

In my own personal history, I suppose this could've been a milestone: my first experience with hippies, my first experience with pot and my first experience with lust. I wasn't so impressed with the hippies; they stank, were greedy beggars and I didn't even realize I had even HAD an experience with illegal drugs until many years later. The lust, though... -sigh- That night, the hour or two that seemed like a microsecond at the time...or perhaps it was an eternity...that night I went from Lust to Jealousy and then came my first profound sense of Loss, at least a loss of a highly desired experience dreamed about by 99.99% of all straight 14 yr. old boys.

A few weeks later, when the television news was full of the gathering of tens of thousands of young people in a NY farmer's field, was when I realized that the hippies were headed to Woodstock. The TV footage showed countless young men, all with greasy-looking long hair, unwashed, twins of all those aboard that bus that night. There were also images of young women, also with dirty hair festooned with flowers, also unwashed, but none were my Astrid. (or it might have been "Agnes", sounds sounded differently to me that night)

With age sometimes comes wisdom, and some small measure of wisdom has even sunk into my own thick skull. I might have missed out on one of the defining moments of a young man's life, at least having the moment with my hippy goddess, but I probably also missed out on the joys of massive doses of penicillin.

(and having to explain to my mother just WHY I needed the antibiotics)

August 14, 2015

What's Your Happy Word?

Your Happy Word is "Bliss"

You are happy because you don't need a lot to be content. You experience happiness in the best and worst of times.

You see the divine in everything. You believe that every moment, person, and creature is unique and special.

You are an oasis of calm in this chaotic world. You never lose your head.


You can feel totally elated and exuberant from the smallest pleasures. You don't hold back when it comes to ecstasy. 



August 12, 2015

Ian Fleming's Life and Death

On this date in 1964, British author and journalist Ian Fleming died of a heart attack.  Fleming was the creator of James Bond, the world's most famous fictional spy.

During his adult life, Fleming worked as a foreign correspondent, a stockbroker and a personal assistant to Britain's director of naval intelligence during WWII - experiences that would all provide fodder for his Bond novels.  The first Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953 and Fleming would go on to write eleven more novels and two short story collections about Agent 007 which together sold more than eighteen million copies.

Fleming also wrote the classic children's book Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang for his son Casper.

I read all the Bond books when I was a young boy and while it's debatable as to whether the books or movies were better than the other, I enjoyed both but found each special in their own way.  The books were more "real" and grittier and while I liked the other movie Bonds, the Sean Connery portrayal best matched up with the Bond of the books.

I'm not sure which of the books or movies I like the most, but I do like the theme song from You Only Live Twice the best of them all. The novel was also where I first learned about haiku, the Japanese poetic form. Bond wrote this one:

You only live twice:
Once when you are born
And once when you look death in the face

So, not to celebrate his death but rather his life and that he has brought so much joy and entertainment to so many people for so long, here's an appropriate salute to you, Ian Fleming.  You will live on forever in your work and inspiration.

Italian Quality

In Italy there are pizza inspectors hired by the government to ensure restaurants are making their pizzas of "Italian quality".


August 11, 2015

Backpfeifengesicht

Backpfeifengesicht (bokf-‘fIf-en-ge-zikt) noun; German compound word 

a person who needs to be slapped;  literally "a face that needs a fist in it".



August 10, 2015

Chocolate Milk


Chocolate milk was originally sold as medicine.

(source: Smithsonian.com)

August 9, 2015

Organ Donor Ad

If this doesn't touch your heart, then you probably don't have one...or it's made of stone.

August 8, 2015

A Question of Balance

The Moody Blues album A Question of Balance was released 45 yrs. ago today.



Question - The Moody Blues

(From a French TV show)

August 7, 2015

The Halftone Test

You Are Assertive

You are a direct and honest person. You have no problem asking for what you want in life.

You are self-reliant and confident. You believe you have as much right to be here as anyone else, and you aren't about to be pushed around.

The light side of you is highly independent and empowered. You enjoy life the best you can, on your terms.


You are extremely courageous and willing to put it all out on the line. You trust your decisions.

The dark side of you is blunt to the point of overwhelming others. You don't know how to be any way but honest.


You have a strong sense of justice, and it's hard for you to let go of times you've been wronged. You tend to hold a grudge. 






"You tend to hold a grudge." I don't know about the rest of the results, but that one is spot-on.

August 6, 2015

Caesar Salad on a Stick

From SampleStorm comes Caesar Salad on a Stick

Servings: 8
PREP 10 mins
READY IN 10 mins

Ingredients

8 croutons
8 (1-inch) wedges romaine lettuce
8 (1 ounce) cubes cooked chicken
8 (1/2-inch) cubes Parmesan cheese, or to taste
8 bamboo toothpicks
8 teaspoons Caesar salad dressing

Directions Thread a crouton, romaine lettuce wedge, chicken cube, and Parmesan cheese cube onto each toothpick, respectively.

Arrange toothpicks on a serving platter and drizzle Caesar salad dressing over each.


At first I thought this was silly, then after thinking about it for a while, decided it would be perfect for a picnic.

August 5, 2015

The Same 13 Letters

"Eleven plus two" and "twelve plus one" both equal 13 and both have 13 letters.

In fact, they both have THE SAME 13 letters.

August 4, 2015

Typing the Longest Word

"Typewriter" is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.


August 3, 2015

European Cookies

No, not the edible kind but the ones put on your computer.

I was checking my Blogger dashboard and saw this notice:

European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent.

As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies.

You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays. If you employ other cookies, for example by adding third party features, this notice may not work for you. Learn more about this notice and your responsibilities.

Since this blog is sited on U.S. servers, I never had seen the notice here, but I have seen it on other websites. I dislike it, especially having to close the nag notice. To see if the notice had been included and to make sure I was complying with this idiotic rule, I amended the blog's URL, like this.

Sure 'nuff, there's the notice.  What a relief!  I'd hate to have Interpol after me!

(Note:  I checked the UK link after I posted this and didn't see the notice- which means I now have a cookie telling my browser I've already seen it.  Not sure if that's the definition of ironic, but it's certainly funny.  If you don't see it, then it's probably because you've either recently visited a UK or other European blog and the cookie is still on your computer)

Banana Man

Humans and bananas share about 60% of the same DNA structure.

That might explain why strippers peel off their clothes and some guys are slippery characters.

August 2, 2015

1962 Pontiac Tempest

This model was the first legal-to-drive car I ever owned;  mine was maroon with black interior and wasn't in nearly as good shape when I bought it (or sold it).   The flyer on the back glass says it's for sale for $10,400, quite a bit more than the $50 I paid for mine.


As you can see at the first of the video, the gear shifter is on the dashboard and it doesn't have a "Park" option - you put it in neutral and set the parking brake.   Mine got pretty good gas mileage, but even with that, I still sometimes had to burn condensate (drip gas) in it during the winter of the year I drove it. (since I wasn't working)  When I bought my next car, my dad bought it from me for fifty bucks and I believe he turned around and sold it for a hundred.  That was OK;  he had overhauled the transmission for me and repaired some rusted out spots on the front fenders and I'm sure his profit didn't even begin to cover the time he spent fixing it up for me.

What Color House Should You Live In?

You Should Live in a Blue House

You are an intense thinker, but you also have a calm about you.

You spend a lot of time ruminating, trying to figure out this world you live in.

Friends think you're wise, and they come to you first for advice.


You are a realist, and you tell it like it is - even if how it is isn't pretty.