Daily Dose of BS Aug 30 country going to pot

Yesterday was a special day.  I am blessed to have as many friends as I do, thanks to all who made my birthday special.  I woke this morning to a story that made me feel as though I was still asleep, the Justice Department said yesterday that states can let people use marijuana, allow people to grow it and even allow states to allow adults to buy it as long as its kept away from kids.  I am not sure how I feel about this.  Marijuana is considered the gateway drug personally I think of tobacco as the gateway drug, but that is a whole other story.  I think that legalizing pot will bring some of the drug dealers down and bring in millions of tax dollars to the government, and any tax cut would be welcome. 

Daily Dose of BS Aug 28 smoking

Tomorrow will be 6 years since I smoked a cigarette.  I had been a smoker on and off from the time I was in high school till 6 years ago, I quit for 4 and 5 years in there at different times but 6 years ago I decided after my oldest son caught me smoking to give it up for a year.  I gave it to myself for my birthday, it was a one year contract that I had with myself.  I then continued to give myself that gift.  That time I quit was easy, as I was doing it for my kids and for me.  Don’t get me wrong there were times when I really wanted to light up, especially when faced with stress, but each day it got a bit easier and the cravings less.  Which brings me to the e-cigarettes that are now seemly everywhere, is that just trading one habit for another habit?  Are the people who are “smoking” these doing good for themselves?  I have a friend who used them for awhile to try to quit, it didn’t work he smoked both the e and regular cigarette now just the regular.  I am now hearing that these are causing cancer similar to regular cigarettes.  I am also bugged by the fact that users of these feel like they can do it anywhere, like the grocery store.   

THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS BEFORE SCHOOL BEGINS

Summers winding down, time to prep your kid for another school year. A few tip:

Start adjusting bedtime before school starts.

Set your morning routine.

Go see your new classroom or school.

Make playdates with classmates.

Make school shopping special.

Fill out school forms ahead of time.

Create a homework workspace.

Organize closets with back-to-school clothes.

Do something fun school starts soon.

Daily Dose of BS Aug 27 parade

Would you pay 35 bucks to reserve a prime parade viewing spot?  The city of La Crosse is considering a new and different approach to the squatting problem along the Mapleleaf Parade route.  Up to 55 prime parade watching spots could be available for “rent” for the parade.   The city is thinking of issuing $35 street privilege permits to keep people off the streets till the parade starts.  I think this is ridiculous, isn’t this just another tax?  My goodness we already have hoops to jump through in order to watch the parade from a prime spot by having someone stake out the area starting at midnight, now we have to pay for the “privilege” of doing it, no thank you.  Unless this is how they are going to let the parade go on without fees to Oktoberfest.  

Daily Dose of BS Aug 26 rape

She deserved it, do you see what she is wearing.  She is asking for it, I’ve heard the stories.  I got needs.  I’m a man.  She flirted with me I could tell she wanted it.  She didn’t say stop, I heard don’t stop.  Her friends said she likes me.  You can’t rape the willing.  Come on MAN UP.  It makes me sick that a sexual assault happens every 2 minutes in this country.  Every two minutes.  We are the land of the free, the home of the brave.  I see nothing brave about forcing yourself on to someone.  Remember NO means NO.   It is about respect and not just for your partner but for yourself as well.  Here’s the thing 54% of all sexual assaults go unreported, if we want to see that number change, start reporting.  I am a Dad, a Son, a Husband and a friend to many women and I do not want to see this go on.  Let’s put a stop to sexual violence.  

WHO EATS THE MOST FAST FOOD?

Some surprising highlights of a new Gallup poll on the topic

80% of us eat some type of fast food monthly almost 50% weekly.

57% of young adults aged 18-to-29 indulge weekly, the highest frequency of any age group.

51% who earn $75,000-plus annually are more likely to eat fast food weekly, in comparison to just 39% who earn less than $20,000 a year.

Only 4% of us claim to NEVER eat at fast-food restaurants....I am not one of them.

Daily Dose of BS Aug 23 forget

There are times that I am in the middle of conversation and forget what I am talking about.  Sometimes I think is there a better way to get somewhere that I go to regularly, there are times that I am thinking of a number between 1 and 10 and when I am asked what the number is I lie because I don’t remember.  But then there are times that my memory is so good that I remember things that haven’t even happened.  I am not sure if these are the signs of old age or because there are always 37 things going through my head at a time.  Sometimes it is so crowed up there that the less important things get pushed out or taken to the slower part of the brain.  Most days at work I give the weather forecast 20 times in a day and then someone will ask me after work what is the weather going to be tomorrow and I give them a blank stare and ask why would I know, the response is always don’t forget the milk.

Daily Dose of BS August 22 ahh um

Today I got nothing.  I am surprised by this as there is always something swimming around in my head.  I was thinking on my way into work this morning about how many times we say um in a day.  I am guessing if you work at Subway you hear it more than the average person.  Try to order a custom made sandwich or a built for you burrito from a made to order place without saying the word um.  I bet ya can't do it.  I tried the last time I ordered and was unable to do it and I mentioned it out loud to the person working, they laughed and said they didn’t notice.  I bet they do now.  I had the chance to meet President Bill Clinton right after the Monica story broke, he spoke in La Crosse and about 15 of us got to meet him and ask questions, being me I asked how do you speak without saying ahh, or um?  He looked me right in the eye and with my best Bill Clinton impersonation said ahh, um…

Daily Dose of BS August 21 speed limit

We all are in a hurry, if you are driving through Wisconsin, slow down.  Most the states around here have a higher than us speed limit, and I hope ours increases soon.   I remember when the slogans arrive alive drive 55 was out, and then we moved it up to 60 and 65.  While driving to visit my folks in the Twin Cities you get to drive legally 70, but if you go only 70 you will be passed.  The state of Wisconsin is now looking at moving the speed limit up to 70 from 65, I personally think we should move it to 75 or even 80, people are driving it anyway, and why not have a little truth in signage? 

BS TRUTHS ABOUT KIDS

If you have trouble getting your kids attention, just sit down and look comfortable.
One child is often not enough, but 2 children can be far too many.
Summer vacation is a time when parents realize that teachers are grossly underpaid.
There are 3 ways to get things done - do it yourself, hire someone to do it, and forbid your kids to do it.
A child will not spill on a dirty floor.
The best thing to spend on your children is time.

Daily Dose of BS Aug 20 bored killing

Heard on the radio this morning that three teens shot and killed someone cause they were bored.  Where did the respect for life go?  We killed him because we were bored.  The boys were aged 15, 16 and 17.  I am appalled by this and I think the biggest reason is that there is total disregard for life, secondly I have kids that are close in age to those kids.  How can you be bored?  There are so many things to do from reading a book, to hiking in the woods, to hanging around the mall or playing games, either video or good old fashioned board games.  I do not get the mentality of people who for no reason cause damage to someone else’s stuff, steal from others or take the most precious gift of all life.  Here is an idea if you are bored find something to do.    

Daily Dose of BS August 19 marriage

My buddy got married on Saturday and most of our card/hunting group was there, I got into a conversation with one of my buddies on why marriages now a days seem to end more often in divorce, great topic at a wedding right.  He gave me his thoughts on the reason, and for me it makes sense.   We are now waiting to be married and we live together before we are hitched, in waiting we are getting more set in our ways becoming more independent than we were in the past.  We are forgetting about compromise that makes any relationship work, lets say you are an over the top toilet paper person and your spouse is not, bam a fight, you roll your tooth paste from the bottom and he squeezes it from the middle bam a fight.  No compromise.  This works at work also, the people you fight with at work or in other relationships are people who won't compromise with you but one of you ends up backing down and a good foundation of relationship can't be built on that, can it?   

BS BALD GUY PICKUP LINES

You’re beautiful, and that’s not just the Rogaine talking.
I will shower you with gifts with the money I save not buying shampoo.
Would you like to run your fingers through my head?
Your eyes are sparkling … or maybe that’s just the glare off my head.
I don’t have any paper, but you can write your phone number on my extensive forehead.
Wanna go back to my place and see my hairpiece?
There are 2 things missing from my life: Healthy follicle growth and you.
Wanna buff me?

Daily Dose of BS Aug 16 don't judge me

I am a big guy, I know that people look at me and think, lazy.  I think that we as a society tend to judge people on their outward appearance.  I don’t know if I am judgmental or if I just am noticing things and either like or don’t like based on what it is that I see.  Yesterday I spent the day at the Wisconsin Dells and you could not have asked for a better day.  I made many observations and want to share a couple of them, first of all why would you go to a water park dressed up in your Goth stuff, (A) it’s a water park you are going to get sun and (B) it’s a water park and you’re going to get wet.  If you are wearing pants over your underpants, why if you are allowing your whole underwear to show, I saw no less than three young men wearing their pants so low, with a belt mind you that they had to walk doing the splits to keep the pants up.  I guess I am glad that under garments were worn.  There were belly button rings, and pierced chests, and I saw lots of cool ink, some really bad ink and a fake tramp stamp that ran.  I guess when you boil it all down it is your canvas to do what you want, but there are lots of artists out there that even their Mom won't hang the art on the fridge.  

Daily Dose of BS August 14 computer crapped out

What a craptastic start to the day.  I started off my morning routine then headed to the office to go through emails and check my facebook.  Went to turn on my desktop computer and nothing, the display said primary master drive error hit control, alt and delete.  It went through that twice, then came to the display of reboot and select proper boot device or insert boot media.  Well the quick look through the drawer of computer stuff, I found some 5 inch floppys and 3.5 inch floppys some windows 98 and xp start up discs, guess what no windows 7 Asus start up discs.  Uggh what do I do, my business is run from that computer, I have tons of pictures, audio, and memories on that computer.  In fact thinking about it I am starting to get antsy and irritable, any help would be appreciated. 

Daily Dose of BS Aug 13 open package

You would think that as a business you would want consumers to try and enjoy your products.  We bought some of the snack packs of the oatmeal squares to go, and they were definitely to go.  Go back to the kitchen to get a scissors to cut the thing open.  It is a nice looking snack pack that stands up by itself, the top of the pack says push down and pull apart, I don’t know what Herculean person can open this package by pushing down and pulling apart but it should be an Olympic sport that is how difficult this task is.  Which brings me to other quick grab and go snacks from chips to bagged lettuce and carrots who designed these tear here strips and what is the success rate?  One in 1,456?    

Daily Dose off BS Aug 12 messy desk

We have all heard that cleanliness, after all, is next to godliness.  Boy was I in trouble before researchers at the University of Minnesota decided to take a look at this, you know keep your work area clean and you will be more likely to work your tail off, stay honest, be generous with your coworkers, and on and on.  They found that all the clutter may be part of the reason that we are so creative, so lets grab a coffee stained mug filled with your favorite caffeine and toast the slob next to you.  Remember the old saying "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?"  it seems as though a messy work environment, can bring out a person's creativity and lead to the birth of bold, new ideas, this new research makes me happy.  Now if I could only find my stained coffee mug to make that toast.

Daily Dose of BS Aug 9 vacation

I get 3 weeks’ vacation a year, and I get a handful of holidays a year but then we as a company take a day in the summer and take a family trip, this year we are going to the Dells, and it truly is a family trip, not only am I invited to go but my immediate family as well, they supply the bus and the tickets.  Pretty cool huh?  As Americans we are on the low end of vacation when it comes to the industrial countries no wonder there is burn out.  Here are some signs that you need a vacation, that you are driving your family nuts with all your complaints, that your industry is dying, that you feel as though you don’t fit in, and that you would rather go get a root canal than go to work.  We need to use our vacation instead of loose it, take a day every once in a while to either sleep in, stay up late, go to breakfast or just sit around in your jammys.  If ya got the vacation use it don’t loose it. 

Daily Dose of BS August 8 lessons learned

Life is short, and is filled with rules and lessons.  We never stop learning and we often forget those lessons.  For example remember the big rage a few years ago about the lessons learned in kindergarten?  I think with each step in life we have a take-a-way.  For example in kindergarten we learn to share, and not fight.  Good life long advice.  In middle school we learned that we must be able to march to the beat of a different drummer, to take what is given and make the best of it.  High school we learned how to fake it till we make it and act like we belong, and this is great advice that will continue to help us well into our future.  In our first jobs we learn that Mom does not work there and isn’t there to pick up after you and also that it is ok to ask for help.  In dating and relationships we learn that in-fact the world does not revolve around you.  Lessons everywhere, how we choose to learn and implement make us who we are.  One of the biggest things I learned in radio is to listen.  What are the best lessons learned in your line of work? 

BS METHODS FOR SHORTENING CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Reading to your child is one of life’s greatest gifts, right? But sometimes you are just … too … tired (or have read your child’s favorite book a hundred times) and wish you could turn that 36-page story into a 12-page story. Here’s how …The 2-Page Turn – Children are extremely susceptible to sleight-of-hand. Make use of it! While pointing to a picture on the left page, grasp 2 (or more) upcoming pages to flip over.  Word Skipping  – About half of the words in kids’ books are modifiers. Skipping needless terms like ‘very’, ‘quickly’, and ‘super’ will get you out in a little over half your usual time.

Daily Dose of BS Aug 7 tongue cleaning

Yesterday was national fresh breath day.  Did you celebrate?  I know I didn’t.  I did my typical daily brushing of the teeth, I think I even flossed, but I am like most people and don’t floss as much as a I should.  I read the other day that people who use mouth wash on a regular basis that they tend to lie more often than those who don’t use it.  I wonder if it is because it offers them a chance to share their breath more cause of the fresh minty smell and they feel as though they have to talk and share the minty goodness.   Since I missed national fresh breath day yesterday I just wanted to know if you have ever scraped your tongue.  I  never have but I brush it a few times a week.  According to some it is like someone who doesn’t clean a shag rug.  My question is who still has a shag rug? 

Daily Dose of BS August 6 beer

20 years ago beer was the most popular alcoholic beverage by far, since then beer is down.   I know I personally drink less beer than I used to but I blame that on getting older and having to get up at before the crack of dawn.  I also am more aware of the damage that drinking can do to you, your family and those around you.  I used to make the claim that I could close a bar and be up and at work at 5, and I would do it on occasion.  Those days sucked and I have no idea what possessed me to make that choice, oh yea, because I could.  When the national media is saying that beer consumption is down, and other alcohols are up, I wonder if it has to do with marketing and the disappearance of beer bars. 

WHAT YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR SAYS ABOUT YOU:

In honor of Ice Cream Month, the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation gives us the inside scoop on what favorite ice cream flavors indicate about an individual’s personality …
Chocolate: You’re likely to be dramatic, lively, charming, flirtatious, seductive, and gullible.
Chocolate Chip: You’re most likely to be generous, competent, and a real go-getter.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: You’re ambitious, competitive, and a visionary.
Mint Chocolate Chip: You’re argumentative, frugal, and often cautious.
Pralines ‘n Cream: Loving and supportive; prefer to avoid the spotlight.
Rainbow Sherbet: Analytic, decisive, and sometimes a bit pessimistic.
Rocky Road: You’re more likely to be aggressive, engaging, and a good listener.
Strawberry: An introvert who is tolerant and devoted.
Vanilla: You tend to be an idealist who is impulsive and easily swayed.
– Adapted from NYDailyNews.com

Daily Dose of BS August 5 trip

I talk for a living and if you meet me in person you will know that I talk pretty much all the time, even in my sleep.  I was on an extended weekend trip last Friday and Saturday making a trip to the Twin Cities, with stops at the Mall of America and the Minnesota Zoo.  At the MOA we did the aquarium there it is called Sea Life and believe me I was whistling the song while walking thru the aquarium, if you like having an up close and personal experience with sea urchins and starfish and have a shark and sting ray float over you then the is a great place for you to visit.  The next day the zoo, always fun and took one of the last trips on the monorail, they are closing it after Labor Day.  Getting back to me talking, we were enjoying the managers reception on Friday night at the hotel we started to talk with the family next to us, they we’re just wrapping up their 3 weeks’ vacation that brought them all over the West Coast and back thru Minnesota to fly home to DC, vacation without a plan, that to me sounds like fun.  Would you be able to do it?  Plus we met some people from La Crosse staying at the hotel.  

Tons of fests in La Crosse Some of the weird ones else where

WEIRD and WACKY FESTIVALS AROUND-THE-WORLD:
Wife Carrying World Championships (Sonkajärvi, Finland)
Mud Festival (Boryeong, South Korea)
World Bodypainting Festival (Poertschach, Austria)
The Battle of Oranges (Ivrea, Italy)
Night Of the Radishes (Oaxaca, Mexico)
Garlic Festival (Gilroy, California)
World Bog Snorkeling Championship (Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales)
Eeyore’s Birthday Party (Austin, Texas)
– Condensed from “USA Today”

Daily Dose of BS July 30 tv

Old school tvs.  I remember when I was a kid and the tv broke.  My Dad called a tv repairman and he came to our house to fix the tv.  I even bought a tv that didn’t work when I was a kid at a rummage sale.  It cost me 7 dollars to fix it.  I remember that cause it was a $7.50 tv.  It needed a cord, it was black and white it didn’t have a remote and you had to turn the channels by hand.  Remember grabbing ahold of the knob and seeing if you could turn the channels all the way around with out letting go of it.  There was uhf and vhf and no cable….at least where I grew up in the twin cities.  (I think that is just what my parents told us so that way we didn’t have to get it…a whole other story that is.)  We had the networks abc, cbs, nbc and pbs….nothing more nothing less.  I think I like tv today as we graduated from vcrs and dvds to tivos and internet tv.  Where are we going to go from here?  Tv that beams to our phones?  Nevermind it is already here.

Daily Dose of BS August 1 poverty

I read a news story the other day that shocked me it said  “Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives”.  I call BS unless the poor are hiding somewhere, I believe that we have a problem but 4 out of five, that works out to 80% or about as many dentists recommend chewing Trident.  When I look around at my fellow man, I see iphones, lap tops, big screen tvs, restaurants with patrons,  people to spending money.  I just don’t get how this report can say 4 out of 5 struggle, if they were to be honest, maybe just a handful of people don’t struggle with money, but I am guessing that much of the struggle is brought on by bad choices or poor spending habits.