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.  

Daily Dose of BS July 31 guilty

GUILTY. That is the verdict of Jeffery Lepsch, the Minnesota man accused killing Paul and A.J. Petras at May’s Photo last fall.  The La Crosse Police did a quick and fast job of finding, and then charging him.  I was shocked when I heard what the killing was over, 17 thousand dollars’ worth of camera equipment.  Really a couple of lives are worth only 17 grand.   The 12 peers from La Crosse, the jury, found Lepsch guilty.  

Daily Dose of BS July 29 bail and guns

Should we as a country bail out Detroit?  Most of us have issues with money, so should the country take on the burden of helping out our fellow countrymen and women?   I am not sure how I feel about this, on one hand I wonder if there is truly anything we as outsiders can do to help this struggling community, if what we do as a country will really be a long term helping hand or will it be a hand out?  But on the other hand I feel bad for those in the situation that have no choice, like the kids.  I also heard that the city of Chicago wants to take the guns from those that aren’t supposed to have guns like those that are mentally ill or have felony records; I guess that I thought that this is something that is always done.  Guess what it isn’t. 

Daily Dose of BS July 26 phones

At work this morning the phones didn’t work.  I see I have a voice mail, I couldn’t retrieve it.  Then the phones turned on and crackly then it worked for a while then I got hung up on.  It is weird I really never thought about how much I use the hard wired phone for my job.  I guess that since I take calls on the air and make calls to different people to interview them a phone is needed.  Hard to think that with all the cell phone and internet technology that is out there that the wire in the wall and the phone on the desk still has meaning.  I remember as a kid taking a super long phone cord and running a phone up to my room, then when I first moved on my own having a phone in a couple of rooms.  Now at home when the home phone rings it doesn’t get answered half the time because no one can find one of the cordless phones, or they are not convenient.  Are you still wired?

Daily Dose of BS July 25 cell phone

July is “Cellphone Courtesy Month”  What phone etiquette faux pas really ticks you off?  Some of the things that tick me off about cell phones, when people talk loudly on the phone in a public place or texting while dining with someone in a restaurant or my favorite taking calls while in a serious conversation, or make that any conversation.  Enough of  the bad etiquette, lets all work together to make it a successful rest of the month, after all its less than a week, and if we do it day by day we will eventually make a dent in rude cell phone etiquette. 

Daily Dose of BS July 24 breakfast

I guess I do something right, I heard a report yesterday that it is true breakfast is the most important meal of the day and as a man it is even more important.   Men who regularly skip breakfast are at 27 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or fatal heart disease, they go on to say a bunch of other stuff about it too but I tuned it out and started hunting for something to have for my breakfast.  I think Homer Simpson said it best, mmm donuts.  I am guessing this isn’t the kind of breakfast that the study was talking about. 

Daily Dose of BS July 23 a bit of a bunch

1490 that is the amount of gnats flying around my deck, does anyone know how to get rid of the dang things?  I also got many things running thru my head today as I usually do.   I am trying to teach my kids not to lie, yet here we have a major league player, one who many look up to getting suspended for doping, cheating and lying.  When someone that kids look up to, or anyone dopes, cheats and lies to better themselves for the game there is a problem.  I have always found if I do something wrong and am called on the carpet for it, if you come clean the wrath may be swift but is less then when you lie about it.  Also does anyone else besides me not give a royal rip about the royal birth?  There are women all over the world giving birth everyday, and many of these kids I bet end up making more of an impact in the future than a royal birth.  I guess I better keep my mouth shut about this or I may ingest another gnat I think I am up to 105 so for this summer.