Daily Dose of BS May 14 you can buy anything

You can pretty much order anything on the internet, in fact a grandmother was "very shocked" to find a horse in her backyard after her 13-year-old granddaughter ordered it from the internet.  Even though this happened in England, there are still things that I am shocked that you can find on the internet.  What are some of the weirdest things that you have heard people buying on the internet?  I did a quick search of weird things you can buy online and came up with a bunch that I had no idea you could buy from a potato as a card, to a box of poo, to someone to stand in line for you.  I guess that if you have a weird enough idea and willing to post it, there may be a market for it.  If you know anyone who would like to purchase my latest mouth x-rays please let me know I heard that there are people who buy weird things online. 

Daily Dose of BS May 11 anniversary

Tomorrow it will be 28 years of being married to Marcia, 28 years, where did the time go?  I have asked people did your life go as you planned?  If someone asked me that same question, I would honestly have to say that my life is better than I thought it would be.  I have super friends, a great family and a fantastic caring and loving wife that supports all my hairbrained ideas.  I always think it is cheesy when people say I married my best friend, sure maybe at the time Marcia was my best friend, but now, not so much.  Now she is much more than that, she is a confidant, my rock, my friend.  When we were dating we often talked about the future, I think that most people do, we often have grand illusions to what we wanted, places we want to go and things we want to achieve.  I want to take my little space here today to thank Marcia for allowing me to spread my wings and fly to where our dreams would take us.  As in every relationship we have had our ups and our downs, and I think if we were really keeping track that there have been more ups than downs.  I also think that we are more than friends, we are partners.  Happy Anniversary Marcia, I love you.  

Daily Dose of BS May 10 vacation

As we head into vacation season here is something to consider the number one decision Americans make on vacation, for instance, is getting a divorce, with 31 percent of respondents saying they’d considered the action while away.  I wonder where these people are going on vacation?  I don’t think I have ever thought that even while on vacation.  The second in line was quitting a job (18 percent of people have considered this), now I could see this as a thing especially if you are lying on a beach somewhere enjoying a cocktail at noon while your coworkers are in a meeting.  It may cross peoples mind but who really quits?  A new survey shows that we as Americans are getting better at taking time off on a survey of more than 4,000 American workers about their vacation habits found that American workers took an average of 17.2 vacation days in 2017, an increase of 0.4 days over the previous year, marking the highest level for American vacation usage since 2010.  I am ready for a couple of days off.  

Daily Dose of BS May 9 garage sales

Weekends are famous in the Midwest for garage sales, I used to be a big rummage saler, I used to like to pick through someone’s sale tables and try to find the best deal possible, the once in a lifetime find. Those were the days, you used to be able to go to a rummage sale and find some really good deals, now I don’t think as much. Some people who have these sales get an unrealistic value that they place on things based on what I don’t know, but how often have you been to a sale and one of these four things were there, prices so high that you could buy new for cheaper, that the stuff was dirty, or junky or they were selling things like old cool whip and margarine tub and you wondered why they even bothered with the sale. Every once in a while you come across the holy grail of a sale but for the most part at least the ones I have seen lately have been stuff that I would probably just throw away.

Daily Dose of BS May 8 calls

I know I have talked about telemarketing calls in the past but I am getting them in droves now.  Every day my phone rings and every day it is another telemarketer with a bad accent or a robocall or either Janet or Rachel from card services.  The telemarketers are getting smarter and even leaving messages now to give the sales pitch.  I have done my part of getting rid of said calls but that doesn’t mean that the telemarketers are doing what they are supposed to do.  One of the biggest time wasters out there as far as I am concerned is stopping what you are doing grabbing your phone and having it be one of those annoying telemarketers.  What have you done to stop the madness?  I have started blocking certain numbers when I get a call and I have even gone so much as to not answer my phone anymore when I am doing something, I hope that I haven’t lost any business doing so but I hate the annoying sales or not for me calls on my personal cell and my home.

Daily Dose of BS May 7 gardening

A few years ago, I bought my first square foot garden, it came with 8 bags of soil and a road map for success.  I planted the garden as called for with these items in those squares, and these seeds in these squares, only to have some animals swoop in and eat my plants.  I tried it ago only to have my gardening pulverized by heavy rains, and then birds.  I tried one last time and harvested a few tomatoes and a couple of green peppers that first year.  I was hooked.  The next couple of years I made my garden bigger and bigger getting fruit and vegetables.  Last year my haul was fantastic.  This year I got my garden started with 3 different tomatoes, some jalapenos, sugar peas, cucumbers, zucchini, green peppers and this year trying watermelon.  I also have a grape vine, some strawberries, raspberries and blueberry’s.  Not bad for a city kid that only started a few years ago.  I find peace and serenity when I am working on my garden.  What brings you to that point?  

Daily Dose of BS May 4 development

For as long as I have lived in La Crosse the Johnson Oil property has always been talked about and has always been an eyesore.  I am not sure how much longer we can call it an eyesore, as the city of La Crosse, has finally chosen a master developer to what I assume to develop that land into something that will include some housing, some businesses, and some recreation areas.  The 65-acre plot is considered one of the last areas in the city for prime development.  I for one will be excited to see what goes in there.  

Daily Dose of BS May 3 BSA

The Boy Scouts of America announce a new name change that goes into effect February 2019, after next February the Boy Scouts program will be known as Scouts BSA, reflecting its new membership.  The flagship Boy Scouts of America organization and the Cub Scouts program will keep on with the current names.  The decision to allow girls to join the program is what has prompted the changes.  All the members will now be referred to as Scouts regardless of gender.  As a class of 1986 Eagle Scout I can see both the good and the bad in this.  The good is that it opens up for growth, and will help to fuel what I believe is a dying group of kids who are in Scouts.  But on the other hand, I could see it as a downfall for kids to not have the chance to grow with the help of other young men.  It was a time when we sat around with other young men talked smack and learned to be men.  

Daily Dose of BS May 2 Oktoberfest

We have just barely melted off all the snow and already Oktoberfest is making news in La Crosse.  New this year no button needed to attend the yearly drinking fest.  This year the Oktoberfest board has decided to change the game and instead of selling buttons ahead of time for the entrance to the festgrounds, this year’s admittance will be a paper ticket.  Advance four-day tickets featuring the winning design will be available for $10 and they come with a free commemorative button or you can buy single day tickets for 10 dollars with no commemorative button.  I am not going to judge this until I have had the chance to see it in action.  The problem I could see with it, at least for me is losing the pass somewhere or having it go through the wash and have it not be readable, I also think that with the scanning of the tickets it will back up entrance to the festgrounds, but I am going to hold judgment.  Tickets will go on sale in July, with the July sell date, I wonder if they will sell them at RiverFest?

Daily Dose of BS May 1 naming rights

Did you know that the Hubert H Humphry Metro dome in Minneapolis had a name?  I didn’t, it was the Mall of America Field, I wonder if that was good money spent?  I grew up in the cities and I always just called it the dome.  The La Crosse Center is looking at selling the naming rights of the soon to be newly remodeled convention hub of La Crosse.  Again, I wonder if that would-be money well spent, I have been in La Crosse for the past 26 years and I for one have always called it the center, or if on the radio talking about it the La Crosse Center.  I would have a hard time rebranding it in my mind to some different name.  The center is a community building that is owned and run by the city of La Crosse so in essence it does have a paid for name by the group that pays its bills, we as tax payers pay for the center by giving our dollars to the city which in turn pay the bills which in turn has the name of La Crosse on it.  What do you think about renaming the La Crosse Center, would it be a Kaminsky Park – US Cellular Field naming deal?  

Daily Dose of BS April 30 dogs

Do people like their dogs better than they like their kids?  I was wondering that this weekend as I saw many people with their dogs in tow, and at places where you wouldn’t normally see dogs.  I saw them on the laps of drivers, hanging outside of a few stores in cars while their owners were in the store, I saw them in a bar, I saw them outside a bar, in a store and at a ballpark where it was posted no dogs.  It seems to me that dogs were just about everywhere.  I get that there is a love for your 4 legged friend, but when did it become such commonplace to bring your dog everywhere?  I am sure I am going to take some guff for saying this but leave your dog at home, I don’t think that dogs belong in restaurants or bars or grocery stores.  There are some people who are afraid of dogs and when your dog approaches them or barks or licks them, that isn’t fair to them.  Think about it this way, when someone shows you their child doing something cute or calls their toddler over to do their new trick of the week and how you rolls your eyes and think who really cares, you should keep this to yourself, this is how some feel about your dog.  

Daily Dose of BS April 27 poor sportsmanship on the fan side

I was at a high school baseball game yesterday and the first base umpire made a bad call.  I get that, it happens.  Accept the bad call and move on.  I heard one of the grown men watching the game say next time go for his head.  WHAT?  I sat there and stewed about it for a while.  I was going to go over and say something, but I wasn’t positive on who it was.  These types of outbursts are inconsiderate and I feel show the cut of who a person really is.  First of all these are all kids who are out for a sport that they enjoy doing, they will never make it to the pros.  Let the kids have fun and enjoy the camaraderie of being on a team.  My son is playing the game because he enjoys the game, he has said that once it stops being fun he is going to stop playing.  I enjoy going to the games because you get a chance to sit outside, do a little socializing and get a chance to see the players having fun.  Remember that it is just a game and at no time is it ever ok to go for his head next time.  Ever! 

Daily Dose of BS April 25 measles

I am pretty sure that I thought that measles were eradicated then there was the story last week about the possibility of exposure in the La Crosse area, then over the past couple of days other communities around have said something about a possible measles exposure.  Today I read a story that Winona was exposed and that Iowa was exposed.  I also read that measles was eliminated in 2000, but the disease is brought back every year by unvaccinated travelers.  Pretty crappy if you ask me.  This is a highly contagious disease considered one of the most infectious around and sometimes has deadly complications with no treatment for the illness.  If you have the symptoms such as high fever, cough, runny nose and red water eyes, and you may end up with spots on the inside of your mouth, I would suggest you contact your doctor.  Did you vaccinate for measles and other diseases?  Why or why not? 

Daily Dose of BS April 24 driving killer

What would cause a driver to jump the curb and drive down the middle of a sidewalk?  That is what happened yesterday in Toronto.  Police say that no motive has been established yet but they are looking into why a rented van ran over people on a Toronto sidewalk during the lunch hour yesterday.  At the end of the carnage, there were 10 people dead and 15 people injured.  The 25-year-old driver is in custody.  One witness said the van had mowed down everything in its path: pedestrians, mailboxes, electrical poles, benches and a fire hydrant. Another, who rushed to help the pedestrian struck while crossing the street, said, “Pieces of the van went flying everywhere.”  I think that looking at this shows that anything can be used as a killing machine when in the wrong hands and that maybe we are looking at these mass killings wrong.  We need to look at the individual and if we see something, or hear something we need to say something.  

Daily Dose of BS April 23 taxes

Interesting article in the paper the other day about the thing I didn’t think about with Herberger's closing, I didn’t think about the taxes on the store.  I look at the mall and some of the other areas around town and wonder what will fill the spots?  Who will pay the taxes on the empty storefront?  There was also an article over the weekend about the Jackson Plaza being at full capacity for the first time in a while.  Are all the slots in the other malls full?  I know that at Shelby Mall the Dollar store is expanding, but are the rest of the slots taken?  I know at Bridgeview Plaza there are some open spots, but I see around town more construction and more building.  Don’t get me wrong I love seeing the construction around the city, but I don’t think that the real world works much like the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams”.  Remember the tagline from that movie if you build it they will come.  As a taxpayer in the city of La Crosse, I hope that that is true.  

Daily Dose of BS April 20 graduating

At 5:45 last night a new chapter of my life began, as the pages of college closed with the taking of my final in Psychology so did the pages of the college chapter.  As I drove away from Western Technical College one last time as a student, I couldn’t help but feel a swelling of pride and accomplishment.  I got the opportunity to take the sales and sales management program at WTC through some grant money and because of hard work some scholarship dollars.  My college journey started after my son started with the program there, he really enjoyed it, and was asking questions about homework, he got me hooked.  This was a great experience, going back to school as an adult showed me that I could do it.  I even got to take a class with one of my sons and tomorrow I graduate with another of my sons.  I couldn’t be prouder of them.  I did learn a lot about myself with this schooling, I especially learned that I really enjoy learning and that if you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything.  For a guy that was a strong C student 30 plus years ago in high school, I proved that if you do the work, read the chapters, and take the tests that you can be an A student.  Congratulations to all who are graduating this weekend and if you are thinking about going back to school, and you need the push to do it, please reach out.  It was worth it.  

Daily Dose of BS April 19th swearing

On average we utter our first swear word about 10:54 am.  They obviously don’t take into account early morning people or people who commute in for their job because I know for a fact that I do most of my swearing either in my car on the way to work or when something f’s up at work.  A study into everyday stresses and frustration of about 2,000 Americans say that most will drop a word that used to get your mouth washed out with soap by 11a while about 25% of us can’t get past 9am without some sort of vulgarity crossing our lips.  I am not sure if I swear because I am stressed or because I can.  But the survey went on to say that 56% of Americans are stressed over money, 36% over lack of sleep, 35% have health problems that they worry about and 30% are stressed by work.  9% are stressed by the environment, while 4% say that the national debt is what gets them.  One of my biggest stressors at home is when the internet is slow that will bring a few choice words, and I am not alone as that is enough to push 52% of us to let one slip.  What stresses you and causes you to swear?   

Daily Dose of BS April 18 safe flight

Every year for the past few years I have taken a vacation every 15 weeks, this year I decided not to, and I don’t know why we are halfway through week number 16 and I have nothing scheduled in the foreseeable future.  This week last year I was in Florida with some friends, that was the last time I took a flight and was the first time I got to sit in first class, a buddy of mine swapped seats with me so that I could have that experience, I have great friends.  Yesterday there was a plane that had engine problems where a piece of the engine broke apart at more than 30,000 feet, spraying metal pieces through the fuselage and forcing the jet to make an emergency landing.  Damn, this goes to show why we need to know our jobs and train and retrain until we can do it in our sleep or without thinking.  I don’t know anyone who was on that flight but I for one am thankful that that pilot knew what to do.  Speaking of vacations, have you ever made a trip off the beaten path to check out the world’s biggest fill in the blank?  

Daily Dose of BS April 17th taxes

Death and taxes the two guarantees in life.  Today is the day for one of those, taxes, you have until midnight tonight to send in your taxes.  Since 1955 tax day has been on April 15^th, with a few exceptions, if the 15^th falls on the weekend or if patriot day or emancipation day falls on the 15^th or the Monday after a weekend where the 15^th fell.  What started out as a simple thing, turned into a complicated pile of mess.  I am glad I have an awesome tax accountant and would suggest that everyone get someone that they trust to look at personal and business taxes.  If you cannot get your taxes done by today you should submit IRS Form 4868 so that you can get an automatic six-month filing extension, you can find that form and others at irs.gov.  As for the scammers and cheaters that are out there, shame on you there are lots of people depending on your money.  Happy Tax Day here’s for many happy returns.  Get it?

Daily Dose of BS April 16th snow

Obviously over the weekend snow fell, funny how soon we forget, I of course am talking about driving in the snow, I am sure I am not the only person that noticed that people do not remember how to drive in the snow, even though winter just finished a few weeks ago, prior to this latest snow. With the snow came some other events like shoveling and salting, and if you wanted to be young again snowball fights, forts and snowmen. Back to the business of snow.  If you shoveled your walk, great job! I commend everyone who got out and shoveled their walks in the past 24 hours. The road warriors who plow our streets should get medals. I think the majority of those who plow did a great job. But and I know you were waiting for the big but I saw a handful of occasions where a private person or business threw their snow into the city street. You can get ticketed for this, according to a friend of mine who is a cop one of his favorite tickets to write. So when you get your sidewalk or driveway plowed in with snow don’t toss the snow from your sidewalk or driveway back into the street because it is against the law.