Hot Mel

Here's another mail that hit my spam folder.  At first, it looked real;  it had the official WindowsLive logo and since my Hotmail acct. had been hacked several months ago, it alarmed me.  After looking at the body of the message, I knew it was a phishing attempt.

---

 Dear ,

We have recently detected an unusual activity on your account .

WindowsLive has placed a hold on your e-mail account untill this issue will be resolved.

To ensure that your e-mail service is not interupted, please confirm your information with us, by following the link below :

(URL deleted)

We are sorry for any inconvenience that this might have caused.

© WindowsLive 2012

WindowsLive is working 24/7 to ensure the protection of your account.
This e-mail may contain confidential and/or priviliged information. In case you are not the intented recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified not to read , distribute , disclose or otherwise use this transmision. If you have received this e-mail in error , please notify the sender immediately and then delete this e-mail/transmission from your system

---

I deleted the URL, but it wasn't a valid one, anyway - it was masked.  Hovering over it with the cursor, I saw a different URL, one that went to a PHP page on imenasa.com.

Not sure why anyone would want to get into my Hotmail account;  I never use it for online financial transactions.  In fact, it's the address I give when I have to give an email addy for free samples or when I don't believe the site when they say they will keep my information private.  I checked the account the other day after not signing in for a couple of months and there were a half dozen newsletters I had never bothered to cancel when I pretty much quit using Hotmail and went to Gmail and there were over a thousand mails in the spam folder.

I should have noticed it was a phishing attempt from the get-go, as the reply to address was Hotmail Team services@hotmel.co.uk

Hotmel?

That reminded me of someone I used to know, a guy named Mel who was a derrick hand on a drilling rig I worked on a long time ago.  Mel was anti-social and didn't like the other hands visiting with him in the mud house .(where the derrick hand mixed the drilling mud/fluid)  That was OK; it was during the summer and the nights were hot, so there was no need to get in out of the cold like there was during the winter.  I can't remember the details, but I didn't work too long on that rig.

It was several months later and I was behind a rather large and hairy woman in line at a neighborhood convenience store. She was dressed fairly nice - a white blouse with blue trim and a short white skirt and was wearing nylons. As "she" turned around, I saw that it was Mel!   Trying my best to remain nonchalant, I spoke with him a little bit, reminded him that we had worked together on the rig.  He was a lot more cordial than he had been on that job. He asked what I was doing now, I asked the same and that was about it. He said goodbye and walked out the door, a little rocky on his high heels.

I turned to pay for my items and the clerk was staring at me, her mouth wide open.  "You know that guy?" she asked with an incredulous look on her face.  "Yeah." I told her.  "We roughnecked together on a drilling rig.".

She shook her head in disbelief.  "Can you believe the way he was dressed?"

"Disgraceful." I told her and she nodded in agreement, still looking astonished.  I went on:

"Wearing white after Labor Day.  Disgraceful."

Yup, Mel looked pretty hot from the back until you noticed the matted hair under his stockings.  When he turned around, it was another story.

Edit to add: I am Facebook friends with a local woman.  Looking through her friends list, I noticed Mel was her friend.  I messaged her and asked if he still liked to "dress up".  She wrote back, saying she had heard he had done that, but she never had seen him cross-dressing.  She said he was a devout Christian now.

Amazed by Stupidity

There was a post on the Amarillo Globe-News Facebook page about a woman who had been bitten by a brown recluse spider while in the Amarillo Rick Husband airport. The article didn't so much question that the bite occurred, only wondering why it took five months for the UK Mail Online story to report it.

Personally, I believe it happened and don't know/don't care why it took so long to be reported. What bothered me was a couple of comments on the Facebook page by some doofus who took offense at the story.

I'm a friend of a person who knows the victim of the spider bite personally. It happened. Quit being a crappy news source.

First of all, I don't think the guy read the story: My spidey sense is all messed up. He seems a little too defensive about the way it was reported. The author of the article did some investigating and neither the city manager nor the manager of the airport knew anything about the incident.

Be that as it may, the guy who was overly defensive didn't construct a sentence very well. In the above quote, it sounds like he personally knew the spider bite. Now, I'm often guilty of fracturing grammar usage, so it would be hypocritical of me to criticize him for making a simple error in his sentence construction. No, what annoyed me about the guy was him commenting after several other comments and saying this:

You people amaze me with stupidity.

Dictionary.com defines amaze as:
1. to overwhelm with surprise or sudden wonder; astonish greatly.
2. Obsolete. to bewilder; perplex.

Why would stupidity "amaze" you? I can understand using "dismays", "surprises" or any other number of adjectives or verbs, but "amaze"? There's a LOT of stupidity in the world - why would you be amazed at it? Wouldn't that make you a little bit stupid yourself?

I'll admit I'm sometimes amazed at the sheer volume of stupidity...amazed that such stupid people somehow manage to get on the internet. What really amazes me is that there are 10,200,000 results on Google for "amaze me with stupidity". Hope that Google link works.

I'll feel really stupid if it doesn't.

Vaguebooking

Since I'm ranting about Facebook.... (see post just below this one)

I ran across a great new word the other day: Vaguebooking

From Urban Dictionary: An intentionally vague Facebook status update, that prompts friends to ask what's going on, or is possibly a cry for help.

Mary is: "wondering if it is all worth it"


Mark is: "thinking that was a bad idea"

---

I used to get those from a couple of my younger family members who are Facebook friends. Even though I didn't know what they were talking about, I chalked it up to teenaged angst. I'd message them "What's wrong?" and usually get a vague reply. "Oh, just life isn't fair." or something similar.

Yep, teenaged angst.

I've got a Facebook friend, a grown woman only a couple years younger than me, who does it too, though. That's when it's annoying. Her vague Facebook posts almost always are something like: "Don't judge me! You don't know what I'm going through!" or variations on the same theme. At first, I and other of her Facebook friends would ask her what was wrong, tell her we were there for her, etc. I've quit responding and most others have, too.

Frankly, it pisses me off. If you're angry enough with someone to post something like that, name them! Hell, I'd enjoy some drama and dissension far more than I do these vague threats.

It's my humble opinion that she craves the attention.  Maybe she thinks a majority of her Facebook friends should reply to each and every one of her posts and this is the way to see who reads her wall.  She's one of those people, however, who shares a dozen or more things each and every day.  I share stuff, too, but try to keep it at a minimum - to share things I find really odd or funny. 

(I belong to a group whose owner posts at least two dozen times/day. It's almost overwhelming.  The worst thing is she constantly re-posts things.  She does change them up some, though.  Some weeks it's bluebonnets, others it's George Strait photos.  Enough! I enjoy the group otherwise. I just wish she'd focus more on quality than quantity)

Since finding the new word "vaguebooking", I've been trying to think of one for the posts people do far too often; the "if you're my friend" type, the ones that implore you to re-post and share that post.  I'm thinking something along the lines of "disgracebooking" because of the way they try to shame you into re-posting.

Stop It!

If you use Facebook - as do many of my friends and family who follow me in this blog - you've probably received a request to play a game. Now, I spend far too much time online as it is and already have too many addictions websites I visit every day and don't need to spend even more time playing games. I recently had a games request from a long-time online friend's son and hated to turn it down, but felt I had to. I probably should have messaged him to say why I didn't want to play the game.

It's not just that, though; if you use Facebook, you've probably noticed strange messages on friend's walls, saying they've entered a contest and you should too, or you need to view some video or visit some link where you'll see something "Shocking!". Sometimes it's even posted on your own wall. Those are the "rogue" applications that can take over your account. What's worse, if you click on the link and your computer isn't completely protected, you stand a good chance of having some nasty malware installed.

For example, I just got a request from a Facebook "friend" to install an application - it was a game called "Messages From God". Now, if I want a message from God, I'll pray for one. He's seen fit to send me messages before, some I didn't want to hear.

Anyway, here's a screenshot of the request. I cut out the application name while I was deleting my personal information.(I wasn't going to name it, but since they don't care about MY privacy, why should I theirs?)

Click graphic for larger view

As you can see, the application wants permission to access your basic information, even when you're not using the app.  If you accept the app., you also grant it permission to send you email...IOW, to spam you.  Since it can access your Facebook friend's information, that means it can also spam them. Since using Facebook, my email has had a ten-fold increase in spam.  I'm certain that some of the applications my "friends" have installed are responsible.

That's not all;  as I mentioned earlier, you're also giving the application permission to post "on your behalf".  That's not only annoying to me, it infuriates me. (I post enough stupid stuff as it is - I don't need an application doing it for me.)

I've blocked the application and blocked any more application requests from my Facebook "friend".  (to paraphrase an old adage: "With friends like that, you might as well have an enema")  I've posted on my wall several times that I don't play games, don't want to be sent requests.  *Some* people don't care - or read - what you post, seems like.  If I get one more request from her, I'll just unfriend and block HER.

Facebook - other than that - is a great social media, but they sure need to do something about the security issues. It would also be nice to be able to just go into your settings and block ALL application requests.

So Far, a Lucky Week

This just hit my email inbox:

I forget why I entered the contest; I'm sure the Grand Prize was something I really wanted or I wouldn't have made the effort. A magazine subscription isn't too bad of a consolation prize - I love to get magazines and after reading, they're good to line my trashcan with or to tear pages out of and put under the Beej's water and feed bowls. I used to take my old magazines to the laundromat but they would get stolen within the day.

It's been a fairly lucky week for me; I won this magazine subscription, fifty extra points for correctly answering the movie trivia question at StartSampling and last night I won $12 on the Powerball lottery.

It was also a very lucky week for some young punk in a red car.  I was out earlier and about to turn onto a busy street.  The light was red and there was a car ahead of me.  I started slowing as I normally do, easing to a stop. (saves gas, saves brake wear) There wasn't but a few car lengths between me and the other vehicle when the red car zoomed around me and cut in front.  I had to slam on my brakes to avoid slamming into the car.  I saw him glancing in his rear-view mirror and I gave him the bird.  He didn't look back again.  I was itching for a fight- he had scared me and that just about makes me angrier than anything else.

As we sat there waiting for the light, I got more angry.  He wasn't saving any time, he had to wait anyway.  When the light changed, he sped off, zipping from lane-to-lane w/out signalling. He also ran a yellow light when he got to the next intersection and turned. 

I wasn't in a very good mood, anyway.  I had tried to drop off my vehicle insurance payment last week, but there was a sign on the office door "Be Back Soon". I went back by several times, but there was no one there.  I put the check and invoice on the passenger seat and forgot about it.  When I got in my truck earlier, I noticed it and remembered that it was due tomorrow.  I got to the insurance office and saw the same sign on the door.  I went to the Dollar Store, did a little shopping and dropped back by only to see the business was still closed.  I killed a little more time and went back - the sign was still up, the door still locked.

Fuming, I went home and called the after hours number listed on the door.  Nothing.  I then called the regular number and a woman answered.  I told her I had been trying to bring my payment by and wanted to make sure someone was there to take it.  "Oh, I stepped out for a little while." she told me.  Yeah, a week is a "little while" I thought, but didn't say it.  She then informed me that the boss was gone, had been for a week.  That made sense then - she was enjoying her four hour lunch breaks.   She's lucky I didn't lose my temper with her.  She's even luckier I didn't have to file a claim for rear-ending that red car.

I'm lucky to win the few things I have this week.  To be honest - I'm even more lucky I haven't stroked out.   I seem to be getting more and more angry at things here lately.  I got a little angry earlier at a reply to my license plate post on Facebook.  An old friend and schoolmate wrote "Why would I want a license plate with 'Mike' on it?"  It shouldn't have, but it hit me wrong.  I started to reply "Well, it would be just as well....'smartass' wouldn't fit."  I've been a little snarky on Facebook myself lately, though, and didn't want to be a hypocrite.

To top all that off, the stray cat I've been feeding has been in heat. (I thought she was pregnant, but she is just fat.  I've cut back on her food- all she gets is B's leftovers now) I love cats, but the only thing more disgusting than the smell of cat urine is a female cat in heat.  Thanks to her "condition", there has been a dozen tomcats hanging around.  I've been woken up a dozen times  this week by the caterwauling;  it's either her and a male cat or two males dueling for her affections.  I've discovered one thing about cats;  you can't tell whether they're fightin' or foolin' around by the sounds they're making. 

It would probably help a great deal if I quit frequenting political forums.  If the Republicans nominate Gingrich, then they will have to give up the "party of family values" label they brag about.  If they nominate Santorum, then they'll lose any chance of getting a gay person to vote for them ever again. Both of them are a little...let's say "ethically challenged".  The Republicans definitely need to stop touting that they're for limited govt. and need to quit pretending they're conservative. (and the TEA Party has allowed itself to be hijacked by the neocons) I'm lucky I'm too old for the draft, because we'll need one for the war machine if we take on Iran.

I know I lowered my blood pressure at least fifty points by not reading posts in Dallas Cowboy forums.  The "Tony Homo" posts infuriated me.  Probably Santorum supporters.

Finder's Keepers

Losers weepers, so goes the old saying.  That was also said in this recent Amarillo Globe-News article:

Good Samaritans turn in $1,200 lost cash

There wasn't the usual comment section at the website, but their Facebook page linked to it with this comment:

If you randomly found $1,200 on the ground at the mall, would you keep it or turn it in? Be honest!

I found that ironic after reading the comments; many were "honest" and said they'd keep the money. Here's my comment:

I wouldn't turn it in; I'd inform the mgr. of the store where I found it that I had found a sum of money and give him my contact information. If someone called me and told me they had lost that specific amt. of money, then I'd return it to him. Otherwise, the mgr. might very well keep it - I've seen that happen before with smaller amts.

This was a lesson I learned a long time ago; my sister found a bill (forget what it was, but I think it was a ten) on the floor of a dept. store and turned it in to the service desk. My folks were proud of her for being honest, but also told her that they bet the clerk probably kept the money and the next time she should do just as I commented. That always stuck with me.

I've found money and wallets and in the case of the latter, always managed to get it back to the rightful owner. The times I've found money, it wasn't by or in a store, so I figured there wasn't any way to find who had lost it. One time I found a twenty stuck to a weed while I was out walking!

Like most controversial subjects, the comments on the Facebook page were varied. Some, as I mentioned, said they'd keep the money, but most said they'd return it. (I got something like 15 thumbs up for my comment). And, is the case, there were self-righteous people criticizing those who said they'd keep the money and a few snarky comments in reply. Far be it from me to judge them - if I was really hurting for money, I would probably justify my new-found windfall some way.

I've not lost total hope in my fellow man, but my half century plus on this world has made me a cynic in human nature. Not long ago, a local EMT was arrested for stealing the wallet of an injured man; another fairly recent case was of a fireman responding to a vehicle fatality and taking a Rolex off of the victim's wrist.

One of the replies on the Facebook post was by an Amarillo TV news anchor; he said he'd turn it in to the police. (naming the officers he trusted) I thought that was all well and good, but like the emergency responders who stole, cops can be thieves, too. It reminded me of the case of a local man who, while driving to work, saw a briefcase in the weeds by the side of the road. He stopped and got it, then when he got home, jimmied the lock and found a couple ounces of cocaine and something like $14,000. He did the "right" thing and turned it into the police.

Texas law states that, if no one claims it, the finder gets the found property after 90 days. (Of course, he wasn't going to get to keep the drugs). The three months came and went and the sheriff's office stonewalled him, claiming it might be needed for a trial. They kept putting him off for close to a year and the man had to go to court to force the law to hand over the money. Rumors were hot and heavy about why the sheriff didn't want to hand over the money, but I figured he thought he could bluff the guy out of his find. (the Sheriff was a beloved figure here in town for many years, one of Texas' longest serving law enforcement officials, but he ignored civil rights and enforced only those laws he wanted to enforce. It was said that many times he would bust someone for a large amount of pot, then in a few months the weed found its way onto the street..."somehow". )

Due to many betrayals of trust, I have found it hard to trust people. The last straw for me was about three years ago at this time of year and learning from the wife of a friend that one of my sister's classmates had terminal cancer. I got a Christmas card, put a hundred dollar bill in it plus a $25 WalMart gift card and the next time I was visiting my friend, told them I was going to go over to her house and give it to her.

My friend's wife told me that wouldn't be a good idea, that she was very sick and having visitors wouldn't be good for her, that she would give it to her the next time she saw her. So, I gave the wife the envelope.

A few weeks later, I was visiting again and asked what the woman thought of the present. The wife stuttered and stammered and said she was thrilled. Something about her attitude struck me as odd, but I shook the feeling off. Surely my friend's wife wouldn't be so low as to steal from a dying woman. Noticing a new TV, I asked about it and my friend said they had just got it from WalMart.  Hmmm....

Anyway, long, sad story short, the woman passed away. I later became Facebook friends with her brother, an older guy I had always liked. I private messaged him, told him what I had done and asked if his sister had ever mentioned my gift. He told me no, but it was unlike her to have not told him. I told him the arrangement I had made and he asked for my number and called me just a few minutes later, telling me he had heard my friend's wife had been a little shady in her dealings with some people he knew.

A few weeks after that, I had messaged another Facebook friend I had gone to school with, asked her what she thought of my friend's wife. (I didn't mention the suspected theft) She told me a story of some money going missing from a purse at a party they had both attended and her being fairly sure that it was the woman that stole it.

So...forgive me for being cynical. I wouldn't want to keep money that didn't belong to me and I'd hate to think that if I did, it would cause extreme hardship to the person who lost it. As far as the $125 I'm sure my (now ex) friend's wife stole...well, that's an awfully low price for which to sell her soul.

Best Slam Ever!

There's a time for snark and there's a time to just not say anything if you can't say something positive.

An Amarillo news outlet's Facebook page posted a link to a horrifying article:

Texas online editor walks into plane propeller

Lauren Scruggs, 23, landed at Aero Country Airport -- off Virginia Parkway -- about 9:30 p.m. after viewing North Texas Christmas lights from a small, private airplane.

The prop struck her upper body, according to her friend Janeé Harrell, resulting in a skull fracture, severe facial cuts and the amputation of her left hand, among other injuries.

There were several comments wishing the injured woman well, but as is far-too-often the case, there were some cruel and thoughtless posts, too. (One said "She's a blonde!") Someone wrote they couldn't understand how this could happen and I wrote:

One of the posters who had the poor taste to make a crude comment then made this reply to another person criticizing her for her comment, then someone else replied to her with the best slam I've read on the 'net in a long, long time.



Yep, that described her to a "Tango".

You Don't Have to Spell 'Em

To have 'em, I suppose.

This screenshot is from the Facebook page of an Amarillo media outlet. The subject was mandatory testing for AIDS and as is usual with controversial topics, there was plenty of outrage...and "moral" superiority.

The names were blacked out because...well, I'm pokin' fun at 'em.

I had "some" Moriales once...Rosa, think her first name was.  She didn't give me AIDS, just a little something penicillin cured right up.

Just kidding, but the real joke was the self-righteous attitudes, one lecturing on "moriales" and the other calling the first one out, not realizing she was nearly as bad as the first - and making a spelling error, too.

The Upcoming Storm

I am subscribed to a Homesteading/Survival page on Facebook and for the most part, enjoy reading their tips about living a minimalist lifestyle. Some of the posts, however, make me SMH in amazement.

For example, in this post someone asks about what to do about the medicine that people need in order to survive.  The question goes on to mention the "upcoming storm". Quite a few people chimed in with some common sense solutions (but probably futile) and others responded with idiotic answers.

It wasn't this question that makes me shake my head so much, but the attitude of many in the forum.  There are many questions about the best preparations for the "storm" and far too many people answer with what sort of weapons one "needs" with specific requirements for ammo and such.  Others blather on about where to live and how much land one might need for various numbers of people and what sort of garden to have.  Others talk about how it's best to own gold and silver; they even advise to not purchase bullion, but invest in small denomination/sizes of coins.

Sorry, but if "it" does hit the fan and food is scarce, I wouldn't trade my last can of beans for all the gold in Fort Knox. (if there IS gold there) I'd think cigarettes and whiskey would be worth many times more than gold. I wouldn't swap one laying hen for a Krugerand. (OR the goose that lays golden eggs) A roll of toilet paper would be worth a lot more than a roll of silver coins. (paper money might have SOME use in case of "the storm", come to think of it)

It's something I've seen in common with these sort of people; it's almost like they're looking forward to the breakdown of society.  Sure, it's not a bad idea to be prepared for disasters, but I think most of these folks don't have a clue about just how bad it would be. 

Stop and think about it; if society breaks down completely, you're on your own.  There will be minimal medical care- only what you know how to do- no law enforcement, no electricity or other comforts of modern civilization.  One small cut on your hand could quickly turn into gangrene...appendicitis or other "minor" ailments mean you die a slow, agonizing death. An abscessed tooth could be your death warrant, an ACL tear could mean you're crippled forever. In my own case, if I broke my glasses I would pretty much be disabled. I certainly wouldn't be much use on sentry duty, couldn't be a hunter...I wouldn't even be much good as a gardener - couldn't tell the weeds from the vegetable plants. (I'd probably only be worth something by being boiled down for my lard!)

All right, let's say you are fortunate enough to have a hundred acres up in the mountains near...oh, let's say Denver.  If the "storm" hits, don't you think that as soon as the food runs out (I've read the average grocery store has a 3 day supply) people will soon be spilling out of that huge city, trying to survive just as you're trying to do?  There's no way you could defend your hideout forever.  Many people in the forum talk about hunting one's own game, but it's easy to see that even if you have managed to get off the beaten path, many, many others will be hungry and armed and competing for the same animals.

OK, let's assume you're prepared to the max; you've got your great survival cabin, plenty of freeze dried foods, a nice garden, your own water well, a generator and loads of weapons and ammo.  First of all, you can only shoot one gun at a time.  Even if everyone in your family becomes a soldier, you could quickly be overwhelmed by a force only a few times your numbers.  What about trying to fight people who have managed to obtain military weapons, such as automatic rifles, mortars, heavy machine guns?  How are you going to defend against REAL soldiers who have banded together and also want to survive and are using advanced tactics to assault your "fort"?  Your trusty, rusty .22 won't quite cut it against an armored personnel carrier.  One homemade Molotov cocktail could drive you out into the open.

What about your neighbors?  Are you going to take them in?  If so, your supplies and resources will immediately be reduced by a factor of how many you've taken in.  Or, do you turn them away and think of your own family first?  Fine, but you've just made enemies, your former friends who are thinking of THEIR families too.  You've just shown you care nothing about their welfare, why should they consider yours?  A desperate and hungry man will take desperate action for his own hungry family.

You HAVE to sleep sometime, you HAVE to go out to tend your garden, go hunting, turn off/on or service the generator, feed and water your animals, even go to the outhouse.  Easy enough to pick you off from a distance then. The noise of a generator, a rototiller, even the sound of talking carries a long way.  Lights at night?  Like moths to a flame, here comes the 2-legged predators.  The smell of a fireplace, meat on the grill, will also bring them, human animals who want what you have, too.

I could go on and on about how relatively simple it would be to kill you and/or take away your supplies and survival cabin, but no need.  I want to tell these people in the survival group that they shouldn't look forward to the "storm" they're so sure is coming.  Like I said, it bothers me that people seem to be eagerly anticipating it.

What are you going to do if you run out of your insulin? Why, you're going to die.

You might be the lucky one.

Lady Gaga or Elton John?

Sometimes I just have to shake my head at some Facebook posts. A young friend of mine, the son of a h.s. classmate, had a post the other day: "Who is this Lady Gaga and why are so many people offended by her?"

I knew it was a loaded question, as the friend is a very talented singer who happens to be gay. (I say I know he knew who she was because she's been very vocal in her support of the LGBT - hope I did the abbreviation correctly community.) She's also commented that she considers herself to be bi-sexual. I replied that I had nothing against her, just that I thought her schtick was more about being outrageous than her talent. I mentioned Elton John as someone who was once considered outrageous for his dress (and enormous glasses!), but that his talent was so great that it overshadowed his costumes.

(I started to use Liberace as another example, but thought the gay references might be misconstrued, that I was using only gay performers to make my point. My young friend - and regular readers of this blog - know I don't have a problem with gay people. Well, except for lesbians and that's because that narrows the already narrow field - for me - of available women. -wink-)

I also thought of using - but didn't - the rock group KISS as an example of musical talent who relied upon a gimmick instead of talent. I like some KISS tunes, but never liked them well enough to purchase them.  Tell the truth; when you think of Gene Simmons, do you consider him one of the greatest bass guitar players of all-time, one of the greatest singers, or does the first thing that comes to mind is his 7-in. tongue?

Back to the Facebook post: Well, I had several people, including the friend, say they thought Lady Gaga was as talented, if not more so than Elton John. I don't normally get offended if someone doesn't like who/what I like, only if they put ME down for my preferences. Still, it was hard for me to not say "Are you out of your rabid-ass mind?"

Sure, tastes in anything, be it food, music or hobbies, are subjective and if YOU like Lady Gaga, that's fine w/ me. I gave my honest opinion about her...well, tempered a bit, because I really don't much care for her music, but there's no way that she's better than EJ and I simply can't understand that opinion. Granted, my opinion is influenced by being an Elton John fan for 40+ years, growing up with his music and owning much of it, from 8-tracks to records to mp3's. Elton John did ALL kinds of music, from rock to pop to ballads as well as wrote songs for musicals. Off the top of my head, I could name at least a half-dozen movies that used his tunes, not to mention countless TV shows. Of course, he also re-wrote one of his most famous songs "Candle in the Wind" for the funeral of Lady Diana, making it another gold record in the process.

Elton John and Bernie Taupin are, IMHO, one of the best song-writing duos of all-time, up there with Lennon/McCartney, Rodgers /Hammerstein or Burt Bacharach / Hal David. It's not just MY opinion either; Google it to see what other people think. I'm not saying a consensus of opinion is correct, only that it lends some validity to my own opinion.

When Lady Gaga has been around for nearly 50 years and has sold a QUARTER BILLION records, then we can discuss who is the better musical talent. I'll be long cold in my grave and turned to dust before Elton John is forgotten. In fact, I would bet that Elton John's music will still be being played when Lady Gaga is but a footnote in musical history.

What next? Justin Bieber is better than Elvis? Good Grief.

I'm Six Weeks

...and craving double chocolate chip chunky cookies.

Over the last few days, I've seen this and similar variations on several women's Facebook pages. After seeing it on several female friend's walls, I decided I'd Google it to see just what the deal was. At first, I thought it might be some sort of hint that they were pregnant, but knowing a few of the women were past childbearing age, I decided it might be a code. I was right; it's a "secret" thing women are doing to promote breast cancer awareness. Here's the code:

Your Birthday month = weeks and the actual day = candy (ie: June 1st = "I'm 8 weeks and craving skittles!")

Jan - 1week
Feb - 2weeks
March- 3weeks
April- 4weeks
May - 6weeks
June- 8weeks
July- 10weeks
August- 12weeks
September-13weeks
October -14weeks
November-16 weeks
December -18 weeks

AND IM CRAVING.
Skittles -1
Starburst -2
Kit Kat -3
M&Ms -4l
Galaxy -5
Crunchie -6
Dairy Milk - 7
Lollipop - 8
Peanut Butter cups - 9
Malt balls-10
Twizzlers -11
Bubble Gum-12
Hersey's Kisses-13
Chocolate Mints- 14
Twix -15
Reese's Fastbreaks- 16
Fudge-17
Cherry Jello - 18
Milkyway -19
Pickles -20
Creme eggs - 21
Skittles - 22
Gummy bears - 23
Gummy worms -24
Strawberry Pop Tarts - 25
Starburst -26
Mini eggs -27
Kit Kat -28
Double chocolate chip chunky cookies -29
Smarties – 30
Snickers -31

That's all fine and dandy, I suppose; breast cancer is an insidious disease that everyone SHOULD be aware of, but the question I want an answer to is this: How does posting your birthday in code make anyone aware of breast cancer? After my search, I found several forums with women gloating "Tee hee, let's make all the guys wonder what we mean!"

I've seen much dumber things posted on Facebook, but this one just seems silly to me and does absolutely no good to help a worthy cause.

Knot in MY Country!

Another LMAO post from the Amarillo Globe-News Facebook page. The thread was about the "meat" trial in Amarillo a few years back.  Oprah was accused of slandering the meat industry and a local rancher sued her.  Oprah broadcast her show from Amarillo for several weeks;  one of the segments on the first show was about Texas "big hair" and I later met and dated one of the women interviewed.  Oprah eventually won the lawsuit.

The woman and I had a passionate fling (the one with big hair, not Oprah), then it ended on a sour note. (I could say the same thing about nearly every one of my relationships) It was just as well...I'm allergic to hairspray.

On the thread, some are bashing Oprah while others are coming to her defense.  I didn't state my opinion - I don't like her, but my dislike isn't enough to take the time or make the effort to announce to the Facebook world that I don't care for her or her show.  One functional illiterate had this to say:

I know it was a typo, but it was still funny as hell.

Dumb (Ass) Comment

I subscribe to the Amarillo Globe-News Facebook page. Recently they linked to an article on their website about the US Marines bringing home Smoke, a donkey that had been a mascot of the Marines in Iraq.

The comments on the FB page were mostly positive, except for some who griped that it wasn't news, and then there was this, a comment about education funding and a few posts later, another comment. (I put them together in order to save space.)  For privacy, I blacked out the names.

Education is very important and we need to fund it, but if our educational system is churning out functionally illiterate jackasses like that, then something has to change.

The donkey is probably smarter than that person.

Alton Brown's Nose

Celebrity chef Alton Brown meets fans at the 2nd annual gumbo cook-off on Dauphin Island

Naw, that's not really his nose, but is a screenshot of a video from a link I followed on "Alton Brown for President" on Facebook. I just thought it really funny...and bet he would, too. Here's the video link:

Alton Brown On Dauphin Island

Kids Ask the Funniest Questions

I've got a Facebook friend - Kevin - who is the son of an old classmate; I always enjoy his posts, especially the ones about his nephews and nieces and his interaction with them.

I was listening to a classic rock station while recently checking my FB friend's posts and laughed out loud at another one of Kevin's tales about one of his nephews when the old late 70's tune came on: "Do You Wanna Make Love" by Peter McCann. (song w/ lyrics)

Thinking about this song and my own nephews when they were the age of Kevin's reminded me of something I had forgotten until the song stirred my memory. I can't remember where we were, or what we were doing, but my youngest nephew Brad - who has nearly grown children of his own now - tugged on my shirt sleeve and said he wanted to ask me a question. "Sure!" I told him, and knelt down to get on his level. It was clearly important to him that he get my opinion, so I gave him my full attention. "Uncle Mike," he started, his sweet little face looked at me with earnest "Would you wanna make love or wouldja just rather fool around?"

I was taken aback, at first thinking he was making a joke, but he was far too young to even know what that meant. It then dawned on me that he had heard the song on the radio, maybe even overheard his momma singing along. I replied the best way I knew how:

"Dunno, Brad. Guess that would depend on who I was with."

That satisfied him,thank goodness.

Here's a scan of a photo I took of him at around the same time.

Facebook Poking

Are you a Facebook fan? Even though I've been signed up for a few years, I've only recently started using the service, but post/visit even less than I do this blog. It's a great way to keep up w/ some old classmates as well as friends and family members. I don't really care for the basic setup, but I realize it's a good thing for many people because of its simplicity and ease of use. OTOH, the security flaws seem to be all-too-frequent and should concern anyone who cares about their privacy. Still, it's better than MySpace.

Shoot, anything is better than MySpace.

So when I was sitting in the United diner last week and overheard "Facebook" being mentioned by the couple sitting at the next table over, my ears perked up. The young lady was disturbed that he had many female friends, but was really upset about the "pokes" back and forth.

Now, if you don't know, "poking" on Facebook is the cyber equivalent of a friendly nudge in the ribs. Two of my friends and I exchange fairly regular "pokes". It's a quick and easy way - short of actually posting on their "wall" - to let them know you read their posts and while you might not comment, you're thinking of them. (well, that's what it means to me, but....)

The girl and the guy kept going back and forth, the girl being jealous and making no bones about it and the guy trying vainly to reassure his g/f that the "pokes" should be no concern to her.

"It's no big deal." he said. He went on, trying plead his innocence. "It's just on Facebook."

There was a extended pause in the conversation and when the girl finally spoke up, it made me snort Diet Dr. Pepper out my nose.

"Well...." she replied, "Facebook BETTER be the only place you're pokin' them."