Vista Cruisers, as Far as the Eyes Can See!

Click to embiggen.

I found this peculiar. I walk about four miles a night most days of the week, and when I do, I usually pass a community that has miniscule parking within its walls. So, many of the people who live there have to park on the side street that just happens to span the distance between two nearby parks. It isn't unusual to see an assortment of odd vehicles, probably because so many of the houses are rentals, just a few steps above vagabond.

There was an odd day when the street was lined with various iterations of the Nissan Altima, from the very first model to the most recent. On another day, it was Fords spanning from a late 80s Taurus, to a 90s Contour to a early 2000s Mustang. Usually, there is a sprinkling of odd and creepy box trucks and panel vans. But today was the weirdest day yet!

Parked one behind another (and darn it, I didn't get a photo of both together) was an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon, mid-late 70s vintage, and another creepy RV, this one also called a Vista Cruiser! I mean really, what are the odds? Okay, I thought it was weird.

Of course, the most famous Vista Cruiser was the '69 model driven by Eric (Topher Grace) Forman on That 70s Show.

Mike in Raleigh: Stand Your Ground

It's always a good day when Mike in Raleigh (The Stephanie Miller Show) has a new clip up, even if it is on a very serious subject. I sometimes get criticized for my lack of reverence. But you know what, I've gotten the giggles at a funeral, and cried too. Gallows humor helps us get through life.

What's Your Sign? You Might Be Wrong (But I'm Not!)

Desperate to have a story--any story--that doesn't even have a tangential relation to the one that has been dominating the last few days (I can relate), Rachel Maddow went for a little topical frivolity. But, she may have unwittingly stepped in it, and freaked a bunch of people out!  The story was about the Zodiac, and the recent discovery that we're wrong about the Zodiac signs. Apparently, there are supposed to be 13, not 12 Zodiac signs. Yep, I guess there's a new sign called Ophiuchus. But squeezing in the 13th throws off nearly everybody's sign.

Now, don't have a cow, Taurus. There are apparently two major understandings of the Zodiac, and the one we Americans typically follow is unchanged. We're the feet and inches group, and the metric system is the group that's affected. Or something. Anyway, it's all moot to me, since my birthday--April 19--falls under Aries in both! And don't gimme that jazz about "I don't follow astrology." Everybody has got a little affinity for their sign, and occasionally looks up their horoscope. Don't they?

[Excerpt]

No, your zodiac sign hasn't changed




Tattoo parlor owners must be salivating. An assertion in a Minneapolis Star Tribune article that our understanding of the zodiac is off by about a month - and that therefore people have been identifying themselves with the wrong sign - caught fire on the internet Thursday, and many folks are in an absolute panic on social media. . .


Read more at: CNN

Frivolity Break: Toto, I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore!

Who knew this line was used so much?

Blogging Milestone: 7,000 Posts!

I knew I was creeping up on 7,000 posts, but only thought to check today. And whattaya know, I was four posts away! So here I am, almost 40 months and 7,000 posts in my little blogging endeavor.  I'm a little surprised to still be here, and still wonder if I spend too much time doing it.  For all the time spent here, I'm still only getting 4,000-6,000 visitors per month. But I suppose that's not so bad, for an (almost) one-man show, with no promotion, right?

Anyway, I'm still having fun doing this. And with election season coming up quick, I shouldn't run out of things to talk about. I'm making an effort to spread the politics out, and throw in doses of fun and frivolity.  Certainly not in the quest of readership--pure politics sites get lots more hits--but because it is far more fun this way.  If you've happened by for the first time, please come back. And while you're here, scroll down, or check out the archives. Lots of nifty stuff here!  Oh, and please bring your friends!

Zsa Zsa Gabor Not Doing Well

Image from source, D-Listed

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, I worked as a carny at the Los Angeles County Fair every year for a month each year. Yes, really.  And one of those years, I happened to be in Los Angeles at the same time that Zsa Zsa Gabor slapped that cop.  Now, back then, the line between entertainment and news wasn't quite as blurry as it is now.  Everybody knew about Zsa Zsa's incident, but it wasn't wall-to-wall coverage on the actual news. It was more of a People Magazine and Entertainment Tonight phenomenon.  But not in LA!  The Los Angeles Times was running practically whole sections of the paper on the incident. At the time, I wondered, "for what is this woman famous?" 

Sure, she was the sister of Eva Gabor, queen of wigs and wife on Green Acres, but what did Zsa Zsa do besides get married over and over, and being extremely wealthy?  That's a silly question in these days of The Hills, Jersey Shore, and The Real Housewives of BFE.  In a way, Zsa Zsa is the matron sainte of "famous for being famous."  Get well, dahling.

[Excerpt]

Zsa Zsa Isn't Doing So Well

93-year-old Zsa Zsa Gabor broke her hip bone a week ago when she tried to answer her phone while watching Jeopardy. Alex Trebek better have sent Zsa Zsa a dozen white flowers in a crystal vase with pink rhinestones on the bottom. It's the least he can do. Well, Zsa Zsa had her hip replaced and things were looking up-ish. But Zsa Zsa's publicist is saying today that the white feather boa is turning grey, because doctors have now listed her in critical condition. They suspect that she had a stroke during surgery. . .

Read more at: D-Listed

Featured Blog: FailBlog.org Again.

When I'm at a loss for what to put up on the blog for the next day, one of my favorites is FailBlog.org.  It's an encyclopedia of human fail. And it's very often hilarious. There are many ways to waste time on the internets, but few--outside of porn--are as entertaining.

FailBlog.org

Monkeys Love Pinot Noir

For no particular reason, other than my sister forwarded it to me, and that Stupid Monkey Planet (friend and contributor) loves monkey stories, here is a link to a photo essay about monkeys who really love wine grapes.

See all the shots (with captions) here: WFTV

Happy Monday! It's March!

Lousy Smarch weather (you have to be a The Simpsons fan to get that). Here I am again on a Monday, struggling to find something interesting to start the week. Should it be political? Boring! (The Simpsons, again). Something personal? Been there, done that, they were out of t-shirts.

How 'bout something funny? Well, I plumbed the depths of Saturday Night Live from this weekend--and there were certainly depths to be had--but nothing inspired me. So how 'bout this?

Frivolity Break: Joss Whedon to Direct Glee!

Image from source, EW

If you type "Joss Whedon" into the search box above, you'll likely have several pages of previous posts of mine to scroll through. I'm a huge fan, and have recently plowed through every episode of every show that Whedon has created. Yeah, I'm that nuts. His current show Dollhouse has been featured here as much as anything, but it looks unlikely to survive for the full TV season. But to help squelch my sadness about that likely eventuality, Whedon will be directing an episode of Glee! Which, given his spectacular success on the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More, With Feeling!" bodes very well for fans of the show.

[Excerpt]

'Glee' exclusive: Joss Whedon to direct!

If I hadn’t been warming to Glee already, this for sure would’ve begun defrosting me: Dollhouse-keeper Joss Whedon has agreed to direct one of the back nine episodes that Fox just ordered. . .

Read more at: Entertainment Weekly

Moment of Cuteness: A Year of Lux Lex

I'm sure just about everybody is posting this cutesy video, but given that my little nephew's name is Lux, and isn't a whole lot older than this little guy (Lex), I felt compelled to post it. Well, that, and the need for a little diversity around here after a spate of similar posts. Enjoy.

Inappropriate Humor: What to Say During Sex (and What Not to Say)

I haven't read something that made me laugh until my eyes leaked in a long time, but this did it. Click to embiggen if necessary, and then start in the middle and work your way left. Then start over, and work to the right. Hilarious.

Source: Incredimazing

Mark Sanford: Play Him Off, Keyboard Cat!

Heh.

Frivolity Break: "Wonderbra" for Men?

I was intrigued until I saw the demonstration. Sure, it looks great on the fit guys, but I'm not sure if it really worked on the pudgy guys. So boys, if you've already got it, this will make it look better. For the rest of us? I kinda doubt it. Oh, and there are "Wonderbritches" as well. . .

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

OK, Where the Hell Did Everybody Go?

I've been doing this blog for over two years now, and I've seen some highs and I've seen some lows. In the runup to the 2008 elections, I enjoyed 300+ views per day. Amazing, right? OK, not so much. Even the CW network doesn't get ratings that low. But for a one-man blog, I was digging it.

But now? I'm lucky to get 50 people per day to check out my blog. Out of 6+ billion! What's up with that? I know my blog is sort of unfocused. I'll go from a YouTube post of a cute cat to a tirade about gay rights. I can be sort of all over the place. But still, wouldn't you think by now I'd have gathered a following? OK, I'm pouting. I'm feeling a little unappreciated. But I'll get over it.

I started this blog thinking nobody would find it. And along the way, I've found almost 75,000 people who did find it. So, for you foks, I found the following silly video. It makes me happy.

Happy Birthday to The Other Half

When I met The Other Half, he was only a youthful 36-years-old. While a lot has happened since then, and it does seem like a while, it seems impossible to believe that to day is his 48th birthday. It's OK though, he's aging well, and I'm following right along with him! Happy birthday, honey!

Who Do You Look Like?

I got to looking at a few old ID cards with my photo on them, and thought. . .y'know, I wasn't all that bad lookin' back then. Now, of course, I'm a pumpin-headed freak. But it wasn't always so. Sure, the double-chin has been a curse, even when I was a whisp of a thing. But it didn't stop people from telling me I looked like various famous people.

For a while, after Blue Velvet came out, but before Twin Peaks, I was told I looked a little like Kyle McLaughlin. Cool, I thought, who's Kyle McLaughlin? Then the Twin Peaks craze hit our little hamlet, and we liked it so much, we had parties and dressed in costume. I played the "Agent Cooper" role, of course. There are a few similarities between McLaughlin and me, like the bright white skin and thin lips. But not much else.

My grandmother insisted that I looked like Michael J. Fox. I never believed this one for a minute. I--like Fox--am not very tall (though I'm taller than him by several inches) and we have a similar hair color, but that's about it.

Not too long after this, I started to get comments that I looked like Matthew Perry. This was taken as a compliment, and I can see it more than with McLaughlin or Fox. Matt is more attractive, but he has a bit of the same chin issue, has see-sawed in weight like me, and I'd certainly buy that he looks enough like me to be related. But not quite like me. Frankly, Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's Morning Joe looks more like Chandler Bing than I do.

Next--and at around the same time--I got a lot of Conan O'Brien. Now I like Conan, and I don't think he's unnatractive. But he's very tall and lanky, has a pointy chin, and very different features from mine. Only the hair (if I let mine grow, and I don't anymore) and skin tone are even close.

The only other celebrity comparison I can think of is one that makes me cringe a little. Drew Carey. Not that he's ugly, or anything, but he's a self acknowledged fat guy! And me, while I'm not the 140 lb., 30-inch waisted fella I used to be, still clock in at a fairly reasonable 160. Not bad for 43. Still, I can see a slight resemblence, though Carey looks more like what I imagine my brother might look like if he got heavy.

Truth is, I don't look much like anybody, except for those in my own family. And while I see a few similarities between most of these guys and me--if not each other--I guess I'll just have to be happy to be me. But if I ever decide to go under the knife, I have a few pictures that I could take with me that apparently, with just a few adjustments, could be a new me. Just not a very wide selection. . .

Keyboard Cat Goes Viral

How is it that I spend so much time online, and yet the "Play them off, Keyboard Cat!" thing totally missed me? I've seen the cat before, but didn't realize he was the Fail! punctuation on videos of human calamity and foolishness. It's cute. And hey, any excuse for funny cats on the blog. . .

Embedded video from CNN Video

Happy Birthday to Me: All About April 19th

Today is my birthday, though for some reason it doesn't really feel like it yet. Perhaps it is because there hasn't yet been an office party, or maybe it's because I got birthday wishes a week ago when I was back home in Ohio. Whatever it is, I'm still a year older, officially, than I was yesterday. 43. Forty-three.

It really doesn't sound so bad. I can still play the doubling game, where you figure out how old you'll be at twice your age: 86. Not entirely likely, but not impossible either. I could get there. And most of my friends and co-workers are older than me, so 43 sounds just fine.

April 19th isn't a particularly happy day in history, despite its meaning to me. Here are just a few of the bad and/or very serious things that happened on my birthday:

- 1775: "The shot heard 'round the world," the first shot of the American Revolutionary War fired. Sure, it ended up OK, but somebody was on the other end of that shot!

- 1861: Baltimore Riot in the American Civil War.

- 1927: Mae West sentenced to ten days in prison for indecency!

- 1961: Bay of Pigs invasion.

- 1989: 47 soldiers killed on USS Iowa.

- 1993: Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas is raided, then burns to the ground.

- 1995: Domestic terrorism of Oklahoma City bombing.

Then again, some good and/or interesting things happened on April 19th too:

- 1775: That American Revolutionary War thing is good, of course.

- 1892: First automobile driven in the United States.

- 1935: Actor Dudley Moore born.

- 1946: Actor/singer Tim Curry born.

- 1971: Charles Manson sentenced to death. . .so why is he still alive?

- 1987: The Simpsons debuts as a short, recurring cartoon within The Tracey Ullman Show (on my 21st birthday, and I was watching!).

- 2005: The current Pope was named. Ambivalent about this one.

Other birthdays today include Kate Hudson, Jayne Mansfield, Hayden Christensen, Ashley Judd and Suge Knight. Deaths on this date include Charles Darwin (1892), Pierre Curie (1906) and Benny Hill (1992).

And did you know that my birthday is also: Bicycle Day, Venezuala's Independence Day, "Feast Day" of several Roman Catholic saints, and this year it's Orthodox Easter! My birthday has occurred on ordinary Easter three times during my life, and never will again, unless I live to be 105. Fancy that!

Source for much of this frivolity: Wikipedia.org

Britain's Got Talent's Susan Boyle

When Britain's Got Talent featured unlikely opera singer, Paul Potts, it created as big a sensation in the states as it did in England. My mother was smitten, and rushed out to get Potts' first album. Well, get out your credit card, Mom, there's a new star on the scene.

Susan Boyle clearly surprised the judges, including American Idol's Simon Cowell. Looking something like a sister of Keeping Up Appearances' Hyacinth Bucket, Boyle wowed them with an incredible voice. She'll wow you too.


Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more Funny Videos