Monday Pet Peeves

I experienced two frustrations today. First, I can be impatient at times and I don't know what it is about the post office but today, it was extra slow. I don't know why but when I have to send a package, it seems like I am at least sixth in line and when I get to the front of the line, one window or worker closes their counter. My stop at the post office was at least a 20 minute trip.

And then, on my way to Bowling Green, home of the Fighting Falcons, I went through the drive through at a fast food restaurant to get a combo. Why are some fast food places so stingy on napkins? When people order food through a drive through, more likely than not, it will be eaten in the car. One or two napkins will not do the job.

Target = Naughty by Nature?

The Sunday newspaper brings a lot of excitement with expanded sports, news, and of course, the ads. I love looking through the ads. Target is one of my favorite places to shop and its ad is loaded with Back to School specials. Take a look at the picture of their ad below.



Pardon the poor image quality. I tried to find this online at Target.com but it's not there. I took a photo and cropped it. It's a great special for 500 sheets of recylced paper for $3. The packaging on the binder standing up says, "O.P.P. Other People's Paper."

Does anyone remember the rap group Naughty by Nature which had a monster hit in the 1990s called O.P.P.? Naughty by Nature's O.P.P. certainly didn't stand for "Other People's Paper." Naughty by Nature wasn't a group that made the environment their main concern. I was surprised this got on there. Those three letters didn't get put together by accident. Someone had to get a little snicker out of this.

Is that really their voice?

Sometimes, when people sing, you get blown away because what you hear doesn't quite match up to what you thought or think you should be seeing. Thsoe of you who know 80s music, no doubt, know who Journey is. Steve Perry and the band split a long time ago. About a year or so ago, they found a new singer from the Phillipines named Arnel Pineda, who sounds amazing. Who's Steve Perry? Wow!



The next one is a clip from the old Jackie Gleason show that I used to watch with my Mom and Dad on PBS on weekends, I think. Frank Fontaine played this character named Crazy Guggenheim who would come out and tell a couple of jokes and then do a song. Listen to this guy sing. Unreal.

How did this guy get in?

Photographer insists on Pledge of Allegiance before Obama rally

As you may have seen, Barack Obama was recently in Ohio in the Youngstown area. A heckler somehow get in as a member of the press. He shouted at Obama to do the Pledge of Allegiance. I thought Obama handled it well.

I'm a little nervous that somebody got into a poltical campaign appearance this easily and posed as a member of the press with a large piece of equipment like a camera with a telephoto lens. I've been searched and waived with a wand prior to going into a Neil Diamond concert.

When will it happen?

I cannot believe the amount of coverage given to Brett Favre and whether or not he will play football again.

Ok, if you had a spare nickel to wager, what's the amount of time between now, today, and the first time we see a reaction comment from either Barack Obama or John McCain on the issue.

I have to throw that in there considering how crazy the media coverage has been over Favre as well as the pointless stories regarding the presumptive candidates.

Female Sports Reporters

Female sports reporters in the men's lockerroom has been an issue for quite some time. I tip my hat to the pros like Robin Roberts, Linda Cohn, and others who do it without bringing attention to themselves.

In today's USA TODAY, columnist Michael Hiestrand brings up a controversy about ESPN's Erin Andrews.

Controversy is surrounding a lockerroom interview with Chicago Cub Alfonso Soriano. Another columnist brought up by Hiestrand took Andrews to task for "placing her hand suggestively on Soriano's left biceps." Manager Lou Piniella asked if Andrews was on a modelling assignment. Andrews responded Sunday by saying that she "wasn't trying to seductively caress Soriano, just feel a bone he'd broken in his hand."

WHAT?! #1, If it wasn't seductively caressing, what kind of caressing was it? And #2, how would it go over if a male reporter "caressed" or asked to "caress" Soriano's hand? I can't picture Bob Costas doing that. That would be a little awkward.

Back to the USA TODAY column, it says that Andrews will be working the Yankees at Rangers game Wednesday and she says, "I'll get tons of comments on what I'm wearing--and it's supposed to be 99 degrees....Do I have to wear pants and a turtleneck?"

There's a YouTube music video of still photos of her and it shows almost everything she has worn on the air. Some of her outfits are rather interesting.

What do you think about this issue?

Educational Films That Motivate

Around this time of year, I am usually preparing for a new school year. This time, it's different because I'll be at the University of Toledo. However, I still turn to the same sources for motivation. There have been many movies done that have focused on schools or education. Few have the motivational impact of the ones I am about to mention.

The first is Stand and Deliver. Here's the movie promo.


The second clip or sample of clips is from The Emperor's Club, starring Kevin Kline. In this movie, Mr. Hundert tries to reach a rebellious kid named Sedgewick Bell.


If you have seen either of these movies, please leave a comment or two with your thoughts.