• Back Where It Belongs

    12/30/200812:34:14 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Another year has gone by . . . . . and once again . . . . . things can be right with the world. My chair, snack table and other assorted furnishings are back to their optimal TV position. And that is a good thing since we are closing in on the HD DEADLINE. Supposedly . . . . . this is going to free up air . . . . . I’m not sure where the air is going to go . . . . . . but, it will be freed to make a broader spectrum of air which will be used for public safety broadcasting. That means that we get the much clearer air to watch our soap operas and sports  . . . . . while police, fire and rescue get the old inferior portions of air. My understanding is . . . . . that the block of . . . . . . . . . well, air . . . . . . . that is controlled by FM and AM radio will not be altered. The new air will now be referred to as HD, SD or DTV air and becomes . . . . . . . . under control of the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) . . . . . . which is a sub agency of the FCC . . . . . . . which has long been in control of our air.  Now the unused air . . . . . or analog air . . . . . . will (as I said earlier) be added to the air of the emergency services which will greatly increase their air. However, they will now have an abundance of air . . . . . due to the newly added air . . . . . .  which they can auction to other providers of air . . . . . . . . . such as wireless broadband and other forms of . . . . . . . ANDP (air necessitated device provider). You may be wondering . . . . . . . what about your DVD and VCR? They won’t be affected as they don’t directly use air . . . . . . . . although, they are used in conjunction with an ACD (air collection device).

     
    So, I wonder . . . . . . what will happen on February 17? Is the new HD air as breathable as the old Analog air? Can you hit a baseball further in DTV air as opposed to FM air? Will the NASCAR drivers be looking to draft in the SD air . . . . . . and will the better crew chiefs try adding an ACD to their car? I don’t have these answers, but . . . . . . soon . . . . . we will find out.
     
    I have no idea where I was going with this. All I wanted was to put my easy chair . . . . . . . which was recently replaced by a tree . . . . . . . back where it belongs . . . . . at least until next November.

  • And To All A Good Night

    12/24/20081:06:05 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We are about to pass another day of political correctness. It has been fun this season . . . . going around to the different stores and restaurants . . . . . . during my shopping trips . . . . (surely, I jest) . . . to see how we are greeted. Happy Holiday’s . . . . . . . . Season’s Greetings . . . . . . . . Holiday Wishes . . . . . . . . and let’s not forget the one that started political correctness . . . . . . Merry Christmas. Now I . . . . . for one . . . . . . don’t quite understand. If I were to say . . . . . I don’t know . . . . . Happy Thanksgiving . . . . . . . . to someone who lives in America, but is not a citizen of the United States . . . . . . . is that OK? After all, it is an American Holiday . . . . . yet, I have never been told it was an insult to say such. What about any other holiday. Should we say “have a good Labor Day” to people who have never farmed? What about July 4th? The list goes on.

     
    I respect everyone’s own beliefs to greet the holidays as they see fit. I have no objection to any of the greetings. This quick blog comes about from my earlier episode at the store where I had said Merry Christmas to the girl at the register . . . . and I was given a sneering look and a harrumph by the next person in line . . . . . . as if I had spat upon him and his family.
     
    So . . . . as for me . . . . . . . . . . and this is only my opinion . . . . . . . as long as the calendar . . . . . both yours and mine . . . . continues to list December 25 as Christmas . . . . . . . . my greeting will be “Merry Christmas” to all. And to all a good night.  

  • Santa's Lap Will Always Be the Same

    12/11/20084:20:11 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    The sparkle of a child’s eye is the same today as it was . . . . . . well . . . . .  when I was that child. The only difference is that today . . . . . the Santa’s lap request is anything with 3 letters . . . . . . DSS . . . . . . Wii . . . . . PBR (sorry, that one’s mine) . . . . . or names like . . . . . . bluetooth . . . . . . . blu ray . . . . . . . . . . i-pod . . . . . . and xbox. In my childhood, our Santa’s lap request was a pair of sneakers . . . . . . . army men . . . . . . or a model car (the kind you actually put together) . . . . . . . and if we were very good that year . . . we asked for pong.

     
    Today, kids want handheld games. We also wanted handheld games. But they were called a bat and ball . . . . frisbee . . . . . slinkie; it’s fun for girls and boys – slinkie, slinkie .etc, (too many commercials) . . . . and a baseball mitt,  with a can of oil for rubbing into the pocket. Kids, today entertain themselves for hours during a car trip by playing their individual handheld games . . . . . . . against each other . . . . . . . . without ever having to say a word . . . . . while another kid sitting in the car is watching a movie in hi def 1080P via satellite. I guess that would be more fun than playing “animals and billboards” or some of the other games we made up.
     
    Today’s interactive games are played right on your TV set. As if 400 channels aren’t enough. High graphic games with titles like Grand Theft Auto, World at War and Madden 2000 whatever . . . . . . being played against kids in china whom you will never meet. When we went looking for an interactive game, we would simply grab our baseball glove and head over to the school yard . . . . . . . give it a few minutes . . . . . . . . and a couple of “pick-up” teams would be formed. I don’t think I have seen a pick-up game . . . . . . . baseball . . . . . . . football . . . . . . . tag . . . . . . . or any other . . . . of any kind . . . . in years. If it isn’t a school or county program . . . . . . I’m not sure the kids would know what to do. You know . . . . . toss a bat in the air to see who has nobs.
     
    I don’t want to take things away from kids today . . . . . . . the sparkle in their eye is the same . . . . . . . . . the waiting in line for Santa’s lap is the same . . . . . . . . . . the hopes of getting what you ask for is still the same. It is simply a high tech version of new and improved gizmos and gadgets. I can’t wait to see what the future brings for them, but visiting Santa’s lap will always be the same.  

  • A Caribbean Santa Claus

    12/2/20087:38:03 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    The ships are decked out for the holidays in a winterish wonderland . . . . . . . . . . . . . decorations are found on every deck . . . . . . . . . and you know that the season is upon us. Some cruise lines have holiday magic with snow flurries in the central atrium . . . . while others offer gingerbread housebuilding challenge’s. Many cruise lines have strolling carolers filling the air with sounds of the season . . . . . . where the guests are encouraged to join in . . . . . . . . . and many do.

    It’s a great time to be aboard ship . . . . . . especially with kids and grandkids. The excitement on their faces as they watch these special festivities will soon become your most treasured memories. And all the time . . . . . enjoying Caribbean sunshine.
     
    The entertainment staff always puts on a holiday production show . . . . . . with song and dance . . . . . . designed for kids . . . . and adults . . . . of all ages. A typical show will finish with the kids . . . . . . . organized by age group . . . . . . . . . . . . . coming up on stage to sing-a-long with the dancers . . . . . . . as they await the heavily anticipated visit from Santa Claus. These kids . . . . . from age 2 up . . . . . . . . have been rehearsing for this show . . . . . . . . generally performed towards the end of the cruise . . . . . . . . . through the different children’s programs. The kids are encouraged not to discuss details (it’s a surprise) of the show with their parents . . . . . . just the time and place . . . . . . and after watching this child participation extravaganza . . . . . . it will be hard to find a dry eye in the house.
     
    Our own kids participated 20 years ago . . . . . during our 1st cruise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . aboard the Celebration . . . . . and we remember it like it was yesterday. Last year we watched our grandkids as they made their way on stage . . . . . . . . . . to sing and dance . . . . . . with excitement and joy on their faces . . . . . . . as they . . . . like their parents before them . . . . . . anxiously wait for that special visit from Santa.
     

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