There was a small crew of men walking along the edge of the road this afternoon. They were carrying large canvas bags slung over one shoulder and a long pole to spear trash from the side of the road. As I passed the men walking, I noticed a large truck parked on the side up ahead. There was a man standing on the rear bumper and he had a shotgun or a rifle in his arms. That startled me. I don’t usually see anyone with a gun around here. Obviously, he was guarding prisoners on a work detail. That was the first I’d seen such a thing around here. It was a little disturbing to know that a dozen convicts are walking down my street and just one man was assigned to shoot anyone trying to run off. But at least the trash got picked up – no one else around here seems to care about it.
Cheesy
What does cheesy mean to you? For me, it means something that is being cooked with lots and lots of cheese.
For others, it is an adjective for something that is a pun or funny in a strange way. The commercials for Denny’s are playing on the word cheesy because of their new sandwich that is cheesy. It is a cute commercial.
Reruns
There are so many popular shows that are being shown on other cable channels as reruns now. You can watch really old shows, like the “Andy Griffith Show.” Or you can watch relatively new shows, like “Monk.” I like the Star Trek reruns – even though I saw all the original shows, it is fun to watch them again.
Litter Control
I wonder why some streets and neighborhoods always seem to be clean and orderly – and others always seem to have trash scattered along the side of the road, piles of trash alongside the houses and old broken down cars left in the yards, driveways or streets? Is it really a function of the neighborhood and the standards of the people who live there? Or is there more to it than that?
My neighborhood is always spotless and yet I never see a clean up crew walking down the street picking up litter. That’s probably because there is not any litter left in the street in the first place. I know that I have to pick up an empty can or stray piece of paper from along the edge of the street every once in a while. If I see it there – even across the street by my neighbor’s property, I’ll pick up the litter and dispose of it. That only takes a minute and I don’t mind doing my part to keep the neighborhood looking nice.
Jerks Anonymous
Sometimes I think I am the jerk magnet – not the jerk whisperer. I have had enough with the jerks at work. Please make tomorrow a jerk-free day. I need a break.
Cultural Mixing Pot
There is one place in this city where you can go and see the biggest diversity of cultures all in one place. Do you know where that would be? There are probably a lot og good guesses, but the place I am talking about is Sam’s Club – the warehouse shopping store.
I was in Sam’s club with my friend, Pacaras, last night. I never heard so many different foreign languages being spoken in the aisles before. It seems like I was the only English speaking customer in the whole store last night. Not that it is bad – just remarkable to discover that in this white bread city. Even Pacaras noticed it and mentioned it while we were on our way across the parking lot.
Quick Roast
My roommate wants to buy a roasting pan. I say, use the Reynolds Cooking Bags. They are inexpensive, they work great and they make clean up a snap. The bags keeps in all the juices and the meats always turn out moist and juicy and flavorful. Plus, they cook faster so the oven is on less time. I love the cooking bags.
Deep Woods Off
What did the people do back in the old days before there was Deep Woods Off? That stuff is like magic and it keeps all the biting bugs away. I can’t imagine 100 years ago having to be outside and dealing with biting flies and mosquitoes with no way to stop them. Ugh – mosquito bites are awful, and I’ve been bit by black flies, green flies and horse flies before. But now I use Deep Woods Off before heading out – what a difference that makes!
Photos on the Internet
A friend of mine was talking about her photographer friend up in Illinois. He has been doing part time photo shoots for years and she says some of his work is really good. I asked where to find samples of his work and she says that he just puts a few up on Facebook. I think he should make a photoblog and put a new photo up at least once a week. He’ll get a good fan base and referrals that way.
Old Sayings
My grandmother used to have some favorite sayings about things and I never hear those phrases any more. I wonder why people stop using the cute catch phrases? She used to say, “That’s for the birds.” She also used to ask if “Anyone need to tinkle?” before we left the house to run errands or visit friends. I miss some of her little sayings.