Each week the hometown newspaper has a column entitled, “Did you know?”  It is a list of little known facts (little known to the general public… there maybe some who do know everything).  A few of these are facinating:

Did you know…

• that until 1978, Camel cigarettes contained minute particles of real camels (Always wondered how they came up with that name)
• that in 1943, a Parisian street mime got stuck in his imaginary box and consequently died of starvation (I would have guessed suffocation or claustrophobia)
• that you should never hold your nose and cover your mouth while sneezing, as it can blow out your eyeball
• that aardvarks are allergic to radishes, but only during summer months (I like to think that I am alergic to them year-round)
• that approximately one-sixth of your life is spent on Wednesday’s (why could it not be on a Friday or Saturday on game nights?)
• that polar bears can eat up to 86 penguins in a single setting
• that every three days a human stomach grows a new lining (what happens to the old ones?)
• that watching an hour-long soap opera burns more calories than watching a three-hour long baseball game (must be from the laughing one does while watching the suds.  I would have to disagree especially when watching a football game at C & L’s… of course that is not baseball)
• THAT IN SARATOGA FLORIDA IT IS ILLEGAL TO SING WHILE WEARING A BATHING SUIT (why and how about singing in the nude… not that I would want to push the envelope)
• that about one-third of all Americans flush while still seated on the toilet (ok…)
• that on average, every chocolate bar contains at least three insect legs (mmm…. good)

Now that I have educated you all, go out and have a Snickers bar, go to Saratoga and sing in your bathing suit,  and laugh those calories away watching a soap opera.

One of my favorite elements of the best Bond movies was the reliable appearance of Q, supplier of 007’s weapons and high-tech gadgets.  Sadly, Q has not made the leap to the latest two shows.  Played with excellent comedic presence by the late Desmond Llewelyn (and later by John Clease), the head of Q Branch took great pride in all of his accomplishments and even chastised Bond in every film about the damage most of them take in the field.  Here is a list of some of the best cars and other useful devices which have aided James throughout 22 movies.

• The Original Aston Martin DB5 with modifications (Goldfinger and Thunderball)… the first in a long list of gadget-laden automobiles.  This beauty came equipped with everything a superspy needs.  Revolving license plates, machine guns, tire slashing devices in the hubcaps, oil slick and smoke screen release, and the little red button underneath the cap of the gear shift.
• Jet Pack (Thunderball)… used in dramatic fashion during Bond’s escape during the pre-title sequence.  The pack was an actual functioning device that was intended to be used by the military.  A trained professional is seen flying the pack in long shots while Connery is seen in the close up shots.  No CGI in 1965.
• Little Nellie (You Only Live Twice)…  Once again a real gyrocopter armed to the teeth that allowed Bond to investigate while disposing of some evil baddies giving chase in helicopters of their own.  “She’s a wonderful girl. Very small, quite fast, she can do anything.  Just your type.”
• Attache Case (From Russia With Love)… what appears to be an ordinary briefcase holds many surprises for the user.  50 gold sovereigns (hidden in two straps on either side of the case), a knife, and two other dandy instruments that aided Bond during the movie.
• The Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me) another car featuring advances that assisted Roger Moore’s 007 and Russian beauty XXX as they worked together to stop the diabolical scheme of one Karl Stromberg and a giant steel-toothed baddie named Jaws.

Countless other useful devices have been used to varying degrees of success.  I do remember a certain “Bug”-detecting device used during Live and Let Die that seemed flimsy at best.  By the way, does anyone recall Q’s actual name?  It was given in at least one of the movies (one mentioned in this posting).

Got a bit of a scare today.  After my Dad’s successful surgery yesterday, things were looking really good and he may have even been able to come home today.  However, that changed as my Mom was on the way back to the hospital this morning.  She got a phone call that informed her that dad had to go back into surgery… RIGHT NOW!  She immediately called here to give us the news but not sure what was going on apart from that… no whys or wherefores.  Before I left for work, we learned that he had a blood clot that had to be removed.  Shortly after my shift started, I got news that the clot was successfully removed and all is going well again.  It was a good thing he was there overnight.  Thankfully, big brother was with Mom so that she would not be travelling alone.  To try and lighten the mood a bit, I commented that it would not be my father if he was not causing some type of problem.  So, it will be another few days before he is able to come home.  On a good note, I had a call on the caller id waiting for me when I got home from work… THANKS C & L 😉 .

In honor of the opening of the 22nd Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, I will be asking my readers (some of whom are fans, some who have never seen a Bond movie, and others who could give a flying fig) a series of questions.  The new film will hold the distinction of being the first direct sequel… following soon after the events in Casino Royale .  I also found what appears to be a cool official 007 site full of facts, chat forums, etc.  But to the nitty gritty.  Please tell me your pick for the Best James Bond film… also your pick for the Worst Of The Series.

My personal favorite is From Russia With Love.  It was only the second film in the franchise but it set the tone for those that followed.  It had the best Bond (Sean Connery), one of the best Bond girls (Tatiana Romanova), the best MacGuffin, and one of the most ingenious devices created by Q Branch (the attache case).  The evil henchwoman (Rosa Klebb) was also one of the best.  (“She had her kicks.”)

Unfortunately, there have been some stinkers in the series as well.  A View to a Kill may have given the US its first number one Bond theme single (by Duran Duran) but the rest was just not good.  Roger Moore had outlived his welcome in the role (he should have had his license to kill revoked after Octopussy).  Christopher Walken was just too over the top (in a long list of over the top villains).    Tanya Roberts was totally wrong as the girl.  And gargantuan 80s icon Grace Jones did not a memorable henchwoman make.

So, there are my picks for best and worst Bond movies.  Sometime, I will plan to see the latest film in theatres and see if Daniel Craig will be able to endear himself more in the role.  He still hasn’t totally won me over, but it is only his second outing as 007.

This week is going to be a tough one for my Mom.  Not only does she have to contend with the departure of a niece that she and my dad has raised for years, she has had to deal with my Dad’s approaching surgery to unblock the arteries in his neck.  A few summer’s ago he had a major stroke.  While recovering, it was discovered that there was blockage but at the time doctors determined that it was not serious enough to warrant surgery at that time (and they were uncertain whether or not he was strong enough to endure it).  The blockage has since reached 85% and today was the day for the cleansing.  He and Mom left for the hospital around 6.30am.  Three of my siblings and I met our big brother at his school around 8.45 to be at the hospital in time to meet the parents before 10.  When we arrived, Dad had already gone into surgery.

The surgery was to take no more than 90 minutes.  Sooooo… around noon, we became a bit concerned.  Finally, at 12.30, Mom went to the information desk to see what was up.  Apparently, he had not gone under the knife before 11 O’Clock.  A few moments later our paging system (similar to the doodads that they hand out at restaurants to inform you when your table is ready) lit up and vibrated.  From there, we went to a consulation area and waited another 45 minutes before the doctor came in and informed us in about 2 minutes that all went well and they were waiting for Dad to come alive before moving him to his room.  Then, we all went to lunch.

Our waiter at Logan’s Steakhouse was very out-going, hilarious, friendly, any superlative you can think of.  He took our drink orders and returned with them.  When he finally came to mine, he wasn’t sure what I had ordered and he eventually got it right after going through every drink on the menu.  Then he took our lunch orders.  My oldest brother is not a fan of salad dressing.  So when he ordered it dry, the waiter (wish I could remember his name) made some humorous comment.

On our first round of drink refills, the waiter returned and had names picked out for all of the females at the table.  My sister became known as “Sweet Cheeks.”  My sister-in-law was renamed “Cherry” (Cherry Coke).  Finally, my cousin received the moniker “Sweet Potato Puff.”  Not sure if Mom got a new name.  A short time later, our friend from Liswathistan decided to make his presence known.  He asked the waiter if he was a married man and if his wife would be interested in going on Wife Swap.  Like so many before him, the waiter was totally floored and left speechless.  I think he thought Morat had had one too many Coke Zeros.  When we had finished, the waiter asked Morat to come to the back of the restaurant where his manager was waiting and Morat asked if she was a married woman.  Yet again, Morat was left empty-handed.

When we got back to the hospital, Dad was awake in ICU.  Awake and alert because the first thing he asked was if I had gone to the garage and paid for the oil change my car got while I was in Florida.  The first I had learned of this was Sunday night when he told me that I needed to pay for it.  Niiiiice of him to get a bill for it or even tell me that it had been done three weeks later.  But really nice that they had thought to do it.  So, although he mumbled a lot and acted like he was flying with the birds, it was a relief that he was slowly returning to whatever he thinks is normal (which is in itself a little(?) less than normal).  With any luck, he should be allowed to come home tomorrow…IF he is a good boy.  We will see

Christmas came early to our humble abode this year.  We have members of our family who are moving to Alaska next week.  My cousin lived with us from her first grade year until she graduated from high school two years ago. Her husband is now a PFC in the Army and was recently stationed in Alaska.  My father’s niece came to live with us after she had been in at least three foster homes and my mother was approached by her case worker to discuss assuming custody of her.  It was deemed much more beneficial for her to live with actual relatives.  So on Thanksgiving Night of 1994, she came to our doorstep.  I hate talking about her in the third person, but the first few years of her life were less than idyllic (and I will NOT get into that).  Needless to say, she eventually became a much more important part of our family.  Some of the little things that most of us take for granted she had to accept over time (leaving the bathroom door closed, getting too emotionally close too fast).  However, I am ecstatic that she has grown into a young, mature, caring wife and mother to their 17 month old daughter.  But like any siblings, we have had our share of quarrels.

So today was spent watching the Buckeyes handily defeat Northwestern (a three-peat to the National Championship is now out of the question, but a Bowl berth is still entirely likely).  Then eating a feast after which I took a nap.  After the nap, we watched all of the little ones open their gifts that were given to them before the departure.  Later on, my cousin’s best friend stopped by to deliver a rather expensive Build-A-Bear (or penguin as the case may be) and we played some Phase 10.  I kept getting skipped time after time (by the same person) while another player continued on her way and eventually won the entire game.  Not very strategically minded I must say.  So, a bit of Christmas cheer arrived a bit early.  May God bless the little family as they make their way WAY North to Alaska.

I know that the baseball season has ended and legions of Cubbies fans are still mourning the playoff showing (not trying to rub it in; honestly, there is a point to this madness).  Tonight at work, I was chatting with a friend and customer whose daughter lives in Chicago.  I told him that some of my best friends moved to this area from the Chicago ‘burbs.  Greg’s daughter lives within breathing distance of the hallowed ivy covered outfield walls of Wrigley Field in Wrigleyville.  Her apartment building is near the Budweiser sign where a game can be seen right out the window.  Coolers and grills are frequently seen going while games are going on.  I said, “Don’t tell my brother.”  “Don’t worry, Chad and I have already discussed it.”  But don’t be asking to use any connections anytime soon.  The apartment complex has been purchased to be redeveloped into something more lucrative (just don’t ask me what).

This brought about a discussion of my brother’s devotion to the team.  Every spring, he conveniently becomes ill at lunch on opening day (or takes a vacation day from work)… EVERY YEAR.  One would think that the school would catch on.  In our youth, Chad and I shared a bedroom.  He would spend hours in the room making towers of baseball cards.  Invariably, these towers would be placed right beside the closed door.  Consequently, the door would open and the towers would come crashing down.  THIS was not done purposely.  Periodically however, I have a cousin who would stay overnight and we would have some fun by going into the bedroom and mischievously knocking over the cards.  OH, My… you would not want to be caught dead after Chad discovered his hours of work destroyed (intentionally or not).  And guess who was first on his radar?  To this day, I never understood why he stacked and restacked those cards when he could have been protecting them and probably would have some money in them.  Even less did I understand his practice of personally autographing the cards that did not have a signature on them.  I do not know how many cards he has but we have speculated that it has to be in the millions (I’m not kidding).  He would also get entire sets of cards for Christmas year after year which he would open and mix in with all the other cards or trade with friends.  AH… YOUTH.

Most memorable television series have at least one key phrase that is associated with it.  The following link not only provides the best of these catchphrases but also the story behind the phrase.  For instance, Arthur Fonzarelli’s famous sound would not be heard nearly as much if the character had not caught on.  The Fonz did not even wear his trademark leather jacket (which now sits in the Smithsonian) until season 2 of Happy Days.

There are so many other great examples of catchphrases not listed.  Definitely more recent ones are presented (“Not that there is anything wrong with that.”).  I can think of several from one series that was not included in the list (“Sorry about that, Chief.”).  But as Gary Gnu said: “No gnus is good gnus.”   EVERYONE WINS!!!  Sorry, I had to throw that in there.

Oh yes, I know I should be doing my civic duty and watching election coverage on one of 899 channels… I will wait until tomorrow to find out who the new owner of America country will be.  Instead, I caught another film that I missed out on last summer.  I believe that my introduction to the television series Get Smart
came in the 7th grade.  My cousin (whose last name is Maxwell) became a favorite target of our junior high phys ed instructor.  He was known as Maxwell “Get” Smart and I was known as “Get Dumb.”  It was about this time that reruns were playing on Nick at Nite (whatever happened to the “classic tv” that was promised on this channel and its sister channel TVLAND).

The movie, starring the always brilliant Steve Carell as wildly inept CONTROL agent 86 and Anne Hathaway as the capable agent 99 was very fun.  A total update of the series while retaining much of the original.  Clippings in the opening credits of past villains such as “The CLAW” (NOT CRAW… THE CLAW) and Mr. Big (who was not so big after all).  The series of doors that led to the telephone booth that dropped agents to headquarters.  Agent 13 (Bill Murray) hidden in the most ridiculous of places and Fang. Plus a brief cameo by an original series cast member.

I will not dwell too much on the plot because like the series it is just silly, mindless fun.  However as always Max and 99 are hot on the trail of KAOS’ own Ziegfried and (no… not Roy) Shtarker.  Some of the villains had an almost Bondian quality.  There was an 8 foot behemoth whom I almost expected to have a mouthful of steel teeth.  I could have sworn that it was Richard Kiel, the same actor who played Jaws (of The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker) as well as Mr. Larson from Happy Gilmore, but alas it was not.  Shtarker also bore a similar appearance to Oddjob (from Goldfinger).

All I can say is that if you enjoyed the original or if you enjoy Steve Carell’s work, go out and rent Get Smart.  There are enough in-jokes from the series to keep the fans pleased and enough fun and excitement to keep the new entertained.

While searching imdb’s newest feature of viewing full episodes of tv shows past and present, I came across a show that I only very, VERY vaguely remember watching in the late 1970s (but do not search for it at imdb).  I do remember other aspects of it; particularly, the series of books upon which the series was based.  The Hardy Boys Mysteries (later to be retitled as The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries to include their female counterpart) starred Parker Stevenson (who was later married to Kirstie Alley) and 70s bubble gum pop singer and teenage heartthrob Shaun Cassidy as Frank and Joe Hardy.  One of the mysteries I happened upon thanks to the NancyHardy channel on youtube featured a young Melanie Griffith as a troubled young girl who seems to be drawn by supernatural forces to The House on Possessed Hill.  Hopefully, my mention of the channel will not cause it to be deleted (I have mentioned the fanofbats channel previously and still receive updates for new old episodes of Batman).

Ok… what I do remember from the past.  I do remember the story of Shaun Cassidy.  He is the son of Jack Cassidy and Shirley Jones.  Shaun’s half-brother, David, was a teen magnet himself on The Partridge Family which coincidentally co-starred Ms. Jones.  Shaun’s self-titled debut album was a stable in my house.  It featured mainly cover songs like “DaDooRonRon,” “Be My Baby,” and a few others.  In their adult years, Shaun and David co-starred in the musical Blood Brothers.

And as I previously mentioned, I do remember reading the books written by many authors under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon and to a lesser extent the books featuring Ms. Drew.