For the month of August, I thought I was going to get away with an easy allergy season. Usually my allergies start around mid-August. Right on time, I had the itchy eyes, but no other signs of my fall allergies. Yeah!!

All was good until the 10th of Sept. I woke up with the runny nose and heavy sneezing in the morning. That kept up all day to end with full sinus congestion. Ouch…. My current medications don’t seem to be doing any good. I realize that we just got some rain in the past few days, so I guess that is what really set the pollen and spores going.

Sinus headache is keeping me awake right now. I was sleeping, but someone sent me a text message and my phone kept beeping. Now with the sinus headache, I may be up for awhile..
I’m going to have to have the phone people turn off my text messaging, since I don’t use it anyway, and I hate to pay for messages, I will never reply to.

On another note, only 4 more colors to go, and I have a box of Kindergarten crayons… I’ll have to dig out the big box to see what colors there are now.

I was just curious at a picture I saw on the web tonight. My question is why would anybody take a picture of the shoes that the candidates are wearing? I don’t think I can recall any other shoe pictures. I may be wrong, but I remember a lot of Pant Suits, Power Ties, body surfing, hunting, fishing, and of course hand shaking pictures of any other candidate in my lifetime, but not shoes. Was there really anything stunning about either pair of shoes? The red pair did remind me a bit of the ruby slippers, but that is because of the color. Just wondering?

And then of course during this I also found this picture:

Is this making a fashion, religious or political statement? I’m not really sure. Interesting effect though. I may want to try to get a few of those for me. Could they put that on my driver’s license? Should I use something like that on my blog? Should I use it for my pic on a dating site? (nah, too over the top for me…) Maybe I could just print up some ‘saint j’ cards.. I could give them out to all my friends…

Then again, if we can get that effect with lighting, and actual naked eye seeing, a red light in the background could set the tone of something in our haunted house. Or we could go with the dead guy in the corner. Yes, that is really a dead guy in the corner.

Oh well, I guess that’s all the good pictures I found. Unless I include some of my own. Just one uninvited guest at my daughter’s wedding last year.

Now he would be a good addition to the haunted house. A 6 foot gator on the prowl could get people a little jumpy.

Well, I am no stranger to trying new and, what for some would be, exotic foods. I generally enjoy trying new things to eat, even when I don’t enjoy the taste. There have been a large number of foods that I really like, that if I had failed to try, I never would have known the taste sensations.

From A (for Ants), to Z (normal zoo animals — Hippo and crocodile), I have tried many different foods. Other than zucchini, I can’t really recall any Z foods, maybe someone could enlighten me. After the extreme recycling I wrote about I didn’t think I could see an article about food that would just turn me off. But I found one. The problem for me is that I have tried almost everything else, why wouldn’t I try this. I have eaten bugs, so why not rats? I guess that would be one way to make sure the rat population stays in check. They would no longer be just pests, but a food source. Maybe I’ll have to try some… Can’t be any worse than squirrel can it? After all a Squirrel is just a rat with a fuzzy tail right?

Every so often I write something to try to get some of the lurkers, who read my blog, to stop and say hi. This is another of those posts.

I am a numbers person, so I am fascinated by the statistics that are generated for this blog. Some topics seem to bring more people. Books, Haunted houses, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Moon Landings are all big draws. Big of course is a relative term. This blog has been averaging about 15 readers per day. My maximum in 1 day (that I know of) was just over 80. The average this week was around 25. I realize that some of the ‘readers’ I am seeing are just robots or data mining sites, but when they find something that, in the programming, is found interesting, they leave blog replies. Some of the people who come to read just won’t do it.

I know a couple of the ‘shy’ people, and I don’t really expect replies from them (they know who they are). There are others that I think would be very interesting to hear from.

Things I would like to know about you. How did you find this blog? What do you want to read here? What country/state are you from? Do you come back often? Am I boring you? Just pop in to say hello. Again, until you are ‘vetted’ (good political term, no?) your replies will only be seen by me, or maybe the owner of the place, he once ‘hacked’ in for a April Fools joke… But he is a good friend of mine, almost like a long lost brother. So if you don’t want them to be seen, let me know in the response, and I’ll get rid of it. Me, I’m just curious…

Other things I want to know. Why is a site in Russia interested in my blogs on Superman Movies? Why isn’t the same site interested in Batman? Just wondering..

This is just stuff I was thinking about this Saturday morning…

Loaded with tags, just for fun? Just having a bit of fun, that’s what blogging is all about.

Ok, I was scanning the news this evening and ran across this headline (on CNN if you must know) “Britney Reveals Hot New Body”. Now my first thoughts were “Who Cares?” Then I thought did she steal it? Then can I get a new body too, my knees aren’t what they used to be. And again with that thought, How did they attach it and why not a new brain? All that from one little headline.

Now over the years, I’ve noticed many headlines that can be read in more than one way. Most of this is due to the fact that headlines are rarely punctuated. Good punctuation can define what the sentence means, bad punctuation can give another meaning entirely. Words with multiple meanings can be used to misinterpret the meaning too.

This tendency in headlines has even given the late night talk show hosts something to ‘talk’ about. And they just keep showing up in the papers, and now on line. You would think that avoiding this would be taught in Journalism schools. Or not, maybe it sells more papers. So news day, add a heading that people will take different than intended, It should sell more papers…

I guess it wouldn’t be fair to just leave you with one headline would it?

So for your pleasure

The Funny Pages

Witty Quotes

And finally

Headline Humor

Enjoy…

I got new glasses today, but I’m not sure I like them. I’m getting to an age (49+) where I need a bit more than reading glasses (Maybe). Since my first set of bifocals caused all sorts of problems for me (those dang lines were always in the way), I now have a set of progressive lenses. I will admit that they help my distance vision a bit, but I had to check a few time to make sure it was an improvement. I also don’t need to cock my head at a funny angle to read or use the computer. All good things.

The problem I am having is a sense of tunnel vision while I read or do computer work. This is not quite as annoying as the bifocal lines, but it is annoying. Then there is a small little thing that I have to turn my head while reading on a computer, or any other semi-wide item (even the backs of DVD boxes). I may get used to this, but it may cause problems since at work I do a lot of glancing between two different screens. With my reading (non bifocal) glasses, I can just shift my eyes to where I want to look. The new glasses I have to turn my head to keep everything right in front of me. I get some time to check these out so I guess I will do that. I need to find out how long I get. I may end up trading these for a pair of reading glasses, and maybe some just for computer work. I’m not sure right now.

The one benefit to these glasses, if I get used to wearing them, I will never be without my reading glasses… I’m just not sure about the tunnel vision..

Yes, hay fever season has started in NW Ohio. I’m not sure how bad it will be yet, but I have noticed additional sneezing and the itchy, watery eyes. My typical reactions to the Mid August weather.

Now I’m not complaining about this, it is something I’ve lived with most of my life. I’m used to the end of summer sneezing. No, I want to say something about the Optometrist I just went to. Actually not the Optometrist, but one of the office assistants. I’m not sure of their actual titles, but that really doesn’t make much difference.

Here is my story. Question 1 was “Is anything bothering your eyes?” Answer, “Yes, it is hay fever season and my eyes are irritated and watery.” Question 2: “Do you want to replace your glasses with contacts”. Huh!!??? I just complained of irritated eyes, and the very next question is do I want to put some foreign object in them? I’m sure it was on a list, but don’t people think anymore? I guess not. Anyway, the questions continue, and I’m asked again if I would be interested in contacts. I guess they didn’t hear the answer the first time they asked.

I have a feeling that contacts are a big money maker for the Optometrist and staff. To be asked this question twice, and get a rather strong no the first time, it kind of makes me wonder.

The rest of the visit went without incident, so I hope they now have on my chart that I really don’t want contacts. I did wonder though, do they make “reading” contacts? So far, that is the only thing I need my glasses for. Distance vision is still pretty good. They are putting me in glasses I will wear most of the time though. May be better anyway. I always forget to take them places, and that sometimes leads to some problems.

Today touched on many memories for me. Today I went to a funeral to support someone I’ve known for a few years. I knew him through the theater and her through church. Our interests, outside of the community theater are different. Even our views in the theater are different, but today that makes little difference to me. Today we share a common bond. Today we are both widowers. Will that make us close friends, not likely, but I guess it could happen. Things like that happen everyday, but it isn’t what I mean.

He is at the very start of his journey of widow/erhood. I’ve been on the journey for 4 years and almost 8 months. We became brothers in the same journey. It is very much a journey. The trouble is that, as in life, we all journey this path in our own way. Today, I offered any support I could give. I made this offer from my heart. I know as well as any man could some of the things that will occur for him in the next few days, weeks and months. But I don’t know how he will approach or handle the events that will happen. I can only be around to listen. It is a lonely journey that he faces. A journey where you take help when you find it, but all the choice you make must be the right choices for yourself.

The funeral was in the church my wife and I attended for over 10 years before she died. She had many wonderful talents, and the church was her place to share them. I see her touch in many areas of this church. Things have changed, but they remain the same.

The funeral was for a lady that also touched the church in many ways. She had been there for close to 30 years. For years to come her legacy will remain with the church. Things have changed, but they remain the same.

Today a saw again a sister in the same journey. She lost her husband a year before I lost my wife. We still have that bond. It unites and separates us. Grieving is different for all.

People dying at much too early an age. But then again, I see where I’ve been and I have a sense of where I am heading. Not the life I would have chosen, but the one I was given. Mine to do what I can. Things have changed, but they remain the same.

When i can I offer support to those on this journey. The best support I can offer is that I have been on the journey. There are many lights to guide you on the path. Many come before, and many follow. Drop a light every now and again to guide those who follow. Follow the lights of those that when before….

Today I heard a news story that I knew I wanted to blog about, but when I got ready to blog I couldn’t remember what the story was about. Then when having a conversation about my job, I remembered what it was. The Government just released the name of people who worked for the OSS. And on that list was none other than Julia Childs. I remember seeing her on TV playing with roasting chickens. Her show The French Chef was on PBS from 1962 to 1987 (last new show in 1971). I would never have thought of her as a spy for the U.S. government. But now we know.

I imagine if Julia Childs could be a spy, then that would leave the door open to almost anyone. What better cover than a cook. I’m not sure she was a cook when she was in the OSS. Oh well why spoil a fanciful story.

From various news stories on the web, I was able to find that the son of a former President, a baseball player, future Supreme Court Justice were also members of the OSS. This strikes my fancy.

Oh, and as for my employment, well if I told you….

No, not really, this is a post about lying on résumés. Or other funny things I’ve seen on résumés in the past. I saw the news story on CNN, and just had to look and see if the lies were as good as the ones I’ve seen in an earlier job. I don’t thing I saw the ten reasons listed, but then again I saw a few good ones.

1 claimed to have been working on a specific computer for a longer period of time than the computer was actually in existence. Since they did not list the Computer Mfg as one of their past employers, I actually had them in for an interview to explain this. It was fun to see the redness creep into their face. Can I be mean or what?

Another claimed to work with a proprietary software language, but they never worked on the machines where this language was used. Hmm, they turned down the interview. (Could they have heard about the other interviewee?)

Graduated from my College, the same year as me with a BS in Computer Science. Small school, and I never heard of this person. No BS in Computer Science was offered when I graduated either. Some joke. He accepted the interview date, but never showed up when I said in passing it would be good to see a fellow alum.

I’ve also seen résumés written in crayon for a data entry position (come on folks, if you’re going for a computer job, you should never hand write your résumé). Pictures, from a “fashion” shoot, attached to the résumé. Stained résumés, usually coffee, but some were unidentifiable stains. There were many more, but these stand out in my memories. This doesn’t even include the multiple misspellings on them. Like do you know how to spell your own name? Yes, one résumé had the name spelled differently on the cover letter and résumé.

Then there are the interviews. My favorite is one told around the site of my current employment. Seems a guy’s pants fell down as he was leaving the interview. His last words were, “I guess that blows any chances I had of getting this job.” I’m not sure how the rest of the interview went, but that last line was priceless.

So much fun with résumés. I’m now wondering what kind of stories people tell about me, when I was on the other side of the interview desk.