LilBear

August already?

LilBear — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:23:00 GMT

My my my, where has this summer gone? Time flies when you get busy and work too much doesnt it? Well, working during the day but at least having a nice time on weekends putzing around the yard and hanging out with friends. Seeing some movies, having a few cookouts, seeing some bands play in bars....not a bad time at all.

But, I think I am about ready for cooler weather. This summer has been quite hot out here at the beach and the rain and storms have not lasted long enough to keep the temperatures down and the plants watered. But that is the usual case for the summer here. Very hot days with quick violent storms and downpours in the afternoons and evening. But, you take the good and bad with everything else, right?

So, looking forward to fall and cooler temperatures, but still a few more weeks to enjoy the summer time here at the beach. :)

You sued over crunchberries?

LilBear — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:47:00 GMT

Well, I think after a news item related to my title this week, it is time to share a couple of odd lawsuits

The big lawsuit news this week was that a lady from San Diego, California (like you had to guess, right?) sued the makers of Cap N Crunch Crunchberries cereal after realizing that the "fruit" in the cereal was actually colored cereal balls flavored with strawberry concentrate. So she decided to sue the cereal maker for fraud on behalf of all the crunchberry eating Americans. At least common sense prevailed in the court, as the judge said that a reasonable consumer would not be decieved into believing that the cereal was advertising a fruit that did not exist and tossed the lawsuit out of court. Also, the judge was uncertain how the lady could not explain how she purchased and ate the cereal for four years and not realize it was not fruit in that time. And what could seem like an even stranger foot note to this story? Apparently another court threw out a similar lawsuit the lady brought against the makers of Froot Loops. I guess in that case she was upset the cereal did not contain real "froots"?

Original story can be found here.

But that brings me to a few other odd court cases.

Such as this one from Germany, where a man and a wife could not conceive children because the husband was sterile. So the husband hired another man to have sex with his wife to produce a child. This went on for three nights a week for 6 months for a total of 72 times. Still no pregnancy. The husband then asks the man to be examined where it is discovered the man was sterile as well. When confronted, the hired man's wife admitted she knew that and that their own two children were not his. The original husband is now suing to get his money with the hired man claiming he never garunteed a pregnancy, but that he would try his hardest. Original story here.

Or maybe someone heard about the Hooters lawsuit that is explained in detail as here? Apparently Hooters sued a local chain of winghouses in southeastern US for trademark violations, including decor of restaurants and the uniforms of their waitresses, which included short shorts and small tiny shirts that accented the sure to be ample bosoms of the staff. After a three week trial (hey wouldn't that be an interseting jury to have been on?) it was decided that there was no trademark infringement and the lawsuit was tossed and Hooters was penalized for the frivilous lawsuit. More information can be found here on item 1 along with some other food related lawsuits.

The last one I want to share I will just copy and paste from the website here that has additional items as well. This is the kind of lawsuit I wish we could find all the members of the jury that decided this case and slap them with a wet mackeral or two.

In October 1998, A Terrence Dickson of Bristol Pennsylvania was exiting a house he finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up, because the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't re- enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, so Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. This upset Mr. Dickson, so he sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of half a million dollars and change.

I wish I could say only in America could someone intentionally decide to cause harm and be rewarded, but if you keep your eye out on the news in the world, this is probably more common then we would like to admit.

And just so we dont end on a sad note, here is a kitten!!!!!

Hey, Its June!!!

LilBear — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:13:00 GMT

Well, I have to say out door pictures all around are fun, but I don't think anyone would want to be doing that around my place. The month of May got here and I got some nice weather outside and got out to really tackle the after winter yard work and clean up and the mess of leaves and acorns my oaks leave every year in my yard.

Unknown to me, mixed among the leaves and some ivy on my house an fence and take a guess what I found out? Yep, some of it was poisonous. Poison oak I believe was the final verdict. So after a week or two of fighting off the itchies on my legs and arms and face, I finally got that cleared up and have been tackling that ivy bastard stuff with weed and ivy killer the last week or so.

Now its almost gone and I can almost spend more time sitting hanging around out back with my folding chairs and and gas grill enjoying the nice weather the rest of the summer.

As long as its not too hot outside. ;)

A Monday Dose of Fail.....

LilBear — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:21:00 GMT

I just had to share these failblog pictures from today. Hope they give you a healthy dose of laughs and wtfs. :)

********************

At least he gave it an honest effort?

Yeah, I dont think this is very comfortable for the baby. Or safe. At least he is sitting on a box?

Uhm.....what exactly is going on here?

I guess old Jeb couldn't wait until they finished filming the commercial?

Is Summer Finally Here?

LilBear — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:47:37 GMT

It sure felt like it this weekend. Nice temperatures in the 80s, a little cloudy and a slight breeze.

I missed this past Friday's luau due to company coming over, but from the pictures it looked like everyone caught that island spirit and had a good time. Maybe not enough of fruity rum drinks going around, but maybe that is a good thing.

I finally got outside and really tackled the yard and just about wore myself out, but it is all good. I have these huge oak trees in my backyard which provide such a wonderful shade during the summer time, but they sure do drop a lot of leaves. I have a few plans for the backyard this summer but as usual for most things, they depend on time and money.

Then it was time to settle in for the evening, so I fired up the grill for the first time this year and cooked out some chicken. And along with a few beers, and some cheddar broccoli and rice, I was about ready to fall asleep. Instead I sat around and watched hockey. :)

And today on Sunday, I had a few things to do, but a much more relaxing day then Saturday. Just taking care of a few indoors things and doing some laundry. And I did get my second car back up and running as well, so the black beauty should be ready to be driven this summer. Woohoo. :)

Nice weekend all together, and really....work and Monday? Not looking forward to it. Oh well. That is life.

Jewel and the Wizard of Oz

LilBear — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:51:00 GMT

A few of us got talking this evening about Jewel, and her version of Over The Rainbow that she sang on Dancing With The Stars a few weeks back, and that it was frustrating that there wasn't an mp3 of the song, or it was on one of her cds.

That is until May. While browsing on Amazon.com I came across this cd being released in May:

Jewel - Lullaby

Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Jewel is partnering with Fisher-Price and Somerset Entertainment to debut her first-ever independent release, Lullaby. The 15-track album features 10 self-penned songs and a few standards including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The acoustic record is reminiscent of Jewel's twelve-time platinum album, Pieces of You.

But, I remember seeing on VH1 way back when a benefit concert where some singers did the Wizard of Oz as a concert, and Jewel played the part of Dorothy and first sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow. So I did some digging and found this on wikipedia:

The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True was a 1995 musical performance based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The book and score of the film were performed on stage at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The concert featured guest performers including Jackson Browne as the Scarecrow, Roger Daltrey as the Tin Man, Natalie Cole as Glinda, Joel Grey as the Wizard (a role he reprised in Wicked), Jewel as Dorothy, Nathan Lane as the Cowardly Lion, Debra Winger as the Wicked Witch of the West, and Lucie Arnaz as Aunt Em. The Boys Choir of Harlem appeared as the Munchkins, and Ry Cooder and David Sanborn performed as musicians.

Which leads to the point of this blog entry, a youtube link of Jewel singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNntXzI1EkU

April 16th

LilBear — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:03:00 GMT

Weird News - April Edition

LilBear — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:13:00 GMT

I definitely have not been writing these as often as I hope when I wrote the first one many weeks ago. But here are some odd news stories today. Most of these were lifted from mentalfloss.com and fark.com, two of my daily web browsing visits.

From Greece to Poland Underneath A Bus

A 19-year-old Afghan man named Yahiya climbed underneath a bus in Athens and strapped himself to the undercarriage with a belt for a free ride. He traveled this way through Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia, and was discovered in Nowa Deba, Poland. Along the way, his face was scratched every time the bus changed gears. When he emerged from the bus after his 1,700 mile trip, Yahiya was disappointed to find he was in Poland instead of Italy, his intended destination. He had stowed away on the wrong bus!

Anyone taken a bus cross country lately? Any idea what this would of cost and if it was worth tying yourself to a bus for 1700 miles?

Divorce by Text Message

A Saudi Arabian man in Iraq sent a text message to his wife and got a legal divorce. Under Saudi law, a man can divorce his wife by saying “I divorce you” three times. A court in Jeddah ruled that the divorce is valid even if sent by text message, after confirming that the unnamed man also called two of his relatives to make his intentions clear. The newly-divorce man is in Iraq to participate in “jihad”. This is the first known divorce in Saudi Arabia achieved by text message.

This could probably never happen in America. Three words three times to get a divorce? How many text messages would it take to divide up the possessions?

Walmart Theives Caught By Photos

Two women left with almost $200 in merchandise after going through the self checkout line at Walmart and scanning only $70 worth of items. When a cashier nearby asked for their reciept they ran. Left behind were two packages of undeveloped photos with one of the woman's name and address on it. Police called her and she returned to the store with her friend. When questioned she said she went out to her car to get more money, but decided to leave instead.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/apr/10/walmart-photos-crime-odd-wierd-news/

I always wonder if this happens more with those self checkout lines in stores now days.

Three Police Officers Egg Bad Neighborhoods

Three Gainesville, Florida police officers received written warnings for travelling through high crime areas of the city while off duty and harrassing people. One incident involved the officers drinking heavily then driving through one neighborhood with the intention of throwing eggs in order to harrass prostitutes and drug dealers. An investigation was started after three seperate incidents of harassment were documented by on duty police officers encountering the three men and asking them to stop and leave the area over a one week period.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090409/ARTICLES/904091018/1002?Title=GPD-officers-admit-to-egg-throwing?33

I dont know....is this a good crime deterrent or an idea for an egg themed video game?

Well for me, the easter weekend is just about here. Not much family stuff going on for me, but it is the first weekend since October that does not involve attending a hockey game or catching up on stuff because of attending a hockey game. Hopefully the weather here will be nice and I can get back outside to get the yard in shape for the summer.

Season change....now it is springtime....

LilBear — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:51:00 GMT

This weekend marks, at least for me, the official change from winter to spring time. Yes, trees are starting to turn green, flowers are starting to bloom, more and more squirrels and birds are out and about. Even the days are starting to seem longer and brighter now that there is actually a few hours of daylight left after getting home from work.

But I like to say the real change of seasons happens with sports. This weekend has the last two games of the local minor league hockey team of the season here at home, and the first exhibition game of the local minor league baseball team. Yes, the big boy hockey teams still go for another few weeks and then into the playoffs, and the big boy baseball teams get started this weekend, but they just feel different because I dont attend those games in person.

So, here is to hoping that our hockey team ends the season on a high note, and to get myself ready for relaxing saturday afternoon games at the ball park enjoying hot dogs, burgers, beer, and deep fried twinkies.

Music from LilBear's Ipod - Reel Big Fish

LilBear — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:00:23 GMT

Sometimes you have to wonder if your electronic device has a mind of it's own. Yes, I know everyone supposedly says that "randomize" is truly random, that it is all coded in the software, etc, etc.

I still think they lie.

Take today for example. My ipod apparently really wanted to enjoy the ska-punk stylings of Reel Big Fish. Before you call me crazy, consider this. When a music device has almost 10,000 songs on it, and it keeps coming back again and again to pull a new song out of the 33 I have of a single band....I have to think there is a bit more then "software randomization". ;)

Or I am just trying to be funny.

But either way, I do enjoy their music, so let me share a few of my favorites with you.

Beer

She Has A Girlfriend Now

Sell Out
Another F U Song

Everybody's Drunk

Enjoy. :)

I just thought this was cool...

LilBear — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 02:47:00 GMT

A pretty nifty little action music video, but a neat European version of the rap song from the early 1990s "Informer" by Snow. Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u3SZ60x-YE

Perceptions....

LilBear — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:39:09 GMT

...of a phrase between the different sexes. These images show roughly what goes through the minds of men and women when someone asks "Let's go get a drink."

Virginians Can Be Stupid (A Snow Story)

LilBear — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:52:00 GMT

So yesterday we start hearing on the local SE Virginia news about a winter storm coming our way, possibly putting 2 to 5 inches of snow down on the ground. Temperature drops, wind comes up, but by the time I went to bed Monday night, no flurries.

I wake up Tuesday morning to my alarm, and the radio stations are going down a long list of school closings in the area, and delays for other places. I hop up on my bed and look out my window to see how much snow I have.....and I see nothing.

NADA.

ZIP.

Just the last of my piles of leaves on the ground, not covered with snow, and not even wet. I listen a bit longer to figure out what is going on and the news guy says local school systems are taking preemptive snow days because the storm got delayed and would be hitting us around midday Tuesday. Still, that seems a bit....over zealous in my mind.

So here we are, just about 1:00 local time, and no snow. Just cold temps (about 30) with some wind. And local radar shows even less precipitation on the screen then it did last night. So, it sure looks like we will be getting nothing.

So, I guess everyone jumped the gun on this one and freaked out about the nonexistent snow storm. Well, I guess that is better then watching some of the people around here try to drive in rain and snow.

Getting through the winter time....

LilBear — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:11:52 GMT

So it is a new year now, but the first few months always take some time to readjust my schedule.

Things end around the holidays, and not much new begins. College football comes to an end right after New Years. Pro football starts to wind down and end in February. Baseball doesn't start back up until March. All I have through these next few months is hockey. Which isn't bad. Hockey is one of the few sports where I could sit down and watch just about any team play even if I don't have a particular interest.

Also, week night tv shows start to come back after the holidays, but there is not a lot of network tv I watch. Outside of a handful of shows, I tend to be a "History Channel - Military Channel - Discovery Channel" kind of guy.

But the worst part of this stretch of months, besides the cold, rainy, windy winter weather is the work schedule. Being a non-government worker, after New Year's Day, my next scheduled holiday until Memorial Day in May. As in, the office is officially closed, stay home, don't come to work. So, every once in a while I will cash in a vacation day and take a "mental health" day and relax at home, catch up on some chores, etc. I can always get through these times reading or watching movies. Certainly isn't a lot of anything too enjoyable to be doing outdoors at this time.

But of course, there are always LOLCats to get a smile on your face:

gets out the duster and cleans up the cobwebs

LilBear — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:11:00 GMT

I sure haven't used this space for much lately have I? Ahh....not much to say really. Well, not much to say that I think too many people wuold actually read. But, happy 2009 everyone. It is here to stay and now it is time to set the sails and head forward into the new year. I don't think there is too much I really want to change from last year except to take more time off of work, and not just for doctor's appointments and such. I am in need for a good old fashioned vacation away from work. So, I guess if youre one of the ones that are into making resolutions, which I really am not, that would be my goal for 2009. A good proper vacatio away from work. So, lets grab the walking stick and start the journey and see what happens this year.