Against The Current

Father's Day: "Who is your daddy and what does he do?"

2013-06-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

In honor of Father's Day (yeah, I know I'm a day late, but what else is new), I starting thinking about my father (who is now deceased) and my stepfather (who has been everything to me in my life). In trying to raise my own stepson, Joshua, I take everything in hoping to do the right things for him. Then I remember Arnold. And how ironic it was when he was saying this line that his child with Consuela the housekeeper was to be born. How his son never knew his dad and had to keep secret about it. This gives me new meaning to his famous line, "Hasta La Vista, Baby". Because that's what he did. Scumbag.

WTF is a Derecho?

2013-06-13T09:41:00.003-07:00

It seems whenever we have a weird weather event, we get all these different kind of names we have never heard before. I've heard "El Nino" and La Nina", even bow echoes now and then on the weather forecast. But what the heck is a derecho?
According to the Weather Channel, "Derechoes are large clusters of thunderstorms that produce widespread wind damage, usually as a result of one or more curved lines of thunderstorms known as bow echoes. The word in the Spanish language means "straight" and these windstorms leave wide, long swaths of straight-line wind damage. These winds can be as strong as 50 to 100 mph (or higher)!"
Where I live, I was spared the force of the wind from the derecho by about 50 miles. Another word in the Spanish language is nacho. No matter missing the storm, my wife can provide much more wind from the force of her eating "DE" nachoes! Trust me, it's true. And the terror continues...

Why So Sad, Chad? Child, PLEASE!

2013-06-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

Chad, why so sad? Why is it when you try to do good, you do bad. I'm not glad. I'm just sad. Sad that what you were when you were with my Cincinnati Bengals is no more. As much as you will always be "The Joker", "The Class Clown", etc., maybe you are starting to learn that it is time to grow up. Fame got to you like it does most famous people. It's not ALL about you. Things you got sway with before, that is no more. It is one thing to enjoy life, another thing to live like a "playa", destroy your marriage and now your career. And now you're in jail. For 30 (days). The world still does care about you. Maybe you will get another chance with the Bengals, and join the list of second chances Mike Brown has invested in (see "Pacman" Jones latest debacle ). I love you. But, man, people don't see what you see. Yeah, this judge made a bad call. Maybe she'll let you out early. But, I hope you learn something while you're there. In the jailhouse now. Rock Bottom. Come back strong and be a better person. We all got flaws, Ochocinco. Show us another side. I know you got it.

"Pop" The Soda Pop "Crush"er!

2012-01-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a good one for ya! A Massachusetts woman used a stolen welfare card to buy $64 worth of soda. Then, for good measure, she put the FULL cans immediately into an automated redemption machine to receive the nickel deposit. Tina Cafarelli, 36, was arrested on charges of larceny under $250 and destruction of property. The store manager estimated that the damage to the machine was "well over $250!" This one reminds me of an old Seinfeld episode where they try to cross state lines in order to receive a higher deposit. If she was a smart cookie, she should have done this in Michigan where the deposit rate is $.10. If she was REALLY smart, she should have bought frozen pizza and just had a party!

Boston Bruins' Goalie Tim Thomas A No-Show!

2012-01-23T14:54:00.000-08:00

Boston Bruins' White House Trip

Poor Ole Timothy Thomas! Imagine if you will being invited to go to the White House. Imagine going to meet the President of The United States, regardless of what political affiliation you or he may have. Imagine disappointing your teammates and putting all of the attention of you because you decide not go. Imagine the feel-good story you created by winning the MVP in the Stanley Cup Finals, being from a small town in Michigan and winning it all. Imagine being a douche bag!

@KeithOlbermann at Twitter got it right..."What a fool this Tim Thomas is. When I was invited to the White House to meet a president, the thrill was BEING INVITED TO THE WHITE HOUSE." So did @ArtemChubarov by saying, "If 29 NHL arenas don't serenade Tim Thomas with: "Yes we can!" for the rest of time, I'll be supremely disappointed."

Is Joe Paterno Really Dead?

2012-01-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

Is Joe Paterno really dead? Mark Twain immortally said once, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Various news organizations spread the news that Joe Paterno had died last night, and I recalled reports of Zach Braff of Scrubs in which a webpage was set up by a Scrubs fan announcing that Zach Braff had committed suicide. It was an attempt to fool some friends and film their reactions, however he neglected to take the web-page down and it became a Facebook and Twitter sensation.
It just goes to show that you can't believe everything you hear and read. I guess when it is my time to go I will be the first to know! Oh, and by the way, I am back blogging! Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated also!

Dr. Death Is Dead!

2011-06-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

Dr. Jack Kevorkian died early this morning at a hospital in Michigan. He was 83. Rumor is he took his own medicine! :)

WeinerGate : The Shame of CNN or "News Gone Wild"!

2011-06-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

Today's post was an obvious choice because it is so ridiculious to even talk about. I watched CNN's Wolf Blitzer Interview with Rep. Weiner video with absolute befuddlement! For those of you who do not know, Rep. Weiner supposedly sent a picture of himself in his underwear to a woman in Twitterland! Is that now the definition of a lewd photo? Then, I guess all of the Sears catalogs that have been published, even K-Mart's too, are smut peddling devices! Even if Rep. Weiner did send a picture of himself in underwear, and even if he is covering it up by deflecting comments about it, it is an example of a news media frenzy gone wild! If you watch the interview with Rep. Weiner, it is 7 minutes 36 seconds of ludicrous nausea that I felt CNN and E! sprinkled in with "TMZ" merging into one piece of garbage! And CNN actually headlined this at 5PM! Satan himself is laughing somewhere!

NHL Back In Winnipeg...DO YOU EVEN CARE?

2011-06-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

After 15 years of exodus, the NHL has returned to Winnipeg! Why would you care about such a thing; you probably don't even like hockey. I'll give you a couple of reasons why you should. 1. The NHL gets to right a wrong leaving a passionate city such as Winnipeg in this first place! 2. The NHL signed a major television deal to last the next 10 years bringing more hockey into your living room, even on Thanksgiving! 3. Canada gets another hockey team again, making our next door neighbors happy! 4. Hockey gives us all a diversion from the chaos that is called life! So there, I said it! So, learn to like hockey! Or I will throw an octopus at you!

" America's Got Talent "...Or Does It?

2011-05-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight marks the start of the 6th Season of "America's Got Talent", or as I like to call, "American Idol's Illegimate Half-Sister's Freak Show"! The only person that I can remember getting famous from this is Susan Boyle, and she wasn't even on the show. She was on "Britain's Got Talent", which is sort of like the mother to the aforementioned half-sister...if you're following all of this. I will say one thing...I miss my hometown Cincinnati mayor, Jerry Springer, hosting the show. He is the true "Ringmaster", indeed. He was the perfect host for an imperfect show. Watch tonight at your own peril!

Say It Ain't So, Jim Tressel !

2011-05-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to feel about this one. It seems like there is always an inglorious exit when it comes to an Ohio State Football Coach. For us Ohio State fans, we bled when Woody Hayes went down with his sucker punch...Earle Bruce got kicked out before we had a chance to love him...John Cooper, who's John Cooper? (I try to forget!)...and now Jim Tressel. They say you can't judge a man unless you walk in his shoes. And I guess, you can't. But, the more I hear, I think Tressel was a player's coach...too much of one, in fact. As I get older, I find it is better to be respected than it is to be liked. I think us Ohio State fans got hosed by this one...check the video!

Twitter Trends...Phenomenom or Way-of-Life?

2011-05-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you tend to rebel at new things...rule changes in the NHL (unless you like them), elected presidents (again, same thing), and even a new wife (I digress before I get in trouble!). Until this last month, I never used Twitter but once when I sent @ochocinco a "Hey, how ya doin'?". Anyway, chances are you're here on this page through Twitter or my wife's Nail Blog or even both. So, maybe Twitter is a good thing.

Recently, I found a website called Trendsmap which shows you what people around the world are "tweeting' about in a real-time cloud-type map. Hmmm, I thought maybe I can use this to plan my trending topic of the day by checking the "twitter trends" of the day. Only problem is the topics keep changing! Today's news becomes yesterday's paper in only hours. Unless you're Lady Gaga (the barrage only gets worse, and that dude's no LADY! "insert Jerry Lewis' voice"), Wikileaks (don't worry, it will be back! The shame of it all!"), or Bin Laden's couriers ( they may be sleeping right now, but they wake up soon!).

Kung Fu Panda 2 - My Gift To You On A Slow News Day!

2011-05-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

When deciding what to talk about today, I was presented with several choices. One was Jeff Conaway's death (too easy, we saw that one coming!), another was Casey Anthony's trial (why is this on TV?). And we are all experiencing "tornado hangover" so what am I to write about? It's a slow news day...so, give me a break! What can I do for you? I can give you "Kung Fu Panda 2"'s Trailer opening this weekend! Enjoy!

Missed Medications Cost $250B a Year - Charlie Sheen Included In Total

2011-05-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

It seems in a study by Express Scripts that Americans may waste up to $258 Billion dollars a year by not taking their prescriptions medicines like they are supposed to. It seems that not so recently yesterday's news media hog Charlie Sheen could be the answer to show the American public what happens when you take don't take your meds. Or maybe take too much of them. Or maybe take the illegal ones too. Or this lady in the video. Pick your poison!

America Still Cares About American Idol - Go Figure!

2011-05-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

Scotty McCreery won American Idol last night. Does anyone really even care? Well it seems that America still does. 122 million (that's in "MILLION") votes were cast, the largest amount of votes ever. Idol's audience this season actually GREW by 4%, which makes it a shoo-in to be back next season as well. I thought with Simon Cowell gone, Idol would slowly whither and die. But, what do I know...I just write a blog with a daily following of 26 people so far (you included!).

Oprah's Big Goodbye!

2011-05-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

Click Here-USA Today's Live Blog: 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' finale

The day has finally arrived! And no, it has nothing to do with "Doomsday" scenarios. Today is Oprah's final daily telecast. Things I learned from the Oprah show: 1. That a person can go from big to small to somewhat big to normal back to a little big throughout the years. 2. Tom Cruise is "Nuts"! 3. That you can get a free car if you go to the right taping. 4. That there are enough afflictions in the world to last 25 years of episodes. 5. That Oprah is SUPER, SUPER RICH! 6. And that she made a difference in many people's lives, although I am not sure what that was for me except writing this blog note.

Lost Camping In The Woods!

2011-05-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

As we now know, the world didn't end last Saturday. Nor did people float up in the air, unless of course they were on the Space Shuttle talking to the Pope. The only thing for certain was the crow dinner that Harold Camping has been eating since then. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely...see Gadhafi, Hussein, etc. Harold Camping is a false prophet...no one can foretell when the Rapture will begin. According to him, we have five more months to wait. Something tells me this time most people won't listen!

You Never Know When It's Your Turn

2011-05-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Tornado Damage in Joplin, Missouri

I was watching "The Weather Channel" when all of this unfolded...we have become so immune to tragedies on TV that this could have been just another one to me. Problem was the scope of the destruction, Mike Bettes from "The Weather Channel" live on-scene immediately after the tornado getting emotional, and knowing a lot of people died. Personally, the place I wanted to retire to in my life was Joplin, Missouri. I can remember passing through Joplin on cross-country trips and thinking how full of Americana Joplin was. It was just one of those places that did it for me. And now it's pretty much destroyed. I guess in my first post what I said was true, "The only thing permanent in this life is change."

The Pope and The Space Shuttle - WTF?

2011-05-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Maybe Armageddon really isn't that far off...two subjects I thought I would never see in the same sentence were the Pope and the Space Shuttle.

Apparently, talking to the Pope can make your hair form itself into a halo which could be considered a form of divine intervention...or maybe she just stuck her finger in a light socket! Too close to call!

Also, why was the Pope talking to them while they were in orbit around the earth...on "Doomsday 2011"? We're the astronauts "secret agents" to see if people were ascending to Heaven? Coincidence? Hmmmm...?

FAQ about May 21, 2011 Doomsday - Bonus Post Today

2011-05-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Click Here for FAQ on May 21, 2011 Doomsday Scenario
Today at 6PM EST, the rapture is here! Or supposedly here...or maybe it is just a good guess. My take on it is this...the rapture will take place when ABC brings back my favorite TV show, "Detroit 187", which was recently cancelled due to poor ratings. And then, only if, if it not pre-empted for a Charlie Sheen special like my show was before. Or when God finally feels that it is time. By the way, Michael Imperioli is a great actor. Anyone who watched "The Sopranos" knows that!

Starting Today Off Right - Family Finds $45,000 and RETURNS IT! :)

2011-05-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Family finds $45,000 in new home, then returns it - USATODAY.com

Here would be one of the ultimate things to do "Against The Current"...returning a large sum of money that wasn't yours. A family moved into a new home to find $45,000 in rolled up money in a garage. What did the new owner do...gave it back!
Synopsis: When Josh Ferrin closed on his family's first home, he never thought he'd make the discovery of a lifetime — then give it back.
He thought about the home's previous owner, Arnold Bangerter, who died in November and left the house to his children.
"I could imagine him in his workshop. From time to time, he would carefully bundle up $100 with twine, climb up into his attic and put it into a box to save. And he didn't do that for me," Ferrin said of the man who had worked as a biologist for the Utah Department of Fish and Game."
What a great story to wake up to!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The Daily Deluge

2011-05-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times!" I know I have heard that somewhere...it seems like some things never change. Along with that fact, it seems like the only thing that we can count on is change. "The only thing permanent is change!" So, I digress, and begin this blog.
Everyday I will attempt to take a trending topic of the day, and give you my personal spin on it. This blog is meant to promote discussion, and in it's own way give us an escape from life's daily deluge of dribble. Hopefully, we can have fun looking at all around us. Even if it is only a little bit, for a little while, and even if it doesn't mean anything. It just is.