Life on Planet Jim

Arrested, Yet No Development

2012-02-03T01:23:00.004-05:00

This story was reported recently by CNS News:

FLAGSTAFF, Arizona — Most people can't wait to leave jail, but one northern Arizona inmate has been charged with trespassing after refusing to leave the Coconino County lockup.

Coconino County Sheriff's Office spokesman Gerry Blair says 44-year-old Martin Batieni Kombate was arrested in Flagstaff last week for trespassing and was scheduled for release Monday on his own recognizance on the charge.

But when detention officers from the sheriff's office showed up to escort him out, Kombate allegedly said he wasn't leaving and was staying because he couldn't find his wallet.

Blair tells The Associated Press that Kombate was disorderly in a jail cell, would not leave, so the police were called and Kombate was arrested.

Blair says Kombate remains in jail.

So... let me get this straight: The guy refused to leave jail, so they arrested him and... what? Kept him in jail?

Bwahahahahahahaha!!! That's priceless!

Wonder if he's found his wallet yet?

Death of a Robot

2012-01-26T18:01:00.008-05:00

Well, not technically a robot... THE robot... read on...

CNS News reports that Dick Tufeld died this past Sunday (January 22):

Dick Tufeld, a radio and TV announcer best known as the voice of the robot in the 1960s television show "Lost in Space," has died. He was 85.

Tufeld's career included announcing for the 1950s radio show "Space Patrol." He also worked on hundreds of commercials, sports and news programs and TV shows ranging from "Zorro" to "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."

However, Tufeld is perhaps best known for voicing the "Lost in Space" robot, whose warnings of "Danger, Will Robinson!" became a catchphrase.

There it goes, another bit of my childhood has passed away. Let's be honest, the coolest part about "Lost in Space" was the Robot (although the notion of being a 10-year-old boy traveling on a spaceship was definitely a close second).

This is NOT a photo of Mr. Tufeld, but rather of the Robot to whom he lent his voice.

So, I Made Lasagna...

2012-01-18T15:04:00.005-05:00

My wife works long hours, three days a week. On those days, I cook dinner, so that she won't have to. At least once a week, I like to make something special.

This past Saturday, I made lasagna. FROM SCRATCH (well, except for the pasta). I'd never made it before, so I dug around the Internet, and found this recipe.

My son marvels when I make something like that. He said I was becoming quite the chef. I corrected him: Real chefs create their own recipes.

Mine looked much better than this. I wish I would've taken a picture. BTW, my wife loved it (and so did I, it was quite delicious).

Neil Young: Harvest

2012-01-13T01:50:00.006-05:00

“I want to live, I want to give
I’ve been a miner for a heart of gold
It’s these expressions I never give
That keep me searching for a heart of gold
And I’m getting old…”

Forty years ago, in February of 1972, Neil Young’s fourth album, Harvest, was released. His previous outing, After The Gold Rush, had made it into the Top Ten on Billboard’s album charts, so many were eager to see what Young had in store for them. Ever eclectic, he did not disappoint.

Read the rest at ClassicRockJimmy.com...

Wintering Over

2012-01-03T14:27:00.004-05:00

The holidays are gone.

Now is the winter of our discontent.

Just kidding, but it really is winter. Cold outside. I'm not really a fan of the cold (although, if you're feeling groggy, it'll wake you up in a hurry). The days are short and cold, the nights are long and colder.

Can you tell I'm not really a winter person?

And we haven't had a bad snowstorm yet. I don't look forward to it. And as a new homeowner, I'll have a driveway and a long sidewalk to shovel (or preferrably, snow-blow).

I think bears have the right idea. Tell ya what, I'm gonna take a nap... See ya in April.

:-)

New Pic For The New Year

2012-01-01T23:31:00.001-05:00

Cool, huh?

What's On The Horizon For 2012

2011-12-27T01:23:00.006-05:00

As the end of 2011 is approaching, I have begun to think about what kinds of things I will be trying to accomplish in the upcoming year (because, as you well know, the world comes to an end on December 21, so it's not quite a full year).

I've been officially unemployed since November 17th. There have been a few interviews, but nothing has panned out yet. Therefore, I've recently joined the ranks of the millions of Americans receiving unemployment compensation. So, first and foremost, a job would be great. But, in addition to that, I am trying to get some other things going on the Internet.

I've already launched ClassicRockJimmy.com, which is a site dedicated to discussions about various things of interest to classic rock fans. There's not a lot of content there yet, but that should change over the month of January. I'm also trying to build an Amazon store there, so please check it out when you get a chance (if that sort of thing interests you).

Another idea I have cooking is to build a site to help people learn math. I don't want to say too much about it yet, since it's still just in my brain right now. But I've been a math geek ever since I was a kid, not just in understanding it myself, but being able to help others to understand it as well.

I'm also reading a book about starting an eBay business... but that's in the very preliminary stages. To make it an actual, money-making business, there is a TON to learn. I've got several other ideas as well, but I don't want to get too many irons in the fire at once, so the majority of them will just sit on hold for the time being.

Which brings me back to my first Internet love: this blog. I guarantee you that it is NOT going away. I am going to try to post here 2 to 3 times a week. But, I need your help. If nobody reads what I write, I tend to get discouraged. So, if you can suggest that your friends and/or family stop by and check this blog out, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Anyway, those are my plans for 2012. How 'bout you?

Christmas Wrapping

2011-12-24T16:05:00.007-05:00

Whew.

Just got done wrapping Christmas presents for the year. Actually, to be honest, only three presents were WRAPPED. The rest went in gift bags.

In my opinion, the inventor of the gift bag should have received the Nobel Prize in the field of giftology, and should have his or her face added to Mount Rushmore.

Anyway, I wish you and yours the very merriest Christmas ever, and remember, don't eat yellow snow!

Top Ten Rock & Roll Christmas Songs

2011-12-19T12:08:00.009-05:00

Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick

Bob Seger - The Little Drummer Boy

Elton John - Step Into Christmas

Read the rest here...

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

2011-12-13T02:00:00.003-05:00

The Buddy System???

2011-12-08T16:42:00.004-05:00

Of course, we've all heard of the buddy system, but I think this is taking the concept just a little too far...

When Stories Write Themselves...

2011-11-07T17:49:00.008-05:00

I mean, really, do I need to add anything?

Spring Housecleaning (Yes, I Know It's Halloween...)

2011-10-31T13:29:00.006-04:00

Brooms: Not just for riding any more.

I cleaned all the dead links out of my Recommended Blogs.

To recap, I had split my list of recommended blogs into The Gold Team, The Silver Team, and The Bronze Team, based on whether or not they linked back to this blog. Seemed like a great idea in the beginning. However, as time wore on, I found that whether another blogger maintained a blogroll or not was somewhat of a fluid concept. And, as I said, many of the links were dead, or at least comatose, on minimal life support, with virtually no chance of ever regaining consciousness. Some had made their blogs private, and (sniff) DIDN'T INVITE ME!!! So, no linky love for them. Many others had simply abandoned their blogs. I cannot fathom putting so much creativity into something, then just letting it wither. So, in summary, I eliminated the Teams concept. I think that the blogs I now have listed in my Recommended Blogs have at least posted this year. From my end, I will try to visit them regularly, and comment therein when I have something semi-coherent to say. (Which is to say: If you abandon your blog, I will remove your link fairly soon.... I don't mean to be cruel, but if you don't maintain your blog, then neither will I.)

Also, I moved my political blog from WordPress over to Blogger; you can find the link at the bottom of the Recommended Blogs list. I did this because I hope to launch a business venture on WordPress very soon, and I wanted to keep it separate from my personal blogs.

And finally, a timely chuckle:

What do you call a hot dog that's empty in the middle?

A halloweenie!

Made Redundant

2011-09-23T16:16:00.008-04:00

That's what they call it in Britain.

Here, we say "downsized" or "your position is being eliminated".

Why do I mention this? Because that's the news my manager gave me this past Monday. Here's a clue that you can use in the future: When there's a representative from Human Resources in a meeting (in my case, she was on the phone because I work in a so-called "remote location"), that's NEVER a good sign.

So anyway, after twelve years, my employment with Nationwide Insurance is scheduled to end on November 17th. I'm not complaining, they've been really decent to me. In fact, the time until that date is solely for me to find another job; I don't think a lot of companies do that, so I am very grateful.

In fact, it's been a heck of a ride. During the time of my employment, the following events have happened in my life (not in any particular order):

separation
divorce
engagement
marriage
3 trips to Scotland
my son became an adult
car purchased
car paid off
moved 3 times
bought a house

It wasn't always with Nationwide. I hired in with Titan Insurance, but Nationwide bought us in 2003. Two other companies had owned us in the preceding four years, but Nationwide actually assimilated us. (Yes, somewhat like the Borg...)

(Titan Insurance is still around, by the way, as a subsidiary, and brand, of Nationwide.)

The bottom line is: in just under two months, I am scheduled to be out of a job. Something within the company could still work out, but since I just bought my house, I definitely cannot move (and nor would I want to, I love my house). So, cross your fingers, and we will see!

Home Sweet Home

2011-07-15T02:14:00.003-04:00

It took us over four months, two failed offers, countless hundreds of e-mails and phone calls, as well as wandering through LOTS of houses (many of which, in hindsight, we really did NOT want), but we finally got it done:

My wife Tina and I are Washtenaw County's newest homeowners!!!

It's a really great house, and as sad as I am for those who are trying to sell right now, it's a GREAT time to buy.

Also, if anyone is seeking to purchase a home in this area, we highly recommend Tyler Weston at Edward Surovell Realtors in Ann Arbor. He did such a great job for us, helped us find a house that is perfect for us, and walked us through our frustrations at the whole process. We cannot sing his praises loudly enough.

Here's another photo of the house...

Another First

2011-06-21T15:16:00.001-04:00

As far as I know, this is my first blog post from a moving vehicle.

Don't worry, I'm not driving!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Northbound on I-75, somewhere in Ohio

A Cue Stick? No, I Don't Think So

2011-04-17T10:06:00.001-04:00

Ugh.

I am right now, as I type this, watching a YouTube video of the Randy Rogers Band doing an acoustic set (and if you don't know who they are, you should find out, especially if you like a little bit of rock mixed in with your country music).

Anyway, the gal who introduced the band pronounces the word "acoustic" as "a cue stick". At first, I thought, "totally unacceptable", because I figured maybe she worked at a local radio station, and having worked in that business in an earlier life, I was appalled. Then it dawned on me that maybe she's just some manager from the bar in which the show was held.

Regardless of her background, it still sounded stupid. That's just NOT how it's pronounced.

(Off my soapbox now...)

You can watch the video here... the video quality is cell-phone level at best.

The Clapper Is Also The Snapper

2011-04-03T11:34:00.001-04:00

Yes, we have the Clapper. I'd always thought it was a great idea, and this past Christmas, I finally bought one. It worked great for controlling the Christmas tree lights. Heck, I don't know how we ever lived without it.

Once Christmas season was past and the tree came down, I hooked the main light in our bedroom up to it. Works like a charm! But, more to the point of the title, if you're really close to the actual Clapper unit, you can also snap your fingers to activate it. Now that should REALLY cause Larry Daley some consternation.

Dear Blogging,

2011-03-30T18:04:00.001-04:00

I miss you, I really do.

Can't wait until we can be together again... Hopefully soon.

All my love,

Jim

Live from Best Buy

2011-01-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

... on a Sony Internet TV, powered by Google.

Really.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

2011-01-16T16:56:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted in a while...

Why is that?

Well, when I first started this blog, my intent was for it to be funny. And it has, mostly (I have strayed from that on occasion). The problem with that is, that if I feel like blogging about something that isn't all that humorous (or not at all), it seems to me like I'm not fulfilling the purpose I laid out for myself.

So, now I feel that I'd like to expand my focus. I will still stay away from politics, since that is such a polarizing subject these days. I do have a long-dormant political blog, and I'm debating on whether to revive it. If I feel a desire to post on a political topic, I will do it there, not here. (Why did those last few words seem Dr. Seuss-like?) By the way, I will occasionally be funny, especially when I put a slice of bologna in each shoe (thank you, Steve Martin).

Anyway, that's the new idea.

Oh, and Happy Twenty-Eleven!!!

You Can Get Anything You Want...

2010-11-26T00:56:00.001-05:00

Happy belated Thanksgiving!!!

As you may know, my beautiful wife Tina is a British immigrant. This was her first Thanksgiving (and you'd be surprised how many people don't realize that it's NOT a holiday in the United Kingdom). She's already used to turkey and the other trimmings, it's just on a different day (in the UK, Christmas is typically turkey dinner). So, anyway, that was really cool for me, to kind of see it through her, instead of just taking it for granted.

And, in case you DIDN'T get to hear it, and in case you were wondering what the title was in reference to... I give you Mr. Arlo Guthrie...

Flinstones, Meet The Flinstones...

2010-10-17T01:32:00.001-04:00

No, It's Really $1.39

2010-10-15T12:35:00.004-04:00

The other day, I was in the snack shop in the building in which I work, buying a bag of caramel popcorn (which, as I have been schooled by my British wife, is properly pronounced "care-uh-mel"). The clerk rang up my purchase and said, "That'll be a dollar."

As I already had the exact change of $1.39 in my hand, I was suddenly at a loss for words, so I just stood there, deer-in-the-headlights style. After an uncomfortably silent moment, he noticed my apparent ascendancy to statuehood, finally LOOKED (gasp) at the price on the bag, and said, "I guess it's $1.39, huh?"

Carelessness, laziness, incompetence? I dunno, it's in there somewhere.

Yeah, sometimes these articles kinda write themselves, don't ya think?

The Baby Peed On My Cell Phone

2010-09-01T22:11:00.001-04:00

I was home last Friday, a little after 12 noon, having slaved over a hot computer for 3.25 hours in my underwear (if you must know), when there was a knock on my door. (I live in an apartment.) I went to the door, opened it just a little (maintaining my modesty), and a lady was standing there, apparently one of the other tenants in the building.

She asked if she could borrow my cell phone. At that precise moment in time, I was listening to some Internet radio station on my cell phone (yes, kids, you can do that with an iPhone), so I offered to let her use my cordless home phone instead. As I did not want to invite her in (I explained to her why not), I instead left the door cracked an inch or two while she made a couple of calls.

I did not intend to eavesdrop, but it happened nonetheless. And this is what I heard, more than once...

"The baby peed on my cell phone!"

Actually, she said the baby's name, but I won't say the name here, because who knows, that baby might grow up and run for President someday, and I wouldn't want to hurt his chances, because it was not a typical, everyday name (although not as weird as Metallica).

So, I guess not a wonderful choice as to where to leave your cell phone. This really takes the cake. I have a co-worker who lost two cell phones while fishing (separate incidents). I have a friend who got gravy in her cell phone. No, really, it's not that hard to do, if you throw the phone in the bag with your drive-thru order from KFC. For a long time thereafter, that cell phone was referred to as "the gravy phone".

But pee on the cell phone? I can only imagine trying to explain that one at the Verizon store. Wonder if urine-soaked cell phones are covered under the replacement plan?

Reminds me of an old Rod Stewart song...

"Urine my heart, urine my soul..."