Chestnuts Roasting on a Car Engine!

Oh yes, that is my car engine. I heard this awful bumping noise that scared the life out of me while I was driving on Saturday. I worried about it all day Sunday and didn't drive anywhere. I checked to make sure my bike tires were properly inflated. I drove to the dealership. I explained to service that I heard this weird bumping, popping noise. 

We opened the trunk, and voila! Walnuts galore! Fortunately this turned out to be one of the easiest repairs ever. We pulled about 80 nuts from my engine block and surrounding areas.

 There is going to be one mighty pissed squirrel in my neighborhood!

Times Are Tough

We have a 15.3% unemployment rate in Michigan right now. Because of that, we are seeing more creative ways to make a living of any kind. I found this at the bottom of driveways during my daily walk. The sign is asking for used books and is placed in a ziplock baggie with two stones used as weights. 

It is a sign of how hard things are getting here. At the same time it is uplifting, as this is an example of a person looking for alternative ways to earn some kind of income. I like this a lot, as it encourages recycling while helping someone at the same time. This is the first step for any entrepreneur. I wish him luck!

This made my heart melt!

I found this notice posted on the community bulletin board at a local coffee shop. A nine year old entrepreneur working to market his dog walking business. How can you not want to support this young man? 

Very industrious! Love it!

A Salute to a Soldier

My Mom and I visit a restaurant named the Common Grill in Chelsea for brunch regularly. It is a nice drive and the Fish Tacos are fabulous!

We drive by this rock on our way in, but we have never seen it so beautifully painted. It was so well done, that from a distance it was clear that is was a tribute to a soldier who was home with his family.

When we arrived at the restaurant, there was a young man dressed in fatigues with his mom and dad at a table nearby. We asked if he was Matt, and indeed he was. He told us he was stationed in Hawaii and was home for three days before he leaves for Afghanistan. 

They were a lovely family and it was a pleasure to meet them. I admire those who are brave enough to make the sacrifice to join the military. It is something I know I would not excel at. 

I wish Matt well and that he make it back to his family and those that love and care about him soon. What a brave young man indeed. Thank you for your service, Matt.

Very Angry Turkeys

Turkeys on the rampage in Grand Haven, Michigan! As if mail carriers don't have enough to deal with, there are now a small group of turkeys that are attacking them when they try to deliver the mail.

Carrier Jeremy Bogerd says they are super aggressive. "As soon as they see us, they're after us," he told the Grand Haven Tribune. "They're not afraid of humans."

Bogerd watched this passel grow over the past decade but in the last month they have become aggressive.

"They'll chase you as soon as they see the truck," he said. "I would rather get attached by a dog sometimes than these turkeys." He added that workers carry a chemical repellent, but the turkey heads are too small to hit.

Could this be turkey revenge for humans breeding turkeys for large breasts at the expense of the comfort of the animal? I say, power to the turkey! I'd be angry too if I was breed so that I couldn't walk. Maybe it's a current modern day version of the Twilight Zone?

A different kind of cosmetic surgery

Now this is the kind of cosmetic surgery I can get behind. Make up is expensive and it is frustrating when your lipstick breaks or is smushed into the top of the container. 

This just might be a new business opportunity since folks are fixing things rather than buying new in these economically challenging times. Perhaps this could be marketed to the out of work skilled tradespeople in Michigan and elsewhere? After all, the word is that creativity is key to survival right now.

Pigeon Tales

A persistent pigeon in Grand Haven, Michigan kept hanging out in front of the Fat Chix Coffee Cantina wandering outside the shop. The owner, Mary Mitchell attempted to shoo the bird away but it would not leave.

When temperatures dropped and snow fell a couple of days later, Mary decided to rescue the bird from the winter weather. She wrapped it in an apron and drove it to her barn ten miles from her business.

"He was a really friendly bird," she said.

The next morning, she discovered the bird had found its way back to the shop.

Recognizing its determination, Mitchell and other workers at the coffee shop finally embraced the pigeon and named in Mocha. An employee, Ron Schoenborn (shown), built a small home for the bird underneath the building's front awning, where he regularly feeds it.

Apparently persistence pays off. What a nice story about animals and humans helping each other.

Seeing eye horse?

That's right. That is what you are seeing here. This is a mini horse that has been trained to function as a seeing eye "dog" (horse). The primary advantage to a horse is the lifespan of your companion. Horses live much longer than dogs so one doesn't have to experience the pain of loosing ones best friend and companion every decade or so as one does with a dog. 

I love the little tennis shoes that the horse wears! 

To learn more see the Guide Horse Foundation at this link.

Who knew? I love it!

Another reason not to shop at Walmart

I truly don't understand the appeal of standing in line for hours to be let into a store to shop the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday. Well black Friday will have a whole new meaning for the family of the 32 year old man that was crushed to death as he opened the doors to a Walmart store to let shoppers in. The crowd surged forward and did nothing to help this poor underpaid man as he lay on the floor being trampled. Even co-workers who tried to come to his aid where unable to get to him and help. He died at 6 AM at the hospital that day. 

But here is the kicker. When the store announced that they were closing because of the death, shoppers protested that they had been in line since Thanksgiving evening. They cursed staff as they were asked to leave. The Christmas spirit at its best, eh?

Wow. What is wrong with people. Someone dies and you are only concerned that you couldn't finish your shopping. Perhaps this explains the 47% that voted for McCain/Palin. I didn't understand that either. The callous me first always, at the lowest possible price always, under every circumstance is frightening. 

"Walmart. Low prices. Live better." Their slogan only applies if you get to live it looks like. Well, not really. 

Walmart has new logo/slogan

If you haven't already read, Walmart: The Bully of Bentonville: How the High Cost of Everyday Low Prices is Hurting America, then I highly recommend it. It is the story of Walmart, how it began, how it changed the market place, and the tactics they use to keep their prices low. 

It is a book that everyone who cares about their community should read. Walmart destroys communities creating lower paying jobs that ultimately cost everyone in the community in ways unexpected. Don't be fooled, Walmart does not care about your community no matter how much they contribute to social causes. They started doing this to help polish their tarnished image. They are not on your side. They are cunning and are only concerned about the bottom line. Be an informed consumer, read this book and anything else you can about this company. Then make the right choice and support the businesses that truly support your community. They are your neighbors, friends and family. 

The real name for their new slogan is missing the last sentence. 

Walmart

Save Money. Live better.

F-ck your neighbor.

Sarah Palin is wrong for this country

Sarah Palin is a scary woman whom I believe is the current generations Phylis Schaffley. An intolerant woman who has no business being on the Vice Presidential ticket. She has been isolated in Alaska, far removed from the lower 48, with limited travel experience. She has been to Canada and Mexico but just acquired her first passport last year and had never traveled over seas until this year. How can we entrust a person who has no real world experience to be one seat away from the presidency when John McCain is 72 years old? This alone should scare everyone. 

If that is not enough, then here is a snippet from her first interview with Charles Gibson from ABC. There is plenty to watch on youtube, but this piece accentuates her lack of basic knowledge that a President should have. She doesn't know what the Bush Doctrine is. That is the equivalent to a doctor not knowing where the kidney is. Kind of a necessity to be able to preform the job.

Don't let this beauty queen fool you. She is not pro-women. In a strange way she reminds me of Clarence Thomas. Not realizing that she is where she is because others fought hard for her to have that right. That disconnect is all the proof I need to know she is not a compassionate conservative. (Whatever that means.)

Other reasons to vote Democratic:

Sarah Palin charges rape victims for the cost of their rape kit,

Believes that she should 'put it in G-ds hands' when making governing decisions (sound familiar?),

She believes that global warming is a farce,

And on and on and on and on.

If you haven't registered to vote, please do it now. If we have another four years of 'Bush', who knows where we will be. This is very disheartening. Vote democratic!

Teacher injured by student

This is from the Ann Arbor News Police Beat section on Thursday September 18, 2008. 

"An Ypsilanti school teacher told police she wants to press charges against a 9-year old student who broke her hand on Wednesday September 17, 2008. 

Ypsilanti Police said the 52-year old Adams Elementary School teacher told them the boy had not been taking his medication and got into a fight in her classroom at 1 p.m. She said she and an assistant restrained the boy on the ground in an attempt to bring him under control, but he punched and kicked her. She later realized her hand was injured and she reported the incident after a doctor confirmed the fracture, she told police.

Ypsilanti schools spokeswoman Emma Jackson said this morning that the boy has been suspended from school."

It's no wonder we are loosing teachers. What is going on? What happened to parents accountability? This is insane.

Texas Teachers to Carry Guns

The state that executes more people than all other states combined, has decided that teachers should be armed at school. The city of Harrold, in north Texas, is along a heavily traveled highway that administrators feel will make it a target for gun violence. Hence teachers will have the ability to carry concealed weapons while on school property. 

Of all the school shootings how many have involved close proximity to a highway so that the perpetrator could make a quick get-a-way? Ahh. Zero. Yea, the previous shootings have been by students who have felt disenfranchised. There is not one instance where a shooting occurred for convenience. What a load of bunk.

Yet more fear mongering for a select few to have their way. Having people in the general public carrying firearms scares the bejesus out of me. The general public, as a whole, are not the smartest group of people. Look what happens with crazy people and road rage. Now add a gun. It would be a return to the wild west. Yet one more reason not to move to Texas. 

Consciousness...? On the move...?

Conscious Good Alliance. 

That is how this bus is billing itself. It is a 1984 shuttle bus that has been modified to run on vegetable oil. It gets about 10 miles to the gallon. This group is touring the country promoting the Triple Bottom Line "a business philosophy that partners with, and is committed to, the social and ecological bottom line in equal partnership with traditional bottom line financial returns". 

I didn't buy it. The bus was full of hippy through backs who looked perpetually stoned and couldn't or wouldn't discuss ideas that didn't fall neatly into their spiel. They couldn't defend the position they were sent out to promote. My guess is people they encounter are mostly curious about the bus and do very little debating or even having a two way conversation about their "movement". 

I'm not sure what the qualifications where for this "job", but my guess would be the ability to live in close proximity to one another, better than average looks, and the ability to produce a 'dear in headlights' look of wonderment. Basically the classic sales technique that doesn't answer a question, but repeats it to the asker and is supposed make the asker feel foolish or not "normal". The way a slimy used car salesman would make you feel.

If a company is going to tout that it is not only interested in "the bottom line", then it's representatives ought to be able to construct a complete sentence. But alas, incompetence runs rampant everywhere. Nice bus, no one home.

Pay Equity

Not too long ago a CEO of a company made 25 times the amount the average joe in the company makes. Now things have changed dramatically. That amount is now up to 400 times! How insane is that? 

Consider that the same is true for college professors and football coaches. How much more money do you think the coach makes? Ten times the amount a professor does. How crazy is that? 

What is ii about society that we place "value" on the guy who bosses 18 year old boys around on a field? But not on the professor that feeds the mind of the 18 year old? The latter is going to have (or should) have a bigger impact on the 18 year olds life and shouldn't we value education over sports ability. 

Strong Women

There has been press about strong women lately. 

First, there is the amazing 41 year old mom who made the Olympic swimming team this weekend. Dara Torres qualified for the team with her win in the 100 meter freestyle swim and is being herald as an inspiration for all women and men too! Not bad for a woman who retired in 2000 after the Sydney Olympics. She accepted her victory metal with her two year old daughter who waved to the crowd not quite understanding what was happening. However, the crowd most certainly understood the pivotal moment!

Then we have Carla Wallenda. She is a 72 year old great grandmother who comes from a long line of aerialists. This amazing woman climbs atop her 110 foot pole and preforms a ten minute show without a net. Members of her family (including her father) have died while preforming but this gutsy woman keeps going. She can't imagine not preforming. It is her therapy. She is part of the Flying Wallendas that preform around the Ann Arbor area and the country. I encourage all to go and support this family when they have the opportunity.

My new office

So, These photos show my new office. Isn't it beautiful? It is right 

along a river that runs through 

town. My office is located on the 

ground floor. The second floor is 

an apartment with a large deck 

and a pool table on it. Pretty nice 

place to live. Now, if only I could 

finagle living upstairs and only 

having to walk downstairs to work!

For now, the nature view is my view 

when I'm sitting at my desk ( I 

look through another office that 

has plate glass windows, but you 

get the idea). If you look closely 

you'll see a damn. All day long, 

I watch fishers, folks walking 

dogs, runners, bikers, and when 

I look far to my left, I can see 

crew teams practicing. Pretty 

cool! However, I have to admit 

that it is a little hard to watch 

all day long and not participate.

My office space is offered at a 

discount and I am grateful for 

all of the amenities. Hard to beat 

these working conditions. Plus 

I really like my job. It is a 

perfect fit for me!

Creativity = fun!

Did you know that Google updates the graphics on their opening page to reflect what is happening on a specific day? When you google, pay attention to this and you might be pleasantly surprised by the creative visuals. Here are four examples.

How do you go about getting a job like this? I once read that google gets 3,000 application a day! If you could get in, how fun would that be? Paid to be creative. Plus they let you bring your dog to work too! Right up my alley. Sign me up!