California Route 91 American Flag painting part 1

I can't find this anywhere on the internet. It's probably the largest thing not to be on the internet.

On California Route 91 west of Riverside there is a huge painting of an American flag and the words 1776-1976 200 Years of Freedom. When it was done it must have been a large undertaking. I've driven by it many times and often thought it needed a fresh coat of paint. I'm amazed I can't find it because it's one of the busiest freeways in California and tens of thousands of cars drive by it every day.

I hope to find out more about this in the near future. If I were a TV reporter in California I'd do one of those stories where they wander around asking people on the street about it on camera and getting lots of "I don't know" and "Never really thought about it." At some point I'd also go to a city or county building looking for answers.

Only charcoal!

Tonight at dinner I met someone that shares my love of charcoal barbeques and disdain of gas grills. This happens from time to time and validates all the grief I get from my wife about the lack of timeliness of my grilling. His idea of good grilling night is that it's long enough to drink two beers and listen to four innings of Tigers baseball on the radio. He also likes the challenge of controlling the coals depending on whether it's fish, chicken, red meat, or vegetables. It was fun to hear his perspective.

Grilling on charcoal requires skill, finesse, patience, and persistence while gas grilling requires almost none. I've been to a few barbeques where the man of the house likes to put on his grilling apron and use the big fold out gas grill with two levels and knobs to control the flame. Sometimes people will gather around and watch while sipping beers. Little do they know they're being duped.

My vote will always go to the charcoal man, even though you'll rarely see more than one or two people watch him toil. Political candidates should be asked 'gas or charcoal?' rather than 'boxers or briefs?'. Last but not least, it tastes better!

So next time you're at a barbeque/cookout with charcoal instead of sniffing about the simple old charcoal grill please just say thank you.

dance classics

By now if you probably know what the Cha Cha Slide is. I did it tonight at the conclusion of a grade school talent show. If you don't then you don't get out enough. First created in 1996 it slowly became one of those songs that will get people to dance because it's hard to mess it up. There is a long tradition of these songs, and they definitely serve a purpose. Some of them will ignite even the most hardened wallflower to move at a school dance, party, or wedding reception. The mother of these is the Hokey Pokey which originated in the 40s. Even when I was a kid it seemed quaint but everybody did it at skating parties and weddings. It was just assumed and if you tried to get away you were shamed into doing it. The 50s brought us the Chicken Dance and the 70s A Fifth of Beethoven and The Hustle. In the 90s possibly the most popular of them all arrived in the Macarena, not to mention Achy Breaky Heart. Now we have the Cha Cha Slide. I'm sure there are others I'm missing, or that just haven't made it to the heartland yet.
Again, these songs are easily dismissed by some but they really are great in the sense they get people to dance together, which seems to happen less and less in the US.

let us wink

As I walked through the halls of my employer today I realized that people would be more at ease and thus morale would improve if there was more winking going on. I occasionally wink and when I pull off a good one I realize I should do it more.
I'm sure you could go across the country and be able to classify most working people into just a few classes:
- no eye contact makers
- read blackberry while walking
- the smile/grimace. It's so hard to force the smile that it looks painful
- hi, how are you? fine, you?
- bluetooth guy already in conversation
- winkers

Winking is superior to the others (in order) because it's more social, safer, easier to do, not empty and meaningless, and more in the present. A wink simply says, "I acknowledge we are crossing paths and perhaps we'll exchange words another time. Until then, here's a wink."

Not everyone should do it though. I recommend it mostly to the smile/grimace and the hi, how are you? fine, you? groups. If one doesn't know where they fit then a simple rule would be to wink if you're in a non-technical field. If you're technical then follow your instincts.

to barber shop or hair salon

That is the question. For years and years it was barber shop until the local grocery had a hair salon open up inside the store and started to threaten the barber shop throne.
Pros for the barber shop are price ($10 inc. tip) and the all important man factor. The barbers and customers are men, there are newspapers laying around and even a laddie magazine or two. Your more likely to hear a crude joke or sports talk and you get a straight razor shave on the back of the neck with a nice musky smell. A barber once told me "it's getting harder and harder to keep you from looking ugly." See the barbershop scene in Gran Torino for more of the same.
The most glaring con is the quality of the haircut which is important.

Pros for hair salons are that the quality is much better and the ladies clip the all-important ear hairs and long eybrows. This is getting more important every year.
Cons are the price ($15 inc. tip) and the sterile atmosphere where I feel pressure to keep the conversation interesting.
I still favor the barbershop experience but the hair salon has been gaining since they opened. If only I could just take a pill to slow down the eyebrows and ear hairs.

tater salad

Every six weeks or so I'll watch TV from about 10-11 pm. For TV watchers you probably know what's out there. Scripted dramas on major networks, reality shows on VH1 and MTV, cable news, TV movies, etc. I finally settled on a country channel called CMT with the Ron White Tater Salad comedy concert.
I saw a documentary on Ron White awhile back and he has an interesting story. He was in the Navy and in later years was arrested for drug and alcohol abuse. Part of his rehab terms was that he would have to speak to high school kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. He turned out to be a funny speaker and that's what started his stand up career.
To see Ron's act just put Ron White into YouTube and you'll have many choices.

small victories

When I was in college I remember this one older lady
(meaning maybe 25 at that time)constantly saying "small victories" in a way that always made people happy. Tonight was a night of small victories.
I just returned home from some rough and tumble full court basketball. Tonight I matched up against two guys that are shorter, quicker, and stronger than me. My skills have deteriorated to the point where I'm usually at a disadvantage. The only thing I had going from me was a few more inches and a higher BMI.
So what were the small victories? One behind the back dribble that prevented a sure steal and a 15 foot jumper to win a game. Also burning 100s of calories. Having a few laughs.
I believe the key to small victories is to take the time to think of them and then enjoy them. They happen all day long but are easy to miss.

mixed messages in my shower

This morning I was enjoying a really nice shower at the Westin Airpor Hotel in Atlanta. The the difference between a good shower and an average one is underrated. You need a generous water flow, the right temperature, and the head above you so you can stand erectly and not have to bend to wash your hair. This shower met all three criteria and even had dual shower heads which I rank almost as high as pay at the pump for advances in quality of living.

During this shower with not one but two Heavenly Shower heads I read the following message plastered on the wall near the shower head.

refresh yourself

restore our world

One of our Heavenly Shower heads has been turned off to minimize water usage and protect one of our most precious natural resources.

To experience the most out of your Heavenly Shower you can turn the second shower head on by pushing the small button below the lower head.

I still feel kind of bothered by that sign. It had two opposite calls to action.

Give the man a tip!

Yesterday I was on the shuttle bus from the Atlanta airport to the Westin Airport Hotel. The friendly (people in the South are generally friendly) driver announced upon departure and arrival that “I’ll be happy to assist you with your bags.” He was quick on his feet and aiming to please.

I observed from the back of the bus that none of the other passengers tipped the man, whether he handled their bags or if they just grabbed their own and uttered “I’ve got it.”

I handled my bag and gave him dollar. He smiled and thanked me.

If you ever raise the issue of tipping with others you’re almost sure to get opinions. There’s a scene in the movie Reservoir Dogs where they talk about it at length in an animated way. I’m not a former or current waiter that gets too excited about this, but I think it should be something you be aware of when you receive services from others.
Follow your conscience. If your inner voice says you should tip, then maybe you should.
It’s always good to have a couple loose dollar bills in your pocket.

In defense of loud people

In preparation for a short weekend trip to Atlanta, I recall my last trip there a few months ago. While on the rental car shuttle bus I noticed almost everyone was on a cell phone, reading something on the phone, or staring unsmilingly in some direction. However, there was one large, cheerful, slightly sloppy loud man near the front of the bus who I slowly found to be entertaining. He started out by good-naturedly ribbing the driver about "not being big enough to handle that rig." He then proceeded to go on and on to another passenger but loud enough for everyone to hear about "getting a big van" and going "all the way to Ocala". I made eye contact at one point with a slight smile and he quickly asked me if I was going to Ocala too. We had a friendly chat for just a short while about our plans before disembarking. He wished me a good time in Atlanta and I said the same for him and Ocala. I felt better getting off the bus than I did when I got on.
On my journey this weekend I'll keep my ears open for some other loud people. Sometimes it's fun to meet people in public.

Tony Bruno - Into the Night show

I've always thought of myself as someone with impeccable taste.
There are so many sports radio shows where hosts, guests, and callers take sports and their conversations wayyyy too seriously. Many of them live in a seperate universe where discussions of current events, politics, economics, reality, etc. are non-existent.
If you are someone that enjoys good humor and sports then I highly recommend The Tony Bruno Show - Into the Night. It is on Fox Sports Radio from 10pm to 1am EST. You can also catch the show via podcast on tonybrunoshow.com. It's hip, irreverant, and biting, sarcastic, ironic without really being biting, sarcastic, or ironic.
Give it a try...and see what it says about your taste and mine.