RIP Merlin Olsen

Just wanted to share some IMing I did on news of the death of Merlin Olsen.
What do you think?

Michael Corcora... Merlin Olsen died
Tom Cathey/Sal... heard that at lunch. used to like him as an announcer.
Michael Corcora... yeah I liked him too. He just sort of disappeared 20 yrs. ago
Tom Cathey/Sal... i think the ftd ads killed him
Michael Corcora... actually it was asbestos
Michael Corcora... you should be a media advisor. You could tell ex-jocks which endorsments to do.
Tom Cathey/Sal... not a good idea for a lineman to do flower commercials and little house. you lose the respect of who made you famous in the first place. no self-respecting man was gonna take him seriously after that, hence end of career.
Michael Corcora... that's the genius of Merlin Olsen. He didn't play to his type.
Tom Cathey/Sal... carved out his own niche......nice.

self analysis

I think it's good for everyone to analyze themselves from time to time.
I decided to look at this blog and I noticed I tend to write about the same topics: observational humor, human behavior, food, music, movies, traveling, and shopping. I've tried to keep it away from being directly about me, or contemporary news or pop culture because I think we all get enough of that in our daily lives. Part of this blogging experiment has shown me that most people probably have a defined realm of thought, and I'm going to try move beyond that.

I'll still do some of the above but I'm going to try to introduce some new subjects and ideas. It may be quasi-journalism, or biographical information about someone you or I don't even know yet, or who knows what.

from one side to the other

A slender middle-aged man paces leisurely in front of the Grand Hyatt Irvine lobby on an occasionally breezy Saturday afternoon. Nobody really notices him. There are millions of unremarkable men like him. When the wind picks up he deftly pulls his hand over his head. The first time he did it his sleight-of-hand was so good I didn't notice. But inevitably the wind picked up again I got to watch him do it again from start to finish. And then another time. By then I noticed the man had a combover. Men with combovers loathe windy days.

According to Wikipedia (believe it) a comb over or combover is a hairstyle worn by bald or balding men in which the hair on one side of the head is grown long and then combed over the bald area to minimize the display of baldness.

After noticing this man I noticed three more combovers at the LAX airport later that day. One was a man that couldn't have been more than 35. Men with hair can't fathom why others do that. They say "I would never do that, I'd just accept my baldness." Judging by all the combovers my guess is that it's easier said than done.

Next time you see a combover instead of grunting some condescending comment please just try not to stare and change the subject in your mind. The combover man will appreciate your indifference. It's 2010 and he's still far from the endangered list so just let it be.

IHOP could be dangerous to your health

If the professional bureaucrats at the FDA are making fast joints print their nutritional information for consumers then surely IHOP should have a bright neon light on their menu to alert their customers about how much they're about to ingest.

I'm not in favor of any disclosure requirements but if you're going to do it for the supposed good of others then please include restaurants like IHOP too. When I travel I much prefer IHOP to Denny's and I'm always amazed by the breakfast menu.
I used to think that there were two basic choices: go the eggs, meat, toast, and o.j. route OR with pancakes or french toast and chocolate milk. At IHOP you get both! And you have to work hard to avoid it with little incentive. If you read the pancakes as an entree description you'll notice you also get eggs and meat. If you look at eggs or omelletes and meat, you also get three buttermilk pancakes. I was able to find the quick two-egg breakfast that excluded the pancakes and it cost almost the same as the others that with 100s more calories.

Until people at IHOP and fast food places have to pay according to how many calories they consume you'll see stories about how America is too heavy.

Going to California

On my list of favorite states California is second only to my native Michigan. Friday I'm headed out to sunny southern California for a short weekend trip. Some travelers are more attracted to the known and others to the unknown. For me it's both. I like knowing my way around the John Wayne airport and all the intersecting highways near there. It's also nice to know I'll see something new or meet someone new while I'm out there.

It's always fun to sample the local cuisine. I asked a friend where the best tacos are in that area and was told to go to the Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach and/or La Salsa in Irvine. Something valuable I've learned while on these business trips is to have a little fun by catching up with old friends or at the very least eat a good meal.

I hope to have good things to report from the road. Until then, enjoy this quintessential California video and song.

odd jobs - part 2

In the summer of 1992 I worked at a cemetary for $5 an hour. It was a mostly solitary job where I spent most of my time on a riding grass mower trying not to hit the headstones and their accompanying adornments. Other duties included sweeping the mausoleum and an occasional cremation. Once in awhile when I was lucky I got to ride on the big combine and try to steer and while changing gears.

Like most of my odd jobs the most interesting part was the people I met along the way. It was an opportunity for a young greenhorn like me to see and hear how adults were in the real world. The two men I worked with were both drug burnouts but they had a dignity about them. Paul was the smarter and more charismatic one, who loved to do a hearty smile and laugh where he forced himself to show his teeth. Dave was quieter, reserved, and slower, but would occasionally say something funny. They were like a Midwestern version of Jay and Silent Bob. Dave also had a half-brother Carl who was on some form of disability (although I think he was just lazy) who would visit us daily in the garage. His stories were forgettable but he had a way of telling them that kept me hanging on his every word.

Occasionally I get nostalgic about these old jobs and the people. Perhaps it was just my age and inexperience but I found these people much more interesting and entertaining than the people I work with in the white collar world. The slow pace, the unpretentious conversation, and one sunny day after another made this one of the better odd jobs I had.

On Demand - Blame It On Rio

Today I had the occasion to speak to one of my "followers". He or she was critical of the blog and didn't really understand what it was about.
That will be dealt with in good time.
Tonight, in the spirit of not taking oneself too seriously, I want to inform you Comcast customers that the 1984 classic Blame It On Rio is now available free on demand.
It's hard to describe its greatness to someone who hasn't seen it. Is it the comedic timing, the music, cinematograpy, dialogue, or the Michael Caine/Joseph Bologna combo? You just have to see it for yourself. If you don't like it at first you just need to keep watching it and it will conquer you.
Instead of being a critic, just say "Blame It On Rio".
For a taste of the fun I've included the trailer.  The closing credits are fun, too.