Penny Stock

What we remember from High School

So, Esther and Tobey came over yesterday. We haven't seen eachother in a while but luckily we were able to keep the catching up to a minimum since 2/3 of us have blogs. We got to talking about how this coming spring is our 10 year anniversary of graduating high school. We started reminiscing and we (specifically Tobey) remember the oddest things from high school. We were able to remember what shoes people wore with their uniforms in 12th grade. Odd that we probably can't remember what books we read in English (OK, I am speaking for myself since I wasn't in honors English- I only remember Hamlet) but we can remember such tiny minutiae about people.

For the record- I thought about it at 3AM last night and besides the Keds with the blue stripes, I also had Bass Bucks-light brown suede with the red rubber soled bottoms. They looked splendid with knee socks. Tobey- I remembered, you had converse all star high tops. Am I right? I officially open the comments up for reminiscing about the BY Class of 94 and our various styles (or lack there of). Now that I know at least 4 people from our class read this- you can not be silent. Thanks in advance. (oh, and feel free NOT to send this blog site to the class in entirety- you know there would just be too many questions to answer to some people)

Baltimore Sun Reviews O.A.R.

My brother in law, Benj, is the bassist for the band O.A.R. (.....Of A Revolution). The Baltimore Sun actually wrote a favorable article about them in yesterday's LIVE! section (a shock to me since I barely agree with anything written in the Sun) Here is an excerpt:

Steamy weather, chilled Coronas and party people - bodies slick with sweat - bumping and grooving under the moon. It's a summer party whenever you throw on an O.A.R. CD. The band's latest is In Between Now and Then. And although I had heard of the Maryland group, I never really paid much attention to the music. It wasn't exactly on my radar.

Curious about what makes O.A.R. such a big deal, I slipped the CD in and was instantly transported to a Caribbean beach party ( "Dareh Meyod" ) , then a fun, smoky joint in a college town ( "Right On Time" ) . Yeah, I dug it. The grooves pulled me in.

FULL ARTICLE

Besides for the fact that they got Benj's last name wrong (how difficult is g*rshm@n?!?) and there were a few factual errors, the article was still pretty positive. I wonder when we will stop feeling that overwhelming excitement when we hear Benj's music on the radio or read articles about the band. Probably not for a long time. Way to go!

No honey, I'll do the cooking.

ST. CLOUD, Minnesota (AP) -- Bill Fickett wanted to give his wife a break from the kitchen on Thanksgiving, so he offered to cook. His kind gesture ended up causing about $14,000 in damage.

"I don't know how it happened," Fickett said. "My wife just had a baby, so I said I'd take care of the turkey."

He decided to try his hand at deep-fat frying a turkey. He borrowed a fryer and got directions from a friend. He bought a thermometer to make sure the oil didn't get too hot.

Fickett said he was heating up about 3 gallons of oil before the fire started. He adjusted the temperature to the recommended 350 degrees, then stepped into the house to get the bird.

Next thing he knew, smoke was pouring out of the garage.

FULL STORY

Hmm. This strangely reminds me of the story that Greg made up and likes to tell people who come to our house. It goes like this: (I am paraphrasing Greg)

"When we got married I was the dutiful husband. I offered to wash our good china dishes for Peninah. She willingly obliged. When I broke the first dish, she shrugged and said 'those things are slippery- be a little more careful next time.' When I broke the second dish she started muttering under her breath. When I broke the third dish, she grabbed the sponge away from me and has never let me wash dishes again. I succeeded."

This story is not true, but it is a good illustration of what some men (and/or women) will do to get out of a household job. But to inflict $14,000 worth of damage on your home? That's just crazy!

I hate Sleep Sofas

I feel like my body was folded and stuffed into a tissue box.

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving.

Decision Made

UPDATE: We decided not to go on the trip. The biggest influence in the decision not to go was the new transmission that Greg got for his car today. It sort of depleted some of that extra cash. Also, we are hoping that a certain cousin of mine might get married in Israel in the relativelty near future and we would want to go for the wedding. Here's to hoping!

Tough Decisions

Our synagogue is having a mission to Israel in January. Greg and I looked at the proposed itinerary and we have an interest in going. I have mixed feelings though. I know from my family members who both live in Israel and who have recently visited that things are scary there but people continue to live their lives and visit. Thousands of American students are studying there. This would be a tour complete with security etc.

My biggest hesitation in going would be leaving the kids. Under normal circumstances, I hate to leave the kids when we go away. I am even more nervous leaving them to go to Israel. Honestly, if we were planning a family trip to Israel- I would have no hesitation in taking the kids and going. I have a sort of fatalistic attitude that whatever is meant to happen will happen no matter where you are. But it is easier for me to have that attitude when our whole family is together.

I know I have at least one reader in Israel (thanks to IP addresses) and I am sure everyone who reads this will have an opinion or some advice. So please bring it on- I am asking a favor here.

I hate the Dentist

I went to the dentist today. It was awful. You know it was bad when I started feeling jealous of all my patients at the nursing home who don't have any teeth.

Gender Confusion?

Gender Genie

According to this- in 4/5 of the blog entries I submitted, my writing style is decidedly MALE. Now this just throws me into a state of utter and total panic and confusion.

Schwarzenegger to work for free

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, saying he had "strong resolve" to cure California's fiscal woes, on Tuesday proposed a record bond issue of up to $15 billion to fund the state's ballooning budget deficit.

To set an example of new austerity, the multimillionaire actor said he would forgo a salary in his new job as governor of the nation's richest state and would impose a freeze on hiring, travel and upgrading expenses.

FULL STORY

So whey is it that when the "Governator" decides to forego his salary to cut costs for his state he is looked at as a hero. But when my father decided to forego his meal at my wedding he was looked at as a cheapskate? Hmmm.

My views

In case you have been: living in a bubble and have not turned on a radio, TV, computer, read a newspaper, an online news source, or a blog today, you may not have heard about the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples are legally entitled to marry under the Mass. Constitution. Almost every other blog today has brought this story up. I am also bringing it up, but not to argue the pros and cons of this ruling. Honestly, my opinion doesn't really matter here.

What I do want to discuss is something that has been bothering me all day (and for a while now). Like I said before, I have been reading different blogs and message boards about the above topic throughout the day. Obviously many people have many different opinions on this subject. Usually "liberal" minded people consider themselves open and tolerant to other's beliefs and opinions- rather you would hope they would. However, I have found that most of the opinions I have read from "liberal-minded" people have been closed minded and intolerant. I do NOT condone unnecessarily crude or offensive comments about homosexuality- everyone deserves common curtesy and understanding no matter what your beliefs, sexual orientation, political philosophy, race or religion are. However, in many cases when people simply stated either their religious beliefs, questioned homosexuality, or tried to open up a dialogue about the pros and cons of same-sex marriage in many cases, they were immediately called out as "gay bashers", "shallow", and "part of the right-wing conservative conspiracy." In my opinion- that is almost as bad as the people who hear the word "gay" and immediately come back with a slew of horrible invectives for homosexuality. I read most of the preceding comments and they usually did not take the tone of bashing homosexuality at all; they were for the most part just engaging in honest dialogue. It seems like a double standard to me.

For the record- since this has been disturbing me I gave myself the "Where do you fall on the liberal - conservative political spectrum?" Quiz. I didn't like all of the choices for questions but I tried my best to answer honestly and here is where I fell:

CONSERVATIVE: You believe that society needs improvement, and that more people sharing constructive norms and values is the key to this improvement. You admirably manage to hold this view without becoming a fanatic , which ironically makes you far better suited to bringing people together and finding that necessary common ground than your Far-right conservative cousins.

My biggest question is, who are these cousins andwhy haven't I met them yet?

Jared the Subway Guy

There was an article about Jared, "the Subway Guy" on CNN.com today. Here is an excerpt:

TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- Like many famous people, Jared Fogle rarely gets through a meal in a restaurant without being interrupted by well-meaning people introducing themselves.

Fogle is "Jared the Subway Guy," famous because he lost 245 pounds a few years ago by eating Subway subs and not much else. Instantly recognizable now from his TV commercials for the sandwich maker, he's evolved from unwitting part-time celebrity to something of a pop-culture icon, making a comfortable living traveling around with his old 60-inch waist jeans and telling his story.

FULL STORY

This whole Jared phenomenon is just crazy in my opinion. The funniest part of the article is this:

One time he and wife, Elizabeth, a pediatric nurse, stopped in at the bar of the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and noticed actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon looking over and whispering.

"I could tell they were sort of talking about me, because I heard Subway mentioned a couple different times," he said. "It was a trip. My wife was freaking out."

I think we can all agree that Jared's 15 minutes are up and it is time for some other no-name, no-talent, randomly interesting American to take the stage.

Goonies II?

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Mikey, Mouth, Data, Chunk and Sloth may be returning to the big screen, and with a whole new gang of Goonies — or more accurately, Groonies — joining them.

Richard Donner, who directed the 1985 classic "The Goonies," and Steven Spielberg, who executive produced it and co-wrote the script with future "H@rry Potter" director Chris Columbus, have purchased a sequel script and are pushing to get it made.

"We're trying desperately," Donner said. "We're just trying to get Warner Bros., who owns it, to say yes." Warner Bros. did not return a request for comment.

The sequel would reunite the original cast, which included Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin and others, with a new bunch of suburban kids, Donner said.

FULL STORY

Wow- I can't decide how I feel about that. On one hand, I was a HUGE goonies fan as a kid. On the other hand- how depressing would that be. They'll be reuniting the cast who are all now 30 and 40 somethings and joining them with new kids. There is nothing that makes you feel quite as old as when you see people who will be forever etched in your mind as kids- totally grown up. And with real kids acting opposite them to show just how old they have gotten. Personally, I would like to remember Jeff Cohen as the cute kid who played CHUNK (remember the truffle shuffle?)- not some overweight movie hasbeen. Remember how depressing it was to see Mike Lookinland a.k.a. Bobby Brady all grown up in the brady bunch reunions? Let's not go there again.

Welcoming Committee

I am now the co-chairperson of the welcoming/hospitality committee at my synagogue. We attend a fairly large synagogue in Baltimore and unfortunately there has not been an active welcoming committee in some time. To add to that, I am sad to say that the synagogue in general could use some help with the friendliness factor.

Here is what our shul (synagogue) president wrote in this week's bulletin about this matter:

When I first moved to Baltimore, I was struck by the friendliness of Shomrei Emunah. Through the years, our shul has been blessed with tremendous growth. However, this growth has come with a cost. The increase in our size and the resultant proliferation of minyanim has made it difficult to know everyone in the shul as in days past. These and other factors have doused the warmth and friendliness so important to our shul.
In response to this problem, first raised publicly by Rabbi Gottlieb on Shabbos Shuva, I am pleased to announce the formation of a Welcoming Committee.

We have come up with some fairly good ideas (IMO) for this committee, but I am wondering if anyone has any ideas based on the practices in their own congregations. We are targeting the areas of: (a) welcoming people to the neighborhood/potential members (b)Showing appreciation to new members (c)Guest services (i.e., on call families to provide shabbos meals), (d) general friendliness and warmth in the congregation, (e) reaching out to singles. Suggestions are appreciated in the comments section. Anyone?

Prisoner of Azkaban

Thanks to Greg for finding this. Check out the Trailer-teaser for the new H@rry Potter movie, H@rry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Iron Chef- I am not

When I got married I emphatically announced that under no circumstances did I want to recieve a Kitchenaid (or any other brand for that matter) mixer for a shower or wedding gift. I did not know how to bake, I did not want to learn how to bake, and quite frankly I preferred that people spend their money on more useful gifts.

Fast Forward six years. For some reason, my mother decided that she wanted to give me a KitchenAid Mixer for my birthday this year. I still don't know how to bake and don't really have any desire to learn how to bake. However, since I redid my kitchen last year I have gained an appreciation for the aesthetics of nice looking appliances on my counters (boy that sounds shallow). Besides, ever since the shed incident last year on Greg's birthday*, I have learned never to look a gift horse in the mouth.

So yesterday my mother dropped off the brand new 5 qt black (or do they call it onyx?) KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer and I placed it on my counter and it looked great. But, I thought, it shouldn't just sit there looking pretty, maybe I can get some use out of it. So today I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone and bake banana bread with the over-ripe bananas I had sitting on the counter. So there I was in my kitchen whipping up banana bread. I had visions of myself on the Iron Chef- wow was I in my element- this baking stuff was easy! I even remembered to pre-heat my oven! I was about to put the banana bread in the oven to bake when I started to smell a seemingly noxious odor emanating from the oven. I opened the oven up and saw what looked like stalactites hanging from the oven racks and stuff all over the bottom of the oven. It didn't take long for me to remember what it was.

*Inserts Wayne and Garth's flashback motions* Last week I had company over for a meal and in my haste to get the kitchen looking perfectly clean, I stuck a plastic container that probably stored something for my salad in the oven which wasn't being used at the time. *Returns to story*

As quickly as you can say "banana bread" I was transformed from the "iron chef" into the "plastic melted all over my oven chef". I guess I learned a few lessons. (1)Don't put plastic containers in the oven- even if it is not being used at the time (2) I shouldn't be so quick to think I am all that- even when I do have the power of a KitchenAid on my side, (3) As bad as I felt when this happened, It was just one more thing to write on this blog:)

*I will only tell the shed story with permission from Greg

Is there such thing as weblog rejection?

So, last week I decided to go out on a limb and actually tell a friend about this blog. As you may (or probably don't) remember, I debated telling people about this blog. But, I have a dear friend who is a blogger herself, who is a great writer and should write for a living, who's blog I love to read, who I figured might get a kick out of this blog. So I sent her the link.

Well- I never got any feedback from her. That was fine- not everybody has to comment. But then I went to Greg's weblog and I saw comments from her about his posts. The real kicker was when I went back to my friend's weblog, I found a link to Greg's blog titled "Intelligent Potpourri from Baltimore". And I just couldn't help but wonder- is the fact that she linked his blog (one that she has actually acknowledged) a statement about what I write on here? Fine- the content of his blog is a tad bit more intellectually stimulating (most of the time) than the stuff found here, but come on! Oh well, I guess this is better than if she linked me as "Completely Inane Potpourri from Baltimore".

(FYI- If T.H. is reading this - and I think we can all now assume that she isn't :P,
I am not really upset- I just got a kick out of it and figured that it may be funny for you to be the subject of someone else's blog for a change :P )

I want my MTV...

Take this 80's music lyric quiz:

80's Lyrics Quiz: People are What?

Here is how I did: 86.5- NOT BAD!!!

Let me know your scores!

Zaydeh

We just got back from Connecticut where we attended Greg's grandfather, Ed Chesler's funeral and stayed for a few days after. Edward Chesler, a.k.a. Zaydeh was a very special man who I came to know and care about very much over the past 6 years. Here is a link to the eulogy my father-in-law gave at the funeral, and a great picture of Zaydeh that really showed his personality. May the Chesler and g*rshm@n extended families be comforted at this difficult time.

Star Wars Kid Sues

A Canadian teenager has launched legal action against classmates who put a video of him online, saying that the publicity has left him mentally scarred.
Ghyslain Raza became known as the "Star Wars Kid" after a video of him using a golf ball retriever to emulate the light sabre slinging tricks of Darth Maul was posted on the net.

The video was hugely popular and some people even added effects to make the golf ball retriever look and sound like a light sabre.

But the public exposure of the clip proved a burden for Mr Raza, who has been through psychiatric care to cope with his unwanted publicity.

Full Story

In case you haven't ever seen Star Wars Kid (SWK) footage, go here to see some. This kid is hysterical. Forget about suing his classmates, this kid should sue his parents for naming him Ghyslain.

If it aint broke...

Someone recently asked the question what is the worst cover song ever? I had to think a little but I quickly remembered hearing Dolly Parton remake Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Now I think most people who have ever heard any classic rock will agree that Stairway to Heaven is possibly one of the best rock songs EVER. Why would someone want to go and remake a song that was perfection in its original form? I heard the remake only once around a year ago and let me tell you, I only needed to hear it once to know that I really wished I had never heard it at all. If Robert Plant was dead, I am sure he would have been rolling over in his grave.

To make sure I wasn't being unreasonably harsh, I searched around the net and finally found a copy of this song to hear (you can find it here) again. So, was I being unreasonably harsh? Not on your life. It's just awful. from the banjos to her falsetto's, she compltely ruined the song. Do me a favor, listen to it- let me know what you think. I want to make sure I am not the only one wishing I had put cotton in my ears before hearing it again. Thanks in advance.

Driving Miss Crazy

If there is one thing I can not stand it is when people blatantly demonstrate the quality of self-righteous indignation. It is even worse when they do it while in a driving situation. Unfortunately I live in Pikesville, MD, a.k.a. "the bad driving old person capital of the eastern seaboard", a.k.a. "the self-righteous indignation while driving capital of the eastern seaboard."

Let me give you an example. Today, I was at the gas station. I pulled in and there was a car in front of me getting gas, so I drove in behind that car and started to fill my tank. In case you haven't been living on the same planet as me I will remind you that they make gas stations user friendly; meaning, that if a one car is getting gas, another car can pull in and get gas at the pump directly behind it. Right? Well, I started to fill up and the car that had been in front of me finished and drove away. I continued to fill up. A women pulled behind me and was waiting for my pump. I kept filling. As I was filling up, I heard her start to sigh loudly and look at the empty pump in front of me. I could tell she was getting angrier and angrier that I had "been so unsympathetic and didn't pull into the pump in front of me; thereby, making her waste her precious little time until I finished and she could pull in." Finally, she heaved one loud annoyed gasp and backed up to pull into another pump. The stupid thing is that if she had been at the station 30 seconds before she would have seen that there had been a car in front of me so I wasn't wrong. ARGH.

That was bad, but the worst is when I am driving and trying to make a left turn crossing over 2 lanes of on-coming traffic. There is always some "do-good" driver in the oncoming traffic lane closest to me who stops and motions for me to proceed with my left turn. Problem is that he doesn't pay attention to the fact that the people in the far lane of on-coming traffic are still going 35-40 MPH and if I would turn I would get hit by them. So, here I am waiting until it is safe to turn and this guy is yelling at me to turn and obviously thinking he is being so nice. He finally figures me to be an ingrate who doesn't know how to take a favor and gives me an "I tried but you are an idiot" look and continues to go. This seriously happens to me all the time.

Now, I am not claiming to be the world's best driver. But, at least I know how to put things into perspective and not make a total fool out of myself on a daily basis...Maybe only on a weekly basis...

Don't Blow Chunks!

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Parents should avoid the old standby poison remedy of ipecac syrup and instead call poison control centers when children ingest toxic substances, the American Academy of Pediatrics says, reversing a long-standing position.

Interesting and good to know. It makes sense.

It would probably a fascinating sociological study to examine the differences in parenting guidelines through the years. For example, when I was born, the rule was that parents were to put babies to sleep on their tummies to avoid choking on possibly spit up stuff (mucous, milk, whatever). Now, because of the recent findings with SIDS they say that babies should always be put to sleep on their backs. This is just one example of many. I found this phenomenon very interesting (and sometimes irritating) when I became a parent and was often given the "well it was good and safe enough when you were kids" speech about almost everything I was doing "wrong" with my child by well meaning parents, in-laws, grandparents, grandparents-in-laws, aunts and uncles.

My biggest question is this. When my kids grow up, how will I react when they tell me that everything that I have learned as a parent of the early 2000's isn't considered safe or is not recommended anymore. Hmm, puts everything into a totally different perspective now.

Writers Block

Well today is the first day since I started this blog that I have nothing to say. When this happens, I guess I have 2 choices- (a) completely ignore this blog and not try to do anyone any favors by writing pointless drivel or (b) write pointless drivel about nothing. I guess I chose the latter. Oh well.