3:25, #519: Nuts

This post could go in any of a number of directions. It was prompted by a sticker on the jar of Peter Pan Peanut Butter I bought yesterday...$4.99 at Genuardi's when it's only $3.09 at Giant I found out much too later! ;p "NUTS!" would be the first comment I had to make about buying it at one place and not at the other.

But back to the subject at hand. Can anyone tell me why there is a sticker on the jar that says New Earth-Friendly Jar...Now 12% less plastic per oz.? Has the ad department gone completely NUTS to suck up to the Environmentalis Whackos and are the consumers of peanut butter that NUTS to actually buy into this HOOEY?!! In pure linguistics, the 28oz. jar has 336% less plastic than a 1 oz. jar has, so just of WHAT is the jar made?!! I just Googled "Peter Pan earth friendly jars" and learned they are 'green-washing' by making more of a claim than the environmentalist at this site warrants: http://greenupgrader.com/10752/peter-pan-peanut-butter-greenwashing-with-earth-friendly-jar/
The next site has a sharp eye, quick calculator, and a Disney sense of humor: http://consumerist.com/2009/06/peter-pan-saves-the-earth-by-giving-you-less-peanut-butter.html

Frankly, I think Hook has a hand in this...if you pardon the pun!!

I wonder if the alligator with the clock in his stomach has the right time?

On a somewhat different track...we of the Grey Havens watched "Over the Hedge" again...that makes four times for me and Audiovisualman. One of the great lines among many is when Hammie the Squirrel looks at all his foraging buddies and says, "Help me find my nuts." (He eventually did it himself and filled the log.)

Then, last but not least there was the classic reply by the American commander of the surrounded troops to the German surrender order issued at the Battle of Bastogne during WWII...simply 'NUTS!'
Got morale builder?

3:24, #518: Snowicane

Here I am in my comfortably heated basement office while the Snowicane of 2010 bears down on my poor old Camp Cornelius. The REALLY weird thing is that after 8 hours of the snow coming down, it's STILL not sticking to most of the blacktop here. We've got 2-3" on the cars that haven't moved yet but nothing to plow except for a little on the coldest spot on campus. "Aint no rhyme or reason, aint no complicated season...the indisputable fact is SHHHHH... IT HAPPENS!! ;p Oh, this is a pic from a former storm that actually accumulated...

Well, I've been playing Civil War Generals once again in my time off, totally CRUSHING the enemy who happens to be dressed in Blue this time around. Next time around I'll take generalship of the other side and kick the Rebels up and down the USofA of days gone by!! Then, the ULTIMATE in unreality will be me against me as General Robert E. Me of both sides!!

Well, my $3 copy of The Iliad that I've never read in all these years is waiting for me to pick it up again. So far, Achilles is ticked at Agamemnon just like in the movie "Troy" with Brad Pit and a whole bunch of others.
Got hobbies?!!

3:23, #517: February 24th Anytime A.D.

Just think, according to Any Day In History, back on this day in 303A.D. the first official edict to persecute Christians as being pains in the Empire was issued by Diocletian. I say it's time to turn up the heat in the USofA with Hate Speech Laws to bring about Major League Revival throughout the North American Continent. Heck, Robert Reich...spelled the same way as Hitler's little political gambit...thinks religious people are more terrorists than suicide bombers and he's some of the 'intelligentsia' writing articles and books to that effect.

Then there was Frank of Assisi getting his vocation in 1208A.D. He ended up founding the Franciscan Order...guess the name Franks would have been too reminiscent of the barbarians who had enough Gaul to become the French centuries later when Giovanni Francesco was around.

Jump ahead to 1510 and you'll see Pope Julius II...wonder if he was partial to Caesar salad?... got to excommunicate the entire republic of Venice. Venice eventually was restored to the Pope's good graces, but I guess in the midst of yet another Holy War, instead of telling people to 'go to Hell' Julius decided to make it official! ;P

Then on this date in 1581 Pope Gregory approved the calendar changes by his commission...I wonder if they all stood around and chanted their agreement?

Another leap to 1868 puts us in the U.S. House of Representatives impeaching President Andrew Johnson...it didn't work and everything was peachy after that, I guess.

And finally, in 1997 South Africa announced that it was building the largest modern day blimp. I guess B.F. Goodrich's wasn't good enough for the Super Bowl?

3:22, #516: Snake Hair, Gorilla Glue, and Other Things

I was watching 'Eddie Izzard Live at Wembley Stadium' last night where he talked about Greek mythology being a bunch of stories written by guys who were probably smoking a really big bag of weed and I had some thoughts from it and from comments on Facebook this morning.

First, did Medusa go to a snake charmer when she wanted to change her hairdo? Would the snakes on her head have shed periodically...you know, the way snakes do...in some form of major league dandruff? Did the wriggling around keep her up all night; which would explain why she was in such a bad mood?

Secondly, the term Gorilla Glue makes me wonder who wanted to glue gorillas together in the first place and just exactly how one would go about doing it, given the rather touchy nature of the critters. I mean, can you see King Kong trying to shake off Fay Ray from his paw once he got her stuck there? Of course, if it was just her clothing that was stuck, he could probably give her a good partially-naked 'fling' and send her flying to parts unknown...it would have been faster than a taxi ride in downtown New York, but the landing would have probably been rougher.

Now one product out there that's properly named is Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Glue; which, by the way, is great stuff for gluing wood together to make all sorts of things. Of course, the fact that you can finish these projects with steel wool makes me wonder if that particular product comes from cast iron sheep...and do they get rusty standing out in the rain?

Oh...think about all the 'Live' albums, DVDs & CDs that are produced. Just once I'd like to see one along the lines of 'The Grateful Dead DEAD at Madison Square Garden!' It would probably be a quiet performance, I guess, and would have to run less than 4 days or the performers would start to stink...unless, of course, they were done up properly by a taxidermist and then the 'performance' could go on indefinitely.

3:21, #515: Saturday Stuff

Did you ever take a look at how you do things? You know...how something pops into your mind as a result of some kind of associative principle with what's going on around you? Some of the Body would say you got a 'word of knowledge' while others would say you got the 'internal conviction of the Holy Spirit' and others 'God spoke to me.' Well, in any event here are some thoughts...

Today I spotted on Any Day In History that Rossini's "Barber of Seville" premiered in Rome, so that reminded me to cut my hair...a specific request earlier in the morning that was coincidentally attended to in the providence of the Lord in this fashion.

I also remember years ago that I was walking from the classroom building to the student center and suddenly got the notion to take a toilet plunger up on the roof of the Library. It turns out there was about 5" of water over a large portion of the back quadrant due to leaves stuck in the flat roof drain. A little 'plumber's persuasion' and I had a roaring maelstrom gushing out of the exit pipe down by the big old pine trees.

Speaking of which...there are going to be a LOT of limbs that need to be picked up this Spring when the snow finally subsides into the earth in that very same area. My current arboreal suggestion if you plan to plant trees in the future is that you not plant long needle white pines. They may look pretty, but they make one awful mess when heavy snows break off multiple limbs...and it's not too healthy for the trees, either.

For some reason the Canadian Olympics was on my mind the other morning and I wondered, "If they sing "Old MacDonald," would the chorus be "Eh-I-Eh-I-Eh?"

I think it's time for some Civil War Generals...

3:20, #514: Year of the Tiger

Well, Happy Chinese New Year to all four of you Followers of this blog and anyone else who happens to tune in to the insanity! This year is dedicated to all those "short-tempered, suspicious, adventurous, sensitive, emotional, risk-taking" Tigers born in other Years of the Tiger. Can we all say, "Here, kitty, kitty?!!"
We Rabbit Year types...articulate, ambitious, controlled, affectionate, cooperative, friendly, overly-sentimental...will be highlighted next year, tankewberrymuch!! ;P So ALL of you better get your act together and enjoy every day like it's the last one you might get...for it might be, given the truth of James 4:14! Maybe we should celebrate the Year of The Vapor?!! Any votes?

I'm also thinking that the Bible tells us to look out for the Devil who roams about like a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8...the roaring part definitely makes me think of the blowhard Satan, the moron who was a covering angel and got booted from heaven as a result of exhibiting Tiger like qualities by the above definition when he decided to set his throne up in heaven above God's. To paraphrase the country western song, "WHAT WAS HE THINKING?!!" Obviously, not much!!

Well, I'd say we all better look out for the Shere Khan-like Enemy this year and all the rest of them the Lord gives us until His return. My money's on the Lion of Judah in the cosmic battle set before us all in our battle against rulers, powers, principalities, and world forces of this Darkness! Light a torch of the True Light, folks, and Shere Khan will flee...my variant reading of James 4:7,8!!
Got Holy Spirit Fire?

3:19, #513: Ex Post Snow

Here it is Saturday morning and I DON'T have to plow snow...but I will be looking to push some on the lawns to get ready for the next batch coming in Monday. In any event, this is another one of the random topic posts initiated by stuff my Facebook Friends are discussing.

First, 'organic' vs. 'inorganic fruit.' Technically, ALL fruit is organic, but we all know the two terms mean 'organically grown' vs. 'pesticide-laced-it's-gonna-kill-you-and-distort-your-gene-pool grown.' Actually, statistically speaking, more generations have gone to the grave eating organic fruit than those since pesticides were invented around the time of World War II. For you argumentative types...yes, I know that the ancient Sumerians dusted sulfur on their crops, but sulfur is God-made, not MAN-made, so it doesn't count that they're all dead by now, too.
What prompted this tirade was a loving Mom posing the question. Well, I suggested she buy the cheaper 'inorganic' to save money, invest in a fruit tree, and exercise her sugar-laced kids by involving them in the planting, manuring, pruning, and picking process for the long term. Oh, and as a benefit to their longevity-producing activity, they can take care of her in her old age! ;P

Now, speaking of Ex Post Snow...15" here at Camp Cornelius fell on Feb. 7th and another 20" this last go 'round! Rumor has it we're supposed to get more on Monday and Tuesday but it ranges from 'insignificant' to 'snow.' If it takes a .300 batting average...that's hitting the ball 30% of the time...to make the Baseball Hall of Fame, what 'correct predicting average' would be required for the Weather Man's Hall of Fame...somewhere around a pitcher's average of .140 or 14%?!! I guess Weather Guys and Gals throw us all some real 'curve balls', so there is a precedent here.

I saw a really weird movie last night starring Gerard Butler..."Slayers." Technology gets to the point where video gamers' characters are real people with brain implants they volunteer to get so whatever happens to the character in the 'game' actually happens to them. Not to worry, though, the good guy beats the bad guy, but I won't comment more so I don't spoil it for you who might want to see it. Speaking of that, I'm gonna go to Gettysburg and mop up the Yanks in my Civil War Generals game...not to worry...they're ALL dead by now, Dave. (Thank you, "Red Dwarf" reference!!)
Got life to waste?

3:18, #512: Off Time Sillies

I just got an email called "God's Little Notes" and was inspired to comment...first the note, then my thoughts on it:

"You can tell how big a man is by what it takes to discourage him"....I thought you could just check the label in his underwear! ;P

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet spirited until you try to sit in their pew."...I actually had a lady ask me to move out of hers one time when I visited a church!!

"Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers." Funny, I never saw His name in an Anne Landers column.

"When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there." I guess that's why He who sits in heaven laughs?

"Peace starts with a smile." Heck, I thought it was when both sides dropped their weapons.

"If God is your co-pilot, switch seats." Soo, who holds the controls while you're swapping?

"Prayer: Don't give God instructions, just report for duty." Praying is the report for duty, you get to pick the topics!

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." Who gets to wring out the soggy clothes?

3:17, #511: Friday Funnies

I was checking out what happened on this day in history this morning and learned that Hagar the Horrible, that great 'Viking businessman' was introduced to the world on this day in 1973. One of his best lines was to his daughter, Honi, when he heard she plucked her eyebrows and said, "When you pluck out one, four more come to the funeral...look at mine!" Needless to say, Honi went off greatly dismayed with the cry, "Mother...!"

Likewise, I heard on the radio that some fancy schmancy clothing company was going to carry an 'evening line' and a 'sports line' and wondered if lingerie would be considered an 'evening sports line.' Of course, that prompted me to think of Eve turning to Adam as she modeled her first 'skins line' after the Fall and asking, "Honey, does this outfit make me look fat?"

Then there was the item that in 1974, Mats Wermelin, a 13-year old in a Swedish youth basketball league scored all the points in his team's 272-0 victory. I wonder if he changed his name to 'Gunner' after that? Shouldn't a kid named 'Mats' be a wrestler?

3:16, #510: Bob Wonders...

...why little kids are willing to share their germs but not their toys?
...if you try to 'strike a happy medium' in life, will he/she see it coming and duck?
...if steel wool is made from cast iron sheep? And do they rust when standing out in the rain?
...if dessert at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb will be 'pie in the sky?'
...if I am 'a letter of Christ' as 2 Corinthians 3:3 says, for those who reject Him do I become an eviction notice?
...if Paul's analogy to a body holds true for Christians, who is it that the Lord sees as parts of the gluteus maximus?
...if Global Warming actually takes hold, will the phrase 'that doesn't cut any ice with me' will be eliminated from our vocabulary?
...why people don't pray in the bathroom since the Bible says 'go into your inner room and shut the door' before you pray?
...why Christians are so ready to worry but not to 'be anxious for nothing but with all prayer and supplication with an attitude of thanksgiving make [their] requests know to the Lord?
Got answers?