The Church of the Holey Boot?

I tried to send this one as an entire blog post from my cell phone today, but the picture part did not work. So here it is the regular way.
I wonder if Denny's also has a Grand Slam special?

Perhaps, but the ham might taste like shoe leather.


This place is in downtown Cadillac, Michigan.

Perpetual Timothy

Passing through Amish country this evening, I happened by a produce stand. It was particularly well constructed, and was in front of an Amish house with horses, buggy... and no power lines. No phone, no lights, no motorcar. The sign on the door said: "Notice. We ask that you would please dress modestly when you come in our Stand. We believe the Bible teaches modest dress. Read 1 Timothy 2:9 Thank you"

There are of course many version of that Bible verse, and I do not know which the Amish prefer. Here is the the verse from the "New Living Translation", one I had not heard of before:
"And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes."

And here's the tomato shelf inside. There were also some hot peppers. It's late in the tomato season, and they are running out, but these are some pretty nice tomatoes.

Has anyone been through Amish country (anywhere), or gotten any good roadside fruit or vegetables lately?

'Vaderday" - Bat Vader

Today's "Vaderday" Saturday entry is from the "Vader Painter" site. They went the "Bat Vader" route with the name, as opposed to "Darth Bater"... which I guess is good, if someone were to call him a Master of the Force.

To me, this striking image is greater than the sum of the two parts.

Washington Blvd, Detroit (Postcard Friendship Friday)

Another "Postcard Friendship Friday" entry:

"We are in Indianapolis at 6:30 AM air conditioned in the train.". That is what the back of this postcard says, It was postmarked from Indianapolis in 1949, and mailed to someone on what looks like Fritos Street in Detroit. I know it is not Fritos Street, but the handwriting on these cards is something else, so that is my best guess, and not a very good one.


It is a linen-style postcard published by Curteich. The caption on the back says: "Washington Boulevardd is a fine parkway lined with wonderful shops -- and at night one of the most brilliantly lighted thoroughfares to be found in any city.
Below is what I am pretty sure is the same area in modern Detroit, from Google Street View
Well, it looks a lot bleaker. It's no sort of parkway

Detroit gets emptier and bleaker over time. Mayor Bing has a plan to save what is left: by demolishing the ruined areas and consolidating:

"n the middle, miles of vacant lots and broken-down homes -- so empty that pheasants are moving in. Basic services are too costly to keep up. Detroit is dying. "

reads a story from ABC World News. Perhaps they can go medieval and let peasants move in, too.

Mayor Bing appears to be sincere and dedicated to his job, and wanting to make some hard choices. "I am unveiling a plan to demolish 3,000 dangerous residential structures this year," he said. Detroit never recovered from the riots, and the ensuing decades of ruinous rule by Mayor Coleman A. Young. The main thing I remember about Mayor Young is someone I knew in college who had a very nice stereo system. It was given to him by the City of Detroit government in return for a campaign contribution he had made to Mayor Young.

Pawned

There's a favorite pawn shop I've gone to for years. Favorite more as in, it's usually the only one around. From the looks of things on the shelves, people tend to go there to pawn Sega Dreamcast game systems, tubas, drum sets, and corroded giant power tools. Me? I go to see what is new in the world of $4.00 used DVDs.

For years, this place was well known for walls lined with signed Star Trek photos (not for sale!), an alligator head full of mints on the counter (not for sale!), and a pervasive odor of smoke, even though no smokers were evident.

I went in there today to check to see if they had any deals in monitors. I was surprised: gone were the Star Trek photos, the alligator head, and also the pervasive odor of smoke. Maybe the place had changed hands. I asked, and sure enough it had.

I checked the computer monitors they had, and sure enough, as I have come to expect from pawn shop pricing, they cost just a little more than they typically cost new. What's up with that? I've noticed that with most electronics at these places. Do they honestly think someone is going to come in and buy some ancient Windows ME laptop for $499? Does there really need to be shelf space devoted for $3.00 VHS tapes and Super Nintendo cartridges?

Has anyone seen a pawn shop that actually has good electronics deals?

I left, not buying anything. Not even the banjo on the wall.

And finally, V is for Vipers

On Saturday, I was driving through town and happened to notice a nest of vipers in a church parking lot. Dodge Vipers, that is. I pulled off to the side and watched as the serpents were exiled from holy ground: one by one they peeled off and left the parking lot in a line.



These are a reminder when the Chrysler motor company produced cars that made you do a double-take, not very long ago. Time will tell if the company will get its glory back. As I wrote this, I was going to type that they don't make Vipers anymore. Because that is what I had last heard in the news. But I checked, and it turns out that they ended up canceling the cancellation.

Before this, I had seen just a few Vipers over the years, and never more than one at a time. This will surely be the most Dodge Vipers I will ever see in one place. I've never ridden in a Viper, or known anyone who had one. But I do know someone who got a ride in an early Viper prototype for being the grandson of Preston Tucker of the "Tucker 48" or Torpedo. Has anyone ever owned or even ridden in a real cool car?

Does anyone else remember the Viper TV show? I used to watch this. It was from the last half of the 1990s. It was like "Knightrider", but a little more science-fictional, and more grim.

V is for Vampirates

A week or so, I saw a book series at Sam's Club: Vampirates. I'd never seen it before. Seems like such an obvious combination, with the popularity of vampires and of pirates. Why didn't I think of that? The books are in the lucrative YA/"Young Adult" sector. According to Amazon, the reviews are actually pretty good.

By the way, today is "Talk like a Pirate Day". Facebook has even gotten into the act. Scroll to the bottom of the facebook page, and find where it says English. Click on this, and then in the larger language screen that follows, click the drop down arrow by English to find pirate English. Alas, they only offer pirate English at this moment. No pirate Latvian or pirate Klingon.

An example of the alteration is seen below. This is one of the places where it asks if you want to add someone as your friend.

V is for Vader

Welcome to the first installment of Vaderday Saturday. Yeah, Darth Vader has been in the news lately, due to this now-famous Michigan man who robbed a convenience store in Ferndale.



I guess the force was not really with him.

V is for Vampire....

Tonight, under the big skies of Honor, Michigan, the Cherry Bowl Drive-in Theatre had a marathon of '"Twilight" movies.

Yes, "Twilight", "New Moon". and "Eclipse" all shown one right after the other. No, I did not go. I'm sure my tolerance for Robert Pattinson would have rebelled at some point during it.

And yes, that is a giant chicken in the photo. I'm not sure how much longer the drive-in will be open. It's a good time of year, and a bad time: it gets dark earlier, but it's kind of cold now.

TV 2004

Yes, I have too much stuff, still. I just now found this Fall 2004 issue of TV Guide. I used to save all issues of TV Guide, going back into the 1970s. But they took up much room. I remember dumping them in the trash at some point (back before there was recycling available). There was only one regret: I'd saved the issue that had the article on the Pakuni language, from when it first came out. I must have pitched that one, when I wanted to save it.

I still kept the Fall Preview issues. At one point more recently, I got rid of them on eBay. Turns out they were near worthless. One thing I remember going through them: there were many years when ALL of the hyped new shows of the fall turned out to be duds that I'd never watched and never heard of after their 3 or 4 episodes aired before cancellation. Are there any fans of "Legwork" out there? I didn't think so. Or how about "Coupling", which was one of the shows in a strange back-and-forth imitation volley that involved US and UK producers making version of each others' "Friends'" ripoffs.

One exception I remember was 1982. Unlike other years, it had a bunch of hit shows debut. Shat happening in a big way in the 1980s with "T. J. Hooker"? Of course everyone remembers that. "Cagney and Lacey"? That too. "Family Ties" with Michael J. Fox? "Knightrider"? "Silver Spoons" with Ricky Schroeder? Steele... "Remington Steele"? That too. Lots of shows that lived on. Even one that was not expected to last, and barely got a mention: "Cheers". That also debuted in 1982.

I thought I'd gotten rid of all of the TV Guide Fall Preview issues, but tonight I found this one with Heather Locklear on the cover, from 2004. I expected the pages of 102 new shows to be solid 102 pages of flops.

I was wrong. There were some huge hit shows that came out in 2004, after all. Such as "Lost". I wasn't the only one who shrugged it off when I first heard about it, thinking it was yet another reality show. The fairly brief description begins: "In this game of Survivor, everyone wants off the island.". The review, though, is very positive: ""Lost" is a real find. If viewers discover it, they'll want to come back."

"Desperate Housewives" also debuted in the fall of 2004. I never got into this one, but I know it was real popular. Does anyone else remember how much ABC was the "Oh, is that thing still on? network in the 00's prior to these shows? Remember how they showed "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" several times a week, along with multiple showings of "Whose Line Is it Anyway", but beyond that not much really? "Lost" and "Desparate Housewives" helped turn ABC into a real network again.

"House". There's another huge hit show. I remember "Becker" was kind of a big deal back then, and perhaps the obnoxious doctor comedy helped inspire this still-enduring obnoxios-doctor drama on "Fox". The Fox network, which still to this day refuses to have a full prime-time schedule, has always been shaky at times, and "House" gives it strength.

"CSI: NY" The third and perhaps final installment of the CSI franchise has always been shakier in the ratings than the other ones. but it is a well known and very successful show.

"Boston Legal". Shat happened again. This time with James Spader of the "Stargate" movie along for the ride, too. I'm pretty sure this "Gate meets Trek" instance was before the "Star Trek" stars started showing up a lot in "Stargate" TV shows.

---

As would be expected, most of the other shows are forgotten flops. including these:

"The Billionaire". One of the few reality shows I've watched. This one was a takeoff on Donald Trump's "Apprentice", only with British "Virgin" mogul Richard Branson. I quite liked it, actually. Except for the ending, in which he chose entirely the wrong person, which kind of ruined the episodes before it..Not many Americans know who Branson is.

"Father of the Pride". At least this one was creative. Does anyone remember this digital cartoon about Seigfriend and Roy's white lions? It was kind of like "Madagascar", but with dirty jokes.

"Listen Up" One of the many invocations of the Seinfeld Curse, this one with Jason Alexander.

"Kevin Hill" with Taye Diggs. No, I do not remember this one at all. But I do remember his Groundhog Day-like thriller TV show "Day Break"

Any memories of these shows, or good/bad years for TV?

Please press 4 for Español

I had to take care of my last entanglements with Michigan's unemployment agency today. As usual, it was hard to get through.

You dial 1-866-500-0017 and then hit 3 to try to get an agent. And then you listen to Tim Allen for a while on a recording, speaking in somnolent para-Garrison Keillor tones in tourist advertisements aimed at the age 63 to 83 set. I can probably recite his "Pure Michigan" spots from memory, I've heard them so much.

And then you listen to a PSA telling you that census workers are on the prowl, and welcome them when they knock on your door. Does anyone there know that the 2010 Decennial Census has been over for weeks?

Eventually, a recording comes on telling me that there are no agents available, and to hang up and try again. I'm using to going through this cycle so many times, and I did today.

But then I decided to listen beyond the option 3 that I needed. A woman's voice rattled on very fast in Spanish telling me, I suppose, to press 4 for agent in Spanish. I figured, why not? It turned out to be a good idea. The wait was very short, without not even a George Lopez doing the Tim Allen thing.

A live woman then comes on the line and rattles of about 40 Spanish words in the space of 3 seconds. I manage to get in "Hola! But I speak English only. Can you please help me?". She eassily switched to English and helped me out.

One thing I will say about the Michigan unemployment agency, is that even though it is so hard to get through, the staffers that answer the phone are usually very helpful and knowledgable.

So remember if you need to get through on this line: press 4 and say "Hola". Too bad they don't adequately staff the English-speaking lines, though.

By the way, has anyone ever seen those "Pure Michigan" ads or heard them in the real world? I've only experienced them as a captive audience in a phone wait cue, or on monitors at government offices.

Below is one of the many Pure Michigan spoofs found on Youtube:



And here's the real Tim Allen, who has probably assumed the role of the "Voice of Michigan" now that Ernie Harwell has passed. Here you can see what it is like up here in the middle of nowhere:

Clydesdales and 9/11

The first beer I ever had was Budweiser, on my first day of college. I did not like it, and that's one of the reasons I've had hardly any beer since. But do like the commercials: the ones with the frogs, the arguing chameleons, and the ones with the clydesdales.

I've seen the Budweiser Clydesdales in person a couple of times. Here's one of the best commercials, aired I believe only one, during the Superbowl in 2002, not long after 9/11:

Postcard - Roding Park in Fresno

Too late for Postcard Friendship Friday, I guess....One of a stack of postcards I recently unearthed: Roding Park in Fresno, California.
This unused postcard is probably 100 years old. The park still exists. The City of Fresno site says:

"Whatever you have in mind for fun or relaxation, Roding Park is just the place to spend the afternoon!

Beautifully landscaped with cool blue lakes, huge groves of trees, rolling green lawns, and dotted by flower gardens, the park contains eight championship tennis courts, two dance pavilions, horseshoe pits, slides and playgrounds, and many picnic areas, complete with picnic tables, and barbecue pits."

Interestingly, it appears that the name of the place has gained an "E" in the past 100 years. Either that, or it was misspelled on the old card.

No, I've never been anywhere near Fresno. I know it for raisins, and from a TV show of the same name. I was probably one of the few who watched the TV show. The show had a rather high-caliber cast, including Carol Burnett, Dabney Coleman, Tom Poston (Bob Newhart's second show), Gregory Harrison (Logan from "Logan's Run" and then later Gonzo Gates), Charles Grodin, and Jerry Van Dyke ("Coach"). Dabney Coleman played a J R Ewing character in what was a spoof of "Dallas".

Hurricane Hermione... er Hermine

Hurricane Hermine is stabbing into the heart of the country. I have a relative in Tulsa, Oklahoma... now that is far from the ocean!

He expects 5 or 6 inches of rain there. He's had big rains and multiple floods before, and has had collective magazines magically transformed into papier-mache.

Let's hope Hurricane Hermine does not work some of the same magic on him, someone else I know who lives in the general area who has also had past floods, or my other relatives or anyone else I'm losing track of these storms, and missed the ones between My-name-is-Earl and Hermine.

Postcard - Greetings from Oklahoma

Still sorting things. I found a whole bunch of postcards I had no idea I had. Including this one:


It is postmarked on December, probably 1974 from Alamagordo, NM. The date can't really be read, but it has an 8 cent stamp on it, and according to this site, postcard postage stamps cost 8 cents in 1974.

On the back it reads:

"Picked this card up on the way down. It rained most of the way down... It was snowing when we got here that is up in the mountains to-day the sun is shining and it's nice out cool but nice. We will see you around the 15th. - Mom and J."

Eastern Oklahoma is actually as southwest as I have ever driven. I have never been to Alamagordo, NM.

Gold-Plated Enterprise (Franklin Mint)

More things found going through papers.

A Franklin Mint ad From 1991.

"Aglow with 24-karat gold electroplate and sparkling with with crystals, the Starship Enterprize is shown smaller than actual size of approximately 10" in length."

In 1991, it cost $198 dollars. The ad attempted to hide the total cost by breaking it up into 5 payments plus shipping and handling.

I've never been into premium scifi collectibles, really. I do have a few things from the Franklin Mint, however. Back in 1991 it was Star Trek's 25th annivesary. Now it won't be long until the hype for the Star Trek 50th anniversary. The metallic look of this Enterprise presaged the look of the ship in the show "Star Trek: Enterprise" which came out 10 years later.

Now you can get this one on eBay for 1/4 of the price when it came out. I guess it was not a good investment.

Weird Tires - part 2

Going through stacks of old papers, I found this very old old Michelin tires advertisement (large version to the right, closeup below). It features a rather creepy looking version of "Bibendum". Yes that is the Michelin Man's name. A far cry from today's cuddly CGI version which looks more like a white Ninja Turtle than the man-maggot of yore.

It reminded me of the white tire monster I found in actual horror art to use in my older "Weird Tires" post.

Also check out this "Michelin Man vs Stay Puft" post in another blog.

Dreams (Thunder only happens when it's raining).

A friend yesterday told me about a newer TV show called "Being Erica". It's a little like "Quantum Leap" or "Peggy Sue Got Married", or the TV show "Do Over"), but with a woman sent back in time by her therapist in order to relive/redo past parts of her life. Several of the episodes involve her going back to high school or college.

Based on this, I had a dream that I had to go back to college for a few weeks to finish some class or get some degree that I had somehow forgotten to do when I was actually at college years and years ago.

It's a fairly common dream, with me, and with others. It's not only college, sometimes it is high school or junior high. Never elementary school, though.

The dream lat night had a sort of finalness about it, like I knew this was my last dream trip back to college to take a course. Maybe I have finally earned a dream diploma.

I don't remember much details, except something about living in the dorm. At one point, I was carrying boxes of lumber around (what does that have to do with anything), and I met a recent co-worker in a park near the college.

The recent weather, and the dream itself, got the Fleetwood Mac song "Dreams" into my head:





Has anyone else had these "back to school" dreams?