Molybdenum! How do you pronounce that? Molly-b-denim? Is the “b” silent? Molly-denim? Maul-lib-din-em?
Tracfone Telemarketing
This morning I received a phone call from 1-800-419-7370. Caller ID showed it as “Unknown.” So I let the answering machine pick up. It was Tracfone, the pre-paid cell phone company. They left a pre-recorded message with some sales offers. I called back to “opt-out” and was told all circuits were busy. I redialed a minute later, and listened to their spiel, then hit “3” to opt-out.
I’ve been a Tracfone customer for years, and my opinion of them has just taken a drastic hit. They lied to me about why they wanted my home telephone number, and then they chose to market to it. I’m on the National Do Not Call list for a reason. Yes, I have a business relationship with Tracfone, but keep this up and we won’t! Telemarketing is unacceptable!
Actually, getting the Tracfone junk mail is frustrating too. They used to send out mailings with the address printed in a font that looks like handwriting. Deceptive!
Should I Eat My Peas?
Spurred on by my friend Ty’s tweet, I have created this flowchart explaining my dislike of peas. And actually, this flow chart can be used for many types of food.
Wii Fit Basic Balance Test: Perfect 15 Seconds
This morning I did the Wii Fit Basic Balance Test in exactly 15 seconds. This is part of your daily Body Test where you given two random tests to perform. My first test, the Steadiness test, I had to stand perfectly still for 30 seconds. I messed up by tilting slightly backwards and ended at only 59% steady. Then for the Basic Balance Test you shift your weight left and right to keep your balance inside a target that randomly appears. To get a perfect score, you have to predict (guess) where the next zone will be and shift your body weight in the 1/4 of a second during the previous congratulations beep; then keep inside the target zone for three seconds. The final landing zone is always at the exact center, so you merely have to shift to be standing perfectly upright. But to correctly guess 4 landing zones in a row is a very exciting way to end 2009.
My overall Wii Fit age today was 28. My previous best time on the Wii Fit Basic Balance Test was 16.00 seconds (3.00, 3.15, 3.00, 3.85, 3.00).
Photos of Blizzard 2009
I’ve uploaded two galleries of photos of the Great “December to Remember Blizzard;” also known as the “Shopper Stopper Blizzard;” or the “That’s a Lot of Dang Snow Blizzard.”
Photos are at:
I shoveled the sidewalk at 11am. I did it again at 3:30, and you really couldn’t tell I had done it earlier. Whew! I’m glad to be inside where it’s nice and toasty.
It looks like we’ve received at least 18 inches of snow. And it’s still snowing!
How Cold Will the Winter Be?
It was October and the Indians on a remote reservation asked their new Chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.
Since he was a Chief in a modern society he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky he couldn’t tell what the winter was going to be like.
Nevertheless, to be on the safe side he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.
But being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, “Is the coming winter going to be cold?”
“It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold” the meteorologist at the weather service responded.
So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared. A week later he called the National Weather Service again. “Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?”
“Yes,” the man at National Weather Service again replied, “it’s going to be a very cold winter.”
The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.
Two weeks later the Chief called the National Weather Service again. “Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?”
“Absolutely,” the man replied. “It’s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever.”
“How can you be so sure?” the Chief asked.
The weatherman replied, “The Indians are collecting firewood like crazy.”
Time vs Life
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” – Charles Darwin
Bear Warning
Due to the frequency of human-bear encounters, the Fish and Wildlife Department is advising hikers, hunters, fishermen, and any persons that use the out of doors in a recreational or work related function to take extra precautions while in the field.
We advise the outdoorsman to wear little noisy bells on clothing so as to give advanced warning to any bears that might be close by so you don’t take them by surprise.
We also advise anyone using the out of doors to carry “Pepper Spray” with them in case of an encounter with a bear.
Outdoorsmen should also be on the watch for fresh bear activity, and be able to tell the difference between black bear feces and grizzly bear feces. Black bear feces are smaller and contains berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear feces have bells in it and smell like pepper.
Additionally, if you find yourself being pursued by a bear, you must be able to identify the bear to determine how much danger you are in.
To do this, we suggest you climb a tree. If the bear chases you up the tree, it’s a black bear.
If the bear knocks the tree down, it’s a grizzly bear.
Talking Dog For Sale
A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: ‘Talking Dog For Sale.’ He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.
The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.
‘You talk?’ he asks.
‘Yep,’ the Lab replies.
After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says ‘So, what’s your story?’
The Lab looks up and says, ‘Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.’ ‘I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.’ ‘I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.’
The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.
‘Ten dollars,’ the guy says.
‘Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?’
‘Because he’s a liar. He never did any of that stuff.’
