Good New Show – Inside Man

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

There have been a lot of changes at CNN over the past month of two and several new cable TV shows that are pretty interesting. I watched the new “Inside Man” on CNN that comes on Sunday nights and found it pretty interesting. The show’s topics are timely and relevant and although I don’t always agree with the viewpoint they present, I like the information that they researched.

The first show was about medical marijuana, the second show was about guns, and the show tonight is about illegal immigrants. All of those subjects are controversial and have pending legislation at both state and federal levels.

There are other good shows that come on Sunday nights, so I might have to look into getting a DVR or some way to record the conflicting shows for watching later. I would like to only spend one hour per night watching TV rather than four hours on Sunday night and then nothing on Monday or Tuesday nights.

QOTD – A New Series for my Blog

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

Looking through some old papers, a little clip from an old newspaper fell out onto the desk. I noticed it was a quote that had meant a lot to me at the time,

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Ignacio Estrada, educator and author

So, it occurred to me that I have several of these little clippings stashed around my office. I don’t have enough to do a Quote of the Day every single day, but maybe I will make this a new feature of my blog and just share the different quotes here as a QOTD as I come across them.

Which Extreme Weather Event Scares You Most?

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

Last year and again this year our country is experiencing a lot of extreme weather. Which extreme weather event is most likely to threaten the safety of you and your family? Is your property adequately insured and have a safe room or shelter from the most likely threats?

The tornadoes in Oklahoma should be a reminder that none of us are safe from a random act of extreme weather. About 80% of America has experienced property damage and loss of life from tornadoes, although most of the tornado activity is in the mid-west. Coastal areas are under threat of hurricanes. The desert and drought areas are under threat of wildfires. Snow covered areas threaten avalanches and mudslides. California and Alaska experience multiple earthquakes every month. And, of course, lightning kills a lot of people every year. But according to a recent news story, more people die in floods than any other weather related event.

Although my home is located near a large lake, I have not worried much about flooding because of the terrain in my neighborhood being very hilly and we are upstream from the dam. If the dam was to burst, the water would be flowing away from my neighborhood. We are more worried about damage from a tornado or straight line winds, as there are dozens of tall, heavy trees throughout the area.

But to answer my own question, which extreme weather event scares you most? My answer would be a tsunami scares me most. I hope I never have to face a wall of water a hundred feet high – or more. A lot of other extreme weather events can be avoided or prepared for. But tsunami – I don’t know how anyone can expect to survive that.

Breakfast is Important

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

Do you eat breakfast? Or do you start your day with a cup of coffee as you make a mad dash for work?

My mother was a huge fan of breakfast. She insisted that everyone in the family sit down in the kitchen every morning and eat a proper breakfast. In fact, she believed that sending us all off with a good breakfast was one of her most important duties as a mother. She always got up early and cooked a full breakfast for the family, even when she was sick or exhausted from whatever other events were happening in our busy lives.

I also believe that breakfast is important, but I have to admit that I do not cook a full breakfast most mornings. I MUST have my cup of coffee, but I usually also eat something like an English muffin with marmalade or a couple slices of raisin bread. Some mornings I will eat a bowl of cold cereal with fruit on top. And, in the winter, a cup of hot oatmeal is really nice.

On the weekend I am most likely to actually cook a full breakfast. My go-to weekend breakfast is a couple slices of bacon – REAL bacon, not that turkey bacon stuff – and two eggs, usually scrambled but friend is OK once in a while. I like some kind of side like potato cakes, hash browns or maybe hominy. And just about any kind of bread toasted goes great with my meal. I am allergic to orange juice, so if I drink any juice it is usually grapefruit juice or tomato juice.

What is your typical breakfast?

Food Dressers and Artists

Posted on by Unsigned Podcast

Every time I watch a commercial on TV that features close up shots of food, I appreciate how hard someone had to work to make that food look so stunningly delicious. It is very hard to photograph food and give it dimension, to put light on just the right spots, and to have it stay fresh under very hot photography lights.

Tonight I watched a commercial for IHOP and those shots of pancakes have me drooling. I wish there was a 24 hour IHOP someplace near my house, because I would seriously grab my car keys and go out for a stack of pancakes and have a late night breakfast right now. The photography is excellent, showing the pancakes light and fluffy, with a light steam rising, and them bouncing back just right when being cut with a fork. Notice that they used a fork – not a knife – because the pancakes and THAT soft. I am really craving the pancakes tonight, but that’s not going to happen. Maybe this weekend . . .