More Tidbits

Yesterday, Jay Simpson. a fellow Thurs. Writer, sent a very timely reminder to us all.  If you didn't see it (or forgot to do it) it's not too late to set your scales back 10 lbs. this morning. 

Ports Report
Many of you already know that one of my favorite outings is the Sunday all you can drink free champagne brunch at Ports O Call, on the water in San Pedro.  They also do it on Thanksgiving and that's where Richie and Raffish and self spent a good part of the afternoon (2 1/2 hours to be exact.) 

Despite having reservations, I was concerned that there would be so many people there that it would take half an hour just to get to the food layout.  Such was not the case.  Staff was expecting 600 guests yesterday, but apparently they all come in the late afternoon as there were several empty tables around us.   Thus we didn't feel guilty taking our time eating and going back for a little of this and perhaps a bite or two of that...

I debuted the transporter wheelchair as food tray with great success.  Open it, put your napkin on the seat with the plate on top and push it around, lifting the plate to serve yourself, then putting it back on the seat and going on to the next food station.    You're welcome!   

Black Friday seems to be something of a dud so far - no one trampled at the doors and subsequently hospitalized (or buried.)  No screaming, hair-pulling fights among the  women (and certain of the men) shopping...

Much is made of Feed the Homeless! on Thanksgiving Day but I have to wonder about two things:
1.  Is that the only nice meal they get all year round?
2.  Do they not get the treasured leftover sandwiches the rest of us love?

A good one is:  white "air bread" (aka WonderBread( slathered with mayonnaise, layered with white meat turkey, spread-out dressing with a grind of black pepper and a kiss of cranberry sauce (optional.)  Put the other slice of air bread on top and squish the whole thing down to one-third its height and eat.  Air bread is the critical factor in my estimation. 

AND LASTLY - A BOLD NEW THIEF
They are seasonal and they are called Porch Package Thieves.  Apparently the season has started for them.  Local police are looking for a woman who was driving slowly, spotted a UPS box on a porch, stopped, approached the house and rang the doorbell.  No answer so she picked up the package, got back in her car and drove away.  

If you are waiting for a delivery and can't be home, ask a neighbor who can see your porch to bring it in to their house immediately.  

Our UPS guy is thoughtful enough to put anything for us (if we don't answer) on the back step below the porch level.  It's then invisible from the street.     

Paraphrasing Another Author

Thanksgiving was lauded in Annie's Mailbox, an Aunt Agony column in the Daily Breeze, by this column which I propose to update?  Paraphrase?  a little.  I would credit the author, but it is that bestselling-writer Anonymous. 

"Things To Be Grateful For"  This is grammatically incorrect as we all know never to end a sentence with a preposition.

Be thankful for snug clothing; it means you are well-fed.  (snort) Nice try, Fatso.

Be thankful for the mess you pick up after a party at your house.  It means you have lots of friends.  None of whom have the decency or class to pick up after themselves.

Be thankful if your home needs repairs because it means you have a home.   Tell that to the Community Watchdogs who are NIMBY Nazis. 

Be thankful that you hear people complain about "the government"  because we all have free speech.    However all of the special little snowflakes protesting at universities and colleges about "being mistreated" are not exactly holding the ends of that banner as they all seem to feel they require (not need) special treatment.  Bitch slap it if it shows up for dinner.  That's the real world, a place they've clearly never visited.

Personally, our annual toast is:  We can't choose our families, but we can damned well choose our friends!  Bottoms up! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - MAY YOUR TURKEY BE MOIST, PLENTY OF GRAVY AND YOUR FOOTBALL TEAM WINS.

Bits & Pieces as the Day Goes Along

President Obama has called for us to discuss guns and presumably gun laws over our plates at the Thanksgiving Eat-O-Rama.   This is not a good idea for any gathering of my family - they'd pull them out and show them!  And then go out in the yard for a target shooting contest.  As alcohol is always involved at these events, you do see my point. 

Unlikely Beauty Pageants
(source:  DailyNews.co.uk)  Talavera Bruce maximum security prison, Rio, is having their annual beauty pageant.  The purpose is said to be to "raise their self-esteem and humanize them."  Toward that end, a 31 year old drug trafficking prisoner remarked that it was her first opportunity to meet her 10 months' old grandchild.

On my own, I discovered that Recife, Brazil, has a similar contest and last year's winner was a 19 year old murderess.

Nairobi, Kenya offers as a prize the opportunity to learn how to apply make-up as a leg up for job hunting on release.  Unfortunately, the winner was a death row inmate. 

A Thanksgiving Toast
"We can't choose our families, but we can, by God, choose our friends!"

Accidentally Beating Out Black Friday

Not that we ever "took advantage" of Black Friday anyhow.  Around here, if you need something (or think you do) you go out and buy it.  Which can make Christmas present shopping a real bear but that's another story for another season. 

Yesterday we happened to be in the neighborhood of the local La-Z-Boy showroom and since Richie needs a new recliner  - "Thanks, cats - having the same chair for 30 years wasn't good enough for you?" -  we went in.  There were acres of the damned things and Richie turned into Goldilocks and test sat in every one of them. 

He settled upon an oxblood leather that swivels and rocks like a porch swing as well as goes nearly flat.  Sensationally comfortable.  When we finally looked at the price, a little item we hadn't bothered with previously, we were somewhat confused.  The regular price was shown with a line through it and the sale price listed, but on top of all of this was additional information - take 25% off of the sale price - which explained the "cheat sheet" pricing info sheet the clerk had handed us, making mention of Black Friday.  

Since it was Monday, we grinned at each other.  There were only two other shoppers in the whole store!  No crowds!  And the price was considerably lower.  We snapped it up and one is being delivered on Saturday.  The day after Fred the Cat goes to the vet to have his nails clipped.    

But I got to wondering about the La-Z-Boy history since they seem to have been around all of my life (and I'm 75.) 

Back in 1928 a pair of cousins in Monroe, MI. got together - Ed the woodworker and Ed the farmer - and created the original out of orange crates designed to be a porch swing.  In time, they added upholstery making it a "year around chair."   The fledgling corporation had a contest to name it and La-Z-Boy won.   I couldn't find the winner's name so that part will linger in the mists of time. 

And in future mists of time, we'll have to replace it - but never on a Black Friday if we can get there on a Monday!

And the Mafia Gets Into It

Source:  the Drudge Report

Giovanni Gambiano, Jr. has warned IS that they are on guard to protect New Yorkers.  Gambiano noted that the Mafia neighborhoods with their Sicilian populations are protected because "We always take care of our families."  It was pointed out that there have, to date, been no terrorist attacks in Siciliy.

I tell you, every day is a sunny one for people who appreciate the funny side of life.  I can hardly wait to get to the news every morning.

This'n That

I wrote Michelle, cancelling our visit until perhaps February.  Here is her reply:  You are right.  It's a good decision to delay your trip till February although I am missing you.  It worried me to know you were traveling in such a bad international situation.


H/T to Doug Vermillion, of Anderson, IN.

Six Arabic countries are making it very difficult for Syrian refugees to relocate to them.  They are:
Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Jordan and Lebanon have about 2 million refugees between them. 

source:   Time magazine

A New and Useful Site
Checking to see if Air France flights from Paris into the US had been cancelled as was reported to me, I came across   FlightAware.com    which lists airlines I didn't even know existed as to cancellation and delays.   Based on information gathered here, the sky is full of airplanes!

Paris Cancelled and Other Tidbits

Paris - the world for that matter - is just too unsettled to be visiting at this moment. 

Two Air France flights were diverted in US air the other day for bomb scares; yesterday a flight from Paris to San Francisco made a U-turn over the English channel and landed safely back at Charles De Gaulle airport.  The word was that ALL US-bound flights were cancelled by Air France for that day.  

We're ticketed on Air France.   

As much as I love France, I don't want to live there  right now - we'd miss our cats and the bird.  Perhaps in February - the tix are good until March, 2o16.


Ivory Tower Assholes

Today's winner is one Bruce Ackerman, Yale professor of law and political science, who has gotten his knickers knotted up to his patrician little nose.  The cause of his disquiet?

First paragraph:  "In calling for a war against Islamic State, French President Francoise Hollande is engaging in a tragically counter-productive enterprise. Under international law "war" can only exist between sovereign states.   Hollande is rashly giving  Islamic State precisely what it wants - legal representation."

I printed this in full because I am just not creative enough to make up shit like the above.