Explanations.

Have you ever had most of your life going well but there is something going on that bothers you? My job is going fine, I enjoy spending time with my lady, but my apartment has been bothering me lately. I have never been the neatest person in the world, but for far too long I have been letting things get out of hand. Not quite as bad as the picture here, but it could get there. I am extremely good at wasting time and that has to change.

I was planning on writing this Tuesday, but since I have had several inquiries I decided to post this today. I realize I dropped off the scene rather abruptly. The only way I am going to get this place under control is to focus on getting organized. To help with that I am limiting myself on the internet to just an hour a day. Since I spend almost that much time preparing these posts I have decided to cut back. I will be posting on Tuesday and Friday until July 1. If I get done before then I will resume posting at that time. In this past week I have made a good start, so hopefully I will beat my deadline. On Tuesday I will post all the fifth grader questions that I have missed. I will also keep you updated as to how things are going. thank you to Volly, Jeff and Glenn who asked about me. As soon as this project is over I'll be back full time.

Be Kind To Your Waitress.

It pays to be nice to your waitress. A man eating at a South Carolina Waffle House didn't follow that advice. He complained about the service which he said was too slow. He ordered grits, sausage, toast, eggs, and a waffle. (What you were expecting steak and lobster?) To show his irritation about the slow service he threw his waffle at the waitress. He would have been better off eating it.

The waitress went out to her van and returned with a pistol. There was a struggle over the gun and it went off while it was pointed at the floor. The bullet ricocheted off the floor and hit the complaining customer in the arm. They didn't state it in the article, but I will bet the waitress didn't get a tip.

On another restaurant note, I decided today that anytime the manager at Taco Bell goes on vacation, I am going too. The assistant manager placed the order that I put away this morning. There was a lot ordered that we didn't need. I had to figure out what to do with it all. The same manager will be doing Monday's order, so I expect another heavy one. This guy doesn't look to see what is on hand before he orders. Next time, somebody else will get to put it all away.

The Cubs beat the Padres again 6-4. Right now there is a three way tie for first place in the National League Central Division. The Cardinals, Reds, and Brewers share the lead. The Cubs are only a half game behind. That is one of the fun things about this time of year. This kind of thing occasionally happens.
Travis was right. A centaur was half human and half horse. A minotaur was half human and half bull. I couldn't find any half human/half dogs.

Today's question is Grade 4/World Geography.

What is the capital of Sweden?

I knew that one. 96-17.

Star Trek Part 2.

After watching this movie yesterday I felt like Oliver Twist, holding up my bowl and saying "Please sir. I want some more." This is not exactly the Star Trek universe that Gene Roddenberry created. Some alterations have occurred which will upset the hardcore Trekkie's. Based on this movie some episodes of the original series never happened. If you can't handle that remember this. This is a fictional universe. Get over it.

The characterizations were fantastic, especially Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy. About the only thing missing from him was the classic line, "He's dead, Jim." Chris Pine did a great job as James T. Kirk. I mentioned yesterday I am not a big William Shatner fan because of Shatner's habit of being overdramitic. Pine showed that Kirk is a natural born leader. Zachary Quinto showed the Spock that we like so well. He is half human and has to struggle to keep his emotions in check. The rest of the cast was equally as good, and Leonard Nimoy's appearance was not only logical, it was also the icing on the cake.

Eric Bana as Nero was perfect as an over-the-top villain, like Khan. The story here is secondary. There are a few minor points that made no sense to me, such as throwing an inexperienced crew in a new ship against an unknown enemy, but that is nit picking. In a movie like this sit back and enjoy the ride. IMDB rates this an 8.6, #58 on their list of the top 250 movies. I ignored my minor point and gave the movie a 10.

Not only did I see a great movie yesterday, The Cubs beat the Padres at Wrigley Field 6-2. Rich Harden is now 4-1 on the season.
Travis was right. Earth is in the Milky Way galaxy.

Today's question is Grade 2/Cultural Studies.

The mythical creature called the centaur is half human and half what other animal?

• A) horse
• B) dog
• C) bull

I knew this one. 95-17.

Star Trek Part 1.

"Only question I ever thought was hard Was do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?"

White and Nerdy.
Weird Al Yankovic

I really don't find that hard. Picard all the way.

I really thought that I had seen and read all of the Star Trek that i was going to. I really liked the series in all of its incarnations, but I really didn't have desire to continue. Two things have changed that. Today I am going to the theater to watch Star Trek. What I have seen and read it looks really interesting. in my book, the original series ranks third behind The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. I am not a big William Shatner fan, and a lot of the episodes of the original were not that good, especially the last season. As far as the movies go I really liked Wrath Of Khan and The Undiscovered Country was good. The rest are not bad but I really don't have plans of watching them again. The Next Generation movies were not as good as the series. I have not seen the last one.

This movie on the other hand looks exciting. I have read where some feel J.J. Abrams has breathed new life into the franchise. I will let you know tomorrow what I think.

The other thing that has me interested in Star Trek is a paperback book I bought at a library book sale. The title of the book is Planet X by Michael Jan Friedman. In it the crew of The Next Generation meet the X-Men. What better pairing since Patrick Stewart has led both teams. When I read it I will write a review.

I am not sure what happened to the size of the letters. Leave it me to mess something up.
The Prime Meridian is zero degrees longitude.
Today's question is Grade 2/Astronomy.

The planet Earth is located in what galaxy?

I knew this one. 94-17.

Follow Up.

I intending on posting a couple of things yesterday and I forgot. I didn't even think of it until I was at work last night. If i only had a brain.

First, I sent my Mom a Mother's Day card. The message on it said:

Good Moms let you lick the beaters.
Great Moms turn the mixer off first.

Before I post the second thing, Winthrop J. Quiggy mentioned yesterday about the manufacturers labels. He mentioned a Superman cape with the instructions, wearing this does not enable the wearer to fly. A lot of those warnings are preemptive. A lot of them are printed to cover themselves, not because somebody actually did it. It is sad that they have to do it, but I understand it. Weird Al Yankovic wrote a song called I'll Sue Ya. Here are the lyrics:

I sued Taco Bell 'Cause I ate half-a-million Chalupas and I got fat
I sued Panasonic They never said I shouldn't use their microwave to dry off my cat, huh

I sued Earthlink
'Cause I called 'em up and they had the nerve to put me on hold
I sued Starbucks
'Cause I spilled a frappucino in my lap and brr, it was cold

I sued Toys 'R Us
Cause I swallowed a Nerf ball and nearly choked to death, huh
I sued PetCo
'Cause I ate a bag of kitty litter and now I got bad breath

I sued Coca-Cola, yo
'Cause I put my finger down in a bottle and it got stuck
I sued Delta Airlines
'Cause they sold me a ticket to New Jersey - I went there, and it sucked

Yeah
If you stand me up on a date
If you deliver my pizza thirty seconds late

I'm gonna sue, sue, yes, I'm gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, that's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna sue, sue, yes, I'm gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, I might even sue you
Ughh

I sued Duracell
They never told me not to shove that double-A right up my nose
I sued Home Depot
'Cause they sold me a hammer which they knew I might drop on my toes

I sued Dell Computers
'Cause I took a bath with my laptop, now it doesn't work
I sued Fruit Of The Loom
'Cause when I wear my tighty-whities on my head I look like a jerk

I sued Verizon
'Cause I get all depressed every time my cell phone is roaming
I sued Colorado
'Cause you know, I think it looks a little bit too much like Wyoming

I sued Neiman Marcus
'Cause they put up their Christmas decorations way out of season
I sued Ben Affleck
Aww, do I even need a reason?

Uhh
If I sprain my ankle while I'm robbin' your place
If I hurt my knuckles while I punch you in the face

I'm gonna sue, sue, yes, I'm gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, that's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna sue, sue, yes, I'm gonna sue
Sue, sue, that's right, I'm gonna sue you
Ughh, ughh, ughh

I'll sue ya, I'll take all your money
I'll sue ya if you even look at me funny
I'll sue ya, I'll take all your money
I'll sue ya if you even look at me funny
I'll sue ya, I'll take all your money
I'll sue ya if you even look at me funny
I'll sue ya, I'll take all your money
I'll sue ya if you even look at me funny

I'll sue ya, ha-ha ha ha-ha
I'll sue ya, whatchy'all think of that?
I'll sue ya, ha-ha ha ha-ha
Booya
I'll sue ya
Ughh

The Cubs avoided a sweep against the Brewers and won yesterday 4-2. They are off today.
Today's question is Grade 5/Geography.

True or False? The Prime Meridian is O degrees longitude.

I guessed and I was right. 93-17.

A Stella Awards Nominee.

The Stella Awards are named for Stella Liebeck, who sued McDonalds in 1992 after being burned by a cup of coffee. A jury awarded her $2.9 million, but exactly how much she collected was part of a confidential agreement. If you get an email listing Stella Award winners, don't take it for gospel. A lot of bogus awards have been "given".

That being said, this is a legitimate lawsuit filed against Wal-Mart by a lady from Louisiana. She was shopping in the Abbeville Wal-Mart when she claims a nutria came at her from behind the Coke rack. A nutria is a South American rodent that was imported for its fur. They were accidentally released into the wild and have become a nuisance in the south. According to this lady, when the nutria came at her she pulled her fully loaded cart back to defend herself and broke two bones in her foot. She claims that the store knew about the nutria and had even named it. I find that hard to believe. It is not hard to believe that it came into the store. A couple of days ago a dog wandered into the store where I work and made it halfway to the back before it was caught. These things do happen. But to claim it was basically a store pet is way off base. For one thing, if it was true health inspectors would either fine the store or shut it down. The stores also get constantly checked by their district manager and every quarter they have what amounts to a peer review, where a group of other store managers come in and grade a store. The final amount of this suit has not yet been determined. Her starting amount is $2000 to cover her medical bills. It will be interesting to see how this comes out.

The Cubs lost again to the Brewers yesterday 12-6. The game was delayed for 20 minutes in the eighth inning when half of the lights at Miller Park went out. The final game of the series is today.

Saturday Smiles.

The Brewers beat the Cubs 3-2 yesterday. The Cubs have been hit hard by the injury bug. The latest is Aramis Ramirez, who hurt his shoulder diving for a ball. He is returning to Chicago for tests.
A lamb's mother is a ewe.
There will be no weekend question this week. Somewhere I messed up and missed a question and have been one day off for at least a week. Since I throw the pages away after posting I am not sure where I messed up. There will be a new question Monday.

Size Discrimination.

I was reading the Atlanta Journal-Constitution online this morning and read an article that brought back some old questions that I had. The article was about Britain's largest clothing store, Marks & Spencer. They had started charging an extra $3 on bras that were DD or larger. A Facebook campaign against that started and 14,000 women signed up to protest. Marks & Spencer has responded and dropped the added charge.

The reason this came to mind is my wife was, in the clothing manufacturers terms, a plus size woman. Because of that any clothes we bought cost at least $2 more than the regular size. I never understood why that was. The price went up on 2X or larger. There is not that much more material in a 2x shirt than there is an XL shirt. So why do they charge more? The same thing is done with mens clothing. It's just not fair to treat them that way.

I saw first hand how people would be so judgmental because of size. A few would actually say something but most would just give dirty looks. There were quite a few times that my wife would cry after we had been out. Her size bothered her but it was very hard for her to lose weight. She tried dieting and exercising, but there were only short term successes. One sad thing is she had actually found a combination that was working. She had lost 40 pounds in the three months before she died.

Putting others down makes some people feel important. Personally I think that only shows how little class they have.

Alfonso Soriano hit two home runs and the Cubs beat the Astros 8-5. Ted Lilly improved to 4-2. The Cubs are in Milwaukee tonight to face the Brewers.
Travis was right. There are 8 pints in a gallon.
Today's question is Grade 1/Animal science.

What is a lamb's mother called?

Being a farm boy, of course I knew the answer to this. 92-17.

Forgiving Nursing Home Fines.

The Illinois House Of Representatives has begun debating a bill that would forgive fines that nursing homes recieved from negligence or any other care issue. The Senator who sponsored this bill recieved $25,000 in campaign contributions from the nursing home industry, but of course he claims that had no effect on his decision to try and get this bill into law. The Senate has already passed it on a vote of 58-0.

Personally I think it is a bad idea. I worked in a nursing home for nine years. I was the Supervisor of laundry and housekeeping. They are not the easiest places to work. They provide a very vital service and for the most part are very caring places. However there are those who cross the line and that is why they get fined. If you remove that the places that are not so good will have no incentive to improve their conditions. The plan is for them to spend the fine money to improve their facilities. What guarantee is there that they will actually do it? There are too many questions that need to be answered. I am hoping that the House defeats this bill.


Rich Harden won his third game of the season as the Cubs beat the Astros 6-3 yesterday. Kevin Gregg has settled down and got his fifth save this year.
Travis was right. I didn't think the Volga was considered to be in Europe.
Today's question is Grade 5/Measurements.

One gallon equals how many pints?

• A) four
• B) six
• C) eight

I knew this one. 91-17.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

There was some concern from the producers of X-Men Origins:Wolverine when somebody put the movie online. What was available was about 20 minutes short. I had the opportunity to watch it and I passed. I wanted to see it on a large screen.

I enjoyed this movie more than any of the three X-Men movies. I like the first two and the third was hurt by trying to do too much. This one is set before the first one. I am not a big Wolverine comic book fan. I was reading them when he first appeared in The Incredible Hulk 181. I do not care for the X-Men comics. To me there is too much history and unless you have been reading for awhile it is a little hard to follow. That said, I enjoy Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine. This movie shows us how he acquired his adamantium skeleton and claws. We meet more mutants, including one X-Men fans either love or hate, Gambit. Personally I like him but I don't really know a lot about him. What I saw here I liked. Most of the mutants I had to look up when I got home. If you like movies based on comic books, this is a great one. I rank it third behind The Dark Knight and Iron Man. I hope we see more of Wolverine. IMDB rates this a 6.9. I gave it a 9.

Next Tuesday, Star Trek.


The Cubs win streak ended at four as the Giants won yesterday 6-2. The Cubs head for Houston and play tonight.
The Mound Builder's mounds were for burials.
Today's question is Grade 3/Geography.
True or false? The Volga is the longest river in Europe.

I missed this one. 90-17.

Movie Day.

Tonight I will be seeing X-Men Origins:Wolverine. They have built a new theater in Dalton. It is by the Walnut Square Mall. They used to have nine screens in the mall. The new theater has twelve screens and they all have stadium seating. I saw Dragonball Evolution there and was very impressed with the entire place. I didn't find out about a special they have until I saw the previews before the movie. Every Tuesday you can buy a small soda and a small bag of popcorn for $1.00 each. You don't find that at many theaters. Tomorrow I will tell you what I think about Wolverine.

Ryan Theriot hit his third home run in four games and helped the Cubs win their fourth consecutive game by beating the Giants 4-2. Lou Pinella has been trying to get Ryan to hit the ball harder and it seems to be working. He had gone 620 at bats without a home run before he hit that grand slam Friday. There was some bad news however. Carlos Zambrano was placed on the 15 day disabled list with that pulled hamstring. Hopefully he will be fully healed and back in a couple of weeks.
An animal that has a backbone is a vertebrate.
Today's question is Grade 3/American History.

The Mound Builders built mounds to be used as what?

• A) farmland
• B) lookout points
• C) burial grounds

I knew this one. 90-16.

Tough Choices.

One of the blogs I enjoy reading is called Dumb As A Blog. It is sponsored by Tru-TV. One thing they do every week is is list five dumb criminals and then let the readers vote. Usually one will stand out more than others, but this week the choice was a little harder. I am going to mention each one. If you want to read more about them, click here and follow the links on the blog page.

The first dumb criminal (I will call them DC from here on) was a 19 year old young lady who attended a wedding. During the reception she stole the bridesmaids gifts, as well as one of their wallets. She has been charged with felony theft.

DC number 2 is a 37 year old drug dealer from Cleveland, Ohio. What put him on the list was his choice of places to peddle his wares. He didn't hang out on a street corner, he went to the parking lot at police headquarters.

DC number 3 is a 68 year old Publix shopper. While shopping for his groceries he sampled some wine and ate part of a candy bar. He then put what he didn't consume back on the shelf. When confronted by a Publix employee he gave a fantastic quote, "What are you going to do, call the police?

DC number 4 is a 39 year old gentleman who entered the court building in St. Lucie, Florida. As with most courthouses these days, he went through a security checkpoint and emptied out his pockets. He had the usual things, keys, change and a marijuana pipe. He was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Our final DC was a gentleman who went riding on his horse. His destination was a strip mall in Arvada, Colorado. He had obviously enjoyed some liquid refreshment before riding and was charged with riding an animal under the influence.

In deciding my vote I quickly eliminated 1 and 5. I went with number 2 but most of the people voting have gone with number 4. The vote continues until next Sunday.


The Cubs won their third straight game, beating Florida 6-4. Unfortunately Carlos Zambrano pulled his hamstring trying to beat out a bunt single. They are not sure exactly how bad he is hurt. Hopefully he won't miss many starts.
"Or" and "but" are conjunctions, not interjections.
Today's question is Grade 5/Science.

An animal that has a backbone would be classified in what subphylum?

I had to guess on this one and I guessed right. 89-16.

The Final Flu Post.

I am sick and tired of all of these flu stories. (rim shot) So sick that I am going to write one more. Then I promise no more talking about it.

First. A definition from Dictionary.com.

Pandemic–adjective

1.	(of a disease) prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world; epidemic over a large area.

The World Health Organization is not calling this a pandemic, but it could become one. the media has latched onto the word and has driven it into the ground. According to the WHO, as of May 2, there are 658 confirmed cases. We need to give the media dictionaries.

Secondly, the doctors in Mexico criticized the WHO for not launching a full scale pandemic alert. They have 397 confirmed cases. Mexico City has a population of about 20 million. Where is this drastic emergency? I have The Count pictured here because he needs to teach these doctors how to count. The death toll that we were lead to believe was 160, has now gone down to 16. I am curious where the media comes up with their numbers. This story list the death count as 20. Who do we believe? I'll take the WHO numbers over any other source. I think this entire story can be summed up by the Bard Of Avon himself, much ado about nothing.


The Cubs have won their last two games. On Friday Ryan Theriot displayed some power. His grand slam helped the Cubs win 8-6. Yesterday Ted Lilly struck out 10 and the Cubs won 6-1. The final game of the series is this afternoon.
Travis was right. A Senators term is six years.
This weekend's question is Grade 2/Grammar.

True or False? "Or" and "but" are examples of interjections.

I knew this one. 88-16.

Grocery Shopping At Toys 'R Us.

In the tough economic times businesses are trying many different things to get extra dollars from their customers. Toys 'R Us has decided to put in what they are calling the 'R Market in about half of their stores. They will be carrying snacks, breakfast foods, baking mixes, beverages, candy, paper goods, health and beauty care items, and laundry and cleaning supplies. Those items do make a good fit for them. I don't shop there much. the closest store is in Rome and I don't go there often. The next time I go I will see if that store has the 'R Market.

Toys 'R Us is not the only chain planning on expanding their food selection. Target has announced when they remodel stores they will be expanding their food offerings. They will be adding refrigerated cases and devote more space to food. If this will help either chain remains to be seen.


Yesterday I mentioned that the death toll in Mexico had gone done. Last night while I was working I realized I should have used one of my favorite Babylon 5 quotes. In the episode "The Summoning' from season 4 Captain Sheridan has returned to Babylon 5 after being absent for awhile. When he arrives there is chaos on the station. When they see him one of the aliens says:

"Captain. We thought you were dead."
Sheridan replies, "I was. I'm better now."


For nine innings yesterday the Cubs did fine. they scored two runs while holding the Marlins to two. In the tenth however it all fell apart. Aaron Heilman couldn't get anybody out and Florida beat the Cubs 8-2. They play again this afternoon.
Winthrop J. Quiggy and Travis were both right. Japan is the land of the rising sun.
Today's question is Grade 4/U.S. Social Studies.

How long is one regular term for a U.S. Senator?

I knew this one. 87-16.