Another Short Break.

I have had a slight case of writers block lately. I also am getting ready for a trip which hasn't helped at all. My vacation starts September 1. I am going to leave on the third for Illinois. I will be there about 5 days. I am looking forward to yet, yet there is a little sadness since this is the first time I have been back since Dad passed away last year. I will start blogging again after I return.

Before I go, I want to respond to Rob and Jeff about the Pete Rose situation. I agree that there are guys in there who morally are much worse than Pete. In fact, while I am on my break I will do some research and will do a post about Ty Cobb. My main objection to Pete was he put himself above the rules, and I recall reading somewhere in a Good Book about reaping what you sow. I understand why you feel Pete belongs.

In case you are wondering about the picture, I did a Google image search for short break and that popped up. It is from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. You can find it here.

I will resume the fifth grader questions when I return. Just in case somebody didn't actually know, "Custer's Last Stand" took place at the Battle Of The Little Big Horn. It was in all the papers at the time.

I Respectfully Disagree.

Three weeks ago I talked about how I felt that Michael Vick deserved a second chance and should be allowed to resume his football career. In the comments I recieved from that that two of my friends, Dana and Jeff, both expressed the opinion that Pete Rose should also be forgiven and allowed into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. I understand where they are coming from, but I disagree with them.

If you only base belonging to the Hall Of Fame, there is no doubt that he should be there. No one has more hits, played in more games, went to bat more times, and made more outs than he did. I know that last one is a negative statistic, but that comes with longevity. There is no doubt with all he accomplished he should be in. However, baseball has one major commandment, Thou shalt not bet on baseball games. To borrow from Hamlet, "ay, there's the rub".

Gambling had been around baseball in the early days, but never on the scale as the 1919 World Series. I have supplied a link to Wikipedia. As with most articles there, it gives a fairly good overview of what happened. 8 members of the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the Series. They were acquitted after a trial, but the newly appointed Commissioner of Baseball, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, banned them for life. It was an example for all the players of the consequences of gambling. Ever since then it has been stressed to players you do not bet on baseball games.

When originally confronted by the betting allegations Rose of course denied them. Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti hired attorney John M. Dowd to investigate. Dowd found that Rose bet on Reds games in 1986, 1987, and 1988. Rose continued to deny that. The matter was headed for Federal Court when Rose cut a deal. He agreed to be placed permanently on baseballs ineligible list. He never admitted why and baseball didn't push the matter. For almost 15 years he continued to lie and claim he never bet on baseball. Then as his eligibility for the Hall Of Fame was running out he wrote a book. I tried to find out how much he was paid for it, but I wasn't able to, but he never admitted gambling on baseball until he was paid for it. I do believe him when he said he never bet against the Reds, but he now fully admits to breaking that commandment.

Had Pete come clean at the time the allegations came out, I would be more forgiving. Since he chose to lie for all those years and only admitted it as a desperate chance to get into the Hall, I do not believe he deserves to get in. As a baseball player, you do not bet on the games for any reason. Dana and Jeff, I understand and respect your reasons for him getting in. This in mine as to why he should not.
A double bar at the end of a measure signifies the end of the piece of music.
Today's question is Grade 5/U.S. History.

In 1876, "Custer's Last Stand" took place during what battle?
I knew this one. 133-21.

That Didn't Take Long.

They have not officially reinstated him yet, but that hasn't stopped the NFL from selling the Philadelphia Eagles Michael Vick jersey. It can be yours for only $79.99. (Where is Triumph the Comic Insult Dog when you need him.) I agree that Vick deserves a second chance, but in my opinion it is a little tacky for the NFL to cash in immediately on it. It shows what their main concern is, the almighty dollar. I don't have a problem with them trying to make money, I just feel that they should have waited until it is official.

I am also wondering just how effective he is going to be. He has not played in two years and he definitely will not be the starting quarterback. The Falcons were not happy with his last few games. He did not seem to have his head into the game. How is he going to respond when a crowd boos him? Philadelphia fans have a reputation of being rough on the home town players. When they are on the road, I am sure he will face out right hostility. I hope he is prepared for that.
Luke is 54 inches tall.
Today's question is Grade 4/Music.
What does a double bar line at the end of a measure signify?

• A) a rest
• B) the end of a piece of music
• C) the end of a measure

I had to guess and I was right. 132-21.

Sunday Serenade.

I am going to try and post a song here. If this works out I will probably do this every weekend.

Travis was right. A salamander is an amphibian, not a lizard.

Today's question is Grade 4/Measurements.

Luke is 4 inches taller than Angela. If Angela is 4 feet, 2 inches tall, then how many inches tall is Luke?

I knew this one. 131-21.

Never Give Up.

In one sense, you almost have to admire someone who sticks with their beliefs, no matter how dumb they might be. No, I am not making reference to Rod Blagojevich. I am talking about Roy L. Pearson, Jr. He was the judge who sued a dry cleaner for $64 million for losing a pair of his pants. It did not matter to him that they had his pants, he claimed they weren't. Of course, he lost that case. Shortly after that, he also lost his job. Now he is suing for wrongful termination. He simply doesn't understand that he lost all credibility as a judge with that suit. He has lost this case, but he will more than likely appeal. He reminds me of the Black Knight in Monty Python And The Holy Grail. In case you haven't seen the movie, the Knight gets both arms and both legs cut off and still wants to fight. Like I said, you can almost admire Pearson, if he wasn't being so ridiculous.
The joke that I had to resist yesterday was this was this question stinks. The olfactory system is our sense of smell.
Today's question is Grade 1/Animal Science.

True or False? A salamander is a lizard.
I knew this one. 130-21.

Farewell Taco Bell.

It was a job that I never wanted. I had somebody living with me and I did not want to have to work a second job. She was supposedly trying to get one, but I could tell that she was only going through the motions. I put in several job applications and Taco Bell was the first that called. The interview was basically a formality. I was what the manager was looking for. The job I was hired in for was cleaning captain, a fancy title for janitor. Since I have 16 years cleaning experience in nursing homes and hospitals it wasn't that hard. I had cleaned surgery rooms so a fast food restaurant was easy. I was working about 20 hours a week. Two days my job was to unload the truck, put it all away, then do some basic cleaning. About a month after I was hired the person living with me moved out in the middle of the night. She left a note and one of the things it said was now I could quit Taco Bell. I kept the job for awhile to get some bills caught up. I decided that I would quit in February 2008. Before I quit I told the manager that if he wanted me to I would stay on two days a week and do the trucks. That was acceptable so I did that.

At the end of June I gave my notice. It was a six month notice and I would quit at the end of the year. At that time the trucks were arriving on Wednesday and Saturday. Around October it was changed to Monday and Thursday. That change made it easier for me and I stayed on. I finally decided in early June of this year that I would quit at the end of August. I am going on vacation to Illinois at Labor Day and I did not want to work two jobs when I returned. My leaving was pushed up two weeks due to another scheduling change. The trucks had been scheduled for 2:30 A.M. on both Monday and Thursday. If you have been following this blog you know that Thursdays have been a lot later. The new schedule calls for Monday deliveries at 1:00 P.M. and Thursdays at 10:00 A.M. Since I work Monday nights there is no way I am going to unload a truck and then have to work all night.

I am writing this before I go in. I am going to check at 7:00 A.M. Hopefully the truck has been there. If not, I will get as much ready as I can, clean the parking lot, and they will call me when the truck arrives.

One of the biggest reasons I have stayed is because of the way I have been treated. They really do appreciate what I have done. There has been a manager change since I started but the attitude remains. They basically stay out of my way because I obviously know what I am doing. I will miss the people, but I am ready to rest a little more. I don't need the money. It was nice having it but I usually ended up blowing it. Now I have to be a little more responsible. I think I can handle that.

Addendum. It is now 11:45. I went in at 7:30 and the truck was being unloaded. I spent three hours there and I now am done. It has been fun, but I really won't miss it.
Sorry Travis, but granite is an igneous rock.
Today's question is Grade 2/Health.
Which of the five senses is most directly related to the olfactory system?
Must resist bad joke until tomorrow. Sorry, I was talking to myself again. I knew this one. 129-21.

A Question For My Blogging Friends.

A couple of days ago I recieved an email from feedmil.com wanting me to submit a short informative description about my blog. Have any of you done this? I just used it search for my blog. It shows my last post, mentions I post 5 times a week, and it is rated a 2 out of a 10 scale in popularity. Actually I am surprised it rates that high. I figured on that scale I would only get a one. I will wait a couple of days before I decide whether or not to write something. I am not sure if I want to because, if you read this regularly, you know I hate writting about myself. Now if you will buy that, I have some real estate I'll sell you.

This is the second time I have been contacted by feedmil. I had another offer for something free if I would plug it here. It was some kind of eyeglasses, I don't remember what they did, but they would have sent me a pair if I then wrote a review about them. Since they were nothing that I would have used, I passed. If I ever get another offer I will consider it. Before I agree to it I will make sure the sender knows that I will be totally honest about the product. If I think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread I will say so. However, if I feel it is as useful as teats on a boar, I will also say so. I won't lie just to get something free.

If I do write a description for them I will post it here as well.Travis was right. The Himalayas are higher than the Rockies.
Today's question is Grade 3/Earth Science.
Granite is an example of which type of rock?

• A) igneous
• B) sedimentary
• C) metamorphic

I had to guess and I was right. 128-21.

Change Of Plans.

I was all set to go see G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra today. I checked the movie time on line and it was supposed to start at 1:30. I took a nap to make sure that I wouldn't fall asleep during the movie, and then I headed to the theater. I got there about 1:20 where I found out there is no matinee showing today. I forgot that school started last week and they only have matinees on the weekends. If I had gone to Dalton I could have seen it at 1:30. Unfortunately the men and women of law enforcement frown on you driving fast enough to cover 20 miles in 10 minutes. They just don't have a sense of humor about it. The last showing today is at 9:45. If I get up in time I might go, but now I am not so sure. I just might wait for the DVD. I have other plans for tonight. I am going to do my laundry. I lead such an exciting life.

Travis was right. Kimonos are worn in Japan.
Today's question is Grade 4/Geography.

Which mountain range has the higher mountains, the Rockies or the Himalayas?
I knew this one. 127-21.

Caffeine Cut Back.

I have been doing something lately that I never thought I would ever do. I have drastically cut my caffeine consumption. Before I drank almost nothing except for Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi, whichever one was on sale. Now I am only drinking two cans a day. I have switched to flavored water. Wal-Mart ran a special on Nestle Pure Life water, 6 bottles for $1. I bought a couple of the lemon flavored and liked it enough to start cutting back. I have also tried using Tru-Lemon packets, but there is something about Calhoun's water that gives it an odd taste. I think I will buy a gallon of drinking water and see how that tastes. My doctor has been trying to get me to cut back for some time now. This will make her happy when I go back for my next check up. I did have a headache for the first couple of days after the change, but I now find that I am feeling better over all. I never realized what caffeine was doing to me. Now I am going to try and over come my laziness and get an exercise program started.
Jeff was right. The birthplace of the Olympics is Greece.
Today's question is Grade 2/Geography.

A kimono is the name for a traditional robe worn in what country?

Personally I would have classified this question as social studies, not geography. In any case I knew the answer. 126-21.

Sunday Smiles.

The answer was true. 1895 was in the 19th century.
Today's question is Grade 2/History.

What country is the birthplace of the Olympics?
I knew this one. 125-21.

Only In The Movies.

Yesterday I was watching The Sons Of Katie Elder. I found the ending unintentionally hilarious. I do admit to having a warped sense of humor. My wife once told me she didn't like going to the theater with me because I would embarrass her by laughing at things that no one else was. I can't help it. That is just me.

First of all, you know in a John Wayne movie he is not going to let the bad guy get away with it. John goes after him. The bad guy, played by James Gregory, runs into a gun shop. After all, every small town in the west had a well stocked gun shop. They not only had guns, they also had dynamite in it. After he has been shot at, John fires back as he rushes into the building. He dives behind the counter where he is surrounded by dynamite. Of course Gregory takes a few shots at John while he is behind the counter. Fortunately for John, Gregory cannot hit the broad side of a barn. Earlier he had gunned down a man from a distance with the man moving. All of a sudden he can't shoot straight. Then to distract Gregory, John hurls a can of dynamite at him. Again, Gregory misses his shot. Fortunately that can doesn't explode. Finally, John pushes a can towards the doorway, escapes from the shop, and shoots the can, thereby blowing up the store and killing Gregory. I laughed through the whole scene.

I am not criticizing the movie. I enjoyed it, I just thought that last scene was over the top. There is nothing wrong with that. I don't expect my movies to be realistic. I just like having fun watching them, and this one was a lot of fun.

The correct answer was B.

Today's question is Grade 1/History.

True or False? The year 1895 was in the 19th century.

I knew this one. 124-21.

Users.

There are a lot of people today who try to get as much as they can without doing anything for it. They find those who are overly trusting and then get as much from them as they can. There are many methods that they use. They are excellent story tellers and can be extremely convincing. Most have no conscience or sense of guilt. Some even feel like they are entitled to it.

I mentioned yesterday that even though Herb was harassing Jennifer she still used him. I know first hand about that. I loved my wife, but I didn't work two jobs for years because I liked working. The same is true for She Who Left In The Middle Of The Night. She would work long enough to make it seem like she was helping, then she would quit. About a year after my wife died I met a lady and I fell for a sob story. It was the old tale that she needed money and had it, but couldn't access it for a few days. I told her I would help her and then she was going to repay it. Of course I never saw the money and I was out $600. Because of all that I made sure I knew that My Lady was not a user before I got involved with her. Occasionally you can teach on old dog new tricks.

I never have understood the user mentality. The examples I gave were women, but men are just as bad. Of course sometimes the user gets what is coming to them. I ran across the tale of a man who was cheating with on his wife with three different women. He had conned one of them out of $3000. They got their revenge with a tube of super glue. They did not know about each other, but were tipped off by his wife. Can you say payback?
Travis was right. West Virginia became a state during the Civil War.
Today's question is Grade 4/English.
Which is an example of the correct use of a comma?

• A) Oct, 31 2006
• B) Oct. 31, 2006
• C) Oct. 31 2006

I knew this one. In fact I found it hard to to type it. It just didn't feel natural. 123-21.

A Broken Obsession.

Last year I wrote about the obsession that one of my male co-workers had for a female co-worker. I will revisit that to the point where I am calling the male Herb and the female Jennifer. Jennifer has been fired and Herb is upset about it. She was fired for drug usage. She came to work while on meth. Her behavior was very erratic and she ended up cutting herself while opening a box, so the firing was justified.

Herb had never quit obsessing over Jennifer, but she did encourage it somewhat. He hadn't been as blatant about it. A few months ago Jennifer broke her ankle so she had been off work. When she returned Herb was elated. Last week two of my co-workers asked me to talk to Herb and ask him to back off. Herb made sure he took his lunch when Jennifer was there. She totally ignored him but he refused to get the message. Jennifer has had a few mental problems over the years and those that new her best said she was close to breaking. It is possible that Herb pushed her over the edge and she turned to drugs, but I won't lay the total blame on him. I had found out that Herb was giving her money and then was ignoring him. I don't talk to him as much as I used to. He asked me about her and I told him she was using him. Several of us tried to tell him to stop it and he refused. Now he is paying the price.

I feel sorry for Jennifer and I hope she gets her life back under control. It is a sad story all the way around.

Sorry, Travis. A tulip is a monocot. Dictionary.com says a monocot is "Any of a class of angiosperm plants having a single cotyledon in the seed. Monocotyledons have leaves with parallel veins, flower parts in multiples of three, and fibrous root systems. Their primary vascular bundles are scattered throughout the stem, not arranged in a ring as in eudicotyledons. Grasses, palms, lilies, irises, and orchids are monocotyledons." I really don't like science.

Today's question is Grade 3/American History.
Which of these was NOT one of the original 13 British colonies?

• A) New Jersey
• B) Delaware
• C) West Virginia

I knew this one. 122-21.

You Can't Please Everybody.

I had a couple of people last night who not pleased with my customer relations skills. One of our frozen food cases went out yesterday. The case that was out contained our breakfast items, desserts, and fruits. One man wanted some breakfast items and couldn't understand why we didn't put them somewhere else. Where you put them? We don't have any extra space. When the case goes down the main concern is getting the cases emptied and put the product in the big freezer. Of course we are going to lose sales, but that is one of the problems with refrigerated cases. When they quit working there is nothing you can do.

The second person was a lady who wanted some Cool Whip. She asked me, "Can't you go get some?" Normally I would have, but there was no way of knowing where it was. It would have taken me longer to find than it was worth. She was a little indignant and left. It was not worth the trouble for a one dollar sale. Most people are understanding in a situation like that, but there are always a few who are not.

On a personal note, I had planned on quitting Taco Bell on August 31. Today that got moved up to August 13. They are changing the truck times. It will be coming at 1:00 P.M. on Mondays and at 10:00 A.M. on Thursdays. Of course if you read this blog regularly you know those arrival times are missed quite a bit. I cannot work in the afternoons because that is my sleeping time. I did tell the manager that on Thursday August 20 I will come in and go over a few things with the guy who will be unloading the trucks. I told him to just call me when the truck arrives and I will come in. I will not be clocking in. I told him I would do it for a free meal. What can I say? I work cheap.
Travis was right. Johannes Gutenberg used a printing press with movable type.
The answer to the second question was Babe was Paul Bunyan's ox. I will soon be posting something about Babe.

Today's question is Grade 5/Science.

True or False? A tulip is a monocot.

I had no idea. I guessed right. 121-21.