I Need Your Help

Hello all my friends out there.  I need your help.  We have two sweet little dogs named Bonnie and Smallville. They need a new home.

Bonnie is a 5 year-old female (spayed) brown and white Jack Russell Terrier.  Smallville is 4 year-old male (neutered) black and white (and a little brown) Jack Russell Terrier.  Both of them are full-blooded, healthy, housebroken, crate trained, and can do quite a few tricks.

They like to be outdoors, but are comfortable in the house as well.  Jack Russell Terriers are notorious for two things:  being one of the smartest, if not THE smartest dog breed, and being hyperactive.  I prefer the term high energy.  They love to run and play, but every evening the come inside, play fetch and tug-o-war a little bit, then turn into lap dogs.  They love people, and are very friendly.

We recently moved into a new house, and that's where our problems started.  They've gotten out of the fence many times.  In Texas, they never got out of the fence.  In our past three and half years, they only escaped a handful of times, and they usually just came around and scratched on the front door.

Monday, they escaped AGAIN, and this time they ended up instigating a tussle with a Maltese that was being walked by her owner.  The Maltese wasn't hurt,  but the lady was pretty shook up.  She managed to catch both dogs (which isn't difficult) and called Animal Control, who came and picked them up.  We received two citations for each dog:  2 "Failure to Control Animal", and 2 "Vicious Animal".  These are not "vicious" animals.

Our fence just can't seem to hold them.  We need someone that would be willing to give them a new home.  They come with a crate!  The person that would be perfect to adopt these dogs would either have A)  a QUALITY fenced yard, or B)  a couple of hundred acres.  They really don't need to be all-day-inside dogs.

Please pass the word on this.  I'll drive 100 miles to bring them to a good home.

Smallville

Bonnie

You're Not the Boss of Me!

(The title is not a quote of my son, though it could be.  He has said that in the past.)

One of my in-shape, thoughtful friends and her husband are coming over for dinner Saturday.  She was nice enough to make sure that bringing cookies for dessert wasn't going to throw a monkey wrench in my weight loss plans.

I told her to bring the cookies.  If I want one, I'll eat it.  If I don't, I won't.  No problem.

I've told a few people that I could eat the way I am eating right now for the rest of my life, and I truly believe that.  It's simple:  cutting back on sugar in general, no sugary drinks, stay away from white foods (white rice, white bread, white potatoes), and eat reasonable portions.  That's it.

It's NOT a diet.  I've dieted plenty of times.  I know a diet when I'm on one.  I'm not on a diet, but I am eating differently.  The big mental shift I've made is that when I'm on a diet, the DIET is the boss.  The DIET says, "Aaron, you can't eat that.  Aaron, you can't have that."

Now, I'm the boss.  No diet is my boss, and food is not my boss.  When I'm presented with a choice of what to eat, or how much, I just ask myself a couple of questions.

1)  Am I truly hungry?  (If the answer is "no", I don't even go to the other questions.)
2)  Is there something just as good and convenient that would be better for me?
3)  Does this move me closer to, or further from, my goal?

I know it sounds a little complicated.  But now that I've been doing it for a month, it takes a half second.  Here's an example.

Someone brought Dunkin' donuts to work for my office last week.  They sat on the table about 15 feet from my cubicle all day.  I'll be honest.  In the past, I would have eaten 2 or 3 when they arrived, and then ANOTHER 2 or 3 throughout the day.  Hey, why not?  Free donuts, right?

But now, I'm the boss.  Not the food...and not a diet.

I walked by the donuts at least a half dozen times that day.  The first time I walked by I opened the box and took a look.  I thought to myself, "Huh!  Look at that.  Donuts...lots of sugar.  Not worth it."...and walked on by.  The second time I walked by, I didn't even slow down.

It's not a situation of "I can't eat that", but simply "I don't want to eat that".

I recommend that if you are considering going on a "diet"...don't.  Make some positive changes in your eating habits, be healthy, but YOU be the boss, not a diet.  If you want to lose a few pounds (or a lot, like me), before you pop that pop-tart in your mouth ask yourself question #1.

-----

What ONE thing can you do to help yourself (in regards to eating) TOMORROW?  Drink an extra glass of water?  Eat breakfast?  Single meat burger instead of double meat?  Let me know if you do something and I will most definitely cheer you on!

Starbucks vs. Chik-fil-A - And the winner is...

So a few weeks ago me and my fam went on vacation back to Texas. We visited friends and family, took in a Cowboy game (Go Cowboys! - that's for you, honey), and even got to take part in the Fall Fest at the church we attended when we lived in Tyler.

We stayed with my in-laws for a few days. My mom-in-law doesn't even email. My dad-in-law emails and surfs the web, etc., but he uses a cellular card to do it. I didn't want to mess with trying to install the drivers for his card or take up his laptop (after all, I brought mine with me), so I drove a couple of miles down the road to Starbucks. I even blogged about it.

I don't have AT&T Wireless, which is what Starbucks offered, so I ponied up $4 to use wireless for 2 hours. Oh, and I also bought a $4 coffee.

I thought the pricing was reasonable. It was simple, easy to get connected, and I didn't mind paying for it. I didn't even mind buying the coffee. I like Starbucks coffee. I just considered it part of the cost of having a comfortable place to sit, sip my coffee, and have access to the world wide web.

I enjoyed it so much, that two days later I went back. However, the second time I went, things were a little different.

I bought my coffee (even though it was getting a little late, I always feel like I should spend a little at a place that allows me the use of their facilities), paid my $4 to AT&T and got connected. I had been checking email, etc. for about 20 minutes when one of the young gentlemen employed by Starbucks came around to everyone and said, "We'll be closing in 5 minutes."

Hang on a second. I looked at the clock: 5 minutes until 10:00 PM. I could have sworn that the hours of service lasted until 10:30. I didn't want to waste my precious last few minutes going to the door to check so I just kept on doing what I was doing.

About 4 minutes later they turned off the lights. I decided that was my hint to leave. I packed up and headed out. As I was going out the door, the same young gentleman came right behind me to lock the door. I glanced at the glass as I came though: closing hours on Sunday? 10:30 PM.

I mentioned it to the young man.

"The posted hours are incorrect," was his only explanation. No "sorry", or "we'll get that changed".

I mentioned to him that if I had known that the store was closing 25 minutes after I had arrived I wouldn't have purchased a coffee (that I didn't really want that late) and paid for 2 hours of wi-fi when I was going to only be able to use less than a quarter of that.

He just said, "Goodnight," and closed the door.

I have to admit I was more than a little disgruntled.

Looking back, I think they just closed early on me. There was a REALLY bad thunderstorm blowing in from the west, and only about 3 customers in the store. I think they just decided to close.

And in the other corner: Chik-fil-A

Today I went to Chik-fil-A, got some breakfast (can't eat there any other time - allergic to poultry), and connected my laptop to their FREE wi-fi.

I was asked not once, not twice, but 4 times if I would like to have my "beverage refreshed", which was promptly taken care of and brought back to my table with a smile. Oh yeah, each time they asked if I wanted more ice and told me it was their pleasure whenever I thanked them for the refill.

Wow! What a difference.

So here I am, listening to All-Star United, blogging away, drinking a free refill of Dr. Pepper and appreciating Chik-fil-A.

This is the same Chik-fil-A that my wife and 3 year-old came to a few weeks ago. My son has decided that he now wants to order for himself. He ordered some chicken minis and an airplane. The gentleman behind the counter took his order with a smile.

When he brought them their food, there on the tray, was a paper airplane. My son, and probably even more so, my wife were extremely appreciative.

I really appreciate good customer service. Jesus came to serve, you know...

Spoiler Alert!

I like movies. A lot. In fact, somebody did one of those "how many of these movies have you seen" things on Facebook, and I had seen 169 out of 239. That's quite a few in my opinion.

However, there are a fistful of movies that I recommend NO ONE see. The one thing all these movies have in common is a downer ending. If I wanted a downer ending, I'd watch the news.

I will be giving some details about the plot of each movie, so if you ever plan on watching them (in spite of the fact I am telling you now - DON'T!!), then you may want to go ahead and leave this blog. If you want, you could just go here instead. If you don't mind some spoilers, read on!

1) Pay It Forward - Haley Joel Osment (the kid from the Sixth Sense) gets this great idea. Instead of "paying people back" for the bad things they do to you, he wants to "pay it forward" whenever someone does something nice. So he spends the whole movie trying to do this. He fixes his mother up with his school teacher. Eventually his plan makes the news, as people he has paid it forward to, pay it forward to others. Then, at the very end of the movie, he tries to protect a boy from a bully and gets stabbed and killed. I kid you not. Do not watch this movie.

2) My Girl - Girl befriends boy. Everybody is happy. Boy gets stung by lots of bees. Boy dies. Everyone is sad. Never watch this movie.

3) Bridge to Terabithia - Same movie as My Girl except the girl dies, and it's not bees, she drowns in a creek. This movie should be avoided.

4) Message In A Bottle - Kevin Costner and Buttercup from the Princess Bride can't decide if they want to be together. Finally Kevin decides he can commit to Buttercup. He gets in his boat to sail around the point to tell her he loves her and is lost at sea. We had someone recommend this movie for a date night...on our anniversary. Seriously. This movie should be on your personal "DON'T WATCH" list.

This last movie isn't the same type of movie, but it is so bad, I had to add it.

5) Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny - I've not actually seen all of this one. It's that bad. Do not be tempted to watch this movie just so see how bad it actually is. It's really that bad. Scream and run away if someone offers to loan you this movie.

Any recommendations for me to avoid?

These Are A Few of My (Least) Favorite Things

I'm pretty easy going. But there are a couple of things that just drive...me...crazy.

1) Fingertappers
2) Newscasters


Fingertappers are people that tap a finger or two on the microphone to the rhythm of the beat while they are singing. It drives me crazy. CRAZY, I tell you!! I don't remember fingertappers being around in the '80s. I think Christina Aguilara started it all. Even if she didn't, I've decided to blame her.

When we watch American Idol, (I can't abbreviate it as AI, when people do that I always think of artificial intelligence) if the person is a fingertapper, they go right to the bottom of my list. I would rather watch Sanjaya than a fingertapper. No, really, I would.

If you happen to be a fingertapper, I don't dislike you personally. I don't even blame you. I blame Christina Aguilara.

Newscasters also drive me crazy. I'm talking about the ones that have all gone to the same school. I call them " left, right, up, down" newscasters. You know what I'm talking about, right? It goes like this:

"Tonight on 11 Alive News..." (look left)
"we'll meet a family with four cats..." (look right)
"but there's a problem..." (look up)
"they also have...a dog." (look down)

Of course, they're not really "looking" in those directions. Their eyes stay glued to the teleprompter, and while the rest of their head does the gyrations. Two other things finish the package. If they're female, they must speak in a very nasally voice. And, they must pause just before the last...few words.

I always wonder if they talk like that at home, too.

Husband:
"Honey, what's for dinner?"

Wife (in a nasally voice):
"We're going to have meatloaf..." (look left)
"as the main dish..." (look right)
"broccoli and potatoes for sides..." (look up)
"and apple pie...for dessert." (look down)


Watch a little AI (I did it!) and your local news and think of me.

"Reality" TV

I'll admit I like American Idol. I like singing. I like music. It's interesting.

However, this past week, I didn't like it. The teaser commercials had Ryan Seacrest saying, "Tonight, one audition turns serious..." and a clip of Simon saying, "That was a threat." Then a quick shot of Paula, "You don't say that to people..."

I expected, when we finally got that part of the show, to hear someone say something to Simon. I know lots of people have wanted to. Something like, "Meet me outside after the auditions and I'll show you who's got talent," in a menacing voice, or something like that.

Instead, what we had was a country boy saying, "Take care and...be careful." Just kind of mumbling in embarrassment as he left.

Be careful.

Those were the words that Simon took as a threat. Obviously the differences between the British and the U.S. South is greater than I thought.

A large portion of my family says that EVERY TIME someone leaves. It's the southern equivalent of "Take care".

I don't blame Simon (and the rest of the judges) for not being up on Southern colloquialisms. But what bugs me to no end, is the way they spun it. Come on! Isn't the "reality" of reality TV not manipulated enough already?

Argghh!

(BTW - my sister sent me a message via Facebook. She actually said the same things and said them much better than I did.)

Two Arguments for the Home Theater

Firstly:

The other day, my wife and I went to a movie. Tickets at that time, at that theater, were $6.50 a piece. This was before you could pay with a debit/credit card, so we made sure we had cash with us: $20.

After purchasing our tickets, we made our way to the concession stand with our $7 remaining in hand. After perusing the menu for a few moments, we made our decision.

"I'll have a large Coke, a small popcorn, and nachos."

The concession stand person got our snacks together, set it all on the counter and said, "That will be $8, please."

"$8?" I asked, rechecking the menu...

Large drink: $3
Small popcorn: $2
Nacho chips: $2
Total: $7

I explained this to the concession stand person, pointing to each item in turn. They nodded as I pointed to each item, and then pointed to the last item on the list and said:

"And a dollar for the cheese. See, right there. Nacho cheese $1."

So it turns out, nacho CHIPS were $2. Nacho CHEESE was a $1. Put it together, and you get $3 "nachos".

"Have you ever had anyone order just plain "nacho chips" with no cheese?"

"No," they admitted. "Not so far."


Secondly:

Another time, before the movie began, a young man in a purple blazer came down to the front of the theater and asked people to please step out with crying babies, and to make sure that all cell phone ringers were set to silent.

"Cool," I said to myself. Maybe we won't have a bunch of distractions.

About 20 minutes into the movie, a baby started crying a few rows in front of us. After a few moments, the lady got up and started up the aisle.

"Great," I thought, "very considerate of her."

Then the lady got to the top of the aisle, stopped, and watched the rest of the movie from there with her crying baby. Of course he only cried about, give or take, 37% of the time.

At about the halfway mark through the movie in a very quiet section I heard, "Hello...I'm watching a movie...the Hulk...it's okay...yeah...yeah...alright...uh huh...about another hour...okay...talk to you later."

At least he had his ringer off...

Save the Planet!! (It's where I keep all my stuff.)

I've decided to go purple...or any other color...just not green. Overuse of the word "Green" as a catch-phrase for everything environmentally friendly is now to the point of driving me crazy!

While you are at it, let's throw the terms "eco-friendly", "renewable resource", "hybrid", "alternative fuels", and my favorite, "low carbon footprint" into the same category.

Don't get me wrong, I love the environment. I live in it everyday. It grows my food and feeds the cows that become my cheeseburgers. I want the environment to be healthy. We have reusable grocery sacks.

I guess I am just a little tired of all the ecovangelists.

A Little Premature?

On the little screen in the elevator at work today I saw an interesting headline:

Ala. county sets 'Barack Obama Day' as new holiday

Now, don't get me wrong. I recognize the historic precedent of Barack Obama's election. I really do. But couldn't we have waited until he at least took office before we created a holiday for him?

I mean...

In this county, this is a paid, government holiday. Annual holiday. Take a minute and read the article.

Go figure.

Chicken Anyone?

It's late...I should be in bed...but I've been laughing to myself about this all day...

If you spend much time with me, you'll learn that I am allergic to chicken.  All poultry, in fact.  I always jokingly say that's why they call it fowl.  Haha.  I don't go into anaphylactic shock or anything like that, but it definitely does NOT agree with me.

That being said, of course chicken (and turkey) is so ubiquitous, I have to be careful eating out. Even soups are usually on the "no thanks" list because so many of them use chicken stock as a base.

So today, when the new management of our building had a "Get To Know Us" breakfast for all the tenants, I ran into this situation again.  They had "vegetable breakfast burritos", and just plain "breakfast burritos".  The conversation went something like this:

Me:  "Excuse me...what's in the breakfast burritos?"

Server:  "Meat, cheese...uh...um...tomatoes I think."

Me:  "I'm allergic to poultry.  Do you know what kind of meat it is?"

Server:  "Sausage."

Okay.  Ever of heard of people putting turkey in their sausage to lean it up and make it healthier?  I sure have.  Sausage is not a "meat", it is a "meat product"...sometimes it is a "meat BY-product".  You never hear a rancher say, "Yeah, I've got 50 head of cattle on the back 40 acres, and 100 head of sausage on the front 40."

Me:  "Do you know if there is any turkey or chicken in it?"

Server:  "I'm not sure..."

Lady behind me in line:  "There's probably not any turkey in it..."

Apparently she had no problem risking MY health.  I think she just wanted me to quit slowing the line down.  So I grabbed one of each and headed back to my desk.

It was ham.

And Now We Find Ourselves Here

So I was watching the tube the other day and I saw an advertisement for a new movie. Keep in mind this was during prime time.  The title was "Zach and Miri Make a Porno". As I sat and watched the commercial, feeling somewhat dumbfounded, I couldn't help but be a little shocked as to what now passes as fair game for mainstream comedy. IMDB has this for the synopsis:

Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised that if you sat down and watched this movie (which I am not recommending, by the way), that you might actually find a few funny scenes, and probably even some heart-warming moments. After all, they are almost billing it as a romantic comedy.  But the basic premise of the movie just steps over another line.  It's been the practice of the movie industry for years to throw a smattering of bad language, a little nudity, and a couple of bedroom scenes into their "Rated R" comedies for years, but it this just seems to be a new low.

I understand that this movie has an "R" rating, and is therefore intended for "adults".  I've never been accused of being a prude (at least not to my face), but it just feels like ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is now fair game for the media in songs, movies, and television.  There's no longer any sense of the sacred or profane.  Nothing is too holy that it can't be made fun of, and nothing is too profane that it can't be slathered all over prime-time television.  

In my opinion, and that's all it is, this just reeks of the media latest attempt to find something new and provocative, to push the envelope, and to be the one that breaks new ground "artistically".

But, for me personally, this was ground that I would have love to have left unbroken.

Gas Prices, Oil Prices, and the Media

To my loyal blog readers (both of you), my apologies. My rate-o'-blogging has decreased dramatically with my new job, and my injury at my new job (which, by the way, is mostly better now...thanks for asking).

(Aaron steps up onto soapbox.)

So here' what I'm talking about tonight: GAS PRICES and the MEDIA!!! (Yes, it has to be in CAPS, because that's the way they announce things.)

Wow. One of the media's favorite topics in Atlanta is gas prices. I am sure that it's the same other places, but I don't read the Tulsa Times (sorry Jeff). This past week, with Hurricane Ike coming in, they began to announce things like:

• Gas Prices May Climb to $5.00/gallon!!
• Georgia Only Has Three Day Supply of Fuel
• Texas Refineries Shutting Down Due to Approaching Hurricane
  

So what did people do? They went to the gas station as quickly as they could and filled up. Lots of people. And guess what, wouldn'tcha know...some stations ran out of gas. Gas stations took advantage of it and raised their prices some, also. Imagine that. Thing is, though, no one is doing any more driving this week than they would have. Why did everyone need that extra gas they just "had to have"?

True, there are some stations around with their pump handles covered, so some stations did run out of gas. Of course, about 2 miles away is a station with gas for $3.79...a whopping .15 more a gallon than before the "scare". Heck, even the media is blaming the media.

I just think it is crazy that if a person with a microphone says there' s a chance of something happening, everyone acts on it like it's fact. And, just because there's a chance it could happen, it's no reason to broadcast the worst-case scenario. It's a great way to start a self-fulfilling prophecy, though!

Below are some example headlines of what the media HAS said, along with things that the media COULD say, if they wanted...because they are just as true.

------------

Example 1:
Gas prices could soar above $5 per gallon with the effects of Hurricane Ike.

Alternative headline:
Miniature schnauzers could spontaneously combust if dipped in lighter fluid.

My take: I'm not gonna fill my car up, and I'm not going to trade my schnauzer in on a less combustible canine.

------------

Example 2:
With only a 3 day supply of fuel in Georgia, many stations could begin to run low.

Alternative headline:
With most grocery stores only carrying 10 pounds of bratwurst, a run on a particular store could cause a shortage.

My take: I'd be more worried about the bratwurst. You can never have too much bratwurst.

------------

Example 3:
Refined gas could possibly be in short supply due to damage to refineries in Texas from Ike.

Alternative headline:
The mullet could possibly be the next in retro look.

My take: Almost any statement can be made true if throw in the words "could possibly". As in, I "could possibly" quit listening to the media entirely if they keep saying stupid things like they did this weekend.

---------

(Aaron steps down off of soapbox.)

And Then...

After our day started kinda in the toilet, I went to work tonight! That was cool...

Until I slipped on the wet floor and fell. Hard.

So, I think I'll head back to the recliner now.

Fun Day

Well, this time, the title was sarcastic...

Today, my wife and son and I were cleaning up in the front yard: blowing leaves off the driveway, picking up some sticks, etc.

Fun Thing #1:
My wife noticed that my car (which i part on the street because our garage is a converted carport and can't hold both cars plus be storage) had been hit and my rear tail light assembly was broken. Drat! Looking on line, it looks like most of my first paycheck from the Hut will go to that.

Fun Thing #2:
Shortly after that, my son and I went in (he was getting nappy), and my wife decided that she was going to finish up just a bit. A few minutes later she came in calling for me to come help. I went into the kitchen to discover that she had uncovered a nest of wasps while raking leaves. Long story short: she was stung on the ear, lip, side, knee, and ankle. They were very painful. Thankfully, she is not allergic, so other than a little swelling and a lot of pain, she's fine.

What a fun day!

O Power, Where Are Thou?

You know, I find that I love life's little conveniences. You know what I'm talking about, right? Like turning on the light, and the light turning on. Or another example would be your computer monitor having colors and such on it, instead of it just being black.

We had a nice little thunderstorm come through Atlanta today. West of my house, their power stayed on. Just north of us...everything okay! How's the east doing? Still cookin' with power. Southside? Aw, yeah! We're lit up!

My house?

Pitch black.

Apparently a power line went down about 300 yards from my house, only effecting my neighborhood.

"So, Aaron, how are you blogging?" you might ask. "On your trusty laptop at a cool Starbuck's Coffee Shoppe?" (I spelled shoppe like that so I would feel like I was in England) No, I'm blogging from my friend Joshua's laptop sitting in his spare room. My fam is bunking at the Perkin's abode tonight.

In Atlanta, in the summer, no electricity+ thunderstorm = incredible heat and humidity.

For all of you that thought this blog was going to be my much awaited (haha) blog about our vacation...sorry! That's have to wait until tomorrow...when I have POWER!!!

MCs - not Hammer, but in General

MCs. You know, the people that come out and introduce whomever or whatever you are actually there to see. It's a tough job. I've done it lots of times. The audience is usually just waiting for you to get off of the stage and for Bono to get up there.

Why is it then, that they feel the need to use they same phrases worn out phrases in an attempt to "hype" things up? Is there a special MC school? I think that's going to be my new moniker: MC Skool. But I digress.


---

Example 1: "I wanna give a shout out to..."

You don't have to shout, you have a microphone. Just tell us the people you would like to recognize and/or say hello to.

---

Example 2: "C'mon everybody, puts your hands together for..."

This one's not too bad, but still, there are probably better ways to say it.

---

Example 3: "Everybody give it up for..."

My least favorite. First, I would like the MC to clearly state what "it" is so I can decide if I want to give it up. Secondly, I would like some well-defined reasons as to why I should give it up. That's not too much to ask, is it?

---

Example 4: ....

There was another one that really annoyed me the other night. If I can remember it, I'll edit this post and add it.

Peace out, yo!


*********************************

Okay, I'm back....

Example 5: "The next act/person/band bringin' it to the stage..." (Jeff added example 4 in his comment.)

Another example of "it". I would prefer they bring their act, or talent, or something definable. "It" scares me.

Hooking Up Words and Phrases and Clauses

You know, there are just certain phrases people use that drive me crazy. I don't know why. I am sure it's me, not them. And, I just want to say up front, if you use these phrases, please don't hate me. I use them myself sometimes, and I don't hate me.

Without further ado:

1. "...take it to the next level..." - the only thing I want to take to the next level is Donkey Kong. Why is everything always about levels? Don't we ever just want to "improve"? There are so many better ways to say that something is getting better without resorting to this phrase. Please, don't use this phrase, or I may have to take my ranting "to the next level".


2. "...get on the same page..." - there's nothing intrinsically bad with this phrase. It just bugs me. Maybe because at times there is the connotation that "Hey, I'm on the right page, why don't you get on the same page as me?" I guess it is just pride yelling.


3. "...that's a __________ question." - This phrase is fine if the blank is filled with words like: stupid, brilliant, ignorant, redundant, or tactless. But don't put someone's name in the blank! Please just say, "That's a question for ___________".
   

Sometimes People Amaze Me...

...with how incredibly stupid they can be.

I was joking with a friend that I was going to have a label/category called "stupidness", because I find myself starting stories with the phrase "D'you know what's really stupid?" Well, what do you know...I've only been a blogger a couple of days and I already have a blog with the label/category of stupidness. Stupidness follows below:

Today a friend of mine told me of a front page news article he saw on Yahoo! news. At first I thought he was joking, but he wasn't. If you doubt the existence of the story after you read it, you can find the original article here. And now, for your reading enjoyment, here is the article in its entirety.

MILLBURY, Ohio - Parents have complained to a northwest Ohio school board that a chaperone sealed students in their hotel rooms with duct tape during a high school choir field trip.

At a heated meeting Monday, Michelle Mata told the Lake Local school board in Millbury that the tactic panicked her son during a recent weekend trip to Chicago.

Sylvia Keeler said she may file charges. Her son, Mark Hummel, said he worried he could be trapped during a fire.

School board president Timothy Krugh (kroo) told parents the tape was meant to keep students safe.

Schools Superintendent Jim Witt said the tape would show if students violated curfew but wouldn't have kept them from escaping in an emergency.

What?!??!

Are you kidding me? Maybe they should be required to put a sign on the inside of the hotel room door that says "In case of fire, open door and leave."

This must be some kinda duct tape. We should be building buildings out of this duct tape. Apparently McGiver has nothing on this chaperone. Apparently he can permanently seal a door with duct tape.

Seriously.