Your favorite actor is who?

I was reading an old trivia book (Jimmy Carter was still listed as President) when I stumbled upon this list of celebrity pseudonyms, aka "stage names". Below you will find a list of stage names on the left & a list of real names on the right. See if you can match the two. Answers are below (no peeking).

1. Fred Allen ------------------------------A. John Florence Sullivan
2. Richard Burton-------------------------B. Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.
3. Red Button -----------------------------C. Aaron Chwatt
4. Tony Curtis ----------------------------D. Bernard Schwartz
5. Kirk Douglas ---------------------------E. Issur Danielovitch Demsky
6. Cary Grant ----------------------------F. Archibald Leach
7. Rock Hudson --------------------------G. Roy Fitzgerald
8. Boris Karloff ---------------------------H. William Henry Pratt
9. Stan Laurel ----------------------------I. Aurthur Jefferson
10. Ray Milland --------------------------J. Reginald Truscott-Jones
11. Edward G. Robinson -----------------K. Emanuel Goldberg
12. Roy Rogers ---------------------------L. Leonard Slye
13. Danny Thomas -----------------------M. Amos Jacobs
14. John Wayne --------------------------N. Marion Michael Morrison
15. Ed Wynn -----------------------------O. Isiah Leopold




Answers:

I pulled a fast one on you. Simply read across for the correct answer.

One Word Fortune

Yesterday we went to the Chinese buffet for lunch. This is what my fortune cookie read:

I know it is blurry, but it says "Hallelujah!". Short sweet & to the point. It's the only word that doesn't change regardless of what language it is spoken. It is the highest praise. A reminder, perhaps, to praise the Lord for all he has done for me? Or maybe just a note from above about his love for me. What a great way to start off Easter week.

Dude! Where's Spring?

We had been enjoying temperatures in the 50's & 60's recently. It cooled a bit with some rain earlier this week, but I was sure winter was behind us. Until I woke up to this Friday Morning:

We got about two inches of snow overnight Thursday. The vast majority of it has melted by Saturday morning. Am I the only one who is sick of seeing the white stuff?

Flashback Friday #80

The RCA Record Club

Welcome back to my loyal reader(s). Today's post covers a deal too good to be true.

Many moons ago, my Mom gave in to temptation. While flipping through the pages of TV Guide, She came across an advertisement. It was for the RCA Record Club. The ad stated that you could order 10 albums (those are the large round black vinyl things that you played on a record player) for only 10 cents! Yes sir, for only one thin dime, you could have hours of music for your listening pleasure.

She talked it over with Dad, and they sent it in. A few weeks later, the mailman dropped off a large package. We all knew what it was. Our records were here.

When we opened the box, we kids discovered that the records that we suggested didn't make the final cut for the 10 cent albums. Everything was Country Western. Since my folks were the ones paying for them, they decided that they would order what they liked. We didn't think that was fair.

I don't remember the exact artist in the initial delivery, but I do remember that eventually Merle Haggard, Jeanie C. Riley, Buck Owens, Porter Waggoner, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn and Johny Cash all came to our house. This seemed like a great deal. Then came the small print. By joining and getting a great deal on 10 records, we had agreed to buy an additional amount at regular club price.(aka not what you would pay at K-Mart). We bought the additional amount (again all country) and Mom swore that we would buy no more. I can remember the family sitting around the living room listening to those records.

About a year later, once again while reading through the TV Guide (we had a subscription), Mom spotted another ad for the RCA record club where you could get 10 records for a penny. One red cent is all it cost. Mom wondered if enough time had passed for us to be eligible again. She filled out the form, and sent it in, this time knowing that we would have to buy more. Once again the postman left behind a big box. Once again, all country.

The only time we didn't get a country album was when Mom either copied the number down incorrectly or we were sent it erroneously. In one shipment we got a Joni Mitchell album (containing the song "Big Yellow Taxi"). Mom said it would cost too much to send it back and at least it was mellow enough for her to listen to (not like those crazy rock & roll songs).

It wasn't until a little later that Sir Gattabout decided to spend some of his paycheck for some of those crazy rock & roll records. He was told that he wasn't allowed to play them on the downstairs stereo if my parents were at home. I can still see him using the broom as a guitar while playing along with Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water".

Have you ever joined a record (or video) club?

The healthcare debate

Here are some reactions to the healthcare vote Sunday. These were posted on Pundit Kitchen (part of the I Can Has Cheezburger network).

Is there a Bard in the house?

My grandson, "The Boy" recently performed in a play with some of his peers. He is in the Challenge (gifted) Seminar at our local school. He and the other 3rd graders put on Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" . Yes I said 3rd grade and Shakespeare in the same sentence. They read from their scripts and acted out the parts (what, you expected a 3rd grader to memorize Shakespeare?). For you viewing enjoyment, here is scene one. (My grandson is the first child to speak)
If SchoolTube decides to pull the video, you can click here to link to SchoolTube.

Flashback Friday #79

My Brother, The Eating Machine

Hello all you fine readers out there (at least I hope you're out there). Climb aboard The Flashback Friday Express. There is plenty of seating in the dining car.

As you probably have figured out from the title of this post, My brother, Sir Gattabout, liked to put on the feedbag. You have heard stories about the appetites of teen-age boys. You have read the Zits comic strips. Let me tell you, my brother could put away the groceries. What's weird is that he was as thin as a rail.

There were many times where his appetite was bigger than he was, but alas, I'm only going to chronicle three because they stand out the most in my memory.

The first story may have been mentioned here before, so forgive me if I've told it before. It's been said that old people tend to repeat themselves. It's been said that old people tend to repeat themselves.

Mom was making Christmas cookies to raise a little extra money at Christmas time. She took orders from the folks she worked with, and set a date to bake, then deliver her homemade goodies. She had orders for about 100 dozen. My brother & I helped roll, cut & decorate the cookies. As they were coming out of the oven, Gattabout would eat 2 or 3 (at times more) from each batch. Armed with a large glass of milk (and more in the fridge), he was ready for battle. At the end of the baking session, Mom figured that he ate between 8-10 dozen cookies.

Our next story finds us in the kitchen again (imagine that). One of my cousins had spent the night with Gattabout. He was 2 years older, and a teen-age boy too. Mom decided to have French toast for breakfast. She would dip, fry then place the toast on a plate. They were eating it as fast as she was cooking it. She made them take a break so the rest of us could have some. By the time they were finished, Mom had gone through three loaves of bread.

But probably the greatest display of his hooverous ability was when he and a friend of his went to White Castle after getting their paychecks. They placed an order for 100 hamburgers (back then they were 25 cents each or five for $1). The clerk thought they were buying them for a party, and that they would want them to go. Nope. They were going to eat them all, right there in the restaurant. Setting them down on the table, they commenced to plow through them like a combine going through a wheat field. Each burger was gone in a maximum of two bites. People even sat nearby to watch. When all was said & done, Gattabout had eaten 54 of the "sliders" while his friend polished off the remaining 46.

Is there anything you could eat your weight in?

Warning: Do not send your kids to the car without you.

This surveillance video show why it's not a good idea to send your kids to the car ahead of you.

He knows what a girl is.

While going through my grandson's school papers, I came across this nugget of wisdom. This is from a math paper that reviews things they have learned so far.

At least he knows the difference between a gal and a guy.

Flashback Friday #78

Down the Steps

A warm greeting to all who have ventured upon my little piece of cyberspace. Today's post deals with something many folks have done, and something I care to never do again...falling down the stairs.

We had 13 steps leading to our upstairs. The only rooms upstairs were my bedroom and Sir Gattabout's bedroom. However, there was a small landing that connected the doorways of the two rooms. It was about four feet by four feet.

This became a major battle zone for my toy soldiers. I would sit on the steps and direct the armies. Occasionally Gattabout would join in, but most of the time he simply antagonized by "accidentally" knocking the soldiers over as he passed through. I spent many an hour at my command center.

One day, Dad was coming upstairs (I don't remember why). I was sitting on the steps as I normally did. I quickly evacuated my troops to make a clear path for Dad to walk. Just as he got to the step beneath where I was sitting, he got dizzy (part of his ongoing heart problems) and started to fall backwards. Since there were no handrails, he reached out for something (anything) to grab onto to catch himself. He grabbed hold of me.

Since he was bigger and heavier than I was, I quickly joined him in the plunge down the stairs. We both rolled tail over teakettle down the steps. Dad ended up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. I landed headfirst in the trashcan that was kept at that particular location. Once Dad got his wits about him, he fished me out of the can. I can't help but say that I was probably the best thing that he ever picked out of the trash. Luckily, neither of us were seriously hurt.

Have you ever fallen down the stairs?

Wasting MY Money

We got a letter in the mail yesterday stating that we will be receiving our census form in the mail soon. Was this necessary? How many millions of taxpayer dollars (I'm a taxpayer) were spent mailing these notices to the millions of people in the USA? Hello, postage isn't cheap.

This ranks right up there with the road signs that state (paraphrase)"This project was paid for with stimulus money". Why not use the millions that it took to make the signs and do something useful (road repair, bridge replacement, fill potholes, etc.).

There must be a government agency that does noting but sit around all day thinking of new ways to waste taxpayer money.

I'll step off my soapbox now.

Nirvana on Ice

I was surfing the web when I came across this piece. I know many of you have just watched the Olympics and are burned out on figure skating. The only part of the Olympics I saw were at the restaurants we were at. This video isn't from the Olympics, but I was mighty impressed by it. I hate seeing male figure skaters in froo froo outfits. I have never seen anyone skate in acid washed jeans and a sleeveless flannel shirt. He busts some moves at 1:40, 3:00, and 3:50 that are phenomenal.

Disclaimer- I am not a fan, nor have ever been a fan of the group Nirvana. If you have the same feelings, make sure you turn down the volume of this video clip. Scott Williams skates to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". A strange song to skate to indeed.

Flashback Friday #77

Dr. Demento

A hearty hello to all my wonderful readers (both of you). In today's post, we touch a topic that has been near and dear to me for many a year. Novelty songs.

When I was but a lad, someone gave us a cassette of "Funny Favorites". This tape contained songs like "Snoopy & The Red Baron", "Ahab The Arab", & "Hot Rod Lincoln". We played that cassette until it literally fell apart. I thought it was the coolest tape ever.

I had a friend ovrer one day, and we were listening to that tape. I told him that I loved the funny songs. He then told me someting that would rock my world, and give my sense of humor a twist. "You know, there is a radio program on every week that plays songs like that." he said. "WHAT!?! Are you serious?" "Where do I find such a place on my radio dial?" He told me that I could find it on Sunday nights at 7PM on a new radio station, WLVQ (that's Q-FM 96) to those in the Columbus area. It played classic rock, but had a two hour program call "The Dr. Demento Show" that was deticated to the twisted humor side of music.

The following Sunday, I sat next to my radio with my tape recorder by my side. I was going to record the songs off the radio, so I needed quiet. With my door shut, I commenced warping my brain with the sounds the emanated from the magic box. There were times I had to hold guffaws & belly laughs back. Not only were songs I had heard before being played, but humorous songs from the 20's, 30's 40's & 50's were mixed in. I was hooked.

I recorded songs every week. I had quite the silly song library. I would play the songs over and over until they were deeply etched in my hard drive. "The Billboard Song", "Punk Polka", "I Love Me", "Cocktails For Two", "Making Love In A Subaru" and "Dueling Tubas" were lodged in my memory bank, set to come out at some random time. It was here that the world was introduced to an accordion playing nutcase who called himself "Wierd Al" Yankovic.

I listened every Sunday for several years. When I started attending Sunday night church services, I could catch some of the program in the car if I drove, or I could catch the last 30 minutes if I didn't.

I haven't heard Dr. Demento in years. I checked him out on line, and he's still around, still on WLVQ, but whether he is at the same time, is any one's guess.

Do you have a favorite "funny song"?

Dad and his babies

Last night we went to my parents house to return thier car. I got there first with "The Boy" in tow. Lady Nottaguy-TYG arrived about 2 minutes later, with "The Girl". My parents had been asking how "The Girl" had been doing, since they hadn't seen her in a while. When I heard my wife pull up, I went outside to carry in our grand daughter. Mom & Dad were thrilled to see her. Their dog CoCo didn't know what to think about her. According to Mom, he has never been around a baby. Here is a picture of Dad holding his babies:


The dog pictured is the same one that made himself at home in Dad underwear. CoCo hovered around her just like Sparky does. My folks were amazed at how much she has grown and how well she is walking. They had such a good time together.