Bananas Over Mommy ?

As you can see in the picture to the right (from a few months ago), Spencer's onesie (pronounced won-zee for those readers who don't have kids and thus have no idea what that is) makes quite a statement ...
but it can be interpreted at least TWO different ways.

Option #1:
- The phrase could mean that Spencer is 'bananas' over his mother - in the context that 'bananas' means: crazy about, loves, enamored with, excited to see, etc.

Option #2:
- The phrase could be a comparison of two distinctly different things: Bananas and Mommy.  In this scenario, the wearer of the clothing depicting the phrase is indicating the order of their preference - I choose 'bananas' OVER choosing 'Mommy' ... 'cause that's how I roll!

My opinion is that the latter explanation IS more accurate if there are both bananas and Mommy present.  In the absence of bananas, the first explanation is also accurate for Spencer.


Song Of the Day:
Say what you will about some of her choices and brand image, I am still a fan of MANY songs by Madonna, including "Crazy For You" which is today's song choice.  Set aside any personal negative feelings you may have for the singer and you might find yourself enjoying this simple, yet meaningful tune.  It just so happens this might be how Spencer would articulate his love of bananas and Mommy.  Okay, probably not ...

...

Where's The Door Handle ?

While driving I often notice new or different vehicle styles.  This is likely from my days spent processing vehicle addition transactions on auto insurance policies, where I had to be reasonably well-versed on different makes and models of various automobiles.

Today I noticed the rear doors on the 4-door Chevy Sonic and couldn't immediately see the door handles.  At a stop light, when I finally noticed where they were ... I felt like we were in the future.

They are up on the top, back portion of the door, just to the side of the window ... weird, but also kinda cool.

Song Of The Day:
Since it's kind of impossible to link a song from the future to this post, I've decided to go back a few decades and share "Open Your Heart" by Madonna.  There's not really any good songs that come to mind about opening car doors with a unique door handle.

...

How Can It NOT Be Included ?

I took the above photo while on a date night with my awesome wife at one of our favorite restaurants which serves delicious Chinese food.

Can you see the seemingly impossible combination here?

Hint:  Check today's blog post title.


Song Of The Day:
I'm one of those people who prefers to solve riddles on my own.  Madonna's song  "Don't Tell Me" isn't about riddles, but it fits here with this post because I'm not telling you what I find wrong with this picture.  But I'm sure you can easily see it anyway.

...

Why Are You Here ?

It is fun to show up at work on a day people are not expecting to see you, especially when it has been many months since you have worked on that day of the week ...

The reactions you get from people are always fun:
 - Is it Tuesday yet?
 - Why are you here?
 - Is my calendar off?
 - Uh oh.  Who's in trouble?
 - Wait ... do you have a meeting or something?
 - No seriously ... WHY are you here?!

For the past so-many-years-I-lost-track-of-them I have worked a Tuesday through Saturday schedule at Progressive.  I love the days and hours (I work four 9-hour days with one 4-hour day in the middle of them) and especially the two-day weekend (Sunday-Monday).  The added bonus is that everyone else works Mondays so I am free to run errands without nearly as much traffic as I would have on a Saturday.  I have gotten very used to working this schedule, and most people who work near me have gotten used to me NOT being at work on Mondays.  The above reactions were comments I actually heard at some point today.  Very fun indeed!


Song Of The Day:
Once again we were blessed with more rain today, albeit less than we've had in the past few weeks.  I'm still loving the rain and Madonna seems to enjoy it as well in her "Rain" song.

...

Why Do Some Memories Stick So Permanently ?

We all have memories that stick with us.  Of course the first kind you think about are probably special memories or experiences you had with people you really cared about.  I understand why those memories stick with us.  There's a natural reasoning for that.

I'm wondering about random situations that cause very specific memories to come to mind, but these are not important for any particular reason.

Do you have these or is it just me?

Every time I am sitting in a meeting at work, I remember vividly a conversation with a former manager of mine.  He told me that when he gets bored in a meeting he will play with his belly button.  Now why on earth would I remember that?!

There is a certain road I drive down about once a month (if that often).  Every single time I drive on that road, I remember a time on my mission (in Los Angeles) when I was driving through some puddles in the rain and inadvertantly splashed this cat with a HUGE wave.  No significance to anything, right?!

When I hear today's song of the day, it always takes me back to when I was barely a teenager, living in Greeley, CO.  I can clearly remember the way my room was set up and how I used to look out the window just daydreaming.  I know songs can bring back memories, but there was nothing particularly special about daydreaming in that house in those days.  It's just weird to me.

So why do some, seemingly worthless, memories just become permanently etched in our minds?  I worry that there is some "save the world" reason for these, but I can't piece them together at all yet.

Song Of The Day:
This song is just the song for today because it is one of the songs that always takes me back to the same (plain) moment in time in my life.  "Cherish" by Madonna wasn't even my favorite song back in my Junior High and High School days.  But more than any other song, it conjures clear images of days gone by ... but not necessarily any specific, or rather important, experiences.

...

Are We Worshipping Graven Images ?

So it is written, by way of commandment, from the Lord through the prophet Moses:
Exodues 20:4 ... Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image ... and then in verse 5 ... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.

Those words came to my mind this evening as I watched the annual Academy Awards show, now titled "The Oscars" to attract the younger audiences.

I am half-serious when I ask the title question of this blog post.
Clearly, I am also half-joking.

But it is a bit of an interesting question when you think about it.  There is not a better example, in this day and age, of a "graven image" than Oscar himself.  In fact, the very inscribing of the recipient's name on the little golden statue of a man literally makes it a graven image.  And it is certainly no stretch of the imagination to say that people (and not just the Academy) worship these idols.

My brother always throws the BEST "Oscars" party!  It is a blast every single year!  I see no real harm in this annual family gathering, wherein we fill out our "ballots" and grade one another's papers to see who emerges victorious (it has still never been me, but at least I'm always within 1 or 2 choices of the top spot).  I also do not believe it is anything other than an homage to Oscar when the annual winner takes home a trophy to display their victory.

And yet ... I wonder how and when we will know whether we have taken it too far?  I suppose it is, and should be, like all things, a matter of personal testimony and choice.  If it becomes all-consuming, just like anything else (exercise, work, blogging, etc.), then I think we've probably crossed a line.

What do you think?

Song Of The Day:
I know the original video was about a bullfighter, but the song title (and many of the lyrics) from Madonna's "Take A Bow" could easily be about the Oscars.  I've always enjoyed this song and the melancholy tone almost perfectly captures my angst over these potential graven images.

...