An application for a voting ballot by mail was mailed to my office, asking me to return an attached card which was already addressed to Joyce Hudman, Brazoria County Clerk, so it looked like it was coming from the county, but it was not. The card reminded me that because of my advanced age, I had earned the right to vote by mail in the privacy of my own home, all while avoiding long lines at the polls. Hmmm. (I wondered to myself if any of them had ever read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. They really should.) Back to the story. They were even kind enough to think ahead and check some of the boxes for me with a bright red check mark. Boxes that I would have to white-out if I used the application, but that’s no big deal. I was still thinking to myself, that voting by mail might be exactly what I want to do, until I saw the part requesting my Texas Driver’s License Number, Texas Personal Identification Number, Texas Election Identification Certificate Number, or the last 4 digits of my Social Security Number. Now this information is supposed to be printed on the open post card, which is supposed to be dropped into the mail. A post card with no envelope. That doesn’t seem right. I was reminded on another part of the card that having the TDL was important in order to stop voter fraud and to ensure the ballot is delivered. I stand behind the fact that this information should not be put on a postcard. I think my grandma would have looked me straight in the eyes and said something about having just fallen off the turnip or cabbage truck. Just saying, but maybe I’m wrong.
To those of you that are not of advanced age like me… grrrrrr… to fall off a turnip truck is to be considered gullible, naïve, ignorant, or unsophisticated. Grandma died in 1996, but she always seems to come to mind and help me out in situations like this.
So, let’s just say you don’t really want to leave the house today! Did you know that you can play Powerball online, while still in your pajamas? Even Quick Pick. It can all be found at tx.theLotter.com. Just fill in your Powerball entry and buy your ticket. Once your purchase has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email and before the draw, you will find a scanned copy of the official Powerball ticket in your account. Both will serve as your proof of participation in the draw and ticket ownership.
M&Ms were first sold in 1941, with the endearing and sometimes pleasant M&Ms characters arriving in 1954. Old M&Ms commercials starred just Red and Yellow, representing regular and peanut M&Ms. In the late 1990s, new characters were added to the mix. Brown, the most recent addition, joined the group in 2012. Mars Wrigley, which owns the candy, said that they are making subtle changes to the characters’ appearances, relaxing their looks a little. I guess the pandemic has done that for all of us, in the way we dress. Green swapped her go-go boots for sneakers. Brown’s high heels are now a more sensible low pump, but you still look at her and know that she is way smarter than all the rest. Orange’s shoelaces are no longer untied, but he still looks a tad stressed. Blue’s shoes haven’t changed much, but according to their website, they now look a little like “a bad version of Uggs.” The last change is to the logo, which is no longer resting on its side, but setting up straight. All in the name of advertising. In 2012, Quaker altered its famous Quaker face by removing a double chin, smoothing out rolls and plumpness in his face and neck (probably Botox and laser therapy), then elongating the neck, and showing more shoulders. His hair was shortened to make him seem more fit. Then there is poor Aunt Jemima. PepsiCo acquired Quaker Oats, then got rid of Aunt Jemima and her image totally, changing the name to Pearl Milling Company in order to “shed the brand of its racist roots.” Mars Food took 70-year-old Uncle Ben’s Rice, and it is now called Ben’s Original. Same orange packaging, but the picture of Uncle Ben has been removed. The Eskimo Pie, first developed in 1920, recently changed its name to Edy’s Pie after believing its original name was offensive toward native artic communities. Which, in my mind, brings me to Eskimo kisses, so don’t forget Valentine’s Day is almost here. M&Ms come in Pink.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor, model, singer, and sex symbol Mamie Van Doren is 91. Actor Mike Farrell is 83. M*A*S*H. NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw is 82. Actor Gayle Hunnicutt is 79. She would have become the first Bond girl of the Roger Moore era had she not been pregnant. Singer Fabian is 79. He posed nude for Playgirl magazine in 1973, but regretted the attempt for renewed publicity, claiming he looked fat and stupid. Actor Michael Tucker of L.A. Law is 77. Drummer Simon Phillips of Toto is 65. Actor Judith Light of Who’s the Boss is 73. Actor Robert Wagner is 92. Singer Roberta Flack is 85.
Actor Joe Pesci is 79. Actor Mia Farrow is 77. Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos is 61. Actor Laura Dern is 55. Actor Tina Louise is 88. Ginger on Gilligan’s Island. Musician Sergio Mendes is 81. Singer Sheryl Crow is 60. Singer Joe Ely is 75. Actor Jennifer Aniston is 53. Actor Joe Don Baker is 86. Country singer Moe Bandy is 78. Actor Maud Adams of Octopussy is 77. Bond girl 1983. Guitarist Steve Hackett of Genesis is 72. Singer Michael McDonald of Doobie Brothers is 70. Actor Joanna Kerns is 69. Actor-talk show host Arsenio Hall is 66. Singer Chynna Phillips of Wilson Phillips is 54.
Singer Rick Astley is 56. Never Gonna Give You Up. Actor James Spader is 62. Country singer Garth Brooks is 60. ABC News anchor Ted Koppel is 82. Actor Nick Nolte is 81. Comedian Robert Klein is 80. Actor Mary Steenburgen is 69. Author John Grisham is 67. Actor-turned-politician Sheila James Kuehl of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is 81. Singer Carole King is 80. Singer Barbara Lewis is 79. Hello Stranger. Author Alice Walker of The Color Purple is 78. Composer-conductor John Williams is 90. Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Harry Potter, Superman, Star Wars, Schindler’s List and more. He has 5 Academy Awards, 4 Golden Globes and 27 Grammy Awards.
There’s a very basic human, non-verbal aspect to our need to make music and use it as part of our human expression. It doesn’t have to do with body movements, it doesn’t have to do with articulation of a language, but with something spiritual. John Williams
There was some wild card-shopping done the last time I went to Walmart. As long as I was there picking up Ball freezer containers and the $9.00 bag of 18 tennis balls for Teller, I figured I better pick up some cards. They really have a terrific selection, but so does Tractor Supply. My favorite was, You’re the Lone Corn Dog in a World of Plain Wieners. When you open it up, it says, In Other Words, You’re Amazing. I bought two, one for each amazing kid.
I love children, the only problem with children: they grow up to be people, and I just like animals better than people. It’s that simple. Betty White
Tom Brady (44) is retiring, and it is reported that after 22 seasons of football, he made more than $293 million with playing contracts, and more than $160 million with his off the football field endeavors, including a podcast, fashion line and endorsements. Using my fingers and toes, which seems to add up to about $453 million, making him the NFL’s all-time earnings leader. But wait. His very homely wife, Gisele Bundchen, a Brazilian fashion supermodel, 16th richest woman in the entertainment industry, is worth $521 million all on her own without Tom, so she wins.
My God, to read without joy is stupid. John Williams
Four young men were arrested for rocking the San Diego Zoo gondola, which in turn left over 100 people stranded for about an hour and half. A British Airways plane trying to land at Heathrow Airport was hit with a 75mph gust of wind and if not for the quick thinking of the pilot who realized the danger and aborted his landing, it could have been a disaster. The report said that several passengers, “lost their lunches.” Bob Dylan has sold his music catalog to Sony Music.
Poor Britney Spears. Her legal team wants her dad, Jamie Spears, to admit he had a romantic relationship with his daughter’s former business manager. Following the release of her sister’s new book Things I Should Have Said, which made the National Best Sellers list, Britney has called Jamie Lyn a “Scum and a ******* liar”. (I’ve never had that many stars for letters in this column.) Jason Bateman believes he harmed his career for 10 years because he “stayed at the party too long,” then his wife encouraged him to get sober. Tiger King’s, Joe Exotic, has been resentenced from 22 to 21 years in prison in his murder-for-hire conviction. Obviously, I also read some trash this last week.
Falling Iguana Warnings. Last weekend I stayed pretty close to the news and weather of Boston because, well, I guess I thought, like a mom, I could make a difference in whether my son lost electricity and/or stayed warm during the blizzard, and record-tying snowfall they experienced. It tied for largest one-day snow total since 1872. I could tell that he and his friends were really concerned, especially between snowball fights and brunch out on Sunday morning. Ahh, to be young again. Nah. I was way too gullible back then. That cold Artic air traveled all the way to Florida, the Sunshine State, where they have 3-ft. long iguanas. When temperatures dip below 40, the iguanas that sleep in the trees become incapacitated, falling from the trees in a zombielike condition. When they warm up, they are fine. So, while I was watching the weather, the meteorologist said that everyone needed to be aware of falling iguanas, just like it was an everyday thing. I thought it was funny. I guess it’s not quite as funny today.
The post office is warning customers about fake stamps that are circulating around for discounted prices. Consider yourself warned. Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow this week on Groundhog Day. That means 6 more weeks of winter. Hate to tell the giant rodent that we already knew that. A translation error has resulted in thousands of souvenirs marking Queen Elizabeth‘s Platinum “Jubbly” rather than her Platinum Jubilee. Proof, proof, proof. The Washington Redskins changed their name and became the Commanders. Hope that doesn’t annoy Star Wars and Star Trek fans. Over 1,000 athletes and coaches are using burner phones at the Winter Olympics because the Chinese state has ‘crazy, scary’ spying tech that monitors calls, reads texts, tracks movements and can spot ‘illegal‘ words in private conversations.
Night before last, I went home and pulled out a red wine glass and feeling pretty sassy, I poured myself a cold-pressed beet juice instead of wine. I had purchased them on Friday, and I always freeze them if they’re not used within 3 days. I thought I was safe. They’re good for de-tox, but I think they taste just wonderful, and it’s always a treat. A few hours later, my stomach started rumbling and crying out, so loud it even scared the cat. I experienced several episodes of ‘de-tox’ before I finally fell asleep. I’m not saying that it was the juice, but I had eaten all my meals from home the past three days, so I don’t think it was anything I ate. The next day I had a headache. Probably because I was dehydrated. Ha-ha. Are you wondering what the moral of this story is? Last night, I grabbed a red wine glass and poured in real red wine. You can only be so healthy, before it starts affecting your health. 😊 Thanks for picking us up, and I hope something good happens to you today. Many thanks to all the kind people that have helped us find new locations to pick up this paper since
Buc-ee’s decided to remove all newsprint. We appreciate you!!
Don’t forget that you can run a FREE Valentine message (or more) just by calling our office (979-285-9200) before 6pm on February 8th. THIS Tuesday. Talk to Connie, Pam, Hailey, Lisa, Tina, or Thomas. Now, before you say to yourself, “Well, sure. I’ll do that soon…” Just go ahead and do it right now because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and you know time will get away from you and you’ll forget. You know I’m right. It’s a nice affordable way for everyone to say I’m Thinking of You.
LISA
