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What I Heard This Week! 09-03-2020

What I Heard This Week September 3, 2020

In the 80’s and 90’s, there was an infamous amusement park called Action Park in NJ that has been classified as the worlds’ most insane and dangerous amusement park ever. HBO released the trailer for Class Action Park, a true crime story.  No one would give the owner insurance, so he created his own insurance company, then insured himself. There were electrocutions, decapitations, fractured vertebra, heart attacks, a person impelled on a pole, and three people that died in the wake pool…even a water slide with a loop. HBO Max acquired the anticipated documentary if you want to watch it.


A man goes into a bar along the gulf coast. He says, “May I have a Corona and two Hurricanes, please?” The bartender says, “That will be $20.20.” Sigh.


As Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4, hurricane forecasters were already tracking TS Nana (expected to become a hurricane and hit the coast of Belize) and TS Omar, along with two areas of question in the Atlantic and off the coast of Africa. For a great storm watching website, nhc.noaa.gov (National Hurricane Center & National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adm.). It shows you EVERYTHING. They are predicting that many storm records may be broken in the coming months, as the Atlantic hurricane season cranks out at least 10 more named storms. If that happens, we may have to turn to the Greek alphabet. The peak of the hurricane season (September 10th) is right around the corner, but it doesn’t end until November 30th.


A few weeks ago, a grandmother was driving when she saw something fall from an overpass in Portland, Oregon. She found it was an injured dog. Her daughter works at a vet clinic, so she was able to get the pooch some help and the surgeries he needed, but the bills were adding up, so they held a car wash and other fundraisers to help the puppy. Their community has responded. The daughter noted that almost a year ago, her own daughter had tried to commit suicide by jumping off an overpass, so it immediately struck her as a very symbolic situation. She said, ‘I’m not giving up on him.’ Because we didn’t give up on her.” They think it will be 2-3 months before Hank is walking again, but until then, he has lots of attention and love. What kind of person would toss a dog off an overpass? I hope they find them, and yes…you know exactly what I would do with them.


Perfect example of how our masks are distorting what we say…I was walking back from lunch when one of my Parking Way neighbors came out of her building and asked me, “Do you have Affordable A/C?” Well, at least that is what I thought she said. I replied that I thought I did,thinking that there was a customer called Affordable Appliance that works on A/C units. I had the number, so I pulled out my phone and began to look. Again, she asked me, “Do you have Affordable A/C?” Yes, I think it’s in my phone. Her door was open, so I asked her if I could step inside where it was quieter to look since they were cutting down a tree next door. Yes, as she began to explain to me that her A/C was out, and again, “Do you have Affordable A/C?” Yes, I am finding the number. “No.” as she pulled down her mask a slight bit. “Do you have a portable A/C?” Who’s on first? That’s right.


Let’s not find out if rock bottom has a basement.


Dear recyclers: I drive thru my neighborhood on recycle day, and because of the online shopping boom, I see so many Amazon and other shipping boxes set at the curb. Suggestion. Flatten cardboard boxes before you put them out for recycling, then they take up less room in the truck, and it’s so much easier for our sanitation collectors. First, you need to remove any non-recyclable packing material…peanuts, bubble wrap and whatever. Do everything you can to make sure cardboard does not end up in landfill, plus you are setting a great example for everyone in YOUR neighborhood by being a model recycler.


RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Singer Van Morrison is 75. Moondance, my favorite songActor Richard Gere is 71. His start was Looking for Mr. Goodbar. Singer Debbie Gibson is 50.Philanthropist Warren Buffett is 90.Actress Cameron Diaz is 48. TV Host Lisa Ling is 47.Actor Warren Berlinger is 83. The Cannonball Run. Rock musician Jerry Allison is 81. Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Violinist Itzhak Perlman is 75.

Rock musician Rudolf Schenker is 72. The Scorpions. Rock musician Gina Schock is 63. Drummer for The Go-Go’s. Actor Elliott Gould is 82.  Trapper John in MASH the movie. Actress Rebecca De Mornay is 61. Risky Business. Actor Lily Tomlin is 81. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Singer Barry Gibb is 74. Singer Gloria Estefan is 63. Tennis pro Jimmy Connors is 67. Pro Football Hall of Fame Eric Dickerson is 59.


Former NFL quarterback, actor and sports analyst Terry Bradshaw is 71. He will star in a new reality TV series The Bradshaw Bunch set on his Oklahoma ranch. “From real-life hijinks to juggling football, fame and farm life, unpredictable hilarity ensues as Bradshaw and family gives viewers a peek into rural living in Oklahoma. Alongside his playful and pranking wife Tammy, entrepreneurial and talented daughters Rachel, Lacey and Erin, and his lovable grandkids, the four-time Super Bowl Champion Quarterback and true country boy finds his most important job is father to his three kids.”


Chadwick Boseman, the Marvel Black Panther star, died at 43 after a battle with cancer. He was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer four years ago, but never made the diagnosis public until now. Boseman also starred as baseball great Jackie Robinson in ‘42’, civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall, and soul singer James Brown, in Get on Up.  Michael B. Jordan (his co-star in Black Panther) honored him by saying, “I’m dedicating the rest of my days to live the way you did.” The final tweet posted to Boseman’s Twitter account announcing his death, is now the most-liked post in Twitter history.


Respond to the 2020 CENSUS. It is our future. Do it online. It is not too late. If you have not filled out your information yet, they will now begin knocking on your door as late as 9pm, including weekends, so everyone in your home can be counted, or just to ask questions. They will wear masks, practice social distancing and other protocols. Ask them for their ID badge with their photograph AND expiration date. If you live in the US, you are required by law to complete the 2020 census. 2020census.gov


Loretta Lynn, 88, and Kid Rock, 49, pulled an old-fashioned prank last weekend. The ‘coal miner’s daughter’ revealed that her son and his wife had renewed their wedding vows, and that was when she and Kid had decided to make things official.She posted this message on Instagram. “What a weekend! My Ernie & Crystal renewed their vows this weekend. It was beautiful and everything it should be. Marriage isn’t always easy–heck it’s not even always pretty, but love holds you together and you push through the bad days to enjoy the good ones. I’m so proud of them and wish them years of happiness. Things got crazy then–my boy @kidrock was there and we’ve always teased about getting ourselves married. Well, the preacher was already there so we had some fun with it. Sorry girls, he’s taken now!” The duo has been friends for years, often making public appearances together.


The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there is a 90% probability you will get it wrong.


September 4th is Newspaper Carriers Day. So, if you see your carrier delivering this paper, please say thank you. If you would like to be your own carrier, call 285-9200, give us your email address and we will deliver it straight to your inbox each week, then the rest is up to you…you can buy yourself a nice gift next year on Newspaper Carrier Day.


Right before Christmas, I purchased a bag of chocolate-covered potato chips for my son’s Santa/Christmas stocking haul. He did not want them, so I accepted them reluctantly and stuffed them in the pantry where they stayed for quite a while. Then one night I opened the package. They were FABULOUS. Chocolate and salted crunch. Today I saw Ben & Jerry’s latest concoction is “Chip Happens,” and it’s their classic chocolate ice cream packed with fudge chips and crunchy potato chip swirls.


If the Titanic were sinking today, we would hear: Nobody can force me to wear a life jacket. I’ll just wear this piece of thin fabric that looks like I have a jacket on.


Meteorologists are in awe. The National Hurricane Center predicted where Laura would make landfall within 0.6 miles, 87 hours in advance and at the exact time it came ashore. I saw where the last-minute wobble to the east reduced the expected 20-ft. storm surge and flooding. But just when you think that maybe we can get through the rest of 2020 without too much more heartache, I saw this. NASA predicts that an asteroid with a 0.41 percent chance of hitting Earth will pass by our planet Nov. 2, one day before election day. NASA says that the asteroid is small at 6.5 feet and believes it will disintegrate due to its extremely small size.  Oh, good, I am feeling so much better now.


Alexa. 2020 off.


Have you seen the commercial for the happiest trash bag, the new Glad ForceFlex Plus? I guess bags come in colors and scents. The lady sleepily dragging out her trash bags, realizes that she just ripped her bags and nasty garbage is everywhere. Then suddenly on the street, there appears a beautiful pink, purple, and blue garbage truck with sanitation workers dressed in matching yellow jumpsuits, dancing, blowing bubbles and so happy to stop and pick up garbage off the lawn. It says, “Trash Day doesn’t have to be total garbage.”  Pretty cute, but I do not like scent in garbage bags or kitty litter. glad.com


Out of all my body parts, my eyeballs are in the best shape, because I roll them like 347 times a day.


As I sit here at my desk eating my baked salmon and sweet potato fries, leftovers from dinner a few nights ago, I wondered if I should be eating the skin, which I love. (I recently read that you can bake or fry it like bacon and use as a garnish on salads or anywhere you would use bacon.) So, I Googled it and it said that the skin is generally safe to eat, but it is also important to pay attention to where your salmon comes from. The FDA, with the help of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says that the most contaminated fish is farmed from the Atlantic Ocean. Wild-caught salmon from the Atlantic is slightly less contaminated. So, if your salmon was caught in the Atlantic Ocean, it might be best to avoid eating its skin. The best kind of salmon ‘skin’ to cook and eat would come from a wild-caught Pacific salmon.


Each year the National Honey Board hosts the National Honey Beer Competition. In their first year of entry, Saint Arnold took two of the three medals in the cider category, for their delicious Rose (change) Cider and Honey Agave Cider. Both ciders feature honey from Burleson’s Honey in Waxahachie.


Cases of coronavirus in the U.S. has now passed 6.06 million, with 184,000 deaths. In fact, the U.S. has one-fourth of the world’s 25 million cases.  According to the New York Times, it took just 16 days for the U.S. to jump from 4 million cases to 5 million. Now it took 22 days to go from 5 million to 6 million. 36 states have reported positive cases at colleges, accounting for nearly 9,000 positive cases. What happens when you tell college students not to party? That is correct, they party. As of August 31st, 8470 cases have been reported in Brazoria County with 68 deaths. Remember that cases rose after July 4th and Memorial Day holidays. With Labor Day, remember what we need to do to continue our decrease in numbers into fall. Safely support your small businesses. Lisa


Did you see the moon last night? The final full moon of this summer this year was called the Corn Moon and it only happens once every three years. The Harvest Moon will not arrive until October 1st, then once in a Blue Moon will occur on Halloween, October 31st. Have a great weekend.

What I Heard This Week! December 27, 2018

What I Heard This Week December 26, 2018

The Titanic will set sail again since an Australian billionaire is funding a replica of the luxury ship that sank in 1912. The Titanic II will be equipped with more lifeboats and modern navigation equipment, but no internet connection and will depart from Dubai sometime in 2022, for a two-week maiden voyage to Southampton, England, before tracing the original ship’s journey to New York. There will be a similar number of passengers and crew. People are offering more than $1 million for a ticket.


A friend of mine has two tickets for the 2019 Super Bowl, both box seats. He paid $2,500 each but he didn’t realize last year when he bought them, it was going to be on the same day as his wedding. If you are interested, he is looking for someone to take his place…It’s at Holy Cross Church, on Lake Avenue at 3pm. The bride’s name is Nicole, she’s 5’4″, about 115 lbs., and a good cook. She’ll be the one in the white dress.” (Found on Facebook. Thanks, Barbara.)


New Year’s Resolution: We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness. Put down your phones and enjoy the world around you in this new year.


Last Thursday, the Parking Way merchants brought Santa back for our 5th Annual “Santa at the Gazebo” evening. We had Santa, goodie bags, two bouncy houses, toy pony rides, popcorn, Christmas movies on a giant screen, crafts, prizes, apple cider, cookies and games, lots of games. Plus, everyone got to load up on the LJ trolley to ‘aww& ooooo’ at the downtown Christmas lights. A lot of work and money goes in to making this event a true family holiday tradition, so try to come next year. It’s all free and you will be glad that you came. It’s all about traditions and memories.


Ted Cruz’s chief strategist, Jeff Roe, who engineered the defeat of Democrat Beto O’Rourke in 2018, says that he believes that “Beto O’Rourke has a hot hand and should strike while he has it.” He is convinced that the El Paso congressman should run for president in 2020.


The full entertainment lineup for the 2019 Rodeo Houston will be announced Thursday, January 3, 2019. For sure, George Strait with Robert Earl Keen&Lyle Lovett will be March 17th.


Jim Allison, the Houston scientist who identified and discovered how to unleash a brake on the immune system, was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine by King Carl XVI of Sweden in Stockholm, Sweden.  This is the ultimate recognition of research that has revolutionized cancer therapy. As far as I am concerned, he is a rock star and superhero all rolled into one.


Apologizing: does not always mean you are wrong, and the other person is right. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.


Ohio State University students had a ‘bacon’ vending machine that was installed on campus that offered bacon strips and bacon bits for $1. The Ohio Pork Council sponsored the machine and it received bacon donations from Smithfield, Hormel and Sugardale. Proceeds from the machine were donated to Ohio State’s meat science program. Hmmm. Wait, maybe that should say Yummm.


Country singer Gary Morris is 70. The Wind Beneath My Wings. Former Tonight Show announcer Edd Hall is 60. He replaced Ed McMahon after Johnny Carson’s retirement. Pop-funk musician Walter ‘Clyde’ Orange is 72. The Commodores. Actor John York is 60. Mac Scorpio on General Hospital. Actress Raven-Symone is 33. Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show, That’s So Raven.

Actor Clu Gulager is 90. Emmett Ryker in The Virginian. He was the good looking one. Actress Marg Helgenberger is 60. CSI.  Former pro tennis player Zina Garrison is 55. Singer Britney Spears is 37.


Popeye’s Emotional Support Chicken: For a limited time, it’s a three-piece chicken tender combo meal in a cute, chicken-shaped to-go disposable tote, that passengers can bring with them on their flights at the Philadelphia International Airport. It explains on the side of the box about comforting effects that fried chicken hason travelers. Well, PETA doesn’t like it. They say that Popeye’s is responsible for the slaughter of millions of chickens each year. Giggle. True.


Life is a one-time offer. Use it well.


In Florida, a 23-year-old man was arrested at McDonalds after he placed his order at the drive-thru window around 2am and then tried to trade a baggie of marijuana as payment for the food. The worker refused, and the car drove off. A short time later the young man came back to the drive-thru where police were able to make contact with him. Through the heavy odor of marijuana, the guy explained that he was just joking earlier. He was arrested. Hmmm.  Resourceful, creative and original.


Toy Story 4 has revealed that there will be some new characters when the new sequel is released in June 2019. There are the wisecracking carnival prizes, ‘Ducky’ & ‘Bunny’ and the homemade ‘Forky’ who will join Buzz Lightyear and Co. I for one, can’t wait. I love these movies.


Malcolm Forbes – “A mature person is one who agrees with you.”


Singer Kid Rock says he followed the lead of actor Tyler Perry by paying off the lay-a-way of hundreds of Walmart customers in Nashville to the tune of $81,000. Pay it forward.


Buc-ee’s is going to install Tooshlights inside the restrooms of two of their largest travel centers in Katy (40 stalls) and Temple (39 stalls.)  Tooshlights are simple. When the light is green, the stall is empty. When the light is red, it’s occupied. No wasting time looking under the door, which means you will have lots more time to shop. Nice thinking. I sure wish that there had been all these fabulous locations when my kids were little.


US Fish and Wildlife Service says the Laysan albatross named Wisdom appeared at her nest site at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge last month and biologists confirm she laid one egg. Biologists believe Wisdom is at least 68 years old and was first banded in 1956. She has returned to Midway with her mate almost every year since 2002 to raise one chick.


When the Paradise fire in California began to spread, Andrea Gaylord was not able to get back to her home to rescue her two Anatolian shepherds, Madison and Miguel. All she could do was pray for their safety. When the evacuation order was lifted, she found Madison still protecting what was left of her home. A wonderful volunteer had put out fresh food and water for the dog. Miguel was found in a different city. Great story.


Oxford Dictionaries has chosen the word Toxic as its international word of the year. The word Toxic was judged to have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance this year. There was a 45% increase in the number of times that ‘toxic’ was looked up on OxfordDictionaries.com in 2018. Hmmm.


New Year’s party tips.1.Eat veggies before going out. No matter if you’re at a party or fast food.2. Wear fitted clothes. If you have no room to eat more, you won’t. 3. Decide before you leave the house for the party…alcohol or dessert? Not both. 4.Pass on the casseroles. (see below – ha-ha)5. If you are having a party be sure to put out a pitcher of water with slices of orange and lemon in it. People always feel more comfortable at a party with something in their hand and a water is perfect to stay hydrated. 6.Eat breakfast then you won’t overindulge later.


My favorite party foods from the holiday get-togethers that I attended so far are: 1. Mary’s Pignoli Cookies at our neighborhood party, made from almond paste, egg whites, pine nuts and are heavenly. 2. Friend’s party – John made a dish with butternut squash, deer sausage that was eitherplaced in cannelloni or wrapped with a flat pasta like lasagna, then he covered it with a cream sauce that had a tiny taste of nutmeg. Wonderful.3.Office parties are always good at The Source Weekly because we have a slew of great cooks working here. At our luncheon this week, I brought a 13-pound ham that was baked with sugar-spice glaze. I didn’t realize that I could have fed most of Clute with a ham this size.Everyone else in the office brought sides. Well, casseroles. We had cheese potatoes, green bean casserole with cheese, macaroni & cheese, corn pudding with cheese and creamy rosemary potatoes with cheese.4. Dinner Party – Mark and Shirley took asparagus, rolled them in Panko crumbs, then baked them. It’s a winner. I pulled up a recipe that says dip them in flour, eggs, Panko and parmesan.


My daughter had a pretty tough time in her first semester at University of Houston. The School of Architecture is hard and being away from home was harder. I am here to announce with great joy that she made a 4.0 her first semester. Way to go, Anne-Elisabeth. My sweet girl, I love you to the deep, dark depths of outer space and back. I couldn’t be prouder. You earned it.


Happy New Year, folks. They say that 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February so quit setting yourself up for failure. Focus more on what you CAN control. Be more present this year both in social situations and with your family. Make an effort to apologize when you should. Maintain a budget. Read a book instead of TV. Stop procrastinating. Build ‘alone time’ into your schedule. If you tend to overextend yourself, then learn to say ‘no.’ If you do nothing, then for sure, say ‘yes’ and volunteer – it releases good endorphins that help you live longer. Put down the phone. Please. It’s a great big beautiful world and it needs both your hands. Lisa

  • What I Heard This Week 10-26-2023

    by on October 25, 2023 - 0 Comments

    Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, recently remarried for the fourth time, which also happened to be on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. This time it was to Dr. Anca Faur, his 63-year-old, long-time companion (who looks like she wants to be 27), has a PhD in chemical engineering, and is now the executive vice president of Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures.  He was first married to Joan Ann Archer in 1954 until divorcing in 1974. The next year he married Beverly Van Zile; they divorced after three years. His third marriage was to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 on Valentine's Day, divorcing 23 years later. Looks like he hasn’t given up on ‘love’ quite yet. He has sued two of his children and his former business manager claiming they stole money from him and are slandering his legacy, and that they also undermined his "personal romantic relationships" by forbidding him from getting married. His children say he is also spending money at an alarming rate. Sounds like those children are out of luck. There is a new sheriff in town and her name is MRS. Aldrin. ☹ Notes: Aldrin is also a strong advocate for human exploration of Mars. In 2002, he escaped assault charges after punching a man who demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was not staged. Good for him. He also said, “Tang sucks. “

  • What I Heard This Week 11-30-2023

    by on November 29, 2023 - 0 Comments

    Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, recently remarried for the fourth time, which also happened to be on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. This time it was to Dr. Anca Faur, his 63-year-old, long-time companion (who looks like she wants to be 27), has a PhD in chemical engineering, and is now the executive vice president of Aldrin’s company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures.  He was first married to Joan Ann Archer in 1954 until divorcing in 1974. The next year he married Beverly Van Zile; they divorced after three years. His third marriage was to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 on Valentine's Day, divorcing 23 years later. Looks like he hasn’t given up on ‘love’ quite yet. He has sued two of his children and his former business manager claiming they stole money from him and are slandering his legacy, and that they also undermined his "personal romantic relationships" by forbidding him from getting married. His children say he is also spending money at an alarming rate. Sounds like those children are out of luck. There is a new sheriff in town and her name is MRS. Aldrin. ☹ Notes: Aldrin is also a strong advocate for human exploration of Mars. In 2002, he escaped assault charges after punching a man who demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landing was not staged. Good for him. He also said, “Tang sucks. “

  • Much Ado About Nothing - Texan in Winter

    by on December 6, 2018 - 0 Comments

    The power went out at my house last night for four hours. While this may not seem like a major catastrophe as it was the middle of the night and […]

  • Much Ado About Nothing - “Human Bait”

    by on January 16, 2020 - 0 Comments

    My dad always told me to have a backup plan in case my current job doesn’t work out. I wasn’t sure what that’d be until I saw this ad: “HUMAN […]

  • What I Heard This Week! December 20, 2018

    by on December 20, 2018 - 0 Comments

    The AK-47 is a type of assault rifle originally manufactured in the Soviet Union in 1949. A 17-year-old Humble High School student accidently shot herself recently with an AK-47 that […]

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