The Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. In 2012 they released the Birthday Cake Oreo to celebrate their 100th anniversary. Since then, they have introduced 65 flavors including Hot Chicken Wing Oreos, Wasabi Oreos, Carrot Cake Oreos, Waffle and Syrup Oreos, Root Beer Float Oreos, Peeps Oreos and more. Their latest release is a salmon-colored cookie with malachite-green filling, released with Lady Gaga in honor of her 2020 album, Chromatica. It is a limited-edition treat and quite beautiful.
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” – John Wooden
Did you see the waffle maker that makes Lego bricks, that you can play with, then eat for breakfast? I have to say that this would have been so much fun when my kids were little. It could be fun NOW. Each time you make a waffle in the waffle iron, it makes 14 bricks. I can think of many ways to use it. Gingerbread houses, log cabins, castles.
Covidiot, noun; someone who ignores health and safety guidelines intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Could you use that in a sentence please? Sure. There has been an abundance of covidiots running around in Brazoria County recently. Just saying.
Mount Everest is one of the most coveted mountains to climb. Forever chemicals used in water-repellant outdoor gear have been found in snow samples taken from the top of Mount Everest. These man-made substances (PFAS) have been linked to birth defects, high cholesterol and increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer. It is described as “the world’s highest junkyard.”
If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? – Stephen Levine
Coca-Cola is cutting 2,200 jobs, including 1,200 in the U.S., as declining sales continue during the pandemic. Tyson fired seven managers at a pork processing plant in Iowa, after an investigation about them placing bets on how many workers would get infected with Covid-19. Hmmm. I would have to have more information to have an opinion on this. Papa John’s is putting stuffed crust pizza on the menu. Biden has chosen Pete Buttigieg, his former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, to lead the U.S. Transportation Department. I just love Mayor Pete. The first COVID-19 cases have been reported in Antarctica, meaning the disease has now spread to every continent in the world. Did you know you can burn 200 calories per hour just by walking your dog? Honeybees can’t practice social distancing, so they stay healthy in close quarters by working together. Nice idea.
“The days of Noah’s Ark in the air are hopefully coming to an end,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. New guidelines will now define a service animal as “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.” From now on when you fly, you will have to find support in reading a book, taking a nap, or ordering one of those tiny little bottles. Some animals that have been used as support animals in the past are Jimmy the kangaroo, a bearded dragon in Waco, pigs, a turkey, snakes, a peacock that United Airlines turned away, a duck named Daniel Turducken Stinkerbutt wearing a Captain America diaper and tiny red shoes, miniature horses, goats, goldfish, spiders, monkeys, hedgehogs, hamsters, ferrets, geese, rabbits, guinea pigs, turtles, pigeons…the list is endless.
Denmark will have to dig up millions of dead mink that were culled to prevent spread of Covid-19, after their bodies emerged from the mass graves. It is believed the gas used to kill them caused the carcasses to swell and resurface, prompting Danish media to dub them “zombie mink.” Not only that, but now they think that this has compromised the drinking water supply in parts of Denmark.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Singer Joyce Vincent-Wilson is 74. Tony Orlando and Dawn. Actor Dee Wallace is 72. E.T. Bassist Cliff Williams is 71. AC/DC. Singer Cindy Birdsong is 81. The Supremes. Drummer Dave Clark is 78. The Dave Clark Five. Drummer Carmine Appice is 74. Vanilla Fudge. Actor Don Johnson is 71. Actor Michelle Dockery is 39. Downton Abbey. Actor Tim Reid is 76. WKRP in Cincinnati. Musician John McEuen is 75. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Country singer Janie Fricke is 73. Singer Billie Eilish is 19.
Journalist Lesley Stahl is 79. 60 Minutes. Guitarist Tony Hicks is 75. The Hollies. Singer Benny Anderson is 74. ABBA. Singer-guitarist Billy Gibbons is 71. ZZ Top. Actor Barry Livingston is 67. My Three Sons. Actor Cicely Tyson is 96. Actor Roger Mosley is 82. Magnum, P.I. Director Steven Spielberg is 74. Movie critic Leonard Maltin is 70. Guitarist Elliot Easton is 67. The Cars. Actor Ray Liotta is 66. Actor Brad Pitt is 57. Director Julie Taymor is 68. The Lion King. Actor JoBeth Williams is 72.
Rolling Stones Guitarist Keith Richards is 77. He describes in his book, “There was a knock on our dressing-room door. Our manager shouted, ‘Keith! Ron! The Police are here!’ Oh, man, we panicked, flushed everything down the john. Then the door opened, and it was Stewart Copeland and Sting.”
Queen Elizabeth has always been known for her love of dogs. Most of the dogs were Pembroke Welsh corgis, but she also kept dorgis, a mix of corgi and dachshund. The dorgi breed was introduced by accident in 1971, when one of the queen’s corgis named Tiny mated with Princess Margaret’s dachshund Pipkin and gave birth to six puppies. In 2018, the queen lost her last corgi, Willow, and was left with just two dorgis, Vulcan and Candy. Vulcan died last week. She does not replace any of the dogs now when they die, because she does not want any dog to survive her.
The kids and I watched the new Pixar film, Soul. It is heartwarming, sweet, and delightful, just a beautiful film. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 97%. Jon Batiste composed, arranged, and performed the original music. You should see his long, lanky, animated fingers playing the piano, an exact replica in 3D animation. When the kids and I saw Batiste at The Heights Theater, he played the concert, then led us all outside to follow him like a pied piper as he played the melodica. Delightful. On another evening, AE and I watched, WW84, the new Wonder Woman movie. It was good but not outstanding. On the other hand, the new movie, Emma, is outstanding. It is based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who interferes in the love lives of her friends. Johnny Flynn plays Mr. Knightley. Netflix did a fantastic job on The Queen’s Gambit. Beautiful costumes and wonderful acting again, by Anya Taylor-Joy. I hated it when it was over.
80’s pop star Rick Astley and his 1987 hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” is the newest campaign for Frito-Lay, pushing healthier brands such as Smartfood, SunChips, and Off the Eaten Path. They said, “Just like Rick sings, 2021 should be about not giving up what you love in your pursuit of joy and happiness.” Hmmm.
House of Ho is a new HBO Max streaming reality series about a fast-living Vietnamese American family in Houston. The Vietnamese immigrant couple came to the U.S. 45 years ago, landing in Fredericksburg. Binh Ho worked at an Exxon station and his wife, Hue Ho, worked at Circle K, learning English from a woman at Schreiner University. They moved to Houston where Binh & Hue made a multi-million empire in real estate and banking. They had a daughter named Judy (an attorney named after the lady that taught Hue English), then sons Washington (married to Lesley, a pharmacist, along with their children Roosevelt and Lincoln), and Reagan, who has decided not to appear on the show. Judy says that the show is “a love letter to Houston.”
My niece was diagnosed with COVID last week. The way I understand the story, she was home resting in a chair when she passed out, then fell to the floor, hit her head, and was out for a few minutes. She was finally able to call a neighbor who jumped the fence to get into her house, then took her to the hospital…all of this recorded on an in-house camera, which was good because she does not remember a thing, including the phone call to her neighbor. She was lucky because she was just dehydrated. She told me, “I definitely haven’t given it (Covid) the credit it deserves.” Another friend is in the hospital with COVID, and unresponsive as they try to lower his ventilator settings. Please wear your mask and keep your distance. Please.
Welcome to David Thomas, the new Lake Jackson Historical Association Executive Director. If you get a chance run by the museum or drop him a card in the mail, to welcome him to our great city.
Didn’t you just love it on Christmas Day when a tag on a gift said, “from Mom and Dad” and dad had absolutely no idea what was inside.
Since 1927, Time Magazine has named a Person of the Year, a living symbol of the year that was. The title is not necessarily considered an honor or award, instead Time describes its picks in terms of influence and importance. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President elect Kamala Harris are the first running mates to be chosen together as Time’s Person of the Year 2020. Time editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal writes that they were selected for their roles in “changing the American story, for showing that the forces of empathy are greater than the furies of division, for sharing a vision of healing in a grieving world.”
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is now officially scheduled for May 4 -23. It will include competitions, concerts, entertainment, carnival, and other attractions, along with all pre-rodeo events.
Walt Disney Co. plans to lay off 32,000 by March, an increase of about 4,000 since they first announced widespread job cuts in September. Disney has also warned it may need to reduce or not make contributions to pension and retirement medical plans, reduce investments in TV and film productions, or furlough more employees. Ouch.
Hey, everyone. Here’s hoping that everything you wanted was under the tree, the elf costume for your bearded dragon, and the Bob Ross house slippers that you thought you couldn’t live without. As we end this challenging year, we want to say thank you to friends, families, customers, community partners, healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, frontline workers, package delivery guys and gals, and others…for all you do. There is much excitement about this new year, but let’s face it, it’s not a giant band-aid. We will have to continue working to do our part to get our beautiful world back on track. I am grateful that I was able to survive COVID. I am grateful that my work family has continued to stay safe, that I have been able to spend more time with my kids this year even though they drive me crazy some days, that my family has stayed safe, and for my friends and friendship. Your thoughtfulness and positivity as you checked in on me each day this past month was such a game changer. Thank you for meals, drinks, snacks and all the love you sent my direction. I am so grateful for all that I have and will work hard to help make our world a better place for all. If everyone could do just one thing for someone other than themselves, we would see changes. Thank you for listening to the ramblings of my everchanging life trials and tribulations. Happy New Year.
Lisa Baker
