What! June 8, 2017
By Lisa Baker • 06-08-17
Warning: Reading this little story may make you smile. As you have likely heard, Mr. Met, New York’s beloved mascot, was caught on video making an obscene gesture to a fan…a security guard laughed when he was told the story, then noted that Mr. Met couldn’t have flipped his middle finger because the costume only has four fingers.
A man leaving the scene of the terror attack on London Bridge and Borough Market was caught on video walking slowly and appearing to try to prevent his pint/solo cup of beer from spilling. Hmmm.
Crayola recently removed Dandelion yellow from the crayon box. Such suffering with us all wondering about a 24-pack with only 23 crayons. Good news. The contest to name the new blue hue ended last week – we should know the winning name soon. The new hue was inspired by blue pigment discovered recently at Oregon State University. The YInMn pigment contains yttrium, indium, manganese and oxygen and is the most beautiful shade. I entered three different crayon names for the contest and was always told, “great minds think alike, so think of another name.” I think that Trump sent in ‘covfefe.’
The original Star Wars is 40-years-old. George Lucas has always said that all 8 films are meant to be watched in numerical order, but most people don’t abide.
This year, Charlie Chaplin’s birthday was celebrated at Chaplin’s World museum in Switzerland with 662 people dressed up as The Tramp. It set the record for the largest gathering of people dressed as the character from the 1915 silent film. What a fun day…kids and adults were there.
Visit the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston and see a replica of the 1966 Batmobile from the TV show. Their new exhibit is a tribute to George Barris, known throughout the world as the ‘original’ King of Kustomizers. He created iconic automobiles including the original 1966 Batmobile, the Beverly Hillbillies jalopy, the Munster Koach and casket turned dragster (the Drag-u-la) for the Munsters, and many KITTS for Knight Rider. The Batmobile was auctioned in 2013, two years before Barris’ death and sold for $4.6-million. On occasion, the kids and I have “Museum Day” and everyone gets to pick a museum, and I must say that The Museum of Funeral History is interesting and worth the trip.
The Clooney twins – Ella and Alexander, are finally here.
Mary Kay Letourneau and husband Vili Fualaau, with whom she began a sexual relationship in 1996 when Fualaau was her 12-year-old sixth-grade student, have legally separated (but are still living in the same house.) They have two daughters together (the first child was born while Letourneau was serving seven-and-half-years in prison for second-degree child rape) in addition to the 4 now adult children from her previous marriage. In 2002, Fualaau and his family sued the school district and the police for “failing to stop the relationship.” He claimed that he was suffering emotionally as result of his relationship with Letourneau. But, in 2004, soon after Letourneau’s release from prison, they were engaged and then married in 2005. The couple have hosted a series of “Hot for Teacher,” nights at a local bar where she greets people and he DJ’s. Oh, my.
You’ve seen the Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich sign. Did you ever wonder where Arby’s got the name? Me neither, but I’m going to tell you what I read. AR-BY = RB which stands for Roast Beef. Hmmm.
Four homeless residents were injured as the result of a car that jumped the curb at a downtown Houston intersection while they were asleep on a sidewalk. The injured were treated and released.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: Actor-director Clint Eastwood is 87. Yikes. That’s hard to believe. Football Hall of Fame Joe Namath is 74. Actor Tom Berenger is 67. There is some belief that he is “The Sexiest Actor Alive.” He once worked as a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines. Rapper DMC is 53. Actress Brooke Shields is 52. Actor Morgan Freeman is 80. I love him. Actress-singer Sally Kellerman is 80. Hot Lips Houlihan in M*A*S*H. Actor Stacy Keach is 76. Rock musician Charlie Watts is 76 & rock musician Ronnie Wood is 70. Both Rolling Stones.
Actor Jerry Mathers is 69. NO! Tell me it’s not true…Theodore Cleaver is 69! Singer John Fogerty is 72. Sex therapist and media personality Dr. Ruth Westheimer is 89. Actor Bruce Dern is 81. Actress-singer Michelle Phillips is 73. Actor Parker Stevenson is 65. Financial guru Suze Orman is 66. Jazz musician Kenny G is 61.
Actor Anthony Geary is 70. He has received a record eight Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Luke and Laura. Singer LaToya Jackson is 61. Actress Annette Bening is 59. Actor Rupert Everett is 58. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 56. Actress Lisa Whelchel is 54. The Facts of Life. Pro and College Football Hall of Fame Gale Sayers is 74. Singer Wynonna Judd is 53. Rapper Cee Lo Green is 42.
Singer Gladys Knight turned 73-years-old. Her 1973 hit song, “Midnight Train to Georgia,” was originally written and performed as a country song by Jim Weatherly under the title, “Midnight Plane to Houston.” “I’d rather live in her world, than live without her in mine.” Most romantic line ever.
Singer Peter Yarrow is 79-years-old. He was of the Peter, Paul and Mary folk-singing group and was accused and pleaded guilty to immoral liberties with a 14-year-old girl that appeared at his hotel room with her 17-year-old sister during a series of concerts in Washington in 1969.
Actor Brandon Cruz is 55. The Courtship of Eddie’s Father…where Bill Bixby is left a widower raising his mischievous, freckle-faced, 6-year-old son, who desperately wants a new mother. Remember the great theme song, “You’re My Best Friend.”
Harvard has said just kidding to at least 10-incoming freshman students because of what they posted on Facebook. Things like making fun of sexual assault, the Holocaust and ethnic groups. Your momma told you to be careful on social media. How exactly do you tell your friends that you’ve been uninvited to Harvard?
A Pennsylvania ice cream maker released a new Harry Potter inspired flavor based on Hogwarts’ favorite drink…butterbeer. J.K. Rowling once described butterbeer as tasting “a little bit like less sickly butterscotch.” Oh, Yum. Yuengling’s Ice Cream company started off as an offshoot of the well-known Pennsylvania brewery during the prohibition years but is now a separate company. What a good fit.
The Pink Star Diamond was supposed to sell for around $60-million when it went to auction in Hong Kong. It is 1.06” by 0.81” (59.60 weight in carats) and set on a ring. 132.5 carat in its rough state and took two years to cut and polish. The Pink Star was sold to a well-known NY diamond cutter who paid $83-million (which included Sotheby’s commission) and has renamed it the Pink Dream.
A 73-year-old man was fishing with hand lines offshore New South Wales in Australia when a 440–pound, 9-foot–long, great white shark jumped into his boat. He immediately radioed the Marine Rescue Unit for help…they didn’t believe him until they saw his injuries. That’s a pretty good fish story.
Because of cheap natural gas, Three Mile Island may close. Exelon Corporation announced the plant that was the site of a partial meltdown in 1979 will close in 2019 unless the state of Pennsylvania comes to its financial rescue. It was the worst accident in US commercial nuclear plant history…because of cheap natural gas, The Brayton Point Power Station, the largest coal-burning power plant in New England, is shutting down. The plant has burned coal since 1963.
Olivia Newton-John, 68, has revealed that her breast cancer has returned after 25-years and has spread to her sacrum, the large wedge-shaped vertebra at the end of your spine. She says that she is confident that she will return to the stage later this year after treatment at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
The US successfully destroyed a mock warhead with an interceptor missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California. This is key to prepare and protect US territory from a North Korean attack.
The Bryan Museum in Galveston, located in the historic Galveston Orphans Home, contains one of the world’s largest collections (70,000 items) of historical artifacts, documents and artwork relating to Texas and the American West. if you haven’t been, put it on your summer bucket list. J.P and Mary Jon Bryan have a deep appreciation for art and history, and are proud to share their collection. This summer the Bryan Museum and the iWrite Literacy are hosting History Camp, a five-day historical fiction-writing camp for incoming 4th-6th grade students. For more information or to sponsor a camper, call 409-220-3223.
There’s a Full Moon on Friday June 9th.
Comedian Kathy Griffin vs. consequences. She released a video of Trump’s severed, bloody head that was supposed to be funny. Liberals, conservatives, republicans, democrats, and most of the American public were appalled. Griffin then issued a video apology and begged for forgiveness…then she lost her job at CNN and sigh, Squatty Potty also cut business ties with her. Griffin then held a press conference with her lawyers to speak out against the president and his family…she stated, “He’s a bully. I dealt with older white guys trying to keep me down my whole life, my whole career.” What?!? Remember Carol Burnett? She is a funny redhead! And I don’t remember one single time that she had to do a stunt like this to be remembered.
Haak Vineyards & Winery celebrates their Sunday Concert Series with Rat Ranch Bank on June 11th. www.haakwine.com.
No Name Festival is June 9th and 10th in Brazoria…dominoes tournament, pool tournament, Miss Brazoria pageant, BBQ cook-off, youth hamburger cook-off, parade, washer tournament, crafts, food vendors and a carnival all sponsored by Brazoria Chamber of Commerce.
The Canada Centre for Child Protection want teens to send images of naked mole rats instead of sexting. They are hoping to protect teens and inspire laughs. Have you seen a naked mole rat recently? Look it up. It WILL make you laugh.
Mattress Mack announced that Gallery Furniture will refund customers who spend $3000 or more on beds, if the Astros win this year’s World Series. Astros lost one game this week after an 11-game winning streak.
And always remember, life is way too short to continue writing with a pen that you don’t like.
– Lisa
