What I Heard This Week! 09-26-2019
Johnny Manziel, former football player and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner is now a pitchman for Direct Auto Insurance. He will be one of the new faces of the insurance company along with former Olympic skater Tonya Harding and rapper Fat Joe, all who have had personal issues, legal or otherwise. Those really good role models and wasted talent certainly make me want to change my insurance company.
There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life:music and cats. Many thanks to my son, Gage, for making sure that the cats and I now have music at the house. I’ve missed it.
Sirhan Sirhan, who shot and killed presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, was hospitalized after being stabbed in a prison near San Diego where he is serving a life sentence. Kennedy had just given a victory speech after winning the California primary when he was shot three times and died a day later. Five others were hit and survived. Sirhan Sirhan was denied parole for the 15th time in February.
Baskin-Robbins has a special that I just happened upon last month while I was waiting for my Papa John’s Pizza in LJ. On the 31st day of a month, to celebrate the 31 flavors, a single dip cone is just $1.70. Waffle cones and toppings cost more, plus there was 9-cents tax and you can’t use coupons on this day, but that’s still a heck of a deal. Please note that October and December both have 31 days. September flavor of the month is Pumpkin Cheesecake and they have vegan and non-dairy ice cream (if you must.)
The CForce Chuck Norris 5K was a race in College Station consisting of a not-so-ordinary 5K running race. When the world found out about this epic event, they had 5,000 people of all ages register in 13 days,from seven countries and 48 states. Race packets included fake beards because everyone was encouraged to dress like Chuck Norris and set the ‘World Record for number of people dressed like Chuck Norris.’ There was ‘Texas Ranger’ Chuck Norris, ‘Martial Arts’ Chuck Norris, ‘Total Gym’ Chuck Norris, and there were even ‘Nun Chucks.’ Chuck Norris gave high fives to all finishers. The course was walker-friendly with many runners taking on their first race. All proceeds benefited charities in Texas and Africa.
This made me smile. Seen on car driving down Oyster Creek Drive in LJ: “HONK IF A KID FALLS OUT.”
Congratulations to Brenda George, founder of S.T.O.P (Stop, Talk and Overcome Pain) and winner of 2019 Heroes for Children Award which was established by the Texas State Board of Education to recognize volunteers who go above and beyond to advocate for children’s education. George said that there is no better time than now to start spreading message that children and teens are not alone and that suicide is not the answer. www.stopglobal.org
At Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando there is a new ride called Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. In June, some visitors waited in line approximately 10 hours to experience the new ride. Not sure I could do that.
On May 23, the Texas Senate passed HB 1545, the TABC Sunset Bill, which, in addition to many other positive reforms to the Texas alcoholic beverage code, allows manufacturing craft breweries to sell beer to go. On June 15, Governor Greg Abbott officially signed it into law. ‘Beer to Go’sales started Sept. 1.
One day last week was National Cheeseburger Day and I forgot to tell you. Sorry. I had so many cheeseburger facts to tell you. Well, actually, only two of the facts were interesting. 1.) 71% of the beef served in the U.S. is made into hamburgers, so we eat a lot of burgers. 2.) PETA once offered Hamburg, NY $15,000 to change its name to Veggieburg. OK, that’s all. Aren’t you glad that I forgot?
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Singer Pink is 40. Actress Heather Thomas is 62. The Fall Guy. Actress Pauline Collins is 79. Upstairs, Downstairs. Actor Robert Redford is 83. Actor Matthew Perry is 50. Basketball Hall of Fame Artis Gilmore is 70. Actress Sophia Loren is 85. Singer Gloria Gaynor is 76. Never Can Say Goodbye.Singer actress Julie Kavner is 69. Brenda Morgenstern, younger sister in the sitcom Rhoda and voice of Marge Simpson on The Simpsons. Actor Corbin Bernsen is 65. Actor Greg Mullavey is 86. Tom Hartman on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Singer Jose Feliciano is 74. Singer musician Al Jardine is 77. Actress Valerie Perrine is 76. Superman.
Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White is 33. Comedian actor Bob Newhart is 90. Actress singer Carol Lawrence is 87. Maria on Broadway in the musical West Side Story. Former NFL All-Pro quarterback and college football Hall of Fame Billy Kilmer is 80. Actor William Devane is 80. Knot’s Landing. Actress Raquel Welch is 79. Actor George Lazenby is 80. Agent James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. At the age of 29, he was the youngest actor to have portrayed Bond. Soul singer Sonny Charles is 79. Black Pearl. Singer Bubba Knight is 77. Gladys Knight & The Pips. Singer Beyonce Knowles is 38. TV personality and veterinarian Dr. Jan Pol is 77. (I love that show.)
My birthday present from my son were tickets to see the charming Jeff Goldblum, the star with style. He IS one of the snazziest dressers around. We went to Jones Hall for an evening of jazz and unforgettable fun. He’s not only one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with Jurassic Park, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Independence Day, he’s a jazz pianist and his band is great. The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Now, mind you, Mildred is not in the band, she just happens to be a friend of Jeff’smother, but he thought it was a great name. When they released their first album in November 2018, it quickly became the #1 selling jazz album on Billboard charts. The three of us laughed and had a very joyful evening. It was described online as ‘jazz show meets musical hootenanny.’ Yep. I have always liked him, but now I think I’m in love.
Judy will be released on September 27th. Renee Zellweger plays struggling Judy Garland, decades after The Wizard of Oz, when she took on a run of London performances, which turned out to be some of her last times on stage.Eva Longoria will direct a movie about the inventor of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Richard Montanez, a Frito-Lay janitor who became an executive after creating the spicy snack. Viola Davis will play Michelle Obama in First Ladies, a new series in development at Showtime.
Be pleasant until ten o’clock in the morning and the rest of the day will take care of itself.
The number of birds in the U.S. has fallen by 29% since 1970, according to Science Magazine. That’s 2.9 billion birds. Causes are habitat loss and use of pesticides. Birds are vital to our ecosystem, controlling pests, pollinating flowers and vegetables, spreading seeds and regenerating forests. The National Audubon Society is calling this a “full-blown crisis.” What can you do? Eliminate lawn chemicals. Keep your cats inside. Fill your yard with native plants. Clean your feeders to eliminate disease. Use cloth grocery bags and reusable bottles so the birds don’t eat plastic. Recycle. Restore natural habitats in your community. There are more but you can start here. I also watched a video of a moth drinking tears from a bird’s eye and realized how wonderful nature is and how they take care of each other. Hmmm. Humans? How’s it going for you?
NASA is ready to tear down the lab where Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 astronauts were quarantined on their return to Earth, following the historic moon landing in 1969. The Lunar Receiving Lab at Johnson Space Center is in a state of disrepair and hasn’t been used in years. How sad.
The new Little Women movie trailer is out. Release is scheduled for December, with Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Laura Dern&Meryl Streep. When there is time, Anne-Elisabeth and I have been watching the 1933 version with Katherine Hepburn. There was also a silent version released in 1918 that is considered a lost film. Then the 1949 adaptation stars Janet Leigh, June Allyson, Margaret O’ Brien and Elizabeth Taylor, with Peter Lawford as Laurie. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 83%. Then the 1994 version has Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Gabriel Byrne and Christian Bale. This will be the eighth film adaptation of the 1868 novel byLouisa May Alcott.
Those of you that are not good shoppers, like me, will be surprised to know that Palais Royal closed at Brazos Mall. The Angleton location will remain open. You might find some good sales.
According to This Day In History: “On September 20, 1973, in a highly publicized “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, top women’s player Billie Jean King, 29, beats Bobby Riggs, 55, a former No. 1 ranked men’s player. Riggs (1918-1995), a self-proclaimed male chauvinist, had boasted that women were inferior, that they couldn’t handle the pressure of the game and that even at his age he could beat any female player. The match was a huge media event, witnessed in person by over 30,000 spectators at the Houston Astrodome and by another 50 million TV viewers worldwide. King made a Cleopatra-style entrance on a gold litter carried by men dressed as ancient slaves, while Riggs arrived in a rickshaw pulled by female models. Legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell called the match, in which King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. King’s achievement not only helped legitimize women’s professional tennis and female athletes, but it was seen as a victory for women’s rights in general.” Good story.
Walmart has announced that they will end sales of electronic nicotine delivery products but will continue to sell the devices until its current inventory of e-cigarettes is exhausted. Walmart’s decision came a day after medical authorities said that the number of vaping-related lung illnesses had risen to 530 probable cases and a Missouri man became the eight to die from the mysterious ailments.
Last week, I whined to you about my Traditional Home Magazine subscription being eliminated, then I heard about The Brazoria County News closing their doors after serving our community for the past 57 years. Auugh. This is not good. A community newspaper, especially when it’s free and locally owned, has gone through quite a bit of heartache before they make the final decision to say good-bye. It’s just not easy to be in the newspaper business anymore. I raised my rates last year after thinking about it for eleven years. Why did we wait so long? Because small businesses can’t afford to advertise if you raise your rates. And if we don’t have any content then there’s no need for you to pick up your free copy or even look us up online. We believe that we are here for you, for small businesses, the community and we are going to continue to do everything we can to help advertise, sell and provide valuable information to every person in Brazoria County. Help us. And be sure to drop a nice card to The Brazoria County News and tell them how much you appreciate them. They will appreciate it.
Remember: When you buy from a small business, you’re not helping a CEO buy a 3rd holiday home, you’re helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy his team jersey, moms and dads put food on the table. Shop Local.
Twenty-three years ago, I had my first and only ‘boy’ child. Gage, you have taught me so much about patience and laughter and love and magic and how to see the world totally different. Thank you so much for making me a mom. It’s the best job in the world. Last night we celebrated by going to see one of the last people on his ‘musical’bucket list…Phil Collins. It was great. Happy Birthday, I love you. Mom
