Good Morning and welcome to whatever this is called!

So, I went into the Home Depot the other day and, suddenly, I was hit with Spring. There were flowers all over the place. Outdoor furniture had replaced the Christmas lights and new grills were lining up the aisle.
I got to thinking, man, we really need spring.
Sure, it's been a mild winter, but it's still winter. I want to get outside and dig. I want to clean up the trees and bushes. I want to, yes it seems odd, cut the grass.
Most of all, though, is I want to build a garden. I did it last year, but got a little too over-zealous and planted too much.
By little 3x3 box had like eight tomato plants, a few peppers, cucumbers and, I think, squash.
Nothing grew. I had a few tomatoes, but the majority stayed green all summer.
This year, I'm going to do it right. I'm going to give space. I'm going to keep the rabbits away. I'm going to make it work.
Now, I just need time to speed up.

Good Morning and I think we should move morning back a few hours!
I remember back in the day when I would eat bowl after bowl of raisin bran so I could get to the race car in the bottom.
Sometimes, truth be told, I would dig down into the box for the latest plastic Donky Kong.
I remember my brother dumping the whole box into a big bowl, taking the prize, then trying to get the cereal back into the box.
There was always a series of cereal toys. We always seemed to get the worst one, but it was the joy of the hunt, the mystery involved.
So, when shopping the other day, I saw a box advertising a Star Wars pen.
Yeah, I thought, I can give the children a little taste if that chase. Plus, since two are Star Wars crazy, it seemed perfect.
So, we opened the box and .... there was the prize, nicely wrapped on top, outside of the cereal.
Oh well, at least they got the other part when we opened a Jar Jar Binks pen.

Good Morning and what is that around the corner?

It never ceases to amaze me the way we treat celebrities. This time last week, nobody cared about Whitney Houston. Now, people are holding candlelight vigils, buying CDs and crying.
I don't remember this kind of craziness when Peter Falk died. Well, I guess, it is what it is.
Oh yeah, it is Valentine's Day. So, how about this:

Valentine's Day Writer's Room - watch more funny videos

Good Morning and welcome to the second week of February???

So, I tuned into the Grammy's last night. Usually, it's a show that makes me feel a little old when performers hit the stage I've never heard of and then find out they are the hottest ones around.
This year, though, it was different. I have the Adele album. I have most of the Foo Fighters release. Tony Bennett? Glen Campbell? Bruce Springsteen? Paul McCartney? All older than dirt, yet still putting on a good show.
I'm actually going to call this my music weekend. If you've ever been out to hear live music, you know the difference. There are no mixing machines (at least for some). There fanciest equipment is a guitar.
It started Friday night when I drove to Allentown to see a friend's band. Now, I've known the guitarist/vocalist for about 20 years, but, aside from maybe on a couch, had never seen him perform live.
It was a no-brainer for me when I found out the band was going to perform. I wanted to be there and it was a lot of fun. Sure, the songs were old rockers, but so were the members of the band, so it kind of fit.
Last night, I got late word local blues/jazz singer Lisa Chavous was performing in Glenolden. I've heard buzz about her vocals from other blogs and she shows up on the radio once in a while.
Another worthwhile time. If you've never seen her sing, do yourself a favor and find a show. It's a little like heaven dropped down on stage for a little bit.
Really, there's nothing like a live show. Like Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters said last night, "Music is not about fanciest equipment, it's about heart."

Good morning and I liked the winter better when the heat didn't go on every 10 minutes!
So, while vegging out last night in front of the TV, they kept teasing the weather.
"SNOW is on the way!" the bubble headed bleach blond said. "SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!"
Oh no, I thought. Maybe it's going to be a messy day. Better find out.
"Snow is coming," the reader read the report."It probably won't stick on the roads."
Wonderful. Next you'll be telling me Rick Santorum is back in the presidential race.
Ahhhh!

Good Morning and who called out after the Super Bowl?
Speaking of which, are people really 'outraged' over somebody shooting the finger during Madonna's halftime show?
Admit it, about 90 percent of Delco drivers have done the same this morning.

Good Morning and got to love that sun out there!

There is a really cool ice cream place in Philadelphia called the Franklin Fountain.
For those who haven't been there, it's like an old-time ice cream shop. The workers were scoop shop uniforms, complete with a bow tie. There are candies we haven't seen in years lining the shelves. They call everybody "Ma'am" and "Sir."
All of the ice cream is homemade from real ingredients. You know that is true when you order a mint-chocolate chip and it's not that sickening green color you get in Breyers. You can actually taste the mint leaves in the smoothness.
The same goes for their other flavors. I'm kind of partial to the peach, but I've never had a bad scoop.
Now, it is kind of expensive, but, for a once-in-a-while treat, it's kind of fun.
The children like sitting outside and watching the cars go past while getting through the whipped cream.
It's the kind of place some cool memories can be made.
Now, though, I have to question whether it is safe. The latest story out of Center City is about a group of teens (at least that's what TV is calling them) who pulled somebody out of a cab and starting beating him up. When the cab driver tried to help, he got a mouthful of shoe for his trouble.
Yes, I know there is crime everywhere. I know anything can happen. Still, the more of these stories that come out, the less I'm inclined to make the trip.
Mayor Nutter and the rest of the city officials need to figure out a solution.

Good Morning and welcome to winter, I mean spring, I mean winter .... AAAHHHH!

Remember back a few years ago when there was a big debate about torture and how much information from suspected terrorists the CIA could get by using things like waterboarding?
I have a better torture that won't cause any real damage (except maybe a headache). Make the suspected terrorists go to a food store with children, say ages 12, 9 and 7.
From the 'I don't want to go to (fill in the blank)' whines to the pushing each other into the carts to the continual begging for cookies/candy/ice cream, anybody will break.
I used to look forward to going shopping with the children. It was fun. We could decide what we needed for lunch and dinner each week. Somewhere along the line, though, it all changed.
Somewhere, the supermarket became their playground. Apparently, rules don't apply. Apparently sliding down the cereal aisle is the only way to get through.
No wonder we eat too much pasta.

Good Morning and here we are again!

So, if you checked out the State of the Union speech by President Barack Obama last night, you heard a lot about tax plans, economic recovery and the military.
Half the room clapped. Half the room, well, didn't.
If you had any doubt the rift in Congress is about idealogical politics, well, that should have been put out of your mind last night.
Imagine if last night's speech was like an Eagles game.
The president called for higher taxes on those who make the most money. BOOO!
The president said we need to fix the education system. BOOO!
The president said we needed teachers to stop feeling the need to teach to the test instead of teaching for real. BOOO!
Uh, OK, you people are crazy. You boo just because of the person saying it, not what he is saying.
Nothing is going to get done in government for the next 10 years. Mitt Romney, though, will keep making money.

Good Morning and here's hoping all that white stuff is gone by tomorrow!

It got to the point last week where I couldn't take any more of the political rhetoric.
People were arguing about tax returns. Others were telling us how bad the current president is doing. Still others were yammering on and on about how important South Carolina (South Carolina?) was in the political spectrum.
When I think of South Carolina, I don't think of groundbreaking political talks. I really only think of golf and one heck of a thunderstorm that hit while driving through the state a few years ago.
Unfortunately, we are going to have to endure all this yap, yap, yap until next November. So, I guess the newsroom television will be tuned to the History Channel once again.
Just one question, how did the little girl from Aliens become a presidential candidate.

Good Morning and welcome to the only place on the Internet you can find this!

"Why are they calling a time out?" "Why did they blow the whistle?" "Why did they throw the ball down?"
Those were just a few of the questions I got this week while first watching football, then some basketball.
They seem basic and, sometimes, a little too basic about things that are happening in certain games.
Then, I sit back and remember who is asking them. For the first time this year, the boys enjoy sitting down and watching sports with Dad.
They know the basics of the game. They know you have to score touchdowns in football, baskets in basketball. They don't know, though, all the the little things about the games.
So, they come to me.
I try my best to explain. Sometimes, it takes a few times to get it right.
I don't mind. It's kind of fun.
I am waiting for the day when they ask, "Why don't they show the cheerleaders more?"

Good Morning and welcome back to the Internet!

The normal course of business in the morning is to have the television in the newsroom tuned to the local news. We start out with Channel 3, then move over to Channel 29. Fox29 is the only station to run a local program throughout the morning.
That's where it all falls apart. Instead of reporting the news, some of the Fox 'personalities' went to the school that told them to yell everything.
Hey, you know, if you yell something than it must be true.
It seems a lot of TV news personalities subscribe to this kind of 'journalism.'
Check out Chris Matthews or Sean Hannity or Steve Keeley.
Whether they are talking about the economy, the president, teacher unions or even the Eagles, these guys like to yell. And yell. And yell.
It's like they have the volume turned down on their ear pieces. I wonder if the cue cards are all written in CAPITAL LETTERS?
How about we turn down the yelling and just report the news?