Rise and Shine --- Guns

Good Morning and, yes, it's only a week until Christmas!

So, everybody kept asking Friday if I was going to talk to the children about what happened in Connecticut. My first reaction was no. I didn't think there was a need. They watch the news. They'll see what happened and ask any questions if necessary.
I wasn't trying to shield them from bad news, I just didn't think they would have much to say or ask.
In the end, I told them they need to listen to teachers and take those drills to heart. If something happens, I want them to be safe.
On the same side, I don't want them living in fear. You can't live looking over your shoulder or worried about what might happen. Sure, you have to be diligent, but worrying all the time will cause you to miss out on a lot.
I don't know if the issue will be brought up at local schools today. I am pretty sure there will be some extra measures taken (making sure all doors are locked, etc.), but I hope there isn't extra security.
We don't need that.
Sure, we need to do something. We need to make sure everybody is safe.
What we don't need to do is give up.

Rise and Shine -- Fa la la la

Good Morning and how about those 76ers!

Anyway, while walking around the Springfield mall yesterday, I noticed the Christmas (holiday?) music coming through the speakers.
Suddenly, I had a flashback to just a couple of years ago. For three years, I worked at Macy's in King of Prussia during the holiday season. Once I got past just how messy customers can be, it wasn't so bad.
Sure, I folded a lot of sweaters and put way too many 3-piece boys outfits back on the racks to count, but the co-workers were nice and I was able to have some interesting conversations.
Then there was the music. The same songs over and over and over again.
I used to enjoy listening to the music of the season, but I think those hours in Macy's may have ruined my ears. I can take it in short bursts, but was actually thinking about buying a pair of headphones so I could listen to the music on my phone instead of those in the mall.
By the way, if I hear 'Baby it's cold outside' one more time I might just hunt those people down and put them out in the snow.

Rise and Shine --- Getting close

Good Morning and how about those Holiday Homes?

I always kind of chuckle at people who rush to get their Christmas shopping done early. I once knew somebody who made sure all the gifts were purchased (and most wrapped) by July. "Takes the stress out of the holidays," was the excuse.
Well, I'm the direct opposite. I don't wait until the last minute (most of the stuff is picked up by Dec. 24th), but I'm still not ready to hit the stores.
It's getting close, though.
This past weekend I saw a store that had 50 percent off Christmas decorations. I figure if I wait about a week, it'll hit 60 percent off.
Those Black Friday deals will pale in comparison to the last-minute shopping deals. Sure, I might know get the 'hottest' items, but that's OK.
There are still plenty of Barack Obama chia pets to be had.

Rise and Shine --- Christmas Specials

Good Morning and welcome to a whole, new ballgame!

So, I remember all those years ago waiting for the Christmas specials to come on television.
The thought of a Charlie Brown Christmas at 8 o'clock on Channel 6 was enough to get me to do my homework early.
I used to peruse the TV Guide to get a map for what was coming up.
Year Without a Santa Claus? Check.
Frosty the Snowman? Check
The Grinch? Check.
They were all there, spread out just enough through the weeks before Christmas to get a young heart into the spirit of the season.
Now? Well, I'm not one of those knee-slapping old fogies who say 'Everything was better in my time!!!' Still, now the shows are on all the time.
I could have watched the Grinch steal Christmas three times since Thanksgiving. Charlie Brown's search for the perfect tree has been on twice. Even SpongeBob's Christmas has had multi showings.
That's not to even mention the DVD set somebody gave me years ago that has Santa Claus is Coming to Town and the rest of the stop-motion classics.
Over saturation? Isn't that what we do now?
Then again, can't get enough of this:

Rise and Shine --- Sorry, wrong number (text)

Good Morning and finally got those Christmas lights up!

So, if you are going to communicate by text message, you better get the number right.
Over the past few weeks, I've gotten a couple of texts from numbers I don't recognize. One ended up being somebody I knew who had a new phone number.
The others, though, were just wrong numbers. I usually just send back they have the wrong number.
When I received another Friday (from a number I had responded), I decided to have a little fun.
The following is an actual Text conversation between me and an unknown mis-dialer:

Are you coming?
Only if you are paying. I used up all my cash.
Fine. I will (try)
Gee, don't sound too enthusiastic or anything!
Can't you just ask your parent?
They cut me off. Found the H in my underwear drawer.
H?
Yeah, and the meth :(
What are you talking about?
Dude, it's a side business. Thought I could make enough for the Jag.
Whhhhaaaatttt ... ? You're an .. Drug user?
Never use. Bad business.
Ohhh ... K. Yeah. Never mind, there is no paintball.
Just fooling. wrong number man.
God, thanks, i guess

So, make sure you get that number right.

Rise and Shine --- Huh?

Good Morning and I wish I had the $2 back!

So, this video is the most-watched clip in the history of YouTube.



This is the most downloaded tune on Spotify



Here's one I never heard until two days ago (despite it being like 30 years old)


Having heard all three, I fear I can never go back.

Rise and Shine --- Give snow a break

For the last two days, we've been hearing about this 'WINTER STORM' that is supposed to be around the area today.
"Watch out," we were warned from the talking heads, "this is going to get nasty. Winds. Rain. SNOW."
This morning, I woke up and looked out the window. Nothing on the streets. Nothing on the car. Nothing on the lawn.
OK, I thought, maybe it's just a little late.
Got into the office and turned on the morning news programs.
I was hit over the head with "Team Coverage" of the winter storm. One guy was standing on the street talking about how it was so dry out there.
Now, I don't blame these people. They are just doing the bidding of some higher power.
It's to the higher power I am pleading.
Please stop this dumb storm coverage stuff. To say you have "Team Coverage" on something that might just leave a coating on the ground makes your whole staff look stupid.
It's not like we don't overblow some things, but, come on, to have your reporter ask an official if they expect any delays when it's no more than a little mist, well, one can only laugh.
Or cry.

Rise and Shine --- Lights, camera, action

Good Morning and did you hear the news stations using that 4-letter word this morning?

Maybe I'm in the minority (and a look around the neighborhood says I am), but I can't pull out the Christmas decorations until December.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's nice to see the lights on houses. It's cool to see some of the new decorations people have purchased. I just can't do it.
I can't go into the back of the garage and pull those boxes out. Heck, I just finally put away the rest of the Halloween stuff.
The Christmas stuff? We are looking at this weekend or next (that's right, next!).
It's not that I don't like decorating. Someday, I want to be motivated enough to have a Griswald house. I want people driving past to slow down and take a look. I want the neighbors to knock on the door and say, "Wow, you really got me into the Christmas spirit!"
No matter when Thanksgiving falls, though, it won't happen until December.
Then I start thinking of the electric bill and, well, maybe it won't happen until mid-December.

Rise and Shine --- Sales? No such thing

Good Morning and wouldn't it be nice if we could one day get away from the political debate?

So, while watching TV last night, I saw several commercials talking about Black Friday sales. One, I think it was for Macy's, said Black Friday was already here. All right, I'm hopping in the car right now to get some overpriced perfume.
I worked for Macy's over the holidays for a few years. I met some amazing people who have a great work ethic. I met some people who were more interested in texting than working.
Whatever. That happens everywhere.
What I started to notice, though, was there was no such thing as a sale. The prices for the clothes and kitchen stuff pretty much stayed the same throughout the season.
Sure, if you wanted to sign up for a Macy's credit card, you could get it a little cheaper. For the most part, though, it was what it was.
If you wanted to pay more, you could find high-priced items. If you wanted something reasonable, it was there as well.
So, when you head out next Friday (or Thursday night I now see), just know there is no rush.

Rise and Shine --- Survival

Good Morning and here we are again.
So, late last week I was fortunate enough to check out the new Titanic exhibit at the Franklin Institute.
There are plenty of the usual things you expect, like pieces of the ship, jewelry, clothes, plates and other items picked up on the ocean floor.
What struck me, though, where a couple things, one visual and one thoughtful.
Those who put the exhibit together recreated parts of the ship that actually can make you feel like you are climbing aboard an ocean liner. The grand staircase made famous by the movie is there (they even had a fake ship captain and passenger walking down the steps). There is a first-class room and a third-class room. You can see the differences between having money and not were just as far apart 100 years ago as today.
There is one area where you are walking down a recreation of one of the ship's hallways. It's fascinating and eerie at the same time.
While I was driving home, though, something hit me. All these material things survived at the bottom of the ocean for nearly 100 years. There were postcards that actually look like they might have been purchased yesterday. There are full men's suits and more bottles than at a bottle shop.
If the Titanic went down today, I guess in 100 years they'd find a bunch of dead iPhones or laptops sinking into the sand. We wouldn't get the photos or the writings.
Blogs don't survive in salty water.
Will we be a lost society because of it? Will future archaeologists just joke about the cloud just floating away?
Something to think about.

Rise and Shine --- Oh, those commercials

Good Morning and, man, I'm glad tomorrow is election day!
Seriously, the next time I see Tom Smith's mother, she better be starring in the Estelle Getty role of a 'Golden Girls' remake. By the way, Tom, you are the single most annoying candidate in about 100 years and there is no 'w' in 'Bob.'
One more time I hear Mitt Romney say he's going to personally create 12 million jobs I might just crack. I don't care what Colin Powell thinks. I certainly don't have any interest in Bucks County or New Jersey.
Is it just me or have these political ads just been about the worst ever? There's no break either. It's one after the other after the other.
I just saw Bill Clinton campaigning for Kathleen Kane, followed by the Mittster telling me about jobs. By the way, Mitt, if the White House is going to create 12 million new jobs, isn't the government going to get a helluva lot bigger?
They are all just bad and annoying. I didn't think I could get any more annoyed until I saw the Pennsylvania Lottery commercial with the guy going around giving scratch-off tickets to his friends as Christmas (sorry, Holiday) gifts.
"Hey what a great gift ... you cheap bastard!"
I think I'm going to DVR all my shows until the end of the year.

Rise and Shine --- Storm chasing

Good Morning and how about that Sandy!
So, while talking about the upcoming 'SUPER STORM,' I mentioned at the breakfast table Sunday I was going to become a storm hunter.
You know, those people who drive around in SUVs and get some cool video of tornadoes and hurricanes.
"Good luck with that," said the teenager.
"Uh, I'm not going with you," said the 7-year old.
"Yeah, right," added the 10-year old.
OK, how about if I just do storm hunting from the backyard? That would be safer.
"Like anybody's going to pay for that," came the quick retort.
Yeah, but it will be better than driving into work through a storm. I could set up a camera under an umbrella and sit there as Sandy comes in.
"First, the umbrella would blow away," came the 2nd-grader's logic. "Can I watch TV?"
OK, so my first attempt at garnering excitement didn't go so well. Let's see what happens tonight.

Rise and Shine --- Movie night?

Good Morning and how about those Giants!



The movie viewers in the house range in ages from 13 to 7 (almost 8). Up until this weekend, I didn't think that matter too much.

After all, we kind of all agree on most movies we watch. There is a lot of animation and mostly dumb comedies that are family friendly. You know, like those goofy Eddie Murphy movies with talking animals or the latest Pixar fare.

So, while riding around Saturday afternoon, we were talking about movies we could watch later that night.

How about Abbott and Costello Meet Dracula? That's a good one for Halloween!

"No, that's stupid," said the 13-year old.

Yeah, but it's funny.

"I want to watch 'The Terminator,'" the teenager continued.

Well, I think that's a little intense for the little guys. What do the other kids in school watch?

"They are watching 'The Terminator' or 'Friday the 13th' or good movies like that," came the complaint. "Nobody in school watches Abbott and Costello."

Well, that's their loss. I'm trying to show you some of the classics.

"They are just dumb. Nobody watches those movies. Nobody watches 'Duck Soup.' Nobody's even heard of it."

Now, as a way of explanation, a few months ago we were looking for something to watch and we stumbled on a showing of the Marx Brothers' great movie called 'Duck Soup.'

It's a major anti-war movie and it's laugh-out-loud funny, like most Marx Brothers movies. Apparently, though, it's lost on the teenage crowd.

Well, I said, maybe we should invite some of your friends over and watch 'Duck Soup.' We could even have some pizza.

"Nobody will come over. Nobody wants to watch that. Nobody's even heard of those movies. It's embarrassing."

OK, I'll call your teachers and see if I can come in and show the movie during school.

"Ahhhhh..."  

Rise and Shine --- Holiday overload

Good Morning and welcome to the only place on the Internet you want to be!
Like mostly everybody else, I like holidays. OK, that's not exactly the pull-you-in kind of opening loyal readers are used to, but I thought I would throw out some truth.

What I don't get is how we've advanced the holidays so far that there are pre-pre-pre-Christmas sales in July.

I like holiday shopping the old-fashioned way. Which means, I want to think about Halloween in October; Thanksgiving in November and Christmas in December. (We'll discuss Arbor Day some other time).

So, while thinking about how to decorate the house for Halloween this year, I went out to a couple of local stores over the weekend.

That's when I found out I was behind the times. Halloween had been reduced to one aisle in most places. In one store, Halloween had been reduced to one end of the aisle and most of that stuff was broken.

So, I went home and pulled out the box of decorations before I thought, "Wait, I have over a week until Halloween. There's no rush."

So, I'll start to put the stuff up this week (as long as I get help from my helpers). Yeah, I guess I'm late. By the time I get all the ghosts floating the witches flying, I'll probably see commercials for bathing suit sales.

Rise and Shine --- Dealing with it

Good Morning and, really, frost today? It was like 70 yesterday.


Everybody deals with things differently. Some people go into a funk when something happens. Some people just ignore it. Some people try to find solutions.

So, when my Mom was rushed to the hospital after falling and banging her head, I didn't know how to feel. Should I rush down there, you know, just in case it's really serious. Should I wait around for updates. Should I just plug ahead.

After a couple of minutes of thinking, I jumped in the van and drove as fast as I could to to the hospital.

Once it became apparent she was OK, I couldn't help myself but try to find the humor in the situation.

Actually, we all did. We thought it was funny when the nurse asked if she used a worker.

We thought it was funny when the nurse was shocked Mom was still working full-time at 70.

We joked about getting one of those Hoverounds with the goofy commercials.

That's how we do it in our family. Try to find the light side and, bad taste and all, try to laugh a little bit.

Rise and Shine --- Politics and sunshine

Good Morning and, you know, sometimes you have good weekends and sometimes you have GOOD weekends!



Usually I leave this political talk to legends like Spencerblog, but, with another presidential debate just a day away, I'd thought I'd chime in on the subject.

OK, here goes: I hate political ads.

They bore me. They make me want to not vote for the person in the ad.

The worst this year are the ones being blasted on our TV screen by Tom Smith. Look, I don't know Tom Smith. Seems like he could be a nice enough guy, but, really, I don't care if you worked in the coal mines. I don't care, Tom, that you started your own energy company. I do know, Tom, like most corporate owners these days, I'm sure you're not paying your workers what they are worth.

That's neither here nor there, though. What I really want to know is who is swayed by these ads? What are their target audience?

Are there actually some who are watching TV, see a Tom Smith ad that says Bob Casey is a career politician and think, 'Hey, he's right. I never thought of it that way.'

Who you vote for should be based on what these candidates really stand for, what they really believe. Hey, I know it's hard. You are basically begging for your job every couple of years, but, come on, get out of the commercial business.

Rise and Shine --- Soundtrack for the week

Good Morning and how about that rain?!?

Here's a little music to get you through the week (Yes, you're welcome):

Rise and Shine --- Shiny, red apple

Good Morning and here we are back again in the same place.
It's always kind of cool during the changing of the seasons.
You know, when you can catch the first whiff of flowers in the spring. When the grill is going (and the mosquitoes are biting here in Delco) during the summer.
Now that we are really into fall (I don't care what the calendar says, fall starts Oct. 1), it's apple season.
OK, OK, now that we have year-round deliveries to super markets, we can get apples any time during the year. It's the fall, though, when they seem to be the best.
So, it being the first weekend of fall, we all were looking forward to some fresh apples. Well, at least I was, the rest wanted to hunt down the perfect pumpkin.
We jumped in the car and went out to Linvilla Orchards (seems like everybody had the same idea Saturday). That's where we picked up four different kinds of apples.
The next morning, breakfast was apple pancakes, apple doughnuts, apple cider and apple coffee (yes, there is such a thing).
So, after eating it all, the first comment I got was: "Dad, this is good and all, but I'm kind of sick of apples."
Get used to it. Apple tacos Tuesday night.

Rise and Shine --- Stupid, but what if?

Good Morning and welcome back to the cool side of the pillow.




So, after much hype, the new TV show 'Revolution' premiered last week. The second episode is on tonight, I think. (It is Monday, right?)

Anyway, I checked out the show mostly because there wasn't anything else on Monday night. The premise, for those that stick with pro wrestling, is somehow all the power was lost around the world in one fell swoop. The lights went out, people went crazy, the whole world became the wild, wild west.

There were some cool shots of an overgrown Wrigley Field and stuff. The acting was kind of pedestrian, but, you know, we aren't looking for Oscar winners here.

If you buy into the fantasy that something like all the power going out at once and nobody can fix it, well, then it's not so bad. Sure, it could never happen.

Then again, as my Firefox browser shut down for the fourth time already this morning, I got to wondering where we would all be without computer access, cell phones and the rest.

Imagine if all the computers went out around the world after some kind of virus. We'd actually have to, gasp, pull out the vinyl to listen to music. We wouldn't know Bobo down the street was heading to the store. There would be no quick reviews of Wawa coffee.

Uh, I think we'd survive without Wrigley Field being overgrown, but you never know.

Rise and Shine --- YAWN

Good Morning and there's something about these rainy days that just make it too easy to go back to bed!




I remember these kind of days (since they didn't come all the time) were kind of cool while in grade school. Usually, we'd get dropped off by the bus and start running around until the bell rung.

We would race, play football, talk about the Phillies game or the latest edition of Sports Illustrated.

Rainy days, though, we were forced inside. We would wait in the cafeteria until the bell. Since nobody wanted to look uncool and carry an umbrella, we'd all be a little wet.

Somehow, though, those mornings with the rain coming down outside hold more memories to me than the ones spent running around outside.

It's probably because that was the days when we were always outside. We'd wake up on, say, a Saturday morning, eat a quick breakfast, then jump on our bikes.

Now, I have a hard time convincing the children to get outside. Ride bikes? Only if it's a miracle.

Rainy days today are celebrated because there is no choice. Back in the day, it was a welcome break.

Rise and Shine --- Doesn't make sense

Good Morning and, whew, that was a full weekend!


So, the violence continues to escalate in the Middle East.

What apparently was the catalyst to all this was some goofy looking movie made by an anti-Muslim filmmaker.

Not only does the movie make some in the Middle East angry, but it also looks badly made. Just watching the trailer, it's pretty obvious the actors weren't even saying the lines that showed up on film.

While, I wouldn't tell anybody their religious beliefs are wrong, I fear that at some point, the film will be just an excuse.

Unfortunately, we live in a world were violence just escalates. It doesn't slow down.

After a while, it's just the reason used to destroy things for the sake of destroying them. A week from now, there might be gangs still attacking embassies, but they probably won't remember the reason.

Look, here people turn over cars and light them on fire when their team wins a championship, so we shouldn't be pointing fingers.

Sometimes, though, cooler heads have to take over, right?

Rise and Shine -- Take your trains and ...

Good Morning! I had to put my heat on in the car this morning. It's too early for my tastes.



I'm sure you've all seen the commercials where a punch of people walk in front of a too-small screen to talk about how taking SEPTA is only way to get to a game.

Uh, no SEPTA. I tried it this past weekend. It was as horrible as I remember.

Now, I've given SEPTA plenty plenty of chances. I took the train down to the Live 8 concert. Then saw as they put too few trains on the line and had people actually jammed in the doorways to get home.

I jumped on SEPTA to take in the Phillies parade in 2008 (We getting another one this year?). After getting pushed and pulled all over the place, I felt it would be easier to walk.

Now, there wasn't much going on in the city this weekend. I had tickets to the Temple/Maryland football game (the 7-year old had been begging to go). Instead of driving down, I thought it would save some money and fun to take the train.

Uh, no. You can get by the rude attitude of the workers selling tickets. You can get by the train schedules that haven't been updated since the 1960s. What you can't get by, though, is the filth.

Have the trains on the Broad Street Line ever been cleaned? How about the stations for that matter? Do we really need the recordings to announce the next station to sound like a drive thru McDonald's?

From now on, it's back in the car.

Rise and Shine --- Nothing at all

Good Morning and, what's that you say, Fall is here?


So, we are a week into school and already I'm told there's been nothing going on.

Here's a typical conversation after the bus pulls away:

So, how was school today?

"OK"

Just OK. What did you do?

"Nothing really."

Nothing? You didn't learn anything new. You don't have some stories to tell about your new teachers?

"Nah. We didn't really do anything."



Now, I can understand the first week. Students and teachers are checking each other out. Both are still trying to shake the cobwebs of summer away.

This conversation could happen (and probably will) in December or April or June.

I know, I know, I'm sure I did the same thing many eons ago.

I would like to know, though, what's going on. Just give me a little bit. A small morsel would be enough to satiate.

Just don't ask what I did at work.

Rise and Shine --- Keeping it alive

Good Morning and when the Phillies are playing Game 1 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park, remember you heard it here first!!

So, we ran a story last week about the incoming college Class of 2016.

After getting over the fact they were born in 1994 (really? 1994?), there were some interesting trends.

For instance, if you didn't think we've morphed into a TV (or more likely video) society, then you'd be shocked the Class of 2016 get most of their news from "The Daily Show" or on YouTube.

According to the study, they have always lived in cyberspace. Computers are as likely to be as opened as the front door.

This new class of college students have probably never purchased a CD, let alone an album. Everything is quick hits, including music. I would imagine the song "American Pie" would be turned off the first time they went to the "levee, but the levee was dry."

Anyway, I've taken it upon myself to keep these old timey ways alive.

First, though, I had to take a quick survey. Having nobody from the Class of 2016 around, I had to use a member of the Class of 2021.

OK, where do you get your news?

Blank stare.

OK, where do you find out what's happening in the world?

"From you."

Good. Go to the CD cabinet and pick out something to listen to.

"That's all right."

Well, then, how about answering me this, who is Bill Clinton?

"Dad, I'm reading. Leave me alone."

I'll try again later.

Rise and Shine --- Those were the days?

Good Morning and isn't it nice to have the air conditioning turned off?


So, when the mosquitoes became too much Sunday night, we went inside and snapped on the TV.

Since I had control of the remote, I was able to bypass the usual fare of shows that melt the brain. OK, OK, all television melts the brain, but some make it go quicker than others.
Just to see what kind of reaction I would get, I stopped on PBS, which was showing a rerun of an old Lawrence Welk show.

After a couple of minutes, "What is this?"

It's an old TV show. My grandmom used to like watching it.

"Why are we watching it?"

Because it's a slice of Americana. They don't make them like this anymore.

"These people of weird. Isn't there anything else on?"

Nope, this is on every channel.

"I'm going to go read."

So, there you have it. Lawrence Welk is helping this generation of students keep up with their reading.

Rise and Shine --- Really? The 76ers?

Good Morning to all you insomniacs!
Was that really a couple thousand people cheering for the 76ers yesterday?

Really? People came out to the Constitution Center on a Thursday in the summer to get a look at new center Andrew Bynum?

Wait, aren't the Eagles getting ready for the season? Aren't the Phillies showing signs of life? Cheering for the 76ers in August? Why, I never...

The 76ers have always seemed like fourth-class citizens in the sports community. The Eagles ruled until the Phillies won, now they trade Nos. 1 and 2 depending on the time of year. The Flyers have always had a loyal following.

The 76ers, though, even in the glory years, seemed to pushed to the side.

Truth be told, my group of friends were always bigger 76ers fans. We went to games and listened to the 76ers on the radio (not every game was televised back then). We sat in the school cafeteria debating the merits of keeping Darryl Dawkins, then we cheered the signing of Moses Malone. We laughed at the drafting of Hersey Hawkins. We felt betrayed when Doug Moe made it look like coaching the team was taking too much time away from the beach.

Even the last few years, I've been able to get down to a couple of 76ers games (pro sports has totally outpriced the family, but that's for another time).

So, it was cool to see cheering for the 76ers in the middle of the summer.

Rise and Shine --- The heat is on

Good Morning and was that really George Michael singing during the Olympics Closing Ceremonies?

It was nice to open the door this morning and not be hit by a wall of heat. There virtually no humidity out there this morning.

What a wonderful feeling!

I was standing in the store the other day while the daughter tried on some clothes (her new favorite activity) and somebody standing outside the dressing room said, "It's like we really didn't have a summer this year. It was too hot to even walk outside."

Now, I wouldn't go that far. I mean, it is the Northeast. It's going to get hot, it's going to cool off. Sure, we had one of the hottest July's ever, but we weren't cooped up. I think it's a sign of the times.

When I hear these things, my mind immediately thinks back to my grandparents.

They didn't have any kind of air conditioning. It was hot, they dealt with it.

A few weeks ago, I was at my dad's boyhood home. He showed the children his old room on the third floor of one of those really old houses that have no air flow.

When they asked how he could sleep with it being so hot, he said he had a fan for the window.

I'll be the first to admit I thank the stars for the person who invented air conditioning.

I think, though, it kind of spoils us sometimes.

Not that I'll give it up or anything...

Rise and Shine --- Growing up

Good Morning and welcome to the only place on the Internet you need to be!



My parents have a real nice pool in their backyard. It was put in when I was in high school, but we always had some kind of pool in the backyard. So, I grew up going swimming every day throughout the summer.

About once a week now (sometimes more when it's as hot as it's been), I drive the three young ones over to enjoy a dip in the water.

OK, OK, I enjoy putting my toes in or doing a cannonball as well.

There is no diving board, but the children enjoyed jumping off the side and into the water. Last year at this time, I had to catch them as they jumped into the 4-foot part of the pool. They would jump, I'd catch and it would start all over again. And again. And again.

This year, they still were jumping in the shallower end, but didn't want me to catch them. I stood by, making sure nobody got hurt.

When we woke up yesterday and felt the heat, it was time to take the ride.

A few minutes after jumping in the first time, the 7-year old said to me: "Daddy, do you think I can swim in the deep end?"

Sure, I told her, if you can swim in the shallow end, you can swim in the deep end. I'll be there if you get nervous.

"No thanks," she said. "I can do it."

So, she got out of the pool, walked to the deep end (8 foot) and jumped in. She then swam over to me and said, "See. I could do it."

Yes, yes you can. It's a good thing I could blame the pool water for that tear in my eye.

Rise and Shine --- The cloud is scary

Good Morning and how about that Queen!
So, about 2 p.m. Friday, my iPhone took a dive. Well, actually, it was in a bathing suit pocket when the wearer took a dive.
We don't need to go into any depth there, but, suffice to say, the phone went to a watery grave.
Sure, I tried all the Internet hits. The now paperweight sat in a bag of rice for hours. It was left out in the sun. It was blow-dried. It was plugged in.
By midday Saturday, the obvious was becoming fact in my mind, the phone was dead. I was going to have to get a new one.
I tried going though my provider (cough, AT&T, cough), but, even though my next upgrade would be available in January, they refused to help me out. If I wanted to replace the iPhone, I was going to have to pay like $450.
Uh, it's not that important.
Then I remember a coworker talking about how his son's iPhone gets wet (OK, it gets beer spilled on it) every six months or so. He goes to the Apple store to get a new one.
I figured there was no way he was paying $450 every six months, so, it was off to Apple we went.
Got there about 11:30 and, yes, there was a line since the store doesn't open until Noon on Sundays. By the way, how can Apple cry poor when people line up in front of their store at 11:30 on a Sunday.
After talking to one of the store's resident 'Geniuses' (Wait, I thought they all worked here), I got a new phone for about $150.
It's not like I have $150 sitting around doing nothing, but I figured I needed the phone (don't have a landline) and it was better than waiting until January.
I turned the new phone on, went through the set up and, about 10 minutes later, it was like I had never dunked the old phone. All the photos, numbers and browsing history were there. A game I was playing 10 minutes before the water, was at the same place I left.
Forget big brother, it's the cloud that's scary.

Rise and Shine -- Blue & White Lie

Good Morning and if it's going to be this hot, it might as well be sunny!


So, the Penn State football program was effectively killed by the NCAA yesterday.

Sure, the Nittany Lions will be playing this season and for the foreseeable future, but the sanctions imposed probably sunk the program to the depths of the game.

The loss of scholarships, bowl ban and money lost will take at least a decade or more to overcome.

To which, I say, who cares?

Penn State for years, even before the Jerry Sandusky cover-up, has been putting out a lie.

Joe Paterno was not a nice man. He was condescending. He was nasty. He was not friendly.

He apparently was different to the players, but to the media and others who crossed his paths, well, forget about it.

I only had a couple of interactions with Paterno, both as a student at the University of Pittsburgh. My junior year I traveled to Penn State to cover the game. I saw Paterno at a Friday night get together the University hosted before home games.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed, I walked up to Paterno and, with my hand out, said, "Mr. Paterno it's an honor to meet you."

The response from the coach was, well, an eye-opener, "Well, it's not an honor to meet you."

He then turned away.

I've heard similar stories over the years. Sure, the school did a good PR job of portraying their coach as this down-to-earth person.

Now, more people can see the truth.

Rise and Shine --- Hide or not?

Good Morning and a big welcome back to Mr. Humidity!

So, at the end of a week away from the office, the shooting happened in Aurora, Colorado.

We had a lot to do Friday (cutting hedges, wash, cleaning), so I didn't really check the news of the day until around dinner time.

That's when a debate entered my mind. Do I tell the children (ages 13, 10, 7) what happened?

This debate wasn't about shielding them from the realities of a world sometimes gone crazy. It's just that I like to think I can protect them from bad things. Then again, if they don't know about the dark side, they can't stay away from the dark side.

So, over dinner, we talked about the shooting.

The first question, "Why would somebody do that?" had no answer that would be good enough. Nobody really knows why evil happens, it just does.

So, we talked about safety. We talked about going to the movies ("If I was in that town, I would never see a movie again."). We talked about guns and the reasons why they should all be melted down.

In the end, we talked about how we can't keep looking over our shoulders all the time, but we need to be aware bad things can happen.

In the end, the 10-year old philosopher said it best: "When bad things happen, it is better for our future. We'll be a little bit safer."

I hope so.

Easy cure

I'll talk slowly

Ban

All

Guns

Rise and Shine --- Going Fruity

Good Morning and what was that strange wet stuff falling from the sky?




I think we get spoiled some times.

You can pretty much walk into any supermarket at any time of the year and find strawberries, watermelons, cantaloupes and a plethora of other so-called 'summer' fruits.

Thanks to industrial agriculture and imports from South America, the time of year doesn't matter.

You have to admit, though, these fruits taste a little better in the summer.

The strawberries, since the ones in the stores are likely grown around here, are that much sweeter. Same for the blueberries. Taste a strawberry today and then one in December. There is a big difference.

The biggest difference is in watermelons. I have to tell the boys all the time I won't buy watermelon after September.

Now, practically any one you pick up is sweet and juicy. By October, well, there's a reason it's a summer fruit.

To me, there's no better summer dessert than a nice fruit salad (well, OK, ice cream is nice once in awhile).

I want to do a better job of taking advantage of these things during the next few months.

Now, pass the spoon.

Rise and Shine --- Really, that long?

Good Morning and how about that Sun, Ladies and Gentlemen!




Attended a funeral service Friday for my aunt on my father's side. Haven't seen that part of the family for about 20 years. The last time any of us could remember, it was a different funeral.

Yeah, not the greatest places to catch up.

To tell the truth, I always find the situation kind of awkward and, even at my advancing age, am somewhat perplexed on how to handle it.

On the one hand, I was happy to see my cousins again. We had fun times growing up. I remember playing ball. I remember running around. I remember walking to the corner store.

Then there was the little reason why everybody was getting together.

"Hey, great to see you. Oh yeah, sorry about your mother."

It's sad, but it's happy. Too many things going on at once.

By the end of the day, after eating too much, drinking too much and spending too much time in the sun, everybody seemed to be smiling.

Here's to hoping it's not another 20 years.

Rise and Shine --- Ahhh...

Good Morning and maybe we could mix in a little gentle rain this week?




Anyway, I'm already sick of the presidential election and things haven't even really started.

I'm sick of hearing Mitt Romney talk. I'm sick of hearing the rhetoric about the economy, jobs, global warming and healthcare.

I'm sick of being inundated with false report after false report. I'm sick of the commercials where they take one comment from something four, five, six years ago and try to make a point. I'm sick of hearing all these rich people tell me what I should be thinking.

Really, let's face it, most people have already decided who they are going to vote for in November. Those few still sitting on the fence aren't going to be swayed by attack ads.

Yes, it's going to a long stretch of politics.

By the way, saw this yesterday and it's pretty funny.

Rise and Shine --- Just saying...

Good Morning and there is always something calming about a thunderstorm in the summer!




OK, maybe I'm strange. I know storms, especially those summer ones, can cause a lot of trouble. I remember the one a few years ago that knocked out our power for nearly a week.

Still, when there's no damage coming, I like watching the lightning and hearing the thunder.

Like I said, I'm a little strange. I mean, I like to put peanut butter on those Sweetzels Spiced Wafers they sell in the fall.

By the way, speaking of cookies, who cares if Oreo offers multi-colored cream. It all tastes the same and the box doesn't last for more than an hour (at least at my house).

After years of watching the morning news programs in the office, I now pine for the days when I could turn on Curious George without getting funny looks. Really, is there any difference between Curious George's adventures and the stuff people like Steve Keeley at Fox29 try to tell us. It's only so much noise.

By the way, I am pretty sure in my journalism classes I was told there was no place for opinion in reporting the news. You know, just saying.

So, they are adding some red-light cameras along Baltimore Pike. Here are a couple of other cameras that should be added. That means a lot of people will be getting tickets in the mail all thanks to the idiot who decided it's a good idea to slow down to 3-mph when making a turn onto 320. Look, if you are going to turn, turn. It's not brain surgery.

Finally, I know it's old and I'm not a big fan of cats, but, if one can playing the keyboards, so be it:

Rise and Shine --- Summer's past

Good Morning and wasn't it nice to be able to leave the windows open last night?




A couple of weeks ago (on the last day of school), the little ones asked me what we were going to do this summer.

I gave my usual answer: "Depends on how everybody is going to act. A lot of fighting or arguing means a summer spent in a perpetual state of punishment. Acting good will mean more trips and more things to do."

Then, they asked what I did during the summer.

For some reason, I really don't know why, I flashed back to spending time with my cousins at their little farm (well, it had a barn) and tossing rocks into the creek.

It wasn't exactly a Mayberry time, but I remember having fun. The cousins were a little older than me and we didn't see them a whole lot, but every summer we'd spend a few times just 'messing around.'

My Aunt would make some kind of lunch, we'd eat, then head back and run around. We'd sneak in and get some ice cream or cookies, then do more of the same.

As the year's went by, I saw less and less of those cousins. As we got older and jobs or school got in the way, it went from a few times a year to once to none. They still lived in the area (my aunt continued to live in the old house), but I guess it's just the way some things go.

I haven't seen them in close to 20 years.

After I had told the stories of those summers to my children, my dad told me my aunt was sick and had to be hospitalized.

I found out she died yesterday.

I still don't know why I remembered those summer moments above others, but, maybe, it was a way of saying good bye.

Rise and Shine --- Get in the pool!

Good Morning and has anybody been able to hold off on the air conditioning yet?




When it gets hot and school's out, one of the first requests I get is "Can we go to a pool?"

I can pack everybody into the car and take a drive to Mom's house, but the pool is not open yet.

I can try to find somebody with a membership to a local pool who has some extra guest passes. With the work schedule and all, that's not the easiest thing to pull together.

So, I did the next best thing. We went out to a local store and picked up a little something to put in the yard.

"But, it's too small," was the first complaint.

Ah, you'll get wet and cooled off. That's all we need right now.

"But, it's too hard on the bottom," came the second.

We'll put in a little padding.

So, after what seemed like hours and hours air transfer, it was finally blown up and filled with water.

"The water's too cold."

Ahhhhh....

Rise and Shine --- Star Trek stuff

Good Morning and how about the Heat?!?
You know, I usually leave the cool space stuff to my co-worker in the Armageddon Watch blog
Then I saw something this morning that was too cool to wait.
Apparently, scientists believe the Voyager 1 spacecraft is about to leave our solar system.
The ship was launched in 1977 and is about 11 billion miles from earth. If the ship actually does leave the solar system, nobody really knows what kind of data or photos it will send back, but it's still really cool.
 I remember watching old Star Trek reruns when my Dad walked through the room.
"Think we'll ever have stuff like on this show?" I asked.
 "No way," he said. "It's just made up. "
Well, it's funny because we now have talking computers. tablets, holographic images and even more that was on the show.
Now, we have a ship that was made right here on earth about to find out what else is out there.
Sure, it's taken 35 years to get there, but what about the next one?
Then again, I don't think we are going to want to fight the Klingons.

Rise and Shine --- Summer's here

Good Morning and welcome to another one of "those" weeks!

OK, school's done.


Summer, maybe not officially until Wednesday, is here.

Now, what am I going to do.

It would be very easy to let the children run free. Have a "Do what you want" kind of summer.

I think that would last about a day. Besides, if I really let them do what they wanted, it would be hiding in the basement all summer playing video games.

Sure, it would make the rest of the house quiet, but, you know, it's kind of nice outside.

How about we ride bikes? "No"

How about we throw a Frisbee? "No"

How about we put on the sprinkler and run around? "Water's too cold, so No"

OK, this is going to be a bit harder than I envision every June.

So, I'm in the process of planning out as many activities as possible. Keep them busy and they can't complain.

Yeah, right.

Rise and Shine --- Too much?

Good Morning and how about that sun!!

I think we've hit the end. If not the end, we can certainly see it from here:

Rise and Shine --- Ad break

Good Morning and wouldn't it be nice if we could all sleep in late?




Maybe we could make it a new holiday: National Sleep in Late Day.

Target could have a 'Sleep in Late Day Sale,' with doors not opening until noon. We could see Toyota commercials for the month leading up to the day.

Speaking of commercials, they have become really annoying of late.

Let's not even talk about the car ads where a bunch of people are running to the dealer to get the best buy. Now, I know cars might be selling a little better than 2 years ago, but, come on, don't insult me with a bunch of stupid people running to the dealer before the sale is over. I have a feeling if you go into the dealer a day after the sale is over, you can still get the same deal.

So, anyway, the one that is really annoying me right now is the credit card commercial where some town combines their points to watch 'the London Olympics in true London style.'

Excuse me, but the Olympics don't start for a month. How did this town watch them already? Are they in some kind of time vortex where they can live in today, but watch the Olympics in the future?

I know ad agency's are struggling to come up with ideas, but whoever green-lighted this one should be forced to watch hours of Angry Orange.

Never mind, that would probably be illegal torture.

Rise and Shine --- Win, lose, draw?

Good Morning and how about them Phillies!?!




You know, it's OK to laugh at professional athletes when they make mistakes. It's OK, because, well, they are making millions and should be held to a higher athletic standard. Besides, when you watch Ty Wigginton boot a ball it makes all those errors you made in high school seen kind of OK.

I played baseball until I left high school. I know I wasn't very good. By sixth grade, I knew I'd never become a professional player.

Through all those years, my teams only came in first one time. After winning, we went to the pizza shop that sponsored the team and, hoping to get some free pizza, told them we won. Great, the guy behind the counter said, that'll be 10 bucks.

This past spring, a 10-year old I know lucked out and was drafted by a pretty good team. He improved through the season and went all the way to the title game.

So, in the bright sunshine and the heat of Sunday afternoon, we were at the field for the league championship game.

We cheered for our team to win. When they did with an unlikely hit in the last inning, we smiled, yelled and gave them all high-5s.

Quickly, though, I looked over to the other side. Sure, we were happy, but there was another group of players who weren't so upbeat.

I know the feeling on both sides of the field. I know the elation of winning. I know the pain of losing.

We all want our children to know the first one, while hoping to take the sting out of the second.

In 15 years, it'll be OK to laugh at them if they mess up on TV. For now, though, the only laughing should be because they are having fun.

Rise and Shine --- School days...

Good Morning and do we really need a remake of the 'The Munsters?'


So, here we are about a week and a half away from the end of school and the homework wars continue.

I get it, homework is of the lowest priority. I know it ranks below sitting around on the couch or sneaking a couple of cookies out of the jar or even fighting with your brother, but it still has to get done.

It's not like the middle of the school year where you were burdened down with homework. The teachers understand it's getting near the end of the year, so they aren't giving as much.

That project weeks in the making? Yeah, that doesn't need to be done the night before.

The math worksheet? Uh, all that time you just spent arguing with me about doing the work could have been used to get it done.

Reading? Shouldn't we all be reading every day anyway?

So, let's just work out a truce, OK? Get the homework done and everybody will be happy.

Rise and Shine --- Alarming

Good Morning and what are the MTV Movie Awards supposed to be?




Anyway, I've found the sure way to be tired throughout the weekend: set the alarm every day.

I really hate to have to set the alarm on the weekends. It's one thing to have to get up early every day for work, but it's quite another to have that beep, beep, beep going on when you are off.

Unless, of course, you are going on an exciting trip or something. I wouldn't mind it if, say, I was traveling to London in the morning.

This weekend, though, I knew was going to be a long one. When the alarm went off Saturday morning it meant the whole day at the baseball fields. By the whole day, I mean the WHOLE DAY.

The first game started at 9 a.m., which meant we had to be at the fields by 8. That one stretched to 11. We then had an hour break before the next one.

A win there, would mean a game right after, a loss (which is what happened) forced a 3 p.m. game.

Then Sunday we had to be out at Rose Tree Park by 9 a.m. to set up for our live stream from the Italian festival.

Each event (events?) was fun, but I'll look forward to this weekend for one reason: No alarms.

Rise and Shine --- Tripping out

Good Morning and why can't we have a sprinkler out front of work?



Really, though, somebody said to me the other day, "If you complained about the cold, you can't complain about the heat!"

Sure you can. I think it's in the Bill of Rights that we can complain about the weather whenever we want. Don't hold me to that, though, it's been quite a few years since Social Studies class.

Speaking of social studies, a certain now 13-year old boy (13!!!) has been learning a lot this year about everything. Well, being 13, at least he believes he knows everything.

So, while watching something on TV, I'll get things like: "Roman soldiers were paid in salt" or "George Washington didn't really cut down a cherry tree."

Every time I tell somebody the boy has turned 13, I get the roll of the eyes.

"Oh," they say, "good luck with that."

As long as we can get through the attitude (which seems to become more and more prevalent) I don't think it will be so bad.

Then again, we're only a few days into the teenage years.

Rise and Shine --- Is it a deal?

Good Morning and it's tough to wake up on a rainy Tuesday!


So far this morning, I could buy a Father's Day lobster dinner, a full day at a salon, a couple of tickets to a water park, tickets to a baseball game, laser hair surgery and some meat. All at low, low prices thanks to my e-mail inbox.

Whether it be Groupon, Living Social Deals or Google Offers, if I check my e-mail when I wake up, I have more offers than I can possibly see.

Want to take a trip? Well, how about a bed-and-breakfast deal in Cape May.

Need to send flowers? I have at least three e-mails saying I can get roses really, really cheap.

Having trouble at work? Come over and we'll talk.

Now, I've used some of these deals before. I've taken advantage of some good ones. There are still more coming in, though. I can't possibly get all of these.

Wait, coupon for a Mexican restaurant? I'm there.

Rise and Shine --- The Trouble with Triples

Good Morning and doesn't it somehow feel fitting when it rains on a Monday?

The Phillies have been riding a wave of public relations heaven for about 10 years now. To borrow a phrase, their poop didn't stink.
They were winning. A bunch of fans (millions) were coming out to Citizens Bank Park to see the players make a push to a championship. They traded young players for old and kept it going. The owners, who were so hated in the 1990s, were glorified.
It's all pretty good. Still is, but, now, there are some chinks in that armor.
The team took some hits over the weekend for a couple of Inquirer stories. One being on how the use of cortisone injections given to first baseman Ryan Howard could have led to his tearing of his Achilles tendon at the end of last year. The second being how the Phillies kept a reporter from watching Howard rehabbing in Florida.
Having been a Phillies fan my whole life, all I could think was "so what."
This kind of thing happens in professional sports all the time. Teams and players lie or hide from the media. The players aren't really that fan friendly. They do the things the team tells them do to, but get them outside the ballpark and, whew, watch out.
I covered professional sports for many years. Let me tell you a secret: It's not that glamorous.
I've found out what is glamorous, though. It's telling a 7-year old how to hold the bat and seeing her get a hit on a hot Saturday afternoon. It's getting a bunch of 8- and 9-year old boys to make up a cheer for their teammates.
It's being told, long after a hot day in the sun is over, "Thank you for being there today."

Rise and Shine --- Why waste time?

Good Morning and at least the ducks will like today!

So, there was this big press conference downtown yesterday featuring the mayor (who seems to make as many TV appearances as the President) and rapper Jay-Z.
It was talked about all weekend. There was going to a be a big announcement. It was all a big secret, but it was going to be something big for the region.
As these things do, it leaked out by Sunday morning the announcement was going to be about a concert festival on Labor Day weekend.
Seriously, it is good news. We have a rich musical history here (heck, Rock 'n Roll started in Chester). It's about time Philly did something like this.
Then they held the news conference yesterday. All the sponsors talked. The mayor talked. Jay-Z talked.
They all said nothing. No details. Just the dates, which everybody knew. They should have stepped up and threw out something new. That's the way to get things going.
Here are the ways to hold a news conference:

Rise and Shine --- Water Power

Good morning and how about that sun!

So, I threw a birthday party over the weekend for two boys.
With about 10 children scheduled to attend, I figured I better plan a few activities. Either that or have them grouped around the television set playing video games.
So, with the sun shining bright, I set up a couple of Frisbee games. A bean-bag toss. Their sister wanted to organize a game of freeze-dance or musical chairs.
Sure, I thought, that should be enough to keep everybody occupied.
We never got to any of the games.
Somebody found the water guns in the garage.
Soon, there was water flying everywhere (it helped the temperature reached 80). The Frisbees were used to soak opponents.
So, you can plan all the stuff you want, but a child's mind will gravitate to what's the most fun. Maybe we all should throw some water.

Rise and Shine -- Living in the Past

Good Morning and if Charlie Manuel never goes to the bullpen again this season, I'll be happy!

I'm sure everybody at some time or another has been accused of living in the past. We listen to old music. We talk about how great it was when we were kids. Sometimes, we wish we could go back.
Well, this week, I did go back. Way, way back.
On Tuesday I paid a visit to the Penn Museum to check out their new exhibit on the Mayans.
It turns out the whole thing was put together by a Delco native named Kate Quinn. Her story you can read online later today and in the Weekend section tomorrow.
It was a rocking and rolling exhibit with a ton of ancient (by that I mean like 4,000 year old) artifacts. There were writings. There was cool looking pottery and weapons. It was bright and shed a lot of light on the so-called Doomsday that many think is coming this December.
After spending a lot of time at the exhibit, well, sorry Dutch Daulton, but the end of the Mayan calendar really doesn't mean the end of the world.
A day later, I had the opportunity to check out the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Franklin Institute.
While the stuff was just as old (yes, there really is a 3,000 year old sandal on display), it was much more reverent. The exhibit, with the scrolls as the star, is about the evolution of religion and philosophy.
It's quiet, it's a bit dark and it makes you think.
There are amazing, hand-made jewelry, seals and writings.
So, having spent two days this week in the past, I have to say it's all pretty amazing. Hopefully, we don't lose any of this stuff, because it puts a pretty good perspective on everything.

Rise and Shine -- Good for a laugh

Good Morning and why is blogger so slooowwww!

Anyway, so I turned on the Phillies game just in time to see them not score after loading the bases, then have a Mets rookie get his first himt to win the game. Oh well, it's going to a be a long summer. So, might as well laugh at it all.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Sean Penn from Between Two Ferns

Rise and Shine --- Blast from the '80s

Good Morning and how about those 76ers!!!

There are a lot of Phillies fans out there right now. Many of them might not remember the lean years, but, so what. We can all enjoy this ride even if this season is going to have some potholes.
The Eagles always draw a lot of interest. Most of that has to do with the machine that is the NFL. It permeates through all our sporting lives. There are even NFL team baseball jerseys, so there.
The Flyers hold a spot in peoples lives mostly because it's hockey and, well, people like to see the fights. That's the way it is and the NHL can't get away from it.
Of the four major sports teams we follow, the 76ers get the least amount of love. I guess mostly because they've been a middle of the road team for so long. They are just good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to actually compete for a championship.
This weekend, though, my memory was jogged back to those heady days of the 1980s when the 76ers actually ruled. They had two of the greatest players who ever pulled on a uniform (Dr. J and Moses). They had the consummate professional (Mo Cheeks) and the guy who got down and dirty (Bobby Jones).
Now, for those of you who remember, the Phillies were pretty good the first half of the 1980s as well, but they were upstaged by the 76ers.  After all, the 76ers were in the title hunt every year.
Even after they made one of the worst trades in modern sports history (Moses for Jeff Ruland?) they still had a young Charles Barkley. It was anther six, seven years of success.
Somehow, it went all wrong, but maybe beating the Chicago Bulls is the start of a new run. If not, we always have the videos.

Rise and Shine --- The Fight

Good Morning and, I know we need the rain, but why does it have to be on a day I need to be outside?

OK, I made a mistake Saturday afternoon. I'm big enough to admit it. I should have known better. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I should, could, would.
While sitting around the table eating lunch, I complimented the children on how they were working together. I told them I was proud they could stop fighting for most of the morning and play nicely.
I told them it really made me feel good to hear them talk to each other instead of yelling. I told them it could be a perfect afternoon if they could just not argue.
I was so proud, I thought about taking them down the street for some ice cream.
So, we ate lunch. Joked about a few things. Laughed about a few things.
I walked in the kitchen to clean up the dishes when the first yell started. Next came a scream, finally I heard the first call.
"Dad, he took my Gogos."
"Dad, she called me stupid."
"Dad, he pulled my hair."
Now, I know siblings fight. That's part of the deal. I certainly did my part when younger.
Sometimes, though, it seems like the fighting is there all the time. Arguing over who's feet are closer to the couch. Who gets to brush their teeth first. Who takes the first bath.
Man, it gets frustrating.
I guess I have to put them in a better position not to fight.

Rise and Shine --- Battling

Good Morning and how about those Phillies!?!

Yeah, so this year the Phillies aren't so fun to watch. Really, though, we've been treated to a ridiculous run of fun baseball.
For those of us who grew up through the lean years, the past 11 have really been unbeleivable.
For the Phillies to be mentioned as World Series favorites and having actually won the whole thing in 2008, well, it's almost like a dream.
So, I can excuse a tough year in 2012. It's those other fans who will have a tough time with it.
It's those fans who don't know the pain of watching Midre Cummings lead off,watching Wally Ritchie come trotting out of the bullpen or hoping Rick Shu will be the answer at third base.
It's those fans like the one I had a conversation with the other day.
"The Phillies stink this year."
What, they have the best pitching staff we'll ever see and they are still probably going to make the playoffs. I wouldn't say they stink.
"Yeah, but they aren't going to win the World Series."
Probably not, but they are still going to make the playoffs.
"Who cares? The Eagles make the playoffs every year, but they don't win. It gets boring."
Boring? Let me tell you about boring baseball ...
"Isn't there a movie on?"
Suffer. You must suffer like the rest of us did through the 80s and 90s. learn the pain so you may appreciate the wins.
"Who are you? Yoda? I'm going upstairs."

Rise and Shine --- Softball and M&Ms

Good Morning and wouldn't it be nice if applications warned you before they changed?

When I got an e-mail last week asking if I would take over managing the 7-year old girls softball team for Saturday's game,  I was excited.
After all, it's not too often you get to take a lead role in something somebody might remember 30 years from now.
In the days leading up to my managerial debut (OK, it's not so much managing as keeping the chaos to a minimum), I started thinking the girls might need a little incentive.
I had told them the previous game if they won, I would make cookies for the next game. That seemed to get them focused on the game instead of the gossip, but they couldn't quite pull out the win.
So, while shopping Thursday night, I saw some Easter candy at a deep discount. Among the offers were those tubes of mini M&Ms. It hit me the incentive has to be immediate.
So, I picked up enough of the candy to cover the team and told them I had a treat ready for a good game. (One thing we are trying to teach this year is it doesn't matter if you win or lose, just have fun on the field).
They went out Saturday and hit the ball, fielded the ball, laughed, cheered and had a fun afternoon.
Oh yeah, the M&Ms were gone before they left the field.

Rise and Shine -- Dick Clark

Good Morning and would it be so bad to have one day of rain?

There are a lot of columns and blogs out there today remembering Dick Clark. Many talk about the icon hosting American Bandstand out of Philadelphia.
Well, he moved that show to Los Angeles before I was born. I remember watching the L.A. version a few times, but, really, I didn't get the whole concept.
They play music we watch a bunch of self-affected teenagers dancing. Who cares?
Many other will write about how they spent New Year's Eve with Clark on the TV every year. His 'New Year's Rocking Eve' certainly is the standard-bearer as far as that goes, but, much like New Year's Eve, it's eventually just a tease.
The performances, at least during the show's heyday, were taped. After the countdown, really, what else did the show offer.
No, those things were fine, but Clark's best moments (at least in my eyes), came on the greatest game show in history, The $25,000 Pyramid.
Just check it out:

Rise and Shine --- The Backyard

Good Morning and here we are again!!

So, it was nearly 90 degrees yesterday. Remember how happy we were when it hit 70 in January? Well, what's so wrong with 90 in April?
Yesterday, in fact, was the perfect day to sit out in the backyard, crack open a cold beer, put on some music and just veg out.
There was enough of a breeze so the heat wasn't overwhelming. After about an hour or so, I thought, "Hmm, it would also be the perfect evening to fire up the grill."
So, I dutifully got everything ready, then went back outside to start it up.
The thing lit fine, but I soon realized it wasn't staying lit.
Out of gas.
At least I hadn't started cooking when it went out.
So, I cooked inside, but ate outside.
We could use more nights like this.

Rise and Shine: The Lure of the Snack Bar

Good Morning and welcome to summer!!

Maybe it's the smell of the fries coming out the window or maybe it's just a right of spring, but the youth baseball/softball snack bar seems to have a pull.
On Saturday, before heading off to the first game of the day, I made sure everybody had a full belly. We ate a big breakfast and had a couple of snacks before leaving.
When we got to the fields, it took about a minute before the first plead.
"Can I get something from the snack bar?"
What. You just ate. In fact, you just told me you were so full you couldn't eat another bite.
"Yeah, but now I'm hungry."
What could you possibly want.
"Ice Cream."
We have ice cream at home. You can wait.
"Cheese Fries?"
How could you eat cheese fries. You just had pancakes, eggs, a piece of cake, some fruit, some Easter candy. You can't possibly be hungry.
"How about a hot dog?"
Did you bring any money? No? Well, we can wait until we get home.
You know, sometimes I give in. Everybody does, but, while the prices aren't bad, you could lose a small fortune hitting the snack bar every day.
Mabye I should use the old doughnut shop lesson. Let them get whatever they want one time, then they'll be satisfied.
Somehow, though, I don't think that would work here.

Rise and Shine --- Upper Darby has it all wrong

Good Morning and welcome to the calm before the storm!

So, in case you missed it, Upper Darby school officials are proposing cutting any 'special' classes throughout the district.
That means Upper Darby students won't have designated music, gym or language classes.
Now, some out there might be saying, "Good. These kids need more time in the classroom."
Well, let me tell you from experience, this is the absolutely worst way to go about bringing up those precious scores.
What students need are more specials. Unfortunately, Upper Darby has decided that teachers spending all their time teaching for a state-mandated test is the road to go down.
Sure, the plan says teachers will fit gym, music and art into their daily curriculum, but we all know that's not happening.
For the first year, there may be some art. After that, it will all be book learning and no time for an outlet.
Last year, a third-grader I knew struggled in his first year in the Upper Darby School District. He was given less time to be a young student while the teachers (through no fault of their own) were doing practice test after practice test and preaching about the importance of the PSSA.
This year, as a fourth-grader, he is excelling in a neighboring school district that puts less emphasis on the standardized testing and more on letting students be children.
By the way, the new school district has never had a problem making the state numbers.
Somebody has to stand up to these cuts. It would be nice if Upper Darby officials had the backbone to see what knocking off all these programs will do to the students.
Yes, I know all about the funding our esteemed Governer has taken from school districts. Yes, I know districts have to take hard looks at their budgets, but just taking a hatchet to programs (and teachers) will do no good in the long run.

Rise and Shine --- All that chocolate

Good Morning and here we are again!

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I couldn't really take or leave chocolate when it's sitting around the house. Not that I don't mind having a little now and again, but it's not like I can smell it through the door.
There is a lot of chocolate in the house right now thanks to Easter. It's in baskets. It's on the table. It's in the cabinets.
I know I have to watch out, but when a 7-year old asks for some, well, it's hard to say 'No' all the time.
So, I just let them have it. Is that bad? I don't know.
I feel it's a lot like cursing, if you hold the chocolate out there and make them beg, they are going to want more. If you let them eat it, they may just leave it alone.
I'll let you know how it works out.

Rise and Shine --- Baseball on the radio

Good Morning and welcome another Monday in a long string of them!

While technology has, for the most part, made things better, there's still something a bit 'old fashioned' that works pretty well.
Baseball is still a game that works on the radio.
Sure, every Phillies game is televised now. If you miss it live, you can watch the replay later in the night (or early morning). Yes, television gives you super slo-mo and a look into the game you can't see anywhere else.
Most nights, it's that's just fine. You can plop down on the couch after a hard day's work and watch the game.
Then there are those beautiful spring days when sitting inside seems kind of odd. You want to get outside and feel the sun. You maybe want to work in the garden or have a catch or play another game of H-O-R-S-E.
That's when you realize the radio is still something to keep around. When the announcing is good (and this Phillies group is at the top of the game), you can sit back and see what is happening just by listening.
You can fire up the grill, cook dinner and enjoy a few hours of Larry Andersen.
Now, how about those burgers?

Rise and Shine --- Uh, sure

Good Morning out there in Internet Land!

So, I see there's another argument out of the California for keeping guns in everybody's hand.
Just wondering, how many people have to die before we take control of the situation?
I think, for the most part (as long as you don't read our commenting boards), we are a forward thinking people. We know how to make things. We know the difference between right and wrong. We look for ways to improve the future.
We know it's not good to shoot people. We know we really don't need firearms to defend our land. Yet, we (and by we, I mean lobbyists and wackos) want looser gun laws.
Sure, why not just let somebody walk into Wawa, pick up a coffee, a doughnut and some ammo?
Then again, I saw somebody driving around with a Confederate flag license plate on the front of their truck the other day.

Rise and Shine --- Death of Radio

Good Morning and is it baseball season yet?

There has been a lot written about the 'Death of Newspapers' and how the changing media landscape means we have to adapt. OK, now I'm running Facebook and Pinterest pages as well as a Twitter feed. Adapting, we are. Just look at where we were 2 years ago and see how vastly different it is now.
Newspapers, though, aren't the only media entity starting into a worm hole without any idea where it is going.
Over the last week or so, I've been listening to what I'll call the 'Death of Radio.'
Actually, if my car had one of those fancy MP3 player plug ins, I probably wouldn't listen to much commercial radio.
Since it doesn't, I find myself hitting the scan button more and more in hopes of finding something different.
Go through the stations on any given afternoon and you'll hear the same Madonna, Prince, Led Zeppelin and Journey songs. Sure, every once in a while, there will be a Sam & Dave or Beatles song thrown in.
Basically, you can look at any Billboard Music Chart over the last 20 years and find the playlists of local radio stations.
It used to be we could hear some 'B' sides or new music that might pique our interest.
Just this morning, I flipped from one station playing Led Zeppelin to another playing the same song.
I know stations are all about getting the listeners, but how about throwing something different in there once in a while?

Rise and Shine -- Red Lights

Good Morning and shouldn't Wawa breakfast sandwiches be 2 for $3 all the time?

I have a theory. Much like my other theories, this one probably isn't held by anybody else.
My theory is the gas companies are in cahoots with the company that makes red light timers.
This morning, for example, I was driving into work about 5 a.m. and hit a red light at every possible chance. I never saw green until I came to a complete stop. Then, I had to burn some more gas to get to the next light.
The thing that kills me is there were virtually no other cars on the road that early. There certainly weren't any coming off the side street off Burmont Road. I sat at one light for what seemed like an hour (OK, it was like three minutes, but still) before it turned. Meanwhile, not one car was driving the other way.
So, when I have to put more gas in my car this afternoon, I'll be cursing the lights as well as Sunoco.

Rise and Shine --- Healthcare

Good Morning and welcome back to ... winter?

Everybody out there, raise your hands if you've been adversely affected by the new health care laws.
Let's see, there was a closing of loopholes in Medicare prescriptions. Meaning, more people were able to get the prescriptions they need to stay healthy.
Children are able to stay on their parent's healthcare until the age of 26. In this job market, that's a sigh of relief for many.
So, why exactly are there protests? Why do so many seem to be against changes? Is it really not that many, but the anti have a louder voice?
My healthcare costs keep going up. I now pay over $400 a month for health insurance for myself and three children. It's going to go up again this year.
Somebody has to do something about these costs. If it means everybody has to have some kind of insurance, that sounds like a pretty good idea from here.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Rise and Shine --- Focus

Good Morning and welcome back to a whole new week!

Until last Christmas, I had never heard of a toy called Beyblades.
Actually, my Mom was looking for a gift for somebody else and asked if I ever heard of Beyblades. I had no clue.
A few months later, though, these tops have taken over the mind of one 9-year old I know.
For the uninitiated, Beyblades are basically tops. You spin them in an arena, where one knocks the other over. The last one spinning is the winner.
Apparently, these are big things in the fourth grade. They 'battle' during recess, trade parts and talk about which are the best.
So, after purchasing two Beyblades last weekend, I thought I was safe this weekend.
No such luck.
"Can we go get a Beyblade?" came the first question at around 7 in the morning.
"What?" I said through a sleepy brain. "First, it's like 7 in the morning. Second, we got two last week. That's enough for now."
"You're not fair," came the retort. Actually, this scenerio played out throughout most of the day.
I finally broke down and said we could go to the store, but wouldn't think about buying one unless it was on sale. Of course, this week they weren't, so no Beyblades.
"You're not fair!!"
I should be grateful, though. At least it gets them off the video game requests.

Rise and Shine --- Those pesky guns again

Good Morning and welcome to another perfect spring day!!

So, if anybody has been following the national news recently, it's been hard to miss the shooting that took place in Florida.
If you need the latest, you can read it here
There's a very simple solution to this kind of violence.
TAKE GUNS OFF THE STREET.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, people have the right to carry. Blah, blah, blah.
I know one thing, a 17-year old would still be alive today if a gun wasn't placed in the hand of a neighborhood watch person.
Can't be any other argument.

Rise and Shine --- Welcome Spring!

Good Morning and good-bye to Old Man Winter!

Sure, we might have not been hit much this winter, but it's still winter. It's still dark and dreary. It's still cold and dank.
Now, we can get ready for some sunshine. We can plant the garden. We can smell the flowers.

Rise and Shine --- The growth of No

Good Morning and how many out there has not torn up their basketball bracket?

Anyway, when the children were young and learning to talk, I didn't pay too much attention to the word "No."
After all, they would say it all the time.
Do you want some more peas?
"No."
Do you want to some cake?
"No."
Do you want to go outside?
"No."
Most of the time, they actually meant "Yes," but were just getting the language down. A lot like that annoying baby in the Jimmy Fallon credit card commercial.
As they got older, "No" started to be used less frequently. More often, they would just ignore me when I asked them to do something.
Now, though, as the oldest is reaching those dreaded teenage years, "No" is becoming an act of defiance.
Clean your room?
"No."
What?
"NO!"
I SAID Clean your room!
"NO. NO. NO."
It goes on like that until they realize I am serious about cleaning the room and they walk away.
Maybe I should try that the next time they want pizza.

Rise and Shine --- Side effect: Death

Good Morning and welcome back to another lovely day!

The best thing about having a DVR (and a VCR before that) is you can watch a show and skip through the commercials.
I know, I know, these companies sink a whole lot of money into the ad, the least we could do is let it run, even if we are not paying attention.
The problem is, most commercials are annoying. Sure, there are those that run during the Super Bowl that are well thought out and entertaining. There are funny ones. There are poignant ones.
Then there's this one about the iPhone that has been sufficiently ridiculed.
Don't even get me started on those commercials from drug companies. The reading of the list of side effects runs longer than the actual commercial.
The other night, I was half paying attention to one when I heard the announcer say death was one of the side effects.
DEATH!
I don't care what the drug supposedly cures, if one of the side effects is death, why would you take it?
Better yet, why would you advertise it?

Rise and Shine --- Growing season

Good Morning and what a beautiful start to March!

Don't tell me there is nothing wrong with the weather when we have temperatures approaching 80 degrees in March.
Not that I'm complaining or anything, but so much for that Lion.
Took in the Philadelphia International Flower Show over the weekend. Sure, it was crowded (too crowded?), but it certainly put us in the mood for spring.
The amazing thing about the show is how it makes everybody think they can be a gardener. Now, I'm the first to tell you I have the furthest thing from a green thumb. I once bought a plant that was guarenteed to be a kill-proof. It died in the first week.
Last year, I planted a garden and got no tomatoes. OK, maybe I planted too many. If too many is about 20 plants in a 4x4 area.
Still, though, the smell of the flowers and all the blooms made me think I can do it again.
Picked up a few plants, some seeds and a couple of other things.
The plan is to make our own little flower show all year long.
We'll see how long they last.

Rise and Shine -- Singing

Good Morning and, to that person who invented the snooze, a pox on you!

I don't even remember hearing the alarm this morning, let along hitting the snooze button about a dozen times.
Anyway, that's neither here or there or in bed. Made it to work only 30 minutes late.
So, I was moving some things off an old computer at home when I stumbled on a couple of videos that had been sitting on the hard drive for more than a few years.
In the videos, my son, then 6-years old, is singing and dancing. We watched the videos and had a good laugh. I also promised I wouldn't let anybody see the videos until he is about 16 and only when it will cause the most embarrassment.
Anyway, after we eat dinner, the usual request is "what's for dessert?" Most of the time, I say something like "you don't need dessert after every meal," which is another way of saying "I don't have anything."
This one day, though, I said they had to sing for their dessert. Just a short, maybe 10 second snippet of song, you know, to have a little fun.
All of a sudden, everybody was quiet.
"What song?"
I don't care.
"I don't know any songs."
Sure you do. Just 10 seconds.
"Why?"
Why not?
"I don't know the words."
This went on for about 15 minutes before I got too frustrated and left the table.
Come on, 10 seconds isn't that bad, is it?

Rise and Shine --- Oscars? Yawn!

Good Morning and what's the cure for today's Oscar hangover?

Yes, I watched the whole show last night. Yes, my alarm goes off at 3:36 a.m., so it probably wasn't the greatest idea I ever had.
Why did I stay up so late? Mostly, I was hoping the show would get a little better.
I usually like the Oscars. There are usually some funny little bits. I like seeing the scenes from the best movies. There sometimes are actually some surprises.
This year? Boring with a capital 'B.'
There were no real surprises. Everybody predicted 'The Artist' would win and it did. With the exception of J.Lo's dress and the Will Ferrell/Zach Galifianakis bit, none of the presenters did anything outlandish.
Sasha Baron Cohen dumped some ash on Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet, but they didn't even show him sitting in the audience.
Host Billy Crystal looked old, sounded old and his jokes fell flat.
Still, it's one of those nights you just stay up. Now, I need a nap.

Rise and Shine --- Funny Thursday

Good Morning and is there a better comedy show right now than those GOP debates?

Speaking of comedy, I found these to be pretty funny:

See more at CollegeHumor

Then, there's this:

See more at CollegeHumor

Rise and Shine --- Saving things?

Good Morning and welcome back to the Internet!?!

So, I read this interesting story this morning.
Really, somebody's uncle kept these old comic books around and the collection might get $2 million at auction? Is it really that easy.
Well, no. I remember for years my Dad talking about all the old baseball cards he collected. He talked about having Mickey Mantle cards, Joe DiMaggio cards, Robin Robers cards. He talked about saving them in boxes.
Then, he always adds: "My mom threw them out. She never threw anything out, but she did throw them out."
I collected cards in my youth. I read comic books. I had Star Wars figures.
All of them, though, were opened, tortured and disappeared.
The comic books had ripped pages. The Star Wars figures sometimes took flight off the roof. The baseball cards ended up in the spokes of my bike.
What I always wonder when I read these stories of collectables is, who the heck saves this stuff?
Obviously, some people had the forethought of keeping old stuff in fine condition. I guess that's why a bunch of comic books can $2 million.
I also guess the way I played with mine added to the value of theirs.
So, there, I am part of the process.

Rise and Shine --- I want Spring!!!

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.

Rise and Shine -- Cereal disappointment

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.