Rise and Shine --- Can't we go anywhere?

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.

Rise and Shine --- Shopping torture

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.

Rise and Shine --- State of the Spin

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.

Rise and Shine --- President Newt?

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.

Rise and Shine --- Getting it

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?"

Rise and Shine --- Stop yelling

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?

Rise and Shine --- Love the cold, hate the cold

Good Morning and bundle up out there again today!

Took a trip down the shore this past weekend. With school being just a half day Friday, I figured a drive down and a look at the ocean was better than arguing about the amount of time the television could stay on.
So, we got to Ocean City around 2, got the car unpacked and headed to the boardwalk. The first thing that strikes you in January on the boardwalk is how much of a ghost town it becomes. Besides us four, we saw maybe a dozen other people during the time walking.
For me, that's perfect. While I do like summer at the beach, the ability to actually hear the ocean is kind of cool.
Sure, it was cold, but that's what hats, gloves and scarfs are for. The crisp, clear ocean air does a body good.
OK, the complaints about walking were there, but, once you are into it, there's not much you can do.
So, we walked a couple of miles on the beach (too windy) and did the rest on the boardwalk.
Now, I have to figure out when to get back.

Rise and Shine --- Boss Hogg?

Good Morning and, man, I'm glad it's not like 20 degrees colder today!

So, when former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour left office, he granted quick pardons to 30 prisoners, including at least five murderers. Now, Mississippi is trying to overturn those pardons.

Whether they do or not, well, that's up to Mississippi. The best thing, though, is the states Attorney General Jim Hood said on CNN last night: "He's tried to rule the state like Boss Hogg and he didn't think the law applied to him."
Really, Boss Hogg. Who even remembers Boss Hogg?
I've never been to Mississippi, but at least I now know it's like living every day in the 'Dukes of Hazzard.'
Which, I guess, is a lot like living in Harrisburg.

Rise and Shine --- There's that word again

Good Morning and, just so you know, I won't be Tebowing in the office this morning!

So, the U.S. Supreme Court is apparently going debate whether the government should regulate what's said on TV. You can read the story here
Apparently the FCC sends out fines for using the (Oh, my gosh) F-word during award shows, but not if it shows up in a movie considered to be a classic like "Saving Private Ryan."
OH NO. The thought police want to keep policing.
You know what, I bet if this stops coming up, then the language would get cleaner on television. Not that it really matters, though.
I mean, really, who watches regular network TV anymore?
Then again, it's pretty funny when it does happen

Rise and Shine --- Cold hard schooling facts

Good Morning and, yes, it really is 2012 no matter what you wrote on that last check!!

By the way, does anybody really write checks any more? I mean, you can pay all your bills online. You can transfer money through the bank website. Are checks going the way of regular mail?

Speaking of going away, how about all those Catholic school closings? Pretty amazing, huh.
A neighbor who's school is staying open said Friday, "You know, we are safe, but it's getting about time to pull the plug. They are only going to raise tuition. I think they are pricing people out of Catholic education."
Now, I went to Catholic school for the first eight years. Back then (yeah, ancient history), going to the Church's school was free (as long as your parents kept up with the all-important weekly envelope).
Now, some schools cost parishioners like $6,000 a year and that's only if they still keep the Sunday envelope coming. High schools cost nearly $12,000 a year.
Sorry, I know it's tradition and stuff, but people just can't afford that kind of bill.
My old school has been consolidated twice. This time, it's leaving the building. Now, while I cherish the time there it has more to do with the friends I made and less to do with the lessons I learned.

Rise and Shine --- Long week

Good Morning and can the Eagles actually make the playoffs?!?

With all the Christmas lights twinkling and the tree decorated and the toy commercials showing children what they are 'missing,' it shouldn't be too surprising when the little ones get overstimulated.
It always does take me by surprise, though. They can see and smell Christmas morning and the presents and the trip to Gramdmom's for more gifts. They can feel the chill in the air and the thoughts of sugar plums (whatever they are) dancing in their hair.
They can't sleep, so they are always overtired. Add in the final week of school and, well, somehow I am surprised it's not worse.
Still, when they are at each others throats this week over little things, I have to remember what's ahead. I have to remember it's just a week before Christmas and everything is shaded.
Using the old Santa Claus is watching trick doesn't work anymore (did it ever?), so I'll have to just grit my teeth and let it roll off.
That and some rum balls. Lots of rum balls.

Rise and Shine --- Soup's on

Good Morning and, yes, that is frost again on the car windows!

The best part about this time of year (by that, I mean winter, not the holidays), is it is the perfect time for a big pot of soup.
My plan this year is to make a different one every week, then spread it out through dinners. Of course, thanks to the sophisticated palates around the table, that's a lot easier said than done.
Started out with some chicken noodle soup.
"Don't like it," said the toughest critic.
Well, I said, if you don't eat your dinner, you can't have dessert.
"OK, I don't want desert."
Last week, I went with a potato/leak soup.
"Don't like it," said the critic.
Wait a minute, you didn't even try it.
"It looks disgusting."
OK. What kind of soup will you eat?
"Vegetable."
We'll see when I make that this week.

Rise and Shine --- A new Low-es

Good Morning and I really don't like the cold!

So, I kind of glanced at a story yesterday about how Lowe's was pulling it's advertising from some show called "All-American Muslim."
Now, up until I read the story, a copy of which you can see HERE, I had never heard of "All-American Muslim."
Unless you are an avid watcher of TLC, you probably never heard of it either. It's apparently a reality show about, well, a Muslim family living in America.
Sounds like it's probably one of those shows that follows a family around, they talk to the camera, they argue, they hug. Much like any other reality show on TV.
Then, some wacko group out of Florida decided to protest the show because, well, basically they hate everybody.
For some reason, Lowe's saw this protest, must have agreed and pulled their ads.
What's next? They pull ads from reruns of "Good Times" or "Everybody Loves Raymond?"
Just one question, where's the nearest Home Depot?

Rise and Shine --- What happened today in history?

Good Morning and wasn't it nice not to see any white stuff on the ground this morning?

So, yesterday morning before school, I asked the 12-year old why Dec. 7 was a big day.
"I don't know," he said.
Come on, I prodded, it's one of the most important days in history.
Perplexed, he tried to remember, but finally can another "I don't know."
Really, I guess that's the way of the world. The further we move away from Pearl Harbor, the less likely it's going to be mentioned in school. It happens with everything. We don't talk about Appomattox the way they did in the early part of the 1900s.
In the year 2041, they probably will gloss over 9/11. It's up to us to keep the history alive. So, I recorded a couple of Pearl Harbor shows yesterday and will put them on today (as long as I can get past the whining).
Of course, history comes fast and furious in December. After all, we all know what happened Dec. 8.

Rise and Shine --- Too early for the tree?

Good Morning and isn't Global Warming pretty nice?

So, when the dishes were put away from Thanksgiving dinner and everybody was sitting on the couch, the question came for the first time: 'Can we get a tree?'
Of course, I knew that didn't mean taking a ride to the garden shop and picking up a peach tree.
It was time to start thinking about a Christmas tree. Growing up, we always had the artificial one, so timing didn't matter. Pull it down from the attic and start decorating.
With a real tree, though, you have to balance out how far in advance of the holiday you get one. I'm always afraid it's going to dry out and we'll be greeted Christmas morning with brown needles.
So, I've been able to put it off for the last couple of weeks. I somewhere along the line mentioned Dec. 10. They can't remember what was for dinner last night, but they remember that date.
So, we'll be out tree hunting this weekend.

Rise and Shine --- Shoot the messenger

Good Morning and what do we have here?

You know, most years I kind of ignore all the Christmas shopping commercials that pop up on TV. I'm going to buy what I'm going to buy and no commercial is going to change that.
This year, though, there's something different. This year, I secretly hope Godzilla makes a pre-Christmas run and crushes all the new Lexus' people seem to be buying.
Really, is there anything more annoying than a car commercial where somebody does some 'cute' way of showing how good they are by buying somebody a new Lexus. First of all, let's get past the whole personal choice thing. A car is, after all, something deeply personal.
Who has that kind of money sitting around. Certainly not the people they show in commercials. How does the woman who reprograms the elevator music to play the Lexus jingle get the money to buy her boyfriend a new car while working at Starbucks?
Meanwhile, those people who apparently shop at Target, WalMart, Best Buy or any of the other places that exist in these commercials need to be attacked by zombies. I mean, really, if I saw somebody singing the praises of WalMart while shopping, I might turn into a zombie. Then again, I have a feeling the zombies would starve since there doesn't appear to be a brain anywhere.
Don't even get me started with the jewelery dealers. Yeah, 'Every Kiss begins with Kay' but you can't spell bankruptcy without that same 'Kay.' So there.

Rise and Shine --- Is it cold in here?

Good Morning and welcome back to reality!

So, it started Saturday night, was full blown yesterday afternoon and I can still feel it today. It's the flu. Whether I really have it or not, doesn't matter. It certainly feels that way.
So, this is what I have:

Rise and Shine --- Crazy, or...

Good Morning and how about those stars coming out for the Philly Thanksgiving Day parade!?!

A couple of years ago, my brother said he wanted to compete in an Ironman competition. You know, the one where you have to swim a couple miles, ride a bike for like 122 miles, then run a marathon.
To which, I said he was crazy.
A year ago, he volunteered to work along the route of the Ironman in Phoenix. He handed out water, helped competitors, did whatever was asked. He volunteered for the sole purpose of being able to register for the next Ironman.
To which, I said he was crazy.
For the past year, he's gotten up early in the morning (like the same ungodly hour my alarm goes off) and ventured to a pool to swim laps. He's rode his bike ridiculous distances (like the time he pedaled from his home in Conshohocken to the Ben Franklin Bridge, then to Phoenixville, then back home). He's jumped off the bike and run mile after mile. He blogged about it all RIGHT HERE
To which, I said he was crazy.
He booked the flight. Packed up the gear. Got on the airplane and, last weekend, landed in Phoenix.
To which, I said he was crazy.
This past Sunday, he jumped into a river with 2,500 other people and swam nearly three miles. He jumped out of the water and hopped on his bike. More than six hours later, he hopped off the bike and started running. My mother sent along a photo as he started the run. He was smiling.
To which, I said he was crazy.
It took six hours to finish the marathon part of the Ironman. He said yesterday he walked about 13 miles of the marathon, but was never going to stop. He said he was sore Sunday, but felt great Monday. He also said he signed up again for next year's race.
To which...well, he's crazy, but pretty damn impressive.

Rise and Shine --- Birthday present

Good Morning and isn't it nice to have these 60 degree days in November!

So, about this time last week, I started asking a 6-year old (turning 15 this week) what she would like for her birthday.
We went to the toy store. Looked at the usual suspects. I didn't know there were so many doll accessories.
Even though she said she wanted this and that and this and that, I could tell her heart wasn't really into anything special. Sure, it would be nice to have that new version of the LaLa Loopsy, but where's last year's? Another doll house, really?
So, over a hot chocolate, I asked: What to you really want?
She smiled and said, "It's a secret. Come closer.
"I want to go ice skating in New York City."
Well, we did that around Christmas last year and it certainly left more of an effect on the young mind than I thought.
So, we got in the car Saturday morning and made the trek North to Bryant Park in the heart of New York City.
The amazing thing, to me anyway, was how much easier it was this year to go around the rink. Last year, most of the time was spent crawling along the wall. If the hand came off, well, let's just say it seemed like the rest of the rink was enjoying the comedy.
So, we skated for close to an hour (before her brothers practically demanded we leave).
On the way out, a little voice came from the back of the van: "Thank You, Daddy. Can we we come again next Saturday?"

Rise and Shine --- Trees, lights, ahhhh

Good Morning and welcome to another brilliant morning!

Now, I know I'm behind the eight-ball on this, but I really don't want to see any more Christmas stuff right now.
It all started a few weeks ago when I went into the Home Depot to search for some Halloween lights and could only find reindeers.
Then I noticed every other commercial on TV was pumping up pre-Black Friday sales or Lowest Prices of the Season.
The season? What season is that? Late summer?
Anyway, it all hit this past weekend when we decided to take a trip to King of Prussia. It wasn't so much the piped in holiday songs. It wasn't so much seeing Santa on his couch. It wasn't so much seeing workers at one store being forced to wear elf hats.
No, it was the attitude of many walking through the stores. You would have thought we were sitting a few days before Christmas instead of the beginning of November.
People were buying all the junk in the center of the aisles (do you really know somebody who needs a desk nose-hair trimmer?). They were pushing, wrinkling shirts, knocking things on the ground.
All I could think was, thank goodness for Internet shopping.