USELESS INFO TUESDAY

~  The 1935 tragedy known as Black Sunday was a massive dust storm that blew soil all the way from the southern Great Plains states (the Dust Bowl) to the East Coast.



 ~  The sound track to Walt Disney's "Lilo and Stitch" includes seven Elvis Presley hits - five of them sung by The King himself

 ~  Two Oscar-nominated movies were filmed in the same small town where the 1956 epic "Giant" was shot.  "There Will Be Blood" and Best Movie winner "No Country for Old Men" were both shot in the town of Marfa, Texas.

 ~  A pluot (shown above) is a fruit hybrid that is 75% plum and 25% apricot.  An aprium is a fruit hybrid that is 75% apricot and 25% plum.

~  The tallest bird native to North America is the whooping crane, which is about 5 feet tall.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Hope you all enjoy with your friends and family!

The following info came from longislandpress.com.

• American Indians shared an autumn harvest feasts with the Plymouth colonists in 1621 that is known today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations.


• In the middle of the Civil War, 16th President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day to be a national holiday.

• Contrary to popular belief, even though wild turkeys were around during the first Thanksgiving feast, they were not served.

• Instead, the Native American Indians and Plymouth colonists feasted on various seafood, deer, corn, eggs, squash, spices, popcorn and squashed cranberries.

In addition to some unusual facts, there are also some funny and light hearted quotes to go along with the holiday of Thanksgiving:

“Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants.” -Kevin James

“I love Thanksgiving turkey. It’s the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts.” -Arnold Schwarzenegger

The pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts… nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” -H. W. Westermayer

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” -George Bernard Shaw

“I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.” –Jon Stewart

“An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” –Irv Kupcinet

“Thanksgiving is America’s national chow-down feast, the one occasion each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty.” –Michael Dresser

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

 ~  Leona Helmsley, the Queen of Mean, bequeathed a $12 million trust to her beloved white Maltese named Trouble when she died in 2007.

~  Spain is the world's largest producer of olive oil.  It's followed by Italy and then Greece.

 ~  Frogs were the first land animals to have vocal cords.

 ~  While President, Jimmy Carter once left his authenticator ID for the nation's nuclear missile launch codes in a suit that was sent to the dry cleaners.

~  The famous children's book "Charlotte's Web" begins with the line "'Where's Papa going with that ax?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."

WHO ARE YOU? WHO WHO WHO

In this picture are two of my most loyal blog readers.  Can you guess who they are?  This was back in the day, 1973.  Back when they were young, innocent, and sweet.  What Happened?

PS  Loving the shoes and with the gymnastics apparel!

Love and Happy Weekend!

SOUTHERN FRIEND THURSDAY

Found these on a website today.  If you have seen them before sorry.  I left the book at home that I was going to blog about.

• Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.


• Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."

• Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."

• Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is -- as in: "Going to town, be back directly."

• Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.

• All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.

• Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin!

• Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.

• Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.

• No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.

• A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.

• Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines. We don't do "queues," we do "lines"; and when we're "in line," we talk to everybody!

• Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.

• Southerners never refer to one person as "ya'll."

• Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.

• Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.

• When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!

• Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it --- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.

• And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say, "Bless her heart" and go your own way.

• To those of you who're still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!

• And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language!

• And for those that are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, ya'll need a sign to hang on ya'lls front porch that reads "I aint from the South but I got here as fast as I could."

• Bless your hearts, ya'll have a blessed day.

~Anonymous

THROW DOWN WITH BOBBY FLAY AND PIONEER WOMAN

A must see tonight on Food Network!  A one hour ThrowDown with Bobby Flay taking on the Pioneer Woman for Thanksgiving Dinner Throw Down!  I am so excited!  I love Pioneer Woman and read her blog everyday.  I have been following her for years.  I have her cookbook.  I feel like she is a personal friend of mine.  Oh, and her husband, Marlboro Man, is HAWT!

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

 ~  The modern aerosol can was invented in the early 1940's by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and was first used as a "bug bomb" by U.S. soldiers in the Pacific to spray malaria - and other disease-carrying insects.

 ~  Genericide is the process by which a brand name - such as Thermos or Aspirin (or in the South Coke) - becomes a generic name.

~  Movie producer George Lucas originally intended to name his archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Smith.  When director Steven Spielberg objected, Smith was changed to Jones.

 ~  When Jello was first introduced in 1942, it was a big flop.  It was first marketed with a cola flavor.

~  In Chinese, chop suey means "mixed pieces" or "mmiscellaneous scraps."

WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING?

I love TV.  No, I mean I REALLY LOVE TV.  I have lots of different shows that I am very loyal to.  I do not have on-demand or DVR, so it is really important that I watch my shows at the time they first air.  And, believe me, I do.  Not much can come between me and my TV. 

Here is a sampling (sampling hell) of what a typical week of TV for me looks like.

Sunday - (one of my favorite nights)

Amazing Race, Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead (I wish I could fit in Undercover Boss, but there is just no way).

Monday

Antiques Roadshow, The Event, Hawaii 5-O

Tuesday

Not much on for me here.  Usually watch Food Network, maybe a movie, then House Hunters and House Hunters International

Wednesday

Survivor (LOVE IT), Modern Family, Cougar Town, House Hunters duo.  This Wednesday I have to watch Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network at 8.  He is challenging The Pioneer Woman (love her blog) to a 1 hour Thanksgiving ThrowDown!  I am missing Hell's Kitchen.  It comes on this night too at 7.  Wish it would move to Tuesday or Thursday.

Thursday

Fringe, Project Runway (was watching, now it is off), I can take some suggestions here too.

Friday and Saturday I just wing it.  Of course Saturday is mostly filled with football.  WAR EAGLE.

So there, I have posted on my blog today after taking a needed break last week.  I am a little rusty, and I know not very interesting, but it is something.  You should consider yourself lucky.  I almost blogged about "Items Currently in my Purse."  Hey, wait, that is what I can blog about Wednesday!  I know you can't wait!

TAKING A BREAK...

...TO GET THE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING...BE BACK MONDAY...LOVE!

USELESS INFO TUESDAY ON WEDNESDAY

~  FORTY is the only number that when spelled out has its letters in alphabetical order

 ~  The basilisk lizard is commonly referred to as the Jesus Christ lizard because of its unique ability to run on water when fleeing predators.  Their web like hind feed make this possible.

~  TIME magazine picked Albert Einstein as the 20th Century's Person of the Century.  In its January 2, 2000 edition, the news weekly described Einstein as "the genius among geniuses who discovered, merely by thinking about it, that the universe was not as it seemed."  (HUH?)

~  Grammium is the special alloy used in making the music industry's Grammy award.  It is a custom zinc and aluminum alloy developed specifically for the Grammies.  After the miniature gramophones are cast in grammium, they are plated in 24-karat gold.

~  Emergency shutdown buttons on control panels in nuclear power plants around the world are routinely labeled "SCRAM" buttons.



Southern Fried Thursday

Here are some of you favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies...

Loretta Lynn: Hey Doolittle Lynn, who's that sow you got wallowin' in your jeep?

Girl: What'd you call me?
Loretta Lynn: A sow, that's a woman pig!

Doolittle: Hop in; I'll run you back up to the house. What are you doin' in this bottom anyway?

Loretta: I came to see the doctor.
Doolittle: What for, you sick?
Loretta: Yeah, I'm sick alright; I'm goin' to have a baby.
Doolittle: [laughing] You know, Loretta, we may have found something you know how to do.


[Doolittle walks out of the door after an argument with Loretta]

Loretta: Doolittle; are you leavin'?
Doolittle: [come back in the house] Naw, Loretta; *I* ain't leavin'.
[Loretta walks up to her parents' house]
Ted: Well, look whose back!
Loretta: Doolittle's done throwed me out.
Clara: Maybe it ain't to late to stop you from ruinin' your life.
Ted: I believe married life is makin' you fat, girl.
Clara: [to herself] Oh, no!

Loretta: I done wrote me a song Betty Sue. Your mama dadgome songwriter now.

Betty Sue Lynn: That's a nice song mama.
Loretta Lynn: Thank you baby


[the morning after the wedding night]

Loretta: This food's cold.
Doolittle: That's 'cause it froze on the way over here from the damn restaurant. You want a hot breakfast, you got to come with me.
Loretta: You think I'm going over there with you and all them folks knowin' what we been doin' in here?
Doolittle: Hell's Bells, Loretta. You think this is somethin' the rest of the world ain't caught onto yet? They don't give a damn.


Loretta Lynn: [Loretta is trying out a new song] It goes like this 'It'll be over my dead body, so get out while you can', then it drops down to 'cause you ain't woman enough to take my man!'

Doolittle: Where'd you come up with the idea for that song, Loretta?

Radio station manager: And come off that dumb hillbilly act!

Doolittle: If you knew Loretta, you'd know that ain't no act.
Loretta Lynn: Thank you, honey.


Loretta Lynn: An' stoppa that growlin'. You sound like a big ol' bar.


Loretta Lynn: [Loretta catches Doo with another woman] Woman, if you want to keep that arm, you better get it off my husband.

Girl at fairgrounds: Who are you telling what?
Loretta Lynn: I don't know who you are, but I know what you are.


Loretta Lynn: [Loretta is trying to practice the guitar but her sons keep interrupting] If you boys don't settle down on this porch I'm gonna have to whup you!

Loretta & Mooney's child: That's right!


Loretta Lynn: [in a radio interview] Shoot, we've been driving so much, I don't know where I am half the time. But it's fun. We sing, and talk, and Doo - that's my husband - he'll get to acting horny.

Speedy West: [shocked] What!
Loretta Lynn: And the more I laugh, the hornier he gets, and then he'll say, "Loretta, spread me up another one of them baloney sandwiches!"


Loretta Lynn: [In the bathroom of the honkytonk when Doo is trying to convince her to sing on stage for the first time] Loretta says : "I may be ignorant, but I ain't stupid!"

USELESS INFO TUESDAY

~  The longest possible time an individual can serve as president of the United States is 10 years.  Under Amendment 22 of the U.S. Constitution ratified in 1951, "No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."

~  The term blue blood originated in Spain.  Blue blood was claimed by pure-blooded aristocratic families to differentiate themselves from those who had intermarried.  They were not referring to the color of the blood they bled, but rather to the blueness of their veins, which could be seen clearly through their fair skin.

~  Honey has played a part in the game of golf.  Before the solid core of golf balls was introduced in the late 1960's, most golf balls had a rubber center that was filled with a liquid, which was frequently honey.

~  The U.S. used to distribute cigarettes free to GIs beginning in 1917.  General John J. Pershing claimed that cigarettes were needed "as much as bullets" to win World War I.  They were eliminated from C rations and K rations in 1975.

~  Yoko Ono released an album in 2007 titled "Yes, I'm a Witch."

ANOTHER BEST COSTUME EVER!

Don't you love it?  He came as one of the rescued Chilean miners in the rescue capsule!  My friend ran in the Spooktacular 5K race on Saturday.  She said he ran the entire way in this costume taking baby steps.