Finally decided to make a change and go back to using an old style double edged razor and a brush and shaving soap. I'm tired of the damned "high tech" multi-blade razor tearing up my skin every morning. I used a double edged (DE) razor when I first started shaving, but like most teenagers, I thought it was too uncool, so I switched to the Trac II which had come out about a year before. It worked okay with the stuff from a can and I used them for a long time but then I had to keep up and got a three bladed razor and now I've got one of those five bladed things and I can't take it anymore. I've been reading up on the pleasures of a DE razor and the proper technique to use them. I'm looking forward to non-beat up skin in the morning.




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Workin' On It

Wow. I've finally been able to exercise more regularly. I'm in seriously bad shape. Having a messed up foot for five years didn't help. Anyway, got a good walk in at our local shopping mall. They have mall walkers program. It's pretty cool. The great thing is you can get your exercise in a climate controlled environment and not out in the heat, humidity and crappy air. It's a nice mall that just went under a complete renovation and it's a pleasure to walk through. If you can, see if your local mall has a mall walkers program. It's a fun way to get the exercise you need.


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Hot (not so fun) in the Summertime

It's that time of year. It's hot and humid here in the Eastern US and we've been getting our share of wild weather. Lots of thunderstorms due to the moist air coming up from the Gulf colliding with the cooler, drier air from out west. Some areas have gotten some major damage from some intense downpours in very short time periods. In one town near me, everyone lost power and it took a couple of days to get everyone hooked back up. They even had a mudslide on the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia. The heavy rain overloaded the storm drains so it just ran down the hill and took a good bit of it with it. There's supposed to be a break later this week so it'll be cooler and less humid. Here's hoping. See you all later.

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Well, it's hit the fan in the Michael Jackson case. According to an article today on CNN.com, he "took more than 10 Xanax pills a night, asking his employees to get the prescription medicine under their names and also personally traveling to doctors' offices in other states to obtain them, said a confidential document from 2004 that CNN obtained Thursday".

Says something. Now there's the possibility of it turning into a criminal investigation. The case is being handled by the LAPD's Robbery/Homicide division, along with the DEA, and the state attorney general's office so who knows. If this turns into a homicide investigation, I wouldn't be surprised.

We'll see what happens.

Finally, they're talking about something other than Michael Jackson. Saw a report this morning that said that his veins had collapsed and he had needle tracks on both arms and had been reported as thin, frail and pale skinned and could have been an IV drug user. Gee, ya think? Now there's another dispute going on. His family is arguing over where to bury him. Some want him in Neverland and others want him in Forest Lawn, just, as I believe, he wanted. Bury the poor guy and let him rest in peace and shut up and go away. A lot of us are tired of your family antics. You've become nothing more than a carnival sideshow, and that's an insult to the hardworking folks who work in sideshows. At least they have their dignity and self-respect.

Has everyone gone completely bonkers? There was nothing on the news today but the Michael Jackson funeral. This is news? Give me a break. A washed up, screwed up, possible pedophile, half-assed bad dance song singer who's shows were all flash and no substance, dies and people act like it's the end of the world.

The US has two wars going on, the economy is in bad shape and there are hundreds of critical issues that need to be addressed and we're devoting airtime to this clown? He should have gotten a mention or two on the entertainment news shows, not massive coverage on the main news channels. If I had anything to do with it, the news channels would have had their normal news coverage and the funeral would have been a minor item during the entertainment report. The cult of celebrity in this country is completely out of control. People should get lives of their own, not live through someone else's.

I'm going to say what a lot of people are thinking: Michael Jackson SUCKS! His music sucks, his lifestyle sucks and his parenting sucks. And he's suckered his fans for decades. H. L. Mencken said it best: "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public".

I rest my case.

Finally!

The weather is FINALLY clearing up. Yea! Now I can get back up to speed with the exercise program. Haven't been able to walk much with all the rain. Been doing some stretching to up my flexibility but that's about it. I've lost a bit of weight but not as much as I need to. I'm sure a lot of folks out in the blogosphere can relate to that. Other than that, things are okay. Hope everyone is doing well.

Looking for a Space Heater.

It's May and time for the annual space heater hunt. Why am I looking for a space heater in May, you ask? Well, it's like this: they turn the heat off in my mom's apartment building the first weekend in May and almost without fail, we get a stretch of damp, chilly weather the following week. It's an older building with single pane glass so the area in front of her sliding glass door can get a bit chilly, at least for her. Now, it's happened before and you'd think she'd plan ahead and get one sooner. But no, that would make way too much sense, so now I'm stuck trying to find a heater somewhere. Needle in a haystack time. I think the local K-mart might have some or possibly the local hardware store. I've already tried Home Depot but it's all a/c and fans. Oh well, I'll find something I suppose. I guess, kinda, sorta, maybe, yeah, I don't know.

Washington Rock

Finally got a chance to get to Washington Rock State Park to get some shots. It's a (very) small state park in central NJ. It was used by George Washington as a reconnaissance spot during the Revolutionary War. It's located in Greenbrook, NJ and is on the first ridge of the Watchung Mountains. It's a great spot for photography. You can see for miles, including Manhattan and the tops of (I believe) the towers of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. It also has a hiking trail and some picnic tables. It's a nice place to take a breather.

Another Weekend

Well, the weekend is here. It's supposed to be rainy so I guess I'll work on the online stuff and maybe work on a model kit or two. Yeah, I still build the occasional model car or airplane. Old habits die hard. It's fun and it's a nice diversion. Since I like to work with my hands and build things it's a good hobby to have. I've learned more than a bit about history, aviation and other stuff along the way. With any luck and a little time, I should get the modifications finished on the one plane I'm working on. I'd like to get it done sometime this century. I haven't been working on it regularly, just when I have the time and/or when I'm in the mood. Sometimes I just don't feel like it. I think we all have those moments where we don't feel like doing anything.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Shopping Fun

Found out I could stuff a sizable carpet in my car. I had to get some indoor/outdoor carpet for my mom's place and I decided to not pay $65 to Home Depot to deliver the thing. Took a little doing but I got it in there. Of course when I get back to her place, the luggage cart is MIA. Apparently someone took it to the other building and it disappeared from there. One of the porters got me one of the shopping carts the maintenance guys use and helped me bring it upstairs. A friend of hers is doing the installation so I'm off the hook for that one. He was in the business a while back so he's welcome to it.