Bad Things Happening to Good People

Today was one of those days where you wish you could turn back the clock and find a way to prevent the days events from occurring.
As many of you have probably already heard, Dick Clark, America's oldest teenager passed away after suffering a massive heart attack at the age of 82.  Most remembered for his role as the iconic host of the country's favorite music and dance program American Bandstand, Clark embodied everything that was cool about music throughout the second half of the 20th century. That said, Dick Clark was much more than the host of a long running tv show. During a career than spanned the 50's through 2012, he was also a game show host and the owner of a production company that was responsible for dozens upon dozens of television specials, including "Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve, that entertained people around the world for many years.  Last, but not least, Clark was the inspiration for many of today superstars in the entertainment world and helped launch the careers of many more.
So tonight, as we pause to reflect on the passing of a true American treasure, lets travel back with a few memories of Dick Clark over the years.

American Bandstand "Rate a Record" (late 50's/early 60's)


American Bandstand "Abba Interview) (70's)


$25,000 Pyramid Bloopers (80's)


EmmyTvLegends.Org interview ecerpt on the origins of Rockin New Years Eve (1999)



Then there is Pat Head Summitt, head coach of the Lady Vols basketball team from the University of Tennessee. Today she announced her resignation/retirement as Lady Vols head coach due to ongoing health problems.  Last year she announced to the world that she had been diagnosed with the initial stages of dementia. Determined to fight the illness as long as she could, she remained as head coach despite the shocking revelation. During the 2011/2012 season she took the Lady Vols deep into the NCAA women's tournament before losing to Baylor in an Elite Eight match up. Throughout her career she led by example. With hard work, class, sportsmanship and a balanced sense of priorities, she led her teams to eight national championships, 18 final fours, and 31 consecutive tournament  appearances over her 33 year Tennessee career. She also is the winingest coach in NCAA basketball (including men's) history with a 1098-208 record. In her lifetime coaching career, she never had a losing season. The only NCAA record she didn't break was one held by UCLA's legendary John Wooden of  10 national championships. She has eight. But her proudest accomplishments has nothing to do with wins, losses or championship trophies. Summitt's top priority has always been the well being and education of her athletes. Summitt, through her career, always maintained high standards without compromise which resulted in one of the highest graduation rates in NCAA history.  As we watch Coach Summitt leave UT as an active coach, we wish her the best and offer our prayers as she embarks on the fight of her life....and some would the fight for her life.  God speed Pat! You will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

Pat Head Summitt the Heroine (2009) Natchez, MS Blog
Reaction to Pat Summitt stepping down as head coach -- WBIR TV Knoxville, Tennessee

NCAA Video Honoring Pat Head Summitt


Til Next Time.........................

Happy Monday!!!

Well, we're back at it after the weekend. However, as with most Mondays, our minds keep drifting back to places we've been, places we want to go, and places we are inextricably tied to and can never seem to get enough of. In my case, that could be the ocean.......John F. Kennedy once said, "We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch -- We are going back from whence we came."
On this particular topic, I believe he is 100% correct.  So make the most of your Monday and enjoy the view until you can get there for yourself!

  

Til Next Time............

Food To Soothe The Soul

Photo credit: Jennifer Davick

For most of us, there are places you love and foods you just can't get enough of. For me, it's the beach/ocean and seafood. Lots of seafood. For many those places and foods at just the right time can almost be like a religious experience. For me, it's a frame of mind. It always has been. An out of the way beach side seafood shack at sunset with a bottle of wine and good company to share it with is about as close to heaven as one could get and not actually be there. In lieu of a beach side treat, I'll at least take the seafood whenever I can get it and as often as I can.

Today, i was browsing one of my favorite magazines online, Coastal Living, and came across some cool shrimp recipes I thought I would share with other seafood lovers. Some of them look pretty incredible. But then, how could they not. After all, we're talking about seafood.....right?

Click the logo below and check out the recipes. Maybe you'll find a new favorite and some food to soothe the soul!

Til Next Time..........

Bizzare Start To 2012 NASCAR Season

It was indeed a bizarre start to the 2012 season for the nation premiere oval track racing group. Over 30 hours in delays due to weather then the "Big One" on the track. This time the big one was not the typical multi-car crash we've become used to seeing. Instead, it was just one car driven by Juan Pablo Montoya and a support vehicle that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bizarre....not much more you can say than that. Watch the video and see for yourself!



Phoenix next week.....and hopefully a little less dramatic!

.....Til Next Time.

Laugh of the Week: Boyle's Law and Hell

HELL EXPLAINED BY A CHEMISTRY STUDENT

The following is an actual question given on a University of Arizona chemistry mid-term, and an actual answer turned in by a student. The answer by this student was so 'profound' that the professor shared it with colleagues, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well :

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic(absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:

"First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving, which is unlikely. I think that we can safelyassume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's lookat the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.


This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.


So which is it?


If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,' and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct... ....leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being; which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting 'Oh my God.'


THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+


Until Next Time.................

View of the Day!

The Dolphins and the birds have the right idea! The beaches near Del Mar and Encinitas where these pictures were taken are the absolute best! Now we head off into another work week! Happy Day Dreaming!

Kevin Costner Speaks At Whitney Houston's Funeral

Today, one of America's true talents was laid to rest after a tumultuous,difficult, and premature conclusion to her life. The church in Newark,New Jersey was packed and the services were broadcast around the world. From Stevie Wonder and Jesse Jackson to friends and family members, many spoke, remembered, and celebrated the life and wonderful human being we've all come to know as Whitney. One of those invited to speak during today's services was her "Bodyguard" co-star Kevin Costner. His words came from the heart filled the church with grace, respect, and admiration and were delivered in a way that only that Kevin Costner could. During his remarks he recalls how the movie drastically changed for the better with her in it. Below, listen to excerpts from Costner's remarks from today's services.

NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law.

Costner #1



Costner #2



Costner #3



God Bless you Whitney....Rest in Peace

Til Next Time.....

Another Fallen Star

Saturday, the music world lost another of it's icons. And much like Michael Jackson, the last high profile music superstar to pass on, many believe that drugs may have directly or indirectly played a role in her passing. As of Sunday night, the autopsy has been completed but put on hold pending results of toxicology test which could take up to eight weeks. In the meantime Jennifer Hudson will perform a beautiful and emotional tribute to Houston during Sunday night's Grammy Award telecast. In the days ahead, record sales will skyrocket as Sony Records plans how to move ahead previously planned efforts to market and re-release her entire catalog. That catalog includes 9 albums, compilations, and soundtrack recordings and is expected to be re-released ahead of the pre-planned release of the low budget film "Sparkle" that starred Houston.

Wall Street Journal music critic remembers Houston and talks about how Whitney came along at a time when the R&B genere wasn't getting a whole lot of attention.


As many others have documented over the last 36 hours, Whitney's stardom and influence spread well past music. In addition to the upcoming low budget "Sparkle" release, She starred in two other incredible Hollywood movies including Waiting to Exhale with Angela Bassett and the Bodyguard alongside Kevin Costner.

The final scene from TheBodyguard........


And as the final scenes in Whitney's life plays out in the court of public opinion much as they did with Michael Jackson, she will be remembered as a wonderful but tormented soul whose life came to tragic end much to soon leaving too many songs unsung.

Rest in Peace Whitney and remember
We Will Always Love You

......til next time

A Beach Tree: A Break From Ordinary!!!

The writing has been rather sparse lately. There have been a multitude of reasons for that. Work, trying to start a new business, and life in general has a way keeping you from the important stuff sometimes. We'll see what we can do about changing that. In the meantime, I happened across this a few days ago and it has captured my imagination ever since. I'm not sure I would do this every Christmas, but I certainly want to try it once. Not sure if I could do it this well, but it would be a blast trying. It's out of the box thinking and a definite spin on the traditional. Once in a Blue Moon is obviously very talented. Check out her blog through the link below and leave a comment. She'd love to hear from you!

...once in a blue moon...: a beach tree for me...

Til Next Time.................

A Long Three Day Weekend!!!

For those of us in the working world, this weekend is one of those highly anticipated and much appreciated three day events called "a long holiday weekend!" Where ever you happen to be this Labor Day weekend, I hope you're able to make the most of it and have a great time! For those of you who don't have the luxury of a three day weekend, we'll pop in once or twice over the weekend, otherwise, stay safe and we'll see you back here on Tuesday!!!

Til Next Time...........