Why do certain things happen at the same time?

Woman taking her 2 Dogs for a stroll

Have you ever noticed when you see 1 kid flying a kite, the chances are good you will see another kid flying a kite? Sure, it probably because its a nice windy day outside. But what about things not so obvious? When I see a woman walking her dogs, I will see others walking their dogs and the more I look around, the more I will find walking their dogs. I have seen a car pulled over by an officer then maybe 2 miles away I see the same thing. It cant be the weather. It was not a holiday or weekend. If I see a plane in the sky, you betcha, I'll see a few more that day. I see a car with a flat tire, I'll see another one, or 2 or 3 with a loud exhaust. Even famous people seem to die in groups of 3's, well that maybe stretching it a bit, but it does seem that when a celebrity dies, its not long after another one dies. Something to wonder about. -Jimio

Most Fame Starts Locally

Contestant at Jackson MI Teen Idol

Before many get famous they hone their skills at churches singing gospel or at high school musicals singing and acting for a possible shot at double fame. Actually I'd have to say it even starts much earlier than this. At age 3 or 4 very enthusiastic parents steer their children towards promising careers. Some with good intentions and some with ideas of living vicariously through their offspring. While many children can benefit from this others probably are disillusioned and crushed by all the constant pressure. A good parent is one who will know when to back off if the pressure is changing their child negatively. Let the kid do his thing in his own time. If they are ready to fly then strap the wings on them :-] Even after finding fame they can still fall to corrupt managers and bad drugs. I have heard that drugs helped some musicians to be more creative. With the untimely deaths of many music stars , I would have to disagree with this approach. The risk is greater than the reward and when you are high or drunk, you only think you are being more creative. The American Teen Idol competition has grown along with the American Idol one. It seems odd to need a Teen Idol competition since American Idol contestants age can range from 15 to 28. Then again the Teen Idol might be born out of a desire for a more local contest. It brings in money to the community and had an even greater chance to find talent. After all the Olympic Gymnasts win gold medals at 13 or 14 years of age, why cant singers win a contest also? The Teen Idol I attended went off rather nicely, though a 5 minute downpour
interrupted a singer in the middle of his song. When the rain stopped, the judges, bowing to the strength of Mother Nature, allowed him to start his song over again. The Judges were all local people as were the teen singers. I suspect most of the audience was local as was I for sure. They even had cheering sections for their favorite singers. All in all a good time for a free event.

Graffiti Rocks

Graffiti Rock at Michigan Center High School

Graffiti Rock at Vandercook Lake High School

Graffiti Rock at Concord High School

Graffiti Rock at Jackson High School

When I was in High School we never had a Graffiti Rock and now I see them at almost every high school. I started "Googling" around and found that the Graffiti Rock tradition seems to have started at University of the Pacific in the 1960s two engineering students brought a large boulder and put in on the front yard of the Engineering and CS Building. A few years later a second boulder was put near that one. Students started sneeking out at night and painted graffiti on these rocks. I guess over time this custom spread to other Universities and then to High Schools. Just Google: University of the Pacific Graffiti Rock - a set on Flickr  , and you will see quite a few of their graffiti rocks over the last few years. oberlinrocks.com is another nice site showing the graffiti rocks for birthdays, anniversaries, proposals,just about anything.

Do Ice Cream Stands really make money in a Heat wave?

Jimio cooling down on a 100F Day

On these 100F plus days I have always wondered how busy an Ice Cream Stand can be. I suppose if you have to get out in this heat, an ice cream cone can cool you off for a bit. But that's the rub: "A Bit". Unless you order a 3-scoop cone it wont last very long [If you try to make it last, a lot of it ends up on the ground]. So its a balance of melting versus licking fast. I'd guess the smart people just purchase super-sized drinks because the ice lasts longer than any old ice cream cone will. I like eating ice cream cones because it reminds me when I was 5 years old and my first cone landed in the dirt. I take extra special care these days so I don't repeat that horrifying incident 55 years ago and every completely finished ice cream cone feels like an incredible victory. I think the reality is, most of the smart people are staying indoors in the AC so no wonder I'm the only one here. Probably being outdoors in a 100 degree plus day is no different than riding a bicycle in a foot of snow on a 20 below zero day. Either way I'm just as crazy! =B-]

A Worldwide Memorial

Section of World Trade Center at Cascades Falls Park, Jackson Michigan

When I went to take pics at our annual July 4th Fireworks at Cascades Falls, I had no idea this Memorial was there. As you can see the steel beam is twisted and torn and badly burned. I thought to myself: "If my little city has this WTC section, I wonder how many other Cities, Towns, Villages and Special Arenas or Parks have sections?" Well a little Googling has found me an article that says 13,000 linear feet of steel from the WTC was donated to about 1,300 places. Google 911memorials.org  to see a list of sites with 911 Memorials. These Memorials are located Worldwide since the entire world has felt the impact of 911.

Color Coded Buses

City Buses lined up to take Commuters Home

I love art and I love things with lots of bright colors in them. Sometimes colors can help us. In the Hospital they have different colored stripes on the floor to help guide you to which department of specialized medicine that you needed. You just kept following the blue, red, yellow or green line till it ended. Now Buses being color coded might be helping those who cant read the sign on the bus and can maybe go by which color it is, providing the same color bus always goes on the same route. Bus is derived from the Latin word "Omnibus" meaning "For All". One of the first bus stations was in Nantes France and the Store was called "Omnes" which is Latin for "All" , so the stores patrons started called the horse drawn carriges that carried lots of passengers, "Omnibuses". After the buses becaome motorized, they were called "Autobuses" Some Buses are called "Coaches" which have reclining seats that are very comfortable and usually a restroom on board. The first known public bus line was in 1662.

Race Weekend

This is what you get after drinking 1 Million gallons of Coca-Cola

I found this in a giant Wheaties Box

I never knew my Toy Cars were Real!

Well here we go again. This Magical Mystical time of the year when traffic jams last for 5 hours and you run out of Sunscreen. What! You forgot the Umbrella? If you don't like the idea of burning to death at the race, you can always come to town and partake of many exciting events, like listening to live music, eating great greasy foods and last but not one bit least, *Guzzling the Sudz!* Cheers! The Weather could not be better. Ninety Nine Degrees and 80% Humidity. I sure hope the guitar amps don't melt. Honestly tho-If you like the race, please enjoy it to your heart's content but don't forget to mosey into town for some NightLife.