Clearing out the Clutter

2011 Best of Clutter #1: A Tree

We've finally reached the end of our countdown, and there was never any doubt that this would be #1 on the list.  BDH, Little Buddha and I get the majority of the attention in Clutter, but the Clutter Tree is also a vital member of our little family.  He stands out there day after day, night after night, providing the comfort that the rest of us need to clear out the randomness on a regular basis.  We close out 2011 by once again paying tribute to a beloved tree.

Thanks for being with us for another year of Clutter, my friends.  It's an honor to take this trip with you, and we hope you'll come back for more fun in 2012. 

Originally published: 3/11/11

There are many things I like about Clutter Headquarters.  There are nine windows, it's in a very quiet building (apart from the neighbors making adult films, but that's a story for another day), and about 75% of anywhere you'd need to go to during the week is no more than a 15 minute walk away (with a T stop one block over to get you to the remaining 25%).  Indeed, these are all positive things that I enjoy about the "office," but there's also one thing that's unique to HQ which is also great:  I have a tree.

Clutter HQ is located in a corner unit on the top floor of the building, and there's a tree right on the corner.  I should know what kind of tree it is, but trees aren't my strong suit.  All I can say is that it's big and awesome.  It's an impressive tree with many branches, and those branches have an incredible span (even longer than Kevin Garnett's.)  In fact, the branches stretch all the way from one end of HQ to the other, covering some portion of eight out of nine windows.  No matter what room you go into in this vast mansion, there's a tree branch to greet you. 

Waking up in the morning?  There are the branches to say hello.  Making a nice medium DD to start the day?  More branches keeping you company while the water boils.  Brushing your teeth and taking a shower?  There's a frosted window so people can't see into the bathroom, but if you open it, there are the branches.  And finally of course, when clearing out the Clutter, there's the full tree in all of its glory everywhere I look.  It's a comforting feeling.

I am the only person who gets the full effect of this tree, which is why I've come to think of it as "mine."  The first and second floor occupants only get part of the trunk covering one window.  Suckers.  (You may think me selfish.  I would remind you, this blog represents the views of an only child.  What's mine is mine, and by the way, what's yours probably ought to be mine.)

I've watched the tree bend and quiver during all of the storms we've had over the last few months, and it dawned on me how much it would change the nature of this space if it wasn't here.  The tree asks nothing of me.  It's just present, day in and day out, sort of standing guard over this space.  I dig my tree.  I have since my first day here.

The tree's 400 branches are all barren right now, but I see all of the buds on each one of them, just waiting for their chance to make their grand entrance for the year.  Once the leaves come back, I have great shade in every room.  I can hardly wait (because really, who needs to be able to see into the local 7-11?)

I wish I could show you a picture of my tree.  You'd understand why I'm such a big fan.  Google Maps has a terrific shot of it, so if you know where I am, you can see for yourself (and if you don't know where I am, there's probably a reason I never gave you the address, so just take my word for it.)

It's good every now and again to take a step back and celebrate the simple things in life that we appreciate.  I have no idea how long this tree has been here, but it must have been a while at this point.  I hope it's here for a many years to come, long after Clutter HQ moves on to a new space.   Others should have the opportunity to enjoy it, but for now, it's my tree, and I appreciate it very much.

Saturday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the final regular Clutter of 2011!  We still have the #1 Clutter post to reveal later today, but this is our last look at the day's headlines for the year.  Come on in, make yourself comfortable, and grab a nice hot medium DD as we get down to business one more time.  BDH and Little Buddha, are you ready?  Everyone else ready?  Okay, here we go...

Score another win for the consumer this year as Verizon Wireless realized that their plan to charge customers $2.00 for paying their bills online or by phone was a lousy idea and scrapped the whole thing.

Mitt Romney's son Matt made a pitch to the so-called "Birther" crowd by saying his dad would release his tax forms when President Obama released his birth certificate, and then tried to cover his backside by calling his statement a "dumb joke."  Meanwhile, A new book says Mitt Romney claimed he was pro-choice during his 1994 Massachusetts Senate run because a poll told him an anti-choice candidate could never win here. There's really nothing this man won't say to win a vote. 

Newt Gingrich shows that his campaign proposals may be atrocious, but hey, he can cry.  Will that be enough to save him from an Iowa meltdown next week?

It turns out that endorsing Ron Paul was a great business move for singer Kelly Clarkson.

This duo is money! (pic via usmagazine.com)

Paul Krugman explains once again that budget cuts are exactly the wrong move during a recession.  Will anyone in Washington listen to him next year?  President Obama seems to be taking up the cause, and hopefully he'll stick with it.

The iPad 3 is coming in 2012.  I wonder if anyone will buy it.

Alistair Overeem was too much for Brock Lesnar to handle, with Lesnar losing in the first round last night and subsequently retiring from the UFC.  Is a return to the WWE in the cards for the former champion?  If so, I doubt it will be a full-time gig, because Lesnar complained during his first run that the WWE travel schedule was brutal, and it hasn't gotten any better since he left. 

Well look at this.  New England Patriot offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien is suddenly rumored to be a candidate for several head coaching jobs next year.  Let's take a look back at what Clutter had to say about O'Brien's future the day after he got into a televised shouting match with Tom Brady, shall we?

Brady and O'Brien were seen calmly sitting next to each other just a few minutes later, and TB took complete blame for the incident after the press conference, but I don't believe everyone made up.  I have no problem with O'Brien yelling at Brady.  Football coaches yell, and they should be able to yell at any player they deem worthy of it.  However, I don't believe you yell at Tom Brady on TV and survive.  He may make it through this year, but I see a press release wishing O'Brien "the best in his future endeavors" being issued this off-season.

We'll see if he ends up as a head coach for any of these rumored teams, but O'Brien is done in New England.  You take on Tom Brady, you lose.  End of discussion. 

There can only be one winner.  (pic via totalprosports.com)

I didn't see any of the first three Boston Celtics games, and they lost all three.  I saw about a quarter of last night's game, and the Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 96-85. You're welcome.  Of course, the return of Paul Pierce probably had something to do with the win.

As much as we might have hoped otherwise, the Russell Brand and Katy Perry pairing is no more.   It's passed on.  It's no more.  It has ceased to be.  It's expired and gone to meet it's maker.  It's a stiff.  Bereft of life, it rests in peace.  It's kicked the bucket, it's shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible.This is an ex-pairing.  (My profound apologies to Monty Python.)

Stop the presses:  Limp Bizkit is back.  Okay, resume the presses, let's move on.

Okay kids, that's all she wrote for 2011.  There's really no other choice for today's, "Song of the Day" than Europe with a live performance of "The Final Countdown" from 2004.  Thank you as always for stopping by.  Don't forget to come back later for the #1 Clutter post of the year.  Enjoy the rest of the day, have fun tonight, and make sure to be safe, because we expect to see each and every one of you back here tomorrow as we kick off 2012 with a new round of randomness.  Later, folks.

 

2011 Best of Clutter #2: Ironclad Karma

One of the most challenging parts of 2011 was repeatedly feeling like good people were being punished while bad people were being rewarded.  I believe in karma, but it's got some major holes in it at times. 

Originally published:  1/14/11

How much different would the world be if bad things only happened to bad people?  I mean, to have it be an ironclad rule:  Have a good heart and know that nothing bad will happen to you.  Wouldn't that make everything so much easier?  You're a good person?  Only good things for you.  You're a bad person?  Bring on the bad news.  It would be so straightforward and empowering, because your fate would be solely in your hands, rather than have to acknowledge that you can be a good person and still have the world drop a hammer on you at any time.

You wouldn't be a parent who plays by the rules and then still loses a young child.  You wouldn't be robbed of your life's savings, you wouldn't lose your home to a fire or flood, you wouldn't be abused, physically or verbally.   What would it mean if you could just make a deal and say, "I will treat others with kindness and respect," and "know" that it meant you would get nothing but the same in return?   It would be ironclad karma.  Wouldn't we all be better off if we had to operate under this framework?

There's so much uncertainty in life.  There you are, enjoying yourself, bringing love and happiness to those around you.  Everything can be going fine one day, and then boom, the bottom falls out for reasons that are totally out of your hands.  Conversely, you can be a lunatic, bringing pain and misery to everyone you encounter on a daily basis, and...there's no punishment for it.  None.  In fact, sometimes, you're rewarded for it.  Where is the justice in that incredible unfairness?

I'm not talking about subscribing to organized religion, but whatever your belief system, I think most of us want to have some faith that there's some semblance of a higher order running the show, however we define it, that there's some...plan here, or at least some set of rules to follow.  The notion of it all being entirely random is too scary to think about for long, but what are you to do when deeds don't match with outcomes?

This is really more of a ramble than usual, but I've recently seen a number of situations that are united by their gross unfairness, and I wish you could just sign a contract to ensure those events don't happen.  Nothing too complicated or specific, just a general pledge to have a good heart.  That way, if the wrong thing happened to the wrong person, you could just wave your sheet of paper and say, "Wait a second, I have my contract here!  I pet every dog that walks by, I smile at every baby, and I'm good to my friends, family and community.  This horrible thing isn't supposed to happen," and then things should revert to the way they should be.  And if something bad happened to a bad person, you could feel totally justified to look at them smugly and say, "Huh, guess you should have signed the contract."

This is the Clutter that runs through my brain when the DD has worn off.

Friday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Come on in.  We're down to the final weekday of the year, where does the time go?  BDH is excited for New Year's eve, since it's his first one.  Little Buddha has gone through this drill many times, but he's doing a great job handling BDH.  Me, I'm just looking for another cup of coffee, so why don't we grab a medium DD and clear out a little Clutter?

"Man of the People" Mitt Romney compares President Obama to Marie Antoinette, because when one thinks of a politician who connects with the everyday voter, one thinks of the former venture capitalist who's worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $250 million.  It really makes you wonder why Romney won't release his tax returns.

Meanwhile, Romney's polling numbers in Iowa continue to improve as conservatives still can't agree on one challenger to take him on.

Anti-gay groups seem to be having problems meeting their fundraising goals.  May that be the start of a permanent trend.

An era comes to and as Filene's Basement closed its doors yesterday.  I picked up many shirts, shoes, belts and a few suits there over the years.  It's another large loss for Boston.

Verizon has decided to add a $2 "convenience charge" for customers who pay their bill online or over the phone.  This should go over well, just ask Bank of America.

So, I'm not the only one who checks Facebook on their phone?

Not surprisingly, Facebook was the most visited social network/blogging site of the year, but I'm more interested in the fact that Clutter's home,TypePad, came in 10th with 7 million average page views per month.  I can assume that's mostly driven by you folks coming to hang out with us every day, so cheers to you!

North Korea:  Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Turns out Boston is the drunkest city in America.  Two things:  1) An average consumption of 15.5 drinks per person per month seems low (is that bad?), and 2) What would the results be if you removed our college population? 

Now, I know all of you Clutterheads will celebrate New Year's Eve responsibly, but here are some tips to pass along to your crazy friends about how to avoid a hangover.

New Boston closer Andew Bailey is certainly saying all of the right things so far, calling Fenway Park, "the best park in baseball."  Here's hoping he can stay healthy and be a solid anchor for the bullpen.  Now he's got to focus on the important things like choosing his new entrance music.  Apparently that was the subject of many tweets sent his way, and rightfully so.

The Red Sox still have hopes for Ryan Kalish to play right field for the team, but he's got to get healthy first.

Tom Brady really needs to learn how to slide when he "runs" with the ball.  He apparently hurt his left shoulder following a hit from a guy on the Miami Dolphins that was much rougher than it would have been if Brady slid instead of just sort of falling down on the ground head-first.  Maybe Jacoby Ellsbury can tutor him?

Intruige surrounds former champ Brock Lesnar's return to the UFC.  Just a reminder for you MMA fans who might be interested in buying this fight, the PPV is tonight, not Saturday.

Can Alistair Overeem stop this beast? (piv via bleacherreport.com)

Sherlock returns to BBC One on Sunday!  Wait, why can't I find it on the BBC America schedule?  Oh bugger.

 

 

 

Russell Brand and Katy Perry seem to have hit a rough patch.  Here's hoping these two can fix things in 2012.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Rihanna kick off this New Year's Eve weekend with what should apparently be the new Boston theme song, "Cheers (Drink to that)" for today's, "Song of the Day."  It was great to see you as always.  Don't forget we have two posts left in the "2011 Best of Clutter" countdown, so come back later to see if your favorite grabbed the top spot.  In the meantime, have a good one, and we'll meet up again for more fun and randomness soon.  Cheers.

 

 

2011 Best of Clutter #3: Have a Sense of Where You Are

This is one of my great daily obsessions. The world would be so much better off if people would take more time to think about their impact on others and what they can do to make that as positive as possible, whether they know the other people or not.

Originally published:  5/19/11

I owe a huge debt that I can never repay to a man named Dan.  I can't tell you a whole lot about Dan.  I know what he looked like, and I know a handful of anecdotes about him, but I never met the man.  He died before I had the opportunity, but I can tell you what I would have said if I had that chance.  "Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  My life is better because you were here."  The reason that I would say that is Dan's daughter is my friend Kate, and I would be seriously lost if I didn't know her.  We've been friends for many years now, and there's no one whose opinion I trust more.  When your head is as large as mine is, it's easy to steer off-course, and Kate has always helped me regain my bearings, no matter where I wandered off to.  I'm more appreciative of her friendship than I'll ever be able to explain, but thank you Dan for the lasting impact you've had on my life through your daughter...

A woman I don't know bought a raffle ticket somewhere, and the prize was Red Sox tickets.  She ended up winning the raffle, but it turned out she couldn't use them due to a work obligation, so she gave them to her friend Jesse, who in turn, offered me a ticket.  We all know how often I say no to Sox tickets (about as often as the arrival of the rapture), so there I am, minding my own business on a Saturday, and suddenly I'm off to see the Red Sox that Monday.  Adding to the fun, Jesse ended up not being able to go to the game, so I gave my friend Mat a ticket.  At the end of the day, Mat and I watched an exciting game in great seats at my most favorite place on Earth, because a woman neither of us knew bought a raffle ticket...

I'm walking down Tremont Street, just past the intersection with Beacon Street.  There are four college age kids all slowly walking side-by-side in front of me, taking up the entire sidewalk.  I started a block behind them, and as I was catching up, I saw people forced to walk in the busy street to get around this group, while they remained utterly oblivious to those around them and continued their mindless conversation.  I know, those people could just have said, "excuse me," and asked the group to step aside, but they shouldn't have had to.  Those kids had to have known they were taking up the all of the space. That's just poor walking etiquette.  Kids, these days, I tell ya, just forcing strangers right into oncoming traffic!  (Insert cranky old man voice here.)...

My point is is that, at the end of the day, you and your actions have the ability to have a greater impact than you will ever know, including on many people that you'll never meet.  That strikes me as both exciting and daunting.  I mean, come on, who doesn't like thinking they're influencing other people's lives?  On the other hand, that's a significant responsibility, and we ought to be much more conscious of it, and I'm not sure we fully appreciate that.

We're usually so wrapped up in our own little worlds, we only see what's directly in front of us.  Not to sound too preachy (he said as he started to preach), but I can't help thinking that we'd all be better off if we had a stronger sense of where we are (which, by the way, is also the title of a great book by John McPhee about former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley.)  Let's all stop to take a deep breath every so often and focus more on seeing the bigger picture, and how we fit into it.  What are our obligations to each other?  How can we be better about being kinder to each other, about recognizing that our words and deeds have consequences and acting accordingly?  It's a never-ending process that we need to work through on a daily basis, but it seems like it's very high reward for pretty low effort. 

I don't know, maybe I'm just trying to cover my bases in case the world actually ends on Saturday, but I hope that when my time comes (many, many, MANY, years from now), the general response, from both my friends, and perhaps a few strangers, will be, "My life was better because he was here."

Thursday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Happy Thursday to you all.  Nice to see you again.  We've only got three days left in 2011, so what's the plan?  I always feel like I should be doing something big at the end of the year, but then I blink twice, and it's January 1st.  BDH and Little Buddha are very excited for New Year's Eve, because it means they get to stay up later than usual.  Anyway, the coffee is ready, so grab yourself a medium DD, and let's get to clearing out some Clutter.

We're going to be doing a little housecleaning at Clutter Headquarters as 2011 winds down.  The first adjustment is that you can now read the entire "Facebook Like" box on the left, so feel free to "like" us if you haven't already. (Seriously, it does wonders for BDH's ego.)  You'll see the next change right at the start of 2012, so email us at bitsofclutter@gmail.com, and let us know what you think.

In a move straight out of the WWE, Michele Bachmann's Iowa campaign chair abandoned her and joined Ron Paul's campaign at the last minute.  Kent Sorenson didn't tell Bachmann about his move until right before he appeared at a Paul event.  I can just hear WWE announcer Jim Ross yelling, "My Gawd!  My Gawd!  Sorenson's jumped ship!  Business is about to pick up!" 

Rick Perry now believes that victims of rape and incest should be forced to go through with their pregnancies after he watched an anti-choice movie hosted by Mike Huckabee.  Anything to save his dying campaign in Iowa.

Matt Taibbi has the latest example of how banks are ripping off taxpayers.

The New York Times sent me an email offering me a discount if I renewed my lapsed subscription.  The only problem was that I didn't have a subscription in the first place, and neither did many of the other 8.6 million people who received the email.

The Red Sox found their replacement for departed closer Jonathan Papelbon, trading outfielder Josh Reddick and some minor league prospects to the Oakland A's for reliever Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.  My gut tells me that I should be lamenting that Oakland isn't in a position to hold onto the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year Bailey, and that they would give him away for Reddick, but really, I'm just happy we have a closer in place now, and I'm curious if Bailey has a good entrance song.  Best of luck to Reddick who could be an everyday player if he ever learns any discipline at the plate, though the clock is ticking on him at 25 years old.

The New York Yankees signed former Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima to a minor league contract.  I'd be pretty surprised if Okie makes the team, because major league hitters seemed to figure him out a while ago, but hey, good luck with that.

It looks like Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy's season is over, since he still hasn't been cleared to return to the field three weeks after sustaining a concussion caused by a dirty hit from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison. The NFL is slowly moving in the right direction when it comes to illegal hits, but they need to step it up a notch.  If they want to show that they're serious about reducing these types of collisions, I would propose that the first hit warrant a fine, the second hit be a two game suspension, and a third hit would get the player suspended for a season.  Something tells me even a psycho like Harrison would learn how to adjust to the new rules pretty quickly if those were the stakes.

Alex Rodriguez went to Germany for a "special treatment" on his knee and shoulder?  New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says Major League Baseball approved this procedure, but you have to wonder when the rumors will start spreading about this story, since we're talking about A-Rod, after all.

According to the Van Halen News Desk, the band's new single hits January 10th, and the new album will be released on February 7th.  That's certainly a great way to kick off the new year.

I know it's important to take life one day at a time, and to stay in the present, but even though 2012 is right around the corner, I'm already wondering about the plans for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary in 2013.  I promise to focus on the new year for everything else though.

Is Steven Tyler getting hitched?

Apparently there's some controversy over the report that Cheetah, the star of the Tarzan movies of the 1930's died earlier this week.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  I want to pay tribute one more time this year to The Lonely Island with Michael Bolton with one of this year's best, "Songs of the Day."   It was great to see you as always.  We're heading into the top three "2011 Best of Clutter" posts, so don't forget to come back soon and see if your favorite made the list.  Until then, try to stay out of trouble, and we'll see you back here again for more fun and randomness soon.  Take it away, Michael Bolton...

 

2011 Best of Clutter #4: Is Charlie Sheen My Fault?

I'm glad to see that Charlie Sheen is still alive, but the point remains the same.  We build celebrities up, and encourage their excess and inexcusable behavior, so we can then enjoy tearing them down and judging them so that we feel better about ourselves.

Originally published: 2/28/11

I think Charlie Sheen will likely die this year, and I'm worried it's my fault.

You can't go anywhere right now without hearing some mention of Charlie Sheen's current meltdown.  He's in the newspaper, on the radio, on television, and on the Internet.  God is it on the Internet.  It's probably the subject of one out of six friend's Facebook statuses, and it's probably one out of three tweets in my feed. The man is a train wreck.  He looks startlingly bad on TV.  Sheen has serious demons, and despite his protestations to the contrary, he's clearly not winning.

This isn't new.  I heard my first "Charlie Sheen got drunk and had a party with porn stars" story when I was still in high school, so we're looking at a 20-something year old tale.  However, now he's starting to have that "death spiral" feel and look to him.  As I watch and read all of these stories, I can't help thinking, "Isn't there someone who can step in for him here?"  I made somewhat of a joke about Sheen needing an involuntary committal earlier today, but the more I think about it, the more I think, "What's a guy got to do to get some help?" 

I mean, would you be surprised at all, at...all..., if you watched the news tomorrow and heard that he went crazy, killed both of his ex-wives and kids, got into a shootout with police and then shot himself?   You might be horrified, but would you be surprised?  Would there be anyone who could really say, "I didn't see that one coming?"   No chance, right?  So, shouldn't someone be doing something here? 

There's a story in today's New York Times highlighting that what finally got Sheen in trouble wasn't his horrible treatment of women, it was attacking his boss.  Basically what the writer is saying is Sheen could physically and verbally abuse all the women he wanted because his show makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year.  Then Sheen got in trouble for attacking his boss, and they made the move to shut the show down, even though it makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year.  What's missing from the story is that the show makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year because I, and many, many others, have watched the show over the years.  Without us, there's no hundreds of millions to be considered here, so are we the audience Sheen's enablers?  I knew all of Charlie's stories from the beginning.  The reason I stopped watching had nothing to do with any of that.  I stopped because I thought they ran out of jokes about two years ago.  Would he have been allowed to get to this state if we weren't watching the show? 

Now the show is gone, but we the audience are still egging Sheen on.  "Listen to what Charlie said on the radio!  Watch Charlie rant like a lunatic tomorrow morning on Good Morning America and then come back for the rest of it tomorrow night on 20/20!  What crazy crap will this drug addict say next!"  Part of me thinks it's like slowing down while driving by a car accident.  But part of me thinks it's more like pouring gasoline all over a curve in the road, knowing that a drunk driver is racing down the street, and then laughing hysterically and mocking him once he crashes the car. 

Now, for all I know, this is how Sheen's life would have ended up one way or the other, even if he had ended up a D-lister like his brother Emilio Estevez (no offense, Emilio).  Maybe the story would end the same no matter what, but it nags at me.  I'm not taking all of the blame, mind you.  I'll take maybe one millionth of it, along with the rest of the audience for this spectacle.  That's not a lot, but it's more than zero, and that bothers me.  Again, what's a guy got to do to get some help around here, and what does it say about us when we just point and laugh?

Wednesday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  Did you have the same crazy wind we had here last night?  The Clutter Tree was swaying all over the place, but he hung in there like a trooper.  What are you up to for the final few days of 2011?  Tell us all about it while we enjoy a medium DD and clear out a little Wednesday Clutter.

U.S. Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) announced that he will not run for re-election in 2012.  Is there any Democrat besides former Senator Bob Kerrey who could hold onto this seat, or is Nelson retiring because it's a lost cause?  Also, are there any voters in Nebraska?

As you watch this campaign video, understand that this didn't come from FunnyorDie.com, or TheOnion.com, and it's not a parody ad from an opposing campaign.  The Newt Gingirch campaign actually produced and released this, thus supporting David Bernstein's theory that Newt is intentionally trying to lose this race:

 

Rick Perry is totally in favor of state's rights, unless that's supposedly what keeps him from making it onto a state's ballot.  Some might chalk that up to fundamental incompetence on the campaign's behalf, but I guess suing in federal court is another way to go.

The Department of Justice faces pressure to go after voter-suppression laws.

The GOP still doesn't have an alternative to the health care reform law, primarily because the law itself was largely a Republican idea.  Maybe they could finally just admit that they don't really want reform, and they only proposed the individual mandate idea in the 1990's because it didn't have any chance of passing at the time.

I'm sorry, L.A. voters might be asked to vote on whether or not adult film actors filming in the city should be forced to wear condoms?  What am I missing here?  This seems like a decision for local public health officials.  Why is it up to the general public?

Some of my friends' Facebook profiles now have the Timeline feature.  I don't like the looks of it, but here's a guide to try to help you find your way through the new set-up.  My prediction is that I'll finally start to get the hang of it in just about a year, which will be right when Facebook moves on to the next layout.

It seems like someone at Boston.com has a buffalo wing fetish, because they run a review of, "the best wings in Boston," every few weeks, though the names never seem to change very often.  I'm not complaining, just a little bit hungry now.

Congratulations to New England Patriots Tom Brady, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins, Brian Waters, Andre Carter, Vince Wilfork, and Matthew Slater, on being named to the Pro Bowl.  The only one I'm surprised about is Slater, but maybe that's just me?

Former UFC champion Brock Lesnar makes his return to the octagon on Friday, but would he rather return to pro wrestling?  I'm sure the WWE would love to have him back, even if it's only on a limited basis.

The Beast is back. (pic via usatoday.com)

Singer Sinead O'Connor and her husband split up after a solid 16 days together.  Somewhere, Kim Kardashian is gloating.

The cause of rapper Heavy D's death has been revealed.

R.I.P. Cheetah, the champanzee from the Tarzan movies from the 1930's.  He was 80 years old.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Given the news of the upcoming new Van Halen album and tour, let's have the current lineup take us out with today's, "Song of the Day."  I know, everyone wishes Michael Anthony was playing bass instead of Wolfgang Van Halen, and I'm not sure why David Lee Roth is dressed like a circus ringmaster here, but it's still a pretty solid performance from a band that's marking their 40th anniversary next year.

Have a good one, my friends.  It was great to see you as always, and don't forget to stop by later, when we reveal the next addition to the "2011 Best of Clutter" list.  This one was in my head for a while before I finally got the words to paper/computer screen.  Have a great day, and we'll meet up again for more fun soon.  Now, we're outta here.

 

 

Worth the Wait

Santa decided I've been nice this year after all.  It ended up not taking me that long to find the 2011 Doctor Who Christmas special online, and it was like opening a bonus Christmas present.   As we've discussed, the hard part about being a fan of this show is that there are so few episodes each year, and there's such a long wait between seasons.  The flip side is that it makes you really appreciate each show, and the Christmas specials feel like a true treat. 

This story was much smaller than a typical adventure.  There was "only" one family to save, and their lives were never really in much danger.  However, they had suffered a loss, and The Doctor was very much their caretaker in this story.  It was fairly sappy, and there wasn't much time travel involved, but it was great fun as a Christmas special.  The final four minutes were focused on The Doctor, and I continue to be amazed by actor Matt Smith's portrayal.  The 29-year old Smith does a wonderful job of showing The Doctor's child-like side, and Smith's scenes with the young actors in this episode are so much fun to watch. 

The world's oldest kid

However, he can then turn on a dime and make you see The Doctor as an extremely weary and lonely 900-year old man.  The Doctor unexpectedly drops in on his former companions on Christmas Eve in the last scene.  They haven't seen him in two years, and they invite him to come in for dinner.  He says that he doesn't want to be a bother, and they tell him that they've already set a place for him at the table.  He asks why since they didn't know he was coming.  They reply that they always set a place for him, and the look of pure happiness on Smith's face is so moving.  He starts to cry tears of joy, and it might have gotten a little dusty in Clutter Headquarters at that point.  There are so few television shows that I really feel a connection with the characters, but the teams of Russell T. Davies/David Tennant and Steven Moffat/Matt Smith, have consistently delivered the goods since the show's rebirth in 2005.

So, that was that.  Now it will probably be eight months before the next season begins, and it will totally be worth the wait.

Where are we off to now?

2011 Best of Clutter #5: Scene from a Lemonade Stand

This was by far one of the happiest scenes of the year for me, and it was worth every penny:

Originally published: 4/30/11

I learned an important life lesson years ago.  I forget where I read it, I suspect it was in a Robert Fulghum story, but it's absolutely true:  You should aways buy lemonade from kids at a lemonade stand.  Do it even if you don't want lemonade, even if you don't like lemonade, or even if you have to cross the street and walk a block out of your way to get to the stand.  It sounds like something from a Hallmark card, but trust me, you'll never go wrong with this one.

I was walking down the street, slightly cold and wondering if I'd made a mistake by not bringing my umbrella with me as the clouds were quickly getting darker.  Resigned to my fate as I crossed the intersection, I came across the lemonade stand. The two little blond girls looked to be about three and four years old.  They both sat in lawn chairs, and the younger one had a Fisher Price cash register which was almost as big as her resting on her lap.  There was a sign written in crayon next to them, two thermoses in front, and Mom sitting behind them. They looked up at me, grinning as I stopped, and then turned around quickly at Mom, sitting behind them, wondering what they should do.

Mom reminded them to ask me what kind of lemonade I wanted.  They quickly spun their heads back to me and asked in unison.  When I asked what my choices were, the older one bit her lip for a second, and said with a firm sense of determination that I could have pink or yellow.  My selection of yellow sparked a fury of activity.  The older sister jumped up and stared at the thermoses, asking mom which one had the yellow lemonade.  The younger sister put her cash register to the side and grabbed a Dixie cup.  Mom had to help pour the lemonade, and the younger one had the cup tipped at such an angle, I was sure the lemonade was going to pour out over everything, but somehow we managed to avoid a disaster.

The younger sister put a straw in my cup and handed it to me with such pride.  I paid my dollar, thanked them both very much, and the two tiny voices replied in unison, "You're welcome!" with smiles going from ear to ear.  The beaming happiness was a pick-me-up that I hadn't even realized I needed but was totally welcome when I got it.

The lemonade was a syrupy concoction that tasted like they hadn't followed the directions on the back of the Country Time powder mix can, but it was worth every last cent.