whimsical WED
Bracing for + Racing toward Retirement
Inspired by "Life on the road as a peanut or hot dogger," from Omaha World Herald (1/14): " . . . Two local residents have chosen to travel the U.S. in the Planters Peanutmobile & Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. 'Peanutter' Travis Rupp, 23, of Omaha & 'hot dogger' Ashley Eisert, 23, of Papillion, have spent the last 8 months promoting the Planters & Oscar Meyer food brands from the inside of large vehicles shaped like food. And they are loving every minute of it . . ."In addition to their salaries--which they said are comparable to entry-level work in an advertising or public relations firm--their travel expenses are paid by the company . . .
"An avg week for Rupp & Eisert begins on Mondays, when they travel to the city of their next scheduled appearance. Tuesdays & Wednesdays are their days off, which allows them to explore & visit tourist attractions. On Thursdays through Sundays, they are working wherever the Nutmobile or Wienermobiles are scheduled . . . "
PROs: What's not to like? Travel . . . Getting paid to travel . . .
CONs: Having to drive an unwieldy vehicle, often in urban locations . . . Only 2 days off per week, leaving little time for other interests . . . "Each year 1,500 recent college graduates apply to be members of the Nutmobile or Wienermobile teams. Of those, 12 are chosen to be hot doggers & 9 are selected to be peanutters . . . Being stereotyped as a "peanutter" or " wienermobiler."
CONclusion: Ain't gonna happen.
There Is No Place Like . . . Nebraska!
Also from OWH (1/12): "Malls keep an eye out for trouble. After holiday violence, some in U.S. ban unaccompanied minors. Banning teenagers from the mall might sound like a horror element added to a 1980s movie, but some shopping centers around the country are doing just that after a spate of violent fights over the holiday shopping. Teens (& parents) in the Omaha are, no need to fear: Malls & shopping centers aren't following suit here. They say they've got rules in place--& security--to prevent bad behavior . . . " [I am relieved, since one of my favorite Mall-pastimes is laughing at teenagers--their hair-styles & colors, the way they dress, etc.]Ditto OWH (1/5): "You know you're in Nebraska when . . . you mention how cold it is & you're told, 'You should have been here last week.' During a recent trip to northwest NE, the temperature on my car read 14 below zero.
"But a waitress at Rushville's Cozy Corner said that week earlier, the thermometer at the family ranch bottomed out at a frosty 30 below . . . " [I'm typing this on TUE 1/17. Lois had an inservice cancelled yesterday, due to the ice storm that started late SUN & lasted thru the night into MON. A late start was announced for TUE. She dutifully headed to school early on TUE to get her classroom ready, plan lessons, etc. She called me a little after 8:30a, letting me know that her principal had called to let her know that school was cancelled. Last night, I PREDICTED that most schools that were already announcing late starts would eventually cancel. Streets look like skating rinks.]
Food for Thought
From Parade Magazine, 'Parade Picks' (1/15): "Mac Attack. Say hello to Mac Jr. & Grand Mac, coming on 1/18 to all 14,000+ McDonald's restaurants nationwide. The original Big Mac was introduced 50 years ago in PA by franchise owner Jim Delligatti, who died last year at 98. His family said he ate at least one Big Mac a week." [I have several keen observations to make. First, the Big Mac is still one of my favorite fast-food sandwiches, although it is extremely unwieldy to eat while driving. Secondly, I predict that the Mac Jr., which McD's has undoubtedly, shrewdly developed & marketed as a "healthier" alternative to the Big Mac will fail in this endeavor. Why? Customers will simply order 2 or more at a time. Third, Jim, who died at the age of 98, was still eating at least one Big Mac per week. Can you say, "Big Macs can rightfully be considered a healthy, fast food item?" No? Well, then I'll say it for you.]Political Whimsy
From OWH (1/9): "Golden Globes . . . Streep, who spoke at the Democratic national Convention, called the president-elect's mocking of a disabled reporter on the campaign trail the year's performance that most 'stunned her.' Arguing for the international makeup of Hollywood, Streep listed off the far-flung homes of stars from Dev Patel to Ryan Gosling."'Hollywood is crawling with outsiders & foreigner & if you kick them all out, you'll have nothing to watch but football & mixed martial arts, which are not the arts,' Streep said to loud applause . . .
- [First, I probably should have known better than to get into a FB conversation about this, but . . .
- Second, I took offense at Ms. Streep's comments re: FB & MMA, because . . .
- They demonstrated how out-of-touch Hollywood celebrities are with America's "deplorables," &
- They demonstrated the disdain & contempt that Hollywood celebrities have for the aforementioned deplorables.
- I am not a DT apologist. I, too, was appalled by his mocking of a disabled reporter.
- Having said that, those apologists for Ms. Streep who used DT's comments as justification for her comments, uh, isn't that like a parent scolding a child for getting in trouble at school, having the child try to use the excuse that other children were behaving badly, so the parent excuses the behavior? Sorry, most of us parents wouldn't buy the excuse. That would be, well, childish, right?]
"FIGHTING FAKE NEWS" FEATURE
After reading a column by Margaret Sullivan, "Time to bury 'fake news,' in the OWH (1/13), (via The Washington Post), I was inspired to do my part to fight the fake news phenomena. Ms. Sullivan notes, "So, here's a modest proposal for the truth-based community. Let's get out the hook & pull that baby off stage. Yes: Simply stop using it. Instead, call a lie a lie. Call a hoax a hoax. Call a conspiracy theory by its rightful name. After all, 'fake news' is an imprecise expression to begin with."Ms. Sullivan's credibility was especially salient to me, given that virtually all of her examples consisted of conservative complaints of fake news from the left. But I digress.
I have determined to do my best to assist Ms. Sullivan in addressing this ever-growing threat to the mainstream media. Here goes.
From OWH (1/16): "Trump team mulls relocating White media corps. Routine media access to the White House could be a thing of the past under DT's presidency, with top officials of the incoming administration saying SUN that they're exploring more spacious options nearby . . . Pence said the move is intended to reflect the Trump administration's 'commitment to transparency, to free & independent press' . . . The news raised alarms that it was just the opposite--an end to the long-standing tradition of daily press briefings in the White House."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FCC NOMINEE APOLOGIZES FOR CNN SLIGHT Announces More Football, MMA Programming
An unnamed "mole" from the Cornhusker State Blog Political Source File has discovered that Sarah Palin, Donald Trump's choice to serve as the new chairperson of the FCC, has apologized to CNN for the President-elect's treatment of a CNN reporter at Trump's recent press conference. The president-elect shouted down the reporter's attempt to ask questions, further calling CNN a "fake news" network."We want to extend an olive branch of reconciliation," said the former VP nominee. "We will give CNN reports front-row seats at our new White House Press Corps Auxiliary Housing Complex, located in Fairfax Station, VA. "I can see this new facility from where I live, next to the Lincoln Memorial," she added.
Palin also announced an agreement w/ESPN, which will add an additional 40 hours per week of football & mixed martial arts programming.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
STREEP TO STAR IN BIOPIC Another scoop from Cornhusker State Blog Hollywood Celebrity Source File!
Michael Moore has announced that production will start soon on a biopic of Donald Trump, entitled "The Trumping Down of America." This represents a radical departure for the award-winning filmmaker, who up till now has concentrated on so-called pretentious yet leftist, cliche' worn documentaries.In an even more stunning revelation, Moore announced that Meryl Streep will play the role of Melania Trump, exotic trophy wife of the man who shocked the Hollywood elite & everyone except those living in states between California & New York in the recent presidential election.
"It's the role of a lifetime," said Golden Globes winner Streep. "It will give me a chance to brush up on my so-called overrated movie accents."
Jimmy Fallon, who "compared Trump to the belligerent teenage king Joffrey of "Game of Thrones'" at the recent Golden Globes ceremonies, will play the role of a fictional, belligerent late-night talk show host who shamelessly exploits Trump to boost his ratings, only to turn on him in an effort to court favor with the vacuous Hollywood elite.
No comments:
Post a Comment