Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Apples don't fall far from the tree, thank you Mom...................

I do not know how many years ago my mother started a tradition and has been carried on faithfully by my father since her death 13 years ago. Everyone has an apple on the Christmas tree, with their name. Over the years since we were young it has grown to include spouses, grandchildren, grandchildren spouses & great grandchildren. All were in attendance Christmas Eve, as our family grows the tree is almost all red with a couple of green branches showing: Mom, Dad, Patrick, Carol, Andrew, Jill, Luke, Robin, Tom, Tina, Chip,Carolina, Will, Abby, Ross, Hudson, Cole, Dino, Tina, Gabby, Bella, Doni, Dani. Thank you to everyone for making Christmas Eve Breakfast an evening to once again to remember. 

Monday, December 16, 2013

I will help you move your home, but I will not help you move..............

"I will help you move your home, but I will not help you move"
Jeffrey Barrett

Some tips found  VALET, How to move without stress: 

Using garbage bags or dumpster diving for boxes at the grocery store? That might've helped you move out of the dorms, but you're supposed to be a grownup now. It's time to invest in some professional help when it comes to packing up your life and hauling it across the country (or even across town). They'll save you a lot of time and stress. After all, moving is such a bitch.
  
Stay Offline
Looking for movers? Ask trusted neighbors or real-estate brokers for recommendations. Many "victims" of shady movers say they found their haulers on the internet (Editor's note: That's not to say the Web isn't a trustworthy place).
 
Speak Up
Look for companies that offer flat rates up front. And make sure to tell potential movers about any challenges they may face (either at your current location or new home): sleeper sofas, parking problems, multiple flights of stairs, etc. That way you can ask for any possible charges that may arise. Be sure to have them disclose the cost of common cost inflators like gas or packing materials (bubble wrap or boxes).
 
Be a Label Whore
Grab a pack of color stickers and designate a color for each room. Tag each box before it leaves and when you get to your new place, put the matching sticker in the doorway of the corresponding room. The movers will instantly know where each box goes. Color coding labels, $6 at Staples.
 
Make Friends
Sure, you're the boss, but it's always smart to be nice to the guys carrying your hi-def flat screen TV too. Introduce yourself and ask if you can get the crew anything to drink (or maybe call in a pizza for lunch). Then make sure to get the names and cell phone numbers of the crew delivering your stuff. A little personal responsibility should make them a bit more careful with your possessions.
 
Stash Your Style
Pack your favorite clothes (the ten-percent of your closet that always gets worn), along with underwear and socks in a suitcase. You'll easily be able to spot your suitcase, but you could be fishing in boxes for your favorite cardigan for weeks. 
"Estimate, binding"
 
An agreement made in advance with your mover on the total cost of the move. It guarantees the price based upon the quantities and services discussed. If the agreement is "non-binding," then the final price could vary drastically.
Boxes
Overnight.com
, with five warehouses across the country, can ship your moving supplies next-day and offers the most affordable boxes and kits on the Web. 

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Discrimination ending against men & not soon enough.....


Sister Robin sent me this article "The New World of Men's Shoes" via The Wall Street Journal. Over the years I have been upset when I walk into a store shopping for shoes and the general outcome is the same: Men's shoes consist of approximatley15% of the inventory. Not a large selection.

"One can trace the shoe boom to a growing interest in menswear driven, in large part, by blogs and their endless streams of street-style photographs. As dress codes have relaxed and been reshaped (Mr. Jennings pointed out that shorter pant hems have shone more of a spotlight on shoes), men have started to use footwear to express their personal style. "You can see trends from all over the world—cool guys in Austin and Paris and Tokyo," said Los Angeles-based designer George Esquivel, 43, who began his career making shoes for members of Pearl Jam and Nine Inch Nails, and is now known for creating inventive custom shoes for fashion-forward clients like New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler. "Men start getting tired of black and brown and very basic things," Mr. Esquivel added."

The next big effort for men is to keep the shoes clean and polished. Click here to check Kurt's Cultural Offering post out about how polishing shoes is therapy.

Monday, December 9, 2013

On Nancy with the laughing face.......................

This entire post stolen from CNN.com, written by Bexley, Ohio born Journalist Bob Greene, Jr. and sent to me by Sister Tina:
(CNN) -- Attention, holiday shoppers: Put away your wallets and credit cards.
If you're looking for a gift that will please someone close to you, there's one that won't cost you a cent, and that you won't find on any store shelf.

This thought occurred the other day when, on a visit to the west coast of Florida, I was walking through a crowded outdoor mall and the familiar voice of Frank Sinatra wafted out of the loudspeaker system:

"If I don't see her each day I miss her. . . ." I recognized the song immediately. "Believe me, I've got a case, "On Nancy, with the laughing face. . . ." It's one of the songs Sinatra cherished most. And what does that have to do with the most meaningful present you can give to a loved one this holiday season?

There's a story behind the song: a story with a lesson. In the early 1940s, when Sinatra was a relatively young man, he and his wife were having a birthday party for their firstborn child, Nancy. Among the invited guests were two good friends of Sinatra: the wonderful musical composer Jimmy Van Heusen, and the brilliant comedic actor Phil Silvers.Van Heusen and Silvers wanted to bring a gift. But what could they purchase that Sinatra himself could not provide for his daughter?

What the two men did was revise a song they'd been working on. Van Heusen had written the melody; Silvers was the writer of the lyrics. (He would go on to immense fame in the 1950s playing Army Sgt. Ernest Bilko on CBS television, but his talents extended to many fields.) Their song, in an early version, had featured the words "Bessie, with the laughing face," referring to the wife of a colleague. Now they worked some more on it, and fashioned the lyrics for Sinatra's young daughter.
They played and sang it at the birthday party. Sinatra adored it; by some accounts, he was so moved by the gesture from his friends that he began to cry. Talk about a gift for the man who has everything: What are you going to give to Frank Sinatra that he will remember? A tie? A car? A bottle of liquor? He needed nothing.
But that song, and the effort his two friends had put into it, touched him so deeply that, until his dying day, it signified something achingly personal to him.

And now it's the holiday season. We've all read about the mobs of people at door-buster sales, the fights in the aisles of stores. Yet there is a way that each of us, if we are willing to invest the hours, can come up with a gift that will mean more than any flat-screen television or video game. If you're good with words, write the best and longest letter you've ever written to a family member who maybe doesn't know just what he or she means to you. That letter will be kept, and treasured, long after gifts bought in a store have worn out or been thrown away. If you're artistic, paint a picture with a special significance that the person you love will understand. If you're the organized type, gather family photos from over the years, select them carefully, and put them together in an album that will mean everything to the person who receives it. If you're musical ... well, do for the person you care about what Phil Silvers and Jimmy Van Heusen did for Frank Sinatra and his family.

Will the effort be time-consuming? Yes, and that's the point. It will certainly be time better spent than standing in line for hours before some big-box store opens its doors for midnight bargains.
Because I'd heard about the Sinatra story for so many years, I called his younger daughter Tina the other afternoon to ask her about its veracity -- and its meaning to her family. "All of it is true," she said.
She said that her dad, Silvers and Van Heusen were dear buddies who loved to spend time together: "There would be New Year's Eve parties where they'd set up a stage, and play charades games. Everyone had to participate. They just liked being around each other."

When the two men presented the song at the birthday party, she said, "It was done out of pure friendship." Her father and her mother -- whose name was also Nancy -- couldn't have been more moved by the personal nature of the gift. Tina had not yet been born, but the reason she is certain of this, she said, is that her dad talked about it, from time to time, for the rest of his life. And for him, the song -- and the memories of his friends who wrote it -- never diminished in emotional power. She recalled one time in Paris when her dad was in a brittle mood over some things that were going on in his life. He was angry and irritable; at a concert, as he worked his way through his song list, his agitation was evident to everyone who knew him.
But then he got to "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)".

"His entire physicality changed," Tina said. 'He relaxed. He calmed down. The gentleness of the song, and the meaning of the story behind it, did that to him. You could see it. He went from being tense and on edge to being like an at-ease sergeant." The gift from his buddies did that for him, all those years later.

The best gifts are like that. Here's hoping you'll find the right one.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Lost shoe find.....

This shoe at the intersection of North 21st Street and St. Rt. 16 has been reported by Jim Lewis, Jeremy Bigler and Kurt Harden. 

I always wonder what a person thinks after arriving home with only one shoe. 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween......

The Harvel Family sent me this photo of their Halloween decorations. Thank you and I hope you are enjoying your new home!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Lost Shoe Heaven.........

Sister Robin found the largest collection of lost shoes at Looking Water Falls, north of Asheville NC. I count a total of 12!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Once upon a time, Blackberry................

From TIME IDEAS:

"Twitter’s rise is the natural result of the touchscreen’s triumph. It is hard, after all, to type anything longer than a tweet on an iPhone, and just about hard to type anything accurately, as acknowledged by those ubiquitous  “pardon my typos” disclaimers on email and the zealous autocorrect."
Click here to read the complete article: Once Upon a Time, We All Wanted a Blackberry. Remember?

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Monday, September 30, 2013

Too old to tent camp????????????

Found on Twiter @crfraker (also known at Caroline Fraker)

Made in Sugarcreek, Ohio


Saturday, September 28, 2013

Three lost shoe finds in one week......

Marcia Parr found the fine pair of open toe work boots near her home in Florida, Cheri Hottinger sent in the find of a American Girl Doll's shoe at Easton & Andrew Guanciale sent a picture of Toms found at 33rd St. and W. Main in Newark, OH. 


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

One amigo down.....


Jerry Nethers, Craig Young, Mike Plankenhorn and myself take a photo opp with 1950 Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz after a Newark Ohio Jaycee meeting. One of a thousand great memories for four longtime friends. RIP Mike. 

Sunday, September 1, 2013

New shoe finds.....

North 21st Street near Deo Drive area has provided two high flying shoe finds in one week, this one provided by Caitlin Estep. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Another Buckeye Lake Floater......

Kim Lust reported this shoe find at The Island House in the Millersport, OH area of Buckeye Lake. WPDGNEWARK has to thank her for finding her second floater during this years boating season. 

Monday, August 26, 2013

Florida shoe find......

Marcia Parr just sent this shoe find from The Villages. The bench plaque reads "In Loving Memory of Richard Spencer". Wondering if this shoe had belonged to Richard?

Verified lost shoe find.......

I verified this find sent in by faithful reader Matt Hoyd. Located at the Walgreen store area  in North Newark, Matt found five shoes with one photo. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

10 Ways We Get Smarter As We Age................

Stolen from Time.com

1. Your hemispheres sync up.
2. Your brain never stops growing.
3. Your reasoning and problem-solving skills get sharper.
4. You can focus on the upside
5. Your people skills are constantly improving.
6. Your priorities become clearer.
7. You’re always adding to your knowledge and abilities.
8. You can see the big picture.
9. You gain control of your emotions.
10. You become an instant expert, even in new situations.

Click here to read the complete article and explanation of each.



Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Out of town reports, Lost Shoe finds...

Jeremy Bigler found a pink shoe on Main St. in Mt. Vernon and Brother Dino shot the picture of a homeless flip flop in the parking lot at St. Francis de Sales High School. 

Once again proof, not only people in Licking County walk around with one shoe on!


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Happy 6th Birthday Kurt....................


Six short years and 8,000 plus post Kurt Harden has created a large list of readers on a daily basis. If you are not one of the his loyal followers you should be, click here to check out what you have been missing.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Sean's lost shoe report.......

Sean Carpenter spotted this lost shoe in the Polaris Mall parking lot. Sean's opinion was the previous owner was shopping for a replacement at Dicks. 

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Lost shoe report....

Tom Flaherty found this pair of shoes flying high with a view of the Asheville NC mountain range. 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Multiple lost shoes found this week...

Jim Lewis found a pair on a garage roof, Brittany Freas found one in front of Newark's American Legion Post and John Freas found one at Shelly Company in St. Louisville. 


Sunday, July 21, 2013

Found lost shoe in Vermont........

Brother Dino found this lost shoe at the Sugarbush Water Park in Warren, Vermont. 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Saturday, July 13, 2013

A Buckeye Lake floater, lost shoe found.....

WPDGNEWARK reader Kim Lust reported this shoe find today while taking in the sun at Buckeye Lake. We hope it fits Randy or Alex!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Lost shoe found in San Francisco.....

Sean Carpenter reports finding this shoe last night on the streets of San Francisco.  No matter if it is Florida or California, Sean is always on watch!

Breakfast.........


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Lost shoe found........

Almost new, shoe string still tied in the front parking spot at the Duke-Duchess on West Church Street. Not a good way for someone to start their holiday!

Monday, July 1, 2013

Lighting strike, middle of the woods....................

This past week I was able to watch one of the not everyday task with the Newark Ohio Fire Department. Neighbors a half mile away had called in "smoke in the area", but not sure where it was coming from and what was burning. 450' of hose line stretched from the street reached this very large and tall oak tree, burning from the inside out, from bottom to top. The roar of the fire traveling up the chimney was loud, made me think of how loud a multiple acre forest fire would be. After several attempts to extinguish the fire, the firefighters cut the tree down, covered the tree and area with foam infused water. 

Monday, June 17, 2013

Importance of washing hands....................

Stolen from MensHealth.com
Sick of being sick? Blame . . . yourself. Only 5 percent of people wash their hands long enough to kill the germs that cause infections after using the bathroom, according to a study in the Journal of Environmental Health.

Researchers trained a dozen college students to snoop on fellow bathroom-goers to see who actually washed. The findings were pretty grim—especially for guys: 15 percent of men didn’t wash their hands at all, and only 50 percent of those who did used soap.

Click here to read the rest of the article at MensHealth.com

Friday, June 14, 2013

Found shoe report....

For those still looking for a Mother's Day gift. Kurt Harden of www.culturaloffering.com fame found this pair of shoes across from Hope Timber on W. Main Street. 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Traveling Americans & their dress.....................

Stolen from Time-Travelers.org

An American who lives in Italy recently related this story to me: 

I was riding the train not too long ago from Arezzo to Milano and sat beside a lovely Italian student.  She was in her mid 20s and was most interesting.  At one point, she looked at me and said, "Do you mind if I ask you a question, since you're an American?  Why do all the Americans wear those funny hats on their heads when they come to Italy?  What is the significance of the t-shirts they wear--the one with the American flag, the eagle and the names of places they've traveled before?  Do they always wear tennis shoes - don't they own nice shoes?"  They were tough questions - I couldn't answer them for her. 

How to Avoid Ugly American Syndrome

Are you planning a vacation to Europe?  Are you aware of “Ugly American Syndrome”?  You know how Americans tell jokes about foreigners (the French always seem to be a popular target for a laugh)?  Well, guess what?  They tell jokes about you!  And from what I have observed the European stereotype of the ugly American is embarrassingly true.

I saw a play in Ireland in summer 1999 in which American tourists were satired--they were dressed in white sneakers, fanny packs, t-shirts with a sports team logo, and baseball caps.  They complained about the cigarette smoke and asked for decaf coffee.  Quite amusing since the actors resembled my parents a bit.  (Though, I must admit I also asked for decaf coffee in Ireland.)

Some stereotypes and how to avoid them:
1. Americans are loud.  Talk less loudly.  Many Europeans speak English very well.  There is no need to speak extra slowly and there is certainly no need to increase your volume.   If you meet someone who does not speak English, speaking loudly will not help them to suddenly do so. Americans also talk very loudly with each other.  I know that might be harder to avoid, but observe other people around you and speak at the same level.  It's not a contest--you don't need to be louder than them.
2.  Americans complain because things are different from home.  Well, you do. Ok, not all of you.  Many are open-minded and want to experience difference.  Why the rest of you bother to leave home, I don’t know.   A couple of things Americans usually complain about:
  • Caffeine. Most Europeans do NOT drink decaf coffee.  So don’t ask for it.  Even if a restaurant or cafĂ© claims it has decaf, they don’t.  You won’t know the difference until it’s too late.
  • Smoke. Most European restaurants do NOT have a non-smoking section.  So quit whining about the smoke.  You are not going to get lung cancer from a two-week vacation.   Besides, if you are travelling during high tourist season, you probably won’t have a problem finding a smoke free (or at least a less smoky) restaurant because they’ll all be filled with other American tourists.  My advice: Suck it up
  • 3. Ugly white tennis shoes.  I see this all the time.  American tourists are soooo easy to spot because they wear brand spanking new blinding white sneakers.  I know where this comes from--it’s from all the suburbanites reading tour books warning them to “wear comfortable walking shoes.”    Americans, who drive their cars everywhere, generally put up with uncomfortable shoes more than others.   So how to buy comfy shoes is a mystery to them.   They go to their local sports store or nearest LL Bean catalog and purchase special shoes just for the trip.   If you don't own comfy shoes that you can walk miles in, they please buy some! But don't get white sneakers.  Try Birkenstocks, Doc Martins, or some other shoes that don't look like they were meant for exercise.
4.  Funny hats. Baseball is an American sport.  Baseball caps are distinctive American head wear.  Nothing screams "I'm an Ugly American Tourist" like a baseball cap--ok, the white sneakers are worse.  If you are worried about getting sun in your eyes then wear sunglasses.

5. Fat Fanny.  I bet some guide book told you that a "fanny pack" would be a good idea.  It would keep your hands free and deter pickpockets, right? Whatever. Seriously, would you wear one of those silly fanny packs at home? To work? To school?  Then why on your trip?  Backpacks are fine--get a small one.  For women, use a purse! The same one you use at home should be fine.  Yes, yes, I know "Beware of pickpockets."   And you should.  But wearing a fanny pack is ASKING a pickpocket to come get you.  Do you know why? Because ONLY American tourists wear them!   Don't be afraid to use your normal purse or school backpack (but please, please, pleeeeeease don't wear the backpack on your front).  Simply be aware of it at all times and wear purses bandoleer style.

6. T-shirts, sweatshirts, and blue jeans.  A trip to Europe is not a weekend driving in the country--even if you are spending the weekend driving in the countryside.  Europeans, generally, don't dress as sloppily as Americans.  Think "business casual" all the times.  When in doubt, wear all black. You'll be mistaken for a British tourist.  If you cannot afford a new all black wardrobe, then purchase a Canadian flag patch to sew onto your backpack.  (But if you sew it onto your fanny pack, everyone will know you're an American trying to be Canadian).