-- June 27, 2012 --

I had a great day yesterday!! Training was good at the station, I got everything done (sorta) ... turns out that Tuesday evenings were just a little bit 'off', so I had to rearrange the schedule a little bit. It turned out that I had no time-consuming hobby on Tuesday nights, so it went from lunch to dinner with only 30 minutes in between. I cooked a good dinner, watched a little TV, got to bed at a completely unreasonable hour, & I'm looking forward to the county meeting this evening.

Almost no jobs come from resume planting, website searching & want ads. They come from knowing someone who knows of a job opening. The vast majority of the people who work for a company knew someone who already worked here. The company may have thousands of resumes in a pile, but a connection will go a long way in the hiring process.

Bill Gates steps down as Microsoft CEO. Replaced by Monkey Boy, a dancing, raving madman. (2008)

Captain Frank was passing through a small town when he decided to get a haircut. there was only 1 barber shop in town, & it employed 2 barbers. 1 of the barbers had a nice, neatly trimmed head of hair, & the other looked like his hair had been cut with a pair of hedge clippers. Which 1 of the 2 barbers should Captain Frank Choose to cut his hair & why?

Since there are only 2 barbers in town, it's safe to assume that the barbers would cut each other's hair. This being the case, Captain Frank should sit down in the chair of the barber who has the awful haircut.

Dried flowers will hold up well in a window box through the winter season. True or false?

True. There are quite a few choices that should last until early spring as long as they are protected from high winds & heavy snow. You can expirement with any plant that has an interesting outline or decorative parts. Among those with long-lasting seedpods or berries are clematis, Queen Anne's lace, bittersweet, roses, gas plant, love-in-a-mist, & honesty.

Possible flowers include cockscomb, globe thistle, sea holly, glove amaranth, goldenrod, strawflower, yarrow, & many plumed grasses.

For a contrast, use silver-leaved species like dusty miller: 'Silver King' or 'Silver Queen' artemisia, or lamb's ears.

Holiday In Handcuffs:

When her boyfriend dumps her just before the holidays, aspiring artist Trudie desperately kidnaps a handsome stranger named David. Intending to present him as her new boyfriend at Christmas, she finds instead a genuine bond forming with her victim.

If you must delay your departure, be sure it's okay with your host. Move to other lodgings, if an extended stay is likely to cause stress.

It was either keep smoking & die, or give it up & eat. I see you're still smoking.

Make it a habit to fill your car's gas tank on Tuesday or Wednesday. Gas stations often increase prices on Thursday or Friday in anticipation of weekend travel.

Name all 6 children from The Brady Bunch.

Greg, Marcia, Alice, Jan, Cindy, Carol, Peter, Bobby

Pastiche:

1: A musical, literary, or artistic work that imitates the style of previous work or is made up of selections from different works. 2: Hodgepodge.

The director's new murder mystery is a clever pastiche of the 1950s noir films he watched as a boy.

It all began with macaroni. "Pastiche" is a French word that was in turn borrowed from the Italian pasticcio, a kind of "macaroni pie" (from the word pasta). By the 18th century, English-speakers familiar with this multilayered dish began to apply the name to various sorts of potpourris or hodgepodges (musical, literary, or otherwise). For over a hundred years we were happy with "pasticcio," until we discovered the French word pastiche sometime in the latter part of the 19th century. Although we still occasionally use "pasticcio" in its extended meaning, "pastiche" is now much more common.

Ski & Snow Report:

OnTheSnow, the world's leading web site for ski reports and snow reports brings you the most downloaded ski and snowboard conditions application. The Ski & Snow Reports app brings you current snow condition reports at more than 2,000 ski resorts around the globe, plus it features first-hand ski reports from users.

Features Include:

-- More than 2,000 global ski areas listed, including resorts in California, Colorado, Wyoming, British Columbia and New England.

--Trail maps of most ski areas

-- Locate nearby ski areas via GPS
-- First-hand ski reports from fellow skiers
-- Post photos from the slopes
-- "Powder Points" highlight biggest new snowfall totals
-- Live webcams
-- Weather forecasts by area
-- Map to ski areas
-- Mountain stats and snow history graph

Note: We have designed the application solely for the iPhone. All screens and data are presented directly within the application. You are not inconveniently directed to Safari for additional info.

Tyson knocks out Spinks (1988):

On June 27, 1988, heavyweight champion Mike Tyson knocks out challenger Michael Spinks 91 seconds into the first round. The decisive victory left the boxing world wondering if anyone could beat "Iron Mike" Tyson.

Mike Tyson was born on June 30, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York. He had a troubled childhood in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, an area known for its poverty and high crime. As a child he often skipped school, spending his time on Brownsville’s streets engaging in petty crimes. Tyson responded violently to his peers’ teasing about his high, lisping voice, which led to several stints in juvenile detention centers. He was eventually sent to a reform school near Catskill, New York, where he was discovered by legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato. D’Amato became a father figure to "Iron" Mike and a stabilizing force in his life: He took the young fighter into his home and dedicated himself to Tyson’s training. D’Amato helped Tyson to focus his aggression and develop the discipline to become a champion.

Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 15 of those coming in the first round. It was during this run that D’Amato died, in November 1985, at the age of 77. D’Amato’s associate Kevin Rooney took over as Tyson’s trainer, and one year later, Tyson beat Trevor Berbick for the WBC heavyweight championship in his first title shot. On March 7, 1987, Mike Tyson defeated James "Bonecrusher" Smith to unify the WBA and WBC heavyweight titles. Already the youngest-ever heavyweight champion, Tyson became the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion in boxing history.

Over the course of the next year, Tyson defeated four other opponents to retain his title and, in 1988, knocked out Larry Holmes, the only knockout of Holmes’ 76 fights as a pro. After Holmes, Michael Spinks was considered the only boxer with a chance against Tyson. Spinks had won Olympic gold in 1976 as a middleweight, beat Mustafa Muhammad for the light heavyweight championship in 1981 and later became the undisputed light heavyweight champ with a 1983 victory over Dwight Braxton. By 1985, he was struggling to find light heavyweight challengers, so he moved up a class to fight heavyweight Larry Holmes. Spinks outmaneuvered the bigger but older Holmes on his way to a 15-round decision and the IBF heavyweight belt on September 21, 1985. In the rematch a year later, Spinks won again.

To beat Tyson, Michael Spinks knew he had to dodge and weave to avoid the young champ’s punishing blows. Tyson, meanwhile, planned to charge straight ahead and hurt his shifty challenger early. Tyson’s trainer, Kevin Rooney, said before the fight that he had bet his cut and Iron Mike’s purse on a first-round knockout. When the bell rang, Tyson charged forward, as expected. Spinks could not escape him, and he was battered by right hands until he decided to slug it out. After being hit with a right to the head, Spinks took a left hook to the jaw and was dropped to his knees. He took three counts from the referee, stood up, waited through the mandatory eight count and then was knocked unconscious by another left hook, this one followed by a right hand that landed Spinks flat on his back. Spinks was knocked out 91 seconds into the biggest payday and worst beating of his career.

The fight was the peak of Tyson’s dominance, the apex of a promising career that turned sour, then tragic and eventually almost comic. Michael Spinks never fought again.

Use a hamper. Don't pile dirty clothes on the floor or a piece of furniture. Dirty clothes are not a household accessory.

West Point, N.Y.:

Nothing boosts your patriotic spirit like seeing cadets marching at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. (Personal note: I lived literally just outside one of the gates for West Point & worked in the commissary there. It truly is an inspiring place to be!)

What did the creators of the Curious George children’s book series originally call their mischievous monkey?

Fifi. He was a minor character in 1939 in Raffy and the 9 Monkeys, but when authors Margret and H. A. Rey made him the focus of their next book, their new publisher told them Fifi was too feminine a name for a boy monkey. And so Curious George was born.

What's the best light source for an underwater garden, started in a 10 gallon fish tank? What plants should you grow in such a garden?

Which island nation is the smallest, 2nd smallest, & 3rd smallest?

A. Pitcairn

B. Nauru

C. Tuvalu

Which kind of lizard is the biggest, 2nd biggest, & 3rd biggest?

A. Komodo dragon

B. Gila monster

C. Mexican bearded lizard

ABC. The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard, found mainly in Indonesia. Komodos can be over 9' long & amazingly fast - which lets them snack on deer & wild boar.

When the day after tomorrow is yesterday, today will be as bar from Wednesday as today was from Wednesday when the day before yesterday was tomorrow. What is the day after this day?

Who introduced the first oranges and lemons to Florida?