A Saprky Duck Tradition-MLK Mountain Top

Everyone posts the "I have a dream" speech. But If you ever asked me, the Mountaintop speech shows what this holiday is all about. So another year, I share it again.

Thursday Thirteen #66-Things that get me through 9/11

Yes, today is not exactly a chipper day. And while the whole country seems to attack the northeast US for its liberalism, we have also lived some "fun". I was in Central Jersey, watching it all as jet fighters screamed over my house. So pardon me if I am cranky.

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Yes, I am cranky

RFK

Who Should I be Politically P.Od at?

There are so many choices today, its like a quiet storm.

A-John McCain, who in response to some protestors in Colorado said " I will never surrender in Iraq". Nothing like keeping your cool, since you know it is not something that is necessary in being the leader of the free world.

B-Phil Gramm-The financial/mortgage advisor to the McCain campaign, but he was also on the payroll of UBS, a financial institution out of Switzerland that has gotten itself all mucked up in the sub prime mortgage mess. I would think being associated to the troubled finances of banks would make you incapable of helping to steer the political plan on how to fix troubled finances.

C-Joe Lieberman-who is so in touch with his own beliefs in the Jewish faith, that he will appear at a speaking engagement, with Pastor John Hagee, who last week reinforced his idea that the Jewish people were actually the cause of Hitler. I guess the pocketbook gets tight when you are an independant.

D-Warren Christopher-whose mealy mouthed, weak stance in regards to the recount in 2000 has gotten us into this mess in the first place.

I personally vote for C, just because I think my political hatred for this man is at a white hot level

Well, It is West Virginia...

Now, I am not trying to be insulting, though I am sure this post is going to come out that way to some folks, but West Virginia is not a bell weather state when it comes to the national election in November.

A few thoughts on the Mountaineer state. Back when I was in high school, before I had even taken the SATs seriously, I got a good middling number. Now, I had not taken any sort of prep courses, nor had I even gotten a good nights sleep before test one. Yet, when I applied to all my colleges over the summer, the University of West Virginia was the first school to send me an acceptance letter. Before my senior year even started. Ask any kid in the northeast if you know of a good safety school that is not an instate school and they will say West Virginia.

And of course, there is the fact that Country Roads by John "freaking" Denver is one of the songs that the state is best known for. Good song, but still.



And finally, it seems that John Edwards is going to get 6 or 7 % of the vote, even though he has suspended his campaign since the time the air was cold here in Philly. What that tells me is 2 things. One, there must be some really dedicated Edwards supporters, or there is a small sect of folks that will vote democratic, but they will only vote for the Democratic white guy.

Though, lets remember, even though Hillary is winning now by about 40%, she is only going to get a net of 10 delegates tonight.

Random Wiki Sunday-Rose Warfman

Sometimes, these random wiki posts are just filler, something to throw up on my blog and more times than not, its a wiki that I actually find pretty darned boring.

This is a different one. Rose Warfman is a survivor of Auschwitz. Read through the wiki page and you will probably get chills when she talks about her conversation with Mengele.

Random Wiki Sunday-Stheneboea

I can hardly pronouce this one, let alone know it was a word to begin with, but Stheneboea is the cattle queen of greek mythology. I get the strange feeling that being the cattle queen was not the strongest queen in the hierarchy.

Stheneboea or Stheneboia (the "strong cow" or "strong through cattle") was the daughter of Iobates, king in Lycia,[1] and consort of Proetus, joint-king in the Argolid with Acrisius, having his seat at Tiryns; she took a fancy to Bellerophon but was repulsed. As in the myth of Potiphar's wife, she testified falsely against Bellerophon, accusing him of advances and even attempted rape to her husband, who sent him on a deadly mission to Iobates. Bellerophon later returned to Tiryns and punished Stheneboea.

Unfortunately I can not locate a picture of Stheneboea, so I guess that means she did not have the face of a cow, that would have certainly been a sight that needed to saved for history.

Super Bowl-Holy Crap

As I saw Eli Manning loft the ball up in the air from the 30 yard line, I knew the pass was going to Plaxico Burress. How did the New England defense not know the same thing? To say I am shocked is an understatement. And it has taken my Poetry Train post right out the window.



Well, one last football cheerleader pic

Poetry Train heads to the Mountaintop

I traditionally do a variation of this speech on Martin Luther King's birthday celebration day, since his birthday was last week and I am off today. While everyone knows the I Have a Dream Speech, personally, this one is more a favorite of mine.

Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you.
You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?" And I was looking down writing, and I said, "Yes." And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, your drowned in your own blood -- that's the end of you.

It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had merely sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what that letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply,

Dear Dr. King,
I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School."

And she said,

While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I'm a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm so happy that you didn't sneeze.

And I want to say tonight -- I want to say tonight that I too am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream, and taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1961, when we decided to take a ride for freedom and ended segregation in inter-state travel.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent.
If I had sneezed -- If I had sneezed I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, to see the great Movement there.
If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering.
I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze.
And they were telling me --. Now, it doesn't matter, now. It really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us. The pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with on the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night."

And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.
And I don't mind.
Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land

Jump aboard the Poetry Train over here...

Sounds Like a Freaking Bang Up Day

1.The Dow dropped over 300 points. Now, its not an awful drop in comparison to what the actual number of the Dow is, since it is obviously pretty darned inflated. But still, a big number is good for news people to yell about, so it makes more people nervous.

2.Hey, Gas is back over $3, way over $3 in fact, at least here in the Delaware Valley. Its about 3.12 for regular or so, not exactly great for the people stuck in there cars for hours on end because the infrastructure is failing, causing alot more road construction to fix it.

3.Wow, great news from Pakistan, which is on the cusp of falling into martial law. Just what everyone needs, a country with nuclear weapons on the verge of martial law. Its like setting a gas field on fire and holding out marshmallows.

4.The dollar is in the crapper. And while it does not really affect me, since I am not heading off to Europe anytime soon. But the dollar is usually the indicator on where the economy is going, and the fact that it is weaker then Britney Spears chances of mother of the year is not a good indicator.

5.Oh and Rudy Giuliani collected the endorsement from Pat Robertson. One thing it does prove is that both of them are not the devil, since they were in the same place at the same time.

For once Fred Thompson maybe right

A Weekend In Philly Tag

Last week, though perhaps it was two weeks ago by now, Kailani over at an Island Life tagged me for a weekend in your city meme. I loved it because she did Honolulu and dangnabit when I hit the Lottery I am getting a house there, right next to Keanu's. Unfortunately, no power ball numbers this week, so I guess I just get to do this meme. And of course, I am gonna tag some folks, so look at below.

Of course there are rules, answer the questions, tag 5 people and then go off on your travels to there hometowns. The hardest part is that you can only give one answer for each of the questions. No ties, which sucks.

Best Place to Eat: You would think this would be a hard one, hell, Philadelphia is a major metropolitian city. However, in most places the drinks are great and the food is eh. Chains are popular. So while Mrs Duck and I are Carraba kinda people, I will nominate Roy's on 15th Street in Center City. Its our anniversary place, its the place we usually take out of towners who wont be around again for a while and it transports you back to the Islands. Roy's pulls off a tough trick, transporting you out of Center City, at least with your tastebuds.

Best Shopping Mall-Ok we are only going to sort of cheat here, since the mall at King of Prussia is not really in Philadelphia, but it is within a good driving distance. This mall is actually two malls connected to each other, and is on 2 levels.




By the way, the map only shows one half of the mall, there is a whole other half. Which is why there is always one holiday shopping trip up here.

Famous Landmark:Okay, do not tell me that you do not know that the Liberty Bell is here. Good gravy its the Liberty Bell!

Best Tourism Attraction:Well, once you are done with the Liberty Bell, which will honestly take you 10 minutes, you could mosy on down to the Constitution Center. Its one of the best historical things in the City proper. Not only are there life like models of all the signers of the Constitution, there is also one of 5 original copies and usually a changing display in another museum section. In fact, we went to see the First Ladies exhibit a few weeks back because Mrs Duck just loves Jackie O.

Best Place for the Kids:Yep, another Museum, but this time one that they will probably like. The Franklin Institute is also in Center City Philadelphia and is a cool museum because they really want the guests to touch things. Its one of those scientific museums, with all about the heart and electricity and wind, etc etc etc. The just had the King Tut exhibit close and trust me, when we went, it was overrun with school kids.

Popular Outdoor Activity: Hmm tough one, though I can say that the rowing down the Schuykyll seems to be very popular. You wont catch me doing it, but it does seem popular.

Breathtaking Views:The Pyramid Club in the Mellon Bank building. Ok, I have never seen it, but Mrs Duck has and raves about it everytime we go past the old Mellon Bank Building. Its a private club, so you and me will just have to guess on how good it looks, but Mrs Duck did get to collect some perks for working for a big time corporation.

Only found in Philadelphia: One word my friends, Tastykake.

Thanks for visiting and now 5 suckers that get tagged:

1.Bond's Big Leather Couch (how often will we read the word Elvis)
2.Rhian, the Creative Goddess
3.Amy Ruttan
4.One Gals Musings
5.Interstellar Adventures

Thursday Thirteen #54-The Witch One

Thirteen Famous Witches Here is the prerequisite Halloween themed Thursday Thirteen, as we focus on well known witches. And amazingly, not everyone of them is hot. 1. Ann Boleyn-Henry VIIIths second wife, she was beheaded, ostensibly because the king was sick of her. But she was called a witch because she could not bear the King a son. 2.Isobel Goldie-Living in the 1600's, it is said that she had wild sexual escapades with the devil who had initiated her into the art of witchcraft. She confessed this several times but many thought that it was just a story she had made up and that it was just a game that had gotten out of hand. She was probably hung. 3.The Three Witches from Macbeth- They created evil magic in their cauldron to encourage Macbeth to kill the King and seize the throne. 4.Medea- In Greek mythology helped her Husband capture the golden Fleece. She committed several murders including those of her own children. 5.The Witch of Sleeping Beauty-A story written by the brothers Grimm. The plot revolves around a beautiful young princess who pricks her finger on a evil witches spindle, falls asleep and can only been awoken by the kiss of a stranger. 6.The Witch of Rapunzel-Another Brothers Grimm tale,its the story of a jealous witch who has imprisoned the lovely Rapunzel in a tower and who uses her hair to climb to the top. 7.Samantha of Bewitched-The kooky main character of a TV Show that marries a witch and a mortal man and sticks them in the suburbs. Hilarity ensues. 8.The Blair Witch-A fictional legend that apparently runs around the woods of Western Maryland. The legends was turned into a movie that somehow was very popular, though after watching the first 20 minutes, I do not know how. 9.The Witches of "The Craft"-A teen angst movie from the 90's, about the unpopular girls who actually develop supernatural powers. Somehow, I think it would be dangerous for the cool kids if the nerdy girls get supernatural powers. 10.Eglantine Price of Bedknobs and Broomsticks-Played by Angela Landsbury, this is a 1970's Disney movie about a witch, her three orphaned nieces and nephews and a magician who travel across Europe on a Magic Bed. Yes, its a Disney Movie. 11.The Wicked Witch of the West-The villain character in the Wizard of Oz. She is out to steal back the silver/ruby slippers back from Dorothy and will do whatever it takes to get them back, including sending flying monkeys. The Wicked Witch just can't shower. She is also a main character in the Broadway hit & Novel, Wicked. 12.Willow Rosenberg-I guess she is the best known Witch from the Television Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Since I have never seen a full season of the show, I would be guessing. She is cute though. 13.The Halliwell sisters of Charmed-The three, then fourth sister when Shannen Doherty left/got fired, that were the heroes of Charmed. They used the power of 3 to make there magic work. They also used the power of skimpy clothing, but that is a story for another Thursday Thirteen. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Joshua Tree almost old enough to buy beer

Well, at least if the Joshua Tree was a person and not one of those life changing musical albums of my generation (and please don't say generation X).

Thats right, the U2 album, the Joshua Tree has turned 20, which is leading to a digitally remastered re release of the album in November. This is one of those albums, cds, cassettes that you would have worn out if you were at the young and impressional age when it was released the first time. It is being released in 4 versions, including Vinyl, which makes it a dinosaur in its own right, as well as a CD box set that will include a DVD of the Joshua Tree concert stop in Paris, France.

I already know that I am going to be putting that last version on my Christmas list, though I do not know how they can improve on such a magnificent piece of musical art. Beyond the brilliant songs like I still Haven't Found What I am Looking For and Where the Streets have no name, this CD had some gems that did not get as much mainstream airplay, like Red Hill Mining Town and One Tree Hill. Beautiful stuff.

By the way, I linked the videos from YouTube in the post, so if you somehow missed some of those gems, start clicking above.

Of course the only problem with a release and a celebration like this is that it makes me feel more and more ancient.

Thursday Thirteen #55 1972 One

Thirteen Things about 1972 While I really considered doing a TT on Thirteen reasons I hate Comcast, since they are disturbing my one morning in the last few weeks where I could sleep late with there construction outside my window, I decided to stick with plan A. It is some ducks birthday soon, so I figured I would do a little ditty about the year he or she was born. So, 13 things from 1972. 1.January 5, 1972-President Nixon signs off on an order to start the development of the Space Shuttle program. Perhaps he was trying to update his surveillance systems. 2.February 5, 1972-Bob Douglas is the first African American elected to the basketball hall of fame. Douglas was the founder of the New York Renaissance and was the first black manager in sports history. 3.February 17, 1972-The Volkswagen Beetle sales exceed the Ford Model T in number when number 15,007,34 beetle is produced. At least they did not explode like Pintos. 4.March 24, 1972-The Godfather is released in theaters. I have seen this version, but never in one sitting. I think it took 20 different cable showings to see it fully. Too bad I didnt do that with Godfather 3. 5.May 15, 1972-Governor George Wallace of Georgia is shot at an Laurel, Maryland political rally. 6.May 28, 1972-The First successful Watergate Break In-Arrogance in the White House is taken to a new, super crazy level. 7.June 17, 1972-Five White House operatives are arrested for the Watergate break in, which happened to be home of the Democratic National Committee-They did realize they were running against George McGovern, right? 8.July 21, 1972-George Carlin is arrested in Milwaukee for public obscenity after doing his 7 things you can't say on TV rant. Those 7 words? Piss, shit, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker and Tits. And here I thought Mother effer was two words. 9.September 4, 1972-The First episode of the Price is Right is shown on TV. Unspayed or neutered pets around the world celebrate. 10.September 5, 1972-The Munich Disaster occurs at the Olympics in Germany. Amazingly I can not even come up with a joke. 11.October 5, 1972-Sparky Duck's alter ego is born. 12.October 25, 1972-The first female FBI agents are hired. J. Edgar Hoover gets new people to share makeup secrets with. 13.December 31, 1972-Roberto Clemente dies in a plane crash en route to taking supplies and relief to Earthquake victims in Venezuela. Some Pirates fans still have not recovered. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wait? That Many Posts??

Yep, trust me, the old duck was a tad surprised as well. But this humble little blog past 1000 posts last week, with very little fanfare at that. Though I do think it is fitting that it was a jab politically, since when I started this little trip, that is kind of how I envisioned this blog would be. But, going on, I realized it is much more fun to include like then to be all liberal all the time.

I had planned a big celebration, at least when I realized at 750 that I was going to be reaching 1000 sooner rather then later. Unfortunately, that is really not fiscally responsible at this point, so it will have to wait for another milestone. The Duck thanks you for your patience.

But, in a small form of celebration, I am going to post the archive meme, which I think was started by The 108 and I was tagged for way way back by either Starrlight, Matt-Man or Bond, the three of them usually argue over who they will tag, so I can't keep it straight. By the way, as I was linking them, Bond and The108 have some great posts today that you may wanna wander into.

Ok, here are the official rules:

You must list five links to posts you have written then tag five other people. At least two of the people you tag must be newer acquaintances so that you get to know each other better . . . and don’t forget to read the archive posts and leave comments

I think I will forego the tagging part, but I do hope others of you do this and let me know that you did, going back can be fun sometimes.

Link 1 must involve Family

1.A little recap of the first time my parents visited the Future Mrs Duck and I.

Link 2 must involve Friends

2.Back to the Old Stomping grounds of Sparky Duck

Link 3 should be about you and what you are all about:

3.My Guilty Pleasures

Link 4 Must be about Something you love:

4.Easiest one to pick

And finally link 5 can be about whatever you want:

5.I had written posts before this one, but this was one of the first ones where I felt I was getting my voice.

So there it is, post #1008. Thanks to all the readers and commenters that now make this whole blogging experiment alot more fun then it used to be.

6 Years Already

After a fun delay to make a little trip to a doctor for some seepage issues and then the loss of power, this post can finally get crafted.

I don't go into the whole what 9/11 was like for me stuff for me too often, especially on an anniversary day of 9/11, because it is certainly not about me. Being an Jerseyan, it was like living a bad movie real time. So, enough about that. But, one song that struck so close to home and was actually a song that could motivate you out of bed to keep going on with your day so close to the tragedy was of course U2. So, here they are... *applause applause*

5 Best Nights So Far Meme

way way way way way way way back, Twyla tagged me for the 5 best nights meme. In fact, so far back that Desert Songbird came through and tagged me for the same meme. So I guess its time to get to it, right?

The rules, list the 5 best nights that you can recall and then tag four other people and see if the meme can continue. So without much further ado. though looking it over, it seems to have shrunk to 4 nights, oh well

1.My First U2 concert 2005-It was just something that I had wanted to do ever since I had cranked up Bono and the Boys in the 1980's Then they had that Zooropa thing and I just could not get my head around it, so I waited until Vertigo in 2005. And it was so worth the wait, I was able to sing along to every damned song, and felt like the whole audience had a connection to everyone else. I am sure the next time won't live up to it, but it will be great to find out if it does.

2.Knights vs Braves Wrestling Match, Feb 1998-Ever since I was 6 years old, I have been going to different high school sporting events with my dad. Most times it was games or events involving the High School he worked at, so I had become a huge fan. In February, 1998 there was a state playoff match between my Dad's school and another school just further south which was actually one of the rivals for the HS I graduated from as well. So, when the Knights came back to beat the Braves on 3 straight pins to erase a 17 point deficit, the small crowd we were in was apopolectic. And my dad was the one doing the most screaming. By then I was in my 20's and this was the last event we went to together before Dad retired, but it was a great way to end it.

3.The First Night I had real ID and could go out to the Delaware Bars-I was always a bit of a chicken, so I never got myself a fake ID. And the college bars in Newark, De were always some of the toughest ones to get into. So, when I finally turned 21 in October and was able to get into the Stone Balloon without any fear, I was ready to rock and roll. And when Love Seed Mama Jump took the stage and I did not pay for a drink the entire night, how bad could the night have been. Well, it would have been better if I had hooked up with a chick, but you can't have perfection.

4.The Second Night Mrs Duck and I were Husband and Wife-Now, it would have been way to easy for me to list our wedding as one of the best nights of my life, though it really was, I don't like going the easy way. Plus the wedding was a Day and Night thing, so Disqualification, no? Anyway, the second night was so great because we were just so giddy. We went out to dinner at The Melting Pot and both got nice and buzzed because we were staying in the city. Mrs Duck was telling anyone that would listen that we were newlyweds and it just seemed so comfortable and easy to me.

5.The First Night in Maui-Now, the whole honeymoon was terrific, not one bad night, well except for the one night in Seattle when they lost our hotel reservation at 2 am, but I digress. But the first night in Maui was just spectacular and we had the whole great week in front of us still. We were able to have a great dinner at the Caffe Ciao and just wander along the beach in the moonlight, no fear of anyone ruining the moment, or asking us for a quarter or anything. Plus, the view from the room, with the moon off the ocean and the sound of waves flowing into the room, it was just the perfect beginning.


=============

So who to tag?

-One Gals Musings
-Lisa Andel
-RennRatt
-Empress Bee

The Grown Up Meme

I have all these memes that I have gotten tagged for and what do I do? I do one that has no tags at all. When Yoshi talks about being a procrastinator, I am right on the top of his list.

One Gal's Musings had this meme on her blog this week and it is back to school season here in Philadelphia, at least in the colleges here. And that of course makes me very nostalgic. So, the Grown Up meme seemed to be perfection. No tags, but if you do it, please let me know and I will point some eyes that way.

1. Do you have a college degree?
Yes, a bachelor of arts in history. Alot of good thats done me

2.What was the amount of your last electric bill?
$142

3. Do you have life insurance?
Yes, for now at least

4. How many hours per week do you work?
and get paid for it 0; the cooking cleaning etc stuff around the house, 15 or so

5. Have you ever attended a Toastmasters event?
No, but I think those are like roasts right? Those always look fun on TV

6. Favorite place to attend Happy Hour?
In the old days, the Stone Balloon in Newark, De. Nowadays, if not my kitchen, 2021 in the city.

7. How many miles is your commute to work each day (one way)?
Down the stairs. Though the wife has an hour commute everyday by train. My old commute was almost an hour and a half one way.

8. What time do you get up every morning for work?
7:15 AM

9. What is your definition of sleeping in late?
10:00. If I sleep any later then that, my whole morning is all screwed up, like I am in a fog or something.

10. Do you check your cholesterol on a yearly basis?
Oh hell no

11. How large was your first cell phone bill?
$49 or so

12. Does your employer provide good health insurance?
Eh, I am on Mrs Ducks plan, it was better then mine but the co pays still suck

13. Did you use the internet to write a research paper?
No, the internet was still just something that you could just check email with when I was in college. It was a novelty, not a tool.

14. Have you attended a High School reunion?
Nope, I actually just missed my 15th anniversary last year.

15. How many jobs have you held in your professional career?
3 different companies, with one company I had 3 different jobs, so I guess thats about 6

16. Have you ever been fired or laid off from a job?
Yes, problem with being in banking was that mergers mean layoffs. I am on layoff duty as we speak, though no one wants to listen to me when I internally scream, no more BANKING

17. What is your favorite drink?
Mountain Dew and in the alcohol variety, it would be a Stoli Martini with olives, Up

18. What is the most expensive bottle of wine that you have in your refrigerator?
Now, this bottle of Riesling was a gift, heck from the wedding last year, but I am sure its a $18 bottle of wine. The cheapest one on the wine rack is $6. Gotta love the Aussies.

19. Have you been divorced?
Yep, boy that was fun ;p

20. How old were you when you stopped getting ID-ed for Alcohol?
I got ID'd last month at one of those TGIF, Ruby Tuesday places. Hell, I got ID'd for smokes last week.

21. Favorite casino?
I have never been to Vegas, so I guess it would be the Taj in AC. Though the Resorts was a favorite because I actually won money for the weekend.

22. Are you happier now than you were in high school?
Yes, I get laid now ;)

23. Did you ever have Hypercolor shirts?
No, but my brother had one. So I know what they are, its just that it seems I am always to old for new trends.

24. Do you remember when Michael Jackson was black and was attracted to older people?
Yes, he was still black in Thriller and that was a great album. The change was happening though.

25. Do you remember when MTV actually played music videos?
Yes, which is why I like Fuse now, because they still play videos. Videos were my summer soundtrack when I was a teen.

26. Have you had a will made?
Sort of. There is no will now, but before I got married, my boss had a if I die in a plane crash will, which said who would take the cat and where the small pittance of money would go. Now, Mrs Duck knows I want to be cremated, but thats it.

27. What music was in your cd / cassette player when you were 16?
Guns N Roses, Living Colour, U2-Rattle & Hum, INXS, Bobby McFerrin, Troop, Keith Sweat. So much more.

28. Favorite fancy / upscale restaurant?
Roy's, asian fusion cooking, a nice little taste of Hawaii in Center City

29. How long has it been since you attended a kegger?
Ok, technically it was 1996. But, few weeks back, the Senator had a birthday party with a keg and I had to go back on Sunday to help him kick it.

30. Where were you when you found out about 9-11?
Work. I was listening to Imus in the Morning on the radio in my office and Chuck McCord the news guy said that a plane had hit one of the towers. They thought it was just one of those piper cubs. When they said a 2nd plane hit, we scrambled to get the old TV set up at the branch. Its amazing how fast 2 guys can get a 30 pound TV up when its really important. The whole branch just stared agast. Being in Central Jersey at the time, you could see the smoke from where we were. Still give me shivers.

Like I said, if you do the meme, let me know, I would love to see it.

Blthon 40.48 Mutter Museum

We have moved to the darkest part of the evening, when things outside are quiet, the stars have seemed to slipped off to sleep and the sun is still stretching on the other side of the world. This of course would be the perfect time to talk about the Mutter Museum. This is no ordinary little place. The website lists as a slogan "Disturbingly Informative".

The Museum's collections include over 20,000 objects, including fluid-preserved anatomical and pathological specimens, medical instruments, anatomical and pathological models, items of memorabilia of famous scientists and physicians, and medical illustrations in the form of lantern slides, 35 mm slides, photographs, drawings, and prints. In addition, the College collections include over 160 portraits in oil and other media.

Sounds like a CSI's wet dream doesn't it? One of the featured exhibits right now is a study of cojoined twins. And don't forget about the livers and lungs and other innards of some of american history's most famous people.

Yum.

Blogathon 38.48 More famous freemasons

Well, the last list did so well, I figured I would list a few more. Apparently I was wrong the last time, you have to be a Freemason, at least right now to be a Shriner. I thought it made sense last time, but it was a little confusing. Now its 3:30 so it could be confusing again.

Stephen F Austin
Birch Bayh
James Buchanan
Sir Winston Churchill
Bob Dole
James Garfield
John Glenn
J Edgar Hoover
Jesse jackson
John Jay
Thurgood Marshall
Paul Revere
FDR
Teddy Roosevelt
Harry Truman
George Washington