DON'T TAKE

Don't take a balloon seriously

It never lasts

And when it explodes

It startles

Because of the timing

Because of the piercing sound

And because it burst too soon.

Before I go, I, too want to

Float, quiver,speed, soar, be held,

Be a joy for others, not last

Long enough like all good things:

Candy, weekends, hobbies, seasons

Before I go out with a bang.

FURNISHER

At least that's the way one of my favorite aunts pronounced furniture. But this couch or love seat has to be one of the all-time coolest.

Placed up against the wall, it reminds me of the Hard Rock Cafes where they have partial cars outside or inside. Sometimes they have complete cars hanging overhead.

One requirement for this couch would be a guy and girl. Another requirement: some food. Fries and a shake, maybe. Lights turned down. Music turned up. I won't mention that it is the back seat. Ok, it's turned around, but the tail lights from the '59 Caddy punctuate it.

We have two couches, but neither gets used much. My wife prefers a chaise and I keep changing from big chair to swivel chair. But if we had this couch...ooh baby.

ORANGE CRUSH (AGAIN)

Maybe because I wrote about Orange Crush yesterday, maybe because I played golf with our pastor on Monday, or maybe I'm just feeling healthy. But this entry is all about Orange Crush. And it's not the soda. Or the Bronco defense,

Two years ago in another golf outing with friend Pastor Rob, he introduced me to Walgreen's Orange Crush Vitamin C Supplement Drops.

They're like Hall's Vitamin C lozenges only they're good tasting. They taste like Orange Crush. Since I've been taking them--one a day--I've only suffered from one cold. For me, that's amazing. I usually get four or five per year and everyone knows, because I sneeze, wheeze, cough, spit, sputter. Plus I'm a complete baby when something hurts.

So after 522 blogs or so, I guess it's ok to have a commercial. They come in packages of 28. Get yours today and be cold free(r). And while I'm commercializing, Ben and Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream is the best ever. And I haven't had any colds since I started eating that dessert.

SIX SECONDS IS ALL IT'LL TAKE

As May creeps around, it marks the beginning of the end of yet another school year for loyal teacher blog reading friends of mine--Kathryn, Ryan, and Derek. And when I saw the Bottoms Up soda, it brought to mind a school reflection of 1977.

I was blessed with teaching English III to a class of 31. Four of the 31 were females. The rest--the football team, or at least half of them anyway. My first fear was for myself, of course. Secondarily, for the four females whom I grouped together rather than separate to the four corners. I mean I was a veteran in my 6th year of teaching.

One day, a tight end showed up for class with an Orange Crush in hand. "Clay, you know you can't have that in here."

"Six seconds, Mr. Quinn. "It'll only take me six seconds to drink it."

Now he had peaked my interest. "You can drink that in six seconds?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Let's see."

And I can't remember exactly what he did, but he flipped the can upside down, pulled the tab or used an opener and it gushed into his mouth. However he did it, he didn't use the full time allotted.

I was impressed, Clay was pleased, the class had been diverted for a few minutes that are so valuable when you think class time has been wasted, and we proceeded on with the lesson. Or was it lessen?

THREE FOODS FOR ME

Escargot is one. In thick butter sauce just right for dipping. At least a half dozen. With some garlic bread, too.

While we're at it, roasted garlic. With olive oil. Or without. Again a half dozen will do.

Anchovies. Basically on Caesar salads or pizza. Again six would be nice.

Then there are three more.

Oysters. Raw are great. Pan fried maybe better. Six raw. More fried. An added bonus is to watch someone eat their first. The expression is picturesque.

Rattlesnake. Grilled. With some dipping sauce.

Alligator soup. Not much, but a little is quite good. Alligator sausage I got at a Super Bowl game in New Orleans was not too good.

Oh, there's lots of other culinary delights that I enjoy. But those six are ones not many care for. Oh, maybe one or two, but not all six, I'm sure. And I don't know why I get into all of them. Taste buds gone wild, I guess.

AS TIME GOES BY

I haven't read the Michael Walsh book, but it does sound interesting and I may give it try. But in this entry I was more interested in the title not the song or book.

So, as times goes by, I wonder

* why people aren't happier in America

* why young men have such bad haircuts

* why churches aren't filled every Sunday like it's Easter

* how it rains dust and dirt in Arizona

* why one of our daughter's friends got so upset about a 10 cent spike in gas prices that she traded her car for a hybrid (it was a total of $1.50 more per tank)

* when a 2008 Presidential candidate will answer any question directly

* why women have to have so many shoes

* why any personality says, writes, or breathes anything that could be construed as sexist or racist

* what songs they are playing at the twentieth class reunion of 1987

* why dogs are hyper and cats are calm (until they just have to get into another room real fast)

* why everyone doesn't agree with me more

* why people work 50 weeks per year and only get two weeks off, plus holidays

* why anyone would work on skyscrapers

* how is it that I still can't fix common mechanical/plumbing/heating problems

* what the world will look like in 2010--that seems so far off

* why there are no old tapes of actual radio broadcasts of an hour or so of music plus news plus commercials. (not just the songs of say 1964 on KXOK St. Louis but the Big Daddy Garlits ads and the news and weather, etc. I think the FCA or someone required the transcripts or recordings). Ah, maybe I'm dreaming, but it was just a thought, as time went by.