OLD FASHIONED

No doubt. You know, I'm not sure, but I don't think I've ever gotten a haircut at a barber shop that didn't advertise the barber pole. That red, for blood, white and blue are simply required.

My first barbering experiences were at a shop on Perkins. Robinsons. And they prominently displayed the pole on their sign. I didn't much want to get a haircut then because that meant I had to wait. They were always busy, and one of them always asked me questions while he trimmed or buzzed me for Summer flat tops. I remember thinking, "why does he need to know that?" But I answered and took it like a little man.

He got mad at me one day when I was about 11. A guy that lived near me was there, too, and he started making jokes about one of the barber's daughters. I didn't; I didn't even laugh, but he thought I did. So I found a new shop.

It, too, had a barber's pole, this one painted on the big front window. Lots of guys went there, too. They had three barbers, but the wait was just as long. Lots of men went there. Lots of talk. But they had cable tv, the first I'd ever seen and one of the barber's, Bob had a son a year older than I. We hung out in high school and watched a basketball game in the shop one night when no one else around had it on. His son also taught me how to drive in the snow.

Bob and Ed's was my next stop. My dad went there and told me about their new vacuum attached to the clippers so no hair went down your back. That was enough for me to switch after graduation from high school. Then they sold out to my buddy Dante who still cuts my hair when I'm back in MTV. We've seen a lot of Rams games together and a few Cardinal games, too, though he's a Cub fan.

In AZ, I found the required barber pole on Gio's shop off Bell Road. He's a big sports fan, too, so that's where I go.

I've been lucky over the years. No injuries, no cuts, I've only been yelled out once. And at my age, I still have a lot of hair. I owe it all to the barber pole.

ON THE STAIRCASE

Or Opie growed up. Unfortunately, I haven't approved of many of Opie's last movies, so I think I'll stick with the original title.

I loved American Graffiti. And this stairway reminds me so much of the one leading down to the first floor of C Building where I spent my time.

Some as a student, most as a teacher.

I've blogged before about moments. Moments that change the course of a life. As many times as I've watched AG (American Graffiti) I still don't remember what was taking place in this scene, other than it was a break from a dance. But it could have enormous potential. For success, for disaster, or for the time. Life altering decisions.

What if she says no? What if he never asks? What if he says no? Where could it lead? In "Our Town", George makes a decision on the spot not to go to agriculture college and to stay and marry his high school sweetheart, Emily. How many decisions of that magnitude have been made at schools, dorms, libraries, benches, coffee shops? The list is endless. The effects great.

So many what ifs make up a lifetime. "This Magic Moment" was a 60's song that fits in here. Along without about a thousand others. So what do we make of it? I don't know. I'm glad I asked the right questions and didn't ask the ones I wasn't supposed to. But that's the advantage of 20/20 hindsight speaking.

THE $46,000 QUESTION

Actually it was the $64,000 Question. A game show from the '50's that was caught cheating. But since my youngest grandson calls Deal or No Deal, No Deal or Deal, I thought if he were my twin when this show was aired, he might call it the $46,000 Dollar Question. Just kidding, Nathan.

But what a long way game shows, and prize money has come in 50 years. Now when contestants win $64,000 they act as if they've been whipped. They turn down $200,000 for a chance for 1 million. When they do that, my other grandson, Grant, shakes his head and says, "Too greedy." He doesn't root for them any longer, and I'm the same way.

But sometimes on tv shows I root for the bad guy. Even when he's not very likable. I don't know why. I asked my wife if she ever does that. "No," is her reply. No more discussion. Just, no. She acts as if I'm the only one ever to cheer on the bad guy. Except other bad guys.

Now let me clarify. I never root against Jack Bauer or some hero. Speaking of Heroes, I'm a fledgling fan of the show so I don't know who to root for. The cheerleader, of course, and I like the Doctor, but he may be bad. Peter seems to be a good guy, but my favorite is Hiro. He can't be bad, even when he almost alters history by falling for a beautiful woman in 1671. Confused? Me, too. And I have no clue about D. L. and his wife--I don't even know her name, but their kid is cool.

Anyway, I don't hope bad things happen to anybody on Friday Night Lights associated with the Panthers. Except the coach's daughter. When she referred to her baby sister as "the Blob," well, that did it for me. It's bad enough that she's mistreating her quarterback boyfriend and has a rotten attitude, but, ...hey I'm getting carried away.

One of these entries I'll give specific examples of bad guys I root for. For now, you'll just have to take my word.

THERE COMES A TIME WHEN PEOPLE GO TOO FAR IN ANIMAL ADORATION

I love animals. I really do. I once named all my dogs in a blog entry. I have two grandcats and one granddog. I still miss my last two pets a lot, Cujo a great cat, and Bandit, a great dog. We have no markers for them, but if I thought it would make me feel better about my loss, then I would have, so I have no problem with people like Shadow's owner purchasing a marker. Pet Cemeteries, well it made a good book by a different spelling, but why not? Pet parks? No problem.

How about Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation? I've supported it. And PETA? They're ok by me. Until they start throwing blood on women wearing furs. That's enough.

But one thing is worse and it's right here in AZ. A policeman in the canine unit forgot and left his dog, also named Bandit, in the squad car. The dog died from excessive heat. Very sad. For him and the family, and I know an MTV policeman who worked in the canine unit. He and his family loved that dog. It was almost like a partner to him. I'm sure it was the same way with the Chandler policeman and Bandit.

A waitress at Hooters' left her 7-month old child in her car about a month later. He, too, died because of the heat. She simply forgot to drop him off at Day Care on her way to work her 7-hour shift. Also very sad. Very tragic.

And that's where this entry and this title get me angry. The reaction of the public. The police officer was charged with a crime, received threatening phone calls, and was viewed as irresponsible. The waitress was not charged with a crime, was not harassed, and was viewed with sympathy.

Both were very sad, but a human life is more important than an animal's. Don't blame me if you don't like that fact. It's in scripture. God loves the birds, but He loves us so much more. And don't think I want the waitress harassed. I'll not judge whether she ought to be charged with a crime. But I don't think the officer should be. I don't want to say as a community we have our priorities out of whack, but something's not right about John Q's reactions to these stories.

NOT THIS TIME

Usually when someone goes on strike it costs me money. Either directly or indirectly. Don't get me wrong: there are lots of worthy strikes for better conditions/better pay. But the strike called for the Hollywood writers will not affect me at all. Well, maybe. I'll explain.

I love movies. I spent more than my fair share of Saturdays when I was young sitting inside a dark movie theatre. I should have been doing something a whole lot more worthwhile, but I liked the movies.

After we were first married, we would stay up late to watch the Oscars. If I recall, they were televised just after the NCAA basketball tournament championship game. Maybe, it was the next day. But it always meant a late night of tv viewing. But that was years ago. A neighbor of ours last year had an Oscar Night party, but fortunately we were out of town and couldn't attend. Fortunately because I had no idea who were nominated and for what film. (They played some kind of pick the winner game, and I'm sure I would have come in dead last.)

Aside from taking the grandkids to see G-rateds, the last movie I saw was Breach. I take that back--the last movie we went to was Breach starring someone named Ryan Phillipe. You see Breach put me to sleep. Don't let me get warm, quiet, full of popcorn, in a darkened room, and then put on some psychological movie sans action and expect me to stay awake. It's not going to happen.

But my point is, I don't like the movies anymore. We never go. I don't belong to Netflix. I get premium movie channels (misnomer) only because, and I repeat only because of my sports package that goes along with them. If I can't get sports scores and I mean right now, well, I'm hard to live with. And they should never allow those shows a commercial break without running the scores at the bottom, preferably the top of the screen. But I don't watch any of the movies. Why? They're so negative, so depressing, so full of unnecessary language. They're like the AARP Magazine only with different words and women.

So if I don't watch movies, how's the strike going to affect me? Well, positively, I hope. I hope those on strike-- all, yes, all find some other vocation. I hope the new Hollywood reverts to the old Hollywood where movies were places you could take the whole family. Well, maybe it'll never be Dollar Night at the Drive-In Theatres where the whole car got in for a buck. But you ought to be able to take your wife or date or friend without being embarrassed by what is shown on the silver screen.

Clean it up and I'll return. I'll even walk a picket line with you. But until you do, well, you're on your own. But then again, you don't need me now; you probably won't need me then.

(Note: it appears that it is the NY tv writers who are striking and late night tv is affected. Again, it won't affect me. I can't stay up for the 10 o'clock news. But if the strike ever is called for the movie people, ths blog entry has already been written for it.)

"WELL, THIS IS A FINE MESS"

Or something like that, Abbott told Costello once. Wasn't Abbott the fat guy? Gilda Radner said it, too, when she orchestrated, "It's always something."

So after nearly 700 blog entries, I was running out of topics. In fact, I think I wrote about DJs once before as I revisited them a few days ago. So I thought to myself, why don't I go to EBay categories, close my eyes, scroll down and hit on the topic on page 33, item for sale number 3.

That's what I did. And this is what I have. A doll in a wedding dress. With long, long (do you know my youngest grandson used to call water long long? Of course, you didn't but it's true.) black hair. I'm not sure what she's holding but it's nothing blue, so it must be new or borrowed.

There's some kind of Bed Bath & Beyond ad for some reason. I've been to those stores a few times with my wife. It's one of those kinds that guys don't like, because when you look around, you're one of the few guys in the place. And the others have the same mortified look on their faces. When can we get out of here? But I've never seen this doll there.

I never really understood dolls much. I mean if you had two, you could make them fight or talk to each other. But some girls just like to dress and undress them. I don't even like to dress myself, and I'm always getting,"You better try that on firsts," from CQ before taking the item to check out. Sometimes I just decide against getting it. Not out of resistance or spite, I just didn't think it worth the effort. So I just don't understand it--dressing and undressing, when everything is on a miniature level. Plus girls' buttons are even on the wrong side.

So that's it. Pretty doll. Not much more to say. Except, I'm not going eBaying for topics like this any more.

IT'S HERE, YOU KNOW

Where I'm building your pedestal.

If you look closely, you'll see where I've started.

For far too long you've been denied,

You've been on equal footing,

Literally,

And that's so wrong.

Royalty, Beauty has always been exalted

And put on display,

And elevated for better viewing,

Literally,

And that's the way it should be.

Celebrate, Showcase for the sake of altruism

And make available to all,

Literally,

So I better get going

I have no more time for words.

I'm edifying and that takes time,

But it will all be worth it.

Hanalei Bay will thank me

For beautifying it's shoreline

With you elevated in paradise.