BOOLAH, BOOLAH

In the 30's or 20's, at least according to some old, old movies, college men wore raccoon skin coats around campus. Especially to big football games.

The only raccoons I've been around were in MTV when they used to get into my garbage and drink the cat's water and dine on any remaining food. I mainly just turned my light on them. They never were much of a problem for me. As you can attest, they're kind cute little guys, too.

My buddy Boppy has had fits with some that come to his house. Whole families. Well, at least one family. Being tender hearted as he is, he traps them and drives 15 minutes or so by a river to drop them off. I think he's trapped six or so, but he never captured the mother.

The mother nearly attacked him when he snagged her last, her baby. But Bop didn't turn his back on her and loaded the baby in his pick up.

Every once in awhile she makes an appearance drinking from a little pool in his backyard. She cleans herself up, grabs some of the cat food, and awaits him trying to disguise the cage that trapped her family. Maybe she still thinks they're in there. Raccoons are pretty smart, you know. And I'd guess by now there may be a few new families down by the river.

BOOKMARKS, TOSS NO MAS, AND MONK

That's me. As I continue my transparency series of blog entries.

I don't like to dog ear books to mark my place. First of all, it takes me awhile to get through a book. I know, most readers devour their subjects, can't put it down style, but I never grew out of the stage where you wanted to keep the book going. Kinda like you hated to part with an old friend. So I would be sure to be kind to my friend and not dog ear pages. I didn't care what kind of bookmark it was, and I'd never buy one though I do keep an ASU Alumni one courtesy of our daughter within arm's reach of the computer and bookshelves. But libraries used to offer them celebrating some kind of week or another and I snatch a few for later use.

After we dropped off our daughter at ASU in the Fall of 1998 and headed back across country, I noticed a sign in New Mexico touting cleaner highways. Their anti-litter program was simply called Toss No Mas. Or Toss No More. No more throwing litter. As the advisor to our school's literary art magazine, I knew we had plenty of funds in our account. So we started a Toss No Mas program rewarding students we saw putting litter in its place. Actually, that's not right, for if litter is put in its proper place, then it's thrown on the ground. Rewarding students who tossed no mas. We even used the school's security cameras to catch people putting their trash in the receptacles provided. We must have given away 5 or 6 hundred dollars over the years. One student told me we had changed her life. At least as far as littering goes. To this day, you will not catch me littering even with a gum wrapper.

Monk is a tv show that I've only heard about. I understand he is a neatness freak. I'm sorta like that. Especially with pictures that are lopsided or tags that stick out of shirts or blouses. I wish I could be more like Monk. After last night's Small Group Bible Study at our house we had snacks as usual. I dropped some veggie dip on the front of my shirt. Friend Bob pointed it out to me, telling me I'd saved some for breakfast. I didn't wait that long to clean it up, but appreciated the suggestion. And the fact that he told me. I'm working my way up to telling people they have food on their face or clothes.

I'm not like Felix Unger yet. But I suppose I'm working on that, too. My last purchase was a hand held mini-vac for the house. I'd write more, but I think I saw some crumbs from last night's chocolate cheese cake. They were just sitting there on the family room floor.

CHUCK E CHEESE'S GAVE ME A COLD

And I felt like the Picasso guy pictured at right. I'd forgotten how bad a cold makes you feel.

No one who shared Thanksgiving with us had a cold. No one I was around at church Sunday had one. But Monday I got that sore throat, followed by sniffles, followed by hot water running out of my proboscis, followed by stuffiness, hacking, ad infinitums.

Of course, it didn't hinder my golf game. I still couldn't sink many putts even with water dripping. I pulled off a couple of shots over water on a par three to card an embarrassing 7 on the hole, but overall, the cold never stopped me.

Until last night. Fever. Chills. Teeth chattering in bed. Which my wife ignored. But when my legs wandered over to her side of the bed, she exclaimed,"You're hot."

"Thanks, Hon," I offered. But it was too late. She was out of bed and giving two green Advils. She got up before me. A huge rarity these days. When I awoke, the fever had gone. The aches and sniffles and stopped- upedness had left.

I'm healed! I've survived the first cold of Winter. I hope it's the last. It must have come from the basketballs or skee balls at Chuck E. Cheese's Saturday when we took the grandkids to play there. I mean who could use up all those tokens, and I had to help them get bigger and better prizes. The cold was thrown in for free.

SO WHERE ARE THE OLD RADIO SHOWS?

I'm not talking about Boston Blackie pictured above. I mean copies of the old radio selections that DJ's used. Complete with news, weather, and the old songs.

I'd love to hear about an hour of say March 15, 1963, on station KXOK in St. Louis. As I said in a previous blog, I'd select one hour with DJ Johnny Rabbitt. I know he would play all the hits plus some of the up and coming or down and going nowhere songs of that generation. Commercials would be good to hear, too. Gas stations advertising oil changes for $4.95 and gas for 60 cents.

I wouldn't want a Garrison Keiler spin on it. I want the real McCoy. I think the FCC required all stations to produce a copy and send to them. For checking content. I have no idea if they keep them that long, but if they did, I would be interested.

Tresemme, Tresemme, Tresemme--whatever that women's product is, still advertises basically the same way. Why I remember their little jingle, I don't know. Maybe that's what successful advertising is all about. I'm also sure that some would annoy me now as they did then.

Newscasts with the prospective of hindsight would be interesting to hear. Sports, too. All from the present day today looking backwards. Ted Cassidy, an American Lit teacher from college said once that he hoped in Heaven he would be able to focus in on people he knew and loved on earth and see how they were doing. From what I've read, that's not going to be an option. I think we'll have a different focus there, but in a way, I guess that's what I'm searching for with this request.

If I ever find it available, I don't think I'd be too interested in the re-broadcasts. Except for a time or two. That'd be enough. Just a glimpse.

TRANSPARENT

That's what my pastor tells me I am. At least through my blogging. So I got to thinking, and here's what I came up with. A list of my favorites. Well, partial anyway(s). Certainly not in any order.

Regis Philbin co-host(ess): Joy Philbin

Heroes character: Hiro

Baseball player: Albert Pujols

Football player: Kurt Warner

Flintstone: Fred

Brady Bunch character: None

Lost character: Sawyer

Friday Night Light's character: the coach's wife and coach (tie)

Team on The Amazing Race 12: the ones that got 2nd last night--they're competitive and they got ripped off after a great dance

Basketball player: Steve Nash

Saturday Night Live cast member: Chevy Chase

Dancing with the Stars: Emmit Smith

American Idol: Chris Daughtery and Jordin Sparks (another tie)

Coffee: Starbucks French Roast--black

Fast food: Egg McMuffin

Fast food restaurant: In-N-Out

Kind of car: Lexus convertible

Cartoon: The Simpsons

Stooge: I'm tempted to say anyone brash enough to say he invented the internet.

Of the 3: Larry

Mayberry character: Floyd the barber

Charlie's angels: Cheryl Ladd

Three amigoes: Steve Martin

Three's Company character: Chrissy

Late Night host: Jay Leno

Saved by the Bell character: Lisa Turtle

Leave it to Beaver character in a minor role: Larry Mondello

Best golf movie: Caddyshack

Best baseball movie: Field of Dreams

Best football movie: Rudy

Best tv Western: Gunsmoke

Best James Bond movie: Goldfinger

Best James Bond: Sean Connery

Best 90210 character: Tori Spelling

That's it for now. And remember, I'm right about all those choices.

LOVERLY

Chocolate. "Lots of chocolate for me to eat." And it's that time of year.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday. Christmas can't be far behind. Excess calories. Many added on because of chocolate. But they won't get me.

You see, for some reason, I'm not a real chocoholic. Smores are the height of my chocolate cravings. Not brownies or even chocolate lava cake, though I don't often turn that one down. Fudge: I can pass. Except at the St. Louis Center where you can see and smell them making it.

Anything chocolate to drink I normally refuse. When I was walking around the halls at Field/Hall School in the 50's and 60's, chocolate milk ruled in the cafeteria. For 2 cents. I tried it many times, because the other kids liked it, but I found myself unable to finish the little carton. So I went back to white milk. Now chocolate shakes are another story. I could and can throw them down, just not with the dedication and total absorption in the task as our 7 year old grandson. He has no trouble focusing on that shake.

Turtles, well those wrapped in some caramel are hard to resist, too. Along with a Kit Kat and fresh wafer. Chocolate covered pretzels are pretty tasty, too.

I feel an epiphanical change coming. And confession. I think I've talked myself into liking chocolate. Hershey was my first chocolate love. Maybe that explains my yearning for smores. S'more chocolate, too.

Now where's "one enormous chair"? I'll need some place to sit and enjoy.

DOWNTOWN PHOENIX SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2007

Ok. Maybe not. Ever. But I had to turn on the heat Wednesday.

It was that cold. Really. I'm even wearing socks as I type this entry. To top it off, I even wore a sportscoat to church today. No socks, though, I mean I do have my image to keep up.

But I also vowed after 30 days of 110 degrees plus this Summer that I would not complain about Arizona cold anymore. So, officially I'm not complaining: just reporting, even if it is a bit exaggerated.

But I've experienced 90 degrees plus in Baltimore, Boston, and Portland, Maine, this year along with similar temps in Nova Scotia. Also in Hurley, Wisconsin.

Two Summers ago (I know Summer doesn't have to be capitalized, but I do it out of respect to the season) I experienced 100 degrees at Disneyland. With humidity. That is tough.

So maybe putting on a sweater vest, a long sleeved shirt, socks, aren't so bad. You'll notice, close readers, that I didn't mention long pants. C'mon, I'm not back in Illinois.

So Winter, bring it. I'm ready for it. Just one request--please no frosts; that would make me happy.