Broke Brake Right Light Night Break

Problems with the truck. Chevy Silverado, 2007 model. Red. Broke brake light.

Chris and I went to pick up Julie last night at work. At the Dwyer Group, light was fine. How do I know? Julie got in on that side. She would have told me.

As we passed through downtown Waco, light was fine. How do I know? The police cruiser driving behind me would have stopped me. How do I know? I got stopped 4 times in 2 hours because of a burned out headlight a couple of years ago.

When we got home the light was broke. How do I know? Chris told me. Then Julie told me. Then I looked. They were right. It was broke. A broke brake light, on the right, at night.

I took pictures. Duct tape good. Warranty better. Part is on order. Have to live with duct tape a few more days.


© 2008 Barry T Horst



This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

"But Wait! There's More."

Who hasn't seen an infomercial? They seem to be all over TV. Especially late at night. That's when you get to see the full length infomercials. They are the ones that normally show up on the cable guide as "Paid Programming". It's strange to watch one of these. They have commercials during the infomercial. And what are the commercials for? Well they're for the item being sold in the infomercial. That's right; a commercial for the commercial during the commercial.

The father of these commercials/infomercials is Ron Popeil. You remember him. He was on TV in the 60's and 70's selling items ranging from the Ronco Spray Gun to the Inside-The-Shell Scrambler; from the Veg-O-Matic to the Pocket Fisherman. It seemed as if he was everywhere on TV. According to the commercials he had just developed the greatest thing since sliced bread. And we could get it for an unbelievably low sum. "But wait! There's more." Famous words that meant the deal was about to get better. Now tell me. How could the best deal in the world get better? I don't know, but Ron always made it better.

The modern infomercial follows the same strategy. The problem is identified. The solution is given. An example is the Simoniz Scratch Removal Kit. The price is mentioned; $19.95 + $9.95 S&H. And then it begins. The grand giveaway. Not only can you get the advertised product for $19.95 but you will get a free bonus (Just pay $12.95 S&H--Now that says free to me!). Oh the bonus is a "FREE TURBO VAC."

Now even better is the deal you get with Zoorbeez. They will also send you a second Zoorbeez free. I think Billy Mays says it nicely, "Order now and we'll double the offer!" Oh, I forgot. you also get a Micromen Microfiber Duster free. A $60 value for only $14.99 + $11.97 S&H. Give me a break. Who do they think they're fooling?

One of my favorites is the lifetime Infinity Razor infomercial. You can get not one but two lifetime Infinity Razors for $19.95. and they'll throw in an Infinity Micro Trimmer and Infinity Chef Knife.; just pay $19.95 plus the $8.95 shipping. Now why would someone need two lifetime razors?

© 2008 Barry T Horst This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Please visit the Giveaway of the Day near the bottom of the left sidebar for free software downloads daily.

Where's the Loop? I Need To Get In!

Technology is wonderful. Instantaneous communication. Cell phones, IM, e-mail, etc. The school district where I work relies on their e-mail system to disseminate information to all staff. The campus I work on relies on e-mail to inform staff of important meetings, deadlines, etc. I'm sure they do this to save paper and to communicate faster and more efficiently. I imagine another reason is to keep from having to interrupt classes by constantly making announcements. So I have one question. How come I never know what's going on?

Invariably, one of two things will happen. One thing is that I'll hear through the grapevine about a change or some other important event. I'm often told to check my e-mail later for details. I make a point to do something I generally do not do. I check the e-mail during class time - Nothing. I check again later - Still nothing. Time to go home so I check again - Still no message. Some time later I get an e-mail. This, of course, is after I've received the information from others that apparently are in the loop that I'm not in.

The other instance that occurs is when I'm late for an important meeting or I miss an important deadline. Then I'm asked, "Didn't you check your e-mail? We sent one earlier!" I reply, "No! I teach. I can't check my e-mail because I'm teaching. I check after the kids have gone home." By then it is often too late.

But remember, the district did save paper. Oh, and they did communicate faster and efficiently. I guess I need to find that loop. And just maybe check my e-mail instead of teach all of the time.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

We're BACK!!!!

The first day back from the holidays is always a challenge for kindergarten students. They have to adjust to the school schedule and the school routine again. Half my class told me they were sleepy at 9:30 AM. "Sorry! We can't go to sleep. We're here and we have a lot to do. " Lunchtime is at 10:50 AM and then recess. It rained a lot early yesterday morning. It left the ground very wet. We couldn't go outside for recess. We had to go to the room instead. Someone had to cry. Not me, one of the students. Kindergarten lives for recess; even after two weeks of holidays. Rest time is at 1:00 PM after Music. By 1:30 PM 4 students were asleep and the rest said they were hungry. "I know! We'll have a snack after Social Studies."

The teachers also have to adjust to the school schedule and routine. The biggest challenge is adjusting your body to the restroom opportunities. Or actually the lack of restroom opportunities. Don't stand in front of the restroom doors after the students are gone. I am certain the water pressure in Waco drops drastically at school dismissal time. Fortunately dismissal times are staggered between elementary, middle, and high school.

Our campus uses the Voyager Expanded Learning Universal Literacy System for English/Language Arts in the early grades. One of the components of the system provides for highly structured and scripted lessons. In order to prepare for the daily lessons the teacher has to gather materials each afternoon for the next days lesson. I didn't remember if I had prepared for the lesson before I went home for the holidays. As soon as I got to school Tuesday morning I grabbed my teacher's guide and looked at the lesson and my materials. It didn't look as if I prepared so I set about to gather and organize. I finished and felt good. Later, I discovered I looked at the Wrong page in the guide and unknowingly prepared for next Monday by mistake. OOPS! I had already prepared for the lesson before I left for the holidays. Now what is it they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men?

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

WSO + Garfunkel = You Can Call Me Al

Last night I was watching TV. There was an ad for Art Garfunkel coming to Waco to appear with the Waco Symphony Orchestra (WSO) on January 11, 2008. Of course, in my mind the first thing I thought of was Paul Simon. After all, there was a time when the two were synonomous. Albeit, a long, long time ago. Then all of a sudden the words, "You can call me Al!" came forth from my mouth.

This song was released in 1986 as the first single from the Paul Simon album Graceland. Paul Simon and Chevy Chase recorded a video of the song when Simon appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Naturally I had to look up the video. This is what I found.

Doing some research I found that the title "You Can Call Me Al" is a reference to a Depression era song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" by Yip Harburg and Jay Gorney:

Say, don't you remember, they called me Al,
It was Al, all the time,
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal!
Brother, can you spare a dime?

And what is it with these lines?

I can call you Betty,
And Betty, when you call me,
You can call me Al!

According to an entry I found on Wikipedia, Paul Simon allegedly wrote the song after attending a party with his then wife Carrie Fisher. A man at the party kept calling Paul "Al", and Carrie "Betty", inspiring Simon to write a song. Who knows? At least it sounds good.

Another interesting fact is that Al Gore used the song during the 1992 presidential campaign as he stumped alongside Bill Clinton. I also found this on Wikipedia.

© 2008 Barry T Horst


This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Little Plate, Big Meal

I went to one of the Goodwill Stores in town yesterday. It's fun to go occasionally and see what there is. Yesterday I picked up a small collector's plate. You know the kind. The type that folks get while on vacation as a reminder of their trip. The plate I bought is pictured below and measures approximately 4 inches in diameter. There is a sticker on the back that says "Original ARTMARK Made In Japan." I suppose it is from the early 60's or thereabouts.

It came from Zehnder's in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The history of the establishment is very interesting. Read some about it here: Zehnder's History. They started in 1856 as the Exchange Hotel. In those early days, a weary guest could buy supper, breakfast, and lodgings for himself and his horse for 75 cents. Nowadays, the All You Can Eat Chicken Dinner costs $18.95. And for those with a little extra room, you can add a side of Chicken Livers for $1.95. There is no mention of a drink. I suppose that is extra. I reckon the hotel lodging is extra also.

Zehnder's may have begun it's life as a hotel but it appears to be a destination unto itself now. Of course there is the restaurant. There is also The Fortress Golf Course, Zehnder's Splash Village, Retail Shops, and Online Shopping. If you're headed to Frankenmuth, Michigan anytime soon Zehnder's also has some coupons for use at their restaurant. If you go in the future or have visited Zehnder's in the past let me know about it. It sounds like the kind of place I would like.

© 2008 Barry T Horst




This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.