Tag: Andy Wonders

Do you think of The Brady Bunch TV show when backing up your car?

It occurred to me the other day, when I was backing out of a parking space at the local grocery store, that just about every time I begin to back up I have a quick remembrance of an episode of The Brady Bunch. I guess the episode is called “The Fender Benders” and was originally from 1972, but I probably saw it a few years later in reruns. In the episode Carol is in a parking lot and has a little fender bender with another car. The guy in the other car fakes an injury and takes the Brady’s to court where we learn an important life lesson, that’s it’s important to tell the truth. Like many a Brady Bunch episode things aren’t going that well for America’s family, but just when things seem like a total loss, and Carol would be found guilty, Mike comes to the rescue by dropping a briefcase on the floor causing the “injured” man to turn his head, exposing the liar for what he was.

I guess we all have little triggers of things that cause I to remember parts of our childhood, and for me that can range from a song, to a Brady Bunch episode, to the proverbial “Schoolhouse Rock” short, but for this plight, think about it the next time you are backing out of a parking space and plight with me: Do you think of The Brady Bunch TV show when backing up your car?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

 

Is it wrong to drive a Ferrari with a Honda license plate holder?

The other day I’m driving along and a few cars in front of me there’s a Ferrari. You don’t always see them around these parts as much as a Ford or Chrysler, but occasionally they pop up, and me, well, I will do my best to see if I can see who is driving it. I mean it’s got to be someone famous or rich, right? I don’t go crazy trying to catch up to the Ferrari, after all I’m driving one of those said “Fords,” and I have a pretty good feeling the Ferrari would leave me in the dust if I were to challenge it, however, as traffic would have it, I found myself behind the sports car, a lovely, red machine, and although I couldn’t see inside the driver’s side, yet, the next thing I figured I’d check is if the person had a personalized license plate. Nope, just a standard Illinois plate number, but then it caught my eye, the license plate holder.  A quick Google search shows that there are plenty of holders for the fancy car, most that just say “Ferrari” on them (Like we couldn’t figure out what kind of car it was?), and some with the Ferrari logo. And sure, there is the cute one that says “My Ferrari is in the shop!”, but as I was now mesmerized with the license plate holder on this car I couldn’t help but wonder in what world it was correct to be driving a Ferrari with a Honda license plate holder on the back, and I also wondered how the owner would let that happen. I suppose maybe he bought it from a Honda dealership, or maybe it was the owner of the Honda dealership, but in any case I just thought it was wrong.

Me, I’ve got a nice license plate holder promoting my website, a gift from my wife if I do happily say so, and many people will have car dealer plate holders from their dealer, but in the end, for this, fancy “look at me” car, I’ve got to plight: Is it wrong to drive a Ferrari with a Honda license plate holder?

Do You Like Trail Mix?

Lately I’ve been on a trail mix kick. Not just a trail mix kick, but tiny twist pretzels and trail mix. The pretzels are pretty standard, usually some Rold Gold as it would be, but the trail mix depends on who has what on sale. The only problem I have is that lately it’s been the Sam’s Club stuff that is the cheapest, but unfortunately their brand also has a ton of raisins. It’s not that I don’t like raisins, because I do, but it tends to have these clumps of raisins, kind of like when you open that small box of Sunmaids, and not enough M&M’s. Yup, I’m weird, especially as today’s daily plight is simply: Do you like trail mix?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Have You Ever Been Pooped on by a Bird?

I don’t know if it’s because it’s that time of year, or because the Canadian Geese seem to have no clue anymore of where to migrate to, but lately, at the park where I walk Milo, the geese have claimed most of the park and like to go in various landing patterns during our walk. The thing is their landings patterns don’t really follow any runways, and they somehow seem to follow us on our walk, flying overhead and making me tell Milo, “Don’t look up, Buddy! You might get poop in your eye!” Why? Because as far as I’m concerned Canadian Geese are just poop machines and serve just about no other purpose.

Sure, I have my fears about Canadian Geese taking over the world as once they dive-bombed my car (Thank God the sunroof was closed!), and the story was also perpetrated that they were responsible for contaminating the water supply where I live, but luckily, on our walks, we haven’t been the victims of a Canadian bombing attack. That’s not to say I haven’t been pooped on by a bird before as I recall two instances, one when I used to work in downtown Chicago and got pooped on walking next to a building, and the other going to a Chicago Cubs game and walking under the El-tracks.

Being winter and getting Milo out for decent walks is more of a chore than an enjoyment now, and instead of just the weather I now have the concern of a geese bombing incident (Happily Milo doesn’t want to eat the goose poop that is on the ground!), and as the geese come in for a landing I think back to the times I’ve been pooped on, even writing about it before, and I plight: Have you ever been pooped on by a bird?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The  Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Would You Eat Chicken Wings from McDonald’s?

The votes are in. Well, at least the votes are in by my wife and me, and it’s a split decision. In Chicago for the last couple of days McDonald’s has been running a promotion for their new “Mighty Wings” where you could get two wings for a dollar, a sampler portion as it would be. As we are both a fan of the chicken wing (Hooters being our go-to place with a consistently solid wing offering), we both decided to give the McDonald’s version a shot, and for the sake of science we tried them from two different locations. Fine, it was for the sake of convenience, but science sounds better.

The McDonald wing is, as advertised, a crispy, spicy wing, kind of like crispy, fried chicken with a kick. They reminded me of their chicken strips, a little spicier only now less convenient because you have a bone to deal with. I opted for no sauce as I wanted to try the wings in their original state, but I did try one of them with blue cheese dressing at home (an option not available at McDonald’s as the closest they have is ranch dressing). Me, I was disappointed. Yes, the wing was crispy and spicy, but my wings had the feeling they were under a heat lamp too long as they were pretty dry, without much meat, and even with the blue cheese dressing I ate them thinking “I wasted a dollar and blew my healthier eating for this?”

Then my wife came home.

She sampled her samples, also was disappointed they didn’t have blue cheese dressing, but said hers were juicy, a little more meaty, and in general pretty good, and although if the option if there between Hooters and McDonald’s, she’s still choosing Hooters, but with a chicken wing craving without a Hooters nearby, the McDonald’s version will do.

So there you have it, at least for me, that the Mighty Wings can be hit or miss. For me they were a miss, although there is a chance I may give them another try, and for my wife they were a hit, or at least a double if Hooters is generally a home run. They both, however, pale in comparison to the best wings I’ve ever had, at the Pic-A-Lilli Inn in Shamong, NJ. We might have to take a road trip as my wife has never had them. Another taste test in the name of science?

Enough rambling, my plight is this: Would you eat chicken wings from McDonald’s?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Have You Ever Been to a Funeral With a Theme?

The other day my wife and I are watching “The Soup.” It’s a great way to catch up on all of the crazies/eccentric/odd/Kardashianness on TV, and Joel McHale starts doing a blurb about a special show on TLC called “Best Funeral Ever,” following the goings on at the Golden Gate Funeral Home where it seems they like to make a funeral, well, special and memorable. The episode they spotlighted was a funeral for Willie McCoy known to most people as the dude who sang the “Baby Back Ribs” song for Chili’s. For his funeral the theme was barbecue of course, complete with ribs for the guests and a barbecue sauce fountain for dipping.  The trailer for the special shows training for the employees of the funeral home, as well as some of the other funerals they’ve recently had, complete with a boxing ring and a dancing theme.

I can’t say I’ve been to many, if any, exciting funerals. Sure my Mom nearly had her pants hit the floor at my Dad’s funeral when she leaned over the casket to give him one last kiss, but for the most part I’ve been only to funeral considered normal I suppose. Not that I wouldn’t like some good ribs at a funeral, but I wonder, and so I plight: Have you ever been to a funeral with a theme?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Do You Plan on Watching American Idol this Season?

It’s almost here! No, not the end of the world, that came and went with the Mayan Apocalypse back in December, or what some people thought was election day last year when President Barack Obama was reelected, but I’m talking about the return of “American Idol!” Some judges are gone, i.e. Stephen Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, and here comes Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, and Keith Urban, and their “Is it real or is it fake” feuding during the audition phase of the show.  Yup, the audition, as always, are first, and we will surely get our share of great singers, singers we think of are great but won’t hear from again, and the assorted train-wrecks and maybe a new William Hung, or “Pants on the Ground” and “I Am Your Brother” dudes.

Yes, I’ll be there, though maybe a little late, as the DVR will be set and it hasn’t become appointment television in a while, but I’m hoping the feuding doesn’t come off as fake, although I’m questioning the acting ability of Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey (Hey, I saw “Glitter,” I know), but we’ll see. The question is will you see, and so I plight: “Do you plan on watching ‘American Idol’ this season?”

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Should Amy Poehler and Tina Fey host another award show?

A lot of The Golden Globe Awards was pretty boring, with much of Twitter calling them a joke, many of the winners looking “shocked” and or astounded, and a Red Carpet show, or should I say “shows” asking people about their clothes and the people wearing said clothes acting like they just threw something on yet knowing everything about who to give credit to for their outfit.

The bright spot, at least for me, was that during the opening Tina Fey and Amy Poehler actually did an okay job of sending some jabs at people in Hollywood, but sadly during most of the rest of the show, well, they were just about nowhere to be found.

Sure, I would have liked to have see more of them instead of the stupid Diet Pepsi commercial with that chick from “Modern Family,” and this coming from someone who loves Diet Pepsi, but award shows are what they are, so I suppose I shod just be happy for a few laughs at the expense of some actor types.

Funny? Yes. Mostly normal award show? Yes. Plight? Should Amy Poehler and Tina Fey host another award show?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Do You Plan on Watching the Golden Globe Awards?

It’s award show season, and there is no more controversial award show than the Golden Globe Awards. There are many in the industry that consider it a joke, that the Hollywood Foreign Press is a joke, and that the award is really meaningless, but these are the same industry people who are praying for their movie, show, song, etc., to be named as the winner this year. Why? Publicity, and somehow the Golden Globes figured out how to market themselves as the “fun” award show. Yup, you get everyone seated at round tables instead of a stuffy auditorium, so it seems like a wedding reception, and then of course there is the flow of alcohol that sometimes loosens up either a presenter, or better yet, one of the award recipients. We like a train-wreck, and for the most part people aren’t tuning into the Golden Globes to see who won, nope, they are tuning in to see said train-wreck, and hope it might be an actor or actress we admire who is slightly over-served and trips on their way to the stage.

Okay, I don’t know if that’s why people are tuning in, but it’s one of the reasons I’ll be tuning in, that and the fact that this year Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting it and they can usually bring the funny. Hopefully they will be unleashed, hopefully the booze will be flowing, hopefully someone will be goofy, but you can bet there will be someone who gets up there proclaiming they didn’t have a speech written because they didn’t think they would win, people will gripe tomorrow, especially if a “darling” doesn’t win, that the awards are a joke, and in a few weeks once the Academy Awards hit no one will care who really won the Golden Globe. Except the winners.

I’ll be watching, but I wonder and I plight: Do you plan on watching the Golden Globe Awards?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Do You Own a George Foreman Grill?

So this morning, knowing our next two days were going to be hectic and not wanting to have to figure out dinner, that and the fact that I already thawed the chicken and didn’t want to throw it away, in lieu of my normal, morning routine, I decided to grill some chicken and make some spaghetti so that dinners will be ready when we get home. Being the morning, and it kind of raining and icky outside, I opted to slap the chicken on our George Foreman grill instead of using the outside grill. Don’t get me wrong, given the choice of an outdoor, charcoal grill, outdoor gar, or Foreman, the Foreman is at the bottom of the list, but it’s still pretty convenient, cooks quickly, and don’t forget about that “eliminate the fat” thing that supposedly makes grilling on the Foreman “healthier.”

Over the years I’ve had two versions of the grill. Originally I had the plain version, with permanently attached grilling plates, but hated it, mostly because it sucked to clean. Then a few years ago they came out with the “dominator,” or “ultimator,” or “George-erator” version complete with temperature controlled plates, a built-in timer, and much more important, plates you could remove and throw in the dishwasher. It was well worth the extra cost just for that removable plate thing.

With my dinner safely tucked in the refrigerator as I type this, I plight: Do you own a George Foreman grill?

That’s it for this plight! I’m The Dud