Ernie Kovacs: Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant

I was in the midst of finalizing my work week when I somehow got to thinking about Ernie Kovacs and how when I was a kid I loved all those wonderful skits. I thought, could youtube have them.

THEY DO:

Here are a few from the Nairobi Trio, you must stick it out for the entire 3 minutes because the end is always worth the setup....

Loved that one, here's another one...

I'm not sure that I knew when I was a kid that it was Ernie in the monkey suit. I'm not sure what I thought when I was 9 or 10, but I definitely knew comedy.
During Ernie's time on late night TV, he often performed with his wife, Edie Adams. Edie was a spectacular talent in her own right and was the beauty to his beast. One of the more famous episodes in her career was her Muriel cigar commercials. At first, so the story goes, Muriel rejected her as not sexy enough to sell their cigars, even with a husband who was never seen without one in her mouth. So, Edie and Ernie produced their own mock commercial to try and convince Muriel. They did. Here's Edie in 1971, in her 40's, singing Hey Big Spender for Muriel...

Wow. Wasn't that great.

The Importance of protecting the Brand

The beauty and I are in the market for a new TV for the family room. We currently have a Sony 52 inch rear projection model in the room, and, we've built around it a very nice wall unit. Regretfully, it doesn't compare to high definition models, so, it's time to go.
When we were in the mall a few weeks back, after seeing the 55 inch and larger models side by side, we decided that the optimal size for that room was 60 inches. And, since the TV was in a room with a bay window, and the TV was angled towards that window, the choice became 60 inches LED.
In shopping around, I've found 4 manufacturers who sell that model size, LG, Sony, Samsung and Sharp.  
We've eliminated LG because of our previous experience with the Brand.
Less than 3 years ago, we upgraded our fridge to a french door model and chose the LG brand. In retrospect, not a good choice, in my opinion. Within 18 months, the unit turned off and the display read "FF" (freezer fan). When the repairman came, he removed the freezer back panel and showed me the ice build up on the rear wall of the unit. He said he had seen this in LG models in the past. He said, the problem was that when the model was designed, they didn't build a path for condensed water to run down the back of the freezer compartment. and so, at some point in time, the odds were good that with no direction, the ice might decide to build up around the fan and eventually interfere with the turning of the blades. He solved the problem by thawing out the ice and building a path out of aluminum foil to direct any future water away from the fan area. He said that if this was an easier product to deal with, he suspected that there would have been a manufacturers recall. Since then, two of the plastic shelves have cracked. Granted, for awhile we had the 2 grandkids and our daughter and son-in-law living with us, so, we did have a full house and a full fridge, but, this is the third fridge that we've owned since having children and the only one that every had a shelf cracking problem. As a matter of fact, this is the only one that ever required service. Fridge one (bought in 1981) was retired when we bought the new fridge, and fridge 2 (bought in 1993) was moved to the basement and is still working just fine.

Now compare this Brand experience with our recent trip to Disney World. Talk about protecting the Brand in every way. Unbelievable. We didn't meet one employee who wasn't gracious and kind and helpful and friendly. We didn't eat one meal that wasn't of quality, either in a restaurant in a theme park, a restaurant in an on site resort, or in the Disney Marketplace. There are no bargains in Disney World, but there are no problems.
 In the end, what we remember are the problems, not the cost. Disney knows that, does LG?

Pool Guard Door Alarm

We're back from the annual Visit the Family in Florida Vacation, or, as Uncle Bram used to describe it, hearing a years worth of "suris" condensed into a week.
After the stint in Southern Florida we joined the kids/grandkids for a week at Disney. We rented a house with 4 bedrooms, 4 ensuite bathrooms (all for the women, the guys still couldn't get in without waiting in line) and a swimming pool. And, a very clever contraption on each sliding door leading to the pool, a PoolGuard Door Alarm by PoolGuard (www.poolguard.com). This clever little device, or one of its competitors is mandatory for any "door" leading to a pool in 3 states, Florida, California, and Arizona. It's absolutely brilliant, and I don't know why anyone with a pool in their backyard doesn't have one.

I couldn't find a youtube video of the product, but I found a 14 second video that explains conceptually how these types of devices work.


What the video doesn't show is the use of the button in the middle of the master section. The button is a cut off switch. Simply put, if you place the magnets at around 5 feet, or, higher than a young child's reach, then, every time an adult passes through the door, they press the button and deactivate the alarm. Nevertheless, this deactivation only lasts around 30 seconds if the door is not shut, thus preventing accidentally leaving the door open. 
These devices cost around $50US, a very reasonable price to pay for a bit of peace of mind.
Here is the description of the PoolGuard product features, the one we had in the Florida house.

• The Door Alarm will sound in 7 seconds when a child opens the door, and the alarm will continue to sound until an adult comes to the door and resets the alarm.
• Poolguard Door Alarm will sound in 7 seconds even if a child goes through the door and closes it behind them.
• The Door Alarm is always on and will automatically reset under all conditions.
• Poolguard Door Alarm is equipped with an adult pass through feature that will allow adults to go through the door without the alarm sounding.
• Optional screen door kits can be purchased for the alarm, this kit allows you to get air through your screen door without the alarm sounding.
• Poolguard Door Alarm uses one 9-volt battery, (not included) with a battery life of approximately 1 year.
• The Door Alarm is equipped with a low battery indicator that will audibly alert you when your battery is getting low.
• Poolguard is the only door alarm that is UL listed under UL 2017 for water hazard entrance alarm equipment.

This is a wonderful product, but as the Safe Kids Canada website reminds us "Pool alarms, door alarms, pool covers and door locks are not an adequate substitute for a four-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate"
Nevertheless, everything helps, so, if you have a friend/relative with a pool and a door leading directly to that pool, this is a great XMAS present.
You're Welcome.

If you believe that the 80's are Rock and Roll, then I have a bridge to sell you

Beauty and I went to the movies on Friday night and saw Rock of Ages with Tom Cruise. I always like those kinds of movies and I liked this one also. However, when we left the theatre, I turned to My Love and said, thank god for Seattle Grunge and Rap, because Rock was being killed by the 80's. Beauty immediately took offense and told me that I was crazy (nothing new there) and that the music was great. "How could I say nothing very good came out of the 80's", she continued.
Well, of course we all love Foreigner doing I Want To Know What Love Is, and Guns 'n Roses Paradise City, and Journey was acceptable, but really, is acceptable enough when we just left the age of The Beatles and The Stones at their prime, and Janis and Santana and Motown (yes, you know I love you Smokey). No, the 80's were the decade of Rock Disaster.
So, today, I put Beauty's words to the test. I checked out our master ipod list. This is our master list of all songs and consists of my music and the Beauty's music. There are 5,266 songs, which according to Apple would take 15.7 days to listen to. And, I don't think that includes sleeping. We have everything from Bing Crosby to Lady Gaga, and it grows and grows and grows. So, how many songs do we have that were featured on Rock of Ages, 4:

• We Built This City (Jefferson Starship)
• Paradise City (Guns 'n Roses)
• I Want To Know What Love Is (Foreigner)
• Don't Stop Believing (Journey)

Although we have 15 Bon Jovi songs (I blame this on Beauty, but in truth, I like Bon Jovi), we do not have Wanted Dead or Alive, or the other 18 songs featured in the play, although not necessarily in the movie. For those of you who don't know what songs I'm referring to, here is a complete list of the song list from the Broadway   performance of Rock Of Ages:

ACT 1

• "Cum on Feel the Noize" (Slade, 1973, covered by Quiet Riot in 1983)
• "Just Like Living in Paradise" (David Lee Roth, 1988)
• "Nothin' but a Good Time" (Poison, 1988)
• "Sister Christian" (Night Ranger, 1984)
• "We Built This City" (Starship, 1985)
• "Too Much Time on My Hands" (Styx, 1981)
• "I Wanna Rock" (Twisted Sister, 1984)
• "We're Not Gonna Take It" (Twisted Sister, 1984)
• "More than Words" (Extreme, 1991)
• "To Be With You" (Mr. Big, 1991)
• "Waiting for a Girl Like You" (Foreigner, 1981)
• "Wanted Dead or Alive" (Bon Jovi, 1987)
• "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Foreigner, 1984)
• "Harden My Heart" (Quarterflash, 1981)
• "Shadows of the Night" (Benatar, 1982)
• "Here I Go Again" (Whitesnake, 1982)

ACT 2

• "The Final Countdown" (Europe, 1986)
• "Any Way You Want It" (Journey, 1980)
• "Paradise City" (Guns N' Roses, 1988)
• "High Enough" (Damn Yankees, 1990)
• "I Hate Myself for Loving You" (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 1988)
• "Heat of the Moment" (Asia, 1982)
• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" (Pat Benatar, 1980)

So, my great readership, how many of these classics are on your master song list? (by the way, in this contest the lower the number the better off you are). Tell me if I'm wrong.

My new Kindle - Kobo - Nook Waterproof Cover Case

I am so happy. A few weeks ago I thought that there must be someone out there selling a case that I can enclose my Kobo Touch into so that I can sit in the Hot Tub and read. So, of course, with the help of google, I found a few.
I bought one from an ebay dealer called buybuygaga in Hong Kong, and, it arrived yesterday. Being the skeptic that I am, and fearing for the safety of my Kobo, I took a wad of paper tissues, stuffed them in the cover, sealed it and immersed the cover in a pot of water. IT STAYED COMPLETELY DRY.
Thought you might like this product, and check out the youtube video which demonstrates the product:

Getting Ready For Summer Vacation Reading: Bouchercon 2012 (Cleveland)

So, you may ask, What is Bouchercon? Well, according to their website:

Bouchercon is the world mystery convention and has been taking place annually since 1970. It is open to anyone and is a place for fans, authors and professionals to gather and celebrate their love of the mystery genre. It is named for a famed mystery critic Anthony Boucher. During the convention there are panels and discussions and interviews with authors and people from the mystery community covering all parts of the genre. There are signing events for people to meet their favorite authors face-to-face and get books signed.

Bouchercon also has the Anthony Awards which are also named after Anthony Boucher. These are voted on by the attendees and given out during the convention.

And, this year from October 4, 2012 to October 7, 2012, it's being held in Cleveland, Ohio, a mere 4.5 hours drive from home. Wow, this could be a road trip. So, I check my calendar, and what's the problem. It's Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend. Oops, maybe next year.

Nevertheless, if you're like me, and you're always hunting for new reads, here are their postings for Best nominees:

2012 ANTHONY AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST NOVEL

The End of Everything—Megan Abbott [Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown]

Hurt Machine—Reed Farrel Coleman [Tyrus]

The Drop—Michael Connelly [Little, Brown]

A Trick of the Light—Louise Penny [Minotaur]

One Was a Soldier—Julia Spencer-Fleming [Thomas Dunne/Minotaur]

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Learning to Swim—Sara J. Henry [Crown]

Nazareth Child—Darrell James [Midnight Ink]

All Cry Chaos—Leonard Rosen [The Permanent Press]

Who Do, Voodoo?—Rochelle Staab [Berkley Prime Crime]

The Informationist—Taylor Stevens [Crown]

Purgatory Chasm—Steve Ulfelder [Thomas Dunne/Minotaur]

Before I Go to Sleep—S.J. Watson [HarperCollins]

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Company Man—Robert Jackson Bennett [Orbit/Hachette]

Choke Hold—Christa Faust [Hard Case Crime/Titan]

Buffalo West Wing—Julie Hyzy [Berkley Prime Crime/Tekno]

Death of the Mantis—Michael Stanley [HarperCollins]

Fun & Games—Duane Swierczynski [Mulholland]

Vienna Twilight—Frank Tallis [Random House]

BEST SHORT STORY

"Disarming"—Dana Cameron, EQMM June'11, p.24

"The Case of Death and Honey"—Neil Gaiman, A Study In Sherlock, p.167 [Bantam]

"Palace by the Lake"—Daryl Wood Gerber, Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology, p.184 [Wildside]

"Truth and Consequences"—Barb Goffman, Mystery Times Ten, ~p.128 [Buddhapuss Ink]

"The Itinerary"—Roberta Isleib, MWA Presents The Rich and The Dead, p.189 [Grand Central]

"Happine$$"—Twist Phelan, MWA Presents The Rich and The Dead, p.276 [Grand Central]

BEST CRITICAL NONFICTION WORK

Books, Crooks and Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law and Courtroom Procedure—Leslie Budewitz [Quill Driver/Linden]

Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks—John Curran [HarperCollins]

On Conan Doyle: or, The Whole Art of Storytelling—Michael Dirda [Princeton University Press]

Detecting Women: Gender and the Hollywood Detective Film—Philippa Gates [SUNY Press]

The Sookie Stackhouse Companion—Charlaine Harris, ed. [Ace]

I've already downloaded Megan Abbott's new book onto my Kobo, and, I'm in the process of hunting out the others. I'm getting ready for summer.

So you ask, what else am I reading. Well, to be exact, here are the books that are already loaded and ready to go on my Kobo:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon

Angle of Investigation, Michael Connelly

Calico Joe, John Grisham (already finished it; not my favourite Grisham)

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell

The Confessor, Daniel Silva

The End of Everything, Megan Abbott

Insurgent, Veronica Roth (listening in car with Beauty, she thinks it's great; too girlie for me)

Nemesis, Joe Nesbo (almost finished)

Shock Wave, John Snadford

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice, Andrea Kane

The Other Daughter, Lisa Gardner

The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Michael Chabon (in progress)

Three in Death, J.D. Robb

Am I ready for summer or what!!!!

Behaving Badly in a Public Swimming Pool

This absolutely hilarious picture and caption come from an online article written by Piper Weiss, Shine Staff (Shine by yahoo.ca). Basically the article states that the Water Quality & Health Council, a scientific research group sponsored by the American Chemistry Council, has concluded that one in five adults admit to urinating in public pools. The article can be found at http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/blogs/healthy-living/swimming-pools-public-toilet-bowls-many-survey-193700688.html . It's actually rather disconcerting, but the picture and caption are too funny not to share.