Jeff Norder's Computer (aka "Mr. Super Programmer")

Lego Stephen Hawking

It's Sunday evening at the preacher's house. The first NFL game of the season is on. But because I'm a loving, considerate husband - never mind that I haven't had supper yet - we're watching The Bob Newhart Show on WGN. It was a funny show. I'd forgotten some of the characters.
We sometimes watch the TVLand network, too (OK, maybe we live in Sun City) and watch WKRP In Cincinnati.
They just played a commercial for some of the other vintage shows on WGN, including I Dream of Jeanie. I'd also forgotten how, uhm, physically fit Barbara Eden was.

At lunch today we talked about viral videos. Remember the one I posted with the ball girl climbing the wall at Fenway to snag the foul ball? OK, is this viral or real? I can't find anything that says so.
Human Slingshot

Kids here go back to school tomorrow. August 4th and they're going back to school! In Michigan they still have another month of summer vacation left. I wondered why they start so early here, and I think it must be the weather. The average temperature for Phoenix in August is 106 degrees. That's not exactly "go play in the yard" weather, so the kids might as well be in school learning their three R's. By starting this early they'll be out in April when the average temperature is 86. And with a humidity level in the single digits, 86 is like wonderful!
Compare this to Hudsonville, MI where we lived before moving the AZ. The average temp in August there is 81 degrees (the highest recorded temp in any month was 101 degrees in 1996). Try to get kids to think about gerunds and geomotry in that weather! Especially when April has an average high of 36 degrees. And that's the average! For most of April the ground is still frozen and it can be several weeks before anything green appears. Kids are as likely to be shoveling snow as riding bikes. So they should be enjoying outdoor weather in August and inside learning in April.
All of that makes perfect sense, but it sure seems weird to have Back-To-School sales in July. Just weird.

We had visitors this morning. That's nice.
T'ank you, Fadder!

Have you ever wanted to reach through the TV screen and throttle somebody?
Friday evening the network news (I don't remember which network) did a story on the mortgage bailout program just approved by Congress. They showed an interview with one of the families that will be helped by the legislation; they sure seemed happy. Then they interviewed a couple that won't qualify. "The Joneses are also behind on their mortgage and they have significant credit card debt."
Cut to Mr. & Mrs. Jones, a late-30's something couple sitting on their couch. She does the talking. With quiverring voice she says, "It just seems like you work hard, try to live out the American dream, and when it doesn't work there's nobody there to help you out."
Oh, dopey me! I didn't realize that running up significant credit card debt was part of the American dream. Let's all get together and run over to the Jones' place and pay off their credit card debt for them.
(Pardon the sarcasm.)

August 4th is the birthday of Warren Avis, as in the guy who invented the rental car business. He was born in 1915 and died in April of last year. He was a pilot in WWII. When he got out of the Air Force he bought into a Ford dealership in Ypsilanti MI and started renting cars at the city's airport. He said he got the idea as a pilot when he'd fly into a town and couldn't find ground transportation.
I don't know about Mr. Thrifty or Mr. National.

We just had supper. Pam confirmed my suspicions. Broccoli never goes out of season.