Feels Good and Is Good for You I'm Told

I can't take credit for this one cuz I can't design worth a dang.  I don't have this specific body part but I'm a frugal kinda gal. Save a penny, save a dollar I say.

Via Mike Allgood's Google Plus Page

 I saw this on Google+ and I support this message. I'm not running for election, just another supporter for erections and/or orgasms.

Well, truthfully I would be more partial to orgasms.  Anyway, in other news I can sympathize with this blog post . Intriguing but truly NSFW post on the demotion of the 2nd head.

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My Inner Child Required This Purchase

I was born with the frugal gene. I come from a long line of women who can indeed stretch a dollar or two. Yes, I have weaknesses but books are more a necessity than an expense.

My point is that I don't spend willing on clothing. Cameras? Yes. Books? Of course. Clothing? Meh.

I'm minding my own business as I am procrastinating up a storm when I see this photo of the t-shirt.


You gotta understand. I had no choice. In the name of Doctors #4, #7, #8 and #9 I had to do it. I can't get to view the tenth or eleventh Dr. Who shows because I don't freaking live in the UK or have access.

Yo, BBC - how is that subscription smartphone app coming along? You and me can do cash business. We don't need no stinking cable operator to hook up.

I don't have an iPad but if you could make it work on multiple Android phones or soon to be Windows OS tables I think this could be a wise investment on your part. Beeb, just let me know which way to go and we can work out the details later.

My t-shirts arrived today. Yes, I got two. One to sleep in and one as a valuable heirloom.

Geek and Nerd girls unite! May the sonic lipstick or screwdriver be with you.

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Zorro Est Arrive on the Finally Friday Freakout

Once upon a time there was a video jukebox called a Scopitone. It was placed in bars, upper level clubs and places where people got to see the performers of the day do their thing while knocking back a Martini.

I can't do the whole history justice but I highly recommend a visit to the Scopitones blog. There are videos from France, Europe and a few Americans you might recall like Lou Rawls, Della Reese and Brook Benton.

I want to introduce you to a gentleman by the name of Henri Salvador. Henri was a well respected jazz performer and vocalist. He was also a clown in the best sense of the word. I can't speak a lick of French but for this video you don't need to.

We need some fun after the past two weeks. I think you are gonna like this.



Sound familiar? This is not a cover of the song "Along Came Jones." This is the original that inspired the American version of the song.

I got one more for you. Tout ça c'est pas grave which translates to It's All Okay.



I wish the heck I paid more attention in French class but I think I get the gist of it. Some of his videos are pure uncured ham; others are just strange without a translation or cultural background to get the joke.

Mr. Salvador appeared in a couple of French movies in the 1940s and 1950s. Looks like he had a television show too. I have to stress that he wasn't just a prankster; he seems to have the kind of career that allowed him to have the flexibility to try new things and not lock him into one format.

In any case, I blame him for my new Scopitone habit.

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Ellen Snortland Video and Taking A Risk

Ellen Snortland is a well known columnist at the Pasadena Weekly. She writes about being able to defend yourself, reproductive issues and the concerns of a being a woman in these times.

This video has none of that. Ellen took a comedy class and this is the graduation performance.



I'm posting it because I am about to cross another age marker known as a birthday. I need mentors. I need women my age saying they want to get laid. Let it be known that here is joy to be found in the larger Padumpadumps region of the mature body.

I'm really posting this because she is taking a chance. Going beyond the comfort zone. Age does not exempt you from living or exploring. That is the most important reminder of all.

Go for it.

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We'll Take A Glass Together on the Finally Friday Freakout

Michael Jeter was an extraordinary talent. He could do comedy, dance, theater anything the part called for so long as they called him.

Jeter should be remembered for what he did on stage and screen but more than that he was the kind of performer that when you saw him you knew he was going to treat you to an experience.



This is a scene from the Broadway play Grand Hotel. For you newbies, Mr. Jeter is the thin balding gentleman. Every once in a while keep an eye on his dancing feet. The man gave 100% and then some.

Most of all he helps me to take a moment to smile and to remember there are good things worth holding on as we seek better days to come.

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My First Waffle Dog and a Bit of Waffle History

You might think that after a few weeks I'd scope out all the eating joints around the Salt mine. My fear of a dulled lunch was creeping in; I'd already settled on the quick and adequate lunch at Wolfbane Express.

It is not bad if you don't mind the constant up-selling of the three fang special. Just say no and wave the money before them. I didn't feel like the challenge so I went in search of something different.

I needed a culinary adventure. One that I could afford under $5. That is not easy when I'm in an area that has standard lunches at $9.

Then I saw it - Waffles.


Now to you waffles are not a big deal. As a kid I never had them until the refrigerated kind started showing up. By that time I'd seen a Julia Child show or two and I knew the real thing wasn't supposed to taste like cardboard.

I've since had Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles but it isn't good for me to think of places that are not accessible to me at lunch time. I'm thinking, what the heck - what is the harm?

So I amble up to the joint to check out the action. Real waffles. Waffles and ice cream, waffle sandwiches, waffle cheese sticks.

Then I saw it. A Nutella waffle sandwich. I am a recent convert to the order of Nutella. I went for it. And to be on the safe side I also got a Waffle Dog.

Took it back to the Salt mine where Miner #4056 was trying to read a book. He took one look at my Waffle Dog and looked at me with questions of mental health in his eyes.

I offered him a bite. Miner #4056 most emphatically refused. I start in on half of the Nutella and I'm a happy gal. Dude tries to go back to reading but that dog is bothering him.

I take the photo and I loose more sanity points with most of the lunch crowd. I don't care. I don't have a Waffle Dog every day.

I hose it up with ketchup and chomp away. It is ok. I should have gotten mustard. More waffle than hot dog but I like it. Not sure why. Hidden desires maybe. Not so hidden desires more like it.

The Smithsonian Music has a information page on the patent on the Waffle iron. I should say the electric Waffle iron on account that the non-electric iron has been cranking out the fluffy goodness for centuries. And for more about the history of waffles check out Historical Food.com

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Sweet Like Cola on the Finally Friday Freakout

Ah Lou, where have you been? Lou Bega is from the "I'm a lover, not a fighter school" of pop music. Special props for celebrating the all around girls.



This is a little something that you can kick up on for a bit of palpitation called Sweet Like Cola.

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For Aaron's Birthday - The Full Dose of the Funky Chicken

There are times when you are funky and there are times when you need the power of The Funk to lift you to a higher space.

I don't know Aaron Vest because his wife twitters 72.8 times more than he does. I have met him once or twice but not a day goes by without Mrs. Vest throwing a tweet or two in his direction.



This is for his birthday and since I don't know what to get a man who has everything, even in the mist of a hell, high water and is that a tsunami about to break? kind of year.

This is the full get up off that thing version of Mr. Rufus Thomas and the Funky Chicken. Grab a thigh bone and do what you can. Those with wing trouble can sway and cluck, same thing but don't over do it.

Pace yourself. These are professional dancing cluckers.

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Errol Elumir Acapella Video For NaNoWriMo

I'll post one one video on the last day of VloMo10 but I got time crunched toward the end. To make it up to you I present a one man cheerleader squad of four part harmony goodness.



Salud to our writing compatriots as well as those in the VlogNation. Special shout out to those that did 30 Pies in 30 Days. My hips forbade me from even contemplating such a crusty adventure but props just the same.

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Do The Mouse on the Finally Friday Freakout

No ten dollar words today. I have met the challenge of the day by not spending any money or participating in any way toward Black Friday. It is time to dance, make silly and drop any pretense of maturity.



From the dust bin of time, I give you Mr. Soupy Sales and the Hullabaloo dancers doing The Mouse. For those that protest I remind you that a few months later we were all doing The Batman.

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Being 52 - Seeing and Not Seeing

There are times when we are on automatic. We go shopping for stuff. Generally for the stuff we need but we are diverted by the stuff we want. Or think we want.



Or didn't know that we wanted it. Me, I go looking for what I haven't seen before and can tote home in a shopping bag. I don't want a painted Buddah or a tarted up angels.
But I did see that kitsch really does have a price tag.

This is a lemonade video on account that I didn't know that the iPod Nano will record 480 x 640 if I record in portrait mode.

This is my day 12 video for National Videoblogging Posting Month. Check out the rest of the folks via Twitter using hastag #Vlomo10. You can also find some of those rascals on YouTube

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Let Your Freak Flag Fly on the Finally Friday Freakout

Yes, let your freak flag fly high on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, or any dang day of the week. Shake it to the left, shake to the right, shake it all around, that what's it all about!

Take off that vestige of conformity; you are off the clock. If you have teenagers who have friends in the house your should especially fly your freak flag and embarrass your offspring.

Ok, maybe just have them groan in utmost shame or something.

To help you get in the mood this is the Laura Love Band plucking away on Let Your Freak Flag Fly.




Now if you observe the video as you are dancing you will notice that folks are a little old to normally be associated with freaking and making with the thumpety-thump.

This is a good thing. Defy expectations at all cost. Speaking of defying expectations, I got an e-mail from the South Coast Repertory Company of Costa Mesa, CA.

There is a theatrical play called "In The Next Room or the vibrator play" by Sarah Rule that is going to be in performance from September 26th to October 17th.

I'll let Jessica Neil take it from here:

It’s a dramatic comedy set in the Victorian era, just after the invention of an electric medical device for the treatment of “female hysteria.” The play focuses on Catherine Givings, the wife of a doctor who’s using the device on his patients in his office, located just off the family parlor. Catherine has just had her first child and is unable to breastfeed. She feels like a bad mother, and she feels distant from her husband. Intrigued by the noises she hears coming from the next room, she befriends her husband’s patients and begins investigating the device, with comical results.

That right. It about the humma humma buzz, buzz! Back in the days when doctors transition from manual manipulations to technological digitization. And I don't mean one and zeros either.

And people think history is dull. As if! If you would like more info about the play visit the South Coast Repertory Theater site.

Now sure there is more to life than the boogie boogie. I'll get back to you on what that is as soon as I remember. I have to find my glasses first.



In the meantime, here is a bit more or Laura Love doing her rendition of Come As You Are.

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A Heck of A Town - Pre-BlogHer

The trip was a trip. It started at 3:30a.m. with a ride to an empty airport. I didn't know that the airport opened at 5:30a.m.

The only pick-up time was 3:30a.m. I wasn't alone but it was spooky.

On the plane there were two crying babies and two yappy dogs. The dogs barked the first hour or so then it was ok for a bit. Then the last 45 minutes the babies kicked in a few notes.

I gotta say with Direct TV is wasn't so bad.

The trip into town was tough. I don't eat before a flight. I was hungry. I saw every food joint as we passed by. I damn near wanted to beg the driver to stop at Chipotle's. Got to the hotel and started looking for food.

Pizza called my name; I inhaled that sucker. I was so hungry I forgot that I can't have a lot of cheese.

My stomach reminded me this morning. I took the walking cure - so many great places in my immediate area, The Center of Photography, art places up the ying-ying and a special shout out to the New York Public Library who helped me get on-line and find stuff.

Much to do, will keep you posted.

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That's the Hell of It - The Finally Friday Freekout

There is too dang much stuff going on, I can't keep up with the amount of retro-stupidity and political power given to intellectually challenged people. Willfully and proudly the legislatures of Oklahoma and Arizona have provided the country with the WTF moments of the month.

I would be remiss to leave out the SEC Executive Poonastic Posse. Giving new meaning to the belief that it is good to have a government job. Might have to rename the sucker something like the Securities and Erection Commission.

The fellas certainly paid more attention to their ding-a-lings than to being attentive to people participating in the financial melt down of the country.



Anyway, I'm thinking that the people responsible for this crap will be on their way out or gone.

I am repeating that as affirming petition of hope. I give you Mr. Paul William singing a song that was in the closing credits of Phantom of the Paradise. This clip isn't from that movie but from the Brady Bunch Musical Variety Hour and the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Mysteries.

This is the trailer for the movie:



Yeah, I know. It just keeps getting freakier and we don't do drugs. Deep breaths, love good people (but not on the job ok?) and start saving vegitable seeds because we might be in for a civil disturbance or two.

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Letter Poem - Day 6 Videoblogging Week 2010

Mike Moon has a great Day 6 post and I certainly want to encourage folks to wander over to A Moment At Mike Moon's Moon Echos.

Me? Yeah. I have something. Not as good as Mike's. No where near as good as Mike's but I had an situation where I had the ringer of the phone off because of the carpet telemarketer and I missed a call.



Dude, call me back!

I digress. It gave me an idea to write a quick poem and see what I could come up with to channel my anger at people who have no respect for the concept of "Not freaking interested!" In carpet cleaning. Really talking about carpet cleaning phone calls. And telemarketers in general and specifically that bi-vocal robot who someday will be brought up on charges.

I am in Que Sera Sera mode about the missed call. I am firm in my conviction that the robo-calling machine should be used as target practice.

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Soupy Sales and Pookie - A Rememberance

Yep, the pie man has gone to meet the owner of the bakery. Just found out that Soupy Sales passed on October 23, 2009. I was just a wee kid when this show aired. I'm not sure if I saw the NY version or the one that went national.

I didn't catch all of the jokes but I was grooving on White Fang and those pies.



Soupy didn't break the fourth wall of television; at times Soupy demolished it. It was fun, silly, corny and who could ask for anything more. There isn't much more I can say but "Hey, Do the Mouse."

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Ethical Castaways – A Blog Noir Tale of Content, Respect and Responsibility

It was a dark and stormy night at the Castaway Bar and Grill. Mookie the bartender was polishing the beer into the counter top as he bounced to a remix of Baby Got Back and Feelings. You could hear the barflies drink gulps of regret as they caught threads of Twitter static. It gave me the creeps; watching them hope for redemption in the tweets of possibilities. And then she walked through the door.

I chunk my Psycho Berry smoothie as my client swung her swag. You could tell she had been around; the woman had logos on everything. Even her sunglasses had a slogan, “You can’t hide from 3x Intensified Tide! ” I felt a brain freeze coming on as she slid into my booth.

“McGuffin, right?”

“Yeah. How can I be of assistance?”

“I need help with my blog. I've made some mistakes, silly ones you might say. I need help in extricating myself from an unfortunate situation.”

Yeah, I smiled sarcastically. I heard. People are talking. Go on.”

The dame looks around as she leans into the table, “Well, I don't want to be known as "that kind of blogger." I'm just a…”

“Stop right there! I don't want to know any more about you than I have to. Let's cut to the chase sister. I’ve seen your blog. It ain’t horrible, I've seen worse but yeah, you need to get a grip. Your content is all over the place. You’ve been mixing factual and sponsored content like scrambled eggs. From the look of the logos you flash on your blog I’d say you’ve been spending extra bonus time with PR, haven’t you?

“I got caught up with some action, I might have technically crossed a line or two but I’m here, right? I want to do better. I’m ready to listen.”

I suck up some smoothie as I pass her the folder.

“So you say. Let us begin shall we?”

Content – Roll Your Own

“First off, I don't want you sponging content from other people’s blogs or companies. You cut that crap out now, you hear me? It is ok to quote but you’ve lifted whole chunks of stuff, ‘taint Kosher. Plus, others are getting wise to the game. People in the know can punch a phrase into a search engine and surprise, fifty posts show up with the exact same words. Spammy if you ask me.”

“So in the future I would not expect to see canned content on your blog.  My sources tell me that there is new web based application, something called Attributor, that can track wayward post back to the Mothership looking for copyrighted content. It would be unfortunate if you was bit financially by a spider.”

I showed her the print out from FairShare. Her lips trembled a bit.

“I want you to read WashWords 5 Old News Secrets to Make A New Blog Sing to help you write good content and stay on the good foot. You will also read Lisa Braziel's 6 Steps to Develop Content for Social Media Campaigns. only you will exchange the word blog for company. I also want you to soak up some of Copyblogger's post on A Three-Step Approach to Strategic Content Development.”

“Jeeze that’s a lot of reading, but yeah, anything to get the heat off. I’ll do it, sure no problem.”

Respect Your Adversaries and Competition

“Next you will no longer refer to people you disagree with as a rectal hernia waiting to happen. You don’t have to love them or even like them but you do have to come from a place of respect. Now, I do not say this lightly. Notice this dent upside my head. Besides, you need them.”

“I don’t need those heifers. Always popping their chops. They are jealous biddies sticking their nose in other people’s business. What do I need them for?”

“I manage to suppress my nature tendency of wanting re-aligning her bridge work. “I'm hooking you up with Joella at Blog With Wings.  I want you to read her post on studying your competition; what they do well and what you do better. I also want you to read her post on writing in a conversational style because frankly when you do write it sometimes has the taste of three day old toast. You ever try to eat three day toast?”

“Alright, I get your point. Go along to get along, right?”

“Wrong!, I said respect, not self sacrifice. Object to the idea, not the person. Explain why you think it is a bad idea without questioning heritage, birthright or I.Q. Comprende?”

I could see she was shaking, so I asked Mookie to hook her up with a Mango Sunrise. If she was having trouble with this I’m not sure how she was going to take my next suggestion. The dame wrapped her mouth around the straw and indicated I should continue.

Responsibility, Transparency and Ethics, Oh My!

I pulled out the Blog With Integrity printout and slide it across the table. She went internally ballistic. The dame looked past me gazing at the Twitter stream. She started to tear up again. "I'm not leaving cash money on the table!" I had to say this the right way or risk sending a blogger back to the dark side.

“I'm not asking you to; no thinking blogger would say such a thing. Look, behind the monitor you have real people coming to your blog. You have some responsibilities. How much you want to take on is up to you. You need to recognize it ain't all about you. Your are part of multiple communities not just the Land of Me. With blogging comes responsibility. That is why we are here. You want to make positive changes for the long term. You don't want to flame out. Am I right?”

Sniffing, she nodded her head and sighed. “Yeah. it has been challenging being misunderstood.”

“All I'm saying is be true to your blog. You build credibility and credibility leads to trust. Trust can lead to Steady Freddie money. No promises but no bull either. It is a process. A journey, not a sprint.”

“Now back to this thing about integrity and pledges. One size pledge does not fit all. If you had read the About page it says so. For some bloggers it is a one time only statement that you have advertising or promotional content. For other bloggers they have are visual indicators when sponsored content appears. You can choose like Queen of Shake Shake not to have any declaration at all because she doesn't need no stinking badge or pledge to be ethical.”

“I'm just asking you to check in with your ethical compass and make sure it is in alignment with your personal and business belief system. At least look at the site to get a sense of what you might want to consider or reject in constructing your own ethical guidelines. If you don’t want to do that then perhaps you should visit the Responsibility Project and watch videos of BlogHer09 conference attendees talking about Responsible Blogging.”

“This discussion isn’t going away. Read others bloggers like Ali,  Jennie and  Kelby Carr have written. Take a look at CyberJournalist.net’s writing from a few years back on blogging ethics. I'm not sure why journalists want to weigh in on what bloggers do when some of their workplaces are kinda skeezy in the ethics department (Travel, accepting packages and presenting content from advertisers without attribution comes to mind.). Like I said, don’t hate, evaluate. Some of the ideas are good, like linking back to original sources, separate factual information from advertising content and admit mistakes and correct them promptly.”

“Mookie, fix me a Passion Power Blueberry smoothie to go. Anyway, it is all here. Read it or not, your choice.”

Disclosure and Transparency in Action

Liz Gumbinner and myself are Contributing Editors at BlogHer. Upon my request, Liz did provide me with information about the Blog With Integrity website and link suggestions. My personal opinion is that I support most of concepts of the pledge but I choose not to display any badge at this time on my personal and informational blogs.

Gena Haskett is a Contributing Editor at BlogHer where this post originally appeared.

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