after-market rims

boy can you see these things from a mile away. why do people bother with wheel rims from secondary manufacturers? apparently it isn't easy to design rims so that they compliment the look of your car - because none of them do. they all look like things you installed after you bought your 'ride' - after-market indeed.

get a free quote?

since when have you ever had to pay for a quote for something? so many ads/commercials these days offer you 'free quotes' for their products if you're interested. that's right, if you are interested in our service we're NOT going to charge you to find out how much that service will cost you! ummm, thanks!?

the picture framing racket + my wife and her boss

why in the hell is framing something so expensive? i do have to give the business model kudos though. you can't get a quote for your job until you spend a fair amount of time deciding on a frame, mats, etc. When the big number is finally presented - you have spend so much time there, you don't want to look cheap, and you don't feel like dragging your picture around so...... you say 'oh, what the hell.' Brilliant!

On a side note:

oh bill (and angela) - I could understand "Seymore Butts" but 'Richard Kennedy' - you can do better than that!

lettuce gets no respect

what's up with how lettuce is wrapped in the grocery store? a piece of packaging tape sealing a sheet of plastic? this is fine if you end up using the whole thing at once (which doesn't happen in our house.) it doesn't allow you to re-wrap the head properly so the lettuce doesn't stay as fresh for future uses. why not a re-sealable bag? they do it with grapes. maybe it'll cost another penny or two. i'll pay it. why does lettuce get no respect?

i understand the need to make a profit

so i took my wife and twin boys to a detroit tigers ball game over the july 4th holiday. good seats but hotter than hell. boys (and the adults) only lasted 2 innings in the searing heat. that was disappointing but whatta ya gonna do about the weather? my issue was with the souvenir stand prices. i 'get' that a major league ballpark is not the place to find a bargain. the tigers sell these simple looking 'tiger paws' made out of foam at their concession stands for kids to put on their hands and growl. i thought it would be fun for the boys to each have one. i asked how much they costs and the guys says "$15.90." i had to ask again. the answer was the same. i assumed they would be more like $5. they have to cost a nickel to make (i now sound like my dad....hmmmm.) anyway - ridiculous. plus i love the fact that they are $15.90 versus rounding up or down to $15 or $16. charging $15.90 implies that they have worked with their suppliers and this is the very least they could charge and still make a buck - or $14.

i get it, big logo means you spent a lot

what's up with this latest line of Ralph Lauren Polo shirts with the giant logo? i thought high-end items projected a sense of being refined and understated. is this the end of the world? probably not but those shirts don't help. ok, ok, i can tell from 2 blocks away you over-spent on some clothing. stop it already, you are embarrassing yourself. same thing goes for some of the sportier Mercedes out there - the ones with the over-sized logo on the hood. perhaps it's just the difference between 'old money' and 'new money'.

i bake so i'm gonna kick your ass

what's up with everyone, i mean EVERYONE in promotional vehicles these days (ads/tv shows etc) looks like they want to kick your ass? reading an issue of the new yorker® this morning on the way into work and staring back at me in an ad are a group of male models looking for a fight. c'mon guys, you are male models fer cripes sake- i'm not buying it. but you'll be the best looking toughies in the alley. same goes for guy singers who glare back at you menacingly from a CD cover - you sing boys - SING for god's sake- what's more girlie than that? i have absolutely no issues with guys that sing but when they are packaged like thugs i have to chuckle. while i'm on this jag i think i've seen a bus stop poster promoting a reality show about cake bakers with, again, these bakers guys glaring back at you. can't we all just get along?

bikers, what's up with bikers?

as in cyclists - as i'm waiting at a red light this morning on my way into work no fewer than a half dozen bicyclists just blow through the intersection. yep, the same ones that have a fit if a car is doing something they don't like. sure they look both ways and all but it seems to me that if you want cars to share the road you should play by the same rules. the percentage of these 'rebel' bike riders has got to top 75%. my least favorite example of this behavior was a dude last summer who was swerving around the intersection (with a red light) waiting for cars to pass - as he towed his kid in one of those trailer thingies. nice. hopefully he got to work 3 minutes earlier than he would have.

too perfect pancakes

having twin 4-year olds means occasionally eating at McDonalds. i try to watch what i eat so it's always a challenge to eat decently there - without ingesting a ton of fat and/or salt. so we're in need to eat one morning a few weeks ago. decide to go with the pancakes - straight-up - no sides. what's crazy about McD's pancakes is that they are all perfectly the same size and shape. now i get if anyone has figured out a process to streamline preparing food it's McDonalds. but shouldn't they at least attempt to make it look like someone cooked them to your order? maybe each pancake is a slightly different size with a pre-determined imperfection? taste aside, as it is now i felt like i was eating some sort of industrial product.

the toe dips in the water

this whole thing seems narcissistic (because it is.)

but i do have idle thoughts i need to get down.

i've started this blog even though it seems starting a blog isn't 'the thing to do' that it once was. i tend to get on a band wagon long after it left the station. in fact that band wagon tends to be a mere speck on the horizon when i begin chasing after it. perhaps one day i'll blog about 'discovering' Pearl Jam back in 2003 - or Steely Dan in 1986.

the name of this blog refers to me being referred to as an 'old man' - probably since my high school years - apparently based on comments, suggestions, viewpoints that belie my tender age - however, even back in grade school, teachers had a habit of calling me 'Mr. Bayshore' as they called all the other kids by their first names. "Frank! Bruce! Mr. Bayshore! get down here right now!"

ok, background - check. now what? i guess i'll just start to spout off.