No Witches, or Warlocks, or even Chachi, oh my...

Yep, it's Halloween again. Last year was our first year in our house. We moved in the week before Halloween and we had NO trick or treaters at the 106.

This year since Halloween was on a Friday I thought we would be swamped with kids.

I went to Walmart and spent a small fortune on candy, literally. I had no idea Smarties and Candy Corn could cost so much. I now know why illegal drug use is so high - the average American can't afford a sugar rush!

It was a good thing I did buy so many sweets though, because around twenty to nine we had ONE trick or treater show! Yes we had only one child show up at our door this year. I tried to give her all we had, but her grandmother told her not to be greedy. Seriously if your the little girl dressed as a wicked queen that knocked on our door and you're reading this come back by, because we have enough candy to rot your teeth well into your twenties.

And don't worry we won't tell your grandmother...

Dream car of the week...

Since it's Halloween there is only one choice for me - Dragula.

HSM 3 - Sex Education...

'Musical' switched for 'Sex' in Megaplex mix-up

By Pat Reavy
Deseret News

Published: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 12:24 a.m. MDT

SOUTH JORDAN — Some Utahns attending the weekend opening of Disney's biggest movie of the year were exposed to a little more than they were expecting.
Friday night, managers at the Megaplex Theatre at the District, 11400 South Bangerter Highway, switched one of the showings of "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" to a larger auditorium to accommodate more people. They forgot, however, to switch the movie that had previously been scheduled for the room.

So rather than the family-friendly, G-rated "High School Musical 3," the beginning of the very nonfamily-friendly R-rated "Sex Drive" came on the screen. The opening minutes of the movie include nudity.

"I could not carry my little children out before they were exposed to extremely vulgar and sexually explicit material," one parent complained in an e-mail to the Deseret News.

The film was stopped as soon as the mistake was realized. It was not known Tuesday how long the movie ran until it was turned off.

Megaplex spokesman Jeff Whipple said "Sex Drive" was only on the screen briefly.

Theater managers apologized to the audience and gave everyone free movie passes and concession vouchers. For future movies. Whipple said a policy of secondary confirmation and personal supervision by a theater manager will be required before a movie is shown.

The District Theatre was the 10th busiest in the nation for "High School Musical 3" ticket sales, Whipple said.

________________________________________________________

Ok, so the above story has been a big deal around here for the last couple of days. I've heard a lot of people voicing their feelings. I understand people being upset. My question is why didn't the trailers prior to the movie raise questions in anyone's mind. I mean come on people when you're going to a "G" rated Disney movie and don't see trailers for Pocahontas 12- Life on the Reservation, Little Mermaid 7 - Served With Lemon, Dill, and a Side of Cole Slaw, or Pixar's A Chew Toy's Life don't ya start to wonder?

Let me help you out - next time if you see trailers with words like "Make a Porno", "American Pie", or "Harold and Kumar" in the titles you are in the wrong theater...

Are you dressing up...

Halloween is almost here. Do you know how many times I have fielded that question in the last couple of weeks? It's not that I'm not into Halloween. I do enjoy it. Maybe I don't dress up, because of CCCD (crappy childhood costume disorder). Let me explain. Growing up I never was the body type for all the good costumes.

I was too tall for this:



And too short for this:



So I usually ended up with something like this:



Yep, the more I think about it - the more I know I suffer from CCCD. And if CCCD doesn't already exist I suggest they start a clinical study...

Dream truck of the week...

It's a '56 - that all I have to say:

Crazy old cat lady...

And you thought it was just an urban legend!

Sometimes they come back...

Lately I've been a different man. I've been eating different. Sleeping different. Living different.

I've taken more in and yet still given back so much.

I even bettered the environment by switching out our traditional bulbs for compact fluorescents. Ok I just did that, because several of our light bulbs burnt out...

Have I done all of this, because I have had an awakening in my soul? Has my life been touched so deeply by another human being it has caused me to reflect upon my own existence? Did I finally notice that little cricket with the top hat and umbrella that has been following me around? Are you kidding - I'm a guy - I'm not that deep. It's simply that Shannon has been out of town.

For the last couple of weeks I've dined on such delicacies as pizza, pizza subs, chili, chili dogs, chili-cheese dogs, and burritos. I've expanded my mind with such classics as CSI, Law and Order SVU, Chelsea Lately, and Two and a Half Men. And I have enriched my soul by reading countless classic car magazines and automotive message boards.

But yes life has changed once again. Tonight Shannon has returned from NC and the universe is now back in line.

Don't get me wrong I am not happier without her. She takes care of me wether she realizes it or not. She tries to make me be healthy, happy, and all those things guys never think about. She wants to know how I've been and how I feel. And to that I can only reply with:

"So did you eat on the plane, because I'm starving. Want to stop at Wendys?"

Oh, yeah and I'm glad you're home!

Time away...

My brother and sister in law have gone to Sweden for what they claim as a needed vacation. After reading this I am not too sure they have not gone to further their own political agendas...

Lego ad red lighted over shades of pink and blue

Published: 17 Oct 08 15:11 CET

A Swedish advertising watchdog has slammed Danish toymaker Lego for a catalogue it claims promotes outdated gender roles.

Sweden’s Trade Ethical Council against Sexism in Advertising (ERK) singled out images in a recent Lego catalogue which featured a little girl playing in a pink room with ponies, a princess, and a palace accompanied by a caption reading, “Everything a princess could wish for…”

On the opposite side of the page, a little boy can be seen in a blue room playing with a fire station, fire trucks, a police station, and an airplane. The caption beneath reads, “Tons of blocks for slightly older boys.”

In its findings, the ERK singled out the images for preserving traditional and anachronistic views on gender roles, according to the Göteborgs-Posten newspaper.

Furthermore, said ERK, the pictures constituted a form of stereotyping which was degrading to both men and women.

Lego defended the images in question by pointing out they were included in a catalogue which also contained several pictures of boys and girls playing together.

The company said it didn’t believe the catalogue would be viewed as promoting stereotypes, insulting, or discriminatory.

The ERK backed its ruling by referring to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which says that advertising should be not be discriminatory when it comes to issues of gender.

Hey when you guys get back we can talk about this over a nice cup of Swiss Mister hot cocoa...

Pray for the plumbing...

Pa. man chews through belly-busting, 15-lb. burger

Fri Oct 17, 12:51 am ET

CLEARFIELD, Pa. – It took Brad Sciullo 4 hours and 39 minutes to finish a marathon. A meat marathon, that is. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound western Pennsylvania chef is the first person to eat a monstrosity called the Beer Barrel Belly Bruiser: a 15-pound burger with toppings and a bun that brought the total weight to 20.2 pounds.
The mountain of beef is the product of Denny's Beer Barrel Pub, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Clearfield.
Sciullo, 21, of Uniontown, said he was surprised he finished the sandwich Monday. "About three hours into it, things got tough," he said.
When asked what possessed him to eat a burger that big, Sciullo said: "I wanted to see if I could."
The burger included a bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, mild banana peppers and a cup each of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and relish, pub owner Dennis Liegey said.
For completing the challenge in the under-five-hour time limit, Sciullo won $400, three T-shirts, a certificate "and a burger hangover, as I call it," Liegey said.







Now being a man and having over indulged a time or two in my own life all I can say is kudos to you, and I pray for your plumbing!

Dream truck of the week...

During / after I built my '54 I always wondered what it would look like with traditional flames. When I found this picture a few weeks ago my questions where answered. I dig it!

Give that guy an Excedrin...

Whoa Nellie...

Down 809...

Yep that's the total loss of the Dow Jones industrials for the last two days.

Hey I thought we were "on the mend".

Now I am gonna have to go buy cookies for all my buddies who where so happy Monday afternoon...

Dave "Big" Deal...

I just read over on the motorbug forum that Dave Deal has passed away. For those of you that do not know he was an artist, designer, and automotive cartoonist.

I'm no OB/GYN, but...

So a female associate was commenting how she was not feeling well. Our little conversation went like this:

"I'm not feeling too well today."

"Oh yeah, what's wrong."

"I don't know. I'm just feeling all blah. I hope it's not strep or mono."

"Why is your uvula all red and swollen or something?" I said sarcastically.

I raise my eyebrows as she gets this I can't believe you just said that look.

Shocked she replied "I can't believe you just asked me that."

"Why?"

"Isn't that on my body?" she asked puzzled as making a circular motion around her mid section.

936...

So the Dow Jones industrials closed up 936 points today. Good news for Wall Street after last weeks horror. Also good news for all my buddies who check their 401K EVERY morning... And they wonder why they have ulcers.

But as I was listening to the news this evening the commentator said "Now that the economy is on the mend what do you plan to do? Buy a new car, home improvements..."

Are you kidding me!?! One day of good trading on Wall Street and the economy is on the mend.

People for real - I may not be a psychic but I do know that this is not the end.

Don't believe everything you see / hear on TV...

Dream car of the week...

This week I have to revisit the Rolling Bones outta New York. I have personally seen most of the car that have come out of this shop, and I never get tired of them. They are the definition of a traditional hot rod. One that I have not "ogled in the flesh" yet is Mike Manno's '32 Tudor.

I won't get into a lot here about it here - just let you take it in for yourself. Some highlights though is the quickchange rearend, supercharged 59A flathead, Schroeder steering box, weedburner exhaust, wicked chop, capless Ford wires, and sinister black paint.

Enjoy. And try not to drool on the keyboard:

Hey let's talk...

GM, Chrysler in Merger Talks - Reports

Friday, October 10, 2008

General Motors and privately-held Chrysler, two of the most iconic names in American industry, are in preliminary talks about a possible merger, according to reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

The possibility of the two struggling automakers merging would be a historic move in a time of a hurting economy and tight credit markets.

According to the Times, talks between GM (GM: 4.89, +0.13, +2.73%) and Chrysler began nearly a month ago and talks will continue for several more weeks if they progress at all. The newspaper, citing anonymous sources, said a merger between Chrysler and GM was “50/50” as of Friday evening.

Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management owns Chrysler. Calls and e-mails into GM and Cerberus were not immediately returned.

The Journal reported that Cerberus proposed selling GM all of Chrysler's automotive operations, in exchange for GM selling Cerberus its remaining 49% stake in GMAC.

There are a multitude of logistical, legal and financial hurtles that a merger between two of Detroit’s Big Three would have to go through for a merger to make financial sense.

Labor unions for both companies would have to sign off on the merger, possibly similar to the recent mergers between major airlines. There also the dozens of car and truck factories scattered across the nation and the world that would have to be consolidated.

According to the Journal, GM believes they could save as much as $10 billion in costs with a merger with Chrysler.

GM’s stock fell to nearly a 60-year low this week after rating agency Standard & Poor’s said it was looking into downgrading GM’s long term debt rating. With the credit markets in such bad shape as they are, and GM’s debt rating poor already, a rating downgrade would be quite detrimental to the survival of GM.

Chrysler has had to shut factories in recent months because of a lack of demand for the car company’s trucks and minivans. The company has been shopping itself to a few different global auto makers for the past few months, including Nissan and Renault.

An ex-blonde walks into a court room...

Blonde sues over brunette hair-dye

(AP) October 9, 2008

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.

A US judge has given the brush-off to a blonde woman's lawsuit claiming L'Oreal ruined her social life when she accidentally dyed her hair brunette with one of its products.

Charlotte Feeney says she can never return to her natural blonde hue, a shock that left her so traumatised she needed anti-depressants.

She says she suffered headaches and anxiety, missed the attention that blondes receive and had to stay home and wear hats most of the time.

A Superior Court judge dismissed Feeney's 2005 lawsuit today, saying she never proved her allegation that L'Oreal put brown hair dye in a box labelled as blonde. The company also had disputed the claim.

Feeney's attorney, David Laudano, declined to comment and she could not be reached after the judge's decision.

Cactus Cuties...

So up until today, after receiving a forwarded email, I had never heard of these girls.

Weird, since I have friends in Texas, family in Texas, a pre teen daughter in Texas, and their video has 5.6 million hits on Youtube.

Man I must have been living under an old car or something...

Anyhow a little "dirt" on these girls from their website:

The Cactus Cuties are Baylee Barrett, Blaire Elbert, Andi Kitten, and Madeline Powell, directed by Cami Caldwell. The Cuties originated from a mentorship program of Don and Terri Caldwell’s historic Cactus Theater in Lubbock, Texas.

Even at their young ages, the Cactus Cuties are already seasoned veterans. They have delighted audiences for years with their beautiful harmony and charismatic presence. Their arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” garnered five million hits on YouTube in only three months, touching hearts all over the world.

I am a big fan of the USA and this is one of my favorite songs. If you haven't seen this before I am sure you will like it. And if you have i am sure you will enjoy it again.

I'm a bachelor again...

Easy ladies don't get your hopes up, and mom please don't call until you read all of this.

Shannon went to visit her sister out on the coast for 10 days.

So what does this mean for me? Hmmmm...

1. breakfast in my underwear
2. peanut butter sandwiches on paper-plates
3. no sarcastic "you're excused" after belching
4. re-runs of Titus
5. no makeup left out on the counter
6. sleeping on the couch or Love sac if I feel like it
7. movies with guns and explosions
8. no TMZ

I will try to make it without you hunny, but it will be rough (do you believe it?). But honestly I do hope you have a great trip!

Mavericks, Reformers, and Joe Six Pack...

I, myself, am eager for Nov 4th to be over with. Not that I am excited about a new president, but just more that I am excited for this election garbage to end.

With the world currently in the state it is in I would think we would have someone stepping up to the plate with a plan, but I personally feel this is one of the worst election years I have ever witnessed. I am not into anyone running this year - not the nominees on the Peace and Freedom Party or the Party for Socialism and Liberation - let alone the "regular" two.

The slander / smear ad I heard from the McCain camp today couldn't even edit Obama's words without cutting them off in the middle. Honestly, it has been horrible!

Well at least I still have SNL... (sorry about the commercial)

This is why I like it...

Dream car of the week...

Midnight blastin' down a back country road. Lights off and fake plates just incase. A trunk full of 'shine. Runnin' from Johnny Law. That's what I imagined when I saw this little Ford...