bill cosby is a very funny fellow

They wouldn't allow pictures... so I took a picture of his chair. CLICK on this picture to travel to Bill Cosby's site

Bill Cosby spoke at Cal Poly last night wearing a Central High School teashirt, told some yarns and singled out certain people in the audience for special attention. It was a most enjoyable night. He spoke passionately about  many things and each story offered a lesson of its own. He talked a bit about marriage from a biblical perspective and some of life’s lessons hard learned along the way. Probably the biggest laugh from the older men in the audience came when he was talking about how God made a ‘help mate’ for man, then quipped about how and when  woman decided she was ‘boss?’ He complained about his wife putting things ‘where they belong’ and how he could never find them!  Laura laughed hardest at this point. He asked the audience why a woman will be all sweet and wonderful apon seeing a sleeping baby, but the same woman seeing a sleeping man on a couch would become angry!

Bill Cosby is remarkable is his ability to weave serious subjects, moral lessons and humor. It is not humor without purpose, but humor with a message.

are you sexy enough for your oatmeal?

too sexy for your oatmeal
I can just hear the song..." I'm too sexy for my oatmeal..too sexy" CLICK on picture to visit Quakers new item

I grew up on oatmeal and mostly Quaker Oats… so naturally when I discovered the steel cut version from Ireland and certain small manufacturers in the Northwestern United States, I jumped at it! I like the steel cut version I find in some of the quasi-health food stores… in particular  Frontiers Market  here in San Luis obispo.

I couldn’t resist but check out Quaker Oats to see if they had a ‘steel cut’ version of their own… and right now I could only find it at Target in California so I bought 3 boxes — this is a ‘taste for me’ and they’ll ship it here. I’ll let you know what I think.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you how this sleigh ride began. My daughter Karen wrote a nice post about  ‘sexy oatmeal’… so I had to follow it up! Thanks Karen!

chicken tetrazinni for someone you love

the best chicken tetrazinni you'll ever have! CLICK on this picture for a step-by-step recipe!
"make it for someone you love!" CLICK on this picture for a step-by-step recipe!

 I made ‘Chicken Tetrazinni’ for Laura years ago and it is one of her favorites. If the truth were known, I would say that my Chicken Tetrazinni recipe is one of my most popular among women…. although the men who write me like it’s meatiness! The original recipe has a romantic history which you can read about by clicking the link above… and I will leave that to you.

chicken tetrazinni
Making a good Tetrazinni takes time ... but it is worth it!

In any event, Laura ‘hinted’ that she would like some more and I couldn’t resist preparing some for her and placing a large casserole in the fridge for a gathering down the road. It is certainly worth preparing for someone you love.

Roger

remembering a world without a free press

CLICK on picture to be taken directly to the Drudge Report
CLICK on picture to be taken directly to the Drudge Report

There are many people in various levels of leadership who really don’t believe in a ‘free press’ or ‘freedom of speech’ and I am saddened by this. Let us just say, I have heard enough people say the trite, “the people don’t know what’s good for them” as well as the ” I can’t believe Reagan won (80%), because everyone I knew voted for McGovern! (McGovern won only his home state of Minnesota)” to wonder why they really aren’t listening to the rest of us?  The unfortunate truth is that we are always one heartbeat from losing our objectivity. When we (and they) listen, we all benefit.

There was a time before Matt Drudge,  Fox News, the Huffington Post and nationally syndicated alternative radio talk show hosts where the news was  interpreted for us by a few national media outlets and locally by newspapers. Interestingly enough, media folks in those days referred to themselves as ‘moderates’, which amused most everyone. In the ‘old days’, it was almost impossible to have your voice heard, even on the local level. It was an almost impossible task to even stand toe-to-toe with a local newspaper editor… as has been often quoted: “Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the ton.” This has all changed for the better with the internet. Today, scandals that would have been swept under the rug get to see the light of day. Stories unpopular with powerful entities get a chance to be played. Common sense rules the marketplace of ideas…. but there are those who do not like this at all.

So, I am reminded that without a true freedom of the press and free speech, none of our other ‘rights’ mean much.

Thank you to all those who present another point of view regardless of that part of the political spectrum you sit…. even on the  local level.