"Ever saw a person in half? Anyone?"

"Have any of you ever levitated?"

--An odd non sequitur from one of my high school English teachers; I still have no idea what prompted that question.  I don't remember anyone answering it.

The storm is here! Quick! Make that French toast!

Just because an ice storm has started here, I've remained steadfast in my refusal to make French toast. As much I like the taste of French toast, I see no reason to buy mass quantities of bread and eggs, as people often do before a storm.  I've also resisted the urge to buy another snow shovel, as people sometimes do reflexively before a storm.  I guess I'm eccentric in keeping a snow shovel that has served me perfectly well for years.  To each, his or her own, I suppose.

Gloomy forecast, obvious reminder

While reading the forecast for ice in the area, I remembered a former co-worker's remarks about how TV stations often cover snow and ice storms.  "It's a good thing they remind you to shop for food ahead of time," he said sarcastically.  "Otherwise, I might go berserk and start eating the foam out of the living room sofa cushions."

Let's hope it doesn't come to that for anyone.

A vexing aspect of customer service work

I've always thought it must be challenging, to say the least, to have any type of customer service job in a store.  Usually, any job in which you have to interact with anyone who walks through the door isn't an easy one. 

A few years ago, a grocery store cashier told me he had to censor himself when dealing with a rude customer.  According to him, the customer said, "Oh, I forgot to get a 20-ounce Pepsi.  You!  Go get me one!" she snapped at him.

The cashier told me he kept thinking to himself, "Don't say what I'm thinking..."

A few weeks later, I noticed that he was no longer there.  I wonder if he told a customer what he was thinking or resigned before it came to that.

You'd think choosing a topic would be easy...

...but it's sometimes more difficult than it is when I'm choosing a topic for my other blog, musicandradiomusings.blogspot.com.  I compare it to shopping at a small grocery store or pharmacy instead of a large one.  I compare this blog to a big store because the parameters are so wide open, it's easy for my mind to stagnate.  My other blog, however, has a narrower focus, much like a small store.  There, I'm forced to zero in on a particular topic in a field that interests me a lot, so choosing something to write about there is sometimes easier.  Having an abundance of choices on a this blog is a blessing and a curse.  I never expect to run out of ideas, given how vast the premise of random musings is.  There will be times, however, when I stop in the middle of an aisle, metaphorically speaking.  Occasionally, when I'm shopping at Target, I have to remind myself to focus and not let the seemingly endless variety of choices overwhelm me.  This is one of those times.

A commercial best left unaired

During the '80s, I saw a commercial for a TV station's local news team.  A competing station had just replaced its entire on-air news staff.  The station whose staff hadn't changed recently patted itself on the back, saying that while other stations have changed personnel, "we're here to remind you that we're right where we've always been."  Even as a creature of habit, I thought that was a cheap shot.  Why is it necessary to remind viewers that everything is still the same at your station?

Talk about a product with staying power...

It's a cold day here, and my lips are chapped, so it's time to find the ChapStick.  Here it is...Let's see, vintage...1996, I think?  There.  That should hold me for another decade or so.