Neal Boortz unmasked

Neal Boortz is a conservative radio talk show host in Atlanta. He is also syndicated and heard in some other cities.

He is a typical talk show host that controls everything. It’s all very controlled. The calls that get on, what the callers say, all of it. When they do let someone on that disagrees with Boortz, he will cut them off, yell at them, belittle them so that there never is a real discourse or exchange of ideas. It’s all very boring. It goes without saying that since he is in Atlanta, he hates Delta, hates Delta pilots and hates unions. He also makes about a gazillion dollars a year and is a pilot himself. He flies his very expensive twin engine airplane to his very expensive Florida beach house. So I guess it’s OK for him to make a good living but not anyone else. Unless you’re an entrepreneur or a raping and pillaging CEO.

Enough backround about the Boortz.

Neal was on CNN with two other guys. One was a liberal talk show host and the other was a conservative columnist. They were sitting on high stools. Not very fun to look at late middle aged men sitting on stools. They weren’t able to conceal things that really needed to be concealed.

So, here’s the good part.

When Neal is in person with these other two guys and the host, he’s not such a big bully. Actually he’s a weenie. He would make some ridiculous comment, they would slap him down and then he would sit on his stool like a school girl in time out. He just had this weird look on his face like why is everyone being mean to me and where is the button to disconnect these guys and get rid of them? Sorry Neil. This isn’t your show and you evidently aren’t very good at intimidating people that are sitting right next to you.

I loved every minute of it.

Hey Chelsea...I've got a question

Chelsea Clinton. Not so nice.

Chelsea Clinton was at a university the other day taking questions from students. A student asked her about the Monica Lewinsky affair and how it made her feel. Chelsea got very angry. She told this person that this was the first time, in how ever many university events she had been to, that anyone had the nerve to ask her that question. She berated the questioner some more and finally said that it was none of that person’s business.

What a poorly phrased response. I am always amazed at public figures who are incensed when they are asked personal questions or when the paparazzi is chasing them. No one from the media asks me personal questions or chases me around. Why? Because I have chosen not to be a public celebrity or politician. I was dating this girl a long time ago who wanted to be a US Senator. And she probably will be one some day. I told her that if we got married….first….I wouldn’t go to any stupid parties (I might miss American Idol or some other inane reality show) and two……how would she feel if she were a US Senator and some big thing happened and on our lawn were zillions of news cameras and reporters…..and out the door I come, only in my underwear, with a sawed off 12 gauge firing a couple warning shots….what would be her position on that behavior? Needless to say, we are not now married to each other.

So, Chelsea, if you don’t want to be asked questions like that then don’t go out there and take questions. Your Dad is the one who did the moronic behavior, not the questioner. And did you really think that no one was going to ask that question? Of course you did. So why not just say, I would prefer to not talk about that….and then smile graciously. That would be a much better response. You ain’t helping your mom acting that way and right now….she really needs your help.

Hillary is a Liar

Hillary is a liar. I have heard that about her before but now there is proof positive evidence.

She said that during a visit to Bosnia in 1996, the welcome event for her had to be cancelled due to sniper fire. Hillary said that when she got off of the USAF plane she had to run and duck her head to keep from getting hit. They ran for the waiting armored cars and got the heck out of there. Unfortunately for her, the video of that day shows something entirely different. She gets off the plane, warmly greets the waiting entourage and even goes over to meet a girl who gives her flowers or something. No sniper fire. No running for the cars. No ducking. She lied.

Hillary says that she misspoke. Which I guess is a nice way of saying that you are completely full of crap, deceitful and a big fat liar. There are many things that I can’t remember or that I might remember slightly differently than the way it actually happened. Especially after 12 years have passed. But there is one thing that I would never forget or get wrong or misspeak about. And that would be someone shooting at me. How many times has Hillary had snipers shooting at her? Did she get this time mixed up with the time she was at the 7-11 in Cleveland? It’s just ludicrous for her to assume that I wouldn’t think she was lying. And it’s equally ridiculous for her to assume that she wouldn’t get caught in this big whopper of a lie. Very strange. What was she thinking? And right when she had Obama on the ropes.

Salvatore Dali or Dolly Parton

I went to the museum yesterday to see an exhibit of Dali, Renoir and others.

At our house last night was a very southern woman. Country is her middle name. I mentioned that we had gone downtown to see an exhibit of Renoir and Dali. She said, "You done sawed Dolly Parton down there?" Ummmm...no, not exactly. Thankfully, my advanced age came in handy and only the slightest smile came over my face when inside I was trying not to fall on the floor and completely lose it. That was a good one.

McCain's Love for his fellow Pilots

Mid Life Crisis

I think I’m having a mid-life crisis.

Well, it’s not actually a crisis….it’s more of a disgust. Or a realization. Or an enlightenment. What is it? I don’t know.

Here’s how it manifested itself recently. I was on a layover on a Caribbean island. There were 15 Virgin Airlines flight attendants at the beach with their bikinis on. I am sitting there by myself. For some reason I believe that I have something in common with them. We are all airline employees. We all talk the same lingo. But then I realize…..they are probably 21-22 years old and I am how old…..oooops…..I choked a little bit. 47? How could I be that old. Please recheck your calculations…that is not correct. See for some reason….in my head….I’m about 35. Not 47. 47 is highly offensive. I mean 47 is very close to another number that I won’t even speak of. When I reach that unmentionable number I can be an AARP member. And the icing on the cake was….I went back to my room, looked in the mirror and thought….ummmm, hello sir, may I help you with something? Who was this 47 year old guy looking at me in the mirror? That’s not what I look like. I’m much younger.

Sometimes I think….hey, what are you doing? Why don’t you stop doing all of this work and go live in a cabin in the mountains….or be a bum on the beach in Hawaii? I would never do any of those things but the ideas do come into my head from time to time. I never used to think about things like that….I think that barrier is breaking down. And then I think..you know, some day you’re not going to be able to go all of the places you want to go to….so you better get going. But the dollar sucks, the economy is bad…there’s always a reason to not do things….especially with American Idol on. I mean, hello? I can’t miss Idol.

And the really funny thing is……when I’m 55, I will look back and go….man, if I were just 47 again. Those were the days. The best. My knee didn’t hurt. I didn’t look like death warmed over….I had it made…I just didn’t know it.

The one thing that I’ve learned in my advanced condition is: whatever you are experiencing…..you are not unique. All feelings are universal. So that makes me feel better.

Crisis averted and over. For now.

Obama makes me high

Obama speeches make me high. They really do. It’s like being at the dentist’s office getting nitrous oxide (laughing gas). When I hear him speak, I get numb and go into a stupor. He drones on and on and on. It takes a lot of energy to actually listen to what he is saying. It’s much easier to just accept the Obama drug and quietly slip into the Obama speech stupor.

A perfect example of the Obama effect is his race speech after getting busted with the Rev. Wright scandal.

I am not happy with Obama. So I sit down to listen to his speech. His explanation. After a few minutes, I am numb. He has lulled me into believing everything he says. Inside my brain, under the anesthetic, I’m screaming, “I don’t believe you, you are full of it.” But I am unable to protest because I am under the Obama drug. It’s a very powerful drug. Hard to resist. It inhibits all rational thought.

Now the affect of the Obama drug has worn off and I am once again able to think clearly.

After the speech, I still think Obama is full of it. His excuses for being associated with Rev Wright after 20 years are:

Doesn’t your minister occasionally say offensive things and you still attend the church?

Even though Rev. Wright has said some very offensive words, he has also done very great things for the community.

Obama’s white grandmother has said offensive racial words and he didn’t disown her. So why then would he disown Rev. Wright. What?

Clinton’s campaign (aka Geraldine Ferraro) has made racial comments…so nah nah nah…I know you are but what am I?

Those are all of the points I can remember in my Obama induced haze. The rest of it was just words words words. Boring, boring, boring. Lies, lies, lies.

The election is a long way away. But youtube never goes away. In past elections, before youtube, I would have said that this wouldn’t mean anything in November. But with youtube recording everything now….I’m not so sure.

I really hope that my two choices aren’t Obama and that mean old man.

Obama and the "Rev" Jeremiah Wright

I think Obama is in big trouble.

He has been going to Rev Wright's church for 20 years. Rev Wright married him. And Obama says that he had no idea that Rev Wright had these ideas. Please.

What ideas?

From the Ny Times:

In the handful of years Senator Barack Obama has spent in the national spotlight, his stance toward his pastor has gone from glowing praise to growing distance to — as of Friday — strong criticism.

On Friday, Mr. Obama called a grab bag of statements by his longtime minister, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., “inflammatory and appalling.”

“I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue,” he wrote in a campaign statement that was his strongest in a series of public disavowals of his pastor’s views over the past year.

Earlier in the week, several television stations played clips in which Mr. Wright, of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, referred to the United States as the “U.S. of K.K.K. A.” and said the Sept. 11 attacks were a result of corrupt American foreign policy.

The reason I think this is really bad for Obama is this:

Underneath it all, some black people hate white people and vice-versa. And both sides know it. There is a lot of prejudice here in Atlanta. It's sad that after all these years this nonsense is still going on. But I never thought that a candidate running for President would seemingly have those views too.

So now Obama wants me to vote for him. Forget that he is black because it doesn't matter. I didn't think that it did. Until I see that the church that he has gone to for the past 20 years is a bigoted, hate filled place that a white person would probably be killed if they stepped foot in there. And all of these feelings that race doesn't matter have just gone from 6 feet under to right to the surface.

So, Rev Wright, get a grip. I never owned any slaves. I've never discriminated against anyone of color. You are allegedly a minister of the gospel. And this is supposed to make race relations better and encourage me to vote for Obama? I don't think so. Obama is just being disingenuous when he says he didn't know. So what am I supposed to conclude about Obama? Am I supposed to think that he isn't prejudiced against white people? How can I come to that conclusion when he attended this church for 20 years? This pastor is a nut.

Here is the clip from ABC news if you want to watch.

Delta is dillusional

On the Delta company website is the following:

The readers of Atlanta Magazine have nominated Delta as one of Atlanta's best places to work. Atlanta-based employees can complete an online survey to help determine if we make it to the next round. Delta, Delta Technology and Delta Global Services employees at World Headquarters, the airport, Technical Operations Center, Reservations Sales and other locations can complete the survey through Friday.

The magazine then will complete its research and company comparisons, and the final list of the city's very best employers will be published in the magazine's July issue.

That's a gusty move Mav (quote from Top Gun). Why? Because Delta is not a good place to work. Filthy working conditions. Filthy, disgusting, unreliable, overcrowded, unsafe employee bus. No ecomical food in the Atlanta airport for employees. Little sick leave. No pension. Low pay (unless you regard 1989 wages in 2008 as good pay). Horrible, incompetant, money stealing management.

And one of the best examples of what a rotten place Delta is to work is: We have food for sale on the airplanes. As a passenger, you can buy pretty good food now. It's a little expensive but at least it's edible. The crew used to get crew meals....for safety reasons they said...I agree. A hungry, low blood sugar pilot is not a safe pilot. In an effort to save only $3 million per year, they eliminated crew meals. So much for safety. Now we have food for sale. All of the perishable items that the passengers don't buy are thrown away after each flight. Sandwiches, fruit, salads. Can the crew have these left over items? Sure. If you pay for them. HA! How unprofessional is it to see the cockpit door open in flight and the Captain pull his wallet out and pay for food on his airplane? Unbelievable.

Is Delta a great place to work?

I filled the survey out. We'll find out in July.

The Delta Ministry of Propaganda is very clever. We have posters, slogans, little sayings everywhere telling us lies. And then there are things like this. Be proud of Delta. Vote for us to be the best place to work. It's like a dripping faucet. Some of it seeps in. Now if they would just give me some Xanax to go with the horse manure.

And pardon me for my occasional Delta outburst. Sometimes I just can't help myself.

Elliot Spitzer-Why do the wives stand by their man?

In the picture above, the expression on the face of Elliot Spitzer's wife seems to be saying, "I love you so much honey. Now that you are the Governor of New York, I am so proud of you. I also know that you are a low life dog and if you ever cheat on me, my darling, I will kill you."

Now on to the story.

Elliot Spitzer is, at least for now, the Governor of New York. He is married and enjoys the company of $5,000 prostitutes.

Elliot Spitzer is also a former prosecutor and politician who railed against all forms of immorality. Especially prostitution. He used heavy handed tactics to prosecute and intimidate what he viewed as corruption in New York. Now he is busted for doing exactly what he so vehemently attacked. Isn’t that the way it usually is? The one who is so vocal and hard lined about all sins is usually the one who is doing most of them himself. Jimmy Swagart, evangelist, busted with a prostitute. Tim Haggard, minister, busted with a male prostitute. At least Bill Clinton didn’t condemn people who did what he did in secret and sometimes not so secret.

Now, what about the wife? They’re always standing there with their man during the press conference. I guess they are shell shocked. You would think that when told this news she would hit Elliott on the head with a frying pan and then there would be a different news conference on Elliot’s untimely death. How humiliating to stand there with that dirt bag. Can’t he get the $5,000 girl to stand with him? That would seem more appropriate. But all the wives do it. The gay ex-Governor of New Jersey, whatever is name is, had his news conference and there was the wife. Standing right there. I’d stand there alright. In the middle of his remarks I’d whisper in his ear, “move aside so I can say something or I’ll pulverize your private parts”. I would then take the mic and let him have it. While he was standing there. I guess that’s easier said than done.

Torture

Here we go again.

AP-WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday he vetoed legislation that would ban the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods such as water boarding to break suspected terrorists because it would end practices that have prevented attacks.

"The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror," Bush said in his weekly radio address taped for broadcast Saturday. "So today I vetoed it," Bush said.

"This is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe," the president said.

This is such a crock. All for show. It doesn't matter whether or not the President, in public and on the record, approves of water boarding, electrocution, beatings, mutilation, etc. Why? Because regardless of what he says, we're going to do it anyway. We have secret prisons around the world, a secret fleet of airplanes that transports prisoners that don't exist to prisons that don't exist. It's all black ops. Secret. You'll never know. And if they really want to circumvent whatever law we pass, they will simply transfer the prisoner to a "friendly" country that does torture people. And they are probably a lot better at it than we are. When we send Al-Salambabi to Jordan, Pakistan or whoever is in cahoots with us, we'll say, "you did what? You water boarded him, shocked him, strung him up and pulled his fingernails out? We are aghast. How dare you. Barbarians. Pssssst....can you take 5 more tomorrow?"

Where's the smile?

John McCain has that fake smile. He uses it all the time. Instead of saying what's really in his head....like, "why don't you just shut the &^% up?", he turns on the smile. Because everyone knows he has a bad temper.

Well he must have been tired because on his plane one day the smile wasn't there.

When Kerry was running for President, he had a conversation with McCain about being his running mate. McCain in a New York Times article back then said that there never was a conversation. Now he says there was and everybody in Washington knows there was. So the reporter on his airplane asks him if there was a conversation between himself and John Kerry during the last election. He says, duh, of course there was. The reporter says, ummmm, in referencing the NY Times article from back then you said you didn't have a conversation, which is it? Ooooooo....he doesn't like that....the smile disappears and the poor lady is in deep doo doo. Here is the clip.

Well that was fun while it lasted

Times used to be good. Really good. Money was flowing, the birds were chirping and the sun was out.

Wal-Mart, et al, came in and gave us really low prices. Good.

Wal-Mart, NAFTA et al, helped all of our jobs go overseas. Bad.

Our wages started to stagnate or go down. Some of us lost our jobs and pensions.

No problem, you can keep your same lifestyle and even more! Just take the money out of your house and refinance.

We did….and we did……and we did. And we took all of the money out of our houses.

Some of us bought new condos, not even built yet, that we had no intention of living in. We were going to flip them for big bucks. And we did. For a little while.

We bought homes with a mortgage of 100% of the home’s value and sometimes more with no income verification. Interest only. LIBOR adjustable mortgage. 1.8% interest rate for the first year. What if the rates go up next year and my payment goes way up? Don’t worry little one, you’ll just refinance. Don’t worry that you only can make the payment if the interest rate stays at 1.8%.

Well that was fun. And it’s over. Wages are down. Jobs lost. Pensions gone. Interest rates went up, payments went up and guess what? No more refinance for you. Your inflated home price has fallen too. You owe more than what the house is worth. You can’t sell the house and you can’t make the payment either. And you can’t take money out of your house to support your old lifestyle. Oooops.

So here we sit. As CNN and FOX call the play by play of our doom and gloom. This reminds me of the savings and loan debacle in the early 80s. Only on a national scale.

So thanks Federal Government for no banking oversight and letting corporations and the CEOs make millions and millions on our backs in a completely irresponsible way. Does the consumer bear some responsibility? Absolutely. There were some people who took big risks and they knew what they were doing…..like the condo flippers. Too bad for them. But some regular folks were just being strung along and didn’t really know what they were doing when they signed up for a 1 year ARM. I mean really, you would only have to spend 3 years reading the contract with a large dictionary and even then I’m not sure it would make any sense or hire a $500/hour lawyer to tell you what the 25 pages you’re signing really means. And I don’t enjoy government regulation anymore than anyone else. But in some cases it’s necessary. Do you think the mess we are in now is good for our country? No, I don’t either. And it all could have been avoided with some government imposed rules. Like you actually have to have a job and you actually have to make enough money to pay for the house. Now that’s a radical idea.

Airborne Cold Remedy doesn't work...Shocking

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Airborne - the herbal supplement company that once claimed to help fight off colds - will pay $23.3 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought against the company for false advertising, according to one of the groups that joined the suit.

"There's no credible evidence that what's in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment," said CSPI Senior nutritionist David Schardt. "Airborne is basically on overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that's been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed."

According to the company's Web site, Airborne was created by second-grade teacher, Victoria Knight-McDowell, who "studied the benefits herbal therapies used in Eastern Medicine." The site says Airborne "boosts the immune system with seven herbal extracts and a proprietary blend of vitamins, electrolytes, amino acids and antioxidants."

Hello. I said this already.

Don't buy drugs made by a second grade teacher and as I said before.....if you see an airplane designed by me....don't get on it.....I know nothing about building airplanes.

Maybe that's what we should have done in the two previous elections.

We should have looked to see it the person who was running had a brain and any common sense. After thinking about this....the voter would conclude that the Bush had neither and he would make as good a President as the second grade teacher did developing drugs that don't work.

I'm over it

That's it. I'm done.

McCain is the Republican guy and the candidate for the Democrats is??????

Exactly.

This was fun for a while but now it's fatiguing. The constant talking heads. Talking talking talking...about nothing.

I thought that I didn't really care who won. Obama or Hillary would be fine with me. But something happened in the last week or so and now I don't like Obama so much. He's made some statements that just show his lack of experience. It's hard to describe...but Hillary seems the better candidate to me.

Please...let's pick somebody.

And not counting Michigan and Florida? That is absurd. The voters of those two states are being punished for the sins of the Democratic leaders in their states. Unbelievable. That doesn't seem constitutional to me. Don't we all get to vote and it counts?

And how do Obama and Hillary do it? How can they keep going with no sleep? Wearing those horrible, uncomfortable clothes for 18 hours a day. When I get tired, I get cranky. They would have some good sound bites on me. They would learn that they just need to wait until about 9pm and then I would let them have it because I would want to be out of this stupid suit, in my pajamas with bunny ears and bunny feet and I want to go to bed. I would be the 9-5 candidate. That's why I liked Ronald Reagan so much. He took naps.

If you hate me

I recently had a layover in a large Canadian city. I like Canada. Nice people, the weather is a little cool but that's OK. In Canada you clear US customs and immigration in Canada when you are coming home to the US. The whole setup is right after you check in at the ticket counter. As I am being checked by the US immigration man I ask him what it's like to live in this Canadian city. He said it's not good because of a lot of anti-American sentiment. He has to send his four children to school in the US because of the US hatred.

This is something that is so juvenile and myopic. If you've ever traveled to other parts of the world (which these Canadians obviously haven't) then you realize that people are people the world over. There are good people and bad people. I've been to Moscow at the height of the cold war and the Russians could not have been nicer. They were great people. Just because each of our leaders had missiles pointed at each other had nothing to do with the normal common citizen. They understood that it was all politics and neither one of us had any power over our leaders.

Nobody called me up and asked me if we should invade Iraq or what I thought our foreign policy should be. So to be anti-American is just silly. You can be anti-American policies, that's OK with me. I am too some of the time but to be anti-American people based solely on what the Bush is doing shows a lack of rational thinking.

So, Canadians and all other people from foreign lands. Get a grip. If you hate me, I didn't do it. The Bush did.

How not to do it

Let's say you're on an Lufthansa Airbus one day and both pilots become incapacitated. And let's say that they pick you to land the airplane. It's a windy day in Hamburg, Germany with strong crosswinds. This means that instead of the wind coming straight down the runway (good), it's coming directly across the runway (bad). The following video is a lovely demonstration of how NOT to land in a crosswind. The Airbus clipped (or dinged in pilot lingo) the left wingtip and all on board are very lucky to be alive today.

Now, how much should pilots be paid?

Almost Treason

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Air Force on Friday announced one of the largest military acquisition programs in U.S. history, saying the service had chosen Northrop Grumman over Boeing to replace its aging air refueling tanker fleet.

"We look forward to partnering with them as we continue to defend our great nation in the future," said Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne.

The announcement was a surprise to many in the business industry who expected Boeing to be favored over the company, which will use a European company's airframe, Airbus, for the tanker.

The $40 billion deal to start replacing 179 tankers -- known as the KC-45A program --will expand to over $100 billion to replace the entire fleet of almost 500 planes, Pentagon officials said.

Boeing proposed a tanker based on its 767 commercial airliner, while Northrop -- working with Boeing arch-rival Airbus and its parent company, European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) -- offered a model based on the Airbus A330 airliner, which is larger than the 767.

To sweeten the deal, EADS announced it would put a plane assembly plant in Mobile, Alabama, if the company won the contract.

Boeing, a U.S. company, builds planes in the state of Washington.

"We had two very competitive offers in this competition," said Sue Payton, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, briefing reporters after Wynne made the announcement. "Northrop Grumman clearly provided the best value to the government."

Unbelievable. Our government has farmed out a $100 billion deal to the Europeans. First we have NAFTA and there is that big sucking sound that Ross Perot talked about with all of those jobs going to Mexico. Second, almost every product in every store is made in China. And now we are going to hand over this contract to Airbus. I don't care if they build 10 plants in Alabama to build this plane. Airbus is not an American company. Boeing is. And the US government should be doing business with a US company. Period.

No doubt that Boeing was sleezy in trying to get the tanker deal. They were caught and they paid. But if this is retribution and punishment for Boeing it is absurd. Because the worker and our country are going to pay. And pay big time.

I am sick and tired of the American worker paying for the misdeeds of corporate leaders. Whether it's a company in bankruptcy due to CEO buffoonery or Boeing trying to get the initial tanker deal illegally, it's the workers who get hosed.

And if the argument is that the Airbus is a better airplane for the job then why doesn't the US Government buy all Toyotas for the government's fleet of cars. They currently buy all US cars even though they are crap compared to Japanese cars. And I don't think that Airbus is a superior aircraft. I've only flown Boeing and the worthless McDonnell Douglas MD-88. Boeing plans are outstanding. Well engineered and they last a long time. So I would venture a guess to say that the Boeing aircraft is at least equal to if not far superior to Airbus.

I wonder how many European Air Forces fly Boeing planes? I would say zero. I wonder why that is? They must think we are incredibly stupid. Even more stupid than they thought after our Iraq war fiasco.

This is just beyond my comprehension. I hope that there is an uproar and the American people don't put up with our government sending $100 billion of your money that they pried out of your pockets to the Europeans.

Celebrities

I see celebrities on layovers every once in a while. I tend to look at people's faces when I'm walking so I notice more celebrities than most people...I know...I'm supposed to keep my head down and look mean....actually while in NYC when I walk around in the winter, I have jeans on, this old coat, a black stocking cap that I pull way down and black OJ killer leather gloves.....people usually give me a wide berth when I have that garb on. So, usually I look at people's faces. I stayed in Washington DC the other day and we stay in Georgetown in the nastiest Holiday Inn...yuk it's disgusting. I try to avoid it but sometimes you can't. So I come out of the hotel and I am talking on the phone. A couple blocks ahead, passing me on the sidewalk coming the other way...is George Megolopolus, I mean Stephanopoulos. He is 4 feet tall, unshaven and he looks at me right in the eye with this weird look, I look at him because that's what I do and I couldn't tell if he was happy because he thought I recognized him or he was ticked because he thought I didn't or he was terrified because I was looking at him in the face and thought I was going to mug him. Very strange.

Sometimes on layovers I watch TMZ. The show that terrorizes celebrities, follows them everywhere and takes their picture. Dear Celebrities....I'm sure that it is somewhat annoying that people want to take your picture, however, there is a solution to that...don't become a celebrity and if you are one, stop acting and get a job selling life insurance. No one will come near you then. Celebrities are funny. They want to be recognized. If they're not, they become highly agitated and then when they are, they become highly agitated. Too bad for them. Too bad so sad.

Something else happens when I am walking by myself. It's as if I have a sign on my face that says..."do you have a question? need directions? need to know what time it is? please ask me." Don't know why, it just happens. I get stopped by cars and pedestrians asking for directions. And of course other than knowing what town I'm in, I'm not much help. It even happens in foreign countries. Which is funny because they ask me in their language, which sometimes I can get the gist of, and then when I speak in English and they realize they have asked an American infidel, they are horrified. The other thing I get all the time when I meet someone for the first time is...."oh, you look like my Uncle Fred or my friend Bill or Bobby's brother"....guess I have a common face...and no one, yet, has said I look like their Aunt Mary. That's a good thing.