Thoughts On Thursday...

Yes, friends it STILL is cold outside this morning, but we are due for a bit of a warm-up in the Hoosierland.
Today's high will range into the upper 40s...(and when THAT appears warm, you know Winter is right around the bend, hmm?)
Got a nice sunrise staring at us, too, so no precipitation is in the air...just all those :LEAVES on the ground that need to be raked (joy).
It's no fun shivering while using a leaf-blower, that's for sure, so naturally I chose the COLDEST day this week to get the job done.
I will say I did a very good job of collecting them to their proper location in damn near freezing weather yesterday at the curb-strip or berm...

Looking GOOD, Bob.

The Ft. Wayne street department doesn't fine anyone for dumping them in the street either...whatta city - another ordinance that goes unenforced)

Looking DAMN good, Bob!

Our 2nd pickup is slated for THIS week, but...nobody has come by YET this week...we're still waiting...and waiting...and waiting...kinda like the citizens in the movie CASABLANCA...lol.
In any event, let's top off that cup of hot cocoa, or whatever else is striking your fancy this AM, and let's get busy and see what is happening.
*** First out of the barn today is the answer to yesterday's Motto of the Week aka WHO SAID THAT?

"A lot of people like snow. I find it an unnecessary freezing of water."
This was spoken by none other than (imho) one of the comedic geniuses ir our time, CARL REINER.
And yes, he DOES have a WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Reiner
Not only is he a famous comedian, but a prolific actor, writer and director, and has won numerous EMMYS and a GRAMMY.
He created the Dick Van Dyke Show and often appeared on the ground-breaking sitcom as Rob Petrie's boss, Alan Brady.
When it came to classic television of the 50s and 60s, he was at the forefront.
Personally, I like him a lot more than his (meathead) son, Rob Reiner, but I'm from a different generation.
And, as was the usual fare back then, none of Reiner's comedy was considered "blue" in nature.
He was one of that breed of CLEAN comedians. His comedy would make you roll in the aisle without EVER using swear words.

Reiner was married back in December 1943 to singer Estelle Lebost, and they remained married until her death in 2008.
Aside from his director.actor son, Rob, Reiner has two other children - poet, playwright and author Sylvia Anne, and painter, actor, and director Lucas Reiner. Carl describes himself as "A Jewish Atheist" and has a different take on WHO God is.
He says that man invented God because he needed to. God is us.
And Reiner has the distinction of being the ONLY person to appear on The Tonight Show with each of it's FIVE hosts.
He still appears on TV, most recently Two And a Half Men (This past October).
Moving on...
*** Yes, I do enjoy watching GOOD television, and that usually means being VERY selective and summarily dismissing most ALL of the mainstream tripe that is broadcast...like most every reality show.

Life is real enough for me, thank you very much...I don't need to see how the "rich and stupid" conduct THEIR lives.
One exception might be Duck Dynasty. but even all the merchandising is wearing thin with me.
Whenever I feel some need for "reality TV", I turn on Fox News. That's about as unbiased as news gets for me.
Or...I can look out one of our windows - PLENTY of "drama" going on out there, that's for sure.
But, I will confess to certain shows that I definitely HAVE to watch...and it comes down to ONE show per weeknight, oddly enough.
And thankfully, none of the shows overlap...(yet)
-- Monday is THE BLACKLIST at 10PM.

Love the cast, love the plot, and love the mystery.
James Spader is great as Raymond "Red" Reddington, a person with SO many contacts on both sides of the fence, and who has a greatly checkered past. It's a far cry from Stargate and even from Boston Legal. And, according to ratings, it's one of THE top show this season.
-- Tuesday is a no-brainer for me...it's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.at 8PM

Even if you're not a fan of comic books, this show is pretty cool.
But I love the references to other superheroes and characters from the realm of Marvel.
While the cast is full of newcomers, it STILL has enough "wallop" for me to keep watching.
-- Wednesday is another easy pick for me...the CW channel's ARROW again at 8PM
(based on DC comics Green Arrow).

Another show with newcomers and a few familiar guest stars...and with a plot-line wonderfully thought out and complex. And if Oliver Queen's "sidekick/bodygurad" looks familiar, the person playing John Diggle (actor David Ramsey - fantastic!) is ALSO the mayor (of NYC) in Blue Bloods...now THAT is a great way to get a decent paycheck.
The best part is, if you miss an episode, you can go online and watch it at the website...sweet.
This season promises a guest appearance by The Flash...with the possibility of a spin-off series of his own. now THAT would be very cool, considering that they once had a very well produced THE FLASH series a couple decades ago (with John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash).
That show was produced by those connected to the Michael Keaton BATMAN movies.
-- Thursday has my favorite comedy (and the number one sitcom on the air)...
THE BIG BANG THEORY. at 8PM

The multii emmy-award winning show reminds me of younger days...only without all the doctorates and other college degrees. We were nerds in our OWN right...kinda
I think it touches a chord in all of us in the way they created the various characters.
And I will say that Kaley Cuoco is very easy on the eyes, as is Melissa Rauch (Bernadette).
-- Friday is my MUST SEE program of all...one of (if not) the BEST police shows I have ever seen, and I've seen a LOT in my years...
BLUE BLOODS at 10PM

Tom Selleck is every bit as good in THIS role as he was with Magnum, P.I.
The supporting cast has Donnie Wahlberg (Band of Brothers), Will Estes, Bridget Moynahan (I, Robot), and Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd)
The way a police family conducts itself both in uniform and out is what keeps me watching.
And yes, they have a lot of the same problems like everyone else (sometimes more so)...only with "the job", it adds another dimension as to how they will handle problems. 
VERY well written, acted, and produced. The dialogues are fantastic.

Enough grittiness to give you a good idea of how law-enforcement operates, and plenty of good acting by those in the various neighborhoods to make you nod in agreement to inner city issues..
After a shaky start in the ratings, this show has steadily built a solid viewer base, and at 10PM on FRIDAY, that used to be a death knell for ANY show, so the people on THIS production MUST be doing something right.I say keep it going!
The weekends are "anything goes", and usually finds me watching some classic flicks on some channel,. probably TCM. Or I dig into my DVD library and re-watch something I like
(just don't bother me with college or pro sports, unless it's something different...like CURLING or Olympic shooting...LOL)
*** Now, just in case you were wondering WHY I haven't had much to say about the local CRIME...there's a reason.
See, the "locals" are still adjusting to the change in weather we've been having, and that means that shooting one another can be a bitch.

Oops, no one's talking about all of THESE.

I mean who wants to remove that gat from a sagging waistband in 30 degree weather, when you can just round up the posse and do a few burglaries or cause some vandalism someplace...because THAT is what HAS been occurring around this part of the ghettohood.
(thank you SPOT CRIME).
And, there is hardly ONE day that passes where we don't have at least one asshole shooting off a firearm illegally within 3 miles of our "Fortress".

The lame-stream media just never reports THOSE.
You just watch...when the thug-ass punks get their bearings again and adjust to Fall weather, they'll be back at the homicide game again.
That is one thing around here you can (unfortunately) DEPEND upon.
*** Lastly today...I really miss good TV shows, and that's probably why my dear friend (living in Delaware) and I always look forward to the holiday season, because we send each other DVDs and books related to the times we once knew when we were younger, and when it was a much better-behaved world.
We didn't have kids throwing things at parents when it was time to go to school, causing the police to make a run to that house...and we didn't have the sheer number of child predators we have today, trying to snag kids from the bus stop. We didn't even have the levels (and frequency) of violence we see every day on our streets.

Bus 'sm all...to ALL parts of the city...for DIVERSITY'S sake.

Hell, we didn't even HAVE all these school bus stops when we were that age...we mostly WALKED, or the parents drove us...or we even took PUBLIC transportation (horrors).
And shooting up that school was never on ANYONE'S agenda...we were too busy worrying about being nuked by the USSR.
Like I said, not much to fret about back THEN.
But today, we can't say the Pledge of Allegiance, even though it ONLY TAKES TEN FRIGGING SECONDS TO RECITE, dare not invoke a prayer at a graduation, can't have a damn BAKE SALE, can't play dodge ball, can't call anyone any name in any book for any reason at any time, and allow boys to use the girls room because they're transgendered (and if they SAY it, it must be true in today's world).

Seems all about THIS these days, hmm?

Where does all the lunacy end anyway?
When do we get back to being AMERICA the BEAUTIFUL...and not Amerika the Lemming-Laden for the Chronic Politically Correct?
We've let so many genies out of so many bottles already...with little to no hope of getting at least ONE of them back in.
I just pray we don't screw up this country beyond all possible hope of redemption, because we really DO need to get back in touch with all that made this nation GREAT...and kept us there for such a long time.
I want other nations to continue to look to US as a shining example of what is RIGHT in the world,...not what is wrong with it.
And therein lies our assignment...do what is right.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.