Friday Follies...

End of another week...AND, the end of another month (almost).
The weather overnight will dictate some of the weather we have today.
We had some freezing drizzle, which has made road conditions GREAT...if you want to practice low-speed donuts in some vacant parking lot.
Other than that, it's a bit on the "use a lot of caution" side...unless you prefer going down the road sideways, and seeing things with a whole new perspective.
Our Hoosierland weather today will have us with temps not even reaching the freezing mark with a high around 25 degrees.
And, if we do get some sunshine, it will be short-lived, as we're looking at another snow event over the weekend, with several inches predicted.
We could still see a snow shower (a dusting only) today.
Most schools are on a 2-hour delay (FWCS is closed following parent-teacher meeting stuff - lucky them).
Now, with that weather thing staring us all in the face, let's pour ourselves a nice hot cup of our favorite morning beverage and see what awaits us today.
*** First out of the skating rink is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
January 30 - 
---Today is NATIONAL CROISSANT DAY.
Time to make a run to BK for a breakfast one (make it three if I'm coming along...lol).

Or, if you have a patissiere nearby, you can drop by there.
Now, for the weekend...
January 31 - 
---Saturday is NATIONAL BACKWARD DAY.

(another political holiday???)
Hey here's an interesting idea...something to do if you have the time.

Never thought of it THAT way...lol
---And, it's NATIONAL INSPIRE YOUR HEART WITH ART DAY.

(that does NOT mean graffiti anywhere - no "tagging" allowed)
---Sunday is the start of February, so that means we get to see what happens that month:
February is:
American Heart Month
An Affair to Remember Month
Black History Month
(you might learn something))
Canned Food Month
Creative Romance Month
Great American Pie Month
National Cherry Month
National Children’s Dental Health Month
National Grapefruit Month
National Weddings Month
February 1 - 
Sunday is NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY...
Let it ring, baby...!
*** Next up, they finally posted the security cam pics of the 4 perps that heisted diamonds from the Jared Jeweler store up on Coldwater Rd. this past week. I won't post the updated story...you can check that out for yourselves.

"Buster-Bad-asses"...so THEY think.

What I HAVE done, is try to make the surveillance photos a tad better, so here you go.
Head shots only...the way they should be taken (down)...heh.
How much you want to bet that most, if not ALL of them live down here in the ghettohood of Fort Wayne?
(probably live within a few blocks of the "Fortress")
Roll the po-po down here and LOOK AROUND...you just might find something (or someone).
The jewelry that was stolen will be DAMN hard to pawn off, so it's either a gift to some baby-mamas, OR it was all driven out-of-state to be pawned off elsewhere. Good lick with that.
Got news for the perps, most ALL such expensive items are documented, and that "paper trail" will follow them, no matter where they turn up
(some are even laser-etched).
Moving on...
*** We ALL know that this Sunday is the "Super Bowl"...
((rolls eyes))
Like the HYPE hasn't far outweighed the sport by now, hmm?
What a charade...it's actually painful to watch the run-up to the game, because it's no longer ABOUT the game, is it?

I miss THOSE days...

The score is merely an addendum to ALL the other crap that's being tossed at us.
Doesn't matter if it's the HALF-TIME SHOW ((yawn)), or the COMMERCIALS, or the marketing hype, or the fol-de-rol that surpasses the ability to play 60 minutes of what we all USED to call "Football".
Anyone recall the EARLY days of the Super Bowl...when it was a lot more SUPER and you didn't need a BOWL to puke into?
Glory days indeed...and people used to sing the STAR SPANGLED BANNER a HELLUVA lot better (they also knew the words).
But, I digress...
What passes for the Super Bowl today is more about "bread and circuses" than actually sport.
So, THAT is why I have moved beyond such tripe and look to the lighter side of such events...by NOT watching them.
Instead, I find two OTHER events a lot more satisfying...
*** And the first of which is the decade old annual ANIMAL PLANET PUPPY BOWL.

Absolutely steroid-free!

Yes, friends, this marks the eleventh year of this event, and here's the website link:
http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl
This takes place on SUNDAY at 3PM...

But, if that is not enough (and it never really is), then you can bop over to the HALLMARK CHANNEL at NOON for the KITTEN BOWL.
This is the 2nd year for this event, and it provides a nice alternative to over-paid, over-tattooed, and grossly repugnant "athletes".

NO deflated balls HERE!

Here is the link to the website:
http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/kitten-bowl/videos/kitten-bowl-2015
I'll take cute (and cuddly) over most anything else under these circumstances.
*** Last back to the huddle...you have to admire the genius of marketing...if it's done in the right way, and never overused or abused.
America has been known to be at the forefront of such things...sometimes it works...sometimes, not so much.
Take the Super Bowl...or the NASCAR "chase"...two events that have (to me, anyway) lost their luster.
When marketing drives the event more than the sport itself, it's time to move on.
Again, it USED to be that the event would drive marketing, and NOT the other way around.
NASCAR was much better when sponsorship took more of a back seat to the actual racing.
Same can be said for football.
When these marketing juggernauts were more like leprechauns, it was the SPORT that kept us coming back year after year.
Now, it's more about WHO is doing the half-time show, or WHO is at the center of some "controversy".
It's ALL about HYPE, and to me, it's hyped itself out of my ability to give it any attention.
Hey, it's not MY fault...I like a good football GAME...ditto for  HOCKEY, or auto RACING, but the days of such athletic prowess have been supplanted by accusations of steroid use, behavior unbecoming a pro athlete, and yes, the unavoidable marketing gurus.

Like I'm always saying...this nation had a better sense of it's greatness, and it wasn't completelty bound and gagged to the almighty dollar.
If we can be led about by the nose through such "sporting events", living only for this one day every year, what does that say about US?
We can be so much better...that's what I'm hearing.
Have yourselves a great weekend.

Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.
See 'ya next month!