My legs were very stiff and sore when I headed out the door...

but I still forced myself to walk the entire way to the end of the Mosque.  Almost 40 minutes all told, although I did slow my pace on the way back.  I wanted to peek in more windows of stores, because more people left their lights on.

In fact, one beauty salon didn't just leave the lights on, they also left the security door that covers the regular front door open.  For a moment I was afraid it might be a crime scene that no one had noticed, but I couldn't see anyone inside, and there was nothing out of place from what I could see.  Perhaps I should have tried the door and seen if it was open, but when I hung up my Security Police beret and badge long ago, I hung them up for good.

I also peeked into the shoe store that sells work shoes, but only because they'd apparently left every single light in the place on overnight.  I hope for the sake of whoever closed last night that the owner or manager isn't first to arrive this morning, because they will hear about the electric bill and leaving all the lights on, all night long.

A man was approaching me from behind as I walked, and as he got close and my "haragei" sensed him coming right up on me, I stepped to the side to let him pass.  He apologized for some reason I couldn't fathom and I told him he had nothing to apologize for.  I wasn't scared, just wanted to make sure there was plenty of room for him to pass.  He was on his way to work at the NFL.com building near the Mosque.

Okay, time to re-write history.  I'm going to challenge something ingrained in your memory.  I'm sure that 99% of you are firmly convinced that Dan Quayle did not know how to spell potato when he was in that classroom long ago, and he told that young boy to add an "E" on at the end of the word. 

But, history has completely forgotten and/or ignored the fact that Vice President Quayle merely told the boy to spell the word as it read on the flashcard that the teacher had prepared for the spelling lesson.  The card read "potatoe".  It was the teacher's misspelling, not Quayle's.  His choices were to rely on his memory of the right spelling and overrule the teacher, or do as he'd been asked to do, verify the word from the cue card.  He did as he'd been asked, and has been vilified for it ever since.

I'm a fairly proficient speller, but I often check myself because I don't like making spelling errors.  Were I to have been the one, I'd have known how potato is supposed to be spelled, but I'm not sure I'd have wanted to override and overrule a teacher in their classroom, even if I was 100% they were wrong.  I might have approached the teacher first and said "hey, the card is wrong".  Maybe.  But the media's depiction of the incident in its aftermath made little to no mention of the flash card.

Now let's get to another incident that is again, ingrained in your memories.  President Bush, amazed at the sight of a grocery scanner, something he wasn't aware existed.  At least that was how the media sold it.  But that's not what happened.

President Bush was well aware that scanners existed.  What he was amazed by was the fact that this particular scanner had the ability to read torn and mangled bar codes, and weigh groceries.  That was an amazing achievement, since scanners up to that point could NOT read torn or mangled bar codes.

Again, the media ignored this pertinent fact in its efforts to make the President appear foolish and clueless.  Don't take my word for it, if you believe otherwise.  Visit snopes.com and check for yourself.

I did not listen to Paul Ryan's speech last night.  No need  It was the subject of lots of discussion on message boards and on the news when I got home.  In the end, I really don't care all that much that Congressman Ryan is opposed to abortion in any case.  Not because a woman's right to choose isn't important.  Believe me, it's a critical, crucial issue.  But Vice Presidents have little to nothing to do with this particular issue.

Vice-Presidents exist for three main reasons.  1.  To step in and run the country if the President is killed, or incapacitated.  2.  To preside over the Senate and cast a tie-breaking vote only if required.  3.  To travel abroad and represent the U.S. when the President isn't available. 

A woman's right to choose was established by the Supreme Court of the United States.  There will be no legislation to change that passing through the Senate that requires the tie-breaking vote of a Vice-President anytime in the near future.  So I don't see any opportunity for damage to a woman's right to choose happening no matter who the next Vice-President is.  We should instead focus on the much more important issue that should be framing the abortion debate, which is when does abortion become inappropriate, based on the viability of the fetus outside of the womb.  32 week abortions sure seem like murder to me.  A woman should have the absolute right to choose, but that right should be eliminated at some point prior to birth.

We lost last night's live trivia game by one point.  We got lucky when one of my teammates made an amazing "pull" of an answer in the final round when he identified a spaceship correctly, but even with that one, we came up one short.  I should have been more assertive about my suggested answer to an earlier question, which was the right one, but I was overruled by another teammate who was sure his answer was better than mine.  I'm always hesitant to overrule when I'm not 100% sure of an answer and I was only about 95% sure on that one.  The host changed the format of the game and I like the new format better.  Looking forward to playing that trivia game next week.

Yesterday, a 100 year old man ran over 9 kids and 2 adults near a school (the news says he is 101, but he won't be that age until his birthday next week).  The hue and outcry over someone that age still driving is coming from all sides.  Talk radio hosts are outraged that people who are 100 are still allowed to drive.  The law in CA is that when you hit 70, you can no longer renew your license by mail.  You must go in person and take both the written and the road test.  The question becomes, did this man get sent a license in the mail, as he claimed after the accident, because if that's the case, the system may have broken down.  I don't subscribe to the notion that there's an age at which the privilege of driving should be revoked.  I know 60 year olds who have no business driving, while there are people I know in their mid to late 80s who I would have no objection to their continued driving.  But I would support requiring anyone over 70 to be tested annually, to ensure that their fitness to be behind the wheel didn't deteriorate during the 4 to 6 years between getting a license and having it renewed.

As if teenaged girls haven't enough stress about their body image already, Disney has "skinnified" some of its characters for a holiday marketing program.  Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and more are being portrayed as much thinner than their original appearance displayed them.  Put them back to normal, Disney.

Kris Jenner is an idiot.  I know, that's not news.  But this bullshit that her family's reality program now having had a longer run than "I Love Lucy" is a crock.  Let's look at the record.

Season 1 of KUWTK ran from Oct 2007 through Dec 2007.
Season 2 of KUWTK ran from Mar 2008 through May 2008.
Season 3 of KUWTK ran from Mar 2009 through May 2009
Season 4 of KUWTK ran from Nov 2009 through Feb 2010
Season 5 of KUWTK ran from Aug 2010 through Oct 2010
Season 6 of KUWTK ran from June 2011 through Dec 2011
Season 7 of KUWTK ran from May 2012 through Sep 2012

So, in a period that covers only five years, Oct 2007 through Sep 2012, they've squeezed in seven seasons.

I Love Lucy ran for six seasons from October 1951 through May of 1957.  Four months short of running for six full years.

Kris Jenner is full of shit.