Monday, August 23, 2010

Jehovah's Witnesses Should Watch This

In this day and age most people want everything to be fast.............cars, food........you name it.......even videos. Maybe it is that many people just do not have a lot of time on their hands and need to hurry to get to the point. But there are some things that just cannot be done in a flash. Jehovah's Witnesses do not become Jehovah's Witnesses in a flash. It does not happen overnite. The video below is not one of those fast two or three minute videos.

If you are a Jehovah's Witness you should take ten minutes of your time and watch this video. If you seriously care to learn anything at all or are willing to try to understand those who leave the cult that you are a part of, then watch the video.

If you are not a Jehovah's Witness but you have family members or maybe a friend who happens to be one, then you too should watch this video.........and maybe even share it with them.

For those who are all too familiar with the subject of this video, you might finally say "Gee.....finally there is someone who gets it"


Belief: Episode 1 "Sacred Ground" (FULL EPISODE) from Mani GarcĂ­a on Vimeo.

Feel free to comment.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

What A Trip! - Part Six

That's me in the mirror.......taking the picture of Supernurse.

I apologize for the blogging funk I have been in. I am not a writer at all and I am easily distracted from doing the things I need to do.............heck, I am even easily distracted from the stuff I WANT to do also.............so here is the last installment about our whirlwind Fourth Of July road trip.

Maybe you wondered if we visited any restaurants while in Tennessee......well......we did indeed. Somehow........someway.......my sister Rhoda Morgenstern manages to find some unusual places for us to go............she also had a knack for finding those places that just so happen to be the favorites of some big name stars as well.

We went to the Loveless Motel........uh....er.......Cafe.

Huh?........a motel?.........to eat?.......you got to be kidding......right?

Well..........it sure doesn't look very inviting........but it happens to be very famous and popular around these parts. There is quite a story about the history of this place and just about everybody who is anybody has eaten here. I have a relative who once stayed here when it was still a motel.......and even then it was legendary. Every star you can imagine......country stars, rock stars......movie stars........politicians.......television stars......all seem to find their way to the Loveless Cafe.
www.lovelesscafe.com

The walls are covered with autographed photos of the famous people who have dined here. Some came just for the biscuits that they serve.

Even Miley Cyrus has been here.

And now WE have been there. I didn't see any celebrities while we were there but supposedly financial guru Dave Ramsey was there in another room. The food was great but I didn't eat anything that I could actually say was the best I had ever had. I CAN say that it was like home cooking except this home was once a motel.

We also went to a gas station/grocery/restaurant place called the Henpeck Market.
I suppose you can imagine how Cracker Barrel started by visiting this kind of place. Apparently the Henpeck Market is also rather popular and famous. I ordered the catfish platter.......and yeah it was good.

In a way it was like sitting in front of the milk and soda cooler at the 7-11...........but here, they have the honor system in place..........you want a drink with your food?.....pick something out of the cooler......drink it.....throw the empty away......and then head to the cashier and tell them what you had. Imagine trying to do THAT in a 7-11 store.




There was also an upstairs shop above what you see in this photo.

Another place we had a meal was the Catfish Campus in Columbia...............I love catfish!

Well........that's about it.........sure I could write about other things we did........but I hope this gives you at least a little idea of what my road trip was like...........otherwise......maybe you should go along with me next time.......or maybe even take a trip like this yourselves.

Remember.........Nothing ventured........Nothing gained.



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Thursday, August 05, 2010

What A Trip! - Part Five

We had a great Fourth Of July during our visit to Tennessee...........lately, I had been spending Independence Day by myself............quietly while everyone else in the immediate family had things to do and places to go. It was nice to spend this one with a large contingency of family and that makes it special. I did manage to provide some sis-boom-bah in the form of my own copycat version of Carrabbas fantastic minestrone soup.........and everyone loved it. I am not so sure though, what they all thought about the residual effect of the soup. Let's put it this way........it cleanses your soul a few hours later.

We started the festivities by having everybody meet up for "Franklin On The Fourth" in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. Lot's of stuff going on.........and it was hot as hell........but there were some remedies around. It did not appear as crowded as I was expecting, but it was a good sized crowd that showed up. Franklin would later have a fireworks display just outside of town.........we chose to not attend that and do our own fireworks at my sister's house.

Franklin..........think Mayberry........think the Back to the Future movie........think of the area in DisneyWorld once you get past the turnstiles...........it's a different world and it doesn't resemble anything that I am familiar with back home in Baltimore.............EVERYBODY that you encounter in Franklin.........happy........kind......polite......helpful......it is just sickening.....hehehe.

And they have a sense of humor too............so our gang fit in rather nicely.

There's those people with the sunglasses....again..........from the Arrington Vineyards to Franklin on the Fourth..........they must be "somebody".

There was a stage set up in the town square (circle)...........and we ain't talkin' one of those portable pull along trailers that we would see set up for the band at the Fullerton, Maryland fireworks display. These folks do it right.

This is Kelsey Muse...........and she did a great job performing. She may become a big star one day soon................keep an eye out for her.

She is still young and has plenty of time to develop.........but I can tell you this......she is far better than you might think........very talented.

Speaking of talent.........my sister EBCBEBR is also very talented. She is a multi-instruMentalist.........which means that she can squint her eyes and guess which instrument makes which sound...........hehehehe.

I was just kidding........sort of.........my sister EBCBEBR is a member of the Williamson County Municipal Band...............and she plays the flute. That's her right there sitting in the front row. Actually, my sister not only plays the flute.......she is a classically trained pianist. She also plays drums.....guitar.......clarinet.....violin.......and God knows what else. I wish I was half as skilled as she is...........but what should I expect?........Mom was as careful as she could be when I was small and she only dropped me on my head three or four times.....or maybe it was six or seven times.

I really enjoyed getting to hear my baby sister perform in the band.......that was a first for me and I am glad to have been there to do that.

While my sister was onstage.......the next act was hanging around next to the stage area. See the woman in the white pants standing behind the guy who apparently thought I was taking HIS picture?............well.........her name is Whitney Layne. She was talking to her fans and signing autographs and selling merchandise. You can find out more about her at www.Whitneylayne.com.

She was very nice and very willing to talk to everyone and pose for a picture.




My niece Pocahontas chatted with her................Princess Fartknocker talked to her too and bought her CD.

The crowd got bigger as time passed............Country Star Lorrie Morgan would be performing after Whitney Layne.................

Everyone waited as the municipal band left the stage and the Whitney Layne band did their sound check.

Then it was show time!

She was very good.

She even acknowledged the "little red-headed girl" that she had met and asked why they hadn't come up by the stage and danced.

We did not stay for the whole show though..........but thanks to Whitney Layne......that certain little red-headed girl will go home with a memory she will probably never forget.

I found some video on You Tube about Franklin On The Fourth. I recommend that you watch it and hear some of each performer and take a tour of the sights and sounds of a great day in Tennessee..........just like being there.








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Sunday, August 01, 2010

What A Trip! - Part Four

During our stay in Tennessee it was decided that we would go have a picnic at Arrington Vineyards which was not all that far from Spring Hill......just down the road a bit.....maybe 15 minutes away.......good idea. Having picnics at vineyards is not something I had ever done before.......and as I always say...."nothing ventured, nothing gained".........apparently many people have picnics at vineyards and somehow I have never been part of such a loop. This was a new experience for me and I like to think that I never know what to expect when venturing down paths that I had never taken before. That's me in the picture with Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn fame..........if you don't know of them.......well.....let's just say that they are to country music what Hall & Oates were to the rest of the world........huge. More on that later.
Arrington Vineyards is quite nice and actually somewhat secluded........well......it is off the beaten path. There were quite a few people there.......much to my surprise.....very busy......but not overcrowded. I never realized that people pack a picnic and head to a vineyard on a Friday night.

The majority of folks planted themselves up on the hill to be near the live music and to be close to the wine tasting inside the building. That's Princess Fartknocker running up that hill.
Princess Fartknocker, The Mayor Of Simpleton, and their dad James Bond tossed a football around.

As you can see....this is a very nice place.

The view of the entire area was awesome and at one point I spotted a fire in the distance.

We were having a great time and yet someone somewhere else was having a miserable time.

Princess Fartknocker chowed down on some food.

Get this gang together and they pack quite a lunch...........hehehe.........notice the bag of Utz Crab Chips?.........I brought those all the way from Maryland.

We managed to get a picnic table right up in the middle of the crowd.

This is a very nice facility and what is great is the price.......no charge!

Just bring your own stuff and have a seat or toss a blanket and sit there and enjoy the live music. All for free.........oh......and you get to look at all of the "beautiful people" while you are at it. I just so happened to have brought along Supernurse..........I hope all those other folks enjoyed looking at her........hehehe.

My sister EBCBEBR, my sister Rhoda Morgenstern, and my niece Hannah Wyoming......all looking a bit incognito with the sunglasses.

There's one of those "beautiful people" that I mentioned. No picnic for her......I suspect she came there to be seen and to see who else she might see that is looking to be seen. In my mind, I imagined that only the snooty folks would go to a vineyard for wine tasting and a picnic......but I am wrong........there are all sorts of folks that do this. Young and old, rich and poor. good looking and downright ugly.
It's all about the wine........which, of course they want you to taste and hopefully buy a bottle or two. I can't say I blame them.........the wines from Arrington are phenominal. Bravo!

None of us really were all that interested in anything or anyone other than our own gang of wine-tasters. This was something that we never get to do all together.....this was a special deal for us.

My niece Hannah Wyoming and my daughter Imelda Marcos..........and you just have to know that the "beautiful people" were wondering "Who are THESE beautiful people?"

What I came to discover was that Arrington Vineyards is partly owned by Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn. And sure enough, Kix Brooks showed up and greeted his visitors, posed for pictures, and signed autographs. No, he didn't perform. He was very approachable and accommodating.


One of the staff in the building said that it was a rare thing for Kix Brooks to come there on a Friday night............this night was our lucky night.

My sister EBCBEBR spoke with him and explained how his place would be much better if they only had steamed crabs available.......hehehe.......so he just hung his head in shame.....hehehe.

This dude has so much money that he probably could have steamed crabs shipped in each weekend night and it not even put a dent in his wallet........then again he would also have to cough up for some Natty Boh.......hehe.

Needless to say, most of our entourage did the meet and greet with Kix Brooks and posed for a photo. Thanks Kix!

The Mayor of Simpleton opted to listen to mp3s instead of the milquetoasty trio performing on the stage. I can't blame him either........who wants to hear a Christmas tune......What Child Is This?.......in Holiday Inn jazz form? Not him.....not me......but apparently other folks do.

Signtopia Expansion Pack 2.1 decided to actually wake up from his nap..........no....he was not very happy.........but he got over it.

Princess Fartknocker danced with her daddy James Bond..........who, by the way, proudly wore his Tennessee Titans jersey...............I should have wore my Ravens jersey.........the folks there would have loved that.

It all came to an end too quickly but a great time was had by all.......maybe we will do it again sometime in the future.

For some reason, my daughter Ms Moneypenny got the idea that we should all make hand painted martini glasses.......so she went out and bought the paints and the glasses and proceeded to get almost everyone involved. Initially, she wanted ME to do the painting..........I declined. I thought there would be more significance to the entire process if each person would paint one their own selves.




All in all the martini glasses turned out pretty good and made for a nice keepsake from the trip.


Stay tuned.......Next I gotta tell you about the Fourth Of July.

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