Mr. Toy's Mental Notes

A little over a year ago, I posted an entry called Popular Trends that I hope will go away soon. I thought it might be interesting to see if anything had changed. So here is a status report: Reality TV. Status: the novelty seems to be wearing off, but its not waning fast enough for me. Shouting news commentators. Status: Fox is still at it, but CNN canceled Crossfire. Breast implants Status: there is a growing "natural beauty" movement. Websites such as DOMAI and Super Beauty honor the beauty of unenhanced natural nude women. A related picture book called Natural Beauties is a best seller on Amazon.com . Dove, the beauty bar people, have launched a Campaign for Real Beauty with the goal of showing women of all ages that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. They've teamed up with the Girl Scouts on a self esteem program. Electronically enhanced vocals of female pop stars. Status: Still there, but may be waning as singers like Norah Jones grow in popularit...

I just read of a disturbing story about a 27 year young woman from Australia who may be facing a firing squad in Indonesia, for allegedly smuggling marijuana into Bali. Schapelle Corby maintains her innocence, and there is reason to believe the contraband was planted in her bodyboard bag by smugglers without her knowledge. At first I wondered if it was a legitimate story, since so much content on the internet is biased. So I did some research of Australian news articles which indicated it was true, and ongoing. But don't take my word for it. Do a Google search on " Schapelle Corby" for the latest news. Here are a couple of relevant links: Save Schapelle From An Indonesian Firing Squad Petition: Free Schapelle Corby

At 45 I guess I'm officially at middle age. That means I'll live to be 90. Anyway, it seems like a good time to reflect on some of the things I've learned over the years, listed in no particular order: If you hear or smell anything unusual, find out what it is right away. Meals seem to be more satisfying when potatoes are somehow involved. Cultivate your friendships. Time spent with friends and family is never wasted. (See Tiffany ) The time to buy drain opener is before you need it. Read the owners manual. Don't trust Mapquest. You can never win a political argument. However, in the company of those who have open minds, you can have some very interesting political discussions. Ditto for religion. At the grocery checkout, always put the bread on the conveyor last. This keeps it from getting squished by other items at the bagging end. There’s nothing wrong with sex. When you get onto the freeway, keep plenty of space between you and the car ahead. It makes it much easier...