Mr. Toy's Mental Notes

At about 1:30 AM on Friday night, er, Saturday Morning, I was working at my computer when BANG! I was jolted out of my seat by an explosion. It sounded like a building blew up. Scared the crap out of me! It wasn't the first time I've heard such explosions, but it was by far the loudest and closest. Now, you're thinking, this has happened before???? Things are just blowing up???? Why isn't this in the newspaper???? To answer these in order: 1. Yes. 2. Apparently not. 3. Because these explosions leave no trace that they ever occurred. I've been hearing these loud explosions in Seaside for several years now. They are few and far between, about once or twice a year, but they're as loud as artillery fire. They almost always occur late at night, and they seem to be happening all over the city. Sometimes they sound very close, as the one did last night. Other times they sound like they're on the opposite side of town. After hearing this one I turned on the p...

I'm a sports widower. I grew up with sisters and learned to cook. My wife grew up with brothers and learned to watch football, basketball, hockey, tennis, NASCAR, and ask "What's for dinner?" So I am forced to endure hour after hour of sports action on television when I'd rather be watching reruns of Star Trek and Gilligan's Island . I do enjoy Giant Spaceball (and only the Giants), a couple hours per year of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Golf Tournament , and small doses of the Olympics, but that's about as far as I go sportswise. One thing that makes football tolerable are those hardworking NFL cheerleaders. They're very pretty, they're highly trained, and from what I understand they are paid very well. Men, who make up the vast majority of sports fans, are generally known to enjoy looking at pretty girls. So why are NFL cheerleaders given so little screen time on TV? About the only time you see them are just before commercial breaks with ...