Ever Have One of Those Days…?

Sometimes you see things that make you a bit apprehensive… like today, when I noticed a small screw on the floor beneath my desk chair. Like most modern office chairs, there are any number of screws, levers, etc. on it- and, while I’d like to think one tiny screw being out of place wouldn’t amount to much, knowing my luck, it’s some crucial linchpin that will send me crashing to the office floor… It’s one of those days- you know the kind- you go to use the copying machine, and somebody has left a paper jam in the hardest-to-reach area of the machine; you misplace those notes that you JUST HAD right in front of you; or you realize that something you need right away is among the things that you thought you rarely used and packed away in a most inopportune place. Yeah- one of THOSE days… Well, let’s attempt to off-set that with a few things that have been rattling around inside my head lately- which, fortunately, I have not conveniently forgotten, as would normally be the case on one of THOSE days… In listening to a local blowhard on talk radio, who was talking with some “expert” about the” Jurassic Park “ idea of cloning old prehistoric DNA and creating creatures that no longer exist- I hear the genius host giving an example of what might be a possible DNA recreation of an extinct animal. He says “Suppose you had the actual human flesh of a mastodon…could you use that to create a new mastodon?” Excuse me- the actual HUMAN flesh of a mastodon? Were mastodons human? This is one of those broadcasters I’ve talked about before who doesn’t seem to do his homework, but- really- did he realize what he said-or is he that thick? I just heard that DreamWorks Animation has acquired all the properties of “Classic Media” –the folks who own the Golden Books library- AND the rights to such characters as Lassie, The Lone Ranger, Casper the Ghost, Where’s Waldo, and former Jay Ward properties like Rocky and Bullwinkle and George of the Jungle. According to TVWeek, DreamWorks will be using these characters in animated features, theme parks, and more. They also have the Christmas favorites like Frosty, Rudolph, and “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”. DreamWorks does some real quality stuff- maybe we’ll see a rebirth of some of these all-time favorites. A few have been tried – remember the Rocky and Bullwinkle movie , with Dave Thomas as Boris Badenov?- but perhaps they’ll have a better chance of success this time…and, wait a minute- aren’t we already waiting for that new version of the Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp as Tonto? It looks like that church that wanted to buy the historic Portage Theater in Chicago, where we have appeared many times, has withdrawn its request- meaning the old Portage will still stand as a theater. Congratulations to the many people who threw their support behind keeping the Portage as it is- mission accomplished! Well, back to my “one of those days”- I hope it doesn’t continue for the full 24 hours- my home laptop keeps telling me there is no driver for my mouse- even though I can find the driver- but the mouse still won’t work. Then, it suddenly comes back, and things are fine- until it stops working again, and it’s the same deal!…plus, the battery indicator that used to be on the task bar? It vanished- and I can’t find any way to bring it back! And don’t get me started about the Norton anti-virus deal that NEVER STOPS its scan and keeps running forever…