If there are specific, concrete things that the educators want the parents to do that will result in a better education for the children of America, let me know exactly what the parents need to do. I will help get the word out and maybe we can turn this thing around.

Our future depends on it.

He told me he started his blog up because he needed somewhere to store all his links he has been collecting over time and some news stories that he finds interesting. I know if you like reading my blog then you will love to read what Lucas has to write, so pop on over and give his blog a read.

I cannot tell you the last time I went to the store and bought a newspaper. I get my news from TV and the internet. The only good thing that comes in the newspaper anymore are the store flyers and coupons over the holidays. Other than that, the Tennessean sucks – almost no actual scoops or news. Just a lot of bias and opinion, advice that I don’t want, and a rehash of stuff I already read online the night before. And their web site is crap, too. Forget about breaking news coverage from the newspaper – it’s all old news by the time the paper is printed and hits the streets.

This year it is northern California, with over 1,000 fires burning today and the news shows airing clips of officials crying for helping – they don’t have enough manpower or resources to even show up at all the fires burning, most of them caused by lightning strikes over the past several days.

It’s hard to imagine that areas so close to the Pacific ocean are suffering from severe drought this early in the summer season and that dry trees and brush all over the far western states is a waiting tinderbox.

There’s no way I could ever agree to make California my state of primary residence. There are just too many natural disasters waiting to take your property and your life. It’s a nice place to visit, but I’ll never live there.

Like the “experts” who every year predict that this coming year will have lots of terrible hurricanes. Well, duh. Every year does have the chance that there will be terrible hurricanes, and if a hurricane happens to rip through your own neighborhood then you most likely will be calling that hurricane terrible and a few other choice names. But the fact is that not every year has terrible hurricanes, some years are worse than others.

I like flip flops. I have been wearing them since a little kid and they are my footwear of choice during the hot summer months and certainly better than going barefoot. There is not much difference between a pair of cheap flip flops and expensive designer thongs sandals other than the “design” and the price tag. I really don’t see how flip flops can be bad for my feet when I’ve been wearing them every summer for over 50 years.

I’m going to join in at work with all the NFL pick ‘em games and maybe even join a fantasy team this year. The corruption in the league is getting so obvious that even I can predict the winners of every game, so I might as well make some money off it, too.

Everything they do is about generating fees for themselves and customer service has gone out the window. I’ve had banks refuse to take my U. S. currency as a deposit to my account. I’ve had banks tell me that it is too close to their closing time (15 minutes before the doors were to close) for them to help me and to come back the next day. Now the bank where I take our company’s weekly deposit – two checks and a deposit slip – tells me that I will no longer be able to make my commercial deposit at their drive through windows. I must find a parking spot in the crowded lot and walk into the bank and stand in line with all those people who have no I.D., have accounts at other banks, and all those other time consuming banking issues, to make a deposit that takes all of 2 minutes at the drive through.

On Monday I’ll be calling their other branches to see if this is a new policy with all the locations or just the branch close to my house. If this is their policy for all locations, I’ll have to find another way to do my banking business each week.

Most of my friends that left the medspa company have accepted positions with a new franchise that is based in New York. Sadly, that means most of them have had to pack up and move from here to New York. So now I don’t have the chance for the occasional lunch or cocktails to stay in touch with most of my friends. It’s down to a few emails and occasional phone calls.

Alexa is the last of the old crew to take a job with the new company. We had lunch today at our favorite Sushi place to say goodbye. She is excited about the move and I’m thrilled for her! She’s going to stay with one of our friends already there, sleeping on the futon while she looks for place of her own. To help with that I put her in touch with one of the best real estate agents in Manhattan, Dottie Herman.

Dottie is a broker with Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, the largest real estate company in New York. I had met Dottie years ago at a real estate function in Las Vegas and kept her business card just in case I would have the opportunity to move to New York. Alas, it is Alexa who is getting that opportunity and I’m happy to share the contact information with her.

I can’t do that. I’ll drive to work a different way at least 2 or 3 times each week. I really don’t like to do the same thing over and over. I like variety and I like to enjoy my drive to work – not just endure it. Every morning I see new flowers blooming, new pets in the yards, and new cars sharing the road with me. I love starting each day as a new adventure!

Then our receptionist gave me a birthday present that changed my view on chocolate forever. She gave me a ballatine of chocolates from Godiva. Now there is not much that compete with Godiva. My favorite piece is the dark chocolate leaf with the rasberry filling. Heaven!

There were only a few customers in the restaurant, but at 2:30 it was getting late for lunch – I hope they had a larger crowd during the 11:00 – 1:00 prime time lunch hours. We were seated immediately and a server took our drink order as soon as we were settled in. The menu was well done and had many selections, the food turned out great, and we’ll be going back to La Terraza again soon.

Nowadays you do all of that yourself. Which is fine if you are handy with tools and have someplace like a covered and lit garage to work on your car. The rest of us have to resort to our own devices. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t afford to take my car to Firestone every time a little happens to my car when they are going to charge $100 for every little maintenance job. Last week I took in the car and asked for an oil change and a new air filter. The bill was $100. That’s absurd – I was expected to pay $35, tops.

I’ll have to find someplace else to take care of these routine maintenance issues for me, because I can’t afford the excessive Firestone charges.

Now I see Clinique is offering a special gift of a pretty yellow and white tote bag with the purchase of their fragrance. I had tried the “Happy” fragrance tester while I was shopping with my friend and thought it was pleasant. I might stop by the department store this week and try that fragrance again – if I still like it the second time it would be nice to have a new fragrance and a new tote bag for spring.

The Americana Music Association is based in Nashville, TN and is hosting their 2008 Americana Music Festival and Conference on Sept 17 – Sept 20 in Nashville. They will be honoring John Hiatt with a Lifetime Achievement award at the conference honors and awards show, to be held at the Ryman Auditorium.

The Americana Airplay Top 40 and Top 100 charts represent the reported play of terrestrial radio stations, nationally syndicated radio shows, satellite radio and internet stations who have agreed to submit weekly spin counts.

To see the week’s Top 40 Americana Playlist, click here.

There is already fencing around the south and west sides of the yard, but it is a mishmash of the neighbors fencing choices. I have what I want in mind, but have been trying to find a local contractor to help me with the digging post holes and connecting the sections. I thought I would get my supplies from Home Depot, as the Sunday newspaper ads have attractive pricing on the materials. But I still have questions about this project, and when I clicked on the Home Depot link as directed in the ad circular, it goes to a dead page. I tried a second route and that’s a different dead page.  What is up with that, Home Depot? You feature something and then don’t back it up? Bah!

I’ve used instant coffee. I’ve used percolators. I’ve expressed. I’ve dripped. I’ve fresh ground and I’ve store ground.

At the moment I make my own coffee at home each morning with a 4 cup Mr. Coffee automatic coffeemaker. I use a custom blend of 1 part Folgers Columbian and 2 parts Starbucks French Roast. It’s not as bitter as all Starbucks and it saves a little dough. I’m also playing around with the Starbucks Costa Rican – but it is a little bitter and I really can’t taste the citrus they talk about on the bag’s description.

If I’m out and about and start to nod, I’ll stop at a Starbucks and order a tall caramel macchiatto with a double shot of espresso. It’s usually about $4, and after 2 or 3 sips I’m awake and alert again.

What’s your poison?

Doyle’s music career started back in the 60′s with some guys he knew in Texas. That turned into a good time with Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan and years of drug and alcohol abuse.

Somehow out of all those coma years he had a son who has grown into a talent in his own right, now playing with Eric Clapton on tour, and Doyle has a new album out that was nominated for 2008 Grammy award, called “Is It News.”

Hey Doyle – way to go!