A picture is worth 1000 words...

Seriously, do you think we'll hit $4 a gallon in California by the summer as predicted?
If more stations follow the lead of this Hollywood station I drove by on 4/18/07, it won't take long.

This is not a normal price, I will tell you that. It is 25-30 cents more per grade than the average LA area station. So how come this station charges so much? Obviously they are getting it. In a non emergency situation, can you call that gouging? No one is making you stop there.

Oh, well, fossil fuels will some day be a thing of the past. Maybe in my lifetime. What's next?

30 days to go; a lifetime of fun begins.

At my weekly weigh in today, I was down another pound from last week, for a total of ten pounds in 8 weeks, and another 1/2 inch off my waist, for a total of 4 1/2 inches. I feel pretty good about that.

With 4 weeks left to go in the Burn and Firm program, I am very close to achieving the
goals I set at the start. But the main thing I am getting out of this experience, besides the weight loss and the all around boost of confidence, is that I have replaced the eating and exercise habits that weren't working, with new healthy habits that do work. It took 12 years to put on about 40 pounds, so I don't expect to lose everything in 12 weeks, but it is a good start. I will post before and after pictures at the end of the program.

So, now I look forward to a lifetime of healthy eating, exercise, and looking good on the beach. Hey, I live in California!

If I can do it, anyone can do it. Just get out there and kick some abs!

Friday The 13th

I feel lucky today, how about you? First off, good morning, how are you?

When I turn the page on the calendar to a new month, the first thing I do is check for three things; when is the full moon, are there two this month, and is there a Friday the 13th? If there is, like today, I am very happy, because I like Friday the 13th. I also like walking under ladders and having black cats cross my path. I like the added challenge and excitement they bring to my life.

You see, I am superstitious, but just not in the way most people are. For example, I'll never utter the name of the "Scottish Play", or whistle, backstage in a theatre, for that would surely bring disaster. And I always bring my baseball glove, the one I've had since I was 13 years old, to the ball park, even though I have never caught a ball, fair or foul, and it never really helps my team win. Is that a tradition or a superstition? Not sure. But I do it.

I wear a silver St. Genesius medallion for good luck at auditions and on stage. That goes back to my days in Teen Footlighters. The medallion was given to me by my dear old friend, Mickey Henningsen. Is that a tradition or a superstition? Not sure. But I do it.

I always touch the outside of an airplane when I board, as I cross the portal from the jet way onto the aircraft, to make sure the plane is real. Is that a tradition or a superstition? Not sure. But I do it.

When I enter or exit an automobile, I alway look for open holes in the ground near the car, like sewer grates or chasms in the ground that my keys might fall in if I dropped them, and I grip the keys tightly in my hand until I'm safely in the car and the doors are closed or the doors are locked and the keys safely back in my pocket. Is that a tradition or a superstition? Not sure. But I do it.

If I see a coin on the street, I check to see if it is heads-up or tails-up before I pick it up. Is that a tradition or a superstition? Not sure. But I do it. Oh, I pick up the coin either way, but I never pick up a coin if it is less than a nickel.

But Friday the 13th to me is not an unlucky or superstitious day. It's a fun day, a lucky day. So I wish you all a lot of luck today, and always.

PS: I hope Kurt Vonnegut is safely up in heaven where he deserves a special seat of honor at The Good Guys Table. He sure was one of the good ones. Good luck up there, Kurt.