Alabama – The University of Alabama  head football coach makes a reported $7.3 Million Dollars a year. Only ONE NFL coach; Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots makes more at $7.5 Million. ONE. I wonder how the Bake Sale over at the English Department is going?

Alaska – The 1964 “Good Friday Earthquake” near Anchorage, was the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded by seismograph; a 9.2 on the Richter scale. This was only second to the 9.5 quake “rumbling” in Chile in 1960.

Arizona – I begin to research the “fact/ urban myth/ observation” that Arizona was becoming more humid due to additional golf courses, and residential grass growing. Instead, what I found was the state actually has a Monsoon season. Yikes!! The word Monsoon derives from the Arabic word “Mausin” meaning “season” or “wind shift.” Oh boy…now I have to go back and start research on what constitutes a “real” desert! It’s going to be awhile………

Arkansas – Musical stream of consciousness; The GREAT Levon Helm was born here. He was in a band called “The Band.” On one of the Band’s most famous songs, The Weight, Mavis Staple sings on the track for The Last Waltz. An amazing singer, civil rights activist, and longtime performer at the Newport Folk festival (where I also saw Levon perform), Mavis Staples claimed she and Bob Dylan were “very good friends,” and at one point in her younger days, Bob asked her father “Pop” Staples of the Staple Singers permission for her hand in marriage. Not sure what happened next, but Mavis and I share the same birthday…..day not date!

California – In so many movie clips about Los Angles, there are no shortage of chase scenes, drag races, or gun wielding “Terminators” from the future moving through the iconic concrete canyons that I was always under the impression were strictly for rain water run-off. I was wrong! As It turns out, these cuts in the earth are actually part of the 47.9 mile long Los Angeles River that flows down the middle of the city, and at one time was the primary source for drinking water. Very Cool! This just went to the top of my trip wish list!! Randy “I Love LA” Newman, here I come!!

Colorado– The Denver Art Museum, or the DAM Museum….(I didn’t snicker) is a place I would like to see the next time I’m there. I missed it the last time. I have spent more than a few hours…er, ah, minutes wondering if the naming committee debated the similarities of being the DAMN Museum. Looking into the word, I found out damn (with the N) is from the Latin word “Damnare.” I came across some internet answer page of a person who used it in a sentence; “I tripped over your bike and Damnare broke my neck!” Ah yea; I’m thinking, “right train, wrong track!”

Connecticut – On the Sandy Hook Elementary Shootings; Debate is useless. When millions of people can’t distinguish between their “precious second amendment rights” and the violent execution of tiny, innocent school children, this country is beyond words, and prayer isn’t looking so good either…..

Delaware– Question; “What do a Russian arms dealer, a Midwest Ponzi scheme puppet master, Apple Corp, and Coca-Cola all have in common with 285,000 (that’s a real number) other business’s? Answer? They all share the same legal business address at 1209 North Orange Street in Wilmington, Delaware. Wow, all that money, and they couldn’t even afford a flower box in the front of their crappy looking brown building?

Florida– It’s been almost 9 years without a hurricane making landfall. If the only reason this makes you happy is because you think it makes Al Gore wrong, my advice to you would be; better be careful the next time you’re near the edge of the earth; you may fall off.

Georgia– The band, “The B-52’s” were formed when they played an impromptu session after sharing a tropical Flaming Volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant in Athens, Georgia in 1976. This is further testament that Chinese food and Rock and Roll are “the great innovators!”