I was looking at purchasing Dan Brown’s latest literary adventure. On a quick check to Amazon, I found a few things I didn’t expect. First, the Kindle instant download was only slightly more inexpensive at $15.99 than the Hardcover at $22.80. Yes, the work is “brand new” and always a best seller, but I am much more used to the Kindle Version being a far better bargain than a hard copy. Downloading digital 1’s and Zero’s is far cheaper to produce than actual paper-bound books. Speaking of hardcovers, I was really surprised to find the paperback version almost $16 more than the hardcover. I have never seen this on a printing unless the paperback was an early version now out of circulation. Regardless, it does warm my heart to find anybody reading anything; including this blog!

Does anyone want to feel old? MTV…no, not Moronic Television as in the home of Reality TV, but Music TV (Television) announced that it was shutting down their MTV Music programing in Europe after 40 years. I guess this is shocking because although I don’t have cable or even broadcast TV, I haven’t heard any music on MTV in a “Gazillion” years. Oh and for the record, when I say old music, I’m not talking about Joe Cocker at Woodstock; I’m talking about Cyndi Lauper singing “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” in a MTV video almost 40 years ago! “I said 40!!!”

Speaking of TV, as many of you have read in this blog, and found amusing, I always know when a TV show will be cancelled…..It’s the one I really like. I thought I would get ahead of the game, so when an article about cancelled shows on CBS popped up on the Web, I checked it out. I didn’t see anything that caught my eye but was startled to find out that the TV Soap Opera, “The Young and the Restless” will be “renewed.” A paragraph blurb said it was a show that centered around the wealthy and influential people in a small, “make-believe,” Mid-Western town. “Really????” Apparently, the show has been around for almost 52 years; “How long does it take to tell the stories of the fictitious wealthy and influential in a small Mid-Western town?” No wonder people call them the “fly-over” States!

280 Miles South of the Arctic Circle lies the magnificent fjord and village of Geiranger, Norway. I was lucky enough to visit here last spring. While speaking to the hotel manager, I commented how much I had enjoyed my stay and would like to come back, but not during the “high” summer season. She commented, ” September is the ‘New August’; come back then!” Global Warming is real, dangerous, and frightening, but as I get older, I can’t help but to love some of its characteristics.

Recently I visited a very posh and historical Beverly Hills prime rib restaurant. The food, service, and atmosphere were impeccable. I can barely look at this picture without crying for more! Initially, after checking their website, I spotted a notice about their dress code;

“…business casual to smart casual, prohibiting beachwear, athletic wear, cut-offs, and flip-flops. While formal wear is appreciated, clean jeans and tasteful daytime or evening wear are often acceptable. Management reserves the right to refuse service to patrons who are inappropriately dressed to maintain the establishment’s celebratory and elegant atmosphere.”

Having just finished an 8 day bike tour, my clothing selection was limited. I was concerned that my button down shirt, with clean pressed khaki cargo pants would suffice, but my respectable, and only pair of non-cycling cleats, my hiking shoes would be a red flag, and I would be denied admission. It turned out, my attire was more than adequate with no suit jacket required (another story for another blog). I couldn’t help but notice a glaring personal assault to the dress code. I counted 12 men in the restaurant wearing “ball caps” at their tables. It would seem that this is widely accepted. I will say that such décor was one of my father’s all-time despised, and accepted etiquettes. Hats worn in the house were frowned upon, but hats at the dinner table were NEVER tolerated. So, either I’m now some stuffy, properly-trained Bostonian, or old and grumpy, or just the DNA recipient of a different time and place, but I also am bothered by hats at ANY table; especially a “fancy” restaurant. I guess I would have been even more bothered by the situation, but I was under the spell of such incredible food and company. I’ll rage on about it later….