Death By Dildo for Christmas

Stupid comes in many forms in many people...but Terry Lester may have created a new category.

This guys big holiday surprise for his ex-girlfirend was to kill her...using a sex toy rigged to explode! Police said It had "been modified with gun powder and buck shot, which were connected to a trigger inside the battery port." Lester apparently believed that he could pull some kind of "trigger" and by doing so "blow them up." He thought if he left it as a wrapped gift for her when he got kicked him out of their apartment, she'd open it once he was gone and enjoy the memories.

Just so you know he wasn't picky about the ladies, Police found enough supplies to make shag shells for two other ex-girlfriends. Not a smart plan for success since it was likely they were going to hear about the first self-induced pleasure bomb death & back away from the box.

As with most stupid murder plots, he bragged about it to the boys at the bar...who were sober enough to turn him in. Although I'm pretty sure at least a few of them were intrigued by the plot, because guys just love plots that involve nudity and explosions.

Two Turntables And A Cardboard Sign

So Ted Williams...the guy with the "golden radio voice", not the one with the frozen head...is a very lucky man. But will his luck run out? And is the story more about us than it is him?

It's human nature to love a feel good story, and it's impossible for the media not to wear out a warm fuzzy story like a pair of slippers on a mailman. Heck, my radio peeps have a full-on woody! But I can't help feeling Ted's more like a lotto winner than than a success story of human triumph over adversity.

Yes, he appears to be a warm, likable fellow who just happened to be down on his luck. He seems appreciative of the attention and offers of help. But is that, along with a set of "pipes", enough to justify the outpouring of support & emotion? There a thousands of good people out of work, albeit not on the street, through no fault of their own. In fact, most of them didn't make the admittedly "poor choices" Ted did to help make his situation even worse. The only thing that makes them any different than Ted is a viral video, a cardboard sign, and they didn't hit the jackpot.

I know, I know...Ted has skills that are valuable. But the reaction and offers of help are as much about self marketers looking to catch a ride on the wave of his positive press, as they are about helping people who need it. Unless the decision maker making the offer is just genuinely caught up in the media mass hysteria. I'm pretty sure the Cav's have fired more people in the past couple of years than they've offered to pay mortgage for. And I'm pretty sure if Ted had walked into most of these places now offering him a job before the video hit, he would have been treated like any other person out of work & seeking employment...or worse.

This is the perfect example of how fast an interesting video posted & shared on social media can result in action and reaction from the masses because it engages them emotionally. But it's also an example of how the masses over react to 15 seconds of fame, and how they use the moment to selfishly feel good about one winner...while ignoring the losers. Come on, it's way better to live vicariously through the Steeler's than root for the Browns.

Right now Ted is "where it's at", but when the hype wears off...let's see if he invests his lotto winnings wisely, or blows it.

Bowl Of Crap

The rent is too damn high, and there are too damn many college football bowl games!

35 games, 70 teams, and a schedule that lasts until January 10th? While the NCAA and ESPN feel this is the best (most lucrative) way to showcase the college game...all it really does is dilute the entire concept. Evidenced by the schedule including 13 teams that finished the regular season 6-6...BYU, UTEP, Louisville, FIU, Georgia Tech, East Carolina, Illinois, Tennessee, Washington, Clemson, Georgia, Middle Tennessee and Kentucky. Hell, there are only 120 FBS teams eligible!

When I was younger (100 years ago) the bowl season was exciting! The very best teams got to play each other in games that were made special by the host cities. They were a highlight of the holiday season, culminating in the all-day climax on New Year's day. Then we all got back to our normal, boring lives.

Then they added the "championship" game a day or two after January 1st, which was OK. Then they added a bunch of crappy games before Christmas. Then came the BCS, stretching out the "premiere" games well past New Year's day. Then people stopped caring or buying tickets. There were more people at my neighbors Christmas party than in the stands at this years Orange Bowl.

Thank God we have tonight "off" with no game. I need time to get psyched up for tomorrow nights GoDaddy.com Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile AL featuring the scintillating match up between Middle Tennessee & Miami...of Ohio.

You Poor Bastards

So the lotto jackpot is up to a gazillion bucks tonight...but I'm not playing. While I would love to cash in and check out, I hate playing a game where the odds are so stacked against me.

As you can see from the graph, that doesn't matter to the folks who can least afford to take a shot at it. Maybe they should create a lotto game called "Poor Bastards"

Social Media Holiday

This is my first time logging on or posting to any of my Social Media since December 19th. No 12 step program, just cold turkey.

There is something satisfying in this time of information overload to be able to shut off the data stream. There are times when the amount of information I consume on a daily basis is way more than I can take action on...making me feel like I'm not doing enough. In reality, I'm just taking in more data than I can process.

I spent time over the holidays watching a few "drive in" movies from the 70's, and it struck me how little information we consumed then...but we seemed just as happy, if not more. Maybe we are not better off having constant contact.

Next chance to disconnect will be the spring trip to the islands. But until then, I'll log back on and crank up the sarcasm!