A New Biz Plan For Pier 1 Imports

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Larry Chapman

Back in the 60s I was living in Whittier, California. Both my wife and I were full-time college students and living off a very meager income. Our entertainment had to come from simple pleasures. Often we’d visit Knott’s Berry Farm which, at that time, didn’t cost anything to get into. Free parking, free admission and you could walk the place over without spending a dime.

Another simple pleasure was driving down to Santa Ana and going to Pier 1 Imports. I don’t know how many of these stores there were in the LA area or if they had gone nationwide yet. The one near us was the only one I knew of.

At that time imported goods weren’t that common in America and the only made in China junk was made in the Republic of China which we know today as Taiwan. The door to trade with the People’s Republic of China, aka Red China or mainland China, was still frozen shut. Most of Continue reading →

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Paradise Found, Paradise Paved

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Larry Chapman

Remember the lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s song, Big Yellow Taxi, “They paved paradise to put up a parking lot?” Well, that is what happens to most, if not all, things considered paradise. Back in the early 1960s my ship pulled into the Naval Station at Key West, Florida a few times. Key West at the time was a small town sitting on an island that was mostly mangrove swamp and marshes. There was a road that encircled the island and one that cut across it laterally. The open air bars and quaint sidewalks were not crowded and the natives were hospitable and mainly friendly.

The next time I made it to Key West was Continue reading →

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FACTOID: The US military has over 10,000 conventional piloted aircraft and over 7,000 drones. The bulk of drones are small, weighing only 4 pounds, and in the hands of the Army. They are hand launched and used for aerial observation. Some predict observation drones will be made obsolete by new generations of blimps being developed.

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Larry Chapman | 1 Comment

What I Know About Parrots

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Larry Chapman

You never know where a story will come from. This one came from driving by an animal park near Valdosta, Georgia. There was a billboard advertising the place with a giant painted parrot on it. Can’t explain why but I ask myself, “What all do I know about parrots?” Well, here’s what I know.

First, they come in all sizes and colors but when I see the word parrot the only one that comes to mind is the really big one that has red and yellow and green and other colored feathers. Years ago there was one of these in a nearby country store and the farmers who hung out there had taught it to cuss. That parrot knew more filthy words than I did after four years in the Navy. Continue reading →

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Buckle Up, We’re Going to Florida

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Larry Chapman

I really don’t know how many times I’ve been down I-75 or I-95 going to Florida. Since I retired from teaching in 1996 I’ve been going that direction at least once a year if not more often. The central motivation is either seeking out salt water fishes or hooking up with a cruise ship.

Over the years I’ve observed a number of things that may be of some interest. So, what follows may be akin to a written invitation to come over to my house and see my vacation slides. Here we go:

  • Florida isn’t called the “Land of the Outreached Palm” for nothing. Little, if anything, is cheaper in Florida. The only thing free may be a sun burn.
  • If you stop at the first Florida Travel Stop on I-75 or I-95 don’t think the free orange juice sample is fresh squeezed. It comes from the same gallon cartons you’ll find in your local supermarket. It taste great but don’t do any research on how it is made. Continue reading →
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The Konnekers, Leading by Example

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Larry Chapman

Have you ever played the game, “What would you do if you hit the lottery?” I’ve played the game a few times but never seriously. Never seriously because I rarely ever buy a lottery ticket. When I was teaching someone might come into the teacher’s lounge and mention the lottery being over $20 million. Someone else might suggest we all chip in and buy a ticket. I always tossed my share in and for the next few days we’d sit around playing the game.

In reality, if I, or my wife, were to ever buy a ticket and hit a major jackpot, let’s $100 million, We do have an answer to what we would do with the money. First we would hire a tax accountant and a lawyer to help make decisions. Secondly, we’d have the telephone Continue reading →

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FACTOID: Around 10 million men died fighting during World War One. It is estimated that almost the same number of horses were killed.

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Larry Chapman | Leave a comment

Random Thought, Best Albums List

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Larry Chapman

Browsing around Rolling Stone’s website and came across a list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010 (They must still be working on 2011) and decided to test myself. Of the 30 I was aware of 1 album and 9 artists. Of the 9 artists I only knew a couple because of their music; the others because their names have been in the news for other things. I suppose this isn’t too bad for someone who hasn’t listened to contemporary music since The Eagles first broke up.

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Skilled Game Rooms, Slots with Brakes!

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Larry Chapman

A year ago I pulled into the parking lot of one of Jeffersonville’s two outlet malls. I had been told many of the store fronts stood empty but wasn’t ready for what I saw. The place looked like a ghost town. About the only sign of life was what looked like a casino and the signage reinforced that image. The name of the place was Lucky You and it was some kind of game room.

I didn’t give it any more thought until I was recently told that such a place existed in Greenfield, Ohio and another near Rocky Fork Lake. I drove by the one in Greenfield and from the sign (see photo below) learned it was a “skilled” gaming room.

Back in the 60s when I first moved to California, the only place in America where casino type gambling was legally permitted was Nevada. But, in California there were Continue reading →

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Professor Irwin Corey, World’s Foremost Authority

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Larry Chapman

Every now and then something jars your memory and you ask yourself, “I wonder if so and so is still living?” Well, it just happened to me regarding Professor Irwin Corey, a guy people my age often saw doing his shtick on TV years ago. Corey was billed as Professor Irwin Corey, World’s Foremost Authority.

While we all knew he was the foremost authority, we never knew what he was an authority on. Usually dressed in a baggy black suit, white shirt, black string tie, and long disheveled hair he would frequently begin by taking several pauses as if trying to recall where he was and why he was there. After gathering his thoughts he would enter into long diatribes filling the air with random words of double-talk that some how sounded like logical thoughts and Continue reading →

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FACTOID: The Ford Ranger pickup truck has rolled into the pages of history. After almost 30 years of production Ford is abandoning its line of smaller pickups.

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Larry Chapman | Leave a comment

Terry Bean

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Larry Chapman

Listening to Bluesville on XM and heard Clarksdale, MS bluesman, Terry “Harmonica” Bean on the air for the first time. Bean appearance in the blues documentary M for Mississippi and that was my introduction to his music and talents. Later I had the pleasure of meeting him at Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero blues club in Clarksdale and again in Oxford, MS at the dedication of a marker on the state’s Blues Trail. He’s a nice fellow and I’m glad he’s getting some air play. Terry told me that his grandfather once told him that if he got good at the harp and guitar he’d never go hungry. So far that seems to be working; he’s a busy man playing lots of gigs.

Note: If you’re a blues fan and planning a trip to MS check out the iPhone app for the Mississippi Blues Trail. Location and information is provided for all markers. And, whatever you do, don’t miss Clarksdale. If the blues has a birthplace it certainly ist he area in and around that community.

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FACTOID: The US Coast Guard, recognizing that people today weigh more, has lowered the capacity ratings of boats and ships. For 50-years they have based occupancy on the assumption that the typical person weighs 160 pounds. Today’s new number is 185 pounds. So your seven passenger party barge just became a six passenger party barge.

Get more CGS on Twitter.

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Larry Chapman | Leave a comment

Ford v. Chevy – Strad v. Guido, What’s The Difference?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Larry Chapman

For as long as there have been Ford and Chevrolet cars men have been arguing over which is best. The same exists with many, if not all, things that are not unique or one of a kind. Farmers argue over green (John Deere) and red (International), golfers over which brand of clubs is best, some smokers say they can’t stand the taste of a Camel or that they can only smoke menthol. There is no end to it.

The same exist in musical instruments. Some guitar players prefer Gibsons while others are lovers of Guild or Fender. Among violin players we all know that the best violins ever made were hand crafted 300 years ago by the Italian masters, Stradivari and Guarneri. We all do know that. Yes we do, we’ve been told that repeatedly through our lives. Continue reading →

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Washington Post Gives Newt’s Video Four Pinocchios

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Larry Chapman

I have written a couple of times about Mitt Romney’s involvement with Bain Capital and his amassing great wealth from venture capitalism. While I stand behind what I’ve said it needs mentioning there have been lots of criticism about the film When Mitt Romney Came to Town. The Washington Post runs one of the fact checking services I’ve spoken of in earlier columns and it has reviewed the video that a pro-Gingrich super-PAC produced and found it wanting in accuracy. For what they consider the facts in the matter, click HERE.

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