Verdict: The New Google Maps Suck

The new Google Maps suck. Why can't Google just leave things as they are: if the software works fine then leave it alone!!!!! How hard is that to comprehend. But I'm sure all the nerds just feel compelled to go in and modify, adjust, upgrade etc.,. This is what's wrong with the world -we don't know how to leave things alone when they're working fine.

OK, so here's how you revert to the "old" Google Maps: Go to Google Maps. Look at the bottom right of the page where you'll notice the zoom widget. At the far left you'll notice a bubble with a question mark. Click on that. Then click on "Return to Classic Google Maps." There you go. Thank God for small victories.

Kick Diabetes Right in the Rear

Pretty nice view, eh? Yeah it must be nice. The sister and  her husband went on a nice cruise and he snapped some really fantastic photos along the way. The photo strongly resembles a Bob Ross painting.

In the last blog the topic of Diabetes was briefly introduced. The author is becoming alarmed at the growing number of Americans that are falling prey to this avoidable malady. Much-needed research was fueled by prodigious amounts of tea(no sugar, thank you). The articles mention the danger of sugar, junk food, bad carbs and the  sedentary lifestyles that include the seated posture for extended periods of time(duh!).

The next culprit was diet, of course. The author's diet was re-examined and found to be severely deficient: breads, pies, pizzas, cookies, churros ...Diabetes would surely strike if no corrective actions were taken. Thankfully, the ship changed course dramatically and smooth sailing resulted. Unfortunately, junk food carbs are fattening, they raise blood sugar levels and they affect hormonal levels. Rats! Check out this new book-the material could literally save your life. It's only natural that all the things we love come back to bite us in the rear.

Keeping that in mind, many of the recommendations offered in the research have proven highly beneficial. For example, apple cider vinegar and its odoriferous glory now augments the diet... The bitter drink reduces inflammation, blood pressure, improves sleep etc.,. The product smells awful and the taste is not much better. A slow start is in order here.

Another product that is being consumed is rye bread. Very odd: a bonafide bread! Something to do about phytoestrogens and all that and an increase in Testosterone levels. Very interesting.. In no time at all a pair of 20-inch arms will be displayed to the amazement and horror the apartment dwellers. Belief and disbelief.

Another of the ideas presented was the recommendation that fruits and vegetables should become a large component of a diet. Tomatoes, avocados, sweet potatoes, broccoli. Plant-based products are to receive a larger emphasis now. Make waves.

The last variation is the elimination of refined sugar from the diet. A good many folks encounter failure and setback at this critical juncture.  Dietary boot camp becomes the order of the day. Hand-to-hand combat is necessary to defeat Diabetes and all its associated problems. Tea and coffee are presently taken without sugar, thank you. The author is currently engaged in a competition of sorts, termed Diabetes Challenge 2014, with his brother. The gentle reader is encouraged to participate if for no other reason than vanity.Victory is assured-updates will follow. Stay cranky.

Cookie Monster

Allright, so I finally did it-I made that Oatmeal Raisin cookie that I've been meaning to get around to. I must say that my baking skills are coming together rather nicely. Anyways, the recipe came out pretty good if I say so myself. I stumbled onto the recipe at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/oatmeal-raisin-cookies-i/.  Go check them out.

I usually prefer a light desert after and this, I think, fits the bill quite nicely. While cooking may not be perceived as a real macho activity like hunting or bass fishing, it takes a great deal of work to create pizzas, breads,and cookies etc., from scratch. It's not as cool as climbing Mt Everest but I can only do what I do.


I hope the folks at allrecipes are cool with me reprinting their excellent recipe.
                                               

                                                            

Ingredients
Original recipe makes 4 dozen Change Servings

    3/4 cup butter, softened
    3/4 cup white sugar
    3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    2 3/4 cups rolled oats
    1 cup raisins

Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

   2.In large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar
     until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Stir together
     flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually beat into butter mixture.
     Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

   3.Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
     Cool slightly, remove from sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.


Allright, there you have it-do a little bit of cooking and make yourself useful. Just be careful or you may find that a gym membership has become an important necessity. And take special care if you contend with diabetes. In the meantime go check this out: Erase Diabetes  Stay cranky.

Crankshaft

There sure is a lot to be cranky about. Times are tough all over: the Recession, unemployment, inflation, they cancelled your favorite cable show. Yeah it sucks. There's plenty to be cranky about, we might as well make the best of it.

For some reason photos always lift my spirits.The photo to the left depicts a slightly overcast sky over the apartments. The access gate makes the run-down apartments look like a prison, which they are. The shabby place bears a strong resemblance to a Siberian labor camp. Papa Stalin would approve. The site is often mistaken for a municipal correctional facility. A lot of grumpy people call themselves residents. Can anyone blame them?

One of the best antidotes for the grumps is cooking skills. One of the downfalls of bachelorhood  is the aspect of cooking, or lack thereof. Two extremes exist: the thin man and the epicurean. Eventually one is compelled to buckle down and cook properly. Ramen noodles are done away with permanently and respectable dishes are introduced.  But gradually respectable cooking is becoming the order of the day(pizzas, mostly) so that I may enjoy some variety in my meals.

                                            
                                                                                Stay Cranky.

                                                

The Moon and Stars

Balance and Symmetry. Finding either in the Fall is like chasing and catching the Northern Lights-it cannot be done. The weather gets colder, the Sun takes a much-needed vacation, the Moon hangs high up in the air. Probably what affects me the most is the Light Deprivation-it's almost like walking around in a semi-haze; a fog that never quite dissipates. And Depression and Anxiety are always a threat during the winter months. I suspect that the rays from the Sun are essential for Spiritual Maintenance but I cannot base it on anything other than anecdotal evidence-pure conjecture for the time being.

I don't know how they deal with it up in Sweden and Norway-but I am intrigued since I've always been partial to colder climates. Being from Chicago will do that to you. Light Deprivation is referenced continually in many reality shows.  One of the topics that I found most disturbing and tragic was the high incidence of teen suicides in the Eskimo populations-the show attributes them to the lack of youth employment opportunities, alcoholism and Light Deprivation. Isolation and extremely cold climates: A deadly combination?

"Miss You" from the Rolling Stones-a happy little jem that was hiding out in one of my many play lists. The song reminds me why we all used to worship the Stones-the vibe, the catchy hooks, lyrics and swagger. Sure it came from the Disco Era, but, like, who cares? The breakdown in the middle where Jagger, supported by a fat bass line is half singing, half talking is a stroke of genius. "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd. I'm sure I've already mentioned this song as occupying a permanent place in my playlist. Big Brother, Minor Keys, Analog Synths and probably some illicit substances thrown in for good measure-these ingredients, and more are to be found in abundance in "Welcome to the Machine." A picture from the past into the future.

One last song is the Wild Card but an explanation is in order here-I will in all probability catch a lot of flak. At the gymnasium where I train the staff began playing this one annoying song like six times an hour. They did this for about a month straight-I wonder who's idea that was? It's a strange sensation executing bench presses while being extremely angry-I guess that's how it is in Prison. Eventually the song wore me down with its cheesy lyrics and equally cheesy little beat. So now I apparently like Teeny-bopper music-Sad. Blame the Gym.The song: See No More-Joe Jonas. Music and a lot of Reading are the antidotes for the Wintertime Blues. Also don't forget the Beatles "And I Love Her."

Somewhere in Time

Revisiting the Past. Reinventing the Future. These themes are the bread and butter that Hollywood lives on, Universal themes, if you will. The idea of going back in time to correct mishaps and to revisit and recapture old glories is an alluring one that reverberates perpetually. Who wouldn't want to go back in time to sow their wild oats while making a few minor correction along the way? This very theme is revisited in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris."

I should note here that I avoid at all costs anything and everything involving the Wilson brothers but I was compelled by Allen's latest handiwork. Anyways, the film features Wilson as a novelist, accompanied by his uptight fiance(Rachel McAdams), who is magically transported to Paris in the 1920s. He hangs out and parties with Cole Porter, F. Scott and Zelda  Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali, Luis Bunel, Pablo Picasso, and Gertrude Stein. Obviously, this is a dream come true for Wilson, the opportunity of a lifetime.

Social Dissonance is an underlying theme for the film-Wilson obviously feels ill at ease in his own time and no doubt feels that a simpler, happier time would alleviate many of his problems. The Golden Age. I must admit that I too have pondered  this idea at great length. If I were to be drawn back in time I would favor being transported somewhere within the Victorian Age. Musically, Romanticism was all the rage, anything Baroque deemed quaint and out of fashion. This was Francisco Tarrega's world. This era was the calm before the storm-who knew that World War I was right around the corner?

On the topic of revisiting old paths, I decided to go back and listen to "Loveless" from My Bloody Valentine. I wish that I could say that I read about them in Pitchfork or in Rolling Stone but the truth is that a long while back, when I still read guitar magazines, I read a mostly unflattering review of the band and its work. That did it-I was hooked. When I first listened to My Bloody Valentine I felt like I was in a very long, reverby tunnel where everything is constantly in motion, in a state of Vibrato. I initially found the music repugnant and yet I somehow was drawn to it-its fuzzy, punk, and out-of-tune vibe stuck out like a sore thumb. My old Audio Engineering teacher, Ray Dillard, gave me the greatest piece of advice ever: If at first you don't like a piece of music, listen to it another ten times. I have carried his words of wisdom with me ever since.

So there you have it: Midnight in Paris and "Loveless" from My Bloody Valentine. Go check them out and maybe that gray little cloud hanging above your life will slowly dissipate.

Brighton Park

You gotta hand it to the fine folks at the Golden Arches-they sure know their Marketing. They orchestrate all manner of excitement over a slab of pork ribs nestled comfortably between two hot dog buns and Voila! hordes of people find themselves mindlessly running  to their local restaurants in order to be the first to re-experience the return of the McRib. Has the American Public become too gullible, too simplistic and child-like? I hope not.

I must admit I was a bit of a naysayer about this McRib sandwhich too. That is until my pal and I took a  trip and picked up some quick eats at the Golden Arches. Protocol dictates that you gotta have some bona fide junk food before a football game-in our case we got to watch the mighty Texans crush their long-time rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Anyways I was watching the game and eating the McRib as well as the piping-hot fries when my friend informed me that the proper way to do it(like they do in Philly) is to insert a big handful of fries into your sandwich. Fair Enough. I must say, it was a devil of a good idea. The sauce on that McRib is what makes the sandwich in my opinion. Go out and try one for yourself-give the Diet a rest for a day or so...and definitely check this out:Reverse Diabetes We can certainly enjoy our snacks while avoiding diabetes.

As I was enjoying the sandwich a strange thought popped into my head: Why don't the fine chefs at McDonald's try a similar sandwich only with Tuna instead? Sure it would probably be gross...initially. But with enough tweaking and reworking and stealthily inserting some beef and pork, the sandwich could possibly even become edible? Nah, it would never work. It's just that Tuna seems to be a healthier meat; unfortunately all anyone ever does is slather  mayonnaise all over it as a condiment. Tuna has never really ever been a cool meat-it just doesn't elicit the same type of excitement as cooking up a batch of Jerk Wings for your boozy pals. It is the Ned Flanders of the Meat Family. Tuna definitely needs Salvation-that's for sure.