Shaken or Shakin’ ?

Christmas has come and gone and New Year’s Eve is fast approaching. Will you stay up past midnight to ring in 2026? If so, will you require any additional caffeine?

I ran out to the store recently and started thinking about how much soda pop used to be part of American culture. I still think it is, but there are a lot of other options for caffeine out there nowadays. (One time I had a former boss comment on all of the different soda pops I consume. He said, “It’s like you have some sort of weird bingo card.” I take that as a compliment.) Here are a couple of my thoughts and recommendations on some choices out there.

First of all, I went in search of my favorite sugar free energy drink which is the orange flavored Rip It Citrus X — it’s waayyy cheaper than Monster. I can only find these at a couple of retailers near me. One is Family Dollar, which really should be renamed Family Buck-and-a-Quarter. They carry an interesting mix of beverages there including familiar favorites and some lesser known brands. Case in point is Sprecher Charged Lemonade. The 140 milligrams of caffeine may leave you…“Shakin'” just like The Blasters’ song.

I was unfamiliar with the Sprecher brand, but they’re apparently a craft brewery in Glendale, Wisconsin. They carry over two dozen flavors of soda pop including root beer and some seasonal offerings like blueberry. Plus, they have a cool logo with a griffin on it. Also, they recently acquired the Green River soda pop brand. (It inspired the Creedence song.)

Another newer option for caffeine consumption is from Starbuck’s. I don’t really drink regular coffee, but I do enjoy some of the sweet cold coffee they offer. If you’re trying to cut back on calories, but still need caffeine, check out Starbucks Frappuccino Lite – Creamy Vanilla Gelato. The name may be “fru fru”, but the taste is wonderful.

Finally, there is an old standby with a new twist. I’m talking about 7UP, but the 7UP Cherry Zero Sugar option. No caffeine in this one, but it’s still mighty tasty. It also mixes well with vodka.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

p.s. Here is a live version featuring what looks like the Jimmy Reed Thin Twin guitar.

Rikki Tikki Rival?

I’m officially on holiday for a couple of weeks and I have to say it’s off to a fun, freaky start! I love great stories and definitely appreciate a good mystery involving one that’s off the beaten path. Take, for example, the story of…the talking mongoose??

Yes, that’s right….the talking mongoose. I turned on the Tubi streaming network and stumbled upon a show called Mystery Files https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28254897/ , which struck me funny. For some reason it was cued up to Season 3 so I just went with it. The first episode was about an alien encounter that I’d already heard, but the second one was about Gef The Talking Mongoose. I don’t really know how many other famous talking mongooses there are out there, but Gef lived on the Isle of Man. Gef apparently was the inspiration for song called “Eighth Wonder” by Lemon Demon.

So, what was the deal with Gef? During the 1930s he supposedly lived with the Irving family: mama, papa, and the daughter who just happened to be a bit of ventriloquist. Gef drew his share of attention from the media and paranormal investigators like Harry Price. Price visited the Irving household and noted the home’s paneling “[made] the whole house one great speaking-tube, with walls like sound boards. By speaking into one of the many apertures in the panels, it should be possible to convey the voice to various parts of the house.” Get the picture?

There’s much more to Gef’s exploits. If you REALLY want to know, you need to watch the 2023 film “Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose.”

In conclusion, I think the Isle of Man should consider adding the letters “G-E-F” to its already freaky looking flag o’ three legs. Perhaps they could print a three-dollar bill in his likeness as well.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

White Chocolate Christmas

I haven’t blogged about food in a while, but I feel compelled to share my favorite Christmastime snack. The beauty of it is, there’s no recipe involved. It’s “store bought.” (GASP!) This treat is for those of us whose taste buds favor both the creamy and the extremely sweet. The official name of the tasty treat is OREO White Fudge Covered Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. If you haven’t seen them in the grocery store, they are just what it sounds like. The beauty of these treats is they are thicker and sweeter than your regular Oreo cookies. Think of it as more sweet bang for your buck. I’m sharing this rocking version of “White Christmas” by Bad Religion in this treat’s honor.

I wonder what Irving Berlin would think. Here’s another take on “White Christmas” by The Drifters.

Anyway, I looked up a little information on white chocolate because I’m a big fan. According to Wikipedia, it’s one of the big three traditional types of chocolate. The other two are milk and dark. Fans of white chocolate enjoy its tangy and creamy taste. Haters think it’s bland. (Wikipedia also used the word “cloying” which means excessively sweet.)

As for the history of white chocolate, it was developed in Switzerland and has a history with the Swiss Army. (In terms of inventions, this trumps the Swiss Army Knife in my book.) Nestle makes a confection called Milkybar (or Galak in other parts of the world) which has been around since the 1930s.

What else can I say about OREO White Fudge Covered Chocolate Sandwich Cookies? Perhaps they are used as hockey pucks in an alternate universe. That’s based solely on the shape, not the sweet, creamy taste.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Blanksgiving

Thanksgiving. I’ve heard more than one person say it’s their least favorite holiday. One of my buddies has echoed that thought from the original Rocky movie “Yeah, to you it’s Thanksgiving; to me it’s Thursday.” Personally, I’ve been looking forward to it this year. Here are some options and observances:

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – it’s on NBC. We didn’t have Macy’s where I grew up, but the Stix Baer & Fuller Thanksgiving Day Parade doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?
Christmas Music – I look forward to our local classic hits station going 24/7 with it on Thanksgiving. I’ve never actually determined exactly when it starts, but I’ve already heard two different versions of “Santa Baby” on the first day.
Blanksgiving – Per this blog entry title, you can create your own one syllable event of your own like “Friendsgiving”. I’ve also seen Drinksgiving more than once this year. I can’t until we officially have Spanxgiving.
NFL Football – The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving. I’d love to say more, but it’s not my thang.
Protesting – I can’t say I’ve seen any protests of the holiday in person, but it seems like pilgrim popularity has been waning. I wonder when buckled shoes and hats will be all the rage again? Also, should the name Myles Standish be part of it?
New Traditions – I did a quick search for songs with “turkey” in the title and found this gem. It’s the Johnny Otis Orchestra with “Turkey Hop”.

I’d love to say more, but I should probably see which stores are open today. More specifically, where can I buy some antacid?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Geddy’s Baseball Adventure

I wasn’t too inspired to blog last week, but have an interesting story which I heard on a local Kansas City talk radio station (KMBZ-FM) and I think it bears repeating. Canadian band RUSH has been in the headlines recently because they announced they will tour again with a new drummer to fill the enormous shoes left by the death of Neil Peart. (Her name is Anika Nilles.)

That said, the story isn’t really about that at all. Instead, it’s something new I learned about RUSH bassist Geddy Lee. Apparently, he’s an avid baseball fan and collector. Recently, he donated a collection of 400 autographed baseballs to The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which is located in Kansas City, Missouri. https://www.nlbm.com/exhibit/the-geddy-lee-collection/ He wants to keep things “Closer to the Heart.”

I never knew Lee was into baseball or even collected for that matter, but that must be old news to fans of the Toronto Blue Jays. I saw at least one pic of him sitting behind home plate at a home game.

There is no shortage of division, differences, and animosity in the world today, but I think this story shows human beings CAN still find common ground regardless of race and nationality for starters.

Play Ball!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Hairless Truman?

Well it’s a sad day in Independence, Missouri. Leila’s Hair Museum has officially closed its doors. In case you’re wondering, yes…I said HAIR museum. I’m pretty sure the first time I heard about the unique place was on a radio commercial for the Missouri Division of Tourism. I know I have driven past the nondescript looking building quite a few times. Apparently, hair art was all the rage in the Victorian era. I thought about including a song from the Hair soundtrack, but have instead opted for The Walter Trout Power Trio’s version of “Give Me Back My Wig.”

The original song was released by Lightnin’ Hopkins and covered by Hound Dog Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and others.

Getting back to the museum, Leila Cohoon was a cosmetologist who started collecting hair in the 50s and her collection grew too large for its own good. (I don’t think was in 1950s sci-fi movie kind of way, but you get the idea.) If you’re the slightest bit curious, please check out the following link: https://leilashairmuseum.net/history.html . Apparently, the museum boasted hair from a wide variety of historical figures including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson. Ozzy Osbourne even visited the museum!

If I could choose my all-time famous hair list for my own museum it would have to include Rapunzel, President Trump, Don King, Ron Wood, Rod Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Farrah Fawcett, Stevie Wonder, and any number of Viking conquerors…possibly Thor, too.

Oh, and the title of this blog entry is in reference to America’s 33rd President, Harry S. Truman. I don’t think he had any affiliation with the museum, but he is associated with Independence, Missouri.

Here are some alternate titles:

Hair ‘Em Scare ‘Em
A Night at the Hair Museum
Hairless-Kiri
Follicle Frenzy
Harry, Harry…Lend Me Your Comb

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Betwixt or Between?

It’s weird how we all are exposed to different pieces of art, whether it’s music, film, paintings or something else. Sometimes it comes via friends, family, or co-workers. Sometimes it seems completely random. Such is the case with the 2011 film “Twixt” which not only starred Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, and Elle Fanning, but was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. I was basically channel surfing and came across this one. I couldn’t think of any songs with “betwixt” in the title so I’m sharing George Harrison’s tasty cover of “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.”

I’d never seen the video prior to today, but it looks George was having good ole time with his musical mates.

Getting back to the film, “Twixt” was apparently inspired by a dream of Francis Ford Coppola’s. The basic story involves a low-budget writer (Kilmer) who arrives in a Gothic, Stephen King-eque town where he encounters the sheriff (Dern) and a ghostly young girl (Fanning). After Kilmer’s book signing at the local hardware store, he stays at The Chickering Hotel. It’s a place where Edgar Allen Poe stayed (at least in the story). There’s a lot more supernatural aspects to the story and it’s visually interesting to watch. There’s also some clocktower with 7 different times running simultaneously. “Twixt” is definitely an off the beaten path film.

From what I read, Coppola intended to release the film and then sort of extend different scenes as an audience was watching in the theatre. Cool concept, but it was costly.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

P.S. “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” was written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Cab Calloway recorded the original version.

Riffin’ on Diddy

In case you missed it, Sean “Diddy” Combs is on trial for sex trafficking. What do I think? I say he’s innocent until proven guilty, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun with his numerous aliases. He is known as the aforementioned “Diddy”. He has also been known as “Puff Daddy”, AKA “Puffy.” Man, that’s almost as many aliases as John Cougar Mellencamp! Here are some of my immediate and hopefully comedic alternative suggestions on his name(s).

Diddy or Didn’t He? I’ll be surprised if that hasn’t been a newspaper headline to date.
Puff Doodie. What does Diddy’s dog do or is it dog doo? He could sell officially licensed pooper scoopers to offset his legal fees.
Katydiddy. In case he ever wants to get his inner Kafka on and run around like a bug.
H.R. Did-N-Stuff. When I was in 4th grade, I was out sick for a week or more. When I returned, I found my classmates had started playing this bizarre record “H.R. Pufnstuf” in art class. I wanted to do a double Van Gogh and cut off both ears.
Maybe we should just call him “Manfred”?

6. In keeping with the musical theme, maybe “Diddie Wah” would be more appropriate?

7. How about a t-shirt with Mr. T on it? “I Pity the Diddy.”

8. Another t-shirt idea: Don’t tase me, Diddy! It’s a stretch, but thinking about that guy cracks me up.

9. Sean “Brushy” Combs. I wonder if he got called this on the playground?

10. Supercalifragilisticexpial DIDDY osous. This would only apply when it’s raining or he’s sweeping chimneys.

11. TAFKAD: The Artist Formerly Known As Diddy. I’m going to let him come up with his own non-verbal symbol for this one and hope it’s G-Rated. Or should it be TAFKADWFKAPD: The Artist Formerly Known As Diddy Who Was Formerly Known As Puff Daddy?

12. Cheesy Poof Daddy. He could advertise these snacks during South Park.

If I think of more, I’ll let you know.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

J.D. Who? — Word Search Included

I watched a film about J.D. Salinger…the author of “The Catcher in the Rye” today and it got me thinking about famous people who go by the moniker of “J.D.” In Salinger’s case, the letters actually stand for Jerome David, which is an interesting bit of trivia I most likely won’t remember. Friends of his in the film refer to him as “Jerry.” I thought about doing a series on him, but I don’t know that it will happen. Some considered him to be reclusive after the success of his aforementioned book. Apparently, people kept tracking him down and treating him like their own personal 8-ball fortune teller. “The Seeker” by The Who seems appropriate here.

Next on the list is J.D. Souther (pronounced SOUTH err). To me, he’s best known as a songwriter and an associate of The Eagles and penned “How Long”, which they recorded. The song was originally released on his album “John David Souther.”

Souther also co-wrote a number of other Eagles hits and worked with Linda Ronstadt. Apparently he did some acting a long the way and also grew up in Amarillo, TX.

Perhaps the best known “J.D.” of all time would be Jack Daniel, the Tennessee distiller whose name appears on the black and white label which bears his name. I don’t know if he people ever called him “J.D.”, but it would have been shorter than his actual name of Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel.

As a Mother’s Day bonus, I have included a word search which includes the last names of the three famous dudes named “J.D.” My mom likes word puzzles.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Rabid Anti-Dentite, Part One?

It’s pop quiz time!

Going to the dentist:

A. Is necessary for overall health and wellness.

B. Is a necessary evil.

C. Was mistakenly left out of the Geneva Convention.

Hmmm… ? Yes, I made it into the dentist’s office for my 6 month checkup this morning and got out with ZERO cavities! I credit my brushing discipline to my preference for keeping foreign objects, power tools, and adult human hands out of my mouth as much as possible. My biggest issue with the whole visit is the SOUND of getting the plaque scraped off my teeth. There’s some device called “Cavitron” which uses water and high frequency to minimize my suffering on this front. That said, there are still other discomforts to endure. For example, the hygienist was still completing Phase One cleaning when she leveraged the device so hard against my back teeth I thought she was going to pole vault over my head. It reminds of the AC/DC song “Kicked in the Teeth”. (Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win.)

Getting back to my latest chapter in “Surviving Dental Adventures”, the hygienist eventually completed Phase One cleaning. I got the refreshing, minty rinse and was starting to relax ever so slightly…then came the flossing. I’m sorry, but ramming a piece of string in between every single one of your teeth hasn’t really advanced so much, has it? For better or worse, I was born with a physically small mouth so it doesn’t naturally lend itself to being a tug of war field. I rebelled (refused) to get braces as a teen and I have to say I don’t see as many teens wearing braces these days.

Part Two may be coming, but there’s a Mountain Dew calling my name.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!