Which Do I Choose?

So the survey asks:

What best describes your occupation?

Arts / Literary / Culinary

Business Owner / Self-Employed

Education Administration / Support Services

Educator (Professor, Teacher, Coach, etc.)

Entertainment / Sports / Media

Farming / Ranching

Military / Law Enforcement / Fire Services / Emergency Services

Lawyer / Attorney

White Collar (includes executive management, middle management, and individual contributors)

Professional / Technical

Construction / Tradesman / Skilled Laborer (Painter, Mechanic, Plumber, etc.)

Hourly Wage Worker (Waiter, Barista, Stocker, Bellhop, etc.)

Professional Driver / Delivery Driver

Physician / Doctor (MD, DO, FMG, DC, DDS, DVM, etc.)

Healthcare Professional (Not Physician / Doctor)

None of the Above

I do believe the best response for a Christian minister is "Professional."

But "White Collar" is mighty tempting.


Photo: Pastor Zip at Zion's celebration of his 55th birthday.

Another Election Day

Today is Primary Election Day in Illinois. I voted just before three o'clock this afternoon, which seems to be my usual time of day. There were five people in the comunity room at Neighborhood House when I walked in, and another person followed me in. The six were all election judges.

This year there is a new form for the voter to sign, and there is a space on it for the one giving the voter his electornic voting code to indicate which voter, in numerical order, this is. So I didn't need to ask, as has been my custom, how many had showed up so far. I was No. 8.

"It's picked up since lunch time," replied one of the judges responded to my comment on it being a slow day. Turns out between the opening of the polls at 6:00 am and Noon two voters had showed up. And one of them was one of the judges.

Well, it's a primary election, the chief offices up for election are Governor and U.S. Senator where any apparent competition for the party nominations (for some, but not all, offices) is on the Republican side, and this precinct is usually quite Democratic when people bother to vote in the general election. Nevertheless, with less than one voter per hour, the contrasts between today's election and the recent one in North Korea are not entirely complimentary to us.

I thanked the judges for their service.

It's a Great Day for a Birthday!

Grandpa Hutchinson would tell of his grandmother who, when acknowledging that she was indeed born in Dublin, would then conclude in her Scottish accent, "But if there's a drop of Irish blood in me, I'll squeeze it oot!"

These are the stockings I wanted to wear today, but I can find only one of them.

Weights and Measures

I still use Mom's recipe (typed, on a 3x5 card) for Tuna Noodle Casserole. It calls for "2 cans (7 oz. each) tuna, well drained."

But when she first gave me this recipe, a can of tuna did not hold 7 oz. My recollection is that it was 6¾ oz. That was about 30 years ago.

A can of tuna has shrunk progressively (Is that right?) in the year since. About a year or so ago I first noticed it was now down to 5 oz. That's so they can still sell it at the grocery store for, when my brand is on sale (Sorry, Charlie, I listen to the mermaid.) , 99¢.

So now I use 3 cans.

It also calls for "1½ c. dairy sour cream (12 oz.)." Alas, a container of sour cream, for which apart from this casserole I have no need for, is 16 oz.

You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and just weight you shall have, a full and just measure you shall have; that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.

- Deuteronomy 25:13-16 RSV

Geoff Edwards: Thanks for the Good Times

Geoff Edwards, the mid-morning DJ on KMPC Los Angeles from 1968-1979, has died.

Apparently I'm at the age where I'm going to hear this more-and-more of those people who I never met or knew but were, nonetheless, part of my every-day life growing up. While the national news is focussing on his game show hosting, the LA Times's obituary hit exactly what popped into my mind when I heard the news this morning on the radio:

On radio, he was a clever talker who sprinkled music and news with homegrown bits like "The Answer Lady." That was simply Edwards answering listeners' questions, often comically, without even pretending to imitate a female voice.

Listeners called 520-8600 (Can you believe I remember the KMPC phone number?), Geoff'd say in his normal voice "Answer Lady," a question was asked (it could be about anything), he toss off a quick one-line answer and immediately push the next button on the phone, saying, "Answer Lady," and doing this bit quick-boom-boom for 3-5 minutes. Alas, you don't hear this kind of radio any more.

Edwards probably received more noteriety for his game show hosting and he was, for many years, the announcer for the California Lottery's The Big Spin. Perhaps the biggest moments of his career was when he was reporting on the events following President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas for KHJ/Mutual, including being at the scene when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald. A good retrospective of his career, including how he came to be in Dallas that day, appears right now on the front page of Don Barrett's LARadio.com, the place to remember over 6000 "LA Radio People".

While I remember him best from KMPC, it turns out Geoff was the morning man at KFI just prior to Lohman and Barkley -- which means I would have listened to him every morning when I first got my own radio for my bedroom. While they were indeed brilliant, Lohman and Barkley didn't do a whole lot for me when I was 9-10 years old, and I switched to KMPC. Of course, with a 9-Noon shift, I only got to hear him in the summertime.

You can listen to an air check of the 11 o'clock hour Geoff Edwards on KMPC from November 13, 1978. The first half,
and the second half,
.
No "Answer Lady" here -- she usually happened during the 10 o'clock hour -- but it's a good taste of the old full service AM radio that, alas, no longer exists. FWIW, it does run a wee bit slow, but that's noticeable mainly if you remember what he sounded like on the air.

Oh, cool!! One of Geoff's most famous radio bits, Mr. Kent calling the dry cleaners to see if his stuff (dropped off earlier by Miss Lane) is ready, appears on his web site.

Besides the Times' obit, there's this from the Hollywood Reporter (hey, local sources are best) and his Facebook page, which has some wonderful photos. I think he enjoyed a good life. I'm glad he was a part of mine. Requiescat in pace.