President Bush: Sole Man

President George W. Bush made a surprise, farewell visit to Iraq over the weekend, meeting with the Iraqi Premier a final time before the Bush Presidency concludes.

Apparently, some of the international media thought Mr. Bush was on a scouting trip for his former ball club, the Texas Rangers, because one television journalist hurled his shoes at Mr. Bush during a press event in Baghdad.

Did you see footage of this?
The President ducks the first shoe, and thinks it’s a joke, by the expression on his face. Then the second shoe comes sailing out of the press gallery, and Mr. Bush ducks again, and he’s got this silly grin on his face, as if he’s not believing what’s happening…and thinking, "this moron reporter isn’t any better shot with a shoe than that at this range…?"

I see myriad opportunities from this for the President following the end of his term. If Bill Clinton was able to cash in on his, uh, diplomatic prowess following his presidency, just imagine the marketing possibilities for Mr. Bush with companies like Nike—"Just duck it"—or becoming the new spokesperson for Timberland, who’s slogan is “don’t wear it, use it.”

For Bostonian: “Duck again” has a few possibilities, too.

Zivas’ slogan now has new meaning.
I would imagine they would want to use footage of the shoe tossing to their advantage, as “the finest footwear for the active lifestyle,” although I doubt they ever thought it would apply to actively using their footwear as projectiles.

New Balance had a slogan a while back that could be tweaked entertainingly by this event. The tag line, “There are two motivations in sports. Which is yours? For Love or Money?” might be written about the two motivations in covering the news in the Middle East by slanted journalists: "Which is yours? Being on target or off?”

Still, the most appropriate shoe slogan that could have been applied in this incident belongs to Merrill Shoes, a maker of casual and outdoor footwear.
I think Mr. Bush should have walked over to the shoe-flinging flack, picked him up by the scruff of his neck, and simply said, “Let’s get outside.”

Merry Stinking Holidays

For Thanksgiving, I spent the entire day on the couch, huddled beneath a blanket, and comforted by the two canines in the house, Dazzle and Sophie. A raucous head cold pre-empted any plans for gastronomic festivities, and I sent the rest of the family over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house for the day.

One week later, I was healed.
Sort of.

This past weekend, I was afflicted by a viral infestation of another origin--and another target on my anatomy. The good news is, I suppose, that by suffering through this weekend, perhaps I will be well and whole and able to enjoy Christmas with my family without feeling like a dog (sorry, pups!)

Remember the TV Public Service ads warning against drug use:
"This is your brain...this is your brain on drugs" they intoned.

I think I found a corollary in my anti-nausea, anti-diarrheal induced stupor this weekend:

This is your toilet.

This is your toilet when you're really not feeling too swift.

Always follow label directions!

Days of Future Passed: Behind the Scenes at The Nifty 650

If you find yourself getting a little nostalgic at this time of year, that's okay. It's a time for reflection and remembering the things that really matter in life.

On clear Winter afternoons like we had today, I like to drive past the house I grew up in, and reminisce just a bit. Sometimes I'll meander from that house to the second house I ever lived in, and the one from which I moved away from home for the first time.

Music can send me into one of those reveries, too.
One of my favorite albums is The Moody Blues' "Days of Future Passed," a rock symphony that chronicles a day in the life of...you fill in the blank.

I love the lush production of that album, recorded with the London Festival Orchestra. It begins and ends with the reverberation of a concert gong, with the dawning of a new day, and ends with the classic "Nights in White Satin." The poems at the beginning and end of the album, "Morning Glory" and "Late Lament," were written by drummer Graeme Edge, and remain among my favorite pieces of modern literature.

I was humming pieces of this album today as I went through my morning routine. The sunrise from the 19th floor of our building was spectacular.

I never know what the day is going to bring in the way of surprises. We plan the show somewhat methodically, knowing who the guests will be. But you never know what quirk of chemistry is going to occur, what catalyst will create an explosion of instant creativity.

Our guests this morning included SaltyThomason and David Boswell from Pella Windows. We've taken to calling Salty the Pella Fella, and Michael Landry has threatened in the past to create a line of Pella-monogramed sportswear.

Today he walked into the studio proudly wearing a pair of black Pella boxers.

Talk about your morning glory.
I suppose it's a good thing Salty hadn't brought along a Pella attorney as a guest, or Michael might have been inspired to create monogrammed briefs.

No sooner is one show completed, than the work begins on the next day's line-up.

Tomorrow (Friday) morning, along with our regular cast of players, Mark Jeffrey and Pamela Griffin, our special guests will include U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) with a peek at the Automotive Bailout Bill, and insight into the next edition of Congress that will be sworn in next month.

Also slated to appear tomorrow will be comedienne Anjelah Johnson, who is performing this weekend at The Improv, and our Friday morning featured entertainment guide from Kelly Kelly from Hot Hits 95.7fm.

See you in the morning on the Radio.