Sunday Funnies

A Peanuts comic strip from June, 1960.

I buy the Sunday paper just about every week.  I'd like to say it's for all the valuable "news" that fills the pages, but that would be a lie -- and the topic for another blog post/rant.

Mostly I pick up the newspaper for the sale flyers advertising merchandise I really don't need, but might want to buy. I thumb through most of them then toss the ones promoting items that don't interest me.

I don't even look at the TV Listings.  I generally can't make heads or tails as to what is one when and, with DirecTV, why bother when I have a channel guide at my fingertips?

My paper has the Parade Magazine.  Again, magazine is a very loosely used term for a few sheets of paper with stories that contain the substance of boiled water.

Even the poor Sunday Funnies are lacking the excitement of my youth.

When I was a kid I read Peanuts, Hi and Lois, Dick Tracey, Nancy (and Sluggo), the Lockhorns and many others.  Today's comics lack anything interesting.

Maybe it's my age showing.  Are the Sunday Funnies, not so funny anymore?

You can read all the BareNakedBill Blog posts at: BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

Uncle Bill

There are moments in your life that you may never forget: getting your driver's license, graduating from school, your prom, weddings, births, deaths, vacations... the list is nearly endless.

One of those moments in my life happened 42 years today, April 6. I remember the moment vividly, because I had anticipated it for several months.

Old Polaroids of Uncle Bill and his new niece Gina, April 1970.

I was standing in the hallway outside the door of my third grade classroom, in line to walk to the cafeteria for lunch.  I'm sure I was chatting with my friends when I spotted my mother coming down the hall, smiling from ear to ear.

It knew IT had happened, I could see the joy on her face and I was filled with the excitement as well.

"It's a girl," my mother told me, confirming the birth of my niece, Gina Renee Esch.

I had become, at eight-and-a-half years old, Uncle Bill.

And I was a proud uncle as well as I passed out bubble gum cigars to my classmates later that day.

Of course, over the years, that excitement has been repeated as more nieces and nephews and now great-nieces and nephews are born.

I feel blessed to be... Uncle Bill.

Check out all of the BareNakedBill Blog posts at: http://barenakedbill.blogspot.com/

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Today is the home opener for our beloved Detroit Tigers!

Ah, nothing says SPRING like the crack of a bat when it hit a baseball at the Opening Day game. Whether your at the game, which will be standing room only today, or watching it on the TV, you just feel the excitement in the air.

Sadly, I'm a bit of a fair-weather fan.

I'm not one of the FANatics who has to listen to / watch / attend each and every game.  No, I just follow the team and listen to others as they talk about the standings and the great game I missed.

That's not to say I don't enjoy baseball -- and I do LOVE the Tigers.  Seriously, what true Michigander doesn't love the Tigers?

If I'm lucky, I'll get to Comerica Park for a game or two during the season. But even as much fun as that can be, I always dread the drive home and miss the play-by-play and the replays of the action on the field.

I miss George Kell and Ernie Harwell too, they were the familiar voices of the Tigers when I was a kid.

Fair-weather fan or total Tiger Fanatic, it's Spring and the 'Boys of Summer' have started their season.

And whether I'm there in body or spirit, you can take me out to the ball game.

Read all the BareNakedBill Blog posts at: BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

Resistance is Futile

When I don't want to do something... I drag my feet.  I think we all do that from time to time.

Sometimes the foot dragging turns into digging in my heels. Ignoring the "problem" won't make it go away.

Today is THE day.  April 4 is the deadline for TIMELINE.

Facebook is forcing me to launch my Timeline profile page today.  Gawd I hate Facebook.

I didn't totally ignore the change.  Late last week I created a "cover photo" so I looked like I cared about my Facebook account. But I didn't push the publish now button.  Facebook is going to be the bad guy on this one.

To be honest, I don't really give a rip... a small tear maybe, but not a rip.

Many of you read my blog off the link I post there everyday, so you know what my Timeline looks like.  If you come to the blog from somewhere else, you can checkout my Facebook Timeline at: https://www.facebook.com/eschbill.

Read all the BareNakeBill blog posts at: BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

Tuesday Tally: 10 Facts about Easter

Ten Facts about Easter

Fact 1: Over 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year.

Fact 2: 600 million eggs are usually sold in USA during the months of March and April.

Fact 3: After Halloween, Easter is the biggest candy consuming holiday.

Fact 4: The first chocolate eggs were made in Germany in the 19th century

Fact 5: Americans consume more than 16 billion jellybeans at Easter,

Fact 6: The first Easter baskets were made to imitate bird nests

Fact 7: 76 % eat the ears on chocolate bunnies first.

Fact 8: Solving murder mysteries is very popular in Norway during Easter.

Fact 9: The world’s largest jar of jelly beans weighed 2744 kilograms.

Fact 10: The traditional act of painting eggs is called Pysanka.

Read all the BareNakedBill blog posts at: BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

The B-I-B-L-E

The B-I-B-L-E, yeah that's the book for me
I stand alone on the word of God
The B-I-B-L-E.

That's a song I learned years ago in Sunday school.  It seems like there are other verses, but this chorus is what I can still recall.

It came to my mind the other day as I was online shopping at Amazon.com.

I'm looking for a Bible, New International Version (NIV).  Shouldn't too difficult right?

WRONG!  I want it for my Kindle Fire.

I got a chuckle out of reading the reviews from customers who had previously purchased one or more of the several options available.

"Not worth the price ($19.95); Difficult to read; Not what I expected."

I was dumbfounded.  Then I saw a review that said, "I think the previous reviewers had the same experience as mine. The layout and ability to navigate are difficult and not what was expected.  It may not be worth the price you pay."

Oh, so they're not reviewing the content like the latest Twilight novel!  Whew.  That's a relief.

Hopefully I can find a Kindle-Copy that will work for me. Then I can sing:

The digital B-I-B-L-E, yeah that's the ebook for me
I stand alone on the word of God
The digital B-I-B-L-E.

Read all of the BareNakedBill blog posts at: barenakedbill.blogspot.com

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, when Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. For many Christian churches, Palm Sunday, often referred to as "Passion Sunday," marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday.

The event is recorded in all four Gospels. (Mark 11:1–11, Matthew 21:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19).

The Bible reveals that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted him by waving palm branches and covering his path with palm branches. Immediately following this great time of celebration in the ministry of Jesus, he begins his journey to the cross. 

Laying palm branches before someone on a path was considered one of the highest honors. The donkey, according to Eastern tradition, is consider an an animal of peace.

Imagine yourself standing among the crowds cheering, singing and waving the palm branches for Jesus, before his death and resurrection, not knowing what fate was ahead for him.

The glory of the Holy Week's events are truly miraculous.

You can read all the BareNakedBill blog postings at: BareNakedBill.blogspot.com.