Tag Archives: Osama bin Laden

My TiVo Hates Me

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Late last night, while I was typing away at my computer, and Henry, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, lay cozily napping on my bed, I heard a voice whisper loudly,

“Hey, Monica!”

I looked up. No one was there. I resumed typing.

“Psst. Monica. Over HERE!”

Again I turn around. Henry opened one eye.

“Henry, was that you?” I asked.

He shook his head and fell back asleep.

“Psst, behind you!”

Looking around the other way, I noticed the sound was coming from the vicinity of the TV.

“TiVo? What are you doing on at this hour? I haven’t watched you in days!”

“Days? More like weeks. I’m getting overloaded here. I’m going to pop a cable if you don’t start watching your shows soon. I can’t keep saving everything, you know. Something’s gotta give if you’re not going to watch, and I’m afraid it’s going to be me.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” I respond. “Cut me some slack. I’ve just been so busy with my writing.”

“How do you think I feel? You used to love me and watch me all the time! Now, you only have eyes for that thing.” TiVo shrugs and aims it remote at my computer.

“One of these days I’ll get to you.”

“One of these days? How about now? Parks and Recreation isn’t going to stay around forever, and besides, don’t you want to know if Leslie Knope wins the election? And, Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but not that cold.”

“And what about me?” came another voice from within the TiVo box.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s Brian Williams,” TiVo responds.  “He’s getting a chip on his shoulder and is feeling snubbed. Wolf Blitzer isn’t too happy either, and, believe me, you don’t want to get him mad. I’m running out of excuses for you.”

“What do you mean? What have you been telling them?”

“First I told them that you were on vacation.”

“Where did you say I went?”

“Atlantic City. I loved that show, Boardwalk Empire.”

“TiVo, what did you say I was doing there? Going on some sort of Prohibition run?”

“Hmm…I hadn’t thought of that. Well, after a while they stopped believing it, so I said you were being held in North Korea where you were being forced to serve as a propaganda mouthpiece for Kim Jong-Il.”

“Did you get that idea from a 30 Rock episode in which Jack’s wife, Avery, was kidnapped and being held by the government?”

“Well, maybe. That’s on your season pass, is it not?”

“Touché. Anyway, TiVo, have you gotten around to telling them the truth? That I’m busy with my writing?”

“No, I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. I might have said that you went off to Afghanistan and were hunting for Osama Bin Laden.

“TiVo, the Navy Seals got him a year ago.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. Remember you made me record that CNN coverage? You never did watch, but I did.”

“That’s because I ended up getting all my information from Twitter.”

“There you go again. Always with the computer or social media.”

“So, TiVo, what excuse are you giving them these days?”

“That you left for Antarctica to save the polar bears from extinction.”

“What??”

“Yeah, I saw that on an episode of National Geographic.”

“TiVo, for crying out loud! Look, I’m on deadline. I’ve got to get back to my writing.”

“Sure, be that way.”

“I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Okay, but no guarantees as to what you’ll find on your “Now Playing” list when you do return. I may just start recording my own recommendations and deleting yours.”

“So, how can I make it up to you?”

“Start watching and ease my load! Oh, and you can tell that dog of yours not to stare at me whenever I’m talking. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

“Henry? He doesn’t stare at you.”

“He does whenever he sees a dog in a commercial. Then he barks like a coyote at a full moon.”

“Ignore it. Just, go back and tell Brian, Wolf and all the others, the truth about why I haven’t been watching.”

“I think I’ll tell them you’ve just left for Spain to run with the bulls.”

“Excuse me, TiVo? What show did you see that on?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Goodnight, TiVo.”

“Chaio, bella.”

“Let me guess. Roman Holiday on TCM?”

“No, Lady and the Tramp on in-demand.”

So tell me, readers, do you have a DVR that’s overloaded and giving you grief? How do you manage your television viewing?

Are You as Trademark Savvy as Disney?

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Kudos to Disney for having the savoir-faire—and the wherewithal—to trademark “SEAL Team 6.”  Yes, while the rest of us were wondering if Osama Bin Laden was really dead and whether we needed to see a photo of him, gun shot wound and all, in order to believe it, everyone’s favorite mouse, Mickey, was quietly meeting with lawyers, and drawing up the proper papers to trademark the two little words and the one number comprising the stealth band of men that brought down Bin Laden. Which is why, from here on, they will be known as Disney’s SEAL Team 6! Coming to an amusement park near you! Well played, Mickey, well played.

Mickey, the Wizard of Trademarks!

Why did Disney do this? Shrewd business sense, if you ask me. Because now, if anyone wants to make a movie, create a video game, or merchandise anything relating to the SEAL Team 6, they’ll first have to answer to Disney.

Which gives me an idea, why leave the trademarking business to a mouse, when we can do it, too? So I’m getting The Donald to help me.  That’s Donald as in Duck (not Trump, for goodness sakes!).

The duck and I are going to start pouring through mass media and trademark every key word we see—anything that is remotely making news.  I’m savvy enough to know that such words–like Charlie Sheen’s “Winning”–are sure to look ultra cool on a t-shirt, a bumper sticker or adapted into a movie.  We’re going to pour through such bastions of journalistic integrity, as my latest issues of People magazine and Entertainment Weekly, as well as Archie Comics. Ok, maybe this last one won’t help a bit, but, what the heck, I have a weakness for Archie, Betty and Veronica. (My pal, Ruby knows what I’m talking about.).  Here are a few of the terms I already know I’m going to trademark:

The Newlyweds:  Last month, we had the royal wedding. This month, Reese Witherspoon and Blake Shelton tied the knot, though not to each other. So it seems that just about every day another prominent figure is getting hitched which means, inevitably, the word newlywed will appear on some Internet site. Trademark? Check!

Splitsville:  With so many weddings, come the separations—after the honeymoon is over, that is. Seems every week another celeb couple announces they’re splitting up and I’m going to be ready when they do. They’ll have to see me first before getting the green light to use this term.

Green light:  Everyone in Hollywood green lights something at some point.  They’ll have to pay me a residual each time they do! Green light away, my friends!

Jail, bail, DUI, probation:  Lindsay Lohan, Mickey Rourke, and Rick Springfield—look out! You are going to owe me so much money next time!

Defining Moment:  The media love to talk about defining moments, especially when it comes to the office of the president.  Did Monica Lewinsky prove to be a defining moment for President Clinton? Was Hurricane Katrina a defining moment for President Bush?  Was the BP oil spill a defining moment for President Obama?  Every time there’s a new crisis, it is inevitably considered to be a defining moment and, frankly, there’s been too many defining moments. So many that I think it has lost its meaning.  But who cares? I’ll trademark it, anyway!

No-hitter:  Just in time for baseball season. I’m not a fan by any means, but I’ve heard this term before and I expect it’ll be used again. So, who’s ready to hit a no-hitter this season?

Princess Beatrice’s Fascinator: The wedding may long be over, but folks haven’t stopped talking about this incredibly provocative hat and I’m going to be all set for when the movie is made! Let the merchandising begin!

According to the Huffington Post, Disney’s application for the SEAL Team 6 trademark covers everything from entertainment and education services, to toys and games to clothing.  Imagine all the possibilities, then, when I trademark Princess Beatrice’s Fascinator, which already looks like a toy and can most assuredly be turned into a fascinating purse or a divine pair of shoes.  Envision, if you can, when Defining Moment is plastered on a pair of boxer shorts. The applications are endless!  Soon enough, I’ll be reaping in the rewards of my trademark know-how!

So, ask yourself this: Are you as trademark savvy as Disney?  If so, what’ll you trademark?  After all, we can’t let the Mouse have all the fun.

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Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

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I’ve figured out a way to get more traffic to my blog.  Turns out it’s all in the search engine terms. Paul, my award-winning blogger pal of The Good Greatsby fame, gave me the idea.

Here’s all I need to do to make this happen. Write a post, chock full of popular search engine terms, and the visitors will flock in.  They won’t even know what hit them! They’ll be perusing my blog in search of the information they just need to have and, before you know it, they’ll be so intrigued by what I’ve written, they’ll forget all about their search.  It’s that simple!

So forgive me, if this post doesn’t make any sense, but I have to ask, what’s the worst that can happen? I’ll be like Lindsay Lohan and the judge will send me to jail? No way. Or maybe I’ll get assassinated like Gadafi’s son just did?  Fat chance. You know people will be going crazy wanting to know more and that will lead them to me!

Which reminds me, why is Trump cursing these days on his pseudo-presidential stump?  Did you hear him the other night? He dropped one heckuva curse bomb, if you ask me. Maybe he was thinking, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Guess he forgot it was being recorded just like everything else is nowadays.

Anyway, has The Donald given up on the whole birther strategy? I mean, come on, just because President Obama, finally released the long form of his birth certificate (which is actually shorter than the short form, according to the talented Comedy Channel host, Stephen Colbert), I’m sure this conversation isn’t over. So, by all means, Mr. Trump, keep the investigation going! I know you and your Trump hair will get to the bottom of this birth thing.  It’s the only way to keep the media interested in your fake run for the presidency. Remember, the 2012 elections are just around the corner.

Of course the biggest news of the week trumps anything Trump is talking about. I’m talking about the fate of Osama bin Laden. And how about them Navy Seals? Thank goodness they didn’t ask me to help because there’s no way I could have kept that a secret for so long. Those Seals are like Nancy Drew. She, too, knew how to keep a secret.

As the president said during his speech Sunday night, “Justice is served.”  Amen, to that. Though it’s worth noting that if you visited Sarah Palin’s Facebook page Sunday night, when the news broke, you would have seen how her page was abuzz with her fan base thanking the president. President Bush, that is.

Trending: Royal Wedding couple and one miserable flower girl.

Oh, this is so much fun! It’s making me think of all the current events I know.  It’s making me wonder whether Kate and Wills went to the Bahamas or Bahrain for their royal honeymoon. Who knows? And who really cares? I mean, aside from Elton John and the Beckham’s, that is.

Wherever the royal newlyweds are, I bet they haven’t yet heard the rumors about the Apple iPhone 6. Yep, you heard me right. The iPhone 6 is all the buzz, despite the iPhone 5 having yet to be released. It’s the iPhone 6 that is trending on Twitter.  I’m still on the iPhone 3 and was planning to replace it with the 5, but now I better wait until next year for the 6.  Or should I wait for the iPhone 7? I like to be on the cutting edge, after all. Don’t you just love Google?

Rick Springfield, trending on Google after his arrest for a DUI on same weekend of killing of Osama.

Visitors to my blog have already been finding my Tangled Web by using Google’s search engines.  Here are some of the search words that have brought them my way. Some make sense, as they relate to posts I’ve written.  Others, well, see for yourself:

Clowns

Boardwalk empire sets

Fake family history

Colin Firth pride and prejudice

Henry Ford’s siblings

Rocky Balboa stairs

Tangled Chargers

Grumpy sweatpants (What’s this about? Have they seen what I wear on the weekend?)

Screaming fans in the stands for Cincinnati Bengals

Mexican fugitives (huh?)

Tangled hidden Mickey

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel always sleep

Watching a murder outside window (What the–?)

So I’m pretty sure I’ve thrown in everything but the kitchen sink into this post. Now, I think I’ll just sit back, relax and rest on my laurels, as I watch my WordPress site statistics skyrocket from visits by all those lost souls searching for information on Google. And all I can say is, Gentlemen, start your search engines!

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