Wow, it’s almost Friday already! Thanks to all of you, I’ve been having a fun week. And did you notice that O&E friends are now able to keep up to date on what their blog-commenting colleagues are doing? I do hope you are all getting your real work done while also trying to come up with food entries and song titles. Never would have thought these word games would be so popular. So thanks again to Uncle Rodney for the bright idea!
But, speaking of work, consider the following story about a customer with bad body odor. If you were the manager of that company, how would you deal?
440-pound man upset over stink treatment at casino Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Yes, Michael Wax stunk. He’s the first to admit it. The 440-pound Brooklyn man said he was playing poker in an Atlantic City casino for 17 hours Tuesday and didn’t have time to clean up. He understands why grossed-out gamblers complained about his body odor, but said he didn’t deserve stinky treatment from the casino that asked him to leave.
Dave Coskey, a spokesman for the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, said it is company policy not to comment on matters involving their customers.
Wax said he told casino officials: “There’s no question I stink. I’m not denying it. I do have an odor. I’ve been playing for 17 hours.”
The 54-year-old limousine company owner, who says he is a frequent gambler at the Borgata, said a poker room manager followed him into the restroom and informed him that patrons at his table were complaining about his body odor.
When he tried to re-take his seat at the table, he said a manager told him he couldn’t play anymore and to leave. He said he asked for a free room to freshen up, and the casino refused.
He promptly filed a complaint about his treatment with the Casino Control Commission. His complaint will be reviewed to determine whether any state gambling laws or regulations were violated, a commission spokesman said Wednesday.
Wax said his instincts tell him to find a different casino to patronize, but he likes gambling at the Borgata. He said the casino was out of line to tell him he stinks in front of other patrons.
“I would like an apology,” Wax said.
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Does your company have any policy on offensive body odor? Any other pet peeves about your co-workers (or your bosses)?
In terms of those obnoxious and stereotypical co-workers, anyone seen this photo strip before? Do you fit any of these labels? Or is there an office title better suited for you?
The wedding is probably considered a woman’s BIG DAY. The proposal — probably one of the bigger moments in a man’s life. People always want to hear the story of how he proposed. Well, not to add more pressure on guys in the romance department, but here’s one proposal that perhaps you can tweak to make your own.
According to UPI, a man from Melton Mowbray, England, said he proposed to his girlfriend by plowing his proposal into a cornfield and flying her overhead:
Robert Szabo, 27, said he plowed the words “Sarah Marry Me” inside of a giant circle in a cornfield and then had a pilot take him for a flight over the cornfield with his intended, The Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
“The pilot flew the plane past the field and pointed it out,” Szabo said. “Sarah was overwhelmed, absolutely gob smacked. A few tears were shed but she said ‘yes’ straight away.”
Szabo’s now-fiancee, Sarah Garside, said: “It was the greatest day of my life — the most romantic thing anyone has ever done. I had to read it a few times before it sunk in.”
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And for those planning a wedding and curious on some of the unique ways to exchange vows, here’s what one Oregon couple did:
Here comes the bride, glub glub, glub… Associated Press
SELMA, Ore. — The bride wore a white veil, a red garter and black neoprene. The groom, too, was in diving gear, set off by a red bow tie. When the pastor pronounced them man and wife, Brian Wilson and Christina Gunn took off their breathing gear and exchanged a kiss 20 feet under the surface of the Illinois River in Southern Oregon.
The underwater ceremony was performed last week, the Grants Pass Daily Courier reported.
The vows were written in pencil on a white slate, which were displayed for Pastor Jim Bard, also a diver.
“He asked us if we did, we held up our cards that say, ‘I do,’ he pronounced us man and wife, then we took off our regulators and we kissed,” said Gunn. “I cried.”
Wilson is a former captain of the Josephine County swiftwater dive team who said, “I darn near cried, too.”
Gunn picked up the sport after meeting him.
They chose their wedding spot, under a bridge, for romantic reasons.
“That was the first place we dived together,” said Wilson. “We’re both previously married with kids, and we were thinking, ‘Why do we want to have a traditional wedding? Let’s do something unique and cool.’ ”
A small group of family members gathered on the riverbank.
“It’s really different, I’ll tell you,” said Gunn’s grandmother, Genevieve Eppele, who scrambled down the rocks with her husband of 63 years, Fred.
“I told her, ‘Can’t you get married like normal people?’ ” said Gunn’s mother, Gail Stading.
For the benefit of family members, the couple afterward repeated their vows on dry land.
Information from: Daily Courier, www.thedailycourier.com
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So was your proposal high on the romance factor? Do you remember exchanging vows in a nontraditional setting?
Anyone have suggestions on what makes a memorable proposal?
Hawaii weddings seem to be much different from those held on the Mainland. What ODD (or maybe unique or different) rituals or customs have you seen?
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Though our food word game has been going strong, we’re starting to see a lot of the same words. So we’re starting a new game, with Uncle Rodney’s blessing of course. In keeping with this love and wedding theme, we’ll name songs that have at least one word in common. There is only one rule: Name a song that has ONE same word as the entry before you.
Example:
“LOVE and Honesty” = “I’ll Always LOVE You”
“I’ll ALWAYS Love You” = “ALWAYS Be My Baby”
Makeup for men? We’re not talking about on Halloween or for performance purposes, but everyday use. I guess men can be just as obsessed with their appearance, and there’s nothing wrong with that… Not sure if this is just a marketing scheme or not, but couldn’t guys just use women’s makeup? Read more about the new line of guys’ makeup from Superdrug, as reported on UPI:
LONDON — British high-end retailer Superdrug has announced a line of makeup geared exclusively toward men — a line that includes “Guy-liner” and “Manscara.”
Jeff Wemyss, director of trading for Superdrug, said the Taxi Man line of male-oriented cosmetics is not exclusively for those looking to make their appearance more feminine, the Daily Mail reported Monday.
“These days you can be macho and wear makeup,” he said. “If you look at people like Russell Brand and Robbie Williams, they both wear makeup and they are both very red-blooded men. Men are more obsessed with their appearance than ever before. There is no longer any pain in being seen to be vain.”
Wemyss said Guy-liner and Manscara would be joined in the line later in the summer by a machismo-powered lip balm and a manly concealer.
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Guys: Would you be comfortable wearing makeup should this trend take hold in the U.S.?
Girls: How do you feel about men wearing makeup?
Personally, I think guys look great as they are — in their natural state. I’m envious on how they can wake up and literally be out the door in five minutes if need be and still look good.
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Thank you all again for your food submissions in our little word game. It was mentioned how sometimes a not-so-appetizing-looking food actually tastes really good and vice versa.
So, would you try this “Surging Eel” drink now hitting stores in Japan?
Eeww (or ooh)… an eel drink! Associated Press
TOKYO —It’s the hottest season of the year in Japan, and that means it’s eel season. So, bottom’s up!
A canned drink called “Unagi Nobori,” or “Surging Eel,” made by Japan Tobacco Inc., hit the nation’s stores this month just ahead of Japan’s annual eel-eating season, company spokesman Kazunori Hayashi said Monday.
“It’s mainly for men who are exhausted by the summer’s heat,” Hayashi said of the beverage, believed to be the first mass-produced eel drink in Japan.
Many Japanese believe eating eel boosts stamina in hot weather.
The fizzy, yellow-colored drink contains extracts from the head and bones of eel and five vitamins - A, B1, B2, D and E - contained in the fish.
The Japanese particularly like to eat eel on traditional eel days, which fall on July 24 and Aug. 5 this year.
A Japanese chef uses a fan to prepare grilled eels at a restaurant specializing in eels in this central Japanese city of Nagoya. The restaurant, which handles only home-grown eels, was crowded with customers who want to beat the summer heat with grilled eels. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)
Demand for eel is so high that Japan has been hit by scores of eel fraud cases, including a recent high-profile incident in which a government ministry publicly scolded two companies for mislabeling eel imported from China as being domestically grown.
The eel involved in recent scandals was prepared in a popular “kaba-yaki” style, in which it is broiled and covered with a sweet sauce. The $1.30 drink costs about one-tenth as much as broiled eel, but has a similar flavor.
Eel extract is also used in cookies and pies made in Japan’s biggest eel-producing town, Hamamatsu.
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Any food dishes you don’t want to try just by the looks of it? Any “gross”-looking food you tried that actually tastes really good? What’s the ODDEST food you ever ate?
And entries still taken for those who want to keep playing our food word game.
Sometimes you can get away with pouring Drano down your sink to clear those clogs. But if not, the only other option for me is to call a plumber. (And why are the prices so outrageous?)
Well, I remember talking story with a plumber who came to my apartment last year to fix my bathroom sink. A bit off topic here, but are you supposed to keep the worker “company” while they do the job? I figured it would be weird to watch TV or busy myself doing something else and it’s probably better to keep an eye on the guy. Plus, talking to him about the drainage problem might help me “learn” more about the situation and what not to do in the future. Not that I would ever attempt to fiddle with the pipes to fix the problem myself…
Back to the story. So this plumber was telling me about all the ODD things he has found in people’s tub drains. Jewelry, gadgets and even underwear! I couldn’t get over the underwear recovery! How do you lose your panties in the tub when usually you shower without them??
Well, this next real-life story found something even more incredible within the pipes…
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Plumbing service rescues kitty from drainage pipe Associated Press
BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — It was Roto-Rooter to the rescue for an unlucky black kitten that got stuck in an outdoor drainage pipe near Cleveland.
The plumbing and drain service was called in Friday by workers at an Ohio firm. Someone spotted the kitten down an outside pipe, but other agencies either declined to help or didn’t answer their phones.
Enter Roto-Rooter.
A crew used a drain snake equipped with a remote camera to keep the scared kitty in its sights. It took six hours to rescue the cat.
The kitten was examined by a vet and then taken home by Larry Ozanick, one of the rescuers.
He says he plans to name the kitten “Roto.”
Information from: WKYC-TV, www.wkyc.com
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So what items have you lost in a drain? Did you ever recover them?
I wear disposable contact lens and on several occasions I lost them in the sink. I didn’t stick my fingers down the drain trying to find them even though these things are not cheap!
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And here’s another story of an incredible find, this one reported on UPI:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas — A 9-year-old Texas boy said he was simply walking along a path at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas when he found a 2.75 carat diamond.
Matthew Smith of University Park, Texas, was at the park with his family when the shiny stone caught his eye, the Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.
The boy’s mother, Suzanne Smith, said she thought the stone was just a rock when her son stumbled across it. She said her son learned the stone was a 2.75-carat diamond when they had it examined.
“We were in shock. His mouth dropped open,” Suzanne Smith said.
The lucky fourth-grader said he and his parents haven’t agreed on how to handle the finding.
“I’m thinking I’ll keep it,” he said. “My dad, he’s a stockbroker, and he wants me to sell it and get stocks.”
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What was one of the best finds in your life, whether materialistic or something of a more valuable nature? A collector’s item or maybe an important family document? An animal in need of help or perhaps your soulmate?
Did anyone “catch” that story on those new fish pedicures that may be gaining popularity in the U.S.? Would you be brave enough to let 100 toothless fish swarm around your toes?
I definitely would NOT do that. Yes, among my many bug and insect fears, I also am not a fan of getting up close with fish. That’s why I rarely swim in the open ocean (who knows what kind of fish I might blindly bump into?) and instead stick to the lagoon at Magic Island, which someone once told me is quite dirty since the water doesn’t circulate as much (hmm, dirty water vs. getting bit by a fish?)…
Well, if you have no fish fears and want something new in terms of a spa treatment, hop on a plane and head to Virginia, where one salon is said to be the first in the country to be offering the service…
Salon takes the plunge with fish pedicures to rid human feet of scaly skin By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.
Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.
“This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet,” Ho said.
He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they’re sanitary.
Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.
But Ho doubted they would thrive in the warm water needed for a comfortable footbath. And he didn’t know if customers would like the idea.
“I know people were a little intimidated at first,” Ho said. “But I just said, ‘Let’s give it a shot.’ ”
The feeling is ticklish, customers say. (Associated Press photo)
Customers were quickly hooked.
Tracy Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., heard about it on a local radio show. She said it was “the best pedicure I ever had” and has spread the word to friends and co-workers.
“I’d been an athlete all my life, so I’ve always had calluses on my feet. This was the first time somebody got rid of my calluses completely,” she said.
First time customer KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, described the tingling sensation created by the toothless fish: “It kind of feels like your foot’s asleep,” she said.
The fish don’t do the job alone. After 15 to 30 minutes in the tank, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the doctor fish leave behind.
Ho believes his is the only salon in the country to offer the treatment, which costs $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more than 1,000 fish, with about 100 in each individual pedicure tank at any given time.
Dennis Arnold, a podiatrist who four years ago established the International Pedicure Association, said he had never heard of the treatment and doubts it will become widespread.
“I think most people would be afraid of it,” he said.
Customer Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., admitted she was nervous as she prepared for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed to her toes.
“It’s a little ticklish, actually,” she said.
Ho said the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn’t support much plant or aquatic life, so they learned to feed on whatever food sources were available — including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin alone because, without teeth, they can’t bite it off.
In addition to offering pedicures, Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments.
Ho spent a year and about $40,000 getting the pedicures up and running, with a few hiccups along the way.
State regulations make no provision for regulating fish pedicures. But the county health department — which does regulate pools — required the salon to switch from a shallow, tiled communal pool that served as many as eight people to individual tanks in which the water is changed for each customer.
The communal pool also presented its own problem: At times the fish would flock to the feet of an individual with a surplus of dead skin, leaving others with a dearth of fish.
“It would sometimes be embarrassing for them but it was also really hilarious,” Ho said.
So it seems that word games are in! Thanks to MLC guy who started the trend and to Braddah Lance for trying to further test it out. Now it’s O&E’s turn! Since it’s our first time together, I won’t limit your entries to ODD words. But I do have a couple rules that will make the game a bit more challenging than the other guys’.
In keeping with the theme of that fish story above, we’re playing a food game. (Yeah, I know, that’s not exactly the kind of fish you think of when you think of food, but anyways…) Rules are simple:
1. Every entry must be a food item.
2. Your word must start with the last letter of the word from the previous entry.
