Today is the three-month anniversary of Odds and Ends! I want to thank each and every one of you for helping to make my first-ever blog successful. I truly enjoy finding crazy stories to share and look forward to hearing your even more offbeat responses. Even though I haven’t met you all, I feel as if I do know you through your comments. One person mentioned that it’s odd how you are able to share some very personal stories with strangers. But doing so has strengthened our bond and I know that many of you who comment have also become friends with each other.

I’ve posted more than 75 stories and received around 3,700 comments since I started O&E on May 9. The other day, our editor told me that my blog received nearly 20,000 hits in July and that Odds and Ends ranked No. 4 for the month. I couldn’t believe it and was so happy to hear that! So thank you so much again for reading and sharing your thoughts!! And together let’s try to claim a higher spot this month!

Any good news you want to share with the O&E ohana? What milestones are you coming upon or anniversaries you’ll soon be celebrating?

To celebrate these happy times, we’re going to play another game! (Sorry, no story today!) As you know, I’m a fan of letters and words. We’ll call this the alphabet game. Rules are simple:
1. Come up with a popular phrase, quote, saying, etc. related to the stated theme.
2. Phrase must start with the letter that follows next in the alphabet.

Example: Theme is celebrations/happy occasions
G= Good job, graduate!
H= Happy birthday!
I= It’s a girl!

First person has to come up with something for the letter A. Watch for a theme change at any time!

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…

—–

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

—–

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!

—–

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.”

—-

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?

The forever battle of losing weight… Maybe it’s so difficult because you eat right, but skimp on exercise. Or you’re like me, I make the effort to go to the gym several times a week but I cheat on doing cardio and am not super strict on my diet!

Hopefully this next story inspires you if you want to shed more than a few pounds. And to think this guy was at McDonald’s every day!

—–

Virginia man sheds 80 pounds eating at McDonald’s
Associated Press

QUINTON, Va. — A Virginia man lost about 80 pounds in six months by eating nearly every meal at McDonald’s. Not Big Macs, french fries and chocolate shakes. Mostly salads, wraps and apple dippers without the caramel sauce.

Chris Coleson tipped the scales at 278 pounds in December. The 5-foot-8 Coleson now weighs 199 pounds and his waist size has dropped from 50 to 36.

The 42-year-old businessman from Quinton says he chose McDonald’s because it’s convenient.

His inspiration came from his two children and from the story of a blind war veteran who rode a tandem bicycle cross-country.

Coleson says his goal is to get back to the 185 pounds he weighed when he married Tricia Summer. Their 10th anniversary is Saturday.

—–

So what are your diet secrets? I say buy those 3-pound bags of lettuce at Costco and eat it for lunch and dinner daily. Spice it up by adding in turkey or chicken and add color with carrots, onions and tomatoes. And then the fat-free dressing and some croutons.

But it’s probably more fun to talk about your guilty pleasures and bad-body foods. I love snacking! Movie popcorn with mochi crunch and an icee. Jamba Juice. Lemon bars. Mint chocolate. Chips and salsa. Pizza. Curly fries. Yum yum…

Oh yeah, I found an old photo of one of my other favorite indulgences.

And on a serious note, can your partner be an inspiration for you to stay healthy? How important do you think weight is in staying attracted to the person you love?

Ahh… how to reward the kids. Finding the perfect incentive could make all the difference in helping them stay on the right track.

I remember earning a little cash and some gifts for good grades. But hey, I guess nothing works better for a teen than a brand-new car…

—–

Student’s perfect attendance gets her new car
Associated Press

CONSTANTINE, Mich. — Andria Baker has pretty much always been present.

From the first day of kindergarten through her last day of high school, Baker somehow made it to school for every day of classes, despite colds and sports injuries. Why? If she kept it up, her father promised her a car.

Baker kept up her end of the bargain, willing herself to go to school on those days when she felt under the weather. She notched her 13th year of uninterrupted classroom attendance with her final day at Constantine High School on Friday.

At a party Sunday, her father, Tim, presented the young woman with the keys to a new, $17,000 Pontiac G6, complete with a “0 DAYS” personalized license plate.

Andria Baker didn’t miss a day of school from kindergarten through her final day of high school in Constantine, Mich., and was rewarded at her graduation party with a new Pontiac G-6 from her father, Tim Baker. (AP Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette, Brett Beier)

“Without a doubt, it was worth every penny I spent,” he said.

The look on his daughter’s face when she saw the car was priceless, Tim Baker said.

“When she turned around after seeing the car, she did not know what to do,” he said. “We got her into the car and she just sat there. Then she ran into the house to get her driver’s license, and she and her best friend got in the car and tooled down the road.”

Andria Baker, 19, said she probably would have gone ahead with her quest for perfect attendance even if a new car had not been promised.

“A lot of my friends thought I was crazy, but I just kept going,” she said.
—–

Obviously she’s not one of those MTV “Sweet 16” spoiled brats. Still, shouldn’t attendance be a given? You could be physically there in class, but not apply yourself. Shouldn’t good work be rewarded instead?

Or the bigger question, should we somehow manage to instill in kids the unquantifiable rewards for excelling in school without materialistic gifts? Why not give them a taste of the real world early on?

But nowadays there are so many vices that can lure teens away from school that maybe a really good incentive might just work.

Do you remember how your parents rewarded you when you were a kid?

Does it matter how fabulous you are at something if no one notices? (I’m not talking about you doing a good job and your boss not noticing!) If you can perform the most amazing trick or do what most would believe is impossible, does it count if it’s not witnessed by another?

Even if you’re engaging in a meaningless stunt that you think the world could care less about, think again!

Records are hit and broken daily (at least in some part of the world!). It sure seems that gas prices hit a new high every other day in Hawaii!

But just like this blog is about true oddball stories that are stranger than fiction, there are people out there looking to do wacky things just to make it into the record books. If you can do anything just a bit better, that could make you a title holder. That is IF you make sure the right people know.

Like the team from Guinness World Record.

There are two men right now awaiting their stamp of approval after shaking hands — for 9.5 hours straight!!

—–

Duo tries to break world handshaking record
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Kevin Whittaker and Cory Jens deserved a hand after their record-setting attempt, but they probably didn’t want to shake it.

The pair sought to set a new world record Monday by shaking hands with one another for 9.5 hours, apparently beating the previous record set by two Germans by a half-hour.

The Guinness Book of World Records still must confirm the feat, one that Whittaker, 31, and Jens, 30, felt pretty confident in achieving.

“I looked up what some of the weakest records were,” Whittaker said. “I’m not going to break the 100-meter dash record, but I thought I could break this record.”

The rules from Guinness appeared easy enough: Handshakers are not required to look each other in the eye or exchange pleasantries; they simply must grip palms and continuously move their hands up and down.

The historic day began at 2:07 p.m. outside the Ferry Building, where the duo endured the discomfort of such issues as sweaty palms, arm cramps and, of course, bathroom breaks. By nightfall, the two decided to continue their quest for greatness at a hotel bar, where they found warmth, comfortable seats and alcoholic beverages.

The effort culminated at 11:38 p.m. with a bottle of bubbly — and some much-needed space.

“It’s not that fun, believe me,” Whittaker said. “I’m a little tired. My shoulder is tired. In fact, it’s extremely painful.”

Information from: San Francisco Chronicle

—–

Though records are beaten frequently, it’s still hard to think of something that hasn’t been attempted. And doing something faster, longer or better is no easy task.

What amazing feat would be great for the record books? Got any special skills worth sharing?

Maybe balancing 16 spoons on your face (one kid balanced 15 for 30 seconds) or lifting a heavy weight just by your ear (can you beat 136 pounds, which dangles from a clamp on your ear?)…

How about breaking a motorcycle speed record blindfolded (speed of 165 mph reached on a Kawasaki Ninja) or buying the most expensive pair of jeans (one sold for $60,000)?

——

(added on 5/29)

Thanks to BananaFish for the humorous write-up of the handshaking event and his mention of the chest bump (which hopefully was a follow-up on my post on the fist bump!). It was the first thing I thought of when I saw this awesome photo of our president doing the chest bump!!

In this combination of photos, President Bush and graduate Theodore Shiveley from Plano, Texas, bump chests at the United States Air Force Academy graduation ceremony on Wednesday in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Associated Press)

Apparently the story behind that photo is that many of the Richardson Air Force Academy graduates asked President Bush to do something unusual for them during the commencement.

Some stashed pens in their socks so he could sign their hats. One even called his parents and asked the president to say hello on a cell phone.

Lt. Theodore Shiveley definitely got the best photo-op though he admitted he was nervous about smacking into the commander-in-chief because he “didn’t want to get shot by the Secret Service for jumping the president.”