Four-and-a-half months left until Christmas! In a couple of months, you’ll start seeing Christmas decorations and holiday sales! Ever notice how Christmas stuff is out before Halloween is even over? I guess it’s a marketing scheme to get us to buy more.

Speaking of which, I actually got a telemarketer call (even though I am on the do-not-call list) the other night. A guy wanted to know if I was interested in buying a Christmas wreath as part of his organization’s holiday drive!! Just a heads up in case you get the same call… I told him I wasn’t even thinking about Christmas yet when he asked if I knew of anyone else who might want a wreath. Long story short, he said he’d gladly call back when it gets closer to the holidays…

Well, Christmas is more associated with gifts than it is decorations (if you consider what folks tend to get stressed out about). Some people like to get an early start, others shop year round and store their gifts until the appropriate occasion and many even wait till the day before to find their loved ones a gift.

Finding the perfect gift is hard, but it doesn’t take a genius to know not to send certain kind of gifts. Like maybe a pig’s head. Yup, according to a story on UPI, that’s what one man did and now he’s in trouble with the law:

LONDON — A London court has found a man guilty of sending a pig’s head disguised as a birthday present to his ex-girlfriend’s sister-in-law.

The Kingston Crown Court jury found Martin Anderson, 44, guilty of masterminding a hate campaign against Kim Teague that left the woman fearing violence, The Sun reported Monday.

Judge Stephen Bellamy set sentencing for Sept. 5.

“Obviously all options as to sentencing will be kept open,” he told Anderson after the guilty verdict was announced.

Teague had told the court she received a gift-wrapped package that contained the severed head of a pig with the letters “RIP” written on its forehead. She said she also received anonymous phone calls from someone who made pig noises over the line.

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So ruling out gifts that could be considered a “hate campaign,” what were some of the best gag gifts you ever gave or have received?

In terms of those “junk Christmas gifts that your grandmother gave you,” care to share what any of those were? What about some ODD gifts — perhaps a gift that maybe wasn’t meant for you in the first place?

Do you regift, return when possible or just give away to charity if you don’t like the gift? Ever tell a person that you didn’t like it?

Who is the hardest person to shop for in your life?

Book smart vs. street smarts — the age-old debate on which is more important. Could you say you lean toward one over the other? Couples often balance each other out when one is stronger academically and the other ranks high in common sense. Though I’m sure that partnership doesn’t come without a lot of arguments!

But what if you’re like this one grandmother, who apparently seems to have neither?

Grandma arrested for driving with child on roof
Associated Press

MARATHON, Fla. — Authorities say a grandmother was arrested for driving around the parking lot of a Marathon grocery store with her 3-year-old child sitting on the roof of the car.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the Publix store Tuesday and arrested a 54-year-old woman after she was driving around with her 3-year-old granddaughter on the roof of her car.

The grandmother was released from jail 15 hours later.

The woman said Thursday she would never let anything hurt her granddaughter. She says she was driving at “snail-speed” and holding the child’s leg.

Authorities say the woman told police she was giving the child some air and letting her have fun.

She faces charges of child abuse. The child is back with her mother.

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What other “fun” and dumb things have you seen parents/guardians do with their kids? Ever get bothered by seeing children doing certain things in public places?

One of my pet peeves, and this is no fault of the child, is when a parent is carrying a kid and the child’s shoes are brushing against me or hitting my things. Uh, hello?!? What if that was my face those dirty boots are bouncing against? Grr…

So back to the book smart vs. street smarts. Which are you? People would say I’m more book smart. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I probably couldn’t survive in the “real world.” (Um, I’m still alive…) That may be true if the world we live in somehow lost all of its modern advancements, though I don’t plan on putting that theory to the test anytime soon. I can pass up opportunities to say, go camping in the woods, fish for my own food or shower in some cold river… Only problem is, should I ever be lucky enough to survive a plane crash or other disaster, I probably wouldn’t live long…

On a happier note, today is 8-8-08! Are you one of those who sees it as a lucky date? Doing anything special on what some consider a good-luck day of triple eights? By the way, I was considering posting this story at 8:08 a.m. but didn’t want to break with tradition…

We’ve all heard of people abusing the 911 emergency system. Then again, we keep reading stories that tell folks to call 911 for everything under the sun that a reasonable person wouldn’t think constitutes an emergency. They really ought to have a separate “helpline” so the proper resources aren’t wasted and dispatchers don’t need to deal with lots of stupid calls.

Would you call 911 in the following case?

Florida man dials 911, complains his sandwich had no sauce
Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The sauce for a spicy Italian sandwich was apparently a must have for one Florida man. The man, Reginald Peterson, called 911 twice after a sandwich shop left off the sauce.

Peterson initially called the emergency number Thursday so that officers could have his subs made correctly, according to a police report. The second call was to complain that police officers weren’t arriving fast enough.

Subway workers told police that Peterson, 42, became belligerent and yelled when they were fixing his order. They locked him out of the store when he left to call police.

When officers arrived, they tried to calm Peterson and explain the proper use of 911. Those efforts failed, and he was arrested on a charge of making false 911 calls. Peterson did not have a listed phone number.

And here’s another story on a false 911 call…

Man calls 911 to say slot machine stole his money
Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. — A second Florida man has been arrested on charges of making false 911 calls in as many days. An arrest report says 47-year-old Carlos Gutierrez was at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino early Monday and called 911 to say the slot machine stole his money. The report says Gutierrez left the casino to place a second 911 call to say the same thing.

He was arrested and charged with making a false 911 call. He’s being held with no bail set.

On Sunday another man was arrested after calling 911 five times during an argument with his brother. He demanded that dispatchers send deputies to help sort things out.

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Are you one of those types that call 911 for every little thing you see that you think perhaps needs an officer’s attention? (I have a friend who told me she does do that!) Do you err on the side of caution and call for help “just in case”?

What ODD emergency calls have you made or heard of in the past? What do you think are some irrelevant reasons to call 911?

If you get involved in a minor fender bender, with no injuries and barely any damage, do you need to call the police? I always thought it was better to get a police report just in case, though I’ve also heard calling an officer was unnecessary. Then again, it always seems that the person who hit you is the one against police intervention…

Misunderstandings can easily snowball into something more, and that’s why communication (and trust) between couples is critical.

It can be difficult if you’re faced with these classic and probably overused examples: lipstick on the collar, phone number scribbled on a receipt or questionable credit card bill.

According to UPI, one woman in England said she almost split from her boyfriend of four years after a store’s Web site said her card had been used to buy condoms:

Lynn Newby, 40, said she jumped to the conclusion that her boyfriend, Andy Allott, was having an affair when the 12-pack of condoms showed up on an accounting of purchases on her Tosco ClubCard, The Daily Mail reported Monday.

“It gives a list of everything bought on a ClubCard and there at the top of the list was a packet of Mates condoms,” Newby said. “I knew I hadn’t bought them so I went in and accused Andy, who had no idea what I was talking about.”

Newby said she did not believe her boyfriend’s denials and accused him of deleting the items from the Web page after they disappeared mysteriously.

Newby she said she nearly canceled a planned vacation with Allott — until a friend from work informed her that a pack of condoms had also mysteriously appeared on her Tosco account.

Tosco Chief Executive Terry Leahy sent $200 and a letter of apology to Newby, saying the condoms were mistakenly added to some accounts when a new employee incorrectly put information about a promotion into the store’s computer.

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First of all, IF this were a joint account (since story doesn’t say), why would the boyfriend use that card to buy condoms if he planned to use them with another woman?

Details aside, do you recall any of the times you incorrectly jumped to conclusions? How do you deal with your suspicions?

Do you remember any clerical errors or mix-ups that brought a lot of confusion and accusations your way?

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And here’s an ODD story I’m throwing in since oftentimes, there isn’t much to say about stupid “criminals.”

Men sentenced for setting friend’s crotch ablaze
Associated Press

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Two practical jokers are behind bars for setting their passed-out drinking buddy’s crotch ablaze while boozing in Grover Beach. Matthew Craig Pillers and Jack Brent Nicholas Keiffer pleaded no contest to a felony great bodily injury charge.

Prosecutors say the 22-year-old Pillers, a parolee, was sentenced to two years in prison and the 19-year-old Keiffer got 45 days in San Luis Obispo County jail.

Elliot Tuleja was passed out when the men poured cologne on the man’s groin and set him on fire on Jan. 18. Tuleja had second-degree burns on his testicles.

Information from: The Tribune, www.sanluisobispo.com

Part of my job includes “editing” the Dear Annie column in our Island Life section. Trust me, my work is not all fun and games. Yes, I am under orders some days to proof the comics page or read movie reviews, but I also have to edit “less fun” stories about the political violence in Zimbabwe or the latest in North Korea’s nuclear talks. Try crafting a headline (with the word Zimbabwe) in a tight count…

But overall, I tend to enjoy the stories I get to read while on the job.

A co-worker and I had a conversation about the following Dear Annie question (included in today’s paper)… and it sparked today’s blog topic.

Dear Annie: I know a lot of people like to multitask while talking on the phone. My cousin, however, has taken it too far. She talks on her phone while using the restroom. I can hear the toilet flush.

If that isn’t gross enough, I never hear water running to indicate she’s washed her hands. I visit her house often, and occasionally my husband or children will call there to speak to me, but I don’t want to touch her phone.

This happens whether I call her or she calls me. Am I overreacting, or is it rude to use the toilet while on the phone?

— Disgusted by the Flush in Ohio

Dear Disgusted: It’s rude to do anything where the sounds of intimate behavior are audible over the phone. Your cousin probably assumes the noises can’t be heard, so you’d be doing her a favor by speaking up. The next time this happens say, “Are you in the bathroom? It sounds like a toilet flushing.”

We have no idea if her water faucet is audible, so we don’t know whether she’s washing her hands, but it wouldn’t hurt to carry an antibacterial hand sanitizer with you, just in case.

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Hey, this blog is about ODD things so it’s acceptable to ask: Do you use the toilet while talking on the phone? Perhaps only when talking to people you are close to? Are you offended if you hear “intimate” sounds on the other end of the line? Do you agree with Annie?

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Well… you may not smell any odors during a phone call, but stink feet caused one Houston man to stab his roommate 16 times.

According to UPI, prosecutors say William Antonio Serrano stabbed his roommate to death during an argument about foot odor. He has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The 23-year-old, who pleaded no contest in May to murder charges related to the October death of his roommate Noel Quintanilla-Vaquero, 21, told a district judge that he killed Quintanilla-Vaquero in self defense, the Houston Chronicle reported.

However, a district attorney said there was no evidence to support Serrano’s claim.

A third roommate, a woman, had told investigators that she heard Serrano arguing with Quintanilla-Vaquero about the odor of his feet and saw Serrano stab Quintanilla-Vaquero.

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How do you handle dealing in close proximity to someone with stink feet or any other body odors?

Any other physical pet peeves or turnoffs (not necessarily worth killing over)? Sweaty folks? Clammy hands? Dirty fingernails? Farting in public? Guys with long hair? Too many piercings or tattoos? Inappropriately dressed people?