Icewind's Ramblings

When we were younger there used to be a distinction between the movies & television .  The movies at the theater were called the Big Screen while television seen at home was the Small Screen .  Today, it would be a misnomer to say that.  From the big screen analog to the flat screen High Definition TV’s of today, the television of today is also the Big Screen. I would probably like to say . . . my name is Icewind and I'm a TV addict.  I've only recently admitted this, and I probably would still be in denial except for the fact that we just brought into the house a fourth HDTV cable box (digital video recorders).  Mind you they are not all for my watching as I travel somewhat but when I am home like to see my favorite programs.  We've got the big (42”) flat screen TV in the living room, and there is an older television in the bedroom (20”) for my wife to get away from all of the chaos from the grandkids.  She will fall asleep with that one on...

I have a friend whose brother has MS (Muscular Dystrophy) and he recently turned 32 which seems pretty incredible since many people die in their teens and twenties from this disease.   There was a small get together of friends and family who celebrated with him so everyone was happy to spend quality time among friends.  While my friend and I were there we wheeled his brother into the room as he has been wheelchair bound for about 15 years now.  We ordered pizza from one of the local delivery places and everyone had a great afternoon.  As the party wound down to just a couple of people left we headed over to the side of the room to talk a bit before we left to meet up with some other friends. While we were talking there was a request by his brother which kinda flipped us both out for a minute.  The request was he wanted to have sex before he was unable to and his disease progressed to a state where he would be incapacitated.  We did not know what...

I’ve had this one tucked away for many months now debating when to post it as I have moved away from some of my earlier funny but questionable musings.  But I do feel it is a subject that many experience but may never have thought to ask . . . Well that’s why I am here to help . . . your itchy butt expert who took two years of research without any government grants to give you this insightful information. Have you ever needed to scratch your butt in public but there were too many witnesses?  Well I have a solution for you for just about any situation. Icewind’s Guide on “How to Scratch your Butt in Public (without unwanted stares)”. 1. The Wall Approach - Slowly back-up towards the closest wall possible. Then, take desired hand & move it towards the itchy buttocks.  Scratch uncontrollably, until its better. 2. The Pants Approach - “The Back Pocket” carefully reach into the back pocket of your pants.  Slowly itch the desired cheek and act like yo...

It is hard to believe that this show has been on 19 seasons . . . Check it out on Thursday nights on CBS. This was one of the first “Reality” television shows and it is strange to realize what we have seen over those years . . . from winner Richard Hatch (the first evil) and the great retired Navy Seal Rudy Boesch who showed us that despite age we can accomplish anything on season 1 to Season 8 “All Stars” romance of Rob and Amber who went on to other reality shows like the Amazing Race.  Season 10 “ Palau ” gave us fireman Tom Westman a likeable man whose tribe won every immunity challenge.   Season 16 gave us “Fans vs. Favorites” which had interesting dynamics between those who had watched the show and thought they could do better than previous contestants . . . Parvati won that one. This season renews itself with a few fresh characters and infuses new life into the familiar mix of challenges and camp interactions.  This show is back to the ‘beach base’ prog...

It was a really nice day yesterday with the sun shining and mild temperatures but as Saturday evening drew to a close the clouds rolled in and the chill slowly set in.  I slept well falling asleep at 2:30 am after rolling over and over for several hours.  Nothing like feeling it is cowboys on a train to wear you down to give in to that much needed rest. This morning I woke up to a steady drizzle and had to make Gus get his feet wet to make his nature call.  I had planned to go out to Big Lake today to start the winterization process of getting all of the thing in the cabin out before the freezing hits and putting away all of the toys for a long winter’s sleep.  The deck needs a little more work and the outhouse will wait now until winter to burn and replace next season.  Scott and I have debated whether to build a ‘real’ bathroom on to the cabin or to burn and make another outhouse.  Who knows how it will end up? The rain has continued all day with sev...

I had the distinct joy of watching Big Brother on television tonight and it was not entertaining listening to all of the chaos going on within the house. I started thinking about these young people who are our youth in America and how they approach things, problem solve, and deal with the inner workings of relationships with themselves and those around them. It was a pretty sad thing to watch the last three weeks as they have no clue what it is like to engage each other with respect, gamesmanship, and trust. If this program was viewed as a job interview for most of these housemates they would be lucky to get any job whatsoever. They could not check the box that says: “plays well with others”. The “How do you establish a working relationship with new people” question could set off an nasty tirade of swearing and first impressions about those they walked by on the way to the interview. If the question comes out as to “what have you been most frequently critic...