Wayne E. Pollard's Blog

New Site for “Bo’s Cafe Life”

Wayne E. — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:37:41 +0000

I have decided to give “Bo’s Cafe Life” its own site. You can find it at http://boscafelife.wordpress.com/.

Bo’s Cafe Life

Wayne E. — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:06:22 +0000

Bo’s Cafe Life

Wayne E. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:38:14 +0000

Bo’s Cafe Life

Wayne E. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:29:46 +0000

Growth in Text Messaging? I Know Why

Wayne E. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:30:32 +0000

According to an article in The New York Times, the number of text messages transmitted in the United States grew by more than 80 percent over the 12 months ended in June.

I can vouch for this. My text messaging grew by more than 80 percent over the past 12 months. That’s because I just started texting this year. So, I went from 0 text messages 12 months ago to about 200 a month. I don’t even know how to calculate that increase.

The article said that “no single factor perfectly explains the steep growth in texting.” I know what explains the growth in texting: B.S.

Let’s take a look at some of my recent outgoing messages:

“NP”

“No rush”

“Got your message”

“Will be there at 12:30 with food.”

Did I really need to send those messages? I didn’t need to send them a year ago.

The most useless and inane text message (and one that I am guilty of sending several times a day) has got to be “:-)” Most text messages, one could argue, replace phone calls. I have never called a person on the phone and just smiled. Well, not since 7^th grade.

Texting has removed our natural B.S. filter. We used to think twice before calling someone up and saying something stupid. Now, we think, “I can’t call my brother just to tell him this stupid nonsense – I‘ll text him!” However, whether you call or text, stupid is stupid.

Bed Bath and Beyond?

Wayne E. — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:46:33 +0000

Is it just me or has the “Beyond” part of Bed Bath & Beyond taken over the store? I think the store’s name should be changed to Beyond Bed & Bath.

Cream of Wheat Needs More Exposure

Wayne E. — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:45:45 +0000

The maker of Cream of Wheat, Parsippany-based B&G Foods, closed its public offering of 10 million shares for $8 each in Septermber. As a kid, I loved Cream of Wheat; I liked mine lumpy. (I don’t know whether I really liked it that way or if I learned to like it because that’s how my mother made it.) I find it disappointing that although B&G is in New Jersey (where I live), I can’t walk into any diner I know and order a bowl of Cream of Wheat.

I’ve always felt that the Cream of Wheat chef (whose face graces the box) lacked the exposure that some of his peers, like Aunt Jemima and the Quaker, get. He could use some product placements on a show, a show like Iron Chef. Now that’s an episode I’d like to see! I can hear the host saying, “Today’s secret ingredient is… CREAM OF WHEAT!” Iron Chef Mario Batali would present his dish to the judges saying, “Here we have Risotto with Spiny Lobster and Cream of Wheat.” The challenger would serve instant Cream of Wheat in a bowl with a small cup of hot water and try to convince the judges that it was actually a deconstructed Cream of Wheat. And, of course, the challenger would lose because he couldn’t resist the temptation to make Cream of Wheat ice cream.