1980's McDonalds Christmas Ice Skating Commercial

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First, make sure you see the commercial posted AFTER this post....

Now....Can you name the products to which these go.....in twenty seconds or less???
It is so funny how commercials shape our lives; so many of us (including me) often find commercials and ads to be no more than interruptions from what we REALLY want to watch and see. Yet, if you think about it, commercials really hold a special place in our hearts and our own national identity. As funny as that sounds. I began to think about this today as I began my "ad unit" in my public speaking class. I had the kids make two columns and on one column, they were to brainstorm as many "ad slogans" as they could, and on the other side, they were to come up with as many "ad icons/characters" as they could. The results shocked me and made me feel very, very old.

Can you believe that when I sang "Its a good time....for the great taste....of________!" not one kid knew what the heck I was talking about??? And when I sang, in my best Ray Charles voice "you got the right one baby! A-Ha!" that not one kid knew I was celebrating diet Pepsi? It is funny to look at the BIG commercial players in our cultural past, and see how they have developed (I am referring to Coke, Pepsi, McDonalds, etc.) Coke and Pepsi used to be "the real thing" and "the choice of a new generation," respectively. Now, I cannot even tell you what their "taglines" are. Are taglines "out?" (by the way, kids dont know those two taglines either!).

Another thing that seems to be out is the idea of advertising "characters." I gave the kids a "test" where there were photos of famous advertising "figures." The kids had to match the figure to a product. For example, kids knew Uncle Ben, Snap-Crackle-Pop, Charlie Tuna, etc. But they were CLUELESS when it came to things like the Campbell's soup kids, Mister Salty, ,Swiss Miss, Little Debbie, and, get this, MORRIS THE CAT. Kids today dont know Morris the Cat. The, like, most famous cat in history!

Did you ever notice that, often times, the "characters" involved in advertising only existed to shamelessly try to get the said product....only to essentially lose each and every time? What type of creepy subliminal advertising is that? Think about it: Chester Cheetah, Toucan Sam, Silly Trix Rabbit, Hamburgler, the Noid, Cookie Crisp dude, Lucky the Leprechaun....all these poor souls were always just trying to enjoy the product that you could EASILY go to the store and buy....but the white man always had to make life miserable for them. Someone was always foiling their plan for satiety....why is that?

Kids had no idea what I was talking about when I brought up the California Raisins. Remember them?? What a brilliant scheme that was: a simple sales pitch led to millions of dollars in merchandise, plastic raisin figures, full length music albums, and even a television show. Kool-Aid man tried to follow suit: He had comics, a cartoon, etc. What a brilliant piece of marketing. The only thing I can think of today that comes close to that is what the Geico people did with the "Cavemen" and how that was eventually turned into a TV show that lasted for 43 minutes.

And remember Tang, Superman Cocoa, Five Alive, Fruit Rollups, and Donald Duck orange juice? Those products just came up when were were tallking today. And, on McDonalds's end, remember their "double feature," and the McDLT? And for Burger King, remember their "International Chicken Sandwiches?" You could get American, French, or Italian? And they were "long" not "circle" like McDonalds. My sister always would get the Italian, and I would always hope she would give me a bite. Sometimes she did.

Crazy ads.

Thanksgiving 2010 Part II

Another Thanksgiving tradition we have is that of the parade. This was the first year Callum and Amanda were able to watch the whole parade, and they enjoyed it very much. Where was I, you might ask? Well, it just so happens that on Thanksgiving morning, when it was 29 degrees out at 8AM, I was on my bike en route to Winslow High School to participate in the "Run til the Turkey's Done" annual 5K to benefit the "Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Want to Do Other Things Good Too." So I rode my bike AND THEN raced my personal best 5K to date (26:31....but I am still working hard). Our good friend Dave joined the fun, as he is getting back into running as well. I would post pictures of that, but, like, there was no one there to take photos of me, since Amanda was watching the parade.

After showering, I too headed over to BaBa's house just in time to see Callum and Bears open up their "pre Christmas Christmas present." This, for Emma, included a bracelet making kit (I am still waiting, Emma!) and for Callum, included the "Elf on the shelf" gimmick that tricks kids into behaving because the "elf" is watching them all day, telling Santa about all the bad stuff they do. If I were a kid--and I am--I would be scared enough at the fact that there was a creepy little made-in-china elf staring at me with a sardonic grin all day....AND that he hides on me each and every day JUST so he can do it all again the next day. But that is just me. Anyway, here are Amanda and Emma opening their crap....



We had fun together--me, Callum, and Emma. I can't believe I am saying this, but I think at this point in time Emma likes me more than BaBa does.....and keep in mind Emma did not speak to me for the first 5 years of her life! Yeah. BaBa was not a big fan of me this past week.
Here's me and SteveeCee. SteveeCee is Michelle's husband, and he is 'the man." He's totally an East Coast kid with a West Coast frame of mind that is totally diggin freak nasty without a shovel....he be droppin rhymes like wizzak and he's dangerous like crizzak. In short, he is where hip hop lives. This is a rare picture of Steve WITHOUT an Amstel Light in hand (editor's note: It was actually in his jacket, as I would find out later, as he cracked one open after our hike to the river). Lots of people say Steve and I have a lot in common and that, in many ways, we are 'the same person.' I dont know.
Here we are getting ready for a post-dinner meander through grandpop's "back 40." Grandpop sits on a fantastic piece of land that abuts some beautiful forest with a secret lake and a pretty neat river. Led by SteveeCee, we bushwacked our way through crunchy-earthed beech forests and evergreen groves until we arrived at the river. Here, like I mentioned before, Steve cracked open his Amstel Light, and proceeded to tell Michelle how he wished none of us were there with him, so they could have sweet love time together. HA HA! And for all you anonymous idiots out there, yes we were cloaked in hunter's orange. Up in Maine, Thanksgiving Day is one of the biggest hunting days of the year. Gotta be careful!!
OH NO HE DIII-ENTTTT!!!!: Below, Emma makes a typical Roebling-girl face at her beloved cousin Callum as they shared a beautiful dinner of Elios Pizza.

Thanksgiving 2010 Part I

Boy oh boy am I behind in blogland. Okay. Let's get to it. This was only the second Thanksgiving in ten years that we were up in Maine. So it was really great to see the whole "show," so to speak. Basically, these are the traditions for a "Maine" Thanksgiving. The Jersey Shore usually arrives on Saturday night before Thanksgiving. On Sunday, we usually have everyone over to our house for a "pajama style dinner" where I cook some comfort food and everyone wears their PJs. So that is what we did this year too. Only this year, during the day, Amanda was surprised by her family with a little shower at Slates in Hallowell. For dinner, I made my homemade beans and we had hot dogs. Here are some pictures from the occasion:


You'll notice that Callum was decked out in his Patriots game shirt, as we all watched the Patriots beat the Colts. As usual. Patriots are awesome. But tomorrow night's game will be a doozie....
Another tradition with the Maine Thanksgivings involves the Monday night meal at Margaritas, which I call Craparitas, since it is undoubtedly the worst restaurant in Maine. Basically stale McDonalds covered in red chili sauce. But Jon, Kelsey, and the Jersey Shore love it because you can get huge drinks and then steal the glasses and carafes when you are done. Good times.

The Tuesday night tradition is usually when SteveeCee makes his famous Jersey Shore style fish--striped bass and bluefish he catches with HEYDUDE off the bay. But this year, Stevee was unable to do any fishing; thus, we had no fish. So, basically, Steve ruined Thanksgiving. Just kidding. There are many more traditions, which I will mention in the next post, but here are just a couple of photos from "spaghetti night" at Ba-Ba's house

Callum and Emma enjoying some Elio's Pizza....they were absolute best buds this week.
And Callum really working the crowd after dinner....I think he was telling people about all his "friends." Callum refers to everyone (Lupine, us, stuffed animals, his grandparents, his 'elf on a shelf,' etc) as "my friend." So, for example, he will say "I go with my friend daddy to go walk in the woods now" or "I told you I want to see my friend Ba-Ba and play with him at his house" and such and such....

That Blue Thing

This is the first Thanksgiving in almost ten years where we havent travelled down to CT to share the holiday with Kranthony, my mom, my dad, and everyone in between.....this year we are staying in Maine. Each year the zoo from NJ comes up, and we only get to see them for a couple of days....this year we have the great fortune to stay in Maine and see them for the whole week.....AND possibly deliver a baby to boot. Amanda is totally ready to meet our little girl. And so am I.

The drive to CT always is long and tough....especially with Callum....especially at night....and especially on the biggest travel day in the world. But it is always great to get there, eat ourselves silly, make fun of Ortiz, watch the boys play, and decorate the Favry house for CHristmas. We'll miss it.

But we're excited to stay in Maine. And not drive. And have people over (actually, that was last night and I will post some pics soon). And go to Craparitas. And everything in between. Last night we had the zoo over after AManda's 'surprise' shower that the girls threw her at Craps (Slates) in Hallowell. I made my homemade beans and I steamed some hotdogs. George made cole slaw. Stevee Cee came over early to watch some football and drink AMsetel Lights and we just had a great time.

TV Specials: We love them. And now, with 578 cable channels, holiday specials dont seem to have the same allure as they used to. I can remember being a kid and my mom telling me to be a good boy so I could watch the "Thanksgiving Special" later, and I would, and that cool drummy sound thing and the word "Special" rotating all around like a propeller would grace our black screen. And then you'd see Charles Brown.

Callum has watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, on VHS, collectively, about 141 times. Fantastic. I love that he loves CHarlie Brown. Classic TV. And he is on his way to growing up and being an old British man like me. So his buddies can make fun of him like mine make fun of me. And he can get a record player.

He calls Lucy, who wears a blue dress, "that blue thing" who "hold football and then Charlie Brown fall down again...."

Ya know, watching these Peanut videos ad nauseum, one thing sticks out to me: Snoopy is a total butthole. Not a nice guy. At all. At. All.

Here is a T-Shirt I saw recently....

If another race/ethnicity were being made fun of, how would things go?


How is this any different than a shirt with....

a black guy, carrying a suitcase, running away from his pregnant girlfriend with the caption that says: "African American cardio?"

OR

a beat up Toyota Celica on cinder blocks in a disheveled front yard with the caption "Puerto Rican Exterior Decorating"

OR

a classroom of adults sitting in desks in front of a board that says "2+2=6" with the caption "Polish graduate school"

OR

a woman wearing a skirt that goes down to her knees with the caption "Iranian strip clubs"

I could think of many more. But what's the point? You get it, right? One thing I can't stand are double standards, and this is a huge one. In our society, as long as you make fun of white/Christian/Irish or some kind of combination thereof, you are 'in the clear.' Why is this? Now, I see this shirt in the store or on line, and I laugh. And I am half Irish. It is funny. I am not offended. But that isnt the point. The point is that, if we can do stuff like this, then everyone else needs to lighten up when someone makes a joke about blacks eating friend chicken or Asians being good at math, etc. I dont understand why everyone gets so bent out of shape. (getting back to the 'yoga' reference.

Even at my school this year, for spirit week, one of the dressup days was "Redneck Day." Kids got into it. It was great. But, there again, another double standard. Redneck, the way I understand it, is a derogatory phrase for poor, poverty-stricken, un-educated physical laborers. Yet, it is okay to do this? How would it be if they had "porch monkey" day or "barrio day" or something? Those are considered derogatory. Why?

What's with the double standards?

Up to Seawall

Lynne and George stayed at our house this past weekend to watch Callum and Lupine so Amanda and I could have one final (or only) getaway before the little girl arrives in a couple of weeks. This was our anniversary trip that we said we would take, and we headed up to (who would have guessed?) Mt Desert Island to the Seawall Motel. The Seawall Motel is one of our favorite places, and I have written about it before. The name "motel" is a misnomer in so many ways. Granted, it IS a motel....but it is a whole experience. David and Vicki Lloyd are fantastic individuals who we've gotten to know. And they have gotten to know Callum pretty well. Mostly because of Speedbump, who you'll see in a minute.

This was a pretty low key weekend for us--I had a pretty neat schedule last week; after a grueling start to the week with school, painting, and conferences at night, I had both Thursday and Friday off. So on Friday, we took Callum to lunch and to the Maine State Museum--where he has been dying to go--and then we made our way up to Seawall. We did NOTHING, and it was so awesome. We enjoyed great restaurants, took nice walks along the seawall and through the carriage trails in the park, got some Christmas shopping done, and drank great coffee. Here is Amanda at Scotty's Dockside in Manset--we both got the 'Scotty Salad' for lunch, and it was fantastic. Combine this with the clam chowder we had, and you were all set to go! Now dont get me wrong: I think Amanda looks fantastic and beautiful....but it is clear that she is also starting to look very tired. This has been a tough pregnancy for her. But many wouldnt know that because she never complains.

We strolled down to the town pier in Bar Harbor to check out the lobsterman measuring, clipping, keeping, or throwing out the day's catch. Cold, hard work. In Bar Harbor, we visited Sherman's Books and Stationery, Stone Soup, and other fun stores....and we made sure to drink some great Benbow's coffee....
Gatsby's Bistro: If you are ever up in Southwest Harbor in the offseason, GO. Most who know me know that, lately, I have been almost impossible to please when it comes to restaurants. I complain and find fault with service, food, etc. But this place was just marvelous. Very small and intimate, as you can see from the picture. But chef Denise Hilton makes each and every meal from scratch on just a normal, everyday four burner stove--no fancy "Wolfes" or Vikings or anything crazy like that. I had seafood pie with green beans (which were bathed in tarragon butter). I started off with a wedge salad that was solid. Amanda got a stuffed chicken breast, roasted red potatoes, and green beans. Now, when you hear "stuffed chicken breast," I know the norm is to think of some cookie cutter type of recipe...but this was anything but. And don't tell George, but I think Amanda is about to demote HIS recipe for French onion soup to a verrrrry close second.....just sayin. You need to work harder, George....
Dessert: Amaretto soaked cherry spice cake. I dont even like dessert. And I couldnt leave this alone.
We had an awesome time, and most of that time was simply spent hanging out at the motel, reading, watching QVC (ummmmm.....) and talking to folks. I took a nice 4 mile run along the coast--which is surprisingly more hilly than people would imagine. And who could forget Speedbump?

This cat is wonderful. When you stay at Seawall Motel, you get free continental breakfast. David and Vicki have turned their "office" into a sort of "hang out" place with a table, some games, some coffee, etc. During the busy season, it is busy with folks sitting, talking, planning their day, and getting tips on where to hike, etc. But in the offseason, which is now, David has a lot of his "local" buddies hang out and drink their morning coffee in the office; the conversation is quintessential "downeast" gossip, storytelling, etc. A true hoot, and enough to make us not even care about the beautifully rugged coast across the street. We can't wait to bring Callum and Maira up there....

I put up so many walls....

Of paint, that is. Well, mostly Amanda did. Well, I did a bunch too. And then our friends Lori and Trevor helped out as well. All in a group effort. One. Big. Crappy. Week-long. Miserable. Group. Effort. I can think of few things in the world I hate more than painting. Well, maybe Margaritas. Or double standards. Or Tyra Banks. Or maybe parents at the playground. And the ACLU too. But I really dont like painting. But the results are fantastic. Amanda is to be complimented for all the hard work in stripping all the wallpaper, doing all the prepping, et al. Good things come to those who wait....(wink wink)

The dining room is called "Tribal Pottery." It has a richness to it...sometimes it has purplish hues....pink hues....sometimes brown. Very dynamic. And it reminds me of when I used to live in Mesa Verde and make little goblets with Guadalupe....


view by the wood stove.....
The living room is painted a color called "Aloe Thorn." So, at the same time, it is both sharp, crisp, yet soothing. Or something. I didnt know Aloe had thorns. And if so , are they different colors than the rest of the aloe plant? Why dont they just call the color "aloe?" Whatever. When I am in the living room now I feel like I am in a bowl of cream of celery soup. In the hottest way possible. Which is why I love knowing aloe is nearby.....

oh, oh, oh....and look at my new radio and record player on the end table!!!!

and check out callum on the couch....

Annnnnnddd......someone needs a haircut.....

Klausvealenstein

A nice, short, solid little visit was hadded (yes, I said that) by the Goldsmith's this weekend when Michael and Andrea came up for a visit. They arrived about 9 or so on Friday night, after school and voice lessons (which they both teach, respectively) were through. Asian Cafe was waiting for them when they arrived, and we stayed up til midnight (which is, now, extremely late for us!) talking and catching up. Great to see them.

On Saturday, we ate a delicious breakfast made with eggs from their own "girls." Hardcore Goldsmith5 readers will remember when Callum and Amanda made a solo trip to go see the baby frickens about a year ago. Well, now they are all grown up and laying all kinds of stuff. It was cold and raw yesterday, yet we decided to take to the woods for a little walk on the "rail trail" in Fairfield, "Rail trails" are all the rage up in Maine lately; they is a huge initiative to convert old railroad beds to multiuse trails. This "branch" hugs the Kennebec River for a couple of miles before ending at an old, no longer there railroad bridge by one of the mills. Great running and cross country skiing! Michael liked to run ahead, and Callum was all about chasing him. I just creeped in the back and took pictures....

Callum has been talking about Michael since he left; Michael definitely has a "two year old" sense of humor. Maybe that didnt sound right. I didnt mean it like that. I meant that my son thinks Michael and all his antics are absolutely hilarious!
It is a beautiful trail--especially this time of year. But I cannot WAIT for the snow to fall and "brighten" things up a bit!
Amanda said, when looking at this picture, "wow....I look really tired." Um, yeah. But I think you deserve to be!! About a month to go til we meet our little girl. We are nowhere NEAR ready....I hope this one isnt born at 2:32 in the morning.....at least let us sleep in ONCE more
And we had Saturday afternoon and night to begin "staging" the living and dining room for painting, which is what we did all last night and all day today and we will do all day tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day....

But Callum and I took time to watch a little of #1 Oregon take on (or destroy) Washington. I dont know how many of you follow college football, but this has been a VERY interesting season. Below is how Callum gives Lupine a hug. Basically, Callum thinks that if he shifts his body weight against anything, at any angle, then it counts as a hug. Hilarious. I love telling Tim about how Callum gives hugs.

Noah's Ark and stuff

Happy Thursday to all. Dont you just hate when people say "happy" in front of a day of the week? Like just because it is a "day" it is reason to celebrate. I guess some might thing it is. Like people on death row or something. Speaking of which, Paul LeRage was just (kind of) elected Maine's next governor. He is a Republican--as am I--but I just dont think he is cut out for the job. At all. He is somewhat of a radical you could say. He swears at reporters. Actually, I think he is going to be a lot like Frank Rizzo was to Philadelphia back in the day. We'll have to see. I wonder if he will be as bad as everyone thinks he is.

But Callum just loves the story of Noah and his ark. I taught something about this a few weeks ago at Sunday school, and it just seems like the "theme" of Noah and the Ark has kind of stayed around the Goldsmith house over the last couple of weeks. Callum has a 'book' kind of thing that he loves playing; essentially, there is a pop-out book of Noah's Ark, and then there are little 'paper doll' kind of figures of the animals. He likes to round up all the animals and tell them to get onto the boat. He is kind of bossy towards them, and it is kind of funny. He usually asks to play RIGHT before he goes upstairs for stories and prayers and sleep--so we have taken to using the microwave timer and setting it for 5 minutes. He knows that when the beep goes off, he needs to get down and go upstairs. Already, we are training him for Annapolis.

GET IN THE BOAT GIRAFFE!!
Lupine, meanwhile, is a fantastic addition to the Goldsmith household; she is a wonderful kitten, and both Callum and Lupine adore each other. Many parts of her personality and quirks remind us of our beloved Thomas. For example, Lupine is RIGHT at home in front of the wood stove, now that the burning season has more or less begun. She sleeps with us each night and she loves to cuddle. But she is definitely all KITTEN, and she. is. crazy. I think declawing is in her future, unfortunately, because of the new baby set to arrive in about a month!!!!!
Speaking of which, look at Amanda....she is huge! I think she looks incredible, even though she doesnt believe me. This pregnancy has definitely been a tougher go than with Mister Callum; Amanda is pretty miserable and uncomfortable with this little girl. We think we have decided on a name. Finally! But who knows. It will probably be a boy anyway....
An early Christmas present arrived from my dad today: A Crosley music cabinet (CD, tape, radio, and RECORD PLAYER!) It is beautiful and we hooked it up tonight. I am excited to get some jazz and classical records (go ahead Tim, et al) and listen to my records. Perhaps I will drink port whilst listening to my records. I hope the records dont interfere too too much with my British Comedy. Perhaps they make British Comedy records.....

At any rate, the record player was a gift for both of us: Me for the record player, and Callum for the box.....
Nice blog, Ja