mikesnotes

One of my best friends, Baker, (see above pics) was faced with a difficult decision very early in life as he began to lose his hair.  He chose to wear a hairpiece (one of the best I have ever seen) to return to what he considered his youthful look.  In later years, for various reasons he discarded it for the natural look as you see above.  The point is, it's pretty much a done deal for us dudes that you will lose most, if not all of your hair as you get older.  In fact, statistics tell us after the ripe old age of 50 - 85% of men will begin this process.  So here are a few of my observations that may or may not help you make that decision when the time comes. 10)     With that said, all the baldhead jokes I made earlier in my life are suddenly not as funny as they once were. 9)     The famous star that pulled off this look flawlessly and embodied the phrase "bald is beautiful" was Yul Brenner.  Most recently, the "Rock" se...

  Lots of people have beards, in fact over 50% of the men in the world sport a beard and over 30% of the men in America have them.  There seems to be no end to the type, look, size and length of beards. Here are a few of my thoughts.  (FYI - not me in the above picture) 10)     Superheroes rarely have beards.  For example, Superman does not have a beard.  How could you trim it, if he is more powerful than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, I don't think earth has a razor that would do the job.  Can he even grow a beard?   9)     According to the Guiness book of world records the longest beard ever recorded was 17 feet 6 inches - Hans Langseth a Norwegian living in Iowa. Go to the Natural History Museum in DC and you can see it on display.  Vivian Wheeler holds the record for the ladies at a mere 10 inches. 8)     The most interesting ...

  10)     We all have problems, but don't let problems have us. 9)     Money cannot but happiness, just ask a ny lottery winner - but it can make a nice down payment. 8)     There was a time when I did not exist, but now that I do exist there will never be a time I don't exist.  (May want to read twice to get the full effect) 7)     In my many years of investigating tax crimes I discovered what every millionaire wants - yep , another million. 6)    Gary Player, the golfer, once said the more I practice, the luckier I get - it applies to more than golf.  5)     You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated. 4)     Generally speaking, the worst decision you can make is no decision. 3)     You can't have a winner without a loser, sucess without failure, problems without opportunities -choose a side.  2)     The secret to h...

  Most adults, with the exception of my sister-in-law, Susan, have traveled in an airplane at least once. Clearly there are good reasons to fly when a car just will not do. However, the following are ten things you should consider before hopping on your next flight. 10)     The most obvious reason is you may get there faster when you fly.  That is of course - assuming you get to the airport in time to catch your flight - get through the long check-in lines - security, weather delays - and cancellations for any number of other reasons. 9)     Think about what they are asking you to do before you board - stuff yourself inside this long-pressurized tube with a bunch of strangers, while you climb to about 35,000 feet, (6 miles) way above the clouds, at a speed of about 500 miles an hour, but don't worry it's really very safe.  Where are my car keys? 8)   When going through the security line your shoes come of...

  10)     Exactly what are "capris." They are too short for slacks and too long for shorts. 9)     Why do so many people wear their caps backwards - it seems to me you would want to advertise your favorite team or brand, not to mention that the bill of the cap protects you from the sun. 8)     YETI  -  How does it know when to keep cool drinks cool and hot drinks hot? 7)       When you are in the left turn ONLY lane, why do you still need to give a signal? 6)     When you are out at a fine dining restaurant and spaghetti is served - to not embarrass yourself, do you use the twirling fork method, cut it with a fork and knife, or just slurp it down and hope none gets on your shirt or dress. 5)    Everyone I know always purchases Grade "A" eggs - do they even have Grade "B" eggs - what about Grade "C" or even better give me a few of those Grade "AA" eggs. 4)     We now have cars th...

  Disney World is in fact a magical place like no other.  On a recent trip during a brief rest on a main street bench I made several observations. 10)     It is a people watching mecca.  While I was sitting on the bench, I counted approximately 140-150 happy faces pass by me every minute. 9)     Speaking of happy faces, when they enter early in the morning there are smiles and great expectations by everyone coming thru the gates - by four p.m. in the afternoon - the pace has slowed  dramatically, benches are nowhere to be found, and a little different look on these exhausted faces who have spent most of the day in seemingly never-ending lines. 8)     Disney makes an absolute fortune selling T-shirts. 7)     If you see a lady wearing a dress and a man with long sleeves and/or sports coat they are very important cast members. 6)     Half of the "guests" are running/moving at very quick pace to their ...

  My newest top ten list is a look at Idioms which are figurative phases that should NOT be taken literally, but what if they were?  For example, suppose you were helping someone to learn the language and they took every phrase at face value.  Everyone has heard the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs." Imagine the surprised look on their face when confronted with that statement.  Does that happen often? What kind of cats and dogs?  What happens to them? Let's take a look at a few more. 10)    "Pardon my French" - Almost no one who uses that phrase can speak French.  9)   "Break a leg" - not really good advice unless you happen to be the understudy for that performance. Otherwise, it seems pretty cruel to put that thought in a performers mind just before the show. 8)     "Dime a dozen" - clearly outdated - a dime won't buy a dozen of anything. 7)     "There's a frog in my throat" - I doubt if that is even possibl...

  10)     Modern golf started when some guy over in Scotland decided to dig a four- and one-half inch hole in the middle of a field and make a ball small enough to fit and oh yeah, how about a wooden stick to help you get in the hole. 9)     That sounded like so much fun, this Scottish guy said let's do it seventeen more times. 8)     With most sports, controlling a moving ball is normally the challenge, but with golf, the ball just sits there, teed up in perfect position - how hard can it be to hit it down the fairway. 7)     With about every other sport if you or your team scores the most points/touchdowns, etc. you generally win.  Not so much with golf - if your score is higher than your opponent meaning you took more strokes you LOSE!!! 6)     Golf has this rule about not touching the ball - don't do it, even if it is behind a tree, in the tall grass, or the ditch.  Ove...

  10)     There are no friends like old friends. 9)     If you are lucky, you will have one best friend with each passing generation, and 3-5 good friends during your lifetime.  If you are really lucky that one best friend will be with you every generation. 8)     A best friend will agree with you because you will be on the same page most of the time, but yet he/she is not afraid to challenge you when necessary. 7)      Your best friend will loan you money, but never more than he/she can afford to lose. 6)       Your best friend is really old if he/she still uses these phrases " leave a message on the answering machine," "call me a cab", and "they are going steady." 5)     If your best friend is younger and perhaps from a different generation you will communicate very differently - you must be able to "  Tweet," "Poke," and "Tag." 4)     Your best friend will not hesit...

  10)     Seniors never like to admit they are seniors; they think a senior is someone that is 10 years older than they are.   9)    You are a senior if you look in the mirror and see your parents. 8)     You are a senior if you have used a rotary phone and watched a black and white TV with your parents.  You get extra credit for watching the Ed Sullivan and Lawrence Welk shows. 7)     If you happen to be a single senior, with most of your hair, all of your teeth, and you can drive at night, you are quite the catch. 6)     You are a senior if after a potluck food event, you go home with at least as much food as you brought. 5)    You are a senior if the weather report is a part of nearly every conversation and you watch the local weather every day. 4)     Speaking of conversations if you start half your conversations with "when I was your age" or "remember when" you are a s...