Here's the Scoop by Brian Sweeney

Out of tune with the music scene
The world lost some major musical talents with the recent deaths of Whitney Houston and Davy Jones.

As far as I know, Whitney was never in a rock band or anything. I recall that she had fantastic vocal range and wasn’t shy about showing off her talents.

Davy Jones, on the other hand, was the standout star of the hit-making group The Monkees. Many of
the stories I read labeled Davy as a “heartthrob.” The New York Times called Davy “The handsomest Monkee.” I do remember him making the girls go ape, I guess. Sorry.

Things will never be the same
It’s the end of an era here at the Catskill Mountain News. This week’s paper marks the last one on the job for jack-of-all-trades Esther Snyder of Roxbury.

At a few years north of the traditional retirement age, Esther will be stepping down from her twice-a-week chores as typesetter/proofreader/obituary editor. I doubt, however, that she’ll be slowing down much.

Where are the photos?
There’s no way that I was the only person disappointed by this news — or lack of news. For three straight days, I opened my computer’s Home Page and there were no — zero — stories on Celebrity Baby Bumps.

Talk about disappointing. Are you trying to tell me that every celebrity has finished with the baby-making process? Do the masked folks who run the Internet expect me to believe that there are no celebrities waiting to give birth?

Seems like old times
When it comes to change, I usually switch my routines very reluctantly. To say I’m a creature of habit is quite accurate.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate new gadgets, clothes, etc., but I often need convincing about the benefits of embracing something different. I guess that’s why an event I attended over the weekend was so refreshing. You see, with few exceptions, the affair I went to was populated by “Catskill Mountain old-timers.” Myself included, of course.

I can see it now...almost
Perhaps it’s caused by a steady accumulation of birthdays, but I have issues with manufacturers’ fascination with making everything as tiny as possible.

I guess the ability of make small, yet very powerful, computer chips has led to this state of Smaller is Better. Sure, a lot of products on the market are “Jetsons come to life,” and I admire the innovation taking place. But, most of it hurts my eyes.
Apparently, not everyone in my age bracket feels the same way.

Spinning a yarn
It didn’t happen overnight. No, this was a gradual trend.

At first, I would occasionally ask my wife: “Do you know where all my socks are?”
Then, for a change of pace, I’d mix things up by inquiring: “Have you seen any of my handkerchiefs?”
My questions were usually met with shrugs or a return question that started: “Have you looked in the (fill in the blank)?”

A new holiday classic
Since we’re barely a month into winter, I think it’s still OK to write about Christmas Past. But not Christmas Presents.

For years, my favorite Christmas TV show was the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” Sure, the book was nice, but nothing could top all the Whos down in Whoville joyfully singing, despite the lack of holiday loot. My guess is they had read the book and knew about the happy ending, so they weren’t too concerned about not getting any gifts. But, I’m a skeptic at heart.

Good to have a hobby
Dryer lint. Friend or foe? If allowed to pile up unchecked so that it creates a fire hazard, dryer lint is definitely an enemy.

But there’s a “burning use” for dryer lint that falls squarely into the “friend” category, as well. I’ll admit, I wasn’t aware of the positive aspect of dryer lint until Christmas. That’s when I carefully opened a gift box (after being warned numerous times that the package was fragile) and discovered a pile of fire-starters.

Spring is late this year
By now, you have probably seen TV or Internet footage of the young Australian lady who went bungee jumping in her homeland on New Year’s Day — and got a bit of a surprise when the anticipated “bounce back” was replaced by a snapped cord. And a freefall.
Remarkably, Erin Langworthy survived the drop into the river below, suffering bruises and a fractured collar bone.

It’s all about Connections
Are you Linkedin? You should be. I think.

If you are Linkedin, then you know that you are a member of “The world’s largest professional network.” And, it’s pretty big — with more than 135 million members. If you aren’t really aware of Linkedin and feel like you’ve missed the boat, don’t be too worried, there’s still plenty of time to stop being the Missing Link(edin).