Pulp Free

C’mon now… Was I the only one distracted by the American flag in this picture?

Yeah… While this made news a few days ago, I just had to post a picture of this somehow. As you should already know:

The Spice Girls announced Thursday that they have agreed to reunite for 11 concerts around the world in December and January.

They will be the group’s first concerts since it broke up in 2001, and the first with all five original members since Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell quit to pursue a solo career in 1998.

The group said shows would be in Los Angeles on Dec. 7, Las Vegas on Dec. 8 , New York on Dec. 11, London on Dec. 15, Cologne on Dec. 20, Madrid on Dec. 23, Beijing on Jan. 10, Hong Kong on Jan. 12, Sydney on Jan. 17, Cape Town on Jan. 20 and Buenos Aires on Jan. 24.

Halliwell, 34, appeared with Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham, 33, Melanie “Sporty Spice” Chisholm, 33, Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton, 31, and Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown, 32, to pose for photos and announce tour plans.

“We wanted to say thank you to our fans. It just feels very right for us,” Chisholm said.

Granted, I actually purchased the Spice album (I think I picked it up during my BMG music club days…) and enjoyed a few tracks (like Say You’ll Be There and maybe 2 Become 1). Heck, when I was in England many years ago they were playing Geri Halliwell’s “Lift Me Up” so many times on the radio even I bought the single! But aren’t they just a bunch of average ladies with average voices? I guess some of them made out pretty well… (Sorry Baby Spice - you didn’t make that list…)

Perhaps just more American flag pictures…

(Quick update… Since the first picture was from Yahoo - I now see that there’s also a slide show… Whoa. Hello flags…)

On my nightly news parsing, I wandered across a news article about pickpocketing…

Bill Barnes says he was scratching off a losing $2 lottery ticket inside a gas station when he felt a hand slip into his front-left pants pocket, where he had $300 in cash.

He immediately grabbed the person’s wrist with his left hand and started throwing punches with his right, landing six or seven blows before a store manager intervened.

“I guess he thought I was an easy mark,” Barnes, 72, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Tuesday.

He’s anything but an easy mark: Barnes served in the Marines, was an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer and retired after 20 years as an iron worker.

Jesse Daniel Rae, the 27-year-old Newaygo County man accused of trying to pick Barnes’ pocket, was arraigned Monday in Rockford District Court on one count of unarmed robbery, a 15-year felony.

Barnes said he had just withdrawn the money from a bank machine and put it in the pocket of his shorts before driving to the Marathon service station and Next Door Food Store in Comstock park, a Grand Rapids suburb.

He remembers noticing a patron acting suspiciously, asking the price of different brands of cigarettes and other items. While turned away, Barnes felt the hand in his pocket, so he took action.

“I guess I acted on instinct,” he said.

Kent County sheriff’s deputies said the store manager quickly came around the counter. The three of them struggled through the front door, where two witnesses said the manager slammed Rae to the ground and held him there.

“There was blood everywhere,” said another manager on duty, Abby Ostrom, 25.

Barnes was a regional runner-up in Golden Gloves competition in the novice and open divisions before enlisting in the Marines in 1956.

He lived most of his adult life in Comstock Park with his wife, Patricia, before recently moving to Ottawa County. The couple have three children.

After retiring as an iron worker, he now works part-time as a starter at a golf course.

Barnes said he’d probably do the same thing again under the same circumstances, if for no other reason than what he would face back home.

“I wouldn’t want my wife to give me hell for lettin’ that guy get my money,” he said with a smile.

While this story is a nice tale, I had to ask myself, “What is a golf starter?” And I found:

The starter maintains the starting times and tee sheet, and ensures that golfers get off the first tee in a prompt and orderly manner. This job is crucial in keeping the tee times on time. Starters must possess excellent interpersonal skills and be able to handle customers in a friendly and courteous manner. Starters also are very important in making sure that customers have properly paid for their round. The starter also helps golfers find a game if they are by themselves. The starter also is an important part of making sure customers will have a pleasant golfing experience.

Can you imagine if you caused him to start a round late? Or what if you didn’t like his “interpersonal skills”?

Hope you have a pleasant golfing experience!

I just saw this on the National Severe Weather Alert:

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT ST. LOUIS

• FROM LATE FRIDAY MORNING UNTIL WEDNESDAY MORNING MAY 16TH.
• AT 8 PM TUESDAY THE STAGE WAS 23.0 FEET.
• MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
• FLOOD STAGE IS 30.0 FEET.
• THE RIVER IS FORECAST TO RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY LATE FRIDAY
• MORNING AND CONTINUE RISING TO NEAR 31.5 FEET BY MONDAY EVENING.
• THE RIVER IS FORECAST TO FALL THEREAFTER TO LEVELS BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY WEDNESDAY MORNING ON MAY 16TH.
• AT 30.0 FEET… FLOODWALL AT LACLEDES LANDING IS CLOSED.
• AT 31.0 FEET… WATER BEGINS ENTERING THE DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGE.

We saw reports on the Monday morning news about the flooding starting to happen in St. Joe (near Kansas City) from all of the rain that has been going on. However, we haven’t really been having a whole lot of rain here in Saint Louis since it finally stopped late on Friday (yeah - right AFTER our wedding pictures were taken…)

So it just happens to be a little interesting to see the impact from something happening some 240 miles away and knowing about it almost 3 days in advance - being able to see something like the Weather Service knowing at some level that the downtown parking garage in Saint Louis is probably going to get a bit wet on Friday. Guess we’ll wait and see!

Our already world famous Lisa Merriman made the news in Boston again!!

Now in its 60th year, the annual Filene’s Basement Bridal Event draws crowds of hundreds in search of the perfect gown. Brides-to-be and their faithful bridesmaids, mothers, friends, and a few fiancés lined up today outside the Downtown Crossing store well before the sale started at 8 a.m., braving the ice and cold for a bargain on designer wedding dresses.

Bride Bridget Cuffney (left) from South Boston hoped to find something lacey and “designer for cheap.” Lisa Merriman from the Back Bay (second from left) was looking for a lacey halter top gown. Also pictured are Merriman’s fiancé, Bryan Barth, and Hilary Vandam, both from the Back Bay. Was Merriman worried about her fiancé seeing her dress before the wedding day? “We’re gonna get all the dresses, and when I’m trying them on he’s just going to have to turn around,” she said.

I truly enjoyed the matching fuchsia colors with Lisa leading the pack with a fully colored jacket in the midst of standard black overcoats! Even better is the fact that Lisa matches so well with the colors of our Web site as well! Congrats, Lisa! (Way to go Bryan, as well… For saying “no” to the pink do-rag!)

No real commentary on this piece of bizarre news… Just that our own Lisa Merriman made the TV news in Boston! Be sure to check out this news clip…

As parking spaces go, it’s nice enough. While it’s outdoors, the smooth brick paving is immaculate.

But is it worth $250,000?

That’s what an anonymous buyer paid in April for a prized spot tucked in the alley behind 31-33 Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay — breaking the city’s record price for a parking space and underscoring the difficulty residents have scoring a spot downtown.

The family is famous now… Way to go Lisa!