Morally Bankrupt?

Did you hear about the Georgia bank that made a horrible mistake and deposited $31,000 into the wrong account?  Turns out there were two patrons of the financial institution with the same name.  After a man made the deposit, he happened to check his account for something around 10 days later and noticed his money was not credited.

It didn't take the teenager with the same name nearly as long to discover that he had an additional $31,000 in his account.  He blew through the funds pretty quickly, withdrawing $20,000 cash immediately and racking up $5,000 in debit card purchases.

When he came into the bank to attempt another withdrawal, they informed him of the mistake and he claimed he had received an inheritance.  They froze his account.  He has yet to return the money and the bank is threatening to slap a lawsuit on him.  What a mess.

And what a statement for this 18-year-old.  Is he morally bankrupt to know that something was not right, when he had $31,000 extra show up in his account and he spent it?  And what about the bank teller that made the mistake?  How does that happen in this day and age of ID checking and account numbers?  What are your thoughts?  Drop us an email.

Bring on the Warmth!

I have everything crossed from my fingers to my toes, hoping that Bill Graul from StormTeam 8 is spot on with his forecast this morning.  Could we really hit 48 on Saturday and dare we even utter the number for Sunday--62?!  Yes, please!!!

I plan to bring the patio furniture out of the basement and cook every meal on the grill this weekend.  What about you?!  This is SO overdue, people are going to be in crazy, good moods!  In other words, this would be the perfect weekend to ask forgiveness for something or borrow money from someone.

What outdoor activity to you plan on taking in with this projected great weather?!  Drop us an email.

Not Even Close

Turns out, my itchy palm was NOT indicative of me winning last night's Powerball drawing.  It was just a rash.  Selfishly, the good news is that no one won the big jackpot. There were only three $1,000 winners than managed to match the five main numbers, and one of those winners was in Minnesota.  That being said, if you bought a Powerball ticket across the river in the Gopher State, you should double check if you scored the money, and know that I'm jealous.  You can check your numbers here.

I'm not a quitter though.  I plan to purchase another ticket for this Saturday's drawing.  I realize that most people wait until the jackpot gets really massive to play.  I used to subscribe to that technique, but it occurred to me that if you win that huge amount, you make headlines.    I like to ride under the radar.  It's quiet there and the chances of long-lost relatives that aren't really related coming out of the woodwork is mighty slim.  You see, no one really talks about someone winning a jackpot under $100-million.  I don't know about you, but I could use less than $100-million effectively, even after taxes are ripped out of that amount.

So, I will be plunking my two-dollars down again before the next drawing on Saturday.  I think my other palm is starting to itch!  Hopefully, that doesn't mean the rash has transferred there.

No Fun League?

The National Football League is tightening their rules on the "Celebration Ban" once again.  Players scoring a touchdown will no longer be allowed to "dunk" the football over the crossbar of the goal post.  Commissioner Roger Goodell says it's an extension of the ban on the use of props, where in this case, the prop would be the football.

Part of the reasoning behind this move, could stem from the fact that when New Orleans Saint, Jimmy Graham did the dunk after scoring a touchdown in Atlanta last November.  He slammed the goal post a little too hard and it got bent, forcing a delay in the game, while the post was straightened and tightened.

The NFL says that they have grandfathered in the "Lambeau Leap," and there are not any plans to remove that celebration at this time.  But let's be honest, that could change.  Suppose a player jumps up and someone gets hurt?  Will there be another knee-jerk reaction to stymie the celebration?

Do you think that the Lambeau Leap will ever end up getting banned by the NFL?  Drop us an email.

C'mon! Enough's Enough!

John here--It's March 25th. It's been a very long winter. We've just about had enough. And just when almost all the snow is gone, here it comes again. Did it snow like this at your place late yesterday? I know the Storm Team 8 folks said it wouldn't last long and that after a couple of colder days it's going to warm into the 50's, but we sure got a reminder that we live in Wisconsin, didn't we? I took this picture of our dog, Boomer who just had to go out and play in the snow. As you can see, it turned him into quite the "snow dog". Glad he was having fun! If you've got pics from the late season snowfall, send 'em to us at johnandjacklyn@kicks1063.com.

Now That's Entertainment

Hey, there! John here and I'm gonna brag a bit today! Deb and I went to an awesome play last night performed buy the students at Holmen Middle School. And I say awesome because our niece, Claire Schroeder, is in the cast. It's a great version of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Claire is "Purple" in the Chorus, and if you go, she's the one who gets to bang the cymbals all during the play. (I should make a remark here about how that suits her because she's so noisy!) Anyway, the kids did great job under the direction of Dan Lee, who's a local stage veteran most notably involved with the Heart Of La Crosse comedy troupe. There are actually a lot of local references in the play, and it's really good! They'll perform again both tonight and tomorrow, and you should really catch it if you can.

Actually, going to see the play last night got me thinking about all the great things students in our area put out there all the time. If you have kids in school, or like us a niece or nephew, you probably already catch a lot of their dance recitals, choir and band concerts, sporting events, etc. But for those that don't have kids, you should also think about checking these out. Whether it's an elementary school's Christmas show, a high school forensics competition or a middle school play, these kids are working really hard to make each performance the best it can be, and it's really great entertainment! Of course, props to the school staff and volunteer family members who help make these things happen. So the next time you say "There's just nothing to do!", try looking at the school schedules for the next concert, play, game, etc. And to our niece, Claire, great job sweetheart! We're very proud of you! Break a leg!

Nice To Meet You! How About A Kiss?

We don't know if you've seen the video yet, but it sure is making waves! It's called First Kiss, and it's a video of people sharing just that: their first kiss! The twist to the story is that the smoochers just met right before they were filmed locking lips! Each of the couples were complete strangers, and it's really interesting to see how they approach the kiss. Some are very shy and uncomfortable, while others are really into it! Take a look at the video here: 

What we're wondering is if any of the couples made enough of a connection to get to know each other after the cameras stopped rolling!

So would you kiss a total stranger for a video? Would you insist on seeing them first and then deciding? Would you do it with the help of some "liquid encouragement"? Drop us a line with your thoughts: johnandjacklyn@kicks1063.com.

Listen, listen, listen!

If you've ever tried to have an argument with a 3-year old you'll love this video. The little dude tries so hard to make his point, and his little face is just the best!

Do you have a child near this age in your life that just loves to argue with you? They're so sure they are right! Tell us about them at johnandjacklyn@kicks1063.com!

Melting Snow Uncovers A Winter's Worth Of .....Stuff

John here~No doubt we all enjoyed the 54 degrees yesterday, right? And it seems like we lost nearly half of the snow. Our driveway's clear, most of the roof melted off and the snow banks along the street are smaller. But as a household with two large dogs, while the snow in the backyard started disappearing, it has now exposed several month's worth of, how shall I say it? Doggie Doo.

Don't get me wrong, we take very good care of our lawn and during the spring, summer and fall I perform "Poop Patrol" on a very regular basis. But in the winter it's just so easy to "let things lie" and get covered by the constant snowfalls, ya know? I mean, who wants to go out there in sub-zero temps for the cleanup process? Besides, when it's that cold you have to sometimes use a pickaxe to pry those frozen mounds out of the snow! Unfortunately, while the "stuff" is out-of-sight-out-of-mind during the winter, it all comes back to haunt you in the early spring. And remember, these two just keep making more. Every day. Constantly.

So even though I received a reprieve during the long winter months, it's time to prepare for a messy spring cleanup. Now, I'd like to hear from others who have dogs, too. Do you perform yard clean-up in the winter, or just let it go until spring? C'mon, be honest! Drop me an email at johnandjacklyn@kicks1063.com

Drunk Gambler Loses $500,000 - Sues the Casino

What?!  Initially, this sounds like sour grapes from an incredibly stupid gambler.  However, in my assessment, this might only be half true.  The gambler is incredibly stupid.  Mark Johnston of Ventura, California spent a weekend whooping it up at the newly opened Downtown Grand Casino in Vegas.  He says he got "blackout drunk" and dropped $500,000 at the tables and is therefore not liable for the debt.

Apparently, there is a Nevada law that might be his release from this obligation.  This law bans casinos from allowing obviously drunk patrons to gamble and serve them comped drinks.  Johnston says he has witnesses and with the use of the casino's own surveillance video, he can prove he was seriously intoxicated and they continued to take his bets and serve him free drinks.

If Johnston wins this case, that will certainly open the floodgates for many others to cry foul in the future, even if they weren't "blackout drunk."  Nobody wants to admit they were stupid enough to keep betting and lost everything.  Conversely, we might start to see casinos dropping the hammer on those who seem remotely "tipsy" and not allow them to continue to play.  Somehow, I think they will not be quick to pull that trigger.  Casinos NEED people to keep betting, as that's how they make their money.   What is more likely to become a trend in Vegas is the scaling back of those free alcoholic beverages.  Sitting at a Blackjack table, sipping a FREE rum and coke will likely become a rarity   Sitting at a Blackjack table and downing more than two or three FREE rum and cokes will likely become a thing of the past.

So, THANKS Mark Johnston, and all of the other stupid drunk gamblers out there, for ruining the one little highlight many of us enjoyed partaking in when we ventured to Vegas.  Free drinks will likely become less and less likely to be given.

Best. Oscars. Ever.

Ellen DeGeneres absolutely killed it on the Oscars last night.  I've always enjoyed her brand of comedy and especially her hosting style.  She's funny and punchy, without being rude or obnoxious.  Some of the highlights from last night's broadcast included her ordering pizza for the audience, then  later handing it out to all of the hungry A-listers in their fancy clothes.  Yes!  Stars and starlets were wolfing down greasy pizza in designer duds on national television!!  Ellen managed to get them to be human for all of us to see and then capped off the bit by passing Pharrell Williams' monster hat around to them to collect money to pay the delivery guy.

Probably one of the best moments occurred when Ellen decided to do a selfie (she did a ton of them throughout the evening) with Meryl Streep, which turned into a massive group selfie instead.  Ellen told viewers to retweet it, so the record for retweets could be broken.  Mission accomplished.  The tweet reportedly was retweeted well over 1.8 million times, so much that it actually shut Twitter down momentarily!

The picture is a classic.  Ellen had Bradley Cooper hold her phone and take the shot with his longer arms to attempt to get everyone in it.   Personally, I pondered if Bradley deliberately cut Jared Leto out of the shot, because he had lost Best Supporting Actor to him earlier in the night.  Nah.  I'm sure that was just a coincidence, right?

What did you think of the Oscars?  Drop us an email.