Through the Keyhole - December 2021

 

IT Services - Business Consulting - Digital Marketing DEC 2021 Through the Keyhole Take a break from your day... Not your typical company OR newsletter

"For some reason this city is synonymous with steak. It also "ignored" Prohibition in the 1920s leading to an abundance of jazz clubs, brothels and gambling halls. Called the "Paris of the Plains", after one journalist wrote, "If you want to see some sin, forget Paris and head here.""  Can you guess the location? Christmastime is here... Welcome to the last month of 2021. My how time has flown.  It seems like just yesterday that we were dealing with a new variant and booster. Oh wait.  We officially have 24 days of shopping until the big day.  This year my family is trying to be practical in our gift giving efforts.  That means buying things that are useful, sentimental or just plain boring.  You may laugh at a few of these things but the idea here is to give gifts that will be used all year long (and appreciated).  Here are some ideas: 1) Clothing (including shoes and boots) 2) Prime Beef  3) Board Games / Puzzles / Card Games 4) A Cooler 5) Bluetooth Speaker 6) Vacuum Cleaner 7) Indoor Herb Garden 8) Reusable Lunch / Snack Containers 9) Charcuterie Board 10) Chef's Knife (a good one) 11) Car Cleaning Tool Kit 12) Emergency Battery Jumper 13) Bulk Toilet Paper 14) Compact Power Strip / USB outlets 15) Laundry Hamper 16) Treadmill / Exercise Equipment 17) Warm, comfy socks 18) Pajamas 19) Throw Blanket / Weighted Blanket 20) Personalized Tumbler 21) Luggage 22) Personalized Wine / Old Fashioned Glasses 23) Ammo 24) Cordless Drill Kit 25) Drill Bits 26) Kitchen Measuring Cups 27) Coffee Machine / K-Cups 28) Sentimental Art / Photographs 29) Light Therapy Lamp 30) Luxury Candle 31) High Thread Count Sheets 32) Sunglasses 33) Watch / Timepiece 34) Ring Doorbell 35) Kitchen Shears That is all I can think of right now but you are all welcome for this list of practical items that are not the latest gadget or toy. For those who choose to go flashy, try touchofmodern.com.   Now let's get crackin'. On Christmas Eve, my family usually has an gift exchange (like most people). The rule is that if you come with a gift, you go home with a gift. There is a monetary limit placed as well as a rule for NO GIFT CARDS.  Simply buy something that you would like to take home yourself.  No White Elephants. Everyone places their wrapped gifts under the tree as they arrive.  As the evening progresses, we all draw numbers to set the order of selection. Number one gets to choose a wrapped gift first.  This person then unwraps the gift for all to see.  Number 2 now gets to 'steal' number 1's gift or select an unopened one.  From there, number 3 gets to 'steal' either unopened 1 or 2 or go to the tree for an unwrapped one. This process goes until the last person has a gift.  We usually give a couple 'immunity numbers' that prevent others from 'stealing' their gift.  It is great fun. Another thing that we do is Christmas Trivia. No matter how good you are, the trivia list that we have built over the years is impossible.  Here are some of the questions and answers... What is the name of the rabbit in the magic hat in Frosty the Snowman?                         Hocus Pocus How many reindeer are featured in the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas?”                 Eight (no Rudolph) What beverage company has been using Santa Claus in its advertising since 1931?                 Coca Cola What's the reason The Grinch hates Christmas?                                     His heart is two sizes too small In the Christmas Classic, It's a Wonderful Life, what happened every time a bell rang?                 An angel got his wings In Polar Express, what word does the conductor punch into the ticket of the 'young man with all the questions'? Believe What 1983 movie is about a boy who wanted a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas?                     A Christmas Story Ernest made a Christmas movie, in 1988, where he helped Santa find a successor.  What is that movie called?     Ernest Saves Christmas This 1990 Christmas movie is about a boy named Kevin who is left behind when his family goes on vacation.     Home Alone In what modern-day country was Saint Nicholas born?             Turkey In 2000, Jim Carrey starred in a live action film, which was first a cartoon made in 1966. What is the movie?     How the Grinch Stole Christmas Name the animatronic cassette-playing bear toy that every kid wanted for Christmas in the mid 80s.         Teddy Ruxpin In this movie, Buddy was raised by elves at the North Pole, and doesn't realize he is a human and not an elf.     Elf This movie, made in 1947 and 1994, is about a girl names Susan who doesn't believe in Santa Claus         Miracle on 34th Street In the movie “A Christmas Story,” what was the name of the next door neighbors whose dogs ate the Christmas turkey?     The Bumpuses What is the name of the sidekick of Turboman in the movie Jingle All the Way?                     Booster In the 1964 classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” what was the name of Rudolph’s faithful elf companion?         Hermey How many percentage points does Hans Gruber intend to make while sitting on a bench?             20 What American City does the character Colin from Love Actually visit in the movie?                 Milwaukee Bonus: How did he pay for his trip to America?                                     Rented out his flat What Christmas carol does the Peanuts gang sing at the end of “A Charlie Brown Christmas?”         Hark the Herald Angels Sing What holiday movie sequel includes a cameo by Donald Trump?                         Home Alone 2 In A Christmas Carol, When Mrs. Cratchit asks Bob how Tiny Tim behaved in church, Bob replies that Tim was as good as ________.          GOLD Name the department store in Miracle on 34th street.                                 Cole’s Start your own traditions.  Enjoy the time together and HAVE FUN WITH EACH OTHER. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Any Clark Griswold's Out There? Want an easy way to schedule meetings with multiple attendees?   We can help your organization set up FindTime, the add-in for M365 and/or Outlook.  Essentially before you send out a meeting invitation you poll the attendees and they vote based on their availability. Once you get the feedback you need, you schedule the meeting appropriately.  Call us today to get this installed for your organization.  It is really useful and kind of fun. Sophos Managed Threat Response It is not a matter of IF but WHEN Having a real time team of human beings to look after your network using powerful tools of technology is a game changer.  It is one thing to have cyber insurance to recover after an attack, it is another to avoid the attack.  Sophos MTR does just that and we are proud to offer it.  For just pennies per hour, we can monitor and respond to threats in real time to keep your information and network safe. If you have not enabled this for your organization, you need to. Call us today. Guess the Location Game Last month the winner of the guess the location game was Mark Herr who guessed the right answer.  I appreciate all of the participation.  THANKS FOR PLAYING! ANSWER: Dallas, TX "This landscape was made famous by something that changed the world this month in 1963.  It is a bustling city with great people, big attitudes and cowboys.  And if you like BBQ, then this city is for you."  Can you guess the location? POPULATION Dallas is the 9th largest city in the US and the third largest in Texas with a population of 1,281,047. METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA The Dallas-Fort Worth Arlington MSA consists of 12 counties: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise and has a population of 6,954,330. The Dallas-Plano-Irving MD (metropolitan division) is slightly smaller with a population of 4,604,097and is composed of 8 counties: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall. LOCATION Dallas is located in the Central Time Zone in North Central Texas, 35 miles east of Fort Worth, 245 miles north, northwest of Houston and 300 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. ELEVATION 450-750 feet TAXES (SALES, HOTEL OCCUPANCY) Sales - 8.25%; Hotel Occupancy - 13% ANNUAL VISITORS 24.9 million annual visitors to the City of Dallas, with 48.9 million visiting the Metro area HOTEL ROOMS There are more than 30,000 hotel rooms in the city of Dallas; with over 78,000 available throughout the area.   DALLAS FUN FACTS The frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas The integrated circuit computer chip (which became the microchip) was invented in Dallas in 1958 The 52 foot 'Big Tex' statue that greets visitors at the annual State Fair of Texas is the tallest cowboy in Texas. With the roof enclosed, the entire Statue of Liberty could fit into the Cowboys Stadium. During the winter holiday season, the Galleria Dallas is home to the country's tallest indoor Christmas tree. The largest permanent model train exhibit in the country is on display in the lobby of Dallas Children's Medical Center. The Dallas Arts District is the largest urban arts district in the United States. The Trinity River Corridor Project, when completed, will be more than 10 times the size of New York's Central Park. Highland Park Village Shopping Center, developed in 1931 has the distinction of being the first planned shopping center in America. The first convenience store, 7-eleven, got its start in Dallas and the corporation is headquartered there today. Lamar Hunt, founder of the American Football League and son of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, was a noted Dallas resident when he coined the phrase 'Super Bowl'. A few celebrities from the area: Angie Harmon, Luke and Owen Wilson, Nastia Luikin, Lee Trevino, Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, Jessica Simpson A few of the movies/TV series filmed in the area: Dallas; Silkwood; Places in the Heart; RoboCop; Born on the Fourth of July; Walker, Texas Ranger; Prison Break (more listed at http://www.dallasfilmcommission.com/) The Dallas area is the largest metropolitan area in the nation not on a navigable body of water. The Dallas-Fort Worth Arlington Metroplex is the No. 1 visitor and leisure destination in Texas. The Dallas Public Library permanently displays one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, printed on July 4, 1776, and the First Folio of William Shakespeare's "Comedies, Histories & Tragedies." The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is home to 23 of the richest Americans. The phrase 'conspiracy theorist' was a term made popular by the CIA to stop critical thinkers from asking questions about the JFK assassination. So many questions about this remain today... Bucket List of things to do in Dallas ~6 min. This cute couple talks pros and cons of living in Dallas ~ 9 min.  Cool Tour of Top Attractions ~13 min. Christmas FAILS Funny Christmas Moments Cute Kids ~ 3 minutes Jetson One Cool Dangerous Toy ~ 3 minutes Car of the Year One cool electric car from Lucid. Review here ~ 10 minutes Joe Rogan Speaks 41 seconds and worth a listen (language) Confession. I went into the confessional box after many years of being away from the Catholic Church. Inside I found a fully equipped bar with Guinness on tap. On one wall, there was a row of decanters with fine Irish whiskey and Waterford crystal glasses. On the other wall was a dazzling array of the finest cigars and chocolates. When the priest came in, I said to him,"Father, forgive me, for it's been a very long time since I've been to confession, but I must first admit that the confessional box is much more inviting than it used to be."   He replied, "You moron, you're on my side." Brutally Honest Reviews Double Knockout Rare but they happen... ~1 minute Reunited and it feels so good... 10 minutes of animals and humans reuniting - heart warming. Edgy. That's Random... Soft Christmas Cookies Ingredients Ingredient Checklist 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup margarine, softened 1 ½ cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract   Directions Instructions Checklist Step 1 Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients until fully absorbed. Cover dough, and chill for 2 hours. Step 2 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a clean floured surface, roll out small portions of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Step 3 Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are barely brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.  All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 210 S. Milwaukee Ave. Wheeling, IL 60090 USA