Cleaning off the Desk #3

Oh how much fun it used to be. We would sit around in groups and shout out in our loudest teenage voices, "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun."

The McDonald's Big Mac, a creation of Jim Delligatti, a McDonald's franchise owner in Uniontown, Pa., is now 40 years old. Who can believe it? I am not a regular visitor to McDonald's, or for that matter any fast-food restaurant, but the last time I did eat there, it was a Big Mac that graced my plate. After all, it is the sandwich of my generation. When I first purchased a Big Mac it was a whopping 45 cents. I think its safe to say the prices have changed but the burger is very much like the original.

The numbers are staggering. It is estimated 550 million Big Macs are sold by McDonald's each year--and that's just in the USA. That's about 17 Big Macs per second. Nutritionally, Big Macs are about a half-pound in size, with 540 calories and 29 grams of fat each. Certainly not the kind of item in your diet that will promote weight loss.

But, if you are out anytime in the next few days and have this burning desire to eat at McDonald's, just order a Big Mac and say, as loudly and quickly as you possibly can "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."

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Have you ever heard of "junk sleep" A small item in The Week dated Sept. 14, 2007, referred to junk sleep as a damaging part of the lifestyle of many teenagers.

Junk sleep is that "rest" obtained while a teenager (although I am not sure it is limited to teenagers) is "hyperstimulated" by the many electronic devices that have overtaken our lifestyles. These include video games, IPods, and the Internet. This hyperstimulation keeps many teenagers from going to bed when they are tired. Then they doze off in front of the electronic device and partake of "junk sleep."

As one doctor claimed, this type of rest is not nourishing to the needs of the brain, thus resulting in many "zombie" like children in our schools today.

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The new TV season is underway and I can say that I am marginally excited. For the first time in years, I plan to check out a comedy. Yes Davis is going to watch a new comedy. Fox will be presenting "Back to You" with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. Heaton, a native of Cleveland (yes, Cleveland, Ohio-- "The best location in the nation"), seemed to me to be the heart and soul of the "Everybody Loves Raymond" series...and I thought that before I knew she was from Cleveland. And Grammer has always been a steady comedic performer going back to his days on "Cheers."

Also new this year will be another segment of "Survivor." You don't have to like it, but I do. Its the original reality show in the modern era and its always got some surprises and is always different. Sometimes the bad guy wins, sometimes the good guy wins. Each segment has its own personality and this segment is even more thrilling to think about since it originates in China.

Okay, there are my two series for the year. I hope they are each enjoyable. After that, I don't hold much hope for television, except for syndicated programs of the past. And, yes, I know the lines before they are spoken.