Thoughts and humor for Valentine's week

By Carolyn Tate and Maizie Harris Jesse

For the Appeal

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY on Thursday. Call your favorite local restaurant, make reservations, and take your sweetie out to dinner. We saw "Carson's sweethearts" on the Millionaire on Wednesday (it was pre-empted Tuesday by Super-Tuesday voting) ... Sierra Scott and Nick Aliberti won $50,000 (and a new Vera Wang mattress), and Sierra's dad showed genius by knowing what a "bridewell" was (a "prison" ... he was her "phone-a-friend," and was "100 percent" sure ... wow). Terrific.

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From "hearts" to "Hart" ... Kevin Hart of Fernley made headlines with his story about choosing to go to Cal to play football with a Division-I school. Unfortunately, the "story" got out of hand; who of us hasn't fibbed (just not on such a public scale), and how much did his family pay to recruiters to find a school for him? Did that figure in? We think he'll be paying his dues for quite some time, but encourage him to show the Division-I schools what he can do on a good junior college team, THEN get the recruitment he so wants. Before we all toss stones, just remember "He who is without sin ..."

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Many people enjoyed the definitions Caren Jenkins sent us from the Washington Post, so here are some more: "Glibido: All talk and no action." "Hipatitis: Terminal coolness." "Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high." "Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly." And (this one got extra credit), "Osteopornosis: A degenerative disease."

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Sierra Gold, a new hotel at the junction of Hwys. 50 E and 395, will break ground soon. Could that be why the OH has announced that it will reopen in 2009? With the Fandango opening the Marriott, and this new hotel, the OH was getting left behind. We hope they make it this time, but you may want to place a bet (it DOES look great on the outside now).

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We all know the state is short of cash this year and the governor is asking for budget cuts, so we wonder, along with Stuart Posselt, how the ASSEMBLY Democrats (not the Senate) on the Interim Finance Committee could possibly approve a new $4.5 million dollar addition to the prison down south that the warden and the State Public Works manager say is not needed, particularly when education is taking a bath. What were you thinking? Or were you?

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Just so the Democrats don't feel put upon, here's quite a statement from the President, made in Omaha, Neb., on Feb. 4, 2005, to a single mother of three: "You work three jobs? ... Uniquely American isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." What planet is he living on? Does he really think that's fantastic? Probably so, since he can hardly do one. Less than a year left, but who's counting?

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By the way, the dollar is so weak, big companies in New York are taking Euros instead. Pretty soon, we'll have a bridge across the Atlantic, speak Spanish, and become the Mexi-Euro Union.

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Enough of that baloney: Shellie Schroder sent us one of the best ones we've heard in a long time: "One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me. I was about one and a half years old and had my arm in a sling because I had broken it. Someone had given me a little tea set as a get-well gift and it became one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room, watching the news, when I brought him a little "cup of tea." It was just water, and, after several cups and lots of praise for the 'yummy tea,' Mommy came home. Daddy had her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because 'it was just the cutest thing.' My Mom waited, and, sure enough, down the hall I came with a cup of tea. She watched Daddy drink it up, then said, 'Did it ever occur to you that the only place the baby can reach to get water is the toilet?'" Tea for two, anyone?

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Good stuff: Jack Cooke is 50; Megan Whitaker is a beautiful young woman doing wonderful things (like cancer research); Bob Ouelette is back barbering at Les's on W. Winnie Lane on Mondays and Thursdays; "When You Comin' Home Red Ryder" opens Friday at the BAC (883-1976); and "Forbidden Broadway" at the Eldorado in Reno is great according to Carolyn ... go see both. By the way, though, neither is suitable for kids.

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Also good news for us eaters: J's Bistro in Dayton (open Wednesdays through Sunday ... 246-4400) is great, but be sure you call for reservations; it was packed on Friday night. Adele's, the CrackerBox and the Station Grille have all reopened after their vacations ... hooray!

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Larry Werner has become the new city manager, taking over for Linda Ritter, who will complete her contract with the city for the next 18 months. We wish them both well. May they both push the city's fortunes onward and upward.

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Parties, parties, parties: The Elk's Charity Ball will be held Feb. 23, with no-host cocktails at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. The Rick Hammond Blues band will be playing. Tickets are $25 each, and are limited. Please call Randy at 882-2177 or 315-8193 for information. The Kiwanis Club is hosting their Great '08 Annual Luau on March 1, at the Nugget from 6-11 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person, and can be obtained by calling Howard at 450-6810. Aloha. And Make-A-Wish is hosting their 2nd annual Bowl for Wishes on the same day, March 1, at the National Bowling Stadium from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., $25 per person. Register by calling 826-8008, or 1-800-525-WISH. Fun for all, and all for good causes, too.

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Vern Manke and Larry Callahan sent us this one: "At a high school in Montana, a group of students played a prank on the school by letting three goats loose in the school. Before they let them go, they painted numbers on the sides of the goats: 1, 2, and 4. Local school administrators spent most of the day looking for goat #3." Former math teachers?

Red roses to you all.

• Carolyn Tate and Maizie Harris Jesse are longtime Carson City residents. Write to them at editor@nevadaappeal.com.