Because what the world really needed was fish-flavored orange juice?

OK. I normally drank Tropicana's Healthy Heart orange juice. It tasted good and it had extra calcium and potassium.

Someone, however, recently thought it was a good idea to add Omega 3 fatty acids to the orange juice. If you don't know the term, that's fish oil. The carton even says in fine print on the back "Contains tilapia, sardine and anchovy"--and don't ask me how they made that selection--because I'd think sardines and anchovies would be among the more potent, flavorful fish--and they'd want something with less flavor. When I heard about the change, I was concerned.

So, I finally tried the new formula with the Omega 3. It does NOT taste like fish. It doesn't taste like it used to, either. I can't quite place what the new ingredient tastes like. Maybe a bit like it's watered down--but that's not completely accurate. It is not an improvement, however. While I try to place the new flavor, I'll be looking for a new brand of OJ..

Found dog, need advice

Tonight, a dog followed me home.

I saw him earlier when I went over to a friend's house--half a block away, he was following a couple of joggers, and I thought "gee--I wonder why they don't have their dog on a leash." It was because it wasn't their dog. When I came home later, the dog followed my car the half-block up to our driveway, and then up to the front door. He was extremely friendly--I'd be shocked if this animal wasn't someone's well-loved pet. As I write this, I think the dog is still on our front porch.

I took a picture of the dog, and posted ads on Craigslist, Backpage, and Petfinder. Other than that, I don't know that to do. I don't dare bring him in--I can't know he'd be safe or OK in the house. I'm hesitant to even feed him or give him bedding--if he lives near here, I don't want to deter him from going home on his own. However, he doesn't have any collar. Lost it? Indoor dog who never had one and got out anyway? Who knows? I also worry I'm turning away an abandoned dog.

If you know someone who lost a dog in Orange Park, FL, please have them look at the pictures. If you have advice for me, I'm listening.

This one should be junked.

You really have a lousy car when, if asked what the car is worth, you have to reply, "What's per ton price of scrap steel?"

Who really is mourning?

I don't mean to in any way disparage or degrade the late President Ford, or minimize the loss.

His friends and family would, reasonably, need time to mourn. There should be some public recognition of the passing of a public figure.

However, consider that a large number of workers in the government and financial sectors got January 2 off, ostensibly to mourn? How many of them were actually mourning?

Also, try this thought experiment: assuming you didn't get that day off, if you called into work and said, "I need to take the day off. I need to mourn the death of President Ford," how do you think your boss would have responded?

I don't have a good answer to this one, but I don't think we're, as a society, completely honest with ourselves on this point. Somber memorial-oriented holidays (think Memorial Day, Veterans' Day, and Martin Luther King Day for three annual examples) always seem turn into a fun days off.