Good morning and greetings, daylight savings fans. Yes, sports fans, it’s the time of year when most of us spring forward to take advantage of more daylight. Or as Phil Collins so delightfully put it in the Book of Genesis, “Let there be light.”

And as every season turns, on Sunday we shifted from Standard Time to Daylight Savings Time. The extra hour gives us a chance to savor the daylight, letting our love lights shine by not sleeping while the sun beams away. However, I haven’t awoken after the sun has come up since before there was history, so I am unaffected and emotionally unavailable.

Let’s face it, I don’t think anyone is thrilled when it gets dark at 5 pm. Furthermore, I’m really not crazy about dark chocolate. As Dr. Martin Luther King wrote, “Darkness is only driven out with light, not with more darkness.” Or in the words of Muhammed Ali, “Prejudice comes from being in the dark, sunlight disinfects it.” Then he knocked out Sonny Liston.

So everyone’s happy when when the days are longer and the nights are stronger than moonshine, which is my shout out to U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens and the wonderful cast of FX’s drama “Justified.”

So who came up with this brilliant idea of more daylight? Well, the credit goes to one of our Founding Father’s, Ben Franklin. According to his friend Jerry, back in 1784, Ben noticed people burning candles and incense late at night, yet sleeping in past sunrise in the morning. Thus, Franklin’s famous quote: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” And this notion helped pave the way for one of Ben’s first major inventions, the VCR.

Now this founding father didn’t actually invent DST, but as Ambassador to Paris, he wrote an amusing letter to the Journal of Paris about his “discovery” that the sun gives light as soon as it rises, and needled Parisians for their night-owl, candle-burning ways. He wanted people rise up and go to bed earlier, to get up and make their lives shine. Or in the words of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres, “Go to bed in your fireplace and you’ll sleep like a log.”

Ben Franklin wanted people to take advantage of the light, to open up their shutters and blinds and let the sunshine in. In his words, “Do not anticipate trouble or worry what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” But always use sunblock to absorb the sun’s ultra violet rays. Or wear a hat or bonnet.

So the U.S. officially started observing DST in 1918, one year after my 96 year old father was born. There are two states that don’t observe this practice, Hawaii and Arizona. Indiana came around and adopted the program back in 2006 in response to the wishes of Hoosier native David Letterman, who ironically, shares the same birthdate as my father, April 12.

Coincidence? I think not.

The Hawaiians don’t observe it because the U.S. government took their islands away from them, so they don’t have to listen to anything besides Don Ho. Besides, they’re our only tropical state and we don’t want to mess with paradise. We’ve already paved enough paradises and put up parking lots.

And what can we say about Arizona? They didn’t want to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday as a federal holiday, are not crazy about diversity and aren’t big on immigration. The only thing growing in Arizona is the crime rate. It’s like the old joke, how many Arizona State freshman does it take to change a light bulb? None, it’s a sophomore course. Sorry, Wildcat fans.

We know that crime goes down during DST, as muggers and low lifes prefer to operate in the dark. And here’s a little known fact. According to the website www.acurite.com, back in September 1999, the West Bank was on Daylight Saving Time while Israel had just switched back to standard time. West Bank terrorists prepared time bombs and smuggled them to their Israeli counterparts, who misunderstood the time on the bombs. As the bombs were being planted, they exploded–one hour too early–killing three terrorists instead of the intended victims–two busloads of people. Sounds like they had a blast.

So take advantage of the light. There’s an old proverb, “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” We all know that we are but a moment’s sunlight, fading in the grass. So don’t forget to smile on your brother. Or sister. Right now.

So not only is the time changing, but so are the patterns of the clouds, as I haven’t shot anything sunrise or sunset worthy in over two weeks. So for today’s photo ensemble we are returning to the morning of December 8. Just a beautiful culmination of red, orange and yellow colored clouds in the sky, which is not the worst visual to start off the day. Throw in some waves, the reflection on the Pacific Ocean and you got yourself a Santa Cruz sunrise.

Oh, and by the way, I got my blood test results back and the results were “greatly improved in all areas.” In a two month period, my total cholesterol was down 32 points, my triglycerides down 56, my good HDL cholesterol was up 4, my LDL 26, and my non-HDL down 37. So thanks to all of you who were praying for me. It just goes to show what a little exercise and low-wheat, low-carb starvation diet can do for you.

On to some late night humor. “This week the Russian government gave all 44 of its Olympic medalists a new Mercedes. When asked what happened to the athletes who didn’t medal, Putin said, ‘Do not open trunk.'” –Jimmy Fallon “Russia gave all of its gold medalists from the Sochi Games $120,000 plus a brand-new Mercedes SUV. While the silver and bronze medalists all received life in prison.” –Seth Meyers

Despite the fact that the Ukraine has been all over the news for the past few weeks, a survey found that 64 percent of U.S. students still couldn’t find Ukraine on a map. Said Vladimir Putin, “Soon nobody will.” – Seth Meyers “Because of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, President Obama is threatening them with economic sanctions. Obama said if Russia doesn’t pull out of Kiev we’re not going to let them borrow any of the money that we borrowed from China.” – Conan O’Brien

“President Obama this week launched a new effort to help young minority men warning them not to make the same mistakes he did when he was their age such as get high and not take school seriously – unless, of course, they definitely want to be president.” –Cecily Strong on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” “Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of the birth of the Tea Party. They had a big celebration and played their favorite party game: pin the blame on the darky.” –Bill Maher

“Vladimir Putin said the tanks that you see rolling through the streets are just part of the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.
This situation in Ukraine is very serious. As a matter of fact, today George Clooney and Matt Damon flew in to rescue the artwork. Anybody see the Academy Awards last night? I watch every year to make sure I’m not in the dead actors montage.” – David Letterman “A new survey found that the average American child watches 24 hours of TV every week. In fact, experts say it’s important for parents to lay down the law and tell their kids to get outside and look at their phones. – Jimmy Fallon

So bring on the light. We’ll catch you putting up most improved player like numbers while dazzling NBA fans with your spectacular dunks on a nightly basis. Aloha, mahalo and later, Gerald Green fans.

Good morning and greetings, Ides of March fans. In case you’re wondering what the Ides are all about, it’s the 15th day of March on the Roman calendar, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated back in 44 B.C.E. after adding croutons and parmesan cheese to one of his famous salads. And interestingly enough, that’s where the expression of “All roads lead to Romaine” came from. And I believe it was George Clooney, who directed and starred in the movie “The Ides of March,” who then coined the phrase, “When in Romaine, do as the Romaines do.” The final thought from the salad bar comes from Cool Hand Luke himself, Paul Newman, who said, “The embarrassing thing is that the salad dressing is outgrossing my films.”

So as a TV critic and blogger, I pride myself on staying atop of the pulse of this great nation, which I accomplish through phone, email and ham radio. And what I have learned is that cold and flu activity is alive and well around the country. Yes, just like the postman always rings twice, people are still coughing and sneezing, wishing and hoping, laughing and praying that the common cold, also known as a viral upper respiratory tract infection, doesn’t stick around too long and turn into bronchitis, running pneumonia or chicken pox. As the poet Ogden Nash once spouted, “A family is a unit composed not only of children but of mice and men, women, an occasional animal and the common cold.”

Now I rarely get a cold, but that comes from living life in a bubble. But when I do, I’m never thrilled with the nasal drainage, sore throat, hallucinations, sneezing, hoarseness, panic attacks, fatigue, fever, growth spurts, headaches, loss of appetite, premature hair loss, congestion, chills, thrills and the wonderful overall achiness. I know those days of dragging around the house, with my sinuses as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey never last more than than a week or so, but it gives me a true appreciation when feeling healthy of having nothing hanging over my head except a couple of hunting trophies.

According to researchers at the Kleenex Institute, there are more than 200 viruses known to cause the common cold. What this means is because there are so many different viruses wreaking havoc, while at the same time new viruses are graduating and going to college, the body never gets a chance to build up any resistance. With our immune system down on ground level, the body is as helpless as a baby veal to fight off bacteria, and colds return as frequently as our daughter tests our boundries. This makes the common cold one of the world’s most reoccurring diseases in the world, along with selfishness and stupidity.

So how do colds spread? Well, it is very simple, my non-glove wearing friends. It is by direct hand-to-hand combat, er contact, that these germs are spread. And it’s just so easy, like taking John Candy from a baby. All you need is someone blowing their nose, and then when they touch someone else, they’ll be as infected as a computer done in by a Chinese government hacker. And as a bonus, a cold virus can live on items like telephones, computer keyboards, magic wands, pens, books and treasure maps for several hours, or the time it takes for your number to be called at the DMV. When you grab a doorknob, a shopping cart, or a hazardous waste suit, you never know whose disease-ridden hand my have been on it before. So if someone had sneezed, ah-choo becomes ah, s***.

Personally, I love that special moment when the feeling of a cold front moves into my chest. Now it doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I know I’m in for some good, old-fashioned feeling lousy for a few days until I’ve been punished long enough, and my nasal passages clear and I can quietly slip back into men’s clothes.

Now it’s a common myth that wintertime is the cold and flu season. But you are mistaken, my runny nose due to excessive mucus flow friends. Although colds are much more popular during the colder months of the year, it’s not because of the frigid temperatures, but for the fact that people are huddled together like football players indoors and this helps to spread the joy and love. For young children in school and day care, the reoccurring cold is a parent’s nightmare, just like getting the call from the principal’s office informing you your child is not on the honor roll.

So what is one do to to avoid the contracting the common cold or being harassed by telemarketers? Best option, live in total isolation, with no contact with any fellow human beings. If that’s not realistic, wash your hands forty to fifty times a day, as cold germs can survive up to three hours outside the nasal and Northwest Passage. You want to keep your fingers and toes away from your eyes and nose as to try and avoid infecting oneself with some cold virus particles that may have come along for the ride. Remember, as any detective will tell you, a handshake is not a man’s best friend in the world of cold cases.

But don’t be afraid to go out in the cold weather. You won’t catch a cold or a sniffle. A cold virus can only enter the body through the nose and mouth, so wearing warm clothing or a fur lined burka will not help to decrease your chances of catching a cold or a Saudi prince. Heck, you can go outside with wet hair and no jacket and play in the snow and never worry about getting a cold. Hypothermia yes, a cold, no. And my thanks to EzineArticles.com for some research help on this matter.

So with spring less than ten days away, I thought for today’s photorama that we would take a break from the sunrise/sunset experience and check out some sights from the upcoming change of season. Plants and trees have been blooming for weeks here on the central coast, and I’m always amazed at the way they know when it’s time to make their yearly appearance above the soil. It is always a thrill to see new life surface. And after doing some landscaping a month ago, my rose bushes have been busier than the phones in the Golden State Warriors ticket office, as both spring majesty and the NBA playoffs (hopefully) are on the horizon. I believe it was Bill Murray or the Dali Lama who said, “Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. I say,” Ronzoni sono buonio, Ronzoni is so good.” But the final word belongs to writer Robert Brault, who simply says, “Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden.”

On to some late night humor. ” President Obama took a group of Republicans to dinner last night. And at the end of the meal, the president personally picked up the tab. Afterwards, Republicans said “Typical Democrat. Spend, spend, spend.” Dennis Rodman visited North Korea. Rodman came back and said President Obama should call North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But President Obama was busy discussing Iran’s nuclear capabilities with Scottie Pippen. Last night Justin Bieber outraged fans by showing up two hours late for his concert. In fact, I’ve got to tell you, I almost left.
Horse meat was found in some products at Taco Bell. Which explains Taco Bell’s new slogan, “You can lead a horse to Taco Bell. We will take it from there.” – Conan O’Brien

“As you know, the Pope stepped down today. There’s a lot of cardinals running for this Pope position. Some of the slogans are pretty catchy. My favorite: ‘Yes, We Vati-can.'” – Jay Leno “President Obama’s half-brother is running for office in Kenya. He’s a political novice who was born and raised in Africa. I don’t know much about the half-brother.” – Craig Ferguson “Yesterday, Groupon fired the founder and CEO of the company. Yeah, he could tell something was up because today’s deal was his parking space.” – Jimmy Fallon “Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a new Facebook news feed today. He said that with this improved news feed Facebook hopes to give the world “the best personalized newspaper that we can.” He’s playing it a little bit loose with the word “newspaper.” A newspaper tells us that North Korea is threatening to attack us, not that your friend went to Panera Bread this afternoon.” – Jimmy Kimmel

So that’s our daylight saving time report. Interesting that folks in Arizona and Hawaii don’t join in the savings fun. We’ll catch you putting up tremendous, back-to-back 41 point performances last week and putting your team on your back as you try and will them into the playoffs. Aloha, mahalo and later, Kobe Bryant fans.