Today is the anniversary of the biggest marketing disaster in American history.

Yep, New Coke was introduced on April 23, 1985, some 27 years ago!

Oh, crap, that long ago…I was there.

It came on the heels of the break UP of AT&T, another shafting of the American public.

The reaction to New Coke was so bad, the ‘old formula’ was back on the market within three months.  Actually, production of the New Coke product stopped the week it was introduced to the public.

I’m not so sure now, the taste was all that bad.  I think it was just folks didn’t want anyone screwing UP an American Icon.  And, it was over-hyped.  Better, bolder, blah, blah, blah.

In reality, Coca Cola has changed several times over the years.  The most significant change was in 1935, when an Atlanta Rabbi dubbed Coca Cola Kosher after two changes were made to the formula.  Those two changes also made Coca Cola halal and vegetarian.

But, alas, Old Coke was back on the market, New Coke was re-branded Coke II, you know, like the Chevy II, and every one was happy again.

Well, not every one.  Frankly, it’s never tasted right to me.  And I still think Mexican Coke is better!

It’s Earth Day.

Whoop-dee-do!

Frankly, I’m not so sure that all that environmental stuff is on point.  Most of it just makes things more expensive, and harder to use.

And no one gave a crap about the environment 100 years before I was born, so I say,”Let the Cuyahoga burn!”

I’m sure I’m not alone…but then again!

First of all, my apologies to John Steinbeck.

It’s a classic novel, and I should be ashamed to steal the name for this post, but oh well, that’s just me!

But, of late, I’ve heard some rustling in my Tupperware cabinet, and seen evidence of a mouse under my sink.

This just will not do.

Neither my cabinets nor my Tupperware are mouse potties, and alas, the rat must die!

Oh, I know they are cute and all, and we love a few of them…

…there’s Mickey…

…and there’s Mighty Mouse…whom, frankly is one of my heroes…

…and I’ve posted about him before.

And there’s that cute rat, Ratatouille,  from the movie of the same name…

…it’s a wonderful movie, very cute, you just fall in love with the little critter, and feel like sending a donation to PETA…

…but in reality, mice are dirty, ugly, nasty little buggers, they multiply like The Duggars bunnies, and they are NOT welcome at my place!

So, the mouse, just like Earl, had to die.

Oh, this was a smart little critter.

He ate the cheese off the sticky trap I set.

He ate the cracker off the sticky trap I set.

He got the bait out of the $9.00 box thingy that has a door that closes, and he left ‘graffiti’ in his wake…yes, it was not pretty.

And he had to go.

So, after cleaning out the Tupperware cabinet, and washing 34 years worth of Tupperware – the big stuff by hand, and six dishwasher loads – I scrubbed the floor of the cabinet, threw away a few Avocado Green and Harvest Gold pieces, and carpeted the floor with old timey snap traps, sticky traps that would hold a small dog, and the box with the door that slams shut.

Well, this morning when I went to throw my coffee grounds in the trash can under the sink, there he was, all bugged eyed and squished…and I think he was giving me the finger!  You may think me in-humane and cruel, but that little critter could be wearing lipstick and eye-liner in a Lancome Lab for all I care.  Anywhere but here!

When it comes to mice and men, men win!

I don’t really get all the hoopla about the Chinese New Year.  Frankly, I don’t care much about our own New Year’s celebrations either.

I don’t stay UP to watch the ball drop any more, and watching Dick Clark breaks my heart.

Plus, the music sucks, and the ubiquitous Ryan Seacrest is wearing a tad thin on me.

But, the other day, a friend of mine said, “Happy Tet!” on the way out the door.

Really, Happy Tet.

I’ll pass.

When I hear Tet, which is the Vietnamese celebration of the new year, I think of one thing:

The Tet Offensive.

The US was caught with their pants down on this one.

Tet Nguyen Dan is the celebration of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, and usually coincides with the Chinese New Year.

On January 30, 1968, after a mutually agreed cease-fire, the forces of the People’s Army of Viet Nam launched a surprise attack against the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and the United States.

Its purpose was to use the element of surprise to attack civilian and military commands in South Viet Nam.

We, the allied forces of the United States of America and South Viet Nam, were not ready.  The National Liberation Front, aka Viet Cong, launched an attack of 80,000 communist soldiers, striking more than 100 towns and cities.  It was well planned, well thought out, and well executed.

In the city of Hue alone, more than 2,000 civilians are still listed as missing.  Thousands – THOUSANDS – were killed there by the Viet Cong and the National Liberation Front.

The initial attacks stunned the Allied forces of the South and did major damage to command, life, and the South’s cause. The world and most importantly, America realized that North Viet Nam could launch a devastating attack, and could possibly…and eventually…win the war.

Technically, it ended in a defeat for the Viet Cong, but it changed the American Psyche, turned the tide of public opinion of the war in the United States.

In the offensive, there were 45,850 casualties:  9,078 killed, 35,212 wounded, and 1,530 missing.

Some of those are still missing.

Today, the Tet Offensive is barely mentioned in the US.  Oh, they study it in school, there’s a paragraph or two about it in the US History books, and it’s mentioned in passing.

Frankly, we should remember it more often.

So, forgive me if I pass on the Happy Tet thing.  I don’t remember it as happy at all.

Yeah, I’ll pass.