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Bill Clinton  is following his heart doctor’s diet restrictions….

At least he got his procedure done before Obama Care.

Buzz, that’s what marketing Gurus try to generate.  Create conversation and excitement about their product-event. They want to have everyone talking about “IT”.  The Focus on the Family marketing folks pulled off what I think is the biggest win of 2010.  Everybody has been talking about “their ad” that is airing during the Super Bowl.  The most watched TV show of the year.  The show that charges more for its commercials than anyone else.  The show that creates all the buzz with its over-the-top commercials.

Everyone had an opinion.  News stories. People on the left, people on the right.  People in the middle. People who didn’t care. People who don’t like football. Gator Nation lovers.  Gator Haters. They were all buzzing.

Then the commercial aired.  That’s it?  Did I miss something? Are they going to show more later?  Nope, that its.

Now the day after, there is more buzz.  It was too soft.  It shows Focus on the Family is slipping. It shows how sneaking “they are” trying to get people to their website. Blaa, blaa, blaa….

Great job marketing guys. To use another sports metaphor, I think you hit a home run.

The Kingsley Plantation off Heckscher Drive on Fort George Island is my addition to my personal bucket list this week. It is one of the few remaining examples of the plantation system of territorial Florida and the site of what may be the oldest plantation house in the state. Plantation owner Zephaniah Kingsley was married to a Senegalase woman, Anna Madgigine Jai, whom Kingsley originally purchased as a slave.

This month is a great time to visit Kingsley because of  weekend celebrations that are taking place.  Click <HERE> for more information about Kingsley and the celebrations.

National Wear Red Day asks everyone to wear something red to promote and raise awareness about heart disease and stroke. The goal of the movement is ambitious: to reduce coronary heart disease and stroke risk by 25%.

I can relate to the fact that many people are surprised each year by a heart related medical incident.  Most people do not know that the number one killer of women is heart disease.  Women experience a high number of heart attacks every year, many times ignoring warning symptoms until its too late.

I have had a lot of surprises this past year, and even with all the difficulty it has brought my way, I appreciate everyday more than ever.  I urge everyone, especially you ladies out there, to not ignore something that just doesn’t “feel right”, get into your doctor and get checked out, try and eat healthy, and try to exercise on a regular basis.

Don’t become a statistic.

This place has been around for years and has found the secret to success.  A great product, don’t flood the market, and keep it simple.  Of course I am talking about the BEST donut place in town, the Donut Shoppe on University Blvd in Arlington.  There’s always a line at this hole-in-the-wall business that has customers parked all over the Gate Service Station parking lot they share.  When they’re out, they’re out.  They take cash or cash.  They use boxes with their name stamped on the outside.  They smile, they don’t franchise, their customers are loyal, and they have the absolute, no question about it, best donuts in town.

If you’ve not been to this spot and love donuts, you’ve missed out on a religious experience. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT go in this shop if you’re on a diet or ever have been on a diet, because you will have to go into donut rehab.

The “hot light” is on, and not at Krispy Kreme.

This is the second posting of my personal bucket list for greater Jacksonville.  I know several people who have gone on Jacksonville’s own “rails-to-trails” and have loved the experience.  I am a casual biker and have thought about doing this many times.  The whole concept of taking abandoned-seldom-used railways and converting them to biking-hiking-walking trails is a no-brainer for those of us concerned with losing greenspace.

Once a part of the CSX railway line, the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rails to Trails is a thoroughfare for hikers, bikers, and equestrian use. The trail system, includes two separate paths: a multi-use asphalt trail for walking, jogging,  in-line skating and/or biking; and a trail for horseback riding.

Along the greenway, you’ll see a diversity of natural habitats, including pine flatwoods, wetlands, and hardwood uplands.  These areas attract a variety of wildlife such as songbirds, hawks, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer.  The dense canopy that covers most of the trail provides shade on a sunny day and, in certain locations, even gives the illusion of traveling in a tunnel.  Several rest areas with benches are provided along the route. You can make your way on this path from sunrise to sunset.

Here is a link to this fun spot: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/north/trails/jacksonville_baldwin.htm

Take a Saturday and get outside!

I guess gone are the days when your kids at night slip a flashlight under the covers and read a book past bedtime.  I’m not sure how many kids actually have done that over the years, but it makes for good movie moments.  I do remember my kids sneaking a phone (not a c-phone) into bed and talking under the covers in whispers that “no one” else heard.  My daughter told me today about some “under the cover sneaking” my grandsons have been doing.  Her boys are of that generation who have been born into the electronic world of c-phones, laptop computers, cable TV with 150+ channels, video games that make pong appear to be less relevant than an abacus, and the internet.

They put the boys to bed in their respective bedrooms and later in the night heard some giggles.  Investigation revealed that each boy was still in his room, in his bed, under the covers, BUT, not asleep.  It seems that through utilizing the power of WIFI in their home and the internet they were playing a game against each other on their DS’s.

So now, when you send your kids to bed, you need to check them for their e-toys, because they can still play without even getting out of bed.

You’ve got to love have creative that is.  Oh yea, somethings don’t change.  When they got caught, the younger one said his older brother made him do it.  Nice try Andrew.

Remember the movie Bucket List, where a couple of guys had a list of things they each wanted to do before they died?  It was a light hearted yet serious movie that encourages you to “cover your bases” and get some things done before you run out of time.

I’m starting a personal Bucket List of things I’d like to do, and places I’d like to go around Jacksonville (within 100 miles).  There are many hidden treasure spots around town that a lot of people don’t know about.  Even for someone like me that has lived in Jacksonville for years, there are some things that I have never gotten around to doing.  Time for a change!  Put it on the list, get-er-done.

I’m going to share one of the things on my list each week, in the hope that if you haven’t been to “my spot” you might consider it as an addition to your person-Bucket-List-of-things-to-do-places-to-go-around-Jacksonville.

Here’s my first: Cumberland Island, Georgia – http://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm

How about you?  Share one of your favorite spots-activities you have experienced around Jacksonville.

Brit took some heat, but doesn’t back down: