104.3 The Hippo

01/26/2025

People Who Don't Watch TV Say They Do These 15 Things Instead





If someone doesn't watch a lot of TV, it can be challenging to make small talk with them. If they don't watch ANY TV . . . AT ALL . . . well, then you're REALLY stuck talking about the weather.





Someone on social media asked, "People who don't watch TV: How do you spend your time?" And here were the top responses:





1. Reading. This was probably the top response, which suggests that many people feel like they have to choose between watching TV and reading.



2. Gaming. Among younger people, it's mostly online games . . . and among older adults it's a lot of board games, card games, and mobile games.



3. Scrolling social media and apps. Which can be even junkier than a lot of TV. Several people also mentioned: "Doomscrolling and alcohol."



4. Home improvement projects, and working on their property.



5. Hobbies. This includes a lot of time-intensive home studio stuff like woodworking, metalwork, fixing things, crafts, painting, and other artwork.



6. Things to relax and de-stress, like knitting, crochet, and jigsaw puzzles.



7. Walking, exercising, and working out at the gym.



8. Playing sports with friends . . . or with organized groups.



9. Spending time with significant others and kids. Someone else said, "Being present with my cat." (Sorry, but the cat probably wishes you had a TV. The kids too. And the significant other, actually.)



10. Podcasts, listening to the radio, and music . . . both listening to music, and playing an instrument.



11. Sleeping.



12. Someone said, "I just watch the wall." (This seems like it's a couple who doesn't have a TV . . . but only the PARTNER is motivated to do stuff.)



13. Someone said, "Virtual travel through the power of Google Maps, Google Earth, and YouTube."



14. Someone said, "Police bodycam videos on YouTube."



15. Someone said, "Mostly s*x."





(AskReddit)

Explore this post and more from the AskReddit community

01/25/2025

Vacation roulette … Can’t decide where to do on vacation? Just play vacation roulette. The latest travel trend has friends and family making a game out of their travel plans. Each person writes down a potential destination, they all get put in a hat, and then one gets drawn at random. It’s all about embracing the unknown, being adventurous, and experiencing new places.

Travelers have been sharing their versions of “vacation roulette” on social media, making trip planning into a multi-player game of chance.

01/25/2025

Love and waffles … It's time start making your Valentine's Day plans, and if you're looking to get covered and smothered, then Waffle House has just what you're looking for. For the 18th straight year, Waffle House will be putting out the white tablecloths, dimming the lights, and firing up the griddle for lovers who want some romance with a side of hash browns. Participating locations are now taking reservations and you can find all the information you need at WaffleHouse.com.

Waffle House - Valentine's Day Locations Valentine's Day Locations

01/25/2025

THE HIPPO'S QUESTION OF THE DAY:

A survey found that 1 in 7 Americans have been eating the same type of pizza for the last five years, and the average American hasn’t changed their pizza order in two years. According to the survey, pepperoni is the most popular pizza, with 20 states preferring it. Right behind is meat lovers pizza, which is the favorite in 18 states.

How about you? Do you always order the same kind of pizza? From the same place? The same night of the week? Are you an unadventurous eater overall?

That’s according to a new survey that polled 5,000 people across every state on their pizza ordering and found that the last time the average person strayed from their usual order was two years (2.1) ago.

01/24/2025

John Michael's "Did You Know" for Friday 1/24/25:

Did You Know that The site FinanceBuzz is looking to hire someone to taste test 20 different Super Bowl snacks from Costco?! It pays $1,000, plus a $500 gift card to buy it all.





Anyone can apply. You just have to live somewhat close to a Costco, and have access to a Costco membership.





They're calling it the "Sideline Sampler Side Hustle." You'll taste test 20 different snacks, including wings, pizza, mini-tacos, mozzarella sticks, and more.





You'll photograph each item . . . write a brief description . . . and rate them all based on how good they are, and how hard they are to make.





The cutoff for applications is next Wednesday. Go to FinanceBuzz.com/Sideline-Sampler.





(FinanceBuzz)

FinanceBuzz is hiring a football fan to rate Costco’s frozen and prepared foods for their next viewing party. Are you our quarterback?

01/24/2025

Pizza-Flavored Cereal Is Now a Thing That Exists





This will either be amazing or the worst idea ever . . .





Cinnamon Toast Crunch teamed up with Totino's Pizza Rolls for a new PIZZA-FLAVORED CEREAL. (???)





If you think pizza-in-milk sounds okay, you're not alone. But here's where they might lose you: It's also still coated in their "Cinnadust" . . . so, pizza with cinnamon and sugar.





They're not selling it in stores, because it's probably disgusting. You have to win a box by going to the Cinnamon Toast Crunch online store next Tuesday.





They'll be up for grabs at 7:00 P.M. Eastern. They're only handing out 1,000 boxes.





(Food & Wine)





(There's roughly a 0% chance you'll get a box. But if you want to see what it tastes like, pizza rolls and jars of Cinnadust are available at grocery stores. Make sure you're close to a toilet when you take that first bite.)

Just in time for the Super Bowl, General Mills revealed that it's bringing together Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Totino’s Pizza Rolls for what it calls "one winning combination." Here's how to snag a free box.

01/24/2025

THE HIPPO'S CLASSIC CUTS: Can't Stop Lovin' You

Van Halen: "Can't Stop Lovin' You"

The Hook: Sammy Hagar wanted to change the lyrics to the chorus, because it sounded too much like the title of another song, but couldn't come up with anything that worked better.

Album: Balance

Year: 1995

Writers: Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar

Stats: Peaked at number-two on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart and number-30 on the Hot 100 singles chart.

Background: Sammy Hagar says he spent a lot of time trying to come up with a different set of lyrics for the chorus of Van Halen's "Can't Stop Lovin' You." He credits the band's producer at the time with convincing him to go with what he already had.

Sammy Hagar recalls how Van Halen’s producer convinced him it was okay to have a song titled “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You.”
“I was singing that chorus instantly, but I didn’t think I wanted to say that, because there was an old Ray Charles song called ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You.’ I thought, ‘Gee, I can’t sing that,’ but I kept singing it and no new lyric would come. And that lyric, every time I’d come to the chorus, I’d just sing that just as a reference to say, ‘Well, this is the melody I want to sing.’ Finally, Bruce Fairbairn said, ‘Sammy, I know what you mean, but that’s it. Give it up, man.’ He grabbed me and shook me and said, ‘Go with it!’"

Tie-In: Van Halen released Balance, their last album with Sammy Hagar, 30 years ago today -- January 24th, 1995.

Balance Tour.

01/24/2025

TODAY IS:

Global Belly Laugh Day: Because we can all use a good laugh.

National Compliment Day: A good day to compliment someone. It’s a nice – and easy – way to brighten someone’s day.

Beer Can Appreciation Day: A good day for a can of beer.

National Peanut Butter Day: A good day for a PB&J.

National Just Do It Day: Is there something you’ve been wanting to do? Is there something you need to cross off your do-to list? Well … just do it!

National Peanut Butter Day on January 24th recognizes an American staple in our pantries. Whether creamy or chunky, with chocolate or with jelly, peanut butt...

01/24/2025

THE HIPPO'S QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Someone posted on Reddit about a gross habit her co-worker has. Seems the woman takes off her shoes in the office and walks around barefoot all day. Even worse? The poster says the co-worker’s feet stink! The poster says she has spoken to her about it, but she still refuses to wear shoes.

So … what’s the grossest habit your co-worker has? Have you confronted them about it?

An office worker says their coworker has an unusual habit — removing her shoes and going barefoot while at work.

01/23/2025

KENNY ALLEN'S ADOPT A DOG THURSDAY:

Meet June! She is a gorgeous 1 year old Siberian Husky/Shepherd mix with the most beautiful crystal blue eyes. She can be shy at first, but in no time she will be giving kisses and nudging you to play ball. June is available for adoption at SPCA Monterey County! You must meet her - you'll be very glad you did!

01/23/2025

John Michael's "Did You Know" for Thursday 1/23/25:

Did You Know that The site TasteAtlas ranked the 100 grossest foods in the world based on 390,000 online reviews from tourists?!





Most of the Top 10 sound pretty gross, and Nordic countries dominated. But is there anything on this list you'd take a crack at?





1. Blood pancakes. Pancakes made with onions, spices, and REINDEER BLOOD. They're popular in Sweden and Finland. But the average rating from tourists is 1.6 stars out of 5.





2. Blodpalt. Dumplings with reindeer blood. Yes, Sweden and Finland again.





3. Calskrove. A calzone stuffed with French fires and full hamburgers, including the bun. (That made the GROSSEST list???) It sounds like something America would come up with, but it's on the menu at a restaurant in Sweden.





4. Svid. (sveed) Just half a SHEEP'S HEAD, boiled and served with mashed potatoes. It's a traditional dish in Iceland. (That's less gross than a burger calzone?)





5. Deep-fried silk worms. Seasoned with salt and pepper. They're popular in Thailand.





6. Chapalele. (chap-uh-lay-lay) Chilean bread made with potatoes and flour.





7. Jellied eels. They're an old-school street food in England dating back to the 1700s. The flavor is described as "unique" and "unpleasant."





8. Ramen Burger. It's the only American one in the Top 10. A chef in Brooklyn came up with it in 2013. The buns are made of fried ramen noodles.





9. Sour curry made with fish entrails . . . so, internal organs. It's a traditional dish in southern Thailand.





10. Artichoke salad in Greece. They boil the artichokes to make them tender, then cut them up and add lemon, mustard, garlic, and dill. (It doesn't sound THAT gross, but the average rating is just 2.2 stars.)





The only other AMERICAN food that made the Top 25 is frog eye salad in Utah at #22. It's a pasta salad made with custard, Cool Whip, and canned fruit . . . but not actual frog eyes.





Four more American dishes made the Top 100: Tuna casserole, #73 . . . chocolate-covered bacon, #76 . . . chicken à la king, #82 . . . and chicken riggies, #86. It's a pasta dish with roots in Upstate New York.





(TasteAtlas)





(The only Canadian dish on the list is boiled fiddleheads. No Mexican foods made the cut . . . not even tacos de ojo, or EYEBALL tacos.)

List includes: Blodpalt, Calskrove, Svið, Hon mhai, Chapalele.

01/23/2025

More Soup Drops to drop today ... Many people laughed last week when Progresso introduced Soup Drops, but the canned soup maker is the one laughing now – because its rollout was a huge success. The chicken noodle soup-flavored hard candy, which is marketed as "soup you can suck on," became available online last Thursday and completely sold out in under an hour. The company announced on Instagram, "Well this is souper awkward ... our Soup Drops sold out before we had the chance to tell you." But there's great news... a "fresh new batch of soup you can suck on" is available today (Thursday) beginning at 9 a.m. (ET) at ProgressoSoupDrops.com.

01/23/2025

THE HIPPO'S CLASSIC CUTS: Rosalita

Bruce Springsteen: "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"

The Hook: One of the few Springsteen songs where the organ was featured and Danny Federici could "play my butt off."

Album: The Wild, the Innocent, the E Street Shuffle

Year: 1972

Writer: Bruce Springsteen

Stats: Never released as a single in the U.S. but on many lists of the top rock tracks of all time.

Background: The late E Street Band organist Danny Federici didn't get to shine all that often with the band. But in a 1990s interview, he talked about one song that really showcased his abilities.

The late E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici on “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).”
”’Rosalita’’s one of my favorites. There’s tons of organ in it. I could really play my butt off. And I guess it’s one of the few songs that feature the organ. If you look back. If it was me I’d probably turn the organ up louder. So that was like one of my songs to play and get a spotlight on.”

Tie-in: Today, January 23rd, would have been Danny Federici's 75th birthday. He died on April 17th, 2008 from melanoma. He was 58.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performing "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" from London Calling: Live In Hyde Park, 2009Listen to Bruce Springsteen & The ...

01/23/2025

TODAY IS:

National Pie Day: Whether your fav is cherry or apple or blueberry or pecan … today is a good day for a slice of pie.

National Handwriting Day: How often do you actually write these days? How bad has your handwriting gotten over the years?

National Pie Day on January 23rd celebrates one of the Nations' favorite desserts. No matter how you slice it, pie in just about any form makes a crowd happy...

01/23/2025

THE HIPPO'S QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Did you know someone before they got famous? What was this person like then? Are you still in touch with this person?

01/22/2025

John Michael's "Did You Know" for Wednesday 1/22/25:

Did You Know that Earlier this month, in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sammy Hagar once again said what he told us last November -- he'd rather do a residency than tour?!

But once again, people were only half-listening, thinking he said he's done performing, which is not the case. So, he's taken to social media to reiterate what he said.

"I didn't say I'm not gonna tour anymore. I was referring to the residency coming up in May with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, Kenny Aronoff, Rai Thistlethwayte, the same Best of All Worlds band, Best of All Worlds tour. We're gonna do a residency [at] MGM Park [in Las Vegas]. And I'm hoping that that will be a lot easier for me than packing bags every day and getting on an airplane, flying to the next city, checking in the hotel, running a soundcheck, trying to get something to eat, go to the meet-and-greet, get to the show and then doing a show. Without all that crazy travel and all that extracurricular stuff, it should be easier for me... I'll be chomping at the bit when it comes showtime, because I will be well rested without all that travel... Maybe I will able to squeeze 50, a 100 more shows out of this voice and this body...

"Hopefully the residency will be the answer to be able to continue on for many more years, because if not, touring is getting tough, and I will be doing less and less. And eventually, I probably won't be able to do it at all. I mean, it's inevitable. I'm only human...

"Anyway, it's all good. I'm not gonna stop performing ever. I will play music — live music — as long as I can. I love it..."

Again, exactly what he told us in November.

Sammy Hagar on why he likes to do residencies.
"A residency allows you to change the set up every night. Like when I play in Cabo I played four or five nights in a row in Cabo before without repeating one song. We won't do that in Vegas. I mean we're gonna have a show, but every night we'll switch out some Van Halen songs, switch out Sammy solo, switch out some Chickenfoot, switch out some Montrose. I have such a vast catalog and to go out and play a two-hour show, you just put a dent in it. So, we can do that, and we can rehearse 'cause we're not traveling."

Hagar's nine-date Vegas residency runs from April 30th to May 17th.

Sammy hagar talks touring

01/22/2025

National Hot Sauce Day: Here's Each State's Favorite Type





World Toilet Day was back in November. But it should really be tomorrow . . . Happy National Hot Sauce Day!





Instacart released a big report that looked at which states use the most hot sauce per capita based on last year's sales.





New Mexico tops the list at 31.9 ounces per customer, followed by Alaska and Colorado. Alabama ordered the least at 16.6 ounces.





They also looked at each state's favorite hot sauce brand. There are eight across all 50 states, but one brand still dominates . . .





1. Frank's RedHot. It's the top choice in the Northeast, most of the Midwest, and a bunch of other states across the U.S. It's #1 in 28 different states.





2. Burman's Hot Sauce. It's a popular pick at Aldi's . . . basically a Frank's RedHot knockoff but cheaper. It's the top choice in seven states: Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.





3. Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce. Five states: Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee . . . and yes, Louisiana.





4. Cholula. Four states: Utah, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.





5. Texas Pete. Three states: Virginia and both Carolinas. Despite the name, it's actually been made in North Carolina since 1929. (Some guy sued them for false advertising a few years back, but lost.)





Three different sauces got one state each. Tabasco in Hawaii . . . 505 Southwestern in New Mexico . . . and Tapatio in California. (tah-pah-TEE-oh)





(Instacart)





(Two brands that didn't place first in any states still made the Top Five most-Instacarted hot sauces overall: Huy Fong and Taco Bell's hot sauce line.)

As we kick off 2025, Instacart is spicing things up with data-driven insights for National Hot Sauce Day on January 22. Whether you're adding a dash of

01/22/2025

THE HIPPO'S CLASSIC CUTS: Free Bird

Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Free Bird"

The Hook: Easier to learn than you'd think.

Album: (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)

Year: 1973

Writers: Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant

Stats: An edited version became Skynyrd's second Top 20 hit, peaking at number-19 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background: Skynyrd guitarist Ricky Medlocke was the group's drummer in 1970 and '71, before they had a recording contract. After he left, he fronted the group Blackfoot, singing and playing guitar. He rejoined Skynyrd in 1996, after both the song's writers, Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant, had passed. Medlocke says his job included learning Collins's classic solos on "Free Bird."

Onetime Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Rickey Medlocke returned as a guitarist and had to learn the late Allen Collins’ part on “Free Bird.”
“Gary came to me and said, ‘I want to put the rock side kinda back to the band.’ And he said, ‘I want you to play all Allen’s stuff.’ Well, Allen and I play a lot alike, I mean, our styles were similar. And really coincidentally, we played basically the same guitars as each other did. Y’know, it was really weird. But I found that sitting down with all the CDs, or tapes, or whatever, one of the easiest songs for me to learn was ‘Free Bird.’ All I had to do was put all the licks into sequence and it just pretty well came pretty natural.”

Tie-In: On this day in 2010 -- January 10th -- Conan O'Brien's final Tonight Show aired. Musical guest Neil Young's performance of “Long May You Run” is followed by a jam on "Free Bird" featuring Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band with O'Brien, Ben Harper, Beck and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons on guitars with Will Ferrell on vocals.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - FreebirdRecorded Live: 7/2/1977 - Oakland Coliseum Stadium - Oakland, CAMore Lynyrd Skynyrd at Music Vault: http://www.musicvault.comSubscri...