Gone but not forgotten: the other loved one I lost in the month of October.
She ended up playing the role of a surrogate grandmother in my life after I met her shortly before moving to Uniontown PA in 1992 for my theater internship, but even to say "playing the role" vastly diminishes how integral she was to my development over those formative years (I was a late bloomer, as you know). She passed in 2009, having survived so many years longer than predicted after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (always a fighter, rather stubborn -- all endearing qualities to me). I fondly recall trips to Green Dragon, Mt Gretna and Amish Country sites, home cooked meals at her apartments (chicken noodle soup, mystics in the frig and white grape juice every holiday), and plenty of time spent on weekly phone calls just checking in -- until the last one when she let me know that she was just ... so ... tired.
Joanne, you are (always) missed.
DEATH BE NOT PROUD:
http://www.bartleby.com/105/72.html
WHERE WE VISITED TOGETHER (for Zerbe's chips and Raub's subs and chipped ham):
http://www.greendragonmarket.com/
A VERY SERIOUS DISEASE:
http://www.pancreatica.org/
October 31, 2011
October 30, 2011
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 10/30/11
What Chicago is talking about this week:
Alderman Danny Solis has introduced a measure to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the wacky weed (up to 10 grams gets a $200 fine and up to 10 hours of community service instead of 6 months in jail and up to a $1500 fine). With its status as a "gateway drug" now in question in today's zeitgeist, the most interesting point of view on these changes speak to perceived racial discrimination written into the current law. Case in point -- the 23,000 arrested yearly are mostly minorities, while the alderman quoted in the article below visited Lollapalooza and Pitchfork, got a contact high, and observed that all the stoned white kids went about their business without concern of police intervention.
(And from the odor of skunk that lingers around my apartment building in the common areas, I feel certain that the white folk in my building feel free to hemp it up as often as they'd like. As I said before, if I'm going to have neighbors actively involved in the drug world, I'll take chronic chronic users any time as they just sit and stare at their TV and laugh and munch and become enraptured by repeated episodes of "Wilfred" -- either the FX version or the original Australian show now airing on IFC.)
The thought -- get the cops back out on the street and free up their time from doing tons of paperwork .... and use limited resources in a more strategic manner (says a county commissioner, "It is not time to act tough on crime, it is time to be smart on crime"). My only suggestion ... why not cut down on the community service angle (let's face it, those arrested might move so slowly, that they wouldn't accomplish much in ten hours) and keep on making a little more money for the city's coffers by raising the fine to $420, in a nod to the sub-culture.
HERE IS THE ARTICLE FROM WHENCE THE QUOTES COME:
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/oct/27/chicago_decriminalize_marijuana
MIGHT IT BE DISCRIMINATION?:
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/October-2011/Marijuana-Moves-Closer-to-Decriminalization-in-Chicago/
IS IT REALLY A "GATEWAY DRUG"?:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20015429-10391704.html
Alderman Danny Solis has introduced a measure to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the wacky weed (up to 10 grams gets a $200 fine and up to 10 hours of community service instead of 6 months in jail and up to a $1500 fine). With its status as a "gateway drug" now in question in today's zeitgeist, the most interesting point of view on these changes speak to perceived racial discrimination written into the current law. Case in point -- the 23,000 arrested yearly are mostly minorities, while the alderman quoted in the article below visited Lollapalooza and Pitchfork, got a contact high, and observed that all the stoned white kids went about their business without concern of police intervention.
(And from the odor of skunk that lingers around my apartment building in the common areas, I feel certain that the white folk in my building feel free to hemp it up as often as they'd like. As I said before, if I'm going to have neighbors actively involved in the drug world, I'll take chronic chronic users any time as they just sit and stare at their TV and laugh and munch and become enraptured by repeated episodes of "Wilfred" -- either the FX version or the original Australian show now airing on IFC.)
The thought -- get the cops back out on the street and free up their time from doing tons of paperwork .... and use limited resources in a more strategic manner (says a county commissioner, "It is not time to act tough on crime, it is time to be smart on crime"). My only suggestion ... why not cut down on the community service angle (let's face it, those arrested might move so slowly, that they wouldn't accomplish much in ten hours) and keep on making a little more money for the city's coffers by raising the fine to $420, in a nod to the sub-culture.
HERE IS THE ARTICLE FROM WHENCE THE QUOTES COME:
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/oct/27/chicago_decriminalize_marijuana
MIGHT IT BE DISCRIMINATION?:
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/October-2011/Marijuana-Moves-Closer-to-Decriminalization-in-Chicago/
IS IT REALLY A "GATEWAY DRUG"?:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20015429-10391704.html
October 29, 2011
Random Soapbox for Saturday 10/29/11
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...
... my heart and soul and brain hurt a little from reading up on the goings-on (or is that going-ons) in my erstwhile hometown of Harrisburg PA.
[It's true that the length of time I domiciled in Dauphin County is now practically a quarter of the residence I've had here in Chicago and but a seventh of my earlier sojourn all over Leb'non County, but it's twice the time I spent in Uniontown -- and hey, as far as I'm concerned, wherever I laid my hat was home (except I mostly stopped wearing hats as I got older and the admonition that "you'll go bald if you were that baseball/painter's cap all the time" kind of came true). Anyway, for the weeks and months between late '98 and fall '01, the H-B-G (what-what!) was what I would have tried to work into any ill attempt at a hip hop rhyme (pun fully intended) if someone had forced me to demo my skillz for some unforeseen and highly unlikely reason.]
I'm slowly raising my smart phone IQ, which means I now can read news updates from Reuters on it -- and there between the concerns over the EuroZone crisis and what will become of Qu/G/Kh-addafi's son and some corporate crisis involving Japan's Olympus, was a full length feature on the budget brou-ha-ha in PA's state capitol.
It sounds like it could be a whole season of a night time soap -- with incinerator intrigue, Wild West relic obsessions, mayors who get their marching orders directly from Jesus, snowball throwing protesters (predating the Occupy [insert city here] movement and today's surprise snow storm), government officials who just can't get along and all manners of good-government-gone-bad mayhem -- with racial overtones and undercurrents at every turn.
[Upon retrospection, maybe it was a sign of things to come when I successfully survived two different attempted muggings in the months I lived there -- one in the shadow of the state capitol and the other in the alley next to the governor's mansion.]
As I understand it, it is time to sell off a parking garage or two before the governor himself steps in. With every day just one more day in the omnipresent election cycle that is modern politics, someone needs to step in and demonstrate a little leadership. It's embarrassing -- and Welshie John Harris Sr is undoubtedly turning over in his grave. In the immortal words of one of my favorite Keenan Thompson SNL characters ... FIX IT!
KEENAN, MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo3uxqwTxk0
I WONDER ... WWJHD? (what would John Harris do?):
http://www.angelfire.com/on/Canadiangenealogy/harris.html
HBG: A CITY AT WAR WITH ITSELF:
http://www.angelfire.com/on/Canadiangenealogy/harris.html
... my heart and soul and brain hurt a little from reading up on the goings-on (or is that going-ons) in my erstwhile hometown of Harrisburg PA.
[It's true that the length of time I domiciled in Dauphin County is now practically a quarter of the residence I've had here in Chicago and but a seventh of my earlier sojourn all over Leb'non County, but it's twice the time I spent in Uniontown -- and hey, as far as I'm concerned, wherever I laid my hat was home (except I mostly stopped wearing hats as I got older and the admonition that "you'll go bald if you were that baseball/painter's cap all the time" kind of came true). Anyway, for the weeks and months between late '98 and fall '01, the H-B-G (what-what!) was what I would have tried to work into any ill attempt at a hip hop rhyme (pun fully intended) if someone had forced me to demo my skillz for some unforeseen and highly unlikely reason.]
I'm slowly raising my smart phone IQ, which means I now can read news updates from Reuters on it -- and there between the concerns over the EuroZone crisis and what will become of Qu/G/Kh-addafi's son and some corporate crisis involving Japan's Olympus, was a full length feature on the budget brou-ha-ha in PA's state capitol.
It sounds like it could be a whole season of a night time soap -- with incinerator intrigue, Wild West relic obsessions, mayors who get their marching orders directly from Jesus, snowball throwing protesters (predating the Occupy [insert city here] movement and today's surprise snow storm), government officials who just can't get along and all manners of good-government-gone-bad mayhem -- with racial overtones and undercurrents at every turn.
[Upon retrospection, maybe it was a sign of things to come when I successfully survived two different attempted muggings in the months I lived there -- one in the shadow of the state capitol and the other in the alley next to the governor's mansion.]
As I understand it, it is time to sell off a parking garage or two before the governor himself steps in. With every day just one more day in the omnipresent election cycle that is modern politics, someone needs to step in and demonstrate a little leadership. It's embarrassing -- and Welshie John Harris Sr is undoubtedly turning over in his grave. In the immortal words of one of my favorite Keenan Thompson SNL characters ... FIX IT!
KEENAN, MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo3uxqwTxk0
I WONDER ... WWJHD? (what would John Harris do?):
http://www.angelfire.com/on/Canadiangenealogy/harris.html
HBG: A CITY AT WAR WITH ITSELF:
http://www.angelfire.com/on/Canadiangenealogy/harris.html
Random Posting for Penn State 10/29/11
1.) Question: With 409 on the line for JoePa and the status as only undefeated team in the Big10 at risk, why is it that we're so far into this game with what appears to be a soccer score -- this is college American football, right -- and not football as the rest of the world understands it to be, correct?
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: "I sure do like to hear the sound of pads a-poppin'" said announcer man as he listed a litany of "bang-bang contact" noises that got him excited. He stopped just short of "bones-a-crunchin' and brains-a-squishin'", before reading how you can aim for anything but the head. And coming up in the halftime show -- faith based believers vs. the lions!
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: The story of little 11 year old Joey Paterno being told "et tu Brute" by daddy Jay when the little man asked why we don't just "choose a quarterback" already. Out of the mouths of babes, eh?
4.) Stat of the day: 3 and out (and repeat ad nauseum). I guess you can tell by the score, but it's pretty much a punting contest today, sadly.
5.) Final thought: It's nice to know that Mother Nature is a fan. Thanks for the white-out (and for those of you without power or dealing with this surprise Snow-o-ween back home, please do be careful) -- and even though it's 53 and briskly sunny here in Chi-town, I had to wrap myself in a blanket on the couch just watching the weather in the background!
THE FOOTBALL vs. FOOTBALL DEBATE:
http://www.chefelf.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5760
THE ET TU BRUTE DISCUSSION:
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/ettubrute.html
A SNOWTOBER TO REMEMBER REPORT:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/snowtober-to-remember_2011-10-28
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: "I sure do like to hear the sound of pads a-poppin'" said announcer man as he listed a litany of "bang-bang contact" noises that got him excited. He stopped just short of "bones-a-crunchin' and brains-a-squishin'", before reading how you can aim for anything but the head. And coming up in the halftime show -- faith based believers vs. the lions!
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: The story of little 11 year old Joey Paterno being told "et tu Brute" by daddy Jay when the little man asked why we don't just "choose a quarterback" already. Out of the mouths of babes, eh?
4.) Stat of the day: 3 and out (and repeat ad nauseum). I guess you can tell by the score, but it's pretty much a punting contest today, sadly.
5.) Final thought: It's nice to know that Mother Nature is a fan. Thanks for the white-out (and for those of you without power or dealing with this surprise Snow-o-ween back home, please do be careful) -- and even though it's 53 and briskly sunny here in Chi-town, I had to wrap myself in a blanket on the couch just watching the weather in the background!
THE FOOTBALL vs. FOOTBALL DEBATE:
http://www.chefelf.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5760
THE ET TU BRUTE DISCUSSION:
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/ettubrute.html
A SNOWTOBER TO REMEMBER REPORT:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/snowtober-to-remember_2011-10-28
October 28, 2011
Random Flashback for Friday 10/28/11
Admittedly, this is a little self-indulgent after all the cast shots of the last few weeks, but I WAS the director of "Through a Shattered Looking Glass: An Evening of the Supernatural", the fall 1991 Wig and Buckle production that had a special showing on Halloween night that year.
And I did start the show in a tux with a phantom cape (that didn't make this album, and know that I didn't wear the phantom mask during the show), walking into the theatre before the fog and laser and black light dance extravaganza to announce, "Wait. I think my dear. We have some guests. This is indeed an unparalleled delight. I had rather hoped that you'd all come. And now my dreams come true. You have truly made my night."
And then there also was that dramatic reading of The Raven I did during the scene change in a darkened theatre. If you were there, you know whether or not it worked.
All that aside, I can't quite explain this Michelle Peiffer pose on the busted up piano in the basement of MaryGreen. If I was going to dress up for Halloween in 2011, THIS would be the outfit I'd wear ... my 19 year old self all Rico-Suave-esque James-Bond-ish wanna-be.
October 27, 2011
Random Thought for Thursday 10/27/11
Don't judge me (and I most certainly don't begrudge any of you who treat next Monday as the high holy day of the year) ... but for Halloween 2011, I'm going to dress as the "guy who didn't dress as anything for Halloween". Hopefully that's not too "meta" ... maybe I'm just tapping into my inner slacker ... or possibly I'm channeling the nonchalant-ness of a hipster (they've invaded the 'hood like irony-cravin'-zombies) ... but it really boils down to the fact that watching a mini Walking Dead/American Horror Story/Halloween H20 and its sequel marathon while sitting on the couch in a costume just seems odd.
MY SUGGESTION DOES NOT MAKE THE TIME TOP 10 TOPICAL COSTUME LIST:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2097113_2097114_2097093,00.html
THE OFFICIAL WALKING DEAD WEBSITE:
http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead
THE OFFICIAL AMERICAN HORROR STORY WEBSITE:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/ahs/
MY SUGGESTION DOES NOT MAKE THE TIME TOP 10 TOPICAL COSTUME LIST:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2097113_2097114_2097093,00.html
THE OFFICIAL WALKING DEAD WEBSITE:
http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead
THE OFFICIAL AMERICAN HORROR STORY WEBSITE:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/ahs/
October 26, 2011
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 10/26/11
BRCA.
Used in a sentence, "The beauty of acronyms is that they can stand for so many things -- take BRCA, for example".
On the serious tip, BRCA is the gene that can harmfully mutate and lead to an increased risk of cancer -- particularly breast cancer. And as this designated awareness month wraps -- the instruction to be informed and to practice regular self examination should carry forward year round.
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I can also search acronyms and discover that BRCA sometimes stands for the Brazilian Rodeo Cowboys Association. I got nothing else to say about that, just that I don't want anyone to get confused when I use it below.
For me, I'm specifically using BRCA to refer to the following Belated Randomness, Countdowns and Asides, as I sometimes back myself into a corner and fall behind on concepts to which I'm committed. So ... here's me catching up:
UN -- last Friday marked the fact that only 425 days remain until the end of the Mayan calendar and our journey to the other side of the galaxy. I just want to be ready (I haven't stopped paying my bills or bought any billboards, yet -- just in case you're starting to worry about my new haphazard obsession).
DEUX -- here's three things I learned from last week's episode (10.16) in my overdue Amazing Race Aside:
1.) To avoid being in a situation like how all scary movies start, know the difference between North and South when navigating a boat into strange waters (right Ernie and Cindy?)!
2.) It doesn't matter what country you are in, "Amis" are funny to locals when performing these tasks, as evidenced by the pure joy on the faces of those watching events unfold.
3.) If an ex-NFL player gets tired out trying to plant coral just a bit offshore in the ocean, then it is most certainly not for out-of-shape me.
TROIS -- and here's three things I learned from the most recent episode in my more timely Amazing Race Aside:
1.) It's floutist. Or is it flutist? Or is it fluter? Maybe "he (or she) who plays the flute" is safest to say.
2.) I now think that Max might have sailed solo around the world to get away from his douche of a Dad.
3.) In Bangkok, "a dog ate my homework" can easily be replaced with "a teacher took my clue".
Okay ... now I feel caught up (and my self-exams on my cancer susceptible body parts didn't turn up anything) ... I can sleep better tonight!
ALSO THE BRITISH RADIO CAR ASSOCIATION:
http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/BRCA
BE INFORMED -- PERFORM YOUR SELF EXAMS:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA
A MIX OF MOOS AND MUSIC, THEY SAY:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13947516
Used in a sentence, "The beauty of acronyms is that they can stand for so many things -- take BRCA, for example".
On the serious tip, BRCA is the gene that can harmfully mutate and lead to an increased risk of cancer -- particularly breast cancer. And as this designated awareness month wraps -- the instruction to be informed and to practice regular self examination should carry forward year round.
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I can also search acronyms and discover that BRCA sometimes stands for the Brazilian Rodeo Cowboys Association. I got nothing else to say about that, just that I don't want anyone to get confused when I use it below.
For me, I'm specifically using BRCA to refer to the following Belated Randomness, Countdowns and Asides, as I sometimes back myself into a corner and fall behind on concepts to which I'm committed. So ... here's me catching up:
UN -- last Friday marked the fact that only 425 days remain until the end of the Mayan calendar and our journey to the other side of the galaxy. I just want to be ready (I haven't stopped paying my bills or bought any billboards, yet -- just in case you're starting to worry about my new haphazard obsession).
DEUX -- here's three things I learned from last week's episode (10.16) in my overdue Amazing Race Aside:
1.) To avoid being in a situation like how all scary movies start, know the difference between North and South when navigating a boat into strange waters (right Ernie and Cindy?)!
2.) It doesn't matter what country you are in, "Amis" are funny to locals when performing these tasks, as evidenced by the pure joy on the faces of those watching events unfold.
3.) If an ex-NFL player gets tired out trying to plant coral just a bit offshore in the ocean, then it is most certainly not for out-of-shape me.
TROIS -- and here's three things I learned from the most recent episode in my more timely Amazing Race Aside:
1.) It's floutist. Or is it flutist? Or is it fluter? Maybe "he (or she) who plays the flute" is safest to say.
2.) I now think that Max might have sailed solo around the world to get away from his douche of a Dad.
3.) In Bangkok, "a dog ate my homework" can easily be replaced with "a teacher took my clue".
Okay ... now I feel caught up (and my self-exams on my cancer susceptible body parts didn't turn up anything) ... I can sleep better tonight!
ALSO THE BRITISH RADIO CAR ASSOCIATION:
http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/BRCA
BE INFORMED -- PERFORM YOUR SELF EXAMS:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA
A MIX OF MOOS AND MUSIC, THEY SAY:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13947516
October 25, 2011
Random Tune for Tuesday 10/25/11
This song came up during our work team's group skype chat the other day (yep -- we're modern that way -- a virtual workforce toiling from homes across the country that stay connected with that thing that Oprah was so happy to push on the final years of her show and for which Microsoft paid 8.5 billion dollars not that long ago), and I had to admit that I had never heard it.
It seems like it should have fit in with all the "On Top of Spaghetti" and "Oh Susanna" and "I'm Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor" songs of my youth. But somehow Mr. Hunsicker was teaching us more local tunes (perfect for Fredericksburg PA) like "My Father was a Finger Lickin' Chicken Pluckin' Somethin'-or-other" (how could I have forgotten that classic verse he added?) and Mr. Reigh was turnin' down the lights and groovin' to Peter Paul and Mary (as fourth graders, I'm not sure how much we appreciated Leavin' on a Jet Plane) instead of teachin' us a tune that was turnin' word tricks on our state names.
[Look at me bein' all colloquial and omitting my final 'g's'!]
Well now, I'm informed about this Perry Como classic -- and, if you click through, so are you ...
WHY DID CALI-PHONE-YA IS A BIT OF A STRETCH, NO?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NztfOSyCCFM
It seems like it should have fit in with all the "On Top of Spaghetti" and "Oh Susanna" and "I'm Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor" songs of my youth. But somehow Mr. Hunsicker was teaching us more local tunes (perfect for Fredericksburg PA) like "My Father was a Finger Lickin' Chicken Pluckin' Somethin'-or-other" (how could I have forgotten that classic verse he added?) and Mr. Reigh was turnin' down the lights and groovin' to Peter Paul and Mary (as fourth graders, I'm not sure how much we appreciated Leavin' on a Jet Plane) instead of teachin' us a tune that was turnin' word tricks on our state names.
[Look at me bein' all colloquial and omitting my final 'g's'!]
Well now, I'm informed about this Perry Como classic -- and, if you click through, so are you ...
WHY DID CALI-PHONE-YA IS A BIT OF A STRETCH, NO?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NztfOSyCCFM
October 24, 2011
Purposeful Memorial for Monday 10/24/11
Gone but not forgotten: Russell Whitman II.
It's been 10 years since I got the call and went home to be with those whom you left behind, in the grieving process, re-connecting with those from whom I had distanced myself. I'm just glad that the memories of the wild times we all had together in the late nineties (both good and bad, planned and unexpected, in the townhouse or the Big Bertha house or points in-between) are still fresh in my mind. As it goes with the loss of someone with whom you are close, that's what I have to cling to until such time when we may meet again.
That, and a half smoked Swisher Sweet cigar every now and then in your memory.
DJ -- you are (always) missed.
SWISHERTOWN:
http://www.swisher.com/web/main/
DEATH BE NOT PROUD:
http://www.bartleby.com/105/72.html
LET IT BE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEogJacjLTE
It's been 10 years since I got the call and went home to be with those whom you left behind, in the grieving process, re-connecting with those from whom I had distanced myself. I'm just glad that the memories of the wild times we all had together in the late nineties (both good and bad, planned and unexpected, in the townhouse or the Big Bertha house or points in-between) are still fresh in my mind. As it goes with the loss of someone with whom you are close, that's what I have to cling to until such time when we may meet again.
That, and a half smoked Swisher Sweet cigar every now and then in your memory.
DJ -- you are (always) missed.
SWISHERTOWN:
http://www.swisher.com/web/main/
DEATH BE NOT PROUD:
http://www.bartleby.com/105/72.html
LET IT BE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEogJacjLTE
October 23, 2011
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 10/23/11
What Chicago is (NOT) talking about this week ...
... for being one of the cities currently under occupation by the 99%, coverage of the protest movement seems to be limited to a story or two about the mass arrests of those who are trying to turn the public park into a tent city.
I'm not wishing for riot gear or police dogs or water cannons, but what with Chicago's rich history from the disturbances in '68, I guess I would expect just a little bit more out of the movement. (Not that I was here in '68 -- and I mean that quite literally in that I didn't move to Chicago until 2001 and, furthermore, I didn't outsmart my momma's IUD until mid '71). [My apologies for the mental image that briefly flickered across your mind ...]
I guess it will just be something to watch (from a safe distance), as I can't afford to take unscheduled el trips to the protest site as I'm living paycheck to paycheck and hadn't budgeted that expense into my plans.
SAYS MAYOR, THEY MUST EXPRESS THEMSELVES AND RESPECT THE LAW:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-18/news/chi-emanuel-says-he-consulted-on-occupy-chicago-arrests-20111018_1_mayor-rahm-emanuel-protesters-largely-peaceful-demonstration
THE YARDSTICK AGAINST WHICH I'M MEASURING THE EVENT:
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/conventions/chicago/facts/chicago68/index.shtml
THE INTERWEBS VERSION OF THE "TRUTH" ABOUT IUDs:
http://www.mjbovo.com/Contracept/IUD-Truth.htm
... for being one of the cities currently under occupation by the 99%, coverage of the protest movement seems to be limited to a story or two about the mass arrests of those who are trying to turn the public park into a tent city.
I'm not wishing for riot gear or police dogs or water cannons, but what with Chicago's rich history from the disturbances in '68, I guess I would expect just a little bit more out of the movement. (Not that I was here in '68 -- and I mean that quite literally in that I didn't move to Chicago until 2001 and, furthermore, I didn't outsmart my momma's IUD until mid '71). [My apologies for the mental image that briefly flickered across your mind ...]
I guess it will just be something to watch (from a safe distance), as I can't afford to take unscheduled el trips to the protest site as I'm living paycheck to paycheck and hadn't budgeted that expense into my plans.
SAYS MAYOR, THEY MUST EXPRESS THEMSELVES AND RESPECT THE LAW:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-18/news/chi-emanuel-says-he-consulted-on-occupy-chicago-arrests-20111018_1_mayor-rahm-emanuel-protesters-largely-peaceful-demonstration
THE YARDSTICK AGAINST WHICH I'M MEASURING THE EVENT:
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/conventions/chicago/facts/chicago68/index.shtml
THE INTERWEBS VERSION OF THE "TRUTH" ABOUT IUDs:
http://www.mjbovo.com/Contracept/IUD-Truth.htm
October 22, 2011
Random Soapbox for Saturday 10/22/11
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...
... I need those late night extended heartbreak commercials to choose a better soundtrack for their message.
And before anyone takes this out of context or skims this to the wrong phrase and misunderstands my point or gets confused overall because I tend to write plenty of run on sentences full of parentheticals with lots of clauses and often times unrelated thoughts (I sound like a Republican candidate for President blaming the lame-stream media there, don't I?), I think that abused and abandoned animals are categorically worthy of saving, that bloated African bellies are almost insulting to see in the context of our country of waste and that little children born outside of America with cleft palates deserve to have simple surgery to be able to smile.
What I don't like is being woken up from a deep sleep by a ghostly oooh---oooh---oooh noise, as happened last night when I forgot to have the TV turned off before I fell asleep. It's probably that time of year (or the return of The Walking Dead ... or that new American Horror Story ...), but my little old heart does not need to be frightened while I'm in a groggy state. I'm pretty sure the offensive commercial (again, offensive to me in choice of accompanying musical score, and NOT in content) was the cleft palate one. I wish only smiles for those poor children, but, as selfish as it may sound, I also wish to be alive to see them smile!
DONATE (FUNDS OR A MUSICAL CHOICE) IF YOU SO DESIRE:
http://www.saveasmilefoundation.org/donate.html
IF THIS DOESN'T TOUCH YOU, YOU MAY NOT HAVE A HEART:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc
IT's PERVERSE and SCARY and CREATIVE and WHAT YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/ahs/
... I need those late night extended heartbreak commercials to choose a better soundtrack for their message.
And before anyone takes this out of context or skims this to the wrong phrase and misunderstands my point or gets confused overall because I tend to write plenty of run on sentences full of parentheticals with lots of clauses and often times unrelated thoughts (I sound like a Republican candidate for President blaming the lame-stream media there, don't I?), I think that abused and abandoned animals are categorically worthy of saving, that bloated African bellies are almost insulting to see in the context of our country of waste and that little children born outside of America with cleft palates deserve to have simple surgery to be able to smile.
What I don't like is being woken up from a deep sleep by a ghostly oooh---oooh---oooh noise, as happened last night when I forgot to have the TV turned off before I fell asleep. It's probably that time of year (or the return of The Walking Dead ... or that new American Horror Story ...), but my little old heart does not need to be frightened while I'm in a groggy state. I'm pretty sure the offensive commercial (again, offensive to me in choice of accompanying musical score, and NOT in content) was the cleft palate one. I wish only smiles for those poor children, but, as selfish as it may sound, I also wish to be alive to see them smile!
DONATE (FUNDS OR A MUSICAL CHOICE) IF YOU SO DESIRE:
http://www.saveasmilefoundation.org/donate.html
IF THIS DOESN'T TOUCH YOU, YOU MAY NOT HAVE A HEART:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc
IT's PERVERSE and SCARY and CREATIVE and WHAT YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/ahs/
Random Posting for Penn State 10/22/11
1.) Question: Do you think now that Wrigley is oh-so-quiet, I can open up my window and listen intently for the cheers for Penn State up at Ryan Field (google maps tells me it's only 9.1 miles away)?
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: This is either attributable to the fact that I pretty much watched the first half of the game on a fast forward of sorts OR to the fact that, since it is a night game, I've already got a bit of a buzz on to watch in anticipation of a bar crawlin' evening out -- but I have not heard a groan escape my lips. Maybe I'm mellowing as the season goes on -- or maybe these two are just straightforward, tell it like it is, keep the ridiculous stats out of the discussion, here's what's going on down on the field kind of guys.
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: Redd and Green make a great team. If TBS can air "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on the first weekend in November and the stores can put out decorations shortly before Labor Day, I guess Penn State can surely bring a little holiday (color scheme) cheer?
4.) Stat of the Day: ONE, as in the number of quarterbacks that we've played so far (as of the time of this writing at the end of the 3rd quarter).
5.) Final thought: With how classy and polite and well mannered JoePa is, I'm just glad he doesn't feel an obligation to not ruin a university's homecoming by losing the game just to be nice (although there's still a quarter left).
AFTER ALL, WRIGLEY FIELD WAS NORTHWESTERN's FILED JUST LAST YEAR:
http://archive.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/11/wrigley-field-turned-into-northwestern-football-field.html
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM REDD AND GREEN!:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11216/1165035-143-0.stm
HOW TBS STOLE CHRISTMAS ANTICIPATION BY PLAYING THIS NOV 5TH:
http://www.tbs.com/movies/movietitle/0,,37806,00.html
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: This is either attributable to the fact that I pretty much watched the first half of the game on a fast forward of sorts OR to the fact that, since it is a night game, I've already got a bit of a buzz on to watch in anticipation of a bar crawlin' evening out -- but I have not heard a groan escape my lips. Maybe I'm mellowing as the season goes on -- or maybe these two are just straightforward, tell it like it is, keep the ridiculous stats out of the discussion, here's what's going on down on the field kind of guys.
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: Redd and Green make a great team. If TBS can air "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on the first weekend in November and the stores can put out decorations shortly before Labor Day, I guess Penn State can surely bring a little holiday (color scheme) cheer?
4.) Stat of the Day: ONE, as in the number of quarterbacks that we've played so far (as of the time of this writing at the end of the 3rd quarter).
5.) Final thought: With how classy and polite and well mannered JoePa is, I'm just glad he doesn't feel an obligation to not ruin a university's homecoming by losing the game just to be nice (although there's still a quarter left).
AFTER ALL, WRIGLEY FIELD WAS NORTHWESTERN's FILED JUST LAST YEAR:
http://archive.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/11/wrigley-field-turned-into-northwestern-football-field.html
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM REDD AND GREEN!:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11216/1165035-143-0.stm
HOW TBS STOLE CHRISTMAS ANTICIPATION BY PLAYING THIS NOV 5TH:
http://www.tbs.com/movies/movietitle/0,,37806,00.html
October 21, 2011
Random Flashback for Friday 10/21/11
Said La Vie Collegienne's reviewer of this piece ... "It's a difficult thing to take an old, almost cliche story and make it into a suspenseful stage performance, but that's exactly what is done here."
The closing piece of Through a Shattered Looking Glass ... a dramatization of that "cliche story" -- The Monkey's Paw. (If you look closely, you can see the prop with the mystical powers grasped in the only hand of William Trexler's Sergeant-Major Morris -- and you don't have to look too close to see his other arm pinned back behind the jacket to demonstrate the extent of our "special effects" department.) Also present is Rob Gale, jailed in the opening scene of the first play of the evening and destined to not survive to the final scene.
And if you don't know this story of a cautionary tale of "careful what you wish for" ... it's perfect for this time of year -- just like it was perfect for the fall play twenty years ago in October, 1991.
October 20, 2011
Random Thought for Thursday 10/20/11
I doubt that we will have time travel or cloning in time to traverse across the country multiple times, but here's what I'd be doing this upcoming Saturday if I had my druthers (does anyone know where I can find some druthers at a good price?)!
[note -- all times are local times, further complicating this sci-fi experiment of sorts]
* I went looking for a west coast event for this post, and since I only had seen the Golden Gate bridge from a distance when I visited there pre-great-recession, and considering the worthy fund raising cause during "awareness month", it seemed like a good choice!
** A former co-worker of mine left the company a few years back to get all well known in MMA circles, and now he has his own business in St. Louis and is holding a grand opening for it (while raising money in the process for the charity Lift for Life)!
*** Where will you take you? Kaplan, the company for which I work, offers free practice tests for LSAT, GRE, MCAT, DAT, OAT and PCAT in the heart of Chicago, easily accessible from the Fullerton stop of the Red Line. It's still not too late to register at www.kaptest.com!
**** My undergrad alma mater is hosting one of the funniest classic comedians of all time. He of the "experience is something you don't get until just after you need it" and other pithy, hilarious and dry one-liners will be in performance on LVC's campus!
***** It's prime time game time! And the closest that JoePa and both QBs and folks will get to my apartment this season!
Absent a scientific breakthough, it looks more likely that I'll stay local and just get to DePaul and to my couch to watch the Penn State game. But I'll be at the other places in spirit!
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, first stop:
http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY12California?sid=144435&type=fr_informational&pg=informational&fr_id=35954
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, second stop:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=111925715581282
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, third stop:
http://www.kaptest.com/practice
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, fourth stop:
http://connect.lvc.edu/s/1304/index.aspx?sid=1304&gid=1&pgid=13&cid=664
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, fifth stop:
http://www.bing.com/events/search?q=Penn+State+Nittany+Lions+%40+Northwestern+Wildcats&p1=[Events%20source="vertical"+qzeventid="f579748"]&FORM=DTPEVE
[note -- all times are local times, further complicating this sci-fi experiment of sorts]
8:30am-Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Golden Gate bridge in San Fran, CA*
9:30am-"The Big Flip Off" with Watson Martial Arts at The Lab Gym in St. Louis, MO**
10:00 am-Kaplan free practice tests at DePaul in Chicago, IL***
5:30pm-A Night of Comedy with Steven Wright at LVC in Annville, PA****
6:00pm-Penn State vs. Northwestern at Ryan Field in Evanston, IL*****
* I went looking for a west coast event for this post, and since I only had seen the Golden Gate bridge from a distance when I visited there pre-great-recession, and considering the worthy fund raising cause during "awareness month", it seemed like a good choice!
** A former co-worker of mine left the company a few years back to get all well known in MMA circles, and now he has his own business in St. Louis and is holding a grand opening for it (while raising money in the process for the charity Lift for Life)!
*** Where will you take you? Kaplan, the company for which I work, offers free practice tests for LSAT, GRE, MCAT, DAT, OAT and PCAT in the heart of Chicago, easily accessible from the Fullerton stop of the Red Line. It's still not too late to register at www.kaptest.com!
**** My undergrad alma mater is hosting one of the funniest classic comedians of all time. He of the "experience is something you don't get until just after you need it" and other pithy, hilarious and dry one-liners will be in performance on LVC's campus!
***** It's prime time game time! And the closest that JoePa and both QBs and folks will get to my apartment this season!
Absent a scientific breakthough, it looks more likely that I'll stay local and just get to DePaul and to my couch to watch the Penn State game. But I'll be at the other places in spirit!
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, first stop:
http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY12California?sid=144435&type=fr_informational&pg=informational&fr_id=35954
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, second stop:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=111925715581282
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, third stop:
http://www.kaptest.com/practice
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, fourth stop:
http://connect.lvc.edu/s/1304/index.aspx?sid=1304&gid=1&pgid=13&cid=664
IF I HAD MY DRUTHERS ITINERARY, fifth stop:
http://www.bing.com/events/search?q=Penn+State+Nittany+Lions+%40+Northwestern+Wildcats&p1=[Events%20source="vertical"+qzeventid="f579748"]&FORM=DTPEVE
October 19, 2011
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 10/19/11
Muhammed Li = James Smith
Used as a conclusion to a series of thoughts: "Thanks to the clever humor that is The Big Bang Theory, I was informed in last week's episode, that when answering the question of "Guess Who?", you increase your statistical odds by answering "Muhammed Li", as that is the world's most popular first name coupled with the world's most popular last name. Although, if you can control certain other variables -- like Guess Who was a US male, and if you had asked the question shortly after 1990 (as that's the census data that I found analyzed), you could further increase those same statistical odds by answering "James Smith". Hence, in certain situations, Muhammed Li = James Smith!
By these charts, I'm reduced numerically to #138 for Troy, followed by either #42677, #61583 or #69657 (depending on which slight variation of my last name you choose). I guess I have me some new lotto numbers to pick!
BIG BANG FAN TWEETS AND RETWEETS AND ASSORTED GOODIES:
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/the-big-bang-theory?before=1318717821
THE 1990 ANALYSIS OF WHICH I SPEAK -- SLICE AND DICE IT ANYWAY YOU WITH:
http://names.mongabay.com/male_names.htm
OR I GUESS YOU COULD JUST DO IT RANDOMLY:
http://www.random.org/quick-pick/
Used as a conclusion to a series of thoughts: "Thanks to the clever humor that is The Big Bang Theory, I was informed in last week's episode, that when answering the question of "Guess Who?", you increase your statistical odds by answering "Muhammed Li", as that is the world's most popular first name coupled with the world's most popular last name. Although, if you can control certain other variables -- like Guess Who was a US male, and if you had asked the question shortly after 1990 (as that's the census data that I found analyzed), you could further increase those same statistical odds by answering "James Smith". Hence, in certain situations, Muhammed Li = James Smith!
By these charts, I'm reduced numerically to #138 for Troy, followed by either #42677, #61583 or #69657 (depending on which slight variation of my last name you choose). I guess I have me some new lotto numbers to pick!
BIG BANG FAN TWEETS AND RETWEETS AND ASSORTED GOODIES:
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/the-big-bang-theory?before=1318717821
THE 1990 ANALYSIS OF WHICH I SPEAK -- SLICE AND DICE IT ANYWAY YOU WITH:
http://names.mongabay.com/male_names.htm
OR I GUESS YOU COULD JUST DO IT RANDOMLY:
http://www.random.org/quick-pick/
October 18, 2011
Random Tune for Tuesday 10/18/11
I looked under the letter U in my extensive, eclectic and eccentric cassette collection and found just one item. I did have 16 songs from which I could choose once I took a closer peek at it, and I decided to go with the first song on the Unplugged Collection (vol. 1) -- Stevie Ray Vaughn's Pride and Joy.
If nothing else, this should take you back to when MTV aired actual videos -- and occasionally interrupted them with purely musical performances. Before Real World and the Jersey Shore --before music on the channel was just what played underneath kids fighting and loving and being all kinds of ridiculous -- before videos were 10 second clips you might see accompanying the end credits -- you turned on MTV to listen (or, more accurately, to watch) music.
U is for UNPLUGGED COLLECTION, VOL. 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZkLVinwR4E
If nothing else, this should take you back to when MTV aired actual videos -- and occasionally interrupted them with purely musical performances. Before Real World and the Jersey Shore --before music on the channel was just what played underneath kids fighting and loving and being all kinds of ridiculous -- before videos were 10 second clips you might see accompanying the end credits -- you turned on MTV to listen (or, more accurately, to watch) music.
U is for UNPLUGGED COLLECTION, VOL. 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZkLVinwR4E
October 17, 2011
Random Memorial for Monday 10/17/11
Gone but not forgotten: Mickey's partner.
She passed away a few weeks ago now, and until she did, I didn't know what a force she was in making sure that I (and others of my generation) all can say "a hip hop the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop a you don't stop the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie". And now there is only silence when Mickey asks to hear "how she calls her loverboy".
Sylvia Robinson, half of Mickey and Sylvia (popular in their own right before Dirty Dancing) and the mother of hip-hop for her work with the Sugar Hill Gang, who passed in late September at the age of 75, you will be missed.
AN ONLINE MEMORIAL FOR SYLVIA ROBINSON:
http://www.friendsatrest.com/4690/memorials/sylvia-robinson/
RAPPER's DELIGHT, THE EXTENDED PLAY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTUAESacQM
OH LOVER BOY ... COME 'ERE LOVER BOY!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LDpI063qBA
She passed away a few weeks ago now, and until she did, I didn't know what a force she was in making sure that I (and others of my generation) all can say "a hip hop the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop a you don't stop the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie". And now there is only silence when Mickey asks to hear "how she calls her loverboy".
Sylvia Robinson, half of Mickey and Sylvia (popular in their own right before Dirty Dancing) and the mother of hip-hop for her work with the Sugar Hill Gang, who passed in late September at the age of 75, you will be missed.
AN ONLINE MEMORIAL FOR SYLVIA ROBINSON:
http://www.friendsatrest.com/4690/memorials/sylvia-robinson/
RAPPER's DELIGHT, THE EXTENDED PLAY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTUAESacQM
OH LOVER BOY ... COME 'ERE LOVER BOY!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LDpI063qBA
October 16, 2011
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 10/16/11
What Indiana is talking about this week:
Since I spent most of the weekend (which explains why I'm still a day behind) on a getaway driving around the next door nearby state (on the Lincoln Highway -- which I also have back home in PA -- to get from Gary to Ft Wayne, I-69 from Ft Wayne to Indy and I-65 from Indy back home to Chicago), I'll have to base this on all the billboards I saw. Although there were quite a few letting me know that Jesus is Real, I saw even more that had an electronic feature informing passers-by about the waiting time at the local ER.
And I got to tell you -- I'm a little perplexed. I'm used to the argument being that too many people are using the ER (particularly if uninsured) -- and so to see the ads encouraging you to stop by for a visit was a bit of a surprise. Admittedly, I'm just a little (openly) warped, but my first thought was to process that data and attempt to figure out if my odds of getting fast service had improved enough to determine that it might be a good time to get into an accident. In the end, I decided it wasn't worth it (and, no matter how enticing the billboard may be, may I recommend the same to you).
BILLBOARDS OR TEXT NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY ROOM WAIT TIMES:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38820121/ns/health-health_care/t/some-ers-post-wait-times-text-billboard/
GRADING INDIANA ER ROOMS ON THINGS OTHER THAN WAIT TIMES:
http://www.healthgrades.com/emergency-care-directory/emergency-rooms/in-indiana
THE DRIVE AROUND INDIANA:
http://geology.com/cities-map/indiana.shtml
Since I spent most of the weekend (which explains why I'm still a day behind) on a getaway driving around the next door nearby state (on the Lincoln Highway -- which I also have back home in PA -- to get from Gary to Ft Wayne, I-69 from Ft Wayne to Indy and I-65 from Indy back home to Chicago), I'll have to base this on all the billboards I saw. Although there were quite a few letting me know that Jesus is Real, I saw even more that had an electronic feature informing passers-by about the waiting time at the local ER.
And I got to tell you -- I'm a little perplexed. I'm used to the argument being that too many people are using the ER (particularly if uninsured) -- and so to see the ads encouraging you to stop by for a visit was a bit of a surprise. Admittedly, I'm just a little (openly) warped, but my first thought was to process that data and attempt to figure out if my odds of getting fast service had improved enough to determine that it might be a good time to get into an accident. In the end, I decided it wasn't worth it (and, no matter how enticing the billboard may be, may I recommend the same to you).
BILLBOARDS OR TEXT NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY ROOM WAIT TIMES:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38820121/ns/health-health_care/t/some-ers-post-wait-times-text-billboard/
GRADING INDIANA ER ROOMS ON THINGS OTHER THAN WAIT TIMES:
http://www.healthgrades.com/emergency-care-directory/emergency-rooms/in-indiana
THE DRIVE AROUND INDIANA:
http://geology.com/cities-map/indiana.shtml
October 15, 2011
Random Soapbox for Saturday 10/15/11
I don't mean to go off on a (vacation delayed) rant here, but ...
... why is it that you never pack exactly every item you need when you get out of town for the weekend.
Take, for example, a black sharpie. There I was, half an hour outside of Ft. Wayne, pulling over to a gas station for a double Jackson/Johnson break (that's double Jackson as in it will take two twenties to fill the tank and double Johnson as in two shakes of the appendage during a trip to the urinal). Side note -- I was the only item that wasn't a truck filling up at the tanks, but that's not what this story is about. It was when I was leaving the building that I saw the sign by the front door -- on one side, it said "no parking", and, on the other , "no paring". I thought about informing the cashier behind the counter, but didn't want to risk coming off as "elitist" (second side note -- in today's post racial world, that word sure gets thrown around now as if it's just code for "uppity"). So then I thought I would just take matters into my own hands and supply a citizen's "k" -- except I didn't pack a black sharpie in the overnight bag!
My mind then immediately turned to protest/performance art (not to diminish any of the "occupy wall street" folks who are busy exercising their first amendment rights), and I thought that I could possibly stand silently by the sign, with a paring knife, slicing the skin off an apple or a kiwi [or insert other fruit/food that would make a contestant on the $25,000 pyramid say "things for which you use a paring knife"]. But in addition to feeling that those in my immediate environs might not get the gist behind my speaking out about the limitation of America's rights to pare wherever they choose, I also didn't pack a paring knife in the overnight bag!
My list for packing for my next trip is about to get a lot longer so that I can take advantage of these opportunities in the future! Black sharpie -- check! Paring knife -- check! Elitist attitude about spelling errors -- check!
Third side note, and speaking of black sharpies that may or may not have been packed in a bag, one would have come in handy during last week's challenge trying to keep track of the many Buddhas on that temple, assuming that it wasn't written into the rules that you couldn't use a writing utensil (and here's my Amazing Race Aside, with 3 things I learned on the last episode) ...
1.) I thought all elephants were cute, but then I met the one that greeted the people checking in last week, and I had to reconsider -- unless maybe it's just a phase that one was going through ...
2.) If, by all accounts, I hated my sister and she couldn't ride a bike, I probably wouldn't take her on the Race with me -- just sayin'!
3.) The snowboarders/bikesurfers are growing on me as one of my favorite teams this year, although I think I would get a complex if I kept on winning first place by technicalities (that's two in a row mostly thanks to penalties).
THERE's A WEBSITE FOR EVERYONE -- LIKE THIS ONE FEATURING UGLY PETS!:
http://uglypets.blogspot.com/2009/06/most-ugly-elephant-pictures.html
GETTIN' TO AND FRO BY BIKE -- LEARNING HOW TO RIDE A BAT BIKE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3jXoF24K8w
FUNNY NO PARKING SIGNS (TWO WITH CUSS WORDS -- BE WARNED):
http://www.oddee.com/item_97187.aspx
... why is it that you never pack exactly every item you need when you get out of town for the weekend.
Take, for example, a black sharpie. There I was, half an hour outside of Ft. Wayne, pulling over to a gas station for a double Jackson/Johnson break (that's double Jackson as in it will take two twenties to fill the tank and double Johnson as in two shakes of the appendage during a trip to the urinal). Side note -- I was the only item that wasn't a truck filling up at the tanks, but that's not what this story is about. It was when I was leaving the building that I saw the sign by the front door -- on one side, it said "no parking", and, on the other , "no paring". I thought about informing the cashier behind the counter, but didn't want to risk coming off as "elitist" (second side note -- in today's post racial world, that word sure gets thrown around now as if it's just code for "uppity"). So then I thought I would just take matters into my own hands and supply a citizen's "k" -- except I didn't pack a black sharpie in the overnight bag!
My mind then immediately turned to protest/performance art (not to diminish any of the "occupy wall street" folks who are busy exercising their first amendment rights), and I thought that I could possibly stand silently by the sign, with a paring knife, slicing the skin off an apple or a kiwi [or insert other fruit/food that would make a contestant on the $25,000 pyramid say "things for which you use a paring knife"]. But in addition to feeling that those in my immediate environs might not get the gist behind my speaking out about the limitation of America's rights to pare wherever they choose, I also didn't pack a paring knife in the overnight bag!
My list for packing for my next trip is about to get a lot longer so that I can take advantage of these opportunities in the future! Black sharpie -- check! Paring knife -- check! Elitist attitude about spelling errors -- check!
Third side note, and speaking of black sharpies that may or may not have been packed in a bag, one would have come in handy during last week's challenge trying to keep track of the many Buddhas on that temple, assuming that it wasn't written into the rules that you couldn't use a writing utensil (and here's my Amazing Race Aside, with 3 things I learned on the last episode) ...
1.) I thought all elephants were cute, but then I met the one that greeted the people checking in last week, and I had to reconsider -- unless maybe it's just a phase that one was going through ...
2.) If, by all accounts, I hated my sister and she couldn't ride a bike, I probably wouldn't take her on the Race with me -- just sayin'!
3.) The snowboarders/bikesurfers are growing on me as one of my favorite teams this year, although I think I would get a complex if I kept on winning first place by technicalities (that's two in a row mostly thanks to penalties).
THERE's A WEBSITE FOR EVERYONE -- LIKE THIS ONE FEATURING UGLY PETS!:
http://uglypets.blogspot.com/2009/06/most-ugly-elephant-pictures.html
GETTIN' TO AND FRO BY BIKE -- LEARNING HOW TO RIDE A BAT BIKE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3jXoF24K8w
FUNNY NO PARKING SIGNS (TWO WITH CUSS WORDS -- BE WARNED):
http://www.oddee.com/item_97187.aspx
Random Posting for Penn State 10/15/11
1.) Question: What is one to do when the original plan to drive from Ft Wayne to Indy in time to catch the game in a bar over lunch falls through -- if not to embrace modern technology and "watch" the game through a series of updates and screen visuals on a smart phone?
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: Since I followed this game without the benefit of a commentator, I'm kind of flying blind here, but I feel 95% certain that someone at some time said some variation of one of these unoriginal thoughts -- JoePa has been coaching longer than any number of cultural milestones (often loosely defined) OR PennState should really pick a starting quarterback already OR (in what is probably a direct quote) there are a lot of happy people at homecoming in Happy Valley today.
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: Again -- didn't hear a commentator, but I will state that they were bound to say "true freshman" at least once during today's broadcast. And, for some reason, that makes me giggle. I get what it means and all, but I still picture a panel of upperclassmen hearing the evidence and determining that person x is so much like a "fish out of water" that he has to carry the classification of a true freshman. As in -- "Have you seen John Doe get lost on campus every day! What a true freshman he is!"
4.) Stat of the Day: 280 lbs and 6ft 5in and a few stairs. Poor Derrick Moye, out for at least two games for "slipping on the stairs". [Does a guy that big even need stairs? Can't he just leap stories in a single bound or two?] All attempts at snark aside, a speedy recovery wish to you, Derrick, as I'm pretty sure we'll need you to hold together this fragile offense.
5.) Final thought: May this be the only game this season I miss ...
SLIPPERY STAIRS AND AN INJURY THAT SHOULD HEAL IN TWO WEEKS:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ycn-10203713
AND THEY MAKE YOU WEAR A RED SHIRT WHEN YOU'RE A SOPHOMORE FOR HAZING:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/College-Football-2792/True-Freshman.htm
WHERE TO BE HAPPY IN HAPPY VALLEY AT HAPPY HOUR:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1770468/after_work_happy_hours_in_happy_valley.html
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: Since I followed this game without the benefit of a commentator, I'm kind of flying blind here, but I feel 95% certain that someone at some time said some variation of one of these unoriginal thoughts -- JoePa has been coaching longer than any number of cultural milestones (often loosely defined) OR PennState should really pick a starting quarterback already OR (in what is probably a direct quote) there are a lot of happy people at homecoming in Happy Valley today.
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: Again -- didn't hear a commentator, but I will state that they were bound to say "true freshman" at least once during today's broadcast. And, for some reason, that makes me giggle. I get what it means and all, but I still picture a panel of upperclassmen hearing the evidence and determining that person x is so much like a "fish out of water" that he has to carry the classification of a true freshman. As in -- "Have you seen John Doe get lost on campus every day! What a true freshman he is!"
4.) Stat of the Day: 280 lbs and 6ft 5in and a few stairs. Poor Derrick Moye, out for at least two games for "slipping on the stairs". [Does a guy that big even need stairs? Can't he just leap stories in a single bound or two?] All attempts at snark aside, a speedy recovery wish to you, Derrick, as I'm pretty sure we'll need you to hold together this fragile offense.
5.) Final thought: May this be the only game this season I miss ...
SLIPPERY STAIRS AND AN INJURY THAT SHOULD HEAL IN TWO WEEKS:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ycn-10203713
AND THEY MAKE YOU WEAR A RED SHIRT WHEN YOU'RE A SOPHOMORE FOR HAZING:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/College-Football-2792/True-Freshman.htm
WHERE TO BE HAPPY IN HAPPY VALLEY AT HAPPY HOUR:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1770468/after_work_happy_hours_in_happy_valley.html
October 14, 2011
Random Flashback for Friday 10/14/11
It was the perfect companion to IT and it was called DO ...
...the flashing-back (or is that flash-backing) to "Through a Shattered Looking Glass: An Evening of the Supernatural", LVC's fall play from 1991 that I directed, continues. Here is Brigette C, in the climactic moment from the next existential and slightly off the wall one act play in that evening's series where her character was constantly under pressure to DO something.
And, I can't post this picture without telling one of my favorite stories from this show, even if bringing it up again might hurt Stacy G's noggin. Having worked with prop guns like this one years later in many murder mysteries, I can tell you that it doesn't always fire. That happened one night here, and, fully in character, when the trigger was pulled and no noise was heard -- Brigette did the next best thing and simply heaved the gun at Stacy's face. Tech guru Andy P quickly killed the lights, the curtain closed, and the cast immediately gathered around a shaken Stacy, who had "hit the deck" just in time to dodge (not a bullet), but an actual (prop) gun.
DO something indeed.
October 13, 2011
Random Thought for Thursday 10/13/11
THE GIVING of PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE THANKS (24 hrs of thankful living)
Dear Landlord Jim, THANKS for fixing the broken lock on the back gate, ALTHOUGH I would rather have learned of it directly from you instead of today when the wind blew it closed behind me after I took out the trash ... in the rain ... in my "lounge" pants.
Dear Hipster-boys-with-small-feet who live downstairs, THANKS for letting me back in the building, ALTHOUGH I would rather you had done that after I rang the doorbell the first time, instead of waiting for me to pound on your window since I knew you were home and could watch you play your first-person shooter video game on the giant TV I could see from the front doorstep.
Dear Middle-Aged Couple who were walking on the curb and made me pass you in the street while walking home from getting my haircut tonight, THANKS for making me feel younger since I was ambling faster than you, ALTHOUGH I would rather that moment had not turned sad when I realized that you were on the curb because you, in turn, were passing the Super-Elderly Couple who were blocking your way and moving at two inches per step -- which made me sad as they may not have much time left and it was taking them a half hour to go one block.
Dear Reba McEntire, THANKS in advance for coming to sing and bringing so many opening acts with you, ALTHOUGH I would rather not have to travel to Ft. Wayne tomorrow night to see you (not that I'm not making the trip, mind you -- here's to an unexpected weekend getaway to all things Indiana!)
[And this fulfills my personal commitment to offer up one of these each quarter ... more super-short sTROYies coming in 2012 ...]
TICKETS ON SALE 'TIL NOVEMBER, THEN AGAIN OVERSEAS in 2012:
http://www.reba.com/shows/tour/
OTHER THINGS TO DO IN FT WAYNE:
http://www.visitfortwayne.com/
AND THEN -- ON TO INDIANAPOLIS:
http://indianapolis-indiana.funcityfinder.com/indianapolis-things-to-do/
October 12, 2011
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 10/12/11
Electile Dysfunction.
Used in a sentence I stole from someone who recently posted it as a status update on Facebook: "Electile Dysfunction is the inability to be aroused over any of the choices for President put forth by either major party for the 2012 election."
And then, in an attempt to try to research the chuckle-inducing phrase that so perfectly encapsulates the election-fatigue I'm feeling some 400 days before the next day of voting (my DVR now seems to be finding Republican debates once a week!), it looks like the phrase has been around long enough to be the title of an indie flick promoting election reform, and a 2006 political cartoon that took advantage of the distinct geographic shape of Florida as connected to this phrase.
Regardless of where it came from or who should get official credit for coming up with that turn of phrase, it's getting a little hard to hear that 9-9-9 is now the mark of the beast, or that the VP courtin' of Christie has begun, or that everything will die in gridlock for the next 13 months of "leadership" from any branch of our great nation.
How's about a little progress? How's about a little consensus? How's about a little leadership that speaks to our similarities instead of never getting off the ground while we divisively deal with our differences? I'm ready to get out of this Great Recession already ... anyone willing to join me?
FLORIDA SAYS "I'm NOT NAUGHTY, I'm JUST DRAWN THAT WAY":
http://thebigpicturereport.com/2011/08/14/electile-dysfunction/
DON'T LET THE MACHINE REPLACE YOUR VOTE (and other election reform mantras):
http://www.electile-dysfunction.com/about.htm
THE ANSWER, SAYS ONE CARTOONIST, IS VOTAGRA!:
http://www.naturalnews.com/020940.html
Used in a sentence I stole from someone who recently posted it as a status update on Facebook: "Electile Dysfunction is the inability to be aroused over any of the choices for President put forth by either major party for the 2012 election."
And then, in an attempt to try to research the chuckle-inducing phrase that so perfectly encapsulates the election-fatigue I'm feeling some 400 days before the next day of voting (my DVR now seems to be finding Republican debates once a week!), it looks like the phrase has been around long enough to be the title of an indie flick promoting election reform, and a 2006 political cartoon that took advantage of the distinct geographic shape of Florida as connected to this phrase.
Regardless of where it came from or who should get official credit for coming up with that turn of phrase, it's getting a little hard to hear that 9-9-9 is now the mark of the beast, or that the VP courtin' of Christie has begun, or that everything will die in gridlock for the next 13 months of "leadership" from any branch of our great nation.
How's about a little progress? How's about a little consensus? How's about a little leadership that speaks to our similarities instead of never getting off the ground while we divisively deal with our differences? I'm ready to get out of this Great Recession already ... anyone willing to join me?
FLORIDA SAYS "I'm NOT NAUGHTY, I'm JUST DRAWN THAT WAY":
http://thebigpicturereport.com/2011/08/14/electile-dysfunction/
DON'T LET THE MACHINE REPLACE YOUR VOTE (and other election reform mantras):
http://www.electile-dysfunction.com/about.htm
THE ANSWER, SAYS ONE CARTOONIST, IS VOTAGRA!:
http://www.naturalnews.com/020940.html
October 11, 2011
Random Tune for Tuesday 10/11/11
Not sure exactly what it is about Martina McBride, but her latest release "11" is in stores today (and if you can get to a Target, paying an extra $2 gets you 4 bonus tracks and some video content -- well worth the extra 20 dimes). It might be that soaring voice hitting those power notes. Or just her general country classiness. Or the fact that she puts her music where her heart is, filling each song with raw emotion (like how "Concrete Angel" can bring a person to tears every time -- whether on the radio, listening to the CD, or the lucky few times I've seen her live in concert ...)!
And, just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, her latest song/video/outpouring-of- emotion is today's tune (well worth a click through if you haven't yet heard it) ...
I'M GONNA LOVE YOU THROUGH IT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYNOXRifXKQ&ob=av2e
And, just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, her latest song/video/outpouring-of- emotion is today's tune (well worth a click through if you haven't yet heard it) ...
I'M GONNA LOVE YOU THROUGH IT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYNOXRifXKQ&ob=av2e
October 10, 2011
Random Memorial for Monday 10/10/11
Gone but not forgotten: the industry titan we recently lost.
I'll admit that his products weren't the ones that I would choose in the marketplace. That point aside, there is no denying that his innovations made many people's lives different since 1964. Season after season, new items were introduced, changing the way that we as people interacted -- particularly at parties (for me, personally, while watching awards shows or at any Super Bowl I viewed in a private home). He nearly revolutionized the advertising industry, and with billions of dollars in sales, it was always with anticipation that we would await the next iteration -- you can see 102 of them in the link below.
Arch West, founder of Doritos, dead at 97 and buried in Dallas TX on October 1st, you will be missed.
102 FLAVORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD:
http://nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com/2011/04/102-doritos-flavors-from-around-world.html
HE'S GONE AND HE WILL BE BURIED WITH HIS CHIPS:
http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/126504/doritos_founder_dies_and_will
OH YEAH, and THIS GUY RECENTLY DIED TOO:
http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/
I'll admit that his products weren't the ones that I would choose in the marketplace. That point aside, there is no denying that his innovations made many people's lives different since 1964. Season after season, new items were introduced, changing the way that we as people interacted -- particularly at parties (for me, personally, while watching awards shows or at any Super Bowl I viewed in a private home). He nearly revolutionized the advertising industry, and with billions of dollars in sales, it was always with anticipation that we would await the next iteration -- you can see 102 of them in the link below.
Arch West, founder of Doritos, dead at 97 and buried in Dallas TX on October 1st, you will be missed.
102 FLAVORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD:
http://nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com/2011/04/102-doritos-flavors-from-around-world.html
HE'S GONE AND HE WILL BE BURIED WITH HIS CHIPS:
http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/126504/doritos_founder_dies_and_will
OH YEAH, and THIS GUY RECENTLY DIED TOO:
http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/
October 9, 2011
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 10/9/11
What Chicago is talking about this week:
Well there's not much baseball chatter [ ;) as the kids would say], and the Marathon run today is already over (and our thoughts go out to the family of 35 year old NC fireman William Caviness, who apparently collapsed 500 yards from the finish, and died at the hospital about 2 hours later) ...
... but there is "Pandora's Box: Joseph Cornell Unlocks the MCA Collection" in its final days at the Museum of Contemporary Art (it runs until 10/16). Somehow in ten years of living here and two different vacations to Chitown that pre-date my move, it was a Chicago-y thing that I hadn't yet done. And, to be honest, with the Cornell exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute being one of my favorite collections to see, it was what really drove me to sample "modern" art.
After getting acclimated (the first exhibit looked like it was under construction -- and then I realized that the "construction" was actually the artwork) and after debating whether the light fixtures in the installation rooms were part of the art or just the ceiling, I did enjoy myself. May I recommend the view from the leaf shaped circular staircase at the fourth floor (available any time) or (specific to the Cornell exhibit) the video project from Pipilotti Rist entitled "Schlurfe meine Ozean" that features "Wicked Game" and turns that melancholy tune into the true misery the song's lyrics really convey (you-tube link below -- wait for it at about the 3 minute mark).
You have one week left to catch this show (on Tuesdays, museum admission is free for Illinois residents).
A CASUALTY OF THE CHICAGO MARATHON:
http://www.suntimes.com/8120029-417/runner-collapses-dies-during-chicago-marathon.html
THE OFFICIAL INFORMATION:
http://mcachicago.org/exhibitions/now/2011/261
COURTESY OF THE INTERNETS, THE INSTALLATION I REFERENCE ABOVE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJhgIcbSEeM&feature=related
Well there's not much baseball chatter [ ;) as the kids would say], and the Marathon run today is already over (and our thoughts go out to the family of 35 year old NC fireman William Caviness, who apparently collapsed 500 yards from the finish, and died at the hospital about 2 hours later) ...
... but there is "Pandora's Box: Joseph Cornell Unlocks the MCA Collection" in its final days at the Museum of Contemporary Art (it runs until 10/16). Somehow in ten years of living here and two different vacations to Chitown that pre-date my move, it was a Chicago-y thing that I hadn't yet done. And, to be honest, with the Cornell exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute being one of my favorite collections to see, it was what really drove me to sample "modern" art.
After getting acclimated (the first exhibit looked like it was under construction -- and then I realized that the "construction" was actually the artwork) and after debating whether the light fixtures in the installation rooms were part of the art or just the ceiling, I did enjoy myself. May I recommend the view from the leaf shaped circular staircase at the fourth floor (available any time) or (specific to the Cornell exhibit) the video project from Pipilotti Rist entitled "Schlurfe meine Ozean" that features "Wicked Game" and turns that melancholy tune into the true misery the song's lyrics really convey (you-tube link below -- wait for it at about the 3 minute mark).
You have one week left to catch this show (on Tuesdays, museum admission is free for Illinois residents).
A CASUALTY OF THE CHICAGO MARATHON:
http://www.suntimes.com/8120029-417/runner-collapses-dies-during-chicago-marathon.html
THE OFFICIAL INFORMATION:
http://mcachicago.org/exhibitions/now/2011/261
COURTESY OF THE INTERNETS, THE INSTALLATION I REFERENCE ABOVE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJhgIcbSEeM&feature=related
October 8, 2011
Random Soapbox for Saturday 10/8/11
I don't mean to go off an a rave here, but ...
[it's a goal of mine in 2011 to be sure I mix it up and say something nice at least once a month]
... there's nothing better during this time of year than dimming the lights, hunkering down on the couch and watching a spooky movie. And if you haven't seen "The Creek" yet (2007 winner of the Best Horror Feature at the Illinois International Film Festival), now's your chance to watch a homegrown low-budget quality indie horror flick, filmed locally in my home county of Lebanon PA.
And to those of you in the vicinity of Jason's Woods in Central PA, you still have one more chance to actually meet the auteur Erik Soulliard this weekend on site next to the main stage. There, you can possibly take home a free poster, definitely pick up your copy of the DVD, all while finding out what's next for this production company.
[In the spirit of full disclosure, if you sit through all of the credits at the end of this film, the Troy Neidermeyer that's listed is indeed me (with just a slight typo in the spelling of the last name).]
MOST TIMES THE DEAD MOVE ON ... SOMETIMES THEY WANT REVENGE:
http://www.thecreekmovie.com/
THE ONLY THING HARDER THAN SURVIVING IS GETTING HOME:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwwF07bOP-M
THE PREMIER FRIGHT FEST IN CENTRAL PA:
http://www.jasonswoods.com/index.asp
[it's a goal of mine in 2011 to be sure I mix it up and say something nice at least once a month]
... there's nothing better during this time of year than dimming the lights, hunkering down on the couch and watching a spooky movie. And if you haven't seen "The Creek" yet (2007 winner of the Best Horror Feature at the Illinois International Film Festival), now's your chance to watch a homegrown low-budget quality indie horror flick, filmed locally in my home county of Lebanon PA.
And to those of you in the vicinity of Jason's Woods in Central PA, you still have one more chance to actually meet the auteur Erik Soulliard this weekend on site next to the main stage. There, you can possibly take home a free poster, definitely pick up your copy of the DVD, all while finding out what's next for this production company.
[In the spirit of full disclosure, if you sit through all of the credits at the end of this film, the Troy Neidermeyer that's listed is indeed me (with just a slight typo in the spelling of the last name).]
MOST TIMES THE DEAD MOVE ON ... SOMETIMES THEY WANT REVENGE:
http://www.thecreekmovie.com/
THE ONLY THING HARDER THAN SURVIVING IS GETTING HOME:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwwF07bOP-M
THE PREMIER FRIGHT FEST IN CENTRAL PA:
http://www.jasonswoods.com/index.asp
Random Posting for Penn State 10/8/11
1.) Question: In those shots of campus that accompany the cutaways to commercials, who the heck are all of those little kids running around? [Oh right, I'm just old. But really, those college kids look like they should still be on the playground ...]
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: "You do not chirp to the papers!", when referencing McGloin's statement that he wanted the QB job. Look, I don't mean to pick sides, but it seems like the whole team perks up each week when the second quarter begins, so why not let the kid be vocal. Meiner meinung nach (as the Germans says), he's besting Bolden at his own game (quite literally).
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: "I am starting to be a big Coker fan." Look announcer man, I've watched just about every season of Celebrity Rehab, and I suggest you get ahead of that potential addiction as quickly as possible.
4.) Stat of the day: October 22nd at 10am. That's the date for Kaplan's DePaul National Practice Test Event -- notable to me because this is the first year in a long time that I can actually watch the Penn State/Iowa game as the work date at DePaul was always been this weekend in the past few years. And since the Penn State game on the 22nd is a night game, I won't have to miss anything this season.
5.) Final thought: As a fan of words, I'm enjoying all of the variations of communicating that the ball has been tipped, juggled, bobbled and deflected. As a fan of this game, I'm just glad that whether it's been tipped, juggled, bobbled or deflected, it's been CAUGHT every time so far in the first half.
GERMAN DATIVE PREPOSITIONS (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DATE PROPOSITIONS)
http://german.about.com/library/blcase_dat2.htm
IT PAINS ME TO PROVIDE A LINK TO TMZ, BUT IT DOES HAVE CELEB-REHAB NEWS:
http://www.tmz.com/category/celebrity-rehab/
WHERE WILL YOU TAKE YOU? START HERE (AT DePAUL ON 10/22 at 10am):
http://www.kaptest.com/practice?reload
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: "You do not chirp to the papers!", when referencing McGloin's statement that he wanted the QB job. Look, I don't mean to pick sides, but it seems like the whole team perks up each week when the second quarter begins, so why not let the kid be vocal. Meiner meinung nach (as the Germans says), he's besting Bolden at his own game (quite literally).
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: "I am starting to be a big Coker fan." Look announcer man, I've watched just about every season of Celebrity Rehab, and I suggest you get ahead of that potential addiction as quickly as possible.
4.) Stat of the day: October 22nd at 10am. That's the date for Kaplan's DePaul National Practice Test Event -- notable to me because this is the first year in a long time that I can actually watch the Penn State/Iowa game as the work date at DePaul was always been this weekend in the past few years. And since the Penn State game on the 22nd is a night game, I won't have to miss anything this season.
5.) Final thought: As a fan of words, I'm enjoying all of the variations of communicating that the ball has been tipped, juggled, bobbled and deflected. As a fan of this game, I'm just glad that whether it's been tipped, juggled, bobbled or deflected, it's been CAUGHT every time so far in the first half.
GERMAN DATIVE PREPOSITIONS (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DATE PROPOSITIONS)
http://german.about.com/library/blcase_dat2.htm
IT PAINS ME TO PROVIDE A LINK TO TMZ, BUT IT DOES HAVE CELEB-REHAB NEWS:
http://www.tmz.com/category/celebrity-rehab/
WHERE WILL YOU TAKE YOU? START HERE (AT DePAUL ON 10/22 at 10am):
http://www.kaptest.com/practice?reload
October 7, 2011
Random Flashback for Friday 10/7/11
Last week I foretold the appearance of the frustrated high priestess from "It", one of the pieces of "Through a Shattered Looking Glass: An Evening of the Supernatural", the fall LVC play I directed twenty years ago this month.
In a way, this picture is just a placeholder, designed to represent the picture I'd rather place here but that I don't have -- a picture of the same actress (Rachel Merritt) performing her ZootSuit story during the scene change in between one act plays.
Rachel -- you're either disappointed like me, or possibly relieved. Either way, here's to 20 year old memories of the LVC Little Theatre (random factoid -- this name [Little Theatre] most certainly pre-dates whatever the space is called in the just remodeled Mund Center on campus and it even pre-dates the Leedy Theatre renovation that came along later on while I was in school).
October 6, 2011
Random Thought for Thursday 10/6/11
I think I found the nexus of my laziness and my antiauthoritarianistic streaks.
When I search on my work laptop it always brings up Bing, and so I always type in "google.com" in the search query box and select Google from the Bing results to continue my search as I wish.
Fight the power (or teach me how to change it, one of you tech-friendly young-uns)!
WELL LOOKIE HERE ON WHAT A SEARCH FOR ANTI AUTHORITY QUOTES PULLS UP:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?214701-Need-the-top-five-quot-challenge-authority-quot-quotes-of-all-time...-READY-SET-GO!
LAZINESS IS ... RESTING BEFORE YOU GET TIRED:
http://entertainment.top54u.com/post/Top-10-Lazy-Quotes.aspx
E WEEK AGREES WITH ME, SO THERE:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Applications/10-Reasons-Why-Google-Is-Still-Better-than-Bing-207502/
When I search on my work laptop it always brings up Bing, and so I always type in "google.com" in the search query box and select Google from the Bing results to continue my search as I wish.
Fight the power (or teach me how to change it, one of you tech-friendly young-uns)!
WELL LOOKIE HERE ON WHAT A SEARCH FOR ANTI AUTHORITY QUOTES PULLS UP:
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?214701-Need-the-top-five-quot-challenge-authority-quot-quotes-of-all-time...-READY-SET-GO!
LAZINESS IS ... RESTING BEFORE YOU GET TIRED:
http://entertainment.top54u.com/post/Top-10-Lazy-Quotes.aspx
E WEEK AGREES WITH ME, SO THERE:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Applications/10-Reasons-Why-Google-Is-Still-Better-than-Bing-207502/
October 5, 2011
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 10/5/11
All I really need to know, I learned from television.
Used in a sentence: "All I really need to know, I learned from television. (Oh right, it already is a complete sentence -- oh, and it goes without saying, but my apologies in advance to Robert Fulghum.)"
I returned to work today after two extra days off this week (have to use up those vacation days before the end of the year, especially since my next big trip is now in January 2012), during which I was able to catch up on some of the items on my television list. And so, I returned to work today more knowledgeable than I was last week. To whit:
Thank you to VH1's oh-so-bad-it's-good Ton of Cash, for teaching me what a "carabiner" was, since it was featured in a recent prove-your-worth challenge (of course, if I was actually out climbing mountains instead of holding down the regular spot on the couch, I might have learned it another way -- but I'll take on new vocabulary words wherever I can get them).
Thank you to NBC's determined-to-survive-the-loss-of-Steve-Carell The Office, for reminding me what "planking" was (although I believe I was exposed to it before when it was a thrill seeking death defying stunt for today's youth who would lie down in the middle of the road on the dividing line -- a little bit distanced from the sight gag that I saw).
Thank you to Lifetime's so-sad-it-was-already-cancelled-as-I-seem-to-have-a-new-appreciation-for-her-crazy-take-on-funny Roseanne's Nuts for educating me on the 24hr urine test as it relates to collecting data for hormone therapy replacement (and should I be concerned that I have tingling extremities all too frequently in my middle age?).
CARABINER PARADISE:
http://www.promotionalkeychains.biz/carabiner-keychains.html?source=google&a=2&gclid=CPej2Jfj0qsCFUdrKgodNGgdXw
PLANKING PARADISE:
http://www.geekosystem.com/best-planking-pictures/
URINE TEST PARADISE:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/urine-test
Used in a sentence: "All I really need to know, I learned from television. (Oh right, it already is a complete sentence -- oh, and it goes without saying, but my apologies in advance to Robert Fulghum.)"
I returned to work today after two extra days off this week (have to use up those vacation days before the end of the year, especially since my next big trip is now in January 2012), during which I was able to catch up on some of the items on my television list. And so, I returned to work today more knowledgeable than I was last week. To whit:
Thank you to VH1's oh-so-bad-it's-good Ton of Cash, for teaching me what a "carabiner" was, since it was featured in a recent prove-your-worth challenge (of course, if I was actually out climbing mountains instead of holding down the regular spot on the couch, I might have learned it another way -- but I'll take on new vocabulary words wherever I can get them).
Thank you to NBC's determined-to-survive-the-loss-of-Steve-Carell The Office, for reminding me what "planking" was (although I believe I was exposed to it before when it was a thrill seeking death defying stunt for today's youth who would lie down in the middle of the road on the dividing line -- a little bit distanced from the sight gag that I saw).
Thank you to Lifetime's so-sad-it-was-already-cancelled-as-I-seem-to-have-a-new-appreciation-for-her-crazy-take-on-funny Roseanne's Nuts for educating me on the 24hr urine test as it relates to collecting data for hormone therapy replacement (and should I be concerned that I have tingling extremities all too frequently in my middle age?).
CARABINER PARADISE:
http://www.promotionalkeychains.biz/carabiner-keychains.html?source=google&a=2&gclid=CPej2Jfj0qsCFUdrKgodNGgdXw
PLANKING PARADISE:
http://www.geekosystem.com/best-planking-pictures/
URINE TEST PARADISE:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/urine-test
October 4, 2011
Random Tune for Tuesday 10/4/11
So I'm a little indecisive today.
Not necessarily about the group to feature in my ongoing series of AtoZ Musical Eccentricities (the cassette years) now that I'm up to the letter 'T' -- especially since one look at the space where the Turner, Tina & Taylor, James & Take 6 & 10,000 Maniacs are housed is overwhelmingly filled with releases from the folks I just saw this summer reunited and replaying the soundtrack of my college years.
My indecisiveness came in trying to find just one tune. So, luckily my youtube skills are now advanced so that I can post the link to a playlist with 69 selections that some other superfan has collected and provided. (Although not every video will play due to copyright issues, but it still provides an effective overview while it hammers home a lesson on intellectual property.)
T is for TOAD THE WET SPROCKET:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q7covfDJus&feature=mr_meh&list=AVGxdCwVVULXdDP_Ylz-gl7GukjME4w7bL&lf=list_related&playnext=0
Not necessarily about the group to feature in my ongoing series of AtoZ Musical Eccentricities (the cassette years) now that I'm up to the letter 'T' -- especially since one look at the space where the Turner, Tina & Taylor, James & Take 6 & 10,000 Maniacs are housed is overwhelmingly filled with releases from the folks I just saw this summer reunited and replaying the soundtrack of my college years.
My indecisiveness came in trying to find just one tune. So, luckily my youtube skills are now advanced so that I can post the link to a playlist with 69 selections that some other superfan has collected and provided. (Although not every video will play due to copyright issues, but it still provides an effective overview while it hammers home a lesson on intellectual property.)
T is for TOAD THE WET SPROCKET:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q7covfDJus&feature=mr_meh&list=AVGxdCwVVULXdDP_Ylz-gl7GukjME4w7bL&lf=list_related&playnext=0
October 3, 2011
Random Memorial for Monday 10/3/11
Gone but not forgotten: Andy Rooney's musings on 60 Minutes.
First of all, may I be gainfully employed at something I love when I reach the age of 92. Or, actually, null of all (is that what comes before first?), may I live to at least see the age of 92 (I'm 43.2% of the way there!). Admittedly, I only saw Andy regularly of late because of the frequent overrun in programming that meant I had to DVR my Amazing Race* to include a broader swath of CBS Sunday nights ... but I do reflect on these last 2+ years of my own postings and consider them to have a touch of Rooney's tendency to ramble about the random.
[The full recipe also takes my capriciousness and adds a pinch of the proclivity for the obscure reference a la Dennis Miller (and Saturday's soapbox rants are in homage to him before he started sleeping with Bill O'Reilly) plus a dash of Larry King's old USA Today column of disparate thoughts.]
The visual image I had each week to inspire me to reconsider my usual negatory answer when the barber-ess asks if she should "do my eyebrows" after I get my haircut, you will be missed.
*Speaking of which, here is this week's Amazing Race Aside with 3 things I learned from last night's episode:
1.) When panhandling (even if for a worthy cause like to donate to an orphanage), it's best to get the "kind that folds and not the kind that jingles".
2.) Just like in the business in which I'm employed (test prep), it is key to read the directions (on the sign) before you complete the task at hand.
3.) The next time I get frustrated by having to stand on my 'el' ride on Chicago's public transportation, I will think of the folks who rode on the top of the train in Indonesia and quit my bitchin'.
GROUCH-IN-CHIEF, THEY SAY LOVINGLY -- AND NOW I HAVE A NEW ASPIRATION:
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-02/entertainment/showbiz_andy-rooney_1_andy-rooney-chocolate-chip-cookies-final-essay?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ
HERE's NORM MCDONALD SPOOFING THE USA TODAY COLUMN OF LARRY KING:
http://joelmathis.blogspot.com/2011/02/remember-larry-king-old-usa-today.html
AN AVERAGE OF ONE DEATH EVERY TWO WEEKS:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hq0lPrzEgw9ibngEGga3vdIJFPiQ
First of all, may I be gainfully employed at something I love when I reach the age of 92. Or, actually, null of all (is that what comes before first?), may I live to at least see the age of 92 (I'm 43.2% of the way there!). Admittedly, I only saw Andy regularly of late because of the frequent overrun in programming that meant I had to DVR my Amazing Race* to include a broader swath of CBS Sunday nights ... but I do reflect on these last 2+ years of my own postings and consider them to have a touch of Rooney's tendency to ramble about the random.
[The full recipe also takes my capriciousness and adds a pinch of the proclivity for the obscure reference a la Dennis Miller (and Saturday's soapbox rants are in homage to him before he started sleeping with Bill O'Reilly) plus a dash of Larry King's old USA Today column of disparate thoughts.]
The visual image I had each week to inspire me to reconsider my usual negatory answer when the barber-ess asks if she should "do my eyebrows" after I get my haircut, you will be missed.
*Speaking of which, here is this week's Amazing Race Aside with 3 things I learned from last night's episode:
1.) When panhandling (even if for a worthy cause like to donate to an orphanage), it's best to get the "kind that folds and not the kind that jingles".
2.) Just like in the business in which I'm employed (test prep), it is key to read the directions (on the sign) before you complete the task at hand.
3.) The next time I get frustrated by having to stand on my 'el' ride on Chicago's public transportation, I will think of the folks who rode on the top of the train in Indonesia and quit my bitchin'.
GROUCH-IN-CHIEF, THEY SAY LOVINGLY -- AND NOW I HAVE A NEW ASPIRATION:
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-02/entertainment/showbiz_andy-rooney_1_andy-rooney-chocolate-chip-cookies-final-essay?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ
HERE's NORM MCDONALD SPOOFING THE USA TODAY COLUMN OF LARRY KING:
http://joelmathis.blogspot.com/2011/02/remember-larry-king-old-usa-today.html
AN AVERAGE OF ONE DEATH EVERY TWO WEEKS:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hq0lPrzEgw9ibngEGga3vdIJFPiQ
October 2, 2011
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 10/2/11
What Chicago is talking about this week:
It's a double dose of news from the nearby suburbs going national.
First, from Schaumburg, coverage of the inaugural Midwestern TeaCon touted that Herman Cain captured 77% of the straw poll. Of course, as the only presidential candidate who actually attended live (one of the other so-low-in-the-polls-you-just-exist-for-our-collective-humor-candidates did have a virtual presence, and, naturally, came in second), you have to think that it's a little bit of that midwestern attitude shining through and that the vote was cast for the one guy who showed up out of politeness (or in hopes of scoring some free pizza).
Then, from HQ in Northfield, Kraft announced that it was voluntarily recalling its Velveeta Shells and Cheese microwaveable cups for fear that "thin wire bristle pieces" might be present in certain batches. This was one of the biggest recalls since 2009, when Kraft had to put out an alert for 8000 lbs of frozen pizza that were falsely labeled and put those with allergies at risk.
I'm not sayin' that the two stories are related, but with the Kraft's past pizza recall and Herman's past business loyalties, the fact that the recall for UPC code 21000-02339 for the 2.39 oz cup of product was announced by a press release dated 9-30-11 does have the conspiracy theorist in me wondering if Candidate Cain's 9-9-9 plan might just be code for bringing down a competitor!
I wonder what would happen if the "moon-flag-didn't-move", "multiple-bullets-killed-JFK", "WTC-destruction-footage-showed-government-planted-detonations"-folks get a hold of this!
YOU GOT TO BE NICE TO THE GUY WHO TAKES YOU TO THE DANCE:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/7982604-418/tea-party-convention-draws-glenn-beck-herman-cain-joe-walsh-and-600-supporters.html
CHECK YOUR MICROWAVEABLE CUPS:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kraft-foods-voluntarily-recalls-three-varieties-of-velveeta-shells--cheese-microwaveable-cups-with-limited-best-when-used-by-dates-130861028.html
THE NEW WIRE BRISTLE FLAVORED VELVEETA SHELLS NOT A TOP SELLER:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/312208
It's a double dose of news from the nearby suburbs going national.
First, from Schaumburg, coverage of the inaugural Midwestern TeaCon touted that Herman Cain captured 77% of the straw poll. Of course, as the only presidential candidate who actually attended live (one of the other so-low-in-the-polls-you-just-exist-for-our-collective-humor-candidates did have a virtual presence, and, naturally, came in second), you have to think that it's a little bit of that midwestern attitude shining through and that the vote was cast for the one guy who showed up out of politeness (or in hopes of scoring some free pizza).
Then, from HQ in Northfield, Kraft announced that it was voluntarily recalling its Velveeta Shells and Cheese microwaveable cups for fear that "thin wire bristle pieces" might be present in certain batches. This was one of the biggest recalls since 2009, when Kraft had to put out an alert for 8000 lbs of frozen pizza that were falsely labeled and put those with allergies at risk.
I'm not sayin' that the two stories are related, but with the Kraft's past pizza recall and Herman's past business loyalties, the fact that the recall for UPC code 21000-02339 for the 2.39 oz cup of product was announced by a press release dated 9-30-11 does have the conspiracy theorist in me wondering if Candidate Cain's 9-9-9 plan might just be code for bringing down a competitor!
I wonder what would happen if the "moon-flag-didn't-move", "multiple-bullets-killed-JFK", "WTC-destruction-footage-showed-government-planted-detonations"-folks get a hold of this!
YOU GOT TO BE NICE TO THE GUY WHO TAKES YOU TO THE DANCE:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/7982604-418/tea-party-convention-draws-glenn-beck-herman-cain-joe-walsh-and-600-supporters.html
CHECK YOUR MICROWAVEABLE CUPS:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kraft-foods-voluntarily-recalls-three-varieties-of-velveeta-shells--cheese-microwaveable-cups-with-limited-best-when-used-by-dates-130861028.html
THE NEW WIRE BRISTLE FLAVORED VELVEETA SHELLS NOT A TOP SELLER:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/312208
October 1, 2011
Random Soapbox for Saturday 10/1/11
I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...
... Mister Craig, I need you to start cleaning up your list and holding people accountable.
I don't mind the missed connections section. After all, if that keeps the overly self-absorbed narcissistic ones too busy to be distracted by the reflective surfaces (whose placement they've memorized) while they are walking about the 'hood such that I don't have to worry about running into them, well then I think that's a perfectly fine activity for that batch of crazies.
And I'm not talking about the extremes, like the prostitution rings run off your site around here at the airport perimeters or even the occasional off kilter killer that can later be immortalized in a Lifetime movie. Because that behavior is just too unpredictable to police on your site.
But here's what I need you to do. Hold Big City Movers accountable for their lack of professionalism. I was on task for a side project today that was supposed to start at 8:30am --when their two men and a truck were to show onsite. An hour later, after multiple messages, I only got someone to answer when I called on a different phone and tricked them since they were monitoring their caller ID. They feigned ignorance (as they revealed incompetence), seemed surprised at the news and promised a return call -- that never came. By afternoon, we had found a competitor who used professionals and did what they said, showed up when they were supposed to and worked as they should. But it did interfere with my whole day's plans, so I still feel a little bitter.
I don't know enough Latin to translate caveat emptor into "browser beware", but I think a little "caveat craig" should become a new frequently used phrase. And I think Big City Movers should be banned for their bad behavior.
BEWARE -- OTHER NASTY SECRETS OF CRAIG's LIST:
http://www.wisebread.com/beware-the-nasty-secret-of-the-craigslist-free-section
LIARS! UNPROFESSIONALS!! IDIOTS!!! (not that I'm bitter or anything):
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/lbs/2617385489.html
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT AND THEN MARVEL AT HOW HOT IT MAKES YOU LOOK:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001930/
... Mister Craig, I need you to start cleaning up your list and holding people accountable.
I don't mind the missed connections section. After all, if that keeps the overly self-absorbed narcissistic ones too busy to be distracted by the reflective surfaces (whose placement they've memorized) while they are walking about the 'hood such that I don't have to worry about running into them, well then I think that's a perfectly fine activity for that batch of crazies.
And I'm not talking about the extremes, like the prostitution rings run off your site around here at the airport perimeters or even the occasional off kilter killer that can later be immortalized in a Lifetime movie. Because that behavior is just too unpredictable to police on your site.
But here's what I need you to do. Hold Big City Movers accountable for their lack of professionalism. I was on task for a side project today that was supposed to start at 8:30am --when their two men and a truck were to show onsite. An hour later, after multiple messages, I only got someone to answer when I called on a different phone and tricked them since they were monitoring their caller ID. They feigned ignorance (as they revealed incompetence), seemed surprised at the news and promised a return call -- that never came. By afternoon, we had found a competitor who used professionals and did what they said, showed up when they were supposed to and worked as they should. But it did interfere with my whole day's plans, so I still feel a little bitter.
I don't know enough Latin to translate caveat emptor into "browser beware", but I think a little "caveat craig" should become a new frequently used phrase. And I think Big City Movers should be banned for their bad behavior.
BEWARE -- OTHER NASTY SECRETS OF CRAIG's LIST:
http://www.wisebread.com/beware-the-nasty-secret-of-the-craigslist-free-section
LIARS! UNPROFESSIONALS!! IDIOTS!!! (not that I'm bitter or anything):
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/lbs/2617385489.html
IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT AND THEN MARVEL AT HOW HOT IT MAKES YOU LOOK:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001930/
Random Posting for Penn State 10/1/11
1.) Question: As someone who is much more a fan of situational application of rules than taking an absolutist's stance, can I just ask Jay to reconsider his "we have a gameplan, no matter what" as it relates to how our QBs are played in the first half -- and when can we see the 3rd choice again please?
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: Guy # 1 says "You got some outfits in the closet with pink and red, don't you?", to which guy #2 replies, "Pink is the new black". I'm sure the undertone of this exchange was that there's no room for sartorial discussion in football -- but come on guys, it's about breast cancer awareness month. Control yourselves.
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: I'm clearly childish (except when it comes to breast cancer awareness mocking), but, having not heard of this particular special teams situation, I chuckled throughout the education I got about a "peter call" -- although the wiki rumor is that it comes from the Bible verse "get thee behind me, Satan" (said to Peter) so maybe the joke's on me?
4.) Stat of the day: 53. As in, the game started with a temperature of 53 degrees in nearby Bloomington Indiana. As it should be on the first day of October, in my opinion.
5.) Final thought: Thanks to the ever present search to find the game here in Chicago, I've now found many channels on my Comcast digital tuner that I didn't even know existed -- like ESPNU at 405 on the dial today.
OFFICIALLY IN OCTOBER, THIS WEBSITE RUNS ALL YEAR ROUND:
http://nbcam.org/index.cfm
FIGURE OUT YOUR CHANNEL LINEUP COURTESY OF THE INTERWEBS:
https://www.comcast.com/Localization/Localize.cspx?Referer=%2fCustomers%2fClu%2fChannelLineup.ashx%3farea%3d0
REALLY? FROM THE BIBLE??:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_did_the_peter_call_in_a_football_punt_return_come_from
2.) Commentator comment that made me groan: Guy # 1 says "You got some outfits in the closet with pink and red, don't you?", to which guy #2 replies, "Pink is the new black". I'm sure the undertone of this exchange was that there's no room for sartorial discussion in football -- but come on guys, it's about breast cancer awareness month. Control yourselves.
3.) Commentator comment that made me giggle: I'm clearly childish (except when it comes to breast cancer awareness mocking), but, having not heard of this particular special teams situation, I chuckled throughout the education I got about a "peter call" -- although the wiki rumor is that it comes from the Bible verse "get thee behind me, Satan" (said to Peter) so maybe the joke's on me?
4.) Stat of the day: 53. As in, the game started with a temperature of 53 degrees in nearby Bloomington Indiana. As it should be on the first day of October, in my opinion.
5.) Final thought: Thanks to the ever present search to find the game here in Chicago, I've now found many channels on my Comcast digital tuner that I didn't even know existed -- like ESPNU at 405 on the dial today.
OFFICIALLY IN OCTOBER, THIS WEBSITE RUNS ALL YEAR ROUND:
http://nbcam.org/index.cfm
FIGURE OUT YOUR CHANNEL LINEUP COURTESY OF THE INTERWEBS:
https://www.comcast.com/Localization/Localize.cspx?Referer=%2fCustomers%2fClu%2fChannelLineup.ashx%3farea%3d0
REALLY? FROM THE BIBLE??:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_did_the_peter_call_in_a_football_punt_return_come_from
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