Bonus Post: Thing 51

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 51:

File this under you were always there for me ... but Kristi H, if the world does end in 51 days, that means we'll no longer to be able to connect when I'm back home in PA to reminisce about all things Hills (where we met), or Hersheypark (where we frequently rollercoasted) or Murder Mysteries (where I'm pretty sure you attended every one we ever put on).  Over  the past 20+ years, you are one of those few people who have always gone out of your way to make sure we kept in touch (first through letters and cards, then AOL email, then text and now even on FB) no matter where my life travels were taking me, and for that and so much more, I say thanks for always being there for me  ... and here's to you!

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 10/31/12

Aleve wishes and Alka-Seltzer dreams!

Used in a sentence:  "Ugh -- I am sick, which means all I have to look forward to are Aleve wishes and Alka-Seltzer dreams!"

That's Aleve wishes ... as in I wish this Aleve would kick in soon and make my black and blue and bruised all over long toe next to my big toe feel better (which, since it is longer, makes it officially a Morton's Toe and makes me unofficially a self-opinionated freak who has great vision, who likes to be seen as if he is in charge and who likes to instill confidence in others) as I stubbed it last night whilst stumbling to bed on the suitcase from last weekend that I hadn't yet put away.

And Alka-Seltzer dreams ... as in those OTC cold medicines that they put out (sadly, I no longer have any of the ones from a few years back that they had to take off the market because they were giving strokes to the elderly -- those were really trippy!) that I'm now ingesting three times a day.  I do get a little bit of a buzz until I hit the wall -- but the things they do to my unconscious while I'm sleeping are the best side-effect ever.  I almost look forward to the craziest of dreams tonight.  [Although there is a side effect that, as a male, I wish wouldn't occur.  But that's probably TMI -- and, based on ads I've seen, if I go take a bath in a tub on the beach, that too will be just fine.]

Happy Halloween from this sick sicko sickie to you and yours!

MORTON'S TOE TALK:
http://personalitycafe.com/general-psychology/19121-weird-second-toe.html

BLAME IT ON THE PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE:
http://www.airlinefan.com/forums/showthread.php?t=232

A COLLECTION OF THE BEST FROM THE LIFESTYLES SHOW:
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/2012/05/the_best_weirdest_profiles_fro.php

Bonus Post: Thing 52

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 52:

File this under things I miss most about the 18 months I lived in Uniontown ... but if this will be my last Halloween because the world is ending in 52 days (allegedly), then I'm going to stop and remember one of the best Halloweens I had, working at Fright Farms outside of my 90's-home-away-from-home.  To give credit where credit is due, I got that job exactly 20 years ago because of Jacquelyn J (... I wonder where she is nowadays ...), and my "scene" was just a creepy ghost-ish guy in a graveyard.  We were to distract the passersby by doing absolutely nothing, building up suspense as they moved toward the house from having already gone through the haunted pyramid, and the junkyard with its tire maze and the possibly culturally insensitive gas chamber that kicked off the experience once folks disembarked from the haunted hayride through the corn fields.  And then once they gave up on the scene, the casket popped open for the "scare moment".  Of course, not everyone would jump -- at which time we would break into a little "we got your 7 dollars" dance (until we got in trouble for taunting the customers in that manner).  And one night I decided to do a little "performance art" and spent the whole evening in the corner watching a candle burn until it died (my cast mates thought I met have actually had a break from sanity that night -- I insist that it was intentional on my part -- and a quasi-religious experience should you ever find yourself in that scenario).  What can I say -- good times -- feels just like yesterday!  Oh -- and Happy (maybe final) Halloween!

Random Tune for Tuesday 10/30/12

So I tipped my hand in Sunday's post (belatedly added yesterday), but you just can't escape Sandy so why not double down on the reference and make this the tune for today.

Having so many connections back in PA, I actually felt a twinge of storm-envy for not getting to experience this (clearly, I'm not intending to make light of deaths and damage and destruction in any way, shape or form), which in turn made me think of the biggest weather/nature/disaster events of my life.

I wasn't even a year old, so I don't remember Agnes, and I was just outside the evac zone when TMI melted ... which leaves me with vague memories of a central PA blizzard in the 80's with snow that was deeper than I was tall and a snow storm that shut down the turnpike in the 90's which caused me to stubbornly drove home across the center of the state on 522/322 where I was the only fool on the road, getting confused on 81 and driving the wrong way down the highway for a bit in my little Ford Escort "snowmobile".  Plus there was the Baja California Easter earthquake of 2010 (my one and only quake that was big enough for me to feel) -- and, since Chicago, the occasional derechos that blow through town (including one where we were huddled in the living room with Demon who was going nuts -- and one where they evacuated next door Wrigley out of concerns of a tornado) -- and recent back to back ones in 2011 and 2012.  And how can I forget the Snowmageddon of 2011 that closed down LakeShoreDrive.

So on second thought, I guess I should just be happy with the experiences I've had and not wish to be involved in any more ...  My thoughts are with all who are involved in the clean-up ... stay safe out there!

OF COURSE IT'S THE OBVIOUS CHOICE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA2nD_0CL7Y

Bonus Post: Thing 53

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 53:

File this under a desire to just go on the record about something ... but ... I told you so!  The end of the world has begun!  Loss of power everywhere!  60 million people to be affected!  A storm like none ever seen before!  Worse than Irene!  Even worse than Agnes!  Storm combinations that we haven't seen in our lifetimes!  Mother Nature is exacting her revenge!  We're all going to die!  

[My apologies, I've spent all day watching storm coverage and I'm now thinking that hyperbole might just be contagious.  I'm sure if I just wait and catch my breath and resist the urge to go see the 20 foot swells on Lake Michigan that attracted surfers and that are also attributed to this weather event (even Chitown gets SuperStormSandy side-effects), my attitude will return to some kind of stasis ... which, admittedly, means saving those exclamation point laden sentences for whatever is going to happen 53 days from now.  So stay safe everyone ... I still have a lot of posts ahead of me that I want you to be able to see (and plus -- I really don't want you to die!]

Random Memorial for Monday 10/29/12

Gone but not forgotten:  Emanuel Steward.

So I'll admit ... I am not a boxing fanatic so much that I even knew your whole story until I've read the recent full length obituaries.

But I have followed the Klitschko boys now for quite a few years (there's just something about brothers who have promised to never fight each other no matter the amount of prize money offered ... and about pugilists with PhDs ... that just speaks to me from a storyline perspective).  And since you've provided guidance to them and have been featured in their fights, I've come to appreciate your studied approach to a sport that sometimes gets a bad rep and often attracts bad characters with bad egos who have bad intentions.

So for providing a level of class and dedication and commitment that will be the bar against which others are judged in the sport of boxing and for all you contributed to the Klitschko boys' successes, you will be missed.

ESPN'S MEMORIAL:
http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/8551612/emanuel-steward-famed-boxing-trainer-dies-68

HBO'S MEMORIAL:
http://www.freep.com/article/20121029/SPORTS18/121029043/emanuel-steward-boxing-kronk-dies-death-hbo?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CSports

KLITSCHKO's NEXT FIGHT IS NOV 10:
http://ringtv.craveonline.com/blog/175599-stewards-spirt-inspires-banks-klitschko-against-wach



 

Bonus Post: Thing 54

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 54:

File this under long overdue thanks ... but thanks to you, my high school English teacher Mrs. Mills, for providing me with a wealth of words on which I can rely and for encouraging me to feel free to not be oriented toward the bare minimum when it comes to expressing myself.  [Disclaimer -- my employer may sometimes prefer for me to be more precise, but ... hey ... I gotta be me!]  Freak that I am, I actually enjoyed weekly vocabulary building exercises (packaged in textbook form as Word Wealth as I recall), and, since that introduction, I've never met a word that I didn't immediately want to take in as one of my own (occasionally manipulating it as I saw fit).  Plus I still remember that when I turned in a 20+ page paper on an assignment that called for just 10, and you, in turn, provided me with 2-3 pages of feedback, and my other classmates accused you of a form of favoritism for providing me with more than just the paragraph response that you had given them, and that your reply was:  "well, do you want to be graded against the same expectations that I have for him?" ... THAT  was one of those moments that crystallized for me that I would be writing to the rhythm of my own style of wordsmithing for the rest of my life.  And since I get so much personal satisfaction out of doing so -- I want to be sure, before this world ends (allegedly), to say thanks for that!

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 10/28/12

What Toledo and Detroit and Chicago and everyone is talking about this week:

To quote a little John Travolta:  "Sandy, Sandy, why oh Sandy" ... If nothing else, it was actually a relief to have the upcoming election bumped off of the lips of everyone conversating (almost everyone, right Ms. Caesar?) -- and not that the election isn't extremely important, so please vote -- but it was nice to see ads or talking heads (who really didn't have anything to add) get pre-empted for a little disaster coverage.

And not to make light of the disaster -- my thoughts are with all who find themselves in the way of the storm, particularly all my personal PA peeps.  It was actually a little heartwarming to drive home from the weekend in Detroit/Toledo and see mini-convoy after mini-convoy of bucket trucks headed east on I80/90, clearly going to help out everyone back east once the storm had settled down enough to allow for the restoration of power.  I had seen that phenomenon once before -- during the move from PA to Chicago in Sep 2001 -- with mini-convoy after mini-convoy, at that time, headed to NYC.

So be prepared and be safe and don't do silly things like sleep out in the backyard to experience a big storm (as that guy in Harrisburg did last year during Lee -- he died).  Take care of your own and make sure your neighbors are taken care of and no looting and everyone live to see another day, eh?  And -- if the power goes out and you have nothing else to do, I'm calling it now -- a Sandy baby boom arriving ... say ... July 2013!?!

TIPS FOR BEFORE DURING AND AFTER THE EVENT:
http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes

THE MAKINGS OF A SUPERSTORM:
http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/29/14779057-how-sandy-turned-into-a-superstorm?lite

LIVE UPDATES:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog/wp/2012/10/29/live-blog-hurricane-sandy-news/

Random Posting for Penn State 10/27/12

Here are 4.5* (of my usual nine) Nittany nuggets from this week's game!

1.)  Woo-hoo ... White Out ... as in what may still happen in Happy Valley if Frankenstorm Sandy dumps blizzard like conditions into the "mountains" of  PA!
2.)  Woo-hoo ... White Out ... as in a familiar concept in the NCAA when it comes to the race of its head coaches!
3.)  Woo-hoo ... White Out ... as in fans were told to arrive early for a special "ultra high-resolution 360-degree photo ... an image over 12 billion pixels in size"!
4.)  Woo-hoo ... White Out ... as in the opposite of a Blue Out (as initiated last year)!
*4.5)  Woo-hoo ... what a great first half ... as in that's all I got to see because I had tickets to the Martina McBride concert!  And, truth be told, that was a much better ending point scorewise than how the game actually ended, so there's that.

In closing, (a sarcastic) thanks to the hotel in Toledo whose TV reception was almost good on most channels and really horrible on ESPN (the interference was like yet another White Out with which I had to deal) and to the programming gods for scheduling the game at such an odd time to conflict with my concert tickets ... and the countdown to our next post-season game in 2016 stands at 52 more games!

[Note:  In honor of the Sandusky scandal victims who came forward, remember that RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1.800.656.HOPE(4673).]

OH WELL -- AT LEAST THE PICTURE CAME OUT GREAT!:

http://blog.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2012/10/another_disappointing_white_ou.html

CORRECTION ... IN BEING IMPROVED UPON:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7623932/opportunities-black-coaches-rise-college-football

GAME DAY SUMMARY (WITH A FOCUS ON RECORDS BEING BROKEN):

http://pahomepage.com/sportsfulltext?nxd_id=286752

Bonus Post: Thing 55

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 55:

File this under great appreciation ... but if the world ends in just 55 days, I will miss being able to listen to all that Martina McBride has put out over the years. But if that is the way this world wraps up, I'll at least have my experience tonight -- when I get to see her again in concert here in Toledo -- to comfort me in my final moments!  Of course there's her technical proficiency and those soaring high notes -- but it's the songs themselves that just really really "get you".  I couldn't even begin to list all the tunes that get me all verklempt when I hear them, and kudos to her for tackling so many different kinds of social issues as she entertains.  A class act all around -- thank you for all that you do!

Random Soapbox for Saturday 10/27/12

I don't mean to go off on a rave here, but ...

... the overnight trip to Detroit was actually quite nice.

Coming in on 94 and driving through New Troy made me feel like a new man ... driving past Climax wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought ... and I realized that this trip was kind of done gangnam style (in that I was driving the Hyundai all over Detroit -- the Hyundai being a South Korean car -- Detroit being the center of the American auto industry -- ok, I'll stop now with half-hearted attempts to be punny whilst hungover).

Heading out of town up Woodward Avenue did give me a little taste of what's happening, as I saw block after block of blighted buildings -- or the empty lots where blighted buildings had been bulldozed -- and I was reminded of a recent documentary I had seen that included aerial shots of Detroit that was demonstrating how it's returning to its formerly pre-industrialized agrarian state.

Overall -- friendly people (including the homeless folks by the waterfront -- the only part that made me slightly uneasy) and a bar crowd that actually talked to out of towners and made a person feel welcome.  I realize I had built it all up in my head -- as if it was some kind of third world spot -- like Bangladesh maybe? -- which finally brings me to my Amazing Race Aside with three things I learned from last week's episode:

1.)  Thing One:  in Bangladesh, Sprite can apparently be used to wash off raw sewage that has been accidentally stepped in and to start an overheated taxi!
2.)  Thing Two:  I'm pretty sure that the rat collection fast forward task is pretty much a real life example of the Pied Piper story, right?
3.)  Thing Three:  Bangladeshi religious leaders are apparently able to get the same hair coloring techniques as Cyndi Lauper!

AMAZING BEFORE AND AFTER AERIAL VIEWS OF DETROIT:
http://www.businessinsider.com/amazing-before-and-after-pictures-of-detroit-2009-10

A DIFFERENT KIND OF RAT STORY FROM THE SAME AREA:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/rat-attack.html

TO COUNTER THE UNEXPECTED PRODUCT PLACEMENT:
http://www.sprite.com/


 

Bonus Post: Thing 56

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 56:

File this under how you made my college experience the "bestest" ... but Stacey G, of course you're getting an end of days shout-out for Bananas Shaughnessy, and Zen, Motorcylces and Kearney's classes [perhaps the true source of your SOA obsession], and the leadership seminar, and Cover (both the original and the reprise ... [beat]), and IT and DO (like NFL players, you get a concussion and keep on going for your art), and all nighters in the basement of Mary Green.  Truth be told, you would be near the top of a (hypothetical) list of people I would expect to survive the (alleged) apocalypse, so first get through the Frankenstorm headed your way next week ... and then get past 12.21.12 in 56 days ... and then, assuming I do the same for the latter, let's be sure to reconnect in the new post-Mayan world!

Random Flashback for Friday 10/26/12

This picture is best viewed by flipping back to the picture from last week in the 1992 album on Facebook (or by clicking "Flashback Friday" on the right hand menu of the blog) to line them up one after the other.

Because it is then that you'll see that last week was the BEFORE ... to this week's AFTER.

And the stage was set in the photo last week -- you could see it in the excitement of my nephew's Nicolas' eyes (it's his first bday cake, from  20 years ago) AND you can even spot his sister's hand in last week's picture, on it's way to helping him ... well ... "wear the cake" seems like the more accurate phrase instead of "eat the cake".

Mmmmm ... cake!

Bonus Post: Thing 57

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 57:

File this under love ya' like a brother, man ... but Kyle K, if the lights go out in 57 days and my life flashes before my eyes, you'll be in a lot of those scenes.  And, like any good movie, they'll flash with their own soundtrack (maybe a little sad Eddie Vedder singing "The End" from Backspacer?) ... cutting back and forth to an image of a bowling ball rolling down the side of the road in the middle of the night just by itself ... while I see images of you on your first roller coaster ride, or barely being able to reach out the window of McDonald's drive-thru, or  "resting" up in a tree at a Pearl Jam concert, or having Quantum Leap in the townhouse being interrupted by your jumpy legs (yes -- you had it BEFORE it was a recognized syndrome) ... I could go on and on and on ... but as the world ends, I'd have to finally forgive you for not naming child #3 Englebert as I suggested, and then I'd think of you and Sue and Ethan and Enya and Englebert/Quinn and how easy it's been to pick up and maintain our friendship even when I'm miles and miles away and only "check-in" once or twice a year.  Here's to you, Kid! 

Random Thought for Thursday 10/25/12

Within the next 24 hours, I will be in Detroit.

I am not going for the World Series (that would be Saturday night, when I'll have moved on to Toledo).

I am not going to willingly participate in Devil's Night activity (and, with Halloween in the middle of the week, does anyone know if the arson kids in that abandoned city will light up on the weekend before the holiday or the weekend after -- or, more likely I realize now -- on both)?!

I am not going to inquire of the Detroit-ians whether their true feelings were represented in the recent debates by either candidate (of course, by the end of the bar crawl, politics might be a conversation starter ...)

I am not going for work (although that was the reason for the one and only time previously that I was in this city).

I am not going to stalk Eminem on Eight Mile Road (although I think the google map directions do take me curiously close to that area).

Nope ... I am just getting away for the weekend to Toledo and back (reason to be disclosed in posts this weekend) and choosing to stop by Detroit on the way!

Wish me luck (and safety ... and such)!

YOU CAN BUY THE TSHIRT!:
http://detroitfiretees.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/devils-night-2012

8 MILE ROAD ... AS A METAPHOR:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2002-11-07-8mile-cover_x.htm

THANKFULLY I BOOKED MY HOTEL BEFORE THEY WERE IN THE WORLD SERIES:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1384607-world-series-2012-detroit-tigers-will-bounce-back-in-a-big-way-in-game-2

Bonus Post: Thing 58

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 58:

File this under confessions ... but if the apocalypse actually does happen in 58 days and I survive BUT I end up in one of those worlds as dramatically displayed on Falling Skies or The Walking Dead or those National Geographic Doomsday Prepper shows, there is more than a good chance that I'm going to have to be a vegetarian.  Look -- I like me some meat of just about every kind -- but I also don't think I'll be able to contribute to my food intake on my own if it involves looking in said meat-provider's eyes.  Maybe hunger will give me the ability to shoot and trap and hunt and fish and kill, but I think my best plan will be to form an alliance with someone who hasn't squashed that skill that all my forebears once had (but that I've clearly suppressed when I embraced my "softie" side).  And, in a hedge-betting strategy, I'll try to coordinate steak for the next 58 evening meals ... time to go update the shopping list!

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 10/24/12

Some people can't handle Vegas; you can.

Used in a sentence:  "Way to go Wilfred for taking the idea presented literally in the Hangover movies and making it resonate metaphorically in the season 2 finale of Wilfred:  'some people can't handle Vegas;  you can'".

Wilfred is definitely an acquired taste -- but if you can hang with what seems like its extreme ridiculousness, you might just be shocked at how touching it can be.  And the payoff in the last episode of the second season for anyone who relates to the highly functional wounded soul that "Ryan" represents was Wilfred's summation that there are those whose survival instinct is so great that they can get through anything they face in life -- those who embrace eccentricity and recognize that invoking just a touch of insanity is how one truly stays sane.  And if you don't want to go that deep, you still can be entertained by the guest performance of the amazingly talented Allison Mack or by the clever commentary on canine-human interactions constantly on display in every episode.

Come on FX -- work out those details for a third season!  Some of us are eagerly anticipating and ready to handle more Wilfred!

PITHY AND ON POINT:
http://www.boomtron.com/2012/09/whats-wilfreds-biggest-secret-its-actually-a-drama/

THE PLACE THE LINE WAS POPULARIZED?:
http://www.moviemistakes.com/film8036/questions

FOLLOW ALONG WITH ALL THING WILFRED:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/wilfred/

Bonus Post: Thing 59

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 59:

File this under the OPPOSITE of famous cartoonist Charles M. Schulz's quote that "... big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life ..." (you know Lucy had to come from somewhere, right?) ... but older sister Holly, thanks so much for being a part of my life.  Geography has always been our biggest challenge, but through the miracle of Facebook, we've finally found a way to conquer that obstacle.  Of course, we did all live together (in my early years that are too early for me to really remember) and there were those few months when I was at the apartment in Schuylkill Haven, but now I feel closer to you and yours than ever before (not discounting your visits back to PA in '81 and '93) -- and I enjoy how much we both like our "words"and how much you've supported me with my posts since I started this shtick. AND I'm proud of how protective you are of your kids.  So on the chance that the world is ending in 59 days, and since our family is so scattered such that we don't say this as often as we should -- I love you.

Random Tune for Tuesday 10/23/12

What can I say ... I'm a reminiscent-ian.

Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy the moments in which I'm living now, as I know that moments pass all too soon to not enjoy them as they happen.

But I also was blessed (for the most part, it's a blessing) with a memory that just won't quit.  And I'm not about to waste that special gift.  So I like to recall the places I've been and people I've met and experiences I've had ... and nothing captures that "we are on the cusp of having to put away all that has come before us and be more adult like" then this classic Billy Joel tune (which I blasted in the car while driving to the suburbs last Friday).

"We're going long ... we're gaining weight ... we're sleeping long ... and far too late ... and so it's time ... to change our ways ... BUT I'VE LOVED THESE DAYS!"

WE'LL DRINK A TOAST TO HOW IT'S BEEN!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjbCNQRiy4A

Bonus Post: Thing 60

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 60:

File this under great appreciation ... but if the world is ending in just 60 days, I want to be sure to thank Alan Ball for two amazing high quality television shows that he's put out there creatively.  (Note -- I'm not dissing "Oh Grow Up", his sitcom of a few years back that only lasted 13 episodes -- it just didn't have the longevity of the others to make such an impression).  Six Feet Under was entertaining even as it stirred up the deepest thoughts about life and death and what we do with the time we have here (and was there ever a more satisfying ending to a TV series?) and True Blood continues to be the guiltiest of pleasures that also serves as an allegory working on so many levels (I'm only halfway through the last season to air -- but it's so insightful and meaningful with story lines speaking to the dangers of extremism and power politics and whether unique communities should celebrate their uniquenesses by remaining separate or by striving for mainstream acceptance).  The only thing that would satisfy me about the news that he may not be as involved in season six is if the apocalypse actually happens making the concept of season six moot.  Rest assured that I'm already considering the fact that if we all leave the world on 12.21.12, the circumstances of which would have made an AWESOME opening sequence for a very special Six Feet Under episode.  Thanks Alan Ball for sharing your genius!

Random Memorial for Monday 10/22/12

Gone and now practically forgotten:  the last reference I saw of my hometown of Lebanon PA in the national news.

Seeing Lebanon PA in any news article always catches my eye (it's what I consider my hometown), and now something new has done so to replace the last time I saw something (for the record, the last one was 6.17.12 when Romney visited Cornwall, described in the article as "just outside of Lebanon") -- because it has been disclosed that Kate from Breaking Amish on TLC is ... scandoloso ... working at the Ruby Tuesday's there (and that she "broke" Amish a long time ago).

[And ... in a twist ... here's ANOTHER memorial -- a moment of silence for Eli's please ... the restaurant that once was in that Ruby spot ... ]

I'm sure there will be another "exciting" reference to Lebanon PA soon enough that will catch my eye, and reality TV gossip about Kate, you too will join the Romney references and all the other stories that have come before you -- and then you too will be missed.

THE "REALITY" HAS BEEN BENT, ADMITS TLC:
http://www.deadline.com/2012/09/breaking-amish-caught-bending-the-truth-tlc-reality-tv/

BREAKING AMISH NOT AS IT SEEMS:
http://www.realitytvkids.com/2012/09/tlc-busted-over-breaking-amish.html

THE MOST RECENT TIME I SAW LEBANON PA IN THE NATIONAL NEWS:
http://capcognition.blogspot.com/2012/06/random-scandal-sheet-for-sunday-61712.html

Bonus Post: Thing 61

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 61:

File this under "'tis better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all" ... but it was on this date 11 years ago that DJ left us -- kind of.  After all, he didn't leave our hearts or our thoughts or our memories, and if the world ends in 61 days like the Mayans say, and my life does flash before my eyes on 12.21.12, I'm going to really enjoy reliving all the times that we all had together.  We sure did blur the lines between friends and family back in the days of the fraternity house living, and I could go on and on with story after story (but I'll save most of them to comfort me as the world ends -- and I'll be sure to have a Swisher Sweet with me for that moment if it actually happens).  Tonight, I'll just remember you as I did from the first time we met at the Padilione party in Cornwall, where, as was my shtick, we shook hands as a contest of strength, with neither letting go (stubborness is just like a magnetic force, drawing people together) until we knocked over the dog's food dish.  And the rest, as they say, is history -- a history I still wish you were here to write.  You are missed by many, DJ ...

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 10/21/12

What Chicago is talking about this week ...

... the flippin' news!

And no ... this is not some commentary on the political race.  [Side note -- I'm beginning to think that I don't have any friends who fall into the undecided category (particularly on Facebook).  I'm just saying -- not a single post surprises me and everything that's said is predictable from each person who posts -- on BOTH sides.  I'm not sure if anyone is hoping to sway anyone else with that which they post -- but I sure do hope that everyone VOTES in just over two weeks.]

Instead, in the modified words of Oscar winners Three Six Mafia, it's just getting hard out here for a news consumer to follow along.  Twice this weekend, I've gotten back to back notices on my phone of contradictory news stories -- Murdoch's going to buy the Trib!  Murdoch's not interested in the Trib!  Iran and the US are meeting for historic one on one talks!  Iran and the US both deny that historic one on one talks are about to happen!  I get that the part time kids are working on the weekend, but come on newsfolk, let's pull it together!

[While thinking about this post this morning -- I confirmed that I am, indeed, living in the Information Age.  Here's how I get my news:  local from the 24 hour cycle of CLTV, local entertainment from Time Out, national from Diane Sawyer if I can catch her, liberal from MSNBC, news-as-entertainment from Fox (they're just so comical in their earnestness) and the SNL weekend update, sports from the headlines-and-pretty-pictures approach of USA Today, weather from the one and only Tom Skilling, national entertainment from a combo of TVGuide/EW/THR, 'hood news from the bar rags and websites that the longer I look at them the more I think they might be racist, celebrity death news from my work group Skype conversation (we're committed to letting each other know when key folks have passed), breaking news (of much variety) from my Facebook wall and 20-30 rapidly passing opening lines from my smart phone news feed (Reuters, I think -- so it has an international flavor ...).  I foresee a day where my head will explode.]

THE OSCAR PERFORMANCE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB1tqACl9Rg

WILL HE BUY THE TRIB?  YES OR NO?:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/rupert-murdoch-eyeing-la-times-chicago-tribune-times-says-yes-news-corp-no/

WILL WE MEET WITH IRAN?  YES OR NO?:
http://www.wnd.com/2012/10/u-s-iran-nuke-talks-on-or-off/

Random Posting for Penn State 10/20/12

Here are nine Nittany nuggets from tonight's game!

1.)  Well look at us and our READY-for-prime-time players!
2.)  Such pretty colors tonight -- blue and white and black and gold and ... yes ... real men were pink!
3.)  I'm hesitant to draft this post during the third quarter (as I am doing), as I seem to recall a lot of recent games with Iowa that I thought we were winning until the last minutes of the game ... but ... tonight does seem a little different.
4.)  Sam -- so far so good!  And good to know that whatever you had is gone (and possibly given to the Iowa kicker)!
5.)  Sorry James VanDerBeek and the Beek-eyes, it just wasn't your night.  It happens to everyone.
6.)  I'm never happy to see any players hurt, but I did hear that some Iowa fans were dressed in black and gold prison stripes with "J Sandusky" on the back -- which just make me think about karma and putting good things out in the universe to get good things back (or vice versa).
7.)  So I'm torn -- the finger to the mouth to tell the crowd to shush after the TD score?  Doesn't seem to be that egregious (assuming it was the index finger he was using, of course) ... but I also think JoePa would have taken him out of the game ...
8.)  I guess it is officially "Matthew", but when the graphic came up during the game tonight, it still caught me by surprise.  I mean he's been playing so well and things just seem to be in such a good place, I've been thinking of him more like "Mattie".
9.)  So has progressiveness come full circle?  The Big 10 Network has a man down on the field in the place where most networks seem to put a woman, although it seems like most networks do so as if they were forced to do so in order to "support equality".  Or am I the misogynist because I noticed?

In closing, thanks to all those survivors and supporters of survivors for whom the pink has special meaning this month ... and the countdown to our next post-season game in 2016 stands at 53 more games!

[Note:  In honor of the Sandusky scandal victims who came forward , remember that RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1.800.656.HOPE(4673).]

MATTHEW, AS IN BROTHERS "MATTHEW, PAUL and JOHN":

http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/mcgloin_matthew00.html

THINK PINK!:
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2012/10/penn_state_to_wear_pink_gloves.html

SPEAKING OF COLORS, CHECK OUT THE P STATE OH STATE RIVALRY CHART:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_State%E2%80%93Penn_State_football_rivalry

Bonus Post: Thing 62

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending -->

Thing 62:

File this under unsung heroes who should be sung about ... but three cheers for Adam M.  Adam works for the same company as I do (although in a different division for the last few years), and he is one of those people who is always putting the education of others above all else.  Whether it was in a ponytail (before I got to know him) in front of high school students or during the many many classes he taught out of our center (we work for a test prep company) back in the day, he's devoted his life to making sure that others really grasp that which they are trying to learn and he connects with his students with remarkable ease as he leads them to their successes.  He's so dedicated to his mission, he tried to do it all recently with just a partially working lung (singular -- his "extra" lung was completely drowning in enough pus to fill a 2 liter bottle -- a fact he'll tell you about ad nauseum -- and I use that phrase completely in a double-entendric manner).  I'm a little concerned that he may not get past the grammatical errors in my opening phrase (maybe I could edit it to "file this under unsung heroes about whom songs should be sung?")... but assuming he does ... Adam M:  with just 62 days left in this world (maybe?), we sing your praises (... and are so glad that you chose to continue life with both lungs functioning)!

[NOTE -- this is NOT a sympathy ploy published this weekend as a way to cheer him up post "Derek J and the Yanks" meltdown, but was an item that I always intended to have in my "100 Things" series.  Of course, if it does have the effect of cheering him up post "Derek J and the Yanks" meltdown, there's really nothing wrong with that either.]

Random Soapbox for Saturday 10/20/12

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... as much as I love my television ( ... my name is Troy and I am an addict ...), every now and then a show will come along that just confuses the hell out of me.

Oh Sit (on the CW) is that show for me for the new season.  Here's the best way I can describe it ... mash up roller derby and musical chairs with a touch of 90's style Gladiator on a stage that looks a little like Wipeout with clean water but that includes the house band from the Singing Bee, all put together in a style that evokes the best/worst randomness of those unbelievable Japanese game shows hosted by Jamie Kennedy who is attempting to rock a really bad dye job (or a really bad toupee or a really bad toupee that's had a really bad dye job) whilst spouting out enough snark to make you think that the whole thing is one of those almost funny Saturday Night Live skits that goes on just a little too long.

I would have loved to have seen the pitch meeting for this show (as I have to tell you that I feel like I'm so spot-on in my description that several phrases above just HAD to be a part of the presentation).  Kudos for letting both genders participate in the game and, let's face it, the skimpier the clothes on the people running the race, the happier the perverts for which this kind of programming is developed ... I watched incredulously for one episode and then marveled that it wasn't cancelled and continues to air -- and has even been renewed.

[And ironically, there's a good chance that, for those reading this post, I may have piqued your interest enough for you to find it and watch it.]

JUDGE FOR YOURSELF:
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/oh-sit

IT'S BEEN RENEWED!:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cw-renews-oh-sit-breaking-pointe-374382

UMMM ... A 10 MINUTE VIDEO OF MUSICAL CHAIRS?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAtEjv9GXok

Bonus Post: Thing 63

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending:

Thing 63:

File this under confessions ... but I take full advantage of the fact that "thank you" and "f**k you" sound pretty much the same if you mumble them (what? -- I warned you in post 75 -- this concept will not always be goodness and light!).  So I'm just saying -- if I mumble something as I walk away in these next 63 days before the world (maybe) ends, you may not want to assume that I'm being nice and sweet and grateful.  Consider yourself on notice.

Random Flashback for Friday 10/19/12

This guy turned 21 this week.

And since this picture is from 1992 around this time (20 years ago), that makes this guy in this photo at a celebration for his first birthday (see -- I told you I liked math).

"This guy" is my nephew Nicolas who was begat by my sister Holly who was begat my moms Mary who was begat by my "Nannie" Alice who was begat by my moms' namesake Mary (Alice's mom) whose husband's sister was my Nannie's namesake Alice who was begat by William Nelson and Elizabeth (Glass) Trate who themselves were begat by their parents during the Civil War (sorry -- that's all the farther we go back on that side of the family).

If you follow all that -- you just might need a drink.  Guess what -- as of this week, Nic can legally join you!  Happy Bday nephew Nic!

Bonus Post: Thing 64

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending:

Thing 64:

File this under "hey -- remember when you changed my life?" ... but I'd be awfully remiss (assuming the world really is ending soon), to not call out those who helped me in my "great escape" of March 15, 1989.  And let's face it, this is a multi-parter (see part 1 as Thing 78) so it's a good thing I have 64 days to get this all out of my system ... and tonight I'll focus on one person of many from that experience ... Steve B. For it was he who was my boss at the East Lebanon McDonald's (the job I had late in high school and through my first year of college) and it was he who helped me set up my first bank account at the bank across Rt. 422 (People's/Meridian/Corestates/Wells Fargo -- and probably a few more names that I don't recall as it was repeatedly bought out over and over again) and it was he who gave me a lot of guidance when I ran away from home (and really needed it).  Thanks McSteve! 

Random Thought for Thursday 10/18/12

I've had an epiphany!

It happened this morning around 5am when my brain  woke up before my body.  I moved to the couch and turned on the 24 hour local news station (which repeats itself every half hour at that time) and fell back asleep within the hour.  [And boy doesn't that animated picture kind of look like me?]

Which led me to the conclusion ... repetitive news for me as an adult serves the same purpose as little kids who want to hear their favorite story told to them at bedtime -- it puts me to sleep!

I've cured insomnia (well -- maybe just for me but hey ... I'll take it)!

MY NEW "STORYTELLER":
http://www.cltv.com/

42 TIPS (WATCHING NEWS IN THE "TELL ME A STORY" VEIN NOT INCLUDED):
http://www.well.com/~mick/insomnia/

OOPS -- MAYBE WAKING UP AT 5AM IS A GOOD THING:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2100242/Why-waking-5am-key-feeling-happier.html

Bonus Post: Thing 65

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending:

Thing 65:

File this under how you made my college experience "the bestest" ... but with these numbers getting smaller and smaller, I'm taking stock and calling out the talented Brigette C as someone who turned my decade in college (yep, I'm THAT guy) into something wonderful.  Thanks for never telling people you caught me singing and dancing around my dorm room to Paula Abdul's "Vibeology" (oops -- now that cat's out of the bag and into the blog) ... but also for being the "bestest" co-star a fledgling actor could have during "Barefoot in the Park" ... and for playing along with my Mysterious Murder Quests ... and for exposing me to how your family does Catholic mass that Fourth of July you invited me to Zelienople (sp?) fireworks.  Fond memories like these will get me through the upcoming apocalypse (assuming I survive -- oh, and, for that matter, I hope you do too)!

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 10/17/12

"The Words With Friends Effect"

Used in a sentence:  "Check out the oh so accurate image I found by google search in the photo that describes The Words With Friends Effect."

Credit where credit's due -- I stumbled on that tonight -- it is not my own creation.

But, being an amateur statistician, I am pleased to report that, a few moments ago, I played (and won) my 100th game* -- and had my highest score ever (452).  I have to thank the 10 Friends with whom I regularly share words -- Andy P, Anna F, Chris L, Jandi G, Lissa S, Rich G, Sue D, Tracy W, Tricia H and Zach B.

*For my stats, games count if the person completes at least 2 with me without having resigned at any time (and tracking is subject to the occasional app glitch -- so far, just once, where I might have lost a week's worth of data).

By the way ... the highlights of my 100 games so far ...

I've won 46 of the 100.
I've played the most games with Chris L, with whom I also have the highest average score, followed by Rich G.
It's hardest for me to win against Tricia H, Zach B, Jandi G and Anna F (by percentage -- between 20 and 30)
It's especially hard for me to win versus Zach B, against whom I've never won by more than 21 points.
My highest point word score was 146 -- for ZANIES -- wielded against Rich G.
My best game was 452, just scored tonight!

Here's to 100 more games!

PERHAPS IT ORIGINATED HERE?:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2012/09/the-words-with-friends-effect.html

COME JOIN THE "LEAGUE"!:
http://www.wordswithfriends.com/

THE DICTIONARY USED IS CALLED Enhanced North American Benchmark Lexicon (ENABLE):
http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/7162/is-it-possible-to-see-the-dictionary-for-words-with-friends

Bonus Post: Thing 66

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending:

Thing 66:

File this under "look ma, I went and got myself a career" ... but if the economy collapses along with everything else in 66 days, I should probably stop and thank those who have shaped my work life once I became an adult.  And why not take this opportunity on boss' day to thank the person who was my boss at Kaplan (my employer) for the longest period of time since I started in 04 (for all intents and purposes, in my eight years of work there, I'm basically up to six "bosses" -- the sixth one actually just coming into place starting yesterday).  Matt R made sure that our location was fully focused on putting the customer (our students) first and he provided me the freedom to run the center like none other in Chicago (we were a competitive bunch and work was always enjoyable).  If for nothing else -- he deserves my gratitude for putting up with me and my fickle plans to quit and cash in my 401k and start writing full time (I had bad timing, as shortly after making the announcement that I was leaving, the landlord in the first Chicago apartment announced that he was taking back his two-flat and I was to move within 30 days ...) -- which is a different time then when I actually quit a year later (for what turned out to be eight weeks until the Great Recession quickly quashed any plans there were to move out of town).  For what were truly ... good times ... thanks!

Random Tune for Tuesday 10/16/12

Ok -- I give!

I've seen the ads ... I've walked through the stores and passed the Holiday decorations in front of the Halloween ones.  Mind you -- I'm not going to decorate until the second weekend in December as always, and the CDs and cassettes stay in storage until then as well -- but I'll randomly put up a Christmas tune in mid-October (particularly if it fits for something else I'm doing*).

And, playing devil's advocate (or actually, in light of the subject matter, maybe that should be Jesus' advocate), why not introduce the spirit of Christmas as early as possible?  I'm sure we can all use a little goodwill toward humanity right about now.

*By the way -- I have to tell the truth ... the Chipmunks popped into my head after watching one of my favorite Sunday night shows (no -- not The Walking Dead), and here's my Amazing Race Aside with three things I learned from last week's episode:

1.)  Thing ONE:  The Chipmunks team (as they were called last week) are actually kind of entertaining, even if they did make some stereotypical grinding moves when they were executing the traditional lion dance.
2.)  Thing TWO:  Egg frying (while balancing the apparatus on a head) is, inexplicably, a MAGIC trick in Indonesia (don't they have playing cards?).
3.)  Thing THREE:  There's a lot of screaming on this season -- the twinners who say they scream to relax, the big Texan who screams like a little girl when the whip cracks and those blonds who scream nasty things at their transport folks (which makes me NOT miss them now that they are gone).

I STILL WANT A HU-LA-HOOP!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hAUWyp0qzs

Bonus Post: Thing 67

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending:

Thing 67:

File this under long overdue thanks ... but I don't want to leave this earth in 67 days (maybe ...) without saying thanks to Mrs. K, who helped make my high school years so special.  I'm not even sure how it all started, I just know that chances were I'd be in your office instead of in homeroom, or study hall or last period -- and I'll never forget how you let me store my things in your office once I got scared the "evil stepmother" was discarding my personal items at home.  It was such an elaborate scheme -- I carried them out to the trash, and a friend swung by in the morning to pick up my box of goodies, which I then kept in your office until I got out of that living arrangement.  I didn't act quickly enough to save my electronic dungeons and dragons game (which maybe I had to throw out because it was "of the devil", but more than likely I had to get rid of because my bio-mom bought it for me) ... but I did get to save my junior high awards and other things that were dear to me.  Your laugh lit up the room and made any problems of mine go away -- and I thank you for the extra attention you gave me during those years.

Random Memorial for Monday 10/15/12

Gone but not forgotten:  former PA senator Arlen Specter, who passed this past weekend.

I've been a Chicagoan for 11 years (my how the time flies!), but I spent the vast majority of my formative time in the great state of Pennsylvania, which sent Arlen to the US Senate from 1981-2011.  I'm not sure if it's his documented sense of humor, or his tendency to be more of an independent voice that rose above the extreme partisanship that is gridlocking our system, or just the comfort of having stability in the government ... but I am saddened by his passing.

He who was so much more balanced than that other senator from PA we unleashed on the country during that same time frame (sorry about that!), you will be missed.

SPECTER, STAND UP COMEDIAN:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/arlen-specters-stand-up-comedy-a-few-highlights-video/2012/10/15/178d4ef4-1709-11e2-a55c-39408fbe6a4b_blog.html

WHAT AN INTERESTING WEBSITE:
http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/53340/arlen-specter#.UHyYDG9X0fU

THE WIKI IS PERFECT FOR THIS TYPE OF FACT GATHERING:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Senators_from_Pennsylvania

Bonus Post: Thing 68

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending:

Thing 68:

File this under great appreciation ... but as I reflect back on my life so far in anticipation of being prepared for the apocalypse in just 68 days, I think I've finally traced the source of my television viewing obsessive habits.  I (happily) blame the Salinger family -- not he of Catcher in the Rye fame, but Charlie, Bailey, Julia, Claudia and baby Owen.  Yep -- it was Party of Five that got me addicted to quality heartfelt programming.  And this show about family sticking together to deal with all that life has to throw at you has stuck with me years later.  I can still remember Bailey telling his older brother that he never wanted to love again after he lost someone ... and you know it was a quality show as it provided one of the last opportunities to see the great Caroll O'Connor in a guest role near the end of his life.  It's nothing less than a crime that the entire series isn't available on DVD.  How's about someone get working on that -- say, maybe within the next 68 days?   

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 10/14/12

What Chicago is talking about this week:

The plumber is coming!  The plumber is coming!

Admittedly, maybe all of Chicago isn't talking about that, but those who are closest to me (literally -- those who live in the apartment building) are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the chosen one sent by the landlord to fix the ever present leaking of the bathrooms in this old old building.

I posted a picture of the "nail of damocles" a while back -- that which hangs over my head as I shower since the ceiling collapsed.  And I "went on the record" about the problem early on in my "100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending".  So I'm happy that the third reference to the situation is one that speaks of a solution.

Of course, now let's hope it actually happens!

THE NAIL OF DAMOCLES PICTURE:
http://capcognition.blogspot.com/2012/05/random-thought-for-thursday-51712.html

THING 97 (GOING ON THE RECORD):
http://capcognition.blogspot.com/2012/09/bonus-post-thing-97.html

THE NATURAL CLEANSE TO "CURE" YOURSELF AFTER TOXIC MOLD EXPOSURE:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/01/recovery-from-toxic-mold-exposure.aspx

Bonus Post: Thing 69

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending:

Thing 69:

File this under long overdue thanks ... but in case the world ends in 69 days, I've learned from all those post-apocalyptic television shows and movies that the few who survive always seem to run into an ex as the new world gets created.  Now maybe that just makes for a good story, but since I'm all about hedging my bets while expecting the sudden reversal of the magnetic poles (did you know there's a whole cottage industry of faux-docu-science shows that can feed someone with mildly obsessive tendencies and a twisted sense of creativity?) ... I feel like I should pause to say thanks to all those whom I've loved before -- and I'm no Wilt Chamberlain or much of a kiss-and-teller or too much of what the kids call a star-f***er -- but no matter how fleeting or anonymous or (more rarely) serious our time together was, please think fondly of me, and I'll do the same about you.  And if we're lucky, maybe we'll run into each other post 12.21.12.

Random Soapbox for Saturday 10/13/12

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

... why don't poor people obey basic traffic laws?

Look -- I don't want to come off as one of Mitt's kids, and, post-Great-Recession, I recognize that I moved to the bottom of the middle class strata, and I'm holding on desperately to that social status dream paycheck by paycheck ... but putting that  attempt to absolve myself from the way this might sound aside ...

There's a certain stretch of Broadway in Chicago in the Uptown 'hood (near what will be the second newest Target in town once the one on State Street opens), where it is the wild west when it comes to basic traffic rules.  Folks don't go across the street crosswalk ... lanes mean nothing ... parking restrictions are ignored ... bicyclists pretend to be cars ... and now it's moved beyond basic lawbreaking as gang members are shooting each other's penises off (see lead story below) -- which may or may not be related to the police getting shot at this weekend as well (see second story).

Is it that poor people have just given up and since life is so bad they have a death wish and choose to walk out in front of my car as I drive by?  Or do they take the attitude that the "system's" to blame and so they'll check out of the "system"?  I'm determined to get to the bottom of this -- if only to hedge my bets should I ever join them as a poor person in that 'hood (although I think "leaving Chicago" would be the preferred action to take if it gets that bad ...)

NO -- NOT THE PENIS!:
http://www.chicagonewsreport.com/2012/09/males-penis-nearly-shot-off-in-uptown.html

EVEN THE COPS ARE UNDER ATTACK!:
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/19811245/bullets-hit-squad-car-in-uptown-police-shootout

BUT IT CAN BE SALVAGED (MAYBE?):
http://www.uptownupdate.com/

Random Posting for Penn State 10/13/12

Here are nine Nittany nuggets from today's game!

Oh right ... never mind ... it was a bye week.

That's BYE as in BYE BYE Sandusky (for 30 years, eh?).  Please use this time to reflect on that which you did (where there's this much "sexual" smoke, there's bound to have been an assault, regardless of what your sentencing statement said) and consider at least admitting to it to bring the victims a step closer to closure.

And let's not kid ourselves, this is just one scene in what will play out for years, no matter how quickly the school settles the lawsuits.  As always, our thoughts are with the victims -- but also with the innocents, which is just another way to say that I can still abhor sexual abuse and be a fan of the players who stayed behind for this stressful season and for the coach who is looking to lead us to more Big 10 victories -- including the night game at Iowa next week.  [P.S. ... In my opinion, I can still be a fan of JoePa's overall legacy, as well.  There -- I said it.]

LOCAL COVERAGE OF THE SENTENCING STORY:
 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-tsn-afn-sandusky-pennst-p1-20121010,0,4943991.story

GAME DAY CENTRAL!:
http://www.gopsusports.com/gameday/

THE STORY OF THE YEAR RIGHT NOW IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
http://articles.philly.com/2012-10-12/news/34413860_1_bill-o-brien-football-coach-head-coach

Bonus Post: Thing 70

100 Things I've Always Wanted To Say But Never Did And Now Maybe Should Since The World Might Be Ending:

Thing 70:

File this under things I miss most about the 18 months I lived in Uniontown ... but if I only have 70 more days left in this modern world to reminisce, then I'm going to pause and remember those months I was employed at the Cherry Tree Cafe.  I'm not even sure that it has the same owners any more, and I understand that there have been more than a few deaths of folks who worked there in 92-93 (rest in peace Bev and Yvonne and Barb and more?!?), but it doesn't take much at all for me to close my eyes and remember Bev's gnocchi or chicken and biscuits (Tuesday nights, right?) and the giant steak salads that Scott "Thunder" George used to make with the french fries meticulously placed side by side all around the oval dish like soldiers at attention guarding the goodies inside (which were definitely more steak than salad) or Olive's homemade pies.  Not to mention the regular customers (who hooked me up on a prom date when I was 21 -- my last prom, sigh) and the co-workers (who helped me embrace my age of 21 with lots of drinking -- and who let me tag along to HS senior year activities -- which also involved lots of drinking).  Something I found recently -- the phone number list I created that was at the front counter that included everyone's "nicknames".  Makes it all seem like just yesterday!