Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 11/30/14

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

Anything *you* can imag_ne.

The 550lb sculpture in this photo has been up in Boca since October 1 (in two different spots) before heading down to Miami (which gets all arty the first week of December each year).

The artist, Emma Anna, has said it is to serve as a motivational symbol and an inspirational message.  It's been travelling the world since it was built in 2008, and, as you can see, I became the "i" earlier today (that's the beautiful "winter" sky behind me on the famed Intercoastal waters outside of the Waterstone Resort and Marina in Boca Raton).

For me, it was the perfect call to action to envision a 2015 ahead unlike any other year ... to free my imagination to help me conquer the challenges I'll face.  [Hopefully, there will be a sequel soon of either ach_eve or atta_n!]

COVERAGE OF THE INSTALLATION:
http://www.southflorida.com/theater-and-arts/fl-boca-imagine-emma-anna-installation-092814,0,5879951.story

MIAMI GETS ALL ARTY NEXT WEEK:
https://www.artbasel.com/

SPEAKING OF PUBLIC ART:
http://weburbanist.com/2009/03/07/nine-breathtaking-and-inspiring-pieces-of-public-art/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 11/29/14

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

... no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

Admittedly, that wasn't the most articulate rant I've ever offered from on top of my weekly soapbox, but some things are so so wrong that it renders a person nearly speechless.

In case you haven't heard, the town of Tuszyn in Poland was debating what might possibly be the "face" of one of their new playgrounds and they passed on Pooh because "his genitals were removed and his being only shirtless is inappropriate for children" and another said that "he doesn't wear underpants because he's a hermaphrodite".  (Which, I'm pretty sure are opposite statements, as my limited understanding of hermaphrodites is that they have BOTH sets of genitals [not that there's anything wrong with that].)

The first lady referenced above apparently went on to describe a genital mutilation backstory involving razor blades and testicles ... which I have to say wasn't covered in any of the Pooh literature and memorabilia that I collect (because I'm a fan, and have been since my childhood, when my exaggerated sense of uniqueness was cultivated by being told over and over again that "the wonderful thing about tiggers is tiggers are wonderful things ... and that I was a tigger, through and through [apparently, because my bottom is made of springs?]).

I'd dismiss the whole thing as the conclusions of random uninformed crazies ... (like maybe there was something lost in translation and the poor bear came across with a scatological fetish in their actual language?) ... but then again, we did have a similar problem here in the US a few years back when Jerry and Pat got all jealous of one of the Teletubbie's sartorial choices that they were convinced was gaying a whole generation.  (Look boys ... if you want your own pretty purple purse ... or fanny pack ... or whatevs ... just get yourself one!  Silly jealous coveting extremists!)  Point being ... we're not exempt from random uniformed crazies on our side of the world either.

But again ... to this whole revisionist history of Pooh ... I say ... no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

AN EVEN BETTER RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION:
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/lessons-we-learned-from-winnie-the-pooh/story-fnet085v-1227139702447

JABBA THE HUT:  A HERMAPHRODITE (AND NOT A SPONSOR OF A PLAYGROUND):
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/top-10-hermaphrodite-facts-and-famous-790403

SPEAKING OF BANNED CARTOONS:
http://www.yourtv.com.au/slideshow/93559/top-10-banned-cartoons.slideshow

Random Posting for Penn State 11/29/14

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's game:

1.)  Well ... for the first time in a bit, the last game of the season is NOT the last game of the year!  Thanks again for the bowl ban lift, guys!
2.)  Full disclosure ... until I saw the picture of the Penn State Santa Claus in the crowd, I had fully intended to have the image accompanying this post be the Mile High Bacon Thickburger at Hardees/Carl's Jr, just because that commercial aired so much during the broadcast of the game.
3.)  Speaking of the broadcast, I don't know about y'all, but being where I am here in Florida, I had to miss the first six minutes of the game because ESPN2 was still showing a match up with a different team in blue and white.
4.)  Speaking of *that* game, I was once in Louisville (the victors, as I was forced to learn) ... the year it stood in for Nashville, which was supposed to be a stop on the drive back from Miami ... but which was flooded.  And that's all I know about Louisville.
5.)  And speaking of being here in Florida, what is that "snow" that they showed in a few pictures?  I don't think we have that down here.
6.)  Were those "boos" I heard from PState fans in the 4th quarter when we didn't go for it on 4th down?  *That's* not our style.
7.)  I've decided I like the noon games much better because I can watch and take a nap afterwards ... instead of trying to squeeze in a small nap at halftime.  (In other news, I'm getting older!)
8.)  DONOVAN ... nice move coming down from the box because HACKENBERG asked.  And HACKENBERG ... my wish for you this holiday is for Santa to bring you back your confidence (but not in his sack).  [See what I did there?  Get it?  Ok ... insert groan here ...]
9.)  Season field goal record.  Check!  ATTA BOY Lou Groza Award semi-finalist FICKEN!

In closing, thanks to the 17 seniors honored today for their commitment and their loyalty and their perseverance playing for four different head coaches:  Adrian Amos, DeShawn Baker, Brad Bars, Bill Belton, Drew Boyce, Jesse Della Valle, Miles Dieffenbach, Sam Ficken, Mike Hull, Ryan Keiser, Jesse Merise, CJ Olaniyan, Devin Pryor, TJ Rhattigan, Tyrone Smith, Deron Thompson and Zach Zwinak.  Cheers ... kudos ... congrats!

THE DONOVAN DECISION:
http://articles.philly.com/2014-10-27/sports/55451099_1_penn-state-notes-james-franklin-recruits

ATTA BOY FICKEN:
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/football/article_83749e1a-65cc-11e4-aafc-001a4bcf6878.html

A DIFFERENT LOOK AT THINGS ... THE RECRUITING CLASS OF 2010:
http://www.mcall.com/sports/college/psu/mc-penn-state-football-senior-day-20141127-story.html

Random Flashback for Friday 11/28/14

*What* was I doing on the biggest shopping day of the year twenty years ago in 1994?  (Which, to be clear, was a Friday back then, as the Thanksgiving holiday itself was sacrosanct ... [tsk tsk, capitalism]).

This.  (And no, it was not an audition for the local theatre company's production of Newsies.)

*Where* was I doing it?  At the Uniontown Mall in the bottom corner pocket of PA.

*Why* was I doing it?  Because the lady I refer to as my "surrogate" grandmother lived there (RIP Joanne), and her landlord and former co-worker had an ex-wife who worked at the JCPenneys in town ... and so when they decided they wanted a "town crier" to walk through the mall handing out flyers promoting their sales, I was hired for the task.

I believe there was a good bit of "Extra Extra ... Read all about it!" that was a part of that experience ... but only after a lot of turkey and sparkling white grape juice and ambrosia salad the day before ... aka fond memories of Thanksgivings past.

Let the holiday season begin!

Random Thought for Thursday 11/27/14

For only the second time since I started this blog 2305 posts ago, I'm going to turn over today's entry to someone else.

Except this time ... it's a dead guy.  Here's William Bradford's account of the first Thanksgiving ...

"They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports."

From me and mine to you and yours ... may you have health and strength and all things in good plenty!  Happy Thanksgiving!  (Or ... to my Canadian friends ... Happy Regular Thursday!)

STRATEGERIE:
http://foodspin.deadspin.com/how-to-eat-thanksgiving-dinner-a-strategy-guide-1664102734

THINKING ABOUT SPARING THE BIRD NEXT YEAR?:
http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/beyond-turkey-25-alternative-thanksgiving-meat-recipes/

LOCAL STORIES:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article4126693.html

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 11/26/14

Still ZANIES after all these years.

Used in a sentence:  "Despite the fact that I've been playing Words with Friends for just over two years now (since Nov 4, 2011 apparently) and that I have 9 100+ moves in that time, when it comes to my best scoring word of all time, it's still ZANIES after all these years."

Happily, the new (but still free) upgraded version of WWF (*not* the world wildlife fund ... I don't want to be sued like the world wrestling federation was) includes one's stats for free.

Which means I now know, as of the time of this posting, I've won 242 games, lost 216 and tied 1.  My average score is 316, with a high of 462.  And in the "fun stats" category, I've played 4,386 unique words, and the distance of tiles I've played is 22,123 ft.

If you like my stats, then hmu (as the kids say).  Bring it!

A CLOWN OR A BUFFOON:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/zanies

COME PLAY!  BRING IT!:
https://zynga.com/games/words-friends

WHEN I WAS LITTLE, THERE WERE 2 WWFs:
http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/8/22/3259376/wwe-and-world-wildlife-fund-reach-a-settlement

Random Tune for Tuesday 11/25/14

Track 22 of 39 in the ongoing series presenting tunes from an actual mixed tape from the early nineties college years ... goes a bit introspective ... a bit wistful ... a bit "crunchy" if you will ... more than a bit poetic ... basically, a bit Indigo Girl-ie.

Well -- a whole lot Indigo Girl-ie, as this spot on the cassette (yep, we're old!) is reserved for the beautiful lyrics of "Love's Recovery".

And if you follow the path of the song through the sad parts about youths too busy making plans to realize that life was being missed around them and about how friends simply fade away up to the powerful trinity climax (the words shown in the accompanying image), the denouement is actually a bit ... well ... *hopeful* toward the future (the future that has already become the past, seeing as how all of these feelings were from a time over twenty years ago).

THOUGH IT'S STORMING OUT, I FEEL SAFE IN THE ARMS ... OF LOVE'S DISCOVERY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xzsY2vkEMM

Random Memorial for Monday 11/24/14

Gone but not forgotten:  being beholden to the old people tradition of having turkey on turkey day.

Taking inspiration from my Canadian friends, who also thumb their noses at the thought of forcing Thanksgiving to be on the 4th Thursday of the month (completely ignoring FDR's wishes I might add), TONIGHT is Thanksgiving for me and mine.

Truth be told ... being in Ft. Lauderdale for the first time away from family means new traditions ... and feeling young again surrounded by seniors, we're bringing back "BlackOut Wednesday" ... the binge drinking holiday that the kids do when they come home from college to visit with family before the traditional day of the holiday.

So tonight ... as seen in this authentic non-stock photo... butter basted sage turkey, sausage sage stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls and, in a special find for dessert ... pumpkin pecan struessel pie!

Since I couldn't talk Macy's into changing the date of their parade, *that* will still have to be watched in 2 and a half days (despite being hungover, I should still be able to work the remote) ... but it's looking like Chinese food for Thursday night ... or leftover turkey sandwiches!

The genius of this plan ... the traditional Thanksgiving meal ... despite the Wednesday night plans ... you will NOT be missed!

CANADIAN THANKSGIVING IS NOT NON-CANADIAN THANKSGIVING:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/13143/4-big-differences-between-canadian-and-american-thanksgiving

BLACKOUT WEDNESDAY PRIMER:
http://www.lemondrop.com/2009/11/24/11-people-youll-meet-on-black-wednesdsay-and-how-to-handle-the/

THANKSGIVING IS A VERY VERY VERY POLITICAL HOLIDAY:
http://mrdsneighborhood.com/2010/11/18/the-story-of-franksgiving-or-when-bad-things-happen-to-good-holidays/

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 11/23/14

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

Good news for once!

Proving that it is possible, if you search long enough, and get through all of the hating and fighting and bickering and war mongering and racism and sexism and fill-in-the-blank-ism, you CAN locate life changing scientific advancements in the newspaper (or on the interwebs, for you young'uns) that will have a positive effect on your future.

To whit, at the end of the summer, the American Chemical Society declared that it is OK to pee in the ocean.  Where I live here in sunny Florida, the beach season is just starting to get into full swing, so it is a timely reminder for the weeks and months ahead.  Hence, someone recently wrote into the local Sunday paper as a letter to the editor to highlight this scientific find as a way to offer absolution and dispensation for the "but I gots to go now" phenomenon.

[Note:  pee in the ocean ... not in the pool, as the links below will show.]

WE ALL DO IT ANYWAY:
http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/peeing-ocean-officially-okay

IT'S SCIENCE PEOPLE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqR2bLsdhs4

OCEANS ARE FOR PISSING IN ... POOLS ARE NOT:
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/26/science_its_not_okay_to_pee_in_the_pool/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 11/22/14

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

... it's time for local leadership to get *out* of the "don't feed the hungry" business.  I don't know how we got into this mess where people are being treated like pigeons (or seagulls, to give it more of a beach flair) to whom you are not to give the french fries for fear that everyone will get pooped on.

Or maybe I do.  Down here in southern Florida, it is not uncommon to be accosted at intersections by the downtrodden or to see folks sleeping in city parks, surrounded by the last of their belongings.  (Although, come to think of it ... that happened in Chicago as well.  And I'll admit that I always thought ... if one ended up homeless, why didn't one head somewhere warm in which to live the lifestyle without added weather concerns?)  Slowly, local government by local government is passing anti-pan-handling laws, in an attempt to NIMBY the whole scenario (you know NIMBY, right?  not-in-my-back-yard?).

Which leads us to Ft. Lauderdale leaders ... who started with a no pan-handling regulation in 2012 and then added the current careful-how-you-feed-the-homeless laws just this year in a late night/early morning session (one of the wisest things my employer told me once was to refrain from doing official business in that part of the morning most associated with coming in from the bars ... just sayin').  By the way, the current laws are not set out to starve the homeless, but to basically force their feedings indoor (outdoor feedings require port-a-potties to be present and require food safety things like maintaining proper and consistent food temps).

But local nonagenarian celebrity Arnold Abbott simply wants to make hungry people be not hungry, rules and regulations be damned.  To which I say, let the man break bread.  For a town that worked for years to get rid of the spring break stank in order to become an international tourist destination,  this PR nightmare needs to be avoided.

And, most importantly, hungry people need to be able to eat and those rising to the call of action to take care of their fellow man and woman need to be let alone.  Stop being so stubborn and embrace the backpedal on this one, mayor and friends ... politicians flip-flop all the time (it's now called "evolving"), so you even have an easy way out of this ridiculousness ...

FIRST COMES THIS:
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-05-02/news/fl-lauderdale-panhandling-ordinance-folo-20120501_1_anti-panhandling-ordinance-homeless-man-homeless-advocates

THEN COMES THIS:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-lauderdale-homeless-feeding-sites-20141021-story.html

AND NOW THAT'S IT A PR NIGHTMARE, THEN COMES THIS DEFENSE:
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article3726105.html

Random Posting for Penn State 11/22/14

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's game:

1.)  Hey Illinois ... I used to live in your state!  Hey Penn State ... I used to live in *your* state!  [Note to self ... I should probably check to see if anyone plays college football here in Florida, where I live now.]
2.)  Speaking of states and football, how many times were the announcermen going to knock the lack of fan support there in Champaign?  Although it did make me go look on the interwebs, where I found the image accompanying today's post, which holds true to the observed apathy.
3.)  There sure was a lot of 3-and-outs today ... until when there suddenly wasn't.
4.)  Without getting sued by an Auggie, can I just say that the WIND seemed like the 12th man today.
5.)  Dude ... Dudek.  You were the bane of our existence.  And get a haircut.
6.)  Regardless of the outcome of today's game, there were the cute puppies featuring the Illini service dogs in a spot coming back from one of the breaks to serve as a distraction.
7.)  Trickeration, huh?  We could have used some more of that today.
8.)  Oh announcermen ... why oh why did you have to do your announcer jinx during that play?
9.)  Can't end a Penn State post without an ATTA BOY FICKEN, now can I?  Therefore ... ATTA BOY FICKEN!

In closing, thanks (?) to UnderArmour, for providing the creepy roided up Armour Claus image in that advertisement to scare us off the naughty list.

THE SOURCE OF TODAY'S MAP:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/upshot/the-places-in-america-where-college-football-means-the-most.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=1

YOU DARESN'T MAKE A 12TH MAN REFERENCE:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2437992

THE ARMOUR CLAUS (YOU'VE BEEN WARNED):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMaDdwFhC0M

Random Flashback for Friday 11/21/14

What's there not to love about *this* photo from twenty years ago taken as the fall LVC theatre retreat was ending?

The fact that my first car is there in the upper right hand corner (an '83 Ford Escort ... and this was taken in '94, for perspective)?

Or the gigantic video recorder (with which that retreat was captured ... on VCR tapes [that are still somewhere in my archive])?

Or the classic Pearl Jam shirt?  Or the tricky way we worked our placement so that I could look a slight bit taller and rest my elbow on Rich G (Gully's) shoulder (who is over 6 ft tall)?

OR just the fact that this is the aforementioned Gully and I (who, during these years in college, was basically my little brother [even in the Greek way, since he pledged the theatre fraternity during his time at LVC]).  This was not the last time we saw each other (although, at the time, it felt that way, as he was moving on to other things) ... but you'll have to wait until next year in 2015 to relive that experience from 1995 -- which, come to think of it, is only a few Fridays away!

Random Thought for Thursday 11/20/14

It has come to my attention that bourbon, by "legal" definition, must be at least 51% corn.

Corn is a vegetable.  (Or, at least, that's what I thought ... see link below for more details ...)

Vegetables are healthy for you.

Therefore, with the turkey holiday right around the corner, more Wild Turkey is a good, healthy move.

You heard it here first!  Cheers!

LEARN SOME THINGS ABOUT THE BOURBON:
http://www.askmen.com/fine_living/wine_dine_archive_300/330_bourbon-5-things-you-didnt-know.html

LEARN SOME BEST BOURBONS:
http://www.gayot.com/spirits/top10bourbons/main.html

CORN, REVEAL THYSELF:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-corn-a-vegetable.html

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 11/19/14

Black, red or blonde "headed".

Used in a sentence:  "Although it *also* describes the classic triumvirate of Barker's Beauties from 'The Price is Right' when I was younger, this time, I'm using it to refer to the various types of Guinness:  dark, red or blonde 'headed'".

As told to me first by traveler Andy P, Guinness *now* has an American style lager (made in Latrobe PA, of all places, home of the Rolling Rock).  This comes on the heels of Guinness Black, which I have located (and consumed).  And apparently there was a Guinness Red a few years back and I missed it!  (A disappointment for sure ... in case anyone sees any cans in the back of their local cooler [as described by the reviewer in the link below].)

So for all those considering gifts to send me for the holidays this year ... you are on notice ... Guinness Blonde!  And I promise to tell you if drinking it makes me "ditzy" and/or "have more fun".  [Note ... stereotypes are bad.  Unless you aren't blonde, and then stereotypes are funny.]

NOW IN BLONDE!:
http://www.beerconnoisseur.com/Guinness-Goes-Blonde

MADE IN LATROBE, PA!:
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2014/08/08/is-city-brewing-about-to-make-guinness-blonde.html?page=all

SOMEHOW I MISSED THE GUINNESS RED!:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/209/98289/

Random Tune for Tuesday 11/18/14

Track 21 of 39 in the ongoing series featuring the songs from that college era mixed tape o' mine ... the Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald duet ...

WAIT.  Scratch that.  We were a theatrical bunch back then in college in the early nineties (quite literally ... many of us met in the LVC theatre), so if "On My Own" is one of the tunes included, then it's going to be the version from Les Mis.

Well, since the tape is over twenty years old, the modern day youtube link is going to have to be the version of "On My Own" from the version of Les Mis that celebrated the 25th anniversary of the musical (that's the one that had the pre-MMA fighter version of Nick Jonas in it).  What can I say?  We were all young and dramatic and loving from a distance unrequited-ly, etc etc etc.  Ah ... the emotions of college.

THE WORLD IS FULL OF HAPPINESS THAT I HAVE NEVER KNOWN:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQCPf55uoK4

Random Memorial for Monday 11/17/14

Gone but not forgotten:  William Henry Seiters JR.

For context, William Henry Seiters SR. was the man I called PopPop (the few times I saw him) ... or, more officially, William Henry Seiters SR. was my maternal grandfather.

Which, for those of you who are quick on the genealogical uptake, makes William Henry Seiters JR. (the guy in the photo -- remember?) my uncle (on my mom's side).

To be clear, there is nothing special about today's date in his life (he was born in late January in 1942) ... nor is today relevant to his death (which happened in mid August 1968).  But what is relevant is that I was reminded that he existed on my most recent trip to PA last month ... and my sister Bonnie located this photo and recently sent it to me.

More context ... my family is somewhat scattered, and so the fact that I had forgotten that I had an uncle that I had never met (he did die four years before I was born, after all) isn't as outlandish as it may first sound.  Additionally, if you did the math, then you'd know that he died rather young, upsetting the natural order of things ... which brings the kind of pain that many don't want to re-live.  And, it's also true that I first created my mother's genealogical information just after college, which means I actually had the name and the dates and knew where it fit into the chart many many years ago.

The difference ... back then I didn't have an appreciation for what those names and numbers *meant*.  And now I've lived long enough to realize that names and numbers are just data placeholders for stories and memories, captured in minds of loved ones and forever memorialized in things like photographs.

So ... now, many years later, I can say, with more meaning ... "Uncle Billy, even though I never met you, you are missed".

[In lieu of my customary links-in-triplicate at the end of my posts that I provide to occupy your time, how's about you go call a family member and share stories of loved ones instead.  Thanks!]

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 11/16/14

What East Central Texas is talking about this week:

It was my first time in Texas (and yes, I did get in and out without any issues at the border) ... so here are a *few* things that I noticed.

1.)  There were cows grazing everywhere.  Not moo cows like back home in PA that live a good long life so long as they keep on putting out, but "I'll have you medium rare when I eat you" type cattle ... and they seemed to have no idea about the short life ahead of them OR that I prefer them topped with fried onions and mushrooms and compound butter.

2.)  Everywhere else in the country was celebrating the unbelievably low gas prices.  But not Houston.  They were scurred (see the link below).

3.)  They were also cold.  Like "stay in and don't go out to the bars" cold.  But then again, I guess everybody was cold this past weekend.  Polar Vortex 2.0 knows no boundaries.  Except maybe all the way down to southern Florida -- maybe.  Those that did make it out were super friendly, though, so that was a plus.

4.)  For reals ... textbooks in Texas get rewritten to satisfy a certain agenda.  I thought that stuff was exaggerated, but the dumbing down of future Texans is actually a thing and was all over the Austin news when I was there (see the other link below).

Now time to plan for the next trip and to add some Dallas flavor to the mix.  Stay tuned ...

PROVING, YET AGAIN, THAT YOU CAN FIND *ANYTHING* ON THE INTERWEBS:
http://www.simplybovine.com/cow_jokes.html

HOUSTON-ERS AREN'T SO HAPPY ABOUT THE LOW GAS PRICES:
http://www.click2houston.com/news/are-falling-gas-prices-hurting-houstons-economy/29371184

OH 'MERICA!:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/17/texas-textbook-inaccuracies/19175311/

Random Posting for Penn State 11/15/14

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's game:

1.)  Complete honesty ... this is trickery at its best.  I'm back-dating this post and I did not actually see this game.
2.)  In related news ... congratulations to Richard and Wendy, who are neither Penn State nor Temple fans, as evidenced by the wedding that they scheduled during game time.
3.)  Thanks to the interwebs, though, I can see that we won!
4.)  So ... if I *had* watched it live, I probably would have said something about breaking the losing streak!
5.)  And about becoming bowl eligible!
6.)  And I know for sure I would have said ATTA BOY FICKEN a few times.
7.)  In hindsight, it also appears like I only would have had to have DVRd the last twenty minutes of play time of the game to see all the highlights.
8.)  Great news (for me, anyway) ... my schedule is clear to see the final two games of the season!
9.)  So possibly pin stripes, eh?  (That's different than prison stripes, isn't it?  This isn't a sanction/no sanction kind of dig regarding bowl placement right?)

In closing, thanks to organizations that deal with sex abuse victims.  I know it's old news at Penn State, but it's new news with Bill Cosby's Temple Owls ... so, you know, it suddenly seems relevant (again).

I DIDN'T WATCH THE GAME BUT I GOT TO READ IT:
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400547713

PINSTRIPE BOUND?:
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2014/11/penn_state_bowl_projections_no.html

SEEMS APPROPRIATE (AGAIN):
http://www.nsvrc.org/

caja de jabón al azar para el sábado 11/15/14

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

... why can't we all just get along and celebrate our melting pot diversity?

Warning ... this specific news story is over two years old BUT this being my first time setting foot inside the state where it occurred, it seemed an appropriate topic about which to rant today.  So you may have heard of it before ... the Texas pi"c"za chain that offered free pizza to anyone who called in and ordered it en Espanol.

The chain was probably making less of a statement about the growing popularity of the Latin culture and doing the most 'Merican of things (using controversy to make some extra publicity to increase revenues [also known as "capitalism"]), but there was a (predictable) backlash ... from the (obviously) racist folks.

When it comes down to it, we all should probably have learned a little more Spanish along the way.  (Or Arabic.  Or Chinese.  Or Russian if "Cold War 2:  Colder than a Polar Vortex" is going to be a thing as it seems.)  I grew up in a small central PA town, which was close enough to a smaller central PA town filled with poultry processing plants such that our community had to learn quickly that there would be others who would come along to satisfy the need for labor who might not speak the same language ... but I studied German instead of Spanish in high school (and college ... and while in Deutschland for a semester overseas), which basically means that I am disqualified for most jobs down here in Florida (I'm looking for next year since my role was eliminated at my current job) BUT that I get more out of the WWII documentaries on the History Channel.

I didn't stay in the county adjacent to Amish country my whole life, though (where, by the way, PA Dutch probably wouldn't count as English if this initiative were to pass [ain't now onct!]), and, after a dozen years in Chicago, I could learn the city's neighborhood history by seeing how many languages were on the signs of the businesses (Polski!  Korean!  Spanish!  Hair for sale!).  As a native English speaker, I was not in any way disadvantaged by the fact that others who were not like me were welcomed in to the establishment.

To me, here's what it all boils down to.  And forgive me in advance for getting all Biblical on your ass.  But I re-read the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11:4-9 and, as I see it, God herself got "scurred" about the power of the people working together and CREATED various languages to keep the Tower from reaching into her fancier neighborhood in the clouds.  So who are we to say that English must be the official language?  After all ... what God has put asunder let no man join together, right?

THE ORIGINAL STORY:
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/chain-offers-free-pizza-if-you-order-spanish-140746

YOU MUST BE *THIS* BILINGUAL TO WORK THIS JOB:
http://www.hrhero.com/hl/articles/2007/06/01/bilingual-job-requirement-oked-by-court/

JOIN THE DEBATE:
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-english-be-the-official-language-of-the-united-states

Random Flashback for Friday 11/14/14

The end.

Not of my twenty year old photo albums which I'm posting one photo at a time on this blog and the Facebook.

But *this moment*, an LVC theatre retreat at Gretna Glen as the fall semester was drawing to a close in 1994, basically represented the end of my involvement with the student led theatrical activities.  Sure, there would still be a few more audience participation murder mysteries on the calendar in the months ahead ... but this retreat marked the beginning of the school's enhancement to the program, as that's Dr. Pry in the corner on the right.  His arrival ushered in a completely different approach to what had been completely student run, with the added bonus of the school creating new majors and formalizing something that had been basically only extra-curricular.

Let me tell you ... I wouldn't have wanted for it to be the end with any other group of people ... and ... scene.

Random Thought for Thursday 11/13/14

Sometimes ... when I'm missing Chicago ... I put Judge Mathis on and it's just like I'm back in the town where I lived for over a dozen years.

[That's all ... sometimes my thoughts are succint enough to even fit into a tweet.  Not often ... but *sometimes*.]

SURELY YOU KNOW THE SHOW:
http://judgemathistv.com/

THE *OTHER* SIDE OF THE STORY:
http://www.metnews.com/articles/perspectives112103.htm

SPEAKING OF MISSING CHICAGO:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/04/chicago-in-motion-time-lapse_n_4046218.html

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 11/12/14

Reefer Technician

Used in a sentence:  "Now that Amendment 2 didn't pass here in Florida, I guess this wanted ad that was in the paper pre-election for a Reefer Technician is no longer valid."

Unless, of course, Reefer Technicians do something other than sample a bunch of the wacky weed.  Or, unless, of course, the rumored re-try at getting it passed during the 2016 election comes to fruition, and then it's just two years ahead of its time.

Pays top dollar too ... so it must be the good stuff.

REEFER TECHNICIAN JOBS (NOT JUST IN COLORADO IN WASHINGTON):
http://www.indeed.com/q-Reefer-Technician-jobs.html

UH-OH ... A POT SLUMP:
http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/12/news/colorado-marijuana-sales-fall/

THE FIGHT'S NOT OVER YET PROMISES SUPPORTERS:
http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/florida/2014/11/11/medical-marijuana-hopes-remain-alive-in-fl/18839655/

Random Tune for Tuesday 11/11/14

Track 20 of 39 (if you don't know by now, then you'll have to do your own research as to what I'm doing every week on Tuesdays for the last 20 weeks [although I do make it easy to do so on the blog, since the mixed tape madness has its own tag]) ... and tonight's a Y2K themed song from the incomparable Billy Joel.

Because, after all, we were the generation that was already well plugged in to the upcoming end of the millennium just a few years ahead from our time at LVC in the early nineties (have I already shared my Y2K "Russians have fired missiles" news report story whilst babysitting the Rite Aid support queue that night?  [turns out it was just a normal new years eve dispute with the poor folks in Chechnya and nothing apocalyptic about which to be concerned]).  And because, after all, we were all celebrating the fact that we were all thrown together ... after two thousand years!

I think I still tear up when I hear the big finish ... "One thing is certain:  Nothing can hold back the light.  Time is relentless ... and as the past disappears ... we're on the verge of all things new ..."

ONLY TRUE LOVE PERSEVERES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D09O_6HoCDA

Random Memorial for Monday 11/10/14

Gone but not forgotten:  the melting pot (in the FTL).

[And, no, this is not commentary on how the immigration debate makes some people forget that almost *all* us were once part of the great American tradition of being a cultural melting pot ... because I'll let the blathering idiots on the 24 hour news channels provide all of that insight.  I mean, "insight".]

Instead, it's very very literal.  The local Melting Pot here closed down this summer.  Mind you, I only ate there once (in the end, it was too much work for too little sustenance ... and I didn't like that I had to sign the disclaimer that I was responsible for my own fondue related injuries), but it's still a little sad knowing that I can never eat there again.  (You only want what you can't have and all ...)

Crocks of hot cheese ... hot oil ... and hot chocolate ... into which all manners of things could be dipped (but not any appendages [I mean digits ... it's not the seventies, for goodness' sake]) ... you will be missed.

BUT LUCKILY THERE ARE STILL FOUR MORE IN THE AREA:
http://www.meltingpot.com/ft-lauderdale/welcome

FONDUE PRIMER:
http://everythingfondue.wordpress.com/history/

LET THE HATERS START THE HATING:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/07/04/we-are-all-immigrants-refugees-or-their-descendants/

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 11/9/14

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

Well ... there is that old man who can't seem to keep his food to himself all over the news ... but I'll share my thoughts about that on another day.

Because today, after all, is a very specific day in history ... 25 years after the Berlin Wall came down.  I vividly remember where I was (before 9.11 happened, I thought it would replace the Challenger explosion as the "everybody knows where they were when X happened" [X being a turning point in history ... like JFK getting shot or the world war ending or the attack on Pearl Harbor or the stock market crash ... which should cover most everyone still alive], because I was in my first semester of undergrad at LVC, walking down the first floor of MaryGreen (I lived in MG213 that year), when I went past the doorway of RA Carol Amundsen.  She had a fancy (ish) suite as part of her job, and her TV in her living room space was covering the news of Gorbachev doing what Reagan has asked him to do.

I had no idea that one year later, I'd be IN Berlin for Wiedervereinigung (the possibly incorrectly named "Reunification", seeing as how the two countries coming together didn't exist exactly as such prior to the war).  So today I dug out the 24 year old photo album of the pictures I took of the wall as it existed one year later (that's me climbing it in the bottom corner of the main photo, but since I'm in the shadows of the tree, you really have to blow up the image to see it).  And, yes, sitting on the album is my little chunk of the wall that I hacked off that day in 1990 when I was there.

Instead of the customary links-in-triplicate, I'll include one more set of photos, showing Checkpoint Charlie as it existed in that time frame as well.  Here's to being lucky enough to be able to experience a piece of history.

Random Soapbox for Saturday 11/8/14

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

... dear neighborhoodlums, please shape up or ship out.

At the risk of tipping my hand as to how I'm nearly finished transforming into the grumpy old man that yells at the kids to get off his lawn (luckily, this property is completely fenced in, so I don't have to waste energy in that fashion), here is my list of demands.

FIRST, please start walking with a purpose.  I understand that Florida is warm and a vacation destination and has a little bit of that whole southern "everything in its own sweet time" worldview, but I have never seen a generation so completely at ease being as ease whilst strolling through the 'hood.  How can so many of you have nowhere to go and nothing to do and nowhere to be?  (Or is just that y'all adhere to the baggy-to-the-extremes sartorial sense, so that you can't move too quickly lest your britches fall down completely.  And yes, I said britches.  So sure, I'm now officially middle-aged.)  If you move so slowly, I'm going to assume that you're moving at a snail's pace so as to seize just the right moment to commit some sort of delinquent act.  Move along ... there's nothing to see here.

SECOND, speaking of walking ... please start doing so on the sidewalks.  This 'hood happens to be where the North/South numbered avenues intersect with the East/West numbered streets.  *Avenues* and *streets*, people ... not pedestrian through-ways.  Take the chip off your damn shoulder about those who can afford automobiles and stop challenging me to run you down.  Because I do not want to do it.  But it's going to happen.  Particularly if you are stoned and it's nighttime.  And it won't be my fault.

THIRD, speaking of getting stoned ... the empty lot next door is not a public park.  It happens to be an abandoned lot that others in the 'hood have cleaned up so as to keep blight away from this block.  It is not a place for you 'hood-hookers to bring your johns in the middle of the afternoon for a toke and some tonsil hockey of the tumescent type.  It's not so much that I begrudge you the chance to make a dollar (or $40, assuming that's the going rate ... I haven't seen your menu or anything) ... it's just that I would rather you conduct your activity under the cover of darkness instead of after school.  Unless, of course, the timing of your activities points to the fact that you and your clients are underage and that this *is* what you do for your extra-curriculars.

FOURTH, speaking of that lot next door ... if you park your car in front of it to loiter and linger vehicularly, the puppies that patrol this perimeter are going to be all up in your business.  And rest assured that they will alert everyone else to your presence, which means anyone within ear shot will be potentially involved in whatever nefarious task you are executing within your automobile.

FIFTH, speaking of the puppies ... it is true that one of them is "special'.  You do not need to point.  You do not need to ask what happened to him.  You do not need to get that look on your face that makes me think less of you as a person.  He's just fine ... and he'd rather you move along at a quicker pace, preferably on the sidewalk ... just as I do.

Thanks ... xoxo ... me.

SO YOU KIDS DON'T WANT CARS ... AT LEAST START *WALKING* WITH A PURPOSE!:
http://business.time.com/2013/08/09/the-great-debate-do-millennials-really-want-cars-or-not/

SINCE SO MANY OF YOU YOUNGSTERS SEEM UNINFORMED ... MEET SIDEWALKS:
http://guide.saferoutesinfo.org/engineering/sidewalks.cfm

PRICES ARE GOING DOWN AS MUCH AS THE SEX WORKERS THEMSELVES:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101917033#.

Random Posting for Penn State 11/8/14

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's game:

1.)  First ... I should probably explain the image accompanying today's post.  I don't know if it was the HD viewing or not, but it sure seemed like the field in Bloomington was awfully super dirty today.  When I headed to the google to find an image for "dirty football field", *this* clip from Dirty Harry was what came back.
2.)  So anyway ... nice to break a streak, even if it did seem like we were all watching punting practice for most of the time.  ;)
3.)  And in the spirit of selective memory and forgetting about this losing streak, that package about the *first* four games of the season was also very nice to watch.
4.)  Mr. Announcerman, there is a big difference between saying that the temps today are in the 80's and that the temps today are in the 40's.  For instance, *I* am in southern Florida, where it is in the 80's.  The game is being played in southern Indiana, which I understand is on the outer edge of Polar Vortex 2.0.
5.)  Speaking of things that were said before the game kickoff, you might know that you have a mild case of OCD if you see the Indiana Marching Hundred on the screen, and your first instinct is to start counting to make sure that they've *really* put 100 bodies on the field.  For instance, if someone was sick today, are there alternates available?  And what if there are 101 quality band kids some year ... do you hold a sudden death flute-off to stay true to your name?
6.)  Speaking of things that were said by the announcermen today, I will admit that I went looking on the interwebs for the Geno Lewis "hair on fire" incident you referenced.  You see, my generation immediately associates that as something literal (thanks to Michael Jackson) ... so I missed the fact that you were using a military idiom.
7.)  I assume the credit goes to Ryan Murphy and his Glee phenomenon, but, week to week, I'm in awe at how much "acting" has become a part of the football game.  I mean sure, I knew it was a big deal in the world of basketball, but such animation over trying to revive a dead ball.  That's commitment to your craft.  Some real method stuff, let me tell you.  (And don't even get me started on the fact that the Indiana QB is the soap actor's son [not that there's anything wrong with that].)
8.)  Dear Indiana football royalty whose name I don't recall ... sorry about that sideline interview, but we've got a 92 yard return for a score to orchestrate ...
9.)  And, of course, it wouldn't be a post of mine on a football Saturday without an "atta boy FICKEN" (or two).  Congrats on your current status tied for 5th for all time Penn State scoring.

In closing, thanks announcermen.  I know I sometimes mock you and threaten to watch the game with the sound off, but I did find it insightful when you mentioned that, with regards to HACKENBERG and the coaching change, it's kind of like his freshperson year all over again.

SORRY BUT THE SKEPTIC IN ME WANTS YOU TO DOCUMENT THAT IT IS 100:
http://www.indiana.edu/~bands/

SORRY BUT WHEN YOU SAY "HAIR ON FIRE", I FIRST THINK OF MR JACKSON:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-04-04/news/0404040403_1_source-of-american-slang-naval-air-museum-foundation-commission-member-recounting-allegations

SORRY BUT IT MAY BE THAT THE ART OF "FLOPPING" IS CONTAGIOUS:
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2014-09-20/army-wake-forest-player-flop-penalty-stephen-ricciardi

Random Flashback for Friday 11/7/14

Finally.

Back to the color photographs that *aren't* about the murder mysteries we were doing on the LVC campus twenty years ago in 1994 (that was a long two months, no?) ...

Except I'm still in the theatrical vein, as I have photos from the next few weeks leading up to the holidays from the second of our retreats that our group coordinated off campus at the nearby Gretna Glen.

You know, just a bunch of us in a cabin in the woods, bonding and planning and doing theatrical things.  And, apparently, breaking for sessions with an amateur chiropractor, as I recall.  [Disclaimer:  no spines were damaged over the course of this weekend.]  Now if only I were more organized and more tech savvy, because I'm *pretty* sure that I still have a VCR tape or two that documented our time together *this* time together (unlike the first retreat from Feb of that year, which was only captured on film [see those photos in past flashbacks on the blog but searching on date or tag]).

Oh to be that young again ...

Random Thought for Thursday 11/6/14

Dear FPL (Florida Power and Light):

This will not be a post about how little confidence you give me regarding living in a Hurricane zone in how you randomly reset the electric every couple of days with your little power blips (wiping out the TVGuide on my cable box every time, which interferes with how I consume my drug of choice) ... 'cause I've already complained about that.

Instead, it's that I have been inundated the last few weeks with your oh-so-frequent television advertisements patting yourself on the back and announcing that the utility bills you send me will be dropping by $2 in 2015.

To be clear, bills going lower is the right message.  So thanks for that.

But here's my issue.  I'm not rich ... and neither am I poor.  I just have to think that no matter where one falls on the financial spectrum, eight quarters or twenty dimes or forty nickels or two hundred pennies ... however you want to quantify the two dollars to make it *seem* like more money than it is ... I have to tell you that it's not so much to celebrate.  I think I have that amount in my car console at all times, you know what I mean?

I'm "of the world" enough to know that the press was almost certainly timed to the recent election ... but here's my suggestion.  I realize it's going out on a limb, but what if you saved all the money that you spent on prime time TV ads and fancy infographics ... and then maybe the amount you could tout that was going down next year would be ... I don't know ... $3?

$3 I could get behind ... that's like a night out at the local Taco Bell.  [Well, a night out for one.  Just sayin'!]

THE "BIG" ANNOUNCEMENT:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/consumer/fl-fpl-rate-decrease-20141022-story.html

DOES YOUR POWER COMPANY HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?:
http://www.youtube.com/user/FPL

STUDYING UP ON THE FPL:
http://www.fpl.com/about/history/looking_back_fpls_colorful_history.shtml

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 11/5/14

Political [Bracketing (or Parenthesising {or Bracing})]

Used in a sentence:  "I haven't had a political science class since the mid-nineties, so as the recent events got dissected and reference after reference was made to the concept of political bracketing, I had to look it up, as I didn't know the difference between Political [Bracketing (or Parenthesising {or Bracing})]."

Turns out it wasn't so much that I missed something when I was a student ...as this practice is a recent strategy born of the new millennium.  Whereas it may have originally been about getting news coverage immediately before and after an opponent's event to steal some of the thunder ... it's now devolved into getting people to follow the other candidate and to show up at their actual events to "present an opposing view" aka "shout at their supporters".

Which is, of course, the democratic way.  Because there's free speech.  And money involved to harass the free speech of others with your own free speech.  And confrontation.  And the opposite of consensus building and compromise.  And blathering.  Lots of blathering.  Sigh.

Or ... I mean to say ... let's start the 2016 Presidential election cycle right now!  Announce your events, folks, so strategists can start planning their bracketing strategies!  Let's shout it out!  Woo-hoo ...

A BIT OF BRACKETING HISTORY:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/victory_lab/2012/09/03/_bracketing_why_do_political_operatives_use_the_term_to_describe_everything_they_do_.html

AKA SPOTLIGHT STEALING:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4872320/ns/politics/t/art-political-spotlight-stealing/#.VFq0SPnF_ng

BRACKETS, PARENTHESES AND BRACES ARE MY FRIENDS:
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/parentheses-brackets-and-braces

Random Tune for Tuesday 11/4/14

So I've been doing this for nineteen Tuesdays now (*this* being "featuring songs from the college era mixed tape", and nineteen meaning we're up to track 19 of the 39 that will eventually be shared), and today was the first time that I couldn't immediately recall the song.

Which means I had to go searching on the interwebs for "Where've You Been", and then I had to sort through all the darn Rihanna "Where Have You Been (All My Life Life Life Life Life Life)" references, 'cause I was looking for a country song, where words get contracted ("Where've" not "Where Have") and where Grammys get given for the stories told within the lyrics.

After all, when Kathy Mattea asks the question "Where've You Been", she's sharing the story of Edwin and Claire (according to the songwriter, Kathy's husband, a couple patterned after his grandparents).  You see, Edwin and Claire are a couple who have never spend a night apart UNTIL they were in the "hospital in separate beds on different floors".

Yeah that's right ... I dare you to listen to it and not get a little teary eyed at the end.  I double dare you!

I'M JUST NOT MYSELF WHEN YOU'RE AWAY:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl5Uog-MDGo

Random Memorial for Monday 11/3/14

Gone but not forgotten:  your right to complain*.

[*That is, your right to complain IF you choose to not vote tomorrow.]

Look, I get it.  The system is broken.  It's a hyper-partisan environment fueled by blathering idiots who have to fill 86,400 seconds** each day on the 24 hour news cycle.  Glenn Beck even admitted it a few years ago ... he broke politics.

[**That is, 69,120 seconds, since I'm sure that 17,280 seconds are reserved for advertising, and the majority of that in the last few weeks has also featured blathering idiots.]

But if you opt out ... then they have won (and that's a non-partisan they ... because both sides are guilty of gamesmanship).  Literally, there are political operatives *at this very moment* who already have adjusted their data crunching because they have little faith that you are going to follow through on your civic duty.  After all, only 37.8% of you did in 2010.

In this day where nothing is private, here's the innovation I want to see out of Facebook.  I don't need to know for which party someone did or didn't vote, but I *do* want there to be a "bitch-block" built into the Facebook that won't allow anyone to complain and make political comments if he or she didn't participate in the process in the first place.

In other words ... vote or shut up ... as I can assure you, your complaints-not-grounded-in-participation won't be missed.

REPUBLICANS HAVEN'T YET RECOVERED:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2544005/Glenn-Beck-regrets-playing-role-helping-tear-country-apart-Fox-News-show.html

A SAD SET OF NUMBERS:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html

MIDTERM ELECTIONS PRIMER:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/10/30/360177690/5-things-to-know-about-the-2014-midterm-election

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 11/2/14

What southern Florida (and hopefully everyone else in the country -- or at least the civil-minded ones who haven't given up on a broken system) is talking about this week:

The fact that it's time to vote!

Truth be told, there's a good chance that many of you may have already voted, what with the trendiness of early voting by mail or at an approved polling site.

[Tangent to explain the image ... I lived in her hometown for almost a dozen years and didn't know she was my friend until I moved to Florida this year, but now I'm a pen pal of the First Lady it seems.]

Me, I didn't choose to vote early, just because I'm old school and like the special event feeling of the Tuesday tradition ... a tradition that apparently dates back to 1845 and the need to find a time to vote between the Sabbath on Sunday and traditional market day on Wednesday, while allowing for the need to travel a half day (as had to happen back then) to get to the county seat.  Of course, hearing that makes me think that it might be time to update the traditions ... but until things change, Tuesdays it shall be.

If you haven't already done so ... research your employer's rules ... locate your polling place ... organize your Tuesday accordingly ... and VOTE!

LOCATE YOUR POLLING PLACE:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/polling-place-by-zip-code_n_6082112.html

THE TREND OF EARLY VOTING:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/early-voting-is-turning-out-more-voters-who-sat-out-2010/

WHY ON TUESDAY?:
http://www.whytuesday.org/answer/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 11/1/14

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

[... yep, that's right ... a RAVE ... because, no matter how much I embrace my grumpy-old-man-ness, I decided long ago to devote one soapbox a month to a rave instead of a rant ... if only for the good of my soul ...]

... so anyway ... talk about putting your money where your mouth is!

Were you *too* successful this week in your candy collection activities?  Are you dreading the sugar highs and sugar-crash lows in the fortnight ahead if you and yours consume every piece that your ghouls and goblins procured (and Elsas and Olafs, if the entirety of the Facebook is to be believed)?  Do you fear the monetary-reaper known in most circles as the dentist?

Spread the wealth ... and donate excess from your sweet sweets stash to soldiers overseas.  Many different organizations are in the business of providing everything needed to execute that task ... and some even pay you to give up your treats for the troops.

Won't you consider bringing a smile to a soldier?  (And if you can't bear to part with your confectionery delights, feel free to browse the many other care package ideas coordinated by Operation Gratitude at the link provided.)

LINK TO SEARCH BY ZIP CODE FOR A PARTICIPATING DENTIST NEAR YOU:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/10/31/360126776/cash-for-halloween-candy-dentists-buy-back-program-is-booming

OPERATION GRATITUDE SPONSORS THIS + MANY OTHER CARE PACKAGE IDEAS:
http://opgrat.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/halloween-candy-for-the-troops/

A SIMILAR "TREATS FOR THE TROOPS" PROGRAM:
https://www.dosomething.org/actnow/actionguide/how-collect-halloween-candy-our-troops

Random Posting for Penn State 11/1/14

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's game:

1.)  Okay, T(w)erps:  I understand that many of you aspire to the NFL, where one can rape and pillage without consequence, but you don't have to start being dicks now by refusing to shake hands before the game.  Shame on you.
2.) So ... there's always *next* week to end a losing streak.  Sigh.
3.)  That being said ... boy that ball seemed a little slippery today, no?
4.)  As always, ATTA BOY FICKEN (four times over ... and congrats on your season long successes today with your collection of 48, 47 and 46 yarders).
5.)  I'll admit I have no room to talk based on the decade or so I spent in school after high school, but what's this now MD?  You have a sixth year senior on the team?  Against our "little"(?) 19 year old QB?
6.)  Also ... what's this now MD?  You have a player named CUJO on your team?  How Halloween of you!
7.)  I was born in PA ...and I lived there for most of my first 29 years.  But when it comes to Gentle Giant Jesse James hailing from Glassport, PA ... I'll admit ... I had to go to google maps to figure out where that was.
8.)  Damn you announcerman.  Curse you 'High School Musical'.  Every time you suggested that HACKENBERG needed to "get his head in the game", I kept on checking the screen to see if a musical number would break out.
9.)  I'm gonna get a little old school here.  Regardless of the attempts to force a rivalry or to play on emotions or to accomplish whatever was intended to be accomplished at the beginning of this game, I gotta say that I don't think JoePa would have approved of any of our boys "jawing" the way things allegedly happened today.  Just saying.

In closing, thanks to ZWINAK for your collegiate career, and sorry to hear that it is indeed over after last week's injury.  *You* are ... Penn State!

TO NUGGET ONE:
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/11/1/7142523/maryland-penalty-penn-state-coin-toss

TO NUGGET SEVEN:
http://glassport.webs.com/

TO NUGGET EIGHT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G--VfuI0fNs