Random Tune for Tuesday 6/30/15

In light of all the drama on the social media of late ...

I'd like to dedicate tonight's tune (from Porgy and Bess, but sung by Cher [!] on a tribute album from the early nineties) to those who suffer from what I call "selective scripture syndrome" ...

... to those who miss the overall message in the NEW testament (emphasis on the qualifying word) about love in order to pick and choose whatever one of the thirty-one thousand, one hundred and three verses in the Bible fits their argument for hate ...

... to those who maybe should heed the advice contained in the words of the tune ...

To get into heaven ...
Live clean and don't have no fault.
Take that gospel
Whenever it's possible
But with a little grain of salt

WITH A LITTLE GRAIN OF SALT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QgktelM2Y4

Random Memorial for Monday 6/29/15

Gone but not forgotten:  using PrintShop to make banners ... and flyers ... and greeting cards ...

More often than not, watching ABC's The Goldbergs inspires me to select a particular tune for Tuesday (and every time, I also plead for a soundtrack to be released) ... but one of the last episodes of the season (finally watched off of the OnDemand service) made me remember something *else* from the decade in which I came of age.

Namely ... the banner hanging in the background for a family celebration scene immediately took me back to using what was then a fancy software program where you could use the school printer to make your own items.  If only I had more time, I'd go looking for an actual card of that era that I'm sure I have in my files somewhere ...

All the paper good old LHS "fronted" me back in the day (those banners could go on *forever*) and all the signs and cards and such that I made back then ... you are missed.

LOTS AND LOTS OF "FRONTED" PAPER I TELL YA:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/195414071306857819/

SPEAKING OF OBSOLETE TECHNOLOGIES:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/12-outdated-technologies-refuse-to-die?slide=1

DESPITE THE PRINTSHOP, GREETING CARDS ARE STILL A THING:
http://businessweekly.readingeagle.com/greeting-cards-future-sorry-for-your-losses/

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/28/15

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

Like the rest of the internet connected country, it's recognizing that there is still a lot of hate in the world.

So it struck me ... maybe, if we can find the *one* thing that we *all* hate, we'd actually be unified behind an idea and it would replace all the angry social media goings-on.

The secret to that as a concept is all about finding the ONE thing about which we all could unite in our hatred.  I thought maybe "hipsters" would work (I don't ever see them getting the protected class status in hiring, housing or discrimination), but their facial hair is just too darn comical to stoke a serious hatred.

And then I thought maybe hatred of "sharks" could bring us together, but from my perspective, I find it too truthful to point out that THEY were in these waters long before we decided to dive in ... so ... you know ... they might be in the right when it comes to their recent activities.

My next suggestion was a personal one ... I've been anti-"swagger" since shortly after that phenomenon started (give me quiet confidence over flashy lack-of-substance any day of the week), but now that it's everywhere (including that recent commercial that implies those with recently cleansed lady parts will be obviously identifiable due to their swagger in their step [and I can only assume, seeing as how none of the women I see out and about walk with that swagger, that this particular area in this state has a high percentage of dirty female privates]), that is also an unlikely hatred-target because there is too much money wrapped up in it.

Then I thought I had found the obvious unifying category in "angry white men" (which also seemed super-topical in light of the ongoing election cycle), but now that SCOTUS-led progress has happened so quickly, their complaints switched just as quickly to being anachronistic ... and almost "precious" in their ignorance -- kind of like they'd all been Archie-Bunker-fied in that they now exist as a sign of what was, and what will never be again, but that they are relatively harmless in their old-worldliness ... and most certainly good for a laugh with their posts.

Finally, I stumbled on the obvious.  *Everybody* hates cancer!  (And that Kanye guy.  That was a "layup", as they say ... [Don't judge me ... any idiot who declares himself Jesus has to go into it knowing that he is courting some well deserved persecution.])  Now if we could all just focus all of these hate filled energies toward cancer (and Kanye), we'd be speaking in one unified voice and forget everything that makes us different ... and maybe those united efforts might even rid the world once and for all of them both!

Here's hoping (fingers crossed)!

NO ONE I KNOW WALKS LIKE THIS EREGO, DIRTY COOCHES EVERYWHERE!:
http://www.popisms.com/TelevisionCommercial/111005/Summers-Eve-Commercial-2015.aspx

PROFILING KANYE WEST HATERS:
http://radio.com/2015/03/20/what-hating-kanye-west-says-about-you/

YES ANGRY WHITE MEN, YOU (ME?) ARE ANACHRONISTIC:
http://www.nationinstitute.org/blog/nationbooks/3643/america's_angry_white_men/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/27/15

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

[... I can't let a month go by without at least one rave instead of my usual weekly rant ... doctor's orders for more balanced mental health ...]

... I have to tell anyone I can.  Rich Hill.  Find it.  Watch it.  Process it.  (From its Facebook link below, it is playing in select theatres and it can be found on streaming services in case you watch things the way that young people do.)

I had the privilege of seeing it at home a week ago (it was on PBS' Independent Lens and last Saturday's at-home movie night tradition was devoted to a couple of documentaries), and it's filled with the types of stories that will stay with you.  In a nutshell, it covers the three young men pictured in the accompanying image ... one dealing with the after-effects of something in his family's recent past (no spoiler here), one dealing with a boy acting out against a mother who seems to struggle to parent him, and one trying to make the best of a family unit always on the move running toward a dream that proves to be elusive.

It's a heart-breaking look at "rural" poverty in a midwestern town in Missouri where coal was once the primary industry.  (Although I promised no spoilers in the paragraph above, it would be correct to assume that Rich Hill is not filled with the rich.)  Actually, poverty is just the A story ... but upon reflection, it's also just as much about how children are shaped by parenting choices, good or bad ... and about how boys struggle to become men in modern day America dealing with the reality that support, in general, may be fleeting.

Don't worry ... it's not all gloom and doom (which isn't saying that it wouldn't be a good idea to have the tissues handy [quadruple negative alert]) ... especially with the ongoing tale of Andrew.  Despite everything that the documentary displays about the life he lives, he has a smile almost every time he is on screen, and he has an approach to what he faces from which we all could learn a thing or two.  As depressing as it may be to watch his innocence lost too young, there's an underlying hope always with him that can't be vanquished by adverse situations.

I dare you to watch this and NOT feel ready at the end to follow through and deliver where his father couldn't and provide the $400 Walmart shopping spree that is spoken of as if it is the epitome of a lifelong dream.  (Actually, according to the website for the film, donations are accepted and split between the three boys equally.  Also ... that same website provides updates since filming stopped.)

Rich Hill.  Find it.  Watch it.  Process it.  Let it break your heart.  Then have it be your call to action to change this world so that children can remain children for as long as they should and not have to grow up so soon.

Rich Hill.  Find it.  Watch it.  Then spread the word to others to do the same.  You won't regret it.

CHECK BACK AFTER FOR UPDATES (AND CONSIDER DONATING):
http://www.richhillfilm.com/

FIND THEATRES AND STREAMING SERVICES ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/RichHillFilm?v=app_599788450050788&app_data=referer_override%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.richhillfilm.com%252F

CATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/09/16/rich-hill

Random Flashback for Friday 6/26/15

It's the last Friday in June (boy time flies when you're flashing back!), which means it's the last photo from my (first) undergrad graduation at LVC in the early summer of 1995.

Last week, I transitioned to the "party" pics from that day of celebration, and said party included a visit from my sister Bonnie B and her family (sans the littlest B, who wasn't yet born twenty years ago).

And I'll say this ... for sure, without a doubt, with 100% certainty, at least ONE of her family members got the memo that this event was, indeed, a party.  ;)  [or, more appropriately when it comes to text emoticons, ;P ]

And thus ends my time recalling those wonderful semesters at LVC.  Nope.  I'm lying.  Stick around for a few more years, and I'll be flashing back to my RETURN to LVC for the time I spent getting my "bonus" degree ... to be continued ... (just not next week) ...

Random Thought for Thursday 6/25/15

It's true ... just like many people with poli sci degrees ... I do not have a job in that field ... but I sure do have me some books in my library, including this shelf on our presidents.

I bring this up tonight because I understand that the upcoming election has already started.  And although we're in the chaff phase (and BOY will there be a lot of chaff before this is done ... Saturday Night Live writers must be chomping at the bit to get back to work), I know that many of you would rather not engage in the fighting that is already beginning on the Facebook or around the table or at the party.

So ... I suggest that you have a few random trivia items in your back pocket that you can utilize to change the conversation.  For instance ... which president was the FIRST born in a hospital (believe it or not ... the answer is the peanut man, JC himself [Jimmy Carter]) ... or for whom is Camp David named ... (Ike Eisenhower's grandson) ... or which president's mom refused to sleep in Lincoln's bed when she visited the White House because she was such a supporter of the Confederacy (which, come to think of it, works especially well nowadays whether the awkward conversation is about Trump OR Charleston SC ... and the answer is Harry S Truman's momma)!

You're welcome.  Oh, and it's a loooong way to next November, so let's try not to hate each other so soon, deal?

WHO KNEW HOSPITAL BIRTHS WERE SUCH A MODERN THING:
http://www.omgfacts.com/lists/4414/Jimmy-Carter-was-the-first-president-to-be-born-in-a-hospital-ab635-0

AKA NAVAL SUPPORT FACILITY THURMOND:
http://communitytable.com/171982/claudiagryvatzcopquin/names-of-america-how-did-camp-david-get-its-name/

THE HARRY S TRUMAN FACTOID (AND MORE):
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-presidenttrivia.html

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/24/15

Vibrio Vulnificus.

Used in a sentence:  "Before the big move to Florida, when going to the beach meant going up a few 'hoods to a quiet spot in the sand on Lake Michigan, I only had to worry about the occasional e coli or used syringe in the water ... now I have to fight off the vibrio vulnificus."

And by the way ... you can thank me later for choosing the image of the little germy guys (and/or girls [or are bacteria gender-fluid{at least, the trendy bacteria}]) as opposed to photos of folks who are vibrio-vlunificus-sed,because this is the dreaded flesh-eating bacteria, and it hangs out in warm saltwater .. and it's already killed a few unfortunate beach-goers this beach season.

Visiting the landlord's pool or spending the afternoon at that resort by the beach is sounding better and better all the time!

HERE COMES THE VIBRIO VULNIFICUS:
http://www.healthmap.org/site/diseasedaily/article/vibrio-vulnificus-florida-reports-eight-cases-two-deaths-61915

OH WAIT ... MAYBE IT'S NOT SOOO BAD AFTER ALL:
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/local/debunking-the-myths-of-flesh-eating-bacteria-1.493259

COMPARED TO THE OLD SWIMMING HOLE ... AKA LAKE MICHIGAN:
http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/great-lakes.asp

Random Tune for Tuesday 6/23/15

It's time for another occasional series ... this one called Discarded Cassettes (which I sincerely hope is an eighties covers band performing somewhere in America tonight).

An important disclaimer ... although it is true that I am discarding the cassette seen in the accompanying image, please know that it is NOT a protest of any kind.  Instead, it represents the fact that I have *finally* gotten around to comparing the college era cassette collection with the post-college era CD collection, and I'm getting rid of the duplicates.

So ... until that project is complete, and subject to a week off here and there ... tonight's the first in a new series for my Tuesday tunes.  The rule is as follows:  I will select one song off of each discarded cassette as I discard them.  For me, for this particular album, it was the haunting "Behind the Wall" and it's layered messaging about domestic violence and the consequences of inaction (from multiple sides of the issue) that stuck with me the most from Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut album (which I'm lucky enough to still have on CD!).

Kicking off this new series with a downer, no?  Oh well ... there will be happier tunes in the weeks ahead ...

THEN A SILENCE THAT CHILLED MY SOUL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRf7xjdfMfM

Random Memorial for Monday 6/22/15

Gone but not forgotten:  Roy.

Or, to be more accurate ... gone AND forgotten until yesterday ... Roy of the Peanuts.

[And yes, this is the third week in a row that something from the Sunday funnies is inspiring a follow up post in the days after.]

It's not that I consider myself a Peanuts expert or anything ... despite my propensity for letting out a quality "good grief" every now and then ... but I do like to think that I am familiar enough to know the difference between Linus and Rerun or to be able to point to the correct sibling in a photo of Snoopy with Spike, Andy, Marbles, Olaf or Belle (although I'll admit to not being able to tell the Woodstock birds apart [Bill, Harriet, Olivier, Raymond, Fred, {another} Roy, Wilson and Conrad]).

Which is why I was so surprised to see Peppermint Patty (sans Marcie) interacting with Roy this past weekend.  I did some digging and it turns out Roy was indeed a character who tended to show up when the kids were at camp and who apparently lived in Peppermint Patty's neighborhood.

Little boy Roy who apparently got bumped when Peppermint Patty discovered she liked hanging out with the girls (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), you will (no longer) be missed (because now I know that you existed in the first place)!

IN CASE YOU WANTED TO RESEARCH ROY:
http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Roy

OR SNOOPY'S SIBLINGS:
http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Snoopy's_siblings

OR WOODSTOCK'S FRIENDS:
http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/Woodstock's_bird_friends

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/21/15

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

Father's Day!

Well that AND the fact that it's the first day of summer, but what with it being summer year round here ... that kind of celebration falls quickly to the wayside.

Ralph, my biological father, passed in January of 2013 two days before my birthday (because, you know, that's how the cycle of life goes),  I am determined to not weigh this post down with talk of the atypical relationship that he and I had (you can read about all of that in the companion links if you want to relive some of what was rehashed as I dealt with his illness), so I'll just put in random word association style thoughts instead for today:

To whit ... watermelon ... chicken ... (proving that stereotypes aren't real, as my father was NOT black despite those being the two foods I immediately associate with him) ... mowing the lawn wearing a paper towel headband and Bermuda style shorts ... playing the fun machine (an organ-for-beginners) ... laughing to All in the Family and the Jeffersons in the bedroom next to mine before falling to sleep ... the smell of the chicken plant ... the sting of the slipper (punishment of choice) ... basement and shed workshops ... model trains ... Santa Claus ... auctioneer at family reunions ... ice cream before bed ... Green Dragon ... slow pitch softball ... more kids and wives than most folks ...

Which seems like a good place to stop, considering today's holiday ... and a Happy Father's Day to you and yours ...

THE LAST TIME I SAW MY FATHER:
http://capcognition.blogspot.com/2012/06/random-soapbox-for-saturday-62312.html

THE DAY MY FATHER PASSED:
http://capcognition.blogspot.com/2013/01/random-soapbox-for-saturday-1513.html

MY ONLINE EULOGY:
http://capcognition.blogspot.com/2013/01/purposeful-memorial-for-monday-1713.html

Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/20/15

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

... I came across this text of a certain letter written by a certain someone just over 150 years ago, a copy of which I've provided below:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,

April 9, 1865

Lieut. Gen. U. S. GRANT:

I have received your letter of this date containing the terms of surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia as proposed by you. As they are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th instant, they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry the stipulations into effect.

R. E. LEE,
General.

In other words ... why don't y'all take your little loser flag and restrict its placement to the back of the truck of the Bubbas where it "belongs" (?) and/or in museums where it can be a reminder of the hatred and division that "once" (?) separated our fine country.

By the way ... still sore about that loss 150 years later -- some six generations *after* the war ENDED (which is in and of itself demonstrative of how hatred of the "other" gets passed down until someone steps up to break the cycle), may I recommend a move to Montana  (where 2013 statistics show the fewest number of "blacks" live, only 10,536 of said "other" and just 1% of the population).

And finally, since I'm stirring the pot a bit, with all due respect to those slain in the Charleston church this week (thoughts and prayers are most certainly with their surviving family and community), the nine deaths in that one event are just about the average number killed EACH WEEKEND in 2014 in my former hometown of Chicago (but, you know, that's mostly black-on-black violence, so no one seems to care and coverage is a bit sparse).

I haven't given up hope for humanity yet ... and each generation takes small steps toward a world that just might get to be color blind ... maybe in the next 150 years (assuming, of course, that we don't all kill each other first).

Speaking of small steps ... TAKE DOWN THE DAMN FLAG!

NO REALLY .. THAT WAR ENDED:
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/appomattox-courthouse/appomattox-court-house-history/surrender.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

SOURCE OF THE MONTANA STATISTIC:
http://blackdemographics.com/population/black-state-population/

SOURCE OF THE CHICAGO STATISTICS:
http://heyjackass.com/category/2014-chicago-crime-murder-stats/

Random Flashback for Friday 6/19/15

It's still June ... so it's still graduation month in flashback mode ... to twenty years ago at LVC in the early summer of 1995.

However, after a few Fridays in a row regarding the "business" side of things ... including this photo taken on the quad in full gear ... it's time to transition to the "party" side of things ... as seen in the bonus photo for today.

Business on top and party down below ... I guess that makes this the
"mullet" of Friday flashbacks (or how remote workplace employees go to work ... but that's another story for a much later time).

Somehow, with everything I *do* remember, I actually can't recall where the party happened (could it have been at my biological father's house-at-the-time?) ... I mean, other than, somewhere in someone's back yard in good ole /Lep'nun/ PA.

Regardless, there was cake (obviously) ... so, you know, whatevs.  CAKE!

Random Thought for Thursday 6/18/15

To a regular reader, it's well known that I still love the Sunday comics, despite my being forty-(mumble).  As a matter of fact, this is the second week in a row where my thought for Thursday is inspired by something from the paper the weekend before.

I trace this affinity back to one of my childhood chores, where I was responsible for bundling the Lebanon Daily News in the basement for recycling.  I would sneak out that section and stash it away in a hiding place (which is it's own story, often referred to whenever I disclose the past and how it affects my present status as an apprentice hoarder), and read the adventures of the Peanuts gang, and little Orphan Annie, and Marmaduke and the like when I could sneak away for an unsupervised moment.

Without a doubt, I like to laugh or chuckle (or even guffaw as sometimes appropriate) ... but I'm actually more fond of the strips that make me *think* ... which finally brings me to today's image accompanying this post.  I will admit that I had to do a double (or triple ... or quadruple) take before I grasped the entirely of what it was saying ... but when I finally "got it", it spoke to me -- and not just because of my embarrassing story of the time my friends walked in on me with bloody fingers because I was assembling a desk and didn't realize that the hex key tool could be turned around to provide more leverage -- but because I truly believe that getting through life is all about perspective.

So, straight from the Sunday funnies ... let this be a reminder that things often aren't as they appear at first glance ... and a challenge to reconsider obstacles we're facing until we can surmount them ...

I'VE FEATURED SUNDAY COMICS BEFORE ... YEARS AGO ...:
http://capcognition.blogspot.com/search/label/Theme%20Week%3A%20Sunday%20Comics

HOW MANY OF YOURS MADE THE LIST:
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/01/best-sunday-comic-strips-of-all-time/

IT'S ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE:
http://www.highexistence.com/10-sentences-can-change-perspective-life/

Bonus Post: Thing 1 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 1 doesn't require any site-specific photos (or any cell phone videos, in case you're following along with this countdown on the Facebook instead of the blog).  Just one google image aptly captures the sentiment relevant to the countdown's top spot (although the fact that it's written in sand is a nice touch in light of the current locale) ... because sure the outside decorations and flora and fauna and architectural features and bat-libraries and back yards and displayed collections and bathroom facilities and photo walls are great and all (yes, that's a recap of the items that have come before tonight's final post), but when it comes to ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead, it's about the people and the animals that spend time in it.

Truth be told ... it could be a set of cardboard boxes (not that it isn't nice that it isn't), because the *best* thing is that it's a place for me and mine to take care of us and ours ... including friends and family who come to visit (just give some notice first, okay?)!

The *best* thing is that ye NEW 'olde' homestead is where the heart is ... and who could ask for anything more!

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/17/15

Eselsbrücke.

Used in a sentence:  "Atop the list of my three favorite German words is Eselsbrücke -- which, for those of you who don't know, is roughly translated to 'mnemonic device' and specifically translated to 'bridge for jackasses'."

Leave it to the Germans to aggressively point out that those who need memory help are no better than jackasses that require a bridge to cross a ditch.

By the way ... this list includes Weltanschauung in the second spot (because I think everyone should have a tried and tested "world view" to be a functioning member of the global community) and Föhn (as in "Suzi ... ich bin dein Föhn" [which a group of us that studied abroad at the same time will almost have to agree belongs on this list]).

THE STORY BEHIND THE ESELSBRüCKE:
http://german.stackexchange.com/questions/23532/word-eselsbr%C3%BCcke

MNEMONIC EXAMPLES FOR YOU JACKASSES OUT THERE:
http://www.learningassistance.com/2006/january/mnemonics.html

SUZI ... ICH BIN DEIN FöHN:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3U4CNNhAZA

Bonus Post: Thing 2 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 2 is actually a work still in progress ... but it *will* be the return of the photo wall (last seen in the last of the Chicago apartments).  For now, the chosen frames have all been spray-painted black (for the new look), but the actual photo selection hasn't quite been finalized ... nor have the items been hung on the wall (which will also serve to cover up a hole and a fuse box).  But, when finished, I am so certain it will be deserved of *this* spot on this countdown.  (Until then, I offer up photos of both sets of "kids" in the photo wall's place.)

Want to know a secret?  When you live so far away from so many of your loved ones, putting them on the wall where you can see them every day makes it so much easier to remember how much support is out there ...

Random Tune for Tuesday 6/16/15

For just the eighth time since this whole thing started 2633 posts ago back in November 2009 (boy I've been doing this for awhile ...), I am celebrating a random tune on this Tuesday that fits into my oh so occasional series called "Country Music has the best ... lyrics ... ever". (One can click on that label on the right hand side listing on the blog to see the other seven selections IF one is so inclined.)

And almost as rare, I'm featuring a song that is brand new and just got released.  I heard it on last week's CMT country music awards ... and I'll be damned if it's not pretty catchy and definitely pretty clever, specifically in the climax of the chorus ...

Never grow up, never grow old
Just another rebel in the great wide open on the boulevard of broken dreams
And I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16

A SONG ABOUT JOHNS (NOT THE PROSTITUTE KIND):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snZsBXGjV2Y

Bonus Post: Thing 3 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 3 takes place in the bathroom.  Although it's true I'm excited that it has its own AC vent (there's nothing I hate more than sweating-whilst-defecating), I'm MORE excited about the fact that the hot water heater here lasts forever ... and that the shower had the special head pre-installed that's more like a rain shower ... and that there is a window that opens up so that you can feel like you're showering outdoors.

Besides ... is there anything that beats taking a bath and watching the birds take a bath at the exact same time?

Random Memorial for Monday 6/15/15

Gone but not forgotten:  me riding rollercoasters.

Now that summer is here (or is *almost* here, if you are a meteorological purist) and I'm seeing amusement park advertisements everywhere, I have come to realize that there is a hole in my life in need of filling.

I am all but certain that the last time I was on a coaster was a few years back when I found the one in Vegas on a work trip at New York New York and waited too long before realizing that it was NOT the coaster on top of the casino that I was trying to find (sadly, that one on the roof of the Stratosphere had closed down before what was my first trip to Vegas).

Years ... YEARS I say!  And for someone like me who grew up with summers spent at Knoebels (shout outs to the High Speed Thrill Coaster, JetStar and Phoenix -- only one of which still remains) or Hersheypark (shout outs to the Comet, the sooperdooperLooper, the Trailblazer, the Sidewinder and the Storm Runner) or Cedar Point (shout outs to the Magnum, the Millennium Force, the Maverick, the Raptor and the Iron Dragon), that's simply too long.

[Side note ... I do not mean to exclude DorneyPark or SixFlagsNJ or SixFlagsGurnee ... just going with what I rode the most through the years ...]

Amusement I'm going to have to commit to doing before I end up excluded for being too old or having too much of a heart condition ... you are most definitely missed (well, at least until whatever I find at Dollywood this fall).

TOP 100, UPDATED WEEKLY:
http://coasterbuzz.com/RollerCoasters/Top100

LOOKS LIKE I'LL HAVE SEVEN FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE THIS FALL:
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/parks/dollywood

A FORUM ABOUT AGING AND COASTERING:
http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/aging-and-roller-coasters-

Bonus Post: Thing 4 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 4 is all about the penguins ... ALL of the penguins.  The layout of the new house made it easier to display my collections ... ALL of my collections ... but I'm happiest to see that the penguins have a new home where they all can be seen ... including the one that started it all:  the bobble-head penguin from my paternal grandmother's collection.

After all ... if you can display everything artfully, then it's not really hoarding, correct?

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/14/15

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

Flag Day!

You know ... that thing that Betsy sewed ... and that Francis Scott Key observed by dawn's early light ... and that hasn't changed since 1960 (which has be driving these ADHD ridden millennials crazy, what with their incessant need to have a different user interface every few seconds) ... and that the Supreme Court ruled *can* be desecrated as part of constitutionally protected free speech ... and for which there was once concerted efforts to add an amendment to the same constitution banning said desecration (in the mid-nineties to the mid-nulls) ... and which has been replaced by individual flags of nationality hanging off cars back in my former home of Chicago (and maybe even here in the 'hood in Florida, on a smaller scale) by a new generation of young-uns promoting their family country of origin over their country in which they currently reside.

Yeah ... *that* thing.  That thing that still "stands for freedom ... and they can't take that away" .  That thing that I captured in my photo, having visited the Flight 93 memorial site last October ... flying above the field where the plane crashed, and below the trails of planes that cross over on that path multiple times a day.  That thing, on that chilly fall day, blowing in the breeze, striking reverence into the hearts of those that stopped to reflect on the history of a great country.

Yeah ... *that* thing.  Happy Flag Day to you and yours ...

HISTORY LESSON ON THE DAY:
http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2015/06/a-brief-history-of-flag-day/

VISUAL HISTORY LESSON OF THE FLAG:
http://www.vox.com/2015/6/14/8774151/american-flag-day

LOCATION OF THIS PHOTO FROM LAST OCTOBER:
http://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm

Bonus Post: Thing 5 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 5 is how the back yard turned out, after a good bit of work and a ton of mulch (note ... that may not be an exact measurement ... but I bet it's close).  There are still a few major projects to be scheduled (namely a fire pit area and a vegetable garden box and a side privacy fence), but it's already extra relaxing to sit on the thinking bench or on the upper patio or in front of the storage shed and enjoy the previously mentioned in this series flora and fauna.

I've said it before and I'll say it again ... if you live in sunny paradise, then you best plan to spend a good bit of time outside!

Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/13/15

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

... I feel like we are failing at the sex education of our youth.

I know this, because, at the McDonald's today, when the young lady said "come again" as she handed me my breakfast, and I replied ... "not until my refractory period ends" ... and she stared at me blankly in return ... I blame her lack of education for her being confused (you know ... as opposed to my general creepiness).

Without wading into all the controversy ... at the very least ... we must prepare our youth to understand the biological basics as one never knows where they may rear their heads (every 15 minutes to every 20 hours, depending on one's age) in general conversation.

IN CASE YOUR SEX EDUCATION FAILED YOU AS WELL:
http://www.webmd.com/men/features/sex-fact-fiction?page=5

I KNEW FLORIDA WAS IN TROUBLE:
http://news.ufl.edu/archive/2007/11/sex-education-in-florida-schools-varies-widely-not-available-to-all-students.html

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEX EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/sex/sexhisto.shtml

Bonus Post: Thing 6 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 6 is the "bonus" room, as visible through the images in last night's post.  What was once a porch got enclosed at some point and now serves as the batcave/library -- i.e. a place to display the bat-collection PLUS a library for books and a listening library for all the cassettes and CDs that Columbia House and BMG can send to a college student for only a penny!

Let's face it, though ... every boy needs a bat cave, am I right?

Random Flashback for Friday 6/12/15

The graduation celebration continues ... told in flashback style, of course, because this was twenty years ago, in the early early summer of 1995.

In the lower right hand corner, with her back turned away from the camera ... my "surrogate" grandmother Joann Dearth, who came in to central PA's LVC campus from her home in Uniontown PA (I had met her when I did my theatre internship there between 1991-1992 [an eighteen month interruption to my undergrad studies]).

Speaking of theatre, next to me on the left is the theatre advisor at that time, Dr. Scott, who also headed up the foreign language department, which made sense since this graduation was granting me degrees in Poli Sci and German (courtesy of all the credits I got toward such a degree when I did the semester abroad early on in my LVC career).

I have many photos from that day ... *this* is one that captures the joy of it quite candidly (although we may never know exactly what story I was telling at the time it was taken).

Bonus Post: Thing 7 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 7 is the feature of this house that made it an instant "must-rent" ... what's been sometimes called the "cut-outs" or the "pass-through" ... and what *currently* houses almost all of the chess set collection ... and what *will* house almost all of the nativity set collection this holiday season.

Nothing opens up a smaller space than some well placed holes in the wall, right?

Random Thought for Thursday 6/11/15

Sometimes the message is so powerful, my tendency to fill a post with lots and lots and lots of words isn't needed.  For that matter, I'm even going to forego my customary companion links in triplicate that almost always close out my daily posts (other than a Friday).

*This* is one of those times.

In case you didn't see last week's Sunday comics (yes ... I'm in my early forties and still look forward to the Sunday comics ... what of it?) ...

... courtesy of Dilbert ...

... please, to those of you in the world of social media wherever you are ...

... Don't Be A Dick!

Bonus Post: Thing 8 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 8 is the fauna to go along with the flora from yesterday (and to those in the know, the flora artwork from the last homestead did *not* make the move, so she's ancient history now).  I haven't managed to capture in photo or video the various birds that make use of the birdbath or the butterflies that frequently visit said yard-flora, but the lizards (both day and night versions) ... well, they *are* well represented in images I've taken.

Hey ... the more the merrier, no?

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/10/15

Subliminal kisses.

Used in a sentence:  "I've known for awhile that the Fed-Ex logo contains the hidden arrow ... but how is that I only learned this week that the Hershey's kisses logos have subliminal kisses in them?"

After all, I grew up practically *next* to Hersheypark (well, in the same county) and took an unknown number of school-sanctioned field trips to Chocolateworld (more than Philly and Gettysburg and the Great Adventure safari combined) and I've ridden in the kissing tower multiple times (although I'm not so sure that I've ever kissed anyone whilst spinning above town).  I'm so down with the Hershey that I can say I was *on* the SooperDooperLooper when it was the next hot thing and *in* the Rotor before it was closed down.  Even now, when I head home on occasion, I have a standing appointment to revisit the park with Kristi H (who also gifted me this past holiday with a bevy of Hershey chocolates).

But yet ... somehow I missed the subliminal kisses between all of the K's and the I's in the logos I saw (although I sure did eat a lot of kisses ... and I'm kind of hungry for one now staring at that image accompanying this post [darn it ... Hershey's got me again]).

50 MORE LOGOS WORTH A SECOND LOOK:
http://digitalsynopsis.com/design/50-clever-hidden-meaning-logo-designs/

MORE SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-10-best-subliminal-ads-ever-made/

SEEING AS HOW I DON'T KNOW WHEN I'LL GET BACK TO CHOCOLATEWORLD:
http://www.hersheys.com/kisses/experience/our-story.aspx

Bonus Post: Thing 9 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 9 is this giant fern (a Kleghorn?  Claghorn?  Staghorn?) hanging from the tree in the front yard to let the 'hood know that we take our landscaping all serious-like up in here and that we're not afraid of a little uniqueness in these environs.

Who knew that I had horticulturalist tendencies in my middle age?

Random Tune for Tuesday 6/9/15

Guess who's coming to town this weekend?  *These* guys on *this* album I pulled out of my actual collection tonight for emphasis as to why they are making their fourth appearance as a randomly chosen tune on a Tuesday.

Seeing as how I had already featured 'Perfect World' and 'You Crack Me Up' and 'Working for a Living', I had to go and check the complete collection of their songs (thanks for that dear Wiki), where I was reminded how much I so enjoyed *this* gem off of *this* album ... especially its message:

And if you're not afraid to open your eyes 
You may be pleasantly surprised 
Things are never as bad as they seem 
You just gotta learn to see 
The forest for the trees

I'VE BEEN THREATENING TO DIG OUT THAT ALBUM ACROSS MULTIPLE POSTS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqQuzsRS1Co

Bonus Post: Thing 10 I Love About Ye NEW 'Olde' Homestead

100 days after moving in, it's time for another countdown ... this time the 10 things I love about ye NEW 'olde' homestead.

Thing 10 is the fact that the landlord decorated the outside of the house with two giant suns ... one on the back that glows when the sun rises in the east ... and the other on the front that lights up as the sun sets in the west.

Which, for sunny beautiful southern Florida, is directly 'on point'!

Random Memorial for Monday 6/8/15

Gone but not forgotten:  that upcoming trip back to Chicago.

For the second time in as many summers, the plans to go back to my former "home" of Chicago have been cancelled.  Here's hoping that the third time will be the charm come the summer of 2016.

I expect to see many beautiful pics of the beautiful Jen A's wedding on the Facebook, and I will have to take a rain check on the "let's do lunch with Adam M at Five Guys", as well as all of the other tentative plans that will be rescheduled for another time in another summer (well ... except not the wedding).

Being a glass half-full kind of guy, it's on to focusing on making sure the other trips on the horizon happen as planned ... Nashville in late September, Phoenix and Vegas next February, Chicago next summer (for reals this time) and Central PA in October of 2016!

What would have been the triumphant return to Chitown ... will be missed (but only in a to-be-postponed kind of way).

THINGS TO DO IN NASHVILLE:
http://travel.usnews.com/Nashville_TN/Things_To_Do/

THINGS TO DO IN PHOENIX:
http://phoenix.about.com/od/attractionsandevents/a/15bestplaces.htm

WHAT'S TAKING ME BACK TO CENTRAL PA NEXT YEAR:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sesquicentennial

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/7/15

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

A little something called CANSTRUCTION.

Here's the deal.  No one in our country should go hungry.  We have excess in abundance, and dedicated individuals and organizations working hard to get what is needed in front of those who need it.  (Feel free to find your local food bank at the link below.)

On a personal level, one look at my body type in recent pictures, and it's clear that I also come from the meal plan of excess.  I get my meals in daily, often planning other activities around them, and I do not want for food.  Before moving across country, when we had our holiday family gatherings, we feasted like the Pilgrims were our Joneses, and we did more than keep up with them, yessiree Bob.

But I also recall a time in high school, before I ran away from home, when fear ruled my life and when the freedom to open the refrigerator or the snack cabinets was taken from me.  Under those conditions, I compensated by sneaking the Little Debbie snacks that were only for the stepmother's children and stealing away to the basement steps where the two liter bottles of soda were stored for others for a sip or two right out of the bottle.  And I spent my lunchtimes in the LHS cafeteria begging and borrowing and bartering with some elaborate schemes to supplement my sustenance.

Mind you -- let me make it clear that I'm not saying that I was ever even close to starvation.  But if those circumstances served no other purpose, they clued me in that shame and embarrassment should never be a part of the equation for anyone of any age -- but in particular the children.

Which brings me back to CANSTRUCTION and its clever and creative way to get the word out about the overall need while also making a direct difference.  Last year, their competitions "generated 4.7 million pounds of food that served 3.4 million meals to needy families" (see link below).  They did this by getting teams to build artwork ONLY out of canned goods, and then all of those materials are donated to local food banks at the end of the competition.

Locally, the next display takes place at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach County (June 8-21) ... and personally, I can't wait to head up there on an upcoming weekend to see all of the creations ... and to make a donation in the process.  Kudos to CANSTRUCTION.

LOCAL COVERAGE OF THE CANSTRUCTION DISPLAYS:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/fl-canstruction-competition-hunger-20150520-story.html

SEARCH TO SEE IF CANSTRUCTION IS COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU:
http://www.canstruction.org/

REGARDLESS, PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL FOOD BANK:
http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/6/15

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

... we best start our loin-girding now, because if the hoopla over Caityln is a harbinger of anything, it's that it's going to be a looooong haul leading up to next year's elections when it comes to the Facebook (and other social media to which I am not hip [i.e.  I'm looking at you twitter -- who gonna character count *me* boo?]).

I do know that, riffing off the quote in the image that accompanies this post, there is nothing so easy to hate as that which is unlike ourselves ... and there sure was a lot of hate -- dare I say an Olympian size amount -- to go around of late

A few clarifying points ... I think it is true that I can wish Caitlyn well and also wish that the media coverage moves on to other more important things.  For that matter, I can wish her well and also wish to never hear another thing about a Kardashian again, be it one of the K kids, or the Kanye K, or any others connected to the brood.  My life would go on without any sense of loss ...

I also know that, unless you are on the committee that chooses the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, you don't really have an opinion worth hearing about the designated honoree.  If you're unhappy, start your own awards and choose whom you want to celebrate for whatever reason you so designate.  Otherwise, know that things happen in threes, so Caityln Jenner is a natural progression after Robin Roberts and Michael Sam (the awardees of the last two years).  And ... welcome to diversity.  If you haven't heard of it, perhaps you surround yourself only with those who support your beliefs and you haven't entered the grown up world of being challenged by those different than you.  My advice to you -- get over it ... and if you can't, continue being a cultural agoraphobe in your own little world that only contains those like you so that your little head needn't be challenged beyond it's little capacity.

Let me also emphatically state that there are many heroes who deserve recognition and who don't have the power of the Kardashian Kult to harness the press.  It was somewhat mean-spirited for the rumor to go around pitting Noah Galloway against Caitlyn, but mean spirits are nothing new in this arena.  I'm more saddened *for* Noah and others like him, who got dragged into a publicity stunt, and for whom much praise now is only offered as an antidote to alleviate the uncomfortableness of dealing with transphobia instead of being praise presented for their worthwhile merits.

But for those enlightened ones with the skill set to separate out the issue-subterfuge as presented by those "for" and "against" in the media, there's a human being at the heart of this who is representing the percentage of individuals who look in the mirror and can't understand how they ended up in a body that doesn't correspond to what they feel in their soul.  Just because I can't personally relate doesn't mean that I can't transcend my own lack of understanding to feel the pain and confusion and dissonance and to hope that the person in that situation, whether Caitlyn or the kid next door, has the courage to take action to explore a life less painful, less confusing, less dissonant.

In the end, I'm going to ignore the last name and the baggage it contains, and I'm going to stand with Caitlyn and with those like her who struggle with their identity.  And, at the risk of making the kind of comparisons best left to Kanye Kardashian, I'm going to rest well thinking that were Jesus here, he'd be offering up his support to her as well, 'cause I kind of think that that's the way that "Jesus walks".

ARTHUR ASHE:  CONSCIENCE LEADER, HUMANITARIAN, EDUCATOR & ATHLETE:
http://www.arthurashe.org/?gclid=CL-s2oPu-8UCFZE1aQodRYAAWg

SOMEONE ELSE IS "OVER" THE KARDASHIAN KULT:
https://news.artnet.com/in-brief/kardashian-plastic-jesus-art-286164

OPEN YOUR MIND ... AND GET EDUCATED:
http://lgbtcancer.com/transgender-explained/

Random Flashback for Friday 6/5/15

It's graduation month ... so why not a month of graduation photos!

Because, after all, twenty years ago in 1995, I *was* graduating from dear old LVC (the first of two times from there ['95 and '00, officially], and the second of four graduations overall during my lengthy educational career (LHS once, LVC twice and what was once known as Widener University School of Law most recently [almost matching my personal best of five proms (LHS once, ELCO thrice and Laurel Highlands as an old man]).

It was a year after most of my high school classmates had graduated from college, not because I was held back (I don't think they can do that in undergrad), but because I had added a semester abroad studying in Koln Germany early on ... AND had an eighteen month theatre "internship" of sorts out in central PA midway through .. AND had completed my first round of undergrad at LVC with a semester externship at PSERS in Harrisburg in that final year ... so, you know, I was a busy busy boy back then.

Regardless, it is a happy and proud moment on which I am flashing back this Friday ... and please tell me -- where have those two decades gone!

Random Thought for Thursday 6/4/15

For a period of time, specifically from Election Day 2014 to early February 2015, I added to my posting routine on the Facebook to include some kind of bonus post of daily inspiration.

Although it occasionally featured songs or images, it was often all about the quotes that I could find on the old google.

(By the way, it is not a coincidence that I went seeking out daily inspiration during that time frame because I found out on Election Day 2014 that I was getting laid off and then I started back to work in early February 2015, while also dealing with a surprise announcement that the landlady was not renewing the lease after just one year [and after saying that she was looking for long term tenants at moving in].)

I'm not naive enough to think that I won't be in need of some centering cognitive therapy during stressful times in the future (double negative alert!), and so maybe I'll keep *this* particular quote handy for the next time of turmoil.

I've no idea why Emma T was thinking so retrospectively, but I kind of like the "stop and smell the flowers OR ELSE" logic underpinning her observation.  Go be well, y'all!

CHOOSE YOUR INSPIRATION:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html

ANOTHER SOURCE OF DAILY INSPIRATION:
http://www.dailyinspiration.nl/

HOW YOU THINK DETERMINES HOW YOU FEEL:
http://psychcentral.com/lib/about-cognitive-psychotherapy/