Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/31/16

What southern Florida is talking about this week ...

The arrival of John Guare to town.

That's John Guare as in playwright John Guare ... as is John Guare who wrote 'Six Degrees of Separation' and 'The House of Blue Leaves'.  (And that's 'House of Blue Leaves' as in the very first play that I was in to start my acting career at Lebanon Valley College, way back in the fall of 1989.)

If you look closely, that's John Guare's signature and the year 2016 now in the spot on the original cast-signed poster of mine (and if you look even more closely, that's my caricature in the fur lined coat with the briefcase).  You'll see that he crossed off his name and placed his original signature after the presentation on Sunday afternoon -- a presentation that included a student performance of two of his early one act plays ('The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year*' and 'Something I'll Tell You Tuesday'), and a few words from him defining success.

A few (summarized) bon mots ...

• Read not the critics ... because if you believe the good, then you have to believe the bad.
• Remember the last words of Gertrude Stein who challenged that it is NOT "what is the answer?" BUT is "what is the question?".
• Once you are successful, you aren't allowed to do the same thing a second time.
• Go toward the uncomfortable and explore it in your writing ... astonish yourself.
• Do not give away the right to change your work*.
• He recommended the biography 'Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh' by John Lahr as one of the best books about theatre.
• In the end, freedom is success.

*A quick note about 'The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year' ... find it and read it and you will be pleased to see the earliest appearance of blue leaves.  When it was pointed out to him, Guare said that he was also somewhat surprised as he had forgotten the reference in it.

**A quick note about Robards, to whom the lead role in 'House of Blue Leaves' was offered.  When he came back to say that he could only take it to Broadway if the ending was changed and the couple reconciled instead of the actual ending, Guare turned down that revision and certain success for the integrity of what he had written.

JOHN GUARE -- A PRIMER:
http://www.theatrehistory.com/american/guare001.html

AS RECOMMENDED BY JOHN GUARE:
http://www.amazon.com/Tennessee-Williams-Mad-Pilgrimage-Flesh/dp/1491519738

GERTRUDE'S LAST WORDS:
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gertrude_Stein

Random Soapbox for Saturday 1/30/16

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

... the latest addition to my nativity collection arrives *without* a Mary, and so I have no course of action but to rewrite the Biblical story a bit.

In the spirit of full disclosure, this was purchased at the local flea market (the SwapShop) AND I bought it fully aware that a piece was missing ... which was why it was only $3.

I'm going to put it with the other dozen or so unique sets out in the decorations storage bins to pull out again in just over ten more months ... which will give me enough time to concoct a story as to why this scene is without a female presence.

Off the top of my head, I figure I could kill Mary off due to terrorism ... or maybe she died at childbirth ... or I could get really trendy and turn Joseph into a gay single dad for whom God coordinated a divine adoption.  (And don't write me any letters or anything ... I'm not trying to blaspheme ... I just have to work with the props I've been given ...)  I'll have a new story figured out soon enough ... and I just hope I don't invent a new religion for want of a Mary.

THE SOURCE OF TODAY'S FIND:
http://www.floridaswapshop.com/

OOPS ... TURNS OUT SIBYL'S MISSING FROM *ALL* MY SETS:
http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/12/22/the-woman-missing-from-your-nativity-set/35588

UMMM ... BEST.  NATIVITY.  SET.  EVER.:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/215328425907324847/

Random Flashback for Friday 1/29/16

Back to 1996 ... or, more specifically, back to the blizzard of 1996 (give or take a few weeks).

In addition to the fort that the members of the frathouse/townhouse built that was shown two weeks back (the last time we showed a photo from twenty years ago), the Whitman boys (and friends) also built a snow man.

And although they are kind of covering some of it up ... that's a FOUR ball snow man (did I mention there was a blizzard that year?) that greeted visitors in front of 705 Greentree that winter until it melted (did I mention that it was basically frathouse living at the time, so we had lots of visitors?) ...

Just to be clear ... those guys in the back are standing on it ... and the snow creature was actually taller than Corey, despite it looking the other way in the photo ...

Random Thought for Thursday 1/28/16

[My new series for 2016 continues ... with the THIRD of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!]

Establishment:  The Fish House
Location:  Key Largo (!)
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Coca-Cola (in a giant glass)
Appetizer:  New England Clam Chowder and Crabmeat Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Topped with a mixture of cheeses and sherry, then baked
Main:  Baked Stuffed Mahi Mahi (Dolphin)
Today's catch (whole fish bought from local commercial fisherman) stuffed with blue crabmeat stuffing
Side(s):  French Fries
Dessert:  Key Lime Pie
Graham cracker crust, creamy sweet tart key lime filling, topped with lightly browned meringue (the authentic Florida Keys version made daily by Chef Jose)
Server:  Catalina ("like the dressing ... or the island ... or the RV ... or the sailboat ... or the car" she said)

With company in town visiting and nearly two years of southern Florida living with only having gone as far south as Key Biscayne National Park, it was time to take the drive down the Keys.  Since it was just a day trip, we made it as far as Key Largo ... and to the "freshest of fresh fish" restaurant at mile marker 102 ('cause that's how people refer to places in the Keys).  Of course, the irony was not lost that, while eating in the sunny and 71 atmosphere, coverage of winter storm Jonas was on the bar TVs.  Despite learning that mahi mahi was dolphin (that made me sad), almost everything else about the experience was great (the main exception being listed below about the service that was some odd mix of "hurry hurry" and "the Keys are laid back").  Plus, the fried oysters I took off someone else's plate in our party (that's them in the corner of my dish) reminded me pleasantly of the Green Dragon stand back home.

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (it was *exactly* how you wanted a fresh fish restaurant in the Keys to look ... and to smell ... and our seat by the bar with the lights all over the ceiling and the assorted Keys tchotchkes was spot on [see photo below])
FOOD:            9/10 (point lost for plates so hot that the middle blue crab stuffing had a layer of char that had to be scraped off, but everything else was fresh [including a bit of sand in the clam chowder ... for which no points are being deducted because that's how damn fresh it was) and delicious ... and oh the key lime pie)
SERVICE:      7/10 (point lost for having to tell the server she should smile [her reply ... "I'm just tyring to get it to you fast"], and a second point lost because when she did smile, she had beautiful dimples [so we were robbed of seeing them the first half of the meal], and a third point lost because she spent time near the end talking to a busboy right in front of the table about how the server minimum wage went up on the first of the year)
BACON:         0/10 (I looked over the menu more than once and couldn't find ANY reference to bacon ... and it seemed like everything I ate could have been even better with bacon added to it ... although perhaps there are no pigs on the Keys?)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for being representative of the Keys, +3 for the fish lesson, +3 for that amazing key lime pie and +1 for being a place to return )

TroyScore:  36 out of 50 -- aka 72, a C (but only because one starts out 20 points behind on my scale when you choose to not serve bacon)

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/27/16

Meet Olaf.

Used in a sentence:  "Meet Olaf."

The latest addition to the menagerie in ye new/olde homestead here in southern Florida ... is *this* artwork found on sale at Kirkland's a few weeks ago, currently overlooking the dining room table.

Because he (or she) is so vivid (the artiste didn't capture the back end), and because he (or she) is now such a presence in the cottage style floor plan ... he (or she) needed to have a name.  And so he (or she) is now named after the hometown of a certain Rose Nylund.

By the way, he (or she) has been a welcome addition EXCEPT for last night, when the family gathered around the dining room table (company is here so we're eating there instead of on the couch) to eat a steak dinner.  I felt his (or her) eyes get a touch more judgy watching us chow down.

THANKS BE TO THE KIRKLANDS:
http://www.kirklands.com/

ON BOY COWS AND GIRL COWS:
http://modernfarmwife.com/2011/09/20/boy-cows/

SPEAKING OF ST. OLAF:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kaylayandoli/10-of-rose-nylunds-funniest-st-olaf-phrases-cqn5#.clw660Kbg

Random Tune for Tuesday 1/26/16

First -- in case it's not obvious -- we're having brussels sprouts for dinner.

Second -- in case you don't remember -- I'm in the midst of cleaning out the music collection and discarding the cassettes for which I also have an identical CD (every other week on Tune Tuesdays).

And since I did the FIRST of this two cassette collection a fortnight ago, it's only natural that the SECOND of Aerosmith's 'A Little South of Sanity' is tonight's feature.

Because this set is made up of all live songs and because I believe that no Aerosmith concert experience (of which I've been to two) is complete without a version of 'Dream On' ... it's how part two of this mini-set is going to play out.

DREAM UNTIL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0v8IXMVRkY

Random Memorial for Monday 1/25/16

Gone but not forgotten:  tipping.

[Seeing as how I have roots in central PA, I should clarify that I'm not talking about cows falling over courtesy of drunken college kids, but of the calculation at the end of a served meal as to what percentage gets added for the employee(s) with whom the consumers interacted.]

Turns out it's a trendy thing to do, this banning of tipping in eating establishments -- although, in a lesson in economics, it generally means higher food prices (because the employees are being paid higher wages) and/or a flat fee service charge (which seems kind of like tipping the management).

Between being currently on vacation and hosting visitors with more than a few meals out and about AND the 2016 new series 50 Tastes of Florida begun, it's important for me to keep abreast of these changes ... although it is just as important to note that "a few places being trendy" does NOT mean that "all tipping shall cease".

Moment at the meal's end that required me to use that math from way back when to figure out percentages ... you will be missed (assuming I find myself eating trendy, that is).

EATER BE INFORMED:
http://time.com/money/4046887/restaurants-no-tipping-ban/

AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW TO THE TREND:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2015/10/22/restaurant-tips-florida/74430604/

A LOCAL NO-TIP RESTAURANT:
http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/restaurants/the-o-b-house-fort-lauderdale-eliminates-tipping-7463770

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/24/16

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

The winter weather.

Oh sure ... we can't call it a blizzard, or give it a name, or use the opportunity to debate whether this one is worse than any of the storms in our collective pasts, or complain about how we've not yet been plowed ... but the highest number on this chart is 46.

46!

So down here, that means hoodies and jeans instead of wifebeaters and shorts AND in a fitting tribute to the passing of Glenn Frey ... in homes all across the multi-county area ... for the one time a year that it happens ... the heat is on!

RIP GLENN:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpqAUtzWDuw

SO SO COLD (ISH [WHERE COLD IS A RELATIVE CONCEPT]):
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-south-florida-cold-snap-20160124-story.html

PITY THE LIZARD (BUT 76 AGAIN BY TUESDAY):
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article56341685.html

Random Soapbox for Saturday 1/23/16

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

... the changes to the blog for 2016 continue with the announcement of a new occasional series to be known as my "Personal Hall of Fame".

Beginning tonight, and featured once each quarter, I'll be posting something particular about the individual (or group) I'll be inducting into my personal hall of fame,

And yes, it might be the height of narcissism to create a personal hall of fame ... but I'm okay with carrying that burden so long as it provides me with an opportunity to thank those who played the most impactful roles in my life.

Without further ado, I am pleased to announce the inaugural inductee for this new annual recognition:  JoAnn Dearth.  JoAnn is she whom I refer to as my "surrogate grandmother", and I'll explain more in Q2 during the official induction ceremony -- but she was the person from Uniontown PA whom I met in 1992 through my cousin and his theatre company, and who adopted me as her family until her death a few years back.

This display was once in her house, and it was the gifts I got her for Christmas year after year (the unit in which they are housed was the first year).  This mimicked that which her and her daughter did on the holidays (before she passed away from cancer prior to my coming in to her life), and I inherited it when JoAnn also passed away from cancer.  It now sits in the homestead as a reminder, next to the picture of us in Amish Country (also show below).

There will be three more posts of different kinds this year honoring her memory ... for 2016 will be the year of JoAnn Dearth.

Random Flashback for Friday 1/22/16

Just in case you've forgotten ... in 2016, every *other* Friday flashback is flashing way way back ... way beyond 1996 (two decades as per usual) ... and is featuring five photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed away three years ago.

For this set of pictures, I decided to let the current Winter Storm Jonas situation dictate which ones I'm adding ... and as with a vast majority of what I'll be sharing, many are withing time/date stamp AND without much information, so if anyone (particularly on the social media) knows any information, feel free to share.

I'm assuming these to be late 1920's/early 1930's, just based on my dad's birthday and the little kids here ... and, once again, the building shown last week appears, so I'm still assuming that's the family homestead in some form or fashion.

#6 - work trucks snowed in

#7 - said it was the turkey pen at grandma's (not sure if this was my dad's mother [MY grandma] or my dad's grandmother [my GREATgrandma])

#8 - long winter shadow (at same turkey pen?)

#9 - boys in the front yard playing with sled (same house ... maybe my dad near the tree trunk on the left?)

#10 - three girls and a boy, dressed up and holding toys while standing on the water pump platform outside of the house that's been in all the photos so far (maybe a "show your Christmas gift" pic?)

Random Thought for Thursday 1/21/16

[My new series for 2016 continues ... with the SECOND of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!]

Establishment:  Andrews Diner
Location:  barely in Wilton Manors (just over the river which serves as the border) on Andrews Ave
Meal:  Brunch
Drink:  Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream
Appetizer:  not applicable
Main:  Andrews Big 3 (3 pancakes, 3 eggs and 3 meats)
Side(s):  Whole wheat toast
Dessert:  not applicable
Server:  Denise

Lately, this place has been in the news for all the right reasons, because it's going to be featured on the Feb 5th edition of American Diner Revival on the Food Network.  With company in town and a day off from work, it was the perfect opportunity to finally stop by a diner we've driven past over and over again to get a sneak peek at what was done.  (Part of the reason we've driven past over and over again without stopping is that they have very limited hours of operation [being open for diner dinner only two nights a week], so they are almost always closed when we drive by.)  It remains to be seen whether our waitress Denise will soon be a TV star or will be left on the cutting room floor (ask her about it), but, in the family owned diner category, it was the right fit for brunch before a trip to the county fair later that day.  And speaking of family owned, my only regret is that we didn't get the owner to explain the assorted photos and stuffed animals at the register ... as I'm certain that they each had special significance to the family.

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (point lost for limited hours of operation ... but other than that, it had just been "revived", so there's that AND we got the second best seat in the house [a booth in the corner where we could observe everything, bested only by a VIP section behind the check out station!)
FOOD:            7/10 (although I thought mine was just fine for diner food and had no complaints, there were those at our table who thought the hashbrowns they ordered could have been crispier and/or better seasoned -- but on a positive side, the omelets made with three extra large eggs they ordered were quite good and the perfect size)
SERVICE:      9/10 (super fast and super friendly and quick to tell a story, but point lost for "hovering" busboys, including one who almost cleared my plate when I still had a piece of bacon on it!)
BACON:         5/10 (yes it was on the menu in multiple places, but the waitress asked me whether I wanted "sausage or bacon" when the answer is clearly always going to be bacon ;( ... and then there was that aforementioned busboy bacon incident)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for being on television in a week or two, +3 for taking an anti-cell-phone stance at dinners and Sunday mornings [see photo below] and +3 for serving breakfast all day and for the low prices)

TroyScore:  39 out of 50 -- aka 78, a high C+

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/20/16

Mooterntiy.

Used in a sentence:  "The most happening place at the county fair today was the Mooternity pavilion, which was kind of like a halfway house for pregnant cow single mothers to drop their offspring (literally ... out of their cow private parts) to any fairgoers who were summoned over the loudspeaker when a birth was about to happen."

And yes ... we were some of those fairgoers, and so yes, we got to see the aftermath of such a birth (in lieu of my usual companion links, I'll provide companion photos of the little baby calf).

[Note to self:  perhaps poor people can get delivery covered in hospitals similarly ... by selling tickets to a live showing of the event, with people milling about the hospital until the announcement is made to rush to see the birth as it occurs.  Paid spectators should be able to account for all the birth related expenses.  Boom.  Just fixed health care.  You're welcome.]

Random Tune for Tuesday 1/19/16

So apparently it's someone's birthday today.

And so just as apparently it makes sense for me to include a random tune from the birthday girl Dolly Parton as tonight's selection.

There are way too many from which to choose ... and although I originally wanted to put up the one where the girl goes into the woods to meet the mean guy and then end up falling in love (darn it ... what IS that one called?) ... I couldn't find that one tonight and the clock is ticking.  As such, I'll have to post that song and feature Dolly again in a few weeks once I locate it.

As an alternative, I'll pick one of the most random ones from her oh-so-varied collection ... one that fully captures her talent AND her humor ... aka the PMS Blues.

AIN'T NOBODY LIKE DOLLY:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOrzHMEBgi8

Random Memorial for Monday 1/18/16

Gone but not forgotten (for at least the next two weeks, starting tomorrow night):  the activities listed below.

Lounging around the house in my underwear or less.

Eating at the couch.

Attacking hunks of meat without a knife.

Breaking wind with abandon.

Being the master of my domain.

Habits of mine to which I am accustomed, what with company coming for a two week visit, you will be missed (by me, but not by Dolly and Walt).

MARTHA SAYS:
http://www.marthastewart.com/268177/preparing-for-guests

I'M GOING TO PRETEND I DIDN'T SEE SLIDE #4:
http://www.refinery29.com/house-guests#slide

LOOKS LIKE I HAVE TO REACQUAINT MYSELF WITH THAT KNIFE THING:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Menu/DiningEtiquetteGuide.htm

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/17/16

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

The road to the 50th Super Bowl!

Of course, not everyone down here is cheering for any teams any longer (I'm not even sure that southern Florida *has* a football team ... or, if it does, it doesn't have *fanatics* as I've seen back in Chicago or way back in PA) ... and some folks are commenting more on the entertainment selection (has Coldplay released any music since de-coupling from Gwyneth?) ... but, at the very least, there's always the commercials around which everyone can rally.

As for me, selfishly, I'm hoping for a Cardinals win next weekend ... because for the fourth year in a row, I'll be honoring the "chasing the Super Bowl" tradition, which means I'll be watching it in the city of last year's big game ... in Phoenix (Glendale), Arizona!

A HISTORY OF THE 49 THAT CAME BEFORE:
http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history

COLDPLAY ... JUST COLDPLAY?:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000593528/article/coldplay-will-perform-at-pepsi-super-bowl-50-halftime-show

FOR MY OWN SELFISH REASONS, GO CARDINALS:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2016/01/17/arizona-green-bay-packers-overtime-finish/78943118/

Random Soapbox for Saturday 1/16/16

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

... I knew it was only a matter of time.

Last night, I had my first active shooter dream.

However, I don't want anyone to think that that means the terrorists won.  As a matter of fact, in my dream, the shooter was a pudgy boy of Indonesian descent, and I easily overpowered him in whatever office was standing in for the workplace in my nightmare.

[By the way ... I quick shout out to Albert T, the terrific young actor from Trophy Wife (which I watched) and Dr. Ken (which I'm not watching) whose head appears in my accompanying image in today's post.  My rudimentary cut and pasting skills are in no way intended to imply that he is (or was ever) an active shooter ... nor am I implying that he is Indonesian (he's not, he's full blooded American) ... however, the random character in my dream did remind me of him plus a dozen years and a couple dozen pounds, so it seemed the best way to convey what my subconscious experienced.]

Okay ... back to the dream.  In it, I went running into a hallway, and someone went fleeing past me, confirming that we were indeed an active shooter situation, and that person was immediately followed by the aforementioned chubby villain.  I was able to grab him from behind, and I got my hand on his trigger finger, and I pushed until all the rounds were fired into the wall.

Then it got weird.  Well, weirder.  The young man kicked off his shoes, and he activated some kind of suicide socks.  I let go of him, and he stood there, reaching out his hand to me in the style of ET.  He kept on repeating, "I have to touch you.  I have to touch you."

And then ... then I woke up, before the suicide socks exploded.

First ... I'll be damned if now *that* (dreaming about active shooters) becomes the new normal.

Second ... any Indonesians who come to visit me are going to have to take their shoes AND socks off before coming into the house.

Third ... this is what I get for watching all these fear-themed presidential debates ...

Ugh!

ADVICE FOR MY DREAMSELF:
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cirg/active-shooter-and-mass-casualty-incidents/run-hide-fight-video

ON SHOOTING DREAMS AND MUCH MORE ...:
http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/s2.htm

AGAIN:  NOT A TERRORIST!:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5294965/

Random Flashback for Friday 1/15/16

I saw a few posts on social media this past fortnight hearkening back to the "blizzard of '96" that hit central PA twenty years ago.

So it seems only appropriate that I post *this* photo of how the guys at our fraternity townhouse handled that weather event ... by turning our Greentree Village apartment in Lebanon PA into a fort.

Because, you know, boys will be boys.

Looking back, though, I believe this must have been taken a few days after the big storm, as the drifts during the "blizzard" were deep enough for some of those aforementioned boys to jump off of the second floor balcony into the snow below.

If memory serves correctly, this faux-fort-finish lasted for many many weeks beyond the blizzard until it finally melted away ...

Random Thought for Thursday 1/14/16

[As predicted last week ... here is the FIRST of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!]

Establishment:  ROK BRGR
Location:  downtown Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  dinner
Drink:  Bacon Chocolate Manhattan
bacon infused makers | aztec chocolate bitters sweet vermouth | splash of maple syrup | served on the rocks
Appetizer:  not applicable
Main:  Drunken Pretzel Handcrafted Burger (bacon jam added!)
aged vermont cheddar | house made beer mustard fried onion rings | artisan pretzel bun
Side(s):  Loaded Tater Tots
aged cheddar | smoked bacon | sour cream
Dessert:  Reese's Peanut Butter Pie
Server:  Kimberly M

In the middle of the busy Himmarshee district down by the river in the FTL, ROK BRGR (part of a corporate food conglomerate of three different restaurants all on the same block) provided outdoor seating next to the street with the lights strung across it (reminding me of Espanola Way in South Beach) ... all the better for the people watching.  (And can I just say that any time I'm down in that part of the FTL watching people, I am pleased at the mix of folks in my city ... hipsters, other old folks, a few really old folks, internationals, pretty people, people trying to get with the pretty people and the bro-society PLUS about the same variety of dogs.)  Another benefit of the outdoor seating ... it wasn't nearly as loud as the indoor seating (where Nick Jonas 'Levels' was being blared ... along with other pop 40 hits).  A downside to outdoor seating ... there was a smoke machine blowing the good food scents out over the sidewalk and into the eating area, which worked up until the point it got annoying.  But enough about the ambiance ... take a look at these photos of the edibles.  Yes, that's bacon in the (sweet sweet) Manhattan, bacon on the burger (which was delicious with its combined ingredients and juicy, but not to the point of running down to your elbows) and bacon jam (yes, I said bacon jam!) added to the burger and oozing out on to the tray in the picture.  Speaking of which, here's my unique scoring/grading scale (which will return every week):

AMBIANCE:  8/10 (points lost for music volume and excess smoke machine blowing)
FOOD:            7/10 (points lost for loaded tots falling apart, a dessert oversold in its description and the sad fact that they do not carry Coke products)
SERVICE:      10/10 (no complaints -- actually super fast delivery of the food)
BACON:         10/10 (ummm ... in the drink, on the burger [twice, counting the jam] and on the side)
BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for being the first one, in the series, +3 for all the love for bacon and +1 for being a place worthy of a return visit)

TroyScore:  42 out of 50 -- aka 84, a solid B

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 1/13/16

LasGrandPhoenix.

Used in a sentence:  "Similar to how one waits until the second trimester to announce the impending arrival of a newborn ... I'm hesitant to announce the itinerary for impending travel until after the flights, hotels and rental cars are confirmed ... which is the long way to say that, three weeks out, the LasGrandPhoenix experience is ready to go!"

I love the concept of a subsidized vacation, and with the annual work conference in Vegas happening right after the annual "chasing the Super Bowl" weekend getaway, it's making it easy to plan a trip to Vegas (for the fifth time), to the Grand Canyon (the National Park this time, and not the western rim as before), to Phoenix for the game, and back to Vegas for the work meeting.

On tap for this year ... in Vegas -- the Bacon Bar, the High Roller giant ferris wheel, the Fremont Experience and a return trip to the Hoover Dam (before it runs dry in the next decade) ... and in Phoenix -- besides the local Kaplan center, the town's Hard Rock and catching the Super Bowl at a bar somewhere, the options are still open (if you know anything, pm me on the Facebook with the details).

Can't wait for LasGrandPhoenix!

THE REAL THING THIS YEAR:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

UMMM ... YES PLEASE (KNOW YOUR BRAND):
http://baconbarlv.com/main/

LET THE RESEARCH BEGIN:
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2015/01/26/phoenix-arizona-bucket-list/22363587/

Random Tune for Tuesday 1/12/16

A cassette in a trash can?

Yep ... it's the every other week ongoing series that allows cassettes I'm discarding (because I have the same copy in CD format in the collection) to be the inspiration for whatever tune I'm going to choose to feature on a given Tuesday.

And there have been a lot of items from Aerosmith in this series, because, at some point in the past, I apparently started at the beginning of the alphabet when it came to slowly replacing all of the cassettes with CDs.

If you're familiar with the Aero-oeuvre, then you can already predict that they will be featured again in two weeks, what with 'A Little South of Sanity' being a two cassette/disc set.

As for tonight's song, since this is a live collection, it's kind of obvious to choose the one that kicked off the live concerts during the 'Get a Grip' tour (which I attended, back in the day ... and I can remember the release of the giant branded scrim as this song kicked off the concert!),   Besides ... 'Eat the Rich' also works as a protest song for the upcoming political season, no?

YOU GOT THE RIGHT KEY BABY BUT THE WRONG KEYHOLE, YO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o13DLq9PNRQ

Random Memorial for Monday 1/11/16

Gone but not forgotten:  Davey Jones.

Not the little guy from the Monkees (although, come to think of it, he's also dead), but David Jones who took on the moniker David Bowie in his professional life.

Lest I be accused of being inauthentic ("fake" is the modern day worst insult kids can throw at each other), I do not own a single CD from Mr. Bowie ... and, after reviewing his filmography, there's a good chance that I have never even seen a movie in which he had a role.

However, that doesn't mean that my pop culture head has been under a rock, so of course I know that the world lost a great artistic talent.  My main Bowie exposure was via his appearances with Cher on her eponymous shows .. and as half of one of the most uncomfortable duets ever (I'm looking at you old Bing and young Bowie).

Plus ... in addition to being able to recognize some of his biggest hits, as a child of the eighties, I will always remember the strutting competition with Mick also known as 'Dancing in the Street'  ... and for that and so much more, David Jones/Bowie, you will be missed.

HOW I GOT INTRODUCED TO DAVID BOWIE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPlN8RBP-Ws

WINNER OF MOST UNCOMFORTABLE DUET EVER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADbJLo4x-tk

A QUICK RECAP OF THE BIGGEST HITS AS CHARTED BY BILLBOARD:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6836512/david-bowie-top-20-biggest-billboard-hits

Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 1/10/16

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

Englebert Humperdinck!

Well, to be fair, it's likely only a certain percentage of southern Florida that is geeked that he's in town tonight performing at a concert.

I mean, after all, he's no Tom Jones or anything.

By the way ... did you know that he *chose* that name (he was born Arnold George Dorsey, according to the wiki ... and picked that name because it was a German composer of operas from the late 1800's).  As for the Engleberts in my life, I've tried to talk my friend Kyle into naming his third- born child Englebert (after he had Ethan and Enya, but then chose a non-E name for the third child), but I'm not home enough to make it stick.

When it's all said and done, I do actually know his classics "Release Me" and "After the Lovin'" --(which, in the right setting, and by title alone, could actually be a song and its sequel [ba-dum-DUM]).  And to all the (presumably) seniors grooving to his tunes this evening ... have a great time (and keep your granny panties where they belong).

HE'S HERE ... HE'S IN TOWN TONIGHT!:
http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/event/engelbert-humperdinck-7413780

FIND OTHER TOUR DATES (AND MUCH MORE) HERE:
https://www.engelbert.com/

TWO FULL HOURS OF HUMPERDINCK (YOU'RE WELCOME):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpBWtTreRKM

Random Soapbox for Saturday 1/9/16

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

... dear decaying animal in the laundry room:  please hurry up your process of decomposing!

Lookit, company is coming in just ten days, and although the laundry room is an enclosed outdoor attachment to the house (it's a Florida thing), we'd like to use the adjacent patio while they are here, and your rotting corpse is off putting at picnics.

I'm guessing you're just a tiny thing ... like maybe one of those nighttime albino lizards who hang out by the motion detector spotlight ... or, at worst, a 'hood rat that somehow got stuck somewhere ... and please don't be a possum that forgot he was only supposed to be *playing* dead ... but I kind of need you to turn to odor free bones as quickly as possible.

Mind you, if I could more easily take everything out of that room to find you, I'd see to it that you'd get a proper burial ... but that's not happening.  So do me a favor and get a move on and return to dust and ashes as soon as you possibly can.  'Cause no one likes a critter who refuses to desiccate!

Kthxbye!

WAIT, WHAT?  SIX TO TEN WEEKS!:
http://blog.noodor.com/how-to-get-rid-of-dead-animal-smell/

EVERYBODY HAS 'EM Y'ALL:
http://apocalypsestarts.blogspot.com/2013/04/desiccated-wall-animals-is-life-yall.html

OOOH ... PETRIFIED LIZARDS IN MY FUTURE:
http://petrifiedwoodmuseum.org/desiccation.htm

Random Flashback for Friday 1/8/16

I'm excited to announce another yet change to the blog for the new year ... happening on every *other* Friday.

Instead of flashing back to 1996 on those days (which is my usual shtick, re-telling stories of my life with the perspective gained from the passing of two decades ... and which *will* continue on the *alternate* Fridays), I'll be sharing five photos that I inherited from my father.

Ralph Eugene Neidermyer Sr passed away on Jan 5 of 2013, and a few weeks later, I got my share of the family photos that he had acquired in his nearly ninety years of living.  The challenge, though, is that not all are marked ... some are marked  but I suspect they are incorrect ... and a lot of family history has already been lost, just because we weren't the type of family to sit around and tell stories.  And, as you'll soon see, not all photos are of the highest quality.

Since my blog links to the Facebook, I'm hoping that relatives can fill in any blanks every other week when five more are uploaded.  And I'm starting with the ones that look the oldest ... which means a bunch of black and white pics for the weeks ahead.

Here are the first five to kick off the series:

#1 - baby in a buggy:  marked as Bud (my father's nickname) on porch of a house that is in the background of a lot of the kiddie photos; if so, he was born in 1923

#2 - baby in a chair:  unmarked ... not sure if that's the same house?

#3 - woman holding child:  unmarked ... is this my grandma and my dad (or one of his siblings?)

 #4 - boys in old timey pants:  unmarked ... my dad and/or a brother or two ... blond boy on right reminds me of Uncle Carl's kids ... maybe my dad is on the left?

#5 - chubby boy in snow:  marked Ralph; same house in the photos