June 30, 2016
2 0 8 4:M i s s i v e 5
Let's get right to it. I have been promising the history of Texas in multiple missives since I first learned of the portal loophole in the Vitalnet whereby I can communicate with you from the year 2084 via Facebook status update. Of course, what is "history" for me hasn't yet happened for you back in 2016. Know this -- Texas no longer exists -- but it did take several stages to get there. First, it did succeed in seceding in the confusion after the New Madrid Quake of 2023. But with America involved in its own trouble splitting between East and West with the new dividing line drawn by nature, it ended up aligning with Mexico economically for about a decade. This tore the state formerly known as Texas in two, and a civil war between the North and South ensued. After much death and destruction (it turns out that there were a LOT of guns there), a straight line was drawn across from El Paso all the way through what was left of Louisiana to the expanded Bay of Mississippi, which put Dallas in what was now called South Oklahoma. The southern part of Texas was heavily affected by the rising waters -- the same ones that made New Orleans into New Atlantis, flooded Houston forever and put San Antonio and Austin directly on the Gulf. Finally, the southern part of Texas was annexed into the Chapo-Escobar Archipelago (lands that were once Mexico on down south to Colombia). Ironically, one of the first things that government did was build a wall between their lands and the new South Oklahoma. And *that's* a lot of information to absorb ... so I leave you until the last day of the month next ... signing off until then: t1a7n72.lif.
L V C || C L Memory 99
In 99 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #99: getting your grades mit luftpost on a post card.
And, as you can immediately see, these grades are a lot better than where I was headed during my freshperson year. Of course, my theory of how my grades had suffered that first year because of having too many distractions doesn't hold water when you consider ALL the distractions I had overseas.
Regardless -- no looking a gift horse in the mouth, as they say ... and all those A's and B's were a nice Christmas gift for the 1990 holiday season from Professor McCardle ... plus, because the semester abroad was school sponsored, they all counted towards my overall GPA!
Random Thought for Thursday 6/30/16
Establishment: Quality Dinner
Location: Wilton Manors
Meal: Late Lunch
Drink: Root Beer
Appetizer: New England Clam Chowder
Main: Gyros Platter
Open faced with tzatziki and pita bread
Side(s): French Fries
Dessert: n/a
Server: Pimonia (? ... we asked twice and I didn't want to make her say it a third time)
Some days you just crave diner food ... and this week included one of those days. This particular establishment was another one that we've driven past many a time ... but we always assumed that it had limited hours because we never noticed any cars. Much to our surprise, it's open until 9:30 most nights (so it must just be the times we pass by). And, once inside, I *almost* felt compelled to order a ham and cheese sandwich, with chips on the side and a pickle on top stuck through with a toothpick -- because that's what I used to get after school at the Greek diner at which my Mom worked. Here's how the rest of this trip down memory lane played out ...
AMBIANCE: 10/10 (who knew from the outside how big this place was on the inside ... with a counter and booths and tables in the back, we were shocked to see so much space ... plus there was an outdoor seating section, which is always a nice option in the land of [mostly] eternal sunshine ... and it had that diner feel like you just knew that regulars had their own booths and their own "usuals" to order all the time ... plus some Greek travel posters adorn the walls to help the guests know which flavors to expect)
FOOD: 6/10 (diner food is diner food and needs to be judged as such -- and this satisfied the cravings with a delicious gyro that was hot and tasty with pita breads perfectly toasted ... a point lost though because it was missing the "vegetables" [which I still think should have been on the plate even if I ordered it open-faced], another one lost because I didn't enjoy the soup because I thought it had a much too sweet taste, a third one lost because the fries were nice and crispy on the outside but not quite done on the inside, and a final point lost for serving Pepsi products instead of the more superior Coke ones)
SERVICE: 10/10 (attentive but not hovering and always with a smile ... that's the standard by which I judge my servers ... and she fit that bill perfectly ...)
BACON: 10/10 (in my opinion, a diner *best* have lots of bacon choices -- especially one that serves breakfast all day like this place does ... and a quick check of the online menu shows at least 18 references)
BONUS: 7/10 (+3 for being the most homey of the diners we've been in since moving here, and +3 for offering breakfast all day long ... and, even though the food score isn't the highest, a +1 for being a place to which we will return with family when they visit)
TroyScore: 43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a solid B
June 29, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 100
ndIn 100 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #100: the end of the semester abroad!
As they say: alle müssen eine gute Sache zu einem Ende kommen. To be clear, I'm talking about the time in Koln in the fall of 1990 and not this countdown. There are still 100 more memories ahead.
But before we wrapped the semester over there, we did two things. First, Tracey F and I compiled a yearbook of sorts (on typewriter paper of all things) with 12 pages of quotes and graphs and lists and charts of everything that happened to the group of us Americans studying aboard that year ... and second, at the final dinner, we handed out the "adapt to the local conditions" awards, which was both a celebration and a gentle dig at one of the cohort leaders who thought we weren't immersing ourselves as much as we should have been and had yelled at us one day to "adapt to the local conditions".
My awards that night included, but were not limited to, "the ducks' best friend" (I used to feed part of my authentic German sandwich bread to them on my lunch break), "the most competitive class ender often through inappropriate quotes or comments" (which is self explanatory) and "the most complex personality" (it's how I roll).
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/29/16
Used in a sentence: "In case you aren't familiar with the Antikythera Mechanism, just know that it ain't yo momma's VIC-20."
Or your grand-momma's ... or your great-grand-momma's ... or whatever classification of your momma equates to a maternal relative from two thousand years ago, which is when it was created.
And if "VIC-20" means nothing to you, then clearly you weren't a child of the eighties, when Commodore put out one of its earliest versions of the personal computer. (I played the game Rabbit Chaser off of a cassette tape that plugged into it -- the precursor of a floppy disk -- which is in itself something you young kids might have never seen.)
Oh -- and if "Antikythera Mechanism" means nothing to you, it's only the world's oldest computer -- and it was in the news again because scientists have cracked the code to confirm that it was indeed an astronomical guide consisting of gears and hand-cranks and such because NOW they have figured out that it came with a user's guide of sorts.
What is still to be resolved is whether it was obsolete every few months when new Antikythera Mechanisms came out on slightly bigger pieces of rock with more choices of colors.
AN INTRO TO THE MECHANISM:
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101124/full/468496a.html
MORE ON THE MECHANISM:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/decoding-antikythera-mechanism-first-computer-180953979/?no-ist
THE LATEST ON THE MECHANISM:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ancient-greek-computer-came-with-a-user-guide/
June 28, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 101
In 101 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #101: mail call in Deutschland!
All things considered, I probably could have displayed one hundred and one pieces of mail ... but instead, to create tonight's image, I just focused on a few items I found in my November 1990 correspondence folder.
The point being -- one of the great things about being overseas back in the day before email, is that people who loved me demonstrated that they did so by spending money on airmail/international post. This collection includes items from family members, good friends from high school, Hebron church folk and my LVC classmates who were missing me and filling me in on what I was missing. And some of them even included some much needed cash for me to convert to Deutsche Marks (this was before the euro).
I won't call favorites ... but I will call attention to Holly F's opening line: "Well Downtown Lebanon burned to the ground" (and it had ... the HACC fire of '90 ... plus she went on to explain how our friend Jenn G was on the scene taking pictures) AND to Stace G's multi-page collection of quotes from the Honors class that I was missing (but not really, because she made me feel as if I was in attendance).
Random Tune for Tuesday 6/28/16
... and this week, the cassette of hers getting discarded (because the CD version of the release is *also* in the music collection) is actually her FIRST English-language album. (I probably should've started with this two weeks ago instead of her eponymous release. [Although now I got to use the word eponymous twice ... so there's that ...])
As for which tune to pick, everybody knows "Where Does My Heart Beat Now?" ... so instead I'll select another one that made it to the radio, but that was also covered by a certain Sheena Easton -- the urgent plea to a cheating lover to come clean and ensure that she would not be "The Last to Know" (which, come to think of it, is also the theme of a classic Reba song).
For those keeping track at home, with two Celine picks in the series so far, we now have her plaintively crying in one song ... and urgently pleaing in the next. At least she knows her brand.
DON'T LET ME BE ...:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbzKVVkkPvc
June 27, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 102
In 102 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #102: Dr. Scott tracking me down from halfway across the world to tell me *this* news.
Specifically that, despite being an American student in (then West) Germany, I'd have to find my way to a German doctor to get an emergency hepatitis shot.
You see, prior to my departure, I was a McEmployee, and when a McCoWorker got himself Mcsick -- very sick -- the alert went out in my hometown for anyone to get inoculated who ate certain burgers during a certain timeframe ... or anyone who worked next to that same worker.
Lucky for me, that was the extent of my risk, and the shot did its job ... but I do have to wonder now what the host family thought about the dirty dirty American living in their house ...
Random Memorial for Monday 6/27/16
... the situation with the 'hood kids poking fun at the dogs on their way home from school.
Lookit -- I know that kids will be kids. But where four or five are gathered, and when the majority of them are boys, that's quite simply a recipe for shenanigans ... especially when a curious puppy coupled with a protective puppy are in the mix.
After too many instances where I had to yell through the fence for those on the other side to keep on moving ... and to stop picking at the puppies ... and to stop screaming and running past them to get them all worked up, the landlord supplied the materials for a privacy fence to be attached to the wire one that already existed and we "installed" it this past weekend (although there's one more panel for the back corner of the yard still to be affixed).
Come to think of it, these improvements will also make next year's world naked gardening celebration easier on the neighbors ...
Anyways ... worrying about what might happen in the back yard at a certain time of day, especially when school is back in session next fall ... you will NOT be missed.
FROST SAID IT BEST:
http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/frost-mending.html
UGH. KIDS. OUT OF CONTROL KIDS:
http://www.dogster.com/answers/question/12_yr_old_neighbor_who_tries_to_hurt_my_dogs_everyday_after_school-38759
NEXT YEAR'S CELEBRATION WILL BE EASIER ON THE NEIGHBORS NOW:
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/world-naked-gardening-day-12th-year-putting-humans-touch-nature/
June 26, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 103
In 103 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #103: the second of three official dorm residences I called home.
We interrupt these more recent tales of the semester abroad just because it seemed too on-the-nose to not have tonight's spot be *this* picture. Of course, it never quite looked like this, regardless of which roommate joined me in living there (teaser: there were two).
But MaryGreen 103 WAS my address immediately AFTER my semester abroad, so it will be the exact location of a bunch of memories directly ahead. Oh so many memories.
And, interestingly enough, this photo was taken only a year or two ago, so here's hoping the current remodeling going on on campus in this building includes an update or two to these living conditions.
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/26/16
Stocking up for hurricane season.
It's a thing people do around here, although, since the last storm that hit this area was back in 2005, it's not necessarily something that they do well. And since it's only MY third cycle with nary a hurricane experience of my own, I'm probably not doing it well either.
But ... there is back-up alcohol, and there are plenty of extra cases of water and flavored water and fizzy water, and a few spare cans of tuna and now, after this week's shopping trip, an emergency can of spam WITH BACON!
So, depending on how the "cold blob" affects things (see link below/to follow for the definition of that scientific meteorological term), this can will get cracked open no later than December 1 (a day after the season ends). Unless Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tobias, Virginie or Walter have something to say about it.
A GOOD LIST OF SUPPLIES:
http://www.mynews13.com/weather/hurricane-center-checklist.html
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE COLD BLOB:
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/cold-blob-to-be-wildcard-la-nina-atlantic-hurricane-season-forecast-2016/56491288
THIS AIN'T YOUR GRANDMOMMA'S SPAM:
http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-spam-can-bacon-20151007-story.html
June 25, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 104
In 104 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #104: the evening spent under THIS tree in a thunderstorm watching fireworks with THESE people.
The date was October 3 of 1990, and I was still overseas in Germany for my LVC sponsored semester abroad. The historical significance of that evening is that we (Tony, Monika, Beth and I) were watching the celebration of the unification of East and West Germany -- weather be damned.
That evening, it was hard to believe that just one year prior, as a college freshman, I was stopped outside the hallway of Carol A's special dorm room watching the wall come down (memory #147). And then there I was, as a college *sophomore*, in the thick of it all. Who would have thought it?
NOTE: not pictured was the Toffifay that was also part of our little gathering (my contribution).
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/25/16
... I've been carrying this burden for quite some time and I feel like it is finally the moment to get this off of my chest.
To those of my friends and family who choose to sleep in the same bed as their ladies during the timeframe when those females are having their period, I want you to know that after much prayer and consideration, I have finally reached the conclusion that I can look past your abomination in God's eyes and that I have learned to hate the sin yet love the sinner. (Leviticus 15:24)
Of course, that's my own resolution to this issue -- a resolution for which I have fought long and hard, wrestling with trying to understand a person's motives, and debating in my mind if people are born to think it normal to lie in a bed with a menstruating women, or if a lax and Godless society has driven men to risk that degree of uncleanliness for a good night's sleep next to a loved one, or if it is Satan's work and the draw of the Devil's menses that causes men to make those choices. And although it gives me, and those who believe as I do, some way to function in a world where this MSBMW community (Men Sleeping in the same Bed as Menstruating Women) clearly has its own agenda to redefine normalcy with regards to the expectations for couples sleeping through the night together, I also am obligated to inform you that you are going to hell. (Leviticus 18:29)
Which saddens me ... but hey, "hate the sin and love the sinner".
To any of those in this MSBMW community who wish to change your ways, know that there are programs so that you can choose to live a different life. There are therapists who will work with you and your wife or girlfriend so that you can learn proper sleeping habits (i.e. banishing your lady to an appropriate spot in your abode far away from you at the earliest sign of the female evil "egg drop soup"). For extreme cases, there is aversion therapy -- where the male is covered in faux menstrual liquids to break him of the habit of wanting to be near his loved one at night -- all the days of the month. And products can be purchased such as a shock mattress cover that is synced to your lady's cycle, and that provides a specific and timely set of warnings in the manner of negative reinforcement with some small electric charges if it is triggered by the weight of both you and your lady in that most inappropriate time frame.
Which all sounds a little extreme ... but hey, "hate the sin and love the sinner".
Finally, to those of you reading this who know full well that you belong to the MSBMW community but you haven't yet confessed it to anyone, I offer you a word of caution and implore you to keep it a secret. You may feel like recent societal changes, including a movement where MSBMWs now proudly marry despite having engaged in that horrific behavior pre-maritally, would provide you with the opportunity to flaunt your monthly sleight to established morality, but you should know that it is perfectly legal for your boss or your landlord to fire or evict you should your sleeping habits within your coupledom come to light.
Which I know sounds a little shocking, but hey, not everyone is as evolved as to "hate the sin and love the sinner".
*Today's rant has been sponsored by the Eastboro Church of the Levites. You may not have heard of us yet, but you will see us soon enough protesting in the tampon aisles of your local drugstores, department stores and pharmacies. We also may start protesting at children's hospitals as we suspect that God makes kids get sick because men make these cavalier choices without consideration for the evil that flows forth from women on a cyclical basis. Our work has just begun. But first we have to decide on exactly which selective scripture we're mostly going to focus. In anticipation of that, please join me in furthering the ECL's cause.
ECL'S WEBSITE IS BEING BUILT, SO THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO LINKS TO SHARE
June 24, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 105
In 105 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #105: my most cultured semester EVER!
Here are the facts ... the semester abroad (officially, my third at LVC, despite it happening in Germany) included tons of activities that were paid for by the program, so I've never had another three month period where I attended the symphony multiple times, and a play or two, and a musical, and art displays, and even the opera once and etc. etc.
While not every single one of these was memorable enough for me to be able to say exactly what went on at each event, I definitely vividly recall the performance of Die Dreigroschenoper, (Brecht's 'Three Penny Opera' [aka the one with 'Mack the Knife']), which occurred on a stage made entirely of stairs/risers ... and which included an actual rainstorm (you can see a little of those images in the corners of this display). I returned to LVC theatre with ideas for something unique and different (stay tuned for that story a few memories down this road).
By the way ... look at this student ID I used to get into each of these artistic events:
Random Flashback for Friday 6/24/16
Tonight's theme for the 13th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed ... is "black and white ladies" -- mostly by themselves ... but sometimes around a table. Starting next week, the pictures will still be black and white ... but the difference will be that, moving forward, there will be dates on them (starting with the 40's). As with the others in this series, a few of these are marked and/or are known, and some are still mysteries to me.
#61 - (damaged) photo says "grandma Peiffer", which would be my maternal great-grandmother
#62 - pretty sure that's my aunt Evelyn in an unknown city
#63 - photo says Carol Ann, which is the only daughter from my father's first family (his first wife, before he married my mom), so my half-sister
#64 - unknown school girl
#65 - a picture I've posted on Facebook before, with my aunt MaryAnn in the foreground, my grandma Esther and cousin Joyce B in the background, and my father all the way in the back by the stairs (other younger couple unknown to me)
June 23, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 106
In 106 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #106: my first introduction to public transportation!
Lookit -- the reality is that I could do a whole 'nother series with plenty of entries about the LVC semester abroad program, but I'll save that for another celebration at a later time (or a sooner time if I win the lottery and get to go back to visit).
So I'll try to keep this down to just a few more posts -- including today's with these "welcome to your new city guides" and the transit map and ID card that made it possible to go just about anywhere on the train. Which was good, because my host family lived on the last stop of that line that ends up in the top right hand corner of the map -- which meant that I may have gone to school in Cologne for three months, but I spent most of my nights in the fall of 1990 in Bergisch Gladbach.
By the way ... look at this:
Random Thought for Thursday 6/23/16
Establishment: Spring Chicken
Location: Ft Lauderdale
Meal: Dinner (although they called it Supper, 'cause they're Southern like that)
Drink: Cherry (Coke+Sprite)
equal parts Cherries Coke and Sprite
Appetizer: Mama's Biscuit
Our Yardbird Award-Winning Homemade Biscuit, Baked Fresh Daily (with Honey Butter and Strawberry Jam)
Main: The Yardbird Sandwich
Award-Winning Crispy Chicken Thigh, House Pickles, Southern Sauce, Served on a Toasted Potato BunSide(s): House Fries AND the "add a drumstick" option
Dessert: n/a
Server: Kayla (although it is counter style, so she was more of just an order taker)
There are chicken places for those pinching pennies (KFC) and there are chicken places for those of a particular demographic (Popeye's and Church's). There are chicken places for those looking to send a portion of their personal budget by way of franchise fees to bigots (yep, we have a Chick Fil A in town) ... and NOW, in southern Florida, there are chicken places inspired by local restaurants. Such is the Spring Chicken franchise (spun off from the Yardbird), and such is the place that JUST opened up here in town. For the first time in this series ... a score at a BRAND NEW eating establishment ... a score that breaks down as follows:
AMBIANCE: 7/10 (when we first moved to town a year and a half ago, it was a bank ... and now it's one of what will be four fast casual locations down here ... the grand opening was just a few weeks ago, and the place looks bright and beautiful, crisp and comforting... so bright, there's a point lost for not installing shades for the setting sun that hits the seating area right at meal time [I ended up wearing my sunglasses to eat] ... and a second point lost for a parking lot where the people who drew up the lines partitioning cars forgot to account for the fact that a car door has to open after it is in its spot ... and a third point lost for serving blue plate dinners on blue melamine plates as shtick, but re-using them, which seems odd in a fast casual setting)
FOOD: 7/10 (I don't think there is any dispute that the chicken itself was "quality" but it really comes down to how I *wanted* to like it much more than I actually did ... although the sandwich was tasty enough, specifically there's a point lost for honey butter served cold so it couldn't be spread on the flaky biscuits [a pet peeve of mine] ... a point lost for a breading I just didn't enjoy on that drumstick [no offense to Llewellyn, but I wanted it firmer and crispier and I got it a little soggy and overly peppered] and a point lost overall for failing the adage about how if you pay more, you're going to get a better meal)
SERVICE: 8/10 (because it's a counter service construct, our "server" was really our order taker ... and God bless her ... although she was polite and efficient, she was stuck on auto-pilot and even apologized for "listening, but not really listening" -- for which a point is deducted ... and, because we forgot to order the biscuits the first time, I went back in line and got her again and even though having just ordered a few moments before, she didn't remember we had been through the line until I brought it up when I said I didn't need another "pager" -- for which a second point is deducted)
BACON: 5/10 (it IS on the menu, but only once ... maybe it wouldn't be staying true to the place's authentic southern roots ... but I know my sandwich could have done a lot better with a little bit of bacon love)
BONUS: 9/10 (+3 for those award winning biscuits though, +3 for having a make-your-own-Coke machine and +3 for that sauce station in the photo replete with homemade sauces)
TroyScore: 36 out of 50 -- aka 72, a low C
June 22, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 107
In 107 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #107: Newark to Heathrow to Dusseldorf to Cologne.
Or, more specifically, leaving Newark on a Virgin Atlantic plane to Heathrow in London to catch an air europe flight to Dusseldorf around the Labor Day weekend in 1990. (And then it was a train from Dusseldorf to Cologne to meet my host family and to check out my study abroad school.)
Which, in retrospect, is a kind of exciting solo adventure for an 18 year old boy when it's his first time leaving the country ... and the first time ever flying.
Also, consistent with other posts in this series, you can tell how old I am by noticing that smoking was allowed on my overseas flight back then.
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 6/22/16
Used in a sentence: "Yet another big piece of my current five year plan has fallen into place now that it has been announced that Drizly has arrived in the FTL."
First -- to the topic of five year plans. I used to have them when I was young. And then, after 9/11, I decided that it seemed much more realistic to have 24 hour plans instead. As the years have passed since that event, and partially fueled by non stop news coverage of a world gone MAD, I have only recently come to realize that it is time to execute on a new plan: to be firmly secured in a compound by 2020.
Working from home was the biggest piece of the puzzle that fell into place all the way back in 2010. But there are still a few things that have to be addressed before I can lock myself in with my loved ones and throw away the key.
Which brings me back to Drizly. an online app for ... wait for it ... getting alcohol delivered TO YOUR DOOR (or, as will one day soon be the case ... TO THE DOOR OF YOUR COMPOUND). Today is a good day, because I just love it when a plan comes together.
ALCOHOL DELIVERY ... THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT:
http://www.newschannel10.com/story/32182910/drizly-and-abc-fine-wine-spirits-expand-to-south-florida
OTHER THINGS YOU CAN HAVE DELIVERED TO THE DOOR OF YOUR COMPOUND:
http://redtri.com/the-wildest-things-you-can-get-delivered-to-your-home/
HOW TO BUILD A COMPOUND:
https://survivalblog.com/a_secure_compound_off_grid_by_steve_r/
June 21, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 108
In 108 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #108: completing the "so you're on your way to Germany" checklist.
Oops .. I got my cart before my horse a bit last night. Or, more accurately, my deckels before my checklist.
As previously stated, my undergrad semester #3 was indeed in what was then West Germany (that's how old I am) ... although by the time I left, it was just plain Germany again (that's how historic the time was of my study abroad -- as my German professor Dr. Scott says, in German, in the letter that is a part of this memory).
The point being ... before I could go collect all of those unique beer coasters, I had to first complete all the pre-work for the trip!
Random Tune for Tuesday 6/21/16
And here's why ... today is international Make Music Day. It started in Paris back in 1982 and the website said that it has spread to more than 700 cities in 120 countries - including Ft. Lauderdale for the first time.
Here's the way it's described: "Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public."
So tonight's random tune should be YOUR OWN. Sing something! Make music! Share your talents with the world!
IT'S NOT ABOUT CHOOSING ONE TUNE ... IT'S ABOUT EVERYBODY SINGING:
http://makemusicday.org/
June 20, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 109
In 109 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #109: the collect-the-Kölsch mission.
Funny thing ... my *third* semester at LVC wasn't at LVC at all ... but was 3,877 miles away ... in Cologne, Germany. But because it was a school sponsored study abroad program, it counted just like any regular semester, and all the classes I took and all the grades I got became a part of my official transcript.
That being said, there were some other activities that an 18 year old in a foreign land could do to occupy his time after school ... including the search for a "deckel" representing each of the brands of the special Cologne beer -- the Kölsch.
By my count (and excluding a few of these on the edges that were from other trips -- Berlin and Trier, specifically), I succeeded in finding 20 of them (maybe 21 depending on that OberPaffgen one). Mind you, I don't think that was a COMPLETE set ... but that's just a reason to go back again some time soon.
Random Memorial for Monday 6/20/16
And Anton ... and Attrell.
Knowing that these things happen in threes (where "these things" = celebrity deaths [and where the "celebrity" in "celebrity deaths" is defined very broadly]), it looks like we have another set.
Because before Anton's freak car accident this weekend, Attrell "Prince Be" Cordes was set adrift on memory bliss for the last time a few days ago. And Before PM Dawn lost its rapper, the little guy who filled out the ALF costume (when it wasn't being just a puppet) named Michu Meszaros died at the age of 76 (although, truth be told, my cat seemed relieved to hear that last bit of news, for reasons obvious only to those who spent some time with ALF in the eighties).
ALF ... and Anton ... and Attrell ... you will be missed. (Now enough with all the dying already.)
FIRST ALF:
http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/michu-meszaros-dead-alf-1201794446/
THEN ATTRELL:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/attrell-prince-be-cordes-p-m-dawn-rapper-dead-at-46-20160617
AND NOW ANTON:
http://www.people.com/article/anton-yelchin-dead-car-accident
June 19, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 110
In 110 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #110: the official record of my freshperson year.
Ok ... I think I'm *finally* read to close the books on my first year of college (fall '89/spring '90). And that can only be done by providing the "score" for those two semesters.
A few notes: that American Government I class will REappear on this list later, because there was a policy where you could re-take a class if you stopped going because it was at 9am three days a week and you suddenly had a college social life such that 9am three days a week was better spent sleeping in AND there should have been a few more classes in the spring semester, but there was also a policy where you could withdraw by a certain date and no one would be the wiser.
Finally ... it was easy to be a straight A student in high school when book-learnin' was all you did. College turned the tables on that premise ... because there was a whole lot more goin' on!
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 6/19/16
Juneteenth (which, locally, will be held on August 13).
To be fair, this new Augustteenth event was supposed to have been yesterday, but the weather did not cooperate. And at one point, Mary J Blige was supposed to come to town to help commemorate the two and half year delay it took for word of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach the slaves of Texas ... but her name doesn't seem to be in the promotional materials any longer, so I'm guessing she didn't want any more drama in her life. (See what I did there?)
A Pip-less Gladys Knight is the other name that was bandied about ... and it remains to be seen whether she'll come back in two months.
In the meantime ... though, Happy Juneteenth to anyone who is celebrating!
NOTE: If you are a reader in Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota or South Dakota, as per the all-knowing wiki, you may have no idea about that which I reference, since those five states haven't yet recognized this as a holiday.
IN CASE YOU WEREN'T UP TO SPEED:
http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
IN CASE YOU WEREN'T UP TO SPEED (CONTINUED):
http://www.juneteenth.us/
HERE'S ALL ABOUT THE PARTY IN THE FTL:
http://www.floridafestivals.org/
June 18, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 111
In 111 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #111: surviving pledging and becoming an official member of the Rho Eta cast of Alpha Psi Omega.
As foretold in last night's memory ... I made it through pledging (relatively) unscathed. And, after paying my $10 in dues (it was 1990 ... so I'm not sure how much the current going rate is), myself and every member of my pledge class were accepted. (By the way, that class consisted of BJ C, Andy H, Tawni N and Dr. Scott [our faculty advisor].)
Here's the reality ... for someone who started college so soon after running away from home, the group of people who welcomed me into their midst became the second experience I had with "family" as defined as those who supported and cared for me (the first being my surrogate family that took me in in Mar of my senior year of high school).
And the theatre group in the years that followed were to continue to fill that very necessary role in my young life. It was ... and it is ... an honor to be a part of their lives and they a part of mine.
Random Soapbox for Saturday 6/18/16
... the whole world has gone MAD!
Today's case in point: Kenya.
That's Kenya, where the Supreme Court there has decided that it is perfectly acceptable for the practice to continue of conducting anal exams to determine whether someone is a homosexual.
So now I know why Kenyans do so well in the marathons ... they've all gotten so fast in order to run away from the anus-checker-in-chief.
But despite having that a-ha moment, I still have so many operational questions:
Who gets that job? Is it considered career advancement to get that added to your resume?
How does one determine that an anus is gayer than the next one -- besides the obvious that the gay ones are well groomed and wittier than the others?
Might it not be a too-subjective analysis? Is it considered a gay anus if the Kenyan-anus-checker-in-chief fills out a report, stating: "I didn't like the way it winked at me."
Where does the anus-checking take place? Are there AUI checkpoints set up outside the clubs or in certain parts of the neighborhood (you know the ones I'm talking about) to make sure that there are no anuses under the influence of the gay lifestyle?
You know, it's a good thing that there's nothing more important to do in Kenya. Like dealing with "deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, water shortage and degraded water quality, flooding, poaching, domestic and industrial pollution" (source: wikipedia) or "joblessness, poverty, lack of quality education, corruption and poor leadership" (source: africaw.com [see below/to follow]).
Instead, Kenya's become a laughingstock. A laughingstock formed by the same type of religious radicalization that led to the inbred Westboro phenomenon with which we are familiar stateside. Except Kenya's being taking advantage of by those deploying the relatively new business strategy of extremism-exporting from the radicals who prioritize humiliation and persecution of those whose human rights are deemed "lesser than" because they are the dreaded "other". Despite my attempts to use humor to highlight the ridiculousness of it all -- be certain that it's all about humiliation and degradation. State sponsored humiliation and degradation, Kenyan style.
So backwards. So sad. So much so that I'm prepared to endorse airlifting a chopper or two of those that can be saved (Noah's Ark style), and then to turn the whole continent over to the animals, and let them feed on the stupidity of those that are left behind -- including, but not limited to, the Kenyan-anus-checker-in-chief and the Kenyan Supreme Court members that endorse his existence.
It's time. It's past time. Let the animals have Africa for their own purposes. I predict they'd do a better job. Let's make it one big nature park, free of human influence.
Because my bottom line (pun partially intended) is that if your contribution to the future is your skill at anus-checking, you have lost your right to experience that future.
Indeed ... the whole world has gone MAD!
ANUS CHECKING ... IT'S ALL THE RAGE IN KENYA:
https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2016/06/kenya-court-rules-anal-tests-on-gay-suspects-legal/
SOME OTHER THINGS ON WHICH THE KENYANS COULD BE FOCUSED INSTEAD:
http://www.africaw.com/major-problems-facing-kenya-today
TO BE CLEAR, SOME ANUS CHECKING *IS* ACCEPTABLE:
http://www.healthline.com/health/digital-rectal-exam
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