Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 3/6/16

What southern Florida is talking about this week:

How it's *almost* our turn.

Sure, our primary vote isn't until Mar 15th ... but with 99 delegates in a winner-take-all system, it's already being defined as Rubio's last stand (and with polls showing Trump in the lead, it sure will be interesting waiting for the results).  To be honest, I thought I'd see more buzz locally, but I live in a blue county ... so I imagine there is a lot going on in the rest of the state, which is mostly red (give or take a few cities where blues tend to congregate).

It's also just as likely that the data brokers don't have me on a list.  Haven't heard of the data brokers?  They are the ones who have already figured out that, for the category of "who wants tougher immigration reform", the best match is apparently "Chevy truck drivers who like Starbucks".  By the way, the same company has determined that consumers of frozen vegetables are more likely to oppose abortion as well.  (These gems come from a company called "Rocket Fuel".)  Since my Chevy isn't a truck, and since I only buy hot chocolate at the Starbucks AND since bacon isn't a vegetable ... I must not be on anyone's radar.

Regardless ... in just over a week ... all those data based theories will be put to the test ...

IT'S ALMOST HERE:
http://heavy.com/news/2016/03/when-is-florida-gop-republican-democratic-primary-polling-hours-where-polling-locations-polls-what-day-open-close/

THE SOURCE OF THE DATA MINING:
http://rocketfuel.com/

THE SOURCE OF THE ABORTION VEGETABLES:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-political-campaign-data-privacy-20160127-story.html

Random Soapbox for Saturday 3/5/16

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

... *this* happened to me the other day.

In case you're not a friend of mine on the Facebook (also known as "captive audience member" for my various forms of output -- whether wanted or unwanted), I put my blog posts up there as I post them, and then again at the end of a day as a Facebook "NOTE", so that there is a backup for most everything I create (although a few items/series end up as Facebook-only exclusive content).

Apparently, I caught the eye of the Facebook police updating multiple notes at the end of the day and was blocked for "going too fast".  In my defense, I had absolutely NO idea that Facebook had a speed limit.

The good news is that I had the chance to respond and affirmed that I was not a social media terrorist, speeding through features willy-nilly with no respect for the billions of other people trolling the Facebook ... and my ban was lifted pretty quickly.

The bad news is that I must apparently stop being so damned efficient in the storing of my creative outputs (note:  "creative" is in the eye of the creator, of course, and may not match the eye of the beholder) so as not to get tripped up in the artificial intelligence algorithms that are watching each of us every Facebook minute.

The worst news is that I am now convinced that the AI that eventually takes over and attempts to destroy humans will spring forth from Zuckerberg and crew.  The clock is ticking, people ...

YEP ... IT HAPPENS:
https://www.facebook.com/help/www/116393198446749

YEP ... THEY'VE ALREADY STARTED:
http://www.popsci.com/facebook-ai

YEP ... IT'S COMING:
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2922442/robotics/stephen-hawking-fears-robots-could-take-over-in-100-years.html

Random Flashback for Friday 3/4/16

As I've been doing since the beginning of the year on every *other* Friday ... here are five more photos I inherited from my father.

I'm so hoping that the main set today is of my father (because, if so, then the fact that I had blond hair when I was young [before it turned all brown] starts to make a lot more sense).  Also because it seems that the little child is playing with chicken wire out in the yard ... and for those of you who are in the know, "Neidermyer" and "chicken" go hand in hand (not in some cowardly way ... but because chickens were the family business).

And then there's the last picture in this group.  No offense to any relatives that they turn out to be ... but it looks like I could have sold it to American Horror Story to be included in one of those openings of creepy images.  (That glowing thing between them may just be a creature's eye ...)

Here are the unmarked photos from this week:

#21 - blond boy playing with chicken wire in the yard

#22 - blond boy playing with chicken wire in the yard (laundry view)

#23 - blond boy in yard standing

#24 - blond boy in yard seated

#25 - unhappy children being made to pose for a picture

Random Thought for Thursday 3/3/16

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

Establishment:  Tropical Acres
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Coca-Cola
Appetizer:  Gorgonzola Toast and Fried Zucchini Slices
Main:  Porterhouse Steak 
(Certified Angus Beef) 25-26 oz King of Cuts
Side(s):  Mushroom gravy and Baked potato
add bacon, butter and cheese 
Dessert:  Fresh made cheesecake
cherry
Server:  Jill for front service

There's a tradition that dates back many many years in my home ... for my birthday, we go to a steak house.  Having lived in Chicago for over a dozen years, *that* made complete sense ... and we are holding out hope that the tradition translates well to southern Florida.  For this year's edition, visiting family joined us at the oldest steak house in southern Florida ... and although the steak I got sure did fill up the plate (so much so that it was too full to even start to cut it), this choice didn't quite live up to the experiences of some past steak houses.  However, it should be said, that it was known going in that this was more reasonably priced ... and the saying is true ... you get what you pay for.  The details are below, as per usual ... but to sum it up ... to get dressed up and to *pretend* to go out somewhere nice, this fit the bill.

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (with an "attached to a hotel" feel, the space was plenty big, and our party had a booth in the corner where we could see out over the restaurant with its frosted glass panels and giant ceiling fans made out of boat rudders ... and the pewter plates and dessert cart were a nice touch ... but a point lost for booths that were a touch too small for our four people and another point lost because the place was too bright overall)
FOOD:            6/10 (a point lost for a pet peeve of mine [warm rolls {yay!} but nearly frozen butter pats that can't be spread {boo}], a point lost for a gristly steak experience, a point lost for fried zucchini that needed a touch more flavor and a point lost for a burnt steak of someone else at the table that was ordered medium)
SERVICE:      7/10 (one point lost for a leaky wine bottle the server poured, another point lost for the back server having no personality and a third lost for a bartender who was so slow that one drink came well into the meal [and it had to be sent back because it was wrong])
BACON:         6/10 (although no one in our party ordered them, they do have the good sense to wrap their filets in bacon ... and I had plenty to add to my baked potato, so that's good for a handful of points)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 because server Jill did try to make the best of it by presenting a bubbly disposition that bordered on ditzy but was certainly entertaining, +3 for being the oldest steakhouse in southern Florida, and +3 magnanimously because it was my annual birthday meal)

TroyScore:  36 out of 50 -- aka 72, a low C

Random Wordplay for Wednesday 3/2/16

As happy as Oprah eating bread.

Used in a sentence:  "I have updated my goals in life ... and now one of them is, at the end of the day, to be as happy as Oprah eating bread."

Surely by now you've heard her exclaim how tickled she is to be on weight-watchers but to be able to EAT BREAD.  EVERY.  DAY!  (all  caps and the exclamation point provided to match O's delivery).  After all, if one can introduce just a *slice* of that kind of joy into one's daily life, one would be pretty well off.

That's my wish for me ... and my hope for you ... may you live a life such that you can find exhilaration wherever and however you can ... such that you too can be as happy as Oprah eating bread.

A SLOWED DOWN VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhFXQemxpWc

A SPOOFED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrqytXawWZU

WILL THIS NEW SAYING CRACK THIS LIST ONE DAY?:
http://www.examiner.com/article/southern-isms-50-of-the-funniest-southern-expressions-and-colloquialisms

JUST ONE MORE ... concept (Mar 16)

JUST ONE MORE ... concept.

So I was going to wait until I won the lottery to launch my idea for a "foundation" ... but I can't ever seem to win more than a few dollars in those contests. Instead of postponing the sharing of my ideas, I've decided to seize the day (or, more accurately, to seize the Facebook) and to take action regardless.

Moving forward, on the first of every month, I'll fill in the blank after the ellipsis that follows the phrase "just one more" and present a challenge for the month ahead to work toward the overall goal of effectuating change incrementally.

I'm doing this to counteract the overwhelming feeling in these modern times that problems are SO big and solutions are SO out of reach that it's easiest to retreat and to withdrawal and to circle the wagons and to succumb to apathy. That the cult of individuality is now more important than the value of the community. That there's little one person can do.

The challenge for March 2016? Please think about the concept and make plans to join me on my crusade. I'll give you all month to consider ... and then you'll be able to comment and to participate beginning with the next post on April 1 (I'll make clear it's NOT an April Fool's joke), and on the 1st of every month thereafter.

After all ... it's JUST ONE MORE ... concept.

Random Tune for Tuesday 3/1/16

For your Super Tuesday viewing party tonight ...

I'll break with tradition and provide TWO tunes instead of just one.

Of course, I'm not one to try to force my opinion on others (it doesn't seem realistic to expect bleeding hearts to suddenly stop bleeding NOR for bigots to suddenly find place in their hearts for those not like them ... and those are just the extremes on the election continuum) ... so I'm not going to link either song to any particular candidate (or set of candidates on the Republican side).

But I do offer you one or the other, depending on how you feel about the end results ...

BECAUSE FREDDIE MERCURY SAYS SO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04854XqcfCY

BECAUSE BECK SAYS SO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgSPaXgAdzE