Random Word for Wednesday 2/3/16

Chasing the Super Bowl (IV)

Used in a sentence:  "Tomorrow, the now annual tradition known as chasing the super bowl (IV) begins for the 2016 edition."

That tradition is precisely why I have pictures in Indianapolis dated Feb 2013, New Orleans dated Feb 2014 and NewYorkCity dated Feb 2015.

And ... it's why I'll have pictures in Phoenix this weekend.  (This particular trip is bookended by Vegas ... before for vacation fun .. and after for work "fun" [a week long conference].)

Maybe one day I'll have the kind of cash to be IN the host city ON the actual weekend of the big game ... but, until then, I'll at least be able to take advantage of all the cheap extra rooms in the host city the year after they ramped up for the game the year before ... which is the secret behind the tradition of chasing the super bowl (IV).

Now I should probably research which teams are playing so I have something to talk about when the advertisements aren't on ...

SAN FRAN in 2017, HOUSTON in 2018 AND MINNEAPOLIS in 2019:
http://www.topendsports.com/events/super-bowl/hosts.htm

UPTOWN FUNK'S GONNA GIVE IT TO US (DON'T BELIEVE ME?  JUST WATCH!):
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/super-bowl/6859537/bruno-mars-coldplay-beyonce-super-bowl-50-halftime-show

SOUNDS LIKE DOBBIN'S LOOKOUT IS A MUST-SEE:
http://www.10best.com/destinations/arizona/phoenix/attractions/free-things-to-do/

Random Tune for Tuesday 2/2/16

So two weeks ago, it was this lady's birthday.

And I was posting late at night in a hurry, and I couldn't for the life of me think of the name of the song where "the girl goes into the woods to meet the mean guy and then end up falling in love".

Against the clock, I settled for her rendition of 'PMS Blues' that night... and then, while I was falling asleep, the song I originally wanted to post came to me -- but it was too late for me to get up and edit it.

Which brings me to tonight ... and my opportunity to show that *this* was this one:

"Joshua ... Joshua ... what you doin' here livin' all alone?!"

[NOTE:  This is a tune tale told of a different time and place.  I do not recommend going up to your scary neighbors in today's modern world to see if he'll let you move in just for showing up -- even if his name is Joshua or he's the biggest man you've ever seen.]

THE TALE OF LOVE UP IN THE MOUNTAINS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLlyrkIWZos

Random Memorial for Monday 2/1/16

Gone but not forgotten:  O'Malley and Hucksterbee.

By morning, there may be more names to add to those who let the Iowa caucuses be the determining factor in a campaign suspended (and, yes Virginia, suspended campaigns don't get reanimated) ... but for now, it's one from *each* side of the political fence who gets one final bit of press to say goodbye.

It's an exciting milestone in a never ending campaign to finally have the first of the primary contests completed, and it's going to move quickly now to narrow the field in the days and weeks ahead, leading up to the epic battle this fall.

And so it begins ...

He who really only ever seemed to be running for Democratic VP but did a good job portraying Baltimore as a nouveau Camelot AND he who took things a bit too far whilst seeking the extreme religious right vote, especially after sleeping with Kim Davis (figuratively, I presume) ... you (plural) will be missed.

ON SUSPENDED CAMPAIGNS:
http://politicaldictionary.com/words/suspended-campaign/

ON THE "IMPORTANCE" OF IOWA:
https://www.slantnews.com/story/2015-10-13-winning-new-hampshire-and-iowa-doesnt-really-matter-in-presidential-elections

BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME O'MALLEY:
https://martinomalley.com/

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)