Good afternoon to those of you viewing this blog around the world. Today, we are a bit disappointed that our beloved Swansea fell to Manchester City by a 3-1 score as our Galatasaray troops tied their cross-town Istanbul rival Besiktash 2-2 after having a two-goal lead. But, we have no control of such things.
Today, here in the USA, we are listening to a heart-churning story by Tony Cyprien of Berkely, Calif., who told an audience at "The Moth" about how he served time at the notorious San Quentin Prison that the late Johnny Cash made famous and later turned his life around.
In other news, Katie Holmes may or may not have married fellow Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx (we are kidding, Holmes has never won an Oscar). Alas, we are sorry to report that African-American character actor Bill Nunn who played Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" has died at age 62 and he is trending on Twitter now.
Here are some samples of comic strip lines we put together; these are from comic strips that ran in the Sunday Sept. 11th, 2016, edition of "The Washington Post." The pictured images are of: 1) Baldo; 2) Garfield; and 3) Baby Blues.
Here we go........!!!:
1) "Dogs and Cats are NOT supposed to be friends," Mutts.
2) "Dad.....it's not time for new sheets," Baldo by Hector Cantu
3) "Curfew is ruining my life," Zits
4) "Your friend Steve works at a pizza place. Can you call him?" Foxtrot.
5) "Nice Souvenir T-Shirt," Frazz
6) "Tell Him Not to Lose My Phone!," Baby Blues
7) "I pulled you over to give you an ice cream cone," Knight Life, by the great Keith Knight
8) "Huh? I don't understand. The accident happened last night," Judge Parker.
9) "You mean I get a kiss just for sitting here?," Garfield
https://themoth.org/radio-hour
http://www.gocomics.com/baldo
http://babyblues.com/
http://www.gocomics.com/theknightlife
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Thursday, September 22, 2016
We Have Been Blogging for 11 Years.........Wowza..........
We have a slew of new or semi-new material to put forth in recognition of our 11th anniversary of blogging which occurred yesterday as we posted out very first blog entry on Sept. 21, 2005. To our recollection, we simply posted a grocery list for the Food Lion in Mount Jackson, Va., some two hours south of Washington, DC. Or, maybe, it wasn't.
At any rate to mark the occasion, we are featuring images of Megyn Kelly (pict. top), the gorgeous Fox News anchor born in November of 1970 who is the subjective right-wing news network's hopes of maintaining viewers who include 79-year-old men at nursing homes in Amherst, Ohio, in the hopes that viewers from liberal places like Seattle will actually watch for nine minutes or so....
The middle image is of Erin Andrews (center) the sportscaster who now hosts "Dancing with the Stars" which competes with Fox News for those same nursing home residents in not only Ohio, but the whole entire midwest and the state of Florida.
Finally, we hope to maintain an international audience with Turkish-German actress Sibel Kekilli, who first became known for her acting in the critically-acclaimed German film "Head-On" by Fatih Akin. Kekilli became a yuge star when she appeared in "Game of Thrones."
Other actresses we considered posting images of include Parker Posey, who has been in a film with Kekilli, and is now starring in Woody Allen's "Cafe Society," which also features Kristen Stewart. Posey is actually two years older than Kelly, and to our knowledge, those nursing home men residents in Amherst, Ohio, probably don't know much about the indie films that made Posey a distinct actress.
Katie Holmes was also on her radar but it seems she is getting enough attention both from Instagram and tabloids suggesting she is in a secret burning romance with Jamie Foxx, who is supposedly a pal of her ex-husband Tom Cruise. And, we thought about posting an image of Nina Totenberg, the legal affairs reporter for NPR for our intellectual readers. But, yea, they probably are in the minority.
Here's to the next 11 years......!!!
http://www.foxnews.com/
http://www.npr.org/
http://www.amherstohio.org/
http://www.mountjackson.com/
At any rate to mark the occasion, we are featuring images of Megyn Kelly (pict. top), the gorgeous Fox News anchor born in November of 1970 who is the subjective right-wing news network's hopes of maintaining viewers who include 79-year-old men at nursing homes in Amherst, Ohio, in the hopes that viewers from liberal places like Seattle will actually watch for nine minutes or so....
The middle image is of Erin Andrews (center) the sportscaster who now hosts "Dancing with the Stars" which competes with Fox News for those same nursing home residents in not only Ohio, but the whole entire midwest and the state of Florida.
Finally, we hope to maintain an international audience with Turkish-German actress Sibel Kekilli, who first became known for her acting in the critically-acclaimed German film "Head-On" by Fatih Akin. Kekilli became a yuge star when she appeared in "Game of Thrones."
Other actresses we considered posting images of include Parker Posey, who has been in a film with Kekilli, and is now starring in Woody Allen's "Cafe Society," which also features Kristen Stewart. Posey is actually two years older than Kelly, and to our knowledge, those nursing home men residents in Amherst, Ohio, probably don't know much about the indie films that made Posey a distinct actress.
Katie Holmes was also on her radar but it seems she is getting enough attention both from Instagram and tabloids suggesting she is in a secret burning romance with Jamie Foxx, who is supposedly a pal of her ex-husband Tom Cruise. And, we thought about posting an image of Nina Totenberg, the legal affairs reporter for NPR for our intellectual readers. But, yea, they probably are in the minority.
Here's to the next 11 years......!!!
http://www.foxnews.com/
http://www.npr.org/
http://www.amherstohio.org/
http://www.mountjackson.com/
Friday, August 26, 2016
Potluck Quote of the Day (10 of 10): Natalie Portman
Tonight's Quote of the Day is from Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman ("V for Vendetta;" "Black Swan;" "Garden State") who was on the cover of the New York Times' T-Magazine (which covers fashion); one of our favorite films with the Israeli-born Portman is "Closer" with Julia Roberts and Jude Law:
"If you're an actress or a musician, everyone thinks you're hot."
http://www.natalieportman.com
http://www.nytimes.com
"If you're an actress or a musician, everyone thinks you're hot."
http://www.natalieportman.com
http://www.nytimes.com
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Potluck Quote of the Day (9 of 10): Dorothy Parker
It has been three full days since Dorothy Parker (1895-1967) would have celebrated her 123rd birthday, and we were planning to quote her before the anniversary. We gather Zeynep Akili of Istanbul, Turkey is a huge fan of her work (this is an in-joke, Zeynep Akili is not a real person)
One can probably find her books in places like The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, NC, which is hosting humorist/author Dave Barry on Sept. 7th, Malaprop's Bookstore (note to self: don't forget the apostrophe) in Asheville, NC, or The Boulder Bookstore in Boulder, Colo.
Parker was also the focus of a recent article in "Mental Floss" magazine.
Here is her quote, on love:
"Now I know the things I know and I do; and if you do not like me so, to hell, my love, with you!"
http://www.mentalfloss.com
http://www.malaprops.com/
http://www.regulatorbookshop.com/
http://www.boulderbookstore.net/
One can probably find her books in places like The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, NC, which is hosting humorist/author Dave Barry on Sept. 7th, Malaprop's Bookstore (note to self: don't forget the apostrophe) in Asheville, NC, or The Boulder Bookstore in Boulder, Colo.
Parker was also the focus of a recent article in "Mental Floss" magazine.
Here is her quote, on love:
"Now I know the things I know and I do; and if you do not like me so, to hell, my love, with you!"
http://www.mentalfloss.com
http://www.malaprops.com/
http://www.regulatorbookshop.com/
http://www.boulderbookstore.net/
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Potluck Quote of the Day (8 out of 10): Brigitte Bardot
Today we quote French bombshell actress Brigitte Bardot, who was tonight's Star of the Day on TCM which screened several of her films including "Contempt" by the amazing filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard. Bardot has also gotten wide media attention for speaking out against Muslim emigre women wearing burkinis along resorts on the French coast. Amazingly enough, we got into a row on Twitter with BOTH Muslims and non-Muslims for expressing our nuanced views on that matter. It seems like social media is a great way for everyone to hate your guts!
Before we get to tonight's quote, we want to thank WXYC-FM, the student-run UNC college radio station in Chapel Hill, NC, for playing one of our high school favorites "New Girl Now" by the Canadian band Honeymoon suite and the new wave German-language classic "Das Komasor" from the late Austrian pop star Falco.
Additionally, we want to share this great line from the Sunday edition Paul Jon's comic strip "Fort Knox": "Absolutely, in a few years, it will take over our backyard.
Lastly, we want to congratulate Turkish free-style wrestler Taha Akgul for winning his nation's lone gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Here is our quote from Bardot: "If only every man who sees my films did not get the impression he can make love to me, I would be a lot happier."
http://www.tcm.com
http://www.wxyc.org/
http://www.gocomics.com/fortknox
https://www.rio2016.com/en/turkey
Before we get to tonight's quote, we want to thank WXYC-FM, the student-run UNC college radio station in Chapel Hill, NC, for playing one of our high school favorites "New Girl Now" by the Canadian band Honeymoon suite and the new wave German-language classic "Das Komasor" from the late Austrian pop star Falco.
Additionally, we want to share this great line from the Sunday edition Paul Jon's comic strip "Fort Knox": "Absolutely, in a few years, it will take over our backyard.
Lastly, we want to congratulate Turkish free-style wrestler Taha Akgul for winning his nation's lone gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Here is our quote from Bardot: "If only every man who sees my films did not get the impression he can make love to me, I would be a lot happier."
http://www.tcm.com
http://www.wxyc.org/
http://www.gocomics.com/fortknox
https://www.rio2016.com/en/turkey
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Potluck Quote of the Day (7 of 10): Bill Murray
Happy National Radio! We are recognizing the occasion by listening to "Snap Judgment" with Glynn Washington on our local NPR radio station.
Alas, we have to keep this short as we desperately need to get back to arguing about religion and politics on Twitter! While we are it, we can also see if Paula Poundstone or Sarah Silverman have something witty to say there.
But, we do want to congratulate Ekaterini Stefanidi for winning gold in the pole vault for Greece, one of three gold medals for the nation. Similarly, we salute Nur Tartar, another female athlete, for winning bronze for Turkey in taekwondo.
Here is our quote from Bill Murray; today we are quipping alums of "Saturday Night Live" (yes, we know when Murray was on the show John Travlota was in "Saturday Night Fever"):
"There aren't many down sides to being rich, other than paying taxes and having relatives ask for money. But being famous, that's a 24-hour job right there."
http://snapjudgment.org/
http://sarahsilvermanonline.com/
http://www.paulapoundstone.com/
Alas, we have to keep this short as we desperately need to get back to arguing about religion and politics on Twitter! While we are it, we can also see if Paula Poundstone or Sarah Silverman have something witty to say there.
But, we do want to congratulate Ekaterini Stefanidi for winning gold in the pole vault for Greece, one of three gold medals for the nation. Similarly, we salute Nur Tartar, another female athlete, for winning bronze for Turkey in taekwondo.
Here is our quote from Bill Murray; today we are quipping alums of "Saturday Night Live" (yes, we know when Murray was on the show John Travlota was in "Saturday Night Fever"):
"There aren't many down sides to being rich, other than paying taxes and having relatives ask for money. But being famous, that's a 24-hour job right there."
http://snapjudgment.org/
http://sarahsilvermanonline.com/
http://www.paulapoundstone.com/
Friday, August 19, 2016
Potluck Quote of the Day/Night (6 of 10): George Carlin on an Olympic Sport
Before we start with our blog entry for tonight, we would like to congratulate Turkish free-style wrestler Soner Demirtas for beating out an opponent from Kazakhstan with a long, difficult name to win bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics; British boxer Joe Joyce won his bout over Ivan Dychok, also from Kazakhstan, to win bronze for his country. We promise that we have nothing against Kazakhstan.
Earlier tonight, we read Chapter 8 of the Chuck Palahniuk novel "Invisible Monsters Remix" at a local Waffle House (so you figured out we don't live in New York). I thought of tweeting Mr. Palahniuk about the experience, but we somehow doubt he would care that much.
While putting this together, we briefly listened to WXDU, the college-run radio station for Duke University in Durham, NC, put as cool as "The Soul Kontrol Show with DJ Miz" is, it is ultimately challenging for a middle-aged white man to blog while listening to hip hop......to be fair, we were also listening to the BBC World Service; they were not gloating about Joe Joyce.
By the time you read his, Zeynep Tufekci will likely have already been interviewed on NPR's "Morning Edition," scheduled for broadcast on Saturday morning, about cultural trends resulting from America's presidential election. It should perhaps be noted that like Tufekci I am of Turkish heritage, but we admire her work on an objective level. Hopefully, one or two of you believe that.
Earlier tonight, 2012 American Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney had a cameo on the sitcom "Superstore," but we missed it as to be completely honest with you we are suffering from Olympics fatigue.
But, we will congratulate American swimmer Katie Ledecky for winning four gold medals and one silver medal in Rio, as she has now won more gold medals than Kazakhstan, which will likely leave Brazil with three gold medals. Ok, so we like making fun of Kazakhstan.
At long last, here is our quip from the late stand-up comic George Carlin:
"Swimming is not a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning."
Ok, so now I guess we need to apologize to Katie Ledecky as well........good luck at Stanford, kid!
http://www.wxdu.org/
https://www.duke.edu/
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/
http://www.mckaylamaroney.com/
http://technosociology.org/ (Zeynep Tufekci's web site)
http://georgecarlin.com/
Earlier tonight, we read Chapter 8 of the Chuck Palahniuk novel "Invisible Monsters Remix" at a local Waffle House (so you figured out we don't live in New York). I thought of tweeting Mr. Palahniuk about the experience, but we somehow doubt he would care that much.
While putting this together, we briefly listened to WXDU, the college-run radio station for Duke University in Durham, NC, put as cool as "The Soul Kontrol Show with DJ Miz" is, it is ultimately challenging for a middle-aged white man to blog while listening to hip hop......to be fair, we were also listening to the BBC World Service; they were not gloating about Joe Joyce.
By the time you read his, Zeynep Tufekci will likely have already been interviewed on NPR's "Morning Edition," scheduled for broadcast on Saturday morning, about cultural trends resulting from America's presidential election. It should perhaps be noted that like Tufekci I am of Turkish heritage, but we admire her work on an objective level. Hopefully, one or two of you believe that.
Earlier tonight, 2012 American Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney had a cameo on the sitcom "Superstore," but we missed it as to be completely honest with you we are suffering from Olympics fatigue.
But, we will congratulate American swimmer Katie Ledecky for winning four gold medals and one silver medal in Rio, as she has now won more gold medals than Kazakhstan, which will likely leave Brazil with three gold medals. Ok, so we like making fun of Kazakhstan.
At long last, here is our quip from the late stand-up comic George Carlin:
"Swimming is not a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning."
Ok, so now I guess we need to apologize to Katie Ledecky as well........good luck at Stanford, kid!
http://www.wxdu.org/
https://www.duke.edu/
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/
http://www.mckaylamaroney.com/
http://technosociology.org/ (Zeynep Tufekci's web site)
http://georgecarlin.com/
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Today's Potluck Quote (5 out of 10): Nadia Comaneci
Today, a writing site asked on Twitter to write a five-word sentence in which an elite athlete takes a change in his or her life. My response was: "Simon Biles converts to Judoism." Yea, I'm not sure how well it might get received either, but with that in mind we quote another Olympic gymnast legend Nadia Comaneci of Romania; her husband Bart Conner runs a gymnastics school in Norman, Okla., a town that is also home to the Oklahoma Sooners, a team that won this year's NCAA college gymnastics championships this year.
Yes, of course, we are writing this in conjunction with the 2012 Rio Olympics! Kudos to current Romanian gymnast Catalina Ponor for coming back to the sport and competing in the Olympics at age 28.
Today, Bob Costas will probably try to boost our enthusiasm for synchronized swimming.
Here is today's potluck quote of the day: "You should also appreciate the goodness around you and surround yourself with positive people."
http://www.bartandnadia.com
http://www.bartconnergymnastics.com
Yes, of course, we are writing this in conjunction with the 2012 Rio Olympics! Kudos to current Romanian gymnast Catalina Ponor for coming back to the sport and competing in the Olympics at age 28.
Today, Bob Costas will probably try to boost our enthusiasm for synchronized swimming.
Here is today's potluck quote of the day: "You should also appreciate the goodness around you and surround yourself with positive people."
http://www.bartandnadia.com
http://www.bartconnergymnastics.com
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Today's Potluck Quotes (4 of 10): Richard Nixon
Greetings to those of you enjoying your lunch break at the New Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah, where it is almost noon now, or any of you who are a taking a break from the 2016 Rio Olympics where Team USA is now playing Team Japan in women's volleyball.
One of the fun aspects of these Olympics has been following former American Olympic gymnast and UCLA Bruins standout gymnast Samantha Peszek use social media to document her experiences in Brazil covering the games, which have included sharing a ride with former gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi whom our friend blogger Chris Knight from Reidsville, NC, ran into in an airport once.
Ok that's enough digression; here's today's quote of the day from the late Richard Nixon (1913-1994); yes. of course, we are doing this because it's also an election year here in les etats unis:
"If you take no risks, you will suffer no defeats. But, if you take no risks, you win no victories."
Wow! Even though he is no longer alive, it seems like Nixon would have been a perfect spokesperson for match.com
According to the web site for the Nixon Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif., CIA director John Brennan will speak there on Aug. 24th at 1:00 p.m. about how intelligence was gathered during the Cold War when Nixon was president.
http://www.slcnewdragon.com
http://www.uclabruins.com
https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/
One of the fun aspects of these Olympics has been following former American Olympic gymnast and UCLA Bruins standout gymnast Samantha Peszek use social media to document her experiences in Brazil covering the games, which have included sharing a ride with former gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi whom our friend blogger Chris Knight from Reidsville, NC, ran into in an airport once.
Ok that's enough digression; here's today's quote of the day from the late Richard Nixon (1913-1994); yes. of course, we are doing this because it's also an election year here in les etats unis:
"If you take no risks, you will suffer no defeats. But, if you take no risks, you win no victories."
Wow! Even though he is no longer alive, it seems like Nixon would have been a perfect spokesperson for match.com
According to the web site for the Nixon Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif., CIA director John Brennan will speak there on Aug. 24th at 1:00 p.m. about how intelligence was gathered during the Cold War when Nixon was president.
http://www.slcnewdragon.com
http://www.uclabruins.com
https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/
Monday, August 15, 2016
Today's Potluck Quote (3 of 10): Thomas Nagel
Simone Biles. Simone Biles. Simone Biles.
Michael Phelps. Michael Phelps. Michael Phelps.
Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt.
For those of you suffering from Olympics fatigue, you might want to watch "Lassie Come Home" with Roddy McDowell tonight on TCM at 9:45 p.m.
Hmm.........yeah, I guess if you live in Australia or New Zealand, you will need other alt programming suggestions.
We actually love the Olympics, but we sense it would be better to visit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when it is perhaps a bit less crowded.
Today's quote of the day is from Serbian-born living philosopher Thomas Nagel:
"Everyone is entitled to commit murder in the imagination once in a while, not to mention lesser infractions."
http://www.tcm.com
Michael Phelps. Michael Phelps. Michael Phelps.
Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt.
For those of you suffering from Olympics fatigue, you might want to watch "Lassie Come Home" with Roddy McDowell tonight on TCM at 9:45 p.m.
Hmm.........yeah, I guess if you live in Australia or New Zealand, you will need other alt programming suggestions.
We actually love the Olympics, but we sense it would be better to visit Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when it is perhaps a bit less crowded.
Today's quote of the day is from Serbian-born living philosopher Thomas Nagel:
"Everyone is entitled to commit murder in the imagination once in a while, not to mention lesser infractions."
http://www.tcm.com
Friday, August 12, 2016
Today's Quote of the Day: Jacques Derrida
Today's quote of the day comes from the late French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930-2004):
"Why is the philosopher who is expected to be easier and not some scientist who is even more inaccessible?"
"Why is the philosopher who is expected to be easier and not some scientist who is even more inaccessible?"
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Potluck Quote of the Day (1/10): Noam Chomsky Meets Marvin the Martian
Greetings to our blog readers in Turkey, Israel and Costa Rica......
Why are we featuring an image of Mars with a quote from left-wing philosopher/linguist/historian Noam Chomsky, one of America's leading critics of the Vietnam War, who happens to still be alive at age 87?
Well, just read this quote. And, thanks to the kids from Duke University for helping us with this research......(we are actually UNC fans here, but we wanted to be nice....and since all the college students are on break for the summer, perhaps, they will be reading this instead of playing video games)....
We gather that Speak of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) is a closet admirer of Chomsky's work (yeah, we just said that to get your attention)....
This will be our first of ten quotes from people who have achieved fame and/or notoriety in a variety of fields.
Here is the quote:
"If there were an observer on Mars, they would probably be amazed that we have survived this long."
https://chomsky.info/
http://mars.nasa.gov/
http://www.wxdu.org/ (Duke's student-run college radio station; they were playing Frankie Cosmos at last report, actually that was another college radio station).........
Why are we featuring an image of Mars with a quote from left-wing philosopher/linguist/historian Noam Chomsky, one of America's leading critics of the Vietnam War, who happens to still be alive at age 87?
Well, just read this quote. And, thanks to the kids from Duke University for helping us with this research......(we are actually UNC fans here, but we wanted to be nice....and since all the college students are on break for the summer, perhaps, they will be reading this instead of playing video games)....
We gather that Speak of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) is a closet admirer of Chomsky's work (yeah, we just said that to get your attention)....
This will be our first of ten quotes from people who have achieved fame and/or notoriety in a variety of fields.
Here is the quote:
"If there were an observer on Mars, they would probably be amazed that we have survived this long."
https://chomsky.info/
http://mars.nasa.gov/
http://www.wxdu.org/ (Duke's student-run college radio station; they were playing Frankie Cosmos at last report, actually that was another college radio station).........
20-Word Fiction (10/10): Jack and Diane
Greetings to our blog readers in Poland, Jordan and India......
As we typing this up, we are listening to "The American Life," a public radio documentary series hosted by Ira Glass; this week's episode focuses on the problems of intimacy. This short, short story reflects that sentiment as well:
"Jack got a postcard from Paris from his girlfriend. Diane told him she missed him even though she just met Pierre."
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
As we typing this up, we are listening to "The American Life," a public radio documentary series hosted by Ira Glass; this week's episode focuses on the problems of intimacy. This short, short story reflects that sentiment as well:
"Jack got a postcard from Paris from his girlfriend. Diane told him she missed him even though she just met Pierre."
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
20-Word Fiction: The Last Song on the Radio
Greetings to our blog readers in Argentina, Belgium and Canada.....
We actually listened to the song "Walk of Life," a hit single from Dire Straits from their album "Brothers in Arms" (1985) on Q-99.1-FM in Roanoke, Va., right before writing this piece. Our apologies to Mark Knopfler, the lead singer and guitarist of Dire Straits, though since we aren't using any lyrics from the song, we presume he can't sue us!:
"Nelson was listening to Dire Straits' song 'Walk of Life' when the train hit his car. His obit will run tomorrow."
Actually, this is 21 words, but this isn't "The New Yorker"!!!!
http://www.newyorker.com
We actually listened to the song "Walk of Life," a hit single from Dire Straits from their album "Brothers in Arms" (1985) on Q-99.1-FM in Roanoke, Va., right before writing this piece. Our apologies to Mark Knopfler, the lead singer and guitarist of Dire Straits, though since we aren't using any lyrics from the song, we presume he can't sue us!:
"Nelson was listening to Dire Straits' song 'Walk of Life' when the train hit his car. His obit will run tomorrow."
Actually, this is 21 words, but this isn't "The New Yorker"!!!!
http://www.newyorker.com
Friday, May 27, 2016
20-Word Fiction (8 of 10): The Extroverted Novelist
Greetings to our blog readers in Latvia, Greece and New Zealand.........
Here is tonight's 20-Word Fiction Entry:
"If you were Mark Twain, you'd stay home and write a novel tonight. Wouldn't you? Maybe? Perhaps? Just stating the obvious."
You can visit the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut (not where we are) either in person or on the web at this link (we gather Ira Glass the host of "This American Life" was there recently):
https://www.marktwainhouse.org/
His boyhood home of the "Tom Sawyer" author in Hannibal, Missouri http://www.marktwainmuseum.org/ is also a museum.
Here is tonight's 20-Word Fiction Entry:
"If you were Mark Twain, you'd stay home and write a novel tonight. Wouldn't you? Maybe? Perhaps? Just stating the obvious."
You can visit the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut (not where we are) either in person or on the web at this link (we gather Ira Glass the host of "This American Life" was there recently):
https://www.marktwainhouse.org/
His boyhood home of the "Tom Sawyer" author in Hannibal, Missouri http://www.marktwainmuseum.org/ is also a museum.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
20-Word Fiction (7 of 10): The Saturday Night Bath
Greetings to our blog readers in Germany, Ireland and Hungary....
Yes, we know this image of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy from "Adam's Rib" (1949) doesn't go with our title, which we came up with thanks to Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin's surreal art film "The Forbidden Room," which came out theatrically last year.
But, once you take the time to read this short, short story, perhaps you will understand or perhaps you will not!:
"Molly want to go to the movies with her friends tonight. Netflix is always my backup plan. I need alternatives!"....
If you are actually interested in going to the movies, then you may want to see the critically acclaimed film "Sunset Song" at the Film Forum in New York.
Meanwhile, two college town cinemas The Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg, Va., and The Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, are both showing the animated children's film "Zootopia."
Check the links below for more information:
http://www.filmforum.org
http://www.thelyric.com
http://www.varsityonfranklin.com
Yes, we know this image of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy from "Adam's Rib" (1949) doesn't go with our title, which we came up with thanks to Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin's surreal art film "The Forbidden Room," which came out theatrically last year.
But, once you take the time to read this short, short story, perhaps you will understand or perhaps you will not!:
"Molly want to go to the movies with her friends tonight. Netflix is always my backup plan. I need alternatives!"....
If you are actually interested in going to the movies, then you may want to see the critically acclaimed film "Sunset Song" at the Film Forum in New York.
Meanwhile, two college town cinemas The Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg, Va., and The Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, are both showing the animated children's film "Zootopia."
Check the links below for more information:
http://www.filmforum.org
http://www.thelyric.com
http://www.varsityonfranklin.com
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
20-Word Fiction (6 of 10): Mexican Lunch Date
Greetings from the Denver Public Library where we are blasting the 1968 Iron Butterfly song "In the Garden of Eden" and no one seems to mind, not even the 94-year-old woman reading a "National Geographic" magazine.
Of course, we are kidding, we are not in Denver, but we will go ahead and recommend La Loma for any of you visiting the Colorado capital as Google says it's a great place to do Mexican, and of course, they are 100-percent accurate..........:)
Here is today's 20-Word Fiction piece which does revolve around lunch, perhaps "Washington Post" food critic Tom Sietsema will like this one:
"She's ordering a taco salad. Cool. Okay. What do I want? Ask the waitress. Bad idea. It's a first date."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/tom-sietsema
https://www.denverlibrary.org/
Of course, we are kidding, we are not in Denver, but we will go ahead and recommend La Loma for any of you visiting the Colorado capital as Google says it's a great place to do Mexican, and of course, they are 100-percent accurate..........:)
Here is today's 20-Word Fiction piece which does revolve around lunch, perhaps "Washington Post" food critic Tom Sietsema will like this one:
"She's ordering a taco salad. Cool. Okay. What do I want? Ask the waitress. Bad idea. It's a first date."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/tom-sietsema
https://www.denverlibrary.org/
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
20-Word Fiction (5 out of 10): The Stamps
Tonight, we continue with our series of 20-word fiction pieces. This is the fifth in a series of ten. After 11 years of blogging, it's hard to come up with new ideas, but hopefully this is working. And, perhaps, someone from a far away place like Vilnius, Lithuania, is reading this. Perhaps....
"Stamps. Stamps. Stamps. Where are the effing stamps? Gotta send that check to Duke Energy. I owe Verizon money too."
We dedicate this entry to the Verizon workers who are caught up in a labor dispute with the telecommunications giant. Yeah, despite the patriotic World War II stamp image, we aren't tea party people here.....!
"Stamps. Stamps. Stamps. Where are the effing stamps? Gotta send that check to Duke Energy. I owe Verizon money too."
We dedicate this entry to the Verizon workers who are caught up in a labor dispute with the telecommunications giant. Yeah, despite the patriotic World War II stamp image, we aren't tea party people here.....!
Monday, May 23, 2016
20-Word Fiction: The Uninvited Guest
The image above is of a police car in Greensboro, NC, but this story has no specific geographical location in mind; it is after all just a 20-word story:
"There was a home invasion on Florida Street last night. The culprit recognized the man of the house. He left."
"There was a home invasion on Florida Street last night. The culprit recognized the man of the house. He left."
Sunday, May 22, 2016
20-Word Fiction: Sunday Night Insomnia Sneaks Up Again.........
This short piece is in reference to "David Holzman's Diary," a 1967 cult pseudo-documentary by Jim McBride, available on Vimeo but not Netflix, starring the late Kit Carson (pictured here in a still from the film.).
"It's late Sunday night. Effing insomnia again.....a part of me wants to watch "David Holzman's Diary" or just scream!"
We dedicate this story to F. Scott Fitzgerald who once said writers should never use exclamation points.
http://www.vimeo.com
"It's late Sunday night. Effing insomnia again.....a part of me wants to watch "David Holzman's Diary" or just scream!"
We dedicate this story to F. Scott Fitzgerald who once said writers should never use exclamation points.
http://www.vimeo.com
Friday, May 20, 2016
20-Word Fiction: Pumpkin Pie is out of Season
Everyone wants a piece of me. Sorry, I forgot the golden rule: Never use cliches. I'll remember that next time.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
20-word Fiction: The Farmer's Market
We went to the farmer's market; my grandmother died of a heart attack. we forgot to get the beets. THE END.
(This is a work of fiction; we hear beets are popular in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.....)
(This is a work of fiction; we hear beets are popular in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.....)
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Super Tuesday 4 Tweets: Ted Cruz Has Awful Night
To keep it brief: Donald Trump won Republican primaries in Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Maryland over John Kasich and Ted Cruz, who finished last in those states tonight.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton appears poised to claim the party nomination as she was unable to do during the 2008 election cycle. She won four of the five primaries with challenger Bernie Sanders winning in Rhode Island.
The Philly Phanatic is being featured as one of our images in honor of the Pennsylvania primary; the Phillies won tonight over the Washington Nationals 3-1 (we think).
We tried to capture the night with tweets from the left, the right and the center. Alas, we were unable to get many tweets from women but the one we did get was from Jessica Valenti, who is a feminist American-based reporter for "The Guardian" (UK).
Here are the tweets; we will put Valenti first:
1) Jessica Valenti: 'It's very easy to be presidential' Hmmm....
2) Anderson Cooper: Donald Trump says Bernie Sanders should run as an independent.
3) Dave Rubin: Cruz did win exit poll for Candidate Most Likely to Scare Children.
4) Matty Ice: Trump just won more states than Ted Cruz's mistresses.
5) David Axelrod: On big night, team Trump can't get mike to work??? Still a few wrinkles to work out, I guess.
6) Ricky Vaughn: Looks like Rhode Island delegates will be Trump 11 Kasich 5 Cruz 3.
7) Matthew Ygelsias: John King's enthusiasm for the state of Rhode Island is making the evening for me. (King is with CNN).
8) Rich Lowry: Trump's 57 percent in Pennsylvania is just astonishing.
9) Major Garrett (CBS): 'I'm not doing that,' Trump when asked about vetting running mates. 'I don't want to think about it.'
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton appears poised to claim the party nomination as she was unable to do during the 2008 election cycle. She won four of the five primaries with challenger Bernie Sanders winning in Rhode Island.
The Philly Phanatic is being featured as one of our images in honor of the Pennsylvania primary; the Phillies won tonight over the Washington Nationals 3-1 (we think).
We tried to capture the night with tweets from the left, the right and the center. Alas, we were unable to get many tweets from women but the one we did get was from Jessica Valenti, who is a feminist American-based reporter for "The Guardian" (UK).
Here are the tweets; we will put Valenti first:
1) Jessica Valenti: 'It's very easy to be presidential' Hmmm....
2) Anderson Cooper: Donald Trump says Bernie Sanders should run as an independent.
3) Dave Rubin: Cruz did win exit poll for Candidate Most Likely to Scare Children.
4) Matty Ice: Trump just won more states than Ted Cruz's mistresses.
5) David Axelrod: On big night, team Trump can't get mike to work??? Still a few wrinkles to work out, I guess.
6) Ricky Vaughn: Looks like Rhode Island delegates will be Trump 11 Kasich 5 Cruz 3.
7) Matthew Ygelsias: John King's enthusiasm for the state of Rhode Island is making the evening for me. (King is with CNN).
8) Rich Lowry: Trump's 57 percent in Pennsylvania is just astonishing.
9) Major Garrett (CBS): 'I'm not doing that,' Trump when asked about vetting running mates. 'I don't want to think about it.'
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Happy Children's Day............April 23rd is a National Turkish Holiday Honoring Children
Today is National Children's Day in Turkey, a National Holiday established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, formed in 1923, after a devastating period of wars including World War One and Turkey-Greece War of 1922.
The photos here are of Turkish children from 1) Edirne 2) Konya, 3) Gaziantep (Syrian refugee children), 4) Izmir 5) Izmir (Syrian children) and 6) Izmit/Sakarya.
The photos here are of Turkish children from 1) Edirne 2) Konya, 3) Gaziantep (Syrian refugee children), 4) Izmir 5) Izmir (Syrian children) and 6) Izmit/Sakarya.
Happy 79th Birthday Jack Nicholson...........Our 10 Favorite Films of His.......
Jack Nicholson turned 79 yesterday (April 22nd), a day which also marked the 80th birthday of country singer/actor Glen Campbell who s struggling with a high publicized bout with Alzhemeir's Disease.
Here are our ten favorite films of his, all but three are from the 1970s:
1) The Passenger (1975, pict. top)
2) Five Easy Pieces (1970; pict. center w/ the late Karen Black)
3) Chinatown (1974, pict. bottom w/ Faye Dunaway)
4) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
5) Carnal Knowledge (1971)
6) The Last Detail (1973)
7) The Shinning (1980 w/ Shelley Duvall)
8) The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
9) The Departed(2006)
10) Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Here are our ten favorite films of his, all but three are from the 1970s:
1) The Passenger (1975, pict. top)
2) Five Easy Pieces (1970; pict. center w/ the late Karen Black)
3) Chinatown (1974, pict. bottom w/ Faye Dunaway)
4) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
5) Carnal Knowledge (1971)
6) The Last Detail (1973)
7) The Shinning (1980 w/ Shelley Duvall)
8) The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
9) The Departed(2006)
10) Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Monday, April 18, 2016
Tax Day Tweets: Kudos to Oklahoma U on Winning Women's College Gym Title
Since we last posted on this blog in March, sooooo many things have happened around the world, including an awful earthquake in Ecuador, terrorist attacks in Belgium, Turkey and Pakistan, and the state of North Carolina, our former state of residence, passed an infamous piece of legislation called the 'bathroom bill,' which has lead to boycotts from Cirque du Soleil, Boston, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and now Pearl Jam.
But, Katrina and the Waves (pict. top) have not boycotted the Tar Heel State, but they are not currently on tour!
We also want to take a moment to congratulate Oklahoma University's women's gymnastics team, including stand-out gymnast Chayse Capps (pict. center) for winning the NCAA women's gymnastics championships by edging out LSU, Alabama and Florida in Fort Worth, Tex.
We also want to acknowledge that we are listening to the waning minutes of Ira Glass' long-running NPR show "This American Life," which is always a bit hard to follow when one is blogging, cooking or working on a car engine. Let's face it, listening to NPR works best in places like prisons and closed warehouse buildings where there are no distractions.
As for Katrina and the Waves, they are the band that came to mind with our first of three Tax Day Tweets of the Day (they are best known for the 1985 pop hit "Walking on Sunshine") although our favorite song is actually the downer "Love Will Tear Us Apart Again" from Joy Division.
Here are the three Tax Day Tweets:
1) Facts and Psychology: Listening to your favorite song before bed can help you sleep better, wake up easier and enhance your mood for the upcoming day.
2) Urban Slangs: Scruff: Facial hair basically day three to five after a shave.
3) Linda Holmes (NPR, we believe she doesn't work with Ira Glass): Today, I saw a movie with a premise sort of similar to the novel I once tried to write. Fortunately, the movie was way better than I thought.
http://www.katrinaandthewaves.com
http://www.thisamericanlife.org
But, Katrina and the Waves (pict. top) have not boycotted the Tar Heel State, but they are not currently on tour!
We also want to take a moment to congratulate Oklahoma University's women's gymnastics team, including stand-out gymnast Chayse Capps (pict. center) for winning the NCAA women's gymnastics championships by edging out LSU, Alabama and Florida in Fort Worth, Tex.
We also want to acknowledge that we are listening to the waning minutes of Ira Glass' long-running NPR show "This American Life," which is always a bit hard to follow when one is blogging, cooking or working on a car engine. Let's face it, listening to NPR works best in places like prisons and closed warehouse buildings where there are no distractions.
As for Katrina and the Waves, they are the band that came to mind with our first of three Tax Day Tweets of the Day (they are best known for the 1985 pop hit "Walking on Sunshine") although our favorite song is actually the downer "Love Will Tear Us Apart Again" from Joy Division.
Here are the three Tax Day Tweets:
1) Facts and Psychology: Listening to your favorite song before bed can help you sleep better, wake up easier and enhance your mood for the upcoming day.
2) Urban Slangs: Scruff: Facial hair basically day three to five after a shave.
3) Linda Holmes (NPR, we believe she doesn't work with Ira Glass): Today, I saw a movie with a premise sort of similar to the novel I once tried to write. Fortunately, the movie was way better than I thought.
http://www.katrinaandthewaves.com
http://www.thisamericanlife.org
Friday, March 11, 2016
Salute to NCAA College Sports (3 of 3)
The six student athletes pictured here are: 1) Tacko Fall, a 7'6 freshman from Senegal, Central Florida, men's basketball; 2) Nikki Taylor, women's volleyball, Hawaii, 3) Nick Fields, men's lacrosse, Johns Hopkins, 4) Amanda Leveille (from Canada), women's hockey, Minnesota, 5) Dante Holmes, men's basketball, North Carolina Central; 6) Johanny Sotillo, women's gymnastics, Iowa
Salute to NCAA college sports (2 of 3)
The six student athletes picture here are 1) Alex McMurtry, women's gymnastics, Florida; 2) Sarp Gobeloglu (originally from Turkey), men's basketball, Montana State; 3) Dominique Wilson, women's basketball, NC State; 4) Myles Yorke, men's soccer, Radford; 5) Paige Neuenfeldt, women's volleyball, UNC, and 6) Zac Epperly, wrestling, Virginia Tech