The Real Dressing Room - Florida

This is an improvised video shot in 1995 at Florida Atlantic University. It was made backstage during the production of "Measure For Measure", taped, directed and edited by cast member Bron Barry - no relation, but a very cool dude who's living and working in L.A. now.

I love, how, only a few years into the Real World's existence, we "young people" knew what utter bullshit it was. I'm pretty sure we made this around between San Francisco and London seasons. Look for Jimmy McJamestown (pictured above), Charlie Berfield, Keven Scotti, Reggie Garcon, Paul Casali, Des Gallant and many others (including Bron!), improvising our hearts out.

Now that I know the rules of improv, I'm picking my performance apart (it has been 12 years since I've seen this). But it is kind of fun to watch. Thanks to Bron for posting this! Beware, it is almost 18 minutes long and contains profanities. Enjoy!

A Quick One While She's Away...

What is up?

Work and home are busy, busy, busy now!

Some updates:

Asa got a haircut at Groomingdale's yesterday. We kept some hair on his muzzle, ears and tail. He looks freaky! But I love it. I spoke with our groomer about some Halloween cuts for October....

Galoot Jr. and myself are getting haircuts tonight. Fun stuff.

I've been growing a beard for a play reading in June. I'll be playing Buffalo Bill at an unveiling for a wood-cut, billboard that was uncovered on the side of my office's building a few years ago. This thing is vintage and very cool. Please don't laugh at our website. We'll be presenting a new one soon!

It took a few seasons, but it appears that Jim and Pam might finally be getting together on The Office! Very funny, very cool episode. I've already seen conspiracy theories on the net regarding Ryan's taking the job at corporate. Remember when Wallace said it would be nice to have another M.B.A. at work? Ryan is still in business school, no? Big theory is Wallace was talking to Karen, then Karen was the one talking to Ryan. What do you think? In other sweeps-period type developments, one of the gals I dated in graduate school was playing, Grace, the receptionist at Dunder-Mifflin in NYC! PGirl was very pleased when I paused the image to reveal this to her!

We're going to attempt a marathon trip next week. On Thursday, PGirl and I will drive 3 hours east to Elmira and catch my mentor's production of Cabaret at the college. On Friday night, we'll be back in town for The Unexpected Guests annual Lucy-Desi Days show. Early on Saturday morning, we're going to beat it out of town to vist the Colonel, the Mick, Momma Hen and Taken for a Memorial Day weekend hootenanny!

Uninspired....

...so I'll steal another type of entry. From PSlea,

Four Things about Me

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1) Puppeteer - For a very brief stint, I worked two puppets for an ill-conceived, ill-fated Saturday morning, 6am, public access, children's show that basically served to sell a video of the puppets (with different performers). One character was a cowboy/cyclone and the other was a Rastafarian, rotary telephone. His name was Rastaphone.
2) Usher/Concessions Dude - I worked at Loew's Cinemas in Florence, Kentucky. At that time, nine auditoriums were considered a multiplex. Itchy polyester pants. Free popcorn and movies. I served Ozzy Osbourne and his entourage.
3) Camp Counselor - My first job stretched out over 3 summers at two different scout camps. Too many stories to tell here. The cub scout camp was the most fun though. Not because of the kids. No, the older guys on staff were like a fraternity and were insanely cool and funny.
4) Book/Music Seller - I helped to open the Border's in Boynton Beach, Florida eleven years ago. If I went back into retail, I'd consider that chain.

Four places I have lived:
1) Islip, New York - My first memories were in an old house on Long Island. We lived a few miles from the ocean. It is congested as hell now, but I like visiting when I can.
2) Delray Beach, Florida - I rented a very cool, recently renovated little apartment from Jimmy McJamestown's folks. Only stayed for 4 months. It was about 50 yards from a 7-11.
3) Deerfield Beach, Florida - Shacked up with PGirl for almost 2 years before we married. Her first condo.
4) Northern Kentucky - My formative years were spent in this part of the southern midwest. Mere miles from Cincinnati and B.F.E.

FOUR TV SHOWS I LIKE TO WATCH
I think I recommended some shows in a previous entry...

Four Places I've Been on Vacation:
1) Ireland - Weeks before my wedding, my family went and visited my Mom's cousins.
2) Key West - Possibly my favorite place to go.
3) Lake Cumberland, Kentucky - Houseboating for a week - several hundred dollars. Beer in a dry county - 50 bucks. Going nude down a slide into the water at midnight - priceless!
4) Warren, Pennsylvania - As a 14 year old. Don't try this. Ever.

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1) Sushi
2) Pizza
3) Bagels with cream cheese, salmon and capers.
4) Bacon

I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1) Home.
2) Mother's Day morning.
3) Key West
4) At a Pavement concert.

Silver Screen

Wow! A lot of blogging folks seem to be on a movie kick. I'll chime in here.

The family will be packing in the "man"ivan soon to head over to the Park 60 Drive In. At dusk, we'll be watching "Spiderman 3", munching on popcorn and trying to keep the kids from killing each other. I love the drive-in, because we can all see a movie together without GalootJr. making a run for the exits before the first reel is over.

I'm looking forward to seeing this movie. Hopefully it will be entertaining. What follows are my favorite super hero movies. In no particular order...

1. Spiderman 2 - Perfect balance of humor, hubris and action. This one managed to be a Sam Raimi movie, while preserving the integrity of Peter Parker.
2. X-Men - Not bad for an "origin" story. Wolverine's entrance was memorable.
3. X-Men 2 - Nightcrawler was well realized here. Shame the controls were turned over to Brett Ratner for number 3.
4. Superman - Still rocks my world after almost 30 years. I loved Christopher Reeves' take on the character.
5. Blade - Thoroughly entertaining bit of vampire killing. Wesley Snipes owned the character.
6. Superman 2 - Richard Donner was asked to leave production after much of this one was in the can. I'd like to see his cut that is available on DVD.
7. Batman Begins - Very, very cool! Almost perfect cast all-around.
8. Batman - I liked the music, the sets and the costumes. I'm still not crazy about Michael Keaton though. And Jack Nicholson was good, not great.
9. Ghost World - Based on a graphic novel about two teens facing life after high school graduation. Funny. Sad. Quirky.

While We're On This Subject...

My favorite places to eat breakfast are...

1. Aldo's - A Jamestown greasy spoon. It is what it is. Some of the best diner food I've ever had.
2. Stringtown - A Florence, Kentucky greasy spoon. Best biscuits and gravy!
3. Denny's - If you can't eat at a local place, find one of these chains.
4. Tom Sawyer's - A Boca Raton joint that serves breakfast in a pot. Literally. Three biscuits on the bottom, covered with gravy, topped with scrambled eggs with whatever you like and sprinkled with cheese.
5. Bagel City South - Cram a bunch of tables and chairs into a small Jewish deli and this is what you get. If you can't make it to a New York City diner, this is the Boca Raton version.
6. Bob Evans - 2nd best biscuits and gravy ever.
7. Original Pancake House - IHOP? I don't think so.

Honorable Mentions -

1. Cracker Barrel - Pretty good southern food, yes. But I hate, hate, hate, waiting forty five minutes to get a table. The gift shop can only hold my attention for so long.
2. Coffee Cup - This Jamestown restaurant has the best monthly breakfast specials of any breakfast joint I've been to. The waitresses are really nice, but...for a place with this name, they should really try to give you a refill more than they do.

Glorious Food

Ingloriously Ripped From Jenny at Mama Drama

1- Can you cook? If yes, do you like to cook?
I can cook and I love it. I'm getting better at cleaning as I go.

2 - When does your whole family come together to eat?
Usually everyone is at the table 4-5 times a week.

3 - What do you have for breakfast?
Breakfast bar or bowl of cereal most of the week. Sometimes a bagel with salmon, cream cheese and capers from Timothy's. Big breakfast (bacon, eggs, etc.) once a week.

4 - How often do you eat out?
Once a week.

5 - How often do you order-in or take-away?
Once a week (alternates with #4).

6 - Re: 5 & 6 - If money was no question, would you like to do it more often?
Not necessarily. If money wasn't a question, I'd probably cook more.

7- Are there any quarrels because of food?
PGirl Jr. is notoriously picky. I have a thin skin sometimes when cooking breakfast.

8 - Are you vegetarian or can you imagine living vegetarian?
I could be a vegetarian. Just a matter of finding what you like.

9 - What would you like to try out that you haven't dared yet?
Beef Tartar.

10 - Would you rather cook or bake?
Cook. I'll bake once we get a stand mixer.

11 - What do your kids like to eat best? What would your kids never eat?
They like mac and cheese, pizza, some pasta. They don't like certain vegetables.

12 - What do you dislike most?
Processed American cheese slices.

13-what are you hungry for right now? Sushi.

Monday, Monday

While driving today - a lot of miles - I remembered on book trilogy that should have been on the list. The Barrytown Trilogy by Roddy Doyle. These books follow the Rabbit family of Northern Ireland. The first book, "The Commitments", was made into a film in the early '90's. "The Snapper" and "The Van" were also made into films. Though I love "The Commitments", "The Snapper" is my absolute favorite. Trivia: Colm Meaney of "Star Trek Deep Space Nine", played the patriarch in each film, though the names of the family changed after the 1st film.

I drove 3 hours to Rochester this morning for a two hour regional meeting of my peers. I decided to take an alternate route home that would have gotten me back in the same amount of time. When looking at the map, I realized if I drove an hour out of my route, I could surprise my old college professor and mentor, John Kelly. We met in college in Missouri. He's since taught in Louisiana and got his current job in Elmira, New York last year. With the help of PGirl on Mapquest (like Chloe Sullivan from "24") I managed to walk into a production meeting John was having for his spring musical. He smiled and was otherwise unfazed, saying something like, "You made it."

Elmira is a lovely little town. We talked about doing a two man show this summer for charity. Should be fun.

PGirl Jr. has the chicken pox. Check out my wife's blog for details.

I sewed a button on my favorite work pants this weekend. When I showed it off to PGirl and Galoot Jr. (who were sitting down at the time), my crotch was level with the boy's face. I tugged on the button, an action which my son mistook for my making water. Quote Jr., "Don't pee on me! I'm not a toilet."

The local news - a Time Warner cable station - revisited my improv troupe last month for a VIP Chautauqua piece. They aired interviews and performance footage of us for three consecutive segments over the last few weeks. As soon as it is up on Mr. Social's YouTube page, I'll post a link. If you don't want to place my voice with my mug, don't watch it!

Read All About It

Ten Book Series I Have Enjoyed Throughout The Years:

1. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman - A young girl bridges several alternate earths (including ours) and combats a bureaucratic government with the help of a Texas hot air ballon pilot, a talking polar bear, gypsies, witches and a boy from America. Sounds hokey, but it isn't. In Lyra's world, the soul manifests itself as an animal which is always by your side. Unless someone tries to seperate them....
2. Harry Potter - The first book was a joy to read, as a young orphan finally found a home at a school of magic. The fourth book was a classic middle of the journey story (think "Empire Strikes Back"). As the books have become longer, the story has become darker, richer and more involved.
3. The Great Brain - Fun vignettes about a boy in turn of the century Utah who schemes his way through life. Ferris Bueller as a Mormon.
4. Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - If Monty Python had written books about science fiction/fantasy...
5. Ramona/Henry Huggins - Sister Juanita would read these to us in the fourth grade. Beverly Cleary rocked.
6. Macdonald Hall - Two Ferris Bueller-y types play pranks in a Canadian boarding school. Written by a then-juvenile Gordon Korman.
7. The Three Investigators - Three Hardy Boy-esque archetypes (fat kid, jock kid, non-descript kid) solve local mysteries. Bonus points for having a secret, airstream trailer base in a junk yard.
8. Lonesome Dove - The original is a classic, the sequel - a dark, dark wrap-up and the prequels were fair to middling. Catch the miniseries, all of which are pretty decent. The last book released (number 2 in chronological order) is supposed to be televised this year on CBS. With Val Kilmer no less!
9. Xanth - Piers Anthony's characters were based on mythological creatures and magicians who live in a land not unlike Florida. Several generations of characters are covered in these books. A lot of winking references to modern conveyances.
10. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader - Perfect for long or short hauls on the porcelain throne.

Three series I should read:

1. The Lord of The Rings - I still haven't made it through "The Two Towers" yet. I think I was spoiled by the movies.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia - Sounds cool enough.
3. The Dark Tower - I have a copy of the first trade paperback of the first book on my night stand. Trying hard to get through it. I need to just plow through the damn thing until I'm hooked.
   

Boob Tube

Quick and Cheap today....

Thirteen Television Shows You Should Be Watching:

1. The Office - Since beginning as a virtual copy of the British version with the pilot, this one has come into its own. The Jim and Pam story arc is painfully realistic and it looks like they'll wait until the season finale to come to a resolution (if any). Steve Carell's character tries so hard to please everyone and usually fails. Best pushing the envelope lines since "Arrested Development".
   
2. 30 Rock - I didn't start watching this until mid-season, but I love it. If you enjoy Alec Baldwin's commitment to absurd characters on "Saturday Night Live", then you should like this show. Eccentric characters abound. This show is like "My Name Is Earl", but without the heart.
   
3. Mythbusters - Fun for the whole family! If you've ever wanted to see old proverbs, urban legends and myths tested scientifically, this show is for you. Things often explode on this program.
   
4. Friday Night Lights - Imagine the best parts of "My So Called Life" and "Once and Again" mashed up with a season of rural Texas high school football and you get this gem. Like a lot of NBC shows, you can catch up with repeats on Bravo. Hopefully they'll do a marathon soon!
   
5. Battlestar Galactica - The producers took the premise of the original ABC series and infused it with dramatic story arcs. Not just a sci-fi show. There are robots, robots who look like humans, and the humans they may or may not want to kill off. Some former "Deep Space Nine" people work on this show.
   
6. Pardon The Interruption - A daily dose of sporting news, delivered and debated by two balding sports writers from D.C. Fun, informative and bombastic.
   
7. The Daily Show - The first 10 minutes of this show are some of the funniest comedy you'll see in a given week, month or year.
   
8. Conan O'Brien - Still rocking late night after several years on the air. The comedy bits before and after the 1st interview are worth recording the show.
   
9. Saturday Night Live - Some folks still think the first season was the best. I say you can't compare them that way. The topical humor of the mid 70's only flies on cable stations now. Love it or hate it, the show still manages to knock you on your ass, laughing at least once each episode. Best line of the season, "Bobby McFerrin raped my grandmother." And for those MadTV folks out there who like to bash SNL regularly, you are invited to the grown up table to feast on some adult comedy any time.
   
10. The Venture Brothers - A scientist, his idiot-teenaged sleuth sons and their homicidal bodyguard try to get by in life while being targeted by a butterfly themed villain named The Monarch. You really have to see this cartoon to believe it. By far, the best use of Patrick Warburton's voice in an animated series, ever.
    
11. 24 - This season has sucked and blowed like never before, but I'm hanging with it to see how they'll wrap it up. Ricky "The Ricker" Schroeder showed up a few episodes ago as a Jack Bauer type without all the family baggage. Greatest line of the season - when Ricky's character enters a warehouse where Bauer has recently dispatched ten terrorists with bullets and then hanged their leader on a chain in order to secure two nuclear bombs. Ricky's line, "Damn Jack!"
12. Austin City Limits - Unshackle yourself from terrestrial radio, "American Idol", MTV and anything run by Clear Channel to see some truly diverse musical acts in a live setting. Check local listings as it airs on PBS.
    
13. Project Runway - And I though "Top Chef" was great. This competition for clothing designers provided the template for all the other Bravo knockoffs.
    

Seven Songs

I didn't get tagged for this one, but I liked it so much, that I had to share. Basically you pick seven songs that you've been listening to and tag seven friends to share. Here are my picks:

1. “Listening Man” by The Bees (U.K.) - This one has been playing on Sirius a lot lately. I sounds like Bob Marley by a bunch of white dudes. Like UB40 without the crap remake baggage. I don't think the album is out yet. These guys are real throwbacks.
2. “Jacksonville” by Sufjan Stevens - I posted a link to a live video version of this tune a few months ago. The recorded version is good, but the live version is better. The only song about Helen Keller that I know about.
3. “Rise Up With Fists” by Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Lewis reminds me of Neko Case with a better singing voice. A lot of her songs are alt-country, but (as my friend Conroe put it) there's some blue-eyed soul in their as well.
4. “Company In My Back” by Wilco - This one's gotta be a few years old now, but I still love it. I have no idea what it is about, but it is a beautiful track.
5. “He War” by Cat Power - Another song from the recent past. I like the overdubs of Chan Marhsall with her own lead vocal.
6. “A Method” – by TV On The Radio - Last summer I heard this song over and over on WOXY.com. Nice studio song, but I wonder what the live version is like.
7. Unknown - by Half Japanese – Jad and David Fair are a couple of brothers who taught themselves how to play instruments and recorded a lot of music. Think Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes fronting The Minutemen. I don’t know the title of the song, but I heard it in a documentary about the band a couple of weeks ago. I wrote an email to Jad Fair, asking him for the title. We’ll see if he gets back to me!

Tag: Brother Mick, Preppygirl, PSlea, Mr. Social, Julia, TCrowe and Momma Hen

Guilty Pleasure of the Week: The Bridge - A soft rock channel on Sirius. I almost stayed in the car last week to finish hearing "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt.

Keeping It Real

Movie boyfriends? Movie girlfriends? Have all of you blogesses gone insane? If you're going to crush on a media personality, at least choose real people and not characters on the silver screen. I present to you:

Eight Of My Television News Girlfriends

1. Ann Curry - She's exotic and reads the news really well. Plus, she's vulnerable from losing the "Today" anchor job to Meredith. I'm here for you Ann.
2. Robin Meade - Finally, CNN has put her name on the morning show she does. You rock my world Robin.
3. Chris Jansing - She kind of looks like a manga character, but since her hair has grown out, it kind of balance out her features. MSNBC stands for My Super Nubile Broadcasting Crush.
4. Campbell Brown - She must be like, 6 feet 2 inches or something. Sort of tomboyish. Lenny likes!
5. Jodi Applegate - Whatever ever became of...? Jodi was like a shorter, more wholesome version of Campbell. She rocked my weekend "Today" visits.
6. Natalie Morales - Muy caliente!
7. Maryalice Demler - Our Buffalo NBC co-anchor. Former beauty queen, though she doesn't flaunt it. The only brunette with frosted tips that keeps the crunch in my cereal.
8. Hannah Storm - Emigrated from the sporting news world into that crapfest at CBS. Hannah, you can join my morning news team any day!

And Five Who Missed The Cut:

1. Katie Couric - You used to be cute, but the blond dye has affected your look for the worse. You should really consult someone in wardrobe.
2. Jodi Johnston- Another morning person from Buffalo. The clothes she chooses have done her in.
3. Meredith Viera - I lusted after you on "West 57th" years ago. But "The View" showed some sides of you I'm just not crazy for. Sorry.
4. Connie Chung - You chose Maury over me. Whatev.
5. Soledad O'Brien - We could have had something.
   

Who Are You?

Another acquaintance from my college days has been in the blogosphere for several months now. Unlike my other chums from Fayette, Missouri in the nineties, I do not know the identity of this person. She is being coy and dropping hints here and there, but she hasn't cracked yet. Looks like we'll have to use the process of elimination here:

1. She isn't Tony Vrooman, Dino English or Tony Primeau because those guys are dudes.
2. She isn't Flybunny because Flybunny is Flybunny.
3. She isn't Gwen Stefani, because Gwen Stefani sucks.
4. She isn't old girlfriend, Doctor SLK, because I don't think my old flame would want to reveal much in a blog.
5. She isn't Doctor SLK's old roommate Doctor H, because she is even less likely to blog.
6. She isn't the always entertaining MelMcD. because she said so.
7. She isn't TCrowe, because Skippy has TCrowe to himself in a cool house in Rocheport.

I'm not going to give out other names I'm thinking here, because I'm not feeling like it. But this is kind of fun.

P.S. Tracy, she might be one of your music sorority sisters or a theatre sorority sister...

Mr. Roboto

Jenny from Mama Drama apparently has experience fending off angry robots. We have a slight infestation in Western New York as well....

Life Rocks!

What a weekend! The second in a row that I managed to enjoy. Some highlights:

- Remembering the old college days because I discovered that one of PGirl's blog-buddies went to college with me for two years. Big ups to Flybunny.

- My March Madness bracket is shoring up. I went 22 of 32 for the 1st round, 11 of 16 for the second round and After a post-lunch visit to the Wine Cellar for a look at my picks, I despaired, seeing I was 9 points behind the guy in first and tied with a gazillion people for something like 10th place. By Friday night I was 6 for 8 and tonight, Georgetown sealed my Final Four, perfectly. I have Florida and Georgetown in the final with the Gators repeating.

- In a somewhat sad note, Tubby Smith, ten year head coach at Kentucky, left to coach the gophers of Minnesota. Good for him. I've got another team to support. Now, who will fill his shoes in Lexington. Any guesses? Billy Donovan would be a huge score for the Wildcats. We'll see what happens.

- In a funny note, Galoot Jr. was in the McDonald's bathroom this morning, humming a familiar theme. I asked him what song he was singing. He said, "Star Wars". The little sprout was humming the "Imperial March". May the poop be with you all.

We Are Family!

Wow. It seems that the disovery of the blogs of friends and family seem to cluster together. A couple of days after finding Steve and Tracy, the blogs of my stepbrother and sister-in-law come to my attention. Check them out!

Tuesday...something.

1. Not a thirteen. Maybe something else.

Two dear friends from my college days have been blogging for a long while and I'd like to link them up here.

Steve (a.k.a Skippy)


And Tracy!

Here goes...

Some Random Recollections About My Friends, Steve and Tracy

1. Tracy was among the very first group of folks I met at college that remained friends throughout our tenure.
2. I met Steve when we were cast as sidekicks in "Scapino".
3. Tracy is from Oklahoma and a perfect example of Midwestern kindness.
4. Steve (I believe) is from Missouri and a perfect example of what happens to you if you use the same facial expression too much. In other words, the guy has a huge smile that was present often during our times together.
5. Tracy's dad was a founding member of my fraternity.
6. Steve was in another fraternity, whose members I was very close to.
7. Tracy and Steve are both accomplished vocalists.
8. Tracy was in a sorority with my college girlfriends, Sara and Traci.
9. Steve and I founded our own fraternity known as "The Squirrels".
10. Tracy had a propensity for reaching out to people in genuine generosity.
11. Steve had a propensity for reaching out to me in genuine nudity (and I reciprocated!).
12. Steve and Tracy honored me by asking me to be the best man at their wedding!
    

March Madness 2

Is there any better weekend of the year than the one that comes closest to the Ides of March? If the calendar dates fall into place, St. Patrick's Day coincides with the beginning of the NCAA Basketball Tournaments. This year was a trifecta as the second round of games and the Irish-American holiday fell on a Saturday. Bliss, sheer bliss.

I spent part of my free time on Thursday and Friday prepping for our somewhat annual St. Patrick's Day dinner by prepping the menu and watching 1st round games. Work was a virtual wash on Thursday as I kept an eye on the scores and listened to a few games on the radio. I managed to pick 22 of 32 winners in the 1st Round. I'm 8 for 11 on the second round so far. The best I can do is 11 out of 16. It was nice seeing Duke get dropped on Thursday night.

On the commercial front, am I to believe that Kevin Bacon and Michael Jordan are roommates? What does Kyra Sedgwick feel about this? I'm so confused. I think I'll go to the Dollar General and buy some underwear.

I picked up extra groceries for dinner on Friday night (in the midst of some nasty snow) and grabbed take-out from the best fried fish place in town. Then I peeled potatos while watching Kentucky beat Villanova. Relief, at least until 7pm tonight when the world will know if the Wildcats have tournament legs.

Saturday couldn't have been more perfect. I only had to make one trip to the grocery for last minute ingredients and we managed to clean the house (mostly PGirl) and cook the food (mostly me) while keeping the kiddoes occupied. Not one moment of stress or yelling or anything of that sort.

Our menu:

Corned Beef Brisket
Shepherd's Pie (with and without cheddar cheese)
Potatos
Potato and Turnip Au Gratin with Pecorino Romano cheese
Soda Bread
Beer Bread
Scones (the last 3 made by Saint Eileen)
Dublin Cheddar
Some other funky Irish Cheese that kind of tasted smoked
Brie
Cracker Assortment

At The Bar:
Guinness in the can (served in a pint glass)
Guinness in a bottle
Harp Lager
Southern Tier Beer
Cask and Cream Irish Liquor
Irish Whiskey

Fun was had by all! The guests were a mix of co-workers, friends, family and acquaintances. The shepherd's pie was popular as was the corned beef. PGirl brought a space heater from work, so we warmed up our porch room and threw some darts as well. We finished off the Irish cream (I had a bit too much of it) and wound up with gift bottles of Carolan's (another fine substitute for Bailey's) and a red wine from my boss. I'm certain PGirl will do a write up on the evening as well, but I figured I'd put out my take!

Funny Pages

I read them every morning. Well, there are at least two that I read every morning. Mondays through Fridays I read them on the web. On the weekends I buy the newspaper to get a hold of them. Whatever the case, I gotsta have my daily comic strips. Here are 13 ones that I read or have read with frequency over the years:

1. "Funky Winkerbean" - The main characters started out as teens in the seventies and didn't age for several years. Now they're all my age and somewhat relatable. I love how the seasons change throughout the strip as well as the recurring themes of high school life (for teachers and students), family, love and loss.

2. "For Better Or For Worse" - I have literally grown up with this family. Son, Michael is about my age and has two kids, just like me. It took me a long time to figure out they lived in Canada, but that didn't change the impact it has on me. Cloying at times, (especially with the author's take on the youngest daughter's life in high school), but ultimately worth sticking with. Like "Funky", it has story arcs that keep me hooked.

3. "Luann" - I hate, hate, hate the author's take on kids and parents. It is just too pat for me. And each character is drawn, at times, with a smug look about them (half-lidded, "I told you so eyes.". The only reason I come back is to see if brother Brad will end up with Toni.

4. "Dilbert" - I should read this daily, but usually opt for the Sunday version. I've only worked in an office setting in the last year, so mostly I love the absurd comedy that crops up.

5. "Get Fuzzy" - Anthropomorphized cat and dog making their owner's life very interesting. Some gaggy, punny humor at times, but I still love it.

6. "Bloom County" - Long gone for many years now, the characters still live on in "Opus" on Sundays and in collections. Political, satrical, filled with parodies - a living testament to the 1980's and all things cultural.

7. "Crankshaft" - The bus driver from "Funky Winkerbean" has his own spin-off. Another slice of midwestern living. Watch for the crossovers with its parent strip from time to time.

8. "Pickles" - A retired, elderly couple living out their golden years with the help of a dog, cat and grandson (who is sometimes like a pet himself). Light, easy-going humor.

9. "Calvin and Hobbes" - Brilliant strip! I used to read the collections before I went to sleep at night. Bill Watterson was very outspoken on the comics business as well.

10. "The Far Side" - Still alive in desktop calendars.

11. "Peanuts" - This one captured the innocence of childhood and the ability of kid's to see through bullshit.

12. "Dog Eat Doug" - A harmless lark about an infant boy and his dog. "Calvin and Hobbes" lite.

13. "Mutts" - Cute strip about cats and dogs - sensing a theme here? Cute, but not in a "Family Circus" way. Thankfully.

...and expeditious!

PGirl and I watched "A Prairie Home Companion" last night. This is the second time she has checked it out of the library, but the first time we've made time to watch it. It is pretty good. Not bad as a Robert Altman film. And it is a pretty good interpretation of the radio show (which I'm a fan of.) Mostly I'm happy that I saw the film before it became one of those "I wish I'd seen it!" films. With this in mind, I present to you...

Thirteen Films I Want To Take Off Of My "I Wish I Had Seen" List:

1. "Nashville" - A Robert Altman film from the seventies. I recorded it from Turner Classic Movies (which shows widescreen). I loved "MASH" and "Short Cuts" so I'm pretty sure I'll like this one too.
2. "Sin City" - I bought this one on DVD over a year ago and still haven't watched it. I have a feeling "300" might fall into this category.
3. "Kill Bill" - Both volumes. I've seen most of these two films - out of sequence - on HBO and TNT. I saw "Pulp Fiction" four times in theatres and still think it was robbed of the Oscar by "Forrest Gump". I owe Tarantino a few hours of my time.
4. "Laurence of Arabia" - Aunt Janet gave the VHS, letterboxed version to me several years ago, and I still haven't watched it.
5. "Reds" - By all accounts, a great one. Some day I'll remember to rent it.
6. "The Ref" - Another DVD we've owned for a couple of years. PGirl swears by it.
7. "The Quiet Man" - I'm an Irish-American. This one is sort of like a rite of passage.
8. "The Conversation" - Coppola's 1974, eavesdropping flick is supposed to be one of his better ones.
9. "Taxi Driver" - A Scorcese pic that many swear by.
10. "Gone With The Wind" - Is it really as good as people say?
11. "Sophie's Choice" - I already know what she chose to do. Should I still see it?
12. "Seven Samurai" - The Kurosawa classic that spawned many remakes.
13. "Citizen Kane" - Maybe if I had taken film appreciation...

March Madness

The first week back from vacation has always been hell for me. By last Friday I was caught up with my work. The house work is coming around a bit this weekend. I've managed to do a couple loads of laundry and make 2 meals that we can heat up throughout the week. Time to blog. Nothing in particular to write about today. Looks like it will be a scattershot kind of post.

R wrote about two fortunate sons of 1980's sitcoms - Alex P. Keaton and Mike Seaver. She asked her readers to pick one. For me, it was easy. Alex. And "Family Ties". No contest. "Growing Pains" loses just because of Alan Thicke and Sylvester Stabone. And that Jeremy kid who played the little brother.

Besides, Alex had more pathos. Did Mike ever talk to his dead friend in a "very special episode"? I don't think so. The best he could pull off was saying no to drugs and freezing a party of teenagers, post-credits, for a very lame public service announcement. Here it is with an asian translation over the original audio. Neither can top Dudley almost getting his corn creamed on "Diffr'ent Strokes".

For those of you in the dark, that last series featured an episode where Gordon Jump from "WKRP" played a child molester who seduced youngsters in the back of his bicycle shop. Disturbing content to be sure. Doubly troubling because another friendly sitcom face was the predator. Should I have expected any less? He was the "Big Guy" after all.

By the way R, PreppyGirl and I spent some of our visit with Monkey and Princess singing TV themes. It just so happens we compared the songs from "Growing Pains" to "Family Ties". Sha La La La!

It is Adrian Zmed day here at 23 Ohio Street. In the span of two hours I've seen him in "Bachelor Party" and "Grease 2". Maybe a "T.J. Hooker" marathon is coming up.

Snow Belt Pet Peeve of the Week - Pedestrians who refuse to walk on the sidewalks, even when they have been shoveled. Hey folks! I know it sucks when there is snow on the sidewalks, but you should head on down to Big Lots and buy a pair of cheap boots. Stop walking on the street! I don't drive on the sidewalk when there is snow on the road!

In sporting news, Kentucky lost again today. On a brighter note, first round games will be played in Buffalo in two weeks. Keeping my fingers crossed for the Wildcats to show. If Duke shows up R, I'll be sure to show my support! And by support, I mean flashing my jock strap at the Blue Devils! (As if PreppyGirl would let that happen.)

PGirl Jr. and Galoot Jr. have been full of beans this weekend. Luckily we've been able to keep them in check. PreppyGirl gets mad props for picking up some DVD's from the library. We watched "You, Me and Dupree" last night. It was just okay. Couldn't quite find what it wanted to be methinks.

Other than that, we've been hunkered down in the house, catching up on the Tivo shows. Hopefully there will be more to comment on this week. And for all you kind readers out there - Mick, Pops, Princess, Jenny, R, Monkey and some more - I've been lurking, but not commenting. Not enough time I'm afraid...