Flashback: April 5, 1991

Hello everyone. For the FIRST TIME this year, I'm posting a flashback of the top 40 charts from days of yore. Because let's be honest, for most of us, life was better back then than it was now in some respects. Today, we're going back to 1991 when the US was just getting out from their folly in Iraq (Operation  Desert Storm), the Pittsburgh Penguins were starting their first Stanley Cup run (more about penguins later), and I had just been three months from relocating to Orlando from Hoke County, North Carolina. I had debated this afternoon whether to watch Netflix and chill, CNBC and panic, Weather Channel and worry, or CNN and bitch. Then I saw a post on Facebook about music from 1983 (as well as a smoking hot picture from you know who) and became inspired, so I rolled my 20-sided die and it came up 12, which translates to 1991. So that's what I'm posting today. For this flashback, I'm using the Radio & Records charts from this week. So, without further ado, here we go. And I'll add some personal thoughts from back then as well as present day along with it.

Some eye candy for y'all. You're welcome.

40. What Comes Naturally by Sheena Easton. I believe this was her last top 40 hit. I think she did some commercials for Bally Total Fitness at the time but that's all I remember.

39. Get Here by Oleta Adams. This song's popularity was undoubtedly due to Desert Storm. One of the lines to this song was "you can get here by Trailways." Trailways was a bus service that ran nationally until Greyhound acquired some of their routes, but they're around albeit regionally. Of note, I feel this song every time I head over to the Crazy Squirrel pub in Port Richey, FL, only to have one of my sisters complain that I go there too much for her liking. 😒

38. Where Does My Heart Beat Now? by Celine Dion

37. How To Dance by Bingoboys f/Princesa

36. Don't Treat Me Bad by Firehouse. Speaking of treating others bad, President Trump went on the rampage this week announcing Wednesday was "Liberation Day" for the United States because he feels that we have been treated unfairly on the world stage as far as the global economy is concerned. So his, answer? Across the board tariffs, which is all he seemingly knows what to do (and he can't even get those right).

35. All True Man by Alexander O'Neal. One such land Trump imposed tariffs on were the Heard & McDonald Islands, an uninhabited Australian territory in the southern Indian Ocean just north of Antarctica, so there are absolutely no goods being imported here from there.

34. Temple Of Love by Harriet. Another territory that had incurred the wrath of Trump is the Falkland Islands, home of about some 3600 mainly British expats off the coast of Argentina also near Antarctica. When asked about how these tariffs are going to affect both them and the Heard & McDonald Islands, the penguins gave this response:

Nope. They aren't happy. Neither are the aforementioned Pittsburgh Penguins, but that's another story.

33. Silent Lucidity by Queensryche. A beautiful song that I haven't heard on Spotify lately. By the way, you ever loved so much that you get a little bit ill when you aren't around them? Something I felt today, and it's something I don't remember ever feeling before...but I digress.

32. Stone Cold Gentleman by Ralph Tresvant. A further note about Trump, in the two days since said tariffs were announced, the DJIA has dropped a staggering 3700 points and is now below 40K for the first time since August. Yikes.

31. Voices That Care by Voices That Care

30. Call It Poison by Escape Club

29. More Than Words by Extreme. Remember when frontman Gary Cherone was tapped to be Sammy Hagar's replacement as the singer of Van Halen in the mid-1990s? Yeah, I'd forgotten about that too until I remembered a radio spoof I heard on WNOR in Norfolk in those days.

28. I'll Be By Your Side by Stevie B. I believe this was the follow-up to "Because I Love You (the Postman Song)." His only other Top Ten hit, and I barely remember it.

27. I Don't Wanna Cry by Mariah Carey. The fourth hit from her Vision of Love album. It debuted this week.

26. Save Some Love by Keedy. Cute, upbeat one hit wonder that somehow after a quick check is now on Spotify. As sportscaster Chris Myers would say, "that deserves a wow!"

25. One More Try by Timmy T. Rare in the early 90s to have a song with a shoestring budget to be a commercial success, but this song did it.

24. I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) by Hi-Five

23. You Don't Have To Go Home Tonight by The Triplets. No, these were actual triplets, not Aikman, Irving, and Emmitt if you're a Dallas Cowboys fan.

22. Iesha by Another Bad Creation. Speaking of going home, or in this case ashore, I'm sure most of you (especially here in Florida) have heard the incident involving a 22-year-old boater and Brock Horner, the captain of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters in Punta Gorda.

21. Someday by Mariah Carey. Anyway, Thursday morning, Horner and Gage Towles (the 22-year-old) got into a verbal altercation that escalated into Horner hijacking Towles's boat and driving it away. The incident was captured on video and plenty of memes were generated online as a result.

20. More Than Ever by Nelson. A late update courtesy of Facebook, Horner has been arrested for assault and burglary.

19. I Touch Myself by The Divinyls. If you saw the first photo of this blog entry, you would too. 😏

okay, I'm going to go ahead and blow through the rest of these because your man needs to focus and finish. Apparently, I have a sudden case of ADD.

18. Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll) by C&C Music Factory

17. This House by Tracie Spencer

16. Just The Way It Is Baby by The Smithereens

15. Rico Suave by Gerardo

14. Signs by Tesla

13. Rhythm of my Heart by Rod Stewart

12. Round and Round by Tevin Campbell

11. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology Song)/I Want You by Robert Palmer

10. Cry For Help by Rick Astley

  9. Touch Me (All Night Long) by Cathy Dennis

  8. Sadness Part 1 by Enigma

  7. State of the World by Janet Jackson

  6. Coming Out Of the Dark by Gloria Estefan

  5. Joyride by Roxette

  4. Baby Baby by Amy Grant

  3. You're In Love 😉 by Wilson Phillips 

  2. Hold You Tight by Tara Kemp

  1. I've Been Thinking About You by Londonbeat.

Sorry if the end of this post seems rushed, but as of right now it's a little past 1:15 AM and I have a potential road trip tomorrow. As always, more to come.

BonyScribe

State Of The Scribe

 Hi there. Usually, I don't try to wax poetic on here about how I feel, but sitting with the sisters tonight as well as seeing a post last night on Facebook got me thinking. At 51, what is my current purpose in life, and what do I really want going forward?

 

Well, one thing goes to what has been the majority of these blog posts the last few years, flashbacks to various top 40 music charts from days of yore, usually from 1980 to 2000. Yeah, I'm sure that there is a niche audience for those things, but is it really making an impact, and am I getting enough eyeballs to this page? Besides, this year I think I have one such entry, and we're three months into 2025. I'm no longer on twitter (I still refuse to call it X), so I've lost a good chunk of the 2,000 followers or so that I had there. Thanks, Squealon. 

Speaking of the Muskrat, every once in a while, I'll dabble or attempt to dabble into politics on this page. But seriously, have you even looked at the current political state of our nation right now? To say it's a mess would be a colossal understatement. Besides, everything about this "administration" has been just exhausting to follow; I no longer watch the news because it's either kissing Trump's ass or displaying faux outrage over what's going on with the President. Even the local Fox affiliate here in Tampa is falling into that trap; it seems like every third story has something to do with the Trump. It's not "Trump Derangement Syndrome," it's that I'm sick and bleeping tired of talking and listening about him all the damn time. Oh, and don't get me started on those all too ubiquitous Morgan & Morgan ads.

Could I try to monetize on what I do? Of course. However, there are certain guidelines that I would have to follow, and that takes away freedom of what exactly I can or cannot say here. I mean I have to be careful of what I say on this blog anyway (I don't want a knock on my door from Sheriff Nienhuis or anyone further up the law enforcement chain of command), but in order to get this blog monetized, there's a strict line I have to tow. I've had to do that for too long in my life, so suffice to say that's no longer my style. Besides, I don't have enough hits on this page to warrant getting monetized anyway. That said, please read this blog.

Now I want to talk about my future going forward. Am I happy where I am in life right now? Actually, yes. Am I satisfied? Hell no. Even going into the fourth quarter of my life, there are still many things that I want to achieve. Unfortunately, I currently lack to proper tools to properly achieve those. My late sister kinda clipped my wings when she, not I, determined that I could not drive after my stroke, which is now eight years ago. My driver's license ultimately expiring. Am I able to get around? Yes, albeit with some assistance (getting rides to the bus stop), but I'm very limited as to when I can go outside the house (I have to be in by dark, because my sisters are worrywarts), and I only see a fraction of what I make off SSDI/disability because most of it is going to bills and such. My relationship status is complicated; I'm in love with someone who right now is technically married. I'll leave it at that. I would love to create a future for her and her kids, but to do that, I would have to potentially sacrifice my disability status and ultimately the life structure of me and my sisters, who are both 65+. That's something I definitely have to keep in mind throughout.

I've only faced something similar to this once before fifteen years ago, and last time it happened things did not work out. My life was nearly destroyed as a result, so I have to tread carefully. But in the bottom of my heart, I know that she is very much different than the one fifteen years ago, so I just have to trust the process and be patient, which is something pre-stroke me had all sorts of trouble with.

Trust the process. It will all work out in the end.

So, in the meantime, I guess I will continue what I'm doing for now, while keeping my eyes peeled as to what opportunities come my way. I have a lot to offer, I just need the right ones to listen.

And that is the state of the Scribe for spring 2025.

BonyScribe

MLB Picks

Hello everyone, and if you haven't noticed, the Major League Baseball season kicks off in earnest later today. Admittedly, I'm not as high on baseball as I used to be, thanks in part to a broken financial system, an incompetent commissioner, and a wishy-washy owner...talking to YOU Stu Sternberg.

Be that as it may, the season is still happening, so I thought I would provide you with who I think will do well, and not so well, this season. Starting off with the overwhelming and obvious pick to win the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Barring virtually their entire starting lineup getting injured, a possible asteroid strike, or a bizarre executive order from President Trump (hey, you never know), I don't see how they won't win at least their division this year.

So, that leaves who's left to challenge them? Well, certainly not the White Sox, who set the record for most losses in a season, and don't look to be much better this season. Then there's the Pathetics Athletics, who are spending the next couple of seasons in Sacramento while they await their new home in Las Vegas to be built. Plus, the Marlins, who can't seem to get out of their own way (seriously, how did this franchise win two World Series in their first eleven seasons?). I think those three teams will lose at least 100 this season.

The teams that could seriously challenge the Dodgers? I could be cynical and say the Yankees because they have more money than God (as late Virginia Beach sports talker Tony Mercurio used to say), but I see that Lee Corso is utilizing his most famous phrase...

Garritt Cole is injured, and so is Giancarlo Stanton. And suddenly the AL East is wide friggin open. I'd love to pick my Rays, but no offense, they have no offense. Maybe this is Baltimore's year. 

In any rate, my picks are as follows:

AL East: Orioles
AL Central: Guardians
AL West: Rangers
WC 1: Yankees
WC 2: Astros
WC 3: Royals
Pennant: Rangers

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers

WC 1: Phillies
WC 2: Barves
WC 3: Padres

Pennant: Dodgers

World Series: Dodgers over Rangers

Enjoy the season, peeps!

BonyScribe

The Dumbest Timeline...EVER

 Good morning. Thought I would start off this post with something I saw on BlueSky:

Of course, the preceding was AI generated, but WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?! 

Our president is out here peddling cars that likely catch on fire that the average American cannot afford anyway, all the while saber-rattling with long-time alliances (Ireland is the latest one, on the week of St. Patrick's Day no less) and threatening others with tariffs, which is the only thing he seemingly knows how to do well (and that's a stretch). He's all but abandoned Ukraine, he still has a bizarre fixation on Greenland, and he STILL wants to make Canada the 51st state (yeah, good luck with that buddy). Meanwhile the Dow Jones has been in free-fall this week, the Dept. of Education is being gutted, and somehow Trump wants to pass a spending bill to prevent the government from shutting down totally, which is a way Trump is trying to do to begin with. 

Nothing about this administration makes a lick of sense, and if you're here with a valid passport or visa, you aren't safe here anymore. Hell, they're even fingerprinting Canadians who are here in the US for longer than 30 days. I swear, we live in the dumbest timeline ever. To quote Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation, "Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?"

Oh, and fuck you Hungary.

Bony Scribe

UPDATE: it keeps getting worse.

Nervous Energy

 Good morning, everyone. A big day for me personally up ahead in more ways than one. Meeting you-know-who later today, and in light of recent events (without going into detail, because it's none of your business) it will likely be probably the most important encounter thus far. So, plenty of nervousness there. Also, UNC is playing for their NCAA tournament lives later tonight at they face Duke at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. A win virtually places them off the tournament bubble (although some sources have the Tar Heels as one of the first teams OUT as of right now). Plus, March Madness begins in earnest as the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament final is tonight. 

Also, I've been up all night (now I have the urge to play Boomtown Rats) in anticipation because I have to make a couple of stops before I reach my destination today (which again is none of your business), and usually when I go out for the afternoon, I tend to plan my day meticulously. Not so much today, as my right leg is twitching at 100 mph, being fueled by caffeine has its advantages, but also has its drawbacks. In any event, say a prayer and send POSITIVE vibes my way today.

Wish me luck,

BonyScribe

P.S.: I might have a recap of sorts coming tomorrow if 1) I feel up to it and 2) if things go well

Writer's Block? No, More Like Too Much S*** To Talk About

 Hello to everyone except president Squealon Muskrat. I haven't posted on here in almost a month, and for good reason. I really haven't felt like doing so, in part because watching the news, especially this past month, has been exhausting. Much like it was from 2017-2019; a different crisis every week that made following current events seem like you were watching a terrible SNL skit. By the way, congrats to SNL for somehow making it to 50 years.

Anyway, there's been so much crap that's been spewed out by the current "administration" that finding a starting point to write about it has been next to impossible. So, as Cody Rhodes would say, "what do we want to talk about?" Well, we could start with what went down in Boston last night.

Yeah, it's sports-related, but given the events of this past month, quite politically charged. I'm not going to get into why the Four Nations mid-season hockey tournament was so charged, because you've probably heard about it by now. However, the presentation of the start of last night's championship game (at least from an ESPN perspective) was kind of extra, with the airing of the portrayal of the movie "Miracle" Herb Brooks's pregame speech from the 1980 Olympic gold medal game. Before the game, the anthems seemed a little different. Canada's anthem was just a singer singing without backing music (complete with a veiled shot at DJT to boot), while the "Star Spangled Banner" was accompanied by the Boston Pops Orchestra. The Freaking Boston Pops. Question: was the NHL hoping that a certain individual was watching? For what it's worth, he wasn't; he was talking to his lemmings at CPAC, while the "president" was wielding a chainsaw like a fucking maniac. But that's another story to be told by other people with other blogs.

 Anyway, Canada prevailed by the score of 3-2 in overtime as Connor McDavid found himself open in the slot and beat Connor Hellyebuck, igniting a wild celebration across our northern border, complete with Kraft Dinner and Tim Horton's. Canada PM Justin Trudeau took to the social platform ruined by president Muskrat to say this:

No word had come into the Bony Scribe news center as of this evening as to whether or not our supposed commander-in-chief will call for bombing raids over Nunavut as a result. Probably not, but given how unhinged he is, you never know. Possibly he'll impose a further tariff, because that's all Trump is seemingly good at. 

On a personal note, Valentine's Day went about as much as expected: rotten. My plans for the day (which was a day late) became a week late because of family reasons. I don't understand why my family seems to be so good at self-sabotage, but at least I'll get another chance tomorrow, and I'll do so with possibly a smirk on my face. No, I'm not saying why that is.

I've also started watching "Stranger Things." Yeah, I'm way late to the party, but the first couple of episodes have been somewhat interesting. Have I gotten into it like I did "Manifest?" Not yet. That's not to say that I won't become a fan of it. There are other programs on Netflix that I'll have to check out, like "Squid Game" and "Outer Banks." But I may have to resubscribe to Peacock because apparently there's still two years left on their PLE deal. Dangit.

Time to wrap this up for now, Smackdown is about to come on. I should have more later by the end of this weekend, that is if I feel up to it. Until then, have a good one.

BonyScribe

Way To Go, Donnie...

 So earlier today, our "dear leader," off the heels of signing an asinine executive order, made another drastic decision in his bloodthirsty quest to bring retribution to those he feels have grieved him, announced tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada. Canada replied in kind with a retaliatory tariff of their own. 

God almighty not even two weeks into this administration and I'm already exhausted. I'd like to blog about things that give me joy. "WELL GEE BONY, WHY DON'T YOU DO THAT ALREADY INSTEAD OF DOOM POSTING?" Because this timeline we're living in is the most dysfunctional shitshow I've seen in my lifetime. Sure, the energy crisis of the Nixon era happened in my lifetime, but I was barely a toddler then; I was too young to care about such topics. Now I'm in my fifties and have others I may worry about in the future. The goal for any president is to leave America better than what it was before he took office. I have no faith in Donnie to do that; in fact, I think he'll make us worse. Especially with the Muskrat at his side. Now for the first time ever, I'm rooting for Canada and Mexico in this latest kerfuffle. 

Oh, he also did this today.

Way to go, Donnie...

Bonyscribe