This Sucks.../Flashback Friday

 Hello everyone, except you, SCOTUS. Yes, we are now living in a real-life simulation of "The Handmaid's Tale", which I haven't yet seen but now I may see since I have hulu. I thought the ending to Wednesday night's Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final sucked (yes, Colorado had too many men before Nazim Kadri's game-winning goal), but this sucks worse.

Twitter all day has been angry over the decision, not just the usual suspects on the left, either. Boris Johnson (the UK Prime Minister) even thinks this is a bad idea. So does the Walt Disney Company. I may be currently estranged from my 23-year old daughter, but my heart breaks for her that her reproductive rights are being infringed on. Too bad she wasn't old enough in 2016  to vote for Hillary, whether or not it made a difference in the grand scheme (key word being "scheme") of things is uncertain, but we wouldn't have come to this point in time had it not happened. Thanks a lot, MAGA 😡.

I'm upset of course about it. I remember writing an essay in eighth grade in Mrs. Gillespie's social studies class about what the Constitution meant to me in 1987, which was then the 200th birthday of the document. I still remember the first line of that essay: "what the Constitution means to me is freedom." I barely remember what I wrote in the rest of that essay (it's been nearly 35 years). But what I did write left quite an impression on her and my parents. I'm starting to think these days, especially here in Florida, that the freedom I talked about back in '87 is more like "free-dumb." The radical right wants us to be a theocracy, the radical left wants to push every agenda under the sun in our face. And, no, the media is not helping. If anything, it's drawing us as a nation further and further apart. I think I ranted about the media in an earlier post this year, but remember when CNN was just news? Good times. Then they had to launch "Crossfire," and things went considerably downhill from there. You know who was on that program? Tucker Carlson, arguably the most divisive personality in the "media" today. George Carlin was right, "f**k Tucker." Anyway, this straight white man is very unhappy with today's decision. Maybe I'll have to schedule a snip job soon.

Now that that rant is out of the way, allow me to rant about something else: the fact that nobody seems to notice me lately. I have been trying to correspond with my current love interest this week, but to no avail. Like the Genesis track from over 40 years ago, sang, "there's no reply at all." As a person who's waited for nearly three decades to finally have a possible chance at a meaningful relationship, this lack of communication hurts me greatly. At least tell me SOMETHING so I'm not left in the dark. Then on top of that, earlier today I pointed out something on someone else's Twitter thread, only to be blocked. Jiminy Frigging Christmas, is there a smear campaign out on me that I'm not aware about? Have I become THAT unliked all of a sudden? Would it please you guys if I just went up and offed myself? Would that make you guys happy? That's what I feel like right now. By the way, for those that want that to happen, too damn bad; I plan on being here for at least a little while longer.

I think I'll save my bus (mis)adventure for another time, as I may take it tomorrow. So in the meantime, let's do the weekly Flashback Friday feature (which I missed last week). This week we're going back to the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, about the time where my life peaked, sadly. Here were the top 40 songs according to Radio & Records Magazine for June 23, 1989:

40. Hooked On You by Sweet Sensation

39. The End Of The Innocence by Don Henley

38. Cold Hearted by Paula Abdul. Happy 60th birthday to her, by the way.

37. No More Rhyme by Debbie Gibson

36. Rock On by Michael Damian. Great song that isn't available on Spotify for some reason,

35. Veronica by Elvis Costello

34. Forever Your Girl by Paula Abdul. Still waiting...

33. Secret Rendezvous by Karyn White

32. Once Bitten Twice Shy by Great White. Wonder what happened to that band after that fatal nightclub fire in Rhode Island all those years ago.

31. Hey Baby by Henry Lee Summer

30. My Brave Face by Sir Paul McCartney. He also celebrated a birthday not long ago. Happy 80th to him!

29. Be With You by The Bangles. Very underrated song from them, and the last song that charted for them.

28. Send Me An Angel '89 by Real Life I guess this group figured their remake of their 1984 song would do better in 1989. It did, but barely.

27. Down Boys by Warrant

26. Dressed For Success by Roxette

25. Cry by Waterfront

24. On Our Own by Bobby Brown. From the "Ghostbusters II" soundtrack.

23. I Like It by Dino

22. Every Little Step by Bobby Brown. Oh yes...

21. Who Do You Give Your Love To? by Michael Morales

20. Batdance by Prince. The movie "Batman' starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson was released this week in 1989...

19. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler. I'll now pause for those of you who may feel nauseous from this song.........Y'all good? Ok.

18. Rooms On Fire by Stevie Nicks. She just performed at Bonaroo last weekend.

17. Crazy About Her by Rod Stewart

16. I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty. Now a tradition to sing along to this song every Saturday afternoon during the fall in Gainesville. Go Gators.

15. Lay Your Hands On Me by Bon Jovi

14. The Doctor by The Doobie Brothers

13. So Alive by Love And Rockets

12. What You Don't Know by Expose. Excuse me while I fawn over them for a quick second:

11. This Time I Know It's For Real by Donna Summer. Her last top 10 hit, and I wonder to this day why all the dancers in the music video did nothing but the running man dance...

10. I Miss You Like Crazy by Natalie Cole

  9. I Drove All Night by Cyndi Lauper. I actually did that one time to see someone. Didn't work outat the time; she was broken. Now she's a MAGAhead, yuck,

  8. Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry

  7. I'll Be Loving You (Forever) by New Kids On The Block. Another pause here for some readers to walk away from their computer or mobile device to hurl again...

  6. Toy Soldiers by Martika

  5. Express Yourself by Madonna. I had several crushes back in 1989, but she was the main one. These days she's trying too hard to stay relevant. Someone please get her some pudding and tell her she's late for her nap.

  4. If You Don't Know Me By Now by Simply Red

  3. Baby, Don't Forget My Number by Phony Baloney Milli Vanilli

  2. Good Thing by Fine Young Cannibals

...and the number one song this week 33 years ago was...

  1. Satisfied by Richard Marx

That's all I have for today, a very trying day to be honest. Thanks for hanging in and reading my rants for today. I might have more coming tomorrow, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise as a great man once said. Until next time...

CT

Nosy Nellie...

 Hello once again. Today, I thought I would vent a little bit about my eldest sister, who can't seem to stay out of other's business. The latest involves the woman I'm currently interested in. When I went to tell her about her wanting to see me, she chimed in with twenty-one questions about where she works, what she looks like, and if she can see her too. The answers were none of her business (although I told her a restaurant in New Port Richey, which is about 20 miles from me), and no she couldn't see her. This is the same sister who would not allow me to take a trip four years ago to see someone, and wanted to chaperone me when I visited St. Louis three years ago. Like what am I, a teenager who never grew up?! Gosh almighty, ever since I've been alive, she's tried to insert herself in every relationship that my late brothers and myself have been involved in. Maybe it was a good thing my father married so fast after my mother passed away; he knew what was coming. She tried to get custody after Halloween 1981, when my mother died. And I could go on and on about her petty battles between her and one of my sisters-in-law. Granted this sister-in-law wasn't necessarily a bastion of great behavior; in fact, she was anything but. Anyhow, those petty battles made it seem like both my sister and late sis-in-law would have made for an entertaining episode of "Celebrity Deathmatch" if they were famous. Thank goodness that isn't the case. Oh, and did I mention the time she broke up an online relationship (with help from my equally invasive cousin) between me and a woman from Germany? I was going to make plans to visit Germany around 2010 to investigate what this possible relationship was all about. Of course, I had to jump the gun and say that I was going to relocate to Germany on MySpace (remember that?), which sounded all sorts of alarms within the family. I likely wouldn't have relocated anyway, but least the family could have allowed me an opportunity to investigate. Gosh, CAN'T THEY LEAVE ME ALONE WHEN IT COMES TO THINGS LIKE THIS??!! WHO I DECIDE TO TALK TO OR SEE IS NONE OF THEIR DAMNED BUSINESS!!

(exhale...)

Alright, now that my rant is now out of the way, let me talk about my excursion tomorrow. I have an appointment at the local VA tomorrow at 10am, but I have to be at the closest bus stop to me at 7:30. Why? Because the regional bus systems (especially here in Hernando County) are somewhat disjointed. I have to take the local Green line at 7:30 to catch the Purple line, 40 minutes after drop-off. The Purple line the connects to a line that will take me directly to the VA clinic, half an hour before my appointment. Oh, did I mention I have to fast? So afterwards, I get to eat lunch. Maybe I'll pay a visit to that restaurant (wink wink). Either way, I should have a great day tomorrow.

Thank you for allowing me to get that off my chest, and thanks again for reading. Until next time...

CT

Tuesday Random Thoughts

 Hello again, everyone. Didn't know exactly what I wanted to write about today, but since apparently half the country is on fire, I thought I'd at least start there.

In case you haven't noticed yet, a good part of the country is burning up today, with parts of 21 states under either a heat advisory or excessive heat warning. So much for hoping what happened in Tonga this January to effect temperatures this summer. So, if you're trying to enjoy this summertime weather, please be very careful. And what parts of the US aren't suffering from high heat, is suffering from high drought. Seriously, monsoon season in the southwest can't get here soon enough. It isn't just in the US either. parts of Western Europe have been under a substantial drought this month. One such indication of such occurred in Wales. And don't get me started on how flipping hot is in Spain. Seriously, send rain, and not to regions of the planet that don't need any more rain right now.

Some People Will Never Learn, Will They?

News broke yesterday that Jeff Hardy fell off the wagon...AGAIN. Hardy has been struggling with sobriety over the past decade, and the article states that this is his third DUI in four years. I thought when he signed with All Elite Wrestling, this would be the start of a new leaf for Jeff, but alas it isn't. He's from Cameron, NC, which isn't too far from where I went to my freshman and sophomore years of high school, so I root for him and his brother Matt, but man this is so frustrating to hear. I hope like crazy he gets the help he needs and doesn't crash and burn like he's prone to do.

Big Oof...

Also from WESH-TV, the woman who authored an essay on how to kill your husband was sentenced to life for guess what? Murdering her husband. A classic case of karma coming back to bite someone in the keester. Such a wonderful sight, isn't it? Word to the wise: if you're going to write about something that dastardly, don't actually act out on it.

Big Day Thursday

Wednesday is already going to be a big day around here in the Tampa Bay region, but tomorrow for me just may be more important. I have to get up early and catch the bus to go to a VA appointment at 10am, then I get to see the one I'm currently talking to for the first time in about two months; a gorgeous redhead. That's all I'll say because I don't want to jinx this one like I somehow jinxed it with T****. So wish me luck.

Hey, just wanted to thank you for reading. I'll hopefully have more later this week! Until next time...

CT

OH, HAPPY FLAG DAY!!

Oops...We Did It Again!

 Hello again everyone, and no, the title of this entry has nothing to do with Britney's nuptials this weekend. Instead, the best hockey town ever came ever so closer to an historic threepeat. The victory for the Lightning was noteworthy in the fact that they've become the first team in 37 years to reach three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals (the last being the 1983-85 Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers). Should they win the Final, they'll become only the fourth franchise in NHL HISTORY to win three straight Cups (the NY Islanders, Montreal, and Toronto are the other ones). It also allowed me to replay one of my all-time favorite Vine clips, and just as it was when Vine was around in 2015, it still slaps hard today. The Final starts Wednesday night from (Lavar) Ball Arena in Denver, and you can catch it on your local ABC station.

Thanks for reading! Until next time...

CT

Flashback Friday; 6/11/2004

 Hello again everyone. Hope everyone has had a great week; I know of several that had a good night last night. Hoping to go out tomorrow sometime, but I kinda look ragged since my beard is still untrimmed throughout the Lightning playoff run and I don't look my absolute best for who I would be seeing (hint, it's a hot redhead). So, I may have to put that off for a couple of weeks. It's totally worth it though...

This week, I'm throwing it back to a year I don't believe I've done before; 2004. That year was noteworthy for a list of reasons; the United Sates were involved in not one, but two conflicts. Florida had FOUR hurricanes strike her shores that summer and fall, I was still living with my "ex." But it wasn't all bad; the Lightning won their first Stanley Cup. On a personal note, I still have the sweater I let my friend wear to Game 7.

Anyway, without further ado, here were the top 40 songs according to Mediabase 24/7 for the week of 6/11/2004:

40. All Nite (Don't Stop) by Janet Jackson. This was one of two songs that Jackson had charted after Nipplegate (remember THAT?). Her career never was the same after that. Thanks, Justin Timberlake.

39. One Call Away by Chingy

38. Our Lives by The Calling

37. Eighth World Wonder by Kimberly Locke

36. Hotel by Cassidy f/R. Kelly

35. Turn Me On by Kevin Little

34. Where Are We Running by Lenny Kravitz

33. Echo by Trapt

32. If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys

31. I Miss You by Blink-182. I loved this song...

30. I'm Still In Love With You by Sean Paul f/Sasha

29. Extraordinary by Liz Phair if memory serves me right, ESPN used this song for their Women's Final Four coverage.

28. Confessions (Part 2) by Usher. What about Part One though??

27. You're The Only One by Maria Mena

26. Overnight Celebrity by Twista

25. Pieces Of Me by Ashlee Simpson. Ah yes, the song she infamously lip-synched her way to oblivion on "Saturday Night Live."

24. Take My Breath Away by Jessica Simpson. Yep, Ashlee's older sister tried a remake of Berlin's classic from 1986. I wasn't impressed.

23. Hole In The Head by Sugarbabes

22. Dirt Off Your Shoulder by Jay-Z

21. All Falls Down by Kanye West f/Syleena Johnson

20. Heaven by Los Lonely Boys

19. Freek-A-Leek by Petey Pablo

18. My Immortal by Evanescence

17. Dip It Low by Christina Milian

16. My Band by D-12 f/Eminem

15. Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard. Another song I thorughly enjoyed.

14. Tipsy by J-Kwon. It would be another eight years before I actually felt tipsy.

13. Scandalous by Misteeq. Whatever happened to that group? They had that one hit and dipped.

12. Hey Mama by The Black Eyed Peas. Several years ago, I would try to replace "Hey Mama" with "Obama" as in the former President. I miss that man...

11. Don't Tell Me by Avril Lavigne

10. Leave (Get Out) by JoJo

  9. Meant To Live by Switchfoot. Another lost classic tbh.

  8. Everytime by Britney Spears. I think this was right around the time things were starting to go sideways for her. I don't quite remember if this was around the time she was with Federline or not...

  7. Roses by Outkast. Paula Abdul was in the video for this song from what I remember.

  6. Yeah by Usher f/Ludacris & Lil' Jon. Bona fide banger to this very day. YEEEAAAAHH!

  5. This Love by Maroon 5

  4. I Don't Wanna Know by Mario Winans f/Enya & P. Diddy. For many years I wondered where Enya's part in this song was, until I came across it on Wikipedia a few years ago. The original ersion of Enya's track now plays on the Pandora Ambient Channel.

  3. Naughty Girl by Beyonce

  2. Let It Burn by Usher. He was everywhere in 2004.

and the number one song on this date eighteen years ago was...

  1. The Reason by Hoobastank. This needless to say was a surprise, in fact I was surprised WFLZ in Tampa even played this song on the radio.

One last thing about 2004 in music. On January 10 of that year, the countdown show "American Top 40" would never be the same as the late Casey Kasem retired and Mr. American Idol himself, Ryan Seacrest took over. Their methodology of tabulating the top 40 songs would change too, from Mediabase 24/7 (as reported in Radio & Records Magazine to some polling done by USA Today. By that time, I was listening to more rock/alternative anyway.

Well, if I'm feeling up to it, I might have another entry tonight! So, stay tuned. Until then...

CT

Tattle-Tellonym/Special Anniversary Flashback/Other Random Thoughts

 Hello again everyone. Hope everyone had an exceptional weekend and a good Monday, except for Ron DeSantis. This weekend for me was somewhat uneventful (except for Sunday's Lightning comeback win), but it was noteworthy of sorts; more on that later.

I first wanted to write about something a Twitter friend turned my attention to the other week, and that's Tellonym. Tellonym is an app that allows you to ask and answer questions anonymously, and it's fun to use. In fact, I've used it to answer questions so that people can get to know me better, that's my understanding at least. Anyway, here is the link, that you can find me there, and see what questions I've answered.

Last weekend marked the thirty-year anniversary of my high school graduation from Apopka High School. June 5, 1992. I didn't get a chance to really say goodbye, or see you later to my classmates, as I was whisked away back to my house (thanks, Dad), but I understand that in July, the 30th reunion is taking place. I want to go, but since I have no transportation, I may be up shit's creek without a paddle. Dammit. Anyway, since it's been thirty years, why don't we look back at the Radio & Records top 40 songs for that week?

40. Never Satisfied by Good 2 Go

39. Come And Talk To Me by Jodeci. first of many hits for the Charlotte, NC outfit.

38. Strawberry Letter 23 by Tevin Campbell

37. All You've Got by RTZ

36. Will You Marry Me by Paula Abdul. At the time, yes. Nowadays, not so much.

35. Take This Heart by Richard Marx. Remember the video for this song? It was him dreaming of his hometown Chicago Cubs winning the World Series against the Oakland A's. Too bad he had to wait another 24 years for that to actually happen.

34. Silent Prayer by Shanice

33. One by U2. I sort of fell in love with this song, even though it was about a breakup.

32. Fall In Love Again by Eddie Money. This would be his final top-40 hit.

31. Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven by Bryan Adams. Still don't know the purpose of the dolphins were in that video.

30. Why by Annie Lennox. I still ask that every day, Tawny.

29. Let's Get Rocked by Def Leppard

28. Tennessee by Arrested Development. A game of HORSESHOES!!

27. Innocent Child by Colorhaus

26. Anything At All by Mitch Malloy

25. Just For Tonight by Vanessa Williams

24. Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot. My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun... 

23. Closer To Me by The Outfield. Reminds me of a baseball play, "bases loaded for the Rays with nobody out, Aaron Boone has his infield in... By the way, the Yankees were terrible in 1992. Wish we could go back to those days.

22. Not The Only One by Bonnie Raitt

21. Wishing On A Star by The Cover Girls

20. Live And Learn by Joe Public

19. Life Is A Highway by Tom Cochrane. This song still bangs to this day.

18. Slow Motion by Color Me Badd

17. Steel Bars by Michael Bolton. underrated song IMO

16. TLC by Linear

15. You Won't See Me Cry by Wilson Phillips

14. Do It To Me by Lionel Richie

13. Lift Me Up by Howard Jones. About a year ago, I queried to my childhood friend whether a song of his from 1989 was his last hit. Turns out, it was this one.

12. Just Another Day by Jon Secada. Another song I fell in love with.

11. The Best Things In Life Are Free by Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson. Featured on the soundtrack to the movie "Mo' Money"

10. Jump Jump by Kriss Kross

  9. I Will Remember You by Amy Grant

  8. Just Take My Heart by Mr. Big

  7. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) by En Vogue. Oh really???

  6. Hold On My Heart by Genesis

  5. If You Asked Me To by Celine Dion. First off, why would I? Second, you'd say no anyway.

  4. Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover by Sophis B. Hawkins. The ORIGINAL video for this song was HOT. Red hair, kissing, Sophie wrapped in nothing but a bedsheet. Then she came out on "Donohue" from what I remember, changed up the video to something more pedestrian, and almost ruined my boner for the entire summer.

  3. I'll Be There by Mariah Carey. Have I ever told you that I despised "Unplugged?" Maybe I should blame MTV for making the musicscene in the early 1990's lame.

  2. In The Closet by Michael Jackson. I'd like to tell him that it's pride month now, but unfortunately, he's dead now. RIP.

...and the number one song on June 5, 1992 was...

  1. Under The Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Okay, here's my issue with this song being #1 on my graduation date, it's about being homeless in Los Angeles. Talk about a Debbie Downer for a song. Beautiful, nonetheless, unlike Debbie (womp, womp).

And now, some random thoughts:

I already alluded to Governor Shitforbrains vetoing the training facility for the Tampa Bay Rays, because they (and the New York Yankees) decided to forgo game coverage on social media to turn our collective attention to the alarmingly growing gun-violence epidemic. Well mother nature kinda gave him the middle finger of sorts last week; follow me here. Hurricane Agatha (all along) wreaked serious havoc along the Mexican Pacific coast. The storm system then fizzled into a low pressure system that caused considerable flooding in the Miami area before respawning as Tropical Storm Alex. So in essence, that storm system has gender reassignment surgery over Florida, which I'm sure would be something that would leave DeSatan triggered.

Congratulations to the Colorado Avalanche (or as a former sports radio host in the Tampa area once called them, the Avalons 😑) on winning the NHL's Western Conference last night. They now go to the Stanley Cup Final against either the two-time defending champion Lightning or the New York Rangers.
While I'm on the subject of hockey, what the hell were the Boston Bruins in firing Bruce Cassidy as head coach? I might not like the Bruins much, but I don't think it was a prudent nor wise decision. Yes, I get that coaching tenures can be a fickle thing, but the man led you to a Cup Final just three years ago, and Boston's a perennial Cup contender, but come ON...

Stupid comment I heard from my very own sister the other week after I told her that there is no cure for depression: "YeS, tHeRe Is!" Uh, no. It can be managed or regulated by medication (like fluoxetine), but there is no cure. You can't just say "in the name of the Lord, I HEAL you!" like some televangelist like Kenneth Copeland or Earnest Angely and all of a sudden you depression magically goes away. It's about as ludicrous and absurd as someone "praying the gay away" for someone who is homosexual, pansexual, bisexual, etc. On a side note, Happy Pride Month to everyone, including you Jalen Beeks. 🌈

Seriously, when is it going to end? As I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, the United States has a serious gun-violence epidemic. How bad?  There were more than a dozen mass shootings over Memorial Day weekend, and another rash of shootings occurred just this past weekend. It isn't just the US, either. Sunday in Nigeria, a church was savagely attacked with gunfire, killing at least 50. Now over there, Nigeria has an issue with Boko Haram terrorists and political instability. Over here, the political climate is somewhat more stable (I think), but we have our share of armed terrorists, even if they don't belong to a particular group. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation yesterday to strengthen gun laws and protect New Yorkers, most notably raising the age to buy guns from 18 to 21. I think more can be done nationwide, but at least it's a start.

Cody Rhodes is tougher than anyone thought.

Dr. Beach has named the best beach in America, and it isn't in Florida. It's in North Carolina. One more reason why I may wind up relocating very soon.

That's all from me for now. Have a splendid Tuesday, and eat plenty of tacos!

CT

Writer's Block/Is Anyone Listening?

 Hello once again. Hope everyone had a safe Memorial Day, and everyone has a good week ahead, except for Texas governor Greg Abbott. 

I was thinking about writing this post last week in light of the terrible school shooting in Texas that killed 19 students and two teachers, which included one of the biggest law enforcement botches known in the history of mankind. But then, I realized that 1) what I had to say was already on Twitter, whether written by myself, or retweeted and 2) whatever I did have to say would probably be ignored anyway, and 3) I likely would have said something wrong or put my foot in my mouth in some fashion, so I deleted the whole post and decided to start anew. 

The more I think about it, I'm beginning to wonder if what I say on here actually makes an impact. Or, if anything I say or do (not just on here) has any meaning whatsoever. As an example, the woman I'm currently interested in almost never replies to any FB message I send her, even though it's usually good morning, how are you, or small stuff like that. I figure if I get a response i can go onto deeper conversation with her, but I'm not sensing that. That to me says she isn't interested, and I take that as to mean I'm not doing a good enough job of putting myself, or trying to put myself out there. I mean, I could surprise someone with flowers (like on Valentine's Day), but to me it doesn't mean anything if I don't get at least some attention from it, as if to say "NOTICE ME!!"  But somehow, I hardly get noticed. And yes, my sister does play a part in keeping me fenced in, but most of the blame for not being in a relationship falls on me, and in this day and age, I don't expect anyone to help me out either. 

CT