Monday Thoughts

Hello again, everyone. Hoping that all of you had a wonderful weekend. I'm sure most of you did. Mine was, ehhh, but I'm still around and kicking it and in the end, that's what matters the most, right? Especially after I wasn't entirely sure I was going to make it just last month. At least my weekend was much, much better than this fool's.

Failure To Launch

Little disappointed this morning because the launch of Artemis I was scrubbed at the Cape. I guess they'll try again on Friday, weather permitting. What shocked me this morning was the fact that for this rocket, they're using recycled parts from the Space Shuttle program. Really. And of course, there's an article rubbing it in NASA's face. Gee Barron's, did Elon pay you off or something? Guess he had to pay someone since his attempted takeover of Twitter fell through. Thank you, Universe. Why don't Elon and Joe Rogan get on that lame podcast and smoke some more ganja?

Raider Fan In Midseason Form

Preseason in the NFL is over, but Raiders fan is in midseason form. Over the weekend, a brawl broke out at Oakland Coliseum Allegiant Stadium, but it was apparently between two Raider fans, not fans of opposing teams like what you usually encounter at NFL games. Judging from the tone of the linked tweet, Vegas fan is already sick of the Raiders, or at least the behavior of some of their fans. At least the Raiders aren't as insufferable as the Golden Knights.

Speaking Of Preseason...

My beloved Bucs pulled an 0-fer, losing to Indianapolis 27-10. I stopped watching around halftime because the second stringers were in the game, but I might have to revise my Super Bowl pick for this season.  The offensive line right now is a M*A*S*H* unit, and I'm more than a little worried abpout Tom Brady in season 23. However, he is, according to NFL Network, the top player going into 2022. LFG...

Saturday Results...

I said Saturday morning tha I hoped for a nine-win week as far as picking college games. Well, I was a bit short. I totally whiffed on Florida State losing to Duquense; the Noles actually looked somewhat impressive. Nebraska disappointed yet again, and UTEP and Hawaii didn't even bother showing up. So, I had a 7-4 week. I'll try again next week although I won't pick every game...that would be overkill. Probably just the Florida schools and power five conferences.

Other Thoughts.

--People still watch the VMA's?

--Speaking of music, I listened to The Scorpions' "Big City Nights" on loop, over the weekend, and I couldn't help but to make an off-color joke regarding the title of the song...I'll leave that to your imagination.

--I started a drawing a few weeks ago, and I've put off continuing it until I know me and my friend are once again on good terms. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek. Hope she likes it so far...

--My blood sugar was once again a bit low this morning, but better than the 21 that I had two weeks ago. I still maintain that the device needs to be calibrated or replaced.

--I haven't paid too much attention to the baseball standings this year, but I would like to see Tampa, Toronto, and Seattle make it to the postseason. Oh, and the Rays are within striking distance of those dreaded Skankees in the AL East. 

--Raw tonight emanates from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Kurt Angle is scheduled to appear tonight, oh it's true, it's damned true. The last couple of episodes have been somewhat chaotic, and I don't know what will happen on the go home show before Clash at the Castle in Cardiff next weekend. However, I'd like to see the return of Sasha Banks and Naomi.

That's all I have for today, I should have more later this week, Until then, be well.

CT

College Football Is Here Again...

 Good morning, everyone. It's Saturday, and for the next several months you know what that means. For some of us it means an excuse to get absolutely blitzed in the hopes of making it on to "College Game Day." For many of us, it's a day to spend the day vegging out on the couch or going to Winghouse or your favorite establishment to watch their favorite college team. Either way, it's almost appointment television for approximately 12 hours. So, who do I think will take home the CFP trophy this year? Well, judging by the fact that rock & roll's biggest Trump fanboy (Kid Rock) released an album this year (that virtually nobody listened to, I hope), Alabama will win the title...again. However, as seen from last season, that isn't necessarily a given; fricking Georgia won it all last year. But the usual suspects will be there in all likelihood: Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, wash, rinse, repeat. And this is the last year the college football landscape will look like this. In the offseason a lot of schools decided to switch conferences, but that's next year. How about the here and now, most notably this first weekend of action? Well, here's a preview of sorts.

Fortunately, there are only a handful of games tomorrow to choose from, and only one on network television. That game by the way is being played in Dublin of all places between Nebraska and Northwestern both schools were awful last year; 3-9 overall and 1-8 in league play. Incidentally, Nebraska's only B1G win came versus Northwestern in a blowout. I don't have much faith on either team making noise this year. Also tomorrow, Florida State begins their season against a school that I didn't know even had a football program, Duquense. Apparently, they had a decent season last year, going 7-3. This game will be televised on the ACC Network. Remember the last time Florda State played a non-conference opponent at home on ACC Network? If not, here's a refresher. As a Gators fan, I'm still laughing about that play. 

The other game I will have a slight interest takes place in Chapel Hill, as Florida A&M faces North Carolina. I have an old high school classmate that's in the triangle this weekend with her husband because their son plays for A&M, but there were questions yesterday as to whether or not the Rattlers would even be able to play. The game will go on as planned, but A&M will be severely shorthanded.

My picks:

Western Kentucky over Austin Peay
Nebraska over Northwestern
UNLV over Idaho State
Utah State over Connecticut 
Illinois over Wyoming 
Duquense over Florida State (yes, I'm picking lightning to strike twice).
Florida Atlantic over Charlotte
North Carolina over Florida A&M
UTEP over North Texas
Nevada over New Mexico State
Hawaii over Vanderbilt

If I hit nine wins, I'll call it a success. If only our bum-ass governor didn't screw up sports betting here in Florida. Hopefully that will be alleviated next year since he won't be in the state house anymore. But that's another story.

Next week, the best team in Florida (UCF) begins play on a Thursday night. The worst team in the State (USF) plays Saturday against BYU.

Enjoy your Saturday. Until next time

CT

Flashback: August 28, 1987

 Good morning again everyone. Well as promised, I would have a flashback entry for you, and for this week, we're going back to one of my favorite years musically in my opinion, 1987. I have been on a late-80s kick lately in my Spotify listening, so it was only natural that I decided to make this one within the years of 1985-1989. So, without further ado here were the Top 40 songs according to Radio & Records magazine for the week ending August 28, 1987:

40. Victim Of Love by Bryan Adams. Not one of his biggest hits, but this did at least chart.

39. Fake by Alexander O'Neal. Remember "GLOW?" That outfit shot a couple of vignettes to this song. Now it could be used to describe about half the women here in the Tampa Bay area. JUST KIDDING...

38. Back To Paradise by 38 Special. This song was featured in the soundtrack to "Revenge of the Nerds Part II." I'm still awaiting my revenge since God almighty was I a dork back then.

37. Never Let Me Down by David Bowie. I've yet to meet a person that hasn't if we're being totally and brutally honest.

36. Making Love In The Rain by Herb Alpert. Something I want to experience but haven't done yet.

35. Casanova by Levert

34. Let Me Be The One by Expose. I had a crush on Expose back then, especially Gioia. I think I mentioned that before on a previous flashback entry.

33. Living In A Box by Living In A Box. I understand that $430/month (which was the rent of the first apartment I had in 1999) now covers probably enough room for a box to live in, and that's just in Tampa. I'd hate to see what It's like in New York or Los Angeles.

32. Heart And Soul by T'Pau. If memory serves me correct, they got the name of this band from an episode of "Star Trek." On a side note, one of my classmates from junior high said that the hairstyle my cousin was rocking back then resembled that of the lead singer of T'Pau. Hilarious.

31. Give To Live by Sammy Hagar

30. Jump Start by Natalie Cole. She left us far too soon. RIP.

29. I Want Your Sex by George Michael. This song was banned by practically every radio station in North Carolina (fricking Mayberry complex), but not MTV. And it was actually a descent song. So TarHeelia, you were wrong to ban this.

28. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. When I was a thirteen-year-old, I would visualize former professional wrestler Nikita Koloff singing the opening lines to this song for some reason. On a related note, no I haven't found what I'm looking for.

27. Wipe Out by The Fat Boys with The Beach Boys. This was the first of two songs by Fat Boys that would make the top 40 as a collaboration with an artist from the 1960s, The next year, they would hit with a remake of Chubby Checker's "Twist."

26. Lies by Jonathan Butler

25. Who Will You Run To? by Heart. Well, not naming names, but Seattle is a possibility. Seattle is where Heart hails from.

24. Paper In Fire by John Mellencamp

23. U Got The Look by Prince. I loved this song for the sheer fact that Sheena Easton collaborated on this. 

22. Luka by Suzanne Vega. A really sad song when you actually hear the lyrics, it dealt with a child being abused.

21. Mary's Prayer by Danny Wilson

20. One Heartbeat by Smokey Robinson. A nice track off his comeback album.

19. Touch Of Grey by The Grateful Dead. Something almost every Gen-Xer can relate to.

18. Lost In Emotion by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam. Remember the summer of '87, when Lisa Lisa was the biggest thing going? Good times.

17. It's Not Over (Til It's Over) by Starship. No, it isn't. I'm keeping the faith, slight as it might be.

16. I Need Love by LL Cool J. Yes, I do and have been doing so for decades.

15. Love Power by Dionne Warwick & Jeffrey Osborne. I'm kinda surprised this track actually got that high on the chart being it was the final top 40 hit for Warwick before she went off to the Psychic Friends Network.

14. I Heard A Rumour by Bananarama. I heard way too many of them growing up; that was an unofficial pastime in St. Pauls, NC--spreading rumors. Probably still is.

13. Who Found Who by Jellybean f/Elisa Fiorillo. I remember from his hit "Sidewalk Talk" that featured Madonna. Elisa Fiorillo had a solo hit in 1990 with "On The Way Up" (NOT available on Spotify by the way). Don't remember this one though.

12. Rock Steady by the Whispers. Another 60s artist who decided to make a comeback that year.

11. Carrie by Europe. That group's biggest power ballad. No, it wasn't about the girl who got doused in blood at her prom. Sorry to disappoint, horror geeks.

10. Can't We Try by Dan Hill & Vonda Shepard. I only heard of two Vondas in my lifetime, Shepard and a girl I grew up with in St. Pauls named Vonda Warren. No idea what happened to her; she's probably married and is now a grandmother now.

  9. When Smokey Sings by ABC. How about that, a song by Smokey Robinson and a song about him in the same chart. Remarkable.

  8. Don't Mean Nothing by Richard Marx. And thus, a legend was created.

  7. Doin' It All For My Baby by Huey Lewis & The News. I remember this song had a memorable video that played off the bride of Frankenstein.

  6. Only In My Dreams by Debbie Gibson. Speaking of legends being created, this song launched another one. By the way, I preferred Tiffany over her just for the fact that Tiff had red hair. Sorry, Deb.

  5. Here I Go Again by Whitesnake. Before this year, this song was remembered fondly by me, after March not so much. If you've paid attention to what has gone on with me this year much, you'd know why...

  4. Who's That Girl by Madonna. "Quienes esta nina?" was the first exposure I really had to the Spanish language, other than counting to ten when I was a little kid.

  3. Didn't We Almost Have It All by Whitney Houston. Hate to say, but I've never even come close to having it all.

  2. I Just Can't Stop Loving You by Michael Jackson. I never really cared for this song, probably because it was sappy. Siedah Garrett (who was featured on this track) parlayed this song to hosting duties on "America's Top Ten" a couple of years later.

...and the number one song on this date 35 years ago was...

  1. La Bamba by Los Lobos. Featured in the biopic of Richie Valens played by Lou Diamond Phillips of the same name. Also, the basis of a hilarious promo by the Rock on the late great Eddie Guererro in the early 2000s for you wrestling geeks.

That's my flashback segment for this week. I hope to get some more writing done either later tonight or early tomorrow, which is the beginning of the college football season (IT'S HERE ALREADY?!) Until next time, take care. 

CT

Random Thursday Thoughts

 Hello again everyone, except for you Sean Hannity. Felt rather chipper this morning, I don't know if that's because I didn't have much sleep and I'm practically running on caffeine right now or not, but I'm here to grace you with my presence, and I have some random thoughts for you.

Received a comment on TikTok last night from my one-time love interest and current friend. She says that my disdain for her new relationship only fuels their fire. Like, what is that supposed to mean? Did she suddenly turn into a Sith Lord? Is she trying to rub the fact that I was unsuccessful in my face? Or is she trying to cut a promo because she's dating a wrestler? I was taken aback by that comment a little, but I just let it roll off. Here's the thing I can't figure out though. Why was I so triggered by the whole situation when realistically, she wasn't really my type, and I wasn't really her type. Maybe the desire to fall for someone who I kinda wanted for two years was just too strong. Maybe I should look towards oh I don't know, out west or north of the border. I don't know, but I hope we're good once again, and hopefully I can talk wrestling with the boyfriend sometime. But it's like Randy Savage once said, "you may not like it, but accept it."

Speaking of which, I saw last night's episode of AEW Dynamite. Solid show from beginning to end, but the biggest thing I took away from it was how fast Jon Moxley defeated CM Punk (nearly the whole match could fit into a TikTok video). Punk appeared to reinjure his already surgically repaired foot that had kept him out since the beginning of summer. Looking at the match, it seemed apparent to me (and I guess other observers) that Punk came back too soon from his injury. The match last night was supposed to take place at their "All Out" PPV on September 4. There was also a ton of other news from the show last night, including Chris Jericho facing Bryan Danielson at All Out, and AEW Women's Champion Thunder Rosa suddenly having to relinquish her title due to an apparent injury. So, there will be a fatal-four way for that title at All Out. Plus, some other news outside the upcoming PPV made its way to press yesterday. If you ask my opinion, I think that AEW is starting to feel pressure from WWE now that Paul Levesque (Triple H) has essentially taken over that outfit.

Some personal news for you, there was a slight scare early this week regarding my blood glucose levels. Translation: my eldest sister tried to make a mountain out of a molehill as usual. Me and middle sister contend that the device that measure my glucose, a Freestyle Libre, is off kilter and needs replacing. I think that's actually the case. My BS reading on Monday morning was a whopping 21. You read that right, 21. If it were actually 21, your man would not have been able to get out of bed; he would have been in the hospital (much to the delight of some I suppose), and that's where eldest sis thought I should have been, but I wasn't in any danger other than the occasional shaking with low blood sugar (not THAT low). I still think that one of my medications is causing my BS to crash, fortunately the doctors decided to reduce my dosage to half of what I was taking. My sugar levels have rebounded since and I feel fine. Still, anything to lower the 10.5 A1C(!) number that I have.

One other note that I thought I would pass along. There is a slight possibility that I (the family) may move out of Spring Hill to Citrus County in the next couple of years. Nope, don't like that at all. Hell, I'm far enough away from civilization as it is, I don't want or need to be any further. This would be like going from halfway to Timbuktu to two-thirds of the way there. You know what's in Citrus County? Bupkis. That and #FloridaPerson. No fucking thank you. Spring Hill is bad enough, Pasco County isn't much better, but Citrus County? Pffft. Anything to keep me away from civilization, I guess.

Found out yesterday that MLB is FINALLY doing something right. Starting next year, the schedule will be more balanced, and EVERYBODY PLAYS EVERYONE!! About time Commissioner Manfred Mann did something right. Now to fix that hokey ghost runner rule.

Well, that's about all I have for today, I will have my flashback tomorrow. Can't believe we're almost to September already. In the meantime, don't forget to follow me on TikTok and don't be afraid to anonymously ask me questions. Links are on my Twitter page, and my Instagram story (if you follow me there). In the meantime, have a great Thursday!

CT

More Deep Thoughts...

 Hello again everyone, and no, I'm not Jack Handy. I thought I would take this time to dispense more deep thoughts that I have in my brain and may or may not have dispensed already on my Twitter page. Why? Well, I have nothing better to do on a Saturday night since I can't go anywhere after dark and my drinking days are all but over. So, here we go.

Looking at the hits on this blog, it seems like more people want to see me having a mental/emotional breakdown and expressing my displeasure about what happened than want to see my whimsical flashback segments or taking about current events. Not to go finger-pointing at you all in general, but it seems like you all are rooting AGAINST me finding love, and would rather me be miserable the rest of my days. To that I ask...

Seriously though, there are quite a few that actually do want me to succeed, and I appreciate the support, in fact one just messaged me "I'm thinking of you." Unfortunately, that one is already spoken for, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up hope for others. Even some who may be spoken for now, but possibly not in the future. Along those lines, I asked a serious question on Twitter this evening (that of course got no reply), am I polyamorous? Well, after just looking it up on Google, not really. I have to be in a relationship with someone first and foremost. I guess if that were actually the case, I'd be a swinger. I'm more of a swinger and a misser than anything...just kidding. I'll be here all weekend.

 Another thing that I've had some trouble coming to grips with is me asking myself, is anyone really listening? By that I mean why am I not getting the interaction that I wished to have on Twitter and this blog. In fact, it's all my social channels to be honest. On the other hand, I'm kind of comfortable with the lack of attention. I know, I'm contradicting myself, but then again it seems like a lot of people are nowadays. One minute you're ripped and shredded SpongeBob, the next, you're smiling SpongeBob awaiting a handshake. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would very much like for to read and see what I have to say on all my social media platforms, because I think I'm funny and somewhat intelligent (at least I used to be).

What I'm trying to do is see what talent I do have so I don't have to worry that much for the rest of my life. I just wish that more people would interact with me, and not take me for a joke, which apparently some people around the Tampa Bay area has. And that's something that burns me a bit. Yeah, I'm not supposed to vare about what others think, but when you hear nothing positive, something is wrong. and I think I am being badmouthed for no reason. There have been many times especially the last month or so I wish I had someone to talk to only to be ignored, and sometimes it isn't funny. Anyway, that's pretty much what I had to say about that.

I'll be back either early next week or tomorrow if I think of writing again. In the meantime, take care.

CT

Loose Ends, Deep Thoughts, And A Flashback

   Hello once again everyone. I was going to try to get this in a little earlier today, but my blood sugar was so low (almost 50), that I nearly crashed this morning. But I feel better now, so I can try to try to get this in before tonight's episode of Smackdown. Yes, in case you didn't know, I am a wrestling fan Speaking of 50, one of my oldest friends turns 50 today, but that's another story. Happy birthday!

Some loose ends to tie up first off. Remember last week when I was playing a game that was about to somehow miraculous pay me $150? Well, just as I suspected, it was too good to be true. At a measly 11 cents away from the cash out, the level bonuses suddenly stopped altogether. See, I TOLD you those games are fake AF! They promise to pay you until it's time to put their money where their mouths are, then suddenly they're crying poormouth. Ridiculous.

Also, this week I have fallen yet again into the TikTok rabbit hole, and there's been a new trend that's really been taking off. It's a bunch of GenXers showing old photos from their teenage years set to a sped-up version of Wheatus' 2000 hit single (although not in the US), "Teenage Dirtbag." It was so popular, I even jumped on board with the trend. Also, on the Tok, I listened to several stories about the wrestling industry, a poignant (and unfortunately true) video about Victoria's Secret, and a rather hilarious Rick Astley update. I also may have found out why during last week's full moon (as well as the days leading up to it), I felt as if I was losing control and going crazy. The full moon just happened to rise with Aquarius, which is my zodiac sign and man did I feel it. I don't take too much stock into astrology because nine times out of ten, most of it is jibber jabber anyway, but it was an energy I haven't felt in a long, long time that wasn't necessarily good but was probably needed, for things have started to look up this past week. Much like a similar situation twelve years ago, which also just so happened to be a tiger year, and I wound up nearly falling for someone. So, stay tuned...

On Wednesday though, I wasn't feeling all that great mentally as I had a doctor's visit at the Port Richey VA clinic, and on the way there, I thought of the numerous times where I would find myself driving (usually to work) and become so overcome with my depressed thoughts that I would have the urge (although I never did it) to weave my car off the side of the road and into a tree. Thankfully, I erased those thoughts once I got to the clinic, and I had a good visit.

Like I alluded to earlier, my viewing of TikTok has gotten me on a nostalgia trip of sorts (which is what I usually do on here anyway), but it has given me a whole new appreciation for it. That said, I rolled my 20-sided dice (no, I don't play Dungeons & Dragons) and actually rolled a 20. So therefore, this week we're going back to the year 1999. Arguably the BEST year for pop music during what was a very interesting decade. Here now were the Top 40 songs (per Radio & Records Magazine) fromm August 20, 1999:

40. Meet Virginia by Train. Their debut effort, and interestingly enough in 2010, the year I mentioned earlier, they would also have a big hit with "Hey Soul Sister."

39. My Own Worst Enemy by Lit. Much like the previous song, a very solid debut effort. Unfortunately for them, they didn't have the success as Train had.

38. You'll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins. From the Disney movie "Tarzan." As far as I know, this would be Collins' last chart hit.

37. So Pure by Alanis Morissette

36. What's My Age Again? by Blink-182. Yet another debut effort that would become an iconic song for the 2000s. I was 26 at the time so I was three years past the point where nobody liked me...I think.

35. Almost Doesn't Count by Brandy. Unless you're talking horseshoes or hand grenades, then it doesn't.

34. Music Of My Heart by *N Sync f/Gloria Estefan

33. I Love You Came Too Late by Joey McIntyre. Can definitely relate to this track.

32. Tell Me It's Real by K-Ci and JoJo

31. There She Goes by Sixpence None The Richer. This cover was a solid follow up to their #1 smash, "Kiss Me."

30. Bills, Bills, Bills by Destiny's Child. Reminds me of the one "ex" I had. Ugh.

29. Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Loved this song

28. Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin. I'll never forget one driving around Clearwater one night and Kane (the then-nighttime host on WFLZ radio) played this song for like thirty minutes straight. It was hilarious after a while.

27. Smooth by Santana f/Rob Thomas. Arguably the most overplayed song of 2000.

26. Steal My Sunshine by Len

25. La Copa De La Vida by Ricky Martin. Remember the now defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny MLS team? This song would come on whenever the team aired a commercial to hype up their next match, which almost nobody attended. By the way, I have a somewhat hilarious story involving some fans at a Mutiny game from back around that time frame that I'll get into on a future entry.

24. Wild, Wild West by Will Smith. And we'll be sure to keep your wife's name out of our bleeping mouths. We don't want to have the shit slapped out of us.

23. Where My Girls At? by 702. Speaking of WFLZ radio, they seemed to always play this song coming out of commercial break.

22. It's Not Right, But It's Okay by Whitney Houston. Kinda like giving a pretty necklace for someone only to have that someone turn around and go with someone else the very next day...

21. Beautiful Stranger by Madonna

20. I could Not Ask For More by Edwin McCain

19. She's All I Ever Had by Ricky Martin

18. Summer Girls by LFO. I've yet to meet a girl from Abercrombie and Fitch.

17. Smile by Vitamin C f/Lady Saw. Lady Saw would make another guest appearance one year later on No Doubt's "Underneath It All"

16. Black Balloon by The Goo Goo Dolls. Probably my favorite track from that band.

15. I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan. Sarah McLachlan is known for two things. The first are those tear-jerking animal commercials. The second is the Lillith Fair, which is something I felt C. Montgomery Burns would ask Smithers to take him to.

14. Unpretty by TLC. Their last monster hit before Left Eye's tragic, untimely death the next year in an automobile crash in Costa Rica.

13. Sometimes by Brintney Spears. I still maintain that certain radio personalities' bad-mouthing of Spears helped contribute to her current mental state. Not naming names but think about where I live and who's popular here from a radio standpoint.

12. Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out) by Citizen King

11. (Hey Leonardo) She Likes Me For Me. No dude, she likes you because you have more money than God and have extremely good looks and/or charisma. Sorry if my cynicism spilled out there.

10. I Do (Cherish You) by 98 Degrees

  9. Out Of My Head by Fastball

  8. She's So High by Tal Bachman. Yes, she is high indeed 😉

  7. Bailamos by Enrique Iglesias. Absolutely loved this song.

  6. I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys. Yeah, well I want it that way too. I've waitd long enough dangit!

  5. Someday by Sugar Ray. And there's the answer to the question I had in the previous song.

  4. Last Kiss by Pearl Jam. Last kiss? How about a first kiss? That would be awesome!

  3. If You Had My Love by Jennifer Lopez. Now that Ben Affleck has won back J-Lo's love, dare I ask if we'll get a "Gigli" reboot?

  2. Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera. Wish I could rub her the right way...

...and the number 1 song this week 22 years ago was...

  1. All Star by Smash Mouth

Sorry, but I had this entry interrupted by dinner, but at least I got it done before the start of "Smackdown." I hope to have more this weekend for you. Until next time...

CT

A Little Something About Effort

 Greetings again peeps. I was taking a shower this evening when I thought about something that unfortunately I haven't made much of because of my living situation, effort. It's something that I feel everyone has to put in if you're going to try to get yourself involved in a relationship. Unfortunately, I can't make much of one because "Josefina Stalina" across the hall will want to know what I'm doing or spending what dollars (outside of bills) I do make on. In fact, I told my one-time love interest and good friend that I felt inadequate because of it. So, I'm limited to little trinkets I can afford, or creating content (no, not THAT content) like artwork and such for whoever the object of my desire is. Problem is that in most cases, that particular woman is at least a few states away, in fact in 2019 (before COVID f***ed everything up), I made a trip to try to see someone I was interested in at the time. Alas, her social anxiety wouldn't allow her to visit. 

Now would I love to take a visit to wherever to attempt to see who I'm interested in? Of course, I do! Problem is, "Josefina" will want to know exactly when and where I will be, because according to her, she's "responsible for me." Now you know how I feel as a grown ass man being unable to really go anywhere even though I'm nearing 50. I think she wants me to go to the VFW and date some old widow hen who lives in some nursing home. Jiminy fricking Christmas give me a doggone break. My other sister is also widowed and is very cynical about dating and relationships. Yeah, so much for finding help from my family, no wonder I don't try to show my hand to them; they would try to (and they have) sabotaged any effort I try to make in that department.

Back when I was living in North Carolina, legendary sports anchor for WRAL-TV Tom Suiter every Friday would hand out something called the "Extra Effort Award." Suffice to say given my current living situation, I'd never be eligible for said award. So unfortunately, I have to fall on this blog and social media to put myself out there...

WHY MUST I COME FROM SUCH A SCREWED-UP FAMILY??!!

CT

Flashback: August 16, 1985

 Greetings again everyone. I completely missed yesterday in part because of something personal I'd rather not get into at this moment. Let's just say for a period of time, my mind wandered into a very, very dark place, one that I rarely get into and one that I don't really want to revisit. There may be a select few that I wish to talk about what happened, but I will say that afterwards, my heartbeat was racing, my breathing was elevated, and I was trembling all over. Fortunately, I calmed down enough and wound up sleeping for the majority of the day. It was THAT bad. Being an emotional wreck because of past trauma really has its downfalls sometimes. Anyway...

This morning I thought I would do my flashback that I have neglected to do the past couple of weeks. After falling into the TikTok rabbit hole and seeing what I've seen trending on there, I thought I would take a trip to the year 1985. Nothing really significant really happened that year other than I contracted chicken pox from my cousin in North Carolina that wiped out my 11th birthday. Ugh...Anyway, these were the Top 40 songs according to Radio & Records magazine for the week ending August 9, 1985:

40. No Looking Back by Michael McDonald

39. Cry by Godley & Creme. This is one of the very few 80s songs I totally despise. I think I saw the music video once on "American Bandstand," and it was a bunch of people shedding waterworks in front of a camera. On a personal note, I've shed my share of tears the past month, but that's neither here nor there. 

38. There Must Be An Angel by The Eurythmics

37. Raspberry Beret by Prince. The kind you find in a secondhand store.

36. Do You Want Crying by Katrina & The Waves. Actually, given the song at #39, no.

35. A View To A Kill by Duran Duran. From the James Bond movie of the same name. I think it was the last Bond movie that Roger Moore made, give me a second to research it. Turns out it was.

34. When Your Heart Is Weak by Cock Robin

33. Dress You Up by Madonna. Have I ever told you how much I owe my puberty as well as my sexual orientation to just how fricking hot I thought Madonna was? Oh! Today is her birthday. Happy Birthday Madonna!!

32. Live Every Moment by REO Speedwagon

31. Shame by The Motels

30. Sentimental Street by Night Ranger

29. You Give Good Love by Whitney Houston her debut track, and the first of many. I still think she was taken away from us too soon. Despite all her demons.

28. Get It On (Bang A Gong) by The Power Station. Better than the original version by T-Rex in the mid-70s.

27. Smokin' In The Boys Room by Motley Crue.  First top 40 hit for them, and another example of it being better than the original, this one from Brownsville Station.

26. Dare Me by The Pointer Sisters. And don't forget that coming up, we'll have a dead dog dedication for you. Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

25. Money For Nothing by Dire Straits. I don't think you'll ever hear the unedited version of this song again. IYKYK...

24. State Of The Heart by Rick Springfield

23. People Are People by Depeche Mode. I legit don't think I heard this song until I had moved to Orlando...in 1991.

22. Mystery Lady by Billy Ocean

21. Life In One Day by Howard Jones. I don't think that's possible tbh.

20. Rock Me Tonite (For Old Time's Sake) by Freddie Jackson.

19. Cherish by Kool & The Gang

18. Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen. I think my glory days are still yet to happen.

17. Invincible by Pat Benatar. Now I have that meme that YTMND used to have that used this song on my brain.

16. Freedom by Wham! Another song called from the late George Michael called "Freedom" was renamed to "Freedom '90" to avoid confusion. 

15. Pop Life by Prince

14. What About Love by Heart. I think the song by Howard Jones ("What Is Love/") is more like the question I should be asking.

13. You Spin Me Round by Dead Oe Alive. Speaking of ytmnd, there was another meme that was set to this song. No, I won't go into detail of what that meme consisted of.

12. You're Only Human by Billy Joel

11. Don't Lose My Number by Phil Collins. I'm used to people losing my number, or at least not remembering it...

10. Everytime You Go Away by Paul Young

  9. Who's Holding Donna Now by DeBarge. I used to have a crush on someone named Donna, until she turned out to be one of those holy-rolling evangelicals, so I couldn't care less about who's holding Donna now.

  8. If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free by Sting. Advice I could use tbh...

  7. We Don't Need Another Hero by Tina Turner. Actually Tina, we could use a few more these days.

  6. Freeway Of Love by Aretha Franklin

  5. Summer Of '69 by Bryan Adams. I'm still looking for mine.

  4. St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion) by John Parr. After this song, Parr faded into oblivion, didn't he?

  3. Never Surrender by Corey Hart. I don't plan on doing so, Corey.

  2. The Power Of Love by Huey Lewis and The News. I think this came from "Back To The Future." Jeez Doc, that's heavy.

and the number one song on August 9, 1985 was...

  1. Shout by Tears For Fears

let it all out, these are the things I can do without, come on!

By the way, the song that inspired this flashback would debut next week, "Take On Me" by a-ha. Unfortunately, when I started writing this blog, by 1985 charts page on my Microsoft Office list was turned to the week before and I was already five songs in, so instead of starting completely over, I remained on August 9. However, here's one of my all-time favorite GIFs that was set to that song:

And that's your flashback for this (last) week. Hopefully, I'll come back with anotherr one later this week. Until next time, be well and have a great Tuesday.

CT 

Quit Playing Games With My Heart, Smartphone

 Good morning, everyone. This has been a rather interesting week to say the least, but instead of talking about the tragedy of Anne Heche, or Salman Rushdie getting attacked in New York, or cartel violence in Mexico, or a rather big thing that happened at Mar-a-Lago, I thought I would give my thoughts on something some of you may have experienced on your mobile devices; these gaming apps where you can supposedly win cash.

As someone whose main source of income is now SSDI at the age of 48, I feel the need to make a side hustle, not to make ends meet, but to give myself a little extra spending money for...reasons. Anyway, I found one app so far that actually does pay, it's called "Just Play," and I've been able to make a little coin from the app. All you do is download and play certain games, complete a certain goal of said game, and you can win some money; in most cases something to the tune of $1 or $2. Talk about striking it rich. It adds up after a while, and over the course of a month, I'd say I've earned about $20, which is barely enough to buy a bottle of my favorite liquor (which I'm not supposed to have anymore). Thank you, diabetes.

That isn't the crux of what I want to talk about though. What I was wanting to talk about was the stupid, over-the-top commercials that exist for other games/gaming apps that are in existence as well. Some of these games are pulling out celebrities from the past to promote their app, like Solitaire Harvest is doing with Jane Seymour. Others are using celebrities to promote apps like similar to the one I use to try to earn a couple of extra bucks (I even saw Lindsay Lohan on one such ad 😍). But there are other ads for other apps that is so obvious that they're fake, there are certain red flags to look for when seeing these ads.

The first such red flag is the commercials with less than D-list actors/actresses. They usually have a conversation with someone (usually themselves in different clothing), talking about how they don't have to worry about paying one particular bill or gas money since playing a certain game. Then some gullible schmo (*cough* me *cough*) downloads said app to see if it's really legit or just a bunch of hot air. Well, the app starts off well, until you realize you have an unrealistic threshold to cash out in, and in order to possibly reach said threshold, you have to play for hours upon hours on end and watch numerous amounts of the same ads I'[m writing about currently. 

One such example is "Word Cash," which is a word search where you're supposed to find words either up, down, forwards, or backwards. After the first couple of levels, you're thinking to yourself, "gee, I'll cash out at $150 in NO time. Except you don't. The rewards keep getting smaller and smaller the further along you go. The best way to describe it is, say you're playing football and you have a goal to go situation. You need ten yards to reach the goal line, but in this instance, you have unlimited downs. The first snap, you gain five yards, then half that on the next snap, then half that...and so on. Sooner or later, you find yourself on the brink of insanity because the goal line is so close, yet you're now moving in micrometers instead of yards.

The picture below is a screenshot I took last night of said app and how much I need to "cash out." As you can see, I'm a mere $3.19 away (which is now $2 as of this morning), and that's after two and a half days of game play (not nonstop mind you). As you can see, so tantalizingly close:

Here's the thing though, if I DO reach the goal, I'll probably get some lame excuse as to why I can't cash out, such as "due to the COVID-19 pandemic, allow six to ten business days to get your order processed." Really? I can cash out with my current gaming app almost instantly and you're giving me this bullshit? FOH, youbunnywrote (trust me, it's a Russian cuss word).

Another red flag commercial that I've seen from these gaming apps are I have to be careful how I say it, because it MAY come off as racist. They're the ads that obviously was created from the country of origin of said app (usually China or Taiwan). They promise that you can win major moolah by playing said game...but you don't. Sounds like a blatant act of deception is I ever seen one. Oh, and the part that says "you have to make sure you download the app from this advertisment." Huh? You mean if I type in the name of the game in the app store it might not be the "right one?" Good grief!!

This however may be my favorite one. It's a commercial for an app called Lucktastic, which is a scratch of game where you probably won't, but possibly may win some cash prizes. A couple of years back, they showed an ad where a family was brought on some stage where it was announced to them that they won a grand prize of like $100,000. The family reacted by collapsing in sync with each other, falling to the floor. Here's the kicker, the man leading the family was blind. What. The. Hell?

So, you mean to tell me that a visually impaired man won a grand prize on an app THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING to scratch off the potential winning ticket. Something just isn't adding up. Kinda like the 2016 Presidential Election, or the year I'm having this year, but that's a whole other story.

There's another set of ads too that I've been seeing too much of playing these gaming apps; these ads for those magical weight loss gummies. I've seen these ads for a while now, and I already don't believe they work because that suspected quack Dr. Oz is seen promoting the product. Not only that, but the "experts" that claim that these gummies actually work are the frigging panelists from the TV show "Shark Tank." Like Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran are now gastrointestinal experts and not money people. Reminds me of a similar ad campaign some two decades ago involving what is now iHeart Radio. Most if not all of their stations did heavy promotion on this product called "Body Solutions" which was supposed to act in the same way that these so-called gummies do. Take one pill a day and the fat magically disappears. Well, if memory serves me correct, NBC News did an expose on this product, and it really wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Within a week, some big wig at Clear Channel (as it was then called) made a prerecorded voice over disputing NBC's claims, but the advertisements suddenly disappeared. Seems like someone was caught on their BS.

Anyway, those are some of the red flags/misadventures I personally have seen from these gaming apps. In reality, the BEST way to earn money, in the words of Britney Spears, is too work, bitch. 

Some Odds And Ends...

I know I said earlier I wasn't going to talk about Anne Heche, but the following raises my suspicion. Yesterday was the first time I saw the video of Heche attempting to crawl from the gurney she was transported on after her accident, my question is: do we have an actual conspiracy?

Saw the Bucs game last night, and save for three, maybe four plays, Kyle Trask looked pretty solid laast night. The game winning field goal attempt gave me flashbacks to Roberto Aguyao though.

Speaking of the Bucs game, there were two commercials for Ron DeSatan DeSantis that looked cringeworthy at best. There were also two commercials for Charlie Crist, but no ads for the other Democratic nominee Nikki Fried (unless they aired one while I was in the bathroom or grabbing a Pepsi Zero Sugar. My disdain for DeSantis is why one of the better friends I had ghosted me altogether. Oh well, her loss.

Speaking of friends, I had to block one on Facebook last week because she happened to drink the Fox News Kool-Aid. However, I did UNblock a couple of other people yesterday. Let's just say that to the two I unblocked (who I won't name), let's just say I'm letting bygones be bygones, and it's now water under the bridge. Does that mean I suddenly like the two? Probably not, at least for the time being. But the opportunity is there to bury whatever hatchets there may be, and that's all I have to say about that.

Well, that's my spiel for this weekend. I hope to be back sometime later in the week if I feel mentally good enough to get on the keyborad. And as always you can find me at the following sites:

Twitter: bonyscribe

Instagram: bonyscribe

Snapchat: bonyscribe

TikTok: bonyscribe1

Until next time, have an excellent Sunday.

UPDATE: to hell with letting bygones be bygones...🤬

Another Untimely Death...Otherwise A Good Day

 Good morning, everyone. Late Saturday night, I spoke briefly about Vin Scully, who recently died, and opined how the recent period of celebrity deaths reminded me of 2016. Well yesterday, yet another celebrity checked into the celestial realm; Olivia Newton-John. This one hit hard for a lot of people around my age group because of not only her recording career, but also the lasting impression she made in her role of Sandy in the 1978 movie, "Grease." 

Tributes have poured in from around the world, from the US to Australia. On BBC World News, I saw where Kylie Minogue posted a tribute to her on Twitter. All in all, it was a rather sad note on what was a glorious day otherwise. Right, Donny boy???

On a personal note, I was working on a drawing/portrait for someone, but I am currently not on speaking terms with said person, so I don't know if that project will continue, unless I hear from said person. Also, I have plenty of literature to get caught up on regarding my diabetes diagnosis. My A1C was a whopping 10.5, so yeah, I'm diabetic. Maybe I'll shave my head and cosplay as Wilfred Brimley heck I eat plenty of oatmeal for breakfast as it is. Oh, and I'm awaiting test strips, which I have been waiting on since before my meltdown a few weeks ago.

Anyway, I'll see you later this week.

CT 

Saturday Evening/Sunday Morning Post

 Hello on this very late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. As you could probably tell, I haven't done much writing the past week. Well, let's just say I kind of needed the time to heal emotionally over the past two weeks. Not just the fallout from being rejected, but other issues on the Homefront that I'd rather not get into right now, but if you know me from the social media outlets I usually post to, you could imagine what was going on. 

As a result of my absence, there will be no flashback feature this week. My mood wasn't in the spirit to make one for the reasons listed in the above paragraph, but more than that, we seemed to have a flashback of sorts to 2016. Who could forget that year? Seemed like the world was ending because of all the notable celebrities that passed that year. Well, this past week we had something similar happen. Several notable personalities checked out from here on Earth and into the celestial realm, most notable Paul Sorvino, Nichelle Nicholls, and a favorite of mine, Vin Scully.

Vin was my personal soundtrack for baseball growing up, and for a lot of many other Gen-Xers who grew up watching baseball, I imagine it was their soundtrack too. His calls in the 1986 and 1988 World Series will last forever. The latter while I sat in astonishment of Kirk Gibson's exploits in the living room of my youngest sister's trailer in Podunkville (St. Pauls), NC as a 14-year-old. But he was much more than the voice of baseball in my youth, he was also the voice for golf on NBC during the mid to late 80's, and before he was known as the voice of NBC's baseball game of the week, he duly served as one of the top voices on CBS. In fact, it was him who called Joe Montana's game winning touchdown pass to the late Dwight Clark back in January of 1982. All that while serving an amazing six-plus decades as the voice of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Speaking of football, can you believe it's already preseason? The Hall of Fame Game was played just the other day, with the Raiders beating on the hapless LOLJags. I didn't pay much attention because 1) it's preseason, and 2) I'm waiting for the regular season to begin. No, I'm not going to analyze what to expect this season; besides, I already made my pick to win the Super Bowl anyway.

Starting next week, I am going to explore a possible career opportunity that would allow me to work from home. Living on what little I make from SSDI is not enough for the kind of life that I wish. Heck, it's quite possibly why I didn't wind up with...nah, I'm not saying it. The way I see it, it's like the late Owen Hart promo in the WWE in the late 1990s; "enough is enough, and it's time for a change!" One reason why I'm possibly looking into this opportunity is a message I got on my Instagram account this morning. 

This right here was just the message I needed to cheer me up after a very trying last three weeks, so whoever you are that sent it, thanks!

Well, it's past 2AM here in Hernando County, so I guess I'll wrap this entry up for now. I hope to have more for you all perhaps later today. In the meantime, have a good night!

CT