Last Flashback of 2022

 Hello everyone, and especially to Greta Thurnberg. So, I thought I would go ahead and post my last flashback of 2022. This will be a bit different from ones in past posts, in that this won't be a weekly countdown. Instead, it is my tabulation of what the top songs of a particular year.

How did I come up with this, you ask? Well, I may have explained it a few years ago in a seperate post, then again, I don't remember exactly. But anyway, what I did was take the weekly Top 40 charts from two of the music industry's leading publications, Radio & Records Magazine (now defunct) and Billboard Magazine (which I'm working on currently). I then assign a point value based on how high on the chart they placed (in the case of R/R until 1983, there was no top 40 back then, it was a top 30):

  #1 125
  #2 100
  #3   90
  #4   80
  #5   70
  #6   60
  #7   55
  #8   50
  #9   45
#10   40
#11   37
#12   34
#13   32
#14   30
#15   28

#16 through #40 are in descending order from 25 to 1 point.

I also would assign bonus points for chart longevity as well as how long they were in a certain spot of the countdown. In all, it's kinda like pop music meets the NASCAR Cup Series. 

So without further ado, here were my top 100 songs of 1980 (with points) based on the data I got from Radio & Records Magazine (I may do Billboard in a separate entry):

100: Drivin' My Life Away by Eddie Rabbitt (205)
  99: I'm Alive by Electric Light Orchestra (217)
  98: Dreamer by Supertramp (219, peaked at #12)
  97: Think About Me by Fleetwood Mac (219, peaked at #9)
  96: The Tide Is High by Blondie (222)
  95: Stomp by The Brothers Johnson (228)
  94: Take Your Time (Do It Right) by SOS Band (229)
  93: Do That To Me One More Time by Captain & Tenille (234)
  92: Do Right by Paul Davis (238, peaked at #11 but #24 on BB)
  91:  In America by Charlie Daniels Band (238, peaked at #11, but #11 on BB)

  90. Coward Of The County by Kenny Rogers (238, peaked at #6)
  89: Special Lady by Ray, Goodman, and Brown (239)
  88: Don't Ask Me Why by Billy Joel (240)
  87: She's Out Of My Life by Michael Jackson (248)
  86: Off The Wall by Michael Jackson (251)
  85: Lovely One by The Jacksons (262, peaked at #12)
  84: I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross (262, peaked at #10)
  83: You'll Accompany Me by Bob Seger (262, peaked at #8)
  82: Take A Little Rhythm by Ali Thomson (273)
  81: Pilot Of The Airwaves by Charlie Dore (274)

  80: An American Dream by The Dirt Band (275)
  79: On The Radio by Donna Summer (276)
  78: Don't Do Me Like That by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (290)
  77: September Morn by Neil Diamond (315)
  76: All Over The World by Electric Light Orchestra (316)
  75: Jojo by Boz Scaggs (318)
  74: Brass In Pocket by The Pretenders (319)
  73: Every Woman In The World by Air Supply (321)
  72: Into The Night by Benny Mardones (324)
  71: Desire by Andy Gibb (337)

  70. Cars by Gary Numan (343)
  69: Look What You've Done To Me by Boz Scaggs (357)
  68: Sexy Eyes by Dr. Hook (358)
  67: Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar (360)
  66: Never Knew Love Like This Before by Stephanie Mills (363)
  65: I'm Alright by Kenny Loggins (364)
  64: 99 by Toto (377)
  63: Boulevard by Jackson Browne (386)
  62: Jessie by Carly Simon (387)
  61: Guilty by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb (393)

  60: You're The Only Woman by Ambrosia (397)
  59: Romeo's Tune by Steve Forbert (401)
  58: More Love by Kim Carnes (402, peaked at #6)
  57: Rock With You by Michael Jackson (402, peaked at #2)
  56: Lookin' For Love by Johnny Lee (405)
  55: How Do I Make You by Linda Ronstadt (418)
  54: Breakdown Dead Ahead by Boz Scaggs (420)
  53: Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time by The Spinners (427)
  52: Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen (434)
  51: Funkytown by Lipps, Inc. (441)

  50: Give Me The Night by George Benson (444)
  49: Let My Love Open The Door by Pete Townshend (471)
  48: Yes I'm Ready by KC with Teri Desario (480)
  47: (Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon* (489)
  46: Hurt So Bad by Linda Ronstadt (507)
  45: Tired Of Toein' The Line by Rocky Burnette (510)
  44: Too Hot by Kool & The Gang (513)
  43: Xanadu by Olivia Newton-John & ELO (517)
  42: The Long Run by The Eagles* (520)
  41: He's So Shy by The Pointer Sisters (532)

  40: Shining Star by Manhattans (548)
  39: Misunderstanding by Genesis (559)
  38: Hot Rod Hearts by Robbie Dupree (571)
  37: I Can't Tell You Why by The Eagles (573)
  36: You've Lost That Loving Feeling by Hall & Oates (576)
  35: Never Be The Same by Christopher Cross (580, peaked at #3)
  34: Love On The Rocks by Neil Diamond (580, reached #1)
  33: The Wanderer by Donna Summer (589)
  32: Steal Away by Robbie Dupree (621)
  31: Sara by Fleetwood Mac* (625)

  30: Him by Rupert Holmes (643)
  29: Working My Way Back To You by The Spinners (658)
  28: Dreaming by Cliff Richard (677)
  27: Let Me Love You Tonight by Oure Prairie League (679)
  26: Against The Wind by Bob Seger (696)
  25: You May Be Right by Billy Joel (710)
  24: Emotional Rescue by The Rolling Stones (713)
  23: Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer by Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes (767)
  22: Another One Bites The Dust by Queen (778)
  21: Fire Lake by Bob Seger (784)

  20: The Rose by Bette Midler* (803)
  19: Coming Up by Paul McCartney & Wings* (806)
  18: More Than I Can Say by Leo Sayer (824, nine weeks within top 20)
  17: Little Jeannie by Elton John (824, 11 weeks within top 20)
  16: Upside Down by Diana Ross* (830)
  15: Lost In Love by Air Supply (833)
  14: All Out Of Love by Air Supply* (844)
  13: Late In The Evening by Paul Simon* (864)
  12: Ride Like The Wind by Christopher Cross (917)
  11: Real Love by The Doobie Brothers* (932)

  10: Longer by Dan Fogelberg* (959)
    9: Biggest Part Of Me by Ambrosia* (961)
    8: Magic by Olivia Newton-John* (970)
    7: Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen* (975, eight weeks on the top ten)
    6: Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd* (975, nine weeks in the top ten)
    5: It's Still Rock & Roll To Me by Billy Joel* (1,059)
    4: Sailing by Christopher Cross* (1,072)
    3: Woman In Love by Barbra Streisand* (1,131)
    2: Lady by Kenny Rogers* (1,143)
    1: Call Me by Blondie* (1,256)

*--denotes song that reached #1.

No real big surprises on this chart. A little shocked that "I'm Alright" wasn't higher on this list Then again, it only reached #8. "Real Love" would be the last Doobie Brothers song to chart for another nine years, and the last with Michael McDonald as lead singer. Fortunately, I didn't get into pop music until the following year (1981), so the tragic death of John Lennon didn't mean that much to me at the time, plus I was quite young (I only started school that fall). Michael Jackson's hit album Off The Wall surprisingly didn't land one single in the top fifty. Other than that, I'd say 1980 was a nice change of pace from the disco era and helped usher in the video music era. 

I'll have more of these next year, which is only two days away. In the meantime, have a good one!

More to come:

CT

Some Loose Ends

 Hello again everyone. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Holiday, and that you were able to stay warm. Well folks, we've reached that awkward time of year between Christmas and New Year's where everyone and their uncle or aunt does a recap of the past twelve months, and there are all sorts of "in memoriams" of all the ones we tragically lost this year.

Well, here's mine; 2022 flat out stunk, but there were some highlights. One, this blog was the most it's been active. This will mark I believe the 100th entry I have made this year, so at least I'm trying to put myself out there? Also, for the first time in two years (thanks T****), I was able to go out and do things on my own. In fact, the biggest highlight of my year came last week. But beyond that, 2022 was a major disappointment. I was hopiing that this was the year that my seven-year dateless streak would finally end. Instead, one love interest got back with her ex and promptly got herself pregnant, and one other love interest in the span of three months got herself engaged. And yes, my family tried to interfere with both situations. Like it's a crime if I fall in love or something. Give me a doggone break...

Elsewhere in Bonyscribe world, my mental health at times were total crap (precipitated by what I just wrote above). Most of what I wrote could be given to a psychiatrist for analysis. That being said, I haven't an in-person counseling session since the start of the (seemingly never-ending) pandemic, some two years ago. And I don't know if I will in the future. Most of my friend are just too far away from me or work in a place that my family doesn't approve of me going to. Screw it, I'm going to keep going there anyway in 2023. My sleep schedule has been practically non-existent this year (hell, it's 4am as I'm typing this), and things have been more down recently than they've been up.

All I can hope for is that 2023 will be much, much better than 2022 was, because quite frankly, it was disappointing.

Some loose ends to tie up. Remember the half-hearted bowl previews I wrote about two weeks ago? Well, here's a grand total of bowl games I've seen so far this year: 

That's right, zero. I might watch the National Championship game, but that's about it. So, my picks are as follows: Georgia over Ohio State and Michigan over TCU with Michigan winning the natty. Oh, and the final flashback of 2022 will be later this week. I'll probably do a year-end flashback since the week between Christmas and New Year's no charts are/were usually published for the holiday.

At least I got around to typing this, though. I need to stop slacking for 2023. Until next time. 

More to come

CT

Getting In The Holiday Spirit...

 Hello everyone, and ho ho ho!  Haven't been posting this past week like I should, but yesterday I had the most incredible and blissful day I've had in at least five years, and arguably one of the most memorable days I've had over the Holiday season EVER. But it didn't come without its hiccups though. I'll get into those a bit later...

But first, how's the weather where you are? Here in Florida, it's okay...for now. But for the rest of the nation (and here this Christmas Eve), BRRRR!!! Minus zero temps throughout the midwestern United States, and it's headed our way. 

Several flights have been cancelled as a result of the bitter cold weather, and it could get worse before the weekend gets here. This pre-Christmas cold spell reminds me of the Christmas I spent in the Orlando area in 1989. That Christmas, there was a sight I thought I would never see, icicles in central Florida. My personal recollections of that weekend were kind of hazy, however all of the siblings were there, I think. I remember having a miserable-ass cold, which lasted all the way until I got back to North Carolina. I remember the rolling blackouts that were going through central Florida, which if happened current day would probably garner all sorts of blame from whichever side of the political aisle is not in power. I was merely interested in finding where my old friends from Orlando Christian were, being that I knew some of them would be graduating high school that year. Alas, social media wouldn't happen for another sixteen years, and people searches on the web wouldn't be around for about another decade, so I was SOL. Like I said, my memory of that weekend was kinda hazy, but man was it memorable. 

Which is probably one of my more memorable Christmases to date, another one was yesterday. Like I said, some things didn't go according to plan, but in the end, it was probably one of the most memorable moments I've ever had, Christmas or otherwise. Long story short, I played Santa to a wonderful young woman who I'm honored to be a friend to...okay, she's my crush, and I'm sure if you've read this blog from time to time since this summer. She enjoyed the gifts I got her, and even told me that I may have made her Christmas over everyone, including her fiancée. 

Everything other than that visit to see her was a bit of a hassle. First off with the bus taking me to my first transfer point (the Walmart on US 19 and Spring Hill Drive). I had two bags that I needed to leave off somewhere (so as not to raise suspicion) because your boy had to use the restroom...bad. Fortunately, the Walmart liquor store had restrooms very close to the fromt, so I asked the lady behind the counter if I could safely drop off my gifts so I could utilize the facilities, and she motioned me to put said packages on the counter, which I did. Some five minutes later, after I left the bathroom to great relief, the bags were still on the counter, but the clerk was nowhere to be seen. That's bad when you're trusting someone who is at work to watch a bag for you for all of five minutes and they leave their post for whatever reason while there are customers in the store. What if the bag gotten swiped? I would have been mortified and Christmas would have been ruined. Thankfully, it wasn't. 

Then another hiccup came when the southbound Purple line Hernando County bus (that's supposed to transfer me to PCPT #21 bus) was late arriving, as a result, the bus wound up missing the Pasco Conty bus altogether, and I was an hour behind schedule (the 21 only runs once an hour). Now with that said, why wasn't there any communication between the Hernando Co. bus and the PCPT bus to ensure that any connections weren't missed, especially when a customer had someplace that he needed to be? This is where I would embed the classic "Rick & Morty" rant, "get your shit together.

Then I finally made it to my destination about the time my crush arrived, we did our little Christmas thing, and it was wonderful. I got a little buzzed from Bud Light and a couple of shots of Fireball, but all was okay, and we really enjoyed each other's company. Alas, the time came to head back home after about a couple of hours, and so I did. I was expecting to make it back around 6:30 pm, but on the last transfer spot, there were issues...major issues.

One particular rider fell asleep on the southbound Green Hernando Line and wound up missing his southbound Purple connection. Sufice to say he didn't handle the news, nor his liquor, for that was the reason he fell asleep, well. He started in on the bus driver, calling him racial epithets, homophobic epithets, animal names, etc. This poor veteran wound up being escorted from the bus while the driver notified Hernando Sheriff's Office. It took four deputies to try to calm the man down, and even with that, I still don't know if he went to jail for drunk and disorderly conduct. Finally, after forty minutes, the bus was back on its way and I was finally able to get home.

Up until that day, I didn't think that the holiday spirit would come to me this year with all that had happened to me, but in the end, this turned out to be one of the best Christmas seasons in memory, and I'm looking forward to this weekend, if not the cold weather. SO, to all who are reading this, Merry Christmas!!

More to come...

CT

College Bowl Preview...Of Sorts, Part II

 Good morning, everyone, except for my sisters who are screwing with my schedule with the VA because their eyes don't want to work. I swear I need crystals or something to ward off their persistent negative energy. Anyway, I'm back with part two of my half-assed bowl game previews. I left off with games takng place on December 22, so I'll pick things back up with December 23.

Independence Bowl: (Shreveport, LA)
Louisiana vs. Houston.

The school formerly known as Louisiana-Lafayette travels up Interstate 49 to face off against upcoming Big 12 newcomer Houston and their coach who desperately needs a new haircut, Dana Holgerson. Expect a lot of offense in this game, which the Cougars are favored by 6.5

Gasparilla Bowl: (Tampa)
Wake Forest vs. Missouri.

The first of Tampa's two bowl games, this one having once being played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg until the folks at ESPN realized how much of a dump the Trop is and moved it across the bay to Tampa (where the Rays SHOULD be, but that's for another topic at another time). For the seventh straight season, Wake is going bowling, which is an impressive feat considering they were amongst the bottom-feeders of the ACC when I was growing up in North Carolina. Last year, they won the Gator Bowl by defeating Rutgers. This year, they face Missouri, who are making their second straight bowl appearance. Wake is favored by a point.

Hawaii Bowl: (Honolulu)
Middle Tennessee vs. San Diego State.

The Blue Raiders beat Miami this season, at Hard Rock Stadium, meanwhile the Aztecs after two years playing their home games in the Los Angeles area went back home to their brand-new Snapdragon Stadium. The Bowl game is being played at the Ching Athletics Complex, which replaced the aging and now-condemned Aloha Stadium a couple of years ago. San Diego State is favored by seven.

Quick Lane Bowl: (Detroit)
New Mexico State vs. Bowling Green

The school that I think is tied with the worst logo in all of collegiate sports faces off against a school named for an infamous massacre that never existed. Besides, this Bowling Green is in Ohio, NOT Kentucky, Kellyanne Conway. Other than what I just wrote, there's nothing remarkable about this game, which Bowling Green is favored by 3.

Camellia Bowl: (Montgomery, AL)
Georgia Southern vs. Buffalo.

Another unspectacular matchup. Georgia Southern is favored by four.

First Responders Bowl: (Dallas--Gerald J. Ford)
Memphis vs. Utah State.

See above (both are 6-6). Tigers are seven-point favorites.

Birmingham Bowl: (Birmingham)
Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina.

Intriguing matchup here, too bad UNCW doesn't have a football program otherwise the game might (and in my opinion) should be played there (Wilmington, NC). As it is, I believe this is the first time these schools will have met on the gridiron. It could be a rivalry game, but I don't suppose either of these schools will be in the same conference going forward. ECU is favored by eight.

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: (Phoenix)
Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma State.

Two power Five Schools coming off disappointing seasons. The game has undergone many name changes, including the Copper Bowl and Insight.com Bowl. Now it's sponsored by a mortgage company that has a downward arrow in its logo, kind of like the seasons for the two schools involved. Wisconsin is favored by three.

Military Bowl: (Annapolis, MD)
UCF vs. Duke.

This is a rematch of sorts, albeit in a different sport. These two schools met a few years back in a cassic round of 32 game in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, with Duke surviving a scare from the Knights. A bit of irony in that UCF will be playing at the stadium of the Naval Academy, who cost them the chance to host the American Conference title game (where they lost to Tulane) by beating them 17-14 in Orlando. Gosh, I had to reboot my laptop AGAIN. Can't even go to the restroom without this old thing go haywire on me. Anyway, I wonder if them playing at Annapolis is karma for Orlando's Navy Base being closed down years ago. Doubt it because it wasn't really UCF's call it was the base closure commision's in 1993. Duke by the way is favored by two.

Liberty Bowl: (Memphis)
Kansas vs. Arkansas.

A visually pleasing matchup from a spelling point of view, although they aren't homophones. Kansas had a terrific campaign after years and years of being lost in the college football wilderness. Their last bowl game was in 2008(!) when they went to the Insight (now Guaranteed Rate) Bowl where they beat Minnesota. Arkansas has had a little bit of a down year following their Outback (now Reliaquest) Bowl win over Penn State last season. Wonder why the Liberty Bowl doesn't invite Liberty University to play there. Maybe it's because they're an Independent for now. Arkansas is favored by 2.5.

Holiday Bowl: (San Diego) 
#15 Oregon vs. North Carolina. 

How long ago was North Carolina's last conference title? Let me put it to you this way, I was midway through the first grade, and they're star player was Lawrence Taylor. THAT'S how long ago it's been. As for Oregon, they're coming off a disappointing (by their standards) campaign in which they lost to their bitter rivals in Corvallis. At least they're favored by two touchdowns and are playing in San Diego, albeit a baseball stadium. I miss the Murph.

Texas Bowl: (Houston)
Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss. 

Texas Tech will be playing with somewhat heavy hearts as Mike Leach was once their head coach. The Rebels, who gave Alabama a ballgame this year, are favored by 4.

Pinstripe Bowl: (New York City)
Syracuse vs. Minnesota. 

The Orange get to play a de facto home game at not-so-new Yankee Stadium against the Golden Gophers, which could change their name to Olden Gophers to pay homage to current Yankees PA (and former Rays radio voice) Paul Olden. Just make sure that no managers are around after he asked about a certain player's performance. Gophers are favored by four.

Cheez-It Bowl: (Orlando--Camping World)
Oklahoma vs. #13 Florida State. 

The 'Noles are back! For the first time since 2019 when the beat Southern Miss in the Independence Bowl, Florida State is going bowling, in their home state even! A righteous reward for the best team in what used to be the capital of college football but is now the capital of bum-ass governors. Oklahoma had a dismal year, scuffling to break even after a lot of promise to begin the year, I know a particular horsey lady near OKC has to be disappointed. This is FSU's fifth bowl game against the Sooners. First was the January 2, 1965 Gator Bowl, where they won 36-19. The other three games have been losses though, 24-7 in the 1980 Orange Bowl, 18-17 in the 1981 Orange Bowl, and 13-2 in the BCS National Championship, which just so happened to be the 2001 Orange Bowl. This is also their third appearance in this particular bowl game, winning over Wisconsin in 2008, and Notre Dame in 2011 (when it was known as the Champs Sports Bowl). Florida State is a 7.5-point favorite.

Alamo Bowl: (San Antonio)
#20 Texas vs. #12 Washington.

Washington had a terrific season in 2022, going 10-2. Meanwhile, Texas went 8-4, with all four of their losses coming by one possession, including a one-point loss at hoe to Alabama, which at the time looked unstoppable (until Tennessee happened). Texas and Bama (as well as Tennessee) will be conference rivals in 2025. The Longhorns are 4.5-point favorites over the Huskies, probably because the game is in San Antonio.

Well, since my laptop is continuing to act up, and I have other things to get ready, I'll pause this preview until sometime next week. I'm sure I'll have fallen victim to Whamageddon by then, but hopefully not "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Gosh almighty that song was so stupid. Anyway, be well and enjoy the remainder of your Wednesday.

CT

College Bowl Preview...Of Sorts, Part I

Hello everyone. The other day I said I would take a close look at the 2022-23 college football bowl matchups when the time is right, and with it being the Wednesday before the games begin, I think now would be a fitting time. A bit of sad news to kick off the bowl season though, as Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach sadly passed away Tuesday due to complications following a heart attack on Monday. A little bit more on that later on, but let's get to the bowl games in chronological order...

Bahamas Bowl: (Nassau)
Miami (OH) vs. UAB. 

MACtion takes on a program that a few years ago disbanded their program, but fortunately brought it back. Fun fact: UAB is currently coached by former Bucs QB Trent Dilfer, who was named to that position a couple of weeks ago by AD Mark Ingram, no, not that Mark Ingram who plays for the Saints or the Mark Ingram that played for the New York Giants years ago. UAB is favored by 11.

Cure Bowl: (Orlando--Exploria)
#25 UTSA vs. #24 Troy.

The champions of Conference USA (yes, it's still around) faces off against the champions of the Sun Belt. Used to be that the winner of the Sun Belt got an automatic bid to the New Orleans Bowl, but apparently that isn't necessarily the case anymore. That said, why didn't Troy get an invite to play in Mobile for the Lending Tree Bowl? Troy is favored by 2.

Fenway Bowl: (Boston)
Cincinnati vs. Louisville.

Our first bowl involving a Power-Five school features two former conference foes as the Bearcats face off against the Cardinals. This is the first installment of the Fenway Bowl; it was scrubbed due to COVID (which is still a thing by the way), costing us a matchup between SMU and Virginia. Louisville is favored by 1.

Las Vegas Bowl: (Las Vegas)
Florida vs. Oregon State.

Would someone please explain to me exactly how Florida lucked their way into this game? I'm a Gators fan, and I don't think they deserve to go to this bowl game. In fact, they'd be better served if they went to St. Pauls (NC) High School for the Ti-D Bowl, but that's just me (no, it doesn't exist). Oregon State meanwhile had a surprisingly good season, culminating with a win over Oregon in the "Civil War." Oregon State is favored by 10 but should win by more than that.

Jimmy Kimmel Bowl: (Inglewood, CA)
Washington State vs. Fresno State

Thank the suits at Disney for creating this bowl game. Fun fact, I've never seen one episode of Jimmy Kimmel in my life. Fresno won the Mountain West Conference this year, so this is a cheap reward for them, although they're favored by 3.

Lending Tree Bowl: (Mobile, AL)
Rice vs. Southern Mississippi.

Rice finished with a losing record, but because there weren't enough eligible teams and ESPN has an insatiable urge to air content for their networks (why do you think there are so many bowl games?), here we are. They face off against a USM squad who were just eligible, finishing middle of the pack in the Sun Belt West. The Golden Eagles are favored by 6.5.

New Mexico Bowl: (Albuquerque)
SMU vs. BYU.

Ah, the alphabet soup matchup of religious institutions; the Methodists battle the Mormons. BYU is playing their last bowl game outside the power five, as they'll join the Big 12 next season. SMU is finally getting to play a bowl game after their bowl game last year (as mentioned earlier) was canceled. SMU is a 5.5-point favorite.

Frisco Bowl: (Frisco, TX)
North Texas vs. Boise State.

Damn my laptop sucks! Anyway, this bowl game was going to canceled due to a lack of bowl eligible teams, but as Daft Punk once sang, television rules the nation, and ESPN had their way with college football (see Lending Tree Bowl). North Texas won't have to travel far to get to Frisco at least, they'll be facing a bitter Boise State squad who lost their conference title game at home, and who are favored by 10.5.

Myrtle Beach Bowl: (Conway, SC)
Marshall vs. Connecticut.

The only bowl game to take place on the 19th (next Monday) features the Thundering Herd and the Huskies. UConn as an independent surprised people this season by going .500 after a few seasons in Siberia. Unfortunately for them, Marshall is favored by ten on the teal turf.

Idaho Potato Bowl: (Boise)
Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State.

From the teal turf to the smurf turf, the Spartans are 3.5-point favorites against the Eagles, not the Emus (although Emus would make for an interesting nickname for the folks from Ypsilanti).

Boca Raton Bowl: (Boca Raton, FL)
Liberty vs. Toledo.

From one Liberty Mutual Insurance slogan to another, as the Libitty Bibitties take on the Holy Toledo Rockets. Liberty (who are actually the Flames) will always have my utter disdain because of Jerry Falwell, who was perhaps the world's biggest hypocrite. Cape Canaveral, meanwhile, is only 177 miles up the coast from Boca, and they're favored by 4.5, so hopefully that synergy from the Cape will hwlp out the Rockets.

New Orleans Bowl: (New Orleans)
Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama.

Way back in the day, these two schools were conference rivals in the Sun Belt, just not in football. U of SA had a great campaign, finishing only behind Troy in the Sun Belt West, while the Hilltoppers (whose mascot looks like a scarlet version of Grimmace from McDonald's) had a respectable showing in C-USA. The Jaguars are favored though, by 4.5.

Armed Forces Bowl: (Fort Worth, TX)
Baylor vs. Air Force. 

The only service academy to reach a bowl game happens to be the school that won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, sweeping both Army and Navy. They get Baylor, who notoriously places awnings over their players in the huddle during timeouts of certain so that the skycam doesn't look in on them. Paranoid much? Besides, wasn't Ken Starr associated with Baylor at one point? He's dead now, so it doesn't really matter. Even though the Bears are favored by six, I'm pulling for my Air Force brethren, as a former Sailor.

That's all I have for now, Part II should be coming sometime tomorrow...

I've Got A Good Feeling...Suddenly Tempered, Plus Other News

 Happy Monday everyone, except for maybe you Dave Chappelle. Inviting a rather divisive human being on stage at your San Francisco show? No bueno, dude. Anyway, we're about to reach the home stretch of 2022, and suddenly this week, for the first time in several months, things could be potentially looking up. My Christmas presents are all wrapped and ready to go. Now I just have to get on a b county bus to Pasco County within the next week to deliver said gifts. Can't go into too much detail because I don't want to jinx anything, and I got reason not to do so earlier this afternoon.

As I first made an attempt to write this, my laptop got hot and shut down; twice. So, I had to put off posting this for a couple of hours to let my unit cool down substantially. Also, those creepy vibes that were trying to infiltrate my sudden serotonin rush somehow seemingly transferred over to my sisters. The car had to be taken to the shop again to replace a water pump and a timing belt (after going into the shop last month for new tires and other work). It could very well be a blessing in disguise though; the sisters are traveling to Tampa for eye work on Friday and are spending Thursday evening down there to spend the night. Which means I'll have the house to myself...Methinks I'm going to give UberEats a call. 😉 

I've never really had a Christmas party (I was in the Navy and then USPS) so I may also take the opportunity to make my visit to drop off the Christmas gifts. Ooh yeah!

Some other noteworthy things to go over this evening. Orion splashed down off the coast of Baja California yesterday. It was a very successful mission as well as historic. I think all of us will be looking forward to the next Artemis mission sometime in 2024, we hope. 

Something fishy is going on in Qatar. Over the past week, two journalists have suddenly died while covering the World Cup, including the United States' preeminent soccer scribe, Grant Wahl. Wahl of course was an outspoken critic of the Qataris human rights abuses as well as their policies during this tournament, and his brother (as well as most of us) are suspecting foul play.

I might get into this in more detail later this week, but my Super Bowl pick at the start of the year is looking anything but right now. After a 35-7 shellacking at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers yesterday, I'm starting to wonder IF the Bucs will indeed take what is a woeful NFC South. A main reason? Coaching, or a lack thereof. My man JaguarGator9 on YouTube posted this video today just as an example of how bad Todd Bowles has been this season, which should be his lone season as head coach. I guess not even a GOAT can't make a pig look good. 

Well, thanks to computer problems and dinner I'm out of time for now, but don't worry, I'll be back later this week. Until next time, take care.

CT

A Hearty Sunday Rant

 Good morning, everyone. A couple of months back, I wrote about how your smartphone has been spamming you with these game playing ads that can help you win some coin. Well, I'm here today to call out one particular app that promises you gift cards for playing games through their app, Mistplay. Am I here to talk about this app? No. I'm here because 1) I haven't had a hearty rant in a while (in my opinion), and 2) holy cow are their ads annoying! Where do I begin? The one with the bargain basement Serena Williams telling us about the app? You've only told us what this app does a hundred thousand times already. How about the elderly gentleman telling us (the viewer) to be quiet because he doesn't want the store clerk (who happens to be the same person in different clothing) to know about the app? Or the other times you have these actors talk to themselves? Or the one Aussie dude? What's next is he going to tell us that the app will put another shrimp on the barbie for us and magically serve us a Bloomin' Onion at Outback Steak House? Give me a break. Or here's my favorite one, the ad that starts off with, "Introducing Mistplay." Uh, first off if you were an app that had just launched within the past three months, I MIGHT believe you. Instead, you're not; you've been around for at least three years. Beginning with a forgettable ad that started with some tool acting as if his head was exploding. Brutal. 

You know what they say about first impressions, right? Well, this pretty much sealed this app's fate as far as I'm concerned; I won't download the app, ever. I already have two such apps on my phone, and I can tell that one of them is pretty much a scam. This one (Rewarded Play) offers pretty much the same thing Mistplay does, except their ads aren't as annoying, and the only reason I downloaded it was because the one app I already had (JustPlay) offered a reward for downloading it and reaching a certain number of points. There's a catch though, in order to reach siad amount of points, you have to make a purchase of some sort. So in other words, you may have to lay down $5.99 to win what, $3 (at most)??? No thank you. That's a lose-lose situation, and an awful investment. Best advice? Don't even download these apps. You won't win diddly-poo, and if you think you will, you're just as delusional as a Trump supporter who thought he won the 2020 election. 

Flashback and Some More Things

  Good morning, everyone, I wanted to do this week's flashback in honor of Christine McVie, who died recently. One of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac, she left on indelible mark on the music scene over the past fifty years, and she will be truly missed. 

(RIP Christine McVie)

Before I get into the flashback though, I thought I would give you an update from my last entry. I told my bartender friend the news and suffice to say she was not happy. I don't even think she knows diddly-poo about the area where I could possibly be relocated to, and that isn't a bad thing. Like they say, ignorance is bliss, especially when you're already located in an area of the country that has it all...except winter weather. So, there's one person that definitely wants me to stay put in Florida, and it may be the most important person too...you never know. Another story that could be somewhat related to me staying broke on Wednesday morning. A plastics manufacturer, Gary Plastics, could be looking to open a facility in Pasco County next year, and the location they're looking isn't too far away from where I'm located either. So, I of course spoke to eldest sister about it and, like what I mentioned in the last entry, she shot it down, saying it would be bad for the environment (her late husband was an environmental engineer). Give me a break. First if she moves, it wouldn't be of any affect to her at all. Second, living off disability isn't good enough for me, and any potential girlfriend/wife. So, I'd like to at least inquire about it. My question is, why the hell is she being so chicken shit about me wanting to improve my life situation? I don't get it myself.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's get into the flashback. As I mentioned earlier, this one is dedicated to the memory of Christine McVie, so this week's flashback so I thought I would include a chart that included one of her notable songs. I chose "Everywhere" since as of now it is featured in a Chevrolet commercial, and it just so happens that on this week thirty-five years ago today, it debuted on Radio & Records pop chart. So, without further ado, here were the top 40 songs according to Radio & Records Magazine for December 11, 1987:

40. Say You Will by Foreigner
39. I Do You by The Jets
38. Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac. There it is for you!
37. Motortown by Kane Gang
36. The Power of Love by Laura Branigan. Celine Dion would make this song a smash some years later.
35. Tunnel of Love by Bruce Springsteen
34. Honestly by Stryper
33. Just Like Heaven by The Cure
32. Don't Shed a Tear by Paul Carrack
31. I Live for Your Love by Natalie Cole

30. True Faith by New Order
29. The One I Love by REM
28. I Want to Be Your Man by Roger
27. That's What Love Is All About by Michael Bolton
26. Hungry Eyes by Eric Carmen. NOT to be confused with "South Park" character Eric Cartman.
25. Crazy by Icehouse
24. (I've Had) The Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
23. Animal by Def Leppard
22. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man by Prince
21. Seasons Change by Exposé

20. Could've Been by Tiffany
19. There's the Girl by Heart
18. Hazy Shade of Winter by The Bangles
17. Should've Known Better by Richard Marx
16. We'll Be Together by Sting
15. Candle in the Wind by Elton John
14. Cherry Bomb by John Mellencamp
13. Dude (Looks Like a Lady) by Aerosmith. Methinks the group was ahead of its time with this song.
12. Tell It to My Heart by Taylor Dayne
11. Need You Tonight by INXS

10. The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson
  9. Catch Me I'm Falling by Pretty Poison
  8. Heaven Is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle
  7. Valerie by Steve Winwood
  6. Don't You Want Me by Jody Watley
  5. Shake Your Love by Debbie Gibson
  4. Got My Mind Set on You by George Harrison
  3. So Emotional by Whitney Houston
  2. Is This Love by Whitesnake

and the number one song this week 35 years ago was...

  1. Faith by George Michael.

Something I was thinking about as I was writing this, how many artists on this list are no longer with us? I know half the artists in the Top Ten are deceased, and the lead singer of #11 is as well. Many of whom left us way too soon. Let's hope that many of the artists that are still with from this era of music stay with us for at least a few more years. 

Hope to have more for you either later today or this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy your morning.

CT

 

Late Night Hodge-podge

 Good morning, everyone, especially to Sen. Neil Warnock of Georgia. I'm up this early morning because my sleep schedule after the exhilarating Monday night football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints is completely off kilter. That and consuming Pepsi Zero at the wrong time of day. So here I am. That's the thing about being an aspiring writer, you kind of keep your own schedule...for now. 

Wanted to start off this early Wednesday with some potentially disappointing and crushing news to me personally. I found out earlier this week that possibly sometime next year, there is a distinct possibility I may relocate. No, I don't really have a say in the matter; remember my designated care giver is my eldest sister who thinks she is the self-described matriarch of the family. Anyway, the location she is looking at? Wilson, North Carolina. Her rationale is that it is "Centrally located" and that I (and the sisters) could take a train to other parts of the state (the youngest of the sisters lives near Jacksonville). Do I want to move? No, not really. My biggest issues right now are 1) I still have numbness on my left side from my stroke; that I'm afraid is permanent. 2) public transportation is kinda crappy around Spring Hill, where I am now. I want to get my writing career off the ground, but doing so takes a little bit of money, and my sister controls all my finances. "But why don't you ask her?" you ask. Well to quote a Capital One commercial from the last decade, the answer's always no. You know I'll keep y'all updated on this developing situation in the coming months...

Meanwhile, one of my packages is coming tomorrow. I have to determine when I'll meet my bartender friend/possible crush deliver said gifts. As or the next couple of flashback segments, I may do a year-end one since the end of 2022 is approaching. My wrestling viewing (as far as old Raw's and Smackdown's are concerned) is approaching the summer of 2001, it was about that time that HHH tore his quadricep and was out of action for several months. As a matter of fact, I think the next Raw I'll watch (the one after the Judgement Day PPV in 2001) was the Raw where he got injured. I didn't see it live of course; I didn't watch it religiously until after the Ruthless Agression era started. 

I haven't watched the news much since Election Day, I've only kept up on the occasional story (like the one in Moore County, NC). I did watch a police pursuit in Los Angeles tonight via Twitch, but that ended with no resolution. Don't worry, the long arm of the law will get thier man eventually. And to think at the beginning of this year, I wanted to visit Los Angeles. Maybe I will someday...

There are a lot of places I would like to visit someday. Perhaps even a return trip to NYC or Philly or even Chicago. St. Louis isn't out of the question either. I'd like to visit Seattle/PNW again. Texas? Nahhh. Okay, maybe the Metroplex but not Houston. I guess what I'm trying to say is that my dream for the end of my time on Earth is to do what my father didn't get to do because he sired me; travel throughout the country. But I don't really want to go it alone (no, I don't want family involved either), Maybe I'll get lucky one day and my ship will come in, LOL.

Well, that's all for now.

CT

Terror On the Homefront, Bowl Season, and More...

 Hello everyone. Wanted to lead of this entry with some really disturbing news from my old stomping grounds. In Moore County, North Carolina, power was cut off to about 40,000 persons throughout the entire county when two substations were shot up and "vandalized" Saturday night. Officials in Moore County don't have a suspect responsible for this act other than it was intentional, however it came just as a drag show which had been widely protested by far-right activists was happening in Southern Pines. Coincidence? I don't know, but there seems to be a lot of finger-pointing to one particular person who happened to be a part of what happened on January 6, 2021. If you would like to follow this story more closely, check out my high school friend Cheryl's Facebook page.

Earlier today, college football selected their four playoff teams as well as the other teams going to bowl games this year. Despite begging and groveling on Fox from Nick Saban, Alabama did not make the playoff. Unfortunately, Ohio State did, thanks a lot, USC. All you had to do was beat a team that freaking Florida beat this year, and you couldn't do that...TWICE. Anyway, the bowl games are as follows:

Bahamas Bowl:
Miami (OH) vs. UAB

Cure Bowl:
UTSA vs. Troy

Fenway Bowl:
Cincinnati vs. Louisville

New Mexico Bowl:
SMU vs. BYU

Jimmy Kimmel Bowl:
Washington State vs. Fresno State

Lending Tree Bowl:
Rice vs. Southern Mississippi

Las Vegas Bowl:
Florida vs. Oregon State

Frisco Bowl:
North Texas vs. Boise State

Myrtle Beach Bowl:
Marshall vs. Connecticut

Idaho Potato Bowl:
Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State

Boca Raton Bowl:
Liberty vs. Toledo

New Orleans Bowl:
Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama

Armed Forces Bowl:
Baylor vs. Air Force

Independence Bowl:
Louisiana vs. Houston

Gasparilla Bowl:
Wake Forest vs. Missouri

Hawaii Bowl:
Middle Tennessee vs. San Diego Stare

Quick Lane Bowl:
New Mexico State vs. Bowling Green

Camellia Bowl:
Georgia Southern vs. Buffalo

First Responder Bowl:
Memphis vs. Utah State

Birmingham Bowl:
Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina

Guaranteed Rate Bowl:
Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma State

Military Bowl:
UCF vs. Duke

Liberty Bowl:
Kansas vs. Arkansas

Holiday Bowl:
Oregon vs. North Carolina

Texas Bowl:
Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss

Pinstripe Bowl:
Syracuse vs. Minnesota

Cheez-It Bowl:
Oklahoma vs. Florida State

Alamo Bowl:
Texas vs. Washington

Duke's Mayo Bowl:
Maryland vs. NC State

Sun Bowl:
Pittsburgh vs. UCLA

Gator Bowl:
Notre Dame vs. South Carolina

Arizona Bowl:
Ohio vs. Wyoming

Orange Bowl: 
Tennessee vs. Clemson

Sugar Bowl:
Alabama vs. Kansas State

Music City Bowl:
Iowa vs. Kentucky

Reliaquest Bowl: (it will always be the Outback Bowl to me)
Mississippi State vs. Illinois

Cotton Bowl:
Tulane vs. USC

Citrus Bowl:
LSU vs. Purdue

Rose Bowl:
Penn State vs. Utah

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Fiesta Bowl:
TCU vs. Michigan

Peach Bowl:
Ohio State (yuck) vs. Georgia

I'll probably do a deeper dive into these games next week sometime.

Some other things before I call it a night:

Taking about four/five containers full of clothing that we no longer need to Salvation Army. Yesterday was kind of scary getting it all together, because it came out of nowhere, and sis was in one of THOSE moods, which I was exacerbated about that afternoon. We're going to have breakfast in the morning too. At least I can get out of the house for once. 

I should be getting my last two gifts for my favorite bartender this week, which I can then wrap up and deliver them too her. She told me I didn't have to do this, but outside of family I have nobody to give Christmas gifts to, so this essentially is MY Christmas. Hopefully, family doesn't get in the way as it has usually done to me in the past...

Lightning won last night in overtime, which caused me to think I was going to get pizza tonight; Papa John's has a deal where residents in the Tampa Bay area can receive 50% off online orders the day following a Lightning victory. Well, stupid me forgot to go to his laptop and go to Papa John's website. However, I had pizza anyway, since my sister (who didn't know I had originally planned on ordering Papa John's) took out a DiGiorno and cooked it instead. Hey, I got what I asked for, speak it into existence, right?

That's all for now. I hope to have more content sometime this week. Until then take care.

CT

Flashback: December 4, 2011

 Hello everyone, not you Kanye West, or Yeezy, or whatever you call yourself nowadays. No, I'm not going to rehash what said person did or said this week with that certifiable lunatic Alex Jones. What I am here to discuss briefly is the top 40 songs on radio eleven short years ago, which would make this the soonest flashback feature I have done to date. Also, has it really been eleven years already? During this time, I had just started a falling out of sorts with my roommate at the time because I went on a rare date with someone who was seen in her eyes as an archnemesis around Thanksgiving weekend because of what she saw from this person on Facebook that I wasn't privy to. Yes, Facebook was a source of problems back then as well. I don't know what happened to her these past seven or so years (I last saw her in 2015), nor do I care for that matter, because she never really could get her stuff together. I think there was two Pop radio stations in Tampa at the time (after years of Tampa Bay's (s)Hit Music Channel 93.3 dominating the market for over a decade), and just before a THIRD (Not 101.5) would arrive, until the one mentioned tried their hand as a 24-hour sports channel before it folded and became irrelevant. But I digress. Here were the top 40 songs (loosely according to Mediabase) for the week of December 4, 2011.

40. Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer. Not a bad song, but it didn't get as much run as it should. He would have a bigger hit a few years later before seemingly appearing on a milk carton.

39. Say You Like Me by We The Kings. Okay, you asked Juliet to check yes, now you want her to say that she likes you. What more do you want?

38. Pass At Me by Timbaland f/Pitbull

37. Hangover by Taio Cruz f/FloRida. Undoubtedly inspired by the motion picture. If memory serves me, there's even some guy in the music video cosplaying as Chow.

36. Set fire To The Rain by Adele. Remember the show "Solid Gold" in the 1980's? I could totally see the Solid Gold Dancers do some sort of bizarre interpretive dance routine to this track. Excuse me while I go hurl at that thought...

35. International Love by Pitbull f/Chris Brown. The early 2010's were Pitbull's world and we were just living in it.

34. Wish You Were Here by Avril Lavigne

33. N***** in Paris by Jay-Z & ***** ****. Title censored for obvious reasons. Artist censored for as of this past week, obvious reasons.

32. Tonight Is The Night by Outasight. This song was on WWE programming a lot back in 2012 as their flagship program at the time, "Raw," was approaching 1,000 episodes. Now it's about to hit their thirtieth anniversary. 

31. Mr. Saxobeat by Alexandra Stan. See #40. Got plenty of airtime on 98.7 but not FLZ. Guess it wasn't dancy enough for them.

30. Heartbeat by The Fray

29. You And I by Lady Gaga. I wasn't totally aware of this until I got Spotify, but what exactly was her obsession with Nebraska in this song?

28. I Like It Like That by Hot Chelle Raef/NewBoyz. I remember a song of the same title from the Blackout All-Stars in the 1990's more than I do this song.

27. Workout by J. Cole. 910 in the house!! (He's from Fayetteville, NC)

26. Just A Kiss by Lady Antebellum. I guess they're referred to as Lady A now, but I thought there already was another artist that went by Lady A. No, I have no desire to research this right now. Oh, and it's been seven years for me. Living with sibling sure sucks sometimes.

25. Blackout by Breathe Carolina. The band has nothing to do with the Carolinas as far as I know; they're from Denver.

24. You Da One by Rihanna

23. Domino by Jessie J. I started to have a mini-crush on her when this songwas released.

22. Headlines by Drake. USA lost to Netherlands today 3-1 in Word Cup play, UCF plays Tulane in the American Conference Championship, and Anthony Cirelli returns for the Lightning tonight. Those are today's headlines, right?

21. Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw. Actually, I kinda am...

20. Give Me Everything by Pitbull f/Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer. "Locked up like Lindsay Lohan" ranks up there as one of my all-time favorite song lyrics.

19. Marry The Night by Lady Gaga. As far as I know, Miss Germanotta is still single. Like I have a chance...

18. Party Rock Anthem by LFMAO f/Lauren Bennet & Goonrock. Honestly, I don't know if it was this song or "Uptown Funk" that ruined modern pop music for me. The next time I hear this song will be too soon, even twenty years from now...if I'm still around then...

17. Fly by Nicki Minaj f/Rihanna

16. Love You Like A Love Song by Selena Gomez & The Scene. Pardon me while I fawn over her...
  

15. It Girl by Jason Derulo. ....OH, I;m sorry. I was still fawning over Selena Gomez, who was definitely an "it girl" in 2012.

14. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People. Kind of a dark song when you really listen to it...

13. 5 O'Clock by T-Pain f/ Wiz Khalifa. I joked earlier on Twitter today about the US World Cup game being played at (Mia) Khalifa International Stadium. I could have used Wiz Khalifa International Stadium, but Belgium and Germany failed to reach the knockout stage (their flags have black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow)

12. In The Dark by Dev. Where I usually do most of my writing; in the dark.

11. Mr. Know It All by Kelly Clarkson. No, I don't think she was referring to Bullwinkle Moose.

10. Good Feeling by FloRida. Interesting to note that both this song and "Levels" by the late Avicii both used Etta James' "Something's Got A Hold On Me." In fact, FloRida credited Avicii with this song, which both came out around the same time.

 

  9. You Make Me Feel...by Cobra Starship f/Sabi. When this first came out, I thought they were singing "you make me feel bad (la la la la la), instead it's "you make me feel so (la la la la la).

  8. Someone Like You by Adele. Like I said in a previous blog, I'm a unicorn. So, I'm a rare find.

  7. It Will Rain by Bruno Mars. Actually Bruno, we're in our dry season here in Florida.

  6. Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5 f/Christina Aguilera. Don't ask me why, but whenever the chorus of this song hit, I had visions of chimpanzees with their mouths agape and their arms raised jamming to it. 

  5. The One That Got Away by Katy Perry. I want to think that I am. Too bad petty politics (and an overbearing sibling) came between us.

  4. Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes f/Adam Levine

  3. Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO. If it weren't for "Party Rock Anthem," this would not have been a hit.

  2. Without You by David Guetta f/Usher

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

  1. We Found Love by Rihanna f/Calvin Harris. Well, I'm kind of in a hopeless place right now, so come after me...wait, a minute, am I sure I didn't mean hapless place? (J/K)

And folks that's this week's flashback segment. I'll have more for you later on this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy your Saturday.

BS

December Is Here!

 Good day everyone, except for you Jack Edwards. Tampa Bay Lightning fans like myself have had more than their fill of that tool bad-mouthing the Bolts and their fanbase for years. Thankfully, Pat Maroon, the Lightning, and even the Carolina Hurricanes are turning his disrespectful comments into something positive. So, take that, Jack. Oh, and DON'T give CarShield a call, they'll probably deny you coverage (Maroon was a spokesperson for them).

Anyway, December is here. Thank goodness, time to put this dumpster fire of a year behind us and look forward to an incredible 2023. Hard to believe more time has passed between 9/11 and now than 9/11 from the first day I went to school in September 1980 in Orlando, but here we are. Man, I'm getting old. I have a couple of gifts for my friend coming in the next week or two as well as a visit planned, so I'm looking forward to it, provided of course my sisters don't try to get in my way. They're already affecting my breakfast routine (pffft, like I have a routine) because they've suddenly hid the Stevia (which isn't sugar, but an artificial sweetener) from me so I have nothing sweet to put in my coffee anymore. Why do they have to be so goddamned draconian? Ugh, I hate it. 

Some good news for you; yes, the United States has advanced in the World Cup by defeating Iran and getting a measure of revenge for what happened in 1998. Even better news? Iranians actually cheered for their football team's demise in the tournament. Unfortunately, that cheering did come at a cost thanks to their oppressive regime. Some more good news to come out of this tournament? Our archrivals Mexico got eliminated, so in all likelihood the US will be the only country from North America to advance to the knockout stages. Our next opponent? Netherlands, Saturday morning. 

Another thing I'll be looking forward to this weekend is Championship Saturday in college football, where UCF will try to beat Tulane in New Orleans for the second time this year, and potentially earn a spot in a New Year's Six Bowl. Another game I'm looking forward to is the ACC Championship between North Carolina (who hasn't won the conference since 1980) and perennial powerhouse Clemson. As for the other games, I hope the status quo prevails (UGa, Michigan, USC, TCU) in their respective conference title games because God forbid Alabama or Ohio State sneaks into the college playoff which means we'll hear nothing but unnecessary insufferable crowing from THOSE two fan bases.

With December arriving also means two things. Spotify wrapped has been put out, mine a healthy plethora of 80s hits and rasslin' tunes. Also, the end of "No Shave November," which I passed, and "No Nut November," which I failed; the sweet potato casserole I had for Thanksgiving had pecans in it 😉.

I haven't heard a lot of newer (post-2019) music, but I have heard a couple of songs, thanks to TikTok. "Unholy" by Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras, "I'm Good" by Bebe Rexha/David Guetta, and "Anti-Hero" by Taylor Swift. Oh, and one song I hear on TikTok all the time thanks to my friend Amy in Washington, "Big Energy" by Latto. Amy, if you read this, hey mommy.

I should have another flashback tomorrow for you all; I had been slacking lately since these short days have gotten me down and I've felt like sleeping a lot lately. Damn depression has been kicking me there, but I feel good today and I soldier on. Have a great day everyone!

CT