Ayden had all his friends over tonight.. And yes that’s virtually every character from SUPER MARIO BROA in the background…
It was a fun night.
Monday, March 4, 2013
The most awkward song to play in an elevator
'FOR YOUR EYES ONLY' by Sheena Easton.
It didn’t happen to me.. but it sure would be awkward.
Thanks to my news-junkie sister, I have been alerted today to Fox News’ main page.. where I saw this photo of ‘guards’ at the Vatican as the conclave gathers. A few thoughts come to mind.. most initially, the guards have the garb that is unlike guards, and more like court jesters. Perhaps that’s fitting—since it’s the jesters leading in the clowns to choose the next grand marshal of the parade..?
But my sister and I had the same thought: We went through 12 years of Catholic school.. we had the religion classes, the Catechism .. the lessons on the purity and piety of the Pope. But never were told that the Vatican guards would look as ridiculous as they do! Never were we told the true history of the sneaky secrets of Vatican City. I’d dare say most Catholic schools in our current day aren’t giving kids too many lessons about butlers being held in solitary confinement in underground Vatican jail cells. My big ‘sis’ and I spend lots of time rummaging through news articles and facts as though the internet was a big yard sale.. but this is still the first time I have seen these men. I guess they were just always in the background.. perhaps when Pope John Paul II met his fate we only saw pictures of white smoke. I don’t recall seeing these outfits .. or they were just background music to the real story taking place??
Now that I’ve seen the Vatican ‘guards,’ I felt like I needed to be a good world citizen and educate myself a bit more about the awful outfits. With help from the always shaky information you can find on Wikipedia. And Google images will help with all of the pictures I need to give me all I need to know and see of the Papal Swiss Guard. Another article I read about these guards tell me they played a central role in the Pope’s retirement. The article reports information I never knew:
The corps, which some historians consider the oldest standing army in the world, was founded in 1506 by Pope Giulio II. Tradition has it that he was so impressed by the bravery of Swiss mercenaries that he asked them to defend the Vatican. Ever since, for more than 500 years, Switzerland has been supplying soldiers to the Vatican. The Swiss Guards swear an oath to give up their lives to protect the pope — and in centuries past, they have. In 1527, 147 of them died protecting Pope Clement VII as he fled to safety when the troops of Emperor Charles V sacked Rome.
Such amazing outfits! Amazing.. I never realized how much I didn’t know about this world until I saw the striped clothing with cock-like tops. (And I’m talking about chickens.) So call me a dumb hick.. hillbilly..coal region no-body.
But I’m quite proud I learned something new about the Pope and his chosen army..
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Does anyone else out there listen to Clyde Lewis?
I miss Art Bell. I get so incensed with rage at the lack of understanding and the stupidity of George Noory… and John B. Wells is ok.
So for a few months now I’ve been trying an alternative. I switched brands.. from Coke to Pepsi.. from Coast to Ground Zero Radio with Clyde Lewis.
I’ll still pop into the Coast to Coast AM show when things seem interesting..Though when Noory hosts even the best topics turn into a watered-down mess of note card questions and lame radio..
As for Clyde Lewis? I like him. He was a little much at first. I never heard him, only heard OF him.. His show can be overtly political. He buys into a few conspiracy theories I don’t.. However, he has a gift of radio—his voice is great, his enthusiasm is even better.. His topics and subjects remind me of Art Bell’s old days on Coast. Lewis has a little different edge to him..
So .. How many out there listen as well?
And if you do, is it because Clyde Lewis on his own is a great radio show host with a spectacular show or just because George Noory has taken a wonderful program about the mind and the world and trashed it like a New Orleans alleyway on Mardi Gras?
Opinions please, I’m wondering.?
And besides.. which one looks ‘cooler’ ..
The Queen has been hospitalized with gastroenteritis ..
Which is the polite Royal term to describe what commoners would call ‘shittin and pukin’ at the same time. Either that or a royal miracle has occurred and she’s with child.
The Royal Groom of the Stool must have had a busy week.
The Queen has been hospitalized with gastroenteritis ..
I had a huge bag of plastic bottles, cardboard, and paper, to take to the recycling. Until a skunk sprayed it.
It happened on Friday. I have been feeling guilty ever since. I have no choice but to … throw it away into the landfill with all the other trash.
But … then again, what’s my little bad compared to the giant cesspool that has become the Pacific ocean, right?
So.. I’m trying to feel less guilty about this.
Help me.
(And why can’t we just find a planet that will be our trash dump? Come on, NASA, there’s trillions of possibilities.)
A new 21st century late shift coming? Rumors abound that Jay Leno will be out at the TONIGHT SHOW with Jimmy Fallon replacing him.. In my opinion, it's time for a female to host a late night talk show.. I have some thoughts. CHELSEA HANDLER FOR LATE NIGHT!
And replacing Jimmy Fallon on LATE NIGHT: David Letterman. Just kidding.
Actually.. I think it’s time for a woman to take over some air time on late night TV.. And no, not Oprah. I think the best choice for the future of late night would be Chelsea Handler. I am serious about that. She would bring a creative feeling to late night—and if she’s put into the Fallon slot, she would be able to continue her irreverent style of comedy..
Leno has grown extremely stale. So has Letterman—anyone who is still a David Letterman fan is only one for two reasons: 1) They were fans since the Late Night days and 2) out of respect because of his late night days.
As for Fallon? I’ve never been overly fond of him..
But Chelsea Handler can re-invigorate late night TV.
And for God’s sake, isn’t it time that corporate executives try to bring a female into the fold of TV show history? I say yes.
A new 21st century late shift coming? Rumors abound that Jay Leno will be out at the TONIGHT SHOW with Jimmy Fallon replacing him.. In my opinion, it's time for a female to host a late night talk show.. I have some thoughts. CHELSEA HANDLER FOR LATE NIGHT!
Lots of people are being critical of Dennis Rodman meeting with Lil Kim in Korea.. others are simply confused by the whole event.
As for me? perhaps it’s high time to hire on Rodman for the CIA or any other alphabet organization. After all, if you can make Lil Kim smile and laugh, maybe you can stop from from creating a conflagration of nuclear hell on earth? Just maybe.
And for kicks, throw in Michael Jordan.. Just keep ShaQuille O’Neal away from the scene.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The sinkhole is Florida is spreading.. it now threatens another home..
Tonight, also, tragic news: The end of the search for Jeff Bush. Authorities have stopped their rescue attempt..
The sinkhole is Florida is spreading.. it now threatens another home..
I heard someone making jokes today about the sinkhole that swallowed Jeff Bush in his bedroom in Seffner, Florida.. The story is disturbing, but someone making light of a horrid situation like this may be worse..
Sinkhole are a big story around the world. The media typically pays little attention to them, but they happen .. a lot. And increasingly, as some websites have reported, there seems to be an altogether weakening of the earth’s crust below us.
This sinkhole situation in Florida isn’t the typical one.. this time, someone most likely died in the event. And also this time, as opposed to the typical reporting we get, the media is paying attention and giving us more information than usual. Maybe for ratings? Maybe because there is a human tragedy? Maybe because, after all the ignorance to the earth’s changes, people are finally becoming rattled by the shaky ground beneath them..
A story on CNN tonight details a sad interview with the victim’s brother, Jeremy Bush.. He said he was able to hear his brother screaming before he was gone. Four other people, including a 2-year-old child, escape from the home in Florida .. but Jeff Bush could not. He was peacefully in is bedroom when the ground gave out..
Rescuers have not gone into the house yet, according to CNN, because the situation is too dangerous.. As a matter of fact, reporting late tonight indicates that the sinkhole is spreading and the entire house is in dangerous of being swallowed up by it..
We will continue to watch this story as it develops. It’s what we do here.
But also what we do in situations like this, is pray and hope for some type of light to be seen in the darkness.. to hope for good over bad.. to hope that this man is either alive, or if not, has peacefully gone to the next realm, whatever that realm may be..
Call it the Six Flags of penises.
We do live in an odd world—one where there is an official Penis Museum in Iceland.
Ding dong.
Even the Iceland’s male handball team is preserved for history..
Read more here, I guess. If you want to.
(Maybe Justin Bieber’s ‘worst birthday ever’ would have been better celebrated here?)
He is Bieber. Hear him roar.
Roar in a tiny voice..
He tweeted his 35 million fans last night that he had the worst birthday ever. Apparently the 19-year-old tried to have some friends, very very underage, get into a club. A scuffle occurred. And the rest became pop culture history.
I am sure the world will cry with sympathy and the Beeb’s worst birthday ever. So much drama.. so little time.
Nicki Minaj says he never had plastic surgery..
Right, right, Nicki.
Next you’ll tell us that people still watch AMERICAN IDOL.
Friday, March 1, 2013
No one will believe this.. but I actually told some friends and family about two weeks ago to get ready for a March 6-7 snowstorm.
Models were predicting it. As we get closer, they still are. I am hoping for a ‘blizzard of ‘13’ and maybe, just maybe, it will happen before the spring gets here..
And it all could change.
Breaking News: Obama signs order to begin $85b in sequester spending
President Obama on Friday signed an order that starts putting into effect across-the-board budget cuts known as the “sequester” after he and congressional leaders failed to find an alternative budget plan.
The President, after an Oval Office meeting with the lawmakers, called the cuts “just dumb.”…
And just think… this is only ONE of the many budget battles set for this year. Can you handle it, America??
Breaking News: Obama signs order to begin $85b in sequester spending
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv4vfQ4-vfU?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=374]
So here’s when people will call the old Coal Speaker a kook.
I stumbled across the interesting video here on YouTube. Linking it up for your discernment. Prove it wrong! I dare you.. All a hoax? I guess.
Right?
If you want to believe that.. to make yourself feel better of course..
Are we seeing an optical illusion!? Are we seeing a moon and the sun? Are we seeing two suns!?
We may be all getting duped by strange and fake YouTube videos supposedly of ordinary world citizens filming two suns in the sky.. I’d have to see it to believe it. But I don’t want to. And seeing it on video, even if it’s fake Youtubers showing it, creeps me out and chills me to my core.
If I only knew someone from the Hopi tribe.. I’d be meeting with them over coffee today. Maybe some whiskey too.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Intrigue over comet C/2013 A1.. it may hit Mars in 2014.. the possibilities explained..
Maybe plans that that millionaire has to fly a married couple by the red planet in 2018 … will change.
Or funny enough, maybe the comet if it strikes could bring building blocks (or rebuilding blocks) to Mars and …. generations from now it could be the new Earth.
The possibilities are endless.
What is going to happen though will be lots of asteroids, meteors, and comets over the next two years.
And I assume suicide cults, too.
Get ready.
The troubling Florida sinkhole
I heard someone making jokes today about the sinkhole that swallowed Jeff Bush in his bedroom in Seffner, Florida.. The story is disturbing, but someone making light of a horrid situation like this may be worse..
Sinkhole are a big story around the world. The media typically pays little attention to them, but they happen .. a lot. And increasingly, as some websites have reported, there seems to be an altogether weakening of the earth’s crust below us.
This sinkhole situation in Florida isn’t the typical one.. this time, someone most likely died in the event. And also this time, as opposed to the typical reporting we get, the media is paying attention and giving us more information than usual. Maybe for ratings? Maybe because there is a human tragedy? Maybe because, after all the ignorance to the earth’s changes, people are finally becoming rattled by the shaky ground beneath them..
A story on CNN tonight details a sad interview with the victim’s brother, Jeremy Bush.. He said he was able to hear his brother screaming before he was gone. Four other people, including a 2-year-old child, escape from the home in Florida .. but Jeff Bush could not. He was peacefully in is bedroom when the ground gave out..
Rescuers have not gone into the house yet, according to CNN, because the situation is too dangerous.. As a matter of fact, reporting late tonight indicates that the sinkhole is spreading and the entire house is in dangerous of being swallowed up by it..
Boom or bust.
If it is not sinkholes its booms.. A loud boom (some report more than one) was heard in Arizona.. Law enforcement has no answers.. Media has no comments from officials saying they know where it was from or what it was..
Just more examples of these noises happening all throughout the United States..
Incidentally, Linda Howe was on Coast to Coast AM last night with someone who believes he has answers to the nationwide boom question: Weapons testing.
No comment from me on the veracity of that belief.. But I know the noises are all over—even close to my home base as I reported a few days ago, when a loud boom shook several neighborhoods on Northern Schuylkill County, PA..
Thursday, February 28, 2013
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_V5IAG7_Ik?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=374]
We are fighting to survive in a war with the darkest powers. Keep fighting. Good evening.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Living in the middle.
Tonight I thought of a great quote. “Moderation is the key to all the things you strive to be.” Then I ate 12 Nutter Butters.
An advocacy group is worried about horse meat traveling through America to other countries
I am too..
A lot of people are confident and sure that America will not have the same horse meat problem that Europe has been having.. but after you read this story you may not be so sure. According to an advocacy group, there may be a few reasons to be concerned that your can of processed meat may actually have neyed instead of mooed.
An advocacy group is worried about horse meat traveling through America to other countries
Cold winds
A big storm may hit next week. But it also may be the last storm of the winter… Then we’ll start getting as hot as a Centralia mine fire. Spring is on the way..
The Olive Garden is promising cheaper food with more options
I love the Olive Garden as much as the next guy. I just hope more option with ‘cheaper’ in play doesn’t mean they’ll be grilling up horse meat..
The Olive Garden is promising cheaper food with more options
A friend of mine continues to send truly hilarious text messages about Pope Benedict, “Petrus Romanus” and the conclave coming up to choose the 112th pope in Malachy’s prophecy. I would use them as headlines but they are a little too .. out there. Perhaps I’ll share them in the coming days, simply for the humor value..
Today is Pope Benedict’s last day wearing the red prada shoes as the infallible one. He will step down .. and the gears get set into motion to choose the next. You can follow events of his departure on news sources around the world today.
But what is not being reported?
There were rumors last week that an unnamed European country wanted to issue an arrest order for Ratzinger and others involved with sex scandals.. then the report surfaced implicating cardinals in the Vatican of being involved with gay sex.. Last year the Vatican imprisoned the Pope’s butler for sharing classified information—and some of that involves drug money in the Vatican bank along with the mafia.. And then “vatileaks” hit the news.. and then .. and then .. and then.. It goes on and so it goes.
But all the while, the media, in America at least, didn’t pay much attention to what exactly was happening. The rest of the world—especially the great “Satan” of Europe (some Catholics have compared it to that since they are taking on Rome the most)—reported much on the affairs and troubles hitting the Pope and the Catholic Church. It seemed the only thing that could grip Americans in the attention factor was salacious sex. All the while big money scandals involving the bank were happening fast and furious all throughout 2012.
And maybe this is why there is so much confusion in the United States concerning the Pope’s departure. There is ‘more to the story’ … where there is white smoke there is a new pope, but where there is smoke there is also fire. Something else is happening .. something else is forcing Benedict down.
Yes, he has health issues.
He may be blind in an eye..
God knows, he probably can’t hear anymore..
But for the first pope to resign in hundreds of years? Maybe the scandal wore him down to the point where he couldn’t ‘lead’ the flock anymore..
As the Pope gets ready to hang up the white cassock, this we know: Benedict XVI pledges that he will be obedient to the next pontiff. He will also lose the red shoes, replacing them with a less infallible brown.
We are about to see history. A truly monumental event. And sadly, most Americans have not the clue as to why the pope is even stepping down to begin with…
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
No Rusty is not in the Navy.. He’s actually a a fierce tropical cyclone in a collision course with Australia..
THE GREAT COLLAPSE.. THE EARTH'S CRUST SEEMS TO BE SINKING AND DEPLETING ALL OVER THE PLANET
Freaky stuff.
You hear about sinkholes quite a bit.. but more so now. And the massive sinkhole in Louisiana still is being followed by many. It is still growing..
THE GREAT COLLAPSE.. THE EARTH'S CRUST SEEMS TO BE SINKING AND DEPLETING ALL OVER THE PLANET
Saturday, February 23, 2013
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIghrxxhQYs?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=374]
Good evening all.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Changing demographics put Jewish delis in a 'pickle'
Ii will note that the LA TIMES used the pickle pun. I didn’t like the pun but went with it, couldn’t think of anything else. I thought “Changing Demographics put Jewish deli buns on the run.” I also thought “You Say Tomato, I say Schmaltz-spread.”
The 'church' of Scientology the subject of tonight's Coast to Coast AM
John B. Wells is set to interview Jenna Miscavige Hill tonight on Coast to Coast..
Hill was the niece of a leader in the Church of Scientology.
She left in 2005.
Her website goes more in depth about her story and other ‘ex-kids’ of the Church of Scientology..
The show should be one worth listening to.
Even more so because George Noory is not hosting..
LINK TO THE SHOW HERE
START TIME 1AM EDT, 10PM PACIFIC
Giddy up
We are told by experts that Americans are not eating horse meat—most likely. But who’d a thunk that folks in the great UK were devouring Mr Ed?!
Nothing to see here. Despite 6 nuclear plants leaking toxic waste.
No danger.
Of course it may reach groundwater.
Nothing to see here. Despite 6 nuclear plants leaking toxic waste.
The Vatican is denying rumors of gay clergy, money scandals and sex.
….Because we have come to believe everything that the Vatican tells us regarding scandal clergy, money, and sex.
The Vatican is denying rumors of gay clergy, money scandals and sex.
A new kind of lake monster has been found, in the depths of Lake Tahoe: gigantic goldfish. Researchers trawling the lake for invasive fish species scooped up a goldfish that was nearly 1.5 feet long and weighed 4.2 pounds.
I don’t think this one would be flushable. But I love to see someone at a county fair trying to swallow it
A pretty rough morning in the coal region
It happened on West Coal Street in Shenandoah, PA. The fire broke out at 330am … no one was killed, but there were injuries. Multiple buildings were destroyed.
Fires happen every day every where. But when you hear of an entire block being torn down by flames, it’s a reminder to me of why I don’t want to live in a row home setting.
Face your fears.. drown them away.. take comfort in tea.
I enjoy herbal tea. I drink green tea as a matter of fact.. sometimes nighttime tea.. sometimes tummy tea. All that.
But watching horror movie icons, such as Pennywise the clown, drown in a hot cup of Herbaria is alarming.
Whatever happened to rustic pastures filled with green grass and purple mountains of majesty? Or the birds flying calmly over a sea of golden water as the sun sets. I can think of plenty more relaxing images than watching Pennywise die of drowning.. in your tea.
I get the concept. The ‘drown your fears ‘thing means to let go and just ….relax.
But relaxation and brutal images don’t go together well.
Horror movie fans may be fine with the concept. As for me it is not offensive at all. But for Herbaria’s marketing technique, I just don’t know how well this will work. A video of Pennywise dying on camera……and the message telling you to just relax. It just does not seem to work.
Advertising folks out there, or even tea drinkers, I’d love to hear your thoughts?
As my wife watched yet another movie on SYFY--this one called THE STORM
Me: You always stop on these kinds f movies
My wife: What kind of movies?
Me: The movies that don't look real.
My wife: I just want to see what James Vanderbeek looks like now.
Me: You like the actors that don't look real, too.
My wife: What kind of movies?
Me: The movies that don't look real.
My wife: I just want to see what James Vanderbeek looks like now.
Me: You like the actors that don't look real, too.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Date night
Weather permitting, my wife and I are going to have our first date night in about a year (seriously).. And if it’s dinner and a movie I have the eatery in mind but need help on the movie. So fellow internetters, was IDENTIFY THIEF funny?
Friday at 32
I cannot relieve myself of the tired feeling I have on a Friday evening.. The weeks can be so long.. I recall being in my 20s and the week truly just began on Friday night. Now I’m wishing I could sleep for 72 hours. I cannot even fathom how I’ll feel at 4/, 52, and beyond..
Staring at the ground
No one looks up anymore.. People just stare at their feet when they walk, or gaze lovingly at their phones.. There could be a military invasion in the sky and hardly anyone would notice. The fact there are still UFO sightings surprises me..
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Don't drink the water
There is an absolute horrific story.. tourists were drinking water filled with bacteria from a decomposing body..
It’s not the plot of a movie. It’s real life.
Elisa Ham’s corpse was identified in the water tank on the top of Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. According to reports, Ham was missing since January.. Detectives are now investigating the matter as a suspicious death.
According to CNN, a maintenance worker was on the rooftop trying to ascertain why water pressure was low.. That is when he came across the decomposing body..
Read on if you want to be horrified..
Not only did patrons complain of low water pressure at Cecil, but according to those interviewed by CNN, the water also ‘had a funny taste.’ One person said she and her husband used it for eight straight days.. According to another account from a patron of Cecil Hotel, water from the shower would turn black at first use and then evolve to ‘normal’ .. According to the CNN piece, the hotel has not closed at this point, it’s open for business but they are advising patrons not to drink the water..
Whether there are health risks posed to the persons who partook in drinking and showering in water filled with bacteria and germs from decomposing water..? Well. We didn’t get that answer yet from officials, either law enforcement or heatlth.. But.. common sense would advise…….. THERE IS.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Social media profiles are replacing resumes
I’m pretty sure I predicted this would eventually happen, but I’ve written too much to readily find it..
Social media profiles are replacing resumes
Higgs Ends-on
A subatomic particle discovered last year that may be the long-sought Higgs boson might doom our universe to an unfortunate end, researchers say.
The mass of the particle, which was uncovered at the world’s largest particle accelerator — the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva — is a key ingredient in a calculation that portends the future of space and time.
Sniper posts photo of a child in the crosshairs.. according to ABC NEWS: A photo posted online by an Israeli soldier showing a child in the crosshairs of a rifle scope has created a firestorm on the internet, drawing widespread criticism. The photo was reportedly posted on Jan. 25 by Mor Ostrovski, 20, a member of an Israeli sniper unit. It shows crosshairs zeroed in on the back of the head of what appears to be a Palestinian boy in a village. The photo has since been taken down and Ostrovski’s account has been deactivated… The photo is disgusting, disturbing.. and if there is an advanced form of intellgience watching up, how horrible they must think we are..
Nestle has found horse meat in its pasta meals..
So I must ask the question of my British friends and followers, did you stop eating meat yet?
And to everyone else who didn’t find horse meat (yet) in food: Did you?
Nestle has found horse meat in its pasta meals..
Monday, February 18, 2013
If Montana wants to do this I hope they are the only ones: A bill allows meat from road kill ..
Would you eat it?
Have you eaten it?
Did it taste like chicken?
If Montana wants to do this I hope they are the only ones: A bill allows meat from road kill ..
The ties that bind you.. or trap you..
The coal region of Pennsylvania was a quaint little place since I can remember.. I was born and raised (for a bit) in Centralia PA, with a mine fire burning hot under my feet.. My family moved to a nearby town.. my heart and soul has been in this place for a long time.
But perhaps the same ties that bind you also trap you in.
I read an article today in my morning paper.. It’s a little inside baseball perhaps, but it’s on my mind.. The article paints a story of a dying area.. Restaurants and bars are shutting down in the coal region.. the Pottsville REPUBLICAN and HERALD speaks about Cactus Jacks, the Restaurant at the Station in Tamaqua.. Yockos in Minersville. (All big deals).. another bar detailed in the article is only open one day a week..
A bar being shut down in the coal region is a big deal. You’d expect in this area a dirty little tap room would be shuttered if they were serving underage minors. But in the economic troubles lately, the prime reason for closure is money troubles..
I think back to my life as a child. The area, then, wasn’t the best. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, it’s a nice little quaint place, for sure.. but things to do? This ain’t no city, bo. There were restaurants and run down bars, and a mall or two or three, or ‘tree’. When I was a child I didn’t think there was much to do. No kids did. It’s why most of them had ‘bush parties’ where beer was served in the middle of no where. But today, now, I look at the local disgrace the area is becoming and wonder if anything is left for my son to enjoy.
I thought deeply about this as a result of that newspaper article. What does bind me to this area? It’s family. That is the answer.. It’s family.. I don’t work close to here, I actually commute a distance. My wife does too. When we want to do something with my son, we travel away from here.. But when we want to be comfortable and feel at home, here we are..
I think it was always that way, a bit. I believe that this region ‘felt like home’ .. It’s why, for decades, the Ashland Boys Association Parade was filled with thousands. Until it got canceled a few years back and struggled to begin again. Good luck to Ashland bringing it back in ‘13.
It’s also why a town named Girardville hosts a spectacular St. Patrick’s Day parade. Even Bill Clinton showed up in 2008 to campaign for his wife. The town wholeheartedly supported him.. he even had a screamer from Tony’s.. no word on whether he became immediately dyspeptic.
There are other pearls that can be unearthed from time to time. Jim Thorpe is a beautiful and fun place.. Schuylkill Haven hosts a great summer weekend with fireworks.. and the Bloomsburg Fair is going strong.
But what else is occurring?
Crime… drugs… lots of drugs. Lots of drug abuse. Lots of dilapidated homes literally falling down into streets (Girardville, PA)… and now closing businesses..
The Schuylkill Mall is being hard hit, as are other malls. A new refurbished movie theater opened. I wish them luck and hope the mall stays open. I recall some early memories as a kid thinking it was a mecca of shopping.. of course smoking was legal indoors the smell of cigars also fills my fading memory..
I just hope and pray that, as long as we choose to live in this place, it will stay safe and quaint.. and more and more quiet, perhaps..
Family is why we stay.
Besides the ties of that, there are few others …
However … even one day if the Coal Speaker leaves the coal region, you will never be able to extract the ‘area’ from him.. or anyone else that chooses to go.
After high school several friends had a mass exodus from here to go other places. Many returned and now, again, live locally after ‘living their lives’ in a city or larger place.
But the coal region can come back, though it will never return to the paradise that it was during the coal mining days—that paradise was not shared by all and truly only for barons and bosses of coal mines that could care less about safety of workers. A part of this region’s history is that it was filled with hard workers and good people. Conservative Democrats… fair-minded but also sometimes a little suspicious of ‘outsiders’. Perhaps that also became its 21st century demise..? Any for of progress is despised by too many, forcing those younger with dreams and ambitions to look elsewhere to find that progress.
I don’t know.
I cannot count myself as smart enough to understand why an area disintegrates .. I wish I was smart enough to know how to bring it back.
But I’m not.
So with that all said, I end with this: Perhaps within the next few years my wife and I will be forced to make a decision. Keep the ties that bind us knotted and tight, or loosen them up and fly away. No matter the choice, we have a third party role: Our son. And in the end, it’s his future that matters the most now of all.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-7Yxel2gHM?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=374]
Since NBC is making us all feel older (but not wiser) with a replay of the 1990s SNL… why not go with it. Here’s GARBAGE with WHEN I GROW UP. Where were you when the song was being played too much on radio? I was going into my senior year.. the world was ahead of me.. as it may have been with you.
And where are we now..?
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
MAKING ME FEEL OLD (AND OLDER)
So tonight NBC decided to play a blast from the past. The Saturday Night LIVE pop culture show all about the 1990s. And originally aired in 2007.
So it’s not bad enough NBC is reminding people how old they’ve gotten, but they have to doubly do it by reminding us with a repeat of a reminder!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Sleeplessness, heal thyself
It gets bad. Television is bad.. I ended up watching 25 minutes of a creepy minister with a bad toupee ‘healing’ people. I had enough when he ‘healed’ a woman who was deaf since 3..
Have these bottom dwellers no shame …?
I’m not tired yet but by GOD I’m not watching this anymore.. It’s trashier than SKINEMAX..
A race to the Vatican!
Those who worry the wait will be long for Peter the Roman (or whoever) to be revealed may take comfort in this news bit from the Vatican tonight: The conclave may meet prior to March 15.. Now how quick the white puff of smoke will rise is anyone’s guess. Undoubtedly behind the cassocks and frocks, a mean and nasty campaign for Pope is underway..
MY BOOK
A new years resolution I had last year and again this year was to write a book. If figured a page a day.
I didn’t get much at that so far in 2013. But is it too late to start? I’d only be down 47 pages.
So I figured if I actually did start my book today, I’d have 47 blank pages in the beginning.
MY NINTENDO STILL WORKS
So it’s been dormant for years. It’s once again being utilized. Ayden likes Mario for WII so I wanted to see just how big of a fan he is. Turns out, he actually likes SUPER MARIO 3 and …..Donkey Kong (that one surprised me.) Of course getting the games to work is a little difficult. You often should pack a lunch just waiting for the game to actually start.
And then…midstream when you’re doing good just like you did as a kid, the game does that scrambled TV moment, freezes, and turns off on its own. And you feel as angry as you did in 1992 when it first started to happen.
I am just amazed that a game made in 1987 still works.. I am equally amazed that my son, born into sin during the 21st century, welcomes it with open arms.
Maybe he’ll one day bring friends over to the house to show them this really old, really feeble, and really antique gaming system.
And then … maybe I’ll introduce the movie THE WIZARD to him. And blow his mind!
The revenge of the 20th century!! Let’s see if the WII still works in 2030!
Friday, February 15, 2013
The trail of a falling object is seen above a residential apartment block in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, where a meteorite flared spectacularly in the sky.
From Meteorite explosion over Russia – in pictures
Photograph: Reuters
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The CABIN'S ON FIRRREEEE
Sing that in an Alicia Keys’ style voice.
Seriously though, why does the LAPD insist that they didn’t set any fires on the cabin with Chris Dorner in it? We have audio and scanners saying ‘burn the mother f&*^er down’ … Maybe it was just symbolic of their thoughts, of course. We will never have evidence. And like Waco, this will become another conspiracy theory and cult-favorite topic.
But… seriously, audio explaining they were burning it down. And an official denial afterwards? Why bother..?
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
“Dear Brothers,
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
“Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.”
The Pope wears Prada
The last Pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1415. I don’t think he Tweeted. Or wore beautiful red Prada shoes.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
It’s flu recovery weekend. For Ayden it’s his letters, pop tarts and peanut butter cereal. For me, CAFFEINE for the first time in months. For mom, soup. And for all three of us lots of sleeps. A nice cold winter day for it, too. Later on we may embrace the world again and go for some Japanese. I really think so.
Bring in da funk
My local paper is applauding a DJ returning home from the ‘big cities,’ coming back to backwards Schuylkill county, and with him funk music in an all vinyl style.
I wish him luck and ANYTHING that makes this county more lively is a plus.
But my fear? There are already too many mullets existent in this area… And I’d hate to see them coupled with browns fuzzy carpets of the 70s.
Bring the vibe of funk, sure. But maybe also ditch flannels and mom jeans.
Bring in da funk
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjtdwcseT1Q?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
This seriously would be the scariest storm ever…
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Braving the NYC blizzard to get to Saturday Night Live is none other than Justin Bieber. This is a snap from his Twitter with Lorne Michaels. I don’t have a joke. Lots of others will.. But I did initially think this was a grandmother celebrating her granddaughter’s first day of school.
I think all the cold and snow in New York will lead to lots of Sunday morning Bieber fever.
[wpvideo nXq7KUFI]
The median of the Long Island Expressway near exit 60. #NBCNewsStorm
(Video: Anthony Quintano / NBC News)
The sounds of silence on a major interstate after a blizzard. Somewhat chilling, no pun intended.
John Silver shovels snow between buried cars in front of his home on Third Street in South Boston, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013.
AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
How depressing.. Not being able to see your car in winter is similar to not able to see your feet after a big dinner. The digging out occurring now….in very windy conditions.
Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis striking southeastern PA
More: Young women dazed, restrained in hospital beds, acting possessed and then becoming catatonic. They’d been so normal, when suddenly their lives went haywire.
“One minute I’d be sobbing, crying hysterically, and the next minute I’d be laughing, said Susannah Cahalan, of New Jersey.
The other scary thing is that very often it may be completely misdiagnosed as a mental disorder .., or even in the religious world, as a satanic possession..
So…why the cluster?
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