2 0 8 4:M i s s i v e 23

I distinctly recall that it was a beautiful clear night when we approached the port of Old Orleans.

(In case you missed the missive where I explained that destination for this part of my journey -- Old Orleans was allegedly a wild bit of a town located on the Bay of Mississippi, which had separated East and West America since the New Madrid Quake of 2023 that had been brought on by unregulated excessive fracking in the heartland which had opened a larger fissure filled quickly by the rising waters of the world.  Earlier in my preparation, I had overlaid a map from my time onto a map from this new time, and it had appeared to be in the area where Tuscaloosa, Alabama once stood.)

Captain Sandy had wrapped up everything that she had needed to tell me earlier that evening and she was busy coordinating the details of our arrival, and so I was alone at that moment, just staring up at the stars.  Admittedly, science hadn't been my strong suit in high school, but in that moment, I was pretty sure that I remembered something about how, based on the extreme distances on which the galaxy was based, it could take up to thousands of years for some of the starlight to reach earth.

I concluded that, since my time travel had only sent me just some sixty-plus short years in the future, there was a good chance that the stars upon which I was gazing made up the *same* sky that I would have seen had I been doing the same thing back in 2017.

So as this particular monthly update of the VitalNet comes to a close -- as another reminder ... taking advantage of that loophole is *exactly* how I'm able to slip messages back to you in 2017 via the Facebook on the last day of every month -- I encourage you to do the same thing.

Go outside.  Look at the stars.  Know that they are the same stars that have been in your sky for years before you and for years after you.  Your problems ... your issues ... your troubles ... your concerns ... in the grand scheme of things, recognize that, despite how overwhelmed you may feel in your moment, they too shall pass.

And through it all, those stars will still be shining.  Those stars are the promise that, just like them, humanity will survive.  Sure, there will be uprisings -- and of course, things will change -- but those same stars will be blazing brightly as we arrive at our future.

I can't wait to tell you more about that future on the last day of the month next ... but until then, I remain Ilion in 2084 as brought to the future by t1a7n72.lif., communicating with you through the use of Troy in 2017's social media account.  As I've said before:  stay safe and take care of each other and when you get overwhelmed, take a deep breath and look up at those stars to re-orient yourselves.  We'll get through this ... and we WILL arrive at our future ... together.

Random Posting for Penn State 12/30/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  SPOILER ALERT (in case you are reading this over on the Facebook AND you have the game DVRd for later or if you are watching it on delay):  Woo-hoo!  I loves me a bowl game ... but I *really* loves me a bowl game when we are winners.
2.)  What say you SAYQUON?  I see you've recently gone on record with saying that you might wait until the Jan 15 deadline to announce your future plans, but I really really do hope you don't end up a college dropout.
3.)  So you might know that I'm not extremely sports-focused -- which might explain why it took me a bit to figure out why these kids from Wisconsin were wearing purple today.
4.)  That being said, I might have been much more engaged in football a long long time ago if they had had the cutesy rebus puzzles back when I was little.  I'm pretty sure I saw one on the sidelines tonight that included Ronaldo the soccer player + Spongebob Squarepants + Sunday (and I sure do hope I'm not spilling more secrets) ...
5.)  Hey new offensive coordinator Ricky "Ronnie" (Rahne) -- where were Bobby, Ralph, Mike and Johnny?  (NOTE:  You must be of a certain age to understand this reference.)
6.)  Speaking of play callers, it's been established I'm not some fancy footballer ... but maybe that other team would have done a little bit better if they didn't have so many people calling plays.  Have you not heard of "too many cooks" and what happens if there are too many of them in the play-kitchen?
7.)  Hey announcermen -- I was disappointed that you didn't have to pronounce the bowl sponsor somewhat robotically like they do on the commercials every time you said 'play-stay-shone'.
8.)  Hey announcermen -- thanks for putting us on notice.  The one to watch for next year is Yetur Gross-Matos (who apparently inherited Joey Julius' 99 jersey) ... although you could have been slightly less creepy when you described him in the broadcast.
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be good ole Trace McSORLEY what with his 28th consecutive game owith a TD (in addition to all of the other records he continues to accumulate every time he takes the field).

In closing, thanks to DaeSean HAMILTON for the story about your relationship with your brother who is on the spectrum (and who likes popcorn and green ice cream based on the screen shots every time the camera panned to him in the crowd) ... and here's to another exciting season (maybe even with Saquon?) starting up again on the upcoming Labor Day weekend and just know this -- it will be here sooner than you expect!

WHAT SAY YOU SAYQUON?:
https://www.landof10.com/penn-state/penn-states-saquon-barkley-sheds-light-future-nittany-lions-hope-jumpstart-pass-rush

WELCOME RICKY "RONNIE" RAHNE (WHERE ARE THE REST OF NEW EDITION?):
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2017/12/penn_state_ricky_rahne_offensi.html

CATCHING UP WITH THE HAMILTON BROTHERS:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2751471-brotherly-love-beyond-words-psu-wrs-unique-bond-with-sibling-with-autism

JUST ONE MORE ... thing learned from Charlie Brown (December 2017)

JUST ONE MORE ... thing learned from Charlie Brown.

Somehow, it's already December 1 ... and although there have been signs of the holidays for awhile, what with some stores putting merchandise out on or before Labor Day, it all ramps up from here -- full speed ahead and you WILL be bombarded with inescapable marketing and messaging in attempts to get you to spend more money than you have and to engage in more things that you have time to do. 

What better antidote for all of that holiday hoopla than to stop and reflect on lessons we all should have learned the very first time we watched the Charlie Brown Christmas special.  Seeing as how the mission of this "just one more" concept is to embrace  incremental change in order to empower folks (or just me) to stay positive and solution-focused in a day and age where problems often seem insurmountable, control often seems out of reach and apathy often seems to be running rampant -- it seems like featuring just one more lesson each week from this Charles M Schulz' classic is on point.

So whether it's about dealing with depression or countering crass commercialism or remembering the real reason for the holiday or just singing to save your sanity ... there are plenty of opportunities to pause and reflect and recharge with just one more ... thing learned from Charlie Brown.

2 0 8 4:M i s s i v e 22

"Did you know the Third Uprising actually *started* in Chicago?"

I did not.  And so I told Captain Sandy as much as we sat there in the cool of the evening on the deck of the luxury yacht the night before we arrived at our destination of Old Orleans.  Chicago was a part of my cover story for making it into East America, so the Captain was making sure that I was as informed as I possibly could be in order to not raise any flags during any interactions with any others from 2084 who might get suspicious and peg me as someone who was different.

Of course, the chances of anyone figuring out that the specific difference when it came to me was that I had traveled through a portal from 2017, summoned there through communication initiated by the files that had been uploaded to the Vitalnet that represented my future self's IQ, EQ and SQ (soul quotient) in computerized form -- they would have been slim.  It was highly unlikely that anyone would have guessed that I was being providing safe passage by the IntransiGents, who had begun planning for the Fourth Uprising ... and that I was going to be a part of it.

"That was the last straw -- the city was basically abandoned after the blockade," she said.

She then told me about the city's initial early upheaval once it became known that it was a White Power cell based in Rockford that was secretly supplying the minority-led gangs with drugs and guns as part of a master plan to have them destroy each other -- and how the race riots went on for years until a truce was reached only by creating zones where each group could live with their own kind.-- the Black, the Brown, the Rainbow and the White --  all entrenched in their historic neighborhoods, with the downtown area a no-man's land.

The New Madrid Quake of 2023 -- which led to the creation of East and West America -- was strong enough to do substantial damage to most of the infrastructure and the high rises ... and the rising water levels created all new problems for which the city wasn't initially prepared.  Sandy told me that the only good thing to come from those back to back natural disasters was that the remaining survivors found a way to unify and to throw off their zone allegiance.  The IntransiGents took notice and moved in and established the faction that eventually launched the Third Uprising.  Then a blockade ... followed by the abandonment ... and finally the Captain assured me that no news made it in or out of the area ... and so no one in 2084 knew for certain what was happening in what was once known as Chitown.  

So now you guys in 2017 know as much as I did that evening in 2084.  With that, I have to say a fond farewell for tonight as the window during which the Vitalnet updates on the last day of the month is closing ... as is my ability to use that loophole to pass along yet another communication.  Until the last day of the month next, I remain Troy-in-2084, now known as Ilion, using Troy-left-in-2017's social media to share updates of my journey to the future as sponsored by my t1a7n72.lif files in the Vitalnet.  

As always, stay safe and take care of each other for I now know that it gets much worse before it gets better.

Random Posting for Penn State 11/25/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  And so ends a season.  Well, a regular season.  Rumor has it that our bowl game might be of the cotton kind, but we shall see.  Also -- thanks Saquon for confirming you WILL play in wherever we end up after all!
2.)  For the last time this season, curse you Comcast/Xfinity, for moving the BTN channel out of my cable package after letting me have it for the past prior three seasons since the big move down here to the SoFlo.
3.)  AND for the last time this season, thanks to modern technology and the iHeart Radio app which led me to the Learfield broadcast of the game on an Allentown based AM radio station 790 WAEB (first on the list).
4.)  By the way, thanks to me for learning that a cell phone placed on a surface that is hollow underneath is basically a poor man's speaker, 'cause science!
5.)  Despite me cursing out Comcast/Xfinity these last few weeks, I actually don't believe much in curses (except maybe that old Creole woman who might have put a spell on us at the other house when we wouldn't let her steal our mangoes), but that MD QB position sure seems like it might be a little cursed.
6.)  On to the celebration -- 19 wins out of the last 22 played!  Back to back 10 win seasons for the third time in the Big 10 era!  Woo hoo!
7.)  Hey radio announcerpeople -- I thought the ad from the PA Pork Producers was saying "put some pork on your pork" instead of "pork on your fork" until I went looking on the interwebs and saw otherwise.  I think my slogan is better.  Just sayin'!
8.)  Hey radio announcerpeople -- ten "scintillating" seconds for station identification?  That's setting the bar a little high, no, for a rather mundane task?
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be Tommy STEVENS.  I mean sure, he's going to eventually have to learn how to throw the ball to others instead of keeping it for himself time after time, but with multiple TDs doing things his way, I'm not complaining -- yet.

In closing, thanks to everyone who played a part in making this season so special -- it's the 17th one to which I've paid attention (it started back in 2001 after the move to Chicago from PA as a way of feeling more connected to the home we left for bigger and better things) ... and here's to whatever bowl game we get, to that blue and white game coming up sooner than you think on Apr 21 of 2018, and to playing Appalachian State (wait, what -- who?) *next* Labor day weekend.

BOWL GAME PREDICTION AND SAQUON IS PLAYING!:
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2017/11/updated_penn_state_bowl_projec_10.html

THOSE POOR MD QBs!:
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/9/26/16368342/max-bortenschlager-maryland-qb-kasim-hill-injury-2017

ONE SEASON ENDS ... ANOTHER ONE BEGINS SOON ENOUGH ('CAUSE TIME FLIES)!:
http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa-18/2018-penn-state-nittany-lions-football-schedule.php

Random Posting for Penn State 11/18/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Hey FS1 ... thanks for going to University Park for the first time ever today ... because that means the game was on a channel I still get and I could *watch* it instead of listening to it today.
2.)  In other news you heard before ... curse you Comcast/Xfinity for removing the big10 network from my package and making me *listen* to a handful of games this season.
3.)  I knew in advance that it was going to be inclement weather for today's game because the holiday parade in my hometown in central PA got postponed to next week (and not everyone on the FB was happy about that particular decision).
4.)  Funny thing about the power of suggestion -- it's in the low 80's down here in SoFlo, but seeing all the people shivering in the stands made me want to go grab an afghan for the couch.
5.)  A benefit of being able to *watch* the game meant that I could *see* the players ... which leads me to my question:  "Was that QB for Nebraska Tanner LEE rocking a porn 'stache?"
6.)  That was a *dirty* game.  Literally, not figuratively.  I know some football player moms that are gonna be pissed after having to deal with those uniforms (that's the way it works in college, right?)!
7.)  When Tommy STEVENS keeps the ball, I just want to yell "Run ... TOMMY ... RUN!" a la Forrest Gump.
8.)  Hey announcerpeople -- a "wad" of humanity?  Really?  That's the word that came to mind when there were too many boys around the ball to overturn the call?  A humanity "wad"?
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* players of the week are going to *have* to be all the guys who were breaking records with the statistics tonight.  I was going to list them all out, but it seemed like something new was happening every other play (not that there's anything wrong with that).

In closing, thanks to all the seniors (even the guy who got ejected ... and the one who is a junior but doesn't plan to stick around for next year -- or maybe even play the bowl game) ... and here's to the final game in the season at Maryland at a time (and network?) yet to be announced.

'CAUSE THIS IS WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHEN I WATCH FOOTBALL SOMETIMES:
http://www.totalprosports.com/2011/03/24/9-greatest-porn-staches-in-sports-history/

CONGRATS SENIORS!:
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/football/article_95193300-cb32-11e7-8d54-53d57fcdca07.html

SAY IT AIN'T SO, SAYQUON:
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2017/11/will_saquon_barkley_play_in_pe.html

Random Posting for Penn State 11/11/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Another Saturday, another afternoon gathered around the cell phone *listening* to the game, all old-tmey like..  'Cause ... curse you Comcast (for removing my BTN down here in the SoFlo)!
2.)  As represented graphically in the image accompanying today's post, it was a slow start ... but a happy ending.
3.)  Speaking of happy endings ... no, no.  There's too much of that in the news nowadays.  I daresn't add to it.
4.)  So anyway -- Happy Penn State Homecoming!  Happy Veterans' Day!  World War I is over!  (If you don't get that reference. see the link below as to why we celebrate what we celebrate today.)
5.)  Apparently the game was played in 32 degrees today.  As per my recollection, I haven't personally seen 32 degrees since 2014.  Just sayin'!
6.)  Now I'm not saying that my iheartradio app is spying on me, but I will say that the commercials seemed to switch from Allentown (some camera store?) to Florida (for gambling and lotto?) as if it knew I was here in the SoFlo listening to an Allentown station.
7.)  Courtesy of today's radio broadcast, I am now in the know about the DelGrosso Sauce Red Zone.  Broadcast TV doesn't show that stuff, yo!
8.)  Hey radio announcerpeople -- I think your name is Jack ... but every now and again, you sound like Homer Simpson calling the game.  D'oh!
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be Jason CABINDA.  I don't know if the broadcast folks said his name as much as the radio folks did, but it seemed like he was involved in every play!

In closing, thanks to all the veterans ... and here's to that game against Nebraska (when*ever* it is next week, as it still hasn't been announced).

JUST A REMINDER AS TO THE WHYS AND WHEREFORES OF NOV 11:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/11/11/how-veterans-day-went-from-celebrating-world-peace-to-thanking-armed-forces/?utm_term=.88a0d1d80b9c

THE RED (SAUCE) ZONE:
http://www.delgrossofoods.com/redzone/

ALL THINGS CABINDA:
http://video.btn.com/jason-cabinda

Random Posting for Penn State 11/4/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Sigh.  That's *two* weeks in a row now when the Saturday night round of cocktails is SAD drinkin' instead of HAPPY drinkin'.
2.)  Funny thing today was.  I DVR'd the game what with a ticket to the 1pm showing of the latest THOR movie, and then watched it when I got home -- whilst, unbeknownst to me, the weather delayed game was being aired live.
3.)  In retrospect, maybe it would have been better had THOR and this thunder stuck around all day long causing the game to have ended when we were still ahead instead of what it was when I picked it up again in the 4th quarter.
4.)  Well -- at least we still have Sayquon BARKLEY and no one else does.
5.)  I'm not being bitter, I'm just saying that that Spartan march down the field tradition could use a little tightening up ... maybe they can sprinkle in some cheerleaders to help keep them all in a straight line?
6.)  I'm not being bitter, but those sure are some tiny parking lots up there in East Lansing in the overhead shots of the stadium.
7.)  I started to think about how we could still be in the championship game, but my head began to hurt from thinking about all that would have to happen first.
8.)  Hey announcerpeople -- I may be getting older but y'all looked like high school students calling the game -- especially that rosy cheeked one (I'm looking at you Joe DAVIS).
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be Trace MCSORLEY, who, before the game delay, had tied old man HACKENBERG for most TDs thrown in a season.  I can only deduce that he broke that record during the part of the game I missed.

In closing, thanks to Iowa State -- you know what you did ... and here's to another noon game next week (unless, you know, lightning) -- a game I'll have to listen to on a streaming radio service (curse you Comcast!)

I'MA JUST GONNA LEAVE THIS HERE:
http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/archive/081011aaa.html

EITHER I'M GETTING OLD OR THEY ARE LETTING YOUNG KIDS CALL GAMES:
http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/bios/on-air/joe-davis

CONGRATS MCSORLEY!:
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2017/11/penn_state_trace_mcsorley_care.html

JUST ONE MORE ... native american (November 2017)

JUST ONE MORE ... native american.

Okay folks ... this isn't just about who brought what to the first Thanksgiving (although I'm guessing that first corn on the cob was ON POINT) ... but instead it's about the fact that the month of November is actually Native American history month (courtesy of Daddy Bush long before he was his wheelchair-sitting ass-loving self.).

Lookit:  my personal history allows me to claim 1/16th native american origin (as the story goes, my mother's father's grandmother was an original inhabitant of this continent, although I haven't been able to find much about the so-called Luckenbill tribe).  Regardless of whether that heritage would hold up in a court of law (although let's face it -- I *do* have nice cheekbones), the purpose of this particular mission is to remember that the vast majority of us are immigrants in the truest sense of the word.

That being said, the month ahead will be the opportunity to look back and to think hard about the original inhabitants of the lands we now call ours and to remember just one more ... native american.

2 0 8 4:M i s s i v e 21

Hello again from 2084!

It's Ilion, the name I took when I stepped through the portal created by the Vitalnet app I downloaded to my cell phone, so as not to be confused with the Troy I left behind in 2017 (because I actually exist in both eras, courtesy of a scientific advancement in the future called "astral projection with a corporeal element").  My 2017 self didn't live long enough to make it to 2084, but thanks to yet another scientific advancement, my IQ, EQ and SQ (soul quotient) files have been downloaded into that same Vitalnet, and it's those files (designated as t1a7n72.lif) that originally contacted me during a loophole on the last day of the month when the Vitalnet processes its updates.

Of course, you already knew all of that.if you've been reading these monthly communications.  And you also already know that I'm currently one of many on a boat being guided from the Florida Isles to Old Orleans by Captain Sandy so that I can gain entry to East America to bear witness to the Fourth Uprising.

The Captain, who is connected to the InstransiGents, the group of resisters that has coordinated all of the specifics of this part of my journey, has been staying up late nights when it is safe to do so to fill me in on the state of world and national affairs so that I don't make any gaffes when I eventually interact with those outside of the organization who will not know of my status of being a visitor who skipped over 60 years of history.

During one of our late night sessions, she let me know that Hawaii had succumbed to the same rise in seawater that turned Florida into a set of small islands, and was now simply known by the active volcanic peaks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea seeing as how the main hospitable land was underwater.  Alaska had been abandoned by the split countries of East and West America (split geographically by the 2023 Madrid Quake and politically by the rise of the replacement parties to Republicans and Democrats based on allegiance to Android or Iphone smart technology).  It was now land fought over between the Sino Dynasty and the newSSR as both hoped to establish a presence on the continent (Greater Germany, the other world superpower, had no interest in the land, which had been drained of all of its natural resources by this future time.)

Feeling a bit more knowledgeable about how the Americas of 2084 compared to the America of my original time, I then requested an update on Chicago.  After all, Chicago was a key part of the cover story that had been crafted for me ... and so I needed to be able to understand its history in order to avoid raising any suspicions when the boat docked in Old Orleans.  

As much as I'd like to share that with you today, I'll need to save that information for my next missive, as the window is closing on the monthly Vitalnet update.  Until next month at this time, I remain Troy-in-2084, now known as Ilion, using Troy-left-in-2017's social media to share updates of my journey to the future as sponsored by t1a7n72.lif files in the Vitalnet.  

And please -- stay safe and take care of each other for it gets much worse before it gets better.

Random Posting for Penn State 10/28/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Well shoot ... gosh darnit!
2.)  As it is Saturday night, it was always the plan to get into the cherry whiskey after the game was over.  But now it's going to be a SAD bottle of cherry whiskey instead of a HAPPY bottle of cherry whiskey.
3.)  Let's be clear:  that was a one point win.  So let's not go too crazy in Columbus tonight.
4.)  Speaking of points, another record that fell tonight (sigh) was one worth noting.  Up until that field goal from the other team, we had outscored our opponents 104-0 in the first quarter.  Just sayin'.
5.)  Because I have mad coping skills, my takeaway from this game is going to be that 97 yd return by Saquon BARKLEY that kicked off the afternoon.  I'm just going to replay that over and over again in my mind instead of fixating on the final score.
6.)  Is it too late to blame those throwback uniforms with the distracting bright red football shoes (or cleats, as I understand they are called by people who know football better than I do)?
7.)  There were quite a few shots of the loud crowd at the horseshoe tonight ... to which I have to note that they apparently admit younger and younger people into college nowadays.
8.)  Hey announcerpeople -- how did you *not* reference Eddie Murphy's classic "my shoe!" skit when Saquon lost his tonight during the game?
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be our whole damn team ... because I have faith in the fact that we'll come back from this and treat it as an anomaly to an otherwise outstanding year.

In closing, thanks to FOX, who aired the game, for letting me know that we still have the World Series each year (I thought that that particular competition would have ended once and for all last year after the Cubs finally won) ... and here's to playing that other team from Michigan next week at a time somehow *still* to be determined?!? ...

I'M GONNA PUT *THIS* ON REPEAT IN MY BRAIN TONIGHT INSTEAD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ago6F81PxSA

MY SHOE!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhay0VKmtPA

LOSING IN A GREAT LEARNING OPPORTUNITY:
http://muaythaipros.com/how-to-come-back-stronger-after-a-loss-4-steps-to-success/

Random Posting for Penn State 10/21/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Disclaimer:  due to the power of post-dating on this blog, the reference to "today's football game" is actually going to be all about the Mich game on Oct 21, despite this actually being posted a few days after that date (what can I say ... I was a bit buzzed by the end of that night game and have now just recovered).
2.)  Who's #2?  We are!  (see what I did there?)
3.)  I love me a white out!
4.)  It was nice to see the game on a TV again (curse you Comcast/Xfinity and your decision to remove the Big10 network from my plan) ... and to that end, it was also nice to see good sport Tebow in the Halloween Heisman House ad with its punch-to-the-gut-line.
5.)  Hey Michigan's version of Goldilocks (aka WINOVICH) ... play nice!
6.)  Speaking of Michigan, thoughts and prayers are with Samii Stoloff, the Michigan junior student photographer injured on the sideline during the game.
7.)  This spot is reserved for whatever I intended to post from my notes that I no longer understand -- it looks like I jotted down "Cames cannes", "9-88 dunk qb" and "wrinkle".  Did I mention I was buzzed whilst watching the game?
8.)  Hey announcerpeople -- I know I'm a child at heart, but really?  Booger?! *That* is the announcername we're going with?
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be Mike GASICKI (and it's not the first time he's been so referenced) ... although this time it's to honor all 78 inches of him!

In closing, thanks to all the boys for erasing the memory of the "embarrassment" that was last year's game against this team... and here's to playing THE Ohio State next week in the late afternoon (where somehow we are the underdog?!?) ...

WE ARE ... NUMBER 2!!:
https://www.landof10.com/penn-state/college-football-rankings-ap-top-25-penn-state-coaches-poll

HEY TIM TEBOW ... YOU'RE A GOOD SPORT::
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wpyl/nissan-heisman-house-teboween-featuring-tim-tebow?autoplay=1

SAMII IS OKAY (ALTHOUGH ON CRUTCHES):
http://awfulannouncing.com/ncaa/michigan-student-photographer-injured-penn-state.html

Random Posting for Penn State 10/14/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

Disclaimer:  due to the power of post-dating on this blog, the reference to "today's football game" is actually going to be all about the bye week on Oct 14, despite this actually being posted on the third Sat in Oct (hey look ... I think I might finally be all caught up!).

In honor of today's bye week, here are nine TUNES to which you can listen whilst waiting for the next game (I predict you will quickly notice a theme):

1.)  BYE BYE LOVE (the everly bros):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmjPAb-v4Nw
2.)  BYE BYE BYE (the nsync kids):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-KmOd3i7s
3.)  BYE BYE BABY (the inimitable Bonnie Raitt):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiS2ceBnYRc
4.)  BYE BYE BABY (the rollers from bay city ):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUwW108ITzw
5.)  BYE BYE GIRL (some kid named donovan):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhOa2JG0hGw
6.)  BYE BYE (that mariah carey diva):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqfLVDIZcP8
7.)  BYE BYE BABE (guess who [without a question mark]): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8yhpYIiWuU
8.)  BYE BABY BYE BYE (fats domino [not that there's anything wrong with being big boned]):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-OWqFnPTcg
9.)  BYE BYE JOHNNY (those rolling stones):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZDZxYBIdd8

In closing, thanks to all the music out there ... and here's to hopefully continuing our win streak next week in a night game against Michigan.

Random Posting for Penn State 10/717

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Disclaimer:  due to the power of post-dating on this blog, the reference to "today's football game" is actually going to be all about the NW game on Oct 7, despite this actually being posted on the third Sat in Oct (what can I say ... I've fallen a bit behind).
2.)  Now I'm not saying Chicago plays dirty ball, but there sure were a lot of penalties in today's game.
3.)  Now I'm not saying that Chicago plays dirty ball (the reprise), but there were TWO players ejected for targeting today from that team.
4.)  If it was 70 and windy today, then how come coach Pat's nipples were on full display the whole game (note:  I googled coach Pat's nipples to try to get an image for this post and I suggest you *don't* do that as you can't un-see everything that pops up in the results -- and *that's* why the accompanying image is the new athletic building coming to the campus on the lakefront sometime soon).
5.)  Speaking of wind, methinks that NU could claim that IT is their version of the "12th man" on the field.
6.)  Did I hear that stat right?  We are 76-0 when it comes to first quarter scoring this year against our opponents?  "We are" indeed!
7.)  So a bit of a slow start ... but we got it done.
8.)  Hey announcerpeople -- I'm not confirming whether I teared up or not (it was probably my contacts [except I wasn't wearing any]), but I did really like when you told Saquon's story (again) and said that he represented "all that was good about college football".
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be good ole Tommy STEVENS aka the back up quarterback who scored a touchdown today (i.e. "Trace to Tommy for the td) ... 'cause why not?

In closing, thanks to the BigCats Bacon Doughnut burger (as featured on today's broadcast) 'cause it makes me want to hurry back home to Chicago while that monstrosity is still on the menu ... and here's to a well deserved bye week next week.

HEY LOOK WHAT'S COMING TO THE LAKEFRONT?!:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-northwestern-football-facility-recruiting-greenstein-spt-1009-20161008-column.html

TRACE TO TOMMY -- 'CAUSE WHY NOT?!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqn-MBu6TYA

YOU HAD ME AT THE BACON?!:
https://twitter.com/SI_Eats/status/916711240067674115

JUST ONE MORE ... breast (October 2017)

JUST ONE MORE ... breast.

You never know -- the one you save may be your own (and for all you boys out there, we're not excluded -- we're just relegated to the third week of this month).  

First -- the obligatory reminder:  this whole "just one more" concept is about embracing incremental change in order to empower folks (or just me) to stay positive and solution-focused in a day and age where problems often seem insurmountable, control often seems out of reach and apathy often seems to be running rampant.    

Second -- the obligatory disclaimer:  I will NOT be spending the whole month featuring famous three breasted women (like in the classic 'Total Recall' film ... or that season of 'American Horror Story' that for some reason we still haven't finished).

Third -- the obligatory explanation:  what will actually be happening these next few weeks of October is that we'll be jumping all over the pink bandwagon to help promote national breast cancer awareness month.  Get yours squished ... donate to a good cause ... remember a loved one you lost ... choose from any of a number of activities in honor of just one more ... breast. .

2 0 8 4:M i s s i v e 20

Ilion here -- aka Troy in 2084 -- coming to you from the future on the last day of the month courtesy of that loophole when the Vitalnet updates at EOM (if this confuses you, you should probably look up the other 19 missives I've sent).

Recently, in these small windows of time I have to contact you back in 2017, I've been sharing just a little bit of the education that Captain Sandy gave me on my boat ride from the Florida Isles to my destination of Old Orleans and I've been focused on sharing the current state of world affairs (where "current" equals "2084-current" of course) as I was most fascinated by all the changes -- the jbola zone in Africa that had reduced that continent to what was basically an all-animal populace, the contamination zone in the Middle East that was the natural outcome of Crusadageddon, and the rise of the three world powers of Greater Germany, the newSSR and the Sino Dynasty.

Although she knew much about the world of that time, she had no way of knowing about the machinations that were already underway regarding the fears related to Pangaea.2100.  But I'm getting ahead of myself -- *that* particular crisis didn't cross my radar until a few months after that boat ride.  (As a reminder, since I can only communicate with you in small tidbits, the tale of my time here in 2084 is being chunked out to you in pieces.)

Captain Sandy reminded me that, as intrigued as I was, it was more in my interest to be able to spout off facts about East and West America in case the Covfefe Crew interrogated me after seeing the forged papers that the IntransiGents had provided.

Like a schoolboy, I recited what I knew.  The New Madrid Quake of 2023 had split the country in two and they were separated geographically by the enlarged Bay of Mississippi.  The area I had known as New England has been sold to Quebec, which had finally seceded from Canada.  Texas had been flooded and then split in half between the Chapo-Escobar Archipelago and what became known as South Oklahoma -- and yes, a wall was built to separate the territories.  Most of the populated sections of California had slid off into the ocean the same year as the Madrid Quake when the San Andreas fault finally erupted.  Lake SuMiHuEO had replaced the Great Lakes and had swallowed up all of the real estate those five bodies of water once bordered.

Captain Sandy applauded me for knowing those details -- and then she instantly informed me that I'd need to know about what happened to Alaska ... and Hawaii ... and, since my manufactured personal history involved Chicago, all that happened to that Windy City through the years.  That lesson will have to be the topic of next month's missive, as my time is running short.   Until the last day of the month next, I remain Troy in 2084 now known as Ilion as brought to the future by t1a7n72.lif (my future files in the Vitalnet).

Take care of each other ... for I'm afraid it only gets worse from where you are situated in the timeline currently ...

Random Posting for Penn State 9/30/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Disclaimer:  due to the power of post-dating on this blog, the reference to "today's football game" is actually going to be all about the IN game on Sep 30, despite this actually being posted on the third Sat in Oct (what can I say ... I've fallen a bit behind).
2.)  Comcast/Xfinity will NOT defeat me.  As previously mentioned this season, they may no longer carry the Big10 network as part of my package here in the SoFlo area (regional bias much?), but technology has advanced to allow me to permit me to score my own victory.
3.)  To whit -- today's game was listened to courtesy of the AM station in Allentown PA, which I got to play through my cell phone -- 'cause technology.
4.)  To whoo (note:  I know my Shakespeare) -- all that said, I did miss the whole first quarter because it took this old guy that long to figure out exactly how to make said technology work for him.
5.)  The whole AM thing kind of reminded me of my high school days listening to WLBR after hours on a tiny blue transistor radio I had hidden from my evil stepmother in my room -- but that's another story for another time.
6.)  Hey radio announcerpeople -- a special thanks for using your words to paint the picture to let me know the team was wearing white football shoes in the game (although admittedly "white football shoes" probably go by another name).
7.)  Hey radio announcerpeople -- not being able to be distracted by the graphics since I wasn't watching this on the TV screen meant that I had to come face to face with the fact that I have no idea how "nickels" go with football.
8.)  Hey radio announcerpeople -- speaking of flashbacks, I had one every time you described a player getting "decked" on the field, as that was something I last heard regularly walking the halls of my high school in various and assorted threats made to any number of individuals as to what would happen after the final bell of the day rang.
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be the one and only Mike GASICKI, who went down with an injury but thankfully got ... back ... up.

In closing, thanks to the Pennsylvania Pork Producers' Council for donating 50 pounds of pork to the food back for each sack this season (I think that meant today's game "cost" them 200 pounds) ... and here's to another opportunity to keep up our winning streak against Northwestern next week.

COMCAST/XFINITY WILL NOT DEFEAT ME (THANKS iHEART RADIO!):
https://790waeb.iheart.com/

TO WHIT TO WHOO A MERRY NOTE:
http://www.bartleby.com/360/5/118.html

LET'S KEEP PORKING BOYS!:
http://www.feedingpa.org/270/pennsylvania-pork-producers-team-up-with-feeding-pa-to-fight-hunger/

Random Posting for Penn State 9/23/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Disclaimer:  due to the power of post-dating on this blog, the reference to "today's football game" is actually going to be all about the IA State game on Sep 23, despite this actually being posted on the first Sat in Oct (what can I say ... I've fallen a bit behind).
2.)  Lookit -- when unbeaten teams meet, somebody has to lose.  That's just the way it is.
3.)  According to my notes from the game, Iowa puts out a lot of TALL boys playing football instead of/in addition to bball.
4.)  You know when you have a bit of hurricane go through town ... and you're lucky enough to get your power back pretty much right away ... but then it randomly goes off on a weekend a fortnight later and the electric company tells you that you're the only house on the block that''s affected ... and then some electric guys from NC in town to help with relief efforts determine that your house's surge protector is fried and so they replace it just in time for the game ... yeah, it's been THAT kind of week around here.
5.)  I'm just going to say this ... Josey JEWELL (on the Iowa team) sounds like an outlaw ... except, you know, it's Iowa and not the wild west ... unless the wild MIDwest is a thing?
6.)  I'm just going to *also* say this ... being run off the field by a Hooker (aka Amani HOOKER) makes me giggle every time it happens.
7.)  Speaking of things that make me giggle ... hearing the announcerpeople say "scoot" and "scamper" ALWAYS does the trick.
8.)  Hey announcerpeople -- I'm not quite sure why, but I wrote down "any QB with a medium arm" on my index card of notes from the game, so I probably didn't want you to say that OR I liked that you did -- I just plum don't remember.
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is going to *have* to be the one and only Saquon BARKLEY, what with his record 358 all purpose yards and all.

In closing, thanks to whomever came up with the wave to the children's hospital tradition for Iowa ... and here's to another opportunity to keep up our winning streak against Indiana next week.

PROVING YET AGAIN THAT THE INTERNET HAS EVERYTHING:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/city-vs-city/56962-states-tallest-people-8.html

WHEN THE HOOKER RUNS YOU OFF THE FIELD:
http://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4036134/amani-hooker

358 AND COUNTING:
http://www.centredaily.com/sports/college/penn-state-university/psu-football/article175120281.html

Random Flashback for Friday 9/22/17

Okay ... okay ... just one more picture from the second version of our fraternity house style living in Lebanon back in 1997 (and, in a few different forms, 1998) ... and *this* room was my tradeoff to taking the attic for my bedroom (as previously featured twice).

I agreed to do so -- and to give Corey, Selman and DJ the three bedrooms on the second floor -- so long as they gave me the front room on the ground floor to be my office.

One day again I hope to have a dedicated room for just my desk and files and books and archives (and, in my head, it may look like Lex Luthor's home study in the 'Smallville' TV series, replete with a curved staircase and those ladder type things you have to use 'cause the bookshelves are so tall) ... but until then, I'll always remember keeping office hours and doing law school homework two decades ago in this very spot.

Random Posting for Penn State 9/16/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  Disclaimer:  due to the power of post-dating on this blog, the reference to "today's football game" is actually going to be all about the GA State game on Sep 16, despite this actually being posted on the first Sat in Oct (what can I say ... I've fallen a bit behind).
2.)  You know when you have a bit of hurricane go through town ... and you're lucky enough to get your power back pretty much right away ... but then you don't get your TV/internet for about a week after the storm ... and THEN you find out that your provider decided to drop the BIG10 network from your package ... yeah, it's been THAT kind of week around here.
3.)  Hence the pic accompanying this post.
4.)  In the spirit of fully embracing living in the modern world and not ever being beaten down by the man (where "the man" equals whomever is in charge of creating Comcast/Xfinity's channel lineups), me and mine are still enjoying the game courtesy of a little gather around the cell phone and listen to the FREE audio broadcast.
5.)  But still ... Comcast/Xfinity sucks.
6.)  Listening to broadcast as we did, it was double disheartening to know that we couldn't take advantage of the Dunkin Donuts perks where, if Penn State wins, you (the customer) wins (wah-waaaaah) as that's only in a very limited northeastern area.
7.)  Have I mentioned yet that Comcast/Xfinity sucks?
8.)  Hey announcerpeople -- listening to the broadcast as we did, it was a bit of reminiscing to hear the halftime show sponsored by the PA Turnpike (oh the stories we could tell about our time travelling *that* road).
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is actually GA State's Penny HART.  At least I *think* he's my player of the week.  He was definitely on the index card of potential nuggets that I have with me any time I watch/listen to a game.  And I *think* it was for a good reason ... like maybe because it sounded like he was planning on staying in college for as long as I did (shout-out to the 90's, my decade of undergrad).

In closing, thanks to modern technology for defeating the imperial overlords in charge at Comcast/Xfinity and getting us access to the game anyway... and here's to a meet up with Iowa next week that always seems to come down to the wire!

A LITTLE BIT OF THE PENNY HART STORY:
https://www.underdogdynasty.com/sun-belt-conference/2016/2/28/11124830/georgia-state-1000-yard-season-albert-wilson-penny-hart-freshman

*ONLY* AT PARTICIPATING DUNKIN DONUTS (I.E. NOT THE ONES HERE IN FLORIDA):
http://ddpennstatewins.com/faqs/

THE SOURCE OF THE ANTI-COMCAST/XFINITY IMAGE I FOUND ON THE GOOGLE:
http://stopthecap.com/2015/06/02/comcast-system-audit-in-tallahassee-takes-away-dozens-of-channels-it-will-restore-for-a-price/

Random Flashback for Friday 9/15/17

Tonight's theme for the 45th batch of photos of my father's that I inherited when he passed is "Misc 80's".  They all belong to the pile of things with time stamps on them, but it's a mix of items, from newspaper clippings to letters to pics of my Dad and his wife-of-the-time's Rawleigh stand.

#221:  The Charlotte Observer newspaper clipping showing my Aunt Evelyn (my dad's sister) in full voice in her local choir there; dated Wed, Jun 2nd, 1982
#222:  a letter from State Senator Noah Wenger offering congratulations to Paul and Esther (my paternal grandparents) on their 62nd wedding anniversary; dated Oct 7, 1983
#223:  a letter from Ruth Martin of the "Courtesy Committee" of "The Ephrata Church of God" also congratulating Paul and Esther (my paternal grandparents) on their 62nd wedding anniversary; postmarked Oct 17, 1983
#224:  the Rawleigh products stand (and, for reasons unknown, a whole lot of shoelaces that we once also sold) -- and although the back says Green Dragon and although we definitely did have a stand there for a time, I actually think what's shown is the Lebanon Fairgrounds, where vendors were set up in the old concrete block stalls
#225:  my dad Ralph behind that same booth at the Fair, standing near the "make-your-own-button" section (they tried to do everything in those stands, and we owned one of those crimper machines to buttonize people)

Random Posting for Penn State 9/9/17

Here are 9 Nittany Nuggets from today's football game:

1.)  First, here in SoFlo, we're staring down Irma (although she had so much fun in Cuba that her ultimate influence on us in the East has diminished), and that meant that ABC (which aired today's game) was all about the coverage ... so thanks to modern technology and smart TVs that permit you to still find the game to watch even amidst all that drama.
2.)  Second, thanks to FPL and the aforementioned Irma both for keeping the power on during the whole thing.
3.)  Finally, the strangest thing about watching the game via a streaming app was that the commercials weren't included BUT the dead space when the commercials were happening for everyone else WAS, creating a lot of silence in between plays and a new appreciation for exactly how many ads there are in a game.
4.)  By the way ... did I mention that 4 (as in number four in the country) is my new favorite number?
5.)  Moving on ... anyone know the proper naming of this year's throuple?  Should it be McBarkSicki?  SaySorSicki?  We should have some way to refer to the best threesome since Stephen Baldwin threatened to cut off his junk after engaging in one in that movie from the nineties.
6.)  Also ... congrats to the 1982 team who celebrated the 35th anniversary of the season when the Sugar Bowl was won -- what wiki refers to as "Paterno's first consensus national championship".
7.)  Speaking of Paterno, I did cringe during Marcus ALLEN's smiling dancing celebration as I don't think it would have been permitted back in the day.
8.)  Hey announcerpeople -- can you maybe retire the phrase "going for a ride on BARKLEY" when you talk about how the little guys can't bring him down?  Just sounds a little porny ...
9.)  I don't care what anyone else says.  *My* player of the week is actually poor Pitt's Max BROWNE, because I felt so sorry watching him get replaced by the back up QB in the part of the game where Pitt scored (and I don't mean for that to be as snarky as I know it sounds).

In closing, thanks to everyone on the team for rewriting last year's story of being comeback kids who only play well in the second half by scoring at least 14 points in the first half of both games so far this year ... and here's to the first night game of the season next week (against GA State)!

THERE ARE BIGGER FOOTBALL WOES THAN MY STRUGGLE TO FIND THE GAME:
http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2017-09-09/how-hurricane-irma-will-affect-college-footballs-week-2

IN CASE YOU NEVER HEARD OF THE THROUPLE PHENOMENON:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/throuple-meaning-what-you-do-in-a-three-person-relationship_uk_5798ba5be4b0796a0b611e7a

REMEMBERING 1982 (WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD!):
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/penn-state/1982-schedule.html