Hello again Facebook friends and family -- it is Ilion here with my latest message from the future.
(Hopefully, you recall that Ilion is the name I've been given now that I exist both in your time and in 2084, where I've traveled courtesy of the Vitalnet app I downloaded to my cell phone and the portal it opened up when I followed the instructions communicated to me from my EQ/IQ/SQ files stored in that time.)
As I mentioned in Missive 13, here in 2084, I am waiting for papers that will get me into Old Orleans (an outpost on the Bay of Mississippi) that are good enough to fool the Population Control Board. I promised that I'd share some of the history I learned about this all powerful bi-partisan organization, seeing as how the portal put me in a refugee camp in the Florida Isles (no longer a part of East America) filled with IntransiGents planning the Fourth Uprising -- and while waiting I have had a chance to catch up on the "history" of what happened in this future's recent past.
To review what I've previously shared ... once virtual reality radically transformed the way human sexuality was expressed and the birth rate dropped precipitously since VR was better -- and more addictive -- than actual relations, the A's and the I's agreed to revive their earlier bi-partisan effort at controlling population -- this time to ensure that our people did not die out. (Remember, the Republicans and the Democrats imploded during the Second Uprising and were replaced with competing factions of those who use Android/Google products and those who are addicted to all i-things [aka: the A's and the I's]).
However, I am getting ahead of myself again. There will be more time to talk about the *revival* of the PCB -- but first I need to explain its original mission. As the number of people on the planet continued to grow exponentially and the earth's resources dwindled, the world had reached a tipping point. Nuclear war had all but decimated the Middle East, and Jbola had wiped out the entirety of populations in Africa (more about *that* in a future missive). America, though, was spared both of those occurrences -- which meant the government had to step in to effect change.
They came first for the educators, with a call to action to curate the best and the brightest minds into one knowledge management system -- referred to as The Noble Purpose -- so that every child could have access to only the best of the best. They were the first set of individuals to take advantage of the advances in cloud storage to download EQ, IQ and SQ (soul quotient) files for each person such that their body would no longer be needed -- and could be disposed of to alleviate the pressures on resources. The PCB leaders told everyone that they started with volunteers, but classified documents since released have shown that these educational professionals were coerced, and that the memory of what actually happened was carefully extracted from the files before storage.
The Noble Purpose campaign advanced with nationalistic fervor, and it was only a matter of time before more and more groups received the dreaded Fuscia Slips, signifying that they were next to go through the download. "Live Forever!" was the promise. "For the Greater Good!" was the rallying cry. And just like that, the PCB quickly became the most powerful governmental agency ever.
Once again, I find myself having to close, as I must limit my communications to small bits and bytes in order to slip them through time and space during the update of the Vitalnet that only happens on the last day of the month. I promise to tell more about the PCB's dismantling ... and its subsequent revival ... in Missive 15 on the last day of the month next.
Until then, I remain Ilion in 2084 (the name given to me so as to minimize confusion now that I've taken advantage of "astral projection with a corporeal element" and exist in both eras), still hosted and brought to the future by t1a7n72.lif., and still communicating with you through the use of Troy in 2017's social media accounts.
Friday, March 31, 2017
Random Flashback for Friday 3/31/17
#161: new puppy in a bed
#162: puppy and grandpa Paul on the porch (blurry)
#163: puppy and grandpa Paul on the porch, different day (also blurry)
#164: puppy and grandma Esther on the porch (super blurry)
#165: puppy and grandma Esther on the porch, different day (yep -- it's blurry too)
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Random Taste for Thursday 3/30/17
And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...
here's the TWELFTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA
(coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!
REDEMPTION ROUND!
Establishment: Miller's Ale House
Location: Ft. Lauderdale
Website: https://millersalehouse.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Millers-Ale-House-181208372285760/
Original Taste: https://50tastesofflorida.blogspot.com/2016/09/random-taste-for-thursday-9816.html
TroyScore: 44 out of 50 -- aka 88, a B
THE FULL REVIEW (AND ALL THE PHOTOS) CAN BE FOUND HERE:
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 3/29/17
Used in a sentence: "The new super-bacony blog concept for 2017 continues with the next entry in the relatively new series -- here's Bacon of the Month (for Mar '17)."
As a reminder, all this year, we'll be working through the "outrageous" bacon treats at the first link below (or to follow if you're seeing this on the Facebook).
Next up was deep fried Doritos encrusted bacon. After this experience, I have to admit that it probably didn't matter much what would have been crumbled up and added to the bacon, it was the flash deep frying that made this bacon taste even better than bacon normally tastes.
It may also go without saying that the glass in which the final dish was served needed two rounds through the dishwasher in order to be used again as just a glass, but it was well worth it for all the double-crunchiness going on with these bacon treats.
Speaking of which ... I can't wait to see what bacony goodness shows up "next month"!
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE FIRST 12 BACONS:
http://www.neatorama.com/2015/08/25/12-Outrageous-Bacon-Treats/
THE RECIPE WE USED FOR MARCH:
http://dudefoods.com/deep-fried-doritos-crusted-bacon/
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Random TNT for Tuesday 3/28/17
TNT ... Chicago 13
1 He had only made the trip just once before, so there was still something that made him pause when he got to the Skyway bridge.
2 That pause wasn't just because he had to wait in line with all the other cars. 3 Truth be told, he was a little perturbed that there *was* a long line, what with the holiday. 4 It made complete business sense to him that there should have been MORE employees in the booths what with the extra holiday traffic that anyone could have predicted.would be making its way to Chicago for the New Year Eve's celebrations. 5 If he were in charge, he would have staffed every single little hut ... and he would have fired anyone who begged off. 6 Then again, he was a little ruthless when it came to business matters.
7 There would be time to rest the day after the holiday ... and there would be others waiting in line for the jobs of those who couldn't perform as he expected them to.
8 He counted five cars ahead of him in line.
9 As he waited, his frustration turned to anger, and he let his mind wander into the hypothetical world where he was the boss. 10 He imagined those he would let go, and he pictured the scene in his office where he'd line them up in a row, walking down the firing line and taking the action that he knew no other could take.
11 Four cars to go.
12 The crying wouldn't bother him. 13 The pleading wouldn't sway him. 14 The begging wouldn't affect him. 15 There would have to be sacrifices for the greater good.
16 Three cars to go. 17 Two cars to go. 18 One car to go.
19 It was his turn to pull up on to the booth. 20 He pressed the button and the window retracted automatically as the toll worker came into view. 21 All of the venom and vitriol that had worked its way to his surface dissipated instantly. 22 He looked into the eyes of the young lady who was holding out her hand and he saw *her* pain.
23 He put the bills and the coins into that hand and he grasped onto it firmly. 24 "Peace and blessings to you," he said, holding it a little longer than her comfort level allowed.
25 "Sure. You too," she replied with a bit of a bite, as she withdrew her hand hastily, being certain to avoid eye contact with the young man with the dark beard in the car acting creepy.
26 Mo realized that there was no opportunity for a moment of ministry.available to him in the toll booth line. 27 He pushed the button to roll up the window to protect him from the biting cold of a Chicago winter's night, and he drove on.
28 Checking the app on his cell phone, he couldn't believe his luck that both of the individuals he was tracking were at the same location. 29 He thanked the pillar in front of the mosque on Stony Island for his good fortune, attributing it to divine intervention of a sort, and he continued all the way to Lake Shore Drive -- past the convention center ... past downtown ... around the curve and into the northside ... pulling off where the app told him too.
30 He got out of his car and walked through the park in the darkness until a pier came into view. 31 A pier ... and two individuals who looked to be having a clandestine meeting.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Random Memorial for Monday 3/27/17
A day trip to Stuart was part of the vacation planning this past February when Indiana family came to visit (it's always important to find something that Walter will want to do when he's in town ... and that usually means a different car museum each year) ... and that included the Elliott Museum. In turn, the Elliott Museum included this garage full of antique and other classic cars -- and there was an automated multi story contraption that would go select different ones to show and feed them to the main window one at a time.
The video below I found on the youtube does a better job of showing how it all works, but just know that the static image accompanying this post is NOT a close up. That is NOT a matchbox car collection. Those ARE full size automobiles on display.
Admittedly, as an adult, I've rarely had more than one car at a time ... but if life is ever such that I have a bunch to store next to the house, the old fashioned boring "multi-car garage", you will not be missed.
A VIDEO VERSION FROM THE YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WCVotKIHn8
MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM:
https://elliottmuseum.org/
SPEAKING OF CRAZY GARAGES:
http://www.guysgab.com/5-crazy-garages-you-need-to-see-to-believe/
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 3/26/17
Life-saving AED installations, courtesy of Frankie's Foundation.
Let's start with the sad news first. Namesake Frank was only 42 years old when he suffered a major cardiac event at a local park where he was playing soccer -- and he passed.
Now the good news. Frank's friends dealt with that loss by turning "tragedy to triumph" and forming an organization whose purpose is to raise funds to buy Automatic External Defibrillators to donate to public places in hopes of saving the lives of people in the future who might be able to be revived after experiencing something similar.
Recently, they featured the 50th such contribution to an eating establishment in Pompano Beach (the Coral Springs branch of which we reviewed in our sister blog [https://50tastesofflorida.blogspot.com/search?q=bru]), and we're hoping they continue their mission and cover the area with AEDs everywhere (selfishly, that might just be because of all the bacon grease running through *my* veins).
Kudos to Frankie's Foundation! May you soon be celebrating your100th AED!!
CELEBRATING NUMBER 50:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-sb-50-defibrillators-20170215-story.html
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE FOUNDATION:
http://www.frankiefoundation.com/
THE MORE AEDs THE BETTER:
http://www.nsc.org/learn/Safety-Training/Pages/AEDs-Could-Save-40,000-Lives.aspx
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Random Soapbox for Saturday 3/25/17
... I will ... because all throughout the Lenten season, I'm going to rave instead of rant ...
[note: I know you're likely not reading this until long after Lent, but thanks to the power of post-dating on the blog, I'm going to slip this in to the spot where I had originally intended it to be ...]
This one's simple -- my get well basket is better than your get well basket ... and, to start with, it's because it's not a basket at all.
*This* first aid kit was waiting for the household when there were a few back to back hospital visits this past spring. And let me tell you, the bar has been raised when it comes to what you'll need to get you through your recovery period after an illness. In case you can't see everything that was packed inside this metal case with a lockable glass door, there was two cans of chicken noodle soup, four jars of candy (cherry drops, lemon sours, jelly beans and a trail mix), a bottle of water, some tea, a hangover ice cap and a bunch of bandaids. The only thing missing was the bacon ... but maybe it couldn't be personalized ... and not that I'm complaining.
It almost made me want the results of my recent endoscopy to be something problematic just to keep the good gifts coming!
10 MORE UNIQUE IDEAS:
http://heavy.com/social/2017/01/top-best-get-well-soon-gifts-ideas/
WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THE SKILLS TO WRITE YOUR OWN MESSAGE:
http://ideas.hallmark.com/articles/encouragement-ideas/get-well-wishes/
IN CASE YOU HAVE A SICKO IN YOUR LIFE:
https://www.gifttree.com/p3/6774/get-well-medicine-cabinet-1
Friday, March 24, 2017
Random Flashback for Friday 3/24/17
As for this particular photo, it's the equivalent of a carnival ride in that a number of ... let's call them "carnies" ... would manually twist and turn this wooden ... let's call it a container ... until the tension was so great on the ropes connecting it to that certain pole that they would let go and the thing would spin and spin and spin ... much to the enjoyment of those sitting in the container.
And in this photo, the guy waving at the camera from that position was little Jakey W -- that is, from when he *was* little twenty years ago ...
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Random Taste for Thursday 3/23/17
And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...
here's the ELEVENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA
(coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!
Establishment: Everglades Gator Grill
Location: Homestead
Website: n/a
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Everglades-Gator-Grill-1486203718372225/
TroyScore: 42 out of 50 -- aka 84, a B
THE FULL REVIEW (AND ALL THE PHOTOS) CAN BE FOUND HERE:
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 3/22/17
Used in a sentence: "I may have called it a cherry cherry whiskey sour in my recent year-end best-of list for 2016, but I can now officially state that, in my old age, my drink of choice is a Quint Cherry Whiskey Sour."
The Quint isn't a brand name ... it just stands for the cherry in the whiskey PLUS the cherry juice I add from the maraschino jar PLUS the three cherries that get plopped in the concoction (they are hiding on the bottom of the glass) ... aka the five "quint" cherries.
And on a good night, when daddy needs a double (PS ... I'm the "daddy" in that scenario), I guess that means my fav drink is a Deca Cherry Whiskey Sour ... or a Double Quint Cherry Whiskey Sour -- whichever makes your brain hurt less ...
Cheers!
THE LAST TIME I TALKED ABOUT THIS:
https://capcognition.blogspot.com/2016/12/random-soapbox-for-saturday-123116.html
IN DEFENSE OF FLAVORED WHISKEYS:
http://www.eater.com/2015/11/23/9752000/best-flavored-whiskey-brands
WHO KNEW MARASCHINO CHERRIES WERE SO CONTROVERSIAL:
http://www.willcookforfriends.com/2013/09/things-you-never-knew-about-maraschino-cherries-fak-friday.html
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Random TNT for Tuesday 3/21/17
TNT ... Chicago 12
1 On a holiday, it's a given that you just don't want to have to deal with any business matters. 2 You want to be far away from any work related drama. 3 You want to be with friends or family and not with co-workers. 4 That's just the way it is.
5 For those reasons, when it came to New Year's Eve, Mo was already far away from Detroit, where he had been relocated on the boss' orders in April of that year, and he was celebrating the holiday season with his new friends in Highland Park. 6 In his opinion, the food tasted more authentic there. 7 The candles burned more brightly there. 8 The prayers seemed more earnest there.
9 All things considered, he hadn't *completely* given up on religion, even though religion had led to his downfall time and again. 10 After all, the most recent turn of events wasn't the first time that his anger had gotten the best of him ... and he felt just as certain that it also wasn't going to be the last.
11 He was determined to make the most out of his assignment to Detroit -- the place he affectionately called Pit City -- and he did so by taking the flight from Detroit Metro Airport to Midway as often as he could. 12 His continued sanity was dependent on spending quality time in and around his people -- and they weren't in Detroit any more.
13 That coping mechanism made it all the easier when the work edict came down that he needed to be in Chicago before midnight on New Year's Eve. 14 He was already only a little over two dozen miles from a city with which he had become very familiar in recent months, and so all. he had to do was to come up with an excuse to escape the festivities.
15 He came up with gout -- an attack that would mean he'd have to cut his trip short and head back home to see his doctor first thing in the new year. 16 It would be an attack that was strong enough to change his plans but not so strong that he couldn't take a cab back to the airport to catch his new flight.
17 Except Mo didn't instruct the cab driver that he called, who knew nothing of the interrupted family plans, to go to Midway. 18 Instead, he ended up in the motel where he would be setting up shop to await new orders, in the heart of the 'hood known as Andersonville.
19 That particular New Year's eve, he arrived with plenty of time to walk out and about in the neighborhood, and he headed to his favorite place -- a park with a beach right on Lake Michigan ... with a pier that gave him an excellent vantage point of all of the lake.
20 It was his favorite place in the city, and he had visited there many times before. 21 The main impetus for going there was clearly nostalgia. 22 He couldn't help but be reminded of the glory days of his youth, and he fantasized about striking the water and just walking directly across the lake bed to his adopted state of Michigan.
23 Miracles were for the young and for those whose faith hadn't been truly tested. 24 Sadly, Mo was ancient and his faith was running severely low. 25 On that night -- on that pier -- he'd have to be content with only his imagination and his recollection of days of yore.
26 With the greatest of sighs, he turned around and headed back toward the beach. 27 He hadn't anticipated that someone else would be sharing that moment with him -- yet sure enough, there was a shadow waiting for him. 28 He noticed that even further back, there was a second shadow that looked to be waiting for him to interact with the first shadow.
29 The first shadow spoke first. 30 "*What* are YOU doing here?" it asked.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Random Memorial for Monday 3/20/17
As for the tune from that 22nd release to feature in this post as a way of saying goodbye to what is now basically a duplicate, it's going to be Ms. Reba being joined by Ms. Davis, Ms. McBride and Ms. Yearwood -- all gathered to cover a certain Ms. Patti classic (although it looks like it was actually written by a Ms. Bayer Sager and a Mr. Bacharach).
Album (I mean cassette) of covers that spawned a TV special back in the day called "Reba: Celebrating 20 Years" (according to WikiLeaks), you will be missed.
NOW THAT'S ONE HECK OF A COUNTRY QUARTET:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2etm5LlMHA
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 3/19/17
The revival of the eyeball wars!
Long before America was split between Trumpeters and Resisters and those in between, it turns out that Florida was experiencing fighting between factions like no other.
Down here, for years apparently, people needed to pick a side between optometrists and ophthalmologists. And for those of you who only thought that "ophthalmologists" was just a word they use in spelling bees to separate the wheat from the chaff, rest assured that they are a real thing -- or a real group of professionals, to be most accurate.
It turns out that the optome-whatevers have their eyes set on some of the things that only ophthal-whatevers can do (including the almighty power of writing of prescriptions [almighty because it's all-money]), and although a peace had been negotiated back in 2013 when the skirmishes first came into view, there's new legislation in 2017 that's going to get the eyeball wars back in everyone's sights. We'll just have to see how it all plays out (and I'm done with the puns -- for now).
IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-doctor/choose.htm
THE 2013 BATTLES:
https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/article/fight-continues-in-fla-eyeball-wars
WAR IS ON AGAIN YO!:
http://watchdog.org/291140/291140/
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Random Soapbox for Saturday 3/18/17
... I will ... because all throughout the Lenten season, I'm going to rave instead of rant ...
[note: I know you're likely not reading this until long after Lent, but thanks to the power of post-dating on the blog, I'm going to slip this in to the spot where I had originally intended it to be ...]
We've got MORE good news (in addition to the good news shared in the Mar 11 '17 post)!
It turns out the mango tree in the back yard is super super happy to see spring, based on all the flowering go on as seen in this photo. Lucky for me, I'm not pollen-sensitive (as I'm guessing all of those tree branch endings would drive an allergy-sufferer all but crazy) ... but with the avocado tree in the back corner of the yard particularly fallow, all our hopes are placed in this seasonal mango flowering.
Here's to many many mangoes in our future!
[editor's note: despite the bounty that seemed promised by this photo, in the end, and thanks to the fact that we are sharing this long after the actual recorded date of this post, there were only TWO (!) mangoes that have survived/are surviving, and they are featured in the picture below {which will accompany this post as opposed to the customary companion links in triplicate}]
Friday, March 17, 2017
Random Flashback for Friday 3/17/17
#156: my oldest (half)sister -- aka my dad's first daughter Carol Ann -- in 1965 (according to the writing)
#157: this has to be my aunt Evelyn's son Michael S (aka my first cousin since Evelyn was my dad's sister), and the date on the back says Oct '66
#158: my dad's parents Esther and Paul (my paternal grandparents) and a mystery couple standing in front of, as it says on the back, "the site of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, PA 1968")
#159: someone named Kitty, according to the writing on the back, which says: "Kitty, Oct 1971, Ft Clark, Texas"#160: a postcard from someone named "tommy", who was apparently on a trip to Wales and sent a card to my dad's parent Esther and Paul (my paternal grandparents) about how he was in the town "where his father was born"
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Random Taste for Thursday 3/16/17
And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...
here's the TENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA
(coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!
Establishment: Farmers' Market Restaurant
Location: Florida City
Website: n/a
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridacityfarmersmarketrestaurant/
TroyScore: 45 out of 50 -- aka 90, an A
THE FULL REVIEW (AND ALL THE PHOTOS) CAN BE FOUND HERE:
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 3/15/17
Used in a sentence: "28 years later ... and I'm still forever grateful for the events surrounding March 15 of 1989."
I don't know that I could ever say it better than I did on the 25th anniversary of this date, but suffice it to say that I celebrate the Ides of March each year because that's the day that I struck out on my own and finally ran away from home while I was senior in high school.
It wasn't the first time I had run away (surely you know by now the story of my trip to Hills wearing twenty pairs of socks because I thought that made more sense than just one pair of shoes where I spent all my VBS collection money for the week at the bubble gum machine after I hid my star wars blanket that was over my shoulder hobo style with my Hardy Boys books in it in the swamp that used to be next to the east end Burger King ... or the story of walking the railroad tracks at night and sleeping in my dad's van until he found me in the morning when he was headed to work ... or the time I made it all the way to the Hebron church parsonage with my belongings but had to return home as the law was on the side of the stepmother - until it wasn't the next time) ... but Mar 15th of 1989 was the time I ran away and it STUCK.
If you are so inclined, you can read the details in the link below from that other post a few years ago ... but otherwise, just know that I pause to thank the likes of Mrs. Schools, Judy and Wendy W, Sherry G, Kerri G's dad and Steve B every year on this date for the role they played in setting me on a completely different course for my life.
Back then (and even today), I couldn't have been more #blessed, in the vernacular of today's youth.
THE 25th ANNIVERSARY POST:
https://capcognition.blogspot.com/2014/03/random-soapbox-for-saturday-31514.html
FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T HAVE MY SUPPORT SYSTEM:
https://www.1800runaway.org/
BECAUSE IT DIDN'T END THIS WAY:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtNYA4pAGjI
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Random TNT for Tuesday 3/14/17
TNT ... Chicago 11
1 Once you make a "big" move -- the kind that brings upheaval to everything you thought you knew ... to everything that defined you ... to everything you stood for -- the "little" moves are so much easier to handle. 2 "Don't sweat the small stuff," H reminded himself, as the train pulled in to Chicago's Union Station on New Year's Eve.
3 Sure, he had made a bit of a life for himself back in Detroit since arriving the previous April, but the orders from the boss were clear. 4 Get to Chicago -- and get there before midnight on the last day of the year. Detroit to Chicago was a little move and was therefore something easy.
5 He'd miss the gang he was leaving, for sure. 6 They had been so good to him since he had first arrived in Motor City, unfamiliar with the lay of the land -- or with much of how anything really worked. 7 He had fit in immediately with the group of homeless people down by the waterfront, and it wasn't long before a bunch of them bonded and struck out to find an abandoned home in the rough part of town to fix up just enough for them to have shelter -- and fellowship.
8 H was a natural born leader -- so long as found the right kind of followers. 9 Networking was the answer to everything, and it didn't take long before a friend of one of his new friends even got him a job. 10 Nothing fancy, of course, but bringing in some extra money to support the communal living by working as a medial receptionist at a podiatrist's office assured him a safe space in the hierarchy of his group.
11 All that he had done for them was also the reason why they had so easily banded together to gather the rest of the money he had needed for one way train ticket to Chitown. 12 "I will be back," he had assured them. 13 "None of us can know the day or hour ... but I will return."
14 Business was business. 15 As he disembarked from the train and threw his dirty knapsack over his shoulder, he knew that the future depended on what he did now that he had arrived in Chicago. 16 He had a mission at which he must not fail. 17 It was all he could think about as he walked the blocks from one train station to another.
18 He decided to start his new temporary life the same way he had done upon setting foot in Detroit. 19 He got his ticket and stared at the map of the public transportation, determined to decipher which one of the colors would take him closest to Lake Michigan.
20 The coast curved upwards, closer and closer to the Red Line. 21 He traced his finger from the water's edge at a place called Osterman Beach and he determined the shortest path from an el stop was to a place that he wasn't exactly sure how to pronounce. 22 Saying it out loud didn't matter. 23 He just had to be on the lookout for signs for Bryn Mawr.
24 There were chimes. 25 And an automated voice warning "doors closing". 26 He jumped off the platform and into the train with no time to spare.
27 As soon as the red line made it beyond the downtown stops and started to fill up with revelers, H began to feel at ease. 28 He was amongst his people -- the hipsters on the train reminded him of the hipsters he had left back in Detroit. 29 Funny thing -- because of the company he kept -- many of the people he met assumed the H stood for hipster.
30 It didn't. 31 It was a middle initial. 32 He never gave out his first name because it was accompanied by way too much baggage.
33 At one of the stops, he stood so a drunken girl could have his seat, and he smiled as he swayed along with the to and fro of the car as it tried to make up time speeding between stops, seeing as how so many people were making use of it for the holiday that the times spent on the platform at the station were slightly longer than the schedule was supposed to allow. 34 Standing in the aisle also put him closer to the map in the display above the door so he could more easily count down how close he was to where he wanted to disembark.
35 Soon enough, the train was braking in a place where he could see the sign proclaiming it to be Bryn Mawr. 36 He exited, looked both ways to find a stairwell, and found himself on the street. 37 He couldn't see the lake from that exact point, but he knew he'd have a few blocks to walk from the map he had researched. 38 Not sure of which way to go, he turned *each* way and chose the path that was *into* the wind.
39 He passed a church on his left and crossed a big intersection before walking underneath a bridge of a heavily traveled road. 40 The park he was expecting was indeed in front of him. 41 He saw signs that it closed at dusk, but it wasn't gated and no one was around. 42 For the first time, he doubted his strategy about hooking up with some homeless as he was certain that the bridge would have attracted the people he was hoping to meet.
43 "Maybe there was another structure closer to the water -- through the trees and away from the lights of the cars exiting that highway above the bridge," he guessed as he got a closer look at his surroundings.
44 He found a structure -- a pier, jutting out into the water -- and he found his first person. 45 He could make out the shadow of someone that was walking back toward the beach -- walking toward him. 46 As his eyes adjusted and the individual came closer, he noticed the long flowing white beard ... and then he saw the face on which it was growing.
47 "*What* are YOU doing here?" he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Random Memorial for Monday 3/13/17
I'm of the space shuttle generation. I remember hearing in my youth how this and that was "space shuttle technology". I was in 9th grade when the Challenger exploded and my hometown school found itself turning on the televisions that were hidden behind the rolling chalkboards that separated the classroom from the teacher's office (in those classrooms like Mr. C's that was lucky enough to have one in the room at all times). I look at any o ring I come across with trepidation.
What I didn't know, though, before moving down here to southern Florida and reading (or hearing about it ... or seeing it at a museum or something), was that alligators loved the space shuttle too. Like "if you love it so much, why don't you marry it" kind of love (sorry, my mind is now stuck in 9th grade). Like, "hey good lookin, why don't you come over here and let me have my way with you" kind of love.
No -- seriously. The sound of the sonic boom overhead would make the gators come up out of the water and bellow like they do during mating season. (Apparently, a B flat on a tuba will also get them all horned up [pardon the pun].)
The opportunity for lovesick alligators to get the chance to hit on their special shuttle friend ever again, you will be missed (especially by those gators)!
GATORS APPARENTLY LOVE THEM SOME ROCKETSHIPS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoicxc4iKbo
GATORS ALSO APPARENTLY LOVE THEM SOME B FLAT FROM A TUBA:
http://www.upi.com/Male-gators-attracted-to-tubas-B-flat/16101181327395/
SPEAKING OF SHUTTLE RETIREMENTS:
http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2012/04/space-shuttle-discoverys-retirement-party/#1
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 3/12/17
This police report.
Now I'm not saying that it was definitely child abuse ... but I'm also not saying that it wasn't.
I'm just saying that I sure hope that someone somewhere did a thorough investigation of the bed that attacked the boy while he was sleeping and gave him a head wound.
Sure, sure ... furniture has been known to be dangerous to kids -- especially when kids are crawling on various pieces -- but a bed too dangerous to sleep in seems a little odd. Like "fell down the stairs again" kind of odd. Or, you know, when women "walk into a door" on accident -- all the time.
All I'm saying is let's just double check this one ...
REBA'S TAKE ON WHEN FALLING DOWN THE STAIRS REALLY ISN'T THAT AT ALL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjpGYXMZuWs
JUST SAYIN':
http://preventchildabuse.org/
ALSO JUST SAYIN':
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect.htm
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Random Soapbox for Saturday 3/11/17
... I will ... because all throughout the Lenten season, I'm going to rave instead of rant ...
[note: I know you're likely not reading this until long after Lent, but thanks to the power of post-dating on the blog, I'm going to slip this in to the spot where I had originally intended it to be ...]
We've got good news!
The "coach house" in the back yard has a confirmed resident for the season. If you can't spot him, I'll provide a zoom in below (or all together if you're seeing this over on the Facebook) And yes, this just might be the last year for the aforementioned "coach house" seeing as how gravity seems to be having its way with the structure.
By the way -- in lieu of the typical companion links, I'll post two *more* pics, which are the ones taken of the occupant from this time *last* year. I'll let you be the judge as to whether it's actually the same little guy all along ...
Friday, March 10, 2017
Random Flashback for Friday 3/10/17
... and in the nineties, big mazes were a thing. For instance, there was a certain maze in a certain corn field in the shape of a dinosaur (on LVC's campus) and then there was *this* maze (also within driving distance from the LVC campus).
If you haven't figured it out yet, I can all but guarantee you it will be obvious within the next pic or two ... anon ...
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Random Taste for Thursday 3/9/17
And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...
here's the NINTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA
(coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!
Establishment: Chuck's Steak House
Location: Ft Lauderdale
Website: http://www.chucksflorida.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chucksflorida/
TroyScore: 40 out of 50 -- aka 80, a B
THE FULL REVIEW (AND ALL THE PHOTOS) CAN BE FOUND HERE:
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 3/8/17
Used in a sentence: "The new super-bacony blog concept for 2017 continues with the next entry in the relatively new series -- here's Bacon of the Month (for Feb '17)."
As a reminder, all this year, we'll be working through the "outrageous" bacon treats at the first link below (or to follow if you're seeing this on the Facebook).
And another quick note ... despite this being tagged as a March entry (which is actually being posted in April through the magic of post-dating on the blog), it IS the February edition of this series. Hopefully we'll be all caught up and back on a normal schedule soon enough.
As you can figure out from the pics, this time it was bacon pizza -- not pizza with bacon as a topping, but a regular pizza made entirely on top of a bacon-weave. I can only say that I am looking for as many other things that can be built on top of a bacon-weave as possible (and I haven't ruled out my own bald head)!
Can't wait to see what bacony goodness shows up "next month"!
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE FIRST 12 BACONS:
http://www.neatorama.com/2015/08/25/12-Outrageous-Bacon-Treats/
THE RECIPE WE USED FOR FEBRUARY:
http://www.pasturedkitchen.com/recipes/ketogenic-pizza/
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Random TNT for Tuesday 3/7/17
TNT ... Chicago 10
1 There was a certain financial strategy to making sure that one would be single over the holidays -- to making sure that no relationship existed after Thanksgiving and before Easter. 2 The money saved by not having to splurge on anyone else for Christmas gifts -- and by avoiding expensive dinners and chocolates and such on Valentine's Day -- that was all money one could divert to spending on oneself, or, if one was the conservative type, to lock away in savings for a rainy day.
3 Matthew was not exactly the conservative type, though, so all of his hypothetical extra moneys went toward his New Year's Eve bar crawl each year. 4 He knew better than to spend those funds on buying a ticket to the best shindig in town, because it was highly likely that those places were teeming with pairs of people partying into the night.
5 His analysis was that his best chances were to bounce from bar to bar, parlaying his friendships with the tenders and tendresses to gain entrance, to peruse the place and to make a move if he saw someone that struck his fancy.
6 He was certain that he had perfected the bar crawl that was by any other name actually a bar prowl, and he counted on the skills he had gained in the months since he had moved to Chicago to ensure that he'd start the night by himself, but that he'd end it in the arms of another.
7 Sex for sport. 8 It was a young man's game ... and Matthew was a young man. 9 He only went out once a month, so he rationalized it as just a bit of a diversion from his otherwise mundane life. 10 "You have to get your excitement where you can," he had said to himself earlier that evening as he put on the shirt he had bought just for that particular night of activities, as making such an annual purchase of a New Year's shirt had been his tradition since he was old enough to go out drinking back home in Pennsylvania where he had gone to college.
11 Of course, drinking back home in Pennsylvania was never like drinking in Chicago. 12 Back there, everyone knew everyone else, and if they didn't, then for sure everyone knew OF everyone else. 13 There were no secrets. 14 There were no evenings that existed only for the experiencing of that one moment in time. 15 There were no opportunities to be free in the way of the anonymous for just one night.
16 He had fallen in love with Chitown back when he had visited it with a friend on a vacation of sorts, which was another story for another time. 17 Being in the big city hadn't led to the career that he thought he'd have had, but at least that location had no small town drama. 18 And he was paying bills. 19 And he was living life. 20 And he was able to go out and about with enough regularity to keep him happy.
21 In addition to his special sartorial purchase, he had also upheld another tradition earlier that night. 22 It wasn't one that was tied to the holiday, but it was the way he started each bar crawl. 23 As he had every month in this city since his first night out in April, he flipped his lucky quarter up into the air.
24 Here were the rules: if it landed heads, he'd head to Halsted; if it was tails, he'd be on Clark instead..
25 Those streets in his neighborhood were right next to each other, having actually intersected just a few blocks away. 26 Despite being so close together geographically, the bars, though, were vastly different. 27 Matthew's flip of the coin would determine more than just on which street he'd be crawling and prowling -- it would also determine his classification of prey.
28 On this particular New Year's night, the coin had landed face up.
29 And *that* was why Matthew was ushering in the upcoming 365 and a quarter days by kissing the *boy* next to him at the bar.
30 Sex for sport -- a young man's game. 31 Except, for that particular night, it was going to be a game for TWO young men.
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