#was that Keith absolutely had to have at least Charlie with him when he was writing songs

[waugh-bao]

“To come up with those sort of riffs you've got to have the drums there, 'cos that's the inspiration. So what do I say? 'Monkey Man', the riff, I got it off Charlie Watts and he doesn't even know it.”

Keith Richards, 2002

[neighbourskid]

2020

What a year, huh? Surely not anything anyone has expected to happen when we woke up on this day a year ago. I certainly haven’t. I’m not even sure, now, where to begin to sum up this year like I’ve done years prior. But then again... I may just as well just dive right into all the media I consumed this year, as I have done every year. I haven’t kept track as detailed as I have last year, but my year was definitely punctuated by pieces of entertainment that have come into my life.

Continuing on from 2019, my obsession with Good Omens was still going strong. Which was ideal, since I was gonna spend the first half of the year writing my Bachelor thesis on it. The intensity of the obsession may have waned a bit since, but I still love that show and book dearly and hold it close to my heart, and I don’t think that will ever stop. But while Good Omens was certainly an overall theme throughout my year, there were some other things that actually stood out.

With January came new episodes of Doctor Who, and having returned to that particular bandwagon the year prior, I was all about that. Jodie’s second season finally brought what I had longed for in her first--a darker kind of Doctor. She wasn’t quite as bubbly anymore, you could finally see some of the depths in the character that I loved so in the previous regenerations, which made me love Peter’s Doctor so incredibly much. In this season, I felt, Jodie was finally becoming the Doctor. Overall, that season catered to me personally every single episode. So many of the time periods they visited were of people I loved, and the introduction of Sacha Dhawan as the Master was absolutely....well, masterful. Sacha is brilliant in that role and I am utterly stunned by his talent. Although both John Simm and Michelle Gomez brought things to the Master that I liked, it’s Sacha’s completely unhinged take on it that made me finally like the character. He’s a madman and I love it.

The next major thing was The Good Place. I tend to have a talent of getting into shows just as they either ended their entire show, or the final season is just coming up. It’s happened quite a bit, and it was the same with this. I finally binged the show early in January and it would end its final season at the end of the month. True to form, I was completely obsessed with it for about a month, before I only occasionally thought about it again. But, thinking back now, I get this incredibly fond feeling for this show, and I remember that the finale absolutely wrecked me and I basically ugly sobbed through the entirety of it. Also very true to form, actually. I want to rewatch it again some time, but honestly preferably with someone who has never seen it before. Which, obviously, is a difficult thing to do given, well, everything.

Next up is something that surprised me a lot. In the middle of having to write my BA thesis, my procrastination thought it would be a great idea to rewatch and catch up on the entirety of Criminal Minds. And so I binged 15 seasons of that instead of writing my thesis. Which, coincidentally, had also just aired its final season not long before I started my binge in March. Rewatching this, I realised just how little I took in of the actual, like, stuff in the show when I first watched it as a teen. Although I mostly cared about the characters and their found family this time around--although I do find the cases really fascinating most of the time too--I noticed just how much I am not watching this for the fact that they are in the FBI. I was hyperaware of how often they shot at people before doing anything else, how many of the suspects died before ever being questioned or being brought in, and it made my skin crawl. I am aware how fucked up the criminal justice system is, and especially in the US, how the police functions and how incredibly glorified they are in the media. But rewatching this show, I realised how little I actually paid attention to anything when I was younger. Big yikes. Still, I remembered my love for these characters, and I really enjoyed that rewatch a whole lot. Found family will always get to me.

Once I finished writing my thesis and handed it in early in July, I then found my next momentary obsession: Community. The show had finally come to Netflix earlier in the year and a friend of mine had watched it then. I remember watching that pilot episode back then and being completely uninterested in watching it. The comedy felt like it wasn’t quite up my street, the characters were entirely unlikeable, and I especially disliked Jeff who the show was more or less centred around. I binged Criminal Minds instead, but then decided to give it another try. And, well, I watched it twice through without taking a break to watch something else in-between. Ironically, and maybe actually unsurprisingly, Jeff ended up being my favourite and I found myself relating a lot to him and his arc throughout the series. I even found myself writing some short ficlet-like things in the notes app on my phone. I made an attempt at starting a third watch, but I guess then the month was up, and my brain decided it was time for something else. My hyperfixations usually tend to die out after about a month. Which is why my complete devotion to Good Omens was a pleasant surprise. I did, however, end up watching quite a bit of Joel McHale and Ken Jeong’s The Darkest Timeline podcast throughout August. 

Early in September, while already preparing for the new term at uni, and my first semester in my Master’s studies, I then turned to New Girl. Friends of mine had seen it and recommended it, and I remember watching probably the entire first season on TV while I was in San Diego the first time around back in 2016. Or at least I think it was the entire first season. Either way, I binged that whole thing, realised through Nick Miller that the go-to character I am drawn to and tend to project on in any piece of media is usually what I like to call “the garbage man,” which Nick is a prime example of. And although I spent a month watching the show in-between starting university again and volunteering at a film festival, I didn’t spend much time afterward thinking about it and moved on to other things rather quickly. I enjoyed watching it, that much I remember, and I’m pretty sure I cried at the finale because it was done wonderfully, but seeing as another month was up, my brain was probably like “okay fine that’s enough”.

I then spent most of fall and early winter watching every single bad Christmas movie available on Netflix, which was quite fun. In that moment of festivity, I also watched a movie I found absolutely brilliant and fell in love with immediately. It’s a beautiful movie called Jingle Jangle, it has a magnificent soundtrack and is absolutely incredible. I had no idea Forest Whitaker could sing and he completely blew me away. If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend it. It doesn’t matter that Christmas is already over, it’s beautiful either way.

By the time December finally rolled around, I was already over the whole Christmas thing, to be honest and I turned away from festive movies or shows, and eventually ended up finally picking up a gem I had heard much about and had been meaning to watch for a while. A show which, as it were, also aired its final season earlier this year. This little show is Schitt’s Creek. I will be going on about what this show means to me probably in another post at length, but for now just let me say: if you haven’t seen it, find some place to watch it, and put this beautiful show in your eyeballs. I am on my second run through already (although I’ve seen the second half of the show a second time already while watching it with a friend on their first run through), and it brings me so much fucking joy. It’s a gift, this show. And it will likely stay with me for a very, very long time.

That’s about it for the big things. I also watched a whole lot of other stuff, including entirely new things, or just newly released seasons of things I was already watching. Here’s what I can remember off the top of my head:

Charlie’s Angels (2020). The Night Manager. The Witcher. Dolittle (2020). The Librarians (rewatch). Harley Quinn (2020). Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). The Chef Show (S1 part 3, S2 part 1). Avenue 5. Money Heist (part 4). The Good Fight (S4). Brooklyn Nine-Nine (S7). DuckTales (2017 reboot). Frankenstein live. Staged (2020). Hamilton. Sense8. Julie and the Phantoms. The Boys in the Band. One Night in Miami. Enola Holmes. Supernova. His Dark Materials (S2). Happiest Season. The Great Canadian Baking Show.

I also got some reading done in-between what I had to read for my thesis in spring, and then for regular university courses in fall. Here’s some of what I can remember:

Anthony Horowitz, The House of Silk. Ramona Meisel, Sunblind. Donna Tartt, The Secret History. Good Omens novel and script book. Matt Forbeck, Leverage: The Con Job. Keith R.A. Decandido, Leverage: The Zoo Job. Greg Cox, Leverage: The Bestseller Job. Greg Cox, The Librarians and the Lost Lamp. Greg Cox, The Librarians and the Mother Goose Chase. Greg Cox, The Librarians and the Pot of Gold. Neil Gaiman, Marvel 1602. Christina Henry, The Lost Boy. Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology. John Green, An Abundance of Katherines. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh. Maria Konnikova, The Confidence Game. 

Having mulled over all this entertainment I consumed in 2020, there are also some non-tv or book things I need to point out. As many, many other people around the globe, I have also spent a large amount of time this year on my Nintendo Switch, playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It is a game I have waited for since the Switch was first announced, and I fell in love with it from the moment the first trailer dropped. It has brought me great joy in this weird fucking year, and I have more or less consistently played it since it came out in March. I ended this year with the in-game New Year’s Eve celebration and I feel like that summed up this year quite neatly and appropriately.

This year also brought with it another game very close to my heart: Super Mario Sunshine. With their release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars in September, Nintendo finally brought my all-time favourite Mario game to my all-time favourite console, and I played the entire game through in the first week of owning it, in-between university courses and volunteering at the film festival. Also contained in that package was Super Mario Galaxy which I have also played through in its entirety since. All that’s left for me now is Super Mario 64, which I am excited to play through in the coming year.

And to round off my year of entertainment, there are two more things I would like to mention. First, David Tennant Does A Podcast With..., which released its second season this summer. It is one of the only, if not the only podcast I keep up to date with and listen to immediately whenever a new episode drops. I’ve loved the first season dearly, and David came back with some incredibly fantastic guests for the second season as well. I can’t wait for what the podcast will bring in the future, but I will wait patiently until it is time. I can highly recommend it for everyone who likes interesting conversations between lovely people who clearly adore each other a whole lot.

And finally, while this year brought a whole lot of bullshit with it, it also gave me something I never thought possible and did not even dare to imagine in my wildest dreams. My all-time favourite show announced that it would be rebooted with the same main cast (minus one), a new wonderful member, and involvement of the original creators, and even started filming already in summer. Leverage is coming back. I still cannot believe it. I hoped for a movie, always. That maybe one day, they might bring the gang back together, for one last job, just one more encore. But to get a whole new tv-show with Aldis, Christian, Gina and Beth returning? With the addition of Noah Wyle? I can’t wrap my head around it. I am so excited for this. I predict that I will ugly sob through the entirety of the pilot episode, if not the first season, and will have to rewatch every episode because of it, but I have no doubt that it will be brilliant and wonderful.

True to form, I have now gone on about tv shows and movies for far too long, and haven’t really said anything about this year at all. 2020 was fucking weird. And I don’t think 2021 will be much different quite yet. I wrote an entire BA thesis in 2020. I successfully finished by Bachelor’s degree and started my Master’s studies and even got some excellent first grades in as well. I was lucky enough to be able to see some friends and family throughout the year, and even celebrate my birthday with a small circle of friends. I’ve become closer with friends, shared experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world, and, I think, maybe also grown a bit as a person.

I started this year excited to finally be able to start taking testosterone in February, and to finish the first part of my studies by summer. Although I did both of these things, they didn’t happen quite how I imagined them, but I am glad that I could do these things nevertheless.

2020 was a hell year, for sure. But there were some moments in there that I wouldn’t want to lose.

I’ve tried very hard to not be optimistic about this upcoming year, and rather take a more realistic, even pessimistic approach. But I can’t help but be hopeful. Hopeful that this year will be kind to us, and if it isn’t, that at least, we’ll be kind to ourselves and each other. It won’t be easy, and not much will change, I think. But we have to approach the coming time with kindness and compassion. That’s where I’m at currently. And I think that’s all for now.

Be well, friends, and take care.

[artistjojo1228]

Rock and Roll Storytime #8: Motherf***ing Altamont (Otherwise Known as the Worst Mistake the Rolling Stones Ever Made)

Let’s face it, 1969 was a pretty crazy year no matter where you stand. On one hand, there were the moon landings, Woodstock, and general protesting against the Vietnam War (much to the chagrin of the Establishment), but on the other hand, there was the Chappaquiddick incident, the death of Brian Jones, and the Beatles starting to head full-steam down the path that led to their breakup in April 1970. 

And then, there was Altamont, what has otherwise been labeled as the darkest day in Rock and Roll History. 

This one’s going to be frustrating (and as an aside, I’m actually quite glad that Brian Jones missed out on this one, and likely would have even if he hadn’t drowned, by virtue of getting fired from the Rolling Stones in June 1969).

Let me start off by positing one simple question: WHICH DUMBASS CAME UP WITH THE BRIGHT IDEA OF HIRING THE HELL’S ANGELS AS SECURITY?!

Okay, I guess I’d better start earlier than that, even, with some of the lead-in. The Rolling Stones had last performed in the concert circuit in 1967, and by June 1969, they wanted to get back on the road. One problem: their guitarist, Brian Jones, was unable to get a work visa due to having racked up two drug convictions in the meantime (at least one of which was definitely based on planted evidence). Even then, Brian, for reasons known mostly to him and only speculated upon by me, had stopped contributing to the Stones’ music, if he even showed up to recording sessions at all. Mick Jagger, himself, said that Brian’s last major contribution to a Rolling Stones song was the hauntingly beautiful slide guitar on the melancholic “No Expectations”. 

It was apparently their road manager, Ian Stewart, who brought up the idea of letting Brain go from the band. Bill and Charlie had absolutely no say in the decision, but ultimately, on June 8, 1969, Mick and Keith went to Brian’s residence, Cotchford Farm, to tell him he was being fired, with Charlie tagging along to make sure a fight didn’t break out. However, by most accounts, Brian had been expecting this would happen, and agreed to leave the band. Mick and Keith left the press statement up to Brian, and possibly to save face, he decided to make it look like he’d left the band on his own accord. 

The statement read: “I no longer see eye to eye with the others over the discs we are cutting. We no longer communicate musically. The Stones’ music is not to my taste any more. The work of Mick and Keith has progressed at a tangent, at least to my way of thinking. I have a desire to play my own brand of music rather than that of others, no matter how much I appreciate their musical concepts. We had a friendly meeting and agreed that an amicable termination, temporary or permanent, was the only answer. The only solution was to go our separate ways, but we shall still remain friends. I love those fellows.”

How much of this statement was true is up to personal conjecture. In either case, Brian was replaced by 20-year-old Mick Taylor, who’d previously played with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. In a press conference on June 13, the band announced Taylor’s arrival (having two Micks in the band gets so confusing), as well a free concert in Hyde Park on July 5 to introduce the youngest member of the band. 

Then, just two days before the concert, Brian drowned in his backyard swimming pool at the age of twenty-seven. His death was ruled as misadventure (which personal research seems to back up), but theories persist to this day that he was, instead, murdered. 

In the blink of an eye, the Hyde Park gig went from being an introduction to Mick Taylor to being a tribute to Brian Jones. In honor of Brian, the concert began with Mick reading two verses from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Adonais,” and as the band began playing “I’m Yours and I’m Hers” (one of Brian’s favorite songs), 2,500 cabbage white butterflies were released (against stipulation), though, by this point, many had died in the July heat, due to the boxes not being properly ventilated. Even if, on a technical level, it wasn’t one of the Stones’ best shows, it still showed the world at large that the Stones were back (baby). 

So, what does all this have to do with Altamont? Well, providing security that day was the London chapter of the Hell’s Angels. Apparently, it was Rock Scully’s idea, after he’d hired the Angels as security on multiple occasions while managing the Grateful Dead. 

Thing is, the London chapter was a lot calmer when compared with the infamous Californian branch of the Hell’s Angels. 

So yeah, there’s problem #2...

That summer, a little concert called Woodstock took place, which ended up epitomizing the peace and love movement. But if that was the high, then Altamont was what brought that idealism to a screeching halt. 

Problem #3: the concert was based entirely on the notion that the Stones could hold a free concert as a sort of West Coast Woodstock. 

After all, even journalists throughout that tour had been complaining about high ticket prices (even though $3-$8 seems to me a steal considering they’re going in the triple digits nowadays...). What could go wrong?

Those of you familiar with Murphy’s Law may be able to see where I’m going with all this. 

Problem #4: their tour manager, Sam Cutler, just couldn’t get a venue. 

He tried to score them a gig in San Fransisco, but there was a football game taking place, San Jose wouldn’t have another concert so soon after the last one, and Sears Point Raceway asked for a $100,000 fee as well as distribution rights to the concert footage (the entire tour had been filmed by a crew including the Maysles brothers and future Star Wars director George Lucas). So, a mere forty-eight hours before the concert began, the Stones finally settled on Altamont Speedway. 

Needless to say, anyone who’s ever been to a concert or organized any large scale events would be able to tell you that choosing the venue at the last minute is NEVER a good idea. This is also evidenced by the fact that the venue was covered in trash and lacked basic amenities such as water and toilets, but hey, the owner offered it for free, so why not?

I swear, the level of incompetence shown by multiple parties throughout these proceedings is on another level (and I read the Darwin Awards...)

Also, as a result of the ASTRONOMICALLY poor planning, the stage was only an inch off the ground, and since there were only two days before the concert, there was no time to make the stage safe, so already, anyone playing at Altamont the day of December 6 were putting themselves at risk (I don’t know if waivers were signed either). Not to mention the fact that there would be absolutely no barriers between the performers and the reported 300,000 attendees. 

So, that should cover problems #6 and #7, but in my personal opinion, the coup de grace of all these fuck-ups was the decision to hire the Californian Hell’s Angels as security. 

Again, as I said, the Stones did have the London branch of the Hell’s Angels at the Stones in the Park concert, but anyone who knows anything worth a damn about the Californian Hell’s Angels would know that it’s a whole different ballpark dealing with them. From what I’ve heard, the hippies had an unrealistically idealized version of them in their heads, and Cutler apparently even tried warning the Stones about the “real” Hell’s Angels. Even then, the Hell’s Angels were offered $500 worth of beer to basically just sit on the side of the stage and make sure no one got too close. 

If you’ll excuse me, I need to go call the organizers fucking idiots in a minimum of seven languages. ... Okay, I’m good. Still pissed, but I’m fine. 

In either case, also not helping matters was that at least 95% of the audience were high on one substance or another, because, let’s face it, this was the hippie movement. And according to Rolling Stone magazine, the organizers also didn’t warn neighboring landowners of the hippies descending on the scene, set the whole thing in a desolate, treeless, wasteland (and still there was no clear barrier between the performers and the audience), the sound system was shit, and in general, the stage was completely surrounded by people and their cars. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m already smelling a disaster waiting to happen. 

The concert was to feature Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, The Grateful Dead, and of course, the Rolling Stones. 

Things started out smoothly with Santana’s set, but only deteriorated from there, as the Hell’s Angels got increasingly drunk. Throughout the day, the Angels would attack anyone who was being problematic (sometimes with sawed-off pool cues and motorcycle chains), although their victims include a guy running around naked and another who was trying to take pictures of the stage. Things only got worse after someone (possibly accidentally) knocked over one of the Angels’ motorcycles. During Jefferson Airplane’s set, Marty Balin jumped into the crowd to stop a fight and was knocked unconscious, and when Paul Kantner sarcastically thanked the Angels, one, Bill Fritsch, took up a microphone and argued with him about it. One woman called a radio show the next day to say that she saw several fistfights break out, and every single one of them involved the Hell’s Angels. When she tried to speak up about it, other people around her told her to keep quiet out of fear of provoking them. Denise Jewkes, lead singer of Ace of Cups and who was SIX MONTHS PREGNANT, got hit in the head by a beer bottle, causing a skull fracture (the Stones later paid for her medical expenses). Stephen Stills was reportedly stabbed in the leg several times by a “stoned-out” Hell’s Angel. When the Rolling Stones flew in, Mick was punched in the face almost the second he got off the helicopter. Things got so bad, that the Grateful Dead basically just said “Fuck it” and got the hell out of dodge. 

Apparently, the only time the crowds calmed down, even a little, was when the Flying Burrito Brothers took the stage. 

It was dark when the Rolling Stones finally took the stage (partly because Bill Wyman missed the first helicopter), and by then, things were only deteriorating further (if such a thing is even possible). Fighting between audience member and Hell’s Angel alike kept breaking out, to the point where Mick stopped the show in a vain attempt to get the crowd to calm down. 

All I can say is, “Too little, too late.”

And still, as the Stones tried to keep performing, the situation only got worse. While Mick was singing “Under My Thumb”, yet another melee broke out, and in the chaos, 18-year-old Meredith Hunter, who had come with his girlfriend Patti Bredehoft and who happened to be high on meth at this very moment, was stabbed to death by 21-year-old Alan Passaro, after apparently brandishing a .22 caliber revolver in the direction of the stage. Passaro was later acquitted of all charges, which I think was a horrible mistake. It’s impossible to know for certain whether Hunter had been trying to defend himself or if he actually intended to shoot Mick Jagger, but what is known is that Hunter’s murder was captured on camera. You can watch the footage, but I must say, it makes for grisly viewing: 

People who were at the scene have since reported that Hunter was in urgent need of medical attention. However, the helicopter pilots who were there refused to take off for any one but the Rolling Stones. EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS CLEARLY A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION. 

Excuse me, I need to take another break to scream to the heavens about why this was allowed....

Needless to say, Hunter died while waiting for an ambulance to come. In addition, two other people were killed in a hit-and-run accident, whilst another drowned under the influence of LSD. Also, four babies were born. 

The next day, the Stones were on a plane back to London. 

In the years since Hunter’s death, no one in either the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, or the Hell’s Angels have taken responsibility for what happened. The Hell’s Angels, the organizers, and the crowds blamed each other for what happened, and the Stones have never really spoken up about it. They’ve never even had the decency of apologizing to Meredith Hunter’s family. 

If you ask me though, I’d say that the fault lies entirely with everyone who organized this whole mess. Somehow, everyone involved was naive and/or stupid enough to try and organize an entire concert in just a few weeks as opposed to months, and the decision to hire the Hell’s Angels as security only exacerbated the ineptitude of everyone involved. 

Let’s face it, none of the organizers were innocent, and no one in the crowd escaped without losing their collective innocence. There’s a damn good reason that this is considered the death knell for the hippie movement, and it’s all in the footage taken that night. 

Sources/Further Reading: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/remembering-meredith-hunter-the-fan-killed-at-altamont-630260/ https://www.ranker.com/list/altamont-free-concert-facts/jen-jeffers https://allthatsinteresting.com/altamont-speedway-free-concert https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-chaos-of-altamont-and-the-murder-of-meredith-hunter Up and Down with the Rolling Stones by Tony Sanchez Life by Keith Richards Altamont by Joel Selvin https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-altamont-festival-brings-the-1960s-to-a-violent-end https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/02/01/altamont-free-concert-in-1969/ https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/21/altamont-festival/ https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/07/23/altamont-the-rolling-stones-and-the-death-of-the-sixties-dream/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont_Free_Concert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Meredith_Hunter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones_American_Tour_1969 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stones_in_the_Park https://web.archive.org/web/20161116164203/https://theravenreport.com/2016/10/31/rock-and-rolls-worst-day-this-1969-concert-ended-in-death/ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-rolling-stones-disaster-at-altamont-let-it-bleed-71299/ http://timeisonourside.com/chron1969.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUlyVSfhgaM

[blueplanettrash]

Day 1: Black Friday

Sorry I’m late starting, I’ve been really busy over the last few days. I have my final exam tomorrow though so I’ll get day 2 and 3 done tomorrow! Also I know that this isn’t very langsty, but it is the least langsty out of all of them, so it will get better. I hope everyone enjoys! ❤️

Normally Lance tried to avoid Black Friday and all of the sales. He heard all of the horror stories and they scared the absolute shit out of him. This year, however, he had to get the perfect gifts for his friends. All of them have finally graduated and joined Allura at her company Voltron. She was the CEO of the company Voltron, inheriting it from her father, alongside Coran who worked as a COO. Voltron was a space exploration company that was working on trying to explore the further reaches of space.

Shiro worked as Allura’s contracted bodyguard and it didn’t hurt that they were also dating. Keith, Hunk, and Pidge all graduated last year but he wanted to stay an extra few years to make sure he was as qualified as he could be before he joined them. Keith worked as Allura personal pilot, Hunk as an aeronautical engineer and Pidge as an ethical hacker.

However staying as a student meant that he wasn’t able to get a lot of the money that he needed or wanted. This year whenever one of his friends saw them, they got a very excited and happy smile on their face. Not that they weren’t always happy to see him but since it was growing closer and closer to Christmas, it probably had something to do with their gifts for him. Considering all of them were making over $100,000 a year now. That’s why he had to get the best deal possible, it might be the only opportunity he has to get a decently expensive product in his price range.

“Excuse me,” he said meekly as he tried to push through the crowd. People were pushing and shoving trying to snatch up the best deals. Every time Lance would reach his hand out to try and pick up a product off the shelf, it was either snatched off of the shelf or even directly from his hand. He would have tried to defend himself against the other shoppers but they were almost foaming at the mouth and he wasn’t sure about his own safety.

“Damn it,” he muttered when another shopper pushed past him to grab the leather jacket he wanted to get for Shiro. This was a lot more frustrating then he thought it would be, he just really wanted to go home right now. He sighed and glanced at his side and gasped. That was Killbot Phantasm Re-Mastered. Pidge would love that, she never had the time to go out and but it, and wasn’t being offered online. He had to get it for her. He started forward, if he didn’t get this for her, he would never forgive himself.

He got his hand on the very last copy and pulled it off of the shelf. He didn’t get to put it in his basket though before someone tried to grab it from his hand. He didn’t get the chance to look up at the person’s face before he was punched in the face and he fell to the ground in a heap. He quickly pressed a hand over his nose as he felt blood starting to slip down his face. He struggled to his feet and started towards the exit. This was too much for him. He walked through the parking lot, tears and blood rolling down his face. What was he going to do now?

He quietly closed the door to his apartment, Blue walked up and rubbed her head on his leg.

“Hey beautiful,” he said fondly before moving into the kitchen to rip off a piece of paper towel and wet it to try and clean the blood off of his chin. He sighed and leaned back onto the counter.

“God what am I going to get them now?” he asked himself, staring up at the ceiling. He looked back into his living room, his eyes catching the rolls of yarn and his knitting needles sticking up from the basket.

“Maybe…” he trailed off before looking over at the entrance way. His hat and mitten sat there innocently but they immediately shot Lance into action. They wouldn’t be as expensive or nice as what his friends were going to get him, he was sure but at least they would have a use. He would definitely be cutting it close with a month and six hats and six pairs of mittens, but he would be able to do it.

He wasn’t exaggerating when he thought that his friends were going to spoil him this year. They decided to meet at his place, the comfortable area familiar to all of them. Lance’s roommates had already gone home to their families and wouldn’t be back until school started again. When they sat down around Lance’s Charlie Brown Christmas tree after their meal, they decided to ignore the gifts to and from each other and started handing their gifts over to Lance.

He gaped in awe at the presents that he unwrapped. A round trip voucher from Coran so he could go visit his family, a drone from Keith, a brand new laptop from Shiro, an Xbox One from Pidge, an Apple watch from Hunk, and a fucking Louis Vuitton peacoat from Allura. They looked at him with sparkling eyes as he unwrapped his gifts and stuttered out grateful thank you’s and let out a few tears.

His eyes caught his own wrapped gifts sitting under his small plastic tree. He walked over and picked them up handing them over to everyone, each one wrapped in color-coded wrapping paper.

“Don’t open them yet,” he said when he saw Keith about to tear into the package. He stopped and looked up at him expectingly.

“Okay, so I couldn’t get you guys really good stuff, but I’ll be able to get you guys something when I get enough money, so please don’t be disappointed,” he rushed out.

“We won’t be disappointed,” Shiro comforted him. Lance shook his head but waved his hand for them to go ahead. Immediately he heard the sound of ripping paper and decided to look down at the ground instead.

“Are these?” Pidge started, but as soon as she started talking she ripped the rest of the package open with an excited squeal. Lance blinked and looked up at the cheer and his eyes widened seeing Keith and Pidge had already pulled the cat-eared knit hats over their heads and the rest of them were pulling on the paw mittens with excited grins.

“These are just like yours!” Hunk cheered with a smile. Lance faintly nodded his head still confused at their reactions.

“You actually like them?” He asked. They stared at him blankly.

“Lance, I’ve been jealous of those things for like, two years,” Shiro deadpanned. The eared hat on his head ruined the image though.

“Oh,” he trailed off. They got off of the couch and gathered around him in a group hug, many words of gratitude falling from their mouths.

He looked at each of them, smiles on their faces and small laughs coming out of their mouths. Christmas had always been important to Lance and his family and now he had another family to share new memories with.

[rasberryvirgo]

Dear Dad:

I’m sorry you have to lose two children this way. I know this is selfish of me and I’m sorry but I really just want relief. Every day is fading into one and staying hurts too much, please understand that it just hurt too much. I know parents tend to blame themselves but it really wasn’t your fault, there’s nothing you could’ve done. You supported me and you were there for me when I was angry or upset. I’ll cherish the drives we went for just getting groceries or whatever, playing music and you begging me to sing for you. I’m sorry you never really got to hear me sing, but there are clips in my phone of originals and they’re terrible but you can listen if you want. I really do love you and I’m sorry.

Dear mom:

It wasn’t your fault either. I’m sure you meant well. I know you and dad were just looking after my health and you never meant to hurt me, and I swear it didn’t hurt that bad, it’s definitely not the reason I left. Please don’t blame yourself. I know me and you have gone through similar things and I’m sorry I couldn’t be as strong as you. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first, it was just too embarrassing, too hard. You were the best mother you could be, especially considering you were trying to stray from the example you were raised by. I love you.

Dear (Ms.) Lisa:

You taught me to break out of my shell a little bit. I don’t know if you knew it but I looked to you as a bad-ass role model, someone who’s strong personality I was envious of. Not taking no for an answer, not putting up with bullshit. Thank you. I love you.

Dear Keith:

I didn’t hate you. Not enough to kill myself because of you. I don’t want you to blame yourself either.

Dear Siblings (all of you, Tristan, Ethan, Priscilla, Julie, Nick):

You guys are all wonderful. Each of you have your specific things that I love. Priscilla with her attention to detail and resilience, Julie with her strength and determination, Nick with his goofiness and ability to crack anyone up, Tristan with his good heart and willingness to try, Ethan with his own little personality and sass. All of you meant so much to me and I love you guys.

Dear Foster:

You are the best boyfriend. I love you so much. I will always always love you. You taught me what safe felt like, you held me when I needed it, you gave me respect and care and love. You were thoughtful and careful. You were mindful of my boundaries and made sure you were always within them. You loved me for me, all of me, imperfections and all. You were there for me to talk to when I needed it. I was so comfortable with you. For that I will always be greatful. I don’t want you to pine though. I realize me leaving like this is hard. I want you to be happy and live a full life. I want you to find someone you love who loves you just as much as I do, even more, if that’s possible. Tell your mom thank you for everything, tell Charlie I love her, tell Shane he seemed cool and tell your dad I’m sorry I never got to meet him. Pet kira for me. Cuddle Portman one last time for me. I love you I love you I love you.

Dear Teresa Thomas:

Thanks for making me feel secondary. Thanks for blaming me when you found out I had been sexually assaulted, thanks for telling me I’d be in trouble if I told anyone. Incase you couldn’t tell, those thank you’s are sarcastic. I don’t want to blame you for my death because that would be really fucked up of me and I’m not trying to be on the same level of fucked up you are. So take care of yourself.

Dear Danny Thomas:

You. You took my innocence when I was only 6 years old. You pinned my arm to that couch and shoved your tongue down my throat while the rest of the family was right outside, moving things back and forth to the truck the day we were moving out of the house. I never forgot that. I never forgot when you tried to do it again in the deer stand when I had to go hunting with you. I never forgot when you felt my chest when I was 9 as you sat behind me and I drove the four wheeler. I was a child. I’m sorry but I hate you. I hate what you did to me and I hope you feel guilty for that. Again, I won’t blame you solely for my death because that would be fucked up. But just know, in my eyes, you’re a monster. I hope no one lets their children go near you again.

To Everyone else:

I was lonely. Check on all your friends or people who sit with you or people you used to be friends with but arent anymore. Ask them to hangout. Or at least don’t make plans infront of them and then not invite them. If you’re on a team at school, please check on your teammates. You may not like them but they may not like themselves more. Everyone says “I’m depressed” or “I had a breakdown” and a lot of times they’re joking. Please don’t do that, it invalidates when people are actually reaching out for help. I wasn’t perfect, by any means. I was annoying and rude and judgemental when I had absolutely no right to be. Please don’t be like I was.

As for legal stuff:

I’d like to be buried. I know funerals are expensive and stuff so it doesn’t have to be big. I don’t really have a will because I don’t have kids or anything, but give my stuffed animals to Foster (the ones on my bed are the ones I slept with but if he wants any others he can have them) Donate my clothes or sell them and donate the money, preferably to women’s shelters or any organization that helps sexual assault victims. Anything else I don’t mind what you do with.

A few secrets I feel like sharing:

I’m bisexual

I tried starving myself and cutting. Neither really worked.

I wanted to move somewhere far away and live life secluded and calmly. It saddens me I never got to do that.

I really, really, really, really hated myself. I just needed a break.

And on that note, good bye all. I love animals and music and I try to see the best in people. I love cheesy pick up lines and indie music and chocolate and Italian food. I love dance even though I suck at it and I love singing. I love the stars and open fields of grass and I love feeling like I’m the only person in the world. Please let all that be what you remember me by.

[junker-town]

I rewatched Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS and it was magical

It took nearly six hours and 14 innings, but the Red Sox made it happen. 

My heart sank when my baseball-loving kid asked when we were going to watch a game again. Then I remembered after the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series I bought the full set of games on DVD, including the entire American League Championship Series. Having never actually watched any of the discs, I vaguely remembered stashing them in a box that had somehow made its way from Philly to Boston by way of several Cambridge apartments.

Eureka! I still had them.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

We started with Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees because even in a quarantine I wouldn’t bother with the first three games. My kid soon became familiar with Papi, Manny, and the whole gang of Idiots. He promptly proved his Masshole bonafides, yelling, “Come on Millah!” when Kevin Millar came up to bat in the ninth against Mariano Rivera. For the record, neither my wife nor I have a Boston accent and he doesn’t either. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was a proud moment.

My wife, incidentally, couldn’t care less about baseball, but she has fond memories of staying up late with her friends, living and dying with every pitch. When Dave Roberts stole second, she screamed like it was happening in real time.

Game 4 was iconic, of course. The whole sequence belongs in a time capsule. Starting with Millar’s walk to Dave Roberts’ steal through Bill Mueller knocking the great Mariano Rivera off the mound with the game-tying single like he was Charlie Brown in a Peanuts strip. And then, much, much later, Big Papi’s home run. Game 6 was even more famous with the whole bloody sock thing, while Game 7 was just pure cathartic release.

But Game 5 — holy shit, Game 5. I had forgotten how magically insane it was. Over 14 innings and almost six hours, it was like watching a slow-motion nightmare unfold only to emerge in a blissy dream state where unicorns are real and it ain’t over ‘til Big Papi takes a swing.

To set the scene, Game 4 ended after midnight, meaning Game 5 took place literally the same day. Your starters were Mike Mussina and Pedro Martinez, making perhaps his last start in a Boston uniform.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Sox took an early 2-0 lead but couldn’t bust out a big inning against Mussina, who settled down and pitched a gem. Martinez was also dealing, but that pitch count was rising higher as we got to the sixth with the Sox leading, 2-1, which is when I started taking notes.

Martinez is getting up near 100 pitches. I forgot that after 100 pitches he turned into Ramiro Mendoza. Thankfully, Joe Buck is here to remind us. Tim McCarver thinks pitch counts are overrated and now I’m yelling at McCarver to shut the fuck up. (For future reference, STFUTM will serve as shorthand.)

Earlier, he told an incredibly random story about Trinidad Hubbard that made absolutely no sense. Hard to believe, but there really was a point when McCarver was an insightful announcer. Happens to all of them, eventually.

Martinez gets Bernie Williams to pop up, but Jorge Posada reaches on a quirky infield single and Ruben Sierra follows with another hit. I’ve seen this movie before. It ends badly. Tony Clark strikes out and now it’s up to Miguel Cairo. Martinez just hit Cairo to load the bases. 2004 me is yelling at Terry “Tito” Francona: “GET HIM OUTTA THERE, FRANCONA.”

Photo by Linda Cataffo/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Tito leaves Martinez in to pitch to Jeter and Buck notes that Jeter hasn’t put his stamp on this series yet. Oh God. The inside-out swing. The slicing line drive landing in right. Three runs are going to score. I’ll go to my grave saying Prime Nomar was better, but it would really help if Captain Intangibles stopped doing stuff like this.

Looked like Cairo may have been out at the plate, but it’s real close. You know what this game doesn’t have? Replay review. There were at least eight plays by my count that would have been subject to replay review and this game would still be playing if that was the case. We got along fine without reviewing every close play and I would like to return to that nebulous state of affairs when the world stops burning.

You know what else this game doesn’t have? Fans on cell phones. Everyone is hanging on every pitch and it’s beautiful. I know this because the broadcast keeps cutting away to the stands and I’ve seen the same woman clasping her hands in prayer between pitches a dozen times. Pretty sure I’ve seen her at the Fresh Pond Trader Joes.

LOL, Martinez plunked Alex Rodriguez just because he could. McCarver doesn’t like it. STFUTM. Now Gary Sheffield walks to load the bases. Um, Tito? I think you can go get him now. Francona leaves Martinez in and he gets Hideki Matsui to fly out. Good job, Tito.

The Yankees had a chance to break it open in the eighth, but Mike Timlin gets A-Rod to pop up with a runner on third and one out. This was A-Rod’s chance to be a True Yankee and he blew it. Shame, really.

On we go to the bottom of the eighth and it’s time for the WebMD update. Today’s injury is a broken heart. Thanks, guys. Really appreciate it.

Photo by Keith Torrie/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Here comes Papi and he takes Tom Gordon over the Monster and off the Volvo sign. I miss the Volvo sign. Now Millar, who draws another walk. Dude could take a walk like nobody else. Roberts comes in to pinch run and Gordon throws over a half dozen times. He’s clearly rattled. It’s happening again.

We’ve officially reached the moment where Francona becomes a super genius. Everyone keeps expecting Roberts to steal second, but Tito calls for the hit-and-run and Trot Nixon executes it perfectly sending a line drive single to right center. God bless that dirtbag right fielder.

First and third, nobody out and Joe Torre calls on Rivera. Officially this will go down as a blown save when Jason Varitek lofts a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game, 4-4, but this is on Gordon. No Yankee ever scared me more than Mariano. Salute to him.

When McCarver gets what he considers a profound thought in his head, he slows his cadence for dramatic effect. Then he repeats himself like he’s delivering a dugout sermon from Whitey Herzog.

“After 169 games and eight innings, the Red Sox season comes down to one inning,” McCarver tells us before the ninth. “One inning.” Oh Tim, we’re just getting started.

Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Keith Foulke is on to pitch the ninth. He worked 2 ⅔ the night before and will pitch tonight and then again in Game 6. Foulke threw 14 shutout innings during the postseason and was never the same. He gave up his career for this postseason run and was never properly appreciated because he made some crack about fans the following season that caused everyone to turn on him. Here’s to you, Keith Foulke. I have no idea how you ever got anyone out, but you were nails.

In the ninth, Tony Clark hit a ball to right that somehow crawled up the short fence and landed in the stands. Had it stayed in play, Ruben Sierra would have scored and the game would have been over. Sixteen years later, the universe hates Boston and its run of championships, but in 2004, this was all strange and new. Kind of miss those days.

Bronson Arroyo, fresh off getting hammered in Game 3, strikes out A-Rod and Sheffield en route to a clean 10th inning. The strike zone, by the way, has been a tad inconsistent. It’s hard to tell because there’s no K-Zone or pitch tracking and again, that’s totally fine! Maybe we were better off not knowing everything all the time.

Even though I know how this is going to turn out, I keep expecting Papi to hit a home run every time he comes up to hit. Instead, he strikes out.

On we go to the 12th and it’s Tim Wakefield time. The knuckleballer’s normal catcher/binky is Doug Mirabelli, but Tito rides with Varitek, who has absolutely no idea how to catch a knuckleball. Super genius.

Cairo singles to left and Manny kicks it like only Manny can, allowing Cairo to get to second. My kid smacks his forehead and says, “Oh, Manny.” He doesn’t even know the half of it. Fortunately, Jeter flies out and so does A-Rod. Crisis averted.

The Sox have stopped hitting. This seems bad.

Photo by Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images

Ah, the 13th. Nothing bad can happen here. Sheffield is swinging for the Mass Pike. He’s legitimately terrifying. Somehow, Wakefield strikes out Sheffield with a nasty knuckler that Varitek misplays into a passed ball. I remember thinking at the time, “This is how it’s going to happen. This is how they’re going to kill us.”

Two outs now and Matsui’s at first. Whoops, another passed ball. Now he’s at second. Intentional walk to Posada. Everyone at Fenway is nervous as hell. My wife comes into the room and starts watching. Now she’s nervous.

ANOTHER passed ball puts runners on second and third. Missed opportunity by McCarver to say something profoundly stupid like, “Johnny Pesky held the ball. Varitek can’t catch the ball.” Actually, that would have been pretty good.

Seriously though, one more miscue from Varitek and he’s Mike Torrez combined with Bill Buckner. Somehow, somehow, Wakefield strikes out Sierra and Varitek miraculously holds on. Fenway erupts. My wife cheers. “Mom, you know what’s going to happen,” my kid says but none of us care. This was the greatest game I ever saw and even now it doesn’t seem real.

Photo by Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

OK, now the 14th. Esteban Loiaza is on to pitch for the Yankees and he’s somehow become Whitey Ford. His cutter is filthy. Johnny Damon, who has done absolutely nothing this series, draws a walk.

Two outs and here’s Manny. I always loved Manny in these spots because a) he’s a great hitter and b) he’s completely impervious to pressure. God, this is a great at-bat. He’s fouling off quality pitches and laying off sliders just outside the zone. Manny gets his walk and trots to first like it’s a game in June against the Orioles. Here comes Papi.

It took 10 pitches for Ortiz to end Game 5 with a bloop single to center off the handle of the bat. He fought off nasty cutters and sent one about 420 feet screaming into right that went foul. My wife is tense. My kid is yelling, “Come on, Papi!” Finally, the big man does his thing and Johnny Damon comes home from second with the winning run.

Buck had a great call. “Damon can keep right on running to New York.” McCarver immediately blows it by saying, “He didn’t do it again, did he?” Dramatic pause. “He did.” Thanks, Tim. Oh, and STFU.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

By the way, there’s no off day because there was a rainout prior to Game 4. I have no idea how either one of these teams turned around and played again the next night, but I’d give anything for another marathon Red Sox-Yankee game right about now. Thank Papi, I still have the DVDs.

[aldero-riverside]

These are the households and the order they will be played in. I added a couple of townies into the pictures so you had faces to the names. Since there's 21 households it’s under a read me so it doesn’t clog up your dashboard.

Flores: Cecilia Flores, Natal Flores, Flint Linwood (townie), Erlene Flores, Tercero Flores, Thomas Flores.

Originally wanted to become the new mayor of Aldero Riverside by fellow residents after Mason turned it down, though honoured Cecilia turned it down in favour of being a stay at home mother whilst Thomas helps the current mayor out. Instead Erlene has made the biggest change of the family, finding a slightly older boyfriend in Flint who she met and began dating when he was still a teenager.

(Erlene’s dad Forrest and Thomas’s brother Charlie will both still be townies.)

Floris: Elonso Floris, Amaryllis Floris, Kezia Floris, Noah Floris.

Other than sticking around to help with the building of the new neighbourhood alongside the Wilburn family, nothing has dramatically changed for the Floris family... well, except for the cowplant. Kezia found it randomly as a seedling, grew with the help of Noah, and now they all fondly call it “Jupiter”...well, excluding Elonso. He swears over his dead body that it’s trying to eat him and demands a fence around the thing.

Flores-Trammell: Astrid Trammell, Quinn Trammell (townie), Marisa Flores. 

Marisa had her daughter Astrid but with a daughter to provide for she frequently asked Quinn to babysit, but thanks to it they decided to start dating. Eventually he moved in officially adopting Astrid as his daughter, changing her last name in the process as people thought she was Quinn’s child anyway thanks to her inheriting her granddad’s hair colour. Though still together Quinn currently lives in a nearby neighbourhood temporarily as the new owner of his father’s restaurant after his father’s death.

Wilchester: Tanisha Gossett (townie), Cindy Wilchester.

Cindy lived with Marisa for the longest time after the death of her parents, but when Quinn moved in she began living with friend Tanisha (that she may have a little bit of a crush on) and Tanisha’s now ex-girlfriend. But with her hometown back she moved out, became the new mayor like her father, and later a restraunt owner like her mother.

Hallowell-Webb: Zandra Hallowell, Dean Webb. 

With the death of both their significant others, best friends Dean and Zandra grew closer than ever before after Zandra’s daughter Talithia also vanished. Later Dean donated what was left of Rylie’s money to the rebuilding of Aldero Riverside leaving himself poor, and eventually they decided to live together to keep a roof over both their heads. They’re quite content being in the same house as they have company, so they still live together.

Linscott: Keith Linscott, Shelby Eld (townie).

Though Keith continued to live with his dad and later Zandra, he eventually decided to spread his wings and bought a cheap house of his own. He lost contact with Talithia like the majority did, but Shelby has stayed around. Whether they’re an item or not is still cloudy however, most think Shelby’s just waiting for Keith to “man up” and ask her out but with Talithia back in the picture she might just speed up the process...

Topaz-Opal: Tia Opal, *Teal Topaz, Raven Topaz.

With the death of both Olivia’s children, Raven and Tia became the rock holding her up, on top of it Raven was searching for the lost Talithia until she randomly re-appeared. In the midst of it all pair have still been trying for a second child together in the process but have yet to be successful. Though they’ve watched their eldest age up into a teen, who’s happy to inherit her dad’s local police station one day.

*Teal’s transition stuff:  Asp.: Family. // Turn ons: Mechanical, Creative. // Turn Off: Custom Hair // LTW: Become a Captain Hero // Sexuality: Homosexual

Topaz: Olivia Topaz, Reed Topaz the Plant Sim, Emory Topaz the Plant Sim.

Though it caused their relationship to grow stronger than ever, after the heartbreak of losing both daughters Emory and Olivia decided it was best to wait before expanding their family once again and focus on their police work. Just before moving back into Aldero Riverside, Emory finally added plant sim son Reed to the family.

Burris (Joel Ver.): Naomi Burris, Joel Burris, Jared Burris, April Burris.

With many deaths in their surrounding family and friends it’s been a tough trying to comfort them all, but amidst it all April and Joel finally had son Jared. Despite everything family life hasn’t changed all that much with the new addition. April still writes novels (recently deciding to specialise in romance), Joel’s still a high ranked chef, and Naomi has a little brother who she can happily tease.

Burris (Javan Ver.): Lunar Starr (townie), Javan Burris, Vincent Suellen the Vampire (townie).

With the death of his parents and son Javan got into constant fights with his wife Talithia and later moved in with older brother Noah requesting for a divorce, famous vampire judge Vincent being the judge of his case. After the divorce he began sleeping with Luna coincidentally re-meeting Vincent through her. Since then the three of them have become pretty much inseparable .

(When the only three bolt couple of the ‘hood decides to have absolutely no chemistry in the new ‘hood no matter what you do so you just roll with it.)

Hallowell: Talithia Hallowell the Atrociously Evil Witch, Marco Castenada (townie), Boris Gilliand (townie.)

After her son’s death and her divorce Talithia vanished. No one knows where she vanished to, how she figured out Aldero Riverside was back, or what she did exactly but some think she stayed at Marco and Boris’s shared flat. The strangest rumour is that she tried to take over the throne at the Fortress of Eternal Darkness, but considering the two boys are still hanging around her that’s probably just a fairy-tale...right?

(When you almost couldn’t save a sim but you found a way and decide “ooooh a mystery disappearance.”)

Wilburn: *Travis Wilburn, Belle Wilburn the Mean Witch, Gale Wilburn, Mason Wilburn.

Diego dead, land gone, Mason refused to let his best friend’s legacy and the kids home die. As a result he lived separately in order to obtain a new piece of land. Whilst gone Belle, the kids, and the other close by residents began learning how to build from scratch, eventually Mason reuniting with them to make the new Aldero Riverside. Though wanted to be mayor, Mason turned down the offer but still helps the current one out.

*Travis’s transition stuff: Asp.: Pleasure. // Turn ons: Robots, Red Hair. // Turn Off: Athletic // LTW: Have 50 1st Dates // Sexuality: Bisexual

Blagoy: Xanthe Blagoy.

Though still a single pringle working in the Law career, Xanthe’s enjoyed life in a different way by trying something new. Instead of buying a house, she got a trailer from her old friend and began to live in it. She’s found herself rather fond of it and dragged it back to Aldero Riverside, painting it up to look like the rest of the neighbourhood.

Chadwick: Gwen Chadwick, Fiona Chadwick, Mike Chadwick.

Mike and Fiona stayed close by as the city was being built, mostly because of Mike’s financial expertise and contacts would get their home built faster than without him. Gwen only stayed because she didn’t want to find a house, but there was benefits as she managed to sneak in some plans for a gym which she now owns and runs.

Hendrix: Shelia Hendrix, Ethan Hendrix, Marcel Hendrix, Darleen Hendrix.

Soon after the birth of their fraternal twins Ethan and Darleen, Shelia and Marcel happily married in the eyes of their close friends and family members. Marcel continued to work - and still is working - in the Law Enforcement career whilst for some time Shelia volunteered with animals, helping lots of strays find new homes.

Chadwick-Olsen: Daniel Chadwick, Judy Olsen.

After not being able to save the babies despite being a doctor Daniel went into a slump for a while, but eventually went to another town to take classes to improve his medical skills. Along the way he re-met Judy, who he found out also happened to work in the medical career, and later began dating. Though it started as after shift sleepovers originally, at some point in time Judy just moved in and hasn’t left since.

Chadwick-Widdutiz: Lake Widdutiz, Mable Chadwick.

Finding a house big enough for Mable along with her sister’s family was problematic. Though temporary, Lake offered for Mable to stay at his small apartment until they could work things out... at least that was the idea, but instead the two began dating and they’ve ditched the idea of living separately, instead getting a house for the pair of them.

Carli-Keil: Pavlo Keil, Terence Carli the Werewolf, Valko Keil, *Plamen Carli.

With Aldero Riverside gone Terence, Pavlo, and Plamen went to live on Twikii Island (Pavlo’s home land) with Pavlo’s parents. They weren’t pleased with his choice of partner for various reasons, but couldn’t do much because Pavlo was already carrying his child. Later Terence asked for his hand in marriage, which Pavlo happily accepted, and soon after gave birth to their son Valko.

*Plamen’s transition stuff: Asp.: Family. // Turn ons: Brown Hair, Swimwear. // Turn Off: Logical // LTW: Have 6 grandchildren // Sexuality: Heterosexual

Hitchworth: *Brock Hitchworth, Pearl Hitchworth, Tim Hitchworth.

Time changes everyone, and enough time has passed for Tim and Brock to have had great birthdays, but their lives haven’t really changed. Pearl’s still making pots for her pottery store, Tim’s still in the oceanography career chatting his co-workers ears off, but Brock’s been inspired by the whole situation and currently works at the town hall.

*Brock’s transition stuff: Asp.: Fortune. // Turn ons: Brown Hair, Facial Hair. // Turn Off: Grey Hair // LTW: Become a City Planner // Sexuality: Heterosexual. 

Niles: Audrey Niles, Everett Niles, Declan Niles, *Leomie Niles.

Whilst they still have rings on their fingers, marriage has been tough thanks to Everett’s secret affair with Claudia. She stopped contacting soon after they were caught (and hasn’t been seen since) though whether Everett has another child out there is questionable. Thankfully life is back to normal after a few apologies.

(I was going to let ACR decide what Everett would do next time Claudia visited so this is just what I presume ACR would’ve done eventually. Unfortunately I lost her and and her daughter.)

*Leomie’s transition stuff: Asp.: Pleasure. // Turn ons: Robots, Athletic. // Turn Off: Formal // LTW: Have 50 dream dates // Sexuality: Heterosexual.

Blackmoore-Ashby-Ludwig: Charlotte Blackmoore, Miles Ludwig, Hannah Ashby.

With Charlotte previously being a Hall of Famer she and Hannah managed to find a place to stay pretty quickly. Just before moving back to Aldero Riverside they found an abandoned toddler with a note only stating that his name was Miles Ludwig. They tried but ultimately couldn’t find his family and since have been taking care of him.

[revwinchester]

Color The World - Chapter 2

Summary: Sam meets Jessica early in their freshman year at Stanford and his world is suddenly brighter.  When he loses her during their senior year, Sam’s life is plunged back into grayscale.  With the help of his family and friends, Sam starts to get his life back together.  He works and travels with Dean, restoring classic cars, and eventually meets Gabriel but struggles to let the other man in.

Author: @revwinchester Artist: @bluefire986

Pairings: Sam x Jessica, Sam x Gabriel; background Charlie x Dorothy, Dean x Castiel

Chapter Word Count: 2533

Warnings: Soul mate AU, fluff and angst (50/50 split), major character death, fire/arson, mention of suicide (no suicidal ideation, though), depression, internalized homophobia, cursing

A/N: Chapter 2!  This chapter is all fluff!  Since this is a bang, everything got posted at about the same time so you should check out the master posts here: 

Color The World - Fic Color The World - Art

I hope you enjoy it!

This had to have been the longest class of Sam’s life.  Usually the lectures about mythological monsters and ancient deities would hold his attention but today nothing the teacher had said was sticking.  He looked down at his notebook.  The pages were covered with writing.  ‘Well, that’s something, at least,’ Sam thought to himself, though he wasn’t sure if his notes made any sense or if they were even close to being correct.

Finally, the professor reached the end of her lecture and Sam felt himself writing down the reading assignment for the coming week, something he always did despite the fact that they were all already listed in the syllabus.  “Keep it cool, Winchester,” he muttered under his breath before turning around to face his soulmate again.

Except she was gone.  She’d left?  

When?  How?  Why???

Sam couldn’t believe it and his stomach felt like it dropped into his feet.  

There was a light giggle behind Sam and he whipped around in his chair, nearly falling out of it in the process.  The giggling increased to full out laughter as Sam righted himself in his seat.  Sam looked up at the woman in front of him and broke into a grin.

Jess stopped laughing with a bit of a gasp and stared at Sam for a moment, a smile forming on her own lips.  She reached out a hand to Sam and he took it as he stood and let her lead him out of the classroom.  The pair slowly made their way through the hallways towards the building’s exit, taking in everything around them.  They stopped once they were outside and Sam scanned the outside world, taking in all of the colors, until his eyes landed on Jessica.  He was sure her awestruck look was mirrored on his own face.  Everything was so bright and beautiful but the most beautiful sight had to be the woman standing next to him.

Jess turned to Sam with a sly grin.  “So, where are we going?”

“I had to pay attention and take notes, knowing the whole time that you were right behind me, AND I had to plan our first date?” Sam joked.  He took Jessica’s hand and began leading her through campus.  “I had figured we’d just go for coffee so you could get my notes but, well, that just doesn’t seem like enough anymore,” Sam told her.

They walked through campus for a few minutes, starting the process of learning about one another before Sam paused.  “Crap, I didn’t even bother asking, what does the rest of your day look like?  How much time do we have?”

Sam’s voice was guarded but hopeful and Jess thought it was adorable.  She gave his hand a squeeze and replied, “I was supposed to work tonight but I texted my roommate during class and she’s going to cover my shift.  I’ve got all the time in the world.”  

The pair continued their journey through campus and Jess had an idea of where Sam was taking her based on the direction they were walking.  They were headed toward the medical school but she didn’t think that was their actual destination.  Soon enough, the Cantor Arts Center came into view and Jess smiled.  They hadn’t even gotten as far as exchanging majors yet and Sam already knew the perfect first date location.

“Sam, this is...” she breathed at the same time that he turned to her to speak.

“I hope this isn’t too weird,” he started, both of them speaking at once.  Sam laughed and then continued, responding to Jessica’s comment.  “I just thought that art and paintings and stuff would be a whole new experience now that we’ve got colors.”

“It’s perfect, Sam.  I’m an art major.  After everything changed, coming here was the second thing on my list - right after getting to know you.”  Jessica stood on her tiptoes and gave Sam a quick peck on the cheek before she ran up the stairs and into the museum.  

Sam followed close behind, taking the stairs two at a time in order to catch up.  They ran through the doors simultaneously, causing the dossant at the desk in the lobby to give them a bit of a glare.  Sam and Jessica kept their voices hushed as they made their way through the lobby and into the first room of art but, as soon as the crossed into the smaller room, they both burst into giggles.

They calmed down as they made their way through the first room of art.  Paintings were hung on nearly every inch of the wall and the pair took in the colorful works of art.  Jess was pleasantly surprised that Sam seemed to want to linger with each painting as long as she did even though, as she found out as they walked through the rooms filled with art, he was a pre-law major and, in his own words, supposedly had “absolutely zero talent for art.”  

Sam was enraptured by each of the paintings and the way the colors evoked thoughts and emotion.  Despite only getting her colors a few hours prior, Sam was delighted to learn that Jess knew so much about the hues that they were looking at and he was perfectly content to listen to her tell him about colors and brush strokes she was seeing in each painting.  Watching her see each painting through new eyes and hearing her talk about something that she clearly loved so much had Sam’s heart ready to burst with the love he already felt for this woman whom he had only just met this afternoon.

They slowly meandered through the building, taking in room after room of art from around the world and throughout time.  They peered into some rooms, deciding quickly to skip them on this trip since they were comprised of black and white photography and sketches.  They knew they’d come back another time to properly visit those pieces but, for now, they wanted to keep their focus on the colorful paintings, sculptures, and other similar works.  

They entered another room and Sam’s attention was drawn to one painting in particular.  Something about it drew him in, though he wasn’t sure what it was.  He walked toward it and noticed that Jessica was still beside him, looking at the same work.  There wasn’t anything particularly engrossing about the technique, as far as Sam’s untrained eye could see, but, rather, the colors that the artist had used in the sky had captured Sam’s attention.  He had always grown up being told that the sky was blue but this artist, William Keith, had used what Sam had come to learn was orange, yellow, red, and maybe even some pink in the sky.  The painting, called “Sunset on Mount Diablo,” was beautiful.

“If that’s what a sunset looks like,” Jessica whispered, “I’d really like to see one.”

Sam checked his watch, they had likely missed tonight’s sunset but they would have a lifetime of sunsets together.  

-----

Sam and Jess finished at the museum soon after seeing Sunset on Mount Diablo.  As Sam had guessed, they had missed the sunset but Jessica’s face when she looked up at the darkening blues of the night sky was a mix of amazement and wonder and Sam’s disappointment was short lived.

Sam led Jess to his car, a 1965 Ford Mustang, which she took in with a raised eyebrow.

“My dad restored classic cars,” Sam explained.  “My brother and I each worked on one with him in high school.”

“It’s beautiful,” Jess responded, running her hand over the car’s roof.

“Dad was always happiest when he was up to his elbows in engine grease,” Sam said.  “I wasn’t as enthusiastic as my brother but we still had fun working on this car and, honestly, my dad and I never got along better than when we were under the hood together.”

Jess could tell that this wasn’t an easy conversation for Sam, so she smiled gently and slid into the passenger seat.  “Where to next?” she asked.

Sam was grateful for the change in topic and he climbed in behind the wheel.  “You hungry?  I thought we could go grab some food.”

“That sounds great,” she replied with a smirk.  “Just so you know, I’m a vegan but I only eat Paleo and I think gluten and alcohol are the Devil’s playground.”  Jess watched as Sam’s eyes grew wider with each word that came out of her mouth.  She managed to keep a straight face while Sam floundered for a response.  After a few seconds of him opening and closing his mouth like a fish, she couldn’t keep it up anymore and burst out laughing.

“I’m kidding, Sammy,” Jess assured him.

Sam was about to correct her, years of his brother calling him “Sammy” had made it a reflex but, for some reason, it didn’t bother him coming from Jessica.  In fact, it almost felt right.  So, instead, he replied, “Oh, ok.  Good.”  He huffed out a laugh of his own and continued, “I mean we would have figured something out and, don’t get me wrong, I like a salad as much as the next guy, but, yeah, this is easier.”

“All I need is a good burger and I’m happy,” she told Sam truthfully.

“That’s something I think I can manage,” Sam responded as he put the car into gear and pulled out of his parking space.

Jess and Sam engaged in idle chit chat as he drove them to a diner he and Dean had discovered in the next town.  Dean had called the burger “an experience” and had already demanded they return the next time he visited.

When they pulled into the parking lot, Sam was shocked by the bright neon lights that adorned the building.  It was garish and harsh, yet weirdly beautiful all at once.

Jess watched as the colored lights played across Sam’s skin and hair and reflected in his eyes.  She thought, not for the first time, how lucky she was.  Jess slipped her phone from her purse and quietly snapped a photo of him.  Sam was practically perfect.  In their brief time together, Jess had realized how intelligent and curious the man was; how thoughtful and considerate.  He had a look of fondness whenever he spoke about his brother, and he was incredibly handsome.  And, honestly, she loved how he didn’t really get her sense of humor yet.  It made things more fun that way.

They went into the diner and took a booth in a somewhat secluded corner or, at least, as secluded as you could get in a place like this.  As they waited for their food, Jess carefully broached the topic of family, again.

“You seem to smile when you talk about your brother,” she observed.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Sam mused.  “It was just me and him a lot of the time when we were growing up.  Dad worked a lot and sometimes had to travel so Dean practically raised me.  I don’t blame my dad or anything, he was a single parent raising two sons and he did the best that he could.”  Sam took a breath, he didn’t want to bring down the mood but now that he’d started talking about his family, he figured he may as well lay it all on the table for Jess.  

As if she had been reading his mind, Jessica reached across the table and held his hand, giving it a squeeze.  

“My dad and I never really saw eye to eye.  He was a marine and then a mechanic.  He restored classic cars and he was good at what he did, really good.  He never went to college and didn’t really understand why I wanted to.  I loved school and learning; I would always ask questions or have my nose in a book.  Dad would make comments about how difficult it was to get scholarships and, after a while, I realized that was his way of gently trying to tell me he couldn’t afford to send me to college and that he thought I should work on learning a trade.  Dean loved the car stuff, just like Dad, so they bonded over that and Dean is just about as in demand as Dad was when it comes to restoring classic cars, now.  But that was never me.”  Sam was on a roll now.  May as well tell this girl exactly how messed up his family was, he figured.

“My mom died when I was about 6 months old; Dean was 4.  Apparently, Dad basically shut down after that.  He never talked about her except to tell me once that I took after her, that she was always curious and never satisfied with what she knew already - it was never enough.  They were soulmates and losing her really took a toll on him and I think the fact that I reminded him of Mom so much made it hard for him to, I don’t know, not get over her but to move past her death, maybe?  Does that make sense?”

Jess nodded, despite the fact that Sam wasn’t looking at her as he spoke.

“Anyway, Dad was killed in a car accident last year.  We were all in the car; I almost lost Dean, too.  A truck basically came out of nowhere and rammed into Dad’s car.  The driver was so drunk he didn’t have any recollection of the accident.  A week after the funeral, I got my acceptance letter from Stanford, Dad didn’t even know I had applied.”

Sam took a shaky breath, half expecting Jessica to have disappeared again when he looked up from the table.

But she hadn’t, Jess was still there and still holding Sam’s hand, looking at him with a sad smile.

“I’m so sorry, Sam.”  Her words were simple but Sam found comfort in them.  She squeezed his hand again and released it as the waitress returned with their food.

Grateful for the distraction, Sam shared, “My brother found this spot when he helped me move in.  I think he’s had dreams about that burger ever since.”  Jess took a bite of the burger and practically moaned around her mouthful, causing Sam to laugh. “I have a feeling you and Dean are going to get along just fine,” he told her.

As they ate, Jess shared some of her life with Sam.  She was an only child.  Her dad was a lawyer and her mom a nurse and neither of them really understood her “art thing,” as they called it, but they were still pretty supportive of her following her passion.  “At least for now,” Jess laughed.  “I have a feeling if I’m not a ‘successful artist’ within a month of graduation, they’re going to be on my back about finding a, quote, ‘real job,’ end quote.  Especially if I’m supporting your ass through law school.”

Sam laughed along with her, loving everything he was learning about his soulmate.  Sure there would be disagreements and bumps along the way, but he was excited about the prospect of experiencing the world and sharing the rest of his life with this woman.

Next Chapter

All tags are posted with the master post for this one so that no one got inundated with a dozen tags in a matter of minutes when this went live. :)

[waugh-bao]

Interviewer: And your wife reads quite a lot? Charlie: My wife reads a book a day.

Interviewer: And your other wife? Charlie: He reads thick books. The thicker the better.

Interviewer: Your third wife?

Charlie: Also a reader. Lots of business biographies, economics stuff.

Interviewer: And your special little guy?

Charlie: Him too. Just the other day he was telling me he learned what happens if you give a mouse a cookie.

I love that Charlie is always saying Shirley is the best at things. He always builds her up so lovingly and it’s always ‘I might do X, but you should see my wife do X!’ I’m sure if she had ever sat down and played the drums for a minute or two he would have compared her to Dave Tough. He just thought she was the greatest at everything. 🥺🥰

Haha, I love Ronnie, but that sounds about right. He doesn’t strike me as much of a reader. Especially when he admitted that one of the tour photographers in the mid-70s asked if he needed help because he was about to sign his contract ‘upside down.’

Absolutely! Anything Charlie did, Shirley could do even better. At least in Charlie’s opinion.

“I think I'm pretty good, you know, an artist or something, and then I come home to bloody Rodin."

“Who is the most stylish woman in the world? Shirley Watts, in her own way.”

“There’s no one you want to please more than Mick or Keith. I want to please my wife, obviously. If she likes something, it's the nicest compliment because she's outside the group. But in the studio or onstage, I play for Mick and Keith."

[footballengland]

Football Fans remember Rodney Marsh

Rodney Marsh – Your memories of the English Soccer Legend:

Did you watch Rodney play, or go to school with him, or meet him after his playing days?

Let us know your stories and personal memories by adding a comment at the bottom of the page.

Steve Dickinson wrote:

I started supporting QPR in the 1960s as an 11 year old just as they were winning the League Cup and gaining promotion from the 3rd division.

I have 3 outstanding memories of the man on the field:

Vs West Ham It was Rod’s first game in Div 1 (he had still been injured from the end of the previous promotion season), and West Ham played a very skillful game on a typical QPR mudbath (as the pitch was then), and Rodney touched the ball 3 times – a curling shot that hit the post; a disallowed goal, and a mazy run through the slime that left everyone floundering – I felt there should be more; but the papers screamed about his return and how QPR would soon now climb the table (we didn’t !!)

Vs Birmingham (around 1972) This game was on TV and Terry Venables was now at the club orchastrating midfield – Rodney scored the best Hat-trick I have ever seen, with 3 completely different goals that ripped Birmingham apart in a 5-2 win (although I read in one of his books that he thought his hat-trick against Blackpool was better)

Vs Fulham away I am stood in Craven Cottage listening to all the Fulham Fans chanting ‘Rodney is a Fairy’ (this was the normal away fan’s chant), and the singing is deafening. The whistle can just be heard to start the game, and Keith Sanderson gives the ball to Rodney from the kick-off – he traps the ball, reverses it, spins and shoots – a la Pele and Beckham – sure enough the keeper is on the penalty spot and didn’t start moving till way too late – the ball just missed the post!! The ground fell into absolute silence, until 500 isolated voices began ‘Rodneeeeeee, Rodneeeeee’

Great days

Bill Stapleton wrote:

I live in Bradenton Florida, just down the road from Tampa, where I understand Rodney lives. I would love to meet up with him!

I grew up in West Kensington and used to walk to Craven Cottage to see Fulham when Rod was playing. I remember him getting kicked for that injury and I have a theory about that and his play. It was reported that he had ballroom dancing lessons to help him regain his balance. I have always wondered if that contributed to his amazing balance for the rest of his career.

I love magic players, who have that something that makes your eyes pop out as you say “How did he do that?” Rodney had that magic. Just one goal that I will never forget typifies what he was all about. Fulham v Nottingham Forest. Forest take a corner. The ball is cleared to Johnny Haynes of the edge of the box. He swings a long ball out to the left where Rodney is on the halfway line. He sets off down the left wing. (He’s not the quickest). Team mates sprint up the field to support him in the centre and on the right. Rodney beats one, two maybe three, like in slow motion – (How does he do that?!) and is now just inside the Forest box on the left.

The whole crowd is screaming, “Pass!” Rodney beats yet another, then curls an exquisite ball up and over Peter Grummitt, one of the best goalies in England at the time, into the far top corner.

Rodney simply lived in a different time continuum from the rest of us ordinary mortals. Not only did he bamboozle countless defenders, but he left countless spectators with their mouths hanging open, wondering how he did what he did.

John Lines wrote:

I must be one of only a handful of people that remember Rodney playing in goal. It was in a first division match at Craven Cottage in the early 1960’s.

The match was against Northampton Town and early on, Fulham keeper Tony Macedo was knocked out and suffered a broken jaw. Rodders took the jersey as there were no subs in those days. I was standing right behind the goal and remember the look on his face when picking the ball out of the net…. 4 times I think!

Pat Larkin wrote:

I played with the 2nd Team for the ROWDIES (after being recruited from the St. Pete Kickers) with Rodney Marsh back in ’78 & ’79? I can remember watching him from the sidelines & right in front of the bench, he nutmegged a defender twice while dribbling & “teasing” the guy with his dribbling skills for at least 2 minutes (it may have been a game against the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers or NY Cosmos?)….and this poor defender did not get any defensive support from his mates.

Cat & mouse game went on with Rodney just “schooling this kid”. The kid was determined to steal the ball from this old guy and Rodney turned his back to the defender, left the ball and sprinted about 10 yards to his left….with the defender following Rodney and both leaving the ball behind. Rondey then casually jogs back to the ball with the Red Faced Defender behind him just shaking his head…classic exhibition as to why he truly was the “Clown Prince of Soccer”…and as a very young American playing a game we really could only dream of playing like our friends from overseas….I will always cherish the memory!

Loftuslad wrote:

Rodney Marsh was QPR’s first superstar. With him, an unheard of team in the third division beat a first division side in the League Cup Final (when that cup really meant something!) and was the prime mover in taking them from third to First division.

He was also one of the first ‘Mavericks’ who did it their way. He claimed “QPR will ALWAYS be my team, not Man City or Fulham.” After him came ‘mavericks’ like Stan Bowles, Tony Currie, Peter Osgood, Alan Hudson, Charlie George and Frank Worthinhton. But he was a free spirit and could not play in the negative systems of England (The others couldn’t either.)

He was one of the leading lights in the Americas NASL and played on equal terms with George Best at Fulham. But he will always be related to QPR and there was uproar when he left.

It’s a shame there was less media around then, so clips are sparse with all these guys.

Maybe some people are put off him by his pundit work and comments recently but as a footballer, he will always be a genius and always be QPR!!

geniusmarsh wrote:

Rodney Marsh and Stan Bowles are by far the greatest players we have ever had at QPR. I saw Stan play hundreds of times for Rangers and Brentford, he was like a God.

Stan was more of a team player than Rod. But Rod started QPR as an entertaining team to watch, the first superstar. I have seen some polls that vote Stan with 90% and Rod with 10% that’s a joke, there was not much between them.

The difference is Stan is OURS!

He’s only thought of as a Rangers man while Rod is Man City and Fulham, who all claim him, but Stan walks down South Africa Road with everyone else and goes to the local after.

Rodney would never be seen doing that, he is not accessible to fans, and the stuff with Gerry Francis didn’t help.

I would like to have seen Rod, Stan and Tony Currie at their peaks all playing for QPR at the same time.

Rodney was like Gazza (who I have also seen) he would do sod all for 80mins, you would forget he was playing, but a flash of genius would turn the game round.

But Rodney and Stan gave us entertainment, moneys worth, a laugh, on field jokes and jaw dropping flashes of tricks, skill and pure genius, so did Currie and so did Best.

We will never see their like again.

Chris Barnes wrote:

I remember Rodney playing for QPR vs Leyton Orient one Good Friday in the early 70’s. Being an O’s fan I was in awe of Rodney who single handedly destroyed a great Orient defence without scoring.

QPR got a penalty, the man himself missed it & the O’s inexplicably went on to win 2-0. With ironic cries of Rodney, Rodney, Rodney one of the great miscarriages of justice had happened before my eyes.

Although we had won I had witnessed one of the most impressive displays I had ever seen from an English player. Rodney was too good to play for England as was Stan Bowles, Tony Currie, Glen Hoddle & Duncan MacKenzie.

What price those guys now when 80% of the Premier League players can’t speak English & don’t care if their clubs live or die! Rodney, thanks for the memory!

Darrell Storie wrote:

Grew up in London (Clapham) during the seventies, and my Da, a mad Scot would die for Fulham – he started to take me to Craven Cottage from the age of 9 onwards – which was around the time Marsh, along with George Best and Bobby Moore played for us.

My ma, a quiet and thoughtful nurse who came over from the West Indies in the mid fifties thought seeing Fulham would ‘corrupt’ me, and turn me into a hooligan. In fact it did the exact opposite – realised the trio were in the ‘autumn’ of their career, and the circus acts at Craven Cottage (especially a game against Hereford – or was it Hull when they won 4-1) were usually embarrassing.

Could see most of the fans loving it, with Best taking the ball off Marsh, and vice versa a couple of seconds later…but there were also many who realised this wasn’t going to last for long.

It was around 1977 (or thereabouts) when I followed cricket – England, that is as an antidote to the depression!

Jane Banks wrote:

I MET RODNEY MARSH, TERRY VENABLES, & TONY HAZELL WHEN THEY PLAYED FOR QPR. THEY WERE PLAYING AT CHARLTON ATHLETIC AND I HAD GONE TO THE SUPPORTERS LOUNGE AFTER THE GAME. I WAS SAT AT A TABLE ON MY OWN AND THE THREE PLAYERS ASKED IF I MINDED IF THEY JOINED ME. I WAS THRILLED TO BITS!

AT THE TIME I WAS 23YRS OLD & VERY OVERWEIGHT. HOWEVER, RODNEY BEING RODNEY THOUGHT OTHERWISE, AND ASKED ME WHEN THE ‘HAPPY EVENT’ WAS DUE! I JUST LAUGHED AND SAID “ITS ALL ME, I’M AFRAID RODNEY!” HE APOLOGISED AND WE ALL HAD A GOOD LAUGH ABOUT IT, I WAS NOT OFFENDED AT ALL.

THEY ASKED ME IF I WOULD GO AND SEE THEM PLAY AT LOFTUS ROAD, AS AT THE TIME I WAS WORKING IN A HOSPITAL IN FULHAM ROAD & HAD SAID I WATCHED CHELSEA WHEN CHARLTON WERE AWAY. SADLY I DIDN’T GO, I WAS TOO NERVOUS, AND DIDN’T THINK FOR ONE MINUTE THEY WOULD REMEMBER ME.

I CERTAINLY HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN THEM, THEY WERE GREAT COMPANY & I WAS DELIGHTED TO HAVE MET THEM. I DIDN’T HAVE CHILDREN OF MY OWN, SO I HAVE NO ONE TO PASS THE STORY DOWN TOO. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MEET RODNEY AGAIN. BUT I DOUBT HE WILL BE AT WEMBLEY NEXT WEEK WHEN GRIMSBY TOWN PLAY M K DONS AT WEMBLEY.

Dino wrote:

Back in the late 70’s, Rodney Marsh WAS Tampa Bay sports. He helped put Tampa on the sports map. Our football team (Buccaneers) was horrible and the Rowdies did one thing….WIN!!!

During World Cup ’94 I would chat with Rodney every Friday evening before his flight departed Tampa for Atlanta to do his gig with CNN for the cup.

My greatest memory of Sir Rodney has to be the first Rowdie game I attended, the 1978 Conference Championship with 38,000 watching(in a driving rainstorm). Rodney scored the winning goal in a shootout as the Rowdies beat the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers and advanced to Soccer Bowl ’78. Thanks for the memories Rodney!!

naiomi crofts wrote:

i just wanna say since rodney william marsh was on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! i loved him he is my hero and i voted for him every day. then he went out i even dressed up as him an cried when he left but rodney u r da best no matter what, from your loyal friend naiomi crofts.

ps. say hi to him and his daughter joanne.

peter langston wrote:

I was his paper boy when he lived in Cornwall Road in Ruislip in the early ’70’s

alex wrote:

Rodney is such a legend, listening to him and PBT on tlkSPORT got me through my GCSE’s! if reports are to be believed i can’t wait to see him on I’m a celebrity. i have no doubt he will bring the show to life!

Steve Maddox wrote:

I find it surprising that the memories posted on this website of Rod are all from Tampa fans, with the exception of one QPR fan. Rod was a real genius and I saw him play many times for Man City in the early-mid 70’s…and also a few years later when he was with Fulham.

Despite what some people say, Rod was a massive hero at City and was adored and idolised by the fans……..

My memories of Rodney are just too many and too wonderful to recount, but suffice it to say he was just so entertaining and gifted and brilliant to watch.

He scored some amazing goals at City…..but his all round passing, dribbling and attacking ability was breath taking. I truly believe that Rod was the most gifted player I have ever seen, and although he was not the quickest, he more than made up for it with his vision, brilliant ball control and the way he read the game…he had a fantastic footballing brain.

What a joke that he only won 9 England caps….

Thanks Rod…we loved you (and still do) at City.

Sean Forrester wrote:

I worked with Rodney during his time in the media. During my career, I have worked with a number of former footballer, who have played in and won medals in World and European Cups, Champions League, Division 1, Premiership etc etc.

The vast majority of the ex-pros are happy to indulge in stories of their past glories and are rightly proud of them too.

However, in all my life, I’ve never met a player who had such a sub-standard career and banged on about it so much.

Marsh is an arrogant, psuedo intellectual tit and a more self gratified and plain wierd individual. I for one am relived to have him off our screens

Charles Rivers wrote:

I live in Tampa Florida (U.S.A.) I grew up in the 70’s and the Tampa Bay Rowdies were of course my favourite soccer team. My grandmother is from Kent, England and she taught me all about “football” as you call it.

Anyway, I was walking through Tampa Stadium one day prior to a night game for the Rowdies

when out from the locker area comes Rodney.

It wasn’t uncommon for him to come walk around and talk to people. I was 6 years old and he lifted me up and asked me my name. I told him Charles and he told me it was a Kings name.

He was very kind. A while later Rodney decided to retire and they had his “memorial game” at Tampa Stadium….when my mom purchased the program for the game we opened it up and inside was a picture of the day Rodney had picked me up. I have it still. I was wearing a green striped Interbay United shirt and my team name was Manchester City at the time.

Somehow my parents got in touch with him and we all met at his home. The next thing I know my dad bought his daughters’ all white bedroom set for my sister.

So my sister had Rodney Marsh’s daughters room set and I had a picture in his retirement program of us for life.

Thats my story I hope you liked it.

Edward Toye wrote:

Rodney was my hero when I was young and for me embodies all that is good about the game. Supremely talented, with a streak of arrogance he was a genius and for me the best English player there has ever been!

JOHN STUNT wrote:

RODNEY MARSH THE LEGEND.

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE SEEN AND MEET THE MAN HIMSELF. I CAN REMEMBER HIM TURNING A GAME AROUND WITH PURE GENIUS. HE WAS NOT ALWAYS INVOLVED IN THE GAME FROM START TO FINISH, BUT JUST A FLASH OF CLASS WAS ENOUGH TO SEND US ALL HOME AS HAPPY AS LARRY, AND WE KNEW WE WERE THE GREATEST TEAM IN LONDON.

MY AUNTIE AND UNCLE HAD A FRAMED PICTURE OF RODNEY ON THEIR WALL, AND IF SOMEONE DARED SWEAR IN THAT ROOM THEY HAD TO APPOLIGISE TO RODNEY, (HOW DARE THEY SWEAR IN THE PRESENT OF A SPORTING GOD).

YEARS LATER I DROVE FROM LONDON TO STOCKPORT TO A CHARITY GOLF EVENT TO SEE THE GREAT MAN HIMSELF.

AS I DROVE INTO THE COURSE I SPOTTED RODNEY, I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND AS SOON AS HE SAW THE QPR TOP IN MY HANDS HE STOPPPED PLAYING AND SIGNED MY TOP, WHICH IS NOW MY MOST PRIZED POSSESSION.

RODNEY WAS AND IS STILL A LEGEND I MY EYES.

Anthony Fernandez wrote:

I had the pleasure of watching Rodney Marsh play for the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League for four great years. He came to the team for the 1976 season after the team had won the NASL Cup the year before. The team made it to the final two more times with him as the captain, but failed to win another championship. He was a very popular player during his time in Tampa and is remembered well here in the community to this day.

I still remember a match at Tampa Stadium when he dropped his shorts, that had ripped, as a trainer held two towels in front and rear only to have the rear towel fall to expose a full Rodney moon. The article in the local newspaper the next day had the photo with the headline “Footloose and Fannie Free”.

Mike Davis wrote:

During the late 70s, Rodney Marsh almost single-handedly made football, or soccer as we call it, a tremendously popular sport in Tampa.

He became the most popular sports figure in the city….even bigger than american football players. He was dashing, handsome and most of all great to watch play the game…. wonderfully entertaining.

He produced on the field, scoring many beautiful goals and assists, and was the centerpiece of the very successful Tampa Bay Rowdies. Even though it has been many years now since those days, he is still very fondly remembered in Tampa.

Joby Canoby wrote:

Though it was american NASL soccer, it was all we had in Tampa Bay. Watching Rodney Marsh at the age of 18-20 was amazing. For instance:

1)Seeing him go to his knees with the ball in homage to Pele against the Cosmos. 2)Watching him always take the final and usually game winning penalty kicks 3)Following him with binoculars, and seeing what opposing teams enforcers did to him to try and stop him from dominating games. (it never stopped him by the way and most of it wasn’t very sportsmanlike) 4)Joining with the other 45,000 fans screaming his name in unison after he won yet another game for us.

Frosty wrote:

Tampa Bay Rowdies – While playing with the Rowdies, Rodney provided much excitement and talent. He made others around him better and as a result allowed Fabbiani lead the NASL in scoring.

On national tv against the N.Y. Cosmos Rodney put on/displayed perhaps one of his best performances against the likes of none other than Pele, Beckenbauer, Chinaglia, Alberto. We won the highly anticipated match.

Rodney matched with Derek Smethurst was a deadly combination for any defense to go against……

John Rolfe: wrote:

Rodney Marsh – Memories

Vivid memories of Rodney sitting on the ball in the penalty area of teams like Watford and Swindon when two or three goals up: once the game was won he preferred to entertain than to go for goal all the time.

One dummy, when he was stationary, caused his opponent to jump up and land on his back in an attempt to block the ball which Rodney had not kicked.

Seeing him set up chances for Mick Leach and watch how he got on.

Watching him trip on his own feet and win penalties.

Watching him (at 4-0 with 2 goals himself already) prepare to take a penalty and walk back, and keep walking on with the crowd cheering until he reached the centre circle, running back with the crowd baying, feinting, stopping in his tracks just short of the penalty spot, watching the goalie tumble involuntarily to his right while Rodney, with a smile on his face, rolled the ball slowly to his left.

Watching from behind the Bristol Rovers goal as he struck a late League Cup equaliser by bending the ball hugely around the wall; this was in the days when they played with proper footballs of the type that only Marsh, Bowles and Rivelino could bend.

Great memories. QPR players smiled and laughed a lot during the games…

from Football England https://www.football-england.com/football-fans-remember-rodney-marsh.html

[thegloober]

Who stays and who goes as rookies inch towards all-important 10-game mark?

The Kings gave Jaret Anderson-Dolan a five-game audition, but that was enough for Los Angeles to make the call on where he will spend the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign. On Monday morning, they announced the 19-year-old pivot has been assigned to the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.

Returning Anderson-Dolan to the WHL comes as little surprise, mind you. Through five games, the rookie’s use had been infrequent at best. He was made a healthy scratch on the opening night of the campaign, in Los Angeles’ third game of the season and again sat out in Saturday’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres. When he did get into the lineup, too, Anderson-Dolan was often among the least utilized forwards. He twice skated below 10 minutes and cracked the 12-minute mark in only one outing, playing nearly 18 minutes in an Oct. 13 contest against the Ottawa Senators.

There’s little downside, if any, in sending Anderson-Dolan back to Spokane. The Kings’ second-round pick, 41st overall, in the 2017 draft, Anderson-Dolan can head back to the WHL and continue to grow as one of the league’s elite players. Additionally, it opens up the opportunity for Anderson-Dolan to test his mettle on the World Junior Championship stage. He captained Canada’s U18 entry at the 2016-17 tournament, and he attended camp with the U21 squad this past summer.

There is an added benefit for the Kings, too. In shipping Anderson-Dolan back to Spokane before he played his 10th game of the season, the Kings effectively save a year on his entry-level contract, thanks to the entry-level slide.

Anderson-Dolan isn’t the only prospect eligible for the slide, however, which means the coming days and weeks will be important for a number of rookies who will see their teams make similar decisions about their fates for the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign. So, who stays and who goes? Here’s a rundown of every slide-eligible rookie who has seen action this season:

STAYING Max Comtois, Anaheim Ducks If there is a silver lining to the Ducks’ injury issues, it’s Comtois’ play. He’s tied for the team lead with seven points and he’s had a couple of games with top-six minutes. Anaheim would probably need to keep the 19-year-old with the big club regardless of his scoring given he’s a healthy body for a team that has very few, but he’s earned his place.

Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres The Sabres have actually done a good job of letting Dahlin get his feet wet without throwing him to the wolves. His ice time has remained firmly middle-pairing and he’s contributed to the offense. We knew from the start of the season that Dahlin would be in Buffalo all year, so let’s not waste time debating it.

Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes Four points through his first four games in Carolina had Svechnikov looking like an early Calder Trophy frontrunner, but he’s been absent from the scoresheet in each of his past four games. Still, bank on the second-overall pick from the June draft to keep his spot in the lineup. He could blossom at any moment

Henri Jokiharju, Chicago Blackhawks Seemingly a prime candidate to end up back with the Portland Winterhawks when he made the NHL out of training camp, Jokiharju has mustered five assists in eight games and he’s second in ice time among Blackhawks defensemen. He’s also playing alongside Duncan Keith, which is quite the pairing. He’s not going anywhere, it would seem, and that is indicative of a new era in Chicago.

Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars There’s a snowball’s chance in Texas that Heiskanen plays anything but the entire campaign in Dallas. He has been a revelation on the blueline. The Stars knew they had a special player in Heiskanen, but even they may have underestimated how quickly he’d catch on. He’s driving play, putting up points and is third in ice time among Stars defensemen, making him a lock to stay.

Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton Oilers Based on ice time figures, one might expect Yamamoto to face a second nine-game cut, but chances are he sticks around this time. Thanks to Ty Rattie’s injury, Yamamoto’s ice time has actually increased in each of the past three games and he’s getting a look alongside Connor McDavid. If he can click with the Oilers captain, look out.

Filip Chytil, New York Rangers In some ways, Chytil’s second early stint in the NHL has been no different from his first. He’s playing limited minutes under coach David Quinn and has two points through eight games. There’s little reason to demote him to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, though. He played well in the AHL as a rookie last season, so the Rangers are likely to let him learn to translate that to the big league this season.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Montreal Canadiens Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin’s decision to draft Kotkaniemi was questioned, but the pivot has proven his worth. He’s expected to stay with the big club once the 10-game mark comes and goes, and it might be for the best. As the season goes, he can grow into a larger role. For the time being, the Canadiens seem content for him to play sheltered minutes in the middle of the lineup.

Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators The likelihood of Tkachuk playing anywhere but the NHL this season? Zero. Zilch. Nada. Barring a conditioning stint, he’s with the Senators for the long haul. As he should be, too, given he’s scored three goals and six points in four games. He’s been as advertised, if not better, for Ottawa.

GOING Isac Lundestrom, Anaheim Ducks Lundestrom remains with the Ducks roster only due to injuries, making it doubtful he remains in Anaheim for much longer. He’s been the Ducks’ most sheltered center, yet has a poor relative possession percentage. The best thing for Lundestrom would be some time in the AHL or another season in the Swedish League. He’ll be better for it in the long run.

Urho Vaakanainen, Boston Bruins Brought up to the big club on an emergency basis, Vaakanainen has seen action in just one game, patrolling the blueline for under 13 minute against the Vancouver Canucks. He’s bound for the AHL, where he was playing quite well and had two helpers in six games, as soon as one of Charlie McAvoy, Torey Krug or Kevan Miller returns from injury.

Juuso Valimaki, Calgary Flames Travis Hamonic’s face injury complicated matters. If the Flames blueline was at full strength, Valimaki would likely be heading down to the AHL. Instead, he looks primed to stick around. He’s on the bubble, though, and it might be best for his development to log heavier minutes than the 15 minutes he’s seen per night through eight games. If Hamonic is healthy sooner than expected, Valimaki could be packing his bags for Stockton.

Michael Rasmussen, Detroit Red Wings Few would have expected Rasmussen to earn a spot on the club out of camp, yet he was in the lineup on opening night. His days are likely numbered in Detroit, however, and that would be the best thing for the big center. He’s barely seeing any ice time — 12:17 average over seven games — and there’s no need to rush him into Detroit with the Red Wings likely destined for the NHL’s basement this season. He’ll have to head back to the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, not the AHL, if the Red Wings demote him.

Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers Bouchard impressed enough in the pre-season to come straight out of the draft and into the NHL. However, he’s been sparingly used on the Oilers’ blueline. He was made a scratch against the Winnipeg Jets last week and his season high is 14:36, skated Saturday against the Nashville Predators. Bouchard can gain more from playing big minutes in the OHL than he can sitting down or sitting out in the NHL.

Alex Formenton, Ottawa Senators A concussion has forced Formenton to miss the past three games, but he looks at though he could be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Even if he is healthy, though, Formenton should be a prime candidate for a return to major junior. The Senators are performing better than expected, but that’s no reason to force Formenton into the lineup. He should go back to London, where he’ll likely get another go-round with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship.

Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues Healthy scratched for back-to-back outings and averaging 8:51 across five games. He’s the top prospect in the Blues’s system, but that doesn’t mean St. Louis has to rush him along. Unfortunately, he can’t head to the AHL, which means the only option is to send him back to being the frontman of Matchbox Twenty. Wait, wrong Rob Thomas…

GONE Martin Necas, Carolina Hurricanes Necas got a seven-game audition to begin the season, though he hardly saw the ice. His average ice time was 10 minutes, which made sense given he was absolutely crushed in the possession game. He had a more than three-to-one ratio of offensive zone to defensive zone starts but a relative possession rate 11 percent worse than his teammates. Don’t count out a return for Necas at some point this season, though. He’ll be among the first names on the call-up list.

Kristian Vesalainen, Winnipeg Jets Like Necas, Vesalainen was given a short audition with very little ice time. He skated less than six minutes in two of the five games he saw with the Jets. It seems likely Winnipeg takes the Kyle Connor or Jack Roslovic approach with Vesalainen, which is to say he’ll remain in the AHL for a full season before getting his shot to crack the big club on a full-time basis come the 2019-20 campaign. For cost controlling purposes, and for Vesalainen’s development, it’s probably for the best.

Tags: anaheim ducks, boston bruins, buffalo sabres, calgary flames, carolina hurricanes, chicago blackhawks, dallas stars, detroit red wings, edmonton oilers, lists, montreal canadiens, new york rangers, nhl, ottawa senators, st. louis blues, winnipeg jets

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About the Author

Jared Clinton

Jared Clinton is a writer and web editor with The Hockey News. He’s been with the team since 2014. He was born, raised and resides in Winnipeg, where he can be found missing the net on outdoor rinks all over town.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/who-stays-and-who-goes-as-rookies-inch-towards-all-important-10-game-mark/

[musicdish]

Gar Francis Releases A New Album Titled: Gar Francis Songbook Volume One By Various Artists Doing Versions Of Songwriter Gar Francis Songs

Gar Francis Songbook Volume One by Various Artists Album Presale: 3.9.18 Official Release Date: 3.16.18 Featuring the following Songs and Artists: 01. Baby Let's Go - Tom Vicario 2:42 02. Come On Come On - The Easy Outs 3:10 03. I Won't Cry Anymore - Genya Ravan 4:35 (Ten Wheel Drive) 04. Satisfied - Tyce Green 4:17 05. Born Dainty - Kelly Caruso 3:44 (American Idol) 06. Meet Me - Ricky Persaud Jr 4:12 07. Sweet Sunshine - The Satisfactors 3:38 08. Rush On You - Mark Lindsay 2:40 (former Lead Singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders) 09. A Spy For Love - Mia Moravis 2:32 10. A Special Girl - Jim McCarty 4:45 (The Yardbirds) 11. Ballerina Of The Bowery - Jana Peri 4:10 12. Break It Down - Anthony Krizan 4:29 (The Spin Doctors) 13. Fool For Your Love - Crab Bubbles Band 2:47 14. Make Up Your Mind - Inches From Sin 3:24 15. Shine Your Love - Kathryn Shipley 3:53 16. The Hand Of Fate We Hold - The Corridors 3:30 Album Review by The Grouch | In The Rockies Hej America! Today is a bit of a special day here in Grouchland. Why you ask? Well, today’s review is of an album of songs, most of which were composed solely by one of my favorite musicians, Gar Francis. For those who do not know, Gar is a wizard of musical creativity. Over the years I have heard many songs from Gar’s colossal body of work and I can honestly say I have not heard anything by Gar that I disliked. This is an album of songs composed either solely by Gar or in collaboration with other talented musicians. This album. at least in my opinion, further solidifies Gar’s position among other behind-the-scene greats such as Bob Ezrin and Mutt Lang. Track 1 - Baby Let's Go - Tom Vicario 2:42 - This is classic Country Gar and Tom delivers a great rendition. I am a sucker for that twangy guitar. Tom’s voice fits well with this style of music. When the solo kicks in the listener is reminded that Rock and Roll is basically a fusion of African inspired soul and Country. This track reminds me of old Roy Orbison or anyone one of the first-generation rockers. All in all, this is a good song that is played flawlessly by Tom Vicario. Track 2 - Come On Come On - The Easy Outs 3:10 - The raunchy 60s sound is alive and well in this track performed by the Easy Outs. The music grinds and the old-school licks blister as the organ adds some groove around the edges. This is a dancer’s track for sure. The vocals are spot on as the old time Rock and Roll vibe fills the air. What’s not to love, with wicked guitar licks, a funky bass, a rock-solid drummer and lyrics that state “You make a monkey crazy! Come on come on!” I really like this band! Track 3 - I Won't Cry Anymore - Genya Ravan (of Ten Wheel Drive) - 4:35 - This is a massive blues jam that I can’t get enough of. Listen to this song and tell me you can’t feel the soul. Genya has a great voice and the backup singers just add to the magic. There is a massive amount of Motown goodness in this track. I want to give a special nod to Genya’s drummer, Bobby Chen. Amazingly, he stands out despite being behind a truly wicked guitar player and some of the most soulful vocals I have ever heard. This is without a doubt a great song. Track 4 - Satisfied - Tyce Green 4:17 - This track is from the 80s influenced Pop-Metal Gar. The track is performed by Tyce Green and reminds me of the stuff that was popular back in the day. I am thinking of April Wine or even Billy Squire. There is enough rock here for guys to dig it and enough sensitivity in the vocals for their girlfriends to get them to come to the show. In short, this is a good song reminiscent of 1982 which, at least for me, was a very good year. This song is well executed, radio-friendly hard-pop. Track 5 - Born Dainty - Kelly Caruso (of American Idol) - 3:44 - First things first, I dig the music. It's got an old Charlie Daniels - Skynyrd feel. As an old drummer, I have to say I really like what Keith Reil is doing. I also dig the leads Gar pulls out at the tail end of the song, and some people say Country doesn't jam! When done right, it jams indeed. Kelly has a strong voice that gets better on the chorus. She can sing and seems to have the kind of gutsy attitude that I dig. Think of a kind of Country Gore Gore Girls and you are on the right track. This is a good song from a young woman with a strong voice and some really good players. Track 6 - Meet Me - Ricky Persaud Jr 4:12 - It really doesn’t get much better than this. Gar is a fantastic songwriter and there are not many people who can jam as much as Ricky Persaud Jr. I have been a big fan of Ricky’s since I first heard him quite a while back. Simply put the man can do wonders on any instrument he chooses to use, including his voice. The Reggae vibe is strong, and I am brought back to a conversation I had a long time ago with a cat I knew who was playing drums in a Reggae band. He said to me “Once you go Reggae there is no going back.” Listen to this song. When I do I have to admit I have percussion envy. Track 7 - Sweet Sunshine - The Satisfactors 3:38 - I first heard about the Satisfactors a few years ago. I dig what they do! This is a band made up of a bunch of guys who are bursting with in-your-face soul. The singer sings well. The rhythm section is rock solid, and the guitars are on fire. I dare anyone to listen to this track and not be in a better mood by the end of the song. A long time ago, when the Walkman first came out, I had a friend who would say "Here, have a little Alice. You'll feel better." Then he would give you the headphones and Billion Dollar Babies would blast through your brain. Well, here, have a little Satisfactors. You'll feel better. Track 8 - Rush On You - Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders) - 2:40 - One word: JAM! This reminds me of something our band instructor back in Jr. High school would say. If we had managed to make some particularly soulful noise Mr. Case would look at us, grin and say in his cigarette damaged voice: Sometimes you cats can wail. Well folks, this track wails! Track 9 - A Spy For Love - Mia Moravis 2:32 - I had no idea they were making a new James Bond film. They must be because this track is absolutely meant to be the theme song for a James Bond flick. The camp factor is over the top as Mia sultrily sings that she is a Spy For Love. The thing is that despite the intentional campiness and the omnipresent musical kitsch, the music on this track is really well played. Mia has a very good voice and the band actually makes the song groove. (I do have to wonder how many times they had to do a retake because the band was cracking up?) Track 10 - A Special Girl - Jim McCarty (of the Yardbirds) - 4:45 - The first thing the listener notices is the melodic groove that could easily fit in the background of a cocktail party or with a bunch of young neo-hippies hanging in the park. I actually mean that as a compliment. The music does have some Adult Contemporary overtones that would make a dentist smile, but if you really listen to the track you will hear a subtle, yet smoking guitar. That guitar behind the easy-on-the-ears voice really works together to create something special that just may take a couple of listens to fully appreciate. When all is said and done, I find myself speechless and thinking “now that is one cool way to rock and roll.” Track 11 - Ballerina Of The Bowery - Jana Peri 4:10 - I dig this song. The Bo Diddley vibe is just too cool. Man, the drummer, Kurt Reil, is laying it down! When you combine those drums with the ultra-raunchy guitar (Gar Francis) the song is mind-bending. Add in the vocals and the track goes from mind-bending to absolutely mind-blowing. This song has anthem written all over it. I dare anyone to listen to this track and not start to groove along. Track 12 - Break It Down - Anthony Krizan (of the Spin Doctors) - 4:29 - WICKED! Good God I love well-used feedback! The blues simply does not get any raunchier or grittier than this. The cool thing about this track is that while the music is head-splitting level loud and confrontation the vocals are, believe it or not, melodic. The background vocals only add to the contrast of the out of control, fire-breathing dragon on lead guitar. Out of all of the truly fine tracks on this album, this could very well be my favorite. Track 13 - Fool For Your Love - Crab Bubbles Band 2:47 - The heavy groove continues. There is no doubt that the Crab Bubbles Band can make some noise. The melodic verse is almost a relief from the intensity of the chorus. (Who am I kidding? It can never be too intense!) This song is so good I find myself wishing I was in this band. Excellent work! Track 14 - Make Up Your Mind - Inches From Sin 3:24 - This song is interesting. On the one hand, it sounds so cheery, but there is a menacing machine-like sound grinding just underneath the pleasant keyboards. I am really curious, given the name of the band, is this a simple love song or do the singers have some darker nefarious purpose in mind for the person they are en-couraged to make up their mind? Track 15 - Shine Your Love - Kathryn Shipley 3:53 - Kathryn starts out with some really nice soulful keys. I really am feeling a Band groove here. Then the vocals come in. Man, she has a great voice! The background singers definitely add to the soulful vibe. Then it dawns on me this is the stuff all the great Motown singers grew up singing. This song could be from a church service, albeit not the kind I attended as a kid. This song would fit into a church service where the people rock out. You have to listen to the piano (Eric Barfield) runs in this track. The pi-ano, with the organ in the background, the wicked guitar on the edge, the backup singers all provide an outstanding platform for Kathryn to absolutely wail! I dig it. Track 16 - The Hand Of Fate We Hold - The Corridors 3:30 - The Corridors are a band I quite like. The prowess of their keyboard player is not to be denied. Just when the listener feels immersed in a sea of keyboard produced sound the guitar opens up with a tsunami of laser-guided precession sonic blasts that leaves the listener, well at least this listener, speechless. Over the top of this massively intense yet oddly melodic jam is a voice that is simply awe-inspiring. The man (Adi Mosko) can sing! This is a fantastic track that deserves to be listened to, frequently. I should mention, as the name of the album is The Gar Francis Songbook Volume One by Various Artists that all of the songs with the exceptions listed below, were written by Gar Francis. Sweet Sunshine by Gar Francis, Bruce Ferguson & Kurt Reil A Special Girl by Gar Francis & Jim McCarty Bread It Down by Gar Francis & Anthony Krizan Make Up Your Mind by Gar Francis, Robert Brewer & Karen Holloway Brewer The Hand of Fate We Hold by Gar Francis & Richard X Heyman The bottom line is this is a fantastic album that I am sure will be enjoyable to listen to for years to come. - The Grouch | in the Rockies Made possible by all artists presented and Bongo Boy Records. Produced by Gar Francis and Monique Grimme for Bongo Boy Records. Album Design and Photography: Monique Grimme http://bongoboyrecords.com/garfrancissongbookseries/ http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=202408

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Point Reaches 30 Goals; Tavares Tops 80 Points; Rangers Defencemen; Josh Manson – March 31

For as well as the Bruins have been playing, it’s easy to forget that they still have a bevy of players out of the lineup. We have some good news for Boston fans as the injured players look to be returning soon. At the least, it looks like Jake DeBrusk will be back Saturday afternoon against the Panthers. Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy are not expected back on Saturday but they are not far behind. If you’re in a head-to-head league that plays through to the end of the year, reinforcements are on the way.  

*

The Eeli Tolvanen Watch has ended as he’s signed a contract, practiced with the team, and looks to feature in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Lightning. I imagine he’ll be eased in (though in practice he did take a couple rushes with the top line) so there won’t be much fantasy value for the rest of this season. There will, however, be some good scouting opportunities for next season.

*

Stephen Johns is out with a concussion for the Stars. They say it’ll be at least four or five days but there are only seven left in the season after today. I can’t imagine they bring him back from a concussion for one or two days. If you need an emergency pickup from the team, Esa Lindell played over 24 minutes after Johns was injured in their last game.

*

The return to New York of the players that had been traded to Tampa Bay was looking like it would be the biggest moment of the night. Alas, we had this:

pic.twitter.com/6C2qRPWp8N

— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) March 30, 2018

Yes, that’s Pavel Buchnevich and Steven Stamkos fighting. You read those names right. It followed Buchnevich taking a big hit and then taking a run at Nikita Kucherov himself (and it was kind of dirty). Anyway, though Stamkos was held with a point in a game his team won 7-3, he got you 19 penalty minutes. If you’re in a multi-cat league, can you really be angry? The people who should be angry are Nikita Kucherov owners, who also was held without a point but didn’t contribute much else.

Brayden Point had a pair of goals and that gives him 30 on the year. He’s looking every bit the number-1 centre teams covet.

Filip Chytil scored his first (of what should be many) NHL goals. Mikhail Sergachev had an assist and is now one point shy of 40 on the year. Not bad for a teenager playing under 16 minutes a night!

*

TJ Oshie played most of the game in their loss to Carolina but he didn’t finish it and he apparently suffered a lower-body injury. All the coach would say after the game was that they were being very cautious and he’ll be re-evaluated on Saturday.

Two assists for Jaccob Slavin pushed him over the 30-point mark for the second consecutive season. He had three blocked shots to push him over 150 for the year for the second season in a row as well. Slavin doesn’t hit very much but all in all, not a bad multi-category season for him at all.

John Carlson assisted on Washington’s lone goal, his 50th helper of the year, the first time he’s hit that mark. It was also his 65th point of the campaign. Yeah, he’s going to get a very large contract this offseason.

*

The big boys came to play for the Leafs in their 5-4 win over the Islanders, at least offensively. All of Nazem Kadri, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner had a goal and an assist while James van Riemsdyk also scored. The two-point performance from Marner gives him 69 points on the year. He also needs one more power-play assist to reach 20 such helpers.

John Tavares scored a power-play goal which was his 34th goal of the year, a three-year high. He also cracked 80 points for the first time in three seasons. This is the bounce back year we were all hoping for last season.

Brock Nelson also scored and he’s one shy of 20 on the year. Were he to get there, he’d be one of 25 forwards (so far) to crack 20 goals in each of the previous four seasons. As he’s been pushed down the lineup his assist totals have suffered but he’s been every bit the goal scorer he’s always been.

Two assists in this game leaves Jake Gardiner two points shy of 50 on the campaign. For as high as some people have been on him for his career, I don’t think anyone saw a 50-point season on the horizon.

*

Semyon Varlamov was injured in Colorado’s win over the Blackhawks. He was crashed into by Tomas Jurco on the play and replaced by Jonathan Bernier. Jurco seemed to lose his balance driving the net from the slot and slammed into Varlamov’s left leg. Now, it was late in the game and the score was out of hand so maybe they were being cautious, but he did seem to be in a good amount of pain. When we have updates we will pass them along.

Sven Andrighetto scored for the first time since December! He finished with two goals, five shots, and over 17 minutes in ice time. He was a big part of the depth scoring earlier in the season and would go a long way in lengthening the scoring if he can return to that player for the Avs. His eight goals are a career-high, by the way.

Mikko Rantanen has a goal and an assist and has the quietest 82 points in the league. Tyson Barrie had a goal and two assists, and that gives him a career-high 55 points in just 64 games. As I’ve mentioned before in these pages, he’s one of the most elite offensive defencemen in the league that no one talks about unless it’s rumours about being traded to a Canadian team.

*

Rickard Rakell scored his 32nd of the year, one off his pace last year, and it was the overtime winner for Anaheim.

Drew Doughty scored the lone goal for the Kings, his 10th of the season. It’s three straight campaigns with at least 10 goals for the blue liner, and 7 of his 10 NHL seasons. Two of the seasons he failed to reach 10 markers were his rookie year and the lockout year. He’s now one point shy of his career-high of 59.

*

William Karlsson had a monster fantasy night as he’s known to have (this year anyway). He had a goal (short-handed), two assists (one on the OT winner), was plus-2, had four total shots on net, one blocked shot, and three hits. Line mate Marchessault had two goals, one of which was the overtime clincher. 

*

At the risk of sounding redundant, can I say how impressive it’s been to watch Ryan Donato since he debuted with the Bruins? I know it’s a common trope in the media and among fans, but he genuinely looks like a middle-six winger that has been playing in the NHL for three or four years. Should the injury to Rick Nash prove even more serious and he misses playoff time, Donato is a very nice insurance policy. I’m also very optimistic for his fantasy value next year. Without Nash in the lineup – which he won’t be for 2018-19 – Donato has been earning those top power-play minutes. Second line with David Krejci and top PP unit with Bergeron and co.? Yes please.

*

With the news earlier this week that Kevin Shattenkirk would miss the rest of the season, it got me wondering: how do we value the Rangers defencemen next year?

Neal Pionk has been the point producer since be recalled with 14 points in 23 games (heading into Friday night). The bad news is that half his points have been second assists. The good news is that they have come on the power play, where he’s supplanted Brady Skjei and been given priority over John Gilmour. A healthy Shattenkirk would mean secondary PP minutes for Pionk but at least he’d have those. At the least, he’ll get first crack at the second unit in 2018-19.

Pionk not shooting is a bit of a concern as he’s shot considerably less than many other Rangers d-men. While shooting isn’t an absolute necessity for fantasy value – Keith Yandle and Jake Gardiner have shown that – it does help fill some roto categories and it’s hard to score an acceptable amount for a d-man landing fewer than two shots per game playing.

Gilmour, on the other hand, has no problem shooting the puck. He’s played just under 340 minutes at five-on-five but in that limited sample he’s taken over 16 shots per 60 minutes, one of five defencemen to do so along with Brent Burns, Yohann Auvitu, Dougie Hamilton, and Johnny Boychuk. His ice time has been taking a hit of late though, failing to crack 15 minutes in three straight games of late.

It would appear the Rangers coaching staff is higher on Pionk than Gilmour given their deployment, but the Rangers staff may not even be around next year. Nevertheless, Gilmour’s upside without power play time might be something akin to Boychuk; 5-8 goals and 25-30 points. Pionk would be a bit more on the production side with some PP points mixed in. Because of how he’s being used, I would guess Pionk would be the guy to own after Shattenkirk next season, but a lot can change between now and October. Just wanted to get some initial thoughts out.

*

Speaking of production among defencemen, I’m not sure how many people realize this but over the last three seasons, Josh Manson leads the Ducks blue line in points per 60 minutes at five-on-five (0.85) and it’s not particularly close with Cam Fowler at 0.62. Over those three seasons, league-wide, he’s tied with the likes of Shea Weber, Morgan Rielly, and Matt Niskanen. That’s pretty good company.

It’s been a fantastic season this year with 32 points and none on the power play. All those five-on-five points have him third in the league on a per-minute basis behind only Erik Karlsson and Torey Krug. He doesn’t seem to have favour with the coaches, though, at least offensively given his non-existent PP usage and the fact that even though they lost Shea Theodore in the offseason, traded Sami Vatanen, and have been fighting injuries all season, he’s still earning just about 20 minutes a game (including a lot of short-handed minutes).

With no PP time, and without additional five-on-five minutes, this season will be the high-water mark for Manson. Don’t chase these points next year in drafts.

*

Over the summer, one thing I wrote about a couple times was the dilemma of choosing William Nylander or Mitch Marner for this season. It appears as though Marner will be the right decision. For whatever reason, even when he’s in the lineup, the Auston Matthews–William Nylander PP unit can’t get it together but the Marner unit can.

So I ask Dobber heads: if you had to pick one player for a dynasty league at the end of the season, would it be Marner or Nylander? Sound off in the comments.

*

I kind of wonder what Vladimir Tarasenko’s ADP will be next year. Barring a big point binge over the balance of the season, it’ll be the first time since 2013-14 that he’ll fail to crack 70 points. He needs four more goals to crack 35 or he’ll fail to do so since that same season. He was typically a late first round pick this year but will he be next year?

You have the staples of Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid, and Kucherov. Brad Marchand, Evgeni Malkin, Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, Patrick Kane, and Steven Stamkos probably all find themselves in the top-10. Then you have defencemen like Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, and goalies like John Gibson and Connor Hellebuyck. Throw in wild cards like the Big Two from Dallas, Mark Scheifele, Jack Eichel, Victor Hedman, Pekka Rinne, and Sergei Bobrovsky, and we could easily see Tarasenko fall outside the top-12 and maybe in the 15-20 range.

I’m just thinking out loud for now but Tarasenko is probably going to be a value next season. He’s shooting 8.45 percent on the power play (by far a career-low, having never been below 15 percent before), 10.75 percent at five-on-five (the second-lowest of his career among 82-game seasons), and has a four-year low in total assists per minute. All this is to say that despite having an established career, there may be some bad luck going on for him and his line mates. We’ll dive deeper over the summer, but I feel confident, in March, planting my flag for Tarasenko as a must-draft in the second round come September.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-point-reaches-30-goals-tavares-tops-80-points-rangers-defencemen-josh-manson-march-31/

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Power Rankings: The Bruins are getting ridiculous

The Bruins have had a lot to celebrate lately despite some recent injuries. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Hey everyone, we here at Puck Daddy are doing real power rankings for teams Nos. 1-31. Here they are, based on only how I am feeling about these teams, meaning you can’t tell me I’m wrong because these are my feelings and feelings can’t be wrong. Please enjoy the Power Feelings.

31. Vancouver Canucks (Last week: 31)

Yeah they haven’t won a game since the deadline week, but the real issue here is all the Elliotte Friedman “this is a toxic town” stuff. Media and fans do indeed complain about how bad the team is a lot.

I seem to recall that when the Canucks were good like six or seven years ago, and even before that, the local media was all too happy to carry water for them, and their fans were huge pains in the ass to deal with if you didn’t think Alex Edler was an elite defenseman or whatever.

Things were going great. So how did it get so toxic?

Let’s take the toxicity analogy as far as it will go, but pretend the Canucks aren’t a hockey team, but rather a local nuclear power concern. In this scenario, the “good local actor” company that was producing all those good returns some time ago had an industrial accident brought on by the aging core and having no real plan for dealing with, and an owner whose lack of expertise in the industry but demand to continue pushing more profit led to unsafe conditions. Eventually there’s a meltdown, and the company is now kind of shuffling around with no real plan to fix the issue.

Now then, it is absolutely not the fault of the media for merely reporting, “Hey it’s kind of messed up that all our fish have three eyes,” nor the local residents for complaining that those three-eyed fish don’t taste very good and don’t want to buy them. Should we feel bad for the poor, set-upon stewards of this company? Should we ask for more capital-C Civility in complaining about those issues?

It’s a silly idea, right? The thought that Benning and Linden and Aquilini (who’s really the brains behind all this) should be able to walk down the street without being pelted with trash is fair enough, but if you think a little name-calling on local radio and Twitter is a bigger problem than that the Canucks are a directionless franchise that can’t figure out what the hell it’s supposed to be doing, that’s outlandish.

Last I checked, it’s a fan’s right to complain when their favorite team sucks, and few would disagree that Vancouver sucks. (Those people are afflicted freaks.) So it’s in poor taste to say that? Am I getting that argument right?

Absurd.

30. Detroit Red Wings (LW: 28)

29. Ottawa Senators (LW: 30)

But hey, at least the Canucks fans aren’t Senators fans. Eugene Melnyk sent out a letter late last week saying basically, “You know I’ve done all I can to make this team competitive, right?”

Can you even imagine having that kind of audacity?

28. Buffalo Sabres (LW: 29)

27. Arizona Coyotes (LW: 27)

26. Chicago Blackhawks (LW: 23)

I saw something last week where management hasn’t really begun looking too much at ways they can improve and be competitive again this summer. Pretty funny.

Unless they can Coagula Procedure the brains of some of their core guys into younger, better players’ bodies, the fact that they’re paying a combined $54 million (give or take) to Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Brandon Saad, Artem Anisimov, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Connor Murphy, and Corey Crawford or each of the next three seasons kinda puts a damper on those plans.

They have seven players on their ELCs this year and need to re-sign three of them. This is a mess!

25. Montreal Canadiens (LW: 24)

24. New York Rangers (LW: 25)

Funny week. The Rangers sold most of their good players and then went 3-0-0 on the week, outscoring opponents 12-8. Sure, they gave up 50-plus shots in back-to-back games, but this is the opposite of what they’re supposed to be trying to do.

23. Edmonton Oilers (LW: 21)

The Oilers signed Colin Larkin, Dylan’s older brother, out of Div. 3 UMass Boston. He had 46 points in 27 games for the Beacons, putting him fifth in the nation in points per game at what is admittedly a pretty low-level quality of hockey.

It’s not unheard of for Div. 3 players to make the NHL, but it’s quite rare. The quality of these players is mostly pretty low, and it’s not uncommon for guys who couldn’t hack it in Div. 1 to transfer and become Div. 3 superstars.

So if you want to say this is a thing where the Oilers are just angling to offer-sheet Dylan Larkin this summer so he can play — and actually keep up — with Connor McDavid next year, that’s a conspiracy theory I would like to subscribe to.

22. Florida Panthers (LW: 26)

Six straight for the Panthers, and winners of 13 in their last 16. Plus they have a lengthy homestand coming up after tonight’s one-off road game at Tampa.

But here’s a real question: Does anyone think this team is any good at all? Like, anyone?

21. Carolina Hurricanes (LW: 21)

20. New York Islanders (LW: 18)

I’m calling it with these guys. They wasted their last year with Tavares. That’s my prediction.

19. Anaheim Ducks (LW: 17)

18. Calgary Flames (LW: 15)

People are gonna act like they’re falling apart because Mike Smith got hurt, but if you didn’t think: a) a 52-year-old goalie with as many hard miles on him as Smith was gonna be injury-prone, and b) Smith’s outlandishly good play this season wasn’t masking a lot of this team’s depth issues, I don’t know what to tell you.

17. Colorado Avalanche (LW: 16)

If Colorado misses the playoffs by a single point or something like that, and Nathan MacKinnon loses the Hart voting, I’m gonna riot.

16. New Jersey Devils (LW: 17)

At this point it would be very difficult for the Devils to miss the playoffs, but it really seems like they’re trying pretty hard to do it anyway.

15. Los Angeles Kings (LW: 15)

The Kings are starting to put it together again, it seems to me. A little of that is luck, at least lately, but if you think this is maybe one of the two or three worst playoff teams in the league, I have plenty of time for the argument.

14. St. Louis Blues (LW: 11)

A fun statistical quirk is the Blues got outshot by more than five shots per game and were outscored 7-12 in three games this week, but went 1-1-1. This team’s cooked. Expect the slide down the standings to continue.

13. Minnesota Wild (LW: 13)

The Wild have been hanging in this “they’re on the higher end of decent” area for a while. They keep winning with it, for the most part, but every time I’m like “Ah, I should move them up” they lose in humiliating fashion.

This week it was 7-1 at Colorado, but they’re still winners in six of their last eight, so what can I really say?

12. Columbus Blue Jackets (LW: 12)

11. Philadelphia Flyers (LW: 13)

It’s hard for me to square the Flyers being this high with their not-good week, but it was mostly on the road and all that, so I’m not too mad at ’em.

I mean, I think they have some stuff to figure out and they’re still the third-best team in their division, but I have a lot more time for them now than I did even when I was telling people not to freak out about the 10-game losing streak because this was clearly a good team.

But man, you gotta get Andy MacDonald off the ice.

10. Dallas Stars (LW: 10)

9. Toronto Maple Leafs (LW: 9)

The all-white uniforms were good. Hate to tell ya.

8. Vegas Golden Knights (LW: 6)

Losing to the Senators at home is a pretty good argument for folding the franchise.

7. Washington Capitals (LW: 9)

Let’s just say it’s a good thing the Caps had a bunch of games against the Atlantic in the past week-plus.

6. San Jose Sharks (LW: 6)

The idea that Evander Kane of all the players in the league was what the Sharks were missing is pretty weird, but here we are.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins (LW: 5)

They’re gonna have to white-knuckle this until Matt Murray comes back, for sure. But the way things have gone in his absence already, I dont know if they can pull it off without falling into a wild card spot. Imagine you’re the Caps or Flyers, you win your division, and they’re like, “Here’s the Penguins. Have a good one.” Not for me.

4. Winnipeg Jets (LW: 3)

3. Nashville Predators (LW: 4)

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (LW: 2)

1. Boston Bruins (LW: 1)

Now the Bruins just seem to be doing stuff as a joke. “Ha ha ha this is so easy for us. We’re gonna let Patrice Bergeron get hurt.” Then they keep winning. “Okay, what if Charlie McAvoy gets hurt too?”

Pretty wild to try it but I admire the gumption.

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

(All stats via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)

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                                                                                  MARCH    2018

PAGE   RIB

 *****The Stones win best trad blues album at the Grammy’s : Blue and Lonesome.  Keith says, “It’s about fucking time.”**The Stones are doing 11 more dates on the No Filter European tour. ** Keith Richards made news with his comments in the WSJ. “It’s time to snip. You can’t be a Father at that age. Those poor kids.”  He said about Mick Jagger. He could say the same about Ron Wood. He has since apologized.

*****UK parliament is debating the legalization of weed.

***** West Virginia teachers marched across the state and finally got a raise.

*****Kevin Smith, 47, had a heart attack on Feb. 26. Colin Quinn also had a heart attack on Valentines day. Get well soon.

*****Black Panther has 2 record setting weekends.

***** Three billboards were hijacked by street artist Sabo. They say: And the Oscar for biggest pedophile goes to…/ We all knew and still no arrests / name names on stage or shut the hell up. The artist previously altered a movie sign to make it seem like Al Franken was grabbing Zendaya.

***** The anti- defemation league reports that anit-semetic incidents are up in the US by 57%.

*****It looks like ABC is giving Alec Baldwin a talk show.

***** Celebs are jumping on board to stand with the kids in the March for our lives. Fallon and Goldberg will be there.

*****Michelle Obama’s memoir, BECOMING, will be here in November.

*****Studies show that so many animals found or turned in to find new homes are not given the 7 days that most people think. So many animals are simply euthanized immediately. Adopt if U can!

***** Daryl Hannah’s first full length directorial effort, Paradox is coming in March. The western stars Neil Young, , Willie, Micah and Lucas Nelson.

***** LA to Vegas on Fox is really so fun!!

***** Brad Pitt is joining the Tarantino/ DiCaprio movie that is in the works.

*****It is surprising that the department store Bergner’s has lasted as long as it has. It is the end of an era though that the Sheridan Village branch in Peoria, Il. will close its doors.  Bergner’s was founded in Peoria 130 years ago. The Sheridan Village branch opened more than 60 years ago. The parent company Bonton has had financial issues and is closing 7 stores.

*****Lebron James was speaking out as is his right and Laura Ingram told him on the air to “shut up and dribble.” The NBA star replied, “Laura who?” She wants him to go on her show. Why would he want to help her ratings? Why does Fox news believe in free speech for themselves but nobody else?

***** Jake Shears ,formerly of the Fab Scissor Sisters has gone solo and has also released a book, Boys keep swinging. Woo Hoo!! He is also playing Charlie Prince in Kinky Boots.

*****Indonesia is looking at outlawing sex before marriage.

*****Recent articles tell us that George Washington’s teeth were pulled from the heads of slaves.

*****Russia was behind the hacking in Korea during the Olympics.

*****The US was 4th at the Olympics with 23 gold medals.

***** The latest accused: Ryan Seacrest. ABC and E! are standing by him. Bellamy Young, for one wonders why he does not step down from his Oscar red carpet hosting duties. Seacrest has not mentioned any of this on his Live with Kelly show. I think the red carpet and Live would be better without him.

*****Do people get just how hard it is for sexual abuse victims to come forward?  Do we see the pattern of victims who are not believed or shut up by powerful agendas already in place? C’mon Congress, priests, teachers, police and everyone please speak up. The Nassar Olympic doctor had an unbelievable 265 victims. Open your hearts and your ears and show compassion. **Scary Clown tweets that lives are being destroyed and what happened to due process?  WTF?  You can’t have it both ways. What about the women who claimed you assaulted them? What about Al Franken and how he was pushed out?  ** And Sara H. Sanders and Kelly Ann Conway should be ashamed of themselves and the way they support these abusers. What about the grace of Sorenson and Porters alleged victims? These women had to be interviewed, disrupting their lives when these men wanted these WH positions. They told their truth but added that the men were good at their jobs. They tried to do right by men who they say abused them. It is unbelievable that our President discards them and sticks up for his buddies. As a woman we are used to this sort of behavior but it does seem time for this to end. ** Now even Trump’s celebrity spokespersons are having sex issues like Scott Baio. Why are these good old boys just allowed to go their merry way? **Brendon Fraser claims the former President of the Hollywood foreign press, Philip Berk, groped him in 2003. The’ me too’ movement gave him confidence to come forward.

*****The DOJ is cracking down on phone scammers who target the elderly. Now that is a worthy cause. I hope they get somewhere with this because this is a huge problem.

***** Olya Borisova and Sasha Sofeev of Pussy Riot have disappeared in Crimea.

*****Michelle Wolf will host the White House correspondent’s dinner.

***** Thanks for this reminder Mia : Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. ….. Shakespeare

*****James Comey tweeted: American history shows that in the long run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy.

*****Have Senators from Michigan and Wisconsin raised a red flag about abuse with voting machines? As Streisand reminds us, Gore ‘lost’ by 537 votes .  Paper ballots please!!!

*****Atlanta will be back on March 1.. Woo Hoo!!** Donald Glover got a standing ovation on Colbert. He so absolutely deserves it!! He also bought a lot of girl scout cookies.

***** Ellen DeGeneres surprised Jimmy Kimmel by dedicating a children’s hospital room to his son.

*****Poland has passed a bill that will give citizens up to 3 years in prison for accusing the Polish state or people of involvement in the Holocaust.

*****Netflix will bring us Amber Tamblyn in Paint it Black.**Ryan Murphy is moving to Netflix . FX and Fox will still bring us AHS, Feud, American Crime story and the new Pose about the transgender community in the 80’s.  Word is that Murphy was unsure about the Disney/20th Century Fox/ Comcast talks. ** Netflix cancelled Disjointed.

***** What I love about politics is the balance of power and how people who are completely different can use this beautiful government as it was set up by fairly coming to a compromise. It is not the first time but it has gone off the rails. This President pays no attention to rules. I am not always a big lover of rules but damn if we don’t need them for the running of this country. I mean he really, truly does not seem to give a fuck about this great country. ** VOTE!! The most important thing we can do is vote!  Funny or Die is giving a big push to sign up voters by going to the most important races and educating citizens.** Again, Paper Ballots please.. everyone should insist on paper ballots!

*****Mandy Patinkin got his star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

*****Zach Braff is in a new series called Alex Inc.

*****Aniston and Theroux have split.

*****Wes Anderson is back with Isle of Dogs.

*****Amy Schumer married chef Chris Fischer.

*****Another shooting and we must vote these fuckers out. Go Go Sen. Chris Murphy from Connecticut who called himself and his colleagues out. Some NRA lovin’ are trying not to trot out the same old tired line but with a twist, ”I won’t say it’s not time to talk about it but”  and then talks on about the emotion involved and the gun issue should be set aside. Some blame video games.  Others talk of metal detectors and arming teachers.  Apparently our kids should walk into fortresses. Teachers don’t have enough worries with teaching our children and figuring out how they can afford supplies.  Now they want educators to have firearm training.  This is better than a little gun regulation? The Parkland shooting took place about 40 miles from Mar A Lago. The shooter bought an AR 15 in the last year after Trump signed a bill revoking an Obama era gun check for people with mental illness.  The FBI did not look long and hard enough at complaints about the shooter. They get about a thousand tips a day. Police were called to his home at least 20 times. Scott Peterson, a deputy with a gun who was there to help prevent this did nothing. There is a lot of blame to go around.** This isn’t the first time that authority has dropped the ball. What is with all the incompetence? Patty Hearst’s name was on a list of people the SLA wanted to kidnap and nobody told her. Priests are simply moved around after they are found to be child molesters. Police who have been given warnings about racism and excessive force are left on the job. Domestic violence gets a slap on the wrist until they kill the family. Enough!!!**Big Kudos to the savvy kids who know what the fuck is going on. The young folk are not brainwashed, they want change.  They haven’t had as many years to get as angry as we are, but they are just scared.** The shooter has pictures of himself online with a MAGA hat on. Gee.. did not see that one coming.** One cannot help but think of the young people getting killed in Vietnam and the mistreatment of so many that caused students to mobilize against the war and organize for civil rights. I think the women’s march, Black lives matter, me too , impeachment rally’s and march for science have set good examples for these kids. They were paying attention but we did not do enough, we must stand with them.

*****March 24, 2018: The March for our lives! These savvy kids are taking action. They blitzed the Sunday morning circuit on the 18th with their message. They have had it with the same old shit. They want to march and with Generation Z, minorities, women and millennials we could change this country. They want comprehensive gun control and are using the words of politicians past to get their point across. ‘You are with us or against us ‘and ‘they have blood on their hands’ are just some of the lines they are using. These students do not care about republican or democrat, they care about results. Neither party has been doing them any favors lately. They plan to give out badges of shame to those who accept money from the NRA. Go Go GO!!** Another idea floated has been to stop sending kids to school until reasonable laws are put in place.** And I always wondered about this ratings system they have.  These politicians are proud to have an A+ rating? I mean who the fuck are they?

*****The NRA gave the kids a couple of days and then they came out swinging.  The NRA used a Parks and Rec GIF of Leslie Knope as they thanked Dana Loesch for being the voice of the NRA at the CNN town hall. Creator Mike Shur responded, “I would prefer you not use a GIF from the show I worked on to promote your pro slaughter agenda.” He added, Amy Poehler isn’t on twitter but she texted me a message, ‘Can you tweet the NRA for me and tell them I said fuck off.’** Many companies have severed ties with the NRA.** Scary Clown won’t talk gun legislation. ** Hey Hey NRA: You can’t be the PTA!** Over a dozen different victims of the Florida shooting have received death threats. WTF?** An armed social studies teacher in Georgia fired off a shot after not allowing students into his classroom. He later surrendered.

***** Dick’s sporting goods are pulling assault weapons from their stores permanently. The owner says the law isn’t doing enough so he is taking the steps. Wal mart stopped selling them 3 years ago. Both have now decided to raise the age in the stores to 21. Wal Mart is taking out toys that resemble assault rifles.** On the last day of February Trump said: “Take the firearms first and then go to court- take the guns first, go through due process second.” Hmm!? So now Trump is calling out the NRA a bit. Lawmakers make it so obvious that they just did not want Obama to get any credit for helping with this problem. They claim the slippery slope but they knew he and other dems did not want to take anybody’s guns away. We all want common sense and either  they never listen to other view points or they just want all the credit. Take a look at yourselves. Will Trumps hard core base like this new no due process take and how long will that point of view last? It does seem that this time businesses and states are just going ahead with their own agenda.

*****The new face on Face the Nation is moderator Margaret Brennan.** Thanks for your spotlight on the mass homicide in Syria in your first broadcast as host.

*****The Polk award winners are Jodi Kantor, Megaze and Ronan Farrow.

*****While the world was talking about the shooting and the bravery of the children for speaking up and the new revelations of Russia, Fox news spends the day in remembering of Billy Graham. RIP

*****Wendy Williams is taking time off due to a diagnosis of Graves disease.

*****A recent billboard: When will they love their kids more than their guns?

*****This whole ‘memo’ bullshit is bogus yet so dangerous. After the Dem memo, Trump tweeted a denial of phone calls.

*****Let us thank the conservatives for first funding this Russian dossier. ** Now we are hearing about a Playboy playmate that Scary Clown allegedly had a 9 month affair with. ** And hey.. Didn’t the signature red tie thing belong to Dangerfield? Stop it Trump!!

*****The Paramount network has brought us the great mini series: WACO with Michael Shannon and Rory Culkin. The biggest revelation: J. Edgar Hoover was on the Mickey Mouse Club.

*****Jedediah Bila married Jeremy Scher.

*****The 4 hour HBO doc, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling will grace us on March 26.

*****The 5th season of Arrested Development is completed for Netflix. David Cross said in an interview that the cast stands behind Jeffrey Tambor after his firing from Amazon. Arrested will be out later in the year.

****Missouri Governor Eric Greitens was indicted for felony invasion of privacy.

*****Heather Locklear was arrested for domestic violence and battery on a police officer on Feb. 25.

*****Trevor Noah’s ‘ Born A Crime will be adapted to film and will star Lupita Nyong’o.

*****The BAFTA’s were handed out. Much love was given to Three billboards outside Ebbing, Mo. For film and also to Frances McDormand , Martin McDonagh for original screenplay and Sam Rockwell. Adapted screenplay went to James Ivory, it was so good to see him honored again. Gary Oldman and Guillermo del Toro also won.

*****Snoop Dogg has a new gospel album.

*****The talk show of Harry Connick Jr. is winding down.

*****Check out This is not happening with Roy Wood Jr. I am in when he is involved. It is a sort of tell all with stand ups. The amount of liquor bottles behind them in the bar is straight out of Bob and Ringo’s (refer to Grandview USA).

*****Hulu is giving us Castle Rock with …hell yea.. Sissy Spacek.

***** Somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scars on the hopeful face of a young child.. Lyndon Johnson

*****After the Rob Porter mess Priebus and other flunkies were on the Sunday shows. The kiss ass idiots said a lot of’ I don’t knows’ and ‘from my point of views’.  Why were they even on when they have no info?  We heard a lot of, ‘I’d never heard of that’ and ‘I didn’t know who he was.’  These selfish, stupid men tripping over their words who seem so afraid of Trump. White men at the top of the food chain and they are not happy with that. They are bitter and mean. Men put in prominent positions who know nothing.. well done WH. I ask again, what does he have on these people?** But why was Porter and at least a hundred others still working with sensitive material without clearance? ** David Axelrod made a good point saying, “Everyone thought John Kelly would rub off on Trump but Trump has rubbed off on Kelly.”  Or perhaps he mused, that we are finding out who these people really are. ** It seems they all think they are so smart and they are the first to ever be in the WH. There are others who know how this all works and it is good they call them on it, even though it isn’t nearly often enough.** Chris Wray contradicts the WH on the timeline of the Rob Porter investigation. The FBI tells us that their work was completed in July and new info was sent in January which closed things down. The President can clear anyone he wants so he can disregard that info. The WH keeps telling us this is all normal but other administrations disagree. The Obama team did top assistance clearance 6 months in advance. ** Jared Kushner was stripped of his high level security clearance. About 3 dozen others are in jeopardy as well.

*****Hope Hicks is out!** Josh Raffel is out!

*****Melania’s parents have just become US citizens, part of the migration plan that Trump wants to kill.** Melania made a nice speech in the East room of the WH on the 26th. Why is there nothing in the news feed about that? OK it is funny that she wants to stop the negative social media with what we see from the hubby on a daily basis. But she did address the opiod crisis and encouraged the kids from the school shooting to speak up. Well done!

*****Jessica Ford has made yet another attempt to gain access to the White House. She was charged with possession of a gun which I guess they don’t like? She sure wants to make herself known in Washington.

*****The children who were rescued from the notoriously evil parents recently were each given a guitar from Fender.

*****A judge has sided with John Oliver and HBO after they were sued by Robert Murray. Murray, a coal exec was told by the West Virginia state court that the humorous jabs were satire and the other statements were based on judicial opinion and government reports.

*****Red Fawn Farris took a plea deal from charges related to Standing Rock. She pled guilty to civil disorder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Sentencing will sometime after April.

*****I wonder if any journalists are trying to get interviews with the first lady? I would like to hear what she has to say.

***** Steve Martin and Martin Short: An evening you will forget for the rest of your life is coming to Netflix. Their tour continues and this night was taped in South Carolina.

***** The WH revolving door continues: Rob Porter out.. Rachel Brand out.. David Sorenson out..

***** Word is spreading that law enforcement is identifying some citizens as ‘black identity extremists’ which gives police license to monitor protestors. Just when the public calls out harsh treatment, they find another way in.

*****Can we all promise to never use the phrase ‘nothing burger’ ever again?

*****Putin is reportedly so happy with all the mess he has caused in this country.  With no sanctions being imposed, Turkey and China are now getting in the ‘fuck with the US elections’ game.** 13 Russians have been indicted and no Americans , so far, were involved. The operatives were supposed to do anything they could to hurt Hillary. It shows you how scared Russia was of her. So far, it looks like Trump campaigners helped unwittingly. ** Russia is now putting pro gun messages out there to add chaos to the Florida shooting.** Dozens of Russians were at the National prayer breakfast. Really? We need a unified Russian strategy. The elections are closer every day.  Trump just keeps acting like a cult leader and making it all about him. Children are dead and he just keeps tweeting his ‘innocence’ in the Russian investigation. ** The History channel is taking on Putin with a new special, America’s biggest threat: Vladimir Putin**Alex Van Der Zwann, a lawyer who was part of a Ukranian ministry has been indicted for false statements to the FBI.**Top Trump aide Rick Gates has pled guilty to secret foreign lobbying, lying to the FBI and helping Manafort cheat on his taxes. It seems he  committed another crime as he was making the deal!** Admiral Mike Rogers says they are not doing enough to stop the sustained aggression of Russia and he does not know why. Scary Clown says he is weighing several options.

*****No wonder so many put up with the way the WH tries to ‘handle’ us.  Fox , the NRA and much of the conservative movement has been grooming us for generations. They aren’t all as honorable as John McCain. Many churches spoon feed their congregations what they want them to believe, how they want them to vote. The term’ fake news’ fits right in with all this.  Stand up and investigate on your own, don’t just BELIEVE anyone!

*****Just when I start to get used to Meghan McCain, she is on camera rolling her eyes at the raw emotion of the kids and parents in the town hall meeting. ** The rumor is that Joy and Meghan fight a lot behind the scenes. I am not there but I think they probably get it out onstage. What is it about some conservatives that they seem to have such a problem with peace, love and compromise?

***** A complaint from whistleblower Helen Foster says that Cindy Carson, Ben’s wife pressured officials for big money to redecorate. $31,000 of taxpayer money was spent on a dining room set for Ben’s office. Federal law requires congressional approval to furnish or redecorate if costs exceed 5 thousand bucks. When Foster refused to comply she was demoted and transferred. The Department of housing and urban development has cut money for the homeless, the elderly and the poor.

*****Thank goodness for the Carl Reiners and the Ian Stewarts of the world who brought us wonderful art. They put their egos in check and approached things different than they had originally intended. The world needs more of this.

*****Wal Mart is really such a terrible place. I am much happier since I no longer give them money. I should have listened to my friends and done it a long time ago. Sometimes it has to hit me right in the face for me to see it.

***** One has to wonder if Rosenstein et al like it when Trumps doings shines a spotlight on them.

*****Andy Richter came thru his knee surgery ok.

*****So happy for The Philadelphia Eagles but what the fuck is the matter with those fans?  With celebrations like that and all the injuries, it might be good to see the end of football that has been  predicted.** It did seem a strange choice to me to have Justin Timberlake sing. Why not some diversity? Some other kinds of music genres? I mean.. boring!!

*****The Dow had its biggest 1 day drop ever. People have started to worry about inflation.

*****Jim Carrey is urging others to do dump Facebook stock and delete accounts. He called the Trump presidency a botched Russian black op.

*****Check out the committee to investigate Russia online.  Rob Reiner is on the advisory board talking to John Brennan and James Clapper.

***** Bastille day? Really? Our dictator wants a North Korean military style parade? Is he fucking kidding? How many homeless vets could be helped with the millions it would take to give him this parade?

*****A new HBO doc, Elvis Presley: The Searcher is coming. Director Thorn Zimmy had complete access to Graceland archives.  The score is from Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and includes some deep cuts and alternate mixes.

*****Tribeca’s opening night will premiere a Gilda Radner doc: Love, Gilda.

*****Lenny Dykstra, a former buddy of Charlie sheen claims that Sheen is about to be brought down by the Feds. A Former inmate and Mets and Phillies team member, Dykstra is looking to make a documentary so some see an ulterior motive in talking. The charges he leveled were Sheens involvement in a murder, beating his pregnant x-wife, tax and wire fraud and knowingly spreading HIV. Lenny himself has been accused of being a racist and homophobe as well as indecent exposure, sexual assault and grand theft auto.

*****CNN’s The Radical story of patty Hearst is great. This is a story which will never go away and this is full of all the flashpoints. I am a bit sickened to listen to Bill Harris tell his story. He acts like he telling some cool story from a high school party or something as he tells of his role in the kidnapping and brainwashing of a woman. He looks so comfy and satisfied with himself.

*****Sam Waterston was back on law and Order SVU as Jack McCoy!!

*****Gerber chose Lucas Warren, the first down syndrome child ever picked as their spokesbaby.

*****Why was a tiny little company hired by FEMA to deliver meals? The 50 million needed  in Peurto Rico were suddenly reduced to 50 thousand. They claimed nobody missed a meal.

*****It may have started in Florida with the Marlins but in baseball spring training all the teams will wear Stoneman Douglas caps. Some of the major leaguers graduated from there. They will sign them and sell them to aid the victims.

*****So Jeff Sessions has taken back Obama’s memo that allows Native American nations all the same rights as legal Marijuana states to go into the weed biz. They are shutting them down one by one. The state of California is no help by locking tribes out of the market. How many times do you think this country has to kick our native brothers and sisters in the head? How much longer will we torture these people?

*****Kathy Griffin has done the pixie cut in support of her sister who died of cancer in September. Kathy says: “When you’re a woman, you get one fuck up and Its all over.”

*****The Berlin International film fest gave the top prize, the golden bear to Touch Me Not. Best director went to Wes Anderson for Isle of Dogs, best actor went to Anthony Bajon and best actress to Ana Brun.

*****Days alert: Ok.. Days, I do wish all soaps could be a bit more original than one night stands that produce babies and then the origin of said baby is hidden. I wish people did not always come back from the dead or good characters didn’t suddenly act evil when they could have told family and friends they were being blackmailed and got their help. OK that said and suspending disbelief we watch Days anyway cuz it is great. Anna is back and I hope they keep her around. I am so glad Eric and Jen found each other again. Please someone kill Stefan. MORE LUCAS! Let’s get the Raif/Hope/ Sami thing resolved so they can move on. When did Kerry get so hateful? And Eli should apologize to his Mother since he is going to lie to his child and for much lamer reasons than she did.** Where the fuck is Adrienne?** Nice call back as Stefan was reading the Kimberly Brady Donovan book about split personalities.

*****R.I.P. Dennis Edwards, Louis Zorich, Christopher Cattrall, John Mahoney, victims of the Taiwan quake, victims of the Florida shooting,  Reg E. Cathey, Johann Johannsson,  Asma Jahangir, Sue Barton, Levone Bennett Jr., Jim Downing, Nanette Fabray, the victims in Syria, Sridevi, Emma Chambers and Benjamin Melniker.

[theworstbob]

yellin’ at songs, week forty-two

10.25.1997 10.27.2007 10.28.2007

10.25.1997

81) "You're Not Alone," by Olive

Context matters. I react poorly to a lot of these European dance anthems. But real talk, if I heard this song in Eurovision, this would be extremely my shit. This song would finish fifth place in Eurovision and part of my shit is really loving the fifth place finisher in Eurovision. And this is at least somewhat subtle, it nicely builds to the moments of loud synthy garbage. I'm down with this! No, it's not good, but a song doesn't have to be good for you to like it.

95) "Sunshine," by Jay-Z ft./Babyface & Foxy Brown

How come there aren't any hip-hop love songs? Thre aren't any rap songs that begin by saying, "Yo, I'm takin' my best girl to the Japanese place downtown!" and THEN describe how big her ass is and how lovely her breasts are. There's been a long and steady devolution to this point where dudes are singing "I know you wanna love but I just wanna fuck" and all that, and I don't wanna seem like a prude, but songs about going out for sushi are way more interesting than breaking sex down into this animalistic transaction of pleasure from which no pleasure is ever actually derived because the singer is sad all the time and sex is meaningless.

97) "Pushin' Inside You," by Sons of Funk

OK. OK, I wasn't saying music wasn't crass in 1997. Of course there was shit going on, but you at least had counter-points to the more explicit songs.

98) "When Love Starts Talkin'," by Wynonna

Hey, remember the LeAnn Rimes song for a few hours ago? That was a lovely up-tempo hoedown, and I said I wouldn't mind to encounter it again, and guess what! I encountered it again, and I didn't mind! I love that 1997 put a fast country track with a dope female vocalist in my path! Good work this week, 1997, even if I don't have much to say about anything you offered. A B can win you most of these weeks, though.

10.27.2007

74) "As If," Sara Evans

So this week, Garth Brooks becomes the 37th member of the Decade Dance Club and the twelfth country dude, and the ratio is 12 country dudes to 2 country gals, and it's kind of weird that Keith Urban has made a decade-long career making perfectly cromulent songs that sometimes have a fiddle, but I haven't seen Sara Evans on this chart this year! This song is at least as OK as "Everybody." I wonder why Sara Evans didn't last in the country culture for as long as Keith Urban has! Very weird that country radio would just discard a woman, usually they treat women with a ton of respect and also as equals, it must absolutely be something she said. I am not going to look up what she said because I'm convinced it's her fault she couldn't find enduring success in a genre with as much equality as country music.

89) "Stay," Sugarland

The last country song had the phrase "blue jeans" in the first line and this song has the phrase "praying, PRAYING" in the second line and OK while modern music is all same-y and one song is indiscernable from the next at least it doesn't feel like pandering. You can make the argument that Post Malone is making an effort at honestly portraying his life (his "mood," as it were), and while his music is absolutely garbage, he's chosen a style of music he believes is consistent with his state of affairs and not the style that will make him most rich. I would have respected this song so much more if it were just an acoustic guitar and the vocals the whole time. What's that in the background, an organ or something? It's bullshit. It's dumb that you put it there.

91) "Clumsy," Fergie

I have made the argument before that Fergie's songs are actually good and that we have trouble separating art from the artist, have trouble considering "Glamorous" independent of the Humpsy context. I am not making this argument here. This song is horrible on every level. It's like someone half-heard an Amy Winehouse song in a grocery store and was asked two days later to write their version of that song.

95) "Pictures of You," The Last Goodnight

Real talk: I own this album. I have no idea why I bought it. I have no idea what about this song made me want to buy an entire album by this band. I think I just related to a dude with a mohawk making shallow pop music about how nice it is to remember someone you like, because hey that's pretty much me. "Yeah, man, I'm punk as fuck, I think capitalism is a failed experiment and I post on Facebook about Pokemon Christmas Bash."

10.28.2017

20) "Almost Like Praying," by Lin-Manuel Miranda ft./Artists for Puerto Rico

Help how you can.

55) "Pray," by Sam Smith

A MID-tempo Sam Smith song?! My stars! I didn't know he had it in him! Someone must have tricked him into eating a candy bar, or gave him one of those things that come from the granola bar companies that is real talk just a candy bar. "This is covered in chocolate." "It's Nature Valley, Samuel, a brand you can trust." And while he was in his sugar rushed state, they got him to agree to perform a song that had drums in it. Sam Smith: I don't go to church. A choir: NOOOOOO this song is stupid

60) "How Long," by Charlie Puth

It seems redundant that Charlie Puth is a thing while Maroon 5 is still a thing. My theory is that, when Adam Levine said "I hate this country so much" on a hot mic when his The Voice children were in a bad situation, Maroon 5 was Not A Thing for long enough that a new Chosen One was allowed to activate, and now there's two Maroon 5s wandering the earth and fighting evil with absolute peak sexiness. Is Charlie Puth hot? I think he might be hot in the sense that he's a music celebrity and there's a team of people making sure he looks at least acceptable when performing even mundane tasks like getting a Coke from a gas station, but would you give him a second thought if he were just a dude? Like, Adam Levine, you'd fuck that dude even if he weren't famous. You wouldn't give Charlie Puth the time of day if you didn't know his name from his dumb songs.

72) "Heaven," by Kane Brown

I'm back to being OK with this dude. His voice is pleasant, and I appreciate a small dose of sacrilege in a country song. I want this dude not to try for pop/country stardom and try for that Chris Stapleton stuff. Like, if this dude could add a convincing growl, he'd be unstoppable. But this needs to be the last time he makes a song like this.

91) "Dear Hate," by Maren Morris ft./Vince Gill

listen, country music, you can't say "Dear hate, I saw you on the news today" and then not name names. you also can't say "Dear hate, you sure are colorblind" and expect me to think you stand for anything. draw a line. tell me what you believe so i know if i can fuck with you. if you're gonna make a song called "Dear Hate," it's gotta do more than say "it'd be nice if people liked love!" it's "FDT" or nothing, y'all.

95) "Lights Down Low," by MAX ft./gnash

I appreciate that two young men with such different approaches to the caps lock key were able to bring their perspectives together for this song. This song was fine! I like that it goes somewhere and that MAX actually did things with his voice beyond lazily whisper over some EDM nonsense. I'd like to hear more from this guy, though I'm probably not gonna seek it out! He seems to really have a handle on how to make decent pop songs, and I'd like to hear what he does with less slow-jamzy stuff. Congratulations, MAX! You made me forget you put gnash on the track!

97) "Too Hotty," by Quality Control ft./Quavo, Takeoff & Offset

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy is this not credited as a collaboration with migos? did we all just sort of agree that migos isn't a thing and the three members are now only solo artists? This was about as good as any other Migos song. And that's fine! Migos is good! I mostly like what they do, I just, I'm just typing words. At this point, y'all give me trap, I'm just gonna type until it looks like there's enough words and decide the content is substantive. Here you go. Hot content, fresh off the fingertips.

Who won the week?

Uh... Honestly, this week was more or less acceptable for everyone. No truly standout tracks, but nothing I’d be angry to ever hear again. I think 1997 takes it because light-hearted Jay-Z is such a rare and delightful version of Jay-Z we don’t really hear from that much, so yeah, ‘97.

Current standings: 1997: 16 2007: 12 2017: 14 Next time: we consider the Dawson’s Creek theme song, we listen to four songs people made in 2007 because they were out of ideas, and I get to find out what Russell Dickerson is. What a dumb name! I know he’s not a country dude because there’s no way you’re making it in country with a name like Russell Dickerson, too many syllables.