It certainly didn’t feel like spring today

Greetings, readers. No, it most certainly did not feel like spring today. Smith, Traci, and I went out for coffee at 7:30 this morning before church, and the wind was blowing briskly right in our faces. It was 62F yesterday, but today I don’t think it made it to 40F. No wonder my back is in spasm!

Yes, I woke up from my afternoon nap with a back spasm. Every time the weather gets colder and the wind blows, my back seems to say, “Nope, I’m going to rebel.” I guess I’ll take two Aleve before bedtime… As usual.

I shall definitely have the heater running this evening. The low temperature is going to be below freezing. It always happens, you know. Just when we think warm weather is here, mother nature decides to laugh in our faces, and play a cruel prank. My friend Jim calls March the “adolescent month”. Well, March is over tomorrow. It can start getting warmer anytime.

Speaking of spring starting, baseball season is in full swing… No pun intended. I’ve already watched more baseball on TV in the past week than I did all of last season. Isn’t that amazing! I call myself a baseball fan, but hardly ever watch the real McCoy. I told myself that I was going to watch more real baseball this season, and play fewer baseball video games. I must draw myself back to the real world.

I did want to thank the two folks who recently purchased Four’s a Crowd. I don’t think we’re going to make the New York Times best sellers list, but every sale helps. Thanks so much! I don’t think my idea for Five’s a Family has strong enough legs to stand on at the moment, but I still have the notes on my computer, and two other writing projects ready to begin. Yes, you read correctly, two writing projects at one time. Wowzers!

Finally, between now and Wednesday afternoon, I’m going to do some research on baseball’s new rules to speed up the game. I’ll be speaking my mind on Wednesday… Oh yes. I’m not going to give the entire blog topic away, but suffice it to say that I am not for some of these rule changes.

There you have today’s blog entry. If you are in an area of the world where bad weather is happening, I certainly hope it turns sunny and warmer for you soon. I pray for all those who need prayers this evening. Do take care, will see you Wednesday, and as always, happy reading.

Top ten list of silly minor league baseball team names

Greetings, readers. We haven’t had a top ten list in a while, which got Rebecca and I thinking about what would be a good topic for said list. Here is the one we have chosen. I watch quite a bit of baseball and sometimes the minor league teams can have some bizarre names. Here is my list of some of the silliest names in the minor leagues, in no particular order, except number 1 and 2.

#10. Montreal Canadiens. [The team is in Montreal, Canada. Of course they are going to be Canadiens.]

#9. Lehigh Valley IronPigs. [On Wikipedia it did give a short synopsis as to why that name was chosen and it made sense. I still think it sounds a bit goofy. It is not one of my favorites.]

#8. Hartford Bees. [As opposed to the old NHL’s Hartford Whalers, which made much more sense, the Hartford Bees just sounds like a name that was chosen at the last second. I will have to do some supplementary research.]

#7. Modesto Nuts. [Johnny Carson would have had a field day with this one. The area, I’m sure, is known for one or multiple kinds of nuts. But for a baseball team … when men are usually adjusting themselves at times, the team with the name Nuts is not a team I would want to play for.]

#6. Erie SeaWolves. [The more I say it the cooler the name sounds, but are there really wolves in the sea?]

#5. Greensboro Grasshoppers. [I know what this team was going for. They wanted a team name that began with the letter G. No one is afraid of the big bad grasshopper.]

#4. Los Angeles Dodgers. [Back when this team was in Brooklyn, the fans had to dodge the trolleys to get to the stadium, hence the name the Trolley Dodgers in the early years. Now that the team plays in the wide open spaces at Dodger Stadium, the name is more iconic than fitting.]

#3. Richmond Flying Squirrels. [When I first heard this name many years ago, I did not know that there was actually such a thing as a flying squirrel. Even with that knowledge, I still think the name is one of the silliest ones. Sorry Richmond.]

#2. New Orleans Babycakes. [Rebecca filled me in on what the origin of the name might be, with the area making King cakes and, she thinks, Baby cakes for Mardi Gras.]

Honorable mention. The Portland Sea Dogs. [I love Maine, as you all know, I’ve seen Hadlock Field, where this team plays, and it is a mini Fenway Park. Oops, I just gave it away, yes they are affiliated with the Boston Red Sox. However … do dogs swim in the sea? I think not.]

#1. Amarillo Sod Poodles. [This even made Rebecca chuckle. Okay, what is a sod poodle? I think a second grader could come up with a better name than that. Again, I’ll do some supplementary research. My view on a couple of these team names might change, but don’t hold your breath.]

There is our list for today. We hope you enjoy it and get a chuckle out of some of these names. If any of you want to set me straight, feel free to leave me comments. Until Sunday, when I dictate another blog entry using the speech recognition program, take care, have a wonderful few days, and happy reading.

Not quite the weekend I expected and boy, what a find!

Greetings, readers. On March 22, just two days ago, I was happy and excited to download the brand-new version of Out of the Park Baseball 20. I figured it would be an easy download, and that I would be playing the game within thirty minutes. Boy, was I wrong!

On my first three download attempts, I got error messages out the backside. Those of you who know me, know I have a short fuse sometimes, and don’t take disappointment well. Yes, after the third download attempt with multiple error messages, I wanted to throw the laptop out the eighth story window. I took a break and tried again that evening. To my amazement, it worked with no error messages! 😊 Now all I had to do was download the historical stadiums files. The laptop was working on something for almost 45 minutes. When I took a look at what I had, it appeared as though nothing had been downloaded. I was very sad. ☹ I opened up last year’s game files to see if perhaps it was called something different, or if I needed to put the new files in a certain folder. By this time, it was going on 10 PM, and I was tired. I told Josie that it was time for bed.

Around 5 PM this afternoon, I’m going to make one last attempt to download the new version of the game, and its classic stadiums. I have a couple of errands to do this afternoon, and I’m expecting company. I’m hoping that by seven or eight tonight, I shall be gleefully playing baseball.

Now on to the find! For those of you old enough to not have a television set while growing up, you know that it was radio that kept you entertained. I’ve always been a fan of the TV show Dragnet. Well… I found 250 some odd 30-minute radio broadcasts of that show. OMG! I shall be listening for weeks, if not months. Jack Webb as Joe Friday, is the same as in the TV series. His first partner on the radio was Ben Romero, played by William Barton Yarborough. He has a little southern accent to him, which I’m not used to, but the character is strong. Romero was Joe Friday’s partner for the first three seasons on the radio.

There is what’s been going on the last few days. Today we actually had a warmer day. The cold and wind yesterday were hideously obnoxious! I’m so glad that winter is almost over. Rebecca and I won’t be getting together on Wednesday, so until Thursday afternoon, I bid you a great few days, love one another, take care of yourself, and happy reading.

Spring Cleaning 2019

Greetings, readers. Along with the warmer temperatures and baseball season comes one of my annual chores which I dread. It’s called spring cleaning. One day in very early April when it is at least 55 or 60 degrees F, I shall open all the windows and get to work.

I’ll buy plenty of trash bags from Target and go through all my living room and bedroom junk, getting rid of things such as old papers, boxes, and empty pill bottles. Yes, Josie loves to play with those, maybe I’ll keep one or two bottles for her. I have two dead recliners in the living room, which are now being used as storage place. Oh, how ugly! Last year at this time, I think I was further along with keeping my apartment clean than I am now. I seem to have regressed. Shame on me.

Only once in my life have I ever cleaned my room from top to bottom in one shot. My mother almost fainted. When I get motivated, I can do it. My strong point in such cleaning matters is to do one area at a time and get it done. Then I must be careful that when I move on I simply don’t shift things and re-clutter the area I just did.

I’ll go from table to recliners, to the window area, making everything spotless. I might even rent a Rug Doctor. Then it will be the kitchen’s turn to be scrubbed within an inch of its life. The two areas I am dreading are the bedroom and my walk-in closet which doubles as a storage unit. This project must be done before next inspection.

I’ve been putting this chore off until spring time, but what do you know, spring arrives at 10:00 tonight. I’ve never been one to keep a tidy house/apartment, so even after I clean, the chore of keeping it such will be the main undertaking. One of these Wednesdays I might even ask Rebecca to help me out by holding the trash bag. She always seems to help me get motivated as she is excellent in her organizational skills. That’s what I need in this apartment … organization.

Prayers for everyone in New Zealand who was affected by the mosque shootings. So sad, so terribly sad. I wish people would take the advice of Ellen DeGeneres and just be kind to one another. I would like to take it one step further and end all wars for seven days; just try to get along with everyone, it might actually work. I don’t think that is going to happen, but wouldn’t it be nice. Hope springs eternal.

Until Sunday, I shall leave you with this. I am going to practice what I preached, and be kind to everyone I see today. I invite you to do the same. That’s it, from Pastor Joe.

Until Sunday, have a great few days, love one another, and as always, happy reading.

Could my fall a few weeks back have injured me worse than I thought?

Greetings, readers. I have been asking myself this question for about a week now. A few weeks back, you may recall, I passed out, fell down and had to go to the emergency room. I thought it was just going to take time for my backside, hips, and legs to heal. Well…, they did. My right shoulder did not.

I have had to take two Aleve in the morning and in the evening. I don’t like to take pain reliever, but if I want to sleep without pain, those two little tablets are a must. At first, I thought my problem might’ve been caused by my neck cracking. Yes, dear readers, I have that bad habit. Lately though I am beginning to wonder if my pain issue is not arthritis, or a problem with my rotator cuff. If it is the latter, and surgery is needed, I am not going to be a happy camper. I’m sure I’ve said many times before, “I’m allergic to pain!”

I shall call my family doctor tomorrow morning and make an appointment. They have an x-ray machine right there on the premises, and hopefully that picture or series of pictures, will give me some useful information. I’m going to be 54 years old this July, and I suppose it is inevitable that arthritis will creep into my body somewhere along the line. The only reason that I am even entertaining the thought of a rotator cuff injury, is that the start of the pain seems to coincide with my fall. Hmm, not good. ☹

I am definitely trying not to crack my neck as much, and hopefully I can stop doing that ugly habit completely. My shoulder actually felt fine during last Wednesday’s performance, but afterwards…, the adrenaline wore off. Ouch!

Speaking of last Wednesday’s performance, I obtained the video segments from my friend Greg Brown {all segments of said show are the copyrighted material of Greg Brown}. He used his brand-new, ultra-sharp video camera. Oh boy! To say that I am pleased with the outcome is an understatement. Over the next week or two, I shall be posting one segment at a time onto my Facebook page. There you will see my newest face war-paint creation, the black diamond. It looked so cool. Thanks go out to friends, Smith, Tasha and Mike for all their help. 😊

There is today’s blog entry. I bid everyone a wonderful Sunday, happy St. Patrick’s Day, spread some love around, and as always, happy reading.

I am officially semi-retired from performing

Greetings, readers. Although I am not discounting doing standup comedy or some other kind of light entertainment for the residents of Addison Court, my days of performing KISS tribute shows are now over. This morning I could barely get my hoodie over my aching shoulders. Rebecca made a good point when she mentioned that I was like someone who had never gone to a gym before and tried to lift every weight in the place for three solid hours. I expected to hurt today … but not quite this bad. Lol.

In my last rehearsal, in the wee hours of yesterday morning, I realized I did not know the words to “King of the Night Time World” as well as I needed to, so, yes, at the very last second the song “Watchin’ You” was added in its place. This is something I have never done before. Usually my playlist is set in stone two week’s in advance.

After fingernails were painted black and make-up was applied I was primed and ready to go. Only one problem. The pizzas had not arrived yet. So I held my position while Mike checked the lobby door again, and again, and again. I was trying to keep my face war-paint a secret, but from my perch I could tell that we had a full room. Eventually I had to tell Mike please just hit the play button. We couldn’t let the folks wait endlessly.

It was quite a surprise when I came out to my first song, “Deuce.” I was full of energy and I was raring to go. At the end of the third song, “Ladies Room,” I was most happy that I had my water bottle, with a hefty splash of grape flavored 5 Hour Energy, because I knew that my energy levels were already declining. Even though the face-paint job looked good, my lipstick application, that I did myself, did not turn out as planned, and every time I took a sip of water, more of the lipstick got stuck in the bottle’s drinking hole. After a while I began to taste grape with lipstick. Not a good combination.

I must say that Mike Weaver stole the show. Where I performed a KISS tribute show, where not many people know the words to the songs, Mike chose soft rock numbers and had the entire audience singing along. Even our friend Julie, who knew the hand signals to “YMCA,” came up front and helped the crowd follow along with the song. My friend Smith told me at the time that Mike was having the time of his life and he was so happy that I included him in the show. I think I will be turning the entertainment over to Mike the next time around while I do the half-time show. Folks, I’m gettin’ to old for this kind of thing.

Well, there is today’s blog entry. After Rebecca and I are done, I will relax the rest of the day. This morning I was up in arms thinking I had a dentist’s cleaning appointment this afternoon, where I would have been horribly uncomfortable in their chair, but I found out that appointment is not until next Thursday. Yay! Around 1:00pm will begin R & R time. I might listen to the show’s playlist one last time for pleasure before erasing it from Spotify.

Until Sunday, when I dictate a new entry, have a great couple of days, take care, and as always, happy reading.

P.S. Thanks to Rebecca, for catching the goofs that the auto reader on my speech recognition program failed to catch on Sunday.

Showtime in three days!!!

Greetings, readers. With only three days left before my big show on Wednesday, I have been concentrating almost all my efforts on practicing. I am pleased to announce that the show is taking shape nicely, and stands to be one of the best ever! My friend, Greg Brown, will be recording it for me. That way I’ll have something to use as uploads to Facebook and YouTube.

Would you believe I was still tinkering with the playlist as of yesterday? But I know all the KISS songs which I am performing, so it’s not that big of a deal. Seeing as how this show might be my last, I am hoping for perfection. I’ve told myself though that I won’t get too upset if I make a boo-boo.

My friend, Mike, has been practicing his halftime show diligently. He’s worked so hard, and I think the audience is going to love his efforts. Where I am performing KISS songs, Mike is doing some softer material, such as tunes from Glen Campbell, Ronnie Millsap and two numbers by the Village People. Imagine going from heavy metal to soft rock and disco! What a show it’s going to be. I’ve been asked by a few people, “Is this really your final show?” My answer… “You never know.” If I do any more public performing at Addison Court Apartments, it might be some stand-up comedy or some dramatic skits. Time will tell.

On to another topic. The Mercury has finally reached the 40s F. Thank God! I was tired of going for morning coffee, and freezing my derrière off. Luckily, our destination is only a block away. Between the temperatures rising and daylight savings time now upon us, I’m going to be much happier than I was a few weeks ago. Yay, spring is coming!

That’s today’s blog entry. As most of my Facebook followers know, my performance is on Wednesday, so Rebecca and I will be back with you with a new entry on Thursday. Until then, I bid all of you a wonderful weekend, be kind to your loved ones, take care and happy reading.

 

One week to go before what could be my final musical performance

Greetings, readers. I can’t believe I only have one week to go until the big day, my KISS tribute show in the Addison Court apartment’s community room. I had two months, I blinked and sneezed and all that time went away. Seven days is not much time when you’ve only had two full-scale rehearsals, one of which was ruined by an argument with an outside party. I’m going to practice in my room this afternoon and I hope to have at least one more full-scale rehearsal down in the community room; possibly this weekend. With the aid of a lot of prayers, and some 5 Hour Energy shots, combined with lots of agua, I think I can pull it off.

I’ve had to be very careful in selecting my playlist. The song “Take Me” almost had to go, for its first two lines are, “Put your hand in my pocket and grab onto my rocket.”  Yes, I want to imitate my favorite band, but I also don’t want to embarrass any of my friends of the female gender. This is why I did not include songs such as, “Love Gun,” and “Rocket Ride.” I think I’ve selected a very good playlist, with most of KISS’s famous standards well represented. From “Strutter” to “Detroit Rock City”, from “Calling Dr. Love” to “Rock and Roll All Nite,” I think I have chosen the ultimate assortment.

After we publish today’s blog entry and have our weekly meeting, Rebecca and I are going to Amazon to find some stage props, in the form of posters. I think it will help the audience who don’t know KISS well to see an image of whom I am portraying. If I can find four posters or T-shirts for a decent price, I’m going to make the purchase. When we get on the site, I’ll have to hunt for a good deal. If not, I’ll dig out my old record albums and use those.

I’m 53 years old now, with an aching right shoulder, bad hips and feet. But hell, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons are in their late 60s. If they can do it, so can I. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.

There’s our blog entry for today. I shall post another new one on Sunday; on a brighter topic than last weekend. Rebecca and I will be back on Thursday. If my show turns out well and is recorded I intend to put it on either my Facebook page, YouTube, or both. Wouldn’t it be a gas if one of the members of KISS somehow saw this tribute? That would be awesome! 😉

Until Sunday, have a great week and early weekend, bundle up if you are in the cold, spread love around, and as always happy reading.

Mourning the ‘loss’ of a friend today

Greetings, readers. No, my former friend didn’t pass away, but she might as well have. My younger, unnamed neighbor friend and I got into such a horrible argument on Friday, that police had to be called. I won’t go into the details for privacy reasons, but suffice it to say there is no possible way that she and I can continue to be friends. My stress level can’t take it.

I am twenty-three years older than she, and our friendship dynamic was that of an adopted father and daughter. She has some issues that she deals with every day, as we all do. Sometimes though, she has trouble keeping a handle on her emotions and temper. Well… the other day, she snapped the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Yes, dear readers, it was that bad.

I am still trying to process all the events of Friday afternoon. I do feel as though I am in mourning. I have lost a good friend; the bridge she burned down can never be rebuilt. It’s sad. I have to hold my head up high when I walk in and out of the lobby area, and if she is sitting there, I must walk passed her without any acknowledgement. The texts she sent me were indeed that hurtful.

Well, enough about my gloomy Friday. I just needed to get that off my chest a little. I shall continue to pray for my former friend. On Wednesday, Rebecca will be here, and we’ll have another new blog entry for you.

Until then, have a great weekend, take care, AVOID THE SNOW IF YOU CAN!!!, love one another, and happy reading.