I want to start by wishing everybody a very Merry Christmas. If you are not one to celebrate Christmas, I send my holiday wishes to whichever holiday you celebrate and hope you have a joyful one indeed. Through this post, I would like to share with you some important updates relating to myself and anything having to do with this blog that will be occurring within the upcoming days, weeks, and perhaps we can keep going about with months as well. Throughout the winter break, lasting now until mid-January, I hope to accomplish plenty of tasks from reading to writing to a literary web show. This should really bring festivity to the end of this year and the beginning of next, so I shall begin!
1. Literary Gladiators
This is the name of my newest project I plan to dig deeper into in the beginning of January. Literary Gladiators is my literary web show in which my fellow English majors and I will be discussing different texts in literature, whether they're novels, short stories, and poems, we plan to dissect the meaning of each of these works while treating them as they're meant to be treated on the surface. For now, I will share just the first names of the people participating. Those who will regularly appear with me on the program include my good friend Charles, whom I participated in four classes with and he's just a riot! He likes drums, cookies, and Noo Noos, but also gives witty analogies concerning the pieces. Jim, another regular, is just witty! He's a genius in his own right and holds back no punches as he speaks. In many ways, he's the x-rated Nipsey Russell with his dirty limericks. We also plan on having rotating guests ranging from Gerilyn, who is just so cheerful but intelligent, Nicole, who is the feisty Rottweiler of the crew possessing plenty of literary knowledge and will be a joy to debate, while Brianna holds a high range of intelligence, especially in the realm of American Literature. Finally, Christine Connery from Talk Nerdy to Me will be one of the more frequent rotating guests. She is a huge driving force on the filming end and she'll be a driving force when we film the first ten episodes. Her, Jim, Charlie, and I already worked on the pilot, which allowed us to test the concept of how the show will be run. Choosing a host will be TBD, but we are down to two. Filming dates will be decided on who can attend which day. If the first ten episodes and pilot come off as a hit, we will plan on filming more during the summer.
2. Speculations of New Jersey
I mentioned that I was working on a short story to submit to the Garden State Speculative Writers anthology during the summer. I learned that my short story, "Pity Teeth," has been accepted and I was ecstatic when I heard the news. The anthology is slated for a 2014 release, but I have absolutely no idea when it comes to further details. What I do know is that contributors will have the opportunity to get their hands on a few copies before the release to the general public. Most of the submissions are from fellow colleagues of mine, but this is the same association that came out with Dark Territories back in 2008, which included a piece by F. Paul Wilson (of the Repairman Jack series). As I mentioned before, "Pity Teeth" has to do with a trip to the dentist gone wrong. The rest you will have to read in order to find out what happens. The one thing this has done is provide me with a drive to push forward with regard to writing, something I will mention much deeper in the fourth update.
3. What I'm Reading
I'm an English major, so we have plenty of required reading for classes. When you take four English classes, which I will not do again due to the free elective requirements that cannot be English classes, you're not left with a lot of time to read for pleasure. Now that it's winter break, I will have enough time to read for pleasure or at least a decent amount of time to do so. The book I have on the top of my stack is Ghost Road Blues by Jonathan Maberry, which I hope to complete during the winter break. I began reading it earlier in the year, but I wanted the concentration to give it the proper attention it deserved. With the massive load of everything going on, that time couldn't be found. Now I'm back to it and hope to complete it. I'm also preparing for Literary Gladiators, which will require some reading from James Joyce's Dubliners, as "Araby" will be one of the stories we discuss. I also need to reacquaint myself to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The Stranger by Albert Camus, and the list keeps going on. I shouldn't have any issue with The Stranger, for I dug deeply into the text on the first roundabout. Aside from Ghost Road Blues, I have my eye on Dark Territories and Watchmen.
4. What I'm Writing
My acceptance into Speculations of New Jersey provided me with a drive to keep writing and finding open markets that are suited for writers like myself to submit to. I was actually contemplating taking a more literary turn with stories about individuals that battle from some psychological obstacle. After the acceptance, I felt that I could trek into just about anything I held an interest in writing. I see myself taking on genres that are often touched upon in The Twilight Zone: horror, science fiction, supernatural, psychological, situational, or more broadly: speculative! I will be spending much of my winter break writing some new short stories while editing some of my others. If all goes well, I also want to work on some novel writing, which includes the one I began in 2011. It will need some polishing, but that's almost always a standard when it comes to putting together the best possible piece. At the same time, I will be updating my blog as often as possible with some new material. Speaking of which, these next three will touch up on what's to come.
5. Working With Loaded Shelves
I find it such an excellent thrill to be engaging in a partnership with Loaded Shelves, as Caragh and Brianna are a delight to blog with. The best thing about these two is that they read just about anything you put in front of them, bringing me a bit of optimism about how the world needs more Henry Bemis'. Last week, my book review for The Giver was released on their blog and I will re-release it here on Caponomics later this week. In addition, I plan to write and submit a review of Sunshine by Nikki Rae, which has been the most recent book I completed for pleasure. I hope to submit some more reviews and book related posts to their blog in the future.
6. Top Books of 2013 PLUS Short Stories and Poems
While these are going to be three separate posts, I plan on making this happen. I didn't have the opportunity to read as much as I wish I had been able to, but I read a satisfactory amount to the point in which the ten books on the list are able to stand their own. If more books were in the mix, some of them would have not made it, though (some are 7/10's). In addition, I plan on working on a list of my favorite short stories and poems, which will not occur as often as the annual top books of the year. I will need to decide as to whether or not I will rank them or simply list them. I'm leaning toward just listing them, but this will come down to a matter of waiting and seeing. Either way, this should definitely be a delight!
7. The 250th Post: Q&A and Giveaway
We are reaching the 250th post, which will occur fourteen posts from now. Hopefully this landmark is reached in January or February, perhaps before the three-year anniversary on March 9th. For the 250th post, I plan on having a Q&A that will lead to a giveaway. Here's the plan: submit up to three questions in the comment box ranging from anything that has to do with areas of interest, previous posts, or anything you'd like answered on this blog. For every question (up to three) you submit, I will enter your name in a raffle and the person who wins will have the opportunity to win any book that has been mentioned in one of my lists for ten best books of the year. I have lists for 2011, 2012, and will have one for 2013 that will be written before the new year. They can easily be found in one of the columns to the right if you explore each of the years. I'll answer each question and announce the winner in the 250th post, which I plan to write some time during the first quarter of the upcoming year.
Guess this is the way to end 2013, in such a positive fashion filled with plenty of eventful things that are up and coming. Writing, reading, blogging, web shows, Q&A's, giveaways... I see a 2014 that should be filled with magnificent feats that only await. Once again, I want to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and may your holiday be filled with cheer and warmth!
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
The Twilight Zone: "Night of the Meek"
The winter break has come to me, thus time to update my blog with some new reading and hopefully posting enough to reach the 250th post by a decent time next year. Around this time two years ago, I recommended The Twilight Zone and to this day see it as one of the greatest television shows of all time. I should also mention how it's one of the greatest reality shows of all-time, because unlike many of other reality shows that have so many obvious holes to them, The Twilight Zone puts forth plenty of truths in our society. This includes the idea of sameness ("Number 12 Looks Just Like You"), scapegoating ("The Monsters are due on Maple Street"), replacing humans with computers ("The Brain Center at Whipple's), and the list keeps going on, though at the same time, many of episodes explore the supernatural or simply tell a story that leaves you thinking.
Warning: Reviews of television episodes contain spoilers. If you don't want to find out what happens, I suggest watching the episode first before coming back to this review.
One of those that plays with the supernatural is the Christmas special: "Night of the Meek." There is most definitely a magic that makes up the Christmas holiday and its intent is to leave the viewer with a warm fuzzy feeling known as sentiment. A great Christmas special can fill you with plenty of different emotions, but once it fills you with sentiment of some fashion, it has engaged in much of its purpose. This Christmas special did this perfectly and at the same time never strayed away from its initial purpose. "Night of the Meek" follows an unemployed man named Henry Corwin (played by Art Carney) who has a job once a year as a department store Santa under Mr. Dundee (played by John Fiedler), an uptight boss who feeds into the norms of a commercial society. Mr. Dundee is waiting for Corwin to attend a Christmas event filled with plenty of youngsters while Corwin (in his Santa suit) is having a few (to put it in a subtle fashion) drinks at the bar. Hilariously enough, plenty of young kids are watching and shouting for "Santa," to which Corwin waves.
Henry Corwin is eventually kicked out after swindling the bartender out of a bottle of booze and is confronted by some children from struggling families. They begin asking for toys, but progress to asking for more serious things such as food on the table. Corwin (in his Santa suit) sends them on their way and arrives an hour late at the department store. An angry Mr. Dundee expresses his mind quietly, but furiously to Corwin before telling him that he'd better succeed at impressing the children (but in reality the parents). The first child to go up is a "Percival Smithers" who wants a new name for Christmas, causing a reaction from his mother. Corwin becomes unable to sit still and constantly passes out, leading him to be fired by Dundee. Before leaving, Corwin provides a philosophical speech as to why he drinks heavily, as he has the option to weep about his life or drink and feel a little less pain. He expands to talking about what Christmas should really mean and that Dundee, like plenty of others, see it in a more commercialized fashion. Corwin leaves, barely able to walk the streets.
Corwin eventually walks by the alleyway and comes across a bag, which is where a sentimental tune that sounds like it came from a child's music box begins to play. This feeds into the idea of Christmas sentiment. The bag is at first filled with garbage, but at a second glance, it becomes filled with presents. Not just presents, but a bag that provides people with what ever they ask. He goes to his mission house and presents everyone with what ever they ask, only to shock Sister Florence (played by Meg Wyllie) and cause her to bring a police officer, Flaherty (played by Robert P. Lieb) onto the premise. Flaherty feels that Corwin shoplifted the items and took him to the police station. They are met by Mr. Dundee, who knows that something suspicious has been going on, until they realize the bag is (as originally found) filled with garbage. Mr. Dundee feels that it's a sham and that this is not a bag Corwin found, but stole. Mr. Dundee asks for a specific bottle of cherry brandy that Corwin feels and pulls out. Corwin leaves to hand out more gifts to the children, while Mr. Dundee gets himself drunk.
As Corwin hands out the last of the gifts, a friend from the mission house comes across his path and thanks him for the pipe and mentions how incredible this whole evening has been. He asks Corwin what he wants, to which Corwin wishes that he could do this every year, which could be viewed in a way that he sets himself up for some more supernatural, but sentimental magic. As he returns to the alleyway to the sentimental tune, he comes across a sleigh with reindeer in the front. An elf, played by a young boy, tells him how they've got more to do and then have to prepare for next year, indicating that Corwin has become Santa. As he rides away, Flaherty and Dundee see him riding on his sleigh, to which an intoxicated Dundee accuses Flaherty of "seeing things" and that he'll take him back to his place and make him feel better with some of his brandy.
The beatitude states that: "The meek shall inherit the Earth," which happens as Corwin portrays a drunk department store Santa each year, but eventually having the opportunity to become more than just that drunk Santa and instead THE Santa, coming out with the strongest statement. What Corwin really conveyed was that the meaning of Christmas should be doing everything you possibly can to make somebody happy in any which way. The person providing the happiness comes out with a feeling of sentiment, which is an advanced form of happiness that comes with a fuzzy feeling. "Night of the Meek" is filled with plenty of evident flaws of the Christmas season, the biggest being the commercialization that has only escalated. Just look at how Black Friday has flooded into the entire Thanksgiving (remember, Kmart opened at 6 AM on Thanksgiving and stayed open until 11 PM the next day!). Mr. Dundee represents this cold-hearted, misunderstanding element toward the heartfelt emotions that come with Christmas.
"Night of the Meek," in a very different way, is one of my favorite Christmas specials. It displays something far different from most, but what it displays provides such truth to what Christmas really means. The fact that it delivers a feeling of sentiment also drives it to being a special that can stand the test of time and at the same time a bit of necessary humor, supernatural elements, and messages of honesty. I should also remind everyone that The Twilight Zone marathon will be showing, as it always does, on New Years Eve and New Years Day on the Syfy channel.
Friday, December 6, 2013
The Death Of Roy Orbison: 25 Years Today
During the late 1980s, Roy Orbison saw his singing career drastically surge back from his success in the early 1960s. Despite fading for several years, he saw plenty of excellent opportunities. In 1980, his duet with Emmylou Harris, "That Loving You Feeling Again," won a Grammy award. By 1987, he was working on several musical projects that included new singles that would contribute to later albums, a special televised concert known as Roy Orbison's Black & White Night, and as a member of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys. What started as arrangement for George Harrison's album Cloud Nine became the building blocks to The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. This group featured Orbison, Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. Lynne would be involved in the production of Mystery Girl (an album that even Bono contributed a song to), released in 1989, and King of Hearts, released in 1992. Orbison was taking part in a tour when he realized he was suffering from chest pains. When returning home on December 6, 1988, he took a heart attack that evening and died before he could successfully receive the right medical treatment. He was just 52 years old and participating in one of music's greatest comebacks.
Roy Orbison inspired many, such as Bruce Springsteen, who even mentioned him in his song "Thunder Road." His songs were covered by Linda Ronstadt, Sonny James, Don McLean, Gene Pitney, and the list keeps going on.
I'm going to recreate the list of my ten favorite Roy Orbison songs that I created back in 2011 to celebrate his 75th birthday. The only difference will be in the fact that I will also include some videos. The summaries will be a bit shorter, but I have the videos to make up for it that I hope you enjoy. The videos are from YouTube and the uploader owns these videos. Ultimately, those who produced the albums and created the lyrics own the rights to the music (much of which is delegated by his living sons).
#10- California Blue
During his 1980s comeback, Orbison had plenty of excellent hits that have continued to stand the test of time. Some of my favorites include "A Love So Beautiful" and "You Got It," but there's something so mesmerizing about "California Blue" and how Orbison captures such beauty and longing through his lyrics. He hits some excellent notes as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogeuinHxlqw
#9- Oh, Pretty Woman
If there's any song that is forever attached to Roy Orbison's legacy, it's this one. Released in 1964, this remained on the charts for five weeks during an era dominated by the British Invasion. It would eventually inspire the 1990 film, Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. I enjoy the song as well, as it takes on a more upbeat tone, but at the same time capture the essence of Roy Orbison.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTCZSh4v2e4
#8- Only The Lonely
Orbison's first hit was "Ooby Dooby" from 1956, but it was "Only The Lonely" in 1960 that really brought him a decent flow of attention. This rightfully represents the gist of where Orbison goes with his music, appealing to those that are having the hardest times. He does quite a job hitting those notes as well!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ-MAUAxs9g
#7- It's Over
Written in 1964 with new co-writer Bill Dees, "It's Over" provides an apocalyptic mindset to losing your love. It's one of his most passionate songs, capturing a feeling that many of us dealing with a breakup go through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT4M6bM_W6M
#6- Blue Bayou
Before Linda Ronstadt performed this song in the 1970s, Orbison performed it in 1963 and did quite a job! I always loved the way it was so soothing and painted an image in my mind of such a beautiful place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhz4DBtCe5Q
#5- Crying
First performed in 1961, Orbison wrote this song when he saw the reaction he had with an old flame and it left him saddened. We feel just that emotion of raw sadness. During his 1980s comeback, he sung this as a duet with k.d. lang, which proved to be one of the most dynamic duets of all time. Rightfully one of the saddest songs and it absolutely defines how Roy Orbison goes for the gut with his music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQrgeeS_qbo (solo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmisOxCHEiw (with k.d. lang)
#4- In Dreams
This has to be one of his most brilliantly written songs, released in 1963. It tells of a "candy-colored clown they call the Sandman" coming into Orbison's room that puts him to sleep, where he goes through a mesmerizing dream that he awakes from. I was told through the replies, who learned from a reliable source, that this was Orbison's favorite song. I also have a review specifically for this song I wrote over the summer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuOBzBs4kU
#3- Running Scared
There's just something so incredible about this song. It provides a dramatic buildup on the fear that the person (in this case, the woman) you love having her attraction to her previous partner. It builds up so beautifully before it lets loose for an unforgettable finish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGfMkp0Bfmc
#2- Crawling Back
This is not a song that everybody recalls, but it's just so emotionally brilliant. It captures the emotion of how much you adore somebody, no matter how much pain they inflict onto you. It also captures the loss of a partner and while there was so much pain in the relationship, you will do anything and everything to be with them. The tone starts off soft, but it grabs you and doesn't let go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtgnsOXoAVM
#1- The Crowd
This song from 1962 is not his most memorable, but it's my favorite. The song has to do with coping with the loss of a relationship that held so many memories and Orbison sings about simply going about with the crowd and living life as it should be lived, but things could definitely be better since his love has left him. This song starts out soft before going up a few notches before letting loose and ending of a powerful note. There are very few songs that are arranged so brilliantly as this one is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrj90QRU5s
Of course, there are plenty of songs that were incredible that I wasn't able to include. Arranging the list to ten is the most challenging part, but it's doable and has been done.
It's incredible that it's been 25 years since Roy Orbison has left us physically, but his music continues to live on and inspire several individuals. I'm going to leave you with my original post I wrote for his 75th birthday on April 23, 2011 and a little Christmas video of his signature Christmas hit, "Pretty Paper."
"Pretty Paper"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOgsyNAsoWc
The original post:
http://caponomics.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-ten-favorite-roy-orbison-songs-in.html
Roy Orbison inspired many, such as Bruce Springsteen, who even mentioned him in his song "Thunder Road." His songs were covered by Linda Ronstadt, Sonny James, Don McLean, Gene Pitney, and the list keeps going on.
I'm going to recreate the list of my ten favorite Roy Orbison songs that I created back in 2011 to celebrate his 75th birthday. The only difference will be in the fact that I will also include some videos. The summaries will be a bit shorter, but I have the videos to make up for it that I hope you enjoy. The videos are from YouTube and the uploader owns these videos. Ultimately, those who produced the albums and created the lyrics own the rights to the music (much of which is delegated by his living sons).
#10- California Blue
During his 1980s comeback, Orbison had plenty of excellent hits that have continued to stand the test of time. Some of my favorites include "A Love So Beautiful" and "You Got It," but there's something so mesmerizing about "California Blue" and how Orbison captures such beauty and longing through his lyrics. He hits some excellent notes as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogeuinHxlqw
#9- Oh, Pretty Woman
If there's any song that is forever attached to Roy Orbison's legacy, it's this one. Released in 1964, this remained on the charts for five weeks during an era dominated by the British Invasion. It would eventually inspire the 1990 film, Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. I enjoy the song as well, as it takes on a more upbeat tone, but at the same time capture the essence of Roy Orbison.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTCZSh4v2e4
#8- Only The Lonely
Orbison's first hit was "Ooby Dooby" from 1956, but it was "Only The Lonely" in 1960 that really brought him a decent flow of attention. This rightfully represents the gist of where Orbison goes with his music, appealing to those that are having the hardest times. He does quite a job hitting those notes as well!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ-MAUAxs9g
#7- It's Over
Written in 1964 with new co-writer Bill Dees, "It's Over" provides an apocalyptic mindset to losing your love. It's one of his most passionate songs, capturing a feeling that many of us dealing with a breakup go through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT4M6bM_W6M
#6- Blue Bayou
Before Linda Ronstadt performed this song in the 1970s, Orbison performed it in 1963 and did quite a job! I always loved the way it was so soothing and painted an image in my mind of such a beautiful place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhz4DBtCe5Q
#5- Crying
First performed in 1961, Orbison wrote this song when he saw the reaction he had with an old flame and it left him saddened. We feel just that emotion of raw sadness. During his 1980s comeback, he sung this as a duet with k.d. lang, which proved to be one of the most dynamic duets of all time. Rightfully one of the saddest songs and it absolutely defines how Roy Orbison goes for the gut with his music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQrgeeS_qbo (solo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmisOxCHEiw (with k.d. lang)
#4- In Dreams
This has to be one of his most brilliantly written songs, released in 1963. It tells of a "candy-colored clown they call the Sandman" coming into Orbison's room that puts him to sleep, where he goes through a mesmerizing dream that he awakes from. I was told through the replies, who learned from a reliable source, that this was Orbison's favorite song. I also have a review specifically for this song I wrote over the summer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuOBzBs4kU
#3- Running Scared
There's just something so incredible about this song. It provides a dramatic buildup on the fear that the person (in this case, the woman) you love having her attraction to her previous partner. It builds up so beautifully before it lets loose for an unforgettable finish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGfMkp0Bfmc
#2- Crawling Back
This is not a song that everybody recalls, but it's just so emotionally brilliant. It captures the emotion of how much you adore somebody, no matter how much pain they inflict onto you. It also captures the loss of a partner and while there was so much pain in the relationship, you will do anything and everything to be with them. The tone starts off soft, but it grabs you and doesn't let go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtgnsOXoAVM
#1- The Crowd
This song from 1962 is not his most memorable, but it's my favorite. The song has to do with coping with the loss of a relationship that held so many memories and Orbison sings about simply going about with the crowd and living life as it should be lived, but things could definitely be better since his love has left him. This song starts out soft before going up a few notches before letting loose and ending of a powerful note. There are very few songs that are arranged so brilliantly as this one is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrj90QRU5s
Of course, there are plenty of songs that were incredible that I wasn't able to include. Arranging the list to ten is the most challenging part, but it's doable and has been done.
It's incredible that it's been 25 years since Roy Orbison has left us physically, but his music continues to live on and inspire several individuals. I'm going to leave you with my original post I wrote for his 75th birthday on April 23, 2011 and a little Christmas video of his signature Christmas hit, "Pretty Paper."
"Pretty Paper"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOgsyNAsoWc
The original post:
http://caponomics.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-ten-favorite-roy-orbison-songs-in.html
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
My Thanksgiving Post
A few weeks ago, a blogger named Heather Von St. James of Life's A Banquet approached me through comment and then via email about the idea of creating a post having to do with what you are thankful for in observance of Thanksgiving. Heather is a long-term survivor of Mesothelioma, which is a rare cancer that is caused by asbestos exposure. While she was given just fifteen months to live, she is still alive today, despite the fact she was diagnosed in November 2005, which is eight years ago. Reaching out in different methods that include the creation of her blog, http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/, Heather's mission is to encourage us to dig into what Thanksgiving really is. It's more than just a holiday represented by turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It's a holiday where people come together and cherish the appreciation they have for one another. This was a holiday built on the appreciation the Pilgrims and Indians had with the relationship the two would form when the Pilgrims came to this new land known as America. While this appreciation didn't last between the Pilgrims and Indians, it has lasted among much of America and has since become a national holiday, occurring on the fourth Thursday of every November. I will now take time to just share with you what Thanksgiving means to me.
I continuously keep up with the news, which MSN makes it so easy to do, and I came across a decision K-Mart made with regard to setting up for the Christmas season. They made a decision to open up on 6 AM on Thanksgiving day and will stay open until 11 PM the next day, providing a massive head start for the crowds on Black Friday, which I have always seen as a manic rush of people having the first opportunity at the holiday sales. I mean, thirty years ago, Cabbage Patch Dolls were a sellout during the Christmas holiday, but the notion of eating away at the Thanksgiving holiday in order to get ready for Christmas is not what Thanksgiving is all about. Thanksgiving is Thanksgiving and should be treated as its own holiday and follow its own values.
I operate the Cafe and sometimes serve as a cashier at the ShopRite in my area. One Friday, when I was in the break room, I came across a poster from P.C. Richard & Son having to do with their tradition of closing each Thanksgiving, due to the respect they hold toward their customers and the meaning of family and that those who choose to object this notion are disrespecting the meaning of family. Like P.C. Richard & Son, ShopRite (at least those that are under my owner's ownership) is closed every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. I hold a high respect for the notion of store owners holding the human quality of employee appreciation and that unless they volunteer to "babysit" the store, everyone is off for Thanksgiving. I'm very thankful to be able to work for such a great company and am thankful to have a great group of coworkers to the point that I would never be able to work for another supermarket or ANY job that holds similar wages to ShopRite, because there's just a humanistic quality that ShopRite holds.
On the topic of being provided the ability to spend time with loved ones, I am incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to enjoy dinner and dessert with my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncles, cousin, and sister. I have mentioned my opinion about Thanksgiving food, but the fact that I'm spending the holiday with my family trumps all of my opinions about what is being served. I'm sure that plenty of people can say that they couldn't ask for a better family. I am one of those plenty of people that can truly say that I couldn't imagine being in any other family than the one I am in. The love and appreciation I hold for everyone is just endless and I have absolutely no idea what I would do without them.
This year specifically, along with my family and coworkers, I am also thankful for my friends, from high school, college, work, Facebook, Blogger, or Garden State Speculative Writers. I have a great group of friends that I either made this year or continue to hold from years past. I have developed a strong core of "regulars" that I have made at my college. We take multiple classes with one another and this group of friends/classmates makes coming to college an additional reason to look forward coming into class. I enjoy the college experience already, but taking classes with such a good group of people makes it even more enjoyable. My instructors have also taught me a lot about an appreciation for poetry and the art of literature in general. I'm going for my English degree and hope to graduate in 2015. From there, I want to find an occupation that concentrates on writing, but really hope to write fiction in the field of horror, science fiction, speculative, psychological, or situational (what-if) fiction.
This year, I joined the Garden State Speculative Writers association, that meets on the first Saturday of each month at a library. At these meetings, we discuss business about how the club is run, hold writing exercises, read and critique each others work, and have guest speakers (I attended those featuring Linda Addison, Alaya Dawn Johnson, and Ellen Datlow) that are in the speculative field in some way, shape, or form, whether as writers or editors. I attended four meetings this year, but hope to attend more when next year rolls around. I'm planning to broaden my writing horizons even further. This reminds me that I have a little announcement about the Speculations of New Jersey anthology I mentioned back in July. My horror short story, "Pity Teeth," got accepted and will be featured along with about nine to fourteen others. I will update everyone on details as we go along, but for now, I know that it will be released to the general public in January 2014. My dream is to be a published author and this is a start. This is inspiring me to broaden my horizons and I plan to explore different outlets to publishing my work.
I also want to express how I'm thankful for the various opportunities I have come across as a blogger. I've been writing my Caponomics column through Blogger for two years and have had over 20,000 page views. I currently have 19 followers and have interacted with plenty of people in the blogosphere, including those that have commented on my posts. I'm very thankful to have an active mentor in Mr. Clark, who pushed me to start a blog in the first place. Caponomics was active in my high school newsletter, the Bulldog Business, and then it went to Facebook for a short period of time before Blogger became my official home. Mr. Clark has remained an active follower and is excellent at everything he sets his mind to. I am also thankful for active followers who are also fellow bloggers. There's Kevin Brownlie, who operates Road of the Month, which was an alternate outlet for his Bulldog Business column. He's been active with providing feedback and questions for my "Questions for Caponomics" posts. Among those I have met through Blogger, I have been thankful to keep contact with bloggers such as Carina Olsen from Carina's Books and am thankful for our interaction on each others posts, which includes her encouragement on many of my posts, whether they were book reviews, celebration posts, or just topics of interact; Michele from The Girl Who Loves Horror, as we have also interacted on a few occasions and she always comes up with some exciting material to post about; then there's Caragh and Brianna from Loaded Shelves, which has become a favorite of mine. They're a growing blog that's looking for a breakout moment and I'm sure that within the near future, they will become the blog that everyone talks about. Beyond the blog, they're very nice people and I'll be excited to serve as a guest blogger sometime during the end of this year or the beginning of the next.
Of course, there are so many people and outlets to be thankful for, but that would be a list so long that this post would never end. The concept of being thankful for what you have, even if they're just the simple elements of life, is a trend that we should follow. I can go on and on about the issues people have with the feeling of complex entitlement, but I don't feel like it. I have a great family, great friends, a great job, a great college opportunity, plenty of writing opportunities, and there's just so much good I have in my life that no matter how bad it gets, the good outweighs it all. In addition to all of this good, I have the gift of life and have the opportunity of write this post today. That in itself is something to be incredibly thankful for.
I want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you enjoy the holiday with those you love most in your life and are thankful to be around. Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, my "thank you" is just as strong as it would be for one who celebrates. I hope you have a wonderful day and God bless you!
I continuously keep up with the news, which MSN makes it so easy to do, and I came across a decision K-Mart made with regard to setting up for the Christmas season. They made a decision to open up on 6 AM on Thanksgiving day and will stay open until 11 PM the next day, providing a massive head start for the crowds on Black Friday, which I have always seen as a manic rush of people having the first opportunity at the holiday sales. I mean, thirty years ago, Cabbage Patch Dolls were a sellout during the Christmas holiday, but the notion of eating away at the Thanksgiving holiday in order to get ready for Christmas is not what Thanksgiving is all about. Thanksgiving is Thanksgiving and should be treated as its own holiday and follow its own values.
I operate the Cafe and sometimes serve as a cashier at the ShopRite in my area. One Friday, when I was in the break room, I came across a poster from P.C. Richard & Son having to do with their tradition of closing each Thanksgiving, due to the respect they hold toward their customers and the meaning of family and that those who choose to object this notion are disrespecting the meaning of family. Like P.C. Richard & Son, ShopRite (at least those that are under my owner's ownership) is closed every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. I hold a high respect for the notion of store owners holding the human quality of employee appreciation and that unless they volunteer to "babysit" the store, everyone is off for Thanksgiving. I'm very thankful to be able to work for such a great company and am thankful to have a great group of coworkers to the point that I would never be able to work for another supermarket or ANY job that holds similar wages to ShopRite, because there's just a humanistic quality that ShopRite holds.
On the topic of being provided the ability to spend time with loved ones, I am incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to enjoy dinner and dessert with my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncles, cousin, and sister. I have mentioned my opinion about Thanksgiving food, but the fact that I'm spending the holiday with my family trumps all of my opinions about what is being served. I'm sure that plenty of people can say that they couldn't ask for a better family. I am one of those plenty of people that can truly say that I couldn't imagine being in any other family than the one I am in. The love and appreciation I hold for everyone is just endless and I have absolutely no idea what I would do without them.
This year specifically, along with my family and coworkers, I am also thankful for my friends, from high school, college, work, Facebook, Blogger, or Garden State Speculative Writers. I have a great group of friends that I either made this year or continue to hold from years past. I have developed a strong core of "regulars" that I have made at my college. We take multiple classes with one another and this group of friends/classmates makes coming to college an additional reason to look forward coming into class. I enjoy the college experience already, but taking classes with such a good group of people makes it even more enjoyable. My instructors have also taught me a lot about an appreciation for poetry and the art of literature in general. I'm going for my English degree and hope to graduate in 2015. From there, I want to find an occupation that concentrates on writing, but really hope to write fiction in the field of horror, science fiction, speculative, psychological, or situational (what-if) fiction.
This year, I joined the Garden State Speculative Writers association, that meets on the first Saturday of each month at a library. At these meetings, we discuss business about how the club is run, hold writing exercises, read and critique each others work, and have guest speakers (I attended those featuring Linda Addison, Alaya Dawn Johnson, and Ellen Datlow) that are in the speculative field in some way, shape, or form, whether as writers or editors. I attended four meetings this year, but hope to attend more when next year rolls around. I'm planning to broaden my writing horizons even further. This reminds me that I have a little announcement about the Speculations of New Jersey anthology I mentioned back in July. My horror short story, "Pity Teeth," got accepted and will be featured along with about nine to fourteen others. I will update everyone on details as we go along, but for now, I know that it will be released to the general public in January 2014. My dream is to be a published author and this is a start. This is inspiring me to broaden my horizons and I plan to explore different outlets to publishing my work.
I also want to express how I'm thankful for the various opportunities I have come across as a blogger. I've been writing my Caponomics column through Blogger for two years and have had over 20,000 page views. I currently have 19 followers and have interacted with plenty of people in the blogosphere, including those that have commented on my posts. I'm very thankful to have an active mentor in Mr. Clark, who pushed me to start a blog in the first place. Caponomics was active in my high school newsletter, the Bulldog Business, and then it went to Facebook for a short period of time before Blogger became my official home. Mr. Clark has remained an active follower and is excellent at everything he sets his mind to. I am also thankful for active followers who are also fellow bloggers. There's Kevin Brownlie, who operates Road of the Month, which was an alternate outlet for his Bulldog Business column. He's been active with providing feedback and questions for my "Questions for Caponomics" posts. Among those I have met through Blogger, I have been thankful to keep contact with bloggers such as Carina Olsen from Carina's Books and am thankful for our interaction on each others posts, which includes her encouragement on many of my posts, whether they were book reviews, celebration posts, or just topics of interact; Michele from The Girl Who Loves Horror, as we have also interacted on a few occasions and she always comes up with some exciting material to post about; then there's Caragh and Brianna from Loaded Shelves, which has become a favorite of mine. They're a growing blog that's looking for a breakout moment and I'm sure that within the near future, they will become the blog that everyone talks about. Beyond the blog, they're very nice people and I'll be excited to serve as a guest blogger sometime during the end of this year or the beginning of the next.
Of course, there are so many people and outlets to be thankful for, but that would be a list so long that this post would never end. The concept of being thankful for what you have, even if they're just the simple elements of life, is a trend that we should follow. I can go on and on about the issues people have with the feeling of complex entitlement, but I don't feel like it. I have a great family, great friends, a great job, a great college opportunity, plenty of writing opportunities, and there's just so much good I have in my life that no matter how bad it gets, the good outweighs it all. In addition to all of this good, I have the gift of life and have the opportunity of write this post today. That in itself is something to be incredibly thankful for.
I want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you enjoy the holiday with those you love most in your life and are thankful to be around. Even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, my "thank you" is just as strong as it would be for one who celebrates. I hope you have a wonderful day and God bless you!
Friday, November 22, 2013
50 Years Ago
On Friday, November 22, 1963, the United States of America and the world were shocked when they learned about the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Kennedy was in Dallas, Texas promoting what was slated to be his campaign for the presidency in 1964 and had chosen to ride in a convertible vehicle with an open roof in order to reach out to the people. Unfortunately, this would set up his immediate, but tragic demise. The death of John F. Kennedy, who was just 46 years of age, was one of the few times within the last fifty years that shook the country to the point that a drastic change would come about due to such an event. The other event being September 11, 2001, in which suicide planes crashed into the World Trade Center and ultimately resulted in conflict with Iraq. Indirectly and in more ways than one, conflict came about from the Kennedy assassination, but it also came with plenty of questions...
The man that was responsible for the majority of the bullets shot at JFK was Lee Harvey Oswald, who would inevitably be arrested and was ready to be tried for the murder of the president. While heading to his case, he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby. On one hand, this act could have been due to fury of the president's assassination (in the way of "an eye for an eye"). On the other hand, the murder of Oswald could have been a cover-up. Oswald deemed that he was just "a patsy" and the evidence came about with his own murder. The question at hand is: Did Lee Harvey Oswald solely assassinate JFK? It's very hard to stand by the point that Oswald was in fact the lone shooter.
Many of other groups and individuals were connected to the assassination. This ranges from the mafia, the FBI, the Cubans, even Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson is connected. Kennedy and Johnson did not see eye to eye, but the ticket was created in order to level out their areas (Kennedy's Massachusetts to Johnson's Texas) and provide them with a vast range when it came to winning the election. Kennedy, unlike most political figures, disagreed with the notion of being in Vietnam and was taking steps to backing out. Soon after Johnson was sworn into office (immediately on the plane ride back to Washington D.C.), he sent more troops into Vietnam. The Vietnam War was another attempt at opportunity that began during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, continued into the Kennedy administration, escalated during the Johnson administration, and came to a head during the Richard Nixon administration where it ultimately died down before ending during the Gerald Ford administration in 1975. People constantly ask that if Kennedy had lived, would America stayed in Vietnam as long as they did? There are strong inclinations that this would not be the case. There may have been other issues that brewed in the process with other countries, but interference with Vietnam could have ended and the takeover would have occurred sooner. Vietnam seemed to be an opportunity for the political figures during that time, so involvement was within their interest. Whether or not this had to do with Johnson wanting to eliminate Kennedy from office could not be determined, but we do know that the view Johnson had with moving forward was not the same as Kennedy's. Recent studies from a FOX News special point out how the bullet that caused the death to Kennedy was not shot from Oswald's gun, but from a county building. The information behind the shooter was not provided.
John F. Kennedy was not a favorite president of mine. Some of the decisions he made with regard to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs Invasion seemed to show less assertiveness when it came to foreign policy. The two best traits Kennedy had and made him perhaps the most notable president of the 20th century were his charm and his ability to move crowds by being a great public speaker. When running against Nixon in the 1960 election, he visibly presented himself much better, even if he didn't possess knowledge like Nixon. This allowed him to go forth with winning the presidency in what was a brief, but notable era. Among his foreign policies, he also developed the Peace Corps and had his hands in civil rights (for black citizens). It would be Johnson, however, that got the credit for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and go on to become the champion of being the man that ended segregation in America (according to federal law). His speeches, along with his brother Robert F. Kennedy, are always powerful to listen to, which I have taken the opportunity to do whenever I found the moment. He always had a message that he presented very passionately, whether I agree with it or not.
I am going to leave you with two powerful videos that relate to JFK. One of which is the powerful, poignant report that Walter Cronkite gives, struggling to keep his composure as he reports the death of the president. The other, a more positive notion, is how JFK discusses his intention to send a mission to the moon and how he not only wants to accomplish such a task, but accomplish it before any other country. This notion shows an incredible amount of passion for America.
Cronkite's Report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE-TCzIHrLI
Kennedy on Space Race:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwFvJog2dMw
The man that was responsible for the majority of the bullets shot at JFK was Lee Harvey Oswald, who would inevitably be arrested and was ready to be tried for the murder of the president. While heading to his case, he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby. On one hand, this act could have been due to fury of the president's assassination (in the way of "an eye for an eye"). On the other hand, the murder of Oswald could have been a cover-up. Oswald deemed that he was just "a patsy" and the evidence came about with his own murder. The question at hand is: Did Lee Harvey Oswald solely assassinate JFK? It's very hard to stand by the point that Oswald was in fact the lone shooter.
Many of other groups and individuals were connected to the assassination. This ranges from the mafia, the FBI, the Cubans, even Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson is connected. Kennedy and Johnson did not see eye to eye, but the ticket was created in order to level out their areas (Kennedy's Massachusetts to Johnson's Texas) and provide them with a vast range when it came to winning the election. Kennedy, unlike most political figures, disagreed with the notion of being in Vietnam and was taking steps to backing out. Soon after Johnson was sworn into office (immediately on the plane ride back to Washington D.C.), he sent more troops into Vietnam. The Vietnam War was another attempt at opportunity that began during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, continued into the Kennedy administration, escalated during the Johnson administration, and came to a head during the Richard Nixon administration where it ultimately died down before ending during the Gerald Ford administration in 1975. People constantly ask that if Kennedy had lived, would America stayed in Vietnam as long as they did? There are strong inclinations that this would not be the case. There may have been other issues that brewed in the process with other countries, but interference with Vietnam could have ended and the takeover would have occurred sooner. Vietnam seemed to be an opportunity for the political figures during that time, so involvement was within their interest. Whether or not this had to do with Johnson wanting to eliminate Kennedy from office could not be determined, but we do know that the view Johnson had with moving forward was not the same as Kennedy's. Recent studies from a FOX News special point out how the bullet that caused the death to Kennedy was not shot from Oswald's gun, but from a county building. The information behind the shooter was not provided.
John F. Kennedy was not a favorite president of mine. Some of the decisions he made with regard to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs Invasion seemed to show less assertiveness when it came to foreign policy. The two best traits Kennedy had and made him perhaps the most notable president of the 20th century were his charm and his ability to move crowds by being a great public speaker. When running against Nixon in the 1960 election, he visibly presented himself much better, even if he didn't possess knowledge like Nixon. This allowed him to go forth with winning the presidency in what was a brief, but notable era. Among his foreign policies, he also developed the Peace Corps and had his hands in civil rights (for black citizens). It would be Johnson, however, that got the credit for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and go on to become the champion of being the man that ended segregation in America (according to federal law). His speeches, along with his brother Robert F. Kennedy, are always powerful to listen to, which I have taken the opportunity to do whenever I found the moment. He always had a message that he presented very passionately, whether I agree with it or not.
I am going to leave you with two powerful videos that relate to JFK. One of which is the powerful, poignant report that Walter Cronkite gives, struggling to keep his composure as he reports the death of the president. The other, a more positive notion, is how JFK discusses his intention to send a mission to the moon and how he not only wants to accomplish such a task, but accomplish it before any other country. This notion shows an incredible amount of passion for America.
Cronkite's Report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE-TCzIHrLI
Kennedy on Space Race:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwFvJog2dMw
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Halloween Post: The Kiddies Like To Pick Pumpkins, I Like To Eat Them
This is halloween! Yep, that time of year where people do their best to scare the crap out of one another and/or dress up in costumes and go trick or treating, aka. "the holiday in which you go to other people's houses and demand that they give you candy." In the weeks leading up to it, people do plenty of things involving pumpkins. People go pumpkin picking, they put up pumpkins that are real or fake, they carve or paint them, then they either put a light in them and turn them into a jack-o-lantern or hang them up just the way they are.
It just so happens that I like pumpkins, too. The only difference is that I can do perfectly fine without carving them or anything else you do with them. If you make it into a meal, that's perfectly fine as well. I very much enjoy eating the pumpkin as a key ingredient. Pumpkins play an excellent star when they are the key role of a dessert or even a main course. I have had pumpkin soup from where I work and it can be very good. You just need to be in the mood in order for the pumpkin soup to strike a positive chord. Then again, I am fond of a soup that is prepared in the form of a puree. Tomato puree is commonly used in pasta sauce, thus plenty of vegetables (or fruits) that are pureed make for an excellent course.
I do, however, believe that pumpkins play a better role when they are sweet and not savory. That doesn't mean that's it not subject to savory courses, because anything that can be made savory and make a connection to a sweet element (like proscuttio and cantaloupe) is a work of culinary genius. As a dessert, I have had pumpkin in bread, doughnuts, and cheesecake. Yes, we all know about pumpkin pie and how it's a staple for Thanksgiving dessert (which may cause this to be a Halloween/Thanksgiving crossover, just as they are portrayed in American holiday cooking), but the three I have had were just as good. I am not a pie person (except pizza pie), so I would not be the best possible judge for such a confirmation about pumpkin pie.
While I may not be the judge for pumpkin pie, my smooth Dachshund, Link (God bless his soul), is associated most with this meal. On his first Thanksgiving back from being a show dog, he snatched the pumpkin pie, still in the box, from the table and tried to open it. He didn't succeed, but he dented the Thanksgiving dessert and got a scolding from my mother for doing so. Last year, before his death, I bought him a small pumpkin pie that he snatched from the plate and gobbled up. While he was ailing from a heart condition, he still had an excellent appetite.
That's the reason my dog liked pumpkin. I like pumpkin, because of its distinct, yet familiar flavor. Pumpkin bread is a fine example. A flavor of cinnamon without the tang interacts with your taste buds as you enjoy such a dessert. It's not sweet in the way that banana bread is, so enjoying something that has a bit of a spice (but not too spicy) to it is exactly the experience you get out of pumpkin bread. Butter could very well accompany pumpkin bread, but I'm perfectly fine with it just as it is.
I bought some pumpkin doughnuts for Halloween, for those and apple cider doughnuts are staples for Halloween (at least in my book they are and if they're not, they definitely should be). The pumpkin doughnuts deserve a lot of hype for what they have to offer. One could eat the whole box if they wish and in my situation, I am fortunate to even have the resistance to call it a snack after one, maybe two, pumpkin doughnuts. It sure takes plenty of resistance. In the glazed fashion, pumpkin doughnuts are quite delicious as well.
Pumpkin cheesecake has grown to be the one variable of cheesecake I have begun to enjoy instead of the regular. I absolutely love cheesecake, for it's my favorite kind of cake bar none (with cannoli cake being a close second). My ice cream creation for a high school project was chocolate chip cheesecake and it got "best taste." I felt it was a magical flavor myself. When you make a pumpkin cheesecake into the mix, you have something that has a sweet spice, but at the same time is creamy to the point it plays a vibrant tune in your mouth. On Thanksgiving day, I'll take the pumpkin cheesecake over the pumpkin pie any day!
On the topic of pumpkin cheesecake, Ben & Jerry's is coming out with a "Pumpkin Cheesecake" flavor that will be on my "to buy" list as soon as it comes out. From what I saw, the ice cream will be a pint of pumpkin cheesecake ice cream with a graham cracker swirl. While graham cracker isn't necessarily my favorite element of the cake, it should provide the pint of ice cream with the drive it needs. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate (or fudge) covered cannoli, but the pieces of fudge-covered shells in their "Cannoli" ice cream provide an excellent element to their piece. Before I go off on a tangent having to do with how they need to bring cannoli ice cream back, I will say that the pumpkin cheesecake ice cream from Ben & Jerry's will be something to get. Whether I like it a lot or only a little will be determined in a simple fashion: if I finish the pint in one sitting, it's on my list of favorites.
Pumpkin picking is not necessarily an October tradition I keep up with. I'm just fine with seeing pictures of my friends on Facebook doing the pumpkin picking instead. I can do without the chalky dirt on my hands. Pumpkin eating during the last quarter of the year is something I do like to take part in. So if one person invites me to go pumpkin picking while the other invites me to dinner and dessert with a pumpkin cheesecake dessert, you can easily guess with one I'll settle for.
I want to wish everybody a Happy, Healthy, Fun, and Safe Halloween and I hope you're able to eat as much candy and consume as much holiday indulgences as you possibly can!!!
It just so happens that I like pumpkins, too. The only difference is that I can do perfectly fine without carving them or anything else you do with them. If you make it into a meal, that's perfectly fine as well. I very much enjoy eating the pumpkin as a key ingredient. Pumpkins play an excellent star when they are the key role of a dessert or even a main course. I have had pumpkin soup from where I work and it can be very good. You just need to be in the mood in order for the pumpkin soup to strike a positive chord. Then again, I am fond of a soup that is prepared in the form of a puree. Tomato puree is commonly used in pasta sauce, thus plenty of vegetables (or fruits) that are pureed make for an excellent course.
I do, however, believe that pumpkins play a better role when they are sweet and not savory. That doesn't mean that's it not subject to savory courses, because anything that can be made savory and make a connection to a sweet element (like proscuttio and cantaloupe) is a work of culinary genius. As a dessert, I have had pumpkin in bread, doughnuts, and cheesecake. Yes, we all know about pumpkin pie and how it's a staple for Thanksgiving dessert (which may cause this to be a Halloween/Thanksgiving crossover, just as they are portrayed in American holiday cooking), but the three I have had were just as good. I am not a pie person (except pizza pie), so I would not be the best possible judge for such a confirmation about pumpkin pie.
While I may not be the judge for pumpkin pie, my smooth Dachshund, Link (God bless his soul), is associated most with this meal. On his first Thanksgiving back from being a show dog, he snatched the pumpkin pie, still in the box, from the table and tried to open it. He didn't succeed, but he dented the Thanksgiving dessert and got a scolding from my mother for doing so. Last year, before his death, I bought him a small pumpkin pie that he snatched from the plate and gobbled up. While he was ailing from a heart condition, he still had an excellent appetite.
That's the reason my dog liked pumpkin. I like pumpkin, because of its distinct, yet familiar flavor. Pumpkin bread is a fine example. A flavor of cinnamon without the tang interacts with your taste buds as you enjoy such a dessert. It's not sweet in the way that banana bread is, so enjoying something that has a bit of a spice (but not too spicy) to it is exactly the experience you get out of pumpkin bread. Butter could very well accompany pumpkin bread, but I'm perfectly fine with it just as it is.
I bought some pumpkin doughnuts for Halloween, for those and apple cider doughnuts are staples for Halloween (at least in my book they are and if they're not, they definitely should be). The pumpkin doughnuts deserve a lot of hype for what they have to offer. One could eat the whole box if they wish and in my situation, I am fortunate to even have the resistance to call it a snack after one, maybe two, pumpkin doughnuts. It sure takes plenty of resistance. In the glazed fashion, pumpkin doughnuts are quite delicious as well.
Pumpkin cheesecake has grown to be the one variable of cheesecake I have begun to enjoy instead of the regular. I absolutely love cheesecake, for it's my favorite kind of cake bar none (with cannoli cake being a close second). My ice cream creation for a high school project was chocolate chip cheesecake and it got "best taste." I felt it was a magical flavor myself. When you make a pumpkin cheesecake into the mix, you have something that has a sweet spice, but at the same time is creamy to the point it plays a vibrant tune in your mouth. On Thanksgiving day, I'll take the pumpkin cheesecake over the pumpkin pie any day!
On the topic of pumpkin cheesecake, Ben & Jerry's is coming out with a "Pumpkin Cheesecake" flavor that will be on my "to buy" list as soon as it comes out. From what I saw, the ice cream will be a pint of pumpkin cheesecake ice cream with a graham cracker swirl. While graham cracker isn't necessarily my favorite element of the cake, it should provide the pint of ice cream with the drive it needs. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate (or fudge) covered cannoli, but the pieces of fudge-covered shells in their "Cannoli" ice cream provide an excellent element to their piece. Before I go off on a tangent having to do with how they need to bring cannoli ice cream back, I will say that the pumpkin cheesecake ice cream from Ben & Jerry's will be something to get. Whether I like it a lot or only a little will be determined in a simple fashion: if I finish the pint in one sitting, it's on my list of favorites.
Pumpkin picking is not necessarily an October tradition I keep up with. I'm just fine with seeing pictures of my friends on Facebook doing the pumpkin picking instead. I can do without the chalky dirt on my hands. Pumpkin eating during the last quarter of the year is something I do like to take part in. So if one person invites me to go pumpkin picking while the other invites me to dinner and dessert with a pumpkin cheesecake dessert, you can easily guess with one I'll settle for.
I want to wish everybody a Happy, Healthy, Fun, and Safe Halloween and I hope you're able to eat as much candy and consume as much holiday indulgences as you possibly can!!!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The Ninth Season Of "Whose Line Is It Anyway"
First off, I must mention the unfortunate trend that has been occurring with my updates on this blog. I'm currently in a semester in which I'm taking five classes, four of which are English, and my time is stuffed with reading books, writing papers, arranging powerpoints and group presentations, and then tending to a job in the mix. Fortunately, I will do my very best to find the open time that DOES reside in my life to submit here. The finale for the ninth season of Whose Line Is It Anyway premiered last week, going out on a very good note with host Aisha Tyler, regular performers Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, and Ryan Stiles, and guest performer Nyima Funk. So while this season had a lot to remember, which includes the obvious comeback of the show, there may be some touching up that the show can work on in order to make the tenth season of the show, which will have twenty-four episodes, a bit better... but not very much at all.
It was great to see Wayne, Colin, AND Ryan return to the show as regular performers. These guys were excellent during the Drew Carey era and it feels as if nothing changed. Wayne was as flashy as ever, Colin was as quick and blunt with his humor as ever, and when Ryan wasn't feeding the media's poking fun at the conservative agenda only or the fact that we like to make New Jersey the butt of all state jokes, he was quite the riot! In addition, the guest performers were a good batch to choose from. The best of the bunch has to have included Nyima Funk, Jeff Davis (who was also in the Drew Carey version), Jonathan Magnum, and my personal favorite, Keegan-Michael Key from MAD TV. These guest performers were able to fit in quite well and provided us with some outrageous humor. The only thing I would ask is that these guest performers are provided with a bit more time on the program, which we eventually got to see as the season progressed.
The one thing that we don't always need is the celebrity guests on all except one episode. On some occasions, the celebrity guests would get just as much or more time on the show than the guest performer, which isn't a good thing. If I'm not mistaken, there were more celebrity guests in this season alone than there were on the whole duration of the Drew Carey era of the program, but Carey made the most of his guests (Jerry Springer, Richard Simmons, Florence Henderson, Sid Caesar, Lassie, etc.). This time around, the guests were b-rate. I did like Wilson Bethel, who played along very well with the notion of the program. Perhaps the best celebrity guest sketch this season was when he, Wayne, and Ryan performed a "three-headed song" titled, "I Just Can't Live Without Your Rubber Duckie." If there are particular guests I wasn't fond of, it would be Kevin McHale, who was irritating and had way too much air time (in addition, I'm not a fan of Glee) and Maggie Q, who was just painful to watch, because she put no effort into her participation. In the "Dubbing" sketch, she didn't even move her lips on some occasions. If I were arranging the episodes, I would cut the celebrity guest appearances to about 33%. It's far more powerful to have three meaningful guests on the program for the season than eleven b-rate (I would go as far as declaring some of them to be c-rate) performers that eliminate performance time for the meaningful guests.
I also hope that Whose Line Is It Anyway captures much of the essence that made them great under the Drew Carey era. While it wasn't my favorite sketch was I was younger, they need to bring the "Hoedown" back, because a lot can be done with this sketch at this point in time. Allow the "winner" to sit out and either have Aisha Tyler or the celebrity guest (if we choose to keep having time) perform with the other three. Speaking of the Carey era, they need to bring back some of those performers to participate on the program. I would like to see Greg Proops, Brad Sherwood, and Chip Esten, maybe even Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Colbert, among some of the others that made the show magical. If the tenth season features a concentration on the guest performers and at the same time highlight their main three, this show will be a mainstay on CW.
What I liked a lot about this season was the execution of the one-liner sketches, such as "Scenes From A Hat," "Props," and "Online Dating Profile." These sketches allowed each performer to provide us with samples of the best they have to offer. In "Online Dating Profile," I saw some of the most outrageous, but hysterical examples of undesirable profiles of men you wouldn't want to date. Colin's was so outrageous that it stopped everyone's train of thought. I also enjoyed "Hollywood Director," "Greatest Hits," and "Weird Newscasters." Ultimately, if they're able to incorporate different material and perhaps some new material that they only use every so often on the program, then the show could see a flow that allows them to reach even higher marks than it did in this ninth season of the show.
The tenth season, which will be much longer, should definitely be something to check out. It should be far more outrageous now that things are back on pace and with more episodes, there will be more opportunities to come up with was incredible improv!
Verdict for Season 9: 8/10
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