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| me and Lori - Easter 1972 |
Hi Mom,
I wish the above photo had higher resolution. I see photos like this and I realize how blessed my sister and I are to have you for a Mother. Look at all that loot!! And that was a typical Easter. And an Easter, not a birthday or Christmas. It's 1972 in that photo. I am ten and Lori is three. I am obviously very into Star Trek reruns. The Enterprise model is the easiest thing to discern but just next to it is a stack of the novelizations of the Star Trek original series, books I still own, which are upstairs right now as part of my library. I could not bear to give them away when I moved west.
I like how my sister and I are laughing in this picture. There are other things I love. There's that couch, which I have used for so many years and is still in the condo's basement. The lamp he built of Phillipine Mahogany that I almost brought west (and will someday). The plant on the upturned crock that is still in my your house, Mom. I do not remember the couch being in that position in that room. Also, there's the Easter decoration on the wall, bunny placards that are probably still in your basement, too, Mom. Part of the Enterprise model is on the floor in front of the box as I was surely playing with it or trying to assemble it. We didn't always do these photos on the holiday, though I suspect in this case we did as our Easter baskets still have the wrapping. I could see more if the picture had been scanned at a higher resolution.
And so, here we are in a brain dump post that I am going to be working on all day Saturday as I am a day late again. Random topics and some photos from my childhood as I am feeling nostalgic and sentimental.
SPORTSCENTER - A CONUNDRUM
My enjoyment of ESPN's Sportscenter has been diminished since being out west. When I lived in the Eastern time zone, I would get into my home office every morning sometime between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. I would be able to catch the re-broadcasts of the Sportscenter from the night before with Neil and Stan before, during the week at least, the programming switched to the less interesting Sportscenter AM Live, or rather, a program that I am less interested in. Since being out west, I am getting in my office between 6-7 a.m. and very occasionally before 6 a.m., which means I am always stuck seeing Sportscenter AM Live at equivalently 9-10 a.m. Eastern. But since that starts at 7 a.m. Eastern, 4 a.m. Pacific, I am never seeing the broadcast from the night before, which means no Stan and Neil. I haven't liked it, but I have put up with it.
And then ESPN changed its format. The programmers of ESPN decided people like more talk and less news, and so by 7 a.m. Pacific they are running First Take on ESPN2, a trash talking, point-counter point debate show, which is fine and good, but not what I want to see first thing in the morning. Then on ESPN, they start running Get Up, more of a morning talk show round table, which is also fine and good, but not the news I crave in the format I want. I have tried the MLB network and NBA network options, and I like those well enough, but they're not ESPN's Sportscenter, and they do not have Stan and Neil (who I love).
And then it occurred to me that I can just RECORD THE DAMN SHOW the night before. I am not sure why I did not think of this option, even when in Michigan? I am so hung up on just turning on the TV and watching what's there because that is what I have done all my life. So I set the recording and magically, wow, an HOUR of Stan and Neil the next morning. I set the recording for midnight so I don't get a partial Sportscenter and so all the games have wrapped up.
One bug in the system is that so far when I finish watching the program then I have to set the recording for the next night. Setting an auto record option would record all "new" Sportscenter's, which records eight or so episodes and that's too much. There used to be a way to set a recording for the same time period each night, but I haven't explored to see if this still an option. So far, at least, I kind of like being mindful of setting each recording after deleting the previous. It's a good practice and makes me attentive.
Many people, especially those who do not value sports, will think this is a waste of time and resources and not necessary, but this one thing has improved the quality of my life significantly. I am very happy. Also, Thank you Stan Verett and Neil Everett. Stan Verett is on TWITTER. Neil is not.
THE MARVEL MOVIES PROJECT
So, I have also been trying to make time to watch things. Liesel and I are currently watching The Terror. I worked my way through the first season of Star Trek Discovery. There are many other things to watch, such as Netflix Marvel shows I have not yet seen, CW DC shows, Gotham, and now the new Lost in Space on Netflix. Not to mention that season two of The Handmaid's Tale is due April 25th, I am behind on Survivor and The Walking Dead. But I also want to catch up on Marvel movies before The Avengers: Infinity War comes out on April 27th.
So last night (which is really tonight, Friday night), I watched the second Guardian of the Galaxy movie, which I enjoyed a lot, especially for Sean Gunn playing two roles, one as a ravager, Kraglin, and the other as the motion capture stunt double for Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper. There were lots of goodies in the film, including the reveal at the end of the making of Adam Warlock. I loved Stan Lee's cameo talking to THE WATCHER! I really hope the Watcher is used in the third film. Mantis was a bit goofy, and though I liked her, I miss the Eastern mysticism feel of the original character. But Nebula was great as was Baby Groot. I am concerned that Sly Stallone was "Starhawk," and I really hope that there's no attempt to do anything remotely like the original Starhawk with Stallone. I like Stallone but not for the original Starhawk.Likewise, my biggest complaint about the first movie was the handling of Yondu. There's nothing wrong with Michael Rooker as an actor, especially for a role like Merle, Daryll's brother on The Walking Dead, but for the noble and silent archer of the original Guardians, he was a total change of direction. Given what they wanted to do with the character, okay fine, but why call him Yondu? So, I am happy that there was redemption for the character as Starlord battles his father, Ego, the living planet. I liked the change of Starlord's father to Ego. A much better choice than the character in the comic books (the emperor of Spartax, J'son as explained in wiki). I liked the re-positioning of what I found to be an unlikeable character, though the visual helped show Yondu more like the comic book original, he was still not the same.
Now, I must move onto Ant Man, Spider-Man Homecoming, and Thor:Ragnarok.
RECENT READING
I recently finished reading this book written by my good friend Helene Dunbar. It's very angsty. But it's also quite a diversion from the usual YA fare with bi-sexuality, drugs, suicide, drinking, and lots of the realities that teens deal with on a daily basis. It even has an intricately designed tree house with secret passages and an emphasis on quotable quotations, which teenagers deal with all the time.
To the left is the photo I took when the book arrived in the mail. The Vision just happened to be on hand; he was not included with the book.
I am contemplating a full review of the book here and all over social media. Helene is very good at chronicling the emotions of her characters. The greatest strength of this book may be how the writer slowly reveals the back story, spooning in what's needed just as the reader needs it and not more. I liked the first chapter especially as one does not quite understand what is going on with the main characters but is immediately invested enough to find out.
THERE WILL BE ANOTHER GAME TOMORROW
I am trying to give myself more of a break and not be so enslaved to the broadcasts of Baseball games. I have discovered that one reason I listened to more audio books this winter is that I was not listening to so much Baseball. In all the years of being a Tigers fan and a Cubs fan, I have suffered through many losing seasons and suffered more by being a hard core fan and listening or watching so many losses. The 2003 season for the Detroit Tigers when they lost 119 games. Of the worst seasons in the Tigers' history, I suffered through most of the losses in 1996 (109), 2002 (106), and 1989 (103). I could have suffered through 1975 (102), also, but I was taking a break from my Tigers fandom then or just not fully engaged like I was in the other years.
With the Cubs, pick a season!! Geez.
While I was working on this entry, a day late, this happened.
Still, I am of the "there will be another game tomorrow" variety more often. Not that I am giving up on Baseball, but I want to preserve my time for audio books. I do not have to suffer through every loss or even revel in every win.
TECH STARS - START UP - NEW PROJECT
I haven't written about the Tech Stars start up event I attended last weekend, but I plan to. Though I have planned many posts that I have not published.
This was a GREAT event, and I may be actually writing an app.
I am thinking of writing it in KOTLIN for those who know such things.
More to come on this subject.
I FEEL I AM MAKING PROGRESS; I AM ACCLIMATING
Though sharing all these photos may say otherwise, I am adjusting to living here and actually starting to really invest and feel glad that I live here.
Facebook reminded me today of this memory... 2012.
I miss you, Mom.
Here's a collection of photos just for myself, so I can look at them a lot.
See you later.
PHOTO GALLERY
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| obviously, me in a firefighter helmet |
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| Me and Lori Easter 1975 |
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| Me and Lori Spring 1973 |
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| Me and Mom and Dad 9 months Oct 1962 |
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| Me in 1973 school play |
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| Mom and dad 40th wedding anniversary 9808.16 |
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| Mom and Me East Tawas Point 8-11-63-18-19 months |
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| Mom and me Hazelwood 7.5 years |
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| Mom and Me Jan_19_1970_8th_Birthday |
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| Mon and me 3yrs 4months-May 1965 |
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| My Birthday 1974 |
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| Lori and Mom - Train to Versailles - July 1985 |
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| Lori 5-15-1971 |
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| Lori 11-12 weeks, me 7yrs 3 months |
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Reflect and connect.
Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you, Mom.
I miss you so very much, Mom.
Talk to you tomorrow, Mom.
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- Days ago = 1014 days ago
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1804.13 - 10:10
NEW (written 1708.27) NOTE on time: I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of your death, Mom, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of your death, Mom. I know this only matters to me, and to you, Mom.
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