Been a while

Posted on August 27, 2026 by AverageAndy

Since it’s been a while since I last wrote anything, I’m going to simply write a bunch of things to try and catch up

RIP to Hayden Panettiere (1989 – 2026), Dolly Parton (1946 – 2026), and Tim Curry (1946-2026). All three contributed their talents to this world in Television, Music, and Film, and will be deeply missed.

From the TV show “Heroes” to all-time classics “9 to 5” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, they all had memorable appearances that will be remembered fondly

And let’s not forget the music career of Dolly Parton, which spanned 50 years, and produced major hit songs like “9 to 5” and “Jolene”

Really enjoying Jia Jiangs’ new book “Easy Discipline”, the follow-up to his 1st book “Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection”. I have been following him since his video series titled 100 Days of Rejection Therapy, which went viral on social media. He really does care about helping people to find their story and embrace it no matter what others may think. One time, after posting on one of his blogs, he replied and even spent some time with me on a Zoom Call, and talked about doing what makes you happy.

Saw that the musician Passenger has a new album coming out in November. The 1st songe released, “It was Gonna Be You,” is really good, and looking forward to hearing some new music from him.

Big Brother celebrates its 1000 epesode tonight. Scary to think that I most likely have seen every one of them, meaning I have spent around 42 days of my life watching a bunch of people argue and play crazy games while stuck in a made-up house. I guess the upside is that I still find it interesting and entertaining. I have enjoyed this season, and looking forward to seeing if the Icons (Dee, Rick, and Angela) can figure a way to make it to the end

In Survivor news, a few things

Got my Free Tickets to “Survivor Island” at the American Dreams Mall (In New Jersey) on Saturday, September 19th. Looking forward to seeing what they have in store for the fans before Season 51 premieres on Wednesday, September 23rd.

I did watch the 1st few minutes of the “Meet the Survivor 51 Castaways!” video on the SurvivorOnCBS YouTube page. I really enjoyed seeing the behind-the-scenes stuff with Jeff Probst. But once they started to show the Season 1 castaways, I turned it off, as I like to be a suprised as possible when watching Survivor. Once again, I will be very careful when checking a lot of the entertainment websites the next few weeks.

Here are the Survivor Casting Directors I saw on Instagram

@JesseTannenbaum #JesseTannenbaum
@pennilaneclifton #pennilaneclifton
@chrisecasting #chrisecasting
@heidihillcasting #heidihillcasting
@andysloantv #andysloantv

Hopefully one of them will see my audition video, or read this blog, and reach out and give me a chance to show what I can bring to a future season of Survivor

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

I did come across jwayiv on Instagram who decided to post a video every day until he gets cast on Survivor. He is currently up to 112 days. Reminds me of @ImSurvivorRalph on X, who did the same thing, tweeting every day for over 450 days. (He stopped posting in 2022, and I did get this result when asking AI about him

*****************************************************************

Survivor Ralph (@ImSurvivorRalph) posted over 450 times on X asking to be chosen as a contestant on the reality show Survivor before stopping in September 2022. Was he ever cast, or did he stop for another reason

The user running the @ImSurvivorRalph account on X was never cast on Survivor, and they stopped posting primarily because the production team behind Survivor completely overhauled their casting process, making the user’s aggressive, automated public-tagging strategy completely obsolete

This specific account was a dedicated super-fan (not the actual contestant Ralph Kiser) who tried to use sheer volume to get noticed by casting directors.

Why They Stopped Posting

The account went completely dark in late 2022 due to a combination of shifting realities in how the show finds its contestants:

The 50% Diversity Mandate: In late 2020, CBS instituted a strict policy requiring all unscripted shows to ensure that at least 50% of their casts are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). For many older, recurring applicants who didn’t fit the specific demographic casting puzzles for upcoming seasons, the odds changed drastically, prompting many to stop repetitive campaigns.

The Move to Digital Casting & Active Scouting: Survivor casting directors, led by Jesse Tannenbaum, completely shifted away from looking at public social media spam or unsolicited tags. Instead, casting focused heavily on a modernized Survivor Casting Website and active scouting on TikTok and Instagram for unique personalities

Burnout and Platform Fatigue: After tweeting nearly 500 times with no response or engagement from network executives, the applicant likely realized the automated public strategy was ineffective and simply gave up on the account.

*****************************************************************

It will be interesting to see what happens with jwayiv – He checks some social media boxes (Unique / Instagram) but not others (social media spam or unsolicited tags).

He did mention that he was in his 40’s and was excited because two of the contestants in Season 51 were in their 40s. That is a good thing, but what about us in our 50s or 60s? They did cast LaTrice Verrett, who is 57 years old (And who happens to be from Maplewood, NJ- big shout-out to the town I grew up in). I know the two shows are different, but age should not be a major consideration when casting. Both Dee and Rick Devins have even said that Big Brother is harder mentally than Survivor.

Have my Fantasy Football draft later this evening, so need to wrap things up. Crazy to think that it’s almost football season (There are actually some college games this evening, and Lehigh opens its 2026 season Saturday at 3:30 PM against Holy Cross as they attempt to repeat as Patriot League Championships

And finally, shout out to Micky Gasper of the Boston Red Sox. He is the son of somebody I went to high school with, and it has been really exciting for her and her family to get to see him do well in the Major Leagues

AverageAndy Out

#PEACE

#Marillion – A Better Way of Life

Posted in 9 to 5, Books, Dee Valladares, Football, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jia Jiang, Jia Jiang - Easy Discipline, Jia Jiang - Rejection Therapy, Lehigh, Lehigh University, Passenger, Reality Shows, Rick Devens, Sports, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Instramentals

Posted on August 10, 2026 by AverageAndy

Out on a walk the other day, I was listening to some Kansas, and there is a cool instrumental, “T.O. Witcher,” off of the “In the Spirit of Things” album. Made me think of other instrumentals that I enjoy, so I started playing some

Bass Trap – U2 off the “Unforgettable Fire” album
Silk and Steel – Savatage off the “Gutter Ballet” album
Prodigal Son – Iron Maiden off the “Killers” Album *Does have some words, but mostly instrumental*

Also played a few new songs, “Red Dragon” and “The Black Sea,” from the upcoming Steve Hackett and Steve Rothery instrumental album “The Roaring Waves” – The full album will be released on August 28th

Update on some TV shows I am watching

“Love” – Netflix – Really enjoying this comedy show

“Stewart Saves The Universe” – NetFlix – Have to admit, had my doubts, but it is entertaining and makes me laugh, which is needed these days

“Lucky” – Apple TV – Interesting and keeps me entertained. It does fall into the trap that every other show and movie seems to follow these days.

Why are Government and Police Forces comprised of the dumbest people on the planet?

From shows like “Lucky” to movies like “Disclosure Day”, it takes you right out of the moment when characters just run away after being trapped or caught, while all the police and high-level government officials stand around looking clueless. It’s like the writers never watched an old episode of Batman” or some of the older James Bond movies.

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Another summer and another 3 months getting sucked into watching Big Brother on CBS. Every year I say I will not watch, and every year I cave and end up watching. I have to admit, I do find it entertaining and enjoy being able to sit back for a while and just tune out the rest of the world.

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Still waiting for the call from Survivor Casting. I really think I have what they need to be a future contestant. I am older – See a lot of chatter about having some older contestants, as well as an all-older season. I am friendly, funny, and outgoing, while also smart and scheming. As a long-time fan, I would bring a new kind of contestant to the show. Somebody who is not just looking for an adventure or just trying to try and prove you are #NeverTooOldForSurvivor, but somebody who wants to win the game and prove that you don’t have to be the fastest or strongest or best-looking or most famous to win, but you need heart and grit.

So #JeffProbst and #JesseTannenbaum and the rest of the #CBSCaring Team, the ball is now in your court. I’m here, waiting, and ready to play, so let’s do this

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE


#Marillion – A Better Way of Life

And remember – We are all just Sugar Mice in the Rain


AveragAndy Out

Posted in Adam Klein, Big Brother, Dalton Ross, Dee Valladares, Iron Maiden, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Julie Chen Moonves, Kansas, Love, Lucky, Marillion, Rick Devens, Savatage, Steve Rothery, Stewart Saves the Universe, Survivor, U2 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More Bad News Bears, plus give the Scorpions some love

Posted on August 4, 2026 by AverageAndy

Just came across this video with some behind-the-scenes information about the Bad News Bears as we continue the 50th anniversary celebration. Some interesting stuff.

Besides being a big fan of the original movie, I am a big fan of the sequel “The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training”. To me, it’s one of the best sequels ever made. While both Walter Matthau and Tatum O’Neal did not return, and there was a switch in actors (Jeffrey Louis Starr replaced Gary Lee Cavagnaro as Engelberg), the addition of both William Devane as Coach Mike Leak, and Jimmy Baio as Carmen Ronzonni were spot on

Got to give the Scorpions (Curnet memebers Singer Klaus Meine, gutarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs, bassist Paweł Mąciwoda. and drummer Mikkey Dee) as well as all the past memeber for still going strongg 60 years

The first live concert I ever saw was The Scorpions and Fastway at the Benedan Byrn Arena on August 28th, 1985 Crazy that this was almost 42 years ago. I also remember listening to “Winds of Change” what seemed like hundreds of times while driving across the country with 2 friends in the summer of 1991.

More and more, I am able to look back at all the great memories that movies, bands, books, and TV have given me over the years. What a long and fun trip its been, and this is only the begining. Much more to see and do going forward

AverageAndy

#Survivor53
#Survivor54
#SurvivorCasting
#CBSSurvivorCasting

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#LetThemPlay

#PEACE

Posted in 102.7 WNEW-FM, Bad News Bears, Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, Reality Shows, Scorpions, Scorpions Fastway 1984, Scorpions World Wide Live, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bad News Bears Reunion

Posted on August 3, 2026 by AverageAndy

After 50 years, most of the cast of “The Bad News Bears” reunited for a reunion at the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival. This included the 1st apperience in 50 years by Christopher Barnes, who played Tanner Boyle, one of my all-time favorite movie characters. I was shocked to see him there, as he has remained out of the spotlight for years.

Since I started writing this blog back in September of 2010, besides writing about the big three reality shows (Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Big Brother), I have written a lot about “The Bad News Bears” and the sequel “The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training”, two of my favorite movies of all time. And I have mentioned how I was a big fan of Christopher Barnes, who played Tanner Boyle

I was super excited when Panini America put out a subset of Bad News Bears trading cards back in 2013, which included 6 Autograph Cards of the Bears players. While there was no card of Tanner Boyle (Christopher Barnes), there were cards of Amanda Whurlitzer (Tatum O’Neal), and Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley). Over the years, I have been able to collect five of the six autographs, only needing the Kelly Leak card to complete the set.

Side note — I have said that there are 2 Trading Cards that I want to add to my collection, and have promised they will be the 1st two things I get once I win Survivor – The Kelly Leak Auto, and the William Shatner / Leonard Nimoy Duel Auto from the Star Trek 35th Anniversary HoloFEX set put out by Rittenhouse Archives

Shatner / Nimoy 35th

I did reach out to Turner Classic Movies, asking them if there was any way they could put me in touch with Christopher Barnes, so that I could let him know how much Tanner Boyle has meant to me over the years, and if there was any way to get an autograph. I actually got a reply, and they told me they would forward my request to his team. Now the waiting begins. One can only dream.

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Been sidetracked recently, and sorry I have not written much lately. Going to try and put myself on a writing schedule, and stick to it to keep everybody updated

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I did see that Jesse Tannenbaum posted on Instagram that Survivor 53 and 54 Casting started on Monday, July 27th

@JesseTannenbaum #JesseTannenbaum
@pennilaneclifton #pennilaneclifton
@chrisecasting #chrisecasting
@heidihillcasting #heidihillcasting
@andysloantv #andysloantv

Here’s hoping that one of the casting directors sees my latest audition video (Submitted back in May)

I am also going to follow up on a conversation I had with Jia Jiang (Rejection Theory, Easy Discipline) a while back, where he told me to keep on continuing to follow my dream and submit applications

So Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, and the rest of the CBS Casting and Production Crew, how about it

Let Me Play, Let Me Play, Let Me Play


Let’s Play Survivor



AverageAndy Out

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE

#Survivor53
#Survivor54

#JeffProbst
#JesseTannenbaum
#MattVanWaganen

#Marillion – A Better Way of Life

U28 – La calle, calle de los sueños

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V.I.N.Cent
Posted in Amazing Race, Bad News Bears, Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, Big Brother, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, Jia Jiang, Mark Burnett, Non-Sports Cards, Reality Shows, Star Trek, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What was on TV during the week in 1976

Posted on July 17, 2026 by AverageAndy

Been seeing a lot of retrospective videos lately, with people looking back at what was on television in the 70s and 80s. It is really interesting to see, and it made me reflect on how much the television landscape has changed in the past 50 years,

Going back 50 years, there were really only 3 major networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC). Besides a few UHF channels (mostly local programming), that was it. Each Network produced 3 hours of prime-time content Monday – Saturday (8:00 PM EST – 11:00 PM EST) and then 4 hours on Sunday (7:00 PM EST – 11:00 PM EST). This was a grand total of 22 hours of original programming per week. Taking away movies of the week and sports (Monday Night Football), there ended up being around 64 different programs available to watch each week.

Fast forward to today (July 2026), and there are literally hundreds of different television shows on every night. Add to this newer technologies like On-Demand, and Streaming, as well as the ability to save shows and watch them later (DVR), or watch them on physical media (Blu-ray, DVD), and it is impossible to even come up with a weekly set of programs like in the past

Here is a video of a Week in Television from 1976. While watching, I was amazed that I had heard of (and watched at some point) every one of these shows. I could tell you the names of the actors and actresses, and the characters they played. And this was the same for everybody. You watched what was on, when it was on.

It is really amazing how things have changed, not with television, but with other types of media entertainment as well. Just like Television, there were limited amounts of Movies, Radio Stations, and books that were available to the average person on a daily basis. This led to a lot of ‘water cooler’ discussions about the latest show, movie, or song. With the limited amount available, there was always somebody to talk to about things. Today, with all of the options, and with people in general being more siloed, you could walk into work, or a coffee shop, or other gathering place, and list the last 5 shows you watched, the last 5 movies you saw, the last 5 songs you listened to, and the last 5 books or magazines you read, and be lucky if anybody had heard of any, or even just a few.

Is either one of these scenarios better than the other? I don’t know, and it’s always annoying when people take sides, and state either that the past was better, and people now don’t know what they are missing, or that things are much better now, and stop waxing poetically about the past

Time change, things change, and the best we can do is move forward. That doesn’t mean we need to forget about the past, or stop reminiscing about the good and bad of past generations. It feels good to look back on the fond memories we all have from our past, but we also need to be thankful for all the options we have today.

Just a few more things regarding the past and present


2027 marks the 50th Anniversary of “Star Wars”

Lucasfilm is going all out for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars in 2027, anchored by three massive events:

Theatrical Re-Release: On February 19, 2027, Lucasfilm is re-releasing the newly restored, original 1977 theatrical cut of the first film (later renamed Star Wars: A New Hope). For the first time ever, it will be screened in IMAX and theaters everywhere

Star Wars: The Experience: A massive museum exhibition and immersive event will make its world debut. It is scheduled to run from February 13 to September 6

2027.Star Wars Celebration 2027: The official fan gathering is returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center from April 1 to April 4, 2027. Because it falls exactly on the golden anniversary, panels are expected to feature major upcoming movie reveals and announcements

2026 marks the 50th anniversary of “Rocky”

The 50th Anniversary of the original Rocky film is being celebrated in 2026, marking half a century since Sylvester Stallone’s cinematic debut as the legendary Italian Stallion in November 1976.

The festivities include a 4K theatrical re-release, special events in Philadelphia, and a brand-new biopic.

The special screenings are scheduled to run from November 7–11, 2026.

The Biopic (I Play Rocky): Directed by Peter Farrelly (Green Book), this biographical drama details Sylvester Stallone’s real-life struggle to get the screenplay produced while insisting on playing the lead role himself. It stars Anthony Ippolito as young Stallone and is scheduled for a wide release on November 20, 2026.

RockyFest: The city of Philadelphia is anchoring its annual RockyFest around the milestone, featuring special fan meetups, tours, and themed events.

More to come soon

PS – Survivor 51 premieres on September 23, 2026


#AverageAndy

#GiveMeAChance
#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#PEACE

#Marillion
#SugarMice

Posted in Job Searching, Marillion, Rocky, Star Wars, Star Wars, Survivor, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New U2 Music, and other things

Posted on July 9, 2026 by AverageAndy

Rock Legends U2 just released a new song from their upcoming new album too be released soon

Amazing that they are still going after all these years. Thinking back, it’s incredible all of the albums, songs, and concerts that they have released over the past 45+ years, and how they have interacted with my life

Starting with their 1980 hit track “I Will Follow” from their debut album “Boy” (which was later featured on the soundtrack of the classic (and hugely underrated) 1982 film The Last American Virgin), they have been able to change their style and constantly adapt along with the times

Here are some of the highlights and things I remember

High School – “The Unforgettable Fire” – Multiple shows at the Brendon Byren Arena (Emily S, Paul T. Dave F. Pete L)

Lehigh – “The Joshua Tree” – Mark K., Rattle and Hum Movie – Lars N.

Show #1 Cindy – “Pop” – “Pop Mart Tour” — Giants Stadium

Nantucket – Cindy and friends — “The Best Of, 1980 – 1990”

Show #2 Cindy – “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” – Elevation Tour – Continental Airlines Arena

Playing the Super Bowl XXXVI halftime show in 2002 at the Louisiana Superdome

Lunch at CIT – “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb“

Free on iTunes – “Songs of Innocence” – Madison Square Garden – Paul M.

Show #3 Cindy – The Joshua Tree Tour 2017″ – Met Life Stadium

Good Times, and hopefully there will be more to come

Note(s) Brendan Byrne Arena –> Continental Airlines Arena –> Izod Center
Giants Stadium –> MetLife Stadium

USA’s run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup came to a close with a clunker of a game against Belgium. The USA team looked unprepared and played a sloppy game, and were sent home with a 4 – 1 defeat

It’s crazy to see how fast the World Cup lost its steam and momentum as far as fandom and coverage by the USA media. Walking around, there is literally no talk or mention of the remaining World Cup games other than among the diehard soccer fans. Oh what could have been

TV Update

Silo Season 3 (Apple TV) – Enjoyed the season premiere and looking forward to this season

Love (Netflix) – Finished Season 1, and am a few episodes into Season 2. Very interesting show that has me both liking and disliking the 2 main characters.

Movie Update

The 5th Wave (NetFlix) — Started off strong, and then got a bit too campy. I do like this kind of movie, and this could have been better

Fast Charlie (NetFlix) — Another OK movie. A bit too predictable

Sports Update

The NY Mets have been playing some crazy games, and while they don’t really matter as they have dug themselves too big a to big of a hole as far as the play-offs, they keep sucking me in, which is what baseball can do.

The NY Giants open training camp soon. They had to move their training camp to West Virginia due to the World Cup Finals being played at MetLife Stadium, and FIFA taking over the stadium, parking lot, and the Giants practice facility for all the crew and security required for the finals.

For the 1st time in who knows how long, my Fantasy Baseball Team is not in last place. I am not going to challenge for the crowns, but I am pretty sure I will end up finishing in the middle of the pack. This is great for me, as I think I have come in dead last each of the past 5 years, and end up having to pay for lunch at the draft. I am already thinking how much better the pizza will taste at next year’s draft.

Music Update

Great time for new music from classic artists. Crazy to think that all these artists have been around for 40-plus years

Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues — Never been the biggest Rolling Stones fan, but the 4 songs released so far are really good

Yes: Aurora – Some really good songs on the album

Paul McCartney: The Boy of Dungeon Lane — The guy is simply amazing and still putting out new music

Also, new music from Asia, Barenaked Ladies, and Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery

And finally, here are a few videos I have come across in the past few weeks

===============

Very sad to see this — I have enjoyed Pete Pardo and his videos for years

Here is the gofundmy link for those who want to help out

Pete Pardo’s Fight against brain cancer – GoFundMe

That’s all for now

Wishing everybody the best and PEACE to all


*** Big Brother 28 premieres tonight on CBS at 8:00 PM EST ***

#Survivor
#CBSSurvivor
#JeffProbst
#JesseTannenbaum
#MarkVanWagenen
#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance

#Marillion — A better way of life
#SugarMice

#PEACE
#Yes
#YouCanDoIt
#U28

Average Andy Out

Posted in Asia, Aubry Bracco, Barenaked Ladies, Baseball, Big Brother, Boston Rob, FIFA World Cup 2026, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, John Cochran, Julie Chen Moonves, Kelley Wentworth, Kellyn Bechtold, Love, Marillion, Mark Burnett, Movies, Music, NY Giants, NY Mets, Paul McCartney, Pete Pardo, Rob Cesternino, Steve Rothery, Survivor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“It’s for the PlayStation 2”

Posted on July 1, 2026 by AverageAndy

Best line – “It’s OK, it shows that you care”

Made my day

AverageAndy

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

It’s Because That’s Why

Posted on June 30, 2026 by AverageAndy

Getting a good laugh from watching ItsBobbyFinn reels. They are short videos by comedian Bobby Finn where he comedically over-analyzes English words, spelling challenges, and grammar rules. Take a few minutes to watch a few of his reels. It will brighten up your day

Also been watching reels by JasonKPargin. He covers all sorts of subjects and opinions. Mentions things that make me have to think, which is a good thing.

I did find some time to see the new Stephen Spielberg movie “Disclosure Day”. Did I like it? Yes. Did I hate it? Yes. Is it possible to have a movie that is both Good and Bad? Yes

I remember reading about the making of the 1st Indian Jones movie. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Larry Kasdan worked together, brainstorming among each other to come up with the story

#1 George was the storyteller

#2 Steven was the movie maker

#3 Larry Kasdan was the one who looked at the script and said yes or no to things and determined if the audience would believe what they were watching

For “Disclosure Day”, someone like Larry Kasdan was sorely missing. There were way too many scenes that took me out of the movie as I thought to myself, “How dumb could somebody be?”, or “These people were supposed to be the best, but are just too stupid to believe”. The movie was also hard to follow at some points, where I basically had no idea what was going on.

The crazy part was that the parts of the movie that were good were very good, and some scenes did take me back to older Speiberg classics like “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind”, and “E.T.” Then somebody would say something stupid or do something out of context that snapped me out of that feeling.

While I went into this movie not knowing what to expect, I ended up realizing that I miss the feelings that great movies bring, and wishing for more

Finished reading “The Girl In the Lake” by Lauren Oliver, and though it was one of the best books I have read in a while. Really liked the story, and thought the author did a great job of setting up scenes. Had a great mix of drama and suspense, and kept me reading to find out what happens next.

Going to try and fit more time for reading, and looking forward to some new books by authors I like coming out in the fall.

I have also been finding some time to listen to music (both old and new). In the car, or when I go for runs /walks, in these crazy times, I find music much more enjoyable than talk radio or podcasts. To be able to disengage with the world for a short time is very refreshing and much needed.

As far as sports

USA Men’s soccer team plays Bosnia-Herzegovina tomorrow night at 8:00 PM EST in the round of 32, with the winner moving on and the loser heading home. Should be fun to watch

Mets – Next


After lying low for a little bit, going to start thinking of ideas for the next round os Survivor Casting. I did move my Survivor Rewind Posts off of Twitter (X) and am now posting on BlueSky I have been listing all players in order of their eviction, starting on May 13, 2022, with Sonja Christopher who was the 1st person ever voted off of Survivor (Season 1, Borneo).

I am now up to Season 20 (Survivor Hero vs Villains) with the last post from June 30th, 2026, being:

‪AverageAndy‬
‪@averageandy.bsky.social‬
On Day 31 #CandiceWoodcock was the 13th person voted out and the 5th jury member on #SurvivorHVV
@jeffprobstsurvivor.bsky.social #JesseTannenbaum #MarkVanWagenen
@daltonross.bsky.social.thekellynb.bsky.social #KelleyWentworth
#CandiceBergan #CandiceSwanepoel
#GiveMeAChance
#NeverTooOldForSurvivor

Survivor 51 will premiere on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, so I still have a long way to go, but I will eventually get to the end.

Hopefully, I will even have a post about myself being a contestant

More to come

#Survivor
#SurvivorCBS
#Survivor51
#Survivor52
#Survivor53

Marillion – A Better Way of Life — New song “Ribbons and Lace” coming soon

#SugarMice

#U28

AverageAndy Out

Grounds For Sculpture – June 2026
Posted in Author Jason K Pargin, Baseball, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dalton Ross, Disclosure Day, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, FIFA World Cup 2026, ItsBobbyFinn, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, John Denver, Kelley Wentworth, Kellyn Bechtold, Lauren Oliver - The Girl in the Lake, Marillion, Music, NY Mets, Reality Shows, Sports, Survivor, U2 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Howdy Howdy Howdy

Posted on June 23, 2026 by AverageAndy

Another set of random thoughts and videos from the past few weeks.

The FIFA World Cup is being played in the USA / Canada / Mexico and is off to a great start. The Men’s USA Team won its 1st 2 matches and has assured itself a spot in the knockout round of 32. They play their final first-round game against Turkey on Thursday, which is a glorified exhibition game. We will need to wait a few days to see who and where they will be playing after that.

I’m not the biggest soccer fan, but I do enjoy watching the World Cup games. Besides the games, it has been fun reading, hearing, and seeing soccer fans from around the world experience life in the United States as they explore cities, attend games, gather at bars, and watch parties to cheer on their teams. Seems like everything has been positive and friendly.

Don’t know why, but I found the video below funny as a lady from Australia goes to a Walmart in Seattle.

In other World Cup news (and as a long-time John Denver fan), it’s great to see ‘Country Roads’ become the team’s victory song. Each team had to submit a song to FIFA to play after each match, with the USA Men’s team submitting ‘Country Roads’, a song that everybody knows the words to and can sing along with.

During a recent walk, I listened to a bunch of “Fish” songs. He put out a bunch of great albums and songs after leaving Marillion and going solo. Really enjoyed listening to the song “13th Star” off the album with the same title. Give it a listen

Fish (Solo) Discography

Taking a turn in another direction, I recently saw a post about StillersSoda. Touted as the “World’s Refreshing-est Soda”, I figured I would give it a try. Found it at Walmart, with an extra bonus of a cash back rebate if you bought 3 or more cans.

I picked up 4 cans (one of each flavor they had), and will be giving them a try.

My wife and I were lucky enough to get invited to the Mets / Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia on Saturday evening. Even better was that the invite was for seats in a suite which included food and drink.

Even though the Mets got crushed 15 – 3, we did get to see some history, as the Phillies became just the 2nd team in MLB history to have 1 player hit 3 home runs (Kyle Schwarber), while another player hit for the Cycle (single, double, triple, and Home Run) (Bryce Harper)

The only other time was way back in 1933 (Lou Gehrig – 4 HR, Tony Lazzeri – Hit for the Cycle)

For something fun, I made a “Find Me JoseMonkey” video and tagged @josemonkey to see if he can find out where I filmed it.

And finally, I have been watching a lot of short videos by Author Jason K Pargin –  He is an American novelist, humorist, and internet personality who I find very interesting. Check out his reels on Facebook

He is also the author of the “John Dies at the End” books and has a new book available for pre-order. Why not take advantage of Amazon Deal Days and order a copy

“There are No Giant Crabs in this Novel” (A John Dies at the End Novel) (Book 5)

Wishing everybody a great start to your summer

Talk to you soon

AverageAndy


#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE

#CBS
#CBSSurvivor
#Survivor51
#Survivor52
#Survivor53

Marillion – A Better Way of Life




Posted in Author Jason K Pargin, Baseball, Fish, Marillion, Music, NY Mets, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The story of Darius McCollum

Posted on June 11, 2026 by AverageAndy

Came across this interesting video about a man named Darius McCollum. I found it very interesting, as well as sad in the way things have been handled throughout his life.

It’s well worth the watch

I never really thought about writer’s block (in fact, not even sure if it’s a real thing). But right now I am sitting at Starbucks trying to think of something to write about and my mind is blank. Not blank in that I have no thoughts, but in that I have lots of small thoughts that are coming and going, with nothing really making me think “This is Coool, or This is Stupid” and I need to write about it

The Mets are awful, and I don’t know how much longer I will continue to obsessively watch

The Knicks are the talk of the town, but I truthfully have not watched more than a few highlights of any NBA basketball game in years and have no interest in starting. But there is no way to avoid following their journey here in the New York area, as it’s all they talk about on sports radio

The good thing is that I get to listen to more music in my car as I drive around. Have tried listening to a little politics on SiriusXM, but most of it is just rehashing the same thing over and over, and it’s just tiresome

Part of my mind wandering is also the long and tedious grind of looking for a new job. Scary how fast the rules of job searching change. Don’t add a cover letter (They’re all AI, so recruiters just ignore them). Add all your jobs and college graduation dates (don’t want to give the impression of lying about your age). Customize the summary section of your resume for each job, as that is now the important part)

Add in new technologies and the confusing takes on AI, and it’s just a mess. I realize that hiring a 59-year-old white guy is not the in thing right now, but hopefully someone I know, or something I post, will catch somebody’s attention, and at least consider giving me an opportunity to show what I can bring to the table

See that the filming of Survivor Season 52 was being delayed due to a tsunami watch in Fiji due to an earthquake in the Philippines. Hopefully everybody is safe, and it’s just a short delay

This also means that AverageAndy will have to wait at least another year until 2027 (Seasons 53 and 54, when I will be 60) to be a contestant on the show. Still, I’m a few years younger than Showrunner General Jeff Probst, and as long as he keeps going, so will I

As I have said before, those out there who read this and happen to have an in, or know somebody that has an in with Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, or anybody else involved in the casting of Survivor, I would appreciate you mentioning me and this blog. All I am looking for is a meeting, and I will do the rest to prove to everybody that AverageAndy would make a great contestant on a future season.

———–

AverageAndy

#NeverTooOldForSurvivor
#GiveMeAChance
#PEACE
#Survivor53
#Survivor54

Marillion – A Better Way of Life

U28

#JeffProbst
#JesseTannenbaum
#MattVanWagenen
#SurvivorCasting





Posted in Adam Klein, Baseball, Boston Rob, Dalton Ross, Drew Basile, Jeff Probst, Jesse Tannenbaum, John Cochran, Jonny Fairplay, Kelley Wentworth, Kellyn Bechtold, Marillion, Mark Burnett, Mike Gabler, Mike Turner, NY Mets, Parvati Shallow, Reality Shows, Richard Hatch, Rob Cesternino, Sports, Starbucks, Steve Hogarth, Steve Rothery, Survivor, Tony Vlachos, Treehouse Detective, U2, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment