Got the sad news that my friend Kelly O’Connor passed away last Saturday after a few weeks in hospice. She was married to a longtime friend and they made a great team. Together they did lots of traveling and activities (biking, rock climbing, kayaking). Kelly also played Beach Volleyball. Kelly traveled for work, ending up in places like Panama and Denver, CO.
Diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, Kelly never complained and remained positive and upbeat through treatments until the end. Her husband Rob was a rock, caring for Kelly as things progressed. They loved each other and it is going to be terribly sad going forward.
Every year I try to get all my close friends together on the day before Thanksgiving to catch up on the year gone by. The crowd has gotten smaller the past few years, but Kelly and Rob were always there and it is very sad thinking of getting together this year without Kelly. We will definitely raise a glass and have a toast to Kelly and her life. She will be missed
Been a whirlwind of a week. Was invited to a long time friends wedding in St. Petes Beach, FLA. Was able to work things out, and my wife and I flew from NJ to FLA last Saturday. Another long time friend was also able to make it as well and it was great to see him and his wife. Rented a nice Air B&B and was able to spend some time on the beach (rented a cabana and beach chairs and was able to sit back and relax). The wedding was on Sunday. A super casual affair on the beach with the reception at a clubhouse overlooking the water. It was a run time, and both the Bride and Groom looked like they had a great time celebrating with friends and family.
But with every high, there is a low. We have other friends who live in St. Petersburg FLA. Unfortunately my friend was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and it has progressed to the point where she is now home and on hospice. Was very glad we got to see her and her husband and spend some quality time with them. It’s got to be really tough, but my friends husband is doing a incredible job of making sure his wife is comfortable and has everything she needs.
While we were visiting, it was nice to see family and friends stop by and give love and words of encouragement to both of them. Wishing them both the best as they go through the terrible time that cancer can bring.
Flew back to NJ on Tuesday, and was able to relax and have a quiet night. We did make a quick stop at the Roman Gourmet in Maplewood for pizza on the way home. Still family owned and operated, they have been making some of the best pizza for over 50 years. I grew up just a short walk away and try to stop by if I’m in the area. Never disappoints
Wednesday gave us the Series Premiere of Survivor 46. A fan since the beginning, I have never missed a season or an episode. It’s always interesting to see who sticks out to me as a charismatic and likeable player and who comes across as cold and unlikeable. I can usually get a read on a few of the contestants from their first couple of days on the Island. The 2 people who stood out to me were Jelinski and Jess. Jelinski was just clueless in how he though people viewed him. Jess just seemed like a fish out of water. That both were on the same tribe that lost every challenge was not surprising.
I was again able to avoid most social media coverage of the contestants until the Series Premier. After watching the premier, I then listened to On Fire with Jeff Prosts, the official Survivor PodCast, and then on Thursday morning, read Dalton Ross’s EW Survivor Recap
Interesting to see who starts to stand out as the season progresses. I also need to start work on my next addition video. When I told my wife I was going to work on another video, here replay was “I can’t wait to see you on The Golden Survivor”. I laughed and said “I know Im old, bud I don’t feel that old” There are still plenty of seasons for me to get cast on before reaching my golden years. One of these times, #JeffProbst, #JesseeTananbalum or others involved in casting will connect with my latest application video and give me a shot at becoming a contestant. Until then, I will continue to dream about being cast, and continue writing about Survivor on this blog
Remember, life is a gift, and is precious. Never take anything for granted and remember to find time to talk to family and friends. Also continue to dream
Sorry for the delay. It’s been a strange few weeks. Been in a kind of a funk, but seem to be coming out of it. Lots of small things on my mind, so let get to it
It’s getting harder and harder to listen to sports radio. I can’t wait until baseball starts so at least there will be something new to talk about each day. Seems most of the talk now is just arguing based on speculation (Will Pete Alosno resign with the Mets, Can the Knicks win the Championship, Will Saquon Barkley resign with the Giants, …) Maybe it’s just me, but arguing over things that you have no control over just tiresome. As a Mets fan, if Pete Aloso is in the Mets lineup, I’ll be rooting for him, but if he is traded or becomes a free agent and signs somewhere else, then I’ll be rooting for whoever replaces him.
I have been watching and kind of enjoying “The Traitors”. I saw that some of my favorite reality show contestants (Parvati Shallow from Survivor, and Dan Gheesling from Big Brother) were part of Season 2, so I decide to take a look. But once they were both eliminated, I have kind of lost a interest. Will most likely watch to see who wins, but not that excited about any of the remaining players. As a side note, I actually saw Alan Cumming in Concert (Elsie Fest 2017 at the Central Park Summerstage). Also a big shout out to Dr. Will Kirby for showing up on “The Traitors” He is one of the best ever to play Big Brother (Winning Season 2).
I started watching “One Day” on Netflix, and am really enjoying it. Not quite what I was expecting. but they are doing a good job of showing how the lives of people change from year to year.
I did purchase a break spot of Topps 2024 Series One Cards (NY Mets) from Uncommon. Found them during a seards of On Line Breaker Sites, and liked there format and pricing. Didn’t get any big hits, but did see a could of nice pulls. Will post pictures of the NY Mets cards one they are shipped and received. Going to scale back this year on Topps Series 1. There are a lot of Non-Sports Cards I am keeping my eye on, and hope to pick up a few at the next Philly Non-Sports Show in May Its the 80th show and should be a lot of fun.
Was very sad to hear that a friend of ours, David St. Hill passed away suddenly last Friday. Got a text from my wife, and it took a minute for me to process the information. He was around the same age as me, and seemed in good heald and spirits when I last saw him over the Christmas holiday.
Dave was a great guy and I really enjoyed talking to him about baseball whenever we got together. He played low level ball, and was friends with several ex Major League players. He was also a well respected girls softball coach and inspired hundred of girls over the years to do there best. A great husband and father, we lost a good guy in Dave, and he will be missed
Very sad to see that the great Carl Weathers passed away last week at the age of 76 He was known for playing Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies and more recently for his role in the hit “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,”. Besides these, he stared in many classic films, including Force 10 from Navarone (which was a HBO staple back in the days) where he starred alongside such greats as Robert Shaw and a young Harrison Ford), Loved by everybody, I have not seen anybody say anything other than what great person he was. I followed him on Twitter, as he was always positive and upbeat (which the world needs more of these days) (@TheCarlWeathers). I will miss his positivity.
Another week has flown buy and its hard to believe it’s almost February. The football season is down to 4 teams (Baltimore / Kansas City / Detroit and San Francisco), and pitchers and catchers report in just over 2 weeks (Mets report on February 19th). Crazy how fast things seem to go
If you get a chance, check out and subscribe to Mediocre Movie Majors on YouTube. Its my daughter and her partners channel where they review movies from the point of view of recent Film School Graduates.
College Basketball is in full swing, and Seton Hall has had a couple of good wins that should help them secure a NCAA Tournament berth. Lehigh was picked to be one of the better teams in the Patriot League, been have been missing some key players due to injury and will need to pick things up if they want to make a run at the Patriot League Title
Working on adding more of my Star Trek Trading Cards to the Trading Card Data Base. Decided to use this site to keep track of all my Star Trek, Star Wars, and other non sport trading cards. Going to take a while, but hopefully I will be able to get a better Idea of what I have (Have some binders that I haven’t looked at in a while, and know they contain some pretty good auto cards. Will also be scanning the cards and uploading the images to the site (and will post some here as well).
Continuing to try and find more time to read, and hopefully can keep on track to read at least a book a month. Should be some down time before some of my favorite TV shows come back on after a delay due to the writers strike. Also Season 46 of Survivor premieres February 28, 2024, on CBS. Hoping there is a Rob Has a PodCast Watch Party in New York like last season. Was a lot of fun watching Survivor in a auditorium filled with Survivor Fans.
Finally finished watching “A Million Little Things” (a year after it ended) and thought they did a great job with the final episodes. I was actually really emotional to watch and left me feeling sad but also hopeful. They didn’t jump the shark and pull out a crazy miracle cure for Gary, but basically let life run its course. While the show was sappy at some times, and some of the story lines were a bit contrived, The writers redeemed themselves at the end, and I am thankful for that.
Went and saw “The Beekeeper” with a friend last Thursday (note to self – in the future, go in Tuesday if possible since its 1/2 night). Have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. They story was actually pretty good, and showed how ruthless and cruel online scammers can be. They did go a little over the top (in the realms of John Wick and Reacher) where all the bad guys basically line up get picked off one at a time, by the Beekeeper who never even gets a scratch. Would have been a great movie if they would have tones things down a bit and focused more on the characters.
Like it when I come across some interesting old pictured on the internet. Saw this the other day, and figured I would post it and give a little review
My Bodyguard was one of my favorite movies growing up. Was one of the many movies they played over and over again on HBO back in the day. Staring Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, and the great Matt Dillon, it’s just a fantastic film. Here is a review from IMDB (I could not have said it better)
One of those movies you remember as a kid
‘My bodyguard’ is one of those movies–like ‘Breaking away’–that you remember long after the credits end. If you saw it as a kid like I did, the movie hit you in the gut. It is just ‘real.’ The film offers a slice of teen life that you can definitely relate to, whether you’ve been bullied or not. It includes wonderful performances all around. Chris Makepeace is really great in this movie–and so is Matt Dillon! I don’t know why it’s been rated so low–it’s a great film and I’d highly recommend it. There’s that sense of teen angst and finding your place in the world, and it resonates and works on lots of levels. All sorts of crappy movies get higher ratings, go figure!
For whatever reason, the NFL Play-Off games are just not interesting me this year. I enjoyed watching parts of them, but without the NY Giants playing, my attention was just not there. I did take some time on Saturday to try and make my own bagels. Have to admit they came out great. Serving one up with Lox and Cream Cheese and and a cold beer and I was a happy camper
Sad to see that two of the YouTube Channels that I really enjoy watching will be closing up shop
Both MatPat(The Food Theorist) and Tom Scott (TomScottGo) will no longer be producing and making new YouTube Videos going forward. Both creators posted on YouTube that the time has come to move on (MatPat after 13 years, Tom after 10 Years) and do something different. Both explained that the time and work required to produce the best videos possible finally caught up with them and they needed a step away and spend more time with family and friends.
The Videos posted on their YouTube Channels were always entertaining as well as educational. I learned a lot of great things from their channels and will miss watching to see what new and exciting things they got to do and talk about. Here are their farewell videos — Subscribe and Check them out (as well as all their old videos)
Mat Pat (Food Theory) – Calling it quits
Tom Scott – Final Video 2024
Just when you think you have seen and heard something crazy, something crazier comes along.
According to this article, ESPN was submitting fake names of associate producers involved in shows like College Game Day, and then re-engraving them with the names of the studio hosts (who were ineligible to win). Then they would present them to the hosts as an actual winner.
College GameDay won the Emmy for Outstanding Weekly Studio Show seven times in the last 15 years: 2010, 2011, and every year from 2014 to 2018. The Athletic identified that in each of those years, associate producers with identical initials to the show’s on-air personalities were listed in the credits. For example, Kirk Henry and Lee Clark were listed as associate producers to stand in for Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso. The outlet also reported that there were fake names in the College GameDay Emmy submission credits as recently as 2020.
While no real harm was done other that skirting the eligibility rules, and getting some extra Emmy statues, I do have some observations; One is why ESPN would go to this length to supposedly boost the egos of the studio hosts and a few other employees. Wouldn’t, just telling the studio hosts that their production crew won an EMMY, but they themselves were not eligible to be included be OK. Another is how nobody involved with this plan questioned what they were doing. If someone handed you an Emmy Award and told you to re-engrave it with a different name, wouldn’t you at least ask why?
As for the EMMYs, I guess you can just list as many people you want on the application and if you win, EMMYs for everybody. They must of at least looked at the list of people on the application since they put in rules on who is eligible. (Or maybe not)
Now ESPN has to go to the people they gave the re-engraved EMMYs to and say, “Sorry, you really didn’t win an EMMY so give it back” What a mess.
But these are the times we live in now. Nobody cares about rules, or integrity. Just saw another story where a couple won a $3,000,000 suite from EBay when the top executives at EBay got mad at them for writing a newsletter about Devin Wenigs’ (eBay’s CEO at the time) annual pay. The company’s chief communications officer, Steve Wymer, responded: “We are going to crush this lady.” They put a plan in place to harass the couple by harassing them and sending them packages of bugs.
Of course, Devin Wenigs said he had no idea what was going on, and would have stopped it if he knew (He resigned from eBay in September 2019 with a $57 million exit package.). You think he really cared what happened to this couple, or of any harm EBay may have caused
I had a discussion with a coworker about how the penalties for a lot of laws have stayed constant (and mostly monetary), while the wealth of many people has increased to the point where it is no longer a deterrent for those making a lot of money. Fining someone $5000.00 who takes home a million dollars a year is a .005% fine But fining somebody who’s making minimum wage $5000.00 is a .16% fine.
The only way to put a stop to al lot of the craziness is to make fines and penalties more of a deterrent. This can be done by making fines a set percentage instead of a fixed amount — If found guilty, everyone should have to pay 10% of their own income, plus 25% of their stake in the companies yearly income for the next 2 years.
As Eddie Murphy (as Billy Ray Valentine ) says in “Trading Places”: “You know, it occurs to me that the best way you hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people.”
Until we make the penalties sting, people will continue to do whatever they want, pretend to be sorry, and then go on with their life.
I finished reading “Holly” by Stephen KIng — I haven’t read much of his work lately, and really liked it. Started “The Bad Weather Friend” by the great Dean Koontz. Added a goal of reading at least 12 books in 2024 and am off to a good start. Reading also helps to reduce the time I spend watching TV or using the internet. This is also another reason I want to be a contestant on @Survivor. Being forced to go 26 days with no access to the internet sounds like an awesome idea to me
Went off on a little tangent, and hope you were able to stick with me
Another of my 2024 goals is to write more often, and expand my writing and grammar skills
Hope everybody had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I attended a few Christmas parties hosted by long time friends, and spent a very relaxing New Years Eve with a small group. Actually left for home around 11:30 PM and was in my car at Midnight listening to “New Years Day” by U2 on Sirius Radio Channel 28 (The Spectrum). It was very peaceful.
The New York Football Giants ended there season by defeating the struggling Philadelphia Eagles to end the season at 6 – 11. Was a crazy roller coaster of a season. While they were really bad for a lot of games, and looked out classed and out coached, they did have some moments of promise. Not sure what direction they will go next season. Will they draft a QB, will they use the franchise tag on Saquon Barkley, resign him, or let him walk and sign with another team. Will Brian Daboll be able to turn things around (they did let several coaches go already). We will have to wait and see.
Football is such a strange sport and obsession. I did talk to some friends and said I wish I could just forget about football and the Giants and do other things during the NFL Season. But there is just something inside of me that makes me continue to be a fan and come back year after year. So see you in September for another season of Giants Football
Going to spend a few days cleaning out and organizing my office space. Getting a new desk so need to clear off the old one, and put away all the binders of cards (Baseball / Star Wars / Star Trek / Promos) that have taken over. Also a lot of knick knacks to go through and pack a lot of them away to clear up some space. Wish me luck and it’s been a long time coming, and being the procrastinator I am, it will probably take me all week.
Kind of in a rut as to what TV shows and movies to watch. Since there is really nothing out there that I am really excited about, it’s feeling like a good time to go back and clean out my DVR or catch up on some of the streaming shows I started
“A Million Little Things” – Only a few more episodes left of the final season “9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star” – Think I am a season behind. Helpfully can catch up before it returns “Reacher” Season 2 “Upload” Season 3
Defiantly want to catch “Wonka” on the big screen. Maybe I will catch it on night this week (see – Im already procrastinating), but if not, definitely next weekend (Since there is no Giants game)
Also am going to spend some time researching and reaching out to people regarding crating my next Survivor Video. Saw a post from jeff Probst that the Producers and executives will releasing the Season 46 players Audition Videos. Will be interesting to see what they are currently looking for, and hopefully pick up some good tips for my next Video.
I will continue to Hope / Dream / Imaging / Pray that I will eventually be a contestant on Survivor and prove to myself and others that there is no limits on what can be achieved.
Will write more soon — Going to list some of the music I have been listening to and books I have been reading (Trying to find more time to read – Not really procrastinating) , as well as reviews and recommendations
Happy Holidays to everybody reading this. Hope you were able to relax and spend some time with family and friends. We have been to a few Holiday Parties with one more this weekend. Was good to enjoys good food and drink and spend times with friends.
Got to spend Christmas with my wife’s side of the family. We spent the day at my mother-in-laws house (She passed earlier in the year and we will be selling the house), so it was kind of a last hurrah. It was fun talking and remembering all the good time spend with my wife, daughter, nieces and nephew had at the house over the years. We even watched some old home movies (using an old projector and screen) But life moves on, and next year we will be starting a new tradition, where ever that might be.
It’s been a week since Dee Valladares was crowned winner of Survivor 45. While I enjoyed this season, I did feel a bit let down by the final. Once Emily Flippen and Drew Basile were voted off, I really did not have favorite in the Final 5. While they all seemed like nice people, I just didn’t connect with any of them, so really didn’t care who eventually won. I was surprised when Katurah Topps switched her vote from Dee to Julie, especially after explaining how Dee would win if she survived the vote. I know it’s hard to understand moves people make while sitting at home, but it was a bit strange. Things like this are one of the main reasons I would love to be a contestant on Survivor #NeverToOldForSurvivor, #GiveMeAChance. I am constantly wondering what I would do in certain situations; Would I tell anybody if I found or recieved an advantage. Would I tell people information that I was told not to share. It’s always fascinating to see different way people handle things
As for the Final 4, I really dislike the Fire Challenge (never liked it going back to when Chrissy Hofbeck got screwed after playing a great game) The winner Ben Driebergen lost the final challenge, and should have been voted off. But they added the fire challenge which gave him a 2nd chance. It again played a roll when Chris Underwood was able to use the fire making to his advantage, and win despite being the 3rd person voted off and spending most of the season at Extinction Island. He was able to return at the end, then give up immunity in order to make fire. The Jury found this to be a big move and awarded him the prize. They basically ignored everything that happened on the real island, and instead voted to for Chris because they spent time and got to know him on Extincion Island, more than getting to know Julie Rosenberg or Gavin Whitson
It seems now, that winning the final challenge is almost a disadvantage. Unless you have a super compelling story to give the jury, you need to throw away all your work and give up immunity to make fire in order to get jury votes. I almost think that just throwing the final challenge and saying to whoever wins, that I will go to fire could be the best strategy.
All in all, this season was a mixt bag. But I will be back for Survivor 46, and will be submitting applications in 2024 for future seasons. Hopefully soon, #JeffProbst, #JesseTannenbaum and the rest of the casting crew will decide to give an old timer like me, who have been there from the beginning, a shot to live out my dream of being on Survivor
The NY Football Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Day to fall to 5 -10 on the year, and officially be eliminated from the play-offs. While they were in a lot of game, they simply do not have the winning mentality team need. Most games are close, and the teams that can dig deep and make plays are the ones that come out on top. The will need to do some soul searching as they are not a good team should not be fooled that they are close. Not going to get a total overhaul next season, but the coaches cant use any excuses, and need win or they will all be gone in 2025
AverageAndy 