Things fell into place and I was able to take a quick trip to Pittsburgh to meet a friend and catch a few Mets / Pirates games at PNC Park. Had a great time at the games. Friday Night was Fireworks Night, and Saturday was Ke’Bryan Hayes Bobble Head Day, and with the Pirates playing some solid ball, there were a lot of people at the games. We did see a lot of Mets fans around the park, and I even got to meet up with another friend of mine who is from the area, and happened to be at the game Friday night. Saturday before the game, they had the road around the stadium blocked off for a block party, and I got to meet and get an autograph of 1979 World Champion pitcher John Candelaria Finally, I want to thank my friend Geoff for letting me stay at his house and driving to and from the games.
Pittsburgh Pirates BaseballPNC ParkMeeting John CandelariaKe’Bryan Hayes Bobble Head DayMeeting up with my friend TenView of downtown Pittsburgh
Sad to see that actor Treat Williams was killed in a motorcycle accident yesterday. He was a solid actor who had a long and distinguished career. I have memories of him in the movie version of Hair when I was younger. I was actually following him on Twitter (he was a very positive person).
Update on TV Shows I have been watching — Kind of switched things up a bit
“Silo” – Apple TV — Really interesting and I am enjoying it
“From” – MGM Network – Kind of like LOST, but creepy – recommended
“Fear the Walking Dead” – Was a great series and interested on how they wrap things up at the end
“The Black List” – Only a few episodes left. Will defiantly miss it
Back with some more soon. Will be ramping up getting my next Survivor Video ready to submit. Have some thoughts and ideas for how to really make this be the one that at least gets me choosen
Been a busy couple of weeks and I am really looking forward to a three day weekend. For the first time in a while, have nothing planned so will take the time to relax, hang with friends, and get some stuff done around the house (cleaning my office and lawn work)
Last week I attended the Philly Non-Sports Show which is held twice a year (spring, fall). Trying to same some money, so was mostly just looking around to see what was available. Like always, I was able to pick up a bunch of free / cheep promo cards. You get a pack of promos with your admission, plus companies like Rittenhouse Archives and Cryptozoic will had out promos for upcoming sets. Some dealers / artists will also give away promo cards. Would like to personally thank Ed Webb, George Wright, and the others who were generous enough to offer free promos (and even take the time to sign them) Here are some pictures promos and cards I picked up as I walked around.
Before I write about the Survivor 44 Finale, would like to pay some respect to the great Tina Turner, who passed away at ager 83. Although she had a lot of ups and downs, she ended up having a great career and impacted musicians and women around the world. RIP Tina Turner. You will be missed
Here is one of my favorite songs of hers.
As far as Survivor 44, It was a solid, but a bit underwhelming season. The producers through a bunch of stuff out there to try and shake things up, but unfortunately the players seemed to be one step ahead and most of the idols and advantages ended up not being used, or used in a underwhelming way. With the players getting more and more familiar with the setting (all seasons are now shot on the same beach in Fiji), as well as the challenges (to the point of 3D printing the puzzles at home to practice on), its hard for the producers to surprise them. So it then becomes more of a battle of personalities, which is harder to present to the viewing audience. Also, to me it seems that some of the contestants lately have been treating the game as a self help / life reflecting adventure, where they just want the experience of hanging out among friends. I may be reading this totally wrong (Which is one of the maid reasons I keep applying to be on the show. I really want to see how I would play the game and react in the situations that they experience. I think I would be more mad and upset if I was being considered at a vote, and pull out everything I had to stay in the game.
Congratulations to Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho for playing a great social game and figuring out how to vote people off, while still having them respect his game. That is the ultimate idea, and its interesting to see how many people can get to the end, but have no connection with the jury members and end up getting shut out of the votes.
I still am not a fan of the Final Four Fire contest (again showing that is more of a disadvantage to win the final challenge. After a big win for Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, she was basically forced to give up her immunity that she fought so hard to win and give it to one of the 3 losers, if she had any chance of winning the game. Even with winning the fire challenge, Heidi was only able to garner 1 vote. Luckily for the show, had she kept her immunity, and made 2 others make fire, she still would have most likely lost as well. Might be time to shake things up a bit to put more emphasis on winning the final 4 challenge (Make the 3 losers all make fire, and the winner goes to a final 2)
Just a few statistics before I go
As of the end of Survivor 44, there have been 662 individual players
Of the 662 players, there have been 16 players who were aged 58 or older when they played, for a total of 2.413% Of those 16 players, 5 finished in the top 5 with 1 player finishing as runner-up
Of the 662 players, there have been 19 players from New Jersey for a total of 2.87% Of those, there have been 4 Winners, 3 Runners Up, 3 2nd Runners-up, and 2 more in the top 5
So as a 56 year old from New Jersey, I will have some good company when I get selected and end up winning Survivor
Hope everybody has a safe and healthy Memorial Day Weekend. Be sure to spend some time relaxing with family and friends
Took a trip with my wife, and a few long time friends to Montreal for the Marillion Weekend Canada. Every so often, the band Marillion will host ‘weekends’ where they play multiple nights. This was a 3 night show with different set lists each night Fans travel from all over the globe to attend and enjoy some great music by one of the best underrated bands. Marillion were founded in 1979 in England, and had a few hits in the United States (‘Kayleigh’ being there biggest hit). They are still going strong and putting out new albums. The Weekends are kind of a celebration for the fans, and it did not disappoint. This was the 1st weekend I have attended and looking forward to attending another one in the future.
Besides 3 nights of music, and a Q&A Session with the band, we got to explore the city of Montreal. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing the culture of the city. We saw the old port where you can get a ferry, McGill University, and the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. We enjoyed great company (met up with a long time friend who happen to live in the area for great company, food and drinks before the shows)
L’OlympiaSetlist (Day 2)Q&A with the BandRoss / AndySetlist (Day 3)Andy / Eric / RossTime Out Market, MontréalEnjoying the dayMontréalWaiting for MarillionHad to try PoutineOld Montréal
Have some big weekends coming up. Have a graduation party on Saturday, and then will be attending the Philly Non-Sports Show on Sunday. Then its time to for the Survivor 44 Finale on Wednesday, (Have never missed a finale, going back to when Bryant Gumbel was the host.). After that, we go into the 3 Day Memorial Day Weekend and the official start of Summer
Will find the time write more and cover everything
PEACE
AverageAndy
PS – Nice back to back wins for the Mets against the Rays. Maybe this is the jumpstart they need to start playing better ball going forward.
Very sad to hear of the passing of my cousin Alex after a battle with cancer. He was a great guy and a great father to his 2 kids. He fought hard after a stroke and then the cancer diagnosis. But it was just too much and he passed last week with his family at his side.
After hanging out with all my cousins when we were young, we all eventually went our separate ways, and Alex ended up living in Hilton Head SC, and working at the Walt Disney Hilton Head Resort. Years later as fate would have it, my family ended up taking vacations to Hilton Head Island, as my In-Laws had a time share there. We were able to catch up with Alex each time we went, and enjoyed spending time with him and his 2 sons. We were also luck to meet up with him a few times at my Aunts house down on the NJ shore. Were great times and always left with great memories.
He is survived by my Aunt Sandy, and his 2 brothers (my cousins) Bobby and Marc
Just want to acknowledge the passing of the great singer / songwriter Gordon Lightfoot at the age of 84. I’m sure everybody has heard some of his songs over the years. Here is a video for “Sundown” Take some time to give him a listen and just enjoy the music he created. He will be missed.
The New York Mets are off to a slow start — They have been up and down and the weather has played havoc on there schedule making it tough to get into a groove. I know their starting pitching has been very poor — From both the big time acquisitions Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to the usually reliable middle of the order (Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill, and others who are not hurt), the have found themselves down early in almost every game and needing to claw their way back. But it is a long season, and they do have a talented lineup that should click in and be able to score runs. I do hope they do not panic to much and make some instinctive moves. Will check back in after 50 games to see where they stand.
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Here is the latest on the TV Shows I have been watching:
Star Trek Picard: – Finished and though the season was great. Rabbit Hole: – As I keep saying, you go wrong with Keifer Sutherland CSI: Vegas: – Doing a great job of continuing the franchise The Blacklist: – Getting closer to the end. The Mandalorian: – Moving up (still on list to start soon) The Accused: – Highly Recommended – Some real interesting stories Not Dead Yet: – Solid start and continues to makes me laugh – Need really need some more comedies
The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple TV) — Was a big Alias fan and glad to see Jennifer Garner backin an action role — And loved the Victor Garber cameo
Fatal Attraction — Big fan of both Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan
Bubkis – Pete Davidson is funny (as well as this show)
9:11 / 9:11 Lone Star: – Catching up on both of these
A Million Little Things – Going to do a marathon and finish the final season
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And of course Survivor
Its been an interesting and for the most part entertaining season so far. I do things kinds of tailed off after the frantic start where the production team were throwing out idols and advantages as fast as they could in hopes of some big pay-offs. Unfortunately for the viewing audience, things have not panned out as expected. The idols and advantages have not become a big part of the game. Add to that that players now seem to know what twists and challenges are coming (event to the point of 3D printing the puzzles at home before the show and practicing so that they can eastly be completed). This tends to make the game a bit underwhelming. Also, as I have stated before, some of the players seem to be playing more like its a vacation, then if it were a game for 1 Million Dollars. Still really enjoying the dynamics of how people interact and strategize. Just wish there was a way to push them a bit. Maybe bring back some of those challenges where you are forced to pick other players to be eliminated from the challenge. These always forced peoples hands to show there true allegiances. And also, I know its a thing these days (at least for the younger Survivor fans), but we get that Matt and Frannie like each other. But we saw more shots of Matt on the Jury last week then some of the players still in the game.
Despite all this, I’m still a huge fan of watching and still dream of playing to see what its really like. Will be submitting my application for the next round of casting and continue to hope #NeverToOldForSurvivor #GiveMeAChance
And finally, will be heading to Montreal next weekend for the Marillion Weekend 2023 – Canada. This will be my first Marillion Weekend and really looking forward to it. Will be 3 great nights of music hanging out with family and friends. Will post a full recap once I’m back home in the USA
Here are a few Marillion Videos to kick things off
Keith now joins the list of other Survivor players who have unfortunately passed away. They all brought something unique to the show and will all be missed.
Every time I sit down to write something here, I am amazed at the amount of time that has passed since my last post. I look and say to my self “How could it be almost a month since I wrote anything”. Feels like it was yesterday
I want to wish my dad a healthy recovery from bypass surgery last week. Even thought he was feeling fine, the doctors noticed something during a routine check-up, with led to a stress test, which led to bypass surgery. Everything went well and my dad is back home recovering. Its going to be while, but hopefully he comes out better after time. It is really amazing what doctors and nurses can do these days. They are all dedicated to helping people and making sure things go smoothly. I big Thank You to all who worked on and helped my dad
Had an interesting discussion the other day at a vendor lunch. We talked about how teachers have something ingrained in them that motivates them to want to help other people. Its a feeling of purpose that drives them. Ask most teaches and they will say they always wanted to be a teacher, that is was their calling. This can be both a gift and a curse. Over the years management has determined that they can take advantage of the teachers drive and passion and offer less money than in other professions. Teaches very rarely will walk away if things get bad. They just want to teach. The opposite is true for the white collar worker. Most did not dream of getting into Accounting, or Finance or Information Technology. They kind of found there way there as a means to provide a comfortable living. Ask them and most will say they had other dreams and ambitions. This is bad for management, as a lot of workers have no problem jumping from job to job for whatever gives them a better opportunity. This makes companies have to pay more and offer more to get people to stay.
This leads to the overall theory that you can get away paying less to people who are highly motivated (at a determent to production and moral, as teachers will likely stay at a job, but probably not do their best due to burn out and frustration) but you need to pay more for people who have less passions and really could care less, since if you don’t, they will leave and you will end up in a constant cycle of hiring people and eventually end up with the bottom of the barrel. It was an interesting discussion and one I had not really thought about before.
Survivor has been interesting this season. Started off crazy with all the twists and turns, and immunity idols that were in play. But so far there has been no big pay-off. Was looking forward to some epic tribal councils with people playing Idols and other advantages. But nobody seems to want to break away and make a bold move. Hope we are not left with the last few tribal councils where basically everybody plays an idol, and ends up simply getting rid of people who don’t have an idol or advantage to save them selves. This kind of defeats the purpose of outwitting people and makes it simply outplaying them by finding idols. Maybe a rule that idols are only good for 1 or 2 tribal councils before they expire, or a rule that only 1 or 2 idols / advantages can be played per tribal council would help.
The Mets are off to a 5 – 5 start. Not the best, but not that bad as there are really no NL Teams that are starting off strong. The have 3 home games against the Padres before heading out for a 10 game west coast trip (including games against the dreadful Oakland As). Then home for 3 against the equally dreadful Washington Nationals. If they can go 10 – 6 during this stretch they will be fine
Update on TV shows
Star Trek Picard: – Really Enjoying this season (almost caught up) Rabbit Hole: – Can’t go wrong with Keifer Sutherland CSI: Vegas: – Great to see Greg back. Now we need Nick Stokes The Blacklist: – Sad that the show will be ending. Still very enjoyable The Mandalorian: – On the list to start soon The Accused: – Really good with some interesting and thought provoking topics 9:11 / 9:11 Lone Star: – Catching up on both of these Not Dead Yet: – Makes me laugh – Need some more comedies
Finished reading “The House at the End of the World” by Dean Koontz. Always enjoy his books and this was a good one. Now reading “What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies” by Tim Urban. Check out https://waitbutwhy.com/homepage for info on the book.
Sad to see that actor Lance Reddick passed away. Remember him most for playing Phillip Broyles in Fringe. Was nice to see all the tributes posted on social media about how nice a guy he was. Rest in Peace
Only one week until the MLB season gets underway. The NY Mets took a hit with Edwin Diaz getting hurt celebrating a Puerto Rico win in the World Baseball Classic. But they should still be OK as they have a solid lineup and some veteran relievers who should be able to keep the team afloat.
Had one Fantasy Draft and have another coming up. Have to admit, its getting harder and harder to keep up with all the new players. A lot of times during the draft, I was thinking who is this? or I can’t believe that this guy had these stats. But once the season gets started, and I watch some games (Hoping the I get the MLB Network Free Preview for the 1st week like in the past), I should be able to make some moves to keep my teams at least respectable.
Just saw this video posted on Twitter. I actually remember watching this at a friends house back in 1980. Once of the few SNL performance that has been in my memory for over 40 years
Really enjoying Survivor so far this season. Like some of the new twists they have come up with (Actually like the bird cage idea). Not sure who I’m rooting for (nobody is a real stand out).
I do think that Survivor has missing that stand out player(s) who is memorable after the season ends. I can remember the winners of the early seasons, or players who got voted off early. Not so much in the later years. Not sure what this is (Same thing for American Idol). Not to say the seasons haven’t been great, just nobody has really stuck out to me in a while (Although I will give Gabler from Season 43 credit — He said he was going to give away his winnings to Veterans, and he has done it)
Saw this GIF and made me remember how good a season Boston Rob played
"But it really doesn't even matter what it says because I already have the idol, so…might as well just throw it away… in the volcano! Bye-bye!" @BostonRob#Survivorpic.twitter.com/mGph8uodr4
In September 2016, SiriusXM Launched VOLUME: The First-Ever 24/7 Music Talk Radio Channel – Where Music Is the Conversation. Over the past 7 Volume Chanel 106 has been my go to place for everything music, from discussions on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees / inductees, to reviews of the biggest music shows and concerts, from a space to reflect when high profile artists passed, to top 10 lists of everything music, from great interviews and in-studio performances, to great discussions, and contests. All that started to change a few months back, when shows were moved to a new channel, to a new time, and some of the talent was let go. And on Monday when the rest of the talent was let go and the Volume Experiment came to an end.
It feels like a big part of my routine was pulled out from under my feet. I understand that it was a business decision, but its still a tough pill to swallow. One of SiriusXMs selling points was the variety it offered. Now it seems if its not Howard / Sports / Politics / and music, then its not for SiriusXM Even with that I still like the service, and as a sports fan It does give me things to listen to. And even though the music can be a bit generic and repetitive there are still some good stations
Just seems to be that their is a large audience for what Volume106 offered and it should be able to survive. Going to miss listening to #NikCarter, #LoriMajewski, #MarkGoodman, and #AlanLight along with the countless number of guest DJS that kept me up to date on everything music for the older generation. Maybe that was the problem. The station did skew older (I would guess 40 and up) but these would be the people who are willing to pay for the service. The younger generation can stream music and listen to podcasts multiple ways, an most likely are not taking long periods of time to listen.
The reality is that time marches on, and things change. But that should not mean that we need to complete give up on the way things were. As I mentioned in my last post, everything seems to have become individualized and tightly focused. Gone are the days of everyone listening to, or watching a common program. I remember going to the beach in the summer and hearing all the radios tuned to the same statins (102.7 WNEW, 100.3 Z00, 92.3 KROC playing the top songs of the day. Now everybody has there ear-pods on, and are all in their own little world, listening to there own things.
Maybe someone will give the Volume Radio Experiment another chance at some point (Maybe Audicy or I-Hart Radio). There is an audience out there waiting. Can only wish
Survivor returned on Wednesday for Season 44 with a 2 hour premier. I was looking forward to the return, and it did not disappoint. Being a fan since the beginning (over 22 years), Survivor still keeps my attention and I still find it fascinating to watch and analyze. I also read Dalton Ross’s recap on EW and love how it gives me another perspective on things.
Right off the bat, things were crazy. I cringed when Bruce dove head first under the first obstacle narrowly missing his head. And then before I could even regain my thought, he dove head first under the second obstacle, only this time he wasn’t as lucky, and bashed his head. It hurt me to watch, and I wasn’t surprised when he eventually had to be medically removed. Its interesting to me how the rest of the contestants acted like Bruce was there best friend in the world and how sad they were that he was out of the game. This is one of the things that has always fascinated me and made me want to be on the show to see how I would react. Not to be mean, but would I be sad if somebody had to leave the game early due to injury, or would I be thinking there is now one less person to worry about on my way to the end.
Here are two things stood out to me during the premier (actually three things)
1. It does seem again (similar to the last few seasons), that the contestants are treating this more of a fun adventure than a survival contest for One Million Dollars. They just don’t seem to get that mad or upset when things don’t go there way and it could cost them the game. “I know we lost the challenge, but hey it was fun and we all did really well”. This is really a parallel of society in general. Again, I would love the opportunity to see how an older player like myself would feel and react.
2. I liked the new twists (the locked bird cage and the new prisoners dilemma set up). Really liked how there were different rewards instead of them all being the same. Really makes things interesting. And I liked how the contestants sitting out of the challenge talked to each other to get information (Maybe this happens all the time, but I don’t remember them showing this in the past). As long as the twits do not effect the game in a completely random and unfair way, I’m all for mixing things up (Never liked the Fire Making challenge for the final four introduced in Season 35, or the Do or Die twist in Season 41. They are just to random and basically reward single players for losing a challenge)
3. I am amazed how many haters there are on social media who dislike the introduction of new twists with a passion, and want things to be like the early seasons with now idols / advantages / twists. Or the people who read into everything and act like Survivor is ruining there lives. I shouldn’t be surprised as again this parallels society in general. I do realize by “society in general”, I really mean the small percentage of twitter / Instagram / facebook users who seem to have taken over everything)
I’m looking forward to getting back into the routine of watching Survivor on Wednesday and Daltons recap on Thursday. I also plan on listening to Jeff Probs Survivor Podcast when I get a chance (Hopefully while getting out and going for a walk over the weekend)
Decided to head back to Stable Arena on the Lehigh campus last night for the Lehigh / Lafayette Patriot League Quarter Final game. Did not turn out as I wanted, as the Mountain Hawks took the 1st half off and found themselves in a hole that was to big to climb out of. The did come out and give a great effort in the 2nd half but simply ran out of time to make a full comeback. The season is now over and we will have to wait another year to see if Lehigh can find its way back into the NCAA Tournament for the 1s time since 2012 . It was a fun season (I found out I somehow get ESPN+ and was able to watch a bunch of games this season). Thanks to the Engineers / Brown and White / Mountain Hawks in 2022 – 2023 and looking forward to 2023-2024
TV Shows I’m watching / and ones I need to find time to watch
Star Trek Pickard Season 3 The Mandalorian Season 3 A Million Little Things Final Season CSI: Las Vegas The Accused Shrinking Not Dead Yet The Black List The Last of Us
Spring Training Baseball is in full swing, and the World Baseball Classic starts on Monday, March 6th The MLB season officially opens on Thursday, March 30th. I have two Fantasy Drafts to prepare for and looking forward to having baseball back
And finally, I miss the days of people being in the office on a daily basis. Use to look forward to chatting with people about Sports / Movies / TV and the world in general to help break up the day. Now with most people remote, there is really no commodity between team and co-workers. Chatting on Messenger and Zoom calls is just not the same. Gone are the days of coming into the office and everybody laughing about last nights Seinfeld or other comedy shows, or discussing / complaining in person about the local sports teams (Great game by the Mets last night, Boy were the Giants terrible yesterday). Its just not the same and I find it one of the major downsides of working from home. Throw in social media and you are now getting observations and opinions from strangers (most who just like to bitch and complain about anything). There were always a few of these folks at work, but you learned how to get along and have a civil conversation.
More to come
Average Andy
If you have a Facebook account, give this video by Debbie Gibson a watch. Love here take on the issue of what’s considered right or wrong based on other peoples behavior (if even known)
AverageAndy 