Out and about again, and have a few minutes to jot some things down
Survivor 48 premieres 1 week from today (Wednesday, February 26th, 2025).
In NYC, besides the Survivor Beach Party (See previous post), there is also a watch party scheduled in NYC for the premiere. Undecided about this (does cost to attend) and will see how things play out over the weekend.
As a fan of Survivor since Season One back in 2000, it is crazy (mostly in a good way) to see how Survivor has grown along with social media. I remember when reading old-school message boards was the only way to get any information on upcoming seasons. Then came chat groups, along with on-line forums (Where I used to play Fantasy Survivor for fun). Then Rob Cesternino came along with “Rob Has a PodCast” and away we went. As an older fan (who has been dreaming of being on the show for 25 years, and still applies every season), its getting tougher and tougher for me to keep up with the younger generation. I’m sure I fall under the title of “Super Fan” to some, but there are lots of people out there who would put me to shame.
All I can do is continue to be myself, follow and learn what I can when I can, and hope the producer (#JeffProbst) and casting director (Looking at you #JesseTannenbaum) see the potential of casting an older (but much wiser) Survivor Super Fan for an upcoming season.
Hey, with Paul McCartney (82 years old), and Paul Simon (83 years old) still having the passion, and can find the time and energy to continue to perform, Andrew Rupprecht (aka AverageAndy) (58 years old) still has plenty of years left in him to make it on the show.
Looks like we got lucky with the latest snow now predicted to miss us here in New Jersey. Still lots of snow and ice on the ground from all the previous storms, but the sun is out today, and hopefully it warms up enough to get rid of the ice before another storm comes through.
Couught the “Becoming Led Zeppelin” Documentary last night in the theater (Reading Cinemas in Manville NJ does 1/2 price Tuesdays). I really enjoyed it. I did not know much about the history of Led Zeppelin so it was interesting to see how they came togethere. The two main things that I got were
1. They seem to be normal guys living a nice life, but never over the top. They just really liked playing music with each other, and that was all they really wanted to do. I’m sure there was more to the story, but in the movie, there were no major scandals or over-the-top partying
2. I never realised that Jimmy Page is a great musician, guitarist, and engineer, and did some amazing things with the guitar, and with the recordings of the albums. 3.5 BAGS
Been 8 days since I last wrote. Time goes fast when you look back at some things, while time seems to slow to a halt while looking back at other things
Over the last 8 days we have had three snowstorms; I watched the SNL50 Music Concert from Radio City Music Hall, watched the movie “Saturday Night) about the first ever episode of SNL, and then watched the SNL50 Anniversary special; I watched the final two episodes of “The Night Agent Season 2”, as well as 2 Episodes of Severance, 2 Episodes of “Paradise”, and the Apple TV Movie “The Gorge”. I went for numerous walks (even threw in some jogging), and listened to all types of music (Marillion, The Badlees, The Grateful Dead, John Denver, and others). Crazy to look back and see all these things, plus otters like watching the finale of “Beast Games”, baking some Pumpkin Bread, and downloading and playing a video game for the first time in years.
I have also continued looking for a new job, updating and sending out resumes for positions that look interesting
** Note, by taking the time to list all the things I have done, it has made me think and reprioritize things. The rest of this week will be more focused on the job search **
A couple of NY City Notes:
Paul McCartney (In town for the SNL50 Show) played 3 surprise shows last week at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets were $50.00 each and only available at the box office. After hearing about the 1st show, I thought of heading into the city to try to get tickets for one of the next 2, but just couldnt work things out (Besides the time, the cost to get into the city and park would have been way more than the ticket itself)
Also saw that Survivor will be doing a live event this Saturday, February 22nd.
Unfortunately, I already have plans to visit my parents and see my sister this weekend. Looks like this would be a lot of fun (2nd time they have had one of these is NY and both times the timing just didn’t work) I did go to one of the Rob Has A Podcast screenings, and hopefully, they will have another one this year (Survivor 48 Premiers next Wednesday, February 26th, at 8:00 PM on CBS)
Pitchers and Catchers have reported to Spring Training and the Mets will play their 1st game this Saturday. I used to pay attention to all the news and rumors, but now I just want the games to start. Hopefully, the Mets can get through the exhibition season without any major injuries or issues. They have a pretty solid lineup and should be able to score some runs. As long as the pitching holds its own they should have a great season and be able to make the playoffs
Out and about on a Monday, looking for a new job, and reflecting on the past week. My mind is a bit scattered, and I am having a tough time focusing and am hoping that writing stuff down on this blog will help get me motivated for the day and week
** Pause while I submit for my unemployment (Forgot this morning) **
** Back **
Like everybody else, I watched the Super Bowl last night. Didn’t really care who won, and even though the game was not the most competitive, I still enjoyed the majority of it. Towards the end, it becomes tough to watch (especially with both Kevin Berkhartd and Tom Brady trying to sound excited. Love the “The Chiefs need to hold the Eagles to a FG here, and keep it a 5 possession game” Doy. I actually don’t mind Tom Brady as an announcer (Not the best. not the worst). On the other hand, I’m not a big fan of Kevin Berkhartd (Sounds very forced). Though it was funny when he started talking about how the Eagles were just going to stop playing and run out the clock with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter (I hate when announcers think they know strategy when most are clueless (See below). While he is talking, Jalen Hurts drops back and throws a 46 yard dart to DeVonat Smith and the way Berkhardt reacted was like is was the most shocking thing he has ever seen. Can anybody believe a team would be throwing the ball deep in the 3rd quarter? Drives me crazy how conservative announcers are, and like most head coaches, they play/announce not to lose.
** Note ** – How announcers do not understand game clock and play clock always gets me. They seem shocked when a team takes a knee after the 2-minute warning, and then scramble to figure out if this is the right move, and the game is over.
** Pause while I get out my charger and plug in my Laptop before it runs out of power **
** Back **
Happy that the NY Mets and Pete Alonso were able to come to an agreement on a new contract. Structured to benefit both sides, it is good to now just focus on baseball and not all this behind-the-scenes nonsense. Hope Pete can put this behind him and have a solid year. The Mets lineup is looking good, so as long as the starting pitching is not horrible, and the relief pitching does a decent job of closing out games, the Mets should be in the race to the end. It is important the hitters (including Francisco Lindor) get off to a decent start. I’ve seen too many times, players get off to a slow start and put too much pressure on themselves. Remember players like Ike Davis, or Dom Smith. Both were going to be mainstays at 1st base for years, but after they started so slow, they ended up being platooned and then sent down to the minors.
Mets open their spring training schedule on Saturday, February 22nd against the Astros
“Let’s Go Mets, Let’s Go Mets” (Or how I once thought it was – “Less Gomez”, “Less Gomez”)
Really enjoying “Familiaris” by David Wroblewski. It takes place in the early 1900s and it’s cool reading about these times. Makes wich I know more about history and will look into reading some more about life in the early 1900s.
One of my plans this year is to go to the Marillion Weekend in Berlin (June 20th – 21st). I have my concert tickets, and will be looking into travel and lodging soon. Hopefully, I will have a new job by then and be able to take some vacation days. Thinking positive thoughts (and writing this does help)
Only 2 more episodes of “The Night Agent” Season 2. Been a good season and looking forward to see how things end. Just did a quick Google search, and glad to see that they are already filming Season 3
Sad to see Survivor Season 45 Star Drew Basile lose in the semi-finals of the JEOPARDY Tournament of Champions last week. I was rooting for him and hoping he would make the finals.
Seeing Drew and thinking of Napoleon Dynomite always still makes me laugh
Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite)Drew Bassile (Survivor 47)
And finally, very sad to see that Survivor Pearl Islands star Jonny Fairplay’s grandmother actually died, 22 years after he lied about her death on the show. Still one of the greatest moves in Survivor history, and am glad to see everybody ended up OK with things. I am sorry for his loss
As of today (Monday, February 3rd, 2025), the Newark Star Ledger is no longer printing a printed version. The paper has moved to a digital online only edition. Even though it had become expensive, (before going all digital, the Sunday paper was up to $5.00 daily, and the daily was $3.00 And even though they had stopped printing a Saturday edition about a year ago, I continued to get it delivered and enjoyed reading it on a daily basis.
I have been reading the Star Leger for over 40 years and have always had it delivered to wherever I was living. If I didn’t get a delivered copy, I could always buy a daily copy for $0.35 at the stationary store, or one of those newspaper boxes that used to be all around the state. Those are long gone, but you could still pick up a copy at QuickChek or WaWa. Now, the only way to read the Star Ledger is to have an online subscription. I know things are moving forward, and changes are always going to happen, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy or go along with everything. Knowing myself, I have canceled my subscription (for now). I don’t see myself reading the Star Ledger online enough to make it worth the money. I was able to find a site that will e-mail me the daily comics for free (Inbox Comics), and have some books of sudoku puzzles lying around that I can use each day. I will miss reading columns by Paul Mulshine and Karin Price Mueller, and others, and scanning the paper for stories and opinions that I otherwise would never seek out or see. I will miss the Sports Page (loved reading “This Day in Sports”. I will miss the KenKen, Dear Abby, the daily birthdays, and the TV listings.
Its been a fun ride, with lots of memories that will last forever. But time doesnt stop for anyone, or anything, so time to move forward
01/26/2025
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On to the good
I really enjoyed the LAFireAid Concert last Thursday night. I was just going to check it out, but ended up watching to around 2:00 AM EST. Missed a few of the final acts, but got to see a lot and loved the mix of artists they put together. Liked how it was no-frills, with each act coming out, playing 2 to 3 songs (Good mix of current, classics, and covers), and then moving on, I Thought is was cool to see some old-timers (Rod Stewert, Steven Still, Graham Nash, …) on stage, and the appreciating they got from the crowd. Also need to give props to Alanis Morissette, Pink, No Doubt, and Katy Perry, for their performances, as well as Stevie Nicks. And shout out to Black Crows and Slash for their cover of “Going to California” All in all, it reminded me of how music can unite all types of people for a commoin cause. Here is the link to Donate to LA Fire Aid
On a similar note, want to give a shout-out and congratulations to former SiriusXM Volume 106 Disk Jockey Nik Carter for going taking over the afternoon drive on Los Angles KLOS. Really enjoyed listening to him on SiriusXM as well as other New York Stations. Best of luck on the West Coast
Still waiting on what Pete Alonso is going to do. Crazy how long this has dragged on. I know baseball is a business, and this is how the system works, but at some point, one side needs to put their foot down and make a decision. Hopefully, Pete will come back.
On the TV Front, I am currently watching and liking the following shows:
DOC (FOX) The Night Agent (Season 2) (NetFlix) Paradise (Hulu) Severance (Season 2) (Apple TV)
All of these shows have managed to keep my interest and want more
If anybody is looking for a way to spark creativity, and enhance your life, you can join the #75EasyChallenge (#AIMLOW) hosted by Kellyn Bechyold, life coach and former Survivor contestant.
We’re doing this thing! Monday mornings can be a little rough for some, and exciting for others. No matter what, we’re all in this week together – even if its just in this small way. That gives me hope and glimmers of happiness.
Today I feel called to let you all know about the main inspirational force behind this #75EasyChallenge. I have to give a portion of the credit of my new lifestyle and career path to Martha Beck. I have followed Martha’s work since the mid 2000’s when I heard about her book Finding Your Own North Star. I’ve followed her over the years, read a few of her books and in 2024, I graduated from her intense, 9 month long Wayfinder Life Coach Training program.
With Survivor 48 set to premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m., I have to be careful when checking my social media accounts. I like to be surprised, so avoid any talk of the new cast, or and rumers and spoilers. Still waiting to hear from casting regarding Survivor 49 (I applied last August, and have submitted a few follow-ups. Sooner or later somebody associated with Survivor will see this blog, or talk to somebody who has read this blog, and they will give me a deeper look and then decide to bring me in for an interview. Once that happens, nothing will stop me from getting on to Survivor
Kicking off another week of job searching. Hopefully, todays the day, and something comes my way
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”. Matthew 7:7
First things first, I think I got my Dropbox syncing set up, so here are some recent scans of cards in my collection that I have uploaded to the TCBB
I have some more scans to upload later today. It’s a slow process, but I hope to get images of all my cards uploaded to the site. Also won a cool card I needed from E-Bay which should be delivered today. Will post it and the set it belongs to tomorrow
Super Bowl 59 is set – It will be the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans on Sunday, February 9th. I really have no rooting interest in the game. Should be entertaining as both teams are very good and play exciting football. Also, another halftime show that I really don’t care about (This year’s performer is Kendrick Lamar). Here are the last 10 Half-Time performers. Interesting that there is not one big-time rock artist on this list. But got to a game and they blast rock music between every play. Dont understand what the NFL is thinking (Doest the halftime act actually bring in additional people who otherwise would care less about the Super Bowl). But it must be working for them. Oh Well.
2024 – Rihanna and Jay-Z 2023 – Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar 2022 – The Weeknd 2021 – Shakira and Jennifer Lopez 2020 – Maroon 5 with special guests Travis Scott and Big Boi 2019 – Justin Timberlake 2018 – Lady Gaga 2017 – Coldplay with special guests Beyoncé and Bruno Mars 2016 – Katy Perry with special guests Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott 2015 – Bruno Mars with special guest Red Hot Chili Peppers
On my last walk, I listened to some ELP (Really good stuff), so Steely Dan (Aja is such a great album), and some newer Pink Floyd (Happy 81st birthday to Nick Mason). Everybody should find some time during the day to listen to some music (on a walk, in your car, streaming to your headphones). Such great stuff out there for everybody
I’m going to start putting together a daily checklist of things to get done. Need to get some structure into my daily routine, which will be helpful in getting the important things completed. Will try to note some of the things here (kind of like an online journal)
Before I forget, sad to see the passing of David Lynch a week ago. He was a visionary director, both in film and TV. He was the brains behind Twin Peaks, still regarded as one of the best TV series ever made. He was also a big proponent of Transadentiual Meditation (TM) and the David Lynch Foundation does great things to publicize the meditation technique to as may people as possible. I practice myself twice a day, and it has been a big help. RIP David Lynce – You will be missed
Some days time feels like it is flying along (usually when you are trying to get lots of things done). Other days it feels like time is crawling along at a snail’s pace (usually when you are in a hurry to get things done). In reality, time moves along at its own pace, and it’s up to us to manage it affectively.
I have been out of work since Friday, October 11th, 2024 (105 Days). Sometimes it feels like I have been off for years, while other times it feels like I was just let go. Some days are long, and some are short, but it’s up to me to manage my time while I continue looking for new opportunities.
*** I started to write this post and was cruising along when I hit some combination of keys on my laptop and everything just disappeared. I don’t know what I hit, and I tried many things to get back what I had typed, but it was just gone. Started again, and now I am nervous and keep hitting “Save Draft” just to make sure. Got to love Technology ***
Take 2
I have submitted 2 additional short Survivor Application Videos. No idea if this is allowed, but it can’t hurt to try. Just letting the Casting Directors know I am still interested. Also trying some different things like pointing them to this website, along with my daughter’s work website, where she promotes her work as a Film Major / Editor. Over the years she has helped me film some of my Application Videos and has even done a few small features on my quest to get on Survivor, as well as my hobby of Non-Sports Card Collecting. Give it a look if you are interested (http://www.katherinerupprecht.com)
As far as card collecting, I have been taking some time to update my collection on the Trading Card Database Site. It’s a great place to track your cards. Currently, I am going through my collection and uploading scans of cards that do not have images. It’s been lots of fun going back through older sets that I haven’t looked through in a while
** Thought that my scans were being uploaded to OneDrive and DropBox, but looks like there may be some issues. I will check when I get home later to make sure things are good, and then post some pictures of some of the recent cards I have scanned ***
Take 3
Will hold back any discussion on the NY Mets and Pete Alonso until things have been completed (either he resigns with the Mets or signs elsewhere)
Lehigh Basketball has fallen on some tough times. After winning their opening Patriot League Game against Bucknell, they have lost their last 6 league games. Hopefully, they can turn things around against rival Lafayette on Saturday. One of the good things about college basketball is the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament to the conference tournament winner. This means there is always something to play for. Hopefully, the Mountain Hawks can find some magic and make a run in the Patriot League Tournament
Really don’t care who wins the 2 NFL Championship Games this weekend. No feeling one way or another for all the team left.
Whatched a few decent movies and TV shows over the past few weeks.
Saw that Season 2 of The Night Agent was coming soon (Believe it premiers this weekend), So I decided to give Season 1 a try — It is really good, and I am enjoying it
Finished Season 2 of Silo. Just like the end of Season 1, they through us a curveball to think about until Season 3 is released. I never read the books the show is based on, so everything is new to me.
Also finished Season 2 of Squid Games (Should technically be called the 1st half of Season 2). It ended in the middle of the action, and hopefully, things will be continued in Season 3. I did enjoy the 2nd Season, and looking forward to Season 3 later this summer
It’s getting harder and harder to figure out the seasons of shows anymore (Not that it really matters). Take a look at Diners, Drive Inns and Dives (S39.E36). It premiered in 2006 and is now on Season 39. Makes no sense
As far as things going on in the world, I will hold judgment for a while and see what the new president tries to get done, what he actually gets done, and how the public reacts.
Been having some issues with getting myself motivated to write lately and was surprised I haven’t written anything here since January 2nd. Looking back, I was talking about all the bad things that were happening as we started off the new year. Fast forward 2 weeks and some of those things look pretty mild compared to the devastation in California due to the forest fires that have basically destroyed entire towns. The fires have forced people to have to walk away from their homes as the fires spread. A lifetime of memories destroyed in the blink of an eye. It is really hard to comprehend, so instead of watching and pretending to know how it feels, I just want to let everybody who is affected (The Rescue Workers, The Rich, the Poor, the Famous, the Homeless, Business owners, Government officials, ..) that most of Americans are heartbroken and wishing feeling your pain. There are always those who look at strategies as an opportunity to get their point or their thoughts out, claim that they are the victims, and just hate on everybody involved. It is just noise, so do your best to ignore it and remember the good outnumber the bad by a wide margin. PEACE to ALL
Switching directions, job searching has become a game that I really don’t want to play. First, you need to search job boards and company sites for job listings (hoping that they are actually available, and not just posted for corporate compliance reasons) Then you need to create a customized resume for each job you see posted. This is now done by pasting your base resume and the job description into an AI site and having AI quickly add and delete skills and experiences to your resume so it exactly matches what they are looking for. Then you do the same thing with AI to create a customized cover letter explaining why you would be a perfect fit for the job. Then submit your resume and hope that you were one of the lucky people whose AI resume was able to beat all the scanning software companies use, and actually have somebody take 3 – 5 seconds to look it over. Then, if the job is actually available, maybe you get an e-mail or call back. Then you need to make sure you have all your customized resumes, and cover letters available and ready so you know what the job is and be able to answer questions
Add to the fact that I am looking for jobs in IT, and I am at the upper end of the age scale (I am 58), and it gets harder and harder to keep up with all the new software/hardware/technologies that are out there. While there are lots of online training sites, most cost money, so you have to weigh that against the fact of how long I plan to be working (While I am not thinking of retiring, I am also not looking for a 10 – 15 year position. Also, at some point what I did 15 – 20 years ago really has no relevance in today’s world. Past experience with applications and Operating Systems that either no longer exist, or are so old they are past their time, makes it harder and harder.
I will get there but might have to think independently and come up with some unique ideas and thoughts to put myself in a position to find something that is enjoyable to get me through my remaining corporate working years. This was pretty much written from thoughts. I will re-read it and then make some updates and changes and try to be more focused — ** More to Come**
Quicky — Went to the Movies and saw “A Complete Unknown”. Thought it was really good. I have always liked Bob Dylan, and was very interesting to see some aspects of his early life. Was also interesting to see what the world was like back in the early 1960s. While it was probably a simmpiler time, there were still issues that people had to deal with like today. I am also a fan of Timothee Chalamet and like most of everything he has done (Although I am one of the few who really dis not like Dune 2, sorry). I give it 4 Bags
Note: Please check out Mediocre Movie Majors on YouTube – My daughter and her boyfriend are filmmakers and do a movie review podcast. (Here is the latest episode)
I also watched “A Den of Thieves” the other night – I saw a commercial for “A Den of Thieves II” and it looked good, so I figured I would give it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it. It also looked great and was well-made. Another 4 Bags
Going to put together another short Survivor Application Video. Playing off of my rant on job searching above, I have some outside-of-the-box ideas and going to give them a try. Similar to looking for a job, a big part of submitting an application video is selling oneself. I already know I am not the best at this, but maybe writing about it and thinking about it will get me motivated to try some things
Finally, I tried watching “Deal or No Deal Island” — Even though I am a big reality show fan and enjoy seeing some old Survivor and Big Brother contestants come back and compete, the show was pretty bad. Any reality show where they need to explain the rules, and it still makes no sense, is not going to work for me. Same with “The Traitors” Great concept and fun to see old players, but once they are gone, the show in general is not good enough to hold my interest.
Survivor (#1) Who Wants to the A Millionaire (#2) The Amazing Race (#3) Big Brother (#4)
Despite the tragedy in New Orleans, along with the craziness of a Tesla full of fireworks catching on fire in Las Vegas, and a bunch of yahoos shooting people at the nightclub in Queens, NY., I hope everybody was able to find some peace, and celebrate the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025. These are crazy times, with lots of crazy things happening, but life goes on, and the best thing to do is embrace the good in people and wish peace and happiness to all.
One of my goals in 2025 is to do my best to focus on things I can control and not worry or get upset about things I can’t. I’m not saying to ignore everything and act like things are fine. There are lots of issues in the world, and it’s up to all individuals (including myself) to dig deep and do whatever you can to help make things better. Instead of complaining, you can run for public office, and put yourself in a position to make changes. You can join a non-profit group that is working on issues you are passionate about, or donate your time and money to charities you support.
Take some time to really educate yourself on things going on (Not just reading and reposting Twitter Posts). Take some time to read credible sources and not just scroll through social media for your news.(I would guess that at least 50% of social media is false, fake, manufactured propaganda designed to get you upset – most likley even higher).
Saw this on the RollingStone Website. Facebook and Instagram to Unleash AI-Generated ‘Users’ No One Asked For. Now you can create your own fake profiles, to interact with other fake profiles, while you scroll through all these fake profiles. Not much good can come from this. The article ends with this — If, in a few years, Instagram and Facebook are just places for AI bots to hang out, it stands to reason that the humans may find other ways to communicate.
Shifting gears, the NY Giants finish up a dreadful season on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Win or Lose, ownership has some tough decisions to make. As I have stated numerous times, they need to decide if they want to bring the GM and Coach back or let them go and take the team in another direction. My mind was not changed by last week’s win over the Indianapolis Colts. I would get rid of them and start over. Partially based on their track record the past 2 years (more than 1/2 of their games were not just bad, but uncompetitive. Add to that the foolishness shown on Hard Knocks before the season, where both the GM and Coach came across as being out of touch, and it is time to change the entire feeling of the team. If they stay, we will be stuck with another year of excuses (regardless if they draft a QB, or bring in a stop-gap QB). And while I want to be positive about next year no matter which way they go, the thought and chance of them getting blown out on opening night for the 3rd straight year is just not a risk they can afford to take.
As for the New York Mets and Pete Alonso, let’s get something done soon. I really want for him to come back to the Mets. He’s a perfect fit for this team, and it would also be great for him and the fans if he could return and continue his pursuit of numerous Mets records. While Juan Sote should be a great addition to the team, he showed with the Yankees that he is only about the money, and has no true allegiance to any team. Pete Alosno seems to be the opposite and really enjoys being a NY Met. Since you can have both, Steve Cohen needs to get a deal done. And sooner than later, as its been seen over and over that it take players who sign late and miss some of spring training extra time to get ready
As far as Non-Sport Card Collecting, going to spend some time uploading images of some of my older cards to the Trading Card Data Base. The site is great for tracking both Sports and Non-Sports Cards, including base sets, insert sets, autograph cards, and my specialty promos *** Photos to come ***. Its a lot of fun going through old sets and promo cards on the site, and uploading photos of older cards I haven’t looked at in a while. I will be a good distraction for the next few days. After this weekend, things in the job market should start to open up, and it is time to focus on finding a new job
** Updated with Photos of older promo cards **
Music
Had a great time playing Name That Tune with my wife and daughter over the Christmas break. I randomly play songs from our Apple Music account and see if they can name the songs. Since it’s a family account, the music is really all over the map. I have to skip a bunch of my songs when they come up (Prog Rock and Heavy Metal are not my wife or daughter’s cup of tea). Was really impressed with my daughter who can get most songs based on just a few notes (Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and others are no problem for her). Maybe we will try out for “Beat Shazam”
I also took an hour the other night to put on my headphones and listen to some random music. I cap things at 3 songs per artist.
John Denver / Scorpions / Grand Funk Railroad / Blues Image / Marshal Tucket Band / Led Zepplin and the Moody Blues.
TV Shows
Started watching Sqid Games 2 ( NetFlix) (So far really enjoying it)
Really enjoying Beast Games on Amazon (Mr. Beast knows how to entertain)
I finished Season 2 of Shrinking (Apple TV) (Really great show)
I finished Season 1 of Day of the Jackle (Paremont +) (Good news – looks like there will be a Season 2)
Enjoying Silo on Apple TV
Movies
Going to try and find some time to see “A Complete Unknown” in the next week
The time has come to wrap things up for today. Will upload some photos of some of the promo cards I have when I get home
Books
Started reading Familiaris – The follow-up book to “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle”
Hope everybody enjoyed their Christmas / Chanaka and got to spend some time with friends and family
Writing every day is much harder than I thought, especially if you throw in Christmas on a Wednesday. I’m going to try and remember the last weeks and write some of the highlights. I’m also going to try to find some time to get away for a day or two where I can write with no distractions. I may also have to skip Wordle, and Connections, and get free coins on the TOPPS Bunt and Star Wars Card Trader App.
Here is some good advice from Jia Jiang (Author / TED Talk Speaker). I have been following him for years = since he made videos for “Rejection Therapy” where he went 100 Days trying to get rejected to help him get over his fear of rejection.
The big thing from last week was the Survivor 47 Finale. Before digging into some of my thoughts, I would like to congratulate Rachel LaMont for winning the title of Sole Survivor and taking home the grand prize of $1,000,000.00. She played a great game and was a deserving winner
I was going to write earlier, but I wanted to gather my thoughts for a bit. I also saw there were a lot of discussions going on on Twitter / X and Facebook, and I wanted to let these die down so I wasn’t influenced by all the chatter.
While I really enjoyed this season, there wasn’t anybody who made me think they were one of the best of the best. I think it is just how the game is played now, compared to the past. Players seem to stay in their lane, never really looking to stir things up. They seem content just surviving from week to week and not trying too much to rock the boat. An example is Sue, who found an Immunity Idol early in the game and did nothing with it. She just held on to it, and finally played it last time it was good. Maybe she was thinking that by showing she could keep it a secret, the jury would give her credit. Looking at the final votes, it really had no effect. It seems to me, that once Survivor went to a final 3, there is always somebody who makes it to the end but then gets no votes, and is basically an afterthought. This shows you need to make a defining move at some point that makes you memorable.
Also, it seems that when they went from 39 to 26 days, there is less downtime, and therefore less long-term strategizing. Having to make quick decisions after each tribal counsel changes how you play. In the old game, you would have 2 to 3 days to try and change people’s minds after each Tribal Council, so if you blindsided somebody’s close friend, you had time to smooth things out and explain yourself. Now you need to almost play day-to-day, and hope you’re on the right side of the next vote
And this seems to affect the editing of the contestants as well. If you’re not actively looking for advantages, or discussing making a big move, there really is no time to show you on TV. So while the cast members get to know each other extremely well (by virtue of being stranded together with nowhere to hide), the TV audience does not see this. So when they mentioned what a great person and player Caroline was, I was like “Huh?, She didn’t do anything special, or do much that I saw.”
As for the overall game, I feel they need to bring back some of the older challenges, where people were forced to make decisions against each other. I liked the challenges where the contestants would have to break tiles by smashing them to see who could survive to the end. Having to choose between individuals including your closest allies makes things interesting. Not the same as when somebody winds a reward, and then has to choose who will go with them.
Still a fun watch, and looking forward to Survivor 48 in the Spring (“Survivor” Season 48 will premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 for a two-hour special)
Survivor has been a big part of my life for the past 25 years and still fascinates me to this day. Still think its the best Reality Show on TV, due mostly to its simplicity. While there are times when things happen to people that are totally out of their control, for the most part, you will not be eliminated by shear luck, which forces the contestants to think and strategize to get to the end.
Still working on getting on the show, and hopefully, my name will be called, and after actually playing the game, I will be able to see things from the inside and truly reflect on all my posts over the years
Some other things that happened over the past week
I watched the first 2 episodes of “Beast Games” on Amazon. Hosted by Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson, it’s his take on Squid Games with a $5,000,000.00 Grand Prize. I really enjoyed the original Squid Games (Season 2 premiers today), as well as the Netflix reality show. I am a big fan of Mr. Beast, as well, and he did a great job with his show. It’s really interesting to see people put in situations regarding money. It reminded me of what goes through inexperience, or general low-stakes gamblers. They will win some money, and then usually lose it back. After losing it back, they justify things by saying, they just gamble for fun, or I started with nothing, so no big deal. But if you were to randomly hand somebody $1000.00 cash, let them hold it, and tell them it was theirs to do what they please, and then an hour later, told them to give it back, they would not be happy. “You gave it to me, and it’s mine. You cant take my money”
This brings me back to Beast Games. They started with 1000 players, and throughout the 1st two episodes, they offered people money to walk away and drop out of the game. Most of the people declined the offer and decided to hang around with the chance of winning the grand prize. Maybe I would decline a few hundred dollars for the experience, but once the offers started to go up to $10,000.00, $100,000.00, and even $1,000,000.00, it just seems crazy that people still turn it down. One of the crazy things is that a lot of the challenges so far, have included a lot of randomness, where as a player, you really had no input into the outcome. They divided the contestants into smaller groups and then said if anybody wanted to drop out, they would get some money, and everybody else in the team would be eliminated. All it takes is somebody to grab the money, and a bunch of players who were chosen at random are eliminated. So to me, there is no way I would not take the money. Will be interesting to see how things play out the rest of the way. Would you turn down 2 Million Dollars to have the opportunity to play against others for 5 Million? Also, if (and most likely when) they do a 2nd season, will you get a bunch of people applying who are looking for a quick grab. I think I will apply and then take the 1st amount they offer. $20,000.00 for 15 minutes of gameplay is not that bad.
Also looking forward to the new “Cheers” cards coming out in February by Rittenhouse Archives Hopefully this set does well, and we will see some more of these one-off sets. Looks like the card companies have realized they need to adapt their strategy to smaller popular titles, instead of putting out set after set of “Star Wars”, “Star Trek”, and “Game of Thrones” cards rehashing the same autograph cards. People are now looking to invest in new cards for a show or movie that they have fond memories of. Cryptozoic did well with their Ghostbusters set a few years back, and hopefully, they will continue thinking outside of the box
As for sports — The New York Giants have two games left in this miserable and disheartening season. Long since eliminated, the team has no spunk, no spark, and no direction. Everybody is waiting until the Monday after the season ends to see what owner John Mara decides to do. Will he stay the course with the current GM and Couch or will he clean house and look to go in a different direction. I have been saying for a while that I would get rid of the GM / Coach to try and bring a fresh attitude into the organization. Right now they are in NFL Hell — A bad team that is also boring
Hope the Mets make the decision to bring back Pete Alonso. If you can’t keep a homegrown talent who loves the team and wants to be here, then we are in a sad state of things. I understand that MLB Baseball (as well as all other professional and collegiate sports is a business), but we need to make sure to keep some fun and excitement in the games as well. Once sports become only a numbers game with players with no allegiance to where they play and are only concerned about how much they get paid (Which is happening in College), why should fans even care? Might as well get rid of the team names and affiliations, and just have a generic league or generic teams where players move at will between teams, and nobody really cares who wins or loses. Sad that kids these days will not be able to look back and say they saw Player A or Player B play for their college and made an impact on the University and gave them lots of special memories. Instead, Player A will play at 4 or 5 different colleges, sit out any bowl games due to transferring or fear of injury, and then go to the NFL Goos for him, but he will have no long-term impact on any of the schools he played at, and nobody remembering most of them after a few years.
Time for a break — Will be back soon (I promise) with some more thoughts, as well as a list of Movies, TV Shows, Books, and Music that I have been enjoying, and looking forward to
Regarding TV and music, here is Hozier performing “Fairytale of New York” on Saturday Night Live a few nights ago. I really like the performance. Hope you enjoy it as well
AverageAndy 