Happy Post-Apocalypse

Family Radio RV
Bloomsburg, PA
I saw these vehicles at the Bloomsburg Fair last year and they gave me a chuckle.  I could just picture these folks peeling and sticking all of the decals and ruining a perfectly nice RV by making it look like a ransom note on wheels.  It was also pretty odd that they blacked out the Harley Davidson logo on the spare tire.  I suppose that crazy people like eagles, but they're not cool with motorcycles.

So, I had a nice apocalypse yesterday.  I got my bachelors degree and had a nice celebratory dinner with my family.  As an added bonus, I managed to miss out on the Earth burning up and the worldwide earthquakes, and I didn't bump into the Killer Lord referenced in foot tall red letters.  As for the world ending, I'm sure that more than a few of my middle and high school teachers would have told you that would happen before I ever graduated from college, but as it turned out, they were just as wrong as these lovely folks.  To those of you who drove these asshole-mobiles, I hope y'all kept the receipt on those donations to "Family Radio".

It's the end of the world as they know it, and I feel fine.  😇

Graduation

The Kindest Killer In History

Harmon Killebrew

June 29, 1936 - May 17, 2011

One of the greatest home run hitters of all time passed away yesterday at age 74.  Harmon Killebrew spent almost his entire career with the Washington Senators, and later the Minnesota Twins when the franchise moved west.  When he retired in 1975 after playing a single season for the Kansas City Royals, he was fifth all-time in career home runs (behind Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Frank Robinson).  He was the 1969 American League MVP, a 13 time All-Star, and was a Class of 1984 inductee into the Hall of Fame.

In addition to being one of the all-time greats of the game, everyone who has any connection to Mr. Killebrew will tell you what a remarkably kind and considerate human being he was.  Among them are Phillies manager Charlie Manuel (pictured above with Mr. Killebrew), whose first career home run in the Major Leagues came when White Sox lefty Don Secrist intentionally walked Harmon to face Charlie.  When asked, Charlie said "If I told you all my memories of Killebrew, we'd be here until this time next year" before sharing a few stories about his time playing with the future Hall of Famer from 1969 to 1972.

Rest in peace, Killer, and thank you for being an example of all that is good in the game.

This Ryno Is An Iron Pig

Earlier today, I got to meet Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg at PNC Field.  He's managing the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (the Phillies Triple A team), and they were in town playing the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees.  I usually don't ask for autographs from players, but he was already there signing for fans, so I asked him to sign my ticket.

I'm Not Fat... I'm Fluffy

Gabriel Iglesias
I'm Not Fat... I'm Fluffy
This man is a breath of fresh air in stand-up comedy.  Truly one of the funniest and most genuine performers I have ever seen.  I was lucky enough to see him a few years ago in Atlantic City and to chat with him after the show.  If you have the opportunity to go to his show, do it!

Austin 3:16 Says Judgment Day Ended After 2009

Family Radio billboard
Rt. 309 - Wilkes Barre, PA
Well, golly, with a guarantee like that, I guess I had better start crying mightily.  I suspect the people who solicited the donations that paid for asinine billboards like this will be the ones doing the crying when the flock comes looking for the money they wasted on this nonsense.

Maybe the folks at Family Radio got their bibles confused with professional wrestling again.  The second WWF Judgment Day pay per view took place on May 21st, 2000.  They had another one on that date in 2006.  The bible guarantees that we've got another one to look forward to very soon.

Jesus vs. Kane in a steel cage in 9 days?  Cry mightily unto McMahon.

Rubik's Cubewich

The Rubik's Cubewich
Insanewiches.com

Mother's Day Sale

Endless Ink Tattoo
Lehighton, PA

I'll Miss You

Grandpa passed away in his home earlier today.  He was 74 years old.

My Grandpa is the greatest man I have ever known or will ever know.  Anything good in me is a direct result of having such a wonderful, loving and positive influence as he was in my life.

Thank you for being my Grandpa.  I miss you.

The Ramones at The Tropicana Motel

It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since Joey Ramone died.

The Life Of The Rifleman

Chuck Connors
1952 Mother's Cookies - Card #4

To the best of my knowledge, this was the only Chuck Connors baseball card that was produced during his playing career.  It was part of a promotional set released by Mother's Cookies in 1952.  Chuck played first base for the 1951 Los Angeles Angels, which was a club in the Pacific Coast League that served as the minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

Prior to the 1951 season, Connors had only appeared in a single game at the big league level as a member of the 1949 Brooklyn Dodgers.  In a May 1st game against the Philadelphia Phillies, he was brought in to pinch hit for Carl Furillo with one out in the bottom of the 9th inning.  The Dodgers were down 4-2 and Gil Hodges was on first base after singling off of Phillies starter Russ Meyer.  A home run would have tied the game and given Connors a solid start to his MLB career, but he grounded into a double play to end the game and give the Phillies the win.  His time with the Dodgers may have been short, but he was once part of a lineup that included five Hall Of Famers, including Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, and the legendary Jackie Robinson.

Fortunately for Connors, this wasn't his only opportunity to play in the big leagues.  The 1951 Chicago Cubs called him up from the minor leagues on July 6th and he spent the rest of the season in the big leagues.  He was the starting first baseman in 49 of the 57 games that he played for the Cubs to finish the 1951 season, in which time he had a slash line of .239/.282/.304 with two home runs in 214 plate appearances.

Connors returned to the minor leagues for the 1952 season, which would be the last year of his baseball career.  Baseball was actually his second career as a professional athlete.  After his discharge from the US Army in 1946, he played for the 1945-46 Champion Rochester Royals (the franchise moved several times in the years that followed and is now the Sacramento Kings).  He continued his basketball career for over the next two seasons in 1946-47 and 1947-48 for the Boston Celtics before transitioning to baseball.

TV Guide: March 12, 1960 (left) and October 23, 1965 (right)

For anyone else, being one of only 13 professional athletes in history to play in both MLB and the NBA would be the highlight of a person's life.  However, these things are only a footnote in the life of Chuck Connors. He was spotted by an MGM casting director when he was playing for the Los Angeles Angels, and this led to a long and successful acting career.  He is best known for starring in The Rifleman, but he has credits in over 130 movies and television shows in a career that spanned four decades.

There are four roles that Chuck Connors plays that I remember him best from.  The first time I saw him was on an episode of The Adventures Of Superman from 1955 that aired on Nick At Nite when I was a kid.  It was called Flight To The North, and it features Chuck as an unusually strong country boy named Sylvester J. Superman who's last name causes him to be mistaken for the real Superman.

The second, and probably the most well known of his feature film roles, is his role in the 1957 Walt Disney film Old Yeller which one of my teachers showed our class when I was in school.  Chuck plays a cowboy named Burn Sanderson who gives the dog to Arliss in exchange for a toad and a home-cooked meal.

The third and fourth are films that I saw for the first time in the late 90's on VHS.  Connors played the villain in a bizarre 1979 horror/slasher film called Tourist Trap, and he plays William R. Simonson's bodyguard, Fielding, in one of my favorite movies of all time: the 1973 dystopian classic Soylent Green.

Mr. Connors passed away on November 10th, 1992 at the age of 71.  He is buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery just outside of Los Angeles.  He was a remarkably talented man who lived an interesting life, and his work continues to bring joy to others many years after his death.  Today would have been his 90th birthday.

The Aces

Sports Illustrated
April 4, 2011
Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, Joe Blanton - potentially one of the greatest pitching rotations of all time.  This is going to be an interesting season.

Memories Of The Blue Comet

Blue Comet Diner menu
Hazleton, PA
I have a lot of happy memories at the Blue Comet Diner.  When I was growing up, my grandparents and I had dinner here every Saturday evening after church.  My clearest memory of the place was the smell.  I would bet that there was enough second hand smoke that breathing the air at your table during dinner would be equivalent to smoking at least one cigarette.  It may sound like I'm talking bad about the place, but not at all.  The 80's were a very different time.  Almost every adult I knew when I was a kid smoked, so it wasn't an uncommon smell anywhere in town.  For some reason though, I associate it strongly with the diner.  When I think of it, I can call up a memory of the way that it smelled without even trying.

The food there was always good.  My favorite things to order were chicken fingers and breaded shrimp.  They used to have one of those pie and cake glass cases that had stacks of desserts that rotated.  Everything looked delicious, but I don't remember ever trying anything other than rice pudding and a big piece of coconut cream pie.  It was delicious!

They used to have video poker machines and a Ms. Pac-Man cabinet in the entrance way.  I played at least one game of Ms. Pac-Man every time we ate there while Grandma, Grandpa and Nana took turns playing video poker.  Even though they were labeled "for entertainment only", the machines paid off.  I'm not sure exactly how many points you had to score to get a payoff, but I remember that when one of my family members won, they'd go into the restaurant to get the cashier to come out and verify the score.  They'd go back to the counter and pay cash out of the register.  When I was a kid, I had no idea that this was illegal gambling.  No one made any attempt at all to hide it.  That was Hazleton in the 20th century.

When I was a teenager, the 24 hour diner became a late night hang out where friends and I would drink coffee and talk about music, or where I'd grab a burger and fries with my girlfriend after a movie.  This menu is from those days - either the late 90's or early 2000's.

I have more happy memories over the years here than any other restaurant.  I've been here hundreds of times with family and friends, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who has so many fond memories of the place.  It's been there since 1932 and has been an iconic part of Hazleton for generations.  Sadly, that came to an end as the Blue Comet closed its doors for the last time today.  It will be missed.

Braaaaains!

Studying for my lab practical exam in Behavioral Neuroscience.

The Moore You Know

Forty years ago today, Texas House of Representatives member Tom Moore introduced a resolution to honor Albert DeSalvo for "his noted activities and unconventional techniques involving population control and applied psychology" and for "his outstanding career of public service".

This piece of legislation passed unanimously on April 1st, 1971 before Mr. Moore withdrew his resolution.  He explained to his colleagues that this was an April Fools joke, and that they had just voted to have the state of Texas officially honor the Boston Strangler.

Coffee Cup Phillies: Mike Sweeney

Mike Sweeney (first base / pinch hitter)
Acquired: August 4, 2010 - Traded by the Mariners to the Phillies for cash considerations 

Mike Sweeney was contemplating retirement after the 2009 season.  He returned to the Mariners on a minor league contract at the start of the season.  At the time of the signing, much of the sports media did not expect Sweeney to make the team, but after batting .500 in Spring Training, he earned his spot as the 25th man on the roster and he hit a respectable .263 with 6 HR in 30 games.

Fast forward to the first week of August; a time when things didn't look great for the Phillies.  The team entered the month trailing the Braves in the NL East and both Chase Utley and Shane Victorino were sidelined with injuries.  To make matters worse, Ryan Howard sprained his left ankle and was put on the DL on August 3rd.  Needing to keep pace in the division, the Phillies acquired Sweeney from the last place Mariners to cover first base while Howard recovered.

From left to right: Roy Halladay, Mike Sweeney, Brian Schneider and Ben Francisco after the Phillies clinched the division championship - September 27, 2010

Although he only bat .231 with 2 HR as a Phillie, Sweeney became a fan favorite in Philadelphia, referring to the city as "baseball heaven" and bringing a youthful enthusiasm to the game that is not often seen from a 36 year old veteran in the twilight of his career.  He was often shown in the dugout giving massive bear hugs to everyone within arms reach.  In his 16 year career, Sweeney had never appeared in a post-season game, and he referred to this stage of his career as a chance at a storybook ending.

The Phillies were knocked out of the playoffs by the Giants in the NLCS, but Sweeney was able to add a post-season appearance to his major league career.  His last career at-bat took place in the second game of the League Championship Series against the Cincinnati Reds on October 8th.  In what would be his only post-season appearance, Sweeney pinch hit for Jose Contreras in the bottom of the 7th and singled off of Aroldis Chapman.

Due in part to his late season arrival and in part to Topps holding an exclusive MLB license, Sweeney did not appear in a Phillies uniform on any baseball cards.  The closest this came to happening was a sign that was produced for Citizens Bank Park that was hung at the right field gate entrance when Sweeney was in the starting lineup.  It was done in the style of a 2009 Topps card to match the style of the rest of the lineup.

Earlier today, Sweeney threw out the first pitch of the season for the Kansas City Royals, for whom he played as catcher, first base and designated hitter for the first 13 seasons of his career.  He signed a one day contract with the Royals to retire with his original team.

Dr. Dirt And Mr. Clean

1991 Philadelphia Phillies IGA Schedule Poster
Lenny Dykstra (Dr. Dirt) and Dale Murphy (Mr. Clean)
Twenty years ago, the IGA grocery store chain gave away this schedule poster at the start of the Phillies 1991 season.  This same image was used for the cover of the Phillies season ticket brochure, and it was turned into a baseball card by Donruss (1991 card number 744).

Higher Education

Breiseth Hall @ Wilkes University
I love college

The Tale Of The Comet

Blue Comet
Route 309 - Hazleton, PA
A restaurant that my family and I used to have dinner at every weekend in the late 80's after my grandmother and great-grandmother got out of church, and the place that my friends and I would hang out when I was a teenager in the late 90's, is closing this Sunday.

Standard Speaker - Hazleton, PA  (March 28, 2011)

Even though I live pretty close to the place, I work and go to school in Wilkes-Barre so I haven't had a lot of opportunity to stop by the Blue Comet for lunch or dinner recently.  The last time I was here was a couple of years ago when my girlfriend and I stopped for a later dinner on the way home from a Phillies game.  Hopefully someone will buy and reopen it soon, but for the time being, it's the end of an era in Hazleton.

Ready For Graduation

I've got some snazzy new clothes for graduation.  Less than two months away!

A Day At The Casino

Throughout their lives, my grandparents loved going to Atlantic City together to play the slot machines.  It may not be Atlantic City, but I'm glad that I had the chance to bring them to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Wilkes-Barre so they could enjoy the slots one last time.  Grandpa seemed to enjoy the Cheese Caper slots over the others.

The Finish Line Is At The Lone Pine Mall

Back To The Future shirt
Teefury

My Study Spot

Farley Library - Third Floor
Wilkes University - Wilkes-Barre PA
With just a little furniture arrangement near a column that gives both privacy and an electrical outlet, this has become my favorite study spot on campus.

Darn Good Coffee

Einstein Bros. Bagels
Wilkes University - Wilkes-Barre, PA
One of the many things I'll miss after graduation.

The Best Little Arcade Club In California

Central Park Family Fun Center
Mountain View, California (1981)

This incredible video was filmed in 1981 at the Central Park Family Fun Center in Santa Clara County.  It was shared on YouTube by Scott Evans.  This arcade was profiled in the December 1982 issue of Electronic Games magazine.

Electronic Games  (December 1982)
click image to enlarge

Three Bucks at Toys R' Us

Just picked up Art of Fighting for PS2 and a Lego Indiana Jones t-shirt on clearance at Toys R' Us for $3.  I'm pleasantly surprised that I fit in a medium t-shirt.

Night Time

Lighting Design (1970s)

Scanned and shared on Flickr by Glen H.

Refresh Your Memory

ICD Atari ST Hard Drive advertisement
STart Magazine - Summer 1988
Scanned by Benj Edwards of Vintage Computing and Gaming.

The Meatloaf Was Unprofessional

Professional Pork Chops
Henry's Food Court - Wilkes University
I don't think I can ever go back to amateur pork.

Guard Dog

Sammy is guarding the presents this Christmas Eve.

Twas The Afternoon Before Christmas Eve

Caffe Europa
Laurel Mall - Hazleton, PA
Grandma and I stopped for coffee while doing some last minute holiday shopping.

Hershey For The Holidays

The Hershey Lodge has a coffee shop and cafe called the Cocoa Beanery, so we stopped for coffee before we checked out.

This has been a very nice place to stay for the holidays.  I hope that we get to come back here again.

Angie loves museums, so our first stop of the day was The Hershey Story.  It was a lot of fun and we took a bunch of pictures that I'll have to sort through and share after the holidays.

In addition to the museum, The Hershey Story has a kitchen called The Chocolate Lab where you can learn how to make a dessert.  We made chocolate bowls and decorated them with frosting and sprinkles.

Next stop was Hershey's Chocolate World, which is an attraction not far from the entrance to Hersheypark.  There's a massive Hershey store, a Chocolate World ride that I've been going on since I was a little kid, and newer attractions like Hershey's Really Big 3-D Show.

This year, they've introduced a Create Your Own Chocolate Bar activity.  We made one stuffed with crisped rice, chocolate cookie bits, butter toffee and vanilla chips sealed inside a bar that's coated with red and green sprinkles which we're going to give to Grandpa as a Christmas present.

One of the coolest things we saw at Hershey's Chocolate World was a candy cottage is made up entirely of snacks.  Chocolate bars made up the siding and the door, the shingles were made out of upside down Cookies n' Creme bars, and Kit Kats and Kisses were used throughout, including massive Hershey Kisses on the roof.  We picked up a tabletop statue of this from the gift shop that we're going to put out every Christmas.

Last, but not least, we went to Hersheypark which was all decked out for Christmas.  They even had a stable of reindeer.

We brought the video camera with us too.  Sometime after the holidays, I'm going to see if I can get some footage from the tapes on YouTube to share on here.