This and That
Golden Girls A Second Go At It
After the passing of Betty White I decided to binge watch the Golden Girls. Stating the obvious here but when u binge watch a show u catch things you wouldn’t necessarily catch watching on a week by week basis.
First off, it is clear that I didn’t hop on this train originally from the beginning… and it also appears I got off the train from time to time as some episodes are new to me.. Or I am getting old and don’t remember. And just like Three’s Company, they recycled actors to play different roles over the seasons! Jesus am I dating myself or what? 😋
My god… so so many episodes would not survive in today’s culture. Wowza!
As I did for Friends here is my list of funniest character to least.. It was a little tougher with Friends…
Sophia
Rose
Blanche
Dorothy
Oh and I think I only ranked the Friends cast in my head so here goes…
Ross
Joey/Phoebe (this was too close)
Monica
Rachel
Chandler
Being Italian I really appreciate how well Estelle played Sophia’s role. So good. So funny. So accurate.
Considering they have all passed, some episodes really hit the feels..when Rose worried about being the last one in the group and alone. When Sophia lamented about growing old and experiencing memory loss. Ugh. This one bothers me too.. Growing old… and memory loss. My father passed away with dementia..I already worry I am heading in that direction. I hope I am wrong. The worse feeling in the world was when my dad wouldn’t recognize me. It would kill me not being able to recognize my wife, kids and hopefully grandkids.
Ok. Well that took a sharp left turn! Anyway, the finale was very sad. A shows ending always hits me hard. And once again it felt new to me so I really don’t know how good I was about watching the golden girls when it originally aired.
From #onwardmobility to nowardmobility
To say I am disappointed is an understatement. It looks like it’s time to let go. I have been a fan of the brand for the longest time. It does not escape me that I have been hypocritical towards #iSheepers when I have been the same for the BlackBerry brand. I will ride out my #KEY2 until it’s last breath and then I will move on to the pixel I have just gathering dust right now.
I am not a fan of either Android or Apple. When BlackBerry decided to embrace the android OS there wasn’t much of a decision to make. It allowed me to continue to have and use the BlackBerry phone. Both companies have their faults and short comings. Both in many ways are hypocritical of things… but I refuse to go the way of Apple on principle. They push this narrative that they are all about inclusivity yet their ecosystem is completely closed. They refuse to open iMessage to android admitting that they fear losing people to android. They don’t want to embrace RCS. They talk privacy and maybe it’s a few levels ahead of Google but please. Folks who believe they are far better off with apple are just being naive. Anyway, I am done with my mini apple rant.. Back on track.
On the one hand I guess kudos on onwardmobility for giving it the old boyscout try and try to get a BlackBerry phone out there during difficult times. Big name companies have had it tough over the last few years so imagine a startup. On the other hand though..their PR/social media/communication skills was just plain horrible. Leaving the fanbase hanging for an entire year without a word of anything is not good business practice. Then in a span of a little over a month they went from ‘contrary to popular belief we’re not dead’… to dead. How does that happen? I joke about it but I think Peter ‘if that’s his real name’ Franklin was onwardmobility .. And probably working out of his parents basement. Looks like he went to the school of Anna Delvey. If you know, you know.
BlackBerry on the other hand with their history/reputation in the space could have handled things differently. And this is all on John Chen. For shame. There really isn’t anything else I could add to this.
I don’t regret the BlackBerry logo tattoo but now when someone asks if it is a cat paw… albeit a deformed cat paw, I guess I will just say ‘yes’. Lol
Ps: yes, I actually had someone ask if it is a cat paw.
Jan 4, 2022 – #BlackBerry – the end of an era
Jan 4 will always be a special and important day for me as it is my son’s birthday. However, this jan 4th 2022 will forever be embedded in my mind for a different reason…the end of an era..a sad day for #BlackBerry. The OG and classic OS is being decommissioned and will no longer be supported. For us loyal blackberrians it is truly a sad day.
My first phone was a motorola razr but once I set my eyes on a BlackBerry that was it. No other phone could match it for many reasons but for me it was that physical keyboard. Wow.
I have a shrine to all the phones I have had over the years.. All with the physical keyboard.
I absolutely love BB10. It was incredibly frustrating to me that it was never given a chance. I recall when it first hit the streets how it was mocked for being gesture based.. And now years later both iOS and Android are gesture based. *cough*Hypocrites *cough*
It was ahead of its time.
The only silver lining…as I write this on my BlackBerry KEY2, is that BlackBerry lives on with android, all be it an inferior OS to BB10.
I hope that in the new year onwardmobility gets their act together and puts out the BlackBerry phone we were promised in 2021.
I am gobsmacked addicted to #hallmark Christmas movies
…there I said it… or in this case wrote it. I cannot believe I am actually writing about this.
It started innocently enough last year when I watched a couple. But this holiday season? Boy oh boy.. I have lost count how many I have watched.
What’s funny is that for the most part the formula is the same. And my god there is so much cheese being served and of course you know how it will end but I cannot stop watching!
What I did notice though… again, for the most part, is that the man in the story has the tragedy or difficult past… and is the selfless one etc etc… again for the most part. And you know what i find completely shocking? How in the hell has the cancel culture club not come after these movies? A Christmas miracle. 😋
Dear -fill in the blank-, do better.
Ok, so when I first drafted this post I called out the organization in question but then I felt guilty because of what they represent and do.. I also realized these practices are not exclusive to them… so here’s my rant to the anonymous entity….
Dear <fill in the blank>,
If you want people to jump on the money train you need to be better.
– when you call, leave a message. Not leaving one comes across as shady.. Especially when you call 5-6x per day. I don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize but eventually I had to answer because I was losing my shit
– I know there are pressures for reps to get contributions but allow for compromise.
– also allow someone to actually complete a sentence… you know that expression… ‘did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?’
Many moons ago my wife made monthly contributions to your organization.
My wife, and only she and God know the answer, used my personal information but her email address..so I did not know about this until now because she stopped contributing a few years back.
– I was willing to conference my wife in on the call so we could get this sorted out. No.
– I was willing to have my wife call back to change up the personal information. No.
The answer to everything was ‘we’re not allowed to.’
Ok then.
Frankie doesn’t go to Hollywood just down a rabbit hole.
A former local radio personality who found his own little rabbit hole uses #instagram very strategically.. His posts are about ‘respecting opinions’ or ‘not tearing each other apart’.. While his stories conveniently are about shading and mocking. He predicted a blue minority not even an hour into the election results 🤦♂️. Then he poo poo’d the $ spent. This election wasn’t necessary… lowest voter turnout ever. But those who chose to exercise their privileged right to vote, voted in the same minority govt. That’s democracy.
I am sure had blue pulled it off even as a minority govt his tune would be different. Would a minority conservative govt be any different? In any case, how interesting that leading up to the election O’toole (or his peeps) was very active on social media.. Tweeting up a storm.. Not a peep since the results. Licking his wounds, I guess. That’s the guy folks wanted in as leader. Knee jerk reaction voting is the worse. And u ever notice how folks on the right are always angry?
And you might be asking yourself ‘how would you know all this? Unless you are following him?’ You would be correct. I do follow him on Instagram. He’s my indulgence…I took immense pleasure that he was wrong and ended off his night by putting out a story poo pooing the result and that ‘he’s done’. I may not be for much longer though.. Just like that other one, Priscilla.. It’s getting tiring listening to their Debbie downer mentality. Anyway just stick to your drive by.
Speaking of Frank… It was great to see Frank ‘let me shit and criticise the liberal govt during the peak of the pandemic while in florida’ Cavallaro get throttled in his riding.
I’m blue
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
I’m blue
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
Da ba dee da ba di
#Ita v. #Aut: my hot take
Okkkkaaayyyy…. What a match it was. It took some time yesterday after the match to bring myself down to a calm state.
Some felt italy had not been tested during the group stage. Was that test yesterday? It certainly looked like it.
It was a game of halves…or I guess quarters… Italy was the better team in the first half and the first extra time.. Austria rattled Italy in the 2nd half and were the better team and I will say had the edge in the 2nd extra time.
The lack of physical size in some of the key players reared its ugly head yesterday. Play makers like Verratti seemed to be sprawled all over the pitch far too often. I understand he’s a playmaker but he hung on to the ball far too long. The ball movement had to be a lot quicker and it wasn’t. Italy needs to get back to that type of game.
Except for the woodwork he hit, Immobile was a non factor, ineffective all game long. Was this due to good defending?I don’t know. Maybe. But on many occasions he seemed hesitant as to what to do next.
Spinazzola continues to shine in this tournament on that left side. The two goals were nice but he is the reason the goals even happened. Brilliant. In the 2nd half, Austria seemed to have neutralized that side.
The substitutions couldn’t have come at a better time. They offered a bigger presence on the pitch and are the big reason Italy has moved on.
I gave the edge to Austria in the 2nd extra time but overall, Italy could have put the game to bed with all the squandered chances they had in the extra time.
Yesterdays match certainly put a scare into Italy. Some pundits are already changing their tune about the team. Some are making silly comments like the screen grab below.
I didn’t watch the video because my time is precious but it’s a really dumb comment but to each his own. It certainly wasn’t their best match but to say Italy gave very little? come on.
Nowadays when you put out something to the internet you risk the ‘that didn’t age well’ reply… and it almost happened for one of the tweets I put out…Neville thinks Italy doesn’t have enough to go all the way and he was almost proven right yesterday and can still be proven right.
I say that sometimes when a team has it too easy that they need a good slap to the back of the head and a wake up call. I think and hope that came yesterday in the form of Austria. Italy will regroup and will be better for it moving forward. Like Mancini, I still believe overall they were the better team and deserved advancing to the next stage. But a high five to Austria for their performance. Grit and determination.
Last Man Standing series finale
It’s always super sad when a series ends. Political views aside I have always been a fan of Tim Allen. I loved Home Improvement. I will say that although early on I did not miss any episodes of last man standing at one point I lost touch with it… but eventually I returned to watching it.
Most series, unless abruptly terminated, end with closure. I am not exactly sure what to make of Last Man Standing’s series finale. Essentially a truck Tim worked on for 10 years gets stolen. So in some way the truck represented the show… ~10 years of hard work by Tim…during their mourning the truck scene u can clearly see that they’re really talking about the show.
Anyway I just found this series ending, let’s just say, different.
During his last vlog Tim makes reference to ‘stealing’…I hope that considering his political views that he didn’t go there. It would not be surprising though since over the years he’s gone there plenty of times during the shows run.
As an avid BlackBerry enthusiast myself the one thing I appreciated enormously was Tim Allen’s appreciation for the BlackBerry brand and the fact he showcased plenty BlackBerry phones constantly over the years. His love for the brand seemed to have rubbed off on others in the cast as Hector and Jonathan too sported the KEY series during the last season. Good on you Tim. Good on you. 👍
… and btw what the hell ever happened to Boyd? Here’s what…
Weird though that he couldn’t be in the finale.
I’ll be there for you…
I watched the #friends reunion and it gave me all sorts of feels…good and sad…atleast no bad feelings though.
Before I get into it I have to state that the funniest on the show was Ross hands down.. Followed closely by Phoebe and Joey…then Monica, Rachel and finally Chandler. Over the years they all had their moments so it’s really difficult to rank them but I think for me this is it.
I wish they had made the reunion longer. There should have been more surprises in the mix but I do understand that covid made things difficult. I am not sure either about some of the guest choices… was it just that they were available due to the circumstances? Anyway I digress.
I don’t get the hate toward Corden hosting but people gotta hate on everything to feel good about themselves.
I loved how easily they got back into character… Lisa ‘my eyes’ Kudrow is just too awesome.
Their reminiscing was amazing, touching and with some added surprising revelations.
The reunion also made me sad for a couple of reasons… we are getting old. I am in their age bracket and when they flashed back to the early years and seeing them now I couldn’t help but feel old. It’s crazy. 51 isn’t that old but still I feel bothered.
I also felt for Matthew Perry. Nevermind his last minute emergency procedure.. He just seemed sad. Down. Not out of place but certainly looked at times like he wasn’t really into it. It could have been related to his procedure but still… Of all of them it’s fair to say that Matthew has a harder time of things and it shows… I almost feel bad ranking him least funny but atleast for me his character was more annoying than funny… could I be any more wrong? In this case, I’m afraid the answer is no.
My Random Thoughts 