https://youtu.be/ pQJayF2tNDg - TWD Series Recap
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Briefly
On Monday, there was news from Metallica:
- releasing a new album on 4-14-2023
- playing in St Louis in November 2023
- playing in Mpls in August 2024
- releasing a new tune
More to come soon!
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way
Big question for this post:
Should a student in Sister Pauline Fox's World Masterpieces class
who earned a C- have been able to recognize the first line in a novel
that the student read in Spring 1989, a mere 33 years ago?
I admit that I barely survived my World Masterpieces class during the Spring 1989 semester at Mount Mercy College. Somehow, I squeaked out a final grade of a C- and, to that end, I will go to my grave believing that if I hadn't established a friendly relationship with Sister Pauline Fox (RIP)* during the Fall 1988 semester during my Freshman Composition class, I would have not received a C-; certainly, I would have a lower grade. Nonetheless, I earned a C- in her class. One of the novels I was assigned to read was Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I remember being passionately invested in this novel, especially (and the details are fuzzy) after reading about a dude who was just sitting at home instead of going out and finding a job. Somewhere, I have a Blue Book - what she required for her students to use for her essay exams - with an essay about that dude and no, I do not remember the dude's name.
All of that to say that this article -The Making of Steven Spielberg - quotes the first line of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina as a means to set the stage for Steven Spielberg's new film and it includes this link The Meaning of ANNA KARENINA’s First Line.
All of this to say that I am going to research the new Steven Spielberg new film to figure out if I want to go see it on a Tuesday night.
* Sister Pauline Fox passed away 3541 days (9 years, 8 months, 1 week, 2 days) ago at Mercy Hallmar Care Center, which is where my Grandma Simons resided during the last years of her life. I visited Sister Fox once and I believe she recognized me. I don't know why (exactly) but she couldn't speak when I stopped in her room.
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Remove Me From Your List
I received the following email from Val Swisher on 11-03I did something like what Val Swisher describes - I have been asking to unsubscribe from the X number of music publicity email lists. I haven't published a music review since 11-29-2016, which is when my review of Metallica's Hardwired... To Self-Destruct album was published on Dailyvault.com.
Remove Me From Your List
by Val Swisher
Every year I make a New Year’s resolution. Not one that I can’t keep (such as competing in the next Iron Man competition) - I make sure it is something achievable. Over the years, I’ve resolved to:
• Not check email during conference calls (come on, you do it too...)
• Not talk on the phone in the car
• Not check email in bed
Last year, my resolution was to immediately unsubscribe from all the lists my name has ended up on. You know the type – the ones where magically some company (usually a marketing agency) has gotten your name and then barrages you with unwelcome correspondence asking for a meeting.
Here is one that I received yesterday:
"Hi Val,
Leah on my team just asked me to reach out. Despite the recent email to you, Leah thought it might be better for us to connect directly.
As I’m sure Leah mentioned, we make high-power introductions for a living, specifically in the world of marketing.
If marketing isn’t bringing in 25% of your revenue, you’re missing low-hanging fruit. To capitalize, I can introduce you to a vetted marketing expert with a verified track record of driving revenue. You’ll be impressed, and they’ll open your eyes to what is possible.
Can I make the connection and set up an intro call?
Best,
Joseph Williams"
No Joseph. No you may not.
I’m 100% sure that I’ve already told Leah to remove me from their list (note there is no unsubscribe button in this email). I’m sure of this because it is my New Year’s resolution to immediately unsubscribe from all unsolicited emails.
And yet, I get second, third, and even fourth follow ups stating, “I know you didn’t respond to me last time, but here I am again, with the same ask.”
Does anyone ever answer these emails? Someone sends an email out of the blue, makes it sound like you are their new best friend, and then asks for 15 minutes this week? No. I don’t think so. This is not exactly an effective content strategy.
I don’t know how much money these companies are paying for the lists and how much time and money they spend on creating and sending these emails, but however much it is, the money is wasted. In fact, I will never do business with a company that solicits me after I have already told them to remove me from their list.
I wrote back to Joseph. I asked him what it would take for them to remove me from their list, since I have already asked multiple times. I did not hear back. Let’s hope I don’t.
Until next time,
Val
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Greenish Blues
Out of all the tunes that Steve Vai played last night, this "Greenish Blues" tune was my favorite.
https://youtu.be/ 2GnALxTLYz4 - Steve Vai Greenish Blues live at The Bourbon Theater Lincoln Nebraska 11/19/22
Breaking Down TWD's Finale
https://youtu.be/ cPgOXg4advk - The Walking Dead - A Closer Look at Rick's Returning Scene - Breakdown of Recapture & more Michonne
https://youtu.be/ zN-avVJk-oc - The Walking Dead - Rick's Escape Explained - The Boat, The Phone & Michonne the Warrior
https://youtu.be/ brAL-Z2INb8 - The Walking Dead Season 11 Finale Alternate Ending 'Older Judith & RJ In Atlanta' Breakdown
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
These are Todd Sucherman's Drums and They are Beautiful
I really like the drink holder. It looks like the hole adjusts to fit the size of the drink.
Awesome Drum Cave
In one of those "alternate realities" I wrote about last week - see https://prhmusic.blogspot.com/2022/11/obviously-no-but.html - I have a basement that looks similar to this drummer's cave and that is where my "Ideal Band" practices.
Syril Karn is Evil
I cringe each and every time Syril Karn is saying or doing anything during an episode of "Andor." He is a sad boy, living in a man's body, who is failing at life, even if he only exists in the following location:
Why isn't there a comma after the word "ago" in the above text?
Why isn't there a comma after the word "ago" in the above text?
https://youtu.be/ hDsZU38L8tk - A closer look at Syril Karn and The Banality of Evil (Andor)
Monday, November 21, 2022
WWE & WCW & Heel Turns
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10056129-wwe-smackdown-results-winners-grades-reaction-and-highlights-from-november-18 -WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from November 18
https://youtu.be/ciQ24aitWMk - WCW / nWo Uncensored 1998 - The "Reliving The War" PPV Review
https://youtu.be/Txrbu4u5x6k - Awesome Pro Wrestling Heel Turns
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Recruiting the Next Big BB Star for a State of Iowa University Team
Looking back at this article from 6 months ago feels like the right thing to happen today as basketball season continues its ramp-up for the 2022-2023 season. Specifically, I think this section - How is Ben Jacobson handling the transfers of AJ Green, Noah Carter? in this story - Shaking up the UNI men's basketball roster - is worth re-reading.
Friday, November 18, 2022
Justice League Mortal Sounds Like it Would Have Been Awesome!
I read https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Justice_League:_Mortal and am convinced it would have been an awesome movie!
Obviously, No... BUT...
With the MCU exploring the Multiverse in their movies - such as "Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and the upcoming "Ant Man: QUantUmanIA" movie, which is being released on 2-17-2023 per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant-Man_and_the_Wasp:_Quantumania, and the DCU exploring time travel in their movies - such as the upcoming "The Flash" movie - I think about "what might have been" in my own life.
Before I continue, I need to make a comment about "The Flash" movie. I just learned that its star, Ezra Miller, uses "they/them" pronouns. I think doing that makes this paragraph from his Wikipedia page very confusing:
Ezra Matthew Miller[3][4] was born in Wyckoff, New Jersey,[5][6] on September 30, 1992.[7][8] They have two older sisters named Saiya and Caitlin.[9] Their mother, Marta Miller (née Koch), is a modern dancer.[6] Their father, Robert S. Miller, was senior vice president and managing director of Hyperion Books, and later became a publisher at Workman Publishing.[9][10] Miller's father is Jewish; their mother is of Dutch and German descent.[11] Miller identifies as Jewish and "spiritual".[12][13][14] At the age of six, they started to train as an opera singer in order to overcome a speech impediment.[15] They have sung with the Metropolitan Opera,[16] and performed in the American premiere of Philip Glass's opera White Raven.[6] Miller attended Rockland Country Day School and The Hudson School, dropping out at age 16 after the release of the film Afterschool.[10][17][18][2]
While I will likely go see "The Flash" movie, Miller is not based in a shared reality. My reality is based upon the reality that I am a single person - I am not multiple persons. When I look in a mirror, there are two eyes, two ears, one mouth, one nose, etc. Claiming that one person is actually multiple people is just not-based in reality. It is a human-created idea. The fact is simple: there were not two babies born on
September 30, 1992. His mother - Marta Miller - gave birth to a single baby and that's the reality. Miller can feel like he is multiple people in his head and that's fantastic for him. I don't have to subscribe to that illusion though.
Anyways, getting back to "The Flash" movie, the movie comes out on 6-23-2023, per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash_(film), and will bring together previous versions of Batman that have been in previous DC movies. That means Michael Keaton's portrayal of Batman in the 1989 movie - What? If you have never heard of that movie, read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(1989_film) - as well as Ben Affleck's portrayal of Batman in the more recent DC movies, will both be in "The Flash" movie.
All of those words, 436 including the Wikipedia quote from Ezra Miller's page and 302 without it, take me to the simple fact that my mind considers the idea of "what could have been" in my own life to be fascinating. And, because I don't respect the boundaries of movie franchises and because I've already wrote about the DCU and the MCU, here's a quote from the STU (Star Trek Universe?) franchise in which an older version of Spock, most famously portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, talks to himselfin the Star Trek movie from 2009:
All of those thoughts are in my head all the time. I constantly think about different realities and one of those different realities includes the one in which I never graduated with a Secondary Education minor from Mount Mercy. Instead, I earned my BA in English and earned a minor in Computer Science, with the forethought that I could have a career as a technical writer post-graduation. In that reality, this job at this company below might have been a job I would have been both qualified and interested in obtaining. And that's it. That's my point to this post: I might have been able to work as a "Senior Front End Developer" at a company in Washington, DC, if I had gone a different path at Mount Mercy.
Finally, while I've included the job description below, let me be clear that absolutely no, I am not qualified and no, I am not interested in obtaining the following position.
Senior Front End Developer
at Grid (View all jobs)Washington, D.C.Grid is a new, digital media company dedicated to reporting on how the most important trends, challenges and opportunities of the day connect to one another – and require connected solutions. The biggest stories we tell do not exist in silos, so neither do the reporters at Grid. We’ve built a collaborative newsroom of beat reporters, subject editors and data journalists who produce daily interconnected stories written from multiple lenses, including science, economics, misinformation, politics, the law, technology, identity, and global.
We are in search of a stellar Frontend Web Developer to support our Product & Editorial teams in building out high quality web products that will allow our teams to share rich and insightful news content. Must have experience in React JS, Web Application Development, and Frontend Web design. Experience with Test Driven Development is Preferred. The Frontend Web Developer should be able to quickly learn and utilize new technologies and be a source of ideas on how emerging technologies that can help the business.
The Frontend Web Developer will be responsible for communicating technical concepts to a wide variety of people of varying technical abilities and knowledge including, other Development Team members, Product Managers, Senior Managers, customer representatives, and suppliers.
Must be Proficient In:
- React / Node.js (Front and Backend)
- CSS/LESS/SASS
- HTML/HTML 5
- Full Stack Development:
- Solid front-end development skills. Can feel comfortable taking design mockups and user stories and turning them into functional UI’s
- Solid API Client Development, using layer abstraction and asynchronous architecture patterns
- Has experience with consuming third-party Restful Endpoints
- Good data modeling and optimization skills
Benefits:
- Competitive salary
- Automatic 5% Employer Contribution to 401(k)
- Medical, Vision, and Dental with a fully covered medical plan for families
- Vacation package + 10 sick days + company holidays
- Monthly cellphone, gym, and commuter stipend
- 3 months fully paid family leave
- Life and AD&D Insurance
- Access to mental health resources
25 Years of ReLoaded by Met
When I decided I wanted to recognize the 25th anniversary of ReLoad, I went to Metal-Archives.com and found this page: ReLoad - Metallica. I initially felt like I bit off more than I could chew because there were SO MANY strings of words that were strung together into a writer's paradise. I can't pretend that the following quote is "the best" or "the one that matters" but it is the one that I gravitated to, mainly because MANY of my friends have said the first 7 words in the quote to me.
My favourite Metallica album - 87%
RageW, August 17th, 2012
"I only like Metallica's first four albums!" It's a phrase many people have heard when discussing this band. It's a statement usually taken to mean the metalhead in question is truly, absolutely only into metal and will take none of that sell-out crap. That they only enjoy, of course, their early thrash metal albums; the only good Metallica albums. Is it a matter of them being pure and unscathed by the forthcoming commercial breakthrough that culminated in the sell-out albums that followed? Is it because their songwriting and riffwork prowess was inherently superior? Or is it simply because they're metal? Now, I'm not here to make a case for or against those first four; everybody has heard them, everybody knows what they sound like, and consequently everybody has differing opinions about them. Maybe you only like the first two, maybe you only like the debut, maybe you don't like them at all. It's not a big deal, because discussions regarding Metallica aren't very interesting these days. I, for one, like a few songs here and there, but listening to those albums as a whole doesn't do much for me.
In any case, there's this widely shared view by the metal community claiming that, after ...And Justice for All, the band sold out and began sucking. Maybe some fans still like their self titled, or some tracks out of it, since even if it's poppy and commercial, it's still metal. However, once you get past that point, very few actually find some worth in Load. It isn't a metal album; not at all. It is, at best, a hard rock album with some experimentation with other genres thrown in. Even then, a small group of people still like it, or at least one or two of its tracks. I've even met a person who once claimed it was their favourite Metallica album! Strange, huh? But then it may still be at the very least understandable, since they probably like the new adventurous take on songwriting the band took on the album, or something like that.
But then you get to ReLoad, and shit hits the fan.
Revisiting the Dismal Outcome v WI on 10-30-2021
The Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, Nov 19, 2022 at Kinnick Stadium. Last year's game, a 27-7 thrashing in Madison, WI, resulted in Iowa Hawkeye "fans" bemoaning the way Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz called back-to-back fullback runs in critical third quarter possession during the game - and his son, Brian Ferentz, called plays. Some "fans" specultated that Brian Ferentz couldn't call the "correct" plays if he were coaching an elementary school flag football game.
Despite all of that, Iowa Hawkeye football rolled from Madison through the rest of the season.
The rematch of last year's thrashing takes place tomorrow. If there is a similar outcome in 2022 that there was in 2021, there's always next year, when they will meet in Madison, WI, on Saturday, Sep. 30, in Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
MJF is Great
https://youtu.be/ 9oi7IfbQnr0 - Is MJF the Best Professional Wrestler in the World? | AEW Dynamite: Anniversary, 10/5/22
https://youtu.be/ W14Tz3U-o2I - What Happened When Darby Allin and MJF Came Face to Face in the Ring? | AEW Dynamite, 9/29/21
https://youtu.be/ h_N7rKSil5Q - What did MJF Reveal on the #1 Sports Podcast 'Pardon My Take'? | AEW Dynamite, 11/9/22
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Music
https://youtu.be/EKIOuMTDsww 5MA
https://youtu.be/QQLelRk1WUAMetallica: The End of the Line - New York, NY - November 14, 2009
https://youtu.be/Vi5sPrAoawM Classical Composer Reaction & Analysis to Midlife Crisis (Faith No More) | The Daily Doug (Ep. 485)
https://youtu.be/FWCP3xO_mbk Jason Newsted Says He Thought Metallica's Enter Sandman Was 'Kinda Corny, Honestly'
https://youtu.be/iRTZls4q4GE Rush - The Pass (Fleesh Version)
Movies
https://youtu.be/5JWWsohPJ_0Star Wars - A Complete Retrospective
https://youtu.be/Gwz_npwynz4 Everything Wrong With The Dark Knight In 27 Minutes or Less - 10th Anniversary Re-Sin
https://youtu.be/D42DSTdI_TM Marvel Fan's DCU Journey! BATMAN v SUPERMAN REACTION - Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition
https://youtu.be/C2ryJ5kTrQo Millennial watches * BACK TO THE FUTURE*
https://youtu.be/dk1Gm745yAw The Biggest (and pretty much only) mistake made with Andor (And maybe how to help fix it?)
Reacting to John Wick - What Could Be Called "Chapter 1"
https://youtu.be/ Lx_Lcm23UuI - THIS MOVIE IS BRUTAL AF!! FIRST TIME WATCHING JOHN WICK
https://youtu.be/ nbN295a79p8 - John Wick (2014) *FIRST TIME WATCHING* Movie Reaction
https://youtu.be/ 1iuKiza0JvA - JOHN WICK (2014) MOVIE REACTION!! IT'S GETS NO BETTER THAN THIS!!
https://youtu.be/ CE0s8p_bGXk - * John Wick * Got more Bodies than a Funeral Home (Movie Reaction)
Monday, November 14, 2022
My Life in 10 Songs
After reading Shinedown's Brent Smith - My Life in 10 Songs, I wonder what my list would look like. Before I could start making a list, I need to decide:
- am I going to list songs / poems that I wrote
- am I going to list songs / poems that others wrote
- am I going to create two lists
Friday, November 11, 2022
Missing out on Playing Good Tunes
I am going out of town on Saturday and will return on Sunday. While I'm gone, at Saint Thomas More, the following tunes will be played and I have to say, the fact that I am not playing these tunes this week is sad for me. Each of the tunes listed below is a hyperlink to a YouTube version, but I'm not embedding the tunes in this post.
November 12-13, 2022 - 33rd SOT
- O: In The Day Of The Lord - Ridge
- G: Mass Of St. Ann - Bolduc
- RP: If Today You Hear His Voice - Manibusan
- GA: Mass Of Renewal - Stephan
- OF: You Are Welcome Here - Muglia
- AC: Mass Of Renewal - Stephan
- C: Many And One - Stephan/Hard/Liles
- S: Lead Me, Lord - Becker
I absolutely adore playing "In the Day of the Lord" now that I can play the recurring bar of 6/8, as shown in red in the first graphic below, while the 2 measures in the yellow box, as shown in the second graphic below, is probably my favorite part of the entire tune because it's probably one of the trickiest parts of any tune we play during Mass. Also, the final tune, "Lead Me, Lord" is the tune that I typically play an "Enter Sandman"-inspired tom pattern instead of playing straight time with the hi-hat and snare, which acts as a counter-balance to the medley, which is all quarter notes, as shown in the red box and then, also in the third graphic below in the purple box, the refrain has eighth notes, which is when I switch to playing 4 quarter notes on the ride, the bass on 1 and 3, and the snare on 2 and 4. The bottom line, and what I'm trying to convey is that in the verse without syncopation, my drumming is syncopated and in the refrain with syncopation, my drumming is without syncopation. I think I've seen the word "dissonance" used to describe what I am playing, but I may be using the word incorrectly to describe my drumming theory for "Lead Me, Lord" so don't take it as Gospel.
Fast Forwarding 1099 Days
I know I post a lot of "back in the day" videos from the WWE and WCW. Most of the time, I do so with no memory of those events happening, though I am fairly confident I would move heaven and earth and my kids in order to watch pro wrestling on Monday nights with Debbie when Karen and I lived on Prospect Court. However, this clip, from when Shane McMahon bought WCW from under Vince McMahon's nose is a scene I definitely specifically remember. I was always as interested in WCW as I was interested in WWE whereas Debbie was more firmly rooted in WWE and, actually, back then it was "WWF" but you get my drift. The two companies were definitely competitors and were definitely trying to win the ratings every week. As yesterday's Reliving the War video, which I embedded below the Shane buys WCW video, by 3-23-1998, the war was on. In context, there was a lot going on:
In the Reliving the War series, we are only up to 3-23-1998, which is 1099 days (3 years, 3 days) prior to the above video.
- I had been on earth for 10336 days (28 years, 3 months, 2 weeks, 5 days) and for the last 40 days (1 month, 1 week, 5 days), working at my new job - Jordan Systems in Cedar Rapids
- Megan was 586 days (1 year, 7 months, 1 week, 2 days) on 3-28-1998
- Karen was pregnant and it would be 213 days (6 months, 4 weeks, 1 day) until Alex would be born on 10-22-98
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invasion_(professional_wrestling), the Monday Night Wars came to an end on March 23, 2001, when the WWF bought the rights to WCW's video library, trademarks, 24 contracts for selected wrestlers, championships, and other properties for what was considered to be a lower bargain price.
This episode happened on March 26th, 2001:
https://youtu.be/ 8WbZaT8qSw4
In the Reliving the War series, we are only up to 3-23-1998, which is 1099 days (3 years, 3 days) prior to the above video.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Pivotal Scenes in JL
I like this scene because it shows that Bruce Wayne sometimes gets what he wants.
I like this scene because it shows that Bruce Wayne doesn't always get what he wants.
I like this scene because it shows that the truth is that Aquaman puts up a facade to protect his true feelings... plus it's funny!
Bruce Wayne Recruits Barry Allen
https://youtu.be/ NcKMKg5x_-Y
I like this scene because it shows that Bruce Wayne doesn't always get what he wants.
Batman Meets Aquaman
https://youtu.be/ WK3-6Wh7UW0
I like this scene because it shows that the truth is that Aquaman puts up a facade to protect his true feelings... plus it's funny!
Aquaman and the Lasso of Truth
https://youtu.be/ eInR2aqaTYI
Two Things True at the Same Time
I am glad I live in North Liberty. I wish there was a MicroCenter closer than Chicagoland.
I would order one of these EHDs in a heartbeat... if it could be shipped to me.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Eliminate Your WEAK Hand in 3 Steps
This is interesting.
Just wanted to send this FREE course your way to help you free up your hands this week.
Grab my totally free mini course, Eliminate Your Weak Hand in 3 Steps!
Confidently sit down and play songs, nailing fills, without a weak hand getting in the way.
The crazy thing is... too many drummers put up with a weak hand. But you should not have to deal with this any longer.
Your weak hand is a SOLVABLE issue.
- Finally nail fills smoothly and in time, going in and out of them smoothly (no more FILL ANXIETY!).
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- Reach your drumming potential without wasting another day!
Here's what we're covering...
- INTRODUCTION: The weak hand secret solution no one’s talking about
- Lesson 1: The #1 core issue holding your weak hand back [technical]
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This program is a total no brainer, full of quick wins that deliver results.
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