My liberal pals are going to KILL me for saying this but say this I must.

I recently read with dismay that "Dr. Seuss Enterprises" is now going to be discontinuing its publication of 6 of the good doctor's books ("The Cat's Quizzer", "And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street", "On Beyond Zebra", "McGelligot's Pool", "If I Ran The Zoo", and "Scrambled Eggs, Super!") for their racist imagery ("If I Ran The Zoo" for example features men-apparently from Africa-who are shirtless and shoeless and drawn with thick lips).

I'm dismayed by this because the good doctor's publisher is robbing parents everywhere of (1) deciding for themselves if the images within are racist, (2) having child friendly discussions with their offspring as to why those images are racist and (3) exposingt them to those allegedly "racist" images so the child knows racism when he or she sees it and knows that while it was perfectly acceptable to be racist long ago, it is not perfectly acceptable to be so in the current time.

To me this "Cancel Culture" business is all about protecting from being made uncomfortable by the racisim, sexism and whatnot of the past. HOWEVER, perhaps we SHOULD be made uncomfortable by such things so as to remember them and to prevent such things from taking place again.

I hear that they've made Lola Bunny less sexualized for the upcoming "Space Jam" sequel movie and that the fanboys are screaming about it. I'm not worried about it because it won't be long before furry artists will be restoring Lola to her former sexualized glory-and even adding on to it! ;D

Saw a clip of the "Talespin/Duck Tales" crossover featuring Kit Cloudkicker. It looks like Kit's inherited a lot of his Papabear's flip attitude-as well as his eating habits. ;D

Word came down today that "Zapcon", my favorite retro gaming convention won't be held this year (and you can probably guess why ;/). I am disappointed of course. I can play all the arcade games and video games i want from the safety and comfort of my own rumpus room from my multitude of consoles both portable and home but honestly there's nothing like playing games in a real world, social setting. The racket given off by a roomful of arcade games being played is music to this 80s Arcade Rat's ears, plus there's the thrill and challenge of going against another person's skills and intellect on the "Zapcon" game grid. The cherry on the sundae is of course the "dealer's den" where one can shop for new game software and arcade games for one's home game room in addition to getting some interesting game related trinkets (like pint glasses and t-shirts). I'll survive not going to "Zapcon" for another year of course (and of course it's not as if I'm missing out on anything-the bloody thing's not even being held) but i'd be lying if i said I wasn't going to miss it,.

I don't watch normally "Jeopardy!" but tonight I'm making an exception,. Tonight they're showing the very last episode that Alex Trebek taped before his untimely death from cancer (I heard that he died a mere ten days after he finished taping the episode. Again, I didn't watch the show on a normal basis but i was still a big fan of the show. Alex Trebek was a well spoken, well educated person and he and his show made being an "egghead" cool. The show will of course go on (literally) and he will be replaced ("Jeopardy!" superstar Ken Jennings will be the first guest host followed by television journalist Katie Couric) but frankly things will never be the same. Alex Trebek was so iconic and so well connected with the show (he hosted the game for nearly 40 years) that it'll be hard to imagine any one else at the host's podium.

Today with the chaos that's going on in Washington D.C. , it did occur to me that if Dr. Seuss (a lifelong Democrat) were around today, he'd be writing a book called "Donald J. Trump, Will You Please Go Now"! ;/

Let's face it folks, this year was a trash fire.

it began with great promise. i was quite looking forward to attending my usual conventions and doing what i always do like going to the mall and the movies. But of course Covid changed all that. I missed out on Zapcon, my favortite retro gaming convention and Arizona Fur Con and Itty Bitty Fur Con due to them being cancelled because of Covid. I also missed out on going window shopping at the mall and seeing my favorite movies for the same reason. i can do without the conventions but there's a certain pleasure (and release) of letting your "freak flag' fly with like minded retro gamers and furries. Conversely, on the subject of shopping and movie going, it's true I can shop from the comfort of my own computer keyboard and watch movies through one of my streaming services, but again there's a certian pleasure to be derived from doing these things in "meatspace".

Did it get worse? You bet it did! i developed a SEVERE infection in my toe and had to have some of its tissue removed . This cost me about a week in the hospital, about 2 1/2 weeks in a rehab center and a month or two of post rehab home health care (There's a bright spot in this of course. Next month, I'll be seeing the podiatrist for a 6 month check up and i hope he gives me the high sign that what's left of my toe is healing as it should).

What's going to happen in 2021? I'm hopeful of course, but as it is now, I think that the misery (not to mention the event cancellations) is going to continue for the near future. I'll just have to play it by ear and see what plays out.

sssI wonder how many people who sing the song "Sleigh Ride" with its reference to "Currier and Ives" know exactly who "Currier and Ives" were and what they did.

Even as an atheist, I love the holidays. I love the carols, the gift giving, the sweet snacking and so forth. What I really DON'T like are all the solicitations from religious based charities (such as the "Salvation Army") and invitations to attend services from local churches.

Just a note to let you know that I've recently established an account at a social media site called 'Geek Club" (http://ugeek.club). It's a kind of "Facebook" for science ficition, gamer, tech geeks and since i've been a science fiction fan since I was young, I figured I'd fit right in. I haven't done much yet (i only signed up a few days ago) but it sounds to be a nice place to be. Look me up as "Ba'ar Orso".

People had better not bother me while I'm watching "Guys and Dolls". If I am disturbed when watching the movie, I'm likely to yell at them, "Sit down! Sit down! Sit down! Sit down, yer rockin' the boat!!" ;D

I love my father dearly. He's a wise man and a good provider for us. That said, there is one BIG thing that's a huge turnoff for both me and my mother, and that is his ABSOLUTE INSISTANCE on the fact that the pundits on the "Fox News" and "Newmax" conservative news stations are unquestionably right all of the time. Whenever either outlet provides someone with an opposiing point of view, he's quick to scream at the TV, calling them to "shut up and f-ck off". With this in mind, I had thoughts of getting my father a membership in the John Birch Society as a Christmas gift. Their conservative, limited government philosophies, i feel, are right in line with his thinking. However, I don't think I wil. Hearing from the John Birch Society's cadre of conservative conspiracy loving kookaburras (if you don't mind me being alliterative) will turn him from bad to worse and make him even more beligerant and intolerant toward ideas that are not his own. That aside, i think he'll be happy enough with the $100.00 gift card and the smoker thermometer I already bought him.

Call this silly if you must but here goes.

"Furskins" were a series of soft sculpture teddy bears created by Xavier Roberts (creator of the "Cabbage Patch Kids") and manufactured by Coleco toys during the mid to late 80s. I love them and i own three of them. They must have been gently played for and well taken care of because all are in remarkably fine shape for teddy bears that are more than 30 years old (I know how rough children can be with their toys). With this in mind, I sometimes pick them up and cuddle them, wishing that they could speak. It would be interesting to hear of the adventures they've had over the years and about the various owners they went through on their journey from Roberts' "Babyland General Hospital" (aka the "Coleco" toy factories) to their place into my "hug" (or collection). Those would be some tales to hear!

While checking the voice messages on my cell phone this afternoon, I came across a recorded message from my local Jehovah's Witnesses' Kingdom Hall, extolling the virtues of Jesus Christ and inviting me to check out their website for more details. I'm glad that it was simply a recording. If a JW had ever called me "live' (as it were) I would have roasted them over the coals for their believe in their nonsense religion.

If Trump wins a second term, I want you, my friends, to know that I did my part to kick his blubbery, coarse rump out of the White House.

With the accusations of "cultural appropriation" flying around these days, it's almost like it's a crime to celebrate the cultural differences of others and learn from the various elements that make up those cultures.

From my earliest days, I never was a "team player". As hard it was for me, I'm glad I grew up in a less enlightened era. It'd be even harder for me to not be a "team player" in this age of "diversity and inclusiveness" (some would say "forced diversity and inclusiveness").

While shopping today, i encountered a "Christian Science Reading Room". I found myself thinking that Mary Baker Eddy (founder of "Christian Science") would never know how many lives she cost with her followers using religious "healing" over medical healing philosphies.

I'm no Trump supporter-far from it, but I'm classy enough to wish the President and his wife and staff speedy recoveries from the "Covid-19" virus. I also hope my fellow Democrats are classy enough to wish the same.

With the presidental debate last night being the train wreck that it was and various celebrities doing their bit to roast it over the coals for that train wreck, I would have loved to hear what Carrie Fisher, she of the absolutely deadly wit, would have said about it.

I've said it before but it bears repeating that my philosophy about elections is that their purpose is not to necessarily elect the best candidate into office but to choose from the lesser of two (or more) evils presented.;/

When I'd heard that liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg had passed on, I flipped on "Fox News" to see how they were handling it. I was surprised that Fox, a bastion of conservativism, wasn't cheering her death or at least praising her in a backhanded way.

I wish that atheist and political pundit Christopher Hitchens were around to see the Reverend Jerry Falwell Jr being caught "in flagrante delicto". Hitch would have raked Falwell over the coals and enjoyed every minute of it!

Regarding Seattle, WA's new ice hockey team-I'll wager that Seattle's mayor is waiting with bated breath for the opening day of the inaugural season so s/he can step up to the mic and utter the words..."UNLEASH THE KRAKEN !" ;D