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"So Close To Home"
Posted 7 years agoOver the last few years, I'd been hearing news stories about school shootings throughout the USA, but someone like myself could never imagine a tragic event like this taking place so close to where I live... until this afternoon.
My neighbor at Oriole Gardens Phase I in Margate, Florida alerted me to the story she was watching on local TV news about a similar mass shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland (about a fifteen-minute car drive from my condo complex), where expelled student Nikolas Cruz sought his revenge that afternoon, taking 17 lives (so far).
I was going to my weekly Scrabble Club meeting in Lauderhill (to the south of Parkland), and was waiting for the local mass transit bus, when I saw a couple of fire department ambulances heading north towards the school. I would later learn that similar vehicles from other parts of Broward County (Margate, Coral Springs, Tamarac, etc.) were also lending their services, in the wake of this tragedy...
When I got home from said Scrabble Club meeting, I'd passed up watching Winter Olympics coverage on the tube, in favor of following this shocking news story. I'll be adding more details to this journal, as this continuing series of events unfolds overnight...
UPDATE #1: I'd just learned that the suspect of this horrendous act - Nikolas Cruz - was a very unstable 19-year-old ex-student, made more unstable upon the loss of his mother on Thanksgiving, 2017. He was getting counseling (about being picked on by others around his age) until her passing. Broward County Police are trying to figure out how someone like this, who (at the time) was working at a 'dollar store', could afford the weaponry he had access to - including an AR-15 (Assault Rifle) - and take out a total of 17 students and high school employees. For the rest of the week, Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland will remain closed, while American flags throughout Florida will be lowered to half-staff. More details to come...
UPDATE #2:: Through the news, I had learned that Nikolas Cruz had acquired his AR-15 (in early 2017) at a gun shop in Fort Lauderdale (the owners of which thought he was legit in his purchase - without realizing he was autistic - and now are in seclusion from the general public). Cruz also went on 'social media', at one time, to declare that he was going to be a (quote) 'school shooter' (unquote) - which was a 'red flag' to some visitors of Facebook; but the FBI (and other organizations) didn't take said declaration seriously enough to investigate. (President Trump is now lambasting the FBI - via Twitter - for allowing the events of February 14, 2018 to happen.) Because of his erratic behavior, Cruz was expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland...
The scenario of that fatal day went as follows: Cruz arrived at the high school in an Uber vehicle, and entered one of the school buildings through an emergency exit (carrying with him a backpack containing the rifle, a magazine of bullets and a knife). He set off a 'false alarm' - fooling both faculty and students into thinking that a 'fire drill' was going on. Students on the first floor calmly left their classroom, before Nikolas began to open fire. The teachers immediately called the students to return to their respective classrooms and take cover. Cruz then took a staircase to the second floor and continued to used his rifle. Then, as he went up to the third floor, he dropped his gun and backpack, and proceeded to 'blend in' with the panicking students, when a majority of them evacuated the building...
Later on, Nikolas very calmly walked into a Walmart store, and had lunch at a Subway within, acting as though nothing had happened earlier in the day. He would later be apprehended by members of the Coconut Creek Police Department and taken into custody. Cruz would be charged with seventeen counts of 'premeditated murder'. (And, at last report, he was placed in 'solitary confinement' and was under a 'suicide watch'.)
Since the events of that day, Parkland held a memorial service for the fourteen students and three faculty member who'd perished in the ensuing mass shooting. Funerals for the deceased will continue during the next week, while those hospitalized for additional gunshot wounds and knife-stabbings hope to recover ASAP. Protests had taken place in various Florida cities, such as St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale, while throughout the rest of America - as flags continue to fly at half-staff - issues about 'gun control', 'mentally-handicapped people', and 'school safety' are discussed, with the end nowhere in sight (as usual)...
My neighbor at Oriole Gardens Phase I in Margate, Florida alerted me to the story she was watching on local TV news about a similar mass shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland (about a fifteen-minute car drive from my condo complex), where expelled student Nikolas Cruz sought his revenge that afternoon, taking 17 lives (so far).
I was going to my weekly Scrabble Club meeting in Lauderhill (to the south of Parkland), and was waiting for the local mass transit bus, when I saw a couple of fire department ambulances heading north towards the school. I would later learn that similar vehicles from other parts of Broward County (Margate, Coral Springs, Tamarac, etc.) were also lending their services, in the wake of this tragedy...
When I got home from said Scrabble Club meeting, I'd passed up watching Winter Olympics coverage on the tube, in favor of following this shocking news story. I'll be adding more details to this journal, as this continuing series of events unfolds overnight...
- - - - - - - - - - UPDATE #1: I'd just learned that the suspect of this horrendous act - Nikolas Cruz - was a very unstable 19-year-old ex-student, made more unstable upon the loss of his mother on Thanksgiving, 2017. He was getting counseling (about being picked on by others around his age) until her passing. Broward County Police are trying to figure out how someone like this, who (at the time) was working at a 'dollar store', could afford the weaponry he had access to - including an AR-15 (Assault Rifle) - and take out a total of 17 students and high school employees. For the rest of the week, Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland will remain closed, while American flags throughout Florida will be lowered to half-staff. More details to come...
- - - - - - - - - - UPDATE #2:: Through the news, I had learned that Nikolas Cruz had acquired his AR-15 (in early 2017) at a gun shop in Fort Lauderdale (the owners of which thought he was legit in his purchase - without realizing he was autistic - and now are in seclusion from the general public). Cruz also went on 'social media', at one time, to declare that he was going to be a (quote) 'school shooter' (unquote) - which was a 'red flag' to some visitors of Facebook; but the FBI (and other organizations) didn't take said declaration seriously enough to investigate. (President Trump is now lambasting the FBI - via Twitter - for allowing the events of February 14, 2018 to happen.) Because of his erratic behavior, Cruz was expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland...
The scenario of that fatal day went as follows: Cruz arrived at the high school in an Uber vehicle, and entered one of the school buildings through an emergency exit (carrying with him a backpack containing the rifle, a magazine of bullets and a knife). He set off a 'false alarm' - fooling both faculty and students into thinking that a 'fire drill' was going on. Students on the first floor calmly left their classroom, before Nikolas began to open fire. The teachers immediately called the students to return to their respective classrooms and take cover. Cruz then took a staircase to the second floor and continued to used his rifle. Then, as he went up to the third floor, he dropped his gun and backpack, and proceeded to 'blend in' with the panicking students, when a majority of them evacuated the building...
Later on, Nikolas very calmly walked into a Walmart store, and had lunch at a Subway within, acting as though nothing had happened earlier in the day. He would later be apprehended by members of the Coconut Creek Police Department and taken into custody. Cruz would be charged with seventeen counts of 'premeditated murder'. (And, at last report, he was placed in 'solitary confinement' and was under a 'suicide watch'.)
Since the events of that day, Parkland held a memorial service for the fourteen students and three faculty member who'd perished in the ensuing mass shooting. Funerals for the deceased will continue during the next week, while those hospitalized for additional gunshot wounds and knife-stabbings hope to recover ASAP. Protests had taken place in various Florida cities, such as St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale, while throughout the rest of America - as flags continue to fly at half-staff - issues about 'gun control', 'mentally-handicapped people', and 'school safety' are discussed, with the end nowhere in sight (as usual)...
"My Favorite 'Super Bowl LII' Commercials"
Posted 7 years agoHaving spent most of February 4, 2018 at home, watching "Super Bowl LII" (as well as the 'Pre-Game' and 'Post-Game' shows), I can honestly say that this was one of the more exciting sporting events I've seen in years (considering that my brother Glenn is the bigger sports fanatic of the family).
Seeing the Philadelphia Eagles pull an upset by defeating last year's champions - the New England Patriots - and winning their very first Lombardi Trophy was truly worth staying up for.
Of course, the real reason I'd watched the entire broadcast was to check out the newest commercials they'd debuted. (And, at $5M for thirty seconds of airplay, I thought that these had better be good ads... Little did I know what awaited me on the small screen.)
I'll just mention a handful of spots, and you can look for most of them in "YouTube". I'm not even going to bother with links...
M&M's: "The Wish" (:30): Oddly enough, of all the commercials aired on 'Super Bowl Sunday', this year there was absolutely NO annual spot for Snickers - using the familiar format of having a celebrity fill in for the ordinary human (who doesn't feel quite like himself) before his eats the candy bar. Coincidentally, M&M/Mars filled this empty gap with a spot for their colorful candies, where 'Red' complains about being eaten, and (upon finding a 'lucky penny') wishes he was human... and promptly turns into Danny DeVito! (If you got to write this commercial, what human would YOU have had 'Red' turn into?)
Avocadoes from Mexico: "Bio-Dome" (:30): Looking like a sequel to the Pauly Shore film comedy (although, in this spot, Chris Elliott makes a 'cameo'), a group of scientists celebrate their first day of a two-year project of being enclosed from civilization, with bowls of guacamole - only to discover that they'd left the snack chips outside the dome!
Tide: "It's a Tide ad..." (2:00): David Harbour (of "Stranger Things"), claiming that Super Bowl commercials are so predictable, decides to pop up into some of those spots, mainly to promote Tide detergent - including parodies of ads for fast-food restaurants, car manufacturers, Old Spice, and even Mr. Clean (the latter of which, like Tide, is a Proctor & Gamble product). The football game has been over for a few days, and I'm still wondering where or when David's going to show up in another commercial and simply say "It's a Tide Ad"...
Australia.com: "Crocodile Dundee Reboot" (2:00): Looking like a genuine movie trailer, Danny ("Vice Principals") McBride attempts to fill in the shoes of the original 'Crocodile Dundee' (played by Paul Hogan, who has a non-speaking 'cameo' in this spot). We know that this is a fake ad, and we're all just waiting to find out what product Danny was pushing. As it turns out, it was simply a promotional travel ad for the land 'down under', but the American actor pulled it off so well, now there's talk about making a real reboot of the 1986 movie...
Doritos/Mountain Dew: "Blaze/Ice" (1:00): Probably the most talked-about spot during "Super Bowl LII" were back-to-back ads for two PepsiCo products: a spicy version of Doritos (tortilla chips) and a cool new flavor of Mountain Dew, hyped (respectively) by Peter ("Game of Thrones") Dinklage and Morgan ("March of the Penguins") Freeman - each of whom lip-synchs a fast-moving hip-hop song! My mind is still blown by this... How about YOU?!
There were three unique commercials that aired that all had something in common, beside conveying a message about a serious subject: You never see the product connected with the brand name.
A spot for Toyota showed the odds of a physically-disabled person winning a Gold Medal diminish as he/she prepares for the Winter Paralympics (to follow shortly after the Winter Olympics in South Korea ends), but you didn't see a single Toyota...
Another auto maker - Hyundai - set a scene at an airport, where folks (owning the car) were taken into a Security room, to see a video about how a portion of Hyundai profits from its sales go to cancer research. The payoff of this video is that some of its patients wanted to thank the car owners (in the Security room) 'in person'... and they do, by entering from another room! And, again, no cars appeared in this spot...
Finally, a Budweiser ad without beer? Anheuser-Busch pulled it off, in a special promotional spot, where the employees at one of their breweries replaced the beer with clean, pure water - to be distributed to the victims of 2017's hurricanes and wild fires. A noble gesture, indeed...
Naturally, Hollywood wanted to hype their latest flicks - even if some of them won't be released until the end of 2018. Of the nearly one dozen promos airing during the big game, these are the five films I'm looking forward to seeing, later this year...
"Skyscraper" with Dwayne Johnson
"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"
"Solo: A Star Wars Story"
"Mission Impossible: Fallout"
"Avengers: Infinity War"
Of course, no list of "Super Bowl" ads would be complete without a few spots with fauna in them (although, the only Clydesdale horse I saw was in one of those Tide ads)! Here are my 'faves'...
Geico: "Manatees" (:30): Airing during one of the 'Pre-Game' shows (even though it had debuted a week or so earlier), I'd found it amusing to see a bunch of these native Floridian sea cows floating about in an aquarium... with each manatee wearing a 'tee' (such as "I'm With Stupid!"). Funny concept, but will it really help you save 15% or more in car insurance?
TaxAct: "Dog Walker" (:30): The title human character figures out a way to save money through his occupation, in various unique ways. And the dogs look cute, too!
U.S. Bank: "No Dogs Allowed" (:30): Of course, the sponsor that also has the Minneapolis stadium ("Super Bowl LII" takes place in), has a charming ad about a dog owner, who feels sorry for his pet - when he's not permitted to enter certain public places. So, the person takes out a loan to buy a new home in the suburbs, where his dog can roam free in its front yard... Naturally!
Trivago: "Hamster Wheel" (:30): The star for the online travel service ads has a dual role: as the usual spokesperson, leisurely seated in a den, and as a costumed hamster, running in a giant wheel - and going nowhere (just like customers who use the competitor's service)...
Yellow Tail: "Big Game Surprise" (:30): The CGI Kangaroo is back in another short spot for the Australian table wine, this time at a celebratory party (complete with a noise maker). BTW, do you think that the 'Yellow Tail Kangaroo' might be the next corporate critter to get a bad rep for being popular amongst youngsters (just like 'Spuds McKenzie' for Bud Light, and the Camel cigarettes spokesmorph)? Only time will tell...
Seeing the Philadelphia Eagles pull an upset by defeating last year's champions - the New England Patriots - and winning their very first Lombardi Trophy was truly worth staying up for.
Of course, the real reason I'd watched the entire broadcast was to check out the newest commercials they'd debuted. (And, at $5M for thirty seconds of airplay, I thought that these had better be good ads... Little did I know what awaited me on the small screen.)
I'll just mention a handful of spots, and you can look for most of them in "YouTube". I'm not even going to bother with links...
- - - - - - - - - -
FUNNIEST COMMERCIALS M&M's: "The Wish" (:30): Oddly enough, of all the commercials aired on 'Super Bowl Sunday', this year there was absolutely NO annual spot for Snickers - using the familiar format of having a celebrity fill in for the ordinary human (who doesn't feel quite like himself) before his eats the candy bar. Coincidentally, M&M/Mars filled this empty gap with a spot for their colorful candies, where 'Red' complains about being eaten, and (upon finding a 'lucky penny') wishes he was human... and promptly turns into Danny DeVito! (If you got to write this commercial, what human would YOU have had 'Red' turn into?)
Avocadoes from Mexico: "Bio-Dome" (:30): Looking like a sequel to the Pauly Shore film comedy (although, in this spot, Chris Elliott makes a 'cameo'), a group of scientists celebrate their first day of a two-year project of being enclosed from civilization, with bowls of guacamole - only to discover that they'd left the snack chips outside the dome!
Tide: "It's a Tide ad..." (2:00): David Harbour (of "Stranger Things"), claiming that Super Bowl commercials are so predictable, decides to pop up into some of those spots, mainly to promote Tide detergent - including parodies of ads for fast-food restaurants, car manufacturers, Old Spice, and even Mr. Clean (the latter of which, like Tide, is a Proctor & Gamble product). The football game has been over for a few days, and I'm still wondering where or when David's going to show up in another commercial and simply say "It's a Tide Ad"...
Australia.com: "Crocodile Dundee Reboot" (2:00): Looking like a genuine movie trailer, Danny ("Vice Principals") McBride attempts to fill in the shoes of the original 'Crocodile Dundee' (played by Paul Hogan, who has a non-speaking 'cameo' in this spot). We know that this is a fake ad, and we're all just waiting to find out what product Danny was pushing. As it turns out, it was simply a promotional travel ad for the land 'down under', but the American actor pulled it off so well, now there's talk about making a real reboot of the 1986 movie...
Doritos/Mountain Dew: "Blaze/Ice" (1:00): Probably the most talked-about spot during "Super Bowl LII" were back-to-back ads for two PepsiCo products: a spicy version of Doritos (tortilla chips) and a cool new flavor of Mountain Dew, hyped (respectively) by Peter ("Game of Thrones") Dinklage and Morgan ("March of the Penguins") Freeman - each of whom lip-synchs a fast-moving hip-hop song! My mind is still blown by this... How about YOU?!
- - - - - - - - - -
SERIOUS COMMERCIALS There were three unique commercials that aired that all had something in common, beside conveying a message about a serious subject: You never see the product connected with the brand name.
A spot for Toyota showed the odds of a physically-disabled person winning a Gold Medal diminish as he/she prepares for the Winter Paralympics (to follow shortly after the Winter Olympics in South Korea ends), but you didn't see a single Toyota...
Another auto maker - Hyundai - set a scene at an airport, where folks (owning the car) were taken into a Security room, to see a video about how a portion of Hyundai profits from its sales go to cancer research. The payoff of this video is that some of its patients wanted to thank the car owners (in the Security room) 'in person'... and they do, by entering from another room! And, again, no cars appeared in this spot...
Finally, a Budweiser ad without beer? Anheuser-Busch pulled it off, in a special promotional spot, where the employees at one of their breweries replaced the beer with clean, pure water - to be distributed to the victims of 2017's hurricanes and wild fires. A noble gesture, indeed...
- - - - - - - - - -
MOVIE TRAILERS/SNEAK PREVIEWS Naturally, Hollywood wanted to hype their latest flicks - even if some of them won't be released until the end of 2018. Of the nearly one dozen promos airing during the big game, these are the five films I'm looking forward to seeing, later this year...
"Skyscraper" with Dwayne Johnson
"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"
"Solo: A Star Wars Story"
"Mission Impossible: Fallout"
"Avengers: Infinity War"
- - - - - - - - - -
ANIMAL COMMERCIALS Of course, no list of "Super Bowl" ads would be complete without a few spots with fauna in them (although, the only Clydesdale horse I saw was in one of those Tide ads)! Here are my 'faves'...
Geico: "Manatees" (:30): Airing during one of the 'Pre-Game' shows (even though it had debuted a week or so earlier), I'd found it amusing to see a bunch of these native Floridian sea cows floating about in an aquarium... with each manatee wearing a 'tee' (such as "I'm With Stupid!"). Funny concept, but will it really help you save 15% or more in car insurance?
TaxAct: "Dog Walker" (:30): The title human character figures out a way to save money through his occupation, in various unique ways. And the dogs look cute, too!
U.S. Bank: "No Dogs Allowed" (:30): Of course, the sponsor that also has the Minneapolis stadium ("Super Bowl LII" takes place in), has a charming ad about a dog owner, who feels sorry for his pet - when he's not permitted to enter certain public places. So, the person takes out a loan to buy a new home in the suburbs, where his dog can roam free in its front yard... Naturally!
Trivago: "Hamster Wheel" (:30): The star for the online travel service ads has a dual role: as the usual spokesperson, leisurely seated in a den, and as a costumed hamster, running in a giant wheel - and going nowhere (just like customers who use the competitor's service)...
Yellow Tail: "Big Game Surprise" (:30): The CGI Kangaroo is back in another short spot for the Australian table wine, this time at a celebratory party (complete with a noise maker). BTW, do you think that the 'Yellow Tail Kangaroo' might be the next corporate critter to get a bad rep for being popular amongst youngsters (just like 'Spuds McKenzie' for Bud Light, and the Camel cigarettes spokesmorph)? Only time will tell...
"Coming Attractions" #53
Posted 7 years agoIt's February, 2018 - my latest 'sweeps month' - and I hope to provide a lot of unique stuff in my "Fur Affinity" site.
For example, I'll try to come up with an all-new comic gag with 'Pennsyltucky Paul' for Groundhog Day, and possibly an "EFF" comic gag revolving around Valentine's Day. And since this is the month and year when the Winter Olympics in South Korea takes place, I'll try to create a few gags in a brand new edition of "Roly-Polympics: The Winter Games" (while past gags will be rerun in the 'Featured Submission' section). All that, plus one or two new "Su-Dis-Ku" puzzles (lettered Sudoku with Disney Trivia).
I'll also be posting a few 'surprises' on "Throwback Thursday" (not all of which are 'photo-ops'), and some 'fat furry' humor on "Fat Tuesdays" (in the form of more "EFF Acronym" gags)... but I'm not making any promises, as I will occasionally be sidetracked with other projects (unrelated to my website).
As for upcoming journals, I'll attempt to choose the 'cream of the crop' of TV commercials airing on "Super Bowl Sunday" (especially ones with animal characters in them). Other journals include another edition of "Fur-One-One" ('furry news' from various media), and personal observations of my own life.
All that, plus some belated artwork, and much, much more. So, come back, every now and then, and check out what I have in store for February, 2018!
For example, I'll try to come up with an all-new comic gag with 'Pennsyltucky Paul' for Groundhog Day, and possibly an "EFF" comic gag revolving around Valentine's Day. And since this is the month and year when the Winter Olympics in South Korea takes place, I'll try to create a few gags in a brand new edition of "Roly-Polympics: The Winter Games" (while past gags will be rerun in the 'Featured Submission' section). All that, plus one or two new "Su-Dis-Ku" puzzles (lettered Sudoku with Disney Trivia).
I'll also be posting a few 'surprises' on "Throwback Thursday" (not all of which are 'photo-ops'), and some 'fat furry' humor on "Fat Tuesdays" (in the form of more "EFF Acronym" gags)... but I'm not making any promises, as I will occasionally be sidetracked with other projects (unrelated to my website).
As for upcoming journals, I'll attempt to choose the 'cream of the crop' of TV commercials airing on "Super Bowl Sunday" (especially ones with animal characters in them). Other journals include another edition of "Fur-One-One" ('furry news' from various media), and personal observations of my own life.
All that, plus some belated artwork, and much, much more. So, come back, every now and then, and check out what I have in store for February, 2018!
"In Memoriam: January, 2018"
Posted 8 years agoBecause I am in my sixties, I grew up remembering a lot of people in one capacity or another. Whether I had met them in person, or was familiar with their work (via some medium), each person was committed to my memory...
So, when I'd learned about the passing of several unique individuals this past week, it was too overwhelming for me to ignore them, and I'd like to share individual remembrances of each one...
Yesterday, I'd learned of the death of cartoon voice actor Doug Young, who was best known as 'Doggie Daddy' in all those classic Hanna-Barbera "Augie Doggie & Doggie Daddy" shorts in the 1960s. Doing a mock Jimmy Durante impression, 'Doggie Daddy' tries to put up with a lot of the antics of his son (voiced by Daws Butler) in each cartoon. Doug was 93...
When I'd joined the 'funny animal' APAzine "Rowrbrazzle" in 1989, I began to make friends with a lot of talented anthroartists. One of them was Marc Tucker, whose characters had a slightly abstract look about them - differentiating themselves from other contributor's animal characters. He was nice enough to even contribute his talents to one of my "Artist's Jams" from an anniversary issue. Current "Rowrbrazzle" editor Edd Vick informed current members and alumni alike about Tucker's death (via "Facebook") a few days ago.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, I used to visit IMCA - the International Museum of Cartoon Art - situated in a castle-shaped building in Rye, New York. There, I used to see a variety of artwork from comic strips, comic books, and animated films. (Even the walls of its restrooms were adorned with the graffiti from countless cartoonists from around the world.) I was going to miss this unique museum, when I'd moved to Pennsylvania in 1992...
Then, when I'd relocated a second time - from Pennsylvania to Florida - in 1994, I was unaware about one of the tourist attractions that was coming to the 'Sunshine State', a year later...
I had learned about IMCA's relocation to Mizner Park (and open-air mall) in Boca Raton. A large building was under construction at the south end of Mizner Park, and I knew that it was going to be something special, when I saw more cartoonist graffiti on the fence surrounding the construction site!
I'd forgotten the circumstances that led to my becoming an IMCA 'volunteer worker' - in a makeshift gift shop (next to the museum) - suffice it to say, 1995 was the most memorable year of my life, as I got to meet a number of professional artists during the annual National Cartoonists' Society convention (who'd visited said gift shop).
One year later, long after the museum officially opened, a special ceremony was held at City Hall, where each of the 'volunteer workers' got their picture taken with IMCA founder Mort Walker (artist/creator of "Beetle Bailey" and other comic strips).
Sadly, IMCA didn't draw in the huge crowds that Mr. Walker expected, and its closed its doors at the turn of the 21st Century. But, as loyal fan of his work, I'd continued to keep in touch with Mort: first, via 'snail-mail', and later via his "Facebook" wall.
On Saturday, January 27, 2018, I had learned of Mr. Walker's death (by pneumonia) in his Connecticut home. He was 94. (Ironically, my brother Glenn and I were driving through Boca Raton that day, passing by the museum building [now renovated into an office-and-store complex] and City Hall [where I got my photo-op taken with him]. Had I'd known about his passing, I would've asked Glenn to park his car and take a walk around the area, for nostalgia's sake...)
In the early 1970s, I took an interest in the National Lampoon - reading its raunchy (yet funny) articles and laughing at its many cartoons. In one particular issue, there was an Eva-Tone soundsheet (a flexible plastic record that's playable on most turntables), promoting a comedy album entitled "First Rush", performed by a New York-based stand-up comic named Chris Rush. Playing the soundsheet on my stereo, I was in hysterics, from start to finish (even though there was only seven minutes of sample material).
"Everyone watches television... Ray Charles watches television... He does. He watches Jose Feliciano..."
I eventually bought the album, and completely lost it - hearing the uncensored parts - as Rush rapped about religion, drugs, sex, and other topical subjects...
"The great sperm whale has the largest reproductive organ of any mammal on Earth... It looks like me, wearing a turtleneck sweater!"
Inevitably, I got to attend a few live performances of Chris Rush at several New York clubs: The Bottom Line in lower Manhattan, and Governors in Levittown. After each performance, I got him to autograph one of his albums...
"On 'Star Trek', Kirk was hot. He was intergalactic Bo Diddley. That S.O.B. got laid on every planet in the galaxy. And he had a great 'make-out line': 'Fuck me. It'll save the world'!"
The last time I saw Rush perform was at Governors in 1991. I was already cracking up audibly, when he singled me out and said, "You're getting 'laugh-face', aren't you? Just take a novacaine enema... It will sober you up!" Next thing I knew, I was on the floor!
I'd managed to keep in touch with Chris Rush over the last few years - via "Facebook" - until a few days ago, when I'd learned through one of his associates that he'd passed away (at 72 years of age)...
I'd always promised myself that if I wanted to commit suicide, all I had to do was go to a Chris Rush performance, and hope that I'd (literally) 'die laughing'. *Sigh* My morbid life goes on...
"At Catholic school, I was taught by a very strict, black-belt, Dominican nun... Sister Mary Himmel... She had rosary beads with a sidecar... There were no discipline problems in her class. If you caused any mischief, she'd point at you, look straight up, say 'Him!', and your eye would fall out! So, you didn't mess around with her!"
And this was only January... Hail and farewell, one and all...
So, when I'd learned about the passing of several unique individuals this past week, it was too overwhelming for me to ignore them, and I'd like to share individual remembrances of each one...
- - - - - - - - - - Yesterday, I'd learned of the death of cartoon voice actor Doug Young, who was best known as 'Doggie Daddy' in all those classic Hanna-Barbera "Augie Doggie & Doggie Daddy" shorts in the 1960s. Doing a mock Jimmy Durante impression, 'Doggie Daddy' tries to put up with a lot of the antics of his son (voiced by Daws Butler) in each cartoon. Doug was 93...
- - - - - - - - - - When I'd joined the 'funny animal' APAzine "Rowrbrazzle" in 1989, I began to make friends with a lot of talented anthroartists. One of them was Marc Tucker, whose characters had a slightly abstract look about them - differentiating themselves from other contributor's animal characters. He was nice enough to even contribute his talents to one of my "Artist's Jams" from an anniversary issue. Current "Rowrbrazzle" editor Edd Vick informed current members and alumni alike about Tucker's death (via "Facebook") a few days ago.
- - - - - - - - - - During the 1980s and early 1990s, I used to visit IMCA - the International Museum of Cartoon Art - situated in a castle-shaped building in Rye, New York. There, I used to see a variety of artwork from comic strips, comic books, and animated films. (Even the walls of its restrooms were adorned with the graffiti from countless cartoonists from around the world.) I was going to miss this unique museum, when I'd moved to Pennsylvania in 1992...
Then, when I'd relocated a second time - from Pennsylvania to Florida - in 1994, I was unaware about one of the tourist attractions that was coming to the 'Sunshine State', a year later...
I had learned about IMCA's relocation to Mizner Park (and open-air mall) in Boca Raton. A large building was under construction at the south end of Mizner Park, and I knew that it was going to be something special, when I saw more cartoonist graffiti on the fence surrounding the construction site!
I'd forgotten the circumstances that led to my becoming an IMCA 'volunteer worker' - in a makeshift gift shop (next to the museum) - suffice it to say, 1995 was the most memorable year of my life, as I got to meet a number of professional artists during the annual National Cartoonists' Society convention (who'd visited said gift shop).
One year later, long after the museum officially opened, a special ceremony was held at City Hall, where each of the 'volunteer workers' got their picture taken with IMCA founder Mort Walker (artist/creator of "Beetle Bailey" and other comic strips).
Sadly, IMCA didn't draw in the huge crowds that Mr. Walker expected, and its closed its doors at the turn of the 21st Century. But, as loyal fan of his work, I'd continued to keep in touch with Mort: first, via 'snail-mail', and later via his "Facebook" wall.
On Saturday, January 27, 2018, I had learned of Mr. Walker's death (by pneumonia) in his Connecticut home. He was 94. (Ironically, my brother Glenn and I were driving through Boca Raton that day, passing by the museum building [now renovated into an office-and-store complex] and City Hall [where I got my photo-op taken with him]. Had I'd known about his passing, I would've asked Glenn to park his car and take a walk around the area, for nostalgia's sake...)
- - - - - - - - - - In the early 1970s, I took an interest in the National Lampoon - reading its raunchy (yet funny) articles and laughing at its many cartoons. In one particular issue, there was an Eva-Tone soundsheet (a flexible plastic record that's playable on most turntables), promoting a comedy album entitled "First Rush", performed by a New York-based stand-up comic named Chris Rush. Playing the soundsheet on my stereo, I was in hysterics, from start to finish (even though there was only seven minutes of sample material).
"Everyone watches television... Ray Charles watches television... He does. He watches Jose Feliciano..."
I eventually bought the album, and completely lost it - hearing the uncensored parts - as Rush rapped about religion, drugs, sex, and other topical subjects...
"The great sperm whale has the largest reproductive organ of any mammal on Earth... It looks like me, wearing a turtleneck sweater!"
Inevitably, I got to attend a few live performances of Chris Rush at several New York clubs: The Bottom Line in lower Manhattan, and Governors in Levittown. After each performance, I got him to autograph one of his albums...
"On 'Star Trek', Kirk was hot. He was intergalactic Bo Diddley. That S.O.B. got laid on every planet in the galaxy. And he had a great 'make-out line': 'Fuck me. It'll save the world'!"
The last time I saw Rush perform was at Governors in 1991. I was already cracking up audibly, when he singled me out and said, "You're getting 'laugh-face', aren't you? Just take a novacaine enema... It will sober you up!" Next thing I knew, I was on the floor!
I'd managed to keep in touch with Chris Rush over the last few years - via "Facebook" - until a few days ago, when I'd learned through one of his associates that he'd passed away (at 72 years of age)...
I'd always promised myself that if I wanted to commit suicide, all I had to do was go to a Chris Rush performance, and hope that I'd (literally) 'die laughing'. *Sigh* My morbid life goes on...
"At Catholic school, I was taught by a very strict, black-belt, Dominican nun... Sister Mary Himmel... She had rosary beads with a sidecar... There were no discipline problems in her class. If you caused any mischief, she'd point at you, look straight up, say 'Him!', and your eye would fall out! So, you didn't mess around with her!"
- - - - - - - - - - And this was only January... Hail and farewell, one and all...
"First Animal Commercials of 2018"
Posted 8 years agoIt's been a while since the last journal where I'd reviewed some new advertisements for television with animal characters in them. Here are a few of the latest ones I saw on the tube, but you can check them out (anytime) in "YouTube", by clicking on each link, following my commentary about them...
6. Geico: I saw three new adverts for the long-running insurance company - the first two of which features 'The Gecko', as he introduces a new mobile app (first, during a conference call, and then, while helping some human neighbors assemble some furniture). The third advert spoofs "March of the Penguins", as one of two wayward birds tries to rely on his GPS (without much success).
"Conference Call" (:30) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ez8P5j9DO0
"Furniture Assembly" (:30) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlvVGwssklQ
"Penguin Migration" (:30) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xk4vGDfVMo
5. Wells Fargo: "Suspicious Card" (:30): In this recent spot for the savings bank, a lady's housecat doesn't like to motive behind an erroneous card she had recently received.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnAfB8P53MI
4. America's Best: "Runway" (:30): In promoting the establishment's recent 'Designer Eyeglasses Sale', the owl coaxes one such customer to walk down a runway (like a fashion model), while he plays apropos music from a boombox (which, by the end of the spot, he is seen moving to the hip beat)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ms9AmvL6u0
3. Yellow Tail: "Holiday Mistletoe" (:15): Although I'm a little late for Christmas, I just had to throw in this short ad for the popular table wine - featuring the CGI kangaroo, who (as usual) gets more attention than the human spokesperson for the product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DJoXBbtIAw
2. TurboTax: "Closet" (1:00): In what appears to be a scene from a horror film, a young woman is hiding in the closet from some sort of predator. As it turns out, the subject of her fears is nothing more that a tiny knitted teddy bear (who knows how to 'bust a move'). What this has to do with filing your income tax is explained by the end of the spot...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th-sYvxL6u0
1. Mercedes-Benz: "King of the City Jungle" (1:30): Saving the best for last, again, I offer you this foreign advert from late 2017 - hyping the Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicle, while telling a story about a hard-working business man, in the guise of an anthropomorphic lion (who only gets to unwind during the commuter trip in his vehicle, where he meets his leonine son at home). Very clever spot!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQLK6c5vOHM
As always, if I'd made mistakes in any of the above links, just go to the 'Search' space on the "YouTube" home page, and type in the name of the product (or service) and the title of the spot before clicking 'Enter'.
And be sure to return to my 'Journal' again in February, when I will be picking my favorite commercials that will debut during the network broadcast of "Super Bowl LII".
- - - - - - - - - - 6. Geico: I saw three new adverts for the long-running insurance company - the first two of which features 'The Gecko', as he introduces a new mobile app (first, during a conference call, and then, while helping some human neighbors assemble some furniture). The third advert spoofs "March of the Penguins", as one of two wayward birds tries to rely on his GPS (without much success).
"Conference Call" (:30) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ez8P5j9DO0
"Furniture Assembly" (:30) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlvVGwssklQ
"Penguin Migration" (:30) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xk4vGDfVMo
5. Wells Fargo: "Suspicious Card" (:30): In this recent spot for the savings bank, a lady's housecat doesn't like to motive behind an erroneous card she had recently received.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnAfB8P53MI
4. America's Best: "Runway" (:30): In promoting the establishment's recent 'Designer Eyeglasses Sale', the owl coaxes one such customer to walk down a runway (like a fashion model), while he plays apropos music from a boombox (which, by the end of the spot, he is seen moving to the hip beat)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ms9AmvL6u0
3. Yellow Tail: "Holiday Mistletoe" (:15): Although I'm a little late for Christmas, I just had to throw in this short ad for the popular table wine - featuring the CGI kangaroo, who (as usual) gets more attention than the human spokesperson for the product.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DJoXBbtIAw
2. TurboTax: "Closet" (1:00): In what appears to be a scene from a horror film, a young woman is hiding in the closet from some sort of predator. As it turns out, the subject of her fears is nothing more that a tiny knitted teddy bear (who knows how to 'bust a move'). What this has to do with filing your income tax is explained by the end of the spot...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th-sYvxL6u0
1. Mercedes-Benz: "King of the City Jungle" (1:30): Saving the best for last, again, I offer you this foreign advert from late 2017 - hyping the Mercedes-Benz S-Class vehicle, while telling a story about a hard-working business man, in the guise of an anthropomorphic lion (who only gets to unwind during the commuter trip in his vehicle, where he meets his leonine son at home). Very clever spot!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQLK6c5vOHM
- - - - - - - - - - As always, if I'd made mistakes in any of the above links, just go to the 'Search' space on the "YouTube" home page, and type in the name of the product (or service) and the title of the spot before clicking 'Enter'.
And be sure to return to my 'Journal' again in February, when I will be picking my favorite commercials that will debut during the network broadcast of "Super Bowl LII".
"Ten Years in 'Fur Affinity'..."
Posted 8 years ago2007 was quite a memorable year for me, for both good and bad reasons...
Among the bad reasons: Losing my 'toll collector' job during the Summer (which was just as well - since, a few years later, most of the south Florida toll booths were torn down, to be replaced with SunPass® the electronic toll-collecting system); Looking for work in fields I have held in the past (including 'mechanical artist', 'clerical worker', and 'supermarket associate'), and coming up with bupkiss; Finally getting hired (on Halloween) as a 'janitor' in a senior citizens condo community in Pompano Beach (the worst and lowest-paying gig I ever had in my life)...
But one of the good reasons (and, possibly, the best reason of all) was joining "Fur Affinity" on December 22nd - where I not only got to display my talent in drawing anthropomorphic art (which was previously limited to sites like "InflatioNation", "The Round House", etc.), but finally made friends with a multitude of talented artists and writers (some from the 'funny animal' APAzine "Rowrbrazzle" and similar publications; and others from the aforementioned sites that I was a member of)...
Since then, I'd made more 'friends' - E-mailing via the "FA" inbox and/or 'shouts', as well as corresponding with some of them through "Facebook". And the submissions in my 'Rob Cat' site have expanded to include 'fat furry' art and stories, 'photo-ops' (of me with celebrities and wildlife snapshots), and interesting 'journals' of a variety of topics.
And although I'd reach my Tenth Anniversary last month, without much fanfare, I'm still proud of (most) everything I'd accomplished in "FA". Here's hoping that, ten years from now, I'll have even more 'friends', plenty of new submissions, and lots more accomplishments I can boast about!
Among the bad reasons: Losing my 'toll collector' job during the Summer (which was just as well - since, a few years later, most of the south Florida toll booths were torn down, to be replaced with SunPass® the electronic toll-collecting system); Looking for work in fields I have held in the past (including 'mechanical artist', 'clerical worker', and 'supermarket associate'), and coming up with bupkiss; Finally getting hired (on Halloween) as a 'janitor' in a senior citizens condo community in Pompano Beach (the worst and lowest-paying gig I ever had in my life)...
But one of the good reasons (and, possibly, the best reason of all) was joining "Fur Affinity" on December 22nd - where I not only got to display my talent in drawing anthropomorphic art (which was previously limited to sites like "InflatioNation", "The Round House", etc.), but finally made friends with a multitude of talented artists and writers (some from the 'funny animal' APAzine "Rowrbrazzle" and similar publications; and others from the aforementioned sites that I was a member of)...
Since then, I'd made more 'friends' - E-mailing via the "FA" inbox and/or 'shouts', as well as corresponding with some of them through "Facebook". And the submissions in my 'Rob Cat' site have expanded to include 'fat furry' art and stories, 'photo-ops' (of me with celebrities and wildlife snapshots), and interesting 'journals' of a variety of topics.
And although I'd reach my Tenth Anniversary last month, without much fanfare, I'm still proud of (most) everything I'd accomplished in "FA". Here's hoping that, ten years from now, I'll have even more 'friends', plenty of new submissions, and lots more accomplishments I can boast about!
"Coming Attractions" #52
Posted 8 years ago"Happy New Year", everyfurry!
As 2018 begins, I hope to continue providing a variety of offerings in my "Fur Affinity" site - including new and old drawings; 'photo-ops' of me and my friends (human and animal alike), as well as some rare wildlife snapshots; and a lot more comprehensive 'journals' per month...
December, 2017 was so chaotic for me (between holiday shopping, greeting card mailing, and traveling throughout south Florida for various other preoccupations, I didn't have the spare time to acknowledge two personal milestones I'd reached that month: my 140,000th 'pageview' and (more importantly) my Tenth Anniversary in "FA" (on 12-22-17). Now that the holidays are officially over, I hope to provide said acknowledgments to all of you (either through new art or new journals).
Last month, I'd promised a new edition of "Fur-One-One" ('furry news' in movies, TV shows, comic books, and other media), but didn't come through. This month, I will definitely come through with all this material, to keep you all abreast with the latest data.
Another year-end ritual I hope to resume in my 'journal' section is "The Best of The Year" stats in my site (in terms of which posted artwork and 'photo-ops' got the most 'views' and 'faves' during 2017). And, since I'd reached my Tenth Anniversary, I might do a separate version of this same 'journal' with "My All-Time Best Stuff: 2008-2017" - limiting said artwork and 'photo-ops' to the "Top Ten" best submissions in "FA".
As for later in 2018, I hope to provide a few more surprises during my 'sweeps months' (February, May, September, and November) - including the possibility of a brand-new 'fat furry' story, new editions of my "EFF" ("Extraordinarily Fat Furries") comic strip series, brand new "Front & Back" gags, a few commissioned drawings (I'd kept promising I'd do last year), and, of course, more of the usual antics of my bobcat 'fursona' and his furry friends. And, in April - which is "National Poetry Month" - I hope to create more haiku and limerick presentations in my "EFF" strips. Not to mention all-new "EFF Acronym" comic gags.
And, because I enjoy making word puzzles, I might also construct some new lettered Sudoku puzzles - revolving around some of the "FA" contributors - as well as new editions of "Su-Dis-Ku"© (Sudoku involving Disney trivia).
Now, there's no guarantee that I'll get everything accomplished during 2018, but I'm going to do the best I can in this New Year. So, keep on visiting my "FA" site, and I'll keep my fingers crossed!
P.S. Since the first 'full moon' of the New Year is known as the 'Full Wolf Moon' - and said 'full moon' falls on January 1, 2018, I took it upon myself to wish as many lupine-related members of "Fur Affinity" a very "Happy Full Wolf Moon"! My apologies to the majority of those I might have left out. To acknowledge everyone of a wolfy nature here, happens once in a 'blue moon' - which, BTW, takes place on January 31st!
As 2018 begins, I hope to continue providing a variety of offerings in my "Fur Affinity" site - including new and old drawings; 'photo-ops' of me and my friends (human and animal alike), as well as some rare wildlife snapshots; and a lot more comprehensive 'journals' per month...
December, 2017 was so chaotic for me (between holiday shopping, greeting card mailing, and traveling throughout south Florida for various other preoccupations, I didn't have the spare time to acknowledge two personal milestones I'd reached that month: my 140,000th 'pageview' and (more importantly) my Tenth Anniversary in "FA" (on 12-22-17). Now that the holidays are officially over, I hope to provide said acknowledgments to all of you (either through new art or new journals).
Last month, I'd promised a new edition of "Fur-One-One" ('furry news' in movies, TV shows, comic books, and other media), but didn't come through. This month, I will definitely come through with all this material, to keep you all abreast with the latest data.
Another year-end ritual I hope to resume in my 'journal' section is "The Best of The Year" stats in my site (in terms of which posted artwork and 'photo-ops' got the most 'views' and 'faves' during 2017). And, since I'd reached my Tenth Anniversary, I might do a separate version of this same 'journal' with "My All-Time Best Stuff: 2008-2017" - limiting said artwork and 'photo-ops' to the "Top Ten" best submissions in "FA".
As for later in 2018, I hope to provide a few more surprises during my 'sweeps months' (February, May, September, and November) - including the possibility of a brand-new 'fat furry' story, new editions of my "EFF" ("Extraordinarily Fat Furries") comic strip series, brand new "Front & Back" gags, a few commissioned drawings (I'd kept promising I'd do last year), and, of course, more of the usual antics of my bobcat 'fursona' and his furry friends. And, in April - which is "National Poetry Month" - I hope to create more haiku and limerick presentations in my "EFF" strips. Not to mention all-new "EFF Acronym" comic gags.
And, because I enjoy making word puzzles, I might also construct some new lettered Sudoku puzzles - revolving around some of the "FA" contributors - as well as new editions of "Su-Dis-Ku"© (Sudoku involving Disney trivia).
Now, there's no guarantee that I'll get everything accomplished during 2018, but I'm going to do the best I can in this New Year. So, keep on visiting my "FA" site, and I'll keep my fingers crossed!
P.S. Since the first 'full moon' of the New Year is known as the 'Full Wolf Moon' - and said 'full moon' falls on January 1, 2018, I took it upon myself to wish as many lupine-related members of "Fur Affinity" a very "Happy Full Wolf Moon"! My apologies to the majority of those I might have left out. To acknowledge everyone of a wolfy nature here, happens once in a 'blue moon' - which, BTW, takes place on January 31st!
"CBS = Christmas's Best 'Stitials"
Posted 8 years agoAs a kid, back in the 1960s, I used to watch cartoons that aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings on CBS (including "Mighty Mouse", "The Tom & Jerry Show" and "Frankenstein, Jr. and the Impossibles"). But when December rolled around, I used to see some very rare cartoons from the network, specially designed for presentation around Christmas.
These animated shorts (ranging in length from fifteen seconds to one whole minute) are called 'interstitials' - made for the purpose of identifying the channel you are watching, while (at the same time) conveying holiday wishes to its viewers. I thought I'd present a few of these CBS 'interstitials' - which can be viewed on "YouTube", when you click onto the link following a summary of each short...
6. "A Very Bobble Holiday" (2017) (1:48): Posting the least-favorite 'interstitial' first, this non-animated short hypes some of the best programming CBS has to offer, in the form of 'bobble head' versions of its many stars - including the cast of "The Big Bang Theory", "Bull", and late night show hosts Stephen Colbert and James Corden. How they still managed to convey "Season's Greetings" by the end of this spot is a holiday miracle in itself...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPbmcjeQWaY
5. "Christmas Message" (2005) (:30): One of the annual staples of the CBS holiday line-up is the annual broadcast of the Rankin-Bass animated special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Breaking down 'the fourth wall', we find 'Rudolph' and 'Sam the Snowman' walking off the set, when they encounter stop-motion puppet versions of some of the familiar CBS stars of that day - including Bob ("The Price is Right") Barker and David ("The Late Show") Letterman (the latter of whom mistakes the reindeer for a 'doggie')!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fErUPGeurwE
4. "50th Anniversary of Rudolph..." (2014) (:20): Even though the special debuted in 1964 on another network, NBC, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was celebrating half-a-century of TV airplay in 2014, when once again 'Rudolph' and 'Sam' are leaving the studio again, but this time they encounter some of the stars of CBS fare in live-action - including those from "The Big Bang Theory", "NCIS", etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvlfBTQlbck
3. "Child's Wish" (1966) (:30): One of the best animators of holiday fare is cartoonist R.O. Blechman - whose body of work includes Terrytoons' "Our Lady of the Juggler", and his contrib to the PBS Christmas special "Simple Gifts" ("No Room At The Inn"). And even though his style of art and animation is limited, and there's no dialogue to convey a message, you still actually 'feel' for his characters. One rare 'interstitial' from 1966 finds a young boy in rags visiting Santa Claus at a department store. His request is simple and very moving...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-M3AS-76jU
2. "Holiday Greetings" (2017) (2:00): Returning to its roots, CBS decided to use animation - with no dialogue - in a new series of spots (ranging in length from fifteen to thirty seconds) involving various forest creatures (bears, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, etc.), with each spot ending with the phrase "Warm Wishes from CBS". This link presents all of these 'interstitials' in one presentation (in case you might've missed one or more of these charming spots)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--Pgm9hJnqQ
1. "Christmas Message" (1966) (1:00): Saving the best for last, no collection of CBS holiday 'interstitials' would be complete without the classic short, animated (once again) by R.O. Blechman. A flock of various birds in a pine tree are all in song (musically represented by different string instruments), when a human woodsman with his saw approaches the avian choir. This classic work was rebroadcast in 2016 (on "CBS Sunday Morning"), in celebration of the 'golden anniversary' of its initial airplay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUWMjUjit_U
As usual, if I'd made any mistakes in any (or all) of the above links, go to the 'Search' portion of "YouTube", type in 'CBS' and add the title of each work before pressing 'Enter'. And Celebrate this Bright Season!
These animated shorts (ranging in length from fifteen seconds to one whole minute) are called 'interstitials' - made for the purpose of identifying the channel you are watching, while (at the same time) conveying holiday wishes to its viewers. I thought I'd present a few of these CBS 'interstitials' - which can be viewed on "YouTube", when you click onto the link following a summary of each short...
- - - - - - - - - - 6. "A Very Bobble Holiday" (2017) (1:48): Posting the least-favorite 'interstitial' first, this non-animated short hypes some of the best programming CBS has to offer, in the form of 'bobble head' versions of its many stars - including the cast of "The Big Bang Theory", "Bull", and late night show hosts Stephen Colbert and James Corden. How they still managed to convey "Season's Greetings" by the end of this spot is a holiday miracle in itself...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPbmcjeQWaY
5. "Christmas Message" (2005) (:30): One of the annual staples of the CBS holiday line-up is the annual broadcast of the Rankin-Bass animated special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Breaking down 'the fourth wall', we find 'Rudolph' and 'Sam the Snowman' walking off the set, when they encounter stop-motion puppet versions of some of the familiar CBS stars of that day - including Bob ("The Price is Right") Barker and David ("The Late Show") Letterman (the latter of whom mistakes the reindeer for a 'doggie')!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fErUPGeurwE
4. "50th Anniversary of Rudolph..." (2014) (:20): Even though the special debuted in 1964 on another network, NBC, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was celebrating half-a-century of TV airplay in 2014, when once again 'Rudolph' and 'Sam' are leaving the studio again, but this time they encounter some of the stars of CBS fare in live-action - including those from "The Big Bang Theory", "NCIS", etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvlfBTQlbck
3. "Child's Wish" (1966) (:30): One of the best animators of holiday fare is cartoonist R.O. Blechman - whose body of work includes Terrytoons' "Our Lady of the Juggler", and his contrib to the PBS Christmas special "Simple Gifts" ("No Room At The Inn"). And even though his style of art and animation is limited, and there's no dialogue to convey a message, you still actually 'feel' for his characters. One rare 'interstitial' from 1966 finds a young boy in rags visiting Santa Claus at a department store. His request is simple and very moving...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-M3AS-76jU
2. "Holiday Greetings" (2017) (2:00): Returning to its roots, CBS decided to use animation - with no dialogue - in a new series of spots (ranging in length from fifteen to thirty seconds) involving various forest creatures (bears, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, etc.), with each spot ending with the phrase "Warm Wishes from CBS". This link presents all of these 'interstitials' in one presentation (in case you might've missed one or more of these charming spots)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--Pgm9hJnqQ
1. "Christmas Message" (1966) (1:00): Saving the best for last, no collection of CBS holiday 'interstitials' would be complete without the classic short, animated (once again) by R.O. Blechman. A flock of various birds in a pine tree are all in song (musically represented by different string instruments), when a human woodsman with his saw approaches the avian choir. This classic work was rebroadcast in 2016 (on "CBS Sunday Morning"), in celebration of the 'golden anniversary' of its initial airplay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUWMjUjit_U
- - - - - - - - - - As usual, if I'd made any mistakes in any (or all) of the above links, go to the 'Search' portion of "YouTube", type in 'CBS' and add the title of each work before pressing 'Enter'. And Celebrate this Bright Season!
"Holiday Parking Incident"
Posted 8 years agoI recall seeing - on two separate 'Season Eight' episodes of the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm - the same unique situation occurred to 'Larry' (Larry David) - when a motorist illegally parked his car over the line in (a lot that had diagonal spaces). This caused 'Larry' to complain to said motorist (about the possibility of causing a 'chain reaction' of additional erroneously parked vehicles).
I mention this scenario, because it reminded me of a similar parking situation that happened to me back in the 1980s, during the holidays...
I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York - taking into account how crowded the parking lot there was going to be there.
Sure enough, the spaces near the mall were all filled to capacity. Outside the parking area was a roadway that circled the entire facility. On the other side of said roadway were additional parking spaces - set in a diagonal configuration that allowed two cars to be parked (one in front of the other). Once again, nearly all of the spaces were taken up with parked vehicles, as I drove around this additional area...
Then, as luck would have it, I saw a diagonal parking space that appears to have just one car occupying it. I saw an empty area behind that one car, so I'd decided to drive all the way to the end of the row, go to the next row, and get to the empty area (before any other motorist gets to it first). As soon as I got to the space on the next row, I saw the same lone car, but there didn't appear to be any room for my car to fit behind it. So, once again, I drove to the other end of this second row, went back to the first row, and returned to the very same diagonal space, where the one car sat there, all by itself...
It had finally dawned on me what had actually transpired. The motorist, in parking his vehicle in the diagonal area, took up two spaces!
Needless to say, I was 'fit to be tied'. But, instead of waiting for the motorist to come back to the wrongly-parked car (so I can lodge a complaint with him/her), I drove my vehicle even further away from the mall, until I found a suitable parking space.
Rather than go to the stores first, I'd returned to the diagonal parking space, and waited for the driver of the two-space-occupying car to come back (so I can have it out with him/her). I stood there for nearly an hour, but the motorist hadn't returned yet. Logically, I thought that he/she was still in the mall (also buying Christmas presents).
Since I'd thought that the longer I'd wait, the less time I'd have to do my own shopping, my next impulse was to simply write a rather profane message and leave it on the windshield of the illegal parker...
But then, I'd thought to myself, "This is Christmas... a time for peace and understanding... and being kind to my fellow human beings (no matter how annoying their habits might be)..."
So, I'd finally decided to leave for the motorist of the wrongly-parked car a short message. It simply read "Merry Xmas"... which I'd lovingly scrawled on the hood of his/her vehicle with my car keys!
(Of course, if 'Larry' did something like this to an illegal parker, you know that he will eventually get into trouble, when someone catches him in the act, and tattles on the motorist - who [in turn] will seek revenge by doing some worse damage to 'Larry''s car.)
"Merry Motoring!"
I mention this scenario, because it reminded me of a similar parking situation that happened to me back in the 1980s, during the holidays...
I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York - taking into account how crowded the parking lot there was going to be there.
Sure enough, the spaces near the mall were all filled to capacity. Outside the parking area was a roadway that circled the entire facility. On the other side of said roadway were additional parking spaces - set in a diagonal configuration that allowed two cars to be parked (one in front of the other). Once again, nearly all of the spaces were taken up with parked vehicles, as I drove around this additional area...
Then, as luck would have it, I saw a diagonal parking space that appears to have just one car occupying it. I saw an empty area behind that one car, so I'd decided to drive all the way to the end of the row, go to the next row, and get to the empty area (before any other motorist gets to it first). As soon as I got to the space on the next row, I saw the same lone car, but there didn't appear to be any room for my car to fit behind it. So, once again, I drove to the other end of this second row, went back to the first row, and returned to the very same diagonal space, where the one car sat there, all by itself...
It had finally dawned on me what had actually transpired. The motorist, in parking his vehicle in the diagonal area, took up two spaces!
Needless to say, I was 'fit to be tied'. But, instead of waiting for the motorist to come back to the wrongly-parked car (so I can lodge a complaint with him/her), I drove my vehicle even further away from the mall, until I found a suitable parking space.
Rather than go to the stores first, I'd returned to the diagonal parking space, and waited for the driver of the two-space-occupying car to come back (so I can have it out with him/her). I stood there for nearly an hour, but the motorist hadn't returned yet. Logically, I thought that he/she was still in the mall (also buying Christmas presents).
Since I'd thought that the longer I'd wait, the less time I'd have to do my own shopping, my next impulse was to simply write a rather profane message and leave it on the windshield of the illegal parker...
But then, I'd thought to myself, "This is Christmas... a time for peace and understanding... and being kind to my fellow human beings (no matter how annoying their habits might be)..."
So, I'd finally decided to leave for the motorist of the wrongly-parked car a short message. It simply read "Merry Xmas"... which I'd lovingly scrawled on the hood of his/her vehicle with my car keys!
(Of course, if 'Larry' did something like this to an illegal parker, you know that he will eventually get into trouble, when someone catches him in the act, and tattles on the motorist - who [in turn] will seek revenge by doing some worse damage to 'Larry''s car.)
"Merry Motoring!"
"Newest Holiday Commercials"
Posted 8 years agoOver the years, there have been memorable TV commercials shown throughout the holiday season - including the stop-motion animated 'Santa' riding through the snow on a Norelco® electric razor with 'floating heads', the CGI 'polar bears' promoting Coca-Cola®, and many others too numerous to mention.
That said, I thought I present a selection of some of the recently-seen adverts, followed by the "YouTube" links where they all can be viewed at your leisure time. Naturally, since this is "Fur Affinity", most of these TV spots feature animal characters. And they will be presented in descending order, with my choice for the Number One commercial - saved for last...
7. M&Ms®: "Faint 2: A Very Yellow Sequel" (1:30): When one thinks of candy during the holidays, the usual first thing that comes to mind are peppermint candy canes. But ever since Madison Avenue got on the bandwagon, they have been pushing all sorts of name-brand sweet treats into their commercials (ranging in length from fifteen seconds to well over a minute). One of the classic holiday candy spots was the 2006 commercial for M&Ms®, as the CGI versions of 'Red' and 'Yellow' encounter jolly old 'St. Nick' himself, and getting an unexpected result in the process... both 'Santa' and 'Red' faint!
Well, it took over a decade, but the folks at M&M/Mars finally came up with a 2017 sequel to the original spot. Without 'Santa Claus' to deliver presents, 'Yellow' decides to take it upon himself to fill the void. What happens next... Well, you'll have to see for yourself in the original ninety-second version (which will probably be whittled down to sixty- and thirty-second versions on many networks)... mms.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnJCgE3hqpc
...and if you want to see the original fifteen-second 2006 "Faint" commercial for M&Ms®, go to this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4d4Zzq1-0g
6. FlexShopper.com: "T-Flex/Out Of Reach" (1:00): This 2016 commercial - on how to do your online shopping with ease - features, for its spokesmorph, a tyrannosaurus rex (a dinosaur that had roamed on Earth, millions of years before the one person we celebrate December 25th even existed)... Go figure!
In said spot, 'T-Flex' discusses the disadvantages of being 'out of reach' of good deals (just as he is out of reach - with his short arms - to decorate a Christmas tree)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5fLgv59wLA
5. DishTV®: "Tuned In To You Christmas Special" (:30): Taking a nod from the countless Rankin-Bass TV holiday specials, this spot features a CGI- animated human spokesperson who talks to a snowman and numerous forest creatures about the benefits of using the satellite dish service. A RL version of the same spokesperson appears at the end of the ad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWsbpYdrAl0
4. Barbour: "The Snowman and The Snowdog" (1:10): The balance of these remaining holiday adverts come from overseas. As you recall, last month, I'd hyped the John Lewis 2017 commercial, "Moz the Monster" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw1Y-zhQURU - with its interaction between a real little boy and the make-believe monster under his bed...
In spots for a competing department store chain, the animation team behind the award-winning holiday short "The Snowman" have been coming up with annual adverts for them with the title character. In the 2017 spot, 'The Snowman' uses holiday magic to bring a dog made out of snow to life, and the little boy invites them into his home, meeting the kid's parents, and having a wonderful time. barbour.com/christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkljXeYBit0
3. M&S: "Paddington and the Christmas Visitor" (1:35): Another British department store chain ups the ante in their 2017 commercial, by featuring (none other than) 'Paddington Bear' - who mistakes a burglar for 'Father Christmas', and the usual chaos ensues. This particular advert serves a dual purpose, by not only promoting M&S Stores, but hyping the upcoming sequel to the feature film "Paddington" - which, at first, was announced NOT to debut in American cinemas in January, 2018... Something to do with somebody named Weinstein, or something - but now, it will debut in the USA next month, after all. #lovethebear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfaSxlkLslE
2. Heathrow (Airport): "Heathrow Bears Christmas Two" (2:00): Last year, the major London airport was promoted in a very touching advert featuring two CGI teddy bears - "Coming Home For Christmas" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq1r_M5a6ul - who wander through Heathrow, until they encounter some children. That's when, through clever editing techniques, the bears are immediately morphed into elderly human grandparents, who are delighted to reunite with said children for the holidays.
In this 2017 sequel, we get to see how the two teddy bears first met at Heathrow (Circa 1967), fell in love, got married, and had teddy bear children of their own. As the years toll on, we see this fuzzy family get larger, and we see the major improvement at the airport in the process. Predictably, the advert ends with the entire family - once again morphed into human form - reuniting this year at Heathrow. A commercial worth seeing over and over again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cheo1P22cUU
1. Globe: "Chobo" (4:00): Having first learned on "Facebook" about this holiday commercial (for an international phone service), one viewing of it convinced me that it needs to be shared with the whole world during the holidays.
The storyline is simple: a lonely male senior citizen encounters a stray dog, eating out of an overturned trash can/bin, takes him off the street, and makes him his pet. As time progresses, the dog feels comfortable with his owner - especially during Christmas, when a tiny tree ornament is added on to his collar. Later on, the senior citizen discovers that the dog actually belonged to a family (when he encounters a 'Lost & Found' poster of said dog, who goes by the name 'Chobo'), and using the 'Globe' phone service, sets things right by inviting the real owners to his home to reunite them with their missing pet.
A very touching epilog follows, when Chobo's family are back home, and discover the Christmas tree ornament on the dog's collar. Now, it's their turn to do the right thing (once again, using the 'Globe' phone service). All I can say is, if this four-minute commercial doesn't move you to tears... you're not human! #CreateNewTraditions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYSTGfy5TaY
As usual, if any of the above links contain missing or misused characters in them - making it impossible to see these holiday commercials - or if any of the videos are flat-out unplayable, just go to the 'Search' space at the top of your "YouTube" page, and type out the name of the company/service and any other words connected to said advert(s) before clicking Enter. Hopefully, each ad will play for you then.
"Happy Holidays![color=green]"[/color]
That said, I thought I present a selection of some of the recently-seen adverts, followed by the "YouTube" links where they all can be viewed at your leisure time. Naturally, since this is "Fur Affinity", most of these TV spots feature animal characters. And they will be presented in descending order, with my choice for the Number One commercial - saved for last...
- - - - - - - - - - 7. M&Ms®: "Faint 2: A Very Yellow Sequel" (1:30): When one thinks of candy during the holidays, the usual first thing that comes to mind are peppermint candy canes. But ever since Madison Avenue got on the bandwagon, they have been pushing all sorts of name-brand sweet treats into their commercials (ranging in length from fifteen seconds to well over a minute). One of the classic holiday candy spots was the 2006 commercial for M&Ms®, as the CGI versions of 'Red' and 'Yellow' encounter jolly old 'St. Nick' himself, and getting an unexpected result in the process... both 'Santa' and 'Red' faint!
Well, it took over a decade, but the folks at M&M/Mars finally came up with a 2017 sequel to the original spot. Without 'Santa Claus' to deliver presents, 'Yellow' decides to take it upon himself to fill the void. What happens next... Well, you'll have to see for yourself in the original ninety-second version (which will probably be whittled down to sixty- and thirty-second versions on many networks)... mms.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnJCgE3hqpc
...and if you want to see the original fifteen-second 2006 "Faint" commercial for M&Ms®, go to this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4d4Zzq1-0g
6. FlexShopper.com: "T-Flex/Out Of Reach" (1:00): This 2016 commercial - on how to do your online shopping with ease - features, for its spokesmorph, a tyrannosaurus rex (a dinosaur that had roamed on Earth, millions of years before the one person we celebrate December 25th even existed)... Go figure!
In said spot, 'T-Flex' discusses the disadvantages of being 'out of reach' of good deals (just as he is out of reach - with his short arms - to decorate a Christmas tree)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5fLgv59wLA
5. DishTV®: "Tuned In To You Christmas Special" (:30): Taking a nod from the countless Rankin-Bass TV holiday specials, this spot features a CGI- animated human spokesperson who talks to a snowman and numerous forest creatures about the benefits of using the satellite dish service. A RL version of the same spokesperson appears at the end of the ad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWsbpYdrAl0
4. Barbour: "The Snowman and The Snowdog" (1:10): The balance of these remaining holiday adverts come from overseas. As you recall, last month, I'd hyped the John Lewis 2017 commercial, "Moz the Monster" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw1Y-zhQURU - with its interaction between a real little boy and the make-believe monster under his bed...
In spots for a competing department store chain, the animation team behind the award-winning holiday short "The Snowman" have been coming up with annual adverts for them with the title character. In the 2017 spot, 'The Snowman' uses holiday magic to bring a dog made out of snow to life, and the little boy invites them into his home, meeting the kid's parents, and having a wonderful time. barbour.com/christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkljXeYBit0
3. M&S: "Paddington and the Christmas Visitor" (1:35): Another British department store chain ups the ante in their 2017 commercial, by featuring (none other than) 'Paddington Bear' - who mistakes a burglar for 'Father Christmas', and the usual chaos ensues. This particular advert serves a dual purpose, by not only promoting M&S Stores, but hyping the upcoming sequel to the feature film "Paddington" - which, at first, was announced NOT to debut in American cinemas in January, 2018... Something to do with somebody named Weinstein, or something - but now, it will debut in the USA next month, after all. #lovethebear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfaSxlkLslE
2. Heathrow (Airport): "Heathrow Bears Christmas Two" (2:00): Last year, the major London airport was promoted in a very touching advert featuring two CGI teddy bears - "Coming Home For Christmas" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq1r_M5a6ul - who wander through Heathrow, until they encounter some children. That's when, through clever editing techniques, the bears are immediately morphed into elderly human grandparents, who are delighted to reunite with said children for the holidays.
In this 2017 sequel, we get to see how the two teddy bears first met at Heathrow (Circa 1967), fell in love, got married, and had teddy bear children of their own. As the years toll on, we see this fuzzy family get larger, and we see the major improvement at the airport in the process. Predictably, the advert ends with the entire family - once again morphed into human form - reuniting this year at Heathrow. A commercial worth seeing over and over again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cheo1P22cUU
1. Globe: "Chobo" (4:00): Having first learned on "Facebook" about this holiday commercial (for an international phone service), one viewing of it convinced me that it needs to be shared with the whole world during the holidays.
The storyline is simple: a lonely male senior citizen encounters a stray dog, eating out of an overturned trash can/bin, takes him off the street, and makes him his pet. As time progresses, the dog feels comfortable with his owner - especially during Christmas, when a tiny tree ornament is added on to his collar. Later on, the senior citizen discovers that the dog actually belonged to a family (when he encounters a 'Lost & Found' poster of said dog, who goes by the name 'Chobo'), and using the 'Globe' phone service, sets things right by inviting the real owners to his home to reunite them with their missing pet.
A very touching epilog follows, when Chobo's family are back home, and discover the Christmas tree ornament on the dog's collar. Now, it's their turn to do the right thing (once again, using the 'Globe' phone service). All I can say is, if this four-minute commercial doesn't move you to tears... you're not human! #CreateNewTraditions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYSTGfy5TaY
- - - - - - - - - - As usual, if any of the above links contain missing or misused characters in them - making it impossible to see these holiday commercials - or if any of the videos are flat-out unplayable, just go to the 'Search' space at the top of your "YouTube" page, and type out the name of the company/service and any other words connected to said advert(s) before clicking Enter. Hopefully, each ad will play for you then.
"Happy Holidays![color=green
"Coming Attractions" #51
Posted 8 years agoWell, 2017 is down to its last month, and I have a lot of stuff I still want to post in my "Fur Affinity" site...
For example, I still have some more 'photo-ops' from my visit to the Palm Beach Zoo - which I was unable to post, when I'd lost Internet service for over a week in November - so I hope to make up for lost time during future editions of "Throwback Thursday".
And, of course, I ought to contribute one more holiday-related sketch (whether it involves Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or all three). And I'll also have new "EFF" (Extraordinarily Fat Furries) comic gags, and one or two commissioned drawings to display, among other new material...
I'll have more journals - including one more collection of "Animal Commercials", a new edition of "Fur-One-One" ('anthropomorphic data'), and an occasional report on my own life...
Last, but not least, two major milestones are due to occur in December, 2017: (1) reaching my 140,000th page view (which I hope to commemorate with an apropos illustration), and (2) celebrating my Tenth Anniversary in "Fur Affinity" on December 22nd. The big question is: Which milestone will take place first? Stay tuned...
For example, I still have some more 'photo-ops' from my visit to the Palm Beach Zoo - which I was unable to post, when I'd lost Internet service for over a week in November - so I hope to make up for lost time during future editions of "Throwback Thursday".
And, of course, I ought to contribute one more holiday-related sketch (whether it involves Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or all three). And I'll also have new "EFF" (Extraordinarily Fat Furries) comic gags, and one or two commissioned drawings to display, among other new material...
I'll have more journals - including one more collection of "Animal Commercials", a new edition of "Fur-One-One" ('anthropomorphic data'), and an occasional report on my own life...
Last, but not least, two major milestones are due to occur in December, 2017: (1) reaching my 140,000th page view (which I hope to commemorate with an apropos illustration), and (2) celebrating my Tenth Anniversary in "Fur Affinity" on December 22nd. The big question is: Which milestone will take place first? Stay tuned...
"Fat Furry News" #5
Posted 8 years agoJust in time for 'Fat Tuesday', I have a few more bits of info for 'fat furry' fanatics. Take it in...
FAT FAUNA IN FILM: Everyone loves the chubby secondary animal character in most cartoon features. This eclectic group include such characters as 'Tiger' the cat (in Don Bluth's "An American Tail"), 'Gus' the mouse (in Disney's "Cinderella"), 'Rolly' the dog (in Disney's "101 Dalmatians"), 'Emile' the rat (in Disney-Pixar's "Ratatouille"), and 'Benjamin Clawhauser' (in Disney's "Zootopia").
The latest corpulent critter to be seen on the big screen is 'Cuatro' the hedgehog, in the upcoming CGI feature film "Ferdinand" (from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studio - the folks behind the "Ice Age" franchise). Based on the popular children's story, it revolves around a friendly bull (voiced by John Cena) and some of his animal friends. And they couldn't have picked a better actor to provide the voice of the hefty hedgehog 'Cuatro'... none other than stand-up comic Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias! "Ferdinand" opens in North American cinemas on Friday, December 15, 2017...
FAT FURRIES IN THE FUNNIES: Here's another list of links to comic strips with some 'fat fauna' in it. And not all of these gags pertain to mammals. These first six recent strips involve snakes (presented in chronological order, starting in mid-October)...
http://www.gocomics.com/bc/2017/10/13
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2017/10/16
http://www.gocomics.com/half-full/2017/11/01
http://www.gocomics.com/rubes/2017/11/02
http://www.gocomics.com/poochcafe/2017/11/03
http://www.gocomics.com/1-and-done/2017/11/15
Next, here are a few 'fat furry' gags from specific comic titles:
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/10/31
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/11/17
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/11/20
http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/fe....._date=20171016
http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/fe....._date=20171030
http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and.....se/2017-09-24/
http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and.....se/2017-10-30/
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2017/10/24
http://www.gocomics.com/wideopen/2017/10/26
http://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2017/11/05
http://www.gocomics.com/boundandgagged/2017/11/19
http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and.....es/2017-11-19/
If there are any mistakes in some of the above links, please let me know ASAP, and I'll try to make the necessary correction(s).
Hopefully, I'll seek and find a few more 'fat furry' comic gags, before year's end. In the meantime, enjoy your Thanksgiving "to the fullest"!
- - - - - - - - - - FAT FAUNA IN FILM: Everyone loves the chubby secondary animal character in most cartoon features. This eclectic group include such characters as 'Tiger' the cat (in Don Bluth's "An American Tail"), 'Gus' the mouse (in Disney's "Cinderella"), 'Rolly' the dog (in Disney's "101 Dalmatians"), 'Emile' the rat (in Disney-Pixar's "Ratatouille"), and 'Benjamin Clawhauser' (in Disney's "Zootopia").
The latest corpulent critter to be seen on the big screen is 'Cuatro' the hedgehog, in the upcoming CGI feature film "Ferdinand" (from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studio - the folks behind the "Ice Age" franchise). Based on the popular children's story, it revolves around a friendly bull (voiced by John Cena) and some of his animal friends. And they couldn't have picked a better actor to provide the voice of the hefty hedgehog 'Cuatro'... none other than stand-up comic Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias! "Ferdinand" opens in North American cinemas on Friday, December 15, 2017...
- - - - - - - - - - FAT FURRIES IN THE FUNNIES: Here's another list of links to comic strips with some 'fat fauna' in it. And not all of these gags pertain to mammals. These first six recent strips involve snakes (presented in chronological order, starting in mid-October)...
"SNAKES ALIVE!" http://www.gocomics.com/bc/2017/10/13
http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2017/10/16
http://www.gocomics.com/half-full/2017/11/01
http://www.gocomics.com/rubes/2017/11/02
http://www.gocomics.com/poochcafe/2017/11/03
http://www.gocomics.com/1-and-done/2017/11/15
Next, here are a few 'fat furry' gags from specific comic titles:
"PLUGGERS" by Gary Brookins http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/10/31
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/11/17
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/11/20
"GIRTH" by Steve Powell http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/fe....._date=20171016
http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/fe....._date=20171030
"MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM" by Mike Peters http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and.....se/2017-09-24/
http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and.....se/2017-10-30/
ADDITIONAL COMIC TITLES http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2017/10/24
http://www.gocomics.com/wideopen/2017/10/26
http://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2017/11/05
http://www.gocomics.com/boundandgagged/2017/11/19
http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and.....es/2017-11-19/
- - - - - - - - - - If there are any mistakes in some of the above links, please let me know ASAP, and I'll try to make the necessary correction(s).
Hopefully, I'll seek and find a few more 'fat furry' comic gags, before year's end. In the meantime, enjoy your Thanksgiving "to the fullest"!
"A Couple of More Animal Commercials"
Posted 8 years agoAs 2017 starts to wind down, I've found some more TV advertisements with various fauna (and one with a monster) that I'd like to share with many of you. Going in descending order (starting with #5), each commercial product or company is followed by some commentary by yours truly, and its "YouTube" link (in case you don't get any of these adverts in your area, or you constantly miss them, whenever they air)...
5. State Farm: "Together" (:30): Last month, I had described two Subaru commercials (in the #1 spot) that each had a dog in it. This time, a dog is featured in a spot for the auto insurance company, as he is joined by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a 'flashback montage' - when the duo shared some 'good times' in a new car... only to have a neighbor's 'drone' ruin things! (Contradictory to the company's slogan, the dog doesn't "...like a good neighbor..."!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EejU7BmW5Mo
4. Energizer: "New Bunny Spots" (:15 each): Many years ago, a commercial to promote long-lasting batteries depicted a whole bunch of drum-beating rabbit toys - only to have one surpass them all, and he's been a popular advertising icon ever since. The 'Energizer Bunny' had undergone some minor changes over the course of time, but in 2016, he had the most radical change of all. Like the character 'Pinocchio' - who turned into a real boy by the end of his story - the anthropomorphic bunny (through a combination of CGI and puppetry effects) has become more life-like (and less toy-like) than ever before! Here are a series of very short spots with him (from 2016 and 2017), presented in chronological order (with the best one ["Poof"] saved for last):
"Power Suit": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJAjb2GYHlM
"Fluffy Tail": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b7k66_Psps
"Naughty, Nice": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecctpF0Nf8c
"In-Laws": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CHMtB4Eogo
"Carrots": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjwcfUDnMEM
"Writing on the Lens": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFFEWKGUpsg
"Poof": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ub-zb7LVbk
3. Geico: (:30 each) Once again, the insurance company released two new commercials with animals in them. First, the old standby 'Geico Gecko' appears as a co-pilot in a jet plane; and then, the newest critter (who's not a talking camel, a pig that goes "Whee!", or a pair of badminton-playing fleas) in the latest spot, who may be a 'party animal', but is rather slow at playing party games (like "Pictionary")...
"Gecko Air Show": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMcvcPLQwr8
"Game Night with a Sloth": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl3l6Bq6bMo
2. Johnsonville Sausage: "Jeff and his Forest Friends" (1:00): This particular advert debuted in 2016, and I only got to see the thirty-second version of it for the first time last month. But, I'd found the one-minute version on "YouTube", and I think some of you will enjoy it - even if these woodland creatures (in order: a raccoon, a squirrel, a turkey, a porcupine, and a wolf) look like audioanimatronic puppet rejects from Disneyland!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FlfNE9U11M
1. John Lewis: "Moz The Monster" (2:00): As part of its annual tradition, the folks behind the U.K. store chain came up with another terrific holiday advert. This time, it involves a little boy and the relationship he shares with the 'monster under the bed' (who resembles a refugee from the live-action film version of "Where The Wild Things Are"). Watch this spot, and see if you don't fall in love with 'Moz', too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw1Y-zhQURU #MozTheMonster
ADDENDA: There was a rumor going around that this year's John Lewis holiday advert was presented in the form of (a condensed version of) the award-winning CGI short "A Fox And A Mouse", presented as "The Fox and the Mouse" (3:48)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_0BluZgHg
...but I think that it was a 'decoy', and that "Moz The Monster" was the real John Lewis holiday advert. BTW, if you wish to view the original (and complete) "Fox/Mouse" short subject, here's the link to it...
"A Fox And A Mouse" (6:23): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZyjJtBllow
And, as far as past John Lewis holiday adverts go, my favorite still has to be 2016's "Buster The Boxer" (2:00) - with all those animals (wild and domesticated) having fun on that trampoline... Priceless!
"Buster The Boxer": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr6lr_VRsEo #BusterTheBoxer
As usual, let me know if you're unable to view any of the above commercials - in case I'd typed in the wrong characters in any of these links. And if I'm unavailable, just type in the commercial brand name and the subject matter of the spot in the 'search' section on the 'Home' page of "YouTube"...
Next month, I hope to wrap up 2017 with any last-minute TV ads with animals that I might have overlooked during the year.
- - - - - - - - - - 5. State Farm: "Together" (:30): Last month, I had described two Subaru commercials (in the #1 spot) that each had a dog in it. This time, a dog is featured in a spot for the auto insurance company, as he is joined by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a 'flashback montage' - when the duo shared some 'good times' in a new car... only to have a neighbor's 'drone' ruin things! (Contradictory to the company's slogan, the dog doesn't "...like a good neighbor..."!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EejU7BmW5Mo
4. Energizer: "New Bunny Spots" (:15 each): Many years ago, a commercial to promote long-lasting batteries depicted a whole bunch of drum-beating rabbit toys - only to have one surpass them all, and he's been a popular advertising icon ever since. The 'Energizer Bunny' had undergone some minor changes over the course of time, but in 2016, he had the most radical change of all. Like the character 'Pinocchio' - who turned into a real boy by the end of his story - the anthropomorphic bunny (through a combination of CGI and puppetry effects) has become more life-like (and less toy-like) than ever before! Here are a series of very short spots with him (from 2016 and 2017), presented in chronological order (with the best one ["Poof"] saved for last):
"Power Suit": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJAjb2GYHlM
"Fluffy Tail": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b7k66_Psps
"Naughty, Nice": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecctpF0Nf8c
"In-Laws": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CHMtB4Eogo
"Carrots": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjwcfUDnMEM
"Writing on the Lens": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFFEWKGUpsg
"Poof": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ub-zb7LVbk
3. Geico: (:30 each) Once again, the insurance company released two new commercials with animals in them. First, the old standby 'Geico Gecko' appears as a co-pilot in a jet plane; and then, the newest critter (who's not a talking camel, a pig that goes "Whee!", or a pair of badminton-playing fleas) in the latest spot, who may be a 'party animal', but is rather slow at playing party games (like "Pictionary")...
"Gecko Air Show": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMcvcPLQwr8
"Game Night with a Sloth": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl3l6Bq6bMo
2. Johnsonville Sausage: "Jeff and his Forest Friends" (1:00): This particular advert debuted in 2016, and I only got to see the thirty-second version of it for the first time last month. But, I'd found the one-minute version on "YouTube", and I think some of you will enjoy it - even if these woodland creatures (in order: a raccoon, a squirrel, a turkey, a porcupine, and a wolf) look like audioanimatronic puppet rejects from Disneyland!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FlfNE9U11M
1. John Lewis: "Moz The Monster" (2:00): As part of its annual tradition, the folks behind the U.K. store chain came up with another terrific holiday advert. This time, it involves a little boy and the relationship he shares with the 'monster under the bed' (who resembles a refugee from the live-action film version of "Where The Wild Things Are"). Watch this spot, and see if you don't fall in love with 'Moz', too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw1Y-zhQURU #MozTheMonster
ADDENDA: There was a rumor going around that this year's John Lewis holiday advert was presented in the form of (a condensed version of) the award-winning CGI short "A Fox And A Mouse", presented as "The Fox and the Mouse" (3:48)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_0BluZgHg
...but I think that it was a 'decoy', and that "Moz The Monster" was the real John Lewis holiday advert. BTW, if you wish to view the original (and complete) "Fox/Mouse" short subject, here's the link to it...
"A Fox And A Mouse" (6:23): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZyjJtBllow
And, as far as past John Lewis holiday adverts go, my favorite still has to be 2016's "Buster The Boxer" (2:00) - with all those animals (wild and domesticated) having fun on that trampoline... Priceless!
"Buster The Boxer": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr6lr_VRsEo #BusterTheBoxer
- - - - - - - - - - As usual, let me know if you're unable to view any of the above commercials - in case I'd typed in the wrong characters in any of these links. And if I'm unavailable, just type in the commercial brand name and the subject matter of the spot in the 'search' section on the 'Home' page of "YouTube"...
Next month, I hope to wrap up 2017 with any last-minute TV ads with animals that I might have overlooked during the year.
"In Case You Are Wondering..."
Posted 8 years agoUsually, during one of my 'sweeps months', I would attempt to post more of my material (artwork, 'photo-ops', etc.), but not at this moment in time...
Some construction workers had accidentally cut a wire behind my condo building yesterday - disconnecting me from the Internet on my computer - rendering me incapable of downloading any of my material to "Fur Affinity". (I can still visit the website, from time to time, via my tablet - at various places with free Wi-Fi - but that's all.)
And, of course, I can't go to "FA" on any library computers in south Florida, due to the fact that the R-, X-, and NC-17-rated material (submitted by other contributors) resulted in my being 'blocked' from said site.
So, please be patient, and (hopefully) I will resume posting all-new material (I'd promised I would) later this month...
ADDENDA: As of Monday, November 13, 2017, an AT&T representative was able to restore the Internet to my home computer! (He would've come to my Margate condo building a lot sooner, were it not for the reconstruction of the parking spaces on 4th Place - which began on Friday. Said rep parked one block north of my residence, and still made the necessary repairs.)
I will try to make up for lost time, by posting two or more images a day, so please be patient...
Some construction workers had accidentally cut a wire behind my condo building yesterday - disconnecting me from the Internet on my computer - rendering me incapable of downloading any of my material to "Fur Affinity". (I can still visit the website, from time to time, via my tablet - at various places with free Wi-Fi - but that's all.)
And, of course, I can't go to "FA" on any library computers in south Florida, due to the fact that the R-, X-, and NC-17-rated material (submitted by other contributors) resulted in my being 'blocked' from said site.
So, please be patient, and (hopefully) I will resume posting all-new material (I'd promised I would) later this month...
- - - - - - - - - - ADDENDA: As of Monday, November 13, 2017, an AT&T representative was able to restore the Internet to my home computer! (He would've come to my Margate condo building a lot sooner, were it not for the reconstruction of the parking spaces on 4th Place - which began on Friday. Said rep parked one block north of my residence, and still made the necessary repairs.)
I will try to make up for lost time, by posting two or more images a day, so please be patient...
"Coming Attractions" #50
Posted 8 years agoHere it is, November, 2017, and (like the major American TV networks) it's time for another 'sweeps month' here in my "Fur Affinity" site...
During the month, I hope to post all-new editions of "EFF Acronyms" and "Front & Back" comic gags, not to mention the occasional "Throwaway Gag"...
As for 'photo-ops', I'll have some special snapshots of various animals I'd seen (back in July) at the Palm Beach Zoo in Dreher Park (Florida), as well as some more pix taken on Long Island - including wedding photos of my niece Corynne and her newlywed husband Hector - as described in my ten-part "Return to New York" journal...
Speaking of journals, I'll be presenting the latest editions of "Fur-One-One" (anthropomorphic data), "Fat Furry News" (including links to corpulent comic characters in strips - both syndicated and Internet), and one assortment of "Animal Commercials" (featuring links to seeing them in YouTube)...
And November wouldn't be complete without a new sketch revolving around Thanksgiving. I hope to present new art for the holiday, while I show off my old art in the "Previous Submission" section...
All this, and much, much more (more or less), during my latest 'sweeps month' in my "FA" site!
During the month, I hope to post all-new editions of "EFF Acronyms" and "Front & Back" comic gags, not to mention the occasional "Throwaway Gag"...
As for 'photo-ops', I'll have some special snapshots of various animals I'd seen (back in July) at the Palm Beach Zoo in Dreher Park (Florida), as well as some more pix taken on Long Island - including wedding photos of my niece Corynne and her newlywed husband Hector - as described in my ten-part "Return to New York" journal...
Speaking of journals, I'll be presenting the latest editions of "Fur-One-One" (anthropomorphic data), "Fat Furry News" (including links to corpulent comic characters in strips - both syndicated and Internet), and one assortment of "Animal Commercials" (featuring links to seeing them in YouTube)...
And November wouldn't be complete without a new sketch revolving around Thanksgiving. I hope to present new art for the holiday, while I show off my old art in the "Previous Submission" section...
All this, and much, much more (more or less), during my latest 'sweeps month' in my "FA" site!
"Return to New York": Part Ten
Posted 8 years agoFollowing the events of Monday, June 26, 2017 - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8453054/ - I had taken the L.I.R.R. back to Wantagh, New York at a much earlier time, where my sister Rhonda was waiting for me at the train station in her SUV. We went back to her home - where her daughter Erica, and their three papillon dogs 'Zipper', 'Estrella', and 'Chewie' - but only for a short time.
Joined by my brother Glenn, and various other friends, neighbors, and relatives, we collectively went out (in several vehicle) to an ice cream parlor located in Massapequa, for one final blow-out on the penultimate day of my return to New York. (This place not only served ice cream, but also sell a variety of retro candies - such as Turkish Taffy, Walnettos, etc.). I had a two-scoop sundae with lots of nuts, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream... followed by sweet dreams I would have on that last night - finally sharing the living room sofa with Glenn (instead of sleeping on that inflatable mattress on the floor). Luckily, that piece of furniture was long enough to accommodate the two of us, without neither one of us touching each other...
The next morning, Rhonda prepared our last breakfast (coffee and bagels), as Glenn and I did some last-minute packing of our clothes, souvenirs, and other personal items. Joined by one of her neighbors, we began to leave for John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens... but not before stopping off at a nearby grassy area for one last 'photo-op' of all three Martinez siblings - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/25275171/ - because we don't know when we'll be getting together again.
From there, we went west on the Southern State Parkway (which I used to take back in the 1970s and 1980s, when I had a car - and the roadway used to have a toll booth and a gas station along the way), followed by going south on the Cross Island Parkway, and then going west on the Belt Parkway, until we'd reached JFK Airport. Miraculously, we'd avoided the congestion of the early 'rush hour' traffic, but our sister - who hardly travels to said airport - missed the exit to our terminal... not once, not twice, but three times!!!
"Let me drive us to the terminal, Sis!" I'd said to Rhonda, during the second time she'd passed said exit.
"If you don't stop complaining," Rhonda said angrily, "I'm going to let you out here, and you can walk to the terminal!"
I refrained from any further backlashes.
Eventually, getting to the terminal, Glenn and I hugged and kissed our sister "good-bye", took our luggage, entered and approached the departure gate area. After the usual B.S. with Security (X-raying most of the stuff in our respective pants pockets, standing in a booth that scanned my body [from top to bottom], and pleading with one of the officials not to let my two disposable cameras going through any machinery [so as not to have all of my film get ruined]), we went to a 'waiting area'... not even for the plane, but for a shuttle bus, that would drive us to the exact site where our plane would arrive and allow us to board.
One bright moment occurred during the shuttle bus ride... I saw through the front window of the vehicle a 'double rainbow' in the eastern sky. Quickly whipping out one of my cameras, I took a picture of it! Then, I'd asked our bus driver if he ever gets to see sights like that...
"Sometimes," he said, "but not too often. Thanks for pointing that out to me!"
Eventually, we'd boarded the Delta passenger jet, placed our luggage in the overhead compartments, and sat down in our assigned seats. This time, I got the window seat, while Glenn sat in a middle area (unlike our trip to New York, when the roles were reversed).
During our flight, I'd kept myself occupied with some photocopied Isodoku (3-D Sudoku) puzzles, while Glenn used the video screen on the seat in front of him to follow the route we were taking, back to south Florida.
Once in a while, I would look beyond the seats in front of us, just to see what those passengers were watching on their video screens. As it turned out, they were viewing the same movie, "The Founder" (with Michael Keaton) - which was just as entertaining as the movie I'd witnessed the folks in front of us saw (on our trip to New York), "The Lego Batman Movie".
It was already past Sunset, halfway during our flight, when I began to look at Glenn's video screen, and counted down the number of hours and miles, before we finally arrived at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. We each ate a light nosh (of almonds and water), provided by our flight attendants, at the three-quarters mark...
Finally crossing the Atlantic Coast over Florida (going westward), I began to recognize some of the usual landmarks of Palm Beach and Broward Counties (even though it was nighttime, and all that we could see were numerous street lights). Once the plane turned around, and headed eastward towards said airport, I began to see the familiar sights (even though we were still thousand of feet in the air) - including the BB&T Center (where the NHL Florida Panthers play their home games), north-and-south routes like University Drive, Florida's Turnpike, State Road 7, and (finally) Interstate 95 - as our plane descended and came to a safe landing on the runway.
Waiting patiently for other passengers to retrieve their luggage, at long last, Glenn and I deplaned, entered the terminal, and waited for the arrival of one of Glenn's friends - who came in her car to pick us up and drive us back home to Margate (and to our respective Oriole Gardens condos).
Leaving my suitcase in the living room of my apartment, I got undressed, took a nice warm bath in the rear bathroom, and promptly fell asleep in the tub. It's been a very long (and somewhat eventful) week for me... and I'll never know when I'll experience something like this again, for the rest of my life!
In the event that you might have missed any of my ten-part journal "Return to New York", here are the links to each one of them:
Part One: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8287821
Part Two: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8290561
Part Three: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8294880
Part Four: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8298255
Part Five: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8313786
Part Six: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8316848
Part Seven: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8325704
Part Eight: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8446571
Part Nine: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8453054
Part Ten: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8473972
Joined by my brother Glenn, and various other friends, neighbors, and relatives, we collectively went out (in several vehicle) to an ice cream parlor located in Massapequa, for one final blow-out on the penultimate day of my return to New York. (This place not only served ice cream, but also sell a variety of retro candies - such as Turkish Taffy, Walnettos, etc.). I had a two-scoop sundae with lots of nuts, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream... followed by sweet dreams I would have on that last night - finally sharing the living room sofa with Glenn (instead of sleeping on that inflatable mattress on the floor). Luckily, that piece of furniture was long enough to accommodate the two of us, without neither one of us touching each other...
The next morning, Rhonda prepared our last breakfast (coffee and bagels), as Glenn and I did some last-minute packing of our clothes, souvenirs, and other personal items. Joined by one of her neighbors, we began to leave for John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens... but not before stopping off at a nearby grassy area for one last 'photo-op' of all three Martinez siblings - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/25275171/ - because we don't know when we'll be getting together again.
From there, we went west on the Southern State Parkway (which I used to take back in the 1970s and 1980s, when I had a car - and the roadway used to have a toll booth and a gas station along the way), followed by going south on the Cross Island Parkway, and then going west on the Belt Parkway, until we'd reached JFK Airport. Miraculously, we'd avoided the congestion of the early 'rush hour' traffic, but our sister - who hardly travels to said airport - missed the exit to our terminal... not once, not twice, but three times!!!
"Let me drive us to the terminal, Sis!" I'd said to Rhonda, during the second time she'd passed said exit.
"If you don't stop complaining," Rhonda said angrily, "I'm going to let you out here, and you can walk to the terminal!"
I refrained from any further backlashes.
Eventually, getting to the terminal, Glenn and I hugged and kissed our sister "good-bye", took our luggage, entered and approached the departure gate area. After the usual B.S. with Security (X-raying most of the stuff in our respective pants pockets, standing in a booth that scanned my body [from top to bottom], and pleading with one of the officials not to let my two disposable cameras going through any machinery [so as not to have all of my film get ruined]), we went to a 'waiting area'... not even for the plane, but for a shuttle bus, that would drive us to the exact site where our plane would arrive and allow us to board.
One bright moment occurred during the shuttle bus ride... I saw through the front window of the vehicle a 'double rainbow' in the eastern sky. Quickly whipping out one of my cameras, I took a picture of it! Then, I'd asked our bus driver if he ever gets to see sights like that...
"Sometimes," he said, "but not too often. Thanks for pointing that out to me!"
Eventually, we'd boarded the Delta passenger jet, placed our luggage in the overhead compartments, and sat down in our assigned seats. This time, I got the window seat, while Glenn sat in a middle area (unlike our trip to New York, when the roles were reversed).
During our flight, I'd kept myself occupied with some photocopied Isodoku (3-D Sudoku) puzzles, while Glenn used the video screen on the seat in front of him to follow the route we were taking, back to south Florida.
Once in a while, I would look beyond the seats in front of us, just to see what those passengers were watching on their video screens. As it turned out, they were viewing the same movie, "The Founder" (with Michael Keaton) - which was just as entertaining as the movie I'd witnessed the folks in front of us saw (on our trip to New York), "The Lego Batman Movie".
It was already past Sunset, halfway during our flight, when I began to look at Glenn's video screen, and counted down the number of hours and miles, before we finally arrived at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. We each ate a light nosh (of almonds and water), provided by our flight attendants, at the three-quarters mark...
Finally crossing the Atlantic Coast over Florida (going westward), I began to recognize some of the usual landmarks of Palm Beach and Broward Counties (even though it was nighttime, and all that we could see were numerous street lights). Once the plane turned around, and headed eastward towards said airport, I began to see the familiar sights (even though we were still thousand of feet in the air) - including the BB&T Center (where the NHL Florida Panthers play their home games), north-and-south routes like University Drive, Florida's Turnpike, State Road 7, and (finally) Interstate 95 - as our plane descended and came to a safe landing on the runway.
Waiting patiently for other passengers to retrieve their luggage, at long last, Glenn and I deplaned, entered the terminal, and waited for the arrival of one of Glenn's friends - who came in her car to pick us up and drive us back home to Margate (and to our respective Oriole Gardens condos).
Leaving my suitcase in the living room of my apartment, I got undressed, took a nice warm bath in the rear bathroom, and promptly fell asleep in the tub. It's been a very long (and somewhat eventful) week for me... and I'll never know when I'll experience something like this again, for the rest of my life!
- - - - - - - - - - In the event that you might have missed any of my ten-part journal "Return to New York", here are the links to each one of them:
Part One: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8287821
Part Two: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8290561
Part Three: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8294880
Part Four: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8298255
Part Five: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8313786
Part Six: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8316848
Part Seven: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8325704
Part Eight: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8446571
Part Nine: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8453054
Part Ten: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8473972
"Latest Animal Commercials"
Posted 8 years agoGoing through "YouTube", I came across some more commercials with all sorts of fauna - playing a vital role in pushing the product or service. Here's another selection of my latest finds (each one accompanied by a short commentary, and respective "YouTube" links)...
5. Del Toro Auto Insurance: I first saw this series of ads - done in CGI with a matador and an anthropomorphic bull - on some of the Spanish-speaking Cable TV channels in south Florida. But now, the bull speaks English on other channels. Here are two versions of the same commercial, the first one in English and the second one in Spanish...
"I see your phone there!" (:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=t88Fs_NnoxM
"iVeo ta telefono ahi!" (:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgUGtyAhZa4
(BTW, you can check out other Del Toro ads elsewhere in "YouTube".)
4. Lunchables: "Selling Lemonade" (:30): In their newest ad, 'Jacky' the jackalope and 'Platy' the platypus now compete against each other, upping the ante at their respective lemonade stands - concluding (as usual) with the two of them explaining their situation to some kids, who are eating Lunchables...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=35dz1-pJoJl
3. Geico: "Coney Island" (:30): Continuing his trip across America, we find the 'Geico Gecko' in Brooklyn, NY - along a game-filled midway at Coney Island. While promoting the company's auto insurance, our little hero wins a 'game of chance'. His prize: a plush replica of himself!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez-Et0rV8Tk
2. Doritos: In the past, the folks at Frito-Lay held a contest for creative minds to come up with a funny thirty-second Doritos ad, with the finalists airing them during the Super Bowl. Past winning entries include the spot with three dogs dressing up as one tall human, in order to sneak the snack out of a supermarket. Currently, many networks are airing the 'runner-up ads' with animals in them. Here are two you are sure to like:
"Elephant in the Room" (:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf_0TsBPMwM
"Dog Fetch" (:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=OszClgHHrq4
1. Subaru: The folks at the car company decided to change their slogan this year - from "Love: It's what makes a Subaru a Subaru" to "Love is out there". And two of their newest spots feature dogs in them. My favorite commercial, this time around is the 'Butch' ad. Many of you had probably seen the thirty-second version; but "YouTube" has ninety-second (extended) versions, making them incredible mini-stories with their canine characters stealing the scene. Enjoy each one of them:
"Dream Weekend" (1:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRa94Gmx-Ms
"Butch" (1:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=St3dTT9ybBk
If I'd made mistakes in any of the "YouTube" links, go to the home page, type out the brand name and the commercial's title, and hit Enter, in order to bring up the ad.
I hope to present one more collection of 2017 animal commercials before year's end. I'm sure there will be some new ones pertaining to the upcoming holidays...
- - - - - - - - - - 5. Del Toro Auto Insurance: I first saw this series of ads - done in CGI with a matador and an anthropomorphic bull - on some of the Spanish-speaking Cable TV channels in south Florida. But now, the bull speaks English on other channels. Here are two versions of the same commercial, the first one in English and the second one in Spanish...
"I see your phone there!" (:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=t88Fs_NnoxM
"iVeo ta telefono ahi!" (:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgUGtyAhZa4
(BTW, you can check out other Del Toro ads elsewhere in "YouTube".)
4. Lunchables: "Selling Lemonade" (:30): In their newest ad, 'Jacky' the jackalope and 'Platy' the platypus now compete against each other, upping the ante at their respective lemonade stands - concluding (as usual) with the two of them explaining their situation to some kids, who are eating Lunchables...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=35dz1-pJoJl
3. Geico: "Coney Island" (:30): Continuing his trip across America, we find the 'Geico Gecko' in Brooklyn, NY - along a game-filled midway at Coney Island. While promoting the company's auto insurance, our little hero wins a 'game of chance'. His prize: a plush replica of himself!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez-Et0rV8Tk
2. Doritos: In the past, the folks at Frito-Lay held a contest for creative minds to come up with a funny thirty-second Doritos ad, with the finalists airing them during the Super Bowl. Past winning entries include the spot with three dogs dressing up as one tall human, in order to sneak the snack out of a supermarket. Currently, many networks are airing the 'runner-up ads' with animals in them. Here are two you are sure to like:
"Elephant in the Room" (:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf_0TsBPMwM
"Dog Fetch" (:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=OszClgHHrq4
1. Subaru: The folks at the car company decided to change their slogan this year - from "Love: It's what makes a Subaru a Subaru" to "Love is out there". And two of their newest spots feature dogs in them. My favorite commercial, this time around is the 'Butch' ad. Many of you had probably seen the thirty-second version; but "YouTube" has ninety-second (extended) versions, making them incredible mini-stories with their canine characters stealing the scene. Enjoy each one of them:
"Dream Weekend" (1:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRa94Gmx-Ms
"Butch" (1:30): www.youtube.com/watch?v=St3dTT9ybBk
- - - - - - - - - - If I'd made mistakes in any of the "YouTube" links, go to the home page, type out the brand name and the commercial's title, and hit Enter, in order to bring up the ad.
I hope to present one more collection of 2017 animal commercials before year's end. I'm sure there will be some new ones pertaining to the upcoming holidays...
"Return to New York": Part Nine
Posted 8 years agoPrior to all the activities I took in during the wedding and the reception in East Rockaway, New York, I had made plans to reunite with a second friend of mine - who I had not seen in nearly 24 years...
I'd first met anthroartist/writer Steven F. Scharff (a.k.a.
Unidyne) back in the early 1980s - when both he and I were contributors to "Inside Joke" (an independent publication, whose staff included additional cartoonists such as 
AngelBearOH (creator of "Galen the Saintly") and (the late) John P. Morgan (of "Fission Chicken" fame). We'd all attended a special staff party thrown by "IJ" editor Elayne Wechsler, where we got to know a lot about each other...
At that time, Steven was also a contributor to the 'funny animal' APAzine "Rowrbrazzle" (since Issue #2), and I got to learn all about the material in copies of the publication he'd share with me - whenever I'd visit his (then) home in Union, New Jersey. All of the images (from such talented contributors as
MKaz, 
Frenata, 
SteveGallacci, 
JoeStrike, 
Rabbi-Tom, et al) inspired me to join in by the end of the 1980s. And, subsequently, this led to my discovering various 'furry websites' - most notably "Fur Affinity"...
The last time Steven and I saw each other was during a "going-away party" in the Summer of 1993, when he and his parents planned to relocate from Union, NJ to Henderson, Nevada (just outside of Las Vegas). I'd posted several 'photo-ops' of this special occasion, not too long ago...
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5331138
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/18927125
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/18927753
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/18928321
Since then, Steven had made lots of new friends out on the West Coast for a number of years. And even though the hot (and unpredictable) weather of Nevada was a bit of a bugaboo to him, he tolerated his new home...
However, the ravages of time couldn't forestall the inevitable of Steven's family. His father passed on in 2015, and his mother followed suit in early 2017. Even his favorite pet cat succumbed to time later that year.
Making a bold decision, Scharff decided to finally sell the house in Henderson, and considered moving back to the East Coast.
Fortunately, his brother still resided in New Jersey, so he had someplace to stay, while he chose late June to go exploring in upstate New York for new digs to move into (at a much later date). And, as luck would have it, I just happened to be in New York that same week, to attend the wedding of my niece Corynne and her future husband Hector...
Using the phone number on the "Members Page" of the most recent issue of "Rowrbrazzle", I'd called up Steven and asked him if he had a free day to meet me (during my first trip to the 'Big Apple' in a quarter of a century). I'd already told him about my recent reunion with Joe Strike on Friday, June 23rd, and the impending nuptials on Sunday, June 25th.
We'd agreed to meet outside of Penn Station on Monday, June 26th. Timing was everything, as I had to catch an early L.I.R.R. train from Wantagh, while Steven was dropped off by his brother (who, by coincidence, had a doctor's appointment that morning) at a PATH train station in Newark. Steven got to the rendezvous point (near 34th Street and Eighth Avenue) first, and I'd followed twenty minutes later.
As we'd walked north on Eighth Avenue, we began to regale each other with stories of the past twenty-odd years. Turning right on 42nd Street, we were both amazed by the numerous changes made in midtown Manhattan (such as the lack of XXX porno film houses, and more regular movie and stage theaters).
As we got to Times Square, Steven was astounded by the reorganization of this major thoroughfare (especially the pedestrian walkway on a large stretch of Broadway). At the corner of 42nd Street & Broadway, we saw a very odd site, as kids were seated in very round, rolling seats (which looked like someone spilled a whole bunch of red pushpins onto a very large desk). On a dare, we each took turns sitting in these unorthodox chairs, while one person took a picture of the other. It was a hysterical moment for each of us, as we'd felt like we were going to fall out onto the sidewalk (which didn't occur, thankfully).
Resuming our stroll, we'd continued through Times Square, stopping briefly at 57th Street, to check out such well-known tourist attractions as Carnegie Hall and the Russian Tea Room (the latter establishment being 'under new management'). Returning to Broadway, we'd crossed Columbus Circle, and headed north on Seventh Avenue, on the west side of Central Park. Passing one of the Trump Tower buildings nearby, Steven and I both shared a disgust of our new "Idiot-In-Chief".
I'd started recognizing other spots on Seventh Avenue - including the church where a scene from "The Out-Of-Towners" (with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis) was shot, and the Dakota - the home of Yoko Ono and (the late) John Lennon.
After buying a special souvenir T-shirt for my brother Glenn (who couldn't join us that day), Steven and I entered Central Park, and went immediately to Strawberry Fields (with its famous "Imagine" tiled memorial to the rock legend).
We each took photos of the various sights in the park. While I took a snapshot of the famed Bethesda Fountain (featuring in such movies as "Enchanted" and "Stuart Little"), Steven took more pictures of the hansom cab drivers, their passengers, and the horses that pulled the vehicles.
Exiting at the east side on Fifth Avenue (and heading southward), we began to recollect other sights, such as the Central Park Zoo, the Hayden Planetarium, and the Plaza Hotel. We also mourned the loss of other attractions I used to see such as the F.A.O. Schwarz toy store (featured in the Tom Hanks movie "Big").
Then, we came upon a very bizarre sight, as we saw some tourists in front of a building, taking pictures of themselves, standing next to New York City policemen!
"Well, Jed, they are New York's finest," Steven speculated.
"Yeah," I replied. "They did all they could during '9-11'..."
It was only then, that I'd looked up, and saw on the building the real reason why said tourists were posing with the cops. It was summed up in one word: TRUMP!!
We quickly moved along, trying to erase that image from our minds!
Stopping off at a Mom & Pop eatery (instead of the usual chain restaurants), we had a light lunch, as Steven continued to explain to me his future plans...
"After unloading a number of personal artifacts," he said, "I hope to sell the house before the end of the year, and move in with my brother for a short time, before moving to upstate New York."
"Any prospective buyers yet?" I'd asked.
"One neighbor wanted to use the property for his motorcycle collection."
"How interesting."
After our repast, we began to head back towards Penn Station, so that Steven can catch an early afternoon train to reconnect with his sibling in Newark. Along the way, we passed through Rockefeller Center, where the three-story-tall inflatable ballerina (which I saw three days ago with Joe Strike) still sat, overlooking the area of the ice rink (still replaced with chairs and tables for the Summer).
Finally, we'd reached the entrance to Madison Square Garden, where I got a total stranger to take a picture of the two of us. You can check out said picture at this link:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/25094960/
Going underground, we got to the Penn Station ticket booth. We'd promised to keep in touch with each other, via the Facebook 'Messenger' feature. After one last embrace, we went our separate ways.
I still had a little time to kill in Manhattan, so I walked down to Union Square, where I did a little shopping at two Broadway stores I used to frequent, when I was still a New York resident: Forbidden Planet (an internationally-known comic book emporium) and Strand Books (where I'd picked up a copy of a rare book of stories by famed "New Yorker" writer James Thurber - "Further Fables For Our Times").
After taking a few last-minute snapshots (with my disposable camera), I headed back north to Penn Station, caught an early evening L.I.R.R. train, and headed back to Wantagh - where my sister Rhonda would be waiting for me in her SUV - with more plans for my final day in New York...
"UPDATE": Shortly after posting this journal, I had learned (via "Facebook") that Steven F. Scharff managed to find some temporary lodgings in Suffern, New York - which he will hopefully move into before the end of 2017. He'll be residing there for a year, while seeking employment in (or near) the upstate town. Once he lands a good job, he'll try to find another place that will be his permanent residence...
Of course, in his spare time, he'll continue to contribute his art and written material for future issues of "Rowrbrazzle". BTW, if any of you would like to join the long-running 'funny animal' APAzine, contact its editor Edd Vick at edd[at]speakeasy.net or write to him at 1505 SW Alaska Street, Seattle, Washington 98106.
(To be concluded...)
I'd first met anthroartist/writer Steven F. Scharff (a.k.a.
Unidyne) back in the early 1980s - when both he and I were contributors to "Inside Joke" (an independent publication, whose staff included additional cartoonists such as 
AngelBearOH (creator of "Galen the Saintly") and (the late) John P. Morgan (of "Fission Chicken" fame). We'd all attended a special staff party thrown by "IJ" editor Elayne Wechsler, where we got to know a lot about each other... At that time, Steven was also a contributor to the 'funny animal' APAzine "Rowrbrazzle" (since Issue #2), and I got to learn all about the material in copies of the publication he'd share with me - whenever I'd visit his (then) home in Union, New Jersey. All of the images (from such talented contributors as
MKaz, 
Frenata, 
SteveGallacci, 
JoeStrike, 
Rabbi-Tom, et al) inspired me to join in by the end of the 1980s. And, subsequently, this led to my discovering various 'furry websites' - most notably "Fur Affinity"... The last time Steven and I saw each other was during a "going-away party" in the Summer of 1993, when he and his parents planned to relocate from Union, NJ to Henderson, Nevada (just outside of Las Vegas). I'd posted several 'photo-ops' of this special occasion, not too long ago...
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5331138
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/18927125
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/18927753
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/18928321
Since then, Steven had made lots of new friends out on the West Coast for a number of years. And even though the hot (and unpredictable) weather of Nevada was a bit of a bugaboo to him, he tolerated his new home...
However, the ravages of time couldn't forestall the inevitable of Steven's family. His father passed on in 2015, and his mother followed suit in early 2017. Even his favorite pet cat succumbed to time later that year.
Making a bold decision, Scharff decided to finally sell the house in Henderson, and considered moving back to the East Coast.
Fortunately, his brother still resided in New Jersey, so he had someplace to stay, while he chose late June to go exploring in upstate New York for new digs to move into (at a much later date). And, as luck would have it, I just happened to be in New York that same week, to attend the wedding of my niece Corynne and her future husband Hector...
Using the phone number on the "Members Page" of the most recent issue of "Rowrbrazzle", I'd called up Steven and asked him if he had a free day to meet me (during my first trip to the 'Big Apple' in a quarter of a century). I'd already told him about my recent reunion with Joe Strike on Friday, June 23rd, and the impending nuptials on Sunday, June 25th.
We'd agreed to meet outside of Penn Station on Monday, June 26th. Timing was everything, as I had to catch an early L.I.R.R. train from Wantagh, while Steven was dropped off by his brother (who, by coincidence, had a doctor's appointment that morning) at a PATH train station in Newark. Steven got to the rendezvous point (near 34th Street and Eighth Avenue) first, and I'd followed twenty minutes later.
As we'd walked north on Eighth Avenue, we began to regale each other with stories of the past twenty-odd years. Turning right on 42nd Street, we were both amazed by the numerous changes made in midtown Manhattan (such as the lack of XXX porno film houses, and more regular movie and stage theaters).
As we got to Times Square, Steven was astounded by the reorganization of this major thoroughfare (especially the pedestrian walkway on a large stretch of Broadway). At the corner of 42nd Street & Broadway, we saw a very odd site, as kids were seated in very round, rolling seats (which looked like someone spilled a whole bunch of red pushpins onto a very large desk). On a dare, we each took turns sitting in these unorthodox chairs, while one person took a picture of the other. It was a hysterical moment for each of us, as we'd felt like we were going to fall out onto the sidewalk (which didn't occur, thankfully).
Resuming our stroll, we'd continued through Times Square, stopping briefly at 57th Street, to check out such well-known tourist attractions as Carnegie Hall and the Russian Tea Room (the latter establishment being 'under new management'). Returning to Broadway, we'd crossed Columbus Circle, and headed north on Seventh Avenue, on the west side of Central Park. Passing one of the Trump Tower buildings nearby, Steven and I both shared a disgust of our new "Idiot-In-Chief".
I'd started recognizing other spots on Seventh Avenue - including the church where a scene from "The Out-Of-Towners" (with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis) was shot, and the Dakota - the home of Yoko Ono and (the late) John Lennon.
After buying a special souvenir T-shirt for my brother Glenn (who couldn't join us that day), Steven and I entered Central Park, and went immediately to Strawberry Fields (with its famous "Imagine" tiled memorial to the rock legend).
We each took photos of the various sights in the park. While I took a snapshot of the famed Bethesda Fountain (featuring in such movies as "Enchanted" and "Stuart Little"), Steven took more pictures of the hansom cab drivers, their passengers, and the horses that pulled the vehicles.
Exiting at the east side on Fifth Avenue (and heading southward), we began to recollect other sights, such as the Central Park Zoo, the Hayden Planetarium, and the Plaza Hotel. We also mourned the loss of other attractions I used to see such as the F.A.O. Schwarz toy store (featured in the Tom Hanks movie "Big").
Then, we came upon a very bizarre sight, as we saw some tourists in front of a building, taking pictures of themselves, standing next to New York City policemen!
"Well, Jed, they are New York's finest," Steven speculated.
"Yeah," I replied. "They did all they could during '9-11'..."
It was only then, that I'd looked up, and saw on the building the real reason why said tourists were posing with the cops. It was summed up in one word: TRUMP!!
We quickly moved along, trying to erase that image from our minds!
Stopping off at a Mom & Pop eatery (instead of the usual chain restaurants), we had a light lunch, as Steven continued to explain to me his future plans...
"After unloading a number of personal artifacts," he said, "I hope to sell the house before the end of the year, and move in with my brother for a short time, before moving to upstate New York."
"Any prospective buyers yet?" I'd asked.
"One neighbor wanted to use the property for his motorcycle collection."
"How interesting."
After our repast, we began to head back towards Penn Station, so that Steven can catch an early afternoon train to reconnect with his sibling in Newark. Along the way, we passed through Rockefeller Center, where the three-story-tall inflatable ballerina (which I saw three days ago with Joe Strike) still sat, overlooking the area of the ice rink (still replaced with chairs and tables for the Summer).
Finally, we'd reached the entrance to Madison Square Garden, where I got a total stranger to take a picture of the two of us. You can check out said picture at this link:
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/25094960/
Going underground, we got to the Penn Station ticket booth. We'd promised to keep in touch with each other, via the Facebook 'Messenger' feature. After one last embrace, we went our separate ways.
I still had a little time to kill in Manhattan, so I walked down to Union Square, where I did a little shopping at two Broadway stores I used to frequent, when I was still a New York resident: Forbidden Planet (an internationally-known comic book emporium) and Strand Books (where I'd picked up a copy of a rare book of stories by famed "New Yorker" writer James Thurber - "Further Fables For Our Times").
After taking a few last-minute snapshots (with my disposable camera), I headed back north to Penn Station, caught an early evening L.I.R.R. train, and headed back to Wantagh - where my sister Rhonda would be waiting for me in her SUV - with more plans for my final day in New York...
- - - - - - - - - - "UPDATE": Shortly after posting this journal, I had learned (via "Facebook") that Steven F. Scharff managed to find some temporary lodgings in Suffern, New York - which he will hopefully move into before the end of 2017. He'll be residing there for a year, while seeking employment in (or near) the upstate town. Once he lands a good job, he'll try to find another place that will be his permanent residence...
Of course, in his spare time, he'll continue to contribute his art and written material for future issues of "Rowrbrazzle". BTW, if any of you would like to join the long-running 'funny animal' APAzine, contact its editor Edd Vick at edd[at]speakeasy.net or write to him at 1505 SW Alaska Street, Seattle, Washington 98106.
(To be concluded...)
"Has Anybody Seen Mary?"
Posted 8 years agoTwo months ago, 
Funimal and 
I returned to Orlando, Florida for the first time in over nine months. Our main objective was to reunite with our good friend and talented illustrator Mary ("Here Comes A Candle") Hanson-Roberts.
In past trips, pictures of Mary were taken, such as the following 'photo-ops', which you can find in the 'Scraps' section of my "FA" site...
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3526097
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11645203
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13646654
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20089418
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20089541
But this time, when we got to see Mary, leaving through the front door of her one-story house, she looked extremely frail, as she slowly wobbled toward Funimal and I.
As it turned out, her health has deteriorated, stemming from the fact that she was a constant cigarette smoker, and a doctor diagnosed that Mary had an advanced case of emphysema.
We weren't going to let her condition spoil our weekend together. I had a $50 gift card to the Cheesecake Factory, and the three of us shared lunch together. Mary had a hamburger and a cup of coffee, while I had a 'shepherd's pie' and iced tea. (I forgot what Funimal ate.)
We later brought Mary back to our hotel, and shared stories and artwork with her. (Mary, herself, had rendered lots of art, which she'd normally sell on eBay.) And finally, we'd dropped Mary back at her home (where some of the neighborhood cats would congregate near her), and we'd promised that we'd return to her area a lot sooner in the future...
Usually, Funimal communicates with Mary via phone, while I'd send her E-mail messages with lots of 'cat gags' from various comic strips. (Mary's current favorite comic strip is "Breaking Cat News".) But a few weeks after our visit, we'd lost contact with her...
Funimal tried calling and texting her, but she never answered her phone. And my attempts to E-mail her were fruitless, as she hasn't answered anything on her home computer...
To complicate matters, we were both worried about her back in September, when "Hurricane Irma" (now reduced from Category Four to Category Three) passed through central Florida (forcing Disney World to shut down to the public, for only the sixth time in the theme park's history). Living in a fragile, rundown house like hers could be dangerous, and she might've had to evacuate the area (with or without her cats).
It's now been several weeks since Irma passed by the 'Sunshine State', and we still haven't heard from Mary (by any means of communication). Now, we are getting frantic...
This is where YOU come in...
If anybody in "Fur Affinity" lives in or near the Orlando area, and personally knows Mary Hanson-Roberts, Funimal and I would like to know if she's alright (despite her frail condition), and where she is located at this time...
(Recently, I'd tried to enlist the aid of "FA" member
YappyFox - who runs the annual "Megaplex" furry convention in central Florida - but he's yet to send either of us a response.)
Please send a private E-mailing via my "Fur Affinity" inbox, and I will provide the necessary instructions, including how to get to Mary's house, and the cell phone numbers of me and Funimal (which you can either call or text), letting us know whether you'd found her or not.
We'd appreciate any assistance from fans of Mary's artistic talents, and sooner we hear from some of you, the better. Thank you...
ADDENDA: Believe it or not, on the very same day I'd posted this journal, Funimal finally got in touch with Mary Hanson-Roberts by phone!
Apparently, Mary had abandoned her house within hours of the arrival of "Hurricane Irma", and sought shelter at one of Orlando's many hotels. As expected, the house she'd left suffered some damage from the strong wind gusts, and she remained in said hotel for a few weeks...
Fortunately, she'd received financial assistance (and repair work) from representatives of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). In the process, Mary's telephone service was restored (but she still has to use a neighbor's home computer, in order to return to the Internet). So, hopefully, Funimal and I will return to her area - in the not-too-distant future - to see how she's recovering from this most unusual situation...
Funimal and 
I returned to Orlando, Florida for the first time in over nine months. Our main objective was to reunite with our good friend and talented illustrator Mary ("Here Comes A Candle") Hanson-Roberts. In past trips, pictures of Mary were taken, such as the following 'photo-ops', which you can find in the 'Scraps' section of my "FA" site...
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3526097
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11645203
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13646654
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20089418
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20089541
But this time, when we got to see Mary, leaving through the front door of her one-story house, she looked extremely frail, as she slowly wobbled toward Funimal and I.
As it turned out, her health has deteriorated, stemming from the fact that she was a constant cigarette smoker, and a doctor diagnosed that Mary had an advanced case of emphysema.
We weren't going to let her condition spoil our weekend together. I had a $50 gift card to the Cheesecake Factory, and the three of us shared lunch together. Mary had a hamburger and a cup of coffee, while I had a 'shepherd's pie' and iced tea. (I forgot what Funimal ate.)
We later brought Mary back to our hotel, and shared stories and artwork with her. (Mary, herself, had rendered lots of art, which she'd normally sell on eBay.) And finally, we'd dropped Mary back at her home (where some of the neighborhood cats would congregate near her), and we'd promised that we'd return to her area a lot sooner in the future...
Usually, Funimal communicates with Mary via phone, while I'd send her E-mail messages with lots of 'cat gags' from various comic strips. (Mary's current favorite comic strip is "Breaking Cat News".) But a few weeks after our visit, we'd lost contact with her...
Funimal tried calling and texting her, but she never answered her phone. And my attempts to E-mail her were fruitless, as she hasn't answered anything on her home computer...
To complicate matters, we were both worried about her back in September, when "Hurricane Irma" (now reduced from Category Four to Category Three) passed through central Florida (forcing Disney World to shut down to the public, for only the sixth time in the theme park's history). Living in a fragile, rundown house like hers could be dangerous, and she might've had to evacuate the area (with or without her cats).
It's now been several weeks since Irma passed by the 'Sunshine State', and we still haven't heard from Mary (by any means of communication). Now, we are getting frantic...
This is where YOU come in...
If anybody in "Fur Affinity" lives in or near the Orlando area, and personally knows Mary Hanson-Roberts, Funimal and I would like to know if she's alright (despite her frail condition), and where she is located at this time...
(Recently, I'd tried to enlist the aid of "FA" member
YappyFox - who runs the annual "Megaplex" furry convention in central Florida - but he's yet to send either of us a response.) Please send a private E-mailing via my "Fur Affinity" inbox, and I will provide the necessary instructions, including how to get to Mary's house, and the cell phone numbers of me and Funimal (which you can either call or text), letting us know whether you'd found her or not.
We'd appreciate any assistance from fans of Mary's artistic talents, and sooner we hear from some of you, the better. Thank you...
- - - - - - - - - - ADDENDA: Believe it or not, on the very same day I'd posted this journal, Funimal finally got in touch with Mary Hanson-Roberts by phone!
Apparently, Mary had abandoned her house within hours of the arrival of "Hurricane Irma", and sought shelter at one of Orlando's many hotels. As expected, the house she'd left suffered some damage from the strong wind gusts, and she remained in said hotel for a few weeks...
Fortunately, she'd received financial assistance (and repair work) from representatives of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). In the process, Mary's telephone service was restored (but she still has to use a neighbor's home computer, in order to return to the Internet). So, hopefully, Funimal and I will return to her area - in the not-too-distant future - to see how she's recovering from this most unusual situation...
"Return to New York": Part Eight
Posted 8 years ago(My apologies for the delay, following the posting of my journal "Return to New York" Part Seven - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8325704/ - due, in part, to personal computer problems [and resorting to using a tablet] and "Hurricane Irma". I hope to finish up this entire series - and post additional 'photo-ops' pertaining to my trip to Long Island and the 'Big Apple' - before the end of this month.)
It was a 200-foot stroll from the gazebo (where my niece Corynne and her newlywed groom Hector tied the knot), to The Reef - an East Rockaway (New York) seafood restaurant - where a catered reception took place.
There, I not only got to meet members of the groom's family for the first time, I was reunited with relatives and friends I haven't seen for years...
Among those I was glad to see again was my cousin - on my mother's side - Sheryl (who also used to live in Wantagh, one block away from my sister's home, before she got divorced and had to relocate elsewhere in Nassau County). Sheryl and Rhonda both have jobs at C.W. Post College (Long Island University), so I could easily communicate with them via E-mail at their respective workplaces.
Another cousin - this time on my father's side - was Steven, a medical doctor who I haven't seen since the 1980s. He was the only one of three siblings (Dean and Darryl were the other two) who could make it to the wedding and reception. Even their mother - my Aunt Sita - was unable to attend, partially owing to her age (the late eighties). But I can still recall our family sharing the same two-story tenement house in Ozone Park, NY with their family (back in the early 1960s). Believe it or not, Sita still lived there until two years ago, when she moved into a retirement home, in another section of Queens. (Steven still lives in New York, himself, while Dean resides in central California, and Darryl has a place along the Gulf Coast of Florida.)
And, of all the friends I was so happy to see again, I was ecstatic to see Elizabeth Chew (a major airline flight attendant from San Rafael, California). She had been Rhonda's friend for well over forty years, and she'd played a pivotal role in my life back in the late 1980s, when I was planning to attend a National Puzzlers' League convention in Berkeley, California. Elizabeth allowed me to stay in her place for the first half of my trip out west, and she even gave me a grand tour of San Francisco (which included Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, and Lombard Street [the world's most crooked steep road on Earth]). We even saw (and participated in) a TV-movie, being shot at Ghirardelli Square (where Elizabeth took my picture with actor Dick Van Patten - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2140369/ - while getting his autograph).
I was so glad to see all of these people (along with cousins David and Lisa), I completely overlooked the fact that I couldn't eat most of the reception food - mainly shellfish (clams, oysters, shrimp, etc.) - as I didn't want to have another angina attack (like the one I'd endured back in 2001, after downing a whole bunch of coconut shrimp and Coca-Cola, and forcing myself to go 'cold turkey' on both the food and drink). I was just barely able to down a piece or two of fried chicken, but I mostly consumed wedding cake, ice cream, and water (without getting sick).
The reception was held inside and outside of The Reef, with a live band performing on an outdoor stage (and most of the wedding party forming a conga line). On the (air-conditioned) inside, Erica's 'balloon display' on one side of the room got everyone's attention, as envelopes with cash gifts for the newlywed couple were deposited. (See "Return to New York": Part Six - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8316848 ) On the other side of the room, a big screen HDTV was displaying pictures from the photo albums of both the bride and groom. Naturally, I'd recognized most of the pictures of Corynne (with her family [the Pereiras], my family [the Martinezs], and various friends). And I was equally impressed by the snapshots of Hector's life story (from infancy to adulthood).
Later on, most of us returned to Corynne's home, where we hung around for a few more hours. A number of folding chairs were placed in a circle on the front lawn, as we each began to recollect moments from our individual histories with one another...
For some unexplainable reason, I seemed out of place. My own life story (involving my interests in 'furry fandom', animation, stand-up comedy, etc.) held very little attention to most of the wedding guests.
Then, Rhonda introduced me to a young man, who is the (thirty-something) son of one guests; His name was Tyler. He told me about his comic book collection, and I began to tell him about my own personal collection. Then, the subject changed to 'Japanese animation', and again we'd regaled each other with tales of feature-length cartoons from the Far East we'd both seen. Our conversation continued for nearly a full hour, and I was feeling much better about that evening, before returning to Rhonda's home in Wantagh (and sleeping, once again, on that air mattress, while brother Glenn had access to the living room couch)...
Mind you, this rare moment (of finally finding someone who shares some of my personal interests) will not erase the incidents at the hibachi restaurant (over 24 hours ago), the wedding, or the reception (including running out to the parking lot to vomit once - when one piece of chicken didn't agree with me). But it was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Tyler and I exchanged E-mail addresses, in the hope that we'll continue to communicate with one another in the near future...
(To be continued...)
- - - - - - - - - - It was a 200-foot stroll from the gazebo (where my niece Corynne and her newlywed groom Hector tied the knot), to The Reef - an East Rockaway (New York) seafood restaurant - where a catered reception took place.
There, I not only got to meet members of the groom's family for the first time, I was reunited with relatives and friends I haven't seen for years...
Among those I was glad to see again was my cousin - on my mother's side - Sheryl (who also used to live in Wantagh, one block away from my sister's home, before she got divorced and had to relocate elsewhere in Nassau County). Sheryl and Rhonda both have jobs at C.W. Post College (Long Island University), so I could easily communicate with them via E-mail at their respective workplaces.
Another cousin - this time on my father's side - was Steven, a medical doctor who I haven't seen since the 1980s. He was the only one of three siblings (Dean and Darryl were the other two) who could make it to the wedding and reception. Even their mother - my Aunt Sita - was unable to attend, partially owing to her age (the late eighties). But I can still recall our family sharing the same two-story tenement house in Ozone Park, NY with their family (back in the early 1960s). Believe it or not, Sita still lived there until two years ago, when she moved into a retirement home, in another section of Queens. (Steven still lives in New York, himself, while Dean resides in central California, and Darryl has a place along the Gulf Coast of Florida.)
And, of all the friends I was so happy to see again, I was ecstatic to see Elizabeth Chew (a major airline flight attendant from San Rafael, California). She had been Rhonda's friend for well over forty years, and she'd played a pivotal role in my life back in the late 1980s, when I was planning to attend a National Puzzlers' League convention in Berkeley, California. Elizabeth allowed me to stay in her place for the first half of my trip out west, and she even gave me a grand tour of San Francisco (which included Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, and Lombard Street [the world's most crooked steep road on Earth]). We even saw (and participated in) a TV-movie, being shot at Ghirardelli Square (where Elizabeth took my picture with actor Dick Van Patten - http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2140369/ - while getting his autograph).
I was so glad to see all of these people (along with cousins David and Lisa), I completely overlooked the fact that I couldn't eat most of the reception food - mainly shellfish (clams, oysters, shrimp, etc.) - as I didn't want to have another angina attack (like the one I'd endured back in 2001, after downing a whole bunch of coconut shrimp and Coca-Cola, and forcing myself to go 'cold turkey' on both the food and drink). I was just barely able to down a piece or two of fried chicken, but I mostly consumed wedding cake, ice cream, and water (without getting sick).
The reception was held inside and outside of The Reef, with a live band performing on an outdoor stage (and most of the wedding party forming a conga line). On the (air-conditioned) inside, Erica's 'balloon display' on one side of the room got everyone's attention, as envelopes with cash gifts for the newlywed couple were deposited. (See "Return to New York": Part Six - http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8316848 ) On the other side of the room, a big screen HDTV was displaying pictures from the photo albums of both the bride and groom. Naturally, I'd recognized most of the pictures of Corynne (with her family [the Pereiras], my family [the Martinezs], and various friends). And I was equally impressed by the snapshots of Hector's life story (from infancy to adulthood).
Later on, most of us returned to Corynne's home, where we hung around for a few more hours. A number of folding chairs were placed in a circle on the front lawn, as we each began to recollect moments from our individual histories with one another...
For some unexplainable reason, I seemed out of place. My own life story (involving my interests in 'furry fandom', animation, stand-up comedy, etc.) held very little attention to most of the wedding guests.
Then, Rhonda introduced me to a young man, who is the (thirty-something) son of one guests; His name was Tyler. He told me about his comic book collection, and I began to tell him about my own personal collection. Then, the subject changed to 'Japanese animation', and again we'd regaled each other with tales of feature-length cartoons from the Far East we'd both seen. Our conversation continued for nearly a full hour, and I was feeling much better about that evening, before returning to Rhonda's home in Wantagh (and sleeping, once again, on that air mattress, while brother Glenn had access to the living room couch)...
Mind you, this rare moment (of finally finding someone who shares some of my personal interests) will not erase the incidents at the hibachi restaurant (over 24 hours ago), the wedding, or the reception (including running out to the parking lot to vomit once - when one piece of chicken didn't agree with me). But it was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Tyler and I exchanged E-mail addresses, in the hope that we'll continue to communicate with one another in the near future...
(To be continued...)
"Coming Attractions" #49
Posted 8 years agoI sincerely wanted to fulfill my promise to finish certain things during my last 'sweeps month' (September, 2017), but I didn't anticipate a natural disaster - in the form of "Hurricane Irma" - to force me to postpone my plans.
So, during October, 2017, I will try once again to bring you the concluding journals of my "Return to New York" series (including the wedding reception, and my reunion with longtime anthroartist Steven F. Scharff - who I hadn't seen in almost a quarter of a century). Additional journals will feature "Personal Update" #2, another review of the latest animal commercials on TV, and a new edition of "Fur-One-One"...
As for submissions to my 'Gallery', I'll have a lot more 'photo-ops' than usual (featuring my visit to the Palm Beach Zoo in Dreher Park, Florida back in May, said reunion with Scharff in June, and more), as well as some brand new drawings (including something for Halloween, one or two 'fat furry' drawings I'd promised to render for other "FA" members, and additional gags in my "EFF" strips). Hopefully, nothing will hold me back this time...
Thank you for your patience. I'll try not to let you all down this time.
So, during October, 2017, I will try once again to bring you the concluding journals of my "Return to New York" series (including the wedding reception, and my reunion with longtime anthroartist Steven F. Scharff - who I hadn't seen in almost a quarter of a century). Additional journals will feature "Personal Update" #2, another review of the latest animal commercials on TV, and a new edition of "Fur-One-One"...
As for submissions to my 'Gallery', I'll have a lot more 'photo-ops' than usual (featuring my visit to the Palm Beach Zoo in Dreher Park, Florida back in May, said reunion with Scharff in June, and more), as well as some brand new drawings (including something for Halloween, one or two 'fat furry' drawings I'd promised to render for other "FA" members, and additional gags in my "EFF" strips). Hopefully, nothing will hold me back this time...
Thank you for your patience. I'll try not to let you all down this time.
"Fat Furry News" #4
Posted 8 years agoTELEVISION: Premiering September 30, 2017 at 10:00 PM, E.S.T. on Animal Planet is the new series "My Big Fat Pet Makeover", where overweight domesticated animals are given a second chance on life - through diet, exercise, and other extreme methods. Check it out; and if you miss any episodes of "MBFPM", you can watch it anytime on the Animal Planet GO app.
FAT FURRIES IN THE FUNNIES: Here are the links to the latest comic gags with 'fat fauna' from various strips...
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/09/16
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/09/29
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/10/02
http://www.gocomics.com/shoe/2017/09/27
http://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2017/09/26
http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/fe....._date=20170829
Watch for more "Fat Furry News" before the end of 2017.
- - - - - - - - - - FAT FURRIES IN THE FUNNIES: Here are the links to the latest comic gags with 'fat fauna' from various strips...
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/09/16
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/09/29
http://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2017/10/02
http://www.gocomics.com/shoe/2017/09/27
http://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2017/09/26
http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/fe....._date=20170829
- - - - - - - - - -Watch for more "Fat Furry News" before the end of 2017.
"Pulling Off A 'Costanza'..."
Posted 8 years agoSince the ninth season of the HBO comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm" premieres this Sunday (October 1st), I thought I'd share a personal observation of my life that seems to reflect that of the character portrayed by the show's creator, Larry David...
As the co-creator of "Seinfeld" (along with its star, Jerry Seinfeld), Larry was too shy to appear on the show himself, so eventually they hired actor Jason Alexander to play a variation of Larry's fictional persona, named 'George Costanza'.
'Costanza' has a tendency to do things his way, which usually ends up getting him in trouble (everything from 'double-dipping' a potato chip during a wake, to getting into an argument with a motorist over the proper way to park a car [backing in or going forward], to selling his father's clothes [to a consignment store] without letting him know, to pretending that he's 'physically-challenged' just to land a high-paying job).
It has gotten to the point that anyone who has similar tendencies is accused of pulling off a 'Costanza' (with the name becoming an abstract noun or verb). Having said that, I would now like to make a full confession of a similar boneheaded move I'd made back in the late 1980s - which (fortunately) I'm managed to get away with, but knowing 'George', something would eventually go awry in catastrophic fashion...
During the '80s, I had a job at Rugby-Darby Pharmaceuticals - as one a of number of employees in their Art Department (working on catalogs of supplies for doctors, dentists, and veterinarians). It was a time-consuming occupation that was sometimes stressful, due to the deadlines we would have to meet on a regular basis.
To alleviate the tension, the Art Department staff participated in a 'lottery pool' - whenever the New York State Lottery's jackpot was in the millions of dollars. Each Lotto ticket cost one dollar for two games; Match all six numbers (from 01 to 52) and you'd win said jackpot. The 'pool' consisted of said staff, plus a few of our superiors; forty people in all. And we'd each invest two dollars (for four games) per person, or a total of $80 (160 games).
I was chosen to be the one to collect the money from each employee, and (during my lunch break) I would go to the nearest venue that sold Lotto tickets. When I would return, I would show off the tickets I'd bought to my co-workers, and use the Xerox machine to print out copies of said tickets, and pass them along to everybody involved in the 'pool'. Later, I would place the tickets in a desk drawer (next to my artist table) and locked it up (so that no one steals any potential winning tickets).
If one of those Lotto tickets matched three numbers, plus a supplementary number (for a small cash prize, like $16), I would either cash it in and split the winnings among the forty of us, OR we would each chip in a balance of money (so it would equal the original $2.00 per person investment). This, of course, all depends on whether the jackpot increases or not. If a ticket holder outside of our 'pool' won the jackpot, we would discontinue said 'pool', until a later date (when a new high jackpot total is promisingly available).
One day, one of my superiors told me that we're wasting too much paper and ink from the Xerox machine, making copies of the tickets; So, I took it upon myself to write down all of the numbers from all 160 games, compressing it to just one sheet of paper, and then passing one copy along to each employee.
Then, during one of my visits to a liquor store that sold the New York Lottery tickets, a thought came to my mind: "The odds of winning the millions of dollars in this jackpot are so astronomical, we're just throwing away our money. Plus, I am wasting my own money in gasoline prices - driving to and from the place where I'd buy the tickets."
That's when I'd decided to pull off a 'Costanza'...
The next time we'd held our 'lottery pool', after I'd collected the $80 from everybody, I went to my desk drawer, unlocked it, and (without anyone looking) took out a stack of losing Lotto tickets from a previous game and stuffed them into my pants pocket. Then, instead of driving to the liquor store to buy new Lotto tickets, I went to the Dime Savings Bank and deposited the money into my savings account (which, at that time, gave 5% interest).
After having a quick bite to eat, I'd return to the workplace, pull out the old Lotto tickets from my pocket, claim that they are the new tickets I had bought (but only displaying them from a distance; if anyone saw the past date on even one of the tickets, they would immediately get suspicious), and finally placed them back into my desk drawer and locked it up again. Then, I would pass around the one sheet copy of everyone's numbers, and my task would be complete.
And while these hopeful Lotto winner wannabes each became $2.00 in the red, I became $80 in the black. And if any of the (supposedly purchased) tickets matched enough numbers to earn a prize for the 'pool', all I had to do was drive to the bank and withdraw the winning amount from my account, and split it among the employees.
And I actually got away with this 'Constanza' a number of times, admitting (to myself) that this was even better than getting a raise at work!
Now, of course, the only thing that could possibly go wrong with my little scheme is the remote chance (slim, though it might be) that one day, one of those 160 tickets just might match all six numbers. Then, I would truly be royally screwed! Fortunately, this never came to pass, and none of my Rugby-Darby co-workers are unaware of this escapade of mine, to this very day...
But I would probably expect a scenario of this magnitude to happen to someone like 'George Costanza' on "Seinfeld", OR (more likely) to the character 'Larry David' on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". Imagine 'Larry' participating in a 'lottery pool', keeping the money for himself, and suddenly discovering that one of the tickets actually matched ALL of the numbers - with millions of dollars in the jackpot! (Hey, and 'to add insult to injury', the numbers on said winning ticket were ones that HE picked himself at random!)
How do you think 'Larry' would get out of this situation (which, of course, he probably won't)?!
Well, let's all share in his usual weekly misery, when the new season of "CYE" debuts on Sunday, October 1st on HBO. (Consult your local Cable TV listings for the time and channel that airs the show.)
"Pretty good. Pretty... pretty... pretty... pretty... pretty good!"
As the co-creator of "Seinfeld" (along with its star, Jerry Seinfeld), Larry was too shy to appear on the show himself, so eventually they hired actor Jason Alexander to play a variation of Larry's fictional persona, named 'George Costanza'.
'Costanza' has a tendency to do things his way, which usually ends up getting him in trouble (everything from 'double-dipping' a potato chip during a wake, to getting into an argument with a motorist over the proper way to park a car [backing in or going forward], to selling his father's clothes [to a consignment store] without letting him know, to pretending that he's 'physically-challenged' just to land a high-paying job).
It has gotten to the point that anyone who has similar tendencies is accused of pulling off a 'Costanza' (with the name becoming an abstract noun or verb). Having said that, I would now like to make a full confession of a similar boneheaded move I'd made back in the late 1980s - which (fortunately) I'm managed to get away with, but knowing 'George', something would eventually go awry in catastrophic fashion...
During the '80s, I had a job at Rugby-Darby Pharmaceuticals - as one a of number of employees in their Art Department (working on catalogs of supplies for doctors, dentists, and veterinarians). It was a time-consuming occupation that was sometimes stressful, due to the deadlines we would have to meet on a regular basis.
To alleviate the tension, the Art Department staff participated in a 'lottery pool' - whenever the New York State Lottery's jackpot was in the millions of dollars. Each Lotto ticket cost one dollar for two games; Match all six numbers (from 01 to 52) and you'd win said jackpot. The 'pool' consisted of said staff, plus a few of our superiors; forty people in all. And we'd each invest two dollars (for four games) per person, or a total of $80 (160 games).
I was chosen to be the one to collect the money from each employee, and (during my lunch break) I would go to the nearest venue that sold Lotto tickets. When I would return, I would show off the tickets I'd bought to my co-workers, and use the Xerox machine to print out copies of said tickets, and pass them along to everybody involved in the 'pool'. Later, I would place the tickets in a desk drawer (next to my artist table) and locked it up (so that no one steals any potential winning tickets).
If one of those Lotto tickets matched three numbers, plus a supplementary number (for a small cash prize, like $16), I would either cash it in and split the winnings among the forty of us, OR we would each chip in a balance of money (so it would equal the original $2.00 per person investment). This, of course, all depends on whether the jackpot increases or not. If a ticket holder outside of our 'pool' won the jackpot, we would discontinue said 'pool', until a later date (when a new high jackpot total is promisingly available).
One day, one of my superiors told me that we're wasting too much paper and ink from the Xerox machine, making copies of the tickets; So, I took it upon myself to write down all of the numbers from all 160 games, compressing it to just one sheet of paper, and then passing one copy along to each employee.
Then, during one of my visits to a liquor store that sold the New York Lottery tickets, a thought came to my mind: "The odds of winning the millions of dollars in this jackpot are so astronomical, we're just throwing away our money. Plus, I am wasting my own money in gasoline prices - driving to and from the place where I'd buy the tickets."
That's when I'd decided to pull off a 'Costanza'...
The next time we'd held our 'lottery pool', after I'd collected the $80 from everybody, I went to my desk drawer, unlocked it, and (without anyone looking) took out a stack of losing Lotto tickets from a previous game and stuffed them into my pants pocket. Then, instead of driving to the liquor store to buy new Lotto tickets, I went to the Dime Savings Bank and deposited the money into my savings account (which, at that time, gave 5% interest).
After having a quick bite to eat, I'd return to the workplace, pull out the old Lotto tickets from my pocket, claim that they are the new tickets I had bought (but only displaying them from a distance; if anyone saw the past date on even one of the tickets, they would immediately get suspicious), and finally placed them back into my desk drawer and locked it up again. Then, I would pass around the one sheet copy of everyone's numbers, and my task would be complete.
And while these hopeful Lotto winner wannabes each became $2.00 in the red, I became $80 in the black. And if any of the (supposedly purchased) tickets matched enough numbers to earn a prize for the 'pool', all I had to do was drive to the bank and withdraw the winning amount from my account, and split it among the employees.
And I actually got away with this 'Constanza' a number of times, admitting (to myself) that this was even better than getting a raise at work!
Now, of course, the only thing that could possibly go wrong with my little scheme is the remote chance (slim, though it might be) that one day, one of those 160 tickets just might match all six numbers. Then, I would truly be royally screwed! Fortunately, this never came to pass, and none of my Rugby-Darby co-workers are unaware of this escapade of mine, to this very day...
But I would probably expect a scenario of this magnitude to happen to someone like 'George Costanza' on "Seinfeld", OR (more likely) to the character 'Larry David' on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". Imagine 'Larry' participating in a 'lottery pool', keeping the money for himself, and suddenly discovering that one of the tickets actually matched ALL of the numbers - with millions of dollars in the jackpot! (Hey, and 'to add insult to injury', the numbers on said winning ticket were ones that HE picked himself at random!)
How do you think 'Larry' would get out of this situation (which, of course, he probably won't)?!
Well, let's all share in his usual weekly misery, when the new season of "CYE" debuts on Sunday, October 1st on HBO. (Consult your local Cable TV listings for the time and channel that airs the show.)
"Pretty good. Pretty... pretty... pretty... pretty... pretty good!"
"Tracking Irma" Part II
Posted 8 years agoAs a follow-up to my previous journal - www.furaffinity.net/journal/8400610/ - I present a compressed schedule of events taking place before, during, and after the arrival of "Hurricane Irma"…
11:00 AM: Began preparing my condo apartment for "Hurricane Irma" (which, at the time, was a Category 4 storm). I'd used packing tape and two large trash bags to cover up my front bathroom window - so I won't have a repeat of what happened during "Hurricane Wilma" in 2005 (when the winds blew in the plastic glass, and horizontal rain almost flooded said bathroom).
2:00 PM: Using the same roll of packing tape, I sealed up a ceiling trap door that led to the underside of the roof, so that the high winds won't enter my apartment that way.
7:30 AM: I went to the supermarket across the street, to buy some last-minute supplies, including bottled water, a loaf of bread, and some packets of granola to nosh on during the storm.
10:00 AM: Following breakfast, I took some of the refrigerated food items and moved them into the freezer. This way, in the event of a power outage, they will keep cold just a little bit longer.
2:00 PM: I'd closed the glass shutters of my front door and sealed them with said packing tape. I also used the tape on four panes of glass from my front windows.
10:00 AM: Following Irma on local TV, it was still a Category 4 storm - already crossing over (and causing havoc on) many Caribbean islands. I'd decided to throw away some useless items on my back porch (otherwise, they'd become flying projectiles that could cause damage). Some of the more fragile bric-a-brack (e.g. glass table tops) was brought indoors. Using a strong cord, I'd tied down the rest of my stuff on said back porch. Finally, I used the packing tape on the glass doors leading in my bedroom and kitchen.
2:00 PM: Finished securing my home, I decided to take one last dip in the swimming pool behind the Oriole Garden Phase I clubhouse.
4:00 PM: My brother Glenn joined me in the clubhouse lobby, as we discussed our final plans to ride out the storm in a 'safe room' of our respective condos. We gave each other a hug, as we went our separate ways.
5:00 PM: The latest weather advisory reported that Irma had escalated to Category 5 status (with winds of 155 miles per hour, and some gusts exceeding 200 miles per hour). It was at this point I'd felt insecure, and decided to ride out the storm at the nearest emergency shelter, rather than stay at home.
9:30 PM: Having packed my essentials into three bags, Glenn picked me up in his Mini-Cooper, and drove me from my Margate home to Monarch High School in Coconut Creek. He rode back to hunker down in his condo, while I signed in at the school cafeteria with reps from the American Red Cross and the Broward Sheriff's Office.
10:00 PM: I'd found a spot in the cafeteria to settle in, with a nice view of one of four HDTV sets - all tuned to the local ABC-TV affiliate, covering the approach of "Hurricane Irma".
(The good thing about being sheltered in the cafeteria was that they served three meals a day to the hundreds of evacuees already there - even though I'd brought spare food and water for myself. Breakfast was served from 7:30 to 8:30 AM; Lunch was served from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM; Dinner was served from 5:00 to 6:00 PM.)
9:00 AM: I sent out a text message to my sister Rhonda (back in Wantagh, New York), to let her know I was OK. (However, I had to use my cell phone outside of the school building, as I couldn't get a signal indoor; Nor was there any Wi-Fi anywhere in this facility for me to communicate through my tablet.)
1:45 PM: HDTV coverage of the storm (now back to Category 4 status) showed Irma skirting the north shore of Cuba. We all weren't sure when Irma was going to turn north...
2:00 PM: I finally received a text reply from Rhonda (feeling reassured of my decision to be an evacuee, instead of riding out the storm at home).
4:00 PM: A mandatory curfew went into effect, as the doors of the high school were shut for the duration of the storm.
6:00 PM: I'd learned that Irma's intensity was fluctuating (first, down to Cat. 3, and then, back up to Cat. 4). Continued to watch coverage on HDTV during the evening.
10:00 PM: Tried to go to sleep, amid the din of restless evacuees...
4:00 AM: Slowly woke up to hear news about 'tornadic activity' in my part of Broward County (one of three times the area was under a 'Tornado Warning'). By this time, Irma remained a Category 4 storm (that was wider than the entire Florida peninsula itself).
9:00 AM: Irma was finally moving northward, with the eye of the hurricane crossing the Florida Keys (with Key West to its left, and Marathon on its right).
2:00 PM: Another 'Tornado Warning' was issued for our area.
2:20 PM: 'Tornado Warning's was finally lifted... but not before the high school had a brief power outage. But special generators kept the lights and other appliances in the building running. Unfortunately, we'd lost the Cable signal for the HDTV sets, so we had to ride out the rest of the storm, unaware of its latest status.
3:30 PM: Made arrangements with the Red Cross to have someone drive me back home on Monday morning, once the curfew is lifted around 10 AM. (I don't dare ask Glenn to pick me up in his car; For all I know, the roads between Margate and Coconut Creek could be littered with uprooted trees, broken branches, parts of damaged buildings, and other debris.)
6:30 PM: A B.S.O. officer informed me that (even after Irma leaves south Florida and the curfew is lifted) I might not be driven home right away, if Margate is subjected to flooded streets and/or downed power lines.
10:00 PM: Turned in for the longest sleep of my life...
5:00 AM: Woke up to see a majority of evacuees packing their belongings, and leaving Monarch High School (in the cars they came in, a few days earlier), even though the curfew hadn't been lifted yet.
10:00 AM: The remaining evacuees were shuttled to the gymnasium, where groups of people were sorted out by the cities they came from. These individuals would later by led outside to wait for special buses that would take them directly home.
11:00 AM: Waiting outside with the group from Margate, there were no buses available at the time. But me and another evacuee were able to get a free lift home in an alternate mode of transportation: from the back seat of Coconut Creek Police Department vehicle! (Now I know how it felt to be an arrested suspect!)
11:20 AM: I was dropped off (with my packed stuff) on the outskirts of Oriole Gardens, as the officer drove off to assist his second passenger. Lots of broken branches were strewn all over the parking lot. Leaving my belongings on the ground for a brief moment, I'd walked around one condo building - just to see if my own building suffered any damage...
11:25 AM: Miraculously, the only casualty was the tree behind my back porch - which snapped in half, but missed my building by mere feet! My only regret is, it was the part of the tree that gave my back porch some needed shade during the morning hours (which means, if I don't want to have the sun glaring down on me during breakfast on said porch, I'll either have to wear sunglasses when I eat OR have breakfast around lunchtime)!
11:35 AM: Carrying my stuff to my condo building, I was relieved that (1) the reinforced roof stayed in place, (2) the parking lot wasn't flooded at all, and (3) there was no damage to the front of my apartment, either. I'd placed my belonging inside the condo, and proceeded to see how my brother fared in his place.
11:45 AM: Glenn and his downstairs neighbor Andrew also survived the wrath of Irma, as their building was intact, too. The only problem for now is a lack of electricity for all of the Oriole Gardens residents, since Sunday afternoon. (When "Hurricane Wilma" assaulted my area over a decade ago, we went without power for over three days.) Taking out my tablet, I got Andrew to take a picture of Glenn and I (with its camera feature). I hope to post this 'photo-op' here at a later date...
3:00 PM: I began to remove the packing tape from the door and windows of my condo building, and started returning things to my back porch.
6:00 PM: Reuniting with Glenn in front of his apartment, we began to share stories about each mother's experiences during "Hurricane Irma". Halfway during my exploits in the high school cafeteria, a resident from my brother's building ran out of his apartment to announce "The power's been restored!" Sure enough, our state's utility company FPL (Florida Power & Light) was able to bring the electricity back to our area in less time than in 2005! The worst was over in our area. We returned to our respective condos, and turned on our own HDTV sets to see who in Florida suffered the worst from Irma...
It's going to be a slow and tedious process to get things back to normal. But I did show some concern to other Florida residents who weren't so fortunate. As soon as my local supermarket reopened, I'd contributed a few dollars to the Red Cross to help the victims of "Hurricane Irma" (with my grocery purchase). I hope that the worst is over for all of us here in the 'Sunshine State' (keeping in mind that 'Hurricane Season' doesn't officially end until November 30, 2017).
- - - - - - - - - - Wednesday, September 6, 2017 11:00 AM: Began preparing my condo apartment for "Hurricane Irma" (which, at the time, was a Category 4 storm). I'd used packing tape and two large trash bags to cover up my front bathroom window - so I won't have a repeat of what happened during "Hurricane Wilma" in 2005 (when the winds blew in the plastic glass, and horizontal rain almost flooded said bathroom).
2:00 PM: Using the same roll of packing tape, I sealed up a ceiling trap door that led to the underside of the roof, so that the high winds won't enter my apartment that way.
Thursday, September 7, 2017 7:30 AM: I went to the supermarket across the street, to buy some last-minute supplies, including bottled water, a loaf of bread, and some packets of granola to nosh on during the storm.
10:00 AM: Following breakfast, I took some of the refrigerated food items and moved them into the freezer. This way, in the event of a power outage, they will keep cold just a little bit longer.
2:00 PM: I'd closed the glass shutters of my front door and sealed them with said packing tape. I also used the tape on four panes of glass from my front windows.
Friday, September 8, 2017 10:00 AM: Following Irma on local TV, it was still a Category 4 storm - already crossing over (and causing havoc on) many Caribbean islands. I'd decided to throw away some useless items on my back porch (otherwise, they'd become flying projectiles that could cause damage). Some of the more fragile bric-a-brack (e.g. glass table tops) was brought indoors. Using a strong cord, I'd tied down the rest of my stuff on said back porch. Finally, I used the packing tape on the glass doors leading in my bedroom and kitchen.
2:00 PM: Finished securing my home, I decided to take one last dip in the swimming pool behind the Oriole Garden Phase I clubhouse.
4:00 PM: My brother Glenn joined me in the clubhouse lobby, as we discussed our final plans to ride out the storm in a 'safe room' of our respective condos. We gave each other a hug, as we went our separate ways.
5:00 PM: The latest weather advisory reported that Irma had escalated to Category 5 status (with winds of 155 miles per hour, and some gusts exceeding 200 miles per hour). It was at this point I'd felt insecure, and decided to ride out the storm at the nearest emergency shelter, rather than stay at home.
9:30 PM: Having packed my essentials into three bags, Glenn picked me up in his Mini-Cooper, and drove me from my Margate home to Monarch High School in Coconut Creek. He rode back to hunker down in his condo, while I signed in at the school cafeteria with reps from the American Red Cross and the Broward Sheriff's Office.
10:00 PM: I'd found a spot in the cafeteria to settle in, with a nice view of one of four HDTV sets - all tuned to the local ABC-TV affiliate, covering the approach of "Hurricane Irma".
(The good thing about being sheltered in the cafeteria was that they served three meals a day to the hundreds of evacuees already there - even though I'd brought spare food and water for myself. Breakfast was served from 7:30 to 8:30 AM; Lunch was served from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM; Dinner was served from 5:00 to 6:00 PM.)
Saturday, September 9, 2017 9:00 AM: I sent out a text message to my sister Rhonda (back in Wantagh, New York), to let her know I was OK. (However, I had to use my cell phone outside of the school building, as I couldn't get a signal indoor; Nor was there any Wi-Fi anywhere in this facility for me to communicate through my tablet.)
1:45 PM: HDTV coverage of the storm (now back to Category 4 status) showed Irma skirting the north shore of Cuba. We all weren't sure when Irma was going to turn north...
2:00 PM: I finally received a text reply from Rhonda (feeling reassured of my decision to be an evacuee, instead of riding out the storm at home).
4:00 PM: A mandatory curfew went into effect, as the doors of the high school were shut for the duration of the storm.
6:00 PM: I'd learned that Irma's intensity was fluctuating (first, down to Cat. 3, and then, back up to Cat. 4). Continued to watch coverage on HDTV during the evening.
10:00 PM: Tried to go to sleep, amid the din of restless evacuees...
Sunday, September 10, 2017 4:00 AM: Slowly woke up to hear news about 'tornadic activity' in my part of Broward County (one of three times the area was under a 'Tornado Warning'). By this time, Irma remained a Category 4 storm (that was wider than the entire Florida peninsula itself).
9:00 AM: Irma was finally moving northward, with the eye of the hurricane crossing the Florida Keys (with Key West to its left, and Marathon on its right).
2:00 PM: Another 'Tornado Warning' was issued for our area.
2:20 PM: 'Tornado Warning's was finally lifted... but not before the high school had a brief power outage. But special generators kept the lights and other appliances in the building running. Unfortunately, we'd lost the Cable signal for the HDTV sets, so we had to ride out the rest of the storm, unaware of its latest status.
3:30 PM: Made arrangements with the Red Cross to have someone drive me back home on Monday morning, once the curfew is lifted around 10 AM. (I don't dare ask Glenn to pick me up in his car; For all I know, the roads between Margate and Coconut Creek could be littered with uprooted trees, broken branches, parts of damaged buildings, and other debris.)
6:30 PM: A B.S.O. officer informed me that (even after Irma leaves south Florida and the curfew is lifted) I might not be driven home right away, if Margate is subjected to flooded streets and/or downed power lines.
10:00 PM: Turned in for the longest sleep of my life...
Monday, September 11, 2017 5:00 AM: Woke up to see a majority of evacuees packing their belongings, and leaving Monarch High School (in the cars they came in, a few days earlier), even though the curfew hadn't been lifted yet.
10:00 AM: The remaining evacuees were shuttled to the gymnasium, where groups of people were sorted out by the cities they came from. These individuals would later by led outside to wait for special buses that would take them directly home.
11:00 AM: Waiting outside with the group from Margate, there were no buses available at the time. But me and another evacuee were able to get a free lift home in an alternate mode of transportation: from the back seat of Coconut Creek Police Department vehicle! (Now I know how it felt to be an arrested suspect!)
11:20 AM: I was dropped off (with my packed stuff) on the outskirts of Oriole Gardens, as the officer drove off to assist his second passenger. Lots of broken branches were strewn all over the parking lot. Leaving my belongings on the ground for a brief moment, I'd walked around one condo building - just to see if my own building suffered any damage...
11:25 AM: Miraculously, the only casualty was the tree behind my back porch - which snapped in half, but missed my building by mere feet! My only regret is, it was the part of the tree that gave my back porch some needed shade during the morning hours (which means, if I don't want to have the sun glaring down on me during breakfast on said porch, I'll either have to wear sunglasses when I eat OR have breakfast around lunchtime)!
11:35 AM: Carrying my stuff to my condo building, I was relieved that (1) the reinforced roof stayed in place, (2) the parking lot wasn't flooded at all, and (3) there was no damage to the front of my apartment, either. I'd placed my belonging inside the condo, and proceeded to see how my brother fared in his place.
11:45 AM: Glenn and his downstairs neighbor Andrew also survived the wrath of Irma, as their building was intact, too. The only problem for now is a lack of electricity for all of the Oriole Gardens residents, since Sunday afternoon. (When "Hurricane Wilma" assaulted my area over a decade ago, we went without power for over three days.) Taking out my tablet, I got Andrew to take a picture of Glenn and I (with its camera feature). I hope to post this 'photo-op' here at a later date...
3:00 PM: I began to remove the packing tape from the door and windows of my condo building, and started returning things to my back porch.
6:00 PM: Reuniting with Glenn in front of his apartment, we began to share stories about each mother's experiences during "Hurricane Irma". Halfway during my exploits in the high school cafeteria, a resident from my brother's building ran out of his apartment to announce "The power's been restored!" Sure enough, our state's utility company FPL (Florida Power & Light) was able to bring the electricity back to our area in less time than in 2005! The worst was over in our area. We returned to our respective condos, and turned on our own HDTV sets to see who in Florida suffered the worst from Irma...
- - - - - - - - - - It's going to be a slow and tedious process to get things back to normal. But I did show some concern to other Florida residents who weren't so fortunate. As soon as my local supermarket reopened, I'd contributed a few dollars to the Red Cross to help the victims of "Hurricane Irma" (with my grocery purchase). I hope that the worst is over for all of us here in the 'Sunshine State' (keeping in mind that 'Hurricane Season' doesn't officially end until November 30, 2017).
"Tracking Irma" Part I
Posted 8 years agoMy life is full of various ironies. One of them involved one of the last members of my family who passed away, earlier this decade. She was an aunt (on my father's side of the family) who lived within walking distance from several family members, here in the Oriole Gardens Phase I condominium complex in Margate, Florida... She lived three blocks away from my brother Glenn... She lived two blocks away from me... She lived one block away from my (late) mother Sheila... Her name was Irma.
Now, on a totally unrelated subject, Glenn and I are preparing for the arrival of "Hurricane Irma" which is due to make landfall - somewhere in south Florida - this weekend. We'd already bought bottled water and batteries (for flashlights and other necessary appliances), and we are following hourly reports on TV about the storm's path, as it continues to cross the Atlantic Ocean...
(More irony: The height of "Hurricane Season" is usually around September 10th - the day when "Irma" should finally reach the Continental USA.)
At the time I am writing this journal, "Irma" has already reached 'Category Four' status - with winds over 150 miles per hour (and if they surpass 167 miles per hour, it will be a 'Category Five' storm), heading towards North America in a slightly northwestern direction. It will eventually reach the Lesser Antilles, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, later in the week...
The main concern for me and my bro is: When will "Hurricane Irma" turn north? Will it turn before it reaches Florida? Will it turn north after passing the Florida Keys (thus affecting the Gulf Coast of the state)? Or will it turn north just before the Keys (enveloping the entire peninsula in its path)? It's going to be a 'wait-and-see' situation for the next few days...
The upshot is this: 'Irma' is going to hit my area, and it's going to be far worse than the affects of "Hurricane Wilma" (a 'Category Two' storm that passed through Broward County in late October, 2005). I'm not entirely sure if the conditions will be just as bad (or worse) as those of "Hurricane Harvey" (which struck southeastern Texas late last month), but we will be expecting flooded streets, and loss of electricity - which will explain why I might be 'offline' from "Fur Affinity" (and other Internet sites) for an indefinite period of time.
In a 'worse case scenario', Glenn and I might have to evacuate Oriole Gardens for a safer facility. And even though we both live in second-story apartments (which should be well above the potential of high flood waters), there's always a chance that the strong winds could blow the roofs off of our respective condo buildings. So, we probably won't be staying in our homes, to ride out the storm.
ADDENDA: Less than an hour after I'd posted this journal, "Hurricane Irma" became a 'Category Five' storm - with winds exceeding 175 miles per hour! Let's all hope for the best, while we're expecting the worst!
Hopefully, I will be back next week, to give you an update, letting you all know what damage "Hurricane Irma" did to Margate, whether or not Glenn and I still have a home, and what the future will bring to us (provided there are no more storms to contend with, during the balance of "Hurricane Season 2017" - which officially ends on December 1st).
Now, on a totally unrelated subject, Glenn and I are preparing for the arrival of "Hurricane Irma" which is due to make landfall - somewhere in south Florida - this weekend. We'd already bought bottled water and batteries (for flashlights and other necessary appliances), and we are following hourly reports on TV about the storm's path, as it continues to cross the Atlantic Ocean...
(More irony: The height of "Hurricane Season" is usually around September 10th - the day when "Irma" should finally reach the Continental USA.)
At the time I am writing this journal, "Irma" has already reached 'Category Four' status - with winds over 150 miles per hour (and if they surpass 167 miles per hour, it will be a 'Category Five' storm), heading towards North America in a slightly northwestern direction. It will eventually reach the Lesser Antilles, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, later in the week...
The main concern for me and my bro is: When will "Hurricane Irma" turn north? Will it turn before it reaches Florida? Will it turn north after passing the Florida Keys (thus affecting the Gulf Coast of the state)? Or will it turn north just before the Keys (enveloping the entire peninsula in its path)? It's going to be a 'wait-and-see' situation for the next few days...
The upshot is this: 'Irma' is going to hit my area, and it's going to be far worse than the affects of "Hurricane Wilma" (a 'Category Two' storm that passed through Broward County in late October, 2005). I'm not entirely sure if the conditions will be just as bad (or worse) as those of "Hurricane Harvey" (which struck southeastern Texas late last month), but we will be expecting flooded streets, and loss of electricity - which will explain why I might be 'offline' from "Fur Affinity" (and other Internet sites) for an indefinite period of time.
In a 'worse case scenario', Glenn and I might have to evacuate Oriole Gardens for a safer facility. And even though we both live in second-story apartments (which should be well above the potential of high flood waters), there's always a chance that the strong winds could blow the roofs off of our respective condo buildings. So, we probably won't be staying in our homes, to ride out the storm.
- - - - - - - - - - ADDENDA: Less than an hour after I'd posted this journal, "Hurricane Irma" became a 'Category Five' storm - with winds exceeding 175 miles per hour! Let's all hope for the best, while we're expecting the worst!
Hopefully, I will be back next week, to give you an update, letting you all know what damage "Hurricane Irma" did to Margate, whether or not Glenn and I still have a home, and what the future will bring to us (provided there are no more storms to contend with, during the balance of "Hurricane Season 2017" - which officially ends on December 1st).
