Monthly Archives: January 2017

There is No Spoon or: a Hot Knife Through Butter

31 Tuesday Jan 2017

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Salutations™!!

Is there a governing body for cutlery and silverware?

I was looking through my silverware drawer (as one does) and was noticing all the there-is-no-spoon-there-is-no-spoon-liar-demotivational-poster-1253012467different kinds, shapes and styles of utensils. I was trying to figure out why one is shaped one way and another another way. Now, of course, I understand practicality and comprehensive use, I’m not questioning that. I am wondering, who is it that said this was the end-all-be-all of tableware?

Was there a group of people in blood-red robes with hoods and burlap rope belts sitting round an oblong table, calling themselves the Blades and Tines (as opposed to Skull and Bones) voting like the Cutlery Illuminati to which design will be the “standard” issue of kitchen table weaponry?

“Yes, Brother Beavis, I agree that the sugar spoon, and various forms therein, shall look like the teaspoon yet with a flattened nose and deeper bowl, henceforth.”
“Can we make it look like a shell or shovel, Brother Mynard?”
“Oh, yes, Brother Clontz, that is a marvelous idea.”
“All in favor? Motion carried. On to the butter spreader!”

At some point, there was a standard that was established because while the embellishments may differ, the basic premise is always the same when you purchase “sets” to give to the honeymooners that had nothing of their own to start their new life together. I’ve always been fascinated with how this happens.Granted there’s probably only a few companies that make all the different sets and they use their own standards, but the general pattern is the same.

The same curiosity thing goes for the first person to fry meat or an egg? How long did it take people to stop eating raw chicken because they kept getting sick? These are called imponderables, and there’s a series of books written by David Feldman about them and I own about five or six of them. I don’t remember any of these questions being asked or addressed, though. Hmm. Perhaps I should write Mr. Feldman with an inquiry? I probably won’t.

Still, that sugar spoon is a mystery. To my knowledge, neither The BCPF nor myself have ever used it as such. I just pull it out when the other spoons are dirty and I need some peanut butter. I’m not afeared and I’m not ashamed to say so. I defy those who say I can’t! Bah! I say… Bah! Okay, I’ve gotten silly. I’m out.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…

—
“Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.” – Spoonboy from The Matrix (1999)

 

The Network Again or: A Little More Less Desirables

30 Monday Jan 2017

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Salutations™!!

I’m sure you’re tired of me advertising my wares to you, Dear Reader, but you know what?15965142_1835119170033578_5923064517771265191_n That’s what I do. This is what I do. And, I just gotta do it. I piggyback on them all the time for this blog, but I think to myself: Self, I’ve already written a long-winded or recorded a longer-winded podcast of me saying a lot of things today. And whilst it may be true that I try to keep my entities somewhat separate in nature, and there are many, many pieces that I can keep separate, most of them are intertwined together.

Now, my views on this blog don’t necessarily go with the same views I may share on The Less Desirables or The Man Who Ate the Town. That’s because on this blog, I write the journal of a “character.” Scorp is a character. Tim, that’s me, is different than Scorp. Tim that hosts The Less Desirables is different than Scorp. Tim as The Man Who Ate the Town is certainly different than Scorp. Tim on Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking is different than Scorp. And, Beer Dad Tim is absolutely different than Scorp. I know that sounds like a plug for all my podcasts, at least the ones that I not only produce but also host/co-host, but every day and every second I’m awake, I am plugging those things. Because, those things are me.

I am certainly not saying that I am the end-all-be-all of these shows, not at all, because without Caitlin, Danielle, Jon, Paul, Jordan, The BCPF, Brian, Eugene, Bruce or any of the hundreds of guests we have had on any or all of these shows, I would be nothing. I unquestionably acknowledge that. I am proud of where they all stand. Some of them are in their infancy; some in serious veteran status and some may not even be thought up, yet. The Less Desirables is coming up on its seventh anniversary. That’s very veteran podcast terms. No one around here was doing it when Brian and I started it (and me doing other podcasting before that). Even if they were, they either didn’t continue or just let it fade away, but I’m not aware of anyone doing it longer than me.

I’m not going to get into the history of that because you’re going to get a big dose of it come Friday, just as a warning. I’m just proud of my stuff and where in the community it brings me. What I meant to say (425 words later) is that I want to reiterate the importance, the ease of use and convenience of the still mostly new The Less Desirables Podcast Network website. It’s your one-stop-shop for all four of the podcasts I listed earlier and for Fan Interference. I don’t want you to think I’m leaving them out, Dear Reader, because I’m not. I am not the owner, host or even co-host of that podcast although I always have plenty to say. I am the producer and try to make it the best darned sports podcast this area has. TC and Wali Alston do a great job at the sports talk thing. I know my NFL stuff, but other than that, I’m out of my element. But, Fan Interference doesn’t have their own website, so if you’re looking for info about a show, this is the best way. Yes, they have a Facebook page and they are most active in the Twitter market (they update almost daily). If you want to know the latest sports scoop, then definitely watch that, but if you’re wanting to know about the show, this site is your place; your hub.

On the Network website, we have descriptions of all the show episodes, mini-bios of all the podcasts and links to our appropriate social media for each, as well. You can still definitely subscribe to each show on iTunes, Stitcher and TuneIn. Your subscription won’t change. Just if you’re not into the subscribing thing and just want to hear individual shows on your computer or smart device, this is another option for you. So, I’d be greatly appreciative if you’d visit the page, like our Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter and enjoy the fine pop culture and libations-based podcasts we have to offer. And, look for new shows to be added. Thank you all so very much for listening and reading this rant. I apologize if my self promotion is over-the-top, but I love what I do and I love me some me.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Let’s have some new cliches.” – Samuel Goldwyn

Spectre or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

28 Saturday Jan 2017

Posted by in Movie Review

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less spectre_posterDesirables Movie of the Week, Spectre (2015), starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Léa Seydoux.

Per IMDb: “A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.”

Welcome to the most expensive Bond film ever made. Not only that, it’s one of the most expensive film ever made of any kind. The film’s budget was around $245M. Wow. Well, James Bond is back and he, once again, is getting little direct help from M (Ralph Fiennes). This time, however, it’s not M’s fault, it’s because of a private defense/intelligence company, called the Joint Intelligence Service in which its head, Bond calls him “C,” is trying to phase out the 00-program in favor of drone and other non-personnel surveillance.

The film starts, however, with Bond getting a cryptic message from the former, and now deceased, M (Dame Judi Dench), who tells him that something that sends him on a non-sanctioned mission to Mexico where he attends a Dia de Muertos celebration and stops a few terrorists from blowing everything up. He kills a high up commander of the terrorists and steals his ring which depicts a weird octopus-like creature.

He finds out that the ring belongs to a secret society and uses it to gain entrance into a meeting. It is there that he finds out that someone from his past is in charge of the organization and spends the rest of the film trying to find this person, why and what they have to do with the organization and to stop them. Does he succeed? Who was the person and what did they have to do with Bond? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Again, it’s the most expensive Bond film, yet. I must say that Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond, as I think he depicts him like the creator of the character, Ian Fleming, wanted, but the last two films have been kind of let downs. I mean, I liked the films but they seem like transition pieces, at least the previous one, Skyfall, did. I suppose this one had its own substance and I like Fiennes as M and I like Ben Whishaw as Q. I’ll tell you the villian, which isn’t any stranger to the Bond canon, is Ernst Stavro Blofeld and he’s played beautifully by Christoph Waltz, but what does he have to do with Bond outside the original films he appeared in with both Sean Connery and Roger Moore? Hmmm… yep, watch to find out. This film does tie in with the previous four and this one is like the egg that keeps it all together. It makes sense then. I really can’t go much into it without giving a ton away and I don’t like reading, nor giving spoilers.

Visually, it was well designed, the special effects were stunning, too. I like that Q is back with gadgets. It seemed the first two of the Craig Bonds were lacking that. I think that’s part of the appeal of the original sets of films, the gadgets and the plausibility therein. The acting was nothing less than spectacular and the plot twists were good, albeit a little predictable. Not a bad thing, though. I would have liked the film to be a little more the focus than tying the series up, but in that, at least, it did its job. I will say, though, that whilst I like seeing the series pay homage and even step back toward what we come to know and love about Bond, I feel it’s relying too heavily on the old Bond films and techniques. It’s always M attempting to hold Bond back and someone stabbing someone else in the back. I guess that’s why it’s called espionage, huh?

Rotten Tomatoes rates it at 65% Fresh with an Audience Score of 62%. IMDb has it rated 6.8 stars out of 10. Not fantastic numbers but not bad. I saw it on Amazon Prime and I will rate it 4 stars out of 5, only because I’m such a Bond fan. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to read/hear me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“You’re a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr Bond.” – Mr. White

Friday Finally or: The Longer Short of It

27 Friday Jan 2017

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Salutations™!!

My weeks usually go by pretty fast. I record up to five podcasts a week on several days spread around. I top that off with meetings, prep for those podcasts and exploring new opportunities. The last two weeks have been filled with extra activities, good and bad and it’s been hectic. 11138536_10153181853723617_4448708523697544740_n

For the second week in a row (and the first time in a while) I did record all five of the podcasts. That’s not strenuous. Tedious and down to a science and it’s not exactly easy but not too much work, that’s what it is mostly. We had the family incident last week and through the weekend, that was especially heavy, mentally and emotionally. I can’t imagine what my sister was going through. Whilst wrestling that I hosted and performed with Clay Howard and the Silver Alerts at the first Friday Night Music Club at Bull’s Tavern. Good and fun stuff. Saturday we were walking around in a dream because we were out so late. The BCPF and I had some time that day but not a lot. Sunday was a big football day and the Steelers lost the AFC Championship game. Not good.

That’s what a lot of it is. Not a lot of time with her. She works long hours and I do, too. I’m out late on Mondays and Wednesdays creating art (podcasts) and then I get home and I’m tired. Tuesdays we get the evening together but we’re out with friends and doing trivia at Finnigan’s because that’s what we enjoy doing. We did have Thursdays but we decided she was going to spend Thursday evenings with her mom so that they get time together. It also affords me and 3B some dad-and-son time; something we don’t get nearly enough of. So, both of those are good things and we need them, but it’s less time with each other.

Tonight, we have nothing specific planned. Tomorrow we will have time with friends as it’s our make-up date for Beer Dad Paul‘s birthday beer crawl and we’re very much looking forward to that. No football on Sunday, so we will have that day, along with 3B to have some family time. I am very much looking forward to that, too. We’ll make up for lost time starting tonight. There. Rant done. Let’s head on to listen to some music and pick up “The Boy” from school. Thanks for reading.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Because my business life is so busy, my home is really my sanctuary.” – Rachel Roy

High-falutin’ Society People or: Nuthin’ Fancy (Eugeology Entry 3)

26 Thursday Jan 2017

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Salutations™!!

Well, this week for Eugeology, Eugene threw me for a loop. I’d never consider Lynyrd Skynyrd a “hard rock” band. I’m not saying they’re not hard rockin’, so don’t hear me wrong. I just have never been ain’t been able to stomach a lot of Skynyrd (or any “Southern Rock”). And, in 100% honesty, it really has nothing to do with the band, their music or anything that really matters. It’s the general fan base. That’s it. Again, nothing that matters. It’s my problem and I’m addressing it.

#3 – Nuthin’ Fancy by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

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©MCA

His personal demons aside, Artimus Pyle is/was a fantastic drummer. His hi-hat work is amazing. I have always loved the HH sizzles in the bridges of “Saturday Night Special,” the album’s opening track. Also, listen to the hi-hat and freakish ride bell on “Railroad Song.” Jeez o’Pete, he’s killing it.This was also his debut with the band, taking over for Bob Burns, the founding drummer.

Back to “Saturday Night Special,” though. Another big part of that is its fullness. That’s what having three guitarists in the band will do for you. The off-time drum beat is the signature of this song, though. I’m supposing it’s supposed to emulate a gunshot, which is cool because that’s what the song is about. Kind of like the beginning of “Love Gun” from KISS is to emulate a machine gun.

No matter my dislike of the band, I’ll never dismiss their talents and individual merits. Leon Wilkeson was a solid bass player. He’s got some runs in there, for sure. It’s all tasteful, too. Al Kooper (the producer of the album) really pulls his tone out front, too. Leon used a good bit of double stops in his playing and I’m a big fan of that. In fact, it’s a technique that I use in my playing, a lot. I’m used to playing in bands with only one guitar so I use “chords” (double stops) to fill the aural spectrum. This band has three guitarists and a bass player so he did it because it sounds good and he was great.

Ronnie Van Zant had a unique vocal style and he had one powerful voice. He didn’t sing each song the same way. That was good, but sometimes a bit weird. I think the average listener wants consistency. He had consistency, you just have to sometimes listen a little harder for it. I love the way he sounded harmonizing with himself, too. That’s evident in “Am I Losin’.” He also was the sole writer of “Made in the Shade,” a classic blues, almost dixieland-like tune about a man annoyed at his ungrateful girl.

Skynyrd are known for their bluesy riffs and runs. The three guitarists, Ed King, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, definitely deliver that here, although King left after this album for many years. I think my problem with them (the band) musically, is they’re a bit more blues than I’d prefer. I don’t mind bluesy, but blues, I’m just not a fan. Although, I do enjoy hearing Billy Powell slam his fingers on the piano during that stuff. His organ work is fantastic, too.

This album, while certainly not my favorite, by any means, isn’t bad. It starts off really, really strong with “Saturday Night Special” and goes, then, into “Cheatin’ Woman.” That’s some great Powell and Wilkeson parts, there. “Railroad Song” again with the cymbal work but also the rolling guitar riffs, is a full and fun song to listen to. I could do without the harmonica. I really don’t like blues harp. “I’m a Country Boy” has that great groovy guitar part with punches in the chorus.

I know the two songs I hear the most from this album are “Saturday…” and “On the Hunt.” I love the chorus of that song and I definitely love that riff. That makes the whole song; at least setting the tone. Again, harmonica on “Made in the Shade” but I think it fits here and I love Van Zant’s vocals, feeling the agony about his girl, and it’s evident. Maybe it’s not agony. Resignation, perhaps? Still, it’s a great song. I think the only song I don’t really care for is “Whiskey Rock-A-Roller.” Yep, you guessed it. A bit too boogie woogie bluesish for me.

I really hate having to admit that I did like this album. It’s not probably anything that I’d want to go back to listen to again, because I still had trouble getting through it (twice) to write this, just from my hangups. But, the album, is solid and 7/8 of it, I really liked. Good job, Eug. Can’t wait for the next installment. Dear Reader, are you familiar with this album? What’s your thoughts? I’d love to know.

I also can’t wait to read Eugene’s and Jon‘s take on this album.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Big Jim’s been drinkin’ whiskey and playin’ poker on a losin’ night. And, pretty soon ol’ Jim starts a thinkin’, somebody been cheatin’ and lyin’. So Big Jim commence to fightin’. I wouldn’t tell you no lie. Big Jim done pulled his pistol. Shot his friend right between the eyes.” – “Saturday Night Special” (King/Van Zant)

Winter Porter or: The Less Desirables Beer of the Week

25 Wednesday Jan 2017

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City Beverage, the Official Beer Sponsor of The Less Desirables presents Winter Porter from Carolina Brewing Company, The Less Desirables Beer of the Week.unnamed-2

I have had some good CBC brews and I’ve had some less that stellar ones. I enjoy a lot of of it and then some of it really does nothing for me. Those are usually IPAs, but it takes a special IPA to trip my trigger. Otherwise, meh. I do love me some porters, though and I’m hoping that this winter porter, which, according to the description, has dark roast dark chocolate and light citrus and light pine flavors. Sounds like an interesting combo to me. We’ll see how it goes.

BeerAdvocate has it at 84 (Good) with no Bros Score. Untappd has it at 3.54 caps out of 5. Rate Beer rates it 49 Overall and only 29 in Style (ouch). So, I’m not going in with high hopes but want to taste it for myself. It’s only 5.2% ABV. Have you had it? What did you think? If you’ve not had it, or just have a hankering for more, head down to City Beverage and grab your sixer. Tell them this is the beer of the week and get 5% off your order. Then tune in tonight or early tomorrow to see what Caitlin, Danielle, Bobbie and I thought of it.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“All It Takes is a Liver and a Dream!” – CBC Carton

Double Piggybacking or: Food!

24 Tuesday Jan 2017

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Salutations™!!

I’m doubling up on the piggybacking today. It’s TWO for the price of one read. Both of the piggyings come from The Man Who Ate the Town. The first, it’s time for The Big Eat (week #3, baby!) and that means TMWATT has a full rundown of participating venues and you can find that by reading HERE. Also, it’s the latest episode of the podcast which you can listen, HERE. Go have some great food!!

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Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“We want to challenge your perception of scratch made and leave you with an experience you couldn’t possibly forget!” – Humble Bee Shoppe

Safely Home or: The Statement Henceforth

23 Monday Jan 2017

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Salutations™!!

Some of you may know and many of you probably do not, but this past week my crop380w_10-college-safety-tips-every-student-should-knownephew had a “silver alert” issued for him. The circumstances aren’t up for discussion. But, we have, as a family, released a statement and here it is, from my sister:

“My son, Corey Riley Elsey, has been found and is safe. We appreciate all the thoughts, calls and prayers throughout this ordeal. The circumstances and facts are still being gathered and we ask for time as we continue to sort them out. We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support: the shares, the calls, the emails and the private messages we received from you all. As we can talk about it, we will. Thank you, again. Love to all!”

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“All who wander are not lost; but mine is…” – unknown