Category: Misc.

About Me with The Monkees

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This was sent to me by my buddy, “The James” Howell.  I thought of several musicians/groups that I could use [Billy Joel, The Beatles, Bob Segar, Michael McDonald, Elton John, etc), but opted to go with The Monkees.  So using song titles from their albums, here are my answers…

 Pick Your Artist: THE MONKEES
Are you male or female: A Man Without a Dream
Describe yourself: Daydream Believer
How do you feel about yourself: I Don’t Think You Know Me
Describe your current boy/girl relation situation: Heart and Soul
Describe where you currently live: Pleasant Valley Sunday
If you could go anywhere you wanted to go: Through the Looking Glass
Your favorite form of transportation: Last Train to Clarksville
Your best friend(s) is(are): A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
Your favorite color is: Nine Times Blue
Favorite time of day: Sometime In The Morning
If your life were a TV show, what would it be called: Looking for the Good Times
What is life to you: Hard to Believe
What is the best advice you have to give: Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)
Thought for the Day: That Was Then, This Is Now
How I would like to die: Love is Only Sleeping
My soul’s present condition: I’m A Believer

Six About Me

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I’ve been tagged by Rick at On My Mind.

The Rules
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog.
3) Write six random things about yourself.
4) Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

So here are six random things about me that you may not know:

1.  I’m a high school Assistant Principal.  My Principal and three Assistant Principals who work with me all graduated from the same high school!  One AP graduated in 74, the Principal in 75, another AP in 76 and me in 77.   So at one point we were all at the same high school as students with no idea that 30 years later we’d all be together again at another high school as administrators.

2. My wife and I met and began “dating” in junior high. I actually told one of my buddies “That is the girl I’m going to marry” the first time I saw her… and that was VERY unlike me.  We dated on and off through junior high and high school and then again when I was about to graduate from the community college.  We got married in 1980.

3. I once caught a guy who had robbed a motel. He was armed with a knife and the cash he’d stolen.  It’s a funny story that I’ll save for a future blog post.  [I also had a guy try to pull a gun on me but disarmed him.  — Another story I’ll have to share in a future blog post.]

4. Due to the popularity of my StalloneZone website, I was contacted by Sylvester Stallone and asked to run the Official “Rocky Balboa” movie blog. I agreed and my buddy, John Beatty, joined me in the project.

5. I am quoted as an “expert” in Jake Kalish’s book Santa vs Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights. If you’re so inclined, you can find me on page 235 weighing in on “Rocky vs Rambo.”

6. Although I’ve “met” the following celebrities Paul Newman, Sonny & Cher, Greg Allman, Richard Petty, Kyle Petty, James Brolin, Mike Singletary, Vince Carter, Antonio Tarver, Bobby Bowden, Buster Davis, and others… I’ve never met Sly Stallone.

Now here at the people that I have tagged.

John of John Beatty Art.com.  Although he’s my best friend since junior high, I have no idea if he’ll participate or not.  If he does, I can guarantee it’ll be worth reading.

Evan of Evan Bryce.blogspot.com.  Evan is one of the good guys… and an artist to watch!

Ivan from ThrillingDaysofYesterday.  Ivan is my go-to guy on old time tv and movies!

Chris from Atomic Pulp and Other Meltdowns.  Chris is an editor and writer.  He also created one of my favorite crime comics Gravedigger: The Scavengers.

Rob of Rob Smith Jr.com.  I’ve known Rob since high school.  He’s a political cartoonist, art collector, and all around great guy.

Ed of Hall Toons.blogspot.com.  Ed is a political cartoonist who isn’t afraid to take a stand.

Bringing Back a Neanderthal

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According to this article, a leading genome researcher at Harvard says

...a Neanderthal could be brought to life with present technology for about $30 million.

Whoa!  Bring a cave man to life!  At least that’s the imagine that initially ran through my mind.  How cool would that be?

But then I gave it another second to sink in.  We wouldn’t be bringing a cave man back, we’d be artificially creating a life that would then be studied and probed and whose only purpose was scientific research.

Just because we have the ability to do something doesn’t mean we should.  Besides, once the scientists had tired of studying Mr. Neanderthal, what could he do?  Geico commercials?

[Thanks and a raised cave man club to Bill Crider for the link.]

Traditions

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I love traditions. The family get-togethers on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.  Watching fireworks on the Fourth of July.  Bears games in the fall.   Trips to see family members in the summer.  One of my oldest traditions is watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve.

That tradition started many years ago when I was a youngster.  I was spending the night with my grandparents — my Nanny and Happa as I called them.  We ended up watching Guy Lombardo’s orchestra [well, I mostly listened and played with my action figures].  Everything stopped as midnight and the New Year approached.  We all watched the ball drop with the countdown to the New Year.  That began a tradition that continues to this day.

In the early 70’s, I started watching Dick Clark’s Rocking New Year’s Eve.  I thought it was cool to see all the hot bands of the day kicking out their latest jams… and then the cut to Times Square in New York to watch the ball drop with the countdown to the New Year.   As the years passed Dick Clark continued to host his Rocking New Year’s Eve show.  I grew up… finished high school… went to college… got married and Dick Clark was still bringing in the New Year from Times Square.  I got a job teaching…. we had kids.. and Dick Clark continued to Rock in the New Year.   When the boys were younger we would have their cousins for a sleepover on New Year’s Eve.   We’d make a day of it and then as the night settled in ‘d set off fireworks.  We’d watch some good tv [Twilight Zone Marathon] or movies and then it’d be time for Dick Clark to take us to Times Square for the drop of the ball.

My kids are grown now and it’s been a few years since we’ve had the sleepovers with the cousins.  But all over us, no matter where we are still tune in to check out the ball dropping in Times Square.  Dick Clark suffered a stroke in 2004, and turned the main hosting job over to others — the first year it was Regis Philbin and since then Ryan Seacrest.   The stroke left Dick Clark with limited use of his right arm and some trouble speaking and yet he still appears on the show.  You have to admire that.  I guess Dick Clark loves traditions too.

Happy Celebration!

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It’s Christmas Eve. That means tonight we’ll have the traditional gathering of the Zablo clan. Despite what you may have heard, when we all get together for Christmas Eve it’s pretty traditional. There will be plenty of presents for the kids, tons of laughs, good food and hopefully the creation of one or two great memories. And while nephew Bartle-Doo Corbett and Uncle Brent may have to be reined in a few times, it should be a fun night with no one going to jail or the hospital.

Here’s hoping that whatever you celebrate is the best ever… and no matter what you believe, Santa still swings by.

[And a tip o’ the Santa cap to Eric Powell who created the art used in today’s header – Craig]

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that this is one the best Thanksgiving Days ever for each and everyone of us. Remember to count your blessings, eat too much turkey, ignore that family member who irritates you, make big plans, eat too much pie, doze in front of the tube, have a bit more turkey, and remember to watch a bit of the parade!

When Computers Go Hinky

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I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon and evening dealing with computer problems. Ugh! I ended up having to shut down the computer and reboot it back to it’s original settings. Of course that meant I then had to re-load drivers for my scanner, re-set up my e-mail, re-load programs, and deal with all of the other nonsense that must be dealt with when computers go hinky. Double ugh!!

At least I have “The Shield” to look forward to in less than 15 minutes. If it’s good as it should be, my computer problems will be a faded memory.

Pop-Up Help Needed!

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I’ve been plagued by the pop-up pictured above. I can not get rid of it. I’ve tried Ad-Aware, Spybot, CA Security, but nothing works. I’ve done research and can’t find anything out there that will get rid of it. Any ZONErs who can pass along something that will work would be greatly appreciated!

Vote Smart

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I got up early today and headed down with the family to take part in early voting. Although it was the longest line I’ve ever stood in for anything, the time went by amazingly fast since we were regularly moving forward. I’m always surprised at the number of people on hand to pass out flyers and information about candidates and positions. If you haven’t made up your mind by the time you’re in line to vote, you probably should have done a bit more homework. Still, these last minute efforts must pay off since there are always folks on hand to make them. I ended up voting for three Democrats and two Republicans. I guess that fits my Independent profile.

I’m glad that I voted early. Now I can sit back and enjoy watching how the election plays out. I seldom post about politics or religion on the ZONE. There are enough political sites on the net and I’d rather spend my time at discussing movies, novels, tv, comics, and art. But before I close out this political post, let me encourage each of you who can vote in this election to do so. Vote for the candidates that you think will do the best job — and don’t be afraid to cross party lines. Do your research and then vote smart.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.

 

I Am Wrestling

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This Olympic Sport Quiz says that I am most like wrestling. I like that. I was a wrestler in high school so it makes sense. As to the last line, “anyone who steps into the ring with me should watch out…” watch out… that I don’t pass out. It’s been a long time since high school.

Declaring My Independence

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I was really interested in the results of this poll. I’ve been a registered Independent since I was old enough to vote. Over the years, I’ve pulled the switch for Republicans and Democrats depending on the person running. I’ve voted for liberal and conservative causes depending on the issue. My opinions on some issues have changed over the years, due to research and perhaps maturity. So I wondered how the poll would turn out… had I become more liberal or conservative? Seems that although some things have changed, I’m still pretty independent. I like that.