A Midsummer Night's Post

If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend: if you pardon, we will mend: And, as I am an honest Puck, If we have unearned luck Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue, We will make amends ere long; Else the Puck...

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"Weird Al" Yankovic releases his first single in ten years!

Right when the world needs laughter the most, Weird Al comes through for us.The last time that "Weird Al" Yankovic released a new song, other than "The Hamilton Polka" or the end credits tune from his movie, was ten years ago this week when his Mandatory Fun album dropped.  That was the final album he was contracted to produce and he said at the time that he'd probably release singles via digital platforms from now on.  But that...

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Bob Newhart, 1929 - 2024

 The man was and forever will be a legend!So much that could be said about the amazing life of Bob Newhart.  Coming up in the Eighties I loved his sitcom Newhart.  Then later I discovered his earlier series The Bob Newhart Show.  And after that I came upon his comedy albums, like his 1960 debut The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart.The guy just shined in...

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I hope y'all are watching this tonight

 As my father said, when President Reagan was shot the day before my seventh birthday:"Pay attention son, this is history."  &nb...

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"Say, whatever happened to Johnny Robertson?"

When four people write in over the course of a month, asking the same question, maybe that's a signal to address something.Let's set the Wayback Machine(tm) all the way to fifteen or so years ago.  I used to work at WGSR, a television station in Reidsville, North Carolina.  That was where my school board campaign - and those wacky campaign commercials - began in...

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LEGO Jaws set is officially the coolest thing I've seen all summer

Just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the movie Jaws comes the Official Jaws LEGO Set!Click on the pics to enlargen (you're gonna need a bigger browser):  At a hundred and fifty bucks this is actually a pretty good deal for a LEGO set this large.Click on over to GeekTyrant for more photos of this amazing s...

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It's the first poster and trailer for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

I've had the honor and the great pleasure of being among the cast of two productions of the stage play of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  If it were possible I would play the head fireman every year for the rest of my life, it was so much fun!  It's a wonderful story rife with holiday hilarity, hijinks, and hope.I had no idea that this movie was coming, the announcement...

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Bookmark this post. Remember it. It will soon make sense.

 A perfect storm.There will be no escape from what is comi...

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Maybe the very last post about Star Wars that I ever make

To: Star Wars producers and fandom Re: The Acolyte and social media insanity I can't even anymore.  I feel like I've officially become an old man who can't keep up with the youngsters.  I went through enough of this crap twenty-five years ago. God only knows what it would have been like if there had been Twitter and YouTube back in the day.  To paraphrase the...

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Power or Wisdom? Stop asking God to interfere with politics

In searching around for churches in this area, obviously I'm looking at their websites.  I'm studying a few things, particularly their various statements of belief.  In that regard I'll simply say this: there are already a number of places of worship which I regrettably cannot enter.  It would be like bringing a blowtorch aboard the Hindenburg.No disrespect...

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About the Murthy vs Missouri decision...

Regarding Murthy v. Missouri: the Supreme Court decision yesterday about government coercing social media companies to censor users' activity based on political content.  SCOTUS decided that the plaintiffs had no standing and dismissed the lawsuit.This seems like a colossal victory for the government and social media companies.  HOWEVER...The case was *not* dismissed....

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Baptism: It should be more than just water

The church I visited today had a baptismal ceremony.And as I've thought for a very long time now about the sacrament and is often the case, it was WAY too brief.It was three people being baptised (I prefer that word with a lovely "s" rather than a jagged "z") and the entire ceremony lasted less than a minute and a half.Were I a stranger to seeing such things... and there are...

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The announcement trailer for Gears of War: E-Day

I  very rarely play video or computer games anymore.  Mostly it's because of a lack of time.  And there are other amusements too, like having a miniature dachshund.  But that doesn't mean I don't have an active interest in the industry...(I am currently trying to finish Fallout: New Vegas at last, whenever I'm having some downtime.  It's only...

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Dear Pat Sajak

Thanks for forty-one years of Wheel of Fortune.  You've been an awesome host and I've also enjoyed your writing whenever you've published something.Anyone else feeling like the Eighties are finally over?We'll miss you Pat.  Enjoy your retirement (and your new acting career I'm hearing abou...

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"To remember": June 6th, 1944

 Company A, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Divisionwading onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach(Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France)on the morning of June 6, 1944.Photo credit: Chief Photographer's Mate Robert F. SargentToday is the eightieth anniversary of the single greatest military maneuver in recorded history: the invasion of the Normandy coast by the Allied Forces.No...

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In memory of a good man

The sad word came late yesterday evening that Dav Gerrells, who owned and operated Cafe 99 in Reidsville, North Carolina for many years, passed away after a brief illness over the weekend.  I used to eat at Cafe 99 when I still lived in Reidsville and Dav always made me feel welcome.  The man was a thoroughly great guy and he was an amazing cook.Early in 2007 I entered...

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Last batch of AI-generated pictures that I'm posting

Here's that previous collection of artificial intelligence-created images that I prodded a computer to produce.  But it's time to move on.  ChatGPT has its fun uses but it's a tool, not a toy.I would be lying if I said that I haven't had fun though.So, here is the final bunch of artificial intelligence generated "art" that I'm putting on this blog.  Be sure...

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