Let's Suppose...

(The above illustration doesn't really relate to the subject of today's post, fellow babies... but I couldn't find anything that was more appropriate! Sorry!)

I hate it when people use the word "supposably" when they mean "supposedly." And yes, unfortunately, "supposably" is really a word, even though most spell-checkers don't recognize it as such. (Good for them!) It just doesn't mean what most people think it means. "Supposably" is discussed at length here, and in case you don't feel like clicking on the link, here's the section of the article which most succinctly describes the use and misuse of "supposably:"

Though the strict grammarians at BuzzFeed have lamented that our world is ending because so many people use supposably, it is a valid word that is recorded in several dictionaries of English, including Dictionary.com. However, it has historically carried a slightly different meaning than supposedly; supposably means “conceivably.” Most people use it interchangeably with supposedly, which is technically incorrect (despite the fact that the meaning is typically understood).

So there. Does that make everything clear?

But... you're not really one of those who uses "supposably" instead of "supposedly," are you?

Thanks for your time.

Orson'Z RantZ: The Coming Revolution!

Here's a reprinted post from 5/27/2011, heavily edited to update it!

(This is not The Silver Fox speaking here!)

Did you see this blog's so-called post on May 25th, 2011? If not, don't bother clickin' on the link! It featured a photo of a wimpy-looking kitty-cat! Gimme a freakin' break, willya? If I ever have to look at anythin' that "cute" again, I'm gonna toss my Friskies! There's only ONE cat that deserves to star in this show!

So, here I am! Orson, the One and Only! Orson, the Great and Powerful! Orson, the Fuzzy and the Feisty! Orson, the Bold and the Beautiful! Orson...

Oh, you get what I'm drivin' at, huh?

Well, if you can't appreciate long-windedness, what the heck are you doin' readin' this blog???

That whiny hairless ape who calls hisself The Silver Fox -- but he ain't no fox in any meanin' of the word, believe me -- turned the blog over to me yet again, cuz he's too lazy to write it, or sumthin'. 

Yeah. Or sumthin'...

And he left it to me to come up with sumthin' to write about. I could write about my absolute favorite subject -- ME -- or my second favorite subject -- FOOD -- but The Silver Flop wanted me to write sumthin' of more general interest.

Well, how 'bout if I talk 'bout the comin' revolution? No, don't worry, I ain't talkin' 'bout nothin' you humans got brewin'! I could care less about stuff like that! [The Silver Fox sez: "That's 'I couldn't care less,' furball!" Orson sez: "Aaaah, shaddap!"] 

Nope, I'm talkin' 'bout the day when us animals rise as one and take over!

Any of you human types been readin' this blog long enough to see The Silver Flub's rant about "companion animals" a few years back? Show of hands, here! Huh. Looks like his readership is made up of multiple amputees! [The Silver Fox sez: "Orson, that was in really bad taste." Orson sez: "Ohhh, riiiiight. And that's comin' from the guy who wrote that oh-so-tasteful Captain Kirk post on May 18th, 2011."]

Y'see, the way I figger it, the only problem with the whole thought about labelin' cats and lesser species of animals -- "lesser" meanin' all of the others, of course -- as "companions" instead of "pets" is that those hairless apes ain't takin' it far enough! Cuz I hate to break it to youse humans, but we ain't your equals, we're your freakin' superiors! And it's 'bout time that you all realized that and really started kissin' our furry butts -- figuratively speakin' -- even more than ya do now!

Which means, among other things, that The Silver Fart is gonna hafta start sharin' his pork chops and steaks with me. I'm gettin' sick of his condescendin' "allowance" of real food only whenever he buys a rotisserie-cooked chicken! 

Yep, even as you read this, my feline brethren & sistren -- that's "tomcats" and "pussycats" to those of us in the know -- plus the "lesser species" I mentioned earlier, are undergoin' military trainin' in secret!

And we're smart enough to be outfittin' ourselves with protective armor, of course.

I mean, what do ya think we do when ya let us out of the house? (Besides fertilizin' the landscape, that is.) Not much to do, especially when you so-called "owners" have us neutered, like The Silver Flem-Head did to me! [The Silver Fox sez: "That's 'phlegm-head.' And... Stop insulting me!" Orson sez: "Butt out, willya? This is my post! And just be glad I ain't substituted the obvious four-letter choice for 'fox," you big cry-baby!"}

Where wuz I? Oh, yeah...

Yep, we're recruitin' 'em young, just outta litter-box trainin'... and we call 'em The Kittler Youth!

And some of us older types are even more gung-ho than others!

We're even convertin' some celebrities to our cause!

And 'though we know we'll suffer heavy casualties, and that some of us will be captured and sent to concentration kennels...

You can't stop us, cuz we can get into places you humans think we can't get into!

Maybe you should all just surrender now, before you have to face the unleashed fury of a ninja cat!

That's right, I said "ninja cat!" You think there ain't no such things? Wrong!

Feline legend has it that the ancient Oriental art of Nincatsu was developed by our species in the fifth century A.D., a good hundred years or so before humans ever stole the idea from us! (But don't bother goin' to look for it in Wikipedia, cuz none of you stuck-up humans even admit it exists... which is all the better for us, of course!)

Oh, and FYI, Siamese cats introduced the art of Nincatsu to the western world in the 19th century.

And now? Heh. Now, we're trainin' en masse, and by the time you hapless homo sapiens know what's comin'... we'll be in control, like we were always meant to be!

[The Silver Fox sez: "Oh, good grief, Orson! You don't really expect me to let you post this drivel, do you?" Orson sez: "Yeah, I do! Just try and stop me!" The Silver Fox sez: "Try to stop me, you mean! When you say 'try and stop me,' you're actually saying..." Orson sez: "SHADDAP!!!"}

Okay, folks, that's it for today. I'm lookin' forward to yer comments on this one... But don't bother writin' 'em yerselves! I'd much rather hear from yer cats, dogs, rabbits, gerbils (You listenin', Richard Gere?), parakeets, boa constrictors... Ya get the picture? If so... Get to work!

And thanks for yer... uhhh... food? Like I said, pork chops and steaks...

A Brief (I promise!) Li'l General Update

Yes, here it is, yet another Li'l General item, this one just scored by me from a listing on eBay! Now I know that this convenience store chain lasted until at least 1979!

If you're inclined to look up my previous Li'l General posts, click on the following links, please:

1. Memories of Li'l General

2. Only I Would Dare...

3. MORE Li'l General Stuff! (Part Three in an Endless Series)

And thanks for your time.

Overwhelmed...

(Here's a short and not-so-exciting post, fellow babies.)

Yes, as the above title implies, I've been overwhelmed. Buried, you might say. And worst of all, I'm afraid I've fallen behind in visiting all of the blogs that I read on a regular basis. That's been made a bit difficult because of this month's A to Z Challenge. As I explained here, I'm not taking place in the challenge this year, but many of the blogs I follow regularly are. And for various reasons, I've missed a day or two here and there, and it's almost impossible to catch up!

I guess the main reason I'm posting this is mostly for my own readers that are also participating in this year's A to Z Challenge. This is to inform them (or you) that I haven't deserted them/you just because my comments may suddenly become few and far between.

So much for that.

Thanks for your time.

J. Geils, 1946-2017, R.I.P.

Photo by Carl Lender, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5927735

John Warren Geils Jr., better known as J. Geils, died yesterday at the age of seventy-one, apparently of natural causes.

The J. Geils Band originated in nearby (to me, that is) Worcester, Massachusetts. Geils formed a band known as Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels in the 1960s. Lead singer Peter Wolf joined the band in 1968 (some sources say 1967), at which point the band became known as the J. Geils Blues Band, an R&B-influenced blues rock band. ("Blues" was dropped from the band's name sometime later.)

The band released several albums and singles during the 1970s, singles such as "First I Look at the Purse," "Looking for a Love," "Give It to Me," "Must of Got Lost" (sic), "Where Did Our Love Go," "(Ain't Nothin' But a) House Party," and "One Last Kiss." (Many a quarter was dropped into the Sturbridge Tavern jukebox by yours truly on behalf of that last single.)

By the early 1980s, the band's style had changed to one that was more pop-oriented, at which point they released hits like "Love Stinks," "Just Can't Wait," "Freeze Frame," "I Do," and their number one hit, "Centerfold," a song I personally never cared for all that much.

Thanks for your time.

David'Z RantZ ~~ Two Reasons I Don't Sleep Well at Night

Two Reasons I Don't Sleep Well at Night (and don't piss me off, or I'll make this a freakin' series):

1. People keep writing "lightening" when they mean to write "lightning." You can lighten your hair. After sunrise, the sky gradually "lightens." Lightning is that flash you see in the sky before you hear the thunder. (Or "lightning" could also apply to at least two great blues musicians. But I digress.)

2. "Peak" and "peek" are not interchangeable. (And don't even get me started on "pique.") No, really. Your computer's spell-checker is not a blasted mind-reader, so please learn the difference before you use either. 

By the way, the illustration above is of lightning striking a mountain peak. Maybe you don't care, but I impressed the hell out of myself finding that one. Just sayin'.

(Reprinted from 4/26/11, because I've been seeing a lot of people doing the "peek/peak" thing lately.)

Thanks for your time.

Two More...

1. Don Rickles, 1926-2017, R.I.P.

Once again, yours truly has the kiss of death. Last night, I watched 1970's Kelly's Heroes, which prominently featured comedian and occasional actor Don Rickles, and I just found out that he died today at the age of ninety, from kidney failure.

I've been a fan of Don Rickles and his "offensive" insult comedy -- no ethnic or religious jibe or stereotype was beyond his reach, but people let him get away with it even in today's PC world -- ever since I saw his frequent appearances on talk shows and variety shows when I was a child in the 1960s. I was and am the proud owner of his 1968 comedy album, Hello, Dummy! In the late '60s and early '70s, I slavishly watched two of his very-short-lived TV shows, and I was finally vindicated by his two-year success on C.P.O. Sharkey in the late 1970s. He even supplied the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story films.

Rickles was a friend of Frank Sinatra's. Rickles could get away with remarks toward Sinatra that would have been inconceivable if delivered by anyone else. An example? "Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody!" 

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2. Joe Harris, 1927(?)-2017, R.I.P.

I must admit, I never heard the name Joe Harris until I read his obituary. But I was very familiar with many of the characters he created!

Joe Harris, who died March 26th at the age of eighty-nine, was responsible for the Trix Rabbit (Joe's the one who wrote the line "Silly rabbit! Trix are for kids!"), Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo, King Leonardo (an old favorite of mine from my youth, little remembered today), and several others during his career.

(An early blog post of mine, in which I wrote about Underdog, may be found here.)

Thanks for your time.

Tributes, Tributes, Even MORE Tributes...

I thought I'd never get around to finishing this one!

Boy, there are a lot of celebrity tributes this time around. But then again, I haven't posted any for over two months, so I guess we're not doing too badly in the death department, overall. Not like 2016, certainly! Of course, the year's still relatively young...

Anyway, in absolutely no real order, here are short tributes (Yes, short. For me, that is. I'm nothing if not merciful, fellow babies!) to eleven celebrities of note (to me, anyway) who've passed away since late January.

1. Chuck Berry, 1926-2017, R.I.P.

Seminal rock'n'roller Chuck Berry has died at the age of ninety. Berry died on March 18th, pronounced dead after police responded to a 911 call. What can you say about Chuck Berry? Well, a lot, actually, much more than I'm going to attempt here. Berry, often called the "granddaddy of rock'n'roll" and other similar titles, is known for a long, long string of hits, including "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene," "You Never Can Tell," "Rock and Roll Music," "Wee Wee Hours," "Carol," "No Particular Place to Go," "My Ding-a-Ling" (groan), "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Too Much Monkey Business," "Back in the U.S.A.," "Memphis, Tennessee," "Reelin' and Rockin'," "Nadine..."  He was also known for several bouts with the law over the years, for various offenses including transporting a minor across state lines, misdemeanor marijuana possession, tax evasion, and for installing a camera in the women's restroom of a restaurant he owned! Berry toured extensively, and was well-known for travelling without a band. For each gig, he would hire a local band, assuming that any band should and would know his songs!

Here's my own favorite Chuck Berry song, a lesser-known tune called "Havana Moon!"

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2. Chuck Barris, 1929-2017, R.I.P.

Chuck Barris, creator of TV's The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, The Gong Show, and many other game (and non-game) shows (Anybody remember the $1.98 Beauty Show?), has died at the age of  eighty-seven from natural causes. He also wrote the hit song "Palisades Park" for Freddy Cannon in 1962. (That was the first 45 rpm record my older sister ever bought. I still have the copy she used to own, with a #1 sticker on its label.) He was also known for his infamous "unauthorized autobiography," Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, in which he claimed to have worked for the CIA as an assassin! (The CIA has gone on record denying Barris' involvement with them. But then again, this is the CIA we're talking about...) His autobiography was made into a movie in 2002, starring Sam Rockwell and Drew Barrymore, and directed by George Clooney. Barris died on March 21st. 

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3. Bill Paxton, 1955-2017, R.I.P.

Actor and director Bill Paxton has died at the age of sixty-one. Paxton died on February 25th, after a stroke which occurred following heart surgery. Personally, my favorite Paxton roles include the obnoxious older brother Chet (one of his earliest roles) in 1985's Weird Science, his role as Wyatt Earp's younger brother Morgan in 1993's Tombstone, and his portrayal of the lead character, Bill Henrickson, in HBO's Big Love (from 2006 to 2011).

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4. Bernie Wrightson, 1948-2017, R.I.P.

Artist and illustrator Bernie -- also known as "Berni" -- Wrightson, died on March 18th after a long battle with brain cancer. Wrightson was probably best known for his co-creation of DC Comics' Swamp Thing and for illustrating an editon of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

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5. Dan Spiegle, 1920-2017, R.I.P.

Long-time comic artist Dan Spiegle passed away on January 28th. He was ninety-six. Spiegle was probably best known for his comics featuring various TV show and movie characters, everything from Hopalong Cassidy to Scooby-Doo. He worked as a cartoonist and comic artist from 1949 until 2011, and his artwork graced such companies as Dell, DC, Marvel,  and Dark Horse, among many, many others.

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6. Robert Osborne, 1932-2017, R.I.P.

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Robert Osborne, who died on March 6th of natural causes at the age of eighty-four, was a film historian and the primary host on the Turner Classic Movies channel. He started his long career as an actor at Desilu Studios.

7. James Cotton, 1935-2017, R.I.P.

James Cotton was a blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter who had played with the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Gregg Allman, Santana and the Grateful Dead, among many others. He died on March 16th. Cotton was eighty-one.

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8. Sib Hashian, 1949-2017, R.I.P.

John Thomas "Sib" Hashian, the drummer with the killer afro pictured on the back of the band Boston's first album (and elsewhere, of course), died at the age of sixty-seven on March 22nd, while performing on a rock legends cruise. Sib's granddaughter Jasmine is the daughter of Sib 's daughter Lauren and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

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9. Jay Lynch, 1945-2017, R.I.P.

Underground comix icon Jay Lynch (also known as Jayzey Lynch, and no relation to yours truly) died at the age of seventy-two on March 5th. Lynch was involved in the earliest days of the undergrounds, and is probably best known for Bijou Funnies, and his characters Nard n' Pat. He was a major contributor to Topps' Wacky Packages series of trading cards.

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10. Skip Williamson, 1944-2017, R.I.P.

March was not a good month for underground cartoonists. Mervyn "Skip" Williamson, a contemporary of Jay Lynch, died on March 16th. Williamson, probably best known for the underground comix character Snappy Sammy Smoot, was seventy-two.

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11. Judge Joseph Wapner, 1919-2017

Joseph Wapner, presiding judge on the first incarnation of television's The People's Court, died on February 26th. And just a bit of trivia, here: When he was in high school, Wapner briefly dated a then-unknown Lana Turner! Wapner was ninety-seven.

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Whew! Thanks for your time.