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For What It’s Farnsworth
One of the few problems with newer flat-screen televisions is finding a place to put them. Unless you have it professionally installed, like I did, the wires can be unsightly. In the olden days, the TV screen was encased in a piece of furniture that now has a lot of retro charm.
Before last Tuesday’s Einstein Simplified show, Dave Fennell told me about his TV mashup. A few years ago he got an old RCA Victor television at an estate sale. He recently bought an inexpensive Element flat-screen that would fit inside the RCA cabinet. Although the screen height differs, the width is the same. He had to make some modifications to put the infrared remote receiver into the space formerly occupied by the RCA control knobs, behind a faceplate that flips open. If the flat-screen broke, he didn’t want to be out too much money. The experiment worked. If our improv group ever wins the lottery, I want to commission Dave to build a retro HDTV for me too.
Wattle You Have?
There are items besides baked goods for sale at the Harvest of Blessings at All Saints Church. However it’s the cakes, cookies and other sweets that interest me. I had a commitment to attend a special Mass at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. Because I didn’t want to miss the bake sale, I drove over to church at 9:00 a.m. for my annual photo safari. Maybe with enough practice, I will get better at photographing things through plastic bags.
Each year our friend Kathy and her daughter Karie make something interesting. The past couple of years, she challenged me to guess which item was hers. Last year they made turkey cookies, which helped me to deduce that they made the turkey cupcakes this year. Karie told me they were at Dollywood recently and took time to watch the candy makers. As they were making chocolate-covered marshmallows on sticks, Karie told them about the s’mores on a stick that Kathy made for the Harvest of Blessings in 2008. The folks at Dollywood seemed very interested.
My wife and I bought a savory item that we can save to have as a parade-watching snack on Thanksgiving Day. It looks like Chex Mix but the label describes it as “Pumpkin Pie Crunch.”
Kaboom? Kabust!
If all goes according to plan, I will visit Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota next summer. They are the final four states in my quest to visit all 50. My wife and I have been discussing routes and itineraries that could put us at Mount Rushmore on the 4th of July. Imagine how cool it would be to see fireworks flying over the granite presidents. What if they shot rockets out of Thomas Jefferson’s nose? It would be awesome! Except that it won’t happen.
Mount Rushmore will be featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. After I wrote about it on Thursday, I clicked around the website for the National Park. Here’s the bad news:
The unacceptable risk of wildfire prompted the suspension of the fireworks for the 2010 celebration. While efforts are on-going to mechanically reduce the fuel load in the park and encourage a healthy forest, the condition of the forest in the surrounding area continues to deteriorate and will remain a concern even after the Memorial’s thinning project is completed. “We need to look at the big picture and understand that the fire danger will continue to be high in 2011, therefore the 2011 Independence Day Celebration will not include a fireworks component,” said Mount Rushmore Acting Superintendent Duane Bubac.
My wife and I have to decide if we still want to spend Independence Day at Mount Rushmore or if we would rather find a fireworks display somewhere else along our path. I’ll have to research what’s happening at the Gateway Arch, the Field of Dreams and the World’s Largest Buffalo.
The Youth of Old Age
Patricia Robledo invited me to her husband’s birthday party when I saw her at a charity event last month. I almost ruined the surprise… twice. On Saturday, I saw Amy Leigh Hubbard on Market Square. As I said goodbye, I told her I would see her at John Craig’s thing. Her eyes got wide and she pointed behind me, where John was standing. He had heard his name and spun around. I told John I had been asking about him (true) and about First Night Knoxville (not so much). John is the guy who booked Einstein Simplified to perform at First Night and at the International Biscuit Festival.
At the party on Friday night, a crowd gathered on the third floor of the S&W Grand to wait for John and his wife Patricia. They had dinner reservations in the restaurant and would come upstairs on the ruse that there was something wrong with a skylight. John is an owner of the building. Just after I left the banquet room to use the rest room, word came that John and Patricia had arrived downstairs. When I got back, the banquet room door was closed. Thankfully nobody yelled “surprise” when I walked in, although they all looked like they were about to. John and Patricia showed up about a minute later.
In addition to a variety of vegetables, fruits and cheeses, the buffet table had delicious Curry Chicken Salad and Pig in a Biscuit hor’s d’oeuvres. The chocolate birthday cake from Magpies was decorated with the S&W logo. Kim Trent of Knox Heritage arranged for a plaque to be made by the same people who make the markers for the historic properties her organization preserves. She told us that she suggested the company start marketing the plaques to individuals and not just buildings.
Been a Year, It Doesn’t Surprise Me
Once again, “Last Christmas” is the song that is stuck in my head. This time it is a cover version recorded by The Puppini Sisters that I can’t stop hearing. Last year, it was “Last Christmas” by the cast of “Glee.” In previous years, it was covers of the same tune by Jimmy Eat World and Dexter Freebish. Oh, and one year, it was actually by Wham!
Marcella Puppini, Kate Mullins and Stephanie O’Brien sing modern and classic songs in a style reminiscent of The Andrews Sisters. The group was formed in 2004 and is based in England. This week, I’ve been listening to “Christmas With the Puppini Sisters” as I drift off to sleep. The disc came in the mail from a friend who works at a record company. My wife and I reconnected with him at her high school reunion.
The first two tracks aren’t that great. They do a jumpin’ jive cover of Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas” that might grow on me. I was never a fan of the original. Their clichéd version of “Santa Baby” seemed too obvious of a song choice for a retro-sounding girl group. The remaining eight songs are all good. “Last Christmas” has a haunting accordion riff that I love, even if it has become my current earworm. The Puppinis’ cover of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” starts off sweetly and then turns into a raucous Dixieland jazz number. Nine of the ten songs are secular. The album closes with a very pretty version of “O Holy Night.”
Black Hills to Broadway
Many newspapers around the country ran similar versions of the same basic story this week: “Local band/musician/student will perform in the 84th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.” The big event is only a week away.
The articles also promise seven new floats and two new balloons. The balloons are characters from “Kung Fu Panda” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” This may be the first and only year I am more excited about a new float than a new balloon. Several South Dakota tourism groups are sponsoring a Mount Rushmore float. My wife and I plan to visit Mount Rushmore next summer as I finish my quest to visit all 50 states.
Some New Jersey schoolkids got to go on an amazing field trip on Tuesday. They toured the Macy’s parade studio and got a preview of the new floats. Remember: floats have wheels, balloons have strings.
Taz Mania
Taz Cable booked three of us from Einstein Simplified to be on Tuesday’s “Bowl of Oh!” When he got sick, I got a message from his creative director and lead writer, Sarah Herron. She said that they may have to air a rerun instead. A little later Taz called and asked if I would be willing to guest host the show in his absence. Dave Fennell, Dave Snow and I had fun discussing the topics that Sarah had prepared.
We also plugged two great charity projects that Taz is doing. “Thanks Oh! Giving” is the name of their food drive for the needy. You can drop off new or partially-used gift cards from grocery stores or restaurants at Knoxivi and some other locations listed on the “Bowl of Oh!” website.
On Saturday, they are participating in “World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse” at the Greenbelt Pavilion in Maryville. Ashley Johnston from “The Biggest Loser” will be there to lend star power. The Maryville High School Drumline will perform. Details are at www.blountkids.org.
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