I’m talking specifically about school, but liked that picture so much I used it anyway. Is it real? I don’t think he’s going to make it. And ol’ Hangover Johnny over there on the porch needs to step in. Right? In any case, do you have any interesting memories of 4th Grade? I do, and they’re predictably weird. Why don’t I remember the normal, wonderful times? It’s always with the fucked-upness… And I break it all down for you in the latest episode of The West Virginia Surf Report podcast, available at the magic widget below, or wherever you get podcasts. Oh, it’s out there, insinuating itself into polite society. Check it out!

After this week I won’t be working many 5-day weeks for the remainder of the year. There might be one or two in there, but it’s mostly 4-day extravaganzas, on account of my need to burn vacation time before the end of the year. It’s great! I just took many Fridays and a few Mondays, here and there. And I have nothing planned, except I might go to Cooperstown with Steve, to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in early November. We used to go yearly but got out of the habit. I’m pushing to get it started again. Other than that… just long, glorious weekends! I’m a confirmed fan of the long, glorious weekend.

And for Thanksgiving, it’ll be just like last year. I snapped this photo when dinner was ready on Thanksgiving 2018. I’ll have to discuss it with Toney, but I’m thinking that this year we’ll just sit it in the middle of the table, rip off the top, and eat straight out of the box. Or maybe just pass the box around the living room, and not even bother with going to the table. It’s still a work in process. I’ll keep you updated.

It’s been years in the making, but I finally finished watching The Fugitive TV show. Season 4 was wildly uneven, and not as much fun as the previous three seasons. So… I started it many times and kept throwing in the towel. But I wanted to see how they wrapped it up and wasn’t willing to just jump to the final two episodes (parts I and II). Those episodes were a huge deal when they were first broadcast, and are still among the most-watched scripted shows in history. Here’s a good article about How The Fugitive’s Heart-Pounding Finale Changed TV Forever. Awesome!

David Janssen, who masterfully played Dr. Richard Kimble aka The Fugitive, died young. And this incredible paragraph from his Wikipedia page blows my mind every time I read it. Check this shit out:

A heavy drinker and a four-pack-a-day smoker, Janssen died of a heart attack in the early morning of February 13, 1980, at his home in Malibu, California at the age of 48. Janssen was buried at the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. A non-denominational funeral was held at the Jewish chapel of the cemetery on February 17. Suzanne Pleshette delivered the eulogy at the request of Janssen’s widow. Milton Berle, Johnny Carson, Tommy Gallagher, Richard Harris, Stan Herman, Rod Stewart, and Gregory Peck were among Janssen’s pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers included Jack Lemmon, George Peppard, James Stewart, and Danny Thomas.

My first thought: four packs per day?! Sweet sainted mother of ol’ Hangover Johnny! Also: based on the rest of that ‘graph, it was clear the man ran wide-open. Johnny Carson… Rod Stewart… Gregory Peck… Milton Berle… I feel like he had some fun in his short life. What do you think? Incredible.

Finally, I’m still in mourning about being jettisoned from the Amazon affiliate program. Ugh. I don’t even want to do the Now Playing In The Bunker thing anymore, but… at the same time, kinda do. So, maybe I’ll just put the cover up and not link to it? We’ll see how that goes. Not sure if it’ll work out long-term. But we’ll give it a shot. As I wrote this update, I was listening to the first Pretenders album, from 1980. One of the all-time greats!

I’m calling it a day, my friends. Don’t forget to share your memories of 4th Grade in the comments. Or whatever else you want to discuss. It’s all good. Mostly, anyway. I think I’m going to go upstairs now and make a ludicrously-large ham sandwich and go all David Janssen with it. No half-stepping, in tribute to the master!

Have a great one, boys and girls.

I’ll be back soon.

Support us with a monthly $4 donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week! We’re also at Venmo (@thewvsr) and PayPal (jeff@thewvsr.com). Thank you guys!

Sorry I’ve been away for so long. It wasn’t planned, it just sorta happened. I’ll try not to let it happen again. Ahem. I have a few odds and ends for you guys today: shit’s been building up. So, let’s get to it, shall we?

— I was recently in West Virginia, visiting my parents. It went well, thanks for asking. On Sunday all my living aunts and uncles converged on the place, along with my brother, and here’s the Kay side o’ the family. My mother’s side did not participate in the photo session, but they were there too. It was fun. I’m not sure what’s going on with me, though. It looks like I’d just spotted something suspicious off in the distance, and was trying to figure out what I was seeing. Also, I’m towering over everyone. Oh well.

That’s my brother, my dad, aunt Marg, uncle Danny, aunt Charlotte, and my big doofus ass. “What the hell is that thing?” In any case, it was a fun day: lots of stories and lots of laughs. It was good seeing everyone.

— While in West Virginia I had a few local goals. I wanted to patronize a Tudor’s Biscuit World, go to Budget Tapes and Records, and buy a case of Devil Anse IPA. All are WV exclusives, and I was able to achieve my lofty goals. At Tudor’s I had a bacon and cheese biscuit, and it was both huge and tasty. It’s good for you, too! Simply packed with nutrients. …OK, it’s just salt and fat. What do you want from me? The people at Budget weren’t friendly, but I spent a half-hour there anyway and actually bought two used CDs from them, both by ELO. Weird… They were super-cheap, and looked like they’d never been played. I got Out of the Blue and A New World Record for a total of $5. Not bad. And I got the case o’ beer at Drug Emporium on Patrick Street, for about $50. It’s not cheap, but it’s damn good. It’s in the downstairs fridge as I type this, chilling and preparing itself for battle. Toney doesn’t like it very well, so I’ll probably drink the whole thing. I’ll try to pace myself and savor it. We’ll see how it goes. If you live away from where you grew up, what MUST you do or buy when you revisit? That’s the Question of the Day. Please let us know. Use the comments section.

— Yesterday I received upsetting news, my friends. After more then fifteen years I was booted from the Amazon affiliate program. They said I violated their Terms of Service by encouraging you guys to click through my links. So, I’m out. No warning… just ACCOUNT CLOSED. The email says it may be appealable, but they’re pretty hardcore. An appeal is a longshot, at best. No, I think I’m at the end of the road with them, which sucks. It makes me sad. I wish they’d issued a warning and allowed me the opportunity to fix the problem. Ugh.

— In more upsetting news, I recently visited a Taco Bell near my job. I always get the same thing, and know exactly how much it costs. This time it was cheaper, and I assumed the dipshit cashier rang it up wrong. So, I snatched the receipt out of his ball-juggling fingers and took a look. Check this shit out! The little prick gave me a Senior Discount. I just looked up from the receipt and said, “Are you serious?” and he about shit himself. We’d had previous encounters, and I clearly unnerve him. He just turned and scampered into the kitchen. Senior discount! Does a senior eat all that stuff? No, he does not! He eats one taco and a small coffee. I’m getting fired up just thinking about it.

— Toney texted me this link earlier and wrote, “This is the most Pennsylvania thing you’re going to see all day.” Check it out. The local news station has a hotline where people can call in and leave comments on whatever subject they choose, and it’s comedy gold. This is a weekly recap, I believe, not the main Talkback 16, or whatever they call it. Anyway, you should check it out. It’s good stuff.

— And finally… I have a new episode of the podcast for you guys and I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. The bulk of it was recorded while driving on my West Virginia trip. It’s an unusual episode; I’d never attempted field recordings before. Some of it’s kinda rough, but there are laughs for sure. Give it a listen if you get the chance. At the handy widget below, or wherever you normally get your podcasts. It’s out there, available everywhere.

I’m calling it a day, boys and girls. One more day of work, and it’s the weekend already. Pretty nifty! I could get used to the two-day workweek.

Have a great one! And don’t forget the Question. Use the comments section.

And I’ll be back soon.

Support us with a monthly donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week!

I’ve been around a long time, dating all the way back to the days of the 8-track tape. Indeed, I remember playing the everlovin’ hell out of the second(?!) Foreigner album in that format, when I was in Jr. High. I also had a lot of Beatles music on 8-track, as well as Out of the Blue by ELO. In fact, they’re probably all boxed up and in our basement right now.

But during the 8-track era, I was also buying LPs. I can’t recall how I decided which format to buy. But it was the same thing when cassettes came along, and I would buy an LP when it was something I thought I’d mostly listen to at home. And if it was something built for blasting in the car… I’d go with the cassette. Like 5150 by Van Halen, for instance. Maybe I did the same with 8-tracks? I can’t remember.

In any case, various configurations co-existed in my world for many years. Vinyl LPs were always king with me (I still own hundreds), but I certainly mucked around with the others, as well. The first time I faced an actual dilemma as it pertained to music formats, was when CDs were introduced. Would I now abandon my beloved LPs and take up with the rabid CD cult? This is how it went:

1. Are you kidding? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
2. This is actually catching on? Seriously?! Suckers!
3. Well, it wouldn’t do any harm to just check it out.
4. I am fully on-board with the new world order.

The same pattern played itself out with MP3s (to a lesser degree), and finally with streaming. The one I embraced the least was mp3, but I was a member of eMusic for many years and purchased and downloaded many full-length albums. It was difficult for me to not really own the music, though. It didn’t sit well with me and still doesn’t. I’m programmed for PROCUREMENT, always trying to build the best music library possible. Tiny bits of code on an iPod just felt phony-baloney to me, and not at all legitimate. But, again, I dabbled.

I hated the idea of streaming the moment I heard about it, for the same reason. Hell, in that case, you own even less! And, more importantly, you’re putting yourself under the thumb of Spotify or Apple, or whatever streaming service you’re using. What if they get into some pissing contest with a favorite artist, and all their stuff is removed temporarily, or forever? If you own the CD, it doesn’t matter. But if you’re relying on Spotify, you’re screwed.

But what am I listening to right now? Spotify! I freaking love it. It’s one of the greatest things ever invented. It’s an international database of every song ever recorded, more or less. I still have trouble with it on a philosophical level, but use it daily for its incredible selection and convenience. You’ve got nearly every album in the history of mankind at your fingertips for $7.99 per month, or whatever. It’s fantastic.

Another streaming delight? The Xtra Channels at Sirius/XM. They used to cost extra (xtra), but are now part o’ the regular package. Also fantastic! I put one of those channels on and let it play for hours, sometimes. No commercials… interesting and fun music. It’s great!

So, I have no integrity. That’s what I’m saying, I guess. I start out by taking a righteous stance, then promptly cave. I’d be horrible in a hostage situation. Oh well. I am still buying-up CDs though. I’m constantly filling holes in the physical sound library. However… it feels like we’re on the verge of everything becoming expensive. Over the last six months, I’ve sensed a change. Six months ago you could still buy most like-new used CDs for less than five bucks, but the prices are going up. Soon, it’s going to become a problem. So, if you’re plugging holes, do it now!

Anyway, here’s how I listen to music in mid-to-late 2019:

In the car

Sirius/XM  80%
CD  20%

I cannot Bluetooth music in my Chevy Cruze, only phone conversations. And I’m not running goddamn cable to hook up my phone. So, no streaming in the car for me.

At home

Spotify  60%
Sirius/XM  30%
CD  10%

What do you have on this? Is it all streaming at this point? It bugs me, but I’m part of the problem. Please bring us up to date on it.

And I apologize for being gone so long. I wrote half of this update on Saturday or Sunday, planning to post it on Monday. But the site has been up and down. On Tuesday it was more down than up. But the issue seems to have been rectified now. Yesterday I contacted my hosting company and they miraculously admitted there was a problem with the server. They NEVER do that. So, I considered it a victory of some sort. You know, a victory where my site doesn’t work even though I’m paying a pretty penny to someone to make sure it does? Hey, I’ll take the wins wherever I can get ’em.

I hope you guys have yourselves a fantastic rest of the week.

I’ll be back soon.

Thanks for reading!

Now playing in the bunker
Support us with a monthly donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week!

Remember when webcams were amazing? Back when they were new and novel? I’m not talking about porn, you filthy perv, I’m talking about a fixed camera somewhere, just streaming everyday life back to our respective bunkers.

I remember being fairly obsessed with one that broadcast 24/7 from a laundromat in France. The place was called Happy Wash, and it was in the city of Strasbourg. I’d sit and watch that thing for (here’s where most people would go straight to hyperbole and say ‘hours’) ten minutes at a time. Which is a long time to watch foreigners fold socks and bras. It got to the point where I could recognize regulars on there, and I sincerely wanted to visit the place someday. It was on my so-called Bucket List, although I hate that phrase and feel ashamed for having typed it.

Anyway, Happy Wash is long gone. I don’t remember when it shit the bed, but I’d estimate 2005. The shot above is from their great old cam and causes a wave of warm nostalgic comfort to (happy) wash over me. Is that weird? Why did it mean so much?

There was another one, almost as great, from inside a bar/restaurant in Poland. I can’t remember the name of the place, but it featured an enormous amount of lattice. It was just lattice everywhere. I’d sit and watch that one too, and wonder what life is like for the guys (always guys) sitting at the bar drinking and talking. In some unknown town in Poland, a mysterious place I’ll almost certainly never visit.

I think that’s the part I liked: eavesdropping on regular folks doing mundane things in exotic locales. I found it fascinating. I don’t know why. There are tons of outdoor cams, showing beaches and streets in cities around the world. But they weren’t as interesting to me. And, of course, there were stupid-ass things like turtle cam or camel cam, or things like that. That’s nonsense. No, I just loved the normal people doing boring things webcams. That was the sweet spot for me.

Another great one, that is ongoing, is the Abbey Road crossing. There you can watch dipshit tourists from around the globe risk their lives by walking across that thing, goose-stepping and wildly swinging their arms, trying to recreate the classic Beatles album cover. Check it out here. It’s halfway down the page, and you have to click on it to get it to start. The quality is greatly improved from the early days, but the douches have remained the same. I’ve never seen anyone actually run over by a car on that thing, but I’ve seen plenty of close calls. And I’ve witnessed incensed drivers laying on the horn and shouting. Good stuff. I’ve also seen people fall down, which never fails to brighten my day.

The reason I’m thinking about this subject is because Toney mentioned that I should check out a Myrtle Beach cam, with that hurricane lingering out there. This is the one. As I type this, it looks pretty freaking menacing.

Anyway, I’d forgotten how fascinating I used to find all this stuff. I think it was even cooler when the quality was minimal, like the French laundromat shot above. It was all so mysterious, like a strange AM radio station coming in from some far-flung city while driving at night. Or this creepiness. When it’s being delivered at 1080p high-def, it doesn’t feel quite the same. Oh well.

Did you have a favorite webcam back in the early days o’ the internet? Or do you have one now? Tell us about it in the comments.

Also, since I brought it up, what unusual item do you have on your (please God, no!) Bucket List? Another one on mine is to visit a hotel in France (why so much France??) where an obscure movie was filmed in 1953, called Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday. Here’s some info about the place. When I found out the hotel is still there and operational, I shouted, “Gotta go!” People around me believed I’d been struck by a shit-pain, but it was something else.

If you have anything unusual like that, please share it. Not “visit Australia,” or “have a threesome.” But something out of the ordinary. Please use the comments.

And I’ll see you guys again soon.

Have a great day!

Now playing in the bunker
Support us with a monthly donation at Patreon, and get an extra podcast episode every week!

Do you consider that breakfast? At our fancy-ass hotel in Cincinnati, they do. I say, “Where go the hashbrowns? Where go the bacon strips?!” Oh well. It was “free.” And I use the term about as loosely as you possibly can. I mentioned in the podcast that I heard a trip-hop version of ‘Swingin’ Party’ by the Replacements while having one of these demoralizing aristocratic meals, and Surf Reporter Brad did some research and tracked it down for us. Check it out here. Nice work, Bradley!

Before we get into another Pulitzer-level photo display, I’d like to alert you to the second part of the Pittsburgh/Cincinnati audio travelogue here and below. Please check it out, along with the previous episode, for a complete overview of the trip. It was fun!

I don’t generally post photos of myself here, for obvious reasons. But who gives a shit at this point? This was during our post-breakfast stroll through the riverfront park. Just hangin’ with Mr. Redlegs. By the way, I’m staring straight into the sun here. I’m not generally that squinted down. Also, I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I recently lost my left arm in a horrific reaper accident.

This is a stadium seat from the old Palace of the Fans, where the Reds played from 1902 to 1911. Look at the size of that thing! I’d snap both armrests off, or get my ass wedged in there for good. But I love stuff like this. People sat in that seat to watch baseball… in 1911. When Ty Cobb was 25 years old. Crazy!

Great American Ball Park at 10:30 am. We were told workers have been there all night cleaning up the garbage that was left on the previous night. At this point, they have hoses out and are spraying things down. The groundskeepers are also hard at work. It was amazing to see how much was going on there, so early in the day. You can’t really tell by the photo, but the whole stadium was a beehive of activity.

A Barry Larkin-themed pool table inside the Diamond Club area of the stadium. Seats there reportedly cost about $350 each, and include steak and lobster, etc. The tour guide chuckled while telling us that people in Cincinnati believe this is expensive. It is expensive. It might be worth it, but it’s still expensive.

Our tour group inside the Reds dugout. And how cool is that?! The bench, by the way, has cool air blowing up through the slats, to keep your balls at a reasonable temperature. This part of the tour might go down as one of the most memorable things I’ve ever done. I was about to soil myself. Sometimes I think I’m dead inside, but baseball makes me realize it ain’t quite so. Not yet.

The bat racks inside the Cincinnati dugout. Notice the spot where The Punisher keeps his tools of war in the upper right.

Even stuff like this amazes me. It’s the various phones inside the dugout. Not sure why they can’t just go with one and post a list of extensions, but whatever. I pretended to call the bullpen during a moment of high-levity. I’m sure that’s never happened before.

One more shot of the dugout, before we move on. …I’m sorry, I’m getting a little emotional.

I took this one from the warning track, behind home plate. They warned us — and were clearly serious about it — to not walk on the grass, or even touch it with our hands.

Obviously, the Reds on Radio area o’ the stadium. They didn’t show us the actual radio booth where the play-by-play is done, which was mildly disappointing. But this area is right behind it. Cool!

Inside the press box. The glass is removed on nice days, they told us, and there are many dents in the rear walls from foul balls. Somebody writes the player’s name and date on each dent.

How great is this? A Wiffle Ball field for the kiddies. I love it. Also, the location of home plate from the old Riverfront Stadium is “near the hostess station” inside that bar in the background, the one with the big IPA banner. It’s hard to imagine. I visited Riverfront many, many times.

My lunch at Skyline Chili. I wish I’d gone with the extra cheese option. This is a so-called Five Way, and a Cheese Coney.

Pete Rose statue outside the stadium.

People huddled around the Johnny Bench statue. I had to fight the urge to run over there and start hollering, “Have some respect, assholes!”

From our seats on Saturday night. As you can see, they were a lot closer than my $19 Friday seat. Great game! They were wearing 1976 Throwback uniforms too.

 

And that’ll do it for now. I took over 200 photos, and hope I’ve chosen the right ones.

I’ll see you guys again on Monday.

Also, I plan to do a Patreon episode of the podcast, and will likely post it late Friday or early Saturday. So, be on the lookout for that.

And have a fantastic day!

Now playing in the bunker
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