RIP - Don Beveridge (1932-2022)

 

RIP to Don Beveridge who has passed away at the age of 90.

A week before his death, Don commented about his long life saying, "It was quite a ride."[...]

Don was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in Korea as a Staff Sergeant during the Korean War. This is where he said he learned how to lead people...

As his Mobil responsibilities grew, so did his family. He and Betty raised a family of six children, Donna, Don, Diane, Dirk, Debbie, and Dawn. It has been a family joke that he named all of his kids after his wife, Betty...

While attending an Executive Education program at The University of Wisconsin, Madison, he was underwhelmed. He approached the program director and said, "I could do better than that." He was told to "Prove it."... And prove it he did...

Over the last years of his life, Don struggled with Parkinson's Disease and was lovingly and tirelessly cared for by his wife Betty with loving support from his long-term care giver, Grace Realbuto...

Don would appreciate donations to the Wounded Warrior Project instead of flowers.

The Cosmic Crisp Apple - A Review

It's been almost 3 years since I saw this video...

And since then I've been on a quest to find one. It seemed futile given the "It's only available from Washington" nature but, who knows, maybe apple smugglers would create an apple black market at some point.

Well, yesterday I noticed a market near me was offering Cosmic Crisp Apples so I made the trip and was successful.

My review? Having had one, I can definitely say it tastes like an apple. If you're looking for a weird food adventure, this isn't it. It's 99% apple flavor with 1% extra sweetness - the news stories that say extra sugar content are accurate here. But if you've ever had apple cider, you can imagine how these taste. But the scientists that created it were breeding towards longer shelf life rather than flavor so expecting anything different was my mistake. On that subject, the above video makes reference to people claiming Cosmic Crisps could last a year, but I find no websites claiming that now and I have no interest in testing it myself.

So if I was going for flavor, what should I be hunting for? Well, according to applerankings.com, the SweeTango Apple is the greatest of all-time. Dang it, they were available at the store I was just at and I passed right by. Well, I'll look for those sometime. Deciding to review an apple was kind of a joke, now I see apple reviewing is serious business and people are going to come to my blog and be disappointed.

A Long String of Copyright Claims

 In case anyone is curious about what's happening behind the scenes, it appears Letterman is revving up his youtube channel. How do I know? My email inbox is a long string of copyright claims for Late Show clips. It's more than one per day at this point.

As I've said before, I wouldn't mind this (it's their stuff, after all) IF they were uploading the same clips and wanted to eliminate the bootlegs. But so far they've been taking down stuff that they haven't bothered to upload on their own channel. The end result is the viewers get screwed.

So that's that.

Lost Version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles to be Released

 Almost 2 years ago, I shared that there is a 'Lost' version of "Plains, Trains and Automobiles."

That footage has now been found and will be released on Blu-Ray later this year. According to TheHDRoom, the set will include:

Over and hour’s worth of newly discovered never-before-seen deleted and extended scenes from the archives of John Hughes are being packaged on an additional Blu-ray in this set. The 4K disc will house some legacy extras noted below.

• Getting There is Half the Fun: The Story of Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• John Hughes: Life Moves Pretty Fast (2-Part Documentary):
• John Hughes: The Voice of a Generation
• Heartbreak and Triumph: The Legacy of John Hughes
• John Hughes for Adults
• A Tribute to John Candy

The Ladies and Rocky - A Genre Within a Genre

 In an earlier installment, I documented that I was a semi-convert to the "reaction video" youtube video. Since then, I've been recommended and watched a number of videos where youtubers - usually women, usually attractive women - watch "Rocky" movies. There are so many of them that it's almost a genre within a genre.

That, in itself, is not interesting or surprising. What has surprised me is how much the Ladies love "Rocky" - completely and unanimously. As much as I love the  "Rocky" series, I wouldn't have pinned it as a "chick flick" - and to be fair, neither the women themselves confirm that "this is not a movie I would choose to watch, usually." But then, having watched, their views change completely and it's off to all the sequels. In retrospect, it makes sense - "Rocky" is only superficially about boxing, it's really a character study but it still comes as a surprise. So... Try it on your next date night? I don't know what the takeaway is, exactly.

Further watching and the supplied proof that women love "Rocky:"

Duaffy M&S watches Rocky

Mom watches Rocky II

Mary Cherry watches Rocky III

Cassie and Carlie (Popcorn in Bed) watch Rocky IV

And I would go farther except PiB is the only one I've found who's made it to Rocky IV... so far.

Late Show - Gangsta's Paradise

 

RIP Coolio.