What’re Words For, Part 7….

Hard to believe I’ve been doing this blogging thing for 7 weeks now. One of the first things I did when I decided to do this online journal experiment was I started off by telling you all that I would introduce you to one word or phrase used in Maine each week. And I’m now up to word/phrase number 7, indicating 7 weeks as a blogger. Wow! That’s gotta be some kind of milestone, eh?

The word I want to give you all this week is so associated with New England that it won’t be anything new to most of you. However, to ignore it would mean I was shirking my duty as a New Englander (Englandah). So, without further ado, this week’s word.

Word: Wicked (Adv.) Definition: very
Example: “How was the horsepulling?”
“Wicked good. Seth took top money with is new team.”

(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)

This work is used so much in Maine, it’s normal to hear it many times throughout the day, and sometimes more than once in a conversation. I still use this word pretty regularly, and around here in Philadelphia, it definitely identifies me as someone from New England. Now, if I could just get them to stop saying “Are you from Bawston??”

Have a wicked good Halloween everybody!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I thought it would be good for me to attempt an update to this site’s appearance with the changing of the clocks.

Although I was unable to take advantage of the one-hour “fall back” in this morning’s end to Daylight Saving Time due to a neighbor’s annoying car alarm going off every 90 minutes from about 7pm last night until about 9am this morning, I did set my clocks back, AND changed the template of my blog (had to do something since I was already awake).

So far in my young blog-life, I’ve had a little difficulty getting this whole thing down, and I sure as shit have a long way to go. But, the $45 I spent two weekends ago on “Blogging for Dummies” and “HTML 4 For Dummies” may be paying off. Expect more updates in the future, but for now, here’s the look.

Whatta yah think?

For now, however, I have to run back to the bookstore. As a gift to my neighbor, I’m going to get her “How to Work Your Fucking Car Alarm for Dummies”.

LOST, Season 3, Episode 4 “Every Man For Himself”

Okay, so you all know I’m a huge fan of this show. But, I sure hope it starts to pick-up with some stronger episodes…similar to those of Seasons 1 and 2. It’s not that these episodes are bad, but they move slow….it’s like everyone is standing still. I, however, am keeping my faith that the writers and producers are using these slower-paced shows for the big pay-off.

On to this week’s episode:

Sawyer: Con men getting conned. Sawyer’s flashback reveals that while in prison for having been caught in a con, he meets a prisoner, Munson…though Sawyer’s knack for giving nicknames dubbed this guy both Constanza (as in George?) and Murgatroy (that’s got me stumped because I remember the cartoon character Snagglepuss always saying “Heaven to Murgatroy”, but always thought it was his way of saying “purgatory”…I don’t know what a Murgatory is). Munson was in prison for stealing $10 million, and Sawyer told him that since the money wasn’t found yet, that the warden would start working on Munson’s wife to get the info. When the warden did indeed start working on Munson’s wife to find the money, Munson asked Sawyer to move the money for him. Sawyer, recently given news that he had a daughter (Clementine Phillips) with a woman he conned, learned the whereabouts of the money (in a red truck in a car lot, 23C….NOTE: 23 is one of the numbers, FYI), and passed the info to the warden in order to: a) get his own sentenced commuted; and b) to have the reward money deposited into an account for Clementine so she would grow up with money in an account. On the island, Sawyer himself gets conned by Benjamin Linus (Note: Linus was the son of the Greek god Apollo…..and don’t forget about the Apollo candy bars found in the hatch…..), who tells Sawyer that they implanted a pacemaker into his heart, and the pacemaker would explode is Sawyer’s heart-rate went above 140 bpm. Though it was obvious Ben was lying (there’s no way they have the technology on the island to do major surgery…surgery that requires blood transfusions…on the island), Sawyer fell for it, and was a good little boy for the episode. Plus, Benry threatened to put a pacemaker into Kate if Sawyer told her about it. While convincing Sawyer about the pacemaker, Benry shook a cage with a bunny in it (the bunny was Number 8…one of the numbers, FYI) until the bunny “died”. Benry told Sawyer about the heart-rate issue, saying the bunny also had the pacemaker, and died because the heart-rate went up in the bunny’s stressed-out state. Sawyer: “Did you kill that bunny?” Sawyer given a heart-rate monitor on his wrist, which would beep when it hit around 125bpms, which happened the first time when he was watching Kate get undressed. Ha ha!

Benry: Obviously head of the community, but doesn’t necessarily mean he’s in control. However, he did freak out when Colleen was brought back to camp with the gunshot wound. Also was able to get Sawyer to behave with the whole “you’re heart will explode” story. While leading Sawyer on the hike up the cliff/hill, Sawyer’s heart monitor starts beating, and Ben then tells him that they didn’t put a pacemaker into him, “The only thing we put into you is doubt”. Sawyer looks defeated, but he is a con man. Benry telling Sawyer that he’s a good con man, but “we’re better”.

Jack: In his cell, and they’re playing cartoons for him. Interesting how there are swans in the cartoons, and the Losties were in the Swan hatch. Doubts that Juliet has any real power on the island, claiming he believes that Benry is in charge. But, he’s called in to help try to save Colleen, who had been shot by Sun. Jack, however, cannot save her as the equipment on in the Hydra Station is inadequate. On the way into the medical room, Jack sees an XRay, and notices that there is a tumor on the L4 vertebrae (Note: 4 is one of the numbers…FYI), and realizes that they intentionally wanted him to see that XRay (though they probably didn’t want someone to get shot to do it). He questions why he was really brought there, realizing that he’s been brought there to address the spinal tumor, since he is a spinal surgeon. Wow! Jack might be getting a clue! Jack’s line to Juliet: “I don’t care about making you feel better.” Classic.

Juliet: Tells Jack that she’s a fertility doctor. She must’ve been the one doing the experiments on Claire….? Also, did you see the logo on Juliet’s scrubs? It’s the Hydra logo. Kind of cool logo, actually.

Desmond: He must be psychic…he tried to get Claire to get out of her tent with Aaron claiming he’d fix her roof. However, she wasn’t buying it, and didn’t want to leave. Desmond gets a 5 iron from the golf bag (being used by one of this season’s as-yet-underused new characters, Paulo) and builds something with it. “Is it art?”, Hurley asks. “Nope, just an experiment”, says Desmond. Turns out, a few minutes later, a storm kicks up, and lightening hits the crudely fashioned lightening rod. Desmond’s foresight must’ve seen the lightening hitting Claire’s tent, but he changed that by building the lightening rod. Could Desmond also change things on the island if he’s seen them happen already? Also, Desmond couldn’t have had this ability before he got to the island, otherwise he never would’ve gotten in trouble in the military, or would’ve gotten lost in the first place. Could this ability have been caused by the injections he was giving himself in the hatch all those years? And if so, does that mean that Claire’s baby, Aaron, will at some point gain this gift since Claire’s been giving the baby the serum since Charlie gave her the injection kit he found on the supply drop during last season?

Kate: Not much to do except panic this week. Although, admitting she loved Sawyer just to get Danny to stop beating him was nice…but, she does have a thing for Sawyer. Also, the fact that she crawled out of the cage shows that there’s a way out, but I’m sure she was seen on the monitors doing this.

The Other Island: When Benry took the Sawyer to see the other island, he claimed that the island Sawyer was looking was their (the Losties) island, and the one they were standing on was the Other’s island and community. So, this implies that the Hydra Station is the island that the experiments are conducted on/from, and the Losties island is the “control” island.
And, was there mention of a submarine? That would be how The Others were able to transfer Kate/Sawyer/Jack off their island and to the Hydra station. Or maybe there’s an underground/water tunnel? I’m sure we’ll find out. Keep this in the back of your mind: Galaga. Don’t ask…just remember. ;-)

“Of Mice and Men” : This week’s highlighted novel, written by John Steinbeck, is, loosely, the story of a man who’s lost in the big world, and of the man who tries to guide him through it. When the one who’s lost continues to get into trouble by going to into the wrong place, or saying the wrong thing, the guide ends up becoming the disciplinarian. See any parallels here? Lost? Disciplinarian? Hmmmmm….

Hurley: Making fruit salad? And serving it with Ranch dressing, I presume?

Rousseau: So, where the hell has she been all this time? How has she escaped the wrath of the Others all this time?

Programming note: Only 2 more new episodes left in this first batch. Remember: the series will pick back up on February 7, and will air uninterrupted until the end of the season.
Yeah, it will be a big break in-between, but I so prefer this way to the way they were airing the episodes last year.

So, nobody’s taken me up on my “who’s gonna die next” ponderings. C’mon, you know it’s gonna happen! I had said either Claire, Desmond or Sawyer. I am, however, taking back my Desmond guess.

See you next week!

Until then….Namaste.

Half a Birthday

A couple of weeks ago, I was hanging out with friends of mine, and I asked their daughter if she was having fun at the ripe age of 6. She corrected me, and let me know that she was not 6, but was 6 AND a half. I apologized profusely for overlooking the “half” because she was so proud of having crossed the “half” mark on her way to the age of 7.

But, this got me wondering: at what age do we stop professing the “half” part of our age to people? I really can’t remember. I do remember being proud of the half-year being added to my age when people were recognizing the amount of trips I had made around the sun in my lifetime, but at what point I stopped announcing it has been lost to my memory.

Do any of you know when this happens? I had given it some thought and figured maybe it’s important as we build our age up to the “legal drinking age” milestone of 21, but when you’re 6 or 7, having a beer is not the first thing on your mind.

Just something I’ve been wondering about.

Oh, and by the way, I turned 41 and a half last Friday (October 20th).

What’re Words For, Part 6….

My recent guest spot on the Belle of the Brawl’s (BotB) blog has spurned me on to today’s word. While the Guest Blogger at the BotB, I talked about some of the wacky competitions that occur around the world. One that I mentioned is the Tomatina, occurring each year in Bunol, Spain. It is, essentially, a town-wide food fight, using the vegetable that makes up today’s word used in Maine.

Word: Tomato, Tomatoes (N.) (toe-may-toe, toe-may-toes)
Pronunciation note: This is to be pronounced with a long “a”, of course. Anyone who’d say “tomahtoes” would put them in clam chowder.

(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)

And we all know that tomatoes DO NOT BELONG IN CLAM CHOWDER, ayuh.

Born in Arizona, then He Moved to Babylonia….

The King Tut exhibit is coming to Philadelphia next year, and I’m totally going!! How else will I ever find out the answer to the age old question: How’d he get so funky?

http://www.kingtut.org/philadelphia/index.htm

Worst Joke Ever…….?

Q: What do Christmas and a cat on the beach have in common?

A: Sandy Claws.

Do you know one that’s worse?

The Maine Counties Song

We're going to jump into the Wayback Machine for this one, folks.

When I was in first or second grade at Asa C. Adams Elementary School in my hometown of Orono, Maine (we’re talking something like 1973 or 1974), our classes were taught a song to help us remember the names of the sixteen counties in Maine.

Just for fun, I’d like to teach all of you this little ditty. It’s sung to the tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy”. And away we go with the “Maine Counties Song”:

Sixteen counties has our State:
Cumberland, and Franklin,
Piscataquis and Kennebec,
Oxford, Androscoggin.
Waldo, Washington and York,
Lincoln, Knox and Hancock.
Sagadehock and Somerset,
Aroostook and Penobscot.

How cool is that? It is just catchy enough that all of these years later, I can still remember it!!

That’s…The Finest Kind of Pork, ayuh.

Welcome Belle of the Brawl Readers!

I'd like to welcome the readers of Sar's Belle of the Brawl blog to The Finest Kind of Pork. For those not in the know, Sar was kind of enough to create the avatar that dresses up my site. And as you know, was nice enough to ask me to be her Guest Blogger this week.

If you're a chum of Sar, you're a chum of mine.

Hope you enjoy your visit, no matter how brief or extended, ayuh.

--joe

On the Streets of Philadelphia.....

I have lived in Philadelphia, PA since March of 1995. (Note: I actually lived here previously for one year, Jan - Dec 1984, when I was sent to the Philadelphia Naval Hospital for my first duty station after boot camp and corpsman school.) In that time, I have come to enjoy the city and what it has to offer, especially its arts and music scene. You all know about the Philadelphia Museum of Art (if not, watch the movie "Rocky", and you'll see him run up the steps of the PMA); you all know about the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (I pass both of these historical landmarks each day on my way to work); you all know about Ben Franklin; and of course, you all know about Hall and Oates, Kevin Bacon and Will Smith, to name just a few. All of these are great things associated with this city, as is the awesome music scene, my personal favorite. I have also made a whole lot of friends, and have had a wicked good time hanging out with them and doing lots of things around this city.

However, as someone who grew up in a small town in Maine (Orono) of 9,000 people, I am now longing to return back to the Pine Tree State, and the coziness of small town living. Plus, I am in the process of purchasing my grandparent's house (for the low family-rated price of $50,000...how's that for a deal?!), to which I plan to move into in June of 2007.

Over the past couple of years, however, I've realized that it was getting to be time for me to get out of the city when I was able to come up with my........TOP 10 Reasons Why I'm Not Cut Out for City Living Anymore.

10. I'm still unable to just whip out my junk and piss on the city streets or on the subway steps when I have to go. Civility allows me to wait until I get home to tap my kidneys. (I'm so old fashioned)

9. I'm able to wait until I get home to open and drink a beer. Maybe I'm a pussy for not chugging my favorite ale out of a brown paper bag on the bus....or maybe I'm just sensible. Not sure...it's a fine line.

8. I'm able to talk on my cell phone on public transportation WITHOUT YELLING SO LOUD THAT THE PEOPLE ON THE BUS BEHIND US CAN HEAR ME! Besides, if you have to yell that loud, you either: a) have the shittiest cell phone on the planet; or b) don't need the damn thing anyway because the person you're talking to, no matter where they are, can probably hear you anyway without it.

7. Also in reference to public transportation, busses in particular, without a second thought I will get up and offer my seat to older women, pregnant women, and pretty much any woman in general if there are no seats available. I'm trying to come across as the world's greatest person, but the lack of respect and courtesy is quite disheartening.

6. When I'm at a sporting event, I'm not cool enough to throw cans, bottles, or other objects at fans of the opposing team. And what's the point of going to an event if you can't be part of the ignorant-fan problem, which is so well associated with Philadelphia sports fans?

5. When I'm walking through the city, I actually know how to use a garbage can to throw any trash I may have into. The residents of Philly are always heard talking about how proud they are of their neighborhoods. But, it's easy to realize that they are full of crap when you notice that soda cans, plastic bags, cigarette butts, and chicken bones...yes, chicken bones....are littered everywhere. I once asked a kid on my street who had just tossed a gum wrapper to the ground, if it bummed him out that he had contributed to the litter problem in the neighborhood. His reply? "That's what I've always done", like it was just part of his normal routine. that's some good parenting there.

4. I can form complete sentences without using the "F" word as either a noun (i.e. "you fuck"); a verb (i.e. "You fuck pigs"); an adjective (i.e. "The fucking bus was 10 minutes late, and it smelled like piss"); or as any other part of speech not mentioned here.

3. I vote against any union member running for a political office. While that always narrows my choices, I'm tired of the Philadelphia unions holding this city hostage every time a big event wants to come here, and they nickel and dime them right back out of the city because of their imbicilic guidelines. (Note: Jeopardy! came here 3 years ago, and swore they'll never come back due to the high costs of hosting their show in Philly because of the ridiculous labor rules the unions have. And if they don't get their way...they strike.)

2. I know how to wear my pants so the waistline is around my waistline, and not halfway down my ass. Granted, people over the age of 35 aren't guilty of the dropped-down-pants issue, but with so many kids running all willy-nilly around the city, it's unimpressive to see that so many of today's youth don't even know how to get dressed. Oh, and I also know how to wear a baseball cap correctly with the bill facing forward, and not cocked all over the place.

1. I will NEVER tell any visitor to the city who's looking to try a cheesesteak to go to Pat's or Geno's. These two cheesesteak places sit across the street from each other, and have been in Philly for a long, long time. I'll give them credit for longevity, but for a good cheesesteak? STAY AWAY!!!! They're living off their reputation, which does not mean that they make a good sandwich. They don't. And, they're rude more often than not. You want a great cheesesteak? You need to go to John's Roast Pork first, and then to Tony Luke's.

Don't get me wrong, Philadelphia has a ton of great people living here, and there is a lot of great stuff to do. I recommend a visit to this city if you've never been here, and I'll gladly provide a list of great places to go visit if you do come. Just let me know....but do so before June of '07.

LOST, Season 3, episode 3, “Further Instructions”

Hopes for a return of the Smonster (smoke monster) were premature this week, but we did see the return of the world’s angriest (hungriest?) polar bear. And, in a bit of weirdness, I’m wondering: how did Locke, Desmond, and Eko get out of the hatch before it imploded (since they were all inside it when it imploded/exploded). Guess that’ll be explained at a later date. And this is another of many episodes that begins with a close-up shot of someone’s eye, in this case, it’s Locke’s. On to my notes:

Locke: We learn more of Locke’s history when we find him picking up a hitchhiker, and taking the hitchhiker (Eddie) back to a commune he was living at back in his “I can still walk” days. The commune, we learn, is a pot farm hiding within a peach orchard, and Eddie is actually a police-plant sent to infiltrate the organization. Of course, you knew something was odd when the cop who pulled them over for having a taillight that was out doesn’t check Eddie’s credentials, and just believes him when he says that Locke is his uncle. At the commune, Mike and Jan, leaders of the group, find out Eddie’s a cop when they are able to get his info from the internet, and they pack up and flee before more police come in. John feels betrayed, but cannot kill Eddie, despite his realizing that he is in fact not a farmer, but a hunter. Back on the island, post-hatch destruction, Locke awakens to find himself in the jungle, and is hit by Eko’s flying Jesus stick, which is returning to Earth after the blast. Locke then, I assume, takes his own vow of silence (a la Eko) until he finds his redemption. That comes in the form of a vision induced by, presumably, the same plant/drugs Locke used on Boone to induce his vision in the first season. In Locke’s vision, Boone makes an appearance. Locke tells Boone he’s sorry for getting him killed, and then Boone takes Locke (in the vision) to the Australian airport where Flight 815 originated telling him he must save someone, and that he’ll have to clean up his own mess. Locke sees the various Lost characters in the concourse area, but Boone lets him know he has to save Eko. Coming out of the vision, Locke gets Charlie to help him on the quest. While unpacking supplies, Locke grabs a can of hairspray, to which Charlie says, “I hate to be the one to tell you, but….”, to which Locke replies “It’s not for me”. Ha ha!

Eddie Colburn: Cop planted to be picked up by Locke and taken to commune so he could infiltrate the pot growing group. Told Locke that he was picked because he was not violent, and would be easy to coerce.

Charlie: Reluctant to assist Locke, reminding him that he still hates Locke for continuously punching him in the face and accusing him of using the heroin at a time when Charlie was not. He goes with Locke, and the get chased by a very angry polar bear. When they lose the bear, they run into Hurley, who lets them know that Jack, Kate and Sawyer have been captured by “The Others”, and that the “guy we had in the hatch…Henry” is their leader. They tell Hurley to return to camp as they continue to look for Eko. They find Eko in a cave, being protected by a very angry and hungry polar bear. Using the hairspray as a torch after lighting it, Lock chases away the bear and saves Eko. He and Charlie then drag Eko back to camp. Another funny Charlie moment: tells Locke one time he was high and watching a nature show about polar bears, “Polar bears are clever. They’re the Einsteins of the bear community”.

Eko: not much to do in this episode except lay around injured and passed out. He did become part of a vision Locke had after the cave-save, telling Locke that he’ll still be able to save Jack, Kate and Sawyer after Locke said he was sorry he didn’t listen to Eko, and that he lost his faith in the island.

The Cave: Yikes…did you see the bones inside the cave? Who did these bones belong to? Obviously, some of the people who had been on the island previously have become bear-food, but were the human-morsals taken as prey, or perhaps given as sacrifices? Also, the toy dump truck in the cave sure looked a lot like the one Walt was playing with when living with him Mom in England (from season 1). And, you had to have noticed that on one of the skeletons in the cave was an old Dharma Pearl Station shirt….

Hurley: on his way back to camp after seeing Locke and Charlie, and being warned of the marauding polar bear, he hears something. “Bear? Is that you?” ha ha! Turns out it’s Desmond, who’s naked and recovering from the blast. “Did the hatch blow off your underwear?”, he asks of Desmond. Upon getting back to camp, Hurley tells everyone that Jack, Kate and Sawyer have been captured by the Others, and that nobody is to go over to try to save them.
Desmond: Tells Hurley about the failsafe to shut-down the “magnetic anomaly”. After being told by Hurley about the Others, Desmond tells him not to worry because Locke said in his speech that he would go rescue them. Hurley is confused because he doesn’t know what speech Desmond is referring to. It’s not until they return to the beach when they hear Locke give a speech about going to save Jack, Kate and Sawyer from the Others. How did Desmond know about this earlier if it hadn’t happened yet? Is Desmond psychic? Is this some kind of residual effect of the implosion? Have to wonder if the end of Season 2 where Penny and the guys she was with off-island (who picked up the blast of the button not being pushed) were also a vision of Desmond’s.

Claire: Not much screen time, but she did get to act freaked out and concerned, something she never does (please not all sarcasm).

Okay, there you go. Looks like there’s going to be a build up to some kind of assault on the Others from the Losties, or vice versa. All I know is that from the looks of the previews for next week, it doesn’t appear that Sawyer has a good week. And, it’s time for all of you to begin wondering who will be dying this year. You know it’s gonna happen, so prepare yourself. I’m going with any one of the following: Claire, Sawyer, or Desmond. You read it here first.

Until next week….Namaste.

What're Words For....part 5.....

Hello, and a very happy Tuesday to all of my readers....all one of you! ha ha!

Continuing on with my words/phrases from Maine, I decided the wait was over to introduce you all to the most important word that is used back in my home state.

Word: Ayuh (Adv., affirmative, yes) A general purpose term which is considered

THE WORD

Definition: "Ayuh" is the truest touchstone of genuine Yankee speech. While its pronunciation may vary throughout the region ("eeyuh", "ehyuh"), a Mainer and a Vermonter using it know they're cut out of the same cloth. But let some rusticator from Yonkers try to render it, and the result will be as apparent as a beached whale. Listen to "The Word" a few hundred times before you try it. The most common mistake outlanders make is to render it with the same inflection, no matter what the circumstances. "The Word" has infinite shades of meaning. To attempt duplication in cold print would be useless; suffice to say that according to rendition, it can preface an extended observation or abruptly conclude one. It is comforting and it is sarcastic. Listen often to "The Word" in its sundry applications before you attempt it, and then begin very tentatively, low key----ayuh.

(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)

So there you have it, TFKoP visitors. It won't be long before the Maine Yankee dialect is rolling off of your tongue, ayuh.

And that will be....The Finest Kind of Pork.

Tag...You're It!

Picked this little ditty up from Avitable.
(Note: this is apparently an old internet thing, but figured I didn't have anything else to post, so this was better than nothing)

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

I'm currently reading "Driving Mr Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain", by Michael Paterniti.

"We sat for a while with the car running, warm air pouring from the heater, gazing at a modest wood-frame colonial with black shutters on a pleasant block of like houses. More than anything, Einstein said he loved the old place for the light that filled the upstairs rooms and for the gardens out back. He kept pictures of Michelangelo and Schopenhauer hanging in his study, because, as he said, both men had escaped an everyday life of raw monotony and taken 'refuge in a world crowded with images of our own creation.'"

That was fun! But, it's time for "Deal or No Deal", so I'm outta here!

...and Monkeys Might Fly Out of My Butt...or Perhaps Lightening?

To be fair, this really isn't funny.

On second thought...yes it is!!!

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20548077-13762,00.html

LOST!!!

It's true...I'm an addict. I'm seriously addicted to the television show Lost. I know I know...it's almost cliche to say that since so many people are hooked on this wicked good show. But it's true. I'm so hooked, that each Thursday morning after a new episode has aired the Wednesday night before, that I put together a "wrap-up" email that I send out to about 26 people. I started doing this email at the beginning of Season 2, and would send it to about 5 of my friends who also watch the show. Slowly, more people were asking to be added to the email chain, and it's now up to 26. Not a huge number by any stretch of the imagination, but a decent amount, I think.

This morning, someone at work told me that I should start a Lost blog. My feeling is: there are already so many Lost blogs, that mine would just get...pardon the pun...lost in the mix. But, since I already have this blog going, I figured I'd just publish my wrap-up here.

So, each Thursday morning, I will post my wrap-up for Lost here, and if you're a fan of the show, I hope you like it. If you're not...well, I invite you to check out my previous posts!

FYI: These wrap-ups are a bit long....

LOST: Season 3, Episode “The Glass Ballerina”

We find out that the castaways have been on the island 69 days (unless Benry is lying…always a possibility, but most likely not the case this time). That would make it November 29, 2004, as Benry said to Jack. This episode, “The Glass Ballerina”, begins with the breaking of a…well….glass ballerina. Note: Shannon was a ballerina who sort of got “broken” when she was shot by Ana Lucia.

Sun: So, little ole Sun WAS messing around with Jae, as we all pretty much figured out last season. So, is it his kid she’s carrying (remember, Jin is sterile…but, maybe the island healed him and he and Sun could’ve gotten busy on the island at some point…). But her commitment to Jin has become stronger on the island, but she’s obviously haunted by the infidelity to her husband, and the scorn of her father. However, as smart as Sun thinks she is, she may not be fooling Jin, who suspects something. He knew she was scheming with Sayid to stay on the beach to attract the Others. When she shot Colleen, I think it was a knee-jerk reaction to the sound of the boat starting up and she was startled (sort of how Ana Lucia was startled when Shannon came running out of the woods, and how Michael was startled by Libby after he purposely shot Ana Lucia.) As a kid, she blamed the broken ballerina on the maid, so she was lying. And, then we see that she lied to Jin about the affair (by not telling him = lying). So, Sun’s a liar. Next thing you know her pants will be on fire….

Jae: Sun’s suitor who apparently fell in love with her, and wanted her to go to the US with him. The scene of them in bed….did they “do it”, or when Sun said “I can’t”, was she saying she can’t knock-boots with him, or can’t go to the US with him? My guess is that it was the “going to the US”-thing, but who knows what’s in the mind of the LOST writers. In any event, Jae was twice dissed by Sun in that bedroom scene: he even tried to give her a pearl necklace (not that kind, perverts!!!), which she also would not accept. His fear was apparent when Jin threatened him after being told by Sun’s father, and he probably would’ve left the country and discontinued contact with Sun if not for his free-fall from his building. What floor did he fall from, any ideas? I’m not sure…probably the 23rd or 42nd….. Now the question: did Jae’s fall happen because:
a) he couldn’t stand to have lost (no pun intended) Sun, so life had no meaning?
b) He was pushed/thrown by another of Sun’s dad’s henchmen?
c) He was pushed by Sun herself??
d) He thought there was a pool below, and was working on his cannonball?

Jin: Sent by Sun’s dad to send a message to Jae after dad caught Sun in bed with Jae. Jin, however, did not have it in him to kill Jae, instead threatening him to leave the country and never come back. So, imagine Jin’s surprise when Jae ends up face down on the hood of his car outside the apartment building. But the big reveal was when Jin said to Sun “I know you betrayed me” (in ref. to Jae? That she was talking to Sayid assuming Jin didn’t understand? That she was planning to leave him before the crash?), but the tender Jin says later “I don’t what I’d do without you…without both of you”. (remember the baby)

Juliet: She’s evil. Don’t think otherwise. The sandwich-and-soup-making-book-club-hosting vixen is definitely not a nice person. And, there’s some history between her and Colleen and Benry. Juliet’s attempts to sway Jack to the Others-way is not working as it appears that Jack is hunger-striking it in the cell. Keep an eye on her. After hearing Colleen tell Benry that Sayid had found the fake village and that they had a boat, Juliet said something like “so what…they’ll just sail around in circles”, implying that somehow the magnetic force of the island is either known to the Others, or manipulated by the Others. Makes you wonder where Michael and Walt are now on their boat.

Michael and Walt: I wonder where they are now. Benry did give them a compass heading when they left, so maybe there’s one way to get through the magnetic confusion that occurs in the compasses on the island.

Jack: Still in his cell and on a hunger strike perhaps? Juliet brings in soup for him (“I made it myself”), he’s not interested, just as he wasn’t interested in the sandwich that she brought in for him the day before (last week for us viewers). When Benry told him that they have contact with the outside world by telling him that Christopher Reeves had died, and that the Red Sox had won the World Series, Jack didn’t believe him. After all, Jack’s dad favorite saying about anything that seemed impossible was “that’s why the Red Sox will never win the World Series.” So, when Benry says the Sox won the World Series by coming back from an 0-3 hole to beat the Yankees in 4 straight, and then won the World Series in a sweep, Jack just laughs at Benry’s supposition. It’s not until Benry shows the tape of final out of the 2004 World Series (for those that may have forgotten: Keith Foulke, the pitcher for the Sox, fields a ground ball and throws to Doug Mientkiewicz at first base.)

Benry: “Real” name: Benjamin Lynus/Linus. And he’s lived on the island his whole life. Hmm..interesting. He seems have been involved in the Colleen/Juliet history, and he’s obviously picked Colleen as his favorite, noted when he told Juliet (after she brought soup in to Jack): “You never made soup for me.” Benry’s been keeping tabs on Sawyer, Kate and Jack via hidden cameras, as seen by the huge bank of monitors he was standing in front of at the end of the show. Who is this freak?!?!?!? If he was born on the island pre-Dharma, and Dharma started in 1970, could it be that the community he was part of were used by Dharma as test subjects for whatever Dharma is doing, and eventually they overthrew the Dharma people? But, who would be Benry’s parents….possibly the people whose bodies were found in the caves by the Losties when they first moved inland from the beach? But, that begs the question: where did THEY come from ? And also, who’s still doing the food drops?

Sawyer/Kate: Still both being held in their individual cages, with Sawyer still working hard for his fish biscuits. After they’re taken out to perform hard-labor (making small rocks out of big rocks), Sawyer’s attempt to knock out guards, take a gun and the stun-gun fails when Juliet holds a gun to Kate’s head. All this after he plants a smoochie on Kate’s lips, spurned on by how Kate “looked so good swinging a pick-axe.” Sawyer remarks that Kate “tastes like strawberries”, to which she replies “you taste like fish biscuits”. Ha ha! Sawyer later calls her “shortcake”...as in ‘strawberry’? The work camp is probably a scam…just trying to break Sawyer and Kate.

Sayid: Okay, has this guy had one plan that went correctly since they crashed on the island? He was thwarted (by Locke) when he tried to set up the transponders…he was captured by Rousseau when he went hunting for her….Shannon was shot when they went looking for Walt….and now, his “I’ll start a fire and lure the Others here” plan has also gone bad.

Alex: Rousseau’s daughter sneaks up to talk to Kate, and inquires about Carl, the guy who had been in the cage across from Sawyer, and tried to help Sawyer escape. So, what’s the connection there? Interesting that Kate was given Alex’s dress to wear. Has Alex been kicked out of Dharmaville? What’s her connection to Carl?

The Hydra Station: So, this station has an even more elaborate monitoring system than the other stations on the island. From the Hydra’s command center, we saw Benry standing in front of a bank of monitors…I didn’t count them, but there had to be at least 20, eh? He was able to watch the cages that Sawyer and Kate were in (and listened in on Sawyer’s hopes to catch the Others off-guard at some point), and he was watching Jack’s cell, too. I didn’t get a chance to see what was on the other monitors.

Bernard/Rose: Haven’t seen them in a long time, so just thought I’d mention them.

Next week: a Locke-centric episode, and a return of the Smonster! And Charley telling Desmond that “the blast blew off your underwear” was hilarious!!!

I’m sure I missed some stuff…didn’t get to watch the episode until 11pm last night…my friends' band, The Codes, play a small set for about a dozen of us, so I taped the episode (don’t they know that playing on a Wednesday completely interferes with me watching LOST????), and watched when I got home…. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Until next week, Namaste.

PS. Just a reminder: The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. Didn’t want any of you to forget that. Red Sox. World Series Champs. 2004.

Yellow Matter Custard, Dripping from a Dead Dog's Eye....

Hey, like....what's up, man? This is so groovy. Check it out, man. I'm like...trippin' over this way out website. Have fun with it, chummies. Cool, man.

The sixties, man, were far out.

What're Words For....part 4....

This week's phrase is one I was using even as a kid, and usually did not get in trouble for it. And by usually I mean, everyone but my Mom would let me say it.

Phrase: Ho-ah, son of a (N., phrase) [sp. "whore, son of a"] (Can also be pronounced "hoore", depending on locality. See below.)
Definition: As used in New England, this phrase demands explication. Elsewhere in the United States, it may be considered very vulgar, but the farther north you go in Yankee country, the less offensive becomes the epithet. This translation culminates in Aroostook County, Maine - known in the state as "The County" - where the expression has become innocuous and in speech, is as common as a conjuction.

In "The County" (Aroostook County, Maine's largest and Northernmost county) any male from the age of ten on must say "son of a ho-ah" at least a couple dozen times a day - often many more. If he's a true son, he comes down hard on the "r", since Aroostookers have the distinction, in the New England region where the letter is often ignored, of rolling their "r"'s. He will modify the phrase from time to time with the unblasphemous adjectives "jeezly" or "jeezless" for variety.

"Son of a ho-ah" is an all-purpose phrase in The County. Balky canoes or potato harvesters that keep breaking down are "sons of ho-ahs", but so is a canoe that runs straight and a harvester that works without a hitch. A good-sized deer is a "son of a ho-ah", and so is a small one. A close friend is thus termed, as is one's sworn enemy. A predicament is a "son of a ho-ah", but so is good fortune. Paper companies are "jeezly sons of ho-ahs", as are environmentalists. The B&A Railroad, the Governor, your favorite uncle: "sons of ho-ahs" all. Even women are "sons of ho-ahs!" No offense intended.

(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)

So there you have it, chummy....you son of a ho-ah!

Into the Trees, Into the Trees....

In 1994, 200 miles North of Sydney, Australia, a Wollemi Pine tree was found. Hmmm, you're thinking, what's so big about that?

Well, this species of pine had previously been thought to be extinct. Records of the Wollemi existed in fossil records dating back to the dinosaur's days, but until that day in 1994 had been only in the archeological history of the pine. With the discovery of this one living tree, efforts to find more got underway, and soon, about 100 of them had been found in the same small gorge as the one initially discovered. Now, a preservation effort is underway to bring this tree back to stronger numbers.

And you can help! Buy and plant a Wollemi Pine and you'll be helping to bring back a tree species on the brink of extinction. You can order one here at the National Geographic site.

I've already ordered mine.

Helping to bring back a tree that was thought to be extinct? That's....The Finest Kind of Pork.
Picture from the Wollemi Pine Tree site, linked above

What're Words For....part 3....

If you're looking to learn some words and phrases from the great state of Maine, you've come to right place. And this week's word, the third I've presented in this third week of blogging, can easily supplant many cuss words you presently may use...if you are trying to cut back on those nasty, socially unacceptable words, that is.

This week's word is: Frig (V., to dawdle, putter)
Definition: Do not be afraid of using this word in Yankeeland, for it carries none of the salacious connotations associated with it in other parts of the country.
"What'choo been up to, Joe?"
"Nawthin' much. I frigged around the gahden (garden) some this mornin'. I've been taking it easy because I've got to put a ring in a bad bull's nose tonight."
The root has a couple other applications:
1. Frigging (Adj., abominable)
"I can't get this friggin' halter on right."
2. Frig (V., to botch)
"That's because you frigged up the buckle."

(Definition from: "How To Talk Yankee", by Gerald Lewis & Tim Sample, copyright 1979, 1986 by The Thorndike Press; copyright 1989 by the First North Country Press)


I used this word a lot recently while trying to get this friggin' blogger site to upload some of my friggin' pictures, but it just ain't friggin' working!!!

There you have it chummies. Enjoy using this word in your daily routines. And it would be wicked awesome if you'd leave me a friggin' comment if you've stopped by! ;-)

Here is the Apples and the Oranges and Plums….

The Italian Market in Philadelphia is my favorite place to go shopping. Even though it is completely outdoors, the deals are fantastic, and it’s just a fun place to go. Once a week I make the 20 minute walk from my house to 9th and Washington Streets to shop for my fruits, vegetables, fish and meats . Most of the produce comes from local farms, so it’s fresh and ready to use, so there’s no waiting period for the bananas to ripen, for example. The street itself runs for several blocks, from around 9th and Wharton Streets up to 9th and Fitzwater. The brightly colored awnings and street-side produce bins highlight the appearance of this market.

There are several fruit and vegetable stands in the Market, several butchers, a couple of fresh fish stops, and some restaurants. There are a couple of cheese places (DiBruno’s being the best), a pastry shop, and a bakery. The bakery, Sarcone’s, also has a deli that makes the best hoagies in the city. You can also find an herb store, a flower shop, and a coffee shop or two.

The Italian Market is great because you can find pretty much any kind of fruit or vegetable you are looking for. The diverse cultures in Philadelphia make it a necessity for the produce dealers to have wide and varied selection of the planet’s finest fruits and vegetables.

People fill the Italian Market six days a week (Monday is the day off most of the shops observe), and when the weather is nice, it is full of people, both residents of the city, and non-residents who make it a point to stop by if they’re in the city.

Those of you who have seen the original Rocky movie will remember the montage of him in training, and he runs through the Italian Market, waving hello to the different sellers, and having an apple tossed to him by one of them. It’s a scene most people remember. As a matter of fact, as Sly Stallone gets ready to drop the latest Rocky movie on an indifferent public, he made sure to include another Italian Market visit (and run up the Art Museum steps, of course) within the movie. Yeah, can you believe it? ANOTHER Rocky movie….Rocky VI. I think he fights tooth decay in this new one.

But, the Italian Market is a bustling, and very important part of Philadelphia’s history, having opened some time in the late 18th Century. If you ever come to Philly, you’ll just want to check this place out, to say “I’ve been there”, especially if you ever watch Rocky with your friends, you can point out that “I’ve stood right there on that corner!”

What’s better than that?

Note: I had some pics of the Italian Market I took this past weekend to share with you via this post, but blogger would not upload the pics, despite giving the me the "successfully loaded pictures" message when I was trying to do it. Is this a normal problem for blogger....not uploading pictures?