8.19.2014

Shake It Off

Ferguson is still under protest. The Royals are still winning. And Taylor Swift is still cool – in my eyes at least.

In case you're living under a rock -- and if you are, you definitely wouldn't be reading this -- Taylor Swift unveiled her latest single yesterday. And, whaddaya know, it was trending today.

For the record, I watched it as I was getting ready to leave my office last night, and I love it.



* * *

The protests happening in Ferguson have me shaking my head. No one is blameless for what is happening there. But even then, the news media is fanning the flames of the situation as much as anyone.

Last night, I got caught watching the “breaking news” coverage – even though there was no breaking news to report when the news channel cut into the Late Show with David Letterman. An anchor on the station actually exclaimed, “Oh boy, here we go!” when law enforcement officers began firing teargasas if it was the start of a Fourth of July fireworks display.

Now people who have no affiliation with Ferguson and possess a limited knowledge of the facts are joining in, and the protesters seem to be taking on a personality of little more than attention seekers.

Talk about police tactics all you want. I get that. But, based on my experiences, I also believe cases like the one involving Michael Brown almost always can be traced back to people who made poor choices and failed to abide by the law in the first place.

In the meantime, innocent people who live in Ferguson and have no association with the case are being portrayed in a harsh light. We know how they feel in The ‘Ville. I’m proud of our state, and it saddens me to see another one of our cities portrayed in the national media this way.

That’s all I have to say about that.

* * *

I had tuned into CBS to watch the Late Show, fully anticipating a tribute to Robin Williams because Letterman was in reruns when Williams passed last week.

As I wrote the other night, a Robin Williams appearance on Letterman was always special. Letterman begins talking about that feeling in the video below at the 6-minute mark.

Well, said Dave. There will never be another one like Robin Williams.



* * *

The Royals are hot. They’ve won eight straight series. They are the highest they’ve been above .500 since 1994 – I was there – and the Tigers continue to crumble. This is really fun.

Last night, via Royals beat writer Andy McCullough …
As he wrote in his game recap ...
The sequence confirmed the blessed fortune shining on the Royals, even as the events hinted at the organization’s darkest fear. In the seventh inning of a 6-4 victory over Minnesota on Monday, Salvador Perez stood inside the dugout with his shirt untucked and his right knee sore. It was his turn to bat. He would not. Instead Erik Kratz, a 34-year-old backup acquired last month, headed to the plate.

Yep. Good thing the Royals picked up Erik Kratz. And Josh Willingham, too.

How can you not root for the Royals right now?
If they're able to finish the deal, it will be impossible to measure the emotion, not just in the executive offices, not just in the clubhouse, but also in the community. Remember what it was like in Pittsburgh last fall when that ballpark was full and fans were rocking the place to its bones? That's what it'll be like in Kansas City, too. …

The Royals have been through so much these last 29 years, endured so much hope and so much disappointment. Maybe, just maybe, that'll make the endgame that much sweeter. Maybe this time it'll work out in a way that makes all that patience seem worthwhile.

8.16.2014

Fair fun

So I made my first trek to the Iowa State Fair yesterday. I went with my university relations cohorts, and we called it a professional development day. We worked our university information booth for part of the day and explored the fairgrounds for the rest of it.

Overall, I was impressed and I now understand why the Iowa State Fair has a reputation as one of the best. The Wisconsin State Fairwhich Kates and I also attended for several years – does, too, but I’m giving the edge to Iowa.


The grounds are clean, well-maintained and spacious. But I thought the real charm was in the history of the buildings – including the coliseum-like grandstand – and the variety of food and attractions.


Oh, the food. One of the more popular items at the fair is pork chops on a stick. So my buddy Brandon and I headed to that stand for our lunch, handed over $7 apiece, and it did not disappoint. In return for our money we each received a hand-sized slice of meat that was juicy and cooked to perfection. It was worth every dollar.

For an afternoon snack, I had a basket of deep-fried Oreo cookies, and Brandon and Kim bought a pair of jumbo rice crispy bars – known as Fair Squares. We tried the peanut butter and strawberry flavored cakes. … Vendors also were selling deep-fried Snickers bars, deep-fried Twinkies, multiple flavors of funnel cakes, and – another popular Iowa fair item – buckets of cookies. According to the Iowa State Fair, it features nearly 200 food stands and about 70 items on a stick. There’s even salad on a stick.

On Brandon’s recommendation, each of us also made sure to get a free hard-boiled egg on a stick. A producer hands them out to anyone who visits his stand, and for a bonus there’s a bowl of spices to dip it in.

Beyond the food stands, we took in the incredible and fascinating display of photo submissions in the cultural hall, which also featured some amazing doll houses …


We walked through the Iowa State Fair museum – which featured some neat displays of fair memorabilia, including fair pins through the years and photos of all the fair queens dating back to the early 60s. Oh, the hair and the dresses through the years.

We wandered through a car exhibit …


A tractor exhibit …


And the craft barn …


Finally, we walked through the birthing barn to admire the baby adorableness of calves, ostrich, pigs and ducklings. We also watched chicks hatching and the cutest goats you’ve ever seen.


It was worth the trip, and I hope to do it again some day.

8.11.2014

In the first place ...

My social media feeds are blowing up tonight on three subjects, and nothing else.

A few minutes before 6 tonight I had one of those jaw-dropping, take-your-breath-away moments that come every so often when a piece of shocking news pops up on my TweetDeck ...

I was introduced to Robin Williams as a kid through reruns of "Mork & Mindy." This scene was one of the first I remember. ... It remains one of my favorites and still makes me laugh to this day ...



Here's the entire pilot episode, which also included the hilarious crossover bit with "Happy Days'" Fonzi and "Laverne & Shirley's" Laverne. ... YouTube is loaded with this stuff.

Then came "Good Morning, Vietnam."
"Dead Poet's Society."
"Aladdin."
"Mrs. Doubtfire."
And of course, "Good Will Hunting."
Among a load of others I'm thinking I should see.

There also was his hilarious turn with Billy Crystal on "Friends." Another classic.



In college, I listened to a cassette tape of "A Night at the Met" for the first time, and I laughed so hard I cried. 

And I whenever I saw he was appearing on the "Late Show with David Letterman," I was sure not to miss it, knowing I was guaranteed a solid 10 minutes of laughter. ... I'm sad none of those nights are left.

Rest in peace, Robin.

Good reads (Updated 08.13.2014) ...
= Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Actor, Dies at 63 in Suspected Suicide 
= "Mork & Mindy" and the Tireless Dervish That Was Robin Williams
= Conan, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers Pay Tribute to Robin Williams'
= Steve Martin, Ellen DeGeneres, more react to death of Robin Williams
= Watch Robin Williams' 13 Funniest Impressions

* * *

I had one of my longer board meetings tonight and arrived home in time to say good night to the girls. I read stories with Faye and put her to bed while Kates did the same with Phoebe. Then Kates went back to her classroom to work, and I retreated downstairs in time to catch the last two innings of the Royals game.

The Royals were up 3-2 as I watched them send down the A's in the eighth inning and then hold on in the ninth. The Kauffman Stadium crowd was chanting "Let's go Royals" so loudly and so in unison -- I didn't know Kauffman Stadium could be so loud. It was so awesome and it gave me chills. ...


So steady, Greg Holland put a cap on it, getting the final batter to fly out to Jarrod Dyson ... Who caught the ball, paused and then did a black flip as the crowd erupted. ... A fantastic win.



Cue the old-time ball player to come out and post the W. And tonight he brought the Royals South Korean super fan with him, who jumped and celebrated on the deck like a maniac. ...



All along I had been following the Tigers-Pirates game on AtBat. The Tigers lost, which means the Royals are back in first place. ...The Tigers are stumbling, and Justin Verlander's durability is now a question.





Meanwhile, the third story blowing up my Twitter feed is the riots burning up Ferguson after the shooting of Michael Brown. ...