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Turntable  11/24/2014

11/24/2014

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My son Tom worked with Louie Anderson 2.5 years ago.  Tom won a comedic contest on stage at the Northrop auditorium on the UWM campus in Minneapolis judged by Louie. Over 2000 in attendance.  Joan and I were there.  Tom talked extensively with Louie and was asked if he would mind having his picture taken with Louie's family.  Louie's family thought that Tom looked exactly like Louie!  

That night was fun for Tom.  Tom weighed over 400 pounds at the time. Much bigger than Louie. . . . . Today Tom weighs 155 . . .  For this we are thankful.  Tom no longer is in comedy. Here's Louie!
Since Thanksgiving is coming soon, I thought we might take a peek back to the late 1400's to see what the pilgrims were doing about this time of the month in approx. 1498 - just prior to Thanksgiving. 

First a few fun facts about the late 1400's.  
1 - The pilgrims iPhones ran out of power continuously due to lack of electricity.
2 - Although computers were common, the internet had not yet been invented.  Al Gore wasn't born until mid March 31, 1948.
3 - Surprisingly, according to our teachers, terrorists existed even in the early 1400's but were easy to identify. They wore moccasins, buckskin shirts and pants with fringes.  They had red skin and painted stripes on their faces.  Many wore feathers in their hair and carried primitive weapons.  They terrorize us yet today. . . but only financially!

Oh well, enough for the history lesson. I'm sure you all knew that stuff.


Now on behalf of all the turkeys I know, and some I don't, I make the following suggestion!
Till Next Week


Harv
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Turntable 11/17/2014

11/17/2014

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Boy!  Only one more speed bump before Christmas!  I am, of course, referring to Thanksgiving.  Used to be that Thanksgiving was a REAL HOLIDAY!!!  Not anymore, NO SIR!  It's now just "the day before BLACK FRIDAY!!!"  Now theres a "REAL" Holiday.  

Black Friday is where you get to line up at Midnight so you can be first through the door for all the best deals when the store opens!  If you're lucky you will be seen by all your friends and relatives as the news media scans crowds at all the most popular stores showing viewers where the action is!!!  (And where the less "ceribel" endowed gather)

You might get more out of this video if you hum or sing "Jingle Bells" as you watch!
But HOLD ON!!!  The retailers, being the NICE folks that they are,  now plan to open on Thanksgiving Day!!!  Yep!  By 5:00pm on Thanksgiving Day you will be able to shop your favorite store for all those Black Friday bonus savings items!!! (who cares if its really Thursday)  It has been proposed by some forward looking retailers that Thanksgiving be re-named "Black Thursday"! . . .  I think the American public will need some time to mature into that. 

If I'm not mistaken, retailers, in the interest of "helping us out" next year,  will open at 2:00pm on Thanksgiving (even better).  That will give everyone the time necessary to cram down a Thanksgiving sandwich, chug a beer and then scramble down to Best Buy or Macy's to fight for their "Black Friday" deal! I'm pretty sure when they get there they'll find "the competition" camped out in tents right in front of the door! Is that fair???  Do these people have no respect at all to the sacredness of our God given Thanksgiving Holiday???

Here's a recent clip from the 11/12/2014 Minneapolis Star Tribune!  REALLY?? 

Two bargain-hungry customers are so excited about Black Friday that they have been lined up outside of a Best Buy store in Beaumont, Calif., east of Los Angeles, since last Wednesday. . . . (That would be Wednesday November 5th)
Vicky Torres said she’s willing to camp outside the Best Buy entrance for what will be three weeks so she can get a deal on a new television.

Torres and friend Juanita Salas, who have folding chairs, sleeping bags and pillows for comfort, give each other breaks from time to time to allow the other to grab a bite to eat and take a shower. 
Torres said she passes the time “sitting here and watching people. … My daughter checks on me all the time,” sometimes with the four grandchildren in tow.



Reaction from passersby has been mixed as to what has become an annual event for Torres and Salas.

“The employees like me,” Torres said. As for the customers, she added, “Some say that’s dedication, and others say that’s stupid.”


Come to think of it I believe it would be even better if retailers promoted "Black Friday deals on any given day in October!  Halloween might then become the next "Speed Bump" prior to Christmas!  Or better yet, why not have a "Pink" Christmas 4 or 5 days before the 25th?

As I'm watching TV I see the crowd at our local Walmart Store just prior to opening. The whole group really looks 'Charged up!".  Oh! I think I see my neighbor there . . in the front of the line!! He's after an80" 4K HiDef TV that normally sells for $6,290.00 on sale for $29.99 (while supplies last   Inventory = 1). Who would have thought 2000 other people would need an 80" 4K HiDef TV???  Go figure! 

Oh and there's a Toshiba laptop reg $1899.00 selling in the first 30 minutes for $15.00 (while supplies last - they have 2 of those).  

Exciting don't ya think?  And wow - we (the customers) are not the only ones in the store.  If you look around you will see local and state police and . .  aahhh I think that is a SWAT team in the back.  Looking closely through the store window I can see Medics!  There's one rolling a gurney down aisle 3 right now.  I wonder why?  The store isn't even open yet!  

Ever heard the phrase  "crowd surge"?  Well. I think that's happening to the Walmart group I'm watching on TV.  We can see the store employees approaching the door.  Oh look that big guy just pushed in front of my neighbor!  My neighbor will not take kindly to that!  No sir!  Not after 4 post Thanksgiving dinner drinks.  Oh well! . . .   It's that time of year!
Till Next Week


Harv
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Turntable 11/10/2014

11/10/2014

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Do you know what your grandkids are listening to?  


Here are the top songs on the Billboard 100 today.  Starting with Taylor Swift! Remember "Don't shoot me!  I'm just the messenger!"

Number 2 with Meghan Trainor
Number 3 with Tove Lo
The number 1 and 2 songs listed had close to 250 million views on Youtube.  That tells us something!  The talent is huge!  The message is convoluted and a bit confusing.  But consider the conditions our grandkids are facing.



We live in a time where news is instantaneous and constant.  Technology is coming at us in a "blizzard" of new gadgets each designed to help us "keep up".  

Their futures are fuzzy at best!  Long standing occupations that paved our way to a middle class life are fading quickly and being replaced by "3d printing, streaming video, and disruptive technology".  

College educations come with a price tag that is a stumbling block to our "middle class" students.  The tumult in our working world today makes it even more difficult to target a degree that will provide a suitable living.  

There are few things we can do to positively affect these conditions.  Tolerating a bit of their dissidence and understanding their dilemma might be a good first step though.


Till Next Week

Harv
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Turntable (SE)  11/05/2014

11/5/2014

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November is the WORST!!  Always grey, never sure if it will be rain or snow coming down.  All and all, a depressing month.  


Well, here's a bit of "BLUE SKY"!  I've used the "animated" version on previous occasions.  Here is the real thing.  

Can you believe we dressed like that in 1977???   

See you on Saturday!

Oh Yah!  "EAT YOUR HEART OUT PETE!!!"


Harv
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Turntable 11/03/2014

11/3/2014

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WARNING!!!!!   THIS TURNTABLE  CONTAINS VIOLENCE AND FOUL LANGUAGE!  ADULTS ONLY! PLEASE!  (although I gotta say . . it is rather funny)

Ahhhh!!!  Life after High School.  Mom always said . . . "John you MUST go to college . . . you have no natural talent . . . you don't know how to do carpentry work, automotive repair, metalwork or anything that requires using your hands.". ??? . "You might consider using your own personal witt . .  but you're only half prepared for that!" 

Well thanks for the excellent advice Mom but there will be "No College for Me!!!" No sir!  It's straight to the Hybrow Life!  Yep!  Right after High School . . . that's when they stopped calling me Harv and started calling me "Dude"! Why don't we just take a peek at one day in my new    (after high school)    life.  

Here we are, me and my friends, bowling! Yes!  Bowling!  It's fun . . . you must try it sometime.  Oh Yah!That's my friend George Perez spraying the rental shoes.  He was able to get that job WITHOUT a College degree!  Who ever said that College was required for the good life???  
This clip shows me in my usual commute to work.  As you can see I am one happy guy.  Just rockin and rollin along!  Oh! . . . well . . there was that girl in the VW following me that, for some reason, thinks I owe her money.  I will, of course,  make every attempt to lose her . . . wouldn't want to spoil my day.  It was a kind of rough ride today but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel . . right?  Found an old History theme paper stuck in the front seat.  I had forgotten that I got a good grade on that one.  Kind of Made My Day!!!
So. . . you remember the "girl" that was following me?  Well her name was Jackie Treehorn.  I guess thatrather than try to extract money from me directly, she decided to have someone else do it.  So while I'm coming home after a tough day, minding my own business, these two nasty guys jump me.  
I'll show you one more clip of time from later in the day.  Here I'm on the phone, trying,   in my "gentlest,  kindest way,   to get my friend Walter to leave me alone. And, in an effort to secure my apartment from further breakins,  you see me using my "modest" carpentry skills in the construction of a foolproof temporary door lock. I'm trying to keep those nasty guys from re-entering my place.  As you can see,  with the abundance of nails used,  that my totally foolproof lock will be
ABSOLUTELY SECURE.  There is no way that block is going to move!!!
And so you have witnessed the springboard that catapulted me into College.  Oh, I have since cut my hair and they don't call me the "Dude" anymore - It's Harv!!!


Till Next Week

Harv
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