Monday, December 9, 2013

‘CHEERSFEST 2013’ (OR, ‘BIRD NUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE’)


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Today is the day that Arlee Bird of the blog ‘Tossing It Out’ gets “roasted”. You can read all the rules and regulations and get a linked list of participants by clicking HERE.
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Me, I’ll be dogged if I play by the rules, as I suspect God designed me specifically to laugh in the face of regulations. And as if that weren’t enough, I’ve been awake since 2:00 PM yesterday and just got home from working another “graveyard” shit shift.

That’s right, while y’all were nestled all snug in your beds with visions of sugar-plums doing the foxtrot in your heads, I was awake and patrolling the premises of ‘The Community Of Death’ where the average age is 86 and the Grim Reaper usually pays at least one visit per week.

Therefore, I am going to play the abridged ‘Reader’s Digest’ version of this roast and simply submit an entry for the ‘Bonus Points’. When you’re as good (or sleepy) as I am, you can skip the main course, eat the dessert and go to bed.

For Bonus Points:
* In +/- 40 words, can you come up with a caption for Lee’s Facebook picture?
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Alright, here is my proposed caption for the above photograph of Arlee Bird as a yoot:

When I was younger, I was Michael “Meathead” Stivic. ...Oh, and I was a juggler too. 
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"Th-th-th-that's all folks!" – short and sweet.
G'night, all!

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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23 comments:

  1. You know, I do see a bit of a resemblance to the meathead. Wishing you peaceful slumber!

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  2. Ah, I was so looking forward to your Flash Fiction, but now that you mention it, Lee does look an awful lot like 'the Meathead'.

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  3. Sorry dude-we really did both come up with Michael Stivic on our own....I saw your reference but could not come up with anything better, so I stuck with mine!

    Demented minds think alike....

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  4. Not knowing Lee well (and not being a blogger at all), I will skip the rules also... but I'll suggest this caption to the photo:

    "His prom date being unimpressed by his juggler's balls, Lee whipped out his large bowling pins."

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  5. Second vote for Meathead! That just might stick.
    Thanks for participating in CheersFest.

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  6. You had me laughing at the blog post title. Wish you'd been in form to do the whole shtick. I'll bet you would have come up with some hilarious (or biting) stuff.

    We gotta get you a different job! (sung to a Todd Rundgren tune)
    And when we get you one, we'll get me one too.

    Maybe I'll be a resident in that community soon. No, I probably can't afford it. Obama--call in the death panels for me to see if I need to go off and beyond.

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Thanks for commenting, y'all, even though I only partially participated.

      ---- LEE ---- Yeah, we both need a change. I need a new job and you need any job. How 'bout when I find a new job you take my old one? Bring a laptop and "blog on the clock".

      ---- SIX ---- That was a GREAT caption, Bro!

      ---- DISCDUDE ---- You're either a plagiarizer or as observant as I am.

      ---- M.J., FAE, WENDY, ALEX ----
      Yeah, I think "MEATHEAD" is the new "BLOGMAN". (For the record, I had told Lee in advance that a caption was probably all I'd be presenting and he "warmly" welcomed me to participate anyway.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  7. I never noticed the resemblance, but you could be right.

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    1. D.G. ~
      Having awakened from my slumber, I just now added a photograph of the "MEATHEAD" to better illustrate my point.

      I think the resemblance is wemahkable! (Or should that be "Leemarkable"?)

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  8. That resemblance is uncanny. I can't believe I never noticed it.

    Cheers to not only the roast, but to breaking the rules. We're just glad to see we're not the only ones who like to go against the grain.

    ~4B

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    1. 4-B ~

      A few years ago, Arlee Boid suddenly started using that as his blog's header photo. I immediately jumped all over it, telling him that he looked just like "Meathead". I even included a link to a Meathead photo I'd found online (which even MORE closely resembled Lee than does the photo I included here!)

      I tried to find that very old comment on his blog but failed, so I went "fishing" again.

      I've never actually met Lee, but I know "Meathead" has a very slight gap between his two front teeth, and according to photos I've seen, I think Lee may even have a similar slight gap. THAT'S how much the Boid looks like Meat!

      I loved your roast - it may have been my favorite of those I visited.

      >>... We're just glad to see we're not the only ones who like to go against the grain.

      The day you find me going WITH the grain is the day you can be satisfied that I have been a victim of the Invasion Of The Body Snatchers!

      And speaking of "going against the grain"...

      One of the rare Rock albums from my teenage years that still holds up well for me (and which I even own on compact disc today) is 'Grab It For A Second'.

      Golden Earring's 'Radar Love' is a classic because it's the all-time greatest "driving" song. But I didn't care for their later stuffs like 'Twilight Zone'.

      In between those two hits was the album 'Grab It For A Second' which included the track 'Against The Grain'. The album went mostly unnoticed and is mostly unremembered today because it included no 'Top 40' hits, but I think it's an unknown great from the "Classic Rock" era.

      Every single track was good. Either 'Movin' Down Life' or the title track, 'Grab It For A Second', is probably my favorite. But 'Cell-29' and 'Against The Grain' are right there with them. Eight songs total, at least 6 of which could have and should have been radio hits.

      "SOMEONE taught a million feathers how to be a bird on their own".

      In a way, I think that was sorta part of the mission of Christ but the modern Christian church has overlooked it, preferring to preach that man is just a "WORM" - not a bird, and not even a feather, but simply bird food!

      Link:
      'AGAINST THE GRAIN'

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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    2. I always love discovering a new-to-me old artist and really digging what I hear. I recognized the guitar part of Radar Love instantly just from hearing snippets (commercials, TV I'm assuming) but had no idea it was them. And how had I not heard anything else by them? This guy's gonna have to do some album hunting, particularly Grab It For A Second. I'm not just saying that, I really like what I hear.

      But warning, I will not be playing Radar Love in my Mustang. That... that just sounds like a recipe for trouble.

      ...preferring to preach that man is just a "WORM" - not a bird, and not even a feather, but simply bird food!

      Most days I feel more likely to curl up in dirt and bury myself than I do lifting up and flying away into the great beyond... so I'd say that's pretty spot on.

      ~4B

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    3. 4-B OLD SOUL ~

      I hope you don’t mind that I’m sucking on ‘SUCKS’ as I type this reply.

      Yep, TW&M finally got it in... ONE case, also known as “four 6-packs”, yesterday morning – that’s ALL! I called yesterday afternoon when I woke up and the guy says, “We got one case”. I asked, “Can you hold it for me?” He tells me they’re not supposed to do that, it’s “first come, first served”; but then he tells me to hold on while he checks the shelf. He comes back a minute or two later and says that they have two 6-packs left and he will hold them at Customer Service for me.

      I picked them up about an hour later and was told that if they get any more in, it won’t be until next Tuesday. Good luck finding it at your big, big liquor store in Colorado. Hopefully they’ll get it again at ‘The Main Ingredient’ and I can drink it through June.

      Back in the day I owned at least two, maybe three GOLDEN EARRING albums. I had the one with ‘Radar Love’ for sure, as well as ‘Grab It For A Second’. There may have been another one which escapes my mind today, but if so, the fact I can’t recall it says something about it.

      Their other big hit was ‘Twilight Zone’ which I’m sure you’ve heard (just didn’t know the name of the artist). I never really liked that one much but a lot of people did. It has a line in the chorus that goes, “When the bullet hits the bone!” That alone is probably enough for you to recognize the song.

      >>... But warning, I will not be playing Radar Love in my Mustang. That... that just sounds like a recipe for trouble.

      Ha!-Ha! Man, you ain’t sayin’ nuttin’ new. Everyone from my generation knows that nothing will get you a speeding ticket faster’n ‘RADAR LOVE’. It’s the greatest “driving song” of all time. Not just my opinion, but EVERYONE’S opinion!

      Below is a link to a ‘blast from my past’ that I think you might enjoy reading when you have the time. We did a Blogfest suggested by my friend Sheboyganboy Six and I think just about everyone except DiscConnected included the song ‘Radar Love’. I know Arlee Bird definitely included it too.

      TEN FAVORITE DRINKIN’ AND DRIVIN’ SONGS

      I was still enjoying blogging back in those days, so a little more of my personality comes through in the text of that one.

      >>... Most days I feel more likely to curl up in dirt and bury myself than I do lifting up and flying away into the great beyond... so I'd say that's pretty spot on.

      Damn, man! Is it that same old mysterious ailment that Dr. McCarthy diagnosed as “Valley Fever in Colorado”?

      Don’t make me pray for you, dude! There’s a $33.00 copayment for that service.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      ‘Loyal American Underground’

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    4. I hope you don’t mind that I’m sucking on ‘SUCKS’ as I type this reply.

      I mind dearly, but better one of us than none of us at all, right?

      Interestingly enough, though I recognize the guitar of Radar Love, I never actually heard Twilight Zone. Nor do I like it. Especially not in direct comparison to the stuff I heard yesterday. I see they even have a new album with a name that I won't repost here (longhand for T and A) that has pretty great reviews. But try Googling that one without getting a virus on your computer...

      I loved that old blog bit about Drinking and Driving songs, and those were some great choices. Quite a few of those I share with you. Not only that, but a great look back into the past (Ah, I remember that tale of the film that was never to be set to Peace Frog).

      You know, I actually have a CD that I burned that I call my driving mix. Runnin' Down a Dream is on there, so it was cool to see that on your own list.

      Also, you know what song I love for both drinking AND driving (but not at the same time, obviously), that's on that same CD? George Thorogood... but not One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer. My song of choice is I Drink Alone. Not only does hearing that make me want to rev up the engine and drop the hammer every time, but, well, it's a good drinking philosophy.

      (I can forgive him for only having his "buddy Weiser" because he didn't have options like Mirror Pond and Odell's back in his hayday...)

      Damn, man! Is it that same old mysterious ailment that Dr. McCarthy diagnosed as “Valley Fever in Colorado”?

      Not so much that as being a reclusive writer who'd rather barricade himself inside the house with a good beer and write these days than go out acting crazy.

      I was still enjoying blogging back in those days

      Seems I'm not the only one with Valley Fever! Should we ever pen anything together, perhaps that can help revive that fondness for the creative process.

      Don’t make me pray for you, dude! There’s a $33.00 copayment for that service.

      Still more affordable and more practical than Obamacare. Where do I send the check?

      ~4B

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    5. Hello, My Beer-'SUCKS'ing Friend ~

      >>... I mind dearly, but better one of us than none of us at all, right?

      Agreed. But my Christmas wish for you this year is that the big, big liquor store out your way manages to acquire all the 'SUCKS' ya can STANDS this year.

      >>... Interestingly enough, though I recognize the guitar of Radar Love, I never actually heard Twilight Zone. Nor do I like it.

      I'm surprised you'd never heard it as it climbed to #10 on the Billboard charts in 1983 - 3 spots higher than 'Radar Love' did in 1974 - and it still gets played routinely on the "Classic Rock" radio stations today.

      A lot of people liked it, but I sure didn't. And in fact, when I learned that 'Twilight Zone' was by Green Earring (a few years AFTER it had been a radio hit) I was really surprised. I don't know what, but there was something I would have described as "New Wave-ish" about the sound, and I hated 'New Wave' Rock.

      Glad you found my old 'Drinkin' And Drivin' Songs' blogfest entry worth your time. I thought it was a cool idea Sheboyganboy Six had suggested. Not a lot of bloggers participated, but enough did, and I think everyone who did enjoyed it.

      Yeah, 'Runnin' Down A Dream' has "driving" written all over it!

      >>... I can forgive him for only having his "buddy Weiser" because he didn't have options like Mirror Pond and Odell's...

      Right! The beer market was totally different back then and stuffs like Bass Ale, Becks, Molson Golden, and even Lowenbrau were considered high-end brews at that time. We've come a long way, Baby!

      I remember the first time I had a Samuel Adams - when it was still only a regional kind of beer available exclusively in the Massachusetts area - and I thought the whole "Beerosphere" had changed in a moment. Now, even Sam Adams is just "Eh".

      >>... Still more affordable and more practical than Obamacare. Where do I send the check?

      No personal checks accepted. Just tell me "the beer's in the mail". Ha!

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  9. Stephen ~ Wow. I thought I did pretty well with Christian Bale, but you are right on with the Meathead.

    I hope you get some sleep soon. It's not good for man to miss his sleep.

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    1. I'd almost rather miss my beer. ...Almost.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  10. Oh, that's too funny. As soon as I saw that picture, the first thing that popped into my head was that it looked just like good ol' Meathead.

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    1. Maybe we should start calling him "Meathead Bird"? The Meathead of a Thousand Blogs.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  11. Stephen, you are hilarious. How have I not met you before? Great caption. Lovely tribute. Thanks so much for participating even though you were extremely sleep deprived. Great resemblance.

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    1. Thanks, MORGAN.

      Stick around for a little while and you'll find that often I'm not funny, and I'm most definitely not one of the more beloved characters here in the Blogosphere. (I think getting under people's skin is what I was intended for. Or, at least it seems to be what I do best anyhow.)

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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