Had to watch "Armageddon Game" from Star Trek: DS9, too!

Okay, so after watching Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Chase" the night before, I had to watch "Armageddon Game" from Deep Space Nine last night, because it was the only episode of Star Trek before Rayner on this season of Discovery to feature Kelleruns! And unlike "The Chase," I didn't really remember the story from "Armageddon Game." But it's been pretty cool for a regular character on this season to be of an alien species that had only been seen once before on Star Trek.

Watched Star Trek: TNG's "The Chase" again because of Discovery, and recognized some Klingon words I knew to boot!

Since Star Trek: Discovery's current season is based on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called "The Chase," I've been wanting to watch that episode again all season and I finally did tonight. It's probably the first time I've watched it since around the time it came out. I always remembered the basic storyline of it.

I taught myself had to speak a tad bit of Klingon in the 1990s, and learned how to count to five in Klingon. So when the Klingon captain in this episode was playing a game with Commander Data, he said "One, two, three" in Klingon, and I recognized the words as such! I don't think I would have known those words when the episode originally aired, because the episode was from 1993, and I think it was a little while later that I studied a little Klingon. So that was a cool little treat I got from the rewatch. (Although the Klingon captain said the Klingon word for three a little differently than I learned, but it was still close enough that I knew what he was saying. That's just what you call a different dialect! 😁)

Captain Nu'Daq saying the Klingon word for three...his way.

Watching "The Red Room Riddle" for the first time since I was a kid

I was reading a review tonight on TrekMovie.com of the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, “In the Cradle of Vexilon." The review mentions that Boimler's near-death experience "was a nod to the iconic Red Room from Twin Peaks." I didn't know anything about Twin Peaks' Red Room because I never watched the series, but it reminded me of a different "red room."

There used to be a TV show that aired Saturday mornings called ABC Weekend Specials, and one episode in the early 1980s was called "The Red Room Riddle." I remember watching it back then as a kid. I decided to search for it on the internet and found it. I was thinking it was called "The Red Room," but actually it was called "The Red Room Riddle." So I watched it for the first time in about 40 years! The only thing I could remember before watching the episode again was the boy laughing with his dog and the house behind them. (I didn't remember them being in ghostly form, though.) As a matter of fact, I think this episode inspired me to write my own fictional short story back when I was kid about me & my friends at the time visiting a haunted house.

Haunted Mansion movie & Little Italy pizza

The Haunted Mansion movie came out this past weekend. The Malco IMAX screen is still showing Oppenheimer, but the Malco MXT screen is showing Haunted Mansion! So Babs and I decided to go see it in MXT Sunday at 4:20pm at the Malco Powerhouse Cinema. I knew I didn't have a Haunted Mansion-only shirt to wear to the show, but then I realized that I did have a shirt that had Haunted Mansion on it: a shirt I bought at Disney World back in 2010! So I put that sucker on!

See...Haunted Mansion is on there! 👓

Ready to see Haunted Mansion on the almost-IMAX screen!

Got me a Transformers: Rise of the Beasts cup!

After the movie, I saw that there was a Little Italy pizza place just down the street from the theater. We had eaten at the one in Midtown before and it was dee-lish. So we just left our car at the Malco and walked down the street to the restaurant.

When we got to Little Italy, we ordered the Meat Lovers Pizza. Barbra said it was cooler outside than it was inside, so we ate outside. We were also not far from Earnestine and Hazel’s, so I gave Barbra an education on how that place is deemed one of the most haunted places in America. It was fitting to be so close to it, since we just saw the Haunted Mansion movie! 👻

The pizza arrives, New York style. Where's Kariann to do the pizza face? 😃

Chow time. We're ready, Teddy. 😋 But it's a good thing Teddy wasn't here! 😁

After eating, we wanted milkshakes, so we went to Dixie Queen in West Memphis for dessert. When we got there and ordered, they told us on the speaker that it would be three hours before they had ice cream again! So then we went to the Wendy's drive-through and the car in front of us at the speaker wasn't moving, so we left there, too. Then we went to Krystal, and there were two cars in front of us before the speaker, and they weren't moving either! Then we went to Sonic in Marion and were finally able to get our milkshakes. Fast-food restaurants, yall need to get it together!

Finally got some dessert. Only took going to four fast food joints. Pathetic! 😠😄

Crazy Bigfoot coincidence

Sunday, discovery+ debuted Jack Osbourne's Night Of Terror: Bigfoot. Barbra wanted to watch it because she likes watching things about Bigfoot. So we watched it Sunday night.

Later on that night, I was going to be doing a few things and wanted the TV on in the background. I was flipping channels on Dish and came upon a Bigfoot special (or two) that was going to be at least two hours long. I think it was on the Discovery Channel. So I left it on that channel for a bit as I did a few things.

Later on still that night (which was by now the early morning), I was lying on the bed and flipping through HBO Max. I came upon Super Friends, which I haven't watched in years. I flipped through the seasons and picked an episode at random to watch. I didn't think I would watch the entire episode, just a few minutes or so of it. I started playing the episode. It showed the opening credits, and then the title card to the first story of the episode. And of all things, the name of the first story was: BIG FOOT! 

Apparently it was Bigfoot Night for me!

This particular season of Super Friends had like three stories per episode, and the HBO Max screen that showed this season's episodes also listed the titles of each story beside the episode numbers. So there were a lot of titles of stories of episodes on that screen, which is why I didn't even notice the name of this story at first. As a matter of fact, I think I may have even noticed the names of the second and third stories of this episode, just not the first.

So after a night of watching Bigfoot shows, I pick an episode of Super Friends to watch that just so happens to be about Bigfoot. FREAKYYYYYY!!!

Gas coincidence

Last month, on April 2, I filled up my truck with gas at Marion, AR, and it cost $57.94. The next day, on April 3, I filled up three portable gas containers with gas here in Osceola, AR, and it cost $42.06.

57.94 + 42.06 = 100.

😮

It's Company Convenience time; and it's for the longest time ever

😊😊😊

It's the most wonderful time of the year: Company Convenience time! Last spring & summer during Company Convenience time, we only got two weeks or so off at a time. This was because the pandemic was just starting, and stores at first weren't placing any orders, and then later they started ordering to make up for it. But this year, we're back to getting our full time off. And it's going to be for eleven-and-a-half-weeks, the longest period of time off we've ever had! I'm about a week into it now, so I still have a little over 10 weeks off left! Yee-haw! 😁

Company Convenience: right on time for a mini-vacation!

My Company Convenience paper; a beautiful site, isn't it?

Yep, that's right, it's Company Convenience time again. Perfect timing, too, since we're visiting Branson, MO, this weekend for Labor Day weekend. So I'll be plenty rested for our little mini-vacation, both before and after!

Another CC for 2020!

I'm on Company Convenience again! It started last Thursday and we're scheduled to go back to work Monday. That means I'll be getting unemployment pay plus that extra $600 for this week! 😊 But we're supposed to call work Friday and make sure that we're still scheduled to go back Monday. If not, we're supposed to call in every work day afterwards until they tell us to come in. Here's hoping I don't have to go back to work until next Thursday, because then I will only get two days of work in next week, which means I'll get unemployment pay plus that extra $600 one more time! 😁

CC 2020

Usually every year, I get Company Convenience from May to July.  But this year, I've been getting time off from work on occasion since the end of March due to the coronavirus.  This week I got off from work and it was the first time it was officially called Company Convenience.  All the other times it was called furlough for Covid-19.  Hey, I didn't care what they called it, as long as I got time off from work!  😀

Our trip to Grizzlies vs. Suns, January 26, 2020

Shortly before the game, we learned of the death of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash earlier that day.

I'm holding the game's giveaway: a rally flag.  This was Lucky's second Grizzlies game, his first being earlier in the season, which was attended by just himself & Katie.

Us two cuties before the game.

We got upgraded seats after we got to FedExForum, but we were all spread out!

Barbra and I sat in Section 109, Row S, Seats 15 & 16...

...Katie & Lucky sat in Pinnacle 4...

...and Scott sat in Section 115.

Right before the game, the Grizzlies had a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant.  We heard before the game that at the beginning of the Raptors/Spurs game that day, both teams had taken 24-second shot clock violations to start the game to honor Bryant's #24.  I wondered if the Grizzlies & Suns would do that, too.  So sure enough, after the Grizzlies won the tip, they let the 24-second shot clock expire.  Then the Suns inbounded the ball in the backcourt without advancing it to the frontcourt.  I was thinking, "They're going to get an 8-second violation for not advancing it, why aren't they advancing it?"  Then I realized what they were doing: they were honoring the #8 that Bryant wore at the beginning of his career.  Then the crown chanted, "Kobe!  Kobe!"  The game clock also went out for a short while after the two violations, but I don't know whether it was part of the tribute, or if they were just having technical problems.

The series finale of Star Wars Resistance was also going to air that night, so I wore my Grizzlies/Star Wars hat, shirt, and lanyard!  (Well, I would've worn the lanyard anyway.  It holds my MVP Credential!)

The Grizzlies won 114-109

Our trip to Grizzlies vs. Cavaliers, January 17, 2020

Barbra, Kaitlin, and I went to the Grizzlies game Friday night.  It was the second game that Katie has been to this season.  The Grizzlies were on a six-game winning streak heading into the game.

It was a Hardwood Classics Night, so the court had the old logos, as did my and Barbra's shirts!

The Hardwood Classics Night BamBams given away look like KISS makeup while in the package!

The giveaway was a Ja Morant Pocket Square for your suit breast pocket!

Celebrating 25 years of the Grizzlies franchise

Katie watches the happy crowd leave after the Grizzlies win their SEVENTH game in a row, 113-109!

CC 2019...extended!!!

I received a call from American Greetings today saying that my Company Convenience has been extended by a week!  Woooo hoooo!  Now I go back to work July 15 instead of July 8.  That's great because it helps to make up for us getting CC so late anyway.  We should have gotten it a week or two earlier than we did back in May.  If we had went back July 8, we would only have been off 6 and a half weeks, so now we'll be off 7 and a half weeks.  So that's more like it, because we should get 8-10 weeks off every year.  In my opinion, anyway.  😉

Batman foils thieves who rob little towns along the Mississippi River in this month's Batman calendar. Was Osceola one of the towns?

I have the Vintage Batman 2019 Calendar by Asgard Press.  Every month features a different vintage Batman comic book cover.  This month's cover (the cover for June) is Detective Comics #90 from August 1944.  The title of the issue's Batman story is "Crime Between the Acts!"  It tells the story of a showboat called the Mississippi Mermaid that travels down the Mississippi River.  The troupe aboard the ship entertains the "river folk" at the little towns along the river, and during the intermissions of their shows, the troupe sneaks off the ship and robs the towns blind.  That is, until they're stopped by Batman and Robin!

I read the issue on the DC Universe streaming service and I was disappointed to find out that my hometown of Osceola, Arkansas was not one of the little towns that the showboat stopped at!

It was funny, though, that the showboat captain & leader of the river gang that robbed the towns was named Captain Ben.  After all, I played a character called Captain Ben in our Star Trek series of movies at Dramedy Productions!

Hmmmm...this Captain Ben doesn't look much like my Captain Ben...

CC 2019

Got my Company Convenience started today at 10am!  This was one of the longest times it's ever taken to get Company Convenience.  It may have even been the longest.  But got it I finally did!  Beginning today, I'm on my voluntary layoff for 6 weeks, 3 days, and 5 hours.  Summer break from school has begun!

CC 2018

Got my Company Convenience papers yesterday, buddy.  Hell to the yeah!  Got them a whole week later than I did last year, which really, really sucked, but at least I finally got them.  And I'm not to return to work until July 9!  Awwww yeah!  😀

CC 2017

Just got Company Convenience again!  Today was my last day of work.  CC officially starts Monday, May 8, and the paper says for me not to return to work until July 17!  That's the full 10 weeks off!  BOO-YAH!

CC 2016

I'm a little late posting this, but I'm on Company Convenience again!  It started Wednesday, May 4th.  My paper says I return July 11th, but I'll probably have to go back before then.  Not that I'm hoping that's the case.  I wouldn't go back until August or September or October if they let me off that long!

I won a Batman v Superman prize pack from Malco Theatres

On March 23, Malco Theatres began a contest.

............Riddle Me This.......... ....................What 3 characters comprise the "Trinity"?Post your answer...
Posted by Malco Theatres, Inc. on Wednesday, March 23, 2016

That day, I answered the question correctly, and two days later, I was one of the four winners! So on March 30, I received my prize pack in the mail: a medium Batman v Superman t-shirt, a Dorbz Batman vinyl collectible, and a Dorbz Superman vinyl collectible.

My Batman v Superman prize pack from Malco Theatres

Sounds vs. Timberwolves: Season Ticket Growl Towels & more

This past Friday, February 19, was the first day that current +Memphis Grizzlies season ticket holders could renew their season tickets for next year.  So that night, at the game vs. Minnesota at FedExForum, Growl Towels were waiting for every season ticket holder at their seat.  It was also a Memphis Sounds game.  It was also the first game for the recently acquired Chris "Birdman" Andersen and P.J. Hairston, which meant they wore Sounds uniforms for a game before they wore Grizzlies uniforms!

Growl Towels awaiting at my, Barbra's, and Scott's seats

Our section from a distance

Our section from an even further distance!

What the towels in the arena looked like from our seats

View of the towels from Plaza Level, where we watched the players warm up before the game

Kari with the Growl Towel, two Memphis Sounds Car Freshener giveaways (showing each side), and the Item of the Game: Memphis Red Script Tee for $15

We were going to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, but decided not to.  It would have been our first time eating at its new location. But I had to get a selfie from inside the Hard Rock with this cool view of Beale Street out the window.