Wednesday, April 30, 2008
JUST BECAUSE IT'S AN ELECTION YEAR...
...I decided to pull this photo out. That's me on the top right. No, I'm not holding an apple; that's an old Kodak Brownie camera that my mom gave me to take pictures while I was on this trip. I think she was hoping I'd lose it. I didn't. But it didn't take very good photos. I don't think that either I or my mom has any of them from the trip anymore.
One of the highlights of this trip was when our tour bus passed the Watergate Hotel, which at the time was JUST BECOMING SOMETHING. I remember the bus driver pointing it out and saying (in all sincerity) that it was the hotel "that's getting some headlines recently." Little did he know.
What's really scary about this picture is that after 35 years I can still name most of the people in it. (Come to think of it, I remember that the driver of our tour bus was named C.D. Ragsdale. It's hard to forget a name like that!) Two of the three adults are teachers who were nuts enough to accompany 30 ninth graders from Brookfield, WI to Washington, D.C. for spring break, a Miss Carpenter and Mr. Paul Pelnar, who was my history teacher that year. The other guy who looks like Nixon was our representative at the time, Glenn Davis.
Okay, I'm gonna try and tell you who most of these people are, so if you Google yourself and end up here, send me a note and tell me that you found the picture! (My e-mail is ttuerff@aol.com) If you click on the picture it gets big, by the way...
THE GUYS: Kim Robert Ziarkowski (He was a senior who missed out on a previous trip -- Thanks Bud Geracie, for remembering this! 1/12/09), Pete Pintar, Tim Philosophos, Jim Gunst, Mike "Bud" Geracie (yes, THAT Bud Geracie, renowned sports columnist for the San Jose Mercury News), Steve Sonderman, Steve Schumacher, Tim Peters, Dwayne Wagenknecht, Bob McLaughlin and me!
THE GIRLS (in descending rows): Mary Sandstrom, Missy Jeske, Kathy Lassack, Cathy Clancy, ?,Libby Blank*, Marilyn Nahorn*, Laurie Wrobbel, Darcy Wendorf, Sue Teeter, Bonnie Mundt, Sue Galli, Ann Miller, Laura Jenzake, Donna Torreano, Ann Baker, Sheila Truesdale**, Janice Dechant (thank you for the ID, Laura Jenzake Hinkle!), Kari Schmidt*, Mary Sullivan.
Not bad -- 23 out of 30! 24 now with help...(7 Sept 08)
*Fellow former classmate Chris Tenaglia checks in with THREE -- Count 'em -- THREE identities on 3/3/09! Thanks!
** We have another ID on 1/2/11! Much thanks to Lisa Vento Hainline and her sister Debbie for IDing Ms. Truesdale!! One more to go...
We now have 29 students in the photo identified as of 1/2/11 -- any help on the last one is greatly appreciated!
------
I played a gig last weekend at the SETS in Tempe and made a new low in paid gig money; $5.
Do I even have to report that on my taxes?
TT
...I decided to pull this photo out. That's me on the top right. No, I'm not holding an apple; that's an old Kodak Brownie camera that my mom gave me to take pictures while I was on this trip. I think she was hoping I'd lose it. I didn't. But it didn't take very good photos. I don't think that either I or my mom has any of them from the trip anymore.
One of the highlights of this trip was when our tour bus passed the Watergate Hotel, which at the time was JUST BECOMING SOMETHING. I remember the bus driver pointing it out and saying (in all sincerity) that it was the hotel "that's getting some headlines recently." Little did he know.
What's really scary about this picture is that after 35 years I can still name most of the people in it. (Come to think of it, I remember that the driver of our tour bus was named C.D. Ragsdale. It's hard to forget a name like that!) Two of the three adults are teachers who were nuts enough to accompany 30 ninth graders from Brookfield, WI to Washington, D.C. for spring break, a Miss Carpenter and Mr. Paul Pelnar, who was my history teacher that year. The other guy who looks like Nixon was our representative at the time, Glenn Davis.
Okay, I'm gonna try and tell you who most of these people are, so if you Google yourself and end up here, send me a note and tell me that you found the picture! (My e-mail is ttuerff@aol.com) If you click on the picture it gets big, by the way...
THE GUYS: Kim Robert Ziarkowski (He was a senior who missed out on a previous trip -- Thanks Bud Geracie, for remembering this! 1/12/09), Pete Pintar, Tim Philosophos, Jim Gunst, Mike "Bud" Geracie (yes, THAT Bud Geracie, renowned sports columnist for the San Jose Mercury News), Steve Sonderman, Steve Schumacher, Tim Peters, Dwayne Wagenknecht, Bob McLaughlin and me!
THE GIRLS (in descending rows): Mary Sandstrom, Missy Jeske, Kathy Lassack, Cathy Clancy, ?,Libby Blank*, Marilyn Nahorn*, Laurie Wrobbel, Darcy Wendorf, Sue Teeter, Bonnie Mundt, Sue Galli, Ann Miller, Laura Jenzake, Donna Torreano, Ann Baker, Sheila Truesdale**, Janice Dechant (thank you for the ID, Laura Jenzake Hinkle!), Kari Schmidt*, Mary Sullivan.
Not bad -- 23 out of 30! 24 now with help...(7 Sept 08)
*Fellow former classmate Chris Tenaglia checks in with THREE -- Count 'em -- THREE identities on 3/3/09! Thanks!
** We have another ID on 1/2/11! Much thanks to Lisa Vento Hainline and her sister Debbie for IDing Ms. Truesdale!! One more to go...
We now have 29 students in the photo identified as of 1/2/11 -- any help on the last one is greatly appreciated!
------
I played a gig last weekend at the SETS in Tempe and made a new low in paid gig money; $5.
Do I even have to report that on my taxes?
TT
Thursday, April 17, 2008
OBSERVATIONS
Last night after the Suns game, Amare Stoudemire was interviewed. He looks like he has his face finely chiseled. I bet he gets shaved with a straight razor. Hats off to his barber.
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My wife's troupe is selling advance tickets for their debut of Romantasy Cabaret at the Sets in Tempe on June 7. You'll save money if you buy tickets now: http://trashcityentertainment.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=29&osCsid=600413774204d7eaba754b27b59344fa
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Speaking of the Sets, I'm playing there a week from Sunday with a few other acts starting at 6:30. You can buy tickets from ME for that and save yourself $2.
Call me!
TT
Last night after the Suns game, Amare Stoudemire was interviewed. He looks like he has his face finely chiseled. I bet he gets shaved with a straight razor. Hats off to his barber.
------
My wife's troupe is selling advance tickets for their debut of Romantasy Cabaret at the Sets in Tempe on June 7. You'll save money if you buy tickets now: http://trashcityentertainment.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=29&osCsid=600413774204d7eaba754b27b59344fa
------
Speaking of the Sets, I'm playing there a week from Sunday with a few other acts starting at 6:30. You can buy tickets from ME for that and save yourself $2.
Call me!
TT
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
WHEN I AM KING:
- I will absolutely FORBID, on pain of death, any professional athlete from recording a local radio commercial without first learning how to read like an announcer.
I'msosickofhearingradiocommercialsthatsoundlikethisbecausenobodyhastheballstotellaguywho'salreadymaking20,000,000dollarsasecondthathesoundsboringandrushedandnobody'sgoingtobelievehimmuchlessevenrememberwhatthefuckhe'stalkingaboutohGODthispissesmeofftonoend...
- There will be no more reality TV "contests." Your king (me) has determined that this stuff is bad for you. If you won't stop watching it voluntarily, I will force it upon you for your own good.
- Phoenix will have clothing optional parks and pools. If a guy can walk around shirtless with tits, women should be able to do it, too. (This is already legal in New York state, where you only really WANT to be topless about three months out of the year.)
- Your king will legalize marijuana, even though your king has never smoked it. I will then tax the shit out of it and we'll all be happy because your king will use the proceeds to balance the budget, set up clothing-optional parks, make TV better and pursue athletes posing as announcers.
Your king has spoken. Peel me a grape.
TT
- I will absolutely FORBID, on pain of death, any professional athlete from recording a local radio commercial without first learning how to read like an announcer.
I'msosickofhearingradiocommercialsthatsoundlikethisbecausenobodyhastheballstotellaguywho'salreadymaking20,000,000dollarsasecondthathesoundsboringandrushedandnobody'sgoingtobelievehimmuchlessevenrememberwhatthefuckhe'stalkingaboutohGODthispissesmeofftonoend...
- There will be no more reality TV "contests." Your king (me) has determined that this stuff is bad for you. If you won't stop watching it voluntarily, I will force it upon you for your own good.
- Phoenix will have clothing optional parks and pools. If a guy can walk around shirtless with tits, women should be able to do it, too. (This is already legal in New York state, where you only really WANT to be topless about three months out of the year.)
- Your king will legalize marijuana, even though your king has never smoked it. I will then tax the shit out of it and we'll all be happy because your king will use the proceeds to balance the budget, set up clothing-optional parks, make TV better and pursue athletes posing as announcers.
Your king has spoken. Peel me a grape.
TT
Friday, April 04, 2008
GOOD MUSIC ALL OVER THE PLACE
Hurry, before the week is over: go here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/evans/tracklist/thursday.shtml
Scroll down to the box that says "Listen again" and click "Thursday."
(If you like, you can also get the playlist for this show by clicking "Thursday in the left-hand column at the top.
A player will appear. When it does, use the little arrow next to the volume control to fast forward to about 57 minutes.
Wait for the news to end and then listen to the new song by Sparks, called "Good Morning."
I guarantee you two things:
1. You will not be able to get it out of your head
2. You will have a smile on your face for a good 15 minutes after hearing it.
If you're familiar with Sparks at all, It goes without saying that this song is hilarious! It's about a guy who wakes up one morning to find a beautiful woman in his bed, and had no idea how she got there. So he takes the most logical explanation: God put her there.
Possible 3: For the rest of the day you'll be walking around singing "Doo, doo, da-doot-doot-doo..."
By the way, listening to just about anything on the BBC Radio 2 website shows you just how much BETTER British radio is than the crap we have over here...
------
My friend Pete turned me on to this guy:
Go to YouTube and do a search on Tim Minchin. He's kind of a piano-playing, Australian me.
But he's MUCH weirder. And more talented, because he can play the piano. I can't even SAY "piano" without getting confused.
------
TOMORROW NIGHT: Come see me play at Fiddler's Dream! Paul Needzafriend (really, he's better than the name implies) and Larry Samson will be there, too. We will have fun and I will make you laugh! 17th St. and Glendale!
Then, on Monday, I'll be singing my stinging lyrics to the Sun City faithful at the Peoria Library Audtorium, 8643 W. Monroe!
7 p.m. I'm on at 7:30 and it's all FREE!
------
Have a good weekend!
TT
Hurry, before the week is over: go here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/evans/tracklist/thursday.shtml
Scroll down to the box that says "Listen again" and click "Thursday."
(If you like, you can also get the playlist for this show by clicking "Thursday in the left-hand column at the top.
A player will appear. When it does, use the little arrow next to the volume control to fast forward to about 57 minutes.
Wait for the news to end and then listen to the new song by Sparks, called "Good Morning."
I guarantee you two things:
1. You will not be able to get it out of your head
2. You will have a smile on your face for a good 15 minutes after hearing it.
If you're familiar with Sparks at all, It goes without saying that this song is hilarious! It's about a guy who wakes up one morning to find a beautiful woman in his bed, and had no idea how she got there. So he takes the most logical explanation: God put her there.
Possible 3: For the rest of the day you'll be walking around singing "Doo, doo, da-doot-doot-doo..."
By the way, listening to just about anything on the BBC Radio 2 website shows you just how much BETTER British radio is than the crap we have over here...
------
My friend Pete turned me on to this guy:
Go to YouTube and do a search on Tim Minchin. He's kind of a piano-playing, Australian me.
But he's MUCH weirder. And more talented, because he can play the piano. I can't even SAY "piano" without getting confused.
------
TOMORROW NIGHT: Come see me play at Fiddler's Dream! Paul Needzafriend (really, he's better than the name implies) and Larry Samson will be there, too. We will have fun and I will make you laugh! 17th St. and Glendale!
Then, on Monday, I'll be singing my stinging lyrics to the Sun City faithful at the Peoria Library Audtorium, 8643 W. Monroe!
7 p.m. I'm on at 7:30 and it's all FREE!
------
Have a good weekend!
TT
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
SOME PEOPLE HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS
Check out Google's April Fool's joke while you can today, you Virgle pioneer, you.
------
This came out of my mouth last night, and while I was SURE that I was far from the first person to think of this (and thanks to the internet I now know that THOUSANDS of people thought of this before me), this is still very funny and only slightly less obtuse than the Rene Descartes jokes I posted recently:
You say Carmeena, I say Carmyna
You say Burayna, I say Burana
Carmeena
Carmyna
Burayna
Burana
Let's call the whole thing Orff
TT
Check out Google's April Fool's joke while you can today, you Virgle pioneer, you.
------
This came out of my mouth last night, and while I was SURE that I was far from the first person to think of this (and thanks to the internet I now know that THOUSANDS of people thought of this before me), this is still very funny and only slightly less obtuse than the Rene Descartes jokes I posted recently:
You say Carmeena, I say Carmyna
You say Burayna, I say Burana
Carmeena
Carmyna
Burayna
Burana
Let's call the whole thing Orff
TT
