Search This Blog

Sunday, August 12, 2012

The B-52's Cosmic Thing


Sometimes I look back at my blog and wonder how I managed to come up with one blog entry a day for fifteen months straight.  Some have called me dedicated, while others have called me crazy and in desperate need of a life.

(Those latter people I no longer associate with, by the way.)

It’s certainly been a labour of love to keep this blog going, and I love being able to write a little bit each day.  It allows me to become a better writer, and it allows me to get my writing out there so that the public can read my thoughts...as bizarre and unique as they are.

Most importantly, this blogging venture has to be fun.  The minute the blog stops being fun is the minute I pull the plug and move on to something else.  And how do I keep this blog fun?  By choosing topics that are also fun.

And to me, nothing symbolizes fun more than the album that I plan to spotlight in today’s edition of the Sunday Jukebox.

The reason why I decided to go for an album is simple.  Initially, I was planning on choosing one song only...but then as I was listening to the whole album on my CD player, I realized one thing.  This album is one of the very few albums that I can listen to without skipping one song.

Whenever I think of this album, I think of beach parties, lounging by a swimming pool, and weirdly enough, my high school graduation.  That last one, I’ll explain a little bit later in this blog.

This is also a band that I have never seen in concert before, and I am hopeful that one day, I will be able to see them in person.  After all, they’ve been playing together for over thirty-five years, and are still going strong.  The possibility is still there...at least for now.

So, let’s not waste any more time.  Today’s featured band is the Athens, Georgia based group known as “The B-52’s”. 


And, the album we’re going to look back on is the band’s biggest...1989’s “Cosmic Thing”.

“Cosmic Thing” was the band’s sixth studio album, released on June 27, 1989.  Looking at the bold colours of the album cover, it certainly stood out on record shelves back in the day.  Featured on the album cover are some of the members of the band.  From left to right are Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider, and Kate Pierson.  Also included in the band, but not pictured in the album cover are Paul Gordon, Sterling Campbell, and Tracy Wormworth. 

The band formed in what I would consider to be one of the best band formation stories that I have ever heard in my life.  The members of the band ended up playing their first gig at a Chinese restaurant after they shared a tropical drink known as a “Flaming Volcano”.  A few months later, the band played their very first concert on February 14, 1977 at a Valentine’s Day party, and two years later, the band signed a recording contract with Warner Records. 


TRIVIA:  The band’s name was inspired by the beehive hairstyle resembling the nose cone of the B-52 aircraft.  In the band’s early years, both Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson wore their hair in a similar fashion.

For the first few years, the band released five albums, and even had a couple of singles charting on the Billboard 100 (“Rock Lobster” and “Private Idaho” notably).  Their biggest successes came from the American dance charts, where the band had five Top 20 singles charting between 1980 and 1986.


But just as the band was beginning to see success on the horizon, one of the band members received a devastating diagnosis.  Ricky Wilson, the original guitarist of the band (and brother to Cindy Wilson) was diagnosed as being HIV positive in 1983.  During the recording sessions of the band’s 1985 album “Bouncing off the Satellites”, Ricky kept his illness a secret from the other members because he didn’t want them to worry about him.  After fighting the disease for two years, Ricky Wilson succumbed to complications from AIDS in October 1985, at the age of 32.

The band took a hiatus to deal with the loss of their bandmate, friend, and brother, and during the process, some changes were made within the band.  Keith Strickland, who originally played the drums decided to become the lead guitarist to honour his friend, and he also took on more songwriting duties.  That decision would lead to the planning of songs for the band’s next album, “Cosmic Thing”.

“Cosmic Thing” was widely considered a comeback album for the band following Ricky Wilson’s passing, and this particular album would end up making a huge impression on the charts.  The album was produced by Nile Rodgers and Don Was, and with the exception of two songs, the band wrote the lyrics to all ten songs on the album.  The album stayed on the Billboard 200 for a huge part of late 1989 and early 1990, peaking at number four, and went quadruple platinum.  And, of the five single releases from “Cosmic Thing”, two of them were Top 5 hits!

Of course, this blog will focus on all five singles...all of which I loved listening to.  As always, they’ll be listed in chronological order.


SONG:  (Shake That) Cosmic Thing
DATE RELEASED:  June 6, 1989
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  N/A
PEAK POSITION ON THE HOT MODERN ROCK TRACKS:  #7

Okay, so I had trouble finding an official music video for this song.  In all honesty, I don’t even know if one was ever made.  But all sources list this particular song as the debut single from “Cosmic Thing”, and it did make the Top 10 on the Modern Rock Chart, so I figured it was worth mentioning.  There’s not a whole lot that I can say about this song except that it ended up appearing on the soundtrack of the 1989 film “Earth Girls Are Easy”, which starred Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis.


SONG:  Channel Z
DATE RELEASED:  August 12, 1989
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  N/A
PEAK POSITION ON THE HOT MODERN ROCK TRACKS:  #1

Twenty-three years ago today, the second single from “Cosmic Thing” was released, the quirky “Channel Z”.  Once again, “Channel Z” failed to make an impression on the mainstream Billboard Charts, but the song is very memorable for the band.  It happens to be the very first time the band ever scored a #1 hit!  Mind you, it was on the Modern Rock charts.  Still, it was fantastic news for The B-52’s.  The accompanying music video was filmed outside of New York City, and the song itself is about a fictional radio station with the motto “all static, all day, forever!”  Thankfully, the song was much more interesting than a radio station airing nothing but static.


SONG:  Love Shack
DATE RELEASED:  September 26, 1989
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #3
PEAK POSITION ON THE HOT MODERN ROCK TRACKS:  #1

Now we’re getting to the “good stuff”, and, no, I’m not talking about the band’s 1992 album either (though I recommend that album as well).  “Love Shack” was the first B-52’s single to sell over one million copies, and aside from peaking at #3 in America, the song also did very well in the UK and Australia, which reached #2 and #1 respectively.

I also have a personal connection to this song, and yes, it’s linked to the high school graduation story that I referenced earlier in the blog.  At my high school graduation party, we had a karaoke machine set up, and well...guess which song I sang?  Yeah...it didn’t end well, and I haven’t sung karaoke since.  At least I had fun though!

The inspiration behind the song came from a cabin that was located outside of Athens, Georgia, where Kate Pierson lived during the 1970s, and it was the place where the band wrote “Rock Lobster”.  In other words, the “Love Shack” was a little old place where the band could get together.

Love Shack, baby!

The video features a cameo by RuPaul, and there’s a little bit of trivia surrounding one one particular lyric.  You know the part of the song where Cindy sings “TIN ROOF...RUSTED”?  That lyric was actually an outtake that was added into the final cut.  Pretty neat, huh?  Many theories have been floating around about what that particular lyric means, but whether or not it does mean anything is up to the interpretation of the listener.  (In other words, don’t ask me, because I don’t know.)


SONG:  Roam
DATE RELEASED:  January 5, 1990
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #3
PEAK POSITION ON THE HOT MODERN ROCK TRACKS:  #6

The band ended off 1989 on a high note, and began 1990 with another.  “Roam” became the band’s second hit smash and fourth single overall, matching the success of “Love Shack” by peaking at #3 on the Billboard Charts.  The song is one of the few songs that don’t feature the vocal talents of Fred Schneider, being sung entirely by Wilson and Pierson.  The video itself utilizes green screen technology as the band dances in front of 35mm footage filmed all over the world.  This particular song ended up becoming very popular for television promos and commercials.  The Discovery Channel sampled the song for the network promos during the late 1990s.  The song was used in New Zealand for a Subaru commercial, and is one of the many songs that is featured on the “Rock Band” video game. 

On a personal level, “Roam” is my favourite single from “Cosmic Thing”.


SONG:  Deadbeat Club
DATE RELEASED:  March 1990
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #30

The final single released from “Cosmic Thing”, this song is probably the most autobiographical single of the songs found on the album.  The song is all about the band’s early days when they were based in Athens, Georgia.  Back in those days, the band would hang out at coffee shops while trying to follow their dreams.  Because the band was so focused on making it big in music, none of them held other jobs, leading to their parents referring to them as “deadbeats”.

Hence the term, “Deadbeat Club”.


The song could also be considered a part of an “exchange” of sorts.  If you watched the music video, you may have caught a few glimpses of R.E.M. lead singer, Michael Stipe.  R.E.M. also hailed from Athens, Georgia, and members of both bands would end up appearing on projects by the other band.  Stipe appeared in this video, and Kate Pierson appeared as a guest vocalist on R.E.M.’s 1991 smash, “Shiny Happy People”.

This song would also be the last appearance by B-52s member Cindy Wilson for four years.  Cindy took a sabbatical from the band in mid-1990 to focus on raising her family.  She would rejoin the band in 1994, take another break in 1999, and rejoin the band for good in 2001.

That’s our look back on “Cosmic Thing”, as well as five of its biggest singles.  But I definitely recommend listening to the other five singles as well, because they are just as great.  “Dry County” is a song that is slow but easy to listen to, and the instrumental song “Follow Your Bliss” is a song that one could listen to while going on a road trip.  It’s calm and serene, and I really love it.


I really love the B-52s, and I am so happy that they are still going strong...though sometimes I have to keep reminding myself that Kate Pierson is now 64 years old!  I don’t know how she does it, but she still looks fantastic!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Shining Time Station


I was recently given a suggestion in regards to my blog for the future by at least a couple of regular readers. They wanted me to insert more of myself into each entry. They wanted me to share some more personal stories about myself while blending them in successfully with my pop culture topic selections.

So, I decided to take them up on that suggestion.



When I was growing up, I was always surrounded by trains of all shapes and sizes. Part of the reason why this was the case was because of the fact that my father worked for a major Canadian railway between 1971 and 2002. I've had train safety drilled into my brain since birth. I knew about train whistles, train signals, conductors, passenger cars, and when the appropriate time was to cross the train tracks.

However, having a father who worked on the railroad did have its advantages. During the time in which he was in service, one of the perks was free train travel anywhere in Canada through VIA Rail. I can't remember all of the train trips that I took when I was a child. Most of the time, I only went on the train when my dad had to go to Toronto for job-related duties, but the ride was just so fun. Back in those days, the servers provided us with snacks and light meals, which to me was neat because who ever thought you could eat on a train, right? Oh, and a train trip wasn't complete without getting one of those cardboard VIA passenger train toys that you had to build yourself. I think I ended up with ten over the course of my childhood alone!



Even running around Toronto's Union Station as a young boy are fond memories that I will never forget. Union Station circa 1989 was quite the happening place. You could go right into the heart of Toronto if you left the station, but most of the time, I was content running around. I loved the souvenir shops, the restaurants, the comic book stand where I loaded up my arms with all the comics I could carry for the long train trip back home. I loved those days, and miss them fondly.

Of course, back in 1989, I had a bit of an ulterior motive in running around Union Station. Often I would take off and my parents would literally have to run around after me to keep up. The reason why I was so hard to keep an eye on at Union Station was simple. I was looking for someone.

I was looking for a conductor. More specifically, a conductor that spoke in a British accent and was no bigger than a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure.

You see, right around that time, a television show premiered on our local PBS affiliate, and I loved it because it had to do with trains and train travel. And, as it so happened, one of the main characters of the show was a tiny train conductor with the unique name of “Mr. Conductor”. Of course, the main reason I loved him so much was because he used to play “Thomas the Tank Engine” episodes.



Yes, you heard right. Today's topic is a show within a show!

But “Thomas the Tank Engine” was just one of the many components that made “Shining Time Station” one of my favourite shows growing up. And, as it so happens, “Shining Time Station” is the subject for today!



Shining Time Station” debuted on January 29, 1989, and ran until 1993, with television specials filmed in 1990 and 1995. Created by Britt Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow, the show depicted life at a sleepy train station located along the Indian Valley Railroad, as well as the lives of its staff.



The one thing that kids had to get used to were frequent cast changes between seasons. Only two cast members managed to stick around for the show's entire run. Didi Conn (who most of you remember as Frenchie from Grease) played the station manager, Stacy Jones, a kind-hearted woman who loved her job, but sometimes lacked assertiveness.



And Brian O'Connor played Horace Schemer, the manager of the station's old-fashioned arcade, a man who cares more about nickels than the people who insert them into the jukebox. He usually comes up with plans to try and get as much money as possible, but his plans usually are foiled, often comedically.

The rest of the cast were switched over between the 1989 and 1991 seasons, and the breakdown went down like this.

In the 1989 season, “Shining Time Station” was run by railroad engineer/mechanic Harry Cupper (Leonard Jackson), but by the 1991 season, Harry was transferred to another station, and was replaced by Billy Twofeathers (Tom Jackson).



In addition to the adult characters, five children would visit the station quite often. There were Harry's two granddaughters Tanya (Nicole Leach) and Kara (Erica Luttrell), Stacy's two nephews, Matt (Jason Woliner) and Dan (Ari Magder), and Becky (Danielle Marcot). Tanya and Matt were mostly seen during season one, with Dan, Kara, and Becky joining the cast in season two...but all five would occasionally share a few scenes with each other.



Then there's the tale of the two Mr. Conductors. The first Mr. Conductor was played by former Beatle Ringo Starr. This made perfect sense, as Ringo Starr was the original narrator for the “Thomas the Tank Engine” series when it debuted in the UK in September 1984. But when Ringo Starr left the series after the 1990 Christmas special, a replacement had to be found.



And would you believe that the man that replaced Starr in the role was comedian George Carlin? Fortunately, he never uttered one of his “seven words” during his entire appearance on the series.

One of the recurring gags of “Shining Time Station” was that for the most part, only the child characters could see Mr. Conductor. I don't quite remember if Stacy Jones saw him or not, but I would like to say that she could. Schemer, on the other hand, knew nothing about Mr. Conductor, and his magic tricks would often leave Schemer believing that the station was haunted.

Now, if you're thinking that Mr. Conductor was the station's best kept secret, think again. If one were to really look closer at the jukebox inside of Schemer's arcade, you may find that inside of it resides the “Jukebox Band”!



Don't worry...there weren't really any little people trapped inside a jukebox. The band members were created by Craig and Olga Marin of Flexitoons Puppets and Marionettes. The band was comprised of Tito Swing, Didi, Grace the Bass, and identical twin cowboys Rex and Tex. Oh, look, here's a couple of their songs down below.



You know something though? I remember the excitement and fun that all of the children who visited Shining Time Station had...and whenever I think of watching those old episodes, I remember those days when I was a kid, trying to find my own Mr. Conductor in the middle of Union Station in hopes that I could have him tell me interesting stories.

Never did find the little bugger though. Bummer.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Amazing Race, How Sweet That Show


Have you ever dreamed of going on a trip around the world? I know that I have.



I'll be completely honest with you. I haven't done much world travel in my life. I've never left North America. Heck, the furthest I've ever ventured outside of my current area of residence is Montreal, Quebec.

This is something that I would like to change. I want to go out and experience the wonderful places that the world has. I'd love to be able to visit all of the various places that I have only ever read about. In fact, my friend who came up to visit me this past week has extended an open invitation at any time to hang out with her in New York City, and I'm definitely planning on making that a reality within the next year or two.

I'm not exactly sure what inspired my desire to go all around the world, but I think it was triggered right around the time that a particular reality television series debuted on CBS. It's a show that literally has hundreds of filming locations each season, and that is still going strong after eleven years on the air.

The show also inspired one of my all time favourite quotes that I have ever heard on a television show. One of the teams that competed on the show best described the series as “a love letter to the planet”, and you know something? I agree with that statement.



The show that I'm discussing today is “The Amazing Race”, the reality program that has seen hundreds of teams racing around the world for the chance at one million dollars since September 5, 2001.



But don't think that the one million dollar prize is the only incentive for the teams to compete in the show. I mean, yes, a million dollars is always a nice chunk of change for a couple of people to share...but I bet that if you ask anyone who ever competed on the race itself, they'll tell you that the opportunity to go all around the world was worth even more to them than the money itself.

The Amazing Race” was created by Elise Doganieri and Bertram van Munster, who ended up creating the show as a result of a bet! Bertram van Munster issued a challenge to Doganieri to create a television show outline in five minutes or less while both attended a trade convention. Doganieri suggested a show where people raced around the world, and the two of them immediately pitched the idea to CBS, who were interested in putting the show on the air. The show went into development in 2001, and New Zealand born television personality Phil Keoghan was asked to host the show. Since 2001, several other continents have launched their own versions of “The Amazing Race”, including Asia and Australia.



TRIVIA: Phil Keoghan originally applied to be the host of another CBS reality television series, “Survivor”, and actually made the short list. Ultimately, Jeff Probst was given that job, but CBS executives were so impressed by Keoghan that they offered him the hosting gig of “The Amazing Race”.

The Amazing Race” casts between ten and twelve teams of two (or in the case of the eighth American season, ten teams of four) to compete in the race. The starting line for each race always takes place in a metropolitan American city (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago are common), and Phil always says the following to the teams before the beginning of each race.

The world is waiting for you...travel safe...GO!”

And from there, the teams were let loose on the world, with each one trying to stay one step above the other teams.



The way the show works is that each episode has the teams going to a different country in the world, allowing each team to experience the cultures and traditions of the nation by completing various tasks hidden in clue boxes around local landmarks.



Most often than not, these tasks are named after various traffic signs that can be seen on city streets all over the world. The most common ones are roadblocks and detours. In roadblocks, one member of each team must complete a particular task before being given the next clue, and on a race with twelve legs, each member of the team can only complete a maximum of six roadblocks a piece. Detours, on the other hand, allow teams a choice between two tasks, each of which have their pros and cons. Teams must decide which task is best suited for them, as both members have to take part in the task. Both teams have to finish the tasks as quickly as possible, for at the end of each leg is a pit stop. In most cases, the last team to cross the pit stop at the end of each leg is eliminated from the race, and sent to a mystery location where they are sequestered from the rest of the race. Some legs are non-elimination legs, and teams won't be eliminated for coming in last, but will usually have some form of penalty (usually an additional task to complete).

In addition to detours and roadblocks are other challenges which only appear in a few legs on the race. These include “Fast Forwards”, which allow teams to skip all tasks on the leg that they are currently competing in, “U-Turns”, which allow teams to force a trailing team to complete BOTH detour options., and
Intersections”, where two teams have to work together to complete one task.

And, what exactly do some of these tasks involve?

Well, this...



...and this...



...and, we can't forget this.



What I find most fascinating about “The Amazing Race” is the fact that the tasks are very much nation oriented. Sure, there are gross food tasks, and tasks that may seem incredibly impossible, but if you look at some of the tasks that have been featured on previous seasons of “The Amazing Race”, the tasks have included building huts, water pumps, and other essential things needed to improve life quality in underdeveloped nations (which the show visits at least two of these nations per season). Imagine the high someone gets when they donate their time to helping their local community become a better place and multiply that by one hundred. That's “The Amazing Race” in a nutshell.

Of course, I don't think I can end this blog entry off without paying homage to some of the most memorable teams that have ever competed in “The Amazing Race”, because they are truly the ones who make the show. Some of the teams were very good, and some of them were very bad. But, really, you can't have a show without teams, so let's have a look at some of the more memorable ones.

TEAMS MADE UP OF FORMER REALITY STARS



I'm of mixed opinion when it comes to teams who have competed in other reality shows. Some of them are captivating to watch (Rob and Amber Mariano from “Survivor”, Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd from “Big Brother”), some didn't last too long (Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca from “Survivor”), and some had no business competing in the show at all (Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly from “Big Brother”). While I don't mind having people like this on “The Amazing Race”, I definitely prefer watching the teams of regular people over reality stars still trying to squeeze out the last drops of their 15 minutes of fame.

THE “UNDERDOG” TEAMS YOU CAN'T HELP BUT ROOT FOR



Say what you want about the fifth season team “Charla and Mirna”. I'll admit that Mirna wasn't exactly my favourite person on the race, mostly because of her condescending attitude towards other teams. Her cousin Charla was a delight though. Charla was the show's first little person who competed in the race, and she was a force to be reckoned with.



There was also another team that competed in the fifteenth season of “The Amazing Race” named Zev and Justin who really impressed me. You see, Zev was diagnosed as having a condition known as Asperger's syndrome, which causes people to have it to have difficulty communicating with people on a social level. Some people might see the idea of running a race with a partner having Asperger's as a major handicap, but Justin never did. The two worked very well together, and in some cases, Zev's Asperger's syndrome worked to his advantage on certain tasks. It's a shame that Zev losing his passport on one leg of the race caused the team to be eliminated, but they redeemed themselves by competing in a future All-Stars season, making the final four.

By the way, Charla and Mirna were also included in an All-Stars season.

TRIVIA: The eleventh and eighteenth seasons of “The Amazing Race” were All-Star seasons.

Other teams that were memorable included Peter and Sarah from season 10 (Sarah had a leg amputated), and Luke and Margie from season 14 (Luke was deaf).

TEAMS THAT DROVE YOU INSANE

Well, I'll readily admit that Rachel and Brendon from last season were one of those teams. With moments like this one, it's easy to see why.

But there were so many other teams that could easily fit this description as well. You know those teams that just annoy you for whatever reason? Let's take a look at some of them below in a little Top 5 list.



5 – TARA AND WIL (SEASON 2)

Tara and Wil were a separated couple who went on the race to see if they could get back together. In my opinion, they should have stayed separated. They did nothing but argue with each other constantly. I think I lost how many times Tara screamed “YOU IDIOT!” at Wil during the whole season. So how fitting was it to see them in first place just a couple of miles away from the finish line only for Chris and Alex to pass them by because they were too busy arguing with each other. It was priceless. And, that's not the only team that ended up having a terrible moment because of arguing...



4 – KYNT AND VYXSIN (SEASON 12 & 18)

I really hated to put them on this list, because when they were on season twelve, I loved them. Their distinct black and pink look definitely stood out against the other racers, and I thought that they such unique personalities. Flash forward six seasons, and I couldn't recognize the team that I once loved. With Vyxsin breaking down in tears every five minutes, and Kynt screaming at her every five minutes because of her breaking down, I couldn't wait to see them eliminated. It was that painful to watch.



3 – MIKA AND CANAAN (SEASON 15)

Have you ever been at a water park and seen all of the various water slides that are scattered all over the entire park? They're supposed to be fun, right? Not for Mika. When the teams had to complete a task in Dubai where all they had to do was slide down a waterslide, Mika was too afraid to do it. I suppose the fact that the slide went through a pool that was filled with sharks may have had something to do with it, but the sharks were in a place where they couldn't eat the racers. Regardless, I don't know what was more disturbing, Mika crying because of her intense fear, or Canaan trying to throw her down the slide. As a result of this, Flight Time and Big Easy from the Harlem Globetrotters managed to slide past them, ending up with the elimination of Mika and Canaan. Too bad.



2 – FLO AND ZACH (SEASON 3)

The only winners of the race that I did an actual facepalm over. I didn't find Zach to be all that annoying, but let's just say that he had difficulty going with the Flo. Flo essentially cried and complained her way to the finish line the entire time. I had to use my mute button to get through the finale. Aside from the fact that they managed to get ahead of brothers Ken & Gerard (one of my all-time favourite teams), Flo nearly QUIT the race because Zach decided that it would be easier for him to complete a roadblock by converting his pants to shorts, which Flo did not take well AT ALL. I still can't believe they won.

1 – JONATHAN AND VICTORIA (SEASON 6)

Well, let's get the obvious out of the way here. Jonathan was an abusive monster and Victoria was his doormat. That was the impression that I got of the two right from the beginning of the sixth season. Jonathan would yell at Victoria if they made a wrong turn, screwed up a detour, if it rained, if a cat crossed their path, if a grain of salt was present on the table, etc. And Victoria would just sit there and take it. But their greatest shameful moment? Watch it below.



I will say this though...I felt horrible for Victoria, and I was kind of hoping that Phil Keoghan would have told Jonathan off right then and there. I do believe that I read somewhere that the couple has since split up. For the sake of the world, I hope this is true.

Now to conclude this look at “The Amazing Race”, I wanted to share with you some of my favourite moments over the 20 seasons of the race. It could include my favourite teams, funny scenes, or just feel-good moments.

WINNERS ALL AROUND



Twenty teams have managed to win “The Amazing Race”, and some of them displayed good sportmanship and likeability from the very beginning. I wish to single out Season 1's Rob and Brennan, Season 2's Chris and Alex, Season 7's Uchenna and Joyce, Season 9's BJ and Tyler, Season 13's Nick and Starr, Season 14's Victor and Tammy, Season 17's, Nat and Kat, and Season 20's Rachel and Dave for being great winners. There were some fights, and some tears, but they ran a great race.

FIRSTS



There were many teams of firsts. We talked about Season 10's Sarah being the first amputee, Season 5's Charla being the first little person, and Luke being the first deaf contestant. But did you know that Season 4's Reichen and Chip were the show's first gay married couple (though since then, the two have split up).

The oldest person ever to compete in “The Amazing Race” was Mel White, who was 70 on the 18th Season. The youngest person ever to compete was then nine-year old Carissa Gaghan, who raced with her family on the 8th season “Family Edition” of “The Amazing Race”.

UNEXPECTED MOMENTS

Sometimes you see moments that you have to do a double take on. And these moments usually lead to great moments as the season progresses. On season seven, Uchenna and Joyce were faced with having to shave their heads in order to progress to the next clue. For Uchenna, it was not hard for him to decide as he was bald anyway. Joyce had a full head of hair, and really debated on what to do. She made the difficult choice to shave it all off for the sake of the race.



That decision was a good one, as it helped them win the race.

Another unexpected moment was the watermelon catapulting challenge from Season 17, and home shopping hosts Brook and Claire were one of the last teams to complete the challenge. Well, Claire's aim with the catapult was a little bit off, and this lead to one of the most talked about moments on the whole race.



Can you say, OUCH!

Fortunately, Claire was surprisingly uninjured, and the team managed to place second overall. Plus, their bubbly personalities and never give up attitude cemented them as one of my all-time favourite teams. And, speaking of which, I'll end this note off with my list of my Top 15 Amazing Race teams of all time.

15 – VICTOR AND TAMMY (Season 14)
14 – B.J. AND TYLER (Season 9)
13 – NICK AND STARR (Season 13)
12 – KELLY AND JON (Season 4)
11 – KEN AND GERARD (Season 3)
10 – UCHENNA AND JOYCE (Season 7, 11)
09 – DUSTIN AND KANDICE (Season 10, 11)
08 – JET AND CORD (Season 16, 18)
07 – NAT AND KAT (Season 17)
06 – JON AND AL (Season 4)
05 – BROOK AND CLAIRE (Season 17)
04 – JOHN VITO AND JILL (Season 3, 11)
03 – DANNY AND OSWALD (Season 2, 11)



02 – BOPPER AND MARK (Season 20)



01 – KRIS AND JON (Season 6)


Thursday, August 09, 2012

What I Did On My Summer Vacation


This is probably going to be a Thursday Confession unlike any other because this is one that is coming completely from my heart.

It's also going to be extremely short and sweet (there's a first, right?)

THURSDAY CONFESSION #32: Although you might not know this, the last four blog entries that were posted on the blog were post-dated.

That's right, everyone. I wrote the entries dated August 5 through August 8 last week. The reason being that I am currently on vacation this week from my day job, and for the first few days of that vacation, my friend Sharyn from Long Island, New York came up to visit me for a few days.

And let me tell you, that time that we spent together taught me so much about myself, and opened up so many doors that I previously closed that I feel compelled to share my experiences with each one of you reading this blog right now.



I suppose this is what you would call the “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” post. Did any of you ever have to do a composition for the first week of classes at school on what you did for the summer vacation? I know I've had to do that assignment twice in my whole school career, and twice, I've made stuff up to hide the fact that I really spent the summer doing anything substantial.

The summer of 2012 changed all that for me.

I'm afraid that at this time, I do not have any photo proof available to show you exactly what I did on my week off from work, but once they are available, I will show some of them off in future blog postings. 



DAY 1: Saturday, August 4 – My friend arrives in Canada from Long Island, checks into her hotel (which is really a group of tiny cabins lined up along the St. Lawrence River), and we meet up for the first time. But, here's the cool part about everything. We have actually “known” each other since the summer of 2001. We “met” on a discussion group forum that was part of a pop culture themed website, and instantly became friends. Over the last eleven years, we always talked about meeting up in person, and this year, those talks became reality. Of course, we didn't really do much sightseeing that first day. We just wanted to talk, talk, talk! Well, that, plus eating a whole selection of goodies from an American supermarket chain known as Trader Joe's. Kind of made me wish that Trader Joe's was available in Canada. They make some awesome dark chocolate peanut butter cups!




DAY 2: Sunday, August 5 – The time that I spent with my Long Island friend was cut short, due to the fact that I was attending a 14th birthday party for my nephew. However, it's amazing just how much activity that one can cram in a single day! The day was mostly spent in Kingston, Ontario. One of our first stops? Costco, if you can believe it! Anyone that has ever been inside a Costco knows that it can be a very cool, but very surreal experience, as the products that are for sale every day are sold in bulk quantities for impressive prices. I'll admit that I was very much drawn into the energy and the vibe of the place, and I was instantly in a good mood the whole time I was there.

To top it all off, my friend and I were shocked when we happened to get to the checkout line, and saw that the cashier that rang our order through had the same exact name as a mutual friend of ours that passed away just this past December! It absolutely blew us away!



After Costco, my friend was really interested in going to a store that was located in Kingston's Downtown core. Have you ever heard of a place known as “Ten Thousand Villages”? If you haven't, do scope it out, because you have to see the merchandise that is offered. The reason why the store is called “Ten Thousand Villages” is because all the stuff there is all hand-crafted and imported from nations all over the world. Some of the stuff inside the store is exquisitely carved. I admit that I was ALMOST tempted to buy a wooden Tic-Tac-Toe game that was sold there, but she ended up finding a few deals. On top of that, we stopped off at a bookstore where an author was holding signings for a new book that had just come out, and my friend not only bought her book, but initiated a conversation with her for ten minutes, with me only joining in later on! It was absolutely amazing to meet an author who HAD made it, and it gave me hope that I could make it big with my writing one day.



DAY 3: Monday, August 6 – In Ontario, the first Monday of the month of August is a civic holiday, and we decided that the best way to spend the holiday was to go on a boat cruise from Rockport. We researched all the options available, and the cruises that were available were one hour, two hour, and three hour cruises. We opted for the two hour, as one would have been too short, and three reminded us too much of “Gilligan's Island”.

The boat cruise was fun, and the weather was absolutely perfect, though I had to point out photo opportunities whenever they arose. My friend and I were so engaged in chatting that she ended up missing a couple of wonderful photo opportunities.



In all seriousness though, if you are ever in the Rockport, Ontario area and you want a real experience of the Thousand Islands, you should definitely take a boat cruise. You won't regret it.

After the boat cruise, we made a visit to Rockport's General Store/gift shop, and there's a lot of Canadian themed souvenirs that one could take home with them/ Everything from maple syrup jars to clothing items. Seriously, I recommend it. So does my friend from Long Island!

DAY 4 – Tuesday, August 7 – This was a fantastic day. It was the day that my friend and I fled the country!



It's true! We headed up to the North Country to visit the small town of Canton, New York (beautiful place, by the way) to visit a couple of Sharyn's friends. Jon and Kathy were probably two of the most gracious people that I have ever met, and the four of us had a fantastic time. We sampled food from their organic vegetable garden, we had a tour of their house (which is truly unlike any other house that I have ever seen in my whole life with rock face walls on the INSIDE of the home), and Kathy even taught us the craft known as felting using hand-dyed sheep wool. I wish I had a picture to show all of you, but take my word for it, it looked fantastic.

Here's one more piece of trivia. Did you know that Jif peanut butter is only available in the United States? I ended up buying a jar for my sister, who insists that Jif is the best peanut butter ever made.

After we got back home, I coerced my friend to try her first taste of Canadian pizza and the Canadian delicacy known as the poutine.



The poutine, of course, being french fries, gravy, and cheese curd.

To my surprise, she enjoyed the poutine very much. I had fully expected to have to finish it myself!



DAY 5 – Wednesday, August 8 – This was our last full day together, and we really wanted to make it memorable. We toured the downtown area of my hometown, and took pictures of the older buildings of the area while I was doing my best to try and describe the history behind them. We ended up taking a lot of great shots, and I think that I ended up seeing my hometown in a completely different light. And, to top off the whole experience, my mother made us some homemade ribs. Since my friend was departing the very day that our annual rib festival was kicking off, she now didn't have to feel guilty for missing it!

So, as I post this entry, my friend from Long Island is on her way back home, and here I sit, reflecting on what the last five days meant to me. I certainly hope that she is doing the same as well as she reflects back on her last few moments in my hometown when she ended up finding a lemur figurine in the display case of a collectables store and squealed in delight over finding it.

I realized from spending time with her that I am deserving of having wonderful friendships.

I realized that there can be newfound beauty in something a simple as a city street, a serene pond, or a beautiful garden.

Most importantly, I learned that I need to open myself up a LOT more than I have been. Let me explain this for a second.

This has really been the first time that I have ever really done something adventurous on a vacation. In a way, I really stepped out of my comfort zone to take this vacation. I went places that I never thought that I would go. I even left the country!

And all the while, my friend, who is a lot more bubbly and open than I am was chatting to salespeople, customers, budding authors, the captain of the boat cruise, and just about every random stranger that passed by. It was really incredible to see her open up to so many people.

And it hit me like a ton of bricks. She had the personality that I always dreamed of having. In my whole life thus far, I lived life extremely guarded, and didn't let people in for fear that I would be hurt.

But now I see first hand that the way I was living life was completely wrong. And I think that she knew that, and wanted to help me understand myself better. I believe that the term that she used during our correspondence before my vacation began was “open-heart surgery”.

Well, I've been under the “knife”, so to speak, and I have seen the light. I think having her come up to visit was one of the best things that I have ever experienced. And, I now see life through clearer eyes. I still have some ways to go, but I am going in the right direction. I know I am.

And, that's what I ended up doing on my summer vacation. Hope all of you enjoyed the read!

To close off this blog entry, I thought that I would insert a quote that she often said to me during the whole vacation.  She believes that things always happen for a reason, and that when things go incredibly smooth, we should do this...and this happens to be the quotation that I plan on living by for decades to come.

TRUST THE PERFECTION.