All
right, so this edition of the blog is going to be on the short side, but trust
me. I think that you're going to love
it.
Now,
as you know from last week, I've implemented some new theme days for the blog's
upcoming three year anniversary, and I'm so happy to see that all of you are
liking the changes so far. I'll tell
you guys, in my past life experiences, I've not really been all that receptive
to changes, but seeing how positive these ones seem to be, I'm thinking that I
could summon up the courage to try a whole bunch of new things.
Well,
we'll see anyway.
For
now, I just want to go ahead with this week's edition of "MOTIVATION
MONDAY". As you know, I've designated Mondays to be
the date in which we will showcase the newest episode of the chat show that I
am a part of. It's a little venture
that I like to call "MOTIVE4CHANGE"!
Now,
if you tuned into the show last week (and if you missed that episode, you can
click HERE to watch previous shows that we taped), you'll know that the
Motive4Change name is a bit of a change in itself. Before, the show was called "MOTIVE2CHANGE", but since we added a
fourth person to our team, we figured that "MOTIVE4CHANGE" made a much better
name. It certainly makes a lot more
sense, given that there are four of us!
Yes,
myself and my three friends, JOSHUA, CARINE, and JONATHON (of which I am easily
considered to be the old guy of the group) have been doing an Internet show for
the past month and a half, and can you believe that we're on episode number six
already?
As it so happened, the original airdate of the sixth episode of our series
aired yesterday, which coincidentally happened to be Mother's Day. So, naturally, when we were plotting ideas
for future shows, we wanted to have a related topic for that week.
So, I now present to you, episode #6 of "MOTIVE4CHANGE"...
Episode #6 - PARENTAL INFLUENCES (5/11/2014)
I
hope you liked the little bloopers that we tacked on at the beginning and end
of the video. You just never know
exactly what we're going to say!
And,
of course, I mean everything that I say in the episode. I do appreciate everything that my parents
have done for me, even though I have a difficult time showing it on
occasion. I certainly do wish my
parents had taught me how to be more assertive towards others. And, I guess I can say that I am happy that
I grew up in a family in which cuss words weren't as taboo as other places
because in a way it helped me be more accepting towards others. Though, I still admit that I very rarely
cuss as a result of it because in a way, I'm still trying to rebel against them
even though I'll be turning 33 later this week.
Of
course, since we only had a limited amount of time to speak about our families
in the broadcast, there are a few additional things that I want to add.
In
regards to my own parents, I want to make this clear right here and right
now...even though they don't use the Internet and probably couldn't find this
blog anyway. These are some final
thoughts to them from me.
First, I am not a 20 Questions game. I do appreciate that you are inquisitive
people, and I think that I inherited that trait from both of you. But when you go rapid fire on me and ask me
twelve questions in twelve seconds...it is AGGRAVATING! I don't mind you asking me questions, and in
most cases, I'd love to give you an answer...but just don't ask me so fast!
Secondly, I readily admit that I am the youngest in the family. But I also want to remind you both that I am
nearly 33. Not 3. I am capable of making my own decisions and
my own thoughts, and while I will appreciate your feedback on some things, I am
at the age where I need to make my own choices and I need to make my own
mistakes. Just trust me enough to know
that I can handle most anything that comes my way. That's all I ask.
And, finally...and most importantly...thanks for being my parents. I love you both!
The first thing that I would like to do is wish all mothers,
grandmothers, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, acting mothers, foster mothers, and
guardians a very happy Mother's Day!
And, in celebration of the day, this whole blog is going pink!
(I'll be turning the blog "blue" for Father's Day when
it comes around too.)
Anyway, I have a Sunday Jukebox entry to type out today, and can I just say
that it took me a really, really long time to come up with a suitable song
discussion for today.
You see, knowing that today is Mother's Day, I really wanted to
find a topic that had to do with mothers, but I also had to try and find a song
that was also a #1 hit. And, that
complicated my search to the point where I was coming up empty on finding the
perfect song.
Almost every single song this week was recorded by either a
male, or an artist without children.
And, those artists who were mothers were singers who I have already put
in the artist spotlight this year.
In short, I was really struggling to try and find the perfect
song.
So, what did I do? I
improvised. Since I couldn't find a
song about mothers, or a song recorded by a mother...why not do a song which
had the word "Mother" in its title, or have the word
"mother" (or a variation of the word) in the band or artist
name. Surely there has to be ONE #1 hit
that charted the week of May 11 throughout history.
Sure enough...there was one! And it
topped the charts exactly 48 years ago this week.
ARTIST: The
Mamas & the Papas
SONG:
Monday, Monday ALBUM: If You Can Believe Your
Eyes and Ears DATE RELEASED: March 1966 PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 3 weeks
Yeah, I know I'm technically cheating here. The song is recorded by the Mamas & the
Papas, and it's a song about Monday.
But under the circumstances, it was the best that I could do.
Listen, to show you how sorry I am for not being able to keep up with the
Mother's Day theme, why don't I try to make it up to you by doing a blog entry
on the band, this song (which was their one and only hit on the Billboard
Charts), and the aftermath of the band - which can only be described as
'stranger than fiction' no matter whether you firmly believe it or not.
So, let's begin by talking about the four members of the band
who made up the Mamas & the Papas, shall we? The group was founded by two former members of "The New
Journeymen", husband and wife duo John and Michelle Phillips along with
The Mugwumps band member Denny Doherty in 1965. The three played together before recruiting the fourth and final
piece of the band in Cass Elliot, who also played with Doherty in The
Mugwumps. At first, John Phillips was a
little bit hesitant to let Cass join the group as he felt that her physical
appearance (she was quite heavy-set compared to Michelle), and her low vocal
register would be more harmful than good.
Even though Cass was eventually accepted into the band, it took quite
some time for John to warm up to her.
But one thing that Cass did have influence on was the band's
name. And, in this archived transcript
from Denny Doherty's personal website, he talks about how the band ended up
getting their iconic name.
"We're all just
lying around vegging out watching TV and discussing names for the group. The
New Journeymen was not a handle that was going to hang on this outfit. John was
pushing for The Magic Cyrcle. Eech, but none of us could come up with anything
better, then we switch the channel and, hey, it's theHells Angelson theCarson show... And the first
thing we hear is: "Now hold on there, Hoss. Some people call our women
cheap, but we just call them our Mamas." Cass jumped up: "Yeah! I
want to be a Mama." And Michelle is going: "We're the Mamas! We're
the Mamas!" OK. I look at John. He's looking at me going: "The
Papas?" Problem solved. A toast! To The Mamas and the Papas. Well, after
many, many toasts, Cass and John are passed out."
I'd consider that to be quite an interesting story, wouldn't
you?
Now that we know who the members of the band are, let's talk about
"Monday. Monday".
Now, I'll be really honest with you. I
find many of the songs by "The Mamas & the Papas" to be
wonderfully written songs and I can see why so many people liked them. But I definitely wouldn't recommend that
these songs be played during happy occasions.
To me, their songs seemed to be overly saturated with melancholy. And, yeah, "Monday, Monday" is no
exception in this case. The song's
lyrics are so anti-Monday that you'd have sworn that Garfield had written it! But in all actuality, the song isn't really
about Monday. Well, not exactly
anyway. It's about the ending of a
relationship. And, judging by the
lyrics, it appears as though the end came on a Monday, as the singer kept
singing about how on Monday morning he couldn't see that by the evening, their
romantic partner took off to parts unknown.
As I said, quite the melancholic song.
The song itself was penned by John Phillips, who boasted that he
had written the song in just twenty minutes.
The song is also one that boasts a false ending - you know, one of those
songs that seemingly fades into oblivion, only to have a second surprise verse
pop up at the true ending.
But despite its solemn tone, and despite the tricky ending of
the song, it was enough to stay on top of the charts for three weeks in May
1966 - the band's only single to top the Billboard charts. Though, the band was hardly considered to be
a one-hit-wonder. During the time that
they performed as a band, they recorded five studio albums, released seventeen
singles, and of those seventeen, a half dozen charted within the Top 10. And, for their performance of "Monday,
Monday", the group was awarded a Grammy Award in 1967 and was inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
I'd say that wasn't bad, given that the band only stayed together for
three years before the group split up in 1968, following Cass Elliot's desire
to embark on a solo career. Though the
band did reunite briefly in 1971, by the time 1972 had arrived, all four
members had decided to go their separate ways.
So, what became of The Mamas & The Papas?
Well, let's begin with the only surviving member of the group, Michelle
Phillips, who turns 70 years old this June 4.
Michelle did attempt to get a solo career going with her 1977 album
"Victim of Romance", but she soon found herself embarking on a
totally different path...
...acting.
Did you know that Michelle Phillips was once a cast member on the long running
dramatic series "Knots Landing"?
She joined the cast of the show in 1987 as the role of Paige Matheson's
mother, Anne as a recurring character.
She became a regular two years later, and stayed with the show until its
May 1993 series finale. She also worked
on several films during that period as well.
And her musical talent seems to have carried on, as her daughter
is Chynna Phillips, one-third of the successful all-girl group "Wilson
Phillips", which Phillips formed with Brian Wilson's daughters Carnie and
Wendy.
Michelle and John Phillips stayed together until 1970, when
their divorce was made final. It was
also right around this time that John battled a serious addiction to
heroin. Throughout most of the 1970s,
while he was experiencing some minor success writing songs for other artists,
his drug addiction lead to him getting arrested and convicted of conspiring to
distribute alcohol in 1980. He served a
month in jail during 1981 during which time he tried to resurrect the Mamas and
the Papas by performing with Denny Doherty, and his two oldest children,
Jeffrey and Mackenzie (Phillips would father five children overall which
included Chynna, Tamerlane, and Bijou).
John Phillips died in March 2001, and after his death came the
allegations that John had an incestuous relationship with his troubled
daughter, Mackenzie. Whether or not the
allegations are true, however, are between John and Mackenzie themselves...and
only one side is able to talk.
Denny Doherty, as I mentioned before, tried to reboot the Mamas
and the Papas with John Phillips, but he ended up leaving the group once more
to be replaced by Scott "San Francisco" McKenzie. Denny also had troubles with alcohol abuse
after the original Mamas and the Papas split up, but found his way to total
sobriety and stayed that way for years until his death from kidney failure in
January 2007.
But prior to his death, he had an interesting credit to his
resume. He hosted the Canadian
children's television show "Theodore Tugboat" from 1993 until
2001! I totally didn't realize that,
and I do remember seeing an episode of that show here and there! The things you learn on this blog, huh?
As for Mama Cass Elliot...well, her life has been filled with a
couple of urban legends - emphasis on the word legends - and I shall let you
know what they are.
Contrary to popular belief, Mama Cass was not let go from the
band because she hit her head on a copper pipe which miraculously caused her
voice register to rise three octaves (where the heck did they come up with THAT
one). In truth, Mama Cass had been
considering a solo career for a while, and in 1968, she made her dream come
true with another song about a dream of sorts.
(Though another rumour states that John Phillips had her axed from the group
because of her size. I can't confirm,
nor deny this, so let's just this an allegation, rather than an assertion.)
In 1968, Cass was scheduled to perform a three-week gig at Las
Vegas' Caesars Palace, but unfortunately, Cass suffered a series of health
issues following a crash diet, which saw Cass lose 100 pounds in six
months. She was suffering from a fever
and her vocal cords were hemorrhaging, and people urged her to cancel the show,
but Cass refused, saying that the show had to go on. Unfortunately, the show was a disaster, and the rumours spread
that Cass had a drug problem. However,
she tried performing in Las Vegas again four years later, and that time, the
crowd loved her.
Sadly, Mama Cass' career was cut short as she passed away in July 1974 at just
32. And, contrary to popular belief,
she did not die because she choked on a ham sandwich. While there may have been some uneaten food in the hotel room
where her body was found, there was no food in her windpipe upon closer
examination during the autopsy. In
fact, the cause of death was a heart attack, likely brought on by the crash
dieting that Cass had done over the last five years of her life.
So, there you have it. The story of "The Mamas & The
Papas"...a band whose history might very well have been as melancholic as
some of their songs.
Okay,
so this is the final theme day change of the week as we inch closer and closer
towards that third year anniversary of "A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S GUIDE TO
LIFE".
Yes,
Saturdays are the brand new home of all movie discussions - previously known as
the "Monday Matinee".
Now,
why I decided to move the movie day to Saturdays instead of Mondays is because
of a couple of reasons. One, I figure
that more people are likely to go out and see a movie on a Saturday than a
Monday. And, secondly, I wanted to name
the theme day after a television show on TVOntario that featured two or three
classic movies based around a particular theme. The show debuted in March 1974 and ran for an astounding
thirty-nine years before budget cuts silenced the series forever. The final episode aired on August 31, 2013.
I'm
hoping that all of you will enjoy the change of scenery for movie discussions,
and I think that we're going to have a lot of fun with this new theme day. In fact, in celebration of this day, I think
we should all feel a little bit happy!
I mean, seriously. It's the #1 song on
the charts right now. Why wouldn't you
get happy over that!
Well, actually, there's a reason why I posted this particular song by Pharrell
Williams. You see, this song comes from
a movie that was released just this past summer. Although this movie is technically a sequel (of which I did a
blog on the original film some time earlier), it is still enjoyable enough for
me to not only recommend it to other people, but to christen the new Saturday
Night at the Movies theme day with!
Yeah, that sentence made so much more sense as I was typing it just now. Not to self. Do not start a blog entry immediately after working an eight and
a half hour shift at your day job!
And,
hey. The movie does have a little bit
of a Mother's Day theme, as one of the plots of this movie involves the main
character of the film experiencing the joys of dating for the first time in
well...ever. But, you have to understand,
he has childhood insecurities stemming from all the other kids in the
playground rejecting him. Believe me, I
know that feeling all too well.
I mean, forget the fact that he used to be a super-villain who plotted the
Great Moon Theft of '10! He's a changed
man since he took on the role of father to Agnes, Edith, and Margo, and he's
all family man now. But what happens
when he has to dust off his book of villainy and face a new adversary in hopes
of saving the world?
That's
the question Gru has to ask himself when he stars in "Despicable Me
2", which debuted in theatres on July 3, 2013. There's more laughs, there's more slapstick comedy, and there's
more minions than ever before! 10,400
of them, to be exact!
Well, at least, that's what the poster claims to show anyway. I never did count them all.
And
yes, almost all of the voice cast returns to the film. Steve Carell returns as Gru, Gru's three
daughters are once again voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie
Fisher, and Russell Brand returns as Dr. Nefario - who has a really interesting
role in the sequel. But if you haven't
seen this movie, I won't exactly reveal what that is. I can't spoil things too much, you know. But let's just say that Dr. Nefario sees
Gru's minions and their manufactured true colours.
And, apparently that colour is purple.
But alas, I've said too much.
When we last left Gru, he and his minions were absolutely happy with how their
lives were going. Agnes, Edith, and
Margo loved Gru with all their hearts and fully accepted Gru as their father. And Gru seemed to have left his villainous
ways behind him, instead deciding to become a legitimate businessman selling a
line of gourmet jams and jellies - which are probably some of the most
disgusting flavour combinations that anyone has ever seen. Okay, so maybe Gru will never win any
cooking awards any time soon. The fact
is that he's not willing to go back to being a villain so easily.
So,
when a woman named Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) is snooping around Gru's
neighbourhood, Gru thinks that she is up to no good, and tries to use his
patented freeze ray on her. That
doesn't work. Instead, Lucy uses her
lipstick taser to knock out Gru and two of his minions and kidnaps them
all. They are taken to a secret
underwater hideout - the location of the Anti-Villain League (AVL). Lucy happens to be an agent with the group,
and the group itself is lead by Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan), who explains
why they kidnapped Gru. Prior to the
film's beginning, a mysterious event took place near the Arctic Circle. A secret laboratory was physically stolen by
a gigantic magnet, its contents holding a powerful mutagen known as PX-41. What it does is beyond description. But needless to say, it's very scary.
And
very purple.
The
AVL believes that Gru is the perfect person to try and find out who stole the
mutagen because of his dabbling in villainous ways in his past life. At first, Gru refuses, citing his commitment
to his new family as being more important than anything else. But after a major change in the hierarchy of
Gru's crew, Gru has no choice but to team up with Lucy to try and find out
where the mutagen is and who has it.
The clues all point towards a shopping mall in the middle of town, and Gru
observes all of the mall merchants, narrowing their focus to two different
people. One suspect is wig merchant
Floyd Eagle-san (Ken Jeong), and the other is Mexican restaurant owner Eduardo
Perez (Benjamin Bratt). And, Gru has
reason to believe that Eduardo is the man they are looking for because he
matches the description of a villain that disappeared during an evil mission
nearly two decades ago. Nobody knew of
what happened to him, but given that his last mission involved a shark and a
volcano, it is believed that he is dead.
Or...IS
he?
As if that weren't enough for Gru to worry about, Agnes believes that Gru is
lonely and that he needs to marry someone so that she can finally have a mommy,
and she seems to believe that Lucy is that woman. Gru, meanwhile, has to deal with the fact that everyone is trying
to set him up on a date with every shallow woman in America. Is there anyone that can love Gru? And will Gru let love distract him from
achieving his mission?
Also, several minions disappear periodically throughout the film. What happens to them? And, when Gru sees what happens to them, how
will he find a way to save them?
And perhaps every father's worst nightmare comes true when he finds out that
Margo has been seeing Eduardo's son, Antonio (Moises Arias). How does he accept the fact that his daughter
is growing up? And, is it happily ever
after for Margo and Antonio?
Well, those questions will remain unanswered for now. If you haven't seen the movie, I can't reveal too much more than
that.
But
how about some trivia to whet your appetites?
I'll even do the trivia portion in purple font...you know...just because
I can.
1 - The film became the second highest grossing animated film of
2013, with only "Frozen" surpassing it.
2 - It is also the third highest grossing overall film of 2013.
3 - It broke the record for the most profitable film in the
century old history of Universal Studios.
4 - The total amount of money the film earned? Just thirty million dollars shy of one
BILLION dollars!
5 - Kristen Wiig is the only cast member to play two different
roles in both Despicable Me films. In
the first film, she played Miss Hattie, the woman who ran the orphanage where
Margo, Edith, and Agnes lived before being adopted by Gru.
6 - Al Pacino was originally scheduled to play Eduardo, but quit
the film over creative differences in May 2013 - just a few weeks before the
film was set to premiere! Benjamin
Bratt had to work on timing his voice with the already animated Eduardo because
the animators had already animated his character to Pacino's voice!
7 - The film debuted in Australia on June 5, 2013 - a whole
month before the movie was released worldwide!
Lucky Australians!
8 - A "Despicablimp" was launched in March 2013 to
promote the movie. It was designed to
look like a Minion! Cool, huh?
9 - The telephone number that Lucy gives Gru in the movie is
626-584-5723. I don't know if the
number is still in service, but people who dialed the number around the time
the film came out were treated to a prerecorded message recorded by Kristen
Wiig as Lucy!
10 - You know those yellow jacketed people in the opening scene
of the film? Believe it or not, those
were what the Minions were SUPPOSED to look like in the first film. Due to a budget crunch though, the Minions
had to be changed to their current look.
It was a decision that worked out best in the long run! The Minions are supposed to have their own
film the summer of 2015!
11 - A lot of Gru's facial and hand expressions are gestures
that Steve Carell has made in real time.
In fact, the actors were all filmed while reading their lines to give
the animators more to work with.
12 - Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig ad-libbed several of their
lines during the recording of their performances.
13 - Watch the scene
closely at the Build-A-Bear store in the mall scenes. You recognize the boy who has his bear blown up by the store
clerk? It's the same boy who had his
balloon animal destroyed by Gru in the first film! Isn't continuity grand?
And, I sure as hell am not Gordon Ramsey, Lidia Bastianich, Rachael Ray, Mario
Batali, Nigella Lawson, Guy Fieri, or even that guy who does the Papa John's
commercials. Let's see, what was his
name again? Oh, yeah. Papa John.
Truth
be told...I'm a disaster in the kitchen.
My cookbook is basically the ingredients listed on a standard
microwave-only "dinner for one"...which is pretty pathetic when you
consider that half the ingredients sound like something that you could probably
find in floor wax. If I attempted to
cook up something on a stove, I would likely burn down fifty per cent of the
entire city. I don't even have the
confidence to prepare ice correctly!
So, why in the world would I even attempt to start up a brand new theme day
entitled "Foodie Fridays"?
Well, there is a slight ulterior motive here, which I will get to in a
few minutes. But first, I'd like to
explain what "Foodie Friday" is.
Now, over the near three years that I have done this blog, you might say that I
have covered almost all the bases. I've
done blogs on television, movies, music, video games, toys, sports, history,
geography, social issues, and yes, even a couple of blogs on religion and
politics (against my better judgment, but I digress).
But one of the topics that I haven't really brought up a whole lot in this blog
is food! And, that really shocks me,
given that every single one of us on this planet eats food. After all, if we don't eat, we die. And, well...dying would suck.
So,
I decided that I would come up with one day per week where the discussion would
be all about food!
Initially, I was thinking that it would be a great topic to supplement the
blog. After all, there are a lot of
memories from my childhood that have to do with food, restaurants, and even
school lunchboxes. From breakfast
cereal to leftover chilled Kentucky Fried Chicken, I could dedicate a whole
month to food entries if I so desired!
But
then it hit me. I could do that...but I
could also incorporate viewer feedback into this blog as well. In fact, what if I had a way for all of you
to be a part of this blog as well, sharing ideas to others?
You see...this isn't just going to be a discussion on food. No way.
In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think that a recipe swap
is in order.
Seriously, what I need from you guys is your favourite recipes! They can come from a cookbook, or from the
side of a Kraft Dinner Box! They can be
recipes that have been in your family for hundreds of years, or they can be
brand new creations that you came up with just by accident. Heck, they can even be hot eats or cool
treats! I'll treat you right!
(And sound like a Dairy Queen commercial in the process...)
If
I decide that your recipe is tasty enough for consideration, I'll base a food
related story around the recipe (either a personal memory, or a historical
piece on the significance of one of the ingredients used in the recipe), and I
will give the person who submitted it total credit! Think about it! The blog
gets an average of 500-600 page views per day.
That's the potential of 500-600 people looking at and trying your
recipe! Now imagine them sharing that
recipe with 500-600 people themselves!
Trust me, it's a beautiful thing!
And, because I'll be providing you with full credit, you will share all the
glory...or face a huge lawsuit if you stole the recipe from someone else
without crediting THEM for it. But,
that's the chance you take, I suppose.
Just in case though, please cite the source of the recipe. You know...just to cover ALL our butts! Merci beaucoup!
I'm actually very interested in seeing how this is going to turn out. I want to see what kind of recipes that
we're going to see here. And, hey...if
some of the recipes are simple enough, maybe it'll give me the motivation to
try and attempt some of these at some point...with a fire extinguisher present
in case I royally screw up.
(Now, see...that's the sound of ulterior motive. It really should have it's own musical leitmotif. Too bad I can't compose music.)
But I can compose blog entries. And, to
kick off the inaugural Foodie Friday post, I'm going to be talking about one of
my all time favourite baked goods. In
fact, I think I'm going to need help from one of my favourite Sesame Street
buddies with this one.
Take
it away, Cookie!
Yes, today's blog post is all about COOKIES!
And, at the end, I'll be posting a recipe or two for cookies!
Truth be told, I've always been a kind of a cookie monster. Although, I'm sorry to say that when I was a
kid, some of my favourite cookies were the store-bought ones. But, hey...I was a kid. Your taste buds mature as you age.
Regardless,
I did love some of the cookies from a box or a bag growing up. I think my favourite were the Double Stuf
Oreos, and I'll be the first to admit that at nearly 33 years old, I could
definitely still eat an Oreo or two or thirty-six.
Chips
Ahoy was also a huge favourite, and I remember trying each variety of Chips
Ahoy at least once. I liked the
original ones, the Chewy ones, the Chunky ones, and the ones that had the
rainbow coloured chocolate chips. I
honestly have no idea if Rainbow Chips Ahoy are even made any more. I haven't seen them in ages.
Of
course, my all time favourite Chips Ahoy cookie was the "Striped Chips
Ahoy", which was a mainstay for the late 1980s.It was basically a Chips Ahoy cookie that had chocolate stripes
drizzled over top of them.They were so
good, but so short-lived.I would pay
any amount to have Nabisco or Christie or whatever company makes Chips Ahoy
bring back the Striped Chips Ahoy cookie.Trust me...they were that good.
I also had a tendency to try cookies that were novelty shaped. I did enjoy my animal crackers back in the
day, and Teddy Grahams were certainly a snack treat that I smuggled into the
school playground each and every recess.
I think I even remember trying to make some of the cookies that were
featured in the Sesame Street Treasury books.
Some of them turned out great (like the Surprise Cookies), while others
were duds (like the stained glass lollipop cookies that tasted like
plastic). But, hey...it was worth the
effort.
Of
course, as I grew older, the more I began to appreciate freshly baked cookies,
and as I matured, I found that home-baked cookies were FAR better than any
cookie you could purchase off the shelf.
My mother and grandmother used to make some of the best cookies, and
some of the recipes that they used have been in the family for years.
My grandmother passed away when I was ten years old, but I remember her always
making a whole lot of cookies. I do
think that I remember her making chocolate chip for me (my favourite), and for
everyone else in the family, she made her very special Jam-Jam cookies which
were basic shortbread cookies that had a jam center. I do have the recipe for those cookies, but because it's a
"family secret", I cannot post THAT recipe here. But if you know how to make basic shortbread
and have a jar of strawberry jam in your pantry, you could make your own
version.
(Coincidentally, that was the one reason why I couldn't eat Grandma's Jam-Jam
cookies. She always used strawberry
jam, and I am allergic to strawberries.
But even before I discovered my allergy, I didn't like strawberry jam
anyways.)
But
you know, with my grandmother's passing, my mother is now the one who bakes
almost every baked good under the sun.
She makes her own cookies, brownies, banana bread, and apple pie (though
she does buy pre-made pie crust because she doesn't like making her own). And, I can say from experience that her
cookies are definitely the best cookies ever.
I brought some to a charity dinner that my workplace was having and they
disappeared very quickly. My mom also
makes cookies for my nephew's hockey team (HAPPY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY, SHANLEY!)
and they always get rave reviews. And,
seriously, as we get closer to Mother's Day, I have to say that I love my mom's
cooking, and I am so appreciative that she puts a lot of love into everything
she bakes.
I also tell her that she missed an opportunity to rent a storefront and open up
a bakery. She could have done so well!
So, I thought that I would end this blog entry off by posting a cookie recipe
from my mother's treasure trove of cookbooks.
Trust me, I know she has a lot.
My sisters and I have each given her at least two or three of them!
And,
you know what they say about cookbooks?
The ones that are always the most dog-eared and worn out are the ones
that contain the best recipes! I'm
guessing that this one is probably that cookbook!
Okay,
so admittedly, this cookbook is from 1962 (which actually predates myself and
my two siblings, come to think of it), and you'll see that it's barely held
together with scotch tape. But I'm sure
that the ingredients in this recipe are still around in 2014! At least, I hope so.
Here's
the recipe I promised, courtesy of the "Guide to Good Cooking with Five
Roses Flour - c. 1962 - Twentieth Edition"!
BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES
1 cup butter
1/2 tbsp. salt
2 cups light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tbsp. baking powder
2 eggs, unbeaten
3 1/2 cups Five Roses Enriched Flour (or any brand)
1 tsp. vanilla
NOTE: When eggs are expensive, use only
one, and add 2 tablespoons of milk.
Sift soda with flour, baking powder and salt. Mix as directed. Chill the mixture VERY thoroughly, as the dough is soft and
difficult to handle otherwise. Make
cookies by rolling the dough or cutting the dough very thin. Place on greased baking sheet, decorate as
desired, and bake at 375-400 degrees Fahrenheit.
For a cookie that is less sweet, use 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
instead of 2.
Bon
appetit! Until next week, keep cooking,
everyone!
Hello,
everyone! And, welcome to the brand new
home for all television discussions!
It's a theme day that I like to call "Tube Talk Thursdays". And, in Tube Talk Thursdays, anything that
has ever aired on television is up for grabs.
So, what are some of the topics that could come up in Tube Talk Thursdays for
discussion? Well, I'm glad you asked.
CARTOONS
SITCOMS
SOAP
OPERAS PRIME-TIME DRAMAS REALITY SHOWS
CABLE
CHANNELS
TALK
SHOWS NEWS PROGRAMS KIDS SHOWS GAME SHOWS PROGRAMMING FROM OVERSEAS VARIETY SHOWS
And,
so much more! The reason why I decided
to do this is so I could give equal attention to all different types of
television - not just one. You'll
notice that I have exactly twelve different topics up for possible
discussion. This means that I can go in
a twelve week cycle featuring one different kind of show per week. I certainly hope that you enjoy the new
twist on an old favourite!
In fact, I have a confession for all of you.
I decided to start with a discussion on a cartoon series because I was
given the idea by one of the readers of this blog! (Thanks again, Hans S.!)
He sent me a message through the Facebook Fan Page for this blog (which
you can all join if you use Facebook simply by clicking HERE), and we had a
great chat about a particular cartoon that he not only used to watch, but is in
the process of seeking out quality copies of the program.
Now, I hear what you're saying.
Considering that hundreds of cartoon series can be readily purchased on
DVD or Blu-Ray, you're thinking that the discussion that Hans and I had deals
with a program that is incredibly hard to find. And, you're absolutely right.
It is hard to find. I honestly
haven't seen one episode of the cartoon series, yet, strangely enough the name
of the series rings serious bells. It's
as if I remember it, but I don't remember it.
You understand what I'm saying?
Yes? No? Maybe so?
Have
you ever heard of a cartoon series called "Mighty Orbots"?Well, judging by the entry that I looked up
on Wikipedia (seriously, there are literally no other sources where I can find
any information on the series), it was a collaborative effort between Japan and
the United States, and it originally ran for thirteen episodes at the tail end
of 1984.
(Wow...no wonder I don't remember it. I
was all of three years old back then.)
Though,
just based on the premise of the show - a group of six robots using their
powers to battle against the evils of the world (circa the 23rd century). When all six robots are formed together,
they have the power to become the Mighty Orbots, capable of standing up to any
foe in the quest for peace and harmony.
By
the way, the six robots, in case you were wondering, were named Tor, Bort, Bo,
Boo, Crunch, and Ohno.
Of
course, Mighty Orbots was one of those programs that was quite controversial in
its short run. Whilst doing research
for this television show, I discovered that a lawsuit was actually filed
against the creators of Mighty Orbots by Tonka Toys! Apparently, Tonka accused the creators of the show of stealing
ideas from their GoBots line of toys - which were adapted themselves from
Bandai's Machine Robo line. It just
seemed like it was too much of a coincidence that one of the robots in the
cartoon had almost the same exact colours as the Godmars toy from Bandai - even
though the colours were later changed.
Though I'm unaware of how that lawsuit ended (I couldn't find any
information on any sort of aftermath), I can say that the lawsuit likely
spawned the premature ending of the show after just thirteen episodes - and was
one of the few cartoons of the 1980s to have a definite series finale.
At any rate, I kind of wish that I was old enough to remember this show. Judging by the premise of it, it did look
like something that I would have been interested in seeing it. And, some of the voice actors who were a
part of this program either already did some iconic voices, or went on to do
iconic voices. Barry Gordon and
Jennifer Darling were both principal cast members of "Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles", and of course, the late Don Messick was the voice of Scooby-Doo
for nearly three decades!
But
you know, just talking about "Mighty Orbots" got me thinking about
other cartoon shows that I remember watching as a kid that I haven't thought
about in years. Shows that have only
lasted a season or two that I remember really liking but had too short of a
shelf life to get really attached to.
Take
the show "Camp Candy", for example.
The cartoon aired on NBC for just a couple of years before NBC became the
"Saved By The Bell" channel, and I loved that show. I thought the idea of John Candy becoming a
camp counselor to a bunch of children was an ingenious one, and I definitely
wish that series would be released on DVD at some point because I would love to
be able to watch it again.
Or, how about "Galaxy High", the show where two high school students
from Earth are accepted into the only intergalactic school in the solar
system? It was a brilliant show which
showed us all that sometimes the top dog of the school will have to start all
over again...and that sometimes the biggest nerd in the school can become
popular.
And of course I loved "My Pet
Monster". To me, it seemed like
that show lasted longer than a year as it was always on television. But, how could I not watch it? How could I not love a monster that ate
garbage, befriended three kids, ran away from a gigantic evil monster named
Beastur, and scared the neighbour's dog in a variety of different ways? I tell you, that's another show that I want
to try and find on DVD format.
(Don't judge me. I already have a lot
of childhood cartoons in my DVD collection.
If I ever have kids, they'll come in handy someday.)
All
right. I've been keeping this secret
from you long enough. It's time to
reveal the second brand new theme day that will be sticking around for the
foreseeable future. It's a theme day
that I have purposely kept from you because I didn't want to spoil all of the
secrets at once. And besides...once I
explain what this theme day is, I'm hoping that the secrecy was well worth it.
Welcome
to the very first edition of "WHO AM I WEDNESDAY"!
Now,
here's the $64,000 question. What
exactly IS Who Am I Wednesday?
Well, this is a day that is going to work as a bit of a game of sorts. It'll be a combination between a diary entry
and the board game "Guess Who?"
You see...while I was doing research on my blog for previous entries, somehow I
happened to stumble upon the personal thoughts of your favourite musicians, TV
stars, movie stars, fictional characters from books, TV, and film, and even
cartoon characters!
(Well,
okay...in all actuality, these are diary entries that I myself have written as
if I were the characters themselves.
But the part about doing the research on the characters is one hundred
per cent true!)
Yes,
Who Am I Wednesday is a chance for me to really channel my creative side and
take on the writing styles and personality traits of some of your favourite
people (real or make-believe), WITHOUT revealing who the character is. I'll drop a few hints here and there, and if
possible, I'll try not to reveal too much blatant information. I won't reveal a city name (e.g. New York
City), but I might mention landmarks or street names). I'll also try not to mention actual proper
names, but sometimes I may not have much of a choice.
And, sometimes I'll really throw you off the track by putting a date from the
past...it'll really make you think harder as to who the person might be.
Now, each 'Who Am I' diary entry will feature one of the following categories.
FICTIONAL
CHARACTER
TELEVISION ACTOR/ACTRESS
FILM ACTOR/ACTRESS
RECORDING ARTIST
CARTOON
CHARACTER
(I'm
trying to keep it pop culture oriented for now. If this is a success, I'll add more categories.)
Now, I won't reveal who the character is just yet. I'll give you readers a chance to solve the puzzle for yourselves
first. The first person to solve the
puzzle will get their name mentioned in the blog for next week. I wish I could offer more of a prize for
you, but I am not rich enough to be able to do that every week. At least...not yet, anyway.
So,
shall we begin with the very first edition of WHO AM I WEDNESDAY to get things
started?
Okay,
just to make it easy, this first one will feature a FICTIONAL CHARACTER. And, it looks like this first entry goes
back quite a bit. The question is...WHO AM I?
January 20, 1993
You know, I'm sitting here in my bedroom
watching the lights shining across the city.
They really are beautiful.
Especially around that building that is shaped like one gigantic
triangle. I think they call it
something like the Transatlantic or Transvestite or some sort of building that
starts with the word Trans. I knew I
shouldn't have cut geography class with Kathy Santoni today. That girl's going to get me in a lot of
trouble.
Anyway, I'm sitting here eating what's left of
my birthday cake. Yes, yesterday I
turned sixteen years old, and my cake was made out of hash browns and
ketchup. Not exactly the best flavor
combination for a cake, but it was sort of made at the last minute.
In fact, my whole party was kind of a last minute thing. I suppose it can't be helped, given that my
best friend actually forgot my birthday!
Oh, I have to tell you, I was so angry with
her last night. And it wasn't because
she forgot my birthday (although I have to admit I was mad over her for that as
well). It was because she thought that
I was jealous of her new boyfriend. I
mean, how could she have said such a thing?
I supported them when they got together when we went away on that summer
long trip to Spain we both went to. I
think that he's a great guy, and I was so happy that my friend found someone
she really liked. That's what hurt the
most over the whole thing. I'm glad
that she found love. I just missed
spending time with her. She was
spending so much time with her boyfriend that I felt like I was competing
against him to spend time with my best friend.
We had a really long talk, and she eventually
apologized and we're now making plans to go to the mall next week where she
will be treating me to a real birthday celebration. And, as much as I was angry at her for saying such things, I know
that it'll take a lot more than that to break up our friendship.
And to be honest, I know that my friend really
tried. When she invited me to her house
(which as you know is right next door to mine), she did attempt to throw me a
party. Though, I should have caught on
when I saw all the Christmas, Valentines, Thanksgiving, and 4th of July
decorations hanging up all over the place.
But I was also told by everyone there that my birthday was such a
special day that it should have been made a holiday. And yeah, I totally bought into it.
And all of her family were there to try and
cheer me up. There was Mr. T, Hairboy,
the two Squirts also known as her sisters, and that guy who always talks with
that woodchuck puppet. All of them were
there, and they really tried. Even
though it was a mercy party, I like the fact that they tried. They make it out as though I am a nuisance
all the time, and they act really annoyed whenever I come by. Maybe they really do care for me after all?
And hey, it's not the first time that a birthday party for me has been
wrecked. I completely remember my 12th
birthday when I brought these two dumb girls from a junior high school who
totally brainwashed me into abandoning my best friend...only for them to ditch
me at the mall when they met two guys.
I suppose my friend didn't really appreciate me going around school the
next day telling everybody that she was a 'geekburger'.
Sheesh. Geekburger. How old was I when I made THAT remark?
Anyway, through it all, I think our friendship will survive. We became really close when her mom was
killed in that car accident six years ago, and we've been inseparable ever
since. And she's really been on my side
through all of the wacky things we've gone through. She stuck by me when I accidentally handcuffed her to her little
sister.
Or the time that we got in
trouble for cutting school to get some autograph from some forgettable star
from the '80s. I think her name was
Stacey Q? Oh, and there was also the
time that I accidentally threw their living room television over the staircase
railing. We won't get into that.
The point is that through all of the fights we had, we always make up. And, I think that we're going to continue to
do exactly that. To me, she's like a
sister to me. I don't know what I'd do
if she wasn't in my life. I don't even
want to think of how my life would have gone had she not been there.
Maybe there is such a thing as guardian angels. And maybe mine just happens to be named Donna Jo.
Anyway, I should probably get to bed so that I have enough energy to power nap
through geometry class tomorrow. And, I
still don't understand why my parents got me an entire case of Odor Eaters foot
powder. Are they trying to tell me
something?