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Lent Day Nineteen

Sunday, March 23, 2014 – Bless me Father, for I have sinned. When I began this Lenton Log, I failed to mention Bill Prady, the co-creator of my all-time favorite television program, The Big Bang Theory. Dr. Shelton Cooper and Dr. Leonard Hofstadter – both physicists. Dr. Rajesh Koothrappolli – an astrophysicist, and MR. Howard Wolowitz and Penny. Penny. Penny. Yes, even though your aerospace engineering degree is from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Who doesn’t have a Masters’ Degree?” That is the attitude of those of us who do have Dr. in front of our name. Add Bernadette Rostenkowski, a microbiologist and my favorite – Amy Farrah Fowler, played by Mayim Bialik, who actually has a PhD. in neurobiology and you, get an ensemble cast that is one of the best in television history. I am, or know, or have taught every character in the series. I think most of them were in my first period American history class when they were juniors at McCullough High School in The Woodlands. Well, this must be short today because I must get ready to give UCLA the Axe, tonight. Go Lumberjacks!!! So I will leave with one of my favorite of many from the series, quotes. This one from Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler. “I do not question the existence of a Supreme Deity. However, I do not understand one that takes attendance once a week.”

Lent Day Fifteen

Wednesday, March 19, 2014 – Got your NCAA Division I Women’s basketball bracket completed? If you really want to do the math, Sheldon, go ahead. For the rest of you, I somehow came up with 65 five teams, rather than 64, and that is close enough for government work. That means if you try to count it, it will not add up. The school mascots represented in the women’s bracket are more complex than those in the men’s. Using the same categories of Birds, Cats, Mammals, Humanoids, Other and “What in the hell is a …,” we find eight birds, seven cats, fourteen mammals, nine Other, five “What in…” and twenty-two humanoids mascots. There are two weather patterns – Cyclones and a Red Storm. There is a Blue Demon and a Blue Devil, and a Sun Devil. I categorized the Iowa Hawkeyes as Birds. I do not think it means the mascot is Hawkeye Pierce. The mammal category is populated by dogs with three bulldogs, a huskie and a Great Dane. I was undecided whether to place the Boilermakers in the humanoid category or the Other, as the drink. I went with the humanoid. And this category held the largest number of mascots. Included, are The Irish, the Colonials, the Commodores (not Lionel Richie and the singing group), Cowgirls, Raiders, Volunteers and Mountaineers. There are Spartans and Trojans and Quakers and Raiders. Some Pirates, an Indian and a Matador. In the “What in the hell…” category, there are the Shockers and Flyers, and the color Orange. I hope the MOCs are short for moccasin, because I know people who cannot say moccasin and it would difficult for them to cheer for that team. If you are happy with the mascot titled Vandals, who am I to apply a tag, but Idaho, you might want to think of something a bit less antiquated.
Try Raiders. I wasn’t sure what a Hilltopper is and I am too lazy to look it up. But Good Luck to all the teams. Gig ‘Em Aggies and Sic ‘Em Bears. That would be the Baylor Bears and not the Golden Bears. And please Lord; do not let the Oregon State Beavers play the South Carolina Gamecocks. There are too many jokes waiting to happen.

Lent Day Thirteen

Monday, March 17, 2014 – Top of the mornin to ye, Lads and Lassies. Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, and all that blarney. Tis St. Paddy’s Day where the whole world celebrates being Irish for a wee period of time. Bars are filled with individuals celebrating with green beer and boiled potatoes – the national food of Ireland. Wouldn’t it be more fitting to fast on St. Patrick’s Day since the British almost starved them into extinction? You know “another martyr for old Ireland; another murder for the Crown; the British laws may crush the Irish; but cannot keep her spirits down.” That is from Kevin Barry, an Irish revolutionary song. This history of Ireland is a sad one. No wonder the Irish are known for drinking. And you may know some of the words of this song. Here is the first verse to sing along.
Over in Killarney,
Many years ago,
Me mither sang a song to me
In tones so sweet and low.
Just a simple little ditty,
In her good ould Irish way,
And I’d give the world if she could sing
That song to me this day.
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Hush, now don’t you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,
That’s an Irish lullaby.

So true. So true. I hope you are wearing green and that Irish Eyes are Smiling on you today. Nevertheless, I still do not want Notre Dame to win!

Lent Day 10

Friday, March 14, 2014 – This television program aired in March 1964. What is Jeopardy? Perhaps a more accurate question would be “What is one of my all-time favorite TV game shows?” Our Final Jeopardy answer today is Art Fleming. While the Final Jeopardy theme song is going through your head and you know it is, we shall move forward. Or backwards as the case may be. I love to watch Jeopardy and have since the Jeopardy boards were blue cardboard squares with all five categories housed in a larger box of some type. When a contestant selected a topic in a category for an amount, the dollar amount card would suddenly be pulled upward as if by magic to reveal the answer. Sometimes the dollar card would not fly out in a flush manner and would jam, revealing only a few words of the answer. Then you would see a hand reach over and pull the card upward. Funny. Yes, yes, I know I could be a contestant on Jeopardy, but I figure you only get one game show per lifetime and mine is going to be TPIR – The Price is Right. I dream of hearing my name “…Come on down.” I have watched TPIR since Bill Cullen was the host. Not Bob Barker and he was the host for decades. But I watched Bob Barker also. Jeopardy might have appeared after TPIR. It may have been after Concentration. Maybe it on before Twenty-One, before the scandal. But it was definitely on before Beat The Clock. But now, let’s see what you wrote down – Who was the host of the original version of the television game show Jeopardy, which aired on NBC from 1964 until 1975?