Like It Or Lump It: A Bunch

 

 

One of my faults as a big-time blogger is that I will start a small project and then forget about it.

I intended to comment about songs I like this year, inspired by Bob Dylan's book The Philosophy of Modern Song, which did not have any philosophy and not a lot of "Modern Songs", come to think about it.  But it was a fun read, especially considering it was by Bob Dylan. It had many nifty pictures.

But as the year went on, I forgot about that project and started a new one: Like It Or Lump It, which is about shows that appear on various streaming services.

Again, time got in the way, so now I have to combine several mini Like It Or Lump Its.

The Morning Show.  (Apple)  "The Morning Show" is about two female hosts on a television network in a not-so-slight dig at The Today Show in 2017.  Reese Witherspoon plays a conservative journalist who doesn't believe anything conservative. She is brought in to flare her nostrils, which she does a lot.

Jennifer Aniston is the host of the morning show with Steve Carrell.  Carrell gets kicked off the show because of a zipper problem.  Aniston is like Katie Curic if Katie Curic has a 40 IQ.

Season One was all about the "Me Too" movement.  Season Two is about Covid. Season Three is about Don Draper coming in and trying to buy the network and become Jennifer Aniston's boyfriend.

Verdict:  "The Morning Show" should be a lot better, but it is often just a mess with a lot of F-words.   You can live without it. Lump it.

Bosch: Legacy. (Amazon Freevee)  One of the more successful streaming shows is "Bosch," which featured a tatted-up L.A. detective that solved crimes.  Think "Columbo," except with tattoos and sailor language.  

Bosch has quit the police force and works as a private investigator with Tom Cruise's first ex-wife. Bosch's daughter is now working on the L.A. police force. The actress that plays Kid Bosch has the acting ability of a tree stump.

Bosch works with a computer whiz who is cool because he listens to jazz and talks in that cool hipster way like they did in the later years of the Eisenhower administration.

Bosch worked as a show because they had a lot of different characters and it was fun to watch Bosch solve a crime.  Legacy doesn't work as well because they have Bosch interact with Tom Cruise's first ex-wife, who apparently hasn't laughed in fifteen years.

Verdict: I like it, but it is not as good as the original Bosch series. 

The Crown (Netflix).  We are in the final years of Queen Elizabeth's reign and are faced with one fact: she was a Queen for a very long time.

Of course, most of the time in this show's season deals with Diana and how unhappy she was being the wife of a jug ear royal.  Spoiler alert: this season, Diana has the car crash, and everybody but Queen Elizabeth is sad about it because, you know, stiff up lip, my boy, and all that jazz.

Queen Elizabeth doesn't do much except stand around.  The actress that plays Diana is really "purdy," as we say down here.

Verdict:  Like it but you have seen it before in real time.

Suits (Netflix).  One of the year's big surprises was "Suits" appearing on Netflix and people watching it because it was on The USA Network for eight years, and nobody ever heard of it.

Suits is about a pothead drug dealer named Mike who has a photographic memory.  That should be your first clue that this show is a fantasy.

This guy talks himself into an interview with a law firm that only hires graduates of the Harvard Law School because that way you can guarantee a diverse workforce.

Anyway (as we say down South), Mike is hired, and the lawyer that hired him (Harvey) become best friends because they can both quote movie lines.

Pretending to be a lawyer cleans up this kid's life, and he falls in love with Prince Harry's wife.  The problem is, well, pretending to be a lawyer is a crime, no matter how cute your girlfriend.

Pretty soon, just about everybody in the law firm knows Mike is a fraud, sort of like the way everybody knew Don Draper was a fraud. Mike trying to escape being found out is a large part of the action.  As is everybody cussing at each other. 

Believe it or not, the show is good.  There's a goofball lawyer character named Louis Litt who is hilarious and a red-headed admin named Donna who should have her own show.

The show is also educational because Louis does this thing called "Mudding," in which you lie in a tub of mud and relax.  I had never heard of that because in the South, "Mudding" means driving your truck through the mud. 

Verdict:  Like it.  It can be funny and the acting is TV good.  It is weird seeing Prince Harry's wife rolling around in bed, but you forget about it because she is so dog-gone cute.

 

Look At Him!

 

This is just a personal opinion, but I liked "Newhart" better than "The Bob Newhart Show".

When I was a kid, I didn't understand the appeal of Bob Newhart.  He would stammer and do lame jokes about telephones calls with Abraham Lincoln and stuff.  He wasn't like Jerry Lewis, The Three Stooges, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, or Monty Python.

But when I grew up, I put away my childish things, sort of.  I still laughed at Bill Cosby but I began finding Bob Newhart funny.

In his first show, Newhart played a psychologist who shared an admin with the dentist down the hall. His wife was Suzanne Pleshette who put the Hubba in Hubba-Hubba, at least for me, and I still stand by that today.

In the second show Newhart was the owner of a Bed And Breakfast in Vermont.  It took a little while for the show to get going, but when it did, it was very funny show.  Just ask Larry, his brother Darryl, and his other brother Darryl about that.  

Somehow, Newhart gets talked into hosting a talk show called "Vermont Today" and it was supposed to be a serious show for serious people.  Of course, that never happened.  In one episode, the president of the University of Vermont was supposed to be on the show. Instead, they got "The World's Smallest Horse".

When the owner of the horse and "Tiny" (the horse's name) appeared on the show, Newhart asked the owner how he knew the horse was the smallest in the world. 

The owner's answer:  "Look at him!"

To me that answers some of our current political questions.

 

Is Biden too old to be President?

Look at him. Does he seem like a man that can out work a forty-five year old man like Mike Barnicle just recently said?  No, that's just baloney, to be nice about it. The job was not designed for an 80 year old.

I'll let Charles C.W. Cooke explain it.

"Joe Biden is too old to be president. He’s too old to be president now, he’s too old to be president next year, he’s too old to be president in 2025. He’d be too old at his next inauguration, he’d be too old by the next set of midterms, he’d be too old when his second term wrapped up. He’s not vigorous or eloquent or diplomatic; he’s a rambling, angry, senile embarrassment. He can’t do the job at home, and he can’t do the job abroad. He can’t think, he can’t manage, he can’t talk. His judgment has always been poor, and he’s always been a terrible and dishonest person, and these flaws have been exacerbated by his age."

 

Isn't Trump too old to become President too?

Look at him.  He is in his late 70s and he has been losing a zip on his fastball. But he is seems way younger that Biden.   That's because Trump is a big baby.  Of course, he challenged losing the 2020 election. He was complaining that the Emmy Awards were "rigged" against him. Yet, what Cooke says about Biden holds true for Trump. "His judgment has always been poor and he's always been a terrible and dishonest person and this flaws have been exacerbated by his age."   This leads us to our next question...

Is Trump Fit To Be President?

He's done it before, so physically, he is fit.  He's just not emotionally fit to be President. You can run a private firm and make millions and act like Trump.  The problem is the country is not a privately held firm and you just can't hector people into falling in line. On top of that, he's a baboon.

 

What about Kennedy?

Look at him. This is not your grandpa's Kennedy.  He sort of looks like his dad and he has a pretty wife. But he has a lot of goofy ideas about childhood vaccines. Truth be told, a lot of people want to vote him because they think it would be cool to vote for a Kennedy.

 

Is Gavin Newsome running for President?

Look at him.  Of course he is, either in 2024 or 2028.  When he looks in the mirror, he doesn't see a failed governor of a state heading downhill fast.  He sees the next President of the United States. He thinks he can unite this divided land.  After all, he got Kimberly Guilfoyle to marry him.  

In the "Newhart" episode I mentioned, the show breaks down when a caller said "Tiny" was not the smallest horse in the world.  One thing led to another and various people who brought their in horses to "Vermont Today" including a woman that brought in her basset hound that wore a saddle, in an effort to win "The Smallest Horse" contest. That still cracks me up.

In that way, the 2024 election promises to be a circus. All these saddled basset hounds that think they are a horse.

 

 

 

 

This Week's Picks-Week Eleven

 

 

 

Jawja vs Ole Mess:    The second game in Georgia's Games Of Trials is Ole Miss, who has a pretty good team, but they almost lost to Texas A & M. The Bulldogs are better than the Aggies. Like I said, I can't see UGA winning all of their games this year, but they'll win this one. UGA wins.

 

Bumbles vs. Tyler From Spartanburg's Favorite Team:  Georgia Tech has won TWO games in a row. They play a down Clemson team that rallied to show that know-it-all kid on the radio that Dabo knows what's what. ("Dabo's What's What" is the name of a popular bar band in Clemson.)  I don't think Tech will win, but with Clemson, you never know. Clemson wins.

 

Khaki Cheaters  vs. The Lions Of Nittany:  The only thing Michigan has done this year is to win all of their games.  Oh yes, they have been cheating. Something about signs. So far, the NCAA, Big 10 Conference, The FBI, and The Super Friends all seem reluctant to investigate   For some reason, Penn State doesn't show up in their big games. Michigan wins.

 

Kenyucky vs Bama:  Look, even though they have lost one game, Bama looks like Bama. I feel like Alabama could win the College Football Championship, if things work out for them.   Bama wins.

 

Rocky Topped vs Moosouri:  Next week, Tennessee is Georgia's foe but first, they have to play Missouri. We found out last week, Missouri isn't easy. In fact, a play here and there and Missouri could have won that game. I'm tempted to pick Missouri, but they'll try to do something cute. Tennessee wins. 

 

My Beloved Owls vs Virginia University of Lynchburg.   The Kennesaw State Annus Horribilis finally ends with this game against Virginia University of Lynchburg. Actually, things weren't that bad, quoting the Marietta Daily Journal: "In their six losses, the Owls have lost by a combined total of 33 points, and in only one game did they lose by double digits — a 17-7 loss to Tennessee Tech on Sept. 23." Considering their injuries and having a new offensive co-ordinator, it could have been worse as my old Great Grand Pappy Jebediah Manis would say.  Owls win.

 

 

This Week's Picks- Week Ten

 

William Christopher Swinney, better known as "Dabo" is the head coach of the Clemson Tigers. 

One of his duties as head coach is to take calls from fans on his weekly radio show called "Dabbin' With Dabo".  Check that, the show is called "Tiger Calls".  You can imagine the thrill a Clemson Tiger fan would have asking Coach Dabo a question and then hanging up to listen to the answer. (It must be like the time Jimmy Fallon responded to a tweet I sent him.  Sort of.)

Well, this past week's show did not have the same heiney smooching call that most Deep South football coach's radio shows have.  Oh no, Tyler from Spartanburg  is not your average caller.

He asked Coach Dabo why Clemson was paying Coach Dabo millions of dollars to have a 4-4 record. That's pretty good scratch.  

Coach Dabo answered that fans like Tyler from Spartanburg are "part of the problem" whatever that means. I don't remember a Tyler from Spartanburg on the Clemson roster.

He also said Tyler could apply for the job of Head Coach.  Okay.

Coach Dabo said, “To answer your question, I started as the lowest-paid coach in this frickin’ business,” Swinney said. “And I’m where I am because I’ve worked my ass off every single day. And I ain’t gonna let some smart-ass kid get on this phone and create this stuff. So if you’ve got a problem with it, I don’t care, all right?”

Coach Dabo has a point. Clemson has won two National Championships in the past ten years and this is just an off year.  

Vince Dooley had off years. It happens

I'm not so sure I would criticize a man on his own radio call in show. Do it on another show. 

But still, when you make big money, you make yourself a big target. Tyler is the type of fan that wants to know what have done lately.  Clemson has just had 12 ten win seasons in a row. 

You can't win with guys like that.

Since Dabo is from the Deep South, he ought to remember that old saying, "Never wrestle with a pig because you both get muddy and the pig likes it."

This Week's Picks!

 

 

Jawja vs Moosori:    Missouri is the second game of the rougher schedule for Georgia-another team that possibly, maybe, could beat Georgia. And Mizzou seems to always play Georgia tight. While I'm not convinced Georgia will win every game this year, I think they'll win this one. UGA wins.

Bumbles vs. Viginny:  Tech had no business defeating North Carolina last week. But they did, and optimism abounds down on the flats. Shoot, I haven't heard one word about all of the astronauts Tech has graduated. Anyway, while Virginia beat North Carolina too, I don't think they are as good as Tech. Tech wins.

 

Aggies vs Ole Mess:  Jimbo has another so-so team. Ole Miss can make a go at the West title if things break the right way.  In the end they won't. Ole Miss wins

Elessyou vs Bama   The showdown in the West between LSU and Bama. These are always good games.  Both schools have rabid (i.e.: insane) fan bases. Both schools have good teams.  Alabama has slowly been getting better with each game this year.  Nick had two weeks to plan. That should be enough time.  Bama wins.

Prime vs Beavers:   The cracks are being to show with the grand Deion experiment.  He doesn't have a defense and blames the offensive line for everything.  But, he's interesting. Oregon State wins.

 

My Beloved Owls vs Sam Houston. Ten years ago, the idea of Owls football was just a dream. Saturday, they play their 100th game. This year hasn't been that great for the Owls. Two wins over smaller schools.  This Saturday sees The Owls play Sam Houston State University, which hasn't won a game all year, but they've played a tougher schedule.  Dan Rather is an alumnus of Sam Houston. No, the name of the  school was never the Sam Houston Institute of Technology.  Sam Houston wins.

 

 

This Week's Picks- Week Nine

 

 

Jawja vs Reptiles:    Yes, it is that time of year again when Georgia and Florida gather to see who can drink the most booze in a day. Florida would love to beat Georgia because Georgia loves to beat Florida. I don't think Georgia will win all of their games this season. But this is a game they will win. UGA wins.

 

 

 

Bumbles vs. Heels Of Tar:  You remember at the beginning of the season when we all thought that Georgia Tech would almost be pretty good, sort of? Yeah, good times. Tech lost last week, at home, to a meh Boston College team. They play North Carolina this week, which lost their first game last week. Knowing Tech, they will either beat North Carolina like a rug or lose to them because they are Georgia Tech, and that's what they do. North Carolina wins

 
Quacks vs The Utes Yutes.  I keep forgetting that there was a time when Bo Nix wasn't playing college football.  Oh well, I tend to think Oregon is better than Utah.  Oregon wins.

Ahia State vs The Dairy State.   The battle of the beefy midwesterners.  Ohio State is, again, one of the better teams in college football despite having to live and play in Ohio. Wisconsin has a 5-2 record but only one conference loss.  Maybe Wisconsin challenge Ohio State  to a Chicken Dance-off.  They could win that. The football game?  Nah. Ohio State wins. 

 

Prime vs The Another One Of Those LA teams:  The great Neon Deion Prime Time experiment has a 4-3 record. While Coach Prime is a personality-plus kind of guy (just watch his Aflac commercials where he out-acts Nick Saban) we need to remember he's still kind of new to the head coaching game.  In any event, Colorado is better than last year and they should beat UCLA.  Colorado wins.

My Beloved Owls vs Lincoln University.  Lincoln University is a college in California that "has placed its focus on practical down-to-earth education with strong international character." Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall are alumni.  Owls win.

 

Nashville

 

 

We took a little trip last week.

Our niece got married in Nashville, Tennessee, of all places.

Long story short, she went to Nashville to dance ballet and eventually got a degree from Belmont University and a job with the Nashville Predators hockey team. She met a fine young man from the Cincinnati area. They decided to get married in Nashville.

This meant we had to travel to Nashville from Marietta, which used to be a three-hour drive.

However, you must go through Chattanooga on Interstate 24, which has been in a perpetual state of highway construction since the Nixon administration.

When you leave the Metro Chattanooga area, you go up a hill for about 400 miles.  There was a wreck on I-24 this trip, which turned our three-hour drive into a six-hour drive. 

Add to this, I drank an extra large cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts before we left, which meant I had to go to the bathroom every thirty minutes.

On top of that, Nashville has apparently ordered some Metro Atlanta drivers because cars swerve in and out of lanes without using a device known as a turn signal, which I understand is standard equipment on all cars. Why would I want to know that you are changing lanes?

Driving on the Nashville surface streets was no picnic either. Like Atlanta, there are some Nashville drivers that see STOP signs as a suggestions.

Before you go, be aware streets in and around downtown Nashville have some of the longest names ever in the history of streets. ( I took History of Streets when I was in college. I made a B.) You would see a street name like "Dr. Rev. Horace B Hawgwollop, Jr. Blvd."  Back home in Atlanta,  it would be known as "Hawgwollop Blvd" or "Peachtree Street".

We had some time before the wedding, so we went to The Johnny Cash Museum, across the street from The Florida-Georgia Line Bar, next to the Kid Rock Bar. Both bars were open at 11:00 in the morning, blasting out that good old fashioned genre of country music known as "Hard Rock".

As far as the museum goes, if you like Johnny Cash, you will love the museum.  You see his guitars, awards, an honorary doctorate from Gardner-Webb College, and album covers, including "Hey Look At Them Beans." (This was during the time of his career when he recorded anything that was put in front of him. But on the plus side, the song "Hey Look At Them Beans" was written by Joe Tex. You can't get that information in any other blog)

I never had the pleasure of meeting Johnny Cash, but I know a guy who did-at J.C. Penny's in Cumberland Mall. Back in the old days, Malls were a happening place in Cobb County and Cumberland was our only one. J.C.Penny had a home and garden department and this guy worked there. John R. (His real name) came in and bought a plant. Honest. And no, he didn't say, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash and I want to buy this plant". I wish he had.

The wedding was held at a church that meets in a concert venue.  It was a great wedding: short and sweet.  The food was good.  The groom didn't want a groom's cake, so he had ice cream. I like that kid.

We came home the next day. The trip from Nashville took less time than the trip to Nashville. However, we had to make a stop.

At Buc-ee's.

I've written about Buc-ee's before, but it is a fantastic store.  First of all, the bathrooms are clean.

We had to stop at this gas station for relief during our many stops going to Nashville.  There was a sign in the bathroom room that read, "Let us know if this bathroom does not meet your expectations."  The problem was the bathroom was about what I expected.

A word of advice: never go to Buc-ee's on a Sunday afternoon. The place was an absolute zoo. A zoo that sells BBQ, but a zoo still the same.

Buc-ee's sells Coke Icees.  Not a Slurpee. An Icee. (What's the difference? Shut up.)

I'm almost Medicare age, but I love a Coke Icee. The problem is a Coke Icee machine in most stores is like a McDonald's ice cream machine: it rarely works. 

Buc-ee's had two working Coke Icee machines.

Armed with my Icee, I bought our supper: two BBQ brisket sandwiches.  The sandwiches were marvelous, and I don't use that word lightly.

We got home and I prayed a prayer of thanks to The Lord for giving us traveling mercies and for providing the bathrooms at Buc-ee's

This Week's Picks Week Eight

 

 

Jawja Is Off :   Georgia is off, but they did suffer a loss when Brock Bowers was injured last week against Vandy, of all people. Bowers had surgery Monday and will be out for the rest of the season or maybe until next week.  Next week is when Georgia plays Florida, which is always is always a big deal around these parts.

Bumbles vs. The College Of Boston:  I can't figure out this Bee team. They get stomped by Bowling Green, but they beat Miami (which was mainly the fault of Miami, but a win is a win). Tech has a 71 per-cent chance to beat a so-so Boston College team. That sounds good. Tech Wins.

 

Lions Of Nittany vs Ahia State.  Two teams that hate each other. Ohio State seems to translate that hate into wins.  Ohio State Wins.

 

Only Tenn I See vs Bamy.  Last year, Tennessee beat Alabama in Knoxville and it was the biggest thing to happen in Knoxville since the 1982 World's Fair.  (Fun fact: Mrs. Picks clogged at The 1982 Knoxville World's Fair.)  This year, Tennessee plays Alabama at Tuscaloosa and there will be fans there that hate Tennessee because they are a bunch of low down snitches. After last week's close call to the Bacon Bits of Arkansas, I'm pretty sure Saban will pull out the stops against Tennessee. Bama wins

 

 

 

Ole Mess vs War Tigers. Ole Miss is playing their old coach who is the new coach at Auburn. Ole Miss is better. Ole Miss wins