I found myself subconsciously and inadvertently singing along...

Here I am, listening to the "Rocky Horror Show (Original Roxy Cast Recording)" and taking a Pinecone survey, when all of a sudden I find myself singing along with the artists. Unfortunately, I can't even tell you the names of them. I can, with certainty, tell you the song titles, if you wish.

Sure, Tim Curry and Meatloaf are on the recording of this stage production, but since the film didn't exist yet, the Roxy Cast is potentially what kicked the hornet's nest of a cult phenomenon. I honestly would not know the rest of this crew, should they pop up in front of me and I needed to pick them out of a jail line up. 

Abigale Haness? No clue. Bill Miller? I don't know, except he does look "All American, Folk" in a way (for 1974). Boni Entin,  Bruce Scott, Graham Jarvis, Jamie Donnelly, and Kim Milford? Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, this group is definitely before my time.

Although, from what I've researched, if Jamie Donnelly is the same one that was in the "Grease" movie, then she's the only face I recognize. I still wouldn't know her from a hole in the wall if I tried, however. 

I can't help; I'm stuck not knowing these random singers. *Shrug* 

It's so strange to listen to this soundtrack because it varies slightly from the movie version. It feels rushed but not rushed because it's supposed to be live and they've got stage acts (conversations) in between each song to get to. 

Much like all stage productions do. The chit chat is what drives the next song, right?

Right?

The movie version is a little more slow, drawn out, clear. For being a highly low budget film that everyone got rained on while in the skivvies. Except Susan Sarandon. She got pneumonia. *rolls eyes*

Conversely, the Roxy recording is not muddy (rough sounding) by any means, but it really gives you the Broadway feeling, for having Los Angeles West Hollywood theatrics. As I'm going through each track, I'm picturing the scene from the movie in my head and I'm watching Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell run their lines with Richard O'Brien, Tim Curry and Meatloaf. Peter Hinwood doesn't really count on the vocal part, as that wasn't him singing. His gold lamé shorts and muscle body (with "blonde hair and a tan" to boot) were nice to look at, but he's a model; his normal job (at the time) was to get to be eye candy. Being the star attraction of a film wasn't on his bingo card as he wasn't part of the acting world to begin with. 

I do have to say, right in the middle of my train wreck circling, I was wrong. 

My last post about "Rocky Horror", I stated I vaguely remember going to the Brattle Street Theater in Cambridge. Through a little more research, it was the  Loews Harvard Square Theatre, which was formerly located at 10 Church Street in Cambridge. That was the brick building I remember standing next to with my youth group. I still have no idea why I kept thinking it was the Brattle Street Theater. I honestly don't know what I may have done at The Brattle in order to be so sure I was there, at night, with a group of other 12 year olds, seeing a shadow cast performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's the weirdest thing because I didn't go out to Harvard Square a lot at that time, especially to see see any type of moving pictures. I know while at college, I was there frequently to cruise "The Garage" and hang in "The Pit" (which I learned today doesn't exist anymore; it got leveled).  But as a young teenager, I had no reason to be there. As a bored college student, I went to a lot of random places and saw a lot of random sights. I enjoyed my solo trips; I got to find random bookstores, music stores and coffee shops, among other one off establishments. You learn quickly, the places you find, that will have you gravitate back to and decades later read they've shuttered their doors completely. 

Anyway, enough reminiscing about a lost childhood event. 

The Roxy version of the soundtrack, for 1974, is rock and roll meets folk in a way. Like I said, it's theatrical, so there's a lot of pulling and pushing with it. Hippy happy feelings for the theme of the show. There are points where it sounds like it belongs a few years in the past because it's got a folksy vibe with some of the guitar work, but at the same time, the riffs sound like the start of a rock opera. It's so strange to listen to, knowing that my first introduction was the movie. 

I've heard the 2000 Broadway Cast "revival" version, and that truly sounds like the 2000s called. They want their 90s rock back and they aren't taking 'no' for an answer.

Essentially, every generation that puts out a major cast album to this show, really sounds like the time they're in. The decades that define us, also make us subjects to that era. Future proofing your sound can only go so far, as the Wall of Sound isn't made for everybody. 

This Rocky soundtrack laid the groundwork for future productions, yes, I give it that. The lyrics are slightly altered as well, so you know they were still working out the kinks (in more ways than one. 😜😉). As the Roxy cast was the American introduction, there was a London version prior, were Tim Curry really cut his teeth as "Dr. Frank N Furter". Every time he performed this character, he changed things slightly, to what we know of in the film. It's so minor, you don't realize it unless you're hearing it or have been told about it. 

Oh, and by the way, I've picked up a copy of "Vagabond". It's a hardcover and I intend on reading it after I finish the current book I'm reading. Most likely within the next couple weeks (I'm slow.. I have opportunity to speed read at one of my jobs, however). I'm bummed now - today, the book is three dollars less than what I paid 3 weeks ago, and I bought it on Amazon too. I don't want to return it just to rebuy it at the lower cost. Oh well; at least it's not the Elton incident...

Much like I had to keep an open mind for watching "Some Like It Hot" this year, the longer I'm listening to the Roxy Cast sing "Rocky Horror", I am kind of liking it. I can't explain it and I know I keep repeating myself, but it's truly giving me folk vibes. I like folk music, especially from the late 1960s and early 1970s, which this falls into, for sure. It's pushing the rock limit, but it's not fully there, as a cohesive unit. You can definitely tell they were trying things out with this, if you've not seen the production. 

It's like when comedians back in the day would sign up for troupes like The Groundlings, Second City and other venues to workshop their improv skills in order to find a jump off point and make it big. This Rocky Horror sounds like a workshop, oddly enough. 

It's growing on me and I dig it. I wish I could see a recording of the live performance so I have something visual to put the music to, but unfortunately, most videos don't exist for stage shows, even now. It's too expensive, especially for those pre 1990s productions, due to technology. The cameras were big and bulky; be glad we have good sound quality from the early shows to begin with. As it is, good bootlegs that show up for the fans are due to some people, some how, hooking into the audio booth. Or, at the very least, it's the audio engineer creating their own copy and distributing it. Otherwise, with these "cast albums", the performers are in studios, doing their thing, and that is what gets massed produced. One never knows.

I do know, however, this is one of those surprise sleeper albums I never thought to look into, but am glad I did because now I can say I've listened to it and although it's very different from the album I know of (the movie), it's another option to get to sing to and get lost in some wild science fiction.

Until the next head bopper comes out, stay safe out there. You never know what some other reality will do next...

Cheers;

"Although nothing seems right In cars"

I was thinking about something the other day: how the new cars have added features, like subscriptions to heated seats (if you're high class) or wireless device charging that is built into the center console (for everyone else). However, they're subtracting features such as tape and compact disc players (for people up there in age, like myself. I'm not 8-Track-In-The-Dash old; but if you know, you know).  

What prompted this new train of technological crazy reasoning, was my looking into getting the Some Like It Hot Original Broadway Cast Recording on disc. If only to have a better audio understanding of the show I saw last week.

I have a CD player on my computer and my DVD player can play music. My question is, how do I listen to a disc in my car? 

As I currently drive a 2025 vehicle (I think I posted about this. The 2013 Accent deaded. Whomp Whomp ☹) and this metal can on wheels has the ability to use Carplay, media from a thumb drive, and makes good use of the AM FM dial (mainly the FM stations since there's zero reception for AM and what I get in FM service, I tend to ignore most of the channels). I have officially lost the opportunity to put a binder of discs on my passenger seat and choose my soundtrack as I'm driving around the city. 

Sure, I can sync podcasts from my phone via Bluetooth or Carplay. I've certainly done that for the past few months. It does take a toll on your cellular data, and since I share a plan with my mother, I want to watch how much I'm doing on my phone so we don't hit a limit due to my choice of earworms. Therefore, I'd like to get something else going as background sounds, instead of skipping around the radio dial every 3.5 to 4.5 minutes (commercials are longer than the songs being played. Blah). 

Yes, I know I can rip a disc to iTunes or buy an MP3 album online. Once I have the digital file, I can then transfer those songs to my phone. The purchase option can become as expensive as my CD collection as I've got a lot of music ready to be played. Plus, now I've bought the album twice. The things I have are combinations of previously purchased albums mixed with stuff that people have given me (like having Todd's old stuff. Thank you Susan for continually thinking of me. It's an honor to play his records). 

It's not so easy to decide what discs I want on my phone anyway, because I don't want to take up space. For the random times I'd be in my car, I think it's a wasted effort to have it in my pocket. When I'm in the gym for two hours, I'm listening to podcasts while staring at the TV. It's background information that I'm using to further my education. In the car, I'd rather have something I don't have to totally pay attention to, as my focus is the road in front of me. 

Which totally contradicts the thing I'm about to say next.

I'm currently listening to Cassandra Peterson narrate "Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark". It the unabridged audiobook reading of her 2021 memoir. 

I bet if you read George Carlin's "Last Words", you won't think of "memoir" the same. Trust me on that one; you won't be let down. 

Ms. Peterson's audiobook was purchased and put on a Sandisk thumb drive. It's nearly 11 hours long, 20 odd chapters and I've had it playing in my car every day for the better part of two weeks. I'm not in my car long enough to get through more than 20 minutes at a time, so if my math is correct, it should equal out to 16 days of solid listening. That's also providing I don't make any phone calls or pause the track for some reason (like when it's too nice to have the windows closed - the 40° air felt nice a few times, truth be told!). 

The sound system in my car is not the best, and it's actually one of the top complaints people have about this model. I can see (hear) why. That's neither here nor there, considering it's nice to be able to have anything to get me anywhere.

I feel I'm a good halfway through the book right now, so I can honestly say that it feels as if she's telling a lot more fluff than truth. Some of the stories / anecdotes seem so wildly out there, you really have to wonder if they're true. She seems like such a great woman - her personality is a little bubbly, but everyone knows Elvira and what she has done for Halloween. One long trick pony that has served her well. This character is a 40+ year investment and she keeps going at it, strong. 

Buttt... let me get back to the concept at hand: it's a digital file on a digital device, in my car. 

The pictures were taken on my iPhone 17, so they're a little sharper. I can see that without even doing any editing to them (outside of adding my name to them). Everything is more refind in the photographs, even to the point you can see what size that Altoids can is. Chickenman is still hanging out with me and no, I'm not using a USB-C to USB-C charging cable for my new phone. I purchased an Anker two pack of USB to USB-C cables because I needed one for my (2013) laptop. Why not throw the other in my car?

Since automobiles aren't being produced with cigarette push lighters anymore, I've got a USB adapter plugged in there for charging my phone. The young'ns don't know of those burning coils for their smokes ... kids these days have bricks that they vape out of and blow dragon smoke from their mouths. It's wild.

Anyway, the USB charger goes to my phone, which usually is plugged into the USB slot. With the thumb drive there, I moved one over. It's just as well because anyone with a USB wire can use that slot when needed. 

The challenge is the fact this car doesn't have a wireless charging pad, so I'm not as privileged as some, to be able to lay my phone on the console and have it magically gain juice. Which is why I'm in need of a cord. 

I didn't get all the bells and whistles with this used car... it's not the end of the world. 

The smaller things in life could very well be a deal breaker, but I'm not going to do a lot of complaining. I lost a tape player in the Accent but gained the CD player and satellite radio for a few months. Lost the ability to stream once that trial went away, but I got to regain my youth by carrying some discs with me. 

Now I've lost the chance to play the "Hits from the decades!" game while traveling, so I need to make up for that. Which is why I got the audiobook and transferred it to a thumb drive. At least then, I could bring it in another car if I wanted to, and leave it there for a while. It's portable enough that I can share it with a friend, although I probably won't. None of the people I know locally would be interested in listening to Cassandra Peterson's life. My mother has even made some comments when she's been in the car with me, that what we're hearing sounds fictional.

Kind of sounds like the beginning sequence in the 1998 "Velvet Goldmine" movie.

"Although what you are about to see is a work of fiction, it should nevertheless be played at maximum volume". 

Totally different, I know. 

If you're into the "Mistress of the Dark", it's worth a play if you want to know more about her life. If you have opportunity to read the book, have a crack at it. I just happened to stumble on the audio version. It also gave me a chance to try out something different in my car and make a long winded post about having to upgrade my technology while needing to upgrade my car. I miss my previous whips, but I'm told I must "get with the times" and "be in something reliable and safe". As this new ride has a backup camera and sensors telling me I need to stay in my lane (a habit I need to follow in my regular life), what's losing a disc to more freedom of downloads? 

All else fails, if you still have an AUX port, buy a CD player and plug in that way? Start pretending like you're back in 1995 with your Discman and want everyone in the car to hear your groovy tunes? 

I did promise the other day that I'd also upload photos taken with the phone. I am sure by now, everyone is familiar with the night shots of the playground in my community. I've gone ahead and taken some photos last night, as I was leaving the gym around 8:30.

Again, the photos are a little cleaner, little crisper. No editing done besides my name. It feels more "high def", or what we're used to now. I'm still not a fan of using my phone as a full on camera, but I can admit there's a difference in how the newest model handles night mode. 

Even as I type this and look at the photos as thumbnails, they are vibrant. You can see every piece of colored plastic, as if it were the middle of the day. The sky is dark, obviously, but it doesn't feel like it should be after 8 at night. 

It feels like I've taken a daylight photo and manipulated it heavily. I promise you I haven't. Seeing these make me want to seriously try my Canon out more. I know I need to make time to take my camera and go, much like I was doing in the early aughts. One day... one day.

Until that day comes, I've actually been working on this post for several hours. I've been squirreled on it and really need to stop circling around. I started it around 4:20 (hehe) and am finishing it at 11. It'll post as 4:27, so future me is telling past me "make it quick, damn it!" but I won't listen. 

Therefore, I'm telling myself now, "wrap it up". If you're in any area having the big snow event this week/end, please be safe. Grab whatever you need to, to survive. Stay warm, stay fed. Stay out of that cold unless you have to be out. Keep yourself bundled and take care of your kids. Maybe this time next year I can say that in person to my friends up north... if we all survive the year. 

Otherwise, do some light reading, listen to some light jazz and think about good things to come. 

Cheers;

See also:

* Blog post title comes from Gary Numan's 1979 song, "Cars". The song is track 08 from the album "The Pleasure Principle". 

* "Some Like It Hot (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" is available to download as an MP3 via Amazon. 

* The thumb drive in the USB port of my car is an 8GB "Sandisk Cruzer Blade". Amazon currently has various sizes for sale by third party sellers. 

* Chickenman still rolls with me. He's hard to see in the pictures. Amazon sells a similar single rubber chicken for $6.95 before taxes. 

Note: "Chickenman" comes from the Indigo Girls song, "Chickenman". The song is track 09 from their 1997 album, "Rites of Passage". 

* The USB charger in the lighter adapter is an Anker USB to USB-C charger. 

* Yes, that's a baby Altoids tin. Amazon doesn't carry it anymore. I'm not sure who does, as that tin is ridiculously old. 

* George Carlin took 14 years to write his autobiography, "Last Words" and was posthumously published shortly after his death. Tony Hendra had finished writing it, using sourced material. 

* "Velvet Goldmine" movie on Amazon. 

* iPhone 17 via Amazon

Tap dancing on smooth jazz?

Note: This post is published later in the day on Saturday, to when I originally started it.

Well...

I did a Broadway thing and bought a ticket.

This post is being written early on Saturday morning (it's after midnight), so it's hard to say "I saw something tonight", when now I've become "future girl". Therefore, I "saw something last night", even though I've yet to go to bed. 

Friday, January 16, 2026 I went to the local performance hall and saw the season's opening week of "Some Like It Hot". The performance week started on Tuesday, and I was able to get a ticket for Friday. By pure chance, there were rush tickets happening (as seen on socials), and since it's super rare for this to happen, I decided I best get a ticket while I can because I won't have this opportunity again. 

Rush seats were offered for balcony only; I can't complain; I was close enough in the seating area that I had two empty seats next to me (I was third in from the aisle) while every other seat was taken. It seemed jammed packed and I don't know if it was due to people seeing the rush price on their feeds, or if they were people who purchased at normal price. I'm sure it was a mix of both. Glad I got there at 6 to get the ticket.

As this was an event that would not allow you to take photos, I only have before and after pictures of the stage; nothing in between. 

I blurred out the front of people's faces for privacy, but you can see "how close" I was, even in the upstairs area. 

The photos were officially taken on my new handy dandy iPhone 17 and quite honestly, these four don't show much difference in anything I've done previously. Again, I've not edited much from them, with the exception of putting my name and blurring out front faces. A review of the phone will have to be another post because I don't want to start getting all nuts with multiple things. It's late and I'm tired.

The performance lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes which includes a twenty minute intermission. It also started five minutes late and they made the "please take note of the exits" announcement twice. Someone wasn't paying attention the first time, apparently. Also included was the "please no photographs", which is why I have before and after of the stage. 

The curtain was washed out in black and white to make it look "old". Different start from the normal red velvet that's usually draped. Sometimes it's been black velvet and the event logo is projected in the center, but this time the production chose to begin with a black and white (or grey) curtain. They ended with a more blue wash (bluish grey?). 

For the uninitiated, the original movie premise is a pair of contract  / freelance musicians (played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon) in 1929 Prohibition era Chicago, who are performing at a speakeasy that gets raided. They find themselves out of work and then witness a "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre" (aka the Chi-Town mob hit we hear stories about). The gents must then attempt to outrun this particular set of gangsters in order to not become victims of their own shooting. They end up joining an all female jazz band, dressing up as women (yup, they really did do drag). To add another celebrity name to the film, the lead singer of "Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators" is Marilyn Monroe and the band leader is Joan Shawlee. Some shenanigans ensue while the band travels by train to Florida, and the men end up in some other precarious positions. One of which is going head first into the "Friends of Italian Opera Society" event in the same hotel the jazz band is staying in. Spoiler alert: This is not an opera event, it's a front for a national mob conference. Oops. Other things happen and in the end, people got what they deserve; to a point. It has so much comedic value for its time, there is no wonder why it's a mainstay on the American Film Institute's top 100 "must see" movies. There are big names added to the cast list, that I'm sure people recognize the secondary people (like George Raft, who plays one of the main mobsters, he had a very great line in this movie, which referenced something he did in the 1932 "Scarface" film [talk about being typecast!]).

I'm not going to spoil it further in case anyone wants to see the film, but I do highly recommend it. Thanks, Jimmy, for having me watch it, all those years ago. You created a monster with this. Haha. 

Privilege, coincidence, happenstance, whatever you want to call it, I was able to see the 2002 Boston Broadway performance of "Some" and am glad I got to, as it was actually starring Tony Curtis. He obviously wasn't reviving his old movie role, but got to play upgraded character ("Osgood"). It was really amazing to have seen the film and had something to compare to, when I saw the live performance. This stayed as true as it could, in order to do the Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond film justice. 

Unfortunately, the 2022 (to now 2025/26) production veers off topic from anything done previously. If you find your way into seeing both the movie and this new musical, don't expect things to be the same, or even close to it.

I'm not saying it was horrendous, but it definitely took on a life of its own.

The year is now 1933 and the show starts with a musical number by "Sweet Sue" (who would become the bandleader to the all female band).  She's running her own mini show in a club and it gets raided, which "Joe" and "Jerry" (the main guys) are performing at as well. At this point, I can say "at least the character names were kept, but Sue isn't supposed to come in for another half hour or so". Since something else happens within the few scenes to create the mob hit, the show could potentially progress into the premise of the movie.  I hope? They seem to have already changed the idea and conversations...

Yea, no; this 2025 version is a serious reimagining of what we thought about anything prior. There is maybe a total of 30 minutes of original film dialogue through out the entire musical, and everything in between is brand spanking new: New people, new names, new music. Everything was made to keep the show moving. They also travel west to California instead of south to Florida. 

There's no easy way to try to explain this without further spoiler alerts and sounding like a bad person. Please don't take the next description wrong. I want to explain this as best as I can, as it does get brought up in the new show.

The original (movie) cast was white. Part of the reason they could go to Florida was because the end result of the final few scenes, were to take place in a hotel in Miami (yes, I know. Stay with me for a minute). What type of people are in Florida to begin with? Retirees, some with lots of money. Even in the 1920s, which is why we meet a pivotal character there (what ends up being Tony Curtis' character in the stage production). 

The new musical changes things up. They take both Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe's characters and make them black. They take Joan Shawlee's character and also have her be an energetic black woman, full of "let's get this thing done!". Joe E Brown's original character, "Osgood", went from a rich old white guy to a middle age Latino male. 

So with these new character versions, the production understood that they couldn't allow the train to travel south from Chicago to Florida, without ruffling feathers and getting into problems (remember, this is the 1920s and 1930s). Therefore, they made it a point in the show to have one of the lines be something to the affect of "have you seen me? We can't go south. We're going west... to California". Which leads into the song "I'm California Bound". Knowing all the troubles in the country at the time, it was safer; even for an all female band, to go where there won't be as much racial issues. The need would be to stay secure and out of harm's way, considering there originally was only one male with the group of women. He happened to be the assistant to the bandleader and looked like he couldn't harm a fly if his life depended on it.

Which side note, they also took said assistant and changed the role from a male character made it a constant cigarette holding female (who has a tendency to curse every so often). 

These things were part of where this new production started straying away from the original ideas. They had different races and genders for characters and they also changed a majority of the story lines to meet a more inclusive audience for today's standards. There's a theory online where the Jerry/Daphne character wants to stay as Daphne for reasons I don't want to get into on here, because I feel I've already raised some flags regarding the race topic. It's a touchy subject to begin with and the overall premise of all the versions of this title is a bit muddy. 

Especially with what's going on in the last few years.

 I'm so sorry; I don't want to offend anyone or have any problems. It's hard to want to talk about things and not have to worry about getting shut down. Please understand that I'm meaning well with this, and that's why I'm still trying to be vague and tip toe around things.

It's that given the state of affairs in Florida at this very moment, I'm honestly surprised the musical is playing at all down here. Just knowing it's two guys, in drag, playing in an all women's band, while at some point having to reveal who they are, there's a reason the film got banned when it came out. But everyone understood why. It got unbanned and became a legend. With this update, it's been politicalized and made to be equal but still show parts of historical bigotry and racism. This is not what I want to do. Those bad things are not okay and I do not condone it.

This show was truly a new experience and entertaining, yes. They took an original idea and made it new, yes. There was a lot of singing, tap dancing and jabs meant to sting a little. People are attempting to "poke the bear" and see how far they can go with their words and actions. At least there were lines in this musical that made you understand why they're going left instead of right as well as doing something new. It will anger a lot of people, I am sure. I know a few people who have seen this new version and walked out of it because it wasn't what they were expecting. They, like me, know the movie and thought this would be close to it. During intermission, they left and didn't come back. I, at least, gave it a chance. I wanted to make sure I had a good enough time.

Yes, by the end of the show, I can say this production truly rum punched their way into the overall culture of the moment. They took a 66 year old thought and changed it to meet the 21st Century. Would I want a two hour movie based on this version? Possibly not, simply because they took ideas from history and mixed it with a famous movie and created something different. Would this work today? I don't know. Jazz itself is such a standard and niche genre as it is. Making a historical comedy based in the end of the Jazz Age might be tough. Also, from what I've seen previously and what I know about that time in our history, I don't know how what they've done could be completely accurate. I'm not a history buff by any means and I don't pretend to be. I do need to look up some things regarding what would be (socially) accepted / acceptable for certain relationships to happen during the 1920s and 1930s. I'm not familiar with all of that. 

So again, going purely by "this is entertainment, this is something to do for three hours on a Friday night", I did enjoy watching it. It had some (new) music and even though there were some audio drop outs in some conversations (as well as the singing dropped under the backing music), it wasn't that bad overall. It did appear they were using a backing track at one point too, as the music was raised higher than the singing, but I could be wrong. I didn't see a live orchestra in the pit area; there was just a man at a computer and soundboard. There were some lighting issues as well (spotlight challenges) but that happens during a live performance. People shift too quickly. There also looked like there was a makeup problem too, from what I could tell. It could have been my bad eyesight mixed with the lighting or it could be something else. I know you need a certain level of stage makeup on, to "be beautiful under the hot lights", but it was caked on in some places and looked really awful. I'm not trying to nitpick but I do find myself catching little things, even when we're watching a movie at home. It's become subconsciously second nature to me to seek out the oopsies. 

Would I honestly see this show again? Probably not, but I am glad I did because it was an experience. I was too entangled in the beginning of it, telling myself "stop doing the film dialogue and just watch", so once my brain finally did stop, it was all right. There was one scene in particular (the door / chase scene) that was a little over the top and too much, but it finalized that part of the conversations and scenes. Although, if anything, that specific scene could have been dialed back a little and maybe changed slightly. Some other things could have been changed, but they were so minor, it would become a throwaway scene and nonsense. 

I know I sound like I'm being overly critical. I'm not trying to be. I don't want to give it all away and have people not see either the film or the musical - see one or the other, or both, but don't go into either one thinking they're the same. I fell that you should have a fair and honest opinion and go with an open mind. I did (and do) appreciate having now added this to my wall of Broadway performances (I frame the ticket and Playbill) because it truly was something I wanted to see when it was announced. I was concerned about outside reviews of it and because I didn't know how drastic it had been rewritten, I'm pleased I got to go. This being a "contemporary reimagining", it gave me something to think about and talk about with people. The topics and themes within this production are conversations I'd like to have with my friend and family to get their opinion on it as well as research it a little more to see how historically accurate it was or could have been.

Until I can figure out a way to stop circling around this and go to bed, take care of yourselves and go see a live event some time,

Cheers;

(True) Crime doesn't pay...?

I started a new podcast this week. It's authored by HBO and the Boston Globe and is called "Murder in Boston". 

Via the synopsis on the Amazon page:

1989 Boston. The crack epidemic is raging, the murder rate soaring, and white flight has taken hold. Charles Stuart and his pregnant wife, Carol, are carjacked, drawn deep into a dangerous “inner city” neighborhood, and allegedly shot by a Black man. All of Boston – and the nation – is gripped by the hunt for the suspect. What follows will reveal truths about the city... and ourselves. Presented by The Boston Globe and HBO Documentary Films, Murder in Boston: The Untold Story of the Charles and Carol Stuart Shooting is hosted by Adrian Walker who, along with a team of Pulitzer-winning investigative reporters, unveils explosive new findings and change the narrative of a story long cemented in the city’s lore. The HBO Documentary Series Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning is available to stream on Max starting December 4.

According to the "product details", the podcast was released November 27, 2023. Which would match the December 4 2023 drop of the HBO series. As I just started the podcast, I haven't seen the television series. Unfortunately, I do not have HBO, so I may end up not seeing it. It should be fine; the podcast is feeling more in depth anyway, as there are ten episodes where the HBO show is 3. The audio version is broken up into 35 to 55 minute segments where the video version are single 55 minute segments.  

So far, it's interesting. It's a culmination of interviews, reporting and speculation, all wrapped up in a neat little box. I was too young to know about this story when it was happening, but it's a part of Massachusetts history that you'll never forget. Plus, the areas they are talking about, I've been in; whether it's in passing (Mission Hill), visiting (Dorchester, Roxbury) or other (Tremont Street, hospital district). Life happens and you don't know what's going on unless it's on the 10 o'clock nightly news some times. 

What hasn't been on the news, except for being on my blog, is I've got new flower pictures. It seems like this will be the last week of iPhone 11 photos, as I've been upgraded to a 17. I don't have the new iteration just yet, as it won't be in my hands until the weekend, more than likely. 

Before anyone starts screaming, "how can you afford a new phone?? You're always talking about being poor!", I am poor. Hence the reason I'm using an 11 that I bought in 2019. It's just that the store we usually buy from, called us back in December and offered us a deal to trade in our phones (my mom had the 13) and it all works out in our favor due to the value of things. After a month of a cluster bomb with these new devices, my mother has her new phone as of Monday and I will allegedly have mine at some point this weekend. They got shipped from two different places. 

That's why I am taking advantage of having the phone while I still can, even during the chaos of having our cellular service preemptively shut off and me having to figure out how to get an eSim downloaded and turned on. 

Allegedly, my phone was trying to look for service on my physically Sim while Verizon tech was telling the device to install an eSim. So I had to take out the card and scan a QR code.. it was a mess. I have service once again, however, I don't want to attempt this in the future. 

It's no wonder why Rach once called me a "neo luddite" and it stuck! I have a love hate relationship with technology. 

Anyway, the flower pictures.. the bush at our front door was sprouting again, and I attempted to get some fancy views of it. 

As per usual, I didn't want to get all involved with my Canon camera. It was one of those random moments in time where I was at the front door to see if any packages had arrived before we went out to do errands. I also didn't do much editing of the photos in Photoshop, except a little sharpen in some places. Added my name to the final product. What you see is what you get. 

Final result is something I am okay with. I know it could be better, especially in editing them for color, contrast, and so forth, but I'm still not calibrated for that on my laptop. One day I will be. One day. 

I guess that's it for now. I'm thinking of another post idea, but need to research it a little more before I start writing about it. Want to get the opinion of some of my friends first.

Until then, stay curious and watch what you do in the day light hours and at night.

Cheers;

New year, new pictures?

Happy New Year?

The cold has stayed with us over the course of the last few weeks and this morning, we woke up to to the mid forties (as usual lately). The weather people announced yesterday that it would get in the low 20s in some places, and I'm assuming it was closer to the northern border of the state (we're talking Georgia area). I didn't pay too much attention to where that level of cold was going to be, as I know the 40-45 degrees are a bit on the cold side for southern Florida (and we wouldn't reach lower than that). 

As I had nothing planned for the day due to it being New Years Day; I didn't have to go work, nor did I make any plans to run errands. I figured most stores that would be open, would be on limited hours, if any hours. Therefore, I went to return some stuff to the library and made my way to the gym.

Driving through the drop off lane at the library, I noticed something hanging on the wall of the sidewalk area. It's not a sidewalk per se, but it's a grassy area that prohibits cars from continuing straight into the building. 

Upon closer (squinting) inspection, the thing I saw in front of me was one of the tree iguanas; the type of lizard that I lovingly refer to as "the plop plops" because you only see them on the ground when it gets too cold. Once the tropics here reach below 45°, the iguanas freeze / go limp, plop to the ground and don't move until they are warmed up.

 

The iguana I saw must have fallen close enough to library and into the sun, because he seemed pretty ready to run when I drove closer to him. 

I've taken a video of him, as I didn't want to get out of my car and disturb his moment in the bright light. Plus, "they" say not to go near these things and move them... the iguanas can still harm you if they feel threatened. 

This is the first time I've captured one of these reptiles on film, where he wasn't a solid color (green, brown, etc.). He must have been so cold, his skin changed and now that he was in the sun, he was turning a good orangey tan (check his head and tail). I guess the Vitamin D is good for everyone? 

It was so weird seeing the plop plop today. My friends said "how cool!!" and my mom's friends said "no!! Too cold!". A bunch of mixed reactions from a bunch of people. The locals didn't want to deal with seeing it and the northerners were amazed I shared pictures and a video. Like me, they're not used to seeing certain things in the wild.

I try to share this stuff when I can. 😁

It's after 7pm as I write this entry, and it's 60° outside (but "Feels like 59"). The windows will be open again tonight, and the longer we're doing this, the less our electric bill has been. We have yet to turn the heat on in this house and we are going on 15 years here (Oh Christ... 15 years?? 😒😧😨🙈) and there's now been way too many times during the winter it got under 70. Which is fine, because I don't do well in the humidity and my mother only likes it because the FPL bill is dirt cheap (we're talking around 75 bucks. In the middle of December). It's not to be confused with me turning a new leaf and liking it here. The lower bill does not equate to low costs of living nor me dancing with rainbows and lollipops. My stance is still the same as it ever was; the crispness makes life a little more manageable. 

Except at my current job when the AC is on in the building all day and I'm sitting at a desk in a sweatshirt because it's super cold in the office and outside. 

But the real temperature drop is out of the house right now and the weather report says it'll be 48° by 5am. We will see what it turns out to be, but I don't expect to be up at that time. I don't want to. 

If I happen to see an iguana out and about on the road again, I'll know it was cold enough that he needs to get warm before he goes back to his perch. 

Until that happens, I think I need to put on some long sleeves and get something to drink. I didn't drink enough water today, and am feeling a little parched. Even though it's cold, you still need to drink. Remember that when you're shoveling this week (because I know my friends in New England got a blast of snow), don't imbibe in any alcohol. Stay warm with tea or coffee. Get some water in you. Alcohol makes things worse. Only have that after you've warmed up and will be inside for a while.

Stay safe and may 2026 be positive for everyone.

Cheers;

See also:

* Photos and video taken on an iPhone 11

* Photos edited (my name) in Photoshop

* Video edited in Pinnacle Studio (with the program's stock music and sound effects)