Saturday October 16TH 2010
Volume 3 / Number 6 / Edition 103
11 years ago back in October and November of 1999:
– The Shops At Sunset Place was the hottest new joint to hang out.
– AOL released Version 5.0, and the entire free nation celebrated.
– Moviegoers were blown away by “American Beauty”.
– The population of the world reached 6 billion.
– The Yankees swept the Braves 4 games to 0 to win the World Series again.
– EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean killing all 217 on board.
– “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” skyrocketed to the top of the TV ratings.
– Exxon and Mobil combined to become ExxonMobil.
– The world prepared for the upcoming uncertainty that was Y2K.
1999 was certainly a party year as we ushered the end of a year, a decade, a century, and even a millennium. Even Prince made a big deal out of 1999 some 17 years earlier. He knew that it was gonna be big – and memorable. A lot of great party music came out in 1999. It was certainly a year to get up and dance !
Here’s the 1999 techno dance remix of the classic 1968 Steppenwolf track “Magic Carpet Ride”:
WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
It’s the 4TH weekend of the month of August of the year 2010, and we are here to kick it off with this weekend’s much-anticipated edition of the ‘Blast-Off’. It actually felt weird working all day today since I enjoyed half of yesterday off. I spent some quality time up at The Falls Shopping Center. It’s where I grew up. It’s the single place here in South Florida that I’ve been going to longer and more frequently than any other place (other than my workplace). I remember strolling through The Falls as a young lad of 21 and 22 back in the late-1980s. Nearly a quarter of a century later I feel right at home at that occasionally jumpin’ joint. I don’t feel that way at various other shopping centers and malls. But The Falls has that ‘something special’ feel to it. It’s not perfect. They are missing a book store, a music store, and some more fine dining establishments. The movie theatre there is definitely showing its old age, but then again it’s still much nicer (and surely more modern) than our own 4½-year-old movie theatre here in Homestead. The Falls. I belong. Happy 30TH Anniversary !
BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD: P.F. Chang’s – I dig this jumpin’ joint. I don’t get to eat there very often, but I always enjoy every visit. On Thursday (at The Falls location) I enjoyed the hot egg drop soup, the tasty beef with broccoli lunch bowl (with brown rice), and for the grande finale – the scrumptious banana spring rolls. I’m talkin’ 6 warm and crispy banana bites with coconut-pineapple ice cream that’s drizzled with caramel and vanilla sauces. Yeah ! Come On !
THE FORTUNE COOKIE MESSAGE OF THE WEEK CLUB:
– New and rewarding opportunities will soon develop for you.
– A small gift can bring joy to the whole family.
OVERHEARD RIDICULOUS STATEMENT OF THE WEEK:
‘Yeah get used to record cold and record hot and droughts and floods and tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes. It’ll be like that from now on because of global warming / climate change.’
THOSE CRAZY CRAZY CATS:
BLATANT PROMOTION:
TOMORROW on an all-new ‘Saturday Night Retro’ I’ll take you back with me to the end of the 1980s and the last-half of 1989 here in the land of the 3-0-5. Find out what I was doin’ one Friday night – downtown with Julie Brown. After that the blogging continues next weekend on Friday and Saturday night with more ‘Blast-Off’ and ‘Retro’. In-between the blogging it’s the tweeting. You can follow me @majorhitwaves. Have a wonderful weekend my friends !
WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
So last Monday morning I ventured up to The Falls for my annual eye exam. My eye doctor did an excellent job. She was nice and friendly and an expert in her field. She explained everything to me as it occurred, and I felt smarter about my eyes after it was all done and over with. As it turns out my lifetime of myopia (blurred vision far away) continues to show marked improvement, yet my newfound hyperopia (blurred vision up close) continues to slowly deteriorate. That’s allegedly normal for a dude in his mid-40s. I’m like what … ever. I ended up purchasing brand new glasses to reflect my updated vision. They look exactly like my current glasses. 😯
BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD: Shiver’s BBQ – BBQ Beef Brisket, French Fries, Collard Greens, Bread, Sweet Iced Tea. Incidentally this jumpin’ joint – in bid-ness in Naranja Lakes for the past 60 years – serves the most delicious collard greens I’ve ever tasted. They are hot. They are juicy. They are mouth-watering. You must try them out if you likey. Me likey !
RANDOM “MATCH GAME” STAR OF THE WEEK:
Fannie _____ – I thought this lady was much older than the 65-years-old that she actually is today. She seemed older back when she was a frequent contestant on the old “Match Game”. That was 35 years ago – back when Fannie Flagg (not her real name) was barely 30. Of course everyone in the world seemed old to me since I was only 8 ! The BIG question remains – Why was I watching “Match Game ’75” as an 8-year-old ?
TAYLOR LESLEY DAY MEASUREMENTS OF THE MONTH CLUB:
Taylor Lesley Day
My gorgeous niece turns 4-months-old tonight, and she weighs in at a healthy 14 pounds 3.6 ounces. She’s also just a tad above two feet tall. Well she’s not standing yet, so it’s really two feet in length.
THOSE CRAZY CRAZY CATS:
BLATANT PROMOTION:
It’s another full weekend of blogging (as usual). I’ll re-live 1989 on my 96TH weekly edition of the ‘Saturday Night Retro’. Then on Sunday I’ll continue my celebration that began 4 years ago this week on ‘My Fantastic Journey’. Don’t forget that in-between all of the blogging I’m also tweeting. You can follow me via this blog. My last 10 tweets always appear on the left-hand-side panel. You can also follow me @majorhitwaves. Until next time my friends …
WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
The 2ND weekend of the month of August of 2010 is here, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting its inevitable arrival since I awoke last Monday morning. This afternoon I conveniently extended this weekend by exactly 24 hours. I’ve decided to take the day off from work on Monday. I’ve scheduled myself for a long-overdue comprehensive eye exam with my Optometry Doctor at The Falls. My last exam was over 14 months ago on my 42ND birthday. It’s usually a birthday tradition for me to get a complete eye exam, but I put it off this year for no particular reason of great importance. I have been experiencing occasional vision problems at times – particularly reading with poor lighting. The eye exam will determine if my eyesight has indeed worsened over the past 14 months, or if it’s just my imagination. The dilation of my pupils and 3-hour recovery time thereafter will no doubt cause me to eat a MASSIVE Lunch in the dark here, and then see a hit movie in the dark here. It’ll be a rough day for me.
BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD: Longhorn Steakhouse – Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Brandied Cinnamon Apples, Bread, Coke. This was a week in which I ate Lunch at Red Lobster (Monday), Portofino (Wednesday), and Longhorn (Thursday). I also picked-up Lunch from Publix (Tuesday) and Broadway Subs (Friday). Every single Lunch this week was definitely satisfying and downright scrumptious, but I can’t pick any other than Longhorn as my ‘Best Lunch Of The Week’ since one of my regular waittresses actually opened the front door for me at the joint, welcomed me back, and knew exactly what I wanted before I even sat myself down at my regular table. I feel like I’m a part-owner there. I belong.
15 WEEKEND MINI THOUGHTS:
– After about 48 hours of dark skies and persistent rains it’s been non-stop sun.
– I forecasted up to 6 inches of rain, and much of Homestead got 4-5 inches.
– I then forecasted 5-7 days of dry weather, and that’s happening now.
– My amateur weather forecasting this year has been truly impeccable.
– It’s one of my few talents, so please don’t hate on me.
– Don’t let the lack of tropical storms and hurricanes thus far deceive you.
– In just a couple of weeks I’m forecasting the oceanic action to heat up.
– Get to know Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Igor, Julia, and Karl.
– I don’t know about you, but Hurricane Igor frightens me already.
– I’m so excited on seeing my 2010 Redskins play in a preseason game tonight.
– They play LIVE at home against the Bills on NFL Network in HD.
– New coaches, new players, new schemes, new attitude, new era !
– This season could / should be the start of something SUPER !
– I’ve recently made some cool enhancements to my blog here.
– Please tell me what you like and don’t like via the comments or privately.
THOSE CRAZY CRAZY CATS:
BLATANT PROMOTION:
During the Spring of 1988 I was a young 20-year-old USAF Airman First Class (two stripes) on the verge of becoming 21 and a Senior Airman (three stripes) at bustling Homestead Air Force Base Florida. My total annual salary was about $11,000, but I had no car, lived on-base in a dormitory, and all of the food was free. I rode my bike to and from work on-base through the heat, the wind, and the rain. I dreamed of someday owning a car and driving it all around South Florida … Be sure to check out this weekend’s hot new edition of my ‘Saturday Night Retro’ to see how this story ends. You won’t regret it pal.
CountUp 