Gobbled Dreams

Once upon a time, there was a strange motel and restaurant set in Wisconsin. Built in the shape of a turkey (if viewed from the sky), it was aptly named "The Gobbler." Lore has it that a friend of mine was conceived in one of the rooms (well, that's the story...his parents definitely were Gobbler visitors, but there is no concrete evidence of conception...he likely just doesn't want to think about his own conception).

The Gobbler was a getaway spot of Midwestern dreams. The fine establishment had nooks and crannies like "The Passion Pit", purple rooms with carpeted walls, and a Pepto-colored rotating bar room. Full of faux stone, purple and pink vinyl furniture, plastic chairs, a Brady Bunch-style carport, purple-carpeted bending hallways, circular beds, and even an eye-shaped window, the Gobbler was a truly unique slice of life.

Sadly, the motel and its rooms of love are gone. It was purposely burned by the local fire dept. earlier this century (claiming the fire peeps needed to practice). Apparently people in the 21st century cannot appreciate mid-20th century architecture and beauty.

Words of Rodeo

No deeper words have ever been practiced by an elementary school student than the words in this photo.  It is even stranger that this was written in a New Orleans school, no where near Mexico, New Mexico, Texas or other rodeo-practicing state.  I can only hope the student uses these same meaningful words when cursive writing starts.

[This was a real photo taken in New Orleans last month.]

Sitcoms Rule

A TV tabloid site has chosen the worst sitcoms ever. I find the inclusion of Mr. Belvedere, My Two Dads, Charles in Charge and Double Trouble appalling. These are 80's classics! And don't even get me started on Small Wonder, a TV gem leaving kids everywhere begging their parents for a robotic sibling.

While we are all tired of lists about this or that, I highlight this list simply because the beautiful sitcom seems to be disappearing from current TV lineups. I love sitcoms, but children aren't growing up with great sitcoms anymore. There are no classic sitcoms on TV in 2008 (other than the modern-day cartoon sitcoms like Family Guy). Some may say CBS delivers a few to the airwaves, but really, CBS is just lame.

To add to the list dialogue, below are a few of my least fave sitcoms that the PopCrunch folks neglected to list (in no particular order):

• Alf - pure torture delivered by an annoying, furry animal.
  
• Beverly Hillbillies - even for "early days" sitcoms, this is unwatchable!
• 3rd Rock from the Sun - Aliens plus John Lithgow equals absurdity.
• Harry and the Hendersons - Alf failed, why would this be any better? Even more scary is that this show was on for three seasons.
  
• Step by Step - Suzanne Somers jumped the shark with this family crap.
  
• Dharma & Greg - lead characters not interesting enough for a show, with Jenna Elfman annoying everyone.
  
• Ned & Stacey - yet another show with boring characters. Do people really get married for a good apartment?
• Three's a Crowd - one of the dumber ideas for a spinoff. Poor Jack Tripper.
  
• Roseanne - yeah, I know some people really dig this show, but Roseanne was annoying and hard to watch. Same with her lug of a husband.
  

For a full list of sitcoms, visit your pals at Wikipedia (this is an awesome list).