Total Drama Island

One of Brock's favorite shows this summer has been Total Drama Revenge of the Island.  It's the latest season of the Total Drama Island series on Cartoon Network.  It really is ridiculous, and a funny spoof of reality shows in particular Survivor.  The theme song tells you exactly what to expect.....:



I learned when reading up about Total Drama Island that the series is Canadian, and set at Camp Wawanakwa on an island in Ontario.  The Revenge episodes continue to be based on team competitions & less popular/capable contestants being voted off the island.  I think the camper "de-brief's" are the absolute best part.  Interviews take place in an outhouse; each conversation is enhanced by perching on/near the toilet seat, and trying to ignore pesky bugs zooming around.  As an interesting development for this season, the island has been contaminated with nuclear waste, and has mutant inhabitants.  Some favorites to mention:

• Brock's favorite character -  Lightning

                                                   

• My favorite character - Chef Hatchet.  

                                           

• Brock's favorite mutant creature - Larry the Venus Fly Trap, a super-sized venus fly trap that walks around eating people.  

                                     

• Favorite episode - "Final 2012 season episode"  Sasha and Brock were both laughing hard at the final competition, where the audience includes Scott who has been incapacitated by Fang, a mutant walking shark.  

                                          

Assuming the series continues, I expect to hear lots more laughter!

Catching Up Is Hard To Do

As you can tell, I've taken most of the summer off from blogging.  So now there is much to cover!!

In the Recently Overheard Department:

• "I have a complaint!" said Steve a few weeks ago.  About what?  Errr.. about my lack of recent postings on Carroll Boys.  Yes, it's a bit embarrassing especially given his prolific writing on 'NCFE'.  I've felt mildly guilty about it, but not guilty enough to actually write anything.....  until tonight....

• "Would you please pass me the soap?  The Force is not working." said Brock during 'shower' (absolutely not bath) time last week.  Star Wars will always be a special part of our lives.

• "I found 2 eggs in the water bowl this morning!" per our neighbor Sherry.  Our gecko Hermie moved one house away to a lovely 50-gallon tank, was renamed Mr. Leopard, and has a partner Mrs. Leopard.  Compared to life under the hockey table in your room, Hermie has hit the jackpot!  The Leopard's are now 'expecting', with the eggs being incubated for 58 days at Pet Zone.  More babies are likely to come along soon.

• Many episodes of the The Big Bang Theory.  Here's the full version of the TV show's theme song performed by the "Barenaked Ladies".  You might like to read more about this interesting band -->  BNL, Canadian alternative rock

Of course, the best part of summer is spending extra time together.  I will write about our beach vacation later.  In other highlights:

• Sasha..... You did quite a bit of walking at the Secondary Center to make up 9th grade gym classes.  Gage spent lots of time here on Sharpe Street, including overnights (sleeping on the living room couch - his preference).  There were many PS3 battles, including Battlefield 3, Call of Duty Black Ops and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.  The two of you liked to stay up extremely late, then snooze most of the morning.  You also got to enjoy fishing with Jason along the Susquehanna, especially while construction on the new Eighth Street Bridge was wrapping up.
• Brock....  You had a wonderful time at Camp Acahela with your cub scout den, in particular your friend Matthew whose tent you shared.  We heard about swimming, archery, tucking your shirt in for meals, and a 3-hour nature hike.  And we got to have dinner with you at the dining hall Friday night.  Your legs had a few cuts & bruises, but otherwise you looked just wonderful at week's end (and ready to come home for a rest).  You spent time at the Good Shepherd day camp in Kingston, where playing DSI (in particular Pokemon games) seemed to be the favorite activity.  We had a fun afternoon with Ben at the Nay Aug pool.  Plus you got to spend time with school friends at Adam's birthday party.
• All of us..... Enjoyed a weekend with Kyra and Lucy, including an afternoon at the Sno Cove water park and dinner at Pizza by Pappas in Scranton.  We then headed to Camelbeach last week.  With a couple interruptions due to rain, it was a good day including lots of time in the wave pool.  Lastly, you both went fishing a couple evenings at the Frances Slocum Park pond, where the competition to catch (very) small fish and good-sized turtles is fierce. (Left-over bait such as wax worms was provided to the growing gecko family next door.)

And to wrap this long-overdue post, here's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" .... almost the same as Catching Up is Hard To Do!  In July, Steve and I sat on wet folding chairs at Misericordia University to hear Neil Sedaka in concert.  Neil Sedaka is a well-known (to older generations) composer and singer from New York City whose career has spanned over 50 years.  We were the young'uns in the audience!  This performance is very similar to the one we heard:

Hogan's Heroes

Sometime last year, I had dinner at The Cracker Barrel restaurant - you know, the one with the rocking chairs on the porch, checker tables, fire place, to-die-for green beans, plus a country store.  I noticed and bought a DVD set that I thought you might like....  Hogan's Heroes, the complete first season of the TV show.  It was an incredible hit with both of you.  I remember how hard you laughed as you watched the DVD for the first time.

As time has gone by, Sasha is less interested in the show.  But, Brock, you are still a huge fan and have asked about getting a DVD of the later seasons.  Here are some of my thoughts about the show:

• Hogan's Heroes was showing on television close to 50 years ago, from 1965-1971 (the first 6 years of my life).  That's a long time ago, but like The Three Stooges which you also like a lot, still very funny.  
• By the way Brock, you've also asked me whether there was a real "Stalag 13".  I just Googled it, and Yes there was.  But it was nothing like the fictional one on Hogan's Heroes.  The real Stalag 13 was an Allied prisoner-of-war camp which held German military personnel after World War II.  
• Hogan's Heroes ridicules Hitler in particular, and to a large extent German culture generally.  It's understandable this would have been very entertaining, especially since  World War II, during which Hogan and the Allied soldiers were German prisoners, started just 25 years before the show aired.
• Each episode begins with the announcement "CBS presents this program in color."  Do you realize that TV was originally in black and white?  CBS began sending a color broadcast signal from a few stations in 1951.  But color television was still a relative novelty in the 1960's, as most people did not yet have TVs which could receive a "monochrome" (color broadcast) signal.  You can read more about the technology and history of color TV here  -->  Color Television

Brock, when I asked you today you told me that your favorite characters are Corporal Newkirk (of the British Royal Airforce), Corporate LeBeau (of the French Free Airforce), and the German Sergeant "I see NOTHING!" Schultz.  As I've watched the show with you, I am very impressed with the performances of Werner Klemperer as Col. Klink and especially John Banner as Sgt. Schultz.  As you both know, they were Jewish - very interesting that they were willing to do the show at all.  John Banner had the most expressive face, and did a phenomenal job playing Sgt. Schultz as a friendly, bumbling, look-the-other-way Master Sergeant.  You'll be interested to learn more about Johann Banner, an Austrian, here  -->  John Banner


Well, on that note here are two wonderful clips.  The second one includes one of my favorite scenes, when LeBeau, Schultz and then Klink are flying a kite!