The Terrible Catsafterme

I had stayed up later than Bob the night before watching the TV pilot episode of Newhart on my laptop after Bob had already fallen asleep. The reason why is that I was sleeping inside the Waybury Inn, in East Middlebury, Vermont – which was used as the establishing shot of the Stratford Inn on one of my all-time favorite sitcoms Newhart. Mind you they never actually filmed anything here other than shots of the inn. Bob Newhart had never even been at the inn. But in watching the show, you see it two or three times per episode, so it had become ingrained in my mind, so since the beginning of this trip’s inception, staying here was a must. Read the rest of this entry »

If I were ever to achieve the office of the President (which most likely isn’t going to be happening), I’m not sure if I’d rather be thought of as one of the most unknown U.S. Presidents, or one of the worst U.S. Presidents. Franklin Pierce has somehow managed to achieve both. Despite his messy haircut and the fact that he wasn’t even considered a candidate for the Presidency during the election of 1852, he was elected to the highest office in the land and remained so for one term from 1853-1857. A Northerner with Southern sympathies, our 14th President entered the Presidency a thoroughly sad and depressed man, after losing his only surviving child during a train accident weeks after he was elected President. Obviously this disturbing event was enough to take Pierce’s mind off his job running the nation. Pierce was eventually abandoned by his own party and wasn’t nominated by the Democratic Party to run in the next election. Read the rest of this entry »

There are certain days in my life where I feel like I am unabashedly raking in every drop of fun that can satiate my wide varieties of interests. Monday, January 14, 2013, just so happened to be one of those days. I had already spent a very enjoyable weekend at the Hollywood Show meeting scads of celebrities, visited Disneyland twice, attended the memorial service of Our Ganger Peggy Ahern, eaten one of the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, visited the Grammy Museum, and hung out on Hollywood Boulevard. It would seem that this had been a great weekend without any extras, but there was more to see… more to do… more to experience, as many of my interests intertwined into a few further adventures with my friend Bob. Read the rest of this entry »

When I think of the stereotypical image of New England – the fall leaves, the bright green grass, the serene neighborhoods, the flowing maple syrup – I think of the upper three states: Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I had never been to any of these so I was quite anxious to get into them. On the other hand, the stereotype of New York is the hustle and bustle of Times Square, which the northern part of New York is really nothing like. On Thursday, July 12, 2012, I got to travel from one area to the other and experience the seamless transition between the states. Of course, this was no simple afternoon drive; it was all part of the quest that my friend Bob and I were on as we wove our way through the New England area. Read the rest of this entry »

You probably only know him as the only President with mutton chops, but those interested in Presidential history would know him as the Vice-President who assumed the office after the untimely death of President James Garfield after he was assassinated. As far as Presidential rankings, he doesn’t exactly wallow at the bottom, but his time in office as the 21st President from 1881-1885 doesn’t appraoch the top tier either. Strongly distrusted when he entered office, he was at least able to overcome the skepticism and performed adequately as he saw the nation through a rather quiet post-Civil War era that was earmarked by civil service reform, strong growth of the Navy, and more favorable treatment of the Indians. Read the rest of this entry »