The Contest Episode- Seinfeld

    I've talked about a few episodes of Seinfeld. "The Pony remark" one, "The Chinese Restaurant" one and a few more about the characters themself. But there is one episode that is considered the Holy Grail of episodes and why? Because it won an Emmy for best writing. It's about.... being the master of your domain aka.... The Contest.

 

   

   This episode starts with the four of them in the Cafe. George comes in and well.... his mother 'caught him'. What did she catch him doing? Well.... whacking off. His mother faints and he takes her to the hospital. The four of them decide to make a wager on who can last the longest without gratifying themselves.

   Kramer is the first to lose as he leaves Jerry's apartment after noticing a naked woman across the street. He comes back with a wad of cash saying, "I'm Out!" It caused a roar of laughter in the audience for not only was that line funny... but it was the 100th time he would walk into Jerry's apartment. Then...there were three.

   George meets his mother, first time portrayed by the late Estelle Harris, explaining that he should see a psychiatrist. What makes the situation worse is.... next to his mother's bed is a woman and a sexy nurse comes to give her a sponge bath. Here's an interesting tidbit. Jason Alexander ad-libbed the line: "here have some tic-tacs" He does visit her again.... only to not watch over his mother but see the sexy nurse sponge bathe the woman next to his mother.

    Elaine has problems of her own. Being at a gym.... a friend of hers turns her on to JFK Jr. who is working out in the same class as she is. She tries her best to keep it together...but it seems JFK Jr. is too affective on her. She even dolls up but finds out he was in another class. Her friend, however, hooked her up with him and well....

  It seems she goes over to visit Jerry, since she gave JFK Jr. his address, to wait for him. However.... she goes upstairs and folds. In other words, Jerry says: The Queen is dead. Elaine caved and decided to well...you know. But it seems her dreams of being Mrs. Kennedy- Benis Jr would never happen after finding out Jerry's ex-girlfriend starts to date him.

   Jerry's problem might be bad as well. He's dating a virgin who he wonders if she is the one. Before she could go all the way with him. Stupidly, he reveals to her what he and his friends have been doing and she declares him and his friends as 'horrible'. She decides to lose it with JFK Jr. instead. She does come back in the Finale to reveal that Jerry, Eliane, Krammer and George tried to go all the way without.... gratifying themselves. But who lost???

 

  It isn't revealed till the finale when George reveals that he cheated. Jerry was the true victor, even if he too lost to the naked girl across the street. 

   It became the most watched episode of the series as well as winning many awards for writing, but it was considered the most entreating episode of the series. It also coined the phrase: "master of his/her domain" and many other quotes as well. 

Aquarius- POEM

 

Water,

blue in the deep oceans,

a sign,

that shows itself,

why talk about a sing,

that is deep and complex,

within itself

From end of January,

to Mid-February,

this sign,

not only a song,

but many,

see,

as a water barrier

Many fall on the sign,

from Oprah,

to Jennifer Aniston,

to Michael Jordan

many of them,

have the traits,

of an Aquarius

The many show a picture,

of a male,

or female,

holding a jug of water,

as it sits in the jug,

it pours,

into the seas

A starlight,

so bright,

as the constellation,

you see,

in the starlit sky

what are the pros and cons,

of one sign,

with me,

a fire sign,

can never mix,

with an air sign

water,

pouring out of a jug,

why I,

my sign,

shoots an arrow,

into the sky

water,

defeats fire

Irony,

Aquarius is an air sign,

but its filled,

with liquid water

not alone,

as Gemini,

and Libra,

are the same

The mysterious water barrier,

as it pours,

the liquid,

known as water,

into the seas,

of doubt,

and hope

are other signs,

the same

the jug is full,

for now,

but by mid Feburary,

it will,

be empty,

as Aquarius leaves,

and is replaced,

by two fish

Every sign,

is different,

as we look,

into the stars,

to find,

our sign,

we always wonder,

why them,

why certain things,

or characters,

animals,

or anything,

that is unexplainable,

no one knows

Different types of apples

  Some are sweet, some are tart. Some of the colors of certain apples blend. There are many different types of apples. From Honeycrisp to Fuji to Granny Smith to Pink Lady. Here are a few apples that show their popularity as well as knowing they are one of the best apples in the orchard.

  You have to be aware on the sweetness of your apples because you don't want them to be too sweet; then again, you don't want them to be too tart as well. What is the right apple? Is there one in between that is both sweet and tart. Well....let's look at a few and see what we think.

   One of the sweetest apples is a Fuji apple. I sometimes mistakenly call it Fiji apple by mistake. LOL. I never had this apple, but it is good to bite into. Discovered in Japan around the 1930's, these apples are in between the sweet and tart meter. They seem to be more of the sweet verity as others tend to have a tart bite.

  Pink Lady apples are considered an apple that is marketed under a specific brand name. How do they taste? Never having one, I find these Pink Lady (or Pink Lady Gaga as I call them) to be interesting. Blending the colors of both red and green, this apple has somewhat of a tart taste. They are also known as Crissp Pinks. 

  Honeycrisp apples. Sweet and tart in one apple. Does it taste as if honey was covered in the apple? I don't know, but they are a sweet apple. Not as sweet as Fiji, but this apple was found around Minnesota I guess in the 1960's. If you travel to Nova Scotia, you will find many Honey Crisp apples growing around as there is an Orchard program in the Canadian providence.

   This apple is meant for baking in pies, spewing caramel or candy coating on it, and much more. They're called Granny Smith apples. Named after Maria Anne Smith (nickname Granny) these apples are the tartest apples ever. Ever made an apple cake, apple pie, tarts with apple filling? Granny Smith would be the apple to use.

   Granny Smith apples aren't the only apples that can be used for baking. Another apple, named Bismarck, is another apple that is used for certain sweet creations. An apple rarely seen in the states, or anywhere else since the 1870's, this apple is known for sautés and other sweet recipes.

   A Gala apple is another apple known for its sweet and mild flavor, this apple is a cross between a golden delicious and another apple called Kidd's Orange Red. This apple is more on the semi-tart side as it is used for eating and picking out in an orchard. 

   An Envy apple is an apple from the Sciatic apple verity. I don't envy this apple (lol), but this apple has the same taste as a Gala or even Pink Lady. Showing some yellow specks in a red apple, this apple is considered ok. Not bad to have in a fruit bowl mixed with other fruits. Could be good in slice form.

 Jupiter Apples are considered a rare apple. These apples are more green than red but do show some red between some of the apples. They are frost resistant which means they cannot be frozen or can I'm not sure with this one. This apple is barely known or seen, but it's one peculiar apple that has been around for many years.

   Ever heard of the McIntosh computer? Well, this is a McIntosh apple. This apple has a red and green skin blend and even can be considered tart as well as sweet when bitten. Found and picked around the New England areas, this apple is known for eating. Created by John McIntosh when he found it, nobody knew it would end up becoming a name of a computer company that uses a McIntosh apple as its image today.

  Red Delicious apple is my favorite apple. Why? It's not too sweet or too tart. It's just in between. There's another version called golden delicious which I think is a little tarter. It's taste when you bite into it...juicy (unless you get one that taste mush then you throw the whole apple out) This apple has been eaten in my family. From my grandfather...to me. This apple is the best flavored apple to me.

 Ever heard the old saying...an apple a day, keeps the doctor away'; well, it's true. How? It was said that eating healthy food back in the old days when medicine was barely known, people would try to survive by eating what they could find. Eating an apple kept them healthy for the day and kept them out of seeing the doctor when they could. Does it still work now? Well, if you eat more fruit, the less chance you'll end up int he hospital.

   There are so many verities of apples that if I listed them all....it would fill the whole blog. From Granny Smith to Red Delicious, almost every apple is edible and delicious. All you have to do is taste them and find out. which is your favorite apple. 

James Holzhauer Jeopardy Champ

   There are many things that make the Game Show Jeopardy a show with many people that end up becoming famous for being smart.

    Ken Jennings was one of them. In 2004, Ken Jennings, a young man from Utah was on the show 74 times in a game winning streak until he was beaten in game number 75. There haven't been many up to the challenge of Ken Jennings winnings. Not until...he came along. James Holzhauer

 

  Who was James Holzhauer? Where did he come from; and how was he able to stay on the show for 33 consecutive episodes before his defeat? Have we met another Ken Jennings? No....but his strategy on how he collected and banked the most a Jeopardy player has ever made will go down in history. 

  Born in Naperville, Illinois (not far from Chicago) in 1984, James Holzhauer was only known by his parents, his late grandmother who spoke little English as he promised her, he would one day be on Jeopardy. She died before her dream would come true.

   There is also something else about James. He is an avid poker player. He would go to many casinos in Las Vegas (which is where he now lives) and was good at betting as well as when to fold and hold the cards. How did someone known for gambling able to beat many other Jeopardy players in 33 games? Well...his love of poker as well as knowing when to go all in during a Daily Double question.

   On April 4th, 2019, James Holzhauer walked into the Jeopardy show as everyone just thought he was an average guy who played poker in Vegas. We were wrong. He ended up winning $43,680 dollars in his first episode. We all knew he was going to be a challenging player.

   Every time he would be on the show, I would always route for him. Why? Because I knew no one else could stand a chance against someone like him.

    

   He isn't the only one in his family that has been on a game show. I forget what year this was, but his wife, Melissa was on an episode of "WWTBAM" I forget if it was Regis or another host, but she went far. She just pocketed the money before getting to the million-dollar question.

  James winning totals have broken records in Jeopardy history beating out others with the amount of money he won. Some people started to hate him, but for me, my dad and a lot of others, we were routing for him. He was unbeatable through the month of May. 

       But...all good things have to come to an end.

   Her name was Emma Boettcher. Originally from here, but living now in Chicago, she would be the one to defeat the king of champions on the third of June 2019. Losing by a few dollars and her reaction...like ours, was of complete shock.

    She defeated James and ever since, she was known for being the one player to end his winning streak. But it didn't mean James was gone forever.

    James has come back to Jeopardy for tournament rounds against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutner. He lost to James but won again in another tournament when Ken Jennings started to host Jeopardy after Alex Trebeck's death. He been wanting to go against Ken again over and over, but.... he enjoyed winning the tournament the next time he was on.

   James has also been on other game shows. Before Jeopardy, he played on a game show called 500 questions. I don't think I ever saw it, but he did win a lot of money. He even became part of a game show when a show called "The Chase" started. It had him, Ken, Brad and a few others. Now....with Ken hosting Jeopardy, he was replaced with someone else.

    The show isn't back on yet, but it's about one of them challenging three contestants to a trivia game of sorts. He sometimes wins, but other times.... they win.

 James always had an interesting technique through every one of the Jeopardy Episodes he was one. He would do a move for all in like he would with his chips in a poker game. Ever since then, others tried to copy his technique.

    It would work.... and sometimes wouldn't. Most of the time it did.... for James.

     Even today James is known for his miraculous plays on Jeopardy and in Vegas and his hometown, people have worshiped him. He even got to throw a game winning pitch for the Chicago Bears which he is a fan of.

    He is happily married and has a young girl and everyone in his family is known for his wins on Jeopardy which James doesn't watch much of anymore. I don't blame him. His legacy will always be a part of Jeopardy right next to Ken as one of the GOATS. Greatest of All time

Happy B-day to J.K. Simmons

 

   There are some actors that don't get a lot of credit, unless they are nominated for an Acadamy award and win. That was J.K. Simmons. The same man who was known for portraying J. Jonah Jameson in the Tobey McGuire Spiderman movies (I guess a few others as well) is also known for portraying Terrence Fletcher in Whiplash

 J.K. Simmons, born Jonathan Kimble Simmons, resided in a small town called Grosse Point, Michigan which is not too far from Detroit. He started his acting young by participating in drama classes while in high school. He moved all over during his childhood from Ohio to Montana. Graduating in the University of Montana in 1978

 He has starred in Broadway in the 90's doing Guys and Dolls as well as playing a character in Carousel. But he might be known for movies than his Broadway days, which he hasn't turned away from. His first tv appearance was in All my children as well as starring in Law & Order portraying a police psychiatrist. He also was in Raising Hope, Homicide: Life on the Streets, The Closer and many more.

  When it came to Movies, J.K. Simmons was not only known as J. Jonah Jameson or Terrence Fletcher. He also played a father to Ellen (now Elliot) Page in Juno where he was fine for Elliot's character to be pregnant as a teenager, or something like that. It's been a long time since I saw that movie. He also was in Jennifer's Body and Labor Days and much more. He won an Academy award portraying real life music instructor Terrence Fletcher in Whiplash which is a pretty good movie in my opinion.

   He's also known for his amazing voice acting as well portraying characters in movies like Zootopia as a mayor of the city who is a lion; a character named Tenzin who was the son of Aang in The Last Airbender (the cartoon, not the shitty movie) He even voices characters in video games, but here's something interesting. He still is voicing the yellow M&M in M&M commercials ever since the 2000's.

  Short history lesson: In 1995, Jon Lovitz and John Goodman voiced the red and yellow M&Ms. But by the year 2000, there were scheduling issues with the actors, and they had to drop out. Billy West replaced Jon Lovitz, and J.K. Simmon is now our yellow M&M. You can barely tell it's his voice and it isn't the only commercial he is known for.

  For Car and home insurance, there are many companies trying to per sway viewers into picking them. Farmers Insurance decided to use J.K. Simmons to tell people why they should switch to Farmers. They aren't as strong as Geico or Progressive are with their ads, but at least he makes the commercials funny and memorable. 

  J.K Simmons is still acting today in both Movies, TV and voice acting. He still voices the Yellow M&M and is a memorable actor despite not many people knowing who he is. He's an actor that stands out in a good way, and today he turns 69, and I don't think he's going to stop acting now. He even was in the remake of a 1994 Stephen King thriller called The Stand. Ever read that book? It's longer than Moby Dick. 

 All we can say is a have a happy and wonderful birthday, J.K. Your characters in movies and TV are just as memorable as you are. He isn't the only one having a birthday today. One of the actors in the Crown that portrayed Queen Elizabeth, Imelda Stautton, has a birthday today too. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JK, aka Yellow M&M