{"id":1256,"date":"2006-08-21T16:17:00","date_gmt":"2006-08-21T16:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yurasko.net\/wfy\/2006\/08\/observations-ix-nine-nine-cause-i-lost-count.html"},"modified":"2006-08-21T16:17:00","modified_gmt":"2006-08-21T16:17:00","slug":"observations-ix-nine-nine-cause-i-lost-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2006\/08\/observations-ix-nine-nine-cause-i-lost-count\/","title":{"rendered":"Observations IX: Nine, nine, cause I lost count"},"content":{"rendered":"I was hoping to get this up before I went down the Shore, but I wound up working late at the end of the week hence the delay.\nKimberly Jones<\/span><\/a>, the former CDT<\/i> Penn State football for the beat writer is now the baseball equivalent of a sideline reporter for YES Network. Does this mean we can expect to see Heather Dinich<\/span> take on a similar role with MASN someday.\nUSA Today<\/span> reports that Heinz is among several companies now offering personalized products<\/span><\/a>. I think the Yurasko Christmas shopping just got easier.\nKevin Smith<\/span> had thousands of people waiting 12 hours in line<\/span><\/a> (Asbury Park Press<\/span>) for an autograph. Honestly, I like some of his movies, but that’s just nuts.\nWhile we are on the subject, I was disappointed by Clerks II<\/span>. It had its moments, but seemed very thrown together and slow, not too mention pointlessly vulgar — even for a Smith movie. It is almost as if Smith set out to prove that he has learned nothing as filmmaker or screenwriter since the original Clerks<\/span>.\nWida’s<\/span> on Long Beach Island has closed<\/span><\/a> (Asbury Park Press<\/span>)! The new place, Daddy O<\/span>, has a retro-hipster motif.\nDeputy Editor Fritz Hamme<\/span> notes that Donald Sutherland played Homer Simpson in the 1975 film The Day of the Locust<\/b><\/a>. Wasn’t that a Bob Dylan song?\nIs it just me or do we never hear about Ayatollah Al-Sistani<\/b> much any more? Remember how getting his blessing was vital for anything going on well over there?\nMarc Fisher<\/b> had a great article<\/b><\/a> on what he calls “toxic parents” in The Post Magazine<\/i> recently. In the follow-up chat<\/b><\/a>, he confirms what he tries to hide in objectivity — don’t try to be a “cool parent” by trying to be your kids “friend.” It makes a lot of sense to me someday I suppose I’ll test the theory out.\nTen years ago, when I was at the Old School (PSU Hazleton) I remembered observing the cultural tensions going on between Pocono’s natives and the outer-borough transplants that were moving there in droves. Now, we find out that some of those transplants are gang members who have moved to in planned communities<\/b><\/a> (USA Today<\/i>). It is all very ironic.\nI am going to post a chili dog comparison sometime soon. So far, The Vienna Inn<\/span>, Ben’s Chili Bowl<\/span>, and Hard Times Cafe<\/span> are on the list. Any other BeltwayLand area spots I should check out? I’m thinking Weenie Beennie<\/span>, at the end of the W&OD Trail, might be the wild card.\n