Tag Archives: glitternight.com

February 4, 2018 · 11:54 pm

EIGHT MORE COOL FOOTBALL HELMETS FROM NEGLECTED TEAMS

punxsutawney chucksPUNXSATAWNEY CHUCKS

Comment: With Groundhog Day just a few days back this is a very appropriate team to start out with!

The Punxsatawney Chucks (short for Woodchucks) not only have appealing helmets but they deserve the world’s thanks for not taking the easy way out and calling themselves the Punxsatawney Phils.

Holy Cross CrusadersHOLY CROSS CRUSADERS

Comment: It’s no secret that “Crusaders” is one of the coolest names for sports teams.

And if your institution is called Holy Cross then why not go with the stark simplicity of these lids? I really like the white on green color scheme of these helmets, too. Gold on green would be the only thing better.

conestoga valley buckskinsCONESTOGA VALLEY BUCKSKINS

Comment: Okay, so we were all hoping for a Conestoga Wagon to be on the helmets of this team, but still …

The more I looked at these helmets the more they grew on me. What finally pushed me off the fence was the infinitely cool team name Buckskins.  Continue reading →

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February 3, 2018 · 5:55 pm

TOP FIVE FLASHMAN NOVELS: NUMBER THREE

For Balladeer’s Blog’s Number One Harry Flashman Novel click HERE 

For background info on George MacDonald Fraser’s infamous anti-hero Harry Paget Flashman you can click the above link.

Flashman's Lady3. FLASHMAN’S LADY (1977)

Time Period: 1842-1845

The Flashman Papers jump around to various periods in Ol’ Flash Harry’s life. This particular novel covers our scurvy protagonist’s bed and battle adventures following his triumphant return from the First Afghan War all the way up to his pivotal role in a neglected Anglo-French action.

Along the way he clashes with London gangsters, battles Borneo Pirates and becomes a sex-slave/ military aide to an infamous African Queen. 

Favorite Book Blurb: “Harry Flashman, that swashbuckling gremlin in the works of 19th Century history, is back in an around-the- world adventure that would turn Queen Victoria pale with shock and James Bond green with envy!”

NOTE: This novel is called Flashman’s Lady not just because of his beautiful blonde wife Elspeth’s larger than usual role but because excerpts from her diary complement Flashman’s memoirs in this tale. As all Flashman fans know, Elspeth cheats on Harry just as much as he cheats on her but his ego inevitably prompts him to half-believe the outrageous excuses she uses to cover her affairs. She outdoes herself in this story.  

Flashman's Lady 2Synopsis: As the story begins Harry Flashman is still enjoying War Hero status and converting that fame into easier access to the bedrooms of various ladies. Presently the scoundrel finds himself pressed into playing on a Cricket team with some of his former classmates from Rugby School in Warwickshire.

Everyone tactfully avoids mentioning Flashman’s expulsion for drunken misconduct years earlier and he agrees. Always as physically strong as he is morally weak, Harry shines as his team’s Bowler (Pitcher for us Yanks) and leads them to victory. 

That kicks off a successful run for Flashman playing Bowler in a series of those quasi-official, no-American-who-has-ever-lived-can-understand Cricket matches like you find in Raffles stories. Harry being Harry he also begins making side money shaving points and throwing games in league with some London gangsters. Continue reading →

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February 2, 2018 · 11:44 pm

BILLY JOEL: SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD

Once again it’s Balladeer’s Blog’s recurring bit “Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead.” And Billy Joel isn’t dead yet, he just looks that way. (I’m kidding!)

 

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February 2, 2018 · 10:00 am

IT’S JAMES JOYCE’S BIRTHDAY!

jamesjoyceHAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JAMES JOYCE! His works got me hooked in my teens when I really related to his character Stephen Dedalus as he rejected his religion and indulged what I call his “young and pretentious side” in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I wore out my copy of Joyce’s novel Ulysses and continue to mark Bloom’s Day to this very day.

Over the years Finnegans Wake replaced Ulysses as my favorite Joyce novel and I’m fonder than many people are of his play Exiles. Naturally, I’m also into his “epiphanies” in Dubliners and, poetry geek that I am, even Pomes Penyeach and Chamber Music. So, if you live in Ireland, say hello to Anna Livia Plurabelle for me today!   Continue reading →

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February 2, 2018 · 5:35 am

WOMEN’S COLLEGE SWIMMING & DIVING RANKINGS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG

Per the Glitternight Index here’s the latest:

SCAD BeesNAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) – 1. SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN BEES    ###     2. LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY AT BELLEVILLE LYNX    ###     3. COLLEGE OF IDAHO COYOTES    ###    4. BRENAU UNIVERSITY GOLDEN TIGERS    ###     5. LOYOLA UNIVERSITY (LA) WOLFPACK    ###      Continue reading →

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January 31, 2018 · 2:05 am

TOP FIVE HARRY FLASHMAN NOVELS: NUMBER TWO

For Balladeer’s Blog’s Number One Harry Flashman Novel click HERE  For background info on George MacDonald Fraser’s infamous anti-hero Harry Paget Flashman you can also click that link. 

Flashman in the Great Game2. FLASHMAN IN THE GREAT GAME (1975)

Time Period: The Great Mutiny (1857-1858)

This Flashman novel comes in a very close second to my top selection, which I examined last time around. Ultimately the way that a portion of Flashman in the Great Game gets a wee bit unfocused relegated it to the Number 2 spot.

Synopsis: As the title indicates, this time around Harry Flashman, the most self-serving and roguish Cavalry Officer in Queen Victoria’s army, gets caught up in what diplomats of the 1800s called “The Great Game.” Said game involved the figurative chess match played by Great Britain, Russia and other powers as they all angled to extend or maintain their power and influence in Central Asia, especially India.   

Alan Bates -better Flashman than MalcolmLord Palmerston of Her Majesty’s Government is wary of a potential uprising among the Indian troops employed by the British East India Company and of Russian interference in the form of Flashman’s old foe, (the real life) Count Ignatieff.

Once again the fate of nations rests on the thoroughly unreliable shoulders of Harry Paget Flashman. (See pic of Alan Bates at left)

Laila Rouass perfect LakshmibaiIn India our swashbuckling protagonist struggles to stay alive amid assassination attempts by Russian agents while vying with Count Ignatieff for political influence in the court of (the real life) Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi. (See pic of Laila Rouass to the right)

Lakshmibai’s overwhelming beauty, feisty spirit, skill at horsemanship and magnificent fencing abilities make her one of the few women to actually tug at Flashman’s heart and not just his man-parts.

In real life many prudish British politicians of the time called her “The Jezebel of Jhansi” over her sexual openness but such a derogatory nickname would only enhance her standing in the eyes of the lustful Colonel Flashman.       Continue reading →

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January 30, 2018 · 11:35 pm

AEROSMITH: THE OTHER SIDE

Once again it’s Balladeer’s Blog’s “Give Them A Shoutout Before They’re Dead.” This time around it’s Aerosmith and their song The Other Side. 

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January 29, 2018 · 11:54 pm

SUBURBAN SASQUATCH (2004): TO REVIEW OR NOT REVIEW?

Suburban SasquatchRecently I’ve gotten several requests to review Suburban Sasquatch, written and directed by Dave Wascavage.  I’ve watched some of Wascavage’s flicks in response to those requests and I began to suspect that he is one of the faux-badfilm figures out there.

I like films which are bad UN-intentionally. Suburban Sasquatch further convinced me that Wascavage and his team set out to artificially harness the kind of Midnight Movie notoriety that The Room had organically earned the previous year. The documentary on The Making of Suburban Sasquatch sealed it for me.

In that documentary Wascavage spouts what sound to me like intentionally absurd profundities about the obviously awful movie, and I get a vibe from his behavior that he’s just furthering the illusion that he was trying to make a serious film. Fakeness oozes from the screen, especially when the female costume designer straight-facedly talks about her excitement in working on “a Dave Wascavage film.”

So I won’t be reviewing any of the man’s movies. I’m not trying to dissuade other people from watching his low-budget efforts, though. By all means check them out if you’re so inclined, but I get no enjoyment out of being played like this. I like straight-up parodies of bad movies or failed film efforts which are truly bad but I can’t even force myself to sit through quasi-Andy Kaufman style put-ons. 

I’m not saying any of this in anger, it’s just my usual “Give me Troma or give me Ed Wood” philosophy. 

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January 29, 2018 · 9:19 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL RANKINGS AT BALLADEER’S BLOG

NHTIUSCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association) Division Two – 1. NEW HAMPSHIRE TECHNICAL INSTITUTE LYNX    ###     2. BERKELEY (NY) COLLEGE KNIGHTS    ###     3. VILLA MARIA COLLEGE VIKINGS    ###     4. CENTRAL PENN COLLEGE SILVER KNIGHTS    ###     5. PENN STATE AT GREATER ALLEGHENY LIONS    ###     

Five Towns College Sound6. FIVE TOWNS COLLEGE SOUND    ###     7. WARREN WILSON COLLEGE OWLS    ###     8. SOUTHERN MAINE COLLEGE SEAWOLVES    ###     9. VERMONT TECH GREEN KNIGHTS    ###     10. UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI AT CLERMONT COUGARS    ###      Continue reading →

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January 28, 2018 · 11:44 pm

ELEVEN MORE COOL FOOTBALL HELMETS FROM NEGLECTED TEAMS

North East Grape PickersNORTH EAST GRAPEPICKERS

Comment: The stylish look of the N and the E sold me on these helmets immediately.

The unique team name “The Grapepickers” turned things up to eleven in terms of the coolness factor, making them a cinch for this list.

Northampton Konkrete KidsNORTHAMPTON KONKRETE KIDS

Comment: The Kids are far more than just “alright.”

And the spelling “Konkrete” to go with the “Kids” only adds to the already considerable charm of this entire setup. Ya gotta love the Konkrete Kids!

Danville IronmenDANVILLE IRONMEN

Comment: Instead of Boyz II Men we’ve just gone from (Konkrete) Kids II (Iron)men.

I know, that’s a pretty lame segue-way into what may be the coolest helmets on this latest examination of them.  Continue reading →

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