Band Names

Featured | Posted by

I’ve decided to create a post where I can put all of the things I say would be good band names. I will add to it as I remember old ones or come up with new ones. If you remember any I have said to you, please remind me. Here they are

The Turd Brown Jesus Sleeves

Another Dead Cat

The Lopsided Kittens

The Suicidal Squirrels

Tuesday Night Cake

Hidden Onions

Licking Tacos

Dumpster Pie

Adjective Vegetables!

Inappropriate Orange

Sudden Onset Melancholy

Burnt Macaroons

Sunken Blackbottoms

Shitwater

Mouth Potato

Supernatural Bush

Amish Kindergarten

Hipster Dude Ranch

Terrible Donut Experience

Radical Islamic Sniffles

Drunken Goats

Rancid Nuts

Transient Anus

Unclean Widow

Pity Meat

Cherry Sulfur

Excessive Groundbeavers

On the Other Side of 50

Posted on by

Yesterday was my birthday. I am now 51. As a friend helpfully pointed out on Facebook, last year was so special and now I’m just old. The only thing special about this birthday is that I once again get a four day weekend. Today we are closed and tomorrow I am using the birthday leave MPOW gives me.

We did go out to eat last night, but last night was to celebrate my wife’s 50th birthday. It was Wednesday, but yesterday was the day both kids were available, so we did the celebration then. We went out to the restaurant of her choice and she got a free slice of cheesecake from the restaurant. It was mentioned once that it was “technically my birthday” and I did get cards and a gift from my kids, but it really was back to the typical it’s just another day type of birthday. Big difference from last year when we had lunch in DC and spent some time walking around after.

I will spend today and tomorrow getting my free food from various places. I have a free Firehouse Subs sandwich and a free Mission BBQ sandwich so meals are covered for my days off. I will try to relax as much as possible and not find myself thinking I should clean bathrooms are something. I will probably spend my time out during the day longing for the day that I can retire and have all of my days free. I’ve spent the last 30 years or so working in some sort of job. I feel like I should get to quit now so I have plenty of years to enjoy not working so it will equal out. That seems logical. 51 seems old to be out there looking for a new job, but that’s where I find myself.

So, how does 51 feel? Not much different than 50. 51 for me is a time to reflect on where I am in life. 51 for me is time to find a career where I can be content until my career days are over. 51 for me is the time to stop letting others steal my joy. 51 for me is the time to cut ties with people and places who don’t respect me and my contributions. 51 for me is the time to forget the fear of the unknown and take that leap.

Here’s hoping for a good year and good news.

What’s Good in Tater Town 2/16/20

Posted on by

It was a long week. I worked seven days in a row. Noting has changed there. I ended the week with a clear indication that it is way past time for me to make a change. Let’s see what was good.

  1. My son came home for dinner Monday night.
  2. The all winners edition of Survivor started Wednesday.
  3.  Free birthday egg sandwich from Einstein Bros before my meeting Thursday afternoon.
  4. I took personal leave after the meeting instead of going back to the branch.
  5. They had a party at my old workplace next door to my meeting so I got more food.
  6. I saw a lot of friends at my old workplace while having snacks.
  7. A less stressful Friday due to the absence of the reason for the stress.
  8. My daughter came home for the weekend.
  9. This is day two of four days off.
  10. It’s my birthday and we are going out to eat with both kids tonight.

I am starting a week where I have two days off, work two days and then have Friday off before working Saturday. Hopefully, that means next week will be a good week and not that all of the stress and stupidity I deal with will be condensed into two really bad days.

If you would like to support y blogging habit or buy me a cup of coffee for my birthday you can click here. Support the Common Tater

My Week in Books, Movies, and TV 2/14/20

Posted on by

I started the week strong on reading due to deadlines and finished the week mainly watching TV and not able to focus enough to read more than a couple of pages at a time. Here is my week:

Movies – We watched Rambo: Last Blood Sunday night. My wife is a big fan of dumb action moves so we watch a lot of them. I like Stallone and I liked the Rambo movies, so I was not mad about watching this one. It didn’t have the ending I expected, so that was nice. It was very much a “Rambo kills all the bad guys” movie, but Stallone does a good job of playing the aging super-soldier. If you like Stallone and Rambo you should watch it.

TV – The big TV event for me was the premiere of the 40th season of Survivor. It is the long-anticipated all winners edition and a lot of my favorites are back. I enjoyed seeing Boston Rob, Amber, Parvati, et al back on my TV. I’m not a huge fan of the Edge of Extinction twist. I think once you are voted out you should stay voted out. At the very least, the one and only person allowed back from Edge should come back at the merge and then the rest go home and Edge is closed. I do get that they want to get as much TV out of the favorites as they can. I can’t say that I’m mad that I am guaranteed more of my favorites even after they lose. I just hope they end it after this season and that the winners won’t be dumb like the people last time who gave the win to a guy who barely played the game. That sucked. I do think the other twist with the coins might be interesting. It adds another layer of strategy to the game. I think this season will be very good.

Books – I read two books this week. Both assigned to me due to book clubs.

The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose – I had to force myself to finish this one. It was well written and I can see why some would like it. I just prefer books that have some sort of plot. Nothing much happened here. Just snippets of the lives of people who went to see the artist’s display.

Boar Island by Nevada Barr – another one I had to force myself to finish. The story was underwhelming. The characters annoyed me. The reader of the audiobook annoyed me. I think I might have liked it more if I had read more of the series. The people in book club liked it. Maybe it’s just my mood.

On Deck – I have three movies from two libraries: Harriet, Motherless Brooklyn, and Escape Plan: The Extractors. I’m sure I will watch all three Harriet with the kids, Motherless Brooklyn on my Tuesday off alone and the bad sequel to a mediocre Stallone movie with my wife on Monday. I’m reading Dig by AS King(the Printz Award winner). TV will be more of catching up on recorded shows. We will finally watch some Brooklyn 99 while my daughter is home.

Tater Takes a Small Step.

Posted on by

Just a quick note for those who have followed my posts about my needing a change.

Today I moved from talking to action. I have submitted my first application for a new job. Same field, very different location. I will continue my search over my four day weekend.

Now that I’ve decided to stop balking at messing up my ability to retire in five years I feel free to look for a wide variety of jobs. I would rather be happy at work for 10 years than miserable for 5.

I will post any updates as they happen.

Some Tuesday Tater Thoughts

Posted on by

I don’t think I have anything that would make a decent post by itself. Some would say that has never stopped me before. Some would be correct. Let’s see if the few things I have a little to say about make for a decent post.

The Oscars – I didn’t watch the Oscars. I never watch the Oscars. I never watch any award shows. It isn’t that I don’t care who wins. I do. I just get bored with the shows. I thought about watching and writing about it. I might have if I was alone, but I didn’t feel like I should make my wife watch them so I could write about them. Maybe if I was being paid, but not for a sad little blog. Anyway, I’m happy about Parasite winning Best Picture. It was very good. I was also happy with Brad Pitt’s win. I’m a fan and I thought he was very good in the movie. I’m pretty neutral about the rest of the awards. I did actually watch three of the movie nominees before the awards this year. That’s pretty good for me. By the way, I’m wearing sweats by Walmart and shirt by Special Olympics Maryland…

Art Imitates Life – I’ve made no secret of my dissatisfaction with the current state of my career. I was watching The Unicorn last week and one character was bored and dissatisfied at work. He talked to his boss with ideas to shake things up and was fired. When he finds a new job in the same field he realizes he is still bored and dissatisfied because he is doing the exact same thing he did in the last job. In the end, he decides to quit the new job and figure out what he wants to do with his life now. I really wish I could do the same thing. I would love to be able to 6 months or so off from working to reset and decide what to do with the rest of my life. Maybe I could take the time to try writing stuff people would actually pay me to write. I doubt that ould happen, but I would have the time to try. I could always be a substitute teacher. It would give me summers off and some flexibility in when I work. Anyway, 6 months off could help be get clarity on the next step. Now to convince my wife…

Winter – Winter is missing here. We keep getting rain and mild weather. It finally gets cold here this weekend after the precipitation stops. It looks like no snow for me this year, so I’m ready for spring. If it is going to rain, it might as well by 70 degrees outside.

Free Birthday Stuff – My birthday is Sunday. I’ve started to get all of my birthday freebie emails. I already had my free Krispy Kreme donut and coffee and my free Red Robin burger and fries. I’m going to try to leave early for a meeting tomorrow to get a free egg sandwich at Einstein Bros Bagels for lunch. I still have a free Mission BBQ sandwich and a free entree at Houlihans and expect to get a free pastry from Panera and a free drink from Starbucks when it is actually m birthday. I love my stretch of free food for my birthday and I have a four day weekend coming up so I have time to use them.

And now my brain is empty…

What’s Good in Tater Town 2/9/20

Posted on by

Another week close to retirement…

Here’s the good:

  1. I had a nice relaxing Sunday watching old sports movies while waiting for the Super Bowl to start.
  2. The team I wanted to win the game actually won.
  3. Both of my kids came home for dinner Monday night.
  4. Schedules continue to help limit my time with certain people.
  5. We’ve hit the point where it is still light outside for a few minutes after I get home from work.
  6. I had a free donut and coffee from Krispy Kreme for my birthday so I had a nice treat on my Friday off.
  7. With my 10 cent rewards discount, I paid $1.99 a gallon for gas Friday.
  8. Time with friends last night after work.
  9. More free birthday stuff in my email this morning.

That does it for this week. Still looking for that change that makes it easier to make this list every week.

My Week in Books, Movies, and TV 2/7/20

Posted on by

This week seems like a blur. I had to consult last week’s post to see what I said was on deck to remember what I watched this week.

Movies – We watched one new movie and two old movies this week. Sunday while waiting for the Super Bowl to start I searched for a football movie to watch. I was surprised there weren’t some on TV that day. There was also no Groundhog Day to watch. We finally settled on Necessary Roughness with Scott Bakula and Sinbad from 1991. I had never actually watched it. It was an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It reminded me of The Replacements. We still had time after that so we ended up watching The Mighty Ducks. The new movie we watched was Gemini Man. It is the Will Smith movie where he is a hitman being hunted by what turns out to be a younger version of him. I am a big Will Smith fan, but this movie was not very good. I spent the whole movie playing a game on my iPad.

TV –  The week started with the big TV event of the week, the Super Bowl. I already wrote about that here.  The other big Tv event we watched was the finale of The Good Place. The Good Place is one of the best shows that has been on TV in a while. I was sad to see it go. The finale was a very good ending for the show even if it was not as funny as you would expect for a sitcom finale. If you have not watched the show, go do it now. I feel like I watched a lot of TV this week, but my DVR is still reaching crisis levels. I guess I should skip cleaning the kitchen today and watch more TV.

Books – I finished one book this week – Redshirts by John Scalzi. I read this for my book club at work. Sometimes even when the books are good the book club books sometimes feel like work because I have to read them. This one did not. It was a fast read. It was funny. It had an interesting story. It will appeal to everyone, even people who don’t read sci-fi or watch Star Trek. Highly recommend!

On Deck = We have Rambo: Last Blood on DVD. My wife is very excited about it. I don’t think any new TV starts this week, at least none that I will watch. I will watch the first episode of Indebted that was on last night because I like Adam Pally and Steven Weber. I’m forcing my wat through The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose because it is for my personal book club and I don’t want to break my streak of reading al of the books even if I don’t like them. I also started listening to Boar Island by Nevada Barr because I need to finish it for another book club at work. I have a lot of assigned reading these days.

Tater Talks Multiverse

Posted on by

This post will probably be a little dumb. It’s been in my head all morning and I resisted writing it but it must be in my head for a reason. I am a big fan of the Marvel movies and the DC TV shows. We recently watched the latest DC crossover that dealt with the possible destruction of the multiple earths that exist. Both DC and Marvel have had time travel and the possibility of multiple timelines. I do not believe any of this actually exists. What follows is not me saying I believe in any of this. It’s more fictional reasoning behind feelings I’ve had.

I once had a very vivid dream that I appeared on a reality TV show. It was so vivid that it really felt like I had been on the show.  I would watch the show and part of me would feel like I had been there and knew what they were dealing with. It seemed so real that sometimes I was afraid I would talk about it like it was real and people would think I was insane. It’s not quite as vivid now years later, but it still feels a little real.

About a year ago on a tennis court in Orlando, I had an overwhelming feeling of peace like I had never felt before. Like there was something about that place that felt like I belonged. Like everything was OK because I was there.

I have written here about my struggles with my daily life. I’ve had thoughts enter my head recently of a reality where my wife agrees that I should quit my job, take the rest of the year off to rest my mind and then in 2021 determine my next step. Of course, the hope is that we would realize we don’t need my salary and I stay at home or that I find a way to make money at home, but the important part was that I was going to turn in my letter of resignation that day. It felt so real that it was almost surprising when it didn’t happen.

The thought that popped in my head this morning and wouldn’t leave – what if the dream wasn’t a dream but a glimpse of Earth 2 Tater? What if the feeling in Orlando means that another Tater has a history there? What if there is an alternate timeline where I did quit my job? What if the vivid dreams we have are worlds colliding? All of these alternate versions of my life running side by side and occasionally crossing close enough that I get a glimpse? Do the other Taters see parts of my life?

And now it has gone from head to blog and I have to go to work while alternate Tater stays home.

The One Where Tater Talks About the Super Bowl After Everyone is Done Talking About the Super Bowl

Posted on by

I didn’t have time to write anything yesterday so my Super Bowl post is late and after everyone is finished talking about the Super Bowl. I’ve always been a little slow.

Pre-Game – Demi Lovato did a great job with the National Anthem. I’ve liked her since my kids watched her on Disney. I’m glad she seems to be doing well now. I thought the NFL 100 commercial followed by the kid running into the stadium live to deliver the ball was very good. I loved the NFL 100 video with all of the legends on the field. A great celebration of the sport’s past. All of the pre-game was very good.

The Game – My daughter texted me before the game to ask me who I wanted to win. I told her Kansas City, but I wasn’t completely invested in it and my opinion might change. She decided to cheer for them as well since it has been 50 years since they were in the Super Bowl. As the game went on I realized that I really was cheering for KC and will admit that I counted them out when the score was 20-10. I really thought the 49er defense was too good for the typical KC comeback. I was happy that the Mahomes magic was still alive and just needed a 10 point deficit before it activated. A couple of people have said they thought the game was boring until the end, but I don’t agree. I thought it was a good game and seemed to move quickly. I hope next year my team is there and I actually care about the results.

Halftime Show –  A lot of people are clutching their pearls over the halftime show. Oh dear, those ladies aren’t wearing enough clothes! Don’t look Ethel! Why isn’t the show more family-friendly? Maybe next year we can get The Wiggles. That will be fun. I thought the show was very good. They are both very talented and a bilingual show in Miami was perfect. I felt old because I didn’t know who the rappers were, but overall I relly enjoyed it.

Commercials – Here is my definitive list of top 10 commerials:

  1. Jeep – Groundhog Day – Loved the movie. Perfect commercial for the day
  2. Tide – Charlie Day commercials – Maybe I just like Charlie Day, but I thought these were very good
  3. Google – Loretta – I usually only pick the funny ones, but this one came close to making me cry. Very well done.
  4. Rocket Mortgage – Jason Mamoa – I thought this was very funny. Insightful commentary, huh?
  5. Bud Light – Post Malone – Loved the end when he asked for pretzels.
  6. Doritos – Old Town Road – Loved the horse shaking its head no
  7. Amazon – Before Alexa – loved all of the other Alexas
  8. Mountain Dew – Bryan Cranston – Good Shining spoof
  9. Snickers – FIx the World – Loved the end when the people fell in
  10. Little Caesars – Sliced Bread – I probably remember this one more because I like Rainn Wilson, but it was good,

And now we are on the road to March Madness..