The first, last, and maybe only interview

Generally those involved with creating a song that appears on the Funny Music Project known as the FuMP appear on a weekly podcast which is often recorded on Thursday evenings right after when the show I use to broadcast on Dementia Radio aired. Even though I inspired the medley “It’s an Alt-Right Christmas” that was released on Dec 20, I was not asked to join the FuMPcast on the 22nd but figured the potential interview and conversation would go like this (Since my daughter would be at work the time the FuMPcast is recorded, me appearing would have been difficult using Skype on my tablet and since I fell asleep shortly after the cast began to wake a few hours later violently sick for what involved 2 1/2 days and an ER visit, it was probably best that I was not.):

Host: Joining us this week is Ken Sherlock

K: This is the Madman on the Loose. Thank you for listening this Thursday evening or whenever you are listening to this podcast. Hope you are doing well.

H: Are you ever going to be casting again?

K: Though Wild Card and Mad Mike got an old computer given to me by my employer running and I can get on line, it is not good enough to cast a show and right now purchasing a computer that would allow me to cast is out of the question since it would go to my daughter who needs it for school.

H: So what is going on in your world?

K: After FuMPFeST, my weight once again was at the point where I was considered obese level 3 and needing of a specialist. Since then, I have lost over 10 lb though I gained some back in the past six weeks but I am still 18lb less than I was on Jan 4.

H: So have you been going to any sci-fi cons or shows recently?

K: Actually no. I changed my focus from watching other talented people perform things that I can’t to doing something I can do and trying to get better at it. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I had my best ever disc golf tournament and I know that had I spent some of my time, energy, and money sitting in a theatre or hotel instead of playing, that result would have not happened. I’m currently working out three times a week and waiting for March so I can hopefully carry the momentum into the 2017 season.

After the song in played on the show:

H: So we will start with Ken. What inspired that idea for this?

K: About 8 years ago, I saw the unedited version of the movie Holiday Inn for the first time and did not realize that before Bing Crosby's character did the song White Christmas for the first time, he performed a song on Lincoln’s birthday and in order to disguise the identity of a woman who joined him in the song, everyone was in blackface

H: I had no idea.

K: Since then, I have in my head changed the words in White Christmas to reflect that era and their meaning of white. Thanks to what happened last month and many reactions by those supporting the result, I realized that the phrase Alt-Right could fit into that idea and posted that to Facebook stating I know others could make it better and along came Chris.

After Chris talked about it:

K: As awesome I find this track along with others made by Steve Goodie and NBW, I really wish the situation in the country was at the point where these songs would not need to be made.


After the announcement of the Marscon 2017 video which named the guest of honor as well as other acts performing:

H: As someone who has been to every Marscon since the comedy music track was created, how does this year's lineup compare to the past ones?

K: Can I mention names? No? The GOH was unexpected to hear and I am glad you were able to get that act to go thanks again to the help of Dementia radio.org. No doubt it could get some people to make the trip whom would otherwise not go.

At the end of the cast:

H: Ken, is there anything you want to plug?

K: Thanks to everyone who purchased a raffle ticket or cheesecake for my daughter’s choir, her trip to Disneyworld at the end of the month was completely paid for and I appreciate it. My daughter with her choir will be singing at Epcot center on the 28^th. 

My stats are available at PDGA.com player number 33461.

Pain and death

My sister recently asked me if I was interested in a used reclining couch that was still in decent shape and since sitting upright is painful, I said yes.

The plan was to move it last Saturday but getting a rare opportunity to work that day changed it so I got up at 7AM on Sunday, moved some things around to create a spot for it, and headed over there to lift it into his van uncomfortably riding in the back to make sure it did not fall out during the 2 block drive.

Then came a problem for me. My fatigued right arm. Somehow, I managed to carry as much as I could but by the time we were done, it was pretty messed up. It is at the point in July 2015 when I stopped playing disc golf and therapy was what was needed to make it better. In hindsight, I could have made a phone call or two and gotten help but as I often do, I fail to realize what I can't do until it is too late and something bad is made worse. Fortunately I know what exercises I did and still do most days for this so I am hoping to be better by next spring so I can try to continue the disc golf success I had in November.

I made sure when I went to the fitness center the following Monday and Thursday to concentrate on legs and abs and not even do anything with arms.

The following Friday at work, I had to do something on the internal server which took 15 minutes. I then noticed the time and realized since I was at the desk I use, it was a good time to take my break. When I got up from that, my legs were dead. Every step was painful but being Friday and knowing there was a company lunch, I forged through the next couple of hours which I have done many times. After sitting down to eat for 10 minutes during the lunch, my legs were even worse getting up which I needed to do so someone else could join the group and I sat alone with my legs up fortunately only having to get up once to answer the dock door. After it was over, I realized that I was no longer functional enough to continue and left early.

I wanted to take some pain killers and spend the next 18 hours on the recliner but life would not allow it. Though I had about 90 minutes to get my legs up and take a shower, from 3-6 PM had to walk a dog, pick up my daughter who needed to send four packages, and drive back to work to process them UPS since it was easier than filling out forms that were not in the slots at the post office since many ship things in December.

Then I had to drive to Plainfield for game night. It took over 1:15 to get there due to a car accident the other direction which caused a 4 mile gapers block.

My character in a slightly futuristic world was a former cop who had two identities, Bob James and Jim Roberts and I created a backstory where he was ratted out by two separate groups who discovered his dual life and joined the freelance security organization our fellow characters were in.

During the planning stages of our mission, I was really suffering and could not sit more than 15 minutes without needing to get up or risk getting to the point where I could not get up without risking falling. Once the combat part started, my instincts kicked in as they often do.

Even though this was the first real mission of the campaign, the mooks (henchman) were stronger than they were in other campaigns as they had become too easy and one of our players suffered multiple wounds before we all got on the chopper to leave the site.

The boss was able to open the chopper door and the mooks got a round of shots before we took off needed a 6 on a ten sided dice. Two of the three missed but the one who shot in my direction hit so the GM rolled for damage.

Their weapon called for 2d6 of damage (two six sided dice) and he rolled a 12. In the game we played, whenever a die is rolled to its maximum value, it is rerolled and the total is added. His next roll was a 6 and a 4, and the reroll of the 6 was a 5 for a total of 27.

My character's toughness was a 6 which it hit would leave my character shaken but not injured. Every 4 above that is a wound. Therefore at 10, 14, 18, 22, and 26, I suffered a wound. Four wounds leaves a character incapacitated and my character received 5. The game allows a character to spend a benny (token used to give second chances to soak (mitigate) damage and I needed an 11 on one of two six sided dice (allowing for adding on a 6) to mitigate two wounds to keep upright. Nope.

I then had to roll a 5 one of two six sided dice to avoid instant death and check for where I am permanently wounded. Nope.

On the way home, I figured out the odds of all that happening:

Hitting on the shot: 2.5-1
6-6 on first roll: 36-1
6-4 or 6-5 second roll: 9-1
5 or 6 on third roll: 3-1
Not getting 11 on one of two soak rolls:1.12-1
Not getting a 5 on one of two perm wound rolls: 9-4

Total odds of all that happening: 6,223-1

Expecting the unexpected

Last weekend, I played in a tournament in Silver Lake, WI with surprising results. My first round was rated over 2 shots better than any tournament round I ever played and even though I tired at the end of the second round and lost a title playoff on the third hole due to a 100ft shot that my opponent made, it marked the first time in 15 tournaments over a span of three years that I finished in the top half of a division in an open event. (As opposed to an event only available to members of a club) When I started to play in the 50+ division, this type of performance and result was what I was planning to see but my play over the last 3 years made this scenario become unlikely.

Now that the sting of the loss is fading, I can focus on the good and try to figure out how it happened and more importantly how to repeat similar results in the future.

Being the 4^th Saturday in November, it was barely above freezing and most of the trees had no leaves. The temps did not bother me as I wore a sweater and winter hat at the start then a regular hat and long sleeve shirt the rest of the round as I got warm. My weight might have kept me from needing to wear as much as others proving me less discomfort in throwing a disc and no doubt the lack of leaves on trees made the tighter shots appear far more open.

It is possible that working out has given me more distance which showed on a couple of shots where I could go all out and a lighter and stronger version of me would probably fatigue less during an event in 2017. It is possible that me practicing to stay loose between rounds was a factor to why I tired at the end.

The course has to be a factor since the only other time I played it in July at a club event, I had my previous highest rated round. More than half the tees are elevated which definitely helps since I have a low flight. Though the course has duel locations for baskets, the distances of the holes to each basket fit my game as most of them are either within my reach on the first shot or too long or difficult for most other players to reach. The highest rated player in my division last Saturday which would normally be 5 shots per round better than me also played in the club event last July and only finished one shot better than me so having this result twice means the course suits my game.

A large factor has to be the player. Only one putt less than 20 feet was missed in the 38 holes I finished though 4 of them did hit the top of the front of the bucket but still went in. Since early October, a whole lot of disc golf was played even with a sore elbow/arm and Saturday’s result showed that.

Learning how to use midrange discs per the advice of a pro who ran the Memorial Day weekend event I worked has helped along with adding a couple of them to my bag. My failed attempt to get my first ace has also helped my overall game as I use midrange discs on 6 of the 9 holes at Horizon Park. There were multiple shots where I threw a midrange full shot close when before that it would have required a less than full shot with a driver.

Thinking about it, the most important factor might be the attitude of the player towards the game. Within the past 2 months, disc golf became the primary focus and not secondary as far as time and energy and the results show it. I believe that I had spent time and money sitting in a theatre in Aurora in late October and in a hotel in November in Lombard what happened that day would have been less positive. For similar results to continue in 2017, that has to remain.

A few hours after posting, I remembered something from 1995 and 2001:

Next year is NOT guaranteed!

There will be a 2017 but there is no way I can be 100% sure that an obese level 2, 51 year old man who has had multiple surgeries on his knees and who takes medicine originally designed for chemotherapy for life and pain killers to play will be able to drive his old, beat up car to events next April and be able to play at or even near the level shown.

During workouts, the sting of the event shows and it is important to use it to build my body and not to damage it.

Season recap

Though my arm started having issues in October, I was still able to play through the end of November. Here is the results:

Club level rounds played: 5

Club level CTP won: 2

League level rounds played: 2

Shots below worst ever rated round in a league: 3

Tournaments played: 7

Advanced division: 1

Novice division: 1

Advanced grandmaster division (50+): 5

Shots in one round that was better than best ever rated round: 3

Shots in one event that was better than best ever rated event: 6

Player pack earnings: $45

Tournament winnings: $3

Times a practice shot at a CTP hole would have won: 3

New courses played: 9

Total holes with a birdie which I did not have one before: 50

Total with left handed drive: 4

Total par 4 holes with birdie: 1

Chips made: 1

Chips seen to win playoff against me: 1

Number of discs purchased: 0

Number of discs given as thanks for working an event: 1

Number of discs as part of player's pack: 2

Number of discs from used bag given as thanks for helping person move: 12

Number of those discs I traded for two I would use: 2

Number of discs added to my bag: 5

Number of discs lost: 0

Number of discs removed from bag: 2

Number of aces I saw live after never seeing any before: 4

Number of times I hit the basket on a first shot: 6

Different discs used on those shots: 4

Number of aces: 0

Modifying the College

With the mostly unexpected result of Donald Trump winning the 2016 presidential election, (I am still in disbelief writing those words) the way the US determines the president is under scrutiny since assigning electors from each state in most cases under a winner take all basis allowed Trump to defeat Clinton even though he has fewer total votes in spite of what a couple of conservative outlets are claiming. Trump decided to focus his campaign on the states that were close avoiding those with large Democratic populations.

The most obvious solution would be a popular vote. However, that could create chaos in a close election of over 120 million votes which could require that massive a recount. No doubt that is one of the reasons the US is reluctant to go to that method using one that is quicker to determine the winner even if one electoral vote from Alaska for Trump represents 43,000 votes for him and one from Illinois for Clinton represents 144,000 who voted for her.

Since electors from each state are determined by the breakdown of the 535 in Congress plus 3 for DC, I thought why not do what Maine and Nebraska do and split 435 of the votes by congressional district and the other 100 at 2 per state?

I thought of another alternative. I went by the Wikipedia state by state result of the election and multiplied the percentage of voted of those who did not have the most votes in the state by the total electoral votes in the state, rounded that down, then assigned the rest of the votes to those who won the state.

Since Clinton had 34.55% in Alabama which has 9 ev, she would get 3 and Trump 6.

Since Trump had 32.8% in California which has 55 ev, he would get 18.
Since Johnson had 3.24% in California, he would get 1.
Clinton would get the other 36.

Using that way the results would be:

McMullin: 1 (Utah)
Johnson: 2 (CA and TX)
Clinton: 266
Trump: 269

It would go to the house or be decided by third party electors. *sigh*

Pandemic Legacy 12

After we recovered from the shock of hearing that Quarantine Expert Klinger worked with El Guapo, we had to find patient zero in Mexico City as he would be the final piece to getting a vaccine.

To make things easier, Operations Expert Rizzo was assigned to establish a military base there after setting up a road block out of Miami preventing faded people from infecting the rest of North America. We also had a scary moment in Chicago as the Scientist and Researcher were in New York City while the base was being set up. Fortunately, Chicago was quarantined before it spread.

While spending our efforts in the search, there were outbreaks elsewhere. Eventually the team were able to control the damage, cure the new strains, and by replacing the Researcher with Medic Hunnicutt, treat those who were still ill. However, San Francisco had an outbreak and for the first time in almost a half a year, the faded figures spread to more cities infecting Tokyo and Manila.

The world was near panic due to outbreaks as we destroyed the San Francisco and Bogota military bases and after getting more info the Medic was just about to find patient zero when the scientist decided to treat those in Seoul first which prevented the outbreak which would have ended things at that time.

We did add more vaccine treatment equipment after.

Least of evils.

I HATE that phrase when applying to voting almost as much as third party votes don't count.

Tomorrow, I will head to the polling place and I am obliged to use that idea when I grab the marker. I am not a fan of HRC. I don't trust her, I am opposed to those whose votes were the margin of victory over Bernie Sanders in the primary in which I don't trust how it went, and I believe that some of what many have said about her is true.

I know there are more than two running and like every election I have voted (since 1984) I want to vote for one of them. I then examined what the others have to offer but found them having extreme views of the two main parties and not worth my vote.

But what about the white GOP man? In the 20th century, I would have easily voted for him over a woman no matter what but this is 2016. I wanted Trump to give me a reason to vote for him. He not only didn't but make me realize I have no choice but HRC.

The GOP has this century turned toward the religious angle for support. By doing that, they have turned me away. I am even forced to vote for the lesser candidate for Senate since her party needs to have a majority if for nothing else but to fill a vacancy in the SCOTUS that the current majority GOP refuses to acknowledge and to also keep dated ideals that were created centuries ago from influencing law.