I Finally Get to See Petra! - September 23rd 2023

I've taken today and tomorrow off work so that we can make the drive to Paducah, Kentucky and back. It turns out the drive is around 8 1/2 hours, rather than the 12 that Dad saw when he looked it up, because he didn't realize that the "avoid highways" option was selected on his map app. 

We're going to Paducah to see Petra, one of the original Christian rock bands. After breaking up in 2005, they've been doing some shows together again since 2013. The current tour is a celebration of the band's 50th anniversary. 

We had a great drive down and even had some extra time to stop and eat because I didn't realize we crossed a time zone and gained an hour on the way down. So, we stopped and got something to eat at Wendy's with the extra time. We worked our way through Petra's discography on the drive. 

Listened to just shy of half their work on the way down. We'd left my place shortly after 8:00 and we arrived at rest Church, the venue for the concert at 5:15 their time. We enjoyed the concert! It was amazing to hear these legendary musicians live. John Lawry on the keys!!! Bob Hartman created the band, and is still rocking on the guitar. John Schlitt still has a great voice! We also had the pleasure of hearing Rex Carroll play (guitar legend from band Whitecross) again during the opening act. 

As soon as the show was over we left, as we didn't really have time to stick around. We grabbed some more Wendy's and hit the road. I'd promised to stay up with Dad to make sure he stayed awake. 

67 Days: Countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom Premiere

One of my interests aside from Thomas the Tank Engine is trivia and random facts. I'm also something of a rock 'n' roll historian... so you can imagine that my day was made when I discovered this little tidbit back in 2018 while digging around for stuff on the internet. I created this graphic for my Fact of the Day posts back in 2020. 

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For more about An Unlikely Fandom visit: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram 

I'm blogging the countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

for the rest of these blogs - click here! 

New Thomas content coming soon to my YouTube. 

Click here for that!

You can visit the Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki by clicking here.

Also be sure to check out the Sodor Island Fansite and Sodor Island Forums, 

if you're looking for more great Thomas the Tank Engine content and discussion.

Some Resolutions and Extra Hours - September 22nd 2023

 Got up a few minutes early, procrastinated for a little while, and was still able to get up and get showered, shaved and ready to go. My manager gave me a ride to work and when we got there she told me that two other managers were coming in to help open. Once they arrived, we learned that a solution had been devised for my card reader situation which has been an issue for around 2 weeks. 

A card reader was moved over from a terminal that we don't use and with help from the tech support, the manager made the switch. I struggled the way I have for a couple of weeks, running back and forth across the kitchen, while this was being done. When I finally was able to work at my terminal in one window and no more running back and forth, it took me a couple minutes to adjust, as everytime the drive-thru dinged, I wanted to run to the other window on pure reflex.

We were supposed to have an inspection today, but it didn't happen. At least not while I was there. I was supposed to be out at 11am, but the boss asked me if I'd be interested in staying until 2pm to help out, as I'm taking the next 2 days off for a little jaunt to Kentucky and that leaves my hours a little short for the week. Between that and the fact that I always like to help my coworkers - I decided to stay.

It was intense for awhile, as we didn't have enough people, hence being asked to stay. I was really wound for the first extra hour or so, very anxious, but I managed to mellow out in the latter half. I was in back window and helping out with grill through lunch. I was pretty insistent about leaving precisely at 2:00, because I didn't want to be there when the inspection began, as then I would have to stay in position for the duration. I figured I should be on my way to figure out the next couple days. 

So, when I got out of work I got myself a Biggie Bag and a Dave's Triple (hey, I was hungry) and headed home. I ate and then called Mom to talk about tomorrow and see what was up. She didn't have time to talk so she called me back later and we got our details of the trip tomorrow worked out. 

Meanwhile, I worked on updating my blog, the social media projects that I'm still active on at this time and watching movies. Still watching 3 movies a day until I'm caught up to my goal, I want to watch 365 movies this year. Watched some good ones today, including the original The Thing and I'm currently watching The Bone Collector as I type. 

Going to be turning in, so I can get an early start. 

68 Days: Countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom Premiere

 Very tired from a stressful shift at work and some emotional events in my life, tonight's AUF countdown posts consists only of this lovely photo of Toby from the early series and this caption: "Just 68 days until the premiere of An Unlikely Fandom!"

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For more about An Unlikely Fandom visit: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram 

I'm blogging the countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

for the rest of these blogs - click here! 

New Thomas content coming soon to my YouTube. 

Click here for that!

You can visit the Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki by clicking here.

Also be sure to check out the Sodor Island Fansite and Sodor Island Forums, 

if you're looking for more great Thomas the Tank Engine content and discussion.

Beginning to Sort My Hard Drives - September 21st 2023

Put in my shift at work, miserable from running back and forth to cash people out in the back window and then serving them in the second window. It was a truck day, so at first there were only 2 of us on line. Stressful shift that left me wondering if I can continue doing this. I only want to do it for another 3 and a half months, so I keep reminding myself and trying not to worry. 

After work, I got something to eat with coupons and then went home to watch movies and work on my projects. Since I finished sorting through my old Facebook yesterday and put in for deletion, now I'm turning my attention to all my photos and videos on my hard drives. 

I currently have 2 laptops. Both nearly maxed out on space. I also have a few memory cards also maxed out and the internal space on my phone is nearly full, so I want to get things sorted. I will have to get more memory cards in the near future for storage, but in the meanwhile I want to pare things down to the stuff that is necessary and that I actually want to keep.

So, I spent a few hours going through the contents of my laptops, bit by bit. I'm going to be sorting through the videos and photos. Deleting the duplicates and the poor quality ones. 

My current system for organizing my files is based in a setup I created in late 2016/early 2017. I have conceptualized a new system, but first I want to sort through them and make sure they're titled correctly. I'll be moving from a layout that's chronological to something more location-based. This will be helpful if I successfully take to the road as I'm planning to. 

Watched some movies as I worked and eventually called it a day. 

69 Days: Countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom Premiere

I've talked a little bit about the Thomas fan site that I helped run in previous countdown posts, but today I want to talk about an even older Thomas fan site that I've always been a huge fan of. The Sodor Island Forums & Fansite - SiF is one of the oldest, if not the very first, fansites about Thomas the Tank Engine and is chock full of great information, interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes photos provided by various crew members who've kindly provided information about how the series was brought to life.

I used to, back when I was a teenager, check the site several times a day to see if there was any new content. Now, 15 years later, I don't check it as often anymore - and I'm not even certain if I've read all the crew interviews they have out there. They also have a forum with some amazing in-depth discussions about everything Thomas & railways. They also have some great Thomas fanfiction written in the style of the original author on the forums.

You can check out the site here: https://www.sodor-island.com/

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For more about An Unlikely Fandom visit: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram 

I'm blogging the countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

for the rest of these blogs - click here! 

New Thomas content coming soon to my YouTube. 

Click here for that!

You can visit the Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki by clicking here.

Also be sure to check out the Sodor Island Fansite and Sodor Island Forums, 

if you're looking for more great Thomas the Tank Engine content and discussion.

Finishing the Facebook Archival - September 20th 2023

Due to my odd sleep schedule yesterday, and having been up late binging Criminal Minds and catching up on things...

I was a bit tired at work, but I got through it. It wasn't too bad. Though, I hope this credit card reader situation gets resolved soon. One of my coworkers brought me a strawberry milk and a Red Bull, which definitely improved things for me. 

Upon returning home, I took my final screenshots and videos of my old Facebook... which included some of the more depressing and emotionally draining moments of 2019 that I've tried to put out of my mind. But I got it done. Saved everything. 

Then I moved on to catching up on my blogs and the social media I'm still working on. Watched a few movies.

Took a little break and ran back up to Wendy's for dinner. Finished my movies and most of my projects for the day. 

70 Days: Countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom Premiere

A little late tonight, but it's 70 days until the premiere of An Unlikely Fandom!

Be sure to check out the Facebook page and watch the new clip from the documentary! 🙂

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For more about An Unlikely Fandom visit: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram 

I'm blogging the countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

for the rest of these blogs - click here! 

New Thomas content coming soon to my YouTube. 

Click here for that!

You can visit the Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki by clicking here.

Also be sure to check out the Sodor Island Fansite and Sodor Island Forums, 

if you're looking for more great Thomas the Tank Engine content and discussion.

A Very Sleepy Day - September 19th 2023

After working my 5:30 to 11:00, I went home and felt so terribly sleepy I couldn't focus on what I needed to get done. So, I decided to have a bit of a lie-down and it turned into me sleeping all afternoon. I got up late in the evening and decided to work on a few things, started watching Criminal Minds again. The last time I'd watched the show was about four years ago and I'd left off in Season 8, so I watched a few episodes from where I'd left off whilst catching up on my daily stuff. Eventually I went back to sleep to try and get my rest for a new day.

71 Days: Countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom Premiere

15 years ago this month, an American steam engine was introduced on Thomas & Friends, which I thought was very exciting. Being a Pennsylvanian design, he's very much like steam engines I've seen here, closer to my home. Though Hank was another of the short lived characters on the show - I thought he was an exciting addition.

71 days until the premiere of An Unlikely Fandom! (This marks the 100th day of the countdown, just 70 days left!)

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For more about An Unlikely Fandom visit: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram 

I'm blogging the countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

for the rest of these blogs - click here! 

New Thomas content coming soon to my YouTube. 

Click here for that!

You can visit the Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki by clicking here.

Also be sure to check out the Sodor Island Fansite and Sodor Island Forums, 

if you're looking for more great Thomas the Tank Engine content and discussion.

Another Movie Day! Poirot, Nicolas Cage & Batman! - September 18th 2023

Worked from 5:30 until shortly after 11, super excited to go to the movies afterwards. Someone made the mistake of leaving their sunglasses at work, so I had to take a selfie with them - them's the rules. I still remember that time over a year ago, when someone forgot their sunglasses and I took a full blown photoshoot with them. Later found out they were $80 sunglasses. 

Anyway, back to the present. Today was the agreed upon day to go to the movies, so I had booked us seats at AMC Waterfront 22 down in Pittsburgh, my favorite movie theater in these parts. AMC Mall 11 in St. Clairsville is a long-standing favorite of mine, but I go to Waterfront more now due to the fact that they have a lot more screens and a better selection of films. 

Today, we watched The Retirement Plan, A Haunting in Venice and The Dark Knight (2008). 

The Retirement Plan is an action comedy about a family in trouble that turns to an estranged grandfather, played spectacularly by Nicolas Cage, who turns out to be a retired hitman. He systematically eliminates the people that would harm his family in a movie that is as humorous as it is action-packed.

I was uncertain what to think when I heard that the next Poirot movie inspired by Agatha Christie's novels was to be a horror movie, entitled A Haunting in Venice. I'd even seen an article purporting that the film took everything that made the mystery a Christie and stripped it away - so I was reasonably concerned, but still hopeful. But, I actually left quite impressed! Clearly it is an adaptation, like Branagh's previous Poirot outings, but I thoroughly enjoyed his take on this mystery and I think he hit all the right notes to make it feel like a Christie.

Finally, I got to see another Nolan film on the big screen, having seen Oppenheimer a couple months ago. (I still wished to have seen Tenet when it had its theatrical run). I had seen the Dark Knight trilogy once before, and I figured out of the 3 if I were to choose to see one in the cinema it would be the middle entry. All 3 of them were showing this week as part of AMC's $5 Faves. It was extra exciting because Mom & Dad had never seen it.

We really enjoyed all 3 movies and had plenty to talk about on the ride home afterwards.

72 Days: Countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom Premiere

My brother Aaron Medley made this video for me. Thank you Aaron!

72 days until the premiere of the documentary about the Thomas fan community - An Unlikely Fandom! 🙂

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For more about An Unlikely Fandom visit: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram 

I'm blogging the countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

for the rest of these blogs - click here! 

New Thomas content coming soon to my YouTube. 

Click here for that!

You can visit the Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki by clicking here.

Also be sure to check out the Sodor Island Fansite and Sodor Island Forums, 

if you're looking for more great Thomas the Tank Engine content and discussion.

Pizza and Movies in Bed - September 17th 2023

I had anticipated being tired after going to the corn maze the night before and expected us to be there until at least close to close, so I had requested the morning off some time ago.

I slept in a bit, then got up and watched a couple movies. I had a bit of a craving for pizza, so I called an order into Gionino's as soon as they opened. I had really enjoyed that first pizza from them a few days ago!

I had a nice walk up to the pizza shop to pick up my order and then I continued watching movies. 

Later in the evening, Mom & Dad came up and we watched some shows together. (We're still working our way through Fringe. I watched it last summer, but we're watching it together this time). Mom also brought some cake. A friend of ours sent her some banana cake mix and we enjoyed it. 

73 Days: Countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom Premiere

A lot of us Thomas fans want more complete series / seasons on DVD in the US, like they have in other countries, but so far we only have the first season in a boxset...

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For more about An Unlikely Fandom visit: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram 

I'm blogging the countdown to the An Unlikely Fandom premiere, 

for the rest of these blogs - click here! 

New Thomas content coming soon to my YouTube. 

Click here for that!

You can visit the Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki by clicking here.

Also be sure to check out the Sodor Island Fansite and Sodor Island Forums, 

if you're looking for more great Thomas the Tank Engine content and discussion.

Finally Going to Maze Craze - September 16th 2023

Put in my usual 5:30 - 11:00 shift at work. It flew by because I was looking forward to my plans afterwards. After work, I went home and got ready to go to the corn maze that my friend and I have been talking about going to for six years now, but our schedules haven't aligned and/or we started talking about it too late in the season and it was closed by the time we were ready to go.

I had the early afternoon free until my friend picked me up at 4:00, so I finished watching the Ocean's Trilogy, which I started last night after I finished the National Treasure movies. 

When my friend picked me up, we had a nice drive up to New Springfield, Ohio that took about an hour, and we were able to catch up a bit, as we hadn't seen each other in 2 years. 

When we got there, it took us a few minutes to find the entrance as the GPS directed us to a road next to an unmarked field at first. Once we found the actual farm and entrance, it was a very nice and clearly a well-thought tourist destination. I paid admission and we went to the barn where the (owner?) gave a little speech about following the rules and told us how to complete the various games within the different sections of the maze.

It took us from 5 to 11, when they closed, but we did in fact tackle every section of the map and completed the main game, in which you find all 18 checkpoints in the maze, complete with hole punches to mark the scorecard included in the map.

It was a great time! We had a lot of fun and were very glad to finally have got to do this!