samhexum

I didn't watch the first few seasons, but got sucked in by all the crossovers with GREY'S this year. I find Travis very attractive and the last 2 episodes have dealt with his lingering grief and anger over his hubby's death. Last night's was a good episode and it ended with him calling his late hubby’s voicemail & finally letting him go. BTW, earlier this season Travis found his bible-quoting homophobic dad's profile on a gay dating site. Still waiting for that to be followed up on.

I believe the first 2 seasons had only 29 episodes, so you could binge. One episode last season was partly shot in an empty bank on Queens Blvd that was fixed up to appear open. It was on the block of the long-shuttered Center Cinema, which had its marquee fixed up for the shoot. As an inside joke, they had it showing the film ARRIVAL. The area should be very familiar to you, as it is diagonally across from the White Castle in Sunnyside.

Unfortunately, nobody wants to eat mine anymore. Everyone seems to be on a low-fat diet. ??

Entenmann's Blueberry Cheese Danish Sealtest Heavenly Hash Wetson's Hamburgers The Daily Special at Howard Johnson's

In the 3rd season premiere, the actress playing the religious mother seemed so familiar... I paused the scene, determined I definitely knew her, but couldn't place her. I even rewound to the beginning and the guest credits. Nada. When it was over, just as I was about to go check IMDB, it struck me... Sherry Stringfield (of ER). When I checked her IMDB it showed no credits since 2017, and when I checked the episode on IMDB, it didn't show anybody for the role. Hmm... ? I guess I might have been wrong, but that happens so rarely, I forget what it feels like.

I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the show. I know they swapped in a new actress for his oldest daughter, but couldn't tell about the older son under the beard.

HOLD HIS FAMILY AT GUNPOINT

Two killed when plane used for gender reveal crashes in Cancun A gender reveal in Mexico went tragically wrong when a plane streaming a sign about a baby girl plunged into the waters off Cancun – killing two people on board while the parents-to-be and their guests watched in horror from a boat, according to reports. The expecting couple, their family and friends were watching the flyover in glee in the Nichupte Lagoon off the coast of the resort city about 3:30 pm Tuesday, The US Sun reported. “It’s a girl!” the guests are heard screaming as the single-engine Cessna 206, which was rented from a company called Xomex, flew overhead and performed a series of stunts, according to the outlet. One person on the boat even made a chilling joke, saying, “It’s all good as long as it doesn’t end up crashing into us!” Moments later, the prescient comment almost ended up happening when the aircraft nosedived into the lagoon, turning what had been a joyous celebration into an abject nightmare. “Surely this can’t be happening!” one shocked attendee shouted. Local media reported that there had been between two and four passengers aboard the plane, which took off from Holbox, about 40 miles from Cancun. One of the people died while the rescue operation was underway, Francisco Fernández Millán, president of the Nautical Association of Quintana Roo, said in a statement, according to La Prensa Latina. The other person died while receiving first aid by first-responder, the outlet reported. It was not immediately clear if the victims included the pilots. The Federal Civil Aviation Agency has launched an investigation into the tragedy.

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I and four friends were waiting to be served at a restaurant. All four of them began staring at their cellphones. Because I am not a cellphone owner and I spotted a magazine on a nearby table, I picked it up and started reading it. When we got home, my wife said she had been ashamed of my rudeness. Do you think I was rude? -- TIT FOR TAT IN TEXAS DEAR T.F.T.: Under the circumstances, no, I do not think you were rude. In light of the fact that the others were staring at their cellphones, you should have pleaded self-defense and been found not guilty.

AP source: VW plans brand-name change to 'Voltswagen' in US Volkswagen plans to change its brand name in the United States to “Voltswagen” as its shifts its production increasingly toward electric vehicles and tries to distance itself from an emissions cheating scandal. A person briefed on the plan said a formal announcement is planned for Tuesday. The person didn't want to be identified because the plans had not been made public. The company had briefly posted a press release on its website early Monday announcing the brand name change. The press release was noticed by a reporter from USA Today before it was removed. The release was dated April 29. The premature release (don't you hate it when that happens?) comes cums as VW is taking reservations for the new ID.4 small electric SUV in the U.S. It’s the company’s only new electric model sold in the United States, though there are plans for more, including a nostalgic reprise of the company’s Microbus. Even with the ID.4 fully on sale, only a small fraction of VWs on U.S. roads will bear the “Voltswagen” name. The vast majority of VW’s vehicle sales in the U.S. will still be powered by gasoline for the foreseeable future and will continue to be labeled simply as “VW.” The German automaker sold just under 326,000 VW-branded vehicles in the U.S. last year. The person who was briefed on the plan said the name Volkswagen Group of America, which also includes the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini brands, won't change. Rather, only the ‘k’ in the Volkswagen brand itself will be changed to a ‘t.’ An exterior badge with the name “Voltswagen” will be affixed to the company’s electric vehicles, while gas-powered vehicles will still have the normal “VW,” but no brand name on them, the person said. The premature news release said the move amounted to a public declaration of the company’s future investment in electric mobility. “We might be changing out our K for a T, but what we aren’t changing is this brand’s commitment to making best-in-class vehicles for drivers and people everywhere,” VW of America CEO Scott Keogh said in the errant release. Outside the United States, Volkswagen, like some other automakers, has sharply expanded its EV footprint. In Europe, the company tripled its battery-powered vehicle sales from 45,000 in 2019 to 134,000 in 2020. VW began selling its new electric compact ID.3 ahead of strict new European Union limits on auto emissions. In the U.S., fully electric vehicles last year accounted for less than 2% of new vehicle sales. Tesla led the way, with an estimated 205,600 in U.S. sales, according to Autodata Corp. General Motors sold just under 21,000 Chevrolet Bolts, while Nissan sold a little more than 9,500 Leaf electric cars. VW has been trying to repair its image after U.S. authorities in 2015 discovered that its so-called “clean diesel” vehicles cheated on emissions tests. The diesels switched pollution controls on during Environmental Protection Agency treadmill tests, then turned them off while on real roads. Volkswagen in 2017 pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in U.S. civil and criminal penalties on top of billions more to buy back cars. Two people were sent to prison.

My company does an office pool for most big sporting events. It has small jackpots, and the boxes on the graph are randomly assigned to all the employees. I won $10 from this past weekend's NCAA Basketball Tournament. Off to Zillow to investigate villas in the south of France to retire to...

Affordable Senior Housing Lottery Launches for 44 Units in Williamsburg An affordable housing lottery has opened for 44 units for seniors in an eight-story building at 40 Debevoise Street, between Humboldt Street and Graham Avenue in Williamsburg. Of the affordable apartments, there are 26 studios and 18 one-bedroom units. According to the listing, monthly rents will be 30 percent of household income — potentially zero to $1,280 a month. Applicants must qualify for Section 8 and be 62 years of age or older. The lottery is set at a maximum area median income range of 50 percent. Eligible incomes range between $0 and $51,200 for households of one to three people. Building permits show a total of 65 units in the building. In the cellar is a fitness room, spaces for six bicycles and a laundry room. Community facility space and retail will occupy the ground floor, while the second floor promises an indoor recreation room and outdoor passive recreation area. Before construction began in 2018, the property was a parking lot. Applications for the affordable housing lottery must be submitted by May 18, 2021. Apply through NYC Housing Connect.

Ravens stealing groceries from Alaska Costco: ‘They’ve got a whole system there’ Edgar Allan Poe is in the air. Well, ravens are, in abundance actually in Alaska, where they’re wreaking havoc on Costco customers’ groceries in South Anchorage, the Anchorage Daily News reported Friday. Marnie Jones and her husband are among the poetic birds’ recent victims, she told the outlet. The pair arrived home from the store only to realize one of their filet mignon steaks, part of a four-pack, was in the wind. The pack fell in the parking lot, but Jones’ husband was loading groceries and didn’t notice until it was too late. “He said, ‘Oh my God, after I picked up that pack of steaks, I saw a raven in the parking lot with a steak in his mouth,’” said Jones. Olani Saunoa has twice been through a similar ordeal, she told the outlet. She lost “an entire package of short ribs” to a raven after leaving the store last winter, she told the outlet, recalling the bird was “like flying away with it.” “I’ve been here my entire life, dealt with the ravens but never ever had this happen to me, ever,” she told ADN, noting she recently lost pork ribs to the birds. “They know what they’re doing,” Matt Lewallen, who lost a single short rib to the birds, told the outlet. “They’re very fat so I think they’ve got a whole system there.” Tamara Josey said a pair of the birds were tenacious in trying to get some melons she’d bought. “They were never deterred,” she recounted. “They just stayed posted, waiting for their next opportunity to steal something out of my cart.” Josey feels the birds “are very dedicated to their mission.” An increase in the city’s garbage over the years has only made it more enticing for ravens, who learn from fellow birds, Rick Sinnott, who formerly worked as an Anchorage-area wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told the outlet. “Ravens do very well in this city, but they much prefer — I would guess if I was thinking like a raven — a package of short ribs from Costco to half of a hamburger bun from McDonald’s,” said Sinnott.

In the midst of its best season, GREY'S had its worst episode ever this week.

47-year-old Washington man charged in deadly fire he allegedly started when he was 12 A 47-year-old Washington man is charged with first-degree murder resulting from a deadly fire he is accused of starting when he was 12. On Thursday, Elmer Nash Jr. pleaded guilty for his involvement in a three-alarm blaze at Everett Community College that left a 48-year-old firefighter dead in 1987, KIRO reports. Greg Parks, an 18-year veteran of the Everett Fire Department, was killed after becoming separated from five other firefighters, who battled unsuccessfully to contain the early morning inferno that engulfed the school’s library. It caused more than $8 million damage and destroyed 48,000 books before burning itself out. The student union was also destroyed, KIRO reports. Police initially suspected several juvenile males had entered the library through an open window and deliberately started the blaze, but no one was charged. The case was revived by an arson detective in 2016, which led to multiple interviews with Elmer. He allegedly discussed details that could only be known by someone who was there and admitted guilt. Parks’ widow expressed gratitude to investigators who helped bring her family closer to closure. “We are so very grateful to the detectives who never gave up on this case,” Kathy Parks said. “Our family will always suffer knowing Gary hasn’t reaped the fruits of his life, grandchildren, daughters’ successes, and a wife who will cherish him forever.” KIRO TV reports that Nash has had numerous run-ins with the law throughout his life and was incarcerated until just a few months ago. According to news outlet KATU, Nash’s rap sheet includes 14 felony convictions an adult and four as a juvenile.