Roscoe's Quick Notes

Listening now to the IU Hoosiers Pregame Show ahead of the IU Men's Basketball Preseason Game this afternoon vs the Baylor Bears.

The adventure does continue.

posted by Roscoe

Finished work on the day's pending correspondence chess games in time to tune in the 1st of my college football games of the day: a Big 10 Conference Game, UCLA Bruins at Indiana Hoosiers.

GO HOOSIERS!

and the adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe

My Friday night College Football finds the radio tuned to an American Conference Game. The University of North Texas Mean Green is playing the UNC Charlotte 49ers in North Carolina.

Early in the 1st Quarter the Mean Green leads 7 – 0.

and the adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe

Today we begin looking at Book 5, The Road to Oz.. We remember from last Wednesday that Princess Ozma used her magic belt to return Dorothy to the farm in Kansas so she could visit her Aunt and Uncle. As Book 5 opens we find Dorothy at the farm in Kansas being asked by a shaggy man, “Please, Miss, can you tell me the road to Butterfield?”

Dorothy noticed that he and his clothes were certainly shaggy, but he had a pleasant twinkle in his eye. “Oh, yes,” she replied, “I can tell you. But it isn't this road at all.”

As Dorothy begins giving him directions, it becomes clear that her directions are confusing him. And she decides that it will be easier just to take him to the right road. So she runs into the farm house to get her sunbonnet. She returns with her little dog Toto and the three of them start walking down the road.

Along the way they find a little boy sitting under a tree by the side of the road. He is all by himself and busy digging a hole in the ground with a small board. He tells them his name is Button, Button – Bright. He doesn't know his real name, he doesn't know who or where his parents are or where he lives. Since it is starting to rain, Dorothy suggests he go with her and the shaggy man to find some place dry to wait for the rain to pass.

They soon encounter some civilized fox-people who give them shelter. Dorothy realizes that they certainly aren't in Kansas anymore, and must have wandered into a fairy-land of some kind. Dorothy is equally surprised that the fox-king knows who she is. When she is introducing Button-Bright, and the shaggy man, and herself to the fox-king, he smiles and says.” Oh yes, you're Dorothy, the friend of Princess Ozma. Everyone knows who you are!”

The next morning, the rain having passed, Dorothy and Toto, the shaggy man, and Button-Bright are out on the road again. Realizing they're not in Kansas, they hope to find someone who can help them find the road to Oz. At a bend of the road they find a beautiful little girl, humming a happy song and dancing gaily in a multi-colored gossamer gown.

The little girl tells them her name is Polychrome, and her father is the Rainbow. She slid off the end of a rainbow that touched down nearby then it disappeared before she could climb back on. She would dearly love to find her father, but she doesn't know where in the world he is now. When Dorothy explains they're on their way to Oz and she's sure Princess Ozma can help the little girl find her father, Polychrome is happy to join their company.

The four travelers: Dorothy with little Toto, shaggy man, Button-Bright, and Polychrome stay together through many strange, sometimes scary adventures. Eventually they find their way to the land of Oz where Dorothy is reunited with old friends and learns that Ozma has named her, Dorothy, as a Princess of Oz. While Princess Ozma rules as Queen from her Palace in the Emerald City, Dorothy is now royalty, too. Dorothy also learns that they have arrived in time to celebrate Ozma's birthday, which will be a grand affair with invitees from across fairy land attending.

I am not yet finished with Book 5. But as we leave, Ozma is busy preparing for the Grand Banquet in another part of the palace, and Princess Dorothy is seated on Ozma's throne, officially greeting the important arrivals who have come for the birthday celebration.

and the adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe

Entertainment before bedtime this Tuesday night in the Roscoe-verse will be the live radio broadcast of a college football game. I'm tuned into the Countdown to Kickoff Show now on the Kennesaw St. Owls Radio Network ahead of their Conference USA Football Game tonight vs the FIU Golden Panthers.

And the adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe

I had been considering pulling one of my favorite Christian meditation books, Light of the World, off the shelf when Advent Season begins, and using its meditations to replace those I've been using from the excellent Benedictus Magazine. My monthly subscription to Benedictus will be expiring at the end of November, so that seemed the perfect time to make the switch.

With the book off the shelf and in front of me this afternoon I thought, “What the heck, Why wait?” So, as time permits, I'll be using meditations from both the Light of the World book and from Benedictus Magazine in my daily prayer regimen.

And the adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe

Saturdays in October often find me enjoying college football games and monster movies. Today, for example, I listened to the live radio broadcasts of the Michigan Wolverines vs. the Washington Huskies, and then the Michigan St. Spartans vs. the Indiana Hoosiers.

And tonight Svengoolie will be providing my monster movie fare with the hilarious “Young Frankenstein” (1974) followed by the original “Frankenstein” (1931).

Will I be able to stay awake long enough to watch both Frankenstein movies? Don't know, but I am gonna try.

The adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe

Tonight I'm tuned into the Minnesota Golden Gophers Radio Network and following their college football game vs the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Go Gophers!

and the adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe

My Black Queen on her c2 square, protected by her d3 pawn, is checkmating the White King. That King's only possible flight squares are covered by the Black Rook at f4. I won this club-based tournament correspondence chess game this morning with our 43rd full move. The image above shows the position of pieces at game's end. And our full move record follows: 1. e4 a6 2. e5 e6 3. a3 Nc6 4. h3 Nxe5 5. d4 Ng6 6. Bd3 f5 7. h4 h5 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Nf3 Bxg5 10. Nxg5 Qe7 11. c4 d5 12. c5 c6 13. Nc3 Nf4 14. Bf1 e5 15. Ne2 Ne6 16. Nxe6 Qxe6 17. Ng3 Nf6 18. Bd3 e4 19. Be2 f4 20. Bxh5+ Nxh5 21. Nxh5 Qh6 22. g4 e3 23. f3 O-O 24. Rg1 b6 25. a4 g6 26. Nxf4 Rxf4 27. h5 bxc5 28. dxc5 d4 29. Qb3+ Kh8 30. Qe6 Bxe6 31. g5 Qxh5 32. O-O-O Bb3 33. Rd3 Bxa4 34. Kb1 Qxf3 35. b3 Bb5 36. Rdd1 Qe4+ 37. Kc1 e2 38. Rge1 d3 39. Kd2 exd1=Q+ 40. Kxd1 Qf3+ 41. Kd2 Qd5 42. Re3 Qg2+ 43. Kc3 Qc2# 0-1

and the adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe

You'll remember when we left them last Wednesday, Dorothy, her cousin Zeb, and the Wizard were in a cave surrounded by hungry young dragons. They managed to escape into another cave through a crack in the rock wall, but this second cave appeared to be a dead end. Dorothy told her companions not to worry, she was confident her friend, Princess Ozma, would rescue them with her magic belt.

Ozma, you see, had a magic picture framed and hanging on her wall. That picture would reveal whoever the Princess wanted to see, and wherever they were. She promised Dorothy that she'd check on her every day at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and if Dorothy needed help, she'd use her magic belt and bring her straight back to Oz.

So at 4 o'clock, Zeb and the Wizard saw Dorothy, holding her little kitten, blink suddenly out of sight. In just a few minutes they too, along with Jim, the old cab-horse, and their buggy were standing with Dorothy in front of Princess Ozma in the great hall of her palace. Rescued.

After a night of rest, and a day of much festivity, Ozma told the new arrivals they were welcome to stay in the Emerald City as her honored guests. The Wizard happily moved back into his old apartment behind the great throne which had remained unoccupied since he left. Zeb thanked the Princess for her rescue and her kind offer but explained that he and his horse were needed back at the family ranch in California. And Dorothy said that she really should go back to Kansas to see her Aunt and Uncle. But she promised to come back and visit her friend soon.

And so we've come to the end of Book 4, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz.

Next Wednesday we'll look at Book 5, The Road to Oz..

And the adventure continues.

posted by Roscoe