Tag: art

NFL Week 4 and the WNBA Playoffs: Colts Fumble, Chiefs Statement Win and the Indiana Fever are One Win Away From the WNBA Finals

This week on TORG Stories: We break down the biggest NFL headlines, from the Chiefs getting back on track to the Ravens’ recent struggles and the Bears’ dominant defensive play. Plus, a deep dive into the WNBA playoffs with the Fever forcing a Game 5 and Boston’s historic night.

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Welcome to the Torg Stories Podcast! We’re recording on Sept 29, 2025. This episode is titled, “NFL Week 4 and WNBA Playoffs: Colts Fumble, Chiefs Statement Win, & the Indiana Fever are One Win Away From the WNBA Finals.” 

Bill Torg’s NFL Headlines from Sunday, Sept 28, 2025:  

The Ravens are in Trouble and the Chiefs are Righting the Ship: 

  1. Ravens lose 37-20 to the Chiefs. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has injured his hamstring. 5 starters went out with injuries. The Chiefs quarterback Mahomes had 4 TDs and no interceptions. 
  2. Giants upset the Chargers 21-18 and got their first win. Jaxson Dart got his first start at quarterback. He rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown. 
  3. Eagles won the battle of the unbeatens by defeating the Buccaneers 31-25.  Baker Mayfield finally was unable to deliver a game tying or winning score in the last minute. 
  4. Bears Block Party: We get another game decided by a blocked kick as Bears beat the Raiders. 
  5. Steelers go to 3-1 with a 24-21 win over the Vikings in Dublin. The Steelers almost gave it away. Weird not go for it on 4th and inches with less than two minutes to go. Rogers went 18-22 with a TD and no interceptions. Carson Wentz quarterbacked for the Vikings and went for 350 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. 

Colts Corner: Week 4 Recap & The Road Ahead

1. The Big Picture: 

  • Unbeaten Streak Snapped: Colts Fall to Rams 27-20 After Avalanche of Mistakes
  • Current Record: 3-1 (Still a great start, and still tied for 1st in the AFC South)
  • The Vibe: The Colts proved they can hang with an NFC contender like the Rams, but they ultimately beat themselves with a flurry of critical, self-inflicted errors.

2. The Heartbreak Moments (The Unforced Errors)

  • The Unfathomable Fumble: Rookie WR Adonai Mitchell caught a deep ball and was on his way to a 76-yard go-ahead touchdown, but he inexplicably dropped the ball just before crossing the goal line, resulting in a touchback and a massive 7-point swing. (This is the most critical talking point.)
  • The Costly Penalty: A Jonathan Taylor 53-yard touchdown run, which would have put the Colts back in the lead late in the 4th quarter, was nullified by a holding penalty (also on Mitchell).
  • Turnovers: QB Daniel Jones threw his first two interceptions of the season, coming on the team’s first and final drives. Overall, the Colts committed 3 turnovers and were flagged for 11 penalties.

3. Offensive Standouts (Who Played Well)

  • Jonathan Taylor (RB): Continues to be productive, rushing for 76 yards (on 17 carries). Mention the momentum-changing 53-yard run that was called back.
  • Pace Setter: The Colts’ offense found success in the second and third quarters, using play-action and the run game to briefly take the lead in the fourth quarter.
  • Daniel Jones (QB): Despite the turnovers, he was efficient, passing for 262 yards and leading two fourth-quarter scoring drives (a TD to Pittman Jr. and a field goal).
  • Tyler Warren (TE/FB): Scored his first NFL touchdown on a 2-yard rush.

4. Defensive & Special Teams Notes

  • Defensive Effort: They held a potent Rams offense to 3 points in the third quarter and forced two key turnovers (Kam Curl’s two interceptions).
  • Special Teams Boost: Anthony Gould had a good kickoff return of 38 yards, helping set up an early field goal.

5. The Road Ahead (Upcoming Schedule)

  • Next Game: Sunday, October 5th vs. the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Here are some of the biggest shifts in the NFL standings:

AFC Standings Shifts

  • AFC West Race Tightens: The Kansas City Chiefs moved to 2-2 after dominating the Ravens, while the previously undefeated Los Angeles Chargers suffered their first loss.
    • Detail: The Chargers lost to the Giants (21-18) and are now 3-1, immediately putting the Chiefs back in the division conversation, as the Chiefs’ statement win (37-20 over Baltimore) provided a much-needed morale and point differential boost.
  • AFC North Turmoil: The Pittsburgh Steelers moved into the early division lead at 3-1, while the Baltimore Ravens plummeted.
    • Detail: The Ravens dropped to 1-3 after a blowout loss to the Chiefs (37-20) and are now dealing with multiple injuries, including to QB Lamar Jackson. This has created a significant gap in the division, with the Steelers now holding a strong position.
  • AFC South Shakes Up: The Indianapolis Colts lost their undefeated status, while the Jacksonville Jaguars moved into a tie for the division lead.
    • Detail: The Colts’ first loss (27-20 to the Rams) dropped them to 3-1, while the Jaguars’ upset win over the 49ers (26-21) boosted their record to 3-1, setting up a tight race in the AFC South.

NFC Standings Shifts

  • The Undefeated Club Shrinks Dramatically: The number of remaining undefeated teams was slashed from six to just two.
    • Detail: The Buffalo Bills (4-0) and Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) are the only teams remaining perfect. The Chargers (3-1), Colts (3-1), San Francisco 49ers (3-1), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) all suffered their first loss on Sunday.
  • NFC West Regroup: The Los Angeles Rams delivered a statement victory to keep pace with the rest of the conference, while the San Francisco 49ers took their first loss.
    • Detail: The Rams moved to 3-1 by beating the Colts, while the 49ers lost at home to the Jaguars (26-21), keeping the division standings from getting out of hand early.
  • NFC South Still Contested: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their first loss, but the other teams in the South remain tightly grouped.
    • Detail: The Buccaneers dropped to 3-1 after losing to the Eagles. However, the rest of the division still trails: the Falcons won (2-2), and the Saints remain winless (0-4).

Five Games to Watch Next Week: 

  1. San Francisco 49ers (3-1) at Los Angeles Rams (3-1)
    • Detail: This NFC West rivalry matchup is a “loser-leaves-town” scenario for the division lead after both teams suffered their first loss in Week 4, immediately turning this Thursday night game into a high-stakes, must-win affair.
  2. Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1)
    • Detail: The Chiefs’ offense is trying to prove their Week 4 breakout (37 points vs. Ravens) was real against an elite Jaguars defense that leads the NFL in forced turnovers (12) and just gave the 49ers their first loss.
  3. New England Patriots (2-2) at Buffalo Bills (4-0)
    • Detail: It’s the only matchup featuring a currently undefeated team (Bills) and a Patriots team under Mike Vrabel that just posted a statement win (42-13 over Carolina) and has explosive special teams highlights to its credit.
  4. Houston Texans (1-3) at Baltimore Ravens (1-3)
    • Detail: A critical AFC Wild Card eliminator, where the Ravens are in panic mode after falling to 1-3 and likely being without QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring), giving C.J. Stroud’s Texans a chance to deliver a crippling blow to Baltimore’s season.
  5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) at Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
    • Detail: This is a crucial interconference battle between two NFC teams that suddenly need a win to separate themselves from the 3-1 middle tier of the conference and keep pace in the Wild Card race.

Torg’s novel Love on the Big Screen

Love on the Big Screen novel cover by Bill Torgerson. A man and woman in silhouette stand in a spotlight; the man holds a boombox over his head, referencing classic 80s movie romance. The title is in vibrant pink and blue text.
$2.99 Kindle and $9.99 paperback click here

Love on the Big Screen is about a college freshman basketball player whose understanding of love was shaped by late 80s romantic comedies such as Say Anything, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club. It’s now available on Amazon for $2.99 as a Kindle book and $9.99 in paperback. Click here to link to Amazon and check out the book. 

Torg Game Ball Awards for Sept 29, 2025

  1. Patrick Mahomes (QB, Kansas City Chiefs)
    • Reason He Deserves the Game Ball: Mahomes put the Chiefs’ offense back on track with a vintage 4-touchdown, 0-interception performance (124.8 passer rating) in a must-win game that sent a decisive message to the rest of the AFC.
  2. Marcus Jones (CB/PR, New England Patriots)
    • Reason He Deserves the Game Ball: Jones single-handedly flipped the momentum and kick-started the Patriots’ dominant victory with an 87-yard punt return touchdown and a 61-yard return, providing a historic outburst of special teams scoring.
  3. Puka Nacua (WR, Los Angeles Rams)
    • Reason He Deserves the Game Ball: Nacua was utterly uncoverable, posting a career-high 13 receptions for 170 yards and the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter to set up the Rams’ comeback victory over the Colts
  4. Lexie Hull of the Indiana Fever: Bad shooting game in their win over the Aces but had 4 steals and 7 rebounds in a gritty and hustling performance. She drew the most offensive fouls in the WNBA this season. 
  5. Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever: 24 points, 14 rebs, and 5 assists. 

Anne, did you choose some more NFL Categories to share?

  1. I learned…
  • You still lose a timeout on your second challenge if you win it. The Aces staff somehow lost count of their timeouts. 
  1. Statistical pick ups from the broadcast: 
  • Steph White 4-0 in the red leather jacket. 
  • Fever has had 18 players appear in games this year. 

Ravens, Browns, Panthers, Giants, and Texans are 1-3. 

Where are we at with the WNBA Playoffs?

  1. The First Finals Spot Has Been Clinched.
    • The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Minnesota Lynx (the No. 1 seed) 3-1 to advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021.
    • Individual Highlight: Alyssa Thomas delivered a near triple-double in the clinching Game 4 with 23 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, while DeWanna Bonner hit two crucial three-pointers in the final minutes to seal the comeback win.
  2. The Indiana Fever Have Forced a Decisive Game 5.
    • The Fever beat the Las Vegas Aces 90-83 in Game 4 to tie the best-of-five series at 2-2, setting up a winner-take-all Game 5 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
    • Individual Highlight: Aliyah Boston had a career playoff performance with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists, becoming just the second player in Fever franchise history (alongside Tamika Catchings) to record a 20/10/5 game in the postseason.
  3. The #1 Seed Lynx Faced Unprecedented Playoff Chaos.
    • The Minnesota Lynx were eliminated in Game 4 while missing both their star player, Napheesa Collier (ankle injury suffered in Game 3), and Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended by the league.
    • Discussion Questions on the Reeve Suspension:
      • The Right Call? Was the WNBA justified in issuing a one-game suspension for Reeve’s on-court confrontation and comments, or was the punishment too severe given the high stakes and her stated concern over player safety (Collier’s injury)?
      • The Real Problem: Reeve publicly called for a “change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating.” Do you agree that officiating inconsistency is the WNBA’s biggest structural problem right now, especially as the league continues its rapid growth?
      • The Precedent: This is believed to be the first time a coach has been suspended for a WNBA playoff game. Does this harsh penalty set the right standard for coach conduct, or will it simply discourage coaches from speaking out about league issues?

Torg Weekend Betting Results:

  1. Steelers moneyline over Vikings +124. Steelers hang on to win 24-21. WIN 1-0. 
  2. Chargers over Giants in my survivor pool. LOSS. 1-1. 
  3. Chargers live moneyline vs. Giants +104. LOSS 1-2. 
  4. Josh Allen for the Bills under 220.5 passing yards vs Saints. Just thought they’d run it a lot and blow them out. Allen 209 yards. WIN. 2-2. 
  5. Eagles moneyline with Hurts anytime touchdown scorer +146. No Hurts TD. LOSS. 2-3. 
  6. Panthers moneyline over Pats +210. Blown out. 42-13. LOSS 2-4. 
  7. Fever moneyline over Aces +158. Fever force game five! Win! 3-5. 
  8. Colts moneyline boosted 50% over Rams +234. LOSS. 3-6
  9. Ravens -2.5 and Jackson 25 yards rushing. Lamar gets yards but injured. LOSS. 3-7. 
  10. Niners -3.5 live bet with 3-0 lead -106. Loss 3-8. 
  11. Bears moneyline over Raiders +108. Blocked kick to win. WIN. 4-8. 
  12. Mercury moneyline with Thomas to get 10 points and 8 assists +106. WIN 5-8. 
  13. Mercury moneyline when they fell down 10-1 to open the game. +116. WIN 6-8. 
  14. Quarterbacks for Cowboys and Packers to each get a TD pass and 200 yards passing. +164. WIN 7-8. 

Thanks for checking out the Torg Stories Podcast! 

Ted Lasso Final Episode, Season 3 Finale Podcast: So Long, Farewell

It’s the Ted Lasso Final Episode from Season 3 on the Torg Stories Podcast.

click above for audio / video podcast below

Generally, what am I looking for in a final episode or the end of a story?

  1. Questions were probably raised in my mind. I’d like to see them answered.
  2. Answering questions is related to resonance. I expect echoes or reflections of the start of the story.
  3. In first person writing, I offer students up the option to come to realizations and new understandings. To look back and to look ahead.
  4. Ending with meaningful images can be a part of that. Ted and Rebecca sitting in the empty stadium bleachers. Ending with Ted’s eyes as he stands on the pitch coaching his son.
  5. There’s pressure to take me on one last good ride and make me laugh, think, and/or cry. How will they leave it? Will there be any surprises?
  6. Looking for a statement about the themes and topics of the story.
  7. Hope to be moved intellectually or emotionally.
  8. Questions for Anne: what’s your history with final episodes? I can remember Seinfeld and Sopranos. I don’t know if I remember any others.

Going into the last episode of Ted Lasso, which I thought would be the last episode ever, what was I thinking about?

  1. I wondered what Coach Lasso would do. Would he go home? Would he end up with someone such as Rebecca or Sassy?
  2. Would Roy or Jamie end up with Keeley? I tended to think Jamie was a better fit for Keeley.
  3. How would the team do?

Let’s go through this final episode and then let’s check on how we think the episode did based on what we’ve laid out:

  1. We get the Soccer Saturday show which has worked well to summarize what’s going on. Richmond can win the league. Rupert has been accused of an inappropriate relationship. Something we’ve been seeing since the first episode is coming home to roost for Rupert.
  2. I think we get some misdirection in the opening scene. Rebecca is in the kitchen. Ted comes walking out into Rebecca’s kitchen. Ted, do you want to talk about it? Then we get Beard in a thong. How did you like that Anne?
  3. Trent has finished his book. The Lasso Way. Beard severe critic.
  4. Higgins, Keeley, and Higgins. Bring up Rupert is getting divorced. Guaranteed spot in the Champions League. Rebecca asks about selling the whole team. 2 billion. EMO: Rebecca selling whole club. New issue introduced I hadn’t considered.
  5. Team does a song and dance from the Sound of Music. So long, farewell. Goodbye.
  6. Jamie invites Keeley to go with him to Brazil for a Nike photoshoot. Roy invites Jamie for a beer. We’re getting something I wondered about. Where will these relationships go?
  7. Rebecca in the pub with her mom. Tish is the psychic. The fans bought Rebecca dinner. Really good joke by Mae about lying awake at night thinking about how easy they’ve had it.
  8. Ted sits in the bleachers alone. Rebecca shows up to talk about him leaving. Ted says very little during this talk. Rebecca makes an argument for him to stay. She says if he goes, she goes and will sell the team.
  9. Jamie and Roy show up at Keeley’s. They tell her to choose.
  10. Ted goes in to see Nate who is looking at the empty spot on the wall where the Believe sign used to be. Nate breaks down and tells Ted he is sorry. Ted says when he looks up there, he still sees it.
  11. In the office before the final match, they go over the leagues and advancing and being relegated. Roy asks to be a Diamond Dog. They mention the perfect film the Shawshank Redemption, which you have never seen, right?
  12. Higgins: The best we can do is keep asking for help and accepting it when we can. If you keep doing that, you will always be moving toward better.
  13. They show the team a montage of highlights. The whole team stands on the pitch crying.
  14. Dr. Sharon is watching. Dr. Jake really missing the mood: well, something happened.
  15. Halftime 0-2: Let you gentlemen know what an honor is has been to be your coach. Loved getting to know you. Front row seat to the men you have become. I’m gonna miss you all. Sports would be a lot less fun if you know what was going to happen. Goes to point at the wall… The sign isn’t there. Peace of mind knowing we did our best. Sam gets up and puts a piece of the sign in the middle. Jamie’s is in a book. Issac’s under his captain band. WHEN A TEAM DOES SOMETHING ON THEIR OWN. There it is. #4: Believe. There ain’t a whole lot of pleaces like AFC Richmond too.
  16. Wow: on a 16 game winning streak. Tartt scores at 51 minutes. Jamie tells Dani to take it. He gives it to Isaac. He kicked it through the net. Net gets replaced.
  17. Rupert strides onto the pitch. Crowd chants Wanker at Rupert. He loved the team.
  18. Ted learned what offsides was!
  19. Issac takes a penalty and kicks the ball through the net. I looked this up and it has happened before.
  20. They run the play where Tartt is a decoy. BBQ Sauce. Sam scores. Nate, you used my play! Collin gets to kiss his fella. Ted dances and does the running man which we got in the opening episode of season 1. Rebecca decided selling 49% of team to fans. Richmond came in second. Wicked – Kinky Boots.
  21. Rebecca says she wants to stay with her family.
  22. On the flight: To beard. Is this nuts? Beard is in love with Jane. You’re just following your heart. Whatever is about to happen, that’s a great start. I love you Willis. Beard gets off.
  23. A little girl comes running up to Rebecca at the airport. Rebecca meets the little girl. Her dad is the Amsterdam guy.
  24. Ted gets the snow globe.
  25. Trent’s book. Change the title.
  26. Roy is the manager.
  27. Nate is with Jade.
  28. Sam makes his national team.
  29. Picnic at Higgins house. Life goes on without Coach Ted Lasso.
  30. Mae and the bar fans buy some of the team.
  31. The Richmond Way becomes the name of the book.
  32. Roy goes into therapy.
  33. Ripped sign put back up.
  34. Beard’s wedding at Stonehenge.
  35. Roy lands in KC. Mercedes car home. Ted brings his luggage in the house.
  36. Coaching his kid. Be a goldfish. “Fight Test” playing.
  37. Cat Stevens, Father and Son.

Overall Observations / Questions:

  1. Rebecca and Ted are first bound by the pain of their divorces. Makes me think of friends I’ve had. And also the friends of going through something together.
  2. Between Ted’s take off from London and arrival at his home in Kansas City, is a montage that shows Roy getting introduced as manager of Richmond and Beard getting married. Ted is not at Beard’s wedding.
  3. The man from Amsterdam has unintentionally ended up with the owner of a Premiere League Team.

Where did the character start? How did they finish?

  1. Coach Ted Lasso: from full of pain from divorce, not dealing with his father’s death and marriage to heading home more mentally healthy and perhaps to reconcile his marriage.
  2. Rebecca: from trying to ruin Richmond to get back at her ex husband Rupert to thinking of the team and its fans as her family. She might end up with her own family too.
  3. Roy Kent
  4. Jamie Tartt
  5. Keeley Jones
  6. Nathan Shelley – unconfident self loathing ambition to peaceful acceptance of being a part of a team
  7. Sam Obisanya – from getting picked on by Jamie to being a leader of the team.
  8. Colin – from being closeted gay to, in the words of the show, getting to his his fella on the pitch.
  9. Rupert – a rich and powerful philanderer who owns two teams who experiences complete destruction and is ridiculed off the pitch of a team and fanbase he used to love.

Thanks for checking out this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast!

The Outer Banks, Duck Doughnuts, and Ted Lasso Season 3, Episode 9

Hi Everyone! Anne and I are recording this episode on the top floor of the Torg Family Vacation Rental in Duck North Carolina, a town in the Outer Banks. On this episode we’re going to use our powers of description to talk about the Outer Banks, a local favorite that made it big Duck Doughnuts, the talk that athletes should keep their mouths shut about politics, and more from Ted Lasso Season 3, Episode 9.

We’re in Duck, NC. The first Duck Doughnuts opened in 2007. Take a guess as to how many there are now? 126. Click here to read more about Duck Doughnuts.

My Duck Doughnuts rankings for the six I tried:

  1. Peanut Butter: like it comes off a fancy dessert menu. Peanut butter cookie dough or right out of the oven.
  2. Chocolate Explosion: dominant dark chocolate.
  3. Bacon- just like when my syrup, bacon, and pancake all run together. A little weird coming from a doughnut.
  4. French Toast.
  5. Straight Glaze.
  6. Coconut.
beach near Corolla, NC

Let’s talk about some of the other beaches we have been to as a way of getting into the beaches we’re seeing at the Outer Banks. My list:

  1. Cape Cod. Quite a bit of variety. Provincetown. Mayflower Beach near Dennis, MA. Chatham.
  2. Lots of variety on Maui too.
  3. Myrtle Beach. Folly Beach. Wrightsville Beach.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (tallest brick lighthouse in country)

Season 3, Episode 7 titled “The Strings that Bind Us”

  • This episode starts with all of the businesses in Richmond coming to life. Then we get short shots of all of the characters starting their day. Wonder why this was something we were given steadily throughout the episode?
  • Nate looking in the shop where Jade works.
  • Jack and Keeley. Sense and Sensibility first edition. People come on strong to Keeley.
  • Sam at his restaurant. Sam’s restaurant booked months in advance. He asked for a special table. The chef seems to be a great leader / coach. Sam’s father is coming from Nigeria. They were talking crap about Prime Minister, immigration stuff. Huge topic today.
  • Coaching staff introduces Total Football from the Netherlands.
  • Beard gives a good presentation. He worked in a funny line about Jamie. Reminds me of what I heard about Phil Jackson and Tex Winter. Might be where the idea to do a presentation like this came from.
  • LOL: Beard lists a line of greats including Gaga and Pinter.
  • Roy: you turn those frowns upside down because we’re f’ing doing it. Coach Ted: hush your butts.
  • Barbara takes some jabs at Keeley for dating Jack. She is a pretty funny character.
  • Ted and Beard continue to tap glasses and then tap the table. Maybe this: a sign of respect, a way to acknowledge the bartender, or a form of “cheers” to the group. It can also be a way to settle the drink, like beer, and make it easier to finish quickly. 
  • Ted invites the three bar guys to come to training.
  • Roy still yelling whistle. They commit to the little gags!
  • Jack says they are two consenting adults and she is get away with murder rich. Jack anounces to the office they are dating.
  • Lots of throwing up. Jamie’s not tired.
  • Rebecca tells Keeley about what happened meeting the boat guy. Rebecca introduces the phrase “love bombing.” Keeley says maybe we’re “love blind.” It’s an emotional version of color blindness where a person interprets red flags as giant green go flags. Jack gets the meal.
  • Nate’s sister’s birthday party. How do you tell if a girl likes you or is just being nice to you? Show him the map. So much pressure on one date.
  • Sam tweets a political statement.
  • Nate goes to ask her out. EMO moment! He doesn’t spit. He rushes out.
  • Total football: What does this situation need right now? Changing places. Dani and Issac pretty good switches. Jamie doesn’t switch with anyone.
  • The friend fans switch positions. The one guy says Paul has unwavering positivity.
  • Sam gets the “shut up and dribble.”
  • LOL: It’s like taking a hike with Robert Frost. It could go either way.
  • Keeley an office full of daisies. Ted connects them all with red string.
  • The crowd is starting to grow in the stands.
  • LOL: Will picks up the string with a tool.
  • Sam calls the political person a bigot.
  • Nate makes a box for Jade to ask her out. (is he doing his job now?) Jade waves at Nate. He trips and his box gets run over. He asks her out anyway.
  • Sam’s business is trashed.
  • Trent is writing his notes and he wonders what #4 is to play total football? #4 has not revealed itself yet. Ted says, “Sometimes you gotta leave space to let God walk into the room.”
  • EMO: Sam is going off to the team about his restaurant. And his dad calls out his name, “Samuel.” Sam’s dad: Anger will only weaken you. If you want to make them angry, forgive them. Big Whoop, says dad. Don’t fight back. Fight forward.
  • Richmond at Arsenal. Hornby’s team. Fever Pitch. 3-nil lead for Arsenal.
  • Halftime speech. Roy says he hates what Ted has done to him. He says the ZZ Top Cover Band would have been called Sharp Dressed Men. Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Says he has a Foxworthy. Makes the guys laugh. The right idea is just sitting behind a couple of wrong ones. Jamie tells them how to play.
  • Immediate goal for Richmond. Tartt in the role of conductor. The Lasso Way. total Football. Crimm says it’s going to work.
  • Nate waits for Jade. Jack knows the term love bomber. Sam and his dad go to the restaurant. Dad seems to know about Rebecca.
  • The team asked themselves what does this situation need and they are cleaning up the restaurant. Sam’s dad didn’t know the place was named after him?
  • Do we learn Simi and Sam are a couple? Ends with Sam and his dad cooking dinner.

Armpit Travel and Beer Poems: Torg Stories Podcast with Editor Peter Gregutt

Armpit Travel and Beer Poems with Mountain Xpress editor Peter Gregutt in this week’s Torg Stories Podcast.

I met Peter Gregutt when he worked with me as an editor on a piece published in Asheville’s Mountain Xpress titled “How Christopher Mello Sows Peace and Community in his West Asheville Garden.” 

In addition to listening above, you can click here for the iTunes link or just search for “Torg Stories” in the Podcast App of your iPhone.

When I learned Peter had climbed volcanoes in Guatemala, trekked the Himalayas, and spontaneously took a boat to Africa, I wanted to get him on the podcast. I was interested in his time in New York City studying English at Colombia, that he’d spent decades as an editor, and I admired his clever phrase Armpit Travel as a way to capture some of his experiences on the road.

Armpit Travel, Peter Gregutt, Travel, Mountain Xpress

***

As a way into our conversation, I asked Peter to read from the introduction to his collection. Here it is:

 

My Slime, Your Dime, High Time

Some folks “travel” via flickering images that dance across the screen. Others prefer to plant their ample posterior on a cushy seat in plane or train or air-conditioned motor coach and watch the world pass by beyond the glass.

And then there are the Armpit Travelers, those intrepid souls who strive to sniff out places a less ardent sort might choose to skip entirely in favor of a visit to the proctologist’s office.

Guided only by their own nose or gut, these indefatigable wayfarers aim to see the world — to taste the motley pleasures of the road and touch the very essence of experience — while ducking the troublesome encumbrance of paying for it. (Inevitably, of course, one does pay, though perhaps in blood and suffering in lieu of legal tender.)

To some, the words “budget travel” evoke visions of bland, greasy food; filthy, flea-infested beds; bathing in frigid water thick with icky microbes; and long, arduous bus rides that seem to go from nowhere to nowhere else. But to the true Armpit Traveler, the rewards of the road don’t stop there.

Beyond thrift, beyond grit or grift, beyond sanity, even, there lies a further storied realm whose streets might well be paved with gold if only they were paved at all. And to those with ears to hear and a nose that isn’t overly particular, that unceasing siren song may ultimately prove as irresistible as the last unprepossessing-looking person who’s still lingering in the singles bar at 2 a.m., blurry but determined, and casting inflammatory glances your way…

No travel agent orchestrates the Armpit Path; no map can aptly delineate its putative treasures. No, it’s up to the self-annointed pilgrim to discern and pursue the elusive way, guided only by the kind of enigmatic inner prompting that drives the arctic tern on its annual pole-to-pole journey and makes lemmings take their fateful leap…

But to the curious, the damned, the misfit or the annelid, a hint or a whistle or a tissue of outright lies just might prove to be the fire that lights the fuse, the fire ant whose mordant mandible incites the sluggard’s reluctant posterior to forward motion…

And to any and all who thus succumb to the blandishments and ballyhoo presented in these pages, I bid you a hearty bon voyage, albeit tempered by the slippery wisdom of an old Scottish proverb: “What may be, may not be…”

Thanks for checking out this edition of the Torg Stories podcast!

Coming soon: French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson and Grail Moviehouse owners Steve and Davida

Phenom Film Festival Edition

My sister Anne and I discuss Ed Epstein’s Hollywood Economist, Tom Cruise INC, and the Phenom Film Festival on this week’s podcast. Some good news: the documentary For the Love of Books was awarded the festival’s Audience Choice Award for a feature film.  The trophy is pictured as the image on the podcast player below. Press play to listen or check out the podcast on iTunes by typing “Prof. Torg’s Read, Write, and Teach Digital Book Club” right into the spot where you’d type a song.

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To get to the film festival, Anne came via Burbank and me White Plains, NY and we met in Dallas. We rented a car and made the 4-5 hour drive to Shreveport / Bossier City for the Phenom Film Festival. On the way, we stopped off in Jefferson, Texas to see the star of my film, Kathy Patrick. Here’s a pic of Anne and I out front of Kathy’s Beauty and the Book hair salon.

film festival, great book, audience choice

Anne and I out front of Kathy’s Beauty and the Book

Epstein’s Hollywood Economist got Anne and I talking about how often we go to the movies.  I think Anne’s an oddball! Just about the only way she sees a movie is in the theater.  How about you?

 

<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/6527398/”>How often do you go to a movie theater?</a>Want to read along with us?  We’re going to get together again in about two weeks to discuss Lawrence Lessig’s Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy.  You can get a free copy online by clicking here.

 

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