Bag of Randomness for Thursday, May 20, 2015

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  • #ThrowBackThursday – That picture was taken in May 1998.  I signed up for a week-long semester of classes in which all you had to do was go to NYC, visit a bunch of financial institutions, and write a couple of papers.  Part of me didn’t want to go because my father was already in the hospital for a month, and he ended up dying a month later.  I remember him telling me that even though it’s May, I should take a heavy jacket because it gets pretty cold in New York at night.  I just kind of agreeingly nodded at my father thinking he might be high on painkillers and didn’t take a jacket.  Well, that was a mistake because I was freezing most nights, and the jacket you see in the picture is borrowed from a friend.
  • Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see a show but checked out the street they blocked for some sort of bit they were doing outside the theater.  I did catch a Conan taping that week.
  • I think one reason so many friends of David Letterman are tearing up when talking about him is that they know he’s a bit of a recluse, a real private person, and despite what he says, there’s a 98% probability we’ll never see him in public again, so all of this is like a living wake for them.
  • So Dave is gone. You can’t feel sorry for the man, he’s had a legendary career, rich beyond dreams, and it seems he’s finally happy.  But it’s hard to let go because doing so means something that was there for most of our life is gone.  A constant is no longer there.  It brings to realization that life changes and everything in it is fragile.  So it’s not so much that Dave is retiring, it’s that we don’t like letting go.  The door is slamming on our youth.
  • I’m so grateful that CBS let the show run 17-minutes long, and how they handled Dave’s retirement.
  • Man, that opening with all the living presidents (sans Carter) was beyond fantastic, very classic Letterman and what a great way to set the mood.  And I love how he was introduced . . . from a small town in Indiana.
  • I remember the studio audience for Carson’s last show was only for family and close friends of his and his employees, but I think Dave just let in a regular audience.
  • Dave has always acknowledged his monolog was never his strong suit.  It’s his bits, interviews, and the rare confessions of the heart that made him unique.
  • I was ecstatic they brought back the old school commercial cards.
  • Dave didn’t need to mention his successor Stephen Colbert at all, especially in his last show, but he took the time to do so, which I thought was classy.
  • I wonder how many total hours I’ve spent watching Dave.
  • Funny that Dave joked about wanting to become the face of Scientology and then they actually ran two commercials during his final show.
  • I liked how Jerry Seinfeld wore a tux, and I think Chris Rock wanted to take in the moment by taking a picture behind Dave’s desk.
  • Of all the things I really enjoyed, it was that behind the scenes video.
  • “Of all the nice things said, merited or not, do me a favor, save a little for my funeral.”
  • We don’t get to see much of his son, Harry, but that was a nice moment seeing him sitting in the audience.  It was a better moment hearing Dave talk about how much his family means to him.
  • I think Dave is at his best when he’s just sitting behind his desk yacking without any guests, and it was cool seeing that last night at the very end.  It’s off the cuff and genuine with sprinkles of funny.
  • The Foo Fighters were solid last night, and as much as I enjoy seeing them play, in tuxes no less, I really enjoyed all those pics and clips.
  • I think I counted a total of four Jay Leno pictures displayed in the show.
  • Mission Accomplished – “I want it to be upbeat, and I want it to be funny, and I want people to be happy that they spent the time to watch it,” Mr. Letterman said of his last “Late Show” in an interview with The New York Times.
  • James Corden had a good bit with Sting to start off his show with a hat-tip to Dave, and had his band play Dave’s song as he walked out.  And to top it off, he had a Top Ten list of things we’ll miss about David Letterman.
  • I can see Dave hosting the Kennedy Center Honors with a laid back approach.
  • 23 Things That David Letterman Invented
  • Back in the day, there was a local rumor that Paul Shaffer attended the University of North Texas.  While that may not be true, two members of his horn section are from the university.
  • In a Touching Farewell, Conan Shared the Story of How Letterman Changed His Career
  • I got an eye exam yesterday, probably my first in seven years.  I thought with 40 fast approaching, staring at a computer screen every day for at least 8 hours, and a sensitivity to light, my eyes would be in bad shape.  Nope, I still have 20/20.  But because I was driving a rental and left my sunglasses in the vehicle we actually own, I had to sport those flimsy shades so I would be able to see outside.  Without any shades, your are easily blinded by sunlight.
  • I forgot how long it takes for your eyes to adjust after getting examining drops put in. Since my job entails working on a PC and sometimes having to look at lines of code, I wasn’t really productive yesterday after the appointment.
  • Because of the tornado, Mineral Wells made the ‘CBS Evening News’ last night.  They referred to as “the resort town of Mineral Wells”.  Well, it used to be a resort town.
  • Malls in the U.S. may be going extinct (No new enclosed mall has been built since 2006), but not in Canada – Montreal Is Building A $1.7 Billion Mega Mall
  • An entertainingly long read on how Captain America was probably defrosted.
  • Tech-steeped U2 leverages gadgetry to touch fans
  • America’s biggest ranch, which is larger than New York City, goes on sale for $725million in Texas
  • Dallas: America’s friendliest city for business
  • A non-Texan tried Whataburger for the first time, and it was heaven
  • Today’s dose of ‘MURICA!
  • Pete Delkus ‏@wfaaweatherIn 2014 North TX had 4 tornadoes all year long. Just this month we’ve had 24…and the season isn’t over yet!

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3 Responses to Bag of Randomness for Thursday, May 20, 2015

  1. Dave Love II says:

    Many thanks for the Letterman ride these past weeks, Geeding. It was fun to come along. I thought the Finale was outstanding. When you read all the stories from Fallon (8th grade teacher said in his yearbook he'd be the next David Letterman) to Kimmel (who absolutely loved the man and his show and has the pictures, including 16th birthday party Late Night cake, to prove it) to Conan (great tribute), it seems to reveal my belief that Carson was the king as the minority one. It's kind of like thinking Kareem was the best basketball player ever (which I do), but nobody really shoots the sky hook today, while everybody emulates Jordan. One gets the feel that Dave = Jordan. Oh well, thanks again for being the tour guide on this thing. It was absolutely phenomenal.

    • Geeding says:

      You are very welcome. I know not everyone is a Letterman fan, but he ws a part of me, and this blog is an extension of me to a certain extend, and I was hoping I could at least connect with someone out there. I’m glad it was you.

  2. RPM says:

    I've been a Day 1 P1 of Dave going back to the morning show. He's not the same dave he was 20 years ago, but I'm not the same guy I was then either. The closing montage with Foo Fighters playing was gold. My allergies may have flared up watching that.

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