Hi I’m James Gurksnis. You might remember me from such blog posts as this one right here or such Toastmasters clubs as Greensburg Toastmasters.

Recently, the entertainment world marked the 25-year anniversary of the passing of actor Phil Hartman. Hartman was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1986 until 1994, playing various characters and also a writer on the show. He has many voice acting credits to his name as well (not as many as Frank Welker but still very prolific). In my opinion, his best voice acting work took place on The Simpsons, where he mainly appeared as actor Troy McClure and disbarred attorney Lionel Hutz, but other characters as well. Lyle Lanley included.

In tonight’s blog, I’m going to discuss Phil through his work on The Simpsons because I’m more familiar there.

Perhaps the passing of Phil Hartman is one of the reasons why the Simpsons has gone downhill over the years. Hartman guest starred in 52 episodes of the show between 1991 and 1998. He also starred on NBC’s hit sitcom NewsRadio from 1995 to 1998.

One of the the best Simpsons episodes that Phil Hartman took part in was “A Fish Called Selma”. It’s a Troy McClure-centered episode that was developed to give Hartman a larger role on the show. In it, we learn more about the character’s backstory. Great musical numbers in it as well. At one point before Hartman passed, he expressed an interest in making a live action film about Troy McClure. He would have even bought the rights to make the film itself happen.

Hartman also starred in one of the show’s greatest episodes of all time, Marge vs. the Monorail, as conman Lyle Lanley (a parody of Harold Hill). The episode is a parody of The Music Man. Also appearing as himself was Leonard Nimoy 🖖.

Hartman had film roles in 1995 with Houseguest, alongside Sinbad. They would reunite for 1996’s Jingle All The Way. Other film credits include Coneheads and Sgt. Bilko (both starring another Saturday Night Live alum and one of the original cast members, Dan Aykroyd). He also appeared in commercials for McDonalds and 1-800 COLLECT (remember them?).

Hartman died on the morning of May 28, 1998, by homicide when he was fatally shot by his wife. As a result of Hartman’s passing, the Simpsons retired the Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure characters. They did the same with Mrs. Krabappel after Marcia Wallace died in October of 2013.

The Simpsons and the world is a less funnier place without you, Troy.

This long holiday weekend has come to end for me. It was nice to have an little vacation from Giant Eagle but I’ll be ready to get back to the grind tomorrow night. I worked last week Sunday to Thursday and this week I work Tuesday to Saturday, hence the little vacation.

Benny is home from Children’s after a four month stay. Out of respect for my aunt and my family, I didn’t post about his hospital experience or about the surgeries. We went up to Somerset today for a picnic and to celebrate Memorial Day. Overall it was a good day and it’s great to have Aunt Sue and Benny home. There will be appointments but so far, things are looking up.

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone. The next big events on my agenda will be the Greensburg Toastmasters Open House next Wednesday, and then Club Officer training on June 24 at Westmoreland County Community College.

In tonight’s blog post I want to discuss not only the topic of downsizing, but also turning over a new leaf. Without going into further detail on what this means for me, let’s talk about the meaning of the word downsize.

“Downsize” is a verb meaning to reduce in size. I learned about downsizing in my high school economics class and in business terms, it usually means positions are being eliminated. In real estate, the word also means to move to smaller place of residence. Speaking from a non-business standpoint, downsize means to make something smaller.

In the coming weeks for me, my definition of downsizing will involve reducing space.

I did that before when I moved home in November of 2019 after my grandmother’s passing earlier that year. Not really wanting to get into the details too much, I accumulated a lot of things since. However, I really don’t need them anymore. This is a big project I will be undertaking and I plan to use the time between now and Club Officer Training to get it done. On the other hand, it won’t take that long.

To turn over a new leaf means to alter your behavior in a positive way to start fresh to change course to start afresh.

I feel I want to turn over a new leaf in the new Toastmasters year when I become President for the Greensburg club on July 1. I’m excited for us and the upcoming Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) event. A dozen years in Toastmasters and this will be my biggest year yet.

“Downsizing” will help me arrive at training on a clean slate and keep me more focused when July 1 gets here. I’ll feel at peace when I turn 42 and when I enjoy my Burgatory birthday dinner the night before that.

Today’s blog post is about the music genres that I’ve listened to over the years. I’ll go into what stations I’ve liked over the years. Plus, I’ll also get into my choice of streaming service now that everything is digital.

Believe it or not, there was a time when I heard music on the radio and turned it off. I don’t know what it was back then. Maybe it was my emotions toying with me. But I got over my fear of the radio and began to enjoy what I was hearing.

I’m from the Pittsburgh area and I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. I listened to 3WS (94.5) and Variety 96 (96.1) on occasion as well as DVE (102.5). My parents had WLTJ (92.9) and WSSH (99.7) on in the background a lot of the time. We also listened to KDKA-AM (1020) and WTAE-AM (1250) for Pirates and Steelers games and Sportstalk (well, mostly my dad did).

I grew up with B-94 (WBZZ, 93.7) and loved their DJ’s and the song rotation. Back in 1996, it was Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, Jewel, Counting Crows, etc. Matchbox 20 and Wallflowers and the Dave Matthews Band were also popular. Then boy bands dominated the late 90s and early 2000s with N’Sync, and Backstreet Boys as well as 98 Degrees. When I went to college, I switched to Power 99.1 in Johnstown (it switched frequencies with 92.1 which was an all-rock station). I was mostly entertained by that era of bubble gum pop music that came and went with the dot-com companies. I still enjoy it once in a while thanks to my Amazon music subscription.

In today’s blog, I’ll also talk about my top three genres of music over the years and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at some of my other choices. While I lived for Pop/Top 40, I had some variety in my listening preferences too.

1. Country–One of the Pop/Top 40 stations I listening went to a Country format in 2000, I’m no stranger to the genre though. I was introduced to country when my Mom would play Garth Brooks cassettes on our road trips to Somerset or to my Gram’s house. We owned most of his collection and eventually, I began to like more country acts like Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill (the latter two being more a pop country crossover).
2. Jazz–Believe it or not, I was introduced to Jazz music when I watched the Weather Channel as a child. Their local forecasts consisted of smooth jazz and jazz fusion music selections from bands like the Rippingtons, Norman Brown, and the Crusaders. I didn’t know where this music came from but I had the answer to my question in early 2006 when I discovered TWCClassics.com (a nostalgia website dedicated to all things Weather Channel). During my senior year of high school, I grew out of B94 and into 90.5 (formerly WDUQ which operated out of Duquesne University) and enjoyed their news and jazz programming. I listened to Tony Mowod a lot in the summer evenings of 2000 when I wasn’t listening to Froggy or Y108.
3. Contemporary Christian–In 2002, I began to switch over to Christian music as I had dated someone who had a strong faith in Jesus and I wanted a change. This was one of my main genres of music throughout the rest of my time in college. My interest in this genre is due mainly to the influence it had during my time at HGA and Slippery Rock and as I found my first church home following graduation. I feel like I listen to it more now to keep up with my other Christian friends. I enjoy it but it’s not my #1 choice of listening even though I own quite a bit of praise and worship and CCM albums.

Fun Fact: During my time in college, one of my friends was against listening to secular music entirely due to her faith, but eventually I did get her into more pop-friendly music. I got her to enjoy Backstreet Boys and N’Sync as well as some of the popular one hit wonders of 2000 and 2001.

In terms of streaming music services as I close out the blog, I’ve shuffled around (again, pardon the pun) between Spotify and Amazon Music. Amazon has all of Garth Brooks’ albums available to stream and for that reason I have decided to stay with them. I can listen to all my podcasts on Amazon that I would on Spotify or Apple. Streaming has been the future for years now even though record players and phonographs have made a comeback. More records than compact disks were sold in 2019. That’s the first time that’s happened since 1987.

To think though, it used to always be cassettes and 8-tracks.

Today’s blog goes back to the Summer of 2003, as I achieved one degree and was going to work towards furthering my education. It’s August and I’m getting my stuff packed and ready to move in at Slippery Rock University. I would be living in Kraus Hall, a residence hall for non-traditional students, during my first year on campus.

Before I move on in this blog post, I want to give out Happy Birthday wishes. A happiest of birthdays to my longtime friend Rocco Cremonese who is celebrating his today. Rocco and I met during my first year at the Rock. We lived across the hall from each other on the second floor in Kraus. Rocco transferred from WCCC and graduated from Greater Latrobe. His brother Frank was also starting his freshman year, living in Rhoads Hall. Rocco and I became fast friends and spent a lot time watching football on Sundays. Our friendship has stood the test of time since graduation.

My first weekend at Slippery Rock was packed with fun, food, and fellowship with lots of incoming freshman and transfer students. For all returning students, it was back to reality that weekend as they started another year of school. For some it was their last and they would be thinking about the rest of their lives. Enjoy every minute of college and don’t take it for granted because you’ll never know when it’s gone.

We played fun trivia games and got to spend time at the baseball park located at the south end of campus. We enjoyed a movie under the stars. It was Bruce Almighty. Not the best film. but it gave us a few laughs. Not Jim Carrey or Morgan Freeman’s best role, but I was introduced to a hilarious guy named Steve Carell. He was a few years away from landing his greatest role of all time. That’s What She Said!

For me, the honeymoon would be over as soon as classes began Monday. That first week I was already in over my head. That would be a telling reminder of what the semester and school year was going to be like for me. I guess I shouldn’t have taken all those amenities at HGA for granted, like public transportation and not having to walk from building to building for all my classes.

The first semester was a learning experience for me (no pun intended) and it came equipped with many moments of humility. But I had good moments along the way. Just as the Pittsburgh Steelers struggled in 2003, so did I. They’d pick up their star QB in 2004 and improve their standing as an elite team. I would be destined to do the same at Slippery Rock.

I dealt with many obstacles along the way and made my share of mistakes. I fell behind in classes; got stressed out too many times; dealt with being broke (the terms poor and college student go together); and, had my heart broken. I did very well in my community college courses; however, my first semester and year at the Rock was going to be quite a different ballgame entirely. In the end, it would result in changes needing to be made to ensure future success down the line.

Despite my first semester struggles, I had my share of good times. This involved playing Madden in the dorm lounge and hanging out in Rocco and Steve’s room as well as playing Mario Kart: Double Dash on GameCube. I tried to find my place in the world and made a lot of friends in the clubs and ministries that I joined. I discovered the ARC (the Rec center on the south end of campus) which was one of my favorite buildings on campus and had one of the most beautiful designs.

While my first semester at HGA was a breeze, the first semester at Slippery Rock was a completely different storm. Even though I had been in college three years, I felt really lost in the shuffle. But you have to go through the rain to get to the rainbow. However, skies clear up and things do get better.

On Tuesday night at my Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting, I did something that I haven’t in my 12 years in the organization. I gave two speeches in less than a week. That hasn’t happened before and I was proud of myself for stepping up to the plate.

Our club president Ryan sent an email Tuesday looking for speakers as none were scheduled. As I was getting ready to go to my meeting, a speech idea came to mind. I had just done a speech and needed to do the second one for my project–Deliver Social Speeches. I was going to give that one on June 13 but decided to swap my speech with giving an evaluation.

It couldn’t have worked out any more perfectly. Club member Andrea Michaux served as my evaluator (we were both scheduled to be speech evaluators). My last speech a week ago at Greensburg was a eulogy for Mister Rogers, which was delivered very well. This social speech was about presenting an award. I honored our club’s founder and current Vice President of Education Sharon Imes (nee Joseph) with a pseudo Spirit of Toastmasters award. I won one back in 2020 along with two other member.

I think Sharon can definitely win Spirit of Toastmasters because she has a huge passion for the organization. Just as she started the Laurel Highlands Club in Fayette County, we hope she and Gary can get Toastmasters going in the Frostburg-Cumberland area too.

Even though it was a small turnout for our meeting (six total with half in person and half virtual), it was a successful one. Ryan even got some names for next years’ officer list. I will reprise my Sergeant at Arms role for the club.

The reason I wrote this blog was to talk about the importance of stepping up to the plate when needed. It’s an important term whether you’re a sports team and you need to win to pull ahead in your division, or if you’re a Toastmaster. Why we’re in Toastmasters is to improve our communication and leadership skills and learn to work as a team.

Ryan could have just had Table Topics for the meeting but in my heart I really felt the need to help the team out. As President next year in Greensburg, I really want to set a good example for everyone by speaking more and, finally, finishing my path. Plus, one of level 4’s elective projects is to write a compelling blog. How much more perfect can it get? I also want to start off the Greensburg meetings by reading the mission and highlighting one role per meeting.

Next Laurel Highlands meeting is June 13 and the first meeting for the 2023-24 Toastmaster Year will be July 11. Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) aka Club Officer Training will be held June 24 and will be hybrid (in person and online).

When it comes to the greatest selling albums, which one comes to mind? Is it Back in Black by AC/DC, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, or Thriller by Michael Jackson? What’s the best song of your entire lifetime? Highway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin or Hotel California by the Eagles? What about Purple Rain by Prince (the album and song)?

What’s the first album you ever bought? For me it was a CD and it was Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morrissette. I just mentioned some of the best records of all time. For my generation, that was one of the best. But our opinions differ.

24 years ago this month, the Backstreet Boys released their second album Millennium. They already had success with their self-titled debut and hits like “As Long as You Love Me” and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”. So I was sure this new one would be a hit and surely, it did not disappoint. I bought both albums in January of 2000 and quickly became turned on to the boy band craze.

Hits like “I Want It That Way” and “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely” got lots of airplay in 1999 and 2000 and stayed on the top 100 charts for many weeks. For me, it was my senior year and these were my jams. For those of you who grew up in the 80’s you had Michael Jackson and Paula Abdul, and in the 70’s you danced to the tunes of the Bee Gees and KC and the Sunshine Band. When I graduated high school and was off to college, these became my hits.

The music videos were always fun to watch (back when they were a thing). God I miss the old days of MTV and VH-1 when they played videos. Proud to be coming of age during the B-94 days (pre-2004) and was stoked when it temporarily came back in 2007. When I left for college in August 2000, I had Power 99.1 in Johnstown to keep me entertained. Even though pop music is long outdated like disco, I still enjoy it.

Say what you will, the Backstreet Boys are the greatest boy band of all time (apologies to all you N’Sync and Justin Timberlake fans) and Millennium is one the best selling albums of all time, if not the greatest.

Oh, and they released their first Christmas album last fall, “A Very Backstreet Christmas”. It’s worth a listen and it has one of the best covers of George Michael’s “Last Christmas”.

Check out my blog post later this week when I talk about my favorite music genres.

It seems like it’s been forever since I last posted. It’s been a busy time with work and competing in the Diamond League finals on Duolingo 🦉 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 . Plus, when there’s not much interesting going on in my life or I don’t feel up to it, I won’t post it.

I’m trying not to make this Spring a repeat of last year when I was going through my crap and trying to figure out how to do things around my new job. But sometimes it feels like it.

However, yesterday felt like a good day to get out of the house. I had plans to meet my aunt and go to Phipps with her to check out the Billy Porter Flowers 🌺 and Fashion 👗 exhibit.

The dress designs were absolutely amazing and showed off a lot of color. There were selfie 🤳 stations at the exhibit and backdrops where you could strike a pose. I’ll let some of the other pictures tell the story.

We spent a hour there taken in by all the flora and fashion. Billy Porter is a Pittsburgh icon in the art scene 🎬 🎭 , up there with playwright August Wilson and of course, Michael Keaton. I read his memoir back in November 2021 as I was just beginning my journey.

Fun fact: Billy Porter attended Carnegie Mellon University and Josh Gad was a student of his.

While I’m looked at as an inspiration for my gender nonconforming adventures, Billy Porter was a trailblazer long before and he had two strikes against him already. He was sent to therapy to “fix” his effeminacy (Jess mentioned conversion camp to Bobby in the “Black Girl Magic“ episode of Queer Eye and he was glad she didn’t go through with it).

After we left Phipps, we drove around Oakland and looked for a place to grab a bite to eat. We couldn’t find the bistro that was recommended eating so we looked around. I was willing to go across the street and eat at the Indian restaurant but wasn’t sure I could handle all the spices.

We settled for some classic Pittsburgh fare and ate at Primanti’s on Penn Avenue in East Liberty. This is a newer location and it has outdoor seating. Down the road are the Duolingo headquarters and a recently opened Whole Foods Market.

I dropped off Aunt Sue at the hospital afterwards and then went home. My Very Pittsburgh Day had come to an end.

It’s less than a week until the new season of Queer Eye premieres. I’ve listed my top ten episodes and today I’ll go over #6 to #10. I plan to watch the top five this upcoming week and the season premiere this Friday.

Here’s the first half of my top ten. I’ve carefully made this list giving equal praise to every city the Fab Five has been at. Oh, and the best dog award goes to Bruley from seasons three and four.

#10–Disabled But Not Really (Season 4, Kansas City) #9–Jones BBQ (Season 3, Kansas City)

#8–Preaching Out Loud (Season 5, Philadelphia) #7—Groomer Has It (Season 5, Philadelphia) both of these episodes aired back to back.

#6–A Night to Remember (Season 6, Austin), and kicking off my top five tomorrow will be… drumroll, please… Dega Don’ts (Season 1, Atlanta).

I chose ‘Dega Don’ts because of the conversation that Cory and Karamo have in the car and how they’re able to see eye to eye despite their differences. That’s just it. I don’t care if you’re a Trumpkin rocking your MAGA-hat proud of your religion and country (I have a strong faith in Jesus ✝️ and love the USA 🇺🇸 too).

As long as you’re accepting of other people’s differences, you’re not a bully, and you’re not an asshole, then honey you’re all right in my book.

PSA done and, now, on to my feature presentation.

I took advantage of my Saturday morning off to have coffee at the Kentlee. While there, I had the opportunity to meet two of my Instagram friends whom I follow and like my posts. As soon as I walked in, I met Jill from LittleGiasGoodies and we must have chatted for at least a half hour. We talked about a collab and a Gigibomb (it’s very tasty) that I’m going to try in June. Forget A-list Hollywood celebrities, it’s nice to meet my IG friends in person, like when I ran into Vanessa (thebombshellsuite) in Ligonier during Fort Days.

While having coffee, I also got to meet Katie (BlufinnBoutique). She complimented me on my fashion and was thrilled she finally got to meet me as well. Getting to meet these two really made my Saturday morning. I even was able to get a few places down for food reviews. French Express in Latrobe and Kitchen on Main in Ligonier, I’m coming for you. I hope we all meet again soon. Maybe I’ll stop down and check out one of their pop-ups.

Afterwards, I topped off my Saturday morning by going to the mall. With me becoming President of the Greensburg club for the 2023-24 Toastmasters year, I wanted to look a little more conservative in my appearance. Don’t worry, the nonconforming adventures aren’t coming to an end.

At Old Navy, I bought some button down shirts and some polo shirts, channeling my inner Tan and my inner Bobby from Queer Eye. I also bought some new sandals 👡 and a tote perfect for pride month. I saw a bomber jacket perfect for my inner Karamo but held back on buying that because it wasn’t on sale.

My inner Karamo and inner Antoni will have to wait. My inner Jonathan Van Ness 👗, that’s what shopping online is for.

For most people, January and February seem to last the longest, due to the short days and cold weather, as well as the lack of sunlight.

For me, April seemed to go on longer than expected. I don’t know if you would call that a good or bad thing. But that’s one’s opinion.

Overall, it was still a pretty good month. While I didn’t come out with much content, I started to realize that’s not a bad thing as I’m not rushing to get to 500 blog posts. Back in March, I was worried that I was heading for yet another depression. However, I got through it and the same can be said about April.

Highlights of April included me going to see the Super Mario Bros. movie. What did I think of the film? I thought it was really good. I loved the animation as well as the scenes that related to everything that makes Mario famous. I also loved Bowser’s love ballad to Peach.

The movie is a box office smash as it has recently grossed over $1 billion worldwide. It came out earlier in the month and has set records. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, go out and see it. It appeals to all ages and it brought out the inner child in me.

My Toastmasters fire continues to burn once again as I’ve come to enjoy my involvement in the organization once again. Maybe it’s because I was called on to be President at Greensburg for the upcoming 2023-24 Toastmasters year. I missed the Spring Conference but didn’t let that extinguish the flame. Our club just needs one new member and they’ll be eligible to reach at least Select Distinguished status. Some clubs in the District have already reached Presidents’ Distinguished (9 or 10 out of 10 goals reached), like Cranberry High Noon and Indiana (which relocated and meets on a different day now). Area 12 is having all of their club reach Distinguished or higher.

What brought me down was the pandemic, which forced us to all meet online. While we’ve gone hybrid, I had my own demons to fight as well and that I am still fighting. I nearly gave up on my non-binary journey but my cousins and a few co-workers have encouraged me to keep fighting because what I’m doing could really inspire someone else. I have the support of most of my family (keyword:most). It’s hard to live at home and be on this journey. I feel I need a bigger community and the help of the Fab Five. While I identify as non-binary in my own light, part of me is still unsure where I stand.

Now that we’ve entered May, I’m going to keep cheering on our clubs as we near the end of the year. Greensburg will be online due to our meeting place being used for the Spring election (we meet at the Westmoreland County Courthouse). I’m going to get back to the gym, but also try to make time to get outside as well.

I have a couple of checkups this month and I believe they’ll go well. My blood pressure is down from what it was two years ago. I’m glad I have been able to get it under control.

It’s celebration time this week as Abigail’s Coffeehouse in Ligonier celebrates its 25th anniversary. Abigail’s is a frequent and favorite stop for me whenever I’m in my little Stars Hollow. I love everything that they do for the community and their cinnamon rolls and pepperoni rolls are awesome. Every holiday, they do a Twelve Coffees of Christmas and you have to try at least a few. I tried to have all 12 but I didn’t quite get them all.

The Kentlee is having a pop-up this Saturday with Little Gia’s Goodies. Both of these businesses are ones I’m always following on Instagram. I plan on doing a collab at some point this year with Jill and trying out a Gigibomb, plus I look forward to meeting one of the people I follow on Instagram.

Finally, I will be going out for dinner Thursday night with Mr. Clougherty. This is my 11th year meeting up with him and it’s always a great way to us to catch up. We’ll meet at the Pourhouse (this Thursday) as well as Eat’n Park. Rizzo’s in Crabtree might be on the schedule, as well as Burgatory and North Park Lounge in Murrysville.

This week was one that was about appreciation as well as saying so long. It was during this week that we celebrated one of our good friends. For me, it was also about saying goodbye to someone who enjoyed hearing about my journey.

Tuesday was our Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. It was a meeting in which our president Ryan encouraged us to bring a small appetizer or snack. The occasion was that we were having a little party for one of our dedicated members since it was her last in person meeting with us.

Sharon Joseph had a big hand in starting the Laurel Highlands Toastmasters club in June of 2021. It became the first chapter in Fayette County since the early 1980s. I first met her at the DTM gala at Westmoreland County Community College in July, right after the club began having meetings (at the Connellsville Canteen). It was the first club to be chartered as a hybrid club (which meant that meetings would be in person and online).

The club had its red carpet celebration in November of 2021, just before I left WIS and started working at Giant Eagle. It was a big event with many people attending.

Sharon recently married and has relocated to Maryland, and her husband Gary is involved in Toastmasters as well. We’re hoping that they will eventually get a Toastmasters chapter started in either Bedford County, or somewhere around the Frostburg, Lavale, or Cumberland area.

Some of the culinary highlights of the meeting were the sweet and sour meatballs and the cheeseburger dip. I bought two bags of potato chips. We had plenty of guests attending as well, family members of Sharon’s as well as Andrea’s.

Thursday night was my last night working with someone who has been interested in my non binary journey. I haven’t really shared my journey with a lot of people. I don’t really talk about it that often because there’s no one around for me most of the time to talk to anyway. This has left me somewhat burned out. I’m still not going to give up the fight, however.

For my departing coworkers to tell me how much they appreciated hearing about my journey meant a lot, and it makes me happy that Giant Eagle is accepting to people who are LGBTQIA+🌈. I will miss chatting about Queer Eye with them as the new season kicks off in a few weeks.

I’ll always be JVG to Donald and Brogan. As they move on from Giant Eagle, my parting gift to them is that I will always keep slaying.