Orlando, July 2018

Don't know if anyone is still following this blog -- especially since I haven't posted here since ending the Caption Contest two years ago -- but I thought I'd post a quick update. I just got back from Orlando two weeks ago to attend the 2018 Barbershop Harmony Society convention and compete in the international chorus contest with Vocal Majority, and I'm still smiling. The trip could not have gone better if I'd scripted it.

(1) Vocal Majority won the world championship again on Friday, July 6 -- the group's 13th gold medal and my second. There's a lot I could say about the experience, but I'll sum it up in these four words: winning does not suck.

Here's one of the songs from our performance:

(2) We spend several hours on Saturday the 7th recording a video of A Million Dreams with Voctave. Dang, but they're good. No word yet on when the video will be released, but I'll try to remember to post it here.

(3) Since VM won the gold, we performed again at the Convention Center on Saturday evening. This was one of the rare downsides of winning, since I really wanted to see the hour-long show that came before we went on -- it featured Return2Zero (a/k/a "Four for a Dollar" from the B&tB preshow at the Studios), the Humdingers (a/k/a the Dapper Dans -- Disney can be so proprietary about their group names!), and Voctave. We had to settle for listening to the last half of Voctave's set from backstage.

On the plus side, since we did get to perform right after Voctave, and had our joint arrangement of A Million Dreams ready to go, we got to surprise the audience by bringing Voctave back out to perform with us live. Likely the only time we'll ever get to perform the song together for a live audience!

(4) After all the competitions were over and we were singing just for fun (which went well into the wee hours of Sunday morning), we (my wife, my parents and I) headed to WDW for a few hours. We knew going into this trip that we would not have the energy for the parks -- contests and conventions are incredibly draining -- but my parents had never been at all so I wanted to introduce them to our favorite vacation destination. We had lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe since I knew they'd love the Wilderness Lodge, then we rented a pontoon boat and I drove them around Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon for a while. I also drive our rental SUV around the World (a first for me; I'd never driven on-property before) and played tour guide. Great fun.

My dad, who turned 81 this year, had the best line when I took he and my mom to the Guest Services desk at Wilderness Lodge to get a "1st Visit" button. He gestured to me and my wife and said, "They waited to take us (to WDW) until we were old enough to appreciate it."

All in all, a phenomenal trip -- great family time, phenomenal experiences shared with my VM brothers, lots of camaraderie and excellent music at the convention, and another nice, shiny piece of hardware to enjoy.

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS! Hmm… only seventeen caption entries this week, possibly an all-time low. Never know quite what will tickle your funny bone. Here are your Honorable Mentions: Jim Salmen: "Pro Pokemon closed course. Do not attempt."; Lynn A Ewing: "Wombachoo, I pick you!"; Lara Beilby: "This Pokemon is found either singing or studying law books...Or talking to judges in Latin."; Kathrine Ricks Seale: "Famous last moments..."; Scott Lewis: "The Tabmow is most likely found chasing ambulances."; and Alan AJ Irby: "Wombat's CGI motion capture data from the Olympics was hacked. No one knows where it ended up. Meanwhile, the world goes crazy for the secret new Pokemon fans are calling the Green Wombat!"

And this week's winner is acclaimed author and filmmaker (doesn't it feel good to be called that?) Wayne Franklin, his first win this year and second overall! Congratulations, Wayne!

Thanks to all who entered! New pic coming… sometime!

CAPTION CONTEST for August 26 - POKEMON GO EDITION!

CAPTION CONTEST for August 26 - POKEMON GO EDITION! So how would you caption this picture? Comment below! The same pic will show here and on Facebook. I'll repost the pic with my favorite caption on Friday. No prize, just the glory of winning!

This Day in Misunderstood History

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS! Too many funny ones this week -- very hard to narrow down to a handful. Here are your Honorable Mentions: Rick Bivins: "After a wild night with the Irish Women's ping pong team, Wombat realizes that Ping Pong Pox is contagious."; Darren Grabowski: "No athletes were filmed in the making of this video game. Seriously."; Alan AJ Irby: "Andy Serkis' title as the king of CGI motion capture acting remains unthreatened."; two from Scott Lewis: "Motion capture requires motion. Thus, the sedentary Wombat made for a poor CGI experience."; and "Wombat tries to lure out Pokemon by hiding on a green background with strategically placed marshmallows.";  Jim Salmen: "No one told Brad auditions for the Teletubbies ended years ago."; and Kelly Zink: "Thanks to green screen technology, Wombat could sneak up on unsuspecting Zika mosquitoes and capture them in Zikaballs. Gotta catch 'em all!"

And this week's winner is, once again, from Darren Grabowski, his third win this year and twenty-first overall! (One more and you tie Michael Phelps!) Congratulations, Darren!

Thanks to all who entered! New pic coming… sometime!

CAPTION CONTEST for August 12 - OLYMPICS EDITION

CAPTION CONTEST for August 12 - OLYMPICS EDITION, suggested by Tom Wilson! I can't be the only one who think the Olympic venues look like they haven't finished filming the special effects, right? So how would you caption this picture? Comment below! The same pic will show here and on Facebook. I'll repost the pic with my favorite caption on Friday. No prize, just the glory of winning!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS! It's nice to find that so many of my friends, across the political spectrum, respond to the conventions like I do (a mixture of humor and disgust)! Here are your Honorable Mentions: Alan AJ Irby: "That moment when the only vote you want to cast is for America's Got Talent."; Darren Grabowski: "They said the VD commercials I did would only run in foreign countries!"; Jim Salmen: "Every damn channel."; Patrick Stayton: "Hope and change… the channel, for Pete's sake!"; and Kelly Zink: "After the conventions, he was left with a feeling of impending doom. As he switched off the TV, a chill ran across the back of his neck. The shadowy creature rose from behind the couch..."

And your winning caption this week comes from my VM brother Scott Lewis, his first win this year and seventh overall! Congratulations, Scott!

Thanks to all who entered! New pic coming… sometime!

CAPTION CONTEST for July 30 - SPECIAL POLITICAL CONVENTION EDITION!

CAPTION CONTEST for July 30 - SPECIAL POLITICAL CONVENTION EDITION! I'm taking a risk here, but there needs to be something humorous about this election year. Please keep it CLEAN, and go for FUNNY and CLEVER over mean. (Maybe we'll have two winners, since I don't like either major candidate!) So how would you caption this picture? Comment below! The same pic will show here and on Facebook. I'll repost the pic with my favorite caption on Friday. No prize, just the glory of winning!

Now that's efficient...

What if we really took this to heart?

What are the odds?

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS! Tons of great captions kept pouring in this week, but my favorite was one of the first submitted! Here are the Honorable Mentions: Tom Jackson: "I hate to even ask, but does your suit come in Extra Extra Large?"; Joel Bezaire: "You're not the marsupial Gotham deserves, but you're the marsupial Gotham needs right now." (and thank you, Joel, for recognizing that wombats are marsupials, not rodents!); Cory Church: "See, Batman, they'd rather have Wombat than Ben Affleck."; Patrick Stayton: "Sorry, friend, but there's a new sheriff in town - a hero whose primary defense is his toughened rear hide and backwards-facing pouch."; Bill Ferrell: "It's just a prototype, but I'm sure we can sell it to other crime fighters. Now give me Catwoman's number!"; and Bear Deardorff: "Dude, I have done the research. 'Wombatman' is NOT legally an infringement on your trademark. Chill."

And the top caption this week is from perennial winner Darren Grabowski, his second win this year and twentieth overall! Congratulations, Darren!

Thanks to all who entered! New pic coming… sometime!

CAPTION CONTEST for June 10!

CAPTION CONTEST for June 10! How would you caption this picture? Comment below! The same pic will show here and on Facebook. I'll repost the pic with my favorite caption on Friday. No prize, just the glory of winning!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS! This was another week with incredible response -- 75+ entries! That might be a record… if I kept track of such things. Anyway, lots of funny this week to choose from, which means that many more of you will be disappointed! Yay? So first, your Honorable Mentions: SGT's WEDFan: "The hills are alive... and it's pretty frightening!"; Jay Marsh: "If a baritone sings in the woods and no one is there to hear it, is it still weird?"; Daniel Burke: "All this can be yours if you just bow down and serve me."; Kathrine Ricks Seale: "And with this, Facebook finally revoked Wombat's Caption Contest privileges."; Bear Deardorff: "Wombat self-identifies as an Edelweiss and displays his pride in his new-found identity."; Bret Morris: "A peek into Wombat's head when accepting applause at a VM show."; and of course this one, first submitted by  Lara Beilby and then several others: "The hills are aliiiiive with the sound of Wombaaat!!!"

And the winner this week is my longtime friend from our crazy college days Kathrine Ricks Seale (or is that my crazy friend from our longtime college days?), her first win! Congratulations, Kathy -- and Nertz! :-)

Thanks to all who entered! New pic coming… eventually!

CAPTION CONTEST for MAY 27!

CAPTION CONTEST for MAY 27! Inspiration for these contests can come from anywhere. My friends will now think twice before inviting me to their daughter's junior high musical. So, how would you caption this picture? Comment below! The same pic will show here and on Facebook. I'll repost the pic with my favorite caption on Friday. No prize, just the glory of winning!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS! I never know what kind of picture will get your funny bones working. I might spend a long time photoshopping myself into some ridiculous situation without much response, but when I just put myself next to a dog and match its expression… wow. So first, your Honorable Mentions: Wayne Franklin: "Wombat tries FaceSwap with surprising results."; SGT's PatchOBlack: "Few realize that one of the classes lawyers must take is in making puppy dog eyes."; my mom Gail Randall: "Wombat officially announces his running mate."; two (yet again) from Scott Stogius Maximus Lewis: "It's time to treat your dogs for protection against fleas, ticks, lawyers, and other blood sucking pests." and "The Wombat and the Hound Dog. Similar Baritone range. Similar intonation issues."; Steven Jones: "Trying to ignore him. Is he still there?"; two from Darren Grabowski: "For just 2 milkbones a day, you can sponsor this lawyer and give him a better life." and "Do you worry about 'who's a good boy!?!'? Call the law office of Brad 'Wombat' Randall, we'll fight to get the recognition you deserve!"; Jay Marsh: "I don't usually look this way. But have you heard this guy sing?"; and Rick Bivins: "Wombat takes a selfie with his new vocal coach."

And the winner this week is my longtime friend from my Colorado days Mike Reid, his very first win! Congratulations, Mike!

Thanks to all who entered! New pic coming… someday!

CAPTION CONTEST for MARCH 18!

CAPTION CONTEST for MARCH 18! It's been a while -- what say we have another caption contest? How would you caption this picture? Comment below! The same pic will show here and on Facebook. I'll repost the pic with my favorite caption on Friday. No prize, just the glory of winning!

#1. It's in Comic Sans.

It's bound to happen...

"When Frank Underwood needs help running the country, his sisters and their wacky friend move into the White House to lend a hand. John Stamos guest stars."

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS!

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS! Lots of great entries, including several with the theme of "having a screw loose" -- which, you will not be surprised to learn, has been medically verified. (Following the surgical rebuilding of my right ankle in 2008, the final x-ray showed one of the screws had not held!) So first, your Honorable Mentions: two (again) from Scott Stogius Maximus Lewis: "The leftover parts after construction were even scarier." and "Much to IKEA's chagrin, Wömmbåt performed as designed."; Fredrik Borgström: "Varning! Om du som killen till höger inte får ner händerna i fickorna, kan det bero på att du har tummen mitt i handen och kanske skall be någon om monteringshjälp." (Note: even after clicking Facebook's "See Translation" link, I'm still not totally sure what this means -- but how could I pass up a caption entry in Swedish this week???); Jay Marsh: "These tools required to construct this tool."; Lisa Lavelle: "Build a Lawyer! (Morals available for an Additional Fee.)"; and Chase Gooding: "Not to scale."

And this week's top caption comes from perennial winner Darren Grabowski, his nineteenth win! Congratulations, Darren!

Thanks to all who entered! New pic coming… someday!