Tag Archives: Couch Potato Salad

Roundup: Online Game, Theater, Bunker …

Posted on August 2, 2024 | 1 comment

Couch Potato Salad — the very cool word game created by 2001 Staples High School graduate (and returned-to-home Westporter) Zack Gross — is better than ever.

With the help of Joshua Jordan — the spectacularly talented 2024 Staples grad (and rising Georgetown University freshman) — the game is even more engaging, and easier to use.

The game is the same: Every day, users get an AI-generated image of a word puzzle. There are 2 common phrases, linked by a common word. For example:

This is the title: “Couch Potato Salad”

Or:

“Smart Cookie Monster.”

Now, the puzzles have been organized into levels. And users can play together, in groups, on the app.

Also new: a hint systems; speech-to-text; more chances to solve; better graphics, and a cleaner interface.

Check it out. But beware: It’s addictive.

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The Westport Country Playhouse has a 93-year tradition of presenting top-notch plays and musicals. This year, they’ve added concerts, cabarets, one-person shows, and much more.

This month, they’ll host tours — and a tag sale.

“From the Page to the Stage” guided tours are available by reservation on Friday, August 23 and Saturday, August 24, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Participants will visit backstage, the greenroom, dressing rooms, the scene shop and wardrobe room. They’ll see posters, photos, costume designs, set models, and (of course) the historic stage.

Tour guide Bruce Miller, Playhouse archivist, will also tell tales about the productions and artists, spanning nearly a century of shows.

There is no fee for the tour, but donations are encouraged. Click here for reservations.

The tag sale is Saturday, August 10 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.). It features wardrobe items, including more than 100 shirts – tees, casual, business, tux shirts – for only $1; pants for $2; shoes for $5, plus a selection of show pieces at special prices. Also on sale: Playhouse memorabilia including posters, scripts, and props.

The August 10 tag sale will include memorabilia from the Westport Country Playhouse’s 93-year history. (Photo/Wells Studio)

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Speaking of the Playhouse: “Cheese Fries & Chili Dips” — very funny (and equally poignant) one-man show, written and performed by Westonite Chris Fuller — comes to the Playhouse Sheffer Barn August 22 and 23 (7:30 p.m.).

It center around Fuller’s dream to play on the PGA Tour — while living with bipolar disorder. He details the difficulties of competing in tournaments while his mind raced out of control with sudden mood swings, setting him on a path to self-destruction. He tells his tale with insights, clarity — and plenty of humor.

Fittingly, it’s a benefit for the International Mental Health Foundation.

All tickets are $25. The include a pre-show party (6:30 p.m.) with music, complimentary margaritas and nachos, and tips from Golf Performance Center pros. Click here to purchase, and for more information.

PS: Fuller will give a copy of his book (“Goodnight, Golf!”) to an audience participant, after an onstage putting contest during the show.

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Speaking of entertainment: Westport’s own Drew Angus entertained a large, enthusiastic crowd last night, at the Levitt Pavilion.

The free shows continue tonight (7:30 p.m.). Blue Note supergroup Artemis takes the stage, en route to the Newport Jazz Festival. They’ve been named Downbeat Readers’ Poll Jazz Group of the Year, and Jazz Journalists Association Mid-Sized Ensemble of the Year.

Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. concert (Pink Talking Fish, with Telula) is a ticketed event ($25).

Sunday (7 p.m.) features the West Point Concert Band. That’s another free one.

Click here for tickets (free and paid), and more information.

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Speaking still of entertainment: The Westport Community Theatre has announced its 67th season.

Shows include “The Pavilion” (September 13-29), “The Other Place” November 15-December 1), “Pride and Prejudice” (January 31-February 16), “Agnes of God” (March 28-April 13), and “Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy” (June 6-22).

Click here for tickets — including discount prices, priority seating, bonus tickets to share with friends, and free admission to staged readings and special presentations.

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Looking for family- and ecologically friendly activities for August?

Here are some of the activities at Earthplace:

  • Butterfly ID Walk (August 3, 10 a.m.; $10 members, $15 non-members)
  • Winged Wonders: Meet Freckle (August 4, 1 p.m.; free with admission)
  • Craft ‘n’ Sip: Butterfly Puddlers (August 8, 6 p.m.; $30 members, $40 non-members)
  • Build a Bouquet (August 7, 10 a.m. members only, $20 per family; August 16 and 25, 3 p.m., open to all, $25 per family)
  • Summer Blooms: Wildflower ID Walk (August 10, 1 p.m.; $8 members, $10 non-members)
  • Organic Gardening (August 15, 3 p.m.; $5 members, $10 non-members)
  • Invasive Plant Removal Day (August 21, 10 a.m.; free).

Click here for registration, and more information.

Butterflies are just one attraction at Earthplace. (Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

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The Westport Farmers’ Market is a great place for fresh produce, herbs, meats, bread, baked goods, pet food, pizza and tacos.

The Imperial Avenue parking lot is also the spot every Thursday for live music, and a rotating series of informational booths for very worthy non-profits.

Yesterday, shoppers were reminded to vote.

The message was delivered — typically, for the Farmers’ Market — in a sustainable way.

A non-partisan project — backed by the office of Connecticut’s Secretary of the State — uses recycled wire lawn signs to spread the word that a primary election is August 13. The general election follows in November.

Shoppers were urged to make their own signs, to fit into those wire holders.

And when those reminders are over, maybe candidates will use those wire lawn signs a third time.

New use for old signs. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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What’s with the new construction at 254 Hillspoint Road?

After blasting into the hillside below Sherwood Drive, builders laid a foundation that’s a lot sturdier than you see in a normal home.

The newest addition: very strong steel beams.

(Photo/Richard Fogel)

Passersby — and there are many, on the well-traveled road, wonder: Is it a home?

Or a bunker?

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Howard Edelstein spotted this sight at Saugatuck Shores:

(Photo/Howard Edelstein)

He writes: “I know that there are a million very good reasons to live in Westport. But this photo — taken at 6:30 a.m. — says it all.

“I’ve seen paddle boarding and yoga. But to do yoga and meditate on a paddle board while standing on your head is a first for me.”

Howard says the man — whose name is Gil — floated out toward Longshore, then back.

Very, very peacefully.

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Speaking of the water: The 37th annual Swim Across the Sound splashes off tomorrow (Saturday, August 3).

The open water event draws swimmers from across the country and raises thousands of dollars to support cancer patients and their families.

The event is sponsored by Hartford HealthCare St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

Among the scores of swimmers: Westport resident and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lauren Fabian.

This is her second Swim Across the Sound. Last year, she swam with friends she met at the Westport Weston Family YMCA.

This year, she’s part of the Orthopedic Specialty Group team, based in Fairfield.

“We always look for opportunities to get involved and give back to the community,” she says. “My partners are excited to get out of their comfort zones for a great cause.”

Dr. Lauren Fabian

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The early bird gets the worm.

And the craft beer.

“Early bird tickets” are on sale for Westoberfest. The 7th annual craft beer-and-fall festival is set for September 21 (2 to 5 p.m.), in downtown Westport. The event is sponsored by the Westport Downtown Association.

The price through August 31 is $45. Tickets go up to $50 on September 1, and are $55 at the event. Click here to purchase, and for more information.

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Jill Schary Robinson, an author and journalist who chronicled her life growing up in Hollywood — but spent several years in Westport too as an adult — died  July 19 at her Beverly Hills home. She was 88.

Robinson was the daughter of  playwright, screenwriter and MGM executive Dore Schary. She wrote her first novel, “Perdido,” while living here.

Click here for a full obituary. (Hat tip: Fred Cantor)

Jill Schary Robinson (Photo/Bernard Gotfryd, via Library of Congress)

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As July turned to August, only a few of these were left at Baron’s South.

Today’s colorful “Westport … Naturally” feature comes courtesy of Molly Alger.

(Photo/Molly Alger)

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And finally … today is the first day of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The event – begun in 1938 in the Black Hills of South Dakota, originally for stunts and races — has grown into a 10-day event. It draws 500,000 people, and generates $800 million in revenue.

(Get your motor runnin’. Head out on the highway. Then click here to donate to “06880,” your hyper-local blog. Thanks for your support!)

 

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Posted in Beach, Downtown, Entertainment, Westport Country Playhouse

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Roundup: Budgets, Traffic Safety, Couch Potato Salad Contest …

Posted on March 20, 2024 | 2 comments

Westport’s 2 budgets — town operations, and education — passed big hurdles this week.

On Monday, the Board of Finance okayed First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker’s $84,380,124 proposal. It’s a 1.96% increase from the current year.

Last night, it was the Board of Education’s turn. Their $147,300,744 request represents a rise of 8.08% over the current year. Much of that is driven by health insurance.

Both budgets now move to the Representative Town Meeting, for final approval.

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Tomorrow’s Board of Education meeting (Thursday, March 21; 7:30 p.m., Staples High School cafeteria) includes discussion of redistricting, and a Policy Committee update.

The Policy Committee meets today (Wednesday, March 20; 11 a.m., Town Hall auditorium) for a 6th reading of possible revisions to the Student Discipline document.

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Last month, “06880” wrote about — and linked to — a new online map. It gives residents a chance to provide feedback on Westport’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Safety Action Plan project.

Users easily zoom in on a particular place in town. The map has 3 options to drop a pin, and offer feedback: “Safety Concern”; “Safety/Improvement Idea”; “Good Example.” There’s a chance too to like a previous comment (and see how many other residents agree).

In the month since, Westporters have made dozens of suggestions and comments.

You can see them all. Click here; then scroll down, and click “Continue.”

You can also add your own thoughts. It’s a dynamic, ongoing — and very interactive — map.

PS: Click here for the “Traffic & Pedestrian Safety” page on the town website.

Every icon represents a bad or dangerous spot (orange thumbs-down); something good (blue thumbs-up), or a comment (gray light bulb). Each icon is clickable, to read details.

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Couch Potato Salad — the great new illustrated word puzzle game developed by Westporter Zack Gross — is adding players every day.

(What’s it all about? Click here for the very fun back story.)

Now you can see how you stack up against everyone else. And win $100 while doing so.

Every day, Couch Potato Salad posts a clever image. It describes 2 common phrases, linked together by a shared word in the middle. The image above shows (duh) “Couch Potato Salad.”

Couch Potato Salad’s March Madness competition is free to enter. All you need is a creative brain.

Just click here. Sign in. Play the daily puzzles from today (March 20) through March 31.

The top 3 scores earn $100 each. Winners are the 3 players who solve the most puzzles out of the 12.

Tiebreakers are: Most Nailed (got the answer in one entry), Most Sailed (did it piecemeal), and finally, time (quickest solutions).

Can you figure this one out? The answer is at the end of this item.

The site gives you all the info you need to play (it’s easy). Sign in using an email and password (not the “password-less” login).

Some puzzles are dated prior to March 20. You can play them, but they won’t count for this competition.

You don’t have to play the puzzles on the day they are posted. But there will be a leaderboard, so you can see how you stack up.

Good luck! Questions? Email couchpotatosaladgame@gmail.com.

The answer to the “Couch Potato Salad” image above: Gingerbread Man Cave.

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Right on schedule, they’re back!

Westport’s favorite raptors — the ospreys — have returned to their perch next to Fresh Market.

Dana Kuyper was the first one to spot them, yesterday. She sent this photo:

(Photo/Dana Kuyper)

As we do every spring, “06880” will follow their adventures — and their new family — with interest and joy.

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The Long Lots School Building Committee holds a meeting tonight (Wednesday, March 20, 6 p.m., Town Hall Room 309).

They’ll go into executive session to discuss A/E RFQ submissions with invited candidates.

There will be public commend and/or questions, as time allows.

Long Lots School Building Committee, at an earlier session. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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MoCA Westport’s new exhibition opens with a reception and special performance by Sahmra Sawyer (also known as Supreme Divinity) tomorrow (Thursday, March 21, 6 to 8 p.m.).

“It Will Go On” merges MoCA’s gallery space with the first New England installation of the Black Art Library. The exhibit explores how the visual and the literary intersect, and inspire each other. It “urges visitors to interrogate contemporary forms of silencing, quieting, and censorship.”

The exhibition runs through June 16, and is free for MoCA Westport members. There is a $10 suggested donation for non-members.

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Longtime Westporter Margaret Labbance DeMace died peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Friday. She was 91.

She was born in Fairfield. When I-95 was built, she and her mother relocated to Westport. A neighbor, Dominick DeMace, became the love of her life.

They married in 1955. She proudly raised 3 children, and cherished her role as grandmother and great-grandmother. S

Marge enjoyed winters in Florida, and mission trips the couple took with Assumption parish. She was an active member of its prayer network, and a devoted attendee at Saturday mass.

She was predeceased by her husband. Marge is survived by her children David, Danielle Yingling and Dominick (Joanne); grandchildren Stephanie Fagan (Joseph); Christina Bierwirth, and Natalie, Emily, Elisabeth and Eric DeMace, and great-grandchildren Connor and Devin Fagan, and Andrew Bierwirth, as well as many nieces and nephews.

The family will receive relatives and friends today (Wednesday, March 20) from 4-7 p.m. at Harding Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian burial will take place at Assumption Church tomorrow (Thursday, March 21, 10:00 a.m). Burial will follow at Saint John’s Cemetery in Norwalk.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Assumption Church may be made in her name.

Marge DeMace

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo could have been taken at many Westport locations. Spring is popping up everywhere.

This shows the scene at Burying Hill Beach.

(Photo/Wendy Levy)

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And finally … Vera Lynn was born on this date, in 1917. The English singer — who, along with Winston Churchill, was an enormous inspiration to her country during World War II — died in 2020, at 103.

(Don’t be a couch potato! Please click here to support “06880,” your hyper-local blog. Thanks!)

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Posted in Arts, Education, Environment, Local politics, Obituaries, Transportation

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Couch Potato Salad Days Are Here

Posted on March 12, 2024 | 10 comments

Move over, Wordle.

There’s a new game in town.

Literally.

Couch Potato Salad was created right here in Westport. And with its clever premise, compelling graphics and daily addictive/social/creative buzz, it could be the next thing to break the internet.

Just click on CouchPotatoSaladGame.com. You’ll see an image. The correct answer will describe it using 2 common phrases, linked by a shared middle word.

For example:

It’s “Shrimp Cocktail Party.”

Try this:

Of course, it’s “Smart Cookie Monster.”

The game is the brainchild of Zack Gross. The 2001 Staples High School graduate moved back to Westport last year, with his wife and 2 young children.

He enlisted current Staples senior Joshua Jordan to turn the idea into a web-based reality.

(Full disclosure: I got the 2 together. I coached Zack in soccer back in the day. And Josh developed the very successful “06880” app last summer. Zack calls Josh “the smartest 18-year-old on the planet.” That’s low-balling it.)

In about 2 months, Josh created the website. Zack made the graphics. And last week, they soft-launched Couch Potato Salad (get it?) on the world.

Zack Gross

The game’s genesis dates back more than a decade. Zack and Lauren McCabe — also a Westport resident — hashed out the idea on a couples’ trip. They played occasionally, using words only, over the years.

But Zack always thought the game would work well as a visual puzzle.

“The best phrase couplets are amusing because they create a silly image in your mind,” the University of Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law graduate says.

“Crab Walk of Shame” works because you imagine a hungover crab stumbling home on the beach. But he had no way of generating the hundreds of images he needed for the game.

Then came Artificial Intelligence.

Now — with the right prompt — he can create endless images. AI generates “The Wicked Witch of the West Wing” or “Drunk with Power Rangers” at a tiny fraction of the time — and cost — it would take an illustrator.

“The images are amazing,” Zack says. “Embarrassingly, I have several hanging in my house masquerading as ‘art.'”

Try this beauty:

Of course, it’s “Elephant in the Room for Improvement.”

Even with AI, of course, capturing the right image is not easy.

“You can’t just type ‘Bachelor Pad Thai’ and get a workable puzzle,” he notes.

He first figures out the necessary visual elements and style, then explains it to the program.

From there, it’s a lot of trial and error.

For the “Couch Potato Salad” image — on the website’s home page — Zack generated over 100 options. A professional illustrator revised it further.

What’s especially cool, Zack says, is that the game was created, tested and developed entirely by Westporters.

Josh Jordan

After developing it with McCabe, he sent it to high school classmates Will Downey, Mike Carey, Jordan Schur, Everett Boyle and Jim Wolf (some of whom, like Zack, have returned here to live).

Josh — the Staples senior — took care of all the back end tech work. As with the “06880” app, he worked quickly, efficiently, creatively and very professionally.

Now Zack and Josh — 23 years younger, and a soon-to-be fellow Staples grad — have shared Couch Potato Salad with the rest of the world.

What a great Brain Food Chain!

(Where else but “06880” can you find a story like this? When you finish downloading Couch Potato Salad, please consider a contribution to your hyper-local blog. Click here — and thank you!)

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Posted in Local business, Staples HS, technology, Totally random

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