Satan — in the earthly form of George, the Personal Trainer — had me work the back muscles this morning, and so now I can't sit up straight without crying for my mommy. Instead of putting forth some real thought tonight, I'll transcribe some thought I put forth a couple nights ago for my Facebook page.
Consider yourself tagged. Every. Last. One. Of. You! (except kenju. She already done did it.)
25 Random Things About Me
Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this on your Facebook page, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)
1. I usually have no clue what I'm going to write when I start one of these things, and then when I'm done I feel I've barely scratched the surface.
2. It's been a slow progression, but I have come to prefer dots to separate the area code and prefix from the extension when I write or type telephone numbers. I like 312.867.5309 instead of 312-867-5309.
3. Whenever I get a hole in a sock, I throw the sock away and keep the good one, because I usually have another pair like it, and one of those is eventually going to get a hole in it, so then I'll still have at least one good pair.
4. It really pisses me off when filling out contact information on a website, and the web form doesn't allow dots to separate the area code and prefix from the extension when entering telephone numbers.
5. It has taken me more than a year to "move in" completely to my apartment. I still have a bunch of junk in boxes taking up prime space in my living room. I just NOW, finally, rented a small storage space to put that crap in.
6. Karaoke no longer scares me.
7. Sometimes I fear that my coworkers think I'm a fraud.
8. Sometimes I think I'm a fraud.
9. My preference in underwear (my own) is evolving.
10. I pay someone else to do my laundry, and I think it's well worth having that time to myself.
11. I have no secret talents...at least none that I'm aware of.
12. I originated the conundrum, "If I told you I was a chronic liar, would you believe me?"
13. I love bananas, but I hate anything "banana-flavored."
14. I love green peppers raw, but will not go near them cooked.
15. I have never tasted tequila. I can't get past the smell making me feel that I would puke if I drank it.
16. I have never been so drunk that I've puked.
17. I have been drunk enough that I licked spilled liquor off the floor...and then been subsequently lifted off that floor by my hair in an effort to prevent me from licking the booze off the floor. ...when I had hair.
18. I am a Mayflower Descendant. William Brewster, who was the leader of the Puritan church, and the pilgrims' elder, was my 11th great grandfather. The first governor of the Territory of Montana was my 1st cousin-five-times-removed. The guy who is credited with the invention of the photo-strobe and, hence, stop-motion photography, was my 8th cousin, and has a building named after him at MIT. And I may be related to one of the two guys who established the Burger King enterprise.
19. I have always liked to dig lint out of crevices, and the fuzz out of the 'hook' side of velcro. It's probably what I'll do all day when I lose my faculties and am a walking vegetable...but preferably not a cooked pepper.
20. I am about one-third of the way through writing a novel, but life and a lack of self-discipline are keeping me from it.
21. When I was younger I used to be able to crack more than 65 joints in my body, and did so regularly: 28 in my feet, both knees, six in my arms, 30 in my hands and four or five in my neck and lower back. Now it's all I can do to reach my toes.
22. In 1993 I went blind in my left eye due to an occurrence called "Central Retinal Vein Occlusion." What that means is that the vein carrying blood from my left eye was somehow blocked, which caused the blood to back up into my eye, causing the retina to hemorrhage, resulting in rendering the eye effectively sightless. An orbit surgeon performed a Retinal Vein Decompression procedure, opening the optic nerve sheath which houses the optic nerve, the retinal artery and the retinal vein, to relieve a possible over-pressure of spinal fluid in the sheath, as that was the only thing he could figure it was after all the tests came up negative. Knowing it was too late to save any vision, the doctor's only concern with the surgery was to stop the hemorrhage in the eye. The center core of sight is gone, but I do have peripheral vision in the eye...so don't be thinking you can sneak up on me from my left.
23. I can't stand cigarette smoke and, therefore, don't smoke 'em. However I do like the smell of cigars on fire. I'm not allowed to smoke in my apartment, but, now that I have a nice deck chair, this spring and summer I will partake of cigars on my balcony.
24. I love movies, but, with rare exception, I can't, for the life of me, quote dialogue from even the most well-known of them like just about everyone else around me can.
25. I lead a very boring life. How do I know this? It has taken me two days to come up with stuff for this list, and I keep falling asleep while trying to think of what to write about.
Showing posts with label meme. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meme. Show all posts
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
My FIRST Meme. I Mean, NOT My First Meme, But... Oh, Just Read It!
Professor, author of Babble From Babbler posted a meme that sent me off on quite a tangent (see previous post below). But now I'm doin' it!
1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Linda
2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
No
3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Tastes allowed from my parents? Wine or beer. First real whole drink? Harvey Wallbanger.
4. What was your FIRST job?
United States Air Force
5. What was your FIRST car?
Red 1979 Jeep CJ-5
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
N/A
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Me (Hey! My mind was a blank until I looked in the mirror!)
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Erickson
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Back to where we started OR San Antonio, Texas
10. Who was your FIRST best friend, and are you still friends with him / her?
Patrick Powers. Technically, yes. We parted as friends when he moved away, but we've never spoken since.
11. Who was your FIRST kiss?
Just two little kids goofing around? Terri. In a relationship? Beth. With tongue and in a relationship? Linda.
12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Tim O.'s house down the street from me.
13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Editor
14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
My second cousin, Susan's, March 17, 1973 (I still have the gift Playboy beer mug — with the date painted on it — given to the wedding party). I was 8.5 years old. I had to wear a black tux and a lavender shirt with chest and cuff ruffles. I cringe to this day at the memory.
15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
breathed
16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Van Halen. Or maybe it was ZZ Top. They were one week apart and I can't remember which one I went to first.
17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
N/A
18. FIRST foreign country you went to?
Germany
19. First movie you remember seeing in the theater?
One of my sisters dragged me along to see Goodbye, Mr. Chips. I was all of 5 years old. She must have been babysitting. I remember I was bored out of my skull and ticked because no one in the movie looked like a potato chip.
20. When was your FIRST detention?
Some time in high school. Once, maybe twice. I was a good egg.
21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Illinois
22. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?
Linda
23. Who was your first roommate?
In basic training, 21 other guys...can't remember their names. After that, a guy named Vibyral (or Vybiral?), nicknamed "Vibrator," my first real, lone roommate, in tech school in the Air Force.
24. With whom was your FIRST date?
Beth
1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Linda
2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
No
3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Tastes allowed from my parents? Wine or beer. First real whole drink? Harvey Wallbanger.
4. What was your FIRST job?
United States Air Force
5. What was your FIRST car?
Red 1979 Jeep CJ-5
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
N/A
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Me (Hey! My mind was a blank until I looked in the mirror!)
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Erickson
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Back to where we started OR San Antonio, Texas
10. Who was your FIRST best friend, and are you still friends with him / her?
Patrick Powers. Technically, yes. We parted as friends when he moved away, but we've never spoken since.
11. Who was your FIRST kiss?
Just two little kids goofing around? Terri. In a relationship? Beth. With tongue and in a relationship? Linda.
12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Tim O.'s house down the street from me.
13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Editor
14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
My second cousin, Susan's, March 17, 1973 (I still have the gift Playboy beer mug — with the date painted on it — given to the wedding party). I was 8.5 years old. I had to wear a black tux and a lavender shirt with chest and cuff ruffles. I cringe to this day at the memory.
15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
breathed
16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Van Halen. Or maybe it was ZZ Top. They were one week apart and I can't remember which one I went to first.
17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
N/A
18. FIRST foreign country you went to?
Germany
19. First movie you remember seeing in the theater?
One of my sisters dragged me along to see Goodbye, Mr. Chips. I was all of 5 years old. She must have been babysitting. I remember I was bored out of my skull and ticked because no one in the movie looked like a potato chip.
20. When was your FIRST detention?
Some time in high school. Once, maybe twice. I was a good egg.
21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Illinois
22. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?
Linda
23. Who was your first roommate?
In basic training, 21 other guys...can't remember their names. After that, a guy named Vibyral (or Vybiral?), nicknamed "Vibrator," my first real, lone roommate, in tech school in the Air Force.
24. With whom was your FIRST date?
Beth
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Another "Meme 'Cuz I'm Otherwise Uninspired Today" Meme
1) What is your favorite quotable line from a movie? -- "Next time you're gonna fuck me, kiss me first!"
--Philmore Walker, as portrayed by Robert Guillaume, in "Wanted: Dead or Alive," 1987
2) Who is the most famous person you have spoken to? -- Barack Obama. I met him on a plane from Washington, D.C., where he sat in the seat directly behind mine, approximately one week after he announced his candidacy for POTUS.
My photo of Sen. Barack Obama, taken with my Verizon® Motorola®
RAZR™ phone, February 8, 2007.
3) How many bags/boxes of Potato Chips are consumed at your place in a month? -- 0-1
4) Who is your all time favorite Cartoon Character? --
George W. Bush. No, wait. Seriously, Bugs Bunny, from the Warner Bros. cartoons of the '30s and '40s.
5) What foreign food Dish do you prepare from scratch and Serve? -- Hmmm... Interesting concept. Where in the grocery store does one find these Scratch and Serve meals?
6) What is your favorite section of the Supermarket? -- In whichever section the hot, dressed-to-kill MILFs are shopping! Secondly, in whichever section those Scratch and Serve meals are to be found!
7) What was your high school teams mascot and what were the school's colors? -- Trojans. Blue and white. "Gimme a P! Gimme an R! Gimme an O! Gimme a P! Gimme an H! Gimme a Y! ..."
--Philmore Walker, as portrayed by Robert Guillaume, in "Wanted: Dead or Alive," 1987
2) Who is the most famous person you have spoken to? -- Barack Obama. I met him on a plane from Washington, D.C., where he sat in the seat directly behind mine, approximately one week after he announced his candidacy for POTUS.
My photo of Sen. Barack Obama, taken with my Verizon® Motorola®
RAZR™ phone, February 8, 2007.
3) How many bags/boxes of Potato Chips are consumed at your place in a month? -- 0-1
4) Who is your all time favorite Cartoon Character? --
George W. Bush. No, wait. Seriously, Bugs Bunny, from the Warner Bros. cartoons of the '30s and '40s.
5) What foreign food Dish do you prepare from scratch and Serve? -- Hmmm... Interesting concept. Where in the grocery store does one find these Scratch and Serve meals?
6) What is your favorite section of the Supermarket? -- In whichever section the hot, dressed-to-kill MILFs are shopping! Secondly, in whichever section those Scratch and Serve meals are to be found!
7) What was your high school teams mascot and what were the school's colors? -- Trojans. Blue and white. "Gimme a P! Gimme an R! Gimme an O! Gimme a P! Gimme an H! Gimme a Y! ..."
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Inless Useformation
You read this far. Now you must do this.
1) What do you add to your coffee? a cup
2) What are you reading now? Professor's blog, "Babble From Babbler"
3) Do you own a gun? yes
4) Are you registered to vote? yup
5) Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? nope
6) What do you think of hot dogs? I rarely think of hot dogs. I just eat 'em.
7) Favorite Christmas Song? Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
8). What do you prefer to drink in the morning? coffee
9) Can you do push ups? At last check I can do 'a' pushup...and I think I injured my shoulder
10) What was the name of your first boyfriend/girlfriend? Beth
11) What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? I don't wear jewelry.
12) Favorite hobby? blogging, writing
13) Do you work with people who idolize you? no
14) Do you have ADD? No, but I do have a mild case of SUBTRACT.
15) What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? my practically nonexistent chin
16) What’s your Middle name? Thomas
17) Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: "My practically nonexistent chin" is not the thing I hate most about myself; my confirmation name is Michael, but should an atheist entertain such thoughts?; my right leg hurts.
18). Name 3 things you bought yesterday: a) the (rental) luggage cart at Roanoke Airport; my lame co-worker's lame jokes; my hotel room in Lynchburg, VA (though it's work money, not mine)
19) Name 3 beverages you regularly drink: coffee, water, beer
20) Current worry right now? will I ever love/be loved again?
21) What side do you dress to? Uhhm...the outside?
22) Favorite place to be? in "flow"
23) How did you bring in the New Year? under a blanket in a bed at the Hahn B&B Hotel in Lautzenhausen, Germany, watching German New Year's Eve shows on TV, not understanding a damn word they were saying
24) Where would you like to go? 1942
25) Name three people who will complete this: Mark, ?, ?
26) Whose answers do you want to read the most? Barack Obama's, though I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog
27) What color shirt are you wearing? a yellowy, orangey, peachy kind of polo shirt
28). Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? not sure if I ever have...if it's horizontal, I can sleep on it
29) Can you whistle? depends on how the question is meant...I can whistle a tune, but I can't do a shriek whistle that one can hear 300 yards away
30) Favorite colors(s)? blue
31) Could you be a pirate? Who be wantin' ta know?
32) What songs do you sing in the shower? lately? Billy Joel songs
33) Favorite girls name? can't think of a favorite
34) Favorite boy’s name? even less able to think of one
35) What’s in your pocket right now? nothing. I'm just happy to see you.
36) Last thing that made you laugh? my own stooopid self
37) Best bed sheets as a child? none...they were utilitarian white
38). Worst injury you’ve ever had? I saw my girlfriend, Linda E., get out of her previously former boyfriend's car.
39) Do you love where you live? no, but I'm hoping it'll grow on me
40) How many TVs do you have in your house? 1
41) Who is your loudest friend? co-worker #1
42) How many dogs do you have? 6. They all live on in my heart.
43) Does anyone have a crush on you? nope
44) What are the most fun things you ever did? Out of Order at Theatre Albany; karaoke night with a gaggle of co-workers and a belly full of beer and steak in Orlando; sledding as a teen down the "hidden hill" under the high-tension lines
45) What are your favorite books? The Green Mile, The Stand, Dracula
46) What is your favorite candy? Snickers or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Kit Kat or Payday, depending on my mood
47) Favorite Team? Cubs
48). What songs do you want played at your funeral? Stayin' Alive*
49) What were you doing at 12 AM? changing my blog template
50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? shower
*not really
1) What do you add to your coffee? a cup
2) What are you reading now? Professor's blog, "Babble From Babbler"
3) Do you own a gun? yes
4) Are you registered to vote? yup
5) Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? nope
6) What do you think of hot dogs? I rarely think of hot dogs. I just eat 'em.
7) Favorite Christmas Song? Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
8). What do you prefer to drink in the morning? coffee
9) Can you do push ups? At last check I can do 'a' pushup...and I think I injured my shoulder
10) What was the name of your first boyfriend/girlfriend? Beth
11) What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? I don't wear jewelry.
12) Favorite hobby? blogging, writing
13) Do you work with people who idolize you? no
14) Do you have ADD? No, but I do have a mild case of SUBTRACT.
15) What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? my practically nonexistent chin
16) What’s your Middle name? Thomas
17) Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: "My practically nonexistent chin" is not the thing I hate most about myself; my confirmation name is Michael, but should an atheist entertain such thoughts?; my right leg hurts.
18). Name 3 things you bought yesterday: a) the (rental) luggage cart at Roanoke Airport; my lame co-worker's lame jokes; my hotel room in Lynchburg, VA (though it's work money, not mine)
19) Name 3 beverages you regularly drink: coffee, water, beer
20) Current worry right now? will I ever love/be loved again?
21) What side do you dress to? Uhhm...the outside?
22) Favorite place to be? in "flow"
23) How did you bring in the New Year? under a blanket in a bed at the Hahn B&B Hotel in Lautzenhausen, Germany, watching German New Year's Eve shows on TV, not understanding a damn word they were saying
24) Where would you like to go? 1942
25) Name three people who will complete this: Mark, ?, ?
26) Whose answers do you want to read the most? Barack Obama's, though I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog
27) What color shirt are you wearing? a yellowy, orangey, peachy kind of polo shirt
28). Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? not sure if I ever have...if it's horizontal, I can sleep on it
29) Can you whistle? depends on how the question is meant...I can whistle a tune, but I can't do a shriek whistle that one can hear 300 yards away
30) Favorite colors(s)? blue
31) Could you be a pirate? Who be wantin' ta know?
32) What songs do you sing in the shower? lately? Billy Joel songs
33) Favorite girls name? can't think of a favorite
34) Favorite boy’s name? even less able to think of one
35) What’s in your pocket right now? nothing. I'm just happy to see you.
36) Last thing that made you laugh? my own stooopid self
37) Best bed sheets as a child? none...they were utilitarian white
38). Worst injury you’ve ever had? I saw my girlfriend, Linda E., get out of her previously former boyfriend's car.
39) Do you love where you live? no, but I'm hoping it'll grow on me
40) How many TVs do you have in your house? 1
41) Who is your loudest friend? co-worker #1
42) How many dogs do you have? 6. They all live on in my heart.
43) Does anyone have a crush on you? nope
44) What are the most fun things you ever did? Out of Order at Theatre Albany; karaoke night with a gaggle of co-workers and a belly full of beer and steak in Orlando; sledding as a teen down the "hidden hill" under the high-tension lines
45) What are your favorite books? The Green Mile, The Stand, Dracula
46) What is your favorite candy? Snickers or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Kit Kat or Payday, depending on my mood
47) Favorite Team? Cubs
48). What songs do you want played at your funeral? Stayin' Alive*
49) What were you doing at 12 AM? changing my blog template
50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? shower
*not really
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Book Meme, Danno!
Professor tagged everybody with this meme in an effort to embarrass everyone over the amount of classic literature we’ve never read - not to mention some contemporary standouts worth… uh …mentioning, too. And she succeeded. It’s pretty damn embarrassing.
But there it is. And when you get to the bottom, be sure to look and see if you’re one of those I feel like tagging with this one.
Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you've read. Italicize the ones you want to read. Don't alter the ones that you aren't interested in.
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) - atheist that I am, I found this a delectable read!
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - I think I read this for a h.s. assignment…or maybe I just saw the movie?
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) - minus one glaring error, another delectable read!
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) - the only Irving I’ve read is Cider House Rules and it blew me away, so I’d definitely read another Irving
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King) - this one clued me in on the secret…forget his straight horror stuff - Stephen King is simply a fantastic writer!
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) - not even in school, believe it or don’t!
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) - UGH! High school required reading. A sure cure for insomnia if I ever saw one! (Professor left no instructions how to label it if you only read some of it!)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) - heard Mr. Albom speak at one of our clients’ conventions. Good stuff!
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) – I really, really tried to read this one, but never could get through Chapter 1 awake.
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) - if the movie is half as good as the book, then I don’t need to read it; the movie wrecked me big time!
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) - in h.s., though don’t remember much of it
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) - because Professor gushed about it, so I’s curious
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) - though, being atheist, and all, I gather the premise of this one would be hard to swallow
45. Bible – have I mentioned the atheist thing, yet?
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) - because I love, love, love the sandwich!
48. Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt) - I heard a lot of buzz about this one
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) - another h.s. assignment; remember little about it except the retarded guy kills a puppy and doesn’t realize it…and then… a woman? Hmmm. What’s that say about me? I remember the puppy dying, but not sure about a woman…
50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) - ?? in h.s., maybe?
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) - I keep hearing more and more about this author…gotta give him a look
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) - the movie confused the hell out of me…I only hope the book is better
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones's Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White) - when I was a kid…stoopid book made me cry
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) - woops…or was THIS the one with the retarded guy and the puppy and maybe the woman?
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) - h.s. again (shiver)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) - this one is sitting on my shelf, waiting for me
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) - I think. In h.s.
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce
The choices to put on this list are seemingly infinite, I realize, but there are some great classics missing, like Dracula (Bram Stoker), for instance. That book was way ahead of its time for its imagery and graphic detail, WAY better than any film, classic or modern, that ever attempted to retell the story. And what about The Green Mile (Stephen King)? I know, it’s not a classic in the… uh …classic sense, but it’s a damn fine read! And I highly recommend The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien.
Have you read this far? TAG! You’re it!
But there it is. And when you get to the bottom, be sure to look and see if you’re one of those I feel like tagging with this one.
Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you've read. Italicize the ones you want to read. Don't alter the ones that you aren't interested in.
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) - atheist that I am, I found this a delectable read!
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - I think I read this for a h.s. assignment…or maybe I just saw the movie?
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) - minus one glaring error, another delectable read!
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) - the only Irving I’ve read is Cider House Rules and it blew me away, so I’d definitely read another Irving
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King) - this one clued me in on the secret…forget his straight horror stuff - Stephen King is simply a fantastic writer!
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) - not even in school, believe it or don’t!
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) - UGH! High school required reading. A sure cure for insomnia if I ever saw one! (Professor left no instructions how to label it if you only read some of it!)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) - heard Mr. Albom speak at one of our clients’ conventions. Good stuff!
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) – I really, really tried to read this one, but never could get through Chapter 1 awake.
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) - if the movie is half as good as the book, then I don’t need to read it; the movie wrecked me big time!
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) - in h.s., though don’t remember much of it
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) - because Professor gushed about it, so I’s curious
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) - though, being atheist, and all, I gather the premise of this one would be hard to swallow
45. Bible – have I mentioned the atheist thing, yet?
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) - because I love, love, love the sandwich!
48. Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt) - I heard a lot of buzz about this one
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) - another h.s. assignment; remember little about it except the retarded guy kills a puppy and doesn’t realize it…and then… a woman? Hmmm. What’s that say about me? I remember the puppy dying, but not sure about a woman…
50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) - ?? in h.s., maybe?
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) - I keep hearing more and more about this author…gotta give him a look
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) - the movie confused the hell out of me…I only hope the book is better
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones's Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White) - when I was a kid…stoopid book made me cry
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) - woops…or was THIS the one with the retarded guy and the puppy and maybe the woman?
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) - h.s. again (shiver)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) - this one is sitting on my shelf, waiting for me
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) - I think. In h.s.
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce
The choices to put on this list are seemingly infinite, I realize, but there are some great classics missing, like Dracula (Bram Stoker), for instance. That book was way ahead of its time for its imagery and graphic detail, WAY better than any film, classic or modern, that ever attempted to retell the story. And what about The Green Mile (Stephen King)? I know, it’s not a classic in the… uh …classic sense, but it’s a damn fine read! And I highly recommend The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien.
Have you read this far? TAG! You’re it!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Movie Meme
It’s been a while since anybody’s tagged me, but tagged I am – this time by Professor. This one was tough for me because I can probably count on two hands the number of movies I’ve watched in the last two years. I know there are movies that have really reached me throughout my life, but I’ll be damned if I can remember the best ones. Well, here goes, and remember to pop on over to check out what Professor has to say at her blog.
Popcorn or Candy?
Popcorn. Candy you can buy anywhere, for lots cheaper. Popcorn anywhere other than the theater you have to make, or nuke, or buy cold with fake “butter flavor” powder on it, which just doesn’t get the popcorn all marvelously soggy four to twenty hours later when your lips are no longer numb from the salt and you’re ready for more snackin’!
Name a movie you’ve been meaning to see forever.
Deep Thro… no, wait… American Pie. Everyone I’ve spoken to who’s seen that flick has told me I’m an idiot for not having seen it…even people over the age of 15 have told me this. Some have told me I'm an idiot without even mentioning a movie…. Hmmmm….
Steal one costume from a movie for your wardrobe.
I guess it would have to be the fedora and leather jacket Harrison Ford wore in the Indiana Jones films, because I already have the gingham dress and the ruby slippers from The Wizar... oops. Next Question?
Your favorite film franchise is…
Jeez, I don’t know. I guess I’d have to go with the Star Wars saga, though I’d have to say that the Bourne films and the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movies are close behind.*
Invite five movie characters over for dinner. Who are they? Why’d you invite them? What do you feed them?
1) Mary Hatch because she’s so sweet and pretty and, well, that phone call with George Bailey and Sam Wainright is the hottest love scene shot from the shoulders up EVER!
2) Tia Russell, because I finally saw that movie a few weeks ago after it had been out only 17 years(!) and I absolutely fell in love with her. Please disregard the whole she-was-only-17-when-she-made-the-movie thing… she’s staying after dinner is over and everyone else has left…except Mary Hatch!
3) Frank Bullitt because after dinner he’s gonna let me take his 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback for one helluva spin …with Tia Russell and Mary Hatch! And then he's leaving!
4) Willy Wonka, because I want to see how long it takes before Frank Bullitt punches his lights out.
5) Professor Julius Kelp/Buddy Love, and I want him to bring his potion along with him and take it so we can all see his transformation. Also, I want him to bring enough potion for all of us just so we can see what each of us becomes after taking it.
I’m taking everyone to White Castle because I know everybody will like it (except, maybe, Tia Russell, but she and I will discuss that after dinner ;D ). Besides, if I cook for everyone, someone’ll be dead before morning.
What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cell phones in the movie theater?
Bean him/her/them repeatedly in the back of the head with Ju-Ju-Bees or Sno-Caps (keeping the popcorn in my bucket where it belongs (see paragraph above).
Choose a female bodyguard:
Hmmm. “Large Marge”? Or Owen’s momma? Or Angelina Jolie? Oh, what I could do with those lips! I’m gonna have to go with Angelina Jolie on this one, and I’ll be a most inappropriate employer!
What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen in a movie?
Stephen Hawking.
Your favorite genre (excluding “comedy” and “drama” ):
Action-Adventure
You are given the power to greenlight movies at a major studio for one year.
A few of… ah, hell! ALL of my own story ideas are developed, completed and released. Tom Hanks is doing silly comedy again. Drew Barrymore, Tom Cruise and Vin Diesel (to name a few) are out of work, as they should be. The formula for action-adventure is thrown out the window and re-invented. The studio loses a TON of money, and I’m run out of town on a rail. But I have fun while it lasts, and why not? It’s all about me, right?
Bonnie or Clyde?
Are we talking the real Bonnie, or as played by Faye Dunaway? Point’s moot, ‘cause I ain’t taking Clyde under any circumstances.
***---***---***---***---***---***
Okay, if you're reading this, you're tagged...unless you're Professor or one of the others she tagged with this meme. Git writin'!
*I’m only kidding. I only meant Mary Kate and Ashley.
Popcorn or Candy?
Popcorn. Candy you can buy anywhere, for lots cheaper. Popcorn anywhere other than the theater you have to make, or nuke, or buy cold with fake “butter flavor” powder on it, which just doesn’t get the popcorn all marvelously soggy four to twenty hours later when your lips are no longer numb from the salt and you’re ready for more snackin’!
Name a movie you’ve been meaning to see forever.
Deep Thro… no, wait… American Pie. Everyone I’ve spoken to who’s seen that flick has told me I’m an idiot for not having seen it…even people over the age of 15 have told me this. Some have told me I'm an idiot without even mentioning a movie…. Hmmmm….
Steal one costume from a movie for your wardrobe.
I guess it would have to be the fedora and leather jacket Harrison Ford wore in the Indiana Jones films, because I already have the gingham dress and the ruby slippers from The Wizar... oops. Next Question?
Your favorite film franchise is…
Jeez, I don’t know. I guess I’d have to go with the Star Wars saga, though I’d have to say that the Bourne films and the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movies are close behind.*
Invite five movie characters over for dinner. Who are they? Why’d you invite them? What do you feed them?
1) Mary Hatch because she’s so sweet and pretty and, well, that phone call with George Bailey and Sam Wainright is the hottest love scene shot from the shoulders up EVER!
2) Tia Russell, because I finally saw that movie a few weeks ago after it had been out only 17 years(!) and I absolutely fell in love with her. Please disregard the whole she-was-only-17-when-she-made-the-movie thing… she’s staying after dinner is over and everyone else has left…except Mary Hatch!
3) Frank Bullitt because after dinner he’s gonna let me take his 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback for one helluva spin …with Tia Russell and Mary Hatch! And then he's leaving!
4) Willy Wonka, because I want to see how long it takes before Frank Bullitt punches his lights out.
5) Professor Julius Kelp/Buddy Love, and I want him to bring his potion along with him and take it so we can all see his transformation. Also, I want him to bring enough potion for all of us just so we can see what each of us becomes after taking it.
I’m taking everyone to White Castle because I know everybody will like it (except, maybe, Tia Russell, but she and I will discuss that after dinner ;D ). Besides, if I cook for everyone, someone’ll be dead before morning.
What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cell phones in the movie theater?
Bean him/her/them repeatedly in the back of the head with Ju-Ju-Bees or Sno-Caps (keeping the popcorn in my bucket where it belongs (see paragraph above).
Choose a female bodyguard:
Hmmm. “Large Marge”? Or Owen’s momma? Or Angelina Jolie? Oh, what I could do with those lips! I’m gonna have to go with Angelina Jolie on this one, and I’ll be a most inappropriate employer!
What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen in a movie?
Stephen Hawking.
Your favorite genre (excluding “comedy” and “drama” ):
Action-Adventure
You are given the power to greenlight movies at a major studio for one year.
A few of… ah, hell! ALL of my own story ideas are developed, completed and released. Tom Hanks is doing silly comedy again. Drew Barrymore, Tom Cruise and Vin Diesel (to name a few) are out of work, as they should be. The formula for action-adventure is thrown out the window and re-invented. The studio loses a TON of money, and I’m run out of town on a rail. But I have fun while it lasts, and why not? It’s all about me, right?
Bonnie or Clyde?
Are we talking the real Bonnie, or as played by Faye Dunaway? Point’s moot, ‘cause I ain’t taking Clyde under any circumstances.
***---***---***---***---***---***
Okay, if you're reading this, you're tagged...unless you're Professor or one of the others she tagged with this meme. Git writin'!
*I’m only kidding. I only meant Mary Kate and Ashley.
Friday, September 07, 2007
One Thing
Beth posted a meme that I was going to answer in her comments section, but it came out to be so damn long I would have felt guilty clogging up her blog with my crap.
No more blog clog.
I'll present it the same way she did, first listing the questions, and then listing my answers below.
So, here it is, The One Thing.
1. If you could recommend only one book for others to read, what would it be and why?
2. What is your one favorite song? Why?
3. What is the one thing that is the biggest time saver in your life?
4. What is one gadget you couldn't live without and why?
5. If you could recommend one film for others to see, what would it be and why?
6. What is the one cure or preventative measure you believe in and for what ailment?
7. What is the best advice you've ever received and from whom?
8. If you could introduce the entire world to just one band/musical artist, who would it be and why?
9. If you could convince others you meet or know of one thing, what would it be?
10. What do you believe is one of the greatest ways of wasting money and how do you combat it?
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
1. If you could recommend only one book for others to read, what would it be and why?
The Green Mile, by Stephen King. It’s a work that truly demonstrates King’s talent as a master writer and storyteller, elevating him above the horror genre he helped make famous. I never was a fan of his horror novels – I’m still not – but this story is fantastically conceived, beautifully written and cleverly told. If you think you don’t like Stephen King, give this one a read.
2. What is your one favorite song? Why?
“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin,” by Journey, a lovely song about pain and comeuppance! LOL! It’s a simple melody, it’s easy to remember the words, and Steve Perry shone perhaps his brightest vocally on it. I love belting tunes in the car or when I’m home alone, and this is one, on a good day, that I can nail the high notes!
3. What is the one thing that is the biggest time saver in your life?
Somewhere around age 30 I learned to stop worrying about all the little crap. It may not actually save me any time, but time sure seems to go by more quickly without worrying whether or not that client took the joke wrong that made him laugh out loud… Of course, now there’s the problem of procrastination… more on that later….
4. What is one gadget you couldn't live without and why?
The toilet. It eases stress, affords a place to sit and… uh… think, and, when you get up, you’re able to flush away one of the day’s annoyances. I suppose I could do without the computer/internet. I could satisfy my writing jones with a typewriter…or pen and paper, if it came to that. And I could use the phone to communicate immediately with friends and family. But take away the toilet, and what have you got? A nasty hole in the floor, that’s what!
5. If you could recommend one film for others to see, what would it be and why?
“It’s A Wonderful Life,” 1946, Frank Capra, director. Forget for the moment that it was played to death by every TV station that could get their hands on it in the 1980s. Forget for the moment that NBC now milks it to death with commercial interruptions. Discover once more the magic of the story that it tells of one nobody’s importance to the people around him, of the impact one person has in his lifetime on an untold number of lives, and that no one is a failure who has friends. Yes, it has that pasty, post-war sweetness of other movies of its era, but no one has yet been able to recreate its message with quite as much power or real emotion. Give it another chance.
6. What is the one cure or preventative measure you believe in and for what ailment?
Pooping. I’m not being fecetious (that typo is intentional). When I was a kid, I used to get a lot of headaches. When I’d complain to my mother, she would ask me if I’d had a bowel movement that day. Of course, I’d argue with her, “What’s pooping got to do with a headache?” To which she would simply ask the question again. Finally, when I said, “No,” she would ask, “Do you have to?” At which point I would stop and think, and realize that, indeed, I did! I’d go, and then a while later she would ask how my headache was, and of course, it would be gone. So today, when I have a headache, it’s the first thing I ask myself before I pop pills or guzzle a quart of water…and to this day it still is often the cure!
7. What is the best advice you've ever received and from whom?
“Always have something to fall back on,” urged my father when I (briefly) pursued a career as an actor. It’s how I found video production. And it’s what I fell back on!
8. If you could introduce the entire world to just one band/musical artist, who would it be and why?
It’s a band that needs no introduction, of course: The Beatles. In existence as a performing and recording entity for a mere ten years, their influence on music and the recording industry itself still ripples and reverberates today. Few bands willingly flex their musical muscles the way those four did (few bands have the musical muscles!), and they exposed many fans to numerous different musical styles that they might otherwise never have visited.
9. If you could convince others you meet or know of one thing, what would it be?
The world is NOT going to hell in a hand-basket! The television and print news media make their money on viewership and readership, and the only way they’ve been able to succeed at it is to appeal to the human desire to be entertained and thrilled. Stories about murder and car crashes and child predation and people getting ripped off are high drama, and we eat it up like flies on the proverbial pile of poo. Of course, stories about happy people and how great things are would get boring after a while, because nobody is getting screwed! The long-term effect, however, is that we tend to extrapolate the little world we see on our televisions and apply it to the real world. How many of the 300 million people in America WEREN’T murdered today? How many children WEREN’T molested today? Honestly, those who were make up a vastly tiny 0.0000001 percent of the entire population. And though, yes, terrible crimes as they all are, it is FAR from epidemic. These types of crimes have been committed against others throughout human history; it’s just that with the far-reaching, high-access global media we have today, we hear about more of it than we ever realized was happening. So go back outside. Let your kids play in the yard. Run with scissors. Don’t wash your hands before dinner (and if you do, CERTAINLY don’t use anti-bacterial soap). You’ll live.
10. What do you believe is one of the greatest ways of wasting money and how do you combat it?
The greatest way I waste money is by having an ATM card. If I have money in my pocket, I’m going to spend it. If I have the ATM card in my pocket, and an ATM close by, I’m going to get money, and I’m going to spend it. I don’t know whose ATM card it is, but it works, and I spend the money. I’m kidding, of course. But that’s how it seems. I always seem to be down to several singles in my pocket when I swear just a day or two before I had a couple-three twenties.
There. Yeesh! More insight into my mind than you ever wanted. Blame Beth. And then visit her blog.
And, of course, now that you've read mine, you are required to create yours. Now hop to it!
No more blog clog.
I'll present it the same way she did, first listing the questions, and then listing my answers below.
So, here it is, The One Thing.
1. If you could recommend only one book for others to read, what would it be and why?
2. What is your one favorite song? Why?
3. What is the one thing that is the biggest time saver in your life?
4. What is one gadget you couldn't live without and why?
5. If you could recommend one film for others to see, what would it be and why?
6. What is the one cure or preventative measure you believe in and for what ailment?
7. What is the best advice you've ever received and from whom?
8. If you could introduce the entire world to just one band/musical artist, who would it be and why?
9. If you could convince others you meet or know of one thing, what would it be?
10. What do you believe is one of the greatest ways of wasting money and how do you combat it?
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
1. If you could recommend only one book for others to read, what would it be and why?
The Green Mile, by Stephen King. It’s a work that truly demonstrates King’s talent as a master writer and storyteller, elevating him above the horror genre he helped make famous. I never was a fan of his horror novels – I’m still not – but this story is fantastically conceived, beautifully written and cleverly told. If you think you don’t like Stephen King, give this one a read.
2. What is your one favorite song? Why?
“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin,” by Journey, a lovely song about pain and comeuppance! LOL! It’s a simple melody, it’s easy to remember the words, and Steve Perry shone perhaps his brightest vocally on it. I love belting tunes in the car or when I’m home alone, and this is one, on a good day, that I can nail the high notes!
3. What is the one thing that is the biggest time saver in your life?
Somewhere around age 30 I learned to stop worrying about all the little crap. It may not actually save me any time, but time sure seems to go by more quickly without worrying whether or not that client took the joke wrong that made him laugh out loud… Of course, now there’s the problem of procrastination… more on that later….
4. What is one gadget you couldn't live without and why?
The toilet. It eases stress, affords a place to sit and… uh… think, and, when you get up, you’re able to flush away one of the day’s annoyances. I suppose I could do without the computer/internet. I could satisfy my writing jones with a typewriter…or pen and paper, if it came to that. And I could use the phone to communicate immediately with friends and family. But take away the toilet, and what have you got? A nasty hole in the floor, that’s what!
5. If you could recommend one film for others to see, what would it be and why?
“It’s A Wonderful Life,” 1946, Frank Capra, director. Forget for the moment that it was played to death by every TV station that could get their hands on it in the 1980s. Forget for the moment that NBC now milks it to death with commercial interruptions. Discover once more the magic of the story that it tells of one nobody’s importance to the people around him, of the impact one person has in his lifetime on an untold number of lives, and that no one is a failure who has friends. Yes, it has that pasty, post-war sweetness of other movies of its era, but no one has yet been able to recreate its message with quite as much power or real emotion. Give it another chance.
6. What is the one cure or preventative measure you believe in and for what ailment?
Pooping. I’m not being fecetious (that typo is intentional). When I was a kid, I used to get a lot of headaches. When I’d complain to my mother, she would ask me if I’d had a bowel movement that day. Of course, I’d argue with her, “What’s pooping got to do with a headache?” To which she would simply ask the question again. Finally, when I said, “No,” she would ask, “Do you have to?” At which point I would stop and think, and realize that, indeed, I did! I’d go, and then a while later she would ask how my headache was, and of course, it would be gone. So today, when I have a headache, it’s the first thing I ask myself before I pop pills or guzzle a quart of water…and to this day it still is often the cure!
7. What is the best advice you've ever received and from whom?
“Always have something to fall back on,” urged my father when I (briefly) pursued a career as an actor. It’s how I found video production. And it’s what I fell back on!
8. If you could introduce the entire world to just one band/musical artist, who would it be and why?
It’s a band that needs no introduction, of course: The Beatles. In existence as a performing and recording entity for a mere ten years, their influence on music and the recording industry itself still ripples and reverberates today. Few bands willingly flex their musical muscles the way those four did (few bands have the musical muscles!), and they exposed many fans to numerous different musical styles that they might otherwise never have visited.
9. If you could convince others you meet or know of one thing, what would it be?
The world is NOT going to hell in a hand-basket! The television and print news media make their money on viewership and readership, and the only way they’ve been able to succeed at it is to appeal to the human desire to be entertained and thrilled. Stories about murder and car crashes and child predation and people getting ripped off are high drama, and we eat it up like flies on the proverbial pile of poo. Of course, stories about happy people and how great things are would get boring after a while, because nobody is getting screwed! The long-term effect, however, is that we tend to extrapolate the little world we see on our televisions and apply it to the real world. How many of the 300 million people in America WEREN’T murdered today? How many children WEREN’T molested today? Honestly, those who were make up a vastly tiny 0.0000001 percent of the entire population. And though, yes, terrible crimes as they all are, it is FAR from epidemic. These types of crimes have been committed against others throughout human history; it’s just that with the far-reaching, high-access global media we have today, we hear about more of it than we ever realized was happening. So go back outside. Let your kids play in the yard. Run with scissors. Don’t wash your hands before dinner (and if you do, CERTAINLY don’t use anti-bacterial soap). You’ll live.
10. What do you believe is one of the greatest ways of wasting money and how do you combat it?
The greatest way I waste money is by having an ATM card. If I have money in my pocket, I’m going to spend it. If I have the ATM card in my pocket, and an ATM close by, I’m going to get money, and I’m going to spend it. I don’t know whose ATM card it is, but it works, and I spend the money. I’m kidding, of course. But that’s how it seems. I always seem to be down to several singles in my pocket when I swear just a day or two before I had a couple-three twenties.
There. Yeesh! More insight into my mind than you ever wanted. Blame Beth. And then visit her blog.
And, of course, now that you've read mine, you are required to create yours. Now hop to it!
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