Note... if you are reading this on Facebook, the videos below won't show up. Go to Clouds in My Coffee to read the original post, and see the videos.
Well, its time. After careful consideration, moving the list around, weighing "what's cooler, this or that?" time after time, I've finished the list.
First, here's how the list is compiled... first and foremost, its my own list. This is what is "cool" to d$. Some things, books, movies, shows, whatever, just came out this year, some have been around for a while, but this was the year that I chose to read/watch/view/whatever... some people I've known for a while... but this seemed to be the year that they made the leap from "eh" to "cool!!".
Before we begin the list, however, I have to mention a forgotten item from 2007's list... this should have been on the list last year, and was missed somehow. So, a 2008 Cool Honorable Mention goes to...
"The Bourne Ultimatum", rated PG-13, starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Albert Finney, Joan Allen and David Strathairn. Man, I loved this movie... its the third movie in the Bourne films, after Identity and Supremacy, its full of action, its full of gunplay, its full of fun, and though its a Herky Jerky Film (you know, those kind of movies where it seems like the camera is moving so fast, you have no clue whats going on) its worth the viewing.
Yes, they are planning to do a fourth Bourne film--but there's a hitch. While Universal owns the rights to Robert Ludlum's library, the author who created and wrote the first Bourne novels, they don't own the rights to "Jason Bourne". The series was picked up and written by other authors, so there is a deal to be worked out.
Now that that's out of the way... the 100 Coolest Things of 2008:
100. "Too Late to Say Goodbye" by Ann Rule. I'm a sucker for crime drama stories, as you'll see later on in our countdown. Here's the synopsis, via Amazon:
Bart Corbin appeared to share an idyllic life with his pretty wife, Jennifer: a home in an upscale Atlanta suburb, two adorable young sons. But there were secrets below the surface -- including an affair of Bart's that drove Jenn to look for love on the Internet -- that would prove deadly on the December morning Jenn was found with a single gunshot wound to her head. Police suspected suicide, but her disbelieving family knew Jenn had been excited to move on from Bart with someone she had met online. As disturbing clues emerged, a relentless county investigator dredged up a shattering revelation: fourteen years earlier, Bart Corbin's former girlfriend, lovely dental student Dolly Hearn, also died -- a gunshot wound to her head that was ruled a suicide. It was a chilling link in the chain that would ensnare the remorseless killer behind both tragic deaths: Bart Corbin.
And there's a twist right smack dab in the middle of it that will catch you completely off guard. What's more, as I was finishing the novel, I actually caught the Dateline NBC episode featuring this very case, on DNC-TV.
99. Paul Carby. I like to call him Paulie Walnuts here on the blog. He and his wife, Sammi, are expecting a little girl in a matter of days, and seriously, that little girl is going to have an awesome dad. I knew I liked Paulie when The Lovely Steph Leann and I went over for dinner, along with Britlicious and Croyle, and KT and J Rob, and as we were looking at Paulie's movie collection, he informed all of us that "DieHard" is his favorite movie of all time, and perhaps the greatest movie ever made. He had my heart right then. In a straight way, of course.
98. "Sydney White". PG-13, starring the growing-on-me-like-kudzu Amanda Bynes. There's nothing new in this movie, there's not remarkable about this movie, there's nothing about this movie that screams "Oscar!" or "Golden Globe!" What there is in this movie, though, is fun. Just fun. Sydney White is a chick off to college, and ends up making friends with these 7 outcast guys. There's a witch--or just a mean chick named Rachel Witchburn--and a prince--or just a guy named Tyler Prince--and other fairy tale references find their way into this silly little film that I found quite entertaining, and would watch again... and that's a good thing.
Amanda Bynes? She's one of The Lovely Steph Leann's favorite actresses, and really, she's... pretty.
97. Michael Phelps. Eight gold medals in the same Olympics will earn you a spot on this list any year. Nikki Brown, take note.
96. "Freedom is Worth the Price". Found this video online. Its worth another look.
95. "You're Married??" One of the funniest commercials of the year comes from an insurance company. The Lovely Steph Leann loves this one.
94. Leann Corby. Here I was, doling out the magic at The Happiest Place in the Mall, and I look up to see Leann Corby. Well, it's Leann Laurence now, but still... she was my first Troy State Date, in September of 1993, we had been friends all along, and it was great to see her from out of nowhere.
I wrote on December 9th about that experience, and you can read it at the bottom of this post. With pictures!
93. "Unholy Messenger: The Life & Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer" by Stephen Singular. I remember flipping on the news sometime a few years ago, and seeing a live press conference on not only Fox News, but DNC/Obama-TV, but also the Clinton News Network and everywhere else... the Wichita, KS, police were discussing catching the "BTK Killer" after a decades long manhunt... who was this guy? He was a vicious serial killer who had stopped murdering 20 years ago, but had recently resurfaced...
So, this year, I ended up picking up this book and reading it through. It was kinda creepy, actually... Singular tells the ghastly tale of Dennis Rader, the serial killer who terrorized Wichita and taunted police for decades, in a mostly dispassionate style that fits Rader's modus operandi perfectly. A meticulous planner who stalked before striking, Rader, whose bland, midwestern Christian Everyman persona makes him all the more chilling, blamed an evil spirit he called Rex for his repeated spells of bloodlust.
His particular kicks came from killing people in front of their families and photographing victims' corpses in S&M poses, in one case in the basement of the church in which he served as president of the congregation, an office he took to heart, just as he did his jobs as a city "compliance officer" and a home-security technician, both of which gave him cover for his "projects." Based primarily on Rader's confession and court papers, Singular's account includes Rader's mainline Protestant pastor's views that the BTK slayings manifest Rader's intermittent possession by a demonic force. Such theological aspects distinguish this macabre, riveting, scary case from those of other serial killers. (not my description, by the way, but it suited the purpose).
92. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". Rated PG-13, starring Ron Perlman and Selma Blair. I throughly enjoyed the first movie, so when Mikey called me up and asked if I'd go see the 2nd one with him, I was all about it. And rightly so...
There's a Golden Army out there, and bad guys want to control it to dominate. Don't they always want to dominate? Enter Hellboy, his girlfriend Liz and buddy Abe Sapien, all with the special powers and attitude from the first one. Not only does the flick have great special effects, a funny and great storyline, and some pretty good acting, but the gem of the film is the director, Guillermo del Toro, the same guy who did "Pan's Labyrinth". He's got some kind of vision when he makes a film.
91. "Valleydale Dot Oh Are Gee". Our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) has a redesigned website. So, to promote this site, a couple of our guys, and a vacuuming member, decided to do a little video. And oh my gosh, is it funny. The singer is... well, I don't know his name, but Big Poppa in the back there is Chandler Wallace, our tech guy expert, and on the drum(sticks) is Kris Dekker, music minister.
My favorite part? The head bob that Chandler does right in the middle... and the yee-haw doesn't hurt either. Priceless.
Coming up... Sharpies, haircuts and J Rob... and the first of our three "Pruitt Awards of Coolness"
Showing posts with label Leann Corby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leann Corby. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Hannah Pruitt, Matt Damon, The Lost Boys and Other Random Things
It's midnight, I'm done with Day 5 on my 30 Days of Him Journey... you can enjoy this shameless self promotion and read about it over on Welcome to Delaware, where I know you've traveled far... so I thought I'd give you whats rolling around in my head tonight...
Song playing right now: "Secret Garden" from Bruce Springsteen, the Jerry Maguire Mix
First stop... Hannah Pruitt. Final destination, sleep. Stops along the way, Matt Damon, vampires, Lindsay Lohan, Twilight, Fracks and Leann Corby.
I thought I'd mention to you that tonight's songs are coming from a playlist entitled "Hannah Pruitt". I have funny musical tastes... sometimes I want to hear Jodeci, a few minutes later I want some Jars of Clay, then I'm in the mood for LL Cool J, and right after that, classic Clint Black.
So I put together a playlist of about 60 songs that I could, at any time, want to hear. As the playlist evolves, I'll take some off (like tonight, I removed Celine Dion's "To Love You More" and "If You Asked Me To" and The Atlanta Rhythm Section's "So Into You", and added Dino's "I Like It" and "Sail On" by Lionel Richie & the Commodores). See, random.
Song currently playing: "Close of Autumn" by Caedmon's Call
Anyway, it gets the name "Hannah Pruitt" because, while I was making this playlist the other day, I was actually talking to Hannah Pruitt via gMail chat. And I have also determined that Hannah might just be the coolest person I know. Seriously. She's a really cool chick. I've actively tried to find things that would make her uncool, and I haven't come up with anything yet. I'm working on it. For now, "Hannah Pruitt" plays via iTunes.
So, Sean Penn and Lindsay Lohan showed up to the same party. They nuzzled. Right now you are trying to decide whether you actually care enough to click on this link to read about it. I mean, right after you are done throwing up in your mouth.
"The Bourne Ultimatum" is on Starz right now. Well, it is, but I just turned the tv off... anyway, I was commenting to The Lovely Steph Leann that Matt Damon is actually a pretty good actor. I mean, he's big and bad and very believable as a dude that can rip your head off and hock a snot rocket down your neck in the very, very good Bourne trilogy (though it might become a four-logy, as I've heard they are making another one...) but when you watch him in the Ocean's films, he's a dork.
Song currently playing: "Touch Me (all night long)" by Cathy Dennis--this is sometimes odd, as it tends to, even on shuffle, follow Caedmon's Call or a Christy Nockel worship song. Hmm.
Personally, I didn't care for "Good Will Hunting", but Damon has done some good stuff... "Rounders" works because of him and Edward Norton's ability to pull off a pretty lame script... well, them and John Malkovich's portrayal of Teddy KGB, on my short list of favorite movie characters of all time. You can also check out Matt in Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", where he's hilarious, as well as "Dogma", my 98th favorite film of all time.
McQ has finally written a book. Its called "Strength in the Struggle", and its a composition of her essays, poems, devotions and photography from the past several years.
Song currently playing: "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. Ironic. Ha!
She's self publishing, which is why a paper back costs close to $40 bucks... the hardcover is even more, but how often do you know someone who has their name on the spine of a book on your bookshelf.
Personally, I've had an idea rolling around my head for about 11 years. One of the characters--bear with me, I've already decided this--is named Daily Johnson.
Song currently playing: "Good Run of Bad Luck" by Clint Black
Daily was supposed to be named Daisy, but her mom's "S" looks like an "L", and that's what the nurse put on the birth certificate. She's short, short hair and glasses. She looks like what my friend Devan Craddock looked like in school. There are other characters in my little story, but Daily is the one that sticks out.
Song currently playing: "We Danced Anyway" by Deana Carter
(helping The Lovely Steph Leann with the weather in Pensacola, where she's headed for a few days)
Song currently playing: "Tortured, Tangled Hearts" by The Dixie Chicks
This next little blurb goes straight out to Katy Sexton--though I'm sure there are many out there who love "The Lost Boys" (and, unfortunately, many out there who said, "Huh?" when I mentioned "The Lost Boys"), she is who I think of when I think of Lost Boy Fans.
Cracked.com gave 8 things that today's modern vampires could learn from The Lost Boys. And its hilarious.
Song currently playing, after realizing my iTunes wasn't on shuffle: "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" by Al Green
My favorite is "Vampires Can Really Do a Number on Your Plumbing", which says, "Vampires, on the other hand, will emit a bloodcurdling scream, their flesh will melt, blood will shoot out of all of your sinks and pipes, and your toilet will violently explode for no good reason whatsoever.
With that being said, you may want to avoid this method of vampire slaying altogether unless it can be executed in a kiddie pool in the backyard, or somewhere else that isn’t hooked up to your house’s pipes. After all, in these tough economic times, who wants to have to hire a plumber to scrape melted vampire out of their pipes?"
By the way, did you know they did a sequel to this movie? It actually shouldn't count, because only one of the Two Coreys was involved. I'm not sure if Feldman was in the right by being in it, or Haim was more right by NOT being in it. Then again, what else does Corey Haim have to do right now?
And you know they had to call Kiefer Sutherland. You know they did.
"Yes, Mr. Sutherland, um... we wanted to know if... well, if you'd be interested in... being... well, being David the Vampire again?"
"I'm sorry, being who?"
"You know, David, the lead vampire in... The Lost Boys. We are doing a sequel and we thought if you could help, I mean, you could lend some credibility to our project... even Haim won't do it and..."
"Dude. Do you know who I am?"
"Yes sir, you're Kiefer Sutherland and..."
"I'm 'effin Jack Bauer. Don't ever call me again. Or I. Will. Kill. You."
--click--
Song currently playing while I formatted this post, and added links:
"You and I Both" by Jason Mraz
"I'll Be Okay" by Amanda Marshall
"I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City" by Harry Nilsson
"Circle" by Sarah McLachlan
"Speechless" by Steven Curtis Chapman
So, here's DNC-TV's list of The Lamest Blogs on the Internet. No doubt, The Anonymous Poster would have put mine on this list, but she keeps coming back, doesn't she? As for the list, some actually look amusing enough to check out for a minute.. except anything using the words "Hilton", "Kim", "Paris" or "Kardashian", and that freaky looking Pepsi-KFC blog. Weird.
From the More Random Than d$ Department...
So, a week or so ago, I posted the music list for December, my Christmas favorites, along with the hideously awesome video to "Last Christmas" by Wham!.
Well, there's a website out there commited to this song so much, they do nothing but post covers to the song... 360 of them... and counting. No, I'm being totally serious.
Song currently playing: "Love Shoulda Brought You Home Last Night" by Toni Braxton
Something tells me The Lovely Steph Leann would LOVE ELL OH VEE EE her a Frack. Just sayin'.
Song currently playing: "Bye Bye" by Jo Dee Messina
"Twilight" was terrible. Seriously. I went into it, having not read the book, trying to be as open minded as someone who had never read the Harry Potter novels, yet was walking in to see "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone" (you can't say "Goblet of Fire" or "Order of the Phoenix" because if that's your first Harry Potter movie, you won't have a clue whats going on. Its like jumping in to 4th episode of Season 3 of Lost. Heck, even someone watching every episode of that show won't know whats going on... where was I?)
And it was terrible. I was so bored. It was weird seeing Mike Dexter from "Can't Hardly Wait" try to be this older father figure.
Song currently playing: "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne
Anyway, I almost fell asleep... when Edward Patterson appeared onscreen, the girls behind me actually when "Ooowww! Hottie!!" Seriously, there was about 10 good minutes of this film, minutes that made me think, "Okay, this might be good", and then it just flailed and flopped and sucked. Terrible.
Now, before you get all "Oh, you didn't like it because its a chick movie!" on me, just remember... "Notting Hill", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Steel Magnolias" all rank highly on The Dave100. Love those films. Because they are actually good.
Finally, wanted to shout out to Leann Lawerence--my very first Troy State University date. Leann Corby (then) was this chick I met...
Song currently playing: "Sail On" by Lionel Richie & the Commodores
...at our Troy State orientation in July of 1993. I thought she was beautiful. I asked her out, she said yes (there's much more to the story, but really, when you're married to The Lovely Steph Leann, its all just inconsequential) and we went to dinner and a movie, "The Man Without a Face" starring Mel Gibson.
We didn't go out again, as I turned my attention to Wisconsin Ginny, then to Kat Gates and so on, but Leann and I remained friends through college. She was that kind of friend I would run into, or we'd have lunch here and there, and we'd catch up, and then another month or two would go by before we could speak again and so on...
Leann and Dave... 15 years later...
Well, I graduated, she did too, she went one way, I went another. Lo and behold, The Lovely Steph Leann and I are at the wedding of one of my high school friends, Stephanie Phillips, and Leann Corby is there! Her fiancee (could have been husband by then), David, knew Stephanie and her groom, Perry, and it was like, "Wow..."
Song currently playing: "Slide" by The Goo Goo Dolls
If you told me at the beginning of the day to name 10 people that I never thought I'd see in The Happiest Place in the Mall, I'm not even sure Leann would have come to mind. And she came in, husband and children in tow.
And it was just awesome to see them both. Leann still looked great, we swapped quick stories and catch-up tales and they were on their way. But it was great to see her! So Leann, hope to see you soon.
Songs playing while I wrap up:
"Callin' Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks
"Sweet Surrender" by Sarah McLachlan
"Sunday Afternoon" by Joel Blount
and appropriately... "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans
I'm going to bed now, to my own Leann. My The Lovely Steph Leann, that is.
Song playing right now: "Secret Garden" from Bruce Springsteen, the Jerry Maguire Mix
First stop... Hannah Pruitt. Final destination, sleep. Stops along the way, Matt Damon, vampires, Lindsay Lohan, Twilight, Fracks and Leann Corby.
$$$$$$$$$$
I thought I'd mention to you that tonight's songs are coming from a playlist entitled "Hannah Pruitt". I have funny musical tastes... sometimes I want to hear Jodeci, a few minutes later I want some Jars of Clay, then I'm in the mood for LL Cool J, and right after that, classic Clint Black.
So I put together a playlist of about 60 songs that I could, at any time, want to hear. As the playlist evolves, I'll take some off (like tonight, I removed Celine Dion's "To Love You More" and "If You Asked Me To" and The Atlanta Rhythm Section's "So Into You", and added Dino's "I Like It" and "Sail On" by Lionel Richie & the Commodores). See, random.
Song currently playing: "Close of Autumn" by Caedmon's Call
Anyway, it gets the name "Hannah Pruitt" because, while I was making this playlist the other day, I was actually talking to Hannah Pruitt via gMail chat. And I have also determined that Hannah might just be the coolest person I know. Seriously. She's a really cool chick. I've actively tried to find things that would make her uncool, and I haven't come up with anything yet. I'm working on it. For now, "Hannah Pruitt" plays via iTunes.
$$$$$$$$$$
So, Sean Penn and Lindsay Lohan showed up to the same party. They nuzzled. Right now you are trying to decide whether you actually care enough to click on this link to read about it. I mean, right after you are done throwing up in your mouth.
$$$$$$$$$$
"The Bourne Ultimatum" is on Starz right now. Well, it is, but I just turned the tv off... anyway, I was commenting to The Lovely Steph Leann that Matt Damon is actually a pretty good actor. I mean, he's big and bad and very believable as a dude that can rip your head off and hock a snot rocket down your neck in the very, very good Bourne trilogy (though it might become a four-logy, as I've heard they are making another one...) but when you watch him in the Ocean's films, he's a dork.
Song currently playing: "Touch Me (all night long)" by Cathy Dennis--this is sometimes odd, as it tends to, even on shuffle, follow Caedmon's Call or a Christy Nockel worship song. Hmm.
Personally, I didn't care for "Good Will Hunting", but Damon has done some good stuff... "Rounders" works because of him and Edward Norton's ability to pull off a pretty lame script... well, them and John Malkovich's portrayal of Teddy KGB, on my short list of favorite movie characters of all time. You can also check out Matt in Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", where he's hilarious, as well as "Dogma", my 98th favorite film of all time.
$$$$$$$$$$
McQ has finally written a book. Its called "Strength in the Struggle", and its a composition of her essays, poems, devotions and photography from the past several years.
Song currently playing: "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. Ironic. Ha!
She's self publishing, which is why a paper back costs close to $40 bucks... the hardcover is even more, but how often do you know someone who has their name on the spine of a book on your bookshelf.
Personally, I've had an idea rolling around my head for about 11 years. One of the characters--bear with me, I've already decided this--is named Daily Johnson.
Song currently playing: "Good Run of Bad Luck" by Clint Black
Daily was supposed to be named Daisy, but her mom's "S" looks like an "L", and that's what the nurse put on the birth certificate. She's short, short hair and glasses. She looks like what my friend Devan Craddock looked like in school. There are other characters in my little story, but Daily is the one that sticks out.
$$$$$$$$$$
Song currently playing: "We Danced Anyway" by Deana Carter
(helping The Lovely Steph Leann with the weather in Pensacola, where she's headed for a few days)
Song currently playing: "Tortured, Tangled Hearts" by The Dixie Chicks
$$$$$$$$$$
This next little blurb goes straight out to Katy Sexton--though I'm sure there are many out there who love "The Lost Boys" (and, unfortunately, many out there who said, "Huh?" when I mentioned "The Lost Boys"), she is who I think of when I think of Lost Boy Fans.
Cracked.com gave 8 things that today's modern vampires could learn from The Lost Boys. And its hilarious.
Song currently playing, after realizing my iTunes wasn't on shuffle: "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" by Al Green
My favorite is "Vampires Can Really Do a Number on Your Plumbing", which says, "Vampires, on the other hand, will emit a bloodcurdling scream, their flesh will melt, blood will shoot out of all of your sinks and pipes, and your toilet will violently explode for no good reason whatsoever.
With that being said, you may want to avoid this method of vampire slaying altogether unless it can be executed in a kiddie pool in the backyard, or somewhere else that isn’t hooked up to your house’s pipes. After all, in these tough economic times, who wants to have to hire a plumber to scrape melted vampire out of their pipes?"
By the way, did you know they did a sequel to this movie? It actually shouldn't count, because only one of the Two Coreys was involved. I'm not sure if Feldman was in the right by being in it, or Haim was more right by NOT being in it. Then again, what else does Corey Haim have to do right now?
And you know they had to call Kiefer Sutherland. You know they did.
"Yes, Mr. Sutherland, um... we wanted to know if... well, if you'd be interested in... being... well, being David the Vampire again?"
"I'm sorry, being who?"
"You know, David, the lead vampire in... The Lost Boys. We are doing a sequel and we thought if you could help, I mean, you could lend some credibility to our project... even Haim won't do it and..."
"Dude. Do you know who I am?"
"Yes sir, you're Kiefer Sutherland and..."
"I'm 'effin Jack Bauer. Don't ever call me again. Or I. Will. Kill. You."
--click--
$$$$$$$$$$
Song currently playing while I formatted this post, and added links:
"You and I Both" by Jason Mraz
"I'll Be Okay" by Amanda Marshall
"I Guess The Lord Must Be in New York City" by Harry Nilsson
"Circle" by Sarah McLachlan
"Speechless" by Steven Curtis Chapman
$$$$$$$$$$
So, here's DNC-TV's list of The Lamest Blogs on the Internet. No doubt, The Anonymous Poster would have put mine on this list, but she keeps coming back, doesn't she? As for the list, some actually look amusing enough to check out for a minute.. except anything using the words "Hilton", "Kim", "Paris" or "Kardashian", and that freaky looking Pepsi-KFC blog. Weird.
$$$$$$$$$$$
From the More Random Than d$ Department...
So, a week or so ago, I posted the music list for December, my Christmas favorites, along with the hideously awesome video to "Last Christmas" by Wham!.
Well, there's a website out there commited to this song so much, they do nothing but post covers to the song... 360 of them... and counting. No, I'm being totally serious.
$$$$$$$$$$
Song currently playing: "Love Shoulda Brought You Home Last Night" by Toni Braxton
Something tells me The Lovely Steph Leann would LOVE ELL OH VEE EE her a Frack. Just sayin'.
$$$$$$$$$$
Song currently playing: "Bye Bye" by Jo Dee Messina
"Twilight" was terrible. Seriously. I went into it, having not read the book, trying to be as open minded as someone who had never read the Harry Potter novels, yet was walking in to see "Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone" (you can't say "Goblet of Fire" or "Order of the Phoenix" because if that's your first Harry Potter movie, you won't have a clue whats going on. Its like jumping in to 4th episode of Season 3 of Lost. Heck, even someone watching every episode of that show won't know whats going on... where was I?)
And it was terrible. I was so bored. It was weird seeing Mike Dexter from "Can't Hardly Wait" try to be this older father figure.
Song currently playing: "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne
Anyway, I almost fell asleep... when Edward Patterson appeared onscreen, the girls behind me actually when "Ooowww! Hottie!!" Seriously, there was about 10 good minutes of this film, minutes that made me think, "Okay, this might be good", and then it just flailed and flopped and sucked. Terrible.
$$$$$$$$$$
Now, before you get all "Oh, you didn't like it because its a chick movie!" on me, just remember... "Notting Hill", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Steel Magnolias" all rank highly on The Dave100. Love those films. Because they are actually good.
$$$$$$$$$$
Finally, wanted to shout out to Leann Lawerence--my very first Troy State University date. Leann Corby (then) was this chick I met...
Song currently playing: "Sail On" by Lionel Richie & the Commodores
...at our Troy State orientation in July of 1993. I thought she was beautiful. I asked her out, she said yes (there's much more to the story, but really, when you're married to The Lovely Steph Leann, its all just inconsequential) and we went to dinner and a movie, "The Man Without a Face" starring Mel Gibson.
We didn't go out again, as I turned my attention to Wisconsin Ginny, then to Kat Gates and so on, but Leann and I remained friends through college. She was that kind of friend I would run into, or we'd have lunch here and there, and we'd catch up, and then another month or two would go by before we could speak again and so on...
Leann and Dave... 15 years later...
Well, I graduated, she did too, she went one way, I went another. Lo and behold, The Lovely Steph Leann and I are at the wedding of one of my high school friends, Stephanie Phillips, and Leann Corby is there! Her fiancee (could have been husband by then), David, knew Stephanie and her groom, Perry, and it was like, "Wow..."
Song currently playing: "Slide" by The Goo Goo Dolls
If you told me at the beginning of the day to name 10 people that I never thought I'd see in The Happiest Place in the Mall, I'm not even sure Leann would have come to mind. And she came in, husband and children in tow.
And it was just awesome to see them both. Leann still looked great, we swapped quick stories and catch-up tales and they were on their way. But it was great to see her! So Leann, hope to see you soon.
$$$$$$$$$$
Songs playing while I wrap up:
"Callin' Baton Rouge" by Garth Brooks
"Sweet Surrender" by Sarah McLachlan
"Sunday Afternoon" by Joel Blount
and appropriately... "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans
I'm going to bed now, to my own Leann. My The Lovely Steph Leann, that is.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
A Love Story in Three Acts: Act 1
Exposition
"Cindy"
Cindy was my high school girlfriend... I lived in Samson (pop. 2071), she lived in the nearby town of Coffee Springs (pop. 251--no, I'm not kidding), and is a year older than I. Most people think my graduating class of 45 was tiny--see the recent "We Want the Funk(hauser)" column--but her graduating class was 17. We both worked together at The Wright Place restaurant, a family owned establishment that I started at when I was 15. Flash forward a year & a half later, I'm 17, I meet this girl named Cindy over Christmas and my crush is on.
Now, I'd had crushes before on Stephanie Phillips (at who's wedding I actually saw Leann Corby, my first date from Troy State in some weird twist of... fate... am I actually rhyming?), Leslie Whigham (who I see weekly now at Starbucks... who knew?), a crazy crush on Julie Wise (the infamous Samson High School "Dave/Rona/Ryan/Julie/Jody/Leigh love triangle-angle-angle of 1992"... ask me, and I'll explain it...) but my crush on Cindy was different? Why? Well, sadly enough, she actually said yes when I asked her out.
So we went to see Wayne's World--yes, the first one--on February 15th, 1992. I wore jeans and a green turtleneck that looking back on, I would smack myself for doing. I remember it. Turns out, she had a boyfriend named Todd Wheeler. Cindy and I went out again later, several more times, all the while she seemed to still be hanging out with big, ugly Todd. Let me just tell you--this guy was a total loser. Seriously... he was hairy, he looked like a monkey, his truck was High Tech Redneck all the way. So, she chose him in the long (short?) run, even after I took her to my junior prom, she took Todd to hers, and so on.
Then we got back together. Then we broke up. Then she went to college, and we still we still dated. Then we broke up. She went on to Troy State in the fall, and I went to see her on a rainy Saturday. She was too busy to come down and see me, so I decided to tour the campus myself. I loved it. Loved the grounds, loved the area, loved the stadium, loved the journalism school, loved it all... so I applied, and got in. (Of course, being God, who's to say that God didn't use my relationship with Cindy to bring me to Troy, where I would be led to Jesus in 1995, much like He worked through another girl to lead me to Birmingham)...
Anyway, I thought we were done. Christmas Day, 1992, we went out again, this time to go bowling. And this time, there was no Todd Wheeler... she liked me. I got my first kiss and we were dating for real. Things were going alright for a while, then one day she came through Samson on a Saturday morning with some of her college friends, including this really tall, hairy guy who also looked like a monkey. She apologized later for that, so we went out again. Then we didn't. Then we did. I invited her to my senior prom, she said yes.
During my off again periods with Cindy, I ended up going out with a few other girls here and there (some of which are dates I would love to have back), and had asked out Angie Jay (who said yes initially, until Bradley Miller spread it all over school that we were dating, so she retracted--there were about 300 from 6th grade to 12th grade, so when I say "all over school", I literally mean "all over school"), and heck, even got up the nerve to ask out Julie Wise (who said no) but I always kept going back to Cindy. I even took back my prom invite, asking Amy Farris instead.
Amy said yes at first, then a day later, she said "I know you really want to take that Cindy girl, so go with her". So I took Cindy to prom... I had a blast. She was a stick in the mud, so I left her at the table and had a good time on my own. Then, a few days after that, I found out the previous January, a week or so after we had our first kiss, she had gone out with some other guy--the same tall, hairy guy that was with her in the group going to the beach... she even kissed him. So, as far as I was concerned, we were done.
At least, until I got to Troy State the following September, and we went out again, though this time I almost didn't care. Not knowing anyone, I became friends with Cindy's friends, and she took offense to this--she treated me like crap, really. So, we're done now. I'm over it, if only because Troy is a brand new world and there are tons of fish in the sea--heck, this is the freakin' Pacific.
I had dinner with Ginny Kochan from Wisconsin, which was awesome... well, it ended up later as a disaster, (begatting The Ginny Kochan First Law of Dating), but at first, I was excited. I went that weekend to work at the restaurant, and mentioned to someone "Hey, I had dinner with this awesome chick named Ginny..." Well, upon hearing it, Cindy got mad. She felt as if I was going out with other people to get even with her, which didn't help her anger when I actually laughed at her for saying it. "You're kidding me, right?" I laughed. "You actually think I care enough about you at this point to date someone to just get even with you?" Yeah, that didn't help either.
Moved on from Ginny to go out with Labett White (her name was Mary Beth, but her little brother could only spit out "Labett") that winter, something that lasted all of two weeks. I actually had a crush on Adrienne Benton, who was a close friend to both me and Labett, but that wasn't going to happen... anyway, in the spring of 1994, I met Chris Fulaytar (you may know him as Wookiee, but that nickname came after)... and though I didn't date him, nor did I have a crush on him, this was a key point.
He was dating Anna Ayers, commonly known now as "The Wench", while I was dating Katherine Gates, commonly known now as "The Absolutely Freakin' Psycho Katherine Gates" (those are two stories that are for another day), and both The Wench and Katherine lived in Hamil Hall with a party-going Mormon named Erin and a country bumpkin named Alyson.
Up in Hamil Hall one day, with both of us visiting our chicks-at-the-time, Chris and I were sharing dating stories one day, and I found out he knew Cindy Howell, as they were both involved in ROTC on campus. Heck, he even dated her. Then I found out he dated her in January of 1992. Then I found out he had come with Cindy and friends to the beach, and had stopped in at The Wright Place for breakfast. So yes, he was the guy who Cindy had made out with, in the midst of going out with me... and Chris and I both laughed heartily about it. We even became roommates the next year... and for three years after that. And a decade later, he served as the best man in my wedding, and I in his.
Cindy and I didn't speak for 18 months. Know that Troy's campus was not all that big, so we saw each other quite frrequently... we would pass by in the halls of McCalla or Wallace, look at each other and just keep going. Until one day... I finally called her. When I mentioned I was roommates and best friends with Chris Fulaytar, she got really quiet, which I enjoyed thoroughly... but anyway, we made up. (No, not like that). I was a sophomore, she was a junior, we both had grown up a little bit, so we didn't go out again.
I gotta say, though, we were high schoolers, and young college kids... its like a world away at this point. I say that because to her credit, when we finally reconnected, she was a different person. She apologized profusely for everything over and over, I apologized for everything, and we became really good friends. The next year, I went to see her in Biloxi, Mississippi where she was stationed (she was in the Air Force for a few years) and visited my first casino (won $15 on the nickel machines... and honestly, the last time I ever gambled, aside from a lottery ticket every now and again).
At this point, Cindy was just fantastic to be around. And still is. Did I love her? I told her I did. However, I don't know if I can count that, because I was 17 at the time. Did I know what love was? I don't think so. That's not saying that people who are 17 or 18 can't know what love is all about... I just know I didn't.
Throughout the next few years in college, I went through a series of relationships, dating a few Julies, a Melanie, a Heather, a couple of Jennifers, having a big crush on a Kathy (who liked Jarred, for some reason... what is it with girls who like guys who are jerks? Is this a national thing, or just southern? Do nice guys do something to turn girls this way? We should do a study.) which turned into a "Some Kind of Wonderful" story when I ended up liking Lisa Murphy instead and, oh yes, this chick named Chrissy--which is important because those of you who are spent time on WalkAbout should thank God this girl existed.
And all of this leads up to Amy.
Act 2, Scene 1: A Chance Meeting
"Cindy"
Cindy was my high school girlfriend... I lived in Samson (pop. 2071), she lived in the nearby town of Coffee Springs (pop. 251--no, I'm not kidding), and is a year older than I. Most people think my graduating class of 45 was tiny--see the recent "We Want the Funk(hauser)" column--but her graduating class was 17. We both worked together at The Wright Place restaurant, a family owned establishment that I started at when I was 15. Flash forward a year & a half later, I'm 17, I meet this girl named Cindy over Christmas and my crush is on.
Now, I'd had crushes before on Stephanie Phillips (at who's wedding I actually saw Leann Corby, my first date from Troy State in some weird twist of... fate... am I actually rhyming?), Leslie Whigham (who I see weekly now at Starbucks... who knew?), a crazy crush on Julie Wise (the infamous Samson High School "Dave/Rona/Ryan/Julie/Jody/Leigh love triangle-angle-angle of 1992"... ask me, and I'll explain it...) but my crush on Cindy was different? Why? Well, sadly enough, she actually said yes when I asked her out.
So we went to see Wayne's World--yes, the first one--on February 15th, 1992. I wore jeans and a green turtleneck that looking back on, I would smack myself for doing. I remember it. Turns out, she had a boyfriend named Todd Wheeler. Cindy and I went out again later, several more times, all the while she seemed to still be hanging out with big, ugly Todd. Let me just tell you--this guy was a total loser. Seriously... he was hairy, he looked like a monkey, his truck was High Tech Redneck all the way. So, she chose him in the long (short?) run, even after I took her to my junior prom, she took Todd to hers, and so on.
Then we got back together. Then we broke up. Then she went to college, and we still we still dated. Then we broke up. She went on to Troy State in the fall, and I went to see her on a rainy Saturday. She was too busy to come down and see me, so I decided to tour the campus myself. I loved it. Loved the grounds, loved the area, loved the stadium, loved the journalism school, loved it all... so I applied, and got in. (Of course, being God, who's to say that God didn't use my relationship with Cindy to bring me to Troy, where I would be led to Jesus in 1995, much like He worked through another girl to lead me to Birmingham)...
Anyway, I thought we were done. Christmas Day, 1992, we went out again, this time to go bowling. And this time, there was no Todd Wheeler... she liked me. I got my first kiss and we were dating for real. Things were going alright for a while, then one day she came through Samson on a Saturday morning with some of her college friends, including this really tall, hairy guy who also looked like a monkey. She apologized later for that, so we went out again. Then we didn't. Then we did. I invited her to my senior prom, she said yes.
During my off again periods with Cindy, I ended up going out with a few other girls here and there (some of which are dates I would love to have back), and had asked out Angie Jay (who said yes initially, until Bradley Miller spread it all over school that we were dating, so she retracted--there were about 300 from 6th grade to 12th grade, so when I say "all over school", I literally mean "all over school"), and heck, even got up the nerve to ask out Julie Wise (who said no) but I always kept going back to Cindy. I even took back my prom invite, asking Amy Farris instead.
Amy said yes at first, then a day later, she said "I know you really want to take that Cindy girl, so go with her". So I took Cindy to prom... I had a blast. She was a stick in the mud, so I left her at the table and had a good time on my own. Then, a few days after that, I found out the previous January, a week or so after we had our first kiss, she had gone out with some other guy--the same tall, hairy guy that was with her in the group going to the beach... she even kissed him. So, as far as I was concerned, we were done.
At least, until I got to Troy State the following September, and we went out again, though this time I almost didn't care. Not knowing anyone, I became friends with Cindy's friends, and she took offense to this--she treated me like crap, really. So, we're done now. I'm over it, if only because Troy is a brand new world and there are tons of fish in the sea--heck, this is the freakin' Pacific.
I had dinner with Ginny Kochan from Wisconsin, which was awesome... well, it ended up later as a disaster, (begatting The Ginny Kochan First Law of Dating), but at first, I was excited. I went that weekend to work at the restaurant, and mentioned to someone "Hey, I had dinner with this awesome chick named Ginny..." Well, upon hearing it, Cindy got mad. She felt as if I was going out with other people to get even with her, which didn't help her anger when I actually laughed at her for saying it. "You're kidding me, right?" I laughed. "You actually think I care enough about you at this point to date someone to just get even with you?" Yeah, that didn't help either.
Moved on from Ginny to go out with Labett White (her name was Mary Beth, but her little brother could only spit out "Labett") that winter, something that lasted all of two weeks. I actually had a crush on Adrienne Benton, who was a close friend to both me and Labett, but that wasn't going to happen... anyway, in the spring of 1994, I met Chris Fulaytar (you may know him as Wookiee, but that nickname came after)... and though I didn't date him, nor did I have a crush on him, this was a key point.
He was dating Anna Ayers, commonly known now as "The Wench", while I was dating Katherine Gates, commonly known now as "The Absolutely Freakin' Psycho Katherine Gates" (those are two stories that are for another day), and both The Wench and Katherine lived in Hamil Hall with a party-going Mormon named Erin and a country bumpkin named Alyson.
Up in Hamil Hall one day, with both of us visiting our chicks-at-the-time, Chris and I were sharing dating stories one day, and I found out he knew Cindy Howell, as they were both involved in ROTC on campus. Heck, he even dated her. Then I found out he dated her in January of 1992. Then I found out he had come with Cindy and friends to the beach, and had stopped in at The Wright Place for breakfast. So yes, he was the guy who Cindy had made out with, in the midst of going out with me... and Chris and I both laughed heartily about it. We even became roommates the next year... and for three years after that. And a decade later, he served as the best man in my wedding, and I in his.
Cindy and I didn't speak for 18 months. Know that Troy's campus was not all that big, so we saw each other quite frrequently... we would pass by in the halls of McCalla or Wallace, look at each other and just keep going. Until one day... I finally called her. When I mentioned I was roommates and best friends with Chris Fulaytar, she got really quiet, which I enjoyed thoroughly... but anyway, we made up. (No, not like that). I was a sophomore, she was a junior, we both had grown up a little bit, so we didn't go out again.
I gotta say, though, we were high schoolers, and young college kids... its like a world away at this point. I say that because to her credit, when we finally reconnected, she was a different person. She apologized profusely for everything over and over, I apologized for everything, and we became really good friends. The next year, I went to see her in Biloxi, Mississippi where she was stationed (she was in the Air Force for a few years) and visited my first casino (won $15 on the nickel machines... and honestly, the last time I ever gambled, aside from a lottery ticket every now and again).
At this point, Cindy was just fantastic to be around. And still is. Did I love her? I told her I did. However, I don't know if I can count that, because I was 17 at the time. Did I know what love was? I don't think so. That's not saying that people who are 17 or 18 can't know what love is all about... I just know I didn't.
Throughout the next few years in college, I went through a series of relationships, dating a few Julies, a Melanie, a Heather, a couple of Jennifers, having a big crush on a Kathy (who liked Jarred, for some reason... what is it with girls who like guys who are jerks? Is this a national thing, or just southern? Do nice guys do something to turn girls this way? We should do a study.) which turned into a "Some Kind of Wonderful" story when I ended up liking Lisa Murphy instead and, oh yes, this chick named Chrissy--which is important because those of you who are spent time on WalkAbout should thank God this girl existed.
And all of this leads up to Amy.
Act 2, Scene 1: A Chance Meeting
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