I'm not one to play a whole lot of video games. In fact, we've had a Wii for about four or five years, and the number of times I have played it in the last two years is, maybe once. Maybe twice. My history with video games actually goes all the way back to 1989, when my mom and dad bought me a real, genuine Nintendo 8 bit system, with the Duck Hunt gun and game, AND... check this out, AND the Power Pad. Like, the mat that you plug in, and run on for the game World Class Track Meet. It had four games--the 100 yard dash, the hurdles, the relay, and the Olympics, where you can combine all three games for a big score. Was there something else? I don't remember.
Don't know what the Power Pad is? It looks like this picture... it was awesome. Anyway, there was a way to position your heels right behind the circles, and then quickly tap your feet on the circles... if you did it just right, there was no stopping you. Don't believe me? My 100 yard record is 5.61 seconds. I remember that number, even though I haven't actually played on a Nintendo Power Pad in at least 12 years, and haven't set that record in about 20. The other side of it had some sort of set up for a Dance Aerobics game, but that was lame-oh.
Aside from that game, I played a heavy rotation of Super Mario Brothers (1 & 3, because 2 was dumb), Tecmo Bowl (Bo Jackson was unstoppable), CastleVania (I never got past level 4), Contra (Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right A B Start), Rygar (I never understood the game, and never got anywhere), Paperboy (I liked breaking virtual windows), Mike Tyson's Punchout (I beat him once. One.Single.Time), Tetris (I played so much, I saw it in my sleep), Top Gun (the first level ruled), Marble Madness (that game was so hardcore) and of course, the original The Legend of Zelda.
But as the game systems and technology grew, my interest in them waned. Well, let me rephrase that.. they got smarter, I didn't. I skipped the Super Nintendo, and by the time the Game Cube rolled around, the controllers were all fancy with 287 buttons each, and it was just too complicated.
We bought a Nintendo Wii some years ago, and I spent 100s of hours on Star Wars Legos, and a bit of time on Toy Story Mania... but that's about it. Just no time for such things.
A screen shot of Forest Frontiers, after some heavy work
The game that I really like, though, when I have time to waste, is Roller Coaster Tycoon. There might be a video game system for it, but I have the PC version... I borrowed--and forgot to give back--the original game disc from my brother in law, Tyler... I had no instructions, no clue how to do anything, and when the first game, "Forest Frontiers" popped up, I had to wing it.
Essentially, it opens up with a big patch of a land and a park gate. You are then to build an amusement park. You have an opening set of rides and attractions, a handful of coasters, a few drink and snack bars and so on. And, you are given a budget. I tried to do the Dave Ramsey thing and build it debt free, but that's pretty fruitless. You also have to build walkways or renovate existing walkways, and with each ride you build, it costs you money, but you have to build an entrance and an exit. On some levels you can buy more land, some you have to clear trees and landscaping to build more, and if you want more than the initial rides and attractions, then you have to allocate money to "marketing and research"; meaning every little while, another coaster, ride or stand will be available to you to use.
Each level gets a wee bit harder, and each one will have different objectives... some will say "Have 900 guests in your park by the end of Year 3" (each "year" lasts like, 15 minutes or something) or "Maintain a Park Rating of 850 by Year 2", and sometimes you have a brand new patch of land to work with, build your park and open with, and other times you have to start right in on an existing park, already filled with guests.
Its a fun game, and an addicting one too. Every time I go to Walt Disney World, I find myself thinking about Roller Coaster Tycoon, and what I can do different. You can even hire "security guards", "mechanics" to fix rides (which I always name Larry, Gary, Barry, Terry and so on) and "janitors" to clean up (which I always name Jill, Bill, Gil, Will and so on). Because to make an amusement park, you also have to have guests... and the guests in Roller Coaster Tycoon are... well... stupid.
In the game, or at least in the initial version of the game (there are now multiple sequels, as well as expansion packs for each, etc), the only differentiating characteristic of each guest is the color of their shirt. Their faces, skin, size are exactly alike. Each guest is given a number, and they all had different amounts of money in their pocket to spend, as well as various levels of stamina when it comes to hard rides and such.
But they are all stupid. Case in point... build a coaster. A nice roller coaster, and let it build in popularity and make you lots of money. Eventually, that coaster will break down more and more often, making it more trouble than its worth... so you can do one of two things: You can "close" the ride, which means all your guests in line and on the ride will exit, make their way onto your pathway and go to other rides, then you can delete your coaster.
OR
You can just delete it. When you do that, everyone in the ride queue turns around and walks out. However, the people on the ride suddenly drop to the grass below. Some will find the path, disappear amongst the hundreds, and keep going. Others? Well, this is the stupid part. The others will start wandering aimlessly. And when I say, aimlessly, I mean AIM-LESS-LEE... they scatter like a flock of startled birds... you have little "tweezers" that you can pick each guest up and place them on the path, but if there are dozens of them, its hard to pick them all up... invariably, you lose some.
You'll think you have all of them, and then suddenly you hear a beep-beep-beep notification, telling you that "Guest 194 is lost". You do a click, and the screen will pan all the way across your park to find one or more poor souls just wandering back and forth, through the grass. Click on them, usually they'll have a mad look on their face. Lost.
And occasionally, you'll have everything laid out, pathways correct, connected to other pathways, and you'll still get a beep-beep-beep notification that tells you something like "Guest 491 is lost". How are you lost, chief? I mean, seriously... you are wandering around the Carousel! The path to the exit is two squares in front of you, genius! Even when the path is clearly marked, Guest 491 is furious its not laid out for him completely.
Sounds like someone I know. Namely, me.
I am the stupid park guest.
When everything is going swimmingly, then suddenly, something is deleted, I fall to the grass. Most of the time, I just start wandering off in my own world. No sense of where I'm going, but hoping I'll know where "there" is when I get there.
I am the stupid park guest. The path many times (re: most of the time) is very clearly marked. And I ignore it. I pout until I get my way, until its made even more clear... only then will I move.
I am the stupid park guest. Usually with less money. And while I scoff at Guest 93 for paying my price of $9 for a drink, I then leave and spend my last bit of cash on something dumb when I should be saving up.
I am the stupid park guest. Like the guests you can pick up and drop into the water just to watch them drown, I drown in my own fears, insecurities and general dorkfacedness.
I am the stupid park guest. Even when things are set forth, right in front of me, sometimes I just stop and puke on the sidewalk. Or turn in the wrong direction anyway. I get mad. I get confused. And I realize I am must be like everyone else. No uniqueness. No individuality. Nothing that sets me apart.
I am the stupid park guest.
Thankfully... I've got someone else holding the Holy Tweezers that picks me out of the mess, out of the wilderness and from the lost grass and places me back on the pathway. Be real... you've never heard the term "Holy Tweezers" until now, right? See, this is why I'm here.
We don't have to be stupid park guests. We don't have to wander aimlessly. And we don't have to wait for the Holy Tweezers to get us... we can make that move on our own.
(thanks to Katie Porath, a friend in the START Experiment, for the inspiration for this post...)
The summer movie season continues eating away at our budget intently, as two movies came up on the docket this weekend... the first came as a result of our nephew Benjamin coming to visit. The 9 year old and his family live in Jasper, but they spend time here in B'ham with the in-laws (mine, not theirs) frequently.
One of the activities including him playing hours and hours of LEGO Harry Potter on the Wii, and another was a movie... "Kung Fu Panda 2". Originally subtitled "The Kaboom of Doom", I'm kinda glad they dropped that and just went with the "2" part.
Anyway, I liked the movie as much as the first one. Its premise basically surrounds a panda named Po (voiced by Jack Black) who, in the first film, learned he was a "dragon warrior" and was taught Kung Fu, and joined up with other members of the Furious Five, including Tigress (Angelina Jolie) and Mantis (Seth Rogan) and others. For whatever reason, Grandmaster Flash wasn't included in this.
The bad guy this time around is an evil peacock named Shen, deliciously vocalized by Gary Oldman, and you'll hear other familiar voices like Jean Claude Van Damme, Dennis Haysbert and Danny McBride.
The animation is wonderful, the story is solid and flows well and its perfect for just about anyone of any age. You kinda wonder if there is an attraction between Po and Tigress, but the real relationship moments are between Po and his adoptive father, Mr. Ping. You can tell its adoption when you see Mr. Ping is a goose.
Po wonders who he is, knowing that a goose cannot be his real dad, and begins to question his family... and in a touching moment, Mr. Ping is forced to watch his beloved son Po walk away to battle.
As far as Po's real family, they kinda do that movie thing where one of the main issues in the second movie is an issue they don't even address in the first one... sorta like, when you realize Riggs wife is dead in the first Lethel Weapon, its only a minor plotpoint they use to establish the character, but when Lethel Weapon 2 rolls around, it becomes a major point in the story.
Same with Po's real family--only used to establish Po's character in KFP 1, but in KFP 2, it becomes a plot point. Guess you can do that with sequels...
And man that 9 year old kid loves him some Panda. And Bakugon. And Bey Blades. After the movie, then dinner at Chick Fila, we dropped the quickly tiring The Lovely Steph Leann off at The Cabana, then Benjamin and I spent some time first at The LEGO Store, then Toys R Us.
I do love The LEGO Store. Of course, every time I go there, I look over at ABC Toys, where The Happiest Place in the Mall used to be, and I throw up a little in my own mouth. Like I did last night. Ended up walking out with three LEGO guys he built himself, and a couple of Harry Potter keychains I bought for myself.
At Toys R Us, he spent about 30 minutes in front of the Bakugon and Bey Blade aisle, touching just about every toy and telling me which ones he had and which ones he needed. I listened intently, though I can't say I learned anything.
Should be noted that for whatever reason, he likes rap music. I dont think he fully understands the concept of "rap music", other than its style, so I was forced to fumble through my car for something that he could listen to. Luckily, I had a copy of "The Greatest" by LL Cool J, and was able to pop in "Mama Said Knock You Out", which he rather enjoyed. My other other CDs in the car at that moment included Norah Jones, Sara Bareilles, Sarah McLachlan, Darius Rucker and, of course, Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits--$5.99 at Wal-Mart, I considered it a steal.
Songs that I did manage to find on radio that made the cut were the edited version of "California Love" by Tupac and Dr. Dre... "Rocket 2 U" by The Jets... "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears... "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel... and "The Come Back Song" by Darius Rucker. "You Give Good Love" by Pre-crack Whitney also came on, but he informed me, "I don't like slow songs. I like rocker songs. And rap music."
We got about 34 seconds into "Dre Day", but I was able to flip the channel just as I heard the syllable "Muth..." and saved the day. Sometimes SiriusXM will censor, sometimes not. And since I listen to 90s on 9 a heckuva lot, I was bewildered that because I hear "Hip Hop Hooray", "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Baby Got Back" repeatedly, I just knew I would catch one of them for Benjamin's listening pleasure... but when I needed them to come on, I got nothing. Thats how I knew my life was outta luck, foo.
He did ask me if I had ever heard an Eminem song... I told him I had. He asked me if I liked any Eminem songs. I told him not many, though there were a few that I kinda liked. He asked me if Eminem was bad. I told him that yes, Eminem songs are pretty bad. He asked me how. I told him there was a lot of language, and that Eminem really liked to use lots of F-words. He asked me, "What's an F-word?" I changed the subject.
I finally popped in a CD that I had gotten from The Happiest Place in the Mall, one that included Hilary Duff, Aly & AJ and some High School Musical stuff. Figured that was safe as anything.
The line of night came when "Hoedown Throwdown" by Miley Cyrus came on... sadly, and I'll admit this to you--I know just about every word to it (and to "G.N.O." that came on later... which I'm guessing that besides me, only Hurricane Rhett would even know that stood for "Girls Night Out", much less know it by heart)... anyway, the song came on and Benjamin said, "Really? Is this Hannah Montana?"
I replied, "Its Miley Cyrus, yes."
Pause.
"So... why are two guys listening to Hannah Montana?"
"I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind. There was something so pleasant about that place. Even your emotions have an echo in so much space." Gnarls Barkley
Hale: "Your out of your mind." Deak: "Yeah... ain't it cool?"
Two more days, and the decade is over. How absolutely crazy is that?
Anyway, not much to discuss... well, that's not true--there's probably a lot to talk about, everything from reviews of "Avatar", "It's Complicated" and "Sherlock Holmes" to what in the world is up with my Go Gators and the Urban Meyer, "I'm resigning cause my heart can't take it no I'm not I'm just taking a leave of absence but is that really the truth maybe I am resigning I'm just saying 'leave of absence' so my recruits will be okay" dance.
But, as it is, its 217 in the morning... and my iPod is syncing, which is why I'm still up. Its a blessed problem, really... "blessed problem" being, I have no reason to complain, I'm only whining about my toys and how annoying they can be, and if I sat back and had perspective, I'd know that I not only have 1 iPod, I now have 2 iPods, and those without would look at me and say, "Quit your whining, you big baby."
I opened up iTunes the other day, and nothing was there. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I sighed, because this has happened before.. my music is right where I left it on my computer, in my music folder, but its as if I had downloaded iTunes for the first time. This means all my ratings, all my lyrics, all my playcounts gone, all gone... now I'll never know the lyrics to Jason Mraz's "The Remedy (i won't worry)" or know whether I rated Garth Brooks' "Wild Horses" higher than Whitney Houston's "Savin' All My Love For You", now my knowledge of how many times I truly listened to "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus or "Steel Bars" by Michael Bolton or "Everything Zen" by Bush was gone! No more ratings! No more playlists! No more 'last played'! No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey gravy! Turkey Hash! Turkey a la King! Or gallons of turkey soup! Gone, ALL GONE!
I guess there are worse things in life... well, I'm pretty sure there are. Cancer... car wrecks... He Who Must Not Be Re-Elected's Health Care Plan... (random song names.. check... random line from "A Christmas Story"... check... potshot at The President for Brad Latta's sake... check...).
The only upside is that I get to re-organize my music, and for a nerd like me, this is a big deal. I have one folder, called "Distribute", and anything downloaded goes there. If I've downloaded the song from a less-than-paid for site, I can do a virus scan on that folder to make sure everything is on the up and up. If I rip a CD, it goes there, as does any audiobooks I get. Over time, and because I'm too lazy and forgetful to move stuff when I load it, it builds up.
This iTunes issue happened last in August of 2008. In 16 months, my "Distribute" folder had collected 245 different artists worth of stuff. It took me about three hours to move music and audiobooks out of that folder into their proper places.
The Lovely Steph Leann did well this year.... she usually does, but this year especially. I got some great stuff, like some books, my "Mountain Soul II" CD by Patty Loveless that I was hoping for, a cute little Mickey Mouse tie, Super Mario for the Wii (more on that later), and in my stocking, I pulled out some candy (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the best, aren't they?), some weird little "put them in water and they grow!" animals that The Lovely Steph Leann got a big kick out of and at the bottom... an iPod Touch.
I held it, I looked at her, looked back at it, then looked back at her smiling face. "You... you got me... got me... an iPod Touch?" I stuttered. Very little leaves me stammering, but this did the trick. She smiled, and told me that she won it at work in some sort of contest... she was quick to point out that, "Had I not won this, you wouldn't have gotten it. Just so you know."
I had kinda been wanting an iPhone, but my issue with that was the phone bill per month would be higher... not necessarily the actual phone plan, but the cost of all the bells and whistles that went with it. An iPod Touch is basically the same thing, just without that pesky phone part. I can connect to the interweb, download applications, load contact info and so on... in fact, I'm not even sure what I'm capable of with it. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to launch a cupcake business and tap into the space shuttle interface.
Its been a learning curve, using both iPods on the same iTunes... yeah, yeah, I know, poor me, pity me and so on. I'm just telling you how it is. The Touch is great, though... the screen is really wide, so I've enjoyed watching music videos and TV shows on it... on a weekend trip to Tullahoma, TN, last weekend, I managed to take in Family Guy's "Blue Harvest" and the first episode of "Mad Men", a show I have a feeling I'm about to plunge headfirst into.
So now, at 253am, I'm reloading my iPod, the 60gig. Essentially, I have to wait for it to unload 54 gigs of music, videos, audiobooks and podcasts in order to then reload 54 gigs of newly organized music, videos, audiobooks and podcasts. Whilst I wait, I watch the last few minutes of "Broken Arrow" on Fox Movie Channel, an incredibly bad, incredibly awesome flick starring Christian Slater as Hale and John Travolta as Deak, awaiting my iPod's new sync of my reorganization of iTunes.
Also got Toy Story Mania for the Wii... it rocks. I'm killer at the Plate Skeet Shoot. I tried Super Mario Brothers. Apparently, there's a glitch in the game that doesn't allow you to go to the first world. This happens only on certain games, though... I looked it up on the interweb, and seems like lots of folks are having this issue, with the only solution being to call Nintendo directly.
Okay, so I'm going to bed. Its too early... late... whatever. "Sweet Thing" by Keith Urban? Fun song. Listening to it now on my new iPod Touch (movie just ended). Why bring up Keith Urban? Cause its 3am, I must be lonely. She says baby, well I can't help but be scared but oh sometimes the rain's gonna wash away I believe it... (that may not be the exact lyrics, but I swear that's what Rob Thomas says...)
Ah, the problems of a guy who owns 2 iPods. I'm going to bed. Right after this Bob Seger song goes off, that is.
First... if you're on Facebook, and you aren't one of the 80 or so awesome people who have become fans of Clouds, then search Clouds in My Coffee on Facebook... and become a fan! And if you are on the regular page, on Blogspot, then consider becoming a follower... I mean, 51 million voted for He Who Must Not Be Re-Elected, and he's much more cult-like than I am! Ha!
Okay, okay, enough schilling about me... let's get to writing...
I don't do forwards. I've even told my kids at church that if they send me forwards after I warned them not to, they get cut from my address book. And I've cut a few out. That being said to, admittedly, there is some funny stuff out there that you want to share. In November 2006, I found a gem about what movies teach us, and had to share it with the world. Somewhere in the recesses of my laptop lies a document entitled "If I Were a Dark Overlord", which makes me roll everytime I read it.
But today, here's one I found on the Facebook page of my friend St. Francis. After doing a little Googling, I figured out its quite a list that has different variations and I'm not sure that anyone knows the source of it. Either way, its really, really funny. I cleaned it up for the audience, took out the ones that just weren't all that great, and here's what we have...
61 Thoughts That I Thought I Was the Only One Thinking...
1. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, tossing Q-tips into a bathroom trash can that’s right at their feet and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my anything that everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…
2. It really hacks me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
3. I wonder if cops ever get mad at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
4. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
5. When I meet someone new, I’m terrified of mentioning something they haven’t already told me but that I have learned from some light Facebook stalking.
6. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
7. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
8. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
9. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
10. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die. (I would like to think this isn't an issue... but just in case... Wookiee? Mikey? This means you)
11. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
12. How in the world are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
13. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
14. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
15. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
16. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option
17. Okay, okay… that’s enough, Nickelback.
18. I take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger
19. Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the “people you may know” feature on Facebook people that I do in fact know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?
20. Do you remember when you were kids playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.
21. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
22. Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the crap was going on when I first saw it. (This should be titled "The Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Theory". Have you seen that movie recently? Holy crap, that movie is bizarre. I mean, really, its so weird, but when I was a kid, I didn't... wait...)
(where was I? Oh yeah..)
23. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.
24. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
25. Was learning cursive really necessary? (Does anyone else have this blend of cursive and print letters that they use in their handwriting? Like no one ever uses a cursive "s" or that weird "I", but I've been known to loop my "l" or have my "d" connect to the next letter in the word... anyone? Um...)
26. “LOL” has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say.”
27. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
28. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
29. I think a cool name for a sports team, a good one at least, would be The Step-Dads. Even if none of the guys on the team are actual step-dads, when asked about it, you'd say, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us.”
30. Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart” all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart.”
31. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?
32. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
33. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies.”
34. If you told all of us 10 years ago that the word Google would not only become a mainstream word, but one that we would use as a proper noun AND a verb, would we have believed it, or called you an idiot? I think the latter.
35. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
36. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
37. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
38. Bad decisions make good stories. Even if your loving wife won't let you blog about them.
39. Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!
40. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
41. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from. This shouldn’t be a problem….
42. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.
43. There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
44. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
45. “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this. Ever.
46. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. "I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?"
47. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? What the crap?!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?
48. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
49. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
50. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…
51. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. (when I read this for the first time, I felt as if someone had been following me around making notes on my actions)
52. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.
53. Sheets. Sheets get dirty. Underwear. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
54. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
55. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
56. The other night I ordered takeout and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There’s nothing like being made to feel like a big fat hog before dinner
57. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
58. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again
59. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
60. While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don’t win, they are executed.
and finally... my favorite (and I think The Lovely Steph Leann's as well...)
61. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it. Thanks, Mario Kart.
So, if you are on Facebook, the numerous videos are not going to show up. Click on over to Clouds in My Coffee, then bookmark the page. Then check it daily. You never know what might pop up.
So, when it was released, I went to see it which I probably wouldn't have done unless it was with a group. And... I loved it. I absolutely loved it. "Prince Caspian" is an amazing film... its full of the action that the first one had, its got a great story line (I believe it combines a couple of the Narnia books) and who knew that Susan Pevensie would get so hot?
The first 9 minutes of the film, courtesy of YouTube.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of people felt like I did about the movie, at least initially, but they never went to see it. Made for about $180 million, it only brought in about $135. The differential was great enough that Disney took a step back, reviewed the deal and decided they were done with Narnia movies. Walden Media has been shopping around for a deal to make the next one, though nothing has been settled.
I have this button on my facebook page, somewhere, with Anna Popplewell's picture on it, and the caption reads "Archers Are Hot!".
That's right, Disney. Get rid of great family fare like Narnia, so hopefully we can have Space Buddies 2, or perhaps Bevery Hills Chihuahua 2: Chihuahuaier.
29. Samantha Brown I am all about me some Samantha Brown. She's one of the hosts on TLC, and typically the only reason I watch TLC. Usually when I'm flipping channels, I check the programs on several different ones, and if Samantha Brown is on TLC, that's where I go.
Right now, I'm watching her on "Passports to Great Weekends" where she's in Austin, TX. Up next, she'll be in Cabo, and you know that means? Samantha Brown in a swimsuit. Um, I mean, uh, it means we'll see the beautiful landscape that God has created and... well...
She's got a job that I can only envy. She gets paid to travel the world, spending days, nights and weekends in places like Rio, Boston, Berlin, Wyoming and everywhere in between, plus, she's done at least half a dozen Disney specials. Two words: Dream. Job.
Here's a video combining three of my favorite things not named The Lovely Steph Leann... Disney World and Samantha Brown and Christmas!
Anyway, I'm hoping one day she'll do "Passports to Great Weekend: The Cabana".
28. My Nintendo DS My Christmas list wasn't extremely long, at least by other years standards, but on my list was a Nintendo DS, a small handheld game system. I wanted to have this with me to help pass the time when I'm... waiting in a lobby for my/her car to be fixed... waiting in traffic with the prospects of going nowhere... sitting in the back seat on a long car trip... sitting in a cramped airplane seat on a long flight... wherever I might need to pass the time.
I'm a natural fidgeter. I cannot just sit still, unlike The Lovely Steph Leann, who, if she has a book, she can actually be motionless for up to 38 hours, with only her fingers turning a page every few minutes. Its almost scary.
Anyway, imagine my happiness to peel back some wrapping paper and see the logo for Nintendo. Its bright blue, in a carrying case that looks like a purse, and came with the game Brain Age. My first Brain Age? 72. However, a day later, I got down to 33, so I chalk up that first one as an anomaly of not knowing exactly what I was doing. Currently, my brain is 21 years old, and getting younger. I rule.
27. Getting a Wii After we moved in The Cabana, I asked The Lovely Steph Leann if we could get a Wii. After all, she got furniture, she got to paint, she got shutters--and while she'll say, "We both got those things!" you understand that as a guy, I'm not fazed either way. So, she relented, and the hunt for a Wii was on.
I went to Wal-Mart around midnight one night, knowing this was the time to get them. They had been delivered the night before, and sold out. There was a worker though who told me that there was a guy who worked there who had a Wii, practically new, and five games to go with it, and was on sale for $350. She gave me his number.
The next day--well, actually, about 12 hours later on that same Saturday--I called up J Rob and asked if he wanted to join me. He did, so J Rob and I called this guy and we agreed to meet him in a Wal-Mart parking lot to view his merchandise. I felt like I was on a drug deal.
We did meet him. The old guy rolled up in a beat up pick up truck, and seeing a modern device like a Wii in a truck like that, in the possession of a guy like that, would be like watching your mom on Facebook--its just weird. J Rob gave good advice, being a Wii owner himself. The guy had all the necessary cords and such, and the games, though none struck my interest, could be sold for extra money. I told the guy we'd let him know, so J Rob and I began to tour Targets, Best Buys, Circuit Citys and Wal-Marts all over Birmingham.
We even visited the mall's game stores, and we were given the same response at all the above places... "You won't find one."
I finally called the guy, left a message and said, "I've made a decision. Call me back."
J Rob had mentioned that it was getting later in the afternoon, and his woman, KT, was expecting him home, so I said, "Let's go to Game Stop here, by Target, then I'll take you back." He said he was going to wait in the car and make a quick phone call, so I went into Game Stop and asked the question, "Do you have a Wii?". As I asked the question, I was already turning around, ready to leave, knowing the answer was "no."
"Yeah, we have two."
WHAT????
I froze, then finally said, "Hold one for me, for the next twenty seconds." I dashed outside, knocked on the window to get J Rob's attention, and when he looked at me, I exclaimed, "They've got a Wii!" Quickly, the decision was made to purchase the brand new one, not the one from the Old Guy at Wal-Mart, and we were both ecstatic. I purchased the system, an extra controller, a couple of games and went home to play my little games. It ruled.
26. Rick Burgess I received a phone call last January from The Rev'rn Ty Coffey. He informed me that Speedy, the producer from the Rick & Bubba Radio Show, went to his church, and had called him earlier to tell him that Bronner, the toddler son of Rick--half of the Rick & Bubba show hosts--had just died in a terrible drowning accident in their pool.
What followed in the days to come was one of the most amazing displays of faith I've ever seen.
The show the next day, and several days after, was very subdued. They took callers who shared their sympathy and cried along with Bubba and Speedy, while they talked to Rick a few times here and there. It was just... surreal... when James Spann, noted weatherman here in Birmingham, was on the air and broke down in tears on the show.
And after all this, here's where the "cool" part came in. The faith gloves came off. Instead of Rick and his family asking, "Why us, God? Why did you do this to us?" they completely turned it around. Rick began to speak openly--even more openly--about his own faith in Jesus Christ. He began to challenge every Christ Follower out there to be more visible in their faith, and essentially told those who sit and whine "Is there really a God? If there is, He doesn't love me because this happened!" to sit and shut up. It was awesome.
It was revealed that the guy who put in the pool was a Christ Follower (he called in, also in tears) and the Burgess family had prayed with him that the pool would be used for God's glory, not just for a good time. And who knew that this is what would happen.
Rick, speaking at Bronner's memorial service. You can see part two here, and part three here. Don't watch any of this unless you want to be challenged.
Bronner's death is a tragedy. However, what The Enemy thinks is going to be bad is always turned around for God's glory--and this case is no different. Thousands of people heard the message of Christ, thousands more were challenged in their faith and really, its about as cool as you get.
25. Melanie Zarzaur Melanie is a local mom of three, married for 20 years to a CPA, living in a humble home in Hoover. I met Melanie when she was a customer at Cahaba Heights Starbucks (grande raspberry white mocha) and we became friends. I told her all about The Lovely Steph Leann, my love of Disney, and life at Starbucks, I learned about her family, her kids and so on.
A year later, in the middle of 2008, I was considering leaving Starbucks. I called a few people to get their perspectives on things--she was one I called. I finally left to go to The Happiest Place in the Mall, and later on, I got her a job there. It was great--I had already gotten Jennifer Smith hired, as my plan was to hire all my friends there, so in case I wanted to stage a coup, I would have loyalists.
Melanie also joined the Starbucks team down at the 280/119 store, so that gave us two jobs in common. I enjoy chatting with this chick, and we became good buddies, sharing two working fields. Anyway, I think she's great. So, she's on the coolest list.
24. Survivor: Fans vs Favorites. Several years ago, "Survivor" did an "All Star" edition... favorite castaways came back to go one-on-one, including Bahstan Rob, Amber, Jerri, Rupert, Ethan and so on. It made for an excellent season, which can't be said for many seasons--like the most recent edition, in Gabon, Africa. I actually just woke up from that. The fact that it had the hottest Survivor--Sugar--since Elisabeth in Season 2's Outback only mildly helped.
Anyway, in early 2008, we had "Fans vs Favorites", which brought back Jonny Fairplay, Yau-Man, Ami the Lesbian Barista (also very hot), Penner, Ozzy, Parvati, Amanda, Eliza, Big James and Cirie, and put them against newbies who, for some, idolized the former Survivors. And the season was brilliant. Jonny Fairplay bowed out early, which was fine by Jeff Probst who had gone on record and said he didn't like him, and didn't agree with Fairplay being on the show. A let down was when Jonathan Penner, another likable villain, was injured and had to be carted out of the game. But overall...
The reward/immunity challenge from Episode 2. Note the brilliance of Chet. And the Manimal that is Ozzy.
"Blindside" is the word of the year in this show, as one blindside after another felled former champs and Survivor hopefuls... Ami the Lesbian Barista? Blindsided. Ozzy? Blindsided. James? Blindsided. Stupid Stupid Erik? Blindsided. It was awesome.
And, as far as the upcoming season is concerned, I found out that a guy I know... well, the little brother of a girl who I graduated with, will be on Survivor: Tocantins, in Brazil. So, let's root for JT.
23. "Hey, I Read the Blog!" Nothing thrills me more, or makes me smile bigger, unless it has something to do with The Lovely Steph Leann, than to hear someone tell me they read my blog. Especially when its someone that I didn't even think would know I had one. The day Emmy Turnbow told me "I read the blog the other day", I was like "...really...?" I was thrilled.
I was talking to my friend Staceyfran the other day, and we were discussing blogging. I told her, who had just started a blog not too long ago, that she should write to be read. My point, essentially, is why put in on the interweb if you don't want people to read it? You would just be journaling in a book if it was private. Granted, there are people who blog who feel it doesn't matter if alot of people read what they write, but they still would like people to read their thoughts. That's why you post it.
But Clouds in My Coffee has grown over the last two years, especially in the last 12 months. I do keep an eye on visitors, and I enjoy looking at stats to see not only where people are viewing it from (over a hundred people have the site bookmarked) but also what keywords are used to find my site, plus how many countries stop by. Its kinda cool.
I have discovered that there's a link to this blog on several different sites that I didn't even know existed. And I appreciate it.
Yeah, maybe its a pat on my own back, but I work hard on Clouds, and I'm glad people are enjoying it. And if you are reading this and have never mentioned to me you read it, let me know. I'd like to hear that.
22. Antjuan Marsh He's a minister and a speaker, and I consider him not only a friend, but a friend from way back, having attended Troy State U with him. Yep, "I knew him when."
He is a member of Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), and I list his website link alongside my other favorite ministry links on the right side (facebook readers will not see this). Along the same lines as #23 above, here is what he sent me that makes this list at #22:
Dollar,
I’ve been meaning to tell you thanks for your support. A guy who played football at Troy for a short time called me out of the blue. At the time, he was not a believer. Now a believer, he wanted to contact me. He was able to locate me after viewing your website. During our phone conversation, he mentioned I was listed as a top ministry site for Dave Ramsey. Well he meant David Dollar. After seeing what he was talking about, I was highly encouraged. Thanks for that posting and of course your kind words both spoken and written.
How 'bout that? I feel like I was used for something good. Always a good feeling.
21. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" I loved this movie. From front to back, top to bottom, all 3 hours of it, I thought this film was amazing. Brad Pitt has a disadvantage of being such a "pretty boy" because it sometimes takes away from what a great actor he has morphed into. He's funny in films like "Oceans 11-13", he's crazy in "12 Monkeys" and "The Fight Club" and he's just great in "Se7en", and in this movie, he shines.
You probably know the plot, where Benjamin was born as an old man, and progressively grew younger and younger. The film makes no attempt to explain this phenomena, it just uses it and tells the story of Benjamin's adventures.
As his love interest, Daisy, Cate Blanchett is bee-yoo-tee-ful (say it slow to appreciate how gorgeous she is in this film). Daisy is a little girl when Benjamin meets her, and over time, they end up "meeting in the middle". Its a movie I want to see again, I can hopefully pick up on Blu-Ray when it comes out, and I'm hoping it will stand the test of time and become a classic. Loved it.
Coming in a few days.... the 20 Coolest Things of 2008... What's the best movie of the year? What's the best song of the year? What was the best trip of the year? Find out.
I wanted to post on Friday, but this weekend was rather busy, so I didnt get to it, thinking I would get to do so on Monday (today), and then I spent another 12 hours at work, so right now, as I'm flipping back and forth between the NCAA Championship (Go Tigers!) and WWE Raw (Go HHH!), I'm really tired.
I'm going to crawl up on the brand spankin' new futon right behind me, and continue to watch both until both are over.
There really is much to talk about, the least of which is the Wii, and the story of how it came to be in The Cabana, the dealings with Old Neal Graham, the GameStop stop, and the unfounded love for a game I like to call Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga... I call it that, cause that's what its titled.
Can I tell you how excited I am that I finally figured out how to post videos? (Thanks Scotty). Now that I know this, I can show you this fabulous trailer
Anyway, if I did post anything tonight, which I won't, it wouldn't get read as much because Idol is Tuesday night, and this is Idol Gives Back week, which is more than enough unintentional comedy to last a lifetime, much less one post. At least, its the final week for KLC, and then the real contest can begin (though I think Black Julia Stiles is due for a fall soon).
Speaking of Star Wars and Deal or No Deal, there's a Star Wars themed Deal or No Deal on April 28th. And yes, the banker will be Darth Vader.
New blog I've enjoyed... Carla Says. A quick, good read. She's supposed to put up a blog counter, so perhaps you can help her with her numbers...
For those of you who know Jennifer & Justin Glenn, who's romance blossomed at The Deuce, by the way, they are expecting a baby.
Two Who Used to Be On That List, Until They Suddenly Stopped Being Talented:Nicole Kidman, Jodie Foster
A Couple of Actors I'll Watch In Just About Anything (cause they are just cool):Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson(and when I say anything concerning Sam Jackson, I mean anything... he's been in some real crap, I tell ya)
One Guy Who Used to Be Ubercool Until He Joined Charla & Mirna on Team Bats***:Tom Cruise
Why did I list that? Topic of conversation, maybe? Maybe because I'm tired and I'm ready to go to bed (thought Memphis is up by 5, and I can't go now, not with 3 and some change left).
But since American Idol is tomorrow night, I'm not planning on posting anyway, cause who will see it? I'll post a non-Idol post on Thursday. How about that?
