I just finished the last few minutes of "Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King... this is a milestone for me, as it's the 35th book read through in 2014... my goal was in fact 35, and after missing my goal in 2013 (I got to 27 of 30), it's rather exciting.
It almost didn't happen... I read Stephen King's "A Good Marriage" back in July, and earlier this week, started "Big Driver", also by King. I was horrified to learn that these aren't small books, they are in fact novellas, both a part of "Full Dark, No Stars", along with two other novellas. So I did what anyone would do... I downloaded it off of Audible, and read the three novellas--"1922", "Big Driver" and "Fair Extension"--that I had not read yet.
And yes, audiobooks is considered reading... I pay better attention, and I can listen/read while driving, doing dishes, laundry or at work. So there.
But that left a whole in the list? Take out "A Good Marriage" and add the whole set of "Full Dark No Stars", and I still only have 34... so I grabbed my copy of Lou Mongello's "102 Ways to Save For and At Walt Disney World", and read the last 20 pages... I've been reading it all along since it's release earlier this year. So I finished it, and it counts.
I'll go through those in an upcoming post, giving you the list of books I read, and my thoughts and recommendations on them.
But that leads us into 2015... my goal for 2015 is 40 books read. And though I don't have a complete list of books to read in 2015, after reading Jon Acuff's latest post, I decided a small list would be a great place to start... so though there will be at least 30 more on this list under the "already read it", here are the first 10 books I'll likely start with... in no particular order.
But first, here's a couple of re-reads on tap:
This book is part non-fiction, part embellishment,
part horror, part comedy, part strange, all
fantastic. Like my life.
"'Salem's Lot" by Stephen King... my favorite of Stephen King's writings... or, maybe, my favorite one that I'll read and re-read--I think "It" is my favorite, but it's just so, so long that I can't just pick it up whenever.
Now... for the first time reads, these are likely to be my first 10 books read this year.
"Bossypants" by Tina Fey... I grabbed this one this past weekend, intending on this to be the final book of 2014, until I figured out my "novella" problem. So Tina, who I have really gotten a thing for in the last year or so, will have to wait a few weeks.
"Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn... She's the hottest thing going now in authors, with the explosion of "Gone Girl", but I've learned that it's sometimes the early work that ends up really standing out (see "The Firm" and "Time to Kill" by John Grisham)
"The Disneyland Story" by Sam Gennawey... I think (hope) this is the history of Disneyland, from construction to opening in the late 40s and early 50s. The preview makes it sound like it, but previews have burned me before.
"Do Over" by Jon Acuff... I'll admit it, I'm an Acuff Apologist. I really like the guy personally, and though he does write some boneheaded stuff sometimes, his writing really connects with me--perhaps its because he and I are about the same age and are in the same Pop Culture bubble, or maybe I started reading Acuff Astuff at the right time in my life, or maybe both. This will be released in April.
She is also the designer of the Purposeful
Planner that I posted on my Facebook page
and Instagram recently.
"Gray Mountain" by John Grisham... Anytime he releases a new book, I pick it, despite my better judgment. More often than not, I'm disappointed by the ending of a story that up until then, was a great tale. However, "Sycamore Row" was excellent from front to back, so we'll see what happens with this one.
"The Simplicity Project" by Corie Clark... I love it when my friends write books, though I then have to go get a copy (and I still need to get a copy of Justin Fisher's new book, "Crossroads: Subtitle Here", and read it in 2015), and my friend Corie wrote a dandy that will hit you in the head--all about decluttering and living much more simple than we all do.
So what about you? What books are you definitely going to read first in 2015? And if you said "Based on the stuff you are reading, you'll love ______", what would be in that blank?
What's this... two posts in two days? Its like... its like... its like we are going back to the old days of the blog... frequent postings.. lots of randomness... sometimes funny... okay, maybe never funny, but at least the attempt is there...
How about more of 2011...
The Lovely Steph Leann crossing one of the bridges. While I shook it.
40... The Wild Africa Trek... Pay some money, go backstage at Animal Kingdom, find yourself hiking through the backwoods, crossing rickety rope bridges, then harnessed in and hanging over crocodile pools and hippo pools.
39... Panera Mac & Cheese... Bar none, best macaroni and cheese you will find at any restaurant. Great stuff.
38... "Winnie the Pooh"... this is how Winnie the Pooh should be. Director John Lassiter said that Pooh belonged to all of us, not just the toddler audience that Disney had put Pooh and the gang into. Great film, great laughs, animation is wonderful and its a twinge of nostalgia.
37... The Epcot Pin Event... Our first and only pin event, located at Epcot, with pin boards and books and trading and special access to special pins and so on. Its pretty intense.
36... Cracked.com... one of the best humor sites you'll find online.
35... The Stampers... our friends David and Carlie Stamper. We love these guys, and they are great people.
34... "Onward" by Howard Schultz... Written by the CEO of Starbucks, its the account of the last six or seven years of the company, where Starbucks was, and where the company is going, especially after all the store closings in 2008. I like the book for the fact that Schultz doesn't pull any punches, and doesn't blame anyone else but himself and the team for the downfalls... and credit goes to the same team for the revival.
33... The Celebrity Apprentice... What a train wreck this show is, always.
Us and our segways, in the Italy Pavilion
32... The Epcot Segway Tour... There aren't many ways to better spend a crisp, cool February morning than riding around Epcot's World Pavilion for two hours on a segway.
31... "Real Steel"... Wasn't sure I wanted to see this movie at all, as it looked like a big screen version of Rock'em Sock'em Robots... yet, this turned out to be one of the most heartfelt movies I'd seen in a while. Yes, there are fighting robots in this film, but that takes a backseat to what the real plotline is, that being the relationship between a father (Colin Firth Club member Hugh Jackman) and a son (Dakota Goyo) and their reconciliation over those same fighting robots... including an old relic named Atom.
30... The Adjustment Bureau... A pretty good movie that I really enjoyed for the mere fact that I was able to write this article...
29... "The War for Late Night" by Bill Carter... What a great book. It recaps the crazy year or so when NBC brought in Conan O'Brien to take Jay Leno's place on The Tonight Show... then how NBC brought Jay back in prime time, ruined Conan's Tonight Show ratings, fired Conan, then brought Jay back to The Tonight Show, all while Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel and others watched from the sidelines. Well written, and showing a side of all the main players that you wouldn't expect, including Jay Leno's tendency to be a... well, a jerk. Who'da thunk it?
28... The Rock Returns... Yes, I watch WWE, and yes, I wigged out when The Rock made his fateful return after being gone for years. Yes, I can smell what the Rock. Is cooking.
27.. "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol... Perhaps the best Mission Impossible film since the first one--its fun, its exciting and its well done. Complete review here.
26... Hoarders... What the what? Have you seen this show? Its insane. People are pack rats to the ultimate extreme... dolls... toys... clothes... cars... dead animals... all found in the midst, and within--sometimes under--tons of possessions. Yet, the show is addicting, its mesmerizing, and at the least, it makes you realize that your house isn't all that bad. Or, it makes you realize that maybe your house is headed that direction.
24... 11/22/1963... Sometimes Stephen King throws you for a loop. Instead of a vampire infested town, or a rabid, maniacal dog, what if the story itself was a random diner that had a portal, a time portal, that took you back to 1958? And what if you could stop the JFK assassination from happening? All questions answered, at least from one perspective, in this novel that I finished in days... starts a little slow, but keeps you coming back over and over.
23... Triple H vs The Undertaker... Brilliant match between two WWE legends. Should have highlighted WrestleMania.
22... "Crazy Stupid Love"... Every year, there is one movie that I didn't expect to love and I end up adoring... last year, it was "Easy A". This year, its "Crazy Stupid Love". Starring Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, and a 1-2-3 punch of Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and Emma Stone, its smart and funny, and unlike some of the other films on this list, I've watched this over and over on cable. Meaning, the re-watchability of this film is very high.
20... The Billy Joel Collection... Visiting 2nd and Charles, a local used book and CD shop, my Billy Joel Collection was expanded considerably... for about 25 bucks, I added, among others, "52nd Street", "The Bridge", "Turnstiles", "Songs in the Attic", "Glass Houses", "Storm Front", "River of Dreams" and "An Innocent Man"... that's a lot of Billy Joel, and that's really cool.
19... Pastor Calvin... After close to 30 years at Valleydale Baptist Church turned Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), Pastor Calvin Kelly decided to step down. Oh, there was some silly little something, and I say "silly" and I mean "silly", lest you think I'm being sarcastic, but either way, he is a good man, a good Christ Follower and I'm proud of him for following where God leads him and his family.
18... Disneyland... 2 free park tickets + 2 free airline tickets + Marriott Rewards Free Hotel Stay = a trip to Anaheim to visit Disneyland Park and California Adventure. Now, there isn't enough time to go into all of the trip, but one of our favorite attractions was...
17... The Wonderful World of Color... A water based show on the lagoon at California Adventure, its full of light, color and imagination, and its just cool.
16... The New Star Tours... So, when I was in Disneyland, I read on Twitter that they were doing testing for the brand new Star Tours--remember, this is May 2011--so I kept checking for when I might be able to get in. Finally, I saw they were accepting "Annual Passholders", and being such, I hoped to get to ride it... of course, I was a Walt Disney World passholder, not a Disneyland Passholder, there is a difference.
The Lovely Steph Leann, only 3 or 4 months pregnant at that time, was unable to ride then... so I went alone, and made it to the Star Tours attraction. Of course, my WDW Pass wouldn't get me in, but I noticed a Cast Member working with another gentleman's fast passes... I asked him if there was any way I could get to ride, and he nodded and said, "Come with me". So he escorted the other gentleman and myself past the long, winding line and straight to the entrance of the building... and it was awesome. The ride was awesome.
15... "I Can't Even Walk (Without You Holding My Hand)" by Justin Fisher... My boy JustFish is a story teller. Some of his stories are a bit long winded, some are right on the money, most are hilarious, all are sincere. This is a book of stories, one after another, about his struggle and life with cerebral palsy, and the blessings God has given him through such a handicap. He's just a good dude.
14... The Muppets Soundtrack... its the awesome music to the awesome movie called...
13... "The Muppets"... What an awesome film. I mean, straight up fantastic. Of course, this is someone who grew up on the Muppets, has the series on DVD, has all the movies on DVD (except for "Muppet Treasure Island"... I just can't get into that one) and have loved Kermit & the gang for years. Plus, toss in Jason Segel, and Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with) and you've got a great movie on your hands. Even the bizarre rap song by Chris Cooper somehow works in this film. Sort of.
12... October Disney... went in October. Loved it. (the trip was over a year ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on the specifics of this trip...)
11... "Walt Disney" by Neal Gabler... This book is a behemoth... and its filled with dates and names and times and things that are very detailed about the life, both personal and professional, of Walt Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse and those Magic Kingdoms that bear his name. If you want a light telling of his life, this is not the book for you. But if you want the details, the minutiae, the backstories behind the stories, then pick this one up. I loved every page, and look forward to reading it again.
And for your weekend... finally... The Top Ten Coolest Things of 2011... you don't want to miss it as we wrap up then, and start working on just now...
The Lovely Steph Leann and I do love our Sunday School Life Connection class at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), as some of our favorite people are in there. When the "Young Marrieds" started in 2005, we had only 6 or 7 couples--ourselves, The Hawbakers, The Barnetts, The Watkins, The Shaws, maybe one or two couples I can't think of, a couple named Frank and Amanda Hanson, and another couple who weren't married, but engaged to be so within a few months (I think they subsequently broke up, but that's neither here nor there--they, and the Hansons, didn't return after a few weeks).
None of us had kids, and the majority of the couples in the class now either weren't even married at the time (in fact, Willis & Meredith Watkins were getting married later that spring), weren't members of the church, weren't even residents of the state, or some or all three.
From January of 2005, our class has exploded in size. Yes, its been 7 years and alot can happen in 7 years, but we started out being taught by The Robinsons, then Jason & Emmy Turnbow--the class blew up in size a few years later, and ended up splitting because it was just to flippin' big. The Lovely Steph Leann and I helped lead the charge into the great unknown of starting a new class out of the old class... and here we are.
Now, we are about 25 couples strong--and we are one of those lucky, blessed classes that at least 17 or 18 of those couples are really active. And we have enough kids in this group now to supply an entire Chinese gymnastics squad. And they are young enough too.
There is a three teacher rotation in our class at the time, which works pretty well... Big RyRy (Ryan Sherman), Tebershaw (Tebe Shaw) and winner of 2 BET Soul Choice Awards for his latest Moody Gazette Best Selling book "I Can't Even Walk (without you holding my hand)", JustFish, aka Justin Fisher. So far? Its worked out great... kinda like a Matthew-Mark-Luke thing, where you have three different personalities, three different styles and three different perspectives all on the same subject, this being the promotion and furthering of the Kingdom of Christ and its Scriptures.
Why just spill this info, seemingly random? Because I do a newsletter every week for our class called, funnily enough, The ShawFiSherman Times--and its become fairly popular at this point, full of important infomation, dates, events, birthdays and anniversaries, plus usually some thoughts on whatever at the end.
And, because I'll probably start posting some of those, I didn't want to have to explain all of this stuff everytime I mention our Life Connection class and its workings... so there's the scoop.
In Sunday Sch Life Connection today, we did a little lesson on Peter... or as our teacher, Best Selling Author and Dancing With the Stars Contestant Justin Fisher likes to call him, "Big Mouth Peter". We talked about the feeding of the 5,000 and the subsequent wind storm that caused Peter to get out of the boat and into the water. We discussed Mark 14, where Big Mouthed Peter denied Jesus three times, and got what has to be the most painful, heartbreaking look ever from Jesus when he does.
And finally onto John 22, one of my favorite chapters in all of the Word. And it made me think of an Encouragement Email I wrote way back in the day, back in 2001. So I wanted to share it with you...
"Am I Your Friend", from July 21st, 2001...
So, in my vernacular, I'd like to refresh your memory on the story. Setting the stage, Jesus has come back from death, and is appearing to His disciples for the third time since. The disciples had been fishing, catching nyet, until Jesus walked up and said, "Throw your nets on the other side of the boat."
The ensuing conversation takes place the evening of this fishing trip.
I hope you read it, don't just skim it, and soak in the power of the Crucified Life that God is calling every single one of us to live daily.
"Peter... come here, friend," Jesus motioned. "Have a seat by the fire here."
Peter, exhausted from a day of fishing, even though their catches had been minimal, gladly set his net down. He slowly walked over to where Jesus' motioned.
"I'm happy you are back, Master," Peter smiled, sitting down on the edge of the log Jesus occupied.
"Pete... call me Jesus. You can call me Master when we make it Home. For now, call me Jesus," Jesus smiled.
"Anything you say," Peter laughed. He leaned over and picked up a fish from the small pile in front of where they sat. "You know, J, I'm really glad you showed up. We weren't doing so well out there today until you got here." He removed his small knife from the sheath on his waist and began to gut the small fish.
"I noticed," Jesus replied, quietly. There was much on His mind, much He wanted to say to Peter, but He knew discernment was the proper tool at the moment. Peter was one of His favorites, one of His closest friends, and it almost pained Him to have the conversation that was about to ensue.
"I mean, dang, Son... 153 fish?" Peter continued, as he finished scaling his soon-to-be dinner. "It took me, Thomas, Matthew AND Philip to bring that net in. Tell you what, a fisherman Matthew is not!" He grabbed a sharpened stick behind him and skewered the fish. Peter continued talking as he held the fish out over the fire to cook.
Jesus listened, but still soaked in His surroundings. Another small fire blazed a few yards away where Bartholomew and James stood, roasting their fish. John was a little farther behind them, scaling fish. Philip stood with Matthew next to the water. From the motions that Philip made, and that Matthew tried to emulate, it seemed as if Matthew was getting a course in casting and fishing.
"Anyway, J, I'm glad You are here," Peter spoke, pulling the fish away from the fire. He spoke in a light, carefree manner, "Would you like the first meal? Should we say the blessing, or can you just do a hand-wave thing and cover it?"
Jesus smiled, just rolling His eyes, "Thanks, Pete."
Jesus bit into the fish, savoring the flavor. Deity or no deity, He loved seafood. Peter began to clean another fish for his own meal, while Jesus ate up.
"Man, that was good, Peter," Jesus slumped down to the ground, leaning on the log he was just sitting on. He propped his elbows up on the wood and leaned His head back. "Very full... I'm very full."
Peter, picking his teeth with one of the longer fishbones left, shook his head, "Yeah... I may do a lot of stupid things, but I'd like to think that cooking is something I do well."
"So, Peter, let me ask you a question."
"Shoot."
"Do you love me more than these?"
Peter found this question a little odd. He slumped to the ground as Jesus, leaning against the other end of the same log. "Uh... yes, Jesus. You know we're tight."
"Make sure you take care of my people, Peter."
"Uh... okay," Peter looked back at the fire, bewildered. They sat quiet for a minute, when Jesus piped up again.
"Peter, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Jesus. You know I do." Peter thought about asking what this line of questioning was all about, but he sat quiet still.
"Make sure you take care of my people."
Again, a few more minutes passed, and they sat quietly, the only sound audible being the crackle of the now-dwindling fire.
Again, Jesus asked, "Peter, do you love me more than these?"
Peter, confused, "Jesus, man, you know everything. You know I love you. Why are you asking me this?"
"Take care of my people, Peter."
Peter had enough... this was confusing him and he wanted to know where this was coming from.
"Jesus, what’s your deal? Why ask me? Is this about that denial thing in the courtyard? I'm sorry for that! I told you I was sorry! You know I'm your best friend."
Very calmly, Jesus turned and looked at Peter, and spoke in a soft, yet firm voice. "Did I ask you if you were my friend?"
"Well... I..."
"No, Peter, answer the question. Did I ask you if you were my friend?"
"Uh... no, but I..."
"Correct. No, I didn't. I don't want to know if you're my friend, Peter. Frankly, at this point, I'm not sure I care if you are my friend. What I want to know is, AM I YOUR LIFE?"
"Jesus... Lord, I don’t understand."
Jesus leaned up and sat on the log again, "Peter, when you were younger, in your teens and twenties... you dressed yourself, you did what you wanted to, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, I want to tell you this, Peter, and you can't forget this... when you get older, not long from now, someone else is going to dress you, someone else is going to lead you where you do not want to go. And the road you'll be led on... you don't walk that way for a friend, Peter."
"Jesus... I..."
"I know your future, buddy. It’s not a road you walk for a friend. The only way you are going to make it, Peter, is if I am the complete and total center of your universe."
Peter, still taken aback by the conversation, looked up and saw John in the distance. "But Jesus, am I the only one being questioned? Are you going to talk to James or John like this? Am I going to die? What about John? Is he going to die?"
"If I decide to let John live for another fifty years, is that your business? No, I don't think so, Peter. You follow me. Let me worry about John."
"You know my heart, Lord. You know that I want to follow you. You know I do stupid stuff sometimes, but you know my desire is to not do those things, to do what you want me to do, whatever it is."
"If you love me, Peter, as you say you do... if you have a desire to do what I want, no matter what it is... then its really simple. My laws, my ways, my Word. Follow me. There's no gray there. Follow me."
This is a longer-than-usual encouragement mail, but I want to make sure we soak it in... God enjoys being our friend, our compatriot, our buddy... but more than that, He wants to be our life.
"But God! Why does this happen to me? Why can't I live a life like that guy! Or that girl! They have it so easy!" And God's response.... "If I want that guy to have a charmed life, if I want that girl to be healthy all of her days and live to be 87 years old... is that your business? No, it isn't. You follow me."
If we are to truly live the Crucified life that He called us to live, that He designed us to live, then we can't simply look at Jesus in passing... He has to be our life. The unparalleled center of our universe!
It's a daily crucifixion of ourselves, to wake up in the morning and say, "You know, God, tell me what You want me to do, and I'll do it. Whatever, God. Just whatever."
And God will simply say to you, "Follow me today. You start walking down My road, and I'll tell you as you go along. So, just follow me."
Just got in from recording our podcast, The Deucecast, Episode X: On Stranger Podcasts. Have you heard our show? Then let me tell you about it, so you'll know...
So not too long ago, maybe March or something like that, Mikey sends me a text that simply says, "I think we should do a podcast. Call it the deucecast. what do u think?"
Immediately, I smiled... a podcast? A real, true life, on iTunes podcast? I was down with it, completely. Mikey is one of those guys that, when he is all in, he's all in. He's totally in. He's behind it a billion percent. And this idea had been perculating around his mind for a little while, to the point where he started prepping for it before he even asked me about it. Probably because... well, he' knew I'd be in.
After doing this website for just shy of six years now, I had been thinking of the next step, the next progression. Heck, I had decided a year or so ago that a podcast would be a great idea, one of my own where I could talk about what I want, having guests of all calibers to discuss and debate--don't know if it would have been interesting, but at least I would have enjoyed it.
Problem was, I knew nothing of a podcast. Nor did I have the equipment to even start with it. But Mikey... he had the equipment, or at least some of it. He needed me to kind of put a frame work on the show, maybe segments, games and so on. What we would talk about, do a "rundown" of sorts.
But how to get the show running, the techie stuff? Enter Tommy Mac and Shawn Sharp, who both have a great idea of how this stuff works.
Though Mikey was ready to do an hour plus show the first week, I knew we'd have to build. We met on a Wednesday night about a week or so after our initial conversation, and figured we'd put down some audio, talk about whatever, and that would be that... and after 90 minutes of playing with earphones, wires, sound levels, microphones, filters and so on, Mikey and I finally began to talk with Tommy and Shawn producing.
And it was dreadful. Part of the show is unintelligible due to a bad buzzing noise, the other part was just that we had no idea what exactly we were doing. I don't remember exactly what we talked about (I've never made it entirely through that particular episode on playback), but I do remember thinking that, "Well, that sucked... but it didn't suck as bad as it could have."
The next week rolled around, and this time, I actually brought "show notes", and a written "rundown". The rundown was just the flexible schedule we were going to go by, the show notes were typed out notes for my own use to get my own thoughts out a little easier.
Mikey's brother-in-law, and hubby to Mikey's sister Snipp, Matty, began listening from the beginning. Living in Chattanooga, he would email and text us both some thoughts and suggestions on making the show better... so it didn't take long before he became a "guest contributor", and then into a full fledged co-host.
So the three of us, Matty, Mikey and myselfy have hosted The Deucecast now for what was our 10th episode last night... well, thats 10, but we also did 4 "negative" episodes... meaning we took 4 weeks and did shows as a rehearsal of sorts.
You know how a big attraction at a theme park, or even a big store location has a grand opening, but before that, they do "soft openings" to work out the kinks? This was us. We took four weeks to work out the audio problems, to get our style down, to figure out segments that did and didn't work, games that needed redefining... and by Episode -1, we got it down. In fact, that is one of my personal favorite episodes!
We even called in some "guest contributors" like Hurricane Rhett and The Good Dr. Earl to come in every few weeks and add something different to the show. Perhaps Rhett's Rhants is one of our more popular segments, I'd say. We had best selling author Justin Fisher in-studio to discuss his book as well (and if you haven't read it, shame on you.... its great... book review coming soon enough) for our first in-studio interview.
So, you are asking, what's The Deucecast about? I'll admit, we aren't for everyone. Not that its bad language or anything, but some people (re: chicks) might find us dorky and boring... we talk about movies and music and celebrities and pop culture stuff for an hour every week. Mikey does a music segment where he brings up new music from sometimes obscure bands, and Matty and I make fun of him. Matt does a "smorgasbord" where he discusses whatever, though alot of times it revolves video gaming.
Seagal is all things to all people. And by "all
people", I mean Matt Rector.
I do a bit called "Buried Treasure" and discuss movies that you may have forgotten, movies like "Boomerang" with Eddie Murphy, and wrestling film "Body Slam", and sometimes music, like Hootie's "Fairweather Johnson" CD.
There several in-studio games we rotate through from week to week, like "Name That Crap", where everyone has to name the song being played, usually something along the caliber of early Michael Bolton or Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam... we do a game called "Faux or Show", where we discuss horrible television shows from the past... and a great little movie game that keeps us laughing and bewilders us about how much random crap we know.
We also do an homage every week to actor/lawman/activist/humanitarian/musician/jack of all trades/master of all trades Steven Seagal, mostly catering to Matt's possibly unhealthy obsession to the guy.
And in our "Roundtable", we just talk about whatever. Star Wars is a popular topic, as is Charlie Sheen and I like to discuss Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with), but we cover everything from topical headlines to books to anything else. Just a random free for all, almost like we are sitting in the living room just tossing stuff out there... cause thats actually what it is.
Overall, its a fun show. I think its funny, but again, its not for everyone. However, if you haven't listened to it at all, take a listen.
You can find the website at http://www.thedeucecast.com/ and listen there, or go to iTunes and search for "The Deucecast".
So, before you write us off, give it a listen. When you find out we are actually unfunny hacks who just laugh at our own inanity for an hour a week, then you can write us off. But you have to listen to a show first. Heck, even Amarylis by Morning (up from san antone) thinks we are hacks--but thanks anyway to Painted By U for being a sponsor.
Okay, well, they arent really a sponsor, and legally, our show and her business have nothing to do with each other, and anything we say and do are not representative of the views and opinions of her or her business in any way (and vice versa), but if we DID have a pottery paintin' sponsor, Painted By U would totally be it, and if Painted By U wanted to sponsor a podcast, then... The Deucecast is it! (summer of blogging, day 10)
Sitting with Amarylis By Morning (up from san antone), Hurricane Rhett, JustFish and his wifey wife KellFish, the reviews are in... Idol... is pretty good. Okay, JustFish and KellFish didn't really give an opinion, but Amarylis By Morning (up from san antone) and Hurricane Rhett are digging it. And so is The Lovely Steph Leann and so am I.
Tonight, its the third episode of Idol 2.0, with Steven Tyler, J-Lo and Randy the Dawg, and we open up with Steven and Randy doing a little freelance version of "Sweet Emotion", one of my favorite Aerosmith songs. No joke, its a great driving song.
We're coming from Milwaukee, WI, the home of The Widower Danny Gokey... and in fact, we see The Goke himself talking to some of the crowd.
THIS IS
AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!
Scotty from Garner, NC, is up first. He's clean cut, he's dressed to the nines, and he's 16. If Paula Abdul was here, her room keys would be thrown at Scotty's feet. "Your Man" by Josh Turner is his song... and I'm glad he's singing this song, because that's one of those songs that I keep hearing, but didn't know who sang it. I'm going to download it right now.
The Lovely Steph Leann looks up at me, and says, "He's so smooth...."
At the judges request, Scotty from Garner sings "Put Some Drive in Your Country" by Travis Tritt, which makes Steven Tyler say something about getting something, get the matches, &#*$ a duck and see what hatches. What the?
Scotty from Garner heads to Hollywood.
The Lovely Steph Leann looks up at me from under her blanket and says, "I'd listen to him on the radio..."
I just down loaded "Your Man" by Josh Turner.
Joe Repka comes up... and sometimes you can just tell this is going to be a disaster. He's kinda tall, he's kinda frumpy, he's got a fat head, he's got a bad 'stache, he's dressed horribly... this is going to a train wreck of heavy duty proportions. Seacrusty just talks to him like Joe actually has a chance.
And the judges know this is going to be bad too. He says he is 19, but he could pass for 31. And when he says he's going to sing "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel, both The Lovely Steph Leann and I groan. And when he actually starts singing, she grimaces, I giggle, Steven Tyler sways and J-Lo hangs her head.
Steven Tyler says, "Do not quit your day job. Brutally honest." The others agree. And Joe jumps into the classic Idol mistake of, "They hated my first song, so I'll sing something without being prompted so they will hear me sing beautifully..." and in all my years of watching Idol, I have never seen this work.
From the previous commercial break, we see a chick saying something original like, "This is my dream", while crying. Well, now we see her and her family in an SUV, and she tells us how she was 5 when Kelly Clarkson won the first Idol (The Lovely Steph Leann whimpers, "We are so old"), and how they came from Colorado, and drove 16 hours to Milwaukee.
Emma Henry, 15, is singing "True Colors" from Cyndi Lauper... personally its one of my least favorite songs ever, but she's not doing as badly as I thought she would. Steven Tyler says he likes her character, J-Lo says she needs to keep working on her quality, and Randy the Dawg says he's not sure that she is ready. J-Lo says no, and she needs to work on it. Steven Tyler says yes.
"I want this so badly, music is my life..." she starts crying, cue the sad music. Randy the Dawg says she's going to be swallowed up in this whole process. She whimpers, and says, "I'm going to work so hard!" Randy the Dawg relents, and Emma Henry shouts for joy as she gets her golden ticket.
My own opinion? She's got talent, and she's pretty good... but she needs to be trained up. She needs more work, and I think she'll be pheeeeenomonal. The Lovely Steph Leann agrees.
Trailer for "The Roommate" comes on. The Lovely Steph Leann pipes up, "I've seen that movie!" When I look at her, bewildered she's seen a movie that hasn't been released yet, she says, "Yeah, I've seen it. Its called 'Single White Female' with Jennifer Jason Leigh!"
And we're back, with a quick montage of people who think they can sing, but cannot sing. ATTENTION IDOLOONIES... DO NOT AUDITION WITH LADY GAGA. DOESN'T MATTER THE SONG, DON'T AUDITION WITH LADY GAGA'S MUSIC. BAD, BAD, BAAAAA IDEA. Thanks.
And now, we hear about SummerFest, a huge music festival in Milwaukee, and we meet Aduba Malukaahaa, or whatever her name is, who works ground crew at SummerFest. And Idol will change her life. Sometimes she cries because her music means so much to her. Her words, not mine.
So Naiuma Arkardapoo is going to sing Donnie Hathaway, and shockingly... she's not bad. Actually, she's pretty good. Here I was all set to make fun of Noxema Alahyoudaoo, and here she goes and does her thing right. And she goes to Hollywood with three yes votes.
I look forward to not being able to spell, type or pronounce Nobooboo Arachanidco's name in the future.
Back from break! We see a somersaulting contestant somersault straight into a cameraman and it was awesome. Here's the montage of bad songs... including a "Jenny from the Block" take.
Jerome Bell, a bar-mitzvah singer, is singing "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. He brings it loud, a little over the top. I'd like to think of Song of Solomon had a soundtrack, this song would be it. Yay God.
The judges dig Jerome's groove, and he's headed to Hollywood.
The Lovely Steph Leann: I'd like one single year without that song being used in an audition.
Me: I haven't heard any Mariah or Whitney so far
The Lovely Steph Leann: I'm okay with that too. But no more "Let's Get It On".
Seacrusty discusses the age limit being dropped to 15, partly due to the popularity of 9 year old Justin Bieber. Thia Megea is 15, one of the many 15 year olds who have auditioned.
"Chasing Paper" by Adele is her song. And she's fantastic. She sounds like she's 29 years old, and a veteran. And she kinda sounds like a sista, too, though her look is more Hawaiia'n.... and they all say yes, so Thia is headed to Hollywood.
And every 15 year old that came in walked out with a Golden Ticket. Steven Tyler says, "Thank God for people who can sing..." And we see the teaser for the bad, bad singers to come.
Back from break, we see a guy named Nathaniel who is a Civil War Re-Enactor. Was the Civil War in Wisconsin? Was that a state in the 1860s? No, I'm being serious.... that's a real question... Nate is in full Civil War regalia, and his dad is joining him, looking totally like a hippy. Nate tells us, however, that dad is not a hippy.. "He's not a hippy! Hippies have sex!"
When Nate walks in, J-Lo mutters, "oh no..." And she was right for saying that... because "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is being slaughtered with a Civil War musket. And the judges mock him, though Steven Tyler does it a little more discreetly.
This next guy can barely start, he's so nervous, and he ends up facing the other wall, composing himself. He should have just walked out. Yikes. Neither me or the woman knows the song, but it doesn't matter, because it was gawd-awful.
The next girl? "I am an intern at the White House and I'm in love with this president." I now don't like this chick and will root against her completely. She went to Harvard, so she is probably extremely book smart... but seriously? In love with the President? "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" is her song of choice, and she's not as bad as I want her to be. Molly Swenson is her name, by the way. Or I'll just call her The Idealistic Ignorant Molly. She goes to Hollywood.
After the break, its Day Two!
Back from break, its Day Two!
The bubbly, pretty, toothy Haley Reinhart comes in, telling us this is everything she wants. She auditioned last year, and didn't make it, so now she's back. "Oh Darling" is her song, and I guess she got better, because she sounds great. Steven Tyler loves her. J-Lo loves her. Randy the Dawg loves her. Haley is Hollywood!
And from Chicago, its Tiwan! He's busting out some Sam Cooke, and The Lovely Steph Leann pipes up, "I like him. He needs braces. But I do like him." He sounds good. They all like him, and Tiwan and his Elliott Yamean teeth head to Hollywood.
"It looks like his mouth needs, you know, three more teeth to fill in the spaces," The Lovely Steph Leann adds in.
Steve is a CPA, and is an auditor... "So I really don't have many friends," he says. He adds, "I'm a wedding and funeral singer... weddings tend to be more fun." And he has the humor of an auditor. His voice is not great, but its not bad. Both The Lovely Steph Leann and I are going back and forth on whether we like him or not...
Steven Tyler likes him. Randy the Dawg says yes. J-Lo says yes. And Steve the auditor goes to Hollywood.
And here comes the girl from the teaser, when Seacrusty said, "And the judges have a showdown..." Vernika is singing "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton, and "singing" is a stretch. I just looked around and the glass on the front door of The Cabana just cracked.
J-Lo tells her no, and how its not going to work. Steven Tyler says she won't work for this show. Vernika declares that "half'a dese peoples don't even sing good, I sing better than then half'a dese people. Its cause I ain't skinny." And she walks out, straight past Seacrest and the camera.
We get a few crying chicks, including a few choice words by some, a mama who is protective of her kid (who she then tells to shut up), and a dude who drops his own words.
Back from break, we get Albert Rogers III, who thinks he sounds like Usher, Ruuuuuben Studdard and Luther Vandross. He's going to sing "Stand By Me", and J-Lo starts to giggle. She knows what's coming. And its a disaster. Albert Part III is trying way, way too hard... and he gets a no from the judges.
Scott Dangerfield comes out, a 22 year old student teacher in shorts, a long sleeve button and square glasses. He's going to sing "Dreamin'" by Amos Lee. And right out'ta gate, Scott throws down and does it right. J-Lo says, "You might just be my favorite so far." All the judges say YES enthusiastically. The Lovely Steph Leann says, "I wasn't expecting that... and he kinda has a Jodie Foster look about him."
Back from Break!
And now we see one of the Green Bay Packers biggest fans ever. Or so she says. She loves the Green-n-Gold... her name is Megan Frasier, 20, and yells "Go Pack Go!" to the judges. She's going to sing "Baby" by The Beebs, and its atrocious. The judges all yell, "NO!" at the same time.
Alyson Jados is shown in tears when Steven Tyler came through the crowd early in the day. And now, she goes to meet the judges, Steven Tyler included, who gives her a giggly-inducing hug. She's going to sing "Come Together" and gives it that rocker edge, sort of a Allison Iraheta tone.
She continues with "Dream On", though she admits she can't hit that last note, which Steven Tyler fills in. He then tells her she's very pitchy, J-Lo tells her she's got a good quality, and Randy the Dawg says he doesn't think she's ready. J-Lo says yes. Now, its up to Steven Tyler to determine a yes or no. Of course, he says yes.
And now we get one last guy, which is our Sob Story (always disguised by the phrase, "his incredible journey") of the night. Chris Medina is 26, from Chicago. He's engaged to be married, and she works at a Starbucks! She was recently in an accident, and she has a traumatic brain injury... and in a month or so, she woke up, with severe movement disabilities.
"Break Even" by The Script is his song, and he slows it down to a bluesy kinda of jam. Snapping fingers, he belts it out, and sounds great. The judges ask to meet his girlfriend, and they wheel her in to meet the judges. They shower her with hugs, kisses and love, and its probably one of the most sincere moments I've ever seen on Idol.
You wouldn't see that with Simon.
Milwaukee puts forth 53 contestants to Hollywood, out of the 1000s that showed up... and tomorrow night, its Nashville!
Sometimes our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), has some bad ideas. Sometimes they throw some things out there, and we all sit back and say, "Wow. That didn't work, did it?"
And then again, sometimes our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), has some great ideas. Some ideas, that when put forth are just knocked out of the ballpark. And FAN Day was one of them...
FAN stands for "Friends And Neighbors" Day, where we could invite... well, our friends and neighbors... to come out to our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), get to know us, get to know our pastor, and see what we have to offer... namely, Jesus, but there's more too.
Siran Stacy spoke at our church. He's a former star for the University of Alabama--incidentally, they have 13 national championships, just in case you didn't know--in the years '89 to '91, and hails from Geneva, Alabama, which is 8 miles from my own home in Samson, Alabama.
In late 2007, he was driving a van with his wife and kids, and was struck by a drunk driver. The drunk driver was killed, as was Stacy's wife, and four of his five children. Stacy and his daughter Shelley survived, after both spent time in a coma.
When Siran Stacy hit that stage, you knew Jesus was up in this hizzy. I mean, Siran brought it. Let's be clear, I like Calvin Kelly... he's been my pastor for 12 years, really the only true pastor I've ever known--mine own church history is another blog for another day--but every now and then, a little color on our stage is great. Maybe once a month or two, toss up some Antjuan Marsh, or let's catch Voddie Bochum as he's coming through town...
Anyway, Siran was a dynamic speaker, preaching on how God dealt with Ezekiel in the Old Testament, and relating it to how he dealt with his own losses.
And afterwards, we all went out to our tailgate parties. Each Sunday School Life Connection had a little parcel of the parking lot, and each was responsible for grilling and serving up their own food, putting out their own chairs and tables, and making it as tailgatey as possible.
I told one of the higher ups in our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), that next year we need to present a trophy to the best tailgate presentation, maybe keep that trophy in the church with class names engraved on it year after year. And of course, I only say that because of what we had....
We had Justin Fisher, about seven grills, a bunch of experienced grillers grilling on those grills, banana pudding, some little chocolate brownie balls that I had about fourteen of, all 9 of Chad & Amanda Campbell's kids, a tent, cornhole, Willis in a green The U shirt, an RV and Heather Whitley. We win.
Here are some pictures from FAN Day.
Here is Mr. Steven Ray's Day and Mrs. Steven Ray's Mom, helping set up the big, fat buffet of cholesterol, sugar and high fructose corn syrup, along with the ribs and lettuce. We rule.
Sitting and waiting to eat, The Freckled (re)Becca. Her beau, Bobowen, is around here somewhere.
Jonathan Taylor, preparing the roast beast, the roast beast for the Valleydale Church
(an sbc fellowship) Tailgate feast.
The Lovely Steph Leann and our friend Heather, who's husband is away this weekend on drill and keeping our
country safe. U-S-A! U-S-A!
Tootie Watkins, with his gloves on, cooking up some burgers, while others, including
Steven Ray, gnaws on some ribs
I'm sure that the pastors and leaders of the church stopped by several booths, but we had a ton of people who
aren't in our own Life Connection class stop by ours. Again, this lends to the assumption that we, in fact, had
the best set up. I will say there was a circus tent that had a "JESUS FOR HEISMAN" sign, but in order to one-up
them, we went out and got Alissa Thornell. We win again.
When Justin Fisher rolls down the halls of Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), little Will Fisher will run
out to meet him, and he will yell, and I quote, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" I can only
hope that Campbell Isaiah will dig his dad as much as Will Fisher digs his old man. Little Will puts his hand
on Daddy JustFish's chair, and this is how they roll.
Calah Ray, correctly pronounced Cah-lah Rah, shows the excitement, yet exhaustion of the day
Jon Taylor and Heather Whitley view the food options, while again, Steven Ray looks on in the background. I
think he was searching out the camera.
Emmy Turnbow, making a Not Emmy Turnbow Safe Face of Disapproval at her maler half, Jason
If you are on Facebook, you can search me up and look at all the pictures from FAN Day... I'm keeping them available for "Everyone" to see for a few days, then I'll take 'em down to "Friends Only" viewing. Then you'll have to be my friend to see them... Membership has its privileges.
Continuing our list of the absolute 100 coolest things of all 2009...
The 30th Coolest Thing of 2009... Tyler Gets Woked Up
See, now would be a good time to, if you are on Facebook, click over to Clouds in My Coffee so you can see this video. Its absolutely out of your mind hysterical. That's Tyler, my brother in law, as the main victim of this senseless travesty of sleep deprivation.
By the way, they set up the entire drumset in the bedroom, all while Tyler was completely asleep. If there's one thing I've learned from The Lovely Steph Leann, its that those Campbells can sleep anywhere and through anything.
The 29th Coolest Thing of 2009... "The Hangover"
In a post entitled "Not Emmy Turnbow Safe" from June 27th, 2009, I explain quite simply at how this movie is... well, not Emmy Turnbow safe.
From that post: Simple premise is, three guys take their buddy for a night stay in Vegas for a bachelor party… all three have distinctly different personalities, all three are played to the hilt, and all three react differently when they wake up in their now-trashed hotel room the next morning, a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, one guy missing a tooth and the groom completely disappeared. None of them can remember a thing about the night, but they start backtracking their steps to find out what happened, and why Mike Tyson ends up in their hotel room. And where the tiger came from. And why one of them is missing a tooth. And why there is a baby in the closet. And why... come to think of it, this sounds like The Lovely Steph Leann's bachelorette party.
This movie had me rolling... I'm not proud of saying that, but there it is.
The 28th Coolest Thing of 2009... "The Hurt Locker" From December 7th, where you can also read about what might be the greatest year in film history... "The Hurt Locker" is about a group of solders in Iraq that disarm Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs, which are really just like they sound--simply made bombs that are triggered by tripwires, or remotes or whatever, made to kill people, namely American soliders.
There are three main reasons why I thought this film was brilliant... first, the lack of superstars helps this movie quite a bit. Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty have been in other stuff, but you likely won't remember much of it. Taking away this stardom almost makes this feel like its a documentary more than anything else, like what you are seeing on screen is actually happening 5,000 miles and a half-dozen time zones away--maybe because it is.
Secondly, its not preachy. Anyone who has read this site enough will know I'm not into being preached at by films that are supposed to entertain. It doesn't dive into politics, into why we are there, why we are or are not winning or losing the war, or anything else. It just tells its story.
Finally... its just a really good movie. Its a movie about war, so none of the language is Emmy Turnbow Safe, and it does have its bloody moments, but its paced well, it doesn't veer into subplots (much... there is one small one, but it resolves itself quickly) and after its over, you just nod your head and say, "That's a good movie."
The 27th Coolest Thing of 2009... Rebecca Jourdan Samuelson
I think I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again as a reminder. Back in 1998, I moved to Birmingham. Back in 1998, I didn't have alot of... well, I really didn't have any friends. I had begun attending Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) and had a few people here and there I had met. People that, in a dire emergency, I'm sure I could have called upon and expected an answer, though probably more out of Christian fellowshippy obligation than loyalty to me.
Back in October of '98, I worked at Parisian Corporate, back when Parisian still existed and was owned by Saks Fifth Avenue. Back then, they owned McRae's, Bergners, Yonkers and a few other places, and were a booming department store chain. Anyway, I worked in the Home Department buying office at the time, and this chick I had met at church was working a few departments down. Rebecca Jourdan. We struck up an unlikely friendship, and she, for lack of a better word, "took me under her wing", almost becoming this Big Sister type that I needed.
When my car broke down--and this happened alot--she would drive from Cahaba Heights to Lorna Road (no, not GuadalaHoover, it was closer to the 65 side) to pick me up. We shared a meal or two, and she'd always buy. I got behind on rent, she gathered the Sunday School class she'd invited me to, and gotten me to attend, and collected enough money to pay my rent once.
She was my friend, and I hers. She even drove me to and from the dentist when I got my wisdom teeth pulled... I think in my possible delirium of being high on Novacaine (or whatever they use) I told her I loved her... or maybe that she loved me... or that I was hungry... or who knows. I was drooling. And she walked me and helped me pass out on the couch--helping you walk to a couch while your mouth is full of cotton and your shirt is soaked with dripping saliva is a sign of a true friend.
Time went by, and she got closer to the guy she was seeing... and she married... and then moved to Mississippi. It wasn't like she just up and left and didn't tell anyone, but in a way, that's kind of what happened. By that time, I had met the guys who would eventually join me in The Deuce, had gotten more involved in Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) and our friendship, at least for that season, had kind of run its course.
Through the years, I asked a few people that knew both of us what had happened to Rebecca... and always got the same answer: "I dunno". But one day, the same thing that has happened to a thousand people across the country happened to me--I found her on Facebook. And emailed her immediately. She emailed back, and we had re-connected. We agreed to meet for lunch at Roly Poly, a place I'm not a huge fan of, but if Rebecca had said, "Meet me for lunch at the Dog Poop Cafe", I'd had been there.
I saw her, gave her a huge, huge, huuuuge hug and was so happy I had my friend back. We chatted over lunch and I was able to tell her truly how God had used her my life, We talk back and forth every now and again, but I know how to find her now, which I didn't for something like 8 years... thanks Rebecca. You truly are an angel.
The 26th Coolest Thing of 2009... "My Live Would Suck Without U"
Leave it to Kelly Clarkson to toss out a tune that blows me away. Not only was she was the 6th coolest thing of 2005, but her song "Behind These Hazel Eyes" was the 25th coolest thing of that same year.
And this year, she releases a song from her fourth album, "All I Ever Wanted"... and its loud, its booming, its up tempo and its so easy to sing when you are driving 85 down the interstate... "becaaaaause we beeeelooooong tooooogeeethaaaaa now, yeah, forever uniiiiiiiited here somehow, yeah... you got a piece of me... and honestly... my life (MY LIFE!) would suck (WOULD SUCK!) without you...!!!"
Be honest. You are singing it now, aren't ya? And like 2005, Kelly Clarkson has the... second... coolest song of the year.
The 25th Coolest Thing of 2009... David & Amanda Tuck
One of the things that The Lovely Steph Leann and I do alot, perhaps well, is socialize. We love meeting new people and we love "double dates" with othe couples. We've reached out and established great relationships with people like KT & J Rob (though sadly we don't get to see them nearly as much as we used to, since they moved 42 miles out of town).
We were all in one big class, led by Emmy Turnbow and her hubby Jason, and we ended up meeting David and Amanda Tuck, this 20something couple that hadn't been married too long. He's kinda country, she's kinda country, they are both down to earth fun people. You know those kind of couples that are so darn cute, its almost irritating, but you can't be irritated with them at all because they not only are cute, they are so darn sweet? Yeah, thats the Tucks.
Well, the class got really big... and at one point, the class split like some church classes do. We moved to the new class, the Tucks remained, so like some other couples that we enjoy (back to KT and J Rob again), we only see them in passing at church... though when we do see them, great hugs and big handshakes ensue.
The Tucks are on our list of couples to spend more time with.
The 24th Coolest Thing of 2009... Disney With the Family
One of the benefits of The Happiest Place in the Mall is the Most Magical Benefits on Earth. That means as a cast member, I get to go to Disney World for free... well, free admission, and half-off on stays at the resorts. One of our great joys is to be able to take people with us as well, and last September, we were able to take The Lovely Steph Leann's sister Angie, and Nephew Benny and Niece Maddie.
As many trips as I have taken to Disney World, I don't end up talking a whole lot about them on the blog, mostly because it might be the same ol, same ol after a while... we rode this, we rode that, we ate here, it was good, and so on. Much like a billion pictures on Facebook all kind of run together.
This was a special trip, though, because in taking the Sis and kids, we were able to take with us a family that wouldn't normally be able to go, mostly because of the cost. Let's face it, if it weren't for the benefits of the job, The Lovely Steph Leann and I would only go once a year, maybe once per 18 month period.
You should check out the trip report, though, from September 27th, called "T-Rex Tired", if for no other reason than to read about an exasperated mother of two do battle with an incomptent waitress... I wrote: In case you were wondering, yes we did leave her a tip, which flew in the face of everything I believe in when it comes to tipping. Why? Maybe I felt bad for her. Hell hath no fury like a exhausted, weary, fatigued mom of two exhausted, weary, fatigued, fussy children under 12 who just wants quesadillas with meat and cheese on them. I think that's in Proverbs.
The 23rd Coolest Thing of 2009... Justin Fisher
This guy is just awesome. First time I remember having a conversation with him, though we might have spoken in passing previous to this, was about the first time I had a real conversation with Hurricane Rhett.
Several years back, at the wedding of Rad-a-Tad Roose and his wife Gina, The Lovely Steph Leann and I were sitting at a downstairs table at the reception, along with Hurrican Rhett and his wife, Amarylis By Morning (up from San Antone) and JustFish, with his wife Kelly. The conversation went something like this.
Me: I like that dress (referring to Amarylis By Morning (up from San Antone))
Hurricane Rhett: I like it too. Though I like it better when its draped over my headboard.
JustFish (looking at his own wife): Agreed.
Through that exchange, I knew I had found some guys I could relate to.
JustFish is one of the leaders of our Sunday School Life Connection class that I referred to earlier when discussing The Tucks, and not to slight the other guys that lead, but JustFish is pretty amazing when he's teaching. He's a teacher of economics by profession (when I want to know some law stuff, I talk to the Clouds in My Coffee Ombudsman Brad Latta... when I want some economic stuff, I go to JustFish) so he's got the lecture skills down.
He's got a brilliant spiritual mind and is one of those approachable guys you feel like you could sit with and chit chat about light stuff like, "So, pre-destination? Was I ordained to ask that?" or "Revelation. We win. But how?"
Anyway, 2009 was really the year I got to know this guy fully, and am pleased and proud to call him my friend.
The 22nd Coolest Thing of 2009... "It" by Stephen King
I read this book when I was about 15 years old. "It" was released in 1986, and was a behemoth of a book to tackle. I vaguely remember it taking me a good week or two to finish it, but I do remember devouring it. It was a good 1000+ pages, had a ton of characters, but it had something that I liked in books... kids that were close to my age, and I was able to relate.
"It" is the story of a group of kids in the 50s, dubbed "The Losers Club" for their outcast status, who confront a monster, and evil entity that has suddenly (re)awakened under the town of Derry, Maine. The book also parallels the same kids as grown ups in the 80s, scattered across the globe, all being drawn back to Derry because of the promise they'd make--if it came back, they would too. And It does. And they do. And it has one of the scariest interpretations of a clown, ever. Pennywise. Not a fan. Well, "It" is more of a spirit being, but the clown is the form it takes... I'm sure that makes you feel better.
There's a good lesson to be learned here--never trust anyone who lives in a sewer, especially if its a clown.
They made a mini-series in 1990, starring John Boy, Jack Tripper, Judge Harry Stone and Seth Green, among others, and if you ever watch it, just remember the first part is awesome, the second part not so much. Tim Curry plays Pennywise, though, and he, pardon the pun, kills it.
The Lovely Steph Leann had purchased a hardcover copy of the book for Christmas one year, a gift that I was very pleased with. The problem was, this book is huge... and heavy. So I went out and bought a paperback copy of it, one that I could bend up a little, and wouldn't mind if it was a little ragged after I was done. And I dove right in... and realized how much I had forgotten in the almost 20 years it had been since I'd read "It".
Because my time is so limited for just sitting and reading, it was hard to get through quickly--it took a month. I would read the paperback at work, or on the road (I finished in in June, on the way to Disney World while sitting in the passenger seat of St'ray's SUV), but while at home, I would pick up the hardcover, find where I left off and get through a chapter or two before going to sleep.
"It" is brilliant. The book tells the story of the kids in the 50s and adults in the 80s side-by-side, one chapter happening then, another happening now. You gain real empathy for the heroes in the story, while you really hate the bad guys, which go beyond just a creepy clown... and unlike the mini-series, the ending of the book is satisfying, if not making you feel like it ended where it should, without carrying on a little too far.
There are a select number of books that are consider "masterpieces" by Stephen King--one would be "The Stand", almost a magnus opus. Another would be "The Dark Tower", though thats a series of seven books that I've heard are both awesome and uneven. "The Shining" and "'Salem's Lot" are also considered with high regard as early novels. But there are many books I've flipped through that discuss Kings work, and almost all of them consider "It" to be his overall best work.
Me? I considered this to be my favorite of King's work... and still do, though admittedly, having read "'Salem's Lot" three times in three years, its getting close.
(oh, and after I finished writing this post, I was adding links, and I found out that "It" is coming to audiobook in May. Who's excited? MeMeMe!!!)
The 21st Coolest Thing of 2009... The Gators Win the Title
Go Gators! Go Gators! Go Gators! Go Gators! Go Gators!!
Coming up... my favorite blog of the year... my favorite podcast of the year... my favorite Starbucks manager of the year... my favorite book of the year... and more...
