perhaps its bad form to point out the flaws, but you lose the strengths of doing anything only sparingly, and writing is no different. Grammatically incorrect and structurally derp, please forgive the way its presented and just take the message...
Today is an important day in the life of one d$. It was on this day in 1998 that I moved to Birmingham, Alabama. I knew no one, I had no church, I didn't know my way around... but I chose B'Ham.
Why, you ask? Well, my original intent was Mobile, a city that I still think is cool. My other options were Atlanta and Nashville, because I'm more of a city guy... or was when I was 23 anyway. But job offers had not come from Mobile, but I did get one job offer from Birmingham, at a little place called Designers International.
Now, if I could go back, there are a number of things I would tell 23 year old d$ to consider before shaking Rob Zuckert's hand and agreeing to work for this company.
First, what will I be doing? The answer ended up being going door to door, store to store, parking lot to parking lot, selling knock off perfume out of a box.
Next, ask what my starting salary would be... The perfume was $22 a bottle, so anything price I got beyond the $22 was mine to keep. My first week in Birmingham, I made $7. I wish I were kidding...
Finally, ask where the door was so I could leave... this was a disaster, but that's another post.
No, the main reason I moved to Birmingham was for a girl named Amy Wible, because I thought we'd go out. When the girl you dig says "Move here and we can see each other!", you move. Or I did. As it turns out, we actually didn't see each other for another 2 years, but that is also another story.
But, this day in history... my friends Allysong, Shelby, Eddie, Troy Mac, Claire and a few others helped me load my stuff into my car and into another, and we drove to Birmingham together to unload it into my new, $435 per month loft at Carousel Apartments on Lorna Road. My friends were so cool, in fact, that we drove back to Troy, loaded up the rest of it and came back... the guys spent the night with me, the girls with Allysong (who was from Alabaster, a Birmingham suburb), and early the next day, they drove back to Troy, Alabama. Without me. I was on my own.
My dream, besides working at Designer International, was to catch on a radio station and maybe be behind the mic... after all, I did it for 3 years in college, so this can't be hard, right? Or maybe work at a TV station, first in production and then perhaps, who knows, in front of the camera?
It's been 18 years since my dreams of my two years in Birmingham would surely spill into a great job in Nashville, TN, or maybe over in Atlanta, maybe with Amy, maybe not. Or maybe I'd just move to New York City for a year or so... but first, let me spend two years here, get settled, pay off some debt and then pack up and move on.
But a funny thing happened on the way to 2016.
I met a guy named Michael and ended up moving to Pinebrook Apartments with he and Shawn and Big Tom Johnson. Then we moved to Briarberry Circle and founded The Deuce.
I joined Valleydale Baptist Church, now known as Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), my first -- and only -- church membership. I'm still there, despite all the changes.
I met Stephanie Campbell in our college & career group at church, and thought she was the cutest thing ever.
I got a job as a temp at Parisian Corporate, which turned into a full time sales assistant job.
I worked at a radio station as a sales assistant, and realized I didn't want to do radio as a career.
I worked at the local NBC station, again as a sales assistant, and realized it was the worst job I'd ever had.
I worked at a movie theater and learned that many high school students are lazy. But many work hard.
I reconnected with Amy and realized she wasn't the one for me (and she knew I wasn't the one for her)
I worked at Starbucks because I decided I would pay off my debts and save up for a ring because I really, really liked that cute girl named Stephanie Campbell.
I worked at The Disney Store and it confirmed my love of all things Disney. And I realized that yes, you can have a complete broken heart when the job ends.
I worked at Starbucks again and realized, maybe years too late, it wasn't my life's goal.
I worked at Alabama Power, to help clear my head of Starbucks.
And then I became a full time travel planner.
I've been a ticket tearer, a perfume pimper, a make-salespeople-look-good'er, a barista, a shift supervisor, an assistant manager, a manager, a barista, a shift supervisor, an assistant manager, a shift supervisor, a Cast Member, an engineering contractor (!) and finally, a travel planner.
'
I helped start a podcast with some of my best friends, my Deucemates... I've been close to my Sunday Scho... er, Life Connec... uh, Life Gro... that group on Sunday mornings for over 10 years now... I've reconnected with my BFF Best Mate Wookiee after a few years apart... I've reconnected with my worst first date ever, Ginny Kochan... I've become friends with reality stars like Brooke from The Bachelor, now on NBC, and been put into the Million Dollar Hold by WWE Hall of Famer Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase... I joined the cult of Jon Acuff, and three years later, I can say names like "Clay Shaver" and "Rick TOOOOLIE" and "Debra Henessy" and "Liz Clark" as some of my favorite people on the planet, people that help push me to what I'm doing now...
In 18 years, I've written 1000+ blog posts... traveled the East Coast... watched 1000s of movies... read 100s of books... been to Disney World countless times, and even did the "four parks in one day" thing twice (while doing the water parks too, for a 6 parks in one day trip) and accomplished 50 attractions in 24 hours...
In 18 years, I got married to the cutest thing ever, The Lovely Steph Leann... we had Campbell Isaiah, who is the most amazing kid I know... lost both of the people who raised me, but gained a mom who'd let me go 36 years ago... we paid off debt, we bought a house, we bought a brand new car...
And if I had moved to Mobile... I would have never had The Deuce... I would have never found Valleydale, and thusly never met The Lovely Steph Leann... I might've never met Clay Shaver or Liz Clark... Wookiee may have never come to see me in Mobile, so we would have been another case of "best buds in college, but lost touch over the years"... my life would be different.
Maybe worse, maybe just a lateral move in quality (I mean, who's to say that I wouldn't be talking about my life in Mobile, wondering what life would have been like had I moved to Birmingham instead?) but...
but... I like it like this. For what was supposed to be a two year stop in Birmingham before moving to bigger and better... I somehow found my bigger and better right here.
Two years becomes 18, and 18 will likely become 25 and beyond.
Here's to the next 18.
Showing posts with label Valleydale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valleydale. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
write on through the dry spell
This is the part of the show where this story gets lengthy, you, the reader, are ready to move onto something else, and I, the writer, must ask for your patience... quite simply, I want to finish this story, no matter who does (and doesn't) read it...
It's the story of my writing. How it started, like in part one... and writing in high school, which is part two... so here is part three... the dry spell in college leading up to the creation of this blog and beyond.
I think I neglected to mention that I kept a journal from about 9th grade to the summer after I graduated. Literally, I would write a sentence or two every day or two about what's happening, what I was writing, accomplishments and so on. Doogie Howser had a blue screen on his PC, I had a notebook with Paula Abdul on the front. Well, one of them anyway, because I filled about a dozen notebooks over the course of five years.
And when I got to Troy State, I just up and stopped. No slowly ceasing to write, no gentle progression of forgetfulness when it comes to journaling, no I just straight up didn't do it anymore. I tried for about three or four days after I got to college, and when a week went by with nothing written, I just packed it away in a box. I don't think it was writer's block so much as it was, I just didn't want to do it.
I was in college from September of 1993 to March of 1998, and anyone who knows me knows that I loved the heck out of college... I made the most out of my 5 years there, and wouldn't change much of it (well, except I might not get that Discover card... darn you Rebecca Miller and your green eyes!)
How I got to Birmingham is a topic that goes onto the pile of things mentioned in this post that will become their own blog post one day, but for now, just know that the first 6 months or so in Birmingham, Alabama, were some of the hardest months of my life. I was along, I knew not a soul, the reason (I thought anyway) that I had moved here was in Tuscaloosa with nary any contact, I had no church home, and I was broke and hungry and nearly depressed.
I then sat down with a few sheets of paper and went back to a routine that I knew well. I was going to write a love letter to my very dear friends, some of my favorite people, in the form of a story... it was a "where we will be in 5 years" type story, entitled "Hey Now"--the title being a play on words from something in the story itself. And I still have it, all 55 pages, written in pencil on loose leaf paper, in a binder. It was the beginning of closure for my time at Troy State...
(this is the part where I stop typing, lean back in my chair and stare out the window, while "The Story" by Brandi Carlile starts to play)
From about July 1998 to February of 1999 were 7 of the hardest months of my life. I was in Birmingham, I was alone, I barely knew anyone, I hadn't found a church until late in that time period, the reason I had moved (her name was Amy, in case you are wondering) and I hadn't even talked, and it was painful and dreadful and expensive and... well, lonely.
You'd think I'd plunge myself back into writing, and I tried. The story I mentioned, the one I had floating in my head for all this time, I tried to put it on paper, and got nothing. I wrote "Hey Now" for my friends in college in August of 1998, but beyond that, nothing. Call it writer's block, call it lack of desire, call it what you want, not only could I not write, but I just didn't want to try.
Over the next few years, a great number of things happened--once again, more stories for another post--but in that time, I got involved in Valleydale Baptist Church... I moved into an apartment with a couple of guys who would become some of my closest and dearest friends, people that some of you know like Shawn Sharp, my buddy Mikey, Tommy Mac, Big Tom Johnson and so on. Not too long after that, we moved into a four bedroom that would be christened "The Deuce". In late 2000, I met a young lady named Stephanie Campbell, and in early 2001, we became good friends. Things were clicking.
Though I didn't own a computer until much, much later, my buddy Mikey did, as did Shawn Sharp, and so one day I sat down in front of one of those computers, and rather than taking a risk, or overthinking it, I went back to what was familiar. I took the people closest to me--roommates, good friends, etc--and wrote still another story, this time called "The Hillary Letters". It was about our friend Ty, who was in love with another friend Hillary, and a particular afternoon where a love letter from he to she gets picked up by the wrong hands, causing a series of silly misunderstandings that culminated with Mikey standing on top of the dining room table doing a John Malkovich impression right before it collapsed. I read this not too long ago (this is one of the few I still have) and it holds up, stupid as the concept might be.
The next year, I had my adult "Dayton's Quest" moment, the one that this time didn't help me discover real writing, but instead brought me back to writing. I wrote another "friends" story, this time over the course of three or four days during Christmas, and I'll be honest with you... I think its really, really good. I'm so proud of it, in fact, that I actually posted here on this website some years ago.
What I mean by "brought me back to writing" was quite simply, it let me know that I can do it--I could still do it. It let me know that yes, I can come up with things, solve problems, invent situations and lay them together in a cohesive story, and in one of my favorite tropes, I can interconnect seemingly unconnected plots with only a few passing sentences. It's called, stupidly enough, "A Very Deuce Christmas". Perhaps it's not well written, and I know there are parts that need to be straightened up a little, but truthfully? I like it.
So that brings us to Clouds in My Coffee. First, let me say that in 2005, I had no idea what "blogging" was. Not a clue. A group of us, Mikey and Tommy Mac included, was scheduled to go to Star Wars Celebration in Indianapolis, early that year, and Tommy created a blog set up for the trip, perhaps for us to report back, post pictures on the interweb and so on... he opened it up for us to create an account name and post.
I created the name "Dave Windu", and wrote a paragraph about the upcoming trip, not really having a clue what I was doing. But I hit publish, and there it was, for all the world to see. And it kind of confounded me. Someone suggested that I look at Live Journal and MySpace, perhaps to do online journaling there, so I opened up an account on both--hey Top 8, how are you?
And now... the final part of the story... including a mission trip, mistakes, American Idol, The Lovely Steph Leann and more... coming tomorrow.
1002
It's the story of my writing. How it started, like in part one... and writing in high school, which is part two... so here is part three... the dry spell in college leading up to the creation of this blog and beyond.
I think I neglected to mention that I kept a journal from about 9th grade to the summer after I graduated. Literally, I would write a sentence or two every day or two about what's happening, what I was writing, accomplishments and so on. Doogie Howser had a blue screen on his PC, I had a notebook with Paula Abdul on the front. Well, one of them anyway, because I filled about a dozen notebooks over the course of five years.
 |
| Doogie used to end every episode by writing one or two lines that encapsulated what we just watched in the previous 1/2 hour, almost like a "what I learned today" thing. Problem was, some were so vague that in five years, he had to read over some of those and thing "What the crap was I talking about? What does this even mean?!" |
I was in college from September of 1993 to March of 1998, and anyone who knows me knows that I loved the heck out of college... I made the most out of my 5 years there, and wouldn't change much of it (well, except I might not get that Discover card... darn you Rebecca Miller and your green eyes!)
How I got to Birmingham is a topic that goes onto the pile of things mentioned in this post that will become their own blog post one day, but for now, just know that the first 6 months or so in Birmingham, Alabama, were some of the hardest months of my life. I was along, I knew not a soul, the reason (I thought anyway) that I had moved here was in Tuscaloosa with nary any contact, I had no church home, and I was broke and hungry and nearly depressed.
I then sat down with a few sheets of paper and went back to a routine that I knew well. I was going to write a love letter to my very dear friends, some of my favorite people, in the form of a story... it was a "where we will be in 5 years" type story, entitled "Hey Now"--the title being a play on words from something in the story itself. And I still have it, all 55 pages, written in pencil on loose leaf paper, in a binder. It was the beginning of closure for my time at Troy State...
(this is the part where I stop typing, lean back in my chair and stare out the window, while "The Story" by Brandi Carlile starts to play)
From about July 1998 to February of 1999 were 7 of the hardest months of my life. I was in Birmingham, I was alone, I barely knew anyone, I hadn't found a church until late in that time period, the reason I had moved (her name was Amy, in case you are wondering) and I hadn't even talked, and it was painful and dreadful and expensive and... well, lonely.
You'd think I'd plunge myself back into writing, and I tried. The story I mentioned, the one I had floating in my head for all this time, I tried to put it on paper, and got nothing. I wrote "Hey Now" for my friends in college in August of 1998, but beyond that, nothing. Call it writer's block, call it lack of desire, call it what you want, not only could I not write, but I just didn't want to try.
Over the next few years, a great number of things happened--once again, more stories for another post--but in that time, I got involved in Valleydale Baptist Church... I moved into an apartment with a couple of guys who would become some of my closest and dearest friends, people that some of you know like Shawn Sharp, my buddy Mikey, Tommy Mac, Big Tom Johnson and so on. Not too long after that, we moved into a four bedroom that would be christened "The Deuce". In late 2000, I met a young lady named Stephanie Campbell, and in early 2001, we became good friends. Things were clicking.
Though I didn't own a computer until much, much later, my buddy Mikey did, as did Shawn Sharp, and so one day I sat down in front of one of those computers, and rather than taking a risk, or overthinking it, I went back to what was familiar. I took the people closest to me--roommates, good friends, etc--and wrote still another story, this time called "The Hillary Letters". It was about our friend Ty, who was in love with another friend Hillary, and a particular afternoon where a love letter from he to she gets picked up by the wrong hands, causing a series of silly misunderstandings that culminated with Mikey standing on top of the dining room table doing a John Malkovich impression right before it collapsed. I read this not too long ago (this is one of the few I still have) and it holds up, stupid as the concept might be.
The next year, I had my adult "Dayton's Quest" moment, the one that this time didn't help me discover real writing, but instead brought me back to writing. I wrote another "friends" story, this time over the course of three or four days during Christmas, and I'll be honest with you... I think its really, really good. I'm so proud of it, in fact, that I actually posted here on this website some years ago.
What I mean by "brought me back to writing" was quite simply, it let me know that I can do it--I could still do it. It let me know that yes, I can come up with things, solve problems, invent situations and lay them together in a cohesive story, and in one of my favorite tropes, I can interconnect seemingly unconnected plots with only a few passing sentences. It's called, stupidly enough, "A Very Deuce Christmas". Perhaps it's not well written, and I know there are parts that need to be straightened up a little, but truthfully? I like it.
So that brings us to Clouds in My Coffee. First, let me say that in 2005, I had no idea what "blogging" was. Not a clue. A group of us, Mikey and Tommy Mac included, was scheduled to go to Star Wars Celebration in Indianapolis, early that year, and Tommy created a blog set up for the trip, perhaps for us to report back, post pictures on the interweb and so on... he opened it up for us to create an account name and post.
I created the name "Dave Windu", and wrote a paragraph about the upcoming trip, not really having a clue what I was doing. But I hit publish, and there it was, for all the world to see. And it kind of confounded me. Someone suggested that I look at Live Journal and MySpace, perhaps to do online journaling there, so I opened up an account on both--hey Top 8, how are you?
And now... the final part of the story... including a mission trip, mistakes, American Idol, The Lovely Steph Leann and more... coming tomorrow.
1002
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
the 100 coolest things of 2011... 70 thru 41
Yes, its the 2nd of January. That is 2013, I mean. And yes, I'm still discussing 2011... but I feel like I can't very well discuss the coolest of 2012 without finishing up 2011... so, let's move quickly, and go through the 70th through 41st coolest things of 2011...
First, a recap...
The 100th to 91st Coolest Things of 2011... Auburn... The Spin Doctors... Friends with Benefits... The President of the Colin Firth Club Wins... "My Strange Addiction"... Edge retires... Fast Five... 50/50... The Aladdin Stage Show... Something Borrowed
The 90th to 81st Coolest Things of 2011... Coin Dozer... Superheroes... The Rainmaker... I Need a Dollar... Zookeeper... Mr. Toad's Wild Ride... The Help... Jersey Mike's... Thor... Brava Rotisserie Grill...
The 80th to 71st Coolest Things of 2011... Transformers: Dark of the Moon... The Ides of March... The Mavs Win... Kent State... Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows... My Yard Goes Disney... The Civil Wars... Rise of the Planet of the Apes... Hot Coffee... Misery...
70... The Lion King Re-Released in 3D... Loved the movie when I saw it in the summer of 1993, loved the times I've seen it since... and watching in not only in 3D but also back in theaters was fantastic.
69... Necessary Roughness... No, not the epic Scott Bakula movie, though I do love that one too. This is a series on USA Network about a psychologist (Callie Thorne) who is hired to help out the athletes on a professional football team. Its funny, its serious, its got great stories and great acting.
68... Words with Friends... Another app that kills my time and distracts me from work. And yes, I do get routinely beat by The Zach Attack, an 11 year old.
67... "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"... Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but like everyone, I'm a lover of the first one, and like most people, I didn't care for the 2nd and 3rd one--too long, too convoluted, too confusion... but this 4th one, with its straight story and new characters, I could dig.
66... "X-Men: First Class"... Continuity be darned, this new entry into the X-Men franchise seems to be starting its own series of films. James McAvoy as Professor X and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto, lead this ensemble cast which includes... Kevin Bacon. Wait, what? Great film, great climax.
65... "Captain America: The First Avenger"... What's not to like about this final film before "Marvel's The Avengers" took the world by storm this year? Chris Evans is a great Steve Rogers, the puny soldier who volunteered to become a super soldier, a Weapon I if you will... in comic book history, Wolverine is Weapon X. And Hugo Weaving is a great bad guy, as The Red Skull.
64... American Idol... After Phillip Phillips blew me away this past season, I had to look to see who won in 2011, because I had already forgotten... it was Deep Voiced Scotty McCreery, who edged out America's Darlin' Lauren Alaina.
63... Mark Lowery... He came to Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) in January of 2011. And I remember laughing very hard at his humor and enjoying his music very much. He's a Christian music legend.
62... "Horrible Bosses"... Not for the faint of heart, but it does have heart as it tells the story of three losers--Jason Batemen, Charlie Day and Jason Sudekis--who hate their bosses so much, they want to help each other kill the bosses. Lots and lots and lots of language, plus a scantily clad Jennifer Aniston, but if you can deal with that, Jamie Foxx as MF Jones and Colin Farrel completely against type (and having a ton of fun, you can tell) make it worth the watch.
61... "Once Upon a Time"... This might be a little cheating, because I really didn't get into this show until 2012, but I did see a few episodes of it, and I loved it from the beginning. Its the story of Storybrooke, where all the residents are actually real life story characters--Snow White, the Dwarfs, Cinderella, Pinocchio, etc--who are cursed to live in the real world. Reminds me a little of the comic book "Fables". Oh, and Ginnifer Goodwin. Love her.
60... She and Him... What can I say? I dig their tunes.
59... Magic, Memories & You... This is the show presented on Cinderella's Castle prior to the fireworks at Magic Kingdom every night. Using this advanced light technology, a constant stream of color and light and wonder flash onto every part of the castle, giving the impression that the turrets and columns are spinning or disappearing or on fire or flying or whatever... you know what, just watch this:
58... "The King's Speech"... Starring the president of The Lovely Steph Leann's fabled Colin Firth Club, here's the story of King George VI, his horrible stutter, an amazingly understated Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist.
Set in 1939, Prince Albert (who becomes George VI), has what he thinks is an incurable stutter, which only hinders his leadership and future under his ailing father, King George V. Albert's wife Elizabeth, persuades him to go visit Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist who is in London at the time.
Of course, they don't get along, at least at first, and added to Albert's pressures and woes is the antics of his older brother David (Guy Pearce, in one of the only flaws in the film, because he does not look older than Colin Firth) who is heir apparent to the crown, until he goofs it up... and its the speech he must give, addressing the people of London in a time of impending war that the title of the movie refers to.
"The King's Speech" is a magnificent movie all around, with all performances being stellar. Helena Bonham Carter is especially subdued as Elizabeth, a break from her normally frantic and weird acting, while both Rush and Firth have wonderful chemistry in their lead roles. It is Rated R, but its pretty much solely for language--there is a scene where Lionel tells Albert to use profanity to help his stutter, and he does, repeatedly, in a string of words that include several F-Bombs. But in a world where crap like "Salt" can be PG-13, despite language and violence, then this should never be an R. I'll be proud for Campbell Isaiah to see this movie when he's 12 or 13.
57... Outtakes... I was going to tell you about their awesome chicken salad, but not too long ago, The Lovely Steph Leann and I went there for lunch. And they were closed. As in, closed down. So, never mind.
56... Catching Hell... One of the best documentaries I've ever, ever seen, and so far, by far, my favorite of the ESPN 30 for 30 series. Directed by Alex Gibney, it takes the 2003 story of Steve Bartman... do you remember Bartman?
Eighth inning, Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, the Chicago Cubs are but a few outs away from their first World Series in over 100 years, they lead the Florida Marlins 3-0, their ace pitcher is rocking the hizzy, and the mojo was on their side. And then, a pop fly into the stands, as Moises Alou goes to get a very catchable ball and suddenly... fan Steve Bartman reaches out for it. The ball bobbles, Alou misses it, it falls into the grass, and the Marlins score.
And suddenly, all hell breaks loose. And the Cubbies, who were sooooo close... blew it. And then they blew Game 7. And the fans, instead of raging against the Cubs for blowing Game 6 and then screwing up Game 7 (and watching the Marlins, a franchise less than a decade old, win its 2nd World Series), they turned all their attention towards Bartman, who suddenly became a scapegoat for all the teams ills and shortcomings. Death threats to him and his family, public shaming, humiliation all for a fan who reached out for a ball that a dozen other fans were reaching for--and had the fortune of not getting.
The film explores that night and such topics as... was the pitcher really clutch? was the team's mojo really rolling? and was that ball really catchable? It also makes a great parallel to Bill Buckner, the Red Sox first baseman who's error in letting a ball slip past him, and in turn costing the Red Sox the game--and eventually leading them to blow the series vs the Mets, as it explores the whole concept of "scapegoating".
Using never before seen footage from inside the stadium during Game 6 of the Cubs/Marlins series, interviews with everyone from Moises Alou to nearby fans who didn't catch the ball, this film is captivating, and in a way, heartbreaking, as you see Steve Bartman sit solemnly at what has happened.
Its also a great study in human nature, as that night, guards had to escort him out of the stadium, and one even took him to her home for a few hours after the game to keep him safe. Brilliant film.
55... The Winnie the Pooh Soundtrack... Yes, I loved the movie. I love it more every time I watch it. And the soundtrack is just as good... with vocals from Zooey Deschanel, plus a few Disney classic voices, its perfect for a peaceful drive or a happy afternoon.
54... Survivor... the show gets better and better every year.
53... Shazaam... What's that song? Who sings that tune in that commercial? What's that music playing overhead? Just plull up your Shazaam app, press the button and it will tell you its Edward Sharpe & the Zeroes... or its Colbie Caillet... or its some other tune that you will have to immediately buy in iTunes...
52... Moneyball... I do love this movie. Its very close to making its way onto the famous The Dave100, a collection of my 100 favorite films of all time... Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, a former baseball superstar in high school who can't cut it in the majors and ends up being a general manager at Oakland, where he using a new system to put together a competitive team. Pitt is like usual, that is, great, and Jonah Hill gives a strong supporting performance, based on the brilliant book by Michael Lewis (a book that will appear on the Coolest Things of 2012)
51... "Bridesmaids"... Hilarious. Completely hilarious. Kristen Wiig is great in the lead as Annie, who is watching her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) get married, and is all set to be the maid of honor... and is now battling Lillian's other friend Helen for the attention. And thus the comedy ensues. Supporting cast wins, including Jon Hamm as a complete d-bag, Chris O'Dowd as Annie's possible love interest, and Melissa McCarthy stealing the show (and earning an Supporting Role Oscar nod) as another bridesmaid. The scene in the dress shop, after the Annie-led luncheon, is priceless.
This movie does bring up a problem though... there are some movies I enjoy immensely--like this one, ranking as high as it does on this list... but in subsequent viewings, it loses some magic. Don't ask me why, or how. I haven't seen it all the way through since this initial viewing. Hmm.
50/49... Lil Sister Ashley Gets Married & The Good Reverend Ty Sharpton Coffey Gets Married... One was in the middle of Mississippi, one was all the way across Mississippi. Both got married to their own soulmates, and I'm happy for both, and it was an honor to see both ceremonies.
48... Lunch with an Imagineer... For a fee, you can eat a fantastic lunch with a Cast Member at Walt Disney World... but not just any Cast Member, an actual Imagineer, someone who develops, plans, and does the behind-the-scenes work at the parks. And The Lovely Steph Leann and I did just that in February of 2011, sitting with a dude who works at Hollywood Studios, and dining at The Brown Derby, which had me eating the best salad I've ever had in my life... the steak wasn't bad either. Oh, and we sat right beside the guy, with a group of another 8 or so people, peppering him with questions like "Why is Stitch's Great Escape still around?" and "Is Disney going to answer Harry Potter?" and "Why is the big hat still up at Hollywood?" and "What other pavilions were planned for Epcot?". Good times.
47... Super 8... Just an all around great movie, that, like "Bridesmaids", I found it not as enjoyable to watch the 2nd go round. Read the full review here.
46...Cirque de Soleil: La Nouba... Got to watch this incredible show in Orlando on our Disney trip. Would have been better had I not been feeling so rotten. The little chicks with the spinning spools were the best.
45... "Brighter Than the Sun" by Colbie Caillet... 2011 was the year that you couldn't get away from this song... most movie trailers and a ton of commercials had it... "oooooh... this is how it starts... lightning strikes the heart..." Good thing the song was so catchy and fun.
44... Osama bin Laden Caught... Yes, Obama was the president while bin Laden was captured. Using Dubya's policies. Go figure. U-S-A! U-S-A!
43... Beavis and Butthead... They made their return. And it was darn funny. And I miss them again.
42... "Cujo" by Stephen King... How can you take a story that has a mom and kid trapped in a car, being terrorized by a rabid dog into over 300 pages? Stephen King can do it. And its awesome. Cujo, now a word used in our lexicon to mean a big, fierce creature, is a dog bitten by a bat and goes on a rampage. And its scary. And thrilling. And awesome.
41... "Courageous"... What a great movie. What a great, great movie about fatherhood, God's love and friendship. The Kendrick Brothers, out of Georgia, have done a series of films, all unrelated in story except for God being an integral part of the story, and you can see the progression of their talents from early ("Facing the Giants") to this film. Its a simple story of a group of officers in Georgia, plus a Hispanic day laborer, all with incredible faith that is tested severly when God throws a few curveballs their way. Rated PG-13 for "gang violence", which is ridiculous, because this is more family friendly than 90% of the content I've seen on ABC Family and so on.
So there is more of the 100 Coolest Things of 2011... tomorrow, you get another installment as I take you to the Top Ten Coolest Things of 2011... and then, onto the Coolest Things of 2012!
First, a recap...
The 100th to 91st Coolest Things of 2011... Auburn... The Spin Doctors... Friends with Benefits... The President of the Colin Firth Club Wins... "My Strange Addiction"... Edge retires... Fast Five... 50/50... The Aladdin Stage Show... Something Borrowed
The 90th to 81st Coolest Things of 2011... Coin Dozer... Superheroes... The Rainmaker... I Need a Dollar... Zookeeper... Mr. Toad's Wild Ride... The Help... Jersey Mike's... Thor... Brava Rotisserie Grill...
The 80th to 71st Coolest Things of 2011... Transformers: Dark of the Moon... The Ides of March... The Mavs Win... Kent State... Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows... My Yard Goes Disney... The Civil Wars... Rise of the Planet of the Apes... Hot Coffee... Misery...
70... The Lion King Re-Released in 3D... Loved the movie when I saw it in the summer of 1993, loved the times I've seen it since... and watching in not only in 3D but also back in theaters was fantastic.
69... Necessary Roughness... No, not the epic Scott Bakula movie, though I do love that one too. This is a series on USA Network about a psychologist (Callie Thorne) who is hired to help out the athletes on a professional football team. Its funny, its serious, its got great stories and great acting.
68... Words with Friends... Another app that kills my time and distracts me from work. And yes, I do get routinely beat by The Zach Attack, an 11 year old.
67... "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"... Perhaps I'm in the minority here, but like everyone, I'm a lover of the first one, and like most people, I didn't care for the 2nd and 3rd one--too long, too convoluted, too confusion... but this 4th one, with its straight story and new characters, I could dig.
66... "X-Men: First Class"... Continuity be darned, this new entry into the X-Men franchise seems to be starting its own series of films. James McAvoy as Professor X and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto, lead this ensemble cast which includes... Kevin Bacon. Wait, what? Great film, great climax.
65... "Captain America: The First Avenger"... What's not to like about this final film before "Marvel's The Avengers" took the world by storm this year? Chris Evans is a great Steve Rogers, the puny soldier who volunteered to become a super soldier, a Weapon I if you will... in comic book history, Wolverine is Weapon X. And Hugo Weaving is a great bad guy, as The Red Skull.
64... American Idol... After Phillip Phillips blew me away this past season, I had to look to see who won in 2011, because I had already forgotten... it was Deep Voiced Scotty McCreery, who edged out America's Darlin' Lauren Alaina.
63... Mark Lowery... He came to Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) in January of 2011. And I remember laughing very hard at his humor and enjoying his music very much. He's a Christian music legend.
62... "Horrible Bosses"... Not for the faint of heart, but it does have heart as it tells the story of three losers--Jason Batemen, Charlie Day and Jason Sudekis--who hate their bosses so much, they want to help each other kill the bosses. Lots and lots and lots of language, plus a scantily clad Jennifer Aniston, but if you can deal with that, Jamie Foxx as MF Jones and Colin Farrel completely against type (and having a ton of fun, you can tell) make it worth the watch.
61... "Once Upon a Time"... This might be a little cheating, because I really didn't get into this show until 2012, but I did see a few episodes of it, and I loved it from the beginning. Its the story of Storybrooke, where all the residents are actually real life story characters--Snow White, the Dwarfs, Cinderella, Pinocchio, etc--who are cursed to live in the real world. Reminds me a little of the comic book "Fables". Oh, and Ginnifer Goodwin. Love her.
60... She and Him... What can I say? I dig their tunes.
59... Magic, Memories & You... This is the show presented on Cinderella's Castle prior to the fireworks at Magic Kingdom every night. Using this advanced light technology, a constant stream of color and light and wonder flash onto every part of the castle, giving the impression that the turrets and columns are spinning or disappearing or on fire or flying or whatever... you know what, just watch this:
58... "The King's Speech"... Starring the president of The Lovely Steph Leann's fabled Colin Firth Club, here's the story of King George VI, his horrible stutter, an amazingly understated Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist.
Set in 1939, Prince Albert (who becomes George VI), has what he thinks is an incurable stutter, which only hinders his leadership and future under his ailing father, King George V. Albert's wife Elizabeth, persuades him to go visit Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist who is in London at the time.
Of course, they don't get along, at least at first, and added to Albert's pressures and woes is the antics of his older brother David (Guy Pearce, in one of the only flaws in the film, because he does not look older than Colin Firth) who is heir apparent to the crown, until he goofs it up... and its the speech he must give, addressing the people of London in a time of impending war that the title of the movie refers to.
"The King's Speech" is a magnificent movie all around, with all performances being stellar. Helena Bonham Carter is especially subdued as Elizabeth, a break from her normally frantic and weird acting, while both Rush and Firth have wonderful chemistry in their lead roles. It is Rated R, but its pretty much solely for language--there is a scene where Lionel tells Albert to use profanity to help his stutter, and he does, repeatedly, in a string of words that include several F-Bombs. But in a world where crap like "Salt" can be PG-13, despite language and violence, then this should never be an R. I'll be proud for Campbell Isaiah to see this movie when he's 12 or 13.
57... Outtakes... I was going to tell you about their awesome chicken salad, but not too long ago, The Lovely Steph Leann and I went there for lunch. And they were closed. As in, closed down. So, never mind.
56... Catching Hell... One of the best documentaries I've ever, ever seen, and so far, by far, my favorite of the ESPN 30 for 30 series. Directed by Alex Gibney, it takes the 2003 story of Steve Bartman... do you remember Bartman?
Eighth inning, Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, the Chicago Cubs are but a few outs away from their first World Series in over 100 years, they lead the Florida Marlins 3-0, their ace pitcher is rocking the hizzy, and the mojo was on their side. And then, a pop fly into the stands, as Moises Alou goes to get a very catchable ball and suddenly... fan Steve Bartman reaches out for it. The ball bobbles, Alou misses it, it falls into the grass, and the Marlins score.
 |
| The guy in the Cubs hat |
The film explores that night and such topics as... was the pitcher really clutch? was the team's mojo really rolling? and was that ball really catchable? It also makes a great parallel to Bill Buckner, the Red Sox first baseman who's error in letting a ball slip past him, and in turn costing the Red Sox the game--and eventually leading them to blow the series vs the Mets, as it explores the whole concept of "scapegoating".
Using never before seen footage from inside the stadium during Game 6 of the Cubs/Marlins series, interviews with everyone from Moises Alou to nearby fans who didn't catch the ball, this film is captivating, and in a way, heartbreaking, as you see Steve Bartman sit solemnly at what has happened.
Its also a great study in human nature, as that night, guards had to escort him out of the stadium, and one even took him to her home for a few hours after the game to keep him safe. Brilliant film.
55... The Winnie the Pooh Soundtrack... Yes, I loved the movie. I love it more every time I watch it. And the soundtrack is just as good... with vocals from Zooey Deschanel, plus a few Disney classic voices, its perfect for a peaceful drive or a happy afternoon.
54... Survivor... the show gets better and better every year.
53... Shazaam... What's that song? Who sings that tune in that commercial? What's that music playing overhead? Just plull up your Shazaam app, press the button and it will tell you its Edward Sharpe & the Zeroes... or its Colbie Caillet... or its some other tune that you will have to immediately buy in iTunes...
52... Moneyball... I do love this movie. Its very close to making its way onto the famous The Dave100, a collection of my 100 favorite films of all time... Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, a former baseball superstar in high school who can't cut it in the majors and ends up being a general manager at Oakland, where he using a new system to put together a competitive team. Pitt is like usual, that is, great, and Jonah Hill gives a strong supporting performance, based on the brilliant book by Michael Lewis (a book that will appear on the Coolest Things of 2012)
51... "Bridesmaids"... Hilarious. Completely hilarious. Kristen Wiig is great in the lead as Annie, who is watching her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) get married, and is all set to be the maid of honor... and is now battling Lillian's other friend Helen for the attention. And thus the comedy ensues. Supporting cast wins, including Jon Hamm as a complete d-bag, Chris O'Dowd as Annie's possible love interest, and Melissa McCarthy stealing the show (and earning an Supporting Role Oscar nod) as another bridesmaid. The scene in the dress shop, after the Annie-led luncheon, is priceless.
This movie does bring up a problem though... there are some movies I enjoy immensely--like this one, ranking as high as it does on this list... but in subsequent viewings, it loses some magic. Don't ask me why, or how. I haven't seen it all the way through since this initial viewing. Hmm.
50/49... Lil Sister Ashley Gets Married & The Good Reverend Ty Sharpton Coffey Gets Married... One was in the middle of Mississippi, one was all the way across Mississippi. Both got married to their own soulmates, and I'm happy for both, and it was an honor to see both ceremonies.
48... Lunch with an Imagineer... For a fee, you can eat a fantastic lunch with a Cast Member at Walt Disney World... but not just any Cast Member, an actual Imagineer, someone who develops, plans, and does the behind-the-scenes work at the parks. And The Lovely Steph Leann and I did just that in February of 2011, sitting with a dude who works at Hollywood Studios, and dining at The Brown Derby, which had me eating the best salad I've ever had in my life... the steak wasn't bad either. Oh, and we sat right beside the guy, with a group of another 8 or so people, peppering him with questions like "Why is Stitch's Great Escape still around?" and "Is Disney going to answer Harry Potter?" and "Why is the big hat still up at Hollywood?" and "What other pavilions were planned for Epcot?". Good times.
47... Super 8... Just an all around great movie, that, like "Bridesmaids", I found it not as enjoyable to watch the 2nd go round. Read the full review here.
46...Cirque de Soleil: La Nouba... Got to watch this incredible show in Orlando on our Disney trip. Would have been better had I not been feeling so rotten. The little chicks with the spinning spools were the best.
45... "Brighter Than the Sun" by Colbie Caillet... 2011 was the year that you couldn't get away from this song... most movie trailers and a ton of commercials had it... "oooooh... this is how it starts... lightning strikes the heart..." Good thing the song was so catchy and fun.
44... Osama bin Laden Caught... Yes, Obama was the president while bin Laden was captured. Using Dubya's policies. Go figure. U-S-A! U-S-A!
42... "Cujo" by Stephen King... How can you take a story that has a mom and kid trapped in a car, being terrorized by a rabid dog into over 300 pages? Stephen King can do it. And its awesome. Cujo, now a word used in our lexicon to mean a big, fierce creature, is a dog bitten by a bat and goes on a rampage. And its scary. And thrilling. And awesome.
41... "Courageous"... What a great movie. What a great, great movie about fatherhood, God's love and friendship. The Kendrick Brothers, out of Georgia, have done a series of films, all unrelated in story except for God being an integral part of the story, and you can see the progression of their talents from early ("Facing the Giants") to this film. Its a simple story of a group of officers in Georgia, plus a Hispanic day laborer, all with incredible faith that is tested severly when God throws a few curveballs their way. Rated PG-13 for "gang violence", which is ridiculous, because this is more family friendly than 90% of the content I've seen on ABC Family and so on.
So there is more of the 100 Coolest Things of 2011... tomorrow, you get another installment as I take you to the Top Ten Coolest Things of 2011... and then, onto the Coolest Things of 2012!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
foolishness
As Teber was teaching our Life Connection Class on Sunday--and has been for the past few weeks--about our faith and the reasons behind it (a great series of lessons, and a great presentation of this part of the Gospel) and it made me think of something that I wrote back on October 12th, 2000.
Its a little write up centered around a little tune by Nichole Nordeman called "Fool For You", a song that discussing that even though we may not understand why we believe it, we believe it and are willing to live the life of those beliefs--no matter the cost to our reputation or our image. (note: this song is also featured on the two disc "Love, Pride & Deep Fried Chicken: The Soundtrack to d$'s Life" collection, forthcoming).
I have taken it, give it a little editing twist, added and subtracted and now I simply call it "Nothin' But a Fool". Here goes...
Nichole Nordeman rocks my face off. In the late 90s and early part of the 2000s, when I was deeply absorbed in Christian music (before it all started sounding exactly alike and I discovered podcasts and audiobooks), Nichole Nordeman was one of those artists that helped to change my life--dcTalk, Jennifer Knapp and Watermark also have that distinction. And from the album "This Mystery" comes a song that also changed my life. But first, an oddly connecting anecdotal story...
Well, let's begin in 1997... I had a crush on this chick, and I thought of ways to impress her. I'm not going to lie to you, I was a dumb dater then... what I mean by that is, all the stuff I know not to do now, I learned by doing it then and realizing how dumb I was... I'm lucky anyone would have me. Okay, back to the story.
So, I called this girl up, and sang... yes, sang "My Girl" on her answering machine. Now you sit there and laugh, but at the time it seemed like a good idea... well, if you must know, I didn't hear from her for a long time. Yes, it was dumb. And I'm sure I looked incredibly stupid... and foolish. But you know what, I liked her, so I didn't mind looking like a fool for her.
Not to many years ago, someone asked me about God. They were an atheist, and they asked me all sorts of questions that I, being a new Christian, couldn't give a solid answer. Truth-be-known, I'm not sure I could answer some of them now, but it was some of the old unbeliever favorites like "How can a loving God allow such sin in the world?" and "Why do you praise a dead man, Jesus?" and that kind of stuff. You and I both know, in our hearts, the answers to both of those questions, but its hard trying to relay those answers without your opponent having an open mind to the idea of Faith. So, I looked like a fool. But you know what? I like Jesus, he had done a lot for me, so I didn't mind looking like a fool for him.
I admit that in my darkest hours I've asked what-if, what if we created some kind of man-made faith like this? Out of good intention, or emotional invention, after life is through, there will be no You. They want proof of all these miracles I claim, because only fools believe that man can walk on waves. Maybe its true, but I'd be a fool for You because you asked me to. A simpleton who's seemingly naive, I do believe You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
Now, I know I'm not the only one who has done this... wondered what if?
What if... God really doesn't exist?
What if... other religions and beliefs are actually right?
What if... when I die, there is nothing?
Those questions you never acknowledge that you ask, because you want to be strong in your faith, but when you are really at a low point, Satan smacks you with the sin of unbelief. And if I am wrong in what I believe, when it’s all said and done, boy, will I look like a fool. But if believing makes me a fool, I love God, so I don’t mind looking like a fool for him.
But then I think about Jesus, who came here two thousand years ago. He preached to the masses, to the crowds, to everyone. He wasn't popular with the "important" people, he could care less that consorting with that woman at the well was deemed undignified and frankly, could give squat about the Pharisees opinions when he visited the low life tax collectors at their houses. He did it because he loved them... and us. They called him a fool. But he loved us so much, he didn't mind looking like a fool.
We as humans are so prideful, if we lower ourselves down enough to look foolish for something or someone, then that means we hold them dear to us... you wouldn't be a fool for just anyone, I'm sure. But when you love someone, you make a fool of yourself sometimes... have you ever been embarrassed for worshipping or praising God in public? Its okay to say yes, because I have... but you know what? Praise Jesus, Hallelujah, pass the cornbread. Sometimes the deepest, most impactful worship you can have is when you just raise your hands, shut your eyes and let God move you however he sees fit.
For a time, I would even close my eyes and sign the worship music--I knew sign, I loved sign and for me, it was a glorious way to worship. Somehow, over the years, I became self-conscious of that and stopped. And that truly is a shame. Who knows... maybe during something I know (like the next time we sing "The Air I Breathe", which might be never, as that's a forgotten classic), I'll just let it go and throw my hands up. We find ourselves sitting next to John and Ashley Wolf many times on the front row of that side-section, so I hope I don't smack Ashley during my over dramatic sign for "...and I-I-I-I-I I'm desperate for You..." If I do, though, then we'll both look like fools. Fools for Jesus. And isn't that how it should be?
I think so.
I would be a fool for You, only if You asked me to. I'm a simpleton who's only thinking of the cause of Love, I will speak Jesus' name. If that makes me crazy, they can call me crazed, I'm happy to be seemingly naive. I do believe You came and made yourself a fool for me.
Its a little write up centered around a little tune by Nichole Nordeman called "Fool For You", a song that discussing that even though we may not understand why we believe it, we believe it and are willing to live the life of those beliefs--no matter the cost to our reputation or our image. (note: this song is also featured on the two disc "Love, Pride & Deep Fried Chicken: The Soundtrack to d$'s Life" collection, forthcoming).
I have taken it, give it a little editing twist, added and subtracted and now I simply call it "Nothin' But a Fool". Here goes...
There are times when faith and common sense do not align, when hardcore evidence of You is hard to find. I am silenced in the face of argumentative debate--is a long hill, its a lonely climb--they want proof. They proof of all the mysteries I claim, cause only fools would want to chant a dead man's name. Maybe its true but... I'd be a fool for You. Because you asked me to. A simpleton who's seemingly naive, I do believe You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
Nichole Nordeman rocks my face off. In the late 90s and early part of the 2000s, when I was deeply absorbed in Christian music (before it all started sounding exactly alike and I discovered podcasts and audiobooks), Nichole Nordeman was one of those artists that helped to change my life--dcTalk, Jennifer Knapp and Watermark also have that distinction. And from the album "This Mystery" comes a song that also changed my life. But first, an oddly connecting anecdotal story...
Well, let's begin in 1997... I had a crush on this chick, and I thought of ways to impress her. I'm not going to lie to you, I was a dumb dater then... what I mean by that is, all the stuff I know not to do now, I learned by doing it then and realizing how dumb I was... I'm lucky anyone would have me. Okay, back to the story.
So, I called this girl up, and sang... yes, sang "My Girl" on her answering machine. Now you sit there and laugh, but at the time it seemed like a good idea... well, if you must know, I didn't hear from her for a long time. Yes, it was dumb. And I'm sure I looked incredibly stupid... and foolish. But you know what, I liked her, so I didn't mind looking like a fool for her.
Not to many years ago, someone asked me about God. They were an atheist, and they asked me all sorts of questions that I, being a new Christian, couldn't give a solid answer. Truth-be-known, I'm not sure I could answer some of them now, but it was some of the old unbeliever favorites like "How can a loving God allow such sin in the world?" and "Why do you praise a dead man, Jesus?" and that kind of stuff. You and I both know, in our hearts, the answers to both of those questions, but its hard trying to relay those answers without your opponent having an open mind to the idea of Faith. So, I looked like a fool. But you know what? I like Jesus, he had done a lot for me, so I didn't mind looking like a fool for him.
I admit that in my darkest hours I've asked what-if, what if we created some kind of man-made faith like this? Out of good intention, or emotional invention, after life is through, there will be no You. They want proof of all these miracles I claim, because only fools believe that man can walk on waves. Maybe its true, but I'd be a fool for You because you asked me to. A simpleton who's seemingly naive, I do believe You came and made Yourself a fool for me.
Now, I know I'm not the only one who has done this... wondered what if?
What if... God really doesn't exist?
What if... other religions and beliefs are actually right?
What if... when I die, there is nothing?
Those questions you never acknowledge that you ask, because you want to be strong in your faith, but when you are really at a low point, Satan smacks you with the sin of unbelief. And if I am wrong in what I believe, when it’s all said and done, boy, will I look like a fool. But if believing makes me a fool, I love God, so I don’t mind looking like a fool for him.
But then I think about Jesus, who came here two thousand years ago. He preached to the masses, to the crowds, to everyone. He wasn't popular with the "important" people, he could care less that consorting with that woman at the well was deemed undignified and frankly, could give squat about the Pharisees opinions when he visited the low life tax collectors at their houses. He did it because he loved them... and us. They called him a fool. But he loved us so much, he didn't mind looking like a fool.
Unaware of popularity. Unconcerned with dignity. You made me free. That's proof enough for me.
We as humans are so prideful, if we lower ourselves down enough to look foolish for something or someone, then that means we hold them dear to us... you wouldn't be a fool for just anyone, I'm sure. But when you love someone, you make a fool of yourself sometimes... have you ever been embarrassed for worshipping or praising God in public? Its okay to say yes, because I have... but you know what? Praise Jesus, Hallelujah, pass the cornbread. Sometimes the deepest, most impactful worship you can have is when you just raise your hands, shut your eyes and let God move you however he sees fit.
For a time, I would even close my eyes and sign the worship music--I knew sign, I loved sign and for me, it was a glorious way to worship. Somehow, over the years, I became self-conscious of that and stopped. And that truly is a shame. Who knows... maybe during something I know (like the next time we sing "The Air I Breathe", which might be never, as that's a forgotten classic), I'll just let it go and throw my hands up. We find ourselves sitting next to John and Ashley Wolf many times on the front row of that side-section, so I hope I don't smack Ashley during my over dramatic sign for "...and I-I-I-I-I I'm desperate for You..." If I do, though, then we'll both look like fools. Fools for Jesus. And isn't that how it should be?
I think so.
I would be a fool for You, only if You asked me to. I'm a simpleton who's only thinking of the cause of Love, I will speak Jesus' name. If that makes me crazy, they can call me crazed, I'm happy to be seemingly naive. I do believe You came and made yourself a fool for me.
life connection connections
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
casey's top 40
Alright, we continue our quest to blog every day in July with Day Nine of what I call The July 31... 31 blogs in July. So, even though its tough, I'm dedicated to making sure that...
...I'm sorry, what...?
...what did you say today was? The 10th of July...?
...um...
...awkward pause...
Well, crap.
Okay, we continue our quest to blog every other day in July, with Day Nine of what I call The July 31... 31 blogs in July, though with a day in between to give you some time to actually read my brilliant thoughts.
On with the show.
With two cars in our garage, we take our cars at various times... sometimes we take Red Robin, other times we take hers. We take mine, and we can listen to SiriusXM radio. We take hers, and it gives us a little more room, as we have a car seat in the back, though she just has regular, terrestrial radio.
However, on Sunday mornings, it doesn't matter which car we take... because when driving to Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) on Sunday morning, I always end up turning the station to Magic 96.5. The reason? At 9am, the start a reply of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem, from at least 20, many times 30 years ago.
Don't know how long Magic 96.5 has been doing it, but its a total delight to hear it, even if only for the 15 minutes it takes to get to the church from The Cabana. Its a 4 hour broadcast, so usually we can catch some of the Top Ten as we are headed from church to wherever lunch will be that day.
And if there is one thing I've truly figured out, its that music from the early 80s... well, it absolutely blew. It was terrible. For every great band with great hits like Hall & Oates or Fleetwood Mac, you had a dozen one hit wonders like Marty Balin, Champaign, Tierra or Franke & the Knockouts. All singing songs that I'd never heard of.
One episode had Rupert Holmes follow up hit to "Escape (the pina colada song)", a little ditty called "Him". It was terrible. And the first hit from Tommy Tutone... no, not "867-5309 (Jenny)"... instead it was a snappy little song called "Angel Say No". And it was terrible.
Heard this 1982 song from this chick named Patrice Rushen. Her song was called "Forget Me Nots", but when it came on, I was completely confused, as the beginning sounded just like a Will Smith hit, that being the title track from "Men in Black". Seems that Will Smith sampled "Forget Me Nots" for "Men in Black.'
Mind.
Blown.
Anyway, something I couldn't help but notice was that music in 1982 is a lot like today... a few gems surrounded by a whole lot of crap. Like I said, back then, Hall & Oates, The Eagles, Eddie Money, even Olivia Newton John, was still making great music. And a whole lot of stuff around it not only sucked, but was completely forgettable. I mean, I pride myself on knowing a lot about music and musical randomness from the 70s, 80s and 90s, but I have never heard of Charlie Dore and "Pilot of the Airwaves", or "Tired of Toeing the Line" by Rocky Burnett, and though I've heard of Boz Scaggs, what is "Jojo"? And The Alan Parsons Projects had more hits that "Eye in the Sky", and they both managed to stink?
And today? You've got great artists like Adele, Usher and maybe even Bruno Mars and Katy Perry, artists that we'll probably remember in 2041 while listening to Ryan Seacrest's Top 40 flashbacks on Sunday mornings. But surrounding them, you've got forgettable sound-alike artists like Lupe Fiasco? Rick Ross? What the crap is a Wiz Kalifia? And the fact that Ke$ha had not 1, but TWO songs in 2011's Top 100 of the year... oy vay.
Sorry. Didn't mean to diatribe... but I still believe that 1990 to 1995 was the Greatest. Era. of Music. Ever. One of these days I'll defend that position, until them just assume I'm right.
...I'm sorry, what...?
...what did you say today was? The 10th of July...?
...um...
...awkward pause...
Well, crap.
Okay, we continue our quest to blog every other day in July, with Day Nine of what I call The July 31... 31 blogs in July, though with a day in between to give you some time to actually read my brilliant thoughts.
On with the show.
With two cars in our garage, we take our cars at various times... sometimes we take Red Robin, other times we take hers. We take mine, and we can listen to SiriusXM radio. We take hers, and it gives us a little more room, as we have a car seat in the back, though she just has regular, terrestrial radio.
However, on Sunday mornings, it doesn't matter which car we take... because when driving to Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) on Sunday morning, I always end up turning the station to Magic 96.5. The reason? At 9am, the start a reply of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem, from at least 20, many times 30 years ago.
Don't know how long Magic 96.5 has been doing it, but its a total delight to hear it, even if only for the 15 minutes it takes to get to the church from The Cabana. Its a 4 hour broadcast, so usually we can catch some of the Top Ten as we are headed from church to wherever lunch will be that day.
And if there is one thing I've truly figured out, its that music from the early 80s... well, it absolutely blew. It was terrible. For every great band with great hits like Hall & Oates or Fleetwood Mac, you had a dozen one hit wonders like Marty Balin, Champaign, Tierra or Franke & the Knockouts. All singing songs that I'd never heard of.
One episode had Rupert Holmes follow up hit to "Escape (the pina colada song)", a little ditty called "Him". It was terrible. And the first hit from Tommy Tutone... no, not "867-5309 (Jenny)"... instead it was a snappy little song called "Angel Say No". And it was terrible.
Heard this 1982 song from this chick named Patrice Rushen. Her song was called "Forget Me Nots", but when it came on, I was completely confused, as the beginning sounded just like a Will Smith hit, that being the title track from "Men in Black". Seems that Will Smith sampled "Forget Me Nots" for "Men in Black.'
Mind.
Blown.
Anyway, something I couldn't help but notice was that music in 1982 is a lot like today... a few gems surrounded by a whole lot of crap. Like I said, back then, Hall & Oates, The Eagles, Eddie Money, even Olivia Newton John, was still making great music. And a whole lot of stuff around it not only sucked, but was completely forgettable. I mean, I pride myself on knowing a lot about music and musical randomness from the 70s, 80s and 90s, but I have never heard of Charlie Dore and "Pilot of the Airwaves", or "Tired of Toeing the Line" by Rocky Burnett, and though I've heard of Boz Scaggs, what is "Jojo"? And The Alan Parsons Projects had more hits that "Eye in the Sky", and they both managed to stink?
And today? You've got great artists like Adele, Usher and maybe even Bruno Mars and Katy Perry, artists that we'll probably remember in 2041 while listening to Ryan Seacrest's Top 40 flashbacks on Sunday mornings. But surrounding them, you've got forgettable sound-alike artists like Lupe Fiasco? Rick Ross? What the crap is a Wiz Kalifia? And the fact that Ke$ha had not 1, but TWO songs in 2011's Top 100 of the year... oy vay.
Sorry. Didn't mean to diatribe... but I still believe that 1990 to 1995 was the Greatest. Era. of Music. Ever. One of these days I'll defend that position, until them just assume I'm right.
Friday, July 06, 2012
missed goals, popsicles and vampires named jerry
I tend to make goals and not see them to completion. Many times, I get part of the way there, and then have a misstep, finding myself struggling to get back to what it was I was doing and then just forgetting the whole thing.
Now, this isn't a "self-help" post, nor do I plan on making any commitments to you about how I'm going to change my life and get better at such things... when I can get a project done quickly, I'm like a madman sometimes, letting myself be consumed by the project itself until I've found a satisfactory conclusion.
So, I'll continue to blog, I'll continue to do what I do, and yes, one day I will see all the films on the AFI list, one day I plan on not only listing my 100 favorite films of all time, but my actual list of 500 films of all time (and that list does exist), I will see all of the animated films in Disney's canon, I'll get that back room cleaned up, I'll get The Cabana spic and span, those pics will get scanned, and my 100 Coolest List will be revealed, little by little. The biking may or may not happen.
Got Campbell on my own tonight... first Friday of every month, The Lovely Steph Leann goes off to Estrogenapalooza, or "Hobby Night" at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship). That means Campbell and me hang out until about midnight before Mommy comes home, I can hand him off to her and go to bed. I try to find that fine line between handing him off as soon as she comes in the door versus giving her a few minutes to breathe before I give him over. Now, when she comes home at 430p, I try to give her at least 30 minutes, maybe 45. At midnight, when I have to be at work the next morning at 430a, all bets are off... the door opens, she says, "Hey, I..." and she has a baby in her hand, and my head is on my pillow in the next 50 seconds. I'm such a good Dad.
Getting Campbell means he goes to four different places... from the bouncy seat to the swing seat to the floor playmat to my arms and back again. This also means that I try to take in some movies, with sometimes a 2 hour movie taking me 4+ hours to watch. When I watched the TV mini-series version of Stephen King's "The Stand", which was 4 parts at 2 hours each, it took me about 3 weeks.
I also watched the remake of "Fright Night" both last Thursday and this Tuesday (no, not as in I saw it twice, but as in, it took me those two days to watch the whole thing.) And frankly, the movie is pretty terrible. I vaguely remember the original, with Prince Humperdinck as the vampire who lives next door to Charley, played by B-List C-List D-List M-List actor William Ragsdale and future "Married: With Children" neighbor Amanda Bearse. I do remember that movie being really scary, funny and engrossing... Charley knows Jerry, the neighbor, is a vampire, but can't get anyone to understand or believe him. I enjoyed it, albeit I was 12.
The new one? It was stupid. Its got Colin Farrell as the vampire neighbor, with Anton Yelchin (that kid from Star Trek) as Charley. It starts out well enough, but quickly evolves into a predictable mess where no one is interesting, the story isn't engaging and frankly, you could care less if anyone lives or dies.
Okay, so today's post check-list... missed goals, check... Popsicles, check... keeping the kid, check... bad vampire movies, check... You ever tell stories that start out one way and end up in a completely different direction than what you thought? Yeah. Me too.
Now, excuse me while I continue watching "Eat, Pray, Love". I wish I were kidding. Not sure I'll make it through half of it, because Julia Roberts has spent the first 30 minutes of this movie whining incessantly. Its like I'm watching "Hope Floats 2: Destination Europe", with James Franco replacing Harry Connick Jr.
A short list of a few things I've set myself up to do, and have failed miserably include:
- Watching all the movies on the AFI Top 100 Movies of All Time... I've still only seen maybe half of them. Three are on my DVR, and have been for a year.
- Listing my Top 100 Favorite films, one by one, on this here website... I got 19 movies into it, then left the project, returned, re-did it, got four movies in, then stepped back again
- Doing a virtual "bike tour", meaning riding enough miles on a stationary bike to get me from my home (then located across town) to New York City--I biked enough miles to literally get me on the campus of Atlanta's Georgia Tech University
- Watching all the movies in Disney's Animated Canon... I got about six movies in, and forgot to blog about any of them.
- Cleaning The Cabana up
- Cleaning our back room
- Scanning about 300 pictures that I need to put away
- Listing my Top 100 Coolest Things from the previous year... in my defense, this usually gets accomplished, but over the last few years, its not been completed in January or even March, but sometimes mid-summer, and last year, for 2010, in December. And I'm only 20 things into 2011's list.
Now, this isn't a "self-help" post, nor do I plan on making any commitments to you about how I'm going to change my life and get better at such things... when I can get a project done quickly, I'm like a madman sometimes, letting myself be consumed by the project itself until I've found a satisfactory conclusion.
So, I'll continue to blog, I'll continue to do what I do, and yes, one day I will see all the films on the AFI list, one day I plan on not only listing my 100 favorite films of all time, but my actual list of 500 films of all time (and that list does exist), I will see all of the animated films in Disney's canon, I'll get that back room cleaned up, I'll get The Cabana spic and span, those pics will get scanned, and my 100 Coolest List will be revealed, little by little. The biking may or may not happen.
And since I've got your attention...
I had Steel City Pops a few days ago. This is another reason by the terrorists hate us... someone felt the need to combine two words that apart were probably just fine: "gourmet" and "popsicle". Did we really need this? Probably not. Am I glad we have it? Abso-stinkin'-lutely. I had a couple of coconuts, complete with flakes in it. The peanut butter popsicle, while not life changing, was still very good. There is a pineapple jalapeno flavor, but I had none of it. Not a jalapeno fan, but others that had them told me they thought it was great--very pineappley, with just a bit of heat.
I had Steel City Pops a few days ago. This is another reason by the terrorists hate us... someone felt the need to combine two words that apart were probably just fine: "gourmet" and "popsicle". Did we really need this? Probably not. Am I glad we have it? Abso-stinkin'-lutely. I had a couple of coconuts, complete with flakes in it. The peanut butter popsicle, while not life changing, was still very good. There is a pineapple jalapeno flavor, but I had none of it. Not a jalapeno fan, but others that had them told me they thought it was great--very pineappley, with just a bit of heat.
Got Campbell on my own tonight... first Friday of every month, The Lovely Steph Leann goes off to Estrogenapalooza, or "Hobby Night" at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship). That means Campbell and me hang out until about midnight before Mommy comes home, I can hand him off to her and go to bed. I try to find that fine line between handing him off as soon as she comes in the door versus giving her a few minutes to breathe before I give him over. Now, when she comes home at 430p, I try to give her at least 30 minutes, maybe 45. At midnight, when I have to be at work the next morning at 430a, all bets are off... the door opens, she says, "Hey, I..." and she has a baby in her hand, and my head is on my pillow in the next 50 seconds. I'm such a good Dad.
Getting Campbell means he goes to four different places... from the bouncy seat to the swing seat to the floor playmat to my arms and back again. This also means that I try to take in some movies, with sometimes a 2 hour movie taking me 4+ hours to watch. When I watched the TV mini-series version of Stephen King's "The Stand", which was 4 parts at 2 hours each, it took me about 3 weeks.
 |
| I would not say such things if I were yoooooooouuuuu.... |
The new one? It was stupid. Its got Colin Farrell as the vampire neighbor, with Anton Yelchin (that kid from Star Trek) as Charley. It starts out well enough, but quickly evolves into a predictable mess where no one is interesting, the story isn't engaging and frankly, you could care less if anyone lives or dies.
Okay, so today's post check-list... missed goals, check... Popsicles, check... keeping the kid, check... bad vampire movies, check... You ever tell stories that start out one way and end up in a completely different direction than what you thought? Yeah. Me too.
Now, excuse me while I continue watching "Eat, Pray, Love". I wish I were kidding. Not sure I'll make it through half of it, because Julia Roberts has spent the first 30 minutes of this movie whining incessantly. Its like I'm watching "Hope Floats 2: Destination Europe", with James Franco replacing Harry Connick Jr.
The July 31 Day Six
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Everybody's Free to Have a Quiet Time
So, sometimes when I am looking for something blog and I know I have to not only be up in about 7 hours for work, meaning I'll need to be in bed in an hour or so... and so tonight, I found this little gem. Well, to me its a gem, to you it might just be something to skim on your daily check of Clouds in My Coffee
...which I've noticed I'm getting alot of traffic daily, probably due to The Summer of Blogging--so... thank you so much...
...anyway, its the lyrics to a version of "Everyone's Free to Wear Sunscreen", done by Baz Luhrmann from 1999.
It originated in 1997, when Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune wrote a column entitled "Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young". She described it as "a commencement speech, were I asked to give one". Over the years, it has been erroneously attributed to Kurt Vonnegat, though it became truly famous when, in 1999, Australian film director Baz Luhrmann used the entire essay in a spoken word song entitled "Wear Sunscreen".
And by 2000, this song was everywhere. So, on January 9th, 2001, I did my own version. And I thought I'd give it to you...
"HAVE A QUIET TIME (EVERYBODY'S FREE)"
Ladies and gentlemen of The Deuce... read scripture.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, a daily quiet time would be it. The long term benefits of The Word has been proven time after time by God and joy in your life that comes with Him, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice...
...now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of The Deuce. Oh, never mind, you will never understand the power and beauty of The Deuce until it has disbanded. But trust me, in twenty years, you will look back at photos of Deuce Christmas and an old DeuceFest shirt and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much fun you had and how fabulous the Deuce guys really looked.
...which I've noticed I'm getting alot of traffic daily, probably due to The Summer of Blogging--so... thank you so much...
...anyway, its the lyrics to a version of "Everyone's Free to Wear Sunscreen", done by Baz Luhrmann from 1999.
It originated in 1997, when Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune wrote a column entitled "Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young". She described it as "a commencement speech, were I asked to give one". Over the years, it has been erroneously attributed to Kurt Vonnegat, though it became truly famous when, in 1999, Australian film director Baz Luhrmann used the entire essay in a spoken word song entitled "Wear Sunscreen".
And by 2000, this song was everywhere. So, on January 9th, 2001, I did my own version. And I thought I'd give it to you...
"HAVE A QUIET TIME (EVERYBODY'S FREE)"
Ladies and gentlemen of The Deuce... read scripture.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, a daily quiet time would be it. The long term benefits of The Word has been proven time after time by God and joy in your life that comes with Him, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice...
...now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of The Deuce. Oh, never mind, you will never understand the power and beauty of The Deuce until it has disbanded. But trust me, in twenty years, you will look back at photos of Deuce Christmas and an old DeuceFest shirt and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much fun you had and how fabulous the Deuce guys really looked.
They are not as lazy as you might think.
Don't worry about the future or worry, but know that worrying is as ineffective as McLeod trying to be entertained by watching Jason Takes Manhatten. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that has a Mercedes blindsiding your insuranceless car at 10:30pm on a random Tuesday.
Bring one new person to Common Ground, even if it scares you.
If you are Stephanie Campbell, sing. Unless you are Rebecca Glassco. Then act.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with Delta Zetas who are reckless with yours.
Use coasters.
Don't waste your time on jealousy... if she likes you, great, if she doesn't, being jealous will only turn her off of you even further. The race is long and though you may never reach the end, enjoy the run.
Remember compliments Michael gives you, forget his insults. If you succeed in doing this, you aren't Sarah Hasha.
Keep your old movie tickets. Throw away any bills.
Slam.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 20 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 25 year olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of Hamburger Helper.
Be kind to the Nipp family... you'll miss Sunday lunch when its gone.
Maybe you'll get a date, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll go out twice, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll go stag at Deuce Date Party, maybe you'll eat cheese fries on your 2nd anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, dont berate yourself to much either.
God's will is going to happen, whether you like it or not.
Enjoy the Deuce. Visit every chance you can, don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it. It has some of the greatest fellowship you'll ever know.
Watch the History Channel at least once a week, even if there are others things on.
Don't worry about the directions, just shove them behind the DVDS.
Do not read Shawn's Better Homes and Gardens, it will only make you feel gay.
Get to know Factor 7's music. You'll never know when they'll break up for good.
Be nice to your roommates. They are the best link to paying rent on time, and the people most likely to stick with you when everyone else won't.
Understand that friends come and go, but a precious few you should hold on to. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and gender, for as the older you get, the more you'll need somewhere to go and just relax.
Visit Hunter Street once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Visit Brookhills once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Accept certain inaliable truths... Daniel will have his palm pilot, and Ty Coffey will own Samford and Mike Williams will try to date Rebecca. When you get older, you'll fantacize that when you young, Daniel used an ink pen, Mike was meeting girls at Ropers and Ty was merely a Senator.
Respect Wookiee, Sybil and Jimmy, for they are your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to pay your bills.
Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a loaded roommate, but you'll never know when either one will run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you are 40 you will look like you are a minister at Valleydale.
Be careful where you buy your used cds and movies, but be patient with those who supply them.
Know that advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of sharing your opinions without seeming like you are telling the other person what to do. Usually its recycled advice spoken for more than its worth.
But trust me on the quiet time.
The Summer of Blogging Day Forty One
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Its Gettin' Hot in Herre
The Summer of Blogging Day Three
So, on Wednesdays, I typically work from really, really early in the morning to mid-afternoon, and when I come home, I immediately sit down at the computer and start writing up a rundown and show notes for The Deucecast...
The Deucecast is our podcast, and by "our" I mean my buddy Mikey and Matty, Tommy Mac and Shawn. We've also had Hurricane Rhett in studio, JustFish to promote his new book and The Good Doctor Earl... and so, today, like every Wednesday, I began typing up what would be our 9th episode, "At Podcast's End".
Two hours later, I was satisfied with what we had, having already emailed Mikey and Matty the details, gotten some feedback from them on a few changes and had a finished couple of documents. Glancing at the clock, its a little past five, so its time to finally get upstairs, change out of my coffee makin' gear and put on my not workin' gear and head out for a meeting at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship).
I walk up the steps, not paying much attention to anything, and about six steps in, I notice something drastically different. Its hot. Like, its really, really hot. Like a wall of heat I just stepped through, or ascended into, it was horrible.
The Cabana sports two AC units, one for upstairs and one for downstairs, and the thermostat for the top floor is at the top of the steps... it reads a nice, breezy 85 degrees. Like someone who opens the hood an jiggles a wire when their car won't start, then expecting it to just fire right up, I push a few buttons expecting the air to kick right on... aaaaaand... it doesn't. The thermostat is set on 74, the temp just rose to 86.
And I'm already sweating.
Long story short, some very dear friends of ours recommended someone they knew and used for their AC work--I wont say who the friends were nor who they recommended, not because I dont want to talk about them, but because I don't know if they's appreciate me telling the world who "their guy" is. But... our friends are rock stars and awesome, and The AC Guy is turning out to be quite a find himself.
My father in law, Big Daddy Ron, and Bro in Law Tyler stopped by first to look at the issue--Big Daddy Ron has built a few homes pretty much by hand, so I trust his judgement. However, there wasn't much he could do but try a diagnosis.
When The AC Guy arrived, who by the way was a rock star for even coming to our home at 8pm at night, he did a deeper diagnosis... turns out Big Daddy Ron wasn't too far off base, and myself and The AC Guy found the real problem...
There was water dripping from too much condensation, cause it to fill up the drip overflow pan, which shut the AC unit off for safety issues. Thankfully, the motor is still in good shape, the compressor still works and it seems to be a little cloggy drainage issue... we hope. We hope.
Apparently, some of the parts and labor is under warranty still... but it looks like our issue is not. The important part is, its cooling off right now. I went upstairs a few minutes ago, and it the temperature is around 79 or so, which is considerably better than where it had gotten.
The joys of being a homeowner. Can't wait til we need a plumber.
So, on Wednesdays, I typically work from really, really early in the morning to mid-afternoon, and when I come home, I immediately sit down at the computer and start writing up a rundown and show notes for The Deucecast...
The Deucecast is our podcast, and by "our" I mean my buddy Mikey and Matty, Tommy Mac and Shawn. We've also had Hurricane Rhett in studio, JustFish to promote his new book and The Good Doctor Earl... and so, today, like every Wednesday, I began typing up what would be our 9th episode, "At Podcast's End".
Two hours later, I was satisfied with what we had, having already emailed Mikey and Matty the details, gotten some feedback from them on a few changes and had a finished couple of documents. Glancing at the clock, its a little past five, so its time to finally get upstairs, change out of my coffee makin' gear and put on my not workin' gear and head out for a meeting at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship).
I walk up the steps, not paying much attention to anything, and about six steps in, I notice something drastically different. Its hot. Like, its really, really hot. Like a wall of heat I just stepped through, or ascended into, it was horrible.
The Cabana sports two AC units, one for upstairs and one for downstairs, and the thermostat for the top floor is at the top of the steps... it reads a nice, breezy 85 degrees. Like someone who opens the hood an jiggles a wire when their car won't start, then expecting it to just fire right up, I push a few buttons expecting the air to kick right on... aaaaaand... it doesn't. The thermostat is set on 74, the temp just rose to 86.
And I'm already sweating.
Long story short, some very dear friends of ours recommended someone they knew and used for their AC work--I wont say who the friends were nor who they recommended, not because I dont want to talk about them, but because I don't know if they's appreciate me telling the world who "their guy" is. But... our friends are rock stars and awesome, and The AC Guy is turning out to be quite a find himself.
My father in law, Big Daddy Ron, and Bro in Law Tyler stopped by first to look at the issue--Big Daddy Ron has built a few homes pretty much by hand, so I trust his judgement. However, there wasn't much he could do but try a diagnosis.
When The AC Guy arrived, who by the way was a rock star for even coming to our home at 8pm at night, he did a deeper diagnosis... turns out Big Daddy Ron wasn't too far off base, and myself and The AC Guy found the real problem...
There was water dripping from too much condensation, cause it to fill up the drip overflow pan, which shut the AC unit off for safety issues. Thankfully, the motor is still in good shape, the compressor still works and it seems to be a little cloggy drainage issue... we hope. We hope.
Apparently, some of the parts and labor is under warranty still... but it looks like our issue is not. The important part is, its cooling off right now. I went upstairs a few minutes ago, and it the temperature is around 79 or so, which is considerably better than where it had gotten.
The joys of being a homeowner. Can't wait til we need a plumber.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Speaking of Random Thoughts
So, this is the stuff I was thinking about while watching Episode 7 of Season 6 of "Grey's Anatomy", sitting at my table with my laptop, while The Lovely Steph Leann stretches out comfortably on the couch...
She loves her some Dr. Bailey, and Patrick Dempsey is a key member of Firth's administration in The Colin Firth Club, while I think Mark Sloan rocks, and dig Arizona Robbins... wait, did I just say any of that? Forget I wrote that...
Speaking of Disney World...
So, here's the reason I've been so lagging in blogging in the last few weeks. About a month ago, our pastor at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) and his family asked The Lovely Steph Leann and I for some pointers on Disney World. Pastor Calvin and his wife, daughter Hillary and her hubby and 2 year old girl and daughter Alissa and hubby Joey and their two boys are all headed that way, and its a combination of "never been" and "haven't been in a few years" and "haven't been in a long time"...
Well, after a three hour lunch meeting, we were just getting going. Alissa had written about five pages of jumbled notes and such, and I'm not sure she understood everything we were saying (she had Mickey's PhilharMagic spelled Mickey's Filler Magic... I laughed heartily) so at the end, when we were running out of time, I said, "Let me write your notes."
And over the course of a month, I wrote some notes. And more notes. And more notes. And I added sections. And then chapters. And then a table of contents. And at the end, it was a 53 page not-even comprehensive guide to Disney World from our perspective.
The Lovely Steph Leann took it to edit, and after three days of assembly, it was bound in a folder, with the great title "DISNEY ON A DOLLAR"... that was the name she created for the Disney Travel Agency that we had discussed...
Personally, I think its a great guide. And The Lovely Steph Leann says simply, "We aren't giving this out to anyone. If they want it, they have to hang out with us. Maybe treat us to dinner!". So there ya go.
But that's a completed project, so I'm back! Rock on.
Speaking of syrup on the fingers...
I hate having my hands sticky. Like, really sticky. Or even partly sticky. When I'm standing at the espresso bar, and I reach over and pump four shots of vanilla, it sometimes drips on the back of my hand. Or I have mocha on my fingers. Or moving the frappuccino pumps around, it drips on my palm. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I consider that to be one of the things I'd probably hate most about being on Survivor--my hands getting sticky and not being able to wash it off.
Don't get me wrong.. I don't mind "dirty". I can put my hands in mud and dirt, I've potted many plants and cleaned many drains and scrubbed many toilets and so on, so I have no opposition to getting my hands dirty. As long as they aren't sticky.
Speaking of making messes...
I would love to tell you the following is a fake, but its not. I would love to tell you that the following is needless and silly, and maybe it is... but I can see the use for it.
Its called The Slobstopper, and its a real commercial, and sure to be found at Target, Kohls and Wal-Mart in that crazy "As Seen On TV" aisle and/or end-cap soon enough. What is the Slobstopper? Its a bib for adults.
Sometimes for a mid-afternoon, or an after work snack, I'll drop by Daylight Donuts and grab a donut and a small bottle of whole milk, and what I've learned the hard way is when you open the whole milk, it spills out the top. Its done this twice, in my car as I was driving. The first time, I had a nearby cloth towel and was able to wipe most of the mess away. Of course, it was good that I had that cloth because I was also munching on a coconut cream filled turnover, and that cream splurted out onto my shirt, my shorts and on the fairly new seats of Red Robin.
If I have a complaint about my Kia Soul, and I have very, very few, one would be that the seats get dirty really easily. Just add coconut cream. And whole milk.
The second time, I was less prepared, and though I had no coconut cream filled turnover, the milk spilled even worse, and I only had a Starbucks apron within reach. I guess there is no use crying over it.
But had I Slobstopper? My problems would melt away... as would the milk and coconut cream.
Speaking of being tired...
You know you are tired when you wake up at butt-thirty in the morning and are already looking forward to laying down in the afternoon for a little rest spell.
Speaking of doing puzzles...
I'm not much of a "fighting style" video game guy, like "Red Dead Redemption" and "Halo" and all that rot. Not that I don't really understand them, its just too many buttons on most controllers. My fingers aren't that dexterious.
However, I do like puzzles and puzzle games on video. And in a book. Mazes rule. I love mazes. Crosswords are fun too.
Word searches are fun, but only if the list is fun. Like, when I pick up a word search puzzle, I'll flip past "Architectural Designs" or "French Military Victories", but if I see something cool like "Russell Crowe Movies", I'm like "Where you at 'Gladiator'?!".
By the way, the "French Military Victories puzzle has like, one or two things to find.
Speaking of holding your breath...
When I'm watching a film and a character has to swim underwater, I always hold my breath as long as they do to see if I would make it. I usually die.
Speaking of good food...
Had dinner the other night at a joint called Rags downtown, in the Lakeview District. Let's be honest, I only know its the Lakeview District because when we pulled up, I was told that it was the Lakeview District by our double dates for the night, Melanie and Chris Z. It was Chris' birthday, so he was in fine spirits, Melanie looked great as always, The Lovely Steph Leann is always nice to have on the arm, so it was a great night.
The food was reasonably priced, and the atmostphere was fun. Its a former hair salon turned into a bar/cafe, which contains a bar and five tables. We had to wait for a table for a few minutes, but we were able to sit down and munch on Italian type food and appetizers.
After we all shared a big plate of fried green beans, I ate shrimp pesto pasta and it was really great. Dinner with friends is always great.
Speaking of The Deucecast...
In case you don't know me or haven't heard me, we done been starting us a podcasty thing. A podcast called The Deucecast. You can find it on iTunes under "The Deucecast" and download individual 'casts (I recommend Episode -1... that's negative one... and Episode III: Podcast of the Sith) or subscribe to all of them.
You can also find it on our website The Deucecast, and get show notes and download shows, see a few pics, and find some other fun stuff as we progress. Find us on Facebook and like us, too.
What's it about? Pop culture stuff. Movies, music, entertainment news, gaming stuff, and lots of humor. Hosted by Mikey, Matty and myself, new episodes are usually available for download on Fridays by midday. Come join us!
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| He's not Colin Firth, but he's Top Five for The Lovely Steph Leann |
Speaking of Disney World...
So, here's the reason I've been so lagging in blogging in the last few weeks. About a month ago, our pastor at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) and his family asked The Lovely Steph Leann and I for some pointers on Disney World. Pastor Calvin and his wife, daughter Hillary and her hubby and 2 year old girl and daughter Alissa and hubby Joey and their two boys are all headed that way, and its a combination of "never been" and "haven't been in a few years" and "haven't been in a long time"...
Well, after a three hour lunch meeting, we were just getting going. Alissa had written about five pages of jumbled notes and such, and I'm not sure she understood everything we were saying (she had Mickey's PhilharMagic spelled Mickey's Filler Magic... I laughed heartily) so at the end, when we were running out of time, I said, "Let me write your notes."
And over the course of a month, I wrote some notes. And more notes. And more notes. And I added sections. And then chapters. And then a table of contents. And at the end, it was a 53 page not-even comprehensive guide to Disney World from our perspective.
The Lovely Steph Leann took it to edit, and after three days of assembly, it was bound in a folder, with the great title "DISNEY ON A DOLLAR"... that was the name she created for the Disney Travel Agency that we had discussed...
Personally, I think its a great guide. And The Lovely Steph Leann says simply, "We aren't giving this out to anyone. If they want it, they have to hang out with us. Maybe treat us to dinner!". So there ya go.
But that's a completed project, so I'm back! Rock on.
Speaking of syrup on the fingers...
I hate having my hands sticky. Like, really sticky. Or even partly sticky. When I'm standing at the espresso bar, and I reach over and pump four shots of vanilla, it sometimes drips on the back of my hand. Or I have mocha on my fingers. Or moving the frappuccino pumps around, it drips on my palm. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I consider that to be one of the things I'd probably hate most about being on Survivor--my hands getting sticky and not being able to wash it off.
Don't get me wrong.. I don't mind "dirty". I can put my hands in mud and dirt, I've potted many plants and cleaned many drains and scrubbed many toilets and so on, so I have no opposition to getting my hands dirty. As long as they aren't sticky.
Speaking of making messes...
I would love to tell you the following is a fake, but its not. I would love to tell you that the following is needless and silly, and maybe it is... but I can see the use for it.
Its called The Slobstopper, and its a real commercial, and sure to be found at Target, Kohls and Wal-Mart in that crazy "As Seen On TV" aisle and/or end-cap soon enough. What is the Slobstopper? Its a bib for adults.
Sometimes for a mid-afternoon, or an after work snack, I'll drop by Daylight Donuts and grab a donut and a small bottle of whole milk, and what I've learned the hard way is when you open the whole milk, it spills out the top. Its done this twice, in my car as I was driving. The first time, I had a nearby cloth towel and was able to wipe most of the mess away. Of course, it was good that I had that cloth because I was also munching on a coconut cream filled turnover, and that cream splurted out onto my shirt, my shorts and on the fairly new seats of Red Robin.
If I have a complaint about my Kia Soul, and I have very, very few, one would be that the seats get dirty really easily. Just add coconut cream. And whole milk.
The second time, I was less prepared, and though I had no coconut cream filled turnover, the milk spilled even worse, and I only had a Starbucks apron within reach. I guess there is no use crying over it.
But had I Slobstopper? My problems would melt away... as would the milk and coconut cream.
Speaking of being tired...
You know you are tired when you wake up at butt-thirty in the morning and are already looking forward to laying down in the afternoon for a little rest spell.
Speaking of doing puzzles...
I'm not much of a "fighting style" video game guy, like "Red Dead Redemption" and "Halo" and all that rot. Not that I don't really understand them, its just too many buttons on most controllers. My fingers aren't that dexterious.
However, I do like puzzles and puzzle games on video. And in a book. Mazes rule. I love mazes. Crosswords are fun too.
Word searches are fun, but only if the list is fun. Like, when I pick up a word search puzzle, I'll flip past "Architectural Designs" or "French Military Victories", but if I see something cool like "Russell Crowe Movies", I'm like "Where you at 'Gladiator'?!".
By the way, the "French Military Victories puzzle has like, one or two things to find.
Speaking of holding your breath...
When I'm watching a film and a character has to swim underwater, I always hold my breath as long as they do to see if I would make it. I usually die.
Speaking of good food...
Had dinner the other night at a joint called Rags downtown, in the Lakeview District. Let's be honest, I only know its the Lakeview District because when we pulled up, I was told that it was the Lakeview District by our double dates for the night, Melanie and Chris Z. It was Chris' birthday, so he was in fine spirits, Melanie looked great as always, The Lovely Steph Leann is always nice to have on the arm, so it was a great night.
The food was reasonably priced, and the atmostphere was fun. Its a former hair salon turned into a bar/cafe, which contains a bar and five tables. We had to wait for a table for a few minutes, but we were able to sit down and munch on Italian type food and appetizers.
After we all shared a big plate of fried green beans, I ate shrimp pesto pasta and it was really great. Dinner with friends is always great.
Speaking of The Deucecast...
In case you don't know me or haven't heard me, we done been starting us a podcasty thing. A podcast called The Deucecast. You can find it on iTunes under "The Deucecast" and download individual 'casts (I recommend Episode -1... that's negative one... and Episode III: Podcast of the Sith) or subscribe to all of them.
You can also find it on our website The Deucecast, and get show notes and download shows, see a few pics, and find some other fun stuff as we progress. Find us on Facebook and like us, too.
What's it about? Pop culture stuff. Movies, music, entertainment news, gaming stuff, and lots of humor. Hosted by Mikey, Matty and myself, new episodes are usually available for download on Fridays by midday. Come join us!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
To Go or Not To Go... That Is The Lovely Steph Leann's Question
Got a inquiry from a friend of ours in Sunday School Life Connection at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) that simply asked:
"In your opinion, when is the best time of year to go to Disney (least crowded)? Its time to start thinking about taking big girl!"
I thought this would make an excellent blog post, though, so rather than just popping up an answer, I asked The Lovely Steph Leann to give her thoughts on the subject. And she came through...
The Lovely Steph Leann writes:
Having visited Disney World a respectable 18 times (perhaps more, but I was too young to remember), friends of ours somehow presume that I am knowledgeable enough to provide advice regarding travel to “The World,” as I choose to call it. They wouldn’t be all that incorrect in their presumptions; however, I always give the caveat that my advice is my advice only, it doesn’t necessarily translate into information that works for everyone.
In fact, I was reading an article from the All Ears newsletter just the other day where an avid WDW visitor “deconstructed” her “Top 10 list” explaining how some of her favorite tips might not work for some people. With this in mind, I am here today offering one tip (so make of it what you will): the best time of the year to go to Walt Disney World – with children.
Now, some of you may be thinking to yourself, d$ and s$ don’t have children. How can they give advice on the “best time to go to The World with children” when they’ve never actually had this experience? My thought is simple. The best time to go is the best time to go, children or not. So there, all you naysayers.
Anyway, back to my thoughts. The months of February, early March, September, early October, November and early December are currently my favorite times to go. The majority of these months may have unpredictable weather, in that it can get quite chilly in Florida, but I enjoy going then. The crowds are generally lighter, which is the common denominator with all the months I mentioned. I like to wear jeans and preferably tops with ¾ length sleeves (or even better, lightweight sweaters). I burn easily, and this means less skin surface to block with SPF 100 sunscreen. Also, my incredibly charming, handsome, kind, sweet, courteous, unselfish and good lookin' husband is more likely to carry a backpack in these cooler months, which means I can ask him to carry around my water bottle and a couple of odds and ends that won’t fit in my camera bag. (note: I added a little to this paragraph... d$)
While I have never been over Labor Day weekend in September, I hear it is a fabulous time to go. Most children are back in school and the crowds are some of the lightest of the year. Also, having an extra day as a holiday does help with how long your children will be out of school. A few other things about September and October are Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and the International Food and Wine Festival (which takes place in Epcot).
The party is a lot of fun, but is an added cost. Some people use it as their “day” in Magic Kingdom, so they don’t have to use a day on their multi-day pass. However, if you’re going to be there many days, the extra day on the pass is much cheaper than the party tickets. So, now you should just go to the party for the characters, the cool parade and special fireworks show. Up to you whether it’s worth the extra cost.
The festival may not be significant to those with children, but it’s there all the same. It can cause crowds to be pretty thick at Epcot, so be aware if you are thinking of going in late September when the festival begins. In November, you have Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. I have been during both times of the year, and Veterans Day is a little lighter on the crowds. However, Thanksgiving week (just prior to the actual holiday) is fabulous in both weather and crowd control, so if you can afford the extra, consider it.
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| This is a carousel, and its made of chocolate. It was awesome. |
December is one of my all time favorite times to go. The park is completely “decked out” for the holidays. Several deluxe resorts have a “gingerbread competition” each year, showcasing a gingerbread tree (Contemporary), a 16-foot gingerbread house (Grand Floridian) and a gingerbread carousel (Beach Club).
Magic Kingdom has Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (again, think about the additional cost) and Epcot has the Candlelight Processional. The Processional is free with Epcot admission, but you may wish to consider the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package which allows you to see the show from reserved seating, after having enjoyed a fabulous meal at one of the very fine Epcot restaurants. March has the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot, and the beautiful topiaries around the park make that time of year another fabulous reason to go then. February is great because it’s cheap (so is September, for that matter).
So, ok, I know I’ve overwhelmed you. But, in a nutshell, just don’t go during the summer, or Christmas week. Summer is too hot (and sunny, remember the whole sunscreen dilemma) and too crowded (reference d$'s blog about the internationalis groupus when we went in July) and Christmas week, while the weather may be just fine, it is just way too crowded as well (worse than even in the summer, ask and we’ll tell you about the 305-minute wait time we heard about for an attraction in Epcot).
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
So that's The Lovely Steph Leann's piece... Here's what I can tell you. I haven't been 18 times, I've only been 14 times, so I am definitely not the expert... but there have been occasions when she and I have gone without each other.
June is hot. June is stinkin' hot. I have been two Julys in a row, and to me, June was the hottest trip I've ever taken... that's not to say that July is a cool day in paradise--on the contrary, its stinkin' hot too. Both June and July crowds tend to be pretty heavy at times. The Internationalis Groups is real, and is to be avoided at all times.
February has been wonderful for us, because not only is it lighter crowds, its also value season. If you make it a February trip, make sure your trip ends on or before Presidents Day Weekend, because it gets busy, fast. MouseSavers.com has a great list of 2011 room rates and such, and will give you an idea when value season turns into regular season turns into holiday season turns into peak season... translation? Manageable turns into pricey turns into expensive turns into 5th mortgage.
I also took a trip in the first week of October of 2009, with a couple of other guys... now keep in mind, it was me, who knows where to go and what to do to make it a worthwhile trip, and come college guys who can move fast and follow directions well... and it was awesome. In four days, we did just about every major thing at all four parks that can be done--but no kids with us.
Watch event calendars for Walt Disney World as well, to make sure you don't end up during Cheerleader Week (some time in mid-February), and know that the annual "Gay Day" weekend is sometime at the end of May or early June... depending on how you want to approach it, let me say that I've heard from several people that "Gay Day" is a great time to go. Find out what the "schedule" is for the groups, and... well, go to the other park. I've heard that the crowds tend to be a little lighter, at least compared to most summer crowds. With kids, though, you might want to rethink it.
The week between Christmas and New Years, aka right now, is the most expensive and busiest week of the entire year. A room at the French Quarter in Port Orleans that will cost The Lovely Steph Leann and I a rate of $154 in February when we go will actually cost $239 between December 23rd to 31st. And busy? Holy crap, yes. They actually will open up backstage areas to allow crowds to exit the park easier, because the Main Street street is just not big enough.
And referencing what she said above, we heard a story on a podcast that the longest reported wait at Soarin' in Epcot was 305 minutes. That's just north of five hours waiting for a four minute ride. Five hours. When? Christmas week, that's when. Thanksgiving Day can also be horrible, but the days leading up to it are great. As the Turkey Day gets closer, the crowds get bigger, and I'd recommend that if you are there on Thanksgiving Day, go to the Magic Kingdom. Get there early, and stay there, because it will "max out"--when it maxes out, they don't let anyone else in. You don't want to be at Animal Kingdom and run out of stuff to do, then not be able to enter any other parks. The Magic Kingdom has enough to do to keep the whole family busy all day. By the way, how many people does it take to "Max Out" capacity at MK? There are no official numbers available to the public, but rumor has it anywhere between 55,000 and 60,000 people. In one single park.
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| The reason this picture is a little fuzzy? Its snowing. On Main Street. |
She's right though... Christmas at Disney... there is nothing like it. Nothing. Like it. Early December is a great time to go, before it gets unbearable. And the more weekdays you can have on your trip, the better.
As far as how many days to go, what restaurants to visit, what shows and rides are kid friendly, which resorts to sleep in, so on and so forth, thats another blog post entirely.
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