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Willie tagged me for this interesting little 4×10 Meme – and not being the kind of guy to back down from a challenge, here goes;

4 Jobs I’ve had:

Wal-Mart Associate – or as we called it, “Wal-Martian”. I was a register jockey & eventually a third shift customer service manager – which always got real interesting after 2:00am, when the nearby strip clubs closed… ah, stories for another time.
Local Pastor – that’s right, I had a license to preach & was given a student appointment at the same place my brother would eventually serve. Unfortunately after a year, I realized that my calling had been a fabrication based on what other people wanted for me – which for the record, hardly ever works out.
CAD Operator / Drafter – Probably my favorite of any job I’ve ever held. I love drawing large complex diagrams of mechanical parts & assemblies, and I really felt like I had a knack for it. Though a friend of mine told me once that I didn’t fit into the engineering team because it was obvious that I owned both a razor & an iron.
Systems Administrator – basically getting paid to be a computer geek.

4 Places I’ve lived:

Carrier Mills, Illinois (born & raised)
Evansville, Indiana (for college)
Belleville, Illinois (commuted to a job in St. Louis, Missouri)
and back to Carrier Mills, Illinois (where I always told myself I wouldn’t move back to – now I wouldn’t have it any other way)

4 Movies I watch repeatedly:

Any of the Star Wars movies, especially the original trilogy (because as Will says, I have a Boba Fettish)
Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil – one of those movies like Shawshank Redemption, the Green Mile or Edward Scissorhands; if I see it playing on any channel – even if it’s basic cable & heavily edited – I will stop & watch it like it’s some kind of a drug.
High Fidelity – Wow, 2 John Cusack movies… how bizarre!
The Jerk – Thanks Dad!

4 Shows I watch:

The Late Show with David Letterman – it’s an addiction.
Chuck – one of the surprises for me last season. It’s fun, fast & full of geek humor.
The Morning News – on WPSD TV channel 6, as I get ready for work every morning.
Any televised St. Louis Cardinals baseball game – Not really a “show” but if there’s a game, it’s on somewhere in our house.

I would watch the Daily Show / Colbert Report every day too, but my wife can hardly stand them, so I only catch them when I can.

4 Places I have been:

Jupiter Florida – for Cardinals Spring Training
The Bahamas – an all-inclusive resort in Freeport
Savannah Georgia – I love old-fashioned southern culture & Savannah has oodles of it
Chicago Illinois – Not much of a vacation for most people I guess, but I love all the museums, the Art Institute, and the Pizza!

4 people who Email me regularly:

My brother Willie
My lovely wife Leah
My 1 Friend Chris
My friend & ex-coworker Delores, though most of her subject lines begin with “FWD:”

4 things I eat:

Oatmeal & Yogurt – not like mixed together or anything – usually about 2 hours apart – but that’s how I get nearly every morning going – at least on weekdays.
Hot Wings – one of the few foods I crave.
Just about anything Italian – especially anything Carbonara or the Chicken Spiedini at Zia’s on the Hill in St. Louis.
Donuts – my great weakness. I’m not much on candy or ice cream, but I do love a donut – Damn you Krispy Kreme!

4 places I’d rather be:

Hawaii – never been there, but I lust over all things Hawaiian
Anywhere tropical – sandy beaches, palm trees, ocean breezes, a tall drink with a paper umbrella…
Busch Stadium for a St. Louis Cardinal Ballgame – even if they’re losing, I just love that atmosphere
Savannah Georgia – see above!

4 things that I look forward to this year:

Our first real vacation in several years – I’m campaigning for San Antonio Texas, never been west except for Colorado when I was too young to really remember.
The Presidential Election – finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, if you know what I mean.
The end of the Writer’s Strike – Not because I’m looking forward to new TV shows, just because I’m sick of hearing about it.
Baseball Season – oh wait, I look forward to that every year!

4 people to tag:

I’m terrible at this kind of thing, so like Art, I’m going to cheat: Anyone who wants to participate is encouraged to.

Time For Timer

Here’s a little something to get you all nostalgic for the weekend, These are the kinds of things I totally miss from my childhood; eating a big bowl of Count Chocula cereal while sitting in front of the giant console TV in Robin Underoos. (Will had Batman, so I evidently had to have Robin I guess.)

Friday Five – Bad Covers

To quote Art, You know you’ve heard them: ‘cover’ versions of great songs that, uh, aren’t so great. The question I always have is “Why? Why would you do that?”

This was a tough one because there are just SO many bad covers out there! It’s hard to narrow down. So here’s the list that popped into my head first, in no particular order:

Sheryl Crow – Sweet Child O’Mine: I don’t honestly have that much against Sheryl Crow, one might say that I’m even a moderate fan of hers, but this version of the only G&R song I ever really liked is kind of like fingernails on a chalkboard!

Cher – Still Haven’t Found (What I’m Looking For): My wife loves Cher – I love U2 – and never the twain should meet! This one just hurts to listen to.

John Mellencamp & Me’Shell Ndegeocello – Wild Night: Okay, it’s not horrible – but it’s certainly no Van Morrison!

Britney Spears – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction: It just seems wrong to kick little Britney when she’s already down (I wouldn’t give her troubles to a monkey on a rock!) but when you butcher a Rolling Stones classic this bad… it’s like I had no choice.

A*Teens – Can’t Help Falling In Love: It’s no secret that I’m an Elvis fan. And while this is certainly not my favorite Elvis song… it could possibly be my least favorite Elvis cover! It’s so bad, it probably shouldn’t even count.

A Quick Note – Card Collecting

Click HERE to read a very nice article about the sports card store that I frequent; Fox Sports Cards on the square in Marion, IL. It really is the nicest hobby store that I’ve ever been in & the Trade Nights are a lot of fun, even if my lucky streak went dry a few months ago. (After winning an A-Rod autographed card & a Ken Griffey Jr. autographed card in consecutive giveaways I can’t complain too much about not being lucky though.)

Celebrity Deaths

I realize that today’s Hollywood buzz is centered on the tragic death of young actor Heath Ledger. But there was another actor’s recent death that affected me on a much deeper level. I am referring of course to the death of Maila Nurmi on January 10, 2008. Nurmi is better known to us Horror & B-Movie fans as the incomparable “Vampira”. And when you really think about it, she had an even greater impact on American culture that the (cough) star of 10 Things I Hate About You. She was the very first television horror movie host & set the precedent for the role which was copied numerous times, most notably by Elvira, whom Nurmi ended up attempting to sue. She earned a whopping $200 for a 10 minute role in Ed Wood’s cult classic Plan 9 From Outer Space & is arguably one of the movie’s most memorable characters. (note: I would’ve paid $200 to appear in a movie with the legendary Bela Lugosi – even if it was at the tail-end of his career!) Her costume, which she created for a masquerade ball, has been noted as the catalyst for the wardrobe of the contemporary subculture known as “Goth”. She even had relationships with both Orson Welles & James Dean! Not bad for a former pin-up model from Finland!

Please also remember that death is always tragic, celebrity or not. Please pray for the families & loved ones that have lost someone recently.

Post-It Doodle

When I came in this morning & sat at my desk, I found this post-it note doodle next to my keyboard. I doodle a lot & waste lots of post-its & steno pad pages throughout the day especially if I have to sit in meetings or long phone calls. This one just kind of cracks me up for some reason. It’s probably an indication of just how slow yesterday really was.

I shall call him Darth Tiger! Note the Force Lightning emanating from the club head – could explain a lot, couldn’t it? (I don’t know what’s going on with his hands though.)

Monday Miscellany – a day late!

I took yesterday off; (1) to do some work around the house, more on that later, and (2) because my wife, as a teacher, had the day off to observe the national holiday. Speaking of which…

MLK Day:

Every year during my lovely wife’s spring break we spend a few days in Memphis, TN. Much of our time is spent deciding which barbeque joint to eat at next & we always try to see a Memphis Redbirds ballgame if they’re in town. But we also try to see something different each year too. In the past we’ve seen Graceland, Sun Studios, the Gibson Guitar Factory, the Zoo, various art galleries, museums & gardens. But last year we decided to see the National Civil Rights Museum for the first time. It’s located in the historic Lorraine Motel. Historic of course because it was the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. drew his final breath. We stood at street level – we stood inside the hotel looking out – we stood across the street in the room they believe the shot came from – all just staring at that same spot on the balcony in nearly complete silence. It is awe inspiring while at the same time monumentally heart-breaking. Never had Dr. King’s life & legacy seemed so real to me than it did at that moment. There is obviously much more to the museum, but that was the part that affected me the most.

 

 

The Academy Awards nominations have been officially announced!
The “Best Motion Picture” candidates are;

“Atonement”
“Juno”
“Michael Clayton”
“No Country for Old Men”
“There Will Be Blood”

And much like years previous, I haven’t seen any of them! Okay, I would like to see all of them with the possible exception of “Atonement”, but so far haven’t been able to. That being said, I will root for “No Country for Old Men” because I am a big Coen Brothers fan – but I am predicting “There Will Be Blood” will take home the top prize based entirely on the Daniel Day-Lewis factor.

Aches & Pains:

I spent all weekend & yesterday doing some much needed home improvements; completely redoing one room while making some minor changes in a number of other rooms too. There was spackling, sanding, painting, wall-paper stripping, wall-papering, furniture moving, furniture assembly, re-wiring, blind & curtain hanging, and massive amounts of seemingly never-ending cleaning; all followed by a restless night of trying to sleep on a new mattress… I am tired & sore & pretty much out-of-it today. And it’s still not quite done. I will be happy with it once it’s over, but until then – this sucks!

Just in case

How to Survive an Encounter With an Ostrich 

This could come in really handy if your weekend suddenly goes tragically awry!

Friday 5 – Car Songs

Art asked this morning for us to name 5 songs with specific vehicle makes & models in the title (excluding Cadillacs). Here’s my contribution:

*  ’69 El Camino – Southern Culture on the Skids
*  Pontiac – Lyle Lovett
*  From A Buick 6 – Bob Dylan
*  Chevy Van – Waylon Jennings
*  Five-O Ford – Reverend Horton Heat

Even Worse Than Jumping on Oprah’s Couch

I just finished watching Tom Cruise’s Scientology video that surfaced on the internet a few days ago. Now I’m sitting at my desk in a state of… something; awe, shock, dumbfoundedness (if that’s even a word)… I’m not even sure what I’m feeling. Never have I seen someone talk so much and never really say anything. (With the possible exception of the State of the Union Addresses for the last 7 years.) If you haven’t seen it I strongly suggest that you take a peek sooner rather than later since the CSI is doing what they can to have all traces of it removed from the internet as swiftly as possible.

I believe strongly in the freedom of religion. Every individual should have the right to worship, or not worship, any deity they so choose as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights or well-being of others. If you have chosen to be a Scientologist, more power to you… I think.

Of course I snark at the idea of a whole religion founded by a science fiction author which he loosely based on his own self-help principles. But I think my main problem with Scientology is the way that it is represented & presented to the rest of us by the Scientologists themselves. I have issues with the overwhelming arrogance that they seem to exude about their own religion. I don’t trust any group that believes that they have all the answers. Unfortunately the people of my own religion have a tendency to come across the same way. Scientologists don’t have the exclusive rights to this point. Many other religions fall victim to the same school of thought all too often. In fact, one response I read to a Chicago Tribune article written on the subject this morning stated;

To an non-biased, objective agnostic/atheist, Scientology is no more ridiculous than any form of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc. The hatred towards scientology is nore more or less a form of bigotry than criticizing any other religion.

Some people have just been brainwashed to believe that a sky wizard writing a bunch of rules on stone tablets, a man who is his own father sent to right the wrongs set forth by a woman created form a man’s rib at the behest of a talking snake, etc. are less abnormal than this “Thetans” stuff.

Sorry, guys, you’re ALL the same.

Are we?
If not, what can we do to change the world’s perception?
And if so, what can we do to change?