Kodak Photo Spot

Music and Meme: Country Edition

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:40:31 GMT

The Vovat Music Meme: Country Edition
Share

Instructions: List 10 musical artists (or bands) you like, in no specific order (do this before reading the questions below). Really, don’t read the questions below until you pick your ten artists!!!

1. Johnny Cash
2. Alison Krauss & Union Station
3. Hank Williams
4. Dwight Yoakam
5. Roger Miller
6. Wayne Hancock
7. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
8. Roy Acuff
9. Willie Nelson
10. Loretta Lynn

1. What was the first song you ever heard by 6?

“Thunderstorms and Neon Signs,” but the first time I heard it Hank Williams III was singing it.

2. What is your favorite song of 8?

Either “Just to Ease My Worried Mind” or “Sixteen Chickens and a Tambourine”

3. What kind of impact has 1 left on your life?

I suppose I learned that my life is pretty friggin’ good compared to the people he sang to at San Quentin and Folsom Prison and that we shouldn’t forget the forgotten people of society. I also learned that sometimes the best way to get your point across is to be irreverent.

4. What is your favorite lyric of 5?
I really like when he whistles or scats, but I like…

“Mama's old pajamas and your papa's mustache, falling out the window sill, frolic in the grass,” or "My Pappy was a pistol I'm a son of a gun"

5. How many times have you seen 4 live?
Twice. At the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek and at the Soaring Eagle Casino. Both times with Jon Gordon.

6. What is your favorite song by 7?
Even though it’s not “his” song I really like “Ida Red”

7. Is there any song by 3 that makes you sad?
Pretty much all of them.

8. What is your favorite song by 9?
Sheesh! I guess either “Blue Eye Crying in the Rain” or “Can I Sleep In Your Arms”

9. When did you first get into 2?

After seeing their performance of “Blue and Lonesome” in the documentary “Down from the Mountain.” They’ve got some clunkers when they go a little too much to the “pop” or “progressive Bluegrass,” but it’s hard for them to not sound good together no matter how traditional or poppy they are.

10. How did you get into 3?

I don’t remember. I don’t think you just “get into” Hank Williams

11. What is your favorite song by 4?

“Try Not To Look So Pretty”

12. How many times have you seen 9 live?

Once. Ionia Free Fair, 1981…I saw the first show. He opened with "Whiskey River" as a giant Texas flag dropped onto the background of the stage. When I was leaving I saw Tim Lind and his parents in line for the second show.

13 What is a good memory concerning 2?

Seeing her during an interview with Alison and Robert Plant when he said, "She's got a bit of a drink problem."

14 Is there a song by 8 that makes you sad?

“The Precious Jewel”

15. What is your favorite song of 1?

Either “Flesh and Blood” or “Tennessee Flat-Top Box”

16 How did you become a fan of 10?

Probably after I saw “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

The Negotiations Will Be Short

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:42:09 GMT

My brother once posed this most pressing question about someday possibly having children; “Should I show them the Star Wars movies beginning with episodes 4 thru 6? Or should I start with Episode 1?”

This is indeed a perplexing dilemma. Providing food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and a decent education is the easy part. But one wrong move in viewing the Star Wars films could be an irreparable disaster. Should they learn Darth Vader’s awful secret when Luke Skywalker does? Or should they know about it two movies earlier? What’s a nerd to do?

An interesting test case came forward a few weeks ago when one of Jessica’s co-workers told her that she had never seen ANY of the Star Wars movies, (not even “The Ewok Adventure”) and that her boyfriend had excitedly tried to show them to her. What makes her case interesting is that he decided to begin with “The Phantom Menace.”

When George Lucas was slowly unveiling the first three chapters he stressed numerous times that all six films are meant to be one big movie told from beginning to end. That may be his intent, but “The Prequels,” came out over 20 years after the originals. I’ve tried watching them that way, but I don’t know how well it works since I know where the story is going. So I was interested to hear out things went for Jessica’s co-worker; a Star Wars Newbie trying to watch them in order.

She had questions right from the beginning. The opening crawl begins by talking about a Galactic Republic, taxation of trade routes, a blockade of battleships, something called the Trade Federation, and a Supreme Chancellor (This is really nothing big. Even the most knowledgeable of Star Wars Fanboys are still confused by most of this.)

But then in the first scene two Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn, begin discussing being mindful of the living Force and sensing things. Then their alien hosts are suddenly talking to a hologram image of someone called Darth Sidious. He’s talking about landing troops and killing the Jedi. And it is at this point that the girl has dozens of questions already. And they can all be summed up in one question; “Who are all these people and what are they blathering on about?”

Rather than sit on all these questions and be confused, she begins asking her boyfriend what the hell is going on here. She hammers him with questions; what is the Trade Federation? What are these trade routes and why are there tax disputes over them? What is the Living Force? What do the Jedi mean about sensing things?

So after five minutes what happens? The boyfriend gets tired of being asked all these questions and tells her to leave the room. She never finishes the movie and, quite frankly, is so confused she’s not sure she really wants to.

After hearing this I have a clear picture of something I was already pretty sure of. The Prequels don’t work as the beginning to a six chapter series, because they are written as though the viewer has seen the originals.

For example, take The Force. Nowhere in Episodes 1 thru 3 is there any explanation of what the Force is and what it does. In Episode 1 there is some mumbo jumbo about some microscopic organisms in your cells called Midichlorians. The more you have of them then the stronger you are with the Force. Other than that, though, all the exposition on the Force takes place in Episodes 4 and 5. Obi-Wan Kenobi gives Luke (and the audience) a bare bones explanation in the original film and Yoda expands our knowledge in The Empire Strikes Back. So if you’ve seen those films first and you sit down to watch “The Phantom Menace” then you already know the background on this entire story and don’t need any explanation. So George Lucas doesn’t bother to provide any.

So the obvious answer to the question is this…Watch the original films and act like the others never happened. You’ll save yourself and all your heirs a lot of headaches.

Parlez-vous francais?

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:38:03 GMT

Early this week we had a new customer from Laos seek our services. This is nothing new since there is actually a sizeable Laotian population in Holland. It was told to us that no one in the home spoke English. Our first delivery seemed to bear this out when one of the ladies in the home tried to ask our driver for a cushion by saying, "Squishy squishy?"

One of our customer service representatives tries very hard to be helpful, but makes some head scratching decisions. In an effort to try to communicate with this family she typed a message into a translation program. The message was to inform the customer that they needed to speak to their doctor before we could distribute a cushion to them. There was only one problem; the translation was in French. Why? Because the girl sort of remembered that in school she learned that "France occupied Laos during World War II." This is the sort of B-minus history lesson that most Americans (myself included) are famous for giving. Actually, I give her some credit for even being in the ballpark. My knowledge of the history of Southeast Asia is pretty dim.

Laos was once a "French Protectorate," but gained full independence from France in the 1950's. But why she thought they would speak French as their primary language (and over 50 years since being associated with France) is beyond me. When I told her that I went there and, as I suspected, they didn't speak French she was flabbergasted. I informed her that, believe it or not, they speak a language known as "Laotian"

It also turned out that one lady there spoke and understood English so we didn't need a translation anyway.

What Are You Looking At, You Hockey Puck?

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:39:16 GMT

It is completely unnecessary to suffer several days' emotional devastation when your team loses some big postseason deal like the Super Bowl." - George Carlin

There was a time in my life when I would be inconsolable right now. I'm talking about the kind of emotional distress that would have me locked up in my room most of the weekend, staring at the wall, and trying to find something, anything to take my mind off the fact that a group of 20 or so guys that I've never met had just ruined my life.

Obviously I'm talking about the Red Wings losing the Stanley Cup. I've followed them pretty closely since cable television finally made them accessible in the early 1990's. They've been contenders/champions that whole time. Six Stanley Cup finals and four championships is a pretty impressive record.

*Hockey is the best sport on a purely entertainment level and even more so during the playoffs. It's fast moving, tense, violent, and the score is usually close.. So when you add all that up and then put it in the context of a "do or die" final game it's even more entertaining. It's a shame that it doesn't translate better to television. I've yet to see a game on HDTV, but imagine widescreen HD vastly improves the television hockey experience. And above all other sports it is the best game to see live.

I've had my share of juvenile dejection at the end of "important" sporting events, but It was actually after the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997 that I became aware that my relationship to sports was changing. I was watching with five other guys and one of them was so intense and fanatical that when the game ended he jumped up and began high fiving everyone and screaming his head off like a maniac. It was embarrassing to watch and all I could think was, "Wow, is that what it looks like?" Since that time I've never gotten too up or too down about "my teams" and their end of year results.

So it's not the end of the world for me, my friends. I like the Red Wings and it would be nice if they won again, but oh well. It doesn't have a thing to do with my happiness. I'm just glad I have a job.

Song of the Birds for Mirth

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:32:12 GMT

"Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place else on earth." -- Dorothy Frances Gurney

Garden Overview, June 7
Originally uploaded by G Bev

The garden is coming along nicely. We've added several plants (rhubarb and peppers) given to us by a neighbor, but even the things we planted on our own have taken root.

We had to pull up some lettuce plants because there were so many that they were crowding each other out. One bean plant didn't make it, but I talked nicely with the rest of the plants this morning and hope a little love will bring them along.

Each time we are out working; watering, weeding, etc. the wren who lives on our neighbors fence perches above us and twitters (not *that* type of Twitter) at us. Delightful.

We also added sunflowers, cilantro, and oregano to the mix. Eagerly awaiting the harvest and a chance to make meals from food that we brought along on our own.

High Time We Made A Stand

Wed, 13 May 2009 01:22:06 GMT

Seeds
Originally uploaded by G Bev

“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, no culture comparable to that of the garden ... But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.” - Thomas Jefferson

And so it begins. The garden box and soil have long since been prepared, but now comes the seed.

We have unadvisedly decided to try to grow directly from seeds instead of placing plants that have already begun growing in a greenhouse. Before placing our first seeds (lettuce, scallions, beans, and broccoli) we said a little prayer for our humble garden. That's what it will probably take for us to be successful in this noble endeavor.

Photo archiving of the task has again taken place. The newest group of photos begins right here. Join us on our journey into the unknown realms of providing food with your own soiled hands.

Oh, yeah. We've also started our own compost pile as well. We're awesome.

Feliz Cumpleanos

Tue, 12 May 2009 10:14:12 GMT

Happy Birthday to the_ass_doctor

Now go get your friggin' shine box!!!

Disney Animated Feature Wrap Up

Fri, 08 May 2009 00:52:57 GMT

I’ve broken down the “final” list into sections.

Disney used to like to refer to ALL of their animated films as either classics or masterpieces. But I’m going to use these terms to describe them; The Classics, The Near Greats, The Goods, The O.K., and The Throw Aways.

I ’m going to go ahead and classify the Top 10 as The Classics. These are the cream of the crop. The MUST see films. If you want to break it down further then I would say the Top 4 are the absolute summit.

1) Beauty and the Beast
2) Pinocchio
3) Bambi
4) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
5) Peter Pan
6) Lady and the Tramp
7) Fantasia
8) Dumbo
9) Cinderella
10) The Lion King

The Near Greats.

11) Aladdin
12) The Little Mermaid
13) The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
14) The Jungle Book
15) Tarzan
16) Sleeping Beauty
17) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

The Good

18) The Rescuers
19) Robin Hood
20) The Emperor’s New Groove
21) The Hunchback of Notre Dame
22) The Great Mouse Detective
23) Meet the Robinsons
24) Bolt
25) Fantasia 2000
26) Hercules
27) The Black Cauldron
28) Brother Bear
29) The Fox and the Hound

O.K

30) Mulan
31) 101 Dalmatians
32) The Three Caballeros
33) Fun and Fancy Free
34) Melody Time
35) Oliver and Company

And lastly we have what I call “The Throw Aways.” You could pretty much dump these and I wouldn’t really miss them at all. (There are few segments of Alice in Wonderland and Make Mine Music that are okay, but not enough to save the movie.)

36) Pocahontas
37) The Aristocats
38) The Sword in the Stone
39) Alice in Wonderland
40) Make Mine Music
41) Saludos Amigos
42) Atlanis: The Lost Empire
43) Home on the Range
44) Treasure Planet
45) Lilo and Stitch
46) The Rescuers Down Under
47) Chicken Little

BIGGEST SURPRISE: The Emperor's New Groove I was sure I was going to hate this, but I thought it was really, really funny

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Alice In Wonderland Great book, but a nearly unwatchable movie.

Disney Animated Feature #47: Bolt

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:05:52 GMT

Well, here it is...the unofficial end to my quest.... I'll be writing up a "final" wrap up soon to tie it all together....

Bolt (2008)

The Story: A dog stars in his own television show, but in order to make the show more realistic the producers do everything they can to make sure the dog believes everything that happens is real. Each episode ends with the dog rescuing his owner, a girl named Penny. To boost ratings they film an episode that ends with Penny being captured. The dog thinks she’s really in trouble and ends up escaping and trying to look for her. Not realizing that his super powers aren’t real he has to figure out a way back to her.

The Hero: Bolt (John Travolta), the aforementioned television star who has to find his way back to his owner Penny (Miley Cyrus).

The Villain: There’s no real villain, but on the television show the villain is a man named Dr. Calico; a.k.a., The Green Eyed Man. (Malcolm McDowell)

Sidekicks: Along the way Bolt picks up two sidekicks; Mittens the cat (Susie Essman) and Rhino the hamster (Mark Walton) who makes his way around by rolling inside one of those silly plastic balls.

Cute Animals: In New York Bolt runs into three pigeons who talk like Italian mobsters, in Hollywood he runs into three pigeons who talk like slick Hollywood pitch men. Funny stuff….

Music: There are two songs; “Barking At The Moon” by Jenny Lewis which is a standard montage scene pop song (but pretty good) and “I Thought I Lost You” by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta which runs over the end credits….(I hate to say it, but I kind of like the “older” Miley Cyrus. This is a pretty good song and she seems to be growing into her voice.)

Scary Stuff: Most of the scary stuff comes at the beginning while Bolt is filming an episode of his show, but the ending features a pretty intense fire scene on the studio soundstage.

My Favorite Exchange of Dialogue:

Bolt: [Looks around corner into an office at the animal shelter] There's a guard.
Rhino: [Starts walking into room] I'll snap his neck.

Favorite Character: Rhino…hysterical!

Do We Hear or See the Phrase "Happily Ever After?" – Nope

Does Someone Die Or Seem To Die Before Coming Back To Life? – Hmm…not really…

My Final Thoughts:

As the Disney review project unofficially draws to a close I have to say I’m happy with this one. It was funny, warm, and entertaining. (I think the word most people would use is “cute.”)

The animation is pretty good as digital animation goes. I’m not as “wowed” by computer animation as I am with good, traditional, hand drawn animation. It seems to me that it isn’t as difficult to animate in a computer, but that the hard part is how time consuming it probably is to manipulate facial expressions, etc. (Don’t they just make one drawing of a character and then change that one drawing over and over each time they move to a new frame?)

1) Beauty and the Beast
2) Pinocchio
3) Bambi
4) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
5) Peter Pan
6) Lady and the Tramp
7) Fantasia
8) Dumbo
9) Cinderella
10) The Lion King
11) Aladdin
12) The Little Mermaid
13) The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
14) The Jungle Book
15) Tarzan
16) Sleeping Beauty
17) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
18) The Rescuers
19) Robin Hood
20) The Emperor’s New Groove
21) The Hunchback of Notre Dame
22) The Great Mouse Detective

23) Meet the Robinsons
24) Bolt
25) Fantasia 2000
26) Hercules
27) The Black Cauldron
28) Brother Bear

29) The Fox and the Hound
30) Mulan
31) 101 Dalmatians
32) The Three Caballeros
33) Fun and Fancy Free
34) Melody Time
35) Oliver and Company
36) Pocahontas
37) The Aristocats
38) The Sword in the Stone
39) Alice in Wonderland
40) Make Mine Music
41) Saludos Amigos
42) Atlanis: The Lost Empire

43) Home on the Range
44) Treasure Planet
45) Lilo and Stitch
46) The Rescuers Down Under

47) Chicken Little

Annual Fantasy Baseball Post

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:16:03 GMT

I generally don't post about Fantasy Baseball because I'm pretty sure that no one is interested in it beyond the people who are "playing." I actually don't like talking about it even when I have a team that is doing well. It pretty much ranks right up there with Star Trek/Star Wars conventions and World of Warcraft. Geeky and strange. Maybe not to the same extreme, but certainly nerdy. But I figure once a year I can say something about it....

Anyway, "my team" is already done for the season. I'm not even going to pretend that I have a chance to win. The pitching staff has been abysmal and I'm already certainly out of the running. I'm now pretty sure my prediction of *not* finishing last is wrong. I saw that one of my "phenoms" Clayton Kershaw got destroyed again today. There's not much I can do to change it since A) I have no control over how well my players do and B) I'll never find five pitchers to replace the five rubber arms that currently make up the pitching roster. I'd be better off not having pitchers at all.

It's actually a relief because now I can go through the summer without being annoyed at myself for worrying about an imaginary baseball team.

*I still struggle with the spelling "TEXIERIA"

You Dirty Rat (Snake)

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:39:25 GMT

Because I'm in a van all day and constantly bombarded by movement and noise I've taken to not only actually taking a lunch break (as opposed to eating while I drive), but I've been taking my breaks at one of the many nature trails that can be found scattered among and around Holland. The last two days I've gone to Pine Creek Trail. It's on the north side of Holland out towards Lake Michigan. The creek runs through a marshy area and empties into Lake Macatawa. The trail itself has several stretches of dry ground, but is mostly an elevated boardwalk over the ponds and creek.

I entered the trail from the south yesterday and walked about 100 yards before I came to a bridge over the creek. There was a small gradual waterfall (probably man made by the looks of it.) At the end of the waterfall was a mallard hen bathing. I went and sat on a little grassy incline next to the bridge to watch her. She was a little nervous about me being there so she circled away with the current a few times and then retreated to the bank just down stream to preen her feathers.

About this time an elderly woman and a three year old boy came sauntering along. The boy said hello and sat down next to me to toss stones into the creek. I pointed the duck out to him and he quickly got up and rushed down the trail to get closer to her. The grandma followed him and they both watched for a few minutes until the boy stepped off the trail to get a closer look. Right then the grandma let out a small shriek and yelled, "A snake!"

Since this is Michigan I figured it was most likely a Garter snake or perhaps a Blue Racer, but when I got up to take a look I was surprised to see that it was a Black Rat Snake. He had been sitting next to the trail, but the commotion from the grandma and the boy forced him down to the sticks and logs along the creek bed. He was actually a pretty small one. They can grow to around 8 feet long, but he was two or maybe three feet at the most.

I told the grandma and the boy everything I could remember about rat snakes. "Do they eat rats?" the grandma asked, "Is that why they call them that." Exactly. They are constrictors who prey on small rodents. They are also known for their ability to "climb" trees. Not just trees with low branches, but they can actually slither up the side of large tree trunks.

After a few minutes the boy decided that the best thing to do would be to throw a large stick at the snake. It's a snake after all; snakes are bad. (Just read Genesis if you don't believe me!) I politely told him not to do that because I vaguely remembered reading that rat snakes are protected under state law. (This turns out to be true. The DNR website lists Black Rat Snakes as a "species of special concern" because they are apparently rare and in declining numbers.) He's only three so I give him a pass, but he's going to grow up to be one of those kids who likes to torture animals. I've never been so sure of anything in all my life.

Grandma chimed in; "Yes, honey don't do that. We need the bad animals too."

I'm no Steve Irwin so I don't claim to know that much about snakes, but I wouldn't consider a snake that is really only a danger to small pesty animals like rats and mice a "bad animal." In fact I'm not sure I would consider any animal bad. Except for house cats. In my house anyway.

Those Who Labor In The Earth

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:16:11 GMT

Ready For Planting, originally uploaded by G Bev.

"Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God..." - Thomas Jefferson

Thanks to a break from the rain and cold we were finally able to do part two of our square foot garden project. This is exciting because it isn't just some hobby we're undertaking here; this is an attempt to be more self-reliant.

We mixed our "soil" together (compost, peat moss, peat humus, and perlite) and then deposited it into our garden box. We haven't started our own compost pile yet so we had to purchase some. We also chose not to use vermiculite because of possible links to asbestos and also because they produce it through strip mining. We don't play that around here.

Next up is dividing the box into 16 squares and choosing what to plant. Then we have to figure out how to keep critters away without killing them needlessly.

The most exciting part of this is letting the kids help put this together and teaching them about the importance of good foods and the satisfaction of growing them yourselves.

As always you can visit our Square Foot Garden Flickr Set to follow the progress..

This Is Just To Say

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:43:07 GMT

There is a poem titled "This Is Just To Say" by William Carlos Williams and it goes like this...

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast.

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

and so cold.

There are several interpretations of the poem. Most say it sounds like a note left on the kitchen table for someone. But all interpretations I've read seem to agree that the voice of the poem doesn't really feel sorry for eating the plums. He demands forgiveness, but then excuses himself by describing how wonderful the pilfered plums were.

It is apparently a running game among poets to write their own version of the poem. I guess it is also often used in poetry writing classes as a springboard for students to write their own version.

I haven't written a poem since college, but here is my version. The voice is equally unapolgetic which I think is the point...

"This Is Just To Say"
by Greg Bevier

When I hurled

that jagged shard of wood

in your direction

I didn't think

it would hit you

in the face.

I would ask you to

forgive me

but now

you are dead

Curtis Granderson Is Not Walking Enough

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:38:12 GMT

It's raining today so....

This morning we ate breakfast at a cozy little restaurant in Holland's cozy little Washington Square. The place is called "The Biscuit." It's a little pricey, but the food and atmosphere are much more inviting than IHOP. I ordered the Mediterranean omelet (spinach, kalamata olives, red peppers, onions, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese) which was a reasonably sized compared to your average omelet that tends to take up your entire plate. It was fantastic...I even emailed the owner/chef to tell her I rated it a 10!

Later at home I was going through a box and came across an hold Jigsaw puzzle of C3-PO and R2-D2 that I haven't put together in about 25 years. So I naturally spent about a half an hour sitting quietly and assembling it. It's missing one piece, but it isn't a piece that is crucial so I'm not going to spend much time looking for it.

Right now I'm trying to decide between watching an inning of the Tigers game or two pages of a book, before the girls start asking me if they can get up from rest time yet.

I like days like this.

Not Indispensable.

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:03:34 GMT

"Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor."--Henry David Thoreau

I read Henry David Thoreau's Walden in college. Not much of it stuck with me, but I've always remembered the quote from above. I've always believed that if we really sat and thought about many of the things that we think are necessary that we would actually find ourselves much happier if we tossed them aside.

Over most of my "adulthood" I've spent unending hours struggling internally over what's really important to me. I go to bed sometimes certain that the next day I'll stop wasting so much time. Countless times I've resolved to simplify my life and clear out distractions so that those things that are truly important can have more of my time. I've made changes dozens of times only to end up hating myself weeks later for not following through.

Last week Clay Jenkinson's Thomas Jefferson Hour was all about Walden. He discussed his love for the book and what its message might mean to us here in the 21st Century.

He asked questions about the cost to our mental stability, pace of life, and our soul's health to cling to things like Time Shares and iPod docking stations and other unnecessary financial and mental burdens. At show's end he challenged the listeners to read the book again and ask these questions. It isn't necessary for us to go live in a shack in the forest, but perhaps if we prune our lives down to a lower number of things, then we will, as Jenkinson said, "come alive again and our soul and spirit will begin to thrive again because they will not be smothered by stuff."

I still have my copy from college and I plucked it from the shelf this weekend to begin reading. I'm sure I will never reach the extremes that Thoreau went to. But even he doesn't suggest that. He says on the book's second page, "As for the rest of my readers they will accept such portions as apply to them." I'm interested to see what I feel does apply to me.

Never Touch A Black Man's Radio

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:22:51 GMT

Storm Signals Are Up At #17

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:34:48 GMT

As part of our hectic vacation schedule last week we took the girls to see the Broadway In Chicago production of Mary Poppins.

When you love something as much as this family loves the film Mary Poppins you automatically cringe at the though of anyone trying to do a new version of it. It was perfect before so why bother trying? Oh, yeah, I forgot...$$$

Anyway, I went into it aware that they had made drastic changes to the background story, cut many of the songs, changed the lyrics to others, and added new songs to fit the new storyline. So I originally intended to treat it as a completely different version and judge it on it's own merits. The only problem is that they won't let you forget the source of this version so I ended up comparing it anyway.

I won't say that I loved it and I won't say that it stinks. The second act is much stronger than the first act which is really long, confusing, and disjointed. Most of the new songs aren't memorable at all and many of the changes to the old songs (including the settings) are jarring.

The showstopper is "Step In Time" and is topped off with Bert (played by Gavin Lee) walking up the wall and upside down on the arch at the stage front. I don't think you were supposed to see the ropes, but from the angle we were sitting at they were difficult to hide. Once he started up the wall they disappeared and the illusion worked pretty well.

There is also a subplot that has Mary leaving the Banks home at the end of the first act only to be replaced by a "Villain" nanny named Ms. Andrew who was Mr. Banks nanny when he was a boy. (He calls her "The Holy Terror") Unfortunately she isn't around very long. She was probably the most entertaining character in the whole show.

And of course at the end when Mary Poppins leaves she exits the stage by opening her umbrella and flying out over the audience.

The real star of the show, IMHO, is Gavin Lee...and the sets and special effects. The new story involving the Banks parents isn't interesting in the least. Mrs. Banks instead of being a strong advocate for women's sufferage is now a former actress trying to transition into the life of a dutiful housewife. BORING

So I'd give it an O.K. But the kids loved it so it was worth it.

Other notes***

In "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" Mary Poppins actually recites the entire word backwards instead of breaking it up into segments like the movie.

"A Spoonful of Sugar" is sung while Mary Poppins helps the children clean up the kitchen they just trashed.

There are several "magic tricks" in the show involving Mary's carpet bag but they aren't staged well and aren't very effective. She pulls the coat rack out of her bag, but you could hear it "telescoping" as she yanked it out.

A.I.G.

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:13:47 GMT

Am I the only person who is baffled by the governments outrage over the A.I.G. bonuses? The government are the people who should shoulder all the blame for this debacle.

Should you really be surprised when people who have been greedy and irresponsible act greedily and irresponsibly? What exactly happened between the time the time bankers climbed from the primordial muck and when they started begging for help that led the three ring circus of our government to believe that they had learned their lesson? This is a classic case of enabling. It's like giving a bag full of crack to a crack addict who just entered rehab; they can't help but fall right back into the same pattern of behavior.

Now the government wants to act like they are doing something about it by threatening to tax 100% of the bonuses and announcing stipulations for future "stimulus" money? Where were the stipulations BEFORE you gave them the first 'bail out."

This country is doomed....

Love Among The Stars

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:57:21 GMT

American Idol Top 13

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:10:05 GMT

American Idol Top 13: Week One

Michael Jackson Night…Uh, oh….I thought you weren’t supposed to sing songs from performers who were “The Best” Let’s see what happens…..

Paula gives advice to the contestants that makes no sense and Simon sarcastically says, “Good advice.” Then sarcastically adds the same advice when he gives his.

don’t know these people very well because I haven’t been following too closely, but I know that Lil Rounds is the front runner.

Why does Paula look like Wayland Flowers’ “Madame” puppet tonight? And why do I keep watching this when I know I'm going to hate it?

HERE WE GO!!!

Lil Rounds
The Way You Make Me Feel

Randy “Dude, you made the song new again!”

Cara “I hope we get to hear you on the radio…You are great!”

Paula “Its like angels singing.”

Simon “It was good….it was little bit of a lazy song choice…and I hate what you’re wearing. Give me five minutes with Lil and I’ll sort you out.”

Greg: I don’t know what to say here. This song doesn’t appear to suit her well. And she was really careful to annunciate the lyrics clearly. It’s hard to sound and look good doing Michael Jackson songs since they already have his signature on them.

Scott MacIntyre
Keep the Faith

Cara “It’s your message that you deliver….You are true to yourself every week.”
Paula “Its magical…lovely performance..
Simon, “I hated the song, because nobody knows it….I like you; you’re a good singer…I don’t think it did you any favors at all.”
Randy, “It just felt safe for me.”

Greg: He was okay. The song seemed to fit him even though it was cliched (and I've never heard it before.)

Danny Gokey

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

Paula: “I think you’re on our way to the finals,”
Simon: “I thought the vocals were brilliant. You’re one heck of a singer. The dancing was hideous.”
Randy, “When you’ve got it you’ve just got it. The dancing was passionate.”
Cara, “You have joy; you’re just all about the music.”Greg A white guy from Wisconsin singing “P.Y.T..;” Cruise ship material….His voice is strong, but I’m not sold on the material.

Michael Sarver
You Are Not Alone

Simon “You’re not the best singer but you made up for it with passion, heart, and you gave it 110%...I just wish we knew what you did for a living.”

Randy: “I’m telling you so far you one of the best in this, Dude.”

Cara: “You showed me you really can sing. You are serious. You bring your game”

Paula: “You sounded really lovely tonight.”

Greg: It was like watching Tim Lind do karaoke. This guy can sing, but he’s not a star.

Jasmine Murray
I’ll Be There

Randy: (drops Mariah Carey’s name) “You did a pretty good job on it. It wasn’t that bad.”

Cara: “You sold it. You have great stage presence.”

Paula: “You have tremendous composure on that stage. You had some bright moments. (Makes excuses for her bad moments. Maybe the crowd or she couldn’t hear herself??) But you had good moments.”

Simon: “There’s not much more I can add. A little bit robotic at times. You’ve just got to lighten up a little bit.”

Greg: This song has been done exactly like this hundreds of times. She’s really good though she doesn’t have much stage presence or real passion.

Kris Allen
Remember the Time

Cara: “When you play guitar it helps you performance wise. There were a few notes off.”

Paula: “Seeing you with your guitar you’re engaging and kind of adorable sexy.”
Simon: “It was interesting. I don’t know if suits the guitar. The vocals are okay.”

Randy: “Very well job done, baby!”

Greg: Rascal Flatts does Michael Jackson. I thought it was awful. But at least he’s not Jason Castro.

Allison Iraheta
Give In To Me

Paula “Its mind boggling! You’re a rock star up there! Your hair looks great tonight”

Simon “It was a good performance. At least we know who you are.”

Randy “I always say if you got it you just got it. You can sing anything. I think you are one to watch in this whole thing.”

Cara “Keep being the rocker girl. You distinguish yourself by being the rocker girl.”

Greg: I thought it was unlistenable.

Anoop Desai
Beat It

Simon: “I thought it was horrible. There was no aggression. It was lightweight. It looked a bit stupid. It was like someone trying to be Michael Jackson and failing.”

Randy: “It was the wrong choice”

Cara: “I gotta agree with them….for the first time I didn’t feel connected to you.”

Paula: “When you pick a song it’s your gift to show the world what you’ve got…I think this song is untouchable. Anything else sounds karaoke to me.”

Greg: Only Michael Jackson and Weird Al can make this song work. I completely agree with all the judges.

Jorge Nunez
Never Can Say Goodbye

Randy “It’s a little old fashioned for you. You’ve got the chops.”

Cara I didn’t hear what she said…but it doesn’t really matter does it?

Paula “I don’t feel that you were yourself.”

Simon “It was corny and the arrangement was absolutely awful. I couldn’t wait for it to end.”

Greg One of my favorite Jackson Five songs...This guy can’t win. Not horrible, but not great.

Megan Joy Corkey

Rockin’ Robin

Cara “You have a way of putting your signature on songs. You injected your personality.”

Paula “I love the quirky and unique tone in your voice.”

Simon “We like you; but what a stupid song choice. The whole performance was clumsy and awkward.”

Randy “The song choice didn’t suit you.”

Greg Jessica says…”She’s so weird! I can’t stand her!” Me: She has a weird voice and can’t dance. But she’s cute (except for the full arm tattoo) so she’ll probably get along for a while. And this song was horrible when Michael did it.

Adam Lambert
Black or White

Paula (annoyingly) “Adam, I’m gonna say this. Never in the history of AI have we seen someone so comfortable and seasoned on the stage. Your innate ability to know who you are as an artist, blah, blah, blah…”

Simon “That was in a totally different league than everything else we’ve seen tonight.”

Randy “You could make a record right now and sail straight to the top of the charts. If you got it you got it and, baby, you got it.”
Cara We really don’t care what she says.

Greg Earsplitting and annoying. The judges must be deaf or stupid.

Kalamazoo’s Matt Giraud
Human Nature

Simon “It was very good. It was a meat and potatoes solid performance.”

Randy “That was a really good performance.”

Cara “You are a talented guy, blah, blah, blah

Paula “You are talented, blah, blah, blah

Greg One of my favorite Michael Jackson songs. Good vocals, arrangements, and piano work. Not mind blowing, but it’s good enough to move on.

Alexis Grace
Dirty Diana

Simon “Very over the top and probably not as good as you thought it was.”

Randy “I liked it.”

Cara “You’re back! You’re a naughty girl and I liked it.

Paula “Fantastic. Watch your over singing.”

Greg It didn’t really work for me, Dawg.

I can't name a Top 3

Break A Leg

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:14:16 GMT

Twenty people showed up for basketball tonight. It took about a half an hour to sort out what format we would play and who was on what team. We split into four teams of five and played two half-court four on four games at the same time. This also meant we had to rotate players in and out of the game after every basket.

This is basically how things were going....

Basket scored, rotate a new player in, he asks the player he replaces who he was guarding. The new player is usually too old or too young to guard the guy So then there's a stop while they discuss who the new player will guard, or should we play zone defense? Then someone asks what the score is and no one knows. Eventually play begins, but no one ever made it clear who was guarding who or whether it was now a zone. So naturally they score an easy basket and guess what? Time to switch a new player in and we go through the whole thing again. Playing half court made it that much more confusing. I hate half court basketball.

I ended up leaving about 15 minutes after we started. because I can't handle chaos. I need stability and order. Who is on my team? Who am I guarding? Let's play ball. All the switching in and out and switching who you are guarding and trying to switch from offense to defense and vice-versa in a half court game is too confusing and frustrating for me. My mind doesn't work that way.

My ankles were also in intense pain again and I couldn't really run or jump at all so I had a nice, polite excuse to leave. I think my basketball playing days are over. The rest of my body can handle it, but my ankles just get worse with each week. I suppose I'll have to take up low impact exercise like swimming. Or drinking lemonade.

We Certainly Otter

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 02:17:01 GMT

I went into a home today (a family I know pretty well) for a delivery and the three youngest kids all came up to me. One was carrying a Beanie Baby and handed it to me to look at.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's a beaver!" he screamed.

I looked it over carefully and could tell clearly that it was an otter. I even looked at the tag for the name which was "Seaweed" I informed them of their error.

"That's not an otter!" the oldest yelled. "It's a beaver!"

"No, it isn't," I yelled back. "Beaver's have big floppy flat tails. Otters have these long skinny tails."

"Otters tails aren't that long!" he yelled back.

By this point the mom and the grandfather were laughing so I went ahead and yelled, "Get on the internet and look up a picture of an otter! I'll bet you anything you're wrong!"

I could still hear the kids yelling and the adults laughing as I left the apartment.

Love Me Tender

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:39:35 GMT

So the Disney reviews are pretty much done. Now there's an emptiness that must be filled....PIXAR movies? Nope. Disney Live Action? Nope. WAY too many of those. How about Sherlock Holmes? Or Schwarzenegger? Nope.

I've got it....

ELVIS MOVIES!!!

There are 31 movies in which Elvis plays a fictional character. And I'm going to watch them all through the magic of a free Netflix account. It seems a little "white trash" or "lowlife," but Elvis LIVES!!

Love Me Tender (1956)

Elvis Is….: Clint Reno

Occupation: Southern Farm Boy (who is also known for his incredible singing and dancing!)

The Girl: Cathy Reno (Debra Paget); Clint’s wife (Who bears an amazing resemblance to Priscilla Presley.)

The Rival: Vance Reno (Richard Egan); Clint’s Brother who is also in love with Cathy.

The Story: Vance Reno and two of his brothers return home from serving the Confederate States in the Civil War. On his arrival he finds out “his girl,” Cathy, who believed he was dead, has married his brother Clint. This of course causes friction in the Reno home and Vance decides it’s best that he leave
The problem is that Vance has taken part in a robbery of Union soldiers payroll, but is told he can return the money without fear of prosecution since it took place as an act of war. (He didn't know that Lee had surrendered the day before) His accomplices in the robbery don’t agree with his decision and use Clint and his love for Cathy against him to try to get the money for themselves. In the end Clint comes to his senses and tries to defend his brother, but is shot and killed.

The Songs: “Love Me Tender,” “Let Me,” “Poor Boy,” and “We’re Gonna Move.” (They try to make these songs sound as though they belong to the Civil War Era, but it never really works. They are pretty good though.)

Favorite Dialogue: (NOTE: Make sure you read Elvis’ lines with his accent. It’s more effective that way….)

Clint: (to Cathy while stabbing around wildly with a sword): Hey, Cathy. Look at the nicks on this saber that Vance just gave me. How many Yankees did ya’ll get all and all between the three of you?
Brett Reno: We didn’t stop to count them, Clint.
Vance: Most of those nicks came from butchering pigs, Clint.
Clint: Yeah, I’ll bet! The blue ones with the brass buttons!

Trivia:
Original Title was “The Reno Brothers,” but it was changed to promote the song.

Elvis had third billing behind Egan and Paget. This was the only time he didn’t get top billing.

The Union soldiers that the Reno brothers ambush in Greenwood, LA have a wagon that reads “12^th Michigan Cavalry.” Unfortunately, there were only 11 Michigan Cavalries. There was a 12^th Infantry though. I imagine this “error” is intentional.

Dick Sargent has a small role as a Confederate soldier.

My Thoughts:

If you remove the unintended comedy of putting Elvis in a dramatic Western, you actually have a halfway decent movie to work with. So Elvis actually gets in the way from that viewpoint.

Since Elvis fans have expectations he of course performs four songs. Even though the film is set at the end of the Civil War in April of 1865, Elvis performs with the curled lip and swiveling hips of a 1950’s rock star. One scene even comes complete with a gaggle of screaming female admirers! In the 1950’s this type of dancing and crazed reaction was labeled “offensive” by many adults, but in 1860’s Texas it’s just warm hearted, innocent, entertainment for a Saturday afternoon fund raising picnic.

Clint Reno is actually a tough role for someone who has never been in a movie before. He’s required to go through all the emotions; joy, jealousy, rage, compassion, and even a death scene. Elvis isn’t quite convincing much of the time. But that’s okay, because it’s good for a few laughs. He’s obviously at his most comfortable when singing, playing guitar, and dancing. Those scenes are his best, but they lead to unintentional laughter because they don’t really fit the film’s setting.

Tell Me, Future Boy, Who Was The President In 2006?

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:28:21 GMT

I was browsing some LiveJournal posts of yore....

****
I came across this piece from a run down of the Super Bowl Party at the Nivison's in 2006

Apparently the two greatest actors of our generation are Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Matt Damon, but that's because we couldn't seem to think of anyone else our age. Brad Pitt came up and was immediately rejected even though, as Eric pointed out, he is one of the three most important people in the world with Angelina and Jennifer.

This Bragelina/Jen Aniston thing has legs, because this is amazingly still a tabloid favorite three years later. Just the other night I was in line at the store and saw a magazine cover spread about the "confrontation" between Jen and Angie at this year's Oscars.

****

Steve Bevier sent me a link to Star Wars themed Valentines in 2006

****

Three years ago at the Post Office I proved, yet again....I can't do math.

***

Out Of Our Minds

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:03:18 GMT

Of all the diseases I encounter in my job I think Alzheimer's must be the worst. I know that cancer ravages the body and causes intense pain and suffering, but the confusion of losing your mind must be absolute anguish.

I was trying to deliver a bed today and the patient's husband was an Alzheimer's patient. He asked me what I was doing when I first got there. After explaining everything he said, "Who the hell ordered this?" Then I answered and it was as if his mind reset itself and he started from the beginning. We wen through it all at least ten times.

What is this?
Is this everything?
Just leave it there.
Who the hell ordered this?

Sometimes he would vary things. He would add "I don't remember ordering this!" or "What the hell do I do with it?"

After I was done he followed me down to the nurses station. When they asked him what he needed he pointed at me and said, "I'm with him." Then he followed me to the outside door and asked "What the hell do I need to do with that stuff? Who ordered it?" I just told him to talk to the nurses.

This was a difficult situation when I began in this business 12 years ago, but I've learned to just roll with it. I'm very patient and understanding with them, but I really don't wish it on anyone.