And Now For Something Completely Different..

For those of you who are anywhere close to my age (and you know who you are) The words above should trigger instantaneous humming of the John Phillip Sousa march which served as the theme music to Monty Python's Flying Circus. For those out there unfamiliar with Monty Python (and what rock have you been hiding under) It is a British comedy show which aired starting in 1969 and lasting about 4 years. But most Americans are familiar due to its airing all through the seventies and eighties on public television stations. Growing up in Chicago it was a staple at 10pm Sunday nights, followed by Dave Allen at Large (or a variety of other British comedy shows) and then Doctor Who at 11.

Monty Python is responsible I would say for about 70% of my sense of humor. I will still break out quoting lines from the show, even though I haven't seen a full episode in at least 12 years (nudge nudge, wink wink), But all of this is about to change. Why? you may ask. Let me tell you a story...I love a good story.


Once upon a time some genius invented the DVD...gotta love him. And then some brilliant person decided the put all 45 episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus onto DVD and add a couple live performances, a documentary and the two episodes in German and put them into a 16 disc boxed set priced at $100 dollars or better. that person made loads of money. For years I have longed for this box set, and for years could not afford it.

But on Saturday last week I walked in to Barnes and Noble and they had the $100 DVD set on sale for 50% off. I wanted to grab it on the spot, but decided I need time to cool off and makes sure I was making the right choice; $50 is still a lot of money. As I drove home without the DVDs I remembered that I am a B&N card member and would save an extra 10% off the sale price, that would make the price only $45; this was looking better. Then I remembered that I had a Barnes and Noble gift card in my wallet from mom and dad for $25 that brought my out of pocket to $20 plus the tax. I called the store and asked them how long it would be on sale, hoping it wasn't a on day sale, and I hadn't blown my chance. They said the sale was good through the 4th of January. I was happy, and I asked them how many copies they had. He told me there was just the one copy. I asked if he could hold it for me till Monday, he said they could only hold for one day. So I spent Saturday night praying that no other Python fan would come in and nab te set before I got there. Sunday morning I called the store to see if the set was still there. It was, and I put it on hold. I was so excited to be getting a $100 DVD set for only $20.

Monday at work it was practically all I could think about. Lucky somewhere along the line I thought of the book in my car that I had gotten as a gift, which I already owned a copy of. So when I got to Barnes & Noble I returned that book for about $17 in store credit. I went back to pick up my DVDs and handed the clerk my gift card, then handed her my store credit, then handed her a $10 bill, and got back a dollar and change. Yes, I got a $100 DVD set for less then $10 including tax!! So tomorrow at lunch I will hear the words "and now for something completely different..." and start humming that tune.

Steve's Top 5 Top 5's-- #5 top 5 most interesting people of 2009

Rounding out my Top5 top 5's of 2009, with apologies to Barbara Walters for stealing her category, here are my top five most interesting people of 2009.

5) Adam Lambert: I started out not liking him on American Idol. I found him dark and strange. His song choices seemed sometimes very odd to me. What turned me around was his version of Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. He has a very good voice. I still find some of his song choices odd (on his debut CD), and his at times outrageous stage behavior can be disturbing. But he is being true to himself. I'm sure this Idol will be around for a while.

4) Sandra Bullock: A year ago I was asking myself, "what happened to Sandra Bullock, haven't seen her in a while?" I guess that was because she was busy making movies, With three releases this year she is suddenly every where this year, Two hits (The Proposal and The Blind Side) and one flop (All About Steve) have brought Sandra back into the public eye. She has two Golden Globe nominations (For The Proposal and Blind Side) and talk of an Oscar nod. I'm Glad she's back!

3) Lacey Schwimmer: This Dancing With The Stars pro is really interesting to me. I follow her on Twitter and she seems so down to earth and fun, Recently she has gone public with her struggles with anorexia. A very brave step for this rising star. Also she is working on recording a CD, following in the footsteps of Dancing with The Stars pros Julianne Hough, & Derek Hough and Mark Ballas (Ballas Hough Band). Best of luck Lacey!!

2) Taylor Swift: The country music Mega-star has been having a winning year including nabbing the CMA entertainer of the year award, American Music Awards Artist of the year and recently the AP Entertainer of the Year. Not bad for someone who just turned 20 this month.

1) Orianthi: I know I keep talking about her in top 5 list. But if you haven't heard her play, you wouldn't understand. This young woman is absolutely amazing on guitar. She is exploding onto the music scene, and you will be hearing this name for years to come. She has a ton of videos on YouTube, go check them out. Buy her CD Believe today. Buy This Is It on DVD when it comes out next month. You won't be sorry.

Steve's Top 5 Top 5's-- #4 Top Five Performances of 2009

Today I present to you my top performances of 2009. These are live performances of some kind. On Stage or on TV. Basically to qualify for this you had to be in front of some kind of a crowd. Let me know if you saw any performances I may have missed.

5) Adam Lambert and Kris Allen perform with Queen on American idol Season Finale:
Okay, Kris Allen was there, but all eyes were on Lambert, his showmanship and flare fit in perfect with the flash and style of Queen. Lambert practically channeled Freddie Mercury. Look back at this performance and ask yourself, "What was America thinking by picking Kris as the winner?"

4) Paul McCartney playing at Citi Field in New York: When the Beatles played Shea stadium in the 60's, crowds went crazy, girls screamed, and great music was heard throughout the stadium. When Paul McCartney played the inaugural concert at the stadium that replaced Shea stadium some 45 years later, things didn't change much. A few more older people in the crowd, mixed with their children and grandchildren, but the music was still great. Own the CD/DVD combo now to relive the night over and over.

3) Taylor Swift's SNL monologue: In the midst of an amazing year fro the country superstar, she lands a job not just as the musical guest, but also the host of the late night comedy mega-show. Her monologue was a cute little song that poked fun at her ex-boyfriends (Like a certain Jonas Brother), confirmed rumors of her relationship with Taylor Lautner, and of course got in a jab at Kanye West. Find the video on YouTube if you want a good laugh.

2) The 25th Anniversary Concert for the Rock-n-Roll hall of fame: Bruce Springsteen, U2, Billy Joel, Simon & Garfunkel, John Fogerty, Aretha Franklin and about a zillion other stars jammed for two nights, and HBO managed to cram it into two or three hours. I'm only hoping they put out a DVD with the complete shows.

1) My Birthday Party AKA U2 live at the Rose Bowl: Yes, I was in the crowd for this amazing concert that also featured Black Eyed Peas as the opening act. This concert was broadcast live on YouTube, and was watched by millions around the world. Totally the most amazing night EVER!

Steve's Top 5 Top 5's-- #3 Top 5 Movies of 2009

Merry Christmas to You All!! Hope you are having a great day. Today I'm going to share my top 5 movies of the year. We have a true life story, a music concert/documentary, a Sci Fi blockbuster, a romantic comedy, and a humorous look at a fringe sport. Check out my choices, and let me know yours.

5) Star Trek: Take all your favorite characters from the original 1960's TV series. Replace Shatner and the crew with a bunch of young Hollywood rising stars. Throw in the directive twist of JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost) and you have a summer hit. And a guest appearance by Leonard Nimoy is just icing on the cake. Action from start to finish, just what the tired Star Trek franchise needed.

4) Whip It!: The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore is a quirky look at life inside the Texas roller derby circuit. Juno's Ellen Page shines as a young beauty pagent contest who longs for more. Daniel Stern is priceless as her dad. And we gotta love Drew Barrymore as the almost star of the Roller Derby team.

3) This Is It: The documentary about the preparations for Michael Jackson's tour of England. A tour that unfortunately never happened. I mainly went to see this in order to see Orianthi, the amazingly talented guitarist Jackson had hired for the tour. But I was impressed and amazed at the Jackson I saw. Expecting a sickly tired man, on the verge of collapse, if you were to take the word of his father just after his death; I found rather a professional performer ready to take the stage and restart a sagging career. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to catch the DVD releasing in late January.

2) (500) Days of Summer: A quirky, wonderfully made romantic comedy about a boy who falls madly in love with a girl, and the girl who likes the boy. From my experience I can tell you, not always a good combination. Told in a series of flashbacks and flash forwards, this is one of the cutest and most enjoyable movies I've seen. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt sparkle!! Just out on DVD this week, I promise you its worth the money to rent or purchase.

1) The Blind Side: The true story of a young man plucked from poverty by a caring woman and made to be part of the family, part of a team, and finally to become an NFL star. Already up for some Golden Globes, and sure to get a few nods at Oscar time. You'll laugh, You'll cry, You'll laugh again.

Steve's Top 5 Top 5's-- #2 Top Five Songs of 2009

Happy Christmas Eve!!

Tonight Top 5 is for the best songs of 2009. There is some over lap from last nights Top 5 CDs, but also a couple tracks from other places. these are songs that have impressed me, or touched my heart in some way. Again, feel free to give me your responses.

5) Adam Lambert-- Whaddya Want From Me: The American Idol runner up has been every where the last few months. His debut album is pretty good, and I like this song in particular. To me it is kind of Lambert's cry out to the world. Everyone has been looking to see how wild or strange his next performance will be, and this song just asks everyone, "Whaddya Want from Me"..Okay, maybe I'm reading too much into it. Who knows.

4) Susan Boyle-- Wild Horses: Yesterday I mentioned that Susan Boyle performed a Rolling Stones Cover on her CD. this is it, Wild Horses. I first heard Susan sing this on the season finale of America's Got Talent, and it was just amazing. You have got to hear it.

3) Taylor Swift-- You Belong With Me: Country teen queen Taylor had quite a year this year, and this adorable love song was a big part of it. The story of a girl in love with a friend, trying to convince him that she is better for him than his cheerleader girlfriend. So infectiously contagious once you hear it, you'll be singing it for weeks.

2) Orianthi-- Highly Strung: I can't tell you how much I love this young guitarist from Australia. This is an instrumental cut from her Believe CD. It is a duet featuring guitar god Steve Vai. You have to hear it to believe it.


1) U2-- Magnificent: The second single off of No Line On The Horizon is an absolute masterpice that will have you singing along as the bass causes your car windows to tremble. This verse says it all,
"I was born, I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice from the womb
My first cry, it was a joyful noise, oh, oh" I love this band and this album and this song SO much. Go buy it!!

Steve's Top 5 Top 5's-- #1 Top 5 Albums of 2009

Today's Top 5 list is the top 5 CDs released in 2009. Their style varies, as I have a broad range of musical tastes. Let me say there has been a lot of good music released this year, but these albums stand out to me for a variety of reasons. Please feel free to comment back with your own choices.

5)Susan Boyle--I Dreamed a Dream: Yes this is the woman who broke into the spotlight on Britain's Got Talent. A frumpy woman from Wales with a voice that won't quit. Millions saw her perform on YouTube and she delivers with the same amazing voice on this CD. A blend of Hymns, show tunes, standards, and even a Rolling Stones cover. She may have come in second on the show, but she provs she has what it takes to be #1.

4) Carrie Underwood-- Play On: The third album from American Idol winner Underwood is a touch edgier in places, but is still filled with the signature ballads as well. Her voice is beautiful and strong in most places, although on a few of the up tempo numbers it does tend to just be loud. The debut single, Cowboy Casanova is not my favorite, but I'm sure there will be many more number one singles from this one.

3) Orianthi-- Believe: The United States debut album by this amazing guitar sensation from Australia will blow you away if you are a fan of guitar music. I've heard her voacls compared to Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne, and I guess I can sort of see that. But the voice, rocky but still pleasant to listen to, is not the reason to listen. Orianthi has been playing the guitar since she was a child, and her skill is amazing. If you haven't heard of her or can't place her, she played with Carrie Underwood on the 2009 Grammy Awards and was set to tour with Michael Jackson before his sudden death this summer. Do yourself a favor and check out this CD.

2) Jars of Clay-- Long Fall Back to Earth: Jars of Clay has been one of my favorite bands since their debut single flood hit the airwaves back in my KLoRD days (1995 to be exact). One of the things I love about them is that they reinvent themselves with each album. On this, their 10th studio album (according to wikipedia), their sound is almost a throwback to late 70's or early 80's in several spots. It is much more up beat than 2006's Good Monsters. With most of Jars' CDs I latch on to one or two songs immediately, and the rest have to kind of grow on me. With this disc I loved the whole thing almost immediately. If you have not yet become a Jars of Clay fan, this disc is a great place to start.

1) U2-- No Line On the Horizon: For over 25 years now the Boys from Dublin have been delivering top notch Rock with a social conscience and a strong spiritual undertone. I have been waiting since 1987 for them to match the power and feel of Joshua Tree, and for me this is that album. I played it nearly non-stop for the first two weeks I had it. If you haven't heard it yet, go get it, I can't tell you how good it is, you have to hear it for yourself

Steve's Top 5 Top 5's-- An Introduction

It is that time of the year again. No, not Christmas, although of course it is that. It is that time of year where magazines and newspaper columns around the world publish there Best and Worst of list for the year. So this year I'm going to blog for you all my TOP 5 Top 5 lists. Over the next few nights I will share with you my picks for 1. the best CDs of 2009; 2. the best Songs of 2009; 3. the best Movies of 2009; 4. the best performances of 2009 (I'll let you guess exactly what that means for a while); 5. the most interesting people of 2009 (so what if I stole this category from Barbara Walters, I stole one of her people too, so there). So I hope you all will enjoy my little lists, and maybe comment back with your choices. You may notice some overlap between categories, that isn't really planned, just my tastes showing through I guess. So stay tuned over the few nights for a little list fun. And of course, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Domino's pulls a Coke

If you are in my general age bracket I'm sure you remember when the Coca-Cola company made one of the biggest mistakes in the history of marketing. The nations top selling soda manufacturer got nervous because Pepsi, the number 2 soda company had gained a few points. So Coke tossed out their tried and true formula and brought us "New Coke" a sad excuse of a soda that tasted like a slightly reworked Pepsi. Coke drinkers were furious, they drank Coke precisely because it didn't taste like Pepsi. And the Pepsi drinkers were already drinking Pepsi, sp why change to a Coke that just tasted like Pepsi. Less than three months later Coca-Cola Classic brought back the real taste of Coke. A classic example of a marketing blunder.

I feel we are in the early stages of a similar blunder in the fast food pizza business. Domino's pizza, which practically invented the Pizza delivery business 44 years ago, and has certainly been the delivery leader, and standard setter for most of those years is introducing its all new pizza. The slogan reads, "New sauce, new crust, new cheese, but it's still round" The new crust is really just te old crust with a drizzle of garlic butter added after cooking, no big deal if you like garlic. The new cheese is a blend of mozzerella with a touch of provolone, a mice addition. It is the new sauce that I feel will be the death of #newpizza from Domino's. The new sauce is much spicier, and includes cyanne pepper, which get spicier as it sits, so a leftover slice will be even spicier. I realize some people may like the spicy, and that is why packets of red peppers have long been a staple at pizza joints. But putting it in the sauce will turn off people with sensitive stomach's like me, and young children who loved old Domino's will not like the new pizza. I predict by mid summer we will see the return of "Domino's classic" or see a huge drop in Domino's sales. So try the new Domino's and give me your opinion.

Bucket List (courtesy of 2012)

Never before have I really thought about making a bucket list. You know, like in the movie, a list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket. I kind of thought it was morbid, and possibly just egging on fate to end your life before you can finish the list. But as I listen right now to Adam Lambert singing the theme to 2012 and I realize that the world will be ending in three short years, it seems an appropriate time to make a list of things I'd like to accomplish in tghe next three years, before the earth turms itself upside down and swallows us whole. So I will post my top ten items, and then keep you all updated as I accomplih them. A lot of these involve celebrities, but I'm sure, once they realize that the world is ending, they'll be willing to help me out....although if any of you have contact with any of them, you might ask them to check out this blog. These are in no particular order.

Steve's Bucket List:

1} Finish writing my novel and get it published. This is a long-time goal, and now the end of the world is just giving me motivation to work faster.

2}Take a guitar lesson from Orianthi. She is the amazing guitarist from the Michael Jackson THIS IS IT movie, and to just spend an hour learning from her would be amazing.

3} Spend a month traveling in England and Ireland. I figure it would take at least a month to find all the historical, but not touristy spots.

4} Star in, or direct a movie with Zooey Deshanel. Maybe my friend Beau could produce it. She is one of my favorite actresses, and I'd love to work with her.

5} Spend a day at the park with just my kids and my parents. Sounds easy enough, but if you understood my family situation, you'd know this is probably the wildest thing on my list.

6} Write a song with Taylor Swift. I'd let her sing it, since my voice would make people pray for the end of the world. plus with her singing it would be a sure hit.

7} Get together and hang out for at least part of a day catching up with as many of my Facebook friends as I can. Since my Toyota friends I can see any time, I won't count those, sorry. So far my total is 1, and another coming next month.

8} Have lunch or dinner with Ashley Greene (from Twilight). Her character is so sweet, and from what I hear, she is too.

9} Spend a month on tour with U2. Maybe get invited up onstage by Bono.

10} Take a dance lesson from one of my favorite Dancing with the Stars pros, either Lacey Schwimmer, Chelsie Hightower, or Julianne Hough.

OOPS I have a #11 too} To see a sunrise and sunset on every continent. Well, could probably skip Antarctica. I'm all set on North America. Lets work on the rest.

So there's the list. Keep watching this sight for updates.

Calling out @dizzyfeet

Ok, normally I don't aim my blog at just one person, but this is directed to Nigel Lithgoe of So You Think You Can Dance (the rest of you can read it to though).

Nigel, first of let me say, I love your show, and I am not here to question your judgements, as you have been doing this for 6 seasons, and I've only been watching for 2. I am however a bit confused by some of the things you said last night on the result show, and then by one of your elimination choices. I hope you might take the time to respond to this blog to help me understand.

You made a comment during the show that the fans were supposed to vote for America's Favorite Dancer, not just for America's Favorite. Pointing out that the show was to be a contest for dance talent, and not just a popularity contest. I agree totally with this.

But where I have my problem is in the eliminaiton of Channing Cooke. You told Channing that she was excellent in the technique, but missing out on personality. Or, to phrase it another way, she was an excellent Dancer but might not have the personality to be a Favorite. But I thought this was a Dance contest, not a personality contest. You told Channing she you wanted her to grow into an excelent dancer, and not just become a dance teacher, and yet you cut her off from the growing, nurturing environment of SYTYCD at just the point where a weak person might go off, and settle on becoming a dance teacher. Now from what I've seen of Channing on the show, I don't think this will happen, I'm sure she will end up dancing professionally. But how much more could she have grown if you would have kept her in at least two more weeks, so she could have been in the top ten, and part of the tour, where she would have to learn to bring out her personality; where she could be drawn out of her cage, as you put it, by the excellent choreographers from your show. I understand that she does need to work on her personality, but by eliminating her over a slightly less skilled dancer with more personality, you are turning the show into the popularity contest you warned against.

Not to try and tell the judges their jobs...ok, maybe a little...I think that since after it becomes the top ten, its all up to America's votes, if you want it to be about the favorite Dancer. It should fall on the judges to send the best Dancers through, not the best personalities.

Okay, I said my part, and would be really honored if you read and respond to this. I love your show!! Thanks for your time.

-Steve

Driving instructions

Lately i have been noticing that there are a lot of drivers out there who seem to need some basic driving instructions. If you find yourself noticing the same thing, please direct them here to my blog where today I will give instruction on two pieces of the cars mechanics that people seem to have forgotten how to use.

First of all there is the gas pedal. If you are a driver, the gas pedal is the long skinny pedal on the right on the floorboard of the driver's seat. It is located next the brake pedal, which you all seem to be very familiar with. The gas pedal is used to make your car move forward at an increasing rate of speed. What you do, is you press down on the gas pedal, this allows gas to flow to the engine and move the car ahead. When you want to get somewhere, this is the pedal to use. When a dark gry Matrix is behind you, and the man in the driver's seat is looking quite irritated, us of this pedal will increase the gap between you and the Matrix, and relieve the irritation of the man in the driver's seat.

The second piece of equipment is located on the steering column directly above the gas pedal, and to the right of the steering wheel. This is the turn signal switch. This device is used to turn on your turn signals. It is quite simple if you are planning to turn left at an upcoming intersection you lift the lever up until it clicks into place. You will notice a small flashing arrow on your dash board pointing left. This arrow corresponds to small lights on the front and back of your car which will flash telling people around you that you are planning a left turn. If you are planning to turn right, you push the lever down until it clicks, this will produce a flashing arrow pointing right, along with the corresponding lights on your car... Do you get the concept? And don't worry, once you make your turn, the flashing arrow and lights will stop, and the lever will magically click back into the neutral position. And there is a secondary function of this lever and these lights. If you are driving on the freeway, and wish to change lanes, you merry lift the lever if you wish to move to our left, or hold it down if you wish to move right. This will signal drivers around you of your intention to change lanes. Once you have moved over simply let go of the lever and the flashing lights will stop. And one final use of the lever: if you are parked on the side of the road and ready to enter traffic, raise the lever up, as in making a left turn, and then, before entering traffic, check your rear view and side view mirrors and look for other cars. What was that, you don't know about the mirrors, I guess that will be a lesson for another blog post.

Not Easily impresed, and bulding customer Loyalty

Today I give you two posts in one, because somehow they run together, and my brain is producing blog post faster than I can post. I want to start by saying that in general, I'm not easily impressed anymore. Blame it on a cynical nature that I have gained as I age.

Now last Sunday the U2 show impressed me, but I expected to be impressed. The band paid big bucks to build a huge stage designed to impress, and it did its job. And the music impressed me, but I have always loved their music, so no surprise there. That is why I'm not going to talk about the U2 show anymore in this post (read my last two posts if you want more on the U2 show.

Instead I'm going to start by talking about 6 things that impressed me this past Friday. Six things is a lot to be impressed by, but here goes. 1) I went and saw THIS IS IT on Friday. If you are not in tune to media outlets at all, let me tell you what THIS IS IT is-- it is a film that documents the rehearsal process for what was supposed to be Michael Jackson's England tour. I was very impressed by Michal in this film. I have never been a huge MJ fan, but this film really brought me around...sadly a bit late. He was such a professional and such an amazing performer. Even in rehearsals he gave 110%. 2) The second thing that impressed my on Friday was also in the movie. It was the young woman MJ chose as his lead guitar player for the tour, her name is Orianthi (yes that's her in the picture). All I can say is AMAZING!!

Moving on from the movie, (sort of) traveling briefly back in time to last Wednesday evening at around 9:30. I went to Amazon.com and ordered Orianthi's CD. I am an amazon prime customer, so I got two day shipping. They told me it would arrive Monday (today). Back now to last Friday, I got a call a little after noon from the Postal Connection where I have a box for getting packages. They said I had a package from UPS. This of course had to be the Orianthi CD. 3) I was very impressed by how quickly Amazon had gotten my order out. 4) I was impressed that UPS had delivered in less than the 2 day time frame and 5) I was impressed that Postal connection took the time to notify that I had a package...this is an example of building customer loyalty, which will be discussed in the last part of this post.

Before I move on to customer loyalty let me tell you the last thing that impressed me. 6) Orianthi again. The same guitarist who rocked the Michael Jackson movie delivered again on her CD BELIEVE. Edgy rock music, not super heavy on profound lyrics, but fun music and great guitar work that comes to a head with the instrumental number Highly Strung, a duet with Steve Vai. a truly great album..get it.

Now on to customer loyalty. Besides my great experience with postal connection, today I wen into a vacuum shop in San Bernardino where my father-in-law had called in a payment on some vacuum bags that I was to pick up. I picked them up, but realized they were for our old vacuum, not our new one. I went back in and the right bags were three dollars more than the ones that had been paid for. I offered to pay the owner the difference, he told not to worry about it, just take the bags I needed. That builds customer loyalty. That is also how I try to work at Domino's when I answer the phone. I will give customers deals even if they don't have coupons. This drive my manager nuts, but I don't care because I know a happy customer is more likely to a) tip and b) become a return customer. Tell me I'm wrong, I dare you.

U2 concert: celebrating the Light

In my last post I told about the 5% of my U2 concert experience that was negative. Now it is time to celebrate the remarkable, amazing day/evening I had. I got to Pasadena relatively early, park in old town, and went out for a walk around. I was hoping to meet up with my friend Beau from my Wheaton College days. We had reconnected on facebook, and decided in the crowd of 96,000 U2 fans, to try and find each other. Beau had sent me a text that he was eating in Old Town before getting on the shuttle to the concert. I looked around Old Town a bit, but didn't find him, so I headed back over to the shuttle loading area and figured I'd see him getting on the shuttle if I just waited there. After waiting a while, I decided I was going to shuttle over, just to see what was going on at the Rose Bowl. I was literally 3 people away from getting on the shuttle when my hip started singing. It was a text from Beau that he and his friend had finished eating, and they were on their way to the shuttle. So I went back to my waiting spot, and waited for them to shuttle over together. We got to the Rose Bowl and found some more friends of Beau who had a spot on the golf course parking and were picnicing before the show. We hung out there for a while and relaxed. It was great hanging out with an old friend I had not seen in over 20 years.

After a bit, we headed in to the stadium. We tried to stick together once inside, but the general flow of the crowd and the pull of the concession stand separated us. So I found my way to my seat and settled in for the show (full story on seating in last post). Black eyed Peas opened up. They are not really my style, but I have to admit, they put on quite a show. The highlight of this part of the show for me was when Slash (not from one of my favorite bands) joined the Peas for a performance of "Sweet Child of Mine" (a very good song, which I like).

Then was an intermission, and close to nine o'clock the show was starting again. It opened to the strains of David Bowie's Space Oddity (another Song I Love) then the band came out on stage I don't have the song list in front of me now, but It was amazing. My previous experience seeing U2 in concert was spent mostly watching the heads of the 35 rows of people in front of me. This time was so much better for 2 reasons. First, I was in an arena, and part way up the side, the people closer than me were also lower than me, and not in the way. But beside that the large screen above center stage brought all the performance highlight into your lap. It was a really amazing show. Bono is so charged, so on fire. I have never before seen a perform who I feel so passionately embraces what he believes in (and that is saying a lot since I worked for several years in the Christian Music industry, where you would expect the performers to passionately embrace there beliefs). Bono spoke about the attrocities during the Irian election, the need for more money to deal with AIDS in Africa, and the plight of an imprisoned Burmese democracy leader. Each of these causes were close to his heart. The power of the music and message was undeniable. The high tech effects made for a great show, but the lyrics, and the power with which Bono delivered them ae what madethis a night I'll never forget. I'm sure there will be more on Bono and U2 in future post, I find them an amazing group, who move me every time I listen.

U2 concert: a brief exploration of the dark side.

Let me start this post by saying that the U2 concert Sunday was fantastic, and a 95% positive experience. Today's post is about the 5% that was not positive. It will be the last I speak of these things (with the possible exception of repeating them in a letter to Rose Bowl events staff). After venting here I will wipe these negatives from my mind and remember only the great music, and message that was presented. So here comes the venting...

Whoever designed the seating sections at the Rose bowl obviously expected the people acting as ushers to have an IQ. Those at Sunday's concert failed this test. When I came in to my section (section 21), I approached the Yellow Shirt dude who was the usher for that section. He looked at the ticket and pointed me up and to my right, which actually coincided with what the sign on the wall of the section said. I found the proper row, and after the girl in the row behind me showed me where to look for a seat number, I found seat 15. I sat there as the black-eyed Peas sang. As the black eyed peas finished, I was tapped by one of the other Yellow Shirt dudes. He told me I was in a another man's seat. I tried to explain that I was in the right seat, and the other Yellow shirt Dude had showed me how to find it. he insisted I was in the wrong seat and had to follow him out, and he would show me to the right seat. When we got to the aisle he started to point me to section 20. I showed him my ticket and said I was in section 21. At this point he said, "well I don't know where your seat is, but you can sit here if you want, pointing to the front row of the section. After a quick look I realized these seats were represented by the people in te row of wheel chairs at the rail, and if I were to sit there, the wheel chaired fans would be blocking my view.

At this point I proceeded to find another Yellow shirt Dude, who looked at my ticket, and pointed my to the left, I said "Why did the first guy send me right then?" He responded with , "I don't have time to help you find your seat, I need to help the other people." I was not sure what other people he meant. Probably it was the crowds of people who knew where there seats were who were going to the restroom like I should have been during the intermission. I wanted to scream, "Don't you know it's My Birthday!!" I wanted to volunteer to go stand in the (red) Zone if they couldn't find my seat. I finally gave up on the Yellow Shirt dudes, and found a blue jacket guy who had on a radio with a headset (usually a sign of leadership, if not intelligence). I should him my ticket, and he began to show me to my seat. Amazingly enough he took me straight back to where I had been and removed the other gentleman from the seat, explaining to him that seat 15 (my seat was the end of section 21 and seat 115( the seat next to me) was the beginning of section 20. It is beyond me why the two section merge in one row, and how 115 can ever follow 15. this goes back to those great minds who designed the seating...(i am going to try to post a seating chart wit this blog). So after wasting 25 minutes of the intermission (prime bathroom time) I found myself enjoying the concert in the seat I started in. Was this whole fiasco warranted? No! Could it have been avoided with a little more training/intelligence on the part of the Yellow Shirt dudes ? Probably.

Okay, enough on that. One final negative on the concert. The parking/unparking was a nightmare. I parked in remote parking and shuttled in. Nice and relaxing, no nightmare of getting near the arena. Trouble was, everyone who parked there and shuttled in throughout the day all wanted to go back at the same time. So after the concert got out around 11:20, it took till 12:35 to get on the shuttle, then till 12:55 to get to remote parking past all the pedestrian traffic. Then another 20 to 25 minutes to get out of parking garage... I have no solution for this problem, but there must be a better way.

But enough GOM (Grumpy Old Man) talk In my next post I'll tell you everything I Loved about the concert. Thanks for letting me vent!!

Two Movie Allegories

Dictionary.com defines Allegory as "The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form."
Today's blog is going to talk about two movies that I saw today that seem to fit this category. One you will I'm sure quickly see as an allegory, the other may seem a stretch to you.

Before we begin...SPOILER ALERT FOR WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE & COUPLES RETREAT...

We will start with the more obvious Allegory of Where the Wild Things Are. This classic children's book was written to years before I was born. And with this new movie adaptation, it shows that it is aging Wildly and with quite a lot of style. Director Spike Jonze decided against using high tech CGI creatures, but went instead with what looks like upgraded versions of the Sid & Marty Kroftt saturday morning creations of my childhood (HR Puffinstiff, Land of The Lost). In this story Max gets in trouble for his wild behavior and runs off (in the book he's sent to his room, in the movie he runs away). He finds himself in a wild forest with The Wild Things. Here is where the Allegory kicks in. Each of the Wild things seems to represent different pieces of Max, or any child's personality. Carol is the selfishness and anger of acting out, Judith is distrust of others, paired with Ira who is low self esteem, Alexander is the feeling that grown ups never listen. You get it? each Character is part of Max, and in becoming King of the Wild things, he has to try to bring all these parts of him together, and bring them all under his control. Or maybe I'm reading to much into it, and its just the story of a rowdy kid and his wild imagination...

Anyway, moving on to Couples Retreat. I'm sure most people go into this movie just looking for rowdy laughs and a good time, and you can definitely come away with that. But I found in it an allegory, with each couple displaying a different problem one might encounter in their marriage. We see the man who's wife has left him, and he is trying to fill the void with any young thing he can find, though really still in love with his wife. We see the couple who has been together since high school, each with a wandering eye, not realizing they just need to look at each other with a fresh eye. There is the couple who are striving so he=ard to keep everything on track and on a schedule, that they don't realize they are losing the love that brought them together. And we have the couple that are each so busy with their own thing, they totally miss the fact that they are leading seperate lives together. I challenge you to go see this movie with your mate, and go into it not just looking for the cheap laugh, but looking for something to bring you closer. It's no FIREPROOF, but it might be the funny romantic kick your relationship needs...A Couples Retreat if you would.

Car in the shop

Well, my pretty little Matrix is in the body shop. No, I did not plow into the side of a semi again, I did not rear end another ambulance (medical transport vehicle actually), and I did not slam into the guard rail again. No, this was a much simpler feat. I hit a rock in the road. Don't laugh, there are some pretty good sized rocks up the mountain, and a lot of them end up on the road after three days of wet weather like we had last week.

I was driving up the hill, just minding my own business, when a car in the lane next to me (also heading up) started to drift into my lane. I did not feel like letting him drift into me, so I swerved a bit to me left, into the medium strip. This is when I heard a thunk, and felt my car lilt to the left. I pulled over and check out the damage. I saw that not only was the tire flat, but my sporty rim was also cracked.

I called my friends at Toyota of Redlands to check on getting it repaired there, without turning it in to insurance. I found out the rim itself was $445, and probably another $100 for the tire. So I turned it in to the insurance where I have a $300 deductible. Took it to the body shop, and since I was driving on a donut spare, they arranged through the insurance to get me a rental. Hope they can get it fixed before U2 this weekend, I'd like to go to the concert in my own car.

Oh, almost forgot the funniest thing. I called the insurance, and told them the whole story of swerving, and hitting the rock. One of the questions was, "Was the rock okay?" I told them that in my concern of getting my car safely off the road, I had failed to check on the condition of the rock.

Whole lot of nothing

Been a week since I posted anything here. Not a lot going on. Or not a lot coming into my mind. Sometimes words just flow and flow, and sometimes I can't come up with an idea to save my life. Hit a rock on the road the other day. Blew out the tore and cracked the rim. Been abusing the donut spare. Wish I could tell you how much I've been working on my writing...but I haven't been. Wish I could tell you how well the Bears played today, but they didn't. Wish I could tell you how I was planning on spending all the money I won on the MegaMillions Friday, but I didn't match one number. So its been one of those "whole lot of nothing weeks".

Ah, but next week the aging rocker in me will be able to tell you all about the U2 show. That'll be worth the wait.

The Aging Movie Fanatic

WARNING PLOT SPOILERS FOR THE INVENTION OF LYING AND WHIP IT! AHEAD:

When I was very young, my requirement for a movie was simple: Did it have the word Disney stamped at the beginning. As I grew I broadened my film watching window. When I was eleven a little movie came out that turned my world around. Summer of 1977, and everyone was going to see this movie. My sister Gloria went and saw it, and told me I should go. It took a while, but I finally convinced Mom and Dad to take to me to see Star Wars, it was amazing, and introduced me to the wonders of Science fiction and fantasy. I have never looked back.

Through out Jr. high and I High School I filled my time trying to see as many SciFi and Fantasy films as I could. When I hit college I discovered more thoughtful films. Independent films, art films, comedies, and cult classics like YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, BUCKAROO BANZAI, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. My film watching was expanding and growing and maturing. During thid time I simply wanted to fill my film watching days with any and everything I could find.

I've tamed down a bit in recent years, and since getting married I stick largely to romantic comedies, or just plain goofball comedies (Will Ferral type things). We tend to stay away from movies where people die of some long drawn out illness. And I couldn't get my wife to watch a Sci-Fi movie if my life depended on it (although she likes Harry Potter and Twilight). I do occasionally go out on my own to see something that my wife wouldn't enjoy.

That brings me to the movies I saw on Thursday. The first was Jennifer Garner and Ricky Gervase (sp) in The Invention of Lying although it did have the nice under lying message that you should not judge people simply on the outer appearances but on who they really are, i found the film rather disturbing in that the whole premise was that God, Heaven and religion are all lies. I was disturbed by this, and by the fact that none of the previews for the movie had clued me in that this is what was going to be the main thrust of the film. In my younger movie watching days I might have just laughed this off and said so what. Instead I went away very disturbed. Although this was not a horrible movie, and it had its funny moments, and Jennifer Garner was cute as usual; still I can not recommend it.

But the second movie I saw Thursday, Whip It! is another story altogether. Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut in this film of a teenager (played by Ellen Page) who finds herself drawn to roller derby. Her mother wants her to be in all these beauty pageants, and she does these to please her mother, but her real love is for the roller derby. It is a rough and tumble heart felt coming of age film. The scene I love is when her dad brings all the roller derby girls up to where she is in a pageant, and her dad tells her mother , "800 hundred dollars {cost of the dress} I can stand to lose, but what I can't stand is losing the chance to see our daughter happy." That is a very cool dad I would say. Anyway, I loved this film. Go see it.

Always Backup!!

Jesus and Satan have an argument as to who is the better programmer. This goes on for a few hours until they agree to hold a contest with God as the judge.

They set themselves before their computers and begin. They type furiously for several hours, lines of code streaming up the screen.

Seconds before the end, a bolt of lightning struck taking out the electricity. Moments later, the power is restored, and God announces that the contest is over. He asks Satan to show what he has come up with.

Satan is visibly upset, and cries, “I have nothing! I lost it all when the power went out.”

“Very well, then,” says God, “let us see if Jesus fared any better.”

Jesus enters a command, and the screen comes to life in vivid display, the voices of an angelic choir pour forth from the speakers.

Satan is astonished. He stutters, “But how?! I lost everything, yet
Jesus’ program is intact! How did he do it?!”

God chuckles, “Jesus saves.”

This joke came to my mind after lunch today as a vivid reminder of the panic I could have avoided before lunch....Okay, here's the story. I am an aspiring writer. I have several children's books written, along with 19 chapters of my first novel, and about 7 chapters of a young reader novel, a few short stories, and several poems. All of these are saved on a compact little zip drive. I keep this zip drive in a small holder, which clips into a mesh net on the inside of the case I carry my portable DVD player in. The case is with me always, at home and at work. Today at break I went to get my headphones out of my DVD case. I find that it is not zipped up. I also find my zip drive is not clipped to the mesh. Panic insues...I don't even worry about the fact that my DVD player could have fallen out and broken. All I can think of is that I have no back up for most of the stuff on this zip drive. I have paper copies of some of the items, but all that typing...argh!! So I paniced... I sent a text message to my mother-in-law to pleases check around my desk for the zip drive. She was helping out in my daughter's class room, but said she would look when she got home.

So as I waited to hear from her, I was trying to calculate how long it would take to retype all the lost material, and how much this would cut into my actual new writing. I remembered the scene in Little Women where Amy (a young Kristen Dunst) throws Jo's manuscript into the fire. I remembered the anger/agony in Jo (Winona Ryder) as she realized her work was gone. And i realized I was both Amy and Jo in this case...If my work was lost it was only me to blame. As I was eating my lunch, two and a half hours after the initial discovery, I received the message that my zip drive was safe on my desk. My two and a half hours of panic and fear and stress was over.

Oh, yeah, when I got home I made a back up!!

Maturing Musically, part 3: Doing it Beatles Style.

In case you live under a rock, or have been off the planet recently, I thought I'd let you in on one of the hottest selling music groups this past month. They're a little 4 member band known as the Beatles. Not sure if you know the name. But here are just a few of the records they broke last month: (statistic from hypebot.com)

1). In the United States:

• On Billboard's Comprehensive Albums chart, which lists the most popular album releases in the US, including current and catalogue titles, The Beatles set a new record for the most simultaneous titles by a single artist (18), including five of the top 10 and nine of the top 20.
• On the Pop Catalog chart, The Beatles achieved another new Billboard chart first for the most simultaneous titles in the top 50 (16), a record they previously set themselves with 12 titles in December 1995. The Beatles have nine of the chart's top 10 titles, and all 14 re-mastered CDs are in the top 20, led by 'Abbey Road' at number one and 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' at number two.
• On the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, 'The Beatles' stereo boxed set debuted at number 15, and 'The Beatles in Mono' limited edition boxed set debuted at number 40

In the UK:
The Beatles had four titles in the top 10, seven in the top 40 and 16 in the top 75, including both the stereo and mono boxes, as well as 2000's 'Beatles 1' compilation. This set a new record for the most simultaneous albums in the UK charts according to the UK Official Charts Company. In this week's UK chart, The Beatles have 13 albums in the top 75. A further 84,000 CDs were sold last week, bringing their total sales of the re-masters to more than 354,000 in 11 days and their total UK sales this decade to 6,755,000.

In Japan:
14 re-mastered titles and boxed sets debuted in the top 25 of the international chart, including seven of the top 10, led by the stereo boxed set at number two, the mono boxed set at number three, 'Abbey Road' at four and 'Let It Be' at six. Across all titles and box sets, more than 840,000 albums were purchased by consumers in Japan in the first three days of sales.

Now if all this doesn't mean much to you let me point out that the most recently recorded Beatles CD (Abbey Road) was recorded 40 years ago. Also, this band that has all these albums on the charts, has lost two members: John Lennon and George Harrison. Yet there music is still selling millions of copies world wide. Why is this? What about this music makes it so salable even today? Who can say really. The talent of the band? yes. the heart they put into the music? yes. But it is undeniable, even today people long to here the strains of Yesterday. Who knows, maybe the answer to why the Beatles are still selling today is because it is a taste of the past, and like the song says, "Yesterday all my problems seemed so far away, now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh I believe in Yesterday."

Regardless of the reasons, The Beatles remain a pop music icon, and a top seller, which I think reiterates my point from my second Maturing Musically post that most of the best songs have already been written...and several of those were written by the boys from Liverpool.

The Aging Cubs Fan

I'm from Chicago...well the suburbs actually. I believe I was a Cubs fan since birth. When I was young I remember watching the games on WGN with Jack Brickhouse announcing (Harry Carrey would come to Wrigley later). I couldn't tell you how many wins or losses they had. I loved watching the games, that was all. I loved Rick Monday, Billy Williams, Don Kessinger, Jose Cardinal (with his wild afro sticking out both sides of his cap), Randy Hundley, Ron Santos. These were my Cubs as a child.

I didn't really know a lot about the World Series at that time, I just loved baseball, I loved the Cubs. Hated the White Sox because you couldn't like both teams. Living in the south suburbs, most of the neighbor kids liked the"south side hitmen", not me, I loved the Cubs. I never realized that the Cubs hadn't won a World Series in a long time. I didn't realize that my dad wasn't even alive the last time they won a world series. I just knew they were my Cubs, and I had to root for them.

And I loved Wrigley Field. I loved the vines on the outfield wall, the old clock on the score board. I loved watching the people sitting in lawn chairs on the roof of the buildings just beyond the outfield...there's actually bleachers there now. I remember Dad taking a day off work to take the family to see the Cubs; and as the older kids moved on, got married or went to college, it was just dad and me. I remember when Uncle Doug came for a visit and the three of us went to a game. It was magical. I think that was my last Cubs game at Wrigley. I've been to two or three Cubs games at Dodgers Stadium since moving to California, but it just isn't the same.

As I grew older I became aware of the Cubs' reputation as the "lovable losers" and I began to realize the meaning of "there's always next year". Still I cheered for the Cubs. I held out hope that one day the Cubs would in fact win the World Series. Last season was particularly exciting for me. The Cubs had the best record in the National league for most of the season. I was sure they would make it all the way. I was ready to print up bumper stickers reading " This is 'Next Year'". But alas it was not meant to be, and to make things worse, they were swept in the playoff by the LA Dodgers (my lovely wife's team).

My Dad is 81 and has never seen the Cubs win a world series, yet he still cheers for them. I'm not sure if any living Cubs fan remembers the 1908 World Series...I kinda doubt it. I don't know if my dad has conceded the fact that he will probably not see the Cubs win a World Series in his lifetime. When I set out to write this blog post, I was planning to tell you that last seasons disastrous finish had led me to concede that fact, concede that I would never see the Cubs win a World Series. But in writing this, I find I still have hope, beyond all rational thought, and despite 101 years of evidence to the contrary, that some day I will cheer my Cubbies to a World Series win. ...Maybe Next Year!

Scary driver

If you live in the San Bernardino area, you probably are familiar with Old Waterman Canyon Road. This is a road that heads from the lower end of Highway 18, to about a third of the way up to Lake Arrowhead, where it again connects to Highway 18. It is a relatively narrow two lane road, and is a bit straighter than the twists of the lower end of highway 18. Although there really is no logical reason to take OWCR rather than the highway (I've timed it, it save absolutely no tine unless there is an accident on the lower part of the highway), I usually take this route on my way up the mountain. I did so today after having my car serviced, and almost came to regret it.

You know those moments when you're faced with impending mortality and they say your life passes before your eyes? Well today there wasn't time even for the highlight real. I was coming up Old Waterman at about 55 (I go up faster than I come down, ask me if you want to know why). I was approaching the first bridge (I think there's three as you go up) which is barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other. The bridge was in sight, but not too close yet, but I started to slow down because there was a full sized pick up crossing the bridge coming down and I knew I could not pass him on the bridge. Suddenly as the truck came off the bridge and was nearing me, there were two truck. A smaller pick up apparently thought the larger truck was going too slow (or they were both racing?) and came off the bridge into my lane. I hit the brakes and started praying and bracing for collision (and all that a collision would mean...hospital time, more time off work, loss of income...no wonder I had no time for my laife to flash by). Then, just when I should have felt the small truck hit me, I saw him fly by the right side of my car off the road in the dirt, and in my rear view mirror I saw him getting back on the road in front of the bigger truck. After catching my breathe, and smiling in relief that I wasn't dead, I contemplated calling the police and realized by the time I got off hold, the two trucks would have reached the bottom, and who could tell which way they had gone from there. So I thanked God and continued my drive up the road. Will I let this incident scare me off Old Waterman Canyon Road..I don't Think so!

Just a thank you

No witty post, or confessions today. No humorous insights. Just a not of thanks to everyone who prayed for Cece, my niece's tiny baby girl who had surgery today to remove 20 inches of her colon that was not functioning properly.

Special thanks to Melissa Joan Hart who re-posted my prayer request on twitter, spreading the word to her 17,000 followers.
Thank you

Maturing Musically, Part 2: Under the Covers

It is my firm belief that most of the really Great songs have already been written. Hand in hand with this belief is a belief that at least 80% of the new music coming out today is pure garbage...of course this may be the ravings of a grumpy, balding middle aged man, but so be it. (If anything you read here sounds familiar, I think I posted a similar blog on MySpace about three years ago, but I'm not sure.) Ah, but my mind strays from my point. As I said, most of the great songs have already been written, thus the popularity in recent years of cover songs, and even cover albums.

A cover, if you aren't familiar with the term is when a current artist goes back and records someone else's hit. This is in no way a new thing. Many of the earliest Beatles hits, Twist and Shout for example, were originally hits in the 50's. Today there are for basic ways covers are packaged.

1. There are tribute albums featuring Various artists doing songs by one group or artist. Examples include Two Rooms, the tribute to Elton John's music; Come Together..Country Stars Salute the Beatles, and Common Thread the music of The Eagles. I have found most albums in this category contain a few week tracks, but are good over all, with a variety of artists spinning their style on songs we all know. A recent twist on this was the Across the Universe soundtrack, with various stars of the movie singing the songs of the Beatles...much more successful than the Sgt. Peppers movie in the 70's.

2. There are also what I call album reworkings. This is where several artists will record songs that were all originally on the same album, and release it as an album. A great example is Tapestry Revisited where artist from pop and gospel recorded the music of Carol King's Tapestry album. It's a really good collection. I've noticed in recent years that there have been similar releases of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. I have not listened to these, as I'm afraid they could only ruin, and not improve on Pink Floyd. (grumpy old man again)

3. Sometimes an artist will just record one or two covers and mix them in with there own new music. This has been the most common use of covers over the years. Sometimes this works well (The Beatles' Twist and Shout, or Sarah Brightman's way of turning classic rock hits into classical ballads) and sometimes these are just aweful (Think Britney Spears' version of I Can't Get No Satisfaction).

4. Last of all is one of my favorite kinds of albums, where a single group or artist sets out to record a whole album of covers. Some of my favorites in recent years are Mandy Moore's Coverage (Yes that Mandy Moore, yes it's GOOD); Wilson Phillips' California where they cover the bands of the late 60's early 70's California music scene; and the ever quirky Erasure doing Other Peoples Songs, a strange ecclectic collection worth adding to your library. Barry Manilow has releases a disc each of 50's, 60's and 70's songs, and I'm sure the 80's are coming, and they're actually pretty good. A few others that don't work as well are Big Band Theory by Styx, and the cover CD Rush recorded (can't remember the name). These two fall short in that they break one of the cardinal rules of covers...stick to songs people know. Each of the CD's sound good when they are doing familiar pieces, but then they dabble in songs by obscure bands or regional artists that most of the country won't know.

Oh, and I almost forgot my favorite cover CD of all time Phil Keaggy and Friends Acoustic Cafe. The guitar king is joined by a few friends and family members to cover music by Dylan, the Beatles, he Beach Boys, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper and more. A must have for any collector. I only hope he comes out with an Electric sequel. I could go on all night about cover tunes and music, but then you'd probably think the old guy was rambling, so I'll go plug in my headphones and Drift Away

Confessions of bad driver

I remember when I was young, cruising through the parking lot of any given shopping center at a speed that was probably nowhere near the posted 15MPH, with my windows down and the radio blaring WLS just as loud as could be. I would from time to time hear a voice from an older pedestrian over my shoulder, "Slow down, don't you know you're in a parking lot?" Today I was walking in the local Target center parking lot when I heard someone call out those familiar words. I looked around to realize it was me calling out to the mini-van cruising through the lot...I had become the cranky old pedestrian. I think I began slowing down in parking lots when my oldest daughter started walking. She never wanted to be carried and could never quite keep up with our walking stride, when walking to the car. It dawned on me that every parking lot was probably full of parents trying to keep the little legs moving while the child was more interested in looking at shiny gum wrappers, or the pretty flowers in the landscaping, or the cute little girl looking back at her from the shiny bumper on the vintage car she was walking past. I did not want to ever endanger one of these precious little ones, so I slowed down in parking lots.

Realizing that I had grown up from the young days of a parking lot terror I began thinking of how I drove in general. It wasn't good. I remember in my younger days very few accidents. I remembered years in my 20's and early 30's where I got the safe driver's discount on insurance. But those days seem to have slipped away. In the last ten years I've totaled no fewer than three cars, and had numerous fender benders. I've broken my wrist, collar bone and shoulder in car accidents. This is not a good track record, and I'm not sure if it is just due to getting more careless and easily distracted in my old age, or if I've just become a worse driver due to twenty years of driving the California freeways.

I have come to realize I have multiple-driving-personality disorder. It seems I am two completely different and opposite drivers, depending on where I am. In the mountain, where I live, I drive at or slightly below the speed limit (to understand my caution, read the earlier post which discusses my road rage incident). If you are behind me in the mountain, and think I'm going to slow, and decide to ride my tail, back off, I will slow down. If I'm going the speed limit, riding my tail makes me take my foot off the gas and coast. If I'm in a stretch where I feel safety requires me to go slower than the speed limit, I will pull off and let you pass, if you stay far enough back that I don't feel I'll be clipped by your passing. This is mountain driver Steve.

Down the hill, especially when I hit the highways, it's totally different. Here the roads are much straighter, and driving off the shoulder doesn't usually end in a several hundred foot drop. On the highway I consider the posted speed limit as a minimum, not a maximum (always keeping eyes out for CHP officers). I generally set my cruise control to 78 or 79MPH. The reason for this is that most of the highway speeds around me are at 65 and the cut for a ticket being an infraction rather than a misdemeanor is 15 miles over posted limit. I generally will drive in the fast lane. If someone wants to zip past me while I'm going 80 I will gladly pull over IF it doesn't mean I have to slow down to 60 for the guy in the next lane. If I can't get over with out braking, the person behind me will have to wait until I can, or he can try to fly around in the micro gap and get past me. This is downhill driver Steve.

By now I'm sure you're glad you don't live near me, so you don't have to deal with my driving. I'll admit, I'm a pain behind the wheel. And I'm sorry, but I think I've grown too old to change. Oh, if I'm in a big hurry, all of the above rules are off, just get out of my way!

Bragging rights

One of the rights and responsibilities of growing older is becoming a parent; one of the rights of being a parent is the right to brag about your kids. I see it all over Facebook, pictures of kids starring in musicals, posts about the scores of your kids' games, "my kid's starting college", "My son is joining the army". I smile when I see these posts. At first it was scary to see that people I went to college with have kids in college, but then I realize again how long ago the class of '87 graduated.

I have many friends who started their families right out of college, and these are beginning to feel the nest emptying. As for me, I waited till I was over 11 years out college before I married and started having kids, and I also have many friends who waited and have younger kids at home. Either way, children can be a source of much joy and blessing, along with the sleepless nights and occasional headaches.

This is the first of what will probably be many posts about my children. I could tell you story after story about 4 year old Ireland, our littlest spitfire. She is so full of life and personality, although as of late prone to fit throwing...terrible two came late to this one. And I will undoubtedly brag time and again on my oldest girl, Dakotah who at 10 years old is reading at a 12 grade level and scoring 100% comprehension on her reading quizes.

But today I'm going to brag on my son Walker. He is just starting the 2nd grade, and following in Dakotah's footsteps. Dakotah and Walker just started attending the Awana program at my church, and in his first week he completed all the work for the first two weeks. (applause please) But that isn't all; today at school he had a special pizza lunch with his teacher and two friends he got to pick. I asked him what he did to get a special lunch. He said, "I answered a really hard problem and I was the onltyone in my class who could answer it." I asked him what the question was, and he said, "Mrs. Murikami asked, 'if there were three lines at the swings and there were three people in each line, how many people were in line?' and what you do is multiply three times three and there are nine people in line." So I got my second grade math lesson from the only kid in his class to get the answer. I love my boy...and my girls.

Now go hug your kids!

Blogging with the Stars

In just less than an hour the fall season of DANCING WITH THE STARS premieres here in California. Many out east have already watched. I am beyond excited. My family has been hooked on this how since season one. I personally have been a fan since season 4 when I first caught sight of Julianne Hough, she's just adorable...and not on it this season. I have suddenly become enthralled with all things ballroom. It is just such fun to watch...perhaps I'm just getting too old for regular TV. In fact in our house I believe the only first run regular show we are still watching is CSI Miami.

We had long resisted reality shows. We watched the first two seasons of Survivor, then quit. We watched most of season one Big Brother and then quit. Then suddenly when Dancing with the Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition hit the airwaves, we got hooked. It wasn't an over night jump away from scripted shows into reality, but before long we added America's Got Talent. Then during the writer' strike we watched Celebrity Circus, Nashville Star, and every Game show that came to prime time. It was coming out of the writers strike last fall when all the shows were back from extended hiatus that we realized we actually preferred the non-scripted reality/competition shows. We followed Kris, Danny and Adam as they battled it out on American Idol, and were glued to our seats as Jeanine peaked at just the right time to win So You Think You Can Dance.

Have we left scripted TV behind for good...We'll see after we watch tonight's CSI Miami on our Tivo Thursday night (No Dancing on Thursday). Of course we still watch the reruns of Seinfeld, and our DVDs of Friends. And I've Got Alias, Dark Angel, 24 and Heroes to watch on my lunch at work.....Ah, but tonight is for Dancing with the Stars!!!

Medication, aging and why I write

When my oldest daughter Dakotah was almost a year old I started having feelings of weakness and shortness of breath. One day when heading to work I started having severe chest pains and thought I better go see a doctor, so I headed in to urgent care. After many hours of poking and podding and wires running to my chest, and being asked numerous times if I was taking cocaine, I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. I was sent immediately to a wonderful cardiologist, who put me on a regimen of heart and blood pressure medication, which seems to be keeping my heart going. The first several years my heart function increased, and then it leveled off. This last check up it had again increased, so the medication must be doing its job.

I guess it is a sign of aging to be on heart medication, I knew it sure made me feel old. And after a couple of years on the medicine I noticed other signs of aging. I was starting to forget things. You know that feeling when you walk into a room and can't remember what you had walked in there for? Well that was happening to me ALL THE TIME. Or I would be at work, putting parts away, I would skip a location because I couldn't find the part in the case I was putting away. When I got to the end of the aisles I'd have the part left, and couldn't remember why I had a part. Then I'd look at the computer and couldn't figure out why it was sending me back. Or at home I would be talking and suddenly couldn't remember the name of that big white box where we put food to keep it cold. Words were disappearing from my mind. I though I had early onset Alzheimer's. I thought I was going crazy.

Then I got online and looked at side effects for my medicines. Buried on a small little website, not listed on most of the websites, under my Coreg was "Short term memory loss". I also looked up ways to fight memory loss. It suggested playing mental games throughout the day. It also said that keeping a journal or writing were good things to keep the mind active and alive. So if people at work see me mouthing things to myself in the aisle, or doodling on a break, or generally looking distracted, I'm probably just playing a mind game, so I don't lose my mind. And my blog here, although new, and the novel I'm writing, and most of my other writings, are just ways to keep my mind going to battle off side effects of a drug I need to keep my heart going strong. So as long as there is a heart beating in this chest of mine, words will be flowing out on my computer, so I'll remember that food goes in a refrigerator.

Maturing Musically

Three things in life I cannot live without. First and foremost is my faith in God. Second is my family. And the third thing is music. As far back as I can remember my house was filled with music, often from several different rooms at once. When headphones became the rage in the 70's I believe our family kept KOSS in business. From my mother I learned to love Johnny Mathis, Lou Rawls and many jazz artists. My sister Gloria introduced my to Neil Diamond's music, ABBA, and later Phil Keaggy (still my hero), John Michael Talbot and the world of Christian music. My sister Sharon is where I learned to enjoy the Carpenters. Brother John introduced me to the world of opea, and a lot of musical theatre (didn't admit I liked it at the time). Brother Dave was into Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens and Peter Paul & Mary. Later Dave was also responsible for introducing me to the British Punk movement of the late 70's and Early 80's which I'm sure is what eventually lead me to be a U2 fan. Dad used to listen to country in the morning before work...I liked a few songs, but mostly resisted it.

As for me personally I started, as most kids do with Disney music. The Mary Poppins soundtrack was a favorite as I remember. I remember very well my very first "grown up" album. Olivia Newton-John's Have You Never Been Mellow. I was soon a huge Oliiva fan, and I believe I had all her albums up to Physical. Another grown up star I got into at a young age was thanks to Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari. The theme song for their show Busom Buddies was Billy Joel's My Life, and begged my mother to buy me the 52nd Street album. I have been a huge fan of Billy's music ever since, and now also enjoy his daughter Alexa Ray's music.

But I think the moment my musical taste was blown wide open was in 6th grade (?) music class when our music teacher asked students to bring in one of their favorite songs and present it to the class. Jenn Treisenberg (sp) brought in the movie soundtrack to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and played Aerosmith's cover of Come Together. My first exposure to the music of the Beatles. Two years later when our class had an 8th grade graduation party Jenn brought in the actual Sgt. Pepper album by the Beatles, and I was officially obsessed...still am, just picked up the Magical Mystery Tour CD when they re-issued last week.

Through high school my favorite bands besides The Beatles were Kansas and Styx. But this is also when I was getting into punk and NewWave like Ian Dury, Nick Lowe, the Clash, The Pretenders, etc. I always said, "I like all kinds of music, except classical, country and really heavy metal"

When I was in college I discovered U2, and have loved them ever since (although their mid to late 90's was not my favorite era). I also was exposed to a huge variety of Christian rock. Favorites during this time were Petra, RezBand and 77's. Also I discovered the musical genius of Charlie Peacock, and the Christian New Age sounds of Jeff Johnson (Can you use Christian and new age in the same sentance? Just did). And thanks to a music appreciation class I hated, I grew to love classical music, especially Mozart and Beethoven. So my credo became, "I like all music except, Country, Heavy Metal and Rap"

As I grew beyond the college years I have kept many of the same favorites, but in my late twenties I did add country to my list of music I like, although I'm still picky about what country music I listen to, And even as I've matured and added more styles, I still don't enjoy much Heavy Metal and Rap.

No I must admit, when I was dating Bekkee (my wife) I tried to enjoy rap and hip hop because she enjoyed that kind of music. It never quite caught on with me, although I don't mind some of the mellower R&B music she introduced me too. Nowadays my wife enjoys country, which is much better for me. My wife however only enjoys current music, while I still love stuff from all period, both the stuff I grew up on, and even music from before I was born. She likes to make fun of my music, especially my 80's stuff, but I can't help it, I like it. We change, we grow, but forever music will be part of my life.

Computer expert by default

In my house I am the resident computer expert. With that said, let me give you a quick background about me and computers (or is it computers and I?) When I was in college my roommates Dave and Steve both majored in computers, an emerging field at the time. I majored in what I thought was something much more stable, communications (theatre/radio emphasis), thinking that computers were just a passing phase. Then Al Gore went and invented the internet, and computers went through the roof. Now most of the stuff I learned about radio is done by computers. (Oh to travel back in time and study computers).

Now for a shocking revelation from the computer expert of the house. I have never bought a new computer (hope to change that soon). My first computer was a used laptop my brother-in-law let me have. I had to buy a new power adapter for it, but didn't pay thing other than that. It worked fine for my writing, and for playing games. Really slow online, but it was okay. The computer I'm using now was my father-in-law's home computer. He got a new one two years ago or so, and I took over this one. It is 13 years old, and full of all kinds of junk I can't get rid of. "Why not," you ask? I don't know? 5 years ago or so, we flushed the memory and rebooted everything on it, and somehow, the guy who did this fix managed to lose our control panel (Can not get to it anywhere) and any time I try to delete or uninstall a program, it says I need to get clearance from my administrator... I have no administrator...what do I do?

Okay, you see my level of expertise. And let me be open with you, I have no clue when people start talking RAM and hard drive and MB or GB...Okay, I know a GB is bigger than an MB, and the higher the number the more space you have for storing junk on the computer. Other than a 6 hour class on Powerepoint I have never had any computer training. So how, you may ask have I become the computer expert? It is quite simple really, because I'm not afraid to do stuff. I teach myself. I print all the didgital photos our family takes (I use Paint Shop Pro, not photo shop) I make mini posters out of just about any picture my wife, mother-in-law or daughter find. And of course I'm the guy who can google anything (although Dakotah is also a darn good googler now).

The funny thing is because I take the time to learn stuff on the computer, everyone else gives me all the computer tasks, leaving me little time sometimes to do what I want to do (write, write, write). So the middle age guy on the old computer with no formal computer training is the man with all the computer answers in our house... I think our house is in trouble.

Social Media and the aging process

Going with a different color ink for the letters tonight, what do you think? Tonight's topic is social media and the aging process. As I age, I find myself more and more into this social media stuff, which is supposedly the domain of the younger generation. At least that's how it started.

My first real experience with social media came with MySpace probably about 4 or 5 years ago. Several of my friends from Domino's kept telling me how great it was, how you could reach out to your friends, how you could keep updated on music, etc. These were all pretty much teenagers I worked with, and I brushed MySpace off as just something for kids. Then I got an invite from my friend Doug Brown from my KLoRD days. He had set up a page to promote his music, so I joined, and quickly found I enjoyed it. I even did a bit of blogging. At time I had over 300 "friends", but most of these were bands, or people who were interested in the same bands I was. A few were friends mostly from Domino's, and young people I knew on the mountain here. I had only one or two friends near my age, a few voices from my past. I made my MySpace page as load and flashy as I could, and tried to convince myself I was as young and hip as most of my friends there. But as time went on I felt less and less connected to my MySpace friends.

Then about a year ago I think, I started hearing, "I switched from MySpace to Facebook, come Join me." from more and more MySpace friends. And so, I did. And it has been amazing. I have found friends from college, high school and the church I grew up in along with my KLoRd fiends, Mo Media friends, Camp O-Ongo friends and of course Toyota friends (All places I've worked). I currently have 210 and know at least 200 of them personally. I read an article a few months ago that "old people" are ruining facebook. By their definition, I'm pretty sure I'm old, and I'm guessing most of my friends are too (My dad is on facebook and he's 82). I'm not sure what we've done to ruin facebook, but I say lets keep ruining it.

For months I was happy to stay in contact on facebook. I kept hearing about this Twitter thing, but had no interest. You know us old folks are slow to try anything new. Then a job as internet information director, or something like that came up at work, and I applied, but it said you needed to know twitter, so I quickly signed up for twitter. I didn't get the job, (Probably too old and unhip) and quickly abandoned my Twitter account.

Then came the swine flu scare and I found out that the CDC had a twitter account that posted swine flu updates. As any old guy who fears dying of swine flu would do, I jumped on twitter and started following CDC updates. Purely out of curiosity I started following a celebrity or two...oops! I was hooked. I now follow 152 people. Athletes, authors, celebrities, dancers, and a couple people I actually know.
I think it is a fun way to get a touch of who these celebrities are as real people. that is if you can find the real people from the fakes. Thank Twitter for Verified accounts to make this easier.

And now with Blogger, I am attacking the blogsphere and hope to gain some attention (or at least a few more comments) as a writer, so someday the novel I'm trying to write might be published, or at least made available on Kindle before I am too old to enjoy the royalties. So please read my blog post. Comment on them here (my comments are open to anyone, not just Blogger members). Share them with your friends. And promise you'll by my novel....whenever it gets published.