Thursday, December 30, 2010

Do you believe in pure evil? For instance--is it possible for a human being to be purely, entirely evil?

The simple answer is that, no, I don't believe in pure evil--certainly not when applied to human beings.

I believe that all people may choose good. (It's kind of central to my religious faith.) And so I can't believe that no one is redeemable or worthy of hope.

Even the worst characters in history had the chance to be better people, if only they had taken that risk and accepted the challenge to make better choices. But everyone is given the free will to make up their own paths and those paths can be good, bad, or vacillating between the two on a frequent basis.

Anyway, that is my (very short) answer.

Thanks for asking.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Return of Mr. Mustachio

About a week before Christmas day, I got a package in the mail from my brother Andy. It was rectangular, wrapped in gold paper, and bearing a homemade card saying To: David a.k.a "The Forkmaster" From: Andy.

I was mystified. I knew that the title was a clue, but I couldn't figure out what it was referring to. Andy and Mike have called me many nicknames over the years, but I didn't remember The Forkmaster being one of them. I put the present under the tree and moved on with work and other things.

This morning, as we are plowing through our presents, the box circulates around to me and I am reminded of the mystery. The Forkmaster! What does it mean?

I tear open the package, open the box and find an object wrapped in paper, accompanied by a hand-written note. Obviously, I was expecting a fork or something related to eating. And still, it wasn't until I rolled the utensil out of the paper and into my hand that it all became clear.

Mr. Mustachio was back in my life again!

*****

It was a stainless steel fork, a salad-sized fork to be more specific. And while you might not think it special to me it carried a great deal of childhood memories. Sitting around the dinner table with Mom and Dad, Mike, Andy, and Mary. Going camping in the summers in the North Georgia section of the Southern Appalachians. At various, unsuspecting times, Mr. Mustachio had been a part of it. He was a fork, but he had a particular design, with a bit of the tined area cut out in a Fleur-de-lis pattern that (to one of us) had looked like a mustache and tiny Van Dyke beard. And so, this fork was named Mustachio--but I particularly liked to formalize it to Mr. Mustachio.

I don't recall if Mr. M had similarly hirsute brethren. In my memory, he stood alone--the last swank soldier from some stylish era of dining in the distant past. I guess that Mom and Dad explained how he came to us, but I don't remember that either.

What I do remember is that Mr. Mustachio was special. Because we saw him as one-of-a-kind, it was a special event when he turned up. And whoever got to use him at any particular meal was honored in some mysterious way. (You can see that we had to find odd ways to entertain ourselves when cable wasn't prevalent, video games were rudimentary, and the best show on television was about a talking, super-intelligent car.) I remember him being a part of ordinary meals at home, but somewhere along the line, Mr. Mustachio got into our camping gear and that made him even more special. (As we usually camped once a year, so the opportunity to eat with him was lessened.)*

So, here was a family oddity. (Call it a tradition if you like, but it wasn't as set in stone and as regularized as what we usually think of as family traditions.) Some families try to catch each other unawares at the start of every month by saying the word "Rabbit." (True story, but not my family.) We had a special fork.

And well, it died off as we grew and moved away from home. I forgot all about Mr. Mustachio . . . mostly. Though I once explained the specialness of him to my kids once when we mixed in some different silverware to our regular set and a different set of fancily-engraved spoons became temporarily "special." But they didn't have the interest, or the pre-Internet focus, to turn it into something more than a momentary blip in their routine.

But today, they got to see Mustachio with their own eyes. They got to see how special he was and how jauntily his moustache cut-out made him a cut above the run-of-the-mill flatware. And he is MINE! Mine for a year.

For, you see, the letter explained that I am the keeper of Mustachio until next Christmas. And as The Forkbearer, I get to wield the special honor of Mustachio to whomever I want. After discussing it with Mary on the phone today, I think that Mustachio will be awarded around our family in the coming year to celebrate individual achievements or to acknowledge hard work. Or perhaps to brighten up a difficult day. And he will be well kept in Ohio during 2011. But as next year's holiday season arrives, I will have to pass on the role of Forkbearer to someone else in my family, where they can bask in Mr. Mustachio's glory for the next year.

How will I choose next year's recipient? I still haven't settled on a final criteria. (Feel free to contribute any suggestions you may have to help me with this task.in the Comments.) Perhaps I will reward the person who is nicest to me during this year? Perhaps I will bestow it upon the person who needs cheering up the most? Or perhaps it's be whomever bribes me most effectively? Or maybe I'll just choose a name out of a hat. Only time and more thought can tell.

All I know is that I used Mr. Mustachio for the first time during our delicious Christmas Day afternoon feast. And it made the turkey that much more succulent, the stuffing that much more savory, and the fruit salad that much more fruity.




The year ahead is looking good, my friends.

*I verified most of these details with Mom and Dad earlier tonight in my Christmas phone call. There was only one. And we didn't use him all the time. (You're welcome.)

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

SURPRISE! "Collapse into Now"

Wait, what?

A new R.E.M. album is coming in March?



I didn't know I should get excited until right now.

Monday, December 06, 2010

Santa speculations

During dinner tonight I was discussing Santa Claus with the girls. Sarah has been gamely playing along and is doing a good job of convincing Grace that she once saw Santa Claus when she was seven-years-old and came down in the night to get a drink of water. (I'd blame How the Grinch Stole Christmas here, but I don't think Sarah's memory for that particular holiday tale is that good.)

Grace and I were trying to get more details out of Sarah on what Santa looked like, how much he weighed, etc. We were also discussing how many cookies he eats each year. I suggested that perhaps Santa doesn't eat each cookie he is presented with, but instead eats some and stores the rest in the bundle he has flung on his back. As the presents are removed, cookies fill the space. In this way, he can store up food for the lean Spring, Summer, and Autumn months . . . as I noted that it's not likely that Santa has a grocery store nearby at the North Pole.

Grace seemed to accept that, with a wink. (She's well used to my tall tales by now.)

But I probably went off the deep end a few minutes later when I made Sarah realize that she must have encountered Santa during his annual pre-Christmas visit to our house. (Because we have always been elsewhere on the actual Christmas Eve, her tale of coming downstairs for a glass of water could only take place PRIOR to our annual trip south.)

And this made some sense, as I speculated that during these pre-Christmas trips, Santa's guard is lessened and he is more likely to be caught unawares.  I then began to wonder how Santa was able to get his last-minute preparations for the global trip taken care of when he is constantly faced with the special requests from families like ours who insist on having multiple Christmases on different days.

Perhaps, I wondered, Santa has a contingency plan set up for families such as ours in which he beams the presents to the house from a remote location on whatever date is requested. And we don't notice them because they are hidden with a cloaking device of some sort that is automatically deactivated at the scheduled time?

The kids greeted this idea with the necessary skepticism, and wondered why they never stepped on them, invisible or not?

Well, then, I conjectured, maybe Santa places the gifts not in a cloaking field, but in a parallel dimension that mysteriously merges with ours when the family being serviced is all fast asleep?

Plausible?

(Such are the things we discuss when taking our mind off of leftovers.)

I welcome your comments, elaborations, and embellishments.

Saturday, December 04, 2010

The Long Awaited (1st) Post About Our Trip to Disney World

It's perhaps hard to believe that our family trip to Disney World occurred almost two months ago now. And it's more than likely that everyone who needs to hear about the details have already heard them. But, I'm going to try and capture some of the trip here anyway.

(And while were at it, does anyone out there want to troll back through my posts and see how many of them I start with an apologetic tone? I've gotta work on that.)

ANYWAY . . .

We were down in Georgia for my brother's wedding. It was because we were already (more than!) halfway to Orlando that we decided to tack the Disney World trip at the end of the established wedding trip.


And can I pause here to note my utter astonishment when I mapped the route from my home town to Orlando, FL and discovered that it was less than five hours south?! I immediately felt cheated! How could I have lived SO CLOSE to the Happiest Place on Earth my entire childhood . . . only to visit it once with my family? Clearly they didn't love us . . .

But, to be fair, I did get to go two other times--once with a friend when EPCOT was new (and still enticing, but more on that later) and a second time for Grad Night 1990. YEAH! Grad Night! I'll have to search back through my scrapbooks and find the picture taken of me at Grad Night '90. But more on that later.

So, after the wedding festivities, we packed ourselves back into the van and drove south for the (SHORT!!) trip to the Magic Kingdom.


We arrived in Orlando in the mid afternoon and drove into the park's vortex soon enough. But before we were sucked completely below the Event Horizon, we stopped at a grocery store and picked up some kitchen supplies and breakfast foods for our cabin kitchen. We were planning to stay at the Fort Wilderness campgrounds, eating our first dinner there that night and then each morning making our own breakfasts before heading off to the park for the day. Once we got into the campgrounds and registered for our cabin, we spent the rest of the day settling down in our rooms, unpacking, and preparing our dinner of spaghetti.


That night, our first planned Disney thing was to gather with other Ft. Wilderness residents for the Campfire Jamboree with Chip 'n' Dale. So, Lynda gave Hannah a bath and put her in her pajamas--figuring that she'd get tired and fall asleep before we got back to the cabin. (This was the first misinterpretation of what Hannah would do during this trip.) Then, rather than catch one of the buses that drove through the campground, we chose to walk--which we never chose to do again during the next several days we stayed there. It was a bit of a long walk from our cabin, situated near the the entrance to the campgrounds, to the central area where the Jamboree was to be help. But we didn't know that yet.

So we gathered together the chocolate bars, graham crackers, and marshmallows that we'd bought earlier today at the grocery store and set off into the dark night. Using a flashlight and a map of the grounds, we eventually found the area where the two campfires were already burning and smores were already being made. I bought 50 cent dowels to stick the marshmallows on and we got to having some fun. After jocking for position amongst all of the families, I put together enough for everyone to have one (or two) of the smores (if they liked). After that we found a spot in the crowd and were led in some sing-alongs with Cowboy Bob and Chip and Dale themselves. Everyone was having a good time and Hannah danced along to the songs in her PJs. After the singing was over, Chip and Dale circulated through the crowd, "saying" hello to each family in turn and signing autograph books.

Collecting autographs was a new development since I was first visiting Disney World years ago. Apparently it's the thing to do to get a small notebook and whenever you get the chance to see a character in costume, get your picture taken, and get an autograph. I'm not sure how the "characters" can see well enough to sign, but they are surprisingly good at it. For each day we were out and about, we were always on the look out for signing opportunities. We did quite well, actually.

After the visits from the chipmunks, the last event of the evening was an outdoor theater viewing of a Disney movie. That night it was Monsters Inc. We stuck around for the first thirty or forty-five minutes of it and then decided to walk back to the cabin to bed down for the night.

The next day . . . our first day in the Magic Kingdom . . . was going to start early. So, we needed our rest.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

What are the last 5 albums you've listened to twice in the last 2 months?

(I tried to answer this question earlier today, but it doesn't seem to have gone through. Yet, if it somehow DOES end up as a duplicate, then . . . have fun comparing how well my memory does over the span of approximately two-and-a-half hours.)

It has been a while since I sat and listened to an entire album because:
1.) the advent of the iPod's randomizing feature has made me impatient for new things,
2.) I spend most of my time listening to podcasts rather than music during my listening hours, and
3.) my kids don't usually let me pick what I want to listen to.

But, given those parameters, here are some albums that I HAVE listened to on a regular, reliable basis recently.

a.) Taylor Swift "Fearless"
As I noted above, my kids push me in certain musical directions. Luckily, this is an album that we can compromise happily on. I enjoy Ms. Swift's lyrics and her musicality isn't bad either. We can all settle on this in the car without much in the way of fights or hurt feelings. And that is sometimes a VERY valuable thing.

b.) Bruno Mars "Doo-Wops & Hooligans"
This is the most recently album that I have purchased. Lynda expressed surprise at its slow jam nature and groovy rhythms, wondering if I had purchased this. But I had, and I was glad that the NPR music review didn't lie. It is funky and smooth . . . just like me.

c.) "Jingle Spells 4"
If its late November, that means I'm listening to the newest charity album of holiday tunes with a Harry Potter flair. For the past four years, Wizard Rockers of all types and the creative folks at The Leaky Cauldron Web site have worked together to produce and sell a holiday album of increasingly good music. Over $50,000 have been raised in this effort over that time. To purchase this unique album for yourself, visit here: http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/features/wizardrock/jinglespells4

d.) Weezer "Hurley"
This is the third-most recent album that I have purchased. This album features the kindly mug of Jorge Garcia's "Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes" on the cover and inside are songs inspired by my favorite Mystery Island drama. When I get back to blogging more often, I plan on providing my own individual interpretations of each song. But that might be a while.

e.) an assortment of Sesame Street albums
When you've got a less-than-three-year-old, you sometimes have to go with the flow . . . whether you want to or not.

Well, that is. There's my answer.

Thanks for asking.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Saturday afternoon fun

Saturday was such a nice day. It was a gift for being this late into November . . . and I managed to get out and enjoy it for even a brief time before dinner. Grace was disappointed that she wasn't able to get a friend to come over and play and Hannah was getting a bit fussy and needed some distraction.

So, the three of us loaded up on our bikes and hit the streets. After I spent a few minutes pumping up the tires that had gotten flat from some disuse and then hitched up the trailer for Hannah . . . we pedaled off down the street. I let Grace pick the path.

We went down Nicole, then turned right and paralleled Spring Road. Then we hung a right and zipped down the bike path only to make another right and enter into Spring Grove North (the newer subdivision that abuts right up against my older, original neighborhood). We wound our way up and down the sidewalks of these streets, going in and out of cul-de-sacs. Hannah got a few slight bumps here and there as I pulled the trailer on and off of the sidewalk transition ramps and swung around the ends of cars parked near the ends of driveways. But I kept it slow and enjoyed the moderate weather and coming twilight.

Soon Grace realized that we weren't going to be able to hook up to the bike paths from within this block, so we doubled back to parallel Spring Road up the the corner of Country Line. We crossed over and then rode along the north side of County Line, heading past Westerville North High School and toward Sunbury Road. After a bit, Grace took a left and we entered the pedestrian walkways surrounding the High School. We road along and then back behind the school, exploring the sides of the building, the bleachers of the baseball stadium (where I really had a narrow corner to negotiate).

I found a hidden pedestrian walkway that connected the baseball ticket booths to the backside of the school, crossing over an irrigation ditch. But while Hannah and I were game to give it a try, Grace had already decided to turn around and start heading home. She was right, as the sun was sinking and the light was starting to fade.

So, we retraced our path, back to the corner of County Line and Spring, then down and back to Nicole.

When we got home, dinner was just about ready, the sky was dark through the windows, and we were happy to have been outside stretching our muscles.

Friday, November 05, 2010

Waiting . . . waiting . . .

If you have been sitting around, constantly reloading WWYG?! in hopes of getting by blow-by-blow of our recent trip down to South Georgia and Orlando . . . well . . . I apologize for putting you through that.

We have been back home from our trip for a week now and I am firmly enmeshed in the demands of work and the everyday world that was put on hold during our trip. And I absolutely plan to work on a breakdown of the trip--with photos--over this coming weekend.

But you'll just have to wait until then.

I suggest that you follow me on Twitter (really, you should!) or keep watch over on my Facebook feed to find out when I get around to writing again here on the old blog.

I feel that I've really been neglecting WWYG?! and it all comes down to work pressures. But that will end at some point and I'll hopefully find new and interesting ways to waste my time here again.

Thanks as always for your patronage.

(Twitter feed here.)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Away

I'm going to be travelling with the family for the next week and a half.

First will be my brother's wedding down in South Georgia.

Then we'll keep on going down South and land in Orlando for several days of visiting Walt Disney World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

There will surely be lots of exciting details, observations, photos, and much much more.

But I won't be sitting at a laptop very much to do long-form blogging.

So, you really (REALLY) need to be following me on Twitter to stay abreast of all the fun.

If you simply WON'T consider joining up on Twitter, you can come back here and click on the WWYTwitter?! tab at the top of this page, which shows you my most recent tweets.

If you are already a Twitter fan, why not follow me and get all of my amazing insights thrown right at you as soon as they come out of my head? Just hit Twitter and search for my handle http://twitter.com/#!/dtm1971).

You'll be glad you did.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

I apologize for my looong absences . . .

. . . but work has really been getting in the way of my leisure time for the last many weeks.

I am, however, looking forward with great anticipation for my brother's upcoming wedding this next weekend and then my family vacation down to Walt Disney World and the Harry Potter theme park.

I will certainly be taking pictures, tweeting when I can, and maybe throwing together a blog post or two during this next several weeks. But I expect to be tired, frazzled, and quite, quite busy.

So you may have to wait a bit longer for me to catch up.

*****

Yesterday the family went to Inniswoods Gardens and enjoyed a brief walk in the afternoon sunlight. The trees are quite beautiful right now (as was evidenced by the great many people here, there, and everywhere). Photographers, wedding parties, engaged couples, other families. Everyone wanted a piece of autumn to take home with them and we were no exceptions to that. Lynda took some very nice photos of all of us wandering around.


(Hopefully you can click on this photo to get to more photos from yesterday's jaunt.)
 *****

In other news, I think this thoughtfully written post between one of my favorite authors, Maureen Johnson, and her advice seeker is quite a nice birthday present, even though no one but me sees it as such.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Rest in Peace (with your iPhone) Mr. Curtis

Last week famous actor Tony Curtis died.

Reason?

Well, the news says that it was a result of cardiac arrest. Pretty cut and dried.

But we all know who really did it . . . and why. HE just could stand any other famous people in Hollywood using his initials to garner competing levels of fame. (Watch out Tom Cavanaugh!)

And the very recent new of Mr. Curtis being buried with his iPhone is additionally suspicious, don't you think? Maybe there were incriminating cell phone photos of the death that might have been difficult for Tom to deal with. Much better to get his own crack propaganda team to gin up the odd idea that Tony was such a fan of his iPhone that he could NEVER, EVER (even in the beyond!) be parted from it.

Seems implausible.

I hope you are paying attention Roger E. Mosley!

Monday, September 27, 2010

It must be Sweater Vest Weather!

(With some apologies to Mr. Simon and Mr. Garfunkel.)

Hello sweater vest, my old friend
I've come to put you on again
Because a cold front softly creeping
Left its chill while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
A vest of warmth . . . with no sleeves.


Through cubicles I walked alone
Narrow rows of office drones
'Neath the halo of halogen lamps
I flaunt my arms to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of the Xerox light
That split my sight
And touched the hem . . . of my vest.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand sweaters, maybe more
People warming without vesting
Coats a'wearin' without styling
People wearing clothes that Tressel never wears
I only dared
To wear the vest I so loved

"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Sleeveless is the way to go.
View my vest that I might teach you
See my arms? So easy to reach you."
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the coats of cotton they had made
And the wind blew out its warning
Of the front that it was forming
And the wind said, "The words of the prophets are seen on his exposed arms
And V-necked top"
And whispered "Wear the vest . . . you'll love it."



(Want to know more? Read on here.)

Monday, September 20, 2010

Fall TV Preview 2010: CBS

Today I'm going to try to give a quick overview of the new Fall line up for CBS. In the past, I've always watched CBS less than the other networks, as they tended to program for a different, older demographic. But in recent years I've been watching more.

Here's what's up for them:

SUNDAY: 


No new shows on the network for the start of the week. Of course, 60 Minutes anchors the night, starting at 7 pm as it has for decades. The Amazing Race (9/26 @ 8 pm) is back again. If it wasn't for the fact that shows must tape months ahead of time, I would say that this show, which has dominated the Emmy for Reality Programming in the past, would be spoiling for a fight. It lost this year for the first time in many, many years. Undercover Boss (9/26 @ 9pm)did surprisingly well last year. It was the most-watched new reality show, apparently. You can guess what it's about and from that, determine if you want to spend your time on it. Finally . . . wait, let me whip off my sunglasses . . . is CSI: Miami (10/3 @ 10 pm). More murder, more procedures, more jokes and YouTube clips.


Really, what everyone will probably be watching or want to be watching on this night are on other networks. But I'll get to them in another post.


MONDAY:


How I Met Your Mother (9/20 @ 8 pm) is back after what I believe was its weakest season last year. In interviews, the show creators say they have learned from those mistakes and will be rectifying them swiftly this year. I just saw a promo for tomorrow night's new episode, and it looks encouraging. There is also Two-and-a-Half Men (9/20 @ 9 pm). I think the half-man gets more involved with girls this year? But will he follow the dating style of the one lecherous man or the other, more timid man? Oh . . . the mind reels. There is a new show for CBS on Monday night, called Mike & Molly (9/20 @ 9:30 pm) in which the two title characters meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. Yes, they are overweight, and no it's not Hollywood style "slightly" overweight. They could be contestants on NBC's The Biggest Loser. Hopefully they can mine the comedy for more than fat jokes and focus on character. Because, didn't Hurley teach us anything?


And speaking of Hurley, he brings us back nicely to the big news for CBS--their new Monday show, Hawaii Five-O (9/20 @ 10 pm). It's set in Hawaii, it has Daniel Dae-Kim (Jin from LOST) sticking on the (not THE) island. And it also features Grace Park (Boomer the Cylon from BSG). So, many elements are in place that might make me watch. But . . . I don't know if I'll book it (Danno). I guess it'll depend on how rockin' the theme song remains.


TUESDAY:


If you like NCIS, you'll like CBS's Tuesday night lineup. Because there is NCIS (9/21 @ 8 pm) and NCIS: Los Angeles (9/21 @ 9 pm). As someone who gave up on most procedurals a few years ago, I don't think these are drawing me very strongly. But, there is the return of The Good Wife, (9/26 @ 10 pm) which some say was pretty good for a new drama last year. If you've got thoughts on these shows, help me fill in the blanks in the comments below.

WEDNESDAY:


Do you still watch Survivor (9/15 @ 8 pm)? Well then you don't need me to tell you that it started last week and that it is currently set in Nicaragua. And I'm glad that you already know all of this because I've got nothing else to add. But if you don't like surviving, then maybe you like trying to understand the mysteries of the criminal mind? In that case, you are probably a HUGE fan of Criminal Minds (9/22 @ 9 pm). This show, as you know, tells stories about crime . . . and . . . uh, some other stuff that totallymakes it different than all the other crime dramas that have been on TV since, like forever. And you are a huge fan, aren't you? Finally, there is The Defenders (9/22 @ 10 pm), a show starring Jerry O'Connell and Jim Belushi as Las Vegas attorneys who will take on any case in Sin City. But you already know that too . . . um, what? You DON'T know that? You mean The Defenders is a new show? But that violates the theme I have established for Wednesday night's CBS overview?!! 


THURSDAY:

One of my favorite (newish) shows on CBS is The Big Bang Theory (9/23 @ 8 pm). And it used to be on Mondays. But CBS decided to move it to Thursday. Hopefully it won't hurt the show, which just came off of a big Emmy win for Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon. Also of note is the return of semi-regular villain Evil Wil Wheaton, played by Actual Wil Wheaton. Another show on the CBS Thursday lineup is $#"! My Dad Says, (9/23 @ 8:30 pm) the show built originally from the popular Twitter feed. AND it is starring William Shatner as the (shi)titular Dad! What could go wrong with this? (The only thing that I can think of is if NBC decided to put its midseason replacement "Stuff White People Like" up against it come January. (And, yes, I'm kidding ... but it just might actually happen. So, NBC, prepare to hear from my lawyers if you decide to go forward with this. You can't infringe on my creative property.) CSI (9/23 @ 9 pm) is still the anchor (I guess?) of Thursday night and its coming back with an explosive (LITERALLY!) season premiere. And, to round out the night comes The Mentalist (9/23 @ 10 pm). I feel like I ought to be able to make a good joke from that title, but if I couldn't pull it off in previous years, I guess I should just admit defeat and move on.

Oh . . . I forgot why the CSI premiere is IMPORTANT. It marks the acting debut of Justin Bieber! (I know, right?) I guess CBS is wanting to rename Thursday Must Tweet TV? And who knows . . . if he's a hit, maybe they'll revive an old show and rename it Leave it to Bieber.


FRIDAY:


There are three shows in the CBS end-of-the-week schedule, but (as I seem to be typing throughout these things) only one of them is new. I know that networks are in trouble and that all the creative, really-want-to-watch stuff is on cable these days . . . but it feel like the Big 4 1/2 just aren't really trying anymore.

But here's what there is: Medium (9/24 @ 8 pm) is back again and the most significant new thing seems to be that the family is growing up. And doesn't it seem odd that a show built on the premise of supernatural stuff is being described in terms of a typical family drama? Where is the hook that makes it stand out? Oh . . . wait, here it is . . . over here with the two-hour block of CSI: New York (9/24 @ 9 pm) and Blue Bloods (9/24 @ 10 pm). What is the hook you ask? Well, both are set in New York--the only city that ever mattered, and both are police-based dramas. One is more procedural (CSI) and the other is more character-driven (Blue Bloods). One is starring Gary Sinise and the other has . . . wait for it . . . Tom Selleck! Still don't see the hook? Well, CBS is marketing these shows as a block of NY crime time or some such goofy conglomerate idea like that. It's lazy and all that. But when you're trying to find a way to get people to watch on Friday night . . . you'll do anything. Heck, NBC used to do it with its own Thrillogy slogan for The Profiler, Pretender, and that other show I don't remember.


So, that's it because I don't think CBS has anything on Saturday and neither does anyone else. It's just football and other reruns of junk.

Have we learned anything from this? I think all that I have learned is that nothing on CBS is likely to draw me in that I'm not already committed to. I don't think that I'm going to get involved in Hawaii Five-O, just because all I'll do is think of LOST. And I'm already going to be watching Castle over on ABC instead. (Assuming, of course, that I'm ever actually watching TV when it airs live . . . as I'll either be putting kids to bed or doing office work into the wee hours of the morning.)

But that's just me. Does any of this look appealing to you? Give me comments and tell me what I missed out of or what you really like to watch.




Sunday, September 19, 2010

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"

"That was one of the strangest movie experiences I've ever had," was what Lynda said as the credits were rolling Saturday night and we finished watching Edgar Wright's new film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

And it wasn't really about the movie--though it was strange . . . fabulously, creatively strange.

No, the really odd things that were going on were in the theater itself, in front of the movie screen.

1. First, we were the only two in the theater (at least until the previews were just about to begin). And I was not entirely surprised that we walked into a vacant theater. After all, though "Pilgrim" has gotten generally strong critical reviews, the box office has been disappointing--at least on Summer standards. Plus, the movie has been out for about two months, so most people are done seeing it. But eventually more people did arrive, robbing Lynda and I of our date-night, movie-watching privacy.

2. The people who came in first were kind of loud, boisterous dudes. They sat behind us at the top of the theater's incline. And we feared they would disrupt the movie. Nothing of the kind, though. They were suitably quiet. Far quieter than . . .

3. The people down at the bottom of the theater's slope who brought their fussy baby (?!) with them. Or . . .

4. The other family that included two pre-K kids.  It was just odd.

5. And that doesn't even begin to explain the other two who were quiet . . . but just happened to be wearing head gear that seemed to have horns sticking out from the sides. (Was the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes in town or something?)

But ANYWAY . . .

the movie was excellent. My 140 character review, I think summed up the movie's strongest visual & story components.

And though I am not a Michael Cera apologist, I liked his character quite a bit. Plus, as a fan of (Nickelodeon's) Avatar: The Last Airbender and Arrested Development, I enjoyed seeing Mae Whitman (voice of Katara & persona of Anne Veal). I also thought Brandon Routh's evil ex character was the funniest of them all. But perhaps that is because they played off of his Superman credentials?

I have not yet read the graphic novels, but I will get around to doing so as soon as I can.

Go see it and put some money toward good, creative, movie-making.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

30 for 30: Unmatched

This week's ESPN Films offering in the 30 for 30 series is Unmatched, a film reviewing the decade-and-a-half rivalry (and even longer friendship) between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

Beginning in the late 1970s and stretching to the end of the 1980s, these two women battled back and forth across the world and the tennis rankings to be the number one women's player. They met 80 different times, 14 of them being in Grand Slam final, and their rivalry and respect for one another defined their careers.

The information of this film is old news, but what made this film different was its method. The filmmakers put these two together in a North Carolina coastal bungalow, turned on the cameras, and filmed a weekend of remembrances. The people behind the camera edited out their questions, presenting a film with only two voices--those of Martina and Chris.

It was, undeniably, a film targeted at more of a female audience than any of the previous films in this series (and NOT just because of the women's tennis subject matter). But I liked it quite a bit--even though I am not a woman. The height of their rivalry, in the 80s, was when I cared about tennis the most as a spectator, so I was very familiar with the subject matter.

If you get a chance to watch Unmatched, I recommend you take the hour.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Monday, September 13, 2010

Fall TV Preview 2010: ABC

That giant sucking sound that you hear is the vast hole that LOST left in the ABC programming schedule. Over the past six years, ABC counted on a guaranteed ratings hit every week that the show was on. But that time is done and ABC must turn the corner and think of something else to generate critical buzz, fan excitement, and advertising cash.

Do you think they can do it?

I've spend a few minutes looking over their weekly programming schedule and . . . well, the best thing that I think they've got going for them now is the Wednesday night lineup of comedies, anchored by Modern Family. which returns for its second season fresh from its Emmy win.


I haven't watched Modern Family, so I am not qualified to truly speak on the show. But if it won an Emmy, it must be quality, right? (Don't believe it for a second. I point you to many, many years of Emmy wins for Everybody Loves Raymond.)

Here's a breakdown, night by night.

Sunday:

Nothing is new on this night. If you have watched TV at all in the past decade, you know all about America's Funniest Home Videos (really? still?), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (the only nice thing I'll say here is that the longer the show is on, the greater the chance they'll eventually get to my house), Desperate Housewives (plastic surgery is the key to keeping this show relevant, I think), and Brothers and Sisters (I have no opinion).


Monday:
Dancing with the Stars rules this night from 8-10 pm. And then Castle returns for another (third?) season.   When I've watched Castle, I've liked it . . . and I have always appreciated the presence of Buffy & Firefly alum Nathan Fillion. But I've never scheduled Castle as appointment TV--and haven't programmed my DVR to capture it. But . . . with LOST not in the rotation anymore, maybe there is room on the machine for something pretty worthy? Otherwise, Monday isn't very interesting.

Tuesday:
And here is where we get to our first new shows to consider on ABC, at 8 pm and 10 pm. The nine o'clock hour has something else to do with Dancing with the Stars, about which I will say no more.

No Ordinary Family is about Michael Chikls returning to TV after the finally wrapped up The Shield. And his character is a police sketch artist. (Really? I've not hung out at police departments, but do the sketch artists look like Chiklis? Now . . . if he stabs suspects with his charcoal pencil . . . then maybe.) Oh, but wait. The title is No Ordinary Family. And what makes them extraordinary? Super powers!

No, I'm serious.

He gets strength. His scientist wife gets superspeed . . . and yes, this might sound a lot like The Fantastic Four. But get over it. And I'm kinda skeptical. September 28 @ 8 pm

The other new show is Detroit 187 a show that was originally going to be shot The Office documentary style, following Michael Imperioli's interrogator and his partner as they dealt with police procedural injustices back and forth across 8 Mile. But then reality got in the way when an actual girl was killed during an actual A&E documentary about Detroit cops. And so the pilot was reedited and some parts reshot. Can it still be compelling if its just like everything that came before it? September 21 @ 10pm

Wednesday:
The Middle returns for its second season, but I can't say more about it than that.

A new show called  Better With You tells funny tales about three couples at different points in their romantic relationships. I think you'd get a better show if you took asked Paul and Jamie Buchman (of one of my favorite shows, Mad About You) and put them in a time machine back to the start and midpoint of the series. September 22 @ 8:30

Modern Family and Cougar Town are the anchors around this night for ABC. Both shows are (seemingly?) well received and people like them. But I've got to wonder about Cougar Town (a returning show from last year in which Courtney Cox plays an older woman always on the prowl for younger sexual conquests--or at least that was it was about in the beginning; I'm sure it's gotten deeper and richer since fulfilling its initial pitch.

ANYWAY . . . all of the promos for Cougar Town, to this point, have bent over backwards to remind us that sometime during this season, Jennifer Aniston will show up to have (more than?) one Very Special Episode with her former Friend.

And the world awaits . . .

The Whole Truth is cranked out by Jerry Bruckheimer's Hit Factory. Positive aspect: It's got Maura Tierney. Middlin' aspect: It's got Rob Morrow. Negative aspect: It's the one millionth televised drama about the courtroom. (And yes, I'm counting Night Court as part of that list.) September 22 @ 10 pm

Thursday:
The majority of the content of this night is devoted to Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. At this point, who cares?

My Generation sounds like a semi-high-concept show that ABC might hope can give the network some credibility against critics that say nothing "important" is ever on TV anymore. But that is only what it sort of sounds like. It is a fictional show shot in faux-documentary style (a la The Office . . . and once, Detroit 187) that "catches up" with nine high school graduation from Texas a decade later. Expect it to be ignored by Thanksgiving. September 23 @ 8 pm

Friday:
If you watch TV on Friday, then you might be interested to know that ABC is returning 20/20 for yet another year at 10 pm. But it'll never be as critically hailed as 60 Minutes or even as "of the moment" as Dateline NBC used to be. And you know what . . . 20/20 damn well knows that . . . and is crying about it right now in the bathroom.

Secret Millionaire is a new show that sounds like someone got their Joe Millionaire peanut butter in their Undercover Boss chocolate. But, it is a show about . . . well, I'm confident that my intelligent readers can figure out what it is. And I'm also confident that no one will care, except perhaps the ghosts of Andrew Carnegie and Jacob Riis. _____? @ 8 pm

And finally, there is Body of Proof, a show that is notable for the presence of Dana Delany (who I once liked in China Beach long ago) and Jeri Ryan (who I also liked as Voyager's Seven of Nine). Delany plays a former surgeon who was sidetracked by an accident and became a medical examiner. _____? @ 9 pm



But, well, it's Friday night and no one will watch and neither of these shows were even approved by ABC fast enough to be listed in the Fall TV preview issue. So . . . take that for what you will.

Saturday:
ABC Saturday Night Football . . . and then whatever else comes along in the winter of 2011.

So, ABC has, in my opinion a very ordinary lineup coming out next week. It's midweek lineup will likely be the saving grace. And I may give Castle a whirl. But all I can say is Jack, Hurley, Kate, and Sawyer aren't walking back through that door folks.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Fall TV Preview 2010: The Cable Edition

So, several days ago, I tweeted this.

And it is sadly true that the middle of September is nearly upon us and I haven't even begun researching network Web sites or buying TV Guide or wondering when the Entertainment Weekly Fall TV preview issue would be hitting the mailbox. (Well, that last one is actually true . . . but I am trying to not rely on other people's journalism so much that I don't have any reason to do this stuff myself . . . )

So . . . anyway, I realized that the Fall TV season is rapidly approaching and I really need to get to work on my annual Fall TV Preview posts. (It is the ONLY regular tradition of this six-year-old blog after all.) And then my colleague Hapless23 expressed that he actually liked my TV Preview posts.

Now, nothing motivates me more than flattery . . . and the weekend is finally upon us . . . and I'm pretty tired of doing, thinking, worrying, and dreaming about the office. So, I am going to spend some time this weekend getting my TV ducks in a row and trying to get at least one post done for one network before Monday roles around again. (I don't anticipate doing any more than that, since . . . well . . . the office isn't going away and I will need to be spending some time on that stuff also.)

But YOU deserve my thoughts on TV.

And since he said he likes it, Hapless is going to get some face time here on WWYG?! (So, the lesson is . . . when you flatter me, you get rewarded.) I am letting him guest blog the first of the Fall TV posts. And he's going to handle cable shows for me. I've never blogged on the cable shows in the past, mostly because cable wasn't quite the phenomenon it is now back when Why Won't You Grow?! first launched. And, even in those carefree days . . . I just didn't devote the time and effort to teasing my way through all of the cable network variety. But now that Hapless has offered to handle it for me . . . well, why should I have to?

So . . . with no more preamble, I'm going to stop my typing and cut-and-paste his Cable TV Overview for 2010.

Take it away, Hapless! (And thanks for the help.)

*****
Every year I eagerly await David’s preview of the upcoming TV season. Because he only does the upcoming broadcast schedule--and because my blog is long dead--I cajoled him into letting me preview the best of cable. Because he hasn’t previewed cable before I will be liberal about what I include. Without further ado here we go (alphabetical by channel):

AMC:

The Walking Dead: A gory looking adaptation of a popular graphic novel about a Zombie infestation in Atlanta, Georgia. Shirtless is excited about it. I’m going to give it a shot. Premieres Oct 31

Mad Men: John Hamm and Elizabeth Moss have been on fire this season. Christina Hendricks is an attractive lady and darn fine actress to boot (Plus, Firefly alum!) Ongoing

Rubicon: I don’t know what this show is about. It’s on after Mad Men and one of my friends likes it. Sorry, I can only watch so much TV. Ongoing

AMC Show that isn’t a Fall show that you should watch anyways: Breaking Bad: Bryan Cranston has cancer and manufactures meth. His brother-in-law is a DEA agent. Hi-jinks ensue. Put it on your Netflix queue and so you can be caught up when it comes back in June.

BBC America:

Top Gear: I got David to watch this, but now you should too! 3 Brits: a short guy, a tall overweight jingoist and a classically trained pianist do things with cars.

Luther: Idris Elba (Stringer Bell from The Wire, also Michael's replacement on the Office when Michael started the Michael Scott Paper Company) stars in a physiological thriller. I have no idea if it will be good, but Idris Elba is amazing.

Bravo:

Top Chef, Top Chef: Just Deserts: 1 episode left till the Season Finale. Personally I don’t understand cooking shows. If I can’t taste it how can I tell if its good? Ongoing/Premieres soon

The Search for the Next Great Artist: This show was surprisingly enjoyable. Plus you can judge the art for yourself.

Cartoon Network:

Venture Brothers: Take Johnny Quest, age him 40 years after his adult life turns out a failure. Give him two dumb but enthusiastic children. Enjoy! Returns September 12

Children’s Hospital: This was originally a web-only series done by Rob Corddry. It’s bizarre in a good way. Ongoing

Comedy Central:

Big Lake: This show is almost good, but it’s really not at all. It’s missing something, but I couldn’t tell you what it is. It has a laugh track, so that doesn’t help. Ongoing

South Park: If you don’t know what this is or whether you like it or not, you probably shouldn’t be reading this. Returns October 6

Tosh.0: Daniel Tosh makes fun of clips on the Internet. If you like Internet memes and Daniel Tosh this show is for you. Must be able to handle images of puke. Ongoing

Discovery Channel:

Mythbusters: 2 guys bust myths. Also: Explosions Returns next week, I believe

Dirty Jobs: Former Opera singer goes around and does dirty jobs. Over time the jobs have become less dirty. Mike Rowe’s voice alone makes this show worth watching. Ongoing

Direct TV:

Friday Night Lights: This will appear on ABC at some point. I stopped watching after the second season made a few questionable character choices, but from everything I’ve read its rectified its mistakes and is as good as ever. Even if you could care less about High School football give it a chance, it’s a stunningly well crafted series, and Kyle Chandler is fantastic. Returns October 27

ESPN:

30 on 30: A series of short films on a sports-related topics chosen by famous filmmakers. Bill Simmons masterminded it. I haven’t watched it but David has. Ask him. [I agree that it is interesting and variety-filled. But I am a Bill Simmons fanboy, so . . . take that for what you think it is worth.--DTM] Ongoing

FX:

Terriers: It’s about two somewhat competent small time detectives. It looks pretty good, and is getting favorable press. So maybe check it out? Premiered September 8

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Do you like watching horrible people do horrible things to each other in the most hilariously offensive fashion possible? Then this show is for you. If you don’t like these things, I’m sorry, I can’t be your friend anymore. Also, it has Danny Devito, that’s got to be worth something, right? Returns September 16

The League: I only started watching this show late into its first season because, honestly a show about people playing fantasy football sounded terrible. Even the commercials being voiced by Space Ghost couldn’t hook me. It turns out this show is very funny. It’s worth a look if you like to laugh. Returns September 16

Sons of Anarchy: Critics say this show ranks up there with Breaking Bad and Mad Men. That should be enough for you people. (I haven’t watched it but it’s in my instaqueue, so next season I will be ready to give a fuller review.) [So, you are already assuming that you've got next year's writing slot wrapped up, huh? I like your moxie, kid . . . but don't get cocky! --DTMReturned September 8

FX Shows that aren’t fall shows but should be on your radar because of how good they are: Archer (H. Jon Benjamin and about half the cast of Arrested Development are cartoon spies), Justified (Timothy Oliphant is a trigger happy lawman), Louie (Louis CK does stand up and short sketches. Sometimes brutally funny, sometimes poignant, always good), Rescue Me (Shirtless says this show is good. I hear the latest season was not, but it’s only got one more season left, so give it a shot then or never)

HBO:

Boardwalk Empire: I don’t have HBO anymore, but I wish I did, because this show looks great. Steve Buscemi is the boss of prohibition era Atlantic City. Do I need to say more? Yes? Look, HBO knows how to do period dramas (Deadwood) and has the budget to do it well. You should watch it if you have premium cable. Premieres September 19

Eastbound and Down: This show gets lots of good press. I found it largely too uncomfortable to be enjoyable. Your mileage may vary. Returns September 26

Bored to Death: The title of this show was far too accurate for me. I still watched the entire season, so make of that what you will. Returns September 26

IFC:

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret: David Cross and Will Arnett star in this show. If you don’t watch Archer maybe you can get your Arrested Development fix this way? It looks better than Running Wilde. Premieres October 1

Lifetime:

Project Runway: This season is delightful if you like malapropisms and people who lack self-awareness. Ongoing

Showtime:

Dexter: This series kind of lost me after season 2, but John Lithgow was fantastic last season and it ended on a high note, so maybe it has life in it yet. Returns September 26

The Big C: From the reviews of this show, I am forced to conclude it is American Beauty but as a TV show and with a woman lead.

SyFy:

Ghost Hunters/Destination Truth: Do you like paranormal stuff with reasonably charismatic hosts? These are the shows for you. Personally I think its hokum, but they have fun toys, so I’m in. Ongoing/returns soon

Sunday, August 29, 2010

BEDAu Day 29: Up & Down


Have you ever had a day where you were alternating between wakefulness and sleep? As I tweeted earlier today, I want coffee and a nap at the same time.

And it won't get better tonight because (as usual) I've avoided doing any office work throughout the whole weekend. So, if I want to approach the goals I had on Friday, it'll have to start tonight. We'll see.

But I've accomplished two bike rides with the kids and started a new book. So, other good things have definitely been going on. And the work won't be going anywhere. And what else am I going to do during the weekdays, (See? I've practically talked myself out of it while you're reading this. I'm so predictable!)

In other news, we took the plunge and started the underwear route for Hannah this weekend. A few minor mistakes so far but one of the rites of passage are underway.

I guess that's it for now.

-- Posted From My iPhone (so, I apologize in advance for any typos I missed)n

Saturday, August 28, 2010

BEDAu Day 28: Random

My back is hurting and my body is running out of energy, so I'll keep this one short.

Here's what I did today:

1. Went to bed around 12:30 a.m.
2. Slept until just after 8 am.
3. Got Hannah up and joined the rest of the kids downstairs.
4. Helped Lynda make the pancakes.
5. Got out stuff together and eventually got out of the house. We all rode bikes down to the library where I picked up a book on reserve (Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart) and then rode back home.
6. Ate lunch.
7. Took a shower.
8. Started some laundry.
9. Watched over the house and the kids and reread  few chapters of An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.
10. Watered the backyard while I watched over the kids playing in the backyard. Swept the patio.
11. Moved the watering to the front yard.
12. Ate dinner.
13. Drank smoothie for dessert.
14. Cleaned up kitchen and washed remaining dishes.
15. This happened.
16. Gave Hannah a bath.
17. Now blogging and preparing to rest for a while.
18. It goes (I think?) without saying that I was periodically checking Twitter and Facebook throughout the day.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

BEDAu Day 26: Round and Round

The weather has improved mightily the last few days, so the family is working harder to get out after dinner and walk. We don't go far, just up or down the street, or down around the corner. Tonight we walked over to the middle school to walk on the track for a change.

As we walked round and round, the Pee Wee football teams were out on the grass working on their formations and such. I didn't pay lots of attention, but did find it interesting to some degree. I never played football at any point in my youth and with three girls, I don't expect to see much of it soon.

As we walked around the track, the kids sometimes walked with us and sometimes they played in the sand pit of the long jump. One time, as we were all walking around, I looked down at the lane number painted on the rubberized asphalt: 6.

It got me to thinking. Suddenly and randomly, I called out to Grace--what is your favorite number?

She hesitated for a minute and then said 8. When I asked her why, she hesitated again and then changed her answer to 1. I asked her why again and she told me "When there is only 1, you can do whatever you want." I thought that was an apt answer that probably spoke to something deep in Grace's personality.

So I posed the same question to Sarah. Her immediate answer was 11. I was puzzled, so I asked her the same follow up question . . . why?

Again, with no hesitation, she said: "Because when you turn eleven, you can go to Hogwarts."

Of course . . . I should have realized. And, again, apt.

Not to leave anyone out (except for Hannah, who is a bit young to play the game) I asked Lynda. Her answer was the same as mine--6. But we have different reasons.

Lynda's favorite number has always been 6 because she has always liked something about its shape, some vague appreciation of the curve of it.

I have always liked 6 because I grew up in a family of six, of which I was the sixth member. And, whenever we played Yahtzee, I always wanted to roll sixes. It probably has something to do with the pattern of six dots on the die face that also appeals to me.

So, here is my unsolicited question to you. What is YOUR favorite number and can you give a reason why? Please leave your answers in the comments.


-- Posted From My iPhone (so, I apologize in advance for any typos I missed)

Monday, August 23, 2010

BEDAu Day 23: On a walk

So, we went for an after dinner walk tonight and I took some pictures and made some videos. (Actually, I made one video and then Sarah made another.)

Here's what we got.



My video is not very successful, I think. I am not very skilled at carrying on any engaging video dialogue while walking and sticking to the point of the exercise (which was to get some exercise). Plus random strangers approached and I am got self conscious about capturing their image without their permission. Because, really all they want to do is walk.

So, it was kind of a failed experiment. I suppose if I took (had) the time to learn some video editing software, I could throw together different video clips into something more pleasing and coherent. But that's going to have to be a project for some other year.

So, to make it up to you, I also let Sarah do a recording while we walked. Who knows what she captured. Let's watch it together, shall we?



What I can tell you about it all is that I found myself constantly worried about tripping over my feet during this entire walk. Part of it is because I was wearing sandals, which give me no ankle support. I am growing increasingly aware of my leg and feet limitations as I am getting older. And frankly, I'm growing tired of the bizarre psychological warfare that is going on in my head these days.

So let's forget about that and just show a nice picture.

I like the way everyone here is a bit individual.
And, of course, it makes me think of
Reservoir Dogs.
What, it doesn't do that for you? Oh well.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

BEDAu Day 22: Meanwhile . . .

Yeah, I took a few days off from my month-long effort, confirming why I can't grow a group of readers any faster. (Because I can't be trusted?)

But I'm back (today) with a random video that I won't replace and should probably learn how to edit and add some interesting production values to in order to make it more pleasing. But . . . this isn't my job . . . and it shows.

(Jeez, enough with the self-criticism. Just get the video off the camera, download to YouTube, and get it out there.)

That'll probably be completed by 10:30 this evening. I'll edit this post with the finished video as soon as it is ready.

Later . . . 6:45 to be exact.


I got the video downloaded to YouTube a while back but I haven't had time to drop the code into Why Won't You Grow?! until now.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

BEDAu Day 18: Flotsam or jetsam?

I'm glad you asked, because I've thought about this a lot in the last week and I'm ready to admit it now.

I'm a jetsam man.

Jetsam has been taking it on the chin to flotsam for so long. (I think jetsam was last popular back in the 1920s when ladies were dames and when legs were gams and when alcohol was hooch.)

Clearly, its been too long since jetsam had its day. Jetsam has been second banana for too long and I am ready to see this change.

Jetsam has a style that I think suits the zeitgeist. It seems more hip, more now, more ready for the digital age. Flotsam is just so . . . analog, you know?

I'll do my best to make jetsam the new and hip thing that is gonna take the world by storm.

Are you with me?

Anyway, that's my answer.

Thanks for asking.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

BEDAu Day 17: Most atypical song?

So, as I was driving down to Louisville over the weekend--alone, remember since Lynda and the girls had leaft a day earlier--I was flipping around on the radio, testing out the "repaired" satellite radio in the van. And for the time that the Sirius was coming through nicely, I flipped over the the "80s on 8" channel and the "90s on 9" channel and I alternated back and forth between the two as mediocre songs forced me to switch.

And, at some point, midway to Louisville on I-71, I flip back over the "90s on 9" to avoid some terrible 80s song that even nostalgia can't redeem . . . and I get House of Pain.

And when you hear House of Pain, that can (most likely) only mean one song.

"Jump Around."

And as I always do, when "Jump Around" shows up . . . I listen.

I've got it on my iPhone. It's in my iTunes. I just really enjoy that song.

And as I listened, I thought to myself whether it would surprise others to know that I really, really like "Jump Around." Does that fit whatever image of me they have? Would they consider this atypical of David?

So, here is my question to you tonight (or whenever you get around to reading this). What do YOU think is a song that you believe is something at odds with how you believe others perceive you? Is there a song that you absolutely love, but you think others would be surprised to learn of it?

Leave me a comment describing how you would answer these questions.

Monday, August 16, 2010

BEDAu Day 16: My news is NOT all of woe!

See the video for my reaction to the wonderful gift that I got in the mail today from my good friend and long-lost colleague Lulu.

The video I made doesn't do justice to the beauty of the thing and it throws in a particularly horrible angle on my face that I wouldn't blame you from running away from the screen to avoid. But if you decide to hang in there, you will be rewarded with some much prettier footage of a very special and thoughtful gift.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

BEDAu Day 15: Do I have to?

Well, do I?

Since I already let yesterday go without a post, this might give me permission to just move on. But only missing one day does not equal failure. We may fall short of the goal, but the effort remains.

We returned from our brief visit to Louisville today. We saw cousin T. marry L. with much rejoicing from the H. extended family. There was no time to do much else and see things in Louisville that I've not seen before (such as the campus where my mom went to college, just down the road from where Cousin T. is now attending seminary and where Lynda's dad also attended seminary.

It is interesting how all of our connections may possibly entertained if we stretch them far enough and look within them deeply enough. And yet three (or four . . . or more) lives intertwined this weekend--two by choice and more by circumstance.

It can be a good lesson to remember as we work and play and live together all the time. We don't always agree and we sometimes rub each other the wrong way. But we are sometimes more connected than we realize. Understanding that can make our problems end more quickly.

And that's all I've got to say tonight.

-- Posted From My iPhone (so, I apologize in advance for any typos I missed)

Friday, August 13, 2010

BEDAu Day 13: Happy anniversary & travel mercies

Today marks the start of my sixth blogging year. Never has so little been said with such effort for so few, right?

I'll be in a meeting most of the morning and then on the road, so this may be it for today. If I see something amazing on the road, I guess I can pull over and describe it.

Year SIX!

Onwards and upwards, y'all!


-- Posted From My iPhone (so, I apologize in advance for any typos I missed)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

BEDAu Day 12: Alone

Lynda and the kids left this afternoon to go to a family reunion/wedding in Louisville.

I will be joining them tomorrow afternoon, after I attend a work meeting in the morning.

But I've been holding down the fort alone at home this evening. And when you are alone, with leftovers in the fridge that need to be gotten rid of . . . you kind of make some weird food combination choices. (Or maybe  that's just me?)

And . . . that's all I've got to say about that sort of thing.

(Don't want to spend my valuable "bachelor" time blogging, right?)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

BEDAu Day 11: Busier than . . .

a one-legged man at an ass-kickin' contest.

a three-legged cat at a stream of trout.

some other maim-based euphamisms that I can't recall (or have time to identify).

I've got more work to do tonight, Lynda's got to get packed for departure, and we've got to go back tomorrow to pick up our two (2!) vans that were in the shop today.

I'm typing this poor excuse of post to fulfill my BEDAu duties and then it's back to it.

Sorry all.

I'll try to do better tomorrow night.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

BEDAu Day 10: Small Things I am Sad About

I am typing tonight's post on my iBook G4, the laptop I've had for about five years now. And it has been serviceable and done its job. But it is obsolete now and there is something that one of the kids jammed into the disk drive slot that is causing it to make a continuously (annoying) sound whenever it is being used. AND the U key is loose and always wobbling around. AND it just doesn't run very fast any more. AND AND AND.

Times change, technology moves on at a much faster pace than my families budget or my job's salary can keep up. So we'll soldier on for a while yet. Eventually it'll get replaced.

*****

In other things that I am sad about, I just went outside in the deepening dark to turn off the water that Lynda was using to trickle on some of our backyard plants. And I noticed (as I always do  these many years) that it hurts for me to walk barefoot outside.

Lord knows that I have had many, MANY foot problems in my life. And perhaps my feet are more sensitive as I get older? Or maybe I'm just smarter and more self-aware then I was as a five-year-old kid. But I remember being outside and barefoot a LOT as a youngster. And now, it just is a painful prospect.

I know the ground on my property is pretty rocky underneath. And we probably don't give the yard enough water to keep it "supple" or whatever . . . but it just hurts, you know?

I'm sure that you probably don't care. Just slip on some sandals or flip flops or whatever. Quit complaining about stupid stuff! you're thinking. Well, that's just not always a convenient thing for me to do, okay? Do YOU have a pair of shoes/slipper/sandals/flip flops ready and waiting for you beside every door . . . ready to be put on your feet at any moment . . . regardless of what door you are choosing and for whatever the duration?

If you do, I declare you a slob who needs to pick up after him/herself more often.

THAT IS ALL.

Monday, August 09, 2010

BEDAu Day 9: Tiger & Don

Work and home life are pressing, pressing, pressing me to do other things tonight, so I don't have a lot of anticipated time to blog frivolously.

Luckily for me, my brother MSquared sent me a good email today that I am going to mostly cut and paste without even asking his permission. (Though it should be noted, I am attributing the content to him . . .)

He asked: "Did Don Draper and Tiger Woods bottom out on the same day?"


Tiger Woods refers to the famous golfer, who famously was caught in infidelity and has famously sucked at golf ever since. But, apparently, even for Tiger, there are levels of bad golfing that even he had not experienced before. The specific day of "bottoming out" in question was this past Sunday, right here in the grand state of Ohio. (You can see video of the details here.)


The Don Draper being referred to is the main character played by John Hamm in the AMC show "Mad Men" which is airing its fourth season right now.


(And, don't worry . . . nothing referred to below is a major spoiler . . . really . . . but if you are a "Mad Men" fan who doesn't want to know anything at all before you watch, then here is your 


SPOILER


ALERT!!


STOP 


READING 


THIS!!


COME 


BACK


TOMORROW!!


Okay, have they left?


MSquared observed the following interesting parallels between Tiger Woods and Don Draper.


They are:


- "Both married former models who were gorgeous but somehow not good enough.
- Both were in car accidents resulting in facial lacerations. (Draper was
bailed out by Peggy and Tiger was bailed out by incompetent police work.)
- Both were the best at what they did, now both are facing an uncertain
future.
- Both went thru mistresses sometimes two or more at a time until they were
exposed against their will, at which point their professional and personal
worlds changed dramatically.
- Draper fired himself and started his own agency; Tiger fired Hank Haney to
"go it alone."
- Tiger has a half-brother (actually two - Earl's sons by his first wife)
who he has very little to do with (although no word if either half-brother
has hanged himself).
- Tiger dumped the name "Eldrick" just as convincingly as Draper dropped
"Dick Whitman."  (It was not a secret process but do you really think he is
any less disgusted with who "Eldrick Woods" used to be than Don Draper is
with the former Dick Whitman?)"

- [I've redacted the last observation, not because it's not a good one, but because WWYG?! is a family blog.]

As I said, there is no way that I can convincingly argue against his observations.


(Unwitting) thanks go to you MSquared!



Sunday, August 08, 2010

BEDAu Day 8: You are a well-respected editor at a large publishing house. How much of your identity is wrapped up in that statement?

To begin answering this question, let me first tell you a story.

The spring before I went to college, I went and visited the Georgia Southern University campus in Statesboro to interview for a spot in the Bell Honors Program. As I have mentioned in this space before, the BHP was a full scholarship program with a small group of new incoming students each year. The BHP curriculum got you through the basic core classes expected of everyone at GSU, but they were taught in a "higher-level" seminar style (kind of like graduate school?).

I had already completed the paperwork and submitted my entry essay (which you can read here in all of its cringe-tastic glory: http://wwywrite.blogspot.com/2009/01/bhp-scholarship-application-essay.html). But I had to do one more thing; go in for a personal interview with the BHP director and some of the faculty.

Dr. Joiner asked me questions about myself and some other perfunctory stuff about the essay that I wrote and the type of activities I had done in high school. Standard, getting-to-know you type of stuff. At the very end of the interview, there was The Final Question that was (I later learned) asked of all the prospective candidates. The question is "If you knew that someone in this room could give you the honest answer to any single question, what would you ask them?"

I thought about that for a minute, looking down at my hands in my lap, which had recently been sitting on the table and leaving sweat marks for all to see on the table top.

I looked up and said "I would want to know what job I could find that when I woke up in the morning . . . three days out of five, I would be happy to be going to work."

*****

So, that is where I start my answer to this question. How much of my identity is dependent upon my role as editor? It is very little, I hope. Certainly, I hope that the people I work with see me as more than the sum of my editorial skills. I dearly hope that my family and my church friends and my extended relatives think of me in more expansive terms than whether or not I can diagram a sentence and shorten wordy sentences down to fit a space.

The standard hope is that when I die, people won't talk about what a great editor I was or how many successful book projects I was involved in. They will remember things like my sense of humor or my willingness to help when asked. They will remember parties I held or the fact that I delivered a stuffed pepper and a metal helmet to people on their birthdays. They might remember that I had a good cheesecake recipe.

Hopefully they will remember me as a good father, a good husband, a good friend, and a good brother or son. These are the things that i hope can truly define me. These are the characteristics that I certainly WANT to be remembered for.

Anyway, there is my answer.

Thanks for asking.