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 |   A third attempt at this blogging business. |
 30-DAY BLOG CHALLENGE WINNER FOR SEPTEMBER 2011 AND APRIL 2012!!  BLOGGING CIRCLE OF FRIENDS "BLOGGER OF THE WEEK" MAY, SEPTEMBER, AND NOVEMBER 2013 JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND JUNE 2014 After 380 entries and over 17,600 views, it was time to retire "Who Do I Think I Am??"  . Expect more of the same shenanigans and troublemaking you've come to know and love from me over the last few years. Tell all your friends, warn your family and hide this from your neighbors...this isn't your average blog.   
Thanks for stopping by and showing your support!    THIS BLOG IS NOW CLOSED.
Continue along on my journey over at "Still Figurin' Out Who I Think I Am" . |
| BCF PROMPT: "Blog whatever you wish." Good afternoon, folks. The subject of the email said "Saturday is a free day" (although it was in all caps, and I don't respond well to yelling). I've always wanted to find this type of openness refreshing, but I could never get comfortable inside of it. See, every day for me is a free day. Besides not factoring in the costs of an upgraded WDC membership (and lets face it, I blew my gift points on a three month extension), it doesn't cost me anything to contribute. Not a red cent (or any other color as well). I also can argue that I do this for free. Pro bono, I believe, if there were legal reasons for me bangin' away on the ol' QWERTY. It's easy to rationalize that every viewer of this unencrypted smash-up of words and sentences underneath my URL (commonly referred to as "my blog") pays me with their time, but until I can cash that in for a dope Rolex or Nixon, my wrist will continue to be timeless and hope the fingers sprouting from the connected hands keep typing words of the same ilk. Whew. I love when I come up with phrases like that on sunny summer Saturdays, otherwise known historically as "the day of the week nobody reads". That said, I have a confession to make (and if I make a confession in my blog but nobody reads it, am I really guilty?). I am prompt-dependent. For real. I've been so conditioned to write under the auspices of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" and the "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" that on these Open Mic occasions, I don't even know what to say. Back in the day, I had riffs I could run with...I didn't need the crutch of someone else's sentences to craft diabolical entries that made others wanna strangle their own fingers (or me). But now, in this life and times, it's like a drug. I almost can't function without a daily prompt of some sort. Even a weak one...it's still enough to get into my system and allow me to cause some kind of havoc. I say this only because it's the second Saturday in a row where the prompts have come later in the afternoon, when I'm used to them arriving well before I've woken up and gotten myself able enough to greet the day. But I'm not complaining...all I'm saying is it's allowed me ample time to contemplate the state of my mind while wondering what might come out of it if I actually had a prompt to play around with. Of course, with that also comes plenty of time to get distracted with wondering how else I'm gonna fill up the rest of the weekend. Do I have enough groceries, dvds, newspapers, etc.? Probably, but I'll concentrate more on that when the pleasant burden I place upon myself of crafting another entry has been sated. Where am I coming up with all these words and turns of phrases today, and why can't I during the week (or during official challenge months)??  If I didn't dislike having to create prompts (or secretly loathe myself for relying solely upon them to spark my muse), I woulda had one posted the minute I logged in this afternoon. But I'm too lazy to care. It's like a struggle in my head sometimes...sure, complain that there's no prompt to write about because you're so damn stuck on "needing one", but you can't make one up for yourself. It's like bitching about how broke you are, but you're too sedentary to go looking for a job. Funny how hypocrisy permeates even the most trifling aspects of life occasionally, as well as the more obvious situations. And at the risk of blathering on and on about pretty much nothing, a la any episode of Seinfeld, I'm gonna round up my horses and head them back into the stable for the rest of the weekend. 30DBC PROMPT: Attempt at refreshing #16...still no prompt for Saturday. MUSICAL BREAK!!  The weird thing about this song/video is there isn't an official video for this song (at least not that I know of). Some non-English speaking person took clips of different videos by this band and spliced them all together digitally. I think it's crap, but I've always liked this song.  THE DAILY BOX SCORE:  Still nothing today in the 30DBC. Yes, I guess I have a problem.6:1 Ratio of hair clips to ponytail holders in the dreadlocks experiment. I understand it to be a slow process and I may not entirely be doing it right. It's having its moments though. And with that I'm throwing in the towel on today. It's too nice outside, the crazy hippies who protest on the corner outside of my building on Saturday mornings are making their way inside, I'm getting hungry and bored, and there's no 30DBC prompt as of 1:31pm my time, with no thanks to me. Peace, it's a problem around here, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| 30DBC PROMPT: "Write a caption, paragraph, short story, poem, or memory jogged by the following picture:" ** Image ID #1939428 Unavailable ** What's up y'all?  On the tail end of some controversial whiny less than positive criticism levied at the beginning of June in regards to prompts that weren't really prompts but just poorly rendered digital images that people were just supposed to "guess" as a component disguised as a blog entry (and not always told if they were right, wrong, or what the scrambled photograph really was), what did I do? I think what I did was post a picture as a part of a prompt, with a sense of direction as far as what to do with it. In other words, I did it right.I'm sorry. I don't mean that to sound like pretentious boasting. I swore I'd never bring up the idea of image prompts and what they do to normal, well-adjusted people again. But I couldn't resist. I do think image prompts have a place if done correctly...if they're meant to encourage creativity. Blogging isn't a game where you match up part a with part b to get an answer. It's not "color by numbers". It's more like playing with Legos. You get a bunch of bricks in different sizes and colors, with a simple set of schematics, and you build something...only instead of various bricks you've got your words, and the prompt is your diagram of what you're intending to build. And instead of making a house or a car or a Lego replica of a robot, you're piecing together a blog, and you don't have to care if it looks like the picture on the box or not, because you see the pieces not for what others want you to make, but for how many different ways you can possibly put them all together to make something entirely unique. Wow...talk about getting totally off-topic. I think I just wrote another Editor's Note for the "Invalid Item" .  So anyway, yeah. I know awhile ago there was some kind of "caption contest" that some of you may have been involved in. I thought about looking into it but didn't really want to spend a lot of time dwelling on a picture that may or may not completely resonate with me. I think that's a fair rationalization (not that you need one from me). I wouldn't mind seeing an image or two every now and again in the official months of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" (and I'll accept credits on the three prompts I'm supposed to email every official month I enter if this is an option that's chosen ). That said, here's a caption for the picture: Mr. Burns: "Ahhh yes, here is our room of monkeys chained to typewriters." Homer: "What are they typing?" Mr. Burns: "I'm not really sure yet. But I've been offered a million dollars to hand over the first monkey that types two consecutive words on one page." Homer: "A million dollars? Who would pay a million dollars for two words typed by monkeys?" Mr. Burns: "Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. They're having problems naming their baby." What's funny is I just made that up, even though I posted the picture last night. By the time I got home an hour later, I had totally forgotten what I had even thought up for as a prompt. Damn you, head injuries from years passed and the short-term memory loss I get from time to time! BCF PROMPT: "Can people change? (Did you change; views, philosophies, routines, countries etc.)" Well, most certainly, people can change. Views, philosophies and routines are always susceptible to change. Countries? Not unheard of, but very less likely, so I'm gonna steer clear of that. (Shakes head,  )You've heard me say it a billion times one way or another. Change is a necessary part of life. Adaption makes us suitable to succeed in whatever environment we're put in. It's what killed the dinosaurs and made humans evolve. But there are deeper meanings to "change" beyond ordinary behavior modifications that we're conditioned to be used to and react to. Just as human beings went from Cro-Magnon cave dwellers to Wall Street scumbag share-traders by changing a multiple amount of factors around them, it's important to recognize that change also can happen in a sort of reverse order. And sometimes, it doesn't take much more than one or two factors to crumble a person's entire fortunes. A fire. A theft. A job loss. A left turn instead of a right turn. Sometimes, you're only one decision away from being the person donating to your favorite charity (or mocking those less fortunate) to asking that charity to support you in a dire time of need. Too many times, we focus on the "feel good" stories of people like Dickens' Scrooge in A Christmas Carol...characters and people who go from being merciless pricks to loveable do-gooders because they went through some "miraculous change" or epiphany or whatever. Only when it's too late do people tend to notice or care that tragedy has befallen a neighbor or otherwise average nobody, and even then, what can be done? The change has already occurred, and perhaps reversal isn't an option anymore. All you can do is comfort them, and hope for the best. Personally, I know people can change. Not just morally in a fairy tale sense or physically for health reasons or otherwise, but everything deep within. The foundations people spend entire lives building upon can be redesigned from bottom to top. Whole sets of ideas and ideals can be amended in order to expand one's growth to stay in step with an ever-changing society. One only has to look at the difference in attitudes toward human rights and equality in 1850, 1930, 1975, and 2013. Not many people like or easily embrace change. But the reality of change, no matter where or how it is initiated, is that after all is said and done, it's a lot easier having been through it than it once seemed. MUSICAL BREAK!!  Say what you want about Kanye and his marriage and his eccentric behavior and whatever (and I'm no fan of anything Kardashian), but you can't deny some of his talent.  THE DAILY BOX SCORE:  What's the moral value of a dime these days? Ten cents. What's it worth? I was at a gas station last week, waiting in line. The guy behind me was counting his money, and I heard him say to himself he was gonna be a dime short. I don't know what he was buying, and I didn't care, but I knew what was coming next. He asked me if he could borrow a dime. I fished around in my pocket and all I had was a quarter. I gave it to him, and he told me if he saw me around he'd pay me back. I wasn't expecting to ever see him again, so I said, "No worries", checked out and left. It's a quarter. By itself it doesn't do much good for anything these days anyway. Yesterday, after I'd finished typing up the day's entry, I was staring at my laptop with my headphones plugged in, immersed in whatever I was reading. I looked up to notice a man sitting in front of me, holding a quarter in the air. It was the same guy from the gas station last week. I had totally forgotten about him and the money. But he sought me out specifically to repay me, when not only did he not have to, but it wouldn't have made much difference financially if he did or didn't. I think it was a pretty neat gesture though. It showed me that not everybody wants nothing more than to just take a handout, and some decent people still exist. Anybody else find it funny or ironic that Kanye West made headlines by walking into a "Wrong Way" sign last month? http://www.vibe.com/article/watch-kanye-west-walks-street-sign300: Given WDC's limitation on book lengths that I recently rammed my head against ran into, 300 is a reasonable amount of anticipated entries for this blog. It's not a personal goal or limit or anything. But seeing as I started my last blog as "just a blog" first and before it morphed into 30DBC and BCF depositories, along with added links and embedded videos and images, 380 entries doesn't seem likely anymore. I wonder how short and meaningless entries would have to be in order to hit the maximum of 750 entries without first rubbing up against the 2 MB (megabyte?) limit? And by no means am I slighting those who write short entries...I admire those people who can say a lot by saying a little. Me? I take the long, scenic route with less stops I guess. Well, I think I'm gonna tie everything up here I guess and see how many mistakes I've made in this entry before I carry on with the rest of my day. Peace, put your quarter up, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| 30DBC PROMPT: "Share your story about the first time you drove a car. What type was it, color, year, model, etc. Did you get a ticket first time out? Were you scared? Did you drive like Speed Racer or The Little ole' Lady from Pasadena?" Good afternoon everyone! Kick back, grab a beverage, get a snack, and make yourself comfortable. I'm about to do some good ol' fashioned storytelling like I did back in the good times. I don't remember my first real driving experience, other than it was the classic "sit on dad's lap and hold the wheel while he works the pedals" gag when I was younger than six. And my first few driving experiences are murky at best as well. I tried taking my mom's car down our driveway once...and nearly potted it in the ditch on the other side of the road from our house. Between her screaming and my nervousness at her screaming, I was panic central. And here's a little fun fact: to this very day, I hate driving in reverse and backing out of long driveways. There's the day my dad took me to get my learner's permit. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store, which back then was all of three blocks from our house. He had a large, older van, and he figured I could handle driving that from the store to the house. What his vote of confidence in me at the time neglected to suggest was that the brakes on the van were, for lack of a better term, in a sad state of disrepair. This necessary tidbit of information came to light as I uncontrollably rolled through two stop signs under Pop Diesel's nervous protests. Now might be a proper time to mention that there was a small parking lot next to our backyard, and a long set of bushes separating the two small parcels of land. We occasionally parked vehicles in this lot when there wasn't ample parking on the street; this was before they had the parking patch of concrete poured in our backyard (which didn't have a driveway; there was an alleyway behind the houses on our side of the block for parking). I'm glad to say that I made it home safely, stopping approximately four to six inches deep in the bushes. I believe these bushes had more to do with stopping the van than the actual brakes themselves did. And that's also not my worst driving experience. I don't recall if I actually had my license or not, but since my sister's friend (who was four years younger than me) did, I'm pretty sure I did as well. She had a Mustang, one of those fancy-ass sporty sports cars that people who follow cars like. I couldn't care less. But it was a standard. Stick-shift. Whatever. It had a clutch. And I wanted to be a well-rounded driver. I knew that a standard transmission was supposed to offer a better ride and more control. The cars that had them were cheaper to buy and to fix. And I figured it couldn't be that hard to learn. For one of the first times in my life, I was very visibly proven wrong. The three of us went to a larger local park. My sis' friend explained the basics of driving a stick to me a few times, just so I was sure of what I was doing. You may want to buckle your seat belt and put on some safety goggles for the rest of this. Having recited what I just learned, and knowing in my head how to time everything I'd just learned, we all switched our seated positions and she turned me loose. Needless to say, it was a busy night at the park, and in hindsight maybe it wasn't the best place (or vehicle or teacher) to learn how to do something that seemed at once so simple and yet so utterly chaotic. The car instantly rocketed off when I hit the gas, and nearly jerked to a stop when I hit the clutch. This sent my passengers all over the place. I also lost complete control of the steering, wildly but swiftly overcompensating back and forth, and left to right. I obviously didn't make it very far down the park's access road, but I did manage to make a few pedestrians and joggers hit the dirt. I don't think I have to tell you how quickly that experiment ended. I tried driving standard a few more times...once with a concussion (although we did practice in the police department's parking lot, so as to confront any suspicious-looking behavior head-on), and a few times in my uncle's truck. I did manage to get the hang of it in the pick-up, but that was many years ago. I most likely have not retained that information whatsoever. I used to be a bit of a leadfoot in my younger days. I was once told that everyone in their lifetime should own one fast car. I did, and I managed to get pulled over doing 77mph in a 30mph zone. It was reduced to 60-in-a-40, but it was still a big fine. As I got older and bought more sensible vehicles, I've become safer and more responsible as a driver. Except for that time I got arrested for driving seven miles over the limit about three years ago. But I've told that story before, and maybe I'll tell it again some other time. I guess I never really had good luck with cars, from the day I got my permit until now. BCF PROMPT: "Are you a complainer or one of those people who doesn't let anyone know you're annoyed?" It could easily be said, and I'm sure many will agree, that people can be both depending on a given situation. I am no different. But I will say that if there were a middle ground in-between both areas, I have a hard time finding it. Looking back in the annals of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" , before the current crop of leaders emerged, there was a bit of a leadership crisis. There clearly were two divided camps: those who didn't give a shit, and those who knew something was totally amiss at the top. Sister Mary Margaret was attempting to wrestle her way into control (that's saying it nicely), leaders were wilting under her pressure, the prompts got screwier and crazier, a rebellion of sorts was staged, and Sister Mary Margaret "stepped away' (again, putting it nicely) from the challenge, after outing several of us as "Complaining Males" (note the capitalization and sexism). And I make no bones about the fact that I am a known complainer. I speak up when fairness is no longer considered tolerable. I can be outspoken when integrity in many circumstances becomes compromised. And when someone's straight actin' a fool, I'mma call their ass out on the carpet and find out what's up. But there's another side of me that all too often prevails. I prefer being non-confrontational. I would rather talk things out and be rational. But I know there's a place and a time for things, and there are certain ways to go about certain feelings and behaviors. I realize that sometimes things don't always work out a certain way, and you don't always get the opportunity to have your complete say. What I'm saying is...sometimes I sit on my feelings for too long. And yeah, I know that's not always healthy or the best answer. What happens then is that they bottle up. And I may leak these emotions here and there, or confide minor details, but in this day and age you have to be careful who (if anyone) you trust. Information spreads at such a fast pace that you can't possibly know who knows what until everyone knows and it's too late to do anything about it. That's why it's important to act in such a way that it doesn't matter what people say about you, because no matter what, people are always looking for ways to bring others down and as long as you've got a clean conscience, the damage can be minimized. Back to my point about bottling things up inside...again, it's not healthy. But who do you fear more? The guy who gets angry over every little stupid thing, or the guy who really loses his shit once every blue freakin' moon? The guy who gets mad at everything just becomes wallpaper...his song-and-dance gets old and it becomes expected, and it's over almost as soon as it erupts. But the guy who only gets mad at the rarest of rare hat-drops...that's the guy you have to watch out for. You've stirred the savage beast, and there's a good chance that wrath is well-deserved. Everything else has rolled off his back for so long because it wasn't as important. And that's all the proof you'll ever need. Make no mistake about it. MUSICAL BREAK!!  I've owned several cars in my life, and having once worked in consumer electronics (and being a music nerd), I've owned many car stereo systems. CD players, CD changers, even a Sony Mini-Disc in-dash receiver (it was suh-weeeeet). Every time I put a new deck or speakers in the whip (I recommend Boston Acoustics http://www.bostonacoustics.com/US/Pages/Home.aspx), there was only one song I would use to adjust the bass, treble and faders. That one song could calibrate my entire music collection, and sometimes my mood as well.  THE DAILY BOX SCORE: 8: The number of cars I've owned in the last nineteen years.  I will admit to having one of those crown air fresheners in my first few vehicles, as tacky as they were. I've upgraded in my later cars to hanging a miniature disco ball from the rearview mirror. Anyone know how to turn hair into dreadlocks? I'm seriously Googling it now as I type this...it's open in another tab. http://www.dreadheadhq.com/how-to-make-dreadlocksThat's all for today folks. Gonna try to find somethin' I can peanut-butter-and-jelly up for dinner, maybe watch some movies, and hope Friday's a better day than today. Peace, anger is a gift, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
| 30DBC PROMPT: "There are many fragrances which transport us to different places. What are your "happy" or "frustrating" fragrances and what do they remind you of?" What's up folks? Seems like yesterday I was having problems editing the original entry I posted. I kept getting an error message saying after my edits were complete that they couldn't be saved because my blog is too big in terms of "k". Whatever "k" means in computer parlance. I figured I'd try one more time...but yeah, WDC wasn't havin' it. It's like trying to get a few more blocks out of a car when the engine keeps quitting. At some point you have to give in and get another one. Moving right along... Today in the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" the prompt is a bit of a twist on what we're normally fed. It's typically "scents" or "aromas", but today we're dealing with "fragrances". A subtle yet meaningful switcheroo. Well played, prompt-makers!The fragrances of certain foods always tends to have a calming effect on my senses. Like walking into a pizza place with a full wallet and an empty belly. I stroll into the place with a kind of swagger, like, "Daddy's home!" But I think this might've been taking the love a little too far: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/pizza-hut-perfume-us_n_2661170.html I can't say I've often been frustrated with a particular scent. Grossed out or nauseated, maybe. But frustrated? Or to smell a fragrance again in a way that reminds me of the initial frustration? I don't know. Let me think a sec. The scent of cold air can be frustrating I suppose, if you're a cold-weather hater like me. I don't mean "brrrrr, it's chilly, better grab a jacket" cold. I mean single-digit temperatures and "snot freezing to the inside of your nostrils" cold. The wind chill is enough to make your body numb but your body's too warm to let that happen, so there's this temperature purgatory going on at the point where your skin meets the air and it doesn't know if it should be making the air warmer or crisping in an icy shingle over your body. There are very few things in this world that can negatively alter a man's constitution in the morning, and one of them is inhaling wintry weather. But on the flip side, I enjoy a fragrant spring. Semi-damp air, fresh cut grass, and flowers in bloom are just some of the joys of sustained sunshine. The ease at which animals play and gather their needs. The way all the trashy folks gather and hoot and holler, and how their yellin' seems to carry for miles. The raw, hot tar being used to patch all the potholes and cracks in the road from another unfriendly winter. These sights, sounds and smells remind us of all the rebirth going on, premeditated by the springtime months. I barely have had enough time to fully enjoy it, as in a few days it will officially be summer, and before I know it we'll be changing the calendar over to September. I think my fingers threw up a little in their tiny mouths just typing "September". BCF PROMPT: "Write a review of your life — or the life of someone close to you — as if it were a movie or a book." And then for the "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" , there's this little gem of a prompt. I'm not sure what qualifies me as being the kind of person who can write a review of anything as if it were a movie or a book, or about anyone for that matter. My own life, while it may seem interesting to maybe a couple people, is actually pretty boring to me. And it's not really fair for me to write a critique about anyone else. I don't even do very many reviews on WDC anymore. My stats show I've reviewed 173 items in nearly 12 years. Granted, that number's a little low due to people removing items or their own portfolios over the years, but I don't even remember the last time I gave a review...yet I'm going to attempt to write one now, for myself??  There's a long and dubious list in Hollywood. Movies like "Ishtar" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093278/?ref_=sr_1 and "Waterworld" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114898/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. All the expectations in the world, yet none seemingly have been lived up to. The colossal disappointments. And all of that lies solely and squarely on the man who tried to make magic out of malaise...the only person who would even attempt to write, direct, produce, edit, market, cast and star in such a one-man train wreck: me. The story starts out with lots of promise. Born 38 years ago and raised by single mother, there are more confusing twists and turns in the plot than a bag of Twizzlers in a blender. Part action movie, part comedy, part romance and part twisted fantasy, this movie fails because it can do many things aesthetically but none of them well. Not even close. By the movie's end the viewer is more lost than its subject matter...it seems inconceivable that a person would just pack up and leave the only place he's known for so long to become a nobody in a town full of them. I actually sat through the credits waiting like a fool for some bit of validation or tie-in after the final shot of him walking away down the street, but there wasn't even a gag reel...I guess there weren't any jokes left to throw away. The studio backing this production was relying on the sheer potential, and by putting all the eggs in one basket ensured themselves one shoddy omelet. I wouldn't have even bothered with a "straight to cable" release. I've seen better home movies shot by serial killers. Don't waste your time. Isn't Disney learning how to animate something that hasn't already been a cartoon? Luckily, it won't be this mess. (Rated: R for language, violence and partial nudity. Show times: 9:35pm, 11:55pm. Running length: 1hr, 15 minutes. Now playing at the Gary Coleman Theaters in Wopbopaloobobawopbam, BO.)  out of  Sorry...I'm not very good when it comes to fully trying to talk about myself. Telling stories about the past is one thing...writing a review about my life is totally different. Maybe it's because I've read more reviews than movies I've actually seen. I tend to relate too much to some characters, even if it's not a 100% fit. Sometimes all it takes is one little element to think we can and should and will be those made-up roles. But we're not, and I think a lot of people have a tendency to get sucked in by that feeling all too often. MUSICAL BREAK!!  We're gonna start of on a good foot of sorts here, with some old school beats.  THE DAILY BOX SCORE:  Entry #1 is just about down and in the books. Don't expect too many changes from my last blog. I'm still working with the same groups and all that. Still doing the same things that have made me happy when I'm writing. I'll still have to tweak a few things in the intro and add in all the blog links (I'd been meaning to update them anyway after May's 30DBC anyway). I can't thank enough all the many people over the last two-plus years that took the time to read, comment, award, and share in my experiences. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.46.34: Average number of views per entry in "Who Do I Think I Am??" Well, I'm gonna wrap it up there. This whole process of finding out the hard way that your blog no longer fits within certain parameters has been a little taxing, but I'm sure it'll all be worth it in no time. Peace, thanks for dropping in, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!  |
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Also, I learn a lot of my random facts by being that one person who reads all those tiny little things especially in nature/science museums. So many awesomely amazing things, and some museums contradict their information and I'll call over an expert and be like... uhhh, contradiction?? 