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Rated: 18+ · Book · Personal · #1939270
A third attempt at this blogging business.
WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus

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. *Wink*


A Paint reflection.


A fair warning.


 
FORUM
Blogging Bliss Newsletter Forum  (13+)
Discussion of ideas and suggestions about blogs and the Blogging Bliss newsletter
#1911857 by Wordsmitty ✍️


Thanks for stopping by and showing your support!
*Peace2* *Heart* *Delight*

THIS BLOG IS NOW CLOSED.
Continue along on my journey over at "Still Figurin' Out Who I Think I Am.
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March 2, 2014 at 11:26pm
March 2, 2014 at 11:26pm
#808770
30DBC PROMPT: "Provide your thoughts/opinions on a newspaper/magazine article or a radio/television news story from the past week."

Hey! Look at you! You're back again! I hope everyone's relaxed and rested from the festivities surrounding today's big event, "The Quills. A fine time that was...I'd like to take a moment to offer a final congratulatory salute to all of the nominees and winners, and a sincere thank you to Andrew for putting on a great show. I'm honored to have been able to take even the smallest part in it.

As for the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS, I love that we're trying something new this month. Instead of the "Sunday Review", we're doing what's always been one of my favorite prompts: picking a story from the headlines and writing about that. I'm excited that "The Sunday News" is gonna be a regular part of our 30-day blogging regimen.

To know me is to know I love hockey, and you might remember on Friday that I shared with you my disappointment that my hometown Buffalo Sabres traded away goalie Ryan Miller as part of their rebuilding effort. The article I'm gonna link in today's entry won't come as a surprise if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, because I thought enough of it to post it late that evening.

http://msn.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/buffalo-sabres-forced-to-use-video-scout-a...

Basically, it's a rule in the National Hockey League that each team dresses two goalies per game. Because the Miller trade happened so close to puck drop, there wasn't enough time to summon a proper backup goaltender from Rochester, where the Sabres' AHL affiliate is located. In a pinch, they dressed pretty much the warmest body they could find...a situation akin to the lead actor in a play coming down with an illness and the director combs the crowd before show time to offer an understudy role to someone who dabbled in the arts a little in the past.

It's a rare occurrence, to say the least, but it's not entirely without precedence. I'm shy on facts and I don't feel like doing a ton of research tonight, but I'm pretty positive this wasn't the first time a team has had to scramble at the last minute to dress a backup while hoping there's no need to call him into service. Still, it's a good story for your grandkids someday if you're that guy. Not many people can say they suited up for a professional sports team...he may not reel in any endorsement deals, but he probably won't have to pay for drinks anytime soon either. The two most popular sports figures in Buffalo are usually the backup goalie and the second-string quarterback...everybody loves them and thinks they can do a better job, until they're under game conditions and people are reminded why they've been on the bench.

BCF PROMPT: It's Sunday, so no "Blogging Circle of Friends prompt to contend with. However, I would like to thank the members that voted me "Blogger Of The Week" again (for the week of Feb. 16th-22nd). It's always special when your peers name you as one of their favorites...it never gets old. I'm very appreciative of the recognition, especially when considering the many talented bloggers there are on WDC...we make each other better, and it's hard to imagine what WDC would look like without this group.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

The WDC Soundtrackers.


I feel like the kid who shows up at a birthday party and gets a present even though it's not my birthday! Many thanks to lizco252 for the sig above...I can't wait to see what our Soundtracker activities will be! It's exciting, being a part of a new group...especially when it's something so great and personal like music.

As we get into another month of the 30DBC and after a great Quills ceremony, it's easy to lose focus on overall goals or get lost in moments of glory. Maintaining what you love in the big picture can be difficult at times, especially when accolades pile up. I'll take a step back for a second to enjoy the awardicons and MB's I was fortunate enough to receive this weekend...and then it's back to work. *Smile*



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

*Quill* Well, I promised I'd pull off my Quills presentation for Best Comedy without incident, and that nearly happened. As only my luck would have it, I lost my Wi-Fi connection in the middle of my spiel. Talk about embarrassing. And then I flubbed an author's title. Ouch. Of all the things that could've happened, how about picking the two worst, and then dealing with that? I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to be a presenter, and no offense to the prestigious Quills academy or to Sparky (who is very deserving of his Best Blog win), but if it's ok with y'all next year I'd prefer to be on the other side of the podium representing all the blogging greats of WDC by taking home a virtual trophy.

*Magnify* I have to thank House Florent is ready for a merit badge I never could've imagined myself getting in all of my years on WDC...the "Crime Gangster" MB. Lyn's become a great friend in the last year and is a valued member of the BCOF leadership team. It's been a blast getting to know her and having her as a sidekick during February's Blog Mob...I'd like to encourage you all, if you haven't already, to drop by her blog (" Black and White Secrets ) and say hey.

I think that about does it for me this evening...it's been an eventful weekend for sure, and now seems about as good a time as any to give myself a bit of a breather. We're barely into three days of March and I'm ready for a break! But as long as y'all keep readin' this, I'll keep writin' it. Peace, the sun has gone down and the moon has come up, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

March 1, 2014 at 2:39pm
March 1, 2014 at 2:39pm
#808597
30DBC PROMPT: "Write for fifteen minutes using 'I used to think...' as your starter."

Hey everybody! Welcome back to another official month of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS! I'm Norb, as some of you may know, and for the next thirty days I plan on entertaining and engaging you with some truth, some laughs, some insight, and good times...not all at once, and not necessarily in that order. There's some familiar faces, and some who are here for the first time. To all the competitors, have a great month...I wish you all the best. Now, onto today's prompt...it's 11:25am (my time, and maybe yours as well), so off we go.

I used to think...

(Wordsmitty ✍️ is right..."used to"? I'm still thinking...)

*Bullet* I'd live forever. Now I'm trying to condense forever into an unknown span of time without a set expiration point. As Eddie Vedder sang in Pearl Jam's "Light Years": "No turn to be void or save up on life...oh, ya gotta spend it all". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzc0P1anFYI

*Bullet* I'd either be dead or married by age 23. I've encountered neither, which presents its own dilemmas nearly 16 years later.

*Bullet* Everything would stay great once I settled down and life became routine. And as much as I love that static and simplicity, nothing ever stays the same. It bores me, and I find ways (whether I realize it at the time or not) to do things the hard way differently.

*Bullet* Writing was the easiest thing in the world...but with that ease came good things and the want for more and better. More and better turned into perfecting. And it's very hard trying to write the perfect blog entry or poem, no matter how many times you've been told any variation of "it's good, I like it".

*Bullet* A lot. But thinking tends to complicate life, and it's more exciting to live with no expectations or directions...although the cleanup afterwards can be a little inconvenient.

Pencils down, players. It's 11:39am, and I'm cool with what I got so far. Nobody wins a 30DBC on the first day, but I'm not here for your heads or your trophies...just a little respect. That said, I'd like to issue a little "challenge within the challenge". It won't cost you anything, and there's no incentive or prize for doing it, but take a few minutes and get to know some of the people who are runnin' with you in this month's 30DBC, and give their blog a review. Read a few entries and tell them what you think. Do the whole "public review" thing, if you'd like. You never know...it could make someone's day just to hear a few kind words.

BCF PROMPT: "National Compliment Day: What's the best compliment anyone has ever paid you?"

It's well documented between courts of law and public opinion, Facebook, Twitter, and this hunk of internet meatloaf that I am a man of many flaws. However, it is my belief that a person should not be judged by them...one of the many keys to understanding an individual is how he turns his weaknesses and misgivings into strengths. That's not some "self help" mumbo-jumbo. That's how people get by and get over.

What I can admit is that I have a huge problem when it comes to taking compliments. I'm still workin' on it, but like Slug raps in Felt's "Marvin Gaye"..."It's my song but I'm still tryin' to learn the words" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkyBavydyss). Maybe it's the self esteem issues I've had since I was a kid that I still struggle with trying to shake, or broken components of trust that get knocked over when I build them back up. I don't know. As much as I write and love to do it for its therapeutic value, now's not the time for public self-analysis. I'm normally even-keeled in pretty much every situation on the outside (almost to a fault) and I've mastered the exterior view by blushing uncontrollably while I look at my feet as they kick gently and shuffle. And I might even know/understand what you're saying, but it doesn't make sense. I can hear it, and I love it because you took the time to point it out, but it still seems like a foreign concept to me. So forgive me if I ever respond to something nice you or someone like you says about me in way you can't comprehend...it's just my way of sharing the confusion.

Anyway, I need to reel this back in so I can get to the point of the prompt. I know the weirdest compliment I ever got was when I was around 18 or 19, and a woman a few years older (not much, but enough) told me I had nice lips. That she said it at all was embarrassing enough; but hearing that amongst a group of friends made it all the more awkward. I think I would've rather heard her call me plain, or even ugly, as I was more used to that and comfortable with knowing that my looks aren't for everyone. I've always been a basket case textbook case of "what's on the inside counts just as much as the outside".

I don't file away compliments much, as if to pull them out at a later date to reassure myself of anything...life is always building and growing, and it's my opinion that nice words and actions water the personal plant. I honestly don't know that I can recall the "best compliment" I've ever been given, but I can postulate some of the most recent ones that stick out in my head. They were from blainecindy and House Florent is ready in regards to blogging, my blog, things I've written, and such. I don't have a lot of things in this world, but I'll always have my name and my words...and I'm humbled to have been praised for them. It means a lot to this kid from Buffalo who's been through a lot the last few years to know he's got some supporters and some talented, enthusiastic people on his side. I tip my cap in acknowledgement of the words spoken about me in sincere appreciation. I hope I can continue doing what I do enough to bring you back to this meeting place with common ground of sorts...that alone is all the joy one needs.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

I've been thinking about "compliments" as a general term when it came time to provide some musical accompaniment to today's entry, and the first phrase that came to mind (no offense to anyone...but my blog header insists that you've been warned) is "Maybe a prostitute could teach you how to take a compliment". I'm probably gonna reference "The Soundtrack of Your Life more than a few times in the coming weeks because of all the music that couldn't fit into a twenty-eight day residency among the varied and amazing. This poetry (lyrics: http://www.thehip.com/albums/index.html?CheckIT=6_62&SongID=62&AlbumID=6&LyricID...) is just sub-text to everything I've ever done or tried to do, and deserves a place in my lore.



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

Once: I know I've seen that 30DBC prompt before...it's only rational that when you undertake so many of these challenges, you'll have come across repeated queries. It's ok; I'm alright with that, if you're alright with me hitting you with "This one's about thinking, kinda.. Take your time and enjoy that, denizens of the 30DBC. Nerd up a little on your history of a two-time winner. I've got a ways to go to catch up now with this crowd if I'm ever to maintain any WDC cred.

*Sleep* And don't think I'll be sleepin' on your entries...I read pretty much all of them. I like to know who's up to what so I can maintain some positivity when I can.

*Plane* I have to wish a very special happy birthday to my best friend growing up...I think about you and your amazing family a lot, and I'm proud to have known you and all that you've done and meant to me, our friends, and how our lives intertwined so many years ago. I owe you so much gratitude, and I am humbled by you and all that you've done and become. You're a brother to me, whether you know it or not. I love you, and thank you. Also, I'm really, really sorry about that time I nearly ripped your Nintendo out of the wall when I thought I won but didn't in Super Tecmo Bowl by dancing, tripping over the controller wire, and then throwing a hissy-fit. You were so right in asking me to leave.

*Twitter* I'll probably go back to tweeting my entries...I got away from that in February because I was starting to feel a little worn out from blogging daily and trying to put up with myself (no easy feat). If you follow @Fivesixer I'll follow you back...it's an easy equation.

And that's it. Time to post this and be done with March day number one. Peace, no one drags me anywhere, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

February 28, 2014 at 10:09pm
February 28, 2014 at 10:09pm
#808538
MOB-RELATED ACTIVITY:

February 2014 Blog Mob - Join or ...


'Sup y'all? It's an all-around unfun day, as last days of anything typically are...but there's some added weight to the package this evening. I'll spare you all the mushy sportstalk crap for a few paragraphs right now, and I promise I won't get too emotional.

The end of February typically tends to sneak up on me way too fast...probably because it's the shortest month of the year or something. Besides the crappy weather though, I kinda don't wanna let this month go. Between the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS's Blog Mob and "The Soundtrack of Your Life, it's been one of the most fun months I've had putting together blog entries (that weren't for official 30DBC months) in quite awhile. I knew I'd enjoy both activities, but I didn't realize just how much...tomorrow I'll go back to what feels almost like my normal habitat, but with a little bit more experience and a better sense of purpose when I'm typing away.

And give it up for everyone in the Blog Mob one last time...too many to name but I'm gonna try it anyway: A*Monaing*Faith , Elle - on hiatus , pinkbarbie, Sparky , Prosperous Snow Valentine , ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy , House Florent is ready , blainecindy, ElaineElaine , Wordsmitty ✍️ , and Emily . I think we did our bOSS (with an uncapital B) Brother Nature proud by keeping things goin' all month long. It's been great runnin' with you guys whenever we've had the chance to cross paths, and hopefully I'll see some of you again in March.

Andre The Blog Monkey should be on his way back to Canada...safe travels, safe return. *Wink*

BCF PROMPT: "What is the most fun thing you have done this week?"

It hasn't been all that fun of a week. I mean, I've had worse (and so have others), but this one's been pretty lousy. At least today I didn't go anywhere that held the potential to screw me, so that's good. And outside of bustin' out these words, I've been trying to keep a low profile. Like I said up above, the month itself was pretty fun, so I'll stick with that as my stock answer and hope that March is even better (which, really, if I can make it past the first week I should hopefully be in pretty good shape).

I don't have much more to add, unfortunately. I guess it's just been that kind of week.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

** Image ID #1970900 Unavailable **


Wow...for the last time, the Soundtrackers' logo will grace this parcel of internet property. I'm sure some of you know this, and most of you don't, but I'm kinda picky about WDC things I associate with. It's not often that I'll see something and immediately go "Count me in!!", but for me this was an instant no-brainer. And it's been rewarding because not only have I gotten to talk about some of my favorite music, but I've been able to learn about others and share in some good experiences as well. This has been nothing short of tremendous.

I'll wrap up this month with what I'd consider to be my "concert closer", if you will. Back in the day, I loved going to karaoke with friends...and one bar in particular would have karaoke seven nights a week. We became friends with the DJ's and bartenders, and on any given night you'd almost assuredly run into at least a couple members of our extended group there.

Occasionally, I'd go there for the sole purpose of saying hi, staying for a drink or two, maybe grab the mic for a song, and leave. And some nights, we'd end up closin' the joint (or keepin' it open long after everyone else left). There would be times where it'd be no big deal for me to drop a $20 in the tip jar, give the DJ a list of five songs, sing 'til your eardrums bled, and head home shamelessly. I am certainly not the most talented singer, but who cares? It's all about havin' fun.

Anyway, this song..."Don't Look Back In Anger" by Oasis (album: [What's The Story] Morning Glory? {link:http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Story-Morning-Glory/dp/B001MV49HG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393636858&sr=8-1&keywords=oasis+what%27s+the+story+morning+glory}; lyrics: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/13120/) for me was the bar-closer, or at least the night-ender. When it came time to break this song out of my repertoire, my pipes were sufficiently lubricated and it was the best way of saying goodbye regardless of the night's circumstances. Sometimes it's easy to remember better the things that go wrong or unfavorably, and I'm just as guilty of that as anyone, but it's also important to be able to see through that and think about the good times as well. Even when everything falls apart, at some point (even if it's years and years later) you can reminisce about those moments and realize that maybe they needed to happen in order for you to get to where you are today. While it might be a necessary part in accepting and growing as a person for any given amount of time, it's not totally healthy to carry around certain feelings forever.

Now I'm just rambling. Farewell Soundtrackers...tip your DJ's and waitresses, and drive safe.



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

*Tv* If you haven't seen this yet WDC Soundtrackers, and you want to continue on blogging in a similar vein, I suggest you check out "Blog Harbor from The Talent Pond hosted by Jeff over at "Blog Harbor from The Talent Pond. Personally, I don't think I've watched enough movies or tv to sustain a month's worth of entries, but this should be every bit as enjoyable as "The Soundtrack of Your Life was if you enjoy cinematic adventures as much as I love music.

*Beach* Coincidently, I kinda planned last night what song I would choose for today...and then I came across this link from Britain's NME: http://www.nme.com/photos/liam-gallaghers-75-most-hilarious-one-liners/149335/1/... (Spoiler Alert: It's not even close to 75). And that led to... http://www.nme.com/photos/noel-gallaghers-50-funniest-quotes/161736/1/1 (also not even close). My favorite? Noel Gallagher on his brother, Liam: “He’s rude, arrogant, intimidating and lazy. He’s the angriest man you’ll ever meet. He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup.” *Laugh*

*Vinylb* In Your Dirtiest Pants tagged me in a post this afternoon which I thought was pretty interesting, so I'm gonna share my response/Facebook post here as well. As she said, "these lists are too short"...so very true. This isn't my definitive list, and I think if you asked me this 365 days a year you'd get 365 different lists. It's also not in any particular order...literally it's the first 12 albums I could think of that had a significant impact on me.

An impromptu list.


*Drbag* Finally got my orthopedic appointment rescheduled, which will make next week interesting with a total of three appointments all over the freakin' place. And I got the results back from my blood work from last week...anyone else find it annoying when doctors (or nurses) are all like "Everything looks great! But..." and then they hit you with something that's not great? It's like some kind of psychological mind game they're trained to play; like it's a clinical they take in nursing school. "This patient is about to hear from your face that he's got a very serious, very grave medical condition. I want you to break the news to him as if he's seven years old and is about to go to an amusement park." I swear, that's how they operate (poor word choice) do things here. It sounds like I passed my blood tests with flying colors, and by "flying colors" I mean "add unhealthy bad lipid numbers to the growing list of things that are wrong with me, and why don't I tack on another prescription to my pharmaceutical cocktail as well". Awesome. First it's "well, it's probably arthritis" and "you need to cut back on the sodium", then it's "there's too many things wrong with you for us to try and help you today", and today I get the "your bad cholesterol is bad" talk. At least they called me to tell me that, and didn't try to actually send me a letter addressed to "Fatty" with a "Say No To Food" postmark. *Rolleyes*

*Hockey* Finally, we're at the really hard part of this entry. Longtime readers will know that I regard the NHL's trade deadline as one of my most favorite days of the year. I mark it on my calendar, I usually take the day off and clear my schedule, and I set up my own little "war room" where I can follow every single snippet of action, every rumor, and take in every piece of information I can find. I'm like a kid on Christmas morning when it's "Deadline Day". I knew this year would be bittersweet, because my Sabres suck and two of their (arguably) best players will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, meaning they can sign anywhere and the Sabres would get nothing for them. Unfortunately, that made them tradable assets before the March 5th deadline...and that's what happened. It's hard to draft and develop franchise players in any sport, and it's definitely a little heartbreaking when they leave, but it's part of the ugly business side of a kids' game. I think the only thing that surprises me the most (besides the haul the Sabres got) was that this deal happened so early (relative to the actual deadline day). It's also concrete, tangible proof that your favorite hockey team is also the worst team in the league and just managed (in the short term at least) to get even worse...but I guess ya gotta start somewhere if you're gonna rebuild and do it right. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=444922 So good luck, Millsie and Otter...you've served the blue and gold well, and you've done us fans proud. Plus, it's finally lookin' like I'll get a small return on the investment I made several years ago, when I bought a St. Louis Blues jersey right after Wayne Gretzky was traded there. *Laugh*

Put it in the books y'all...another month down in 2014. Thanks for playin'. We've already gotten the "Welcome to the 30DBC" email (with the first prompt) for March, and there's still plenty of time to join as either a competitor or a judge...just hit up the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS forum for all the info you'll need. With that, I'm takin' the rest of February off. Peace, I heard you say, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

February 27, 2014 at 11:03pm
February 27, 2014 at 11:03pm
#808451
MOB-RELATED ACTIVITY:

February 2014 Blog Mob - Join or ...


Well then...good evening readers! With a day left to spare, our bOSS (with an uncapital B), Brother Nature , has emerged from his reclusive cocoon to drop a quick message of praise on his faithful. Nice to hear from him today. One more day left of Mob business before the next official round of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS starts on March 1st...hope to see you all there. I'm still trying to think of some prompts to contribute to the ol' War Chest.

And since it's not even 9pm (my time, not necessarily yours) and I'm already yawning, I'm gonna try to keep this short. You don't wanna know what happens when I start to doze off in front of my laptop (but if you're patient and read this through you might find out *Wink*).

BCF PROMPT: "What is the kindest thing someone has done to you this week?"

How do you know that your week has pretty much been a garbage fire so far? When the best example you can give relating to kindness is finally getting a call back from a doctor's office after you've placed three over the course of five hours. On one of those calls, I was transferred to another line...it would've been nice to at least get kicked over after 8 or 30 rings to a voicemail system, but no. Just kept ringin'. I was tempted to hang on to see just how long it might take them to answer, but even I know better than that.

Of course, with every triumph comes the eventual let-down...when I finally got an answer from my primary care provider as to why I wasn't seen by the orthopedic specialist yesterday, the ortho office was already closed for the day. Which means I get to call them tomorrow for an appointment hopefully next week. But that's not what this is about.

I'm really trying to think of something, honestly. The pretty/pregnant/pretty pregnant secretary yesterday was very kind to me, calling me "honey" about 18 times in the course of three minutes, and that didn't annoy me the same way it would, say, if she were a 57-year-old dude that has a problem with us kids playin' on the lawn or something'. I think she, along with my landlord, are among the only people I haven't lost my shit with or at least kinda wanted to this week (although it is only Thursday). Big-ups to Brooklyn for them.

I wonder if that means I've officially crossed over into grumpy middle-aged man territory? What's "middle-aged" technically going for these days, anyway? I mean, assuming I die around the age of 78 (give or take), wouldn't that put me somewhere in the middle of my life right now? I have no idea. In some cultures humans weren't expected to live even this long, so I guess I've got that goin' for me.

I try to be kind as much as possible, believe it or what have you. But sometimes you need to piss people off just enough to light a fire under them in order to get things accomplished, or get your point across. Lord knows I've done enough things in life unknowingly that have angered or frustrated people and needed my ass kicked a bit before things were eventually made right. And some things...you just don't screw around with. I've learned over the years how to do without a lot of things, but when my personal living situation is tied in with my health, and my future, I prefer not to be toyed with. But the other 99.643% of the time, catch me in a halfway decent mood and I'll shower you with all the kindness you deserve. It's a simple thing, actually.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

** Image ID #1970900 Unavailable **


One more day left after today in "The Soundtrack of Your Life. I'm gonna miss it, actually. It's brought back some good memories, and some not-so-good-but-necessary ones as well. Plus it's been nice reading other people's takes on songs I'm already familiar with and enjoy, while also being turned on to some different music I might not have checked out in the first place. Excellent idea, lizco252!!

If you held a gun to my head and said "Name a line or two of any song that you think sums you up the best", I think nine out of ten times I'd probably say "My life has been extraordinary, blessed and cursed and won." There are a great many songs I feel like I can relate to on some level, but that line is a near-perfect summation of my history so far. It's as close to an all-encompassing biographical sketch one set of lyrics can get to me.

The song itself is "Muzzle" (lyrics: http://rock.rapgenius.com/Smashing-pumpkins-muzzle-lyrics) by The Smashing Pumpkins (album: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness {link:http://www.amazon.com/Mellon-Collie-Infinite-Sadness-2012/dp/B00AEVQZWC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393554410&sr=8-1&keywords=smashing+pumpkins+mellon+collie+and+the+infinite+sadness}). Like so many of you, I've been on a pretty incredible journey so far, even if it's not what I'd hoped for or want right now. I've been able to enjoy great highs, and I've seen my fair share of lows. My story's still being written though, and just to be able to say I've made it this far is pretty amazing. It's not gonna be a book or a movie anytime soon, and it may not always be interesting, but this life is mine and I'm doing the best I can with it, even if that means not always being perfect, following along with the crowd, or making others happy all the time.

Twenty-eight songs in the same amount of days is roughly two cd's worth of music, if you think about it. "Muzzle" would probably be somewhere near the end of disc one if I were ever inclined to give this collection away to someone that wanted to know a little bit about me; on the other hand, 28 songs doesn't seem like nearly enough...I'm already thinking about bands and artists that won't make my list this month. There isn't a whole lot of rhyme and reason that goes into a list like this for me (kinda like a lot of things I do) beyond the mood I'm in and whether or not any particular memories have shaken themselves loose throughout the day. This is a song that isn't pegged to a specific point for me so much as I feel very connected to the lyrics, to an extent where no matter what mood I'm in, I feel evenly related to it (unlike some songs, where being in certain moods can elevate or distance you).



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

*Eat* It pains me to have to remind myself this, but I have to share this if only for that purpose: I shouldn't be allowed near anything once I've taken any kind of prescription medication and declared my day over with. Example no. 1: I woke up this morning with peanut butter kinda pretty much all over the place, and I had to think about how it got there. On a plastic knife next to my garbage can, on my laptop, and my hands...rub a tiny amount of peanut butter on your palm and let it dry...that's how my hand felt when I woke up. Took me a minute to realize I'd fixed me a little snack before going to bed, and I vaguely remember having a bit of a difficult time with it. I swear, I had a better memory on nights I've polished off nearly a bottle of whiskey, but I'm strugglin' when I wake up and there's peanut butter on my laptop. What the hell is wrong with me? *Rolleyes*

*Buttonplay* Speaking of my laptop, example no. 2: I usually will leave a few tabs open when I close up my laptop for the night (assuming I don't shut it down). I like being able to sort of pick up where I left off the night before...although lately I've been falling asleep while catching up on Tonight Show episodes on Hulu. Anyway, last night after reading "Feb. 26 Villian, Song, and Missing Mob day 2 from House Florent is ready , I decided to check some of the personalized settings on my computer. I knew my display wasn't as bright as it used to be, and for some reason my desktop image had gone totally MIA, plus I wanted to update a few other things. I'm glad I remembered I did all that this morning, and had there not been peanut butter all over the place I might've seriously wondered why my lock screen has a picture of Samuel L. Jackson and could've been freaked out. But there was some crazy looped melody playing when I opened up my laptop, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. It literally sounded like 8- or 16-bit Nintendo game opening credit music, and I had no idea which tab of the seven or eight I had open it was coming from, or if it was even from an open tab. And like I do almost every morning, I close Hulu because I don't want to waste an entire day watching tv shows...just like that, the weird music went away. I've never heard Hulu make a noise other than whatever program I was watching, so it kinda startled me in a different way when it stopped. The whole thing made me chuckle though when I saw this: Linked 'Note' no longer available....because that in essence (with lesser tabs) was my morning.

*Mugbr* Ok, I promise...I won't mention "This one's about the bold choice. anymore after today, as long as Diet Coke quietly goes away. http://jezebel.com/diet-coke-addicts-beware-diet-coke-frost-is-coming-fo-1532694...

Well, I think I'm done here. I didn't really answer any prompts or talk about a song as much as I spoke about myself, but that happens. Time to move along with the rest of my night and start thinkin' about how I'm gonna occupy myself in those tense moments between taking my meds and actually sleepin'. Peace, the echo that is love, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

February 26, 2014 at 10:59pm
February 26, 2014 at 10:59pm
#808316
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Good evening folks...another day's in the past, and I had every intent of waking up this morning with a better attitude and a positive outlook. Follow along as we see how stupid things happen to somewhat intelligent people.

But first, a word from...nope, never mind. I'm pretty sure Brother Nature 's face will be turning up on milk cartons pretty soon. Do they still do that? Putting profiles of the missing on milk cartons? Does milk even come in cartons anymore? I haven't a clue. I can't drink the stuff so I hardly ever buy it. Anyway, it's good to see that Andre The Blog Monkey may have been located, perhaps somewhere in New Zealand (although I can't speak with any certainty that he's actually made it there yet). At least we have more of an idea where a fictional monkey is; the same can't be said for his human creator. If you see Joel, tell him The Mob is lookin' for him. You don't have to say why, and he has nothing to explain. Maybe we should be putting out a ransom for him instead of the monkey. *Laugh*

BCF PROMPT: "Who is your favorite villain?"

Good question, "Blogging Circle of Friends . Off the top of my head, I'm not sure...in books, movies, or television? Does it matter? After all, it's my blog and my home court advantage, right? Ok, I'm stalling.

It's hard to like villains. Stereotypically speaking, they're evil, rotten, scandalous, cowardly in the face of superior efforts of resistance, and probably smell funny too. And usually we can figure out how a story's gonna end, as one of the basic plots in anything is "Good Versus Evil", and while the "good guys" themselves may not always win in the end, certainly their spirit triumphs over all.

When looking at it that way, it feels like picking a favorite villain is akin to picking a disease you'd prefer to die from. And I don't wanna die, or hafta make that choice, fictionally or otherwise. It almost seems easier to spout off the ones I hate the most, in order from real-life soul-robbers to comical, bumbling bad guys. Yet that isn't gonna make this prompt any easier in that context, and yes, I'm still stalling (with the hope that one will magically come to mind...and it's not working).

I don't even have a personal arch-rival. Man, if I did this prompt would be hella easier right now. Of all the times I could've foiled someone's plans to take over the world, this moment would be ideal from a blogging standpoint. In fact, I don't think I was ever popular enough at any point in my life for a long enough duration that another person felt like they had to take me out in order to gain some kind of personal, emotional or spiritual victory. Sure, I've been sabotaged before, but over dumb shit and trivial matters. Not the kind of power-transferring idealism like a coup d'ètat or anything...probably something more like being put in my place for a good reason, if anything.

Yup, still stalling.

And I'm glad I did, because drawing attention to a potentially dangerous situation may be saving a life, praise Jeebus and the internets. I have live-action animated footage of what appears to be the onset of a hostage situation involving House Florent is ready and the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS Blog Mob bOSS (with an uncapital B), Brother Nature . It seems as though they were playing a friendly video game together when Joel made a crack about Team Canada winning the Olympic gold medal in hockey (pick a gender) and Lyn might have reacted a little on the unfavorable side...until a door popped open (it's still unknown if that door was on Canadian or US soil). Details are still unfolding, but as writers we're taught somewhere (I don't know exactly where) that there should be an antagonist for every protagonist, or something, and someone in this situation is clearly a villain to someone else's innocent victim. There's also, in this instance, a random bystander who just so happened to be present at the scene. Is this...a Blog Mob cliffhanger? Cue up "whodunnit" music...dun-dun-dunnnn.

** Image ID #1979158 Unavailable **


MUSICAL BREAK!!

** Image ID #1970900 Unavailable **


Today's song for "The Soundtrack of Your Life is "Freakish" (album: Stay What You Are {link:http://www.amazon.com/Stay-What-You-Are-Saves/dp/B00005M977/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393466896&sr=8-1&keywords=saves+the+day+stay+what+you+are}; lyrics: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/32587/) by Saves The Day, and yes, I'm fully aware that this song shows off my emo sensitivities. It's totally a "poor sad boy hearts a girl who fails to acknowledge his existence" and blah blah blah. And it's a load of crap until you've been there (and remember, the first step is admitting it *Wink*).

"Freakish" was my introduction to Saves The Day, fueled in part by many a drunken night at 542 when DMFM would hop on my laptop (or worse, my roommate's desktop) and start downloading things off the top of his head or buying boatloads of cds cheap from http://www.half.ebay.com/. Somehow I ended up with this cd, and I couldn't stop listening to it. That feeling of having unrequited love for someone who doesn't even know you exist (yet you know too much about *Rolleyes*) can play out like a common theme to many people (men and women alike), but there aren't many songs that make it sound so beautiful and almost uplifting. The chorus is practically a shoegazer anthem of sorts, "Well here I am, don't know how to say this...only thing I know is awkward silence" which cuts in between lyrics that are equal parts longing and wishful thinking, punctuated at the end by "Don't count me out"...almost assuring the singer he'll give himself a chance to win someone's affection before allowing them the opportunity to continue ignoring him.

I've sung this song so many times in the shower, simultaneously kicking myself over chances I failed to take. I know, I know, it's my own fault and all, and the Wayne Gretzky quote goes "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" or something like that. For whatever combination of reasons, I have a hard time getting myself to take calculated risks, and I probably have spent too much time making awkward smiles at women and having pointless conversations hoping it'll lead to something else. I don't know which end of the 2x4 I need to be hit with sometimes...the one that reads "Take that chance!" or the other side that says "This woman will go out for coffee with you if you take your nuts outta your throat and just ask!!" Sounds like the same thing, but it's not. Anyway, listen to a gorgeous song while watching a video of pseudo-muppets in a bar, dancing, smoking cigarettes and having a few drinks while gettin' with the ladies.



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

*Drbag* If you thought I was upset or angry yesterday, today's not much better. I woke up and called Social Services to straighten out my exempt/non-exempt status, of which I was able to get a reasonable and favorable explanation regarding. +1 for that. Then I went to my new orthopedic doctor's office...turns out it's basically the same practice that I went to last year, only they moved closer to my house and my doctor left and went out of state. No biggie. I got there early, filled out some paperwork, and waited. [Sidenote: the only person missing was the cute nurse I always had...the one I could never figure out if she was pregnant or just gaining weight until one appointment when yup, she's pregnant. Even the very beautiful secretary was the same, although, like me, must've put on a couple pounds (she definitely wears it nicer than I do).] Finally I get called up by a nurse and taken to a room, and she asks me the standards, including "Why are you here today?" So I take my opportunity and tick off everything that's wrong with me...my ankles, hurts to stand, hurts to walk, it bothers my hips and my lower back" and she's just looking at me like I'm high. Finally she's like "Well, the doctor can only address one issue at a time, so what's the most painful, or most important?" I pull out the paperwork I have from the program that's supposed to help me get back into school, and explain that my primary physician wants to have my ankle reexamined to make sure that's not causing the problems with my hips, and I give her the forms I need filled out. She's under the assumption that I'm there because of problems with my hips. I don't know what to tell her because, well, I'm not a doctor. So finally she leaves, and I wait...I sat in the exam room for thirty minutes (I was watching the clock because it was better than medical pictured of torn knee ligaments and bursitis in the shoulder). Finally the doctor walks in and says he can't see me. Something about a mix-up- not sure if it's on their end or my PCP's end, but I should call my primary and find out what the problem is and then make another appointment. I pulled out my letter stating I had been referred to this particular physician, but I guess nowadays that and lower-body pain aren't enough to guarantee you're gonna be seen at all when you've got an appointment. And of course, by the time I got home, my PCP's office was closed for the day. Which means more phone calls tomorrow. I'm so frustrated that all I can do is laugh at this point, because there ain't a whole lot of other options (within the limits of the law). I'll never learn that shit just doesn't work out the way it's supposed to, no matter how hard I try to do the right things. [Sidenote: And yeah, don't ask me how I know this, but the beautiful secretary (who was way super nice/flirty with me when I went back to get the gloves I'd left behind)...preggers. Confirmed. *Facepalm*]

*Cellphone* Got a reply from my cellular provider regarding my debacle yesterday, and I don't even have the ambition for their bullshit this evening. "Thank you for your time, we value you, but you're doing it wrong" is all I see when I read and re-read their email. I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have to act like I'm trying to break into Fort Knox just to change my own fucking address, and now I'm gettin' all "up here" again when I need to be "down here" with this. What really bugs me about the response is that it's so impersonal...there's no contact person, no ownership, no "hey, we get that problem a lot, so we'll fix it". Nothing. It's basically a form letter, and the fun part is trying to figure out how their HTML code isn't being converted properly by Yahoo, because there's a few random question marks in their text. That's always a fun game. Ass-hats. I can't wait to be in a better position to drop this company altogether.

That's all for tonight everybody. Gonna try to read a little before I slip off into a medically-induced night's sleep. I keep tellin' myself I'll catch up on reading more blog entries in the morning, but that's not workin' out for me at all this week. Maybe tomorrow...maybe. 'Til then peace, don't shut me out, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

February 25, 2014 at 11:27pm
February 25, 2014 at 11:27pm
#808224
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Is this still a thing? *Confused*


BCF PROMPT: "In the story/movie Mary Poppins, Mary and Bert stepped into different paintings to explore. What famous painting would you step into and explore for fun?"

What's up y'all? I seriously thought about takin' the night off, because I'm frustrated. Nearly everywhere I've been today, in both a physical and a mental sense, has been met with some combination of sarcasm, futility, ineptitude, or just stupidity. I don't play well with a lot of that goin' around...but more on that later.

I have not seen Mary Poppins since I was a kid. For real. I remember some vague details, like she had an umbrella and she flew. Wasn't she like a nanny or housekeeper or babysitter or somethin'? And that song...not the one with all the consonants, or the one about chimneys, but the medicine one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrnoR9cBP3o. How am I just realizing now that it had nothing to do with medicine at all? Or maybe it does and I'm relying on three minute snippet of the movie to inform my ignorance. Whatever the case, I'm sorta on the minus side of the ledger already on this prompt, and that's before I even spit out...

...That I'm not really a big "art" person. I have very limited no knowledge of who made what, when, or which frame of mind they were in while doing so. I can appreciate it from a visual standpoint, and I can respect you if that's your thing, but for the purpose of this entry, I really don't know. Ask me about a 3-4 defense with a 2-deep look, and I'll tell you what a good play call would be based on the depth of the linebackers. But art? I'm lucky I know Art Garfunkel from Artisan bread.

So I think what I'm gonna do here is crack open iTunes and look at the albums I have uploaded right now, and kill two birds with one stone. Interesting cover art, and a song for "The Soundtrack of Your Life. Can it be done? Why not?

Cover of Pink Floyd's 1975 album.


Ok...after a quick scroll (and I mean quick), this is all I have the patience for tonight, but I'm gonna detour a bit when it comes to the song selection. The album shown is Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"...it just so happened to be the first thing that caught my eye and looks like you could have a little fun trying to dissect it (low standards and criteria tonight y'all). I'm not a diehard Floyd fan, but I do enjoy a lot of their music, and "Wish You Were Here" is definitely a favorite.

So it's two guys shaking hands...but OMG he's on fire!! Not much really to explore in a physical sense, other than please God somebody do something!! I'm sure much has been said about the metaphorical significance of for the love of God, humanity and puppies, no!! Perhaps it's good versus evil, or a symbolic shaking of hands with the devil, or oh my God he's gonna melt right into that suit!! It could be that they're agreeing to a business deal; maybe a drug deal destined to go wrong. They're in the middle of the street in broad daylight, and nobody's bothered to call 911?! You soulless bastards!!

Bad example, I get it. But I'm not in a mood to be fancy and creative tonight, so that's what you're getting from me.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

** Image ID #1970900 Unavailable **


Like many people who've come to enjoy this song, I've associated it with missing people, as well as a way of coping with loss. The particulars aren't necessary other than the obvious ones I just stated; details can often wind up taking on a life of their own sometimes.

I went through a gigantic Radiohead "phase", for lack of a better term. I would stay up late and patrol file-sharing websites for any and all live and/or unreleased songs, B-sides, videos, anything I could get my fingers on. I'd visit sites like http://www.greenplastic.com/ and http://www.ateaseweb.com/ before doing anything else online, just to see if there was any new Radiohead information I'd missed the previous day. I was a total fan-boy, making copies of cd's I'd burned for myself because "Hey, you should check this out". And then I'd found out that Thom Yorke did an insane cover of "Wish You Were Here", and it felt so much more haunted...ghostlier even. I kind of miss discovering new music in the pre-iTunes days, when you could just fire up Morpheus or Kazaa and take your chances on finding stuff like this.

Turns out it was a legitimate release...I found it many years later in a cut-out bin at a local grocery store, of all places. The album is "Essential Interpretations" (album: Essential Interpretations {link:http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Interpretations-Artists-Yesterdays-Classics/dp/B000BX99NU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393383915&sr=8-1&keywords=EMI+essential+interpretations}; lyrics: http://www.ateaseweb.com/songs/wishyouwerehere.php), which was basically a record company compilation of popular artists covering other artists on the same label. Probably good for business, I suppose. The song is actually credited to Sparklehorse (featuring Thom Yorke), with Yorke doing his vocal take over the phone from a hotel room.



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

*Tempcold* It's been cold and lousy out the last day or so...perfect time to run out of meds and be needing a script when you don't see that doctor for another week and a half. Thought I was doing the right thing by calling the doc's office Friday and leaving a message for the nurse practitioner, so she could have everything called in to my pharmacy and I could just pick everything up in a day or two. Called in the refills I still had on some other things, and Sunday went to pick everything up. Only, there was only one med. Figuring maybe there was a problem with my insurance (and knowing I still had a few Ambien left to get me through another couple of days), I held off until today. Called Kinney (my local drug store) and nope, they've got nothin' for me, and nothin' from the doctor. And that would be because...

*Drbag* ...The nurse said she was unable to have my scripts electronically sent over, which was fine, until she got really snotty with me and condescendingly said, "I tried to call you, but the you didn't answer and there was no voicemail." I asked her what number she had for me and she snapped, "I don't know, whatever you have on file here, some 716 number...you can pick your script up at the front desk." Determined not to make an issue out of it or let it ruin my day, I thanked her and got ready to pick it up before lunch. Kinda sad when the free lunch at some church for the less fortunate is the only thing that goes to plan during the day, and even then I managed to drop my donut frosted-side down on the table (and I rarely ever eat donuts, but the one time I do...*Angry*).

*Cellphone* At least that explains why my doctor's office never called last Thursday to remind me of my appointment on Friday...and they're usually really good about calling around the same time before every day I'm scheduled to go there. And since they're not getting my voicemail, now I'm wondering if there's something wrong with my phone...I can make calls, but I guess I'm not receiving any. Before I did anything, I went online to see if there was any sort of replacement I'd be able to get (cheap-ass phone, free service, out of warranty)...had to go through their verbal recertification first (that's one call), and I remembered I never updated my address when I moved out here, so I went back online to do that- only my address **is not valid. Huh?? So I call the number the website directs me to, and it's a total "Tell us what you need...here's our menu" kind of thing, which I absolutely can't stand. And of course, there's no option to either change my address or speak to a representative. So I called the other number listed online, for tech support (further proof that I can make calls), and they tell me to call the other number, and a bunch of other crap that I already did, and I wasn't pleased with the results, but they'll "like for you to take a survey today on your experience", and if you know me you know I hate surveys, so I thanked her for being no help at all, hung up, and tried again on the original line. Sure enough, thirty seconds into that experience my call-waiting is beeping because Yay! Survey! and no, I'm gonna wait and make sure this is taken care of. And I swear I got the exact same person on the phone after repeatedly pressing zero literally 15 times to bypass their "Tell Me How I Can Help You" with the "every option except the one I need" menu.

I need a break from this because I can feel my anger coming back to me at a level I haven't experienced in a long time.

So I tell this woman what I need- my address changed, in case I ever need to a new phone or what have you- and she proceeds to repeat pretty much everything I say and follow it up with another question that I can barely understand but answer anyway, and finally we get down to the most important stat of all; the crux of the matter, if you will...my address. Which I told her, much the same as I would tell a 97 year old who's very hard of hearing. I can feel my face rejecting the muscles my mouth is pulling by trying to spell the words I've said. I'm overcompensating because I know I mumble at times, but this woman isn't helping me help herself help me by botching everything I'm saying, which is furthering frustration at this point I've only brought upon myself for looking into a possible non-issue. Finally we get it right, she puts me on hold, comes back, and she's like, "Do you know a Mark? A Patrick?" I lost it. I blew up on her. I did the raised-octave "WHAAAAAAT?" before blasting her with "No, I have no idea who those people are and what does this have to do with me?!" Turns out these people have lived at some point in the same building I live in now ('cuz there's like 25 separate residences in my building) and they can't validate me or some stupid thing. But she'll "go ahead and notate my account that my new address is such-and-such", even though for all intents and purposes, my mailing address will remain unchanged. Cool, I was hoping that would happen. *Rolleyes* I would love for all my mail from this company to be sent three to four hours away to people I don't talk to anymore and really don't like (and I'm sure the feeling's mutual, but that's neither here nor there at the moment). Then, to top it off, she tells me I can look up my info online, because she can't email me a confirmation of any of our conversation (which was being recorded for quality control purposes). So I'd had it. I wasted over an hour of my day on this, and got absolutely nowhere, if not worse off than where I began.

After all this, I remembered I can receive calls, because my new orthopedic doctor's office called me yesterday and left me a voicemail to remind me of that appointment..

*Smartphone* So I exhaled a bit, and decided I'd do a little window shopping, knowing full well I can't afford a new phone right now anyway, but having worked in the industry before I like to at least know what's out there. I won't say where I looked because frankly, they don't need the business anyway and their website didn't exactly merit the promotion by not allowing me to compare the differences between certain models until I logged in with my site-specific user ID that is linked to my billing info. Hi, I'm not a member of your secret society, so I don't have a "user ID"...I'm just here to look around, thanks. Employing a similar type of button-mashing strategy that got me through on the phone earlier, I think I moused my way past whatever info they wanted from me and finally got to do what it was I set out to do...until a window came up that asked me if I'd like to take a survey to rate my experience on their website. Yes, a-flippin'-nother damn survey. I love how I'm asked for my opinion right after I've had a shitty experience, because I tend to fly off the handle when I'm asked how I really feel by a corporation I know damn well they don't give shit how I feel (in retrospect, the funniest part of the survey with my current phone company was that it was automated, and it kept going through even though my voicemail (surprise! I have voicemail!) had taken the call...yet I kept trying to answer the survey as if it were a live call, so pressing "1" for "very dissatisfied" was actually more like pressing "1" to replay the message, but I was too pissed off to care).

*Mail* And to top it off, I got a letter today from Social Services that stated two items of personal concern: 1) I am NON-EXEMPT from work-related activities; and 2) I am EXEMPT from work-related activities. *Confused* So which is it? Another effin' phone call I'm gonna have to make in the morning. *Rolleyes*

On a positive note, I at least have more Ambien, so I will sleep tonight and hopefully not stress out too much in the morning about seeing the new ortho in the afternoon. I'm also gonna cut this short here, right now, because I've about had it with today and it might be time to take said Ambien so I'm not sleeping all freaking morning (I get paranoid sometimes that I'll oversleep, even when I have no reason to wake up early). And I've vented enough for one day. Hopefully I'll have more fun things to share tomorrow...as for this moment though, it really is GOODNIGHT NOW!!
February 24, 2014 at 11:08pm
February 24, 2014 at 11:08pm
#808114
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What's up folks? I hope everyone's sufficiently recovered from last night's festivities or whatever it was you've been up to. I certainly have had no shortage of excitement here since "The PreQuill Gala (7th Annual Quills) wrapped up...my catching up now has catching up to do and my to do list has a to do list all its own.

I've lost track of Andre The Blog Monkey the last couple of days, which makes me no better than our bOSS (with an uncapital B), Brother Nature ...I thought I saw somewhere that Elle - on hiatus was gonna have him at some point this week, but since I can't remember where exactly I saw that, you didn't hear that from me. I don't like to tell secrets and stuff *Wink*, and I'm a day or two behind (which is almost an eternity to a monkey).

Anyway, good to see that slots are filling up for March's next official "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS...and if you're reading this and thinking about joining but aren't sure or have questions, feel free to ask (I should wear a button that says "Ask me!", but then I'd feel like the privilege was being abused and I'd wind up trying to stab someone with the little pin in the back). Seriously...you should probably enter any contest that gives me a third place prize. You have my endorsement.

BCF PROMPT: "Write about a noise — or even a silence — that won’t go away."

I had an answer for this earlier today, but I couldn't remember the prompt and I never wrote down what I was thinking (see CJ Reddick , this is why I take notes about this kind of stuff!).

The walls in my building aren't terribly thick, so occasionally I'll hear conversations between neighbors or the random disturbance, and sometimes on Saturday afternoons and evenings I can hear the music from the bar down below. But last week, I heard something that really started to grate on my nerves. I hesitate to call it noise, because as blainecindy will attest, piano playing is almost always a beautiful thing (and I mean strictly playing actual music, as opposed to someone like me who merely makes sounds on the ivories like it's raining bricks...I'm the reason most pianos, when not in use, have a little sign on them in fancy font that says (usually with the quotation marks left in for some kind of weird, misleading emphasis), "Please, Do Not Touch!" and the whole area is roped off like Prince is pretending it's a crime scene). And once I get irritated, I become fixated until I tire myself out.

It wasn't that my neighbor was playing loud, or that he was playing poorly (and I won't even go into the thought that anyone in this building has any sort of musical inclination or ability because it's just so unlikely). No...it was the same damn piece of music for at least two hours. Two hours!! I know at one point I audibly swore to myself something like "Please God make it stop!". But it did not stop. I knew it wasn't a cd or mp3 (or heaven forbid, a cassette) playing on repeat, because of the variances; it legitimately sounded like someone with at least some kind of musical background learning and practicing a new song. Over. And over. And over.

And what was this song? "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OPc7MRm4Y8), with piano parts replacing the lead saxophone. Certainly a tolerable song, and I enjoyed the cartoons as a kid more than the movies, but try putting that YouTube clip on repeat for two hours...you'll be reaching for your Ambien and other sleep aids a little earlier than usual as well.

Which leads me to the one downfall I have about living in this town, and it's more a personality flaw on my end than anything...I don't feel comfortable enough knocking on my neighbor's door and asking him to turn the volume down whatever he's doing. Partly because I really don't care about these people more than I'm that bothered by what they do. 99.368% of the time they leave me alone, and I leave them alone, and the world spins another day. In fact, I think I've only seen that guy once or twice, and he certainly doesn't look like the jazz piano type, but what do I know these days? I'd just rather not get involved with some of these people and their drama...I hear enough in the ambient noise from the limited interactions I do allow myself with the general public out here to know that I've heard too much already.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

** Image ID #1970900 Unavailable **


I kind of drew a blank on today, believe it or not. I have a few songs in mind but I wasn't really in the mood to share them just yet. Not sure what made me think of this, but The Muppets...I loved watching them when I was a kid! The "variety show" aspect, plus puppetry mixed with live actors and singers...crazy and fun and it never gets old. While I was laid up over the spring/summer after my accident last year, I was pretty geeked to discover my local library had the entire first season of The Muppet Show on dvd, and I spent the better part of two weeks watching it repeatedly. I have no problem admitting that, and I even learned a few things as well...neither of which will surprise you once you've read "This one's about sex, violence, and forever..

But for my part in "The Soundtrack of Your Life, I'm sharing the second-coolest all-time favorite Muppet song ever (nothing tops the strange awesomeness of "Mahna Mahna" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_tupPBtWQ or Cake's incredible instrumental cover of it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_1HobDmuPg). "There's A New Sound" (lyrics: http://www.songlyrics.com/muppets-the/there-s-a-new-sound-lyrics/) was a spot shown only in the UK because over there they had an extra minute or two of content that needed to be filled- too many commercials in the US- and later surfaced on "The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More!- The 25th Anniversary Collection" ({link:http://www.amazon.com/The-Muppet-Show-Anniversary-Collection/dp/B00006IZP8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393297695&sr=8-2&keywords=muppets+greatest+hits}). You're not a real music nerd if you've never owned a copy of that. *Delight*



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

*Moon* Further proof that Buffalo is that city that doesn't know when to quit: a group of residents now wants Jimmy Fallon to broadcast a week's worth of Tonight Show episodes from historic Shea's Buffalo Theater in downtown Buffalo, after Justin Timberlake's apology for postponing a concert. C'mon people, really? Setting up a Facebook page only proves you know how to work the internet, and you might get heckled a little, and I doubt it's gonna work (says the guy from Buffalo who started his own forum on WDC to get a hockey *Hockey* emoticon and ended up with four of them...now you know where I get it from *Smirk*). http://www.wgrz.com/story/entertainment/2014/02/24/jimmy-fallon-tonight-show-buf...

*Trophyg* I'm having mixed feelings about this, but I think what I'm about to say is the right way to go about it. Twice last month the "Blogging Circle of Friends voted me as their "Blogger Of The Week", something I'm proud to be a member of and I'm very appreciative of the honor bestowed upon me from my peers. Part of winning this award means you get to be considered for "Blogger Of The Month", which is fantastic, it really is...but I'm withdrawing myself from consideration. I don't think it's the right thing to do for me at this time, and you can tell me I'm wrong or I should just do it or call me an idiot, but this is how I feel. I'm not crazy about the idea that in order to win BOTM, I have to create another static item just to answer a special prompt that only the weekly winners get, set it to "Private" with a Pass-Key so it can be posted "anonymously", and then have everyone vote on their favorite entries. I don't like this for two reasons: 1) Even if you've only read each of the four candidates' entries over a short period of time, our writing styles are so defined that it wouldn't be hard to pick out which of us wrote what entry; and 2) The idea of writing a non-blog entry to be judged for a blogging competition puts me off...it's like having a photography contest and then taking away the finalists' cameras and handing them a sharpened #2 pencil. Even if I were to restrict access to an entry within my own blog's entries with a passcode, the idea that I'm hiding anything (if even for a short period of time) irks me. I just think it'd be better for me if I continue to write and post my entries the way I like to, rather than write some bland essay in order to provide some magical "cloak of anonymity" over my words in hopes that someone who might not otherwise read my entries could possibly be swayed to vote for me on the basis of what I write and that alone (as opposed to the people who like to just play favorites). So unless I have some kind of change of heart, I'm forfeiting my opportunity at "Blogger Of The Month". I've won enough stuff over the years and it's not really what I wake up and hope for each morning or whenever I've got a new email, and every award of any kind is always special, but it's not my style. Plus I've got a few prior commitments this week I should start working on, including...

*Quill* ...My blurb/intro/presentation for Best Comedy at next week's running of "The Quills! Yes, as I predicted in yesterday's entry, I did get called down to the principal's office...but it was to be told I'd be allowed to present and for which category, and it wasn't really an office, but more like an email. Ok it was an email!! Back off!! I was thanked for, well, I quote: "Way to keep things, er, lively.", which was bookmarked by some emoticons I won't disclose. So I'm in! That's almost as cool as being nominated for or winning a Quill! Or hosting...yeah, hosting's cooler. The shot fountain was pretty epic over in the chat room also. Ok, so presenting is, like, the 7th or 8th coolest thing about The Quills. But still, me! Yay me!! (If you were at The Pre-Quills Gala you'd get the reference. *Wink*)

*Notepady* Speaking of The Quills, congrats to Wordsmitty ✍️ for being named a finalist for Best Newsletter Editing (and for being nominated twice in the category)!! Smitty did a fine job on this month's issue of The Blogging Bliss, which should've hit your inboxes this morning on the bright...you can also find it here: "Invalid Item if you're not a subscriber (and if you're not, you should be). When you're done checkin' that out, don't just delete it! Go over to the "Blogging Bliss Newsletter Forum and start up a discussion about a point you read or would like to make, and who knows...your blog could be featured in the next issue. Mention I sent ya and you'll get a free subscription for you and a friend!!

*Music2* Here's something I stumbled across this afternoon for my fellow Soundtrackers in "The Soundtrack of Your Life...someone needs to create ultimate mash-ups for all of these pairs: http://www.mandatory.com/2014/02/24/hit-songs-that-were-stolen/.

*Mic2* And tonight is the debut of former SNL Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers on his own late-night NBC show, so here's ten things to get you acquainted with him: http://mentalfloss.com/article/55063/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-seth-mey....

That wraps things up on my end, y'all. As usual, I've overstayed my welcome and will be heading off to a quieter side of the evening shortly. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to keep you from doing better things. Peace, it's deep down in the ground, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

February 23, 2014 at 10:32pm
February 23, 2014 at 10:32pm
#807999
MOB-RELATED ACTIVITY:

February 2014 Blog Mob - Join or ...


Good evening friends! Hello, and what is up?? It's Sunday, a day where usually all the major WDC outlets for creativity are normally shut down for purposes of rest and reflection, but today was different. It was a special occasion. It was..."The PreQuill Gala (7th Annual Quills).

I imagine I'll be getting a notification of some sort soon from the principal's office asking me to rescind my offer to present an award at next week's running of "The Quills, lest it be done for me, in part due to my boorish behavior during the gala event.

It was my first time at one of these WDC-sponsored shindigs, and in all fairness I did try to keep my outbursts corralled to the separate chat room (I totally forgot WDC still even had chat rooms, because I also forgot it wasn't 1998 on AOL for Netscape as well *Smirk*). I realized after about five minutes of being there (no, not five minutes after the start time of 6pm...more like five minutes to six) that I'm not really cut out for those kind of affairs. Not me people. Not my crowd.

So I did what I normally do when I'm bored and uncomfortable...I make everyone else uncomfortable, or at least try to. Because leaving's just not good enough. I think here's the point where I should apologize to Elle - on hiatus for calling her a "tomorrow-liver". Sorry 'bout that. *Laugh*

But yeah, special thanks to the folks that stuck around the chat room with me. It was a ton more fun. I don't even remember who all was in there...Charlie ~ , Matt Bird MSci (Hons) AMRSC , Shaye , Patrece ~ , Andrew and the rest (sorry if I forgot). We'll meet up next week in front of the shot fountain and do it all over again, deal? Now, if you don't mind, I have to go get my "t-shirt that looks like a tuxedo" dry-cleaned so I can pick it up in time for the actual Quill Awards...I'd hate to have to wear my Guido tuxedo (complete with the v-neck t-shirt that exposes my fake gold rope chain and my bountiful, luscious chest hair).

And always remember...when someone wants to call you a cab, let them. They're not comparing you to a vehicle meant for others to pick up and transport random strangers to different destinations. Also, "I'll give you a stern talking to" is not nearly as imposing as "I'll knock your effing teeth out". Capisce?

MUSICAL BREAK!!

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Ever hear a song, listen closely to the lyrics, and have it mean one thing to you, but then see the video and realize it means something quite different, or maybe even the opposite? I guess that's the gift and the curse of interpretation. I'd been talking to a girl who lived halfway across the country many years ago, and for awhile things were maybe a little more serious than they should've been. Music was a big part of our conversations, as we'd had many similar interests, and "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground" by The White Stripes (album: White Blood Cells {link:http://www.amazon.com/White-Blood-Cells-The-Stripes/dp/B001AP11LG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393207574&sr=8-1&keywords=the+white+stripes+white+blood+cells}: lyrics: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/41881/) was one of our favorites because of the lines "If I could just hear your pretty voice I don't think I need to see at all" and "Every breath that is in your lungs is a tiny little gift to me". I'm pretty sure it showed up on one of the cd's we'd sent to each other. But like I said, the video painted a contrasting picture...maybe one you don't see in the lyrics when you're more concerned with how crazy you are about the other person and not as much with how crazy you are for feeling a certain way about someone. In the end, "I didn't feel so bad till the sun went down...then I come home; no one to wrap my arms around" wound up being the most appropriate takeaway from this song I could have, and it's something I tend to associate with an empty, lonely feeling that I get once in a great while. I probably might not have even thought about it had a friend not posted "Hotel Yorba" from the same album earlier this afternoon on Facebook, but all feelings aside "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground" is brilliant because it's both simple and complex, and noisy and reverent. Chaotic beauty wearing denial...we've all been there before.


If you can hear a piano fall, you can hear me comin' down the hall.


THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

3rd: Place in January's "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS, which isn't too bad considering I don't even remember the last time I made it through an entire month of blogging, and there was stellar competition straight up and down the line...in my opinion anyone of us could've just as easily taken first or second, and there's no shame in finishing out of place among that particular group. My sincerest, heartfelt congratulations to blainecindy (first place), Jeff (second place) and House Florent is ready (honorable mention) for their well-deserved and hard-earned wins. Like I said on January 31st ("This one's about the bonus day and classics.)...well, pretty much everything in the first four paragraphs of that. I'm gonna miss hangin' out, writin' entries knowing I was as good as every single one of them, and they were as good if not better than me let me try that again...that didn't sound right. Knowing on any given day any one of us could have a great entry, and that we supported each other and made each other better...even in as great a community of writers as WDC, and as many times as I've taken part in the 30DBC, I still don't remember a group of people who were just as invested in each other as they were in what they personally were doing. A real embodiment of what WDC is all about. Congrats to everyone who made January a great month.

*Confettir* And how about one more round of applause for all of the finalists named tonight at "The PreQuill Gala (7th Annual Quills)? Congrats to all of you; it's something to be very proud of. I promise I won't yell "Yay!" or "More!" or type stuff with my Caps-Lock key stuck on stupid next week when more people show up.

A gift from Julie D for being named Honorable Mention for Best Blog in the Quill Awards!
And two-time nominee in 2012.


*Bottles* Remember the other day when we had that "Coke or Pepsi" discussion? I do, and it went something like this: "This one's about the bold choice.. What the hell do I see on my Facebook news feed this afternoon? Someone with a serious Diet Coke problem, that's what. As always with these Kinja sites, the comments are often more hilarious than the actual subject matter, and I should warn you that this article is pretty NSFW right off the get-go, but feel free to read it someplace where you can laugh so hard stuff shoots out of your nose in private. http://jezebel.com/british-woman-was-drinking-50-diet-cokes-a-day-and-trip-15291...

Well, it's about time I draw this entry to a close. Feels like it's been a long day, although I really didn't do much...some last-minute proofreading before bed ought to finish me off well for the evening. Peace, when I hear your lips make a sound, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!

February 22, 2014 at 9:34pm
February 22, 2014 at 9:34pm
#807904
MOB-RELATED ACTIVITY:

February 2014 Blog Mob - Join or ...


'Sup folks? Here's where I'm at so far for today: I'm tired and I don't feel like doing anything. I laid in bed and watched the few shows that are actually available on Hulu without springin' for HuluPlus (and Netflix is so much better anyway, but that free-trial ship sailed weeks ago). Twice I snacked on Cheerios like they were a meal minus milk, which is my preferred method of getting them into my body anyway, but I think I ate like a quarter of a box (and their "regular size" box is huge to begin with). I know, it's not great for my digestive system and it's not the GMO-free kind (or the super-awesome Honey Nut ones either), but I don't care...they're still probably the healthiest thing I've got between my fridge and my, ummm, place I keep food that doesn't go in the fridge. I went and got my mail, which included a copy of Wired magazine with Questlove of the legendary Roots crew on the cover. That's it...the bare minimums from your boy over here in Cortland. Don't expect much more out of me the rest of the evening...got a few things to work on before I tackle sleepin' in a little tomorrow morning, and if I wasn't doin' this tonight I'd probably try watchin' the backs of my eyelids a little earlier, but you know how this goes.

With each passing day, I lose a little more hope for our Blog Mob. Not even gonna bother taggin' the bOSS (with the uncapitalized letter) anymore. I'm not quite ready to bury him yet, but he's just about dead to us. <Insert more dramatic bits of drama here, because this story's goin' nowhere.> House Florent is ready is ready to follow me, but am I ready to lead? At least I'mma show up. That's my word.

At least Emily has an excuse for not posting the January winners of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS yet, because we know she's busy with school (which kinda freaks me out a little, wondering if I'll be so busy when/if I start in the fall). That other guy though...not a word here or anywhere else in nearly too long. Hope he's ok and all. Now look what y'all made me think you made me do when it was really me who did it to myself...what if Joel's fallen into a well or something and all this time we've been like "Where's this guy at? What's he doin'? Who does he think he is?? (Ok, that last part is me, but still...)" and dude's unable to communicate with us. Show us a sign, Brother Nature , any sign!

My tummy growled. There's your sign, folks...don't eat more than the side of the box of Cheerios recommends as a "serving". Moving on then...

BCF PROMPT: "Today is 'International Tongue Twister Day'. What tongue twisters do you know? Do you enjoy doing them with your family? Have you ever included them in your writing?"

Honestly, I'd be surprised if I could tell you some of the basic tongue twisters I learned from my days being the dorky kid sittin' in the front of the class. And that's unfortunate in that I've had plenty of time over the last 14+ months here to prepare myself for a prompt like this, and yet I've got nothin'. Not even a one-liner with lots of esses and ess-h's and stuhhhs and sce-'s and sku-'s that with ten minutes of daily practice I'd be able to drop on you in 3.4 seconds flat. I just chuckled to myself when I thought "Maybe I should be a little more concerned about this", but then again I haven't read an article on Grantland in over a week either, so maybe my priorities aren't so out of whack yet.

I would think that unless your house is filled with small kids or a person suffering from some sort of linguistic deficiency, your family doesn't just randomly break out into a routine of tongue-twisting battles in the kitchen over pancakes and sausages. Like pops isn't tryna spit one at ya over the last donut, and all the sudden the neighbors barge in and a "West Side Story"-style knife fight/dance-off breaks out with collar poppin' and menacing stares while your cousins are outdoin' each other flippin' their gums about the she that sells seashells versus Peter Piper and his pickled peppers. There's no Spelling Bee-style competition I know of (please, nobody Google it, and if you do, don't point out how wrong I am) where you're asked to bust tongue twisters 'til your teeth bleed, and the winner gets a blue ribbon or a trophy. This stuff doesn't happen. I don't even know if I have the words to describe a life where that did happen. And I know a lot of words. Just not in a consecutive, flashy, alliterative manner.

You know what I can state, however? Every single time I try typing the word "tongue", I always- without fail- spell it "t-o-u-n-g-e", and when I correct myself it turns into "t-o-u-n-g-u-e" before I do it right on the third try (even though it looks so wrong that it baffles me how that could possibly be a word describing the mechanism that's a major part of manipulating and pushing speech out of your mouth). I just...I don't get it. In the book of life that is "Things I'll Never Understand", the spelling of "tongue" will probably fall somewhere between pages three and ten of 672. Why so many pages? Read page two and find out; it's in there. *Smirk*

So, in conclusion, other than today's entry I don't know that I've ever used a tounge dammit tongue twister (this is one of those times where you should Google a longer, fancier word that I'd rather use because it's somehow easier to spell) while trying to write anything, at least not on purpose. Maybe my thoughts get a little twisted in translation, or your mind hears differently what your eyes see, or Cheerios for a third time, 'cuz why not?

MUSICAL BREAK!!

** Image ID #1970900 Unavailable **


Well, this segues nicely into "The Soundtrack of Your Life today...I believe Run DMC's "Raising Hell" ({link:http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Hell-Explicit-RUN-DMC/dp/B0013DADJG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393119346&sr=8-2&keywords=run+dmc+raising+hell}) was the very first cassette tape I bought with my own money sometime in the mid-eighties...if not the first it's the first I remember. "Peter Piper" (lyrics: http://rapgenius.com/Run-dmc-peter-piper-lyrics) was the very first track, and I remember being mesmerized by the different sounds coming out of my little Panasonic cassette player (one of those mono desktop ones that sat flat, with the buttons and the door flipped up when you ejected the tape). "Walk This Way" was the big hit, but it was one of my least favorite songs on the whole album.

"Peter Piper" was full of riffs on nursery rhymes and braggadocio turned into tongue twisters that were nearly impossible to decipher, and that probably added a little more mystique at the time to what I was hearing. And to this day, I could care less if there's something more to the song than it being a few guys in a studio goofin' around on some ol' Mother Goose-type ish. It had the grown-up feel of something maybe I wasn't ready to listen to yet...maybe the country wasn't ready to embrace yet, but at the same time it was mine...I went to the store, I picked it out, I paid for it. That's ultimately what mattered the most.



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

*Speaker* Ahhh, the golden era of technology:

The lost art of maintaining a music collection.


*Quill* Only another day or so left in the "Invalid Item...so make a little time on your busy Sunday to cast a vote if you haven't already. And I still don't have a date for "The PreQuill Gala (7th Annual Quills), so I guess that means you all can come! Whoo hoo!! Wouldn't it be kinda hilarious if we flashed the Blog Mob insignia every few minutes during the Gala? Of course, then people who don't know what it is would wanna know, and then we'd have to tell them we don't really have a leader and it'll only be through the end of the month anyway, and we'll look sad and pathetic and console ourselves with pints of ice cream at the bitter end. No...I wouldn't do that! Jus' sayin' though. Oh, speaking of The Quills, I've signed on to be a presenter...it'll be my first time attending the actual (ok, virtual) ceremony, even though I've been nominated a couple times before. Gotta come up with a 765-character (not word, but character *Shock*) speech (which actually shouldn't be too hard...it'll be like a slightly longer Tweet, I figure). Not sure what category exactly I'll be presenting, as I submitted a few I'd like to, and apparently there aren't a lot of others committed yet, but it should be fun, right? These things are always good, no? We'll see.

That's where I'm gonna leave off today, fine readers. It's gettin' close to my "I'm gonna need to try this sleep thing again" routine, and I've gotta make sure I have my Editor's Picks in soon for Wordsmitty ✍️ and The Blogging Bliss (Hey- you! If you're not subscribed, now's your last chance before Monday's super early-AM launch of the February issue...just go to the "Blogging Bliss Newsletter Archives to check out past issues and the "Blogging Bliss Newsletter Forum if you've got any questions), which I really should finish up before I do anything else this evening. Peace, and like all fairy tales end, GOODNIGHT NOW!!

February 21, 2014 at 9:48pm
February 21, 2014 at 9:48pm
#807825
MOB-RELATED ACTIVITY:

February 2014 Blog Mob - Join or ...


What's up y'all? Only a few of us kickin' around the ol' Blog Mob as we limp into the last week of February minus our leader...makes me wonder why I'm still wearing this badge at the top of my entries at all anymore...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqomZQMZQCQ. If The Federales don't need no stinkin' badges, I shouldn't have to show you mine either! You hear that, Brother Nature ? I think you do. I think you hear me knockin'. I think I'm breakin' down the door. And when I come in, I'm bringin' the whole Blog Mob with me!! *Shock*

Now then...has anyone seen pen? I'll need to take notes before we storm the throne so that we do it properly and I don't forget anything. My pen...where is it? *Checks behind ears* Oh yeah, there it is. I'd be in trouble if I didn't have ears. *Rolleyes* https://:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAryFIuRxmQ

BCF PROMPT: "Pepsi or Coke?"

I've been fortunate enough to live through some pretty great events through the course of recent ("recent" being kind of a relative things, given that history stretches a lot farther back than most of all of us do) history. The tearing down of the Berlin Wall. The 1980 Winter Olympics. The falls of both Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. Led Zeppelin reuniting 3/4th of the way (there's still time to patch things up, Morrissey and Marr, but I won't hold my breath). But nothing, dare I say nothing, was as epic as something in the eighties known as "The Cola Wars".

Back in the pre-internet days, when families would gather to talk between episodes of "The Cosby Show" and "Family Ties", or during breaks in the action of football games, they would all get to know each other better. They could see these people that they lived with "in person", and come to know each day how they felt and what they "liked" or "disliked" (as opposed to our 21st-century oppressors, who are far more interested in what we "like" so much so that they've not given us the option to "dislike" anything). Sometimes, the conversation would dull to a halt, and families would pay attention to the "commercials" on the "tv" (which has become its own national holiday, called "The Super Bowl"). The main purpose of (one of) the most invasive tracts of these "advertisements" insisted upon sparking a debate unknown to politicians, scholars or clergymen (the forerunners to a burgeoning group of individuals now referred to as "clergypeople": Did you prefer to drink Coke, or Pepsi, as your cola-flavored soda of choice?

I won't get into how stupid any of it was. This was a product that once existed as a "cure-all" by pharmacists claiming that whatever was wrong with you could be fixed by downing some carbonated beverage with real cola flavors (as much as it's killing me, I'm resisting the urge to Google what "cola" is supposed to taste like or why it was so popular, because I'm probably better off not knowing/caring). Then scientists discovered that one can of this "magic elixir" had roughly the same amount of sugar that some smaller South American countries export daily, and by altering the chemical components devised "low fat, low calories, no sugar" versions that tasted like paint thinner and piss left out in the sun virtual carbon-copies of the originals. Then some random internet people realized all sorts of fun stuff about these "diet" concoctions, and came up with a list of things you actually could use it for (as in "do" and not "consume" or "ingest"), like loosening stripped lug nuts and killing bugs (http://www.homesessive.com/view/unusual-uses-coca-cola#show-gallery). It always grosses me out a little whenever I see what someone writes about a food or beverage on the internet that I've put into my body before...until I come back to Earth and remember that everything is bad for you, makes you poop, causes cancer, and has been linked to the burial of Jimmy Hoffa under a football field in New Jersey. Nope...there's no way around it. Someone's gotta make enough stuff to fill all those Super-Walmart shelves, whether it's legally healthy and safe or not (http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/02/whole_foods_and_walmart_ho..., complete with interactive charts! *Smile*).

No, I'll just give you what you want: an answer to this prompt. While I was raised in a 3-liter buying Pepsi household, I'm fortunate to say I survived that time of my life and became a Coke drinker...Pepsi is just way too sugary-sweet to me and again, I must reiterate how much I don't want to know what "cola" is or why it tastes disgusting to me unless it's enhanced with (preferably something top-shelf, like Crown Royal) whiskey (should I ever choose to want to ruin a glass of whiskey). I became a Mountain Dew connoisseur, but even then it's damn near as bad as everything else (but at least if it's gonna kill me it tastes better than decent)...even to this day I'll only drink it in spurts a few times a year.

Still, if the only choices you have in your fridge when I visit you are Diet Coke or ammonia, I'm picking the Diet Coke, but only because you're weird for having ammonia in your fridge unless you're planning on poisoning me, in which case you're double-weird and I'm watching your every move from here on out if we remain friends, which we probably will because I have a hard time saying no to people, especially weird ones like you who have no friends because you've poisoned them all, you evil friend you.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

** Image ID #1970900 Unavailable **


Today for "The Soundtrack of Your Life, I'm going with a song that I guess was an awakening of sorts to me, even if I didn't quite realize it at the time. I wasn't a huge fan of Neil Young back when this song was popular, but I remember MTV being a little put-off by this video and the song's anti-commercialism message (even though the irony that he would mention by name some of the companies long known for celebrity endorsements in the song wasn't lost on me, but if you ask me Young's not the greatest lyricist or storyteller to ever grab a guitar). The song is called "This Note's For You" (album: This Note's For You {link:http://www.amazon.com/This-Notes-You-Neil-Young/dp/B002B3U9KA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393032241&sr=8-2&keywords=neil+young+this+note%27s+for+you}; lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/neilyoung/thisnotesforyou.html), and the video was actually banned from MTV eventually, I assume, for the portrayal of some of the notable celebs (including the mockery it made of Michael Jackson's hair catching on fire while he was filming an ad for Pepsi). For my money, this is definitely not from one of the better creative periods of Young's career, but I recognize it as being the first meaningful moment to me...it made me pay attention a little more. Of course, this was before it became the norm for artists to license entire albums these days to car companies...back then, was the artist pushing the goods, or was the company paying the artist to shill an otherwise crappy product? And heaven forbid if the artist did anything to hurt the company's reputation in the glare of the media! It never seemed to work the other way around if a company started goin' in the tank, because they had the artist locked up with a contract that usually was more corporation-friendly than anything else. But that's all probably a story for another time.



THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

*Bookopen* Nothing...I repeat, nothing is set in stone yet, but I've been accepted into a vocational rehabilitation program locally. Which means, basically, I'll be able to go back to school this fall, and Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) has specific programs for people like me who have certain qualifications and are in need of furthering their education. The only catch is that I have to have medical clearance now because in part due to being pulled out of work last week and I need to get another opinion on my ankle. Kinda understandable. I'll have to have my taxes done (procrastinating on that again, although they should be super simple to do this year because I had no income last year) and have the medical forms in, plus completely decide on a major, and theoretically I could be back in school for summer sessions if I wanted to rush things...but if I can take my time and narrow down my options and figure out which TC3 location is best for me, plus get either totally healed physically or get working on what I need to do in order to feel better, then I have no problem waiting until fall classes start. Plus I don't wanna jinx it or anything, but hell yeah!!

*Medicalblue* So, can anyone with experience in the nursing profession (blainecindy or anyone else) answer me a question about having blood taken? I'm not bruised yet, but I'm slightly swollen, and I've never had blood drawn from my hand before (the top, not the palm or fingers). I've had IV's put in before (somewhere around the wrists maybe, and other parts of the arm), and I've had blood taken from the crooks of my elbows in the past (I'm sooooo medically terminological, I know *Wink*) and I don't recall ever bruising or swelling, but my hand right now kinda feels like it's been chiseled at with a screwdriver that's been tapped by a hammer, and is this normal after 12 hours? I don't recall a feeling like that in my hand before, and I've typed longer entries than this and I've never felt the fatigue I've got going on in my left hand right now. I'm not too worried about it, and obviously if I wake up with a club for a hand I'll be panicked, but I'm just curious how normal this is, or if it could be related to the arthritis-like symptoms I've been having in my legs, hips and lower back.

*Balloonp* I have to wish a longtime WDC friend a heartfelt congratulations...if you know her you know why, and if you didn't and you just saw my tag, now you know...so congrats Gaby ~ Keeper Of The Realm and sincerest wishes!! Lucky man that husband of yours is! *Smile*

Well, that's all I've got for today...it's been a busy day all the way 'round so I'm gonna take the rest of the night here off. Tried something different here at WDC I haven't done in quite a long time, and I'm bankin' on having to take a little time to fix it if it doesn't work out as planned, but I won't know 'til I'm done trying' to push out the remains of this entry and now's a good place as any to call it a night. Peace, all I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!



If you were hoping for Limp Bizkit lizco252,
I was gonna put this here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2U4I9-gG0c) but
I'll go with this instead...my "guilty pleasure" *Laugh*:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGHz9-3je9I
.

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