I have to say I'm a little disappointed. One of the great actors of my generation crossed the line. I knew and understood that his views weren't always like mine, but John Cusack tweeted the following (unedited):
“I AM FOR A SATANIC DEATH CULT CENTER AT FOX NEWS HQ AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICES ORDICK ARMEYAND NEWT GINGRICH-and all the GOP WELFARE FREAKS,”
Seriously? Why is still mad about Dick Armey? He left office over 7 years ago! GOP Welfare Freaks? What does that even mean?
Then there was this little gem (again undedited):
"without changing context.. am i for or against ? how about a celebrity death cult center? i will join as pennance to the folks who own god"
I wasn't aware that anyone owned "god." Apparently I'm not hip enough or smart enough to understand the rantings of this brainiac. I'm not sure why he's so bitter. Nobody forced him to make Hot Tub Time Machine, so we can't feel sorry for him that it tanked!
It's a good thing I had already watched High Fidelity, Serendipity and Grosse Pointe Blank I guess.
That's nice...MH
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Just One
Have you ever been playing the question game and someone asks you, "If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?" If so, this post is for you. If not, at least now you are thinking about it.
One of my true passions in life is music. No, not playing or singing, but listening. Now I'm not one of those music snobs. I don't have particulary peculiar tastes or think that anything is below me to listen to, I like just about anything. From pop (there's a reason it's called pop, short for popular) to country to metal to fusion to twang to rock to ska to...ok, you get the point! Music is just something I grew up with. Some of my oldest and fondest memories is riding with mom in the car and singing. Every day she would take me to preschool and we would sing the whole way there.
I was 6 years old and my uncle Brad was 14 and still living at home obviously. I was spending the summer days with grandma and Brad was usually at the farm or at least busy and out of the house. He had a shiny new stereo, with a cassette player. Of course I was drawn to it. One day I worked up enough nerve to hit the power button. I had studied him doing it for what seem liked weeks. It didn't blow up! So I waited a few seconds and pushed the play button. I was instantly hooked. It's a good thing because I was way too nervous to change cassettes.
It was a day I will always remember. The day when I became addicted to good (as I define it, everyones taste is different) music. So this journey you are about to take with me is about the above question. If only one, which one?
When you think of only listening to one album for the rest of your life you better choose carefully. Tons of things to consider. It doesn't necessarily have to have your favorite song, but it better have lots of good songs. It needs to be able to move you in multiple ways, have different moods (life has it's ups and downs). It needs to sound as good or better the 150th time you've heard it as when you heard that first note, otherwise you are going to get bored quickly. One of the things I think helps to determine if it's a good album is when the song ends, you are already thinking and hearing in your head how the next song starts, song after song after song, no matter how long its been since you listened to it.
When I thought of this blog topic, I wasn't sure it would last very long, because I had answered that question before. To myself mainly, but nevertheless, I had answered it. I knew what album I would choose. It had been the same for many years. But then I started thinking, ok, but what others are in contention, so I made a list of contenders and started putting them in my CD player and listening to no other CD for a few days, making notes and monitoring my love for them day one to day 5 at least. Some of them have dropped out at 5, I couldn't listen to them anymore. Obviously they didn't make the cut. A couple so far I almost had a physical reaction when I took them out of the player. I knew I needed to keep going with the "research," but I had really grown attached to them
What I discovered was my love for music only strengthened and I rediscovered my love for some really rich discs. My experiment is still ongoing, but I thought I would go ahead and start talking about what I had discovered so far. So sit down, listen up and get ready to discover music all over again. Have I changed my mind about my answer? I don't know yet, but it's a lot closer than I thought.
What's that? Oh, I didn't say what cassette was in the stereo? You're right, I didn't. But I'm sure you will find out soon enough.
That's nice - MH
One of my true passions in life is music. No, not playing or singing, but listening. Now I'm not one of those music snobs. I don't have particulary peculiar tastes or think that anything is below me to listen to, I like just about anything. From pop (there's a reason it's called pop, short for popular) to country to metal to fusion to twang to rock to ska to...ok, you get the point! Music is just something I grew up with. Some of my oldest and fondest memories is riding with mom in the car and singing. Every day she would take me to preschool and we would sing the whole way there.
I was 6 years old and my uncle Brad was 14 and still living at home obviously. I was spending the summer days with grandma and Brad was usually at the farm or at least busy and out of the house. He had a shiny new stereo, with a cassette player. Of course I was drawn to it. One day I worked up enough nerve to hit the power button. I had studied him doing it for what seem liked weeks. It didn't blow up! So I waited a few seconds and pushed the play button. I was instantly hooked. It's a good thing because I was way too nervous to change cassettes.
It was a day I will always remember. The day when I became addicted to good (as I define it, everyones taste is different) music. So this journey you are about to take with me is about the above question. If only one, which one?
When you think of only listening to one album for the rest of your life you better choose carefully. Tons of things to consider. It doesn't necessarily have to have your favorite song, but it better have lots of good songs. It needs to be able to move you in multiple ways, have different moods (life has it's ups and downs). It needs to sound as good or better the 150th time you've heard it as when you heard that first note, otherwise you are going to get bored quickly. One of the things I think helps to determine if it's a good album is when the song ends, you are already thinking and hearing in your head how the next song starts, song after song after song, no matter how long its been since you listened to it.
When I thought of this blog topic, I wasn't sure it would last very long, because I had answered that question before. To myself mainly, but nevertheless, I had answered it. I knew what album I would choose. It had been the same for many years. But then I started thinking, ok, but what others are in contention, so I made a list of contenders and started putting them in my CD player and listening to no other CD for a few days, making notes and monitoring my love for them day one to day 5 at least. Some of them have dropped out at 5, I couldn't listen to them anymore. Obviously they didn't make the cut. A couple so far I almost had a physical reaction when I took them out of the player. I knew I needed to keep going with the "research," but I had really grown attached to them
What I discovered was my love for music only strengthened and I rediscovered my love for some really rich discs. My experiment is still ongoing, but I thought I would go ahead and start talking about what I had discovered so far. So sit down, listen up and get ready to discover music all over again. Have I changed my mind about my answer? I don't know yet, but it's a lot closer than I thought.
What's that? Oh, I didn't say what cassette was in the stereo? You're right, I didn't. But I'm sure you will find out soon enough.
That's nice - MH
An excerpt from JMH:PALS - Chapter 2. Written by JM
By the time Senior year rolled around, Matt and I seemed to have a change in relationship. Though we did not spend a great deal of time together, what time we did spend around each other made our relationship stronger. Matt got a job at the McDonalds in Mt. Vernon and me at the Long John Silvers in Mt. Vernon. On several occasions I would work close at my store, get off just before McDonalds would lock their doors, and then go down to see Matt at his place of employment.
While there, Matt would give me all kinds of free food! This was before the time of closed circuit television cameras to monitor employees at fast food restaurants. Matt would meet me at the counter, take my order, act like he was ringing it in, push a button for the register to open, take my money in one hand, and then hand me the same amount of money back saying it was my change from the purchase. I would then take my Big Macs or Quarter Pounders with fries out to a table. Matt would lock the store doors and then grab some food for him and sit with me to talk.
I remember one occasion that stands out about this illegal contraband of food. Though it really is not all that significant in the scheme of life, it is a fond memory of our fast food days and I have to include it here. I went to visit Matt after work on a Friday night like I always did. By this time he held some sort of managerial position within the store. I had had a long night at Long Johns and really did not feel like any more grease on my stomach so I just asked Matt for a shake.
“What size would you like?”
“I don’t care.” I remember responding. “Whatever size you’ll give me.”
It was during this time that Matt’s supervisor was beginning to cut down on the dispersment of free food items and had begun to watch employees like a hawk. Matt had to be more and more creative in supplying me with my free items. On countless occasions I told him that I would gladly pay for the morsels, but he refused to let me pay. On this occasion it was the same.
“Large then?”
“Sure.” I responded.
That’s when Matt had eyed my monster cup from Long Johns. Long John Silvers had just released one of the largest sodas available in fast food history, the 64 ounce monster drink. Matt saw my cup and snatched it. He shook it and looked at me.
“Are you done with this?” he asked. I nodded. He then took the cup over to the sink and dumped out the remaining ice within. That’s when I suddenly realized what he was about to do.
I watched from the other side of the counter as he proceeded to fill the 64 ounce cup with strawberry shake. Now, some of you might be thinking right now that this really is not that big of a deal, but keep in mind that back in the early nineties, the largest shake that was available at McDonalds was the 12 ounce size.
Matt tried to top the cup off towards the top edge. That is where the trouble hit. Waiting too late to stop the flow of the frozen goodness, the ice cream began to expand over the top of the cup, out onto the spill grate, and onto the red tile floor below. Both Matt and I began to laugh at the pink eruption that was occurring. Our laughter began to cease however as Matt’s manager, who was there for some sort of monthly inventory exercise, yelled from the back. He was on his way up to the front counter!
Matt moved like lightning taking the cup, slamming the lid down upon the paper container sending more pink ice cream onto the floor. He tossed it onto the counter and I snatched it up just in time for the manager to come around the corner and get a visual of Matt, myself, and the shake.
“Hey.” He said to me. The manager knew who I was, do to my frequent visits to stop in and see Matt. I nodded a response. His glance fell to my enormous cup now bleeding its pink contents all over the floor. “What is that?” he asked. Stunned, I did not know what to say. Enter Matt who always had all of the answers.
“That is the new shakes they are offering down at Long Johns.”
I held back the urge to laugh.
“No shit. Those things are huge!” That was all that was said and the manager turned to head back into the direction he came. I looked at Matt, he looked at me and we broke into laughter. Just an example of one of the many times to come of close calls.
For those of you that have asked what "JMH" is and what it's all about I thought that I would post a few excerpts from JM's book to help explain how it is that we became PALS. I hope it helps explain and you enjoy.
That's nice. MH
While there, Matt would give me all kinds of free food! This was before the time of closed circuit television cameras to monitor employees at fast food restaurants. Matt would meet me at the counter, take my order, act like he was ringing it in, push a button for the register to open, take my money in one hand, and then hand me the same amount of money back saying it was my change from the purchase. I would then take my Big Macs or Quarter Pounders with fries out to a table. Matt would lock the store doors and then grab some food for him and sit with me to talk.
I remember one occasion that stands out about this illegal contraband of food. Though it really is not all that significant in the scheme of life, it is a fond memory of our fast food days and I have to include it here. I went to visit Matt after work on a Friday night like I always did. By this time he held some sort of managerial position within the store. I had had a long night at Long Johns and really did not feel like any more grease on my stomach so I just asked Matt for a shake.
“What size would you like?”
“I don’t care.” I remember responding. “Whatever size you’ll give me.”
It was during this time that Matt’s supervisor was beginning to cut down on the dispersment of free food items and had begun to watch employees like a hawk. Matt had to be more and more creative in supplying me with my free items. On countless occasions I told him that I would gladly pay for the morsels, but he refused to let me pay. On this occasion it was the same.
“Large then?”
“Sure.” I responded.
That’s when Matt had eyed my monster cup from Long Johns. Long John Silvers had just released one of the largest sodas available in fast food history, the 64 ounce monster drink. Matt saw my cup and snatched it. He shook it and looked at me.
“Are you done with this?” he asked. I nodded. He then took the cup over to the sink and dumped out the remaining ice within. That’s when I suddenly realized what he was about to do.
I watched from the other side of the counter as he proceeded to fill the 64 ounce cup with strawberry shake. Now, some of you might be thinking right now that this really is not that big of a deal, but keep in mind that back in the early nineties, the largest shake that was available at McDonalds was the 12 ounce size.
Matt tried to top the cup off towards the top edge. That is where the trouble hit. Waiting too late to stop the flow of the frozen goodness, the ice cream began to expand over the top of the cup, out onto the spill grate, and onto the red tile floor below. Both Matt and I began to laugh at the pink eruption that was occurring. Our laughter began to cease however as Matt’s manager, who was there for some sort of monthly inventory exercise, yelled from the back. He was on his way up to the front counter!
Matt moved like lightning taking the cup, slamming the lid down upon the paper container sending more pink ice cream onto the floor. He tossed it onto the counter and I snatched it up just in time for the manager to come around the corner and get a visual of Matt, myself, and the shake.
“Hey.” He said to me. The manager knew who I was, do to my frequent visits to stop in and see Matt. I nodded a response. His glance fell to my enormous cup now bleeding its pink contents all over the floor. “What is that?” he asked. Stunned, I did not know what to say. Enter Matt who always had all of the answers.
“That is the new shakes they are offering down at Long Johns.”
I held back the urge to laugh.
“No shit. Those things are huge!” That was all that was said and the manager turned to head back into the direction he came. I looked at Matt, he looked at me and we broke into laughter. Just an example of one of the many times to come of close calls.
For those of you that have asked what "JMH" is and what it's all about I thought that I would post a few excerpts from JM's book to help explain how it is that we became PALS. I hope it helps explain and you enjoy.
That's nice. MH
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