Ten on Tuesday: 10 Songs You Hate

Thanks to Yano for the topic.

Fish Heads by Barnes & Barnes. Easily the song I hate the most.
I Feel Love by Donna Summer. Yes, and I feel by lunch coming up.
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy by Rod Stewart. No, no, and, GOOD LORD, NO!
Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. He broke my ears! My Achy Breaky ears!
Convoy by C.W. McCall. Does it suck? That's a big 10-4 good buddy!
Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jack. They had joy. They had fun. I did not.
Who Let the Dogs Out? by Baha Men. Forget the dogs, who let these guys record this mess?
We Built This City by Starship. More like "We Wrote This Shitty"
(You're) Having My Baby by Paul Anka. What a lovely way to sing something so lousy...
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by William Shatner. A little bit of Trekkie died in me the day I heard this. Of course, that didn't stop me from buying a copy of "The Transformed Man."

(Dis)honorable mentions: 
Muskrat Love by The Captain and Tenille.
Centerfold by The J. Giles Band.
Revolution No. 9 by (It so hurts me to say this) The Beatles.
Don't Give Up On Us Baby by David Soul.
Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? by Bryan Adams.
Billy, Don't Be a Hero by Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods.
You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone.
Mr. Roboto by Styx.
Music to Watch Space Girls By by Leonard Nimoy. Did he not hear Shatner's album?
Puppy Love by Donny Osmond. 

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Children's Movies

I prefer movies that do not pander or are simply product placement. I prefer a good story over fluff.

I love old Disney animation (Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, etc.), but the stories were too girl-in-trouble-waits-for-man-to-come-solve-her-problem oriented. I grew up loving these movies, (and I still believe that when it comes to hand-drawn animation, you can’t beat early Disney), but time has given us better stories and characters.

What is a child? Instead of trying to profile and age (besides, some parents let their toddlers see PG or PG-13 movies), I am going to break it down by ratings. I am only doing G and PG as I feel PG-13 is no longer the realm of “children’s Movie.”

Rated G

Mulan 
 

Toy Story 

Finding Nemo 

Wall•E 

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit 

The Great Race (Unrated, so I will call it a "G") 

Lady and the Tramp   

A Christmas Story

The Black Stallion 

It's a Mad Mad Mad World 


Rated PG

The Incredibles 

Madagascar 

Shrek 

Ice Age 

Babe 

Lilo & Stitch 

The Princess Bride

Who Framed Roger Rabbit 

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Unrated, so I will call it a "PG")

Hatari (Unrated, so I will also call this one "PG")

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Articles of Clothing You Own

First off, I’m a dude. I bring this up because being a dude is a disadvantage when it comes to buying clothes. The women’s footwear department at Nordstrom is larger than most department store Men’s sections (excluding suits).

Oh sure, If all I wanted to wear was (GAG!) Dockers and Polo shirts, I would be in heaven, but I don’t, so I’m not.

That being said, I don’t think I can come up with ten.

Easily, my favorite piece of clothing is my “Ridin’ with the King” shirt I bought at Lansky Brothers in Memphis. The shirt is beautifully embroidered. Lansky Brothers is the nicest men’s clothing store I have ever been in. It’s not big, but it is packed with the kind of clothes I would wear. If I win the Lottery (wish me luck!), I am flying back there for a shopping (and dining) spree. I wear the shirt twice a year: on Elvis’ date of birth and on the date of his death.

My wedding boots. I haven’t worn dress shoes since I was in my early teens. I much prefer boots. I own several pair, but these are may favorite. I originally wore them to get married, but, now I wear them whenever I feel like it.

Wrangler jeans. These are pretty much the only pants I wear. However, I am not a complete dork (really!), I do wear slacks or a suit when necessary.

My Indiana Jones hat. Florinda got me this for Christmas. I haven’t had that much opportunity to wear it, because it is so new.

My motorcycle jacket. I haven’t worn it since I sold my motorcycle. Somehow, it seems too poser-like to wear the jacket if you don’t have the bike. I hope to be able to wear it again some day.


OK, so that is five items. I could pick 5 more items out of my closet just to make 10, but, I made the list to be my favorites, not just ten items.

I am willing to bet that most men/guys/dudes are in the same fashion limbo that I am. I am also willing to bet that there will be several women who have trouble narrowing their list down to 10. Oh how I envy them!

Weekend Assignment #251

Weekend Assignment #251: You have a six-month paid sabbatical, and you can spend it anywhere you like EXCEPT on a beach drinking margaritas. Where do you go, and what do you do while you're there?

Extra Credit: In real life, have you ever gone anywhere enjoyable at an employer's expense?

I am assuming that the six-month sabbatical is not due to waiting for a trail date, therefore, I am free to leave the country.

This was much harder to answer than I originally thought it would be. There are places I have always wanted to go, but, six months is a long time. Photo safaris to either Africa, or Alaska came to mind, but, again, six months? Alaska gets friggin' cold and Africa gets farkin' hot. I thought about Italy: the food, art, the food.

So where would I spend it? With my camera in a rental car (a comfortable rental car!) - traveling all around the United States. Why drive? More often than not, the best trips I have taken in my life have been road trips. Driving slows you down and allows you to take in the scenery. It allows you to experience unexpected wonders that you would miss flying. You happen upon wonderful, people, places and moments not in your original itinerary. You can go where and when you want to - you can make that "left turn at Albuquerque." You can stop into a diner/burger joint. You can see sights that you thought only existed in coffee table books. Usually we fly long distances due to time restrictions, but, hey, I've got six months! I'm driving!

Extra Credit: Hell Unfortunately, no.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Want to do in 2009

Win the Lottery – This would really help accomplish the rest of the list.

Travel with my family - Washington DC? Santa Barbara? 7-Eleven?

Become a better Photographer – There is always more to learn.

Become a better listener - Florinda will be happy to hear this one!

Replace my aging (cramped) car – I don’t see how this is going to happen, but the subject is what would I want to do...

Buy a motorcycle – While I’m dreaming...

Learn to speak Spanish – I failed it twice in high school, but, it would be so handy to know.

Worry less – It’s a hobby of mine to worry. I really should stop, but, I’m afraid of what will happen if I do.

Scan and archive family photos – I have 22 reels of slides dating back to the late 50’s that I want to preserve. All I have to do is organize, categorize, date, and scan them. Maybe by 2010...

Eat better – I mean healthier, not more efficiently.

2008 Highlights, Part 2: Yellowstone Trip with my Family

This trip included my wife, kids, and mother (whose car was big enough for all of us to fit in). We drove through 5 states and nearly 3000 miles. The kids learned to travel well and keep themselves busy in between stops. I was a proud father for sure.

Below are some highlights.

 

My mom, the kids and I at Zion National Park. Explanation of the hat: Katie was at Disneyland for Grad Night the night before. 

 

Florinda, the kids and I in northern Utah. 

The Grand Tetons.

The kids under an antler arch in Jackson, WY.

Katie is, what you may call, an animal lover.

A Bison traffic jam. They are frickin' HUGE!

Bison!

Elk!

The front of a bus at the Yellowstone Lodge.

Old Facefull Faithful.

The Grand Canyon. Pictures don't do it justice. You have to see it to believe it.

A California Condor (#87 is visible on it's wing) soaring over the Grand Canyon.

A Train Robber stops and poses for a photo on the way back to Williams, AZ.

2008 Highlights, Part 1: New York City with my Daughter

I was very lucky to chaperone my daughter and a friend when their Drama class went on a trip to New York earlier this year. We were there for 5 days and 4 nights. I have to say, the chaperoning was easy! Both Katie and her friend were always on time and well behaved (although, what went on in their room – I have no idea!).

The tour was pretty much non-stop and included Grand Central Station, Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty, The financial District, The Museum if Natural History, Little Italy, Radio City Music Hall (where the kids got to meet a Rockette!), Rockefeller Center, Time Square, tickets to Spamalot and Wicked, and much more!

At the end, we were exhausted, but very happy to have taken the trip.

Some day I would like to go back, but with the whole family and at a more reasonable pace.

Below are some highlights.

Grand Central Station

A mosaic in Strawberry Fields, across the street from the Dakota, where John Lennon lived.

 
Central Park

Times Square

Inside Radio City Music Hall

The Statue of Liberty

Inside the processing building on Ellis Island

"The Sphere." Now damaged, this was originally in the World Trade Center Plaza

The New York Stock Exchange

Outside the Rainbow Room and Radio City Music Hall.

Rockefeller Center at night.

Another of Rockefeller Center at night.

Katie and I outside the Apple Store - and out of the rain!