First Class Blog Alert

coney island of the mind...wow. What can I say? This is a first class blog, with some writing that kicks Joyce Carol Oates arse from here to Minnesota.
And yet, I see noone to credit it to...
This anonynmity seems to free folks up to write WHATEVER is on their mind, freeing them of inhibitions that might suppress such honest stream-of-consciousness.

Top 100 of 1980

So many excellent blogs I've enjoyed this evening, all thanks to the Verbosity ring. Wow. I'm proud to be part of such a quality stable.
Anyhoo, here's a neat little thing from Strange Cousin Susan.

List the top 100 songs from the year that you graduated high school. (You can find lists at Music Outfitters.) Bold the ones you actually like. Pick a favorite. Underline that favorite. And strikethrough the ones you loathe. Italicize the ones you consider to be guilty pleasures.



Okay...so here's the list of the top 100 of my graduating year, 1980. I have to say at the outset that I wasn't too big on the "Hits" even then. I've heard all of these songs (though I may have forgotten one or two), but the stuff I was calling "my favorite" back then is certainly not on this list (ie. the Clash, Psychedelic Furs, etc.)...

The key:
Song titles in boldface type are SONGS I REALLY LIKE
Song titles "struck through" are SONGS I LOATHE
Italicized song titles are what I'd consider "GUILTY PLEASURES"
Underlined song title is the one I'd consider my FAVORITE from the list.

1. Call Me, Blondie
2. Another Brick In The Wall, Pink Floyd
3. Magic, Olivia Newton-John
4. Rock With You, Michael Jackson
5. Do That To Me One More Time, Captain and Tennille
6. Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Queen
7. Coming Up, Paul McCartney
8. Funkytown, Lipps, Inc.
9. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, Billy Joel
10. The Rose, Bette Midler
11. Escape (The Pina Colada Song), Rupert Holmes
12. Cars, Gary Numan
13. Cruisin', Smokey Robinson
14. Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl, Spinners
15. Lost In Love, Air Supply
16. Little Jeannie, Elton John
17. Ride Like The Wind, Cristopher Cross
18. Upside Down, Diana Ross
19. Please Don't Go, K.C. and The Sunshine Band
20. Babe, Styx
21. With You I'm Born Again, Billy Preston and Syreeta
22. Shining Star, Manhattans
23. Still, Commodores
24. Yes, I'm Ready, Teri De Sario With K.C.
25. Sexy Eyes, Dr. Hook
26. Steal Away, Robbie Dupree
27. Biggest Part Of Me, Ambrosia
28. This Is It, Kenny Loggins
29. Cupid-I've Loved You For A Long Time, Spinners
30. Let's Get Serious, Jermaine Jackson
31. Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer, Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes
32. Sailing, Christopher Cross
33. Longer, Dan Fogelberg
34. Coward Of The County, Kenny Rogers
35. Ladies Night, Kool and The Gang
36. Take Your Time, S.O.S. Band
37. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer
38. Too Hot, Kool and The Gang
39. More Love, Kim Carnes
40. Pop Muzik, M
41. Brass In Pocket, Pretenders
42. Special Lady, Ray, Goodman and Brown
43. Send One Your Love, Stevie Wonder
44. The Second Time Around, Shalamar
45. We Don't Talk Anymore, Cliff Richard
47. Heartache Tonight , Eagles
48. Stomp, Brothers Johnson
49. Tired Of Toein' The Line, Rocky Burnette
50. Better Love Next Time, Dr. Hook
51. Him, Rupert Holmes
52. Against The Wind, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
53. On The Radio, Donna Summer
54. Emotional Rescue, Rolling Stones
55. Rise, Herb Alpert
56. All Out Of Love, Air Supply
57. Cool Change, Little River Band
58. You're Only Lonely, J.D. Souther
59. Desire, Andy Gibb
60. Let My Love Open The Door, Pete Townshend
61. Daydream Believer, Anne Murray
62. I Can't Tell You Why, Eagles
63. Don't Let Go, Isaac Hayes
64. Don't Do Me Like That, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
65. She's Out Of My Life, Michael Jackson
66. Fame, Irene Cara
67. Fire Lake, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
68. How Do I Make You, Linda Ronstadt
69. Into The Night, Benny Mardones
70. Let Me Love You Tonight, Pure Prairie League
71. Misunderstanding, Genesis
72. An American Dream, Dirt Band
73. One Fine Day, Carole King
74. Dim All The Lights, Donna Summer
75. You May Be Right, Billy Joel
76. Hurt So Bad, Linda Ronstadt
77. Should've Never Let You Go, Neil Sedaka and Dara Sedaka
78. Pilot Of The Airwaves, Charlie Dore
79. Off The Wall, Michael Jackson
80. I Pledge My Love, Peaches and Herb
81. The Long Run, Eagles
82. Stand By Me, Mickey Gilley
83. Heartbreaker, Pat Benatar
84. Deja Vu, Dionne Warwick
85. Drivin' My Life Away, Eddie Rabbitt
86. Take The Long Way Home, Supertramp
87. Sara, Fleetwood Mac
88. Wait For Me, Daryl Hall and John Oates
89. Jo Jo, Boz Scaggs
90. September Morn, Neil Diamond
91. Give Me The Night, George Benson
92. Broken Hearted Me, Anne Murray
93. You Decorated My Life, Kenny Rogers
94. Tusk, Fleetwood Mac
95. I Wanna Be Your Lover, Prince
96. In America, Charlie Daniels Band
97. Breakdown Dead Ahead, Boz Scaggs
98. Ships, Barry Manilow
99. All Night Long, Joe Walsh
100. Refugee, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Commenting On Andi's Favourites

Another very good VERBOSITY blog, Tripping Toward Lucidity is the work of a woman who describes her blog as "a throbbing mass of kitsch, snark, temper tantrums, work-induced bitchery, and general observations and poke-funnery of the world at large"...So I think I can get into that, but can I get into her MUSIC preferences, that's the thing, now isn't it?
Well, let's take a look at what Andi likes and I'll tell you what I think...I'll even grade 'em on a 1-10 scale for ya!
1. Martina McBride...oh, I suppose she's alright as far as "new country" goes. I've heard worse. With that in mind, I'd rate her a 7.
2. Evanescence...isn't that the band that was getting played on a lot of Christian rock stations and the singer went out of her way to make sure noone got the impression that they considered themselves a "Christian band"? Can't say I've heard (or payed attention) enough to assign a rating.
3. Default...isn't that a Nickelback spin-off (a more nauseating concept is not likely to be quickly conjured)? Probably a good thing I haven't heard from them...although I'm sure I've heard "the hit"...I just can't remember it.
4. Boy Sets Fire...He must have set it out of my earshot, cuz I've never heard 'em. I think I've read the name a couple of times, that's about it...
5. Graham Colton...And there I was, thinking my musical horizons couldn't be much broader, when I read this name and realized I had no idea who it was.
6. Pat Green...I guess I've liked hearing him on the radio, within the context of what's currently popular out of nashville. I guess he's okay, but I wouldn't want to pass out a rating for him.
7. Jimmy Eat World...Can't say I jumped on that bandwagon. Nothing good or bad, just indifferent.
8. Dashboard Confessional...Not too hip to the emo scene, but it can't be too bad, can it?
9. Eve To Adam...Andi, I gotta admit you could show me some new tricks, dahl.
10. Eva Cassidy...At least I've heard her...actually have the Songbird CD, and there's no denying she had one of the sweetest voices, right up there with Sandy Denny. She would get a 7, but that seems a bit too low, doesn't it? Oh well, I'd just rather listen to Denny.
11. Josh Groban...I really have been a hermit.
12. Dixie Chicks...Umm, no. This is the point where we're gonna have to decide whether or not we can discuss music seriously. A low 2, and that's nothing to do with Natalie's politics.
13. Alison Krauss & Union Station...Now there's a noticeable improvement. Krauss gets an easy 8.
14. John Mayer...Believe it or not...and I'm actually having a hard time believing it myself, but I actually like John Meyer. As long as he can avoid any more Dave Matthews comparisons (the very thing that eventually soured me on David Gray), he'll be okay.
15. Aretha Franklin...RESPECT. Give it up. I dun quit wit da ratin' scale, didn' I? She gone blowed it thru the roof, she done did!
16. Joni Mitchell...Then again, who can stand much of Joni's tobacco seared voice? Not me.
17. Shawn Colvin...Let's just say I have not been inspired to investigate Ms. Colvin's catalogue after seeing her appearance on some MTV show where she played her songs to the natives in some out of the way esoteric location...I was bitterly less-than-impressed and found it to be just almost as annoying as Ryan Adams dismal appearance on the same show.
18. Dave Matthews Band...see #14...do these look like the musings of someone who thinks too highly of Dave Matthews and his Band?

And let's see...of the 18 movies she lists as favorites, I count only 4 that I remember seeing. Stigmata sucked pretty bad, I thought. I took my son to see Harry Potter so I saw that one by default. I also watched Scream at the house of an individual I worked with and who wanted to see it, so I didn't really choose to watch that one (meaning that I probably would still not have seen it, had it not been for this circumstance). I will say that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an excellent film, and so it sort of boggles the mind to see it in the company of Sweet Home Alabama and the Shrek movies.
But hey, that's just the critical snob in me...

I wouldn't mind borrowing some of Andi's books...

Random Bored Thoughts

So this is more or less what's going on in my life right now:

The grass needs to be mowed...it's worse than it's ever been since we bought this house 15 months ago. But what can I do? We've got two lawnmowers and neither one of them work. What makes it even worse is that one of them is practically brand new...it's only been used once or twice since we bought it a couple of months ago, and yet it's already screwed up and no, I have no idea what's wrong with it. I only know that it fires up and runs fine for about 2 or 3 minutes, then it abruptly dies and will not start back up.
It really angers me, because we bought this model so we wouldn't have to rake the mulch (it's got a mulch bag), but when it went on the fritz we had to use the older model and the rake (but who am I trying to fool? I never broke out the rake, only hoped that the wind would be strong enough to take care of it)...for all the good that did me when the stupid thing's wheel fell off (no, I cannot figure out how to get it back on...do I have to tell you that I am totally lacking in ANY mechanical knowledge and/or technique?
So the grass grows, and there's a veritable garden of toadstools/mushrooms popping up in my back yard.

Due to scheduling idiosyncracies I wound up getting a 5-day weekend (I'd call it a mini-vacation w/o pay), but that's all over now. Here in another hour I will have to get ready to go back to work, and as always I have mixed feelings about it.
The predominant feeling, at least at the moment, is that I wish I had at least another 5 days before going back. I was just getting used to navigating the "lazy zone" again...who knows how much more original content would wind up on my blogs if only I could eke out another week of down time.
I should probably be happy and eager to get back to work, dodging the immenant curse of Cabin Fever sure to be just around the corner...but I'm not.
That's the ultimate bottom line:
I'm not.

I don't doubt that a good 80% of the population of the USA (probably more) would agree that I lead a dull, boring life.
At times like this, I would have to agree.

Friday's OKC Trip

I spent the day with friends in OKC last Friday and I put new batteries in the digital camera, thinking I would take a few pictures to share here.
Well, I only shot three...and not very good ones at that. Even so, here they are:


Warty & Capital in Warty's bedroom studio. I was laying down a bass line to one of their songs and took a break so I could get this photo.


Red was pretty much "out of it" for the duration of my stay, having been up the previous night doing a show with Basement Dynasty, one of several bands he participates in.


Me 'n' Warty.

When I got home I took this interesting shot of my son holding a mushroom that we found growing in the back yard.

Wonder what would happen if I ate that mushroom?

kill me, heal me

Intersesting blog. Check it out.

Prog-Heart

I admit it. I have always been enamored of prog-rock (that's "progressive rock", ifn' you didn't know)...
Progressive Rock Ultimate Discography is like re-discovering my old record collection.

The Last 15 Albums I Listened To...

With the constant listening to XM Satellite radio I feel the need, for some inexplicable reason, to make lists of all the full-length albums I listen to. This installment encompasses 15 titles and a time span of 5 days.
I've included a bit of commentary with a few selections, which will hopefully elevate this blog post slightly above the level of "another list"...


Throbbing Gristle Grief


Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle's Greatest Hits


Sheila Chandra Quiet
From the sublime (a good portion of the album) to the ridiculous ("Quiet 4", an annoying 4 minutes of Chandra using her voice as a percussion instrument), this is a decent Chandra album, though I am much more enamored of her drones (ABoneCroneDrone...stupid title, but musically enchanting, I wish I still had a copy).
I wouldn't recommend Quiet to the Chandra novice (Moonsung is a good entry point, IMO, as is her more recent This Sentence Is True), but it's worth having if you're already enamored of her voice...


Keith Richards Talk Is Cheap
Keef's first solo record is an uneven affair. A couple of very good tracks ("Big Enough", "Take It So Hard"), but as they are also the first two songs on the album, the rest of it seems to descend a ladder from the top (trademark bucket-bottom Richards riffage abounds) to the bottom (the meandering, useless wanking of the closing track, "It Means a Lot"...would someone pull the plug already?). The biggest problem of the whole project is a conspicuous lack of melodies to make the raunch 'n' roll a bit more palatable. I suppose that's where Mick comes in handy with the Stones' gig...Regardless, I think I'd still prefer Talk is Cheap to She's The Boss if given a choice.


Alice Cooper Muscle of Love
See previous post on the Coop's best songs.


The Who The Who By Numbers
I really should listen to this album more often...each time I do it becomes more poignant, more relevant.
If I were to spend just a bit more time with By Numbers I have no doubt it would replace Sell Out as my number 2 favorite Who album, if that gives you an idea of how close in the running it is at number 3.


Sigur Ros ( )
Sigur Ros' ( ) may well be the most beautiful music I have ever heard in my entire life.
I come to this conclusion having heard it countless times between when it was released (2003, I think it was) and now.
To hear it in the cab of a Saturn SL driving 75 miles per hour down the interstate by the light of the moon is to be absorbed within a soundworld that is rivalled only by the womb to the fetus...
Not that that makes any sense, but I had to try.
Sigur Ros are currently my favorite band.


The Doors The Doors


The Doors Strange Days
Obviously re-visiting some classics that I haven't given the time of day to in the last several years.
Hoping to banish the "Lizard King" nonsense from memory so that I can appreciate their catalogue without all that "legend" baggage.


The Who Quadrophenia
For some reason I have just never given this album the kind of attention it probably deserves (and the kind that is probably required for it's brilliance to set in), so I looked forward to hearing it hot off the heels of Tommy...keeping in mind that this is, of course, the follow-up to what I consider to be the band's greatest album, Who's Next...
I dunno, maybe they burned themselves out creating the masterpiece that is Who's Next, but I still have not found the key to recognizing Quadrophenia as one of their best albums...It just isn't as exciting as their previous works. Not to say it doesn't have it's moments ("Love Reign O'er Me", "Bell Boy", "Had Enough", "5:15"), but there seems to be a lot of filler here...I'll probably regret saying that, though, when Iit grows on me or when I grow into it, whichever comes first.
I'll spin it again soon enough.


The Who Tommy
This sounds even better now than it did way back in the early 70's when I first heard it. It has aged very well and beats the crap out of just about all the new music I've heard in the last couple of years.


Sugar Beaster


Sugar Copper Blue


Phil Collins Hello, I Must Be Going


Chicago Chicago Transit Authority

Favorite Coop Tunes

Inspired by a post from the RS.com Castaways community in which a member mentioned a Coop compilation he'd just made, I decided to compile the definitive list of my favorite Alice Cooper songs. Alice was one of the first bands I really got into, at the ripe age of 10, and I have a thorough appreciation of the "Billion Dollar Babies" years. I enjoyed the Welcome To My Nightmare album, hence it's inclusion in this list, but I lost interest after that. If there was one post-Welcome Cooper cut that could have made this list, it would have been "I Never Cry" from Alice Cooper Goes to Hell.


from Love It To Death
"I'm Eighteen"
"Black Juju"
"Hallowed Be My Name"
"Second Coming"
"The Ballad of Dwight Frye"


from Killer
"Halo of Flies"
"Desperado"
"You Drive Me Nervous"
"Dead Babies"
"Killer"


from School's Out
"School's Out"
"Luney Tune"
"Gutter Cat vs. the Jets"
"My Stars"


from Billion Dollar Babies
"Hello Hooray"
"Elected"
"Unfinished Sweet"
"Generation Landslide"
"Sick Things"


from Muscle of Love
"Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo)"
"Hard Hearted Alice"
"Muscle of Love"
"Teenage Lament '74"


from Welcome to My Nightmare"
"Devil's Food"
"Black Widow"
"Only Women Bleed"
"Years Ago"/"Steven"/"Awakening"


All of these albums are worth owning, and if you don't already have 'em I suggest you whip out yer Visa/Mastercard, head on over to Amazon and fill that shopping cart up with these classics.
And no, I am not on Amazon's payroll...

Sushi High: Someone please date this woman

Sushi High: Someone please date this woman...I thought this was very funny, and the Sushi High website thoroughly entertaining.

Now I'm off to have lunch with high school friend and fellow blogger Mark White ("Liberty Just In Case"), who I have not seen in over 25 years.
I guess I should bring the digital camera...

The Sacred Sandwich: Throwing the Book at Postmodern Christianity

I've been a fan of religious satire and humour since first discovering The Wittenburg Door a couple of years ago, so it's always a treat to find internet sites that combine a strong sense of humour with a firm grasp of theology. The Sacred Sandwich Frontpage: Throwing the Book at Postmodern Christianity is my latest discovery.
Excellent article on the use of various Bible "translations" to, as they put it, "muddle God's truth".
Lot's of critique on Rick Warren's message, so they're definately on the right track as far as I'm concerned.
Check it out.

But It DID Happen...!

This afternoon I visited a convenience store I patronize to buy some Gatorade for the commute to work. I pulled into the parking lot next to an old car occupied by a couple of kids who couldn't have been more than 3-4 years old, left there by a man I assumed was their father, who was talking on the pay phone about 10 yards away.
As I get out of the car I can see inside the window that it's a veritable junk pile of Camel cigarette wrappers and other assorted waste.
The kids are pretty rowdy, but such behaviour can be expected from toddlers left alone in the sweltering heat and humidity.
As I'm walking towards the store's entrance I see the guy on the pay phone get this really grumpy look on his face and he shouts to the kids, "What part of 'back seat' don't you understand?"
And I had to suppress a laugh.
What an idiot.

New Crap on Nausea & Bliss

I finally got around to putting up some new stuff in my Nausea & Bliss blog.
These are a couple of examples...

Last 10 CDs I Listened To

Since I've had XM Satellite Radio I have to admit that I don't listen to CDs as much as I used to, and even though I really, really like the variety that XM offers, still there's something about spending 45-60 minutes with one band/artist and hearing a full CD that will always be an integral part of my musical experience.
Lately the XM has been parked on the "XM Classics" channel, and I've even been checking out the smooth jazz on "Watercolours", but here is a list of the last 10 CDs I've listened to when giving the XM receiver a well-earned rest.


Sandy Denny No More Sad Refrains: The Anthology


David Bowie Hours


The Beatles Let It Be...Naked


Paul Revere & the Raiders Greatest Hits


Miles Davis Bitches Brew


Krzyzstof Penderecki "Polymorphy"


David Visan Buddha Bar V


Tangerine Dream Pergammon


Talking Heads Remain In Light


Bruces Springsteen Tunnel of Love

These and thousands of other great albums are just waiting for you to purchase them at Amazon.

Happy Birthday, Aubrey

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUBREY LYNN, WHEREVER YOU ARE.

I LOVE YOU AND I MISS YOU.

A Visit With A Friend

Yesterday I visited with a friend I hadn't seen in several years...
You see, he kinda disappeared for awhile somewhat unexpectedly. He got into a bit of trouble dealing methamphetamine, I was told, and wound up doing some jail time. I knew he'd been selling marijuana (I used to be a regular customer back in the days when I was an "everyday stoner"), and he probably pushed a large quantity of it, but I didn't know he'd been caught up in the nasty crank scene. But I guess I should have figured it out, as he was always pretty edgy...blame my naivette for not picking up on it..but he always seemed to be in control.
And when I heard he had started coming around again, paying regular visits on some mutual friends, I was excited to see him. I'd heard from those friends that he was "really doing well", that he had cleaned up and was staying with his ex-wife (though I wasn't sure at the time I heard about it whether or not this was for convenience sake or if he had a mind to reconcilliate with her...they have a 9 year old son together). I was happy for him and looked forward to the possibility of seeing him yesterday.
I don't know what it was, but I found myself feeling very uncomfortable around him when he finally did swing by. I don't think he'd changed all that much...he still had that "edge" I mentioned (to the extent that this time around I DID suspect that he was possibly using meth again), but he didn't seem to have it "in check" like he once did.
Come to find out, after driving to the store and back with him, that he was hoping to reconcile with his ex-wife, but that on this evening he had reason to believe that she was with another man, and this was upsetting him. His paranoia over the whole situation was getting to him, and he wanted advice and consent...
I found myself totally unable to offer either.
It got to the point where he was actually trying to get into her Cingular wireless account on the internet so he could look at her phone calls, and I have to admit that this creeped me out in a big way, to watch him trying to crack her password code, failing each time until the account locked up.
I mean, this is his EX-wife, not his wife. If she's in a relationship with someone else I don't know why it would get to him like it did. It's one thing to be possessive about something that you can call your own (though the lack of trust thrown in the mix is disheartening), but it's not as if they've been married for the past few years.
He spent pretty much the entire time he was at our mutual friend's house on the phone trying to track her down, and when he finally did things got ugly (at least that's what I was told by him...as in "she denies it, says she left her phone in the car on purpose, but you know she's lying about that, and I wound up yelling at her"...). He left without saying goodbye to anyone...
It was a strange reunion and, I'm afraid, an oninous harbinger of things to come for him.

Ain't No Veg, Harold, I'm Sorry

One more reason why I will never, EVER be a vegetarian.
Steak-Umm Express BBQ beef is some of the tastiest I've ever had, and it's SO easy to prepare. Just pop a bag into the microwave and let 'er go for 2 minutes...then pour it out onto a bun and you're good to go (I actually prefer it on Roman Meal or HomePride Honey Whole Wheat bread).
Believe it or not, I DON'T use the microwave as much as I imagine most Americans do, but you can bet I'll be utilyzing it in the future plenty when I've got Steak-Umms in the freezer.
Not too expensive...around 6 dollars for a box of 5. They are well worth every penny if you're judging by taste alone. Scrumptious. I just ate 3 sandwiches worth (yeah, I know...a tad gluttonous, but hey, it's late and I didn't eat dinner), along with a few Vlasik Zesty Dills and some Pepper Jack cheese...I am stuffed, as you might guess, but my taste buds are still singing the praises of this no-effort combo.
My wife says I'll get burned out on them, like I do everything else I take a fancy to. The last few months I've been wolfing down Swanson's Hungry Man beef steak tips (with peppers and onions, smothered in bourbon sauce) and mashed potatoes. There's like a pound and a half of food in those puppies, and they sure go well with a few slices of buttered bread. But alas, I did get burned out on the stuff, and probably won't want anymore for several months.
Other reasons I'll never be a vegetarian include:
~~~Pepperoni...My all-time favourite meat. On pizza, in a salad, plain with honey mustard, in spaghetti...the possibilities are endless.
~~~O'Berto Beef Jerky...I never liked beef jerky until a couple of years ago when I travelled to Denver with some friends to see a Sigur Ros concert and we sampled various brands and flavours of jerky all the way up there and back. I developed a taste for it, and O'Berto has long been my preferred brand. If I can choose, I like the BarBQ flavour and the Teriyaki, but the Peppered and Hickory Smoke is good, too. Can't say I'm all that fond of Original.
~~~Hebrew National Beef Franks...Though I'm not excessively fond of hot dogs, I gotta say these Hebrew Nationals are tasty as all get-out. I favoured Ball Park bun-length beef franks until I tasted the HNs and now I don't think I can ever go back. It's GOTTA be BEEF franks...I don't particularly care for the pork variety and I will NOT eat any that have turkey or chicken in 'em. Just a quirk of mine...
~~~BLT sandwiches...What is it about the combination of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and lots of Miracle Whip dressing on toast that is so mouth-wateringly delicious?
~~~Robertson's Ham...I think I posted about how much I love Robertson's ham in a previous entry on this very blog. Nothing's changed since then, I assure you. You have not tasted ham until you've tried Robertson's. Don't ask me what makes it so much better than any other ham I've ever eaten...but it is.
~~~Pizza Hut Deep Dish Italian Sausage w/Red Onions Pizza...Having only recently developed an insatiable appetite for red onion, I felt obligated to include this item, even though pepperoni is my staple pizza topping. Those onions sho 'nuff taste good mixed with the Italian Sausage.
~~~Braum's Cheeseburgers...with lots and lots of salt.
~~~Burger King Whopper w/cheese...Hopefully the BK you're at is one of the better ones. I've seen some that would put you off of your appetite. I once went to the restroom at a BK in Tulsa, where I joined a cook from the restaurant at the urinals. He DID NOT wash his hands before returning to work. Needless to say, I never ate at that one again. Twas a shame, because the Whopper has always been THE fast food burger that tops 'em all.
~~~Taco Mayo soft tacos...It's the sauce. Took some time getting used to, as it was initially a bit too hot for my tastes, but once I got used to it there was no going back to Taco Bell. The Bell's okay, though, but Mayo grinds their burger meat a bit finer, and I appreciate that.
~~~Chili's steak...Costs an arm and a leg, but I took my family to Chili's during our vacation and ordered a steak dinner...of course, they had to take it back and cook it some more so it would meet my criteria for "well done", but it was worth the wait (most all better steak places seem to think that "well done" means "still a little bit of pink in the center"...I'm going to start telling them to "burn it").
~~~Hard Salami...NOT regular salami or cotto salami, mind you. I can't stomach the notion of eating pork hearts. But hard salami, to my knowledge, is "heartless" and makes an excellent snack with a dollop of mustard to go with it.
So there you go.
A few reasons why I'll keep on chowin' down on meat, no matter how much of a guilt trip PETA might want to lay on me.

I'm also big into Granny Smith apples right now, too...

Noon Already

It's noon already...I've been on this stupid computer for an hour and a half. It's at this point that my eyes begin to start burning and I become attuned to a subconscious voice that says "You're wasting precious time"...But I ignore it's wisdom and begin a post for this blog...
Not knowing what I want to say...
Wondering if I even have anything to say...
I see other people's blogs and I am fascinated with the ones that are brutally honest, with a no-holds-barred approach to revealing ANYTHING and EVERYTHING about the person doing the writing (masked by a bogus username or not). I feel inspired to do the same, but I cannot bring myself to be so transparent here.
Inspired by the PostSecret blog, I once created a blog using an alias username, for the purpose of confessing the bad stuff I've done in my 43 years. I dunno, maybe I was hoping that by doing so I could come to terms with residual guilt that I still harbor. But writing about my sins had the opposite effect, and I began to obsess about how wretched I was...I had to shut it down and get on my knees, pray to God that He would remind me of how I'd already confessed them to Him, that they'd already been forgiven, that the person who did those things is dead...
And I do believe that. I have to. I don't want to come off as fanatical, but Jesus Christ is my only hope. I've looked deep enough into myself to acknowledge the truth of that.