Crash

Wow.
Rated on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the best: 10.
Maybe I'll get around to writing a review soon...maybe after I've watched it a couple more times (at least once with director's commentary)...
But for now just take my word for it.
This is one of the finest films I have ever seen, even if it does have Sandra Bullock in it.
And when is Ludicrus gonna ditch the hip hop game and take up acting full time? He's good enough.

Happy Halloween

I couldn't resist posting this work of art from my good buddy Eric Wheeler, aka "The Drumming Ninja".
In a flash of inspiration his imagination was filled with the vision of his alter-ego rising up and slicing his head in two with that razor sharp blade. Sensing the intense and legitimate symbolic aspects inherent in this wild, gory daydream scene, he immediately set to work capturing the image on his digital camera and offering it to the world via the internet (or if not the world, at least to those who stumble upon his MySpace profile).

Pete Townshend's Blog

Legendary composer and guitarist for the Who, Pete Townshend, is blogging a serialization of his current literary project, The Boy Who Heard Music.
What's really cool, though, is Townshend's Blogger User profile, which reveals that his favorite movies are Cinema Paradiso, The 200 Blows, My Life As A Dog, Fifth Element, BladeRunner, Jules et Jim, Day for Night, The Royal Tannenbaums & The Stalker .
Even more interesting, to me at least, are Pete's choices for "Favorite Music": Joni Mitchell's Travelogue, Neil Young's Harvest, The Best of Yo Yo Ma Marvin Gaye's Ain't That Peculiar and anything by Flaming Lips or Wilco.
Wow! Pete Townshend loves a band from Oklahoma City! I bet Wayne Coyne is ecstatic!

25 Things About Me

Have you seen the "25 Things About Me" meme?
I had some free time yesterday and so I decided to give it a shot. Probably more than anyone wants (or needs) to know, but here I am:

1. I have always liked to think of myself as somewhat eccentric, and though I often wish I was "normal" I know I could never be happy that way.

2. I fear God...which implies that I believe in Him. I do. Although I am still struggling with certain aspects of Orthodox Christianity I nevertheless plead the mercy of the Lord and recognize the finite nature of the human mind and it's shortcomings (read: the shortcomings of my own mind).

3. I am the product of a dysfunctional family but I refuse to use that as some kind of excuse for the issues I've dealt with as a result of my upbringing. I acknowledge it, but I don't hide behind it.

4. When I was young I dreamed of fame. Nowadays I thank God that fame eluded me. I feel certain that I would not have been able to handle it and would have probably wound up like Kurt Cobain.

5. I deeply regret not paying more attention to my teachers in high school. Even more I regret dropping out of college. With the benefit of hindsight I can see WHY I did what I did (see #3), but I still wish I had been more tenacious, diligent and attentive.

6. My reading skills were honed as a 14 year old boy by reading Playboy from cover-to-cover. Playboy and other "men's magazines" were my reading primers and I confess that this was a negative influence on my perception of sexuality and women in general. They did'nt make me disrespectful of the female gender at all, but the opposite extreme. I tended to view attractive women as "higher beings", completely unrealistically placing them on a pedestal based on their physical beauty. It took me a long time to learn that beauty, besides being in the eye of the beholder, is also skin deep. I've figured it out now, though.

7. I watched WAY too much television growing up. So many of my childood memories are of stupid TV programs like The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Gilligan's Island ad infinitum. These days I can hardly sit in front of a television for 5 minutes without feeling as if I'm wasting precious time.

8. I cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke, but I think marijuana smoke smells delicious.

9. All of my friends live in the City, 60 miles away from where I live. As much as I enjoy their company, I LOATHE driving up there and back, with the traffic and all. I don't think I even have a friend in the town where I live, but that doesn't bother me most of the time, as I've always been somewhat a hermit/loner.

10. It took me years to accept and come to terms with a 1985 diagnosis of bipolar disorder. I have avoided treatment most of that time (because I can't tolerate medication's side effects) and so my life is like a long roller coaster ride that I have attempted to manage with varying degrees of success.

11. I think about death and dying too much and I have done so for the last 25 years. I hope I die in my sleep (who doesn't?). The closest thing I have to a phobia (besides my fear of heights) is the dread of dying in a car accident.

12. For some reason I am fascinated with the "Swinging Lifestyle", even though I don't think I'd ever seriously considered getting involved with it...which is just as well, since I'm 99% positive that my wife would never want to...

13. I will not eat fish or fowl. No real reason.

14. I have a 20 year old daughter from a failed marriage who I have not seen in years. I have no idea where she or her mother are, and I often wonder if I'm a granparent without even knowing. If I could have anything in the world right now it would be a reunion and a relationship with her.

15. My mom left my dad when I was 16 years old and she said she had waited until she thought I was old enough to understand. Truth be told, the first thought that came to my mind when I learned she had left was "It's about time...what took you so long?"...not because I wanted her to leave but because I knew, and had known for a couple of years, that there was no love left in her for my father. I KNEW she was only hanging around for us kids. Still, in retrospect, after all I went through with my dad following her departure, I wish she had waited another 5 years. Maybe that's selfish---but I don't think the sacrifices I made (and their long term effects on me) were a fair exchange for anything she could have gained by leaving when she did. Not to mention the forthcoming issues with the people they eventually married after their divorce.

16. I wish I still worked at CD Warehouse. That job was perfect for me. It's too bad the guy who owns the store doesn't seem to think so.

17. I'm not a violent person by nature. I have managed to avoid such confrontations. Consequently I do have a lot of pent-up aggression and I fear that if I ever DO get into a fight I will not be able to restrain myself from killing my opponent.

18. I prefer cold weather to hot. I cannot stand sweltering heat and humidity. I love rain. I enjoy thunderstorms and I never get tired of watching lightning bolts fill the night sky.

19. I go through periods of insomnia that are brutal. Sleep, during those times, is like a lover who teasingly withholds her charms.

20. I get bored fairly easily.

21. Music is and has always been much too important to me.

22. I can't remember the last time I sat through an entire game of football, basketball or baseball. I wish I were more athletically inclined, as a spectator and a participant.

23. I take a shower in the morning and a bath when I get home from work. I love bathing.

24. I wish I knew more about my parents.

25. I believe I can fly.

There you go. Stone cold truth about yours truly (with the exception of #25...of course I can't fly. I wish I could, though!).

Something Awful

If you thought the "I Hate Music" blog was brutal, take a gander at Something Awful: Your Band Sucks...I'd suggest ignoring the bits about bands you really like, though, or anger might replace the amusement.
I mean, check out this entry on Nirvana:

Let's look on the bright side, at least they inspired some truly worthless human beings to commit suicide. Unfortunately, they inspired twice as many worthless human beings to start worthless bands and make worthless music and destroy modern rock radio forever.

Ouch.

Today's Highlights from ROY!

Today's Roy highlights:

~~~"I'll break my bowl! Cuz I'm crazy! I'll break my plate...I'll break my eyeglasses!"

~~~"I'm gonna squeeze a turtle."

~~~"I'm gonna raise hell on Halloween and I'm gonna throw my Christmas tree off the porch on Christmas."

~~~"My cousin Sherri took a shit in my uncle Johnny's boot and blamed it on me."

~~~"I'm gonna smoke me some coffee grounds, just for the fun of it."

~~~"I'm gonna drop firecrackers in kids' candy bags on Halloween...make 'em go off cryin'."

~~~"Can I raise hell in Dallas? Trip out on the Mexicans down there? Curse 'em out in Spanish?"

~~~"I'm gonna piss in my bug zapper."

~~~"I'm gonna drink piss 'on the rocks'."

~~~"I'm gonna bust me some balloons."

~~~"I'm gonna piss on my momma's bed."

~~~"I'm going to piss a locust off."

~~~"I'm gonna tie springs on my feet and bounce on 'em. Boing! Boing! Boing!"

Fight My Food-Eating Monkey

James Arthur is a Fish-Eating Magic Monkey ...with a Battle Rating of 7.7 To see if your Food-Eating Battle Monkey can defeat James Arthur, enter your name:

ENTERTAINING BLOG ALERT!

Can't say I agree with the author's general take on Chuck Klosterman (though I have not read his latest book), but This Is 80's Hair Metal is entertaining on it's own merits, and worth checking out.

MashUp

Lots of REALLY cool MashUps at ccc (Mashups Galore). Definately check out Walrus Confusion, a seamless splicing of the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" and the Temptations' "Ball of Confusion". Just incredible. Also can reccomend Psychesmellica.
Seriously, this is the STUFF.

Some Photos to Share

While tinkering around in my Shutterfly account I came across a set of photos that I thought I would share with you today.



A photo from a peformance with my band HEAD (who later became King Tongue). This was at a club called Kelly's in Norman, Oklahoma where we played a couple of times. The audience was partial to our song "Freedom of Speech" and our cover of the Kiss classic, "Cold Gin". As usual, I'm sweatin' like Meat Loaf.



This was to be a promotional shot for HEAD, that's my brother Charles to my left and guitarist Gregg Dobbs to my right. Taken on some playground equipment at the elementary school.



Can't really see much in this promo shot, done the same day as the last one.



I like to call this one my "Tribute to the Boss: Bruce Springsteen". Clever, no? What with the acoustic guitar and the poster of Springsteen albums behind me, who could doubt that I'm a hardcore fan...



This is a shot of myself and S the year we met, 1989. We were married in 94. We've both changed quite a lot in the intervening 16 years and you wouldn't recognize us if you only had this picture to find us by.



Can't believe I was wearing those glasses! Even harder to believe I was acting like such a dork! You can't see it here, but the object of my perplexity in this photo is a Spanish olive I'd just fished from the jar. I don't know what got into me to make such a face, but I've long thought it very funny.



Same glasses, not too much later, but somehow pulling off a much cooler persona than the last picture. Don't ask me why, but I've always liked this shot of me, with the Springsteen t-shirt and the mussed-up hair and the expression that says "I'd rather be sleeping"... Sort of Keef Richards-ish, I've always thought, but that's just wishful thinking.



And one last photo to share...
This is me and a very good friend, Tristan Shutt, taken last year when TrisDogg showed up at the Blue Note (OKC, OK) to see me play a solo acoustic set then do a gig with the Mad Laugh. It was, in fact, snapped almost immediately after my successful solo set, and that is why I appear red as a lobster...I was hot and scorched from the stage lights. But, man, it was good to see Tristan. He and I got to know each other pretty well a few years ago when we travelled from central Oklahoma all the way to Denver Colorado to see Sigur Ros play at the Ogden Theater. A great show and an even more unforgettable journey with Tristan and a couple of other complanions. I have the great honour of having been the one to introduce Sigur Ros to Tristan, while I was working at the CD store, and he eventually became a HUGE fan.

Roy's Wife

Okay, this is where it gets kinda weird with Roy...
...Did I say "kinda" weird?
No, this is out and out, no doubt about it WEIRD.
The lovely lady in the photo above? That's Annie.
ROY'S WIFE.
"What?" you ask, incrediously, "But that's a DOLL!"
Indeed, you are correct. It IS a doll.
And yet...
It's ROY'S WIFE.
You see, Roy knows that Annie is a doll. Yet, he still beileves that he is married to her. In fact, a bunch of his "friends" got together one time and held a mock wedding ceremony, with a bogus preacher and all, for Roy and this doll, Annie. Of course, Roy was under the impression that it was the real deal, no lie. It's all on videotape...I've seen it. Complete with an exchange of rings, "kissing the bride" and the wedding march played on the sound system, it's both heart-breaking and funny as all get out to watch. Someone even made up this "Marriage Certificate":


I don't know about you, but I find this behaviour in a 44 year old man to be a tad bizarre. Still, Roy is one cool guy, once you get used to the constant profanity and the temper tantrums.

Perlman's Paganini

Here's the drill:
Put on yer headphones.
Now, put on Itzhak Perlman's masterful playing of Paganini's 24 Caprices.
If you're a drinker, have a drink. If you like to get high, fire it up. If you abstain from drugs and alcohol of any kind, never mind, just let your imagination have it's way (which, I suppose, is what drugs and alcohol are really any good for, to help in that endeavour).
Close your eyes and imagine, make believe that the sound of the bow striking the violin strings is actually the actual sound of worms eating their way through your brain.
Relax, and let them enjoy their meal, as the music they make with their gnawing and their munching, their nibbling and their crunching is somehow simultaenously full of energy and yet the feel of them against the eardrum is calming, soothing.
This is music for which a strong case can be made for supporting the notion of direct inspiration from God, melodious to a fault, incredibly complex, yet amusing to even the simpleton's ear. This is not a set of pieces that can be performed by just any violinist. Perlman, however, is gifted enough to pull it off, and a thing of beauty it is to behold.
Music that sings of the soul.
A miracle from God, the manner in which the music possesses the performer and opens the channels for the long-dead composer to live on, although it is not his to claim as he lies in the ground. The inspiration, as timeless, eternal as the music He's inspired, is from the Creator of Heaven and Earth, Himself.
Paganini, if my music history knowledge faileth not, was held in awe by those who saw him play the violin, and, one would assume, these 24 Caprices. There sprang up at the time a legend, which is likely the root of the old Robert Johnson-at-the-Crossroads story, that Paganini had made a deal with Satan...a trade...His soul in exchange for incredible, almost magical technique and ability to play the violin. The deal was struck and the music-loving population of the time marvelled at the talent Paganini displayed.
Rank superstition, but there is no question that the 24 Caprices are, if not magical, enchanting nonetheless.
Perlman makes the violin sing throughout these short solo violin pieces. Deft, his fingering is precise and yet, not mechanical at all, almost lyrical. Difficult to believe that such rich, full music is the result of a single violin.
Anyone who understands why Eddie Van Halen is appreciated as a guitarist, or any one of the many great guitar players of the last 50 years should likewise be able to appreciate just how remarkable an achievement is Perlman's handling of Paganini's signature series. The technique required to pull these Caprices off is formidable and would discourage even a seasoned player. But not Perlman. He almost makes it sound easy. Incredibly flawless, Perlman amazes!
At over 72 minutes, the collected Caprices are a lot of music, and none of it boring. Taken as a whole or thrown into Shuffle mode and enjoyed in groupings of 4, 5, 6, 7, a dull moment will not be experienced.

Quality Blog ALERT!

Just a very interesting, well-done blog with tons of great links, even if the proprieter is a DMB fan, people in every direction... is worth checking out.

More from Roy

Roy has proven to be a veritable fountain of humorous comments. Here are a few from today:

~~~"I'm gonna burn down a whorehouse. Jim McCloud, I'm gonna burn down his whorehouse. Burn down the Kickapoo Motel."

~~~"I'm eatin' horse shit."

~~~"I don't want to end up in no strange ghetto."

~~~"I had a dream I broke out windows last night...Glass makes pretty music when it breaks."

~~~"Get that fucked-up bicycle out of here."
It should be noted that there was not a bicycle in sight when Roy said this, so I asked, "Where's the bicycle?" to which he replied, "In the machine shop."

~~~"I'm gonna bitch slap my grandma. I'm gonna bitch slap my sister."
"Why would you want to do that?" I asked.
"Cause they're bitches...Push my momma off a bridge."

~~~"I'm gonna drink me some Mexican beer and go crazy like a wild Indian."

~~~"I eat shit all the time. It's good with peanut butter. I'm gonna eat me some cow shit. I'm gonna smoke me some dog shit. Dry it out in the sun, stick it in my pipe and smoke it. That's why you call cigars 'dog turds'".

~~~"I'm going to take me an overdose. I'm gonna piss off an oil well."

~~~"I'm gonna go on a hunger strike. I'm gonna sue DHS for 2.9 million cause they're robbing me of food stamps. They're robbing my white ass. N*****-fucking dope fiend."

~~~"I'm gonna drown in the sea of love, man."

~~~"I'm gonna break my stereo. I wanna see stereo fireworks."

~~~"Can I smoke my momma's crack?"

~~~"What do you think I am? Your damn whore?"

~~~"I'm gonna smoke my Mexican clock."

~~~Roy and I listen to the Oldies station all day long and we both like the DJ, Ronnie Kaye, who has been in radio & television for as long as both of us can remember. I made the remark to Roy that I've always liked Ronnie Kaye, to which he replied, "He's a fool, man...He's a stone fuckin' fool." (Regardless, Roy is as big a fan of Kaye as I am)

~~~"I'm gonna play my Australian flute".

~~~"I'm gonna play my farting violin."

More from Roy

More from Roy, who is the only person I have ever known who eats Spam straight out of the can, taking big bites out of the loaf, as if it were a big candy bar. He's also the only adult I have ever heard pronounce "Pringles" like this: "Pring-Os"...

~~~"I've got Satan's bug...I'm dying of AIDS."

~~~"I'm gonna drink me some toilet bowl cleaner. I'm gonna drink my cologne."

~~~Every day I suggest activities for Roy, all of which he disgustedly rejects. It has become a running gag for me to suggest a road trip to Ardmore, which is a couple of hundred miles south on the Oklahoma-Texas border. Today when I mentioned Ardmore Roy said, "There ain't nothin' down there in Ardmore for my white ass."

~~~"I'm gonna go live in a pumpkin."

~~~I noticed today that Roy was wheezing (probably from all the constant chain-smoking). I pointed this out to Roy, to which he replied, "I can't help it. I got AIDS." (No, Roy does NOT have AIDS)

~~~"I'm gonna call the police on my Aunt Glenda. She lied to me." (Roy pronounces it "Poe-Lease")

~~~"How about if I give you a chocolate pie with shaving cream on top of it?"

~~~""I'm gonna slap me a Chinese whore. I'll paint me a Mexican green-and-red striped."

~~~"I'll stick my hand in a tree-hole. What do you think I'll pull out? I'll pull out a snake, probably."

~~~When Roy checked his mail today there was, in his mailbox, one of those bulk advertisement letters from Geico. Roy walked in the house waving it around and said, "What's Geico doing sending me insurance? I don't have no damn car!"

~~~"I'm gonna play the devil's horn...the devil's trumpet."

~~~"I'm gonna piss off a bumble bee. Make it go over there and sting that dog. I'll say, 'Go get him, Buzz-Bee!' till that dog screams. He'll never know who sicced that bee on him! I'm gonna piss a spider off, too. What'll happen if I piss a spider off?"

~~~"I'm going to go to the Fitness Center and pull the Fire Alarm."

~~~"I want to hear a whole string of Black Cats go off. Two or three hundred of 'em!"

Roy's Wisdom

Roy, the developmentally disabled guy I work with, is proving to be a very entertaining fellow in his own bizarre way. For instance, he refers to alcoholic beverages as "Curly Cords" and soft drinks are "Fake Curly Cords". For the life of me I can't figure out what the words "curly" and "cords" have to do with drinks, but it's funny.
At random moments throughout the day he will say things that I find hilarious, and I'm not sure exactly WHY he says these things, since they're usually so out-of-the-blue and off-the-wall. Many of these quips are declarations of what he is "going to do", and he reels them off with such sincerity that you wonder if he is really serious about doing them.
Yesterday I wrote down a list of a few so I could share them with you here:

~~~"I hope we get a violent tornado. I like riding them things. I like to wrestle them things."

~~~"She ain't nothin' but a chocolate lover."

~~~"I'm gonna buy me a mouse."
"What are you going to do with a mouse?" I asked him.
"I'm gonna play with him"

~~~"I'm gonna take a dump on my momma's cake."

~~~The other day he walked into the mental health clinic where he gets a bi-weekly injection of Haldol and announced to everyone in the waiting room, "I'm here to get my weekly shot of crack!" Several present thought this was quite funny. Then he said, "I'm going to eat a clock. Can I eat that computer?"

~~~"I'm gonna shit on my momma's custard pie."

~~~"I'm gonna take a hammer and bust the windows out of all pawn shops."

~~~"I'm gonna smoke me some beer."

~~~"I'm gonna buy me some Mexican gasoline."

~~~"I'm gonna raise hell in the gym. I'm gonna burst a basketball...blow it up real tight and burst it!"

~~~"I'm going to be the devil's horns."

~~~"Why don't I just blow some gas all over this town and stink it all up?"

~~~"I'm going to play my musical whistle."

~~~"I'm going to drink me some Clorox."

~~~"I'm going to drink me some Scotch...a whole jug of it."

~~~"Can I yell 'FIRE!' in a movie theater?"

How Fights Get Started

Coming Soon: Fellowship Students Interview

I've already got the green light from half of the Fellowship Students for an upcoming interview to be posted at this very blog. The Students were voted "Best Local Band" by the Oklahoma Gazette last year, and they deserve it.
So watch for it in the coming weeks, right here at "There Never Was a Horse Like The Tennessee Stud"...

...God, I love that title!

You Know You Need To Go On a Diet When...

The Amusement Park Ride That Indicates a Diet Might be the Order of the Day:



This is from Our Roots: Greenfield Park, QC, + Fun Stuff (a Smile for Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day!), a consistantly entertaining blog. Check it out.

Pot Suckers

From Hedor:

Hey! Pothead people! NEW pot candy! Something new for you. It is not me to have that because I dont use pot or anything drugs. :-)

Now---they are fighting to sell legally. Oh well....look out!

Have fun to buy this!



Words escape me...

New Castaways Avatar

While I'm here, I might as well show you my new avatar for the RS.com Castaways boards. Something a little different for me, but amusing in it's own absurd way:

Google yer Needs and Torturing the Wife

I am currently torturing my wife by playing a CD I have from the Smithsonian Institution called The Silk Road, which she thinks is the absolute worst noise on the planet.
However, both my son and I concur that, though it may not appeal to everyone, it most definately has it's charms. So she is outnumbered, and we continue to enjoy the admittedly exotic and often strange sounds of music from the Mid-East regions.

Tina sent this Meme via the MySpace bulletin board, and I thought it was amusing. Here are the responses so far with my own at the very bottom...

Heres what you do:
Go to google.com and type "(your name) needs" Then pick the 5 funniest ones there.

If your name is James, you would put this in to the search engine: "James needs"

you got the idea

Then copy and paste this into a new bulletin with your answers filled in

**********************************************
1. Jacob needs to rebuild his outhouse and dig out his pit.
2. Jacob needs no introduction to the literate population of country.
3. Jacob needs some bears
4. Jacob needs active instrumentation
5. Jacob needs a rest before he is tied up again in a new position.
*****************************************************
1. jen needs taking out for fun.
2. jen needs to get her act together if she wants to stay.
3. jen needs to get back to reality and stop pretending it's disneyland.
4. jen needs a job!
5. jen needs all she can get right now.
******************************************************
Matt needs new liver, please help
Matt Needs Money
Matt needs a raise!
Matt needs to appropriate this book's title for his autobiography.
Matt needs prayers, and help and maybe just a balloon, a rainbow ...
******************************************************
1- Perhaps Sheryl needs a Bass Player / Pool Boy
2- Sheryl needs to try decaf (heresy to her)
3- Sheryl needs a swing DJ and a few dancers...
4- Sheryl needs the money to pay off loan sharks
5- Sheryl needs new hair
******************************************************

1- liz needs to be laundered
2- Liz needs to be taught a few things about fire safety
3- Liz needs to satisfy one person ... herself
4- Liz needs to live in Hawaii and have her own pineapple field
5- the next thing the evil Liz needs is a dozen deep-fried twinkies from a casino in downtown

***************************************************

1-Rebecca needs enlightenment!
2- Rebecca needs to get out and find a boyfriend.
3. Rebecca needs her food to be soft, or cut into small pieces, so
that it is easy to chew.
4. Rebecca needs a transfusion of blood.
5. Rebecca needs just one good, meaty, dramatic role

**************************************************
1. kelly needs a 12 year old to pee on! (really that was the first one
2.KELLY NEEDS HER BROTHER BACKSTAGE
3.Kelly Needs Modesty
4.Kelly needs to be part of a loving, committed "marriage
5.Kelly needs patience right now
*****************************************************
Kristin needs to be slapped for that brochure
Kristin needs to add chlorine to the water in the hot tub.
Kristin needs dust.
Kristin needs a tan
kristin needs a nickname cause she a cool lady who needs a cool name too.
****************************************************
Rev.Viki
"The world needs more creepy surf tunes"
"The Rev.Viki the protestant chaplain."
"I work with adults with special needs."
"In my opinion there needs to be more stuff out there like you"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Heather Needs Two Therapists
2. Dad said that Heather needs to start wearing a brassiere.
3. Heather needs a female parent who can help show her appropriate ways to attract the attention of guys and learn how to choose appropriate partners
4. Heather needs to decipher the alien message
5. heather needs to seriously consider adding kibble to her diet

oh man.....disturbing to say the least!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Meg needs to find something to sell, give away, throw out or burn.
2.Meg needs a drink.
3.The MEG needs to collect, use, retain, and disclose personal information.
4. Meg needs to get into this fantasy world -
she needs to escape.
5. Meg needs buttering up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Rich needs a haircut.
2. Rich needs our prayers once again.
3. Rich needs a shave.
4. Rich needs to find his value in his life in Christ
5. Rich needs regular sunshine, nature, music/dancing, contact and meaningful connection with people, and the time and space to give his gifts and help others.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Leslie needs another hobby.
2. Leslie needs to poke Thomas but will not have a chance before the business meeting.
3. Leslie needs a new pair of shoes.
4. Leslie needs more evidence before she gets her hopes up.
5. Leslie needs to bare a little more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Davis needs big last-minute boost to defeat recall
2. Davis needs Internet capabilities that will foster commercial activity
3. Davis needs late night coffee
4. Davis needs to act now to stop all these tragic surprises from happening
5. Davis needs to know how many e's appear in the word encyclopedia
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Brad needs babies!
2. Brad needs a lever to get it open.
3. Brad needs to be the first to fertilize her eggs.
4. Brad needs to grow some balls fast.
5. Brad needs transitional care in order to be trained to cope with the problems arising out of his closed
head injury.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. tina needs to be kicked in the face multiple times
2. Tina needs to get a laugh every 10 minutes or she gets nervous.
3. Maybe dear Tina needs a referral to an anger management group
4. all Tina needs is a bottle of Merlot and she could rock Jeff's world.
5. Tina needs the names of those interested in sweatshirts.
____________________________________________________________________
1. Jim needs a kidney (.com, even).
2. Jim needs a friend close enough to tell him that his presidency is failing.
3. The Jim Mullen Foundation needs volunteers for our expansion office in Rosemont.
4. Major Jim needs to read some books.
5. Jim needs to lose some weight.

I daresay there's something to this..

The Useless and the Interesting

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

nevaeH ot yawriatS

When I was a senior in high school there was a big to-do over the whole "satanic backmasking" thing, in which songs such as Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" are supposed to prove to be praises to "my sweet satan", and yeah, you have to admit, if you've heard it, that it does sound eerily like "The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is satan. He'll give those with him 666, there was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad satan..."
Who knew how grammatically challenged the Prince of Darkness turned out to be?
But the trick was figuring out how to play the record backwards (as most of us didn't have tapes).
Now, thanks to Macromedia Flash technology, it is as easy as clicking a mouse to carefully examine the satanic passage in the song and make up your mind as to it's hellish origin. Just click HERE: Jeff Milner's Backmasking Site.
While you're there you can also get a sample of similar hi-jinks by the Beatles, Queen, the Eagles, Britney Spears, Vanilla Ice, Prince and more.
Let me know if you think the devil is really behind it all.

Doppelganger?

It's always surreal when you stumble upon a blog from a feller in Great Britain who shares your name...
Find out what the OTHER James Casey is thinking at JAME'S CASEY'S THUNKS.

Meme: You Really Want to Know?

It's meme time again.
More than you ever wanted to know about yours truly.
Enjoy.

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?

I think that might have happened a long time ago, but my memories fuzzy...

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?

Of course not.

3. When's the last time you've been sleigh riding?

Can't recall ever going on a sleigh ride.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?

I don't much like sleeping alone, but I'm picky about who I sleep with. :)

5. Do you believe in Ghosts?

No.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?

I was once creative. Now I struggle to be creative, but I'm not so sure that I get the results I demand.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?

He probably did. But tis none of my business.

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?

I think I'll pass on this one.

9. Can you honestly say you know anything about politics?

Enough to know that it's a fool's game.

10. Do you know how to play poker?

I know how to play poker but I'm not real good at the betting part, so I don't mess with it. I am, however, confounded at the immense popularity that the game currently enjoys.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?

A few times...I don't reccomend it.

12. Do you kill bugs that are in the house?

Yep. Call me heartless, but I relish swatting flies.

13. Have you ever cheated on a test?

I probably tried to a couple of times, but those are memories that have slipped through the cracks.

14. If you driving in the middle of the night and no one is around, do you go through red lights?

Yeah...why not?

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?

Yes.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?

The Yankess have a better logo, so I'll go with them...

17. Have you ever Ice Skated?

If the question was "Have you ever ATTEMPTED to ice skate?" the answer would be 'Yes', but no, I have never "ice skated".

18. How often do you remember your dreams?

Very rarely. Sometimes a dream will stay with me for a few hours, but I eventually lose it. There are a few details that have lingered from certain dreams, but it would be much too difficult to explain them to anyone...

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you were crying?

Just a couple of weeks ago when I caught the last 5 minutes of a particularly funny edition of Mr. Show on Comedy Central. I laughed so hard that my abdomen started to cramp and I thought I was going to die. Haven't laughed that hard since hearing Richard Pryor's "Mudbone" routine in high school.

20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?

Are you kidding? I can name no fewer than 100 songs by the Beatles. How much time do you have?...

21. Can you admit that someone of the same sex is attractive?

Yes. The human body is the crowning glory of God's creation, and that goes for the male as well as the female form.

22. Do you believe in love at first sight?

I used to, but noone else seemed to so I figured I was being naive.

23. Do you know who Ba-Ba-Booey is?

The original Ba Ba Booey was somehow related to Yogi Bear (a son, perhaps?), and then there's Howard Stern's flunky who goes by that nickname...
Howard Stern...ugh.

24. Do you always wear your seatbelt?

I always wear it when going on trips out of town. If I'm just going somehwere close by I won't wear it unless I spot a cop on the horizon, at which point I'll make it look like I'm wearing one until he disappears, then I take it back off. I only wear them because I have to...the experience of paying $100 for a no-seatbelt ticket was enough to persuade me to be a safer driver and wear one...

25. What talent do you wish you had?

I wish I had the tenacity and talent to write novels. I wish I were more athletically inclined. I wish I had a better grasp of mathematics. Lots of other talents to wish for, but I prefer to be thankful for the talent I've been given instead.

26. Do you like Sushi?

Never eaten. Never will. Hate fish of any kind.

27. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?

Yes. Car wreck in 97.

28. What do you wear to bed?

Nothing. I always sleep naked. I don't like the feel of clothing when I'm trying to settle in and get to sleep. Just the sheets, and the warmth of the body next to me...

29. Does size matter?

More than it should, less than it could...It doesn't matter TO ME, I'll say that, but then again, I'm a straight guy, so what do I care? As long as she's not complaining...

30. Do you truly hate anyone?

No, I do not.

31. Rock and Roll or Rap?

Rock and Roll...or better yst, Roll and Rock.

33. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?

One that doesn't snore, cuz I can't sleep when there's snoring in the bed, and sleeping is all I'd want to do with any famous person I can think of.

34. Do you have a relative in prison?

Not that I know of.

35. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror like your favorite singer?

Used to do that all the time when I was a kid. It was marvelous preparation for the fame I sought but which eluded me.

36. Do you know how to play chess?

I know the rules but I'm terrible at it, so I don't play...

37. What food do you find disgusting?

Liver and onions (I guess I should point out that I do like onions, but not in the classic combination with liver). Potted meat product (what with all the tripe and hearts listed as ingredients). Head cheese.

38. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours?"

I played that with a babysitter when I was much too young to be playing it, and she was a cheat at it, cuz I'd show her mine but she never showed me hers. Scarred me for life, it did.

39. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?

I don't think so.

40. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?

Yes.

41. Have you ever been punched in the face?

Long long time ago, probably...I don't really remember. I've been lucky to have lived such a violence-free life.

42. When is the last time you threw up from drinking too much?

1995 or 1996, after a party where I was foolish enough to mix gin, beer and marijuana. Never again, I tell you. I've probably been "throw-up drunk" maybe 10 times in my 43 years, and that's 9 times too many.

43. Have you ever walked out on a movie at the theater?

I don't think I have...but I don't go to the theater very often and when I DO go I'm pretty particular about what I will go see. I WANTED to walk out on Gothika, but I wasn't there of my own accord and the other guy I was with wanted to sit through it. Ugh, that was awful.
However, many is the time that I've spent money on a video or DVD rental,watched 10 or 15 minutes of the movie and then shut 'er down, returning it unwatched. There are so many crap movies out there and so few really worthwhile ones...

44. Do you ever sit through a bad movie, just to see how bad it can get?

It would have to be really, REALLY bad for me to do that, but yeah, I appreciate unintentional humor as much as the next guy.

45. Would you consider yourself obsessed with anything?

Probably, but I'm not sure I could tell you WHAT, so maybe that means I'm not...

46. Have you ever met someone famous that you really wanted to meet?

I've met a couple of famous people, but none that I "really wanted to meet". That list is a short one.

47. Have you ever been stood up?

Not that I can remember.

48. When's the last time you screamed at the top of your lungs?

Probably back when I was singing and gigging with my old band, King Tongue. When you scream during a song it makes 'em look up from the pool tables and acknowledge your presence on the stage.

49. Did you ever do something that you didn't want to, just to fit in?

I'm not gonna say I haven't, but I can't remember doing so.

50. Do you consider yourself "the biggest fan" of something?

I can be pretty passionate about things that interest and excite me, but there's always someone who takes it to "the next level", a level I'd never even consider, so NO, I am not anything or anyone's "biggest fan".