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Thursday, March 26, 2015

Finding Your Place - Through The Eyes Of A Pop Culture Addict

I've come to the conclusion that as far as loved ones are concerned, trying to understand them is much harder than writing a thesis on quantum physics, understanding the big bang theory, and mixing up the perfect shade of canary yellow at a hardware store paint counter.

Sometimes, family can drive one to drink, smoke, drive erratically, or bash one's head against an oak panel desk a half dozen times before they realize that action hurts like hell.  And, don't deny it, because we all have felt that way about our relatives at some point.

You'd think that there would be some families that can avoid the in-fighting and the backstabbing.  I mean, if one wants the idea of the perfect family, one needs to go no further than the Brady Bunch.  Two parents, six children, and even a maid?  Instant American dream!  Ah, but if we peel back the layers of the Brady Bunch, you'll see that not all is as well as it seems.



Sure, Marcia, Jan, Cindy, Greg, Bobby, and Peter may have seemed like the perfect children, but that was essentially their main downfall.  They seemed a little TOO perfect.  Nobody got angry at each other, they definitely didn't swear at each other, and looking back on it now, does anyone know ANY family like this these days?  Hell, I reckon that if I kicked a football square at my sister's nose, I probably wouldn't be alive to write this note in the first place.

And, they aren't the only ones that are like this.  The Full House gang was so sweet, they'd end up giving you a cavity, and the Flanders family on The Simpsons is so religiously motivated that the children are pretty much left more isolated than the boy in the plastic bubble.

There is one thing that these fictional families have going for them though.  It's also the same thing that dysfunctional families like the Bundys from Married With Children, the Connors from Roseanne, and the Simpsons from...well...the Simpsons.

They all seem to have some love and mutual respect for each other, no matter how jerky or perfect they may come across to others.

I'd like to think that my family is kind of like this.  I'd like to think that although we come across to some people as trailer park trash, that we do have mutual respect and love for each other. 

However, if I had to describe my own family and compare it to a family that's currently on television right now, I'd have to sing the theme song to "Family Guy".

Okay, so maybe it's kind of a stretch here.  There's no talking dog, I certainly didn't try to kill my mother at toddler-age, and I certainly don't remember there being a sexual predator named Quagmire who lived down the street from us.  For all I know, there very well could have been, but I never really talked to the neighbours much anyway.



Actually, come to think of it...Family Guy isn't like my family at all...LOL...

There is one member of the family that I can probably identify the most with.  One member who if not for the fact that we are of different genders, we'd be like twins.

I feel like I'm the Meg Griffin of my own family on some days.

Don't get me wrong, my life isn't nearly as bad as Meg's.  Meg has to suffer emotional and physical abuse from pretty much everybody around her, including her own parents.  My life was never that horrible. 

But, Meg was picked on a lot by her peers, and she suffered from low self-esteem because of it, and her family basically just ignored it.  I was picked on a lot by my peers and suffered low self-esteem from it, but instead of my family basically ignoring it, I feel as though they were unable to help me deal with it because they weren't sure how to handle it as they hadn't seen anything quite like it before.  And, that's not a slam against them at all.  Just the way that I saw it.

I get the feeling that my parents tried their best, and I'll give credit where credit is due.  But, I'm realizing that I don't really feel like I deserve the whole Meg Griffin treatment at all.

Part of the reason why I feel as though I identify a lot with Meg is because everyone sort of treats her like she's the black sheep of the family.  Do I feel that way about my own family?  Sometimes, I'll admit that I do.  Because I'm much younger than everyone else, I sometimes feel like if they had such a thing as a kids table that I would be forced to eat there at holiday gatherings.  I sometimes feel like if I have anything to say about myself, or if I want to comment, it's either ignored or worse, interrupted (and don't even get me started on how much I HATE IT when people interrupt my train of thought).  Sometimes I feel as though it's best to just sit down, eat dinner, and take a walk in silence, just so I don't like myself get too angry over not having a voice in it all.

I'm beginning to realize that this is not a good way to go through life.  You all see it.  Now, I see it too.

The thing is that sometimes family members say or do (or don't say or don't do) things that may end up hurting someone that they love, and sometimes they are too blind or too caught up in their own lives, or just plain stupid to see it.  And, most people don't really see what it is they are doing until it is too late.

And, sometimes, you might have to accept that no matter how much you try to see eye-to-eye with some people who you happen to share blood ties with, that they are so set in their ways that it seems almost impossible to get them to see things your way.

All you can really do is pick yourself up, and live your own life the way you want to because after all, you are the only judge of what's best for you, right?

If they want to support you in your quest to understand yourself better, that's perfectly fine.  If not, as much as it might sting a bit, well, they have to do what they have to do, and you'll have to do what you have to do.

No matter how difficult a challenge it might be.

I'm at the age and frame of mind now where I don't have to impress anybody anymore, least of all people I happen to be related to.  And, I made this note a bit ambiguous in nature for a reason.  I didn't want to publicly humiliate anybody for one, but I am the type of person who never liked conflict, and inevitably, if I did confront people about this, it would not end very well. 

That's what's great about my blog though.  It's one of the only places where I can truly be myself and not be afraid of anyone's comments or getting hurt.  If anyone did make a hurtful comment here, I can always delete it anyways.

This is like an oasis of sanity for me, as strange as it seems.  And, I don't think anyone remotely close to me could ever possibly hope to understand why.  But, that's fine with me.  I am not in it to impress anyone. 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Gossip Sucks

March 25, 2015

I am definitely not a fan of a particular 6-letter word that exists in our vocabulary.  It is a word that has busted up friendships, broke up relationships and marriages, and is capable of destroying the reputations of men, women, and children all over the world.

And no, I'm not talking about the word "PovicH" as in Maury "You Are NOT The Father" Povich either - though I suppose if you look at it, this definition is not that far off from the truth.



No, this 6-letter word that I am referring to is the word "GOSSIP".  And believe me when I tell you I absolutely hate the stuff.

Truth be told, I'm not a fan of gossipy people either, but we'll get to that a little bit later.

You know, I remember the first time I ever heard of the word gossip.  It was in a most unusual place at that.

In one of the very first Archie Comics Digests that I ever received as a boy, I remember there being a one-page gag that involved Betty, Veronica, and Ethel talking at one of the tables inside of Pop's Chocklit Shoppe.  Betty was talking about how she had some "juicy gossip" to share with everyone at the table, and I was at a loss as to what Betty was talking about.

In fact (and this just goes to show you how naive and sheltered I was as a five year old going on six), when I first saw the word "gossip", I thought that "gossip" was a type of vegetable!



Seriously, I thought Betty had grown some fresh gossip in her garden right in between the radishes and rutabagas and that she wanted to share her juicy gossip with her two best friends.  Never mind the fact that there were no vegetables present in the joke at all.  I was convinced that gossip was some sort of food that one would purchase at the produce section of a Walmart Supercentre!

Alas, I was completely wrong.  Gossip is not something you serve as a side dish along with your roasted chicken and baked potato.  Although if one were to traverse down the produce aisle of a grocery store, you might hear a couple of people spreading gossip right next to the display of peaches and cream corn.  And believe me when I say that the corn isn't the only thing with ears.

I'm sure we've all known someone in our lives who is a chronic gossiper.  You know, the ones who are always going around trying to find out the secrets and lies of those closest to them.  They probably would have made incredible private investigators or police detectives if they really put forth the effort.  Instead, they use their deductive powers for bad instead of good.  And instead of helping people, they hurt them instead by spreading rumours and lies about people who came to them in total confidence with a secret or a revelation - all under the belief that the person they told will keep the information under lock and key.

I can tell you that I've been burned by idle gossip before.  Mostly during my teenage years - the period in which gossip can be the most vicious and nasty.  But to most people's credit, the urge to gossip greatly lessens after high school - mainly because we all have developed a sense of who we are and don't really care about how other people are living their lives, so long as it doesn't negatively impact our own.



That said, I get quite annoyed with grown women and men who continue to spread gossip around as if it is their God-given right to do so.  I happen to be living in an apartment building filled with people like this - people who will call up other people to find out everything that is going on around the building in a sorry effort to try and feel better about their own derailed lives by getting involved in other people's.

I don't consider that to be a good thing.  If anything, I consider that sort of behaviour to be disgusting.

I mean, how would you feel if you told someone in confidence something that you really didn't want a whole lot of people knowing, and just 48 hours later your life story is now on public display like your sunday wash on a clothesline - all because you chose a gossip queen or king to confide in.  Wouldn't that make you completely angry?  Wouldn't that give you trust issues?



It's like your entire life story suddenly becomes an episode of "Gossip Girl".  And that would be depressing - especially if you hate the show!

I guess the point that I am trying to make is this.  Nobody likes a gossiper.  Nobody likes being the subject of gossip.  But if you do happen to find yourself as the subject of a nasty rumour or a blanket of half-truths or outright lies...the important thing is to rise above it.  Don't let on that what people are saying is true or untrue.  Just smile and walk on.  Oh, and resist the urge to spread your own gossip about the person who got the initial ball rolling.  That is the wrong way to go about it.  Be better than that!

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

March 24, 1989

Get ready boys and girls!  It's time for yet another Tuesday Timeline entry, and I'll be the first to admit - I had a hard time picking a topic for this week's version.  March 24 may be a fantastic day, but it's also a day in which none of the events really stood out as being important enough to do a blog entry on.

That is...until I remembered an event that had devastating effects on the world...effects that are still being felt more than a quarter of a century later.

Before we go ahead with today's topic, why don't we have a look at some of the other events that happened on the twenty-fourth day of March?

Here we go.

1707 - The Kingdom of Great Britain is created following the union of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland as a result of the signing of the Acts of Union 1707

1721 - Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated six concertos to Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt

1765 - Great Britain passes the Quartering Act

1832 - Mormon leader Joseph Smith is tarred and feathered by a group of men in Hiram, Ohio

1837 - African Canadian men are given the right to vote in Canada

1854 - Slavery is abolished in Venezuela

1878 - HMS Eurydice sinks, killing over 300 people on board

1882 - Robert Koch announces the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

1896 - The first radio signal transmission is made by A.S. Popov

1911 - American animator Joseph Barbera (d. 2006) is born in New York City

1930 - American actor Steve McQueen (d. 1980) is born in Beech Grove, Indiana

1944 - Seventy-six Allied POW's begin breaking out of German camp Stalag Luft III

1958 - Singer Elvis Presley is drafted into the United States Army

1965 - Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones is temporarily knocked unconscious after being electrocuted by a poorly grounded microphone stand at a concert in Denmark

1972 - The United Kingdom imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland

1973 - In the "Strange, but True" files, a fan leaps on stage during a Lou Reed concert and bites Reed on the buttocks - naturally, the fan is escorted off stage

1980 - Archbishop Oscar Romero is killed while celebrating Mass in San Salvador

1993 - Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 is discovered

1998 - Four students and a teacher are killed at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas by two other students, aged 13 and 11

1999 - Thirty-nine lose their lives in the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire

2008 - Actor Richard Widmark passes away at the age of 93

And for celebrity birthdays, we have the following to announce; Byron Janis, Mary Berry, Carol Kaye, David Suzuki, Bob Mackie, R. Lee Ermey, Curtis Hanson, Lord Alan Sugar, Tabitha King, Steve Lang, Tommy Hilfiger, Dougie Thomson, Louie Anderson, Robert Carradine, Donna Pescow, Bill Wray, Derek Statham, Nena, Kelly LeBrock, Star Jones, Mark "The Undertaker" Callaway, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sharon Corr, Megyn Price, Philippe Boucher, Jim Parsons, Chad Butler, Alyson Hannigan, Angellica Bell, Peyton Manning, Olivia Burnette, Jessica Chastain, Lake Bell, Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Isabel Suckling.

So, what date are we going to visit?  Well, I kind of already told you in the intro.  We're going back at least twenty-six years for this one.



Exact date:  March 24, 1989.

And it was a rather dark day in the world.  One that I remember quite well.

Now, keep in mind, back in March 1989, I was seven going on eight.  I was still trying to figure out how the world worked, and admittedly I didn't exactly understand it.  I couldn't quite grasp the concept between what was a serious news story and what was mindless fluff.  Hell, my biggest decision back in those days was deciding whether to watch "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" or "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" on Saturday mornings.

However, just after midnight on March 24, 1989, an event happened that caused catastrophic damage to a portion of the Pacific Ocean, and ended up being one of the largest, most costly man-made disasters to the global environment.  Entire sections of the ocean became uninhabitable for years afterwards, and entire groups of animals were wiped out due to the aftermath of the disaster.

And it forever left a damning finger of blame towards the name Exxon Valdez.



Yes, it was twenty-six years ago today that the Exxon Valdez oil spill took place.  And twenty-six years later, the effects are still being felt.

I seem to remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill being a key event in my elementary school education.  Prior to 1989, we really had no instruction or lessons on how to take care of our planet - though I imagine that back in second grade, teachers were more concerned with making sure our cursive writing was impeccable and that we knew how to multiply numbers by four, five, and six.  After the Exxon Valdez spill, we were suddenly learning about ecology, environmental protection, and reducing, reusing, and recycling.  And don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that our classrooms were taught these lessons in elementary school.  I just wish it didn't take a devastating oil spill for us to make those lesson plans happen.

Anyway, the story of the Exxon Valdez goes like this.  The oil tanker was scheduled to arrive and dock at Long Beach, California sometime before the end of March, 1989.  The tanker contained some fifty-five million gallons of oil.  At 12:04am, as the ship made its way around Prince William Sound, Alaska, the ship brushed up against Bligh Reef, which caused a hole to open up, spilling at least eleven million gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean (though some news reports have stated that the amount of oil spilled was much higher - some even estimating that the number was closer to thirty-eight million gallons).



Either way, the spill was incredibly devastating to marine life.  Salmon, sea otters, seabirds, and seals were displaced from their home, and the casualties to marine settlements were devastating.  At least 100,000 seabirds died as a result of the oil spill.  Several sea otters, orcas, and even bald eagles lost their lives as well.  Part of the reason why the animal casualties were so great were because of a number of factors.  The oil spill took place in a very rocky area that was only accessible to small aircrafts, helicopters, or boats, making the clean-up a painstakingly slow process.  Eleven thousand Alaskan residents worked alongside Exxon staff members to try their best to clean the area, save some of the animals, and try to restore the environment as best they could.  But despite the best efforts to clean up the mess, and despite the fact that marine life is slowly coming back to the area that was most affected by the oil, the fact remains that as of 2015, there is still an estimated 26 thousand gallons of oil washed up along the beaches and coastline of Alaska, and it is estimated that for some species of animals, it could take up to three or four decades for the area to be considered "safe for habitation".

So here's the million gallon question.  What the heck happened?  And could the spill have been avoided?  Well, in the years since the initial disaster, here's what we do know.

We know that the captain of the ship - Joseph Hazelwood - was not at the controls when the ship crashed into the reef.  Some sources claim that he had a little too much to drink the night before the crash.  We also know that the RAYCAS radar system was inoperable because it had gotten damaged more than a year before the oil spill took place.  Had the radar system been properly working, the crew more than likely would have steered the ship to safety before it could crash into the reef.  And we know that the third mate who was aboard the ship failed to properly steer the ship to safety.  The reason why remains unknown, but speculation was that the third mate was too exhausted or too overworked to handle the controls.

All of those factors were a recipe for disaster.

As the investigation progressed, more details were unearthed.  Details about how the staff was overworked due to the cutbacks in crew.  Details about the slight change of course by the oil tanker to avoid colliding with smaller icebergs, causing the tanker to sail dangerously close to shore.

Regardless, the damage was done.  And Captain Joseph Hazelwood was in the hot seat, as well as Exxon, the company that owned the oil tanker.

The case was sent to trial, and in the case of Baker vs. Exxon, a jury awarded $287 million for actual damages, plus an additional five billion dollars in punitive damages.  Since that ruling, Exxon has repeatedly appealed the sentence, and the punitive damages were eventually reduced to just over $500 million - which as of December 2009 was marked as "PAID IN FULL".

As for Hazelwood, he was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service, issued a $50,000 fine, and had his masters' license suspended by the United States Coast Guard in 1991 for a period of nine months.  He issued an apology to the people of Alaska in 2009, but still maintained the belief that he was wrongly blamed for the oil spill.  I'll leave that up to you.

But one thing remains fact.  Until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill was the worst man-made environmental disaster of modern day times.

And it happened twenty-six years ago today.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Bringing Home The Bacon

You know, it's been a while since I've done a post that whetted your appetite, and I thought that I would use this space to do a post all about a particular food.

Specifically, a food that everyone seems to love.

(Well, everyone that isn't a vegetarian, vegan, or Jewish, that is.)

It is a food item that seems to go best with eggs at breakfast.  It's the B in the BLT.  And in recent years, this food item has been used in the creation of mouth watering desserts.



Yes, today we're going to celebrate the power of bacon.

I'll be the first to admit.  I like bacon.  I like bacon a lot.  I remember way back when I was a little kid, it was considered a treat to have bacon for breakfast.  At the time I was a kid, bacon was ridiculously expensive (and sadly as of 2015, it is even more ridiculously expensive than ever before), and we didn't have it very often.  But when we did, I always had a few slices of it for breakfast.

And I always had a little bit of ketchup on the side of the plate for dipping purposes.  I know some may find that to be gross, but I liked it.  There was just something about the ketchup that made the naturally smoky flavour of bacon pop even more on the taste buds.

Of course, as I grew older, I found that bacon didn't necessarily mean that you had to only have it for breakfast.  It was just as delicious for lunch and dinner as well.  Those bacon wrapped filet mignon steaks that you might buy at the supermarket?  Absolutely delicious.  And yes, I always peeled the bacon off the steak before I ate the steak itself. 



Back in the days in which I used to eat a lot of fast food, I always liked getting the Bacon Double Cheeseburger from Burger King or a Baconator from Wendy's.  Mind you, eating that greasy food probably helped kill my gall bladder over the years, but at the time, they were so worth it. 

Though, I have to admit...there's a pizza place right near where I live now that has a Canadian style pizza that has little slices of bacon and mushrooms as toppings, and I can't get enough of it.  It's definitely worth the splurge.



(That pizzeria is Milano's, which is a chain of pizzerias in Southeastern Ontario, which is where I live.  If you are in the area, do check them out.  The pizza sauce alone is amazing!)

So, yes, bacon is a delicious food.  And in recent years, bacon has become one of the most popular ingredients to use in coming up with new concepts for old favourites.

For instance, I just saw a commercial for another pizza place (I want to say that it was Little Caesar's, but it could have been Papa John's.  Apparently the SPIKE channel has every pizza commercial ever made), and one of their new products is a pizza with bacon wrapped crust.

Just picture it.  Bacon wrapped crust pizza.  Could this be the most incredible innovation to pizza since the invention of stuffed crust pizza?  I know one thing.  I'd try it at least once.

But one thing I probably wouldn't go for are the number of bacon flavoured desserts that seemingly pop up out of nowhere.

Well, okay, that's a lie.  I did try one.  Remember a few years back when Burger King came out with the bacon ice cream sundae?  It was more or less a hot fudge sundae topped with bacon bits.  Sounds pretty gross, right? 



Well, just to satisfy my curiosity, I did try one.  It is surprisingly edible.  There's just something about hot fudge and bacon mixed together that makes it seem quite...nice.  It's like one of those May-December romances that you might see.  On paper, it should not work.  But when you see it in action, you think...wow, they're really good together.

Of course, I draw the line at bacon milkshakes.  Now that just sounds like a heart attack in a glass.  A really disgusting tasting one at that.



Oh, and don't forget all of the foods that have artificial bacon flavouring to them as well.  I know that we should all limit our intake of processed food, but I can't help but eat almost a whole box of Bacon Dippers crackers if I happen to come across them.

Smokey bacon potato chips are also just as fantastic.

And, I suppose that you could use the scent and flavour of bacon on inedible products as well.  I'm really surprised that the good people who work for Mr. Sketch markers haven't come up with a bacon scented marker yet.  I imagine that somewhere in the world are perfumes, shampoos, and deodorants that have a hint of bacon scent.  It wouldn't surprise me if there were bacon flavoured lip balm available.  But, maybe it's a good thing that there isn't.  With some people's love of bacon, we might have several gals in the emergency room complaining of abrasions and bite marks on their lips.

I even remember watching an episode of "Bones" where Hodgins and Oliver were working on a case and somehow ingested some bacon-flavoured lubricant!

Now, wouldn't THAT be something?

Sunday, March 22, 2015

The Height Induced Anxiety Conundrum At The Good Ol' Hockey Game

I'll be the first one to admit that I can take sports, or I can leave sports.  I don't mind playing the occasional game of basketball or soccer, but I can't stand football or tennis.

And watching sports games on television for me is a lot like watching paint dry.  There's only so much excitement watching your teams score runs, touchdowns, and goals on a thirty-nine inch television screen before you start to get bored and ask people to pass the honey garlic chicken wings.

Arguably, the experience in watching sports events is much better when you go to an actual game and watch it live as it is happening.  There's really nothing like being in the stands or bleachers of a baseball diamond or football stadium watching the crowds go wild over their teams, and cheering for your favourite players as they do their best to win the game.



Well, a few days ago, I got the opportunity to see a game.



The date was March 19, 2015.  The place was Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.  The time was 7:30pm.  And the game was the match up between the Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators.  Whichever team won would move on in their quest to win the Stanley Cup.



And, I was there.



You see, the same day that the game was being played, earlier in the afternoon, my nephew and his hockey team were taking part in the "Sens Gameday Experience" (at least, I THINK that's what it was called).  Anyway, they received the opportunity to play a simulated game on the ice rink at Canadian Tire Centre, and we all decided that it would make sense to just get tickets to the hockey game that was playing that night.

And what a game it was!  The final score was Ottawa 6, Boston 4.  But the way that both teams were playing on the ice, you could tell that both teams really wanted the win.  As soon as one team scored (the first goal was scored less than thirty seconds into the first period by Ottawa!), the other team would score right behind them.  At the end of the second, the score was tied 4-4.

Like I said, it was a really close game.

All in all, the experience of going to a hockey game (my very first professional hockey game ever - I know, I'm supposed to be Canadian here - was a fantastic one, and I would easily welcome the opportunity to go to another one.

However, there was one obstacle that I had to get over before I started to have fun at the game.  And in order to explain it, I want to show you my hockey game ticket again to highlight something.



My seat for the venue was section 304, row P, seat 19. 

The way that Canadian Tire Centre is laid out, you have the 100 section, which is the section that is closest to the ice rink.  You get a full view of the players, the goals, and the sight of a hockey player losing a tooth or two during a scrap with the opposing team's goalie.

The 200 section is located about 15-20 feet above the 100 section.  This is a section that will allow you to have a higher up view of the action, but will still allow you to make out the players on the ice and follow along with the game.

I was on the 300 section.  A section that is WAAAAAAY higher than the 200 section.  And we were in the third row from the top.

Did I mention that I have an extreme fear of heights?  One that causes me to experience vertigo if I climb too high up a ladder?



So when I snapped this picture with my cell phone (which I was having trouble steadying because my hand was shaking so badly), you can imagine why I initially was a little bit nervous about being seated up so high!

I thought to myself, "there's no way I am getting through this game without having a panic attack, or passing out from being so high".  And for a brief moment, I questioned why I was there in the first place.

But then I started to try and face the fear.  I was not letting my fear of heights stop me from enjoying the game.  All I had to do was two things - don't look down more than you have to, and keep your gaze on a fixed object until you feel more comfortable.

Sure enough, our seats faced the giant Jumbotron in the middle of the rink, so I focused on that.  And after a few minutes of staring at the Jumbotron, I started to relax a bit more until the anxiety went away.

Still...if I do this again, I will happily pay more money for a seat closer to the action.  Believe me, it's better for everyone.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Music Interview Shuffle!!!

Okay, so sometimes I like to play a little game or two inside of this blog entry, and I thought that in the spirit of all things fun, I would play a little game with all of you.

Before I go ahead, I want all of you to go around your home or workplace and find either an iPod, an mp3 player, a cell phone (if your phone is capable of playing music), or even a CD player that is capable of playing at least three CD's at one time. 

And I want you to take your playlist of songs and set the list to shuffle.  That way, you never know what you will get.  Trust me, I have over eleven hundred songs on mine.  I literally have no idea what songs will be playing on shuffle, and that's really the whole idea.

You see, I'm going to be posting a series of interview questions.  And you have to answer them using song titles and song titles only.  And where do you get these song titles?

Well, from your shuffled playlist, of course!

I just have one rule.  No cheating.  No skipping songs.  You have to be absolutely truthful.  If you have a Britney Spears song or a One Direction song or a Dolly Parton song, don't be ashamed.  Post it. 

Now, I will be providing some music clips to accompany some of my answers...as well as trying to explain how I can justify the song titles...which I think could be more fun than actually listening to the songs!

There's 32 questions in all.  And by me doing this, you'll know a little more about me and my...shall we say...eclectic musical tastes.

I think this'll be fun.  Shall we get started?



1.  What is your name?
Better The Devil You Know - Kylie Minogue
(So, apparently my name is a big secret...)

2.  Male or female?
In My House - Mary Jane Girls
(So, we'll just go with N/A with that one.  So far, batting a thousand...)



3.  If someone asks you "is this okay?", you say...
Tarzan Boy - Baltimora
(I do a Tarzan yell?  Yeah, that's normal...)

4.  What would best describe your personality?
Groove Is In The Heart - Deee-Lite
(You know, let's go with that one.  I like it.)

5.  What do you look for in a mate?
Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
(Well...the song has the word "love" in the title...that's something, I suppose.)

6.  How do you feel today?
The Remedy (I Won't Worry) - Jason Mraz
(Well, I just got over the flu a few days ago.  This fits.)

7.  What is your life's purpose?
The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani
(This could not be more true...)



8.  What is your motto?
Voodoo Child - Rogue Traders
(I don't quite understand...but whatever.  Good song.)

9.  What do your friends think of you?
Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
(I suppose one or two MIGHT be...but not the majority.  You really have nothing to be jealous of.  Believe me.)



10.  What do you think about very often?
Charms - The Philosopher Kings
(Let's see...I don't have a charm bracelet, and have not eaten Lucky Charms since...oh...1992?  I don't think so.)

11.  What does 2+2=?
Manchild - Neneh Cherry
(Boy...did I fail math class or what?)

12.  What do you think of your best friend?
Poison Arrow - ABC
(According to this, I should find a new best friend!!!)



13.  What do you think of the person you like?
French Kissin' (In The U.S.A.) - Debbie Harry
(Well...eventually we'd get there...if I had someone I liked, that is.  LOL!)

14.  What is your life story?
If You Cared - Kim Appleby
(Yep.  If you cared, I wouldn't be so screwed up.  Just kidding!  I swear it!  Although, this could also be seen from my own point of view in that I care.  WAY TOO MUCH!!!)

15.  What do you want to be when you grow up?
Take A Bow - Madonna
(No thanks...being an actor?  That boat has sailed.)

16.  What do your parents think of you?
Bus Stop - The Hollies
(Um...they want me to catch a bus?  What the hell?)

17.  What do you think when you see the person you like?
Fallin' For You - Colbie Caillat
(Wow...how appropriate!  I swear I am not cheating here.)

18.  What song will you dance to at your wedding?
Hot In The City - Billy Idol
(Really?!?  Well, I suppose there are worse songs...)

19.  What song will they play at your funeral?
Eternal Flame - Bangles
(Somehow...this seems somewhat appropriate...well, except for the line where they sing 'do you feel my heart beating, do you understand'.  Yeah, if that happens, it's not a funeral.  It's a zombie apocalypse.)



20.  What is your hobby or interest?
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
(Nope...not into crocodiles at all - though I did watch "The Crocodile Hunter" show back in the day.)

21.  What do you think of your friends?
Drop Dead Gorgeous - Republica
(Considering that I think all my friends are more attractive than I am, this works.)

22.  What's the worst thing that could happen?
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
(Great, maybe I should just start building my "end of the world" bomb shelter now.)

23.  How will you die?
Blank Space - Taylor Swift
(So, I'll either have a death that is inconclusive, or I will literally be struck in the head by a blank tile from a cinema marquee.  Or, maybe nobody will really know...)



24.  What is the one thing you regret?
Day After Day - Badfinger
(The question was WHAT I regret...not WHEN...)

25.  What makes you laugh?
Stupid Girl - Garbage
(So. Going. To. Hell.)

26.  What makes you cry?
I Wanna Be Rich - Calloway
(The irony is...I am NOT materialistic whatsoever.  If I do cry, it's because of the people who have money who spend it on stupid stuff.)

27.  Will you ever get married?
Would I Lie To You? - Charles & Eddie
(Answering a question with a question is a great way to avoid subjects!)

28.  What scares you the most?
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
(If we're talking exposing secrets...that is scary stuff.  If we're talking dirty clothing - even scarier.)



29.  Does anyone like you?
For The Cool In You - Babyface
(I take it by that answer that some do, in fact, find the cool in me.)

30.  If you could go back in time, what would you change?
Brave - Sara Bareilles
(Interesting song...and I suppose it's true.  If I could go back in time, I'd tell the kid me to grow a backbone and fight back against those boneheads.)



31.  What hurts right now?
I Don't Care Anymore - Phil Collins
(I don't know how to interpret that.  Does it hurt because I don't care?  Do I not care to answer the question?  Come on, work with me Phil!)

32.  What is your greatest inspiration?
September - Earth, Wind, & Fire
(To me, September just seems like any ordinary month...but maybe there's something to it.)

Friday, March 20, 2015

Random Observations...



How can it be called Entertainment Tonight, when they keep talking about non-entertaining events that happened two Wednesdays ago?

If Sandra Oh were alive in the 1800's and married John Deere, would she then be known as Sandra Oh Deere?

And, then if she divorced John Deere, and married Jack Lord, would she then be known as Sandra Oh Deere Lord?

If Candy Crush Saga was an Olympic sport, there would be a shortage in gold medals.



Shouldn't Bart Simpson be in his thirties by now?



In real life, Garfield would have died sometime in 1995.

In real life, Archie and Jughead would be collecting social security, and Betty and Veronica would be drinking Ensure at the nursing home.

It's funny that characters on teen shows can stay in high school for six or seven years and yet nobody seems to think anything of it.



It is realistic to make a 34 year old play a 15 year old on screen...some 34 year olds I know ACT like they're 15 or less.

About the show Perfect Strangers...it lasted eight seasons. You'd think that after season two, they'd no longer BE strangers...

I'd like to see a 1000 items or less line at the supermarket checkout...just to see if anyone notices.



If they're supposedly America's Next TOP model...why do we never hear anything about them?

If Toonie Tuesdays at KFC keep going up in price, they'll soon be known as Five-Dollar Fridays.

Super Mario can shoot fireballs, fly through the air, gobble up mushrooms at any given time, ride a dinosaur, kick some turtle shells, become a statue, swim like a frog, and travel through outer space, yet he STILL can't protect Princess Peach. If I were Peach, I'd have walked away a long time ago.



If fourteen games have been released, how can you call it a FINAL fantasy?

Things I learned from viewing soap operas...if you send your five year old son up to bed on a Friday, he'll return on a Monday, aged 27 and married.

Can a person still be called an American Idol if they were raised in Texas but born in Canada?