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Sunday, August 16, 2015

Album Spotlight - "Who's Next?" by The Who

Hello, everyone!  I hope you're excited for another album spotlight today as we kick off another SUNDAY JUKEBOX entry!

But just who are we putting in the spotlight today?  Who?



Well, I thought that for today's album spotlight, we'd go back in time to the year 1971.  The last couple of album spotlights I've done took place during the 1980s, so I thought I'd give the seventies a try.  And before I reveal who the mystery band is, I thought I'd give you a few clues for you to try and guess who it is, and what the name of the album is.

Ready?

Clue #1:  The album - released on August 14, 1971 - was the band's fifth studio album.

Clue #2:  Two of the singles released from the album became the theme songs for two long running crime dramas.

Clue #3:  The album was initially meant as a folow-up to a successful rock opera that the band developed two years prior, but instead became a standard studio album.

Clue #4:  It is widely considered the greatest album that the band ever released.

Clue #5:  The band formed in London, England in 1964.

Clue #6:  The album cover shows the band peeing on the side of a concrete piling in the middle of a slag heap.

Yeah, kind of like this.



Yes, we're going to be taking a look at the classic 1971 album by The Who, entitled "Who's Next?".  It sold triple platinum and is ranked at #28 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

As mentioned earlier, the album wasn't initially going to be called "Who's Next?".  In fact, it wasn't even really supposed to be a Who album in the first place.  After the success of the band's 1969 album "Tommy", which was made into a rock opera, Pete Townshend decided that he wanted to do a follow-up to "Tommy" with a rock opera project entitled "Lifehouse".  The Lifehouse project never really got off the ground though, as conflicts with Who manager Kit Lambert and the complexity of the project caused it to be somewhat shelved.

Now, the reason I say somewhat is because many of the songs that would eventually appear on "Who's Next?" were recorded especially for the Lifehouse project.  The songs themselves were just reworked in a way so that they fit better for a studio album than a rock opera.

The majority of the album was recorded at Olympic Studios in London (with the exception of one song), and what made this album stand out from the other Who albums was its use of the synthesizer.  The synthesizer really gave the Who's music a much fuller, dramatic sound, and it was a sound that the public loved.

A total of nine tracks were recorded for the album.  Of those nine, three became huge hits in North America.

Let's listen to the three songs, shall we?  Beginning with one that you will probably recognize right off the bat.



1.  WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN
Released:  June 25, 1971
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  #15

These days, most people usually link this song to David Caruso putting on some sunglasses and saying something thought provoking.  That's because this song was used in the opening credits to the show CSI: Miami during its entire run.

But back in the 1970s, it was the song that was meant to close the now defunct rock opera Lifehouse.  It's a song about revolution, and power.

Now, remember when I told you that most of the album was recorded at Olympic Studios?  Well, this was the lone exception.  The song was originally recorded at New York's Record Plant in March 1971, but because Kit Lambert was unable to mix the final track due to other commitments, the band was forced to start from scratch.  In April 1971, the band met up at Mick Jagger's home, "Stargroves", and with help from Glyn Johns put together the final cut at the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.

Oh, and although it reached #15 in the USA, it was a Top 10 hit in the UK.



2.  BABA O'RILEY
Released:  October 23, 1971
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  N/A

You know, I get the feeling that the creators of CSI were really big Who fans.  Every single show underneath the CSI umbrella uses a Who song in the opening credits.  In the case of Baba O'Riley, it was used in the show CSI: NY. 

This song was also meant to be included in the aborted "Lifehouse" project, and the theme of the song basically surrounds the lyric "teenage wasteland".  Sure enough, the song was inspired by the music festival Woodstock, where the crowd turned into drug-induced zombies.  Interestingly enough, while the song was meant to be a song about how drugs can be deadly, actual teenagers decided that the song was celebrating being a teenager, and how living in a teenage wasteland was the grooviest thing ever.  Yeah, I'll let you debate what was better.

A personal funny story about this song while I'm thinking of it.  This is my mom's favourite Who song.  My nearly 70-year-old mother of three, grandmother of four, who loves to bake cookies, brownies, and pies LOVES the teenage wasteland song.  Yeah, I'll leave that with you as we take a look at the final song in the bunch.



3.  BEHIND BLUE EYES
Released:  November 6, 1971
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  #34

Now while "Baba O'Riley" is my mother's favourite Who song, this one happens to be mine.  I don't know what it is about this song, but I could listen to it over and over again.

The origin for this song dates back to June 9, 1970, after a Who concert in Denver, Colorado.  Townshend was tempted by a female groupie, and almost went all the way with her...but in the end, decided to go back to his room alone, citing the teachings of Townshend's spiritual mentor, Meher Baba - a huge influence in the Lifehouse rock drama that never came to be.

And what makes the song so interesting is that the song is not sung from the perspective of a hero or protagonist.  Instead, it's told from the point of view of the villain - a man who is filled with anger and vitriol because of the temptation that is constantly surrounding him.  Townshend himself stated that the person who the song was about was clearly in the villain role when he really saw himself as the hero.

Interestingly, the song never charted in the UK, as Townshend felt that it sounded too out of place in the world of British music.  But it did well in other parts of Europe, including Belgium and France.

And, here's a piece of trivia for you that is CSI related.  This was the original choice for the theme song for CSI: NY.  I don't know why they chose Baba O'Riley instead, but I have to say - either song would have worked.

So, "Who's Next?" turns 44 years old this week.  How does that make you feel?

Saturday, August 15, 2015

How Senseless Destruction Of A Children's Park Can Bring A Community Together

Today I thought that I would show you a picture of an area of my town.  It's not often that I talk about places in my hometown, but in this case, I'll make an exception.



I snapped this picture on July 4, 2013.  A little over a couple of years ago.  The place is a park called Hardy Park, and it's been a part of my town for many years.  The park is located right in the heart of the city waterfront, and it's a place that holds a lot of meaning for a lot of people, including myself.

These days, Hardy Park is the place where RibFest is held - a summer festival where vendors set up shop and barbecue ribs and chicken for a crowd of hungry people.  It's the only time of the year in which our town population temporarily doubles in size.  But years ago it was the site for a lot of other things.  It was the site for our Teddy Bear Picnic for a number of years.  I remember lots of volleyball games and sporting events taking place at Hardy Park over the years.

In fact, one of my earliest memories of Hardy Park just happens to be one of the most random.  I remember being in Hardy Park with one of my sisters (at the time, our house was located near the downtown area), and I seem to remember there being a clown standing in the middle of the park, handing out balloons to all of the kids who happened to be in the park that day.  I ended up with a yellow one.  I definitely know that it was yellow.  And later that day, a parade was going on in the area, and I also distinctly remember standing on a downtown corner in front of a grocery store called "Mr. Grocer" holding my yellow balloon and waving at all of the parade floats that passed by. 

Again, one of the most random memories ever, but I know it began in Hardy Park.

Of course, this was back in 1985, and Hardy Park was just a place where people strolled through just to grab an ice cream at nearby Block House Island.  Over the years, Hardy Park has become a real community hub.  There's plenty of benches for people to sit down.  There are paths that encircle the area where you can ride your bike or just marvel at the beautiful scenery.  And there was a playground structure where kids of all ages could get exercise and have fun doing it.

Key word...was.



This is what the play structure looks like now.  Yesterday morning in the wee hours, it was set ablaze.  It's most certainly an arson investigation.  No way that this fire was accidental at all.  At this time, it's unknown as to who the guilty party or parties is, and as of now, there's no information to be found.

All I know is that this was a criminal act...and I'm so upset that this happened.

There's a lot of emotions flowing through my mind as I type this.  The first that comes to mind is sadness.  The fact that a children's playground was the target of such pointless vandalism just breaks my heart, as well as the hearts of the hundreds of people who pass by Hardy Park on a daily basis.  The playground was easily the most beautiful of all of the parks in this community and I know lots of children loved it.  Now they can't even play on it because of the damage - which is estimated to be over ten thousand dollars.

Then my sadness turns to anger.  Anger towards the people who torched the play structure and ran like scared rats afraid to face up to what they did.  In all likelihood, this crime was done by someone who was either so bored with their life that they wanted to do something destructive, or someone who held a grudge against the city and wanted to take out the one place that held such meaning to a lot of people.  There is absolutely no excuse.  No justification.  End of story.  Whoever did this needs to be punished for it. 

And don't even get me started on the Young Offenders Act that will protect anyone under the age of 18 for criminal acts.  If the perpetrator is a teenager, the teen has parents or guardians, right?  Make them pay for the damage and have the kid do thousands of hours of community service to pay for the damages.  Heck, make he or she help rebuild the play structures that they helped destroy!  That'd be a nice slice of humble pie for them to choke down.

My anger then turns to frustration towards the law enforcement of the town.  I get it.  My community is a small riverfront town that very rarely sees any serious criminal activity.  But that doesn't mean that the police force has the right to fall asleep at the wheel.  Why were there not any CC cameras in the area?  It's a public place where lots of people gather.  I would think that they would be mandatory.  And, why is more not being done to try and find out who did the crime in the first place?  Yes, I know that it happened at around five in the morning, but certainly someone must have seen something. 



But I suppose the biggest frustration about all of this is that in this community, vandalism occurs almost on a weekly basis.  It's just that this time, the target was a huge one.  But there's no excuse for defacing this sundial that is located on the waterfront, just as there was no excuse to vandalize telephone poles, fences, mailboxes, and other city property.  We're all supposed to be a part of a community here.  Why is it that some of us just want to destroy it?  How dare you?

But that's where the final emotion comes into play.  The emotion of joy and hope.  You see, I'm not the only one who is angered by the destruction of Hardy Park.  The entire community is just as heartbroken about this as I am, and they are taking action to help rebuild it.  Fundraising efforts are underway to raise the money to fix up the park, which I think is great.  It kind of gives me hope that maybe the people of this city aren't so bad.  



I'll admit that my own relationship with this community has been lukewarm at best, but this event has really made me take a step back and realize that this is a great community, and that we all have a responsibility to make it that way.

Friday, August 14, 2015

New Archies Reviewed: Episode 3A - I Gotta Be Me, Or Is It You?

In the last episode of "The New Archies Reviewed", we met a character named Amani, who we deduced was the combination of Midge Klump and Nancy Woods - which unfortunately happen to be two of the most boring characters in the entire Archie universe.

And in the first episode of "The New Archies Reviewed", we met Eugene, who himself was a combination of Chuck Clayton and Dilton Doiley.  But unlike Amani, Eugene actually was given more personality traits.  He's extremely intelligent, not very athletic, and he spends most of his free time coming up with inventions that nobody ever asked for, and that nobody will likely ever need.

Oh well, you can't blame a guy for trying.

So, since Eugene and Amani were created especially for The New Archies.  I suppose the logical step would be to pair both of them up romantically, right?

Welcome to the episode in which Eugene and Amani decide to give love a try...despite the "help" from their friends.



This is Episode 3A:  I Gotta Be Me, Or Is It You?



The story begins in the gymnasium at Riverdale Junior High, and kudos to the animators who had a field day trying to make Eugene the most pathetic athlete in the whole school.  Seriously, did they run out of gym clothes, and give Eugene an extra large gym suit?  It's a wonder his shorts don't fall down exposing his Underoos!

(Actually, did they even have Underoos in '87?  I can't remember.)



Anyway, Archie and Reggie (whose gym clothes do fit them) are talking with Eugene, and Eugene is talking about asking Amani to the Sock Hop - wait...weren't Sock Hops popular in the 1950s?  I'm all confused now.  Anyway, Eugene wants to ask Amani to the dance, but he's recently discovered that he's a complete nerd, and therefore Amani won't have anything to do with him because she's so cool.

Honestly, Amani looks more like one of the kids from The Cosby Show, but whatever floats his boat, I guess.

Ah, but what Eugene doesn't realize is that Amani has a secret crush on Eugene as well!  And just like Eugene, Amani is thinking that she has no shot with Eugene, just because she isn't as intelligent as he is.

Ah, so, it's the classic boy likes girl, girl likes boy, but both are scared out of their wits to tell each other the truth because they both have low self-esteem.  Or something.  Yeah, let's go with that.  Believe me, I know how both of them feel.

Now, the episode that I watched online where I got the screenshots from did not have this scene, but I remember Mr. Weatherbee coming into Miss Grundy's classroom, a cage with a mouse in it somehow getting knocked over, and Weatherbee losing his ever lovin' mind trying to get away from the mouse.  Yeah, the scene is forgettable, and probably shouldn't have even been included.  I just thought I'd talk about it since I do remember seeing it.



Anyway, we're back in the gym where Betty and Veronica are decorating the gym for the Sock Hop, and right off the bat, I wonder where the safety inspectors are.  Veronica is clearly standing on a ladder that is only about a hundred feet tall, and the only thing supporting it is a 12/13-year-old girl?  Why, that's just an accident just waiting to happen.  Especially since Amani is distracted by a photo of Eugene.  Wait, if Eugene and Amani are too shy to speak to each other, how did Amani get a photo in the first place?  Did she secretly take his photo with a Polaroid camera, or did she steal a photo from Eugene's Jostens school photo envelope? 

Well, we never do find out, as Veronica is whining about needed more crepe paper for decorating.  Betty hands Amani a gigantic roll of paper which Amani proceeds to throw up in the air.  Because apparently Amani can throw a bulky roll of paper up in the air and Veronica is agile enough that she can grab the crepe paper without falling off the ladder and cracking her skull on the gym floor.



Oh, but the sudden breeze that came from Amani throwing the roll of paper in the air causes the photo of Eugene to fall off the ladder.  And Amani's desire to grab the photo nearly causes Veronica to fall off the ladder...



Fortunately, Veronica hangs on...at least until the ladder swings the other way and sends Veronica sailing out the window, smashing into the pavement killing her instantly.

Just kidding.



Actually, a fountain breaks her fall, and the only thing Veronica has is wet clothes and a mouth full of water.



And Amani's like "I'm sorry I almost killed you, Veronica, but Eugene's so fine, I can't help myself!"  To which Betty responds "Amani, we need to talk because I don't want your Eugene obsession to cause you to set me on fire!".

Meanwhile, Eugene is talking about how woefully uncool he is, and this time Jughead has joined Reggie and Archie for the show.  Eugene is talking about how Amani makes him sick, but not in the rockin' pneumonia or boogie woogie flu kind of way. 



Reggie suggests that Eugene gets a brand new image, and this prompts Eugene to get this ridiculous look on his face.  What can I say?  It's a cartoon.



Meanwhile, Betty and Veronica are taking Amani out shopping...at an antique store?!?  Really?  Is Riverdale in that much of an economic recession that antique stores double as fashion boutiques?  I'm confused.

Anyway, at the boutique disguised as an antique store, Betty and Veronica tell Amani that in order to win Eugene's heart, she has to be as bland as he is.  She has to essentially turn off the charm and dress up in clothes that make a bowl of porridge more exciting.



In short, she has to dress like "Ugly Betty".  Remember that show?  I miss it.



Meanwhile, at Reggie's house, Jughead demonstrates the act of eating and juggling at the same time, which apparently includes him eating a whole banana - peel and all.  Man, I knew Jughead had an insatiable appetite, but that's mighty impressive.  Disgusting, but impressive.



Even more impressive is Eugene's outfit, which kind of makes him look like Bobby Brown - well, back when Bobby Brown was still in New Edition and long before he married Whitney Houston and screwed her up beyond repair.  But Eugene is more than willing to do whatever it takes to up his cool factor to impress Amani, and he does this by doing a dance in Reggie's bedroom, tripping over his feet, and destroying something fragile in the room.  Yeah, Eugene.  You're bad, you're bad, come on.  You know you're bad, you're bad.  You know it!

The ultimate test comes at lunch, when Eugene and Amani debut their new looks.  Unfortunately, in Amani's case, she happens to have perfect 20/20 vision.  Normally this would not be a bad thing except that Betty and Veronica have stuck a pair of glasses on her that completely distort her vision.



So we have Amani taking out a stack of cafeteria trays...



...and Amani physically assaulting another student who can't decide between the peach cobbler or lime Jell-O dessert...



...and Amani securing a spot to sit down after tripping and throwing her lunch tray across four tables without so much as spilling a drop.



But of course, Eugene doesn't notice any of this going on because he's too busy pretending to be cool.  He's so cool that he approaches Fangs to give him a high five and ends up smashing his lime Jell-O right into his face.  It's amazing though.  Fangs seems to have developed some self-control since Reggie humiliated him at the Sadie Hawkins Dance an episode or two ago.  If not, Eugene's head would have been turned into a basketball.



At the same time, Amani is busy talking to some random girl about how she loves reading the encyclopedia, while fixing herself up a ketchup and salt sandwich.  Yum.  Of course, the girl looks at Amani with disgust and eventually leaves to find another table.  I don't know whether it was Amani's lame conversation or the fact that she literally poured a whole bottle of ketchup and an entire shaker of salt on her bread.  And for that matter, what kind of school cafeteria serves nothing but bread and Jell-O for lunch anyway?  I know school lunches are typically mocked, but it's a wonder no parent has called the school board to complain!



Anyway, Amani takes a big old bite of her ketchup and salt sandwich and comes to the conclusion that this sandwich will never be as good as grilled cheese.  She takes a huge swig of milk to wash out the taste, but Eugene comes along and at the moment she's drinking, slaps her hard on the back...



...which causes Amani to spit milk all over Fangs.  You can see that he's about to blow soon.  I can feel it.  Take cover now.

Anyway, Eugene is trying to be Mr. Smooth despite the fact that Amani is sprawled across the table soaked in milk with ketchup and salt destroying her taste buds.  He leans closer, accidentally throwing another helping of Jell-O onto Fangs which causes him to lose whatever patience he had left.



FOOD FIGHT!!!

After the fight is over, Eugene and Amani are in Miss Grundy's classroom covered in milk and Jell-O while Miss Grundy is lecturing them on how starting a food fight - intentional or not - is really bad, and their punishment is to go up to the desk and get a hundred lashes a piece to serve detention in her classroom while the Sock Hop is going on.  She also adds her disappointment in both of them, telling both of them that they screwed up worse than Reggie and Jughead!  Ouch!



After Grundy leaves, Eugene and Amani take turns yelling at each other, blaming each other for the food fight and changing too much and how they never want to see each other again which will be hard to do because they are both in the same room and are contractually obligated to appear in at least 10 more half hour episodes.

But after a short while - like seven seconds - Amani takes off her glasses and tells Eugene that they would look better on him.  Eugene takes off his Max Headroom glasses, and tells Amani that they would look better on her.  Then the two giggle as if what they said was the funniest thing that they have ever heard.  Man, both of them kind of deserve each other, don't they?

Eugene then admits that he wanted to ask Amani to the Sock Hop, but was embarrassed to admit that he couldn't dance.  But that's cool with Amani.  She'll teach him how to do the Funky Chicken, the Hustle, the Macarena...

...no, wait.  The Macarena was in '96.  Nevermind.

And in return, Eugene promises to show Amani just how easy it is to use Windows.  And, I mean Windows.  The original Windows.  From the '80s.



And with that, the two decide that detention is the perfect place to start dancing, and a pink heart encircles both Eugene and Amani to show us all that they have bonded over computer chips, dancing, lime Jell-O, and ketchup and salt sandwiches.  Ain't love grand?

The grade I would give this episode is a solid C.  Sure, it's a plot that's been done to the death...but Eugene and Amani are a nice, if not bland, coupling that for what it's worth lasts the rest of the series.



Or, at least as long as Rick Astley's "Together Forever" stays on the Billboard Hot 100.  Whichever comes first.

Coming up next week, the first of many episodes in which Jughead Jones is the main focus.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

We're Coming Up On Re-Election Day...

August 13, 2015

Oh, goody!  This is the time of year that I absolutely dread more than any other time in the world.  I hate this time more than Black Friday in a retail store.  I hate this time more than Boxing Day at the mall.  I hate this time even more than Valentine's Day.  And any of you who have followed along with me in this blog knows the special amount of hate I have for Valentine's Day.



Yes, my friends.  Election day is coming.



It's too bad that election day wasn't as cool as the 1985 hit by Arcadia.  That "election Day" happens to be one of my favourite '80s hits.

Instead, election day in Canada seems to be one of the most depressing times of the whole year as politicians all over the country are doing everything in their power to get you to trust them enough to make you vote for them.

You know, I've never really been much for politics.  I suppose I've been that way since I was in the eighth grade, and I came in dead last for people who wanted to run for the position of class rep.  That was a bitter pill to swallow, and I admit that after that day, I really didn't care to follow politics at all.

But, no.  I'm not bitter.  REALLY, I'm NOT!  Why are you looking at me like that?

Okay, back on track here.  The point is that whenever an election is called, be it municipal, provincial, or federal, it makes me feel very frustrated.



One of the reasons why I get so frustrated when it comes to elections is the fact that no matter where you go in any neighbourhood - be it a small town or a metropolis - your once pleasant view of city landscapes is now ruined by election signs plastered all over the place.  In Canada, you see thousands of signs in blue (conservative), red (Liberal), orange (NDP), and green (Green Party) on people's lawns, in people's windows, at every major intersection.  The signs are like bunnies.  Every five minutes you see another twenty pop up.

Can I just say that I absolutely HATE election signs?  And election pamphlets?  And any election propaganda that pollutes the environment?  To be honest, my family has NEVER put up signs showing support for any candidate.  Now that I am a homeowner, You'll never see an election sign in my front yard. 

To be honest, the candidate who puts out the least signage will be the candidate who will likely earn my vote.  There are ways to promote your campaign without being obnoxious about it.

(You hear that, Mr. Trump?)

And speaking of obnoxious tactics that candidates do to try and win your vote is to do everything in their power to try and knock the other competitors down.



Yes, I'm talking about those political "attack ads" that spend 30 seconds at a time explaining why Candidates X, Y, and Z are totally wrong for the country, and why voting for them would be like casting a vote for Satan himself.



But, what about the ads that talk about what candidates are actually going to do for their ridings?  And, I'm not talking about ads like Kathleen Wynne's where all she does is jog along a road explaining why she loves to run either.  Those ads are just as pointless.

Here's the thing though.  When all of the candidates start attacking each other in ads instead of telling us what they plan to do, it really makes it easy to see why so many people have abstained from casting votes in elections.  It's difficult to throw our support to a candidate when those candidates are acting like playground bullies.  And really, as far as I'm concerned, there's no other way to describe them.

We don't care about stuff like that.  We care about what you are going to do for us.  So, stop using your public soapbox to tell us why not to vote for a candidate.  Use it to tell us why to vote for you!

And, finally, I just want to express this point of view to everyone here.  I'll admit that when it comes down to elections - particularly with the Canadian elections that are coming up this October, I am very much undecided.  But I imagine that by the end of the campaigning, I will make my selection and cast my vote for the candidate who I believe in the most. 

In short, I have the right to cast a vote, and I will make my vote heard.  And I encourage everyone else to do the same.  Last election we had, our voter turnout rate was less than one-third. 

That's pathetic.

Seriously, I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I'm sure many of you don't like the officials who were elected into office.  I can tell you that I am most definitely not a fan of our current premier, nor was I a fan of the one elected before her.  But did it ever occur to you that maybe the reason why they were elected was because people simply didn't care enough to go to the polls? 

Seriously, you don't like your current representative?  Get out to the polls and vote to make a change!  You have the right to do it, so get out to the ballot box and cast a vote!


Because if you don't...and the person you can't stand still remains in office - well, you pretty much lose all right to complain if you didn't at least try to voice your concern, right? 

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

94 Truths - And No Lies!

This is one of those "I'm too busy to write a post today, so I thought I would do a questionnaire instead" type days.  I'm coming to the conclusion that when I go on my hiatus, I may not have the energy or time to keep doing the one blog a day pace.  I'll definitely have to think about how to go on from there.

In the meantime, here's something that I did back in 2010 - and well, I've updated the answers in a 2015 perspective. 



It was a meme called "100 Truths"...but let's face it.  There's really only 94.  Apparently the person who wrote it doesn't know how to count.

WHAT WAS YOUR 
1. last beverage:
Lemon Ice Tea 
2. last phone call:
My sister 
3. last text message:
I honestly don't remember...I don't text much 
4. last song you listened to: 



5. last time you cried: 
Probably a couple months ago.  Real men DO cry. 

HAVE YOU EVER 
6. dated someone twice:
No, I have a habit of scaring women away... 
7. been cheated on:
That I can answer with an honest no. 
8. kissed someone & regretted it:
Nope. 
9. lost someone special:
Who hasn't? 
10. been depressed:
Off and on. 
11. been drunk and threw up :
Probably back in 2001 sometime...I rarely drink now as a result. 

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS: 
12. Royal Purple 
13. Emerald Green 
14. Cobalt Blue 

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU (2015) 
15. Made a new friend:
Yes. 
16. Fallen out of love:
No...one would have to first be IN love to fall out of it.  But, I AM embracing singlehood.
17. Laughed until you cried:
Sometimes. 
18. Met someone who changed you: Not yet... 
19. Found out who your true friends were :
You better believe it. 
20. Found out someone was talking about you:
Of course...and I probably don't have much to do with them now.
21. Kissed anyone on your bf friend's list:
Is that BF as in best friend, or BF as in boyfriend? Either way, no. LOL! 

GENERAL 
22. How many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life:
It's about spilt evenly. 
23. Do you have any pets:
Not since my cat passed away five years ago. 
24. Do you want to change your name:
I used to when I was younger...only because there were six Matthews in my second grade class. Now I'm fine with it. 
25. What did you do for your last birthday:
Family barbecue followed by a whole lot of nothing.  When you get older, you don't want much. 
26. What time did you wake up today:
9:00am 
27. What were you doing at midnight last night: 
Watching TV and packing. 
28. Name something you CANNOT wait for:
When the renovations on my new home are finished!
29. Last time you saw your Mother: A few minutes ago.
30. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life:
I'd love to change my career path.  Like yesterday. 
31. What are you listening to right now: The Price Is Right.  I think someone's playing for a car. 
32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: 
Lots of people. 
33. What's getting on your nerves right now:
Nothing at the moment. 
34. Most visited web page: 



35. Nicknames: 
I went by Jughead on the Internet for years. 
36. Relationship Status:
Single and not looking.  If it's meant to be, it'll happen.  If not, oh well. 
37. Zodiac sign: 



38. He or She?:
I would be the he. 
39. Elementary School?:
Commonwealth P.S. Had a love/hate relationship with my school. 
40. Middle School :
See above.  I went to a K-8 school.
41. Hair colour:
Dark brown with a smidgen of grey. 
42. Long or short: As short as possible without going bald, though I need to get a haircut. 
43. Height:
6'2" 
44: What do you like about yourself?:
I'm verbose. 
45. Piercings:
None 
46. Tattoos:
Nada 
47. Righty or lefty: Right Handed...but oddly enough, left-footed... 

FIRSTS 
48. First surgery:
The gall bladder surgery from hell circa 2011. 
49. First piercing:
See question 45. 
50. First best friend:
Brandon and Brandi, my neighbours when I was three. 
51. First sport you joined:
Karate 
52. First vacation:
We never really DID vacations...one childhood thing I never got to experience. 
53. First pair of trainers:
Trainers as in shoes, or trainers as in disposable tighty-whities? You gots to be specific. 

RIGHT NOW 
54. Eating:
Nothing 
55. Drinking:
Nothing 
56. I'm about to: Get ready for work...boo
57. Listening to: See Question 31 
58. Waiting for:
See Question 28 


YOUR FUTURE 
59. Want kids?:
Don't I need a wife or common-law partner to do that? 
60. Get Married?:
At this point in time, no.  But never say never. 
61. Career?
Hopefully at a different place than where I am now. 

WHICH IS BETTER 
62. Lips or eyes:
Eyes 
63. Hugs or kisses:
Hugs 
64. Shorter or taller: Shorter...only cause I don't know too many girls taller than 6'2"! 
65. Older or Younger:
Not too young, not too old. 
66. Romantic or spontaneous:
Both. 
67. Nice stomach or nice arms:
I don't care about things like that.  Totally superficial. 
68. Sensitive or loud:
I like sensitivity. 
69. Hook-up or relationship:
Relationship. 
70. Trouble maker or hesitant:
I'm hesitant. 

HAVE YOU EVER 
71. Kissed a stranger:
Not by choice. 
72. Drank hard liquor:
Not since I was 21. 
73. Lost glasses/contacts: No, but I've broken my glasses before. 
74. Sex on first date:
What do you think I am, a ho?!?
75. Broken someone's heart:
No. 
76. Had your own heart broken:
Countless times 
77. Been arrested: Never 
78. Turned someone down:
HAH! People usually turn ME down before I get the chance! 
79. Cried when someone died:
Yep. 
80. Fallen for a friend:
I've had crushes...but not actually fallen for 'em. 

DO YOU BELIEVE IN 
81. Yourself:
I'm getting there. 
82. Miracles:
Depends on the definition of 'miracle'. 
83. Love at first sight: 




84. Heaven:
Nobody knows until they die. 
85. Santa Claus:
I believe in the spirit of giving... 
86. Kiss on the first date?:
I'm open to it if she is. 
87. Angels: Guardian or Heavenly? Actually, never mind, I believe in both. 

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY 
88. Had more than one bf/gf?:
I have trouble finding even ONE! 
89: Most common phrase said?:
I'm sorry, we do not have any in stock. 
90. Did you sing today?: No...I try to fight against noise pollution. 
91: Think you were with someone that you wanted to be with forever?:
I don't know. 
92. If you could go back in time, how far would you go, and why?:
I'd go back to high school years and try my luck at a different high school. 
93. If you could pick a day from last year and relive it, what would it be? 
I don't know...2014 kind of sucked.  Oh, let's go with December 25, 2014.  I like Christmas. 
94. Are you afraid of falling in love?:
Falling in love, no? Staying in love...that's the challenge.