These tunes can't really be considered my all-time favorite songs. I'm not sure of the criteria iTunes uses to determine the Top 25 Most Played since I do a heck of a lot of "shuffling", ie, hitting the "Next" button even on my favorites tunes. My iPod and iTunes library has about 6000 songs on it. Someone asked me the other day, "How many Beatle songs do you have?" My answer, "Ah...all of them I think!" This list is somewhat eclectic compared to my peers' taste in music. When I was still actually on the air in radio, my musical interests strayed quite a bit from the Top 40 stuff. I tended to delve deeper into each album, playing so-called "Album Cuts" (for us old schoolers)...lessor known tunes by well-known artists. So, for what it's worth (a great Buffalo Springfield song btw)...here they are. And, no...there isn't much on this list from the current century!
1. Cruisin' for a Bruisin' - Basia
2. Easy Lover - Phil Collins
3. Listen to the Music - Doobie Brothers
4. Spotlight - Marc Tanner Band
5. What To Do - Stephen Stills & Manassas
6. How Long - Paul Carrack
7. Savoy Truffle - Beatles
8. I Can't Stand It - Eric Clapton
9. Some Kind of Love - Paul Carrack
10. Never Die Young - James Taylor
11. Armegeddon It - Def Leppard
12. Waking and Dreaming - Orleans
13. All You Get From Love Is A Love Song - Carpenters
14. 49 Bye Byes - Crosby Still Nash
15. Some of Shelly's Blues - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
16. Refugee - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
17. More Than a Feeling - Boston
18. Tell Me All Your Secrets - Warren Hill
19. It's A Long Way There - Little River Band
20. Feel a Whole Lot Better - The Byrds
21. Do You Remember - Phil Collins
22. Helplessly Hoping - Crosby Still Nash
23. Tender is the Night - Jackson Browne
24. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - Elton John
25. Fantasy - Aldo Nova
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
American Idol - I get it now, sort of.
Here’s a question that has been asked lately by almost everyone who watches (or has ever watched) American Idol: What’s up with that Sanjaya guy?
So, since that question is nothing new - I won’t ask it myself! And since last night was the very first time (ever) that Loretta and I have watched A.I., I am certainly not an authority on anything to do with the program. We’re not fans and we’re not all too sure that we will watch it again.
Evidently, that Sanjaya guy has a huge internet fan base who continue to log in, call in, and text in to vote for him to stay. Hence the fact that, despite his “talents”, or lack thereof, he remains as one of the contenders for the final cut. And regarding his choice of hair length and hair style now....Simon’s comment on last night’s show summed it up, “Apparently there is no mirror in your dressing room!” Being hair-challenged personally, perhaps I’m just envious of that incredibly outrageous wad he has on his head.
I think it was on the Yahoo! American Idol site today, the hosts made a comment about the so-called judging and how contestants are able to remain on the show. This comment concerned how in the end, whomever remains on the show then goes on the American Idol tour and CD...they must be able to sell the CD’s. They said there must be a three-piece-suited individual or individuals high up in the shows management that ultimately points his or her finger at the appropriate contestants. Going one step further, these higher-ups must also be controlling the strings of the host puppets and what they should say about each performer.
Am I just barking at the moon here? I realize A.I. is hugely popular, and not just with teeny-boppers (when was the last time you heard that term?). The show seems to have a fan base that covers all age demographics.
Early on in each American Idol competition, watching the auditions is really similar to watching what goes on after a bad car accident or a train wreck. You don’t want to see it, but you just can’t look away. I understand the attraction at that point in the process. The T.V. viewing public’s fascination with seeing some of these poor slobs embarrass themselves on national television is a given. It is pop-culture entertainment at its saddest. The only other thing close to that is the Jackass show and (now) movies where we are privileged to witness people actually maiming themselves - voluntarily no less.
As we get further into the season, A.I. thankfully does seem to turn into an actual “talent” show of sorts. In fact, they even feature some (very) old school music celebrities singing their old tunes. Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits) and LuLu (To Sir With Love) of late. Obviously, with hopes of maintaining some sort of viewer base beyond the age of 13.
I think I get it...the fascination with this program. It’s not really my cup of tea...but I get it. American Idol is one of the most (if not thee most) popular reality show on the tube. You gotta hand it to the hosts, being able to sit there, week after week, and think of something to say after each performance. It’s no mystery why Simon is so acerbic...that’s entertainment. Paula did appear to be kind of...well, intoxicated. And the other guy...his name slips my mind at this point...seems to be the one who offers the most comprehensive, analytical comments.
American Idol provides us with an intimate look into the Andy Warhol penned term: “15 minutes of fame”. Anyone who has the desire and has some talent can get there. Beauty and good-looks isn’t mandatory. In fact, those two attributes may even be a hindrance in this venue.
When all is said and done at the end of each season, it all comes down to artful manipulation by wiley spin doctors. It’s all media hype...smoke and mirrors...and a smidgeon of talent I suppose. It’s pop culture. It’s what’s happening right now. It’s vicarious fame and fortune for the masses.
So, since that question is nothing new - I won’t ask it myself! And since last night was the very first time (ever) that Loretta and I have watched A.I., I am certainly not an authority on anything to do with the program. We’re not fans and we’re not all too sure that we will watch it again.
Evidently, that Sanjaya guy has a huge internet fan base who continue to log in, call in, and text in to vote for him to stay. Hence the fact that, despite his “talents”, or lack thereof, he remains as one of the contenders for the final cut. And regarding his choice of hair length and hair style now....Simon’s comment on last night’s show summed it up, “Apparently there is no mirror in your dressing room!” Being hair-challenged personally, perhaps I’m just envious of that incredibly outrageous wad he has on his head.
I think it was on the Yahoo! American Idol site today, the hosts made a comment about the so-called judging and how contestants are able to remain on the show. This comment concerned how in the end, whomever remains on the show then goes on the American Idol tour and CD...they must be able to sell the CD’s. They said there must be a three-piece-suited individual or individuals high up in the shows management that ultimately points his or her finger at the appropriate contestants. Going one step further, these higher-ups must also be controlling the strings of the host puppets and what they should say about each performer.
Am I just barking at the moon here? I realize A.I. is hugely popular, and not just with teeny-boppers (when was the last time you heard that term?). The show seems to have a fan base that covers all age demographics.
Early on in each American Idol competition, watching the auditions is really similar to watching what goes on after a bad car accident or a train wreck. You don’t want to see it, but you just can’t look away. I understand the attraction at that point in the process. The T.V. viewing public’s fascination with seeing some of these poor slobs embarrass themselves on national television is a given. It is pop-culture entertainment at its saddest. The only other thing close to that is the Jackass show and (now) movies where we are privileged to witness people actually maiming themselves - voluntarily no less.
As we get further into the season, A.I. thankfully does seem to turn into an actual “talent” show of sorts. In fact, they even feature some (very) old school music celebrities singing their old tunes. Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits) and LuLu (To Sir With Love) of late. Obviously, with hopes of maintaining some sort of viewer base beyond the age of 13.
I think I get it...the fascination with this program. It’s not really my cup of tea...but I get it. American Idol is one of the most (if not thee most) popular reality show on the tube. You gotta hand it to the hosts, being able to sit there, week after week, and think of something to say after each performance. It’s no mystery why Simon is so acerbic...that’s entertainment. Paula did appear to be kind of...well, intoxicated. And the other guy...his name slips my mind at this point...seems to be the one who offers the most comprehensive, analytical comments.
American Idol provides us with an intimate look into the Andy Warhol penned term: “15 minutes of fame”. Anyone who has the desire and has some talent can get there. Beauty and good-looks isn’t mandatory. In fact, those two attributes may even be a hindrance in this venue.
When all is said and done at the end of each season, it all comes down to artful manipulation by wiley spin doctors. It’s all media hype...smoke and mirrors...and a smidgeon of talent I suppose. It’s pop culture. It’s what’s happening right now. It’s vicarious fame and fortune for the masses.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Poppy was sloppy!
Yesterday afternoon, just before seeing Shooter...
Cue “Jaws” theme music...
Man walks into theater men’s room. I walk into theater men’s room. Man sidles up to urinal on the end. I sidle up to urinal on the other end, trying to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of peeing next to another guy at urinals without dividers. Man finishes his business before I do. Man zips up and walks toward the wash basins. I finish my business. I zip up and turn to see the man bypassing the wash basins and heading for the door. Man grasps restroom door handle with the same hand that was just handling his “thing”. I want to say to man, “What is wrong with you dude? Didn’t you ever watch Seinfeld...the Poppy is Sloppy episode?” But I say nothing, and procede to wash my hands. After drying my hands, I take two more paper towels with which to grasp said contaminated restroom door handle.
Another man finishes his business just after I do. The other man also bypasses the wash basins and grasps the same door handle that the first guy just grasped. I exist the restroom (using the paper towel door opening method). The other two men are now in the theater lobby eating their popcorn with their fingers. The same fingers that touched their respective “things”, then touched the restroom door handles. Neither of these two men know each other personally...but they are now both very intimate with each other’s private part. By the way, both of these gentlemen were outwardly, visually unkept, ie, looked like slobs! Would it have mattered if they wore clean, Izod shirts with sweaters tied around their necks, penny loafers, and Rolex watches? Hardly.
The ratio of hand-washing to not-handwashing after restroom use in this encounter: 1 out of 3. And that was with other people watching them!
Let’s go one step further in this scenario. Both of the non-handwashing gentlemen now enter the theater, grasping the armrests on each side of their seat...with the same hands that touched their “thing” a few moments before. YOU decide to go to the movies later that afternoon. YOU sit in that same seat. And YOU grasp the armrest in the seat where one of those gentlemen were sitting.
I suppose it doesn’t matter about the theater armrest, since YOU went grocery shopping just before going to the movies. And at the grocery store YOU pushed around a cart whose handle was rich with bacteria from guy’s “things”, baby’s diapers, and God knows what else! Then...stuck YOUR fingers in your mouth trying to dislodge that leftover from the bacon-cheeseburger you had for lunch. The same bacon-cheeseburger that some cook at Applebees touched with his unwashed barehands after visiting the restroom.
Have I become really anal-retentive regarding this Howard-Hughes-esque concern about germs and other people’s filth? Will I end up locked in a darkened room eating Oreo cookies and milk, naked, by myself with long, stringy hair and two inch long fingernails? Am I too overly concerned about all of this? Should I buy Purel disinfectant gel in giant two-quart bottles at Costco...by the case?
The answer to those questions is “No”. But, I have had less colds and bouts of the flu in the past few years since becoming more aware of things like this. I just notice it more. Loretta and I do carry a small bottle of that gel in the car. We do use it after grocery shopping especially. It’s just good sense now. I don’t wash my hands 50 times a day.
Back to the Seinfeld “Poppy” episode. Guys in restrooms should at least make an effort to wash their hands, every time. But especially when other people are watching. Make a move to the wash basin...pretend to wash your hands! As George responds, “Yeah...like I do!”
Cue “Jaws” theme music...
Man walks into theater men’s room. I walk into theater men’s room. Man sidles up to urinal on the end. I sidle up to urinal on the other end, trying to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of peeing next to another guy at urinals without dividers. Man finishes his business before I do. Man zips up and walks toward the wash basins. I finish my business. I zip up and turn to see the man bypassing the wash basins and heading for the door. Man grasps restroom door handle with the same hand that was just handling his “thing”. I want to say to man, “What is wrong with you dude? Didn’t you ever watch Seinfeld...the Poppy is Sloppy episode?” But I say nothing, and procede to wash my hands. After drying my hands, I take two more paper towels with which to grasp said contaminated restroom door handle.
Another man finishes his business just after I do. The other man also bypasses the wash basins and grasps the same door handle that the first guy just grasped. I exist the restroom (using the paper towel door opening method). The other two men are now in the theater lobby eating their popcorn with their fingers. The same fingers that touched their respective “things”, then touched the restroom door handles. Neither of these two men know each other personally...but they are now both very intimate with each other’s private part. By the way, both of these gentlemen were outwardly, visually unkept, ie, looked like slobs! Would it have mattered if they wore clean, Izod shirts with sweaters tied around their necks, penny loafers, and Rolex watches? Hardly.
The ratio of hand-washing to not-handwashing after restroom use in this encounter: 1 out of 3. And that was with other people watching them!
Let’s go one step further in this scenario. Both of the non-handwashing gentlemen now enter the theater, grasping the armrests on each side of their seat...with the same hands that touched their “thing” a few moments before. YOU decide to go to the movies later that afternoon. YOU sit in that same seat. And YOU grasp the armrest in the seat where one of those gentlemen were sitting.
I suppose it doesn’t matter about the theater armrest, since YOU went grocery shopping just before going to the movies. And at the grocery store YOU pushed around a cart whose handle was rich with bacteria from guy’s “things”, baby’s diapers, and God knows what else! Then...stuck YOUR fingers in your mouth trying to dislodge that leftover from the bacon-cheeseburger you had for lunch. The same bacon-cheeseburger that some cook at Applebees touched with his unwashed barehands after visiting the restroom.
Have I become really anal-retentive regarding this Howard-Hughes-esque concern about germs and other people’s filth? Will I end up locked in a darkened room eating Oreo cookies and milk, naked, by myself with long, stringy hair and two inch long fingernails? Am I too overly concerned about all of this? Should I buy Purel disinfectant gel in giant two-quart bottles at Costco...by the case?
The answer to those questions is “No”. But, I have had less colds and bouts of the flu in the past few years since becoming more aware of things like this. I just notice it more. Loretta and I do carry a small bottle of that gel in the car. We do use it after grocery shopping especially. It’s just good sense now. I don’t wash my hands 50 times a day.
Back to the Seinfeld “Poppy” episode. Guys in restrooms should at least make an effort to wash their hands, every time. But especially when other people are watching. Make a move to the wash basin...pretend to wash your hands! As George responds, “Yeah...like I do!”
Shooter - "Ya' want butter on that popcorn?"
Rambo meets Bourne meets The Jackal. That’s the way Shooter has been described by some viewers. In my opinion, that is a pretty accurate nutshell comparison for this Action/Thriller starring Mark Wahlberg. It’s a “popcorn” movie...let’s face it.
The story goes something like this. A Marine Scout Sniper’s mission goes bad, he is abandoned by his commanders and his buddy is killed. Fast forward three years later, our main character (Bob Lee Swagger) is “retired”, living the life of a mountain hermit with his dog. Some “bad guy” government types show up at his cabin and convince him to accept one last mission. This mission involves helping “them” (we are never entitled to know just exactly who “them” really work for) spoil a plot to kill the president. Now this mission also goes bad by design, orchestrated by “them”. Swagger goes on the lamb (wrongly accused of attempting to assassinate the president), finds his dead buddy’s wife and convinces her to help him unravel the mystery and get “them”.
“Them” are vaguely alluded to as being another super-secret, autonomous government agency that carries out nefarious, though patriotic, missions and agendas around the world. Danny Glover is the head antagonist in this flick and is addressed as “colonel”. We find out later that this colonel and his little band of government ner-do-wells were involved in Swagger’s mission at the beginning of the movie, a covert operation in Ethiopia involving an oil pipeline. There will be no huge spoilers in this blog as some of plot twists are what hold this piece together. Oh...and a helluva lot of explosions, large caliber machine gun squibs, about 23 sniper “head shots”, one propane tank explosion that downs a helicopter, a smidgeon of women in their underwear, a kick-ass car chase, a corrupt senator, and a gratuitous vengeful ending.
Despite his critics, Wahlberg is perfect for this role. To use a quote from the movie Swingers, “He’s money!” What he isn’t is a Lawrence Olivier. So what I say? What’s your point I say? Shooter is not a dramatic art piece. It really can be likened to a Rambo for the new millennium, with a lot of The Bourne Supremacy thrown in for the mystery effect.
Kate Mara as his buddy's widow does not have much range as an actress in this. But again...so what? She is a total babe, especially in director Antoine Fuqua’s extreme close-ups on her squeaky clean, freckled face and big brown eyes!
Danny Glover always seems a bit out of place as a bad guy after seeing him in four Lethal Weapon movies as the harried partner to Mel Gibson. And in this movie, he is wearing some sort of mouth gear or braces on his bottom teeth causing him to speak with a weird lisp, ie, just on the verge of slobbering with every sentence. I couldn’t decide whether or not it was part of the character or just a coincidence that he was under the care of an orthodontist during the filming. Strange. Ned Beatty plays the corrupt senator. I kept expecting him to squeal like a pig at some point. Michael Pena is good as the rookie FBI agent who is reluctantly recruited as Swagger’s new partner. And Michael Sandor does an adequate job as an older Russian sniper agent who may or may not have been on the grassy knoll in Dallas.
Although it is very unlikely that Shooter will be nominated for any Oscars for acting, I would think it stands a good chance of getting some sort of recognition in the Special Effects area. Expect lots of napalm fireballs and tightly-edited action scenes.
Shooter was a fun movie to watch. The two hours went by fast. As a movie-goer, I was anxious to see what came next. It moved along very quickly...good pacing. It will be a great movie to get on DVD and see what extras and features come with it.
You won’t get lost in the plot or fall asleep during this flick. Don’t expect to go away from Shooter in deep thought about what it all meant. Eat some popcorn, maybe a Jolly Rancher or two, and cheer for the good guy and say, “All right!” when the bad guys get what’s coming to them. Watch for a small part by ex-The Band member turned actor Levon Helm as a mysterious old gun maker Wahlberg’s character looks to for wisdom, guidance, and information about super-secret government bad guys. He’s kind of like the Dali Lama to sniper types.
Have fun!
The story goes something like this. A Marine Scout Sniper’s mission goes bad, he is abandoned by his commanders and his buddy is killed. Fast forward three years later, our main character (Bob Lee Swagger) is “retired”, living the life of a mountain hermit with his dog. Some “bad guy” government types show up at his cabin and convince him to accept one last mission. This mission involves helping “them” (we are never entitled to know just exactly who “them” really work for) spoil a plot to kill the president. Now this mission also goes bad by design, orchestrated by “them”. Swagger goes on the lamb (wrongly accused of attempting to assassinate the president), finds his dead buddy’s wife and convinces her to help him unravel the mystery and get “them”.
“Them” are vaguely alluded to as being another super-secret, autonomous government agency that carries out nefarious, though patriotic, missions and agendas around the world. Danny Glover is the head antagonist in this flick and is addressed as “colonel”. We find out later that this colonel and his little band of government ner-do-wells were involved in Swagger’s mission at the beginning of the movie, a covert operation in Ethiopia involving an oil pipeline. There will be no huge spoilers in this blog as some of plot twists are what hold this piece together. Oh...and a helluva lot of explosions, large caliber machine gun squibs, about 23 sniper “head shots”, one propane tank explosion that downs a helicopter, a smidgeon of women in their underwear, a kick-ass car chase, a corrupt senator, and a gratuitous vengeful ending.
Despite his critics, Wahlberg is perfect for this role. To use a quote from the movie Swingers, “He’s money!” What he isn’t is a Lawrence Olivier. So what I say? What’s your point I say? Shooter is not a dramatic art piece. It really can be likened to a Rambo for the new millennium, with a lot of The Bourne Supremacy thrown in for the mystery effect.
Kate Mara as his buddy's widow does not have much range as an actress in this. But again...so what? She is a total babe, especially in director Antoine Fuqua’s extreme close-ups on her squeaky clean, freckled face and big brown eyes!
Danny Glover always seems a bit out of place as a bad guy after seeing him in four Lethal Weapon movies as the harried partner to Mel Gibson. And in this movie, he is wearing some sort of mouth gear or braces on his bottom teeth causing him to speak with a weird lisp, ie, just on the verge of slobbering with every sentence. I couldn’t decide whether or not it was part of the character or just a coincidence that he was under the care of an orthodontist during the filming. Strange. Ned Beatty plays the corrupt senator. I kept expecting him to squeal like a pig at some point. Michael Pena is good as the rookie FBI agent who is reluctantly recruited as Swagger’s new partner. And Michael Sandor does an adequate job as an older Russian sniper agent who may or may not have been on the grassy knoll in Dallas.
Although it is very unlikely that Shooter will be nominated for any Oscars for acting, I would think it stands a good chance of getting some sort of recognition in the Special Effects area. Expect lots of napalm fireballs and tightly-edited action scenes.
Shooter was a fun movie to watch. The two hours went by fast. As a movie-goer, I was anxious to see what came next. It moved along very quickly...good pacing. It will be a great movie to get on DVD and see what extras and features come with it.
You won’t get lost in the plot or fall asleep during this flick. Don’t expect to go away from Shooter in deep thought about what it all meant. Eat some popcorn, maybe a Jolly Rancher or two, and cheer for the good guy and say, “All right!” when the bad guys get what’s coming to them. Watch for a small part by ex-The Band member turned actor Levon Helm as a mysterious old gun maker Wahlberg’s character looks to for wisdom, guidance, and information about super-secret government bad guys. He’s kind of like the Dali Lama to sniper types.
Have fun!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Self-Help Explosion: What color of grass will make you happy?
Looks like it’s time for another blog about the Space Time Continuum, the Future, the Power of Positive Thinking, and Snake Oil Salesman (aka Marketing).
There was a vignette on the CBS Morning News about a little New York town called Pawling. Apparently this town has more than its share of happy, content people. It was also the home of Norman Vincent Peale. You may remember him as the author of The Power of Positive Thinking. Ah...that’s the connection with the happy content people! And, so the CBS news vignette's angle became painfully evident.
This story wasn’t solely about how Pawling is a happy little New England town...it equally focused on the business of “positive thinking”. And the business of “positive thinking” is big business.
We all know that book stores are now, more than ever before, crammed with self-help books. In fact (this was a bit disturbing), there are over 3000 new self-help/positive thinking books published every year in this country! Billions of dollars are spent every year (almost $10 billion) by people like you and me in hopes of “fixing” ourselves versus seeking out professional help. And here’s the expected response from the professional psychology sector...”This is all akin to modern-day snake oil salesmen!” The critics of this self-help trend claim that we are all simply slapping down our hard-earned dollars down for a bottle of worthless elixir. An elixir of watered down liquid, in book form, that sometimes actually promises to cure our ills.
The fact of the matter is, all of these books are re-packaged forms of the same basic claim: “If you think it...it will happen”...”If you want to be happy...you will”...”If you want to find a better life, mate, or parking space...you will”...”Surround yourself with positive
people...and...ah, you’ll be surrounded by other people just like you who are looking to surround themselves with positive people?”
The latest, most fashionable incarnation of Norman Vincent Peale’s teachings (The Power of Positive Thinking was published over 50 years ago) is The Secret: The Laws of Attraction. I haven’t personally purchased this book yet, but I have read as much about it as I can without actually plopping down the scratch for this overpriced elixir. Far be it from me to say that this, or any other self-help claim, will not work for you. I happen to subscribe to the notion that hanging out with bummed out people can be depressing and counter productive. Referring to an old Woody Allen joke, “I wouldn’t want to be a member of a club that had me for a member”. Of course, he has made quite a handsome living out of being depressed...along with many other comedians past and present. Laughing at other’s misfortunes has always been popular. But, I think it goes deeper than just standing on the sidelines and laughing at a train wreck. It’s all about commiseration.
My take on the self-help boom? We all need to feel that we are not alone in our misery. We all have a strong desire to commiserate with other people about our own issues and life challenges. The Secret takes it one step further by suggesting that you hang out with people who are positive thinking (and successful). “Successful”, by the way, could mean that these other people are simply happy with their own self...comfortable in their own skin so to speak. One of the problems with most of these books is that the unsuspecting public’s perception is all too often geared to the “money” part of success. In other words, if I buy this book...I will get more money. Sure we all want to be happy. But what makes people happy? That is the subjective part of this whole trend...and one of the reasons why some psychology professionals tend to “poo poo” these books...and now DVD’s.
Getting back to my reference to the Space Time Continuum and the Future. You can’t change the Future! Not because the Future is set in stone...but because the Future is NOT set in stone. Despite being a huge fan of books and movies about the Future, ie, Back to the Future and (the father of time travel books) H.G. Wells, The Time Machine...those premises will never happen. We ain’t gonna travel to the future with notions of changing it. But we can control what happens in the Future. We can’t control everything that is going to happen tomorrow, but we can influence it. And herein lies the attraction of these self-help books and how they do indeed have some merit. These books provide us with Hope. Yup...it is simply a matter of Hope. But the books have replaced the word Hope with the word Wish. If we “Wish” it...it will happen.
Self-help books are not things being hawked out of the back of a horse-drawn wagon any longer. They are not a bottle of ginger water and alcohol any more. They are the modern day version of the Genie in a Bottle...Alladin’s Lamp...the Blarney Stone...the Leprechaun with the Pot-o-Gold. They are the Wishmasters of our generation.
I have friends who will write me with a reminder that the only true Genie was born two thousand and seven years ago. That the key to true happiness can’t be found at Barnes & Noble for $29.95. So be it. Whatever works for you...do it.
I read the Power of Positive Thinking many years ago. Along with many, many books in this genre including including ones by Tony Robbins, Dale Carnegie, Benjamin Franklin, and others. They all have something to offer someone. They all have the power to motivate in one way or another. But the key for any self-help medium to be successful is that the individual reader must answer this question: What will make me happy? It’s not enough to just ask the question, you must answer it accurately and truthfully. And that, my friends, is the biggest challenge.
If you really know what will make “self” happy and content...then any one of these 3000 self-help books published every year will work for you. You can set all the goals and make all the lists you want. But if you don’t know what is really important to your happiness...no fancy-marketed, trendy, Oprah-supported self-help plan will ever get you where you want to go. That step in the process is critical.
I can’t help but be reminded of the statement offered to me by so many people over the years though. And that little gem of wisdom is, “Be careful of what you wish for. It just may come true”.
And coming from someone who’s wishes have come true many times, here is another nugget I always add. “The grass is always greener. Just be sure that green grass is what you want!”
There was a vignette on the CBS Morning News about a little New York town called Pawling. Apparently this town has more than its share of happy, content people. It was also the home of Norman Vincent Peale. You may remember him as the author of The Power of Positive Thinking. Ah...that’s the connection with the happy content people! And, so the CBS news vignette's angle became painfully evident.
This story wasn’t solely about how Pawling is a happy little New England town...it equally focused on the business of “positive thinking”. And the business of “positive thinking” is big business.
We all know that book stores are now, more than ever before, crammed with self-help books. In fact (this was a bit disturbing), there are over 3000 new self-help/positive thinking books published every year in this country! Billions of dollars are spent every year (almost $10 billion) by people like you and me in hopes of “fixing” ourselves versus seeking out professional help. And here’s the expected response from the professional psychology sector...”This is all akin to modern-day snake oil salesmen!” The critics of this self-help trend claim that we are all simply slapping down our hard-earned dollars down for a bottle of worthless elixir. An elixir of watered down liquid, in book form, that sometimes actually promises to cure our ills.
The fact of the matter is, all of these books are re-packaged forms of the same basic claim: “If you think it...it will happen”...”If you want to be happy...you will”...”If you want to find a better life, mate, or parking space...you will”...”Surround yourself with positive
people...and...ah, you’ll be surrounded by other people just like you who are looking to surround themselves with positive people?”
The latest, most fashionable incarnation of Norman Vincent Peale’s teachings (The Power of Positive Thinking was published over 50 years ago) is The Secret: The Laws of Attraction. I haven’t personally purchased this book yet, but I have read as much about it as I can without actually plopping down the scratch for this overpriced elixir. Far be it from me to say that this, or any other self-help claim, will not work for you. I happen to subscribe to the notion that hanging out with bummed out people can be depressing and counter productive. Referring to an old Woody Allen joke, “I wouldn’t want to be a member of a club that had me for a member”. Of course, he has made quite a handsome living out of being depressed...along with many other comedians past and present. Laughing at other’s misfortunes has always been popular. But, I think it goes deeper than just standing on the sidelines and laughing at a train wreck. It’s all about commiseration.
My take on the self-help boom? We all need to feel that we are not alone in our misery. We all have a strong desire to commiserate with other people about our own issues and life challenges. The Secret takes it one step further by suggesting that you hang out with people who are positive thinking (and successful). “Successful”, by the way, could mean that these other people are simply happy with their own self...comfortable in their own skin so to speak. One of the problems with most of these books is that the unsuspecting public’s perception is all too often geared to the “money” part of success. In other words, if I buy this book...I will get more money. Sure we all want to be happy. But what makes people happy? That is the subjective part of this whole trend...and one of the reasons why some psychology professionals tend to “poo poo” these books...and now DVD’s.
Getting back to my reference to the Space Time Continuum and the Future. You can’t change the Future! Not because the Future is set in stone...but because the Future is NOT set in stone. Despite being a huge fan of books and movies about the Future, ie, Back to the Future and (the father of time travel books) H.G. Wells, The Time Machine...those premises will never happen. We ain’t gonna travel to the future with notions of changing it. But we can control what happens in the Future. We can’t control everything that is going to happen tomorrow, but we can influence it. And herein lies the attraction of these self-help books and how they do indeed have some merit. These books provide us with Hope. Yup...it is simply a matter of Hope. But the books have replaced the word Hope with the word Wish. If we “Wish” it...it will happen.
Self-help books are not things being hawked out of the back of a horse-drawn wagon any longer. They are not a bottle of ginger water and alcohol any more. They are the modern day version of the Genie in a Bottle...Alladin’s Lamp...the Blarney Stone...the Leprechaun with the Pot-o-Gold. They are the Wishmasters of our generation.
I have friends who will write me with a reminder that the only true Genie was born two thousand and seven years ago. That the key to true happiness can’t be found at Barnes & Noble for $29.95. So be it. Whatever works for you...do it.
I read the Power of Positive Thinking many years ago. Along with many, many books in this genre including including ones by Tony Robbins, Dale Carnegie, Benjamin Franklin, and others. They all have something to offer someone. They all have the power to motivate in one way or another. But the key for any self-help medium to be successful is that the individual reader must answer this question: What will make me happy? It’s not enough to just ask the question, you must answer it accurately and truthfully. And that, my friends, is the biggest challenge.
If you really know what will make “self” happy and content...then any one of these 3000 self-help books published every year will work for you. You can set all the goals and make all the lists you want. But if you don’t know what is really important to your happiness...no fancy-marketed, trendy, Oprah-supported self-help plan will ever get you where you want to go. That step in the process is critical.
I can’t help but be reminded of the statement offered to me by so many people over the years though. And that little gem of wisdom is, “Be careful of what you wish for. It just may come true”.
And coming from someone who’s wishes have come true many times, here is another nugget I always add. “The grass is always greener. Just be sure that green grass is what you want!”
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
San Francisco here we come...and went!
We had kind of a whirlwind, working vacation weekend.
Mid-morning Friday, we headed over to the Valejo/Napa area of the northern S.F. Bay. The wedding we booked was to be held at Mare Island chapel. So, we got there early enough to explore a little and take some photos.
A "stitched together" panorama shot taken from the knoll on the north side of the bridge.
Mare Island was the first naval shipyard built on the west coast, in 1855 to be exact. Though it has since been decommissioned as an active navy base, it is rich in history. It was immensely active during WWII and continued to be a very productive navy shipyard through the 1970's. Mare Island's biggest claim to fame is that it was where submarines were built, especially during the 50's and 60's...nuclear subs. One can get an idea of its history with a visit to the base museum. St.Peter's chapel was built around the turn of the century, as were many of the resident's mansions where the admiral's were housed.
Some of them have been purchased by a contractor who has been building new houses there. One of the largest of the mansions has been used in films, several seen on the History Channel. They area all very stately, well-maintained, and beautiful. The base itself has been in many motion pictures as well.
The rehearsal (Friday night) and the wedding (Saturday) went off without a hitch. They had a great reception at the Napa Embassy Suites. It was all well organized and was a pleasure to photograph...unlike many other weddings we have done!
Sunday, we packed up a headed toward home by way of San Francisco. We took a bit of a circuitous route through San Rafael so we could drive over the Golden Gate on our way to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. We stopped at the Golden Gate Recreation Area near the northern entrance to the bridge.
The windy little road takes you to the top of a knoll overlooking the entrance to San Francisco Bay. At top of the hill sits an old gun emplacement, built during WWII to guard the entrance to the bay. There used to be several huge guns there, ready to defend against enemy ships. San Francisco Bay was considered the most critical port on the west coast during that time. All that remains of the emplacement is the cement bunkers and artillery mounts, the guns are long gone. The weather was incredible, clear and temperatures in the 70's. As we were leaving the city by the bay around 4:00 pm, you could see the ever-present fog bank creeping its way back over the city after waiting patiently just off shore during the midday.
Loretta wanted to visit Pier 39 near Fisherman's Wharf, it was really all we had time to do. Pier 39 is the ultimate, commercial, San Francisco tourist spot...filled with souvenir shops and corporate restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe, Bubba Gump's, and Starbucks. We were famished when we arrived, so opted for the Hard Rock Cafe. After all, they validated the over-priced parking.
I must say that I have never had a worse $13 cheeseburger in my entire life! Not to mention the $5 Bud Light. But, we split that along with a side Caesar...making it a bit less painful when the check came.
We walked around Pier 39 for a while, dodging tourists from Bakersfield, Taiwan, and Austria. The place was packed. It's only March and the tourist season is in full swing here in California. It was Sunday, so we kind of expected it to be busy. Since we only live about 70 miles from San Francisco, we'll plan on coming back when we have more time...during the middle of the week. We never made it to Fisherman's Wharf. And, the sourdough bread shop on Pier 39 was still closed for renovations. Oh well...next time.
We made it out of the city and onto the Oakland Bay Bridge without too much trouble. The traffic was nasty driving around the embarcadero, but at least it was moving. Apparently, we just missed getting caught up in some of the area anti-war protests going on that day. San Francisco is always a busy place. The streets are small, many of them one-way thoroughfares. Electric buses and restored trolleys roll by everywhere. The cable cars are one of the most popular tourist attractions, but also provide essential transportation for some San Francisco residents. The parking situation is atrocious...and very expensive.
Our plan for the next S.F. trip is to actually ride a cable car up the hill to Union Square and do some walking around. Chinatown is on the cable car route and will provide some excellent photo opportunities. I gotta get some shots of those ducks hanging in the windows of the restaurants and butcher shops!
There just too much to do there. Unfortunately, it is extremely expensive to live in San Francisco proper...or anywhere in the bay area for that matter. But, that is where we will live after we hit the lotto. For now, we have to settle for being somewhat "local" tourists.
I'll post some more of my touristy photos on the flickr site shortly.
Mid-morning Friday, we headed over to the Valejo/Napa area of the northern S.F. Bay. The wedding we booked was to be held at Mare Island chapel. So, we got there early enough to explore a little and take some photos.
A "stitched together" panorama shot taken from the knoll on the north side of the bridge.Mare Island was the first naval shipyard built on the west coast, in 1855 to be exact. Though it has since been decommissioned as an active navy base, it is rich in history. It was immensely active during WWII and continued to be a very productive navy shipyard through the 1970's. Mare Island's biggest claim to fame is that it was where submarines were built, especially during the 50's and 60's...nuclear subs. One can get an idea of its history with a visit to the base museum. St.Peter's chapel was built around the turn of the century, as were many of the resident's mansions where the admiral's were housed.
Some of them have been purchased by a contractor who has been building new houses there. One of the largest of the mansions has been used in films, several seen on the History Channel. They area all very stately, well-maintained, and beautiful. The base itself has been in many motion pictures as well.The rehearsal (Friday night) and the wedding (Saturday) went off without a hitch. They had a great reception at the Napa Embassy Suites. It was all well organized and was a pleasure to photograph...unlike many other weddings we have done!
Sunday, we packed up a headed toward home by way of San Francisco. We took a bit of a circuitous route through San Rafael so we could drive over the Golden Gate on our way to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. We stopped at the Golden Gate Recreation Area near the northern entrance to the bridge.
The windy little road takes you to the top of a knoll overlooking the entrance to San Francisco Bay. At top of the hill sits an old gun emplacement, built during WWII to guard the entrance to the bay. There used to be several huge guns there, ready to defend against enemy ships. San Francisco Bay was considered the most critical port on the west coast during that time. All that remains of the emplacement is the cement bunkers and artillery mounts, the guns are long gone. The weather was incredible, clear and temperatures in the 70's. As we were leaving the city by the bay around 4:00 pm, you could see the ever-present fog bank creeping its way back over the city after waiting patiently just off shore during the midday.
Loretta wanted to visit Pier 39 near Fisherman's Wharf, it was really all we had time to do. Pier 39 is the ultimate, commercial, San Francisco tourist spot...filled with souvenir shops and corporate restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe, Bubba Gump's, and Starbucks. We were famished when we arrived, so opted for the Hard Rock Cafe. After all, they validated the over-priced parking.
I must say that I have never had a worse $13 cheeseburger in my entire life! Not to mention the $5 Bud Light. But, we split that along with a side Caesar...making it a bit less painful when the check came.
We walked around Pier 39 for a while, dodging tourists from Bakersfield, Taiwan, and Austria. The place was packed. It's only March and the tourist season is in full swing here in California. It was Sunday, so we kind of expected it to be busy. Since we only live about 70 miles from San Francisco, we'll plan on coming back when we have more time...during the middle of the week. We never made it to Fisherman's Wharf. And, the sourdough bread shop on Pier 39 was still closed for renovations. Oh well...next time.
We made it out of the city and onto the Oakland Bay Bridge without too much trouble. The traffic was nasty driving around the embarcadero, but at least it was moving. Apparently, we just missed getting caught up in some of the area anti-war protests going on that day. San Francisco is always a busy place. The streets are small, many of them one-way thoroughfares. Electric buses and restored trolleys roll by everywhere. The cable cars are one of the most popular tourist attractions, but also provide essential transportation for some San Francisco residents. The parking situation is atrocious...and very expensive.
Our plan for the next S.F. trip is to actually ride a cable car up the hill to Union Square and do some walking around. Chinatown is on the cable car route and will provide some excellent photo opportunities. I gotta get some shots of those ducks hanging in the windows of the restaurants and butcher shops!
There just too much to do there. Unfortunately, it is extremely expensive to live in San Francisco proper...or anywhere in the bay area for that matter. But, that is where we will live after we hit the lotto. For now, we have to settle for being somewhat "local" tourists.
I'll post some more of my touristy photos on the flickr site shortly.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Burt Lancaster...they don't make 'em like that anymore.
Quite often, I record classic movies from TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Since we got the TiVo-like box from our cable company, I do a lot of browsing through the TCM schedule and record things to watch at a more convenient time. The other night, I played back From Here To Eternity. Loretta and I watched it from beginning to end, ate some popcorn, and had a great “night at the movies”. It is one of those classic films that needs to be seen every once in a while, like Casablanca or The Graduate or Psycho.
From Here To Eternity won the Oscar for Best Film in 1954. Frank Sinatra got Best Supporting Oscar for his role as Maggio. Donna Reed won Best Supporting actress. The director, Fred Zinnemann, got the nod for Best Director. Eight academy awards and twelve nominations all tolled. Burt Lancaster was nominated for Best Actor, but didn’t win that year. William Holden got it for Stalag 17.
I got a kick out of Loretta while we were watching From Here To Eternity. She was totally mesmerized by Burt Lancaster. During every scene he was in, she sat there fixated, with a strange, little smile on her face. Every once in a while she would say things like, “Wow...he is really good looking!” Or, “He is so trim and in-shape. Look at that smile!”
Burt Lancaster was definitely one of the true man’s man actors. There weren’t many, but he was one. Regarding his being trim and in-shape, he actually worked in a circus before becoming an actor...as an acrobat and trapeze artist. In fact, he made a movie with Tony Curtis (another old school actor hunk) called The Trapeze. He did all his own stunt work. In The Crimson Pirate, that is actually Burt swinging on ropes from yardarm to yardarm with a sword in his hand! And no hidden wires!
He did win Best Actor for the lead in Elmer Gantry. Other great Burt Lancaster films include The Train, Seven Days in May, Birdman of Alcatraz, Judgment at Nuremberg, Run Silent Run Deep. And, Gunfight at O.K. Corral in which he starred with his buddy (another of Hollywood’s rare man’s man actors) Kirk Douglas..jpg)
If you’re a movie buff, even a young movie buff, check out some of Burt Lancaster’s flicks. I recommend starting with From Here To Eternity. As 1st Sergeant Warden, he epitomizes the hard-nosed, but compassionate, tough-guy loner. You won't find a more passionate love scene than the one he did with Deborah Kerr...rolling around in the surf!
From Here To Eternity won the Oscar for Best Film in 1954. Frank Sinatra got Best Supporting Oscar for his role as Maggio. Donna Reed won Best Supporting actress. The director, Fred Zinnemann, got the nod for Best Director. Eight academy awards and twelve nominations all tolled. Burt Lancaster was nominated for Best Actor, but didn’t win that year. William Holden got it for Stalag 17.
I got a kick out of Loretta while we were watching From Here To Eternity. She was totally mesmerized by Burt Lancaster. During every scene he was in, she sat there fixated, with a strange, little smile on her face. Every once in a while she would say things like, “Wow...he is really good looking!” Or, “He is so trim and in-shape. Look at that smile!”
Burt Lancaster was definitely one of the true man’s man actors. There weren’t many, but he was one. Regarding his being trim and in-shape, he actually worked in a circus before becoming an actor...as an acrobat and trapeze artist. In fact, he made a movie with Tony Curtis (another old school actor hunk) called The Trapeze. He did all his own stunt work. In The Crimson Pirate, that is actually Burt swinging on ropes from yardarm to yardarm with a sword in his hand! And no hidden wires!
He did win Best Actor for the lead in Elmer Gantry. Other great Burt Lancaster films include The Train, Seven Days in May, Birdman of Alcatraz, Judgment at Nuremberg, Run Silent Run Deep. And, Gunfight at O.K. Corral in which he starred with his buddy (another of Hollywood’s rare man’s man actors) Kirk Douglas.
.jpg)
If you’re a movie buff, even a young movie buff, check out some of Burt Lancaster’s flicks. I recommend starting with From Here To Eternity. As 1st Sergeant Warden, he epitomizes the hard-nosed, but compassionate, tough-guy loner. You won't find a more passionate love scene than the one he did with Deborah Kerr...rolling around in the surf!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
An Inconvenient Truth
Global warming is not a myth.
It is not a political agenda.
If you haven't seen the documentary An Inconvenient Truth...
...please see it.
If you don't plan on seeing it...
...shame on you!
Go to www.climatecrisis.net for more information.
It is not a political agenda.
If you haven't seen the documentary An Inconvenient Truth...
...please see it.
If you don't plan on seeing it...
...shame on you!
Go to www.climatecrisis.net for more information.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Loretta, she's the gracious one
Pronunciation: ‘grA-sh&s
adjective
a: marked by kindness and courtesy, as in a gracious host. b: marked by tact and delicacy. c: characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, and the tasteful leisure of wealth and good breeding, as in gracious living.
How many gracious people do you know?
Better yet...are you a gracious person?
Loretta and I talked about this quality called being gracious. It is a quality of human nature that not everyone possesses. It could be considered a principle or a value as well. Something to be placed along side words like integrity, ethics, dedication, honesty when one is describing one's self. Or when one is evaluating how one lives his or her life.
Loretta celebrated her 60th trip around the sun yesterday. In advance, she conveyed to me that she didn't want anything special nor did she want to do anything special for her birthday. But, I know that wasn't entirely truthful. I know what she wanted. She only wanted some recognition from certain people in her life. And she got that...to a certain extent.
She received recognition for her birthday from the people she sees most often...her friends and co-workers. Not so much from family folks she rarely sees. The cards, the little gifts, and the cake she got really made her day. But she couldn't help but feel a bit sad that she didn't hear at all from one of her children or her sisters and brothers, save for one...Marie.
She even got calls from old friends far away, but not from her son.
I told Loretta that she needs to continue to be gracious, and keep sending those birthday cards to sisters and children and other relatives. That is what being gracious is all about...doing those things and not expecting anything in return. And she is that kind of person.
So...Happy Birthday (again) Loretta. Be thankful that you have friends who care enough about you to not forget the important, little things in life. I'm thankful I have you...something I hope you never tire of hearing from me. Be thankful that on your 60th birthday, you still look like you are in your 40's. Of course, you know that...because everyone told you (again) yesterday!
adjective
a: marked by kindness and courtesy, as in a gracious host. b: marked by tact and delicacy. c: characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, and the tasteful leisure of wealth and good breeding, as in gracious living.
How many gracious people do you know?
Better yet...are you a gracious person?
Loretta and I talked about this quality called being gracious. It is a quality of human nature that not everyone possesses. It could be considered a principle or a value as well. Something to be placed along side words like integrity, ethics, dedication, honesty when one is describing one's self. Or when one is evaluating how one lives his or her life.
Loretta celebrated her 60th trip around the sun yesterday. In advance, she conveyed to me that she didn't want anything special nor did she want to do anything special for her birthday. But, I know that wasn't entirely truthful. I know what she wanted. She only wanted some recognition from certain people in her life. And she got that...to a certain extent.
She received recognition for her birthday from the people she sees most often...her friends and co-workers. Not so much from family folks she rarely sees. The cards, the little gifts, and the cake she got really made her day. But she couldn't help but feel a bit sad that she didn't hear at all from one of her children or her sisters and brothers, save for one...Marie.
She even got calls from old friends far away, but not from her son.
I told Loretta that she needs to continue to be gracious, and keep sending those birthday cards to sisters and children and other relatives. That is what being gracious is all about...doing those things and not expecting anything in return. And she is that kind of person.
So...Happy Birthday (again) Loretta. Be thankful that you have friends who care enough about you to not forget the important, little things in life. I'm thankful I have you...something I hope you never tire of hearing from me. Be thankful that on your 60th birthday, you still look like you are in your 40's. Of course, you know that...because everyone told you (again) yesterday!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Wild Hogs
I feel obligated to put in my two cents about the movie Wild Hogs.
Here is what has happened. It has had the usual, obligatory over-hype by the studio, ie, “the funniest movie of the year”...bad. It stars many very bankable actors, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen, William H. Macy, Marisa Tomei, Ray Liotta, and yes, Peter Fonda...good. Wild Hogs has gotten very luke warm to terrible reviews...bad. It’s a very appealing, fun, lighthearted movie that is doing well at the box office...good.
The bottom line is that folks have been going to see it...and enjoying it! Isn’t that the true gauge of a movie? That audiences enjoyed it?
We went to see it last weekend on Saturday afternoon, a rare movie-going time frame for us. We’re usually sitting in a huge theater on a Monday morning with seven other people in the theater. This time, the theater was full, both of them that were showing Wild Hogs. And...the audience really got into it, ie, laughed a lot and applauded at the end! It was a cute, at times funny, movie in a theater audience of oldsters (like us), families with kids, and youngins (so-called Gen-Xers) who all seemed to be enjoying this over-maligned Disney flick. Yes, it is a Disney flick.
There are many contrived moments (duh...it’s a friggin’ movie)...some “forced” comedy...a few scenes where those “big stars” seemed out of place...and, for my dollar, was not a hysterical movie. You won't soil yourself while laughing. It’s no Woody Allen/Martin Scorcese/David Fincher/Nora Ephron meaningful, thoughtful, transcendent, smartly-comedic, life-altering experience. It’s just a fun flick with a somewhat predictable, heartwarming ending...nothing more! Why it has been so put upon by so many self-absorbed, hoity-toity, over-analyzing movie critics is beyond my comprehension. Until someone writes and produces The Graduate meets The Departed meets Sideways, this kind of movie will always incur the critical wrath of artsy-fartsy movie goers. In fact, most of the people I know who have poo-pooed Wild Hogs...didn’t even go see it! On the other hand, all of the people I know who did go see it...loved it.
For some of us, the mere presence of Marisa Tomei is enough to plunk down the $6.50 for a bargain ticket. She looks great and fit in well with the other recognizables. And...Mr. Motorcycle Rebel himself, Peter Fonda, drops in at the last moment for an appearance as Ray Liotta’s father. Yes, Ray Liotta is in Wild Hogs as well, doing a great job as a comedic-parody of a tough guy biker...pretty much poking fun at his past movie personnas.
I really don’t recommend Wild Hogs for anyone expecting something more than it is. Don’t even waste your money. You will not enjoy it. In fact, it will validate your preconceived perception of this movie...a movie that isn’t your bag in the first place. But, if you have not formulated any prejudices yet, ie, from some of the reviews or, by proxy, haven’t already decided it is not meaningful enough for your tastes...check it out. If not in the theater, Netflix it in a few months.
Of course, Loretta and I were a bit prejudiced in favor of Wild Hogs when the trailers first hit the theaters. We are middle-aged, Harley-riding, John Travolta fans. Bingo!
But, you don’t have to be wearing a set of genuine Harley riding chaps to find Wild Hogs a very satisfying way to spend two hours.
Here is what has happened. It has had the usual, obligatory over-hype by the studio, ie, “the funniest movie of the year”...bad. It stars many very bankable actors, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen, William H. Macy, Marisa Tomei, Ray Liotta, and yes, Peter Fonda...good. Wild Hogs has gotten very luke warm to terrible reviews...bad. It’s a very appealing, fun, lighthearted movie that is doing well at the box office...good.The bottom line is that folks have been going to see it...and enjoying it! Isn’t that the true gauge of a movie? That audiences enjoyed it?
We went to see it last weekend on Saturday afternoon, a rare movie-going time frame for us. We’re usually sitting in a huge theater on a Monday morning with seven other people in the theater. This time, the theater was full, both of them that were showing Wild Hogs. And...the audience really got into it, ie, laughed a lot and applauded at the end! It was a cute, at times funny, movie in a theater audience of oldsters (like us), families with kids, and youngins (so-called Gen-Xers) who all seemed to be enjoying this over-maligned Disney flick. Yes, it is a Disney flick.
There are many contrived moments (duh...it’s a friggin’ movie)...some “forced” comedy...a few scenes where those “big stars” seemed out of place...and, for my dollar, was not a hysterical movie. You won't soil yourself while laughing. It’s no Woody Allen/Martin Scorcese/David Fincher/Nora Ephron meaningful, thoughtful, transcendent, smartly-comedic, life-altering experience. It’s just a fun flick with a somewhat predictable, heartwarming ending...nothing more! Why it has been so put upon by so many self-absorbed, hoity-toity, over-analyzing movie critics is beyond my comprehension. Until someone writes and produces The Graduate meets The Departed meets Sideways, this kind of movie will always incur the critical wrath of artsy-fartsy movie goers. In fact, most of the people I know who have poo-pooed Wild Hogs...didn’t even go see it! On the other hand, all of the people I know who did go see it...loved it.
For some of us, the mere presence of Marisa Tomei is enough to plunk down the $6.50 for a bargain ticket. She looks great and fit in well with the other recognizables. And...Mr. Motorcycle Rebel himself, Peter Fonda, drops in at the last moment for an appearance as Ray Liotta’s father. Yes, Ray Liotta is in Wild Hogs as well, doing a great job as a comedic-parody of a tough guy biker...pretty much poking fun at his past movie personnas.
I really don’t recommend Wild Hogs for anyone expecting something more than it is. Don’t even waste your money. You will not enjoy it. In fact, it will validate your preconceived perception of this movie...a movie that isn’t your bag in the first place. But, if you have not formulated any prejudices yet, ie, from some of the reviews or, by proxy, haven’t already decided it is not meaningful enough for your tastes...check it out. If not in the theater, Netflix it in a few months.
Of course, Loretta and I were a bit prejudiced in favor of Wild Hogs when the trailers first hit the theaters. We are middle-aged, Harley-riding, John Travolta fans. Bingo!
But, you don’t have to be wearing a set of genuine Harley riding chaps to find Wild Hogs a very satisfying way to spend two hours.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Shrimp Stir Fry
This is a quick and simple little stir fry that only requires 30 minutes or so of prep and cooking time. But one of the keys to success in this style of cooking (especially) is mis en place, pronounced meez en plahs. The literal translation from French is “setting in place”, though from a chef’s standpoint (and the Culinary Institute of America) it means “everything in place”.
Make sure you have all the ingredients on hand. Then, do all the chopping, slicing, and dicing before beginning the cooking process. For instance, if the recipe calls for the ginger root, green onions, and garlic to go into the wok at the same time (as in this recipe), simply place all of them in the same little bowl or ramekin...ready to toss in.
There are thousands of stir fry recipes. This is my take (after many failures I might add) on a tasty, easy Shrimp Stir Fry.
A couple of notes...
Use a wok. If you have a good sized fry pan, it may work for you. I have several woks, including a huge, seasoned steel wok...and a small and a medium non-stick wok. The challenge I face when wok cooking is that I have a modern, flat top electric range. If you have a modern, large burner, gas stove...all the better. One of the keys to wok cooking is high, even heat. My medium, non-stick wok has a large, flat bottom to it...thus allowing me to achieve the desired results without too much trouble. When I cook using the large, traditional, steel wok...I do it on our gas barbeque outside. I simply remove the center grate, exposing the two, large, middle burners. Works pretty darn good! And the neighbors love that Asian cooking smell wafting through the neighborhood...at least most of them do!
The ingredients...enough for two.
2 tablespoons peanut oil (works best for wok cooking because of its tolerance for high heat)
1/2 pound medium large shrimp, shelled, and deveined
1 teaspoon fresh, minced ginger root
2 tablespoons of 1/4 inch diced green onions or scallions
2 tablespoons of fresh, minced garlic (more or less depending on your garlic taste)
1 cup of broccoli florets, just the florets (I blanch them first
in rapidly boiling water for 1 minute, then quickly cool)
1 cup of baby corn, drained (cut each corn in half if they are large)
1/4 cup diced red bell peppers
1/2 cup mushrooms, halved (quartered if they are large)
1/4 cup, unsalted chicken broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons corn starch, optional (this will thicken the sauce and help it stick to the shrimp and vegetables)
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional for heat)
Mix together the broth, sherry, soy sauce, and corn starch. Set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in the wok over medium heat. Saute the shrimp for about a minute on each side, seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer the shrimp to a plate. Add remaining oil to wok. When the oil is hot (not smoking), add the ginger root, garlic, and green onions and stir fry for 30 seconds, tossing or stirring often (careful, when garlic burns it tastes bitter). Turn up the heat and add the remainder of the vegetables and stir fry until they are crispy al dente, about 1 minute or so. Turn down the heat. Add the broth, sherry, soy, and corn starch mixture...salt to taste. Cook for about 1 minute or so, adding more broth if becomes too thick. Add the sesame oil and chili flakes, stir to coat for about 30 seconds. Transfer to a heated serving dish or directly to the plates. Sprinkle on the fresh chopped cilantro.
You can serve it with the rice of your choice. I mostly use Basmati rice, steamed white rice, or Shrimp Fried Rice (I’ll do a fried rice recipe soon).
Cheers!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Memoirs from the San Fernando Valley
Remember that scene from Back to the Future where Marty McFly and Doc Brown discover that certain incident in 1955, if it doesn’t happen, will alter the space time continuum and change everyone’s future? That one small moment in time where Marty’s father, George, kisses his future wife, Lorraine (Marty’s mother) at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance? Do you ever wonder what little things in your life, if they had gone differently, would have seriously altered the course of yours as well as many other people’s futures? Well...I do.
We were talking about this just the other day. Specifically...I was talking about it to Loretta. She was just listening and humoring me while I went on about the laws of chance, past events, quantum physics, and alternate futures.
Anyway, I decided there was one defining moment in my life. One thing that happened to me that, more than any other event, changed my life and probably many other lives as well. It happened on January 24th, 1966. I remember the date because it was two days before my 16th birthday. That day more than 40 years ago, was when I met with my guidance counselor...to talk about my future.
My guidance counselor’s name was Mr. Fields...Morris Fields. He was also a Student Government teacher. I never had Fields as a teacher. I never took Student Government...I thought it was for eggheads and kiss-asses (of course, I was off-base with this assumption as well). Little did I know until years later, that was one of the classes best suited for finding a chick...the girl/boy ratio was about 5 to 1 in Student Government.
Mr. Fields was the consummate weasel teacher. It seemed he was always prowling the halls and busting kids for not having hall passes. Chastising them for not being where they were supposed to be, lecturing them about “discipline” and the like (remember Mr. Strickland from Back to the Future?). Fields wore thick horn-rimmed glasses, and always had a silly smirk on his lips...especially when he was dishing out that hallway punishment. His thinning, half-gray hair was punctuated by a huge, bulbous forehead that accentuated his big, bushy, constantly moving eyebrows. Just above one of those eyebrows was a large, spongy-looking mole of sorts with several long hairs growing out of it. His dumbo-eared head was set neatly on top of a pencil neck jutting out of a scrawny, five foot three frame. He always wore the same tweed suit coat, black slacks, and a colored sweater vest. The soft, gum-soled suede shoes allowed him to chase down errant students who weren’t behaving properly. I suspected he collected stamps and spent a good deal of time in the faculty men's’ room masturbating to a picture of a young, blonde biology teacher named Miss Krokie. That was only a theory of mine though.
I arrived at Mr. Fields office at 9:30 and he invited me to have a seat in front of his desk. The conversation went something like this...
Fields: Hello, Jim. How are we doing today?
Me: Fine.
Fields: How is everything going for you?
Me: Well...they ran out of Sticky Buns at brunch in the cafeteria before I could get one. Is that what you mean?
Fields: Well...no, Jim. I was thinking more of how things are going for you here at Canoga Park High...with school. How are you doing in school?
Me: Pretty good.
Fields: Well, it doesn’t look like it from your record here.
Me: Really?
Fields: Yes. Not only did you not score very well on your SAT scores...your grade point average is...well, not much to speak of.
Me: Really? I thought I was doing O.K.
Fields: Not to mention the fact that you recently got suspended for three days.
Me: Oh...that.
Fields: It says here that you used profanity at a school dance.
Me: Yeah, I know. I said “F**k that bitch” to an old girlfriend...and Mrs. Cool heard me.
Fields: Jim...we won’t have that sort of talk in here.
Me: She wouldn’t say “Hi” back to me. What the heck should I have said?
Fields: Now, now!
Me: If I had said “Now, now that bitch”...everyone would have laughed at me!
Fields: I see. Ah...Jim...what do you want to do when you graduate from high school?
Me: I want to be a cinematographer.
Fields: A cinematographer?
Me: Yes...a cinematographer.
Fields: What is a cinematographer?
Me: It’s a guy who makes movies. I’ve always wanted to do that. I make eight millimeter films now.
Fields: Really. Like...in the movie business?
Me: Yeah...like in the movie business.
Fields: Hmmm. Well, Jim, let me ask you this...
Me: Ask me what?
Fields: I haven’t asked you yet.
Me: O.K.
Fields: Do you know what it takes to get into the movie business?
Me: No.
Fields: Does your family have a lot of money?
Me: No.
Fields: Do you know anyone in the movie business?
Me: No.
Fields: Do you know what kind of grade point average and SAT scores it takes to get into USC film school?
Me: No.
Fields: What chance do you think you have making it in the movie business?
Me: Ah...
Fields: You should get in the engineering field. We need engineers. Especially petroleum engineers. That’s where the future is!
Honestly, I don’t remember much of the conversation beyond this point. I became flushed, lightheaded, and my lips began to quiver. I bolted out of Mr. Fields office, got on my 10-speed Huffy bike, and rode home...skipping the rest of my classes. When I got home, I locked myself in my room, and didn’t come out for a year and a half. And...never made another eight millimeter film after that.
Well, I did graduate from high school. Went on to two years of community college taking mostly general education courses. Of course, I rarely went to class and never did my homework in college either...just like high school. The next 40 years were a series of unfortunate events and bad choices. Fast forward to tonight, writing this blog.
If I could get in a souped up DeLorean time machine, I would go back to January 24th, 1966...finish that conversation with my guidance counselor...and do a few things differently. Here is how that Back to the Future exchange between myself and Mr. Fields would go.
Fields: You should get in the engineering field. We need engineers...
Me: Hang on just a minute Fields. I got news for you!
Fields: Excuse me?
Me: You see. Despite your crass analysis of my future, and your uncompromising, insensitive demeanor...I am going to film school. I am going to make movies. In fact, in the year following my graduation from USC film school, I am going to make a documentary that will be applauded at the Sundance Film Festival. Soon after that, a major studio is going to buy the screenplay I wrote...and, ask me to direct it. That film will win an Oscar for Best Screenplay and Best Director. It will be nominated for Best Picture, but will lose out to The Godfather. But, Francis Ford Coppola will finance my next three movies. I will retire from directing in 1986 and concentrate on developing new film projects from new writers and directors. I will move to Carmel and write six best-selling novels there.
This, Mr. Fields, is as far as you are going to go in your teaching career. Next semester, a fellow teacher will catch you jerking off in the faculty men’s room. Although there will be no disciplinary action, you will endure constant ridicule from the rest of the staff as well as the student body. So much so, that you will begin therapy sessions for manic depression that will continue until your wife leaves you in 1979. She will run off to Greece with an abalone fisherman. You will retire from teaching and become an Amway salesman. In 1982, you will go on a Parents Without Partners singles cruise to Ensenada...fall off the boat near La Jolla...and seals will eat you. I, on the other hand, will be coaxed out of retirement in 2007 to write and direct and movie based on my book, “Memoirs from the San Fernando Valley”. There will be a scene in the movie where the main character meets with his 11th grade guidance counselor...and he tries to steer him wrong. I’m thinking I may get this actor named Danny Devito to play you...but he’s a little too tall. For the part of the main character...what about Dustin Hoffman? Maybe not...he’s a bit too short for this part!
We were talking about this just the other day. Specifically...I was talking about it to Loretta. She was just listening and humoring me while I went on about the laws of chance, past events, quantum physics, and alternate futures.
Anyway, I decided there was one defining moment in my life. One thing that happened to me that, more than any other event, changed my life and probably many other lives as well. It happened on January 24th, 1966. I remember the date because it was two days before my 16th birthday. That day more than 40 years ago, was when I met with my guidance counselor...to talk about my future.
My guidance counselor’s name was Mr. Fields...Morris Fields. He was also a Student Government teacher. I never had Fields as a teacher. I never took Student Government...I thought it was for eggheads and kiss-asses (of course, I was off-base with this assumption as well). Little did I know until years later, that was one of the classes best suited for finding a chick...the girl/boy ratio was about 5 to 1 in Student Government.
Mr. Fields was the consummate weasel teacher. It seemed he was always prowling the halls and busting kids for not having hall passes. Chastising them for not being where they were supposed to be, lecturing them about “discipline” and the like (remember Mr. Strickland from Back to the Future?). Fields wore thick horn-rimmed glasses, and always had a silly smirk on his lips...especially when he was dishing out that hallway punishment. His thinning, half-gray hair was punctuated by a huge, bulbous forehead that accentuated his big, bushy, constantly moving eyebrows. Just above one of those eyebrows was a large, spongy-looking mole of sorts with several long hairs growing out of it. His dumbo-eared head was set neatly on top of a pencil neck jutting out of a scrawny, five foot three frame. He always wore the same tweed suit coat, black slacks, and a colored sweater vest. The soft, gum-soled suede shoes allowed him to chase down errant students who weren’t behaving properly. I suspected he collected stamps and spent a good deal of time in the faculty men's’ room masturbating to a picture of a young, blonde biology teacher named Miss Krokie. That was only a theory of mine though.
I arrived at Mr. Fields office at 9:30 and he invited me to have a seat in front of his desk. The conversation went something like this...
Fields: Hello, Jim. How are we doing today?
Me: Fine.
Fields: How is everything going for you?
Me: Well...they ran out of Sticky Buns at brunch in the cafeteria before I could get one. Is that what you mean?
Fields: Well...no, Jim. I was thinking more of how things are going for you here at Canoga Park High...with school. How are you doing in school?
Me: Pretty good.
Fields: Well, it doesn’t look like it from your record here.
Me: Really?
Fields: Yes. Not only did you not score very well on your SAT scores...your grade point average is...well, not much to speak of.
Me: Really? I thought I was doing O.K.
Fields: Not to mention the fact that you recently got suspended for three days.
Me: Oh...that.
Fields: It says here that you used profanity at a school dance.
Me: Yeah, I know. I said “F**k that bitch” to an old girlfriend...and Mrs. Cool heard me.
Fields: Jim...we won’t have that sort of talk in here.
Me: She wouldn’t say “Hi” back to me. What the heck should I have said?
Fields: Now, now!
Me: If I had said “Now, now that bitch”...everyone would have laughed at me!
Fields: I see. Ah...Jim...what do you want to do when you graduate from high school?
Me: I want to be a cinematographer.
Fields: A cinematographer?
Me: Yes...a cinematographer.
Fields: What is a cinematographer?
Me: It’s a guy who makes movies. I’ve always wanted to do that. I make eight millimeter films now.
Fields: Really. Like...in the movie business?
Me: Yeah...like in the movie business.
Fields: Hmmm. Well, Jim, let me ask you this...
Me: Ask me what?
Fields: I haven’t asked you yet.
Me: O.K.
Fields: Do you know what it takes to get into the movie business?
Me: No.
Fields: Does your family have a lot of money?
Me: No.
Fields: Do you know anyone in the movie business?
Me: No.
Fields: Do you know what kind of grade point average and SAT scores it takes to get into USC film school?
Me: No.
Fields: What chance do you think you have making it in the movie business?
Me: Ah...
Fields: You should get in the engineering field. We need engineers. Especially petroleum engineers. That’s where the future is!
Honestly, I don’t remember much of the conversation beyond this point. I became flushed, lightheaded, and my lips began to quiver. I bolted out of Mr. Fields office, got on my 10-speed Huffy bike, and rode home...skipping the rest of my classes. When I got home, I locked myself in my room, and didn’t come out for a year and a half. And...never made another eight millimeter film after that.
Well, I did graduate from high school. Went on to two years of community college taking mostly general education courses. Of course, I rarely went to class and never did my homework in college either...just like high school. The next 40 years were a series of unfortunate events and bad choices. Fast forward to tonight, writing this blog.
If I could get in a souped up DeLorean time machine, I would go back to January 24th, 1966...finish that conversation with my guidance counselor...and do a few things differently. Here is how that Back to the Future exchange between myself and Mr. Fields would go.
Fields: You should get in the engineering field. We need engineers...
Me: Hang on just a minute Fields. I got news for you!
Fields: Excuse me?
Me: You see. Despite your crass analysis of my future, and your uncompromising, insensitive demeanor...I am going to film school. I am going to make movies. In fact, in the year following my graduation from USC film school, I am going to make a documentary that will be applauded at the Sundance Film Festival. Soon after that, a major studio is going to buy the screenplay I wrote...and, ask me to direct it. That film will win an Oscar for Best Screenplay and Best Director. It will be nominated for Best Picture, but will lose out to The Godfather. But, Francis Ford Coppola will finance my next three movies. I will retire from directing in 1986 and concentrate on developing new film projects from new writers and directors. I will move to Carmel and write six best-selling novels there.
This, Mr. Fields, is as far as you are going to go in your teaching career. Next semester, a fellow teacher will catch you jerking off in the faculty men’s room. Although there will be no disciplinary action, you will endure constant ridicule from the rest of the staff as well as the student body. So much so, that you will begin therapy sessions for manic depression that will continue until your wife leaves you in 1979. She will run off to Greece with an abalone fisherman. You will retire from teaching and become an Amway salesman. In 1982, you will go on a Parents Without Partners singles cruise to Ensenada...fall off the boat near La Jolla...and seals will eat you. I, on the other hand, will be coaxed out of retirement in 2007 to write and direct and movie based on my book, “Memoirs from the San Fernando Valley”. There will be a scene in the movie where the main character meets with his 11th grade guidance counselor...and he tries to steer him wrong. I’m thinking I may get this actor named Danny Devito to play you...but he’s a little too tall. For the part of the main character...what about Dustin Hoffman? Maybe not...he’s a bit too short for this part!
Monday, March 5, 2007
"The mp3 Killed the Radio Star"
iPod or Satellite Radio?That is the question the movers and shakers of these two consumer music formats have been trying to answer for the last couple of years. Which of these will shine in the long run?
The basic similarity between the two are the commercials and the D.J.’s...there are none. Check that...satellite radio does have Howard Stern. The difference between an iPod and satellite radio is the music. And herein lies the biggest reason why the world of iPod has flourished, and satellite radio is fizzling.
Being an ex-radio DJ, I got fed up with commercial radio’s “live” announcer dribble and the incessant parade of obnoxious (and ineffective) commercials many years ago. I just couldn’t stand listening to either of these distractions when all I wanted to hear was my favorite tunes...with a sprinkling of new stuff once in a while. That is what I wanted. And apparently, that is what everyone else truly wants coming out of his or her car radio as well.
Long before Steve Jobs and Apple made that leap of faith into mass production of a portable mp3 player for customized music playlists, I was making my cassette “mix-up” tapes. I recorded my favorite songs from vinyl to cassette, in the order I wanted...changing them as often as I wanted. When I got tired of one or all of these cassettes, I just recorded new playlists over them. It was fun, and I even enjoyed the editing and recording process. After all, I was a radio D.J.! I had tons of records. And every stereo system with a cassette player had the ability to allow this transfer of tunes.
Then, along came mp3 players...specifically, the iPod. Now, with the aid of any computer, one could make their own “mix up tapes” in the next generation, ie, transfer your favorites tunes from CD to a portable player. Voila! Now everyone is a D.J.! In addition, the assembly of these custom playlists was much easier than the transfer of vinyl to cassette. Just drag and drop song titles on a computer screen.
Then there was satellite radio. Cut to about the same time period as when the iPod came out...2001. The birth of a system whereby anyone could have a “radio” system in their car that received signals via satellite. And these signals would offer a huge selection of music formats, talk radio formats, and sports news formats...sans commercials...but for a fee. Yes, for those who haven’t looked into satellite radio yet, there is a monthly subscription fee to receive this service, just like satellite and cable T.V. Did ‘ya think it was going to be free? In addition, one must purchase one of the hardware systems required to be installed in your car and connected to the existing radio. The basic cost of one of these receivers is about $100 and up. In fact, some major auto manufacturers bought into the satellite radio “craze” and started putting it in their cars at the factory, in hopes of attracting more buyers for their models. (Insert loud Family Feud type buzzer sound here). “Survey says...!” The projected mass interest in satellite radio just wasn’t there...and still isn’t.
In the investment world, this has meant the loss of billions of dollars to the people who sank all or parts of their nest eggs in this thing. Remember the scene from the Albert Brooks movie, Lost in America? His wife put all of their nest egg on the number 22 in a roulette game in Vegas. Not once, but over and over again...until it was all gone. In the case of satellite radio, the cost of a share in 2000 was around $ 60...by 2002, it had plummeted to $ 1...settling at $ 3 soon after. The proposed merger between two satellite radio “giants” is supposed to improve upon this situation, but their is a lot of skepticism surrounding this corporate investment band aid. The question still remains...is it going to save satellite radio?
By the way, the only person who’s invested interest in satellite radio didn’t plummet? Howard Stern (not the Anna Nicole Smith Howard Stern), the radio Howard Stern. He is purported to have pocketed $ 500 million for signing on. And, evidently, his “numbers” (volume of listeners) dropped to a 10th of what they were when he was “on the air”.
I have had an iPod since they came out. In fact, I am on my third generation iPod. I listen to it in my car by way of a small attached device called an iTrip, transmitting the iPod signal through my car radio. Admittedly, even the latest version of iTrip sucks at times. But...you can plug your iPod directly into your car radio since most every car player now comes with a small mini-plug jack on the front. And, the latest generation iTrip device works much better now.
The bottom line? Maybe the merger will help. Maybe not. I had planned to get a car satellite radio, which, by the way, can be played at home through your home stereo. But that probably won’t happen. Why? That’s the question i keep asking myself! Why should I? The music playlists available on satellite radio are many. But the repetition of songs is just as bad as commercial radio. They repeat the same songs over and over again...most of which, I don’t want to hear!
Music is now about playing what you want to hear, when you want to hear it. If I want to hear any so-called “new music”, I ask my 27 year old daughter. She just mailed me another sampler CD of musical artists she likes, songs I might gravitate toward. And you know what? I like most every cut on the CD. If you are over 40 (or 50 like me), and don’t have a son or daughter or friend who listens to new music...try the Adult Alternative channel on your cable T.V. (or satellite T.V.). You’ll find a myriad of recent music to peak the interest of any older listener who isn’t stuck on the greatest hits of Celine, Barbra Streisand, or Englebert Humperdinck. Then, go to iTunes (or the legal mp3 download site of choice) and add to your iPod playlist. My iPod has over 5000 songs on it, mostly oldies from the 70’s and 80’s, and a decent selection of recent stuff. And with an iPod...you can just hit that little arrow...taking you to the next tune. No D.J.’s...no commercials...and enough songs to last for more than week. It tells you right on the iPod how long it would take to play every song!
For those who lean toward the AM-type talk shows, there will always be radio. If you want to hear Howard Stern or Rush Limbaugh blathering about whatever they blather about...it will always be available. But for those of us who want clear, clean, commercial and D.J.-free digital music...music of our choice...there is no other alternative.
An old 80’s song by the Buggles said “Video Killed the Radio Star”. The updated version should be called “The mp3 Killed Radio”...satellite or otherwise.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Are you a morning person?
It seems I have always been a morning person. My functionality, what is left of it, is much better very early in the day. By functionality, I am referring to my energy, my enthusiasm for life in general, the clearness of my thoughts. Unfortunately, there are certain aspects of my being that have deteriorated in the first part of the day, specifically structural in nature. Hauling my old, tired ass out of bed at this age has become much more of a chore.
I am wondering if this morning person/late person thing is strictly an environmental trait, or is it something you are born with. Certainly when you are very young, you are not a morning person. For instance, I can remember being able to sleep until 11:00 or 12:00 when I was a kid. As a child, I relished the weekends when I could languish in bed until my mom or dad rousted me out of my slumber. “Are you gonna get up some time today?”, they would yell at me through my bedroom door. Even after getting out of bed that late, it would still take a while until I was coherent enough to function. And that slow recovery period was long before my party-hearty 20’s. Staying out until 3:00 am drinking and smoking doesn’t count when it comes to this research. Self-induced morning stupors screw up the “curve”!
Recently, a 50-ish blog friend of mine mentioned that she is not a morning person. Does that mean she is an evening person? I’ll have to ask her someday. And, has she always not been a morning person?
Lifestyle and health have a lot to do with your daily biorhythm schedule. But that is a given. I don’t think anyone would debate that. Even I have much more energy when I drink my water, eat healthier, and stay active.
During my radio days in the 70’s and 80’s, I had to be in front of the microphone at 5:00 am...alert and ready to be witty and marginally entertaining. That required me getting up no later than 3:30 am, arriving at the station in time for a little show prep, ie, pulling the overnight news service copy and making coffee. The latter being the most important. I was literally “rockin’ and rollin’” by 5:00 am, Monday through Friday, for many years. Then on weekends, I would find myself awake and ready to roll (no rockin’) at 5:00 am. I could not sleep past that time...and still today, most of the time, cannot. I can count on one hand the times I have slept past 7:00 in the past 20 years.
During the fifteen years or so I spent in restaurant management, my work schedule was all over the place. I worked early mornings as well as late late nights, sometimes until 3:00 am. Even during these time periods, I would never sleep past 7:00. So, I guess I am truly a morning person...and always will be.
My 27 year old, Seattle-ite daughter works a “normal” weekday schedule. Including a 40 minute commute, she reports to work at 8:00 am. Yet, she can sleep in on weekends with no problem. She and husband Roth are very socially active. They enjoy a lifestyle that includes late night dining, socializing, and entertaining on a regular basis. Loretta and I have tried that route. In fact, even our intimate, late-night dinners at home with friends are short-lived! They all “bail” by 9:30...even when we do actually “entertain” them, ie, provide post dinner games, music, and caffein-infused aperitifs. Even our peers can’t stay up late any longer. And, for the most part, we’re ready to “pack it in” early as well. But once in a while, it would be fun to hang out late and “party”. Ain’t gonna happen...unless we’re doing a wedding!
Photographing weddings has reintroduced us to staying up late. In fact, those days when we do a wedding start very early and last until midnight or so. And you know what? We can hang with the best of them. And those wedding gigs are usually nonstop. We are on the move constantly all afternoon and all evening. Of course, we are totally trashed the next day...but we can still do it. And those mornings after, I sleep in until 7:00!
The bottom line for me is, if I am busy then my enthusiasm and energy level remains high...even in this dilapidated physical, mental, aged state. My fuel tank is half full, but I’m still going (notice I didn’t say “half empty”?).
We are empty-nesters, save for three furry “children” named Sparky, Lucy, and Sammy. They wake us up at 7:00 am every single day. Even if we wanted to stay in bed longer, it is not possible at home. Even during weekends away in a motel, curtains drawn tight, no phone ringing, no slobbering wet muzzles in our faces...we are up early. In these cases, we are just anxious to get up and start doing fun things. And usually those fun things are simply doing nothing but watching the waves breaking. Doing planned “nothing” activities is doing “something” at our age. Yes?
At this point in my life, I am very pleased to find myself waking up and not staring at the inside of a coffin lid. "Another day in paradise...another day above ground". But, sometime it would be nice to wake up and find that it's too late for breakfast!
I am wondering if this morning person/late person thing is strictly an environmental trait, or is it something you are born with. Certainly when you are very young, you are not a morning person. For instance, I can remember being able to sleep until 11:00 or 12:00 when I was a kid. As a child, I relished the weekends when I could languish in bed until my mom or dad rousted me out of my slumber. “Are you gonna get up some time today?”, they would yell at me through my bedroom door. Even after getting out of bed that late, it would still take a while until I was coherent enough to function. And that slow recovery period was long before my party-hearty 20’s. Staying out until 3:00 am drinking and smoking doesn’t count when it comes to this research. Self-induced morning stupors screw up the “curve”!
Recently, a 50-ish blog friend of mine mentioned that she is not a morning person. Does that mean she is an evening person? I’ll have to ask her someday. And, has she always not been a morning person?
Lifestyle and health have a lot to do with your daily biorhythm schedule. But that is a given. I don’t think anyone would debate that. Even I have much more energy when I drink my water, eat healthier, and stay active.
During my radio days in the 70’s and 80’s, I had to be in front of the microphone at 5:00 am...alert and ready to be witty and marginally entertaining. That required me getting up no later than 3:30 am, arriving at the station in time for a little show prep, ie, pulling the overnight news service copy and making coffee. The latter being the most important. I was literally “rockin’ and rollin’” by 5:00 am, Monday through Friday, for many years. Then on weekends, I would find myself awake and ready to roll (no rockin’) at 5:00 am. I could not sleep past that time...and still today, most of the time, cannot. I can count on one hand the times I have slept past 7:00 in the past 20 years.
During the fifteen years or so I spent in restaurant management, my work schedule was all over the place. I worked early mornings as well as late late nights, sometimes until 3:00 am. Even during these time periods, I would never sleep past 7:00. So, I guess I am truly a morning person...and always will be.
My 27 year old, Seattle-ite daughter works a “normal” weekday schedule. Including a 40 minute commute, she reports to work at 8:00 am. Yet, she can sleep in on weekends with no problem. She and husband Roth are very socially active. They enjoy a lifestyle that includes late night dining, socializing, and entertaining on a regular basis. Loretta and I have tried that route. In fact, even our intimate, late-night dinners at home with friends are short-lived! They all “bail” by 9:30...even when we do actually “entertain” them, ie, provide post dinner games, music, and caffein-infused aperitifs. Even our peers can’t stay up late any longer. And, for the most part, we’re ready to “pack it in” early as well. But once in a while, it would be fun to hang out late and “party”. Ain’t gonna happen...unless we’re doing a wedding!
Photographing weddings has reintroduced us to staying up late. In fact, those days when we do a wedding start very early and last until midnight or so. And you know what? We can hang with the best of them. And those wedding gigs are usually nonstop. We are on the move constantly all afternoon and all evening. Of course, we are totally trashed the next day...but we can still do it. And those mornings after, I sleep in until 7:00!
The bottom line for me is, if I am busy then my enthusiasm and energy level remains high...even in this dilapidated physical, mental, aged state. My fuel tank is half full, but I’m still going (notice I didn’t say “half empty”?).
We are empty-nesters, save for three furry “children” named Sparky, Lucy, and Sammy. They wake us up at 7:00 am every single day. Even if we wanted to stay in bed longer, it is not possible at home. Even during weekends away in a motel, curtains drawn tight, no phone ringing, no slobbering wet muzzles in our faces...we are up early. In these cases, we are just anxious to get up and start doing fun things. And usually those fun things are simply doing nothing but watching the waves breaking. Doing planned “nothing” activities is doing “something” at our age. Yes?
At this point in my life, I am very pleased to find myself waking up and not staring at the inside of a coffin lid. "Another day in paradise...another day above ground". But, sometime it would be nice to wake up and find that it's too late for breakfast!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Customer Service Apocalypto
The first time I noticed one of those Self Checkout lines at a store, my reaction was mixed. On one hand, I thought, “Gee, I’ve always wanted to scan my own items...that might be fun. And, I won’t have to deal with the longer checkout lines and face that rude, grumpy checkout person any longer!” On the other hand, I thought, “What a sad statement this is about the service industry!”
Wal-Mart has Self Checkout lines now. So does Lowe’s. Both of these retailers are frequented by Loretta and I...me not so much to Wal-Mart, I hate even going in that place.
I remember a story from a few years ago about a new system they are working on for grocery stores. It’s a Self Checkout system whereby you simply park your filled grocery cart next to a scanner machine and it scans all the items in your cart...without even removing them. Then I suppose you pull forward after paying and bag the stuff yourself as well. Or, just shovel all the crap in the back of your SUV like at Costco. And when you get home, you could’ve sworn you purchased some peaches but don’t discover until a week later that they rolled under the seat...the odor of rotting fruit inside a car during the summer is quite distinctive. But, at least the stench helped you eventually find the errant peaches.
So far, I haven’t seen one of those grocery store Self Checking monstrosities yet.
My thoughts about and my reaction to Self Checkout lines has changed a bit. Sure, they are very convenient. And they usually speed up the check out process, especially if you only have a couple of small items. It’s a real pain in the ass trying to lift up a new washing machine onto the scanning table! Another plus, the avoidance of any interaction between Mary Jane Rotten Attitude...the ever-present rude, grumpy checker. But, herein lies the quandary and just another example of how the service industry is choosing to deal with a problem.
The service industry is in a world of trouble, it has been for many years now. And that means, business is in a world of trouble...and its getting worse. Nostradamus probably predicted it hundred of years ago. There is a revolution coming. And it ain’t good!
First of all, we’re not just talking about nasty clerks at am/pm, Wal-Mart, or the grocery store. This thing involves more than your local inattentive, rude, uncompromising waitress...you know, like the one in Five Easy Pieces that Jack Nicholson told to “put the sliced turkey between your knees!” The service industry goes bigger and deeper than that. It includes the entire infrastructure of big businesses including manufacturing, the tech industry, and huge wholesalers. The entire marketing and operational chain is affected.
The customer service aspect of business only ends with the customer at the brick and mortal store. It begins in the offices or conference tables that are filled with or surrounded by upper management types, you know...the suits, the corporate weasels, the V.P.’s. In the middle of all this are the marketing departments, the production and operations departments, the shipping departments, the sales departments, the administration types...the employees. And all of these people need to buy into and be a part of customer service. And, this is where the problem lies.
Yesterday, I was reintroduced to a book called Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. Blanchard is the guy who wrote, among others, The One Minute Manager back in 1982. Raving Fans first came out in 2000, and is still popular required reading for management in many companies today, as is The One Minute Manager.
Blanchard’s Raving Fans book focuses on how to upgrade a company’s customer service practices. It does this by way of a fantasy story about a new department manager and a mentor, of sorts, who shows up in his office. The mentor is a guy who calls himself his Fairy Godmother and proceeds to guide him on the right path to improving the company’s customer service ethic. The book is short, funny, irreverent, and informative. It is very generalized, so don’t expect a specific punchlist of things to do to fix your department! But it is very thought provoking.
Basically, Raving Fans outlines three steps to customer service success: 1. Decide what you want to accomplish. 2. Discover what your customer wants. 3. Deliver what you promise, plus one. If you do these three things properly, your customers will become raving fans, ie, customers who tell other people how fabulous you are...not how crumby you are. It really is that simple. But in reality, it is much more involved than that. This culture must permeate all aspects of the business chain in order to be successful. Everyone and everything that impact the customer must be on board this bus.
Speaking of being on board the bus, that is the term that was used in more than one of the big, corporate restaurant chains I worked. “Are you on the bus, Hansen?”, my V.P. would ask me with caffein-widened eyes and a few drops of spittle landing on my Norman Rockwell tie. “Sir...yes, sir...I am, sir!”, I would snap back. “Do you think I am an asshole Private Joker?", he went on. “Sir...the private does think you’re an asshole...sir. What’s your point, sir?”, I fantasized. “I’ll ask the questions around here private”, he answered, “Can I be in charge for a while?” He would elaborate, “You will start shitting me Tiffany cufflinks!” Hang on...I drifted into a scene from Full Metal Jacket...I’m back now. But, this particular exchange wasn’t far from the truth in many “motivational” speeches I experienced during my management career.
For the most part, these great customer service improvement ideas are relegated to being useless, blathering rhetoric at the corporate level. The ideas are good. It’s the execution of them where the challenges are. For instance, should bonuses be tied to customer service satisfaction? In most cases they are. But what if the meager bonus offered is not something the operations department cares about? What if handing that nice, new shiny quarter to the department manager is not something that will motive him or her?
This is where Blanchard’s book goes deeper. Simply put, big company bosses must first identify who their customers are. And these customers include everyone, every employee in the chain. They must all be treated as customers for the plan to work properly. And that means asking them question #2: What do they want? Find out what will truly motivate them to be better employees.
Back to the Self Checkout ploys. If it wasn’t such a sad statement about the state of customer service today, it would be amusing. It is very sad. But it may be where this whole thing is going. And, it is also a validation to those businesses who deplore such methods to move forward with the proper training and motivation of their real, live people in this sector. It all comes down to setting expectations and accountability at all levels of business. Expectations and accountability...the two most important words in a successful business.
From my point of view, the other two most important words for making raving fans: wheat and chaff. Separate the wheat from the chaff. Cultivate, motivate, and mentor those “wheat” employees. And shitcan the “chaff” employees immediately. I will never understand how companies say they can't afford to properly train, properly reward, and properly run their business. It really is that simple.
Wal-Mart has Self Checkout lines now. So does Lowe’s. Both of these retailers are frequented by Loretta and I...me not so much to Wal-Mart, I hate even going in that place.
I remember a story from a few years ago about a new system they are working on for grocery stores. It’s a Self Checkout system whereby you simply park your filled grocery cart next to a scanner machine and it scans all the items in your cart...without even removing them. Then I suppose you pull forward after paying and bag the stuff yourself as well. Or, just shovel all the crap in the back of your SUV like at Costco. And when you get home, you could’ve sworn you purchased some peaches but don’t discover until a week later that they rolled under the seat...the odor of rotting fruit inside a car during the summer is quite distinctive. But, at least the stench helped you eventually find the errant peaches.
So far, I haven’t seen one of those grocery store Self Checking monstrosities yet.
My thoughts about and my reaction to Self Checkout lines has changed a bit. Sure, they are very convenient. And they usually speed up the check out process, especially if you only have a couple of small items. It’s a real pain in the ass trying to lift up a new washing machine onto the scanning table! Another plus, the avoidance of any interaction between Mary Jane Rotten Attitude...the ever-present rude, grumpy checker. But, herein lies the quandary and just another example of how the service industry is choosing to deal with a problem.
The service industry is in a world of trouble, it has been for many years now. And that means, business is in a world of trouble...and its getting worse. Nostradamus probably predicted it hundred of years ago. There is a revolution coming. And it ain’t good!
First of all, we’re not just talking about nasty clerks at am/pm, Wal-Mart, or the grocery store. This thing involves more than your local inattentive, rude, uncompromising waitress...you know, like the one in Five Easy Pieces that Jack Nicholson told to “put the sliced turkey between your knees!” The service industry goes bigger and deeper than that. It includes the entire infrastructure of big businesses including manufacturing, the tech industry, and huge wholesalers. The entire marketing and operational chain is affected.
The customer service aspect of business only ends with the customer at the brick and mortal store. It begins in the offices or conference tables that are filled with or surrounded by upper management types, you know...the suits, the corporate weasels, the V.P.’s. In the middle of all this are the marketing departments, the production and operations departments, the shipping departments, the sales departments, the administration types...the employees. And all of these people need to buy into and be a part of customer service. And, this is where the problem lies.
Yesterday, I was reintroduced to a book called Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. Blanchard is the guy who wrote, among others, The One Minute Manager back in 1982. Raving Fans first came out in 2000, and is still popular required reading for management in many companies today, as is The One Minute Manager.
Blanchard’s Raving Fans book focuses on how to upgrade a company’s customer service practices. It does this by way of a fantasy story about a new department manager and a mentor, of sorts, who shows up in his office. The mentor is a guy who calls himself his Fairy Godmother and proceeds to guide him on the right path to improving the company’s customer service ethic. The book is short, funny, irreverent, and informative. It is very generalized, so don’t expect a specific punchlist of things to do to fix your department! But it is very thought provoking.
Basically, Raving Fans outlines three steps to customer service success: 1. Decide what you want to accomplish. 2. Discover what your customer wants. 3. Deliver what you promise, plus one. If you do these three things properly, your customers will become raving fans, ie, customers who tell other people how fabulous you are...not how crumby you are. It really is that simple. But in reality, it is much more involved than that. This culture must permeate all aspects of the business chain in order to be successful. Everyone and everything that impact the customer must be on board this bus.
Speaking of being on board the bus, that is the term that was used in more than one of the big, corporate restaurant chains I worked. “Are you on the bus, Hansen?”, my V.P. would ask me with caffein-widened eyes and a few drops of spittle landing on my Norman Rockwell tie. “Sir...yes, sir...I am, sir!”, I would snap back. “Do you think I am an asshole Private Joker?", he went on. “Sir...the private does think you’re an asshole...sir. What’s your point, sir?”, I fantasized. “I’ll ask the questions around here private”, he answered, “Can I be in charge for a while?” He would elaborate, “You will start shitting me Tiffany cufflinks!” Hang on...I drifted into a scene from Full Metal Jacket...I’m back now. But, this particular exchange wasn’t far from the truth in many “motivational” speeches I experienced during my management career.
For the most part, these great customer service improvement ideas are relegated to being useless, blathering rhetoric at the corporate level. The ideas are good. It’s the execution of them where the challenges are. For instance, should bonuses be tied to customer service satisfaction? In most cases they are. But what if the meager bonus offered is not something the operations department cares about? What if handing that nice, new shiny quarter to the department manager is not something that will motive him or her?
This is where Blanchard’s book goes deeper. Simply put, big company bosses must first identify who their customers are. And these customers include everyone, every employee in the chain. They must all be treated as customers for the plan to work properly. And that means asking them question #2: What do they want? Find out what will truly motivate them to be better employees.
Back to the Self Checkout ploys. If it wasn’t such a sad statement about the state of customer service today, it would be amusing. It is very sad. But it may be where this whole thing is going. And, it is also a validation to those businesses who deplore such methods to move forward with the proper training and motivation of their real, live people in this sector. It all comes down to setting expectations and accountability at all levels of business. Expectations and accountability...the two most important words in a successful business.
From my point of view, the other two most important words for making raving fans: wheat and chaff. Separate the wheat from the chaff. Cultivate, motivate, and mentor those “wheat” employees. And shitcan the “chaff” employees immediately. I will never understand how companies say they can't afford to properly train, properly reward, and properly run their business. It really is that simple.
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