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| These Are a Few of My Favorite Things |
| 05.31.04 (7:53 pm) [edit] |
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.....EEEERRT!! stop! no....although those are nice and cute things I wanna share some other favorites of mine. A lot of my friends know I am a nature lover. If you ever take a walk with me somewhere and I see or hear a little songbird my attention can be diverted for a moment while I try to get a better look. It doesn't take much to amuse me and I never get tired of watching the behavior of birds while they go about their business. My friend Jason's dad caught me in such a moment yesterday while we were sitting out in his backyard next to the pool. A mockingbird flew up to a powerline and was singing its happy compilation of songs. I see mockingbirds all the time but it's always fun to see how many different birds one can "mock". This one did a good job.He went from a Kildeer to a Downy Woodpecker to a Bluebird to a Robin to a Cardinal to a "Matt...you ok over there?"..."huh? oh yeh i was just zoning out for a moment."
As much as I hate House Sparrows due to the annual invasion they make on my parent's bluebird houses, I have to admit they are rather cute sometimes. Lately dad has kept their nests cleaned out of the houses but that doesn't deter this one young male. He'll sit on top of the house and sing for about 30 minutes, flutter to the entrance of the house, look inside, then fly up to a nearby pecan tree and resume singing....hoping that some young lady who hasn't hooked up with one of his comptetitors yet flies by and hears him chirpping. Never give up!
But my favorite song bird is the Prothonotary Warbler. http://www.buytelescopes.com/...
http://www.virtualbirder.com/cgi-bin/vbirder-boile rPlate/WARB?CONFIG_ID=BIR D003&CONFIG_FILE=/vbirder /BOSSPR/gallery/Gallery.dat&BAND=mid.They" title="http://www.virtualbirder.com/cgi-bin/vbirder-boile rPlate/WARB?CONFIG_ID=BIR D003&CONFIG_FILE=/vbirder /BOSSPR/gallery/Gallery.dat&BAND=mid.They" target="_blank"http://www.virtualbirder.com/... live out near the lake and nest in small cavities in willow trees. They are very curious little birds. Many times one will be hopping through the bushes and see my lure dangling over a branch. They'll get right up to it, cock their head seemingly to contemplate what sort of creature has invaded their backyard.
My favorite waterfowl is the Canvasback.http://www.nenature.com/Canva... http://www.pbase.com/image/23... (Yes their eyes are really that red) Canvasbacks were once known to duck hunters and birders alike as "The King of Ducks". Back around the beginning of the 20th century market hunters killed so many Canvasbacks in the Chesapeak Bay area that the "Cans" nearly became extinct. Even today their population is down although they are making a steady comeback. Named for the male's bright canvas-white back, Cans are thought to be the fastest flying duck, reaching speeds upwards of 75mph. Each winter I anticipate the first flock of cans to sail into our field where we duck hunt. If the sky is overcast and gray(which is my favorite kind of day anytime of year) you can hear the cans soaring in before you can see them. They sound like mini-jet planes pushing the sound barrier. And when they dip below the treeline and bank into a sharp turn you can see their chestnut brown head and their bright pure white backs glow against the dark background and reflect on the smooth water. I'll never get tired of seeing such a sight.
So those are a few of my favorite "avian" things.
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| Midtown IS???? |
| 05.27.04 (11:13 am) [edit] |
Memphis is broken down into areas or neighborhoods, Downtown, Midtown,East Memphis, Germantown, Cordova, North Memphis, South Memphis, etc. To the residents of memphis each area carries its own "type" of people. I live in Midtown. Midtown carries the connotation of being the "Artsy" district. There are a lot of nice, older houses in the neighborhood and many college age people live here, many of which are big into art, music,movies, theater, and other forms of entertainment and pursuits. One of the main establishments for the "midtown artsy people" is a cafe and gift shop called Otherlands. Monday afternoon I went to Otherlands, got a tall ice mochaccino, and picked out a table in the corner near the window and thumbed through a magazine while I awaited a call from a guy with whom I interviewed for a sales job the week before. He still hasn't called me...I'm beginning to wonder if they chose someone else. Anyways, I got bored reading the 3 month old Time magazine so I decided to write a rough draft of my dream blog. I even sketched some illustrations of the characters. After that was done I noticed that the place was getting a little crowded and louder with casual conversations. I looked around at all the people and something dawned on me....so I wrote it down. Here's what I wrote:
Can you stereotype this place? These people? Midtown...Otherlands....Bohemian wateringhole? Hippie Hangout? Artsy college sanctuary? What is this music they're playing? It's not mainstream alternative nor is it folky. It must be some lesserknown band, only truly famous and "cool" to the employee who bought the cd. But no one seems to mind or complain though. The clothing, the hairstyles, the topics of discussion, the books they're reading, the laptops ooops! "notebooks" for the wireless internet, the artwork on the wall(currently just mirrors in neat frames). I don't think I belong here. For some reason the sesame street song "One of these things is not like the others" is in my head. I wonder what their political views are. I wonder what they think about hunting and fishing for sport...or for sustenance for that matter? I come from a small town, rural, with people who are close to the earth. Art, to me, is just the name of my uncle. Something tells me I don't have much in common with most of these patrons. I feel like I live 2 lives. The one here in memphis where I work and play and the one back home where I play "other ways." A shirt and tie just walked in with his wife in a nice power business suit. The diversity scale just hit the roof now. I guess you can't really stereotype the customer base here. Midtown truly IS memphis..just like the bumper sticker says! The fact that I am even here in my own little corner proves that all walks of life can come here and relax and fit in even without interacting with others. Although, no one here knows me so it's not likely they would really strike up a conversation unless I took the first step. Maybe if I came in here 3 or 4 times a week and sat at the bar they might? Not that it matters to me. I wouldn't have more than a short friendly connection with the employees. But on the other hand, that cute browneyed blonde up there would be a good start.
I don't like american idol at all...but now I really don't care fo r the girl who won last night. She sounds too much like a cross between Macy Grey and Janis Joplin when she sings. Good redence. We don' have to think about this show till january!
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| Who Says Conservatives Don't Have a Sense of Humor!? |
| 05.26.04 (9:42 am) [edit] |
Just thought I would share this website with y'all. It's for those liberals who are so set in their belief that all conservative republicans are "uptight, rich, greedy, anti-free thinking, anti-environment, uncompassionate facists" that they will never change their mind. So, why not have a little fun with their stereotyping and play along with the stigma?
p.s. don't forget to scroll to the bottoim and stomp the conservative AND save the conservative.
http://www.evilconservatives.com/" title="http://www.evilconservatives.com/" target="_blank"http://www.evilconservatives....
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| Han Solo is a St. Louis Cardinals Fan |
| 05.25.04 (2:34 pm) [edit] |
The last few nights I have been having some strange dreams. They all seem to have the same theme, ?I am involved in a mission to save the planet from destruction.? Each dream has contained some kind of alien species yet each species looks and acts differently. But the one I had last night was the most bizarre of all. It can best be described as a cross between Spaceballs and Gumby with a little Star Wars mixed in. The dream begins with me on the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo and some other characters who all seem to be made of clay who claim to be from the Claymation Nation. Aliens are chasing us and we decide to hide the ship inside a deep cave on a huge asteroid (Han Solo mumbles something about experiencing deja vu, I think he was referring to what he did in the very first Star wars movie). In order for us to exit the ship Han inflates a huge air mattress with the St. Louis Cardinals logo on it. It?s even autographed by Albert Pujols. So we all slide down the mattress and hit the ground and skid across the slippery surface until we come to rest against the cave wall. As were come to the mouth of the cave we see an alien guard standing watch out in the middle of a large, empty, desert looking landscape. He stands there with an expressionless stare off into space. He is standing in between 2 windows which are suspended in mid air. They are about 4 feet above the ground, 10 feet apart, and each facing the same direction, parallel to each other. Now, according to one of our Claymation Nation sidekicks, who just so happens to be Patrick the starfish from Spongebob Squarepants, the only way to get by the alien guard is to climb in through the widow on the right then crawl over to the other window and crawl back out through it. ?But we need a diversion? he says. That?s when another interesting person steps forward with a genius idea. I?ll call him, in my mind because I don?t remember ever speaking to him directly, nor never hearing his name called out, Bread Dough Boy(BDB for short). Try to imagine what a soft pretzel would look like before it is twisted and baked. Now imagine that being 6 feet tall with doughy arms and legs, 2 fish eyes and a mouth. So BDB runs off in the direction of the guard carrying a jump rope. He begins to jump rope and jog erratically. Now friends, to you and I such a sight alone would be enough to divert our attention for at least 5 minutes( no offense Pillsbury dough boy), but BDB saw it fit to go the extra mile and steps it up a notch. He intentionally skips a jump and lets the rope come down and slice him in twain! At which point he crawls over to his bottom half, kneads himself back together, rolls himself out into his original form and continues to go through the motions. Needless to say, the trick worked well and the guard followed BDB away from the windows. So we climb through the first window, crawl over to the next and crawl back through it, expecting to logically end up back on the side we had just came from only 10 feet down. But instead we found ourselves in a wal mart, sitting at a table playing Bingo.
Now HERE is where it gets FREAKY. Today I had to go to wal mart to get an oil change. As I walked around the store I made my way back towards the Mcdonalds corner back near the dairy products. As I approached I noticed the tables were full of senior citizens playing....BINGO. And what was on the shelf across from there? Pillsbury dough in a can. I swear to you I cannot make this stuff up!
P.S. The elderly man calling out the bingo numbers was one of wal mart?s elderly greeters. Decked out in full Greeter garb(neatly pressed blue vest attached to which were many welcoming pieces of flair). He even called out, and I quote, ?B12.....B12....as in vitamin B12.?
Boy, I can?t wait to get to sleep tonight!
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| The Blame Game |
| 05.20.04 (8:21 am) [edit] |
I was watching the news last night and they showed a clip of the world trade center attack hearing when family members of some of the firemen and policemen who died began to heckle and boo Giuliani. It's human nature to want to place blame on someone or something. We always have to find a scapegoat. While in college i took a course called Wildlife Biopolitics. We discussed the history of willdlife law enforcement, property owners' rights, legislation, etc. One thing I learned was the concept of creating a "bird dog" to "track down and point out" things that are causing problems For example the EPA was created to sniff out environmental negligence in the corporate, engineering, and agricultural areas. The EPA has done some positive, beneficial work over the years and I'm not knocking it for that, but my point is, bird dogs like the EPA and recent senate commissions on the WTC attacks and Iraqi prisoner tortures provide some kind of comfort to our people. It gives them a sense of appeasement to know something is being done about a problem. That's good......if the intentions of the bird dog are correct.
While growing up back home my dad, brother, grandad, and I would go quail hunting out in the country. Our last bird dog was an english setter named Gus. Gus was not very bright. Even though dad spent many weeks and months training Gus to point, hold, heal, etc Gus would still
go out and point at meadowlarks, sparrows, rabbits, cats, field mice, and one time a skunk....notice...ONE time. lol
Gus's intentions were sincere everytime he pointed. He thought he was doing the right thing. He smells something in the bushes and he knows his job is to let us know. But he wasn't looking for the right thing...the right "scent".
There are some people who believe the WTC commission should be finding out who to blame for the deaths of their sons and daughters. The true purpose for the commission is to find out what efforts can be made to improve on preparedness in case there is another similar catastrophe. The family members who booed, hissed, and lashed out at the former mayor feel that it was the city's(and mayor's) fault for the deaths. Even with the highest effort and funding of training for emergency services there will always be a snag somewhere in communication, equipment, and decisions. But to blame anyone other than the terrorists on those planes is asinine.....in other words....DON'T BE LIKE GUS!
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| The Anti-Riverrat |
| 05.13.04 (7:40 am) [edit] |
With all the talk and debate and disgust of torture going on I took a stroll thru PETA's site and found this article by one of their employees in New Mexico. I have always had a PETA pet peeve. And this author is the embodiment of the group I so much resent and at times despise.
http://www.abqjournal.com/north/opinion/863255n orth04-27-03.htm" title="http://www.abqjournal.com/north/opinion/863255n orth04-27-03.htm" target="_blank"http://www.abqjournal.com/nor...
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| Star's Picks |
| 05.12.04 (4:31 pm) [edit] |
Dove - Love the soap, shampoo smells nice, deodorant is simply divine. I came to this conclusion through trial and error, not because I grew up with them or advertising or anything like that.
2. Lipton Tea Bags - I only buy these because it is what my mama always used, which is my attempt to make tea that tastes like hers....still doesn't work, though!
3. Marlboro- I started out smoking them because everyone else did, but over time I have stuck with them because other brands are yucky.
4. Dr Pepper- just 'cause it is so delicious! And, it's a part of me.
5. Daisy sour cream- The rivals of Daisy Sour Cream just always fall short....not my fault
6. Oil of Olay - Good, good stuff! I am freaky about getting wrinkles and such, so I've used Oil of Olay lotion on my face for as long as I can remember. I think that I probably started using it because my mama did.
7. Orbit gum - There is no better gum out there, trust me! (Don't they have the commercials with the British lady that says "But does your mouth feel clean? Fabulous!" I love those commercials)
6. Excedrin Migraine- The ONLY way to get rid of those nasty headaches: love it because it works!
Well, that's about all that I can think of. The only product that I can remember buying because of the commercial is Herbal Essences body wash. But, I was disappointed because although it did smell great, I just didn't get as much out of it as the lady on the commercial. Maybe I was doing it wrong.
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| Buy Me You Fools...again! |
| 05.12.04 (9:15 am) [edit] |
The reason I asked for input on the advertising topic was to get an idea of how people perceive the effectiveness of corporate ads. I think you can probably put people into 3 catagories: 1.)those who choose ther brands based on what their family used when they grew up. 2.) Those who compare products and make an educated decision based on the performance that best suits their needs. and 3.)People who base their decisions only on the attractiveness of the TV commercials.
I'm sure there's some overlap of those catagories though. I personally make my decisions on these factors
1.)effectiveness/satisfacti on(that includes taste of certain foods,condiments, beverages, etc)
2.)price
outside of those 2 things I rarely ever make a decision. If i find something that works for me I don't change until something happens and the quality and effectiveness diminishes.
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| Buy Me You Mindless Fools!! |
| 05.10.04 (8:32 pm) [edit] |
This is going to be a short introduction to a topic in which I would like my fellow dark side bloggers, trivia companions, etc to participate in....wait that sounded awkward.. allow myself to introduce...my..self.
anyways, i came across this topic on another blog. By a fellow who, to me, seems to come from some bizzaro universe; someone who cannot be reasoned with. I'll begin the introduction by pasting his comment on the topic of "why the success of the big beer companies defies the common logic of capitalism
he says:
"Everyone argues that with the capitalist society we have competition and therefore only the best survives. This is the key to the American Society and why America is the greatest country in the world.
If this is true, then how could Budweiser, Miller or Coors even be in business? This beer just tastes horrid. There are so many choices in America and these beers remain up on top. Why? I believe that there must be a flaw in the capitalist economic system and this proves it.
There are many other examples of this that I won?t go into now, but the beer market and the rise of the micro-brew should be held up as an example of a flaw in the capitalist system of economics. "
Ok, he went on to mention in a reply that the reason Coors, Bud, and Miller do so well is that the average person is brainwashed by advertising and cannot think for their own. Supporting his arguement by saying that those kinds of beer taste "horrid." Certainly that is a personal preference and not all would agree.
So, I'm asking you all to chime in with your thoughts on A.)Do you think the public only chooses certain products(not just beer) soley by the bombardment and "brainwashing" of advertising.
and B.) I'm asking you to give me examples of certain products you are loyal to, and why you are loyal.
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| Maw-maw's Wisdom |
| 05.09.04 (8:34 pm) [edit] |
*crank....crank...crank....crank....pause....rub my forearm*.
"paw-paw, you think it's done yet?" "No, keep cranking.".."Look here, put some more rock salt over on this side...spread it out more so it melts the ice evenly." *crank...crank..crank..crank*.....5 minutes pass.. i swap hands.....*crank...crank...crank* "hey, get off me lightning bug *flick* "I better not squish him with my fingers, maw-maw said they give you blisters.".....now I'm kneeling on my other knee..the one without the big strawberry(scab) on it from sliding into 3rd base during that last ball game. Jason France told me i should have slid in head first like Pete Rose but i tried in practice oneday and didn't make it to the bag; got a good mouthful of dust though. I can't believe the coaches gave me $5 for hitting my first homerun! I can't believe I hit it either. It bounced off the top of the centerfield fence and went over. I think I was chewing gum when I swung the bat...but somewhere around 2nd base I realized it wasnt in my mouth anymore. Did I swallow it?....what did maw-maw say about swallowing gum?,,,,"It'll stay in your belly for a year, matthew!" :? I wonder when Brian's gonna get here. I can't believe he hit me the other night while pitching. He smiled when I took my base.....I think he was afraid I would have hit that weak curveball. He's the best pitcher that team has. They suck. Mcdonalds is their sponsor. Somehow all the bad talent gets on that team. Always an easy win. "Drew, get back!" No, dont eat that rock salt!" "Mommmm! Drew's eating the rock salt!! *crank.....crank...crank.....crank* I hope maw-maw doesnt see that white shoe polish I smeared on the brick wall next to the carport. The more I wiped it the more it spread! *crank...crank...crank....crank..swap hands*
Me and Brian are gonna try to catch toads tonight and feed them lightning bugs on the porch. They'll eat the bugs and you can see them lighting up inside their bellies! "I wonder if that's why toads have bumps all over them? Eating too many lightning bugs? "hey papa floyd, you think it's done yet?" Paw-paw takes a look......"No keep going...almost there, just a few more minutes." "I hope so, my arms are wore out." "Keep going, it'll make ya strong....and it's worth the work."....*crank..crank..crank...quicker!...crank..crank..crank CRANK CRANK CRANK CRANK!*......"Ok matt, I think it's done now." "Hey Brian! come here it's readyyyyy!"
I went for a walk yesterday right before dark. It was calm, not even the slightest breeze, still rather warm. almost like a pleasant summer night. I could smell someone's grill as i passed by. And I started to think about homemade ice cream. I used to be the official ice cream maker churner for the family. We didnt have one of those automatic, electronic ones. Granddad used to always say it never tasted as good as the old handcranked way. I never really knew what went in that big stainless steel cylinder but I knew what came out of it after cranking away....smooth....vanilla yellow colored, slightly lumpy goodness....MAN ALRIGHTY-O!....OODALALY!
One of those tastes that can trigger a happy emotion or memory of being that little kid who played ball all summer, caught toads and fireflies, and wandered up to the big pond to throw rocks at turtles and catch minnows with a little bent straight pen baited with a tiny ball of wonderbread. AHHHHI sure could go for some homemade ice cream right now. If anyone knows a good recipe let me know!
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| You Think Jesus Had It Bad.... |
| 05.06.04 (2:34 pm) [edit] |
just when i think my day was bad, someone tries to out do me.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid= 1756&e=1&u=/040505/480/la 10205051748" title="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid= 1756&e=1&u=/040505/480/la 10205051748" target="_blank"http://story.news.yahoo.com/n...
ok the link was wrong but now it should work.
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| i'll have an Ampersandwich & hold the ^carets. |
| 05.06.04 (2:04 pm) [edit] |
woohoo!! last night i was 50th on tblogs hot blog list! today...52nd...not sure what criteria they use to determine that but it's gotta be good right?
well i didnt get the enterprise rental job. they sent me one of those PC worded letters thanking me for expressing interest in the company but they have decided to "pursue other candidates at this time." oh well...sour grapes to me.
:twisted:
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| ohhh yeh.. |
| 05.02.04 (9:55 pm) [edit] |
if i were a sesame street cartoon i would be this one:
http://www.wohmart.com/tec/video/pinball.mov" title="http://www.wohmart.com/tec/video/pinball.mov" target="_blank"http://www.wohmart.com/tec/vi...
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| HEY YOU GUYS!!!!..... |
| 05.02.04 (9:42 pm) [edit] |
Tonight I've been putting together the final draft for my round in this week's trivia contest. The Pieces of Flair are hosting once again....finally a week we cannot lose! I wanted to use a question about one of my favorite childhood PBS shows "The Electric Company." I was doing some research and found this site full of mp3 and video files from the old 70's show. http://www.wohmart.com/tec/ I've talked about this show with some of my fellow dark side blog friends but I just couldn't resist sharing it with the rest of the world. I remember coming home from school and turning on our old black and white Zenith tv, letting it warm up, and hearing the intro music and catch phrase "HEY YOU GUYS!!!" belted out by Rita Moreno http://web.tickle.com/match/c...
, probably best known as Anita in the movie West Side Story. I couldn't wait to see what skit She, Bill Cosby, and Morgan Freeman would do next. And there would always be a spiderman comic skit at the end of the show....spiderman only spoke in the classic comic bubbles and would always catch the bad guy....usually someone who stole a letter or word from someone's business sign or lunchbox or newspaper. ahhh....those were the days. Just as some songs remind me of certain jobs, this show reminds me of growing up and being entertained by simple, low budget skits, and learning how to spell at the same time. And just as some smells trigger memories and emotions...this show's opening song magically takes me back to being 8 years old, laying on the old shag carpeted livingroom floor, sipping on kool aid and waiting to see what silly character Spiderman was going to capture next. *tear* i wanna go back!!!! :(
My favorite PBS show was 3..2..1 Contact! I have always been interested in science and technology and this show was on the cutting edge of "neat" stuff" in the very early 80's. And who could forget The Bloodhound Gang. 3 kids who solve crimes using math and science to gather the facts....a real life, nerdy scooby doo-type mystery solving show kinda sorta. I kinda lost interest about a year after the new group of kids began to host 3..2..1. It was then that these 2 hispanic brothers Miguel and his younger "hermano" Paco got on my nerves...especially Paco...that kid was annoying as can be!!
Those are just 2 shows that left indelible memories in my mind. So strong that i can still wrap myself in the memories and feel like im there again in that little world, in a time when i had no worries and no cares.
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