" I Feel Pretty"

I'm headed back to the NCC next week, and this time I have no laptop. So new posts, and comments will be few and far between.

I just heard that Tony Snow is resigning. Honestly, up until this point, I was sure that everyone leaving was normal, just what happens at the end of a presidency as everyone is off to help the next guy get elected or write a tell all book; but seriously: how many people around the President are going to retire this year?

I'm going to Wolftrap tonight to see West Side Story. My girlfriend paid way to much for good seats, but I like the show, so I'm excited.

I thought I would link to a post called Thirteen Blog Cliches. Read them over. We'll wait.

Done yet?

So I think I do some of those things and still have a good blog. Not a great blog, not a OMG you have to read it blog, but still a good blog. And most of the blogs I like to read break a number of those rules as well, yet they are still my favorite blogs. Any particular thing you guys find annoying about other bloggers? Or how about things on the list that you like, rather than dislike? I'll give you an open honest example. I honestly don't like blogs with black backgrounds. It's a little hard to read, but mostly, I can't sneak read them at work because it is patently obvious to anyone that wanders past that I am not doing work. Something that I like that is on the list as bad is all the stuff going on at the side of Dave's blog. His shared items and library are a constant source for me. I like that Jeff's blog postings go on for like four times as long as mine do. It is also a perfect example of a diary blog. He doesn't break things up all the time with bullet points, and he has some long paragraphs, but because of this, I get a real treat of an insight into the actor and creative talent that is my friend. If he curtailed his posts, or if Dave didn't let be know what else he was reading I wouldn't know as much about either of them. We all blog about blogging. For some people, it's the first shared experience we have. I don't have kids yet, and I'm just barely in the same league creative cooking wise as the two women I regularly read, but we all blog. And now I can read all the updates about family and feel a little closer, even if I haven't shaken everyone's hand yet.

His Cliche number 11 is ridiculous. Yes, of course I read news sights, I had heard about the spiders in Texas before Dave posted about it, but I hadn't seen a picture yet. We like to talk about things that happened today because they just happened. Plus, all of us being interested in different things, and yet also similar things means I heard about Michael Bay sticking his foot in his mouth just a few hours after he did it, and many hours before he apologized because Lykaon was on point. And because he likes movies, just like I do, I have now read more about cryptids than I have before (cool subject) and I have someone else to mock for playing WoW! (My roommate is getting really upset at the daily berating). I like the fact that for a really long time (I admit I didn't do a lot of research) hemisphere was a complete mystery to me. Boy? Girl? Old? Young? Multiple people? Who knows, and that's alright. The internet is anonymous, and that's cool.

So, I'm going to break another rule and apologize for not being around for a while next week. But I'll be back before you know it, with more pictures in my articles, more links, more lists, and the as still as yet undelivered yet promised post on Extreme.

"You Light Up My Life"

Alright, perhaps I had a little "apple pie in the sky" high hopes for more guesses on the movie quotes in the last post. This is a little more personal as a post, but I would like to think that everyone could comment on it.

Now that I have been outed. I suppose it is safe to say that yes, I was born in 1977 the single worst year in American popular music history since the invention of America.

Those who know me know I am not kidding. The big three; the three worst bands of all time were all having important years. Foreigner released their debut album. Steve Perry had just joined with future hall-of-famers Journey, and the biggest bad of them all Boston was having a huge year following the success of their debut album in 1976. Other horrible bands were also having great years. REO Speedwagon and Styx both produced breakthrough albums. Let's not forget Fleetwood Mac's Rumors either. And if that's not enough to scare you...

The song that topped the charts for more weeks than any other, as well as won a Academy Award: You Light Up My Life; dominated the airwaves. Also hitting it big on the charts that year: Barry Manilow, The Bee Gees and Andy Gibb, Barbara Streisand, Rod Stewart, Leo Sayer.

Bing Crosby, the plane crash of Skynard, Charlie Chaplin, and of course Elvis.

Starlight Vocal Band won a Grammy. So did Chick Corea and Chuck Mangione. The last two are white guys who did more to create smooth jazz( the worst form of music known to ears since arena rock) than anyone since Kenny G

Now some will say that there is a balance. Count Basie and Duke Ellington Both won Grammies as well that year. As did Stevie Wonder, Emmylou Harris, Chet Atkins & Les Paul, and Ella Fitgerald. Pete's Dragon was on movie screens, Elvis Costello released Allison, and The Commodors hit it big with Brick House and Easy (Like Sunday Morning) [the latter is the theme song of my ninja Mark.]

The thing is, yes, Punk was just beginning to make waves, The Clash, the Sex Pistols, The Jam, etc; but do you notice something? That's right. We needed another British Invasion to save us from ourselves. Back in the Early sixties it was Pat freakin' Boone who was watering down good real music and making it palatable, but thank goodness The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks and The Beatles were there.

I'm not going to go where you think I'm going. Saying we need another invasion. I really wrote this because I want to know what you think was the worst year in American popular music history? The year you were born? The year John was killed? 1991? You tell me.

"I've Heard That Song Before"

I was just looking over the list of Academy Award winning songs and was thinking about a few things. There are over seventy years of musical history there, and I can sing most of them. Not the whole thing, my memory is terrible and does not often extend to verses, but I can at least sing most of the chorus or maybe hum a little bit. These are great songs I would want to pass on to my kids.

Go here now and look them over.

Even in the first block you should know at least 3 of them. Hell, two are gimmes. Are you going to teach your children Somewhere Over the Rainbow? Of course you are. Will people still be dancing to The Way You Look Tonight at weddings when we are Grandparents? Yes. Look over the next two blocks, the Forties and the Fifties. I dare you not to smile. Mona Lisa? Zip a Dee Doo Dah? High Hopes? All great.

I could do this for almost every era. Great songs are timeless, and most of these songs will stay in our National conscious for years to come.

Then I came to the last block. I think you know where I'm going here. How am I supposed to sing Hard Out Here for a Pimp to my kids? Can anyone out there tell me any of the lyrics to Into the West without looking them up? How about "I Need to Wake Up"? We are about halfway through 2007, can anyone name a Original song from a movie that came out this year that you can sing?

OK done with the rant. Everything has high and low points. Let's just home the Academy Awards have more in common with the Yankees than the Red Sox.