Archive for September, 2011

My 2012 Picks for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Sep 29, 2011 music

The 2012 nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been released and there are a lot of good choices.

Here’s the list:

  • Beastie Boys
  • The Cure
  • Donovan
  • Eric B. & Rakim
  • Guns N’ Roses
  • Heart
  • Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
  • Freddie King
  • Laura Nyro
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Rufus with Chaka Khan
  • The Small Faces/The Faces
  • The Spinners
  • Donna Summer
  • War

According to the rules set by the RnR HoF, to be eligible for nomination, “an individual artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination.” That means the 2012 nominees must have released their first recording no later than 1986.

Looking at these people, they have certainly left their mark on the music industry, influencing a lot of other artists throughout the years.

But in the end, only 5 will actually be inducted. If I were on the voting committee, these are the 5 that would get my vote and why:

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Memes Suck: My Annoying Quirk

Sep 28, 2011 quizzes and memes

I have a ton of work on my plate for today, but since I just got unfriended by a troll with no sense of humor on Facebook (I posted one of those “you have 7 friends” memes), I figured I’d take a few more minutes to do a meme I saw on Angie’s blog.

Because this is my blog and I can.

Also because I didn’t have to even think about what my answer would be, since it’s generally one most anyone who hangs with me for a good amount of time mentions.

I fidget.

A lot.

Ever since I was a kid I’ve fidgeted. My mom used to yell at me to knock it off when we’d sit together on the couch, eventually getting so irritated she’d move to a separate chair.

Driving in the car, I fidget so much that if there’s a gear shift on the floor, I will eventually have my right buttcheek resting on it. If I’m a passenger, it will be my left buttcheek.

Which tends to really irritate the driver when they reach to shift, for some reason.

I don’t even realize I’m doing it. It’s like physical ADD.

And now that I have MS and am prone to random muscle spasms and cramps, fidgeting takes on a whole new level. Now instead of a whole body fidget, I can just do a leg or an arm.

Awesome, eh?

Which brings me to my close runner-up annoying quirk: I tend to pepper my vocabulary with heavy doses of 80s speak. Not quite Valley Girl-level, but I’m known to rock the verbal microphone with the occasional “like,” “totally” and “awesome.” As demonstrated above.

So what’s your annoying quirk. Play along at your blog or just drop your thoughts in the comments.

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Star Wars Stands Up 2 Cancer

Sep 15, 2011 movies and tv

To help promote both the new blu-ray versions of the Star Wars movies and the charity Stand Up 2 Cancer, George Lucas authorized the creation of the following PSA video. It features several comedic actors including Emma Stone, Ken Jeong, Ed Helms, Andy Samburg, Jamie King, Seth Rogen and more.

Let me tell you, Bill Hader’s Taun Taun impersonation is amazing!

The Stand Up 2 Cancer website also has three very cool Star Wars-themed t-shirts for sale (I like the black one) and Lucasfilm is spearheading a bunch of Star Wars ebay auctions running September 16-23. This is a great chance to pick up some unique Star Wars merchandise and help out a great charity at the same time.

PS: If anyone feels inclined to win me the Star Wars-decorated Volkswagen that’s up for auction for my birthday, I’d adore you for life!

 

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Ten Years Ago Today

Sep 11, 2011 life

I had just finished showering and was getting ready for work. Walking into the living room, towel drying my hair, I glanced over to the TV. I saw one of the WTC towers billowing with smoke and people were screaming, “Omigod, a plane has just hit the tower.”

Half asleep, I thought at first that it was a commercial for some disaster movie of the week. Then as I listened, I realized that it was really happening. It was an actual news report and a plane really did hit the tower.

As things were falling in place mentally, I noticed another plane on the screen. It hit the second tower as I was watching. Two planes just happened to hit both towers? This couldn’t be just a coincidence I thought to myself.

I called in to see if the store was closing due to the attacks. They hadn’t even heard anything so I ended up having to go in. I was so upset, I was crying as I drove to work.

As the events of the morning unfolded, I was aghast. I heard about the Pentagon on the drive over to the mall. After some pleading, we turned off the music and turned on the radio to hear the latest.

Shortly after we turned on the radio I heard that the first tower had collapsed from the damage. Then the second tower fell. I had no visuals, since we had no TV to watch, but listening to them describe the events was bad enough.

During the rest of the afternoon, I heard about United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. I heard stories of people rushing in to help and getting killed as they were trying to get others out. I heard stories of bodies falling from the sky as people jumped in last ditch attempts to get out of the doomed buildings.

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My Articles/Posts for August 2011

Sep 1, 2011 writing

I don’t just write here. I also contribute articles and posts elsewhere on the web. So in case you’ve missed any of them, I compile a monthly listing of all of the links.

Here are my August 2011 contributions to the written web universe:

CitySurfing Orlando:
This is my Orlando/Central Florida blog. I write everything here, just about, but these are a few story highlights.

Uptake.com:

Suite101.com:

Guest Posts

  • No guest posts this month.

If you like any of these articles, please pass the links via Twitter, Facebook, Stumble, etc. I’d appreciate the help! =)

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