The Diversity of Music

I love music; no shocking revelation there if you know me at all.  I blog about it often.  My iTunes downloading is not an addiction, but I have become rather prolific at it over the years, and for '14, I just notched my 200th download for the year a few minutes ago.

Movies keep getting worse each year, novels are easier to predict (stay tuned for a blog next week about books), and most TV shows are pure bunk.

Fortunately for me though; I still can find solace, enjoyment, or high wattage satisfaction with so many genre's of music.  And not just from today either.  Last year, one of my favorite tunes was from 1957.  This year, one of my favorites was from 1967, and a few others from the early 70's. 

It doesn't matter how old a song is, good music will ALWAYS be good, no matter what year.  Amazing Grace was written in 1779; and it's even better today with a big band.

And what about the 1812 Overture?  Wow, talk about transcending through the ages.  It was written in 1880 by the great Russian composer Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky to commemorate Russia's defense of the motherland against Napoleon's invading Army in 1812. 

It has since become a common accompaniment to over-the-top fireworks displays, including those in the USA, and many parts of Europe during Independence Day celebrations.  This symphony was also heard prominently in the film 'V for Vendetta' from 2006 in which V blows up government buildings of the future while the 1812 Overture symphony is playing.

Music is trans-generational.  Last night on a TIVO'ed Fallon episode I watched Tony Bennett sing a duet with Lady Gaga.  Tony is 88 (yes, at age 88 his voice was strong!), and Gaga is 28.  And while I did not care for the song, I respected the fact that these 2 artists with 60 years of age separating themselves could relate so well to their 'art'.  They truly enjoyed each other's company, and I could also tell that they were having genuine fun.  It was not just one song for them; they made an entire album!

My Top 20 for 2014:

20.  All I Need Is Love, by the Beatles.  ~ Rock.
19.  Uncharted, by Sara Bareilles.  ~ Pop.
18.  Hooked On A Feeling, by Blue Swede.  ~ Pop.
17.  Never Been Any Reason, by Head East.  ~ Rock.
16.  Bottoms Up, by Brantley Gilbert.  ~ Country.
15.  Timber, by Pitbull.  ~ Pop.
14.  The One I'm Running To, by 7th Time Down.  ~ Christian Rock.
13.  In The Blink Of An Eye, by Mercy Me.  ~ Christian Rock.
12.  Beat Of The Music, by Brett Eldridge.  ~ Country.
11.  This Will Be My Year, by Train.  ~ Pop.
10.  Alone, Together, by Fall Out Boy.  ~ Rock.  

09.  Born Free, by Kid Rock.  ~ Rock.
08.  Greater, by Mercy Me.  ~ Christian Rock.
07.  Ain't It Fun, by Paramore.  ~ Pop.
06.  The Only Name, by Big Daddy Weave.  ~ Christian Rock.
05.  It's A Beautiful Day, by Michael Buble'.  ~ Pop.
04.  My Immortal (the band version), by Evanescense.  ~ Rock.
03.  I Am A River, by Foo Fighters.  ~ Rock.
02.  Oceans, by LifeChurch.TV.  ~ Christian Pop.
01.  The World That He Sees, by Trans Siberian Orchestra.  ~ Rock.

What were some of your favorite tunes for 2014? 

Please feel free to share; I'm always looking for new great songs!
 

Making memories with my boys

The boys got out of school prior to lunch today to begin their 17.5 day long winter break, and I wanted to be first in line to claim some much needed 'boy time'.  My plans were to take them to Bass Pro and Santa's Village, but to my surprise, they voted on Taco Bueno and the bowling alley instead.

The top picture is classic Will Parker; shy, demure, the patented smirk, and absolutely zero desire to have his picture taken.  Just like a few others in this family . . .

Not to miss a beat though, while I was trying to get a decent picture of WP, Spider-Boy Owen had crept up behind me and 'glued' himself to the corner windows.  LOUDLY proclaiming for the whole restaurant to hear "Look at me Pappy! I'm Spider-Man!"  To the amusement of myself and a few others (which, if you know Owen, that is exactly what he was hoping to achieve), I quickly took a picture of him and applied the magic web solvent to the glass so that we could resume our meal.

There was no way for WP to top o'Mike's artful subterfuge, so we headed to the bowling lanes.

And yes, those are Pajama's that o'Mike is wearing.  He was allowed to wear them to school this morning (my how times have changed), and decided he didn't want to put on real clothes when school was out.

Upon entering the alley, o'Mike struts in as if he owns the place and bellows, (while me and WP are 5 steps behind), "Ok, we're going to bowl, play games, eat, and I gotta go poopy."  Oh that boy.....

His voice caught the attention of several senior ladies that were bowling, and after we got settled in at our alley, we had 3 different visitors.  One brought popcorn for each of the boys, and one other lady (recovering from cancer) came by and loved on both boys for well over 30 minutes. 

She was enamored by them, and talked and talked to them, saying that her grandchildren do not live locally.  She also saw pics on my phone of Ava and Emma, and nearly started to cry when she saw Emma because she reminded her of one of her own.  She is a super sweet lady; I bowl with her league on Thursday afternoons.

The 3rd picture is o'Mike with her wig.  He asked if her hair was real, and she said no, and then he asked if he could touch it, and she said yes.  One thing leads to the next, and before long, she has her wig off, showing only an 1" of hair left from the chemo; and o'Mike is wearing the wig while he bowls.

And of course, this gets the attention of 2 lovely 20 something young Mom's and their even lovlier young daughters, ages 4, 5, and 6.  They were 1 alley away from us, and o'Mike begins to talking to one mom, then the other, all the while while working his way to the 6 year old.  They shared some popcorn, and she shared some kind of dip and chips.  I said what the heck, why fight fate.  I can't keep him from girls.  He is a magnet. 

With this much o'Mike action taking place, it's hard to concentrate on bowling, but I did ok, rolled a 188, and then a 201; and WP rolled a 69 and a 102.  His previous high game was 106 last year, and he needed to spare in the 10th to beat that score, and he knew this too.  Amazing little boy with numbers.

WP and o'Mike are about as much alike as Jackie and Angela.  Same sex, same set of parents; and the similarities end there.  Total opposites.

To end the 3:18 of memories, we ended up in the arcade with fresh hot french fries, Cherry Pepsi, and $25 worth of money on the game card; which vanished quicker than the french fries.  WP was Mr. Swish on the basketballs, and Mr. Tony Stewart on the race cars.  o'Mike was flying from one corner to the next, and I don't really remember where all he lighted; or if he lit at all.

For his winnings, o'Mike wanted wolverine teeth, and WP wanted candy.  Such a fun afternoon.

I love you boys!  I love our time together and our memories.  I shall cherish them forever.

- Pappy

Happy Thanksgiving: 16 Fun Facts of Life

Stolen without permission.  Hilarious stuff.  16 Fun Facts of Life:

1) Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time.

2) Meetings & Manager's: the reason why the human race has never achieved its full potential, and never will achieve its full potential.

3) There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'.

4) Do you want the other person to tell you about his 'contrary to your' religious beliefs? If no, then why do you think he wants to hear about yours?

5) Do not confuse your career with your life.

6) No one cares if you do not dance very well.  Just get up and dance dang it.

7) Never lick a steak knife.

8) Gossip: the most destructive force in the universe.

9) Daylight saving time: no one will ever be able to give you a clear and compelling argument for why we still need this archaic 250 year old practice once observed by the farmers of old. Who in their right mind wants it to still be light at 9:30 at night in the summer?

10) Never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant, unless you see an actual baby emerging from the groin at that precise moment.

11) Age 11: the age when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal out of your birthday.

12) The one thing that unites all of humanity is that deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are really good drivers.

13) That person that you think is really nice, if you see them being rude to a waiter; they are not a nice person after all.  Waiters and waitresses have one of the hardest jobs in the world.

14) Your true friends will always love you; not so with your family.

15) Never be afraid to try something new.  Remember that it was an amateur that built the Ark, but a large group of professionals that designed and built the Titanic.

16) Men are like a fine wine.  They are start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the snot out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

Now, go out there and make it a great day!

The Crew

 

Ava Corinne.  On her way to All-American crown.

 

 

Emma Jo.  On her way to Miss America. She was practicing for the future swimsuit competition.

 

 

Will Parker.  On his way to becoming a male model.

 

 

Leader of the pack.  Best shout, best base, best smile.

 

 

Celebrating another win with his best friend Mason.

 

 

These are just a few random pics that popped up on my download list. 

 

They are just too stinking good not to show off with a Pappy post.

 

I just posted my most current ones of o'Mike so there are no new ones of him on here; and I so rarely get a photo of Jared and Jack that the only ones I have of them are from a few years ago.

 

(Jan: please send pics.)

 

:-)

 

"Happy Thanksgiving" 

The Natural

 

 

Owen Michael is naturally gifted at so many things.  It is effortless for him. 

 

Talking to strangers.  Check.  He even asked me for permission to do this before we walked into Bass Pro.  When we were done for the evening, he stopped and told a couple that he approved of the clothes that they were about to purchase.  He told the lady "That looks nice."  She looked at him kind of befuddled, and didn't really say anything.  The husband though told him 'thank you', and then we moved on.  Owen then looked up at me at said "Well Pappy, you told me that I could talk to people."

 

Noticing attractive girls, teenagers, and women?  Check.  Talking confidently to them.  Check.  Asking the blond 28 year old Hooters waitress if she is married?  Check.  (Yeah I made that one up, she is probably not older than 22.)

 

He can throw a tight spiral at 5 years of age better than most 8 year olds.  He can dribble a basketball so well that it makes me stare in awe.  He has the power and grace to sink a basketball at the 10' goal height!  (I first noticed the natural knee bend of him shooting the ball when he wasn't even yet 3, and he has only gotten better the last 2 years.)

 

And talk about power?! This boy has natural strength too.  He can drill a baseball into my back fence like it was just hit by a teenager.  But alas; he does not like team or individual sports. 

 

Instead, he is going to be an outdoor sportsman.  And he will be great at that too.  He will be a completely happy married camper one day; provided that Mrs. Owen is young, fit, attractive, and more than likely blond.  He is an equal opportunity offender of the sexes.  It doesn't matter how pretty the little girl is; if he doesn't think so, he quickly moves onto the next one.  And if you are a little boy that looks or acts like a baby, he is not afraid to tell them that and move on to someone more mature.

 

~

 

Last Friday night, Romeo and I went to Bass Pro; his #1 most favorite thing to do in the entire world other than camping.  If he could, he would be living in a tent or a cabin right now.  We spent a few hours in Santa's village.  He was an eagle eye on the gun range.  I had no idea he had become such a great shot; another 'natural' thing for him.  He was nailing it.  I never expected him to hit a thing, but instead he was hitting the targets more than he was missing.  His first time through, he had shot the deer, the pheasant, the raccoon, and the bear (twice for the bear).  If you look close at the shooting photo, you will see the red light still glimmering from confirmation of the bear hit.

 

He loves dogs too.  (And I hear what you are saying, nope, he dang sure didn't get that from me.) 

 

He was distracted for several minutes as he was watching Santa have his picture taken with these three beasts of the apocalypse.  Man those were big dogs; easily weighing 250 each.  I stayed well away from them as they passed by my direction, and I had the camera on zoom to get the picture of Owen completely enamored by these dogs.  Plus, of course, he had to pet them, rub them, and got permission to kiss them as they walked by his way.  Yuck. 

 

Owen is not just a dog lover; he loves all animals in general, just as much as he loves the outdoors.

 

~

 

In the top photo, my little Daniel Boone needed a pee break, and he insisted on shooting the toilets after he had finished his business.  And yes, he washed his hands!  While he is best known for taking #1 aim outdoors when he is at home; when he is with me, I will do my best to keep him civilized and not peeing in the trout stream as we walk to the bathroom.  He was eyeing it for sure; and I could see the wheels turning in his head . . .

 

I love you Owen Michael.  You bless my life more than you will ever know.

 

- Pappy

 



Thanksgiving School Lunch

Last week, both Nini and myself were able to go to the girls school for the annual Thanksgiving lunch.  We were both surprised by what was lacking . . .

There was no turkey; instead it was creamed chicken.
There was no dressing; instead it was mashed potato's.
There was no cranberry anything; instead it was a package of raw baby carrots.

But, we were there for the company instead.  Getting to enjoy 50 minutes of 1 on 1 time with each of the girls separately was very enjoyable.  They told us all about their teachers, their school subjects, and their fellow students.

Both of them told me that "Centers" was their favorite subject.  Centers is something that apparently changes; as it can be art, or music, or drama. 

And that makes complete sense for these two, as they are both filled to the brim with drama (I think they already won 4 Emmy's and 5 Golden Globes between the two of them), and they definitely love the art and music too.

The teachers were all very nice, and young; age range was 22-26.  (I saw none of the old school battle ax's that I remember from my days of grade school).

I love these girls.  I love their smiles, their warmth, and the love that they are not afraid to show.  I know that all too soon it won't be cool anymore to bring their Nini and Pappy to lunch with them; but until that segue happens, I am going to be "Lovin' every minute of it Jerry!"

See you soon girls for Thanksgiving at Paps. 

I love you!

Snow?

Arguably, Oklahoma has the most unstable and unpredictable weather in the country.  That might be why the National Weather Center is in Norman.  It also seems that every weather person employed in Oklahoma Meteorology holds a Doctorate. 

And, the lucky ones with good genes that are attractive enough for TV will earn $250k a year (not for their Doctorate), but because they have good hair and white teeth, and want to be frequently used when trying to frighten the Beelzebub out of us during severe storm season.

Storm season?  That is all 365 days a year, okay, maybe 358.  We have 7 perfect days a year, but that is max.  Never know when it might be 96 in November with 75% humidity and the chance of an isolated twister. 

I still remember the 92 degree day we had in February not too many years ago.  Calling our temps normal, (or used for 30 year averages), is a bastardization of math.  This past week, we have been 20 to 30 degrees below the normal 'average' temp for 8 days in a row.  We have been colder now that we normally are in the heart of January!

Sometimes, we have no storm season, when it might be 110-115 for 21 days in a row in July, and the only thing resembling a cloud in the sky is the water vapor from the Kimberly-Clark plant in Jenks.

Storm season?  The scariest number is 30% chance of rain.  Around here, that means "Take Cover!", as we here in TV land don't have a clue what it might do.  With 30% chance of rain, we have had monsoons, tornado's, flash floods, and hail the size of soccer balls. 

Storm season?  In the past, if a winter storm starts being hyped 8 days in advance, I know enough to not be too worried, because it is not going to materialize like they think.  Heck, I've gone to bed at 10p the night before with a 100% chance of rain the next day, only to be greeted with clear skies, and with the closest rain being north of Caney, KS and never heading south all day.  True story, you can't make this stuff up (apologies to Joe McGee for the stolen line).

As I was preparing the gourmet roast beef meal planned for Sunday, I detected a sour odor from the meat, and decided to pitch it instead of cooking it.  So . . . during a light snow, I ventured up to Country Mart, which was an 8 minute commute.  In that time, I took evasive driving maneuvers twice on the road, and twice more in the Country Mart parking lot! 

Why does a storm, or the threat of a storm bring out the worst idiot driver's imaginable?

This past 'winter storm' that hit on Sunday was no exception.  The forecast was an 80% chance for 1" to 3" of snow.  Very manageable.  Nothing serious, and the weather people said it was not even going to stick on the roads.  So, if it was not going to stick on the roads, (which it didn't), why did I see 3 snow plows?  One was an individual, and 2 were the giant City of Tulsa snow plows wasting tax money by paying the driver's double time.

 

 

While in Country Mart, people were emptying the shelves preparing for Armageddon.  Arms were raking entire shelves of canned goods into baskets and carts.  One female wildebeest cut me off while I was trying to navigate to the meat section.  Another beached whale looked like she was preparing to knife me if I grabbed the chuck roast that she had her eye on.  She was obviously afraid it might have been her last meal here on earth. 

 

There was nothing worthy of purchase remaining in the meat section, so I left for Wal-Mart.

 

Another 5 minutes down Hwy. 51, with untold number of cars/trucks zooming past me at no less than 72 mph in a 55 mph zone, I cautiously entered the parking lot of Hades.  Land of the damned.  Enter at your own risk.  And risky it was.  To avoid the live game of bumper cars that was going on all around me; I parked at the very end of the last row, and hiked the 2 minutes to the front door.  In the process, I burned 11 calories . . .

 

And what was lying in wait for me inside?  This:

 

 

One roast.  A bad one too.  The meat section was empty, virtually cleaned out.  I asked a stocker, he didn't even have anymore roasts in back, as he said he couldn't keep the sections stocked fast enough.

 

So, I decided to buy chicken wings.  But, zero, zip, nada.

 

The peeps in Wal-Mart were in a more heightened frenzy of 'horde mode' than the ones at Country Mart!  I kept saying to myself, it's barely snowing!

 

As my daughter would say; wowzers!

 

I was done, not going anywhere else.  I went back home and made some chicken breasts that we had thawed, and spent the rest of the day reading a book.

 

And you ask "How much snow did you get?"  Well, this is what 1" to 3" of snow looks like.  We got a 'dusting':

 

 

And to think about those poor people in Buffalo that got 6 FEET of snow from their storm yesterday.  6 FEET!  In one storm! 

 

Now that is a true wowzers!