This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
If you like going to the zoo, you really should join Zoo Friends. Not only does it give you a discounted or free admission to your local zoo, it gives you a 50% discount (or 100% at a few select locations) on admission to zoos nationwide. We buy a membership for our family of six each year during the spring membership sale in May. For $49 we can get all of us into the zoo as many times as we want for a full year. We also get discounts at the gift shop, concessions, and rides. One trip and we've already saved more than the cost of the membership. It's tough to beat that deal. And, it helps the zoo with their budget. Win-win. Check it out at your local zoo. You'll be glad you did.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Young at heart. It's a goal for most of us that are over 30 or so. As we grow older, we begin to rebel against time. Unfortunately, too many these days take it too far and begin to act childish. There is a big difference between the two. Being young at heart should drive us to have passion for life and vigor and energy for the challenges ahead. It should not be an excuse for acting like a clueless teenager when we have the life experience to know better.
I enjoy spending time with my children and playing games with them. I like to do silly things that make them laugh. These are part of being young at heart. I try very hard to avoid complaining when things don't go my way or pouting about the unfairness of it all. That is an immature at heart attitude that has become too prevalent today. We must all fight against the "me" attitude that we are supposed to grow out of as we mature. It seems that society has pushed against allowing children to mature into proper adults. They are kept unnaturally young as if that were a good thing. I think this comes from a misunderstanding of today's theme. As fully functioning adults, young should never mean immature.
It's OK to enjoy going to the zoo, or spending some time on the swings at the park with your significant other, or just listening to a good song and butt-dancing in your seat while you drive. These can all be aspects of being young at heart. But when the time comes to be responsible, a functioning addition to society, making your world a better place by being a part of it, you owe it to yourself and everyone around you to be the adult and get the job done. Young at heart, but emotionally stable. That's a worthy goal.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Three years ago, I chose xenophobia for X. Two years ago, my music theme was derailed by X, so I posted a picture of a Xenomorph just for fun. Well, the theme seems to be working, so this year we're going with xenomorphic.
Xenomorphic refers to something having a strange or unusual form. This is the origin of the Xenomorphs from Alien. Definitely a strange form. Despite the sound of the word, it does not actually refer to aliens. Usually. Anything that is not in the expected form for its function or doesn't fit perceived norms is xenomorphic. Below is an example. See you tomorrow.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
If you've read any of my posts the last few days, you've heard that my favorite band and best concert I've been to is Home Free. They have close competition, however. The second best would have to be Winter Jam. Ten Christian bands for ten bucks. If you're willing to wait in line for several hours. It's first come, first served. Tickets are sold at the door. If you are only willing to wait in line for a couple of hours, you can join Jam Nation. That gets you a special admission line and earlier entry. You're also guaranteed a seat without worrying about being turned away from a sellout. Three years ago, my older daughter and I went, hoping to see Skillet. It was a Saturday that year, so we couldn't go until after church. We waited in line for 90 minutes in the rain and were turned away while we were still 100 yards short of the doors. That was not awesome.
Two years ago, my older daughter and I and her best friend went, hoping to see Thousand Foot Krutch and Newsboys. We arrived at noon for a 5:30 opening. No rain, nearly at the door all day long. We got in and witnessed an amazing concert. I actually blogged about that two years ago. This year, we got a group of 26 people together and got Jam Nation tickets. We sat in the front row of the stadium seating. Floor seats were available, but we had a wide age range in our group and didn't want them all to deal with the floor crowd. Our seats were AWESOME! We were ten feet from the stage and got to see every band up close and personal. Several band members walked (or ran) right by us as they moved from the main stage to the satellite stage at the other end of the floor. My daughters shook hands and got high fives from some of their favorites.
This year's lineup included some heavy hitters, including Stars Go Dim (who had the #1 song in the country at the time,) Sidewalk Prophets, Matthew West, and Lauren Daigle. We got introduced to Tedashii, KB, and Trip Lee who pumped out some awesome rap and hip hop. Not my usual style, but they rocked it. There were two bands that we were most anxious to see; Crowder and Red.
Crowder did not disappoint. He came out to Cotton Eyed Joe by the Rednex. He put on a show that had everyone smiling and toe-tapping throughout. If you're not familiar with his music, get familiar. He's great. Probably the best ever at mixing hillbilly redneck folk music styling with rock, a cello, and an arctic fox statue named Kenny Rogers. Trust me, it's even more awesome than it sounds.
Red was... different. Hard rock, stage makeup, a plague doctor complete with weird beaked mask, and fire. I loved it. My kids loved it. My friends loved it. My 70+ year old parents and a few others... not so much. I think the look on all their faces said pretty much "What is happening here and why am I seeing it?" It was amusing. And Red absolutely crushed it. Amazing show. Definitely worth the price of admission.
The most surprising part of the show turned out to be the headline band, for King and Country. I've not been a big fan of theirs. I was even a little surprised to hear they were headlining. I didn't think they were all that great. Then they hit the stage and brought the house down. High energy, powerful music, and strong worship and praise. I was floored. I am now a fan for life. My daughters are now for King and Country fanatics. I'm glad I saw this show. I would have missed out on so much by not knowing more about this band. Check them out. You're welcome.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
They say variety is the spice of life. Whatever, I just like to keep things different. I enjoy a variety of genres in books, music, television, and movies. A wide variety. Huge. I like Star Wars AND Star Trek. Yep, major genre switch. I read Lord of the Rings AND The Hobbit. I listen to Home Free AND Christian Kane. Does it get more varied?
All joking aside, I really do read, watch, and listen to a variety. I will listen to Metallica, followed by TobyMac, then Home Free, and Fallout Boy. Nightwish (symphonic metal with a fantasy vibe) and Abney Park (steampunk airship pirates) share space on my playlist when I'm writing science fiction. My favorite movies include Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, We are the Titans, and Princess Bride.
Don't ever let yourself get tied down to one genre in anything. That applies to all areas of life. Except spouses. Best to stick to just one of those. And kids should all be the same species. (They don't necessarily have to be human, but keep them all the same species if possible.) OK, things have suddenly gone off the rails. I better call it quits while I'm ahead behind.
Until tomorrow, sayonara, good evening, auf wiedersehn, ciao, bonjour, and other various salutations.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Unreal. That's the only way I can describe seeing Home Free in concert. I've talked about them before, but please indulge me for a moment. Last night, my wife and I, our four kids, my nephew, and a good friend all went to see them live in Tulsa. This is the second time we've seen them in concert in twelve months. When we saw them last year, we were all floored. BEST CONCERT EVER! Then we saw them last night. They've gotten better. A LOT better!
Having seen them before and following them closely on social media, I already knew much of what they would do in the show. I've felt Tim's bassquake vibrate the whole building. I've seen Adam perform a beatboxing routine that defies belief. I've seen the group mesmerize an audience with their harmony and true camaraderie. They are best friends and family and it shows.
I was shocked by what I witnessed last night. Tim's bass has gotten even stronger. The harmonies are spot on. They have the audience dancing in their seats one minute, crying the next. And laughing and smiling the whole way. But two things stood out last night that cranked it up to 11.
The first was Adam Rupp's beatboxing solo. I think he's been practicing. For ten minutes, he proved why Austin Brown introduces him each night as "a freak of nature." He makes sounds the human body was never designed to make. His drum solo sounds like a full drum kit played by a professional. Then he goes into his DJ Blank Stare routine. All culminating with the finale, introduced by his simple statement, "Drop the beat." I can't begin to describe it. You must witness it. Click on Adam's picture below to see his solo. You'll need good speakers to get the full effect, but it still can't capture the experience of the live show.
The second thing was, in my opinion, the greatest performance I have ever seen by Home Free. They did a cover of "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton. On their album, Country Evolution, the song is very cool. In concert, they went insane. They added a shorter Adam Rupp drum solo. Then Austin Brown joined in with a beatbox solo. Then Chris Rupp. And Rob Lundquist. And Tim Foust. Then they had a beatbox battle with Austin and Chris on one side and Rob and Tim on the other. Adam joined both sides and kept things under out of control. I may have swallowed a bug or two during that performance. My mouth was hanging open long enough. I won't even bother posting a video of that one. You can look it up on Youtube, but it doesn't do it justice.
If you get a chance, see them live. You're welcome.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Tim Foust is the bass singer for Home Free. I believe I've mentioned them before. I have to mention them today because we are going to see them in concert tomorrow night. That is both a good and a bad thing. You see, my wife and my older daughter both have a huge crush on Tim. I'm not too concerned about my wife. I also sing bass and am at least as cool as Tim, if not more... Forget it. I can't type that with a straight face. The dude oozes cool. If I were prone to man-crushes, he'd definitely be one. I will admit, I love listening to him sing. He's got an unreal 5 1/2 octave range. (For comparison, Freddy Mercury of Queen had a 4 octave range.) He's a freak of nature. I, on the other hand, have about a 1 1/2 octave range on a good day. And it's all in the lower register. I can drop low enough to hit most of Tim's low notes, but then he keeps dropping into the basement and digging halfway to China. One of these days, he's going to break a seismograph or two. Australian scientists will be trying to figure out why they're getting warnings of an earthquake coming through the core of the planet. Seriously, dude shakes the place.
Click the picture below (really, look at the dude. Cool!) to hear his rendition of Misty Mountains with Peter Hollens. Low? Check! Awesome? Check! Dressed like a freakin' dwarf king ready to beat you senseless with his stare? Check and double check!
Pretty sure no one's gonna notice if I'm at the concert tomorrow night or not.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Shavuot is coming! For those unfamiliar with the term, Shavuot is more commonly known as Pentecost. It is a celebration that takes place 50 days after First Fruits. What's First Fruits? That's the first day after the first Sabbath during Unleavened Bread. In this case, First Fruits is this Sunday. We then count 7 weeks plus one day, or 50 days, until Shavuot, as described in Leviticus 23. Our congregation typically spends the day at the lake with an outdoor service. Those of us who can, camp for the weekend. It's a lot of fun and we really enjoy it. Shavuot tends to get overshadowed by Pesach (Passover) in the Spring and Sukkot (Tabernacles) in the Fall. I don't understand why it's not given more significance. Traditionally, it is believed to be the day that the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai. It is also the day that the Ruach Ha'Kodesh (Holy Spirit) was poured out on the 120 men in the upper room in Jerusalem. You would think those events would merit a little celebration. We're doing our part at our congregation. We try to make sure it doesn't pass by without notice. We'll begin our 50 day count on Sunday to make sure everyone involved remembers.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Road Trip! It's been a while since we've taken a decent road trip anywhere. Most of the trips we take with all four kids is to Branson or Springdale, Arkansas, or Dallas/Ft. Worth. All places that are within a few hours of home. This summer we're going to break that trend. We're road tripping from Oklahoma to Jacksonville, Florida. Over 16 hours of family fun. Remember yesterday's post about quiet? Yeah, I don't see much of that on this trip. I think it's going to be an adventure we'll remember for quite some time. This will the first time any of the kids have ever seen the ocean. We'll be in a church conference for three days (with my wife running the children's program) followed by fireworks over the river on July 4th. It's going to be great.
Anyone have any great family road trip stories? Let me know in the comments.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Quiet. I remember that fondly. Like childhood memories and other things that seem long ago and far away. We used to have quiet times in our house. That was four children, two dogs, a cat, and two turtles ago. Those were good days. Now? Quiet is from 1:00-5:00 AM, maybe. Assuming Oklahoma weather doesn't decide to make its presence known at 3:00 AM as it seems to like doing lately. Right now, I'm trying to type with the kids discussing Zootopia (haven't seen it yet, but want to), Home Free playing on the TV (new video!!!), and the dogs whining about being stuck in the laundry room because they decided to sit in the mud all afternoon. Muddy butts don't get on my carpet! Well, I'm going to head to bed and try to find some quiet time. The alarm goes off way too early in the morning. Night all.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
It's almost time for Passover (Pesach in Hebrew)! I love Passover, but it can be a little stressful. I lead the Passover Seder for our congregation each year. This year, we started with about a dozen people signed up. The last count was 54. Setup might take a little longer than originally planned. But that's fine, because it means we'll have a great crowd. Many of them have never celebrated Passover before. I always enjoy watching the reactions of the newbies. You can see the wonder and excitement as they begin to understand the meaning of the celebration. As we tie it into the redemption of Messiah, it really gets their attention. Plus, there's food. It's an Israelite festival. There has to be food, right? Gotta cut this short, we're still planning and preparing for Friday night. Until tomorrow... Shalom!
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Orange has a special meaning for us PokeFans. For the unitiated, that means Oklahoma State University Cowboys fans. OSU orange is a way of life for those of us lucky enough to call ourselves alumni. Granted, there are fans of OSU that never attended the university, but not as many as some other schools. There is a saying around here, that if you see someone wearing an OSU shirt, they probably went to OSU. If you see someone wearing an OU (Sooner, blech!) shirt, they probably went to Wal-Mart.
Those of us who have weathered the less than ideal years of OSU athletics that were the early 90s football and the last few years of basketball know that being a die-hard fan can be difficult at best. It requires a feeling of belonging and attachment that many fans don't understand. There is a camaraderie that develops when you sit in the stands for every home game of an 0-10-1 football season. Seeing all the fans that toughed it out to the "and one" of the oh-ten-and-one season joyously screaming "We didn't lose!" when tying lowly Iowa State is a memory that lasts a lifetime.
There are many things about my college days I'd rather forget, but I still bleed orange. Every Friday is Orange Friday. Every game is a must-win, and OU will always be the enemy. It's day 15 of the A-to-Z Challenge, and OU still sucks!
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Numfar, do the dance of Joy!
And so did Numfar become a legend. His dancing skills would astound millions, even more than his orange hair and green skin. Despite only being in one episode, his presence was (and is) remembered as a high point in an otherwise up and down season of Angel. Ordinarily, such a bit part in a strange episode would go unnoticed or be easily forgotten. So what made Numfar so memorable? Was it his dancing? His obvious joy at the departure of his brother? His ability to so convincingly portray a generic member of the crowd, casually watching the approach of the disgraced brother and a stranger? (Anyone sense some sarcasm in that last sentence? It felt sarcastic as I typed it.) Probably none of the above. Nope. He's memorable for one simple reason. He was played by none other than Joss Whedon. Yep, that Joss Whedon. Dancing. Orange hair. Green skin. Classic.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Move! When you're ready or not, give it all that you've got.
Thus begins the chorus of "Move" by Audio Adrenaline. This has quickly become one of my favorite Audio A songs. Its driving beat and feel-good style makes you want to , well, move. Major League Baseball and the NFL apparently agreed since they both licensed the song for use in some of their TV broadcasts. Check it out below.
Another Move song that has become popular lately is "Move (Keep Walkin')" by Toby Mac. Again, catchy rhythms and feel-good style. It's getting good airplay. I like this one too. Toby has been hitting on all cylinders lately and this one is no exception.
Changing the pace a little, let's look at "Movin' On" by Chris Rupp. This has quickly become Chris's most popular song off his solo album Shine. Soon-to-be former member of Home Free, Chris has shown a remarkable range of musical talent on this album, from the hard-charging "Country Reigns" to the bouncy and tongue-in-cheek styling of "First Flight to Phoenix" to the piano heavy and heartfelt "Movin' On". This song has become the soundtrack song for his departure from Home Free. Many a Home Fry cannot listen to this song without tearing up as Chris winds down his tenure as arranger and baritone-extraordinaire for the band he founded over 15 years ago.
Finally, to lighten things up a bit. "I Like to Move It" by Reel 2 Real is just fun and almost ridiculous. Best known as the lemur song from Madagascar, you can't help but shake your fluffy tail and dance like an idiot when it plays. Long live Original King Julien, King Julien XIII!
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Llamas. What is with the attitude? When I was in high school we had two llamas. We got them to guard the emus. What? Didn't everyone have emus and llamas? I suppose the hedgehogs were unusual, too.
Anyway, the llamas were very friendly most of the time. Sometimes a little too friendly in fact. Have you ever been hugged by a 400 pound llama? It's not so bad when they just wrap their neck around you and nuzzle you a little. The problem comes when they jump up and throw their front legs over your shoulders and try to hug like people. Appreciate the sentiment, Mr. Llama, but you're a bit heavy.
Attitude? That comes when they decide they shouldn't have to obey the rules. They spit, kick, and make plans to knock your house down and build Kuzcotopia over the foundation. Complete with a swimming pool on the side. See what I mean? Attitude. Oh well, they're still fun. I might get another one some day. Until then, here's a picture of one.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
We've made it to K. We're almost halfway there! And I've learned something this year. A trick to making A to Z much easier. CHOOSE A THEME! Yeah, don't try to wing it each day with whatever comes to mind. Some days will be easy. Some days will be, shall we say, kinda hard. With a theme, at least you know half of what you're going to write. I've done it both ways and it was definitely easier when I used a theme. Guess what? Next year, there will be a theme. Until then, I'll just keep winging it and figure it out as I go along. I wonder what L will be? Hmm...
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Anyone who read my blog last year during A to Z knows that I did movies. For each movie, I told a little about the movie, including a character, some plot points, etc. The reader then got to try to guess the movie and answer in the comments. This will be like that, sort of. This time, it's just a character and a quote based on that character. If you know what the movie is, let me know below. If not, maybe I'll tell you tomorrow.
I'm not going down for you killing Jojo the tire man!
Poor Jojo. He just wanted to go straight and sell tires. Or so he says. Yeah, I don't believe it either. And neither do the two main characters of this Michael Bay film from 1995. I know, Michael Bay. But this is actually a good movie. The language is pretty bad, but if you can catch it on broadcast TV, it's pretty darn funny. The sequel wasn't as good, but that doesn't stop them from talking about a third movie coming out sometime in 2017.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
"Inconceivable!" I'm guessing most people who read this will know exactly what movie that quote is from. By all rights, that movie should be terrible and pathetic. No budget, terrible special effects, a combination of big-name actors playing ridiculous parts and no-name actors playing similarly ridiculous parts. The story line is cliched and severely melodramatic. People in rat suits? A six-fingered man? Andre the Giant acting?! Seriously, this movie has everything it needs to be a complete failure. And yet, I don't know anyone who doesn't rank this movie high in their list of favorites. I don't know how many times I've seen it, and it still hasn't gotten old. I watch it at least once a year. It's imminently quotable and enchantingly ridiculous. Enchantingly ridiculous? "I do not think it means what you think it means."
No one would surrender to the Dread Pirate Westley.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
I've talked about them before, but I'm going to talk about them again. Home Free is a country a cappela band from Minnesota. My wife and I and all four of our children love Home Free. We saw them in concert last year in Oklahoma City and I can honestly say it was one of the best concerts I've ever attended. We are going to see them again in Tulsa in a couple of weeks. We didn't know it when we bought the tickets, but their current tour has become the farewell tour for baritone singer and founder, Chris Rupp. That leaves only one original member, Chris's brother Adam Rupp, the group's beat boxer. The group has already named a replacement to fill the giant void created by Chris's departure. The new baritone will be Adam Chance, formerly of Street Corner Symphony. I'm sad to see Chris leave, but excited to see what Chance brings to the group. Things should be interesting for Home Free and for Chris as he pursues a solo career. Good luck Chris.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Gremlins. They're not cute, they're not cuddly, and they wreck everything they come in contact with. The first written use of the term was in the 1920s in England. Gremlins are tricksters that like to mess with mechanical items, especially airplanes. They were blamed for a number of malfunctions and even crashes of British Air Force aircraft during World War II. Many pilots claimed to have seen them on the wings right before experiencing mechanical trouble. The term was later spread farther when Royal Air Force veteran and author Roald Dahl wrote The Gremlins in 1942. Gremlins have made appearances in various forms in books, magazines, TV, and movies ever since. One of the best-known examples is The Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" starring a pre-Star Trek William Shatner. Another is, of course, the 1984 movie Gremlins.
I say all of that and give all the background to say this: Who the heck thought it was a good idea to use the name Gremlin for a car?!
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
F is for two things that I like that have been done two different ways. I'll explain.
First is Fandral in the movies Thor and Thor: The Dark World. In Thor, Fandral is played by Josh Dallas, who replaced Stuart Townsend due to "creative differences". Townsend had replaced Zachary Levi who was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict. I liked the way that Josh Dallas interpreted the character. Very Errol Flynn.
In Thor: The Dark World, Josh Dallas had a scheduling conflict and was replaced by original choice Zachary Levi. I have mixed feelings on this one, as I am a big Zachary Levi fan (go Chuck!) Unfortunately, I think he overplayed the role a little. I don't know if he was trying to out do Dallas's Fandral or if he just didn't pull off the character properly, but it didn't seem quite right. I'll withhold final judgment until after Thor: Ragnarok. Then I'll decide which, if either, I prefer.
Second is the song "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks. Everyone knows his version of the song. It is truly a classic. It's what got me listening to country music during college. It probably helped that I went to the same school as Garth. Go Pokes! Twenty-six years later, it's still one of his best songs.
That brings us to the second version of the song. Home Free made an a cappela version on their newest album Country Evolution. Now anyone who has read my blog before knows that Home Free is one of my all time favorite bands. I absolutely love just about everything these guys do. They can (almost) do no wrong. That's why I have an issue with their version of "Friends in Low Places." They put their own spin on the song that many people have raved about. Unfortunately, it falls a little flat for me. I don't really care for the stylistic choice. I think it's a rare misstep for them. That's not to say that it's bad. Like I said, it's a stylistic choice, and thus an issue of personal preference. Though I will admit that Tim Foust (the bass singer and lead for this song) knocked it out of the park as usual.Watch the video below and let me know what you think.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
E is for eggs. As in, we have way too many of the darn things. My wife decided that we need to raise chickens. My dad has had chickens for a while now and she decided she wanted some, too. So we now have 15 chickens.
I like eggs. They are great scrambled, boiled, and deviled. Not all at the same time. The eggs we don't need, I sell at work. (Got plenty available. Reasonably priced!)
Did you know chickens lay eggs every day?! Not every one of them most days, but enough. We get over a dozen eggs a day. Every day. And we're about to get 20 more chickens from my dad. Yep. 20 more chickens. We're going to have close to three dozen eggs each day. Did I mention we sell eggs?
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Today we're talking about dance. From the Charleston to the Funky Chicken; from the Hokey Pokey to the Hora; from the Electric Slide to Electric Boogaloo, dancing has been a part of every culture since before there was culture. And let's face it, culture might as well be my middle name. Since it's not any other part of my life.
Let's get this out of the way right off the bat. I dance like a white guy. That's why I only dance in church and at country bars. Anyone can line dance without looking like an idiot. And at church, if they're judging my dancing, that's their issue instead of mine.
I actually dance quite a bit at church. I have been a co-leader and choreographer for our congregation for several years. That's about all the dancing I really do. I used to line dance in college, but I haven't done much of that in years.
Any other dancing, I'll leave to the professionals and people with better moves than me. How about you? Do you dance? What kind of dance? Let me know in the comments.
By the way, the best name of a computer controlled character in any game I've played is Dance Monkey. I got to shoot him with a grenade launcher. Good times.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
I know, I'm a little late posting this one today. I had all kinds of grand plans to have it written early and scheduled to post at midnight per usual. Obviously, that didn't happen. Why? Because life has a habit of getting crazy. As in crazy busy, crazy weird, or crazy awesome. Sometimes all of the above. So today, we're talking CRAZY!
Crazy busy - Yep, got that one covered. Sometimes. Other times I just don't feel like doing everything that I have to do. I can admit it. And yes, I feel guilty about it afterwards. Sometimes, not always.
So, how busy? Let's see. Work at 40+ hours per week. Teaching at the synagogue at least twice per month. Running the services at the synagogue each week. Planning special events at the synagogue, such as Passover. (Coming up in 18 days!) Helping to home school four children. Raising chickens (15 right now, plus 20 more later this week.) Filming and co-writing (when I have time to do so) episodes of the ever popular web show Torah Puppets. Mowing and other maintenance of seven acres. What were we thinking when we bought this place? Took the kids to a birthday party at the zoo yesterday. Six hours outside in Oklahoma springtime sunshine. Yep, I'm extra crispy today. Oh, and attempting to keep the blog updated and telling myself that I will get back to my writing at some point. I really need to get back to the writing. I guess that about covers it, so let's move on.
Crazy weird - Kids... need I say more? Just kidding, they're great, but they can definitely be weird. I'm not sure whether to be proud or scared that can understand about half of what they say.
Also, animals. We have two dogs that randomly bark at themselves in the middle of the night. One will wake up and bark - usually at her own tail, foot, ears, or whatever. That will get the other one to wake up and bark because the first one did. The first one then barks louder at whatever the second one is barking at. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Did I mention chickens? Well apparently my second daughter is the chicken whisperer. If we need to get them back into their pen, she just has to call them and they will gather around her. They will follow her anywhere she leads. She will also usually be carrying one of them like a baby as she wanders the yard. They love it.
Although the weirdest animal situation is that I am the turtle whisperer. We have two red-eared sliders. The older one, Lance, is very skittish around most people. When we have to take her out of the tank to clean it, she panics a little. She tries to bite people and will scratch everyone pretty badly while trying to escape the clutches of the scary giant creatures holding her. Unless I talk to her. Then she relaxes and will extend her head and neck far out of her shell to allow me to pet her neck. It even works if she hears my voice on the phone. I just tell it, I don't explain it. Crazy weird.
Crazy awesome - Actually, this section is just about things with Crazy in the name that I like. First is Crazy Life, the first major label album by country a capella group, Home Free. I've mentioned them here before. If you haven't checked them out yet, what are you waiting for? They're awesome. We saw them in concert last year in Oklahoma City. We're seeing them again in twenty days in Tulsa. Can't wait. They put on an amazing show.
Second, just for fun, is Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne. Why? Cause it's just that awesome.
This post is a part of the A to Z Challenge. This year I have decided to go themeless. Each day I will post about whatever topic pops into my head. The result of this spontaneity is anyone's guess. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
B stands for Big Boat. Why a big boat? Because this year is my 25th wedding anniversary, of course. You didn't get that? Fine, I guess I'll explain.
My wife and I were trying to figure out what we wanted to do for our anniversary this year. I don't know about you, but I think the 25th is a big deal. Before we made any decisions, we got a call from my mother-in-law. My wife's parents decided that they wanted to send us on an Alaskan cruise for our anniversary. This is one of those moments when the answer is a resounding "Uh... yeah!" I've wanted to go to Alaska for a very long time. I've wanted to take an Alaskan cruise ever since my parents, brother, and sister-in-law went on one a couple years ago.
This is the type of room we'll have. That's a balcony outside the double doors.
We'll be staying in a veranda room on the very back of the ship. I'm really looking forward to it. Now comes the hard part. We've got to figure out what shore excursions we want. Whale watching? Bear sighting? Sea otters? Eagles? Zodiac boat across the bay at 50 mph? OK, I think we have a winner. Take a big boat to get on a small boat. Yep. I'm in.
Anyone taken an Alaskan cruise before? Any suggestions for activities? Let me know in the comments.
It's time to kick off the A to Z Challenge. As I said in my introductory post yesterday, there is no theme this year. I'm themeless and lovin' it! So let's jump right into it.
The letter A is for "ACK! THBBFT!"
If you don't understand that reference, I can only weep for you. You have missed out on one of the greatest comic strip characters of all time. Those who do recognize the quote know that I'm referring to the one and only Bill the Cat from Bloom County, by Berkeley Breathed. Never before has a dead cat added so much life to any art form. I must say that Bill was surprisingly active for a dead cat. I guess no one ever told him he was dead, so he just kept on living his life the way he wanted. Hey, he's a cat. What do you expect? They do what they want, when they want, how they want. Death? Merely an inconvenience.
The Cat is dead! Long live the Cat!!
After looking this over, this would have probably been a better post for B. Oh well, then I couldn't have emphasized ACK!
And that's it for the letter A. We'll see you again tomorrow when I wander off the rails into B territory with no map, compass, or GPS.
