Interview Me

I dig this idea, again from Lia's blog, so here it goes...

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Here are Lia's questions and my answers...

1. What is your life passion?
To love and be loved in return. Pretty simple.

2. When did you realize you weren't a child anymore?
To be honest, I'm still not sure. My emotional reaction to some situations indicates that I still have a hell of a lot of growing up to do.

3. Who (besides yourself) do you love/care about the most in the world?
Heather, who I'd do anything for. I've spent the past two years or so putting myself through an emotional ringer proving that last statement.

4. What is your favorite food ever?
Rice. I eat it almost daily, which may explain my sumo-wrestler-like physique.

5. What irks you most about the opposite sex?
The same thing that irks me in the conduct of most people, male or female, in relationship situations: an essential dishonesty in their conduct under the guise of "not wanting to hurt someone." Oh, you're too nice to date, or oh, I don't want to ruin our friendship. If you don't find me attractive and that's the reason you don't want to go out, tell me so. I can take it. I've taken it all my life. "Protecting" hurts far more than it helps.

Okay, you guys' turn! :)

Sorry it's been so long...

This was a complicated week on a few fronts, hence my sudden lack of updates since the 19th. My apologies and I'll be trying to get back on the ball here. I don't even have that much to say right now, save for...

http://www.actsofgord.com/

If you've never seen this, get to clickin'. It's this hilarious site written by a guy who used to run a video game store in Canada, and he basically posted every story ever wherein he dealt with a lying, obnoxious, or flat-out stupid customer. He can be very self-righteous at times (I mean, just check how the page is set-up), but for all those of us who have worked in retail and DEALT with this kind of stuff, it's a massive amount of stress relief and funny as hell.

Whoa!

Would you look at that! 1,000 hits. I had no idea! I lost count at around 51. I suppose I should do something to celebrate...ooh! I'll say "blog" 1,000 times!

...

Nah, just kidding. That is pretty cool, though. To actually celebrate, I wanna say hi and thanks to a few of my peeps...

-Abby! You rock and your blog is awesome! You'll kick @$$ at Miss Ohio!

-Lindsey! You are one of the most awesome friends a guy could have! A.J. is the luckiest SOB alive!

-Lia! Getting to know you has been one of the coolest things ever! Thank you for becoming a great friend!

-Steph! You're always there for me! Hope I can do the same for you!

-Heather! You have been, and ever shall be, my friend! I love you!

-Chris! Probably the greatest guy I've ever met! You deserve all the happiness you can get!

-Beth! You're one of the coolest people alive! Here's hoping for many, many more convos!

-James! The best president Theta ever had! Thank you for being my friend!

-Jessica! The best president Theta will soon have! Congratulations!

-Andy! It's been AWESOME to tak to you again! Thank you and good luck up north!

-Jeanine! You are one of the coolest people alive! Never forget it!

-John! I miss you like crazy! Hope to see you soon!

-Greg! Life is never dull with you as my friend! Thank you!

-Caitlin! The single most loveable person alive! Love will find you, I swear!

-Heather W.! Here's hoping for many more Wednesdays at the movies!

-Amanda! I'd do most anything for ya, miss!! And I'll miss you!

-Anne! I love talking to you! And look forward to seeing you!

-Elizabeth! You're a shining light in my life! Good luck out west!

-Jennifer! The theatre ain't the same without you! Miss ya!

-The Lauras! Love ya both!

-Mandy! Hope we get to talk more soon!

-Melissa! I've missed you more with each passing day! Love and hugs and stuff!

And to anyone I missed...I love you, too!

LINDSEY WINS!!!

With 12 outta the 20 possible songs correct, no one can catch her, so Lindsey is da winnah! Congratulations, amiga, and expect your prize shortly! BTW, the full list of answers is as follows:

Bon Jovi - "Livin' on a Prayer" - CHRIS

The Capitol Steps - "Loonies of the Right" - LINDSEY

Harry Chapin - "A Better Place to Be" - NOBODY

Bobby Darin - "Mack the Knife" - LINDSEY

Eminem - "Lose Yourself" - LINDSEY

Guns 'N Roses - "November Rain" - LINDSEY

Issac Hayes - "Theme from 'Shaft'" - LINDSEY

Billy Joel - "An Innocent Man" - CHRIS

Elton John - "The Measure of a Man" - LINDSEY

Kiss - "War Machine" - CHRIS

Tom Lehrer - "The Masochism Tango" - NOBODY

"Les Miserables" Soundtrack - "One Day More" - NOBODY

Henry Mancini - "Peter Gunn Theme" - LINDSEY

Meat Loaf - "Rock 'N Roll Dreams Come Through" - LINDSEY

Metallica - "Enter Sandman" - CHRIS

Tom Petty - "Walls" - LINDSEY

Carly Simon - "Let the River Run" - LINDSEY

Paul Simon - "You Can Call Me Al" - LINDSEY

"South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" Soundtrack - "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" - LINDSEY

"Weird Al" Yankovic - "Everything You Know is Wrong" - NOBODY

The Jeff Song Quiz - New Hints and New Songs!

Well, we're down to nine songs left, and so it's a perfect time for me to throw a monkey into the wrench and switch things up a bit. Going through my music files I realized I had forgotten three pretty big songs to me, and considering how the remaining ones in the quiz seem to be the hardest, I'm dropping three of the existing songs and replacing them with these 3. (For the record, the dropped songs were Finger Eleven - "One Thing," Sweeney Todd - "Finale," and Will Smith - "Time to Chill.") And all the rest of the songs have more hints. 9 are still left, anything is possible!

The Capitol Steps - (Parody which directly inspired my singing gig at the movie theatre this past winter. Jerry Falwell is a $#!+#3@{). Track 12 of "One Bush, Two Bush, Old Bush, New Bush.")

Harry Chapin - (One of his lesser-known ballads. About a little midnight watchman and a rotund waitress. Track 6 of his "Greatest Stories Live." )

NEW! Elton John (New leader for "most obscure song by a well-known artist." End titles of Rocky V.)

Tom Lehrer - (I almost performed this at Theta Monologue Night one year, but opted instead for another song. Looking back, wish I hadn't. The only tango that Lehrer ever wrote.)

NEW! "Les Miserables" Soundtrack (The greatest end-act-er of all time.)

Meat Loaf - (Not one of the big hits from Bat 2. Video has Meat with a necklace of Christmas lights. Track 3.)

NEW! Carly Simon ("Picasso"'s main theme. Also from "Working Girl")

Paul Simon - (My favorite song as a kid. Lyrics make no sense, but then none of the lyrics on "Graceland" make much sense. "You can be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal...")

"Weird Al" Yankovic - (I've quoted this song a LOT in the past year, as a summary of how I feel about life right about now. An original from "Bad Hair Day," track 2.)

The Jeff Song Quiz Made Easier!

Well, maybe the problem with the quiz is it's too hard. So, here's the list of artists again, with a few hints about the identity of each song. Again, take your best guesses, and whoever gets the most right gets a prize! Darn it! :)

Correct answers in bold! Lindsey now has 7, Chris still has 4, and there's only 9 left! Who will take it? One of these bold gladiators or someone else? Who can say? WHO CAN SAY?!?!? :)

Bon Jovi - (I've often said that if I became a wrestler, I'd want this song as my theme. Off of "Slippery When Wet.") - "Livin' on a Prayer" - CHRIS

The Capitol Steps - (Parody which directly inspired my singing gig at the movie theatre this past winter. And Jerry Falwell is a $#!+#3@{).)

Harry Chapin - (One of his lesser-known ballads. About a little midnight watchman and a rotund waitress.)

Bobby Darin - (Opens "Beyond the Sea." Was his biggest hit.) - "Mack the Knife" - LINDSEY

Eminem - (I'd like to thank the Academy...) - "Lose Yourself" - LINDSEY

Finger Eleven - (Closes the Chris Benoit DVD. I also love the song's themes.)

Guns 'N Roses - (Was used by ECW as a theme for their biggest PPV, "November 2 Remember." That may be the most obvious hint I'll EVER give.) - "November Rain" - LINDSEY

Isaac Hayes - (What unites all people, regardless of race, color or creed? Deep down inside, we think this song is pretty cool.) - "Theme from 'Shaft'" - LINDSEY

Billy Joel - (I wish I could say I was one, but sadly I'm guilty as hell.) - "An Innocent Man" - CHRIS

Kiss - (Taz's ECW theme song. Heather also says it was Killer's theme.) - "War Machine" - CHRIS

Tom Lehrer - (I almost performed this at Theta Monologue Night one year, but opted instead for another song. Looking back, wish I hadn't.)

Henry Mancini - (No one, of any age, can listen to this song and not feel cool. Used as theme of "Spy Hunter" videogame.) - "Peter Gunn Theme" - LINDSEY

Meat Loaf - (Not one of the big hits from Bat 2. Video has Meat with a necklace of Christmas lights.)

Metallica - (One of the coolest ECW experiences is seeing one of their biggest stars come out to this song, drinking beer and smoking cigs the whole way. God, I miss ECW.) - "Enter Sandman" - CHRIS

Tom Petty - (Maybe the most obscure song on this list by a well-known artist. Theme from the movie "She's the One.") - "Walls" - LINDSEY

Paul Simon - (My favorite song as a kid. Lyrics make no sense, but then none of the lyrics on "Graceland" make much sense.)

Will Smith/The Fresh Prince - (Way back, early days, pre-TV show days. Song contains the line, "If it's true that music calms the savage beast/play this cut in the jungle and put the lions to sleep.")

"South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" Soundtrack - (I often ask myself this when faced with a life-changing crisis. It doesn't help much, but still, I ask.) - "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" - LINDSEY

"Sweeney Todd" Soundtrack - ("The history of the world, my pet, is learn forgiveness and try to forget...")

"Weird Al" Yankovic - (I've quoted this song a LOT in the past year, as a summary of how I feel about life right about now. An original from "Bad Hair Day.")

Success!

29.95 at Best Buy, and the complete Sledge Hammer legacy is now mine. Mine, I tells ya!

And the set again looks like a winner...Anchor Bay continues to prove themselves to be one of the best DVD producers in the industry, working their butts off to make products meant to please the most ardent of fans. (Their sets for the Evil Dead movies are classics, and the epic FOUR disc-er they did for the original "Dawn of the Dead" is probably the best single set for one movie ever produced. ) This one ain't no different, with two new documentaries, spots, trivia quizzes, commentaries and more. Tres cool, and thanks, guys!

Lesse, I have Sledge Hammer, The Critic, Batman: The Animated Series...what else from my childhood must I own that isn't out there yet? Ducktails box set, anyone?

The Search for Sledge

(First of all, am I the first to note the irony that Blogger is having problems with the Problems page?)

I have learned something today. (Other than the fact that you guys apparently don't care about the song quiz...le sigh...) If you are planning to drive 45 minutes up to somewhere to pick up a DVD set at midnight, you must be prepared for potential disappointment. I drove with my bro all the way up to Media Play in Toledo for their midnight setting-out-of-the-new-stuff. He was there to get both Ocean's 12 and A-Team Season 2. I was there for one reason - Sledge Hammer Season 2. Only one of us would leave with our goals accomplished. Le sigh #2. Apparently they didn't get Sledge in with their shipment. They had the LABEL in their display case, but no product. They told me to come in on Friday and they'd probably have them by then. Arrgh. Sure, I'll be in on Friday. If I don't find it at Best Buy or anyplace else first. So there, nyah.

Meanwhile, I ain't exactly hurting for DVD entertainment...a splurge spree on Saturday (brought on by my first somewhat disposable income in a LONG time) has left me with "Sideways," "Apollo 13"'s Anniversary Edition and the complete series of "The Lone Gunmen" (the sadly short-lived but incredibly funny X-Files spin-off, for the uninitiated). Reviews of them all probably to come...

The Jeff Song Quiz!

Courtesy Lia's blog, I'm daring ALL of you to try this one (not that I think many of you will). Winner (whoever correctly guesses the most songs) gets a prize! No, really, honest! What? You'll see... :)

THE SONG QUIZ
- Post the names of 20 of your favorite bands / musicians / albums.
- See who can guess which is your favorite song by each.
- Once someone guesses right, bold that row and include the song.

1. Bon Jovi

2. The Capitol Steps

3. Harry Chapin

4. Bobby Darin

5. Eminem

6. Finger Eleven

7. Guns 'N Roses

8. Issac Hayes

9. Billy Joel

10. Kiss

11. Tom Lehrer

12. Henry Mancini

13. Meat Loaf

14. Metallica

15. Tom Petty

16. Paul Simon

17. Will Smith/The Fresh Prince

18. "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" Soundtrack

19. "Sweeney Todd" Soundtrack

20. "Weird Al" Yankovic

Mitch

I didn't know. I hadn't been on the Internet for the past couple days, with work and my trip to BG and WrestleMania and so forth, so I haven't been online to see the news. And then, today, I see a note on Heather's blog about him.

Dammit.

Life sucks and is unfair and horrible and wretched. At some level, we all know it. There are a few things to which we cling to in an effort to overcome that fact. Friendship, love and laughter. Few have given me more of the latter in the past year or so than Mitch Hedberg. His comedy was an acquired taste, but I had definitely acquired it, and listened to his albums repeatedly, excessively. He became a regular source for my e-mail taglines. I quoted him regularly. I introduced him to all the friends who weren't familiar with his work.

And now, there'll be no more. Think of all we've lost. All the hilarious, unconventional, offbeat, and simply brilliant thoughts we've lost. All the promise and genius and flat-out cool stuff. No more. We have two albums, a few TV appearances, and that's it. So much comedic genius that we'll never hear. And by all accounts, we've also lost a thoroughly decent human being who never harmed another soul, and brought joy to many.

I must again paraphrase Mike Royko: Life is unfair. But dammit, it shouldn't cheat that much.

"I'm sick and tired of following my dreams, man. I'm just gonna ask 'em where they're going and hook up with 'em later."

I Called It

You can ask Heather. I told her it would happen. I called her fifteen minutes before I even walked in the theatre. And I told her that I knew it would happen. She pretty much poo-pooed my suggestion, but I insisted, because I knew it would.

And it did. The Pope passed away while I was in watching "Sin City."

:)

Ah well, I've long since understood that if there is a hell, I'm going there anyway. With a smile on my face, if I can help it.

The movie, BTW, is a frigging masterpiece. See it. Now.