The meme of the day is to name your top ten movie characters.
It was harder than I thought. Even though I knew exactly who would be on the list I didn't always remember their entire name in the movie.
Favorite Movie Characters
1. Carl Spackler (Bill Murray-Caddyshack)
2. Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson-Clerks)
3. Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams-Good Morning, Vietnam)
4. Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick-Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
5. Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks-Forrest Gump)
6. Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley MacLaine-Steel Magnolias)
7. Shreck (Mike Myers-Shreck)
8. Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin-Princess Bride)
9. Todd Wilkinson a.k.a. Vinnie Antonelli (Steve Martin-My Blue Heaven)
10. Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss-Matrix)
Another meme, another day with nothin' much to say....not that that's always a bad thing. These memes make me think about who I am sometimes. Not this time though.
The subject of this five for Friday is the local band scene. Since it is Friday a.k.a. date night, it's time to think about going out to one of the summer festivals and see your favorite local band. Name your five local faves.
1. The Chadwicks
2. The Barbees
3. Mt. Olive
4. Exhibit A
5. Boxkar
The subject of this five for Friday is the local band scene. Since it is Friday a.k.a. date night, it's time to think about going out to one of the summer festivals and see your favorite local band. Name your five local faves.
1. The Chadwicks
2. The Barbees
3. Mt. Olive
4. Exhibit A
5. Boxkar
Ken Lay died today and all I can think of is that after death I wish he could come back. I wish he could come back so he can tell everyone what hell is really like. And he has to be in hell because I cannot think of anyone anymore deserving. One might argue that the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer might be more deserving but I beg to differ. Ken Lay had no reason but greed for his actions. Not that I am making excuses for a mass murderer but I think they are equally deserving of eternity in hell.
Here he was, after his conviction, living it up on a ski vacation. This is after he robbed investors and employees of everything they put into the company and after he lied and cheated his way through a trial where the jurors saw through the fake veneer. Lay defended his personal spending, including a $200,000 yacht for Linda Lay's birthday party in early 2001, despite $100 million in personal debt. He told jurors it was "difficult to turn off that lifestyle like a spigot." When I read that quote in the newspaper all I could think of was what about the lifestyle of all the lives this man destroyed? Did he even care? So many people had their lives taken from them. So it was hard to tell by his arrogant and irresponsible actions that he gave a shit about anyone but himself.
Skilling is next. Hopefully he won’t die too soon. A life of rotting in jail before he meets his eternity in hell is the kind of suffering both deserved. But one of them ending up in the slammer is still justice.
Here he was, after his conviction, living it up on a ski vacation. This is after he robbed investors and employees of everything they put into the company and after he lied and cheated his way through a trial where the jurors saw through the fake veneer. Lay defended his personal spending, including a $200,000 yacht for Linda Lay's birthday party in early 2001, despite $100 million in personal debt. He told jurors it was "difficult to turn off that lifestyle like a spigot." When I read that quote in the newspaper all I could think of was what about the lifestyle of all the lives this man destroyed? Did he even care? So many people had their lives taken from them. So it was hard to tell by his arrogant and irresponsible actions that he gave a shit about anyone but himself.
Skilling is next. Hopefully he won’t die too soon. A life of rotting in jail before he meets his eternity in hell is the kind of suffering both deserved. But one of them ending up in the slammer is still justice.
Today was the first day of my new job. Somehow I had visions of new beginnings, hoopla, pomp and circumstance. The reality was a half-staffed office, absences due to yesterday being Independence Day, with those of us remaining still recovering from too much sunshine, alcoholic beverages, and lack of sleep from hearing firecrackers go off late into the night.
I don't know why I thought things would be different, that I would be different. There I was, muddling through some new information but feeling like nothing had really changed from the week before. Some moments I feel lost and afraid I won't be good enough at others I feel like this is going to be a piece of cake. I know I need to relax and give it time but I'm wondering if I made the right decision. I hate self-doubt. It's so repressing and counter-productive. Arrrgh!
I don't know why I thought things would be different, that I would be different. There I was, muddling through some new information but feeling like nothing had really changed from the week before. Some moments I feel lost and afraid I won't be good enough at others I feel like this is going to be a piece of cake. I know I need to relax and give it time but I'm wondering if I made the right decision. I hate self-doubt. It's so repressing and counter-productive. Arrrgh!
The mornings of patriotic holidays, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veteran’s Day have been consumed by a new routine – the Parade. We used to start every holiday morning whether it was Memorial Day or New Year’s Day with a special breakfast that consisted of Blintzes and Orange Julius. Since the kids got older we’ve pared that down to a few less holiday mornings. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have even gone by the wayside with a preferred Sunday morning brunch at the Packing House instead of spending the entire morning cooking blintzes.
Jeff’s patriotism is commendable and I am as proud of his military service as he is. He sets a high standard when it comes to duty and country and his knowledge of proper military etiquette is vast. Since our HOG chapter is always invited to appear in parades, we gladly participate. Jeff prepped his Harley with special flagpole holders that are mounted on the bike. He can ride with 3’ x 5’ flags on each side and miniature versions mounted on the back. He makes sure we have enough hard, individually wrapped candy to throw to the kids in the crowd. The American flag will always fly in its proper position, on the right side of the bike; the real question is which one will get to appear to the left. He has a Navy flag and a POW flag. Since we did Rolling Thunder this year, the POW flag got the honors for the 4th of July parade today. I’m certain that as the years pass, his collection of flags will grow from the experiences that we have.
So Jeff polishes his bike the night before, preps his flags, and packs them in the bike for the morning’s events. We dress in our proper patriotic/Harley gear, pour our coffee in travel mugs and off we go. We meet as a group at the Harley dealership then head out to line up for the parade. We spend more time waiting for the parade to start than the actual ride from the beginning to the end. I try to make the candy hold out till the very end, but that’s difficult. No matter how much we have, there is never enough. When we hit the end of the parade route, we just take off for home. Some of the group meets for breakfast at their favorite group spot. We just prefer home.
After making our own homemade breakfast and a second pot of coffee, we spend the day enjoying all the amenities of our own backyard. Between the deck chairs, lounge chairs, pool, and hot tub, there is plenty to enjoy. And the view is fantastic. As the day moved along, we decided to barbecue at home. BJ and his girlfriend decided to hang out too. It was a nice afternoon without much hoopla. As day turned to night we decided to avoid the crowds of the fireworks. We had no need to leave home (since the parade) all day so why ruin it now. We could see some of the fireworks from the park by looking east anyway and that was enough for us.
Every holiday could be like today and that would be just fine with me.
Jeff’s patriotism is commendable and I am as proud of his military service as he is. He sets a high standard when it comes to duty and country and his knowledge of proper military etiquette is vast. Since our HOG chapter is always invited to appear in parades, we gladly participate. Jeff prepped his Harley with special flagpole holders that are mounted on the bike. He can ride with 3’ x 5’ flags on each side and miniature versions mounted on the back. He makes sure we have enough hard, individually wrapped candy to throw to the kids in the crowd. The American flag will always fly in its proper position, on the right side of the bike; the real question is which one will get to appear to the left. He has a Navy flag and a POW flag. Since we did Rolling Thunder this year, the POW flag got the honors for the 4th of July parade today. I’m certain that as the years pass, his collection of flags will grow from the experiences that we have.
So Jeff polishes his bike the night before, preps his flags, and packs them in the bike for the morning’s events. We dress in our proper patriotic/Harley gear, pour our coffee in travel mugs and off we go. We meet as a group at the Harley dealership then head out to line up for the parade. We spend more time waiting for the parade to start than the actual ride from the beginning to the end. I try to make the candy hold out till the very end, but that’s difficult. No matter how much we have, there is never enough. When we hit the end of the parade route, we just take off for home. Some of the group meets for breakfast at their favorite group spot. We just prefer home.
After making our own homemade breakfast and a second pot of coffee, we spend the day enjoying all the amenities of our own backyard. Between the deck chairs, lounge chairs, pool, and hot tub, there is plenty to enjoy. And the view is fantastic. As the day moved along, we decided to barbecue at home. BJ and his girlfriend decided to hang out too. It was a nice afternoon without much hoopla. As day turned to night we decided to avoid the crowds of the fireworks. We had no need to leave home (since the parade) all day so why ruin it now. We could see some of the fireworks from the park by looking east anyway and that was enough for us.
Every holiday could be like today and that would be just fine with me.
The night before last I had the strangest dream. It was really more like a nightmare. It took place in what I envisioned to be the worst section of Racine. Although I've never actually seen the bad part of the town, in my imagination it looked like a smaller version of Cabrini Green. One might wonder how a middle-class white girl knows of Cabrini Green and the explanation is that I followed half-assed directions to get to the museums of Chicago. Even that isn't the whole story. I knew long before that that we were on the wrong route but when traveling with men and since real men will not stop for directions, we were taken to Cabrini Green by the time he took the hint and turned around to go back in the opposite direction. This was before the days of GPS and Mapquest to help guide us on our trips so we listened to an untrustworthy source, a family member who never really gets things right, so it wasn't a smart move on our part.
This dream had some strange elements, there were teenagers walking in small groups of three and four through the courtyard of a burnt out tenement carrying and waving guns. They were as nonchalant as someone handling a cell phone. It was as if it was a natural accessory to their everyday life. Another element of the dream was that I had a co-worker with me. His name is Pat and he is a very large guy. So large that his knees are bad from carrying the extra weight on his frame. He never takes the stairs at work and if we go out for lunch or an after work party he drives there instead of walking like the rest of us.
So Pat and I were stuck in the middle of these kids in this bad neighborhood and we had to get out. The area was very dark where you could hardly see since most lights were blown out from vandalism or just lack of care. We knew we were in trouble and we had to run. Pat and I did run and Pat was keeping up. We could hear the gun-toting kids behind us but we felt like we were getting away. It was a good feeling, one of hope that we would survive without getting shot. Up ahead we could see street lights and we knew we would be much safer near a busy street so the light ahead was another sign of hope.
All of a sudden the roads turned into hills. It was as if everything was dug up and mounds of dirt and gravel were piled as it is wherever you see road construction. But unlike most roads where the mounds are just piled on the side of the road, this was like rows and rows of mounds so we had to run up one and down the other side, run up the next and back down until we cross them all. The problem was that there didn't seem to be an end to the many, many mounds. But we could see the light up ahead and the normal sounds of city traffic and people moving about. This was where Pat started to struggle; his legs couldn't bear the constant climb and descent over the mounds of unsettled dirt. The extra weight he carried made the gravel less stable causing him to often slip. And we could hear the kids gaining on us.
Now I knew I had to make a tough decision. I could stay with Pat and try to get us both to safety or I could leave him behind and take off on my own, saving my own ass. This is the moment I woke up. I sat up remembering every element of the dream as if it were real. It left me feeing confused, wondering how the dream would have ended and what decision I would have made. It made me feel sad that I would have even considered leaving someone else, let alone someone who is a wonderful person behind to save myself.
The dream nagged at me all morning. During the course of the day I went about my usual business, did some laundry, picked up some groceries, prepared for a trip to Jeff's cousin's house for a visit. Jeff's cousin lives in West Bend so the ride was an hour long and we took the motorcycle so it was a relaxing and scenic. When I'm on the back of his bike I become a captive audience which is ok. I can either get lost in the scenery of the ride or get lost in my own thoughts, or sometimes both. On this ride I started thinking about my new job. After the long weekend, I would be starting in a new department with a new group of people and the more I considered the decision I had made the more terrified I became. I don't really know what I was afraid of, failure, lack of acceptance, not liking the work, there were so many considerations. At that moment I remembered the dream. And it was like an epiphany. I feared leaving my old job behind. I had made some wonderful relationships wit co-workers, many whom I would now call friends. There was a connection between leaving Pat behind in the dream and the real-life version of leaving him and all the others I worked with behind.
It was like I had solved some little portion of the mystery of life, and the correlation between the dream and my circumstances had become perfectly clear. The dream was clearly an analogy of the feelings I was having about changing jobs. Now the question has become would I really leave them all behind and move on with a new group of people as if I had never got to know and like them? Would they continue to include me in their social activities? Maybe they won't want to include me after a while, and maybe I won't want to attend and decide to put the last four years behind me. I doubt either of these things will occur and only time will tell how things will turn out. One thing I do know for sure, these were some of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege to work with and I will never forget the time I had spent with them.
This dream had some strange elements, there were teenagers walking in small groups of three and four through the courtyard of a burnt out tenement carrying and waving guns. They were as nonchalant as someone handling a cell phone. It was as if it was a natural accessory to their everyday life. Another element of the dream was that I had a co-worker with me. His name is Pat and he is a very large guy. So large that his knees are bad from carrying the extra weight on his frame. He never takes the stairs at work and if we go out for lunch or an after work party he drives there instead of walking like the rest of us.
So Pat and I were stuck in the middle of these kids in this bad neighborhood and we had to get out. The area was very dark where you could hardly see since most lights were blown out from vandalism or just lack of care. We knew we were in trouble and we had to run. Pat and I did run and Pat was keeping up. We could hear the gun-toting kids behind us but we felt like we were getting away. It was a good feeling, one of hope that we would survive without getting shot. Up ahead we could see street lights and we knew we would be much safer near a busy street so the light ahead was another sign of hope.
All of a sudden the roads turned into hills. It was as if everything was dug up and mounds of dirt and gravel were piled as it is wherever you see road construction. But unlike most roads where the mounds are just piled on the side of the road, this was like rows and rows of mounds so we had to run up one and down the other side, run up the next and back down until we cross them all. The problem was that there didn't seem to be an end to the many, many mounds. But we could see the light up ahead and the normal sounds of city traffic and people moving about. This was where Pat started to struggle; his legs couldn't bear the constant climb and descent over the mounds of unsettled dirt. The extra weight he carried made the gravel less stable causing him to often slip. And we could hear the kids gaining on us.
Now I knew I had to make a tough decision. I could stay with Pat and try to get us both to safety or I could leave him behind and take off on my own, saving my own ass. This is the moment I woke up. I sat up remembering every element of the dream as if it were real. It left me feeing confused, wondering how the dream would have ended and what decision I would have made. It made me feel sad that I would have even considered leaving someone else, let alone someone who is a wonderful person behind to save myself.
The dream nagged at me all morning. During the course of the day I went about my usual business, did some laundry, picked up some groceries, prepared for a trip to Jeff's cousin's house for a visit. Jeff's cousin lives in West Bend so the ride was an hour long and we took the motorcycle so it was a relaxing and scenic. When I'm on the back of his bike I become a captive audience which is ok. I can either get lost in the scenery of the ride or get lost in my own thoughts, or sometimes both. On this ride I started thinking about my new job. After the long weekend, I would be starting in a new department with a new group of people and the more I considered the decision I had made the more terrified I became. I don't really know what I was afraid of, failure, lack of acceptance, not liking the work, there were so many considerations. At that moment I remembered the dream. And it was like an epiphany. I feared leaving my old job behind. I had made some wonderful relationships wit co-workers, many whom I would now call friends. There was a connection between leaving Pat behind in the dream and the real-life version of leaving him and all the others I worked with behind.
It was like I had solved some little portion of the mystery of life, and the correlation between the dream and my circumstances had become perfectly clear. The dream was clearly an analogy of the feelings I was having about changing jobs. Now the question has become would I really leave them all behind and move on with a new group of people as if I had never got to know and like them? Would they continue to include me in their social activities? Maybe they won't want to include me after a while, and maybe I won't want to attend and decide to put the last four years behind me. I doubt either of these things will occur and only time will tell how things will turn out. One thing I do know for sure, these were some of the nicest people I have ever had the privilege to work with and I will never forget the time I had spent with them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
- Follow Us on Twitter!
- "Join Us on Facebook!
- RSS
Contact