I apologize to my handful of readers that I didn’t have a Monday Mumbles or Top 5 Tuesday this week. It’s been hectic with the holiday and then busy at work the past 2 days. I covered state girls golf the last 2 days and I’m finally in the office today.
Here are my mumbles for the week.
1. This day is taking FOREVER!!
2. Feels like I haven’t been at work in almost a week. I was in the office for about 30 minutes Tuesday before going to state golf. Then I was here for a couple hours in the morning yesterday, then off to golf. Feels weird to be in the office for a long time today.
3. My gf and I went out to the local lake on Memorial Day for a little bit. We put our feet in the water, but mostly went to check it out and get out of the house. It’s a nice lil lake with a beach/playground area and plenty of fishing spots.
4. My dad and 2 younger sisters visited Friday night thru Sunday morning. On Saturday, we drove an hour to Iowa City - spent about an hour there. Then drove 1.5 hours to Dyersville to see the “Field of Dreams” movie site. We played catch, played an inning of a softball game and then took pictures. Then drove 2 hours back home. Long day but fun times :)
5. My older sister and her 2 sons might come up this weekend. I hope they do. I miss seeing my nephews - crazy but fun lil guys!
6. Saw the movie “Battleship” last week. It’s awesome! They incorporate old WWII sailors and the famous USS Missouri into the movie. I advise any old or current Navy guys to check it out or anyone who loves action movies.
7. We now have Wifi and cable at the house. Looooooove it!! Since I don’t get great AT&T reception at my house, my iPhone was soooo slow or didn’t work at times. Not anymore - works soooooo fast!!!
8. The local girls golf team finished fourth out of 8 teams at state. They were 1 shot from 3rd. Two of the girls placed 4th and 5th individually so very cool to cover a good golf team. Only problem, they lose 5 seniors of the 7 girls on the team. However, the 4th place girl is a sophomore.
9. Congrats to the Baldwin High track teams. Both both & girls finished 2nd at state. Awesome job Bulldogs! They won 5 events combined.
10. I really missed being at the state meet in Wichita. It was tough not to go down and watch but too long of a drive and family was coming to visit. I still root for the Bulldogs - they are my alma mater and I covered them for 7 years after college. I’m here in Iowa but my heart will remain in Baldwin.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
30 for 30 goals
Sadly, I turn 30 years old next month. It's actually in a couple weeks, YIKES!! For my 30th birthday, I'm going to make a year-long list of 30 things I really want and could accomplish before I turn 31. However, I am having troubles coming up with 30 things. I like most, if not all, to be something new that I've never done or a really good challenge. Also, I'd like most of them to be free or cheap, not travel everywhere b/c that won't happen.
I need help coming up with ideas. Please suggest some for me!
Here are 10 ideas I have so far:
1. Run the Warrior Dash
2. Visit New York City
3. Read 3 classic books
4. Score 200 or better in a game of bowling
5. Shoot under 100 for an 18-hole round of golf
6. Run a marathon
7. Watch an NCAA Tournament basketball game live
8. Attend an NFL game
9. Complete three puzzles of 500 or more pieces
10. Try a new recipe
I need help coming up with ideas. Please suggest some for me!
Here are 10 ideas I have so far:
1. Run the Warrior Dash
2. Visit New York City
3. Read 3 classic books
4. Score 200 or better in a game of bowling
5. Shoot under 100 for an 18-hole round of golf
6. Run a marathon
7. Watch an NCAA Tournament basketball game live
8. Attend an NFL game
9. Complete three puzzles of 500 or more pieces
10. Try a new recipe
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Top Five Tuesday: Holidays
With Memorial Day coming Monday, I thought I’d take a lighter approach to my Top 5 this week. Here are my Top 5 Favorite Holidays:
5. Labor Day — To me, it’s the official start to fall. Football is here, but it’s still warm enough to enjoy a last bit of summer with a 3-day weekend.
4. Memorial Day — It’s a very special day for many people. A chance to remember loved ones and honor them with flowers at the cemetery. Also a chance to spend time with family and/or friends - maybe a cookout or boating. It’s also kind of the official start to summer.
3. Thanksgiving — Turkey for me, Turkey for you, everybody loves Turkey! Gotta love spending time with family and enjoying lots of food and football. It also has become the start to Christmas shopping season with the dreaded “Black Friday” the day after. But I’ll enjoy my full belly before any shopping!
2. Independence Day — This was a close 2nd. I love spending the day with lots of family and some friends blowing stuff up, swimming and more food than should be consumed in a day. Constant snacking and fireworks. I’ll get to enjoy it without any work this year for the first time in years. Too bad, you can’t shoot or buy fireworks in Iowa :(
1. Christmas — I mean, c’mon, how can this not be #1? Santa, presents, snow, family, holiday cheer and the Christmas songs!!! I’ve always loved Christmas as a kid and now as an adult. Yeah, I’ll be honest, it’s nice to receive presents, but it’s more fun watching others open gifts from you, especially nieces and nephews or parents. It’s a lot of family time around Christmas but I enjoy it. Plus I’m a sucker for the songs and houses decorated with lights. The movies like Rudolph, Frosty and Christmas Vacation are classics. I just love it all :)
5. Labor Day — To me, it’s the official start to fall. Football is here, but it’s still warm enough to enjoy a last bit of summer with a 3-day weekend.
4. Memorial Day — It’s a very special day for many people. A chance to remember loved ones and honor them with flowers at the cemetery. Also a chance to spend time with family and/or friends - maybe a cookout or boating. It’s also kind of the official start to summer.
3. Thanksgiving — Turkey for me, Turkey for you, everybody loves Turkey! Gotta love spending time with family and enjoying lots of food and football. It also has become the start to Christmas shopping season with the dreaded “Black Friday” the day after. But I’ll enjoy my full belly before any shopping!
2. Independence Day — This was a close 2nd. I love spending the day with lots of family and some friends blowing stuff up, swimming and more food than should be consumed in a day. Constant snacking and fireworks. I’ll get to enjoy it without any work this year for the first time in years. Too bad, you can’t shoot or buy fireworks in Iowa :(
1. Christmas — I mean, c’mon, how can this not be #1? Santa, presents, snow, family, holiday cheer and the Christmas songs!!! I’ve always loved Christmas as a kid and now as an adult. Yeah, I’ll be honest, it’s nice to receive presents, but it’s more fun watching others open gifts from you, especially nieces and nephews or parents. It’s a lot of family time around Christmas but I enjoy it. Plus I’m a sucker for the songs and houses decorated with lights. The movies like Rudolph, Frosty and Christmas Vacation are classics. I just love it all :)
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday Mumbles
My weekly afternoon mumbles. Here ya go.
1. It’s been a busy day already. Got to work at 8 and worked hard to finish the paper, which we did around 12:45. I worked till about 2 last night, so I’m tired, but I have a baseball game to cover tonight.
2. My nickname should be the Energizer Bunny, b/c I keep going and going and going. I don't often get wiped out, despite a few hours of sleep and busy day after busy day. I did that that Thursday-Saturday and I will most of this week.
3. We normally paginate on Mondays and Wednesdays. Next Monday is Memorial Day (yay! for paid vacation), but that pushes our deadline to Friday at noon, yikes! So we are putting together 3 papers this week and 1 of them won’t come out till next Wednesday. Makes no sense but it’s what we have to do.
4. My gf and I went cosmic bowling on Saturday night. It’s $10 for shoes and all you can bowl from 9:30 pm till 12:30 am at the local bowling alley. I bowled about 4-5 games, she bowled lil over 2 b/c it hurts her wrist, which she broke years ago.
5. We decided it would be fun to make that a weekly or more likely every-other-week tradition. It’s fairly cheap and fun.
6. I spent much of Saturday in Des Moines at the state track meet. I was also there Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 3-4 pm each day. I love track and it’s fun watching kids in a new state. Always impressive what some of the high school kids can do.
7. We made brownies last night....mmmmmmmm :)
8. My gf found out she is working both days this weekend :( but the store is just opening, so she has no choice.
9. It’s really no good b/c we are having visitors this weekend. My dad and two younger sisters are coming up for about 2 days. It should be fun, but not sure what we are going to do.
10. Did I mention, the first visitors are coming? woot!!!!!! Also a good friend might be coming here Wednesday to visit and another 1 or 2 in a few weeks.
Have a good week and check back tomorrow for the Top 5 Holidays.
1. It’s been a busy day already. Got to work at 8 and worked hard to finish the paper, which we did around 12:45. I worked till about 2 last night, so I’m tired, but I have a baseball game to cover tonight.
2. My nickname should be the Energizer Bunny, b/c I keep going and going and going. I don't often get wiped out, despite a few hours of sleep and busy day after busy day. I did that that Thursday-Saturday and I will most of this week.
3. We normally paginate on Mondays and Wednesdays. Next Monday is Memorial Day (yay! for paid vacation), but that pushes our deadline to Friday at noon, yikes! So we are putting together 3 papers this week and 1 of them won’t come out till next Wednesday. Makes no sense but it’s what we have to do.
4. My gf and I went cosmic bowling on Saturday night. It’s $10 for shoes and all you can bowl from 9:30 pm till 12:30 am at the local bowling alley. I bowled about 4-5 games, she bowled lil over 2 b/c it hurts her wrist, which she broke years ago.
5. We decided it would be fun to make that a weekly or more likely every-other-week tradition. It’s fairly cheap and fun.
6. I spent much of Saturday in Des Moines at the state track meet. I was also there Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 3-4 pm each day. I love track and it’s fun watching kids in a new state. Always impressive what some of the high school kids can do.
7. We made brownies last night....mmmmmmmm :)
8. My gf found out she is working both days this weekend :( but the store is just opening, so she has no choice.
9. It’s really no good b/c we are having visitors this weekend. My dad and two younger sisters are coming up for about 2 days. It should be fun, but not sure what we are going to do.
10. Did I mention, the first visitors are coming? woot!!!!!! Also a good friend might be coming here Wednesday to visit and another 1 or 2 in a few weeks.
Have a good week and check back tomorrow for the Top 5 Holidays.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Top 5 Tuesday: Mario mania
I’m venturing into the world of video games today for my weekly Top 5 List. I’ve been an owner or sibling of an owner of the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, GameCube and Wii, so I’ve played my fair share of Nintendo games. Of course, those include everyone’s favorite Italian plumber — Mario!
He’s been featured in dozens, if not more than 100 games over the last 25 or so years. We all know which ones are really good and popular, but here are my Top 5 Mario games:
Honorable mention:
Super Mario Bros. 2 - it’s like Mario on an acid trip and very different from the other Mario games, but had it’s memorable moments and characters - Birdo;
Donkey Kong - it was Mario’s debut, but not technically as Mario, but well all know it was him jumping barrels and climbing ladders;
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - set in Beijing - the two rivals and their friends come together for an Olympic competition - good fun and way better than the new one set in London;
Super Mario Bros Wii - it’s similar to the original game, with new stuff added in, but you can play up to 4 players simultaneously - madness! It’s a chance for us to regain our childhood but with friends in a wild game of Mario.
5. Mario Golf (N64) — This one may be controversial and a bit unknown for most people, but those who have played it will understand. It was a fun, entertaining way to play golf — as Mario, Luigi or other Super Mario characters like Bowser. You could push buttons and make noise while your friends were swinging. A true classic that I played for many hours.
4. Super Mario Bros. (NES) — Yep, the original game that boosted Mario into fame and captured our hearts is only #4. We still love the game and its sound effect and graphics. Nothing more exciting than climbing stairs, leaping for faith, clinging to a large flag pole and then running inside an abandoned looking castle - only to move on to the next level. Love it!
3. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) — Some might argue the original is better, but for me, I loved the ability to take the leaf and fly. We learned Bowser has a handful of children, whom we had to defeat world by world. This game took the original and made it newer and better. It’s still tough trying to match up the head, body and feet of the mushroom, flower and star in that bonus game.
2. Super Mario World (SNES) — We’ve now taken a jump to the Super Nintendo. One reason this one is higher than the previous 2 — Yoshi. Who doesn’t love the green dinosaur, who can turn into other colors later in the game. He could fly with you and eat almost anything, while protecting you. New baddies were created for this one. I spent many, many hours in junior high and some in high school playing this game. I’ve even played it a couple years ago - never gets old - especially with Star Road.
1. Super Mario Kart (SNES) — Hard to argue this isn’t the best. It’s not the traditional Mario game, but it took racing games to a whole new level and entertainment for everyone. We learned about Rainbow Road and Ghost Valley. Some might even argue the later games are better, but having played those, I beg to differ. The original game let talent win outright. There was no computer assistance - hence my good friend, who nearly perfected some levels, could almost lap me, even if I took 2nd place. Red Koopa shells and Stars were the best! Ahhhhh, the good ole days! I’d say the Wii version is the next best version, but can’t beat the classic!
He’s been featured in dozens, if not more than 100 games over the last 25 or so years. We all know which ones are really good and popular, but here are my Top 5 Mario games:
Honorable mention:
Super Mario Bros. 2 - it’s like Mario on an acid trip and very different from the other Mario games, but had it’s memorable moments and characters - Birdo;
Donkey Kong - it was Mario’s debut, but not technically as Mario, but well all know it was him jumping barrels and climbing ladders;
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - set in Beijing - the two rivals and their friends come together for an Olympic competition - good fun and way better than the new one set in London;
Super Mario Bros Wii - it’s similar to the original game, with new stuff added in, but you can play up to 4 players simultaneously - madness! It’s a chance for us to regain our childhood but with friends in a wild game of Mario.
5. Mario Golf (N64) — This one may be controversial and a bit unknown for most people, but those who have played it will understand. It was a fun, entertaining way to play golf — as Mario, Luigi or other Super Mario characters like Bowser. You could push buttons and make noise while your friends were swinging. A true classic that I played for many hours.
4. Super Mario Bros. (NES) — Yep, the original game that boosted Mario into fame and captured our hearts is only #4. We still love the game and its sound effect and graphics. Nothing more exciting than climbing stairs, leaping for faith, clinging to a large flag pole and then running inside an abandoned looking castle - only to move on to the next level. Love it!
3. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) — Some might argue the original is better, but for me, I loved the ability to take the leaf and fly. We learned Bowser has a handful of children, whom we had to defeat world by world. This game took the original and made it newer and better. It’s still tough trying to match up the head, body and feet of the mushroom, flower and star in that bonus game.
2. Super Mario World (SNES) — We’ve now taken a jump to the Super Nintendo. One reason this one is higher than the previous 2 — Yoshi. Who doesn’t love the green dinosaur, who can turn into other colors later in the game. He could fly with you and eat almost anything, while protecting you. New baddies were created for this one. I spent many, many hours in junior high and some in high school playing this game. I’ve even played it a couple years ago - never gets old - especially with Star Road.
1. Super Mario Kart (SNES) — Hard to argue this isn’t the best. It’s not the traditional Mario game, but it took racing games to a whole new level and entertainment for everyone. We learned about Rainbow Road and Ghost Valley. Some might even argue the later games are better, but having played those, I beg to differ. The original game let talent win outright. There was no computer assistance - hence my good friend, who nearly perfected some levels, could almost lap me, even if I took 2nd place. Red Koopa shells and Stars were the best! Ahhhhh, the good ole days! I’d say the Wii version is the next best version, but can’t beat the classic!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Monday Mumbles
It’s Monday afternoon and I have plenty of information to mumble about, some good, some frustrating.
Let’s start with the good first.
1. My girlfriend officially moved in yesterday. So, yep it’s official and it’s going well so far :) We both know it’s a big step, but we are both ready and both want to do this.
2. To celebrate (not really a celebration) we went to dinner at Applebees and shopped at the (devil) Walmart.
3. She had an interview at the local hardware store, which will be opening soon, this afternoon. It was a quick interview and she was offered a full-time job with good pay, woot! She goes in tomorrow morning for some training.
4. My dad and younger sisters might be coming to visit on Memorial Day weekend. I can tell my dad really wants to come visit, but can’t find a time to get anyone else to come with him. But Memorial Day weekend looks promising. I hope they visit :)
5. I start my summer league ultimate frisbee on Wednesday evening. Should be fun. I played a pick-up game last Wednesday and played well. I even “skied” a guy for a score. Short white boys can jump!!
6. Ok, the frustrating news. I had 2 emails today from people complaining about the sports coverage I do. Neither had valid complaint, but it urgs me!!
7. The first one — I assume from a parent or maybe grandparent of a boy golfer — mad about how I supposedly cover the best boy golfer too much. I run a lot of photos of him and the stories are all about him. The truth — I’ve run 2 photos of him in almost 2 months on the job and I’ve interviewed him once - a month ago. Last week’s story was about him because he was the league runner-up and the team finished 7th of 8 schools. I mentioned all of the varsity kids’ names and scores and it was a short article, so not all about the best kid.
8. Time to rant: I’m sorry to all parents or relatives that think their kid is the greatest athlete and should get more playing time or more coverage from the newspaper. Wake up people! I wasn’t that good at many sports. I became decent at running and had my name in the paper a few times, but I wasn’t the best kid so I didn’t get covered a lot - that’s life. My parents didn't complain - that I know about — and they wouldn’t. If you’re kid is the 3rd or 4th best on a bad team, feel good they got mentioned in the article at all, especially during a busy sports season. He or she may have played well, but if they aren’t producing results that people look for - the top 1 or 2 or 3 - then it’s not a big deal to the press. Sorry! The top kids get most of that coverage - people wanna read about who won or who came close, not the guy who placed 30th out of 40. Just be glad your kid got mentioned in the paper and if he or she is enjoying the sport, then be glad. Stop worrying about if a newspaper article is about him. Let me do my job and I won’t come down and tell you how to do your job better. I wish I could do that to many people, but it’s not my place.
9. Whew! That stuff fires me up, especially since I’ve been on the job 6 weeks. I had another email about the state youth bowling tourney that was in town the past 5 or 6 weekends. I went out and took pics, but it’s hard to get good ones in bowling and the kids never seemed excited to be there. Plus, it was kinda boring, but I did a bit of coverage. I haven’t had space to run the stuff yet, b/c I have 4 sports (boys and girls both, so 8 teams) playing at the high school, plus 4 jr. high teams right now. The bowling alley owner writes me asking why there was no article last week. I got the email a day after we finished our paper, but I’m going to do an article this week. I’m sorry but school district sports take precedence over youth bowling, any sports writer would agree.
10. Enough ranting, I feel better. I got a busy night of work and a busy week and weekend. Wish me luck!
Let’s start with the good first.
1. My girlfriend officially moved in yesterday. So, yep it’s official and it’s going well so far :) We both know it’s a big step, but we are both ready and both want to do this.
2. To celebrate (not really a celebration) we went to dinner at Applebees and shopped at the (devil) Walmart.
3. She had an interview at the local hardware store, which will be opening soon, this afternoon. It was a quick interview and she was offered a full-time job with good pay, woot! She goes in tomorrow morning for some training.
4. My dad and younger sisters might be coming to visit on Memorial Day weekend. I can tell my dad really wants to come visit, but can’t find a time to get anyone else to come with him. But Memorial Day weekend looks promising. I hope they visit :)
5. I start my summer league ultimate frisbee on Wednesday evening. Should be fun. I played a pick-up game last Wednesday and played well. I even “skied” a guy for a score. Short white boys can jump!!
6. Ok, the frustrating news. I had 2 emails today from people complaining about the sports coverage I do. Neither had valid complaint, but it urgs me!!
7. The first one — I assume from a parent or maybe grandparent of a boy golfer — mad about how I supposedly cover the best boy golfer too much. I run a lot of photos of him and the stories are all about him. The truth — I’ve run 2 photos of him in almost 2 months on the job and I’ve interviewed him once - a month ago. Last week’s story was about him because he was the league runner-up and the team finished 7th of 8 schools. I mentioned all of the varsity kids’ names and scores and it was a short article, so not all about the best kid.
8. Time to rant: I’m sorry to all parents or relatives that think their kid is the greatest athlete and should get more playing time or more coverage from the newspaper. Wake up people! I wasn’t that good at many sports. I became decent at running and had my name in the paper a few times, but I wasn’t the best kid so I didn’t get covered a lot - that’s life. My parents didn't complain - that I know about — and they wouldn’t. If you’re kid is the 3rd or 4th best on a bad team, feel good they got mentioned in the article at all, especially during a busy sports season. He or she may have played well, but if they aren’t producing results that people look for - the top 1 or 2 or 3 - then it’s not a big deal to the press. Sorry! The top kids get most of that coverage - people wanna read about who won or who came close, not the guy who placed 30th out of 40. Just be glad your kid got mentioned in the paper and if he or she is enjoying the sport, then be glad. Stop worrying about if a newspaper article is about him. Let me do my job and I won’t come down and tell you how to do your job better. I wish I could do that to many people, but it’s not my place.
9. Whew! That stuff fires me up, especially since I’ve been on the job 6 weeks. I had another email about the state youth bowling tourney that was in town the past 5 or 6 weekends. I went out and took pics, but it’s hard to get good ones in bowling and the kids never seemed excited to be there. Plus, it was kinda boring, but I did a bit of coverage. I haven’t had space to run the stuff yet, b/c I have 4 sports (boys and girls both, so 8 teams) playing at the high school, plus 4 jr. high teams right now. The bowling alley owner writes me asking why there was no article last week. I got the email a day after we finished our paper, but I’m going to do an article this week. I’m sorry but school district sports take precedence over youth bowling, any sports writer would agree.
10. Enough ranting, I feel better. I got a busy night of work and a busy week and weekend. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Wacky Weather Wednesday
A few hours after my girlfriend's college graduation last Friday,
I returned to my mom's hotel with her and my aunt.
We finished our lunch and returned to the hotel.
It was beginning to get partly cloudy, but 20 minutes later I go outside
as we are about to leave for the graduation party
and this is what I see:
I'm guessing 40-50 mph winds that about knocked me over!
Nasty looking clouds blew in quick!!
Not to mention, the dust storm blowing across the highway about 1/4 of a mile south of us. Craziness!
Needless to say, I went inside and people well yelling "Tornado Warning. There's a tornado a mile west of here." People were starting to panic. I calmly went upstairs, told my mom and aunt, we came downstairs and watched the weather on the TV. We were briefly in a tornado warning, then severe thunderstorm warning for 20 minutes. Then nothing. Blue skies :) about 40 minutes later.
Just another day of wacky weather in the midwest!!!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Top 5 Tuesday: AC/DC songs
Although, I have expanded my musical listenings, I’m still a huge fan of classic rock and always will be. It’s what I grew up listening to with my parents and I just love it, whether it’s rocking out with The Who or easy listening with Bob Seger or maybe air guitaring with ACDC. Plus, it’s fun to think or guess what certain songs are about. I may love them, but there are some songs that I have no clue what they are about.
For my Top 5 list today, I’ve chosen to resort to my classic rock heritage. Here are my Top 5 AC/DC songs of all-time:
Honorable mention:
“You shook me all night long” - classic dirty song and dance song
“Thunderstruck” - love the intro and it’s a great sports anthem
“Money talks” - Money talks, BS walks - love it. Another classic.
“Highway to Hell” - became my hometown karoake anthem
“Rock and Roll Train” - newer song but love it; love the rhythm and guitar
5. It’s a long way to the top — It’s one of their earlier songs and it’s about making it to the top in rock n’ roll. It’s got guitar, drums and bagpipes - what’s not to love? Also a sidenote I heard on the radio once is that lead singer Brian Johnson won’t sing it in concert out of honor for former lead singer Bon Scott, who originally sang the song.
4. Hells Bells — The sound of the 10 bells tolling in the beginning, followed up by powerful guitar riffs and you know what’s coming next — a pure rock song about surviving hurricane like weather! Yes, of course, there’s the whole Satan is coming for ya, but it’s a classic from the Back in Black album that you can always crank up!
3. T.N.T. — Something about chanting “oy, oy, oy” in a rock song that I love. This might not be one of their Top 5 songs, but on my list it is. It’s one of my favorites - from the simple guitar rhythm to the funny, gritty lyrics to the “oy, oy, oy” - it’s a great song and a fun one to crank up and belt in the car.
2. Back in Black — The signature AC/DC song from their famous 1980 album. It’s the first song Brian Johnson sang and he fit the part of the lead singer perfectly after Bon Scott (RIP) died. The guitar riffs are infamous, along with the screaming voice! It’s a song to honor Bon Scott and now it’s probably the most famous song by the band.
1. For those about to rock (We salute you) — Sound the cannons! It’s usually the final song at AC/DC concerts and when I saw them a couple years ago, it was awesome!! The song starts out slow but builds a bit of a tempo before the final 2-3 minutes. Then the cannons start firing and it rocks out. For those about to rock (fire) - boom! Love it, love it, love it!
It was very hard to make this list b/c I like all of these songs and many have a similar sound. But there it is, my list.
For my Top 5 list today, I’ve chosen to resort to my classic rock heritage. Here are my Top 5 AC/DC songs of all-time:
Honorable mention:
“You shook me all night long” - classic dirty song and dance song
“Thunderstruck” - love the intro and it’s a great sports anthem
“Money talks” - Money talks, BS walks - love it. Another classic.
“Highway to Hell” - became my hometown karoake anthem
“Rock and Roll Train” - newer song but love it; love the rhythm and guitar
5. It’s a long way to the top — It’s one of their earlier songs and it’s about making it to the top in rock n’ roll. It’s got guitar, drums and bagpipes - what’s not to love? Also a sidenote I heard on the radio once is that lead singer Brian Johnson won’t sing it in concert out of honor for former lead singer Bon Scott, who originally sang the song.
4. Hells Bells — The sound of the 10 bells tolling in the beginning, followed up by powerful guitar riffs and you know what’s coming next — a pure rock song about surviving hurricane like weather! Yes, of course, there’s the whole Satan is coming for ya, but it’s a classic from the Back in Black album that you can always crank up!
3. T.N.T. — Something about chanting “oy, oy, oy” in a rock song that I love. This might not be one of their Top 5 songs, but on my list it is. It’s one of my favorites - from the simple guitar rhythm to the funny, gritty lyrics to the “oy, oy, oy” - it’s a great song and a fun one to crank up and belt in the car.
2. Back in Black — The signature AC/DC song from their famous 1980 album. It’s the first song Brian Johnson sang and he fit the part of the lead singer perfectly after Bon Scott (RIP) died. The guitar riffs are infamous, along with the screaming voice! It’s a song to honor Bon Scott and now it’s probably the most famous song by the band.
1. For those about to rock (We salute you) — Sound the cannons! It’s usually the final song at AC/DC concerts and when I saw them a couple years ago, it was awesome!! The song starts out slow but builds a bit of a tempo before the final 2-3 minutes. Then the cannons start firing and it rocks out. For those about to rock (fire) - boom! Love it, love it, love it!
It was very hard to make this list b/c I like all of these songs and many have a similar sound. But there it is, my list.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Monday Mumbles
I’ve neglected my blog for almost a week (I have a good reason) and now my Mumbles are quite late. For all 3-5 people that read this, here are my thoughts today:
1. I just got back from covering girls golf for almost 3 hours. It was the league meet and the South Tama High team won the team title, while a pair of sisters took 1st and 2nd - they’re from South Tama. It’s been a fun team to cover (always helps when you win!).
2. I left Thursday afternoon for NW Iowa. My girlfriend graduated from college on Friday morning. It was a 4.5 hour drive from here.
3. I saw her family, plus my mom and aunt came up for the ceremony. It was fun to see her family and hang out with them again. The last time was Thanksgiving.
4. On Thursday night, I went with my gf and 2 of her sisters to see the Avengers at midnight (technically the beginning of Friday). It was AWESOME!!!! Possibly the best Superhero movie I’ve ever seen. Loved the action with the humor and plot - sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet movie :)
5. I might go see it again, hehe!
6. I didn’t return home until last night. Short on sleep and after a long drive, I was pooped out. I sat on my couch and almost fell asleep at 8:30.
7. However, I drank a Dr. Pepper and got my 2nd wind. It’s a blessing and a curse - my ability to be tired, but not wipe out, just get my 2nd or 3rd wind and be awake for several more hours.
8. I should be pretty busy Thursday through Saturday with work. It’s a busy time of the year for sports, woot! I will be covering track, soccer, tennis and golf - boys and girls of a couple of those.
9. I might have my 1st visitor soon. My dad wants to come up - maybe this weekend or in the near future. My mom also wants to visit - maybe in a couple weeks. We’ll see who’s the first weekend visitor.
10. Not sure what my Top 5 Tuesday will be yet. Any ideas?
1. I just got back from covering girls golf for almost 3 hours. It was the league meet and the South Tama High team won the team title, while a pair of sisters took 1st and 2nd - they’re from South Tama. It’s been a fun team to cover (always helps when you win!).
2. I left Thursday afternoon for NW Iowa. My girlfriend graduated from college on Friday morning. It was a 4.5 hour drive from here.
3. I saw her family, plus my mom and aunt came up for the ceremony. It was fun to see her family and hang out with them again. The last time was Thanksgiving.
4. On Thursday night, I went with my gf and 2 of her sisters to see the Avengers at midnight (technically the beginning of Friday). It was AWESOME!!!! Possibly the best Superhero movie I’ve ever seen. Loved the action with the humor and plot - sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet movie :)
5. I might go see it again, hehe!
6. I didn’t return home until last night. Short on sleep and after a long drive, I was pooped out. I sat on my couch and almost fell asleep at 8:30.
7. However, I drank a Dr. Pepper and got my 2nd wind. It’s a blessing and a curse - my ability to be tired, but not wipe out, just get my 2nd or 3rd wind and be awake for several more hours.
8. I should be pretty busy Thursday through Saturday with work. It’s a busy time of the year for sports, woot! I will be covering track, soccer, tennis and golf - boys and girls of a couple of those.
9. I might have my 1st visitor soon. My dad wants to come up - maybe this weekend or in the near future. My mom also wants to visit - maybe in a couple weeks. We’ll see who’s the first weekend visitor.
10. Not sure what my Top 5 Tuesday will be yet. Any ideas?
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Top 5 Tuesday: Trilogy time
This week’s “Top 5” stays on the movie beat, b/c it’s something most people can talk/argue about and I’ve watched a lot of movies since moving to Iowa - lots of time alone in the evenings does that to a man.
During the past 2 years, I created a movie trilogy/series bracket (very similar to the NCAA basketball bracket) and had my Facebook friends vote on the pairings. It’s been fun to watch, though disappointing at times, but my friends voted for the better one most of the time. However, I never voted unless it was to break a tie.
Now it’s my turn.
I expect some disagreement with my list. I’ve thought about this for a few days and this is what I’ve come up with, so please comment and discuss.
Honorable Mention: The Godfather - I’ve never sat down and actually watched them, plus I’ve heard the 3rd one is bad; Spider-Man - I enjoy the movies, but they weren’t top 5 worthy; Die Hard 1-3 - also a great trilogy and love them, but there is a 4th and the 2nd one wasn’t that great; Hannibal Lecter - Silence of the Lambs is incredible, but the others weren’t up to par; Matrix - another great 1st one but trailed off with #2 and #3; Indiana Jones - it pains me not to have this on the list, but there is a 4th and it’s awful, I considered having 1-3 on there but I chose not to cheat the list, otherwise it would be up there.
5. Bourne - This action-filled trilogy starts when he forgets who he is and finishes the way it should - with him returning to the place it began and getting revenge on those who hunted him. The fast-paced action sequences are awesome, but you also begin to see and feel a softer, human side of Jason Bourne throughout the trilogy.
4. Back to the Future - 1.21 gigiwatts, 88 mph and poof! We’re off into time travel. Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly was one of the best movie characters from the 80s and maybe of all-time. This trilogy has enough action, humor and suspense to keep you watching. They travel back in time, to the future and then further back in time. Plus, the Delorean is a sweet looking car, though it didn’t last long.
3. Toy Story - Here is my first big surprise of the list. Some of you might argue this isn’t better than the 2 previous or some on the honorable mention list, but wait a second. People of all ages love these movies and they make us all want to be a kid again. Although the 3rd movie jumps way ahead in time, it might be the best one. All 3 are very good movies - none of them drop off in quality. The actors voices are perfect for the roles. It just makes you wonder, what do our toys do when we aren’t there?
2. Star Wars original trilogy - OK, another shocker. Many of you expected this to be first. It was a hard choice to make. The original trilogy, NOT THE NEW TRILOGY - YUCK!!, had to be 1st or 2nd. Star Wars are the movies that people will be talking about forever. We love Jedis, light sabers, the force, Chewbacca, R2D2 and Darth Vader’s Imperial March music. The movies are still huge 35 years after the 1st one came out in theater. It was nearly a coin-flip decision for 1st-2nd, but Star Wars might be the best #2 on any of my lists.
1. Lord of the Rings - While many of you might be mad about Star Wars taking #2, you can’t argue that LOTR isn’t a worthy #1. It’s hard to distinguish which trilogy is better, because both are epic and captured a generation or generations’ hearts. I gave the nod to LOTR for a couple reasons. First, the movies were filmed back-to-back and they don’t skip time in between movies. It’s one very long journey from the beginning of the Fellowship to the end of Return of the King. Second, the story touches your heart. The story by J.R.R. Tolkien is incredible and the fight of good vs. evil is epitomized throughout this long journey. Third, the graphics and detail in the movies is 2nd to none. Now, I know Star Wars was filmed long ago and those graphics are great for the time. Maybe it’s newer generation in me, but the graphics played a small role in this decision. Lastly, Orc or Urukhai scare me much more than Stormtroopers haha!
So there’s the list. I know the top 2 will be debated and argued, but this is my list. What would be on your Top 5 movie trilogies?
During the past 2 years, I created a movie trilogy/series bracket (very similar to the NCAA basketball bracket) and had my Facebook friends vote on the pairings. It’s been fun to watch, though disappointing at times, but my friends voted for the better one most of the time. However, I never voted unless it was to break a tie.
Now it’s my turn.
I expect some disagreement with my list. I’ve thought about this for a few days and this is what I’ve come up with, so please comment and discuss.
Honorable Mention: The Godfather - I’ve never sat down and actually watched them, plus I’ve heard the 3rd one is bad; Spider-Man - I enjoy the movies, but they weren’t top 5 worthy; Die Hard 1-3 - also a great trilogy and love them, but there is a 4th and the 2nd one wasn’t that great; Hannibal Lecter - Silence of the Lambs is incredible, but the others weren’t up to par; Matrix - another great 1st one but trailed off with #2 and #3; Indiana Jones - it pains me not to have this on the list, but there is a 4th and it’s awful, I considered having 1-3 on there but I chose not to cheat the list, otherwise it would be up there.
5. Bourne - This action-filled trilogy starts when he forgets who he is and finishes the way it should - with him returning to the place it began and getting revenge on those who hunted him. The fast-paced action sequences are awesome, but you also begin to see and feel a softer, human side of Jason Bourne throughout the trilogy.
4. Back to the Future - 1.21 gigiwatts, 88 mph and poof! We’re off into time travel. Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly was one of the best movie characters from the 80s and maybe of all-time. This trilogy has enough action, humor and suspense to keep you watching. They travel back in time, to the future and then further back in time. Plus, the Delorean is a sweet looking car, though it didn’t last long.
3. Toy Story - Here is my first big surprise of the list. Some of you might argue this isn’t better than the 2 previous or some on the honorable mention list, but wait a second. People of all ages love these movies and they make us all want to be a kid again. Although the 3rd movie jumps way ahead in time, it might be the best one. All 3 are very good movies - none of them drop off in quality. The actors voices are perfect for the roles. It just makes you wonder, what do our toys do when we aren’t there?
2. Star Wars original trilogy - OK, another shocker. Many of you expected this to be first. It was a hard choice to make. The original trilogy, NOT THE NEW TRILOGY - YUCK!!, had to be 1st or 2nd. Star Wars are the movies that people will be talking about forever. We love Jedis, light sabers, the force, Chewbacca, R2D2 and Darth Vader’s Imperial March music. The movies are still huge 35 years after the 1st one came out in theater. It was nearly a coin-flip decision for 1st-2nd, but Star Wars might be the best #2 on any of my lists.
1. Lord of the Rings - While many of you might be mad about Star Wars taking #2, you can’t argue that LOTR isn’t a worthy #1. It’s hard to distinguish which trilogy is better, because both are epic and captured a generation or generations’ hearts. I gave the nod to LOTR for a couple reasons. First, the movies were filmed back-to-back and they don’t skip time in between movies. It’s one very long journey from the beginning of the Fellowship to the end of Return of the King. Second, the story touches your heart. The story by J.R.R. Tolkien is incredible and the fight of good vs. evil is epitomized throughout this long journey. Third, the graphics and detail in the movies is 2nd to none. Now, I know Star Wars was filmed long ago and those graphics are great for the time. Maybe it’s newer generation in me, but the graphics played a small role in this decision. Lastly, Orc or Urukhai scare me much more than Stormtroopers haha!
So there’s the list. I know the top 2 will be debated and argued, but this is my list. What would be on your Top 5 movie trilogies?
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