Sunday, January 31, 2010

formspring.me

Who was the best teacher you've ever had?

Probably Mrs. San McLeod, my high school Accelerated English teacher. AE was my school's gifted program, and whether the designation was valid or not, Mrs. McLeod definitely opened my mind to a lot of new thoughts, ideas and avenues of interest. She encouraged my writing, my interest in philosophy, and to be honest my square peg-ness. I've also got fond memories of Mrs. Marilynn Clark (first grade), Mrs. Velma Ferguson (fifth grade), Mr. Sam Tucker (ninth grade) and college instructors Dr. Larry Armstrong, Dr. Julian Pleasants and, even though it'll give him the big head, Dr. William McKeen. All of them encouraged me to be me, and that always meant a lot.

Of course, special consideration must go to my favorite teachers: Momma and Aunt Diane.

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formspring.me

What was your favorite band you were in?

Hard to say. Every band I've been in, except for the last one (country/party band with a bunch of guys out in Bogart, GA, wherein I was just filling a space before the Big Move) ended on sort of a sour note. Therefore, all have a tinge of melancholy when I think about them. Sort of like my ex-girlfriends, frankly. I enjoyed the good times but the irritations make me glad we went separate ways. The only difference is I'm still friends with everyone I played with, which is nice.

Musically speaking, however, it has to be "The Big Lebowski" thing we (Scotty, Tom, Charlie, Fester, Diego, and me) did for Halloween '09. There were, of course, major headaches involved with that, but we tore it up.

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

formspring.me

What was the best job you've ever had?

Prep cook at The Grill. I came in whenever I felt like it, left whenever I got done, could be in as alternated a state as I wanted to be, could listen to whatever music I wanted to, could slip away for an hour and read if I wanted to, didn't have to deal with anyone, and absolutely no stress. I'm almost ashamed at how easy to please I am, frankly.

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formspring.me

If the sun refused to shine, would you still be loving me?

More than likely. Thank you.

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formspring.me

If your house was on fire and you could only grab three things, what would they be?

My external hard drive with all my music on it, my bass guitar because it's actually Jenn's, and my book bag which has enough odds and ends in it to do me for a couple days.

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formspring.me

What was your favorite TV show as a child?

"Doctor Who". Some things never change.

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formspring.me

Do you believe in angels?

Nope, though the actual Biblical angels are pretty neat. Look them up, the thrones and principalities and whatnot. Cherubim have four faces, four hands, four wings and cloven wings for feet, and they're vicious bastards. Sunday school should've been a lot more interesting than it was.

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formspring.me

If you won a million dollars what would you do with it?

I wouldn't work for as long as it held out. Given my frugal lifestyle and lack of expensive interests, I bet I could get at least a decade out of it.

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formspring.me

What was the worst place you've traveled to?

Dothan, AL. When I lived in Gainesville, trips home would take me through Dothan and it was usually the halfway point. Something bad always happended. Either my car would break down or someone would rear-end me or I got pulled over. Unpleasant little town with far too many strip malls, as well.

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formspring.me

Why is it impossible to hate bacon?

Because it's so delicious. Some questions in life are easily answered.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

formspring.me

Would you rather be a zombie or a mummy?

A mummy. At leas then, I'd get to rest a while.

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

formspring.me

If you were given a brand new yacht, what would you name it?

"Up for sale".

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formspring.me

What's the best place near you to get some ice cream?

I don't know, I just moved here. Anybody got any suggestions. Them that know me the best know I love me some ice cream.

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formspring.me

What do you think is the best way to defeat terrorism?

How're we defining "terrorism"? Are abortion doctor killers "terrorists"? How about anti-government militias and racist groups, are those terrorists? Or is the word reserved just for religious nutjobs who're wacky for the "wrong" deity? When the word's been used to describe elementary school teachers who disagree with Republican policies, then "defeating terrorism" doesn't really look like a promising prospect.

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formspring.me

Who was the best boss you've ever had?

Jeff Weinberg, though I've never really hung around a job when the management rubbed me the wrong way. Even the worst boss I had for any length of time - and I ain't naming names, so don't ask - I more felt sorry for him than actually disliked him. I've been lucky in that respect.

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Monday, January 25, 2010

formspring.me

What was your favorite book as a child?

The World Book Encyclopedia, 1983 edition. I assume "as a child" means preadolescence, and I never read traditional kids' books like "Goodnight Moon" or "Where The Wild Things Are". Matter of fact, I didn't read either of those until college when a girl I was fooling around with couldn't believe I'd never read either.

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formspring.me

What are you most excited about right now?

Absolutely nothing. I honestly don't remember the last time I was excited about anything, actually. Even the Big Move engendered no real feelings of excitement. It was more something to be done rather than something to get excited about.

Granted, when people asked me if I was excited about the move, I told 'em yes. However, that's because I've long since learned to not tell most people what I really feel because the vast bulk of them don't seem to be able to understand the way my mind works. To be fair, neither do I most of the time.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

formspring.me

What did you eat today?

A bowl of Corn Flakes and a turkey sandwich from Verti Mart. Very tasty.

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formspring.me

I miss your writing in Flagpole. Why do you not write for them anymore?

Partly because I no longer live in Athens, but mostly because I don't write at all anymore. Long story short, I got burnt out a few years ago and decided to just quit it all together before the process of writing became not just difficult but painful. If it's no fun and it's not necessary to keep home and hearth together, don't do it is my way of looking at things. I haven't had a change of heart or mind since then, so I don't write anymore.

Maybe someday, but I'll let it come on its own instead of forcing. I really doubt I'll ever do music criticism ever again, though.

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Monday, January 18, 2010

formspring.me

If you could change one thing that happened last year what would it be?

I can't think of anything. The only thing I really did was move to New Orleans, and that's still too new an experience to judge. Maybe I wouldn't have stayed in Athens as long as I did.

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formspring.me

Do you believe in ghosts?

I've seen no evidence that would allow me to accept the existence of life after death in any form. There is much in this world we cannot explain yet and humans are awfully good at seeing what they want to see. There might be ectoplasmic spirits tied to certain points in this world, but I've never been able to make the leap from speculation to solid belief. So, short answer: no.

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Friday, January 15, 2010

formspring.me

What was the best concert you went to?

Clarence Carter at the Morton Theatre in Athens in 2005 or Al Green at Music Midtown in '03.

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formspring.me

Were you a Michael Jackson fan?

Yes.

Ask me anything

Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.

 I signed up for this nonsense if anyone's interested. Basically, you, whoever you may be, can ask me questions anonymously and if I'm in the right mood, I'll answer them. So go nuts, all three of you.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Again, nature reminds us why we occasionally call it a "mother"

 You've undoubtedly heard by now about the massive earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday and the resulting damage caused to a country that's taken it on the chin ever since it ran off the slave-owning elite over two hundred years ago. If you can give, give. That's all I got.

Support Doctors Without Borders in Haiti

Saturday, January 2, 2010

The obligatory end-of-the-year ramble

 So, we're a day into 2010 and, of course, one needs to take stock at the year that was. Two-thousand-and-nine has come and gone, and the general conscencous is that is was a major bummer. Both the average Facebook friend and regularly read blogger is glad to see the back end of it.

 Me, I don't know one way or another. For the longest time, one year has been pretty much like the other to me. Some up, some down, I just try to plug on through one day after the next. New Year's Eve wasn't that big a deal, either. I worked until 1 a.m., and by the point the rest of New Orleans was too drunk for my blood. Then again, I've never been one to ring in the new year in any special way. We never did it growing up, and the last time I recall doing anything special was when 1999 turned into 2000 and I caught The Drive-By Truckers play the last show at the High Hat in Athens. Matter of fact, if you own Alabama Ass-Whuppin' you can hear me talking to Patterson during "The Avon Lady". But that's neither here nor there.

 Anyhow, 2009. Things changed, people left and the world turns on. I don't make New Year's Resolutions because, frankly, I don't believe the universe really gives that much a shit about the calender and, furthermore, since we all end up in the same place no matter what we do, life should be a never-ending journey of self-improvement in some form or fashion, no matter how minor. Even if it's just learning a new skill or learning something you didn't know previously, it's worth the effort.

 This time last year, I decided to shake myself out of the funk and rut I was in, continuing the efforts from the previous year. Then, I'd decided to give up my monastic existence and get something going romantically for the first time in four or five years. That, of course, failed miserably. Seeing how that wasn't working and, in fact, making me more unhappy than I'd ever been in my life, I figured something not quite as impossible was in order. The question of what exactly was still hovering in the air, and I briefly considered going back to school for a Master's of Library Science degree. I didn't really want to, mind, and still don't, but I needed something.

 Then in May, I went to New Orleans with Jaybee. She and I had kicked around the idea of visiting the Big Easy for as long as we'd known each other but had never been able to pull it together. I'd always loved the town but had never been able to spend more than a day or two there. After the visit, I knew I had found out the next path. I had something to do.

 So, here I am. First day into 2010 in New Orleans, and I have a place to live and a job I think is going to work out. I'm still surly and restless and prone to brood and can't figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do with my life, but at least I'm doing it in different surroundings. I've also decided what is the next path I want to take in my life. I'm going to learn how to dance. It's about time, I think.

 One final thought concerning this brave new year. We're now ten years into the 21st century. Where in sam hell are our flying cars and lunar colonies? Seriously. I sometimes wonder if we're not sucking up all our scientific fuel on making sure middle-aged men feel good about themselves.