Top Ten: My Quotable Movies

So, I am taking up mamacita’s challenge. Here are my most quoted movies. It is a pretty revealing list. In my defense, these are movies I watched a lot in high school and college and kind of became common reference points among my group of friends. I think only two or three would not fit into that category. So, here we go:

1. Raising Arizona “You ate SAND?”; “I don’t know. Maybe it was Utah”, and the entire movie. My vote for most quotable move ever made.
2. Better Off Dead “Gee, I’m sorry your mom blew up, Ricky”
3. Wet Hot American Summer “So that’s where my priorities are right now. Sex. Specifically with Andy and not with you.”
4. Star Wars “I used to bullseye womp rats with my T-16 back home…they’re no bigger than 2 meters.”
5. Rushmore “O, my God! I wrote a hit play!”
6. Real Genius “So, you’ll hammer later.”
7. Office Space “I wouldn’t say I’ve been missing it, Bob”
8. War Games “I’d piss on a spark plug if I thought it’d do any good!”
9. Blues Brothers “Pier One Imports. They got everything.”, “We’re on a mission from God!”
10. Airplane “Joey, have you ever been to a Turkish prison?”

I did not include any movies by John Hughes because it is just plain embarrassing how many lines I know from Pretty in Pink.

Things That Make Me Happy: An Abecedary

Because I am not feeling original, I am going to steal borrow this idea from another blog. Plus, I want to see if I can match one of my likes to every letter of the Alphabet. So, away I go:

• Austin, TX
• Bluegrass
• Cholula hot sauce
  
• Don Quixote
• Extra Innings
• Fans (the kind with blades not rooters)
• Gadgets
• Hummingbirds
• Irish Spring
  
• Job
• Kayaking (only done twice but I love it!)
• Lost
• Mandolins
• National League Games (w/o the DH there just isn’t as much strategy)
• Offspring (Jonah and Toby not the band)
• Playing catch
  
• Quizno’s
• Robert Caro’s Years of Lyndon Johnson
• Spouse
• Timbuk2 Bags
• Uncle Tupelo
  
• Vans
• Woodpeckers
• Xavier De Maistre’s Journey Around My Room
• Yo La Tengo
• Z – the letter. I love to write Zs and 7s and cross them

Damn, that was hard! I started while waiting for my hotel room, got frustrated, and put the computer away. I then tried again after I got back from the baseball game. I must have spent an hour after that trying to come up with these and I am not sure that Z is not a cop out…although I do get happy when taking notes or keeping score and I get to write a Z or a 7.

“‘My Favorite Things’…

…is playing again and again. But it’s by Julie Andrews and not by John Coltrane.”

I realize that material things should not be valued too highly. But I also realize there are some things I own that I really like. While they do not give meaning to my life, they make a little more happy. So, I thought I would list some of my favorite things.

1. Leatherman Juice S2 - I love this little tool. It is somewhere between the useless keychain size tool and the industrial size ones that strap to your belt. Though a bit large, I carry this on my keychain. It has every tool I need, whether I am opening those grey book bins, building a book truck, or cutting those annoying ties that surround and secure every boxed toy made in the past few years. Bonus: it is burnt orange; Hook ‘em!

   

2. Sony SRF-M97 Radio Walkman – This little radio is a dream. It is roughly the size of a pack of Wrigley’s. It has a cool reverse LED display. The tuning is digital–a big plus. And, a hold switch. Ergonomically speaking, it is one of the best designed products I have owned. I love to take this to baseball games. The AM reception is fantastic. I can hear Milo crystal clear. With the clip, I just attach it to my shirt, pull out my scorecard, and enjoy the hell out of myself. Plus, it is great for listening to game while I run (This is an assumption as this was why I purchased it but have not yet worked up to the running part).
3. Cherokee Plaid Shirts from Target - These shirts comprise my primary non-work wardrobe. (I realize that last sentence might imply I run around with just a plaid shirt and no pants; I do usually wear some pants with the shirts). I must own twenty or so. I love the pocketed shirt because I can carry whatever gadget is my latest obsession easily. Plus, at under ten bucks, I really could care less if I tear them or–more likely–spill something on them. God Bless Target!

   

4. Creative Labs Stone MP3 Player – Just bought this today but am already digging it thoroughly. They got everything right that Apple got wrong with their shuffle. First, this unit allows you to skip folders to get to the folder you want. I organize mine by artist and can move to who I want to hear. Second, in non-shuffle mode, the Shuffle plays in whatever order the songs were added; this can’t be changed unless you remove and reload songs. On the Stone, they are put in alphabetical order by folder name, which makes locating songs much easier. Third,I am so glad that Creative (or anyone) finally realized we don’t need ten foot USB cables to connect PAD to computers; this comes with a two inch cable. Fourth, I hate, hate, hate, hate that iPod’s work only with one computer; you should be able to move your music between multiple computers. Finally, I paid thirty bucks for this thing as compared to the Shuffle’s $80 pricetag.

   

5. Sony ICD-SX46 – 128 MB Digital Voice Recorder - I can’t live without this little guy in my shirt pocket. It functions as my memory. Throughout the day, I am given projects, requests, ideas, suggestions, and asked questions. All of which require follow-up. This saves me. As soon as something comes up, I just make a short recording and put it back in my pocket. When I get to my office, the first thing I do is plug this in to the computer and listen to my recordings. Then, I follow up on the questions and complete requests. It helps me do my job well. Plus, it has three folders that I use for work, birding, and miscellaneous (e.g., ideas for blog, remembering parking spaces, books or music to check out). This is a true lifesaver.

6. Kangol 504 Argyle Stripe Ivy Cap – I have always been fond of the ivy cap. I have worn them since the late ’80s. At an early job they took to calling me Pip because my brother let them know that he called me “Pip the Newsboy” because of the hat. Another friend claimed my affinity for the hats was somehow tied to my fondness for Dickens; something orphanesque about the hat I presume. Of all my ivy caps, the 504 has the best fit. Plus, one of the downfalls of this type of hat is most are wool. The polyester knit of this particular cap is ideal for Houston’s ten months of summer.

 

By the way, if anyone can identify the quote that lead this posting off, you will win a free Parker Blotter Pen, one of my other favorite things.

Music T-Shirts: My Top Ten

The listing instinct is out of control! But, everyone makes lists of music and books. Here, I present to you a list of not just my favorite T-shirts but my favorite music-related Ts past and present. It just doesn’t get more riveting than this.

1. Purple REM shirt (Work Tour-1987) – This was from the work tour in 1987; I attended with brother Jeff, Matt Hammon, and Jeremy Gomez in my Dad’s barely running jeep. It was in the old Coliseum here in H-Town. A fun time was had by all. I loved that freakin’ shirt and sorely miss it.
2. Lyle Lovett “Ugly from the Front” shirt (1993) – I still have this one. It is a black T with the words “Lyle Lovett, the friend of a street savage, plays and sings just for you” on the front pocket area and “Ugly from the Front” on the back. In the early days of our courtship, L. begged me not to wear this on my first trip to VA to meet her friends and family. I–of course–wore it. This is also the oldest garment I currently own.
3. Poi Dog Pondering shirt (1989) - This one was really basic. It was a portion of the cover art for their self-titled 1989 release on Texas Hotel Records. Not sure where this one fell by the wayside either.
4. Antone’s shirt (1988) – I bought this one when I was learning to play guitar and discovered the blues (sort of–the actual discovery was the realization that the simple scales of the blues were the only thing I was good at). Anyway, I headed down to that Austin institution Antone’s and got a cool black shirt with the silhouette of a man playing an acoustic guitar. Very delta blues-y. Again, no idea what happened to this one.
5. Reivers shirt (1991) – This united the Reivers w/ singer John Croslin’s love of baseball. I actually found an image of this one. I also had a Reivers shirt that mimicked the Rangers logo and one from the “Pop Beloved” era that had an image of the giant yellow plastic thingy that was used to make 45s fit on a record player. Remember those?
6. Bloodshot Records T (2001) – This came free with the purchase of a Split Lip Rayfield CD from Cactus records. I loved it in its simplicity. It was just the Bloodshot logo on a white shirt. No idea where it went.
7. David Byrne – Uh-Oh Shirt (1992) – This was from the Oh-uh tour. It had a giant foot about to step on a piece of broken glass and the word “Uh-oh!” underneath it. Jeremy and I drove to Austin while living in Houston to see this show. That one is gone too.
8. Police – Ghost In the Machine Shirt (1984) – This was simply the album cover on a black shirt. Bought in a record store for $1 when I was 12. I wore it to death; it lasted into my 20s before I finally had to get rid of it.
9. Charlie Hunter Trio – Ready, Set, Shango (1995) - Another freebie that came with the Charlie Hunter disc of the same name. It had a hot rod on it and was muy comfortable. Though I was not a huge fan of that particular disc I was–and still am–a big fan of Hunter and his crazy 8 string guitar. No idea where this one went, either.
10. Waterloo Records (1988) - This was proof of my transformation to an Austinite when I moved there as a fifteen year old. I loved this shirt and the store. This was back before it moved to 5th Street; it was on the other side of Town Lake between Barton Springs and Riverside (Oh, how I miss Austin). It was the simple logo that was all over Austin at the time–on shirts and bumper stickers. It was the one that mimicked the tube stop signs in London. In fact when I went to London 12 years later I had to go to the Waterloo station and get a shot of the sign. Again, lost with the ages. However, very good news on this one. I know that on my last trip to Austin they still had these. I checked the Web site and sure enough they are still available and still a mere nine bucks. So, this list has a happy ending as I just ordered a new Waterloo T. Woo-hoo, I say!

The beauty of the list: you can do one about anything. Meaningless to most but interesting to me.