When I was a kid I owned one of those Fisher Price record players.


I would listen to EVERYTHING on that player. Sure there were lots of kids records but there was also music by Wilson Pickett and Elvis. I would play them so much I'd wear them out. I could not get enough of the great sounds.

I decided at about the age of 5 that I wanted to be the next Elvis. That's also about the time that I discovered rock music.

I remember we were on a vacation visiting my Uncle Don at his house on Whidbey Island off the Washington coast. He was playing music that I had never heard of before It was Break On Through by The Doors and it fast became my favorite song.

I also started watching MTV. I remember the first time my brother and I saw the Thriller video by Michael Jackson. We would wait all day for that video to come on. We went out and got the record and yup, we played it on that Fisher Price player.

For many people music is something they enjoy, the sounds that get pushed somewhere back in the background of life. Many pick one or two genres and they listen to just those without much experimentation. I could never do that. From an early age I had to listen to as much music as I possibly could. I know of course that I will never be able to listen to all of the recorded music out there but I sure as hell will try.

Music is in many ways my life source. It's how God speaks to me, it's how I really share my heart. For every life experience I have had there is a song that goes along with it.

I still remember the first time I heard Round Here by Counting Crows. That's really the song that did it for me, that's the song I heard that made me want to write songs of my own.

When my brother died I sang Stand By Me and I listened and sang When You Come Back To Me Again by Garth Brooks over and over again.

When I got married the first time I sang I'll Be by Edwin McCain.

As I got divorced I wore out the entire Letters CD by Butch Walker

When I met Corrie Like Red from a Rose played on a loop in my mind.

I could go on and on, every memory has a song. I hope as a musician myself that I can create a song that will someday become a part of someones memory.

There is no way that I could only write one single entry on music during my 100 things blogs. but I hope that this is a good introduction to my love affair with song.

mood: cheerful tags: 100 things

"Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me"
-Kermit

I can still remember it like yesterday. I can remember the days I spent being about 4 years old, before I started going to school, waiting around all morning for Sesame Street to come on. I was never a big Mr Rogers fan, 3-2-1 contact didn't hold my interest, yet these shows were on in the background as I played with toys and awaited that familiar song that we all know to come alive on the TV.

"Sunny days chasing the clouds away"

Whenever I would hear it I would come alive too, for a awkward kid who had a learning disability and didn't really have any friends the Muppets were a saving grace. THEY were my playdate THEY were all the friends I needed. Big Bird, Kermit, Ernie, Bert Oscar... this was the early 80's, well before Elmo became a craze.

I loved the Muppets

I owned Muppet books and records. I still remember the first time my parents took me to see Sesame Street live. I also remember when we finally got cable and HBO was going to start a new show called Fraggle Rock. I couldn't wait to watch it.

Whenever The Muppet Show was on, no matter what else was going on I HAD to watch it. Life HAD to stop and I had to spend time with the Muppets, who had brought me so much joy and taught me so much.

I really did want to be their friends. I even remember at 5 years old trying to call long distance to New York so that I could hopefully speak to Big Bird on the phone. I ran into a problem though cause I didn't understand the concept of time zones so I had called too late. My mom will still never let me live down that story.

I also remember the time I first learned that the Muppets weren't real, they were puppets that were built and manipulated by human actors called Muppeteers. That didn't detract my love for them though. I still loved every single thing they did. I memorized songs I watched movies.

Does anyone remember Emmit Otter's Jug band Christmas? I do.

Do you remember the first time you saw The Dark Crystal? I do.

The first Muppet Movie that I had the chance to see in the theater was The Muppets Take Manhattan. I remember the anticipation I felt the week before, my cousin Sherrie had promised to take us and she was good as her word. It's still one of my most favorite movie memories. That was the movie that Rizzo The Rat was introduced as a character. How were we to know that Steve Whitmore who performed Rizzo would be so very important to the legacy of The Muppets. You don't think about those types of things when you are a kid, you just love the show.

But I do remember the day that Jim died. It was the same day that Sammy Davis Jr died. I was 13 and devastated. I wondered just how The Muppets would survive, how the WORLD would survive. I had perfected a pretty good Kermit voice and almost felt like it would be up to me to travel to wherever CTW was so I could audition.... yes at 13

The Muppets became kind of a nostalgia to me after that. I still loved everything they did prior to Henson's death but I could not really get on board with much of what was going on with them since. Steve did a decent Kermit but there always seemed to be something missing. Some of the Muppet magic was gone. The new movies weren't the same.

I felt this way up until the latest Muppet movie came out. I don't know why but I knew that this movie was going to capture something that maybe had been lost in other stuff they were doing. I was right about that too. The Muppets, which is the title to the new film was the 2nd Muppet movie that I've seen in theaters. It was just as special to me as the first.

Jim Henson and Richard Hunt are gone, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson and now it seems even Carroll Spinney have all reduced their output. Dave Goelz is one of the few old school Muppet performers that is left. But he is joined by Steve, and Kevin Clash, and Eric Jacobsen and others who are continuing the Muppeet legacy so that they can do for kids today what they did for me back then.

I love The Muppets, they changed my life in ways I will always be grateful.

tags: 100 things

{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

So I believe I have my 100 Things idea. After giving it much thought I am going to write about 100 things that have changed my world. This leaves it pretty open I can write about people, events, music, bands, idea's, whatever. Should be an interesting journey for sure. Of course they will be in no particular order.

tags: 100 things, blogging, meme

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A couple folks have told me about the 100 things blog challenge and I am interested in doing it. But I am totally not sure what exactly I should blog 100 things about.

Faith?
Music?
My life?
Pop culture?

It's supposed to be a words thing not really an images thing. I would love some thoughts on what YOU would want to read. Yes I know that this blog is supposed to be about me and what I want to write about but I could use some thoughts to get me moving in a direction.

Perhaps I could answer 100 questions about myself? They could be a combination of questions I find and questions that various people(like you) ask

I could write posts about 100 lyric lines that move me?

100 regrets? 100 memories?

Thankfully I don't think I have 100 regrets.

Must think

mood: curious tags: 100 things, blogging, topic

Wow, yeah I don't post here anymore do I?
I admit that there are days that I think I should remedy that and then there are days that I wonder why I should bother LOL
Some of you follow me on FB some of you don't. A lot has happened most of it is good. Life's been in full swing and I have just been in the process of living it. There is a lot of 'work' that is going on internally. Perhaps it is time I revisit this journal and start using it as an outlet again.

It's interesting to find out what your wife really thinks about you and says to her friends about you when she doesn't know your reading anymore.

On a completely related note Passive aggressive people just make me sick.

Wow two posts from me on LJ look at me being all posty.

So I've written about Amelia before, anyone who has read this LJ is familiar with that entire story. We've not been together for ages but for a long time after the fact for whatever reason, it was important to me that we were friends. I dunno maybe it's because I didn't want to feel like a TOTAL failure when it came to that situation, but for reasons I don't understand I still kept in contact with her periodically. Being a facebooker I kept telling her we should connect there that way it'd be easy to keep in contact and in typical Amelia fasion she kept SAYING yeah that's be cool but she kept denying my friend requests. Long story short she hasn't changed. She lies as long as the day is long and continues to think that people should be ok with her being a spineless dishonest person. And then when I called her out on this she had the audacity to tell me I was playing games.

That's

funny

Well it's funny in a sad, pathetic ironic way.

This was back in September when this discourse happened, I haven't heard anything from her since. I've read a few of her self important twitter accounts about her weight loss surgery and her silly stand up career(which she hasn't had much of since most of her schtick was unfunny fat jokes directed at herself) But she's pretty much kept silent, and you know what's strange? I don't really care anymore. She is a toxic human being and, I've known this for a long time but, I really am better off without her. Believing anything that she ever said was the biggest mistake and regret I've ever had. Slowly but surely realizing that I truly don't need her? A priceless gift that I give to myself.

One last thought, Weight loss surgery does not make you beautiful person no more than being overweight makes you ugly. If you're ugly as Amelia is it shines all the way out from your soul and saturates everything about you. No class, no cosmetic, no surgery, no pill can change that.

I haven't updated this thing since my Birthday. I knew it had been awhile but I had no idea it had been that long. Life is good, busy as always. We leave for Spokane for Christmas this Thursday. I am looking forward to some much needed R and R. Also looking forward to seeing the nieces and nephews. Still working on my music I guess I just don't think much about updating this. Most of you I think are friends with me on Facebook. I'd prolly get rid of this if there weren't so many sentimental reasons tied into it. I met my wife here on LJ after all.
I hope everyone is well and everyone has an awesome Christmas

It's true, the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I am still here, still kickin. 33 years old and not showin any signs of stopping anytime soon. I had my party this last weekend and had a great turn out of friends. We all had a blast laughing and talking and doing some live band karaoke. Nothing that I'd rather do for my birthday.

I have to admit I was a little nervous about the party because of some back pain that I have been getting since last Monday. It was at times horrible and I had spent much of that week on a heating pad. I had a rib out of alignment and the pain made eating nearly unbearable. The body has a strange way of celebrating getting older. Though after an adjustment yesterday from my Doctor I am feeling pretty darn good today.

Tonight will be pretty low key, Corrie is gonna make a nice meal and we're just going to chill out. Will be getting together with family this coming Saturday for a BBQ. One of the many reasons I love living in Tucson, we can have a BBQ in November.

I hope all of you are having an awesome day as well. If you haven't done so early please make sure you get out and vote. I will be doing so after work tonight.