Let's talk about the things I like. This is a pretty difficult topic overall. You try listing things in life you like. Not only that, I have a no addiction policy. I don't do anything I couldn't give up tomorrow - the only exception is relationships (and that is still up in the air as to whether it should be on the list). This keeps me free from doing too much of anything. It also keeps me somewhat healthy.
So, where do we start? How about music? It'll probably take a bit. Music is a very large part of my existence. I sang before I spoke (You Light Up My Life - proof that I was an abused child. just kidding mom, but have you really listened to that? My mother played that song enough times that I began to sing it even though I COULDN'T YET FORM WORDS!!!! BTW, don't ask me to sing it. I don't like it, and it won't happen. I write this for your entertainment - not my abuse.) My grandmothers both enjoyed music, so they made sure I was familiarized with piano classics and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" when I was still small. My parents listened to Barry Manilow, and Kenny Rogers when I was a kid. I still know every word to the gambler, and Kenny has a special place in my memories. Barry, well, I could take it or leave it now.
As I developed my own tastes they became rather diversified. I could really listen to just about anyone by the time I graduated high school, and enjoy them.
Quick sidenote:
I sang all through elementary school and had a pretty promising future, I guess. I was in every play and performed well. Then, in middle school I wanted to continue drumming more than I wanted to continue singing. I had to basically make a choice. So, I gave up singing (probably a good idea since my voice would have changed there). When I reached high school, I took interest in this girl that was in the band. She paid me a bit of attention, and flirted enough that she easily convinced me to join the show choir. I did, didn't get the girl, but the music career went into high gear then. Two time All-State, scholarships, leads in plays, only band to perform at after prom party... it redefined my high school career - thanks Laurie... I think. I even went to college as a vocal music major.
While at college they figured out how to drain any enjoyment I may have had singing. It became vocal math, an unending drive to perfection that wasn't really a scenic trip. That's how I switched my major to theatre... and haven't performed since.
I half-jokingly say I'm retired, but there was an instructor in college who was exactly right. He said, "If you think you enjoy singing now, wait til you reach your early thirties." I'm not quite there yet, but already see what he's talking about. My range has actually increased, and breath support is much easier now. It really is amazing. This may bring me out of retirement some day, but it'll take a very good reason. I won't even sing karaoke because I know I'll only criticize my performance afterwards, whether I did well or not. It just doesn't seem worth the self torment. If you want to hear me sing (most of my closest friends haven't), think of a good enough reason with enough time in advance, and I'm sure I could theoretically accommodate. Guess we'll have to see.
I guess that brings us to right now. What do I like?
Right now, I'm listening to Dainbramage on iTunes. It's a Modern Rock station. I was in the mood. I also listen to HitzRadio, and MakRadio, both top 40 stations. I listen to some jazz stations, mostly smooth jazz, and an Ambient station called Magnatune. iTunes, I blasted you at first, but you've quickly become my favorite.
As far as artists...
I just bought the Maroon 5 cd, and I really Love it. Top to bottom very good. I also like other bands for being good top to bottom... 3 Doors Down, Train and Linkin Park. I like a fair amount of rap/hip hop. Twista seems to come to the front of my head, his track with Sting (Stolen Car) should be heard by everyone, if only for the appreciation of speed. Norah Jones is great, I also listen to as much Andy Narrell as I can find because I helped make drums for him in college (more on that later). He's an amazingly good pan (steel drum) player. Blue Man Group. and Stomp! are great too.
Can't forget a couple others. Garth Brooks, great, but don't listen a lot anymore (some people with warped vision think I look like him - minus the Stetson). The Tony Rich Project... awesome. Bubba Sparxxx, nice job on the last album.
Favorite song of all time?
Barenaked Ladies... One Week. Is there a song that is any more fun than that one in existence?
Movies
Rounders comes to mind. I Loved watching the thought process throughout. Fight Club, great script. Seven, same reason as well as The Sixth Sense. Super Troopers (Do not, I repeat do NOT watch Club Dread!!!! It should only be viewed if you've been captured by a sadistic secret society that has forced you too.) and Old School, they could be two of the funniest movies I've ever seen along with Bad Boys 2.
TV
Don't watch it, but I'll take a stab. Penn and Teller's Bullsh*t! is good. CSI, everyone likes it. I like to cook, a lot, so I enjoy watching Alton Brown on Good Eats. Emeril, and Bobby Flay, now I just need a good set of knives and I'll be able to cook just like them. lol
Lately, I only watch sports. which leads me to the next part.
Sports
There is only one team that I will not miss under any circumstances (I say that, but it's only to look tough, lol. If I have to work or whatever, I work.). WVU's football team. I am a big fan. If you've never been to a college football game, it's different than any sporting event than you've ever been too. My friends, who aren't even WVU fans, Love going to games, most, more than pro games.
Behind them comes the Redskins, I can't wait to see what Gibbs does, but I think I'm one of the few people who would have liked to have seen what Steve Spurrier could have done in a few years.
I'm a Lakers fan. Next year should be interesting. They'll be okay with Kobe at the healm, but I can't imagine dominance. Shaq was a big problem. If he put forth the effort he'll put forth going to Miami, they'd have never lost in L.A. (BTW, my feelings on the Bryant case... touchy subject. I think he had sex with her, it got out of hand, and he should have stopped where he was. I do, however, believe it was consensual in the beginning. He's still guilty of a few things, and it's sad to see someone with so much potential tarnish his impeccable reputation. It's worse to see that he possibly ruined some poor girl's life. I say possibly, because there is still a slim possibility that she's gold digging, but I doubt it.)
Like the Cubs, but haven't watched them in a while. Same way with the Penguins. Tony Stewart if you're going to press me for NASCAR, but that was only cause I read an article about him when he was a rookie about how he'd blast Metallica in his car if he could have a stereo - even though I don't like Metallica, I just liked his attitude.
Here's a weird one... favorite sports owner, Mark Cuban (http://www.blogmaverick.com) he's brilliant, and so is his blog.
Internet
Home page, http://www.fark.com, the best site ever. It's hilarious, and informative. It's normally all the news I need to know. Other news... http://news.google.com, http://www.usatoday.com. Daily reads... http://artsandlettersdaily.com, http://www.askmen.com, http://www.espn.com, Xbox news from http://www.teamxbox.com, and my new favorite web site, just because it's a really cool concept and the prices are really good is http://www.woot.com. I found it through a neat tech blog named http://www.engadget.com
Console
Simple -Xbox. Xbox Live is amazing, wonderful technology.
Car
Nissan 350Z, don't have one, but if someone's buying... I'd like it in Silver.
Books
That's another tough one. The 48 Laws of Power comes to mind as an amazingly good read. Don't read too much into the title. I saw an article on it in USAToday and decided to check it out. I didn't regret it. Dale Carnegie's stuff is amazing. Doug Hall's Jump Start Your Brain is absolutely perfect. Tony Robbins seems to have his finger on the "change your life pulse" as does Mark Victor Hansen. Zig Ziglar is an amazing salesperson who's adored worlwide, an amazing feat for a salesperson. lol. His autobiography, Zig, was really very good. Fiction: John Saul, and Dean Koontz are both good, but I don't read much fiction.
What am I reading right now? Ordinary People Extraordinary Wealth, Ric Edelman, (pretty neat), Zig's Secrets of Closing the Sale (it'll change your perspective on the sales profession), and Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide, Gillian Butler, and Tony Hope. However, I'm lucky that The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown is allowing me to write. It's been tough to put down since page one. The pacing is amazing in it.
Comedians
Eddie Izzard. I never thought I'd laugh that hard at a transvestite, but he proved me wrong. He could be the most intelligent comedian out there. I don't know that he'd accept that as a compliment. He'd probably say something like, "Well, ... you don't hear anyone saying that he's the funniest quantum theorist I've ever met. Bloody hell, that just makes no sense." lol
Ron white has taken his place near the top too. His routine about having his dog studded out, I'm grinning just thinking about it.
Most Influential Teacher
Harold Surratt. He's been in several movies and I can nearly guarantee you've seen him in at least one. They are just bit parts, but who cares? Let me tell you why he's amazing. I attended his acting class every day in the semester I had it in college, so did everyone else - even though it was an 8 am class. He was great, and he taught us mostly improv, but what he taught me was much more.
Harold is black. That's relevant, but only at the end of the story. Disclaimer: I am not nor will ever be anywhere near racist.
One morning in Harold's class we have to give a speech. We're to be an "expert" on something. I was sitting there watching everyone else go, trying to decide just what I was going to be an "expert" of. One person drank Diet Coke all the time - she was an expert on that. One had performed ballet all her life - she was an expert on ballet. Another, tap dancing - expert on tap dancing, knew Phantom of the Opera inside and out - expert, etc. etc. etc.
I didn't want to do anything I was really an expert on, so it took me time to come up with it, but I finally did - Pocket Lint. It would be perfect. I could make up whatever I didn't know. Then when my required 2 minute Q&A session came I'd make that up too. This was going to be so much fun... and it was.
3 minutes blazed by. I told them everything they wanted to "know" about pocket lint. I had changed my voice to sound like something out of Monty Python, and they were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down their faces.
Then came the question and answer session. "Which is better, pocket or dryer lint?", "Where does belly button lint come from, and what relationship does it have with pocket lint?", "Are specific colors of pocket lint better than others?".... They were all great questions which I answered with enthusiastic "facts". Then Harold raised his hand. The questions were easy so far, I just made everything up. I was going to do the same to him. I had this in the bag... can't rattle me now... "What is your name?"
That may seem like a simple question, but as soon as I went to answer I caught myself. I can't be me. I am not an expert on pocket lint. Yes, I could rationalize that there was somebody else in the world, with the same name as mine, that was an expert on pocket lint, but that wasn't the point of the exercise.
My name? What kind of question is that? Come on, everyone else had easy ones. You can't ask me that one. What's my name?
"Consuelo."
Don't ask me where it came from. I don't know, but it was not only right - it was hilarious.
I made it through the tough question. The rest would be easy more "product info" questions which I breezed through. Then, something completely unexpected happened.
Harold raised his hand again.
He can't ask me another question. He only asked everyone else one. Why do I get two? It doesn't matter. I already got the hardest question, this one will probably be about pocket lint...
"Where are you from?"
Once again, a deceptively simple question. I couldn't originate from where I was really from because that person, "Consuelo", didn't live there, and we all knew it.
Oh come on! This isn't even fair anymore. Everyone else gets the easy questions. I get the tough ones. I can't even believe this. I thought he would appreciate this, but man, he's not making it easy on me at all here.
"East Africa."
I know where that one came from. Harold was laughing so hard by this time that he told me to sit down early. He was literally rolling on the floor, as were several others. I was doing everything to keep a straight face, but it wasn't working well at all.
"Sit down, sit down." Through gut wrenching laughter. "I can't take any more.", as he wiped tears from his eyes.
I sat there through the rest of the class. I was proud of my work, but this thought kept running through my head. I didn't mean anything by the "East Africa" remark, but he was the only black guy in the room. He really could have taken offense to that, and in no way shape or form did I want him to feel that way. So, after class, I went up to him.
"Harold, I just wanted you to know. The comment, um about uh 'East Africa', well I just wanted you to know - I didn't mean anything at all by that..." to which he cut me off immediately.
"Bill," he said, "you were in the moment. There you were, up in front of everyone and they were asking you everything. You answered them all. I threw you a curve. You took one look at me and you did exactly what you were supposed to do... it was perfect. Please, don't think anything of it, I didn't."
...I did, but not because I was worried about having offended him. I have thought about it a lot in my life because he showed a certain level of unexpected tolerance that I respect so much to this day.
Harold once asked me if I ever thought about going into comedy. I honestly hadn't, but he had a way of making you believe that you could... if you just wanted too. He could make you think that you could be John Wayne, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Brannagh, Clint Eastwood, Frank Sinatra, Lawrence Olivier, and Richard Pryor all wrapped into one, if you just believed.
Thank you Harold. I can't wait to see you again wherever you may be.
Food
I like Asian cuisines, doesn't matter where from. Don't like sushi. Italian is good, Manicotti, Lasagna, Spaghetti - it has to be home made sauce otherwise, no. Love seafood. My grandfather owns a cattle farm, so I like good steaks (who doesn't), but nine times out of ten I don't have a very memorable steak at a restaurant. Applebee's - coconut shrimp... mmmmm. There is a heaven. Speaking of heaven... tiramisu. If you've never had it, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go find some. Might I recommend Puglioni's in Morgantown, the first place I ever tried it.
My cooking specialty... probably pork chops stuffed with a blue cheese stuffing. It's very good, but I rarely get to make it.
That should take care of you getting to know me better, glad you stuck it out til the end. I'm sure I could have thought of more, but it's getting late. Anything else you want to know... post to comments. Take care.
Mo
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