If I could only take one...

I lent The Wire Season 1 to a friend this week, and for some reason that got this question bouncing around in my head: If you could take just one ________ to a desert island for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

The Wire has cemented its place in my mind as a series that I feel totally comfortable recommending to people.  If they don't like it, well, that's a poor reflection on them and not the show.  But the question brings in the "re-" concept as in "re-watchability."

I love The Wire, but I've been through the series twice now and unless I was re-watching with a new viewer, it wouldn't be as re-watchable to me as, say Seinfeld is.  One reason would be that it rips your guts out emotionally while Seinfeld just makes you laugh over and over.  

With songs or albums, now you're debating the artist/song's ability to stay fresh in your mind vs. its ability to take you down memory lane.  For me ("for you, for me again"), I'd stick with freshness because there's nothing worse than making a playlist or CD and being sick of it after one week...imagine being stuck with it for the rest of your life.

Movies, it's a combination of the two.  You want the one that stays fresh and re-watchable so that you have familiarity along with being able to spot new things.

So the first category off the top of my head, this will be revisited with new categories or updates as I expand my mental library (right now I'm burying myself in Radiohead and am preparing for them to possibly overtake Coldplay in the desert island rankings...they haven't yet, but the potential is there.)

Music:

Band/Artist's Catalogue:  Have to go with Bob Dylan here.  It's vast, stays fresh, and I haven't even come close to hearing everything yet.  Ryan Adams may overtake him when it's all over though.

Song:  Don't Panic - Coldplay.  Whenever I think about a song that I never get tired of, there you go.  

(sub-category) Sad Song - Between the Bars - Elliot Smith

Happy Song - To Be Young - Ryan Adams (ironic, I know)

Album:  August and Everything After - Counting Crows.  Top to bottom, it's my favorite.  But I've never really been one to digest an entire album.  I skip songs and then make compilations with other stuff, so this is my least comfortable category. 

Another category another time...

 

New Top 5

This has come up a lot lately in conversation for one reason or another, so I got to thinking I should Top 5 it.

Top 5 80s TV theme songs:

1.  Cheers - simply the best

2. Miami Vice -  I used to think this was the coolest show ever and when the music would come on.  And then, my mom would dismiss me from the room because it was "inappropriate,"I would get so upset).  One other thing: when we picked out Easter suits, I wanted a white one and a teal t-shirt under it.

3.  Night Court - I know!  The show wasn't that great, but the theme song was really good.

4.  Growing Pains - this is always the first one anyone sings.  Mention the show to someone, and they will sing "Show me that smile again..." to you every time.

5.  Gummi Bears - nothing brought me more joy as a little kid than when I would hear this intro.  

Side note - in listening to it now, I think about the guy who was singing this in the studio.  He was probably a struggling musician of the 80s, trying to "make it."  Then, he got this "gig" and did the job well.  But I picture him listening to the playback with a room full of Disney execs congratulating themselves on a great kids show they've just made, and he's thinking, "Did I really just cut a song about bouncing bears and the secret of their Gummi Berry Juice?!"

-I'm going to require Dana to put her top 5 when she gets back from Nashville because she's so passionate about theme songs.  

Which songs did I miss? (I know about Family Ties, and the "sha-la la laaaaahh" was iconic, but it just didn't have enough to edge Gummi Bears)

   

Justice

No More Sports...?

"With any luck, the Celtics close out tonight"

-Kent Jackson before Game 6

I appreciate your sympathies, Lynn.  I would like to hear about Ben's magical jinxing power to see if it could trump my own bravado of "closing out tonight..." 

Ugh, what an idiot! 

Meanwhile, the TV in the Jackson household is about to endure a week of The Bachelorette, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Gossip Girl, 90210, and countless reruns of Gilmore Girls.  

I'm not asking for your pity.  Really, I'm not.  It's hard to complain when I've subjected Dana to so many sports over the last few months*, but I just don't think I've prepared yet for the monsoon of reality TV (or Gilmore Girls).

*Dana walked into the room the other night and said, "where are the Celtics' regular players?"  I replied, "They're all injured."  She said, "I meant Rondo, where's Rondo?"  I was happy with this as it compared favorably to when she asked, "The Celtics are playing the Magic?  don't they have J.J. Redick?"  How do you respond when your wife - who knows very little basketball - asks about a player like J.J. Redick?  I got all  aloof and called her out on her J.J. fandom...I hate that guy.

Anyway, the Celtics showed a lot of heart this year in the playoffs, but I say they quit in Game 7.  Yes, they were on their last legs and yes they had significant injuries, but I felt like they thought "Hey we have won so many Game 7s over the last two years, they'll just give us this one, right?"  Not so.  

The Magic is a team that I don't really have any feelings one way or the other about, so it's not that bitter a pill to swallow, definitely not as humiliating as the inevitable sweep against Cleveland would be this round.  I just wish they had kept it close to the last 5 minutes and pressured the Magic into collapsing like they've done a couple other times.  I was also hoping for another Rondo-riffic performance, but he played average.  But hopefully - and I said this last year too - he'll take the off season and study some tape and notice how far off of him defenders play, then work on a jump shot.  He would be unguardable.  

Since this is a goodbye to the Celtics, I must say that I knew they wouldn't repeat when Garnett was pronounced "done for the season."  But I was proud of their post-season and the games they won on sheer determination.  I mean, Scalabrine was playing 20 minutes a game?!  Big Baby hitting game winners?!  How am I complaining?!

Having said all that, my main criticism on Kobe is that he can't be Jordan when he allows his team to be eliminated by 20+ points (he's done this numerous times).  Well, no one is calling Pierce "Jordanesque," but he did allow his team to be beaten by 19 at home in a Game 7.  Maybe he was spent, whatever I don't care.  The last five minutes were terrible, luckily I can just watch last years highlights to try and forget it.  It wasn't all on him, but I expected more.  But oh well, good job, Magic! And good luck with LeBron next round...

(and speaking of Kobe, the Lakers going to Game 7 was a joke, Nuggets in 6).

Don't worry about my sports intake...I've still got the slumping Red Sox to watch (lost 2 of 3 to the stinking Mariners last weekend).  Does Friday Night Lights Season 3 count as sports?  

Who am I kidding?  I will still "witness" LeBron play...

  

God, America, The Bear, and Kent...Undefeated

Thanks to my friend Trey for the title of this blog post.  During the pre-game at Bama football games in college, just after the national anthem when the crowd would be quiet, he'd yell something like that out always scoring a big laugh.

Well, it applies here because in the past week, I've gone undefeated as a Celtics fan, as a Jamboe captain, and as leader of Gentle's Giants the victorious American Idol challenge team.

The Celtics have shown a great amount of heart coming back from 12 down with 5 to play the other night, as well as a buzzer beater on Sunday on the road culminating in Big Baby Davis yelling into the crowd, "You better KNOW about me!!!" 

The best moment though was when he cleared this kid out of the way.  I think I rewinded it 4 times to watch it.  Classic!

I must say though, I'm not one for posturing after a big TD or shot in a game, but I got pumped up about that.  I prefer the Jordan in Game 1 understated fist pump as if to say, "I knew it all along."  But occasionally, the theatrics (when done from a genuine place) are pretty cool.

With any luck, the Celtics close out tonight, just like...

Gentle's Giants had a big night when Kris Allen took the top spot of all the contestants whose names don't rhyme with Madame Scambert.  Dana leapt up from the couch and jumped around when they announced Kris was in.  I think she'd put our game aside at that point.  But the game served its purpose and kept me interested in the show.  Other things that kept me interested in American Idol this season:

-whether or not Simon would make anyone cry: he sort of made Lil cry.

-whether or not they would need to put the blur on Paula's cleavage at any point: no, but it's been close a few times, yeesh! 

-if anyone would ever say anything negative to Adam: nope, Randy got close once.

Final Score of the Challenge:

The Package Artists:  239

Gentle's Giants:  252

So, here's to Gentle's Giants: you made me proud...

JAMBOE Cup I is in the books...

About 4 months ago, my good friend Mike and I took it upon ourselves (and got some major help from David Knight and Ben Beaumont) to plan an event to get our friends together to play our favorite lawn and tailgate game (seen above at a tailgate) that we call JAMBOE.

-It is known as cornhole in the north, or Bag-o, and since we didn't care for the name we came up with a new one.  The first boards ever made were made by Mike and his lifelong friend Joel, so the name they came up with was "Joel and Mike's Bag-O Extraveganza" --JAMBOE.

Before the matches began, KJ, Mikey, and The Godfather

So, Mike and I decided we would be the captains of two 10-12 man teams and have a Ryder Cup Style event one Saturday afternoon.  It had rules, rounds, jerseys, cold beverages...basically it had everything.  Mike even built a new set of boards (all in all 5 different people brought their own set of boards, but we only used 3).  There were, however some rough spots.  To fill out the rosters, some guys that none of us really knew save were invited, making it awkward to heckle them when they were throwing.  Some of those same guys didn't understand the rules of game, but with the aid of their beverages, thought they did and acted accordingly. That made it necessary for the saner individuals to calm them down.  But these were all minor patches of turbulence in an otherwise smooth ride.  

The team Mike captained was named "The Shenanigans" for the phase of the game when you try to screw up your opponent.  My team was named "The Heartbreakers," which is what it is called when you put one in the hole on the last throw of the round, thus breaking the other team's heart.  

What we envisioned for JAMBOE Cup I...men tossing bags in a spirit of competition.

Ian, Rob (keeping the official score), Lo, and Capt. Jackson monitoring

 The Heartbreaker's progress.

Sometimes in pursuit of the Cup, brother must battle brother. Jason and Adam Reese.

A good look at the jersey in action.

A rare moment of sportsmanship shown by Jason Reese and Ben Beaumont

After a round of individual matches, The Heartbreakers led by 10 points, each match being worth 5.  In round 2, there was a random pairing system, each match worth 10 that The Shenanigans took advantage of.  They took the lead and were ahead by 10 points.  All they needed was 3 more match wins before they would hoist the Inaugural JAMBOE Cup.  

In the final round, the two teams paired off their players, ranked the two man teams 1-6, and then played the corresponding ranking team - each match worth 15 points.  The sixes went first then 5 and so on, culminating in the top two teams playing.  My #1 ranked team finished our game early cutting the Shenanigan lead down to 10, with one decisive match left - the battle of the #2 seeds.  As Dave Knight tossed in the winning JAMBOE, chaos ensued.  The Heartbreakers had come from behind!  They had won the Inaugural JAMBOE Cup.  After the individual awards were passed out (Most Clutch - David Knight; Most Valuable - Jay McPhillips; Most Mary Ellens i.e. not getting it to the board at all - Jason Reese; and Least Valuable Player - Adam Reese), the JAMBOE Cup was presented, filled with beer, and passed around for a taste of victory.  As you can see, Lo's taste trickled down his chest a little:

Heartbreakers: Front L-R: Jason "The Lo" Lee, Tyler Reese, Seth Grissom, Tyler Franks, J.D. King, Jay McPhillips;

Back L-R:  "The Godfather" David Knight, Garrett Dean, Kent Jackson, Jason Reese (dressed in his Mary Ellen Award).

When I got home, I saw that Dana had made this banana pudding desert...

How awesome is this day?!

Proud

Happy Friday everyone! I have to take a moment to brag on my husband. He went back to school this semester to up the ante on his English classes and help prepare himself to teach English on the high school level. I can't believe how fast the semester went by, and today he took his last final.

I'm so proud of him for lots of reasons. (1) He had the guts to go after what he really wants to do--teach--and enrolled in three upper level English classes with no fear. (2) He proceeded to make AWESOME grades all semester and get all he could out of each class. (3) He did all of this with a level head and no stress.

For those of you who know me well, you know that Dana + School= Worrying. One of the things I admire most about Kent is his ability to attack things head on without stressing out. He just puts his mind to it and gets it done. It's a valuable lesson that I learn from him each day and am trying to incorporate into my own life.

Congratulations on finishing strong Kent! Can't wait to see what the next step holds :)

Playoffs?! And more...

-Rajon played bad in Game 1 (at least for the first half), and the Celtics lost. He played like a man possessed last night and the Celtics won...essentially without two of the "Big Three." After this year, I think the Celtics might start marketing the team with pictures of Rondo instead of Pierce. He's the future. I think my favorite thing about him is his mean streak. He just snarls at the guy he's guarding and does some pretty nasty stuff out there on the court...all with a calm demeanor.

-Although I disagree with his philosophies about life and religion, I'm really enjoying almost everything I hear from Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes). The guy can write a song!


-Nice job America on not falling prey to the judges and producers' agenda-setting on American Idol this week. They all but said "Send Kris home." He's the only hope for a Lambertless world, and the only hope for Gentle's Giants.


Speaking of which...



-The Package Artists lost another this week in Allison. She netted Dana's team 60 points for her 3rd place finish, making the score:
Package Artists: 153
Gentle's Giants: 126
I called Allison's dismissal early and Dana picked Kris (gasp!) and then switched to Danny based on that last scream he did. My ears are still bleeding by the way. Also, I'm hoping to be able to sleep through the night soon if I can just recover from the visual violation I received from Adam Lambert. Why do people like him?


-We got to Season 3 on Friday Night Lights only to find out it wasn't available online like the first two. Remember at the end of the latest Star Wars movie when Vader finds out his wife is dead and screams "Noooooooooooooo!!!!" ? That was what Dana did upon finding out we had to wait for Season 3. But it's not so bad, it's due out in a couple of weeks. Plus, we need to focus all our energy on Lost anyway...and the playoffs. "Playoffs?!"

Jamboe Cup I is in two days, and I could not be more excited. I've actually scheduled a practice session for tonight with some of the weaker players on my team, The Heartbreakers, seen below:

J.D.

The Lo

-Dana has been a champ this month with the working and driving and taking care of our home. She's the best! And I think God wanted to reward her for being such a great wife, and that's why He sent the kittens to live under our house. She spends a lot of time on our front porch saying "mew mew mew" in a high voice to try and get them to come and visit with her.

-One more exam...gotta go study. "Catch you later on down the trail."

Monday Movie Recommendation

Kent and I have really been slacking on movie watching. We just haven't had the initiative to watch one in quite a while, and the Netflix envelopes were piling up. So, last night we bit the bullet and decided to watch one. We may be the last people to see this movie because we've heard so many great recommendations, but if you haven't seen it, rent Into the Wild.

It's the true story of a young man who purposely disappears from his life to head out into the Alaskan wilderness. The movie shows his trip toward Alaska, where he meets and befriends an eclectic gathering of people and seems to make an impact on all of their lives. Simultaneously, it shows his solitary existence in the wilderness from beginning to end.


Great soundtrack. True story. Very thought-provoking. I give it two thumbs up. Anyone have any other movie recommendations? Our queue is quite lengthy right now, but we'll get to them eventually.

Cute Overload

I'll keep this short, but I have to say that last night, on our way to dinner, we had to stop to allow a mother duck and about 15 little babies cross the street.  They were so tiny and their little legs moved so fast.  I couldn't stop squealing.  

Then, when we returned home, there was a litter of kittens hanging out on our front porch.  Apparently our neighbor's cat had kittens recently, and they hang out in our front yard and under our house.  It is the most wonderful thing ever.  I'm currently begging to adopt one of the kittens, but for now, I just watch them play in our front yard and pretend that they're mine.