1. Among people who are professionally funny, who most reliably makes you laugh?
For my entire life since I was a kid, The Three Stooges have provided me years of laughs with their slapstick comedy shorts. I still laugh at them today.
2. Which films have made you laugh most?
One of them is Splash with Tom Hanks, Darryl Hannah, John Candy and Eugene Levy. To me Levy stole the show with his Dr. Walter Kornbluth character... "Behold the Mermaid!"
I get more laughs out of funny TV shows, especially older ones.
Various episodes of the TV series Seinfeld. "The Parking Space" episode is one of my favorites of all time, followed by the one with The Soup Nazi.
Other comedy TV shows that I like include:
- The Addams Family
- Gilligan's Island
- Green Acres
- The Beverly Hillbillies
- Beavis & Butthead
- The Simpsons
- South Park
3. Whose comedy leaves you flat?
Most modern comics who I can't recall their names, I find lame or offensive.
4. When did you most recently laugh aloud at something you read?
The breakdown of electoral college votes for the recently completed presidential election the day after... 270+ votes ending up with 312 for Trump. MAGA!
It was funny to read about all the goofy crybaby reactions from the liberal left losers. The videos were even more funny.
5. What are some of your favorite novelty songs?
Not in any order:
- The Three Stooges - Swingin' the Alphabet
- Jump in the Saddle Band - The Curly Shuffle
- Ogden & Edsel - Dead Puppies
- Barnes & Barnes - Fishheads
- Chuck Berry - My Ding A Ling
- Ray Stevens - The Streak; Ahab The Arab
- Napoleon the XIV - They're Coming To Take Me Away
- Elmo & Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
The Friday 5 questions as originally posted to the Friday 5 blog with answers here. Ready, Set, Go!
Friday 5 for September 2: All in the family
1. What efforts do you make in resisting Father Time?
I listen to a lot of old music from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. I have old records and CDs. Plus mixed tapes. Old movies are good too. I have a pared down collection on DVD... I used to have more. I kept the ones I consider classics. I watch old TV shows and movies on streaming video. TUBI TV has some good old movies... Amazon Prime too. In the last 10 to 15 years I have not seen many contemporary movies. Theaters are too expensive, many movies don't go to Amazon Prime, so I just watch the oldies. No biggie.
I've tried turning the clock back a few minutes every day. I don't have a DeLorean with a nuclear thingy that can go 88.5 mph to break the time barrier... oh well.. and H.G. Wells' time traveler took his machine back to the Eloi Earth and there is not chance of him coming back.
So basically all efforts to resist Father Time will prove to be hopeless as the oblong box or the crematorium will be our final destination.
2. In what manner do you try to be a good steward of Mother Earth?
Don't get me started with this because I hate the whole green Earth Biden and AOC agenda that has been pushed not only by the federal government since January 2020, but also by the asinine State Government of Hawaii. Outlaw coal electricity production thereby raising our electric rates higher in the long run! Yep, thatʻs Hawaii. Politics and environmentalism have made our lives less convenient and more expensive!
Look at California and Washington State. They want to ban sales on gasoline powered cars. Screw that horrible agenda. I hate forced recycling. I hate less convenience and increased costs for this agenda. Plastics bans... and all of that government induced crap pandering to the Environmental Extermists! Ugh!!! CO$TLY to our pocketbooks. I am angry!
Since I will be dead in a couple of decades, why should I care? I don't have kids, I don't have much of a legacy to leave behind. Plus in about 5 billion years the sun will become a red giant and long before that happens, it will scorch this world Earth, Venus, Mercury and Mars into cinders. There is not much to hope for us in the long run except for death. It is a given.
That all said, I do send our trash down the building's trash chute. I don't use that much water in my home. I don't have a yard. My home is small/tiny so not much electricity is used. So you got those short term things.
3. What has recently caused you to say Uncle?
With my advancing age, some young people call me "uncle". All of my real uncles from days gone by have passed away. So, I donʻt have any literal reason to say "uncle".
As a slang term for pain or stop or whatever, I have never used it.
4. Among actors in Ant-Man, who are you particularly fond of?
I have never seen Ant-Man or any new movie except for those that show up on Amazon Prime. I don't even know what Ant-Man is about. I guess that is either another Disney/Marvel franchise movie or one from Warner Brothers/DC Comics franchise... OK.. going to look that up... Thanks for the link.
OK... another Disney/Marvel franchise film... 2015... wow that was long ago already. See I donʻt go to the movies and I donʻt subscribe to Disney Plus. Also there are way too many Marvel movies out there. How can anyone keep up with this stuff? I think I only saw the original Thor and Captain America from the franchise movies.
Only two actors in that movie I know anything about. The first one is Michael Douglas who made a name of himself by being the son of legendary actor Kirk Douglas and getting his first big break in the TV series Streets of San Francisco. I know him best for the movies Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses and Wall Street. I loved Kathleen Turner.
The only other member of that cast that I know of somewhat is Evangeline Lily, mainly because she was part of the cast of that doomed flight in LOST (2004 - 2010) TV series... ABC/Disney. What a coincidence!
Everyone else, I have never heard of.
5. Which notable brothers would you most like to hang out with? Which notable sisters?
First of all my brother and sister are the two most notable ones I know. While we are estranged from my brother, I like hanging with my sister when I can.
There are no other brothers and sisters of note that I would like to hang with.
Friday 5 for August 26: Four months
With this late posting probably less that that... Oh wait here is a link to the Christmas Countdown Clock. That will prevent you from resisting Father Time. Ever noticed when we were kids, it seemed like an eternity before Christmas would finally roll around. Now that I am much older, I go... "Oh no! Christmas is just around the corner??? This quickly! Yikes!!!"
Christmas is one of those turning points that mark our age, every year all the time. It is the signal that only seven days remain before another new year will arrive as we march another step closer to our graves.
1. How good are you at wrapping gifts?
With patience I am fairly good. For a short period of time I did work at the Waikiki Christmas Storewhere we did a lot of "gift wrapping".
2. When are you likely to begin your Christmas shopping this year?
December 21, 22 or 23....I know there is a gift card rack at Longs, Walmart and Target. Plus I can send out virtual gift cards from Amazon. Gift cards are great things for the last minute shopper.
3. How do you feel about candy canes?
Cheap sticky, sugary crap that is passed out for free at all kinds of places and functions. I do however like the song "Candy Cane Lane" by Sia.
4. Have you been naughty or nice this year?
Just hiding under the radar as I do most years. Naughty or nice is a subjective judgement.
5. In what way was today most December-like?
It was sunny and hot as I think it will be in December. Global warming is a good thing in December.... plus I live in Honolulu Hawaii close to Waikiki. Itʻs sunny and warm every Christmas which is what helps our economy as jet-loads of tourists come to visit Hawaii and flee the harsh cold for a few days or weeks.
So E Como Mai. Hawaii is open for most businesses. Come visit us. Spend your money. Add to our tax collections. Help pay for Hawaiiʻs wasteful government spending. Oh what fun it is to ride and sing in a slaying song tonight!
Moohahahahahaha! Merry Christmas and Have Fun. Donʻt forget about that Red Giant which will come in 4 billion years. Whoopee!
The following question gathered from Scrivener's Friday 5website. Enjoy!
1. Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?
No.
2. What do you think happens when we die?
Depending on what you believe, I think our spirits move on to a new eternity, hopefully with God our Heavenly Father... at least for the good people... The less than worthy and downright bad people probably have a place to go where it will burn for their entire eternal existence.
That said, our physical bodies will start to break down as all of the stuff that holds us together start the process of decay.... rotting very slowly, becoming a vessel for scavengers to consume very slowly as the body rots. Of course there are ways to prolong the dead body by having it chemically treated at a mortuary in order to keep it in near normal, though "petrified" condition, at least so that it can be viewed at a funeral service.
Of course there is the tried, true and cheap solution... just get the body cremated in a very hot furnace (at an approved crematorium) and have all that liquid and other goo burned down to ash, where about the only items that remain are fragments of bones, traces of mechanical stuff added to the body through its life (pacemakers, fillings, artificial replacement parts, etc.). I think the ash is mostly gray and can fit into anything that can be declared as an urn.
Even cheaper than cremation, there is always the option to send your un-needed body to some academic institution where doctors, nurses, coroners and others in training can use it for real life exercises. Scientists can also use dead bodies for medical research.
Beyond that there is always some kind of memorial you can set up, the most simple though not the cheapest is to have the body buried into the earth and have a headstone placed above to "mark your grave". That has been kind of a standard for centuries, though unmarked graves were also common in ancient and recent history.
I think one of the better ways for you to be remembered long term, beyond death is have an online memorial to yourself or loved ones set up. Memorializing your social media pages are an option, and many people do it. I also notice Funeral Homes set up memorial pages for their clients who have passed where visitors can leave items of remembrance behind.
For me, after I die, one of the best, free long term memorial for my life will be having my profile set up at FamilySearch.org, a genealogical site run by The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is open and free to use by the public. You can create or maintain profiles of people who have passed on, including a profile for yourself to maintain so that your memories of life can be preserved from your point of view instead of someone else writing "I remember my friend... etc., etc." after your death.
Profiles of the living are not activated on FamilySearch for public viewing until AFTER you die. In the meantime you can set your site up so that what you want to be put there is set up by you and not someone else... though others can contribute to your profile after you pass.
Anyway, so much for the topic on death. There are a lot of other things that you can plan for before you go to the great beyond....
3. What’s your favorite action movie?
Most of my favorite action movies are from the late 1970s and 1980s, which is a decade that I watched a lot of movies. I cannot nail down just one, so again here is a top five, though the order may and will probably change if I have to revisit the subject again.
Star Wars- It's got good action, a definite line between good and evil, and as a standalone movie, holds up very well more than 40 years after is 1977 release. Runner up in the series for me is The Empire Strikes Back.
Raiders of the Lost Ark - This is a classic action adventure and the first and best of the four movie franchise (1981).
The Terminator - It was groundbreaking in its release year of 1984 and definitely cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger as a major box office draw. "I'll Be Back".
Die Hard - Bruce Willis was never better in the first of these action yarns.
Rambo II - Of all the Rambo movies, this one was the best for me. Lots of action between Rambo and the rouge Vietcong soldiers.
Aliens - OK there was a lot of screaming in this movie and our heroine Ripley is once again set up to fight the brutal xenomorphs that made their appearance in the first movie of 1979. This 1986 sequel stands out as a high action yarn in a scifi setting.
Predator - Our action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger is at it again, battling a nearly indestructible alien entity sent to Earth to scout out and eliminate our life form.
Gladiator - This is a great action yarn set in the historic times of Rome where gladiators were rounded up to provide entertainment to the death for the Romans. Russell Crowe won the "Best Actor" Academy Award for this picture. It was also the Best Picture of the Year 2000 as voted in by the same academy.
Ben Hur - 1959 action yarn starring Charlton Heston as the main protagonist in this Academy Award winning story set in the time of Christ. The chariot race is the highlight of this movie, which also contains several other action sequences.... "Ramming Speed" ahead!
Romancing the Stone - This is a good one that weaves hard action with comedic elements. Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito are unforgettable characters in this comedic action adventure. (1984)
4. What’s your favorite smell?
Hmm... The answer to this question hasn't changed since its first appearance (for me) last week.
"Lavender, jasmine, citrus, kimono rose and several others that I can't remember are nice aromas that my friend Lisa puts into her lighted diffusor."
5. Exercise: worth it?
It is but so hard to be disciplined enough to do it.
"Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!"
1. What’s your favorite weapon in a movie?
I have a top 5:
Death Star - Star Wars - annihilate entire planets. Yay!
Borg Cube - Star Trek TNG movies - similar as above
Photon Torpedoes - For smaller scale combat, Star Trek movies
Phasers - multiple settings - stun, kill, whatever - Star Trek movies
Guns of all types - generally deadly, in many movies
Under consideration - Bombs, nuclear warheads, etc. - fairly obsolete when you can blow an entire planet up with a Death Star. But the force and good luck can destroy a Death Star... so it is what it is.
2. What’s your favorite car in a movie?
Again another top 5.
Batmobile - varies as to which movie it's in. Some were cool, others were not.
1982 DeLorean - The only car used in time travel "Back to the Future" movies
Aston Martin - old car in old James Bond movies from 1962 to 1964.
Herbie - VW Beetle in the "Love Bug" comedy movies
1970 Dodge Challenger - in movie "Vanishing Point"... Boom!
3. What’s your favorite cat or dog in a movie?
I don't know... maybe Soylents red, blue, yellow, brown... but not green. In 2022 the earth was overpopulated, food was in short supply. The Soylent company sold all of these snack crackers of different colors. Quite likely pets were repackaged as crackers.... and of course you know what "Soylent Green" was!!!! Muhahahaha!
I like cats but they don't make many cat movies that I can remember. Dogs... ugh!
4. Who’s your favorite sidekick in a movie?
R2D2, the little droid that could... and even fly!!! Most of the Star Wars movies.
5. What’s your favorite painting or sculpture in a movie?
I can't think of any except for the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man in "Ghostbusters."
Beware this may contain some spoilers if you haven’t seen these old movies.
1. What’s your favorite film set in space?
I love science fiction and movies set in outer space or about space…. That said:
My all time favorite movie just happens to be set in space, so yes it is an all time space film. This now classic movie separates old science fiction and fantasy movies from the modern. STAR WARS was totally epic. I never saw anything like it before that. It set the standard of movie enjoyment for which I grade all other movies since. “Luke, the Force is with you, always”.
"Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" is my second favorite. “I am Your Father”!
In the Star Trek franchise there are many movies to choose, but the most spectacular one of them all is “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”. Ricardo Montalban was great in this movie! “Khan!”
Adding “2001: A Space Odyssey” to this one because at the time I saw it in 1968 it was pretty darn trippy, and also a milestone in the development of modern science fiction film.
Best movie based on a true story set in outer space? Hands down to 1995’s “Apollo 13” by Ron Howard. Great cast and even featured real live astronaut Jim Lovell in it at the end.
2. What’s your favorite film set at sea?
James Cameron’s TITANIC (1997)... The fictitious love story is what holds this film together which is an excellent docudrama of the unfortunate sinking of the infamous, unsinkable Titanic. Great characters real and imagined, big cast, good storyline, incredibly realistic special effects, great music, and the huge disaster! What’s not to like?
Other films set at sea that I liked over the years: The Poseidon Adventure (1973); The Abyss (1989): 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1956); Krakatoa East of Java (1969); The Final Countdown (1980); The Hunt for Red October (1990) and most recently Captain Phillips (2013) with Tom Hanks.
3. What’s your favorite film set in a non-U.S. city?
CASABLANCA (1942) - A great story of love and war set in Morocco at the start of World War II. I don’t need to explain it to anyone who’s seen it… and if you haven’t you should. It’s probably one of the greatest films from the 1940s ever made except for CITIZEN KANE (1941).... rosebud …
Other non-U.S. cities in film: Many James Bond movies occur in non-US locales, though they skip all over the world. Then there was a TV movie, sci-fi of course that I liked called CITY BENEATH THE SEA from around 1970.
4. What’s your favorite film set before the 20th Century?
The story of BEN HUR (1959) with Charlton Heston in the title role set in the time of Christ... approximately 20 to 33 AD. Always loved this movie from when I was a kid. "Ramming Speed"... "You live to serve this ship"... could almost qualify as a seafaring movie, but it is not. The chariot race is unforgettable and was the inspiration for the pod-race in "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace". “Christ has risen”. They always play this at Easter on TNT.
Close second would be all of the "Star Wars" movies set "Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away".
Other before 20th century movies: "Gladiator" , "The Patriot”, “Braveheart”, “The Ten Commandments,” and westerns such as “Pale Rider,” “True Grit” and “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”, “Dances With Wolves”, “A Man Called Horse” and most of “Back to the Future Part III”.
5. What’s your favorite film set on a university campus?
Only a few come to mind. I think there are more high school movies than there are those set in college.
Legally Blonde (1999) - blonde law student saves the day
Rudy (1993) - he finally got to play!
The Paper Chase (1973) - law school students and stern professor
1. What are some albums you really like from 2010?
By the year 2010 I was mostly buying digital singles from Amazon or iTunes. But I did get a few albums. Here are my top 10.
1. Caro Emerald - Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor
2. Maroon 5 - Hands All Over
3. Neon Trees - Habits
4. Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops and Hooligans
5. Taylor Swift - Speak Now
6. Elton John and Leon Russell - The Union
7. Jack Johnson - To the Sea
8. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
9. Ringo Starr - Y Not
10. Selena Gomez and the Scene - A Year Without Rain
I really love the Caro Emerald album. It is played with regular frequency to this very day. Discovered her in 2009 on that now defunct The61.com website. She is my most played solo female artist on my Last FM.
2. What are some songs you remember fondly from 2010?
Kind of in numerical order, here are 10 of them (in retrospect)
1. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
2. Animal - Neon Trees
3. Misery - Maroon 5
4. Rhythm of Love - Plain White T's
5. Cool My Heels - Nikki Yanofsky
6. Back It Up - Caro Emerald
7. Alejandro - Lady Gaga
8. Hey, Soul Sister - Train
9. Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz
10. Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars
Here are some other notables (in my book)
- A Year Without Rain - Selena Gomez and the Scene
- Bulletproof - La Roux
- I Heard of a Girl - Miss Li
- Back to December - Taylor Swift
- A Night Like This - Caro Emerald
- Walk With You - Ringo Starr
- I Saw The Rain - Lovers and Poets
- Colors - April Smith and the Great Picture Show
- Good To Be Me (Feat. Kid Rock) - Uncle Kracker
- The Sweetest Thing - Camera Obscura
- Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
- A Stitch in Time - Smashing Pumpkins
- We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup - This one is for you Scrivener.
3. What’s your favorite movie released in 2010?
I hardly ever watch movies these days. It started from the 2000s as prices at theaters steadily went up. I kind of had to stop buying DVDs too as I had too much and pay cable was out of the question. In 2011 I cut my cable cord. I only watch streaming video and mostly only on the free channels.
That said the only two movies out of that list that I saw are the following:
- Shrek Forever After - Just saw this a few weeks ago on Tubi TV. Pretty good wrap for the franchise.
- Chronicles of Narnia - Voyage of the Dawn Trader - The only movie I actually paid money to go see at the theater that year. I had seen the previous 2 on the big screen in prior years. This was the 2nd best of the three movies, the original being the best one.
4. Which television programs* debuting in 2010 did you rather enjoy?
- Caprica - Sadly it was cancelled after 18 or so episodes. This was a good prequel to the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series of 2004.
- Hawaii Five-0 - I watched it regularly for the first 2 or 3 years and then grew tired of it. For 2010 it was not bad + plus it kept Hawaii's TV industry alive after LOST wrapped up that year.
- Storage Wars - I never watched this when it first came out, but watch it and its location centric offshoots on TubiTV or Pluto TV when I just feel like vegging out on something stupid. I like free streaming.
5. Which events in 2010 bring back good memories?
The most memorable events that bring back good memories in my life that year was spending a week or so with my Mom and Dad. Dad was in his last months of life. On several days he wanted to see different places on the Big Island where he grew up and lived. I drove Mom and Dad up to Pauuilo Mauka, Kalopa, Ookala and Laupahoehoe all in one day. The plantation camp that he grew up in was torn down years before we revisited the place in 2010. He was kind of sad. I shot a lot of pictures.
I also made a 20 minute video of him talking about some of the memories he had while growing up in Ookala. Here is a one minute clip of that video.
Second most memorable event of 2010 was doing a press tour for HawaiiReporter and sailing out on the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier that July for the RIMPAC exercises.
Happy Friday the 13th. The following questions are from Scrivener's weekly Friday 5 blog.
Here are the questions and answers:
1. What are some titles in your to-read stack?
Funny thing about books, I tend to read one for several chapters and then skip over to another one before I continue, sometimes much later, finishing up the book I started to read....
Real Books
"Closer to the Light" by Melvin Morse, MD. - in progress
"Madam, Your Daughter is Molting" by Lisa Davidson, a collection of poems - read most but not all
"Radio Revolution" A novel by Sheriff Norm Winter - in progress
"Between the Songs" by Ron Gerber (Crap From the Past radio host / KFAI FM)
Kindle and Google Play Books
Got a bunch there, mostly freebies that I downloaded but haven't gotten around to read yet.
"Cyber Storm" by Matthew Mather - I hope it is not the beginning of a series.*
"Far From the Madding Crowd" by Thomas Hardy
"Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin"
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll
Many others, mostly political, scifi or books in the public domain.
Audiobooks
I got so many here that I cancelled by Audible just so I have time to catch up with what I have. I also have a bunch of freebie books saved in my LibriVox library.
Currently listening to:
"Killing the Deep State" by Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D. - in progress, about 50% done.
Waiting list but titles in my library:
"Dune Unabridged" by Frank Herbert + the 2 other books he wrote in the long going series. I read the originals in the 1970s. Want to re-read these again. I wonder why this book is unabridged? As I recall the story was long... so what did I get back 40 years ago? A shortened version??? I don't want to think about it.
"This Perfect Day" by Ira Levin
"Hawaii" by James Michener
"The Reagan Diaries" by Ronald Reagan
"Alien: Out of the Shadow" by Tim Lebbon, Dirk Maggs
"Kill Switch" by Jonathan Maberry
"American Sniper" by Scott McEwan, etc.
* Lately I hate reading new scifi books and other modern novels. A lot of them are set up so that they get you hooked to read sequels. Ugh. I want a good book with a great story that has a beginning, middle and end and that's it. No more sequels.... (I did make an exception for the Dune series.... never read "Lord of the Rings" but seen the movies... read "The Hobbit" but did not bother watching the movies... go figure).
2. What are the highlights of this weekend’s to-do list?
I do not make any physical "to do" lists.
3. Which current or upcoming movies are you looking forward to?
Movies are SO EXPENSIVE these days to watch in a theater. I don't keep track of them anymore since I rarely go. I am a big STAR WARS fan, but guess what? I haven't seen the latest installment, SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. It's probably gone from the theater now.... I will probably watch it someday on DVD or a stream. Sadly, I missed the last installment of the current PLANET OF THE APES trilogy. I haven't gotten the DVD or watched on TV.
The only movie that I am looking forward to doesn't come out until next December 2019....
Drumroll please... STAR WARS 9: WHATEVER IT IS CALLED.... yep... and you know what.. this is the LAST STAR WARS movie that I will pay to see in a theater. It is probably also the last one I will get somewhat excited about. I have no problem with the stories moving forward and all that with new characters. It keeps the series fresh. But at my age, waiting another 9 to 12 years for the next trilogy to play out is probably not very prudent, given my life is about 2/3 over. I am getting older and who knows how long I will be around on Earth.
Lately too, my attention span towards movies or long form entertainment is not as great as before. I don't know why. Anyone want to buy some DVDs from my collection?
4. What’s something you meant to do this past week that will have to wait until next week?
It would be something I did not do this week and put off to next week. If I had to tell you this, the information would not be private. So hence that is known only to me. Sorry! 5. What’s an unfinished project (unrelated to media consumption) you haven’t touched in at least a year?
Clean out my storage locker that is costing me too much money. Need to get rid of 20 to 30 years of negatives and old photos. Should I toss them or give them away? I also have a Mac Plus computer and a bunch of stuff I need to rid of... probably sell.... all kinds of crap in there. I need to downsize even more... though I feel sad to think I got rid of a bunch of records and CDs from my collection a few years ago... The CDs I don't miss but some of the vinyl, I realize now, I do miss.... despite still having about 300 LPs in my current collection.
Clutter.... story of my life sometimes. Ugh.
Lastly if you got this far down in this posting... I'd like to thank everyone and anyone who has read this blog and commented. For about the last 2 years now, I can't reply to comments left on this blog. I don't know what is wrong with Blogger, but under my own or any name, I can't reply to comments.
So Scrivener, in answer to last week's comment... yeah I figured out the items was for trail mix... which I don't buy if it has raisins in them!
Hawaii Five-0 by The Ventures. Written by Mort Stevens, this is probably the ultimate instrumental hit song and TV theme ever. The single went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. Since that time it seems like every high school and college band has played the song. It is well known, so well liked that it just had to be used again when the TV series was rebooted in 2010. I remember playing this when I was in our school band.
Main Title Theme From Star Wars (John Williams composer/ London Symphony Orchestra recording) - This was released as a single in 1977 and peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year while a disco mashup by Meco went all the way to #1. This is probably the most well known movie theme of all time.
Peter Gunn Theme by Henry Mancini - This record went to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. We played this in band when I was in high school more than 10 years after it was a hit. More people know Henry Mancini as the writer of the “Pink Panther” theme. I just like this song better.
Theme From “The Endless Summer” - The Sandals - This came out in 1966 and was the music used in the legendary surf movie documentary of the same title. Two surfers travel the world looking for “the perfect wave”.
Theme From “Miami Vice” - Jan Hammer - This was the last instrumental song to peak at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The year was 1985. The TV show was one of the most successful of the 1980s. The music just screams 1980s pop music excess…. Keyboards, synths, a strong danceable backbeat. What’s not to like?
2. What’s a good movie with rockets in in it?
I guess we have to define what a rocket is because I almost would like to pick Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as my top 2 favorite movies (of all time) with rockets in them. But alas, there are no rockets in those movies even though they are space / sci fi oriented. All the space vehicles are spaceships and whether or not they use basic rocketry I don’t really know. I guess this would apply to all of the Star Trek movies and many others of similar types.
So going with the definition of a traditional rocket that uses a chemical substance self contained in a tube (whether it be liquid or solid fuel), then the following movies are my favorites:
Apollo 13- Yes, the Tom Hanks movie that came out in 1995 is my favorite movie that has a rocket in it. Actually a big 3 stage Saturn V rocket booster, an exploded rocket command / service module and a stubby little rocket (Lunar Module Aquarius) that went beyond its design capacity and returned the crippled spaceship and its three astronauts back to Earth after the accident on the way to the moon. A true story of course, well acted and fairly close to the book Lost Moon written by Apollo 13 astronaut commander Jim Lovell. A must see for everyone. Failure is not an option and these people licked a major problem….
October Sky: Another true story set in the 1950s about some kids who built model rockets and in later life ended up working in the aerospace industry. It’s been a few years since I saw this movie, and forgot most of the plot. I have it on DVD, and it is time for a re-watch. It is one of those types of movies that make you feel good at the final outcome of the story.
The Martian: Great movie about an astronaut stuck on Mars and the world’s attempt to save him more than 400+ days later. The movie haas a rocket that blows up, rockets that land and take off. SciFi set in this century, fairly close to what could become a reality. The book was great too. Read that before I saw the movie. Was kind of like reading a long, day by day blog.
The Right Stuff: From 1983 a sprawling yarn about the test pilots and early astronauts of the Project Mercury program who pioneered space travel for the United States. Lots of rockets in this movie. X1, X15 rocket plane; Redstone, Atlas rockets.
Marooned: From 1969 comes this science fiction story about an Apollo capsule stuck in earth orbit with its oxygen running out after undocking from a Skylab space station. The race is on to rescue the astronauts. The U.S. launches a spacecraft similar to the conceptual “Dyna Soar” space plane on top of a Titan III rocket to save the doomed crew.
And while we are on the subject of rockets, how many of you watched Space X’s launch of Falcon Heavy this past week and the Tesla that is now in a long solar orbit that will take it to the asteroid belt?
3. In 1977, Voyager I took off on its very long journey, loaded with two golden records containing sounds meant “to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for future humans, who may find them,” according to Wikipedia. The contents were chosen by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan, but if Dr. Sagan called you today (you know, from beyond) and said there was room for ten more minutes of music and he was letting you choose it, what would you fill the ten minutes with?
NASA was lucky that CDs were not invented at the time of the Voyager launches. If they were a CD or DVD would have been included. That said given the issues of CD Rot, it is a good thing this did not happen. I don’t know about later probes but perhaps if they continue the same practice they can just include music and data on an SSD card or chip.
So in an effort to fill the 10 more minutes with music, here are the songs I would choose (tested out with my iTunes for time allowance).
(I Can’t Get) No Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones (3:44) - This is a great song to accompany Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” already included.
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (2:25) - why no Beatles is beyond me.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (3:34) - Voyager 1 has long left the world of rainbows and humans. Only fitting to have this song onboard. (Would probably have to use the Judy Garland version if this were in 1977 as the IZ version was not recorded until the 1990s.)
Total playing time for the three songs: 9:03
4. What’s something you know about constellations?
They are far away
The planets move in and out of them with regularity
Mostly composed of stars, some of which may have their own solar systems
The nearest star to earth (besides the sun at 93 million miles) is Alpha Centauri which is like 4.3 light years away.
I have a hard time making them out unless I have a chart.
5. When did you last spend time in a rocking chair?
On the second floor of the new International Marketplace in Waikiki (Honolulu) there are rocking chairs where you can sit, relax and use up all that free wifi they have over there. I’ve gone there a few times in the past year. Nice.
It's Monday and I have to say "Happy Returns" to Scrivener's Friday 5 site after a major hack occurred there. In catching up with my own answer blog here, these are my responses to the January 26 post: 1. What was the last item you returned or exchanged at a store?
Recently I can't think of anything significant. I have returned food items because they were prepared wrong (eat out) or had an expired pull date (super market). The one that comes to mind which is also not that significant many years ago, is a CD of "The John Lennon Collection". When I opened the CD, it was labeled correctly but the music on it was like totally wrong. Since the CD was a brand new purchase (I tend to buy a lot of used CDs and vinyl) I took it back to the record store, told them to play it and they were also surprised to learn it was somebody else (can't remember what it was but the music was not even rock).... The store Scriv? Records Hawaii... so that was long ago.
2. When did you last leave the house and then turn right back around and go back inside?
Often. I walk down the hall to the elevator in my building and suddenly before I step in, I think... "did I lock the door", "is the refrigerator door properly closed", "did I turn off the stereo, lights, stove...." "do I have my driver's license, wallet, debit card," "I forgot Lisa's whatever it is I was supposed to take to her," "oh shucks, I forgot my tripod", "I need that extra battery for the camera", "I should take the junk cell phone with me because it is raining", etc.... so yes, way too many times.
3. What’s the latest you’ve ever returned a library book?
Ask me about the library book... well not really, but magazine that I never returned... Popular Science I think from way back in 1969! The library was on a paper system so that mag is not even tracked today. I think that magazine is long gone... yes, back in the 1960s and 70s the local public library (in Honokaa) would let you borrow magazines. I don't think we can do that today.
As far as books go, it has varied from a few days to weeks. My current unpaid fine is around $4 so not that much.
4. What location among places you’ve traveled would you most like to see again?
I haven't travelled much. I haven't been to the Big Island of Hawaii now in over a year, so that would be my #1 travel destination mainly because my sister still lives there. I also love driving around the island and going to see the volcano, ranch lands, waterfalls, flowers, beaches, etc.
I have been financially struggling lately so the cost of an airplane ticket is currently beyond me.
As for other places I've been, Kauai and Maui are good for starters and so would the few other places I have seen on the U.S. mainland and Canada that I visited way too long ago would be worthwhile, all of the above to just take new, updated photos of the places.
Just going out of Honolulu and into Kailua, the North Shore or Waianae would be a photographic adventure for me as none requires expensive flying, lodging and ticketing.
5. What’s an unlikely movie sequel you’d like to see?
Gee.... first on my list....
1. Serenity 2 - OK, yes I liked Firefly and if they can't revive the series might as well make a sequel movie to the original "Serenity" which was a sequel to Firefly.
2. Invasion: The Movie - One of several failed scifi TV series from the 2000s decade that deserves at least a made for TV movie to wrap up the storyline.
3. Revolution: The Movie - Another failed TV series from NBC that should wrap up its story with a movie too. I hate cliffhangers that are left hanging forever because the series got cancelled. Maybe that is why I watch less TV these days....
4. The Pod People: Hey what about a sequel to the 1978 version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". Donald Sutherland is still alive.... yes, he was fingered by Nancy (Veronica Cartright) who became a pod person... Veronica is still alive.... a few other cast members are alive... come up with a new story like oh... the last humans still trying to stay human despite a world dominated by Pod People some 45 years later.
5. Soylent Green 2: In the end of the movie, Charlton Heston's character shouts out "Soylent Green is People".... so what is the reaction to that? What do the people do years later? Actually this one would be good to remake again if it isn't in the works already....
So there... 5 of them... yes, I like science fiction... now if you ask what movies would you like to change the ending to, I could start with this one....
1968's "Romeo and Juliet"... have Romeo stop on the way when he spots the Friar watering his jackass on the road to the crypt... Had the guy said "Hey Romeo, the whole thing is a scam to save you and Juliet,".... then the tragic results would not have happened. I get frustrated every time I see that scene in the movie... yes, I know it's Shakespeare and you shouldn't mess with that, but hey, all of his stuff is in the public domain. Why not?
Plus Olivia Hussey was such a beautiful babe when I was like only 12 or 13 upon seeing this movie.... probably the first time I saw a boob in the movies....
1. What’s a good movie for October that has nothing to do with monsters or Halloween?
For me anytime of the month is great for watching classic science fiction movies such as "Star Wars", "Star Trek" and legions of others. Of course several do have monsters. So to not include anything remotely connected to monsters or sci-fi, I consulted this list (http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/reviews/g844/classic-fall-movies/) for a few suggestions. Two that come to mind that fit the fall / October season for me that I like are "Rudy" (the football movie) and one of your favorites, "The Breakfast Club". 2. What’s a good couple of songs for October that have nothing to do with monsters or Halloween?
At the top of my stack would be John Lennon's "Imagine". Why? Lennon was born on October 9, 1940. The song also hit its peak on the charts and radio airplay in the fall of 1971. Other songs that I associate with October that are non-Halloween include:
* Where Evil Grows - The Poppy Family (1971)
* Everything is Coming Our Way - Santana (1972)
* Straight On - Heart (1978)
* Magic - The Cars (1984)
* Desert Moon - Dennis DeYoung (1984)
* Like The Weather - 10,000 Maniacs (1987)
3. What are some reasons to love October?
Generally I don't "love" a month over any other. Whatever comes around in a given month, goes around, only to come back next year. Perhaps the thing I like the most about October which is not unique to that month alone, is that it is one of 7 months that have 31 days in it. So it gives you a slightly longer time before you have to pay next month's bills.
4. Radio stations sometimes call this month Rocktober, doing special playlists or giveaways in celebration of rock music. What would be a better rhyming name for this month, and how might it be celebrated?
How about "Cartober", a month to celebrate the automobile! The obvious way to celebrate is to have car shows all around the nation on a specific day and a national weekend to go out and drive your car for a leisurely ride.
5. What would be a good holiday to establish in October for those U.S. states not commemorating Columbus Day?
From the National Day Calendar website here are suggested October holidays that I would consider adopting for states not commemorating Columbus Day.
The questions are taken from Scrivener's weekly Friday 5.
1. Which mythical monster would you most enjoy discovering (first- or second-hand) is real?
Loch Ness Monster - If it is real it is best that it stays in its lake in the U.K. and not be a menace to seagoing transport. Would love to see concrete, scientific proof that this beast exists. A series of great photos and videos would do the trick. Come on people in the U.K. Where are those GoPro cameras flying over Loch Ness trying to get images of the elusive beast. 2. When did you last exhibit monstrous behavior?
When I lost a 48 page legal document I was typing in the computer many years ago after the power cut out for a minute! Lesson learned: save your work as you go along. 3. What do you think of monster trucks?
I would not buy an expensive toy like that. It's fine for people who have disposable income and like that kind of vehicle to crush other vehicles. If the owners are doing it for a show and deriving income from said truck(s), then it is totally fine with me. I just would not own one myself. 4. If you like monster movies, what’s a monster movie you dislike? And if you dislike them, what’s a monster movie you like?
Monster movies I dislike: Probably most slasher type of movies - Friday the 13th, etc.
Monster movies I like:
1. ALIENS (the second in the series was the best, and perhaps greatest monster movie of all time).
3. BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS - Classic 1953 Ray Harryhausen stop motion animated movie that inspired all of the big dinosaur movies that followed.
4.NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) - The original, low budget, black & white movie foreshadowed all of the zombie movies that followed. This is a good movie made on a shoestring budget.
5. GODZILLA, MOTHRA- The Japanese Toho productions made monster movies fun. Especially the ones with people in rubber suits dressed as gigantic monsters.
5. What song about a monster (or with the word monster in the title) do you really like?
My top 5 monster songs:
1. Zombie - The Cranberries
2. Monsters and Angels - Voice of the Beehive
3. Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
4. Frankenstein - Edger Winter Group
5. The Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett
I've watched several over many decades. I tend to skew toward monsters within the Science Fiction genre. That said, my top 5:
Aliens(1986) - Kick ass action movie sequel that is better than the original. Gotta save Newt! Sigourney Weaver as Ripley again. She was great! James Cameron directed. I react to big cockroaches like how the hapless people in this series react to the alien(s).
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) - This movie is a well known "dinosaur invades a city" classic featuring the stop motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. It set the standard for movies of this type that followed in its footsteps.
King Kong (1933) - When is an ape a monster? When it is gigantic and goes lovesick over a pretty Fay Wray on a savage island and again in New York City. A total black and white classic.
The Forbidden Planet(1956) - Classic sci-fi yarn of astronauts who travel to a distant planet and encounter the electrified "monster of the ID". Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen. Monster in the Closet (1978) - Comedic yarn about people in a small town getting devoured by monsters living in their closets. Troma films.
Throwing this one in.... Night of the Living Dead (1968) - The low budget, original zombie movie. No hope for anyone living.
Also see Hillary's America mentioned below. :)
2. What’s your favorite social issues movie?
I would like to mention The Godfather and Godfather II for this one and its focus on the family business of organized crime. Crime continues to be an ongoing social issue.
Otherwise in this genre I lean toward documentaries such as John Stossel's TV segment on education, Stupid in America: How We Cheat Our Kidsfrom 20/20 on ABC in 2006. This is one of the best reports on education I have ever seen. Rubber rooms? Really??? It is a terrible waste of taxpayer dollars. The teacher unions get too much of their way with politicians who advocate for them. It is no wonder why America's "government" education has gone down the toilet in the last 30 to 40 years.
After seeing we need to support non-unionization of our schools, merit pay, right to work, school vouchers, charter schools and home schooling.
Stossel updated this report when he moved to Fox News.
Democrat Party policies are part of the reason for many of the social ills we have in our country. I've seen two of Dinesh D'Souza's stunning documentaries on how the Democrats continue to screw our country up, first with 2016: Obama's America released in 2012 and last year's documentary Hillary's America. If you are a conservative, you'll love what both films have to say about corrupt and compromising Democrat politics.
3. What’s a movie you dislike in a genre you love?
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1985) - William Shatner directed this stinker in the Star Trek franchise about Spock's half brother's search for God. Doesn't work for me on many fronts. I like Star Trek and love Science Fiction, but this one stinks.
Timothy Burton's Planet of the Apes movie from 2001 stunk — especially the stupid ending. I also did not like the movie Avatarfrom 2009.
4. What’s a movie you like in a genre you dislike?
I'm not a fan of slasher movies, but I did see the original Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) which is not bad for that genre. I guess I liked Robert Englund in the lead role of Freddy Krueger that made him famous. I was familiar with Englund through his appearance as the likable "visitor" Willie in the TV mini series V and its sequels from 1982 - 1984. 5. What’s a movie everyone else has seen but you have not seen?
I can name plenty because I rarely ever pay to go see movies (ticket prices are way too high) and take my sweet time in getting around to see them on either home video, streaming or on regular TV. That said, recent movies I have not seen that everyone seems to have seen:
1. Harry Potter series - all of them.
2. Moana (2016)
3. Frozen (2013)
4. Everything else from 2016 except Star Wars Rouge 1 and the last Star Trek movie.
5. Ditto for almost everything in 2015 except for The Martian and Star Wars The Force Awakens.
There are plenty of others too numerous to mention. High ticket prices, not enough time in the day, no cable, not subscribing to NetFlix, etc.
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Friday 5 for March 10: Count All The Bees in the Hive
"Thanks to Lisa Davidson of Tropical Toes for the idea. This is such fertile ground I’ve already decided to return to it in a few weeks."
I would be dishonoring my friend Lisa for not answering this one. Fact is the last time I had anything to do with the Pooh story was when I saw the Disney movie back in 1966 when I was only 9 years old. Borrowed the book from the library last week to read up on this. Haven't finished yet (reading two other library books all due next Saturday)... thankfully they're on Overdrive.. yeah for borrowing eBooks vs. buying them on Kindle, Google or Apple.
1. Which of the Winnie-the-Pooh characters do you most relate to?
You know there is not much of a plot to this book.... just this ridiculous toy bear stumbling through life in his little forest world among his cast of friends. Lisa told me that I was most like Eeyore... probably because I am kind of a pessimist in many ways. If something can go wrong, it will. Huh! 2. Which of the Winnie-the-Pooh characters has qualities you’d find most attractive in a romantic partner?
I don't know enough about the characters to answer this.
3. In what way have you “wandered much further” today than you should?
I walked beyond my usual 2.25 mile limit this morning. Probably because it was early in the morning and wasn't so hot or crowded where I walked... so was nicely pleasant to almost make it to 3 miles.
4. Of Winnie-the-Pooh stories you can remember (from the books, Disney cartoons, or other sources), which is your favorite?
Only familiar with the original one I am reading now and the movie which I assume is based on the first book. I barely remember the movie, but it was cute. My Mom loved it. Slow paced, innocent, innocuous.... just the way a "safe" family story or movie should be. 5. Which quote from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories would be good for the epigraph in the book about your life?
”People who don’t think probably don’t have brains; rather, they have grey fluff that’s blown into their heads by mistake.”
Unfortunately we run into too many people like this. Eeyore syndrome here. Huh!!!!!!
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