Well I am not superstitious, but bad things always seem to happen, Friday the 13th or not.
Here are my answers to the questions this week.
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 movie makes you happy?
A Christmas Story from 1983.. you know the one where the kid Ralph wants a Red Ryder air rifle BB gun.... "You'll shoot your eye out!" A great fun movie from start to finish, and the ending is good.
2. What song makes you happy?
OK... here's one....
* Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Julie Andrews (as Mary Poppins)
3. What food makes you happy?
All kinds of food have the potential to make me feel happy. I guess I'll start with anything that has chocolate in it... candy bars, cacao bars, cakes, brownies, cookies, whatever.
I also like turkey and this month is prime season for that.
4. Who makes you happy with just a text message?
Lisa and I exchange text messages with cute GIFs all the time.
5. What beverage is most likely to lift your spirits?
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
How do you think you’d do in learning to fly a plane?
I’m pretty good flying a plane on my Android device. Heh. But in real life, probably too complicated though I kind of know the basics since I watch so many aviation videos on YouTube. I guess I could learn to fly, but it is expensive and I am pretty much too old to do anything like that these days.
How do you think you’d do hosting a nationally televised late-night talk show?
I'd rather do a late night radio show with a mix of news, politics, conservative opinion and music. I am not photogenic or entertaining enough to do late night TV. Plus late night TV is not like what it used to be when Johnny Carson was on the air. Today’s late night show are too left leaning.
How do you think you’d do in auto body repair school?
Probably OK after taking classes in auto repair. One thing I know for sure is that older cars are probably easier to self service and repair vs. newer models.
How do you think you’d do as the only occupant of the International Space Station for a year?
If it were not so dangerous, i think i would love to be up there doing whatever work i would be trained for. I can handle being away from actual people as long as I can remain in contact through email, text, chat, social media, voice and video. I would have 16 chances every day to take sunrise and sunset photos since the station orbits the globe 16 times a day.
How do you think you’d do as a professional dog groomer?
I am not a dog person. I don’t like dogs. I would be a lousy groomer. I have no pets. They are just another mouth to feed. I do like cats. My sister has 4 of them. Good enough when I pay her an occasional visit.
Questions from the Friday 5 site. http://f.riday5.com/2020/09/18/friday-5-for-september-18-how-are-you-feeling-today/
1. What were you most recently anxious about?
Finances, money.
2. What were you most recently apologetic about?
Getting Lisa upset.
3. What are you feeling cautious about these days?
Finances, money.
4. Heading into the weekend, what are you confident about?
The sun will rise, the sun will set - we will have day and night every day as it has been for centuries and all time. I am confident I will not be dead tomorrow, but beyond that I don't know. I am confident that I am a terrible predictor of the future.
5. What were the consequences (good and bad) the last time you felt adventurous.
I am rarely adventurous..... the last time I did something that was "adventurous" it turned out bad.
On March 3 of this year I tried out for free, a new type of electric scooter. Mind you I have never been on an electric transport device of any type except for a friend's Tesla Model 3 car.
The Tesla has 4 wheels. The scooter only 2 wheels.
I got up on the scooter, held my balance for about 30 seconds. I did not realize how fast the tiny little electric engine on the scooter could pick up. I hardly pushed the accelerator toggle on the handlebar. Before i knew it the thing suddenly accelerated.
I panicked while trying to find the button or whatever to slow the thing down.
Needless to say I lost control as me and that thing continued to accelerate and BAM! I hit a wall and fell head first directly into it.
The brunt of the impact fell not only on my head but also on my right shoulder and arm.
I was stunned and probably knocked out for a few seconds. I vaguely remember a scrunching sound.
And then the blood and some pain.
Fortunately there were a few people around to help me get up. Someone had some paper towels and i was able to hold them up to my head as I feebly walked away from the crash.
A good thing is that the scooter was not damaged, so at least I did not have to pay for damages.
Lucky for me a major medical facility was just a short walk away. I went there, got fixed up and was assured of no concussion. I did have big bandages on my head and shoulder. They gave some pills for the pain and I went home shortly after.
I gradually recovered and was at work the next day.
Here is a short list of good adventures:
2007 - Press tour and voyage on the Hawaii Superferry to Maui and back to Oahu. The ferry was a great idea. Too bad it went away.
2010 - Press tour on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ronald Reagan. We sailed out on the huge ship, got to watch and photograph operations including aircraft take off and landings, and then flew back to Pearl Harbor Hickam on a large helicopter. It was the adventure of my lifetime.
2013 - Trip to the top of Mt. Ka'ala at the Waianae mountains by van. Photo op. That was fun and scenic.
___________________________
Please pardon the poor formatting on this post and others going forward. Google updated the interface on blogger and no longer supports my old browser which i cannot update due to the age of my Mac and the older OSX I have. I hate forced updates that render things obsolete. Arrgh.
With my router broken and my Chromebook rendered useless because of that, I am now forced to post with my Android phone. Do you know phone screen keyboards really suck?
1. What would you consider your most recent major purchase?
Haven't done any major purchases in a few years now. To me, major means anything over $100 for a tangible item. Financially times are way too tough and I really have to be tight on spending.
2. On what are you hoping to spend a good chunk of change in the near future?
Whenever that happens, in order.... a new Chromebook, a Mac Mini with monitor and keyboard, and possibly another car, most likely "pre-owned"... I have no idea when any of this will happen, but they are certainly not going to happen all at once.
3. When did you most recently resist the urge to splurge?
All the time. I am not a "splurge" consumer. I think about everything before I buy. That is why my wishlist on Amazon is dozens of products long. I only browse, but rarely buy.
4. When did you most recently experience buyer’s remorse?
Air bed. Twice now. Don't ask. I won't tell.
5. What’s something interesting you consumed this past week?
More streaming audio and video. I finally transitioned my large Google Music library over to the Google owned YouTube Music service. What a mess that created. Not all of my audio files moved and several of the playlists are a mess.
The YouTube app for mobile as well as the website is also a mess. There is no easy way to organize artists, playlists, albums, etc. On playback I cannot find the buttons to "clear queue"... No good way to drop songs one by one into a queue without having to include all the songs on a particular album or playlist. What a fucking mess.
On the other hand I am enjoying watching the new Star Trek Lower Decks animated TV series on CBS All Access. This may be the best of the recent spin-offs from the Star Trek universe. This one is a comedy of some sort and focuses on the Starfleet personnel that have to do a lot of the grunt work to keep a starship going. The starship is the U.S.S. Cerritos and its mission is "second contact".... mainly to take care of administrative stuff once the Federation establishes a new relationship with an alien world and culture.
What I like the best of the new series is that it occurs at roughly the same time as Star Trek The Next Generation. I like the familiarity of the series as it relates to TNG and its two follow-ups, Deep Space 9 and Voyager... all of which occur in approximately the same time frame.
Lovers and Poets, yes I started to follow Shannon Hurley and I think she posted that stuff to her website many years ago. She has been steady with Lovers and Poets though the duo is her and her husband. It was originally with another guy. My favorite Shannon Hurley song is "California" from 2008.
The funny video and song "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda B Cool and DCup was a worldwide #1 dance and pop hit in 2010. "The name is a reference to the scene in the film Pulp Fiction, where the character Jules (played by Samuel L. Jackson) tells a female armed robber named Yolanda (played by Amanda Plummer) "Be cool!".... re: Yolanda be cool! I saw the video on YouTube and fell in love with the song... hehe.. yes, useless pop fodder right up there with "Fridays" and "Call Me Maybe". Useless but catchy music.
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.
