I’ve been thinking a lot about dead people lately.  In particular, I’ve been thinking about stars who died young, the impact it had on their legacies and which ones I would want to bring back the most.  Here is a list of the top five musicians I wish had seen many more days.

Honorable Mentions:

Michael Jackson: I don’t have much to say about MJ that hasn’t already been written.  One of the most strangely fascinating people I’m aware of.

Karen Carpenter: Like Michael Jackson, another sad ending. She died at the age of 32 from complications due to her fight with a little known disease at the time named anorexia. She sang like an angel.

Jim Croce: Aside from songs about guys like  Slim and Leroy Brown, there is something about a rough looking man singing sad and sensitive songs that is very touching. It’s like he wasn’t singing words.  Rather, he was singing a chunk of his soul.  As a result, more than words came through.

5. Buddy Holly: Died in a plane crash at age 22. Despite only being well known for about a year before his death, he still managed to have a major influence on artists such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan. The song “The Day the Music Died” by Don McLean was about the plane crash that involved Holly. The song “Killing Me Softly” was born out of a reaction to a McLean concert. If you’re tracking, that is an amazing song inspired by another amazing song inspired by the death of Buddy Holly. That is the kind of impact he had.

4. Sam Cooke: In case you’re not familiar with Sam, he sang songs like “Wonderful World”, “Chain Gang”, “You Send Me” and “Bring it on Home to Me”.   Though only 33 at the time of his controversial death, his songs had the sound of someone full of years and experiences.  There was a purity to his voice that makes me wonder why he was never better known.  Just listen to the quality and depth of his vocals in this song for example.  Of all the Oldies singers, he was always my fave.

3. Keith Green: Like the title to one of his albums, this man did not believe in compromise.  He was passionate about finding the truth and then passionate about the truth he found.  He gave away his music for free and deflected the glory and fame he once so desperately longed for. He was outspoken, yet practiced what he preached. Not only did he open his home up to strangers, he purchased additional homes next to his for strangers to live in. I wonder how much he would have mellowed out over the years and whether his mellowing out would be a good or bad thing.  He was such a leader and so different from everybody.  I wish there was someone like him around now – not just for his music, but to help keep people like me in line. I have an incredible amount of respect for this man. There will never be another Keith Green.

2. John Denver: Something about John Denver’s music soothes my soul.  It is so simple, yet so very rich at the same time.  There is a warmth about his music that makes me content with what I have rather than pining away for what I don’t.  In short, his music helps me appreciate nature and slow down.  It also brings up a lot of nice memories.  Lastly, what an effortlessly wonderful voice. If he were a baseball player, he would have the swing of a Rafael Palmeiro, Will Clark or Ken Griffey, Jr.  Smooth.

1. Rich Mullins: I could go on and on about why I love Rich Mullins.  Like Keith Green, he was ruthlessly honest and didn’t feel the need to follow the crowd.  Like John Denver, he helps me appreciate nature, but the praise he brings to the maker of all that beauty is what sets him apart.  He also has some of the most beautiful and poetic lyrics I have ever come across.  Take this opening lines in the following song about the color green for example:

And the Moon is a sliver of silver, like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter’s shop.

Though Rich died young, single and childless his life was the furthest thing from meaningless.  Even today, his music is a great blessing to those who know about this man.  He also happens to be the biggest influence on my favorite living artist – Mr. Andrew Peterson.  I venture to say that Peterson’s music would not be what it is without Rich Mullins.  Peterson cites the song “If I Stand” by Rich Mullins as a turning point in his spiritual life.  In turn, the music of Andrew Peterson has played a huge role in my life.  As Christ himself remarked, “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” What a great scripture and what a wonderful thing it is to live a life that positively impacts many for generations to come.

How about you?  Who do you miss?

I did my fifth grade book report on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Not having read the books earlier in the series, I had absolutely no idea what was going on.  All I knew is that they were on a ship that was heading for somewhere.  I read the entire series in succession five years ago and, while it finally made sense, I still can’t remember much about this one besides the funny little mouse (or was he a rat?) and this tender scene of transformation with Eustace and Aslan. In anticipation of the movie being released in a little over a week, I figured I would post it here.

The water was as clear as anything and I thought if I could get in there and bathe it would ease the pain in my leg. but the lion told me I must undress first. Mind you, I don’t know if he said any words out loud or not.

I was just going to say that I couldn’t undress because I hadn’t any clothes on when I suddenly thought that dragons are snaky sort of things and snakes can cast their skins. Oh, of course, thought I, that’s what the lion means. So I started scratching myself and my scales began coming off all over the place. And then I scratched a little deeper and , instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana. In a minute or two I just stepped out of it. I could see it lying there beside me, looking rather nasty. It was a most lovely feeling. So I started to go down into the well for my bathe.

But just as I was going to put my feet into the water I looked down and saw that they were all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as they had been before. Oh, that’s all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I’ll have to get out of it too. So I scratched and tore again and this underskin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to the well for my bathe.

Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I got to take off? For I was longing to bathe my leg. So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it. But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good.

Then the lion said – but I don’t know if it spoke – ‘You will have to let me undress you.’ I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.

The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know – if you’ve ever picked the scab of a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away.

Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off – just as I thought I’d done it myself the other three times, only they hadn’t hurt – and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been. And there I was smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. Then he caught hold of me – I didn’t like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I’d no skin on – and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again.

-C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Last week I asked ESPN’s fantasy football analyst Stefania Bell whether I should start Corey Dillon on Antowain Smith at RB.  This week, I asked Steve Grogan or Hugh Millen at QB.  She seems to be ignoring me.  Incidentially, not sure how many people remember this, but Hugh Millen’s nickname was Hugh-Mill-i-ation.  That’s a tough one.  Next week, it’s Ben Coates or Marv Cook at TE.  Incidentally #2, while New England was the last ranked offensive team in Tecmo Super Bown (Tecmo Rankings), Marv Cook tied for fifth among tight ends.

When I was in High School, I love, love, loved Oldies music.  I liked it so much, I actually taped an infomercial for Dick Clark’s Rock N’ Roll era and watched it over and over.  Who tapes an infomercial?  Me. I did.  I loved seeing the footage and hearing the short clips of the song enough to watch it all .  When I wasn’t doing homework or playing sports, I spent my time in my room listening to Oldies 103.3 while playing Bill Walsh College Football on the Sega Genesis.  Eventually, I knew everything about both. I even made a list of my 76 favorite oldies for my website, to proudly tell the world which ditties I loved most.

I gradually stopped listening to Oldies and playing old video games.  They started making me feel lonely and disconnected from the present. It’s like what one guy said on the Amazon forum about Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (40+ old Sega Genesis games repackaged into one disk for the Playstation 3).  He made this telling remark about Streets of Rage 2:

The sequel had more of just about everything. More moves. More characters. More varied environments. More music variety. More bosses. The first one also had a sort of wonky hit detection that was never really an issue in the 2nd or 3rd one. I would like to hear your opinion. It’s rare to find someone who cares remotely about these games anymore.

I was thinking of buying this collection of old games, but held off for the same reason I stopped listening to Oldies. I didn’t want to feel lonely and disconnected and invest myself in irrelevancy.  So, I read a little about Justin Bieber and keep up with who is getting voted off of “Dancing with the Stars”. Sometimes, I even put on the radio.

The problem is that most things I know and love are in the past.  Above my head right now is a prized promotional poster of Mr. T and Hulk Hogan from Wrestlemania I.  To my right is a framed photo of Bo Jackson that was huge in 1990.  To my left is Rocky with his arms raised after making it up the steps and in the basement is promotional poster for The Karate Kid. It was the first movie that grabbed hold of my heart as a child. For the next 3 months, I did the crane in my Dr. Dentons. Straight ahead is a framed photo of Manny Ramirez from his days with the BoSox. I can’t even let go of athletes who have left town.

Sometimes, though, other people bring up something in the past that is dear to me.  This is the best.  It means that someone else still cares and thinks about the same things I do.  It takes something forgotten and makes it relevant again.  It might not be relevant to the world, but it is relevant to someone besides only me. It lets me know that I’m not alone.

This happened recently when my friend Curt posted what happens to be one of my favorite Oldies songs on Facebook.  He wrote:

I first heard this song at Roller Village in Fremont, Nebraska, our home town roller skating rink and still can’t hear the song without remembering that association. The harmony is infectious.

I may not have heard this song at the Roller Village in Nebraska, but I can still relate to the associations and memories don’t feel so lonely when they are shared with others. I can’t stop listening to the song he posted. Perhaps it is because it brings me back to a time I never really made peace with.  Maybe it is good to spend a little time in that place again to work out things that were never resolved.  It’s as if Curt was giving me permission.

I go back and forth on Twitter. I really do. Sometimes, I think it’s great. Other times, I wish it would self-implode. I’m so tired of being advertised to, pithy sayings about success and minor details into the lives of people I don’t even know.  Rather than trying to fight it, I joined in with this recent tweet:

Don’t go chasing waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to

What does that mean? I have no idea. But, at least I’m doing my part in doling out advice. And, if you don’t like it, remember what happened to Andre Rison’s house. Also, my Twitter friend Wendy wrote back, “There go my plans for tomorrow”.  So, people ARE listening.

* * *

With the recent time-change, I’m already feeling depressed.  In addition to darkness, here is what we have to look forward to over the next 5 months:

cold, Cold, COLD.

It’s like the time I was driving to a winter time-share place in January.  We got stuck in the snow and had to stop at a hotel only 45 minutes into a 4:30 hour trip.  We turned on the weather channel and the forecast said this:

Sunday Morning: Snow

Sunday Afternoon: Snow

Sunday Evening: Heavy Snow

So… yeah.  It’s always the darkest before it’s totally black.  There is a slight remedy for the darkness thing, though.  You should pick up some Vitamin D 3.  It will really help with the lack of sunlight.  Did you know that 68% of all Americans are Vitamin D deficient? It’s true and 45% of all statistics are made up.  Vitamin D won’t make you happy, but it may make you less unhappy – and that’s something even if it isn’t much.

* * *

Back in September, I posted this on Facebook:

I’m thinking of buying a PS3. I wouldn’t play it much, but like how black & shiny it is. I also like that it has a Blu-Ray player. I wouldn’t use it, but am intrigued by the idea of owning something so fancy. I also wouldn’t have a TV to use it with, but like the idea of TV. I also hear that NBA Jam is being re-released. I like the idea of being able to jump really high in the air & hear announcers say funny things.

Well, I went ahead with the purchase and have had my very own PS3 for about a month now.  So far, it has been really great.  I hardly play it all, but love that it just sitting there waiting to be played.  I also enjoy reading reviews for games – even games I don’t care about or am even repulsed by – like Johnny-shooter-man-in-the-face games.  I’ve done so much research on games I have no interest in purchasing or playing.  It’s really great. However, I could purchase and play one of these games I’m not really interested in at any time.  I like the idea of being able to buy a game I don’t like and will never play.  Somehow, there is comfort in that.

I also have the “Move”, which is Playstation’s new version of the Wii.  It has a stick with a ball that lights up.  Sometimes, the ball is pink.  Other times, the ball is blue.  I saw a picture where the ball was yellow.  I’m still not sure where the yellow ball comes into play, because I’ve never seen it.  Still, I know it’s out there and that right there is pretty exciting.

If you know of any non-Johnny-shooterman games that are really good, please let me know.  Just make sure it has a pretty looking cover for me to admire in case I never open it.

Also, Playstation’s motto is:  ”It only does everything.”  Can we really be sure about this? Let’s take a closer look.

Can it give haircuts?

Can it let you jump 1,000 feet into the air and do dunks you never thought possible?

Can it keep you company on dark, cold and lonely nights?

As Meatloaf sang, two out of three ain’t bad.

After an operation on Friday and not being able to do anything but look at the ceiling, I finally have some time to update this blog with some news and notes.

It was about the fourth time I’ve needed stitches in my life.  The first was when I was a little kid and needed stitches on my lip.  Afterward, my mom took me to the grocery store and said I could pick out anything I wanted.   I chose grape flavored Hubba-Bubba Bubble Gum, which, to my dismay, I quickly realized I would not be able to chew thanks to my stitched up lip.  Ouch.

Speaking of being a kid, here is a beautiful tribute to the “Peanuts” cartoon by Randall Goodgame.  This song is so delicious, I could eat it for dessert.  The part with the violin is really nice and it also has some really touching lines.  Like these:

“Sometimes I feel like Charlie Brown, all alone up on the pitcher’s mound, like a-hundred runs down.”

-and-

“If you love, be prepared to lose.”

Speaking of cartoons, I was a big fan of Scooby-Doo. The show was great until Scrappy-Doo came along.  What Scrappy missed in height, he made up for in obnoxiousness. However, he had a great spirit about him and could do unexpected things for a little-guy, like jumping great sized fish.  That’s what can happen when desperation meets determination.  Thank you Scrappy-Doo. Here’s to you, Mr. I-jumped-the-shark-before-there-was-a-shark-to-jump-obnoxious-little-guy.

Speaking of Scooby-Doo, I stumbled upon an Ex Scooby-Doo Villian Support Group on Facebook.  Here is how the description reads:

Would you have gotten away with it if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids? Tired of always having your masks ripped off and being exposed for the creepy old man/woman you are? We can help, ESDVSG is here so people like you have a place to come.

Now, THAT (along with Tom Brady is better than Peyton Manning in Football and in Life) is some high quality Facebook group work. Good job people.

Speaking of Tom Brady, the town has been abuzz with news of the departure of Randy Moss.  I think the coverage is a bit overblown. After all, Randy Moss never was Tom Brady’s favorite receiver.

Speaking of tough guys, my friend Kyle recently posted this link and asked if people actually paid to see “Over the Top” in the theater back in 1987? Let me give some background before I answer that question.

“Over the Top” was a great name for this movie. Also impressive was how left-hander Sly Stallone was so powerful with his right hand. Finally, this movie had perhaps the most unrealistic scene of all time when the scrawny son wins an arm wrestling match at the end because he tries hard and listens to his father’s advice.

Anyway, to answer my friend’s question, did I actually pay to see this movie in the theater? No. But, I would have. That’s all for now. Back to work on my poem about pickles.

I am SO tired of people asking if there is anything to do in New Hampshire.

As you might have noticed, this blog has taken a turn in direction lately.  I was tired of what felt like boring and uninspired posts (see my book reviews) and wanted to only post things that I, if a reader, would be interested in viewing.  The number #1 quality I boiled that down to was passion.  I recall funny blogger man Bryan Allain once saying that he would rather read about a subject he wasn’t interested in that was done from a passionate perspective, than a subject he was interested in from an unpassionate perspective .  Or something like that.  Actually, maybe it was nothing like that at all.  I read the quote about a year ago and really can’t remember.  But, I totally agree with what he said.  Whatever it was.

Anyway, as an example, this guy is passionate about hating pennies.  Am I passionate about hating pennies?  Maybe not as much as this guy. But, I am inspired by his inspiration and he has turned me on to the thought of hating them.  It’s like a student who eventually writes a book on World War II after developing an interest in history after having a teacher in Middle School who was passionate about history. That is what passion can do, baby!

What else does passion do?

• It cuts to the heart of what matters to someone.
• It matters to someone because it means something to them.
• It touches on deeper things that often end up meaning something to someone else.
• It brings out buried stuff in buried hearts that secretly and, sometimes unknowingly, begs for expression.
• It makes dead things or people come to life.

This guy is passionate about hating pennies.  This blog is passionate about passion.  What are you passionate about?