Show me the money

My wife and I went to the casino last night and I WAS ON FIRE! We walked out with twice as much money than we had when we came in. I found out that I like winning money a lot more than I like losing money. Go figure.

And now more 101 things about Drew

51 - 60

53. My earliest memory is of the family gathering around the TV to watch Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.
54. I once stuffed an entire Big Mac in my mouth.
55. I love to sing, but I can't carry a tune.
56. I was a Jimmy Buffett fan before it was cool. I was already listening to him when Margaritaville came out.
57. I really like bloging.
58. I am very stubborn.
59. I have read the Bible cover to cover.
60. I have seen the movie Airplane more than 100 times.
61. I saw C.W. McCall (Remember Convoy?) in concert.

Thought for the day -

I thought that it was a good idea to stop and smell the roses. Then I realized what they were fertilized with. Now I stop and admire the roses from a comfortable distance.
(No offence to Ramblin Rose intended.)

Song writing made easy

Some of my best stuff comes out really fast.

This is the second song I wrote. I got the idea one day while I was driving around. At a stop light, I saw one of those guys holding a cardboard sign and asking for help. I started thinking about what it must be like to be in that situation. By the time I got home, I had most of the song written in my head.

I ran to the computer and got it down. Less than two hours from conception to completion.

I emailed it to my friend Matt and he said that it "smoked". The next day, he sat down at the piano and g came up with the tune. I love writing songs with him because he knows what the song should feel like.

He and our friend Wes worked on the song (they changed my third verse into a bridge) and made it what it is today.

Matt played it in a guitar bar in Japan (who knew there were guitar bars in Japan?) and received much praise. The owner wanted to know who did the song, so he could buy it. (We're huge in Japan)

Some day, we're going to record stuff for real. Well here it is.

Heartbeat
12/4/05 Words and music by:
Drew Blackstone
Matt Knighton
Wes Schmunk



He's standing there in forlorn desolation

A pocket stuffed full of averted eyes

You won't be ruled by guilty motivation

Turn up the radio and drive on by

He's driven there by hopeless desperation

It's a scene to make the angles cry


CHORUS
Which one of you is going to help my brother?

Have you really got that much to lose?

You're really not that different from each other

You're just a heartbeat from walking in his shoes



She's just sixteen and in a family way

Wishing to take back that single sin

She doesn't know what she will to do today

She's got no way to go back to where she's been

She just wants to find someplace that's safe

But you say there's no room at the inn


CHORUS
Which one of you is going to help my sister?

Have you really got that much to lose?

You're really not that different from each other

You're just a heartbeat from walking in her shoes


Bridge
Are you acting out of ignorance or fear?

When you're making up a reason to not care

You say their lifestyle's causing their decay

Well what would Jesus say?


CHORUS
If you just reach out and touch your brother

You may find a treasure you can't lose

You're not that different form each other

You're just a heartbeat from walking in his shoes


Thought for the day -

It's really hard to finish a job that you never start.

Another day, another rejection

Thank you guys for the input on my song. I guess I haven't been clear on this part, there is no tune yet. The music part of the group hasn't done anything with this yet. They are very busy right now and I throw a lot of stuff their way. They also have their own stuff to work on. It's a slow process.

I appreciate the input. I don't have many self esteem issues, but I am very insecure about my writing. (A lot of history there) I love affirmation. I also like it when people tell me it sucks or needs work. Someone on the outside looking in can give objective feedback.

Now back to 101 things about Drew

41 - 50

38. I love wearing new socks. If I could I would wear new socks everyday. I could wear them once then give them to charity.
39. I wish that presidential "debates" would be actual debates. Right now what we have are a bunch of prepared speeches. These are not debates.
40. I don't have cable in my house. I don't think that I should have to pay for TV.
41. I am usually very early for things. My mother was always late when I was growing up, so I think I am compensating for that.
42. The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.
43. I am a very patient person most of the time.
44. I had five concussions and one skull fracture by the time I was 17. And Yes, I was like this before I had any head injuries.
45. Three is my favorite number.
46. I think that George was the coolest Beatle.
47. I am a total slob.
48. I love to go skiing mid-week. No lift lines.
49. My wife is used to getting calls from me while she's at work that start out like this: "I'm in the hospital, but don't worry..."
50. I collect record albums. I have ten feet of shelving that is full of vinyl.
51. I am rhythm impaired.
52. I can juggle.

Thought for the day -

What is up the the blinking yellow light? I understand the blinking red, "Stop, go. Stop, go...." but blinking yellow? Be cautious, don't be cautious. Be cautious, don't be cautious..." I don't get it.

Great timing

Last night I got this message in my fortune cookie

"You will have a new look that will do wonders."

Great, now what am I going to do with all those aloha shirts?

So anyway, I've been writing songs for about a year now. They're mostly Christian, which makes sense because I'm a Christian.

I write lyrics and my friend makes up the music.

I came up with this one last November, and he said you really had to believe it to make it work. I do believe it. When I wrote it, my heart was aching for this girl.

I revisited it yesterday and wrote a new verse and changed the ending. I wanted to know if I was painting a good picture with my words or if I was just being sappy.

I thought that y'all could give me a hand and tell me what you think.

City streets

The city streets are freezing, the cold goes straight down to your bones

Nothing to eat since Thursday but there's no way you're going home

With no place to sleep, nowhere to go it's enough to drive you mad

You never got no love from mama and way too much from your dad


It feels like the loneliness will eat you up from deep down inside

Looking high and low just to find someone in who you can confide

Your soul's so full of emptiness, no one to catch you when you fall

It turns out the friends you've found have turned out to be no friends at all


At seventeen you've lived three lives, you've paid a heavy toll

You can't keep track of the countless times you've had to sell your soul

All wrapped up in yesterday's clothes, you watch the setting sun

Just trying hard to forget all the things you've seen and done


He's calling to you, dear heart, He's feeling all your fears

He's known you from the very start, He'll dry your endless tears

He'll walk with you and carry you so you'll never be alone

He'll comfort you and hold you and take you to your home

Thanks for the help.

Thought for the day -

The grass isn't greener, it's just on the other side of the fence.

The Aloha Prints of Puget Sound

OK, I've been getting some flack from you guys about my fashion choices. This a look I've been perfecting for a long time. Not everybody can pull it off like I do.

Me at Dinsey's MGM, FLA

Me in Yosemite, CA

Me in Central park, NY

You see, I can make it work anywhere.

More of 101 things about Drew

31 - 40

33. I lived on a sailboat for a year when I was 12.
34. I've had CPR performed on me.
35. I am a horrible speller.
36. I can find something funny in almost every situation.
37. I started and stopped smoking pot in the sixth grade.

Thought for the day -

It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you place the blame.

I love those bargains

Last night, I went looking for a soccer jersey. My team decided to go with yellow. Not my favorite, but what can you do.

The cool thing is that yellow is the away color of The Arsenal Gunners (The British premier team I root for.) So, I went to a small soccer shop just hoping to find a yellow jersey. Low and behold, they have a Arsenal away jersey. In my size. On sale. No Way! Total score! Yay me!

Now back to 101 things about Drew.

21-30

22. My favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla.
23. I yell "You suck!" at Wal-Mart every time I drive by.
24. I love being the center of attention.
25. I am always quick to apologize when I have offended someone. The problem is that I need to do this far to often.
26. I always try to give money to people who ask for it. If I can't help my fellow man, what kind of man am I?
27. I love to travel.
28. I wear aloha shirts 365 days a year.
29. People watching always entertains me. I am never bored at the airport.
30. Enjoying myself is a high priority for me. If you're not having fun, what's the point?
31. I have the best friends in the whole world. God has put wonderful people in my path.
32. I always try to do things a little different than other people. Just to keep things interesting.

Thought for the day -

Never hesitate to laugh at a good joke.

The list goes on

Wow. This is really fun. Time for more of 101 things about Drew.

11-20

8. Purple is my favorite color.
9. I love working with the youth at my church.
10. I spent the first 38 years of my life telling myself I can't write.
11. I am forever thankful to my parents for reading to me when I was young.
12. I love being able to get crushed ice from the door of my refrigerator.
13. I firmly believe that we shouldn't have to choose between two rich white guys when voting for president.
14. I am a night person. Don't bug me before 10:00 AM.
15. I missed one third of high school.
16. I have been a guest performer in the Disneyland Parade of Stars in Disneyland and Micky's Jammin Jungle Parade in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
17. I don't like chocolate.
18. I look and act younger than my age.
19. I love soccer.
20. I hate telemarketers.
21. I am a huge procrastinator.

Thought for the day -

By taking no action in a situation, you are taking action.

Viva lost wages

Thanks to all for putting up with the Millionaire saga. Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging.

Yesterday I got tickets to see Jimmy Buffett in Las Vegas. I had to see him one more time before I died and what could be better than seeing him in sin city. My wife is taking a personal day, so we can have a long weekend. Par-Tay.

I was reading Hotwire the other day, and he was doing 101 things about him. I said to myself "Self, I should do that."

So here it is: 101 things about Drew

1 - 10

1. I love Jesus. Not nearly as much as I should.
2. I love my wife. Not nearly as much as she deserves.
3. I am horrible at parallel parking.
4. I will never affiliate myself with a political party.
5. I once won a Mr. Rogers look alike contest.
6. I enjoy playing board games
7. I have been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan since 1971.

Thought for the day -

Why do they have a road sign that says 'Pass with care.' Shouldn't people always be doing that?

The end of the road

So that was it. My dream was over in the blink of an eye. I was dazed. The subway ride back to the hotel was spent in a fog.

My mom tried to console me, but I really didn't want to talk about it. I just needed some time. After getting some food and dealing with more med issues, I want to bed.

It was after noon by the time we got out of bed the next day. We had no plans, so we decided to take in a show. The concierge at the hotel had the hook up and got tickets to Dirty Rotten scoundrels with John Lithgow.

We got to the show and took our seats. (2nd row center) One of my fellow Millionaire contestants and her family sat right in front of us. Cool. We had a nice chat and I felt much better. Our talk was interrupted when Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld) sat down next to me.

He was sooo nice. When I become famous, I want to act just like he did that night.

The next day, I came home. It was hard because I was not allowed to tell anybody about the show until after it aired. I had to keep my mouth shut for a month. I did it too. (OK, I did tell my wife) I got to set there while my friends watched me crash and burn and pretend like it didn't bother me.

I've always said that I didn't want to change anything in my life. Now there is just one moment I would like to have back.

Thought for the day -

The elevator isn't going to come any faster if you push the button more.

Does anybody here know the Heimlich Maneuver?

I saw the movie Accepted last night and was surprised. I thought it would be a little funny, but it was really good. The writing was crisp and clever and the message was cool. The only thing wrong was it used too much slapstick. When your material is good, you don't need prat falls. It was the feel good movie of the year.

Now back to our regularly scheduled Millionaire story.

I was shocked that I got picked to go next. I went out during a commercial break and put my butt in the hot seat. I said hi to Meredith and we shook hands. I didn't chat with her that much because she was talking with her people and I was talking with mine. (Yes, I had my own people while I was on the show.)

We came back from the break and jumped right into the game. I sailed through the first five questions in nothing flat. I was working the audience and having a great time.

We went to another break and I got to talk with Meredith some more. She was very nice and totally cool. Things were going my way.

When we came back for the commercial, Meredith talked with my mom a little. Mom had come up with a joke and I had told the producers about it. Meredith was kind enough to set my mom up for the punch line and she got a good laugh.

I nailed the $2,000.00 question and then things got interesting.

The $4,000.00 question was:

A strict ovolactovegetarian will not eat which of these foods as part of his diet?
A: Fish
B: Milk
C: Cheese
D: Eggs

(Without looking ahead, answer the question and let me know if you got it right. I have found that about 25% of the people get it right.)

Now, I had never heard that word before. I had all of my life lines, but I didn't think that any of them would help. I figured the audience would split on all four and I knew it would take the entire 30 seconds of my phone a friend just to establish what the word was.

I decided to go about it logically. I broke the word down in my head.

Ovo - eggs
Lacto - milk
vegetarian - vegetables

My mistake was I flipped the question in my head. I switched will and won't.

I said "D Eggs. Final answer." and my fate was sealed.

I choked. I took the gas pipe. I rolled a gutter ball when I only needed one pin to win.

The answer was fish. I felt like crap. I wanted to put my fist through a wall. It was over and I had no one to blame but myself. I firmly believe that if I had taken 10 more seconds to think it over, I would have gotten it right.

There is still more to the story, so stay tuned.

Thought for the day -

When life gives you lemons, throw them at your TV.

If I can make here, I can make it anywhere

Due to circumstances beyond my control, my camping trip fell through. The good news is that I get to blog today. The bad news is that you have to read more about my Millionaire adventure.

About a week after my wife and I got back from the east coast, I got the postcard telling me that I was in the contestant pool. I thought I was going to make it, but it was still quite a thrill.

Two weeks after this, I got THE call. I figured it would be several months (If ever) before this would happen. They wanted me to come to New York the day after Labor Day to tape the show. Yowza!

The bummer was that my wife is a teacher and she could not take the first week of school off and come with me. :( I had to take the dork route and bring my mom. That was cool. Some quality time with the momunit.

So, we get to the hotel in NYC and my mom leaves her bag on the shuttle bus. It had all of her medication in it.

We call Super Shuttle and find out that the company is run by Forrest Gump. There is no way we were getting that bag back.

Now the great thing about NYC is that you can find a doctor to write a prescription and a pharmacy to fill it after 11:00 PM on Labor Day. Is that cool, or what?

Between that and just being excited, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night. Fortunately, I had plenty of caffeine and adrenalin to keep me going.

I got to the ABC studio at 8:00 AM. They took us (there were eight contestants) to the green (it was really a kind of puke yellow) room. They then made us put all of our stuff in lockers. No cameras, books, phones, or anything like that allowed. They even walked you to the bathroom. They make sure nobody is going to cheat.

I hung out with my new friends while lots of different people told us how things worked. It was very fun and they fed us all day long. They took us into the studio and we got to practice sitting in the hot seat.

Around noon, the contestants that didn't have time to get taped the previous day's taping came in. They got to go first.

Then it was our turn. What they do is pick you randomly. Three people are on deck, one person is in the hole, and everyone else stays in the green room. They don't tell you which of the three is next until right before you go on. They like to put the pressure on.

One by one my friends were taken out. Pretty soon, I was alone in the green room. I figured I wouldn't get on till the next day. Unfortunately, none of my friends were getting very far. To my surprise, they called me and I was in the hole. Then I was on deck.

Three of us were in this small cubby hole under the seats where the audience sits. We had a small black and white monitor to see the show. A guy named Drew (We all thought that he was going to do the best out of our group) was in the hot seat. We were rooting for him, but he froze up. It was horrible to watch. He ended up not getting any money. :( That was very sad.

Then the lady came back and told us that I was next.

I was going to the hot seat...

Thought for the day -

In life, anything can happen. And it usually does.

Waking up in the city that never sleeps

Before I get back to the story, I just have to give a big shout out to Manic Mom. It seems like every time a new person comments on my blog, they say something like 'I got this link from MM'. Thanks for the help, MM, you rock.

So Anyway, my wife and I decided to vacation in Prince Edward Island last summer. (If you get a chance, go there. It's totally cool.) So I said, "If were going to be on the east coast, why don't we stop in New York so I can have one more shot at Millionaire?" I booked a time to take the test and off we went.

On the big day, I left my wife in The Met. (Also totally cool.) and made my way to the ABC studio. I waited in line with the other hopefulls as the official people checked us in. They took us to this bar (it wasn't open) across the street and I sat at a table with 3 very nice people.

When the test started I was shocked. It was a breeze. It was so much easier than the one I took before.

When they called out the numbers of who passed, I was in. Huge sigh. I talked with the producers and they said that I would get a postcard telling me if I was in the contestant pool or not.

I was as high as a cloud. I went to Starbucks, got a vente frap, and met up with my wife. We spent the day in central park and saw The Producers that night. (Seeing a show on Broadway is awesome.)

Now it was just a matter of waiting. I was sure I was going to get picked to be on the show. It was so close, I could taste it.

I'm going camping this weekend, so you'll have to wait till next week for the rest of the story.

Thought for the day -

Any test is easy if you know the answers.

Million dollar Disneyland

Before I start, I'd just like to say that I am totally jazzed that Hoot is out on DVD. Ya gotta love Jimmy Buffett.

So anyway, I was still trying to get on Millionaire. During this time, my wife and I went to Disneyland. I was very happy to find out that the newly opened California Adventure had an attraction called Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Play It. It's just like the TV show, only you compete against the rest of the audience to get into the hot seat. You have to answer the questions correctly and quickly to make it. It took me five trys, but I made it.

Unlike the show, you don't play for money, you play for points. I blew out on the 250,000 point question. I got a hat, a shirt, and some cool pins. My confidence also got a lift.

I played every time (2 more times) we went to Disneyland to get my Millionaire fix. I was bummed when they closed the attraction. :(

Meanwhile, the real show was dropping in the ratings. Mr. Philbin departed and the show left prime time. Good news: No fastest finger. Bad news: No phone in auditions

Fortunately, the auditions went on the road. When they came to my town, I was in line at the crack of 6:00 AM. I took the test and didn't pass. :( 30 questions in 10 minutes. They don't tell you what you need to get or what score you got. They only tell you that you didn't make it.

But I never gave up hope...

Thought for the day -

Don't burn you bridges. You may need to cross the river again.

Drew wants to be a millionaire

By popular demand, here is the story of my Who Wants to be a Millionaire adventure. OK, only one person sort of asked for it, but it gives me a few days of stuff to blog about.

It all started several years ago when WWTBAM first came out. There was a tremendous amount of hype about it. Well, since my wife and I don't watch TV, (We don't even have cable) I figured that it was a passing fad and didn't pay it much heed.

Pretty soon everybody at work (This was back when I had a real job) was telling me that I HAD to get on that show.

You see, I'm that guy at work who knows all the trivia. When people want useless information, they come to me. It has nothing to do with being smart, I just remember things.

I became curious and had a friend tape an episode for me. One show and I was hooked. I knew I could do this. Back then, you could call in to try out. You had to answer five questions and hope they drew your name the next day. I guess I wasn't random enough. :(

I was determined (My wife used the word obsessed) to get on that show, so I kept trying.

More tomorrow.

Thought for the day -

Never give up, never surrender. - Peter Quincy Taggert "Galaxy Quest"

Happy blogday to me

Well, here it is. My 50th blog entry. Yay me! Thanks to all of my loyal readers ( all seven of you) for making this such a success.

Now down to business.

Thank you sooooo much for the kind words on yesterday's blog. You can't know how much it means to me.

And yes, the director can take the part from me. He has to have the best interests of the company in mind, and I wasn't giving him what he wanted. He's a good guy. he just had to make a hard decision. I'm disappointed, but not mad.

What really cooks my grits is that the shoe was on the other foot during my last play.

I was out of town and missed the auditions. I hooked up with the play by being the assistant stage manager and stand in for whoever was out of town. It was painfully obvious that I was the best choice for one of the parts, ( I had the lines down before the guy with the part did) but the director went with her first choice. He is a great actor and did a fine job, but I would have been better. I didn't complain (much) and was content (mostly) to wait for my break. That's why it really sucks to lose this part.

OK, I feel better now.

I know something else will come along. I always seem to land on the right side of serendipity.

Thought for the day -

An intelligent person is never defeated, only delayed.

This really sucks

I just got a call from my director and I lost my part. He wanted to go with someone who has more experience. I know it's all part of the business, but it still hurts. At least I have some free time now.

Thought for the day -

Don't count your chickens until the horse is out of the barn.

Great feedback

Yesterday, I got up at 0 dark 30 to hang out with some friends while they waited in line to try out for Who Wants to be a Millionaire (I can't do it because I've already been on the show). None of them made it, :( but I got the chance to hang out with my friend's daughter while they were taking the test.

She had just finished reading my manuscript and gave me some great feedback. She liked the book and would recommend it to her friends. I wish that agents and publishers were 12 year old girls.

Manic Mom is also reading it, and is giving me some wonderful help. Thanks, MM.

Last night, my wife and I went to her 20 year reunion. It was fun to watch people try to figure out if they recognized me.

I noticed that as people drink more, they swear more. I t got old pretty fast.

Thought for the day -

Profanity is what people use when they can't thing of anything clever to say.

I'm not entirely comfortable with this

OK, so I got the lead in this play. Cool, right? There is one problem. I have to do a few kissing scenes. I'm not a prude, but I haven't kissed anyone besides my wife for about twenty years. And I don't want to kiss anyone other than her.

So anyway, I was at rehearsal last night and the time had come. I had to do it. Now the girl I have to kiss is totally cool and very nice, but I was still very worried about it.

I figured the only way to do it was to jump in with both feet. You know, damn the torpedoes and all that.

Well, I did it and it was no problem. It was one of the most unromantic things I have ever done. It was more like a collision between two faces than a kiss. What a relief.

Now, if I can only learn my lines.

Thought for the day -

Rule number two for food. There is no such thing as too much garlic.

Sitcom characters

It's time for me to put down the script, have some lunch, and blog.

The list for today is the top 10 sitcom characters of all time. I know that some of these will be misspelled, so don't bother telling me about it.

1. Chandler Bing - Friends and Cliff Clavin - Cheers. A tie for first place. If you combine these two guys, you get my personality. If that doesn't scare you, nothing will.
2. Lucy Ricardo - I Love Lucy. The standard by which all others shall be judged.
3. David Putty - Seinfeld. Anything that Patrick Warburton does is super cool.
4. Herb Tarlick - WKRP. You gotta love those suits.
5. Ellie Mae Clampett - The Beverly Hillbillies. OK, I'm a guy and all I can say is Yowza!
6. Bob Hartly - The Bob Newhart Show. Never has so much been said with so few words.
7. Al Bundy - married With Children. Crass, disgusting, and oh so funny.
8. Ralph Malph - Happy Days. "I still got it."
9. Fred Sanford - Sanford and Son. "Lamont, you big dummy!"
10. Murphy Brown - Murphy Brown. She don't take no crap off of nobody.
11. Homer Simpson - The Simpsons. A self aware man.
12. Lenny and Squiggy - Lavern and Shirley. Great entrances.
13. Kramer - Seinfeld. Wonderful physical comedy.
14. Danny Partridge - The Partridge Family. I love the junior used car salesman.
15. Alex Keating - Family Ties. See #14 above.

Thought for the day -

Rule number one for food. Food should not hurt.

No way!

Way! I got the part. The lead in "The Seven Year Itch". How cool is that? I've got a lot of lines to learn, but what fun.

Thought for the day -

What happened to medium soft drinks? Now it's small, large, or super huge jumbo. Why can't they call the one in the middle medium?

Two down

Well I got another rejection letter yesterday. :( I know I've said that if I don't get 20, I'm doing something wrong, but I still hate this. These guys suck.

OK, I feel better now.

I saw Talladega nights yesterday, and I liked it a little. It was mostly a bunch of sophomoric gags wrapped around a very thin plot, but I did laugh. It was the feel good movie of the year.

Thought for the day -

For every person you make fun of, there are five people making fun of you.

You bet it was fun

My wife and I went to the casino last night and had a blast. I had the hot hand at the slots (penny and nickel) and came out two and a half bucks ahead. My lovely and talented wife, on the other hand, couldn't catch a break. On the whole, we were down about thirteen bucks. Not bad for six hours of entertainment. Less than dinner and a movie.

We had a great time except for one thing. The state wide smoking ban does not apply to the reservation. We both smelled like ash trays by the time we left.

They had a token no smoking area, but it is open to the rest of the casino. What's up with that?

I have nothing against smokers, but I hate smoke. It's the only habit where everyone else has to participate with the person partaking. When I drink my Dr. Pepper, I don't make the guy next to me drink it too.

Thought for the day -

Never bet what you can't afford to lose.

Cool things

I was a little down today as I continued to not hear back from the literary world at large. So I said to my self "Self, don't let those clowns have that kind of power over you. Think about the good stuff of life."

Here is the list of 10 things that Drew thinks are cool.

1. Gas fire places. Fire on a switch.
2. The youth group at my church. You guys rock.
3. The fact that my wife likes Monty Python and Jimmy Buffett. She is totally cool.
4. The I Pod Shuffle. Eight hours of music.
5. Thin ties. There was at least one good fashion to come out of the 80's.
6. Guitars. Just holding one makes you cooler.
These are mine

7. The Pittsburgh Steelers. After all these years, it's great to be back where we belong.
8. Figuring out what happened on CSI before they tell you. I'm pretty good at it.
9. Going skiing mid-week. No lift lines.
10. Getting bumped up to first class. Oh, how I love the leg room.
11. Writing something, looking at it, and saying "Wow, this is really good."
12. People leaving comments on my Blog. Hey, someone is reading this.
13. Dr. Pepper. Great taste and caffeine.

Thought for the day -

The best things in life aren't things.

The story of Rosie Cotton part 2

The story so far:

We are delighted to have Rosie Cotton, the niece of Jabba the Mutt, join the family.
Rosie meets Jitterbug.

Here she is today. Yes I know her eyes look creepy.

Here is one of the many walls Rosie redecorated to suit her taste.

Here is the new $2,500.00 floor we had to get because Rosie chewed through the center of the vinyl we used to have. I have no idea how she pulled that off. Did I say we were delighted to have her?

Here is Rosie showing off the latest in doggie fashion. She assures me that they'll be all the rage in Paris next spring.

Now you know all about the cute little puppy in the picture.

Thought for the day -

Love your pets today, you never know what tomorrow will bring.

The story of Rosie Cotton part 1

Many people have wanted to know about the puppy in the picture on this blog. I always try to make my loyal readers happy, so here it is.

The story of Rosie Cotton part 1.

Once upon a time, my wife and I got married. About six months later, Jitterbug (AKA The Good Cat) decided to come live with us.

She is the perfect cat. She is affectionate, loves to snuggle, and always cries when mommy is out of town.

A few years later, Jabba the Mutt (AKA The Wonder Dog, as in "I wonder what's going on") came to live with us.

He was an incredible dog.

A few years after that, Kalamazoo (AKA The Bad Cat) joined the family.

He does everything in his power to make life miserable for everyone else. I think I must have done something horrible in a past life and he is my payback.

In a few years, Jabba lost his fight with cancer and went to doggie heaven at the age of five. We were very sad, and we miss him every day.

A little over a year ago, we had the opportunity to adopt Jabba's niece.

Rosie Cotton (AKA The Destructo Dog) came to live with us.

Isn't she cute?

Patriotic puppy.

It looks like I'm out of space for more pictures, so look for part 2 soon.

Chick music

I made it through round two. The last call backs are on Sunday and I'm still in the running. Thanks for all the kind wishes.

Remember, that we actors a a very superstitious lot. Please never use the G word. "Break a leg" and "Knock em dead" are the best things to say. Thanks.

Once again, I am responding to the wishes of my readers. Manic Mom said that my list of favorite albums showed that I was a dude. In the interest of equal time, here is my list of top five albums that feature women.

1. Cheap Thrills - Big Brother and The Holding Company. Janis Joplin at her best. Piece of My Heart always blows me away.
2. Tapestry - Carole King. That girl has more soul in her little finger than most people have in their whole bodies.
3. Learing to Crawl - The Pretenders. Chrissy Hynde is to die for. Her voice goes right into my heart.
4. Maria Muldaur - Maria Muldaur. Jazzy and bluesy and just plain amazing.
5. Elite Hotel - Emmylou Harris. Sweet and smooth. The musical equivalent of drinking kahlua and cream.
6. Lead Me On - Amy Grant. Ms. Grant comes of age. If you don't cry when you listen to the title track, you're not human.

Thought for the day -

If you can't laugh at yourself, you can always laugh at the people down at the mall.

Putting the odd in audition

I had an audition for a play last night and they want me for call backs tonight! Very cool. The play is 'The Seven Year Itch'. It could be very fun.

Thought for the day -

You can't get out of a hole by digging deeper.