Cloud Nine

09:09:09 09/09/09
It happens once every one hundred years and it is unlikely that I will be around for the next one so I decided to mark the occasion with a post. I hope you are all “dressed to the nines” while on “cloud nine” today.

*** Updated with obligatory Sesame Street reference ***
This post has been brought to you by the number “9″ and the letters “K” and “M”

Updates!

I have been slacking recently on my updates to the old Dramagoons blog. There are a couple of reasons for this. The main reason is that I was finding it easier to make quick updates in Facebook to a large group of my friends. This seemed to provide a venue for quick feedback and was easier. Easier, however, isn’t always better. I also noticed that I was leaving long diatribes on this blog which I’m sure were providing an excellent alternative to sleeping pills.

I have decided that I need to get back to more frequent update here on the Dramagoons blog (They will be cross-posted to Facebook automatically anyway). That also means that I will endeavor to make the entries smaller, more readable, and, possibly more enjoyable. Hopefully, there is someone out there that will find this interesting.

Please remember that comments are always welcome.

Dramagoons Search Wordle

I use WordPress as my blogging software. WordPress has many wonderful tools and stats available to let you know where people are accessing your blog from, which links they are clicking, and how often each post is being accessed. They also provide you with the search terms that were used at search engine sites to get to your blog. A friend of mine created and posted a Wordle containing a subset of the search term used to get to her blog. I’ll let you check out her post to see which subset of words she used.

I decided to create a Wordle with all of the search terms ever used to get to my blog and here it is.The document I used to create this Wordle contained multiple entries of each search term. I entered each search term the same number of times that it had been used to access my blog. That way, I had a better representation of which words were used more.

Presidential Poll

WordPress added a new widget that allows you to conduct polls on your blog posts. How cool is that? Oops… that’s not the poll question. I thought I would check it out by asking you about the upcoming (oh I can’t for it to be over) election. Let’s see how close we come to the “official” polls.

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Update (10/19/2008) – I have closed the poll. Currently WordPress and PollDaddy don’t allow you close the poll, so I made an image of the results and replaced the poll with the image. That is as clever as I get.

Conversation – Day Seven

Well, this is it. This is the last post of our conversation. After this post, I will go back to my one-sided ways. I would, however, encourage you to comment on any post whenever you would like to share something with the rest of us.

As this is the blog for the Dramagoons, I figured that it is only fitting that the last topic for our conversation should relate to theatre. Here is my list of shows that I enjoyed watching the most over the last few years. We go to at least three shows a year at First Stage Children’s Theater and have attended almost all of the shows at Waukesha Civic Theatre in the last three years, so most of my selections will be coming from those two theatres.

Over The Tavern at WCT in May 2008: It was a very funny show and A.J. had the lead role. This was directed by Brian Zelinski. He always does a great job.

Lost In Yonkers at WCT in June 2006: All of the adults in this show were amazing. A.J and Logan Peaslee played the two boys in the show. Patti Anne Hachmeister’s portrayal of Bella was perfect.

The Boys Next Door at Sunset Playhouse in May-June 2008: A funny look at group homes. The performance turned in by Mario Alberts was so good it made me forget that he does not have a disability.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle at First Stage in spring 2005: It had a wonderful set and the actors really drew you into the story.

Green Gables at First Stage in spring 2007: Michael Duncan was terrific as Matthew Cuthbert.

The Foreigner at WCT in April 2007: This is another one directed by Brian Zelinski. I laughed so hard during the show, I could hardly breathe.

There were so many more that I just loved but these were the best. What shows have you seen lately that you really liked?

Conversation – Day Six

Wow! Who knew anger was so popular. According to my WordPress stats, I have had more views today than on any other single day since I started this blog. And as a plus, I have had more comments today as well. Even though it seems like controversial topics are more popular, I think today we should talk about all-time favorite TV shows. Prior to having kids, watching TV was the thing I did the most outside of work. That sure is a sad statement on my early adult years. Anyway, because of that, some of my picks are going to be several years old.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: I have always been a big Sci-Fi fan and this was my favorite of all the Sci-Fi shows. This series began just after I entered the Marine Corps and I remember that a bunch of us new Lieutenants huddled around a small TV in one of our rooms and watched the very first episode. We were amazed that they had a Klingon on the crew and a woman as the head of security. Over the years, it got better and better. None of the Star Trek series that followed were ever as good to me.

The Amazing Race: Kristi and I have really enjoyed watching this over the last few years. It is the only reality show that I can stand. I love to see the places that they visit and it is wildly funny to watch how the teams break down so quickly when their stress levels rise.

Firefly: I know this is only a couple years old and only lasted for a short time but it was very entertaining. It is a cross between Sci-Fi space drama and Gunsmoke-style western. The characters are so well done. The love/hate relationship that plays out between many of the characters really draws you in.

Remington Steele: This was the first major venue for Pierce Brosnan and he was so good in it. It had a delightful cast and the storylines were always good.

The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart: Both shows were amazingly funny. Bob has that deadpan humor that is so funny. I can still quote lines from many of the episodes.

M*A*S*H, Happy Days, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers, Wings, and Family Ties: These are all shows from my youth or early adult years that I really enjoyed. I was a tremendous fan of the half-hour sitcom. I couldn’t get enough of them.

So what are your favorite all-time TV shows?

Comment Replies

One drawback of WordPress is that it doesn’t allow you reply to a comment like in LiveJournal. You can only add another comment below the one you want to reply to. If someone replies to a comment in LiveJournal, the original commenter gets an email. WordPress doesn’t do that. Therefore, if you have commented on one of my posts and want to see if someone has replied, please check out the recent comments list on the sidebar.

Conversation – Day Five

Due to the low number of comments made so far, I was thinking about ending my “conversation” and returning you to your regularly scheduled programming. But two things happened. First, I noticed an increased number of hits on “conversation” entries. People are looking at them to see what others are commenting even if they don’t. And second, a friend sent me an email (but not a comment… go figure) pointing me to some articles that indicate that people read so many blog posts that they don’t have or want to take the time to comment. So, I decided that I will continue the conversation. I also decided to end after seven days total. I don’t want this to become tedious.

OK. Today’s topic is “things that piss me off.” This could go on forever but I am limiting myself to four points.

Incessant cell phone use: I see people walking down the street babbling to someone on their cell phone about nothing important. I also see it in cars, stores, and restaurants. It’s even worse when someone else is with them and they aren’t talking to them. Just because you can talk with someone else at all times doesn’t mean you have to. Give your mouth a break and be silent for a while. Listen to some music or your surroundings, use your imagination, or talk to the people in the room with you. If you are a store clerk, waiter, or have some other service-oriented job, refuse to interact with people while they are on their cell phones. Maybe, they’ll learn to be less rude.

People that talk in the theatre: I hate being at a performance (especially, a school performance) and some individual behind me is telling his neighbor about the gas mileage of his SUV while I’m trying to enjoy the show. If you don’t want to pay attention… LEAVE. Just as bad are the people that audibly comment about everything that is happening on stage. It’s fine if you want to talk back to your TV at home but don’t disturb the rest of the audience and sometimes the cast with a running commentary.

Tailgating in rush hour traffic: When traffic is all tied up during rush hour, you aren’t going to get to your destination any sooner by hanging less than a foot off my back bumper. We all learned about safe traveling distances during Drivers Education. If you use some common sense and put a little distance between you and the car ahead, you don’t have to jam on brakes quite so often.

Parents that ignore their kids pleas for attention: When your kid starts the Dad, Dad, Dad,… litany that could go on for ten minutes, they just want some attention. Give them your attention, respond to their needs, and then return to your task. Kids just want to be treated the way that you want to be treated. If you give them some of your time at regular intervals, they are less likely feel the need to grab your attention.

As I read over this, I realize that it all boils down to rudeness. I really dislike rude behavior. It doesn’t take that much effort to be polite to others. Stop thinking about yourself all the time and think about others for a change.

What makes you angry?

Conversation – Day Four

Okay….. A little too touchy feely on the pride thing. So let’s try something not so close to the heart. How about favorite movies?

North By Northwest: Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant. I love most of the Hitchcock movies and Cary Grant is one of my all-time favorite actors. It is such an intense movie.

Shag, The Movie: Every time I watch this movie, I remember what it felt like to live in coastal North Carolina when I was in the Marine Corps.

Bell, Book, and Candle: Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart. In college, Kristi and I saw this in some guy’s garage that he had converted into a movie theater. He even sold popcorn and candy. It wasn’t as weird as it sounds.

Tomb Raider: I know, I know… it’s all about Angelina Jolie in skimpy outfits. But, come on… sometimes you have to enjoy the eye candy.

The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: The special effects and battle scenes are almost as good as in LoTR but without the Orcs. I also like Prince Caspian as well sometimes even better.

The American President: It is a total chick flick but it is also the starting point for the TV series The West Wing. I really like Michael Douglas in this. I also like him a lot in The Game.

Office Space: This is a classic for anyone that works in a cubicle; especially an IT professional like me. I almost fell off my chair the first time I saw the “paper jam” scene. So many of the situations in this movie have been paralleled in my own work experiences.

What are your favorite movies?

Conversation – Day Three

Alright, the pattern has been established. Let’s get right to it. Today’s topic is things of which I am the most proud.

A.J. and Erin. A.J. is a polite and well-mannered son. He is also a talented trumpet player and an accomplished actor. Erin is a wonderful daughter that makes friends with everyone. She is also a beautiful dancer and an excellent singer.

Kristi. She the most hard-working person I have ever met. On top of that she has the best sense of humor. I am proud that she agreed to let me be her husband so many years ago. She is the same pretty girl I met over 25 years ago at freshman orientation.

My Military Service. I spent nine years in service to my country; four years in NROTC in college and five years in the Marine Corps after college. I am proud of the time that I spent in uniform and I am glad that we didn’t have to endure the wars that today’s military men and women have to.

There are many other things of which I am proud but those are biggest ones. It is your turn. What fills you with pride?