President Bush Loves to Read

To all you folks who think President Bush is stupid: Bush has read 186 books that last 3 years. Read all about it HERE. I wonder how many of us have enriched our minds by reading that many books. I know I have not read that much! Bush also reads the Bible cover-to-cover in a year along with a Daily Devotional. This is challenging to me...I need to read a lot more in 2009. If I were going to make a New Year's resolution that would likely be it.

Hope you are enjoying a Christmas break. I know I am.

Your pal,

Barry

XMastime is Here!

We had a Christmas present exchange (Dirty Santa-style) at the Bluegrass Cellular annual Doe Run Inn Christmas Lunch. We were supposed to purchase a joke gift. I wanted to offer a joke gift that could actually be used, and Lyndy had the great idea to buy a GIGANTIC universal remote. Gigantic being like 1 and 1/2 ft. long. Great idea: practical yet still in the "gag" realm. We did not have any fancy/schmancy wrapping paper so I tricked it out w/some Dirty Santa-esque Christmas art:





























Hope you are enjoying the season. So far I am mellowing out nicely.

Your pal,
Barry

We Have Lost Our Collective Minds

Last night I was driving home listening to NMLPR (National Muchly Liberal Public Radio). I heard of all the wonderful new spending projects that Pres-Elect Obama is going to put into motion the second he can. New roads!! New bridges! Electronic Medical Records! Shovel-ready projects that will put millions of people to work and inject much needed $$$ into the economy. No one mentions who is going to pay for all of these projects (aren't journalists s'posed to look at an issue in-depth?). 1/2 trillion dollars in new government spending (at least) on top of the 700 billion for the bailout. And not a peep about how to pay for it all. The not-so-secret deal is we are ALL going to pay for it in additional taxes. And our kids and grandkids are going to pay for it in future generations of debt.

They I heard that the city of Chicago has privatized their parking meters in a deal that will net the city a crazy amount of money to help their budget. Billions of dollars. Parking meters will immediately cost 4 times more-rising from $0.25 to $1 immediately. The catch? The city fathers had to sign a 75(!) year contract with the company that leased the meters. 75 years for a contract is INSANE.

We have lost our collective minds.

Have you noticed in this economic tsunami that NO ONE mentions sacrifice? We don't want to give up a thing in our cushy, cozy, comfortable way of life. And we certainly don't want our leaders to request this of us (God forbid, it's not the American way). We are spending ourselves into blissful oblivion. On a national and personal level, we love our stuff, and we going to pump our fists in the air, beat our breasts, and make sure that we get our "fair share." There will be no sacrifice required by our government to get the economy rolling again so we can feed the vast consumer machine.

Actually, there are some good signs. There are people out there preaching common sense (Dave Ramsey, etc.) about personal finance and living in your means and the amazing concept that you should not buy anything unless you have the $$$ for it. As a nation we are actually consuming less gas and spending less. And if we are honest many of us could afford to skip the extra Big Mac and shed a few pounds. It seems maybe some folks have figured out how to cut back and sacrifice a little after all. Despite the message sent out by members of the government: "we are going to take care of you, just let us spend more."

Your pal,
Barry

The Accidental Playlist, Part 2

Sunday evening iPod shuffle while reading and preparing red beans & rice:

Alice Cooper - It's Me
The Beatles - Ohh! My Arms
Resurrection Band - Sacrifice of Love
Styx - I'm Okay
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. - Sandman
Matt Redman - Blessed Be Your Name
Relient K - The Thief
Warren DeMartini (Covering Jeff Beck) - New Ways Train Train
Henry Cow - Slap Happy
Tourniquet - Sola Christus
Cheap Trick - Voices
Journey - Send Her My Love
David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing
The Beatles - Baby You're a Rich Man
Sweet Comfort Band - Habit of Hate
Galactic Cowboys - Circles in the Fields
Chris Tomlin - Let God Arise
The Remains - Don't Look Back
Passion - You Are My King
John Davis - I Need Someone

Yuletide Zeppelin

Check out this Yultide mash-up: Led Zeppelin vs. Christmas Carols. Who will survive?

A Trip to a Mexican Bathroom or Signs Pt. 2

Hi folks: Lyndy and I decided to get all crazy and do some spur of the moment Black Friday shopping today. We picked up some decent stuff at Wallyworld and K-Mart after the crowds had settled down. No 5 AM wake up call for Lyndy and I. Then we decided to hit a mexican restaurant that shall remain nameless (locals might be able to figure it out, although every time you turn around a new south-of-the-border themed restaurant pops up in Glasgow). I'll give you a hint, the name starts with Los. While at the restaurant I found it necessary to borrow the facilities (don't worry, this is as detailed as I'll get. Promise). When I locked the stall door this is the very cool sign I saw:
Don't worry, I obeyed the sign and left the paper ON the trash can instead of ON the toilet.

After finishing said bathroom stall activities (and taking a picture of this cool sign with my cell phone) my eyes wandered to the light fixture. Lo and behold above the lights I focused on the extremely inventive storage area for the super-large rolls of toilet paper. And now, I share this with you. Perhaps this will give you ideas that will help to decorate your home in a similar spiffy fashion:

Folks, you just couldn't make up stuff this cool if you wanted to.

Happy Thanksgiving - Watch This

I hope that you and yours have a wonderful day of thanks. Here is my Thanksgiving present to you...an amazing sitcom that is essential holiday viewing. Watch it and thank me later:

A Sign

Delicious Gourmet Lunch & Green Christmas

I just finished a delicious, mouth watering lunch. This lunch was so tasty, I found it necessary to share with you (digitally of course, I can't actually *share* the meal with you since I have consumed said culinary delight). Rather than discuss it, I thought I would let you feast your eyeballs upon my lunch:

Spam sandwhich on wheat with Miracle Whip lite, Maruchan Instant Lunch cup o' soup thingie (last seen in this week's Office episode in a stunning product placement coup. Ryan the psycho temp was holding it. Did you see it?), Kaukauna (how *do* you pronounce that?) Port Wine cheese spread (now available at Walmart for the holidays), and Zesta crackers. Isn't that just an incredible lunchtime spread? The perfect hot and cold meal for a chilly November day. Rachel Ray would be proud. Come back and peruse my blog whenever you are hungry!

In other holiday news (since the season is now upon us). One of my favorite things to do this time of year, or anytime of the year for that matter, is check out Christmas blogs full of music, pictures, and holiday merriment. A Christmas Yuleblog just posted some great info on Stan Freberg's Classic "Green Christmas" holiday single. Along with A Charlie Brown Christmas, Freberg's 50 year old masterpiece points to the true meaning of Christmas, without bonking folks in the head. Check out this informative and entertaining Christmas blog HERE. Here is the cover to this scrumptious holiday treat:

The END of the Diet in Living Color

So I'm sorta' kinda' on a diet. That is, I *was* until the Lil' Schweetie purchased the delicious confection you see in the picture below:
Old Fashioned Candy Cane Creme Oreos. Can you imagine such a thing? I can, I ate 1/2 of the bag last night and the other 1/2 today. Now far be it from me to lay blame for my complete lack of willpower and self control, but obviously my Blessed Spouse does not want me thin or she would not purchase me such amazingly wonderful sugar filled, peppermint-flavored concoctions. She must like me a bit "pleasantly plump." Makes you wonder.

In other news of note: behind said tasty holiday concoction you will see one gigantic head o' Santa made of genuine styrofoam. I can't tell you how happy this newly acquired bit of Noel-themed wonderment makes me. I just scored this and another (not one but TWO) gigantic styrofoam Santa heads on eBay for the low, low price of $12.99. Ahh, what childhood happy memory bliss this is. One gigantic Santa head for home (Lyndy does *not* like this idea), and one for my office to share the happy gigantic Santa head holiday delight with my co-workers. Joyeaux Noel!

Finally (if you are still reading, THANK YOU) I just wrote a review for a spectacular holiday-themed CD called Christmas A G0-Go from Wicked Cool records. Check out the review HERE.

Gotta' go. Still a few Oreos left. Your pal, Barry

10,000 Hours - How to Get Good @ What You Do

I read an interview with Malcolm Gladwell in the Wall Street Journal this weekend. Gladwell is one of my favorite writers (he wrote Blink & The Tipping Point & the upcoming Outliers). I heard him speak @ a BlackBerry Symposium back in 2007. Fascinating speaker with great hair. See pic on left for proof on the hair comment.

In the interview Gladwell states that the difference between a professional and a talented amateur is 10,000 hours of practice. Around ten hard years of solid practice. He mentions a chess grandmaster plays for ten years before he achieves that level of excellence, and a classical composer won't be able to create great classical music without this kind of practice. Gladwell states: "it's an empirically-based finding that seems consistent across a number of different fields...an opportunity is a chance to practice."

So you want to get good at something? Practice. A lot.

Most things worth doing require work. Being a great guitarist, or preacher, or artist, or cook, or parent requires discipline and blood, sweat and tears. Prodigies are rare (I do think our Korean son Robin was a prodigy @ Guitar Hero. He could play advance mode quicker than anyone I have ever seen. I suck @ Guitar Hero, but could jump up and down while playing much better than Rob. This might be why I suck).

This got me thinking--have I achieved "professional" status at anything? In what area do I want to excel? I think I have some hard work and practice ahead of me.

How about you...in what area would you like to be a professional? What do you need to practice more? Are you a "professional" at anything now?

Sounds like we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Your pal,

Barry

The Accidental Playist

Welcome to my new blog! Tonight I'll be starting a new recurring feature...The Accidental Playlist

I put the iPod on shuffle lately. A lot. Sometimes you get wacky combinations, sometimes crappy. Tonight's was pretty solid:

• Galactic Cowboys - A Different Way
  
• Baptize My Mind - Jon Foreman
  
• Not a Second Time - The Beatles
  
• Son of Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper
  
• Strange Brew - Bob & Doug McKenzie
  
• Weeping Willow - The Verve
  
• Baby, It's Cold Outside - Pezband
  
• Everybody Wants to go to Heaven - David*Crowder Band
  
• Maktfaktor - Edin Adahl (Swedish Christian band...we used to play the English version of this song on WKCC radio in college. This is the Swedish version of it. Don't understand a word, but I love it)
  
• Five in the Nave - 77s
  
• Turning Thirty - Randy Stonehill
  
• Rock Bottom - UFO
  
• Up and Down - The Serpent Power