I like Alice in Wonderland. Well, I like the trailer for the new Tim Burton film adaptation. I like the original story, too. And the Disney animated movie. I mean, really, who doesn't like Alice in Wonderland?
I like Raining in Baltimore. Only appropriate for today. This a very good song from the Counting Crows' August and Everything After album.
I like Discount Electronics Websites. Kind off a mouthful, but totally worth it when you check out what I mean. There are some really great outlets on the Internet that offer name-brand electronics and accessories for low, almost insane prices. It seems that the trend is for companies to buy the name, rights and brand of an out-of-business electronic superstore and move it strictly online. The two that I follow almost daily are CompUSA.com and CircuitCity.com.
If you're in the market for a new LCD or Plasma TV (like I am) this is the place to shop. Not to mention the crazy deals on laptops, blu-ray players, accessories, sound systems, etc. So check them out and make sure you join their E-Newsletters so you can get first dibs on all the deals. You can also check out TigerDirect.com, Woot.com, and even Amazon.com for more great deals. I guess we've come a long way as a society from selling TVs out the trunk of a hooptie.
I like Four-Day Work Weeks. Sometimes you need a little extra boost to get you out of bed in the morning. For me this whole week, it's the wonderful fact that it is only a Four-Day Work Week. Thanks to some gents signing the Declaration of Independence 233 years ago, we get Friday off. Oh, we also got freedom, democracy, and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But I mean, come on, how sweet will it be to have off on Friday, right?
I like Slowing Down. So who knew writing a blog post everyday would be so tedious? I am going to be slowing down the number of posts I write here--from every day to a couple times a week. What does this mean for you, the reader? Well, it means you should keep checking to see if a new post popped up OR subscribe to the RSS feed and you'll be alerted every time there's a new post. It also means that I may post something on the weekend, or even have multiple posts in a day. Some may be longer and some shorter. Who knows?!?!
Also, be sure to check out a new special guest blogger during the week of July 13-17. That guest blogger is none other than Mr. Tim. You'll either want to hug him or punch him the face. He looks angry, but he's actually as friendly as a puppy humping your leg.
I like Billy Mays. Is it me or was his death the most shocking of the week? Ed was old, Farrah was sick, and Michael Jackson was Michael Jackson. Billy Mays was this second-tier pseudo celebrity. He was kind of annoying, but you totally bought into whatever he was selling. You genuinely liked him. And the spots he did recently for ESPN360.com were great.
I like The King of Pop. Let's for the moment set aside the Michael Jackson of the past 15 or so years, and remember the influential artist of music and dance. There were few others who even came close to being as popular on a global level as The King of Pop. In my mind, he was long gone before last night. The musician we all knew disappeared behind a veil of weirdness and scandal many years ago, but his music continued to live on.
There's no better way to wrap up Top 5 Week here than with my Top 5 Favorite Michael Jackson Songs--and it's tough to only pick 5, but I'll do my best. Share your favorites in the comment section. Have a great weekend!
I like So You Think You Can Dance. It's June and on a whole, TV sucks. The great shows that keep us glued to the tube on a habitually in the Fall, Winter and Spring are on hiatus. Plus, we're outside more, hitting the bars, the park and other outdoorsy type activities. So needless to say, when Wednesday and Thursday evenings come about, I have nothing to watch. Or should I say, I HAD nothing to watch. Because now I'm hooked on So You Think You Can Dance.
As part off Top 5 Week, here are my Top 5 Reasons So You Think Can Dance is Better Than American Idol. And really, there were no witty remarks yesterday about Organization, so step up to the plate and make a comment.
The HOT ladies -- American Idol's singers don't have the sculpted, toned, amazingly hot bods of the girls on So You Think You Can Dance. PLUS--they dance around in next to nothing.
I like Organization. Growing up, I was the kid with the messy room, the doodled notebook, the paper-filled locker, and the wrinkly clothes. No where did I have any context of organization in my life. I had hints of it when applying to colleges, a little more when I was actually in college (especially when applying for internships and jobs) and really fell into a great organized lifestyle in my post-college years. Nowadays I keep my finances in order with a nice Google Doc, and on the job I am in love with To Do lists and Excel. It's actually a rather unhealthy relationship with Excel.
As we continue the Top 5 Week, I shall list my Top 5 methods for organization. Feel free to list your thoughts in the comment section, or just use the space to make fun of me with a witty joke. But it better be witty, or so help me...
Post-It Notes -- You laugh and scoff, and call it a mess, but you know what? It's my mess and there's a method to the madness. Post-it notes are the best for taking quick notes and organizing them later. Especially when your thoughts are in sequential order to start.
I like CBS Shows. There was a time in the not too far off past that CBS had some of the crappiest shows on television. ABC dominated Fridays, NBC Thursdays and Fox was just Fox. For the past 10 years or so, however, CBS sitcoms and dramas have been nothing but stellar. They basically raised from the dead the traditional sitcom, removing the schlockiness of the 80s and 90s, and creating sitcoms made for Generations X and Y. Not to mention how shows like JAG and CSI took the crime-drama to new heights.
Continuing Top 5 week, I am going to list my Top 5 favorite CBS Shows. Feel free to list your fav's in the comments below.
I like Amusement Parks. Recently, news broke that Six Flags was filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. They aren't closing, just re-organizing their books. Perhaps they finally succumb to their incredibly outrageous ticket prices. What is up to now? $40? $60 per ticket? It's just way too much for the everyday family to include in their annual vacation budgets in 2009. And they're not the only ones. Almost all amusement and theme parks are expensive.
All this week I am taking a page out of High Fidelity, and will give you a Top 5 List related to what I like. For today, here are my Top 5 Memories At Amusement Parks.
During a trip to Dorney Park, an old co-worker of mine from my job at Wood River Village retirement home found a doppleganger for multiple colleagues and residents from the home. It was outrageous. At one point, we even found my look-a-like standing in line for a ride. Of course, I had to kill him. There can be only one.
The Dumbo Ride at Magic Kingdom when I was four-years-old. 'Nuff said.
I like Thunderstorms. The summer brings with it many things: Beach trips, BBQs, Warm weather, Popsicles, Bee stings, humidity, etc. But one of my favorite summertime traditions is the Thunderstorm.
The eerie calm that fills the air before the action begins. There's that smell in the air of rain, stuffing your nostrils as the humidity swelters to capacity. The drip, drip of the first drops, getting larger and larger with each splash against your naked arm. The flash on the horizon, followed by a low-rumble of the oncoming deluge. Then suddenly--BAM! © Emeril Lagasse
And much differently then the misty rain that we all hate, the Thunderstorm is welcomed with open arms. You tend not to run for shelter, but accept the refreshing solution to summer's hottest afternoons. You embrace the Thunderstorm. All around you are rain drops exploding like water balloons throw with giddiness from the heavens. Rivers of water appear out of nowhere on the street. Lightning pops from the sky in all directions, met almost instantaneously with the crack of thunder, no longer just an afterthought miles away. Swirling winds surround you, swallow you up and create a chaotic symphony conducted by Mother Nature. And then--as quickly as it had begun, it is over.
I like Mouse Traps. Attention all animal lovers, members of PETA, and those who have an unhealthy love of mice--DO NOT READ THIS POST.
My history of mouse catching and using Mouse Traps goes back to my days in Narberth. The Spar and I had a little mouse problem at our apartment and these little buggers were brazen. There were times I was in the kitchen and they'd poke their little heads out just to stare at me. So one day I bought a pack of four sticky traps and laid the first one down under the stove. In less than an hour I heard the squeak of a mouse. When I checked the trap I had not one, but TWO mice on one trap. I set another and caught another. A third trap down and the next day I caught a fourth mouse. (NOTE: We weren't really that dirty, it was an old house in a heavily tree-filled area.) Finally, I placed the fourth trap down, but no dice. It wasn't until I was doing the dishes one night that I saw a little mouse peeking at me from behind the microwave. I pulled out the trap from under the stove and cornered the mouse between the microwave, which he ran under, and the stove. Forcing him out from his hiding spot he ran straight onto the trap. It was then that I felt horrible. He was squirming and stuck. So, to put him out of his misery I broke its neck with a spatula. And he was dead. Mouse number five.
I like Sleep. And after a weekend of Yuengling-filled Bubba Kegs, camp fires, great friends and late, late nights...I needed Sleep. So I went to sleep early and woke up late, thus a short post. But don't think I shall leave you unfulfilled. To make your visit to Andy Locke Likes worth your while, here is a favorite video of mine to keep you entertained:
I like Sunny Mondays. It's hard to wake up on Monday mornings and think anything positive or pleasant. Not impossible, but somewhat difficult. But sometimes there are little things that can help make that transition from a Weekend of great friends and memorable experiences to the start of the weekly grind of commutes, Clients and time sheets. Sunny Monday mornings can be just the ticket.
However, when the Sun peeks through the shades and tickles your face, all that weight and Velcro seem to disappear. Your body rises with ease and feels refreshed for the start of a new day, a new week. At least that's how I feel on a day like today. It is beautiful and sunny and even though I'd rather be waking up to the smell of beer, bacon and (Buddha?) the fresh air of the middle of nowhere with some of my favorite people, I'll take a Sunny Monday in Baltimore.
I like Camp Fires. The sun sets on a hot and humid afternoon, giving way to the crisp coolness of the summer night. Friends gather round, congregating in a circle of tree stumps, camping chairs and cooler lids, to share stories of times gone by and times to come. The faint strum of a guitar string slowly crescendos to a chorus of 80s power ballads. With beers held high and arms wrapped around their neighbor, everybody stands and sings. Smiling and laughing and forgetting the lyrics, the circle in the woods is alive with life even in the dead of night. And as the song winds down, it hits its final note and silence falls among the orange, glowing faces. Silence challenged only by the pop, crack, pop of the Camp Fire.
As the summer ramps up over the next few weeks, go out and start a fire. You heard me, start a fire. A controlled one, of course. Gather some logs, some twigs and branches, too. Find a pit, a match, some beer and good friends and family. And just let the Camp Fire guide you through the night. It may be a memorable night or it may be a blip in your life, regardless, for those few hours of night, you'll experience the only fire and flame that can be called heaven. Have a great weekend and I hope you enjoy H.T. Adjemian's posts while I am away!
STARTING MONDAY
I like Bacon. Scratch that--I love Bacon. Bacon is glorious. Bacon makes the world go round. Bacon is the food of the gods. If I were on death row and had to choose my final meal, it would certainly include a heaping (yes, heaping) amount of bacon. Bacon is the way, the truth and the li--oh wait, that's Jesus. Ok, Bacon is awesome. Can I get an AMEN?!?
Next week I will be seeing some great old friends, some who I see but once a year at this time. We'll catch up, tell stories, and recount past times, all while sitting drinking from our beer-filled Bubba Kegs and devouring endless amounts of Bacon. It's truly what binds our friendship all together. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I like Bubba Keg. Do you enjoy beer in the summertime? Does your beer get warm in the summer sun? Yes and yes? Okay, good. Before you continue reading, please take a moment to purchase a Bubba Keg. All summer beer should be drank out of a 52 oz. Bubba Keg. Go ahead, I'll wait. Trust me, this blog will be here when you get back. And to make the time away a little more grand, here is some background music for you while you make your purchase. Sing along if you'd like. *UPDATE* The original Biz Markie video was taken off YouTube. But I found another version of the song (just ignore the video).COMING NEXT WEEK:
I like Labyrinth. Not because it is an Oscar-worthy film from 1986, but because it begs the obvious question, "What was Jim Henson smoking in 1986?" He was probably hanging with his buddies one night, passing 'round the happy pipe, having a conversation kind of like this:
Do yourself a favor and rent Labyrinth from Netflix so you, too, can be amazed at how f'ed up cult classics are supposed to be made. Enough of this Napoleon Dynamite crap. The kids today need more farting swamps, grizzly goblins, and David Bowie in leotards. God bless you Jim Henson!COMING NEXT WEEK:
I like BlackBerry. Recently, I was given a great, great new contraption--a BlackBerry--by my work. Now you may say, "New? Andy, get with the times, yo! That ain't new." Besides needing to work on your grammar, you need to understand that I am not behind the times, and yes I realize that just about every business person and their grandmothers have a BlackBerry or similar PDA device. It's just that--this is my first!
I like Cleaning. Call me Danny Tanner, I don't care. I like to clean. Whether its the living room, my bedroom, the bathroom, dishes in the sink--in my ripe young age of 26, I find that a messy apartment is not conducive to a good day. That includes waking up to a mess and coming home to a mess. Both are deflating to the start or end of my day.
Even back in college, but more so now, I have trouble thinking or reaching my full potential when there is a mess to be cleaned up. It's a great way to "clean the mind" if you will. Even at work, I'll spend 15 minutes cleaning up my desk or filing away papers, just to clear my thought process and break a writer's block. It works for me, who knows, it may work for you too. Get clean and have a great weekend!
I like the National Spelling Bee. Going on right now in our nation's capital is the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the largest and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis. Spellers from all over the country and the world, ranging in age from 8-14, compete for the title of Spelling Champion.
In a society where we rely so heavily on spell check, it is even more impressive that these kids can spell as well as they do. If you are looking for some riveting television, the 2009 Scripps Spelling Bee will air live tonight at 8PM on ABC.
