I Hate The Wizard...

The only Oz I like is Ozzy Osbourne. The other can can get in his hot air balloon and crash somewhere in Albuquerque. I used to like the movie, the 1st and maybe 2nd time I watched it. I just don't like whiners. Every character in that movie is a whiner, except for the dog.

I also detest the song, "Somewhere over the Rainbow". It seems I can't get away from it. I stopped watching American Idol, partly because the song is overused.

Every idiot who goes about singing Somewhere over the Rainbow should be boiled in his own latte, and buried with a cordless microphone through his heart.

I did, however, come across the first arrangement that I actually like. I first heard it the movie, 50 First Dates. Adam Sandler is a deranged lunatic, but I like him, and about half the time he puts out a decent movie.

I included the arrangement for SOTR to my playlist for you guys to enjoy.

And for further enjoyment, how many things are different between these two photos of the movie, 50 First Dates? Post your answer in comments.

SUPERHERO QUIZ

Be sure to post who you are in the comment section.

I'm Not Iron Man

Well, I decided to have the Doc check out my physical well-being. It seems those in the family are like superheros, but we all have one weakness that we have to overcome.

It turns out I don't have the iron problem that "Jor-El" has. I'm beginning to accept that I have respiratory weakness. Asthma and alergies seem to be my kryptonite in addition to years of untreated sleep apnea.

I know I've had this problem for a long time. I remember Chris jumping off his bunk and shaking my bed to get me to stop snoring.

So my ferratin is fine, but borderline diabetic. From what I read, shedding my excess weight should solve all my other issues. So I'm making small changes to my diet which have been helping a little. I'm consulting with my Doc on a monthly basis to monitor progress or regress.

So fellow superheros here is how I imagine you guys. Let me know if I am off and what superhero you really are.

Dad = Iron Man
Mom = Jean Grey (AKA Ms Marvel)
Becky = Storm
Jennifer = Electra
Chris = Spiderman
David = Incredible Hulk
Melissa = Wonder Woman
Emily = Rogue
Dara = Invisible Girl

Walking In The Air. -- Rocker Style

It looks like everyone has this song on their playlist. So I found one to put up.

Ode to Red Box

When’er I go to Walmart, to pick up grocer-ies,
I get a dollar movie, sometimes two or three.

I see the big red box, full of DVDs.
A myriad of choices, I can’t wait and see.

I can not go to movies, my funds are dwindl-ing,
My bank account is empty, 'cause four-dollar gasoline.

8000 rental boxes, there’s one near you and me.
One dollar by the night, thank goodness no late fees.

Should I chose Action, or Documentary,
Doesn't really matter, it’s practically free.

When I have no money, that’s OK you see.
I’ll just head on down, to the public library.

Comic Books Are So Pedestrian

I took Matthew to the public library two Monday's ago. He started a comic book series called Naruto. We asked the librarian where we might find the books. She politely corrected me, "They are called graphic novels now."

Okay then, graphic novels. So Matthew picked out two of them and finished them before the end of the following day. We went a few days later and he picked out 8 more. He wanted more, but 8 is the limit. So I guess you could say he was blackballed.

I used to be quite an avid collector of comic books, now called graphic novels. The term Graphic Novels is not as "pedestrian" as comic books I suppose.

One of my favorite graphic novels... okay, who am I kidding? One of my favorite comic books is Groo The Wanderer.

Where's Groo (Waldo)

Why is Groo special? He has an IQ of less than 10. His dog is smarter than him. He likes cheese dip. He has good intentions. He always makes the wrong decision. He manages to sink every ship he sets foot on, unless his dog is on board. His luck is such, that if he went to Vegas and played slots, every time he pulled the lever someone else would win the jackpot.

Can you say... "A Loser's Hero"? Put all that aside and it is really a clever comic. Ask any 35+ year old geek out there and they know who Groo is. Now I'm going to turn the rest of you into geeks too.

Baseball

Another hobby of mine is baseball cards. I started collecting sports cards when I was a kid. Usually I acquired them at Halloween time. I salvaged the ones that Chris had and added them to my own.

I have old football cards, Star Wars, Jaws, James Bond, and others. I kept the collections for potential monetary value in the future. Now I doubt I would ever part with them. What was once worthless is now priceless.

I decided to add to my collection several hundred vintage baseball cards which I acquired on eBay. I'm sure I have some valuable cards, but does it really matter? All these baseball cards remind me of the movie, Field of Dreams.

I realized what I was pursuing ended up not being what I really wanted or what I had. I purchased the cards as investments, and they have become something that I will pass on to my kids.

In the movie, Ray asks Shoeless Joe Jackson, "What's in it for me?" Joe asks back, "Is that why you did this, for you?" Great movie, it has a lot of universal truths.

So where am I going with this train of thought? Well, about two or three weeks ago I had a self realization. What would I do and how would I spend my time if I had six months to live? What would my regrets be and what would I try to enjoy during that time?

It boiled down to one thing... time with family.

I gathered my family together and said... "I have six months to live." I was trying to be dramatic and get a reaction out of my kids. What I did get was blank stares.

I explained why I made that statement. Then I made a commitment to the kids and Deborah. I would invest time in each member of the family. Monday for Matthew, Tuesday for Christina, Thursday for Nolan, Friday for Deborah, and the whole family on Sunday.

The kids look forward to this time. They even claim ownership of the day. "Today is my day with Dad." That small investment is bringing a very large return. Ray Kinsella's journey brought his father to him and mended a broken relationship.

At the end of the movie, John Kinsella (Ray's dad), asks "Is this heaven?" Ray replies, "It's Iowa." John says "Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven."

Ray asks, "Is there a heaven?" John replies, "Oh yeah. It's the place where dreams come true."

This is my field of dreams.