Country Before Country Was Cool

Way back in 1993, I was stationed for two months at Fort Devens, MA. I was young and life was basically good. It caused some kind of immunity and I actually listened, on a regular basis, to country music. Imagine my surprise when I found out that MA did not have a single country radio station. Nada. It was two months of "Rump Shaker" with the classic line of "All I wanna do is zooma-zoom-zoom and a boom-boom". Classic stuff!

Fast forward to 2005. There is actually a country station in Boston! Of course I don't listen to country any more. I am middle-aged and that crap makes me want to cut myself like an angst-ridden teenager. It cannot be denied; Boston is going country. I don't think Karl Rove will ever manage to successfully plot the overthrow of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but I'm researching real estate in Winnipeg, just in case.

I Don't Play D&D, but...

I Am A: Lawful Good Half-Elf Ranger Fighter


Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.


Race:
Half-Elves are a cross between a human and an elf. They are smaller, like their elven ancestors, but have a much shorter lifespan. They are sometimes looked down upon as half-breeds, but this is rare. They have both the curious drive of humans and the patience of elves.


Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.


Secondary Class:
Fighters are the warriors. They use weapons to accomplish their goals. This isn't to say that they aren't intelligent, but that they do, in fact, believe that violence is frequently the answer.


Deity:
Mielikki is the Neutral Good goddess of the forest and autumn. She is also known as the Lady of the Forest, and is the Patron of Rangers. Her followers are devoted to nature, and believe in the positive and outreaching elements of it. They use light armor, and a variety of weapons suitable for hunting, which they are quite skilled at. Mielikki's symbol is a unicorn head.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy ofNeppyMan (e-mail)

Good Morning, New England!

I run. Let me correct that. I use to be a runner. I now do the fat-man shuffle. This is because I miss that feeling of freedom that hits me when I feel like I could run forever.

My home base for running is Richmond, VA. Everyone waves or says good morning during the run. Nice. Social. Kindred spirits. This week I went to Boston for a two-day meeting. I was pumped. I was going to run along the Charles River. A nice change of scenery. Sailboats. Forests. Cool weather. Awesome.

Then I came upon my first fellow runner. I did "the wave". Nothing. He must be having a bad day. Second runner. Same thing. When I felt rejection the third time, I stopped waving. I must have seen at least a dozen runners and handful of cyclists without taking notice of a single nod, wave, or utterance.

I'm going to be in Buffalo, NY and San Francisco, CA over the next few weeks. I'll let you know how the wave experiments go. In the meantime, I propose we all learn how to wave. Didn't anyone watch Seinfeld? The wave should be mandatory for runners too!

One More from Jeremiah...

Your Slanguage Profile

Aussie Slang: 50%

Southern Slang: 50%

British Slang: 25%

Canadian Slang: 25%

New England Slang: 25%

Victorian Slang: 25%

Prison Slang: 0%

What Slanguage Do You Speak?

Another Quiz

My son found this one:

You Belong in Australia

Ace! Sunny, upbeat, and cute You make the perfect surf bum Now stop hogging the vegemite!

What English Speaking Country Do You Belong In?

Who's Your Daddy?

Your Daddy Is Darth Vader

What You Call Him: Pa Why You Love Him: He gives good spankings

Who's Your Daddy?

Bad News Helmets

I sat down with my kids after dinner the other night. The Bad News Bears was playing on HBO Family. There is a scene where Kelly takes Amanda on a ride on his motorcycle. They were not wearing helmets. My kids freaked out. "Isn't that illegal?" All I could reply was, "it was the 70's."

So how many lives have been saved by these type of laws and rules? Are we saving those that Darwin wants to get rid of? Is this the reason for the growing number of voters in the Red states?

Let's face it, the herd could use some thinning. So in that spirit, I want to make a few suggestions:

1. No helmet laws. Honestly, if Gary Busey takes another header and exits stage left, is anyone really gonna miss him?
2. NASCAR should remove any requirements for safety. In fact, racing needs to be made more acccessible to the masses. Get rid of those walls and let the crowds get up close and personal with those speedy machines.
3. Legal to drink and drive between the hours of 2 AM and 4:30 AM. Most people worth saving are at home in bed at that time anyway. My only concern is for truckers who are just trying to make a living at that time. Of course, they would be allowed to use uppers. So I think that balances the ledgers.
4. BASE jumping. Oh, hell yeah. We should encourage these guys to jump off as much stuff as possible.

Just a few suggestions on my part. What suggestions do you have to thin the herd?

How People See You

I took this quiz. Here are the results:

Slow and Steady

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment. They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it.

How Do People See You?

Is this how you see me?!?!

I'm a Liberal

(Another tip of the hat to Emmaus Theory.) I like to think I am a level-headed centrist, but this quiz says I'm a liberal. I bet I would move more to the center if they had world-view questions, but this is mostly about economics and personal freedom. What are you?

Star Trek?!?!

A quick tip of the hat to Emmaus Theory.

Which Science Fiction character are you? I guess I am this. Oh well.

Willy Wonka and the Irony Factory

Once Lacy gets home from work, the whole family is going to go see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I bet we buy a couple of copies of the new Harry Potter book, as well. What a banner day for the Youmans family!

This is a great story. The chance to tell some basic truths:

1. Gluttony is bad.
2. Learn to delay gratification.
3. Mindless entertainment (TV) should be kept to a minimum.
4. Don't steal.

In short, a perfect movie that transcends generations and time. I could hardly wait.

Then I went to the grocery store. Do you know how many products are out there with "Willy Wonka" on them? And the messages are:

1. Eat lots!
2. Eat them now!
3. When the DVD is released, buy it, sit in front of the TV and eat some more!

I'm going to go play basketball with my kids now.

International Music Feed

For those who don't have this channel yet, lodge a complaint with your cable provider. We get it from the Dish Network and this channel remembers what the "M" in MTV stands for! And they play music from all over the world, so don't look for too many Top 40's on this one.

I've always wondered how the music of my time will hold up. Can it compete with Mozart? Or will it go the way of Camptown Races? The Beatles will make it. I have a soft spot for Billy Joel. I'll listen to him anytime he wants in an Italian Restaurant. Today, thanks to the IMF, I received my answer.

Apocalyptica is a Finnish band of four that is classically trained as cellists. They did a cover of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" using four cellos that was out of this world. Definitely worth checking out.