The Music of My Life – 1998

Welcome back to The Music of My Life, where I feature ten songs from each year of my life. In most cases, the ten songs I choose will be ones I like personally (unless I explain otherwise). The songs will be selected from Billboard’s Year-end Hot 100 Chart, Acclaimed Music, and will all be released in the featured year.

In 1998, I turned 28. I was still working in the mail room at EDS and spent a lot of time driving and making deliveries. Most of my radio listening was to the morning show on the alternative station or the rock station. The gal I was dating at the time would go on to become my first wife. She also listened to the same stations and we’d talk about stuff we heard on the shows. I will have to talk about her in more detail in a few. But only because it ties in with a song, that I suppose had to be on this list.

Let’s dive into the music.

If you are a regular reader to this blog, you are familiar with the Turntable Talk feature. Dave, from the A Sound Day blog hosts it and gives us a monthly topic. This month is was to write about a song that was based on a real event or a real person. My first song was almost my pick, but I knew this week it was on my list. Surprisingly, not one of the other bloggers chose it.

Here is the story from Songfacts:

The Way, by Fastball, is based on the true story of Lela and Raymond Howard. They were an elderly couple from Salado, Texas who drove to the annual Pioneer Day festival 10 miles away in Temple and didn’t return. She had Alzheimer’s disease and he was recovering from brain surgery.

When they disappeared, a reporter from the Austin American-Statesman wrote a series of articles about the missing couple. Fastball bassist Tony Scalzo came up with the idea for the song after reading the articles (the band is from Austin). “It’s a romanticized take on what happened,” he said. Scalzo pictured them “taking off to have fun, like they did when they first met.”

Thirteen days after the Howards went missing, they were found in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about 400 miles from their destination. They were still in the vehicle (an Oldsmobile Delta 88), which had veered off the side of the road and was hidden in brush. Scalzo had finished writing the song when he learned that the couple had died.

The song itself has a sort of retro feel to it. It also incorporates a lot of little sound effects into the mix. “There was this brief moment in time when people were having hits with really weird stuff,” Fastball’s Miles Zuniga said. “We got lucky that we came around at that time. Even two years later was too late.”

I think that is what I loved about the song. It starts off someone tuning a radio dial. It has a hollow sound to it. All of a sudden, you are hearing a full produced cut. That change in sound really grabbed me.

Songfacts puts it this way, The song opens with the sounds of an analog radio going up and down the dial, briefly tuning in stations amongst the static. When “The Way” starts, it’s as if the listener has found a song he likes and is going to give it a listen. For the first 40 seconds, the dynamics are restricted to simulate the limited frequency of a radio signal. At the line, “they drank up the wine,” the full range comes in.

Despite the sad story of the song, it is one of my favorite 90’s songs.

Listen carefully: The guitar solo was inspired by the song Secret Agent Man. Guitarist Mike Zuniga was a big fan of 50’s and 60’s songs.

The Way

Before you hear the next song. Here is a vocabulary lesson for you.

Jiggy. (adj.) (1) To be cool and trendy. (2) Often associated with a style of dress. (3) Dancing effectively. (4) Making a name for yourself. (noun) (1) sex.

Will Smith’s Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It was a monster hit. It was a song that packed the dance floor when it came out and for years afterward. It was often the song I played as the first fast dance when I was DJing weddings.

This song has so many different things piled into it. For example, This samples the beat from “He’s the Greatest Dancer” from Sister Sledge. Now add the “na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na” hook, which is from a song called “Sang and Dance” by the Bar-Kays. Finally it also incorporates some lyrical elements from the 1980 song “Love Rap” by Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three. (Who?!) Because of all of that, 12 different writers are credited as composers on the song!

I’m not really into rap music. While many consider this song rap, I think of it as more a pop/rock/dance/rap song. My favorite lines in the song, which make me laugh every time:

Women used to tease me
Give it to me now, nice and easy
Since I moved up like George and Weezie

Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It

Prior to 1998, I was spending a lot of time at the karaoke bar. It was a regular thing to close the bar for me. This song became the “Bar Closing Anthem” in 1998 and beyond. Many DJ’s used it at the end of the night, too.

Closing Time was Semisonic’s only American hit. Dan Wilson told The Hollywood Reporter how he wrote this song in 20 minutes:

“My bandmates were tired of ending our sets with the same song, so there was kind of an uprising where they demanded something different to end our nights with. So I thought, ‘OK, I’ll write a song to close out the set,’ and then boom, I wrote ‘Closing Time’ really fast.

There was one little adjustment later, which I credit to our A&R guy, Hans Haedelt. He said, ‘It’s too simple. You need to break up the rhythm of the verses.’ So that line, ‘Gather up your jackets, move it to the exits, I hope you have found a friend’ is the first time it deviates from the rhythmic pattern. He was right – it’s a great moment in the song.”

I used this for a while as my last song of the night, but it never felt right to me to end a DJ gig with a semi-upbeat song.

Closing Time

The next song is one that could be featured on my Movie Music Monday feature. The song appeared on the Can’t Hardly Wait soundtrack.

Can’t Get Enough of You Baby is a song that was written back in 1966! Denny Randell and Sandy Linzer wrote the song for the Toys. It was also recorded by The Four Seasons and Michigan’s ? and the Mysterians. ?’s version of the song was the more Rocking/Swinging version. When Smash Mouth recorded it, they copied that sound. Smash Mouth became the first group to bring it into the Top 40. They released it as the lead single from their Astro Lounge album.

This is one of those songs that immediately makes you feel good. Well, it does for me anyway. I mean, it’s a love song, but it rocks!

Fun Fact: Running just 2:29, this was the shortest Top 40 hit of 1998.

Can’t Get Enough of You Baby

Speaking of love songs, Diane Warren sure knows how to write them! I could write an entire blog about all of the hits that she has written! Maybe one day I will.

This is another song that could be a Movie Music Monday song. It appeared in the film, Armageddon, which starred Liv Tyler, the daughter of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.

Originally, U2 was asked to perform I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing. The idea for Aerosmith performing it only came after Liv was cast in the film. The song was “A grand production featuring a 52-piece orchestra. This was by far Aerosmith’s biggest hit on the US Hot 100, and their only chart-topper. It was #1 US for four weeks in September 1998, becoming one of the most popular songs of the year.” – songfacts.com

Diane Warren found inspiration for this song after hearing about an interview with James Brolin. He said that when his wife Barbra Streisand was away, he missed her even when he was sleeping. When she set out to write a song for Armageddon, she thought this was a good sentiment to express, since the film deals with the impending destruction of all on Earth.

This was another one of those “pack the dance floor” songs. Most of the time, it was used as the bridal dance. When it wasn’t I often played it in my first slow song set. As the DJ, it was always heart warming to see couples dancing to a song like this. Staring into each others eyes, or singing the lyrics to each other. I played this one a lot!

I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

My introduction to Barenaked Ladies was If I Had $1,000,000. The more I heard from them, the more impressed I became. I remember the first time I heard One Week on the radio. It really was something to hear them rattling off the lyrics.

Songfacts says: The band has said that this song is about a big fight in a relationship. The lyrics are essentially meaningless, but wildly entertaining. It showed off their clever wordplay in a rapid-fire interplay between their lead singers, Ed Robertson and Steven Page. Robertson wrote the song.

Robertson said, “I wrote the chorus structure of the song, but I couldn’t figure out the verses at all. I got together with Steve a bunch of times and said, ‘I have this idea for a song, and I couldn’t figure out where to go with it.’ And finally Steve said to me at some point, ‘Just freestyle it! Just do what you do onstage every night. It’s gonna be great.'”

The song One Week was a number one hit for the band – for one week.

One Week

Trivia Question: What was the most-played radio song in 1999 in 11 different countries, including Canada, UK, Australia, Japan and Israel? Answer: Kiss Me from Sixpence None The Richer.

Here in the US, the song got a lot of help and exposure from the media. Songfacts explains: It was used on the second season of the WB TV show Dawson’s Creek, first on November 11, 1998 and then on another episode that aired April 28, 1999. In between, it was used in the movie She’s All That, which premiered January 29, 1999. With just about every teenage girl in America hearing the song on the TV show, the movie, or the many radio stations that put the song in rotation, it cracked the Top-40 on February 27, 1999 and made it all the way to #2.

TV soundtracks helped a lot of songs in the 1990’s. Shows like Ally McBeal, Friends, Mad About You, and Party of Five were just a few that released soundtracks.

To me, I love the sound of the song. The guitar and the vocal of Leigh Nash blend so well together. It’s no wonder that Taylor Swift says it was the first song she learned how to play on the guitar.

Kiss Me

Last week, I mentioned the Swing Revival that was taking place and mentioned Zoot Suit Riot. The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy were a part of that, but I believe that it was Brian Setzer who took it to a whole new level.

Brian Setzer had success with the Stray Cats in the 80’s. When he formed the Brian Setzer Orchestra and started covering jazz and swing songs, we saw a resurgence in his career.

The first album came out in 1994 and featured covers of Route 66 and Lady Luck. It also featured originals like the beautiful September Skies. The second album came out in 1996 and featured covers of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Roy Montrell, and Gene Pitney. In 1998, The BSO released the Dirty Boogie and the lead single was a Louis Prima classic.

Jump, Jive, an’ Wail originally appeared on a Louis Prima album called The Wildest. It was recorded live in Las Vegas in 1956. Setzer’s version went to #23 on the Hot 100 chart, but I always felt it was more popular than that. We used to get requests for it when we DJ’s so that people could swing dance to it.

I absolutely love this version. To me, Prima’s version sounds like the Demo and Setzer’s is the finished product! The song won Setzer a Grammy in 1999 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Jump, Jive an’ Wail

The next song is hard to include on this list. I almost skipped it, but in a feature that is called The Music of My Life, how could I not list it? Let me explain.

When my ex and I decided to get married, we didn’t have a wedding song. I had some suggestions that were pretty much shot down immediately. Looking back at this now, I understand why. I was never really going to have a say in the song. I had a list of great songs. I was a wedding DJ for crying out loud, I had all kinds that we could make work.

For weeks, I attempted to suggest song after song. For each song I would be told why it was a bad choice. I finally accepted that anything I offered up was going to be turned down for some reason. So when she came to me with Edwin McCain’s I’ll Be, I listened to it and told her okay.

That being said, I have to admit that I never really felt like this was a wedding song. Not surprising that Edwin didn’t feel it was either! In a songfacts interview he said the track was not intended as a love song at all: “It was kind of a Hail Mary prayer for me, personally. And it’s been obviously linked as a romantic song. It’s one of those things that I hesitate to say too much, because sometimes songs become what they were supposed to be, and it’s not really up to the songwriter to determine what that is.”

He went on to say that a break-up prompted him to pen this song: “It was the end of a relationship for me, and it was also an admission of my inability to function in a relationship, hence the love suicide line. And it was the hope that I would be better, grow and be better as a person. I was struggling with some personal problems at the time, as well, so it was all of those things. It was this admission of failure and this prayer that I could be a better person, wrapped up as sort of the end of a relationship kind of thought. And it was something that I said to a girl that I’d been going out with. I knew that she was waiting, and I always said to her, ‘Don’t ever look back on this in any other way than I’ll be your biggest fan.’ You know, ‘I’ll always be a fan.'”

So my first wedding song was about a break up. Maybe it was prohetic?

I’ll Be

The final song brings us back to Barenaked Ladies. It wasn’t until I researched this for this feature that I realized it wasn’t really a hit. It only got up to #44 on the charts, which is surprising to me. I almost like this more than One Week. For what it is worth, it did go to #1 in Canada.

As you watch the video, keep in mind that the band was not happy with it. They had a concept of what they wanted. It was to be seen from the point of view of various household pets. (A cat, a dog, a goldfish, and a bird). The band was disappointed with the filming of the video while it was being shot, as they did not feel it was fitting their concept.

Many times, a video helped a band with their song. This was not one of those times, obviously. I have to wonder how the release date played into the song’s poor performance. It was released in late December. The charts are pretty much done at that time, and you’ve got two weeks where nothing really changes. The song could have been dead in the water the week it was released. Sorry, that’s my radio mind spewing out thoughts.

It’s All Been Done

Did I miss one of your favorites from 1998? Let me know in the comments.

Next week, we’ll party like it’s 1999! On my list is a song that was so popular I played it 4 times at a prom. The list also features one of the songs that was shot down by my ex, movie music from two big animated films, an artist who waited 30 years for his first #1, a song that makes me think of Barbara Eden, and one of my favorite cover songs.

Thanks for reading! See you next week!

Movie Music Monday – Anchorman

Happy 53rd Birthday to the beautiful Christina Applegate. She is best remembered for her role as Kelly Bundy on TV’s Married With Children. She also starred in the title role on the TV series, Jesse. She went on to other TV roles in Samantha Who, Dead To Me, and Up All Night. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest appearance on TV’s Friends.

She’s appeared on Broadway and has been in many hit films. She appeared in 1991’s Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead, 1996’s Mars Attacks, 1998’s Mafia, and 2015’s Vacation sequel. She is no stranger to comedy, and was the brilliant antagonist (Veronica Corningstone) to Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgandy in Anchorman.

Anchorman is set in 1974, so the soundtrack is full of some fantastic songs by Kansas, Jonathan Edwards, Neil Diamond, Bill Withers and Tom Jones. The one song that always sticks out to me is an Isley Brother’s classic. When Applegate’s character is brought into a conference room full of men, Who’s That Lady is playing as she walks in.

When Who’s That Lady was released, it became the Isley Brother’s first Top Ten song since It’s Your Thing in 1969. The song spent three weeks at No.6 on the pop chart and reaching No.2 on the R&B charts.

Happy Birthday, Christina!

Happy National Friendship Day!

On the first Sunday in August, we celebrate National Friendship Day to encourage people across the world to connect with friends. It is a day to expand your view of the world by making a new friend or reconnecting with an old friend on National Friendship Day.

I have over 1400 friends on Facebook. I’m not bragging about this. I have met a lot of people as I have traveled through life and many of them, I chose to stay connected to.

On Friday’s post, part of my core group of friends was mentioned. The guys who stood up in my first wedding. Lifelong friends – Jeff, Joe, Steve, and Steve. I would put Margaret, Chris, Stacey, Stephanie, Allyson, and Warren in that group, too. Almost everyone of them will fit into another category – school friends.

My school friends consist of classmates from elementary school, junior high and high school. There are just too many of them to list here. This category of friends can be expanded, though. I have many friends from school who were teachers, bus drivers, cooks, custodians, and staff members. All great people.

My sleep friends are also plenty. The classmates I had in college, coworkers and those who hold the same RPSGT credential are all connected to me. There are plenty of college friends who were made that had other majors, but we shared prerequisite classes together.

During my radio career, I accumulated many additions to my friend list. First, there are former coworkers that go all the way back to 1988 and my first radio job. Then, there are the many listeners who became life long friends.

Also from my radio career, I met many wonderful people from the community. I met business owners, politicians, members of law enforcement, local TV personalities, and celebrities. I can’t mention radio friends without mentioning the record label friends. There are plenty of them, too.

Celebrity friends like singers (James Otto, Craig Morgan, Emily West), other DJs (Dr. Dementia, Joe Piscopo), comedians (Don Reese, Dobie Maxwell), famous relatives (Dean Martin’s daughter Deana, Curly Howard’s grandson Bradley, Lou Costello’s daughter Chirs), actors (Eddie Deezen, Clint Howard), cartoonists (Kevin Fagan, Drew Friedman), and authors (Brad Meltzer, Geoff Dale, Bill Cassara, Burt Kearns) are all folks I am glad to have interacted with. Some of them I know better than others, and I have regular interactions with them.

Along those lines are the friends I have through shared interests. My Dean Martin friends and Three Stooges knuckleheads are plenty. Not to mention those friends I made through bowling and golf.

I also am blessed to have many neighbor friends. They come from the various neighborhoods I have lived in throughout my life. Many go all the way back to 1977!

Friends who are true blessings are my church/faith friends. Pastors and teachers from across the country are so helpful when I run across something I don’t grasp. The brothers and sisters from my local church assembly are truly loved. Of course, there are those friends that I have made at Bible conferences, and as students of Grace School of the Bible.

Last, but certainly not least, there is you. My blogger friend. Maybe we share a love of music, books, writing, poetry, movies or nostalgia. This WordPress community has been just wonderful. I have met some amazing friends here.

Today, I thank you for your friendship. Make sure to reach out to a friend today!

#NationalFriendshipDay

Spring Rerun – Tube Tunes

I’m adapting this post from a few years ago because of a couple recent articles on MSN about TV theme songs. I clicked on one about the Top 30 best TV Theme songs, and that lead to MSN offering up many other “TV theme song” articles and lists, naturally. At any rate, back when this blog was in its infancy, I wrote a blog about them and I thought maybe it was time to revisit since I have many new followers.

Today, many shows don’t even bother with a theme song. You see the credits scroll on the screen while the show is in progress. This is sad. To me, a TV theme song kind of sets the mood for the show. Usually, it will be a song with catchy lyrics or a melody that you can hum along with. Using that as my criteria, lets go back and look at some of my favorite theme songs from TV’s past. When we’re done – tell me your favorites that I may have missed.

The 50’s

Two of the earliest themes on my list come from shows considered classics. First, The Andy Griffith Show. This catchy tune is one that you can whistle along with. Even without looking at a screen, whistling it makes you picture Andy and Opie walking with their fishing poles to the lake.

Second, The Dick Van Dyke Show. What’s not to like about this one? You only have to wonder whether or not he’s gonna trip over the ottoman when he walks in the house.

Then there is the Twilight Zone. The haunting guitar part that plays those same four notes over and over is scary as hell! As a kid, I remember freaking out when it was on. Today, as I listen to it, it is perfect for the show. It was the perfect music to play while Rod Serling explained that we were entering another dimension. I can’t tell you how many times something obscure happens and I start humming the theme song!

One of the great 50’s themes is also one of the most recognizable is from the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He is known for his movies, naturally, but his TV work was right up there with the aforementioned Twilight Zone.

Another one of my favorites was the theme to Perry Mason. It was written by Fred Steiner who said he wanted to capture Perry’s sophistication and toughness. The song is actually called Park Avenue Beat and it is a bluesy “piece of symphonic R&B”. The song was re-recorded for the Perry Mason TV movies and was used by the Blues Brothers band while out touring.

Another theme song that I absolutely love, has a Blues Brothers tie in, too. Peter Gunn is a private eye. The initial base line accompanied by low brass instruments screams sleazy private eye. It’s a great piece. The song actually plays in the first Blues Brothers movie as the brothers are driving through Illinois. They do a fine cover of it.

The 60’s

The shows of the 60’s and 70’s had some of the best theme songs!

The theme to Mission: Impossible is instantly recognizable. It was composed by the great Lalo Schifrin. What’s neat about the song is that it is in 5/4 time. From the opening note – you can see the fuse light up and begin to burn. It’s such a cool piece of music. I was glad that they used it in the movies with Tom Cruise (even though I disliked them).

Wanna sing along with the theme to Batman? You only need to sing the word “Batman” and you got it! Neil Hefti, who was a composer and arranger, composed the theme with it’s simple guitar lick and vocal. It was a hit for Hefti, The Ventures, and the The Marketts.

William Dozier, creator of Batman, also created the Green Hornet. Even though the show didn’t last long, the theme song is memorable for a few reasons. First, it is based on the classical piece, The Flight of the Bumblebee. Second, playing the trumpet on the song is the great Al Hirt! Classic! One that you will hum for days.

Who can forget the theme to the Monkees? “Here we come, walking down the street. We get the funniest looks from, everyone we meet….” Hey! Hey! They’re the Monkees! For this show, they gathered 4 guys with little or no musical experience and made them a band. The show appealed to kids and adults alike. It was fast paced with quick jokes and 4 lovable characters who featured many of their hit songs on the show.

https://youtu.be/96A0uyFWQHs?si=TZOd0N9lkMroBH2W

In the 60’s the guitar played a big part in theme songs. Think about this, The Munsters theme had such a catchy lick that was sampled for the song Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy. It was cool enough to sample for one of today’s hit songs.

One of those great guitar theme songs was to Get Smart. The opening sequence changed a little from season to season, but it always included Don Adams walking through a corridor with sets of doors one right after another until he finally makes it to the payphone that gets him into CONTROL headquarters. Love this song and it never fails, if I am ever walking down a long hallway – I will almost always start to hum this song.

I mentioned the Ventures earlier, and they have one of the coolest theme songs – Hawaii 5-0. It was a huge instrumental hit for the band. It’s a great balance of guitar and horns. The use of the tympani drum and the pyramid effect by the horns in this song is masterful! It’s one of those theme songs you instantly crank up.

Maybe it’s the marching band guy in me, but I always loved a good march. That’s what you get as the theme song for Hogan’s Heroes. We played this in our alumni band one year.

The 70’s

Disco was in and some theme songs were just “funky”. Two examples of this are Barney Miller and it’s spin-off, Fish. The funky bass in the two theme songs is prominent and sets the tone for the them. The guitar melodies blend in and make them two themes that you could listen to over and over. The horns in Barney Miller continue to crescendo to the end of the song itself. It started slow and funky and ends in such a way that when it’s over you are disappointed cause you want more. The Twin Towers stand proudly in the opening scene as well.

It’s funny to listen to the Fish theme song again, because I realize how much it sounds like the theme from Night Court.

Norman Lear was a staple of 70’s TV. He created All In The Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, Good Times, and the list of his credits goes on and on. I have featured the Sanford and Son theme as a separate blog before, because it is one of my favorites. Here it is again, just because.

The Jeffersons was a spin-off of All In The Family. George Jefferson is “moving on up” to a bigger and better life and that’s where the theme song sets you up. It tells you the story. The theme song was written by Ja’net Dubois (of Good Times) and Jeff Berry and sung by Dubois and a gospel choir. Her vocal is amazing and so is the song.

How do I describe the theme song from What’s Happening!!? As the show opens, the main characters are running down a sidewalk bouncing a ball. The music kinda sounds like a ball is bouncing and then the soprano sax jumps in. It’s odd, but it’s catchy. It’s also written and composed by one of the most respected men in music – Henry Mancini!

The 70’s introduced us to the superhero Wonder Woman. I do not know a boy alive who did not have a crush on Lynda Carter. Much like the Batman theme, this theme repeats the character’s name a few times, but then expands on how wonderful she is. There is a funky little bass line that drives the song and I can’t really remember much more because I was watching Lynda Carter run ….

Welcome Back, Kotter was the show that introduced us to John Travolta. It was a comedy about a guy (Gabe Kaplan) who goes back to his old neighborhood to teach. The show was originally going to be called Kotter. The title was changed, however, because of the theme song. It was written and recorded by former lead singer of the Lovin’ Spoonful, John Sebastian. The song hit the charts and went all the way up to #1. This song give you the feel of the “folksy” 70’s.

Ok, I have to include the theme from a show that I watched faithfully every week as a kid. I was introduced to many stars and a lot of songs by watching this show. How can I not include The Muppet Show

The 80’s

There are so many great theme songs from the 80’s! Let’s start with Night Court. Night Court’s theme song throws me back to the 70’s because of that funky bass open – even more so now that I have listened to the Fish theme! You also have that soprano sax melody. It’s not a long theme, and when it’s done, you wish that you could find somewhere an “extended club mix”.

I just wrote about this next show for a Blogathon and did an entire blog on it as well. Police Squad only produced 6 episodes and it was cancelled. It starred Leslie Nielson as Lt. Frank Drebin. At the time, the network didn’t think that a show like Police Squad would be something an audience would want to watch (so they could catch all the jokes – remember, this was done by the guys who gave us the movie Airplane!). The theme song was accompanied by a voice over announcer reading the credits. He would also announce tonight’s guest star (who would always die during the credits) and give the name of the episode (which never matched with the title read on the screen). Thankfully, when the Naked Gun movies were made, the kept the theme song.

In 1980, Urban Cowboy hit theaters and country music was all the rage. It only made sense that we’d have a country comedy show on TV. That show was the Dukes of Hazzard. Talk about big name singers – Waylon Jennings sings the theme song, and he was also the show’s narrator. The song was released as a single in August of 1980, and it went to #1 on the Billboard Country Charts! Yee-haw!

The 90’s

It is here that we begin to see the decline in the use of the TV theme song. As a matter of fact, it became a habit to edit them down to 10-30 seconds from the already short 60 seconds. There are some that stand out for me though from this decade.

Tim Allen’s Home Improvement was a show based on his comedy act. His grunts and vocalizations intermingle through the theme song, almost as if they are a part of the musical score. The theme song almost sounds like a “work” song, both in sound and in tempo.

Seinfeld was one of those shows who used a theme song for a while, and used it at the end of the show, but often times especially in the show’s later seasons, it was shortened. The bubbly, poppy, twangy bass, and silly feel will forever be associated with the show about nothing and it’s silly characters.

From the opening guitar of “I’ll Be There for You” by the Rembrandts, you are in New York with Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Monica. The theme to the show Friends was an international hit. It was a song that was requested on radio and used at wedding receptions to introduce bridal parties. The song is heavily influenced by the Beatles (I Feel Fine) and the Monkees (Pleasant Valley Sunday). It was originally just one minute long, but the band went in an recorded an extended version, which became a radio hit.

Who could forget It’s Garry Shandling’s Show? The show, in itself, was silly. Garry interacts with the cast, but often will interact with the studio audience as well. It was just so weird. The theme song is just as weird. It’s a bouncy song that basically references itself (this is the theme to Garry’s show) and tells you how it came to be (Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song) and then asks how you like it (we’re almost halfway finished how do you like it so far?). The melody is so catchy, you can’t help but want to sing (or whistle) along with it.

One that I loved singing along to was the theme to That 70’s Show. The first season’s version was done by Todd Griffin, but from season 2 onward the group Cheap Trick sang the theme song. It rocked a bit more that season one.

2000-2010

There were only a few shows that I really enjoyed watching by this time. One that made me laugh out loud all the time was Arrested Development. This ridiculous silly theme song seemed so out of place, but I loved it

I really loved the show House MD. The theme song is actually a song that has a vocal called “Teardrop” by the group Massive Attack. If you hear the vocal version, you wonder how or why anyone would think to use this as the theme to a medical show…

The medical comedy Scrubs was a very good show which reminded me a lot of MASH. The theme on the show is only like 20 seconds long. However, I found the full version by Lazlo Bane called, “Superman.”

Another really short theme which I loved came from another show that made me laugh. 30 Rock. This cast was so good and the theme conveys the craziness that the characters experience while trying to put on their show. There is a couple full versions of the theme which can be found on the official soundtrack, but here is the TV version.

Wrapping up

I know I’m going to go back over this and think about many others I forgot to mention, but for now, I will stop here. So think about this for a minute:

With the TV theme song becoming more and more absent from TV…what are your thoughts? Which ones did you love growing up? Which ones do you still sing? Which ones did you hate?

Now it’s your turn – I look forward to seeing your comments.

TV Show Draft – Round 9 Pick – Arrested Development

My ninth pick in the Hanspostcard TV Show Draft is a show that consistently made me laugh out loud – Arrested Development. I know going into this blog that it was a show that not everyone “gets.” I recall going to work raving about the show and how much I laughed at it. I encouraged others to watch it. Some got it and most didn’t.

In almost everything you read about the show, it is referred to as “a cult classic.” To a degree, I guess that may be true. I remember how giddy I got when a couple people in my sleep program also were big fans of the show. We were constantly quoting it in class as many stared at us like we were freaks. Maybe we were.

Before continuing, let me say that I chose this show based on the 3 seasons that aired on Fox. I am aware that years later, two more seasons were produced by Netflix (where you can see the entire 5 seasons). As a fan of the show, I watched the two additional seasons, and while there were some funny moments, and while I loved seeing the return of the cast/characters, it lacked so much of what the first three seasons had. That being said, let’s move on …

Ask me the question, “Just why is Arrested Development so good?” or “What makes the show so funny?” and I cannot give you an answer. In preparing to write this, I did a Google search of those questions. There were many Reddit forums and fan sites that come up with personal opinions about it, but none of them really has a solid answer. After all, “comedy is subjective.”

The Origins of the Show

In 2002, Actor/Director Ron Howard had the idea to create a TV comedy that would involve using handheld cameras and shoot sort of like reality TV. It was to have a look of a documentary, yet be a comedy. NBC’s The Office was shot this way and often referred to as a “mock-umentary.”

He met with some people at Imagine Entertainment to discuss the idea and Mitch Hurwitz mentioned the fact that there were a lot of corporate accounting scandals that were in the news (like Enron and Adelphia), and the story of a family that went from rags to riches might work. Howard liked the idea and had Hurwitz begin writing the series. After creating the story’s characters and plot line, he had a pilot script done in January of 2003 and the first episode was shot just two months later. Howard acted as the show’s narrator and in the opening credits welcomes viewers to the “story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It’s Arrested Development”.

The show is about a family – albeit a VERY dysfunctional family. I think that is what makes this whole show work. Watching each of these characters, with their own insecurities and idiosyncrasies, interacting with each other allows for comedy to flourish. (It also will cause you to see members of your own family as members of this one!) Add to brilliantly funny “cut-aways,” narrator comments, and strong comedy writing and you have a show that will make your sides hurt from laughing.

In a nutshell, the show follows the formally wealthy Bluth family as Micheal (Justin Bateman), the only responsible Bluth, tries to keep them and their company from going completely bust while desperately attempting to set a good example for his teenage son (Micheal Cera). The family includes imprisoned father George (Jeffrey Tambor), hypercritical matriarch Lucille (Jessica Walter), failed magician Gob (Will Arnett), spoiled sister Lindsay (Portia de Rossi), and man-child Buster (Tony Hale).

Wikipedia describes the show this way:

The plot of Arrested Development revolves around the members of the Bluth family, a formerly wealthy family who continue to lead extravagant lifestyles despite their changed circumstances. At the center of the show is Michael Bluth, the show’s straight man, who strives to do the right thing and keep his family together, despite their materialism, selfishness, and manipulative natures. Michael is a widowed single father. His teenage son, George Michael, has the same qualities of decency but feels a constant pressure to live up to his father’s expectations and is often reluctant to follow his father’s plans. He battles with a crush he has on cousin Maeby, which developed from a kiss she gave him as part of a prank.

Michael’s father, George Bluth Sr., is the patriarch of the family and a corrupt real estate developer who is arrested in the first episode. George goes to considerable lengths to manipulate and control his family in spite of his imprisonment, and makes numerous efforts to evade justice. His wife, and Michael’s mother, Lucille Bluth, is ruthlessly manipulative, materialistic, and hypercritical of every member of her family, and constantly drinks alcohol. Her grip is tightest on her youngest son, Byron “Buster” Bluth, an over-educated (yet still under-educated) mama’s boy who has dependency issues and is prone to panic attacks.

Michael’s older brother is George Oscar Bluth II, known by the acronym “Gob” (pronounces like “Job” in the Bible). An unsuccessful professional magician whose business and personal schemes usually fail or become tiresome and are quickly abandoned, Gob is competitive with Michael over women and bullies Buster. Michael’s twin sister Linday is spoiled and materialistic, continually seeking the center of attention and leaping on various social causes for the sake of vanity. She is married to Tobias Funke (David Cross), a discredited psychiatrist-turned-aspiring actor. Tobias is a self-diagnosed “never-nude” (a disorder comparable to gymnophobia) whose language and behavior have heavily homosexual overtones to which he seems oblivious and which are the center of much tongue-in-cheek comedy throughout the series. Their daughter is Mae “Maeby” Funke (Alia Shawkat), a rebellious teen with an opportunistic streak, who seeks to defy her parents for the sake of attention, and otherwise pursues boys and power, and furthers her complicated relationship with George Michael.

The supporting cast and characters are just as strong and developed as the main ones. Those include Jeffrey Tambor as George Sr.’ identical twin Oscar, Liza Minnelli as Lucille Austero (or Lucille 2), Carl Weathers appears as himself (and is hilarious), and Henry Winkler as the family’s attorney Barry Zuckerkorn. Other guest stars include Ed Begley Junior, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Charlize Theron.

One Reddit user said:

I’ve never found another sitcom on TV that assumed its viewers had concentration spans and didn’t need to be spoon fed things. The producers were more than happy to let a brilliant joke sail past half the audience rather than overexpose it so everyone watching understood. They were not only happy to include subtle references to episodes that occurred a year or two before they were happy to throw in references to things that were going to happen later in the season. And all without a laugh track or excessive mugging to the camera to tell us when to laugh.

Of course being subtle and extremely clever on its own isn’t enough to make a good sitcom. Arrested Development also benefited from brilliant stories, very clever writing and perfect performances from the entire cast.

The countless in-jokes, references to other jokes and jokes that reference jokes that are referencing the in-jokes. The show is so layered that there are literally hundreds of clever idiosyncrasies within each episode. Like someone said earlier, the viewer feels rewarded when they get a joke that refers to an earlier episode.

One of the things I still love about the show is that it gets better with each viewing! I can watch an episode again and find jokes I had missed before. It is constantly offering a “pay off.” It is different from say Friends or Fraiser, in that every time you watch an episode again, you find a comedy “nugget.”

There are many fantastic running gags on the show. Rolling Stone wrote a very nice article on them. You can find that here:

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/arrested-development-the-funniest-running-jokes-48542/the-banana-stand-46247/

There is also a great Watch Mojo Top 10 list:

Visual gags and word play were often a source of laughs on the show. I remember one gag that really pushed the envelope and left me laughing and wondering how they got away with it at the same time:

One of the silliest gags on the show is the Bluth Family Chicken Dance, which is mentioned in the video above. It is not something they all do in unison, let me be clear on that. Each member of the Bluth family has their own – very unique way – of dancing like a chicken. This is often used when insinuating that another family member is chicken or scared of doing something. I’m including this video, because in the one above, some of the “set up” to the full family dance was omitted.

In the middle of the third season, it was clear that viewership was down and the show was probably going to be cancelled. As a matter of fact, Fox pulled the show from the November sweeps that year AND cut down the order for 22 episodes to just 13 (something which became a joke throughout that third season.)

In 2004, the show was nominated for 7 Emmy awards and won five of them. It won for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. It was praised by critics for being one of the funniest shows on TV, but the ratings never really lived up to that hype.

I was excited to write about this show, but now that I am reaching the end, I feel that I have in no way, shape, or form done it justice. I just don’t know how to do that. It is a show that makes me laugh out loud, yet I cannot fully explain why. It is a show that you will either love or hate – based on what you find funny.

Remember at the beginning of this blog I asked: “Just why is Arrested Development so good?” or “What makes the show so funny?”

In an interview with The Guardian, Justin Bateman may have the answer! He explained the key to what makes Arrested Development so hilarious is how seriously the characters take their ridiculous lives. He states that the sitcom is actually more like a drama for its ensemble of characters. The comedy, he feels, comes from the fact that the Bluth family has no idea how funny they really are.

“This is not funny to anybody inside the show. This is a drama to them. Almost like an animal documentary, where you’re watching these freaks, and how they gather their food, and how they make their house. And let’s make sure we all whisper because we don’t want these folks to know how much we’re laughing at them.” – Justin Bateman

Thank you, Bluth Family, for all the laughs!

Holy 500!

I was notified by Word Press that this blog hit a milestone!! Had I been paying attention, I would have made Blog #500 something a bit more special. Instead, my last blog (#500) was about how tired I am!

Reflecting

As I sat down to write Blog #501, I thought on how far this blog has come. I never started this blog to gain hundreds of followers, however, I have. Originally, I started the blog as a way to write down my feelings and thoughts as I went through some troubling times. Then I thought it would be a good place to write some memories down so my kids could look back and read them. It has evolved into a place where I can write about personal things, and not so personal things.

I am glad that the details of how my wife and I came to be together are here. I am also glad that I have detailed blogs about the the birth of my son and daughter. There are also many memories of my mom, so that my kids who never had the chance to meet her, will be able to read about her. I hope that they will be able to come here to read about the special people in my life – my wife, my kids, my parents, my grandparents, my teachers, my co-workers and mentors, and my friends.

It’s also fun to look back at the special “events” I took part in. Recently, I took part in a song draft, which allowed me to feature 10 great songs. There was a bit more pressure than just picking a song and writing about it. It was hard to pick just 10! Blogging about TV shows and movies as part of blogathons has been fun, as well. I’m looking forward to a TV show draft, similar to the song draft, coming soon.

What Have I Learned?

So, just what have I learned after 500 blogs?

1. It’s not easy!

I read somewhere that most people who start a blog quit writing after a month. I am glad that I have continued to write, although finding stuff to write about is not always easy. There are many days where I sit and have nothing to write about. In those moments, I turn to Daily Writing Prompts. Sometimes they will be helpful, but many of them are worthless.

Some days are easier than others. Many times a song will bring about a memory I can share. Other times a conversation will spawn something worth writing about. My kids are a constant source of writing material and funny stories and for that I am grateful. I love bragging about them.

The key for me is to just keep writing. I plan to do just that.

2. I’ve met some really cool friends

When I created my blog, I started to search for blogs about music and movies. I started following some of them and by doing so, found there many people who share similar likes with me. I began to comment on their posts and they commented on mine. By doing so, I have really gained some neat friendships with people I have never seen face to face. I’m thankful for each of them

3. I often wonder if I make a difference

I guess I hope that someone who goes through my blog will find an occasional “nugget” that they can use in their daily life. It’s not easy to put your life out on the internet for everyone to see, but if someone can learn something from the challenges I faced and the issues I worked through, I will be happy with that.

More recently, I have blogged a little bit more about my faith. I was always told to not discuss religion and politics. I follow a few blogs who share my beliefs and I appreciate them. I know that not everyone is going to share my beliefs and that is ok. That being said, I am also not going to be afraid to post more about it and am always happy to discuss it with others.

4. I really enjoy blogging

I’m not sure I could ever be a reporter or a writer where there were deadlines for articles. I enjoy sitting and writing about my passions, my experiences, my family, and my life. I love being able to write down things that I can go back and reread and relive those moments.

I have put quite a bit of time into this blog, and don’t make a dime off it (Although, I hear that there are many bloggers who DO make money off theirs)! It has never been about making money. It has never been about having a blog republished. It has never been about having millions of followers. This blog is my little spot on the internet to save my thoughts and share them.

How about your feedback?

What do you like best about this blog? What would you like to see more of? Would you ever consider being a guest blogger on my site? Tell me your thoughts. I appreciate you being here and reading my blog and hope to keep posting things you find interesting.

So what is next? 500+ plus blogs I hope and I am excited to continue sharing “me” with you!

Me: From A to Z

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By far not the most original blog idea, but this stems from a daily writing prompt. What is cool about something like this, is that I can probably return to this idea a few times and come up with some different answers. The idea is to take all 26 letters of the alphabet and describe yourself with each one. It shouldn’t take too long. Why not do your own in the comments? Here is Me … from A to Z:

A Always early (“If you’re on time, you’re late!”

B Blessed (with friends, family, and so many things)

C Coffee drinker. (Not sure how I’d make it through the day without it)

D Daddy to Dante’, Dimitri, and Ella (I love them all so much!)

E Emotional. (I am probably too emotional. I cry at sappy TV commercials!)

F Friend. (I have some of the greatest friends. I treasure those friendships.)

G Gaining weight. (About 25 pounds over the course of my wife’s pregnancy)

H Happy. (I am the happiest I have ever been in my life.)

I Italian. (Proud of my Italian heritage.)

J Jokes. (I love hearing them. I love telling them.)

K Kind. (One of the greatest things we can be is kind to one another.)

L Laughs a lot. (Laughter is important. Life is better with laughter.)

M Music lover. (“Where words fail, music speaks.” Music is SO important to me.)

N Night Owl. (Yeah, I work midnights, but I have always been a night owl.)

O Old Stuff. (Love old TV shows, old radio shows, old movies, etc…)

P Procrastinator. (One of my bad habits. I tend to wait till the last minute to do things)

Q Quotes. (Might be a line from a TV show or movie, or a famous quote to apply to life)

R Radio Personality. (The thing I wish I was still doing full time.)

S Sam’s husband. (She has made me the happiest man alive. She is my one true love)

T Trumpet. (Wish I was still playing it in a band.)

U Unique. (The easy answer, but it’s true. We are ALL unique!)

V Vague (Like this answer, for example)

W Weird Al Yankovic. (We’re both weird and I have all his albums.)

X XOXO (I always kiss and hug those I love!)

Y Young (Something I wish I was again!)

Z Zoo (I love the Zoo. Love going with my kids. Favorite animal: The Otter)

2 Years of Ramblings – A Reflection

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Two Years Old

Word Press informs me that this blog turned two years old yesterday! Two years and the blogging continues….

I wrote a blog reflecting on one year and some feelings remain the same. Rather than look back on the entire two years, I thought I would reflect on the last year, which had many milestones! Over the past year, I have gained many more followers, so for those new followers, let me give you a brief look at why this blog exists two years later.

The beginnings

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When I began this blog, I really didn’t have any idea of what it would be. In my head, I thought that I might blog about some things I liked. I also knew I would probably write about some favorite memories. I might also write tributes to important people in my life or just random thoughts to help me deal with emotions or life situations.

This blog was meant for me. It was to be a “sort of” therapy for me. I envisioned it as a way to keep track of thoughts, write down stories I didn’t want to forget, and occasionally just vent. I had often joked about writing an autobiography, and in a way, this blog has become “chapters”.

I never thought that anyone would actually want to read these blogs (unless, of course, the blog mentioned them)! Yet, here I am over two years later and I have “followers” – people who actually make it a point to read this no matter what the topic. It humbles me.

Looking Back

If I were to compare “year one” with “year two” I would say the blogs leaned a lot more happy. They contained many happy moments. Looking back, I see how I have grown and learned to deal with certain people, certain situations, and look at things more objectively. I have learned to think before reacting. I have learned to separate myself from those things that bring on stress and make me uncomfortable. I have gotten more in touch with the person I want to be. Looking back, I see much more happiness. Life has been very good to me over the last year.

Musical Blogs

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Much like last year, there were plenty of blogs about music. I began to post a song every Tuesday that held some special meaning. Maybe the song was prompted by a singer’s birthday or it was just something I heard on the radio. I admit toward the end of the year, I neglected the Tune Tuesday feature a bit. I hope to be a bit more consistent with it in the year ahead. Last year’s songs ranged from Dean Martin to Hugh Laurie to the Muppets! I look forward to this year’s selections.

Memories of the Past

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Nostalgic memories are often featured here. Many of them stem from things I see that bring back memories. Some writings stem from an idea I got from a fellow blogger. Some of the topics from last year included the ice cream man, toys I remember from my childhood, breakfast cereals from my childhood, memories of band class, the Sunday comics I used to read, books I read as a child and to my boys, and the summer baseball games I played in the neighborhood. There was also a blog about Muppets phased out of Sesame Street.

Guest Blogger

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I toyed with this idea, and my little brother stepped up to bat. It was fun to tell him to write whatever he wanted to and see what he came up with. I really like this idea, and I hope to get a few others to write occasional pieces for this blog. I am very open to this idea. Let me know if you would like to do this! You could write about me, our friendship, or expand on something I have already written.

Friendship salutes

This year I saluted my oldest and best friend on his birthday. I also saluted three of my friends from school/band in one blog because they all celebrated birthdays in October. Remembering some of the funny radio stories that involved my co-host Stephanie was a blast for sure! Some blogs were inspired by friends and their posts on Facebook. Year three I am already planning some overdue friendship blogs. Stay tuned!

Movies

This year, I did a series on my favorite movies by decade. The idea was to pick one favorite film from each year you have been alive. I was born in 1970, so I did a blog for each decade (70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s). I neglected to do 2010-2019, but now that we have entered the new decade, I will have to make sure to wrap that series up. I really enjoy being able to write about my favorite films, and I found it a challenge to narrow it down to one each year.

Celebrities

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Last year I wrote about less celebrities than the year before. I wrote about The Three Stooges, in a round about way, as I went with the boys to the Stooges Festival in Redford. I devoted an entire blog to some of the very funny lines that Paul Lynde had from the Hollywood Squares. The great Jack Benny got an much deserved blog on his birthday. I also wrote about Elvis on the anniversary of his passing. I believe that there are a few other celebrities who I could easily devote an entire blog to, I just wonder if folks would read it.

Television

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Along with movies and music, TV tends to be a topic I love to write about. This year I wrote a blog about the classic 1966 Batman show. I also wrote about my favorite TV shows of the 1950’s. For Tune Tuesday, I picked Sanford and Son because of the theme song. I really need to write about that show and some of my other favorites. This year I blogged about the remake of All in the Family and The Jefferson’s which again brought me back to one of my original blogging ideas – “why must they remake everything!?” I also had a chance to talk about one of my favorite Christmas TV specials this year.

Serious Topics

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While many blogs tend to focus on entertaining things, some blogs wind up being of a serious nature. I am human. I can’t be upbeat all the time. I finally had the guts to write about the topic of divorce – just to see if I could do it. Death was also a topic. I lost some close friends this year. I also had friends of mine who lost loved ones. Just this week alone, my buddy Chris lost his mom and a co-worker lost hers. It’s a hard topic to write about, but I did.

Emotional Blogs

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As I look back over “year two”, there is no shortage of blogs that brought about strong emotions from me. One of those stemmed from a photo shoot for my oldest son. Senior pictures. I still choke up as I think about him being a senior and graduating. Speaking of graduation, my wife graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in April. I felt so much pride for her as she walked that stage. She did all the work, so why it was so emotional for me, I don’t know. I sometimes think I can get too emotional. Rest assured – there are more emotional blogs in the year ahead!

Rants

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The blog also consisted of many personal rants. Some I have mentioned (TV and Movie remakes, missing Muppets, and such), but I also ranted (and whined) about having the “man cold”. That blog brought about much teasing from friends! I also ranted about how much I miss record stores (prompted by a record player I received for my birthday). I know I have other “rant” topics in my blogging notebook.

A Love Story

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Sam and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. I chose to take the occasion of our anniversary to tell “our story”. The people who were close to us knew the story, but many didn’t. As sort of a “love letter” to my wife, and as a way to tell just how our wonderful relationship began, I wrote a series of three blogs leading up to our anniversary. Those blogs talked of how we met and became close friends, how we began dating and how I proposed, and then how we got married. Those blogs were among my highest read last year. A blog followed about our anniversary trip. Sam makes me SO happy and I am sure there will be many more blogs about our amazing relationship.

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On Father’s Day, Sam told me that we were expecting a baby. It was SO hard to NOT blog about that!! We waited some time before spilling the beans with our big announcement. A series of blogs about expecting a baby, then finding out we were having a girl, and finally sharing the name we had picked for her remain the most read blogs in the history of this blog! The support from our friends and family has been SO amazing! Sharing stories of the baby shower and 3D ultrasound pics has been a thrill. We are closing in on the due date (February 16) and she can come anytime. The nursery is ready and so are we! We anxiously await her arrival and with it, I will have plenty of things to share with you about being a dad again!

The Future

As I said last year – Not so long ago, I was told my someone once close to me to stop writing. “Nobody wants to read about that crap! It is a waste of time. Stop trying to be creative. Nobody cares about what you like and don’t like!” If I have learned anything from Facebook and this blog, it is that people do care! People do like to read what I write! In the end, I don’t really write for others, I write for myself. The fact that other people read this blog and get some enjoyment out if it is a little bonus.

In future blogs, I will continue to write about things I love. I will write about things that people want to know about. I hope to do more Question and Answer blogs and I will continue to participate in Blogathons. I want to write about how Autism played a role on my life, which I never seemed to get around to last year. I also want to continue to write on movies and music. I will continue to write about things in my personal life (and how it is affected by the arrival of our beautiful daughter). I will continue to write – because I enjoy it. The minute this is no longer satisfying and I feel that I have written all I can write … I will stop. Until then, thank YOU for reading my “various ramblings”. I appreciate you!

Happy 2nd Birthday!!

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Holiday “Letters”

Today’s blog comes from a Daily Writing Prompt. I thought this was a fun idea. Some of my answers came immediately, while others I had to think a little bit. Here is the prompt: “Make an alphabetized list of the 26 best things about the holiday season, with one item for each letter. Choose your favorite thing and write a short paragraph about why you love it.”

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“A”

A Christmas Carol.

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Every year since junior high school I have read this amazing tale of Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation by Charles Dickens. I also listen to Patrick Stewart’s wonderful audio performance, as well as watch the many movie versions. No matter how many times I hear this story, it always makes me happy.

“B”

Blessings.

The holidays are a time where we reflect on what we are thankful for, and a time for counting our blessings. In years past, I suffered from severe depression and often never really was conscious of those things. With the changes in my life, I am much more aware of how blessed I am. I have so many things to be thankful for and I am truly blessed in more ways than I can count!

“C”

Christmas Cookies.

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To borrow a phrase from Sesame Street – “C is for Cookie.” Every year as kids, my brother and I would wait for my grandma to ship us a huge tin can of cookies! She would make Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Sugar, Ice Box, and so many more. The cookies pictured above are called Pizzelle cookies. My grandma always made them at Christmas! My brother still has her pizzelle maker. Today, I still make the Chocolate Chips from a recipe she had in a metal index card box!

“D”

Dante’ & Dimitri

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My sons. Sharing the holidays with them means so much to me. I LOVE watching their excitement as they open their presents. I love spending time with them, whether it is watching TV, playing a video or board game, or just having a heart to heart talk. They continue to grow into fine young men, and I am proud to be their father.

“E”

Eggnog

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I LOVE eggnog! My grandmother always had it for us at Christmas. There used to be an eggnog mix that she would buy, but I can’t find it anywhere anymore. My brother and I used to drink this like water! I recently discovered a “custard” eggnog that was really good, too! All things eggnog – I like: McDonald’s Eggnog Shakes, Starbucks Eggnog Latte’s, and even the alcoholic eggnog! There was a place in Frankenmuth that had a drink called the “dirty elf” – it was eggnog with a shot of Fireball whiskey in it – SO good!

“F”

Family and Friends.

What would the holidays be with out them?! When I look back on holidays of the past, they are special because of the friends and family who were present! I look forward to the holidays each year because it means special times with these special people in my life.

“G”

Garland.

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When I think about Christmas, I always think about garland! My mom used to string it on the tree. She’d hang it on walls, wrap it around things, hang Christmas Cards from it – it was everywhere! We had gold and silver garland, thick and thin garland, and even garland with snowflakes on it. I don’t use it today, because I know our cats will just eat it.

“H”

Holiday Music.

I have blogged about this enough that you had to see this coming! I love Christmas music. There are so many wonderful memories connected to specific holiday songs. While there are some songs that bring tears to my eyes, the majority of them bring me so much happiness.

“I”

Italian Food.

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EVERY Christmas Eve – my grandma made ravioli. That was part of our tradition. We also had breaded steak with ammoglio (moy-gyoo) sauce. She always made an Italian feast. I have tried to keep this tradition going, even though my sauce is no where close to being as good as hers.

“J”

Jingle Bells.

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This is two-fold. First, the sound of jingle bells goes hand in hand with the holidays. To me, there is something about hearing those bells that makes it feel like Christmas. Second, it is one of those holiday songs that I love. It’s probably THE universal Christmas song. My favorite versions are done by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, and SO many other versions!

“K”

Kris Kringle.

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Also known as Santa Claus. He’s the subject of many Christmas songs. Millions of children sit on his lap and convey their Christmas list to him. In one night, he delivers millions of toys to good little girls and boys!

“L”

Lights.

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I love Christmas lights. When I first got my driver’s license I would pop a cassette tape of Christmas music in and I would drive around looking at the lights. I remember driving around Jefferson Avenue where all these huge mansions were. They would have their lights done by professionals and they were just amazing. Walking through Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo, or taking the Christmas train at Crossroads Village to see lights is also a treat! I love the way they look and enjoy them more and more every year.

“M”

Mail.

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In a world where most communication is done by phone, e-mail, or text messages, I really enjoy getting Christmas cards in the mail. I also love getting the “year in review” letters in them. I can never understand why people diss these letters, because I love to read about what my friends and family have done over the past year. I love when they include pictures from the past year, too. I also love family photo Christmas cards. I used to send them every year. Sam and I were just talking about how we need to get better at sending them.

“N”

Nostalgia.

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No surprise here, especially since 95% of this blog is about nostalgia! When the holidays come around, I get VERY nostalgic. I think of my grandparents, my mother, and remember the good times we shared. I remember past gifts. I remember past relationships. I remember good times and bad times. There are many memories connected with the holidays for me.

“O”

Ornaments.

One thing I love about Christmas ornaments is that when you put up your tree, as you unwrap each ornament, it brings back a memory. Every year, Sam and I go to Bronner’s in Frankenmuth and get an ornament that signifies an even from the past year. This year’s ornament is obviously about us expecting our baby. We have an ornament from when we got married and when we got engaged. I have a few ornaments that I brought with me when I moved in with Sam. One of those ornaments is from 1977! It was an ornament that we all got when we were in Catechism in 2nd grade. It is an ornament of the baby Jesus. It is the oldest ornament I have.

“P”

Presents.

When I was a kid, it was all about what presents I was getting. As an adult, and as a parent, your focus shifts. It becomes about what special gift you buy for someone else. What can I get that will make the boys smile? What is the perfect gift for my wife? What do I get for my dad, who seems to have everything? It truly is better to give than to receive, but it is also nice to get something special from someone, too.

“Q”

Quiet.

I know, this seems impossible! I would agree to a certain extent. Many holiday gatherings are noisy as hell, but I am speaking of a specific quiet. One of my favorite things is standing outside after a snowfall, just listening to the quiet of the neighborhood. There were many times I’d be out shoveling the walk, and stop just to enjoy the quiet of a winter day.

“R”

Rudolph

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Sure, I love the Rankin and Bass TV special! I, however, and talking about the above decoration. My grandma had these, and so did we! This decoration was made of melted plastic. Pinterest calls this a “melted plastic popcorn wall or window hanging decoration”. There was a Snowman, a Christmas Tree and a Santa in a sleigh decoration, too. My grandma hung 9 of these reindeer and the Santa in a sleigh on the wall every year! Man, do I miss seeing this every year!!!

“S”

Snow.

One of the things I love about living in Michigan is that we see all four seasons. The holidays without snow are very disappointing to me. If it is mid to late December and there is no snow, the song White Christmas really hits home. I NEED to have snow on Christmas! It is just one of those things that makes the holiday mean more. I love the beauty of snow on the ground and stuck to the trees … but, yes, I do hate driving in it!

“T”

The Tree.

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You can check out the blog I wrote a week or so ago entitled “Oh Christmas Tree” to read about why this means so much to me. For now, just know that it is one of the things I LOVE about the holidays.

“U”

Underwear.

I really didn’t have a lot of “U” options. I don’t like underwear for Christmas, but I put it here because of something I started seeing a few years ago. I guess you would call it a meme today. I see it posted on Facebook a lot and it makes me laugh:

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“V”

Vacation.

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Again, a two-fold answer. (1) Vacation time? Yes, I do get some time off during the holidays, but nothing real big. I wish I had the opportunity to actually take a few weeks off around the holidays, but that never is possible for me. (2) Christmas Vacation Movie? Who doesn’t love this Christmas film. There are so many great lines and characters in this film! Come on – you know any time you pass a house with a gazillion lights on it you call it the “Griswold house”!!

“W”

Wife.

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She makes EVERYTHING in my life special. The holidays are already a special time for me, but spending them with her make them extra special. There is not enough space on the internet for me to write about how much she means to me, how much I love her, and how happy she makes me. I am so lucky to call this beautiful woman my friend, my partner, and my wife. For Christmas this year, she is giving me the best present ever … she arrives in February.

“X”

X’s and O’s

Ok, it was hard to come up with something beside Xylophone for X! X’s and O’s are hugs and kisses. Hugs and kisses from friends and family during the holidays make the season special.

“Y”

Year Without a Santa Claus.

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You should have saw this coming, too! Last year, many characters made a Christmas blog and this year I wrote an entire blog on it. I HAVE to watch this every year! I also have to listen to the Miser Brothers songs in the car during the holidays.

“Z”

Zzzzzzz’s.

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Yet another stretch, but Holiday Zzzzz’s are something I certainly look forward to! In Twas The Night Before Christmas they talk of a “long winter’s nap”. In my opinion, any time I can grab a nap over the holidays, it’s a good thing!!!

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That was a fun blog to write! Now it’s your turn. What are your “holiday letters”? I’d love to read them …

Is it “Binge” Worthy?

I am a sleep technologist full time. Naturally, when I see articles related to sleep, I read them. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recently took a survey to find out what keeps us up at night.

Coming in at #4 – Playing video games. 59% of men and 42% of women do it.

Coming in at #3 – Watching sports. The survey says that 60% of us sometimes choose sports over sleep. (75% were men, while 45% were women)

The second thing that keeps us up at night is reading. According to the survey 71% of women and 61% of men lose sleep because they couldn’t put down a book. (Personally, I LOVE when a book keeps me interested like that!)

So what was the #1 thing that keeps us up at night? No surprise – Streaming TV shows or movies. A whopping 88% of us do this! Of that group, 95% of the people were between 18 & 45 years old.

24 % of people in the survey said they usually are angry with themselves for putting entertainment over sleep.

The results got me to thinking. As someone who rarely gets enough sleep because of my job, what TV shows would I consider to be “Binge Worthy”?

Since the birth of television, there have been thousands of TV shows! With the availability of many of those shows on DVD and on streaming sites, which ones would I actually think about streaming or binge-watching? I decided to break it down by decade. I wrote down the first four shows from each decade that came to mind down. So, here are the shows that I could easily “binge” watch:

The 1950’s

The 1960’s

The 1970’s

The 1980’s

The 1990’s

The 2000’s

Now it’s your turn. If you want to Google it – go ahead, but I thought it was more fun to just think of the decades and write down the first ones that came to my head.

What are YOUR “binge worthy” shows??