Category: Memes

NPR published a list of the top 100 Science-Fiction and Fantasy books.  It was based on 60,000 votes from NPR users.

How many have you read?

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin

6. 1984, by George Orwell

7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov

9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan

13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell

14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson

15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore

16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov

17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein

18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss

19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick

22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King

24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke

25. The Stand, by Stephen King

26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut

29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman

30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein

32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams

33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey

34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein

35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller

36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne

38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys

39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells

40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny

41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings

42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson

44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven

45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin

46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien

47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White

48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman

49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke

50. Contact, by Carl Sagan

51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons

52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson

54. World War Z, by Max Brooks

55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle

56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman

57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett

58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson

59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold

60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett

61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind

63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson

66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist

67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks

68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard

69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb

70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne

73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore

74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi

75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson

76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke

77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey

78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin

79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury

80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson

82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks

84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart

85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson

86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher

87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe

88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn

89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan

90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock

91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley

93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge

94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov

95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson

96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville

99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony

100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

It looks like I've read 24 of the 100 books.  Time to hit the library again...

Giggles (Look!  You caused another post!) wrote a blog post titled Drooping Rabbit Ears in which she listed which of the Prime-Time Emmy Award nominations she had seen.  I tried to reply, but somehow between my desk and her server, we lost the comment.  I'll get it right on my own blog!

Here's what I've seen:

• Outstanding Choreography: So You Think You Can Dance - Routines: Gravity/Addiction & Koop Island Blues & One
• Outstanding Choreography: So You Think You Can Dance - Routine: Fear
• Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming: America The Story Of Us - Division
• Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming: Dirty Jobs - High Rise Window Washer
• Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming: Terror In Mumbai
• Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
• Outstanding Short-Form Picture Editing: American Idol - Dream (Episode 924/925A)
• Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming: America The Story Of Us - Division
• Outstanding Lighting Direction (electronic, Multi-Camera) for Variety, Music or Comedy Programming: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
• Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic): So You Think You Can Dance - Episode #615/615A
• Outstanding Music Direction: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
• Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics: Monk - Mr. Monk and the End Part II (Song title: When I'm Gone)
• Outstanding Lead Actor In a Comedy Series: Tony Shaloub as Adrian Monk - Monk
• Outstanding Lead Actress In a Drama Series:  Mariska Hargitay as Det. Olivia Benson - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
• Outstanding Guest Actress In a Drama Series: Ann-Margret as Rita Wills - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Bedtime
• Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Ryan Seacrest - American Idol
• Outstanding Special Class Programs: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
• Outstanding Reality Program: Dirty Jobs, Discovery Channel
• Outstanding Reality Program: MythBusters, Discovery Channel
• Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: American Idol, Fox
• Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera): America the Story of Us - Division
• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special: American Idol - Episode #943 Finale
• Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming: America the Sotry of Us - Division

The HBO Miniseries, The Pacific, received 24 nominations.  If only it weren't so graphic and profanity-laden.  I love the history of World War II, but no piece of "entertainment" is worth lowering the standards of what I will/will not watch.  *shrug*

A majority of what I have seen is either reality/reality-competition stuff or it's on History or Discovery.  If you take out reality/reality-competition, History, Discovery and the 2010 Winter Olympics, all that's left is a show I happened to catch on TV in my hotel room in Austin, Monk, and Law & Order SVU.

I guess I don't watch much "good" television either, Giggles.

(Because of this post, I have to "fix" the bullet points in this template.  They're mis-aligned and it's driving me crazy.)

From both Miss Giggles (or would that be Mrs. Giggles now?) and The Book Guardian:

1. What are at least 2 of your favorite genres?  I've been enjoying historical fiction lately.  I also like action and some fantasy.
2. What is your least favorite genre?  Romance, though I've never read a romance novel, so I can't be sure.
3. What is your all-time favorite book?  I'm really not sure.  J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is way up there, but mostly for sentimental reasons.
4. What is the first book you remember reading?  I remember sitting in my kindergarten class during play time, surrounded by 5 or 6 other kids and I was reading Harry the Dirty Dog to them.
5. Do you prefer books or audio books?  Definitely books.  I've never actually listened to an audio book.  I don't want someone else's voice interpreting what I'm reading.  I'll let the voices in my head to the interpretations.
6. Who are your favorite authors?  J.R.R. Tolkien, Douglas Adams, Robert Jordan, Tom Clancy, Scott Adams...  I can't think of very many favorites right now.
7. How many books do you read in a year?  A couple dozen, maybe more.
8. Do you buy books or borrow them from the library? Both.
9. How many books do you own?  A couple hundred probably.
10. What is your most prized book?  A bible I purchased in The Netherlands with Rembrandt illustrations.
11. What are the worst books you have ever read (or tried to read)?  None that are memorable.  If I don't like it, I just drop it and find something else.  There's too much good stuff out there to waste reading time on the bad.
12. Have you read any modern day sequels you liked?  I don't know what exactly is meant by "modern day sequels."
13. What is your favorite quote from a book?  "Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable, let's prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all." --Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
14. Who is your all-time favorite male character?  Zaphod Beeblebrox  "It is said that his birth was marked by earthquakes, tidal waves, tornadoes, firestorms, the explosion of three neighbouring stars, and, shortly afterwards, by the issuing of over six and three quarter million writs for damages from all of the major landowners in his Galactic sector.  However, the only person by whom this is said is Beeblebrox himself, and there are several possible theories to explain this.
15. Who is your all-time favorite female character?  Eowyn.  "I am not a serving-woman.  I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.  But I do fear to stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire."
16. What highly recommended book have you not liked? The Secret.  It think it's rubbish.
17. Name a character you love to hate?  Zaphod Beeblebrox!
18. Do you belong to a book club?  No.
19. What was the last book you purchased?  The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan.
20. What are you reading now? Mostly technical-type books.  I'm between library books at the moment, but we're planning a trip back to the library on Saturday.
21. What book made you cry the hardest?  I'm sure at some point in my childhood, one of my brothers hit me with a book and that made me cry, but I can't remember the title.
22. 22. What book made you laugh the most? Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook by Scott Adams
23. 23. What is your favorite children's book (one you would choose to read to your kids)?  I recently read Alvin Mendelsohn, Boy From Mars by Daniel Manus Pinkwater to my sons.
24. If you were to choose a book to give as a gift, what would it be? Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.  It's small, cheap, and HILARIOUS.
25. List 5 books you have read more than once?  The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Harry Potter Series, Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook
26. What is your favorite book made into a movie?  Probably the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
27. Did you like the book or movie better?  Always the book.
28. What book would you like to see made into a movie? I've really never thought about that.  I don't usually like books made into movies, so why wish for a book to be made into a move?
29. Do you prefer hardcover or soft copy?  No preference.
30. Do you leave the dustcover on while you are reading a book?  Yes.
31. Where do you usually read? In a comfortable chair or laying in bed, though if I'm in bed, I tend to start drifting off to sleep.
32. When do you usually read? Evenings and weekends, usually.
33. Do you keep a TBR (to-be-read) list? Nope
34. Do you usually have more than one book that you are reading at a time? No, not usually.
35. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? I don't remember NOT having a love for reading, so I don't remember developing it.

I got tired of being tagged with this ubiquitous meme, so I decided to do it using 25 randomly generated facts "about me."  So here they are:

1. I believe only mentally deficient people want anti-gravity boots taught in schools.
2. I went to a camp where we tried to eat bags of Doritos all summer.
3. I joined Mr. T's organization to destroy the environment.
4. On grandpa's farm one summer I tried to piss off a sasquatch.
5. My daughter thinks Ben Folds sounds like a George Foreman Grill choking a castrated buffalo.
6. MC Hammer's music always makes me feel rancid.
7. My favorite part in Plan 9 from Outer Space is when Bill O'Reilly is shooting the beaver in Mexico.
8. My favorite part in The Matrix is when Leo Laporte is scaring the gerbil in Paris.
9. I saw Jimmy Eat World using a butter sculpture of Princess Leia in utero to disgust a sasquatch.
10. My second cousin thinks Kanye West sounds like a Xbox 360 petting a rude weasel.
11. I'm addicted to my stapler, and never put it down. Even when I'm dancing with my step cousin-in-law.
12. I once dated Chuck Norris in high school.
13. My favorite part in Finding Nemo is when George W. Bush is whipping the guinea pig at my kid's choir concert.
14. I got Timbaland's entire discography autographed by Miss Teen South Carolina on my birthday.
15. I joined Barack Obama's organization to eradicate drug abuse.
16. I got Lady GaGa's entire discography autographed by the terrorists on my birthday.
17. I saw Jimmy Eat World using a life-size Yoda in Russia to educate a hippo.
18. I've been known to frighten William Shatner with my Kindle 2.
19. I love my family even though they are always searching for the Loch Ness monster.
20. I went to a camp where we tried to create new jobs all summer.
21. I often put on some Twisted Sister and think about how to frighten small children with my dad.
22. My second cousin laughs like a retarded donkey.
23. I think my cousin is the best in the world. I love it when he is riding the camel.
24. My mom thinks Fall Out Boy sounds like a iPhone torturing a insane goat.
25. Whenever I can, I like to hang out with Apple zealots.

And there you go.  25 random things "about me" as generated by the BBSpot Random Thing About Me Generator. <-- Warning, there are some things that might be generated that you might find offensive.  I had to generate more than 25 things to populate my list.

Pezao sent me a link to Choir Girl's blog which had this meme:

All you have to do is copy the list (after the jump) and bold the things that you have done.

On Pezao's blog, he had a list of books in The Big Read.  Apparently, it wasn't quite accurate, so I went to the actual site and edited this entry.

So with the new and improved updated list of 200 books, I bolded the books I've read and underlined those books I love. I'm not going to italicize those I intend to read because I wouldn't mind reading any or all of them. I'm also not going to put asterisks by the ones I've seen on stage or on film. I can't think of a single book I've read that I enjoyed more in a non-print version.

I realized that there are actually Dickens titles I haven't read. Most of the Road Dahl stuff I've read because he's one of my sons' favorite author. I read Goosebumps long ago to see if it would be too scary for my then-six-year-old. I also realized that some of the books I read in English classes and could probably enjoy them were I to read them again.

So my total comes to 64. Interestingly, I have read 10 of the first 11 books, 41 of the first 100 books, and only 23 of the last hundred books.

See the entire list after the jump!

I saw this on both Miss Giggles' blog and Amanda's Blog, so I thought I'd give it a whirl here.

A is for age: I’m 38 and will be for another 23 days.  I can't believe I'm almost 40.  I'm MIDDLE AGED people!  I haven't even had a midlife crisis and bought a hummer or something like that.

B is for burger of choice: Grilled on my deck.  Lately I've been adding Lea & Perrins steak sauce, mayonnaise, pickles, lettuce, and tomato.  And don't forget to toast the bun so it doesn't go soggy!

C is for the car I drive: Around town, I drive a 1994 Saturn SL2.  It's as old as my older son, but it still runs VERY well.  Other than that, I'm usually in a 2004 Subaru Forester

D is for your dog’s name: I loathe dogs.

E is for essential item you use every day: My imagination.

F is for favorite TV show at the moment: The "So You Think You Can Dance" finale is tonight/tomorrow!  I still love The X-Files.

G is for favorite game: We've been playing quite a bit of Rumikub in our family.

H is for home state: Utah.  I lived in Billings, MT for 18 years, in The Netherlands and Belgium for a couple of years, in Idaho for a year and a half, but I've been living in Utah for the last 17 years.  In another year or so, I'll have lived here in Utah County for longer than anywhere else.

I is for instruments you play: I started out on the piano, but I never really got good at it because I took up clarinet.  It paid for half of my first couple of years of college.  I currently still play the clarinet and even have a clarinet student.  I also learned how to "fake" on the piano, so I like doing that.  I love to sing.  I started playing the guitar in January and am having a blast, and I even play a bit of the harmonica.  Back at Ricks College, when I was dating my oboe-playing wife, I tried the oboe, but always sounded like Bruce the duck.

J is for favorite juice: Orange juice.

K is for whose bum you’d like to kick: My own, usually.

L is for last restaurant at which you ate: I ate at McDonald's in Kanab, UT on my way home from Lake Powell.

M is for your favorite Muppet: Animal!  Or Beaker?  Or the Swedish Chef?  I love most of them.  I still remember sitting on a train in The Netherlands when I heard that Jim Henson died, and I cried.

N is for number of piercings: I have a little piece of a thorn from Lake Powell that just won't come out of my left middle finger.  Other than that, none.

O is for overnight hospital stays: I had a laparascopic cholesystectomy in 1988 and had to stay the night because my temperature was elevated.  (That's a gall bladder removal operation)

P is for people you were with today: My wife left for work before I woke up this morning, and my sons were asleep when I left for work.  So far today, I've interacted with a few co-workers.  However, tonight, I'll spend some fun time with my family.

Q is for what you do with your quiet time: I've been a complete bookworm lately.  I also pick up my guitar when I have a few minutes with nothing else to do.

R is for biggest regret: I wish I had continued with my education when I didn't have a big mortgage and kids and other things that make it nearly impossible to go back to school right now.

S is for status: Happily married, gainfully employed, and generally satisfied with life.

T is for time you woke up today: 7am

U is for what you consider unique about yourself: My twisted and wacky sense of humor.

V is for vegetable you love:Tomatoes, fresh from the garden.  I also love fresh bell peppers.

W is for worst habit: Spending too much time doing silly memes like this one.

X is for x-rays you’ve had: When I was a child, I had an ankle x-ray.  In the Missionary Training Center, I had an x-ray for a cracked rib.  Since then, I've had x-rays of an ankle, both knees, and my right shoulder.  I've also had ultrasounds of my right foot (plantar fasciitis) and my now-non-existent gall bladder.

Y is for yummy food you ate today: Hmmm.  I haven't eaten yet today.

Z is for zodiac:Virgo

I saw this on Heidi's blog and Lisa's blog:

20 years ago: 20 years ago, I was finishing up my Freshman year at Ricks College. I was studying music... sort of. I took a music theory class and was in the Symphonic Band, the Symphony Orchestra, and the College Choir. I even worked for the Music Department. Around this time of the year, the music department usually sent a group or two on a "tour" so I went "touring" all over Idaho with the Ricks College Symphony. We stayed in church members' homes all over, including places like Lewiston, Moscow (where several people got Giardia from a problem with the water system), and Sandpoint, a stone's throw from Canada. I was dating someone that I really really liked, but she wasn't in the orchestra. Someone in the orchestra really really liked me and found every excuse possible to be around me. I was sitting next to her on the tour bus, fell asleep, and when I woke up, we were holding hands. One of the roommates of the girl I was dating saw this, and reported what she had seen, and that was the beginning of the end of THAT relationship.

10 years ago: 10 years ago, I was married with two kids. I had been married for almost 7 years. My boys were 3 years old (almost 4) and 1 year old. We were living in our last apartment. It was my 3-year-old's FIFTH home. Yes, we moved WAY too much back then. I was working as a software engineer, going to school part-time trying to get my 4-year degree, and teaching a class or two a semester at Utah Valley State College. It was an extremely busy, extremely difficult time. My wife and I decided to take a trip to The Netherlands and Belgium where I had served as a missionary. We thought that if we didn't do it then, we would never be able to. How right we were! It was a wonderful 10 days of vacation where I got to show the love of my life a place I loved and introduce her to people that I had grown to love. We ate all the foods I missed, rode bicycles on cobblestones, visited a windmill village, climbed church towers, saw Dutch masters' paintings, walked through the royal tulip gardens, and were denied entrance to the Anne Frank house because Yasser Arafat was visiting at the time. (I still wonder what the leader of the PLO was doing at a Jewish memorial in Amsterdam.) Later that year, we purchased our first home and haven't been able to afford such a vacation since!

5 years ago: I had graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science and Information Systems a couple of years earlier and that had enabled me to get the job at Symantec that I was working at the time. I was supporting the Navy/Marine Corps Intranet, helping to improve their network security. I held a DSS Top Secret security clearance in order to work on Navy/Marine Corps networks, although the most highly-classified information I ever saw was limited to IP addresses. This was during the heyday of Symantec stock and I was able to pay off student loans, landscape my yard, and even buy a car at one point by selling stock options. This was also around the same time that I was in The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Hale Center Theater in Orem.

3 years ago: I was still working for Symantec and still loving it, though the beginning of the end of the Symantec American Fork lab was in progress. Management changes, layoffs, and other stresses were the order of the day, but I was still working on a special project, so I was mostly sheltered from all of that. We were outgrowing our house, not because we had any more children, but because we had too much stuff. In order to keep our house from feeling so full, we had concrete poured into the mud crawlspace under our home and we were able to store a TON of stuff under there.

1 year ago: Last year, I was finishing up "The Odd Couple" with the Pleasant Grove Players. I played Oscar. Other than the director (that somehow tried to center the show around the Pigeon Sisters instead of Felix and Oscar), it was a good experience. I also got cast in "No Time for Sergeants" at the Hale Center Theater in Orem. I had auditioned for a couple of other shows there, but couldn't get a part. I had my very best vocal audition ever for "Lucky Stiff," but was un-cast. *heavy sigh* But since they needed SOOOOOO many men for Sergeants, I was cast. My older son was about to turn 13 years old. WHAT?? When did I become old enough to have a teenager?? Later that year, I started exploring the possibilities of teaching fulltime because I was HATING my job. I had been laid off by Symantec the year before, I went to Altiris, and Altiris was subsequently purchased by Symantec. Fortunately, my job woes were cured when I was put under a different manager and I've liked working here again. That's a good thing, because I would have to take a HUGE cut in pay to be a fulltime teacher, even after getting a masters degree.

So far this year: I started taking guitar lessons and I have been LOVING it. It's a lot of fun. I was also cast in "On Golden Pond" with my older son. My part was small so I was also able to be the assistant director of the production. It was SO much fun to see my son pick up his character and take off with it. I'm also teaching a Math 0980 class at UVSC. To top it all off, I think I've gotten every single sickness that's come along this year.

Yesterday I: Worked all day, came home, and prepared tomorrow evening's lecture.

Today I: Worked. I took one of our Saturns in for its Safety and Emissions inspection. It passed both, but it needs an alignment and there's a small leak somewhere around the water pump. There's another $300 repair that needs to be done on top of the thousands of dollars we have already spent on car repairs on our three vehicles this year.

Later tonight: After teaching my math class this evening, I have a date planned with my wife.

Tomorrow: I'm planning on sleeping in late because I'm taking tomorrow off of work. I have a guitar lesson at noon.

This year I hope to: Get to where I can play a few songs on my guitar for other people.  Ride my bike a lot this summer so I can get back into decent shape.

3 years from now:  I hope to be able to afford the car insurance so my son can drive.  If having a son old enough to drive and date doesn't give me a heart attack, I don't know WHAT will!

5 years from now: I hope to be getting ready to send a son on a mission.  The other son will be driving and dating.

10 years from now: I want to have my house paid off.  Who knows...  In 10 years, I could have a son that is a college graduate, or even be a grandfather.  THAT is something I'm not ready for

20 years from now: I hope that I'm still alive.  Actually, by then I will be pushing 60 years old!

A–Attached or single: Very much attached. In fact, at this very moment, I'm madly, passionately, and wildly in love with my wife.

B–Best Friend: Look at the answer to A and you have the answer to B.

C–Cake or Pie: If I HAVE to choose, I'll pick pie, but I really like both. I made a homemade apple pie a couple of weeks ago that turned out WONDERFULLY.

D–Day of Choice: I love Saturday date nights with my love, and I love Sundays that I don't have tons of meetings.

E–Essential Item: Usually a computer. It's a source of both income and recreation for me.

F–Favorite Color: Blue

G–Gummi Bears or Worms: I enjoy worms more than bears of the gummi variety.

H–Hometown: I was born and raised in Billings, MT, but I now consider Pleasant Grove, UT my home. I've lived in Utah Valley since 1991 and in Pleasant Grove since 1998.

I–Indulgence(s): Food, food, and more food. I love cooking new foods and savoring every bite.

J–January or July: July. There are more paid vacation days to look forward to in July than in January. In January, they're in the too-recent past.

K–Kids: Two. I have the two most wonderful sons a person could ask for.

L–Life is incomplete without: a way to be the center of attention. I teach and do theatre for that particular purpose. :)

M–Marriage Date: June 7, 1991.

N–Number of Siblings: 4 brothers. All of our names begin with the letter D. Dad sometimes called us Big D, Big Middle D, Middle D, Little Middle D, and Little D.

O–Oranges or Apples: If the orange isn't bitter or off-tasting, I'll take it over an apple...unless the apple is grainy. I'd settle for clementines. They're ALWAYS juicy and tasty.

P–Phobias or Fears: Heights. Well, not so much heights as falling from them. Well, not so much the fall as the sudden deceleration at the bottom.

Q–Quote(s): "The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be." --Douglas Adams

R–Reason To Smile: I'm in a play with my older son.

S–Season: Spring.

T–Tag Six: If you read this, you've been tagged.
U–Unknown Fact about Me: Another one of these?? Hmmm. You didn't know that I had Marshmallow Mateys and milk for breakfast today.

V–Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: If we weren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat? I LOVE a well-aged, properly prepared steak. I watched animal activist videos of meat slaughterhouses. It made me HUNGRY. It's been a while since I've had a good steak. But I also like Heidi's substitution of this question, so I'll answer that one too!

V–Venice or Florence: Can my wife and I come along on the trip to Venice first, THEN Florence. Then Venice again, with a side trip to Murano?

W–Worst Habit: Tuning people out when I concentrate on something.

X–X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I've had many x-rays. The only broken bone ever found was a cracked rib. I've had an ultrasound that diagnosed my gall bladder disease and made it necessary to have abdominal surgery. I also had an ultrasound on the Plantar Fascia of my right foot.

Y–Your Favorite Food: As I mentioned above, I love a properly aged, well-prepared steak. I wish I could afford Ruth's Chris.

Z–Zodiac: Virgo. But I haven't read a horoscope in years and years and years.

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged.

My friend, Miss Giggles, (I'll bet your CURRENT students don't call you that) blogged about how many of the films she had seen that had won the "Best Picture" Oscar. I was curious as to how many I have seen.

So here is the list with my comments:

1928 - Wings, Sunrise (one for best production, other for unique and artistic)
1929 - The Broadway Melody of 1929 - Own it on DVD
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front - Saw it
1931 - Cimmaron
1932 - Grand Hotel - Saw it
1933 - Cavalcade
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty - Saw It
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld - Saw It
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola
1938 - You Can't Take It With You - Saw It
1939 - Gone With the Wind - Own it on DVD
1940 - Rebecca
1941 - How Green Was My Valley
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - Casablanca - Own it on DVD
1944 - Going My Way - Saw it
1945 - The Lost Weekend
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Gentleman's Agreement
1948 - Hamlet - Saw it
1949 - All The King's Men - Saw it
1950 - All About Eve
1951 - An American in Paris - Own it on DVD
1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth - Saw it
1953 - From Here to Eternity - Saw it
1954 - On the Waterfront
1955 - Marty
1956 - Around the World in Eighty Days - Saw it
1957 - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Saw it
1958 - Gigi -Saw it
1959 - Ben-Hur - Saw it
1960 - The Apartment
1961 - West Side Story - Own it on VHS and DVD
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia - Saw it
1963 - Tom Jones
1964 - My Fair Lady - Own it on DVD
1965 - The Sound of Music - Own it on DVD
1966 - A Man For All Seasons
1967 - In the Heat of the Night
1968 - Oliver! - Saw it
1969 - Midnight Cowboy
1970 - Patton
1971 - The French Connection - Saw it
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Sting - Own it on DVD
1974 - The Godfather Part II
1975 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Saw it
1976 - Rocky - Saw it in the theater
1977 - Annie Hall
1978 - The Deer Hunter
1979 - Kramer vs. Kramer
1980 - Ordinary People
1981 - Chariots of Fire - Saw it in the theater
1982 - Ghandi - Saw it
1983 - Terms of Endearment - Saw it on television
1984 - Amadeus - Saw it in the theater
1985 - Out of Africa - Saw it on television
1986 - Platoon - Saw it in the theater
1987 - The Last Emperor
1988 - Rain Man
1989 - Driving Miss Daisy - Own it on DVD
1990 - Dances With Wolves - Saw it in the theater on one of my first dates with my wife
1991 - The Silence of the Lambs - Saw it on television
1992 - Unforgiven
1993 - Schindler's List
1994 - Forrest Gump - Saw it
1995 - Braveheart - Saw it on television
1996 - The English Patient
1997 - Titanic - Saw it in the theater
1998 - Shakespeare in Love
1999 - American Beauty
2000 - Gladiator
2001 - A Beautiful Mind - Own it on DVD
2002 - Chicago - Saw it
2003 - Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - Saw it in the theater, own it on DVD
2004 - Million Dollar Baby
2005 - Crash
2006 - The Departed
2007 - No Country for Old Men

So here are my totals:

Total number of films: 81
Total I've seen: 42 (52%)
Total I saw in the theater: 7 (9%)
Total I own: 11 (14%)