The countdown rolls on ... with the regularity of Billiken basketball victories.
35: INXS
Enjoyed them more in their early 80's days than in there bigger late 80's / early 90's days. The brilliantly titled "Shabooh Shoobah" probably contained their two best songs. I vaguely remember being at some SLU function and being the only one in the room who could identify the song title, album title, and country of origin of some song from this time period. Times like these ... it's good to be the countdown geek. I believe the female Dolberries saw them in concert one time. Anyway, INXS has a very interesting post-success period. The lead singer (Michael Hutchance) killed himself, though there's some debate as to whether he intended to. (U2's "Stuck in a Moment That You Can't Get Out Of" is about the foolishness of that episode.) Then, they rebounded in the reality show where they auditioned a new singer. The drama associated w/ their post 15 minutes seems out of proportion with their 15 minutes themselves.
Best songs: Don't Change, The One Thing, What You Need
Worst song: Never Tear Us Apart
34: The Cars
Another band that peaked early. Their best stuff was definitely in the late 70's but they rolled into the 80's w/ just enough momentum to manage some hummable tunes on the "Shake It Up" album (their fourth) which came out in 1981. I bought their 1984 "Heartbeat City" tape on the basis that I liked the video w/ that funny fly w/ the Ric Ocasek face that buzzed around the girl. Mistake. They had a left-handed guitarist. That's about all I have to say about them. When I made the countdown list, I thought that first album was released in the 80's. Tell you what ... replace them w/ whomever you like that's not already in the countdown.
Best Songs: Shake It Up, Since You're Gone, actually all the 70's songs
Worst song: Why Can't I Have You, Drive, pretty much that whole Heartbeat City album
33: Journey
Did I like Journey in the 80s? No. I pretty much loathed 'em in the 80's. The radio station in Louisville had a three artist loop of Heart, Journey, & Zeppelin. I assume you could turn on WQMF right now and have a 33% chance of guessing what artist is playing. Plus, one always heard scary stories about how so & so went to a Journey concert & now they're in a home for delinquent youth. And I like little people, but that Steve Perry seemed like an insufferable little twerp even to diminuitive Dolberry. In my opinion all the aforementioned shortcomings can be forgiven due to their songs amazing ability to be karaoke-d, badly, by Dolberry. Who can forget such favorites as "SO NOW I COME TO YOUUUU WITH OOOOOOPEN ARMS. FEELING YOU SAY. WANTING TO SE-HEAR" or "JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRRRL. LIVING IN A LONELY WORLD. SHE TOOK THE MIDNIGHT TRAIN GOING ANYWHEEERRRRREE."
Best Songs: Don't Stop Believin', Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin, Open Arms (Dolberry versions)
Worst Songs: Same as above (non-Dolberry version)
32: Styx
Wow. This stretch of the countdown is a slog. Anyway, some good memories about Styx. I remember listening to "Pieces of Eight" down in Roger Idstrom's basement while recounting recent beer can finds. Um, I think "Come Sail Away" was the closing song at a CCD retreat I went to (likely against my will) at that Abbey in Southern Indiana (St. Vimonts?). My memory is very hazy then, but that song was my favorite part of the whole retreat. Because the retreat was over & the song was decent. Styx's song "Mr. Roboto" perfectly captured the spirit of the 80's with lyrics such as "I'm Kilroy!" and "Domo arrigato, Mr. Roboto. Domo. Domo." I think someone once told me it's Japanese for something, but I enjoy Barenaked Ladies mocking of it far more. Anyway, according to Wikipedia, Styx is the 127th best selling act of all time, so there you have it.
Best songs: Too Much Time on My Hands, some of the 70's stuff - Come Sail Away & Renegade
Worst song: Babe
31: Midnight Oil:
Like their Austrailian counterparts (INXS), these guys were frequent listens at SLU. Nothing speaks to pre-med students and their odd meteorological student friend than a concept album about the Aborigines people. I think "Beds are Burning" has one of the best endings to any song, any where. And their 1990 release "Blue Sky Mining" is a classic. Dolberry is partial to the anthems & very few wrote 'em as well as the Oil. I think they have some of the best lyrics in two songs in particular: 1990's "Forgotten Years" and 1993's "In the Valley" (reprinted here)
My grandfather went down with the montevideo
The rising sun sent him floating to his rest
And his wife fled south to sydney seeking out safe harbour
A north shore matron she became with some paying guests
My father went down with the curse of big cities
Traffic tolls and deadlines took him to his peace
Now bob dyer glued us to our seats
And lawns were always victa neat
Whilst menzies fawned at royal fleet do you remember?
In the valley I walk, I took some comfort there
In the valley I walk, cold comfort I can hear you talk
In the valley I walk, who will take me there?
When my mother went down it was a stiff arm from hades
Life surprises and tears you like the southerly
She always welcomed the spring always welcomed the stranger
I dont see too many around like this
Oh no, thats what Im looking for, yeah, what were looking for
In the valley I walk - who will take me there
In the valley I walk - cold comfort I can hear you talk
In the valley I walk - I took some comfort there
In the valley I walk - oh rough justice I hear you talk
In the valley I walk - to meet my watershed
I hope virtue brings its own reward
And I hope the pen is mightier than any sword
I hope the kids will take it slow
I hope my country claims its own
In the valley I walk - I cried yes I cried I was down then I crawled
Mercys arms all around me when I was down there
In the valley I walk - do you read me they can hear me in the valley
Monday, February 26, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
2006 MLB: day games vs. night games
Here's another one. There were nearly twice as many night games as day games last year. The visiting team was more likely to win day games, outscoring the home team by 0.18 runs. The home team was more likely to win road games, winning on average by 0.16 runs. This breakout almost wholly due to the ineptitude of this team, who played a lot of home day games last year. The Cubbies were outscored by an entire run during their 54 home day games in 2006. If you take them out of the record the day vs. night, home vs. away, run differential stats are almost equal. Stupid Cubs.
Baseball as a function of day of week
I was bored this evening & decided to play around w/ 2006 MLB data from Retrosheet. One can download boxscore information for every game played last year (& other years). I decided to look at how baseball games differed by day of the week.
For instance, did you know that last year the best days for visitors to beat the home team was on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The hardest day for visitors to win was Fridays. See plot.
My theory would be that weeknight home games are less attended & maybe there's a little less excitement & maybe a letdown for the home team. Fridays are often the first game of a homestand & maybe the good feelings about returning home are enough to lead the home team to more than a half a run winning margin (on average). The attendance part of this is true. See plot.
Fascinating, fascinating stuff. Some additional factoids. Monday games are the shortest and are on average 6 minutes shorter than Saturday games which are the longest. Sunday games have the most runs scored and most HRs. The lowest scoring games are on Fridays (maybe because they're almost always night games). Monday is the day w/ the fewest SB attempts. Errors are pretty consistent from day to day.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Good news everybody!
I found my Top 40 of the 80s list. It wasn't on a sheet of paper at all ... paper for which I've been looking for over the past month. I did it in Excel. So, that will resume shortly, but I have something else for tonight.
DCV Presents: "Life Episodes" - The Oratorical Contest
Every once in a great while, Dolberry wishes he had access to a time machine so that he could journey back in time & do youthful things better. Not sure if this identifies my area of greatest regret, but inevitably it involves my senior year of cross country & getting some of those races over again. The daydreaming follows a predictable path. Armed w/ the maturity of an adult & the legs of a 17 year old, I'm able to break through barriers that existed back in 1983 and consistently turn in 5K times in the 16 minute zone. Trinity beats St. X for the State title and the hero's role is mine. As I revel in the spoils of X-C triumph (surprisingly substantial in a vibrant daydream), the flaw in the time machine plan slowly emerges from the background. And it is this. To go back in time, would mean reinterment into the tyranny that marked Dolberry's youth. The tyrant in question ... the terrible El Cuarta.
Probably I could do a whole year's worth of "Life Episode's" on El Cuarta's parental malfeasance, but one episode stands foremost in my mind, surpassing even the time he said turned off U2's Unforgettable Fire w/ the criticism "who can listen to that ... it's awful ... worst music I've ever heard". (To be fair it was Side B which after 'A Sort of Homecoming' is a little sparse in terms of melodiousness.) No. Worse than that. The Oratorical Contest. (shudder)
Now El Cuarta was always trying to get us to do stuff. Crazy stuff in most cases. Imagine days as boxes. Try out for drama. Try out for wrestling. Put sticky labels on forms. Roll your wrists when swinging a bat. Go to the prom. Engage the clutch when shifting gears. Listen to more Van Halen. About the only time he wasn't trying to get you to do crazy stuff was when he was trying to get you to stop doing sensible stuff; e.g., enjoying a good roast beef to its completion, strengthening your arm by tossing a ball against the side of the house, cleaning up after yourself before Midnight Mass, etc.. Seriously, from the time I was about 11 to when I left for Saint Louis, it was one insane idea after the next.
Looking back (as it the purpose of the DCV), it seems to me that the first & maybe most ludicrous notion of them all was El Cuerta's decision that Dolberry should enter an oratorical contest being sponsored by the Hikes Point Optimist Club. El Cuetra did a lot of good work for the Optimists and most of the time it involved pro-community activities such as selling Christmas trees while inebriated, or assembling out-of-control Little League coaches to curse at each other from opposing dugouts. But one year, for some evil reason which I cannot to this day devine the motive, they decided to sponsor an oratorical contest.
The downside of being 11 years old, I remember distinctly, is that there is no good way to talk a parent out of a bad idea. You can't reason with them. Plus, you're in a leveraged position of relying on them for food, lodging, attending to educational expenses, etc. However, any person of sound mind would have been able to see that placing young Dolberry into a contest against his will was as smart an idea as hiring a blogger to be on your campaign staff. You see, Dolberry was a late bloomer when it comes to the gift of gab in a public setting. Nowadays, I love public speaking, because it's the one place where I can get up and speak w/o anyone interrupting me. Come to think of it, I like blogging for similar reasons. You know I don't even read the comments section, so don't bother. Heh heh.
Our hero, Dolberry, though came up w/ an astoundingly, beyond-his-years, wise solution to extricate himself from this no win situation. On the day of the contest, which I remember was held in a building on Breckenridge Lane near Taylorsville Rd., I resolved a way in which I could avoid future El Cuarte - generated debacles.
I tanked it. Yep, I tanked it big time.
I gave a rambling presentation on something or another that certainly was an embarassment to me, but so much more so had to reflect even worse on anyone associated w/ me, in particular any Optimist members who were associated w/ me. And I did it up big time. Stammering, profuse sweating, 73 "ummms", & I even poured a little water on my pants under the podium in an misleadingly unfortunate place ... just for effect. It was a first-rate flop. Dolberry had prevailed.
On my way home, my 4th place (out of 4) green "honorable mention" ribbon draped over my still wet lap (incidentally, La Cuarta graciously hung up that ribbon along side all my "honorable mention" / last place swimming green ribbons), I remember El Cuarte looking back in the rearview mirror and saying ... "you know with a little more practice at public speaking I think you'll really have it." It was his attempt to salvage a tie, but I know this much, there never was a second oratorical contest mandated for Dolberry.
Probably I could do a whole year's worth of "Life Episode's" on El Cuarta's parental malfeasance, but one episode stands foremost in my mind, surpassing even the time he said turned off U2's Unforgettable Fire w/ the criticism "who can listen to that ... it's awful ... worst music I've ever heard". (To be fair it was Side B which after 'A Sort of Homecoming' is a little sparse in terms of melodiousness.) No. Worse than that. The Oratorical Contest. (shudder)
Now El Cuarta was always trying to get us to do stuff. Crazy stuff in most cases. Imagine days as boxes. Try out for drama. Try out for wrestling. Put sticky labels on forms. Roll your wrists when swinging a bat. Go to the prom. Engage the clutch when shifting gears. Listen to more Van Halen. About the only time he wasn't trying to get you to do crazy stuff was when he was trying to get you to stop doing sensible stuff; e.g., enjoying a good roast beef to its completion, strengthening your arm by tossing a ball against the side of the house, cleaning up after yourself before Midnight Mass, etc.. Seriously, from the time I was about 11 to when I left for Saint Louis, it was one insane idea after the next.
Looking back (as it the purpose of the DCV), it seems to me that the first & maybe most ludicrous notion of them all was El Cuerta's decision that Dolberry should enter an oratorical contest being sponsored by the Hikes Point Optimist Club. El Cuetra did a lot of good work for the Optimists and most of the time it involved pro-community activities such as selling Christmas trees while inebriated, or assembling out-of-control Little League coaches to curse at each other from opposing dugouts. But one year, for some evil reason which I cannot to this day devine the motive, they decided to sponsor an oratorical contest.
The downside of being 11 years old, I remember distinctly, is that there is no good way to talk a parent out of a bad idea. You can't reason with them. Plus, you're in a leveraged position of relying on them for food, lodging, attending to educational expenses, etc. However, any person of sound mind would have been able to see that placing young Dolberry into a contest against his will was as smart an idea as hiring a blogger to be on your campaign staff. You see, Dolberry was a late bloomer when it comes to the gift of gab in a public setting. Nowadays, I love public speaking, because it's the one place where I can get up and speak w/o anyone interrupting me. Come to think of it, I like blogging for similar reasons. You know I don't even read the comments section, so don't bother. Heh heh.
Our hero, Dolberry, though came up w/ an astoundingly, beyond-his-years, wise solution to extricate himself from this no win situation. On the day of the contest, which I remember was held in a building on Breckenridge Lane near Taylorsville Rd., I resolved a way in which I could avoid future El Cuarte - generated debacles.
I tanked it. Yep, I tanked it big time.
I gave a rambling presentation on something or another that certainly was an embarassment to me, but so much more so had to reflect even worse on anyone associated w/ me, in particular any Optimist members who were associated w/ me. And I did it up big time. Stammering, profuse sweating, 73 "ummms", & I even poured a little water on my pants under the podium in an misleadingly unfortunate place ... just for effect. It was a first-rate flop. Dolberry had prevailed.
On my way home, my 4th place (out of 4) green "honorable mention" ribbon draped over my still wet lap (incidentally, La Cuarta graciously hung up that ribbon along side all my "honorable mention" / last place swimming green ribbons), I remember El Cuarte looking back in the rearview mirror and saying ... "you know with a little more practice at public speaking I think you'll really have it." It was his attempt to salvage a tie, but I know this much, there never was a second oratorical contest mandated for Dolberry.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Update
Hey, sorry I haven't been posting much. It feels like you skip a couple days & then all of a sudden it's over a week later.
Spring training trip is less than 3 weeks away, so we're pumped about that.
Softball is probably about 6 weeks away & we're pumped about that too.
Kristy & I are helping w/ our church's youth group & they want to send me to a conference in Chicago. That'll be 2/28 - 3/2. Should be interesting & a little intimidating. Hoping to see C-Lo and company. So that's two weeks away & am pumped about that.
I'm planning to do this on this on 3/18. Am getting in decent shape & lost a few pounds but still a ways to go. But am pumped about that too.
Signed up to coach APD's baseball team again this year. Should also be fun. Tryouts/draft is 3/17.
Work has been going well lately, so that's good too.
Basically, that's it. I got no complaints.
Hope all is well w/ all you guys!
Spring training trip is less than 3 weeks away, so we're pumped about that.
Softball is probably about 6 weeks away & we're pumped about that too.
Kristy & I are helping w/ our church's youth group & they want to send me to a conference in Chicago. That'll be 2/28 - 3/2. Should be interesting & a little intimidating. Hoping to see C-Lo and company. So that's two weeks away & am pumped about that.
I'm planning to do this on this on 3/18. Am getting in decent shape & lost a few pounds but still a ways to go. But am pumped about that too.
Signed up to coach APD's baseball team again this year. Should also be fun. Tryouts/draft is 3/17.
Work has been going well lately, so that's good too.
Basically, that's it. I got no complaints.
Hope all is well w/ all you guys!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Jinx
All right. Talking assuredly of global warming earns you two weeks of cold crappy weather. Filing under lesson learned.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Christmas 2006 Pictures
Hey, I put some pictures from our Christmas trip online. Click here. I've seen more exciting pictures, & it was over a month ago, but what the hey.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Super Bowl Observations
It's kind of neat to watch your son go through experiences that you remember going through & seeing how he reacts. In the case of searing sporting disappointment, I'd say he's way ahead of Dolberry. Between school & church, he'd been touting & defending the Bears the better part of two months. He was so excited after Hester's runback. But when things went south, he didn't yell, didn't cry, only a few grumbles like: "the NFL should have a rule against squib kicks", "I hate holding penalties ... in Madden and in real life, & (after the game was decided) "Didn't the Bears used to have a better quarterback?" Good kid.
Good weather Super Bowl.
Prince rocked out at halftime. Well done, diminutive Purple one. You could've gotten 8500-1 that Prince would cover Foo Fighters in a 15 min concert, but he did it. Very cool. Is anyone else jazzed like me about the Police reunion at the Grammys? Didn't think so. It's about 20 years too late. Hey, speaking of Prince & the Police ... when is the DCV 80's countdown going to resume? Well, I lost my list ... so it may be a while longer.
The only Super Bowl commercial that stuck w/ me was the first Doritos one & only because it was filmed outside the place where APD buys his HeroClix.
Peyton Manning getting the MVP falls into the Lifetime Achievement category.
Here's a picture of APD in the Great Blizzard of 2007 (0.75" last Thursday).
Have a great week everyone.
Good weather Super Bowl.
Prince rocked out at halftime. Well done, diminutive Purple one. You could've gotten 8500-1 that Prince would cover Foo Fighters in a 15 min concert, but he did it. Very cool. Is anyone else jazzed like me about the Police reunion at the Grammys? Didn't think so. It's about 20 years too late. Hey, speaking of Prince & the Police ... when is the DCV 80's countdown going to resume? Well, I lost my list ... so it may be a while longer.
The only Super Bowl commercial that stuck w/ me was the first Doritos one & only because it was filmed outside the place where APD buys his HeroClix.
Peyton Manning getting the MVP falls into the Lifetime Achievement category.
Here's a picture of APD in the Great Blizzard of 2007 (0.75" last Thursday).
Have a great week everyone.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Mr. Gleichsner
The thing I enjoy most about this silly blog is that it seems to be a simple portal to memories of growing up ... my history (short & sweet as its been). One of the best sets of memories are the times I was fortunate enough to spend w/ Mr. Bob Gleichsner. Mr G, along w/ having maybe the hardest surname to spell this side of Krzyzewski, was one also one of the wisest people I have ever met.
He had the wisdom to stay young at heart. He was always able to talk w/ you about things that he knew interested you. I'm certain that if he'd been born into the early computing generation, he'd have been a Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, he seemed to have an infinite curiosity for how computers/technology worked. He was always ready to try new things. I remember an early internet-chat tool called ICQ. I had it installed on my computer, as did Mr G. He used to "ring" me just to say, "Hey, I see you're online. Shouldn't you be working."
He had the wisdom to be a UofL fan. We had many spirited discussions whenever the glorious St. Louis University Billikens took on the Cardinals. He was always patient w/ my impudent trash talking whenever the Bills edged the Cardinals. And he was always generous the many more times that the Cards thrashed poor SLU. Mr. G had one of the best lines of any sports fan w/ his "Well, this one's over." Whether it was a three-pointer in the waning minutes to put a game out of reach, a touchdown that pulled Louisville to w/in 21-7, or even sometimes the first basket of the game ... we could always expect a call from Mr. G saying there really wasn't much reason for watching the rest of it, because the contest had already been decided in Louisville's favor. The times we spent w/ the Gleichsners in Memphis, St. Louis, & Cincinnati watching Conference USA tournaments were some of the best days of mine & Kristy's lives.
What I'm most grateful for is that he also had the wisdom to share his wisdom. I'm not sure what the motives were for the origin of the Red Bench Gang, but for teenagers & college folk in our neighborhood there was no better place to observe how upstanding adults interacted, how friendships should be maintained, how your character should be built, & what you should look for in a mate (someone brave enough to withstand the RBG approval process). Is there any thing wiser than purposely devoting parts of your days to conversation w/ friends?
And the amazing thing is, he touched SO MANY people in the same way.
From a book, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. G read at some point, I saw this poem from Charles Wesley:
If death my friend and me divide
Thou dost not, Lord, my sorrow chide
or frown my tears to see
restrained from passionate excess
Thou bidst me mourn in calm distress
for them that rest in Thee
I feel a strong immortal hope
which bears my mournful spirit up
beneath its mountain load
redeemed from death, and grief, and pain,
I soon shall find my friend again
within the arms of God
Pass a few fleeting moments more
and death the blessing shall restore
which death has snatched away;
for me Thou wilt the summons send,
and give me back my parted friend
in that eternal day
He had the wisdom to stay young at heart. He was always able to talk w/ you about things that he knew interested you. I'm certain that if he'd been born into the early computing generation, he'd have been a Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, he seemed to have an infinite curiosity for how computers/technology worked. He was always ready to try new things. I remember an early internet-chat tool called ICQ. I had it installed on my computer, as did Mr G. He used to "ring" me just to say, "Hey, I see you're online. Shouldn't you be working."
He had the wisdom to be a UofL fan. We had many spirited discussions whenever the glorious St. Louis University Billikens took on the Cardinals. He was always patient w/ my impudent trash talking whenever the Bills edged the Cardinals. And he was always generous the many more times that the Cards thrashed poor SLU. Mr. G had one of the best lines of any sports fan w/ his "Well, this one's over." Whether it was a three-pointer in the waning minutes to put a game out of reach, a touchdown that pulled Louisville to w/in 21-7, or even sometimes the first basket of the game ... we could always expect a call from Mr. G saying there really wasn't much reason for watching the rest of it, because the contest had already been decided in Louisville's favor. The times we spent w/ the Gleichsners in Memphis, St. Louis, & Cincinnati watching Conference USA tournaments were some of the best days of mine & Kristy's lives.
What I'm most grateful for is that he also had the wisdom to share his wisdom. I'm not sure what the motives were for the origin of the Red Bench Gang, but for teenagers & college folk in our neighborhood there was no better place to observe how upstanding adults interacted, how friendships should be maintained, how your character should be built, & what you should look for in a mate (someone brave enough to withstand the RBG approval process). Is there any thing wiser than purposely devoting parts of your days to conversation w/ friends?
And the amazing thing is, he touched SO MANY people in the same way.
From a book, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. G read at some point, I saw this poem from Charles Wesley:
If death my friend and me divide
Thou dost not, Lord, my sorrow chide
or frown my tears to see
restrained from passionate excess
Thou bidst me mourn in calm distress
for them that rest in Thee
I feel a strong immortal hope
which bears my mournful spirit up
beneath its mountain load
redeemed from death, and grief, and pain,
I soon shall find my friend again
within the arms of God
Pass a few fleeting moments more
and death the blessing shall restore
which death has snatched away;
for me Thou wilt the summons send,
and give me back my parted friend
in that eternal day
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
APD's 10th B-day
Sunday we had a b-day party at the Ice House, an ice skating rink. He had six friends there for cake, pizza, and ice skating. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. When Dolberry was on the ice, they seemed to enjoy much baiting me into chasing them, then lapping me & trying to push me over from behind.
Monday we had our family party. We'd been talking about getting him the HeroClix figure he's most talked about. Thanos. You could find him on e-Bay for $20. We never got around to doing it, & just got him two packs instead. Amazingly enough, Thanos was in there (odds about 200-1). It was that sort of birthday for him. He really enjoyed all his gifts: 20 Questions, gift cards, the Games DVD, checks, etc. We got him a Game Boy w/ a Marvel cartridge which he really seemed to enjoy.
Plus, as an extra bonus it is Spirit Week at his school this week, so he got to wear Pajamas into school on his birthday. Today he got to wear all his Bears gear for Sports Day. Tomorrow is "Tacky Day". That ought to be interesting. We'll try to get a picture for the blog.
Hope everyone's having a nice week.
Monday we had our family party. We'd been talking about getting him the HeroClix figure he's most talked about. Thanos. You could find him on e-Bay for $20. We never got around to doing it, & just got him two packs instead. Amazingly enough, Thanos was in there (odds about 200-1). It was that sort of birthday for him. He really enjoyed all his gifts: 20 Questions, gift cards, the Games DVD, checks, etc. We got him a Game Boy w/ a Marvel cartridge which he really seemed to enjoy.
Plus, as an extra bonus it is Spirit Week at his school this week, so he got to wear Pajamas into school on his birthday. Today he got to wear all his Bears gear for Sports Day. Tomorrow is "Tacky Day". That ought to be interesting. We'll try to get a picture for the blog.
Hope everyone's having a nice week.
More Global Warming Support
CEOs of major corporations (inc. Duke Energy, GE, Caterpillar, etc.) call for legislation for significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. http://www.us-cap.org/
If business and evangelicals are behind this issue, who's going to be the last conservative to the party?
If business and evangelicals are behind this issue, who's going to be the last conservative to the party?
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Today was an exceptionally good day!
Softball signups. Only about 7 weeks 'til first practice. I think I can make it.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Thoughts on Global Warming
Typically, the DCV will avoid issues political & religious ... generally you're only going to irritate people. However, at the AMS conference, I attended several interesting presentations on climate change (though, probably only 10% of what was offered). Here's what I gathered based on the data/summaries:
1. Global mean temperatures are increasing at a rate that is w/in the bounds of uncertainty of the climate model predictions.
2. While the number of global tropical systems is very consistent over the past 40 years (basically the full satellite record), hurricane intensity is up over the last 20 years. This increase in intensity correlates very well w/ increases in sea surface temperatures. This is also consistent w/ climate model predictions.
3. Stratospheric temperatures are rapidly cooling. This is consistent w/ surface warming (more trapping of radiation). The stratospheric cooling exceeds that which has been predicted by climate models. Further, this long-term cooling effect is not due to volcanoes, which tend to have effects on the order of 1-2 years.
4. Snow cover in the U.S. is trending downward, except in the lee of the Great Lakes. (Lakes that don't freeze over will have a longer lake effect season.)
5. Some models now predict the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice-free in the summer by 2050.
6. Extreme precipitation events have been increasing upward, consistent w/ the fact that a warmer atmosphere will contain more water vapor. Climate models predict this trend will continue.
Presumably, there was more that I didn't see.
Some additional thoughts on the subject. The Weather Channel climate expert, Dr. Heidi Cullen made a blog comment to the effect that the AMS should refuse to certify meteorologists who don't accept global climate change just as the Society wouldn't accept anyone who didn't accept the idea that Atlantic hurricanes rotate cyclonically (counter-clockwise). I think this is an inappropriate stance, as I don't think you ever want to discourage healthy scientific debate. The response from the rabid anti-warmers has been instructive. If this group is a true sample, the main objections to the global climate change arguments are the following:
1. Al Gore won't debate anyone about climate change & Heidi Cullen is a idiot.
2. Scientists are promoting global climate change solely to earn grant money.
3. Global climate change supporters are left-wing socialists who want to take your car away.
4. We were once in an ice age. We've been warming ever since.
5. Sunspots occur in cycles. Plus, there's volcanoes. And ice sheets are growing in Antartica.
6. It's cold out right now where I'm at. (Um, it's January 20th, you're going to get some cold.)
If you weigh the two lists of six against each other, even accounting for the bias of the compiler, there seems to be more hard evidence on one side than the other. Something that is very exciting to me though was this week's "Urgent Call to Action" by the National Association of Evangelicals which wrote to President Bush the following:
1. Human-induced climate change is real. (based on the IPCC report primarily)
2. Climate change consequences will be significant & hit the poor the hardest.
3. Christian moral convictions require a response to climate change.
4. The need to act is urgent and we all have a role to play.
This was signed by a Who's Who of evangelical leaders: Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Duane Litfin (President of Wheaton College), Robert Yarbrough (Chair of NT Studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), etc. Amen.
Anyway, I think the anti-global climate changers need to understand three things. It's just my opinion.
1. Nobody's blaming anyone for this. At least I'm not & nobody should be. For me this is like abortion ... the past is the past. It can't be undone. But let's make the future better. We are all complicit.
2. Scientists have been wrong in the past. Logically, this allows the possibility that the science is wrong here as well. It is, of course, illogical to assume that because theories have been disproven in the past that this one will be as well.
3. The initial steps to solve this problem will be relatively painless & will almost certainly have large benefits. This seems to be the irrefutable law of "low hanging fruit". There are steps that can be taken now (energy efficiency, hybrid cars, more sensible fuels) that will reduce the manmade influence that will not cost any more than getting lead out of gasoline, or eradicating severe acid rain, or lowering smog levels by 20% over the past 20 years.
Here's a bonus 4th observation ... just because the conservatives, right-wing, Republicans were wrong on this one ... doesn't mean they're/you're/we're wrong on any other particular issue. This never should have been a partisan/philosophical debate, at least in the terms it has degenerated into. At some point though, the stonewall response reflects an unflattering image.
Pat D. (standing in for Dolberry)
1. Global mean temperatures are increasing at a rate that is w/in the bounds of uncertainty of the climate model predictions.
2. While the number of global tropical systems is very consistent over the past 40 years (basically the full satellite record), hurricane intensity is up over the last 20 years. This increase in intensity correlates very well w/ increases in sea surface temperatures. This is also consistent w/ climate model predictions.
3. Stratospheric temperatures are rapidly cooling. This is consistent w/ surface warming (more trapping of radiation). The stratospheric cooling exceeds that which has been predicted by climate models. Further, this long-term cooling effect is not due to volcanoes, which tend to have effects on the order of 1-2 years.
4. Snow cover in the U.S. is trending downward, except in the lee of the Great Lakes. (Lakes that don't freeze over will have a longer lake effect season.)
5. Some models now predict the Arctic Ocean will be completely ice-free in the summer by 2050.
6. Extreme precipitation events have been increasing upward, consistent w/ the fact that a warmer atmosphere will contain more water vapor. Climate models predict this trend will continue.
Presumably, there was more that I didn't see.
Some additional thoughts on the subject. The Weather Channel climate expert, Dr. Heidi Cullen made a blog comment to the effect that the AMS should refuse to certify meteorologists who don't accept global climate change just as the Society wouldn't accept anyone who didn't accept the idea that Atlantic hurricanes rotate cyclonically (counter-clockwise). I think this is an inappropriate stance, as I don't think you ever want to discourage healthy scientific debate. The response from the rabid anti-warmers has been instructive. If this group is a true sample, the main objections to the global climate change arguments are the following:
1. Al Gore won't debate anyone about climate change & Heidi Cullen is a idiot.
2. Scientists are promoting global climate change solely to earn grant money.
3. Global climate change supporters are left-wing socialists who want to take your car away.
4. We were once in an ice age. We've been warming ever since.
5. Sunspots occur in cycles. Plus, there's volcanoes. And ice sheets are growing in Antartica.
6. It's cold out right now where I'm at. (Um, it's January 20th, you're going to get some cold.)
If you weigh the two lists of six against each other, even accounting for the bias of the compiler, there seems to be more hard evidence on one side than the other. Something that is very exciting to me though was this week's "Urgent Call to Action" by the National Association of Evangelicals which wrote to President Bush the following:
1. Human-induced climate change is real. (based on the IPCC report primarily)
2. Climate change consequences will be significant & hit the poor the hardest.
3. Christian moral convictions require a response to climate change.
4. The need to act is urgent and we all have a role to play.
This was signed by a Who's Who of evangelical leaders: Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Duane Litfin (President of Wheaton College), Robert Yarbrough (Chair of NT Studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), etc. Amen.
Anyway, I think the anti-global climate changers need to understand three things. It's just my opinion.
1. Nobody's blaming anyone for this. At least I'm not & nobody should be. For me this is like abortion ... the past is the past. It can't be undone. But let's make the future better. We are all complicit.
2. Scientists have been wrong in the past. Logically, this allows the possibility that the science is wrong here as well. It is, of course, illogical to assume that because theories have been disproven in the past that this one will be as well.
3. The initial steps to solve this problem will be relatively painless & will almost certainly have large benefits. This seems to be the irrefutable law of "low hanging fruit". There are steps that can be taken now (energy efficiency, hybrid cars, more sensible fuels) that will reduce the manmade influence that will not cost any more than getting lead out of gasoline, or eradicating severe acid rain, or lowering smog levels by 20% over the past 20 years.
Here's a bonus 4th observation ... just because the conservatives, right-wing, Republicans were wrong on this one ... doesn't mean they're/you're/we're wrong on any other particular issue. This never should have been a partisan/philosophical debate, at least in the terms it has degenerated into. At some point though, the stonewall response reflects an unflattering image.
Pat D. (standing in for Dolberry)
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Trip to San Antonio
Glad to say these travels were less eventful than last work trip. Went to the American Meteorological Society annual meeting. Didn’t do any blogging as the wireless internet at the hotel was $16/day & was relatively busy rest of the time. Will spare all the details & hit the highlights (though it’ll still be in the characteristically tedious style that DCV readers expect, nay demand).
Weather: Had to leave 73 sunny degrees in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon to go to 31 wet degrees in San Antonio. The cold rain and freezing rain started on Monday & didn’t let up until Wed. afternoon. Flights were fine today (Thurs). The roads seemed fine to me, but all the trees, traffic lights, & basically anything elevated had a nice glaze on them. The only real impact on the conference was that lots of restaurants (including most on Riverwalk) were closed. The humorous thing was that from the baggage carousel on Sunday to every TV broadcast during the “storm”, the inclement weather was blamed on the “convention of meteorologists” in town.
Conference: I saw several interesting presentations over a broad range of subjects (climate change, TV meteorologists & blogging, developing meteorological material for K-12 instruction, & of course a lot of air quality stuff). My two posters seemed to be well received. Spent most of those 90 minutes sessions talking w/ random inquisitors. Also manned the EPA AirNow booth periodically … dispensing free pens, touting the merits of our products, & talking w/ students looking for jobs. My feet were sore from the standing & my brain is tired from all the conversations. That said, these conferences really fire me up again about my job. There were over 2000 attendees.
Old friends: Saw three fellow students & a teacher from the U. of Chicago days. We had lunch one day & talked thru all the old memories. Thankfully, I’ve repressed many of them & believe I’ll be able to repress them again. Many laughs … in the end the consensus agreement was that it was not the best of times for anyone & we were all glad to be gone, but that there was no permanent damage & that the experience had probably left us for the better. One is a fire weather expert at NCAR. Another is a TV meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Detroit. Another works for the IL State Water Survey & teaches at Ill. St. The main feeling I always associate w/ U of C is failure, but the past few days have made me feel better about it though … feel good about my place in the met world. Also got a chance to talk w/ one of my old professors, Dr. Roscoe Braham. He is/was an expert in cloud physics … one of the first to understand the dynamics of thunderstorms. It was really gratifying to get to talk w/ him & thank him for his teaching me cloud physics. (It was one of the few classes I really got into & aced.) He was elected to the AMS Hall of Fame this year. Ironically, my advisor, Dr. Ramesh Srivastava won the award for Teacher of the Year for his “patient mentoring”. He was always nice to me, though I’ve seen more effective mentors. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there to achieve the award.
Other than that, got to hobnob w/ a few cool meteorologists at a few dinners & during hallway conversations. There was a crazy party we crashed run by Harris Corp. where they gave out cowboy hats at the door, had a mariachi (sp?) band, & offer line dancing opportunities (passed). The main attraction to most may have been the open bar. Ethics rules prohibit us from accepting gifts/services of any sort exceeding some de minimis level (disagreement whether it was $15 or $25.) I think I stayed under the $15 limit as long as the going rate for shrimp is $0.15 per pound. The head of NOAA & frequent DCV nemesis, Vice Admiral, Baron von Lautenbacher VII was there gorging himself at the corporate trough (allegedly). I was going to interview/grill him for the blog, but the stuffed mushroom table impenetrably separated the Admiral from the Dolberry. And to think I questioned his skill as a military tactician. Another cool thing was I got to stand in a hurricane wind tunnel w/ winds up to 78 mph. A colleague got a video of it … will try to post on blog sometime. It didn’t really seem all that windy, but w/o the blowing debris (e.g. sand, tree limbs) I imagine some of the impact is muted. I did pantomime the Stormtracker pretending to broadcast live from the teeth of the storm, like ~97% of everyone else I saw in the exhibit the rest of the week.
Anyway, I’ll start blogging more again. Looking forward to a 3-day weekend.
Weather: Had to leave 73 sunny degrees in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon to go to 31 wet degrees in San Antonio. The cold rain and freezing rain started on Monday & didn’t let up until Wed. afternoon. Flights were fine today (Thurs). The roads seemed fine to me, but all the trees, traffic lights, & basically anything elevated had a nice glaze on them. The only real impact on the conference was that lots of restaurants (including most on Riverwalk) were closed. The humorous thing was that from the baggage carousel on Sunday to every TV broadcast during the “storm”, the inclement weather was blamed on the “convention of meteorologists” in town.
Conference: I saw several interesting presentations over a broad range of subjects (climate change, TV meteorologists & blogging, developing meteorological material for K-12 instruction, & of course a lot of air quality stuff). My two posters seemed to be well received. Spent most of those 90 minutes sessions talking w/ random inquisitors. Also manned the EPA AirNow booth periodically … dispensing free pens, touting the merits of our products, & talking w/ students looking for jobs. My feet were sore from the standing & my brain is tired from all the conversations. That said, these conferences really fire me up again about my job. There were over 2000 attendees.
Old friends: Saw three fellow students & a teacher from the U. of Chicago days. We had lunch one day & talked thru all the old memories. Thankfully, I’ve repressed many of them & believe I’ll be able to repress them again. Many laughs … in the end the consensus agreement was that it was not the best of times for anyone & we were all glad to be gone, but that there was no permanent damage & that the experience had probably left us for the better. One is a fire weather expert at NCAR. Another is a TV meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Detroit. Another works for the IL State Water Survey & teaches at Ill. St. The main feeling I always associate w/ U of C is failure, but the past few days have made me feel better about it though … feel good about my place in the met world. Also got a chance to talk w/ one of my old professors, Dr. Roscoe Braham. He is/was an expert in cloud physics … one of the first to understand the dynamics of thunderstorms. It was really gratifying to get to talk w/ him & thank him for his teaching me cloud physics. (It was one of the few classes I really got into & aced.) He was elected to the AMS Hall of Fame this year. Ironically, my advisor, Dr. Ramesh Srivastava won the award for Teacher of the Year for his “patient mentoring”. He was always nice to me, though I’ve seen more effective mentors. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there to achieve the award.
Other than that, got to hobnob w/ a few cool meteorologists at a few dinners & during hallway conversations. There was a crazy party we crashed run by Harris Corp. where they gave out cowboy hats at the door, had a mariachi (sp?) band, & offer line dancing opportunities (passed). The main attraction to most may have been the open bar. Ethics rules prohibit us from accepting gifts/services of any sort exceeding some de minimis level (disagreement whether it was $15 or $25.) I think I stayed under the $15 limit as long as the going rate for shrimp is $0.15 per pound. The head of NOAA & frequent DCV nemesis, Vice Admiral, Baron von Lautenbacher VII was there gorging himself at the corporate trough (allegedly). I was going to interview/grill him for the blog, but the stuffed mushroom table impenetrably separated the Admiral from the Dolberry. And to think I questioned his skill as a military tactician. Another cool thing was I got to stand in a hurricane wind tunnel w/ winds up to 78 mph. A colleague got a video of it … will try to post on blog sometime. It didn’t really seem all that windy, but w/o the blowing debris (e.g. sand, tree limbs) I imagine some of the impact is muted. I did pantomime the Stormtracker pretending to broadcast live from the teeth of the storm, like ~97% of everyone else I saw in the exhibit the rest of the week.
Anyway, I’ll start blogging more again. Looking forward to a 3-day weekend.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Not much going on obviously
Let's see ...
Alex made Principal's list again last quarter.
We joined a new fitness club / pool, but it doesn't open 'til May.
I go to San Antonio tomorrow for the AMS conference. Is supposed to be abnormally cold there.
Was super nice here again today. Rode my bike 15 miles on a hilly but nearly car-free route.
Alex & I tossed the ol' horsehide around some. That was fun.
The Billikens are beating Xavier at halftime 29-17, after getting off to a 15-2 start.
I beat Alex in HeroClix today which is rare.
Order Spring Training tix today. Less than 2 months away. Yay!
Alex made Principal's list again last quarter.
We joined a new fitness club / pool, but it doesn't open 'til May.
I go to San Antonio tomorrow for the AMS conference. Is supposed to be abnormally cold there.
Was super nice here again today. Rode my bike 15 miles on a hilly but nearly car-free route.
Alex & I tossed the ol' horsehide around some. That was fun.
The Billikens are beating Xavier at halftime 29-17, after getting off to a 15-2 start.
I beat Alex in HeroClix today which is rare.
Order Spring Training tix today. Less than 2 months away. Yay!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
DCV Top 40 Bands of the 80's
Before we start the countdown, I'd like to thank all those responsible for global warming. It was a nice 72 deg here & while that was impressive, there were similar temperatures in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. I got out my bike today & rode ~10 miles. I've been a little scared of riding since Carrie's accident, but as they say "if you're sister falls off a bike, you gotta get right back on it". Anyway, thank you anti-reasonable-environmental-regulation types.
The scoring system at play here is a combination of how much I liked them in the 80's (60%), how much I like them now (30%), & how popular they were w/ other folks (10%). The DCV will also be employing a liberal interpretation of "band", so Springsteen & Mellencamp are eligible. W/o further ado, here's 40 thru 36. Keep in mind, being in the DCV Top 40 is huge, even if you're toward the top of the list.
40: Paul Simon:
Included here principally for his Graceland album & the Concert in Central Park w/ Garfunkel. My biggest memories here are listening to the CiCP tape on the way to/from SLU and home & always either tearing up or singing vociferously at "Homeward Bound". I believe I was slow to the party on Graceland ... think one of the sisters pointed me in that direction, but it's a pretty exceptional album & truly innovative for American pop music at the time. Won a Grammy for Best Album of Year & is typically ranked between 50-100 in all-time best albums among professional music reviewers. Also, Ron & I did a mean cover of "I Am a Rock", even though the song was recorded earlier.
Best songs: Graceland, Mrs. Robinson (live), Boy in the Bubble
Worst song: You Can Call Me Al ('though the video was funny)
39: The Clash:
The Clash were huge among a very small subpopulation of Trinity HS students. I wasn't part of that, but I did admire their skinny ties, PIL buttons, and especially their nouveau hairstyles from a safe distance. London Calling was released in the US in Jan 1980 & that's typically regarded as one of the best albums of all time. The main album of influence on Dolberry was Combat Rock (which according to Wikipedia was supposed to be titled Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg) & the classic songs "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go". I defy anyone to listen to the beginning of "Rock the Casbah" and not be singing along by the time you get to the chorus. The song was prompted by Kholmeni's banning of rock in Iran upon his ascendence to power. Now that's worth protesting against! It was the first song to be played on Armed Forces Radio during Desert Storm. It's still in commercials today (rock the catbox). "SISoSIG" was a school dance staple; it's background lyrics were always rumored to be filthy but are actually an echo of the chorus in Spanish. Now you know.
Best Songs: Rock the Casbah, Should I Stay or Should I Go, & Train in Vain
Worst Song: probably one of the 36 songs on Sandinista!
38. The Call:
It seems as if the purpose of being a teenager is to transition from being a child to an adult. Rebellion is an embedded element of that process as one determines which things taught from childhood (by elders) are to be kept and which are to be discarded in favor of alternate elements (from self or peers or other elders). I don't look forward to this process w/ APD, because clearly Dolberry's way is better (meta-reference to first ever blog entry), but I'm sure we will make it through. Dolberry himself was a rebel, if but a minor one. Seems to me that most of my rebellion was expressed via music, either by playing it too long & too loud, or by listenting to tunes that allowed me to vicariously rebel along with the singer. The Call fit that bill w/ their brooding "The Walls Came Down". "I don't think there are any Russians. And there ain't no Yanks. Just corporate criminals. Playing with tanks." This was followed by about 90 seconds of well-intentioned "Yi Yi Yi Yi ... Yi Yi Yi's"). They closed the decade with two other pretty exceptional songs "Let the Day Begin" and "I Still Believe", both of which are extremely positive, Christian-themed tunes that could fit nicely into U2's portfolio.
Best songs: The Walls Came Down, I Still Believe, Let the Day Begin
Worst songs: Undercover
37. Queen
Queen's Greatest Hits album released in 1981 is the all-time best selling album in the U.K. (just ahead of Sgt. Peppers). I can distinctly remember joyously singing along w/ Sis 1 and Sis 2 in their bedroom when we had the singles for "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" & "Another One Bites the Dust". Obviously, Queen had some earlier, Kong-sized, gems prior to the 80's that were theme songs for any number of cultural groups ("We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions") in the 80's from THS football to other groups that were still mostly invisible to early-80's Midwesterners. Freddie Mercury was a genius artist that died way too soon, one of too many on this list.
Best songs: Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, One Vision
Worst song: Radio Ga-Ga
36. Billy Idol
After four straight bands that were generally more critically appreciated than commercially appreciated in the 1980's, comes the motorcycle-crashing, MTV-darling, William Michael Albert Broad. The story goes that he took his name from an high-school report card that shamed with the comment "William is idle." Anyway, I think Idol was one of the first to tread in the dangerous waters of pop-punk which is probably my favorite musical subgenre. The key is to maintain a punkish-enough attitude to appeal with music that doesn't intentionally antagonize the listener. Anyway, more of the DCV Top 40 leans toward the Idols of the world than the Calls, so I'm glad he was #36, so as not to give the wrong impression (i.e., that Dolberry was already a snob twenty years ago).
Best Songs: Rebel Yell, White Wedding, Dancing with Myself
Worst song: Mony Mony (& worst is insufficiently negative to describe the loathing I have for this one)
The scoring system at play here is a combination of how much I liked them in the 80's (60%), how much I like them now (30%), & how popular they were w/ other folks (10%). The DCV will also be employing a liberal interpretation of "band", so Springsteen & Mellencamp are eligible. W/o further ado, here's 40 thru 36. Keep in mind, being in the DCV Top 40 is huge, even if you're toward the top of the list.
40: Paul Simon:
Included here principally for his Graceland album & the Concert in Central Park w/ Garfunkel. My biggest memories here are listening to the CiCP tape on the way to/from SLU and home & always either tearing up or singing vociferously at "Homeward Bound". I believe I was slow to the party on Graceland ... think one of the sisters pointed me in that direction, but it's a pretty exceptional album & truly innovative for American pop music at the time. Won a Grammy for Best Album of Year & is typically ranked between 50-100 in all-time best albums among professional music reviewers. Also, Ron & I did a mean cover of "I Am a Rock", even though the song was recorded earlier.
Best songs: Graceland, Mrs. Robinson (live), Boy in the Bubble
Worst song: You Can Call Me Al ('though the video was funny)
39: The Clash:
The Clash were huge among a very small subpopulation of Trinity HS students. I wasn't part of that, but I did admire their skinny ties, PIL buttons, and especially their nouveau hairstyles from a safe distance. London Calling was released in the US in Jan 1980 & that's typically regarded as one of the best albums of all time. The main album of influence on Dolberry was Combat Rock (which according to Wikipedia was supposed to be titled Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg) & the classic songs "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go". I defy anyone to listen to the beginning of "Rock the Casbah" and not be singing along by the time you get to the chorus. The song was prompted by Kholmeni's banning of rock in Iran upon his ascendence to power. Now that's worth protesting against! It was the first song to be played on Armed Forces Radio during Desert Storm. It's still in commercials today (rock the catbox). "SISoSIG" was a school dance staple; it's background lyrics were always rumored to be filthy but are actually an echo of the chorus in Spanish. Now you know.
Best Songs: Rock the Casbah, Should I Stay or Should I Go, & Train in Vain
Worst Song: probably one of the 36 songs on Sandinista!
38. The Call:
It seems as if the purpose of being a teenager is to transition from being a child to an adult. Rebellion is an embedded element of that process as one determines which things taught from childhood (by elders) are to be kept and which are to be discarded in favor of alternate elements (from self or peers or other elders). I don't look forward to this process w/ APD, because clearly Dolberry's way is better (meta-reference to first ever blog entry), but I'm sure we will make it through. Dolberry himself was a rebel, if but a minor one. Seems to me that most of my rebellion was expressed via music, either by playing it too long & too loud, or by listenting to tunes that allowed me to vicariously rebel along with the singer. The Call fit that bill w/ their brooding "The Walls Came Down". "I don't think there are any Russians. And there ain't no Yanks. Just corporate criminals. Playing with tanks." This was followed by about 90 seconds of well-intentioned "Yi Yi Yi Yi ... Yi Yi Yi's"). They closed the decade with two other pretty exceptional songs "Let the Day Begin" and "I Still Believe", both of which are extremely positive, Christian-themed tunes that could fit nicely into U2's portfolio.
Best songs: The Walls Came Down, I Still Believe, Let the Day Begin
Worst songs: Undercover
37. Queen
Queen's Greatest Hits album released in 1981 is the all-time best selling album in the U.K. (just ahead of Sgt. Peppers). I can distinctly remember joyously singing along w/ Sis 1 and Sis 2 in their bedroom when we had the singles for "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" & "Another One Bites the Dust". Obviously, Queen had some earlier, Kong-sized, gems prior to the 80's that were theme songs for any number of cultural groups ("We Will Rock You" and "We are the Champions") in the 80's from THS football to other groups that were still mostly invisible to early-80's Midwesterners. Freddie Mercury was a genius artist that died way too soon, one of too many on this list.
Best songs: Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, One Vision
Worst song: Radio Ga-Ga
36. Billy Idol
After four straight bands that were generally more critically appreciated than commercially appreciated in the 1980's, comes the motorcycle-crashing, MTV-darling, William Michael Albert Broad. The story goes that he took his name from an high-school report card that shamed with the comment "William is idle." Anyway, I think Idol was one of the first to tread in the dangerous waters of pop-punk which is probably my favorite musical subgenre. The key is to maintain a punkish-enough attitude to appeal with music that doesn't intentionally antagonize the listener. Anyway, more of the DCV Top 40 leans toward the Idols of the world than the Calls, so I'm glad he was #36, so as not to give the wrong impression (i.e., that Dolberry was already a snob twenty years ago).
Best Songs: Rebel Yell, White Wedding, Dancing with Myself
Worst song: Mony Mony (& worst is insufficiently negative to describe the loathing I have for this one)
Friday, January 05, 2007
1/05 Update
KMD reports that APD's play went great. One mom asked if he was going to be part of their drama program. Guess he was really into it ... delivering his lines w/ some flair. Apparently, the teacher wrote the skit w/ certain "actors" in mind, so it sounded like he was playing APD almost as much as Doubt. (But, that seems to work for many actors.) I wish I'd have taken a few hours off of work to see it. Live and learn.
Also, he got his 2nd Q report card & got all A's and A+'s making the Principal's list. He's really loving school.
KMD is going to a job fair tomorrow morning for Lifetime Fitness. She says she's feeling a "wave" of confidence, so that's good. She's not at all sure what it's all about, though. S'worth a shot.
All is fine w/ me. Am on Day 4 of diet & am doing well, but that's boring enough discussion face-to-face, let alone in a blog, so I won't bother you w/ it any further.
Also, he got his 2nd Q report card & got all A's and A+'s making the Principal's list. He's really loving school.
KMD is going to a job fair tomorrow morning for Lifetime Fitness. She says she's feeling a "wave" of confidence, so that's good. She's not at all sure what it's all about, though. S'worth a shot.
All is fine w/ me. Am on Day 4 of diet & am doing well, but that's boring enough discussion face-to-face, let alone in a blog, so I won't bother you w/ it any further.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
New DCV Feature: Top Bands of the 1980's Countdown
They say you should write about what you know & there's not much I know better than the pros and cons of almost every band that showed their mullet and/or spandexed-self (I'm looking at you here Mr. Roth) on MTV at some point in the 1980's. So, I'm going to indulge myself here w/ a prolonged countdown of the Top 40 bands of the 1980s, what their best & worst songs were, & what role they played in Dolberry's formative years. It won't be every day, but when I don't have anything else to share, I'll use this as blog filler.Anyway here are the bands that just missed the Top 40 (in no particular order): REO Speedwagon, Madness, XTC, Guns and Roses, AC/DC, Eagles, Icicle Works, Saga, Asia, Outfield, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, the Alarm, GoGos, and the Cure.
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Some notes from the first day back at work after 12 days off
It wasn't quite as painful as I expected, but all things equal (i.e., they still pay me) I'd rather be off.
APD is in a play at chapel at school on Friday. His character is Doubt, or Dr. Doubt as he prefers. His main line & the reason his teacher cast him in the role starts out w/ the expression "Actually ..." He delivers it well. He has some other funny lines as well & he gets to "drop dead" on stage. Unfortunately, I have to work Friday. Maybe KMD will blog us an account.
We went to see Night at the Museum yesterday afternoon. 5 stars all around. Inventive, clever, non-offensive, funny, good use of CGI, & Ben Stiller is funny as always. Plus, it has a monkey in it. Saw the trailer for the Simpsons movie & Silver Surfer (a HeroClix guy) which both come out this summer.
APD is in a play at chapel at school on Friday. His character is Doubt, or Dr. Doubt as he prefers. His main line & the reason his teacher cast him in the role starts out w/ the expression "Actually ..." He delivers it well. He has some other funny lines as well & he gets to "drop dead" on stage. Unfortunately, I have to work Friday. Maybe KMD will blog us an account.
We went to see Night at the Museum yesterday afternoon. 5 stars all around. Inventive, clever, non-offensive, funny, good use of CGI, & Ben Stiller is funny as always. Plus, it has a monkey in it. Saw the trailer for the Simpsons movie & Silver Surfer (a HeroClix guy) which both come out this summer.
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