Highlights from My 100 Things To Do List

My good friend Moviezzz who was himself a blogger (when I checked his blog a few weeks ago, I had not seen an entry since June) once told me that he loved my things to-do lists.

As it turns out, due to unexpected life circumstances---and, sorry, we don't get too personal here except that I will personally admit to despising the mid-80s Mister Mister (they were actually a three-hit wonder)#, I decided to actuallty write a 100 Things To Do List. And, I may time to tackle some of these things. But, as a close confidant told me: "You really should just focus on a few things first." I'm sure Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the 2010 self-help book phenom "Switch" would agree.

But, nevertheless, here are some highlights from the big list:

1. (# 12) Tweek Resume

2. (#15) Take pet bengal tiger to the vet (actually, I am refering to our beloved family cat, but taking a bengal tiger* may be easier)

3. (# 19) Eat at Bergama Cafe, the new Turkish restaurant in Durham, NC (that's the reason for the image of man making doner kebab)

4. (#27) Try to check out the book "The New Frugality" from a library (Even now, I'm not sure I have time to read all these self-help books!)

5. (#33) Possibly re-examine e-dating possibilities (so much for trying not to be too personal)

6. (#37) Actually use Facebook for something productive, like finding a great, cool job.

7. (#54) Read the four issues of "Rolling Stone" that are piling up on the kitchen table, especially the one with Larry David on the cover.

8. (#71) Do the laundry.

9. (#73) Research the brain and try to figure out how it works; of course, this might involve reading more self-help books.

10. (#97) Watch more PBS...."Antiques Roadshow" airs at 8:00 p.m., eastern time, tonight!

*-Image is of a bengal tiger at a zoo in India.

#- While looking for info about Mister Mister on Wikipedia, we discovered that the band has reunited! I actually saw them open up for Tina Turner at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Va., in high school. At the time, I actually liked the band's signature song "Broken Wings."

Coming Attractions: Here is What Might be Coming Next Here

Here are three blog entries I will be trying to get in, though like everyone else I've my fair share of unexpected surprises lately, and of course, most of those have been pies in the proverbial face ala the late Soupy Sales:

1. This week, we had a chance to watch Keith Olbermann's new version of "Countdown" on Current TV. Interestingly enough, Al Gore, who is the CEO of the relatively new network, was the featured guest that night.

2. As always, I will be disclosing the last ten films I've seen. One slight dilemma is: should I count the two-part film biopic of Che Guevara simply entitled "Che" (both films combined last four and a half hours) as two films or one. The Internet Movie Database actually counts them as two. Though Part One, was filmed mostly in Puerto Rico as opposed to Cuba, Part Two was filmed on location in Bolivia.

3. Here in North Carolina, there is the phrase "serving everyone from Murphy to Manteo," these two zip codes are actually the most outer points of the state as Murphy, which is the western mountains, actually borders Georgia. And, Manteo is located in the Outer Banks. Andy Griffith reportedly lives there. Next week, we hope to see just how far apart Murphy and Manteo really are.

_If you want to go to the movies and you live in the Tarheel State, the Graham Cinema in Graham (next to Burlington, and relatively close to Chapel Hill and Greensboro) is now showing "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" and "The Hangover 2."

But, the kicker is the cinema's telephone line which features politically incorrect jokes from Tim Bob. This week, Tim Bob has some sultry tales and jokes about life on the golf course. To hear it for yourself, dial 336-226-1488. The line is often busy.

Quote of the Week: Edward Albee

We normally don't like to promote things we are hoping to see ourselves, but Playmakers Rep Theatre in Chapel Hill, NC, will be presenting the legendary Edward Albee play "Who's Afraid of Virginia" from Nov. 30-Dec. 18, 2011.

Since it is a long time from now, there is always hope that you the blog-reader will long forget about this between now and then, so I can get a good parking space which is always a bit hard to find in Chapel Hill.

Here is Albee's quote (for those at UNC or Duke for that matter, Albee's views do not reflect the staff and management here- which is actually just me), and we are featuring quips from famous playwrights this month:

"American cities are like American universities. They both have dull and half-dead faculties."

Happy Belated 50th Birthday to President Barack Obama

Everyone from the far-right nuts at Fox News to the very liberal idealists at "The Nation" seem to be criticizing President Barack Obama, but I'm fairly pleased. However, even though I'm a fairly partisan Democrat (in the South, most Republican are Yosemite Sam gun nuts, radical Chicken Little evangelists or militant patriots with American flag shower curtains or a combination of the three, perhaps it's differnt in Maine. Then again, maybe not!) I must find his Blackberry obsession a bit annoying.

I actually first heard the term Blackberry in reference to George H.W. Bush, who we like to call Papa Smurf here. As ironic as the world is, perhaps Obama blackberries Papa Smurf more than George W. Bush does. Where is he these days? Yeah, I imagine he is on a power lawnmower in Crawford, Texas, too!

At any rate, happy belated 50th birthday to President Obama. We gather from Politico.com and NPR's "All Things Considered" that he had quite a bash with Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Tom Hanks and Tim Kaine, the former governor of Virginia and now official U.S. Senate candidate on-hand.

This and That- Nerdy Pick-up Lines

First of all, my apolgies in advance to the late Fred Rogers, whom us Gen-Xers remember as Mr.Rogers while watching his children's show on PBS in the 1970s, but when it came to an image of a dorky guy I simply couldn't think of anyone else.

As I was reading the June 2011 issue of "Wired" in a public library today, I came across three things that got my immediate attention. I made a note of them, and after some mental deliberation, I decided to shared them with the 13 people who read this blog.

For starters, apparently this is an actual pickup line that an Internet nerd used for a hot girl (who perhaps could have been Hulk Hogan) on Twitter: "Is your name Google? 'Cause you have everything I'm searchign for." Wow! Pretty forward.

Also, according to "Wired," there is apparently a book floating around called "The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women Into Bed." The kicker is that the author is anynomous. Hmmm.....

Lastly, the parents of Luhe Vilagomez, 17, were probably not to happy with the young lad. In the same issue of "Wired," we read that he made the notorious 220-foot jump from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco 'just for kicks' (apparently, the boy has denied he was attempting suicide as most folks who jump from the bridge are trying to do), and he was in the two percent who survived!

Status Update_ I Am Burning Up

Given that we are having a huge debt ceiling brewhaha (more on that in our sidebar) here in the United States, one might be expecting a political rant from me. But, those few astute blog-readers who actually read what I have to say will notice that it's been a while since I went on one of those.

And, as someone on the center-left politically, of course, I will praise or defend President Barack Obama no matter what, though I do wonder why he was so into the music of the 'B-52s when he was in college (according to Rob Sheffield of "Rolling Stones"). But, I assume this was before they released the much overplayed, and somewhat annoying song "Love Shack."

But, I do have a beef about the weather as it is quite hot here in the Virginia-North Carolina region. Amazingly, Minnesota has been one of the world's hot spots this summer which seems to suggest that even the fringe likes of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) can't possibly continue this global warming denying much longer, or can they?

According to a somewhat disturbing article by Walter Shapiro in the current issue of "The New Republic," then-governor Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) was going to actually travel to the North Pole to see the effects of global warming first-hand. But, when John McCain started courting him as a vice-presidential running mate, Pawlenty did an about face.

Similarly, Mitt Romney has gone to great lengths to distance himself from his own health care iniatives that he helped pass into law when he was governor of Massachussetts. Both Pawlenty and Romney are two of the more serious Republican candidates for presidents, and it seems the message they won't to send car mechanics in Des Moines, Iowa, is that: "I am the true backward caveman in this bunch." (Of couse, Michele Bachmann is the true cave woman in the group.)

But, to illustrate just how it is today at 6:00 p.m., eastern time, I am going to list various temperatures for cities from Maryland to Georgia. The town of Washington, NC, which reached 128 degrees a few weeks ago, was 91 degrees today, but still things seem a bit too hot:

Virginia:

Blacksburg 90
Charlottesville 97
Danville 94
Floyd 90
Mount Jackson 94
Norfolk 92
Richmond 92
Roanoke 95
Tazewell 87
Woodbridge 92


North Carolina:

Boone 82
Chapel Hill 94
Charlotte 94
Fayetville 98
Madison 94
Ocracoke (Outer Banks) 90
Winston-Salem 90

South Carolina

Columbia 99
Gaffney 98
Myrtle Beach 93
Rock Hill 92
Spartanburg 97

Georgia

Athens 97
Rome 98
Smyrna 98

DC/Maryland

Bethesda 94
College Park 97
Frederick 99
Washignton DC 94

West Virginia

Huntington 90
Lewisburg 89
Morgantown 87

The interesting thing here is that the most southern states of Georgia and South Carolina are as hot as Maryland and Washington, DC!

SIDEBAR: Though I don't know this officially, I imagine if you are looking for "Hot Stuff" comics (Hot Stuff was pictured for this entry since it's hot outside), you may well be able to find some issues of the '60s-'70s children's comics icon at Chapel Hill Comics in Chapel Hill, NC, which was 94 degrees today (see the chart). And, tomorrow night, the comic book shop hosts Ryan Claytor, the head of Elephant Eater Comics, for book-signings from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

SIDEBAR TWO: Ahh, yes, we are getting back to politics. I must admit the whole debt ceiling debate always gives me a migraine, so I shall keep this brief. My friend Morgan Griffith (R-Va), who I usually (and strongly) disagree with politically, was among the reported 161 members of the House of Representatives* who voted against raising the debt ceiling.

The interesting thing here is that Griffith, who has reportedly varied from center right to arch conservatism over the years (he was also the majority leader while he was in the General Assembly in Richmond), voted along the lines of some of the Hill's firmest ideologues. This includes Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Jared Polis (D-Colo) on the left, and Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Ron Paul (R-Tex.) on the right; all of whom voted against the bill. I guess uber-partisans can agree on some things!

In the Senate, the debt ceiling bill also passed 74-26. Among the most progressive U.S. senators, Al Franken (D-Minn) voted 'yes,' while Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) and Barbara Boxer both voted 'no.'

A similar disparity was on the right as the arch conservative Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) voted 'yes,' whereas Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) both voted 'no.'

In the center of the political spectrum, moderate senators including Joe Lieberman (I-Ct.), Kay Hagan (D-NC), James Webb (D-Va) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) all voted 'yes.'

*-We made a dubious mistake in the first draft of this entry stating that Morgan Griffith was one of 24 house reps to vote no. It was actually 24 U.S. senators who voted no.

Quote of the Day- Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

The editorial board here at "The Daily Vampire" which consists of managing editor (mr) Tilly Gokbudak (that's me) and a Honduran intern named Javier Gonzales (actually, a fictional person) decided late this afternoon to feature quips from literary and creative radicals for the month of August.

So, we begin with the late, great American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who penned "Slaughterhouse Five," which was available at the Shenandoah County Jail Library in Woodstock, Va. (I am not making this up!), at least it was when I profiled the correctional facility as a reporter some 11 years ago.

According to Stephen King in King's book "On Writing," Vonnegut would type the same page 75 times until he got it just right. This practice sounds a bit like the perfectionism of the late film director Stanley Kubrick, but I don't if I should mention that since King reportedly disdains the 1980 film version of King's novel "The Shinning." And we like Stephen King. In fact, we are wondering if the temperature in King's hometown of Bangor, Maine, is less than 97 degrees as it is here in Mount Airy, NC, at the moment (not really where I am at).

The liberal magazine "The Nation" has apparently been posting some famous quips made in its pages over the years, and Vonnegut made this provocative statement in the magazine's Nov. 28th, 1981 issue, which we imagine the Rev. Johnny Robertson of Martinsville, Va., (a real person) might not appreciate:

"God shouldn't be put in charge of everything until we get to know him a little bit better."

SIDEBAR: On a more somber note, we want to send our condolences to the family of Gizem Dogan, a 17-year-old Norwegian girl of Turkish heritage who was killed at the summer camp in Norway last week. All total, the attacks in Oslo and on the island where the summer camps took place, claimed 77 lives. Both the NPR news program "The World" and the English-language Turkish newspaper "Today's Zaman" reported that Turkey's Foreign Minsiter Ahmet Davutoglu attended Dogan's funeral in Trondheim, Norway.

Gizem Dogan is perhaps the most high-profile casualty of a violent action in the Turkish media since Furkan Dogan, (we assume they are not related) a 19-year-old Turkish-American from New York state was killed by Israeli commandos during the infamous armed raid fiasco aboard the Marmara Flotilla, which aimed at giving food and aid to Palestinians, in June of 2010.

We learned today that Furkan Dogan's father filed a lawsuit in an American court against the Israeli government in May.