The Master's Voice

An interesting interview with John Williams, film composer and Kenneday Center Award recipient, on his composing process and the progress he's made so far on Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

Birthday Conversations

(Tink comes bouncing into the bedroom this morning)


Tink: Happy Birthday Daddy! How old are you?

I'm 12.

No you're not....

Ok, ok. I'm 13.

(laughing) No!!

Actually, I'm 4700 years old...

Daddy!!

...but I don't feel a day over 4500.

(pause) Huh?



(some jokes kids just don't get till they're older...)

We're Home

Driving in the snow and ice is not fun, kiddees.

West Tennessee this Christmas was a Winter Wonderland, for sure. The storm that didn't quite make it to Knoxville hit Jackson, TN and socked in the town for a couple of days.

We normally leave mid-Christmas morning to head down to Jackson and several days of visiting my wife's family, but this year we had to delay a day to let some of the ice melt that plagued that city's streets.

So Christmas Day this year, for the first time in our kids' lives, was spent at home. And for those out year who might come up with such a situation, it might be best to plan ahead for just an eventuality. Like stocking up with some extra food, since nothing's open on Christmas Day.

Well, almost nothing. Santa brought a 'Smores Maker, which under normal circumstances would crank out some delicious hot 'Smores. Santa not being a weatherman, however, did not foresee his hooligan recipients actually wanting to use the blamed thing that day, so Santa did not think to actually stock up on the things you use to make 'Smores. You know, little things like chocolate bars. Graham Crackers. Big honkin' marshmelons. Sterno.

So pop trundles out into the big, wide, quite world in search of 'Smores fixin's.

Uh-uh.

Walgreens is the only store of note open, and while I did find the last box of Graham Crackers (exp date: 05/1997) and a cluster of Hershey bars there wasn't much else. So no 'Smores Who Saved Christmas.

But we did make Icees.

Merry Christmas!

From Barry, Laura, Brainyboy (v8.7) and Tink at the
Inn of the Last Home

Headed out of town - back next Wednesday!

All Healthy and Stuff

L. and I got our flu shots yesterday - they had some extra at the hospital, and were opening it up to all employees who wanted one.

I can't recall ever actually getting the flu, and I don't remember if L.'s had it any time recently or not. Mainly I want to make sure I wouldn't pass it on to the kids.

I'm a little amazed there were any left over for us - neither of us work directly with patient care - but apparently there were still some patient-care employees that didn't get them.

Good grief. Hope they don't come into contact with anyone who has the flu, and in doing so give it to someone else just because they couldn't be bothered to walk over to Employee Health.

People, if the shot's available - take it. As of 12/11, flu activity is still Sporadic in Tennessee, but more widespread in Kentucky and North Carolina, and evidently pretty heavy up in New York state.

Theatre Thursday

Week 31 - Revisionist History

Have you sat in the theatre, watched the characters do something impossible, and thought to yourself, "There's no way that could really happen..."

Here's your chance to set the record straight. Think of a scene from any movie that physically or logically shouldn't have been able to happen: The car that made the impossible jump..The soldier who blows away 500 soldiers without getting a scratch...The couple that amazingly run into each other after 50 years apart...

Then rewrite the scene, or write another scene to show how it should have gone.

(See previous post for my answer)

The Way It Should've Gone...

We see it all the time - our hero defies all odds and harnesses incredible luck to accomplish his goal. Whether defusing a bomb, rescuing a princess or merely getting to work on time, the main characters in movies always seem to have everything work out correctly for them. Even the longest odds and most far-fetched situations can be overcome by that most magic of artifacts: poetic license.

What would movies be like if those on-in-a-million chance shots failed and the far more likely and plausible solutions occured?

Let's take a look, shall we....


Scene: The Death Star Command Center

Death Star Officer: Governor Tarkin? Our sensors have picked up a small freighter attempting to join the battle.

Tarkin: Is it one of ours?

Death Star Officer: No sir, it appears to be the same YT-1300 freighter that we had captured several hours ago, and led us here via the homing device. The Millenium Falcon, sir.

Tarkin: How interesting. Captain Solo is quite resourceful - he may be a potential danger. What is his heading?

Death Star Officer: He's on a direct course for Lord Vader and the single remaining X-Wing, sir.

Tarkin: (considering) Did he think he would fly right up there under our very noses, without being detected and dealt with? Very well. Warn Lord Vader and dispatch two reserve squadrons to destroy the freighter.

Death Star Officer: Yes sir.

(pause)

Death Star Officer: The Millenium Falcon has been destroyed, sir.

(Tarkin's tight grin widens slightly)

-------------------------------------

(More to come. Feel free to add your own)

Still Feel the Same Way?

Hey Heisman voters:

Still confident you picked the guy with the best character in 1997?

1. Woodson, Anderson arrested early Monday

"Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson and safety Marques Anderson were arrested early Monday for investigation of public intoxication following the Raiders' victory over the Tennessee Titans.

...

n May 2000, Woodson was named in warrants charging him with drunken driving and driving with a suspended license in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he won the 1997 Heisman Trophy for Michigan. Police said he registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.24 percent, more than twice Michigan's legal limit."

2. Manning comes up short, but in a classy way

" Sure, Manning could have thrown what would have been his 48th touchdown pass of the season to tie the record Dan Marino set in 1984. But with the Ravens refusing to use either of their remaining two timeouts, the right thing to do was kneel. And that was what Manning did. Twice.

...


'There at the end, I can't get over the crowd booing,' Manning said afterward. 'I hope those were Baltimore fans because (kneeling) is just the way you're supposed to do it.'

Absolutely.

Peyton Manning had a lot of respect for the Ray Lewis-led Ravens defense.
It showed class. It showed dignity. It showed everything Manning has been about through the entire chase."

Emphasis mine.

At The Turning of the Year

This is one of my favorite days of the year.

Dec. 21st - Winter Solstice. The day where darkness reigns supreme and daylight only shows for a brief season.

From now on, inexorably, the days will get ever longer and the nights ever shorter.

Although the cold weather will not abate for several months, the light will eventually overcome the dark.

Something to look forward to.

TV Tuesday

Week 36 - Christmas Specials

Only four more days until Christmas! And then means only one thing--only four more days of Christmas specials! Every year, there are classics that are shown and a couple of new specials try to gain the title of classic. This week, we'll look at those Christmas specials.

1. What is your favorite Christmas special?

I always loved John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together. I need to find the soundtrack on CD...the 12 Days of Muppet Christmas was a classic :)

2. Do you have a Christmas special that you don't care for as much?

Never watched the White House Christmas Special. Never cared.

3. One recent trend is making sequels to popular or successful Christmas specials. Do you like or dislike this trend? Why?

I don't think I've noticed many. I did see a couple of trends this year I hadn't seen before - sequels to classic Christmas specials. So far I've seen two new Charlie Brown Christmas tales, one with Rerun (! - Linus and Lucy's little brother introduced to the strip in later years) and several of Snoopy's brothers. The music was the same as the classic special, but it's mostly about the Van Pelt family. I remarked to my family in my best Ian Malcom/Jeff Goldblum voice at one point during the show, "This show actually is about Charlie Brown, right?

I also saw a "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" sequel made in CGI that was....odd.

4. Is there a book, story or song just waiting to be turned into a great Christmas special?

You know, they should turn that old Charles Dickens novel, "A Christmas Carol" into a holiday special... nobody's ever done that one before...

~ BONUS ~ Share some of your favorite memories of Christmas specials growing up. Also, if you have kids, what is the one Christmas special that you look forward to sharing with them either when they're old enough or each year?

"Santa Claus is Coming To Town", which they've seen twice this year....and I've missed both times. Rats. Maybe next year.

I've Died and Gone to Key West...

Got this last night as a Christmas present:



Because I am, at heart, just a Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Changes Gotta Come

It's coming up on my 2nd blogiversary in January. I can hardly believe I've been running the Inn for almost 2 years now... My birthday's coming up in 10 days, if anyone's interested as well. ;)

So here's my question. A lot of people have redesigned their pages recently, and very few bloggers I know have the same design they started with.

Well, strange as it may seem coming from a professional web designer, but I haven't changed my layout since the day I started blogging. For the new year and to start my 3rd year of blogging, should I redecorate the Inn?

If so, what should I change? What should I add? Do you like graphics, or straight text? Give me your feedback and I'll make a decision after Christmas.

Which literature classic are you?

J.R.R. Tolkien: Lord of the Rings. You are
entertaining and imaginative, creating whole
new worlds around yourself. Well loved, you
have a whole league of imitators, none of which
is quite as profound as you are. Stories and
songs give a spark of joy in the middle of your
eternal battle with the forces of evil.


Which literature classic are you?
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I'm Legal

Finally went and got my car license renewed today downtown at the Courthouse. No more driving around with an expired tag!

Yes, I am now a somebody again.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is something that never fails to grab your attention?

People laughing, and kids laughing.

Soup
Who was the last person who gave you money, and what was it for?

The guy at the drive-thru window at McDonald's - he gave me my change back.

Salad
If you were a Smurf, what would your name be?

Director Smurf

Main Course
Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not?

No, because a) it has no basis in fact, b) it's random and only fits the circumstances by coincidence, and c) well, duh..

Dessert
Have you seen any snow this year yet? What's the weather like today in your area?

We had some major flurries a few days ago, but nothing has stuck yet. We're supposed to see more on Sunday but no word on expected accumulation. Being in East Tennessee, I'm sure the grocery stores will be packed all day Saturday. Other than that's it's just been col-l-l-l-l-l-ld.

3 Things

Three Names You Go By:
1. Barry
2. Mr. Barry
3. Daddy

Three Screennames You Have:
1. Barry
2. Joshua
3. Phoenix

Three Things You Like About Yourself:
1. My ability to sense what other people are feeling, and adjust my interaction with them accordingly
2. My love and respect for kids, and the fact I enjoy just being around and teaching kids
3. I try to find the good in people and the hope and promise in different situations, rather than looking for and assuming that bad is inevitable.

Three Things You Hate/Dislike About Yourself:
1. Judgementalism
2. I have a memory like a broken sieve
3. Very difficult to admit I was wrong about something, or that I screwed up.

Three Parts of Your Heritage:
1. Scotch
2. Irish
3. Since both sides of my family have lived in East Tennessee for decades and probably centuries, probably some Cherokee somewhere down the line.

Three Things That Scare You:
1. Nuclear weapons
2. Letting my kids out of my attention range for more than a half-second.
3. Guns, and the thought of #2 mixing with #3

Three of Your Everyday Essentials
1. James Lileks
2. Big Orange Michael
3. seductive kisses

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now
1. White cable-knit sweater
2. Brown loafers
3. Light blue tank top under the sweater

Three of Your Favorite Bands/Artists (at the moment):
1. The Beatles
2. Huey Lewis and the News
3. Phil Collins/Genesis

Three of Your Favorite Songs at Present:
1. "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio and "Circle of Life" from Lion King
2. "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles
3. "Stars" and "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables

Three New Things You Want to Try in the Next 12 Months:
1. A new career direction
2. Play in a racquetball league and really get myself and family into going to our fitness center a lot more
3. Finish the home improvements we've been planning for years.

Three Things You Want in a Relationship (love is a given):
1. Quality Time
2. Physical Closeness
3. Partnership, Teamwork and Mutual Respect

Two Truths and a Lie:
1. I once had a date laugh in my face when I tried to kiss her goodnight, and continue laughing as I beat a hasty retreat down the front steps to my car.
2. My college roommate and I once collected so many old pizza delivery boxes they stacked higher than our heads in the kitchen, until we discovered the colony of roaches that mistook them for condos.
3. I played the Tin Man in my 6th grade school play, complete with silver makeup, silver cardboard cylinder costume and silver wooden axe that I still own to this day.

Which is the lie? Guess in the Comments


Three Physical Things About the Opposite Sex (or same) That Appeal to You:
1. Full head of hair - my wife's is brown, and she lets it grow out occasionally, and occasionally keeps it short - but I've always loved long, full hair.
2. Eyes that smile and mirror an inner happiness
3. Um...those..you know.... Both of 'em. Well, I do...

Three Things You Just Can’t Do:
1. Roll my tongue into a tube
2. Remember what I came into the kitchen for...
3. Watch a UT football game without getting upset about something.

Three of Your Favorite Hobbies:
1. Reading
2. Watching my kids discover something new and wonderful
3. Childhood nostalgia (70's Saturday Morning TV, etc)

Three Things You Want to do Really Badly Right Now:
1. Take an Aleve
2. Go home and nap on the couch for about three hours
3. Change the hearts and minds of all Americans and convince everyone to start celebrating the Christmas season in December, not September.

Three Careers You’re Considering:
1. Theatre Directing
2. New Media Internet Production
3. Space Exploration (hey, never hurts to be prepared)
Bonus. Buy a boat and become a beach bum in St. Maartin

Three Places You Want to Go on Vacation:
1. Any island in the Caribbean with a "St." in front of it
2. Disney World
3. Scotland

Three Kids Names:
1. Frank Hardy
2. Jupiter Jones
3. Ramona Geraldine Quimby

Three Things You Want to Do Before You Die:
1. Direct a play. A real play, or a musical. For a lot of people, somewhere important and relevant that can get me noticed.
2. Hang glide
3. Conduct a symphony. Wait, conduct "Pines of Rome". Or "American Symphony" from Mr. Holland's Opus. Or anything from Star Wars. Or "1812 Overture". Or "Ride of the Valkyries". Or....

(Hat tip to Sugarfused)

Theatre Thursday

Week 30 - That's a wrap.

We've come to the end of another year, almost. So it's time to pick the best (and worst) of 2004.

1) Which movie do you think was THE BEST of 2004? The worst?

This year I saw (in theatres:) The Incredibles, National Treasure, Shrek II, Spiderman II, The Terminal, Passion of the Christ, Home on the Range, Walking Tall, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (and on DVD:) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Master and Commander, and I, Robot.

My favorite movie of the year - probably Passion of the Christ. Least favorite (of those I saw) - Walking Tall.

2) If you were handing out the Oscar's this year, who would pick as Best Actor and Actress. Name the actor/actress and the film.

Best Actor: Tom Hanks, The Terminal. Best Actress: Maia Morgenstern, Passion of the Christ (Mary)

3) The category is 'best film of 2004'. There are 5 nominees. What 5 movies would be on your list.

Top 5 of what I saw: POTC, The Incredibles, The Terminal, Harry Potter, and Spiderman II.

BONUS) Is there a moving coming out in the upcoming year that you're excited to see? If so, what is it?

Heh. I don't know, gonna have to give that one some serious thought.

Life Support

The hard drive on my main work PC seems to be dying. I got a dreaded "UNABLE TO READ BOOT DRIVE" error message this morning.

Still waiting for the tech docs to come take a look, but till then all I hear is the cardiac monitor:

Beep.

(pause)

Beep.

(longer pause)

Beep.

UPDATE:

Beep.

Beep.

Beep. Beep.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Things are looking up!

What a Weekend - Part 3

While I was tooling around town rescuing stranded motorists and generally making the world safe for all mankind, L. was picking up the kids.

On the way home, she noticed lights behind her. Blue lights.

Obediently pulling over, she was cited for driving with expired tags. Actually, she wasn't cited - I was cited, because she was driving my car.

Several months ago - ok, it was last December - my tag renewal form should've come in the mail like everyone else's. It didn't, and I promptly forgot about it.

I realized sometime in May or June that I never got my renewal form, so the sticker on my license plate still says '03. That fact would bounce around my consciousness for the next several months until it got to be about November, when I realized it would probably be a good idea to, you know, get legal.

You can see how well I took my own advice.

So now, I have to show up in court in January to show proof I have renewed my tags. That should be all that required (no fines) but we're afraid there may be court costs. I'll let you know.

Now I have to find time to drive downtown to the courthouse, figure a way to get myself back into the system and get legal again so I can get out of this thing. Meanwhile, the citation is in my car - if I get stopped again, it will be my shield against further citations.

Maybe.

You're Killing Me.

You're just killing me....