Remember me wishing to have understood German for 30 seconds? Forget it. Some cat calls made it into english tonight. So, wish granted. Congratulations. I am now clawing my ears out.
We did a tour of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp today. It actually wasn't as heavy, for lack of a better word, as other holocaust memorials I have been to (i.e. Jerusalem, and D.C.). However, it was an entirely different thing to actually walk on the same ground and visualize these horrific events. Three thoughts:
The iron gate, at the front of the camp, that prisoners had to march through upon entering the camp for the first time, like other camps has the words "Arbeit Macht Frei," or "Work makes you free." Sadly, the freedom usually came through death.
Roll Call. Happened every morning and evening. Thousands of prisoners being accounted for. At one point around 30,000. The director of the camp was known for his meticulous roll call. Sometimes making it last 14 or 15 hours. Standing still in below freezing weather for hours, in a thin uniform. You had to be on time, as well as any friends you may have. Or you were beaten or tortured. Sometimes as many as 500 people lived in the 150 capacity bunks. When they awoke they had to dress, tidy the room, wash, use the one bathroom, with hundreds of other people. Sometimes the guards would even go into the bunks and create obstacles: tripping, beating people etc. and even drowning people in the toilet. After roll call you were assigned a duty. Brick making, or other tasks. The worst job was boot duty. Usually assigned to accused homosexuals. The job: testing German boots. The requirements: run. All day. The life expectancy of someone newly assigned to boot duty: 14 days.
The Fence. In the late 30's there was an electric fence surrounding the camp. Prisoners eventually used it to kill themselves. If they were seen running towards it they were shot in the legs. Eventually it was taken down. Prisoners did not even have the option of committing suicide.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Berlin
Man is this town cool. What town has had more happen in it in the last 100 years than Berlin? We took a great walking tour in the late afternoon for a few hours from a free tour company. They advertise at all of the Hostels and work off of tips. Genius idea really. Sadly, I probably wouldn't pay for a tour like this. I especially wouldn't pay the money that I actually did pay. But since it was free...??? Yet, makes so much sense. I was very interested to see how the city of Berlin has chosen to represent its past. Top 3 things.
3- The Jewish memorial. Near the Brandenburg gate. Great big stones, all different heights, with the length and width of a coffin. A quote by Joseph Stalin. "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is just a statistic." Sadly true. The memorial center in the middle of these huge stones is dedicated to collecting the stories of Holocaust victims.
2- The old Nazi Air Force headquarters. Now the National Tax offices (makes sense). The building remained largely unscathed from bombings. Perhaps since it was a landmark for opposing pilots to orient themselves, or as legend has it, a gentleman's agreement between England and Germany's air force chief, Hermann Goering,
The front of the building has a communist mural. I saw lots of these in Mongolia. These murals show pictures of young and old people working together, officials and commoners shaking hands, and everyone working together. The mural still stands as it was painted in the 50's in East Berlin. This building was the site of the first anti-communist uprising June 17, 1953 when workers protested that work demands increased as wages remained flat. Those who lost their lives are commemorated in a black and white photo, to the same scale, and about 15 yards in front of the mural. The photo that has the faces of these people protesting was taken on this occassion.
1- In the town square across from Humboldt University over 20,000 books were burned that contained ideas incongruent with Nazi ideology. In the middle of the square, the cobblestone stops at a square piece of glass about 4'x4'. When you look down into the glass you see that the cobblestone you are standing on is part of the top of a room about 40'x40' and 20' high, and the glass forms the center of the room. The empty room contains bookshelves from ceiling to floor, all empty- room enough for about 20,000 books. A few feet across the square in the ground is a metal plaque with the words "First comes the burning of books. And then comes the burning of people." The quote, referencing the Spanish Inquisition, was written in a book published in 1820, one of the very books burned during the Humboldt book burnings in 1936 (i think).
We ended the tour on the steps of one of the museums on 'museum island.' Something talking about how the Berlin wall came down. After the tour we ate some amazing cake at the Opera House cafe. The lady that took my order complimented my German accent. At least I think she did. It was kind of a surprised look, like 'You said it right'... and then a bunch of words that I didn't understand except 'good.' That made my day.
But then what REALLY made my day happened walking home after dinner. We were propositioned by 4 hookers. One right after the other, within about a 30 second time span. Rapid fire. One of them pinched my left cheek. Nope, not the face.
Oh to have only been able to understand 30 seconds' worth of German.
3- The Jewish memorial. Near the Brandenburg gate. Great big stones, all different heights, with the length and width of a coffin. A quote by Joseph Stalin. "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is just a statistic." Sadly true. The memorial center in the middle of these huge stones is dedicated to collecting the stories of Holocaust victims.
2- The old Nazi Air Force headquarters. Now the National Tax offices (makes sense). The building remained largely unscathed from bombings. Perhaps since it was a landmark for opposing pilots to orient themselves, or as legend has it, a gentleman's agreement between England and Germany's air force chief, Hermann Goering,
The front of the building has a communist mural. I saw lots of these in Mongolia. These murals show pictures of young and old people working together, officials and commoners shaking hands, and everyone working together. The mural still stands as it was painted in the 50's in East Berlin. This building was the site of the first anti-communist uprising June 17, 1953 when workers protested that work demands increased as wages remained flat. Those who lost their lives are commemorated in a black and white photo, to the same scale, and about 15 yards in front of the mural. The photo that has the faces of these people protesting was taken on this occassion.
1- In the town square across from Humboldt University over 20,000 books were burned that contained ideas incongruent with Nazi ideology. In the middle of the square, the cobblestone stops at a square piece of glass about 4'x4'. When you look down into the glass you see that the cobblestone you are standing on is part of the top of a room about 40'x40' and 20' high, and the glass forms the center of the room. The empty room contains bookshelves from ceiling to floor, all empty- room enough for about 20,000 books. A few feet across the square in the ground is a metal plaque with the words "First comes the burning of books. And then comes the burning of people." The quote, referencing the Spanish Inquisition, was written in a book published in 1820, one of the very books burned during the Humboldt book burnings in 1936 (i think).
We ended the tour on the steps of one of the museums on 'museum island.' Something talking about how the Berlin wall came down. After the tour we ate some amazing cake at the Opera House cafe. The lady that took my order complimented my German accent. At least I think she did. It was kind of a surprised look, like 'You said it right'... and then a bunch of words that I didn't understand except 'good.' That made my day.
But then what REALLY made my day happened walking home after dinner. We were propositioned by 4 hookers. One right after the other, within about a 30 second time span. Rapid fire. One of them pinched my left cheek. Nope, not the face.
Oh to have only been able to understand 30 seconds' worth of German.
Brussels
Another day, another hassle at Heathrow. I missed my flight to Brussels partly due to a 'bank holiday.' I don't really want to talk about it. I got the next flight out which was two hours after the original, plus a little delay. I had planned to meet my old roommate at BRU since he was arriving from Philadelphia less than an hour before my flight was to arrive at about 9am. So the last we spoke, before we left, we realized that we wouldn't have cell phones so we struggled to come up with a back up plan in case we needed to get ahold of one another. Email was the best we could think of. So as I waited for my flight I sent an email at a little pay-by-coin internet computer. I also went to the British Airways service desk to see if they could send a message to my old roommate waiting at BRU. The kid who helped me was like 16, and it must've been one of his first days on the job. He seemed a little nervous, and there was a great big Scottish man looking over his shoulder telling him what to hit on his keyboard to send the message. So I dictated to him "I'm now on flight 932..."
"903?"
"932."
Then the scottsman chimes in. "Nyoo. Nyane thairt-ty tooa"
Anyway, my old roommate luckily checked his email in the internet cafe at BRU. I think he may be more of a fly by the seat of his pants traveler than even me. We got online and booked a hostel. The lovely Manhattan hostel in the heart of town. It is a rundown hotel. Pretty fancy for a hostel. There were a bunch of teenagers running around the halls until pretty late. Those crazy kids.
Brussels was a pretty cool town. Good chocolate. We checked out a few of the main parts and had some dinner in one of the restaurant alleys near the Gallery.
"903?"
"932."
Then the scottsman chimes in. "Nyoo. Nyane thairt-ty tooa"
Anyway, my old roommate luckily checked his email in the internet cafe at BRU. I think he may be more of a fly by the seat of his pants traveler than even me. We got online and booked a hostel. The lovely Manhattan hostel in the heart of town. It is a rundown hotel. Pretty fancy for a hostel. There were a bunch of teenagers running around the halls until pretty late. Those crazy kids.
Brussels was a pretty cool town. Good chocolate. We checked out a few of the main parts and had some dinner in one of the restaurant alleys near the Gallery.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Leaving London
I got a little behind on posting to the Blog since Brussels was a whirlwind, and we didn't have internet access at the lovely 'Green Eggs and Ham' hostel in Berlin. So I'll post some notes from the backlog. It might be a little bit of blog throw up, so maybe I'll trim down the posts.
Sunday-
Met some some interesting people in church today. I got a laugh in elders' quorom when introducing myself. "Hi, I'm Mark. I'm from Utah. I'm just visiting this week. I thought I'd visit my mission before I start a new job. I served in Mongolia... so I guess I'm taking the long route."
There were two BYU groups in church, some engineers trying to create a perpetual motion machine and some performers saving the world through music. I felt a little antimosity towards both of them for invading (admittidly hypocritical of me on at least three counts).
Anyway, I checked out the British Museum for a bit after church. Pretty awesome stuff. The Rosetta stone is pretty impressive. I also went to the Tower of London which is probably the most interesting place I visited in London. Mystery, intrigue, and at the heart of the city of London's history since at least 1066. Man, why did I never join the medivial club. I could've built my own armor by now. I wish I'd had time to spend a whole day at the tower.
At Covent Garden market I listened to some street performers, a stringed quartet and a guy playing some Jim Croce. That's the second dude I've heard playing older American music. There was a guy in the subway playing Cat Stevens' 'Wild World.' I got some ice cream on a waffle. (For no reason, other than that I thought it was going to be something compeletly different) Seating was quite limited so I asked a guy if I could sit at his table. Oh man. This guy had had about 5 too many, and I noticed it a little too late. I'm not as sharp as I used to be on the mish for detecting that.
"Are you American?"
"Yes."
"Alright! You guys are... I love Americans." A little awkward silence..."You saved our a** in WWII?" All of his friends started laughing at him.
He had a huge posse with him too, which made me a little uncomfortable about walking right away...besides the fact that he had a shaved head and was kind of big. Had this situation on my mission all the time. Walking away straight up, from a group of drunks, usually causes more of a scene than if you just let it play out a little bit. They were pretty funny. In a couple minutes we talked a little about everything, politics, religion, sports...
Top two moments from the crazy Brits:
#2
"So you're from Utah? Ah, are you a Mormon?"
"Yes."
"No way. Are you oneing me up?" (He kept saying that, and I still don't really know what it means).
He was really respectful and said he apreciated the lifestyle I tried to lead. Spoken like a true drunk man.
"Let's go Saints! Let's go Saints!" He even chanted randomly that at a few different points.
#1
A few minutes later, when we were either talking about who has the better army, or the better world cup team the big dude's wife comes and sits on my lap. Everyone looks at her wierd for a second but then just act like it's normal. I don't know what to do, so she just sits for like 2-3 minutes and my foot starts to hurt and fall asleep. Amidst the awkwardness I try to get feeling in my foot and maybe push her away. Then she puts her arms around me. Everyone is staring at me. So what am I to do? I just start giving her a big hug around the waist. Then to the big guy I say,
"This is what I do. I come to your country and I steal your women."
Two girls from the posse start cracking up. (Crap, why did I say that?) I must've looked like such an idiot. But after the awkwardness subsided a little we took a few party photos, that I'm sure they'll have no recollection of, and I headed out. Can't a guy just eat a little ice cream?
p.s. In case you were wondering the British army is 'better, pound for pound' (whatever that means in this context). As for world cup, I probably shouldn't have brought it up. All I got was "What do YOOOO know about the World Cup?" Touche. Nothing.
"Just that we're playing each other."
"ok. Who else?"
"That's it."
Sunday-
Met some some interesting people in church today. I got a laugh in elders' quorom when introducing myself. "Hi, I'm Mark. I'm from Utah. I'm just visiting this week. I thought I'd visit my mission before I start a new job. I served in Mongolia... so I guess I'm taking the long route."
There were two BYU groups in church, some engineers trying to create a perpetual motion machine and some performers saving the world through music. I felt a little antimosity towards both of them for invading (admittidly hypocritical of me on at least three counts).
Anyway, I checked out the British Museum for a bit after church. Pretty awesome stuff. The Rosetta stone is pretty impressive. I also went to the Tower of London which is probably the most interesting place I visited in London. Mystery, intrigue, and at the heart of the city of London's history since at least 1066. Man, why did I never join the medivial club. I could've built my own armor by now. I wish I'd had time to spend a whole day at the tower.
At Covent Garden market I listened to some street performers, a stringed quartet and a guy playing some Jim Croce. That's the second dude I've heard playing older American music. There was a guy in the subway playing Cat Stevens' 'Wild World.' I got some ice cream on a waffle. (For no reason, other than that I thought it was going to be something compeletly different) Seating was quite limited so I asked a guy if I could sit at his table. Oh man. This guy had had about 5 too many, and I noticed it a little too late. I'm not as sharp as I used to be on the mish for detecting that.
"Are you American?"
"Yes."
"Alright! You guys are... I love Americans." A little awkward silence..."You saved our a** in WWII?" All of his friends started laughing at him.
He had a huge posse with him too, which made me a little uncomfortable about walking right away...besides the fact that he had a shaved head and was kind of big. Had this situation on my mission all the time. Walking away straight up, from a group of drunks, usually causes more of a scene than if you just let it play out a little bit. They were pretty funny. In a couple minutes we talked a little about everything, politics, religion, sports...
Top two moments from the crazy Brits:
#2
"So you're from Utah? Ah, are you a Mormon?"
"Yes."
"No way. Are you oneing me up?" (He kept saying that, and I still don't really know what it means).
He was really respectful and said he apreciated the lifestyle I tried to lead. Spoken like a true drunk man.
"Let's go Saints! Let's go Saints!" He even chanted randomly that at a few different points.
#1
A few minutes later, when we were either talking about who has the better army, or the better world cup team the big dude's wife comes and sits on my lap. Everyone looks at her wierd for a second but then just act like it's normal. I don't know what to do, so she just sits for like 2-3 minutes and my foot starts to hurt and fall asleep. Amidst the awkwardness I try to get feeling in my foot and maybe push her away. Then she puts her arms around me. Everyone is staring at me. So what am I to do? I just start giving her a big hug around the waist. Then to the big guy I say,
"This is what I do. I come to your country and I steal your women."
Two girls from the posse start cracking up. (Crap, why did I say that?) I must've looked like such an idiot. But after the awkwardness subsided a little we took a few party photos, that I'm sure they'll have no recollection of, and I headed out. Can't a guy just eat a little ice cream?
p.s. In case you were wondering the British army is 'better, pound for pound' (whatever that means in this context). As for world cup, I probably shouldn't have brought it up. All I got was "What do YOOOO know about the World Cup?" Touche. Nothing.
"Just that we're playing each other."
"ok. Who else?"
"That's it."
Saturday, May 1, 2010
London
So the real fun began this morning. They started handing out the border entry cards a little before the end of my flight from DC to London. There is a spot on the entry card for you to put your name, passport number, blah blah blah, and the address of the place you'll be staying in the UK. Bad news. I booked my hostel a couple hours before I left DC. Heck, my friends were joking around with me because I booked my flight to DC the day before. I was just pleased I HAD a place to stay, whatever the address was. So I suppose that doesn't make me much of a planner. I had no idea what the address of the hostel was. I'd seen it on a subway map and had a vague idea of how to get there. I figured the worst case scenario was that I get online at the airport, or go to a cafe and look up directions. I'm just not one to be bothered with these minor details - tickets, addresses etc. :) So I get off the plane and ask the flight attendant, as well as one of the workers at the border entry what I should do if I don't know the address. They didn't know. Call someone, was their solution. Well, I don't have a phone, and all of the wireless networks in the airport were password protected so I couldn't look it up. So I wrote the name of the hostel ("The Backpackers' Hostel" -- which didn't help) and crossed my fingers. As it turned out I got a mean British-Indian lady. When I got to the front of the line she was not happy with me. She proceeded to chew me out for a while. Felt like 15 minutes, but it was probably more like 7 or 8. "If you don't know the address, how are you going to get there? How do I know you're ever going to leave the UK? What do you think the border police in the US would say to me if I didn't know the address of my hotel in the U.S. when I came to visit? Do you have any evidence you are leaving? How could you be so irresponsible? This is unacceptable." Over the course of her outrage she said the word unacceptable about 23 times. Any mentioning of electronic tickets, my future job in New York, and my plan to look up the address when I got internet access only further infuriated her. The best part though was when she started to ask me if I had any money. I showed her a couple of credit cards and I said I had some cash.
"How much cash?"
"Around 85 USD."
"Let me see it" (she proceeds to count it twice and then practically has an aneurysm) "There's ONLY $53 here!"
"Well, I spent some in D.C. on a couple of things including dinner with my sister."
"Do you have a receipt for the dinner?"
"Umm (I pretend to look for it). No."
Then she recaps her case of why I'm an idiot. 1- I don't know the address, 2-not having any printed any tickets, 3-wearing a Barclays sweater that I could've gotten anywhere, 4- Your not carrying any British Pounds, and adds on top of it "now you've lost ALL credibility because you don't even know how much money you have!"
My only thought was, wouldn't paying no attention to a minor detail like how much money I'm carrying, only add to my credibility, since I obviously have paid absolutely no attention to slightly larger details like where I'm actually going to stay. Of course I didn't say anything, just a lot of looking at the floor, some yes ma'ams, and nods of contrition.
She was livid. At one point she sees me digging through my carry-on bag trying to find something that will make her happy.
"Is that a laptop?"
"Yes"
"Ok then. Show me your electronic tickets."
At this point I'm beginning to feel like David Spade in "Tommy Boy" when the travel agent tries to book him a ticket from Chicago instead of TO Chicago where he wants to go.
"Hi, I'm Earth. Have we met?"
"(puzzled) I don't think so."
So by this point I'm compiling a list of my own. 1- You're wasting 15 minutes over information we could look up in the phone book in 3 seconds. 2- You work in an airport, and you don't have any concept of what an eTicket is. 3- You actually think that there is a direct correlation between a person knowing the exact dollar amount of cash in their pocket, at any given point in time, and having bad intentions in a foreign country. 4- You think that I would actually exchange dollars into pounds in my home country where I DON'T NEED THEM.
So anyway she threatens that if I don't get out of line and find more verifiable information she will have to question me further. She knows I don't have a phone and there's no internet, so i say bring on the questions. She then says 'unacceptable' a few more times, and ends up letting me in based on the fact that I have Russian and Chinese tourist visas valid later in the month.
"But, I'm not happy about this. I 80% believe you and 20% think you're going to wander around for a few years illegally." Are those exact percentages ma'am?
I suppose I'm lucky, but the bottom line is that I'm making up an address next time.
"How much cash?"
"Around 85 USD."
"Let me see it" (she proceeds to count it twice and then practically has an aneurysm) "There's ONLY $53 here!"
"Well, I spent some in D.C. on a couple of things including dinner with my sister."
"Do you have a receipt for the dinner?"
"Umm (I pretend to look for it). No."
Then she recaps her case of why I'm an idiot. 1- I don't know the address, 2-not having any printed any tickets, 3-wearing a Barclays sweater that I could've gotten anywhere, 4- Your not carrying any British Pounds, and adds on top of it "now you've lost ALL credibility because you don't even know how much money you have!"
My only thought was, wouldn't paying no attention to a minor detail like how much money I'm carrying, only add to my credibility, since I obviously have paid absolutely no attention to slightly larger details like where I'm actually going to stay. Of course I didn't say anything, just a lot of looking at the floor, some yes ma'ams, and nods of contrition.
She was livid. At one point she sees me digging through my carry-on bag trying to find something that will make her happy.
"Is that a laptop?"
"Yes"
"Ok then. Show me your electronic tickets."
At this point I'm beginning to feel like David Spade in "Tommy Boy" when the travel agent tries to book him a ticket from Chicago instead of TO Chicago where he wants to go.
"Hi, I'm Earth. Have we met?"
"(puzzled) I don't think so."
So by this point I'm compiling a list of my own. 1- You're wasting 15 minutes over information we could look up in the phone book in 3 seconds. 2- You work in an airport, and you don't have any concept of what an eTicket is. 3- You actually think that there is a direct correlation between a person knowing the exact dollar amount of cash in their pocket, at any given point in time, and having bad intentions in a foreign country. 4- You think that I would actually exchange dollars into pounds in my home country where I DON'T NEED THEM.
So anyway she threatens that if I don't get out of line and find more verifiable information she will have to question me further. She knows I don't have a phone and there's no internet, so i say bring on the questions. She then says 'unacceptable' a few more times, and ends up letting me in based on the fact that I have Russian and Chinese tourist visas valid later in the month.
"But, I'm not happy about this. I 80% believe you and 20% think you're going to wander around for a few years illegally." Are those exact percentages ma'am?
I suppose I'm lucky, but the bottom line is that I'm making up an address next time.
Anyway, that was quite the rant. On to other news. It's Saturday night I haven't been to bed since Thursday morning. I tried to sleep of the plane, and even took a sleeping pill. I think I've been fighting sleep for so many years that when more sleep chemicals enter my body that my natural reaction must be to fight against them.
Saw some awesome places today. Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, the National Gallery, St. James' Cathedral. I showed up at the Globe theater around 8:30pm thinking no one would be there since I was the only one in the dark alleys that I wandered to get there. I went to walk in to see if I could check it out but as it turns out I was turned away since Macbeth was playing. So I wander around a little and end up walking in the front entrance. There are a lot of people getting refreshments so I ask a different doorman if it is just starting or if it's intermission.
"Intermission"
"Do they usually sell out every night"
"Yes, they usually do."
"Do you think there are any empty seats?"
He then gives me this look like, 'I'm really impressed that your love of the theater is so great that you would even want to get in at intermission.'
"Let me ask."
He disappears to talk to his manager.
"I'll tell you what. If you go put something in the donation box, however large or small, we'll let you in where there's standing room."
"Absolutely. Done."
So I empty my change and end up standing in the rainy Globe to watch the second half of Macbeth.
And THAT, my friends, is how you gain admission to a country for which you don't have a valid entry card, AND to a play that you don't have tickets for.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Second State to the Right and Straight on Til Morning
Before I get deep into my taxes and watch SportsCenter for the 4th time, I thought I would jot down a few favorite memories and quotes from the weekend. They were too hard to rank, so I put them in chronological order. If I had to pick a favorite I would probably say it's a tie between #2 and #3.
19. Precisely. NW: "That is actually the third most beautiful place in the world."
18. The Rock Jump Shriek. JS: "Ahhhh!"
17. The football to the truck. ZZ: (shrug+grimace)
16. The football where it counts. ZZ: (slumped over+grimace). Me:"I am sooo sorry."
15. Expensive taste. AH: "So, how's that GRAPE juice?"
14. The accidental food throw. SW: "At least I acted like a lady, and didn't throw it back." Me: "I am sooo sorry."
13. The Knee club. AH: "You've had reconstructive knee surgery? ME TOO!" DH: "Me too."
12. 'Breaking' the soap dispenser on the sink. (me looking around discreetly) DH: (smiling) "That happened to me 5 min ago."
11. Breaking one of the darts. Me: "I am sooo sorry"
10. Cooking Skillz. ZZ: "So how do we make it?" DH: "Hmm. Don't Know. I'm actually much better at ordering breakfast."
9. Only at CU. The hairy dude: "I usually practice on grass, but this morning I ran out. Just kidding...it's Boulder, I never run out."
8. Padres epithets. 8 yr old fan: "Bell! You. Are. Sub-par."
7. No Bus? JS, DH, Me: "Welp, back to the suckfest."
6. The noise club. NW: (to me) "You snore." JS: "So do you!"
5. All alone and one row behind. (RWM-random ward member) "What, are we not exciting enough for you in Boulder?" Me: "...um...I was concentrating."
4. When talking to the Mongolian sister missionary. (RWM or perhaps DH) "Whoa, don't get excommunicated."
3. The casserole to the tablecloth. ZZ: (head drop+sigh+grimace+red face) later on- "No, she didn't tickle me, if she had it'd be on the wall."
2. Foot in mouth. (Pointing to an old picture of NW) Me: "What RACE are you?" BW: "She has some Cherokee in her." Me: "Hahaha" (NW) "He's 100% serious." Me (realizing): "haha...um...really. What side of the family?"
1. The back cracker...a.k.a. the neck breaker disclaimer. DH: "Actually, if your back doesn't need to be cracked it just hurts a lot."
So did you notice the common theme? I'll give you a hint, it's me apologizing (for injuring people, breaking things, throwing food, sleeping loudly, and sleeping period). Thanks to all who made it possible.
Others From the Fam.
JW: "Take I-70 East!" NW:"We CAME East."
DW: (to NW) "You're going down!"
SW: "You STILL have to buy a car."
BW: "Next trip destination- NY!"
Honorable Mention Characters:
Brad Hawpe
Tupperware Beef
Cliff the clueless RTD driver
The Rockies security lady who takes her job very seriously...even in the top of the 13th
The Palm Pre
Winston Churchill
The Camcorder- "Any last words?"
The Rockies Jacket
Rhubarb pie
19. Precisely. NW: "That is actually the third most beautiful place in the world."
18. The Rock Jump Shriek. JS: "Ahhhh!"
17. The football to the truck. ZZ: (shrug+grimace)
16. The football where it counts. ZZ: (slumped over+grimace). Me:"I am sooo sorry."
15. Expensive taste. AH: "So, how's that GRAPE juice?"
14. The accidental food throw. SW: "At least I acted like a lady, and didn't throw it back." Me: "I am sooo sorry."
13. The Knee club. AH: "You've had reconstructive knee surgery? ME TOO!" DH: "Me too."
12. 'Breaking' the soap dispenser on the sink. (me looking around discreetly) DH: (smiling) "That happened to me 5 min ago."
11. Breaking one of the darts. Me: "I am sooo sorry"
10. Cooking Skillz. ZZ: "So how do we make it?" DH: "Hmm. Don't Know. I'm actually much better at ordering breakfast."
9. Only at CU. The hairy dude: "I usually practice on grass, but this morning I ran out. Just kidding...it's Boulder, I never run out."
8. Padres epithets. 8 yr old fan: "Bell! You. Are. Sub-par."
7. No Bus? JS, DH, Me: "Welp, back to the suckfest."
6. The noise club. NW: (to me) "You snore." JS: "So do you!"
5. All alone and one row behind. (RWM-random ward member) "What, are we not exciting enough for you in Boulder?" Me: "...um...I was concentrating."
4. When talking to the Mongolian sister missionary. (RWM or perhaps DH) "Whoa, don't get excommunicated."
3. The casserole to the tablecloth. ZZ: (head drop+sigh+grimace+red face) later on- "No, she didn't tickle me, if she had it'd be on the wall."
2. Foot in mouth. (Pointing to an old picture of NW) Me: "What RACE are you?" BW: "She has some Cherokee in her." Me: "Hahaha" (NW) "He's 100% serious." Me (realizing): "haha...um...really. What side of the family?"
1. The back cracker...a.k.a. the neck breaker disclaimer. DH: "Actually, if your back doesn't need to be cracked it just hurts a lot."
So did you notice the common theme? I'll give you a hint, it's me apologizing (for injuring people, breaking things, throwing food, sleeping loudly, and sleeping period). Thanks to all who made it possible.
Others From the Fam.
JW: "Take I-70 East!" NW:"We CAME East."
DW: (to NW) "You're going down!"
SW: "You STILL have to buy a car."
BW: "Next trip destination- NY!"
Honorable Mention Characters:
Brad Hawpe
Tupperware Beef
Cliff the clueless RTD driver
The Rockies security lady who takes her job very seriously...even in the top of the 13th
The Palm Pre
Winston Churchill
The Camcorder- "Any last words?"
The Rockies Jacket
Rhubarb pie
Monday, January 11, 2010
Song of a Scotsman
In my usual fashion I present here a list in one of my many areas of expertise - film scores. This is for those of you looking for some inspiration, or just something to help you relax. Refute or deny as you wish, but I give to you THE top 20 tracks from an original film score in 5 categories:
If you're going to listen to any of them, listen to the #1s. If you only listen to one of them, listen to Legends of the Fall. I dare you not to not like it.
The Beautiful Tracks:
1. Legends of the Fall - The Ludlows** - James Horner (5:40) Gs Yt
2. Field of Dreams - The Place Where Dreams Come True (9:08) Gs Yt
3. Lord of the Rings (The Two Towers) - Evenstar - Howard Shore (3:15) Gs Yt
4. The Shawshank Redemption - So Was Red - Thomas Newman (2:44) Gs Yt
Honorable Mention:
Armageddon - Armageddon Piano - Trevor Rabin (0:36) Gs Yt
The Tranquillo Tracks:
1. Finding Nemo - Nemo Egg (Main Title) - Thomas Newman (1:20) Gs Yt
2. Cast Away - End Credits - Alan Sylvestri (7:30) Gs Yt
3. The Shawshank Redemption - Suds on the Roof - Thomas Newman (1:36) Gs Yt
4. Black Hawk Down - Leave No Man Behind - Hans Zimmer (6:18) Gs Yt
Honorable Mention:
Transformers - No Sacrifice, No Victory - Steve Jablonsky (2:57) Gs Yt
Music that might give you the ability to punch through lead:
1. Friday Night Lights - Your Hand in Mine (Goodbye) - Explosions in the Sky (2:05) Gs Yt
2. Gladiator - Elysium-Honor Him-Now We Are Free* - Hans Zimmer (8:15) Gs Yt
3. Remember the Titans - Spirit Score - Trevor Rabin (7:28) Gs Yt
4. Black Hawk Down - Minstrel Boy* - Hans Zimmer (5:43) Gs Yt
Honorable Mention:
Friday Night Lights - Your Hand in Mine (w/Strings) - Explosions in the Sky (4:08) Gs Yt
Tracks of Inspiration:
1. The Shawshank Redemption - End Title - Thomas Newman (4:06) Gs Yt
2. Transformers - Optimus - Steve Jablonsky (3:18) Gs Yt
3. Apollo 13 - Main Title - James Horner (2:30) Gs Yt
4. Braveheart - A Gift of Thistle - James Horner (1:38) Gs Yt
Honorable Mention:
Lord of the Rings (The Two Towers) - Samwise the Brave - Howard Shore (3:46) Gs
Tracks that might make you cry, but not in a good way:
1. Black Hawk Down - Gortoz A Ran* - Hans Zimmer (4:30) Gs Yt
2. The Sixth Sense - Malcolm is Dead - James Newton Howard (4:47) Gs
3. Batman Begins - Corynorhinus - James Newton Howard - (5:05) Gs Yt
4. Armageddon - Harry Sees Dad - Trevor Rabin (2:31) Gs
Honorable Mention:
Batman Begins - Macrotus - James Newton Howard (7:36) Gs Yt
And one for good measure. An old Scottish/Irish drinking song that may very well be sung at my funeral:
Waking Ned Devine - The Parting Glass* - Shaun Davey (5:37) Gs Yt
* - With Vocals
I await your suggestions for improvement, and all that your caged wisdom might add.
If you're going to listen to any of them, listen to the #1s. If you only listen to one of them, listen to Legends of the Fall. I dare you not to not like it.
The Beautiful Tracks:
1. Legends of the Fall - The Ludlows** - James Horner (5:40) Gs Yt
2. Field of Dreams - The Place Where Dreams Come True (9:08) Gs Yt
3. Lord of the Rings (The Two Towers) - Evenstar - Howard Shore (3:15) Gs Yt
4. The Shawshank Redemption - So Was Red - Thomas Newman (2:44) Gs Yt
Honorable Mention:
Armageddon - Armageddon Piano - Trevor Rabin (0:36) Gs Yt
The Tranquillo Tracks:
1. Finding Nemo - Nemo Egg (Main Title) - Thomas Newman (1:20) Gs Yt
2. Cast Away - End Credits - Alan Sylvestri (7:30) Gs Yt
3. The Shawshank Redemption - Suds on the Roof - Thomas Newman (1:36) Gs Yt
4. Black Hawk Down - Leave No Man Behind - Hans Zimmer (6:18) Gs Yt
Honorable Mention:
Transformers - No Sacrifice, No Victory - Steve Jablonsky (2:57) Gs Yt
Music that might give you the ability to punch through lead:
1. Friday Night Lights - Your Hand in Mine (Goodbye) - Explosions in the Sky (2:05) Gs Yt
2. Gladiator - Elysium-Honor Him-Now We Are Free* - Hans Zimmer (8:15) Gs Yt
3. Remember the Titans - Spirit Score - Trevor Rabin (7:28) Gs Yt
4. Black Hawk Down - Minstrel Boy* - Hans Zimmer (5:43) Gs Yt
Honorable Mention:
Friday Night Lights - Your Hand in Mine (w/Strings) - Explosions in the Sky (4:08) Gs Yt
Tracks of Inspiration:
1. The Shawshank Redemption - End Title - Thomas Newman (4:06) Gs Yt
2. Transformers - Optimus - Steve Jablonsky (3:18) Gs Yt
3. Apollo 13 - Main Title - James Horner (2:30) Gs Yt
4. Braveheart - A Gift of Thistle - James Horner (1:38) Gs Yt
Honorable Mention:
Lord of the Rings (The Two Towers) - Samwise the Brave - Howard Shore (3:46) Gs
Tracks that might make you cry, but not in a good way:
1. Black Hawk Down - Gortoz A Ran* - Hans Zimmer (4:30) Gs Yt
2. The Sixth Sense - Malcolm is Dead - James Newton Howard (4:47) Gs
3. Batman Begins - Corynorhinus - James Newton Howard - (5:05) Gs Yt
4. Armageddon - Harry Sees Dad - Trevor Rabin (2:31) Gs
Honorable Mention:
Batman Begins - Macrotus - James Newton Howard (7:36) Gs Yt
And one for good measure. An old Scottish/Irish drinking song that may very well be sung at my funeral:
Waking Ned Devine - The Parting Glass* - Shaun Davey (5:37) Gs Yt
* - With Vocals
I await your suggestions for improvement, and all that your caged wisdom might add.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
