Guilty Pleasures: Bejeweled 2

On my IPhone, there is one game that gets more attention than all the others (and I have a boatload of ‘em) and that is “Bejeweled 2.” I fell in love with this little game on my Palm years ago, but on the IPhone, it has gone to a whole new level.

If you have never played “Bejeweled”, then the basic play is this…you have to get 3 diamonds in a row. 4 in a row gets you more points and the jewel is capable of exploding, giving you even MORE points. And 5 in a row gets you the super-cool exploding jewel that will destroy whatever kind of diamond you swap it with. Anyway…that’s not all you get with this little gem of a game. You also get cool, futuristic locations as the backgrounds and a nifty soundtrack that reminds me of the music that plays in those space rides down in EPCOT Center.

Created by Pop Cap, “Bejeweled” is easily my favorite videogame for my IPhone and has been one of my trusty companions on those long flights or even when I’m just hanging out at home with a few minutes of time to pass. So if you have an IPhone or an ITouch or even if you have a Palm or probably they even have it for the Blackberry…whatever you have, get yourself “Bejeweled 2″ and be ready to have yourself a little mindless fun. Because what’s life withour mindless fun…right?

Guilty Pleasures: Pumpkin Spice Latte

I love the fall. And if there is anything that just seems to go with fall it’s coffee. And pumpkins. And to combine them both? Shear heavenly bliss. And Starbucks and every other chain in the country knows it.

So what do I do? I buy it. I consider it to be my treat to myself and my expanding waistline. But damn if it doesn’t taste sooooooo gooooooood!!! I’m not one to be all crazy about food & stuff…but pumpkin flavored coffee is my weakness.

So thank you Starbucks for preying upon one of my weaknesses. Flavored coffee with a pumpkin twist.

Mmmmmmmmmm….tasty…

And now I gotta have one. Damn…

Guilty Pleasures: Golfin’ With My Dad & Brother

Editor’s Note: All photos posted in this blog were taken by my brother’s camera. I take no responsibility for any fuzziness or spot shadows because my brother has a new photo organizer that allows him to play with sepia tones and soft focus and he has taken to adding special effects to EVERY picture! So the ones of me where I look like I’m hitting out of the rough or where my Dad is NOT 4 inches from the pin? All done in Photoshop. Just sayin’…

I love going home to visit my family. Lucky for me, they all live within a short distance of my parents’ home. With the exception of one sister and myself, they all live in Zanesville, Ohio. Home of the Y-Bridge and Adornetto’s Pizzaria. I love going home to hang with my parents and I love visiting my nieces & nephews every chance I get. But the real guilty pleasure I get when I go home is when my Dad, my brother and I hit the links at my Dad’s home course…Fuller’s Fairways Jaycees Golf Course.

Nestled deep in the rolling countryside of Muskingum County, this little course is where my Dad spends his retirement. He golfs everyday with his buddies and buys rounds of coffee and soft drinks for everyone while he’s kicking their butts. It’s what a retired guy SHOULD do…well…except for when my Mom wants him home and then maybe it’s not. But for the most part…golf is his getaway. It’s what he does. And when he does it…he does it at Fuller’s Fairways. So when I come to town and my brother & I head out to the course with my Dad, here’s the way it goes…

My Dad & my brother face off and actually keep score. I do my best to hit the ball into the fairway.

Seriously.

Now I’m not a terrible golfer. I played on my high school golf team and I know the correct stance and how to grip the club and some of the basic rules (what’s that rule about not being allowed to kick your ball out from under a tree again?). But you get my Dad and my brother together and it’s like they are talking a different language. It’s golf lingo at its best as they discuss everything from new putting stances to club grips. I admittedly have no idea what they are talking about 95% of the time. What I do know is this…they can both out-drive me. They can both out-putt me. And they can both re-grip their own clubs. Soooo…they should both be better than me…right?

Well…they are. But that doesn’t stop me from getting out there and talking a little smack every now and then. But usually it ends up with Dad beating my brother by a stroke or two and some fairly competitive play happening for the last 4 holes of the course. As for me? Well…I sit back and soak it all in. There’s nothing better than to listen to my Dad give my little brother a verbal beatdown while the breeze is blowing and the cornfields are in the background and all I can hear are the birds and my Dad and Frank sparring with one another. For me…that’s good times. And it’s the stuff memories are made of.

Here’s some photos of our last get-together on Wednesday. Hopefully it’s not the last time this fall that we get to play. But if it is…then I’ll have to wait til next spring to get my putter back. Literally 22 years since my Dad gave it to me, my brother has finally promised to re-grip my putter. 22 YEARS later?!?! Oh I am SOOOOO gonna kick his butt on that first green next time we play…

I need to bend at the knees a little more…

Obviously NOT Photoshopped…

I didn’t see WHERE it went…

See!!! Soft Focus?!?!

Nice shot Pops!

Nice backswing…

Guilty Pleasures: IMac Screensavers

Not gonna lie…I bought this new IMac with the intentions of learning how to edit video and music and to do so many cool things with it. To this point, the farthest I’ve gotten is checking email and using the IMovie to make little home videos for my kids’ classmates. But still…I WILL learn Final Cut (a high end video editing program) once the kiddies are both back in school. I promise (fingers crossed behind my back)! But until then, I have found one practical use for my IMac that I never thought I would use it for…

I use it to mesmerize my kids.

Seriously…if I were to say there is ONE thing that I find most impressive about this computer right now it’s the screensavers. Wow! They are freakin’ cool! It’s like you’re at a disco or something and the lights shimmer and move around. It’s very pretty…

And then if you are using ITunes, you can turn on the visualizer and it has some even COOLER strobing light screensavers! It’s AWESOME! And will entertain your kids for hours!

So…for the most awesome screensaver EVER…go get yourself a Mac. Amazing indeed. And well worth the $2 grand asking price…(okay, maybe not. I’ll find out soon enough…)

Guilty Pleasures: Sprinkles

I remember when I was a kid, maybe 9 or 10 years old, my cousins and I would hop on our bikes and ride down to the local DQ and get sundaes. I always knew EXACTLY what I wanted…I would always get 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream (this is before they invented all these other crazy flavors like Peanut Butter or Pineapple???) and have them put a cup full of sprinkles on top. The sprinkles also included chopped up peanuts and were multiple colors of red, blue, green and yellow. It was like a fireworks display in my mouth! I LOVE the sprinkles!

And on a doughnut? How could you NOT like sprinkles on a doughnut? Smooth, velvety icing covered in multi-colored candies just make my day! And here’s the deal…I don’t want just a little bit of sprinkles either. I want it to be COVERED with sprinkles! I don’t want just a small smathering…I want it to be LAYERED with the stuff! So get too it, Mr. Ice Cream Man! Pour some of that sugary goodness on that ice cream cone. And don’t be afraid to double dip it…because I am a man who LOVES sprinkles! And I’m not gonna hide anymore!!!

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Guilty Pleasures…”Wait” by The Jacksons

With the passing of Michael Jackson, so many thoughts have crossed my mind on what to write about the dude. I mean, there’s really nothing that can be said that every media outlet in the world hasn’t already covered. He was brilliant. He was odd. He was a child in an adult body. Let’s face it…the guy was a little off his rocker. But you have to imagine that the childhood that was forced on him and then the media scrutiny and paparazzi probably took what little sanity he had and turned it inside out. I’m not condoning his life…I’m just trying to understand it. Nevertheless, an artistic force from my childhood is now gone and I’ve been trying to think what memory I have of The King Of Pop that I can share that no one else has covered…and I have found it.

It’s a track from the 1984 album by Michael and his brothers called “Victory”. You would probably remember it as the Jackson comeback album that was supposed to capitalize on Michael’s popularity after “Thriller”. Basically it was a way for Epic to make a few bucks because there really are only 2 tracks on the album that are fronted entirely by MJ (and one of those he shares with Mick Jagger). The rest are a variety of combinations of him and his brothers. Anyway, I’ve always liked this album. It’s not the best work of the Jackson 5 (well…”Jackson 6″ actually), but it came out at a time in my life that I have fond memories of. And to this day, there is a track buried on it that is one of my all-time favorite songs that no one has ever heard.

Track #2 on “Victory” is called “Wait”. It is actually a song that is fronted by Jackie Jackson and it has this great pop rhythm to it. It’s a long song (clocking in at 5:24) and it’s really not until 3:35 of the song that Michael makes an appearance. And for some reason, as soon as his signature vocals make their entrance, this whole track changes. And that is the magic of Michael. He has a distinct and irresistible voice that just takes an otherwise average song and transforms it into something that sticks in my head and holds my interest over 20 years later.

The man was an amazing icon and one that transformed music into what it is today. He basically took what Elvis started, with the dancing and hip thrusts, and took it to another level. Add in the magic that is “Thriller” plus several incredible tracks from the rest of his body of music and you have an artist that has not only inspired waves of musical talent after him, but also influenced how a generation listens to pop music.

Michael Jackson is gone and that is a very sad thing. How his legacy will be remembered, only time will tell. But when I’m in the mood, I’ll throw in this track and remember when I was young and how it made me want to dance. And when Michael’s voice soars, it makes me want to moonwalk. And that was the magic of Michael Jackson. He makes us (the 80’s generation) feel young again.

Rest in peace Michael. Your music and your talent will be missed!

Guilty Pleasures: 80’s R&B

It must be that Time!

Remember The Time? Remember The Deele? Remember Midnight Star? Of course you do. Although you might not want to admit it. Especially if you’re a guy. But I have decided to come clean and openly discuss my love for the music that made a decade. What? You don’t agree? Well let’s see…what are the 80’s without Prince? Or Michael Jackson? Hell…even Jermaine had a couple of hits back in the day! The 80’s was all about the R&B, and I was a huge fan! So with the weather being so nice, I had to whip up a mix CD of great R&B classics for myself! Check out THIS track list…

1. The Time – My Drawers
2. Cameo – Candy
3. Guy – Round & Round
4. Five Star – You Should Have Waited
5. The Jacksons – Wait
6. Midnight Star – Wet My Whistle
7. New Edition – If It Isn’t Love
8. Alexander O’Neal – Criticize
9. Ollie & Jerry – There’s No Stopping Us
10. Ready For The World – I Just Wanna Be Loved
11. Roger – I Want To be your Man
12. Rufus & Chaka Khan – Ain’t Nobody
13. The Deele – Two Occasions
14. The Pointer Sisters – Baby Come & Get It
15. Prince – Erotic City
16. Force MDs – Tender Love
17. Kool & The Gang – Misled
18. Shalamar – Dead Giveaway

Speaking of GIVEAWAYS! I’m thinking now might be the best time to have one. Here are the rules…

1. Post 12 of YOUR favorite tracks from the 80’s on YOUR blog site.

2. Shoot me an email with your address.

3. First 5 posts win some tunage! And you can bet it will have a little bit of everything on it!

You KNOW you loved it…

Guilty Pleasures: The guitar solo at 2:56 into “Love Your Way” by Powderfinger

I LOVE great alternative guitar rock. And the one thing that is constant in guitar rock is the guitar solo. And if I had to pick one great guitar solo that makes me want to crank the knob to 11 and play air guitar til my fingers bleed it’s Powderfinger’s “Love Your Way”. If you’ve never heard this song, you should get to a music sight nearest you and download it right this second! Because you have no idea what you are missing. It is…quite simply…the most awesomest guitar driven rock tune I own and I have completely worn out this track on my IPod. 

Seriously…it’s THAT good! Here is a live performance of the song! Enjoy!

Guilty Pleasures: Barber Shop Shaving Cream

If there is anyplace more relaxing than the barber shop, then I haven’t found it. With the black & white tv with rabbit ears to the pictures of the barbers from back when they were in the military or out fishing with their family members, everything about a barber shop just reminds me of when I was young. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the one thing that REALLY reminds me of my youth has returned over the past year or so and that is the warm barber shop shaving cream.

In the early 90’s, most barber shops stopped using the warm, soapy cream because the barbers needed a straight edge razor to shave it off. Usually they would use it on my neck to shave off the little bit of hair that was growing. But when the AIDS scare hit and it was discovered that the disease could be spread by blood and razors, they stopped using it. Well…recently they have begun to use it again and I it is now one of my returned guilty pleasures!

It’s hard to explain, because it just seems so silly, but that warm feeling on my neck reminds me of  back in the day when I was 7 or 8. I would walk down to the barber shop on Main Street in McConnelsville and sit in line at the shop, reading comics and watching the time pass. Back in those days, I actually hated going to get my hair cut. I wanted to be out playing or riding my bike through town! I didn’t want to be sitting in a barber shop! Needless to say, once the whole experience was over, I would tear out of that chair and race to play. Now…it’s a totally different experience.

I like going to the barber shop. It relaxes me. And the smells and the sounds (usually a radio playing AM oldies) reminds me of when I was a boy and the world was waiting for me to come play. And the return of the shaving cream has made it even MORE relaxing! I know, I know….sounds kinda weird. But really…it’s almost like getting a massage for me. 15 minutes in the chair and all my tensions are gone. Don’t know why that is…but it just is.

So begins my latest category: Guilty Pleasures. My mind has been running out of ideas lately and this just sort of appeared while I was at the barbershop today. Hair dropping down my face. The Carpenters playing in the background. The door open, cool air drifting in. It’s one of my guilty pleasures. And today…it was just what I needed.