I Don't Really Know What To Call These ... Surveys?

These are two 'Memes' given to me by my friend Ange (Life In The Pumpkin Shell). She sorta tagged me in one of her comment boxes, so I guess I'll play along. I do not know what a'Meme' is, really, other than a list of things that you have to answer (a survey, if you will). Apparently, people on here tag each other with them as sort of a game they play. It's all good. I didn't stick to just one book on some of these... And I think I only had to do one, but I did both, anyway. Here's mine:

1) A book that changed my life: Liturgical Shipwreck, by the late Michael Davies. He’s written many books, and this one is more of pamphlet, really. Much less than 100 pages. I read it once and decided that Traditional Roman Catholicism was for me. Latin Tridentine Mass …. Incense, Gregorian Chant, the whole nine yards. Mel Gibson and his father are with us, as well as a man I used to work for (on one of his campaigns), Patrick J. Buchanan.

2) A book that I've read more than once: The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (but also including The Hobbit), by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have to admit that the subsequent times were inspired by the movies coming out. Also, believe it or not, The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough…

3) A book I'd take to a deserted island: The Special Forces Survival Manual. And maybe The Joy Of Sex (For One). The Complete Works Of William Shakepeare might be good, too.

4) A book that made me laugh: I hate to cop out on this one, but anything by Dave Barry. Also, The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. Read it many, many years ago and I remember it being hysterical. Tried to watch the movie once. It seemed to be one of those movies you have to be on drugs to enjoy. Maybe if I re-read it today, it wouldn’t be so funny.

5) A book that made me cry (or scared me to death): It was a book on the infiltration of the Roman Catholic priesthood and hierarchy by communists, freemasons and homosexuals, in order to bring the Church to her knees. Can’t recall the title off-hand. There was also a book about the life and supposed murder of Pope John Paul I (the September Pope) that was pretty scary. Powerful interests moved against him to effect his ‘accidental’ death after only 20-some odd days in office.

6) A book I wish I’d written: The Godfather … or is this asking for some clever fictitional title that my clever fictitional mind would create?

7) A book that should never have been written: The Communist Manifesto, Mein Kampf, My Lies (by Bill Klinton).

8) A book I'm currently reading: Mozart’s Letters, Mozart’s Life, by Robert Spaethling. Great translation showing sides of Wolfie that are incredible. His genius extended far beyond his musical abilities and composing skills. Like Steve Irwin, Flannery O’Connor, and Elvis Presley, the world lost him far too early. This book is a fascinating glimpse into his life that the great movie Amadeus* could not and did not show. It also shows how powerful of an influence his father Leopold had on him.
*There were several inaccuracies in that multi-Oscar winning film. (WHAT? Hollyweird taking liberties with the truth? I don’t believe it!) It’s still one of my favorite movies ever, though.

9) A book I’m planning to read: The Complete Works of Flannery O’Connor. Actually, it’d be a partial re-read. I enjoyed her works in college, and never finished reading her complete works. She injects a certain distinctive view of pre-Vatican II Catholicism (my particular brand), growing up in the mainly Protestant anti-Catholic South. Her writing style touched me in ways that few have – I liken Ange’s (Life In The Pumpkin Shell) fabulous writing to hers, even though the two write/wrote about mostly different subjects. While looking her up for this, I didn’t realize she lived near Ridgefield, CT, for a couple of years. I also lived there, very briefly. Flannery described herself as a "pigeon-toed only child with a receding chin and a you-leave-me-alone-or-I'll-bite-you complex." As a child she was in the local newspapers when she taught a chicken that she owned to walk backwards. She said, "That was the most exciting thing that ever happened to me. It's all been downhill from there." She lived a fascinating but all-too brief life – she left us due to hereditary lupus at age 39 in 1964. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannery_O'Connor

10) Who I'm tagging next: No one.


1… Things that scare me
• Being a failure in life
• Being forgotten
• Eternal damnation
• Meeting people for the first time – I worry that my first impression isn’t the best impression – I can be rather shy and reserved at first.
• War and terrorism.

2…People who make/made me laugh
• Ange (Life In The Pumpkin Shell)
• Dave Barry
• Charles M. Schulz
• The Three Stooges
• Benny Hill. Two words: COMIC GENIUS. ‘nuff said…
• The Red Green Show
• Many of my friends and family.

3…Things I hate the most
• Hypocrites.
• Hate is such a strong word. How about dislike? I guess I hate the word hate.
• Whiners and complainers.
• Never seeming to complete anything I start.
• Can I come back to this one later?
• Not having enough time to do all of the things I’d like to be doing.
• War.
• When great people are taken from us too soon.
• When people judge. I know people automatically do, based on certain criteria or factors – it’s human nature – but often times we miss out by not being friends with someone who is different. Sometimes people who claim to be tolerant, really aren’t.

4…Things I don’t understand
• Politics.
• How the rich and powerful, regardless of political persuasion, control our lives. Freemasonry and the Illuminati and some of those conspiracy theories are awful intriguing.
• Myself.
• Women.
• Anything.

5…Things I’m doing right now
• Laying on a bunk in a plywood hooch in Bagram, Afghanistan.
• Putting off going to the latrine and getting ready to meet a girl at Country Music night.
• Talking to a friend in KCMO on IM (Jenna).
• ‘Chewing’ a Skoal wintergreen pouch.
• Digesting evening chow.
• Shaking my foot. (Nervous habit)
• Being part of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.

6…Things I want to do before I die
• Travel more and more – Ireland, Vatican City (Rome), and more of Canada are on the top of my list. Mexico and Latin/South America would be nice, too.
• Have a beer or several with Ange and Tom and Ryan and whoever else wants to join us.
• Have a beer or several with some old friends from the 143rd Signal Battalion (3rd Armored Division, Frankfurt, Germany).
• Have a successful marriage, and raise some kids, if it’s God’s will.
• Retire to Germany, maybe.

7… Things I can do
• A myriad of things that United States Army Soldiers are expected to do: march, clean toilets, do KP, guard duty, first aid, use multiple personal and crew-served weapons systems, follow lawful orders, spit shine black leather boots to look like glass.
• Play and read music – I am learning the violin, my newest passion in life that was interrupted by going to Afghanistan. I grew up playing piano and trumpet, plus dabbled briefly with a Fender Stratocaster I bought while stationed in Germany.
• Curl. Like curling. The oh-so-Canadian-sport-invented-by-Scots. The Roaring Game. I am a member of USA Curling and the Kansas City Curling Club.
• I am actually the proverbial Jack-Of-All-Trades-Master-Of-None. *sigh* One of my sisters calls me a classic underachiever. She’s right.
• Write. I think.

8… Ways to describe my personality
• Cynical.
• Blunt.
• Honest.
• A true compassionate conservative.
* Like Ange, I hate describing myself.

9… Things I can’t do
• Be on time (for most non-military things, because I could be in big trouble with the Army, otherwise). I will be late for my own funeral.
• Fly to the moon.
• Ever tolerate abortion – which is simply the murdering of an inconvienent, unwanted human person, no matter how slickly or ‘scientifically’ the rhetoric is couched. We all started as a bunch of cells... don't bullshit yourself ... they are humans.
• Denounce my Roman Catholic Faith or my country.
• Ever be a MILF.
• Like Ange, I also cannot pick up men in bars.

10…Things I think you should listen to
• You? Who is ‘you’? I know things *I* should listen to...
• If you mean music, then Alison Krauss and Union Station, Elvis, Mozart …
• Jägermeister
• Dr. Michael Savage (The Savage Nation)
• For Catholics, EWTN is good.
• Don Cherry on Hockey Night In Canada.

11…Things you should never listen to
• Most politicians (especially whiny Dems who criticize everything and offer no new solutions of their own).
• Most of the mainstream media.

12…Things I’d like to learn
• Photography (including photo editing, etc.)
• More German, Spanish, Latin, Tagalog, and Visayan.
• Patience in certain things
• More about my 2000 year-old Catholic religion
• To not have such a short attention span and focus more – time management, too.
• To not be depressed so much – to not carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.
• To smile more and actually enjoy life
• How to count to 21 without being nekked

13…Favorite foods
• For the last year or so, anything the Army provides, including MREs and menus that repeat every 2 weeks.
• Anything hot, spicy, Mexican, Cajun, Italian, etc.
• Jägerschnitzel, or schnitzel in general, prepared a myriad of ways.
• I guess almost all German food…
• Filipino food (lumpia, pancit, anything adobo – nearly all Filipino food except balut and dinuguan).
• Bleu cheese and extra sharp cheddar. A lot of different cheeses, really. I behold the Power Of Cheese. And I only use real butter – margarine is one molecule away from being a plastic. Flies won’t go near it. And it doesn’t really decay … It truly is one of the worst things you can put in your body …
• Johnsonville Stadium Style Bratwurst
• Nutella Hazelnut/Chocolate spread
• Rachael Ray (That would make her a MILE, not a MILF? Well, she’s both actually… I am soooo bad. I’m going to hell for that one. I guess she has kids? I wrote this partially to see if you are still paying attention.)
• Cream Of Wheat
• Anchovies
• How long can my response to this one be? It’d be shorter to list foods I dislike … I am like a goat. I’ll eat almost anything. Once. And I usually like it.

14…Beverages I drink regularly
• For the last year in Afghanistan – bottled water, Gatorade, an occasional pop.
• Previous to that – filtered tap water, GUINNESS (from the draught can poured into a pint glass), Bailey’s Irish Cream, Asbach Uralt and Coke (a ‘Hütchen’), Jägermeister, German sweet white wines (Spätlese, Auslese, Eiswein), milk, Diet Mountain Dew. If I *have* to drink a domestic beer, it’s Bud Light.

15…TV Shows I watched as a kid
• The Muppet Show/Sesame Street/The Electric Company• The Price Is Right• Hee Haw, The Porter Waggoner Show
• The Gong Show (Chuck Barris, the Unknown Comic, Jamie Farr, J.P. Morgan, and Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine! – What a fabulous show on so many levels.)
• M*A*S*H*
• The Three Stooges – when my Mom and Dad would let me…
• Wonder Woman. Two words: Linda Carter. What a great pair of eyes she has …
• American Bandstand with the ageless Dick Clark
• The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, and Doc Severinson, et al. Late-night TV was funny, then.
• All In The Family/Mork And Mindy/Laverne And Shirley/Happy Days/WKRP In Cinncinnati/The Love Boat/The Partridge Family/The Brady Bunch/Gilligan’s Island/Wrestling At The Chase/St. Louis Blues hockey and St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football…
• Family Ties/The Facts Of Life/Cheers/Night Court/Dif’rent Strokes/Masterpiece Theatre/The Paper Chase/Who’s The Boss?/Married With Children