My noble friend Moviezzz of Springfield, Mass., 'tagged' me as a participant in this interesting game in which bloggers challenge each other to reveal eight unique things about themselves in their respective blogs. Each of us is supposed to then 'tag' eight other bloggers we know as if we are vampires or Southern Baptists.
One of my other good friends Bilge Ebiri of New York actually editted a highly engaging commercial blog, but I gather that he recently left that post. But, in all likelihood, I would not have tagged him because I would hate to spend the night inside the Port Authority if/when I ever go back to the Big Apple.
But, I will reveal 8 unique things about me. One of the challenges with this is that a number of things are already listed here in the far-right column of my blog, including the fact that my favorite restaurant in my immediate local area is The Acropolis in Greensboro. Why is this an unusual thing about me? Well, The Acropolis is a Greek restaurant and I'm a Turkish-American.
Here are 8 other 'fun facts' about me:
1. I consider "The Day the Whole F*&%ing World Blew Up" to be the worst film ever made. And, the director is a friend of mine! One has to give Charles Cullen, of Roanoke, Va., credit for pursuing his dreams. But, this film is still quite terrible. It is, and will always be, the only Cullen film I will ever see. I have other friends who've made films, including Bilge Ebiri, Jake Mahaffy and Les Blank. I can recommend their works, though Mahaffy's film "War," which made it to a Sundance Film Festival, is quite hard-to-find. In fact. I've never seen it! If I can say one positive thing about Cullen, who is known as "The Chicken Man," it is that (I am told) he is much more accomplished as a musician. I happened to see this film at the Grandin Theatre, where I have seen many, many great films over the years...........but, not this one!
2. I once saw Toto in concert. I must profess that this confession is a take on Moviezzz's admission that he once saw The Spice Girls in concert. I saw Toto in my hometown of Roanoke in 1984 when I was 14. I still enjoy hearing "The Rains Down in Africa" on the radio, but admittedly, I don't have any Toto cds. In fact, I'm not sure any record stores do either.
3. I once voted for a Republican. Cong. Frank Wolf (R-Va), who is the subject of another recent entry, was essentially running unopposed when I lived in Edinburg, Va., in his district (at the time) and he is a friend of mine. I otherwise NEVER vote for Republicans, and assuredly, they would never vote for me either.
4. I once entered a men's bikini contest. I blame my cousin Michael Dawkins for this. It was Myrtle Beach. I was in college. Enough said. Alas, I did not win. The huge embarrassment actually came several weeks later when my now-deceased gradmother Waynie Sturgis watched a 'smuggled' video of the contest at her home in Rock Hill, SC, with other members of the family. Mike allegedly does not where the videotape is. I don't believe him!
5. I have seen the new Fantastic Four movie. I read a very disparaging review in the online version of "The Washington Post." Nevertheless, my friend Blake Lipscomb of Roanoke convinced me that I should frequent the nearby Eden Drive-In in Eden, NC, more often. The movie really sucks. I once thought I could pay money to see anything with Jessica Alba. I stand corrected. But, if there is any place to see an awful summer movie it is at a drive-in near you. The Eden Drive-in actually has a 'no cursing' sign. And, as you might expect, no one pays any attention to it.
6. I have seen Greensboro folk singer Bruce Piephoff perform at least six times in just under a year. I met Bruce during a screening of the documentary film "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" at the Carolina Theatre in Greensboro last August. There was a time in my youth (the a-ha/Spandau Ballet/Duran Duran years....everyone under 40 and over 25 should get this joke) when I could have never imagined loving folk music. But, the times have-a-changed (apologies to Bob Dylan). I love Bruce's sense of humor which comes across in many of this songs, like "I Remember Asheville," which takes great jabs at corporate America as Bruce reminisces about his youth in western North Carolina. I saw Bruce perform at the Blanwood Mansion in downtown Greensboro yesterday. It was yet another memorable performance. I'm not sure I can say that about the '84 Toto concert.
7. I am a fan of women's college gymnastics. This one has surprised many people. I actually took in the NCAA Women's College Gymnastics Championships in Salt Lake City back in late-April. I was rooting for the University of Florida (they came in third), but it was Georgia which came away with their third consecutive title. I actually had a crush on a college gymnast when I went to Radford University in Virginia (1993-96). Nothingever came of it, and she is now married and living in New York state. But, that got me interested in women's college gymnastics. I occasionally talk to former UCLA gymnast Yvonne Tousek who is now on tour with Cirque de Soleil's "Corteo" show, which I saw in Atltanta back in January. It is expected to come to Denver soon. Check it out, if it comes near you. My favorite current gymnast is Ashley Postell from the University of Utah. I gather that she's dating some professional soccer player, but she's too younf for me any way!
8. I can actually speak fluent Turkish. It is not always easy for an ethnic kid to maintain the language of their father's (my mother is American). There were several complications which could have prevented me from speaking Turkish. For starters, I only lived there for two years as a child (I was not born there) in the town of Zonguldak Eregli on the Black Sea, some four hours west of Istanbul, from 1977-79. Secondly, I grew up in Roanoke, Va. There were not many Turkish people around town, though I am good friends with Dr. Vedii Ayyildiz, who is a retired, respected surgeon who lives in the Star City. Nevertheless, my domestic connections with Turkish people were not really established until I went to college. Lastly, my father Mehmet Gokbudak died when I was 13. Of all the reasons why I am proud to be speaks Turkish, none mean more to me than this. Every Father's Day, I think of the short time we had together and all the sacrifices he made for his family.
I left out some other interesting things, including my strange admiration for Journey...in fact, I'm wondering just when 98.7 Simon-FM here is going to play anothher one of their songs. I heard them play "Faithfully" last night!
But, there are only 8 things we can admit........................those are after all 'the rules.'
Useful links to go along with this blog:
http://www.talkingmoviezzz.blogspot.com/
http://www.charlescullen.com (may need confirmation)
http://www.roanoke.com (Site for "The Roanoke Times," my hometown)
http://www.judyayyildiz.com (Site for Dr. Vedii Ayyildiz's wife Judy Light Ayyildiz. She is a published poet,author)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment