10 for 10 (10th Entry)................Defining Earworm with Michael Bolton

Greetings to our blog readers in Ukraine, Turkey, and Ghana.......

Today, we bring you the 10th and final installment of our 10 for 10 series commemorating the tenth anniversary of this very blog, which went up (in its original form) on Sept. 21, 2005. It was a radically different time then as Ari the beloved family tuxedo cat was still alive. Alas, he died just shy of his 20th birthday on March 2nd, 2007. Ok, otherwise, I guess things haven't really changed that much!

We are using an image of Michael Bolton because when we hear the slang word 'earworm,' the junkbox in our minds starts playing "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?"..........which makes us wonder if Dick Cheney urged that this song be played to terrorist or terrorist suspects while waterboarding them at Gitmo, the American naval base in Cuba.

I suppose we will never know the answer to that, but we have three definitions of urban slang words/terms for you:

1) Earworm: A song that sticks in your mind relentlessly, and will not leave no matter how hard you try (applies to Michael Bolton as well as any song by Air Supply).

2) Gold digger: A person who goes out with you for for your money, or someone who dates Tori Spelling!

3) Gender ninja: A person has an uncertain gender based on their personal appearance, hmm....see also the character Pat that was once part of "Saturday Night Live".....

http://www.urbandictionary.com

10 for 10 (4th Entry): Love Those Van Cats

Greetings to our blog readers in Cuba, Colombia, and Egypt.....

Today, we feature an image of a Turkish Van cat, which retail for circa $50 on the streets of Istanbul. Here in the United States, we gather they cost considerably more.

If you are looking for a cat in an animal shelter, you will probably not find a Van cat, but tuxedo cats, orange tabby cats, and calico cats need homes, here are two animal shelter links we are listing:

http://www.spartanburghumane.org/ (Humane Society of Spartanburg, South Carolina)

http://hswcmd.org/ (Humane Society of Hagerstown, Maryland)

Silly Image to Fill Space- Birthday Cat

Yes, since today is my 42nd birthday, I thought I would post a birthday image. As I rudely found out several years ago, for some reason, it is quite difficult to 'borrow' birthday cake images as they are popular clip art images which are apparently highly sought after.

So, we have this cat instead....oh well!

Sidebar: The answer to our Rabbit Ears Quiz from last week is B) Ben Jones served two years in Congress.

From the LP Collection_ "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" by Pink Floyd (1 of 8)

Today, we start a new feature series on albums from my personal record collection with "A Momentary Lapse of Reason," the 1987 record from the legendary rock band Pink Floyd.

This is also the record which somehow hypnotizes the family tuxedo cat, or at least makes him less neurotic than normal.

"Reason" was the 13th and next to last studio album for Pink Floyd. "The Final Cut"
(1983) and "The Division Bell" (1994) came before and after it.

The album was a highly controversial one, not so much for content, as much as it lead to a very open public feud between Roger Waters, one of the leaders of Pink Floyd, who left the group leaving David Gilmour as lead singer/guitarist. Waters even tried to sue Gilmour over the use of the name Pink Floyd.

The two remaining members of the lineup drummer Nick Mason and the late keyboardist Richard Wright (1943-2008) were also brought on board to record the album in England.

The album is also noted for having the first inserted sleeve photograph of the band since 1971's "Meedle." The record features the psychedlic single "Learning to Fly" which is said to be a metaphor for starting a new chapter in life.

"Reason" also contains "The Dogs of War," "One Slip" and "On the Turning Away," which seems to be our cat's personal favorite, or at least it mellows him considerably.

I won the record from a contest from the now defunct Rock 105 (104.9 FM_Blacksburg, Va.), though the station no longer exists, there is a cool college radio station serving the New River Valley of Virginia in 90.7 FM-Blacksburg, the student-run radio station of Virginia Tech.

Roger Waters will be performing the band's legendary album "The Wall" in concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, on July 12, 2012.

NOTE: This blog will be on brief hiatus until Tuesday.

Highlights from the 100 Things To Do List

As with our other blog "The Daily Vampire," we are featuring highlights from my 100 Things To Do List, which I actually wrote out last week.

1. (#2) wash car

2. (#14) Look at Craig's List for a cool new job or a good used vinyl record player

3. (#43) Check out Twitter page, even though it's so 2009.

4. (#48) Try to see a dentist

5. (#65) Make late summer reading list (that's the reason for the zombie version of "Pride and Prejudice" image, this is a bit of an in-joke since I've never read a Jane Austen novel).

6. (#77) Try to see a Shakespearean play at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va.

7. (#81) Pretend you are Walt Whitman, and sit under a tree and write a poem.

8. (#90) Look into volunteering for a cause you believe in. (There is actually a no-kill shelter for cats in Raleigh, NC, called Safe Haven, but that's a two-hour drive my zip code of residency!)

9. (#98) Research networking (I think this is actually on everyone's to-do list)

10. (#100) Eat at the new Thai Orchid in Roanoke, Va., perhaps I can find a radical feminist who will agree to pay for my meal to prove the "Father Knows Best" years are really behind us. (I should add that even though I just made fun of radical feminists, I am by no means a Republican. Michele Bachmann has proven that Sylvester Stallone was right when he said: "the cure is worse than the disease," in that god-awful mid-80s action movie "Cobra."

Amadeus in Bethesda- Home and Away (Entry 1 of 3)

We are including an image of the late Austrian pop singer Falco ("Rock Me Amadeus") because the play "Amadeus" is currently being performed at the Roundhouse Theatre in Bethesda, Md., and it was one of the many things I would have liked to have done which we didn't get 'round to. The play runs through June 12. And, there were actually plenty of things we were able to get done.

One of the many complications that comes when one is traveling is that no matter if you are traveling to a nearby place or Tashkent, Uzbekistan, if it will involve at least one overnight stay then they are the issues of: "Is there enough food for Garfield?," "Will an annoying bill come in that might forget to pay?," and "Ahhh! When am I ever gonna get to clean up this house?!"

So, you have to decide if you want to stay home and perhaps settle for a vinyl quest at the Happy's Flea Market in Roanoke, Va. or a photo-taking outing to take Polaroids of the Paul Bunyan Muffler Man statue just down the road from Happy's on Williamson Road (yes, Happy's is a real place, the muffler man still stands and Roanoke, Va., is my hometown; I no longer reside there but you may see me there at some juncture...?!).

And, there is the problem of getting out of the darn house itself. I know when I travel I like to think what cds go well with the trip. Inevitably, I always choose Talking Heads or The Cars, though if I ever have to go to a funeral, I may go with The Cure (forgive the Gen X) humor.

On this particular trip, the family cat , who is not actually named Garfield (he's a tuxedo cat, actually), was a top priority. We made sure his liter box was fresh, and that he had food and water. But, alas, we underestimated the amount of time we would be in Washington, DC, so when we came home, we saw that the cat had eaten all six cans we had left him. He was hungry and he was mad. For a moment, I thought he was going to turn into a feline Linda Blair. But, of course, once he was fed, he was a happy camper. Until five minutes later, when he wanted out, but it was midnight. Luckily for us, he did not turn blue or start yelling expletives, nor was he possessed by a Satanic demon (that we know of).

Quote of the Week- Jacques Derrida

This is the first entry in a series of quotes from famous philosophers that will run on Mondays in March. It is perhaps fitting as we posted a blog entry in "The Daily Vampire," which is also by Tilly Gokbudak (who is me, yes I think referring to yourself as if you are someone else is quite obnoxious too!), about names that we had not spelled correctly that we have a quote from Jacques Derrida (1930-2004).

Up until I googled him about a half-hour ago, I wasn't sure if the late French philosopher's name was spelled with one 'd' or two 'd's. Well, it is Derrida!

Speaking of which, we should mention that we butchered Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's name in an entry last week, but like him, we refuse to apologize for any wrong-doings even if they are painfully obvious (unless, you can sue us and then of course, we will send you a dozen roses from FTD).

Derrida, who was the subject of a documentary film with his name in 2002, was born in Algeria as were many French intellectuals and cultural icons, including the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

The French philosopher is known for developing the critical theory known as 'deconstruction' and his work has been associated with post-structuralism and post-modern philosophy.

We also gather that former president George W. Bush has read a lot of Derrida's works and is a great admirer of his (that is a joke, but I think even my Republican friends like Bill Kristol* will find it amusing).

Here is our quote from Derrida:

"I never give in to the temptation of being difficult just for the sake of being difficult. That would be ridiculous."

We must profess that since there is a tuxedo cat named "Gizmo" roaming around here in the office, that we really like this photo, that slightly reminds us of Marlan Brando's pose in "The Godfather."

*-I am not actually friends with the neo-con intellectual Bill Kristol, who founded "The Weekly Standard" which I assume is to the 'far-left' of "Soldier of Fortune" magazine, but he did, much to my shock, personally answer an email (it was actually not political in nature even though I have much different views than Kristol) that I had assumed one of his associates would read. So, I do feel obliged to say nice things about him which might be harder to do if I read his columns, which I presume are rather negative towards President Barack Obama.

Status Update_ Cat Scratch Fever

My six-year-old (soon to be seven-year-old) cat Gizmo is actually a tuxedo cat. But he is one with a naughty streak.

This morning, as I was feeding him no less, he scratched my hand and hissed. I suppose he doesn't tuna (he must be one of the very few cats in the old who would prefer something else.....moo goo gaipan?!)

So my Status Update for 1/30/11 is: "This morning, my crazy Gizmo scratched the hell out of me."

I suppose that is one of the nice things about living in Cucumber, W.Va*, it is that it brings pure delight to use the word hell on a Sunday morning. Of course, doing it publicly is perhaps not a good idea, definitely not in a small hamlet in southeastern West Virginia.

For those who wish to adopt a cat or dog in Greensboro, NC, they can reach the Guilford County Animal Shelter at 336-297-5020. And, for those in Richmond, Va., they can contact the Henrico County Animal Shelter at 804-652-3360.

And, to those in the Washington, DC metro area who want to ease my guilt for listening to Mozart via an Internet stream from WETA-FM (an NPR station that only plays classical music), they can go to http://weta.org/fm (.), but don't tell them I sent you!

Alas, we can not list every animal shelter in the country up here, but we can always make fun of West Virginia!

*- Yes, Cucumber, W.Va., does really exist. No, I don't actually live there. According to Wikipedia (don't tell them, I 'borrowed' info on them, the small mining community in McDowell County is the only Cucumber in America!

PS- Alas, my beloved Radford University Highlanders lost to Coastal Carolina yesterday, but we did found out that surprisingly enough the women's tennis team has four young ladies from Croatia, and one of them, Mia Drobnjak has a name that's very hard to spell (well, she has my sympathies actually!)

Today We Celebrate Five Years of Blogging

As of today, this blog (which originally ran on AOL; they have since ended their blogging features) is five years old!

And, as usual, it has put me slightly behind my schedule as I have pertinent things to do today like read email, go to a comic book store and watch a Criterion version of some obscure early Ingmar Bergman film.

They are actually kicking people off computers here at the Pyongyang Public Library in Pyongyang, North Korea (that is a joke, so don't call Jimmy Carter!).

So, let me go ahead and congratulate the Ragsdale High School football team who won their home game in Jamestown, NC (a suburb of Greensboro and High Point) by a whopping 52-7 margin over Person County High School which had to make what must have been an awful hour and a half trip back to Roxboro last night. Though we feel for the folks from Person County HS, I gather Ragsdale fans follow my blog more closely so we are ultimately happier for the home team!

Finally, anyone looking a new home for a cat or dog (of course, cats are the better pet), in the Triad might want to go to the Forsyth County Animal Shelter in Winston-Salem where a tuxedo kitten named Rebel is looking for a new home.

Well, the North Korean soldiers are pointing towards me, so we better run while we have the chance....!

PSA- Please Adopt a Cat from the Orange County, NC, Animal Shelter

You got to love an animal shelter which prints a newspaper ad that says: "Want a girl who will never pick a fight?" (as published in the May 11th issue of "The Carrboro Citizen")

Orange County Animal Services in Chapel Hill, NC, is hoping to find homes for several cats and dogs. Due to time constraints, we can only talk about cats right now (yes, this blog has both a liberal bias and a cat bias, but we don't care what Glenn Beck thinks!).

Among the cats up for adoption are Handsome, a male black domestic cat who is nine years old, Pookah, a female white domestic cat who is also nine years old and Gabriel, a male gray domestic cat (like the one pictured here) who is one year and one month old.

Other cats at the shelter include Bodie, a male black domestic cat who is two years and five months old, Popcorn, a female calico domestic cat who is two years and two months old and Warren, a male white cat who is two years and two months old.

The shelter can be reached at 919-942-PETS. The adoption fee is $80 for kittens and $91 for adult cats.

The web site for the shelter is www.co.orange.nc.us/animalservices/adoption.asp

We have an entry on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire" about cats in the Henry County Animal Shelter, located in Martinsville, Va. They can be reached at 276-638-PAWS.

MEOW!

Status Update_ I Wish That Darn Cat Would Come Back In.......

It's 3 a.m., what is Gizmo doing out there? It's a good thing I'm not the father of a teenage daughter! I would probably be like Idi Amin........well, ok maybe not that bad!

UPDATE: Gizmo came back in circa 5:15 a.m.

The Big Annoucement!!! My 40th Birthday Movie Party is On!

It indeed looks like plans for the screening of the 1984 cult classic "Gremlins" at the historic Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., has a proverbial green light.

I must profess that putting something like this together is not as easy as going out for pizza and beer as one of my friends sugggested, but it looks like it will be all be worthwhile in the end.

"Gremlins" will screen at midnight on March 6 at the Grandin. My 40th birthday is actually on March 4, but that date does not fall on a Saturday night.

Interestingly enough, "Gremlins" is also showing this week at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.

I got the idea to screen "Gremlins" in particular from my friend Joe Scott who showed the film as part of his Mixed Tape Series in Greensboro, NC, in December.

The 1984 film features Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates and Corey Feldman. It was directed by Joe Dante.

Here are some interesting tid-bits I learned from the film through the Internet Movie Database:

-Like the Wicked Witch in "The Wizard of Oz," Mrs. Deagle has little tolerance for young people and dogs.

-The movie that Lynn Peltzer is watching in her kitchen is "It's a Wonderful Life."

-Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez (both were in "The Breakfast Club") were considered for the role of Billy played by Galligan.

-Several references to Dante's earlier film "The Howling" (1981) are in "Gremlins."

-The original cut of the film ran for two hours and 40 minutes!

PS_ The film's central character Gizmo is also the name of my tuxedo cat who just bit and scratched me this morning, but he also licked my hand (I think he could be schizo!). We profiled the no-kill cat shelter Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh, NC, a short time ago.

There's a Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh, NC

My adorable little sister and I at times seem like two people who grew up in different sectors of the solar system. When we were in high school (I am four years older), she always studiously did her homework usually on the day it was assigned as soon as she was through watching the NBC soap opera "Santa Barbara" (which starred a then unknown Robin Wright, who later became Robin Wright-Penn).

I, on the other hand, actually thought I could finish some ninth grade earth science homework WHILE watching Villanova's historic upset of Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA men's basketball final. The game really irked me because I was a 'Hoyas fan (as I am today though they aren't my very favorite team) and I loved Georgetown's star player Patrick Ewing. Ironically, earlier today, Georgetown was shockingly upset by Rutgers 71-68! Oh, I don't think I ever completed the earth science homework as I did not perform well in that class.

But, Lale, who is now married and residing out west, and I have many similar interests, including Turkish pop music, wine, coffee, comic strips and cats!

As many of you frequent this blog (all four of you) know I love cats and I am particularly found of my tuxedo cat Gizmo even though he scratched me last night!

I was thus delighted to come across an ad for Safe Haven, a no-kill shelter for cats, in "Independent Weekly," a Raleigh, NC, alternative weekly while I was Christmas shopping in Chapel Hill, NC, in early December.

While researching for this entry, I found out that the shelter is located in the northern part of Raleigh and the organization is celebrating its 16th anniversary this year.

The agency also provides what they call an E-Harmony type service for would-be cat owners by trying to match a cat with the traits that someone might be looking for.

There are in fact three categories for cats, and this is not based on the actual color of the cat as you will notice as you continue reading. These include green cats, which are savvy and adventurous, orange cats which make perfect companions and purple cats which are quiet and seek affection. Gizmo, who is actually a black and white cat, actually fits the orange cat mode as he can't still and he loves going after birds in the front yard, much to our neighbor's shock and horror.

Safe Haven also provides adoption services for cats and kittens as well as foster program. They also have a feline spay and neuter service.

On April 16, Safe Haven will hold its annual fundraiser at the Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh on East Harnett Street.

If you live in the Tri-Cities area and would like to adopt a cat or make a donation, Safe Haven (safehavenforcats.org) can be reached at 919-872-1128