Sometimes, Some Things Make Me Cry.

I’m a guy, so I never cry. But, as the title goes sometimes, some things do make me cry. It’s a natural human emotion and I am man enough to admit to it. This, however, is not going to be about all the things that make me cry; you don’t care about that and I certainly have no need to share my sensitivities that only occur when it’s raining. Nonetheless, it’s time we share a tender moment together and delve into our feelings over a nice, freshly brewed cup of tea.

For me, nothing gets me crying more than a good Bruce Willis movie, like the Die Hard movies or Red or even 16 Blocks, in which he sports an outstanding mustache.  In the grand scheme of things, a good Bruce Willis tear-jerker keeps it all in perspective for me. When poor John McClain gets sucked into another scenario where he is the only one that can be the hero and save the day, that just hits me right in the tear ducts man. The pain he goes through must really hurt – I mean emotionally, of course. Probably physically as well.

But, even more than that, sitting down next to the fireplace while sipping on some tea and reading a good emotionally gripping-novel with some historically accurate inaccuracies like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. This book is so emotionally gripping that my copy has several tear-stained pages. There is not a doubt in my mind that the library’s copy has some of the same problems…from many other patrons’ leaking eyes.

Then there is Justin Bieber. “I’ll be honest with you, I love his music. I do. I’m a “Justin Bieber” fan. For my money, I don’t know if it gets any better than when he sings “When a Man Loves a Woman”.” Bieber brings on a whole other level of sentimentality.  Every song he bellows from his velvety smooth vocal chords brings out emotions in me that I just don’t understand. He sends me to tears with one note. He’s just that good.

As you can plainly see, I’m an emotional fellow. I may not cry at every time a vampire shines like a diamond for me or for every lost love, but I have my moments and that is exactly what they are…my moments. Plus, I kinda lied; this did turn out to be about my times of tenderness.

P.S. I never Cry, never. I don’t care what you say…..never. Plus, I’m more of a Michael Bolton fan. He just gets me.

Post Apocalypse Depression

Well, I guess we made it to another new year and we avoided the apocalypse yet again. I don’t know about you, but I am extremely disappointed with this fact. I mean either I was going to become a zombie (unlikely), or I was going to hunt zombies (probably). Either one would have been great. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MAYANS and your false prophecy of doom! I guess you have now made yourselves completely irrelevant to much of modern society and it is time your ancient society fades into oblivion just like all those other societies that no longer exist and we can no longer remember.  As a consequence, like after Y2K, we are left with a pre-apocalyptic world. Thanks for getting our hopes up with your calendar that ends for no reason.

There are, however, a couple of things I liked about 2012, and since the world did not end, you can check them out from the library.

1. Music…Cat Power, Mumford and Sons, Alabama Shakes, fun., Norah Jones, Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men.

Then. Movies….The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy, The Pirates, The Amazing Spider-Man, One for the Money.

C. Books….Unholy Night written by Seth Grahame-Smith, Doctor Who: Shada: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams written by Gareth Roberts, The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga.

Finally. TV Shows…..Once Upon a Time, Justified, Mad Men, Burn Notice, The Walking Dead.

Not necessarily in that order. So if you are frustrated with your pre-apocalyptic world and need something to take your mind off the regular everyday mundane world, those are just a few of the things that you can find at your friendly neighborhood library. It is okay if you don’t like the things I listed above, just stop reading my posts. Right now. I mean it.  You are now dead to me…dead I tell you. Really, just find something you do like, that would be great.

Revenge of the 90′s…or Why We Learned to Love Our Flannel Shirts.

Ahhh the flannel shirt….it is the iconic look of the angst ridden youth of the nineties, a time when rebellion meant looking like a lumber jack fresh out of bed. It was easy.  It went great with a pair of ripped jeans. Plus, Eddie Vedder wore it and he was in Pearl Jam. It was a time when Miley Cyrus’ dad had a number one hit and big hair bands were still the rage. Underground grunge radio was emerging like Winona Ryder in a Tim Burton film (I’m not sure what that means so don’t ask).

Now that we are a decade into the twenty-first century all the music that inspired our flanneled-filled angst has returned with a vengeance. Many, many artist have returned to try and find the magic they once had back in the day. This seems like the place to list them, but who wants to read that? Plus, that would require me to look up each and every artist that has made said comeback and that is too much like work for me to do.There are at least 30 or more; you can sort through this list to find your favorite and then visit the library to check them out.

With that said,  those now iconic flannel shirts need to be dug out of the back of your closet, because they are back and ready for revenge. Just ask George Lucas, he never got rid of his and he just made over $4 billion. So here is what should happen, everyone everywhere needs to grab their dirtiest, grungiest flannel and wear it every day to work until they make $4 billion. Because the flannel shirt is the new power suit. Or….OR just watch The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit; maybe it is the old school power suit. Either way, flannel should be your everyday go-to shirt for everyday things such as meeting with the President or the CEO of your company.

While you are at it, grow some facial hair…mustache, beard, whatever…it will go nicely with your new flannel look. By the way here are some of my favorite nineties artists that released some new tuneage in the last two years…Foo Fighters, Cat Power, Flogging Molly, Radiohead, Ben Folds Five, and Eddie Vedder just to name a few. They all wore flannel and so should you.

I want my Barbie Dictionary!

Does anybody use a dictionary anymore? I mean the book, where you have to open the pages and have some semblance of the alphabetical order and maybe a slight grasp of how to spell the word you are looking up. You can’t replace the good old ink-and-paper, handy dandy dictionary (some aren’t so handy dandy; Webster has gotten a little bloated). Sure, you can now use the internet to look up the word you want (try dictionary.com). Most computer programs, if not all, have spell check. Even Words with Friends tells you that mess of letters you tried to play is not an acceptable word. So, I guess the good old dictionary is being replaced. I mean, I don’t own one.

Upon further review, it seems as though the dictionary is branching out. Trying new things. Exploring new concepts. Gradually sneaking up on you until all of the sudden you notice it again. Like an old friend that never really left your side even though you made new friends like the computer or spell check. Lo and behold, It’s not just for words anymore…..

Star Wars has given the dictionary an all-new identity with their line of visual dictionaries found at the library. (I own all of these, of course)

There is also, the believe it or not, the Math dictionary (I’m not sure what that’s about, never read it, never will. I am assured it does exist).

Or  the Lover’s Dictionary (okay, I think this one is more a work of fiction rather than a dictionary).

Let’s not forget the Dictionary of Wholesome Foods (I have no idea what that means, but I did not see a Big Mac in there anywhere).

Even baseball has its own dictionary (apparently there are a lot of baseball-specific terms because it is a very thick book at almost 1000 pages).

And then, my (and I assume everybody’s) favorite dictionaries are The Curious George Dictionary and, of course, The Barbie Picture Dictionary.

Okay, so there are a lot of dictionaries out there. Plus, dictionaries are smart to diversify  from just defining words and whatever else they were doing (balancing tables). So, head on out to the library and check out latest fad…dictionaries. That’s right, it’s a thing now.

Radio Friendly?

With all the hubbub about all things London (they had some kind of sporting event somewhere in that area or something), I thought it appropriate to share a little London music. The band Mumford and Sons may not be known by everyone but they are slowly gaining international notoriety, including here in the states. Their debut album, Sigh No More, even garnered a couple of Grammys. So, in what may be a ploy to gain more fans, the band has decided to release another album called Babel. Both are available or soon to be available at CCPL. Their rootsy approach to music can certainly be compared to Americana even though they are British.

Meanwhile, if you are waiting for the new Justin Bieber CD, Believe, to become available to check out or that other Canadian Carly Rae Jepson and her catchy song “Call Me Maybe” to finally arrive at you local library or heck that Josh Turner guy that sings country music, try Mumford and Sons. They may not be in a constant rotation on your favorite radio station but you may find you just might like them.

If you find yourself liking the awesomeness of Marcus Mumford (that’s the Mumford in Mumford and Sons, but the other guys are not really his sons) and his merry friends, then there may be some other bands you may enjoy that might be at the library. For instance, The Black Keys, who are from Akron, Ohio, which is not England. Maybe try Band of Horses, who are also American. Or something new and not British like the Lumineers.  One more non-Brit, you may like who is absolutely fantastic is Ray Lamontagne. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to check out new music at the library; it’s free (as long as you return it on time), so why not try it?

We all like different music and we all have different tastes. There are a ton of different musicians and music you may have never heard before but may come to like. Those were just a few suggestions; go to the library and find your own new favorite artist.