74) Thoughts On Inspiration

Throughout history humans have accomplished many amazing feats. I am currently reading a book about the aqueducts of the Roman Empire and am amazed on many levels. I become thoroughly impressed anytime I think of the miracles of Space Travel, The Great Wall of China, Lasik surgery, GPS on my phone, the original Star Wars Trilogy, Indoor Plumbing, The Great Pyramids, The Internet, Cowboys Stadium. Not only do I like to think of these feats in and of themselves, but I also wonder what sort of inspiration led to such amazing accomplishments. Since I can only offer suitable insight into men, I will confine my discussion accordingly. However, I fully understand that women play huge roles into mankind's accomplishments and ultimately would love insight into what motivates and inspires women.

So, what inspires men to do the things they do? Without conducting surveys or utilizing any sort of proper research I can deduce that different things inspire different people. Some men are inspired by money. Others by women (and by women I really mean tail). Some men crave power over others. Some want fame. And there are those who simply want quiet contentment. Thinking on all of this has forced me to ask myself what inspires me.

While I am certainly motivated by money, tail and power, this exercise has allowed me to hone in on exactly what inspires me the most. Due to genetics, I am pre-wired with this itching, nagging feeling that resides primarily at the base of my neck. This itching and nagging keeps me from feeling relaxed. For some reason I cannot get this nagging to stop unless I accomplish something with my day. Can almost be anything. I can mow the yard or do a couple of loads of laundry. Or I can work out, or eat a completely vegetarian meal. If I sweep the floors and empty the dishwasher, that will help to dull that feeling. Another strange aspect to this is, my job does not count. If I have a hard day of work, I cannot simply come home and relax. I still have to accomplish something at home.

And while I am doing these things there really is only one thing that keeps me going with a positive attitude. That is: I cannot wait to sit on the couch with a glass of wine or a beer and watch tv/movie with my wife. I will gladly reinforce our rickety fence outside after scooping bagfuls of wiener dog poop if I know I will get to watch an episode of Trublood with L. later that evening. I realize this is somewhat of a lackluster inspiration, but that is what gets me through the tough times.

The takeaway from this post is: there is little chance I will create something monumental. I hate to think how little Thomas Edison would have accomplished if he was content sitting on the couch after sweeping his porch.

73) Bucket List (2011)

I anticipate my bucket list changing as I get older. Here is my list for 2011, in no particular order:

* Publish a novel or sell a screenplay. Either/Or.
* Teach L. how to play the guitar so we can write and record bad music.
* Read Tolstoy's War and Peace.
* Teach my college aged kids how to play hour of power while watching Lonesome Dove. Don't worry, I will cook the big dirty pizza for everyone.
* Run with the bulls at Pamplona.
* Retire and start a business with L. Not sure I care what sort of business. A vineyard, a boxing gym, a wiener dog farm. Doesn't matter because I look forward to the challenge.
* Teach L. how to play chess. This is going to be tougher than it sounds, as L. does not like playing games with me.
* Run L.'s campaign for her judgeship.
* See the US in a FIFA World Cup match with my wife and with my brother in a foreign country...preferably the finals.
* Learn how to play the piano.
* Visit the Japanese village my father spent the first 12 years of his life. I want my father and my wife there with me.
* Meet Tim O'Brien. Shouldn't be too hard because he teaches literature at a college here in Texas.
* Run a marathon (even though I am not sure my shins will let me do this)
* Grow a handlebar mustache. This may actually be more impossible for me than running a marathon.

72) Can't Live Without

The following is a list of the things in this world I cannot live without:

* First and foremost I cannot live without my wife. Without her my life does not work right. I can't settle down enough to know what to do with myself. I don't sleep well. I can't make myself eat right and ultimately I am slowly overwhelmed with a feeling of being lost. In fact, I am often actually lost without her because I literally do not know where I am going most of the time.

To a much lesser degree:

* Pizza, preferably with pepperoni and jalapenos
* A good bottle of red wine
* FIFA World Cup, especially when it involves watching multiple games with my friends and family at all hours of the night
* L.'s red sauce (it is so good...)
* Disney Pixar movies (not including Cars 2)
* My DVRs (I need both of them)
* L.'s impersonations (usually of me, but also include her mom, Polly, Doodle and many others)
* My Ipod
* My dog
* Traveling with L.
* My industrial strength hair dryer...

71) Music Listography

While shopping at the mall L. and I stumbled upon a concept journal titled Music Listography. The journal outlines and asks for lists to be completed around specific ideas. For instance: Favorite love songs, Top songs from 90's, Songs that remind you of best friends. L. and I thought this would be a fun exercise to go through, especially considering how much she and I appreciate music. Our idea is to have 1 book where we include our own lists for each assignment the journal asks. A husband/wife musical history so to speak.

Want to hear something crazy? We bought 2 books. We bought 1 book for us. And then we bought 1 book for our first born child (who is yet to be conceived, BTW). Crazy, huh!? Before you go calling my mom and causing a huge raucous, I must say that we are not preggers, and do not intend to be soon. However, I can say that buying this journal illustrates that a step has been taken. I think it is a small step, but it is definitely a step. In order to ensure that it is a small step, we have packed the book away into a box and stored it securely in the deepest part of our attic.

If there included a page within this journal that asks about my favorite bands from:

20 years ago: Rush, Styx, Boston, Yes

10 years ago: Pearl Jam, Blind Melon, Pink Floyd, Tool/A Perfect Circle

Today: Coldplay, The Police, Jethro Tull

70) Man-Love

Over the years I have developed man-crushes for different men for various reasons. Following is a list of those man-crushes that have had a lasting affect on me throughout my life:























Bill Doran: Bill Doran played second base for the Houston Astros when I was a kid, and I idolized him. Like him, I wore the number 19. He was the first athlete I loved in a long line of athletic man-crushes. I am pretty sure the writers for Major League also loved Bill Doran.




















Ernest Givins: Who can forget the electric slide?




















Arnold: When I was a kid you either loved Arnold or Sylvester. I loved Arnold. Seriously, what are you gonna like better: Running Man, Total Recall, The Terminator or Rambo, Judge Dred, Cobra? This one is not even close.

























Dennis Deyoung: Had a huge man-crush on Dennis Deyoung. Not sure if this qualifies, as Dennis is awfully theatrical to be considered a man.

























Chevy Chase: Of course I loved Chevy Chase. Of that generation (including but not limited to Dan Akroyd, Steve Martin, Bill Murray etc) he was without a doubt my favorite. However, now I must say that Bill Murray is my favorite.





















Bo Jackson: Along with every other boy during this time period I had a huge crush on Bo Jackson. Loved watching him play football more than baseball, but thought it was so cool that he played both so well.































Hakeem Olajuwon: I grew up in Houston and was in high school when Hakeem was dream shakin the Rockets to back to back NBA Championships.





















Eddie Vedder: This one comes as no surprise to anyone. Not sure I like the album where he is only playing a eukelele. But there are few who can compare to the passionate Pearl Jam singer who dominated my music listening for at least a decade, if not more.























Coen Brothers: In college I discovered the greatness that is the Coen Brothers. Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, O'Brother, Fargo, Intolerable Cruelty, True Grit. I can watch any Coen Brother movie at any given time.




























Kurt Vonnegut: I discovered Kurt Vonnegut when I was in college. I read Timequake and was blown away by his style of writing. I quickly purchased almost every available Vonnegut book and read within a couple of months: Bluebeard, Mother Night, Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse Five, Galapagos, Dead Eye Dick, Sirens of Titan. I realized that I was approaching the end of the Vonnegut catalog, so I stopped reading them in order to pace myself. Because of Vonnegut I dedicated many hours to writing. Still trying to write at least one sentence as interesting as any of his...




























Christopher Nolan: My man-crush for Christopher Nolan could not be any healthier. He is putting out great work, including the New Batman movies, The Prestige, Memento, Inception. I look forward to his films above all others coming out these days. If he continues like this he will easily be in the Coen Brothers class.





















Stewart Copeland: I rediscovered The Police recently and have connected with their music primarily because of their drummer. One of the few drummers that can dominate the sound so much so that I do not even hear what else is going on in the music. As a result I bought a drum set and have been trying to teach myself how to play.































Dirk: Not sure that I even need to explain this one. I love me some Dirk!

69) Hate Is A Strong Word

You can tell much about a person by what they hate. Hate is a strong word, and I try not to hate things. However, there are things in this world that bother me. Following is a small list of things I hate:

* I hate driving in traffic.
* Crappy reality TV shows like Kardashians, Real World etc. Pretty much all of them.
Snakes and wasps.
* My cats rubbing their teeth on me.
* Mowing the yard.
* When our electric bill arrives in the summer.
* When I wake up 8 minutes before my alarm is about to go off.
* When my dog eats cat throw up and then tries to lick my face.
* When I eat too much at a meal, even though there is no way to stop myself.
* A really bad headache.
* The parental argument "Because I said so." Though if my kids are as annoying as I was I can easily imagine me using this go to argument.
* Having to use a public restroom for #2.
* When I sweep the living room or vacuum any rug and 5 minutes later the floor is full of cat fur and/or stuffed animal guts.
* When I go to the wrong conference room for a meeting and sit there by myself for few minutes before realizing I am in the wrong place. And then showing up at the correct place late.
* When working professionals do not have a signature in their email so it is difficult to find their phone number.
* When people I care about are unhappy and there is nothing I can do about it.
* Cats. Even though much of my life I have loved cats. Living with them for 10 years has a way of changing perspective.
* When I buy a new shirt and realize someone at my office has the same shirt. This also applies to parties while in college, especially if that other person is an extremely dorking looking girl.

I am sure there are more that belong in this list. If you can think of anything else, feel free to share it in the comments.

68) My Life In Song

The following is a list of songs that comprise the story of my life. This is My Life In Song:

Best of my Love: When I was in elementary school I found a bag of tapes stuffed in a cabinet in our living room. The first one I grabbed was The Eagles. First album I listened to start to finish.

Come Sail Away: Craig introduced me to Styx on a bus to camp in junior high. He brought a walkman and we took turns listening to three songs each. On this trip I listened to Yaz, Styx and The Judies. Obviously I gravitated toward Styx. Come Sail Away was a favorite for many years. Unfortunately it makes me laugh now. But I still love it.

YYZ: Craig introduced me to RUSH, and when I heard the trio jam on YYZ I learned that a song didn't even need lyrics to rock. RUSH was my first concert ever, and I have seen them now each time they have come to Texas. And you can bet I will be there again next time they come.

Amanda: The first song I learned on guitar. For the most part I still know how to play it. And I remember Wally teaching me how to play a bar chord and me being completely amazed by Tom Shultz for writing a song with such a difficult bar chord in it.

Survival: I discovered Yes sometime during high school, and can honestly say this is the strangest band I have connected with. Their music is high brow, overly complicated and dramatically theatrical. However, for a year or more of my life I fell asleep to Survival playing on my stereo. Not a huge Yes fan these days, but I truly love this song.

Immortality: Immortality is the gateway to love of Pearl Jam. I remember one night driving home from a party riding in Dugat's bouncy Jeep. He had a discman velcroed to his dash with Vitalogy in it. I was drunk and tired. I lay in the backseat repeatedly asking Dugat to play Immortality again. Trust me, it is good enough to hear over and over, even if you aren't a high school student on the verge of passing out.

Closer: Freshman year of college consisted of three albums: Oasis (What's The Story Morning Glory), Pearl Jam (Vs) and NIN (Downward Spiral). I am sure all the kids lucky enough to be on our hall know the songs on these three albums. Closer was the song I looked forward to the most of all of the songs. Champagne Supernova was second.

In My Tree: I lived in Houston my sophomore year of college. Probably the worst year of my life. I enjoyed much of Houston's traffic while commuting to U of H. I listened exclusively to Pearl Jam's No Code. In My Tree still brings me back to that year and remembering sitting in my car in our dirt driveway in the heights finishing that song before going inside.

All Mixed Up: I moved back to Waco and lived with Chris and Dugat. Chris introduced me to 311. We threw so many darts and drank so much scotch to 311 it gives me a hangover to think about it. Dugat used to say: All mixed up, don't know what to do. Next thing you turn around and find a booger in your shoe. In fact, he probably still says that if you bring up 311.

Indifference: At some point during college we started singing terrible versions of this song at 3 in the morning. I remember laying behind the back tires of a car singing this until the neighbors threatened to call the cops.

Open: In my final year of school I was introduced to The Cure. I hesitated giving the band a chance. Then I discovered this song. True it has a 3 minute intro, but I used to listen to this song every morning driving to campus from my apartment. The Cure is L.'s favorite band and I cannot hear Robert Smith's voice without thinking of her.

Do It Again: I do not like Steely Dan, but while living in Tyler Guitar Hero came into my life. I played the crap out of this game. As I explored the difficult setting I came across Do It Again. One night I must have played through this song at least 100 times trying to pass it. Poor L. She had to listen to this song over and over, and she had to see me at my most determined. Plus, I ended up drinking lots of whiskey and coke. Sometime in the middle of the night I passed the song and then passed out.

Driven To Tears: We moved back to Dallas and I decided to buy the entire catalog produced by The Police. Not sure what motivated me to do this, but I did it. And it turned out to be a great decision. I discovered that I truly like their music. I also discovered that there is a drummer out there whose style is so strange and mesmerizing that I was inspired to buy a drum set.

New Day Yesterday: For the past 8 months or so I have been in this huge Jethro Tull funk. Not sure why, but I have been listening to their pre-Aqualung albums and have really connected with Benefit and Stand Up.

This list is getting long, so I will stop now.