Minor Revelations
September 20, 2005 · Filed Under general
5 things about me that I haven’t mentioned (or expounded on) before in this blog…
- I like, and try to exclusively use, fountain pens. My current ink of choice is Noodler’s Ink (Legal Lapis [blue], Waterproof Black, & Red-Black). I tend toward the lower/cheaper end of the spectrum (i.e., none of my pens cost more than ~$65, and the majority cost in the $20 range), with my favorite brands being Rotring, Wality, & Pelikan. My favorite pen-related vendors are Pendemonium & Swisher Pens. My current paper of choice is made by Rhodia & sold by FollyFolio. Writing, when using a good pen to put great ink onto quality paper, is a sublime experience.
- I love Boston Terriers. I have been around BT’s my entire life (38 yrs as of 11/02), and I plan on always having at least one around from here on out. Currently, we have a 3 y/o male named Hammie. My first foray into creating a website was for Hammie’s sister Bwanna, who was the first “child” my wife & I had (from just before our first anniversary in 1990 until her passing last year). Courtesy of the Internet Wayback Machine, you can see Bwanna’s home page as it was in April of 2001, which included a photo album of the Piper family Bostons that was current at that time. Pugs & French Bulldogs are also cool little beasties, but BT’s are the best!
- A new, growing obsession of mine is Scrabble. I’m currently in the “honeymoon” type of stage, where I’m almost obsessive in wanting to learn more about the game & its strategies, and more than a little impatient with my (lack of) progress along the learning curve.
- I love cartoons, but not universally. From the “Golden Age” of cartoons in the 1940’s & 1950’s, Warner Bros. toons are by far the best. I’ve always preferred the WB Looney Toons/Merrie Melodies stable of characters & toons to those from Disney or MGM (e.g., Tom & Jerry). These Golden Age cartoons are my overall favorites. From the 1960’s, there were only a few that I liked, and continue to like. I find most of the Hanna-Barbera toons to have aged quite poorly, while ones like Bullwinkle are still quite good, thanks to their high-quality writing. I also like the Charlie Brown cartoons (esp. the ones for Christmas, Halloween, & Thanksgiving), even though they (much like the comic strip could) make me sad — but a good kind of sad. I remember many TotalTelevision offerings (like Underdog & Tennessee Tuxedo), along with other cheesy toons like Speed Racer & Kimba, quite fondly, even though they don’t really hold up too well today. The Freling-Depatie offerings were horrible, IMO. The 1970’s & 1980’s were, in terms of cartoons, a vast wasteland. There was a renaissance in cartoons beginning in the early 1990’s with the arrival of Ren & Stimpy (though it was never the same once John K. got forced out…). The Simpsons is good, but Futurama was better. Current favorites include The Fairly Oddparents and Catscratch.
- Rock Star: INXS is better than American Idol! This may surprise some of you who’ve read my (sometimes way too detailed) reviews of AI, but RS:INXS (which ends tonight — go Marty!) has improved upon the formula that AI established (and kudos to Mark Burnett for that!). The music is better (genre and performance), the judging is better (Dave Navarro rocks!), and the House Band is incredible!! I also like the way in which the voting is run (where the public votes for the bottom 3, from which the band chooses the person sent home), as it helps safeguard against some of the injustices that AI is forced to endure. RS:INXS also does a better job in letting us get to know the contestants. Oh yeah, and the host of RS:INXS is better than AI’s…
Ok, that’s about it for this round of self-revelation. It went a little longer than I’d planned (particularly #4), but as I find editing to be more painful than writing, I’m leaving it well enough alone. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask/make them, and I’ll do my best to respond intelligently…
-ghp
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