Big and Rich

Chopsticks

Mary, Brad and I watched the movie “Big” on Friday night. I must have seen this movie fifty times. I still love it every time. The scene that takes place in the FAO Schwarz toy story is one of my favorite parts of the movie. I’m not sure why? Perhaps it’s Robert Loggia acting like a little kid with Tom Hanks as they play ‘Chopsticks’ on the big piano.

On another note, here is yet another example of the irony of what I am going through. As I’ve mentioned my PSA continues to climb and on June 9th I will begin Chemotherapy as part of a clinical trial. So what does one do when facing events like this? How about play disc golf three days in a row!

On Friday I played nine holes and qualified (along with my friend Gary) to represent our company in the ‘Kansas City Corporate Challenge’. The event, is like a corporate Olympics and lasts for several weeks. The men’s disc golf event is next Sunday morning.

Saturday, most of the usual gang played and I got a little lesson from young Joe….I added about fifty feet to my average drive! The rest of my game needs a tune up but my drives are looking good!

Even after 5 hours working in the yard yesterday, I played again today with Pete, Joe and Steve. We played at a course I haven’t played at since last summer. This course is longer and harder than our usual course but I shot really good on the front nine but two bad holes on the back cost me a good round.

So after that lead in, one that was probably much too long, I recant – after what I am going through with Prostate Cancer, I can’t believe I played three days straight AND worked in the yard yesterday? Is this crazy or what? No fatigue, no pain…..no worries!!

And now we reach the point where I wax philosophical…..
We are on the 10th hole yesterday, Steve and I started discussing this one particularly loud sound bird. After locating a stunningly beautiful male Cardinal we further discussed the fact that unlike most birds, the male Cardinal is the more colorful bird.

Big deal right? Then yesterday afternoon, I take a break from mowing the grass and I’m sitting on the back steps and I hear the same song. No sooner do I find the Cardinal when up flies his mate. They sit there for a minute or two and off they fly together.

I wish there was more, but that’s the story, just a moment of time from a beautiful spring weekend.

After the letters, we moved on to the numbers

Finishing up on my adventure through my iPod. If you don’t remember, or are new around here, back in September I started listening to my iPod in alphabetical order by song title. It’s been amazing and a fantastic way to shuffle through the entire 6 meg stuffed into my iPod Mini.

With 14 songs to go (of 1307 in total) I got through the letters and switched to songs that being with numbers. First up was:
100 Years by Five for Fighting – a song that hits too close to home, my eyes well up almost every time I listen to it. “there’s never a wish better than this, when you only got a hundred years to live
15 Beers Ago by the Deaf Pedestrians – I think I got this as a free iTunes song. A head banger, I think they are a Dallas based band?
Well I might’ve gone too far
‘Cuz now I’m sitting at the bar
Without a beer and 13 rednecks
At the bar.

And they’re talking about their trucks
And if the Stars will beat the Ducks
And the band onstage that sucks
At the bar.
And this is how I’m gonna end it…

1979 by Smashing Pumpkins – my favorite Pumpkins song by far.
19th Nervous Breakdown by the Rolling Stones. A classic, listed without comment.
29 by the Gin Blossoms. It didn’t garner much (any?) airplay but one of my favorites
Only time will tell if wishing wells
Can bring us anything
Or fade like scenes from childhood dreams
Forgotten memories

3 AM by Matchbox 20. The chorus reminds me of 3 A.M. conversations with Mary.
and she says baby
it’s 3am I must be lonely
when she says baby
well I can’t help but be scared of it all sometimes
the rain’s gonna wash away I believe it

40 by Section 5. This a cover of the U2 of the same title. However, Section 5 is a string quartet and the song is from the album titled “Strung Out on U2” [thanks Gary], the album is a must for any avid U2 fan, very cool.

Finally, what was last? What song was #1307? Was there more irony, as noted in earlier posts? Not really.
The final song happened to be 8th of of November by Big and Rich. Put any disdain you may have for country music and listen to this wonderful tribute to the 173rd Airborne during what some say was one of the deadliest battles in Vietnam.
On the 8th of November,
The angels were crying
As they carried his brothers away.
With the fire raining down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standing that day.
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November.