A Young Lady’s Gift

For the past couple months I had planned on writing something for this Christmas weekend. I thought I might come up with something interesting and reflective, the kind of words that make ya think and feel good about yourself when that Christmas spirit softens us all a little bit.

But I’m not going to. The reason is a video I’d like you to watch in a moment.

My brother-in-law and sister’s niece Katie is a super gifted singer. She’s only in 7th grade yet just won a singing competition for performers across Southwestern Pennsylvania. In addition to a cash prize, Katie will be performing at First Night, a huge celebration in the city of Pittsburgh.

Her mom told me that the competition was open to boys and girls from 6th-12th grade. And Katie beat ’em all! Everyone’s really proud of her and if you watch this video you’ll see why.

I hope every one of you have a fantastic weekend with your family and friends.

What’s your favorite Christmas song?

Special Holiday Greeting from Me! (and Michael Jordan)

Well, it’s that time of year again, the season of wonderment and merriment and bloggy Christmas cardiment.

Some of you know what happened last year when I brought all the insiders behind the scenes of my Christmas card photo shoot. I’m about to do it all again with a little help from my friends*.

It’s about to get real up in here like Kim Kardashian. Or something.

I hope my dog doesn’t pee on Michael Jordan because he’s been growling at him all day.

*I don’t really have any friends, just my dog**.

**My dog’s name is Romy.

What celebrity would you like to be in a Christmas card photo shoot with?

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah to everyone!

The 12 Days of Gen X Christmas

Can you help me finish my 12 Days of Gen X Christmas song? I need #5. And most of the other ones need help too.

16 Candles…Wait, you can’t start there.

12 Brat Pack movies

11 Smurfin’ Smurfs

TEN from Pearl Jam

9 Light Sabres

8 inch hi-top fade

7 Muppets singing

6 mix tapes

5 Missing things / Breakfast Club detainees / ___________________

4 mutant ninja turtles

3 Matrix movies

2Pac rappin / 2 Mario Brothers / 2 Legit to Quit

And a cartridge for my Atari

What should #5 be? What should any number be?

Best suggestion wins free guitar lessons from me.

How Does the New Sherlock Holmes Movie Rank Against Other Sequels?

So I saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie. My buddy WD and I had been planning on hitting opening weekend for a while. During a preview earlier this month I heard one critic describe the movie by saying this current film Game of Shadows is better than the original. You don’t hear that too often.

Image via Wikipedia

He was right.

Whether you are new to this Holmes guy or have a solid background in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle canon, you’ll enjoy this film. Well, unless you don’t like good movies. Guy Ritchie directs marvelously. I’m not sure what all cinematography encompasses, but this movie should win Best Cinematography for 2011. That’s a thing, right?

This stellar follow up got me thinking about sequels that were as good as or better than the original. What do you think of these picks?

Back to the Future II–Maybe not better than the original but definitely great. BTTF is my favorite trilogy of all time. Get it? Time?

The Dark Knight–Okay, I know they’ve made like a jillion Batman movies but we can call clean slate on the latest rendition. Of course Heath Ledger stole the show as The Joker, but what a great film.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan–The original Star Trek movie is a disaster, just atrocious (although Mamma Mia makes it look like Casablanca). The rest are pretty good with the exception of #5 which is hard to watch. Oh yeah, I hear there’s also this Star Wars trilogy that had a pretty good run.

T2–I didn’t see the original Terminator until I was a teenager, after I saw T2. In fact, this sequel was the first R rated movie that MamaClaytion let me go to. I went with my friend and his dad during a trip to Erie. I still think it’s way better than the original.

Superman II—I loved Superman when I was a kid. LOVED it. Still do in fact. This sequel had everything including the unthinkable: Clark willingly giving up his powers for love just as the evil General Zod (Terence Stamp) shows up.

I’m trying to think of any major oversights here, so I’ll ask you…

What are some of the best sequels of all time?

How about WORST sequels?

My Big Fat Greek Penance

It’s payday. Not the kind where I happily collect checks and go to the bank. No, today is the day I pay for my transgressions as a wayward, gambling Steelers fan.

Forgive me Thoughtsy, for I have sinned.

Many of you already know about my now legendary wager with Miss Thoughtsy Appears over the recent Balitmore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers football game and how I was a big fat loser.

So I had to watch the worst chick flick that Thoughtsy and her evil minions readers could come up with.

They picked a doozy called Mamma Mia! Don’t let that exclamation point confuse you. It’s in the title. I wasn’t excited. At all.

But I’m a man of my word, so I took my medicine and watched one of the greatest atrocities ever put on film. And I’ve got a guest post over at Thoughts Appear to prove it. I hope it makes you laugh so the universe can be evened out after all the tears I shed while enduring Pierce Brosnan’s voice amidst an estrogen fest of the devil.

Politics and Religion: The Party Taboos

One of my favorite parts of being a professor is that I work in places where the open exchange of ideas is expected. They say you should never talk about politics and religion at a party, but I get to teach about that stuff in the academy.

The biggest reason these topics are taboo is that so many people get too emotional at the expense of intellect. But it shouldn’t be that way.

I like to think about these things, especially at a time like this when Time magazine makes The Protester it’s “Person of the Year.” That’s a great call when you think about how much the world changed over these past few months.

I have a lot of unpublished thoughts on all kinds of spiritual-cultural topics but try to use this space sparingly for much of that. In a few days I’m going to post about my new web presence coming in 2012 and will be asking you for specific ideas to help design the new direction*.

One part of that new web stuff will be a place to bring a different side of my brain to the internet discussion. I like the phrase that Donald Miller used in the subtitle of his phenomenal book Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality.

I’ve written a guest post along these lines for my friend Kim Wilson about how Christians can look like ignorant protesters if we’re not careful. I hope you’ll head over there, check it out, and join the discussion.

*No, eduClaytion isn’t going anywhere, just getting a face lift.

Is Seattle Giving Up Coffee for Skittles?

Image via Wikipedia

I love Skittles. They are simply delicious, yet my adoration for their sweet tastiness is complex. So I am getting a kick out of the crazy run they are getting as a result of a football player and his mom.

Marshawn Lynch is a running back for the Seattle Seahawks who is also known for being very hard to tackle. Sometimes, he will run over every player on the other team and keep going.

A couple of weeks ago, he made one of his folk legend type jaunts. Then the cameras showed him meeting his mother on the sidelines. It was a sweet moment. The announcers explained why she was holding a bag of Skittles, because when Marshawn was a kid he used to get them for great runs or touchdowns.

I. Love. That. This kid’s running down the field just smashing other children and thinking “Skittles Skittles Skittles…” That’s just a funny thing for a football player to even chant.

Look At Me In Tennessee!

I am uber proud today to announce that one of my favorite guest posts I’ve ever written is appearing live at Jessica Buttram’s site.

Not only is Jess a terrific person who’s insanely funny but she’s also a terrific person. And while I’m at it I should mention that she’s also now a fellow resident with me in Knox McCoy’s Awesometown. So congratulations to her on this week’s induction!

Today’s topic is hopefully timely and should make you smile. Or laugh. Or at least think about where I stand with the Rockettes. Haha, that will make sense to you later. Maybe. It’s what we in the trade* call a “teaser”.

But don’t hang around here all day, the fun’s over at the Buttram’s! Be sure to take your comments there too because I’ve left a challenge for you to do better than me. See you over there!

*The trade of tomfoolery.

With a Name Like Smucker, It’s Gotta Be Good

I’ve been looking forward to this one. Shawn Smucker (follow him on Twitter) is one of the good guys, a fellow author, Pennsylvanian, and Choose Your Own Adventure enthusiast. He’s also just released his latest book, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far. We had some fun back and forth earlier this week and made the world a better place. Here’s a sampling.

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1. Let’s start with the basics. What are 3 of your favorite movies.

I am a huge movie fan, so it’s tough to narrow it to three. I do love Michael Mann films, and Heat is right at the top of my list. I love the retelling of myths and fairy tales: Pan’s Labyrinth comes to mind. I have a love/mostly hate relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio, but The Departed was fantastic.

2. Tell us about your immediate family.

My wife is awesome. She puts up with my utter lack of concern regarding money or the future, which takes a special kind of person. She has gone with me to Jacksonville, Florida, then to England, then Virginia, and even a few dark and depressing months living in my parent’s basement after my painting business went to pot in 2009. She believes in me, which is really more than I can ask for or deserve.

We have four kids, ages 8, 7, 3 and 2. I spend most of my parenting life either laughing hysterically at the things they say or weeping at how much what I say sounds like my parents.

3. We’re both Pennsylvanians, but you rock the East side and I’m a SouthWestie. What’s the best thing about living in Eastern PA?

Eastern PA is awesome because I’m a Steelers fan and I get to make fun of my many Eagles-fan relatives. Their petty boasting is always hushed when I hold up six fingers (not on one hand).

4. Okay, let’s talk writing. I like how you pull writing lessons from different movies. Which of those movie breakdowns is your personal favorite?

I need to start doing this more often. My personal favorite is “Five Writing Lessons I Learned From Dumb and Dumber,” if only because it includes the classic line, “We got no food, no jobs…our PETS’ HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!”

5. We share a love for Choose Your Own Adventure books, and you even used that concept for a sweet blog series that your readers were able to complete. So here are two options for you.

a. You can have a time machine to jump all around the past for 100 years, but the day you return to your current life you’ll die or…

b. You live a healthy life from now on until the age of 100, but the time machine goes to someone else.

What do you choose?

Happy Not Dying To Me!

It’s my birthday again. This happens every year. I never know what I’m going to write about on my special day. In the past it’s been all boob jobs and hair. Somehow this year ended up being about He-Man and a drippy bathmat. Go figure.

See, I recently moved into this new place. In the process I’ve been going through loads of stuff including boxes filled with the nostalgia of my youth. One of those boxes contained my old He-Man figures from when I was a kid.

I remember getting a bunch of these for my 9^th birthday. The party was held at Chuck E Cheese’s because that’s where a kid could be a kid. That birthday was especially memorable because we didn’t usually do big parties with all kinds of people. I got such cool presents and was allowed to spin the free token birthday wheel. I really wanted 50. I got 16. I played Frogger.

It’s funny what you remember about certain birthdays.

I remember becoming a teenager. I sat on the couch with my mom and opened a present she had wrapped for me. For some reason my aunt and sisters weren’t around that evening. I think we watched Singin’ In the Rain because I wanted to laugh and imagine that I was as cool as Cosmo Brown. I wasn’t very cool during high school, but I was at least a nice guy even if I did finish last sometimes. I don’t remember any birthdays during high school.

I remember a little about my 18^th birthday. I was nearing the end of my first semester at university. I had been home for cake and ice cream. My sister took me to the store and drove me back to campus. She told me to pick what I wanted. I got the Smashing Pumpkins newest album, a double cassette of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. I listened to “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” way too much. I also got Madden ’95 for Super Nintendo which I played way too much.

What Muppet are You?

We’re going full-blown, Muppets out tribute this week. (I’ve already reviewed the movie). And now it’s your turn to get in on the best act going right now, so I want you to cast your own bad self in The Muppet Show.

But of course we’re doing this eduClaytion style. That means I want your Muppet personality profile.

I got this idea months ago from a couple places. First, the picture you see off to the right here. I think it’s even funnier if you understand Dungeons & Dragons, but I’ve literally never heard one person ever talk about that let alone play the thing. I did get a D & D beach towel from my grandma one year when I was a kid, but none of us knew it was based on a game. But I digress.

The other inspiration for this post came from a comment by my dear fryber Renee. In response to some other eduClaytion Muppetry a while back, she had this to say:

I have a bad boy/geek thing when it comes to favorite muppets. Go figure. I adore Animal, the Muppet wild-chid. C’mon. Who doesn’t? … But I also had a thing for good ole Kermit, a deep thinker: a little quiet, reserved. The kind of Muppet you might want to go and sit next to and chat about meta stuff, like the cosmos.

So – bottom line – I dated a lot of Animals, but I married a Kermit!  

That made me think about who our favorite Muppets are and why. Then I started wondering what Muppet I’m most like.

Muppet Mania!

I finally saw the new Muppets movie. I say finally because is was out almost 48 hours before I was able to get to the theater. You can read a few of my thoughts in a minute, but I’ve asked Lee of College Ready Writing fame (find her on Twitter) to pitch in her thoughts as well.

Image via Wikipedia

She might just be the biggest fan I know. Take it away Lee.

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Clay, I have to say that I am pre-disposed to absolutely adore this movie; not only am I a rabid Muppet fan (as outlined right here and at my own blog), but I am also a huge Jason Segel fan, dating way back to his Freaks and Geeks days (if you don’t know Freaks and Geeks, find it, watch it, and thank me later).

My kids, aged 2 and 4, have been raised on the Muppets; we own the first three seasons of The Muppet Show on DVD (get on those last two seasons, Disney!) and we also watch Sesame Street Old School on DVD.

This movie worked for me on so many levels. The new songs were catchy, sweet, and fit the movie quite well. As for the critique that Kermit would never had abandoned the gang and holed himself up in a Bel-Air mansion? I just don’t buy it. Maybe Frank Oz didn’t agree to do the movie because it hit a little too close to home for him. How many of the old Muppet crew still, in fact, work together? Life goes on, and often in directions we don’t plan or expect. I think that particular detail rang the truest for me.

Thanksgiving

When I was in 5th grade, my super teacher Mrs. Smith had all kind of fun stuff going on including how to acronym it up. So in honor of Mrs. Smith, I’m going to give it another try. Here’s a simple sample of some of the many things I’m thankful for:

Always thankful for Starbucks!

Today–I thank God for every day I wake up. It’s a gift.

Home–My new apartment is fantastic!

Another Muppet Movie–Can’t wait to see it!

National Military–Thank you all who serve our country.

Kin–My family is honestly too great to describe, but the word kin also reflects friends who are as close as family.

Success–Any success I have is also a gift from above.

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We’re so ridiculously blessed in America and in the West. It’s great to take a day and pause for gratitude.

Here are just a few of the fine Thanksgiving posts I’ve caught this week. These folks express thankful sentiments better than I could, so please click and enjoy.

Thanks for Nothing by RobShep

Pilgrim, As You Journey by Piper Bayard

An Attitude of Gratitude by Kristen Lamb

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

None of Your Business?

I’ve been thinking recently about something I was told years ago after some guy threw me through his kitchen wall. Well, let me back that thing up for a second.

As a private school educated 17-year-old, I was especially naive during my first semester at university. About midway through that first year, I started going to places I shouldn’t have gone where other college kids did the kinds of things that college kids do.

Image from mobilehomerenovation.com

My roommate was older and suave and eventually allowed me to tag along with the “cool” kids. One of the weekly haunts was the apartment of a guy I’ll call Bender.

Bender was an upperclassman with a cool nickname and the adoration of more than one female including a particular girl I crushed on for two straight years. (She never went for me despite my secret strategy of being too afraid to really talk to her).

One late night I found Bender alone in his kitchen basically spazzing out. He was gritting his teeth and punching himself in the face kind of like he might be getting ready to play linebacker in the big game. I remember thinking how bad one of those punches would hurt me. After all, I was weighing in at a whopping 155 pounds back then.

Pittsburgh Lights It Up!

Hey all you holiday cheerers, it’s Professor Scrooge here to show you what happened in Pittsburgh Friday night.

I got stuck in traffic, that’s what, because apparently we’re celebrating Christmas. Whaaaaat?! Trees were lit, Santa showed (I hear), and cheer was consumed. Personally, I think people just like to make excuses to a) spend money and b) drink.

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet people.

Here's the going into work part.

But I’m a man of the people. Or at least for the people. Either way, I took exclusive footage for you, yes you, that’s right you, dear reader/viewer.