Will Norton: The Most Powerful Story I’ve Ever Blogged

Some months ago I scheduled the blog post for this day, a Friday Flick Faceoff around the theme of natural disaster movies including Twister. Then the Joplin tornado happened, and I didn’t want to write that post anymore. Then I learned about the incredible life of Will Norton.

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On May 22, a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. Millions of people now know the story of Will Norton, the 18 year old who could not survive the storm that struck as he drove home from his high school graduation service.

The storm ripped him from his vehicle even as his father in the passenger seat struggled to hold him. A cell phone and graduation cap were the only thing found until Will’s body was discovered a few days later. He was reportedly reciting Scripture in those final moments. But the story goes deeper.

I first heard about Will through Amy, one of my original blogging acquaintances. Her family survived the deadly tornado despite harrowing conditions that she recounted in a powerful way. Her description of the town in the days following the tragedy will shake you.

I learned about the discovery of Will’s body when I came across a link Amy put on Facebook. She only added “What an amazing life. Thinking today about Will’s family and friends.” The search for the high school grad had come to an unhappy end, but Amy linked to a video called “50” by Will Norton. I got choked up when I watched it, kind of like the way I feel now as I write this.

How To Screw Up Getting Published

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You know you are a little too busy when you get published and don’t even realize it, but that’s exactly what happened to me last month.

Remember vaClaytion when I went to Clearwater Beach for those few days? Well, on the day I left a website called Pop Matters ran a feature story I wrote on their front page! Exciting eh? Due to some miscommunication I never realized that my story was out there in cyberspace being enjoyed by faceless masses kind enough to pound the tweet button.

Through a simple follow up message with one of the editors I discovered that my story had been in the top ten for 2 weeks. Also exciting even though I didn’t know. This short saga somehow brings closure to that whole “tree falling in the woods with no one around” dilemma. Yes, it makes a sound.

So now comes the fun part where I get to tell someone. I hope some of you will click over to check out my latest feature, a true combo of pop culture and the meaning of life as I am wont to do. The article is called Retirement of a Gen X Gamer, or My 8 Bit Childhood.

Pop Matters gets about 1 million visitors a month, so I’m happy to be on the board over there. Every credit helps, a fact I’m especially aware of as I type this post from a writer’s conference outside Chicago.

Then again, I’m gonna try to not stay so busy that I miss the good parts! Like my man Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

10 Huge Sports Moments of the 1980s

Today’s Life & Times of Gen X comes from the uber-clever Heather of Prawn & Quartered. You may remember her contribution to our post on the best movie villains of the 1980s. I appreciate Heather’s Gen X ways as well as her affinity for all things A-Team.

We also share a lifelong enjoyment of sports and like to find the bigger cultural meaning in those contests (hockey savvy readers will note the timely crossover between the current NHL Finals and the end of this list).

So Heather was a natural to take on a must have post in memories of Generation X and friends. Here are her top 10 moments. I’m posting an abbreviated version of a fantastic breakdown which you can find by visiting her site. Check it out!

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Wide-Eyed World of Sports: A Gen X’er Remembers

If you’re a fellow Gen X’er, you remember the Wide World of Sports, which recently celebrated its 50^th anniversary. You also remember having only (maybe) a half-dozen channels on which to watch sports.

Until the mid-80s, there was no NFL Network, no DirectTV sports packages, no countless variations of ESPN. Don’t get me wrong; I really like today’s instantaneous, 24/7 coverage of sports. I never need to call anybody to ask what the score is as in years past. It’s only a click away.

At the same time, I’ve gotten oversaturated on sports. With so many choices on so many networks it all becomes one big blur after a while.

One thing about growing up in the 80s: I became a fan of sports for sports’ sake. I still have my favorites (baseball and hockey), but I watched everything from alpine skiing to weightlifting in those pre-ESPN days. I developed a deep appreciation for the skills behind different sports and the strategy employed by players and coaches. Never much of a competitive athlete myself, I soaked it in through commentary and, in many cases, the Cold War subtext of it all.

It’s been said that people do not remember days but rather moments. I’m too young to have seen some of the classic sports moments as anything but grainy archival footage. But there were plenty of moments that stuck with me. Here I’m taking a trip–as a baseball announcer might say–way, way back…

PTP at PNC!

Wow, I got so busy I almost forgot to post this week’s PTP! This recap comes from PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates–a baseball franchise with a proud tradition of blowing stuff up, especially when they win. WD and I entered the madness.

What I might’ve said if I had filmed myself for more than 30 seconds:

1. I talked a lot this week.

2. Like a really lot.

3. My first academic conference presentation went very well. Phenomenal response as we managed to pull over a quarter of the conference attendees into our session for Pop Teacher. Professors were sitting on the floor along the walls because…

4. People really want to know the secret to communicating to the current generation.

5. Then I slept for a really long time, especially because…

Why Morgan Freeman Will Be At My Funeral

Earlier in the week many of you saw my video from the old cemetery I used to work at. Being back there brought back loads of memories at every turn from the nickname of every section in the yard to the hose I would cool off with on those broiling days. I could feel the sweat-stuck shirt, grass-covered jeans, and heavy work boots like it was yesterday.

I also went past many familiar stones with names you get familiar with in a strange way when you circle them in a ceaseless loop of grooming. Ah, the hard days of a simple life.

As I strolled around I remembered a question Knox McCoy asked me in that now legendary interview for Awesometown.

“If you had to put a movie line on your tombstone, what would it be?”

Anyone who knows me understands how much I love that question. I’ll seriously think about that one until the day comes when it’s time to apply my selection. Here’s how I answered:

I could go classic and predictable like Braveheart: “Every man dies; not every man really lives.”

Or sci-fi quirky Back to the Future II: “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”

But I think I’ll go with a little Shawshank [Redemption]: “Get busy living or get busy dying.”

That last one is courtesy of Morgan Freeman who turned 74 on Wednesday. I also considered that sage of the 80s Ferris Bueller who said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Knox’s question is too good to not ask the whole world. So now I’m asking you:

What movie quote would you put on your tombstone?

Would you go with one of my picks? I’d love to hear your thought process on this one, so come on back with as many good ones as you can think up.

What Happened To Me?

If a picture is worth a thousand words then I’m about to give you a Russian novel’s worth. I suppose these pictorial revelations were bound to happen now that I’m a big blogstar and all.

How did it come to this?

That’s right, it’s School Photo Day here in the blogosphere, and wouldn’t you know I got a freakin’ zit right on my nose. I just can’t let Winnie Cooper see me like this.

I’d like to blame thank three particular people for bringing these images out in the open, but unfortunately my attorney keeps telling me to leave Kate Beckinsale, Diane Kruger, and Emily Blunt alone. So instead I’ll mention:

1. Jessie for digging these out in the first place. I’d feign something unnatural but the truth is that these pics are bloggy gold. Plus I already had a little fun with her in this post, and she’s a great sport.

2. Then there’s Keenie Beanie who dug up a picture of little eduClaytion that I haven’t seen in a loooong time. She considered blackmailing me with it but quickly realized how futile that would be since I’m the guy who already did this in front of the world.

3. Then there’s Ironic Mom who is the true creator of this whole School Photo Day. So you should really be jumping onto her site today whether it’s to leave your picture post or just to check out hers.

Okay then, off we go! I know you want to see me in drag so feast your eyes on this tasty treat.

Memorial Day Tribute: The Legend of “Bun” Troy

Americans set aside Memorial Day to remember the sacrifices of current and past servicemen and women. The last Monday in May also kicks off the summer season. So here’s a small tribute on a beautiful day.

Sorry about the loud wind for a few seconds early on. We were fighting some tough ambient noise.

The 1912 Detroit Tigers team that Bun Troy played on was notable for a couple reasons. First, Troy was teammate to Ty Cobb–one of the greatest and nastiest ballplayers who ever lived. During a May game in Manhattan that year Cobb charged into the stands after a fan who had been taunting and insulting him all afternoon. Cobb beat the man–a political hack named Claude Lucker–mercilessly and was suspended. The Tigers players went on the first baseball strike to protest.

1912 was also the first season the team played in Tigers Stadium. On April 20 that year, Shoeless Joe Jackson of Cleveland became the first player to ever score a run in that stadium.

Baseball is a game of statistics, so here’s one for you. In total, five Major League Baseball players died in World War I.

Americans served alongside brave fighters from many countries during those World Wars. England, Canada, France, Russia, Australia and more sent some of their best citizens to challenge aggressions and defend freedom. We all remember in different ways but universally appreciate the willingness of someone to sacrifice their life for others.

I wrote this Memorial Day tribute last year to honor a few men who went above and beyond the call of duty in ways that are nearly impossible to grasp. Check out their stories and find some more from the folks around you. They’re pretty amazing.

I’d love to see some more great tributes so leave any such links you have written or found in the comments below.

Who do you know that’s served? Feel free to leave their name here today.

Memorial Day 2011 At The Cemetery

I’ve mentioned before how I used to work at a cemetery. This week’s PTP includes visual proof.

Yes, I’ve heard all the jokes about having a lot of people under my feet when I worked there. And yes, that place was dead 😉 Now onto this week’s picks!

I’m a little behind on this one, but Ellie Ann Battles The Virtue was just another strong effort from one of my favorite internet peoples in the universe.

Did you hear this amazing story of a lost class ring. Jesse Taylor Mattos lost his ring before World War II! It’s worth waiting through the short commercial on this ABC video to hear his short story.

Are These Really The 8 Worst Movie Sequels Ever?

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I met Aaron Chumbris at a recent writer’s conference we attended in Eastern Pennsylvania. Aaron’s a nice guy who likes to write about figments of his imagination such as the ones appearing in his YA fantasy novel Duality. He’s also joined us in the world of Twitter, so give him a follow before you check his website.

Aaron thinks that some movie sequels are just terrible and wrote this guest post to prove his point.

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Police Academy Sequels

Police Academy gave us some classic cinematic characters: Bubba Smith’s imposing officer Hightower, the firepower-obsessed Tackleberry, and the ever-popular sound effects-based talents of Michael Winslow’s Larvell Jones. It also gave us a deluge of increasingly crappy sequels. I may be willing to vouch for the original trilogy, but beyond that I’ll probably change the channel on even the most boring and rainy Sunday afternoon.

The Godfather Part III

I love the first two Godfather films and believe they are among the greatest to ever to grace a movie screen. Yet I don’t think comparison is the biggest weakness of Part III. The biggest flaw is the story: who wants to see Michael Corleone as a legitimate businessman? We all know that’s the direction he wanted to go, but fate intervened and he became far more ruthless than his father, spilling the blood of his own brother. What made Michael great was his tragic perversion of the American Dream, a man who tried to reverse the inevitable path of his family’s legacy and paid a heavy price for his failure. Part III just drags out his suffering, making the audience suffer in the process.

20 Florida Scavenger Hunt Ideas!

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Before I departed for vaClaytion, Ironic Mom had the idea for me to do a Florida Scavenger Hunt. And since she’s really good at ideas I knew it was the right thing to do.

Here are the scavenger hunt clues I had to find in the Sunshine State. (That’s a thing right?) Could another human ever possibly match this exact list? Doubtful.

1. Hammer Pants

2. Someone tooting in the ocean

3. Hulk Hogan’s house (It’s apparently Hulk Hogan wrestler week here at eduClaytion)

4. A pirate ship

5. A treasure chest

6. Stingrays to pet

7. Sharks to taunt

8. Get fondled by sea urchin (Yes, I realize I just broke my grammatical flow)

9. Appear in photo shoot for Clearwater Marine Aquarium

10. An amputee dolphin

11. An amputee dolphin wearing prosthetic flipper

12. A geriatric dolphin gettin’ mad height considering she’s the equivalent of an 80-year-old lady

13. Morning coffee with dolphins

14. A suicidal Egret (a.k.a. an egret without regret)

15. A beached turtle

16. Scientologists making purple

The Macho Man & My Life As A Writer

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There comes a point in every little man’s life when he realizes that girls might have more potential than simply being gross. As far as I can remember, my first crush was on a celebrity named Miss Elizabeth–icon of World Wrestling Federation fame and former wife of Randy “Macho Man” Savage who died Friday after suffering a heart attack that caused him to lose control of his vehicle and collide with a tree.

Who could ever forget Macho Man’s signature phrase, a simple yet unforgettably raspy “Oooooh yeah.”

Clearly displayed against a blur of forgotten childhood is a night in 1988 when my rabbit-eared, bedroom TV displayed an NBC special called the WWF Saturday Night Main Event. That show aired occasionally throughout the late 80s in place of Saturday Night Live.

I probably wasn’t supposed to be awake or watching, but how could I miss the debut of The Mega Powers? That tag team featured the greatest combo in history, Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. They were managed by Miss Elizabeth.

Long story short, my guys were taking on the hated “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant who had turned over to the dark side.  The guest referee was future Governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

The culmination of the match came as Hogan and Savage were both out of the ring and knocked senseless. The ref Ventura was supposed to be counting them out but got distracted when Miss Elizabeth stunned every 10-year-old boy in my house by peeling off her yellow skirt to not quite reveal the equivalent of red bikini bottoms.

Pick the New eduClaytion Logo!

I need your eyes and brain for 30 seconds. One of the fun changes in the works is my new logo from Wes Molebash. Find him at his website or on Twitter.

After some planning, Wes came up with the following logo. I love it.

Thinking about future site color schemes and T-shirts that will sometimes be black, I asked Wes what color fills he might try. Check out the following four options and cast your vote for the one you like best.

Contest Winner Revealed & New Event Announced!

Bringing it low key this week but I’ve got the big announcement of the winner of the Clearwater Message In A Bottle Contest! Also announcing a new community event for all you bloggers and Facebookers out there!

We hope all of you will get involved with School Picture Day on Wednesday, June 1!

Here’s an amazing post from Jon Morrow, associate editor of Copyblogger. I don’t care if you have never heard of a blog or have no intention of ever writing a word in your life. This piece is one of the best human interest stories I’ve read all year. Read it.

Brilliant post about failing and life from Cindy Sido. It’s called Failing: The New Winning even though I botched that title in the video. I agree with how dangerous it is to never let kids (or anyone) fail.

I’m also including Piper’s recent post called How My Dog Saved My Life and Found My Husband. Just a real nice tale.

You know I have to give the CDC some run! Here’s the government’s official guide to surviving a zombie apocalypse. Not the most thorough thing but it’ll get you started.

Finally, here’s a great SNL skit that will get you laughing. Brilliant impersonation.

I also add a new About page this week! Check it out at the top of this page if you haven’t yet and let me know what you think.

Will you be participating in School Picture Day?

11 Movies That Squeamish People Should Never Watch

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Some friends and I went to the movies a few weeks back but our show was sold out. We regrouped. They deliberated. I danced. Our group audibled to Limitless, the move where Bradley Cooper is able to use his entire brain capacity. Great film.

Well, one of my companions (whose name rhymes with Jessie) doesn’t like certain types of violence, especially when needles are involved. Guess what popped up in the movie.

I cracked up as she sat with face in hands waiting for the all clear. Being me, I of course told her it was okay to look when it wasn’t. As a good friend I knew it was important to help her overcome this fear by facing it squarely. She smacked me.

I’m not bothered by much in movies but even I’m not limitless. For example, I will never watch 127 Hours in which James Franco recreates the arm severing escape of a trapped mountain climber. Some of the most disgusting things I’ve seen have been on replays during football games. Some people know what I’m referring to if I simply say names like Joe Theisman, Bubby Brister, or Napoleon McCallum. Gruesome stuff. That’s enough thank you.

My night at the theater got me thinking that if a little scene like that in Limitless (maybe it was a bit intense ;-)) could make such an impact, what about other films I’ve seen?

Certainly the most horrific stuff you could ever imagine has appeared in films that most people will never hear of, but this list is about mainstream flicks that many people will know or even watch.

I came up with 4 films before asking my Facebook community for some ideas about movies that squeamish people shouldn’t watch. What do you think of these selections?

Behind the Scenes at Gatorland!

I could have been eaten last week. That’s what I thought to myself as I prepared to walk up to alligators over twice my height (6’3″) and five times heavier than me. Why would anybody do something like that? Because it’s awesome! Would you turn down a chance to feed one of the fiercest creatures on the planet by hand?

My opportunity came courtesy of Dennis Chauncey at Gatorland in Orlando, Florida. I met Dennis as we entered the park. He offered to take me behind the scenes for a chance to go in with a couple of the stars of Gatorland. Those stops aren’t exactly on the tour. What a blast.

I’d love to tell you all the fascinating things I learned about those massive reptiles, but you can just see the footage for yourself and hear directly from my fearless guide.

There are a couple good things to know before you watch:

1. Gator wrestling began when ranchers had to clean out sparse watering holes so thirsty cows wouldn’t get eaten.

2. Florida natives are sometimes referred to as crackers, a term which came from the sound of those whips wielded by the ranchers.

3. If a gator chases you do not run zig zag. Run straight and fast. Or at least run faster than whoever’s next to you. As my host Ryan put it, “If you can run faster than your friends you’ll love Gatorland.” Ha!

4. Leucistic alligators are extremely rare. I get to go into the box with one in the following video.