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2014: The Year In Movies

Movie_Reel_222014 was a bit of an improvement over recent years in movie watching for me.  I managed to watch 78 movies last year, 16 more than 2012 and 2013 and my highest total since 2011, although it was my third consecutive year under 100.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching and the awful amount of time I spend either at work or getting to and from work.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I did manage to watch last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

Repeaters (2010)
If Groundhog Day took place in a rehab and affected 3 people more messed up than Bill Murray.

Smashed (2012)
I have very little recollection of this film.

Your Sister’s Sister (2012)
2 messed up sisters and a mourning man share tequila and secrets.

Lovelace (2013)
Amanda Seyfried portrays the first lady of porn, Linda Lovelace.

Columbus Circle (2012)
A thriller about a shut-in who witnesses a murder and needs to leave her comfort zone.

A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)
The latest installment brings Bruce Willis to Russia.

The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
Jason Segel and Emily Blunt are engaged forever as life keeps getting in the way of them actually getting married.

Hell Baby (2013)
A comedy about a possessed woman who is about to give birth to Satan’s spawn.

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World (2012)
2 lost souls find each other as the world is literally coming to an end.

Would You Rather (2012)
A sadistic host tortures his dinner guests for his own pleasure.

The World’s End (2013)
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Top 200 Albums – #84 – 91

itunes_imageMy latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 3 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 200 albums whose songs I’ve listened to as of September 2014, according to iTunes. Today, we get closer to the top of the list and crack the 80s by looking at the 3 albums tied for 84th with 40 listens and the 5 albums tied for 87th with 39 listens.

#84: Rolling Stones – Forty Licks
iTunes stats: 40 plays
This all-encompassing, double CD hits package has 13 different tracks to make up its total.

#84: Tegan and Sara – If It Was You
iTunes stats: 40 plays
8 tracks from Tegan and Sara’s second album, and the one that introduced them to me, makes up its total.

#84: Purdue University Marching Band – Back Home In Indiana
iTunes stats: 40 plays
A version of the fight song for my alma mater makes up this entire total all by its lonesome.

#87: Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York
iTunes stats: 39 plays
7 songs from Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance, the first Nirvana album released following the death of Kurt Cobain, put it on this list.

#87: Def Leppard – Hysteria
iTunes stats: 39 plays
The first album that I fell in love with back in junior high makes this list on the back of 7 different tracks.

#87: Dr. Dre – 2001
iTunes stats: 39 plays
3 tracks from Dr. Dre’s second, and, to date, last, solo album make up this total.

#87: Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience
iTunes stats: 39 plays
The debut album for the alt rock band lands on this chart thanks to 4 different tunes.

#87: Various Artists – Austin Powers
iTunes stats: 39 plays
The soundtrack to the original Austin Powers film, featuring the work of artists like Strawberry Alarm Clock and Divinyls, makes this list thanks to 4 songs.

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Book 1 (of 52) – Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut

As 2014 was winding down, Amazon had a sale that offered the eBook version of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five for $1.99.  Having never read any of Vonnegut’s work, and wanting to be able to check him off on those click surveys of important books that you’ve read, I pulled the trigger and made this my first choice of the new year.

For those who haven’t read it, the book is about Billy Pilgrim, an optometrist from upstate New York who believes he is unstuck in time and has been abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore.  Throughout the book, he jumps from timeframe to timeframe, mostly during World War II and the fire bombing of Dresden where he, like Vonnegut, was held as a prisoner of war.

While this is considered one of the best American novels of the 20th century, I can’t say that I would hold it in such great accord.  While I certainly enjoyed it, and can now say that I have read Vonnegut, it wasn’t the be all and end all.  Maybe my tastes just aren’t refined enough.

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#179 – Dennis Lamp

WhiteSox-dennislamp

Name: Dennis Lamp

Rank: 179

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1981-1983

Dennis Lamp joined the White Sox organization as spring training was winding down in 1981, acquired from the Cubs in exchange for Ken Kravec.  During the strike shortened season, Lamp appeared in 27 games for the White Sox, starting 10, and finished the year with 7-6 record and a 2.41 ERA.  In August, he gave up the first career hit to Cal Ripken Jr. and, 9 days later, he took a no hitter into the 9th inning against the Brewers, before Robin Yount broke it up with a leadoff double.

1982 again saw Lamp splitting duty between the starting rotation and the bullpen.  He appeared in 44 games, starting 27 of them.  He finished 11-8 with a 3.99 ERA and 5 saves.

In 1983, Lamp had mostly moved to the bullpen full time, although he still started 5 games.  He appeared in 49 games overall and lead the team with 15 saves.  He pitched in 3 out of the 4 ALCS games against the Orioles, giving up no hits or earned runs in 2 innings of work.

Following the season, Lamp became a free agent, drawing his White Sox career to a close.

Lamp’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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52 Books in 52 Weeks – 2015 Edition

bookshelfA new year is once again upon us, and it is time to start year six of the goal to read a book a week for the entire year, totaling 52 books in 52 weeks.  In year one, I only made it to 8 books.  Year two doubled that total.  Year three used graphic novels to improve once again, finishing with 24.  Two years ago was the first where I dropped from the year before, only finishing 18 books, which was well short of the ultimate goal.  Last year, I bounced back to finish with 23 books.

I’m going to give it another go this year.  I’ve got a few new books loaded in the Kindle app on my iPad, so I’ve got a good pile to start with.  As a reminder, the rules I am using are:

  • You can count a book as read as long as you have completed the book in 2014 and at least 50% of that reading takes place in 2014
  • Any book counts as long as you’re not embarrassed to count it.
  • Poetry collections do indeed count.
  • Re-reading a book is okay as long as it isn’t done this year. (Reading Twilight twice in 2010 only counts as 1 read)
  • Audiobooks also count.

My first book of the year will be Slaughterhouse Five, the classic novel from Kurt Vonnegut which I am about 100 pages into.  I also have a Kindle app filled with choices and a few books that I got for my birthday and Christmas still waiting to be read.  2015 should be another good year.

 

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Book 23 (of 52) – Wild Storm

Wild Storm - Richard Castle

Wild Storm – Richard Castle

In the second real-world Derrick Storm novel, terrorists have gotten hold of a powerful new weapon that allows them to bring airplanes down, killing hundreds.  After surviving one such attack, Derrick Storm is brought in by the CIA to find out who is behind the attacks and how they are doing it.  Storm needs to find a way to stop the terrorists without letting the weapon fall in to the arms of his government handler.

The ghost-writer for Richard Castle brings back his action hero for another go around in Wild Storm.  While not as directly tied to the show Castle as the Nikki Heat books, this spin-off series is still entertaining.  With the show closer to its end than its beginning, I wonder if these novels will continue once the series wraps up or if they are bound to come to an end sooner rather than later.

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Top 200 Albums – #92 – 99

itunes_imageMy latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 3 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 200 albums whose songs I’ve listened to as of September 2014, according to iTunes. Today we crack the top 90 and look at the 8 albums tied for 92nd with 38 listens.

#92: Pearl Jam – Contra (Live – Bootleg)
iTunes stats: 38 plays
This bootleg album, which contains live performances from the band’s MTV Unplugged appearance and other live performances, makes the list thanks to 8 different tracks.

#92: Cheap Trick – The Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 38 plays
5 songs from the long career of Cheap Trick put their greatest hits compilation on the list.

#92: Various Artists – Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion
iTunes stats: 38 plays
The first soundtrack to the Lisa Kudrow/Mira Sorvino comedy uses 8 different 80s tracks to make up this total.

#92: The Beatles – Let It Be… Naked
iTunes stats: 38 plays
5 songs from this remastered and remixed version of the Beatles final album, minus Phil Spectre’s patented “Wall of Sound”, makes the list with 5 different tracks.

#92: Bell Biv Devoe – Poison
iTunes stats: 38 plays
The debut album from the former members of New Edition needed only 2 songs to make up this total.

#92: Toad the Wet Sprocket – Fear
iTunes stats: 38 plays
The band’s third studio album, and first to hit big, makes the list thanks to 2 songs.

#92: Various Artists – Forrest Gump
iTunes stats: 38 plays
9 different tracks, from artists like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and CCR, make up the total for this double album soundtrack.

#92: No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
iTunes stats: 38 plays
6 songs from the band’s breakthrough effort make up its total.

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GF4 – Week 24

Y4Week24My first full week of vacation got off to a decent start Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all coming in over the 5500 step mark.  From there, the rest of the week cratered, as Thursday and Friday fell off precipitously and the weekend, as per the recent norm, were horrible, as I didn’t even leave the house each day.

Total steps: 28,120

Daily average: 4017.1

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#180 – D.J. Carrasco

White Sox-RoyalsName: D.J. Carrasco

Rank: 180

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2008-2009

D.J. Carrasco signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on January 11, 2008 and was given a non-roster invite to spring training.  He did not make the team out of spring training, but was called up on July 9th when Bobby Jenks went down with an injury.  Carrasco appeared in 31 games the rest of the way, putting up a 1-0 record with a 3.96 ERA as the White Sox won the Central Division title.

Carrasco returned to the White Sox in 2009, appearing in a league high 93.1 innings over 43 games.  He finished the year with a 5-1 record and lowered his ERA to 3.76.  Following the season, he was eligible for arbitration for the first time and the White Sox decided against tendering him a contract for the 2010 season, making him a free agent.

Carrasco’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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