Personal data

Stolen from Shake's Sis (http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com), which blog I recommend heartily.


Accent: Almost none. Although I'm a native Mississippian, I have almost no accent. I've been told I sound a bit midwestern occasionally.

Booze: Rum & coke when I drink, which is MUCH less often than it once was.

Chore I Hate: Taking out the garbage. ANYthing but that. It's the whole reason I had kids, so I could make THEM do it. (OK, not really, but it's a nice bonus.)

Dog or Cat: I'm not wild about pets at all, but will take a cat over a dog if forced to choose.

Essential Electronics: Computer and satellite TV. You can HAVE my stinking cell phone.

Favorite Cologne: Whatever my wife tells me to wear.

Gold or Silver: Silver. Or white gold, which is what my wedding band is.

Hometown: I grew up in the only incorporated burg in the USA named for a Pole: Kosciusko, MS. Named for Thaddeus Kosciuzsko, hero of the American Revolution. Of course, we both mispronounce it and misspell it, but hey, it's the thought, right?

Insomnia: Often. Can't get to sleep, then can't wake up in the morning.

Job Title: Lawyer. No, really.

Kids: Five, from age 21 to 10.

Living Arrangements: Standard marital unit in 3BR house.

Most Admirable Traits: Honest. Generous. Mind my own business.

Overnight Hospital Stays: Only once, for 3 nights. Gall bladder removal.

Quote: "It is not the critic who counts... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena..." --- Theodore Roosevelt, 1910. Google "Man in the Arena" for the whole, long thing. It is worth it.

Religion: I attend Methodist church, but consider myself nondenomination Christian.

Siblings: One younger brother.

Time I Wake Up: 7am through the week, 8:30am on Sunday, whenever on Saturday.

Unusual Talent or Skill: I can 'mirror-write,' which is to write backwards from right to left and it can be read in a mirror. It's actually more legible than my handwritting.

Vegetable I Love: I’m hard-pressed to think of one I like. Spinach, I guess.

Worst Habit: Smoking.

Yummy Foods I Make: I'm a horrible cook, except for one thing. I make excellent omelettes.

Zodiac Sign: Gemini, the twin.

"V for Vendetta"- - - must see movie

Once upon a time, I lived in the multiplexes of the world, and would watch anything, literally anything on the screen. (BTW, worst movie ever: Fat Guy Goes Nutzo. Yes, a real title. Check IMDB.)

Now, being older and 45 miles from the nearest theatre, I'm fortunate to catch two movies a year on the big screen. I said all that just to emphasize my enthusiasm for V. I am no high art moviegoer; I have one demand from any flick, and that is to entertain me. That's it.

Having said that, V works for me on multiple levels. Explosions and effective soundtrack? Check. Hero facing impossible odds? Check. An actual plot to fill the time between the explosions? Double-good check.

However, this is one 'message film' that actually has something worth saying and won't bore you to tears saying it. It's a message that we, a nation born of rum-running, tax evading rebels ought to recognize: that there comes a time when the only correct response is rebellion.

So, I was thrilled to see via www.boxofficemojo.com that the movie is about to break 100 million worldwide. It should be much higher, but I'm hopeful that it'll be massively purchased on DVD. I'm certainly going to do so.

Two notes: One, your enjoyment of the movie will be enhanced if you hit wikipedia for 5 minutes and learn about Guy Fawkes. Two, I will definately be using the subtitles on my DVD; the monologues are brilliant, but my hearing's a bit muddled and combined with the English accents, I know I missed some excellent stuff.

Right Wingers say WHAT?

OK, I've long ago gotten used to seeing the projection on the right: the persecutors who claim to be persecuted, the rich who claim to be poor and overtaxed. But Chris Muir's cartoon today just takes the cake. Apparently, in his little world, the right wing bloggers are V, heroically attacking the 'traitorous' MSM with 'facts.'

For those who haven't seen "V for Vendetta," you should, today. It is a moral imperative. Until you do, though, it is about a fascist Britain being opposed by a heroic loner, V, who patterns himself after Guy Fawkes. V blows up government buildings and gives speeches against the government.

Now somehow, Muir's 'heros' are always those who support the powerful, attack the powerless, steal from the poor, and comfort the comfortable. Am I the only one who considers this a perversion of both our nation's civic heritage and of Christianity?