What’s the first impression you want to give people?
daily writing prompt
This is a tough one. I don’t think I’ve ever considered it. I think maybe the first impression I want to give depends on the situation. If the first impression I get from someone is “good person” then the first impression I want to give is “good person”. If the first impression I get is “colossal douchebag” then the first impression I want to give is “I think you’re a colossal douchebag, go away”.
I suppose there are a few impressions I’d like to give off when first meeting someone new. Here’s a bit of a list of things.
I am not a colossal douchebag
I might be smart, but I am not sure. Hopefully I am smarter than I think I am
If you are a decent person I will be your ally. If you are a fascist then go die in a fire or something
I don’t care how you live your life or who you fall in love with or where you or your family come from. I only care that you are happy and content. Unless you are a fascist, in which case you can go eat a great big bag of VD encrusted dicks
Okay… maybe those things are a little too complicated to be first impressions. How about this:
I am nice, even though I am really shy and not very good socially.
Yeah… that’s probably it. That probably sums me up all right.
This question hurts my heart and soul a little bit. Actually it is probably more accurate to say it hurts my eyes.
There is back story to this one. I was in seventh grade. 11 or 12 years old, I think? I don’t really remember. I went to the eye doctor and learned that I needed reading glasses. That was the first step that lead to my current reading situation. Around the time I started college I discovered the concept of reading for fun. That happened at the exact time that I couldn’t afford to spend time reading for fun, but what can you do, right? First it was Anthony Burgess. Next it was a deep dive into horror fiction, first with Clive Barker and then with Stephen King. That turned into a lifelong source of enjoyment.
A few years ago… maybe more than just a few years ago, I learned that I need glasses for seeing distances too. That lead to my first pair of bifocals. Progressive lenses, actually but it’s the same difference. Unfortunately, that first pair of progressives made reading a book a little difficult. My eyes got super tired really fast from all the extra work needed to keep focusing through the right spot on the lens. It doesn’t make reading a book impossible, but it does take a bit of the fun out of it. I’ve gotten one new pair of glasses since then and they did make things a smidge easier, but my eyes still run out of gas much quicker than I would like them to.
When the difficulties started I was commuting to work four days a week, and my commute was (as it still is now) very long. I signed up for Audible and my reading habit turned into an audiobook habit. That kept me going for a long time. Then the pandemic hit and I didn’t have a four day a week commute anymore so Audible became an expense that didn’t seem worth it anymore. Even driving in one day a week didn’t seem worth it. Starting in March we’re going to bump up to two days a week. When that happens I will likely sign up for Audible again and get back into books while I drive.
The end result of all of this is the actual answer to today’s question. I am currently not reading (or listening) to any books. None. I am a little sad to admit it. A little ashamed too. There are still some releases that are worth the effort. One came out this week and another is about to come out. I will add them to my xmas wish list though so I won’t be reading them any time soon. One is Geddy Lee’s memoir, My Effin’ Life. The other is a new Stephen King short story collection. I also have a copy of Roger Daltrey’s autobiography that I started but haven’t finished. I very much want to get back into that. Don’t forget a book about the making of The Godfather that I started last xmas. I want to finish that too.
Reading is a great source of enjoyment for me. I would read a bunch of pop-culture fiction, horror and science fiction and maybe a mystery thrown in, and then I would read a non-fiction book or two, histories or biographies mostly, or the odd piece of actual legitimate literature. The idea being that I would try to read something that could to broaden my brain in between things that were purely entertaining. These days though… nothing. Unfortunately.
So the tl;dr thing here is that I am not currently reading anything and it will be a while before I try to start something new. Sorry about that, folks.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Daily writing prompt
There is a short, obvious answer to this question. There is also the day dream fantasy answer. I’ll give you both and maybe give a photo or two.
Home is where my wife, Jen is. Where ever she is, that is where I want to live. Right now that is a little ranch house in North Eastern Massachusetts, just a stone’s throw away from the New Hampshire state line.
That’s the honest, real answer. I want to be where she is. Now for the daydream fantasy answer. There are a lot of options. I sort of see myself as a city guy when I fantasize about moving to a new place. I would probably prefer to live in the suburbs close to a big city, but for discussion’s sake let’s say we’re moving to the city itself.
First on the list is San Diego. I went there for the first time on our honeymoon and fell in love with the place. We’ve been back a few times and each time we’ve gone it’s gotten harder and harder to leave.
The second daydream choice would probably be Manhattan. This is conflicting to me given that I am a Boston sports fan and absolutely loath all New York teams. It would be hard to live in enemy (Yankees) territory, but I think I could manage it.
The dark horse candidate comes from our honeymoon again. We visited a bunch of places on our honeymoon. One destination was Washington, DC. While we were there we explored Maryland a little and spent a little time in Annapolis. That is a city I think I could live in.
As far as the United States is concerned let’s just say that I am a New England guy first and foremost. I could live in the mountains of New Hampshire, the coast of Maine, the lake in Vermont, the Southern cost of Rhode Island, and… well… Connecticut… not so much. If I could pick anywhere in New England though, it would absolutely be Boston.
What about places outside of the US? As we watch in horror as fascism rises here, I often find myself wondering if the time to leave has arrived. I would need to go someplace where they speak English. Canada is cold so I probably would not want to go there, even though Toronto is beautiful.
Montreal is pretty wonderful too, but that has the same negative that New York has. Living among the enemy (Montreal Canadians fans) and all.
England would be a decent choice too, but Brexit makes me think that it wouldn’t be different enough from the US as far as the political climate is concerned. Scotland and Ireland would be better. Glasgow or Dublin maybe? I’ve never been so no pictures. Australia would be another option, but I really don’t know much about that country beyond the Monty Python Philosophers sktech.
So there you have it. The correct answer to where would I live is where ever Jen lives. The fantasy answers are San Diego, Manhattan, Annapolis, and maybe some English speaking place outside of the US.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever found (and kept)?
Daily writing prompt
Let’s see now… there is only one thing that fits the spirit of this question fully that comes to mind. When I was a kid I had a paper route. One day while walking up Nelson Ave in Tewksbury I found a cassette tape on the ground. It was a C120 which you didn’t see too often. That means the tape was 60 minutes long on each side. You didn’t see them because in order to fit that much tape into the cassette they had to make the tape extra thin. Too thin, as it turned out. They used to wear out quickly and break easily. Anyway, I took this cassette home with me and gave it a spin. It had AC/DC’s Back in Black album on one side and Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil on the other. The Crue record didn’t do anything for me, but Back in Black absolutely lived up to the hype. I kept that tape just as it was and played the shit out of the AC/DC side.
I just Googled the release dates of those two records. Back in Black came out in 1980 and Shout at the Devil came out in 1983. That means at the time I was at least 12 years old. That’s about what I remembered. The Crue record must have been very new when it was dubbed onto the tape.
That’s probably the most interesting thing I’ve ever found and kept. I can think of two more things that I found and bought. Both were at used record stores near Harvard Square. First, I found a cassette for sale that had a bootleg of a Big Dipper show that was originally broadcast by MIT’s radio station, WMBR. The station simulcast a show that they played on campus for some reason. That was awesome, but the bonus that made it extra memorable was a few demos that were tacked onto the end. Two members of Big Dipper had previously been members of The Volcano Suns. They never released anything officially, but this demo was definitely that Volcano Suns line up. It even include a song that Big Dipper would record themselves a few years later. It was like finding a little piece of gold.
At a different used record store near Harvard Square I found a copy of The Blake Babies’ self released first record, Nicely Nicely. At that point the record had never been reissued anywhere, so it was the real deal. I had to pay too much for it, but the price I paid was still less than what you pay for an album on vinyl today. I still have it. It’s upstairs in the living room with the rest of my vinyl collection.
So there you have it. One thing I found and kept and two things I found and bought. Nothing really interesting, but they were the first things that popped into my head when I read the prompt so there you go.
What part of your routine do you always try to skip if you can?
Daily writing prompt
Dumb question alert.
If you always try to skip one step in your regular routine, why is it part of your routine? If you always try to skip it, why not just delete it from your to-do list and have done with it? Are you a child who doesn’t get to set their own routine? If that’s the case then the question might make some sense, but if you’re an adult? If you are an adult and there is something in your routine that you actually try to skip, just don’t keep it in your routine. Simple.
Did A.I. come up with this question?
There are a lot of things I’d like to skip. I’d like to not have to exercise every day. I’d like to just roll out of bed and be lazy. I can’t though because if I do my recently redesigned innards will fall apart and I’ll destroy what healthiness I have right now. Same with my daily vitamins and tracking my food and drink and all that fun stuff. If I skip one of those daily routine steps then I get sick and I really don’t wan to get sick. That’s literally why these things are part of the routine, dig? Otherwise they wouldn’t be in the routine. That’s why I don’t try to skip any of those things.
I mean.. duh, right? I’m not taking crazy pills or anything, am I?
Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?
Daily writing prompt
This one is tough. I think I have really wracked my brains over it for maybe five whole minutes. I don’t think I have ever really met anyone famous. I’ve never met anyone infamous either.
I went to an in-store show at Newbury Comics in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA on the day Throwing Muses released their Limbo album back in 1996. I got autographs from all three members. Kristin Hersh, David Narcizo, and Bernard Georges. Are they famous enough? I mean, they absolutely are to me but does the rest of society consider them famous?
When I was really little my father took me to an autograph signing with two members of the Boston Bruins. This is back in the mid-70’s. I seem to remember it being at a car show in the parking lot of the Osco Drug store in Tewksbury, MA but that can’t be true, can it? The two Bruins were Stan Jonathan and The Chief Johnny Bucyk. They were both household names in New England at the time, and The Chief probably still is. He’s a total freakin’ legend in these parts. He’s probably the most famous person I’ve met, even if I don’t really remember it at all.
My Uncle worked for The Boston Celtics. I shit you not when I say that legendary Celtics head coach and general manager Red Auerbach was the best man at their wedding. Really. Had I been there, that probably would have been what I wrote about today. I think I was too young to go though so I didn’t meet him. I don’t think my Uncle counts as famous, but it is really freakin’ impressive when he shows off his two Celtics NBA Championship rings (1984 and 1986).
I guess when it comes to meeting famous or infamous people I have lived a pretty uneventful life.
The real question should be what isn’t good about having a pet? Assuming your pet is a cat. I mean, dogs and fish and hamsters and llamas and alpacas and potbellied pigs and all are fine as pets, but cats… cats are the best.
Cats don’t give their love unconditionally. You need to earn it. You need to be the best human you can be to have a cat respect you. That’s the way it should be. Sure, feeding them and changing their litter helps, but it’s attitude too. You do right by them and they’ll sit on your lap and let you pet them and they will rub against your feet while you’re standing around (that is literally the best).
There are downsides too. They are expensive. They require a lot of work. They run around the house like maniacs and mess things up and break stuff. It’s all worth it though, especially for those one or two minutes a year when they let you pet their bellies.
Go adopt a cat from your local animal shelter. We have two and we’re sort of thinking about getting a third (not really, but really… would one male cat in the house calm down the fighting between the two female cats, or would it make things worse?). Don’t think about it… just do it. Adopt a cat.
Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not including your home or car).
Daily writing prompt
Not including your home or your car… well what about upgrades to your home? Do they count as personal items? How about a definition of “personal items”?
Do windows count as personal items? If they do then the answer to this question is probably all of the replacement windows we had put into the house last April. It could be remodeling the garage into a primary bedroom suite. Do bed/bath suites count as personal items? What about furniture? There’s also the cellar, kitchen, and dining room remodeling we did. All of that stuff is really expensive.
While those purchases are accurate, they aren’t really in keeping with the spirit of the thing. At least I don’t think they are. That answer is probably the laptop upon which I am typing this post. It is a two year old MacBook Pro (14 inch M1. I know that because I looked it up when Apple had their M3 launch a week or two ago) and it probably cost about two grand. The most expensive item I own is probably the Les Paul Standard 50’s that Jen got me for my birthday. That probably ran her a little more than the MacBook. However, I did not actually buy that guitar, Jen did. Therefore I cannot use it as the answer to this question.
The most valuable personal item I own is probably my Les Paul Custom. The one that is still in the shop getting major surgery. I paid $550 for it in 1990. A quick search on reverb.com and ebay.com shows me that I could probably sell it for somewhere around five grand. I am not selling it though. That sucker is going into the casket with me when my number is up. My step son can have the rest of my guitars, if he’s still playing. Otherwise, Jen and the kids can sell them and split the money. The custom though… that one is going into the ground with me forever.
Computers and guitars seem like the correct answer to this question, but I feel like I am missing something. I can’t think of what that could be though. I guess that means computers and guitars are the answer I’m running with. You’re welcome.
Woah boy, you’re getting a list for this one. I listen to literally all of them, figuratively. Guitar podcasts, sports podcasts, tech podcasts, and so very many television and movie podcasts. So many. So very, very many TV podcasts. You’re getting a list, folks!
Just looking at the Podcasts app on my MacBook Pro to see what is currently queued up. Here are a few (in no particular order, though it quickly becomes kind of alphabetical when I stopped reading off of my latest episodes queue and started looking at my list of subscribed shows. Also the ones that are in bold text are the ones I never miss an episode)…
Grumpy Old Geeks
The ‘Cast of Us (formerly known as The Walking Dead ‘Cast)
The Talking Dead
60 Cycle Hum
The 40 Watt Podcast
A Little Bit Culty
Bald Move Pulp
Bastards of Boston Baseball
Caveat
Chasing Tone
Chewin’ It with Kevin and Steve (if they ever get around to making another one, what the hell?)
Children of the Watch: A Star Wars After Show
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Crime of the Truest Kind
Defenders TV Podcast on TV Podcast Industries
Fatman Beyond
Film Photography Project
Friends from Work: An Unofficial Marvel Podcast
Gig Gab
Guitar Nerds Podcast
Hacking Humans
The Ex Files
Interdimensional RSS: The Unofficial Rick and Morty Podcast
House Podcastica (along with about a dozen other shows on the Podcastica network)
Locked on Bruins Podcast
Locked on NHL Podcast
Locked on Red Sox Podcast
Locked on MLB Podcast
Mac Geek Gab
Marvel Cinematic Universe Podcast
Morning Bru with Billy Jaffe & Andrew Raycroft
Mugglecast
NecronomiPod
Puck Soup
Star Wars Explained
Star Wars Stuff Podcast
Strange Indeed
Sunny Sixteen
Thank God I’m Atheist
The Guitar Knobs
The Resistance Broadcast: Star Wars Podcast
The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
The Truth About Vintage Amps
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week
This Week in Science
What We Say in the Shadows
Who Back When
WTF with Marc Maron
That is maybe 10% of the podcasts I am subscribed to via the Apple Podcast app. There are a few others that I get to via the web too, but those aren’t in the regular rotation. I generally spend my work day with a queue of podcasts playing as background sound. It is not uncommon for me to play through about 7-8 hours of podcasts a day. Granted I am working at the time so my focus is not 100% and I miss a lot of content, but they are almost always playing.
Which school? High school? College the first time? College the second time? Junior high? Elementary school? Kindergarten? My favorite subject in kindergarten was learning letters. We had cartoon characters called The Letter People. I can’t remember if they were cardboard cutouts or inflatables. I think they might have been inflatables. They are also the only thing I can remember from kindergarten so I guess they are my favorite subject by default.
Let’s go with my favorite subject in High School. It was probably whatever social studies class I had at any particular time. History, civics, that sort of thing. I didn’t really like science, though the labs were interesting. I didn’t like math at all. It was my worst subject by far and I really wanted nothing to do with it. English was good. Literature, at least. Writing was something that sort of came naturally to me. If I needed to write an essay I could crank out something decent quickly. The only complaint my teachers generally had was that I didn’t write enough. Somewhere along the line I learned that the structure of the papers I needed to write was more important to the teachers than the content so I just cranked things out.
There was a period early on where High School Band was my favorite subject, but early in my sophomore year I started a band of my own and suddenly playing music that I didn’t choose for myself was tedious and boring while playing my own music was absolutely exhilarating. So much for High School Band. Jazz band was different, but that was an extra-curricular, not an actual class. In jazz band we could improvise and that lit a fire under me, musically speaking. One that still burns pretty intensely today.
History, government, social studies in general. Those courses were interesting, enjoyable, and fascinating to me. They still are. When I feel the need to do some non-fiction reading it’s usually either a biography of a historical figure or a study of some historical event. It’s been 34 years since I finished High School, but nothing’s changed in that regard. I’d still rather read some good sci-fi or horror though. Those didn’t really come up in English Lit though, so there wasn’t a lot of Stephen King and Clive Barker in school.
Inside the Red Head's Head 