Digging For Musical Gold

I finally got around to spending my iTunes cards that I got for Christmas. In the process, I found some great songs that I hadn't possessed in a long time. When you already have 4000 songs on your iPod, as I do, you have to be creative when looking for tunes. One of my tricks is to go through my old mix tapes from the '80s and look for missing songs. I especially like finding the songs that nobody else remembers.



Here's one example: Tony Carey, a one-hit wonder from 1984, with "A Fine, Fine Day." I hadn't listened to this in over 20 years, and found it this past weekend. And I haven't gotten it out of my head since.



Other digging can lead to an unexpected gem. I randomly searched "Addison" on iTunes, and after wading through some horrible stuff, found "Addison" by an artist named Jessica Stone. She sounds alot like Sarah McLachlan, very melodic and sweet. Here some of the lyrics:

"Addison, she's just two weeks new.
And already she's got a hook in you.
She's put her heart into you,
Oh Addison, won't you let me see the world through your eyes."

So now I've got my little girl's first song.

The lesson? Try and dig deeper than the front page on iTunes. You never know what you'll find.

The Truth About Mac

I needed a few days to get my thoughts together on Mark McGwire finally admitting that he did steroids. Not that it was a shock, but sometimes having something confirmed kills that .00001% of you that hoped for a different outcome. That it was "just" the andro that was found in his locker in 1998 that he fully admitted to using (an over-the-counter product at the time that has since been banned).

Is this different than the other guys who have been caught/accused/admitted to PEDs? I think it's more harmful, for one simple reason: the 1998 Home Run Race. It should not be dismissed or taken lightly how important that race for 61 between McGwire and fellow roid-er Sammy Sosa was. Don't forget these important facts:

- MLB was just 3 years removed from the devastating Strike of '94-95 that canceled the '94 World Series and turned millions of baseball fans off for good.
- The country was trying to deal with the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal (sidenote: how quaint does that controversy seem now?). The public needed a diversion from non-stop coverage, and Mac and Sosa provided that.
- This was a NATIONAL headline day after day for weeks on end in the summer of '98. This was not relegated to the sports section, this was front page of the paper, lead story on the evening news.

So where do we go from here? We, as baseball fans, have been forgiving to those who came clean about their steroid use. I think McGwire will be treated the same way, and that's fine. I also believe that there is no way he gets into the Hall of Fame now. My wish is that he was more forthcoming earlier, and that he didn't say that PEDs didn't help him hit home runs. Yes it did, Mark. You used it to stay healthy, at the very least. And you took a part of Americana with you.

Where Were You In 1996?

12/28/96, to be specific. I was setting up my new apartment in Mansfield, in the midst of my senior year of college, and 3 days from finding out Jen was pregnant with my now-12 year old daughter Abby. That was also the last time my Dallas Cowboys won a playoff game. We changed that tonight with a thrashing of our most hated rival, the Philly Eagles, 34-14. No matter what happens from here on out, people can shut up about Tony Romo, the Cowboys in Dec/ playoffs, etc. My cynical self will not allow belief that we will go any further, but tonight was nice.

Thursday Funnies- Bob Uecker Style!

Just for Mari (HA!), here's a Bob Uecker commercial from the '80s- you know, when they made good beer ads?

BK's Top 102 Songs of the Oughts- Part 2

Sorry for the delay, been a crazy few days. As promised, here's the top 50:

50. Five For Fighting- 100 Years
49. Eminem- The Real Slim Shady
48. Coldplay- The Scientist
47. No Doubt- It's My Life
46. Sheryl Crow- The First Cut Is The Deepest
45. Garth Brooks- Lost In You (mine & Lynn's song)
44. Justin Timberlake- SexyBack
43. Shinedown- Second Chance
42. Norah Jones- Don't Know Why (likely my favorite newcomer of the decade)
41. Nickelback- Photograph
40. Kylie Minogue- Can't Get You Out Of My Head (1st dance and kiss with Staci- shows that you can't always control the soundtrack of your life :))
39. Jay-Z & Alicia Keys- Empire State Of Mind
38. Kanye West- Gold Digger
37. Staind- It's Been Awhile (another top newcomer)
36. 50 Cent- In Da Club (Oh, my 30th B-day- no dudes in the cage!)
35. Creed- With Arms Wide Open (already a solid song, more meaningful with the pending arrival of Addison)
34. The Fray- How To Save a Life
33. John Mayer- No Such Thing (saw him at the height of this song during my LA Trip)
32. Evanescence- My Immortal
31. Switchfoot- Meant To Live
30. Foo Fighters- Times Like These
29. Estelle f/Kanye- American Boy
28. Outkast- Hey Ya
27. Michelle Branch- Everywhere
26. 3 Doors Down- Be Like That
25. Fuel- Hemorrhage (In My Hands) (my last-ever (hopefully) break-up song)
24. Norah Jones- Sunrise
23. Muse- Uprising
22. Maroon 5- She Will Be Loved (always reminds me of Staci & I at the beginning- this and the cicadas)
21. TI f/Rihanna- Live Your Life
20. Kings Of Leon- Use Somebody
19. Creed- Higher
18. Coldplay- Viva La Vida
17. Goo Goo Dolls- Better Days (lifted me during hard times)
16. Default- Wasting My Time
15. Keane- Everybody's Changing (last MB trip in original format- general truthiness at time of release)
14. Eminem- Without Me (MB 4 in '02)
13. Foo Fighters- All My Life (ironically playing during worst accident of my life)
12. John Mayer- Why Georgia (released during my last months in ATL)
11. Vertical Horizon- Everything You Want
10. Sheryl Crow- Safe & Sound (song I most relate to 9/11- played live during concert week after)
9. Staind- So Far Away (theme song while I waited "patiently" to meet Staci in '03)
8. Kanye West- Stronger
7. Gnarls Barkley- Crazy
6. Rascal Flatts- Bless The Broken Road (what did I say about not picking your own soundtrack? This country song will always take me back to the moment I saw my beautiful bride walking down the aisle)
5. Justin Timberlake- Rock Your Body
4. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus- Face Down (theme during the "Mom incident")
3. Evanescence- Bring Me To Life
2. Black Eyed Peas- I Gotta Feeling (became the theme to just about everything- for me the top 2 were MB 10 & the fantastic Cowboys video in Dallas)
1. 3 Doors Down- Here Without You (the only song to span 3 years for me- first while waiting to meet Staci, then as a great song, then when Staci moved to UVA, our "See you next weekend" song. Sitting in a parking lot at UVa, hugging and crying, waiting for our long-distance to be over. The fact that we defied the odds makes it even more poignant.)

So, there you have it. Another decade in the books, and the songs that went with it. Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!

BK's Top 102 Songs of the Oughts- Part 1

I'm back from Scranton and ready to get back to blog work. For those who won't get to hear my massive countdown on New Years Eve, I will be sharing the songs in backwards order here with you. I will do this in two parts, with the final 50 songs being listed here on New Years Day. I will also include a short snippet to explain how a song got to that spot (if nothing is written, it just means I like the song!). Here's #'s 102-51:

102. Fergie- Clumsy
101. Creed- Rain
100. Splendor- I Think God Can Explain
99. Puddle Of Mudd- Blurry
98. Linkin Park- In The End
97. Lee Ann Womack- I Hope You Dance (1st song a woman dedicated to me)
96. Foo Fighters- Long Road To Ruin
95. Twista, Kanye, Jamie Foxx- Slow Jamz
94. Five For Fighting- Superman (It's Not Easy)
93. Alicia Keys- Fallin'
92. Eminem- We Made You
91. Velvet Revolver- Fall To Pieces
90. Sheryl Crow- Out Of Our Heads (reminds me of Sheryl concert in MD)
89. Staind- Right Here
88. Chad Kroeger- Hero
87. Black Eyed Peas- Don't Phunk With My Heart
86. Green Day- 21 Guns
85. Stone Temple Pilots- Sour Girl
84. Jason Mraz- The Remedy
83. Def Leppard- Now
82. Rihanna & Jay-Z- Umbrella
81. Train- Drops of Jupiter (trip to Tampa with Mel)
80. Switchfoot- Dare You To Move
79. Maroon 5- Sunday Morning
78. U2- Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (an early bump in Staci & my relationship)
77. Chris Brown- Forever
76. Plain White T's- Hey There Delilah (1st season with the P-Nats)
75. Fat Joe- Lean Back
74. Kanye West- Heard Em Say
73. Billy Joel- 2000 Years
72. Outkast- I Like The Way You Move
71. Daughtry- Home (return to Myrtle in '07)
70. Jay-Z, Kanye & Rihanna- Run This Town
69. Fall Out Boy- This Ain't a Scene..
68. Faith Hill- There You'll Be (Mary & I sis-bro dance)
67. DMX- Party Up
66. Ben Folds- Landed
65. Shinedown- 45
64. Green Day- Boulevard of Broken Dreams
63. Lil Jon- Get Low (my infamous St Pats 04 dance)
62. Rob Thomas- Someday
61. Def Leppard- No Matter What
60. Kelly Clarkson- Because of You (theme to my former mother)
59. Ludacris- Welcome To Atlanta (one of my ATL songs)
58. Miley Cyrus- The Climb
57. Beyonce & Jay-Z- Crazy In Love
56. Train- When I Look To The Sky
55. Puddle Of Mudd- Control
54. Vertical Horizon- Best I Ever Had (the end of Lynn & I)
53. The Fray- You Found Me
52. Don Henley- Taking You Home (mine & Staci's wedding song)
51. Boys Like Girls- The Great Escape (move to Q-Town)

Decade Maifesto

So here we stand at the precipice of another..decade? Holy crap, how does time fly by so quickly? Was it not just yesterday that I was watching the Atlanta Peach drop and looking excitedly towards life in my still-new city? No, 3653 days have passed since that moment. And life has taken many interesting turns since that night. In my writings from 12/31/99, I looked hopefully towards the next adventure, to pursuing Lynn and finding my path in life. Optimism- so unlike me, even then. But I wasn't far off, though it would take some time to get there. The love of my life was still 4 years away at that point, and I would go through no less than 3 careers before finding my rightful place in sports.

So what differentiated the 00's from the 90's? A sense of finally starting to find take the right path. Turmoil and uncertainty marked the previous decade, and while that did not completely disappear (for example, what area are we going to finally settle down for good??), the angst has disappeared.

And I can thank Staci for much of that. Most certainly the best thing that has happened to me in ANY decade, my beautiful wife is my rock. Moving to DC was certainly a mixed bag, but while I am certain we would have found each other anywhere, meeting in a Kingstowne bar was perfection.

It has been a joy watching the little people grow up, none more than my 2 wonderful daughters. Abby is a pure joy to see as she approaches teen-dom. She is a beautiful, intelligent, and talented young woman. My brothers, sisters & nephews have also become young adults, which makes me feel old and young simultaneously. And to all my family, esp. my Dad and Mary, who have been through more with me than anyone on the planet.

Close friends, as was the case ten years ago, remain the anchor of my life. I'm so thankful for the people who have been there for the good and bad, who have been a part of my life since I was young. And the many more friends that I have met these last ten years who have become integral to my life. And Facebook has brought so many lost friends back to the fold. "No man is a failure who has friends!"

So there it is- 10 years in a tiny snapshot. Ten years from now, where will my life be? Wherever it is, I hope it's with the same wonderful people. Happy New Year to all!

'09 Year In Pics

Enjoy!

Oughts In Review- 2009

We've arrived at the last year of the decade in review. Hope it's been as much fun for you as it has been for me.

News:
Sully saves hundreds while crash landing in the Hudson. Obama gets inaugurated. Celebrity deaths seem to happen every day this year, including Michael Jackson. And to put a cherry on top of the decade, Staci & I found out we're having a baby!

Sports:
The Dodgers rush out of the gate, survive a 50 game suspension for Manny, and win their most games (95) in 25 years. And then they lose in the playoffs again. Cowboys are 8-5 currently with 3 games remaining. My guess is I won't have anything good to put here in a few weeks, which will make the first decade of my life where neither of my two main teams wins a championship. I return to my baseball roots and work for the P-Nats in '09.

New MLB Stadium Seen: 2 (New Mets, Milwaukee)

TV/Movies:
The Middle, Community, Modern Family, Flash Forward
The Hangover, I Love You Man, Capitalism: A Love Story

Music:
3 Doors Down- Let Me Be Myself
3OH!3- Don't Trust Me
Black Eyed Peas- Boom Boom Pow
Black Eyed Peas- I Gotta Feeling
Cobra Starship- Good Girls Go Bad
Creed- Rain
Daughtry- No Surprise
David Cook- Come Back To Me
Eminem- We Made You
Foo Fighters- Wheels
Green Day- Know Your Enemy
Jamie Foxx- Blame It
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys- Empire State of Mind
Jay-Z, Kanye & Rhianna- Run This Town
Kelly Clarkson- Already Gone
Kelly Clarkson- My Life Would Suck Without You
Keri Hilson- Knock You Down
Kings Of Leon- Use Somebody
Miley Cyrus- The Climb
Muse- Uprising
Nickelback- If Today Was Your Last Day
Norah Jones- Chasing Pirates
Pink- Please Don't Leave Me
Plain White T's- 1,2,3,4
Rob Thomas- Someday
Seether- Careless Whisper
Shinedown- Second Chance
The Fray- You Found Me
TI & Justin Timberlake- Dead & Gone

Oh Girl!

As anyone who is my Facebook friend knows, Staci & I have announced the impending arrival of our first child together. And yesterday we found out the exciting news that we are having a girl. This makes me 3-for-3 in the daughter department, which is fine by me. I readily admit that when I found out about Abby and Alexis, I was rooting for a boy both times. This time I was quietly rooting for a girl, even if it means tougher teen years and no real shot of a kid in Major League Baseball. That doesn't she can't be Jenny Finch, though! I'm not sure what's changed my thinking over the last dozen years, but I think Staci & I both got what we wanted. More importantly, everything looks healthy on the baby, though we won't know for sure till Friday's doctor appointment.

A note on the Ultrasound itself. How far technology has come in 12 years! I don't why I'm surprised when look at the progression of other "electronics" (computers, video cameras, computers, etc). The best pictures we saw back in the 90's were grainy and limited to certain angles. Flash forward to 2009, our nurse was able to get every angle of the kid, including split-screen and 4-D (that's live-action 3-D. I didn't know either). And the pictures were as clear as a bell, as you can see from the picture above. It was like watching an embryonic version of "24."

So Addison Brooklyn will join us sometime in May. So we're now onto the fun stuff- like planning the theme and clothes (Staci) and figuring out which baseball game will be little Addy's first (me). Should be a blast!