Ned the Pieman? No thanks.

I am back! Sorry for the long 3 month delay, but I am now back and ready to start writing on this blahg again. Today will be ‘Day 11 — A deceased person you wish you could talk to’. To be completely honest (why do people say this? It makes me sound like I am not completely honest sometimes and you shouldn’t believe me unless I let you know in advance that I am telling you the truth this time) I find this question to be creepy. Is it referring to talking to a dead person who wakes up for a few minutes and can talk? This would suck because they would stink and they would be full of embalming fluid and they would probably have questions of their own about how they died and how their family is doing and how the world has changed…blah blah blah, and I wouldn’t be able to get in a word edgewise and it would be a total waste of a resurrection. So I say no thanks to this type of an interview. If it is one of those interviews where they could only answer the questions that I ask and they have to answer completely honestly then I might consider doing an interview. Who would I interview? I was so involved in the ground rules that I forgot to think of a dead person to interview. Not to be crass or unfeeling, but I think that I would want to interview someone from the medieval times who had multiple personalities. That way I could get many takes on the same historical period without breaking the one person rule that the question implies.
XOXOXOXO,
Craig

Day 1 -- Your Best Friend
Day 2 — Your vices
Day 3 — Your parents
Day 4 —Your siblings
Day 5 — Your dreams
Day 6 — Someone that inspires you
Day 7 — Your job
Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend that you’ve never met
Day 9 — Someone you wish you could meet
Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to
Day 11 — A deceased person you wish you could talk to
Day 12 — Your dream vacation
Day 13 — Something you’re looking forward to
Day 14 — Someone you’ve drifted away from
Day 15 — The person you miss the most
Day 16 — Someone that’s not in your state/country
Day 17 — The place you wish you were from
Day 18 — The person that you wish you could be
Day 19 — Something that makes you different
Day 20 — Your favorite television shows
Day 21 — Someone you judged by their first impression
Day 22 — Your pet peeves
Day 23 — The last person you kissed
Day 24 — The person that gave you your favorite memory
Day 25 — A life changing moment
Day 26 — The last person you made a pinky promise to
Day 27 — The thing you most enjoy doing
Day 28 — Someone that changed your life
Day 29 — Your talent
Day 30 — Your reflection in the mirror

Life is a matter of inches

Right now my life is a matter of inches. When I look at Anney's belly I realize that our daughter is just inches from changing our lives forever. I am inches from being able to hold my baby daughter and begin guiding her through her life. I am inches from being a 'daddy'. It is like when I reached for Anney's hand on our wedding day and inched the ring from its resting place on the Bible to its permanent place on her finger. Only inches to a wonderfully changed life. I am inches from seeing what Anney plus Craig equals. Sofie is inches from not only changing our lives, she is also inches from changing my parents from their 42 year titles of Mom and Dad to Grandma and Grandpa and Anney's parents to becoming Oma and Opa for the third time. She is inches from making my brother an Uncle for the first time. She is inches from being Daddy's little breathing , crying and huggy little girl. She is inches from making a grown man cry.

My Sibling.

Today I will be writing about 'Day 4 - Your ?Siblings'. However to be more accurate it should use the singular 'sibling', as I only have one. My brother Clark is 2 years older than me and while we didn't always have the best relationship, we now have a great relationship. We both continually asked for a sister growing up, but to no avail.

Today's blahg will be more of a picture blahg of my bother and I throughout the years.

Remember in 'Back to the Future' when the guy asks Marty is he is a sailor because he was wearing a vest jacket. I loved my vest, which had zip off sleeves. I am not sure why I we are wearing the tight shorts so I will blame it on the late 70's/early 80's. And our socks? I can only blame my stylist.

As you probably can guess this picture was takend BEFORE the picture above. I am on the right. I think that I am so happy because I have my own little bowl to pee in; I didn't have to warm up the whole tub. Good times.

Yes, were cool by the ages of 6 and 8. Clark is in the red shirt and glasses. Ironically, Clark is the only one in the family who doesn't wear glasses now. I think that we were poor because we couldn't afford a couch with armrests on both ends. I love my shirt, I would love it more if my brother was wearing it. This picture also shows a trait that would haunt me throughout my growing up year: my untamable hair.

This is Clark and I (with the Hedgren kids) at Camp Trestle Glen (now Camp Kuratli) in the early 80's. Please notice my hair problems continued. However, if I had been a girl, that feathered hair would have been an asset.

If hindsight truly is 20/20 then when a time machine is created I will pay to go back in time and plead with my parents to scrap this photo shoot. This shows me at the height of my awkward phase. Look at that freakin' hair. What was anyone thinking? And look at my beaver tooth. It stuck out at almost a 90 degree angle. I am not sure what Clark is doing in this picture, but I think that he is pinching a loaf in his pants or playing a game of solitare pull my finger. And this picture is a good example of why fat kids shouldn't wear horizontal stripes.

I have just looked and couldn't find any recent pictures of us. So I guess you will just have to enjoy the old ones.

Day 1 -- Your Best Friend
Day 2 — Your vices
Day 3 — Your parents
Day 4 —Your siblings
Day 5 — Your dreams
Day 6 — Someone that inspires you
Day 7 — Your job
Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend that you’ve never met
Day 9 — Someone you wish you could meet
Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to
Day 11 — A deceased person you wish you could talk to
Day 12 — Your dream vacation
Day 13 — Something you’re looking forward to
Day 14 — Someone you’ve drifted away from
Day 15 — The person you miss the most
Day 16 — Someone that’s not in your state/country
Day 17 — The place you wish you were from
Day 18 — The person that you wish you could be
Day 19 — Something that makes you different
Day 20 — Your favorite television shows
Day 21 — Someone you judged by their first impression
Day 22 — Your pet peeves
Day 23 — The last person you kissed
Day 24 — The person that gave you your favorite memory
Day 25 — A life changing moment
Day 26 — The last person you made a pinky promise to
Day 27 — The thing you most enjoy doing
Day 28 — Someone that changed your life
Day 29 — Your talent
Day 30 — Your reflection in the mirror

Today I will discuss #13 - something you are looking forward to. This is an extremely easy post.


What I am looking forward to began this January and will be fully functional on, or around, October 14, 2010. Functional meaning pooping, peeing, eating and crying.






To the left is an old picture of our soon to be born daughter. We will be getting another ultrasound next Wednesday so we will get to see what she looks like a few months after this last picture.





Day 1 -- Your Best Friend
Day 2 — Your vices
Day 3 — Your parents
Day 4 —Your siblings
Day 5 — Your dreams
Day 6 — Someone that inspires you
Day 7 — Your job
Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend that you’ve never met
Day 9 — Someone you wish you could meet
Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to
Day 11 — A deceased person you wish you could talk to
Day 12 — Your dream vacation
Day 13 — Something you’re looking forward to
Day 14 — Someone you’ve drifted away from
Day 15 — The person you miss the most
Day 16 — Someone that’s not in your state/country
Day 17 — The place you wish you were from
Day 18 — The person that you wish you could be
Day 19 — Something that makes you different
Day 20 — Your favorite television shows
Day 21 — Someone you judged by their first impression
Day 22 — Your pet peeves
Day 23 — The last person you kissed
Day 24 — The person that gave you your favorite memory
Day 25 — A life changing moment
Day 26 — The last person you made a pinky promise to
Day 27 — The thing you most enjoy doing
Day 28 — Someone that changed your life
Day 29 — Your talent
Day 30 — Your reflection in the mirror

As I stated yesterday I will not be following the set order for this challenge. Today I will be blahging for Day 20 - Your favorite television shows. In thinking about this topic I have looked deep inside myself and concluded that my favorite shows are either 1) completely ridiculous or 2) makes me feel like a part of the family. Due to this fact I will be dividing this blog into two sections.

I will begin with Part 1) the ridiculous.

The Young Ones - This is a British show that is like a live action cartoon. The main characters get maimed, killed or any number of other things during the course of each episode, yet they always return for more in the next episode. There were only 12 episodes of this show, but in these 12 episode they created something that has lasted for decades. The proof of how great this show is can be seen in how it is still gaining new fans even today.

This show is about four college students living (and fighting) together in a flat. There is Mike Thecoolguy (his characters real last name), Rik the poet (played by the same actor as Drop Dead Fred), Vyvyn the 'punk', and Neil the hippy. As stated above these guys do just about everything to each other including a pickaxe to the head, giving birth, electrocution, overdosing on laxative pills, robbing a bank and (spoiler alert) actually dying.

The second ridiculous show that I love is Fawlty Towers, another British show. This show stars John Cleese as probably the worst hotel manager ever. He fights and assaults, both verbally and physically, his staff, the customers and his domineering wife. Each of the characterswork together wonderfully to act as each others foils in every situation. This is a very smart comedy that works in almost every way. The one negative thing that I can say about it is that the production is done very cheaply and sometimes the sets are very flimsy.

PART 2) shows that make me feel like one of the family

The smartest sitcom I have ever seen comes from the Great White North. It is a show about small town life in Dog River, Saskatchewan. The show is Corner Gas and it is fantastic. The main character is Brent Leroy, who owns the towns gas station. The other characters are his Oscar and Emma, Brent's mom and dad; Davis and Karen ,the town cops; Lacey, the owner of the town's cafe; Wanda, the employee at Corner Gas; and Hank Yarbo, probably the best comic sidekick since Barney Fife (this is NOT hyperbole, he is that good). This show makes me want to move to Dog River and hang out with these people. I love this show and if you haven't seen it yet you should find it and watch it. It is a classic.

My favorite television show of all time is another British show (see a pattern?). This show began in 1981 and ran through 2003. It is a show about two brothers, Derek (Del) and Rodney. Del is a 'salesman' who doesn't always deal with legally obtained items. Rodney, Del's much younger brother who Del has raised since childhood, has principles which clash with Del's lifestyle and business. For the first few years of the show their Grandfather makes up the third person of their 'family'. However, the actor who played Grandfather passed away so his character died on the show. Because of this Grandfather's long estranged bother joined the cast as Uncle Albert. The rest of the cast remained throughout the series and they are amazing. After awhile both Del and Rodney get married and have children. Del's reaction to Rodney's marriage is the only time that a television show has made my eyes water. I cannot tell you how great this show is, it is worth whatever trouble you may have to go to see it.

There are many other shows that I really like, but this blahg has take way to long already so I will just list the others:

1. The Andy Griffith Show - Barney Fife is the best character ever on tv.

2. Freaks and Geeks - Bill Haverchuck is the third best character (see Corner Gas above).

3. The Dick Van Dyck Show - classy, intelligent comedy.

4. Blackadder-the same guy who played Mr. Bean had and earlier, better show.

Day 1 -- Your Best Friend
Day 2 — Your vices
Day 3 — Your parents
Day 4 —Your siblings
Day 5 — Your dreams
Day 6 — Someone that inspires you
Day 7 — Your job
Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend that you’ve never met
Day 9 — Someone you wish you could meet
Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to
Day 11 — A deceased person you wish you could talk to
Day 12 — Your dream vacation
Day 13 — Something you’re looking forward to
Day 14 — Someone you’ve drifted away from
Day 15 — The person you miss the most
Day 16 — Someone that’s not in your state/country
Day 17 — The place you wish you were from
Day 18 — The person that you wish you could be
Day 19 — Something that makes you different
Day 20 — Your favorite television shows
Day 21 — Someone you judged by their first impression
Day 22 — Your pet peeves
Day 23 — The last person you kissed
Day 24 — The person that gave you your favorite memory
Day 25 — A life changing moment
Day 26 — The last person you made a pinky promise to
Day 27 — The thing you most enjoy doing
Day 28 — Someone that changed your life
Day 29 — Your talent
Day 30 — Your reflection in the mirror

So I have decided to be a poseur (again) and follow Anney's lead (again) by starting this 30 day blog thing. The one thing I will be doing different is picking which number I will do, meaning I will not necessarily follow any given order. But for today I will begin and the beginning by writing about my best friend.

My best friend.

How do I write about this? What is the definition of a best friend? If a best friend is someone I keep in contact with and talk with on a daily basis that I only have one best friend and that is, big surprise, my wife Marianneke van Hiel Summerfield.

However, if you define best friend as someone you get along with and can hang out with whenever and wherever you happen to be then that person would be Bob Duvall. I haven't seen him in about eight years, but I know that when I do see him in the future we will pick up exactly where we left off.
Well maybe not exactly...

If you define best friend as someone you can talk to about anything and who can empathize with you on certain things, then that person would be Mark Davey, my partner in fun at Crestmont. When I needed someone who wasn't afraid to stand up against injustice and stupid things I could always count on Mark to stand with me in brotherhood - even against our wives. In a good way.

If you define best friend as 'Man's best friend' then there is on puppy in particular:

Jasper Fforde Summerfield

All four of these people I would consider to be my best friends, but there are more as well: my brother Clark and Phoenix friend Oniel to name two.

Day 1 -- Your Best Friend
Day 2 — Your vices
Day 3 — Your parents
Day 4 —Your siblings
Day 5 — Your dreams
Day 6 — Someone that inspires you
Day 7 — Your job
Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend that you’ve never met
Day 9 — Someone you wish you could meet
Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to
Day 11 — A deceased person you wish you could talk to
Day 12 — Your dream vacation
Day 13 — Something you’re looking forward to
Day 14 — Someone you’ve drifted away from
Day 15 — The person you miss the most
Day 16 — Someone that’s not in your state/country
Day 17 — The place you wish you were from
Day 18 — The person that you wish you could be
Day 19 — Something that makes you different
Day 20 — Your favorite television shows
Day 21 — Someone you judged by their first impression
Day 22 — Your pet peeves
Day 23 — The last person you kissed
Day 24 — The person that gave you your favorite memory
Day 25 — A life changing moment
Day 26 — The last person you made a pinky promise to
Day 27 — The thing you most enjoy doing
Day 28 — Someone that changed your life
Day 29 — Your talent
Day 30 — Your reflection in the mirror

Doing it, yeah, doing it.

Top 10 Songs on my Ipod

Next to me by Ghoti Hook
I love songs that start with piano and then commence with the rockin’ (also see ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ below). This is one of my favorite songs of all time from my favorite band. I like them so much that I almost flew to Philadelphia last summer to see their reunion show, but Commissioning made it impossible.
Every New day by Five Iron Frenzy
This isn’t just one of my favorite songs on my iPod, it is one of the greatest ‘praise’ songs ever written. I listen to this song a lot, especially when I am flying and the plane is landing. I take that back, this isn’t just one of the greatest praise songs ever written, it is one of the greatest songs ever written full stop.
Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
Anney hates this song. Well not the song but the video for the song, which IS creepy but doesn’t diminish the song in any way. I am not sure if I like it because of Anney’s hate of the song or the piano/rockin’ equation (see ‘Next to Me’ above) but I like it.
Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone (from ‘The Mission’ soundtrack)
I listen to this soundtrack when I need to calm down. No soundtrack will ever top this and no song written for the Oboe will ever surpass the greatness that is this song.
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
What can I say? I had to have at least one Bob Marley song on here and it could have been any of a number of songs. I wasn’t a big Bob Marley fan until after I spent a summer in Jamaica. I wish I had developed a taste for his music before that summer so I would have wanted to visit more tourist places related to him. I also find it interesting that his father was a white Englishman. Just sayin’.
Saints and Sailors Dashboard Confessional
I first heard this song while driving from WCBC to Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. After she bought me the CD for Christmas Anney used to make fun of me for having the musical tastes of a 14 year old girl (this also had something to do with me using the phrase ‘24/7'). This is funny because she started listening and from then on she wanted to buy the new CDs. But not anymore because Dashboard kind of sucks now, but I still like the songs from this album. In fact every time someone mentions hair being everywhere we still start singing ‘Screaming Infidelities’ (Your hair...is...everywhere...).
Amazing Grace by Flatfoot 56
My favorite hymn done in Celtic/Punk Style. Wonderful. This starts slow and quietish (no piano though) and then gets loud and raucous. Maybe there is a pattern in the songs I like.
Skates by Hayden
My favorite ‘I am not a folk singer’ folk singer. This was the first Canadian singer that Anney introduced me to. I gave her Ghoti Hook and she gave me Hayden. Love this guy. This song is about a lady who drowned and her body wasn't found, so her husband, who can't swim, goes to buy some ice skates so when the lake freezes he can skate up and down looking for her body. If haven’t heard him you should go and get a CD. Start with ‘Everything I long for’,
Under Lock and Key by MXPX
Ever hear of a band that used to be good? That is MXPX. They were great through ‘The Ever Passing Moment’ then nothing but suck except for ‘On the Cover II’ which was a good recent covers album.
Ephipany from Sweeney Todd
A great song that amazingly shows the characters descent from crazy into total madness, and does it convincingly.

Honorable mentions

I’m only Humanoid (Lost in Space) by Blaster the Rocketboy
I found this song on a compilation from ‘Tooth and Nail Records’ in the mid 90’s. I know that they have many CDs but I have never heard another song by this band.

You make my pants want to get up and dance by Dr. Hook
When I was 10 I had a 45 record of this song. I had no idea what it really meant. I just pictured a pair of pants rising up off of the floor and dancing around in joy. I can’t remember when I first became aware of the true meaning of the song, but I would love to go back and see the look on my face.
Shaggs’ own thing by The Shaggs
Apart from U2, The Shaggs are probably the worst band in the history of music. Three teenage girls with no talent forced by their father to be in a band. And they are fantastic because they beg the question: if they can do it, why can’t I? This song is especially great because it is supremely creepy. The following lyrics are part of the song and sung by the band’s father and brother. Pay special attention to the line near the bottom “doing it, yeah doing it”. In the song this line is given special emphasis and I know that in the early 70’s this probably had a completely different meaning, but in a modern sense it is hilariously creepy.
Lyrics to Shaggs' Own Thing (vocal Version) :
oh, okay, girl, now let's see what you can do.
oh, baby, i feel it now. what? i don't know. but i feel it in my bones.

- pardon me, boy.
- pardon me, man.
- were you with my girl last night?
- yeah, that was me.
- on a Saturday night?
- yeah.
- in the bright moonlight?
- yeah, that was me alright.
- ah, i knew it.

- i saw you a-hugging and a-kissing her with all of your might
and let me tell you, fellow, it was a terrible sight
sneaking out with my girl, thinking she was your girl
and doing it, yeah, doing it.
hugging her and kissing her with all of your might,
on a Saturday night,
in the bright moonlight.
- yeah. (me alright)

Most embarrassing song

Friends by Michael W. Smith
I don’t hate many things in life, but this song is one of those things that I do hate. Maybe it is that fact that it is over played that makes me despise it, or maybe it is the fact that it just sucks…I am not sure. You are probably wondering why it is on my Ipod then. Well it was for a farewell video for someone at the corps, and I am such a great CO that I put my tastes and morals on the line for a corps member. I do have a good cover version of it by Ghoti Hook.