Sunshine Blogger Award

Special thanks to Steve for the Deaf for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Steve is a stellar music connoisseur with a proclivity for metal. I look to his blog for Ozzy, Aerosmith, and grunge nostalgia and lore.

The Sunshine Blogger Award is always about connections, support, and brave ideas.

Below are Steve’s Questions and my Answers:

1. If you in life had a theme song that played wherever you go, what would it be and why?

• Instead of the bombastic anthem, I’m going with something more sentimental: Ben Fold’s “The Luckiest.” This song has been with me since college, it was played at my wedding, and it continues to speak to me about fumbles, recoveries, unconditional love, and how everything is meant to be.

2. Have you ever pretended to have read a famous book and now it’s gone too far to admit you haven’t, especially as you saw the film and got the gist?

• Great question. I guess I go with my high school days and Great Expectations. Too many words (I heard Dickens got paid for each word) with such dry material—I could never get myself to read it. So, CliffsNotes came next and then David Lean’s even drier movie, and I somehow managed to say that I read the darn thing. Today, all I can remember is Pip.

3. If you were signaling to the people who know you best from another plane, what would your signal be?

• If we’re talking airplane window to airplane window, I’ve always been a “thumbs up” kind of guy, and people who know me know that it generally means “all is good” and “Iife is good.”

4. Have you ever lied to a total stranger just because you knew you’d never see them again?

• Nothing rings a bell with this one, but I once tried to get out of a conversation with a close-talker by telling him I was a carpenter. (He just so happened to be a carpenter.)

5. Queen or ABBA? Show your workings.

• In 1992, Wayne’s World introduced me to the marvels of Queen. Then, when I started teaching at an all-girls high school in ’03, ABBA took over with glory.

6. What’s your absolutely favorite fiction novel and why?

• I’d have to go with Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Stay away from the movies and enter the darkest corner of King’s mind. I was floored by the metaphor and relatable but shattering tendencies of Louis Creed. I remember reading most of it on a train in Europe under a dim bunk bed light. I couldn’t put it down.

7. Will you celebrate when it happens?

• Pretty open-ended question. Whatever it is that I’m celebrating, the celebration will include a movie on the couch with sweet and savory snacks. (I think I know what you are referring to and yes.)

8. When was the last time you changed your mind about something important? What did it cost you?

• I meticulously discern decisions with pros and cons lists so that I don’t have to change my mind. Even if I made the wrong choice, I believe I was just being me at the time.

9. Did you ever surprise yourself by trying something totally unlike you, just once, to see whether you liked it?

• Scuba diving on my honeymoon. I’m proud of my wife and I, and I pushed through my fears of claustrophobia, suffocation, and ocean creatures. And it was fun!

10. Ozzy or Dio?

• Ozzy all the way. My middle brother and I collected all of his solo albums on cassette tape and scared our parents for a spell. I still listen to the “No More Tears” album while I mow the lawn. (The job gets done faster that way.)

11. If we’re going to a Halloween party together, what costumes are you picking for us both?

• I’ll be Richard, you be Larry, and we will look for someone who’s passed out to be Bernie.

Thank you for these unique questions, Steve!

Participation Rules:

1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog
2. Thank the person who nominated you
3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog
4. Answer your nominator’s questions
5. Nominate up to six bloggers
6. Ask your nominees eleven questions
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog

My Nominees

The DFL: My cousin’s remarkable analysis of the muck called the Colorado Rockies

PowerPop: Max is a pop culture aficionado and a super nice guy

Katie at the Movies: Katie is an articulate film reviewer who explores the international and indie gems out there

Widdershins Worlds: My cat-loving, knee-pain-empathizing writer friend

Master Mix Movies: “MMM” creatively examines every genre, series, or trend in movies

Eclectic Music Lover: Killer song lists, reviews, featured indie artists, and music commentary

Observation Blogger: A standard for classical music, pop music variety, movies, and ponderances

TheQuickFlickCritic: John is Roger Ebert reincarnated

My Questions

1. What is your favorite smell and why?
2. What movie have you seen the most and why do you revisit it so often?
3. You’re going on a road trip from California to New York. What two people do you bring with you and why? (They can be living or no longer with us.)
4. What movie character is most like you and why?
5. If you could swap brains with anyone for a day just to see how they think, who would it be?
6. What movie changed your outlook on life when you were 10 years old, and do you still feel that way today?
7. What sports rule in any sport drives you the most crazy?
8. What is one thing you wish people asked you more often?
9. What is the scariest movie you have ever seen, and why did it give you the chills?
10. Gerald Early told us that “when they study our civilization two thousand years from now, there will only be three things that Americans will be known for: the Constitution, baseball, and jazz music.” Whether you are American or not, what one other component would you add to these three?
11. What was the last song—current or from the past—that struck an emotional chord for you and why?

Thank you for reading and keep blogging that sunshine!

Best,

Reely Bernie