Looking Forward to This Year…

Here are the Top Five Days that I’m looking forward to in 2009…

August 2.  Yes, this year the warranty officially expires on Donald Ray Sanders, Jr. as I hit the big 4-0.  I have no idea how it will affect me physically, psychologically, emotionally, or even financially (my insurance premiums will probably go up!)  At the moment, I’m planning on taking a couple days to do a baseball trip to celebrate, but that’s still very tentative.  I never thought I’d see this day.

June 1.  Hopefully I will be starting my sabbatical on that day.  Every five years, my wonderful churches gives full-time ministers a month long sabbatical.  My first sabbatical included Disneyworld, Moab Utah, and Illinois.  We’re still finalizing plans for this one, but at the moment it looks like we’ll make the pilgrimage to Florida again.

Sometime Soon(hopefully).  I’m looking forward to the arrival of our new Senior Minister at HCC.  Of course, we don’t know who this person is yet, but I’m looking forward to working with him! 

March 2.  U2’s new CD, No Line on the Horizon, is scheduled for release that day.  As you may know, I suffer from a U2 fixation, so I probably won’t sleep that night before.  The boys from Ireland have been working on it for like two years, so it better be good.  I might take a vacation day just so I can go somewhere and listen to it all day long.

May 18.  18th wedding anniversary.  I should probably make reservations now (last year we just lucked out to get in to Maggiano’s).

2008’s Top Ten Most Played iPod Songs

Yes, I realize that I’m a quirky person.  I have a gift for remembering things that aren’t important.  In my mind, I can make a competition out of absolutely anything.  I have silly rules that I live by.  All of this is probably a sign of some yet undiscovered mental disorder.

So, when I got an iPod a couple years ago, I was thrilled to see that it kept track of how many times you play a song.  So what did I do?  Naturally, I turned it into a competition.  At the end of every year, I look to see which song has earned the title of Don Sanders’ #1 song of the year.  It kind of reminds me of being a kid and listening to Kasey Kasem’s year-end count down.  Then I reset the counts on January 1st for a new year of competition.

I am sure that the music that you listen to says a lot about you.  I have no idea what these songs say about me (other than an unhealthy obsession with U2).  Perhaps some bored psychologist will accidentally run across this blog and analyze me for free.  So without further adieu, here are my Top Ten Most Played Songs for 2008 (drum rolling…)

10.  Mysterious Ways by U2–The 2006 Most Played Song champion, Mysterious Ways makes the list for the third consecutive year.  Classic Edge guitar distortion.  Probably would have been higher if I hadn’t started

9.  Such a Nightby Elvis Presley–Remarkably, the only Elvis song on my iPod.  This is what I think of when I hear the name Elvis.

8.  1979 by Smashing Pumpkins–The first SP song I ever downloaded after hearing it on Pandora.  Not a typical SP song, which is probably why I like it.  Yes, I realize that it’s nihilist garbage, but it has a good beat and you can dance to it.

7.  Miss Sarajevo by U2–Not your typical U2 song, as it is a duet with Pavarotti.  I hate opera, but this song can nearly bring you to tears (in a good way, not because it is hurting your ears like opera.)  I became a big fan after watching Bono perform it in U23D (okay, I saw the movie three times.)

6.  One Tree Hill by U2–Last year’s champion, this very underrated song from The Joshua Tree remains in the Top Ten.  I was disappointed that the remastered JT cd didn’t imporove the quality though.  One of my all time favs.

5.  City of Blinding Lights by U2–This is one of the ringers I have set for when my wife calls.  I think this is the best track from Atomic Bomb.  Kind of Edge’s current interpretation of his own classic sound.

4.  Desert of Our Love by U2–I think this song made the list because my family likes it more than I do.  It comes from the extra disc in the Joshua Tree remastered set.  Interesting that the baseline eventually became the baseline for Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.

3.  Viva la Vidaby Coldplay–This was my first exposure to Coldplay (I thought the iPod commercial was cool.)  My daughter plays it more than I do because she’s a violin player.  Not totally sure what the song is about, though I like the reference to Jerusalem.

2.  One Headlight by The Wall flowers–Another Pandora discovery.  This is a very addictive song.  The guitar, drums, and base get stuck in your head all day long.  Opened me up to all the Wallflowers’ stuff.

and the number one most played song on Don Sanders’ iPod in 2008 is………

1.  In a Little Whileby U2–One of the most soulful songs ever.  Just a song about a guy missing his wife and daughter.  Great guitar opening riff.  Everytime it comes on, my son reminds me that it was the song that Johnny Ramon was lilstening to when he died.  When Bono heard this, he proclaimed it a gospel song.  I’ll go with that.

Snowball

What is it about snowballs and the presence of a dad that makes kids want to bring them together?  Why are fathers magnets for snowballs?  I remember being a kid and thinking that the greatest thing in the world was nailing my dad with a snowball.  (I was scarred by an unfortunate snowball incident when I was 5 years old.  We have videographic, actually old 8mm tape that has been converted to VHS, evidence of my dad hitting me square in the face.  Obviously, I’ve been traumatized and emotionally wounded.)  Even though I’m 38 now, if I had the opportunity, I’d still enjoy launching a well-formed snowball at my dad.

Now the genetic mutation that causes dad seeking snowballs has infected my kids.  My son lives for the time when he can try, and I do emphasize try, to pummel the old man with snowballs.  I can see the longing in his eyes.  The yearning to hurl the perfectly formed frozen projectile at just the right trajectory and velocity to achieve maximum impact (translation: throw it so that it will go down dad’s back inside the coat.)  Colateral damage is even better.  If he can hit me and spray his sister in the process, that’s just a bonus.

Now the one thing I haven’t figured out is why boys are afraid of hitting their mom with a snowball.  Just one look from mom says, “If you even think about messing up my hair with that snowball I’ll make your life so miserable you’ll wish you were never born.”  Moms have some kind of heat vision that makes a snowball melt in a little boy’s hand.  Boys like to threaten, but they know that even one flake of wayward snow on mom and she’ll spike the cookies with exlax and the hot chocolate with cough medicine.  If a dad gives that look, they know that dad will return fire, which is when the real fun ensues.

So, to all you dads there, be a good sport and let your son think he’s getting the best of you during target practice.  Just remember to call the fight off right after you land one right between the eyes of the wanna-be snowball gladiator.  Then invite your own dad over and ambush him from behind the car. 

Late Nights

Currently playing on my iPod is “I’m so Tired” by the Beatles from the White Album, how appropriate. 

Every once in a while I have a really late night.  Last night was one of them.  Just about the time that I was getting ready to go to bed, one of the movies on The List came on.  “What list?” you may ask.  Well, I have a List of movies that are classics to me.  For one reason or another, I just really like them.  When one of these movies on The List comes on, I just have to watch it, regardless of the time.  Last night, after watching the weather people pool their collective ignorance on the news, I gave the channels one last flip, just in case one of the movies from The List was on.  Jackpot!  The original Planet of the Apes was on AMC and the opening credits were rolling. 

So, I thought I’d post my official list of movies that I will sacrifice sleep for.  In some way, these movies are part of my identity.  That’s kind of a scary thought.  I was going to write a review of Planet of the Apes, but I’m too tired and sleepy to think about it very much.  I’d love to see your lists!

 Planet of the Apes–I remember the first time I saw this movie as a kid and was just amazed by it.  When I got older and had a little history and philosophy under my belt, I got the message of the movie.  Aside from having the one of the best endings of any movie of all time, it has a Twilight Zone feel (Rod Sterling wrote the script!)

Back to the Future–This movie came out when I was in high school, so my tie to it is purely nostalgic.  My favorite scene is Marty playing Johnny B. Goode at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance.  Nice guitar.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off–One of the most quotable movies of all time.  Matthew Broderick will always be Ferris.  My favorite quote quote is…actually, there are so many that I can’t name them all, but “A man with priorities so far out of whack doesn’t deserve such a fine automobile.”

A Few Good Men–All time best courtroom movie.  Jack Nickleson has like three scenes in the whole movie, but he makes the best of them.  My favorite quote (aside from “You can’t handle the truth!”, which is automatic) is “You said grave danger.”  “Is there another kind?” 

The Shawshank Redemption–The only movie that I like Tim Robbins in.  Few people know that the movie is based on a Stephen King short story.  Anyway, remarkable movie about guilt, abuse of religion, and what it means to be free.  The ending ranks in the best endings of all time.  My favorite quote, “I had to go to prison to become a criminal.”

Tombstone–Even though I own the director’s cut DVD and have probably seen this movie at least several dozen times, I still watch it.  The most quotable movie, EVER–hands down.  Val Kilmer steals the show as Doc Holiday.  I’m pretty sure that I can quote the entire movie, which is really sad.  Also, I have a movie poster in my office signed by all the cast (thanks to my brother!)  Great movie about friendship, honor, and loyalty.  “Apparently Mr. Ringo’s an educated man.  Now I really hate him.”