1. My mom had me when she was 40 years old

- my family would know this, but even for the times I’ve talked about my mom here, I don’t believe I’ve shared this here on the blog. There were some complications (breach), but for the medical advances that were around in 1963, I’m sure this one was common.

2. I took Ritalin as a child

- for some reason when I was about 9, my teacher thought I was hyperactive. This was reported to my mom, who as a single parent, took it to an extreme level and put me into counseling. At the time (early 70′s), Ritalin was a common thing for psychologists to prescribe for activities they were not all that familiar with. This lasted for a good three years before I finally got tired of taking it.

3. My first car was a 1974 Honda Civic


The above photo is not of the actual car I owned. Mine was a creme color. I didn’t have it very long – maybe about 6 months or so. My memories of driving this car are fading as the year’s pass. Unlike my memories of my second car, which was a 1972 Toyota Corolla wagon that had a huge dent on the side [I wish I had taken more photos in my early 20's].

4. The first computer I owned was an Atari 800


- Yes, with two cartridge slots and 48k of RAM, this was the top of the line back in the day [I won't tell you what year this was, but I'll let you guess]. I owned it for a good five years, even after I got my first PC. I wrote BASIC programs and played several games on it.

5. I was called “McFly” when the Back To The Future movie first came out

- I was proud to have this nickname. Even if people would use it often, to be associated with someone like Michael J. Fox was pretty cool in 1985.

6. The first CD I bought was U2′s “The Unforgettable Fire”


- the year was 1988. I had just bought my first CD player. There was a local record store in Orem, UT called Crandall Records. Albums and cassettes will still big, but CDs were starting to make huge inroads into the hands of music fans. As a fan of the band, I thought it was appropriate to get my favorite album of theirs on CD. I still have this CD today and will never part with it.

7. Several of my randoms here are “firsts”

- no particular reason other than they are random facts about me. See how I did that there? I now only have to worry about coming up with 10 of these.

8. My first short film I did was shown at a film festival


- the film is only 1 minute long, which was a requirement for the 2007 Treo Film Festival. But it was based off something that actually happened to me. The film festival was held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood in October of that year. A good 500 people were at this event and for 60 seconds, I saw something my daughter and I created on a big screen. To this day, it’s one of the things I am most proud to have done, even though my skills in filming and editing have improved greatly.

9. I grew up a couple of miles from Disneyland


- Until I moved from California to Utah in late 1987, I never lived more than 2 miles away from Disneyland. My mom use to take me often when I was little. As a teen, I would go with my friends. And my first wife worked there when we first started dating. I would hear the train sound most days and fireworks at 9:30pm each night provided long lasting memories of growing up near The Happiest Place On Earth.

10. My favorite vegetable is brussel sprouts


Original image found at The Daily Green
- Believe it or not, I really do love these. steamed and cooked for 30 mins, then served with butter, they are so, so good.

11. I went to Gambler’s Anonymous for playing video games


Original image found at Pink Gorilla Games
- At the age of 17, along with my mom in tow, I stood up along side some people with serious gambling problems to announce that it had been 12 days since I last played Pac-man. I shit you not, this really did happen. The meetings were held at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA and I was the lone person who wasn’t dropping $100 bills on the blackjack table or other card and casino games. My addiction to the quater-eating mavens wasn’t really an addiction at all, as after 10 or so meetings, it was suggested that we find another option for saving me the $10 a week I spent at the arcade. To say that I was embarrassed at being forced to do this, is an understatement. I look back now and glad I didn’t do this with my daughter over her Pokemon “addiction”.

11 Questions From Kim

Ok.. ok… I’ll at least answer Kim’s questions she posed over on her blog post. Go to her site to see the questions.

1. To be a writer/published author and filmmaker/screenwriter
2. Maine in 1999. I toyed with going all the way up to Nova Scotia, but ran out of time.
3. Yes.
4. Shrimp scampi and pan-seared scallops. And Fettucine Alfredo if it’s made right.
5. Depends on the news, but normally my wife.
6. Computer problems. See this blog post and why I loathe it.
7. Lately, MySQL questions. I try to keep them down to just a few times a month.
8. Because I like to read other people’s writings and the curious nature of why others blog like me.
9. Probably my wife. Maybe a few others. Mostly though, myself.
10. Yes.
11. The conspiracy that surrounds the JFK assassination. I did a history report on it many years ago in college and I was highly fascinated by how many different versions of the story are out there.

Ok, now comment away. Or steal this meme for your own blog. I say make up your own rules as you see fit.

I love technology. But I also miss certain parts of the years when I grew up. I also wonder what it would be like to have lived in another time. So with that, I thought… “Hmmm.. I wonder what it would be like to be in another time with something modern to take with me?”

Now I know some of you are now saying, “Hey… that sounds like some scene out of Back To The Future!”. And you know what, you would be partially right. I love that trio of movies and there was some melding of modern items that got transported between time continuums, which pretty much was the basis for the entire movie series.

So, ok… I kind of “borrowed” the idea. But hey, it’s cool to think about so let’s have some fun.

Here’s how it works:

• Pick a time that you would want to live in.
• Pick a modern device or item that you want to have in this other time.

For me, it’s the mid 1950′s. Hip music, cool cars and the start to some modern inventions. And to have a cell phone with full texting and internet capability, sending back messages to the present day, logging in to the web on my phone and looking up information. Retro time, modern device.

Pretty simple. Now you try it. Feel free to go into more detail if you’d like. I’m curious to read the responses.

As with listing my favorite albums, there have been so many movies that I like that have been made, trying to narrow them down to just nine is extremely difficult, but I’ll give it my best shot.

9. True Romance [1993]
   
   If you’ve never seen this movie, and you like Tarantino movies, then rent it, buy it, borrow it – get a copy. It stars Christian Slater as Clarence, a Sonny Chiba fan trying to enjoy a movie marathon, when Alabama (Patricia Arquette) walks in and garners his attention. Before long, Clarence has involved himself into a mix of drugs, hookers, a restless pimp and a Hollywood crowd that change his life. The cast is stellar and full of stars like Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken and Gary Oldman. I actually like this Quentin Tarantino story better than the one he did for “Pulp Fiction,” [I felt Pulp Fiction was better directed - see below]. One viewing and you’ll may add this to your list of favorites, too.

 

8. Good Will Hunting [1997]
   
   A genius-level janitor working at MIT finds time to solve math problems in his “spare time.” As the clues unravel his identity, Will Hunting (Matt Damon) gets befriended by one of the psych professors (Robin Williams) who tries to delve deep into what drives this kid to be both intelligent and awkward. First-time Oscar winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon knocked this Gus Van Sant-directed film out of the park. It was an instant favorite and has one of my favorite ending lines of dialogue in any film – “That son of a bitch, he stole my line”

 

7. Almost Famous [2000]
   
   Cameron Crowe is one of my favorite directors [as you will find out later in the list]. The story is based on Crowe’s rise up through the ranks as the youngest writer for Rolling Stone magazine and his life on the road with Rock N’ Roll. Kate Hudson as Penny Lane helps make this story come to life as a kid who wants to write gets his wish. The starring cast is incredible (Jason Lee, Frances McDormand, Billy Crudup, Philip Seymour Hoffman) and makes this movie shine that much more. It won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and if you’ve seen it, you will know why.

 

6. Rear Window [1954]
   
   Alfred Hitchcock latched onto James Stewart and held on to him. This movie has suspense on so many different levels, it puts any slasher and gore film to shame. The story of L.B. Jefferies, who breaks his leg, uses a pair of binoculars and a window to the apartment complex he lived in, paints a picture of thrill, intrigue, curiosity and murder. To film pretty much the entire movie from one room and one location, and have it turn out as a masterpiece of cinema, speaks volumes about Mr. Hitchcock’s genius. Special nods to Raymond Burr and Grace Kelly for their supporting roles.

 

5. Say Anything [1989]
   
   John Cuscak is one of my favorite actors, and not just because I look like him [no really, check out this photo from Say Anything] but because he’s just so versatile. This 1989 movie directed by Cameron Crowe [I'm not done yet...] is one of the greatest high school romantic comedies made. Cuscak stars as Lloyd Dobbler, a love-stricken teen with an interest in not only the girl of his dreams (played by Ione Skye), but in kickboxing (“sport of the future”) and making an impact in society. It’s not a chick flick, but it is a movie that tells a love story in a different light. It worked for me.

 

4. Back To The Future [1985]
   
   Most people think this trilogy of movies was directed by Steven Spielberg [they were directed by Robert Zemeckis], but it was Spielberg’s money that helped kick this story out of the gate. Starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly [yes, people did call me "McFly" soon after the movie made it big], a teen who knew a scientist that created a time machine. With a rushed situation early in the morning, Marty ends up in the time machine [disguised as a DeLorean] and going back in time instead of Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). And although some people may think this story isn’t all that, it scores big points for me. So much of a fan that I am of these movies, I try to watch the first movie on October 25, which is the day that Marty went back in time to 1955. Yeah, that’s geeky, but no apologies.

 

3. Pulp Fiction [1994]
   
   The first time I saw this movie, it struck me as something completely different. I had already seen “Reservoir Dogs” and liked “True Romance” [see above] and thought that Quentin Tarantino was making a huge impact into making movies. But it was the story of Vincent and Jules and the endless stream of clever dialogue that made this movie one of my all-time favorites to watch. It not only reinvigorated John Travolta’s career, but it propelled Tarantino’s movie style of comedic violence and blaxploitation into the mainstream, winning him and co-writer Roger Avary Oscars for Best Original Screenplay. Love him or hate him, you have to admit Tarantino is one talented filmmaker.

 

2. The Apartment [1960]
   
   Billy Wilder and a great cast made this Oscar willing movie a hit with me. C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) has always had an eye for Fran Kubelik (Shirley McClaine). He’s married mind you, and is trying to show he’s got the goods at work. Drama ensues and Miss Kubelik finds herself at Mr. Baxter’s apartment. Covering up and trying to reduce the attention, C.C. finds ways to make it look like everything is normal. But in the end, this romantic story shows that love can be quirky. This was Billy Wilder’s last great film, which also cast Fred MacMurry and Ray Walston in supporting roles.

 

1. Jerry Maguire [1996]
   
   I can see some of your jaws dropping as you end up here, wondering why a film like Jerry Maguire is my all-time favorite movie. And to some of you, jaws drop even further when you know that I’m not that fond of the current incarnations of both Tom Cruise and Renée Zellweger. But as you read above at some of my top films, you’ll see that I’m a romantic at heart and given the right flow and chemistry, a romantic comedy with a twist is something that works for me, multiple times. Again, Cameron Crowe’s story about a sports agent who finds love and a conscience seals the deal for me. Sure, this movie is loaded with cliché’s and famous movie phrases (“Show Me The Money!”, “You had me at hello”), but the way it’s put together and told, it’s just a masterful piece of filmmaking history.

 
More Movies To Love

Ok, so now you’ve digested the list, placed your jaws back into place and want to tell me how good (or bad) my list is. Comment away. Tell me your favorite movie. State your case to me about why I need to add and/or remove any off the above list. I’ll try to compile the rest of the list (the top #10 through #25 films) soon so you can see that I do have more of diversity than comedic violence and romantic comedies.