I got tagged by Selena last week as part of a chain letter/blogosphere game sharing hypothetical titles for memoirs. This is a great idea, because anyone can write a memoir these days. Barack Obama wrote one as a non-famous Joe Blow, having done nothing significant in his young life. His was about ego and political posturing, whereas Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes was a genuine reflection of a man rising from an impoverished childhood to be a successful adult. Bottom line: Some people should not be writing memoirs, especially if they have not lived passed the age of 60.

Back to the business at hand. My never-to-be-written memoir title is similar to the subtitle of Without Politicians. I view myself as a recovering modernity addict, someone who is turning his back on what the world has to offer. I imagine after 60+ years of life, my memoir title in six words would be this:

“Thoughts From A Former Modernity Addict”

That being said, it is time to tag some people.

The Retired Preacher (He already has a memoir title—his blog title)
tazdog
The Pomponist
coloradokiwi
Teen Atheist (Sorry, she already hates my guts)

I recently found What’s The Story Morning Glory for $2.00 at Half Price Books as part of my rebirth as a CD collector (I cannot stand digital downloads). The CD looks like it was never touched. I used to own this album way back in the 90’s until I sold it off, ironically to Half Price Books. I listened to this great album all the way through for the first time in close to a decade recently, and it was like listening to it for the very first time.

Sometimes it takes a long break to appreciate something. This is my question: What album did you listen to over and over again only to put aside and forget about? You might want to give it a listen.

Were Chad Butler (Switchfoot) and Luke Wilson separated at birth? It sure looks like it.

A couple days ago I posted on my ideal home, a DWR edition Airstream. Not a whole lot will fit into such a home given its 120 square feet of space. This got me thinking about my library of books and how only a fraction of them would fit into such a space, so I came up with a list of a dozen books I would have to keep. A couple will be obvious to my regular visitors, but others my be surprising.

1. The Bible
2. C.S. Lewis for the Third Millennium by Peter Kreeft
3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
4. The Unusual Suspect by Stephen Baldwin
5. The Confessions by St. Augustine
6. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
7. From Modernism to Postmodernism: An Anthology edited by Lawrence Cahoone
8. The Gospel According To Jesus by John MacArthur, Jr.
9. Towards A New Architecture by Le Corbusier
10. Art In Theory 1900-1990: An Anthology of Changing Ideas edited by Charles Harrison and Paul Wood
11. Henry David Thoreau: Walden And Other Writings introduced by Nat Hentoff
12. S,M,L,XL by Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, and Hans Werlemann

If you could only keep a dozen books, what would they be?

This week, I had two different bloggers from two different blogs mention my beard on the same day. Yes, my avatar has a beard—me about 10 months ago. The beard is long gone.

Here is what the Teen Athiest had to say:

peak9, I like myself way too much to “take things so personally.” Wouldn’t you be annoyed if you heard the same shit every day, no matter what it was? “Trim your beard,” “Wear something nicer,” et cetera. If I honestly believed I knew everything and couldn’t stand dealing with the ageism, I wouldn’t call myself the Teenage Atheist. I did choose that moniker for this blog, however, because I am admitting that I don’t know everything, and I welcome advice from my readers on how to deal with problems and go about things.

So, don’t generalize. Just because you were a know-it-all dipshit when you were my age doesn’t mean we all were. That’s ageism in and of itself.

My response:

Awesome. There’s no more beard either.

Here is what Brandon said at The Original Mudpuppy:

Just because I don’t have a fun blog name like “Politics & Culture” and I don’t look like the 4th member of ZZ Top doesn’t mean I’m not funny.

My response to Brandon:

Actually, I don’t have a beard anymore. I can’t believe two different bloggers on two different blogs commented today on my summer beard. The other blogger called me a dips%#t. At least you only associated me with a band of fellow Texans.

What are some other associations that can be applied to my former beard? A coworker once mentioned “rapist.” Another said I was “bummin’.” My own wife threw out “child molester.” We have “4th member of ZZ Top” and the ranting of a petulant imp. Let me know.

Roy Lichtenstein
Oh, Jeff…I love, too…but, 1964