Happy Blogoversary To Me!

I can’t believe that I made it. It has actually been 365 days since I got bored at work one afternoon and after having spent hours reading all of your blogs, decided to start my own.

That was back in the olden times when I didn’t realize that Blogger would not be very good to me so I started this site:

A Natural Deficiency Of Moral Fiber (The Early Years)

It started out as “LeBlanc Random” and some other bogus titles that used the words “random”, “thoughts”, “ruminations”, “cornucopia”, blah blah blah. I also had a tiny handful of loyal readers that consisted mostly of my wife, my parents, my best friends and a couple of co-workers. Apparently, I have done a decent enough job of using tags to trick many of you into driving by after Lynnster helped me move moved me over to this new place on WordPress during her free time. Thanks for the help.

Thanks to all of you that I read everyday who inspired me to break away from my inhibitions and have an easy way to go through therapy. This way is much cheaper, by the way. Anyway, most of my regular daily people that I love are tucked over to the right under the heading of “A List Of Suggested Reading” —–> but I would like to call out a few of you specifically:

Lynn at The Lynnster Zone – You helped get me started and taught me the ways of The Force. (Wait, that was Obi-Wan.)

John at Salem’s Lots – Even though we agree on nothing (politics, baseball, etc), your site is the standard.

Trace at Newscoma – You share my love of sci-fi (Doctor Who, Zombies, etc) and BBC. Only us geniuses can understand it.

Jennifer at Finnspace – Thanks for commenting on the most worthless of my crap and being a good blog buddy.

Christine at Fluttercrafts – You are another good blog buddy who always writes in a way that grabs me by the lapels. (Note to self: buy new lapels.)

Sarah at I Am disHeartened By My Jetta – You have always been thought provoking and keep me on the pulse of the (slightly) younger generation.

Brittney at Sparkwood & 21 and the original Nashville Is Talking (back when it was good) – Thanks for featuring my junk on the occassions that it was worthwhile and interesting. Good luck in ‘Frisco.

I should also mention two other bloggers who have been great friends to me for many years:

Gary at The Sometimes Sophomoric Hijinks Of The G-Man – I like to think that I gave him the idea to start his blog (even though I believe it was mostly his wife). Thanks for reading and thanks for writing good stuff.

Stuart at Wannabe TV Chef – If you guys haven’t gone over to read his stuff or watch his cooking videos you are missing out big time. Trust me, I have made some of his recipes and tasted what the man is cooking first hand, he is top notch.

Well, that does it for today. Time to add to the 100+ blogs in my feed reader so please write good stuff that I can find and enjoy. I really appreciate all of you that have visited regularly, those who have commented (more would be nice, would you agree Hutch?) and those who stumbled over me only once.

I wrote my first post back on October 31, 2006: “I’m just testing this out. Will I like doing this? I guess I will soon find out.“

Well, with over 350 posts and 12 months later I have finally decided…I think I like it. By the way, who was supposed to bring the cake and hats?

Scenes From Nashville V

Here is another shot taken while walking to LP Field Sunday morning.

It sort of makes me think that maybe God watches a little football on the sly while everyone is at church.

Starred Items

I tend to read blogs mostly through the Google Reader. It has this neat little function that allows you to “star” items which is kind of like putting a web site in your “favorites”. I happened to look through some of my starred items tonight since you guys aren’t writing much (I’m kidding, obviously, since there are over 100 of your blogs I have pumping through my reader) and found a few that I would like to share.

Uncontrollable Flatulence Mr. Hitler? – Approximately

Student Excuses: Farm Accidents – The Leaky Brain

O.K.? Do You, Like, Know What I’m Saying? – iHajj

Apologies To Kevin Smith – Watching The Defectives

Kenyans – Say No To Crack

Now I can clean that thing out. Make sure you people are writing/posting some good stuff for me to fill it back up with. Thanks.

Search Engine Terms

I have noticed that many of you guys have been posting what people are searching for in order to get to your blogs. I felt left out so these are some of the things that I have gotten lately:

girls getting spanked
red sox jack-o-lanterns
camp spankings
smokey and the bandit
frank marino religion
“will hoge” engaged
“paolo nutini” wildhorse
flanders simpsons
the black pearl red sox dugout band
girls farting
birthday jokes for old people
little boys loving boys pics
macho man randy savage
letters from santa
zz wet t-shirt
high resolution justin timberlake photos
hudson new hampshire
nypd pizza mount juliet tn
russia post office
shocked girl
douche bag
short mohawk haircuts
noose hanging
ivan the terrible
frank wycheck
family ties boner
secret lesbian affairs
big mouth aerosmith
cod piece
how to spot a redneck on halloween
i have a big mouth
girls sticking it to boys
be careful of that axe eugene
rump shakers
penis shaped things
hearse
priest and little boy halloween picture
coyote mccloud

The world, and the internet, is pretty effed up ya’ll. Some of you people really scare the crap out of me.

(By the way, I did a photo search on Google of “shocked girl” and found this picture of Mr. Testicles. You can find his website on your own, I assume.)

Conversation During The World Series

Last night The School Girl and I watched game 4 of the World Series (of course). I was a bit worried that the Rockies would keep it close (and they did) and pull out the victory (they did not…hooray!). I mentioned this to my wife who replied in kind:

The School Girl: “That’s okay because they have Sam Beckett going tomorrow and the Rockies can’t beat him, right?”

me: **furrowed brow** “Doctor Sam Beckett, the fictional quantum physicist of television show Quantum Leap fame or Samuel Beckett the Irish playwrite?”

The School Girl: **confused look followed by enlightenment and then a giggle**

Obviously she meant Red Sox ace pitcher Josh Beckett. Oops, it happens to the best of us. I appreciate the fact that she knows what the guy can do versus what his actual name may be. I wouldn’t want her to be any other way.

Scenes From Nashville IV

Here is another photo from our excursion into the big city. The Shelby Street Bridge Gateway Bridge (whichever bridge) looks pretty cool from this angle if I do say so myself.

Bridges can sure be beautiful…until you walk/drive over them!

Greatest Football Game-Ending Play Ever?

Is the greatest ending in football history Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass against the Miami Hurricanes in 1984? Some of us New Englanders would say so. Just watching this still brings the goosebumps and the misty eyes.

Nashvillians may tell you that it was Frank Wycheck and the Music City Miracle. I can’t argue with this choice either. The radio call by Mike Keith is one of my favorite of all time.

Most fans will recall the Stanford Band Play of 1982 as the best ever. I cannot say that I ever remember a trombonist (or boners as we called them in high school) ever getting into a game before. This play is pretty special, as well.

For my money, I have to say that last weekend’s Division III football game ranks right up near the top.

In what is being called The Miracle in Mississippi, an unbelievable last play of the game between Trinity University and Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. The play began with Millsaps leading 24-22 with 0:02 remaining in the game, Trinity players used a total of 15 laterals to take the ball 61 yards for the game-winning TD. Amazing!

Can you think of any better than these four? I was stumped. I bet my buddy Stu has a few suggestions.

Scenes From Nashville III

The wife and I saw this lovely sign inside of a parking garage somewhere on 3rd Avenue downtown on our walk back to the car this afternoon.

Hey BOM, is this your parking spot? Or does this mean something completely different?

Forget Waiting Another 86 Years

They did it, again. Something has now happened twice in my lifetime that I actually grew up believing would never happen at all. The Red Sox won the World Series. This one was just as sweet, if not sweeter. I actually felt a little bad for the Rockies that they didn’t get to even win a game in this thing. They seem like pretty good guys.

I have lots of respect for scrappy ball players that never give up and the Rockies are the epitome of scrappy. My hat goes off to their fans who had been great. They even gave a nice ovation to Boston starting pitcher Jon Lester. Classy. All I can tell them is that there is always next year.

This Sox team is loaded. They are way better than the 2004 World Series winning team and could potentially get better. Mike Lowell’s contract is up and A-Rod just told the Yanks he is going to opt out of his current deal.

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox, you make me proud to call myself a natural born New Englander.

Scenes From Nashville II

Here is photo of downtown late this morning as The School Girl and I walked around before the Titans football game.

Titans Vs. Raiders

We were lucky enough to obtain free tickets to the football game today over at LP Field. Basically, a guy who works with Pops was nice enough to give us the tix and invite us to their tailgate party.

The weather was beautiful today with a bright sky and temperatures in the low 60s.

They had a pretty nice spread. A trailer and tent with food that covered that gamut of tailgating: beer brats, burgers, slaw, potato salad as well as all kinds of stuff to wet the whistle (soda, beer, bloody mary’s and moonshine).

The School Girl and I had a great time with our new friends.

It appears that some fans have more fun than others, like this guy:

We had a really good view of the field and didn’t have to deal with any of the drunkards.

The Titans played pretty bad today but fortunately the Raiders played worse and the hometown team pulled out a 13-9 victory. We can’t wait to go again.

The Best Girls Root For Boston

Tonight is game 3 of the World Series and my prediction of a Boston victory looks like it may be coming true. Being a life long Red Sox fan prevents me from being overly confident, so please forgive me.

Over the last few weeks The School Girl and I have been watching several TiVo‘d episodes of a great show that was canceled a couple of years ago starring Eliza Dushku (a Boston native), Tru Calling. We both very much enjoy this show. I think it took my wife a minute or so to warm up to this show as she knows I have a tiny, eetsy-beetsy infatuation with the lead actress. Anyhoo, while attempting to find Eliza’s MySpace page**, we I found this picture:

I really want to buy one for the wife. Let me know if you find one and GO SOX!

** I never did find her MySpace page either.

Scary Movies Coming To Life

A couple of nights ago I was sitting here reading blogs in the guest bedroom as The School Girl studied. She mentioned to me that my phone was vibrating out in the living room; I couldn’t hear it. I went out there to notice that it wasn’t a call but a message being received. The message had the following text:

Now Ur In 4 It. U Saw It… It Wants 2 Have U 2nite.

Then I hear music coming from it.

Then I see the following picture jump out of my phone:

How effing creepy is that, right? So I checked the number that it came from and did not recognize it. Sure I’m a grown man but I was a little spooked, especially when my wife’s cell phone began to ring showing “Unknown Number“.  We didn’t answer.

Did I call the number of the person who sent me the message? Damn right I did. The next day from a work telephone. Caution is the better part of valor, I always say. Oh, and it is October and anything can happen in October, don’t you guys watch movies? They wouldn’t make those movies if that kind of serial killer stuff didn’t really happen.

By the way, the cell phone from which this message emanated was either Uncle Grizz, Auntie P or one of their boys. None of the sides are claiming responsibility at this juncture.

Scenes From Nashville

As we drove home last night through Nashville, I think it was SueBoo who noticed it first, but some of the lights were out on the Cummins Station building.

Yes, I understand that if it says Cumm Station and you laugh that you may have a mentality of a 12 year old. Well, sometimes me and my friends act like we are twelve. Sue me.

Hehehehe…it says Cumm Station!

Paolo Nutini @ The Wildhorse

Last evening The School Girl and I met up with SueBoo to head downtown to watch the Paolo Nutini concert at The Wildhorse.

As we stood around the dance floor area people-watching we, of course, made fun of the goofy people, the people who couldn’t dance, the sluttily dressed girls, etc. For those of you who may have attended the show last night, it is not okay to dance like you are having a seizure and ladies, please please please don’t wear a white bra with your colorful backless dresses. Thank you.

We managed to grab a seat; most people had to stand. We were extremely lucky.

One of the great things about being a fan of different types of music and of live music in general is discovering new artists (at least new to me). One of the opening acts was a wonderful singer named Sara Bareilles and she knocked me out with her soulful voice.

Here she is performing her song “Bottle It Up“:

Finally, Paolo came out to the shrieks of the ladies…and some of the men. This guy was very creepy as he stood staring with his binoculars most of the evening.

Paolo and his band did a great job of mixing his more mellow, acoustic-type songs in with his rocking songs.

Here is the music video of one of my favorite Paolo songs, “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty“:

As an encore, the band played a tribute to our fair city by covering a 1966 tune by The Lovin’ Spoonful called “Nashville Cats“:

All in all, it was a great night, even with the new anti-smoking law. I only had to go outside once to sneak a puff.