Thursday, October 05, 2006

Thursday 13 #3-And you thought last week was personal


Thirteen Things Sparky has seen in the last 20 years or so


1.That cats can actually smile with there eyes. There is a certain little glint that shows up in Kitties eyes when she sees you after a long trip or even when you are about to feed her. It is just the slight recoginition that says, thats my dad and he's here to take care of me again.

2.9/11. No offense to anyone that lost anybody, but if you did not live north of Virginia, it did not affect you the same way. The pain stayed over and over again, thanks to the local news, accept for the fact that the local news went off the air because of the loss of the antennaes. The pain and fear in people's eyes in NJ, and the fact that I could drive up the turnpike and see the smoke was and is unforgettable.

3.The pain of divorce. Perhaps I got married to young, or married for all the wrong reasons, but a divorce is still somethin that is hard to get over. My advice, don't get married before your 30, you have no idea what you want in life.

4. That a vodka martini is a terrific drink. Olives are a delicacy and it should be a national law that a martini is required after work.

5.Bill Clinton. Yes, he was a bad bad boy in his social life, but as a President, he was my Kennedy. My President that helped me to realize that politics could actually make some sort of difference and that my vote actually made a difference. Plus, he was a natural and brillant campaigner.

6. The happiness that was in my wife's eyes when we first saw each other on our wedding day. There was something so warm, so perfect in her face. She calmed me that day, made me happy and she does that everyday without even knowing it.

7. TV has improved 10 fold over the last 10 years. In the old days, the Cosby Show was groundbreaking. Now we have some great stories being told on Lost, Studio 60, NCIS, House,Grey's Anatomy and Friday Night Lights. I will miss the West Wing, but I do firmly believe that it made TV watchers much smarter in the end.

8.That greed causes pain. My family went thru a rough spot, a spot that will never make any of them the same ever again. And it was all caused by greed and the need to think that you got something out of you families lives that was material. I hope that makes the victors happy.

9.The sunsets in Arizona and Hawaii. They are both natural marvels, yet so different in there makeup. Arizona, Phoenix specifically, is a manmade engineering feat, especially when you realize it is the in the middle of the desert. Hawaii is a natural treasure, because it is made of volcanic rock. Everyone should see them each sunset once, to see how brillant and how different they both are.

10.Football is the national pastime! Its something that brings entire cities and states together that baseball just can't handle. Ohio IS Buckeye football. Texas is High School football. I have seen the brillance of Kordell Stewart Hail Mary, a Doug Flutie Dagger against Miami, The Buffalo Bills comeback and The domination of the Giants running game.

11. The greatest games I have seen? Well, the greatest game ever was between Lightbulb HS and Dolly Middle HS, the school my dad worked for. Lightbulb was up by 13 points with 6 minutes to go, and they were chirpy. In fact the biggest blowhard was the schools Athletic Director, someone that should at least know that both schools and teams were playing hard and this game was important to them both. So it was very very sweet when Dolly Middle returned a 90 yard punt for a touchdown and then caused a fumble and threw a 60 yard pass for a touchdown to beat good old Lightbulb. As I think about it, I dont think those Eagles ever recovered, and my dad and I both lost our voices from screaming so much and telling that AD to stick it up his, well you know...

12.Christopher Cross, America, Eddie Rabbit, Bell Biv Devoe, U2, Hootie and the Blowfish, Kool and the Gang, Bruce Springsteen,Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan, Gin Blossoms, REO Speedwagon, Love Seed Mama Jump and Live. Was every concert great? No, but it gave me an appreciation for different types of music, expanded my listening horizons. Plus, when the concert was great, you appreciated it alot more.

13. Family. My family, small as it is, is all down in the Lonestar, so they are not around or we dont see them as much as I would like. But Mrs. Duck's family has stepped up and made me feel like one of there own, even before we were officially hitched. Its nice to have some people to lean on when you need them, either by phone or in person.

Amazements that missed the cut: The Bill Buckner "Behind the Bag" play, Ronald Reagans Assasination attempt, 99 yards by Alex Molden that solidified my love for Oregon, Iran/Contra, Desert Storm I and II, my nephews being born, Evanescence, the passing of Maureen and Megan, AIDS, the pathetic Fox News Channel, Keith Olbermann news icon, the Daily Show, ESPN, Philadelphia: the movie, Tom Hanks megastar, Remember the Titans, Seabiscuit, the run of Smarty Jones, poor Barbaro.

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1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)



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Oh and incase you haven't guessed it, yes its Sparky's birthday.


14 comments:

Celfyddydau said...

Great list. (Except the sports- but hey being female I'm automatically allergic to sports)

And I'm first to visit it Woohoo. never been first before

Anonymous said...

I wish Bill Clinton could still be president!! I would love to see a sunset in Hawaii! That is one of my goals. Sorry about your sadness from 9-11. :=(

Anonymous said...

I loved your TT! Number 6 was very sweet! And I agree with number 1. I have often said my cats smile, and people think I'm crazy!

Alissa said...

My best excuse for #6? I gained all this weight from a spider bite. Hey, I saw that Dr. Phil!!!

I lived in Princeton on 9/11. Yeah. Painful. We could see the helicopters over NYC and all the smoke from our house. And cell calls were impossible because of those antennaes. Although many people in Boston, where 2 of the flights originated, may beg to differ with what you wrote about understanding that day.

I've seen the sunsets in Arizona and Hawaii. Gorgeous. The thunder and lightning storms in Arizona are better than anywhere else in the world, too.

Thanks for stopping by to say hi!

Chaotic Mom said...

Hey, I'm a Philly area transplant, too. We're military, so we've lived around a bit. But Hubby is from North Jersey, and we've spent a few years in Ocean County, too. Your blog title made me chuckle a little this a.m.

#2 doesn't offend me. I agree. My ILs watched it from a bus as they were headed down to Atlantic City. Can you believe the driver wouldn't turn around? And they were FROM Manhattan. We had cousins working right there at ground zero. I was in Trenton that morning and smelled it, for a week maybe. It rocked America, but I agree full heartedly with your comment.

I'm originally from GB, WI, so a Packer fan through and through. ;)

I've posted my Thursday Thirteen, too. Enjoy!

Crazy Fat Chick said...

I thought I was the only one who felt like that about Clinton.

Sparky Duck said...

Hmm, now I did mean to say in #2 that if unless you lived north of Virginia, 9/11 didnt affect you in the same way. Its a Northeast thing, I did have a martini last night when I put this together. :)

Anonymous said...

Great list. :) Happy Birthday! :) Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful list, I like to learn more about you.
Thanks for visiting my TT. If you have questions about it, feel free to e-mail me and I'll try to help you on your way.

Carmen said...

i enjoyed reading your list of amazements. I'll get to hopefully see that Hawaiian sunset.

Shelli said...

Just stoppin in to say hello, i enjoyed your list this week. Hope all is well! ((going to watch football))
cheers.

shelli

tiggerprr said...

I LOVED your list!

Shannon said...

Hey- Didn't realize you were Mr. Duck.

Cool. Oh and Congratulations on the wedding and hope that the rest of the zoo goes well.

Lady Jane Scarlett said...

Amen to #3 Sparky. :D