Sunday, February 12, 2006


After any visit to my hometown I feel a little like Hank from King of the Hill.

A week passes quickly--days filled with nothingness that is good enough to never let go. Drives aren't just drives when you're really home. One road can trigger so many memories; ones seemingly gone but easily remembered.

You notice the little things that an out-of-towner never would: dents in the street signs from beer bottles being thrown by passing teenagers. An almost invisible mark in the metal and yet it means something to you because you get why its there... Because you have marked your own metal in your own time.

To know a town so well that you know it too well. It can happen. As soon as my body enters the city limits of my home town I feel different inside. Words come out differently--and sometimes have different meaning. People change, but everything seems still and the same.

Right. So why do I feel like Hank?

Simple. Hometown conversation. Abbreviated yet meaningful. Simple yet significant. Casual yet important. You know... When "yup" and just the right look can mean so much more than anything else.

"um-hum." Hanks says it so nicely.

He is a content man on familiar territory. His beer is cold and his friends are close.

I am glad that going home makes me feel a bit like Hank.

Friday, February 10, 2006

I'll take William Hung over Madonna any day. That's right... When it comes to the push and shove of the music industry, amateurs and weirdos take the cake.

Last night American Idol was aired at the same time as the 2005 Grammy Awards. I am proud to say that I tuned into neither... (I watched the documentary "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" with my Dad, check it here: www.wildparrotsfilm.com/ ) but the results are in, and American Idol put the Grammy's to shame.

Nearly twice as many people - 28.3 million - watched "American Idol" than watched the Grammy Awards - 15.1 million - when the two music programs went head-to-head in prime time Wednesday, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Can you believe it?! Actually, I, most shamefully can. To be honest, last night's American Idol was the only episode I have missed so far this season. I am shamed... But at least I am out of the American Idol closet. Usually, I couldn't sit through a whole episode--but this time around I caught the initial auditions and realized that I really do enjoy this front-end part of the show. Once the judges (and America!) have narrowed down the contestants--COUNT ME OUT. Then the cheese-fest begins and viewing may be one thing, but ask me to listen and I would rather... Oh I don't know... Tune into the Grammy's or something.

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