I believe books are exempt from the ’storing up treasures on earth’ rule in the Bible
– Dr. Dan Pecota

Every October the Pendleton Friends of the Library has a book sale at the Convention Center. With the bleachers pushed back, the floor is approximately twice the size of a standard basketball court. The entire space is filled with tables piled with donated and discarded books. The event starts on Thursday night with a special ‘invitations only’ chance for members to peruse the stacks of treasures. All day Friday and Saturday morning are open to the public, but Saturday afternoon is the BEST TIME!

$1 per bag… ANY sized bag. I use pillow cases and duffel bags to bring home new treasures. Beforehand, in order to make room for new books, we go through the shelves to cull out books that we read and don’t want to keep or ended up not liking. Culling books is hard, very very hard.

The National Endowment for the Arts had a program this spring called The Big Read. It was started after a 2004 report discovered a sharp decline in the number of adults who read for pleasure.

Dana Gioia, Dir. NEA said,

The prospect of an America where only a few people share a love of reading is just too lonely to bear. Even if statistics didn’t show that readers are more active in their own communities and more engaged in their own lives, the act of reading would still be an indispensable part of what makes us fully human. It is for these reasons, with the incredible legacy of our nation’s literature, that we at the NEA invite you to join The Big Read.

According to the report, the average American had only read SIX of the TOP 100 books on thier list (I’ve read 31). Which brings me to a meme! I’m using simliar rules to those I used in the Movie Meme:

• BOLD the titles of the books I’ve read
• Italics the books I own
• Underline the titles in my reading ‘on-deck circle’

1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series – J.K. Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11. Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
17. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch – George Eliot
21. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
34. Emma – Jane Austen
35. Persuasion – Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
37. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
41. Animal Farm – George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45. The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery
47. Far From the Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50. Atonement – Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52. Dune – Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60. Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road – Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70. Moby-Dick – Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
72. Dracula – Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From a Small Island – Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses – James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal – Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession – A.S. Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
88. The Five People You Meet in Heaven – Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94. Watership Down – Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

OK, your turn… Let me know if you do this by commenting here.

One of my bestest friends Bryan recently celebrated his 10,000th visitor. Since I am enjoying something akin to the entire population of Lufkin, Texas stopping by to peruse my ramblings, I felt it was worth a post.

Bryan pointed toward this nifty ranking site that tells you where you are in relation to ALL the blogs in the WORLD!

According to Alexa.com Rejecting Your Reality is the 1,598,372nd most popular blog on the planet! That means, 0.000057% of the world population thinks that I’m pretty cool. If that doesn’t perk up your self-esteem, nothing will.

Like most bloggers, I check my stats occasionally to see what brings ‘people’ here. Over the last 30 days, the following search terms brought a viewer to this site:

1. Customer Service - 289
2. Loser - 182
3. Blog Name Generator - 119
4. David Hasselhoff - 98
5. Customer - 69
6. Brothers and Sisters - 65 *
7. Redneck - 44
8. Prince Caspian - 40
9. El Camino - 35
10. Sexiest Man Alive - 34

* Since most of my blogging brethren get at least one borderline pornographic search term, I’m claiming this one as the most eligible for perversion.

If you read any How To Blog site; they tell you the quickest way to build your traffic is to be a part of a social networking site like MyBlogLog or BlogCatalog or to comment regularly and intelligently on other blogs. I do try to do that as time allows. I am honored that a couple of the sites sending people my way aren’t ones that I visit regularly.

1. Left Field Lama - 18
2. The Redemption of Hope - 16
3. Fat Man Unleashed - 11
4. FatBloggers - 11
5. My Old Blogger Blog - 8
6. Dad in the Headlights - 7
7. My BodySpace - 6
8. Healthy You Challenge - 6
9. Prayers for Blowouts - 6
10. Big is the new Small - 4

Thanks for stopping by. I hope that you find something here that entertains or informs you.

Cross-published on FatBloggers

Anton, A drum roll please…

Starting Weight (Dec. 22, 2006): 392 lbs.
Starting BMI: 51.7
Weight Last Week (June 24, 2008): 293 lbs.
Weight Today (July 1, 2008): 291.4 lbs.
Current BMI: 38.4

Weight Change This Week: -1.6 lbs.
Total Weight Lost: -100.6 lbs.
NEXT GOAL: 100 LBS LOST! (I DID IT!)

Do… or Do Not… there is no TRY. –Master Yoda

I want to thank those of you who weighed in with suggestions of names for the new puppy. Some of them would have been, um… creative. The first test that the name had to pass was could I see myself yelling it for the next 15 years?

• Loswhit - Too obscure, I would have to explain it.
• Barrack - I tried this one out. I sounded like I was barking.
• SOL - This is going to be the title of my autobiography
• SOB - He will be called this anyway.
• Googler - I’m not that big of a nerd
• Sportsfandog - I liked this one. But, I think Rick and I would be the only ones who ‘got it’.
• Malheur - Its hard enough to explain to people here in Pendleton that there is actually a county in Oregon with this very same name. (true story)
• Tiger - This here’s the story of a man names Brady… who had three very lovely boys….
• Starbuck - Possible, it has a literary history AND its addictive!
• Latte - He’s not a poodle
• Venti - Again, not a poodle
• Owaches - Even I didn’t get this one back in the day.
• Owyhee - See comment on Malheur.
• Huey - next!
• Pate - Chris, I really loved this one. I laughed out loud, but no.
• Riley - Thanks Charles. This one was in the running. I even lobbied for it!
• Ocho - I liked this one too. But it didn’t get past the Board of Approval.

I had a couple of my own…

• Quincy - I was brainstorming, OK?
• Harley - I’m dreaming
• Jackson - I just liked the sound of it
• Brady - There is a cool quarterback with that name.

The ultimate decider was The Boy. I told him your suggestions and we discussed them on the drive back from Grandpa’s farm.

His name is Jack… Just Jack!

I can still remember that moment in December 1994 when the Sonogram Tech uttered the phrase, “Oh look. There’s another one”. And my glowing wife said, “Another what?”. Just six short months later The Girls arrived!

They were six weeks early (ironically enough, it was the last time they were early), and weighed in at around 5 lbs each. One had more health problems that the other, so for a couple weeks we had one baby in Boise and one in Ontario, OR.

They say you block out the painful or distasteful aspects of parenting and only remember their cherubic faces and the first time they called you Daddy. But I remember the feedings every 2 hours and the toxic waste these little bundles produced.

First steps were made, little brother and little sister arrived. They went to school, played sports,  suffered broken bones, immunizations, bee stings, dog bites and dentists. There was the time I dropped one of them into the sink and about had heart failure. All the ups and downs of parenting have been doubled for THIRTEEN years!

Sometime over the last couple years, I went from being funny, cool, smart and all-around entertainer of the year to some kind of blithering idiot. I don’t recall when the transformation took place, but I know it has taken place as the angelic (it still is) face of my daughter transforms into an expression of incredulity at what (if I weren’t an idiot) I can only imagine are her thoughts wondering how I’m able to dress myself. These looks often take place right after I say something incredibly funny.

A few years ago I got them this really cool inflatable crocodile that was a couch. They loved it (OK, they were 5). They drug it all over the house to sit or bounce on. I fixed a number of puncture wounds on the crock, but it ultimately succumbed to its injuries. I bring that up because for the longest time it was the greatest gift I ever gave them. I really wish shopping for them were still that FUN and inexpensive! For their 13th, I got them Matt Hasselbeck jerseys and we got them each mp3 players.

I’m wondering about the intelligence of buying something that causes more isolation and eye rolling. I loaded one up with Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers and some other teenagery music last night, she said, “thank-you, Daddy” (awww, she knows when to play that card). This morning she was listening to it when I asked her to do the breakfast dishes (a whole 2 small plates , 2 bowls, glasses and some silverware). Not only did I get the eye-roll, but a lip smack too.

They look so sweet and friendly. The one on the left is the eye-roller, she’s wearing black much more than I would like. The one on the right has a ‘boyfriend’, I will be having a TALK with that boy. 

I have been telling them that they are moving out the day after graduation. With events like this, I’m starting to realize that more time has passed than I have left with them. They are going in to the 8th grade this fall. They already want to go to dances and they talk about getting a car and a job.

I want to snuggle them into a blanket (just like the picture at the top) and have them fall asleep as I rock the chair while the Mariners (1995 was a tremendous season… we hold onto that!) play on the TV. I have a feeling that if I suggested that, I would get the trifecta… eye-roll, lip-smack AND “AS IF!”.

I Bet that got your attention!

When I came home Thursday night, The Wife had that look on her face, the one that accompanies a loaded question. I knew something was coming so I just walked into the fire, I ask… what’s up?

What would you like for your birthday? Umm, well, my birthday is still over a week off, plus, she NEVER asks what I want for anything. In fact, I have learned that the quickest way to ensure that I DON’T get what I actually want is to actually mention it. So I give the diplomatic answer, I don’t really want anything, so whatever you do get me will be a big surprise.

Truth be told, I started wishing that we could just skip over that particular day after I realized that I hated turning 30. Time marches on, and every year just brings me closer to 40, which I’m guessing will be 10x the joy that 30 was. I think that kids in their 20s… oh my god! I just called twenty-somethings KIDS! Somebody please shoot me! Anyway, PEOPLE in their 20s don’t realize how good they have it. They still have energy, they can quickly bounce back from self-inflicted debauchery and usually they don’t need a little blue pill to make things work that should work on their own.

But, I digress…

She tells me that she found the perfect birthday gift… but she needs to get it right away. So we drive 12 north of town, out into the rolling hills of wheat… to see…

… a puppy!

An adorable, 9-week old Lab(75%)/Golden Retriever(25%) mix.

*** He likes chewing on the edge of the table… potential problem?

Here’s where you come in. He needs a name, because he’s not telling us what it is. I have written several on the dry-erase board on the fridge. Many have gone away, but there are four names up there right now (not telling, don’t want to taint your suggestions). Make your suggestions in the comments.

Some information to help you…

• He’s rather docile, compared to other Labs I’ve known.
• Judging by the size of his paws, he’s going to be a big boy,
• I’m going to have to call him this name for the next 15 years.

The prize you will win is the knowledge that you named my dog and you will be heralded as the winner here on this humble corner of the blogosphere.

Find the CNN story here.

A top U.S. evangelical leader (Dobson) is accusing Sen. Barack Obama of deliberately distorting the Bible and taking a “fruitcake interpretation” of the U.S. Constitution.

** That’s OK though… Dobson has been taking a fruitcake interpretation of Christianity and the Bible for YEARS!

Chris has good taste in his thievery

Using the Entertainment Weekly list of the top 100 movies from the last 25 years you are commanded to:

• BOLD the movie if you’ve seen it
• If it’s BOLD, I saw it and enjoyed it, if it’s BOLD and crossed out I saw it and hated it.

I’ve seen 51 of the top 100 movies and only enjoyed 46 of the 51 (90%). Obviously that means I have great taste in movies and don’t waste my time with the flotsam & jetsam of Hollywood.

1. Pulp Fiction 1994
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy 2001-03
3. Titanic 1997
4. Blue Velvet 1986
5. Toy Story 1995
6. Saving Private Ryan 1998
7. Hannah and Her Sisters 1986
8. The Silence of the Lambs 1991
9. Die Hard 1988
10. Moulin Rouge 2001
11. This Is Spinal Tap 1984
12. The Matrix 1999
13. GoodFellas 1990
14. Crumb 1995
15. Edward Scissorhands 1990
16. Boogie Nights 1997
17. Jerry Maguire 1996
18. Do the Right Thing 1989
19. Casino Royale 2006
20. The Lion King 1994
21. Schindler’s List 1993
22. Rushmore 1998
23. Memento 2001
24. A Room With a View 1986
25. Shrek 2001
26. Hoop Dreams 1994
27. Aliens 1986
28. Wings of Desire 1988
29. The Bourne Supremacy 2004
30. When Harry Met Sally… 1989
31. Brokeback Mountain 2005
32. Fight Club 1999
33. The Breakfast Club 1985
34. Fargo 1996
35. The Incredibles 2004
36. Spider-Man 2 2004
37. Pretty Woman 1990
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
39. The Sixth Sense 1999
40. Speed 1994
41. Dazed and Confused 1993
42. Clueless 1995
43. Gladiator 2000
44. The Player 1992
45. Rain Man 1988
46. Children of Men 2006
47. Men in Black 1997
48. Scarface 1983
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000
50. The Piano 1993
51. There Will Be Blood 2007
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad 1988
53. The Truman Show 1998
54. Fatal Attraction 1987
55. Risky Business 1983
56. The Lives of Others 2006
57. There’s Something About Mary 1998
58. Ghostbusters 1984
59. L.A. Confidential 1997
60. Scream 1996
61. Beverly Hills Cop 1984
62. sex, lies and videotape 1989
63. Big 1988
64. No Country For Old Men 2007
65. Dirty Dancing 1987
66. Natural Born Killers 1994
67. Donnie Brasco 1997
68. Witness 1985
69. All About My Mother 1999
70. Broadcast News 1987
71. Unforgiven 1992
72. Thelma & Louise 1991
73. Office Space 1999
74. Drugstore Cowboy 1989
75. Out of Africa 1985
76. The Departed 2006
77. Sid and Nancy 1986
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991
79. Waiting for Guffman 1996
80. Michael Clayton 2007
81. Moonstruck 1987
82. Lost in Translation 2003
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn 1987
84. Sideways 2004
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin 2005
86. Y Tu Mamá También 2002
87. Swingers 1996
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997
89. Breaking the Waves 1996
90. Napoleon Dynamite 2004
91. Back to the Future 1985
92. Menace II Society 1993
93. Ed Wood 1994
94. Full Metal Jacket 1987
95. In the Mood for Love 2001
96. Far From Heaven 2002
97. Glory 1989
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999
99. The Blair Witch Project 1999
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut 1999