Bud Gott's Amazing Blog-O-Rama!

I can't say 2005 was the best year I've ever had...but it was far from a bad year for me. Actually, it was pretty damned good. I hope you all had a good year also.

What are three highlights of 2005 for you?

Three for me:

1. Meeting my girlfriend Maria.
2. Seeing my brother Ed get home safely from Iraq.
3. Watching the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Yes, they lost, but it was still nice to see them there.

Anyone have any resolutions for the upcoming year?

I'm writing this during my dinner break at Macy's. This place hasn't been as crazy today as I was expecting it to be. I'd still rather not be here today, but hey, that's the way it is.

Just wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, a Merry Hannukah, a Merry Kwanza, or a Merry-whatever-it-is-you-celebrate.

Some thoughts...

There are some things in my life which aren't exactly as I'd like them to be (I guess we can all say that) but there's still a lot I have to be thankful for.

There's some sort of quote in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE which basically says that you're a rich person if you have truly good friends. If this is true, then forget what my wallet says...I really am a rich person.

So many of you who visit here regularly...your friendships mean a lot to me. I've known some of you for years and our friendships continue to grow stronger. Some of you, like Cuzzin Dave and Stacia...you're relatively new friends but I still count you among my closest friends.

All of you, family and friends old and new, I'm glad you're in my life. Thanks for being so great.

I hope you all have a fantastic holiday and an even more fantastic 2006.

Enjoy!

This week's holiday-themed questions:

1. What's your favorite Christmas movie?

2. What's your favorite Christmas tv special?

"Boredom is the brain's way of telling it to do something new." - Unknown

I just spent about an hour and a half raking leaves. Man, what a pain in the neck that was.

Why couldn't God have found a way to keep leaves attached to trees? I mean, come on, he's God. He could have done it.

The weather here in scenic Delaware was pretty nasty yesterday. There was a mix of snow, ice, and rain. Lucky me - I got to drive home from work in it.

It always amazes me just how crazily people drive in that kind of bad weather. The roads were slippery and a total mess...yet a lot of people were driving like they'd normally drive...well over the speed limit.

I just don't get it. Do these people have a death wish? Really, what's the damned rush? If you want to put your own life at risk by driving like a moron, that's one thing. However, these idiots are putting MY life at risk by driving so stupidly and it pisses me off.

I have to break my favorite Christmas songs into different categories:

Rock: "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You" - Billy Squier

Motown: "(Christmas) Baby, Please Come Home" - Darlene Love (U2's version is also very good.)

Humorous: There are a lot of great comedic holiday songs. The one that's been making me laugh a lot the past few years has been "Walking 'Round In Women's Underwear" by Bob Rivers.

Annoying to a lot of people but I still love it: "Christmas Wrapping" - The Waitresses

Recent: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Mariah Carey

All-time favorite: A tie between Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" and "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy" by David Bowie and Bing Crosby.

Least favorite Christmas song: "Step Into Christmas" by Elton John. I like Elton but I've never been able to get into this one.

What are your favorite and least favorite Christmas songs? (Categorize or don't - it's up to you.)

Today marks the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death. It happened late at night and most people didn't hear about it until the following morning. At the time, I was 14 and a freshman in high school. I remember the day very well. My father knocked on my bedroom door to wake me up and then he told me about John's murder. Like everyone else, I was totally shocked.

I remember turning on the radio afterwards and hearing all the reports on John, plus lots and lots of John's music - solo and with The Beatles.

School was interesting that day. A lot of us students were in a weird sort of daze that day. Even though I was only 14, I'd been heavily into music since I was 10. I was already a big Beatles' fan at that point. John's death was very hard to take.

Honestly, John Lennon wasn't my favorite Beatle. He often gets credited as being the most talented or the most "serious" of The Beatles, but I've always preferred Paul's and George's songs over John's. Don't get me wrong though - I still love John's stuff. It's amazing how much great music he put out.

What's always been especially sad about John's murder is the timing of it. He'd just put out his first album in 5 years and it was some of the best music he'd ever made. It really looked like John was back and better than ever (at least as a solo artist.) It would have been great to see and hear what he would have done later on.

Some of my favorites of John's solo songs: Jealous Guy, Watching The Wheels, Starting Over, and Beautiful Boy (which I love.)

What are your favorites?

If you could have sex with any 5 people, which 5 people would you choose?

If you have a spouse or some sort of signifcant other, you're allowed to answer this question with absolutely no guilt. (Pretend you're single if it makes you feel better.)

What's your favorite song(s) by Elton John?

"A dream is a wish your heart makes."

I'm not sure who first said it, but I like it.

Really sucks.