Bud Gott's Amazing Blog-O-Rama!

Better

2008-05-19T11:06:00.002-04:00

First of all, thank you to those of you who contacted me regarding my previous posting. Your friendship and support means a lot to me.

Things are a lot better than last week. It's amazing how much things can change in such a short period of time. An awful lot can be said for the mere act of simply switching our mindsets on things. It can make all the difference in the world.

Hard to believe that Summer's almost here. This year is moving by fast so far!

I have no trips or vacations currently planned for the season, but I'm hoping to get down to the beach more often than I did last year. Hopefully gas prices won't hit the $5 per gallon mark before I take the 2 hour drive down there.

Moving Forward

2008-05-14T12:11:00.002-04:00

You ever have one of those days when you get depressed and you just can't seem to snap yourself out of it?

I felt like that a couple of days ago. I got to thinking about several different things in my life that I'm unhappy about and I got more and more depressed. Damn, if I went into all those things here, this would be one of the longest blog postings in the history of blog postings.

I'll spare you (and my fingers) all that typing.

Basically though, I guess all that depression boiled down to me not being happy with who I am...mainly because of fears and lack in confidence in myself. I've been a far more insecure and depressed person than those close to me have probably realized. For a long, long time now. I've had a lot of days like the one I had a couple of days ago.

We all have dreams or things we want to do with our lives. For me, fear of failure stopped me from truly going for those things. You know the old saying, "you're a failure if you don't even try?" Well, that's been my problem. Things I dreamt about, things I wanted to do....these things haven't happened yet because of me. I have no one else to blame but myself and my insecurities.

And because of all that, I pretty much haven't liked myself very much for a long time now. In return, I know I've hurt or let down other people along the way. I know I haven't been the friend, brother, son, whatever, that I should have been to several people. For this, I'm sorry.

Aside from letting others down, because of my insecurities, I've let myself down by not going for and not doing the things I've wanted.

Damn, I've just re-read what I've typed so far and it looks like a suicide note.

IT'S NOT!!!!!!!!!

It's a wake-up note to myself. The hell with all the insecurities, the doubts, the fears that I've had for so long. I'm done with them.

I'm done with not believing in myself. No more. Everything I wanted in the past that I never went for.....all the things I'm going to want in the future....I'm going for them. I'm going to start truly reaching for who I want to be.

I know that these are just a lot of good words and that actions speak louder than words. I'm going to start taking more actions and a difference will be made. Even when I fail some along the way, then so be it. I'll be trying harder and that's what really matters.

There's a great scene in the movie "Rocky Balboa" where Rocky says that life isn't about how hard you can hit, but about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

I'm moving forward from now on.

Three Novels I Recommend Reading

2008-04-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

I've been on a real reading kick lately. The most recent novels I've read were all very enjoyable. They are:

CAT'S CRADLE by Kurt Vonnegut

BETWEEN THE BRIDGE AND THE RIVER by Craig Ferguson

LAMB: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BIFF, CHRIST'S CHILDHOOD PAL by Christopher Moore

Each of these novels are very compelling reads. Also, in addition to them having great stories, they each also have a lot of humor in them.

This was the first time I'd read anything by these authors but it certainly won't be the last. (In fact, just last night I started reading BLOODSUCKING FIENDS by Christopher Moore.)

If you're looking for something good to read, then you can't go wrong with the books I just mentioned.

Happy reading,

Bud

P.S. - In case you're wondering...yes, the Craig Ferguson who wrote BETWEEN THE BRIDGE AND THE RIVER, is the same Craig Ferguson who is an actor and the host of The Late Late Show on CBS. BETWEEN THE BRIDGE AND THE RIVER is his first novel.

Random Thoughts 3/1/08

2008-03-01T18:45:00.003-05:00

I'm listening to Counting Crows right now. I've always liked this band a lot. I know they're still fairly popular but they're good enough that they should still be incredibly popular...

I'm rooting for Barack Obama for the Democratic Presidential nomination. I don't dislike Clinton at all, though sometimes she seems a little cold to me. There's something incredibly likeable though about Obama. In some ways he actually reminds me of Bill Clinton when he first ran for President. Maybe it's the great charisma factor...

It hasn't been much of a winter here in Delaware so far. We've only had one semi-significant snowfall and that wasn't much of anything. I'd still kind of like at least one major snowstorm before the end of the season...

I'm liking the current season of LOST a lot. I especially liked the most recent episode which centered around Desmond. He's probably my favorite character on the show...

The new Michael McDonald cd is being released this coming week. I'll defintely own it before the week is out...

The pic in the below posting showed up on here a little more blurry than I expected. I noticed though that it shows up clearer (and larger) if you click on it...

Aloha for now,

Mr. Gott

Birthday Pic

2008-03-01T18:36:00.002-05:00

Taken on my birthday last month. Despite Boots looking petrified, I like this pic.

New Season Of LOST Starts Tonight!

2008-01-31T12:36:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm psyched for it. Last season's cliffhanger about them possiby getting rescued and the bizarre flash-forward of Jack has got me looking forward to tonight's premiere. Should be a good one...

Super Bowl 42

2008-01-31T12:30:00.000-05:00

I'm kind of torn about this one. On one hand, I'd kind of like the New York Giants to win. I know I'm not supposed to root for them since I'm an Eagles' fan, but I kind of like them anyway.

On the other hand, it's been amazing what an incredible season the New England Patriots have had and since they've gone the entire season and post-season with no losses, I'd kind of like to see them go all the way and win the Super Bowl.

In the end, I just want it to be a damned good game that's not decided in the first ten minutes of the game. I want it to be worth watching for more than just the commercials.

Resolutions, Shmesolutions

2008-01-30T13:58:00.000-05:00

No major resolutions for 2008, but I talked about some on them on my myspace site. In addition to those, I'd also like to do the following:

START USING A PERSONAL JOURNAL AGAIN: I recently came across a journal that I had about ten years ago. Reading through it made me remember just how much I enjoyed making it. Not only are journals a great way to record what's going on in our lives, but they can also be very therapeutic.

KEEP TRYING NEW THINGS: A couple of years ago, one of my resolutions was to do something each day that I'd never done before. It didn't matter how big or small the things were, the main idea was to have new experiences. It could be something as simple as driving through a neighborhood I'd never been in before or even just trying something different to eat or drink. Sounds very simple, huh? True, but I did aquire a lot of new experiences when I did it. I'm not going to try now to do it each and every day, but I'm going to keep seeking out new and different things to try out.

UPDATING THIS BLOG MORE OFTEN: Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know I say that all the time and I know I've sucked at it the past several months. I'm going to do better from now on.

It's The End Of The Year As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

2007-12-31T15:59:00.000-05:00

Hey, hey, hey - look who's back!

Aaaiiieee - it's been well over three months since I updated this site. I wish I could say I haven't updated because I was busy lying on a beach on Hawaii counting the millions I'd won in a lottery but that's definitely not the case.

You all know how it goes. Sometimes life just gets busy.

I've missed the site though and I plan on getting back to regularly weekly updates from now on.

So, how was my 2007? Well, I can't say it was bad. Nothing too terrible happened to me or my family members this year. My parents have both been in pretty good health. Dad had a very rough 2006 so it was nice to see him do much better in 2007.

Some of my closest friends (you know who you are) had a very tough year, including various serious health problems, the loss of loved ones, and other problems. I wish you all a much, much better 2008 than 2007.

No big plans for New Year's Eve tonight. My lady and I were going to go out but she's a little under the weather. We'll just do a quiet night at home, maybe have a little wine, and watch Dick Clark ring in the New Year.

I've got some resolutions for 2008 but I'll put them in my next posting.

Happy New Year, everyone!

My Eagles Are Sucking So Far This Year

2007-09-18T12:23:00.000-04:00

Oh man. Last night's Eagles/Redskins game was horrible. It was one of the worst games I've ever seen the Eagles play.

Maybe McNabb still hasn't fully recovered from his injuries from last season. Maybe it's not just the physical stuff and he's still got some mental healing to do. Who knows? The thing is, if he can't get it together soon, Coach Andy Reid had better pull him from starting games. I can understand being supportive of McNabb, but if he doesn't start performing the way he should be performing...well, then maybe changes have to be made.

Don't get me wrong though - I'm still rooting for him and the team and I think there's still a VERY good chance they'll recover from the two recent losses and end up having a fantastic season. They've done it before.

This Latest Thing With O.J.

2007-09-18T12:15:00.000-04:00

All I can say is...what a total idiot he is! You'd think that with him being lucky enough to have gotten away with murder he'd at least have been smart enough to keep out of trouble the rest of his life.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

What the hell happened to this man? He had everything going for him back in the day. He was rich and incredibly well-liked by just about everyone. He was a hero. Then it all went to hell.

Assuming he did the things he's now being charged with (and it sure likes like he did them) I hope he goes to jail for a very, very long time.

Why Did Shorts Become So Long? (Alternate Title: I've Got Nice Legs And Damn It, I Want To Show Them!)

2007-09-05T23:25:00.000-04:00

I saw a guy in a store the other day and he was wearing very short shorts. As he walked by people, you'd see them turn and look at him as if he was the biggest goofball in the world.

Sure, he looked a little silly but he wouldn't have looked all that silly wearing the same exact thing ten or fifteen years ago.

Personally, I was a little pissed off when long shorts became the "proper" kind of shorts to wear. Really, what the hell's the point of them? If the shorts are covering only the bottom 2 to 3 inches of your legs then why not just wear pants?

Plus, with longer shorts it kind of sucks that you can't get a great tan on the majority of your legs. That'll only happen if you're in a bathing suit on the beach. Or if you're a nudist on a nude beach...but that's a totally different topic.

But hey, it sounds like a fun topic, doesn't it? Have any of you ever been to a nude beach before? I'm not sure I'd go but I'm sure it would be interesting.

Drew Carey's Power Of Ten

2007-09-05T23:19:00.000-04:00

Hey kids, have you seen Drew Carey's new game show THE POWER OF TEN yet? I was totally uninterested in it when I first heard of it but I've seen it a few times now and I'm digging it.

So far it's featured some really good (and fun)questions that you actually need to think about. It's easy to get sucked up in the excitement of the game.

Plus, Drew does a VERY good job on there. He's really good with the guests.

Check out the show if you haven't seen it yet.

If Loving Shaggy Is Wrong I Don't Want To Be Right

2007-09-05T23:11:00.000-04:00

Okay, I don't actually love Shaggy but I do like some of his songs a lot. I've heard "Mr. Lover" or "Sex Machine" of whatever-the-hell it's called several times this past week and brothers and sisters, I gotta tell ya - I was happy each of those times. It's a fun song.

Granted, I can't even understand half of the words that Shaggy's singing but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of his stuff.

I really only know his big hits. "It Wasn't Me" was also a fun song. "Angel" didn't suck either.

I think he's got a new one out but I haven't heard it yet.

I doubt I'll actually ever break down and buy one of his cds but I'll keep listening to him when he's on the radio. Long live Shaggy, I say!

Some Musical Questions For You (Yes, You!)

2007-09-03T18:14:00.000-04:00

So, Van Halen is going to tour. Pretty cool, huh? I kind of want to go but I doubt I'll actually go.

Still, talk of the tour has got me thinking of the band and how much I used to love them. I saw them on the 1984 tour - the last one with David Lee Roth. They were awesome. I also saw David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar when then toured together five or so years ago. It was cool because between the two of them they pretty much covered every possible Van Halen song you could possibly want to hear.

So, my readers, one of my questions to you is:

Which lineup of Van Halen did you prefer? When Dave was the lead singer or when Sammy was the lead singer? I guess I shouldn't leave out Gary Cherone. If he's your preference then feel free to share that.

My second question is:

What are your favorite Van Halen songs?

Still Here

2007-08-20T16:22:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been over a month since I've put anything here. Thanks to those of you who've kept visiting despite the lack of new stuff here.

Hard to believe the Summer's almost over with, huh? I guess it's been a pretty decent Summer. I've only made it to the beach twice so far this season but I'm hoping to squeeze in at least one more trip in the next few weeks.

Anyone seen any good movies lately? The next one I want to see is SUPER BAD. It looks hilarious.

Gotta go right now but I'm going to add some stuff here tomorrow.

Have a good one!

BG

Kyle XY

2007-07-15T11:38:00.000-04:00

Hey, have you been watching KYLE XY this Summer on ABC or ABC Family? If not, you should be. It's a damned good show.

If you haven't been watching it, ABC Family occasionally has marathons of it on. Look for one. Otherwise, check out the show on Mondays at 8 PM.

Songs We Used To Love But Now Can Barely Stand

2007-06-29T18:45:00.000-04:00

It happens to all of us - there's a song we love hearing that we can't seem to get enough of. Then over time, and after hearing the song hundreds of times, we get totally sick of the song.

For me, several songs fall into this category: "Stairway To Heaven," "Freebird," "Sweet Home Alabama," and I hate to say this, but it's recently made the list, "Imagine." If I hear any of these come on the radio, I instantly change to another station.

So, tell me, what songs did you used to love but now you can barely stand listening to?

Paris Hilton Is Out Of Jail!!!

2007-06-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

Who the hell REALLY cares???

Speaking of Sir Paul...

2007-06-24T21:47:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I've done the "what are your favorite songs" things here, so let's go ahead and do it with Paul:

What are your favorite songs by Paul McCartney?

Memory Almost Full

2007-06-24T19:04:00.000-04:00

Maria recently bought me Paul McCartney's newest cd, MEMORY ALMOST FULL. You should really check it out if you're a McCartney fan (and if you're not a McCartney fan, then what's the matter with you?)

Standout songs on it: Dance Tonight
Ever Present Past
Only Mama Knows

It's a pretty great cd, one of the best he's put out in a long time. That's saying a lot too since most of his recent albums have been pretty damned good.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip

2007-06-15T11:07:00.000-04:00

NBC recently cancelled STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP. What's cool though is that the network is currently airing the remaining episodes of the show on Thursdays at 10 PM.

The last few episodes of the show have been incredibly good. I'm guessing there's only one or two left to air before the season ends. Since there won't be a second season, I hope the final episode won't be too much of a cliffhanger.

Why was this show not a big hit???

It was from the creator of THE WEST WING and it had good writing and an exceptional cast.

It was similar to THE WEST WING in a lot of ways, especially in how it mixed comedy and drama...but I think part of the reason the show wasn't a big hit was because it wasn't quite as compelling to watch as THE WEST WING was. I mean, bottom line is that it was a tv show about a tv show. I guess most viewers weren't all that interested in watching the struggles the cast and crew of a tv show go through in order to do their show.

Even though I thought the show was great, I myself didn't always go out of my way to watch the show each week. It was never one of those "must-see tv" shows for me, although I always thoroughly enjoyed it when I did watch it.

It's really too bad the show didn't catch on with viewers. I think it would have grown on people if they had stuck with it and gotten to know the characters. Also, like I said above, the last few episodes of the show have been especially good - probably the best the show had done so far.

It's kind of a bummer that a series this good is getting cancelled after just one season and there's so much other crap that stays on the air for several seasons.

Oh well...

In A Pink Floyd State Of Mind...

2007-06-11T07:54:00.000-04:00

Ever since seeing Roger Waters in concert last week, I've been in a total Pink Floyd/Roger Waters mode. I've been revisiting all the classics like THE WALL, ANIMALS, MEDDLE, etc. as well as lost gems like Pink Floyd's OBSCURED BY CLOUDS album and Roger's first solo album, THE PROS AND CONS OF HITCHHIKING.

A lot of people don't seem to be too familiar with those two albums. If you're not and you like Pink Floyd's music, then you should give them a listen.

A Musical Trivia Question For Those Of You Over 35

2007-06-05T14:39:00.001-04:00

Someone asked me this one the other day and it stumped me for a few minutes:

What are the first names of the members of The Jackson Five?

I had no problem naming four of them but it took me several minutes before I remembered the name of the fifth one.

One Of The Best Concerts I've Ever Been To

2007-06-04T11:42:00.001-04:00

I saw Pink Floyd's Roger Waters in concert this past Friday night. What an incredible show!

I'm a major Pink Floyd fan. I've seen them (without Roger Waters) three times in concert and I saw Roger once before in concert about seven years ago. All of those shows were great, but the show the other night blew all of the others away.

I've been to close to a hundred different concerts and this was one of the best I've ever been to by anyone.

Roger's band was incredible and Roger himself sounded great. Other than three of his solo songs, the entire show was Pink Floyd songs. A partial list of what he played:

In The Flesh
Mother
Sheep
Comfortably Numb
Have A Cigar
Wish You Were Here
Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Plus, he did the entire DARK SIDE OF THE MOON album.

Everything sounded great and there was an electricity in the stadium that you could feel. It was amazing.

If you're a Pink Floyd fan and you ever get a chance to see Roger perform live, then definitely do it.