Monday, June 25, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
My Top Ten Favorite: Movie Scenes
Top Ten
My next few series of blogs will be some of my favorites in a top ten list format. Calm down, this isn't Oprah's favorite things. You aren't getting a free car or a trip to Australia with John Travolta (maybe just a massage with him, am I right?) Anyways, along with cake and beer, I can't turn down a good movie. We all have our favorite movies, you may agree with some of mine or think I should be institutionalized. However, I think we can all agree movies have become a vital part of American society. They help us deal with our lives, escape to a magical world, and they even teach us lessons. Movies are one window into the human soul.
Enjoy,
R
Movies
10-Wizard of Oz
"Oh oh, rubbish, you have no power here! Be gone, before somebody drops a house on you too!"
I grew up in Kansas, this movie is a Kansas staple. When your teacher was sick, you watched The Wizard of Oz. When you had a "fun day", you watched The Wizard of Oz. When it was the last day of school, you watched The Wizard of Oz. Even as I travel around the country today and people ask me where I grew up, 9 times out of 10 they mention the Wizard of Oz. "No I don't have ruby slippers, but if I did I would shove them up your...." Also, to this day I can't get on a bicycle without humming that song that plays when the Ms. Gulch is riding her bike (I'm really annoying in a spin class).
9- A Few Good Men
"Don't call me son, I'm a lawyer and an officer in the United States Navy and you are under arrest you son of a bitch."
This movie is amazing and of course it is best known for the "You can't handle the truth line." This scene however, is my favorite.
8- Elizabeth
"Observe Lord Burghley, I am married, to England."
My favorite quote from this movie but can't find a good clip:
Sir Robert Dudley: Remember who you are. Do not be afraid of them.
Sir Robert Dudley: Remember who you are. Do not be afraid of them.
Favorite historical character of all time: Elizabeth I. Many actors in the past 10 years have played her including Helen Mirren. I believe hands down Cate Blanchett does the best job portraying the Virgin Queen. Long live the Queen.
7- Never Been Kissed
"I'm not Josie Grossie anymore!"
Even though this movie is largely a romantic comedy, I think this scene specifically mirrors the trials and tribulations we go through as teenagers and how they shape us as adults. We all were Josie Grossie once and as Drew Barrymore learns, it doesn't mean we have to be for the rest of our lives.
6- Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
"Watch out Tucson, here we come!"
This is definitely my favorite comedy of all time, followed by Drop Dead Gorgeous. High school reunions are all things we experience in our lifetimes and Romie and Michele guide us through our biggest fears: career, style, money, and body shape. These are all the things we fear going into a reunion and their story helps us realize that in the end we all fall short of perfection no matter where we are in life.
5- What Dreams May Come
"Do you still play chess?"
I consider myself to be more of a spiritual person than a religious one. Out of everything I have read and watched, I think this movie truly portrays my personal belief of heaven. I believe we will see our loved ones again and that heaven is something that we create for ourselves.
4- Steel Magnolias
"I can jog all the way to Texas and back, but my daughter can't, she never could."
One of the best scenes ever and one of the best movies of all time. I personally believe Sally Field was robbed for not getting an Oscar for this role. Even though this is just acting, you can feel her pain and you can see her grief, truly an amazing actor.
3- Stepmom
"Our dreams. We can still meet in our dreams."
If you want to ruin your day, just watch this scene. Ugh...
2- Jurassic Park
"Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sattler, welcome to Jurassic Park!"
I loved dinosaurs as a child and I was in 2nd grade when this movie came out. To this day this scene gives me the chills. Also, I can't eat green jell-o without thinking about the Raptor scene (you know the scene....shaking spoon).
1-Contact
"A vision that tells us we belong to something greater than ourselves."
Contact is my favorite movie of all time not because I'm obsessed with space travel, but it asks life's biggest question: Are we alone?
Saturday, June 16, 2012
111th Street South
Everyone remembers kindergarten: the crafts, learning your ABC's, and of course memorizing your home address. Most of my classmates lived within the city limits and the gigantic metropolis of Cheney, Kansas had numbered streets intersected by the names of dead presidents. So as my teacher would ask students to recite their addresses it would go something like this: " 610 Garfield, 258 Roosevelt, and 511 Lincoln." However, when it got to be my turn, I well... I didn't have it easy, "35626 West 111th Street South, Milton, Kansas 67106." Even in kindergarten you got the blank stares from your classmates that just said, "Where the hell is Milton, KS?" This latest blog posting will be more of a photo montage documenting what Miranda Lambert would call, "The House that Built Me." Plus, my hilarious commentary to accompany all the pictures.
The House
This is a picture of the house while my Grandpa and Grandma Gregory were living at the farm in the 1960's. The house itself was built in 1910, but the Gregory family did not move in until the 1950's. I took this from a gigantic picture my Grandma Gregory has on a wall, so it's not the best quality.
This picture is from 1985, so roughly what the house looked like when I was born. I don't ever remember it being white, but who knew I grew up in the White House?
This picture is from 1987. The house remained this "groovy blue" up until I was in college. This shows what my Mom calls "the old porch." When I was in kindergarten, they enclosed this porch and built on another room and a smaller porch that is still there today.
This picture is circa sometime in the 1990's. You can now see the addition that was not there in the picture above. I have also decided we just take pictures of the house after a snow storm.
Let it Snow!
These two pictures really portray one of the best things to do on a wheat farm in the middle of winter: sledding. However we don't have hills y'all! So you get a four-wheeler, a thick rope, and a sled. Anything is fun at 40 mph on an open wheat field covered in thick layers of snow. The 1980's and 1990's really weren't big on safety, "They will be fine...." Pictured in the second picture are my aunts, Marcia and Charlene. A little bit of trivia, Marcia is the only other person in my extended family, besides myself and my sister Meredith to have lived at 111th St for her whole life until adulthood.
It's Almost Time for the Easta' Bunny!
The next several pictures portray the celebration of the holidays through the past 30 years. From Christmas, to Easter, to Halloween, the fireplace seemed to be the main point for pictures. Plus for some reason we loved taking pictures on Easta'!
Easter 1982- You will see a trend in the following Easter pictures, someone is always missing. I guess in 1982 my parents didn't want Rochelle pictured, so they just had her take the picture.
Easter 1985- Fast forward a few years, Mom has been busy and looks like Dad was elected to take the picture this year.....
Easter 1987 Shot #1 sans Mom-Pastels are coming into play in the Gregory household only to overtake our lives until 1992. If you look to the right of the fireplace, I think my parents were really into peacock hunting as well. Also, my suit is fly, I'm not going to lie, I want that in my size now.
Easter 1987 Shot #2 sans Dad- This was obviously my Dad's turn to take the picture, We should have hired someone to take pictures for us to keep us from looking like a broken family.
Easter 1993- Pastels are out, but shoulder pads are in! Obviously we didn't get to be in the picture this year, but the cat did. (Meow)
Easter 1996-This Easter we "Count our Blessings." Mostly just hoping Mer isn't a vampire. Someone obviously was Team Edward before it was cool.
Halloween: I decided to go as a clown and well Mer decided to go as a California Raisin... She heard it through the grapevine. Check out our flat screen television y'all.
Four channels, no remote.
Four channels, no remote.
Christmas 1987: Teeter Totter!!!! Sorry Rochelle, you can just watch us have fun.
My first bike at Christmas. Hell on wheels, showing a little Shania mid-drift.
Life on the Farm
Growing up on a farm there was a lot of space and things to do. The picture below is of my sister Meredith pulling me around in a wagon. This is me teaching her how to be my chauffeur.
(She still doesn't like to wear the hat.)
(She still doesn't like to wear the hat.)
Harvest 1991: Of course every year there is harvest time. This of course is always the most stressful, yet fun time of the year on the farm.
Today
This picture is of my parents right before they celebrated their 40th anniversary in July, 2011. The house looks way different as you see and has gone through an extensive remodel in the past two years, with a new kitchen, front porch, and a new basement.
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This is a perfect blog subject for Father's day, as we all reflect back on the impact of our fathers and grandfathers. This house is a legacy that my grandfather started and passed down. It is a safe haven, a playground, a refuge, and a business. Few people can say that they have lived in the same home that their grandparents lived in, let alone their parents. That day in that kindergarten class it just seemed like a lot of numbers and letters to me, but now it means the world to me and the world to many people in my family.
So now matter if it's a one bedroom high rise, a 1960's ranch, or a mansion on a hill, we all have that one place we can go back to and feel important and safe. So if the shoe fits, you're home.
-R
The infamous fireplace, as of 6/16/2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Pretty Much a Deal Breaker...
We have all been there: the dreaded first date. Maybe you met him/her on the train to work, or Eharmony, or even a church ice cream social (it never happens this way, but I mean we can all dream). So after you have texted your bar hookup...I mean... your friend from church for about a week, you both decide to meet for drinks and maybe dinner. The days before seem to drag and you become more anxious by the day. The emergence of social media doesn't help with this anxiety either, as you continue to stalk their Facebook page and try to figure out what kind of person they are just by their posts and pictures of them at their 10 year high school reunion.
The day arrives and you spend the final hours before primping, plucking, and practicing your small talk. Your date is willing to pick you up and just by that request alone you think you have scored Mr./Mrs. right. Who said chivalry was dead right? You hear the car engine as they pull up, you take a deep breath and walk out your front door.
The next part is when it all goes downhill...
My good friend Melissa McCabe has taught me many life lessons, but one stands out above them all, "The Ultimate Deal Breaker." As you step off your front porch it comes into view...they drive a bright yellow automobile. First you try to stop yourself from making that face of disgust that everyone makes after tasting a lemon (by the way which is also bright yellow). Then you do the different self denial tricks in your mind: "Oh maybe they have a rental car." or "Maybe they work for Steam Masters or Banana Boat or Schwan's ." However, denial soon turns into the hard reality you are going on a date with a complete loser.
Ladies and gentleman there is no easy advice that I can give to avoid the ultimate deal breaker moment, but I can promise you that a few Kansas Citians and the ultimate Chicago deal breaker fighter, Mel McCabe are hitting the streets this summer to track down and document these deal breakers.
Day in and day out we hit the streets documenting these horrific automobiles in a game we like to call: "Find the deal breaker." Below are a few examples of some of the "gems" found around both Kansas City and Chicago by my correspondents Mel McCabe, Clay Salmon, and of course myself. So remember you think you may have found that prince charming until they pull up in your driveway. So if you see the yellow paint job, remember if the shoe fits...DEAL BREAKER.
-R
P.S. If you find yourself stumbling upon a "deal breaker" in your city, please feel free to send a picture of it to me via text. Together we can end this epidemic.
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Yes they can even drive SUV's.
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I found a "double deal breaker" last week.
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My birthday gift to one of our finest KC correspondents, Clay Salmon.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Welcome to my first blog
If the Shoe Fits...
It is said, “Never judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” I wear a size 10, it's a pretty typical size, but I hope to blog about my not so typical life. I hope to touch on all my loves: family, friends, food (of course I'm going to talk about food) and of course my alter ego: Greg Ross. So lace up and come take a walk in my shoes.
-Ross
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