I should write more!

Jack Bauer makes Chuck Norris cry. So does Tom Selleck.

Day 11: My favorite T.V. show

Easy: "24."

On the first day, God created Jack Bauer;  Jack Bauer finished the rest of creation by noon and rested for the next 6 days.

My second favorite show would have to be "Magnum, P.I."  I...shouldn't even have to say anymore.  The mustache speaks for itself.

Chuck Who?

The boys are back in town.

I figured that I may as well play a bit of catch-up for the days I've missed.

Day 10:  A photo that makes me happy.

This one was pretty simple.  I don't think I need to elaborate further. 

Although my nose looks friggin HUGE in this one...haha.

Sydney Carton, Superstar.

Day 9: Your favorite quote.

Wait a second.  It has been a long time since I have ventured into this little corner of Mr. Gore's interwebs.  A lot has happened!  We've moved into a new place, I passed my CNA final at the school--HUZZAH!

No excuses though;  honestly, what kept me from writing was actually the 30 Day List I chose.  It was...poop.  The topics were trite, repetitive and altogether uninspiring.  So, in the interest of full disclosure and giving proper credit where it is due--thanks for sharing YOUR list with me, I like it much more! (You know who you are.)

So, without anymore pomp or circumstance--let's do this thang!

My favorite quote is this:

"I see that child who lay upon her bosom and who bore my name, a man winning his way up in that path of life which once was mine. I see him winning it so well, that my name is made illustrious there by the light of his. I see the blots I threw upon it, faded away. I see him, foremost of just judges and honoured men, bringing a boy of my name, with a forehead that I know and golden hair, to this place--then fair to look upon, with not a trace of this day's disfigurement--and I hear him tell the child my story, with a tender and faltering voice."
"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

--Sydney Carton
"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens

I suppose that this quote might mean something different for anyone who reads it, but that final line cannot be denied;  call him a martyr, call him foolish, call him what you will--in this one phrase, and with this action, Sydney makes everything alright.  This is perhaps the only unselfish act he has committed in his life.  He makes the ultimate sacrifice for love, for justice, and all of the highest ideals of mankind.  This is redemption.

I love Dickens, by the way.  I hated him in high school.  Go figure.

I think I need a Lear Jet

Day 8: A Place I Have Travelled To

Hmm...I wouldn't say that I am "well-travelled" by any means--I am most definitely not a jet-setter hah.  I have travelled a bit though--Canada, Mexico, Germany, The Netherlands, France and the States.  Since this topic is asking for a single place, I am going to focus on my favorite place:  Germany.

Poster on a street pole.

On the high-speed train to The Netherlands

Specifically, Munich, Bavaria.  What a city!  I went there with my dad about 4 years ago to see The Who play in the Olympic Stadium there--really though, it was just an excuse to see Europe with my dad.  We went in late spring 2007, and it really was one of the most wonderful places I have ever been.  The German people I found to be warm and friendly, the weather was beautiful--we even got to experience an early summer thunderstorm. (It was fantastic!)  The food was great--fresh strawberries from Switzerland for $0.80 a pound, sandwiches, bratwurst and sausages, fine dining and the beer--well, what can I say about having crafted German beers in Germany? Not very much other than "you have to have been there to know."  Munich was so amazing in fact, that we actually left Amsterdam and decided to forget about the other places we had planned on and went BACK to Munich. 

Interesting side note:  my French actually improved while in Germany--who would've guessed?  (The Germans all have to learn--or at least study-- a second language in school, and if it wasn't English, it was almost always French.)

Open-air court at the Munchen Flughafen (airport).

Flags, left to right: European Union, Germany, Bavaria, City of Munich--and some other, I think the hotel's.

The movies I have loved...

 Day 7: Favorite Movies

How freakin generic is this topic?  I am thinking, as I look at my 30-Day list, that perhaps I am going to find other lists to pick and choose from so that I can avoid these mundane topics! Would that qualify as cheating? 

So, without further ado...here is my list (in no particular order).

1. V for Vendetta
2. The Men Who Stare at Goats
3. Field of Dreams
4. Miracle
5. The Thin Red Line
6. For Love of the Game
7. Definitely, Maybe
8. Fight Club
9. ANYthing from Pixar
10. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

These are the first ten that jumped to mind; there are surely many others that easily could make this list, but I am one of those people who changes my mind constantly.  I am fairly certain that some of these would change, but at least 4 of them would always make this list:  Miracle, Field of Dreams, all the Pixar stuff and The Thin Red Line.  I watch "FoD" every year during the 2nd week of February, around the time that pitchers report to Spring Training.  I watch  Miracle on the anniversary of that game, February 22nd.  Every year.  I'm a dork!

The Thin Red Line is set during the WWII  battle between the Americans and Japanese for control of the island of Guadalcanal;  what it is not, however, is a typical shoot-em-up war movie.  This movie is about the human condition, set against the backdrop of a war.  It is quite existential in it's dealings with what it means to be human.  Each character seems to represent a different emotion or aspect of humanity (love, hope, ambition, sacrifice, etc) and the battlefield setting allows the film makers to really drive home the stark contrasts between these feelings and motivations.  The sound engineering is superb, and the soundtrack features songs from the Melanesian people of the South Pacific islands; these chorals and chants are strangely beautiful and haunting.  Overall, a fantastic film--a must see in my humble opinion.

Field of Dreams has always been a favorite of mine, since I was a kid.  I love baseball! Don't judge me!  I love this story of penance and redemption.  Timeless.  "Hey dad--wanna have a catch?" Best. Line. Ever.  Funny how a piece of twine, cork and leather can heal old wounds and right past wrongs.  Classic.

Miracle? Well, I grew up playing hockey.  The story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team is burned into they psyche of any kid who plays this game in this country.  For those of you who don't know or remember, here is a brief synopsis:  Herb Brooks (legendary American hockey coach) takes a team of misfits and college kids up against the Soviet Union, a unit that is generally considered to be the best hockey team of all time, and--against all odds--beats them to reach the gold-medal game in Lake Placid, NY.  There is no reason that those kids should have ever beaten that team.  They played the Soviets only two weeks prior to the Games, and were manhandled 10-3.  Sports Illustrated and many other news and media outlets have named this moment, this game, as the biggest upset in sporting history. And it really is.  Even if you aren't familiar with hockey or this game, you have probably heard Al Michaels' famous line, while counting down the remaining seconds during the television broadcast:  "Do you believe in miracles? YES!"  Epic.

The interesting thing to note about that game is that it was only a hockey game, but at that time it meant so much more to so many people.  There is a scene in the movie where excerpts from President Jimmy Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech are played on the radio as Brooks drives home on Christmas Eve.  At the time, the country was truly experiencing a "crisis of confidence."  Lines at gas stations from fuel rationing. The Soviet army had just invaded Afghanistan, and Carter was considering a boycott of the summer games in Moscow (eventually it was decided, and they were boycotted).  Iranian students had just stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and took Americans hostage.  The country had lost faith in the presidency, having lived through the Watergate scandal only 4 years prior.  Vietnam was still a fresh memory, not some black and white photos with a brief explanation in some textbook somewhere.  Optimism had been replaced by uncertainty and despair for many.  This team, this coach, this game--gave something back:  hope.

This film though, is really about Herb Brooks.  This man made a team out of making his players hate him, so they didn't have time to hate each other.  He pushed them harder than they ever could have thought they could be pushed.  He forged them in the fires of adversity, and he never sugar coated anything.  More importantly though, he loved them.  He gave them something that should never be forgotten: he taught them to believe in themselves.  My favorite scene from the movie, a discussion between Brooks and his wife the night before the game:

Patty Brooks:  Herb, there's no disgrace in losing to this team. (The Soviets)
Herb Brooks:  Yeah, I know.
Patty Brooks:  The important thing is, you got this far.
Herb Brooks: The important thing?
[pause]
Herb Brooks:  The important thing is that those twenty boys know in twenty years, they didn't leave anything on the table. They played their hearts out. That's the important thing.

LOVE it.

And what can I really say about Pixar?  Pixar = WIN.

ahhh, the good ol' days

Day 6: a picture that makes you happy

This pic was taken in 2003. It is from a show with a band I used to play with, love/misery.

This picture makes me happy for a number of reasons. I love it because it is one of the few action shots that I have of me doing something I love, performing music. I loved that red guitar (grrrr) and wish I still had it--but that's another story! This was taken before I was a daddy, or had an ex-wife or anything like that. No responsibilites!

My ex-wife (then girlfriend) and I had been on vacation in Disneyland. We flew in to SLC and drove immediately to the venue. It was a great trip, and then to finish it off with a great show, wow! So much fun.

Anyways, it makes me happy because it reminds me of being young, free and having so much time ahead of me, so much life left to live.

Oh yeah--and it reminds me that I was supposed to have been a rockstar by now--I'd better get on that!

Keepin on...

Day 5: Your siblings. Well...I am an only child. Soooo...nothing here. I do have a step-brother and a step-sister, but they grew up living with their mother in California and I never knew them much until they moved out here after turning 18. I am a few years older, so aside from family functions and such, I never really knew them all that well. They are very sweet! Somewhat confused though. Srsly. My step-brother just moved into the house we live in though...so I am learning more about him everyday.

Autobots, roll out!

Well, I may as well play catch up! Day 4: Your parents. What can I say about my parents? Thank God they tolerate me! Seriously though, I don't need to go into any detail here: Fantastic people. They know. Love ya!

My first love(s)

Day 3: Your first love

Okay, I know--today isn't Day 3. Cut me some slack here; when little man comes home, I am less inclined to stay up late and write. It happens. Sue me?

My mind decided to react in a strange way to this topic. It kick-started it's analytical processes, and next thing I knew, I was imagining how to sum up the idea of "Love," how it applied to me and my life, in a traditional sense or in the context of a Shakespearean tragedy--basically, I wanted to make this a lot harder than it really was. Huzzah!

I had decided that "First Love" would easily be cheated by talking about that first dog, or my mother--anything that wasn't the intended topic. Loving one's mother is taken as a granted methinks...as far as the author of this list was concerned? This is to be about Romantic Love.

This is actually really simple. Here we go!

My first Kiss: 14 years old, in the backyard of Matt Green's house while everyone else was at a swimming party. Her name is Lisa. She was also my first "girlfriend," though at the age of fourteen I had know idea what things like "girlfriend," or "Love" really were. At that age, Love is a new and exciting prospect; the world is just starting to open up before your eyes, and it is so much fun! Love at fourteen meant all the excitement, discovery and wonder, without responsibility! At fourteen you aren't worried about how much the mortgage payment went up this month; your biggest concern is how good your jacket smells after she wore it. Sublime.

My first girlfriend: Now, I will qualify this as meaning my idea of a first real girlfriend (not taking anything from you, Lisa!). A long-term girlfriend. The first person that you say "I Love you" to. In the only way you know how, at the ripe age of 17-18, you really do. Vacations. Prom. Wanting to spend more time with them than anyone else. Endless hours on a telephone. Flowers on Valentine's. Arguments. Family functions. Graduations. Ultimately, heartbreak. This person, for me, is named Jenny. Good stuff.

It is interesting to note that I am still in contact with both of the women named above. They have amazing lives, wonderful husbands, and are people I will always call my friend. Thank you, both of you.

My ex-wife: This one is a conundrum, because we are no longer together, and as such, there is no "Love" left. I can sum our relationship up in two words: train wreck. Terrible. Painful. An immensely powerful collision of two opposing forces, becoming entangled in some sort of mangled, twisted embrace. Yet strangely compelling to behold. Obviously, at one point, we must have been in Love--and we were. The problem was, we failed to nurture it, to grow it. Love within a marriage is work. Everyday. We let it pass us by, and became resentful and hurtful towards each other--probably because we had failed ourselves, and more importantly--failed each other. It ended badly.

I wish I could say that I was friends with this woman; I am not. We are quite decidedly not friends.

There exists, however, some semblance of Love for this woman I despise: she is the mother of my child. She gave me the most precious gift anyone could ever be given. As the mother of my child, I will always Love her for that. My Love for her is defined by and limited strictly to my son. Not through him by any means, for no child deserves that burden; but by the mere existence of him. I need to treat her with respect, and foster respect for her in my boy; I do him a great disservice if I don't. I make sure that he knows that his mother and I, although we are not in Love, are still his parents. He needs us both to appear as partners, as a team. We're still working on that one. It's a learning curve!

A few thoughts as I reach today's conclusion: I am lucky to have friends and family to Love and who Love me. There are of course, many examples of these wonderful relationships, and they do not need to be enumerated and detailed here. I am blessed to experience every single day a Love that is so absolute, so truly unconditional, I cannot even believe it is real, from my son. It simply pours out of him, and washes away any complaint or headache or how bad a day could have been.

I guess that as I move on in life, looking forward to one day meeting that special person to Love, and be Loved in return, this is what I would say:

I am waiting to hold a jacket to my face again.

"Echo Effect," and what it really doesn't mean.

Day 2: What is the meaning behind the name of your blog? Short answer? Nothing. It means nothing. What it really means though, is something. At the very least, something. "Echo Effect" is the name of a song from a band I played with, and it seems like ages ago. I hated the name of the band. HATED.; utterly loathed, detested, and pretty much felt embarrassed every time I saw it on our fliers/stickers--whatever. A monumental fail. When it came down to choosing a name, I was out-voted; long-live democracy, eh? I'd love to tell some sort of complex and profound story about the origin of the name and the lyrics; there isn't. It was called "Echo Effect" because of precisely that; our guitars were set to an extreme delay which delivered an "echo" effect. Literally. That's it. I know, very deep and artsy, right? Blah. Now, I must qualify this; I happen to be rather fond of the song in and of itself. The interplay of guitars, the solid bassline-they do count for something. The lyrics were written by Luke and Blake, and follow solidly the "call/answer" lyrical styling that I have always been so fond of. If you don't know what that means, I can sum it up quite succinctly: the first singer delivers his or her's line, and the second responds or continues the phrasing--quite effective, when done properly. This song does not disappoint as an example of that musical form. Originally I had planned on including the lyrics and elaborating on them from there. I have decided against that--they are irrelevent to the purpose of this post. The song itself doesn't matter, it is not on display here. Instead, I will sum it up in a few words: it is about vulnerability and self-consciousness. The speaker wants to violently, desperately, break those ties-- but in the end acknowledges the unrealistic and futile results of any attempt to seperate the self from these most basic of emotions. So why did I choose to name my blog after this song? The answer is simple. The mere sound of the words evoke intrigue and inquiry; "Echo Effect." Say it aloud. Now do it again. See what I mean? Almost as good as "Cellar Door." So here it is. I named my blog after this song because I think that the title is more profound than the song. The name "Echo Effect" makes me think of the ripples from a stone cast into still waters; they radiate out from such a small point, and affect--in the most minute and profound ways-- anything and everything they touch. I expect that about 4 people are even reading this--but if anything I ever have to say touches you, maybe you will share--and our own little "echo effect" will find its way into the world. Godspeed.

Day 1

Since I have never written a blog and have no idea how to really get started, I am stealing an idea that has manifested itself 28347832 times on these interwebs already--I am going to start with a "30 Day Challenge" of sorts. I found one that I think works.

"Day 1: Introduce, Recent Picture and 15 interesting facts about me."

Doesn't seem TOO painful.

Well, let's see--my name is Matt, short for Matthew and I sometimes get called "Matty." (I really like to be called that actually, but not everyone can get away with it.) I have my father's middle name (Morrell) and my son is also a "Morrell." It is some sort of old family name, but I have no idea where it came from. I used to hate it as a kid, but I have grown rather fond of it as I get older.

I am from Salt Lake City, and have lived here all my life. I am 32 years old, and going back to school to study nursing. I am a divorced single father. My son is type one diabetic, and that has really affected us in many ways, too many to list here (at least today--I'm sure I'll get to that post eventually).

Hmm...recent picture. What does "recent" mean anyways? Do I have to snap a picture now, or can I use one from a couple months ago? Ah-HA! Dictionary.com says that "Recent" can refer to geologic time, as in the "recent epoch," so I have about 10,000 years leeway on that. Score! The photo here is one my kid took, we were at the baseball game and on the field to watch the fireworks show. This is from last August, so not terribly old. I like it. I hate my double chin though--what the hell is that anyway? I am not a big guy, yet my neck seems to harbor some delusions of grandeur--does it secretly want to be a body builder or something? Lame.

15 Interesting Things. I am going to try to pick things that people who know me probably don't know, or at least aren't completely obvious. I am sure that I am not really as sneaky as I'd like to think I am.

1. I love coffee, but dislike warm drinks. Iced please, kkthxbuhbye.

2. I am a sucker for those Pixar movies; I see them all on opening day, and own (or have owned at one time) most of them. "The Incredibles" is probably my favorite.

3. Neil Diamond is a God amongst men; he lets us all live here because he truly does love YOU.

4. When I was about 4 years old, I dropped a puppy off of a balcony. Turns out, puppies can't fly. I didn't know better. I feel really bad about it to this day. Horrible actually; probably the worst memory I have.

5. I was born with a club foot. My whole right leg is slightly smaller and shorter than my left. My right foot is 2 sizes smaller. It was partially corrected. I have less range of motion in that ankle, and also arthritis. I can tell you with surprising accuracy if it really is going to rain today. (It isn't.)

6. I read very quickly. Very quickly.

7. I am pretty sure I have tinnitus. I hear ringing in my ears. Should have worn earplugs, but I thought I was too cool for school.

8. I am prone to unrequited crushes.

9. When someone asks what my favorite color is, I always answer blue; but this isn't exactly true--I really like green. All shades, and all hues. I answer with "blue" because blue really was my favorite color for most of my life, and it is just a reflex. But I am pretty sure greens take my cake.

10. I struggle with mechanical devices and computers. They hurt my head. Good thing I can get someone else to fix it. Kicking, hitting and/or yelling at stubborn inanimate objects does work in many situations though. Srsly.

11. I suck at math. Really... suck... at math. If it is more than basic 'rithmitic, it kicks my ass.

12. I know the difference between "their," "there" and "they're." Also "all right," "alright," "to," "two" and "too." These are not interchangeable. Don't even try it. Oh, and "farther" and "further." Farther is a measure of distance, further is a degree of something. Drives me nuts.

13. Lennon > McCartney. This is not negotiable.

14. If I go to Jamba Juice or somewhere else where they ask for your name to call for your order, I sometimes give them a fake name. Usually "Tom." I am not sure why I do this, but I suspect it has something to do with my desire to be a spy or interloper of some sorts. Cloak and Dagger!

15. I like to do things the hardest way I possibly can. This is not a conscious decision, but based on results, it is fact.

Well, I made it through Day 1. Not a very interesting read, but I did it. Hope your day is good!

Oi.

ungh--now what?

I just created this. Huzzah! Now what? I guess I am thinking of writing stuff? Go figure. Anyways--hello!