It has taken me back to the first time I watched the movie – gathered with some friends in my best friend’s bedroom, on the night Andre the Giant passed away.  I think I was one of the last to see the film, but then, I led a pretty sheltered movie-watching existence in my younger years.  I can honestly say it wasn’t my favorite movie after watching it, but it held the #2 spot very solidly.  #1 is, and always has been, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  But, what is not to love about the Princess Bride?  As the grandpa says – “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..”  It’s great stuff.  I fell in love with it immediately, and have treasured it ever since.  It’s one of those movies I will watch every few months, just because it’s always enjoyable.

A few of my favorite quotes:

• Inigo:  Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
• Fezzik: You never said anything about killing anyone.
  Vizzini: I’ve hired you to help me start a war. It’s an prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious tradition.
  Fezzik: I just don’t think it’s right, killing an innocent girl.
  Vizzini: Am I going MAD, or did the word “think” escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic land mass.
  Inigo Montoya: I agree with Fezzik.
  Vizzini: Oh, the sot has spoken. What happens to her is not truly your concern. I will kill her. And remember this, never forget this: when I found you, you were so slobbering drunk, you couldn’t buy Brandy!
  [turning to Fezzik]
  Vizzini: And you: friendless, brainless, helpless, hopeless! Do you want me to send you back to where you were? Unemployed in Greenland!
• [Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up]
  Vizzini: HE DIDN’T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.
  Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
• Inigo Montoya: Who are you?
  Westley: No one of consequence.
  Inigo Montoya: I must know…
  Westley: Get used to disappointment.
  Inigo Montoya: ‘kay.
• Westley: Who are you? Are we enemies? Why am I on this wall? Where is Buttercup?
  Inigo Montoya: Let me ‘splain.
  [pause]
  Inigo Montoya: No, there is too much. Let me sum up. Buttercup is marry’ Humperdinck in a little less than half an hour. So all we have to do is get in, break up the wedding, steal the princess, make our escape… after I kill Count Rugen.
  Westley: That doesn’t leave much time for dilly-dallying.
  Fezzik: You just wiggled your finger. That’s wonderful.
  Westley: I’ve always been a quick healer.
• Prince Humperdinck: First things first, to the death.
  Westley: No. To the pain.
  Prince Humperdinck: I don’t think I’m quite familiar with that phrase.
  Westley: I’ll explain and I’ll use small words so that you’ll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon.
  Prince Humperdinck: That may be the first time in my life a man has dared insult me.
  Westley: It won’t be the last. To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose.
  Prince Humperdinck: And then my tongue I suppose, I killed you too quickly the last time. A mistake I don’t mean to duplicate tonight.
  Westley: I wasn’t finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right.
  Prince Humperdinck: And then my ears, I understand let’s get on with it.
  Westley: WRONG. Your ears you keep and I’ll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, “Dear God! What is that thing,” will echo in your perfect ears. That is what to the pain means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever.
  Prince Humperdinck: I think your bluffing.
  Westley: It’s possible, Pig, I might be bluffing. It’s conceivable, you miserable, vomitous mass, that I’m only lying here because I lack the strength to stand. But, then again… perhaps I have the strength after all.
  [slowly rises and points sword directly at the prince]
  Westley: DROP… YOUR… SWORD!
  [mouth hanging open, drops sword to floor]

And…lastly, but certainly not leastly:

• Miracle Max: Have fun stormin’ da castle.
  Valerie: Think it’ll work?
  Miracle Max: It would take a miracle.

So, I have this pending gig as a blogger for a Dallas pro sports blog aptly named DallasProSports.com. They needed a piece on the Dallas Stars, who they want me to cover each week, by Monday night. Well…we had some family stuff come up and I didn’t get to it. But, last night, between helping my wife study for a big test she has today and trying to get some food in my stomach, I managed to scrawl out 7 paragraphs on the upcoming training camp the Stars are set to open, and that is the post I sent. I’m hoping it won’t be held against me, and they’ll let me keep posting for them, cause it sounds like a lot of fun. As of the time of writing this post, however, it was not posted. Maybe later tonight?

Now, other than that, I figured I would catch you up on what life has been like. Mrs. Monkey and I have finally come up with a plan for getting up with the Monkeyling that doesn’t involve us wanting to kill one another every morning. It’s revolutionary in it’s scope – get this…. We alternate days. I know! I know! Don’t spread the idea too much – we’re planning on patenting it. So, yeah…we each get to sleep in (8:00 AM) every other day. It’s wonderful.

I’m still working a lot of hours for my wonderful company and Mrs. Monkey is still going to school lots of hours. Those hours not taken up by work & school are ravenously consumed by the Monkeyling. But that’s a good thing – just peek at the photos that have been posted. How can ya not love that face?

AND, on a random tangent that has nothing to do with previous subjects, there was this new study released by the Journal of the American Medical Association saying that bisphenol A (BPA), a common ingredient in many plastic bottles, might be linked to more health issues than previously believed. I first found out about this issue when trying to find bottles for the Monkeyling. Mrs. Monkey was adamant on the “No BPA” rule, and after studying up, I agreed. For those who don’t know, BPA is used in hardened plastics in a wide range of consumer goods including food containers, baby bottles, water bottles, eyeglass lenses and compact discs. Many scientists believe it can act like the hormone estrogen, and animal studies have linked it with breast, prostate and reproductive system problems and some cancers. Fun stuff! Well, the new study that came out has shown there may be a link now with heart disease and diabetes in adults. It’s really not good. So, avoid bottles with BPA (or with the recycle number 7 on them, as they are most commonly found in those). Or, you can do what I did yesterday, and pick up a Sigg bottle. These things rock. I want another one already.

25. Sometimes, I need to be reminded just how good I have it, and what a great number of blessings I have in my life. This also goes for most people I know.

26. Walking on a cold, snowy evening, where the blanket of snow falling is so thick that just about the only thing you hear is the snow crunching and squeaking underneath your feet: One of the best ways to sort through your thoughts.

27. Doing a job that you love has a way to make a work-week feel not at all like one.

28. It’s easy to say that you wish thing thing or that thing hadn’t happened in your life, or the life of a loved one. But, it should always be remembered that we are who we are because of the road we’ve traveled.

29. Everyone should write, even if they’re not a writer and no one will ever read it. You will be amazed at what you learn about yourself through the process of writing.

30. Tattoos are a wonderful thing, but should be considered long and hard before acquiring them. 5 years was just about right for me.

31. You can’t have enough pictures of your child or pets.

32. Getting back in shape at 24 was a much easier thing to do than at 34. “They” weren’t kidding.

33. It’s always good to take every opportunity to tell a loved one that you love them. Always.

34. A rudimentary education will take about 13 years and last you from Kindergarten through secondary school. A good education will encompass some years at a university as well. A *great* education is the one that seeks no end, and allows you to soak up new knowledge from every aspect of your life.

14. Drinking 1/2 an ounce of water for every pound you have, every day – no exceptions – leads to feeling better and actually losing weight. Weird.

15. Sports are a universal unifier, bringing together people despite economic and social boundries. This is a good thing.

16. It’s tough to hate family, even if you want to. This is also, probably, a good thing.

17. Everyone should grow up knowing the joy of a New England snow day; a foot of new snow on the ground, bundled up to feel like the ‘Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man’, and off to play with friends for a day of uninterrupted sledding, snowball fights and football.

18. There are at least 2 different ways to give The Finger in the United States. While only 1 is the correct way (oh yeah, that’s right, I said it, Zen Mike), both will land you in jail in Midland, TX.

19. It’s best to avoid angering bouncers who have significant others in law enforcement.

20. Hockey is the best sport, ever, hands-down.

21. Some people think that high school was the worst years of their life, while others think that it was the best. Either way, it’s still probably best to leave it in the past, to be re-hashed over copious amounts of alcohol, 5, 10 and 25 years down the road.

22. “A best friend is one soul sharing two bodies.” I heard this anonymous quote years ago, and loved it immediately. Although it’s kind of cheesy, it’s really the closest description I can think of for someone who knows you so deeply without any reason why.

23. Pizza is the best food, ever, hands-down. I once told a friend of mine, “You’ll know when I’m sick because it’s the only time I’ll ever turn down pizza.” I was 18 at the time. It’s still true 16 years later.

To be concluded…

1. Attitude is everything. When you’re down in the dumps, life dumps on you more. When you stay positive and happy, you’ll be amazed at what you can do with just scraps and a smile.

2. The first axiom is much easier believed than put into practice.

3. Money isn’t everything. But, everything wants money.

4. A day spent without music is like a black and white film – what’s going on might be great, but something seems to be missing…

5. A good writer is a great reader. A great writer…well, I need to go read…

6. Everyone should experience a summer night in a place where you can see the stars overhead and hear the crickets all around you.

7. Never be afraid to try new foods. You never know when you’re going to find your favorite food.

8. Always take time in your day to do something you love. Even if it’s just 5 minutes with a great book, or on the phone with your best friend/significant other. Those 5 minutes can make a long day bearable.

9. It’s too easy to forget the joy of being a kid. Do things as an adult that take you back there…walk…ride your bike…skip…make random snow angels or stop to jump in a puddle.

10. There’s no way to accurately convey to a non-parent what it’s like to be a parent, because there’s no way to describe how someone can make you feel worse about life than you ever have, while at the same time making you feel happier than you ever than you ever thought possible.

11. The only mark many of us will leave on this earth will be a negative one – we should all be striving to make positive changes in this world to contribute to it instead of constantly taking.

12. Dogs are the best friend a kid can ever have.

To be continued…

The holidays were nice. Had a great visit with A&E, ate lots of turkey and marveled at how quickly time can fly when you’re having fun. Took a great road trip – Dublin Dr. Pepper plant in Dublin, TX. It’s the oldest Dr. Pepper bottling plant in the world. Pretty interesting really. AND, we got to see the world’s largest cedar rocker on our way there. Nifty!

Got lions and tigers…only in Kenya.

Then, once you’ve digested that… 5 more minutes.

Wheeee….

It’s a great Texas fall day today (meaning temperatures in the low 70s as a high, which feels downright cool after nearly 6 months of 90-100 degree heat). The Little Monkey and I had our weekly Saturday outing – kind of created to give Mrs. Monkey a bit of a break and let her catch up on some studying or chores she needs to catch up on (or, as the case was today, relaxing in a bath for a while after mowing the lawn…).

Tomorrow is the big Patriots/Colts showdown. Superbowl XLI.5. Go Pats!

Okay, so NaBloPoMo is a site that I stumbled upon after a late night of binge-drinking and yahtzee. Actually, I came across it while web-meandering from page to page (while binge-drinking). It started with a visit to an iLike page of a fan of Michael Penn…or maybe it was They Might Be Giants…who turned out to be the adorable Uber-Mom from Colorado, Greeblemonkey (sorry ’bout your state’s Rockies, Greeblemonkey – they were a fantastic team this year and deserved better than to run into the Machine that my Red Sox had become at that point). Anyway, she had a link to her page about the Blog Posting Fiesta that was to happen, and I loved the concept. And HEY!! What better idea to kick start a person who has been posting a blog a month (at best) for the past year or two, than to challenge said person to post a blog a DAY? Yes folks…for those who haven’t already followed the link and learned, NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month. I view it as a tribute to bloggers and writers everywhere, and a call for them to do what they do best – or in my case, what they do monthly. (No, FU-D, I’m not going to make that comparison. Shut up).

So, that’s the goal – we’re really going to plunge deep into the WiredMonkey’s psyche if you can stomach the ride long enough. Not that it’s a grotesque or demanding journey…just hoping it’s not so boring you want to get off the ride on Nov. 2nd. Heh. I hear you get a free shirt if you make it through Thanksgiving….

Anyhoo…so this is my 80th posting. Nice round number…it made me stop and a take a moment on what I’ve reflected upon in the past couple years. Not bad, but there should be more. Again, this is where this drive kicks in, I think. I’ve got lots going on to reflect upon now, and a few good stories to tell. The people will remain nameless (or dubbed with silly little psuedonyms, which is something that amuses me endlessly), so you’ll get all the fun details. Now that you have the details, check back tomorrow, and you’ll see something new. Yay.

P.S. Wouldn’t it suck if my next posting were November 28th? Hah!
P.P.S. I love the idea of a label called “random”. Eventually, my “random” posts will all be categorized neatly to read at once. That’s awe-tastic.