...then text ChaCha.

It seems like every day I hear of something new in the cyberworld, and this is the latest. Simply text any question you have to ChaCha and they will text you back your answer. AMAZING! It's free except for your standard texting charges. Try it...go ahead, you know you want to.

Admit it! You've all seen the show. James Lipton cruising through a skyscraper stack of blue note cards, delving deep in to the guest's innermost tragic and personal issues; like how he was the fat kid in high school so acting was his escape, or how she was told by her drunk mother that she would never amount to anything and winning the Oscar was her pay back, or how his struggle with heroine really taught him how to get to that dark place inside of them that helped them in their latest role. They talk about their "craft" and how great it was to work with that director that was accused of rape (he's just misunderstood). Then they all talk about that time they worked with Al, Jack, Marlon, or Meryl. They call Scorsese "Marty" and DeNiro "Bobby."

Finally it's time! Time for the questions. Those ten questions James asks every one on the show. They were adapted from a questionnaire written by the French television host (you have to read this in your best pompous French accent) Bernard Pivot. This is the part of the show where every actor looks as if they've never heard of this part of the show. Or they have that look on their face like, "oh, my gosh! I was not expecting this! I totally forgot that you ask these questions! You've caught me totally of guard!" When you know they've been writing and rewriting their responses since the minute their agent told them they were going to be on the show. Then as James asks each question the actor thinks long and hard, trying to sound insightful or profound, or they try to sound quick witted and spontaneous.

It's actually an interesting questionnaire and if you haven't thought of your own answers for it, your a liar. Since I am resigned to the fact that my fame will never reach outside of my house (or outside of my head, as my Gina might say) I know that I will never sit on that stage to answer those questions. So here it goes, this is my personal, one sided blog interview with James Lipton as he asks me those famous ten questions...

..........................................................................................................................

James: Jon, what is your favorite word?

Jon: I love to use cacophony and frenetic as often as possible, but only if it truly fits in to conversation. I wouldn't go out of my way to use it. But there are times when those words are the most appropriate words to use.

James: What is your least favorite word?

Jon: Tampon.

James: What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Jon: Other people's creativity, spirituality, or emotions. I feed off others that are truly in to something and go from there.

James: What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Jon: Humidity.

James: What sound or noise do you love?

Jon: Locusts on a warm summer night. But in the air conditioning away from the humidity.

James: What sound or noise do you hate?

Jon: Non stop dog barking.

James: What is your favorite curse word?

Jon: In front of children it is 'Sassafras'. After they go to bed...it's the F-word I go to most often.

James: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Jon: I would love to be able to sit in front of a piano and play and sing anything. Billy Joel, Elton John, guys like that amaze me!

James: What profession would you not like to do?

Jon: Anything involving adult diapers.

James: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Jon: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

...and scene.

This is a very funny blog you should check out. I heard the author on NPR. Not too PC, but neither am I...Stuff White People Like.

Is a blog too much time to invest? When I started this blog, topics raced through my head. I would write several a week. Then it was one or two a week. Then once or twice a month. Now I just feel like it's too much time to devote. 

What's wrong with me. I'm turning in to more of a "Jon Michell IS..." Facebook kind of guy. You know, one quick sentence, and peace out. 

But it's not just my blog world that has been effected by my shortened attention span. All sorts of areas have been affected.

I'm satisfied with watching trailers on Apple.com rather than spending two hours in the theatre. Talk Soup is a better way to catch up on a weeks worth of TV viewing. I find myself shoving food in my mouth over the kitchen sink instead of sitting down with the kids for a meal. I've become a text messenger; I now know what LOL, ROTF, WTH, and LMAO mean, and actually use them. I don't need to listen to an entire album, I'm satisfied with hearing fifteen second clips at the iTunes stores. When people send me email jokes I scroll down and read the punch line first to see if I want to invest in reading the entire joke. 

We live in an instant coffee, microwave, cliff note, no foreplay right to the good stuff kind of world. 

What happened to long walks on the beach? The Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain? Where's the great poets of our time? The wonderful conversationalists? What happened to the LP, the mini-series, or the seven course meal with the thirty minute chocolate souffle that has to be ordered be for you even get your salad?

I'd like to vent more about this but my Hot Pocket is getting cold and I gotta check out the last three episodes of Project Runway I DVR'd in the next forty-five minutes before I go to bed.

I think Tigger put it pest when he said, "TTFN."  

Last Spring a friend at church, who had a son a year older than Dylan, kept talking to me about Cub Scouts. He was the Tiger Scout leader and his boy would be advancing in rank to a Wolf that following summer. One of his jobs was to recruit a leader for the incoming Tigers. So every Sunday we would drop of the kids at Sunday School and he would see me and mention Scouts. I definitely thought about putting Dylan in Scouts but someone else would have to lead, that was a given! What did I know about scouting? I was in the scouts for one year when I was in second grade. All I remember was making a Pinewood Derby car with my dad and drawing a lot of pictures for craft time at the Den Mother's house. I also remember being taught the proper way to apply a band-aid, but that was about it. I never continued. I never asked my parents why.

I went home and looked for some online information about scouting and this Pack in particular. What really got me was that this Pack, Pack 1 was chartered by our church, First Christian Church of Huntington Beach. And it was the first chartered Boy Scout organization in Orange County, California. I felt that there was some providence in God bring our family to Huntington Beach, then FCC, then Huntington Christian School, and now this Pack. I knew this was where my son would be. That fact that in this organization we could be free to be open about our faith was really important to me. Here is a quote from the Pack 1 website...

"we consistently and intentionally look to Jesus Christ as the model for our lives. The intention of our Pack is to connect boys to God and establish values for Christian growth, so that they may worship God and serve others through their character and leadership. We achieve this by pointing to God's presence, His creation, and His desires for the conduct of our lives as spelled out in the Bible. We believe that Jesus is the source of the strength and wisdom necessary to live up to our Promise and Law. We welcome all Cub Scout-age boys as members and it is our hope that through our program and leadership, every boy will be influenced to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ"

Finally at the end of that spring the Scout Pack had a open house for prospective joiners. Dylan and I went. It was really cool. They made rockets with two liter bottles of soda and Mentos candies. Dylan had a great time and I thought this is what every red-blooded American kid needs. At the end of the meeting we filled out our paperwork and I saw a sign up for the Tiger Den Leader which had still not been filled. I told them to keep me in mind if no one else signed up.

Our first activity was that summer at family camp. We spent the weekend camping at Rancho Las Flores, a Boy Scout run camp on Camp Pentleton. It was awesome! We had a flag ceremony everyday. Campfires at night with skits, stories, and s'mores. There was a bb gun range, an archery range, and a tomahawk range. We made more rockets, this time with water filled two liter soda bottles and a bike pump. We even went on a snipe hunt (nobody caught a snipe, they said they rarely do).

It was there at that camp I decided, I want to be a part of this. This was cool. This is what I wanted scouts to be about when I was a kid. This is what my scouting experience was lacking. So I told them to sign me up. I would lead the den. It was actually perfect, because since I work odd hours and most weekends I could make sure that all our activities could fit in to my schedule.

Well, it's been about a year since that first family camp. The next one is in a couple of weeks. I can't wait. This year we bringing the girls along. I've had so much fun this year in scouting. Mostly because of the kids. They have taught me so much about myself and boys and patience. It's been very special to have one on one time with Dylan, engaging in a common experience. I've learned how a radio station works, how to make a Pinewood Derby car and a Raingutter Regatta sailboat, I've learned silly songs, solemn oaths, and how to make Indian talking sticks and square knots. God has brought eleven very special boys into my life and allowed me to help them learn about themselves and each other while gaining character and always to Do Their Best!

Here are some highlights of the last year...

S'MORES

SCRAMBLED EGGS IN A BAG

FLAG CEREMONY

DYLAN ON THE B.B. RANGE

NICE SHOT!

DYLAN ON THE ARCHERY RANGE

DYLAN WITH A TOMAHAWK

HE DID IT!

RAINGUTTER REGATTA

DEN MEETING - INDIAN TALKING STICKS

MEETING BLUE THUNDER AT THE MONSTER TRUCK SHOW
SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!

WEEKEND OVERNIGHT ON THE
U.S.S. MIDWAY

PINEWOOD DERBY
DYLAN'S CAR IS THE LIGHTNING McQUEEN
FRONT ROW - 5TH FROM THE LEFT

CHECKING OUT THE COMPETITION

PARTICIPATION RIBBON
(NEXT YEAR WE'LL PLACE!)

VISIT TO THE HUNTINGTON BEACH POLICE STATION

OUR RONALD REGAN CAKE FOR THE
BLUE & GOLD CEREMONY

ADVANCEMENT CEREMONY
TIGER TO WOLF

SUMMER DAY CAMP

WOOD WORK AT
SUMMER DAY CAMP

PACK 1 - DEN 3
MY GUYS!

My son Dylan loves the computer.

Mini Clips is one of his favorite sites.




It is filled with tons of free games.

Magic Pen is one of the coolest games ever.

Careful! It's addicting!

Awesome movie! Pixar knocks it out of the park again! Visually stunning, with a real feel of lighting and camera movement.

Characters were very cute and likeable.


I loved the nod to 2001 Space Odessy's H.A.L.

And Wall-E looks a lot like Short Circuit's Johnny 5.

When we left the theatre, I asked Gina what she thought. She said she wasn't really into science fiction. What? It was totally a love story, I said!