The Top Five Coolest Things of 2008

FYI... For an American Idol recap, scroll to the next post... for Facebook users, click to Clouds in My Coffee to see videos...

Before we begin (finish?) here's a recap of The 100 Coolest Things of the Year, numbers 100 thru 6...

The Introduction and Recap
The 100th thru 91st Coolest Things of 2008
The 90th thru 81st Coolest Things of 2008
The 80th thru 71st Coolest Things of 2008
The 70th thru 61st Coolest Things of 2008
The 60th thru 51st Coolest Things of 2008
The 50th thru 41st Coolest Things of 2008
The 40th thru 31st Coolest Things of 2008
The 30th thru 21st Coolest Things of 2008
The 20th thru 11st Coolest Things of 2008
The 10th thru 6th Coolest Things of 2008

One of the best things about a blog site is that as things are more important and more cool throughout the year, chances are, you've already blogged about it. So much of this will be a recap of what has already been written, with bits and pieces, plus the link for the entire story...

So, finally...

The 5th Coolest Thing of 2008. Toni Rocki Honda.
From the moment I picked up my new-to-me Honda Accord, I knew that my time with my 1999 Mercury Pezochit was limited. Yes, yes, this car caused me much grief, and yes, it wasn't exactly a "chick magnet" vehicle... but I had had it for about 8 years. I felt like I had paid car repair bills every single one of those years. You can read my car-ownership history here, a sad tale of lemons, wrecks and bad auto decisions...

Here's how I start the story...

I'm hanging out at The Happiest Place in the Mall the other day, and I get a text message. "Call me when you have a minute". The Lovely Steph Leann needs to converse with me for some reason, and I'm puzzled why.

Could she have discovered my hidden stash of Sweet Valley High novels? Did she find the full 3rd season of Manimal on my computer? Surely not... its well hidden. (I'm just kidding. I don't have Manimal on my computer... duh!). Or maybe she finally realized that she's so far out of my league, its funny, and she wants to negotiate a deal... who knows...

I call her back, and after the usual married pleasantries, she tells me, "Okay, so my cousin JoAnna is selling her car." Its a 95 Honda Accord, with 102K miles on it. The price is extremely cheap, and its in really good condition... do we want it? (I only say "extremely cheap" because I don't know if JoAnna offered it to anyone else and and what price, so I don't want to put her on the spot--if you really wanna know, just ask me)

We discuss it for a few days, consider the options, and decide its worth a look-see. But when to go? The car is in Gadsden, an hour up the road, I've got a very busy weekend, I'm at The Happiest Place in the Mall and The Most Caffeinated Place in Soho Monday and Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, but that night we need to pack, because on Thursday, we're going to The Happiest Place on Earth Not Next to The Lovely Steph Leann with our friends DeLisa and DeNick.



Do you want to know what happened? How the little Honda Accord came to be known as Toni Rocki Honda? Sure you do... click here for the full column from September 20th, 2008.

Movies I'm totally stoked for in 2009... "The Land of the Lost", starring Will Ferrell... "Star Trek", cause even though I'm not a Trekkie, I dig JJ Abrams... "GI Joe", which had the trailer premiere during the Super Bowl... "Transformers 2", cause how could you not be excited?... "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian", cause I loved the first one, and this one not only has all the major cast back, but also Amy Adams!...

And finally... these two...



And I think this will be just fantastic...


The 4th Coolest Thing of 2008. DeLisa & DeNick at The Happiest Place in the Earth.
One of the best things about my job as an assistant magic maker at The Happiest Place in the Mall is the fact that we are able to go to The Happiest Place on Earth more often, and with that, we are able to take friends and loved ones with us.

Our first excursion with this ability came last September, around the birthday of The Lovely Steph Leann, as we traveled down to Orlando, Florida. With us was The Lovely Steph Leann's BFF from high school, DeLisa, and her husband DeNick.


This is The Lovely Steph Leann and DeLisa being all BFFy on The People Mover in Tomorrowland

I know that The Lovely Steph Leann just loves DeLisa dearly, and because of the marriage, she in turn dearly loves DeNick... and personally... I do too. There are great people in this world, perhaps people you don't see often enough, but people that none the less will bend over backwards to help you in all manners that they can, expecting nothing in return, and both DeNick and DeLisa fall into this catagory. Heck, just last week, DeNick, handy manny that he is, came over and installed a shower curtain rod into The Cabana's guest bathroom, and... well, I was going to say "helped me", but truly, I followed his instructions in laying down carpet in our newly almost finished attic turned super duper closet area upstairs. Anyway, it was this type of affection and adoration that made The Lovely Steph Leann and I look forward to taking them with us to The Happiest Place on Earth.


Not sure which is more disturbing... the lion on my head, or the fact that DeNick wants to look growly with a flowery lei wrapped around his hand

Neither are Disney-philes like we are (yes, yes, someone out there just said aloud "well, who is?") but both do enjoy the parks and the splendor of it all. We even worked out a great deal where we flew down on Thursday night, stayed at All Star Sports Resort, hit the parks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, taking in some shopping on Monday. We had character meals together, and even dined extravagantly at Le Cellier in Epcot.

DeNick is one of those people that make me nervous when we go out to eat in a restaurant that has been chosen by The Lovely Steph Leann and I... he's such a cooking aficianado, you can only hope that whatever he tries, he likes... so when you hear him say, "Wow, that's really good" like we did at Le Cellier or in Animal Kingdom Lodge's Boma restaurant, you breath a sigh of relief.

Random The Happiest Place on Earth Story... DeLisa, DeNick, The Lovely Steph Leann and Yours Truly was coming out of Soarin', in The Land, headed back outside to presumably ride Test Track, when we saw a Cast Member with a lanyard. The Lovely Steph Leann and Yours Truly made a beeline for the guy, with DeLisa--newly indoctrinated pin collector that she was--following close behind.


DeNick likes to pose when he knows the camera is watching.

The Lovely Steph Leann notices a pin from Toy Story, a Woody pin, on the guy's lanyard, and exclaims, "Oh, you have a Woody! I want your Woody!" probably louder than she intended. I glanced over at DeNick, who was smirking, his left elbow in his right hand, his left index finger covering his twitching mouth. I shot a look at DeLisa who was also smirking. Finally, biting my own lip, I dared a glance at the Cast Member who looked at us, sighed, and with a half smile said, "Go ahead and laugh. I am not allowed to, but you can." DeLisa, DeNick and I began to laugh heartily, and a few seconds later when The Lovely Steph Leann understood her vocal folly, she half laughed, half gritted, "Shut up!" while smacking both me and DeNick. The Cast Member even enjoyed a laugh. Good times. Good times.


The four of us enjoying drinks and an African style buffet at Boma, located inside Animal Kingdom Lodge

By the way, if you want to read some early blogging stories, you can read the story of DeNick and DeLisa's wedding told in three parts...
Part 1: Its In the Shoes
Part 2: Its All Greek To Me
Part 3: Everybody Wang Chung Tonight... Everybody Go Greek Tonight

Some of the crappiest things, or biggest disappointments of 2008? In no particular order... Auburn firing Tubby... "Mamma Mia!" was a disaster on the big screen... "Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" was a huge blemish on the Indy Legacy... The New England Patriots lose the Super Bowl, thus ending their bid for undefeatedness... Being a Starbucks manager isn't everything I hoped it would be... and, of course, John McCain gets the Republican nomination, all but assuring that the most liberal, left-wing idealistic, socialistic minded (these aren't slanders--this is who he is. don't get offended. you elected the guy) Democrat in Congress would win the White House.

The 3rd Coolest Thing of 2008. The Happiest Place in the Mall.
Its interesting that I'm just now finishing this list at this point in March, though I said I would try to get it done by the beginning of February. Right, right... anyway, I was talking about "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" last night to a fellow Cast Member, about the final scene.

At the very end, when the credits are just starting, all the major players in the movie, that being Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Monica Coleman, The Junior Goddess, Corbin Bleu and that dude who plays Ryan Evans, are all standing there, taking a bow. They have these big grins on their faces, grins that read "Wow. We did it. The show is complete..." and they are smiles that only people who have been involved in drama can understand. That big exhuberance you feel when the show you've slaved over (or in this case, a movie trilogy) has finally come to a close, a smashing, wonderful, rousing, successful close, and its over, so your smile is part sadness that its over, part relief that its over, part excitement that its over, but all smiles because its over. Wendy Deckermiller... Erin the Marine Wife... you feel me. I know you do.

Anyway, I was trying to describe this feeling to my Fellow Cast Member, when she said, "How do you know?" I told her I'd been involved in student drama now at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) for almost 10 years, and before that, I was a drama minor in college. She said, "But you didn't finish, did you?" and I said, "Of course I finished. I have a degree in broadcast communications, with minors in theater and sign."

And she stammered for a second, then said, "Then why are you here? In retail?"

And I smiled, "Because... well, because I want to be."

And its the absolute truth. How many people are doing the jobs they want to do, or feel like they are in jobs that suit who they are almost to a tee? Granted, if offered a creative ministries position at a church, or full time with the All Things to All People drama team in Student Life ministries, or if The Happiest Place on Earth called up and said, "We want you in our creative department", I might have to take a gander... but for now? I work at The Disney Store. I'm an assistant manager. I'm paid pretty good jack (I'm not rich, President B. Hussein Obama, so please don't tax me yet) to demo toys. To discuss the new line of Power Rangers with a guest. To toss a ball filled with glitter swirling around a plastic Cinderella to a little girl who can barely catch it. To hand out free Jonas Brothers posters to a squealing pre-teen convinced she is not only the biggest Jo-Bro fan in the world, but the future Mrs. Joe. Or Kevin. Or Nick. To come up with ideas of how to get Pinocchio on DVD into the hands of more people. To help people plan their first Disney vacation by telling them the dos and don'ts of fast passes, Toy Story Mania, the dining plan and pin trading. To tell an unhappy guest that yes, Peter Pan just went back into the vault, but luckily, we have a few copies left.

This is what I get paid for. Yes, yes, it has its challenges, it has its difficult spots and there are things about the Disney Company that make me think, "What the crap? They are a bajillion billion dollar company, and they do it THIS way?" But I love my job. I love going to work. I love the people I work with. I feel valued there. I feel accepted there. I feel important there, something I felt somewhat at Parisian Corporate, something I felt at Cox Radio, but never, ever felt at NBC13, and only partly felt, some of the time, at Starbucks.

When I was trying to decide whether to leave Starbucks, an ordeal I wrote about in a piece called "Between a Mouse and a Bean Place" from last June, I was faced with a decision one should be so lucky to have... which great job to choose from? Stay where I am, be happy. Be okay. Take the new job. Be happy. Be okay. I followed the essay up with another column a few days later called "Taking the Mouse, Leaving the Bean Place". Anyway, you can read the full story there...

"Why are you still here?"

"Hmm. Because... because I want to be. That's why"

The 2nd Coolest Thing of 2008. The Cabana.
We spent much of 2007's latter half looking at houses. You know the routine, anyone who is married and has looked for a house... you lurv a house and your Significant Other merely likes it. They just adore the house you are looking at, but you are thinking it's just okay... which a house should never just be "okay".

We searched and searched... we saw a three story townhome next door to Mark & Cindy Warner that I absolutely loved... the basement was finished, it was like a mini-apartment, and I was already envisioning it as a Man Cave, with a big, fat tv on the wall and a ping-pong table in the corner. We don't drink, but I might even start collecting wine, who knows... The Lovely Steph Leann liked it. Just okay.


The Lovely Steph Leann, inspecting the drawers and sinks at The Cabana

We looked at another home that had this huge living room, with this huge stone fire place, large rafter filled ceilings and big bay windows. The Lovely Steph Leann loved it, or at least this part of the house... I slowly talked myself into it, but that time, she had soured on it. Something about the house needed a new roof soon, or whatever. Our real estate agent was Tanya Stephens, now... Mischa? Mescha? We're terrible friends having not kept up with her...

Tanya, The Lovely Steph Leann and I pulled up to one house, and my response was "Hmm". Immediately, Tanya turned around and said, "You don't like it, do you?" I looked at her, "I didn't say anything." She smiled at me and said, "Yes you did. You said 'Hmm', which tells me at first glance you don't like it, and if Stephanie likes it, you'll to be talked into it. And thats not a good sign."

We found another one down past Greystone, a home that I liked well enough, but The Lovely Steph Leann wasn't crazy about. Tanya nailed it perfectly, something like "Dave, you like this house because its new, and its fun, and Steph, you don't like this house because its so new that it doesn't have character." Righo, Tanya.

The funniest moments though were perhaps when we both didn't like the house, like one in Bluff Park that was nice enough, but you could tell the guy living it was either fresh out of college or still living like he was. The house smelled strongly of bad potpourri, and having grown up in a smoke-infested home, it took me about three seconds to inform The Lovely Steph Leann that the powerful fragrance is covering up the cigerette smoke in the house. Plus the small fridge with beer cans on top, sitting beside the bed in the bedroom didn't help any, and neither did the old Pepsi machine on the porch. We passed.


Our agent, Tanya, helping us get a measure of the bedroom

We had to sign another lease at The Casa de Pesos Apartment on December 31st, or go month to month, but since we weren't close to finding a house, we figured we'd just sign a 7 month lease and keep looking for houses. On the last day of the year, I signed the contractual lease locking us into The Park at the Galleria and its ever rising rent until August of 2008.

The next day, The Lovely Steph Leann and I were at Mikey's parents home for their annual New Year's Day gathering, when for whatever reason (I'm sure she remembers), The Lovely Steph Leann had to run an errand... and for whatever reason, Lil Sister Ashley goes with her. A little while later, I get a call on my celly from my dear wife, saying, "David, you HAVE to come look at this house! You have to come look! Ohmigosh! Hurry up!"

I hop in the car... maybe Lil Sister Ashley went with me... or maybe it was Rev'rn Ty... you know what, doesn't matter. Anyway, when I arrive in this newly built neighborhood of Beaumont, I see three or four houses that are built, the rest are just dirt plods awaiting a foundation, or foundations awaiting a frame, or frame awaiting a wall. The one in question rests on Laurens Street, numbered 1508. It's got a palm tree in front. No joke. All the houses down this street do. I'm diggin' it.


The Lovely Steph Leann, looking over the kitchen area

I walk in, and the first thing I say to The Lovely Steph Leann and Lil Sister Ashley is, "If we end up moving here, we're calling this place 'The Cabana'. We just are."

Its dusty with the smell of drywall, the paint cans are everywhere, the floor is half there, the stairs have plastic all over them... but it kinda hooks me. This place is kinda cool. The Lovely Steph Leann... well, you just have to understand her. She has levels of likes and dislikes. For instance, during Idol, I started a verse of "Hero" by Marc Antony, and she yelled at me because she so deeply despises this song. If I were to sing "I Hope You Dance", she'd just ask me to stop, because she just merely hates the song. Conversely, she has two positive emotions... like it and love it. You'll know like it, because she'll smile, or she'll agree, but you just get this hint that she's not crazy about it, but it'll do. When she loves it, you know it.

And she loved this house. She was clapping, pointing out random things in the home, like the fireplace and the attic and the counters and the sinks and so on and so forth. She loved this home. And you know what? I could see it... I didn't know if I was in love with it--yet--but I really, really liked it.

We contacted Tanya, and on a Sunday, she met up with us, telling us that she had this house in mind for us as well. She loved it too. The next few days were a whirlwind... we met with the realty company several days later for what I thought was an informational meeting... so when the lady said, "Oh it will be blah blah blah down to hold the home for 2 weeks, and closing costs will be blah blah blah..." I looked at The Lovely Steph Leann and said, "Do we need to discuss this?" and she nodded and said, "No, I have a check." What? I looked confused, and she said, "Didn't I tell you this was a meeting about reserving the house?" Uh... no... she looked, smiled sheepishly and said, "Oh... well, this is a meeting about reserving the house!"

A week or two later, we met with Gary "The Idol" Eubanks and signed the papers. We were officially homeowners. Thus began the homesteading saga you can read about in "The Glorious Road to Colombiana".


Life at The Cabana

Just two more quick notes... if you ever need someone to walk the house with you to determine what needs to be fixed before moving in, call Ruth Campbell, the mother of The Lovely Steph Leann. The woman is... well, ruthless. She walked in with her green dots and put them on every nick and cranny, every paint streak that was streaked, every nail that was a little bit crooked, every railing that considered shifting left 0.07 degrees... she was all over it. It was awesome. She and the Wonderful KT also are owed some props for helping us to get the place cleaned up in time for move-in, including one most-to-all-nighter on the eve before we moved. I also give props to J Rob for coming to the Casa de Pesos and helping me get done packing up... KT and Britlicious did a wonderful job that next day too. This gets a nod in "The Moving Diaries: 24" and "RIP Casa de Pesos"

And who'da thunk that a year later, we'd still be on Phase 4.

Before we finish... people/things that barely missed the cut that deserve a mention... in no particular order... Tanya Stephens... Sonic Cheesesticks... Dayla Ellison... Big Jon Taylor... Croyle... Britlicious... Jamie Cartledge... The Purple Onion... Scotty Latta... Pruitt Cool Award Nominee Tyler Campbell... Ashley Tisdale... Amy Valdmanis... Pruitt Cool Award Nominee Mikey... Dale's Southern Grill... KidStuf... Gainey Wins the DFC... JustFish... Pruitt Cool Award Nominess Lil Sister Ashley... Trey Cartledge... The Freckled Becca & Bobowen... Sammi Carby... Dixon Brock... Cristie Stephenson... The Dainty Steph Halpert... Andy Murry... Chipotle Mexician Grill... Wendi Deckermiller... Blair Andress... Kelly Karrell... and I'm sure I'll think of more when I finish this list...

THE COOLEST THING OF 2008

Three words:
1) I'm
2) Debt
3) Free

Read about Freedom here....

And now that this list is done, we'll continue with blogs about our real life...

The Story, aka, Woulda Shoulda Coulda

All of these lines across my face... tell you the story of who I am... so many stories of where I've been... and how I got to where I am

At heart, I'm a nostalgic person. Seriously. I hold on to things I should've let go a long time past, if for no other reason than that something might have a story I can tell. This is much to the dismay of The Lovely Steph Leann, mind you.

Probably the focal point of this entire argument is the famed Ren & Stimpy Toilet Paper. For you young folk out there, Ren & Stimpy was a cartoon that would come on Nickelodeon on Saturday nights. My high school Saturdays were spent working at The Wright Place restaurant, waiting tables in Samson, Alabama, pining for Julie Wise, The Official Clouds in My Coffee High School Crush, though really preparing to end up marrying Cristie Wright. Not that I was planning that, but that's what I was supposed to do, according to everyone in the cafe, anyway.

Ren & Stimpy would come on, I would make sure to plan my 20 minute meal break around that time, and watch it on the cafe television. And laugh, really, really hard. I mean, how can you not laugh at a fake commercial for a game called "Don't Whiz on the Electric Fence"? Classic.

This love for Ren & Stimpy carried through my freshman year in college, where I became fast friends with Mandy Stewart, Miranda Bryant, Bobby Black, Bradley Grantham and a host of others who somehow impacted my life either in small or large ways.

It was the Christmas of 1993 that Mandy Stewart gave me a roll of Ren & Stimpy Toilet Paper as a gift. It was wonderful. It was hilarious, and I loved my friend Mandy--weirdly enough, she was probably one of the top ten most beautiful girls I'd ever met, yet I never had a thing for her. Personally, I was a Spring Tolson fan myself, but she was unreachable.

Where was I?

But these stories don't mean anything... when you've got no one to tell them to... it's true... I was made for you

Anyway, I haven't talked to Mandy in about... six years? Seven, maybe? Yet, I still have that toilet paper. I mean, you don't want to use it--I'm not sure of the life of the quality in a roll of TP, but I'm sure 15 years is more than can be expected. Why do I still have it? Perhaps I've had it for so long now, its crossed the "But I've Had This for -- Years" threshold... when you have something for soooo long, its just hard to get rid of. I should.

The only sentimental value of it is just a memory of a good friendship that I had for a season of a few years, a friendship that actually had begun to fade away before we even lost contact--you know how that is, you become close to someone, and over time you slowly but surely drift in different directions.

My friendships, solid for a time, with Allyson Guy, Eddie Hamner and Melanie Dill were just like that. Solid for a season, some years, some months and then *poof*. They go from being people you trust will give their life for you--and maybe they still would, who knows--to people that aren't anywhere on your list to call if you had a flat. Not to say they wouldn't help, again who knows, but they wouldn't be on my list.

I climbed across the mountain tops... swam all across the ocean blue... I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules... but baby I broke them all for you...

My whole point is nostalgia. I have a number of items that I haven't rid myself of, perhaps because the only thing they do hold is the opportunity to tell a story. The t-shirt I have that says "I Love NY" on it, signed by the members of the 2002 Mission Trip team from Shades Mountain, including the aforementioned Melanie, is in a box. I talk to the team slim to none, though I've made several Facebook connections, yet the t-shirt affords the chance to tell the story of the puppet show in the park, or how the term "Some Detours Are Worth It" became the mantra for the trip.

What's funny is that, even as I heralded all the memories the t-shirt held, I sat for a second, frozen, thinking of something. Finally, the mantra came out. Perhaps its time for the t-shirt to go.

I have a bad habit of woulda shoulda coulda thinking. Seriously, I need to stop. I have always said there were two things I would go back and do if I could zip back to 1988... the first is invent Build-a-Bear.

Think of this... a store that sells teddy bears, but YOU have to come in and make your own, doing the work, then you pay me for it. That's brilliant.

The other is I'd write Harry Potter. At this point, probably from memory. Oh, don't worry, I would anonymously send JK Rowling a check for a few million, making sure she was okay with life. And I would NEVER, EVER make Dumbledore gay. There's no sense in that. In fact, its just stupid. But I digress.

Oh because even when I was flat broke... you made me feel like a million bucks... you do and I was made for you

But in my woulda shoulda coulda... what if I had lived in a home that wasn't filled with cigarette smoke for my 18 years growing up? Looking back, I'm sure I smelled freakin' awful, especially when I sweat. The Official Clouds in My Coffee High School Crush Julie Wise woulda totally gone out with me, I'm sure. Well, maybe, but I would have had a better chance. Or what if I had actually gone out with Cristie Wright? This wasn't out of the realm of possibility, for a while anyway, so I'm not just grasping at straws here....

In my woulda shoulda coulda world... what if I had never applied for a credit card that freshman fall? What if I just went to school, say two quarters (Troy State was on quarters until the fall after I graduated, then they went to semesters) then worked a quarter? What if I had never gotten two Visas, a Mastercard and a Discover?

In my woulda shoulda coulda world... what if I had paid attention when coming through Elba, instead of running that red light and crashing the Ciera? Or stayed awake when coming home from Enterprise, instead of falling asleep at the wheel and crashing into a telephone pole? Or paid attention when turning left towards The Deuce, instead of just blindly turning in the path of a black Mercedes, driving by Gangsta Pimp? Or stood my ground for the cheaper, more economical Tercel instead of being pushed into the bigger, pricier Sable?

All things I wonder.

In my woulda shoulda coulda world... what if I had studied a little harder, not lost my scholarship because I was lazy for a few months and all that hard earned money had stayed in my pocket and not gone to pay for school? What if I had made it work with Jennifer Mullins? What if I had asked out Elisabeth Bradshaw that night on the golf course? Or what about Melanie Jackson? Julie Echols? Chrissy Bullock? (All married now with kids, or on the way at least). Or Amy Wible? That alone is a story that I could write for days. And did, actually.

In my woulda shoulda coulda world... what if I had actually asked out Mary Ann Crittenden again? (this is only assuming she would have said yes, an assumption I make blindly, unsure of the actual answer at that time, and unsure that I want to know) In this world, I'm not thoroughly convinced that God has One Certain Person for each. Perhaps He, in His wisdom, has a couple, though knowing what He has in store for you, but allowing you the free will to choose what your plan is, versus what His might be? I bring up Mary Ann in this particular line of thought not by coincidence, but in thinking that she might be one of those particular people.

Now, I don't say this out of any dishonor or disrespect for The Lovely Steph Leann... I'm pretty sure she had one or two "What Ifs" in her life, a couple or two of One Certain Persons... heck, she woulda shoulda coulda ended up with Jason Quinn (!) and I have another friend of mine who asked her out, before she and I started dating. She said no, but she might've said yes. But, it makes me think...

In my woulda shoulda coulda world... what if... when The Lovely Steph Leann Campbell had told me in the fall of 2001 that she loved me... what if I had admitted what I knew to be true, yet took me another 9 months to admit... what if I had told her the same. That she was who I was supposed to be with. What if? That's a whole other year we could have added to our story.

Let me wrap this part of the discussion up by saying very plainly and clearly--whether she was My One Certain Person, or the One Certain Person He had for me at The Most Divine Moment, either way, The Lovely Steph Leann and I were meant for each other. Just be around us awhile, you'll probably see that.

One of my favorite things to hear is "I love hanging out with you guys... you guys are so fun together". Not "cute", which I'm sure is nice, but "fun", as in, we are a couple that people enjoy being around as much when we're together as when we're apart. This is a simple compliment, yet its more rare than you might think.

You see the smile that's on my mouth... it's hiding the words that don't come out... and all of my friends who think that I'm blessed... they don't know my head is a mess... no, they don't know who I really am... and they don't know what I've been through like you do... and I was made for you.

I'm wasn't really sure where this blog was going when I started, but I think I know where it will end up. Yes, Clouds in My Coffee Drinkers, you can go crazy thinking about the woulda shoulda coulda in your life... sometimes I think I might. But I lead quite a charmed life. Not a perfect life, mind you, and I probably under-serve my Best Friend and Helpmate in every way possibly, be it conscience or un-, and the fact that I have a personality on Clouds in My Coffee named The Goddess can attest to that... but The Lovely Steph Leann is the blessing that I cannot fathom, if that makes any sense.

This song I've quoted, "The Story" by Brandi Carlile, is amazing. It just is. It actually finished as the #32 Coolest Thing about 2007. I first heard it when I watched Grey's Anatomy's earlier seasons, and it just hits me in one of those funny ways. It has a double digit play on Dave's iPod (though that doesn't mean much nowadays... sometimes I get on "song kicks" where I just want to hear the same song over and over, be it old or new... right now, my Song Kick includes "No Time to Kill" and "Good Run of Bad Luck" by Clint Black, "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" by Sting and "I Guess the Lord Must Be In New York City" by Nilsson, among others. Who knew?) already, and it doesn't make me sad... or happy... just nostalgic.

All of these lines across my face... tell you the story of who I am... so many stories of where I've been... and how I got to where I am

Bottom line is, I'm a nostalgic person. I've stated this already. I enjoy thinking back to college and even high school, the memories I've had, the things I've done. Perhaps I'll take a cue from McQ, a certain Dave Hall of Famer when she comes on the ballot, and just take the plunge. I've got lots of stories of where I've been... but, as Brandi Carlile says...

But these stories don't mean anything when you've got no one to tell them to... It's true... I was made for you... Ohh yea it's true... That I was made for you


This is the video that accompanied Grey's Anatomy. Might I say this might be the exact, perfect song to go with this video. As a matter of fact, I'm commissioning Scotty Latta to work on this project when I die...

I want this video played at my funeral, but take out all the Grey's Anatomy clips, and replace them with video clips of my own life... let's get Chris McCall and I jumping off the bridge at Ponce de Leon Springs from my childhood, and waiting tables with Victor, Cristie and Sandy at The Wright Place, and an over dramatic shot of my running across campus at Troy State late for class, and for good measure, throw in a shot or two of Tiffany Abbott (The Official Clouds in My Coffee Troy State Crush) rejecting me, perhaps get my first slow dance with Angiejay... wait, scratch that... or maybe Eddie and I dressing up as clowns at that mission retreat, or me directing WalkAbout, and a great video clip of me standing with Best Man Wookiee at my wedding, and I as Best Man at his wedding, and you gotta toss in some Deuce, and Lil Sister Ashley, and KT, and maybe me arguing with Clouds in My Coffee Atty General Brad Latta over politics (we really didn't, but it would look good for the video) and... well, just be creative.

One final thought. This is one of those songs, like many others, you can play at the perfect time. Perhaps when there's a break-up and a get-back-together. But you can play this at the wrong time... like a few weeks ago, when I watched Penn State beat Ohio State. They did a Joe Paterno montage, and played this song behind it. Creepy. Very creepy.

The Facebook Connection

So, on Facebook, somehow I've managed to find almost everyone that I ever met. Well, actually, I've met a ton of people, so the 508 people whom I call friend on Facebook probably doesn't come close to the amount of people I've met in real life.

That being said, its like the last few weeks, long lost acquaintances, crushes, bro's, then-BFFs, high school mates and more have found me. Or I have found them. Here's who I've been in contact with--keep in mind, there is one guy and seven girls on this list, of which I only wanted to date one (maybe two, if you count Cristie...), three more were just visions and two more were good friends, but keep in mind I've already posted about finding Bobby Black and my Samson buddy Chris McCall...

Tiffany Abbott. She was my Julie Wise in college. Had a huge crush on her my freshman year. But she had a boyfriend. For whatever reason. Anyway, I was watching Ricki Lake (loved me some Ricki back in the day) and they put a call out for "Do You Have Feelings For Someone Who Is With Someone Else?", so naturally... I called. Left a voicemail about this hot chick named Tiffany. Two weeks later, they totally called back and asked if I wanted to be on the show. She's married to Kirk McCauley now, and has several rugrats.

Blair Andress. He and I talked more over Facebook in the last few weeks than we may have talked in several years at Troy. A fraternity brother of mine, we swapped stories about some of the chicks that you'll read about in this post. He went out with Tiffany once, and his car exploded. Interesting story. He's married to Miranda, has a blog, and has kids of his own. (just checked out his new blog... he's got a freakin' video intro. All I have is music right now. Dang it.)

Dayla Ellison. We were friends for about two years, my freshman and sophomore years... and suddenly, she wasn't there anymore. Well, she went to Auburn. Got married. Had kids. Saw her the other day for the first time in 13 years. She married Ben Baugh, and has three children.

Heather "The Angel" Hanson. I nicknamed her the Angel, because if I remember correctly, there was heavenly singing and glorious light around her head when she talked to me. Maybe I'm just remembering that wrong... I was an impressionable, single 19 year old boy. I mentioned a few days ago that she's also got a blog, which you can find under "Dave's Fave Blogs" on the right, or click here.

What's my favorite Heather story involving journalism, mud, boxers and college, you ask?... so, one day, I'm trying to get to class. I have a journalism class with McKerrell, and YOU DO NOT miss his classes. Simple as that. I'm racing across Troy's beautiful campus, and I'm faced with a dilemma. I can go down to the end of the sidewalk and down the staircase, or I can just go straight down this hill here in front of me. Of course, its been raining all day, but hey, I'm gonna be late.

So, down the hill I go. And after a second, my foot slips, and down I go. Into the mud. Of course, everyone who sees it is laughing, and frankly, I don't care, because I would laugh my head off at someone else. I pop up, and run into the building, and up the three flights of steps. I dash into the bathroom to assess the damage, and realize I'm filthy. I mean, from my ankles to the middle of my back, I'm covered in mud, and my backpack is destroyed. But I re-iterate... you do not miss McK's classes. And I cannot be sitting in the nice, plush chairs like this. So, what can I do? I strip off my shorts and my shirt, leaving me in my white undershirt and purple striped boxers and shoes and socks. Then, I dash off to class.

As I walk in (right on time, natch), McK looks at me. "David Dollar? Are you in your boxer shorts?" I reply, walking by to my workstation, "Yep. I don't miss class for something like mud." I plop my stuff down at my computer, which happens to be directly across from The Angel herself--as in, if there were no computers, we'd be staring at each other. She looks around her computer with a curious glance, "Dave... are you really wearing boxer shorts?" Not looking, staring at my own computer, I nod, "Yep." She stares at me for a moment, "With nothing under them?" and I finally look at her, "Yep. And as long as you don't flirt with me, we'll be just fine here, Heather." She gives me a chuckle and disappears behind her monitor.

True story. I kid you not.

By the way, I had to walk across campus to our BCM to get to my car, so I could go home and change... well, put clothes on. I had almost made it, when Mike Connor yells at me from across the quad, "David Dollar!! Are you walking around in your boxer shorts????" Looking around to see him, and the 88 other people between us, I just yell, "Yep! Quite drafty!" Years later, when Gordon McKerrell retired, he gave his Top Ten Most Memorable Moments of his Troy career. Amidst the jailed students, drunken parties and Chris Hansen moments, I ranked 3rd. The Lovely Steph Leann caught her quite a man.

Spring Tolson. Now, if Tiffany was my achievable crush, and Heather was just An Angel, then Spring Tolson was my upperclassman-out-of-my-league-entirely goddess before I knew who The Goddess was. I was a freshman, and when you are 18 years old, there is something almost mythical, or even Athena like about a senior, especially a Kappa Delta and gorgeous.

As a freshman, I had a habit of carrying BreathSavers. I would actually get them at Sam's, and would have some in my pocket, because I believe that good breath is good to have, and at certain, unexpected moments, its vital. Like, the one day I had finished a good lunch at The Adams Center with my friend Bobby Black, Miranda Bryant and Mandy Stewart and was off to check my mail. As I was leaving, I popped in a BreathSaver... not just a wintergreen, mind you, but because I was feeling quite happy, I tossed in The Rolls Royce of BreathSavers, The Vanilla Mint.

Without a care in the world, I'm strolling through, when, around the corner, I practically run into Spring Tolson. Like, it might have been the only time we actually had contact. She knew my name, cause honestly, everyone knew who I was... not that I was "all that" but I just knew a lot of people.

Once, Big Wookiee and I were strolling across campus to our cars at the BCM, and when we arrived, he looked at me and said, "I don't like walking with you." Bewildered, I asked, "Really? Whats wrong?" He smirks and says, "Cause, dude, it takes forever. You know, like, everyone, and they all stop and talk to you." Where was I?

Oh, there I am, standing toe to toe with SPRING TOLSON. Perhaps she shared heavenly light and angelic choruses with The Angel (I met Spring a year before I met Heather, so who knows). Anyway, the Kappa Delta says hello, and tells me sorry for running into her, which I respond with Hi Spring and that it was my fault. We stood talking for about ten minutes, and honestly, I don't know what we talked about, nor do I even care. I was just happy to be on Spring Tolson's radar. Now she's Spring McKinley, and taught at Oak Mountain for several year--enough to know and have taught several of my kids from Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship).

Rona Mock. We had a very small youth group at Samson's First Assembly, or as I like to call it, The House O'Hypocrisy, Dancin' and Universal Tongue Speakin'. (this is an entirely different post, by the way). In this youth group is Chris McCall, Philip Norwood, Doug McCall and Rona Mock, and sometimes Amy Johnson.

Rona and I were just good friends. She wrote a whole page in my yearbook. I helped spearhead the romance between she and Ryan Hutchison (who up until that time also had a thing for Julie Wise--maybe I hooked them up to rid myself of the competition, though Jody Linton still loomed.. again, and entirely different post). I graduated, went to college, she graduated some years later, went to a different college, she married Ryan, I saw her and Ryan at an Auburn bookstore somewhere circa 2000, and that was that. Then, suddenly, she pops up on MySpace, then on Facebook. Apparently, she and Ryan are living here in Birmingham. Currently, I'm working on plans to meet up.

Cristie Wright. Another close friend from high school. Yet again, an entirely different post. We'll stop there.

Dixon Brock. Got a short list of people that I want to find via Facebook or MySpace, and let me just say that Dixon was near the top. We were tight in my later years in college, and though we found each other to be fairly cute and awesome, we never had the slightest inclination in dating. We just talked and chatted and hung out and I even spent a completely-non-romantic-just-buddies weekend with her at her home at the beach in Mobile... Fairhope... wherever.

And one day I find Dayla Ellison online. And a few days later, I find Dixon Brock. And my heart just warmed, because she's so great. She's married with kids too.

There are many left I'd love to catch up with. Melanie Jackson is one. My freshman groupies Miranda Bryant, Allison Hodnett and Mandy Stewart are others. But now that Dixon Brock has been located, I can mark her off my Top Three, which still includes Troy McConnell and Amy Alexander.

FYI... the only reason pics of Blair, Dayla, Dixon, Cristie, Rona and Heather are not online RIGHT NOW is because my scanner isn't working. When it does, they will be posted. Be afraid. Be very afraid. To some, including myself, the early to mid-90s were not kind to people. Spring Tolson, you're off the hook. No pics. I was too intimidated to take any.

FFYI... while typing this blog, out of the blue, Jon Chancey from FarmHouse contacts me. Facebook is taking over the whole world.