Milestones-a-plenty, ZiggyBackRiders! First of all, this is this site's 101st post - a perfect opportunity to look back, to celebrate, to relive the great moments of our first "century" together. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, you've logged on to "ZiggyBackPride: The Centennial Celebration!"
There's been meaningful social change - read June 10, 2003 (one of the very first posts) and then see June 8, 2004.
There's been romance - see the "Season For Loving" series from January and February of 2004. By the way, I used the material from the "Shape of My Heart" post in my stand-up set last Thursday and it went over big. Apparently it is funny to other people besides me that we use Valentine's Day as a yearly chance to lie to one another about what the heart looks like.
There's material for the sports fan - see June 13, 2003 or April 8, 2005; July 15 or 22, 2004 or the most recent post from the January 22, 2006.
We've even had hackers - see July 28 and 29, 2004.
We've made friends, including the now-defunct "cabinprayers" and "buffetlinementality" blogs, and the still-going-strong "dorfmangoestohollywood" and "centralstandards" blogs. (Other bloggers are welcome to share their blog addresses via the comment feature. I just didn't know who wanted to be outed and who didn't.)
It has been a glorious first hundred (and one) and I can't wait to see what the next century brings. Thanks for the memories, Riders. Strap in. There's more to come.
The next big thing? Visitor number 5000! Amazing! I mean, come on! That's a lot of time wasted* right on this very site! Let us know using the comment feature if you are lucky number MMMMM!
*That was a test. Don't ever be tricked into believing that time spent here is time wasted. See you soon!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Best Year Ever?
The pirates are back!
The Steelers are back!
Sounds like a big day for Pittsburgh, right? Well it is, but only because of the Steelers, my Steelers, who are champions of the American Football Conference and who will play in Super Bowl XL (that's 40, not extra large) on February 5th. This, mind you, comes less than three weeks after the Texas Longhorns, my Longhorns, won College Football's national championship. In addition, my two favorite college basketball teams - the Memphis Tigers and Texas - are ranked 4th and 5th, respectively, in the nation, and may move higher when new polls are released tonight. The Texas Baseball team is a threat to repeat as champions of the College World Series and the New York Yankees, my favorite professional baseball team, have added to their already ridiculous collection of talent and have an excellent chance to be playing come October of this year. To top it all off, the Temple Israel Lady Rabs, whom I coach, are preparing to start season number two, reloaded and ready to make a run at a championship against the high school girls of the other Jewish organizations of Memphis. So....
Is this the best sports year ever? It has potential. Of course, if you don't happen to like all of the teams that I like, it probably doesn't seem as great to you. That'll teach you to like other teams!
In other news, pirates are in the news again. Pirates!!! In 2006! See the ziggybackride archives for November of 2005 for a previous unlikely pirate appearance and see this article:
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060122120809990005&ncid=NWS00010000000001
for current swashbuckling goings-on. Those who watched Saturday Night Live last night and/or have seen my comedy act recently and/or watched the movie, Dodgeball, will find it painfully obvious that pirates are back and a real force in our world. Spectacular!
The content of this post was too important to preempt in favor of the ZiggybackPride Centennial Celebration originally slated for this 100th post. Don't fret. It's coming. Seriously. Don't fret.
The Steelers are back!
Sounds like a big day for Pittsburgh, right? Well it is, but only because of the Steelers, my Steelers, who are champions of the American Football Conference and who will play in Super Bowl XL (that's 40, not extra large) on February 5th. This, mind you, comes less than three weeks after the Texas Longhorns, my Longhorns, won College Football's national championship. In addition, my two favorite college basketball teams - the Memphis Tigers and Texas - are ranked 4th and 5th, respectively, in the nation, and may move higher when new polls are released tonight. The Texas Baseball team is a threat to repeat as champions of the College World Series and the New York Yankees, my favorite professional baseball team, have added to their already ridiculous collection of talent and have an excellent chance to be playing come October of this year. To top it all off, the Temple Israel Lady Rabs, whom I coach, are preparing to start season number two, reloaded and ready to make a run at a championship against the high school girls of the other Jewish organizations of Memphis. So....
Is this the best sports year ever? It has potential. Of course, if you don't happen to like all of the teams that I like, it probably doesn't seem as great to you. That'll teach you to like other teams!
In other news, pirates are in the news again. Pirates!!! In 2006! See the ziggybackride archives for November of 2005 for a previous unlikely pirate appearance and see this article:
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060122120809990005&ncid=NWS00010000000001
for current swashbuckling goings-on. Those who watched Saturday Night Live last night and/or have seen my comedy act recently and/or watched the movie, Dodgeball, will find it painfully obvious that pirates are back and a real force in our world. Spectacular!
The content of this post was too important to preempt in favor of the ZiggybackPride Centennial Celebration originally slated for this 100th post. Don't fret. It's coming. Seriously. Don't fret.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Product Of An Atrophying Mind
Question of the Day
(our first in a long while)
Why do hospitals have religions?
Know what I mean? No? In my city, the two major hospitals (other than St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, of which we are very proud) are Baptist Memorial Hospital and Methodist Hospital. I was out of town recently and passed by a Jewish Hospital. Jewish hospital? I'm Jewish! I wanted to stop and talk, and see if the hospital knew any of the same people I know. (It's a little game we Jews play - Jewish Geography. Playing successfully is our favorite way to prove we're genuine Jews to other members of our faith family upon whom we happen.)
Back to the question, though. Why the denominations? As far as I know, all of these hospitals will treat anyone that comes in (provided they have insurance or money, but that's a question for a different day). The doctors come from various religious backgrounds (except maybe at the Jewish hospital). It all just seems so incredibly arbitrary. If it made sense to have your faith's name on a hospital, wouldn't it also have made sense to have pharmacies and other steps in the medical process. Geez, I hope I don't start a big war amongst the religions as they all try to convert Walgreens, CVS, Duane Reade, and others.
Alright, I was just interrupted by a phone call from regular reader, Sarah W., who informs me that Texas Longhorns National Championship commemorative Coke cans are on sale in Austin. My excitement over what I like to call "America in liquid form" being sold in Longhorns packaging has ended any hope of my exploring our question of the day any further. I have got to get to Texas immediately, if not sooner, and get me some of that!
According to blogger.com, this is the 99th post on Ziggybackride. Check back soon for our Centennial Celebration. It's going to be awesome!
(our first in a long while)
Why do hospitals have religions?
Know what I mean? No? In my city, the two major hospitals (other than St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, of which we are very proud) are Baptist Memorial Hospital and Methodist Hospital. I was out of town recently and passed by a Jewish Hospital. Jewish hospital? I'm Jewish! I wanted to stop and talk, and see if the hospital knew any of the same people I know. (It's a little game we Jews play - Jewish Geography. Playing successfully is our favorite way to prove we're genuine Jews to other members of our faith family upon whom we happen.)
Back to the question, though. Why the denominations? As far as I know, all of these hospitals will treat anyone that comes in (provided they have insurance or money, but that's a question for a different day). The doctors come from various religious backgrounds (except maybe at the Jewish hospital). It all just seems so incredibly arbitrary. If it made sense to have your faith's name on a hospital, wouldn't it also have made sense to have pharmacies and other steps in the medical process. Geez, I hope I don't start a big war amongst the religions as they all try to convert Walgreens, CVS, Duane Reade, and others.
Alright, I was just interrupted by a phone call from regular reader, Sarah W., who informs me that Texas Longhorns National Championship commemorative Coke cans are on sale in Austin. My excitement over what I like to call "America in liquid form" being sold in Longhorns packaging has ended any hope of my exploring our question of the day any further. I have got to get to Texas immediately, if not sooner, and get me some of that!
According to blogger.com, this is the 99th post on Ziggybackride. Check back soon for our Centennial Celebration. It's going to be awesome!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Journey Through Time
Happy 2006 everyone! I am recently back in the States from my little jaunt through Israel. It was a great jaunt, by the way - fun, meaningful, memorable, and shared with a great group of people. Now that I'm back, I'm catching up on life and all I missed in the first two weeks of this New Year. It's like I slept through it, except that I actually slept very little and am just now catching up. So, it's really not like I slept through it at all. It's more like I was just out of town or something. Profound, no? If you have any great stories from the opening days of our year, please share using the comment feature below. And remember, this is a family site!
Many people have asked me what my favorite part of Israel was. Was it the Western Wall? The Dead Sea? The falafel? The camels? The enchanting night in an authentic imitation Bedouin camp? No. No. No. No. And no. Ready? It was the Texas Longhorns' Rose Bowl victory, garnering a long-awaited, well-deserved, and hard-earned national championship! Not an "Israel experience," you say? Wrong! Massada, the ancient mountain fortress will forever be intertwined with Texas football in my (keen and reasonable) mind. For it was atop that mountain, in the early hours of the morning of January 5th, that I (and other Texas fans with whom I climbed) got up-to-the-minute info about the details of our glorious victory. I have pictures of our half-way-around-the-world, 10-hour-time-difference, enjoying-a-site-with-tremendous-religious-and-historic-significance victory celebration that I plan to send to The Alcalde, the magazine of the Texas Exes.
I didn't get to watch the game, but I did wake up at 3 a.m. to try (with a severe lack of success) to pick it up on a short wave radio. Though I couldn't find the feed, I did eat the baggie of Baked Cheetos that I had brought with me from the States to ensure that I would ingest some orange food on game day. That's probably why we won.
Okay, enough (for now) about the Texas win. Israel was great and I loved the group that I travelled with. So now I face the familiar challenge of keeping in touch with a new group of dispersed friends. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, I can get them to come along for this ride: The Ride of Your Life.
Happy 2006! It's good to be back!
Many people have asked me what my favorite part of Israel was. Was it the Western Wall? The Dead Sea? The falafel? The camels? The enchanting night in an authentic imitation Bedouin camp? No. No. No. No. And no. Ready? It was the Texas Longhorns' Rose Bowl victory, garnering a long-awaited, well-deserved, and hard-earned national championship! Not an "Israel experience," you say? Wrong! Massada, the ancient mountain fortress will forever be intertwined with Texas football in my (keen and reasonable) mind. For it was atop that mountain, in the early hours of the morning of January 5th, that I (and other Texas fans with whom I climbed) got up-to-the-minute info about the details of our glorious victory. I have pictures of our half-way-around-the-world, 10-hour-time-difference, enjoying-a-site-with-tremendous-religious-and-historic-significance victory celebration that I plan to send to The Alcalde, the magazine of the Texas Exes.
I didn't get to watch the game, but I did wake up at 3 a.m. to try (with a severe lack of success) to pick it up on a short wave radio. Though I couldn't find the feed, I did eat the baggie of Baked Cheetos that I had brought with me from the States to ensure that I would ingest some orange food on game day. That's probably why we won.
Okay, enough (for now) about the Texas win. Israel was great and I loved the group that I travelled with. So now I face the familiar challenge of keeping in touch with a new group of dispersed friends. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, I can get them to come along for this ride: The Ride of Your Life.
Happy 2006! It's good to be back!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Holy Crap. Seriously! I've seen it.
What do you get when you mix Red Bull and the world's oldest monotheistic religious tradition? Give up? Kabbalah Energy Drink. I saw it today in a drugstore in New York. I don't believe any further commentary is necessary.
Speaking of New York, it was snowing here this morning. My first snow of the season. Lovely. Coming in a close second to lovely? Cold. Not cold enough to accumulate, though, which is good because I leave for Israel in the morning and I don't want trouble getting to the airport or taking off. I just want to get to the Holy Land, a land which flows with milk and honey, but not - I'm willing to bet - Kabbalah Energy Drink.
This will likely be my final post of 2005. It has been quite a year! The birth of a stand-up comedy "career," a new Pope, plenty of great quotes from the President, tragic storms with moving aftermath, a fantastic season by the Texas Longhorn football team (the baseball team also won the College World Series - worth mentioning!) that will continue and, hopefully, end with a championship on January 4th, fun, friends, lasting memories, and treasured readers of the Ziggybackride. To you, I say thank you and happy new year! Join me again when I return from Israel for what promises to be our best year yet.
Speaking of New York, it was snowing here this morning. My first snow of the season. Lovely. Coming in a close second to lovely? Cold. Not cold enough to accumulate, though, which is good because I leave for Israel in the morning and I don't want trouble getting to the airport or taking off. I just want to get to the Holy Land, a land which flows with milk and honey, but not - I'm willing to bet - Kabbalah Energy Drink.
This will likely be my final post of 2005. It has been quite a year! The birth of a stand-up comedy "career," a new Pope, plenty of great quotes from the President, tragic storms with moving aftermath, a fantastic season by the Texas Longhorn football team (the baseball team also won the College World Series - worth mentioning!) that will continue and, hopefully, end with a championship on January 4th, fun, friends, lasting memories, and treasured readers of the Ziggybackride. To you, I say thank you and happy new year! Join me again when I return from Israel for what promises to be our best year yet.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Apples and Honey
Once again, I find myself writing to you from the C Concourse of Memphis International Airport. I am sitting, enjoying the public safety announcements (I aspire to be the airport announcement voice one day, now that TEX – the Telephone Enrollment eXchange of The University of Texas at Austin – no longer exists), waiting for my flight to the Big Apple, where I will be for the next several days until I leave for the Land of Milk and Honey (Israel). I’m sorry it has been so long, but I have been busy with trip preparations, holiday celebrations, and magical incantations. Okay, the last one’s not true, but I felt a third rhyming member of the list was called for.
I hope your Christmas/Hannukah/Kwaanza/lack of holiday is/was great/non-existant. How’s that for holiday greetings! Of course those who have been boycotting and protesting retailers that do not use the word “Christmas” enough would not approve. I don’t get that. I understand that religious people want their holiday to be as meaningful as possible, but is granting that wish really up to Wal-Mart? Is Target America’s new church? If so, I think the “old” churches will be rather shocked and dismayed to hear it!
In my mind, those who hold America’s retailers responsible for the holiness of Christmas are very much like those supporters of Israel who seem to be holding Steven Spielberg and his new movie, Munich, completely responsible for Israel’s national well-being and the way it is viewed by the world. I saw the movie. It is good and (not sure if I mentioned this) it is a movie. I love Israel and can’t wait to get there, but if it is depending on Hollywood to serve as its Department of State, something has gone terribly awry.
Okay, I think that’s it from here. I’m going back to the public safety announcements (that guy is so cool!), but I think I’m going to skip the early morning barbecue that I’ve enjoyed here before long trips in the past. All the more reason I shall be excited to return.
I hope your Christmas/Hannukah/Kwaanza/lack of holiday is/was great/non-existant. How’s that for holiday greetings! Of course those who have been boycotting and protesting retailers that do not use the word “Christmas” enough would not approve. I don’t get that. I understand that religious people want their holiday to be as meaningful as possible, but is granting that wish really up to Wal-Mart? Is Target America’s new church? If so, I think the “old” churches will be rather shocked and dismayed to hear it!
In my mind, those who hold America’s retailers responsible for the holiness of Christmas are very much like those supporters of Israel who seem to be holding Steven Spielberg and his new movie, Munich, completely responsible for Israel’s national well-being and the way it is viewed by the world. I saw the movie. It is good and (not sure if I mentioned this) it is a movie. I love Israel and can’t wait to get there, but if it is depending on Hollywood to serve as its Department of State, something has gone terribly awry.
Okay, I think that’s it from here. I’m going back to the public safety announcements (that guy is so cool!), but I think I’m going to skip the early morning barbecue that I’ve enjoyed here before long trips in the past. All the more reason I shall be excited to return.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Horns vs. Holy Land (or Roses vs. Moses, if you prefer)
I'm going to Israel. For free!
That's great, right? Yes, it is great. HOWEVER...
It means I'll be there when my beloved Texas Longhorns play for the football national championship in the Rose Bowl. (Those who are not football fans can stop reading here. You will not respect the dilemma that is explained below.) When I got the invitation to staff this Israel tour for college students I was excited, but when they told me the dates of it, I was hesitant, as it would mean missing the Rose Bowl, a game about which I have dreamed for a long time. As I considered the options, though, a free pilgrimage to the Holy Land was surely the obvious choice (plus I was assured by friends who'd made similar trips that I could catch the game in the middle of the night on ESPN Europe over there) so I accepted.
The only problem would be if, somehow, my trip wasn't in a city where I could easily get to a tv in the middle of the night on the day of the game. I just got my itinerary. 7 of the 9 nights of the trip will be spent in hotels in and around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv- major cities for those unfamiliar with Israel - so it's looking good. So, where will I be the night of January 4th, the night the Texas Longhorns battle for their desired and deserved place in college football history? Spending the night in... wait, what's this? A Bedouin camp near the desert town of Arad? Oh, my dear Lord. I'm no expert on Bedouin camps, but... NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I've got to go figure out how to see this game. Good bye and good luck, and, of course, Hook 'em!
That's great, right? Yes, it is great. HOWEVER...
It means I'll be there when my beloved Texas Longhorns play for the football national championship in the Rose Bowl. (Those who are not football fans can stop reading here. You will not respect the dilemma that is explained below.) When I got the invitation to staff this Israel tour for college students I was excited, but when they told me the dates of it, I was hesitant, as it would mean missing the Rose Bowl, a game about which I have dreamed for a long time. As I considered the options, though, a free pilgrimage to the Holy Land was surely the obvious choice (plus I was assured by friends who'd made similar trips that I could catch the game in the middle of the night on ESPN Europe over there) so I accepted.
The only problem would be if, somehow, my trip wasn't in a city where I could easily get to a tv in the middle of the night on the day of the game. I just got my itinerary. 7 of the 9 nights of the trip will be spent in hotels in and around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv- major cities for those unfamiliar with Israel - so it's looking good. So, where will I be the night of January 4th, the night the Texas Longhorns battle for their desired and deserved place in college football history? Spending the night in... wait, what's this? A Bedouin camp near the desert town of Arad? Oh, my dear Lord. I'm no expert on Bedouin camps, but... NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I've got to go figure out how to see this game. Good bye and good luck, and, of course, Hook 'em!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Bombs Away!
It happened. Ohhhh, did it happen!
I just got home from a comedy performance at the South Street Comedy Club in Jackson, TN. Actually, I just got home from watching a video of my performance earlier in the night at a fellow comedian's house before calling it a night. I can't possibly call it a night too soon.
When conversation turns to my stand-up comedy, people always ask me if I've ever bombed and, while I've certainly given some performances that have been worse than others, I've always been able to honestly answer "no." That, my friends, is no longer the case! Tonight, I bombed, and I did so in grand fashion. There was actual silence after jokes in a very full club (maybe 150 ppl). It was a sad, yet hilarious experience that actually had me wondering afterward whether I had, at any point during my set, been speaking a language other than English, which would have been a fine explanation for the lack of response to a great many things - which regularly elicit hearty laughs - that I said.
Why, oh why did you bomb, Michael? Bad audience? No. They were great. They laughed their asses off the rest of the night. Bad jokes? I don't think so. They have all gone over very successfully at other clubs on other nights. So? I really don't know, but as I mentioned, I just watched the video (which indicated quite clearly that I spoke only English the whole time) and it's failure in its most splendid form. It will make a fine story when I'm famous. Oh, and it will make a fine story tomorrow, too.
In other, related news, my friends who performed were great tonight! It was really fun to watch. Have a good night!
I just got home from a comedy performance at the South Street Comedy Club in Jackson, TN. Actually, I just got home from watching a video of my performance earlier in the night at a fellow comedian's house before calling it a night. I can't possibly call it a night too soon.
When conversation turns to my stand-up comedy, people always ask me if I've ever bombed and, while I've certainly given some performances that have been worse than others, I've always been able to honestly answer "no." That, my friends, is no longer the case! Tonight, I bombed, and I did so in grand fashion. There was actual silence after jokes in a very full club (maybe 150 ppl). It was a sad, yet hilarious experience that actually had me wondering afterward whether I had, at any point during my set, been speaking a language other than English, which would have been a fine explanation for the lack of response to a great many things - which regularly elicit hearty laughs - that I said.
Why, oh why did you bomb, Michael? Bad audience? No. They were great. They laughed their asses off the rest of the night. Bad jokes? I don't think so. They have all gone over very successfully at other clubs on other nights. So? I really don't know, but as I mentioned, I just watched the video (which indicated quite clearly that I spoke only English the whole time) and it's failure in its most splendid form. It will make a fine story when I'm famous. Oh, and it will make a fine story tomorrow, too.
In other, related news, my friends who performed were great tonight! It was really fun to watch. Have a good night!
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