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Song Info (from Beatlesongs):”Roll Over Beethoven” was on the With the Beatles album and was 100% written by Chuck Berry.  The song was part of the band’s repertoire for concerts from the late 50s into 1964, including their 1964 North American tour.  All four of them provided the handclaps for the song.

People like to use “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” as an excuse to not try new things.  I don’t know if it’s actually true about actual dogs, but the thinking is, a person gets too set in their ways, too used to how they do things, and there’s no sense in trying to get them to do different things.  There’s a certain comfort in the phrase, and a chance for both the sayer and the hearer to nod their heads knowingly and leave it at that.  “Well,” they both agree, “that’s the end of that.  No getting around that one!”

Hogwash.

Thing is, I’ve held to that point of view for a long time.  I may not have ever said it (though I’d be surprised if that were true), but I’ve certainly lived by it.  “Don’t try to change me.”  “I’m set in my ways.” “I like what I like.”  Those are certainly things I’ve said, and more than once each.

There’s another phrase that you hear: “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get the same result.”  This phrase has been sticking with me lately.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m just about to turn 38 or because I’m about to get married or something else entirely or both of those together, but there’s been a lot of self-evaluation going on.  Megan and I have been going through premarital counseling, so there’s been a lot of “How do each of you act in this particular situation?” and “What do each of you think about ________?”, so I’m sure that’s part of it.

I really want to be a good husband.  Sure, that’s a nice sentiment, I know.  But… I really do.  I want to find out what makes a good husband and do that, be that.  I also want to be a good father, should that be a thing that happens.  I want to be a good friend, a good worker, a good owner of cats, a good… whatever else.  For me, that’s all tied up in my faith – I want to be a good Christian.  Whether you like that or not, the way I understand being a good Christian amounts to me being a good citizen, too.

So I’ve been thinking these things a lot, mulling them over, pondering them.  The trap I easily fall into, though, is leaving it there.  I can “think things through” longer than most of you kids have been alive, it seems like.  Change, thought, real change is about doing.  A phrase I hit upon earlier this year has stuck with me and become a goal of mine: “Live deliberately.”  I want to specifically pick things to change and then do it, change them.

So here’s a list of things I want to be doing every day, where “every day” is defined as “somewhere between 5-7 times a week.”  While they are not all inherently spiritual, there is a spiritual aspect to doing things that I believe I should be doing.  The list so far:

• Flossing – a simple thing, but very helpful, and more helpful the older I get here
• Using the treadmill (for more than a place to hang things) – I have no interest in running outside, but if I could set up a laptop to be usable while I was on the treadmill?  That will make a world of difference.
• Push-ups – There’s a program for getting yourself to the point where you can do 100 push-ups, and it really seems like something I could do and should do
• Go to bed earlier – more specifically, before 11p.  This directly ties in with
• Get up earlier – ideally, 5a.  The times in my life where I’ve done this have been fantastic, and I’d like to get back to it.
• Read my Bible – the more I read it, the better I can remember what it is I need to be doing
• Be on time – for work, for church, for everything I can be

It’s a start.  I’d like to revisit this in a year and be able to say, “Not only did I start that, I’m still doing all those things.”

I’ve never seen the movies referenced in the title of this entry, but I don’t have to to know that the titular character is a giant dog who brings chaos wherever he is.  I’d rather be an agent of serenity than an agent of chaos, a help to those around me rather than a hindrance.  And even though I’m a cat person, I’d like to think that this old dog can learn some new tricks.

Song Info (from Beatlesongs):”You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)” was 100% written by Lennon and released as a single in the UK on March 6, 1970, as the B side to “Let It Be.” It failed to chart in the US when it was released a little later.  John said, “That was a piece of unfinished music that I turned into a comedy record with Paul.”  Paul said, “We had these endless, crazy fun sessions… And it was just hilarious to put that record together.”

I really, really dislike my current phone, an HTC Fuze that I’ve been using on AT&T for a little over a year now.  I was really proud of myself for researching it before I bought it – website reviews, hands-on demos at the store, comparisons, all that.  It looked like a good phone.  I liked the feel and look of it, and after several weeks of thinking it over, I finally bought it.  I was re-upping my contract at the same time, so I got a price break on it, and the salesman looked it up online and price-matched Walmart.com, so I got a really, really good deal on it.

You know how it is when you get a new phone, it takes you a little while to get used to it.  This is my first phone with a touchscreen on it, and that was a big step for me.  I know touchscreens are all future-y and everything, but they aren’t yet practical for me.  Please note the “for me” on the end of that sentence – I know plenty of people who love touchscreens and want nothing else.  Just because it works well for them or you doesn’t mean it’s a good fit for me.  So far it isn’t.  I don’t like that while I’m on a phone call my ear will open random programs or change settings.  Anyway, right off the bat I had my doubts about the phone, but I figured it was just a learning curve and I’d come to like it.

Two months into the phone and I just wasn’t liking it.  There were days I wanted to throw it across the room.  So many weird little frustrating things about it that by themselves would have been okay, but when summed added up to “Phone I Dislike Strongly.”  I called AT&T to see if there was anything I could do about it.  “If you had taken it back in in the first 30 days…”  I don’t really blame AT&T for that, I just wish I would’ve figured that out before my 30 days was up.

A while into my ownership of this phone an operating system update came out for it.  I figured it wouldn’t hurt, so I upgraded.  As a general rule before this phone, I’ve gotten good use and had good experiences with Windows Mobile.  I like the way it’s set up and I like how it ties in with the stuff I use, and I particularly like the new tie-in features with Windows 7.  However. I don’t know if it’s the phone, the OS, or the combination of the two, but the upgrade didn’t help.  The phone is sluggish, even with simple tasks.  Memory use is well below levels that would cause sluggishness, so that isn’t it.  It loses voicemail setup every so often and the keyboard refuses to respond some times.

Sadly, I don’t have a lot of options at this point.  My contract isn’t up until next year, and without reupping a contract, phones are prohibitively expensive.  Aside from that, there aren’t any phones out there right now that meet both the “available to me” and “I like it” qualifications.  I’m one of the two people who hasn’t ever really had problems with AT&T, so I don’t care to jump to another provider, and besides, jumping now would incur fairly large contract termination fees.  On top of that, I can talk to other AT&T people without using minutes, and I have many friends on AT&T.  I love what I’ve seen of the Droid, but it’s not available for AT&T.

Right now there are a bunch of you saying, “Get an iPhone!  They’re so awesome!  Besides you hate Windows Mobile!”  Sorry, the iPhone isn’t for me.  There are exactly two things I like about the iPhone: the ability to see and select specific voicemails and Shazam.  Two things I absolutely despise about the iPhone: touchscreen only and the fact that you have to use iTunes to put anything on it.  There are very few programs I despise more than iTunes, but that’s probably a whole ‘nother blog entry on its own.  There are other reasons the iPhone isn’t for me, but those two would be enough on their own.  Also, I don’t hate Windows Mobile, I just haven’t been enjoying this latest experience.  There’s still a lot I like about it.

Really, unless I want to spend several hundred dollars on a new phone, I’m really kind of stuck right now.  There are some great-looking Windows 7 phones on the holiday season horizon and rumors of some Droid-based AT&T phones coming, so I’m hopeful I’ll get something decent when my contract is up.  Til then, I’m stuck with with what I have.

I wish cell phones were more like computers so I could install whatever OS on them I wanted.  If I want to put Windows or Linux or any number of whatever operating systems there are on my PC, I can.  Whatever one works best for me in whatever situation, that’s the one I’m going to use.  If I had that option on this phone, maybe I wouldn’t mind being stuck with it for however many more months.

My needs are simple – a physical keyboard, a decent quick-to-start camera, a large display, easy email use, and snappy speeds.  That doesn’t sound so hard to me, but I guess I’m too picky.

Song Info (from Beatlesongs):”Honey Pie” is on the White Album, and was 100% written by McCartney. Nobody in the group had much to say about this one. 

Lisa Loeb has the right idea, I think.  When faced with two choices, try to take them both.  But some times it isn’t practical or advisable or not-rude.

For the most part, I’m a “cake guy.”  I’m a dessert guy overall, but in the hierarchy, I rank cake above pie.  That’s just in general, of course.  There are some pies I like above some cakes, and even some cakes I don’t really like at all.  But if you offer me cake or pie, I’m usually going to go with cake.

That said, there are some pies I get a hankering for every so often.  My all-time favorite pie is Oatmeal Pecan Pie, which is so good that it deserves the capital letters.  I was introduced to this pie at The Upper Krust, and I look for it every time I’m back there.  It’s basically a pecan pie (which are my second favorite kinds of pies) with oatmeal mixed in.  It cuts the sweetness of the syrup a bit, and it is just wonderful.  I haven’t had a piece in years, but I still imagine it every so often.  Someone made me one a few years ago (4, I think) on my birthday, and it was very good.  I keep thinking I will get a recipe and try it myself some day.  In fact, I have some pecans in my freezer right this moment (Texas pecans, even), and I think they are destined to become an Oatmeal Pecan Pie one of these days.  I need an occasion, I think.  As much as I know I could eat the whole thing myself, I don’t think I should.  I like my pecan pies cold.  Most restaurants serve it either hot or room temperature, and neither is okay by me.

Officially, my second-favorite pie is lemon cream.  I say “officially” because there are a lot of times I’m actually more in a mood for lemon cream than for pecan pie.  You know how it is, certain foods fit certain moods.  Lemon cream pie is more of an all-moods kind of pie than pecan is.  If you’re looking for a good version, try out your local Perkins.  They’ve got a very smooth and rich lemon cream pie.  One of the decisions I got to make for the upcoming wedding was the dessert for the rehearsal dinner… and they just happen to have a lemon cream pie at the place we’re holding it.  I did not get to try a sample, unfortunately, so it’s a bit of a gamble, but I’ve had more good lemon cream pies than bad, so I have high hopes.  Sorry, those of you who are coming to the rehearsal dinner and don’t like lemon cream pies.  Perhaps I can eat your pieces, too.  Bring some Oreos, I guess.

I’d never heard of sugar creme pie until I moved to Indiana.  It’s apparently the state pie?  Unofficially, maybe.  It reminds me a lot of pecan pie, if someone scraped all the pecans off the top of it.  It is served either warm or cold and, really, either is fine.  Do yourself a favor, though, and never ever ever have it room temperature. Room temperature sugar creme pie is a bit too phlegm-like for anyone’s good.

I don’t really care for fruit pies (most people don’t count lemon cream in the fruit category, which I think is a ripoff), not even apple.  I can eat apple pies, but I prefer not to.  I still like hot dogs and some Chevrolets, though, so my American-ness is not in question.

For those of you hoping this song title would lead to a discussion of pi instead, I’m sorry to have disappointed you.