The timing couldn’t be worse, but I’ve been summoned to work early today. I have to attend a meeting, upstairs in the Porketta Room, or whatever. So, this is going to be an ultra-quickie. Sorry, but the shit is out of my control…
Toney came home for lunch a few minutes ago, and I was ranting like a wino with a vienna sausage in his beard. The site needs updates! Real life is getting in my way!! I’m starting to lose it, maaaaan!!!
And Toney just shook her head in exasperation, ate some kind of salad that looked alarmingly slimy, and went back to work. I could almost see the words floating above her head: I should’ve just eaten in the car….
Anyway, the Surf Report is available in the Kindle Store now. Check it out. I submitted it months ago, and heard nothing. I figured they scanned the site with some sort of spider or robot, and didn’t care for the way we, you know, communicate.
But now I have a log-in to a control panel, where I can upload an image, write a description, etc. This weekend I’ll spend some time on it, and make it a little better.
Not that I expect to make any money from it… Amazon gets a 70% cut of all revenues, and a subscription is only $1.99. So, it’s not going to lead to a vacation home, or anything. I just think it’s kinda cool. And sometimes that’s enough.
You must check out today’s Mockable. Because he’s a nice guy, I guess, Metten gave me some credit for the “update,” but he did the whole thing. And it blows my mind. I’d have no idea how to go about such a thing, it’s all a great big blurry mystery to me.
Speaking of nice guys, check this out. I went to high school with that dude, and he’s been playing in Tim McGraw’s band for many years. Touring the world and making big bank…
A few years ago I bumped into him at a bar in Dunbar, and he couldn’t have been friendlier. Some people become successful and morph into insufferable pricks, but not him. I’ve never heard a negative word. So, there ya go.
And I know he’s not “famous,” but he’s certainly successful. When he was a kid he wanted to be a professional drummer, and look what he’s doing…
So, that leads to the Question of the Day:
Who is the most famous, or successful person from your high school? We have our share of doctors and lawyers, but I’m looking for more unusual professions, like Tim McGraw’s longtime drummer. That sort of thing.
Also, we’ll need a full report on their “insufferable prick quotient.” Don’t forget to list their IPQ, on a scale of 1 to 10. Very important!
Use the handy comments feature below. And I need to snorkle-down a Salisbury steak frozen meal, and get my ass to the Porketta Room.
See ya tomorrow, boys and girls.
Went to a teeny tiny catholic high school in VA. They moved it and changed the name so my high school technically no longer exists.lol
The only anywhere near famous person who attended there is CBS news Correspondent Wyatt Andrews. He was in my oldest brother’s graduating class…1970 I think.
Everyone in my graduating class was a loser….
Okay, here we go, from my hometown of Springfield, MA:
Paige Turco (actress, Party of Five, NYPD Blue) – I went to summer camp with her and she once told me she loved me (I was 8, she was 5). It didn’t last…
Mike Scully, head writer on the Simpsons for 9 years – I knew him when I was in college. At a party at his apt, totally shitfaced, I once peed off his balcony, directly on to his shiny new red pickup truck, in front of about 25 onlookers. Somehow he was cool about it but I have always been a bit embarrassed, you know? He was actually from West Springfield.
Other notables from Spfld, but I never knew them personally:
Larry O’Brien, former NBA Commish
Leo Durocher, former Cubs manager
Kurt Russell (Mr. Goldie Hawn)
Chloe Savigny
Nick Buoniconti (NFL Hall of Famer)
NBA players Travis Best and Vinny Del Negro
Dr. Suess
Robert B. Parker (Spenser for Hire author)
Timothy Leary of LSD fame
Now I have to get back to building my back yard yurt.
Over & Out
Matt and Tim Hasselbeck….not pricks
I’ve been in more movies than anyone in my school but i’m still poor and obscure.
I went to High School with Robert Ben Garrant. I can’t give you an IPQ, but he was a theater kid. He did a brief stint as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and now he plays “Junior” on Reno 911. Perfection.
Brad Paisley, but he went there a few years before I came through. Met him once though and he was a pretty nice guy.
Steven Stills and Wade Boggs. Both older, so I don’t know them…
No on fmous came from my highschool. Ever. And never will. Unless perhaps you count a freaky resemblence to the pinhead in Deliverance as fameworthy.
Before my time:
Lawrence Bender (movie producer)
Orel Hershiser (LA Dodgers)
Bob Greene (“fitness guru”)
After I graduated:
Glenn Foley (NY Jets)
JD Roth (game/reality show host/announcer)
Amos Lee (singer)
I’ve never met a single one of them, though I am friends with Amos Lee’s step-brother.
A guy from my class at Stonewall invented a gizmo used with early computers that made PC’s possible. He now owns a home in CA on the market for $75million, lives in Maui and has a gazillion bucks.
Sorry if this has already been covered, but I’m a bit behind on my update reading.
Question: Have you been writing for King of the Hill, Jeff? i just watched Sunday’s episode, and it’s got your fingerprints all over it, to include insufferably arrogant Canadians and a guest (voice) appearance by Phil Hendrie.
Not so much famous, but a successful studio musician in Nashville. A good friend of mine from high school (Dan Campbell) was the band leader for Buddy Jewell (Nashville Star winner) and did a USO tour in Iraq with Aaron Tippen. He also plays with Bogus Pomp (Zappa tribute band) He can play any instrument you’d see on stage… very talented and IPQ is negative. Nice as can be and a great friend still.
The only other one I can think of is a guy who graduated a few years before me is on a daytime soap.
No famous athletes came out of HHS that I know of…well, other than Olympic swimmer Margaret Hoelzer…I think she won a bronze and 2 silver in Beijing.
Notable Huntsvillians
Bo Bice (American Idol)
Jan Davis (Astronaut)
Larry Byrom (Steppenwolf)
Jimmy Key (Toronto Blue Jays)
John Stallworth (Pittsburgh Steelers) SUPER nice man, I knew his kids when I was younger.
Don Mincher (MLB)
>Who is the most famous, or successful person from your high school?
One-word answer. Obama.
Yep, attended the same school as him in the Sandwich Islands, not that it matters. He was ahead of me and due to the size of the school, I never met the guy.
By cousin, Brian H, was, for a long time, the house drummer for Austin City Limits. I’m a pretty good drummer, but Brian’s amazing. and he scores a zero on the IPQ meter.
Ken Griffey Jr. went to my high school, although he was about 8 years behind me. If big prick = 10, Ken’s probably a 2.
Barry Larkin – shortstop of the 1990 World Champion Cincinnati Reds was a sophomore when I was a senior. 3 at most.
Bob Schaeffer was a senior when I was a sophomore. He became a congressman from Colorado and recently ran for Senate from that state (and lost). He’s got to be high on the prick quotient because he’s a right-winger. Probably a 7 or 8.
John Shaffer (spelling?) was a sophomore when i was a senior. He went on to quarterback the 1986 National Champion Penn State Nittany Lions (over the hated Miami Hurricanes). He was a good guy – I bet he stayed that way. 2 at most.
Let’s see – who else? Our football coach (Gerry Faust) went on to be head coach at Notre Dame. He was a good guy. Notre Dame chewed him up and spit him out. 3 at most.
I went to school with a fair number of privileged pricks. I’ll get back to you with a status update. That’s all for now.
Absolutely no one of any significance whatsoever came from my school. I read a recent “alumni” letter where the best they could do was some lady from 1968, who’s some low-level delegate in Maryland. It’s hilarious, because, like wordnerd, it was also mostly filled with people high on the IPQ and what they thought of themselves. Serves ’em right. Yeah, I’m a little bitter.
@Lewinbama – If you ever get chance to talk to John Stallworth, or his parents, let ’em know that this is one old-school Steeler fan who would take Stallworth over Swann any day of the week. And I love me some Swanny. Not that they give a shit. Best thing is we had ’em both at one time!
Brad Paisley graduated from my high school and he grew up one street over from me. I don’t really know him but from what I hear he is still the nicest guy in the world, donates a lot to local charities and so on. A really nice guy. The type of kid who parents would be proud of even if he wasn’t a big country music star.
Former NBA player Brian Oliver graduated from my high school, Wills H.S. in Smyrna, GA. Played a few years with Philadelphia. He has an IPQ of .00001.
My sister went to Campbell High School just up the road from me in Smyrna where their famous graduate was Julia Roberts.
Hey Rusty. You from Moundsville or Glen Dale?
I used to live in the garage apartment behind Snitch Bartsch, two houses away from the Paisley’s. That was about 1991/1992.
I think Keavey Hazelton also graduated from Dunbar. He was a famous single who sang “Texarkana by Morning”. He also did guest appearances on TV and sang “My Home Town”, a sorta cult type of song written by two old ladies.
singer, not single – LOL
Lance Armstrong… and I’ve gotta say an 8.5 given his celebutaunt dating circuit.
hardoxdan, not the person you directed the comment at but I lived in both Moundsville and Glen Dale. I plan on goin back there and livin in about 5 more years, great area.
Bubba the Love Sponge… actually a really nice guy named Todd.
And all those kids from “American Teen” – one is my cousin, I coached one in grade school, and I played basketball with another one’s dad. All pretty good kids.
Rick Fox – former LA Laker, “actor” – has let success and California get in his head.
70% is information highway robbery!!
Our high school has a handful of decent athletes, and Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito.
Jennifer Garner and Sam Trammell (True Blood) were a few years younger than I was, so I never met them. Lesli Kay (formerly Lesli Pushkin) has been on the soaps for years, and she was always really nice.