Brian the Red, In the Hot Seat

Time again for the bi-weekly feature, In the Hot Seat where I shine the spotlight on my friends and readers. This week I welcome fellow blogger, Brian the Red to sit In the Hot Seat. I first found Brian's site back in June of 2003 through Theme Thursday. From that point on we became regular readers of each other's sites and 'virtual' friends. We've never met face to face and only know each other through our web sites. back when I was planning the new site, Brian gave me some very good input and design ideas for the new look of the site and even surprised me with a mock-up of one of his ideas. I really appreciate that he took his personal time to do that for me and without being asked. It was a complete surprise. Thanks again, Brian. Now, without further Apu... please welcome Brian the Red to the Hot Seat!

BDTH: So Brian how did you find my web site and what keeps you coming back?
BtR: In June of 2003 you posted a comment to my second ever submission to Theme Thursday, so I went to your web site and checked it out. Not only do you take some very beautiful & interesting pictures, but often times the story behind them is just as entertaining.
BDTH: Why thanks Brian.

BDTH: So when and where were you born?
BtR: Around the same time as and in the same town as (even possibly the same hospital as) Homer Simpson: Springfield (MA) in the autumn of 1955.

BDTH: Where do currently reside (general geographic area)? Is it where you really want to be or would you like to be living someplace else? If so, where?
BtR: Aiken, South Carolina. Pretty much where I want to be, I just wish there were more twisty roads a little closer.

BDTH: What was your childhood like?
BtR: It was typical late 50’s – early 60’s baby boomer; metal pedal cars, walking the 4 blocks to elementary school, pick-up baseball games with a dozen boys, 2 wood bats (one cracked) and one brown hardball with some of the lacing missing, flexible flyer sledding on the hill near my house in the winter. Just like “Leave it to Beaver” only there was a sister to my Wally and to my little brother’s Beav. And instead of Ward and June I got stuck with their alcoholic evil twins who fought all the time. Thus making me wish I actually was Wally instead of having to tippy-toe around between reading in my room or outside playing so as not to get caught in the crossfire.

BDTH: What is your favorite childhood memory?
BtR: Once when I was 8 or 9 and my parents seemed to be living in harmony, it actually snowed Christmas Eve. I remember watching the local evening news and the anchor showing this radar screen with a blip on it showing that Santa was somewhere in New Mexico and was heading our way. After that we were sent off to bed, because as everyone knows, Santa won’t come to your house if you are awake. At that time my brother and I shared a room and bunk beds, me on top and he on the bottom. We could look out our second story window at the quiet snowflakes falling in what we knew was going to be several feet of snow by morning. He was as keyed up as I was and kept wanting to talk and I kept Shhh’ing him. Just knowing that if we didn’t get to sleep soon, Santa would skip our house. After what seemed like hours we fell asleep. During the night the snowstorm picked up intensity and when the wind picked up something clattered against our window. I don’t know about my brother, but I woke up knowing that this was Santa’s arrival. As I lay there straining to be quiet, so Santa would think I was asleep, every creak of the house sounded like his footsteps on the roof. I must have willed myself back to sleep quickly, because the next morning there were loads of presents under the tree.

BDTH: What person, or what group of people has most influenced your life?
BtR: The Beatles. Man, did I want to be cool like them. Finally through much persuasion I got my mother to buy me some Beatle Boots (just over the ankle shoes with a pointy toe and a zipper up the side) for my return to school in 6th grade. Much to my chagrin the girls didn’t chase me around like they did the Fab Four. OK, that was a little flip, how about Mr. Valentine. He was my high school drafting teacher who nurtured my interest in what would become my future career. He also was the high school’s driving instructor where he nurtured my interest in what would become my future non-work joy. Actually it has to be my mother. She raised three kids by herself on a waitress’s salary. My Beatle Boots may have been vinyl, not leather, but I had some. She had no driver’s license so we walked everywhere. I used to dread the ½ mile trek to the store with my mom, my sister and my brother, but looking back now those were definitely quality moments. I never dreaded the 2-mile walk to the public library though.
BDTH: The Beatles definitely ROCK! My cousin wanted to be like them too. So much so that he and three friends formed a cover band and did weddings in the 1970's. It was pretty funny.

BDTH: What do you do for the Shitty Little Job (SLJ) and do you love or hate it?
BtR: I’m a draftsman for a valve manufacturing firm. While it started out as love, it has slowly morphed into tolerance, but it is certainly not hate. Because all my “drawing” is done on a computer now I miss the actual rituals of using a pencil, eraser, t-square, etc. to bring sketches to life.
BDTH: One of my first jobs was a draftsman for a Civil Engineering firm.

BDTH: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
BtR: I always wanted to be an actor, but I don’t have the courage, never mind the face, to try.

BDTH: What profession would you not want to attempt?
BtR: Doctor, there is too much pressure to be right.
BDTH: I wouldn't want to be a doctor either. I pass out just watching surgeries on TV!

BDTH: What are your hobbies and interests?
BtR: I like to write, although I am very bad at it. I like to take pictures, although I’m mediocre at it. I like to monkey with web pages and I’m pretty good at it. And I like to surf the web, although it is a colossal waste of time.
BDTH: Don't come down to hard on yourself about your photography. I have seen some excellent car photos taken by you, and I love the images you post from your days in the Navy.

BDTH: What are your favorite three movies?
BtR: My all-time favorite has gotten a new title with commas and colons and a number tacked on, but it will always be simply Star Wars to me. Second would have to be, Alien, a monster movie wrapped inside a gritty space epic. Maybe in space no one can hear you scream, but when Kane’s chest exploded, here on earth you could hear me do a little girlie scream. Third is The Terminator. A machine from the future comes back to kill you because of what your kid is going to do. “Your clothes – give them to me now.”
BDTH: We definitely have some stuff in common. When I was twelve and I saw Star Wars for the first time it blew me away. That will always be my most favorite movie memory! Too bad George has turned into a freak and fucked with it like he has.

BDTH: What are your favorite three TV shows?
BtR: The only one I actually make a conscious effort to watch any more is West Wing. But I’m a big fan of Monk and try to watch it on Fridays. The other is not on anymore, so I’m renting the DVDs from Netflix and rewatching The X-Files one episode at a time, each Sunday night at 9:00 PM.
BDTH: You would think that I would have watched the X-Files being the big SciFi geek I am, but I have only ever seen three episodes! I think I will have to follow your lead and rent them.

BDTH: What are your favorite three books?
BtR: Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, and the first book that got me started into the Sci-Fi world who’s title I can’t recall. Give me break it was like 40 years ago, I thought it was called Moon Flight or something like that, but no search turns it up. It was like the Apollo 13 story with an unhappy ending, i.e. the astronauts died in space.
BDTH: Stranger in a Strange Land was one of my first SciFi books. My parents thought all SciFi was aliens and spaceships and laser swords. I doubt they would have let a ten year old read SciFi if they knew it was also about sex, bisexuality and turning your dead friends into soup. Friday by Heinlein is also a favorite.

BDTH: What are your favorite foods and drinks?
BtR: Pizza. I like almost all pizza, even those frozen french bread bastardizations. My favorite is a local place here in Aiken called Ferrando’s. Lou is from Brooklyn and still hand tosses the crusts right there where you can see him in the open kitchen. The down side to the open kitchen thing is you have to listen to him whistle while he works… For a drink, my current favorite is an ice cold Diet Dr. Pepper. When dining out, my choice is usually iced tea. The good ol’ southern kind of iced tea, which is a very sweet, almost syrupy, dark water with a slight tea taste.

BDTH: What is your favorite curse word?
BtR: Shit, as long as I’m saying it.

BDTH: What is you favorite word?
BtR: Miata.

BDTH: What is your least favorite word?
BtR: Shit, when some one else is saying it. Did you know that the last words of over 90% of all Naval Aviators who buy the farm while piloting an aircraft is, “Awww, shit!”?
BDTH: Now there's an interesting tidbit.

BDTH: What turns you on creatively, spiritually and emotionally?
BtR: Just living day to day. Life is so interesting. The things people do, both good and bad are entertaining to watch.

BDTH: What turns you off?
BtR: Pop up ads, especially those java fueled ones that overlay the page and you have to search for the little close [X] and be careful not to click on anything else or you will reinforce their bad behavior.
BDTH: The creators of those things need to be tortured.

BDTH: What sound or noise do you love?
BtR: My wife’s laughter.

BDTH: What sound or noise do you hate?
BtR: The screech of tires and crunch of metal.
BDTH: Yeah, I hate that sound too. I am a little too familar with it.

BDTH: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear (insert deity of choice here) say when you arrive?
BtR: Tricked your dumb-ass didn’t I? You didn’t think this place existed….