Favorite Movies

These movies made me laugh, cry, sing and dance … and a lot of emotions were felt in between all that. 

Jojo Rabbit
The Rise of Skywalker
Coco
Moana
The Discovery
Swiss Army Man
Lord of the Rings Series
Harry Potter Series
Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Life of Pi
Safety not Guaranteed
Men in Black
The Tree of Life
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Inception
Watchmen
Across the Universe
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into the Wild
Zodiac
Man on Fire
The Prestige
Stranger than Fiction
Constantine
Friday Night Lights
Garden State
Big Fish
Last Samurai
Oldboy (Korean)
The Mummy
Donnie Darko
Remember the Titans
O, Brother where Art Thou
The Sixth Sense
The Matrix
October Sky
Goodwill Hunting
Warriors of Virtue (I’m kidding and not kidding)
Muppet Treasure Island
Leon: the Professional
Forrest Gump
Tombstone
Dazed and Confused
The Sandlot
Wayne’s World
Hook
Terminator 2
Back to the Future
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Ghostbusters (Original)
The Blues Brothers (my personal favorite)
The Sting

Quarantine Poem #4 “Content”

Give me a warm bed to rise from,
A guitar to write songs with,
A pad of paper for my poems,
A ham and cheese sandwich for lunch,
A mid-day walk around my neighborhood,
A friend to talk to on the phone,
A something sweet to eat,
A clean and tidy room,
A midnight walk up to the deserted campus,
And I will be content.

TS

Cincinnati’s Own Playlist

Great music can come from anywhere … even Philadelphia. Here in Cincinnati though, we are inevitable. I say that, tongue and cheek … you get it. Anyway, this is a playlist of artists hailing from Cincinnati. Great artists if you ask me. Most of them I’ve seen live, at one point or another, and I dig their recorded work a great deal also.

This playlist is carefully curated (big ups to myself) and moves on a journey from your car in the garage, to straightforward Rock on the radio to, picking up speed, a little Punk to a flow-state of Hip/Hop and R&B. Hard left turn to Americana and Folk …

Keep going straight to what I might call (overly simplified though it is) “Singer/Songwriter.” Once on the freeway, put down your windows to some Dreamgaze – hypnotism. Indie Pop and 80s synth is the next exit. Once down the off ramp, wave to the folks juking and jiving on the Riverboat. You might, if you listen carefully, hear some carefree, almost Reggae tunes, down on the banks.

Back on the highway, Indie Rock is on the dial and it’s smooth sailing back home. Car back in the garage, comfy clothes on in the living room – and the record player spins some softer stylings.

Take the journey with me! Hear the great sounds coming out of our city! People joke at the quality of our music scene … but those cynics don’t know the treasure lying within the I-275 loop.

If you would like to nominate a band you love, please leave a comment or a message. Cheers!

Quarantiner Dreamer Playlist

I organized the first batch of song titles in this playlist to tell a story:

“Public Service Announcement” – signifies the moment that everything changed and we moved to words like “quarantine” and “social distancing.”

“Strange Times” and “The times they are a’ changing” – signify my initial response (and everyone’s too) that the world might be falling to pieces.

“Buggin’ Out” and “Stressed Out” – signify the panic.

“Go it Alone” – of course, the social distancing.

“Say it ain’t So” – Is this really happening?

“Unfuckwittable” – stay six feet away, please.

“Hard Knock Life” – It’s hard out here. Is this the “Upside Down,” Hopper?

“Loser” and “Creep” – I’m all alone. There’s no one here beside me!

“Heart of Glass” and “Hard Times” and “Disaster Tourism” – all pretty self explanatory.

… and then it gets pretty dark and heavy from there in the story. (shrugs) haha

These are Strange Times and the songs listed here (jams in their own right) are a little off center as well.

Quarantine Poem #3: “Candy”

What if we gave out love
like bags of candy at halloween.
What if we went door to door
and told people we love them
without ever having to say the words.
What if the whole world loved
their neighbor. And I mean just
their next door neighbor.
I see a new future for us,
A new trajectory, where we give
out our love like bags of candy
at Halloween.

TS

Emerald Eyes – Manic Elijah

Quarantine Poem #2 “Home”

I spoke to an old friend today.
It had been awhile since the
last phone call.
But it didn’t matter.

I saw the soccer fields in my
hometown as she was talking.
I saw the banking, twisting roads.
I was home for a moment.
I was back home.

TS

Quarantine Poem #1 “Slow”

Slow down,
Slower than you ever have,
And breath a little deeper
And rest a little longer.

You have so much to look at.
Even if it’s just your little room
And out your little windows.

TS