Success

Tonight was the much anticipated Trvia Night. Below are the categores and questions I asked. Please feel free to answer the questions.

"Famous People Playing Famous People"

1. This 2 time Academy Award winning actress was nominated for Best Actress in 1985 for her portrayal of Patsy Cline in "Sweet Dreams."
2. In 2004 this woman received the "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" Oscar for her role as Katharine Hepburn.
3. In what 1999 bio-pic did David Letterman, Marilu Henner and Lorne Michaels make an appearance as themselves?
4. While most of Andy Kaufman's "Taxi" co-stars appeared as themselves in the movie, this diminutive actor did not . . . because he was starring as another charcter.
5. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty share place #32 on AFI's "The Greatest Screen Heros and Villains" list as this famous pair from the movie of the same name.
6. Faye Dunaway is only 14 years older then the actress who plays her daughter in this bio-pic of another academy award winning actress. Bonus: Who was the bio-pic of?
7. Director Michael Mann was to direct "The Aviotor" but turned it down because he just completed work on two other biographies. First "The Insider" and then this bio-pic partially set in Africa.
8. Robert Downey Jr's performance in this biography netted him the first lead Oscar nomination for a former "Saturday Night Live" member.
9. The 2003 movie, "Wonderland" or "The Wonderland Murders" starring Val Kilmer is based on the life of real-life porn star John Holmes. In 1997 this other drama was only inspired by the life of John Holmes.
10. In 1980 Sissy Spaceck won an Oscar for her role as this woman int the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter.

"Who's the Boss?"

1. How many years was "Who's the Boss" on television?
2. On the show, Angela was once married. What was the name of her ex-husband?
3. Famous mob boss Al Capone was pursued by this federal agent.
4. Judith Light won 2 day-time Emmy Awards for her role on which soap opera? A)Guiding Light B)All My Children C)Days of Our Lives D) One Life to Live
5. This Television boss, usually dressed in white, was the wealthiest man in the county. He and his bumbling sheriff were always up to no good.
6. In what Asian country has Alyssa Milano received 5 platinum albums?
7. Known as "The Boss" to many, Bruce Springsteen won an Oscar for his song in this 1993 movie.
8. This blue-eyed singer, sometimes called "The Chairman of the Board" appeared on a 1989 episode at his request.
9. This famous boss, who died in 1948, once designed attire and uniforms for the governmental branches of Nazi Germany, but het was soon labelled an "Opportunist of the Third Reich" and company soon languished. However, his company and his name have since become household names.
10. While animating this Disney film, Alyssa Milano's picture was there for the artists to use as inspiration for the main character.

That's it. James and Cal managed to win and I gracefully handed over the title of Trivia Master.

Who Says God is Dead?

After spending a weekend away at Haeinsa Temple I have a new appreciation for religion and the sacrifice people make. A group of 8 went south to Haeinsa Temple. It is one of UNESCO's World Treasures. It is a Buddhist Temple built high in the mountains. Housed at this temple are the Tripitaka Koreana wood blocks. They are apart of history - or so I have been told. There are 81,340 blocks and they are all hand carved. The project was completed in 1251 and these blocks are considered the blocks that created the world's first published book. Neat huh?

After a long trip that included, a cab, train, subway, bus and then a hike we arrived at this picturesque Buddhist temple. Upon arriving we received a schedule of events. At the bottom of the page it read, in English, "Rules for temple stay - Please be punctual for ritual ceremonies and meals. Please go to bed by 9 P.M. , and turn the light off." The rules were simple but we were unable to follow. We didn't know where to find the meditation and showed up late. During the chant - and I was trying really hard to concentrate - I kept nodding off. Thankfully after an hour I felt a nudge on my back and Jenn gave me a "let's get out of HERE wave." Outside we met some of the other's. I have got to give Erin and Tina kudos for they stuck it out for the entire 3 hours. Then they got up and went back for the 3:30am ceremony. I would like to say I did too but I did not!! After the ceremony we retired to our rooms. The men and women were segregated. We put a blanket on the floor and slept on the ground.

Breakfast was at 6:30 the next morning. After eating we walked and hiked in the mountains. I took many photos. It was nice to be up early and hiking. I felt like it was a productive morning but the novelty soon wore off and I was fast asleep until lunch at 11:20. I got separated from the group so I picked up my book and read for awhile. Just before leaving I was asked if I had seen the blocks yet. At this point in the trip I honestly didn't care whether I saw them or not but after Donna's persuasive argument that they are apart of history I took the five minute trek from where I was reading and went to see 'history'. They are a bunch of really old blocks in a language I cannot understand, yet, and about a religion I can't imagine following. However, I am glad that I did take the walk. If you'll excuse me I've got to meditate for hours and hours . . .

Happy Birthday
"Happy birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year - My best wishes may be early but . . ."

Today is my mother's birthday (It is in Korea) and I want to wish her the happiest of birthdays. I would also like to go on record here to let everyone know how much Ilove my mom. I think I have the best mommy in the whole world. She's done so much for me! I love you mom!!! It's true, I'm a momma's boy. She's been through so much in the last few years, but some would argue that it only makes you stronger. I love the person that you've become and I hope that someday you'll be able to say the same thing about me. Have a very happy birthday and know that I'm thinking of you, not just today but everyday!

Hey Loretta
For those of you who know me, you might know where the title of this page comes from. For those of you who might have just stumbled upon this page it comes from my life long devotion to the "Coal Miner's Daughter" - Loretta Lynn. While deciding upon a title I debated about going with "Truck Driver's Son" or "Welcome to Fist City." I chose "Butcher Holler in my Heart" because well, I liked it and as we all know, or as we all should know, she was born a coal miner's daughter, in a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler. They were poor but they had love . . .
This is my first posting for my new blog. Just because I'm in Korea teaching English doesn't mean you can read this and point out all of the spelling and grammatical errors, besides I did them on purpose.
Recently, I had a birthday - my 21st!!! I dragged all these new people I have just met to the Grand Ole Opry. It's a Korean bar in Itaewon. That's how I managed to get them out - the fact that it is so close to other bars. The highlight of the evening was Loretta Lynn - of course. However, at midnight they played Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." It was followed by "The Star Spangled Banner." Did I mention that in Itaewon there is a rather large US army base? The entire area is crawling with Americans. It was very patriotic. Picture it - being in Korea with all these Americans gathered around the American flag, with our hands on our hearts singing the national anthem. I was told that I was using the wrong hand to cover my heart - I suppose I had one too many Jack and cokes.