Pondering Favorites

I am a fan but seldom a fanatic. I enjoy a variety of sports teams, foods, books, movies, TV shows, and Bible versions.

Sports have always been a significant part of my life. Growing up in New Orleans, I was an avid supporter of both the LSU Tigers and Tulane Greenwave. I still cheer for those Tigers (and their recent NCAA national championship in football) and most SEC schools. As a child I liked the St. Louis Cardinals baseball club and even have a memory of seeing the great Bob Gibson pitch in old Busch Stadium. I was a Pistol Pete Maravich fan as well as that of Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts. My favorite sport was baseball to watch, play, and umpire. Relief pitcher Lindy McDaniel was one of my heroes. After 21 years in the majors, he now is active as a blogger (Pitching for the Master) and a minister for the Lavon church of Christ in Texas. I would love to meet him one day as we seem to have a lot in common.

I enjoy lots of foods especially when my wife is cooking them. I am a fan of the homemade. We joke about our favorite place to eat being the Lee Family Restaurant. Through her masterful patience and tutelage, I have learned to help create in our kitchen. The best smell to savor in returning home from Sunday worship is the fragrance of a roast simmering in the crock pot since 5 a.m. That odor is better than fresh baked bread. Of course it is surrounded by potatoes and carrots and covered in gravy. Is your mouth watering yet?

My favorite book is The Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain. As an avid childhood reader, I enjoyed dog stories by Albert Payson Terhune, Jack London, Jim Kjelgaard, and James Oliver Curwood. I was also thoroughly entertained by the collected works of Edgar Rice Burroughs and nearly anything science fiction.

I have an extensive DVD collection. My prefered genres include science fiction and fantasy, westerns, sports, and those cheesy Hallmark movies (Christmas and otherwise). I also love the old musicals Sound of Music, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, and others. I still enjoy replaying old television shows including The Andy Griffith Show, West Wing, and JAG.

On a much higher plain, I grew up learning from the King James Version of the Bible. In college I began using the Revised Standard Version and helped distribute the Good News for Modern Man on Campaigns Northeast during the summer of 1971. In my later adult years I have evolved through the New American Standard Version, New International Version, and English Standard Version. These days I listen to The Message on my phone. The fresh wording of familiar passages in this paraphrase often inspires my blog ideas. It presents a fresh approach that encourages my imagination.

My life favorites, whether trivial or serious, are varied just like yours. It is fun to remember preferences and choices stretching from childhood into "old" age. I am a huge fan of both memory and imagination.

Comfort Part 2

I read and watch "old" movies. If I liked the book or film the first time, I invariably delight in it the next. Revisiting the story line and characters seems like a reunion with old friends. It is similar to eating my wife's cooking. The meal is usually amazing the first time and often better as planned-overs (our name for left-overs) once the flavors have time to blend overnight. Recently she made blackened chicken and rice. I indulged four times over the next few days. Yum!

Whether I'm stressed or simply tired, I enjoy lounging in my oversized recliner listening to my favorite book on audio. The Black Rose by Thomas B. Costain is an historical fiction novel. Oxford student Walter of  Gurnie flees the Norman oppression of England and joins Kublai Khan's conquest of China. He returns home a wealthy hero. It is an enthralling mix of adventure, travel, science, and romance. Our first meeting was decades ago in junior high school. Now I have a personal reunion with Costain's best about every other year. I feel the same about the more than two dozen Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs and the numerous Sunnybank collie stories of Albert Payson Terhune.

Similarly I get special comfort from watching old films for the umpteenth time. The Fifties science fiction classic Them is at the top of my favorite's list. Despite its black and white format, I marvel as giant ants challenge Matt Dillon and Santa Claus in the sewers beneath Los Angeles. Additionally John Wayne westerns (Hondo or Big Jake) and James Stewart big screen treasures (It's a Wonderful Life or Broken Arrow) can relax me after a busy day. I can slip comfortably into nap time in my recliner during any showing. When I awake, I know exactly where the movie is. There is no need to rewind. No, it's not a total waste of time. It is simply comfort.