I wouldn’t say that I am particularly inclined to fanaticism, but there have certainly been isolated periods in my lifetime when I felt as though my purpose in life is to consume as much of something as my brain could hold without spontaneously combusting. The first such instance I can recall is when I was but a wee lad growing up in the shadows of the San Fernando Valley, and the object of my attention then was The Fonz. I think I memorized every episode of Happy Days ever produced, and I tried to implement some of Fonzie’s mannerisms into my own world (so much so that once when Wondersis was blaring her General Public tape a little too loud, I barged into her room and bumped her boombox with my hip, assuming that it would shut off for me the same way the jukebox at Arnold’s did for The Fonz).

(The boombox DIDN’T shut off, by the way, but Wondersis did bop me on the skull for interrupting “Tenderness” without knocking.)

As my life progressed thereafter, this same sort of momentary, all-consuming infatuation repeated itself with, in no particular order, the following:

• Hot Wife (whose hotness had me so flummoxed when I first met her that I introduced her to someone she already knew way better than I did)
• Captain Kangaroo
• Bruce Springsteen
• Laura Wasserman from Hebrew school
• Farrah Fawcett
• Magic Johnson
• Marijuana
• Jen Mathews (my first girlfriend) (last I heard, she was married to some city councilman in the Bay Area) (if you know her, tell her I was just about to break up with her anyway) (and no, I wasn’t crying) (I had something in my eye)
• Queen
• Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts
• Wendy “The Mad Dog” Maduff (this chick from Beverly Hills who I met at summer camp) (we stayed in touch and I invited her to my senior prom and I was POSITIVE that she was going to diddle my junk (which no one outside of my own self had ever done before) but I went home with a raging case of blue balls and there endeth my infatuation with her) (I would also like to point out that the last sentence had a parenthetical thought inside of another parenthetical thought and honestly? I’m not sure that’s legal)
• Rush
• Julia Louis-Dreyfuss

As anyone who has read this blog for the past few weeks knows irrefutably, I am presently in the process of adding Counting Crows to the list of “Things I’m Unhealthily Obsessed With.” I listen to them incessantly. I go to their concerts. I quote their songs in my blog entries. And when I went out to get a beer with Gary The Amish-Chaser last night, I sat down at the bar, made eye contact with the bartender and shouted, “Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones.”

(He didn’t get it.) (We were asked to leave.)

I’m in really bad shape with this Counting Crows infatuation right now. Their lyrics are becoming my own thoughts. When I got home from work yesterday, Hot Wife asked me if anything interesting had happened at the office. My answer? “I ran into the devil. He loaned me twenty bills. I spent the night in Utah, in a cave up in the hills.”

(She called poison control.)

And now I’m thinking about growing my hair out like Adam Duritz.

So because I am choosing to believe that this is normal, rational, acceptable behavior instead of, you know, batshitness, I’m going to turn this concept of recounting a lifetime’s worth of infatuations into – and this is the first time I’ve ever used this term – a “meme.” Either in the comments after this entry or on your own sites, I want you to tell us who or what you’ve been obsessed with in your lifetime.

As I understand it, “memes” are also perpetuated by tagging people you want to complete them. I’m tagging my blogging idols (because I want them to know I exist, and sometimes pure, unabashed harassment is the only way to get noticed): Amalah, Dooce, Finslippy, Miss Doxie, Sweetney and Suburban Bliss.

Actually? You know what? I’m also tagging Rockstar Mommy, Spelunk In The Trunk, The Random Muse, The Sarcastic Journalist and my sister (who doesn’t have a blog, because she’s a PUSS), just because I dig them.

(I obviously have no knowledge of or respect for the rules of, ahem, “memeing.”)

(Also, since it seems like ending this post with a Counting Crows lyric would wrap the whole thing up in a nice little bow, I say this to the people I tagged: “If you think that I could be forgiven, I wish you would. Nah-n’nah-nah. Nah-n’nah-n’nah-n’nah-n’nah-nah-nah. Nah-n’nah-nah. Yeah.”)

Comments

Rush. you had me all the up to Rush. after that i stopped reading because after that i was blind with the hate that i have for all things Rush.

"If dreams are like movies/then memories are films about ghosts"

Mine include:

The Counting Crows
Tupac(somewhat odd for a white kid growing up in suburbia)
The St. Louis Cardinals(this one is ongoing)

As a teeny bopper I was obessed with all things Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Hanson. I had an entire wall dedicated to Hanson as a shrine I would worship at every night.

"August And Everything After" holds a special place in my heart. There are times when I get down, and I have to hear that album.

When I was a TV sportscaster/television whore, I always tried to drop in CC references whenever I could. I would always introduce my College World Series highlights (from Nebraska) with the phrase "Omaha...somewhere in middle America."

But lay off growing the Adam Duritz hair, DGM. You want hair that Hot Wife can run her fingers through without ripping her fingerprints off.

I have reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last.

Obsessions? Let's see...

Kelly Parsons from the Mickey Mouse Club
Dire Straits
Finding the perfect nachos
Dinosaurs (from age 3-8...straight through...drove my parents bonkers)
Star Wars
Michelle White (stood next to me in marching band) (yep, I'm a nerd)
Stealing as much music off the internet before the music industry sends out some virus that wipes out all the torrent sites
Summit Pale Ale
AC/DC (still am)
Battlestar Galactica (both versions)
Mountain Dew
Scratching that damn itch that's right in the center of my back and just out of reach

How's that?

Tag me, dammit! I can be cool! I swear!

Actually, I believe the list IS in a particular order. #1 is #1, right? For me, it was Phil Collins, Matt Bennett (my first love, a nice Catholic boy I thought I was going to marry), and you(I saved the best for last).

p.s. - I find it interesting that all the bloggers you mentioned are women.

BEST CC LYRIC EVER:

Everybody's gone
They left the television screaming that the radio's on
Someone stole my shoes
But there's a couple of bananas and a bottle of booze (pure genious)
Oh, well happy new year's baby
We could probably fix it if we clean it up all day
Or we could simply pack our bags
And catch a plane to Barcelona 'cause this city's a drag
I may take a holiday in Spain
Leave my wings behind me
Flush my worries down the drain
And fly away to somewhere new...

If you gotta be obsessed, they're a great one to have!

Here's a brief list....
David Bowie
Antique cars
Fresh ground coffee
PT Crusiers...I finally own one.
Stephen King
Fish aquariums
HOT chicken wings
Red Skelton
Carol Burnette...I live to laugh.
Israel
Cardinals..the bird.

Don't we all just want to know that others know that we exist? That's my current obsession. One day, sometime, when I actually update it and therefore have something interesting to say (the chances of which right now are slim to none), that the hysterically funny DGM will post a comment. I imagine it will go something like this: Hey SAHMommy - this blog sucks. It's boring. Never, ever make me come here again! PS - plan on updating it ever again? Sincerely, DGM.

Ah, dreams. ;)

HW beat me to it; you're tagging all mommy blogs. Dude, mommy blogging? You couldn't find a sport fishing blog or maybe a rock climbing blog?

tag this.

"I belong..
in the service of the queen.
I belong..
anywhere but in between."
My favorite Crows song. I too am obsessed and they are my all-time favorite band. My little list of current obsessions:
my son & daughter
Dooce!!!!!
Stephen King
DadGoneMad!!!!
Prodigy (smack my bitch UP!)
Webkinz (I know I'm 35 but my daughter has them and they are awesome!)
Previously I was obsessed with Sting, U2, and a certain boy I loved from 3rd Grade right thru graduation (alas, we never got our shit together...)
You're a friggin riot and an awesome writer. Thanks for making me laugh.

Right on.

I named my little one Anna from - of course ---- Anna Begins. And NO - it's not from that damn Toto song.

My oldest daughter is also named after a favorite song - Julia by John Lennon.

Emma Leigh was just from a drunken night on the beach where I thought it was a good idea. She's lucky her name isn't David Matthew. :) Someone once asked if she was named after that Sinead O'Connor song... ummm - no.

Keep on rocking Danny.

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for girls and four for boys,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told

I still remember the first time I listened to 'August & Everything After'. I know where I was, who I was with, what time of day it was... That album is probably the only thing I have ever been truly obsessed with. It's been 11 years or so, and it's still my very favorite cd.

But dude...Adam Duritz hair? Come on...

Definitely:

Douglas Adams (and ALL things Hitchhiker's)
Dr Who
Pre-enlightenment gynaecological theory
Brian Molko
Stephen Fry
My own boobs

Though not necessarily in that order.

Obsessions...hmmm.... in no particular order:

- Billy Joel
- Joseph Goldstein (my first bf, major jerk then and I believe he grew up to be...a major jerk)
- Anything carbohydrate
- squeezing pimples
- BareNaked Ladies (how amazing are *their* lyrics? Frickin' hilarious!)
- Reading blogs and writing my own (but this is a recent one....)
- Crap chick Lit from the library
- Milk bottle candies from Australia
- Hummus

I think that's it for now...given my personality, though, new obsessions come on board weekly at least.

Again, in no particular order:
1. New Kids on the Block (Shut up, okay? Just shut up!)
2. My Loving Husband
3. Laura Ingalls Wilder--Little House Books
4. Heath Ledger
5. Johnny Depp
6. Beatles tunes
7. Seasame Street (according to stories related from my toddlerhood)

Danny, I'm quite surprised you didn't tag Lola over at Bitter with Baggage! Music is so important to her that for sure she'd have some of the same tendencies to obsess over it- look at her obsession with Ryan Adams (the other Mr. Adams of musical fame). It's not too late, tag now!

After watching Nick Lachey's Behind the Music...where he actually cried....I'm obsessed with him.

I'm the opposite of Jessica..smart, fat, smart...I'm positive at this moment that I could SOOOO make him happy. :-)

Bagels,
2 matching gravy boats,
permanent obliteration of toothpaste stalagtites (or is it stalagmites?) in the bathroom sink,
Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order SVU fame (a girl crush),
making sure my children have wax-free ears, disgust for my high-shool sweetheart who became a FOOT Dr because his MOMMY wanted him to. I think I have issues. Thanks for letting me vent!

I'm not STILL obsesed with these things..well maybe some of them.

Raggedy Ann and Andy
Gilligan
Garfield
Smurfs
Riding Bikes
Smoking Ciggarets
Ding Dongs
Oldies Music
Chinese Yo yo's
Charlies Angels
Billy Joel
St. Louis Cardinals
Meryl Streep/ Out of Africa
Local Band The Newsboys (90's, Kennedy's on the Landing, St Louis MO..every Friday night)
Kareoke
Bud Light
Randy (pre hubby)
The Internet
Reading
Television

Wow! Dude! You get all infatuated and immersed in your, um, infatuations, too?! I thought I was the only crazy stalker kinda person like that out there!

My Infatuations, in no particular order (a few of whom I've stalked to some degree or another, and some of which I've gotten over)
Witchipoo (from H.R. Puff N Stuff)
Barbie
Reading
The Monkees (Davy Jones specifically)
Chocolate
Donny Osmond
John Schneider
A Chippendale Dancer
Ice cream
Finding my biological mother (I did!)
Several boys from high school
Hubby
Getting my voice on the radio
Computers/Internet/Web design
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

Oh, and hey, I would have commented earlier, but I just got in to work. I was running late because of traffic. The highway was jammed with broken heros on a last chance power drive. ;)

*Definitely* in the 80s I was into a whole slew of girly-men. At one stage I thought I might be repressing a true inner lezzy, but then i just realized that *everyone* looks better with a bit of mascara and lippy:

--Boy George
--The extra girly Taylor from Duran Duran (John)
--Nick Rose, Duran Duran
--Marilyn (male british drag popstar--not the scary one)
--David Sylvian (Japan--flawless bone structure)
--Green, from Scritti Politti (I actually tried to commune psychically with him--i am not joking).
And, inexplicably, Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazareth. Must have been the long flowing locks and blue eyes (I seriously thought I might be a devout Christian when this mini-series came on. But it was hormones after all).

Current obsessions: Thom Yorke. And Green from Scritti Politti. Cate Blanchett...sigh.... (maybe I am lezzy after all...Not that there's anything wrong with that. Unless you're married. To a man. And have kids. Then it's tricky)

Dont hate me. But I bought the Counting Crows CD (forget its name) cuz of that cool "taxi in a parking lot" song? (which is totally awesome) But I was totally dissappointed by the other songs. Sounds like a friggin' Bluegrass festival up in Moonshine country. What gives?

Now I have CC lyrics running through my head. Guess that solves the issue of what I'm going to listen to at work today. They actually gave a free concert here a couple months ago that I really wanted to go to but by the time I heard about it I already had a prior commitment. August and Everything After was quite an obsession for me. I still listen to it when I need a pick me up.

obsessions, I have a few.
reading this 1st thing every day
listening to the Dixie Chicks "not ready to make nice" over and over.

pre-mixed margaritas

Tim Horton's Coffee (it's a Canadian thing)

DGM, I have been reading your blog for some time now. I think you are hilarious. I am really rooting for you to write that book and tell you boss where he can put it. My reason for comment on this post is- 'Friend of the Devil' is a Grateful Dead song. It was written by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia. It is a truly great and classic song. I'm sure the Crows do a wonderful version, but in response to the "their lyrics are in my head like my own thoughts" I thought you might like to know it was written by someone else.

"My friend assures me 'it's all or nothing'
I am not worried- I am not overly concerned...."

Counting Crows is my secret obsession. I've seen them once and it was awesome - Adam pulled me through some of the hardest times of my life and for that, I am forever grateful.

Other obessions: Johnny Depp, Scarlette Johansson, PUGS, Starbucks, Blogging, chocolate covered pretzels (I mean come on, chocolate and salty!) and much more... but that will cover this mornings obsessions.

"We couldn't all be cowboys
So some of us are clowns
Some of us are dancers on the midway"

I named my daughter Anna. Didn't necessarily associate that with the CC, UNTIL....my husband sent the birth announcement email with this subject: Anna Begins.

Current (and past, and both) obsessions:

Counting Crows
Musical Theater
Johnny Depp
The color purple (the actual color, not, you know...the book)
Grammar
Coach handbags
Motley Crue (I am not proud of this)
Blog reading while I should be working
Ralph Macchio (wax on wax off!)
Scott Baio
The West Wing (Aaron Sorkin rocks)

liz, I'm sure you're nice and everything, but you have to go.

Liz, are you an American girl? I think you have something breakable just under your skin.

Wondersis, I'LL decide who gets voted off DGM island (and you're gettin' real close). BTW, where's your list? Lemme guess: Clayton Stevens, Joni Mitchell, that ferret shit you drink, and Riesen candies.

Nice!
I have many...uh, things like that.
I'll have to write them down so people can think I'm even more of a freak...

Oh, that's easy.

Boobs.

I meant, you know, like, other people's boobs. Not my own. And specifically girl boobs, not guy boobs.

Just in case I needed to specify.

You asshole. I should totally fall into the blogging idols category. And for the fucking record, I've had Counting Crows lyrics playing and replaying in my head since you went to that concert. I sing them in my car. I sing them in my shower. I sing them in my sleep. Half of them are totally fabricated.

I'll blog it.

"Long December"- going thru my head right now. Which is what really made them grow on me, since um, I wasn't enamored at first.
Jack Johnson, Jason Isaacs, Brad Pitt, John Taylor (he was NOT girly!!) (much), REM, Grateful Dead, whales, and boys in general. James Herriot, too.

Various and sundry TV shows, including but not limited to:

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Seinfeld
The Simpsons
Arrested Development (most recently)

Also, though you'd never know it to look at me now, the fitness regime known as Body for Life (Bill Phillips would hang his head in shame if he knew that though).

Oops, I forgot to add The X-Files to my list up there. Geez, I never realized what a lack of a life I had before making this list.

Liz, I also think you'd better turn your ticket in, and get your money back at the door.

(I'm really enjoying this.)

The best Counting Crows song is "Amy Hit the Atmosphere". It's sooooo good and it's about me. Ignore the fact that I post here as 'Cate'...

Some of my obsessions are:
Cary Grant
eating movie popcorn and sour patch kids at the same time
driving
funny people (see why I'm here?)

These are the most enduring but I basically have a new obsession every week.

Hmm... just a few obsessions (past and present, you can guess which is which!) have come to mind:
The Electric Company
John Edward
Thundercats
John Stamos
Michael Jackson (ducking and running)
Tiramisu
The Magic Garden
Aqua Net Extra-Super Hold Hairspray
Anne Rice
Orangina
Starbuck's Vanilla Latte
TLC's A Baby Story
Girlscout Samoa Cookies
Brad Pitt in "Legends of the Fall"
Bette Midler's "The Rose"
Avon's "Sunny Sky" perfume
David Cassidy
Dr. 90210
Guinness
Orange County Choppers
Chocolate
My post-baby flabby tummy
Sweet Gherkin Pickles and Peanut Butter
My children
And... reading my favorite bloggers every day. :)

Again, in no particular order (either in space-time continuum or order of importance)

-Little Orphan Annie (Although, for the record, I'm not still obsessed with her, and I have lost the autographed picture)
-Alex <>
-The little people on TLC's "Little People, Big World"
-Housing Prices
-Ricky Shroeder
-Disney's Sing-a-long Songs (The one with "Aint gonna rain no more" which I'm pretty sure my dad smashed into 10,000 pieces)
-The new "superman"
-Fitness Magazines (I get like 12 of the stupid things)
-Bras and Underwear

Another blog I read is entitled, "Strolling Through the Barrio." I think it's time you changed your blog name to something cool like that. ;)

Oh, and by the way, General Public rocked.

My kids love Shrek 2 right now, so here's the lyrics that are pretty much always stuck in my head (from Accidentally in Love):

Come on, come on
Turn a little faster
Come on, come on
The world will follow after
Come on, come on
'Cause everybody's after love

And here are my obsessions (well, the ones that are on the tip of my brain at the moment, anyway):

My family
Cabbage Patch Kids
scrapbooking
Ice Caps from Timmy's (made with chocolate milk = YUM!)
flip flops
tank tops
new babies (love to smell their heads!)
the internet
TomKat (kind of wondering what the heck she's thinking!)
Chocolate chips
The Doodlebops

Hi first post here after stalking you daily since I found your blog- don't worry I'm not dangerous, I just love your wit- and blogs- what can I say I am nosey- here's mine- Billy Idol
David Bowie,
Culture Club,
my ex -fiance when I was 21(thank God thats over!)
my hubby, my kids
the discovery channel,
nip/tuck
degrassi
greys anatomy
the sopranos
big love
lucky louie
granola bars
tuna and pasta with garlic and olive oil, and parm chz
blogs and blogging
pink hair
tattoos
coffee
ciggaretts

Oh yeah,

hairbows (for my daughter, not myself)
Miami ink
piercings (ears only, thanks!)

God I love Counting Crows especially if I'm depressed but only one album/cd.
My husband does not love Counting Crows and if I even mention playing the cd, he starts singing "Round here...." only in an annoying sort of whining way. I Love that song.
I will also admit to having a major crush on Ray Stevens when I was a kid.

Ok, I'll chime in too -

In no particular order (because I refuse to acknowledge which ones I'm STILL obsessed with :P)

Stargate
Battlestar Galactica
Ultraman
Power Rangers
Super Sentai
Megadeth
Metallica
Dream Theater
Apple computers
Star Trek
Star Wars
The Matrix
Alias
Comic Books (marvel comics type)
Brandy (kind of an ex gf? long story)
Guitars
the Air Force
NASA
Downloading more MP3's than I'll ever listen to
24
Queensryche
Motorcycles

is that enough? :P

B my husband
CareBears
Pizza Hut
Matt Miller (Amanda's first boyfriend - she actually met him because of me. At least while they were going out I was able to obsess on all the details she was willing to share)
My Butt - it sucks
Homework - or Grades
Hair - in 5th through 9th it was cool to have the hair sprayed cliff(Using a book) then there was the buffante bangs and everything curly.
SHOES! I even got a job so I could buy more shoes - now (I am over it) I only own 3 pairs of shoes (not counting the 8 pairs of sandals)
Food! and Chocolate
Sex
SEX
CHOCOLATE
MIKE (Yep there have been plenty of Mikes in my life)
Work - not so much any more
t.v.
Christian Slater and Patrick Swayze - they were my first Mikes
Tits or breasts mine and everyone elses
I forgot Johnny Dep (still now and then whatever)
New Kids
house prices
Yeah I forgot those...