Today is the 4th in a mini-series of posts where I'm post a song (or a song by a band) with a U.S. state in its title. I've been going through the states alphabetically, ten states at a time. If you If you're just starting here, you may want to back up and catch the earlier installments. Part 1 covers the states from Alabama to Georgia – you can read it here. Part 2 spans from Hawaii to Maryland – you can read it here. Part 3 goes from Massachusetts to New Jersey – you can read it here. Today, I'll cover the next 10 states, spanning from New Mexico to South Carolina. In some cases, when I could not pick just one song (or band), I have included two (sometimes it was hard to even narrow it to two). Like each time before, I have included actual video links for each song (or band) whenever possible. Enjoy!
31) NEW MEXICO: Let's kick this off with a nice folksy tune by Heather Nova. It's called "Out In New Mexico"....
32) NEW YORK: You knew there'd be more than one of these, right? From the hundreds of songs with New York in the title, I picked just two. First up, Billy Joel's "New York State Of Mind"...
And then – of course – Frank Sinatra's iconic rendition of "New York, New York"...
33) NORTH CAROLINA: Since this is my home state, I can't refrain from adding two songs here either. First up, James Taylor's "Carolina In My Mind"...
Next up, a song by my favorite blues-rock band. It's Blues Traveler with "Carolina Blues"...
34) NORTH DAKOTA: This was a hard one. I found a band called Shallow North Dakota, but their noise-rock music was so annoying (even for me!) that I decided not to include it. Then I found this folksy number by singer/songwriter Chris Knight (never heard of him before) called simply "North Dakota," and – what do you know? – it's pretty amazing....
35) OHIO: So, I needed to throw in at least one band with a state in the title to make this blog post's title accurate. What I found was surprisingly good – a six-piece mostly-acoustic punk band called Defiance, Ohio, performing their song "Hair Pool"....
36) OKLAHOMA: You knew this one was coming, right? It's – what else? – the title song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, "Oklahoma!", as performed by The Royal National Theatre and featuring X-Men's Hugh Jackman (Wolverine)...
37) OREGON: Now, this is an odd collaboration. It's a song called "Portland, Oregon", performed by country music legend Loretta Lynn and modern rocker Jack White (of The White Stripes)....
38) PENNSYLVANIA: Okay, so this was one of the hardest states yet for which to find an appropriate song. Maybe it's because the word "Pennsylvania" is too long and clunky to fit into the lyrics of a song. And putting it as part of the name of your band won't work either, because the word "Pennsylvania" is too long to print across the front of your drum kit. Either way, this is the best I could come up with. It's a song called "You've Got A Friend In Pennsylvania" by punk-pop band New Found Glory. They don't actually mention the name of the state in the lyrics of the song itself, but the title is what is is, so there you go...
39) RHODE ISLAND: It's never too early for a holiday song, is it? Well, either way, this is the only song with Rhode Island in the title that I could find that wasn't riddled with explicit lyrics. It's a sweet little ditty called "Holiday In Rhode Island" by a band called The Softies....
40) SOUTH CAROLINA: I have friends and family in South Carolina, particularly in the Low Country area of the state. So I thought it only appropriate to cap this post off with the song "South Carolina Low Country" by country singer Josh Turner...
I decided to do something a little different today (what else is new?). Taking only the titles from songs by pop star Ke$ha (whom I wholeheartedly do not recommend, by the way), I made up my own poems and stories. I did not try to make stories out of Ke$ha's songs themselves, as I am not all that familiar with most of them anyway. I merely "stole" her titles and wrote my own pieces. These 7 poems, drabbles (100 words), drabble-and-a-half (150 words), and double-drabbles (200 words) comprise the first 7 songs on Ke$ha's debut album, Animal. If I feel like following this up in the future (and I probably will, knowing me), I'll write stories and poems from the final 7 songs of that album on the next go-round. I hope you'll find these to be at least somewhat interesting. If not, oh well, I still like them. By the way, they're all 100% fiction. None of the stories or poems is based on any one person in real life – they're all (including the "I" characters) products of my prolific imagination. Enjoy!
"Your Love Is My Drug" (Drabble)
Yesterday when you blew me a kiss, I caught it with both hands, carefully dropped it in a centrifuge, and spun it out till all that was left was your love for me. I inserted a syringe into what looked like thin air and pulled back the plunger. I grimaced at the needle's super-sharp point, knowing it would hurt like crazy when it pierced my skin. But I also knew it would be worth every second of the pain. Because your love is my drug. My fix. My reason to carry on. And there's no such thing as too much.
"Tik Tok" (Poem)
The clock is ticking
Time's expiring
Ripe for the picking
Or for the firing.
What's your decision?
You have to make one.
Take me or leave me –
You have to take one.
Tik Tok.
"Take It Off" (Drabble-And-A-Half)
"We're not paying for that appetizer."
"Why not?"
"There was a fly in the sauce."
"Well, honey, this is a French restaurant – maybe it was one of the ingredients."
"I don't care. It's nasty, and we're not paying for it."
"So you want me to tell the waiter to take it off our check?"
"That's exactly what I want you to do."
"But, honey, this is embarrassing."
"I don't care if you turn fifty shades of red, just get the waiter to take it off. We're not paying for it!"
"Look, honey..."
"Don't 'look, honey' me. Either he'll take it off the check, or you'll ask to see the manager!"
"Me?"
"Of course. You're the man."
"But, honey..."
"What?"
"How am I supposed to explain why –"
"I don't care how you explain it –"
"Wait, let me finish. How am I supposed to explain why you ate the entire appetizer anyway?"
"Kiss N Tell" (Double-Drabble)
Kissandra always knew she'd meet the man of her dreams in a library. She'd been dreaming about it since she was eight years old. The fact that she spent the majority of her free time outside of school and work at the local library did much to ensure that her dream would eventually come to fruition. It was simply the law of averages. Kissandra was more than a little preoccupied the day she met Teller. It was final exams week, and she had been working long night shifts at the café and hadn't had much time to study. Exhausted, she'd fallen asleep face-down on her open textbook. Teller, the new library intern, approached Kissandra to wake her. She looked up, glassy-eyed, at the handsome young man standing before her. He smiled shyly, pointed to the "No Sleeping" sign at the center of the study table, and casually walked away. Though it wasn't how she'd dreamed it, Kissandra knew that this man was "the one." How she knew she couldn't then have put into words, but she knew. She closed her textbook, turned back to glimpse at the retreating figure of the man, and took the first step toward her destiny.
"Stephen" (Drabble)
Stephen entered the hotel room at precisely 4pm. Dropping his bags, he went straight to the bathroom and began examining the towels and washcloths for signs of stains. Leaning over the tub, he inspected the drain for hair. Satisfied, Stephen proceeded to the bed, pulled back the comforter and sheets, removed pillows from pillowcases and sniffed each one carefully. He carefully scrutinized the desk's surface and the back and seat of the chair. Stephen turned on the television, and immediately his jaw dropped. Gathering his bags, he returned to the front desk. "I'm leaving," Stephen said. "My room was filthy."
A number of historical and contemporary folks are celebrating a birthday today (or would be if they were still alive). In their honor, here are several pieces of music either written, performed, or sung by these birthday boys and girls (though "men and women" would probably be a more appropriate phrase). Feel free to skip around to the type of music you prefer (I've grouped together by genre/style as much as possible). Or listen to them all if you feel like it.
The Classical/Operatic Folks
1) Jean-Louis Lully, French composer ~"Overture to 'Zephire et Flore'" This piece is from an opera, but there's no singing in this one. Lully would have been 345 years old today if he'd defied all logic and survived that long.
2) Julius Klengel, German cellist and composer ~"Allegro from Kindertrio, Op. 35 No. 2." Today is Klengel's 153rd birthday. But he's not celebrating – because he's quite dead.
3) Andrzej Panufnik, Polish composer, pianist, and conductor ~"Autumn Music." If Panufnik had lived, he'd be 98 years old today.
4) Ettore Bastianini, Italian operatic baritone ~ "Il trovatore – Il balen del suo sorriso." This talented young man died at the age of 45. Otherwise, he'd be turning 90 years old today.
5) Cornell MacNeil, American operatic baritone ~ "Te Deum." I don't know much about opera, but I hear this guy was fantastic. Sounds pretty good to me. MacNeil would have been celebrating his 90th birthday today had he not died last year.
6) Alfredo Kraus, Spanish operatic tenor ~ "La donna e mobile." This guy sounds pretty good, too, but what do I know about opera? (Answer: Nothing.) Today would have been Kraus' 85th birthday. But he's not around to celebrate it, either.
The Jazz/Blues Musicians
1) Herb Jeffries, American jazz/pop singer, actor ~ "Flamingo" (with Duke Ellington). Jeffries, who is still alive and is celebrating his 99th birthday today, was the star of several all-black Western films in the 1930s, and was known as "The Singing Cowboy" because of this. He's quite good!
2) Theodore "Fats" Navarro, American jazz trumpet player ~ "Our Delight." Navarro was a talented jazz musician whose career was cut short by his heroin addiction, a bout of tuberculosis, and obesity. "Fats" died at age 26. He would have been 89 years old today.
3) John Carter, American jazz clarinet/saxophone/flute player ~ "In The Vineyard" (with Bobby Bradford). Carter was an excellent jazz musician. Had he lived, Carter would have been 83 years old today.
4) Robert "Chick" Willis, American blues singer/guitarist ~ "Blues Man." Known for his somewhat questionable lyrics (the man does a song called "I Want A Big Fat Woman"), "Chick" has been at it for a long time. Willis turns 78 years old today.
5) "Blind Lemon" Jefferson, jazz singer/guitarist ~ "Black Snake Moan." Jefferson, whose first name actually was Lemon, was known as the "Father of the Texas Blues" and was quite popular in the 1920s. If he'd lived, "Blind Lemon" would've been 119 years old to day.
6) Wayne Henderson, American soul/jazz and hard bop trombonist ~ "Inherit The Wind" (with The Jazz Crusaders). Wayne's the one in the crazy animal print outfit playing the trombone here. Henderson turns 73 years old today.
7) Bill Connors, American jazz musician ~ "Hymn Of The 7th Galaxy" (with Return To Forever). Connors is celebrating his 73rd birthday today.
8) Taylor Eigsti, jazz pianist and composer ~ "Like Someone In Love." Eigsti, once labeled a prodigy but long since having transcended the label, has been playing piano since the age of 4. He was leading his own band by age 12 and recorded his first album at age 14. Taylor turns 28 years old today.
The Pop/Rock Singers And Musicians
1) Anthony Newley, English pop singer/songwriter and actor ~ "On A Wonderful Day Like Today/Sweet Beginning." Newley enjoyed a long and successful career in music, television, films, and on stage. If he'd lived, Newley would be 81 years old today.
2) Ben Oakland, American composer, lyricist, and composer ~ "Java Jive" (performed by The Manhattan Transfer, music by Oakland). Throughout his career, Oakland composed mainly for Broadway and vaudeville, though he did work on several Hollywood scores, including for the film My Little Chickadee. If he'd lived, Oakland would be 105 years old today.
3) Mel Taylor, American drummer ~ "Wipeout" (with The Ventures). Possibly one of the most famous drum solos in the history of rock and roll was played by this guy in this song. If he'd lived to celebrate it, today would be Taylor's 79th birthday.
4) Linda McCartney, American musician and photographer ~ "Silly Love Songs" (with Wings). As part of the band Wings founded by her husband (former Beatle, Paul), McCartney co-wrote a number of memorable pop/rock hits, including this one. Linda died of breast cancer at the age of 56. She would have been 71 years old today.
5) Gerry Marsden, English musician/singer ~ "Ferry Cross The Mersey" (as Gerry and The Pacemakers). One of the better-known British pop bands in the 1960s other than The Beatles, Gerry and The Pacemakers had a number of hits, though none was dearer to Marsden's heart than this one, about the region of England from which he hailed. Marsden turns 70 years old today.
6) Jerry Donahue, American guitarist/singer ~ "Too Much Of Nothing" (with Fotheringay). Throughout his career, Donahue has been a member of folk-rock bands Fotheringay and Fairport Convention, as well as being a member of the rock-guitar trio The Hellecasters. Donahue celebrates his 66th birthday today.
File Under: Everything Else
1) Birgit Oigemeel, Estonian singer ~ "Homme." The first winner of Estonian Idol – yes, Estonia has an Idol show, too – Oigemeel is an accomplished young singer and actress in her native country. I don't know what she's singing about, but it sounds pretty. Birgit turns 24 years old today.
2) Kim Jong Min, South Korean dance music singer and entertainer ~ "오빠 힘내요" (with Koyote). The lead singer of dance band Koyote, Kim Jong Min is quite popular in his native country. I have to admit, the song is quite catchy, even though I don't have a clue what he's singing about. Kim Jong Min turns 33 years old today.
3) Leah Dizon, American singer and model ~ "Under The Same Sky." Raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dizon moved to Tokyo, Japan, at the age of 20 to pursue a career in entertainment. She made her recording debut (singing in Japanese!) later that same year. Leah celebrates her 26th birthday today.
4) William So Wing Hong, Hong Kong cantopop singer and actor ~ "越吻越傷心 - 蘇永康."
Known professionally as simply William So, this popular performer (in Hong Kong, at least) began his musical career by winning first runner-up in the 1985 New Talent Singing Awards. His performance at that event earned him a record contract. So's 1998 hit song "Kiss More, Sad More" later became the theme song for the popular (again, in Hong Kong, at least) TV series Healing Hands. So turns 45 years old today.
5) Ilkka Lipsanen, Finnish singer/guitarist ~ "Kesäkatu." Commonly known his stage name Danny, Lipsanen has been a popular singer in his native country of Finland since the 1960s, which is when he recorded this song, a Finnish-language version of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer In The City." Not bad, if you ask me. "Danny" celebrates his 70th birthday today.
6) Jim Henson, puppeteer ~ "The Rainbow Connection" (as Kermit The Frog). Henson is probably best known as the creator of The Muppets, including iconic characters like Kermit The Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie, both of whom Henson performed (puppeteering and voicing them) until his death in 1990. Henson's star burned out way too early at age 53, though his legend continues to this day. Today would have been Jim's 76th birthday.
7) Steve Whitmire, puppeteer ~ "Loud And Soft" (as Ernie, with Bert). Ironically, Henson's successor (and long-time Muppets puppeteer himself) as Kermit The Frog and Ernie, among other characters, was also born on this day. Whitmire turns 53 years old today.
I thought this would make an interesting post. I could be wrong. What do you think?
1) BIG BIRD = Carroll Spinney: In addition to dressing up inside the big yellow bird and giving voice to him, Spinney has also been the puppeteer and voice of Oscar The Grouch for many, many years.
Spinney with his alter-ego, Big Bird
2) CHEWBACCA = Peter Mayhew: British-born Mayhew portrayed the giant Wookiee in four of the six Star Wars films. By the way, his height isn't a special effect. Mayhew is 7' 3" tall.
Mayhew as Chewbacca (left) with Han Solo (Harrison Ford, right)
Peter Mayhew, as himself
3) ALF = Mihaly "Michu" Meszaros: This 2' 9" Hungarian actor wore the ALF costume only in scenes when the character's entire body needed to be seen, such as when ALF was running across the house. At all other times, ALF was a puppet, and was performed and voiced by series creator, Paul Fusco.
Paul Fusco with his most famous creation, ALF
4) X-MEN'S "BEAST" = Kelsey Grammer: Yes, that Kelsey Grammer of Cheers and Frasier fame! I've seen this movie several times and never realized it was him! Completely unrecognizable!
Grammer as "Beast"
Grammer as himself
5) GRIPHOOK = Warwick Davis: This grisly goblin from the Harry Potter movies is played by famous dwarf actor Warwick Davis. Famous? Yes, he is. Davis was the lead actor in the 1980s fantasy classic Willow and the title character in the Leprechaun series of horror movies. Davis was "Wicket" the Ewok in Return Of The Jedi, "Nikabrik The Dwarf" in The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, as well as playing "Professor Flitwick" in the Harry Potter movies.
Warwick Davis as "Griphook"
Davis out of makeup
6) C3PO = Anthony Daniels: English-born Daniels was never a fan of science fiction. Then he got a part in what would turn out to be one of the most iconic science fiction film series of all time: Star Wars. Go figure!
Daniels, posing with the suit that made him a star
7) R2D2 = Kenny Baker: This 3' 8" English actor starred in all six Star Wars films as the memorable robot, R2D2. In addition to his acting career, Baker has also been a stand-up comic and harmonica player in a dance band. Who'd a thunk it?
R2D2 (left) and the guy inside him, Kenny Baker
8) HARRY (from Harry And The Hendersons) = Kevin Peter Hall: This famous Bigfoot character was played by 7' 2" tall actor Kevin Peter Hall. Hall also found success as an actor playing another famous movie character: the title character in the first two Predator films. Sadly, Hall died in 1991 at the age of 35 of pneumonia, a complication of the HIV virus which he contracted as a result of a blood transfusion.
Harry the sasquatch (left) and his portrayer, Kevin Peter Hall
Hall as "Predator"
9) BARNEY = David Joyner: There were a few different actors who donned the puffy suit as that lovable (or deplorable -- depending on how you view him) purple dinosaur, Barney, but Joyner was the first. But Joyner was not the voice of Barney. That would be Bob West, also pictured below.
David Joyner (left) and his alter-ego, Barney
Bob West, the voice of Barney. He loves you, you love him, you're all a happy family...
10) THE COWARDLY LION, THE SCARECROW, AND THE TIN MAN (from The Wizard Of Oz) = Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley: Fans of this movie (myself included) are so used to seeing their favorite characters looking like they did in the movie that they may forget that they didn't actually look like that. This is how they really looked, without all that garish makeup.
This is the second entry in my "Rhyme With Reason" series. In it, I list a number of things that all fall under a unified theme. The "rhyme" part of it is that each word or phrase in the list rhymes. The explanations for each do not
rhyme, but all the main "reasons" do. Today's topic: Things I don't too well, and things I do do decently well. Here goes...
THINGS I DON'T DO TOO WELL...
1) BAIT: I can count on one hand the number of times I've been fishing in my 34-plus years of life. The one thing I haven't been able to do successfully as yet is to bait the hook. For one thing, I'm clumsy and am just as likely to hook my finger as the lure. For another, many people -- including those folks with whom I have fished -- like to use live bait. I'm not big on killing things, even worms, and can't bring myself to do so even for the tasty, fishy payout (which is also killing things, but at least I would eat the fish). Color me wimpy if you must, it's just not something I'm overly comfortable with doing.
2) ORATE: Seeing that I have acted and sung in front of hundreds of people for quite some time, you might think that I'm someone who's comfortable giving speeches. I'm not. In fact, if I'm asked to speak "off the cuff" in front of anyone for any reason, I cannot do so unless I have: a) Scripted my remarks in advance in their entirety, or b) At least come up with some sort of outline which I can follow. I am not good at ad-libbing, and I am not adept at public speaking.
3) FIGURE-SKATE: You could probably guess this from looking at me. Failing that, if you know me at all, you know I'm clumsy. Therefore, it shouldn't come as any surprise whatsoever that I don't figure-skate too well. As a matter of fact, I don't figure-skate at all. I don't ice-skate either. I used to roller-skate, and in so doing, have even been known to speed-skate, though not too successfully. But that was many, many years and many, many pounds ago. Today, I'd be lucky to be able to even lace up a pair of skates -- skating with them would be an entirely different story.
4) WAIT: Frequent readers of this blog or personal friends of mine will attest that I am not the most patient human being God ever created. Far from it. I detest slow stoplights, am annoyed by slow drivers, I hate trains that stop traffic dead on major roads in town (including the one which takes me to and from work everyday), and I hate long lines for food, movies, roller coasters, and etc. To say that I'm not good at waiting is to make a huge understatement.
5) DEBATE: I used to be a pretty good arguer. These days, not so much. People with strong opinions on any matter can easily bowl me over, while I simply stand there and say, "Okay, if that's how you feel." I'll not likely engage anyone in long, heated discussions about anything. If you think you're right, even if I don't think you are I'm not likely to challenge you. I have opinions, and I will voice them from time to time. But if you disagree with me, then I will be content to agree to disagree. Debating things takes time and energy that I don't care to expend -- and as aforementioned, I'm not very patient.
6) LOSE WEIGHT: This is another thing I'm not good at. Oh, I've lost weight in the past. And gained it back. I've been diligent to work out on a regular basis. And I've gone months without working out at all. I'm not disciplined enough to stick with it for very long. This is something I need to work on, obviously, but so far I'm not so good at it.
THINGS I DO PRETTY WELL...
7) GRATE: I'm not too handy in the kitchen as a general rule, though I do try. One thing I can do pretty well, when asked, is grating. Specifically, grating cheese. Every so often my wife needs grated cheese for some reason, perhaps a casserole or something like that. We have one of those handheld graters. I used the upright kind helping my mom when I was growing up, but I'm actually pretty good at using both kinds. Now, this may not seem to be a very impressive skill for most people. I get that. But considering the fact that I am a super-clumsy person, and that using a grater -- handheld or upright -- is an easy way to slice open your knuckles or perhaps your fingertips, and considering that I've never done either, it becomes quite an impressive skill for me indeed.
8) CREATE: I know I'm not the best writer, or even a good writer, but I like to think that my ideas are, for the most part at least, creative. After all, today is the 265th day in a row that I have written a blog post and no two of them have been even remotely identical thus far. That's pretty creative, I think. I'm no artist, or painter, or sculptor, but I think I do okay at creating things with words. 9) RESTATE: You know those people who, when asked a question, manage to restate the question and call it their answer? The kind who isn't really listening as well as they should be sometimes, and can't give a straight answer because of their lack of attention, so they just repeat what has been said to them in a different way? Yeah? Well, I'm sort of one of those people. Drives my wife crazy. I don't try to be a "restater," but I am one nonetheless. On a related note, I'm also a "restate the obvious" kinda guy. You know, the type of person who happens upon a building that's on fire, and there are firefighters all around fighting the blaze, and the person states, "Wow, that building's on fire!" Well, I'm not quite that bad, but I'm pretty good at pointing out what's clearly evident. (Also drives my wife crazy.)
10) TRANSLATE: Even though I haven't spoken Spanish regularly for several years now, I can still understand and speak it well enough to be able to translate in a pinch. Don't get me wrong -- no one's going to be hiring me to translate as a profession anytime soon, but I can make out enough words and phrases, and put enough words and phrases of my own together in some semblance of meaning to get the point across. There have been situations in recent months and years where this skill has come in handy, so I try to use my knowledge whenever possible to keep it from going too stale. But again, I'm not that good at it. I'm just pretty good.
11) CONJUGATE: Being the "word nerd" that I am, I'm fairly adept at the proper conjugation of verbs. Yes, even irregular verbs. If not, my writing wouldn't be half as coherent as it is. Does it bother me when I see things that others have written that aren't conjugated properly? Yes. Do I take the time and energy to correct others' conjugation errors, or even point them out? Rarely. I don't wanna be "that guy." I used to be him when I was much younger, and less aware of how annoying that can be. No wonder I wasn't a popular kid. Oh, well...
12) HATE: Unfortunately, this is something I do all too well. No, I am not a prejudiced person in general. I view and treat people of all races equally, and am highly intolerant of those who don't do the same. But I have my share of hangups, too. If I listed the things and/or types of people that I hate, or have at times felt feelings of hatred for, you would no doubt hate me for it. I struggle, as we all do to some degree, with hatred, whether rationally or irrationally motivated. The thing that upsets me the most is how infernally easy it is to hate someone or something. It's much harder not to hate, but I'm working on it. The world would be a much better place if we loved a little more, and hated a lot less, and that's the truth.
I'm sure that in the coming weeks, months, and years I'll be doing plenty of writing in my own words related to my son – but for now, while it's all still sinking in, I'll fall back on the words of others. If you have a son or have had one (or have been one), I'm sure you'll find much to relate to here. Enjoy!
1) "Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid – one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory." ~ Douglas MacArthur
2) "A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be. A father is someone who carries pictures where his money used to be." ~ Frank Howard Clark
3) "A man's desire for a son is usually nothing but the wish to duplicate himself in order that such a remarkable pattern may not be lost to the world." ~ Helen Rowland
4) "The sooner you treat your son as a man, the sooner he will be one." ~ John Dryden
5) "A good father believes that he does wisely to encourage enterprise, productive skill, prudent self-denial, and judicious expenditure on the part of his son." ~ William Graham Sumner
6) "Becoming a dad means you have to be a role model for your son and be someone he can look up to." ~ Wayne Rooney
7) "Don't wait to make your son a great man – make him a great boy." ~ Author Unknown
8) "When you teach your son, you teach your son's son." ~ The Talmud
9) "He who can be a good son will be a good father." ~ Author Unknown
10) "Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable." ~ Plato
11) "A boy is a magical creature – you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can’t lock him out of your heart. You can get him out of your study, but you can’t get him out of your mind. Might as well give up – he is your captor, your jailer, your boss and your master – a freckled-faced, pint-sized, cat-chasing bundle of noise. But when you come home at night with only the shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words – 'Hi, Dad!'" ~ Alan Beck
12) "Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood, we find a delightful creature of a boy." ~ Author Unknown
13) "Boys are meant for kisses and hugs, for watching rainbows and catching bugs, for sharing all of your favorite things, for books to read and songs to sing." ~ Author Unknown
14) "If I have a monument in this world, it is my son." ~ Maya Angelou
15) "It is a wise father that knows his own son." ~ William Shakespeare
16) "My son, watching you grow has been the delight of my life. I look at you and wonder what dreams you will dream, what mountains you will climb, what joys you will have. I know there will be tears and struggles as well, but my prayer is that you will grow into the man you are meant to be." ~ Author Unknown
17) "Our very own son, born not from our flesh, but born in our hearts, You were longed for and wanted and loved from the start. Conceived from a blessing sent straight from above, our very own son at last home to love." ~ Author Unknown
18) "Twinkle, twinkle, little boy, how you fill my heart with joy." ~ Melissa Kelsey
19) "What I see is just a glimpse of the man you'll be" ~ Susan Bales Dupre
20) "A boy is trust with dirt on its face, beauty with a cut on its finger, wisdom with bubble gum in its hair, and the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket." ~ Author Unknown
21) "Nobody knows what a boy is worth, we’ll have to wait and see – but every man in a noble place, a boy once used to be." ~ Author Unknown
22) "One small son to hug good night, one small son to grow up right, one small son with love to give, one small son to have fun with." ~ Author Unknown
23) "A wee bit of heaven drifted down from above. A handful of happiness, a heart full of love. The mystery of life, so sacred and sweet. The giver of joy, so deep and complete. Precious and priceless, so lovable, too. The world's sweetest miracle, baby, is you." ~ Helen Steiner Rice
24) "My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways." ~ Proverbs 23:26
25) "Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt." ~ Proverbs 27:11
