You know the drill!
First, the Monday Mission:
1. For me, breakfast usually consists of a bagel and cream cheese. And I wait until about 10AM to eat it, mostly to avoid eating a mid-morning snack. What do you like to eat for breakfast? Do you even eat breakfast? Instead of writin' everythin' out again, like, wow, I'll just link to my Friday Five question and answers on this topic, like totally, dude, ok? 
2. Back in 1990, I worked at a radio station in the Promotions Department. Our office was directly below the DJ booth. One day there was this thundering bass booming from upstairs. It was just a huge booming sound, with an amazing beat. My manager and I bolted out of the office and up the stairs to the production room. When we opened the door I was smacked in the body by a wall of sound. What I heard reminded me of "Super Freak" but the bass was thumping like I'd never heard before. Then the vocals began, it was a "rap" I would never forget: "My, my, my music hits me so hard, makes me say 'Oh, My Lord, thank you for blessin' me, with a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet.'" The song was MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" and it blew my mind. What was the song that "blew your mind" and is etched in your brain forever? Recall the moment and why it remains in your mind. "Hazard" by Richard Marx. I'm sure all my friends and regulars know by now that Richard Marx's music is such a big part of my life.
The first time I heard it, I couldn't give a flying fig about Richard and his music. Really. "Keep Coming Back" had annoyed me thanks to constant play on VH1 (
). Then, Richard was hosting a radio countdown on the radio one day 11 years ago () and played "Hazard." I didn't like it at first.
Then about week later, my mother was out and about town hunting down some bandanas for a Girl Scout function for her Junior troop. She was driving all over Fayetteville, NC/Spring Lake, NC to buy out the bandanas from the Family Dollar stores until she had enough for her troop.
We were in a part of Fayetteville we didn't really frequent and I did not want to be dragged out to another store. It was raining hard that day and I was tired of it. So, she let me stay in the car while she ran into the store. Nicki got tired in the store and she popped back into the car with me to kill time and listen to the radio. "Hazard" came on the radio again. I didn't really want to hear it but I turned it up to hear it over the raindrops. Something about the song clicked with me. My sister was intrigued by it, too. She asked me about it and I told her the name and who performed it.
This event happened over Spring Break from school that year and for that week, we were obsessed with the song. Had to watch the video. Had to hear the song. We stayed up one day for 24 hours just to see how many times a day we could here "Hazard" along with other songs such as "Tears In Haven" and "Saved The Best For Last."
After all the "Hazard" hype had died down and "Take This Heart" was released, I started to love Richard's music. She moved on to other things (like TLC). Yet, Nicki still has an affinity for "Hazard."
One day during the summer of 1993, we were out in around Fayetteville with my mother while she did some errands. The radio on and it was the all-request lunch hour. A lady called in saying she watned to hear a song but didn't know the title. "Can I sing it?" she asked. The DJ said sure. So, she starts singing "I swear I left her by the river…" Nicki, my mother, and I start screaming at the radio "HAZARD!" We were already at one of our destinations but we sat in the car with the A/C on in the hot summer to listen to that song on the radio. 
3. Do you like to gamble? Have you ever won (or lost) big? Not really.
4. Some people find comfort for their troubled mind in food. Others find it in music or books. What do you turn to for comfort when you are troubled or worried? Music, for the most part.
5. When was the last time you felt apathetic? What was it about? I thi
Posted by Shawn at February 17, 2003 11:20 AM in Monday Mission, Participation Positives.
Monday Mission:
1. For me, breakfast usually consists of a bagel and cream cheese. And I wait until about 10AM to eat it, mostly to avoid eating a mid-morning snack. What do you like to eat for breakfast? Do you even eat breakfast?
*Almonds. First I munch on almonds. Then, I drink my protein shake for athletes and I either have fruit or bread/waffle/english muffin with it.
2. Back in 1990, I worked at a radio station in the Promotions Department. Our office was directly below the DJ booth. One day there was this thundering bass booming from upstairs. It was just a huge booming sound, with an amazing beat. My manager and I bolted out of the office and up the stairs to the production room. When we opened the door I was smacked in the body by a wall of sound. What I heard reminded me of "Super Freak" but the bass was thumping like I'd never heard before. Then the vocals began, it was a "rap" I would never forget: "My, my, my music hits me so hard, makes me say 'Oh, My Lord, thank you for blessin' me, with a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet.'" The song was MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" and it blew my mind. What was the song that "blew your mind" and is etched in your brain forever?
*Bryan Adams' "[Everything I Do] I Do It For You"--the moment I heard that song in '91, it stayed in my Discman for over a month. The lyrics hit me hard as they summed up how I felt about someone.
3. Do you like to gamble? Have you ever won (or lost) big?
*I don't like gambling but I guess I sort of did that a couple of years ago. I was angry and self-destructive and would have a string of almost one night stands. I say "almost" because at the last minute, my conscience would kick in and I'd stop before it went too far. Each guy I did this to was understandably upset but respectful(and probably also terrified off rape accusations!). However, it could just as easily have gone terribly wrong.
4. Some people find comfort for their troubled mind in food. Others find it in music or books. What do you turn to for comfort when you are troubled or worried?
*running, specifically "Murder Hill"--my name for the steeper of two ramps at Stanford Stadium. I run up that 20 times. By the time I'm through, I'm dripping with sweat and I've forgotten what was troubling me. It's a miracle!
5. When was the last time you felt apathetic? What was it about?
*Um, by age 12 I'd given up on everything. I didn't care about anyone or anything(well, I loved animals). I'd been so hardened by everything I'd gone through by that point and knew it wasn't over for me. So I did everything I could to show I didn't care, which meant multiple visits to the principal's office. They didn't want a dead kid on their hands which they knew would happen if they called home about me so they just let me sit there every time I did something worthy of being sent to the office. They turned a blind eye to the blatant abuse--can you tell I'm still mad about that! To them, I wasn't even worth reporting to DCFS--but this was their way of justifying that they were at least showing some compassion. Oh the things I did in sixth grade...
Then I shaped up after meeting Doug and decided to not screw up my future. I didn't want him to think he liked a girl who did unspeakably awful things to all but one of her classmates in elementary school. The second time I was apathetic was in '98-2000 when I was completely reckless and gambled with my health (see question #3). I don't do that anymore!
I'm a whole lot stronger now.
6. I just read that Google bought Pyra Labs (Blogger.com). Although Blogging was going "mainstream" before this, it most certainly will now have greater exposure, and one assumes, bring us even more Bloggers. Is this a good thing?
*I dunno. I just like to say google! :lol: I don't know much about blogging. I mean, I had my live journal thing for a while which I deleted and I'm not too good at keeping up either one of my two Xangas. I thought I'd be better about it online than on a paper journal but I guess not.
7. What did you do with all your freetime before you blogged?
*Seeing as I don't blog all that much to begin with, I do what I've always done: run/bike/play/make people laugh! I do like to visit the blog of one very fine gal whose name happens to be Shawn. And I should really answer these memes in my own blog but I'm too lazy.
BONUS: Should I stay or should I go now?
*By all means, stay but for heaven's sake, the bathroom's down the hall!
