Coopernundrums » Bio

Birthday 1973, A True Story

JayCooper — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 06:04:38 +0000

The time between birth and death is what we have, however long or short. How we spend that time and what we do with that time defines us. It defines us differently to different people. The hero of a revolution is a dastardly traitor to those displaced by said revolution. As we get older, the reminders of our own personal, inescapable, mortality become more frequent and more intrusive. An old injury that starts hurting again or Joints that stiffen more quickly, and loosen more slowly creep up and make us aware. One would think that the unexpected should become more expected the longer we live. Birthdays have a strange way of doing all this and more.

I always like to post some remembrances on my birthday that make me happy and make me think. I hope they make you think about all the time that has gone by since you were born. Many wonderful things have happened in our lives. We should cherish and remember them good or bad.

In 1973

The Dow Jones Industrial closed with a yearly average of 850.

The average cost of a new house was only 32,500.00 dollars.

The average income per year was 12,900.00 dollars.

A dozen eggs was only 45 cents on average.

The one time tallest building in the world, the Willis Tower also known commonly as the Sears Tower opened in Chicago.

The IBM UPC code standard is established, commonly known as the Barcode.

Robust modern optical fiber was invented by Gerhard Bernsee of Schott Glass in Germany.

Popular TV shows were: The Odd Couple, The Partridge Family, Columbo, Masterpiece Theatre, McMillan and Wife, M*A*S*H, Sanford and Son, The Bob Newhart Show, The Price Is Right, and The Waltons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgCxCZNkQ9E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTjQO163P2E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrQywvLAwVs

June 9th 1993

JayCooper — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:10:14 +0000

The summer of 1993 was a wonderful time for me. Having finished high school the year before this was the first real summer spent knowing I did not have to go back to school if I didn’t want to. I worked almost my entire high school career so working my job was no big deal. It would have been just another part of life had it not been for the friends I made at my job. One friend in particular made my job almost magical.

I will be the first to admit that I was never an upwardly mobile career oriented guy. I was, and am still pretty laid back in terms of my job and the whole career path thing. I was pretty content back then getting up each day and working my job without much care for the road my life would take. That’s not to say I did not have some plans for the future. My mind often wandered towards thinking about where I might be in 5 or ten years. I guess I was odd in the fact that I didn’t really party or hang out with the so-called fun crowd. I was also a late bloomer in that I wasn’t really interested in relationships with women. That’s not to say I didn’t have natural thoughts and desires but I just never actively pursued them. That’s why it was such a magical surprise that while doing my job I crossed paths with someone who piqued my interest at a very deep level.

When Laura and I met it was not love at first sight. On the contrary, it was more like a “do what I say and we will get along just fine” type of meeting. You see, we both worked at opposite ends of the daily schedule and as anyone that has worked in a restaurant environment can tell you, that amounts to almost two totally different jobs. They were similar, but altogether VERY different as well. I was making the transition from my time zone, nights, to her time zone, early mornings. This meant I was sort of invading her space. She was comfortable and commanded quite a bit of respect because of her knowledge of the job and skills at doing it. I was the new egg. That’s why I did my best to defer to her as I worked to get used to my new duties.

She was pleasant and fun to work with but she was older than I was and I was not much of a dating guy so it was a real surprise when she asked me if I wanted to go have dinner. She was wickedly smart and funny and I wanted to get to know her better so I accepted. Once again in a non-fairy-tale way, I can’t say we had everything in common. In fact, we were on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of movies we liked, activities we enjoyed, politics, and money matters and so on. We did have a lot in common in terms of our beliefs about religion, life and family and what it means to come from distressed homes. We both had similar uneasy childhoods so we shared that. Most importantly she has a huge heart and is a

wonderful mother. She brought a sparkle into my life that it is tough to describe. Her son Adam was a joy and being with them made me feel whole in a way I had not felt before. I fell for her and as the cliché’ goes, the rest is history.

All relationships suffer from high and low points. We have had our share. We are still together today 18 years later. She has given me support, nurturing, love attention and three beautiful children and not the least of which 18 years of her life that I can never thank her enough for. I am not the man I was 18 years ago. I am who I am today largely in part to her patience, understanding, love and guidance. I have never met anyone like her before and I am very happy to say, never since. She is my world, my universe, my rock and my love all rolled into one. She is everything to me.

Honey, when you read this know that I look forward to spending another 18 and more years with you. I have always tried to be a good man, father and husband. I could not do it without you. I love you more than words can express and am forever glad and grateful that you came into my life 18 years ago today. Happy anniversary darling.

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Wrestling Geek

JayCooper — Sat, 21 May 2011 03:35:03 +0000

I think part of southern living is to love professional wrestling. As a kid my mother was a huge fan of wrestling and often went out to matches and had a lot of pictures and autographs. I wasn’t really into the sport but my brother was. He and my nephews still enjoy it. The news today that a pretty popular former pro wrestler that I had met several times really saddened me. Iin honer of my Mom and Brother I wanted to post a bunch of my favorite wrestlers then and how they look now. I started writing this post quite a while ago. Sadly, one of the wrestlers that will be pictured here is not with us any more. The rest, in order to make my list had to be alive now. Can you tell which is “then” and “now”? Check them out and I hope you enjoy. I know I did.

This is a great resource for people like myself that would love to relive the past. I should warn you though, its very sad in some ways.

http://www.deadwrestlers.net/

R.I.P. Randy Macho Man Savage 2011

15 Directors that Made me Who I am.

JayCooper — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 02:29:35 +0000

I am not just a computer geek but I am a geek on many levels. I am a beer geek, a music geek, a high-definition geek, a book geek, and I finally a movie geek. Lately I have been admiring the folks that bring the movies I love to life. The great Sidney Lumet’s passing made me realize how these films and the men that made them affected my life. I decided to make a list, not of the world’s most influential directors, but instead, a list of the directors that have most influenced my life. Mr. Lumet did not make my list I am sad to say but I will forever remember many of his movies. The list is limited to 15 for brevity’s sake and these are in order of least influential to most. While I do invite all comments, please realize this is not a “best ever” list but instead a list based on my life and opinions.

#15 Rob Reiner

This is Spinal Tap
When Harry met Sally
The Princess Bride
A Few Good Men
Stand by Me
Throw Momma from the Train
Misery

When I was researching this list I almost fell out of my chair because I, to my surprise, did not realize how many fo Rob’s movies have affected me. Just out of high school I can vividly remember watching this This is Spinal Tap. I quote The Princess Bride almost daily. I have a strange unnerving fear of cast iron frying pans thanks to Throw Momma from the Train. I wont even get into how bad my ankles hurt any time I see Kathy Bates now. This guy definitely influenced my life.

…

#14 Peter Jackson

Dead Alive
Bad Taste
The Frighteners
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
King Kong

How does a guy get from making strange, amazing, horror comedies to making the Lord of the Rings. I remember watching Bad Taste and Dead Alive.They freaked me out as a teenager. The grand, epic scope of the Lord of the Rings films makes Jackson a director I can relate to. I must be one of the few people on the planet that loved his King Kong remake.

…

#13 Alfred Hitchcock

Rear Window
The Birds
Vertigo
Psycho

I can thank Mr. Hitchcock for introducing me to one of my favorite film genres, Horror. Psycho will for me, like many, always make taking a shower interesting. The Birds and The Rear Window are also favs of mine. You have to watch those crazy taxidermists right?

…

#12 David Cronenberg

Videodrome
The Incredible Melting man
Scanners
Naked Lunch
M. Butterfly
The Fly
Eastern Promises

This guy taught me to have a strong stomach. he also showed me the joys of seeing things that you just can’t believe. The master of “Body Horror” I cant go more than a week without sitting transfixed watching one of Cronenberg’s movies.

…

#11 David Lynch

Eraserhead
Blue Velvet
The Elephant Man
Dune

This guy made the list for two reasons. I watched the Elephant man when I was a young adult after I read some things about the person the movie was based on. I was mesmerized by the direction and, of course the acting. This movie made me understand that I had and continue to have a LOT to be thankful for. Dune on the other hand was a wildly fantastical Sci-Fi Epic that it took me 4 viewings to fully understand, but once I did the richness of the movie and the direction sticks with me even now.

…

# 10 Clint Eastwood

High Plains Drifter
Sudden Impact
Pale Rider
Heartbreak Ridge
Unforgiven
Million Dollar Baby
Letters from Iwo Jima
Gan Torino

I am pretty jazzed that in my lifetime I have been able to enjoy Clint as both an amazing actor and more recently a timely director. His movies about the west were my introduction to the western and his direction of Pale Rider and Unforgiven made me realize he was a master of both crafts.

…

#9 Martin Scorsese

Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Goodfellas
Cape Fear
Gangs of New York
Aviator
The Departed

Scorsese films showed me the seedy and often mentally off sides of life. I can still relate to these touched individuals thanks to the brilliant direction given. I remember his films teaching me that odd is OK and for a geek that means a lot.

…

#8 Ridley Scott

The Duelists
Alien
Blade Runner
Legend
Gladiator
Kingdom of Heaven
Robin Hood

What can I say about this man? His films are both prolific and relevant. Ridley showed me both as a youth and as an adult that storytelling is without a doubt NOT a lost art form. I can VIVIDLY remember how scared I was while I watched Alien, how transfixed I was watching Blade Runner, and how amazed at the imagery that existed in Legend. I STILL to this day watch all these movies over and over and find new things every time.

…

#7 Terry Gilliam

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Time Bandits
Brazil
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Fisher King
12 Monkeys

I am a huge Monty Python fan. Lets face it British humor is something you either get or you don’t, but Terry’s films take that quirky oddness to a whole different level. His movies brought fascination and silliness into my life at a time when I needed it. I will forever think of how many times I watched Time Bandits to try to understand it. Now that I get it I LOVE IT. That’s really the way it is with all these films.

…

#6 Tim Burton

Beetlejuice
Edward Scissor Hands
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Batman
Batman Returns

Burton ranks pretty high on this list because of my connection to him as an artist. Being an illustrator first and a computer jockey second I can totally relate to hos he fell into film making. I have grown up watching Tim’s progress from obscure artistic interpretations, to comedies and then darker fare. I will always see him when i discuss dark thought-provoking films.

…

# 5 John Carpenter

Assault on Precinct 13
Halloween Series
The Thing
The Fog
Escape from New York
Star Man
Big Trouble in Little China
Prince of Darkness
They Live
Vampires
Villiage of the Damned

Carpenter is one of my all time favorite directors. The list of his movies that I would happily re watch any time is filled with his films. It does not just stop at his directorial works but his soundtrack talents as well. I attribute my love of synth music to him.

#4 Mel Brooks

Blazing Saddles
Young Frankenstein
History of the World Part 1
Spaceballs
Life Stinks
Robin Hood Men in Tights

Mel Brooks is a master of the spoof comedy. When I feel the worst in my life I can ALWAYS flip on one of his films and laugh my blues away. The dialog of his films while humorous is also clever and smart. His films make me feel good and I love to share my love of his movies with others. Sharing them with my kids for the first time I think is one of the greatest moments I ever had as a father.

…

#3 Stanley Kubrik

Spartacus
Dr. Strangelove
2001 A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
Eyes Wide Shut

Kubrik’s amazing attention to detail in his films and his tremendous eye for camera work is what I attribute as one of the driving factors in my overall love of film. Spartacus is an amazing film even after all these years. A clockwork Orange not only made me think about the future but feel it. 2001 is a movie that is as brilliant in execution as it is to look at. Kubrik is definitely one of the greatest of filmmakers of all time and one of my favorites too.

…

#2 George Lucas

THX 1138
American Graffiti
Star Wars series

Now I know what you’re saying, this guy is not a really great director. Well, that may be true, but I cannot deny that the films Lucas has directed have influenced my life’s fiber in almost every way. I grew up living and breathing Star Wars. I had toys. I ate branded Happy Meals. I drank out of emblazoned glasses. I wore clothes with images from the films. There is not one aspect of my childhood and now my adult life that I can not reference some Star Wars films in. Nuff Said.

…

#1 Steven Spielberg

Jaws
Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind
1941
Raiders of the Lost Ark Series
E.T.
Twilight Zone
The Color Purple
Empire of the Sun
A.I.
Hook
Jurassic Park
Saving Private Ryan
Minority Report
AND ON AND ON

What Can I say? Spielberg is number one on my list for the most part due to his huge confluence of films and the sheer number of them. I have enjoyed is films over the course of my entire life. I can almost note a film of his that I love for every year or so since I started watching movies. I can quote lines from almost all his films. I know trivia and details about his films that would blow your mind. The fact that his movies stand the test of time coupled with the fact that he is STILL making movies blows my mind. Of all the directors I know of he fits MY definition of what a director is better than any other. I want to know all the movies he has ever made.

…so that’s my list. If you read through all that then I applaud you. I almost did not think I would finish this as it turned out to be a MUCH larger task than I anticipated. Cheers.

I am Truly a Dick

JayCooper — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:44:48 +0000

I have never liked my name. It’s always been a source of angst for me. My true first name is Richard which, much to the amusement of many is often interpreted as DICK. My wife asked me the other day how the name Dick came to be used in place of Richard, so I had to look it up. Here is what I found.

The name Richard is very old. Old English had Richeard, from Ric (ruler) and heard (hard); French had Richart, and Old German had Ricohard.

When the Normans invaded England in 1066 they transformed politics, religion, society and language. They brought their large stock of French-Germanic names to mix with the Old English. The native Anglo-Saxons (now the lower classes) faced with an unfamiliar language with strange pronunciations. Often, they were uncomfortable with the Norman “R” found in names like Richard, Roger, and Robert, and Henry/Harry. In those days, manuscripts, letters, and more were written by hand; it was therefore common and easier to use agreed-upon abbreviations. “Rich” was used for “Richer” and “Ric.” for “Richard” or “Ricard.”

Psychologists suggest that most nick names originate from children addressing one another. Think about the sounds that many English-speaking children, to this day, have trouble pronouncing. The letter “R” as well as other sounds are often switched for an L or a D or dropped altogether. Robert gave up the nicknames Rob, but also Dob, Hob, Nob, and later, Bob. And Richard gave up the nicknames Rick, but also Dick and Hick, while Roger clocks in with Rodge, Dodge and Hodge

The name Dick (like the name Jack) was used colloquially to mean a man or everyman. The expression “every Tom, Dick, or Harry” attests to this as a long-established usage. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a dick as meaning a type of hard cheese in 1847, which lead to the usage of “spotted dick” The term “dick” was also used to mean a riding whip, an apron, the mound around a ditch, and an abbreviation for “dictionary” around 1860. Dick has also been used to mean a declaration, in which sense the OED cites someone writing in 1878 “I’d take my dying dick” to mean “I’d swear a dying declaration.” The term “dick” more popularly came to mean policeman around 1908, and then detective.

And we finally get to where you started. The use of “dick” as coarse slang for penis first arises around 1890. Tracking the history of uncouth words is not easy, since such expressions were not generally written down. How “dick” came to be associated with penis is not known, although the riding whip may have pointed the way.

Now you can truly say you know a lot about Dick. Aren’t you proud?

Names We Should Really Stop Using

1973 a Year in Review

JayCooper — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 03:54:57 +0000

Well, it’s my birthday on November the 13^th. I always find myself looking to the past when my birthday rolls around. I was born in 1973. I personally have never really looked into the events of my birth year so I thought I would research a bit and share my findings. Turns out it was a rather amazing year and not just because I was born. Here is the list of factoids I discovered.

Some of my favorite movies were released in 1973.

The classic Horror movie The Exorcist

Enter the Dragon starring Bruce Lee

George Lucas’s first film American Graffiti

The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford

Some of the events of 1973 really surprised me.

The first part of the ill-fated first space station Skylab was launched into orbit

The Watergate Scandal caused Richard Nixon to resign the presidency

The Roe vs. Wade Supreme court decision made abortion legal

The World Trade Center opened in New York

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency is created.

The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list of known mental disorders

A lot of great music was released in ’73.

Pink Floyd released their Landmark Album Dark Side of the moon

Elvis performed his Aloha in Hawaii concert

Aerosmith released their debut album Aerosmith

Kiss performs their first concert, at the Coventary Club in Queens

Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells becomes the first release on Richard Branson’s newly-launched Virgin label

The Who release Quadrophenia

Brothers Malcolm and Angus Young perform as AC/DC at the former Sydney nightclub ‘Chequers’ for their New Year’s Eve party

We lost some pretty important people passed away.

Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973

Betty Grable, 1916-1973

Bruce Lee, 1940-1973

Lon Chaney Jr., 1906-1973

J.R.R. Tolkien, 1892-1973

Jim Croce, 1943-1973

David “Stringbean” Akeman, 1916-1973

Lyndon B. Johnson, 1908-1973

Quite a few New Faces, aside from mine, decided to make an appearance.

Oscar de la Hoya, American boxer born Feb 4^th

Steve McNair, American football player Feb 14^th

David Blaine, American magician April 4^th

Carson Daly, American talk show host June 22^nd

Monica Lewinsky, American former White House intern July 23^rd

Seth MacFarlane, American animator and voice actor, Oct 26^th

Terrell Owens, American football player, Dec 7^th

Seth Meyers, American actor and comedian, Dec 28^th

Well, now I feel like I know a bit more about the year I was born. Hopefully you found that reading this was as enjoyable as it was for me to write it. Until next year!