Again with the questions...

Once upon a time, a Buffalo Blogger answered five questions. In turn, he offered five questions to anyone willing to answer. I was one of the willing. Those who answered correctly gained super magical powers, and sailed into the west. Well, I'm still sitting here, but the kindly Buffalo Blogger has offered a second chance, so here it goes.


1. Name three things that are either cooler or better in Des Moines than the Twin Cities.

Traffic. While I have been largely able to avoid the Minneapolis rush-hour headaches (buying a house fairly near work, the hours that I work etc.) the times I do have to deal with traffic suck.

Lower cost of living. Especially housing. For what we paid for our house, we would have been able to buy a much larger house in Des Moines. Although working in television, what I earn would be significantly less in Des Moines. Whaddaya gonna do?

I guess that a third would be that it is quicker to get out of town to some good twisty motorcycle roads. Boy, that was tough coming up with three...

2. Here's a hypothetical near-and-dear to Bills fans, adjusted for you. God presents you, a Vikings fan, with this choice: the Vikings will either go to the next five consecutive Super Bowls and lose them all, or they will win the Super Bowl next year and go 1-15 each year after that. Which would you rather happen?

Definitely go to the next five and lose. That would provide five great, exciting seasons, capped with a let down that personally I would not find all that disappointing. I would be much more disappointed by one 1-15 season than a string of Super Bowl Losses, let alone four 1-15 seasons. Of course my opinion might change by that fourth Super Bowl loss...

3. You win an one-week, all-expenses paid vacation to your choice of destination within one of the following states: Nebraska, Montana, Delaware, Maine, Alabama, and South Dakota. Where do you go?

Since you left Alaska off the list (which would have made this the obvious choice), I'll take Maine. The Down East/Acadia region. Rent a motorcycle for a little self guided coastal tour, do some whale watching and just general taking in the sights, breathing the salt air, and take rolls and rolls of photos.

4. A few years ago, the American Film Institute came out with its list of the 100 Greatest American Movies, which can be read here. What is the highest ranking film on this list that you hate and would be perfectly happy never seeing again in your life?

This is a tough one. There are some truly great films on the list, and some that are highly over-rated. There are also quite a few that I haven't seen. I'm not sure if there is one on there that I have seen all the way through, and truly, deeply hate. The highest ranking is at number 55, The Sound of Music. Not a fan, but I wouldn't say that I hate it. It is the highest ranking, at 55, and I really don't care if I were to ever see it again. Now, move down the list to number 71 and you have Forest Gump. Blech. Highly over-rated, and I would even say I highly dislike it, maybe even mildly hate it. But number 72... At number 72 you have Ben-Hur. I must admit I have never seen it all the way through, but I have seen large portions of it, and I have hated nearly every bit of it. The epic scale of the movie is impressive. The sets, action sequences etc. are all finely done, but the dialogue and acting are abhorrent. It makes me want to drive ice picks into my ears. I cannot comment on the score, as I have never watched long enough to get a good sense of it (maybe Jaquandor has some insight here), but not even the best score could save this film for me. So, I would have to say that Ben-Hur is the winner.

5. Did Yoko really kill the Beatles?

No. So far Mark David Chapman, and cigarettes... Oh, you mean cause the end of the group. No. She may have been a contributing factor, but there were so many other issues building to a head, starting around the time of Magical Mystery Tour, that the end was unavoidable. On the upside, all of this turmoil gave us some of the greatest popular music ever.

Now, anyone who wants to answer five questions from me, just ask. I dare you.