Top Ten WWII Movies

My ten favorite WWII films

1. Life is Beautiful
   Probably the most touching movie I have ever seen and also the most likely to make you cry. This is an all around fantastic film that everyone should love. It is a foreign film and is subtitled throughout but you barely notice. This movie inspires me.
   
   
   
2. Schindler's List
   Perhaps the definitive WWII movie. An artistic masterpiece from Steven Spielberg.
   
   
   
3. Saving Private Ryan
   Another amazing film from Steven Spielberg. A great story full of action and lots of appearances from big stars.
   
   
   
4. The Scarlet and the Black
   Solid performance from Gregory Peck in a thrilling story about the Vatican during the second world war.
   
   
   
5. I Am David
   Brilliant story that is adventurous while at the same time deeply touching. About a boy traversing Europe alone in search of his mother.
   
   
   
6. The Best Years of Our Lives
   Well written film detailing the trials and challenges endured by WWII soldiers as they return home from the war. Recommended by the WWII veterans and experts I know as you can read about on Larry Martin's blog.
   
   
   
7. Saints and Soldiers
   Lesser know film about some WWII soldiers lost in enemy territory. Great story with really good characters.
   
   
   
8. The Bridge on the River Kwai
   Excellent work from Alec Guinness, as usual on this great tale of british soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese.
   
   
   
9. Inglorious Basterds
   Quentin Tarantino plays with history in a comical romp about a troupe of Nazi killers who assassinate Hitler. B.J. Novak even has a small role.
   
   
   
10. The Fighting Seabees
    This is actually a really good movie starring John Wayne that I may never have seen if my dad had not been a Seabee for almost 20 years.
    
    

I hope you all enjoyed this list. Please feel free to share your own favorite WWII films below.

Thanksgiving and Songwriting

Today we hosted Thanksgiving for the first time. It was a very enjoyable experience and I am glad we were able to. We did not have a large number of guests but it was still very nice and we felt privileged all the same.

Right now, I am home alone while my wife is working overnight at Target for their huge Black Friday shebang. Kinda lonesome here. I believe this will make the third or fourth night apart for us since we have been married. Don't really like it.

Ash actually likes working Black Friday but it is taxing. Tomorrow we are going to the fam's house for further festivities and she will be doing it on no sleep. She says she will be fine but I remember what that was like, working a third shift and then going straight into some activity the next day without sleeping. I did that before when I was working two jobs for a while. Occasionally had to work an overnight at the gas station and then go to the library first thing in the morning. It is not very easy to do.

Just wrote another song. I do pretty much every time I pick up the guitar for longer than 2 minutes lately (which averages around 2 or 3 times a month). It sounds alright but I think it is a little sad which is unusual for my music. It just came out that way I guess. Probably won't keep it. 90% of the songs I write I just end up throwing away or forgetting. In a way, I don't really mind that. For a long time I struggled with that. Anytime I wrote something that sounded even remotely like a song, I would have to write it down and practice it and never forget it. But eventually I began thinking very differently. I learned that my greatest goal wasn't just to write some good songs. My goal was to become a songwriter. Someone who could sit down with the guitar or piano or whatever and write a song every time. Now, instead of clinging to every piece I write, I find a strange pleasure in writing songs and throwing them away. Each time I do, I bolster my confidence that the next time I sit down to write I will create another song and it will be better. Today I have written probably hundreds of songs and kept less than fifty. Probably less than thirty of those I have actually played for someone and less than a dozen I think I have performed before an audience. Anyway, I don't know why I am writing about this. I started writing about the great holiday and then.....whatever.

I guess that is all. Oh, I think I will leave a link here to the recent article about George and I performing at Cuppa for those who have not seen it. It was nice and I recommend anyone who can make an effort to swing by there sometime for some great coffee and some cool performances.

Homework and Today's Playlist

Jamming out some major homework now. Ridiculously long assignment for my global marketing class. Pretty lame. I mean, seriously this is global marketing. Not like I'm Gabe doing his crazy nursing stuff or going into chemical engineering. Jeez.....

The homework today is uniquely accompanied by rap hits from 10 years ago. When I was 14 and thought I was destined to play in the NBA I really dug the rap stuff. Now, a decade later, some of these ridiculous songs actually sound pretty good to me. Those who know me, understand how silly that is. Anyway, here is my currently playing playlist:

Welcome To Atlanta - Jermaine Dupri featuring Ludacris
Country Grammar - Nelly
Always on Time - Ja Rule
Rollout - Ludacris
E.I. - Nelly
Ride With Me - Nelly
Never Again - Ja Rule
Saturday - Ludacris
Batter Up - Nelly
Livin' It Up - Ja Rule


So....yeah. Weird, I know. But it sure is bouncing.

Top 10 Modern Rock Bands

My criteria for this list is that the band peaked in popularity post 2000 at least and are still going. But these are the bands I like the most who have rocked this most recent decade.

10. Fuel

Ever since I got their Natural Selection album I was a huge Fuel fan. They have so many great songs and some cool videos too. I still love "I Won't Back Down" and "Hemorrhage".
Favorite song: Quarter

9. Stone Sour

Some of the guys from Slipknot came together to make an almost equally awesome rock band with a more mainstream sound. Plenty of heavy jams, but also some lighter songs like "Through Glass" and "Bother". Check Stone Sour out for sure.
Favorite song: Through Glass

8. Breaking Benjamin

Consistently awesome. Of all the bands on this list, these guys are the most popular with the girls I know. They have something for everyone.
Favorite song: Breathe

7. Slipknot

These guys on the other hand don't really have something for everyone. But they do kick out some pretty amazing rock tunes. Subliminal Verses Vol. 2 was one of the most legendary rock albums I have ever heard.
Favorite song: Duality


6. System of a Down

Got into these guys a long time ago and they introduced me things I had never heard before. Profoundly influential on me, System of a Down has been one band that has not made enough records. Everything they make is so awesome and I deeply wish they would make more.
Favorite song: Lonely Day


5. Audioslave

Two awesome bands from the '90s (Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine) came together to form this killer rock group. They have something for all of my moods.
Favorite song: Cochise


4. Seether

This band REALLY knows how to rock and roll. They are incapable of making stuff that isn't amazing. Gosh, I wish I could see them live.....
Favorite song: Fine Again


3. Avenged Sevenfold

Waking the Fallen was a life-changing album for me. That CD is an absolute masterpiece which I would compare sooner to the works of Bach then Black Sabbath. It is intense, beautiful, melodic, talent-driven art from start to finish. I guess their other albums are alright too. Not quite the same level though. I prefer everything before City of Evil, personally.
Favorite song: Unholy Confessions

2. The White Stripes

Holy living animal crackers, has there ever been a more amazing duo in the history of music? Jack White is singlehandedly changing the world of music and is one of my biggest influences. Elephant is one of the greatest albums ever made, without question. It is the complete package.
Favorite song: Ball and Biscuit

1. Chevelle

These.....guys.....ROCK!! Every single song is absolutely incredible and I can listen to every album straight through repeatedly. No one sounds like them either. Chevelle is totally unique.
Favorite song: The Clincher

Each of these bands is worth checking out. They continue to prove that not all great music is behind us and it is still possible to ROCK! I would also love if you would share in the comments some of the bands I am sure I missed or that you think deserve to be on this list.

Today's Playlist

Here are the cool jams on my playlist for today:

Mumford and Sons - Feel the Tide
Sleeper Agent - Get it Daddy
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Damn Regrets
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Weezer - Buddy Holly
Bush - Machinehead
Ludacris - Welcome to Atlanta
Cranberries - Zombie

What is on your playlist?

10 Ways to SEO Your Blog Posts

10 easy steps to target organic searches with your blog posts

Search Engine Optimization is the process of getting your content to rank higher in online search results. Research indicates online search is one of the primary sources people today use for obtaining information and also that people do not tend to go very deep in the search results. This means that ranking higher in those results maximizes the chances of your content being clicked on and getting the attention you want.

Why use a blog for SEO?

Creating unique content is essential to getting any attention in search results. For this reason, many people and companies use a blog so new articles, reviews, updates and other content can be continuously added to increase online exposure. This is one of the best tools for targeting online searches. You can keep on top of what is going on in your industry and contribute related content that your community will value. This sort of marketing is becoming increasingly prominent. Creating content that will educate, inform, entertain and benefit your community is quickly becoming one of the best possible ways to gain exposure and grow your business.

Now getting the rankings you want is no easy task. Depending on your industry and topic, there could be thousands of other people trying to compete for the same search. However, there is still a lot you can do to improve your standings and get the best possible results. Here are 10 great ways to search engine optimize your blog posts:

1. Research your keywords.

   Google AdWords Keyword Tool is awesome for looking at the number of monthly searches for a given keyword and also tells you the results for a long list of related searches. In addition to that it shows you the relative competition for the keyword as well so you can determine the best phrasing of the search and what topics might be worth focusing on.

2. Page title.

   The most significant place for a keyword to be placed is in the title of the page. This tells search engines (and users) what the page is about. Each page title on your site should be unique and should accurately describe the page content.

3. Page URL.

   The page link should be descriptive as well. This is usually some setting in the backend of your blog. I know Blogger and WordPress have settings for permalinks that can be configured easily. The link should include the title of the post and not lengthy strings of meaningless characters.

4. Post title.

   Remember your research from step 1 and write a descriptive title for your blog post. Include the keyword or phrase you are targeting while at the same time making it appealing to potential readers and accurately reflecting the post content.
5. Post headings.The headings break up your posts into sections and describe the content that is to follow. These serve to inform both users and search engines what the content is about and are also an important an important place to put descriptive, targeted keywords.
   
   

6. Post sub-headings.

   One of the best things you can do to SEO your blog is remember to use good sub-headings. Sub-headings should also be used continuously throughout your posts to both enhance the readability for users and insert different keyword phrases. In this post I used a heading below the post title, a sub-heading before the 2nd paragraph and smaller sub-headings for each numbered item on this list.

7. In text content.

   While keyword density used to be a pretty big deal, it is not nearly as important anymore. However, it is crucial that whatever you have described in the other steps is reflected in the text. Use keywords, just not excessively. Focus mostly on making readable, interesting content.

8. Images.

   Original photos with captions, descriptions and alt text make your content more pleasing to readers and give you one more opportunity to insert keywords. Plus you can target image searches as well.

9. Video.

   Original videos rank very well on their own in searches and do a lot to enhance your posts. It adds another useful element for the viewer (I keep emphasizing this for a reason) and it is one more thing that can have titles and tags with keywords. Here is an example of placing a related video in your blog post. This is a short video from Matt Cutts describing common problems with article marketing and stressing the importance of creating original content that will spread organically.
   

10. Keep posting.

    One post about fly fishing on a graphic design blog will not be given the same value as a post about fly fishing on a fly fishing blog. Continue writing posts about your topic and industry and your entire blog will begin seeing improved results. Plus, as you create related posts you can take the opportunity to reference your other posts with links and give your readers as much information as they need.

Remember to always keep in mind the readability for your viewers and include as much useful information as you can gather. Great content will naturally get more attention, these tips are merely intended to help.

I hope you find my tips helpful. Keep checking back here for more and feel free to suggest more topics that I could blog about.