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Crank

crankracing

About Me



My Interests

Writing, music, auto racing, American rules football, computer-related geekism, and spending time with my kids.

I'd like to meet:

Everyone's got their own vantage point of the Universe, which means each person has a completely different story to tell than the person before. Knowing that, I'm up for meeting anybody and everybody.

Music:

I tend to like tunes that are energetic and have a bit of complexity to them, but I'll listen to whatever sounds good to my ears at the time. I've noticed that, the older I get, the more I gravitate towards aggression in music.

Pity the hip-hop fanatic sitting at a traffic light when I roll up...!

Movies:

I don't get out to the theater that much, so I've turned into a Netflix addict.

Television:

Science fiction, sports, racing of just about any type, educational, and an occasional animee.

Books:

Yes.
ROCK
Killswitch Engage members Adam D. and Howard preview their own album, "As Daylight Dies."
A video blast from the past...Kansas - "The Pinnacle"
A great Kansas song, and probably one of my favorite song endings of all time!

...and while we're on the subject of Kansas...!
A talented young organist rocks out to "Carry On Wayward Son"

A percussion battle, from the movie "Drumline"
An abbreviated version of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie opener. I'd like to see theaters play this before every movie they show!
What metal band are you?
Opeth
You are Opeth! You are very poetic with your lyrics, and your music flows like a waterfall. Your emotions change from angry to sad very quickly. Some people don't like you because you can sound too depressing. You're one of the best metal bands in the world, and you worship your fans!
Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.
What genre of Metal are you?
Progressive Metal
Bands like Zero Hour, Watchtower, Dream Theater, and Fates Warning. Music is: Incredibly technical and virtuosic; only for the most talented of metal musicians. You have gifts and skills that others envy and therefore aspire to obtain and/or overshadow. You love the chance to show off and impress others, but you never lose sight of the goal. Why do something simply when you can do it over-the-top?!?
Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.
RACING
Tough Corner In Rally Car Race
My second favorite Daytona 500 finish of all time (2007)...
...this is my favorite. From 1976...
My favorite NASCAR finish of all time...Ricky Craven vs. Kurt Busch at Darlington!
IKEDA Motorsports
New Jersey Posse Racing
w RITING
What kind of writer should you be? You Should Be a Science Fiction Writer Your ideas are very strange, and people often wonder what planet you're from.
And while you may have some problems being "normal," you'll have no problems writing sci-fi.
Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics...
Your own little universe could leave an important mark on the world!
Gee...there's a surprise. :{)
Author Kevin J. Anderson has posted "Kevin’s Eleven: Eleven Tips to Increase Your Writing Productivity" on his MySpace blog.
TIP #1: SHUT UP AND WRITE!
TIP #2: DEFY THE EMPTY PAGE
TIP #3: DARE TO BE BAD (AT FIRST)
TIP #4: WORK ON DIFFERENT PROJECTS AT THE SAME TIME
TIP #5: KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WRITING AND EDITING
TIP #6: USE EVERY MINUTE
TIP #7: SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF -- AND STICK TO THEM
TIP #8: CREATE THE BEST WRITING ENVIRONMENT FOR YOURSELF
TIP #9: THINK OUTSIDE THE KEYBOARD
TIP #10: GET INSPIRED!
TIP #11: KNOW WHEN TO STOP
I also stumbled across another excellent writer's resource, hosted by author Orson Scott Card: Uncle Orson's Writing Class
Authors On The Rise
TWC Writers, Readers and Friends

My Blog

Playoff Beard

You know a unique sports behavior is good when its practice expands beyond that of the originators.  A stock car driver and his team once celebrated a win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by ki...
Posted by Crank on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:09:00 PST

Conflictual Mindsets

My impatient mindset looked at the seemingly sluggish progress I've been making on my young adult music novel, and ask the question: "What's taking so long?" My relaxed mindset heard this question, an...
Posted by Crank on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:13:00 PST

Keep Moving and Hear the Music

  When's the last time I sat down and listened to an entire album from start to finish without interruption? Pre-kids, probably. Actually, I think it was pre-college. Nope.  Pre-working-for...
Posted by Crank on Mon, 14 May 2007 08:57:00 PST

Wordsmith-esque Sampler

"Step Into The Pain" For all the suffering we condoneOur tendency to shun what we've not known Current life spends no energy, nothing to walk towardsDiscomfort and despair remain, and you've still no ...
Posted by Crank on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:15:00 PST

Master Plan (part one)

Part One: Acquire a bass guitar Done. Last Friday, I purchased a Rogue (never heard of that brand until that day) 5-string bass. Hey...it's a start. I've only played a 4-string bass before this, so I'...
Posted by Crank on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:30:00 PST

Miscellmusicaneousoverture

Before there was metal in my life, there was prog.  Between them, there was prog metal.  Apparently, I'm tripping back to that time, because I've got two Dream Theater discs in my truck's CD...
Posted by Crank on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:33:00 PST

Misplaced Survey

This MySpace-inspired survey was sent to me several weeks ago.  I filled it out almost immediately, but, with the way things in my life move and shift, the survey got pushed to the back burner.&n...
Posted by Crank on Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:33:00 PST

The Unfriendly and the Way Too Familiar

A Rush fanatic friend of mine recently posted a photo of a store receipt from a recent purchase she made. Didn't seem that big of a deal. Except, her total came to $21.12. Rush fans everywhere are smi...
Posted by Crank on Thu, 03 May 2007 08:59:00 PST

A Prayer of Sorts

At times like these, it's always good to draw yourself closer to what it is you believe.  Here's a prayer of sorts that helps remind me of what it is I believe...---------------------------------...
Posted by Crank on Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:04:00 PST

Marking Time (Part One)

Once upon a time, one day While Time was standing still Enthusiasm was my god Discovery was my thrill I saw a gift approaching me It offered me a time I saw it as if carved in stone And...
Posted by Crank on Wed, 02 Aug 2006 09:49:00 PST