Top Ten

Top Ten greatest bands of all time
10. The Beatles -- they revolutionized rock
9. AC/DC -- Just some of the greatest riffs ever
8. Ozzy Osbourne solo -- Just good old metal
7. Guns 'N' Roses -- Classic ballads mixed with awesome riffs
6. Savatage -- Awesome rock operas
5. Def Leppard -- Consistently great songs and albums
4. Metallica -- One of the greatest ballads ever, Unforgiven
3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience -- Greatest Rock guitarist ever
2. Led Zeppelin -- The greatest song ever, Stairway to Heaven

And the greatest band ever, in my estimation is...

1. Black Sabbath -- That brought me into metal and kept me here.

Well, now I gotta add some caveats here. I still think the same things about all these guys, but I really think the band Disturbed deserves a shitload of props for being so awesome. Some other bands I think kick ass are: Static-X, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park, System of a Down, and a bunch of other metal bands that I just can't seem to remember.

Top Ten greatest rock songs of all time
10. Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf -- Just good rock
9. Come Together by the Beatles -- Love the whole song
8. Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry -- Awesome guitarist
7. Welcome to the Jungle by GNR -- Just imagine waking up to it
6. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath by Black Sabbath -- It's how I think of corrupted religions
5. Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne -- Just a good song
4. Chance by Savatage -- 4 man vocals over a metal riff, just a great combo
3. All Along the Watchtower by Bob Dylan but played by Jimi -- Great writing, greatest guitarist
2. Unforgiven by Metallica -- Describes my younger years to a "t"

And the number one rock/metal song of all time is...

1. Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin -- I don't know how to describe it. It just moves me.

I gotta add some more here too. Down With the Sickness, Stupify, Crawling, Chop Suey, Forsaken, People = Shit, Surfacing, Prayer, and a bunch of others.

Top Ten greatest novels of all time

10. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and all the others by Douglas Adams -- Some of the funniest books ever written
9. Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman -- They popularized AD&D
8. Lord Foul's Bane by Steven R. Donaldson -- Just a good book
7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain -- Everyone wants to be Huck
6. "The Body" by Stephen King -- Because of it, one of my favorite movies of all times came out
5. Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory -- It started my Arthur craze
4. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien -- A continuation of the first real fantasy genre novel
3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien -- The book that started fantasy and started my love for it
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger -- I am Holden Caufield, the main character

And the number one novel of all time is...

1. On the Road by Jack Kerouac -- My dream

In the spirit of adding newer stuff so that I don't date myself too far, I really should add in some novels that I've recently read, except of course that I haven't really found anything to replace the top ten, but I really have to think about it some more. I've found authors I would place above some on this list, but not books as a whole. I really should mention here my favorite comic books and their authors too. Neil Gaiman (The Sandman), J Michael Stracynski (The Amazing Spiderman), Brian Michael Bendis (Powers), Kevin Smith (Green Arrow, Daredevil Man without Fear, Spiderman/Black Cat), Garth Ennis (Fury, Preacher, Punisher, The Pro, and some really screwed up stuff), Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Strikes back, etc), and Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, The Watchmen).

Top Ten poems of all time
10. Beowulf (author unknown) -- An epic poem unseen anywhere else in the world
9. The Odyssey by Homer -- Greatest work of Greek poetry ever
8. Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats -- The greatest poem from the greatest Romantic poet
7. The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe -- Awesome poem by the person from whom the words poem and poet are derived
6. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad -- This belongs by the novels, but I read it like a poem and so consider it such
5. Number 5 from A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti -- It speaks for itself
4. Do Not Go Gentle Into that Goodnight by Dylan Thomas -- Great work by an esoteric poet
3. The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll -- Awesome exercise into the meanings of words
2. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost -- It is not about being glad to having taken the less beaten road and more about the wondering if the other path might have been better

And the number one poem of all time is...

1. This is like asking me to pull teeth. I don't really have ONE favorite. How about poetry in general. This art form is probably the best medium to ever work in, the easiest to get started at, and the hardest to perfect. I don't think ANYONE out there can ever say they've perfected poetry. Just too many different styles and feelings.

Top Ten women of all time
10. Jacqueline Adams -- Jen's mom, she raised a beautiful, well-rounded daughter, probably the best compliment a mother can receive
9. Claudia Lauer -- This has been an oversight for far too long
8. Whitney Potts -- A true friend and one who understands me better than most
7. My Aunt Linda -- My Dad's younger sister
6. My Aunt Virginia -- My mom's younger sister who is probably one of the nicest people I know
5. Amanda Tracy -- A friend from VT and just an all around good person who I hope to keep in contact with for years
4. My Grandmother Mount -- Grandmom was such a loving, accepting person
3. My Grandmother Merkel -- She raised me as much as my parents did, at least when we visited
And the number one woman of all time is...

How do you honestly expect me to make this choice? Really... One gave me life, the other gave me true love.

1. Mom -- She helped make me, raise me and teach me how to be who I am.

1. Jen -- My true love, honestly

Top Ten men of all time
10. Robert Adams -- Jen's dad, incredible story of survival and recovery, a man to be admired for his perseverance and strength
9. Peter Riedner -- Another great friend from school, one who I can't compare anyone else to
8. Jamie Belanger and Matthew Semple -- One was my best friend at school and the other is my former roommate, both of them great guys
7. Kevin Caflin -- In effect, we joined the service together, he to the Point and me to the Navy scholarship
6. Uncle Dennis -- A relatively new addition to the family, but a great guy
5. Uncle Steve -- An ex-soldier from Vietnam and one who I have a lot of respect for
4. Grandpa Merkel -- A funny man, one who always got me in trouble, but was always a loving person
3. Grandpa Mount -- A quiet man, but one I drew a whole lot of respect for when I signed on to the Navy
2. It is hard to rate friends, Ding and Kyle, so they both belong here, just for being good buds

And the number one man of all time is...

Making me choose again... I realize that I've left my brother off this list for years. The oversight is horrible. Now that Colin truly is becoming a man, I really have to place him here.

1. Dad -- Of course he helped make me, raise me, teach me and show me how to be the best person I could be.

1. My brother Colin.