So really, this isn't an unschooling blog, though I'm proud to mention the fact on occasion, just to make sure people remember. I insist, at least once in a while, in throwing out a rant about something someone else found and wrote about better.
I might have written the socialization post sometime ago, though I'm not quite sure if I did or not. I'm sure I must have because it seems a staple of the genre, even though I don't really fit in the genre, you know, home/unschooling blogger. It would be great if this were the last socialization post anyone ever felt compelled to write considering homeschool socialization, according to those practicing homeschooling and socializating, is really a non issue.
Seriously. Let it go already.
Darryl posts, and probably writes better, about some new someshit or other proclaiming that homeschooled kids are not allowed to socialize and therefore will end up social misfits, pariahs, outcasts at the very least. As everyone knows, life outside of public schools perfectly mirrors that of "life" inside of public schools. Love those scare quotes by the way. Also, I didn't read the article he linked. I don't need to anymore.
So, my kids aren't socialized? Does seeing grandparents count? How about playing soccer, does it count? Does the homeschool group count?
How about roller derby practice? It's my favorite example because of the variety of kids to be found. In all, it's possible for there to be ten to fifteen kids at derby practice depending on who is there and who brought their kids, though usually there are much fewer. There are a couple of tinyish fellers that don't quite count till they get a little steadier on their feet. The rest of the kids range in age from four to twelve. The Boy, is his own person, not always even interested in playing with the other kids. Big Brother, at eight, is right in the middle.
And then there's the practice when you have Big Brother, The Boy and three five/six year old girls, and they all still run around and act crazy and have fun. It's at that point where I think that I'm glad he's not fuming because he's bored. He's got friends that aren't a bunch of eight year old boys. There are of course those practices when it's all boys except for the lone sad little girl that can't figure why the boys won't play something she wants.
Not to make it all about derby, but we're going to socialize tomorrow with the derby mommys. Did I tell you I'm a derby mommy? We're going swimming. The day after that we're going swimming somewhere else with homeschool friends, where we will probably forget to socialize. We'll just hang out like usual with a random smattering of ages and genders, doing what we want, not being pressured into wearing the hip new this and listening to the cool new that. We'll enjoy each other's company, have and resolve conflicts, play with toys, splash water, wish they'd eat the good food and not the other, and we'll leave in time to get Momma to work.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
mmmm, maybe not
Thanks to Gem of My So Called Homeschool blog for relating a story of something she thought she'd never hear herself say which reminded me of my own story from today.
We were doing some major grocery shopping, the boys doing their thing, me trying to keep them corralled and not bowling over the old guy in the orthopedic sunglasses. The Boy was a gonk droid for a short time, pulling his arms and knees into his shirt so that he was just a little torso with head and feet. He even fell over in the middle of the aisle and kicked his feet just like they do in the Lego Star Wars video game.
We walked up the aisle a little further, and then came one of those things I never thought I'd say, not that I ever had a reason to imagine saying this.
To The Boy, I found myself saying, "We don't punch ourselves in the butt at the gro . . . uuuuhhhh, what's next on the list?" Not even looking around to see if anyone heard, just keep moving at that point. Wondering why he was in the first place, wishing I'd encouraged the gonk droid because at least it just stumbles along and looks funny.
Monday, June 11, 2007
melee
In keeping, at least for now, with the Monday Melee tradition, I present you now, on Monday no less, the melee. Enjoy!
1. The Misanthropic: Name something (about humanity) that you absolutely hate.
I hate when people treat life as a contest and try to outcool you by being more punk or more street or more anything. It sounds so completely silly to discuss, but I think we all know people like this. It's fanboy syndrome.
2. The Meretricious: Name something or someone that's phony, fraudulent or bogus.
county commission
3. The Malcontent: Name something you're unhappy with.
I need to do things differently day to day to make things better for my family, even things as simple as cleaning the house more regularly would help.
4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name them if you can.
Momma gets a metric shit ton of credit. She finally got tired of the damn credit card and took the time to figure out how we could pay it off. We now owe our bank a bit of money, but GM Mastercard will soon get the pay off and may then feel free to go fuck themselves. Thank you, Momma!
5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
Though I really need a haircut, my hair isn't nearly as annoying as I remember it. It's been kept shaved for so many years that I've really forgotten what it's like to have it.
6. The Make believe: Name something you wish for.
An end to the procrastination that sees me not really working toward doing the writing I've told myself for years I was going to do.
1. The Misanthropic: Name something (about humanity) that you absolutely hate.
I hate when people treat life as a contest and try to outcool you by being more punk or more street or more anything. It sounds so completely silly to discuss, but I think we all know people like this. It's fanboy syndrome.
2. The Meretricious: Name something or someone that's phony, fraudulent or bogus.
county commission
3. The Malcontent: Name something you're unhappy with.
I need to do things differently day to day to make things better for my family, even things as simple as cleaning the house more regularly would help.
4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name them if you can.
Momma gets a metric shit ton of credit. She finally got tired of the damn credit card and took the time to figure out how we could pay it off. We now owe our bank a bit of money, but GM Mastercard will soon get the pay off and may then feel free to go fuck themselves. Thank you, Momma!
5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
Though I really need a haircut, my hair isn't nearly as annoying as I remember it. It's been kept shaved for so many years that I've really forgotten what it's like to have it.
6. The Make believe: Name something you wish for.
An end to the procrastination that sees me not really working toward doing the writing I've told myself for years I was going to do.
you know
You know your four year old doesn't need to watch UFC when . . .
I don't really care what people let their kids watch, what video games their kids play, that sort of thing. The media your children enjoy is not nearly as important as having a parent there to help understand what's real and what's not, what's acceptable behavior and what's not.
Having said that, there is a point sometimes when you are given an example that perhaps your child isn't getting the parental input they need. And perhaps The Boy doesn't need to watch mixed martial arts fights. The sign was simple enough to read in glaring neon.
So, you know your four year old doesn't need to watch UFC when you're lying on the couch and he comes over because you tricked him into coming close enough for you to drag him onto the sofa for tickling and giggling and instead of all that, what you get is the hammer fist. Yes, my four year old tried to pull out the ol' ground and pound. It sucked more for him because if he's going for the hammer fist it's only natural that I get him in the guillotine and choke his little ass out.
Disclaimer: My son did not in fact actually attack me. He did, in a playing way, use the hammer fist just as he has seen done. I in fact did not choke him out nor did I use any other submission on him. The only submissions I use on my children involve the fact that I'm enough bigger to force access to their belly for tickling.
I don't really care what people let their kids watch, what video games their kids play, that sort of thing. The media your children enjoy is not nearly as important as having a parent there to help understand what's real and what's not, what's acceptable behavior and what's not.
Having said that, there is a point sometimes when you are given an example that perhaps your child isn't getting the parental input they need. And perhaps The Boy doesn't need to watch mixed martial arts fights. The sign was simple enough to read in glaring neon.
So, you know your four year old doesn't need to watch UFC when you're lying on the couch and he comes over because you tricked him into coming close enough for you to drag him onto the sofa for tickling and giggling and instead of all that, what you get is the hammer fist. Yes, my four year old tried to pull out the ol' ground and pound. It sucked more for him because if he's going for the hammer fist it's only natural that I get him in the guillotine and choke his little ass out.
Disclaimer: My son did not in fact actually attack me. He did, in a playing way, use the hammer fist just as he has seen done. I in fact did not choke him out nor did I use any other submission on him. The only submissions I use on my children involve the fact that I'm enough bigger to force access to their belly for tickling.
look at me
Shameless plug time. For whatever reasons, I get access to Beers Gone By where I get to talk about drinking beer. I can wax stupidic about anything, as you may well know, and to get to spread myself across the internet like butter on a biscuit is the dream I've followed these many years. Cross that with beer and you couldn't beat me off with a stick.
HehHeh, beat me off with a stick . . . I'm not saying don't try . . . or something.
HehHeh, beat me off with a stick . . . I'm not saying don't try . . . or something.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
strings
There's a very good chance I've found the next album I want, but then I just don't know, because one thing leads to another, and the next thing you know, you've used more commas and conjunctions than you can really afford, and you haven't even stopped to explain yourself or make sense even a little.
And this is one of those kinds of stories anyway, so it's best told quickly, like pulling a bandaid. It all started on Myspace at the page of a friend and Hard Knox All Star teammate of Momma's. One of her friend's Myspace name is Plastic Jesus, a song I hadn't heard in quite some time, a song I've always enjoyed.
My first path was of course just to highlight, right click and search Google. I'm sure my first click from there was the almighty Wikipedia. As a side note, there is on our desktop already a Wikipedia window minimized down low with two tabs, one mashed potatoes and the other potato. Big Brother wants to know who first made mashed potatoes. But that isn't the point, look it up yourself and get the whole story, as this is a whole other post.
The song Plastic Jesus is most likely best remembered from the movie Cool Hand Luke, sung admirably by the always lovely Paul Newman. After getting the runaround about people often assumed to have written the song we eventually learn that none other than Bob Dole, yes that Bob Dole, was most certainly the true author. You might also learn at Wikipedia, assuming you don't already know, The Flaming Lips are one of many bands that have covered the song over the years.
Reading those words, whether or not you are a fan of the band, may cause you to want to hear the song, sort of subconscious something, and then you'll remember that with your Comcast internet service, you get the absolute crappiest and draggiest version of Rhapsody ever, but it's good for twenty five free listens a month, and that's sure to be worth something.
While The Flaming Lips are reveling in the relative safety provided by a religious icon brought to life in plastic, perched expediently atop the dash board, you decide to use the track search option for Plastic Jesus and learn that, as you assumed, there are more versions of the song. You could easily waste an entire short while listening to basically the same song over and over, which isn't really what you want, unless you do. I didn't and generally speaking don't.
Of course, I soon forgot about Plastic Jesus sinking myself in the Flaming Lips instead, which should have been expected, and as that was happening, I noticed a trend in their songs being covered by The String Quartet. What's The String Quartet you ask. As far as I can tell, it's some guy or chic or group or pile of people, all of whom play stringed instruments, who get together and play all sorts of songs that you wouldn't expect would lend themselves to a more classical treatment. I don't know if they have ever played Plastic Jesus, but they have done a tribute album covering Flaming Lips songs.
Now, I'm not saying just anybody should be covered with violas and violins and cellos (musically, not physically, but if that's your thing . . . which isn't the point.) There's plenty of shitty bands out there, like Led Zeppelin or Nickleback, that deserve to be taken out back and shot before they ever deserve praise in the form of a musical tribute, and most of The String Quartet's catalogue seems to veer toward the crappier side of music of the last couple of decades or so. But what I've listened to of the Flaming Lips tribute is actually pretty cool. I'm not surprised though because I can honestly imagine a lot of what the Flaming Lips have done covered with strings.
I'm not saying I'm going to rush right out and buy the music, but I'm mildly interested. I've only listened to a couple of songs so far because I'm waiting for Momma to get out of the bath so she can hear too. She'll think it's cool. I don't know if you'll think it's cool, but if you like both the Flaming Lips and string quartets, then you might as well at least check it out. If nothing else you can throw it on at parties and make people stop talking for a moment every few minutes as they start to recognize a song and the realize "Oh yeeeeaaaahhhhh, The String Quartet. Cool! But like I was saying . . ."
And this is one of those kinds of stories anyway, so it's best told quickly, like pulling a bandaid. It all started on Myspace at the page of a friend and Hard Knox All Star teammate of Momma's. One of her friend's Myspace name is Plastic Jesus, a song I hadn't heard in quite some time, a song I've always enjoyed.
My first path was of course just to highlight, right click and search Google. I'm sure my first click from there was the almighty Wikipedia. As a side note, there is on our desktop already a Wikipedia window minimized down low with two tabs, one mashed potatoes and the other potato. Big Brother wants to know who first made mashed potatoes. But that isn't the point, look it up yourself and get the whole story, as this is a whole other post.
The song Plastic Jesus is most likely best remembered from the movie Cool Hand Luke, sung admirably by the always lovely Paul Newman. After getting the runaround about people often assumed to have written the song we eventually learn that none other than Bob Dole, yes that Bob Dole, was most certainly the true author. You might also learn at Wikipedia, assuming you don't already know, The Flaming Lips are one of many bands that have covered the song over the years.
Reading those words, whether or not you are a fan of the band, may cause you to want to hear the song, sort of subconscious something, and then you'll remember that with your Comcast internet service, you get the absolute crappiest and draggiest version of Rhapsody ever, but it's good for twenty five free listens a month, and that's sure to be worth something.
While The Flaming Lips are reveling in the relative safety provided by a religious icon brought to life in plastic, perched expediently atop the dash board, you decide to use the track search option for Plastic Jesus and learn that, as you assumed, there are more versions of the song. You could easily waste an entire short while listening to basically the same song over and over, which isn't really what you want, unless you do. I didn't and generally speaking don't.
Of course, I soon forgot about Plastic Jesus sinking myself in the Flaming Lips instead, which should have been expected, and as that was happening, I noticed a trend in their songs being covered by The String Quartet. What's The String Quartet you ask. As far as I can tell, it's some guy or chic or group or pile of people, all of whom play stringed instruments, who get together and play all sorts of songs that you wouldn't expect would lend themselves to a more classical treatment. I don't know if they have ever played Plastic Jesus, but they have done a tribute album covering Flaming Lips songs.
Now, I'm not saying just anybody should be covered with violas and violins and cellos (musically, not physically, but if that's your thing . . . which isn't the point.) There's plenty of shitty bands out there, like Led Zeppelin or Nickleback, that deserve to be taken out back and shot before they ever deserve praise in the form of a musical tribute, and most of The String Quartet's catalogue seems to veer toward the crappier side of music of the last couple of decades or so. But what I've listened to of the Flaming Lips tribute is actually pretty cool. I'm not surprised though because I can honestly imagine a lot of what the Flaming Lips have done covered with strings.
I'm not saying I'm going to rush right out and buy the music, but I'm mildly interested. I've only listened to a couple of songs so far because I'm waiting for Momma to get out of the bath so she can hear too. She'll think it's cool. I don't know if you'll think it's cool, but if you like both the Flaming Lips and string quartets, then you might as well at least check it out. If nothing else you can throw it on at parties and make people stop talking for a moment every few minutes as they start to recognize a song and the realize "Oh yeeeeaaaahhhhh, The String Quartet. Cool! But like I was saying . . ."
brogloll
HaHa, funny title, how it's a little not so much spelled right and is all funny and stuff.
You may notice I have no blogroll. It's always almost sorta bothered me that I haven't set one up, but I've always been certain there was some sort of scratch-my-back thing going on that I wasn't sure of, so it's always seemed safer to just not bother. I have noticed myself appear in blogrolls, and part of me thinks I should repay the favor. One reason I haven't is that i just don't want that thing on the side of my blog, while another reason is that I'm not the kind of guy to be shamed, even by myself, into following along.
I'm pretty happy with my blog's appearance, even if it is one of Blogger's backgrounds that any number of other people could be using. I like, now that I've ordered it a bit, the little side thingy that has all my little pictures and pithy sayings (though I think I took those down.)
The last thing I ever wanted was to make the page an extra mile long including all the lovely and amazing people whose blogs I read, though I do want to share all those great people with more great people.
So, here's where I am. I've thought about posting a short blog, maybe once a week, highlighting some of those people I've read and want to share. Another option is linking to Google reader, which has it's own problems. I don't use Google reader, not for any reason other than learning of Bloglines first, though I could easily use it and could even figure out how to add a link to it. I have actually loaded up Google reader, so far with only homeschooling blogs, and when I get a moment, I'll figure out the linking part.
So that's one of the many things festering in my brain. I'm thinking about it, and I'll come up with something soon. I might be leaning toward a weekly sharing of love, giving you all my weakling's share of love, or I may continue to mess with Google.
Finally, I'd like to hear what others think of blogrolls. I'm not against the idea, I'm just not sure how I want to share all of you with all of the rest of you.
You may notice I have no blogroll. It's always almost sorta bothered me that I haven't set one up, but I've always been certain there was some sort of scratch-my-back thing going on that I wasn't sure of, so it's always seemed safer to just not bother. I have noticed myself appear in blogrolls, and part of me thinks I should repay the favor. One reason I haven't is that i just don't want that thing on the side of my blog, while another reason is that I'm not the kind of guy to be shamed, even by myself, into following along.
I'm pretty happy with my blog's appearance, even if it is one of Blogger's backgrounds that any number of other people could be using. I like, now that I've ordered it a bit, the little side thingy that has all my little pictures and pithy sayings (though I think I took those down.)
The last thing I ever wanted was to make the page an extra mile long including all the lovely and amazing people whose blogs I read, though I do want to share all those great people with more great people.
So, here's where I am. I've thought about posting a short blog, maybe once a week, highlighting some of those people I've read and want to share. Another option is linking to Google reader, which has it's own problems. I don't use Google reader, not for any reason other than learning of Bloglines first, though I could easily use it and could even figure out how to add a link to it. I have actually loaded up Google reader, so far with only homeschooling blogs, and when I get a moment, I'll figure out the linking part.
So that's one of the many things festering in my brain. I'm thinking about it, and I'll come up with something soon. I might be leaning toward a weekly sharing of love, giving you all my weakling's share of love, or I may continue to mess with Google.
Finally, I'd like to hear what others think of blogrolls. I'm not against the idea, I'm just not sure how I want to share all of you with all of the rest of you.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
about nothing
I've slipped once again into my sucking-as-blogger funk, having posted so fitfully that I probably ought to be ashamed.
I had a rant all worked up about a bunch of people complaining about anti homeschooling media bias for not informing us all that a spelling bee winner was homeschooled, and their comments to the story are just ridiculous, especially when you learn that the child in question isn't really a homeschooler. He's actually a student of the public school whose family has opted into a program that allows children to do public schooling from home.
Outside of the homeschooling universe it may seem that the differences are not worth being concerned with, but inside our little world, it is a big deal. My family has opted out of compulsory schooling for a variety of reasons, though many of our reasons are shared by both the left and the right side of the homeschooling world.
Public school at home programs often sound like a great idea. The program often offers the family many resources, presumably free, such as computers and access to teachers. If that is the best idea for your family, then your family should by all means pursue such a program, but we ask that you not pretend that you are homeschoolers. In fact, most homeschoolers, though they may agree with my opinion that this family is not homeschooling would in fact argue for their right to seek out the best educational model for their family, and to me, that's the very heart of homeschooling, reviewing all possible options to best aid your family.
The problem has to do with questions of law. As homeschoolers, we often have chosen this to allow our family an amount of freedom from the teaching that happens in a public school. Teaching history provides a great example of my opinion. I want my kids to find history through a variety of sources and develop the ability to pick out the thread of truth. While this is possible even with children who attend brick and mortar public school, it's much less likely as the children need not be concerned with truth so much as the answer that is expected and deemed right by the system.
A further problem comes when these public school at home families start to represent homeschooling more than we are able to represent ourselves. We fear that legal issues will arise that will eventually erode our freedom to educate our children as we see fit. We fear that these programs will come to replace what we feel is our right to raise our children and educate them.
And that's my rant. The people on the wings never help anyone, and we'd all be glad if they'd just shut the fuck up. I did provide a link to the wackos that I'm discussing, but I'd be doing you a disservice if I suggested you go and read it. No one has that much time in their day.
I had a rant all worked up about a bunch of people complaining about anti homeschooling media bias for not informing us all that a spelling bee winner was homeschooled, and their comments to the story are just ridiculous, especially when you learn that the child in question isn't really a homeschooler. He's actually a student of the public school whose family has opted into a program that allows children to do public schooling from home.
Outside of the homeschooling universe it may seem that the differences are not worth being concerned with, but inside our little world, it is a big deal. My family has opted out of compulsory schooling for a variety of reasons, though many of our reasons are shared by both the left and the right side of the homeschooling world.
Public school at home programs often sound like a great idea. The program often offers the family many resources, presumably free, such as computers and access to teachers. If that is the best idea for your family, then your family should by all means pursue such a program, but we ask that you not pretend that you are homeschoolers. In fact, most homeschoolers, though they may agree with my opinion that this family is not homeschooling would in fact argue for their right to seek out the best educational model for their family, and to me, that's the very heart of homeschooling, reviewing all possible options to best aid your family.
The problem has to do with questions of law. As homeschoolers, we often have chosen this to allow our family an amount of freedom from the teaching that happens in a public school. Teaching history provides a great example of my opinion. I want my kids to find history through a variety of sources and develop the ability to pick out the thread of truth. While this is possible even with children who attend brick and mortar public school, it's much less likely as the children need not be concerned with truth so much as the answer that is expected and deemed right by the system.
A further problem comes when these public school at home families start to represent homeschooling more than we are able to represent ourselves. We fear that legal issues will arise that will eventually erode our freedom to educate our children as we see fit. We fear that these programs will come to replace what we feel is our right to raise our children and educate them.
And that's my rant. The people on the wings never help anyone, and we'd all be glad if they'd just shut the fuck up. I did provide a link to the wackos that I'm discussing, but I'd be doing you a disservice if I suggested you go and read it. No one has that much time in their day.
melee
Lifted from one Mark Steele of Blogitude, I present you with the Monday Melee. I'm not going to pretend I'll do this every Monday any more than I'll pretend it's still Monday, though it is Monday for me.
So you get yourself a meme for the fodder, like there was any other kind. Plus, Momma's trying to play a video game that I've played a shit ton more than she has, and it's getting really hard not to tell her how to get through the level. And really, who needs that shit?
1. The Misanthropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.
Smug arrogance, the kind of person who can drive a Hummer and deflect honest and accurate criticism of their choice with the argument that my concern is only jealousy at their outrageously narcissistic choice.
2. The Meritricious: Name something or someone that's completely fraudulent or bogus.
People who refer to equality as special rights.
3. The Malcontent: Name something you're unhappy with.
My and my family's financial situation is just about pitiful. Credit cards are both a necessary safety net and the devil's own lure. Or maybe I just wish like hell Momma and I had put more thought into some of the decisions we've made over the last few years.
4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something, and name it if you can.
My children are insanely cool.
5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I'm not nearly as big an asshole as I seem when you meet me.
6. The Make Believe: Name something you wish for.
Right now it all comes down to money in one way or another. I can't say that's the answer I'd have given if I could think of something else, but when I think of what I wish for, it's either sanity or money, and money is the one of those two I feel I can have any control over. Sanity isn't even a wish at this point but one of those unattainable things you imagine, like growing wings out of your back.
Now go and tag someone or something. I don't know how this crap works.
UPDATE: Here is where I point out how little I pay attention. If you've read my comment, then you are likely aware that the blogger from whom I took this meme is not the blogger to whom the credit for this should go. The real originator is Fracas, and the link will take you to the Monday Melee page. I'll do better next time, promise. Either way, I did lift it from Mark, and he does deserve some credit from me.
So you get yourself a meme for the fodder, like there was any other kind. Plus, Momma's trying to play a video game that I've played a shit ton more than she has, and it's getting really hard not to tell her how to get through the level. And really, who needs that shit?
1. The Misanthropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.
Smug arrogance, the kind of person who can drive a Hummer and deflect honest and accurate criticism of their choice with the argument that my concern is only jealousy at their outrageously narcissistic choice.
2. The Meritricious: Name something or someone that's completely fraudulent or bogus.
People who refer to equality as special rights.
3. The Malcontent: Name something you're unhappy with.
My and my family's financial situation is just about pitiful. Credit cards are both a necessary safety net and the devil's own lure. Or maybe I just wish like hell Momma and I had put more thought into some of the decisions we've made over the last few years.
4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something, and name it if you can.
My children are insanely cool.
5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.
I'm not nearly as big an asshole as I seem when you meet me.
6. The Make Believe: Name something you wish for.
Right now it all comes down to money in one way or another. I can't say that's the answer I'd have given if I could think of something else, but when I think of what I wish for, it's either sanity or money, and money is the one of those two I feel I can have any control over. Sanity isn't even a wish at this point but one of those unattainable things you imagine, like growing wings out of your back.
Now go and tag someone or something. I don't know how this crap works.
UPDATE: Here is where I point out how little I pay attention. If you've read my comment, then you are likely aware that the blogger from whom I took this meme is not the blogger to whom the credit for this should go. The real originator is Fracas, and the link will take you to the Monday Melee page. I'll do better next time, promise. Either way, I did lift it from Mark, and he does deserve some credit from me.
Monday, June 04, 2007
old
Today's mail brought a wonderful piece of news. I can resubscribe to Smithsonian magazine for only twelve dollars. We've subscribed to Smithsonian in the past, and I've generally enjoyed the magazine, so twelve dollars sounds like a great deal.
There's one little part that bothers me. I'll admit here that I am in my mid thirties. I'm not as young as some, but I'm certainly also not old other than to the kids, or so I assume.
The bothersome part of the twelve dollar deal is that it's described in the notice as a senior discount. The sender of the letter is listed as Smithsonian, Senior Discount Services with the cover price of a year's worth next to my senior rate.
If we were living about a thousand years ago, years before America or even the Smithsonian existed, my current age, accounting for life expectancy and high mortality rates, might place me in the senior category, but such is not the case anymore.
I have to wonder if I should go ahead and order the subscription at the twelve dollar rate. I can't be the only youngster getting this letter, and at no point in the letter is age discussed as a prerequisite for accepting the offer. If they were concerned about these issues, I imagine they'd have looked a little bit deeper into me and my age. If I do accept the offer, will Smithsonian then check (to be sure) and learn of the mix up? Will they make me pay back the remaining cover price?
Apparently I have ten days to reply. I don't know if the ten days is from the date I received it or some other date, so perhaps I have less than ten days. Before ten days from now, I'm sure we'll have the extra twelve bucks for a magazine. We've let nearly all our magazine subscriptions run out to the point where whenever I do get a National Geographic or Popular Science, I'm always a little surprised. I miss piles of magazines adding to the clutter in the house.
While it sounds like a good deal, the cynical side of me imagines it's a test. Within days of Smithsonian receiving my payment, I'll get a visit from a representative of the Senior Services Department of Smithsonian. They'll act nice and friendly until they realize that I am me and not some old person. Then, quite likely, all hell will break loose. But I just want cheap magazines.
There's one little part that bothers me. I'll admit here that I am in my mid thirties. I'm not as young as some, but I'm certainly also not old other than to the kids, or so I assume.
The bothersome part of the twelve dollar deal is that it's described in the notice as a senior discount. The sender of the letter is listed as Smithsonian, Senior Discount Services with the cover price of a year's worth next to my senior rate.
If we were living about a thousand years ago, years before America or even the Smithsonian existed, my current age, accounting for life expectancy and high mortality rates, might place me in the senior category, but such is not the case anymore.
I have to wonder if I should go ahead and order the subscription at the twelve dollar rate. I can't be the only youngster getting this letter, and at no point in the letter is age discussed as a prerequisite for accepting the offer. If they were concerned about these issues, I imagine they'd have looked a little bit deeper into me and my age. If I do accept the offer, will Smithsonian then check (to be sure) and learn of the mix up? Will they make me pay back the remaining cover price?
Apparently I have ten days to reply. I don't know if the ten days is from the date I received it or some other date, so perhaps I have less than ten days. Before ten days from now, I'm sure we'll have the extra twelve bucks for a magazine. We've let nearly all our magazine subscriptions run out to the point where whenever I do get a National Geographic or Popular Science, I'm always a little surprised. I miss piles of magazines adding to the clutter in the house.
While it sounds like a good deal, the cynical side of me imagines it's a test. Within days of Smithsonian receiving my payment, I'll get a visit from a representative of the Senior Services Department of Smithsonian. They'll act nice and friendly until they realize that I am me and not some old person. Then, quite likely, all hell will break loose. But I just want cheap magazines.
weekend update
What a weekend.
Saturday saw me sleeping much later than I should have. I stumbled around the house most of the day thinking about wishing I felt like doing something more than just stumble around the house.
Momma went into the garage, messed with a bunch of the shit that's in there, and ended up ordering it slightly better than I had when I most recently pretended to clean in the garage. The same amount of crap is still in there, but we are going to at least be rid of, as soon as we remember to sit the garbage out, one small child's ride-on, plastic tractor that is cracked and breaking in a number of places.
Sunday saw me up slightly earlier, closer to a reasonable time to wake up, though I was certainly dragging from yet another needlessly late night. I really have issues with staying up late. I think I've sort of always been this way, but I also wonder if years of late night kitchen work made me a bit more this way. I'm just a night owl I suppose.
Momma's roller derby practice was in a new location, a place that maybe (just maybe) will be the new league home. The girls mostly seemed to like it, and the added amenities, location, size, et cetera, make it a prime location. I'm not sure what needs to be worked out, and I don't know if I should even be talking about it. It can't be too damn much of a secret as the league is, at the request of the venue, adding an expo bout to the schedule to take place at this venue.
Our next bout will be at the same ol' place we've been doing it, though there will be a major difference. Unless my balls shrivel up inside me and I turn absolute rest-of-the-way chickenshit, I'll be doing the announcing. I have yet to get too nervous about it, and my worst day will be better than the best day of the guy that's been doing it.
I can only wonder how this will turn out. I have experience as a very particular sort of DJ, experience that doesn't really carry over other than that I have spent time on a microphone alerting a specific clientele to the specific show that was the basis of the business model. The model itself is similar only in that they both involve women. And that's pretty much it. There was also the childhood in a christian school, that one year that three of us, me, the preacher's son and the coach's son, decided that we'd all been called to preach, and we would get our teacher to, after lunch, allow us fifteen minutes to "preach" to the rest of the class. Fifth grade seems to sound about right for that one. Bet you didn't see that coming!
And that's the weekend. Tomorrow starts a brand new day, full of good times, fun and if we're lucky, more rain, though I imagine it's moved off. We'll see. And I'll have to get back to you about the announcing thing. I've got some work to do so I don't come off sounding like a big dick. I'll have to tone down my cheering, but what better unpaid job than to get to shout at people how much our league is kicking ass from moment to moment?
Saturday saw me sleeping much later than I should have. I stumbled around the house most of the day thinking about wishing I felt like doing something more than just stumble around the house.
Momma went into the garage, messed with a bunch of the shit that's in there, and ended up ordering it slightly better than I had when I most recently pretended to clean in the garage. The same amount of crap is still in there, but we are going to at least be rid of, as soon as we remember to sit the garbage out, one small child's ride-on, plastic tractor that is cracked and breaking in a number of places.
Sunday saw me up slightly earlier, closer to a reasonable time to wake up, though I was certainly dragging from yet another needlessly late night. I really have issues with staying up late. I think I've sort of always been this way, but I also wonder if years of late night kitchen work made me a bit more this way. I'm just a night owl I suppose.
Momma's roller derby practice was in a new location, a place that maybe (just maybe) will be the new league home. The girls mostly seemed to like it, and the added amenities, location, size, et cetera, make it a prime location. I'm not sure what needs to be worked out, and I don't know if I should even be talking about it. It can't be too damn much of a secret as the league is, at the request of the venue, adding an expo bout to the schedule to take place at this venue.
Our next bout will be at the same ol' place we've been doing it, though there will be a major difference. Unless my balls shrivel up inside me and I turn absolute rest-of-the-way chickenshit, I'll be doing the announcing. I have yet to get too nervous about it, and my worst day will be better than the best day of the guy that's been doing it.
I can only wonder how this will turn out. I have experience as a very particular sort of DJ, experience that doesn't really carry over other than that I have spent time on a microphone alerting a specific clientele to the specific show that was the basis of the business model. The model itself is similar only in that they both involve women. And that's pretty much it. There was also the childhood in a christian school, that one year that three of us, me, the preacher's son and the coach's son, decided that we'd all been called to preach, and we would get our teacher to, after lunch, allow us fifteen minutes to "preach" to the rest of the class. Fifth grade seems to sound about right for that one. Bet you didn't see that coming!
And that's the weekend. Tomorrow starts a brand new day, full of good times, fun and if we're lucky, more rain, though I imagine it's moved off. We'll see. And I'll have to get back to you about the announcing thing. I've got some work to do so I don't come off sounding like a big dick. I'll have to tone down my cheering, but what better unpaid job than to get to shout at people how much our league is kicking ass from moment to moment?
Sunday, June 03, 2007
derby prayer
Not a praying person, though I come close when I'm far into my cups and wishing I could just vomit it all back up and go to bed, I found myself writing the following prayer. The inspiration was one of those wink-wink racist Irish prayers that was all about drinking yourself stupid and not stubbing your dick too hard when you fell down in the street or something.
I forget now where I found the "Irish prayer," though Myspace comes to mind for some reason. Because life is 24-7 roller derby, I immediately related it to the derby, and my wee widdle brain tossed this one off.
You read it here first, unless someone else has written one, in which case I'm sure theirs is better. Being a dude and all, I kind of feel like a chump even bothering. I'm afraid I'll end up the guy that's trying too hard to be cool.
Either way, a hundred years from now when football has finally fallen to the side, when soccer and roller derby take their rightful place as the two greatest sports ever, this prayer will be shouted aloud. At after parties in local bars the world over, the clink of the bottle, the cloche de l'amitie, and the rousing shout of my derby prayer will ring loud and strong.
I forget now where I found the "Irish prayer," though Myspace comes to mind for some reason. Because life is 24-7 roller derby, I immediately related it to the derby, and my wee widdle brain tossed this one off.
a derby prayer
may your blockers always hit hard
your pivot not get too damn far ahead of the pack
and your jammer always have an open track before her
may your blockers always hit hard
your pivot not get too damn far ahead of the pack
and your jammer always have an open track before her
You read it here first, unless someone else has written one, in which case I'm sure theirs is better. Being a dude and all, I kind of feel like a chump even bothering. I'm afraid I'll end up the guy that's trying too hard to be cool.
Either way, a hundred years from now when football has finally fallen to the side, when soccer and roller derby take their rightful place as the two greatest sports ever, this prayer will be shouted aloud. At after parties in local bars the world over, the clink of the bottle, the cloche de l'amitie, and the rousing shout of my derby prayer will ring loud and strong.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
wildlife
Wasting time earlier today, I heard a sound that practically yanked me out of my chair. It was the wailing scream of a cat either fighting or being attacked.
I jumped around the table to our front window, the sound seeming to come from as close as our front porch. I didn't see a cat at first, and in fact didn't see a cat till I went outside moments later, drawn by what I did see.
About fifteen feet from the front of our house is one of the world's saddest and ugliest trees. It doesn't grow anything pretty anymore, scarce patches of leaves like a thin green fog dissipating and lots of tiny sticks that are constantly peppering the lawn beneath the tree. One of these days I will write a rant about tree topping, but this isn't the day for that.
As I jumped and looked out the window, not seeing any cats, a motion in the tree caught my eye. I knew from the shape of the bird that it was most likely a hawk, and a bit of searching leads me to believe that it was a juvenile red tailed hawk. I only got about two seconds to see him as he quickly took off again, leaving our tree.
I alerted the family on my way toward the door, wondering at once how likely we'd be to see the hawk again and how likely our noise would be the very thing to run him off.
We proceeded around to the front of the house. As we came around the corner, fairly high up in our poor tree was a beautiful cat, white, brown and black, like three large spots combining to color one cat. Across the street, passing quickly and perhaps a little guiltily through the neighbor's yard was another cat. As it peaked back at us, we could see that it was a Siamese. Not that that matters, but we all know about those Siamese cats.
The cat in the tree was obviously frightened. It ignored our entreaties to come down while keeping a wary eye on us. We knew that our presence wasn't helping her feel safe in descending the tree, and we hadn't arrived in time to see any hawks, not that it had been likely.
Stepping back outside moments later for a smoke, I went around to check the tree. The cat was at that moment finally taking the last leap down to freedom. I heard a neighbor call from a couple yards over, asking about the cat. He'd heard the same noises I had. He listened to my story and told me that he was aware of the Siamese as this cat terrorizes both his cats on a regular basis. The hawk of course was an added twist.
It's an unsolvable mystery, a scream, a hawk flashes past, one cat is up a tree while the other slinks away. I can piece together the same stories you do. I can wonder how a cat would fare against hawk claws versus how a hawk would fare against cat claws. Is this going to be the summer of wildlife stories? I'm up to two, and I haven't even mentioned the lightning bugs yet.
I jumped around the table to our front window, the sound seeming to come from as close as our front porch. I didn't see a cat at first, and in fact didn't see a cat till I went outside moments later, drawn by what I did see.
About fifteen feet from the front of our house is one of the world's saddest and ugliest trees. It doesn't grow anything pretty anymore, scarce patches of leaves like a thin green fog dissipating and lots of tiny sticks that are constantly peppering the lawn beneath the tree. One of these days I will write a rant about tree topping, but this isn't the day for that.
As I jumped and looked out the window, not seeing any cats, a motion in the tree caught my eye. I knew from the shape of the bird that it was most likely a hawk, and a bit of searching leads me to believe that it was a juvenile red tailed hawk. I only got about two seconds to see him as he quickly took off again, leaving our tree.
I alerted the family on my way toward the door, wondering at once how likely we'd be to see the hawk again and how likely our noise would be the very thing to run him off.
We proceeded around to the front of the house. As we came around the corner, fairly high up in our poor tree was a beautiful cat, white, brown and black, like three large spots combining to color one cat. Across the street, passing quickly and perhaps a little guiltily through the neighbor's yard was another cat. As it peaked back at us, we could see that it was a Siamese. Not that that matters, but we all know about those Siamese cats.
The cat in the tree was obviously frightened. It ignored our entreaties to come down while keeping a wary eye on us. We knew that our presence wasn't helping her feel safe in descending the tree, and we hadn't arrived in time to see any hawks, not that it had been likely.
Stepping back outside moments later for a smoke, I went around to check the tree. The cat was at that moment finally taking the last leap down to freedom. I heard a neighbor call from a couple yards over, asking about the cat. He'd heard the same noises I had. He listened to my story and told me that he was aware of the Siamese as this cat terrorizes both his cats on a regular basis. The hawk of course was an added twist.
It's an unsolvable mystery, a scream, a hawk flashes past, one cat is up a tree while the other slinks away. I can piece together the same stories you do. I can wonder how a cat would fare against hawk claws versus how a hawk would fare against cat claws. Is this going to be the summer of wildlife stories? I'm up to two, and I haven't even mentioned the lightning bugs yet.
ugh, yes, that klan
Not going into too many details, the ku klux klan recently paid our town a visit and have promised to come back, telling us even when they plan to do it.
A blogger at our local politicalish Knox Views ponders a response. She mentions a black friend who believes that the black community should have a counter demonstration, while the writer herself feels that ignoring the klan would be a better alternative.
Many of the commenters seemed somewhat to agree with the idea of ignoring the klan. What could be better than disdain when appropriate? It was mentioned that the counter demonstration to the visit we already mostly ignored was people mostly by whites. I'm not sure what that says beyond that it seems the black community already decided once to ignore them.
One interesting suggestion for a counter demonstration was an African drum circle. While drum circles may or may not have at one time been African, they are sadly not so today, at least not anywhere as white as this town is. Which is not to say I'd be against a hippy drum circle. What better first wall of defense should a bunch of racist nut sacks turn murderous than your/my town's hippy population. Sure, they will be as usefull as a wet match, but the rest of us will be ready, the hippy's screams having warned us. Outside of hippies as pawns in a possible klan riot, I have no use whatsoever for the infernally selfish racket of a hippy drum circle.
My own idea, had we but the time to schedule it, would be to host a contest/demonstration of the local high school marching bands at the same time. It's got all the youth-as-the-future kind of teary eyed shit, and it has the added benefit of attracting a racial demographic more in tune with the population of this little town.
And what would make all of this even better would be to hold the contest/demonstration somewhere far away from the klan rally so that you didn't have to hear their shit between songs. We could get the sheriff's department to fly some reporters over the rally just to be sure we citizens could see on the news later, and then they'd fly back to the concert/demonstration where all the kids were playing random songs transcribed for gawky teens in uncomfortable hats, walking.
It's got all the makings of a good time. As a counter demonstration, we wouldn't be ignoring the klan while not having to see them or hear them or even pretend that we could smell them, hoping to demean them when we pretend they smell bad. We'd likely get a good night of music together, and you can bet that the local restaurants would be selling food in little booths. Knowing this town, there'd probably be fireworks, and that would be the final added benefit, that the klan would probably see and hear the fireworks. They'd be sad and lonely, knowing all the fun we were having while they were missing out on the party, and it was all because they only came to town to be a bunch of dicks.
Stupid klan.
A blogger at our local politicalish Knox Views ponders a response. She mentions a black friend who believes that the black community should have a counter demonstration, while the writer herself feels that ignoring the klan would be a better alternative.
Many of the commenters seemed somewhat to agree with the idea of ignoring the klan. What could be better than disdain when appropriate? It was mentioned that the counter demonstration to the visit we already mostly ignored was people mostly by whites. I'm not sure what that says beyond that it seems the black community already decided once to ignore them.
One interesting suggestion for a counter demonstration was an African drum circle. While drum circles may or may not have at one time been African, they are sadly not so today, at least not anywhere as white as this town is. Which is not to say I'd be against a hippy drum circle. What better first wall of defense should a bunch of racist nut sacks turn murderous than your/my town's hippy population. Sure, they will be as usefull as a wet match, but the rest of us will be ready, the hippy's screams having warned us. Outside of hippies as pawns in a possible klan riot, I have no use whatsoever for the infernally selfish racket of a hippy drum circle.
My own idea, had we but the time to schedule it, would be to host a contest/demonstration of the local high school marching bands at the same time. It's got all the youth-as-the-future kind of teary eyed shit, and it has the added benefit of attracting a racial demographic more in tune with the population of this little town.
And what would make all of this even better would be to hold the contest/demonstration somewhere far away from the klan rally so that you didn't have to hear their shit between songs. We could get the sheriff's department to fly some reporters over the rally just to be sure we citizens could see on the news later, and then they'd fly back to the concert/demonstration where all the kids were playing random songs transcribed for gawky teens in uncomfortable hats, walking.
It's got all the makings of a good time. As a counter demonstration, we wouldn't be ignoring the klan while not having to see them or hear them or even pretend that we could smell them, hoping to demean them when we pretend they smell bad. We'd likely get a good night of music together, and you can bet that the local restaurants would be selling food in little booths. Knowing this town, there'd probably be fireworks, and that would be the final added benefit, that the klan would probably see and hear the fireworks. They'd be sad and lonely, knowing all the fun we were having while they were missing out on the party, and it was all because they only came to town to be a bunch of dicks.
Stupid klan.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
womerns
Tammy at Just Enough and Nothing More provides us a link to what should be an interesting discussion that, due to the comments, has descended into a debate of the merits of public schooling versus homeschooling. Many of the comments are very much against the very idea of homeschooling but from the position of no real valuable knowledge of the subject to provide any worthwhile insight. The homeschool positive comments have tended, for the most part, to be intelligent views of the matter in terms of what is right for my child/children and a parent's right to investigate and use all available options.
The original post is not about that at all. The original questions whether homeschooling is another way to keep women in the home, involved with more responsibility, contributing to the family yet more unpaid labor.
This premise is shaky on a number of levels, mostly in that it assumes so very much about both homeschooling and the families (men, husbands, fathers need not apply apparently) involved in the pursuit. The premise assumes that the feminist movement exists only to get women working and fulfilled through being working. There's also a conspiracy theory feel to the argument as if society itself is so secretly patriarchal that everything is about how we can keep our womenfolk where they belong.
That women allow themselves to be so concerned with the opinions of others, that the term "mommy wars" not only exists but seems an apt description is by far a bigger issue and affront to feminism than the fact that some mothers take on a greater role in their children's lives. The questions being asked, even if we are only 1-2% of the population, is also an affront to the many fathers, like myself, who are able to stay home with our kids. The question, as these things so often do, fails completely to understand the families that have chosen to homeschool and the wide variety of reasons that so many of us are leaving the system. The question also seems to me to place men and fathers once more on the landing outside, smoking with the boys and either unwilling or unable to aid our wives or to treat our wives as equals. Again, we get no real understanding of the variety of families and dynamics and situations.
The question could be valid, almost, if not for the fact that homeschooling, outside of the zealous fundy crowd, is not generally a decision forced on mothers by a dominating husband/father.
Often the dads of homeschooled children weren't the ones who first considered homeschooling, and they are sometimes somewhat averse to the idea, usually if/while it is new to them. The mothers in these families generally make bold choices based on a variety of factors. Because it's usually the mother that is in contact most often with the school, it is usually the mothers who see first hand the problems their children may be having, the mothers who advocate and fight for their kids, and the mothers who give up on the school and take matters into their own hands. That so many people are doing just this says that the discussion we really need is about the school system. The feminist issue is just more noise blocking out the real talk.
All that is not to say that there aren't situations in which mothers and fathers don't work evenly and fairly together to accomplish the task, thought this could be said of any number of situations families face. Mothers still have options, and if they are in a place where they truly have no options, then homeschooling is the very least of their worries. A controlling partner is an issue completely apart from how a family chooses to educate their children.
The original post is not about that at all. The original questions whether homeschooling is another way to keep women in the home, involved with more responsibility, contributing to the family yet more unpaid labor.
This premise is shaky on a number of levels, mostly in that it assumes so very much about both homeschooling and the families (men, husbands, fathers need not apply apparently) involved in the pursuit. The premise assumes that the feminist movement exists only to get women working and fulfilled through being working. There's also a conspiracy theory feel to the argument as if society itself is so secretly patriarchal that everything is about how we can keep our womenfolk where they belong.
That women allow themselves to be so concerned with the opinions of others, that the term "mommy wars" not only exists but seems an apt description is by far a bigger issue and affront to feminism than the fact that some mothers take on a greater role in their children's lives. The questions being asked, even if we are only 1-2% of the population, is also an affront to the many fathers, like myself, who are able to stay home with our kids. The question, as these things so often do, fails completely to understand the families that have chosen to homeschool and the wide variety of reasons that so many of us are leaving the system. The question also seems to me to place men and fathers once more on the landing outside, smoking with the boys and either unwilling or unable to aid our wives or to treat our wives as equals. Again, we get no real understanding of the variety of families and dynamics and situations.
The question could be valid, almost, if not for the fact that homeschooling, outside of the zealous fundy crowd, is not generally a decision forced on mothers by a dominating husband/father.
Often the dads of homeschooled children weren't the ones who first considered homeschooling, and they are sometimes somewhat averse to the idea, usually if/while it is new to them. The mothers in these families generally make bold choices based on a variety of factors. Because it's usually the mother that is in contact most often with the school, it is usually the mothers who see first hand the problems their children may be having, the mothers who advocate and fight for their kids, and the mothers who give up on the school and take matters into their own hands. That so many people are doing just this says that the discussion we really need is about the school system. The feminist issue is just more noise blocking out the real talk.
All that is not to say that there aren't situations in which mothers and fathers don't work evenly and fairly together to accomplish the task, thought this could be said of any number of situations families face. Mothers still have options, and if they are in a place where they truly have no options, then homeschooling is the very least of their worries. A controlling partner is an issue completely apart from how a family chooses to educate their children.
bring it all together
With the approach of the big ska show I've mentioned, I've promised to bring you a variety of bands over the next couple of months. Today's band is sadly not going to be at Ska Weekend, at least not this year, though it would be cool.
Today's band is also a band that is new to me. I was screwing around, wasting time on YouTube, and I don't know now how exactly I happened to decide to give these guys a listen, but I did, and I'm happy I did.
To understand part of my delight with the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra you'll need a tiny bit of ska history. In the '30's and '40's, American radio broadcasts of jazz and R&B were making those styles popular in Jamaica. Also popular at this time was the sound system, a mobile party basically, which DJ's would set up in neighborhoods, often in competition with others. Many of the top DJ's went on to become the top producers of the new sound, the combination of American music and Jamaican music that became ska.
Ska became the top music in Jamaica, and the music was taken to the UK, immigrating with its fans. This began ska's second wave of popularity, and a few years later, ska resurfaced again, its third wave, as American bands started playing this new music. Each wave has seen ska taken in new and varied directions as it's popularity grows and moves around the world.
It's not at all surprising to find a Japanese band playing ska, as the Japanese seem to have a knack for distilling everything down to its essence. Maybe I'm just making that last part up, but you can't argue with what they've done to this decades old hybrid music, the ska.
So I give you Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. This song is more than kid safe in that, if your kids don't dance a little and act crazy a little, then something may not be quite right. You can watch the embedded video, but I suggest you click HERE to go to the YouTube page and click the embiggening button in the bottom right corner of the player. These guys deserve to be seen full screen.
Today's band is also a band that is new to me. I was screwing around, wasting time on YouTube, and I don't know now how exactly I happened to decide to give these guys a listen, but I did, and I'm happy I did.
To understand part of my delight with the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra you'll need a tiny bit of ska history. In the '30's and '40's, American radio broadcasts of jazz and R&B were making those styles popular in Jamaica. Also popular at this time was the sound system, a mobile party basically, which DJ's would set up in neighborhoods, often in competition with others. Many of the top DJ's went on to become the top producers of the new sound, the combination of American music and Jamaican music that became ska.
Ska became the top music in Jamaica, and the music was taken to the UK, immigrating with its fans. This began ska's second wave of popularity, and a few years later, ska resurfaced again, its third wave, as American bands started playing this new music. Each wave has seen ska taken in new and varied directions as it's popularity grows and moves around the world.
It's not at all surprising to find a Japanese band playing ska, as the Japanese seem to have a knack for distilling everything down to its essence. Maybe I'm just making that last part up, but you can't argue with what they've done to this decades old hybrid music, the ska.
So I give you Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. This song is more than kid safe in that, if your kids don't dance a little and act crazy a little, then something may not be quite right. You can watch the embedded video, but I suggest you click HERE to go to the YouTube page and click the embiggening button in the bottom right corner of the player. These guys deserve to be seen full screen.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
more media, and a bear
Sometime in the late hours last night, a black bear was spotted in our downtown area. I first learned anything about the story when I first got on the computer today and checked KnoxViews.
I checked out the main local news sources, but whoever is writing for them just makes me cringe. It was all so . . . local news show. This site does have some video of the bear if you are so inclined.
It's expected that more animals may be seen in the area as summer approaches and into fall, partly due to our freeze in spring having destroyed much of the berries and acorns that make up the vast portion of the bear's typical diet.
After reading one local news site's description of what to do when confronted with a bear I knew I had to find something better. It didn't not seem to make sense, but I wondered how accurate this was, and I wondered if they were about to get someone killed.
This led me to the National Park Service page for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They have a great page about bears as well as bear safety tips. If you live near here or pretty much anywhere apparently, it wouldn't hurt to know what to do if you see a bear.
I'm not going into the steps here. Click over and read about it yourself. I'm not a park ranger or any sort of authority on bears, so I feel it would be wildly inappropriate for me to attempt it, and I wouldn't trust anyone that listened to me anyway. The GRSM page does a great job of it, such a good job in fact that this site pretty much lifted it whole with some really shitty editing to pretend they wrote it themselves. My googling brought up the second site first, at which I read about black bears. The writing is obviously poor, and as I read, I just couldn't trust a site that didn't have someone editing even a little bit. Imagine my surprise reading the original moments later after refining my google search.
I checked out the main local news sources, but whoever is writing for them just makes me cringe. It was all so . . . local news show. This site does have some video of the bear if you are so inclined.
It's expected that more animals may be seen in the area as summer approaches and into fall, partly due to our freeze in spring having destroyed much of the berries and acorns that make up the vast portion of the bear's typical diet.
After reading one local news site's description of what to do when confronted with a bear I knew I had to find something better. It didn't not seem to make sense, but I wondered how accurate this was, and I wondered if they were about to get someone killed.
This led me to the National Park Service page for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They have a great page about bears as well as bear safety tips. If you live near here or pretty much anywhere apparently, it wouldn't hurt to know what to do if you see a bear.
I'm not going into the steps here. Click over and read about it yourself. I'm not a park ranger or any sort of authority on bears, so I feel it would be wildly inappropriate for me to attempt it, and I wouldn't trust anyone that listened to me anyway. The GRSM page does a great job of it, such a good job in fact that this site pretty much lifted it whole with some really shitty editing to pretend they wrote it themselves. My googling brought up the second site first, at which I read about black bears. The writing is obviously poor, and as I read, I just couldn't trust a site that didn't have someone editing even a little bit. Imagine my surprise reading the original moments later after refining my google search.
local media
It's always fun to watch some other city's news, to see how what their aging white guy and young, attractive black woman have to say about whatever mundane shit is happening locally. What's even better is when your own local news not only does a story on your own local roller derby league but also does that story in sports as opposed to the 5:00 show that's about cooking and being a great mommy.
Mommys and cooking are fine, but roller derby is a sport and belongs with the sports. Also, please quit comparing it to professional wrestling. Derby is real, the hits are real and none of it is staged. Maybe the next story from the local media can involve something a little meatier than hearing yet another skater having to dispel the pro wrestling myth.
So without further ado, the local media story. Watch for Momma, and if your eyes are really quick, the darling fellow in the green shirt, screaming his head off, is one of our homeschool friends.
Mommys and cooking are fine, but roller derby is a sport and belongs with the sports. Also, please quit comparing it to professional wrestling. Derby is real, the hits are real and none of it is staged. Maybe the next story from the local media can involve something a little meatier than hearing yet another skater having to dispel the pro wrestling myth.
So without further ado, the local media story. Watch for Momma, and if your eyes are really quick, the darling fellow in the green shirt, screaming his head off, is one of our homeschool friends.
derby anyone?
Hard Knox Rollergirls welcomed Nashville's Rhythm and Bruisers to town and skated away with the win, 111-81. This was HKRG's first time hosting a team from out of town as well as our first win. After the bout, the general consensus seemed to be that this was the best bout many of us had ever seen, and many of the skaters seemed to agree.
I have to say that Nashville was a great group. I'd like to think we were good hosts, but it's not hard when the team, the staff and the fans are as cool as Nashville was. We'll be seeing them again soon enough at their house, and it will be nice to see them. We'll even say hello to Memphis on that trip, and we'll skate back home with the win, but we'll talk about that when it happens. Look for more info around July-ish.
The win wasn't won easily. Nashville skated hard, their jammers were fast and they knew how to throw up a blue wall in front our jammers. Jamming for Hard Knox were Miss Kat A Kombs (who also did her share of blocking), Goblynn, Boom Shockalocka, Jamaica 'Em Cry, and Momma, of blog fame, also known as Jamie Skull.
All our jammers did a great job, but without our blockers, they'd never have made it through Nashville. Madam Mayhem may have won the award for most two-in-one blocks, while Sushi Roll just might have had the most jammer take downs. Not to be outdone, Nashville's Hildabeast did her best to send our girls sprawling, while Red Vag of Courage kept being right where we didn't want to see her, again. And if we are going to pass out awards, our own Lady Paine certainly wins one for hardest hits with Tank Her A coming in a close second.
One special highlight of the night was getting to see HKRG's Beverly Killbilly on skates again. She's battled some injuries for far too long, and I know the entire league was happy to see her knocking people silly again.
I wish there were pictures, and I'd really love to have some real stats to share. Those things do exist, but I don't yet have access to them, so feel free to expect yet another post about roller derby in the not too distant future. I'll rhapsodize again about both the beauty and the sporting prowess of our skaters, all hail the mighty Hard Knox. Thank you Nashville for being cool and beautiful. We can't wait to see you again.
I have to say that Nashville was a great group. I'd like to think we were good hosts, but it's not hard when the team, the staff and the fans are as cool as Nashville was. We'll be seeing them again soon enough at their house, and it will be nice to see them. We'll even say hello to Memphis on that trip, and we'll skate back home with the win, but we'll talk about that when it happens. Look for more info around July-ish.
The win wasn't won easily. Nashville skated hard, their jammers were fast and they knew how to throw up a blue wall in front our jammers. Jamming for Hard Knox were Miss Kat A Kombs (who also did her share of blocking), Goblynn, Boom Shockalocka, Jamaica 'Em Cry, and Momma, of blog fame, also known as Jamie Skull.
All our jammers did a great job, but without our blockers, they'd never have made it through Nashville. Madam Mayhem may have won the award for most two-in-one blocks, while Sushi Roll just might have had the most jammer take downs. Not to be outdone, Nashville's Hildabeast did her best to send our girls sprawling, while Red Vag of Courage kept being right where we didn't want to see her, again. And if we are going to pass out awards, our own Lady Paine certainly wins one for hardest hits with Tank Her A coming in a close second.
One special highlight of the night was getting to see HKRG's Beverly Killbilly on skates again. She's battled some injuries for far too long, and I know the entire league was happy to see her knocking people silly again.
I wish there were pictures, and I'd really love to have some real stats to share. Those things do exist, but I don't yet have access to them, so feel free to expect yet another post about roller derby in the not too distant future. I'll rhapsodize again about both the beauty and the sporting prowess of our skaters, all hail the mighty Hard Knox. Thank you Nashville for being cool and beautiful. We can't wait to see you again.
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