I figured out how to convert the errant file format. Turns out it was really easy. Anyway, these are the answers to the challenge question: 4 songs whose lyrics start with the words "I lost."
Cardboard on the Dance Floor
Napkin
Fifty Bucks (or Someone Else's Wife)
(In Which I Fight the Devil in the Guise of Trenton Ashburn)
Feel free to vote your favorite. If you pick mine I will appreciate your loyalty, but may question your taste (I am working on a new version with completely different less annoying music). Nevertheless, the buzzer went off. And yes, I suppose I am giving myself the luxury of a caveat because it is my blog. Discuss amongst yourselves the fairness of that. Thank you all participants! Winner chooses the next challenge!
31 August 2008
29 August 2008
NEWSFLASH: Presidential Candidates Have Big Egos and other items
I know, I know, I need to post the songs. A certain someone needs to send me theirs in the right format, also.
Anyway, this post is not going to be about the headline so much, it just kind of bugs me when people talk about how they could never vote for the "other" candidate because he/she has way too much self love, as though their candidate is the model, the paragon, the quintessence, the tumescence of humility. Their candidate who is running for President. Of the United States.
Now then, I watched the Obama acceptance speech last night and I liked it. There were a few honestly inspirational moments. Like when he talked about taking action on consensus:
Or when he basically quoted me about inidividual responsibility and mutual responsibility--that we can't let government solve all of our problems for us; we need to take repsonsibility for our own actions as well. (Once upon a time, when we were feeling fed up with political parties, Ms. Tom and I were going to create a political party founded on the values of reponsibility: personal, mutual, corporate, etc. We decided not to reinvent the wheel after all.)
Anyway, I support the general message of Barack Obama's speech, the idea that our country can do better 1) to give its citizens access to the resources they need, 2)to regain the bit of respect we used to have in the world, 3) to work together, despite our differences.
Then, there were a few things that gave me that not-so-gung-ho feeling.
One in particular that I have heard politicians, most often democrats, give lip service to a lot in the past several years, is the idea that we can somehow stop jobs from going overseas--often manufacturing jobs or even jobs that are on their way to being technologically obsolete, and of course there are always the call centers and help desks. No doubt it sucks to work in a factory for 25 years and suddenly the plant closes down and you have no job. But, we are never going to be able to give businesses the number of tax credits they would need to make it financially smart to keep these jobs here. I just don't see how it is a viable solution in our global economy. Can we do something to promote job growth? Sure, we can encourage new technologies. Can we do something to help train people that lost their jobs to do something else? Yes, why not? I just don't think we can keep these jobs from going away. Maybe I'm missing something.
And yes, like most of the country I doubt that we can afford to do everything Obama has in his plan.
Also, anytime the supporters started chanting something, I will admit I got creeped out.
Nevertheless, I do feel he expresses the needs and hopes of the country, particularly the disenfranchised, better than most, and I feel that the direction he talks about is the right one.
Just some thoughts and my reactions. I was also very interested to see McCain's VP pick. I know nothing about her, but I am kind of stoked that either way we are starting to break away from the two white guys mold.
Anyway, this post is not going to be about the headline so much, it just kind of bugs me when people talk about how they could never vote for the "other" candidate because he/she has way too much self love, as though their candidate is the model, the paragon, the quintessence, the tumescence of humility. Their candidate who is running for President. Of the United States.
Now then, I watched the Obama acceptance speech last night and I liked it. There were a few honestly inspirational moments. Like when he talked about taking action on consensus:
We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.
Or when he basically quoted me about inidividual responsibility and mutual responsibility--that we can't let government solve all of our problems for us; we need to take repsonsibility for our own actions as well. (Once upon a time, when we were feeling fed up with political parties, Ms. Tom and I were going to create a political party founded on the values of reponsibility: personal, mutual, corporate, etc. We decided not to reinvent the wheel after all.)
Anyway, I support the general message of Barack Obama's speech, the idea that our country can do better 1) to give its citizens access to the resources they need, 2)to regain the bit of respect we used to have in the world, 3) to work together, despite our differences.
Then, there were a few things that gave me that not-so-gung-ho feeling.
One in particular that I have heard politicians, most often democrats, give lip service to a lot in the past several years, is the idea that we can somehow stop jobs from going overseas--often manufacturing jobs or even jobs that are on their way to being technologically obsolete, and of course there are always the call centers and help desks. No doubt it sucks to work in a factory for 25 years and suddenly the plant closes down and you have no job. But, we are never going to be able to give businesses the number of tax credits they would need to make it financially smart to keep these jobs here. I just don't see how it is a viable solution in our global economy. Can we do something to promote job growth? Sure, we can encourage new technologies. Can we do something to help train people that lost their jobs to do something else? Yes, why not? I just don't think we can keep these jobs from going away. Maybe I'm missing something.
And yes, like most of the country I doubt that we can afford to do everything Obama has in his plan.
Also, anytime the supporters started chanting something, I will admit I got creeped out.
Nevertheless, I do feel he expresses the needs and hopes of the country, particularly the disenfranchised, better than most, and I feel that the direction he talks about is the right one.
Just some thoughts and my reactions. I was also very interested to see McCain's VP pick. I know nothing about her, but I am kind of stoked that either way we are starting to break away from the two white guys mold.
19 August 2008
The Quest for Joint Expression
Or QJE.
El Esposo and I spent a couple hours last night trying to write music together. Here's the rub: El Esposo is leaps and bounds ahead of me in skill on the gui-tar. He'll be like "What do you think of this?" and play some multi-layered complexity, "And then we could go into something like this for the chorus," and the multi-layered complexity continues, but with different underlying chords. And then inevitably I'll say something like "OK, so what was that first chord again?" We'll do this sort of thing for a while and in the meantime I'll be searching for some gnarly new chord to START a song with and all you'll hear out of my guitar is an occasional plink.
The problem with a songwriting team, if it truly is going to be a team:
. . . is that you are limited by the ability of the lowest skilled contributor.
So, for a while, when little brother and I lived in the same town, and we were roughly at the same skill level (I was probably slightly better but he was catching up to me fast), this was not much of a handicap for us and we wrote some fun songs. They might not have been utterly brilliant (I still think "Climb Trees, Please" was pretty close at its apex--can't remember how to play it anymore, unfortunately), but they held together nicely and were easy to sing along to.
So then El Esposo says, "How did you write songs with your brother?" And I tell him one person has to play four chords or so over and over and over and over while the other person tries out what to play along with it. So we do this, and it starts to work. Of course El Esposo keeps wanting to break out into something more challenging, but he is pretty patient with me. Then we get to the lyrics and realize here is another barrier. Because we think differently. So what do we do? We make a rough recording of what we have so far and we take a break.
And so, bit by bit, we are closing in on joint expression and a more unified marriage.
******************************************************************************
The current status of the songwriting challenge is that three songs have been written that I know of. I still need to write and record mine by this Saturday. Rumor has it the competition is fierce this time. Have fun.
El Esposo and I spent a couple hours last night trying to write music together. Here's the rub: El Esposo is leaps and bounds ahead of me in skill on the gui-tar. He'll be like "What do you think of this?" and play some multi-layered complexity, "And then we could go into something like this for the chorus," and the multi-layered complexity continues, but with different underlying chords. And then inevitably I'll say something like "OK, so what was that first chord again?" We'll do this sort of thing for a while and in the meantime I'll be searching for some gnarly new chord to START a song with and all you'll hear out of my guitar is an occasional plink.
The problem with a songwriting team, if it truly is going to be a team:
. . . is that you are limited by the ability of the lowest skilled contributor.
So, for a while, when little brother and I lived in the same town, and we were roughly at the same skill level (I was probably slightly better but he was catching up to me fast), this was not much of a handicap for us and we wrote some fun songs. They might not have been utterly brilliant (I still think "Climb Trees, Please" was pretty close at its apex--can't remember how to play it anymore, unfortunately), but they held together nicely and were easy to sing along to.
So then El Esposo says, "How did you write songs with your brother?" And I tell him one person has to play four chords or so over and over and over and over while the other person tries out what to play along with it. So we do this, and it starts to work. Of course El Esposo keeps wanting to break out into something more challenging, but he is pretty patient with me. Then we get to the lyrics and realize here is another barrier. Because we think differently. So what do we do? We make a rough recording of what we have so far and we take a break.
And so, bit by bit, we are closing in on joint expression and a more unified marriage.
******************************************************************************
The current status of the songwriting challenge is that three songs have been written that I know of. I still need to write and record mine by this Saturday. Rumor has it the competition is fierce this time. Have fun.
06 August 2008
Songwriting Challenge # 2: Loss or whatever
It is time to open up the songwriting challenge to all my fellow songwriters. For any first-timers, the rules are simple:
a) Write a song based on the prompt (you are encouraged to put your own spin on it)
b) Practice it a little
c) Record the song in the simplest fashion available to you: one-track-one-take is the general rule, but if you really screw up it's ok to do another take
d) Send it to me by the deadline via rocktastica at gmail dot com
e) I will post links to them for all to hear and vote upon
Note: It's more of a challenge than a contest per se, but if you want to believe there's a lot of competition involved, feel free to indulge yourself. I think of it as just a little exercise to stretch the muscles.
The challenge this time is very simple:
Write a song starting with the lyric "I lost . . ."
The deadline is Saturday, August 23rd.
For Challenge #1 entries, scroll down a bit. The results of the voting for Challenge #1 were not unlike a soccer game for toddlers: a big fat tie. Everyone's a winner.
a) Write a song based on the prompt (you are encouraged to put your own spin on it)
b) Practice it a little
c) Record the song in the simplest fashion available to you: one-track-one-take is the general rule, but if you really screw up it's ok to do another take
d) Send it to me by the deadline via rocktastica at gmail dot com
e) I will post links to them for all to hear and vote upon
Note: It's more of a challenge than a contest per se, but if you want to believe there's a lot of competition involved, feel free to indulge yourself. I think of it as just a little exercise to stretch the muscles.
The challenge this time is very simple:
Write a song starting with the lyric "I lost . . ."
The deadline is Saturday, August 23rd.
For Challenge #1 entries, scroll down a bit. The results of the voting for Challenge #1 were not unlike a soccer game for toddlers: a big fat tie. Everyone's a winner.
04 August 2008
Hush, hush, keep it down now . . .
So it's been a while since I've caught any live music, and it's been even longer since I blogged about live music. But here's the thing: Aimee Mann is so darn unassuming that when we saw her Saturday, she actually played her big hit "Voices Carry," from the 80's, when she had a band called Til Tuesday and a rat tail:
She said she did this in order to balance out all the new songs she had played. Many indie musicians get all uppity about playing their one mega radio hit, perhaps because of the intense cuteness and lack of irony involved, but she was so cool.
Another thing about that show: electric guitar-free. It was so interesting to see and hear all of her tunes played with keyboards, organs and the like (plus her acoustic guitar). She had two guys playing the keys and they were excellent. I think there were a total of maybe eight different kinds of keyboards on stage. It was very fascinating/fun.
She said she did this in order to balance out all the new songs she had played. Many indie musicians get all uppity about playing their one mega radio hit, perhaps because of the intense cuteness and lack of irony involved, but she was so cool.
Another thing about that show: electric guitar-free. It was so interesting to see and hear all of her tunes played with keyboards, organs and the like (plus her acoustic guitar). She had two guys playing the keys and they were excellent. I think there were a total of maybe eight different kinds of keyboards on stage. It was very fascinating/fun.
31 July 2008
Break Even Day!
As of today's paycheck, I am finally in the black for the first time since grad school. The amount of money I owe the US government (they are my only creditor) is slightly less than the amount of money I have in liquid assets. Who knew that some day I would be a contributing member of society? It only took thirty years.
I have to revel in it while I can, since as soon as we buy a house this is all gone. I know a house is an asset, but it sure is a liability too.
I have to revel in it while I can, since as soon as we buy a house this is all gone. I know a house is an asset, but it sure is a liability too.
29 July 2008
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness sans health insurance
As I am home sick today with some kind of stomach virus, the time is ripe for this post . . .
Between the time I finished grad school in May 2003 until I "sold out to the man" and "got a real job" in January 2005, I had no health insurance and I lived on cheap foods that were not particularly nutritious. It was pretty dumb of me to not get my own insurance, but I was only twenty-four and as luck would have it I did not once really need medical attention during that time. I know plenty of horror stories of people that opted not to have health insurance for a brief period and then ended up needing serious surgery after they broke their leg in a rock climbing or skateboarding or car accident and then were in debt for pretty much forever after that. Woman of danger that I was, I liked to think I had some idea of what it felt to be without health insurance. But, I didn't.
The last few days I have been trying to research what a person with a chronic disease can do without health insurance. I am researching this on behalf of an actual person I know with a chronic disease and multiple complications, all of which are currently untreated. I am looking into medicaid, social security administered disability, and what to do if you can't qualify for either. I have learned a lot.
For instance, from the official CMS website: "Medicaid does not provide medical assistance for all poor persons. Even under the broadest provisions of the Federal statute (except for emergency services for certain persons), the Medicaid program does not provide health care services, even for very poor persons, unless they are in one of the designated eligibility groups." So what do you do if you are very poor and so sick that you can't work, but don't technically qualify for medicaid? In my current experience, it is clear that some people do nothing but wait for deliverance. Perhaps because they don't have access to the internet to do their research or because they are uneducated or even because they were taught not to ask for help for themselves, but to put others first.
I am now researching low-cost or free healthcare clinics that exist as a safety net to keep those on the margins from being lost. Many are managed completely by volunteers, which is so admirable to me. However, because they are run and staffed by volunteers they have limited hours and services. Still, this may be the best solution.
I wonder if it should be this hard, though. I expect that when the US constitution was created, health care was completely different. It was common for the sick to just die and for women not to survive childbirth with much greater frequency than today. But with the advances in medicine today there are still people that die in their homes because they either can not afford the medical care they need or because they are unaware of how to get it. So these pursue happiness and are guaranteed life and liberty in the space between the bathroom and the bedroom only until their bodies succomb to otherwise treatable conditions.
I know there are many people that know a lot more than I do about this topic, and this is just my paltry couple of cents based on only a few days of searching in between my work and life activities. Do with it what you will.
Between the time I finished grad school in May 2003 until I "sold out to the man" and "got a real job" in January 2005, I had no health insurance and I lived on cheap foods that were not particularly nutritious. It was pretty dumb of me to not get my own insurance, but I was only twenty-four and as luck would have it I did not once really need medical attention during that time. I know plenty of horror stories of people that opted not to have health insurance for a brief period and then ended up needing serious surgery after they broke their leg in a rock climbing or skateboarding or car accident and then were in debt for pretty much forever after that. Woman of danger that I was, I liked to think I had some idea of what it felt to be without health insurance. But, I didn't.
The last few days I have been trying to research what a person with a chronic disease can do without health insurance. I am researching this on behalf of an actual person I know with a chronic disease and multiple complications, all of which are currently untreated. I am looking into medicaid, social security administered disability, and what to do if you can't qualify for either. I have learned a lot.
For instance, from the official CMS website: "Medicaid does not provide medical assistance for all poor persons. Even under the broadest provisions of the Federal statute (except for emergency services for certain persons), the Medicaid program does not provide health care services, even for very poor persons, unless they are in one of the designated eligibility groups." So what do you do if you are very poor and so sick that you can't work, but don't technically qualify for medicaid? In my current experience, it is clear that some people do nothing but wait for deliverance. Perhaps because they don't have access to the internet to do their research or because they are uneducated or even because they were taught not to ask for help for themselves, but to put others first.
I am now researching low-cost or free healthcare clinics that exist as a safety net to keep those on the margins from being lost. Many are managed completely by volunteers, which is so admirable to me. However, because they are run and staffed by volunteers they have limited hours and services. Still, this may be the best solution.
I wonder if it should be this hard, though. I expect that when the US constitution was created, health care was completely different. It was common for the sick to just die and for women not to survive childbirth with much greater frequency than today. But with the advances in medicine today there are still people that die in their homes because they either can not afford the medical care they need or because they are unaware of how to get it. So these pursue happiness and are guaranteed life and liberty in the space between the bathroom and the bedroom only until their bodies succomb to otherwise treatable conditions.
I know there are many people that know a lot more than I do about this topic, and this is just my paltry couple of cents based on only a few days of searching in between my work and life activities. Do with it what you will.
25 July 2008
Finding "the One"
It's all about timing. I know I've said this before, but it's true. Whoever said you have to kiss a lot of frogs, that's true too. And it's also probably true that there's not really just one for anybody. Nonetheless, it feels kind of magical when your paths intersect at just the right time and in just the right way and soon (or not soon) you realize you can actually make this work. You have to be ready for the effort it will take, though. And it may take you a series of heartbreaks to get ready. But this is okay. This is part of the joy you will feel.
At least that is what I'm hoping. You see, we have already "fallen" twice in this house hunting process so far. We fell into this sort of blissful imagining of the future we would have in a particular house, but it was not to be. Mio Marito (I'm learning Italian, sort of) does not believe the adage that we should not get emotionally involved in our house hunting. I think what he means, which is true, is that you can not separate your emotions from the process, because if you do you may end up buying a place that is an awesome value for the neighborhood and that will re-sell very well, but that you just plain old don't dig the idea of living in and that is lame.
Other things that apply to both dating and house hunting:
When something just feels wrong, go with your gut and get out of there. One of the places we saw Wednesday had an immediate bad feeling about it. The step up to the house from the porch was huge--it just seemed off. And it was only down from there: burn marks in the middle of the living room floor, broken glass from the chandelier all over the dining room, and then we went upstairs where the place was riddled with offensive messages written or carved into doors and walls. One of the rooms had several holes in the walls as well. Sometimes you can go into a house and see beyond these cosmetic things, but here I could not. Bad things had happened here. Also, we didn't really love the layout. It was small and crampedish.
You will get your heart broken and learn that you have a heart, which is a good thing. The last place we saw Wednesday, we were already excited about before we got there. We'd driven through the neighborhood before and knew it was a good location and that the townhomes were nice and built in the eighties so they had better layouts (the seventies townhomes tend to be pretty dark and dank). The place was so spacious and bursting with potential like an absess with fluid. It had the largest kitchen area we had yet seen in our price range. The basement was huge with a high ceiling and very sunny. The master bedroom had three windows and a killer walk-in closet. Yes, we were enamored. It needed new flooring throughout, as someone had pulled some seriously doofus manuevers with the flooring, but we were ready to deal with that. The surrounding area was also nice and the place was begging for a real nice deck. What happened? Oh, it was under contract by the time we got home that night. I felt dumped, I really did. But maybe it was just a crush anyway. It might be true that I should avoid completely throwing myself into something in the future, but I should also remain open to possibility of loving again.
That's enough similarities for now. In other news, I've been trying to revive that freelance writing idea and am now moving forward and working on the portfolio. Il Marito and I are learning a little Italian for our trip that is still a good nine months away. I'm trying herbal remedies for annoyances that have plagued me and I am somewhat hopeful. Also, I have become a library-goer again. I gave it up for many years, but figured with the name change they probably wouldn't be tracking my previous activities.
Last but not least, some of my coworkers were taking me out to lunch this week in honor of my birthday (oh yeah, I turned the big 3-0 last Saturday), and one of my coworkers that had seen a picture of El Esposo/Il Marito described him as looking like a "Young Hugh Hefner." I found a picture and it is proudly displayed at the top of this entry. Don't get any ideas, mi amore.
15 July 2008
I Ain't Afraid to Love You
Without further ado, the results of the first songwriting challenge...
MJ's Version
Little Brother's Version
El Esposo's Version
And remember your vote really counts since there's only two of you!
MJ's Version
Little Brother's Version
El Esposo's Version
And remember your vote really counts since there's only two of you!
11 July 2008
More bedazzlement to come
Are you dazzled by the new look on Rocktastica? Well, let me tell you about it. See, in preparation for the awesome new feature "Songwriting Challenge," I decided "we" needed a new look. Five points to anyone that can identify the rocker behind those crazy inverted colors courtesy of everyone's favorite graphic manipulating tool, Paint. What are the five points redeemable for? The nice smug feeling of victory.
So far, little brother has contributed his one-take garage band recording of "I Ain't Afraid to Love You." After I get past my personal technical recording difficulties, I will be able to present to my two readers the fruits of the first songwriting challenge. Stay tuned!
And hey, if you're a songwriter you can join the fun. Either wait until the next challenge is issued or write your own song with the title "I Ain't Afraid to Love You," record it in one-track-one-take fashion, and send it to me or rocktastica@gmail.com. You have until I have uploaded mine and el esposo's versions to do so (which means at least through the weekend as we have a weekend trip scheduled). I will save them all on my googlepages, present the links for everyone's enjoyment and the two readers can vote for the winner! But don't think of it as a contest so much as a golden opportunity to rise to the challenge. More challenges forthcoming . . .
17 June 2008
Rocktastica is . . . born?
My little brother has issued a challenge. We are each to write a song entitled "I Ain't Afraid to Love You" (el esposo might get to play, too) by the time we meet for a family vaycay July 2. Then we play our songs. I don't know if it's a competition exactly, but if you wuss out (as we used to say circa 1990), you are a lo-ser.
I'm thinking about upping the ante and saying we have to upload a lo-fi version of our songs, which, incidentally, is starting to sound like a really cool use for a blog.
Hmm.
Possibly a blog called Rocktastica.
Anybody have a good idea for the logistics of such a blog--like where/how to post the audio files?
I'm thinking about upping the ante and saying we have to upload a lo-fi version of our songs, which, incidentally, is starting to sound like a really cool use for a blog.
Hmm.
Possibly a blog called Rocktastica.
Anybody have a good idea for the logistics of such a blog--like where/how to post the audio files?
05 June 2008
I knew that I would
I feel good today. I'm at work, I've got things to do ranging from utterly boring to somewhat interesting and I'm feeling good. Why? Because I got enough sleep. In the past I've conducted a study on myself to determine how much sleep I need. Studies show* the sleep required varies per person. For me it is very much an exact science: 7.5 hours. Actually, more than that would probably be okay, but that is a rarely studied happening, so there is room for further study. 7 hours 15 minutes does not cut it. Without fail, I will fall asleep on the bus and then at work my eyes will get heavy as I stare at the computer screen and inevitably they will start to close. Last night I got my 7.5 hours (barely) and I feel like a million bucks. Sleep means everything.
*I know I read this somewhere sometime. Maybe it was pop reporting, but it doesn't matter as I know for myself and that's plenty of data for me.
*I know I read this somewhere sometime. Maybe it was pop reporting, but it doesn't matter as I know for myself and that's plenty of data for me.
28 May 2008
What Recycling is Not
Yesterday my co-worker was telling me that people that make a big deal out of saving the environment and then go have children are total hypocrites. I tend to think people can just be multi-faceted. However, the whole discussion reminded me of other things that masquerade as saving the planet but really aren't.
My nice brother and sister-in-law got us a subscription to ReadyMade magazine as a wedding present. It's a fun little magazine with some cute craft projects, most of which are beyond our abilities and/or level of patience, but which nevertheless seem nice and like something we might try . . . someday. (Several years ago, a friend and I stole the idea of the pillowcase skirt from ReadyMade, so you never know.) But there is a trend that ReadyMade influences that just kind of bugs me: calling something recycling that is not recycling. It may be hip to make something artistic involving some old household objects AND other materials, but it's not exactly recycling. Creative? Sure. Re-use? Maybe. Less of a waste of resources than buying something? It depends. But not recycling. Definition number 1 for Recycle: to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse. And, okay, I understand that an argument can be made that turning something into art is processing it for re-use, but I just think it can be taken to extremes. For example:
El Esposo and I were recently trying to find out how to recycle a broken television we have. We found this little gem of an idea from "Marie" at some website called world.org under the "how to recycle a television" section:
Gut a dead television and place an aquarium inside. Fill with fish.
Odd? Yes. Interesting? Possibly. Post-modern? I think that fits the bill. But, to me, recycling is when you decrease the total amount of waste, not increase it by--say--buying an aquarium.
I'm not saying creating a lamp from an old radio (like we saw at Artomatic last week) is not cool, I just prefer not to bastardize the term recycling to the point that we forget that junk is still junk. Like, um, what am I doing with the rest of the television that I just gutted? And how will I eventually dispose of the aquarium?
My nice brother and sister-in-law got us a subscription to ReadyMade magazine as a wedding present. It's a fun little magazine with some cute craft projects, most of which are beyond our abilities and/or level of patience, but which nevertheless seem nice and like something we might try . . . someday. (Several years ago, a friend and I stole the idea of the pillowcase skirt from ReadyMade, so you never know.) But there is a trend that ReadyMade influences that just kind of bugs me: calling something recycling that is not recycling. It may be hip to make something artistic involving some old household objects AND other materials, but it's not exactly recycling. Creative? Sure. Re-use? Maybe. Less of a waste of resources than buying something? It depends. But not recycling. Definition number 1 for Recycle: to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse. And, okay, I understand that an argument can be made that turning something into art is processing it for re-use, but I just think it can be taken to extremes. For example:
El Esposo and I were recently trying to find out how to recycle a broken television we have. We found this little gem of an idea from "Marie" at some website called world.org under the "how to recycle a television" section:
Gut a dead television and place an aquarium inside. Fill with fish.
Odd? Yes. Interesting? Possibly. Post-modern? I think that fits the bill. But, to me, recycling is when you decrease the total amount of waste, not increase it by--say--buying an aquarium.
I'm not saying creating a lamp from an old radio (like we saw at Artomatic last week) is not cool, I just prefer not to bastardize the term recycling to the point that we forget that junk is still junk. Like, um, what am I doing with the rest of the television that I just gutted? And how will I eventually dispose of the aquarium?
08 May 2008
Vinyl, baby
When I was in elementary school, 4th or 5th grade, I did an "independent study" on the music recording business for the nerdy/gifted class I was in. (Sidenote: this class basically saved my life as I was criminally shy and always felt uneasy in regular classes.) I studied how to make records. I remember going down to this big warehouse that was mostly devoted to manufacturing records and also had a recording studio, for this small-time recording company in Houston. I walked away with this big hunk of vinyl with a hole in the middle. It was like a record in embryo. So cool.
Yesterday, el esposo's co-worker GAVE us her old record player. So cool. She also gave us a pretty substantial record collection, which may be the oddest record collection ever. It's like nothing but B-sides, maybe C-sides, even. Basically, it's a lot of musak - translation: more boring versions of popular recordings as performed by more boring artists. However, there are some bizarre gems. El Esposo was particularly fond of this one:
Songs with the word "kiss" in the title as played on the electric harmonica. Oh yeah. How jealous are you?
07 May 2008
Don't Look So Happy
That's what the security guard said to me this morning as I walked into the building. But, being the astute observer of vocal tone that I am, I could tell he was being sarcastic. We're not friends or anything, though I do recognize him as one of five security guards I am likely to meet upon entering the building. So a virtual stranger was basically telling what sort of facial expression I ought to have.
Here's the thing: I was in no way grumpy or in a foul mood at all. From what I remember, I was just thinking over some logic problem in my head--something I often do (while vaguely preparing to give some sort of courteous nod)--and he startled me out of my thoughts. The best I could say was "Oh. Sorry."
I have never figured out the right response in this scenario, which happens with relative frequency and has for pretty much my whole life. Since I was a kid, I have had a big tendency to both a) daydream and b) be totally unaware of my facial expressions.
So what should I say when someone points out an expression I am giving which I am totally oblivious to? (side-note: my husband does not completely buy my claim that I am oblivious, but just because he studied psychology doesn't mean he knows everything.) And is it cool for a complete stranger to be telling me what to do anyway?
I'm thinking if I had a prepared response to this situation, it would be a very handy piece of equipment for my life--nothing too snarky as I'm interested in simplifying and defusing the situation so I can move on. Do any of the 3 or 4 people that read this blog have an idea?
Here's the thing: I was in no way grumpy or in a foul mood at all. From what I remember, I was just thinking over some logic problem in my head--something I often do (while vaguely preparing to give some sort of courteous nod)--and he startled me out of my thoughts. The best I could say was "Oh. Sorry."
I have never figured out the right response in this scenario, which happens with relative frequency and has for pretty much my whole life. Since I was a kid, I have had a big tendency to both a) daydream and b) be totally unaware of my facial expressions.
So what should I say when someone points out an expression I am giving which I am totally oblivious to? (side-note: my husband does not completely buy my claim that I am oblivious, but just because he studied psychology doesn't mean he knows everything.) And is it cool for a complete stranger to be telling me what to do anyway?
I'm thinking if I had a prepared response to this situation, it would be a very handy piece of equipment for my life--nothing too snarky as I'm interested in simplifying and defusing the situation so I can move on. Do any of the 3 or 4 people that read this blog have an idea?
05 May 2008
Literary Nerd Moment: Allusions in Bob Marley
So I'm not a Bob Marley scholar or anything, but the other day we went to this picnic to celebrate a friend's graduation. She's a writer, and as I well know, graduate school writers tend to either BE hippies or at least BEfriend hippies, so of course there were several Bob Marley fans at the picnic and before you know it El Esposo is playing Bob Marley tunes on a borrowed guitar and everyone is singing along. Could it have been otherwise? I don't know.
Fast Forward to this morning when I am reading the Old Testament in Genesis and I'm basically finishing up the Joseph in Egypt story, which--just as a reader, I must say--is the first truly compelling story in the Old Testament. And it is a redemption story. Anyway, I read this blessing from Jacob/Israel to his son Joseph (after he was sold into slavery by his brothers, spent many years in prison, eventually was promoted to be Pharaoh's CEO so that he became quite rich and powerful, and was able to provide for and forgive his long-lost family during a famine) in Genesis 49--note the bold text:
"22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)"
And what did I hear playing in my head?
"Oh Pirates yes they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.
Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom? -
cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs."
--"Redemption Song," Bob Marley
The song is clearly talking about African Slavery at this point, but this is also a clear biblical allusion. It made me start thinking about Rastafarianism and its relationship to Judaism. I'm working on it.
Fast Forward to this morning when I am reading the Old Testament in Genesis and I'm basically finishing up the Joseph in Egypt story, which--just as a reader, I must say--is the first truly compelling story in the Old Testament. And it is a redemption story. Anyway, I read this blessing from Jacob/Israel to his son Joseph (after he was sold into slavery by his brothers, spent many years in prison, eventually was promoted to be Pharaoh's CEO so that he became quite rich and powerful, and was able to provide for and forgive his long-lost family during a famine) in Genesis 49--note the bold text:
"22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)"
And what did I hear playing in my head?
"Oh Pirates yes they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.
Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom? -
cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs."
--"Redemption Song," Bob Marley
The song is clearly talking about African Slavery at this point, but this is also a clear biblical allusion. It made me start thinking about Rastafarianism and its relationship to Judaism. I'm working on it.
02 May 2008
boating fun
El esposo and I have not been doing anything that exciting lately. Partially because I've been stressed out and busy: job interviews, paperwork, lesson plans, grading, educating myself on home buying. There hasn't been that much time for fun. Which is dumb, actually. Fun is underrated I think. But last weekend we took some time to go camping. One of the highlights was rowboating. Watch as the pictures plus a few brief captions tell the story . . .
LCD rowing happily as we leave the shore
Me relaxing while LCD rows happily. Later my skin would take on a hue similar to my shirt. We forgot the sunscreen. Also, though my expression is slightly odd in this picture, it would later take on my patented look of frustration which you will simply have to imagine. That is because the rowing got really hard. It was especially really stinking hard in the shallow areas. Both of us had a hard time turning the boat around when on the edge of the lake. And I've been working out and everything! Well . . . once a week for the arms, but that's much better than usual.
Later we discover why rowboating was so much harder than we thought it would be:
LCD flashes his look of irony and defeat as he reveals the concrete slab of an anchor that had been in the water the whole time. Curses!
And thus, we turn the corner to Easy Street (job search over, one class to go), having survived five months of marriage. I think FUN is about to pick up.
LCD rowing happily as we leave the shore
Me relaxing while LCD rows happily. Later my skin would take on a hue similar to my shirt. We forgot the sunscreen. Also, though my expression is slightly odd in this picture, it would later take on my patented look of frustration which you will simply have to imagine. That is because the rowing got really hard. It was especially really stinking hard in the shallow areas. Both of us had a hard time turning the boat around when on the edge of the lake. And I've been working out and everything! Well . . . once a week for the arms, but that's much better than usual.
Later we discover why rowboating was so much harder than we thought it would be:
LCD flashes his look of irony and defeat as he reveals the concrete slab of an anchor that had been in the water the whole time. Curses!
And thus, we turn the corner to Easy Street (job search over, one class to go), having survived five months of marriage. I think FUN is about to pick up.
30 April 2008
meet the new job: same as the old job
i was raised on classic rock.
anyway . . . hooray! i just got hired! to do my same job!!! yup, it's true. but now i'm going to work for the main contractor instead of the subcontractor. those of you that know i have been looking for a new job, the path was circuitous, both winding and eventually a circle, and i found it! it was here all along . . .
it makes more sense than you think.
really.
also i have a funny rowboating story but it works best with pictures and el esposo has all the pictures so i will have to hunt him down.
anyway . . . hooray! i just got hired! to do my same job!!! yup, it's true. but now i'm going to work for the main contractor instead of the subcontractor. those of you that know i have been looking for a new job, the path was circuitous, both winding and eventually a circle, and i found it! it was here all along . . .
it makes more sense than you think.
really.
also i have a funny rowboating story but it works best with pictures and el esposo has all the pictures so i will have to hunt him down.
08 April 2008
Plans
Lately I have been in planning frenzy mode. Not that I really have time for that. Well lesson plans, of course. I have no choice there (five classes left!). I also have a stack of papers to grade that my students are not getting back this week. In the midst of this and job stuff and what are we doing this weekend and what am I going to do with my tax return and when are we taking vacation this year and when will we finally have a weekend to go camping and when will I have time to start freelancing on the side (the side of what???) blah blah ad nauseum I am also looking at how to buy a house(!) and also if it is even a possibility.
Though sweetiepieface and I have been saving all our nickles and dimes for two whole years (give or take), we do live in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country and neither of us is a high-powered anything. So we placed the whole idea of buying a house on the backburner of our minds. Recently, though, we looked around and realized the prices they are a droppin'--not into the range my relocated middle-american family is dealing with right now (actually their prices didn't even drop as they hadn't been inflated in the first place)--but still it's significant. And if you're going to buy anything, you might as well buy at the bottom, right? So I've been perking up and looking at real estate online, and then very recently I started learning about all this stuff that had just been random terminology before: like mortgages and credit scores. I started getting into the details: mortgage insurance, fixed-rate vs. adjustable rate, real estate taxes, "points" (which is part of your insurance paid up-front to decrease your overall interest rate), credit scores, and more.
The more I learn, the less I realize we can afford. Odd blue townhouse that I thought was in our price range:
is--alas--not quite.
However, each time we revise down our estimate and I look at property in our price range I realize that we may still be able to find something that is at least a little nicer (well, bigger anyway) than the place we are currently renting, and that will serve our main purpose and build some equity. Something like--say--this:
Of course, the real telling thing will be when we actually go to look at some of these places. For example, here's a question: are the kind of people that can not afford to pay for their mortgage such that their house gets foreclosed (is that a verb?) the type to have been very vigilant about the upkeep of that same house?
I've also learned that what we need in terms of financing might not exist, since we are planning to be making significantly LESS money in a couple or three (i think some relative of mine says that) years than we are making now, when I plan to go freelance part-time/mommy part-time. So much stuff to think about and then think some more about. I'm thinking maybe if I do this one step at a time it won't seem like such an impossible adult math problem. Our next step, I think, is to check credit scores and get ourselves ready for the big loan meeting. Also, a camping trip is pretty much in order.
Are you guys bored yet? Have any great tips?
Though sweetiepieface and I have been saving all our nickles and dimes for two whole years (give or take), we do live in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country and neither of us is a high-powered anything. So we placed the whole idea of buying a house on the backburner of our minds. Recently, though, we looked around and realized the prices they are a droppin'--not into the range my relocated middle-american family is dealing with right now (actually their prices didn't even drop as they hadn't been inflated in the first place)--but still it's significant. And if you're going to buy anything, you might as well buy at the bottom, right? So I've been perking up and looking at real estate online, and then very recently I started learning about all this stuff that had just been random terminology before: like mortgages and credit scores. I started getting into the details: mortgage insurance, fixed-rate vs. adjustable rate, real estate taxes, "points" (which is part of your insurance paid up-front to decrease your overall interest rate), credit scores, and more.
The more I learn, the less I realize we can afford. Odd blue townhouse that I thought was in our price range:
is--alas--not quite.
However, each time we revise down our estimate and I look at property in our price range I realize that we may still be able to find something that is at least a little nicer (well, bigger anyway) than the place we are currently renting, and that will serve our main purpose and build some equity. Something like--say--this:
Of course, the real telling thing will be when we actually go to look at some of these places. For example, here's a question: are the kind of people that can not afford to pay for their mortgage such that their house gets foreclosed (is that a verb?) the type to have been very vigilant about the upkeep of that same house?
I've also learned that what we need in terms of financing might not exist, since we are planning to be making significantly LESS money in a couple or three (i think some relative of mine says that) years than we are making now, when I plan to go freelance part-time/mommy part-time. So much stuff to think about and then think some more about. I'm thinking maybe if I do this one step at a time it won't seem like such an impossible adult math problem. Our next step, I think, is to check credit scores and get ourselves ready for the big loan meeting. Also, a camping trip is pretty much in order.
Are you guys bored yet? Have any great tips?
01 April 2008
A blog is not a journal
You can't write about any of the most interesting experiences. I was thinking to myself how recent experiences need to be recorded somewhere. Either for posterity or just for myself so I can keep from re-making mistakes. AND so I can even remember how I did it when I happened to do something so exactly right. EVEN just to put something that happened into a larger context so it can make some actual sense instead of just fester in my brain and keep making noise noise noise and no meaning. Then I remembered the Journal concept. Journals: Turning brain noise into usable life lessons. That's my slogan for the journal lobby. Takers? You owe me a dollar. Or maybe just a citation.
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