My grandmother, Alta, died today. She was 89 years old. She went into the hospital on Thursday, 3 days after her 89th birthday, and never came out. Just like she lived her life, she went out her own way. She told everyone what her wishes were, and that it was time.
You see, my Grandma was always a strong personality. If she didn't want to do something, more than likely it wasn't going to be done. My dad told a story of when he was in Junior High School, and my Grandma dropped him off for school one day. The man behind her in the drop-off line decided she wasn't moving fast enough, and so he hit his horn. Grandma, not one to suffer fools gladly, put the car into park and turned off the engine. Backed up the line for half a mile if the story is to believe. The gentleman, and I use the term loosely if he's bothering my Grandma like this, got out and yelled at her asking what she was doing. My Grandma replied he was being rude, and that she wasn't moving until he apologized. The man grew more frustrated, and traffic ground to a halt outside the school. Finally, from what I've been told, the man came back and apologized for his behavior. Grandma thanked him, started the car, and drove off.
Grandma was also one of the greatest straight men in the history of comedy. We're talking Ernie Wise or Bud Abbott level here. Grandpa got the laughs, but a lot of the time it was because of the exasperation from my Grandma to his stories. He'd start off on a whopper of a story, and while we're laughing at it you'd hear my Grandma from the kitchen with her eternal lament:
"Johnny, now you quit lying to those children and tell them what really happened." Grandpa would always respond, "That IS what happened. At least that's how I remember it."
One of the times that Grandpa told the story, we kept waiting for the correction from my Grandma, but it never came. Turns out it was pretty much a true story. They were getting married, and they were leaving the pastor's (who was her brother) office to walk around the church outside to get to the front. (It was a small church, and to get from there to the sanctuary, you had to either go through the Altar or around back. The Pastor went through the Altar while my Grandparents went around back.) Except someone had moved the stairs. Grandpa jumped down, turned and waited for Grandma to jump down and he'd catch her. She caught him and knocked him over. (Grandpa embellished that "I called to her, 'Fly to me, my little chickadee' before she knocked me over with a cross-body block." Grandma rolled her eyes at that.) I still smile thinking of that.
Grandma also wasn't one to sugar coat things, and she treated me like an adult when I got older because that's how she saw me. In 1999, I went to see her and Grandpa with my family for Christmas. I had just joined the Foreign Service, and was leaving the next summer for my first posting in Suriname. Grandma sat me down, looked me in eye, and let me know that two years is a long time to be away, and that the odds were great that either she or Grandpa probably wouldn't be there when I got back in 2002. When I told her not to talk like that, she looked me in the eyes and gave it to me straight: "Jay, you're an adult and you need to start thinking like one." She was right, as my Grandpa passed away in 2001.
I wanted her to meet my wife and my kids. I'm proud that my daughter has so many strong women that she can model herself after, and my Grandma was definitely one. Luckily for me I got to talk on the phone to her one last time before she passed. I told her I loved her, and that I hoped she was proud of who I'd become, and that I would always love her, and to give Grandpa a hug for me when she sees him.
You know, I like to think that when she got to heaven, Grandpa was waiting there with St. Peter, a cup of coffee in his hand like always, with a smile on his face. Peter would wave her right in, but stop to ask her a question before she got on with her richly deserved reward.
"Mrs. Parker, I just have to ask: Did the spurs story really happen?"
And of course Grandma will smile, look at Grandpa and say, exasperated: "You haven't changed a bit! Now, you tell it the way it really happened Johnny!" Grandpa will laugh and say, "That's how I remember it!" And then they'll walk arm in arm into heaven together. At least that's how I like to imagine it going.
Rest in Peace Grandma. The world was a better place because of you, and I will miss you terribly.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
My Inner Lester Bangs: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" By Tears For Fears
28 years ago, Tears for Fears released "Songs from the Big Chair." I was in 4th grade. I hadn't ever heard their previous album with the hit, "Mad World", but this stuff sounded pretty new and exciting back then.
The album spun off three MONSTER songs that topped the charts in the US and the UK. Everybody probably remembers hearing Shout back then on the radio. I know I did, listening to BJ 105 from Orlando and I-100 in Daytona. (RIP those forgotten music stations.) It was a tour de force for a 9 year old that had just moved from Arkansas to the beaches of Florida. "Shout" was very cathartic. However, the second single is the one that has stayed with me.
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was a more up tempo song for the duo, and although the topic was about power and how everyone wants it and is against war making, it was quite the upbeat ditty. It's been used as the theme song for "Dennis Miller Live" when it was on HBO, and was included in the movie "Real Genius" starring a young Val Kilmer. (Short side note here: that movie is pretty dang funny. I love it, and Kilmer actually had some pretty good comic timing. Plus, Stacy Perralta played a pilot in the movie, so that just makes it that much more awesome. Don't know who Stacy Perralta is? Look it up.)
Anyways, when I have a Tears for Fears song on my iPad, it usually isn't "Shout" or "Head Over Heels" (which is another great song). It's probably "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."
Now, when you're a 9 year old looking at the future, you don't get the idea of what the song is about. You just hear the opening line, which in my opinion is one of the best in pop music history, and you think, "Yeah, this pretty well sums up what I'm feeling." Here's the opening line:
The album spun off three MONSTER songs that topped the charts in the US and the UK. Everybody probably remembers hearing Shout back then on the radio. I know I did, listening to BJ 105 from Orlando and I-100 in Daytona. (RIP those forgotten music stations.) It was a tour de force for a 9 year old that had just moved from Arkansas to the beaches of Florida. "Shout" was very cathartic. However, the second single is the one that has stayed with me.
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was a more up tempo song for the duo, and although the topic was about power and how everyone wants it and is against war making, it was quite the upbeat ditty. It's been used as the theme song for "Dennis Miller Live" when it was on HBO, and was included in the movie "Real Genius" starring a young Val Kilmer. (Short side note here: that movie is pretty dang funny. I love it, and Kilmer actually had some pretty good comic timing. Plus, Stacy Perralta played a pilot in the movie, so that just makes it that much more awesome. Don't know who Stacy Perralta is? Look it up.)
Anyways, when I have a Tears for Fears song on my iPad, it usually isn't "Shout" or "Head Over Heels" (which is another great song). It's probably "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."
Now, when you're a 9 year old looking at the future, you don't get the idea of what the song is about. You just hear the opening line, which in my opinion is one of the best in pop music history, and you think, "Yeah, this pretty well sums up what I'm feeling." Here's the opening line:
Welcome to your life/there's no turning back.
That's some deep thinking for a 9 year old, don't you think? Welcome to your life. There's no turning back. Heck, I'd been thinking that since I was at least 6. (Believe me, most of my panic attacks can be traced back to my realization of my own mortality at the tender age of 6.) But it has a bit of a happy thought behind it. Welcome.
Maybe I'm over thinking this puff pop song, but I really feel that there usually is a deeper meaning behind some of these songs. The puff pop songs that last usually do have a thing behind them. Believe me, and I've said it before, but there isn't anything behind Bieber songs. In 30 years I'll doubt we'll hear them on the radio, except as an oddity. Like the songs from The Partridge Family. (Although "I Think I Love You" was pretty darn good.)
(Short tangent here. What in the name of all that is good and pure in this world was Justin Bieber doing writing on the guest book at the Anne Frank House that he hoped she would have been a Belieber. Really?!? How about, "I'm sorry she was killed by evil people, and her strength to record all that was going on is a shining example to all that followed and a living testament to the terror she and her family shared." Because really, Justin, it ain't about you. Take it down a notch, hoss. I can already tell you where this path your on is headed, and they probably have a spot in rehab already set up for you. Heck, when Chris Brown tells you to chill, you may need to think about your choices in life. End of Tangent.)
Anyways, the fact is that "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" actually still sounds good to this day. Heck, it hasn't even been covered that much, because no one wants to screw it up. (Someone keep UB 40 away from it please.) Tears for Fears are still touring, and I tell you, I'd go see them. If you haven't heard the song in a while, go listen to it. It'll probably take you back almost 30 years, but it'll be worth it.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Housing Board Blues
One of the most thankless jobs in the Mission is being on the housing board.
Housing is one of the, if not THE, most contentious issues we deal with in the Management Section. This is because it affects everyone in the family, and not just the officer. The job of making housing assignments is delegated to the Inter-Agency Housing Board (hereinafter IAHB). This is because the Management Officer and General Services Officer already have to make some unpopular decisions, so why make them even more hated? (Actually, it's to ensure that the housing is distributed equitably and that all sections in the Mission get a say in how people are housed. I think mine's more accurate, though.)
Anyways, sometimes the meetings go quite quickly. In Suriname, my first post, I had two of the three votes in my pocket so I didn't need to worry. I'd make a suggestion, the two that always agreed with me would vote yea, and it would pass. Our meetings were 10 minutes long. However, in some places I've been, the IAHB is very large, and the decisions can take a LONG time. We're talking 2-3 hour affairs. They just keep going, and then old jealousies pop up, arguments take root, and we end up arguing over whether the new Consular officer is getting too nice a house, and should it REALLY go to the USAID officer. It gets very old very quickly. People are asked their preferences, and for the most part we try to give them what we can.
Sometimes the person assigned to the residence doesn't like it for some reason. They can appeal it. There are actual reasons to appeal, but the only ones that I think should be taken seriously are health and safety. If you feel like you're in danger living at a certain residence, then you should be able to move. (Like if your neighbors are threatening you and trying to intimidate you, like what happened to someone here in South Africa when I first came, then you should be able to move.) If you find mold, or the light sockets keep exploding and you think that the house is a death trap or is making you and your family ill (and it can be proven) then you should move. For me, that's it.
I say this because transfer season is upon us once again. We'll be gearing up for new arrivals soon, and the housing needs that come with them. I'm sure there will be some appeals, and that people will complain that my house is nicer than theirs and it isn't fair. (Mine has the veneer of being nice, but it definitely has challenges.) This is just part of the game we call the FS. I just hope if the IAHB gets tense that I have pop corn available. I can't vote, but maybe I can enjoy the tension.
Housing is one of the, if not THE, most contentious issues we deal with in the Management Section. This is because it affects everyone in the family, and not just the officer. The job of making housing assignments is delegated to the Inter-Agency Housing Board (hereinafter IAHB). This is because the Management Officer and General Services Officer already have to make some unpopular decisions, so why make them even more hated? (Actually, it's to ensure that the housing is distributed equitably and that all sections in the Mission get a say in how people are housed. I think mine's more accurate, though.)
Anyways, sometimes the meetings go quite quickly. In Suriname, my first post, I had two of the three votes in my pocket so I didn't need to worry. I'd make a suggestion, the two that always agreed with me would vote yea, and it would pass. Our meetings were 10 minutes long. However, in some places I've been, the IAHB is very large, and the decisions can take a LONG time. We're talking 2-3 hour affairs. They just keep going, and then old jealousies pop up, arguments take root, and we end up arguing over whether the new Consular officer is getting too nice a house, and should it REALLY go to the USAID officer. It gets very old very quickly. People are asked their preferences, and for the most part we try to give them what we can.
Sometimes the person assigned to the residence doesn't like it for some reason. They can appeal it. There are actual reasons to appeal, but the only ones that I think should be taken seriously are health and safety. If you feel like you're in danger living at a certain residence, then you should be able to move. (Like if your neighbors are threatening you and trying to intimidate you, like what happened to someone here in South Africa when I first came, then you should be able to move.) If you find mold, or the light sockets keep exploding and you think that the house is a death trap or is making you and your family ill (and it can be proven) then you should move. For me, that's it.
I say this because transfer season is upon us once again. We'll be gearing up for new arrivals soon, and the housing needs that come with them. I'm sure there will be some appeals, and that people will complain that my house is nicer than theirs and it isn't fair. (Mine has the veneer of being nice, but it definitely has challenges.) This is just part of the game we call the FS. I just hope if the IAHB gets tense that I have pop corn available. I can't vote, but maybe I can enjoy the tension.
Friday, April 19, 2013
MILB: "Save My Soul" by Blues Saraceno
Usually I try to stay away from songs by someone who was once the guitarist for Poison, but I'll make an exception in this case.
Blues Saraceno is a guitar wunder-kind. He was discovered by Guitar for the Practicing Musician Magazine at the age of 16, and they helped bring him to the world. (If he'd been born 20 years later, he'd have been big on YouTube.) He got to play with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker from Cream (who would know something about decent guitar players, I'd like to think). He also played with Poison, but I won't hold that against him.
I came across this song while watching the History Channel on Sunday. It's the theme song to a mini-series entitled: "The Men Who Made America." Decent little mini-series, and the theme song REALLY fits it. (The series focuses on Carnegie, J.D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Vanderbilt and JP Morgan.) Anyways, it's a down and dirty blues song, with harmonica and a great guitar going through it.
Blues songs can be basically broken into two themes: Heartache, or dealing with the devil. This sounds like both put together. Definite influences from John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson. The lyrics, which are good, are actually incidental. You don't need them to feel this song. The music is just that powerful. However, when you get to the chorus, you hear the blues really kick in.
"He said:I can't take you to heaven/I can't save your soul/I can't promise forever/Hey, yeah save my soul/Hey now, whoa save my soul/Got my heart in your hands/I can't feel my soul"
That some pretty good stuff, don't you think? When I first heard it, I had to see what it was. The music has a dirty feel to it, so you get the real gin joint feel to it. Almost expect it to have cigarette smoke coming off it. Anyways, this song really moves, and of course has the upswing with the chorus that all blues records have. So you know it's going to be good.
If you like old school blues, you'll like this song. If you don't you still might like it. The guys from Cream can't be wrong about a guitarist, can they?
Blues Saraceno is a guitar wunder-kind. He was discovered by Guitar for the Practicing Musician Magazine at the age of 16, and they helped bring him to the world. (If he'd been born 20 years later, he'd have been big on YouTube.) He got to play with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker from Cream (who would know something about decent guitar players, I'd like to think). He also played with Poison, but I won't hold that against him.
I came across this song while watching the History Channel on Sunday. It's the theme song to a mini-series entitled: "The Men Who Made America." Decent little mini-series, and the theme song REALLY fits it. (The series focuses on Carnegie, J.D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Vanderbilt and JP Morgan.) Anyways, it's a down and dirty blues song, with harmonica and a great guitar going through it.
Blues songs can be basically broken into two themes: Heartache, or dealing with the devil. This sounds like both put together. Definite influences from John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson. The lyrics, which are good, are actually incidental. You don't need them to feel this song. The music is just that powerful. However, when you get to the chorus, you hear the blues really kick in.
"He said:I can't take you to heaven/I can't save your soul/I can't promise forever/Hey, yeah save my soul/Hey now, whoa save my soul/Got my heart in your hands/I can't feel my soul"
That some pretty good stuff, don't you think? When I first heard it, I had to see what it was. The music has a dirty feel to it, so you get the real gin joint feel to it. Almost expect it to have cigarette smoke coming off it. Anyways, this song really moves, and of course has the upswing with the chorus that all blues records have. So you know it's going to be good.
If you like old school blues, you'll like this song. If you don't you still might like it. The guys from Cream can't be wrong about a guitarist, can they?
Thursday, April 18, 2013
My thoughts on a variety of subjects
I'm tired of demonization. I'm tired of everyone trying to blame someone else for events. I'm tired of the news putting out information they haven't vetted yet because they want to be first. (I'm looking your way CNN and the New York Post.) This isn't the way to have a country.
Seriously people, we need to stop. We need to sit down and stop being a big bunch of cry babies. "Oh, he's oppressing me!" "No, you're oppressing me!" Guess what? No one is oppressing anyone here. You want to see oppression? Come visit where I live. Come see a place where a woman reports a rape every 15 minutes, but the number of real rapes is probably one every 3 minutes. Come to a place where the women are more comfortable going to a radio station to talk about being sexually assaulted than they are going to the police because at least then their voices will be heard. THAT'S oppression.
Also, why don't we just wait for the police in Massachusetts to do their job and find the person or persons that planted the bombs in Boston? Speculation in the press actually makes it HARDER to do that job, as then there are so many false flags that need to be run down. Let them announce that they've got someone in custody before you start saying that the person arrested was dark and spoke in an accent. (That was from one of the news channels believe it or not.)
Another thing: stop demonizing your fellow citizens. We all belong to the same country. I went to work over the summer while I was in College with people that were on food stamps, and they weren't moochers. Most of them worked two jobs and still didn't make enough to not be on food stamps. I'd rather they, and their children, get enough to eat thanks. I also have family members that love guns. They aren't wackos, or gun nuts. They are lovely people who keep their guns locked safely away (as far as I know.). I personally don't want to own a gun or have one in my house, but that's my choice. (Yes, I do know how to fire a gun and how to safely use it, thanks. Yes, skeet shooting can be quite cathartic, I know. Would I qualify shooting a gun if I was sent to some place that I was required to know how to fire a gun? Yes.)
When people stop talking is when bad things happen. If we talk more, maybe we'll learn that there are a lot of things we have in common. I think we should break the South's rules on dealing with family members. I think maybe we should talk about Politics, Religion and College Football. We might end up arguing, but at least we'll be talking.
Seriously people, we need to stop. We need to sit down and stop being a big bunch of cry babies. "Oh, he's oppressing me!" "No, you're oppressing me!" Guess what? No one is oppressing anyone here. You want to see oppression? Come visit where I live. Come see a place where a woman reports a rape every 15 minutes, but the number of real rapes is probably one every 3 minutes. Come to a place where the women are more comfortable going to a radio station to talk about being sexually assaulted than they are going to the police because at least then their voices will be heard. THAT'S oppression.
Also, why don't we just wait for the police in Massachusetts to do their job and find the person or persons that planted the bombs in Boston? Speculation in the press actually makes it HARDER to do that job, as then there are so many false flags that need to be run down. Let them announce that they've got someone in custody before you start saying that the person arrested was dark and spoke in an accent. (That was from one of the news channels believe it or not.)
Another thing: stop demonizing your fellow citizens. We all belong to the same country. I went to work over the summer while I was in College with people that were on food stamps, and they weren't moochers. Most of them worked two jobs and still didn't make enough to not be on food stamps. I'd rather they, and their children, get enough to eat thanks. I also have family members that love guns. They aren't wackos, or gun nuts. They are lovely people who keep their guns locked safely away (as far as I know.). I personally don't want to own a gun or have one in my house, but that's my choice. (Yes, I do know how to fire a gun and how to safely use it, thanks. Yes, skeet shooting can be quite cathartic, I know. Would I qualify shooting a gun if I was sent to some place that I was required to know how to fire a gun? Yes.)
When people stop talking is when bad things happen. If we talk more, maybe we'll learn that there are a lot of things we have in common. I think we should break the South's rules on dealing with family members. I think maybe we should talk about Politics, Religion and College Football. We might end up arguing, but at least we'll be talking.
Friday, April 12, 2013
My Inner Lester Bangs: "Wonderwall" by Oasis and by Ryan Adams
It is hard to do a cover of a brilliant song and make it your own. I'm thinking "All Along The Watch Tower" where Dylan started performing it like Hendrix, or when Trent Reznor said that "Hurt" no longer belonged to him because Johnny Cash made it his own. (An amazing cover, by the way, and Reznor was right. I can't hear his version any more, all I can hear is Johnny Cash's version.)
Well, I think this does it. First of all, I love the Oasis version. It reminds me of 1995, and how that song just blew up in the US. I remember singing it outside the White House on my way back from the Delta Gamma formal at 1 in the morning. (I seem to remember one of the girls in the group yelling for Bill to come outside, and seeing the Secret Service guy move to get a better shot if she decided to jump the fence. Good times.)
It's got a great opening guitar to it, and owes a lot of influence to the Beatles (like all of Oasis' music does). Liam's voice carries it, and the movement of the strings really brings out the melancholy of the song. It's a great song, and rightfully thought of as a proper sample of Brit Pop music from the 90s. To be honest, it's not the best song off their second album, "(What's the Story) Mourning Glory?" but it is probably their most famous. (The best song off that album is "Don't Look Back in Anger". Their best song of all time is "Live Forever" but that's another blog post.) It's been covered by tons of people, including an easy listening cover that actually got to number 2 on the British pop lists.
This was the song that really brought them out to America. Everyone was talking about Oasis, and then following it up with "Don't Look Back In Anger" cemented them as the biggest band in the world. Strangely enough, they then just fell apart. Watch the movie Live Forever and see how bad it got. Right now the brothers are in two separate bands and don't even talk to each other. Liam didn't show up for a gig that was being taped, but sat in the balcony and heckled Noel. That's some demented stuff right there.
Now, onto the Ryan Adams cover. It is available on the album Love is Hell. It's completely acoustic guitar with an organ and piano, and timing on the phrasing gets changed, which changes the whole context of the song. It goes from a somewhat melancholy song to one of want and need. It's filled with emotion, befitting his voice. Adams just hits this out of the park. The song, the phrasing, and the way it ends are so good you think this is the way it was supposed to be sung. Apparently Oasis did as well, as they sometimes changed the way it was sung to fit how Adams sang it. When the original changes their song to fit your cover version, you know you've done something right.
Ryan Adams should be much better known that he is. Sadly he's going deaf, and broke up his band The Cardinals. Heck, he should get a mention just for writing "Stars Go Blue." He's had some demons in his life, but he's married to Mandy Moore now, and writing books as well as releasing new material, so hopefully people catch on. Listen to both versions of this song, as it's brilliant, but I think I like Adams' version best.
Well, I think this does it. First of all, I love the Oasis version. It reminds me of 1995, and how that song just blew up in the US. I remember singing it outside the White House on my way back from the Delta Gamma formal at 1 in the morning. (I seem to remember one of the girls in the group yelling for Bill to come outside, and seeing the Secret Service guy move to get a better shot if she decided to jump the fence. Good times.)
It's got a great opening guitar to it, and owes a lot of influence to the Beatles (like all of Oasis' music does). Liam's voice carries it, and the movement of the strings really brings out the melancholy of the song. It's a great song, and rightfully thought of as a proper sample of Brit Pop music from the 90s. To be honest, it's not the best song off their second album, "(What's the Story) Mourning Glory?" but it is probably their most famous. (The best song off that album is "Don't Look Back in Anger". Their best song of all time is "Live Forever" but that's another blog post.) It's been covered by tons of people, including an easy listening cover that actually got to number 2 on the British pop lists.
This was the song that really brought them out to America. Everyone was talking about Oasis, and then following it up with "Don't Look Back In Anger" cemented them as the biggest band in the world. Strangely enough, they then just fell apart. Watch the movie Live Forever and see how bad it got. Right now the brothers are in two separate bands and don't even talk to each other. Liam didn't show up for a gig that was being taped, but sat in the balcony and heckled Noel. That's some demented stuff right there.
Now, onto the Ryan Adams cover. It is available on the album Love is Hell. It's completely acoustic guitar with an organ and piano, and timing on the phrasing gets changed, which changes the whole context of the song. It goes from a somewhat melancholy song to one of want and need. It's filled with emotion, befitting his voice. Adams just hits this out of the park. The song, the phrasing, and the way it ends are so good you think this is the way it was supposed to be sung. Apparently Oasis did as well, as they sometimes changed the way it was sung to fit how Adams sang it. When the original changes their song to fit your cover version, you know you've done something right.
Ryan Adams should be much better known that he is. Sadly he's going deaf, and broke up his band The Cardinals. Heck, he should get a mention just for writing "Stars Go Blue." He's had some demons in his life, but he's married to Mandy Moore now, and writing books as well as releasing new material, so hopefully people catch on. Listen to both versions of this song, as it's brilliant, but I think I like Adams' version best.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
My weekend
This Weekend was quite an experience.
It started on Friday Afternoon, as I had to pay up on my promise for filling out the ICASS survey. Homemade Ice Cream for everyone, and then an auction to raise funds for the Community Liaison Officer. (A good cause since they don't have a budget, and because Lovely English Lass is the CLO.) Finally ending with someone bidding R650 to hit me in the face with a whipped cream pie.
Shortly after going home to rinse spray cream out of my hair (and you never get that smell out of your nose once it's there) we packed the car and headed to Clarens, Free State. But not before Lovely Little Girl got car sick about 45 minutes into the trip. So now we're headed down poorly paved roads where they put up signs warning of pot holes, but don't actually fix the pot holes. (The sign is cheaper is my guess.)
And man was it dark. Probably the darkest night I've ever seen. No moon, but THOUSANDS of stars. I've never seen so many stars. And it's Southern Hemishphere, so I have no idea which stars they were. But on we drove, finally arriving at 9 pm to the house we'd rented for the weekend. But nothing was really open, so no dinner for anyone.
Woke up the next morning and Dad and I walked around town trying to find milk and something for the family to eat prior to going out for breakfast. NOTHING was open at 7 am. This is a major tourist town, as evidenced by the number of motorcycles leaving early that morning, and nothing was open. We finally found a small market that opens at 7 and bought some cereal and milk, which saved the day.
At 8:30, we all walked outside to get a better view of Clarens and have breakfast. It was beautiful. This is a little art enclave right next to Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The view is amazing, and the stores are quaint and lovely. We walked around in the sunshine walking from art studio to art studio, and seeing all sorts of great stuff. LEL bought some new boots, and I bought a new wallet. We found two paintings we liked and bought one of them. (My parents bought the other one as an early birthday gift for LEL.) We found two lovely small home-made easels for putting up art work, and had some great food while there. The kids liked being in the sunshine, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
After putting the kids to bed LEL and I went out for a drink. It was fantastic to be able to walk around the town after dark and not be worried about crime. We had a nice drink (although the smoking in the bar was a bit of a surprise) and walked back at around 10. We looked at the stars through our telescope, and went to sleep.
The next day we had an early breakfast, cleaned the house, and left for the National Park. LEL stated that she didn't believe we'd see any of the animals known to be a part of the Park, but that the view was going to be amazing. I saw a picnic area, and pulled over so she could take photos. Of course in the picnic area was a troop of baboons. (Yes, that's the correct name for a group of baboons.) From there we drove onward and suddenly ran across the largest herd of Spring Bok nd Antelope I've ever seen. There they were, stretched for at least a kilometer, with wildebeast mixed in for good measure. It was amazing. They were crossing the road right in front of us, not even paying attention. I've never seen anything quite like it, and LEL got some great photos.
My parents loved the trip, and I have to admit I really liked Clarens as well. It seems like the sort of place you could go for about a week and have a great relaxing vacation. Maybe we'll go back before leaving South Africa. All I know is we have some great memories, some cool art, and some great photos (which I'll post later) of an amazing place.
It started on Friday Afternoon, as I had to pay up on my promise for filling out the ICASS survey. Homemade Ice Cream for everyone, and then an auction to raise funds for the Community Liaison Officer. (A good cause since they don't have a budget, and because Lovely English Lass is the CLO.) Finally ending with someone bidding R650 to hit me in the face with a whipped cream pie.
Shortly after going home to rinse spray cream out of my hair (and you never get that smell out of your nose once it's there) we packed the car and headed to Clarens, Free State. But not before Lovely Little Girl got car sick about 45 minutes into the trip. So now we're headed down poorly paved roads where they put up signs warning of pot holes, but don't actually fix the pot holes. (The sign is cheaper is my guess.)
And man was it dark. Probably the darkest night I've ever seen. No moon, but THOUSANDS of stars. I've never seen so many stars. And it's Southern Hemishphere, so I have no idea which stars they were. But on we drove, finally arriving at 9 pm to the house we'd rented for the weekend. But nothing was really open, so no dinner for anyone.
Woke up the next morning and Dad and I walked around town trying to find milk and something for the family to eat prior to going out for breakfast. NOTHING was open at 7 am. This is a major tourist town, as evidenced by the number of motorcycles leaving early that morning, and nothing was open. We finally found a small market that opens at 7 and bought some cereal and milk, which saved the day.
At 8:30, we all walked outside to get a better view of Clarens and have breakfast. It was beautiful. This is a little art enclave right next to Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The view is amazing, and the stores are quaint and lovely. We walked around in the sunshine walking from art studio to art studio, and seeing all sorts of great stuff. LEL bought some new boots, and I bought a new wallet. We found two paintings we liked and bought one of them. (My parents bought the other one as an early birthday gift for LEL.) We found two lovely small home-made easels for putting up art work, and had some great food while there. The kids liked being in the sunshine, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
After putting the kids to bed LEL and I went out for a drink. It was fantastic to be able to walk around the town after dark and not be worried about crime. We had a nice drink (although the smoking in the bar was a bit of a surprise) and walked back at around 10. We looked at the stars through our telescope, and went to sleep.
The next day we had an early breakfast, cleaned the house, and left for the National Park. LEL stated that she didn't believe we'd see any of the animals known to be a part of the Park, but that the view was going to be amazing. I saw a picnic area, and pulled over so she could take photos. Of course in the picnic area was a troop of baboons. (Yes, that's the correct name for a group of baboons.) From there we drove onward and suddenly ran across the largest herd of Spring Bok nd Antelope I've ever seen. There they were, stretched for at least a kilometer, with wildebeast mixed in for good measure. It was amazing. They were crossing the road right in front of us, not even paying attention. I've never seen anything quite like it, and LEL got some great photos.
My parents loved the trip, and I have to admit I really liked Clarens as well. It seems like the sort of place you could go for about a week and have a great relaxing vacation. Maybe we'll go back before leaving South Africa. All I know is we have some great memories, some cool art, and some great photos (which I'll post later) of an amazing place.
Friday, April 5, 2013
MILB: "Don't Gotta Work it Out" by Fitz and the Tantrums
Sometimes you have to take the sound back to bring it forward.
Fitz and the Tantrums are exactly that kind of band. Famous for their raucus live shows, and the use of an organ in pop music, they bring about some great music that calls back to the 1960s soul music.
With possibly one of the best names for a band in the last 20 years, Fitz and the Tantrums is fronted by Michael Fitzpatrick and co-lead singer Noelle Scaggs. The band began, strangely enough, when Fitz bought an organ in 2008, and decided to start a neo-soul band after writing the song, "Breakin the Chains of Love". He called his friend James King who played sax, who recommended Scaggs and drummer John Wicks. Wicks recommended his friends Ethan Phillips (bass) and Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards). That was the beginning of the band. In 2009, they recorder their first EP, Songs for a Breakup, vol. 1 which is also a pretty darn cool name. They released their first full LP in 2010 called Pickin Up the Pieces.
Now, onto the song. Catchy title, right? Seems like these people know how to make themselves memorable. Heck, one of their songs is called "Moneygrabber." All with a sound like Motown. They honor their influences without being overwhelmed by them.
"Don't Gotta Work It Out" is a reaction to all the songs about staying together. In fact, usually there aren't that many rock songs about breaking up. It's always someone begging someone to stay. (Country music on the other hand, has a lot to say about breaking up. Or in the case of the Dixie Chicks, killing your ex who is beating you.) The point here is they've made a very upbeat song about breaking up with someone. It's actually quite a feat. Starting with a subdued piano and a kick drum, the song doesn't move like you'd think. The baritone saxophone adds a bottom to the song that isn't in many songs these days. The lyrics talk about a guy that obviously loves someone, but she's cheated on him, so he leaves her. I mean, he even puts in, "When I'm on the road I often dream and think of you girl/ I hope you do too." But then follows it up with, "We dont' gotta work it out." You can love someone and know they're no good for you and leave them.
The whole thing just moves nicely. If you get a chance, find a recording of it live. While the album version is great, the live version is just awesome. You feel the urgency, and they speed it up. The harmonies are fantastic and the musicianship is brilliant. Trust me, go find this album and listen to it. Then try and find them performing near you. They should be much bigger than they are, and hopefully will be soon.
Fitz and the Tantrums are exactly that kind of band. Famous for their raucus live shows, and the use of an organ in pop music, they bring about some great music that calls back to the 1960s soul music.
With possibly one of the best names for a band in the last 20 years, Fitz and the Tantrums is fronted by Michael Fitzpatrick and co-lead singer Noelle Scaggs. The band began, strangely enough, when Fitz bought an organ in 2008, and decided to start a neo-soul band after writing the song, "Breakin the Chains of Love". He called his friend James King who played sax, who recommended Scaggs and drummer John Wicks. Wicks recommended his friends Ethan Phillips (bass) and Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards). That was the beginning of the band. In 2009, they recorder their first EP, Songs for a Breakup, vol. 1 which is also a pretty darn cool name. They released their first full LP in 2010 called Pickin Up the Pieces.
Now, onto the song. Catchy title, right? Seems like these people know how to make themselves memorable. Heck, one of their songs is called "Moneygrabber." All with a sound like Motown. They honor their influences without being overwhelmed by them.
"Don't Gotta Work It Out" is a reaction to all the songs about staying together. In fact, usually there aren't that many rock songs about breaking up. It's always someone begging someone to stay. (Country music on the other hand, has a lot to say about breaking up. Or in the case of the Dixie Chicks, killing your ex who is beating you.) The point here is they've made a very upbeat song about breaking up with someone. It's actually quite a feat. Starting with a subdued piano and a kick drum, the song doesn't move like you'd think. The baritone saxophone adds a bottom to the song that isn't in many songs these days. The lyrics talk about a guy that obviously loves someone, but she's cheated on him, so he leaves her. I mean, he even puts in, "When I'm on the road I often dream and think of you girl/ I hope you do too." But then follows it up with, "We dont' gotta work it out." You can love someone and know they're no good for you and leave them.
The whole thing just moves nicely. If you get a chance, find a recording of it live. While the album version is great, the live version is just awesome. You feel the urgency, and they speed it up. The harmonies are fantastic and the musicianship is brilliant. Trust me, go find this album and listen to it. Then try and find them performing near you. They should be much bigger than they are, and hopefully will be soon.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Autism Awareness
Four years ago, April 2nd didn't mean anything to me. Usually it meant the beginning of MLB, and the day before my mother's birthday. That changed 3 1/2 years ago.
Most of you know the story by now, but we'll do a brief re-cap. We were leaving Luxembourg on the way to Bolivia, when we had to stop in Washington, DC. My wife felt there was something wrong with my daughter, but couldn't put her finger on it. She took her to a pediatrician who said everything was fine. Enjoy Bolivia, she said. But my wife couldn't stop thinking there was a problem. Her language wasn't coming along, and there were other issues as well. She called a speech therapist to see my lovely daughter, and even though not qualified to diagnose, suggested immediately that we get in touch with a develpmental pediatrician. Sure enough, the diagnosis came: Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The stats say 1 in 88 children in the US now are on the Autism Spectrum. What it doesn't say is who those people are. It also doesn't talk about adults who are on the Spectrum, and how we've failed to give them more help. We've been sidetracked by talk of vaccines, and cures and other things that supposedly help. I can understand parents wanting to help their children, and doing the most to give them a normal and healthy life. I also know how lucky I am to have a highly functioning child on the spectrum, who has grown tremendously over the past year she's been at a new school.
Listen, we need to focus on helping people on the spectrum become a part of society. In the future there will be more of them, and they might need some extra help. You know what? I think that's ok. If they can function in society and maybe need just a little nudge, then you give them the nudge.
Some people are looking for the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorder, and why there has been a rise in diagnosis over the past 20 years. Well, I think one of the reasons is that people know what they're looking for now. Also, they aren't focusing solely on the boys anymore, which is brilliant. My daughter isn't like a boy on the spectrum, so you can't use the same diagnostics. Each person is different. Yes, they share traits, but you can't pigeonhole someone.
Today is Autism Awareness Day. If you're saying, I don't know anyone with Autism, well you know my daughter through my writing. Remember though that Autism is only a piece of who she is. She's more than that, and so are the millions of others world-wide that are on the Spectrum. Give them a thought today, and maybe realize that we're all in this together.
MILB - "Until the End of the World" by U2
(Sorry this is late but I had a party to go to where I met Samuel L Jackson. It was awesome.)
I can't think of a band that is more divisive than U2. Nickelback was my first choice as most divisive, but I think they might be in on the joke. Make catchy tunes that don't really mean anything and are innocuous and people will eat it up. Heck, they made a song called "Rock Star" that talks about what they'd be willing to do to become rock stars. I'd say that's some Andy Kaufman type mojo myself.
Back to U2. I'm a fan of U2, and many people are as well. Then there are people that HATE U2 and think Bono is nothing but a fake and pretentious git. Can't say I disagree with that assessment. He always seems a bit too good to be true sometimes, and a bit in your face a lot of the times. However, no one can deny the music. "With or Without You" is a fantastic song, as are most of the songs off Joshua Tree. To then reinvent yourselves with Achtung Baby the way they did was very gutsy. Especially as this was their seventh studio album. Generally by that time bands aren't making any big changes to their sound. They've got a groove and they hit it. They may experiment with one or two new styles per album, but not completely change their sound.
Numerous great songs off this album, and I could have chosen any of them. "Ultraviolet" is one of my all-time favorites, and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" is great as well. (And was on a mix-tape one a girl I was into in High School made for me for my birthday.) "One" and "Mysterious Ways" alone would make any other band ecstatic. But I decided, it being Good Friday tomorrow, that I was going to write about my favorite track off the album.
"Until the End of the World" is a fantastic song from Judas' point of view in Hell talking to Jesus in Heaven about their last moments on earth. That's some heavy stuff for a pop song. The beginning starts, as all good U2 songs, with The Edge's guitar. Larry Mullen's drum playing is fantastic and Adam Clayton's bass is powerful. Bono's voice is conversational singing, as that would be the only way for this song to work.
The lyrics are some of the most powerful that U2 ever wrote. "Haven't seen you in quite a while/Been down in the hole just passing time. Last time we met it was a low lit room/ we were as close together as a bride and groom. We at the food/ we drank the wine/ everybody having a good time/ except you/ you were talking about the end of the world" followed by a jangly guitar. Awesome.
Or how about this: "In my dream, I was drowning my sorrows/but my sorrows they learned to swim./Surrounding me/ going down on me/ spilling over the brim./ Waves of regret/and waves of joy/ I reached out for the one I tried to destroy/ you, you said you'd wait/ until the end of the world." That's some awesome lyrics.
I only wish I could write something like that. Combined with their entire output, U2 are undoubtedly one of the best bands of the last 40 years. I know some people don't like them, but I've always dug the music. Just because you don't like someone personally doesn't mean you can't like their artistic output. (I like Oasis music, but think that Liam Gallagher is an idiot. It's not a contradiction, it's a choice. Listen to Achtung Baby again the entire way through. It's pretty awesome, and still sounds good today. (I do NOT suggest listening to Pop again though. That was awful.)
I can't think of a band that is more divisive than U2. Nickelback was my first choice as most divisive, but I think they might be in on the joke. Make catchy tunes that don't really mean anything and are innocuous and people will eat it up. Heck, they made a song called "Rock Star" that talks about what they'd be willing to do to become rock stars. I'd say that's some Andy Kaufman type mojo myself.
Back to U2. I'm a fan of U2, and many people are as well. Then there are people that HATE U2 and think Bono is nothing but a fake and pretentious git. Can't say I disagree with that assessment. He always seems a bit too good to be true sometimes, and a bit in your face a lot of the times. However, no one can deny the music. "With or Without You" is a fantastic song, as are most of the songs off Joshua Tree. To then reinvent yourselves with Achtung Baby the way they did was very gutsy. Especially as this was their seventh studio album. Generally by that time bands aren't making any big changes to their sound. They've got a groove and they hit it. They may experiment with one or two new styles per album, but not completely change their sound.
Numerous great songs off this album, and I could have chosen any of them. "Ultraviolet" is one of my all-time favorites, and "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" is great as well. (And was on a mix-tape one a girl I was into in High School made for me for my birthday.) "One" and "Mysterious Ways" alone would make any other band ecstatic. But I decided, it being Good Friday tomorrow, that I was going to write about my favorite track off the album.
"Until the End of the World" is a fantastic song from Judas' point of view in Hell talking to Jesus in Heaven about their last moments on earth. That's some heavy stuff for a pop song. The beginning starts, as all good U2 songs, with The Edge's guitar. Larry Mullen's drum playing is fantastic and Adam Clayton's bass is powerful. Bono's voice is conversational singing, as that would be the only way for this song to work.
The lyrics are some of the most powerful that U2 ever wrote. "Haven't seen you in quite a while/Been down in the hole just passing time. Last time we met it was a low lit room/ we were as close together as a bride and groom. We at the food/ we drank the wine/ everybody having a good time/ except you/ you were talking about the end of the world" followed by a jangly guitar. Awesome.
Or how about this: "In my dream, I was drowning my sorrows/but my sorrows they learned to swim./Surrounding me/ going down on me/ spilling over the brim./ Waves of regret/and waves of joy/ I reached out for the one I tried to destroy/ you, you said you'd wait/ until the end of the world." That's some awesome lyrics.
I only wish I could write something like that. Combined with their entire output, U2 are undoubtedly one of the best bands of the last 40 years. I know some people don't like them, but I've always dug the music. Just because you don't like someone personally doesn't mean you can't like their artistic output. (I like Oasis music, but think that Liam Gallagher is an idiot. It's not a contradiction, it's a choice. Listen to Achtung Baby again the entire way through. It's pretty awesome, and still sounds good today. (I do NOT suggest listening to Pop again though. That was awful.)
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