Laissez les bons temps rouler!
I've always loved that phrase. It reminds me of Mardi Gras, and being a 14 year old tuba player marching in the Mardi Gras parade with my High School band. (I think my voice may have changed during that trip. There were things going on in the streets of New Orleans that I can't unsee.)
Anyways, letting the good times roll isn't something we've been able to do here in Johannesburg recently. With bid season fully upon us, and me without a job, I've just been waiting and waiting. Now, if this was just me, I'd be fine. I'd wait it out and then find a job that fell through and BOOM! I'd have a place to go. If it was just me and Lovely English Lass, we'd be fine. But with the kids, and especially with their Special Needs, this has just been gruelling. You have no idea on how difficult it can be to have your kids ask you, "Daddy, where are we going to live next year?" and you have no clue how to answer it. It can cause some anxiety, and that's never good for anyone in my family. (I speak from experience.)
The point being is that sometimes even though you think you might be the right person for a job, you just don't get it. It happened to me quite a few times these past few months. I'd bid on a job I thought I was perfect for, and then watch it go to someone else. There were DCM jobs I wanted, but never got. It got to the point where it looked like we were heading back to DC. Now, I have no issue with that, but I didn't join the foreign service to spend every other tour in Washington. I love Washington, but I wanted to be overseas doing the work I was trained to do.
Plus, all of this was happening during the Mandela funeral and then my R&R to the UK, so I was very busy along with this anxiety. I needed an outlet, so I started on our treadmill again. Let me just say that it really helped me a lot. I'd put on weight again (as I've said, the food here is awesome) and I just needed to get working on getting me healthy. So, I took it one day at a time. I'd work on finding jobs open, and then try my best to get one.
Then a lifeline appeared. A very dear friend told me he was having to break his handshake. It was a place I'd bid on previously, and apparently had ranked me pretty high previously. I contacted my Career Development Officer (CDO) and he gave me the people I Needed to talk to about the job. I sent everything to the Charge d'Affairs ( this is a fancy French phrase for someone who acts as the Ambassador when there isn't an Ambassador) and to the Management Officer, and I waited. This was on a Friday. The next Tuesday I got an email asking me if I was available for an interview on Thursday. WAS I! If he wanted to talk to me at 3 am my time I would have done it.
The interview went extremely well, and the Charge and I got along pretty decently. Nice talk, but I was wary since I'd had good interviews previously, so I didn't say anything. I asked how long a decision would take, and was told 2 weeks. The next morning, I sent a very nice thank you note to the Charge for the interview, and thanked him for his time. I explained I was very interested in the position, and that I hoped I'd be able to work with him. He responded with a nice note back, and I waited.
That evening, after taking the kids to swim class, we stopped to get milk at the store. While in the store, my Black Berry buzzed, but I didn't check it because we were trying to get things quickly and the kids out of the store. When I stopped at a stop light 5 minutes later, I pulled out the BB, and checked my messages. There it was: The offer for a handshake. I can't tell you how good it felt.
So, this summer (Northern Hemisphere) we shall leave South Africa, head to the US for about 2 months, and then head to our next posting for 3 years. I'm very much looking forward to it, and hopefully our friends and family will come visit us in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's a big mission, and it's more than I'd hoped for two months ago.
A very quick thanks to my family for putting up with my insanity, and to my friends who've been supportive either in word or by writing endless references for me. Also thanks to my friend who when he broke his handshake immediately thought of me. I hope you and your family are ok, and thanks again. I owe you big.
The main thing I can take from my travails is that it all works out for a reason, doesn't it? There were places where people said we'd be fine, but then when we got turned down something came up at that post where we wouldn't have been able to stay. A school started going downhill, or there was a lot of turmoil. The thing I take from this is just keep trying, and you end up where you need to be.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
MILB: Diss Tracks
The Diss track has long been associated with Rap music. Someone feels disrespected, and so they cut a track to let out their frustrations. However, this is not solely the province of Rap or R&B. There have been some great rock diss tracks (Or at least lines of a tack) that are just classic. Music is supposed to give you a reaction, good or bad. A good diss track can completely disarm someone, and render anything else they have to say useless. Now, here are my top 5 diss tracks:
5) "South Bronx" by Boogie Down Productions - KRS-One rips into MC Shan and other for what he perceived to be their claim that hip hop was created in Queens instead of in the South Bronx in his song "The Bridge". In fact, coupled with "The Bridge is Over" this song pretty much killed MC Shan's career. It's simplistic, but makes the point that KRS-One was not going to have anyone doubt where hip hop was created.
Best Line: "Party People in the Place to be, KRS-One attack/You got dropped off MCA because the rhymes you wrote was WHACK!"
4) "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd - Fantastic song, usually accompanied by "Roll Tide Roll" during the chorus, and beloved by Alabamans everywhere. This song was written pretty much in response to Neil Young's "Southern Men". It's a rocking song, that everyone sings to, even in a bar in Istanbul as I found out one night. It's very popular, but it is a diss song. I can probably count how many times I've heard "Southern Men" on the radio, but can't fathom how many times I've heard this song. Heck, I've even done it in Karaoke.
Best Line: "Well I heard Mr. Young Sing about her/ Well I heard ole Neil put her down/Well, I hope Neil Young will remember/ Southern Men don't need him around anyhow."
3) "Dre Day" by Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg - Dr. Dre left Ruthless Records and NWA to form Death Row Records with Suge Knight. One of the big hits off his first solo album, "The Chronic" was "Dre Day". (The full title is something else, and I won't write it.) Anyways, during this musical diss masterpiece, Dre takes a shot at Eazy E, Jerry Heller (head of Ruthless Records) and Luther "Luke" Campbell. The video is interesting, to say the least, and really adds to the mockery. This is a no-holds barred song that just destroys each of these guys. Luke never really recovered on a national scale. Eazy E died a few years later, and Dr. Dre is now a Rap empressario.
Best Line: "Used to be my homie, used to be my ace/Now I want to slap the taste out ya mouth"
2) "How do you Sleep?" by John Lennon - Probably one of the most vicious attacks on a former friend in rock music history. The breakup of The Beatles was very much like a divorce. The fact that George Harrison plays on the track is significant, because Paul was the one that brought him into the band in the first place. During the recording, apparently Ringo stopped in and was extremely upset about the song. The lyrics attack Paul, and his music and how he only had one song that John thought was any good. It's extremely visceral and yet also still a great song. John definitely had hurt feelings about a track on Paul's album titled "Too Many People." John later felt so bad about it he said it was not just aimed at Paul, but also himself.
Best Line: "The Only Thing You Done was Yesterday/And since you've gone you're just another day."
1) "Hit 'em Up" by 2Pac - This song has it all: An attack on an entire record company; a claim of sleeping with another man's wife; claiming that a former friend is biting your style of rapping and clothes; a somewhat out of nowhere attack on a rapper and mentioning a life-threatening disease he has; a catchy beat with the "take money" insert; and accusation that Notorious B.I.G knew who shot him 5 times; and finally a finale that actually sounds as if 2Pac is going to come through your speakers and kill you and everyone you know and love. Seriously, this is everything you want in a track if you want to hurt someone's soul. There is nothing on here that would remotely make you think he was every going to quash any type of beef he had with BIG, or Bad Boy Records for that matter.
Best Line: "Biggie remember when I used to let you sleep on the couch/ and beg the (expletive) to let you sleep in the house/ now it's all about Versace, you copied my style/ 5 shots couldn't drop me I took it and smiled."
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Saying something worth hearing
Friday February 7th and Tuesday February 11th will be days I remember for the rest of my life. This is because I got to go out on a Public Diplomacy mission to speak to two high schools about things I'm passionate about.
Since February is Black History Month, the Embassy was looking for speakers to go out and talk about either famous events in Black History, or about how African-American culture has influenced American Culture. Last year one of the people spoke about the African-American roots of Rock music. Of course, since I like to hear myself talk and appear to be pretty good at Public Speaking, I volunteered. I gave them two topics that I am pretty familiar with: The Integration of Little Rock's Central High School, and the Origins of Hip-Hop and its influence on American Culture. I figured I might get a bite from one of those topics, but never imagined I'd get a chance to present both.
My first presentation was at a High School in Thembisa, located between Johannesburg and Pretoria. It was a nice school, and they appeared to have been sponsored by Coca-Cola, since a brick bottle of the drink was part of one of the buildings. The school was very highly thought of, and had been producing great results in graduation rates. It was located in a township, and the kids came from around the area. The Principal was very pleased to have us there, and he also was very proud of his school. I was taken to a classroom with about 30 students aged 17-18. The topic was "The Origins of Hip-Hop and its influence on American Culture." I started the PowerPoint slide show, and after the title slide, I had typed this at the top:
"What's this almost middle-aged white guy doing talking about Hip-Hop?"
I then turned to the class and asked who in the room actually thought that? About half raised their hands. I then said, "It's ok. You're not going to hurt my feelings. Who thought it?" The rest of the hands went up, and everyone laughed. That's when I started talking about the history of hip-hop, my love of the music, and how I'd tried to get my hair to look like Kid from Kid n Play.
It was a great talk, and I had tunes for them to listen to, and we discussed how every bit of hip-hop came from a small area in New York called the South Bronx. No one would have thought that anything coming out of the South Bronx would influence culture, but it did. I reminded them that no one in the 1950s would have thought that two Nobel Peace Prize winners would have come out of Orlando, Soweto. They agreed, and some came to tell me they really enjoyed my discussion.
My second presentation was about the Little Rock 9. I went to a school in Soweto that had recently begun to receive attention for how well it was run, and the kids were graduating at a higher rate than the other schools in the area. When I came, I was greeted by the teacher, and he assured me this was going to be special. He took me to their auditorium, and there I saw a mass of seats set up. I'd expected 30-40 people, but instead I found out later I was speaking to 203 15-18 year old students. The room had no air conditioner, and it had a tin roof. It was VERY HOT. But, since the students were wearing sweaters (their uniform) I kept my jacket on in solidarity. I explained to the students why I was there, and why I was speaking about these 9 brave teenagers who helped kick-start the civil rights movement. I told them about how my father went to that school in 1961. How my great-grandmother lived a block and a half from the school, and that she'd told me when I was much younger that she'd brought lemonade to the 101st airborne because, in her words, "They looked very hot standing there." Not sure if it was true or not, but knowing my grandma, it wouldn't surprise me.
I also talked to them about what these 9 did after they left school, and how many had moved back to Little Rock later in life, even though they'd been through a lot. I told them that these 9 teenagers were the same age as they were, and that they'd become a symbol used throughout the 1960s civil rights movement. I explained that it didn't matter how old you were, that if there was something right, that you should stand for it. The teacher jumped in with a hearty yes and then added, "Something else he mentioned was that this was all non-violent. That's a problem we're having right now in our communities: our protests have turned violent. When that happens, no one remembers what the protest was, just that violence occurred." He had a point. Many of the students had taken notes, and some had questions afterwards. After I gave the school some resources about African American history, the came up to talk some more. Some wanted to take a picture with me, which I thought was awesome. Some wanted to ask more questions. (One of the questions was: "Did the Little Rock 9 have to pay school fees?" Interesting question actually, since everyone there did have to pay fees, even though this was a public school.) Most just came to thank me.
I've always wondered what I could have done as a PD officer. I like my job, don't get me wrong, but seeing all those people listening to me, and maybe taking what I said to heart, really made me happy. I'll keep doing this when I get a chance, but I'll always remember those two days.
Since February is Black History Month, the Embassy was looking for speakers to go out and talk about either famous events in Black History, or about how African-American culture has influenced American Culture. Last year one of the people spoke about the African-American roots of Rock music. Of course, since I like to hear myself talk and appear to be pretty good at Public Speaking, I volunteered. I gave them two topics that I am pretty familiar with: The Integration of Little Rock's Central High School, and the Origins of Hip-Hop and its influence on American Culture. I figured I might get a bite from one of those topics, but never imagined I'd get a chance to present both.
My first presentation was at a High School in Thembisa, located between Johannesburg and Pretoria. It was a nice school, and they appeared to have been sponsored by Coca-Cola, since a brick bottle of the drink was part of one of the buildings. The school was very highly thought of, and had been producing great results in graduation rates. It was located in a township, and the kids came from around the area. The Principal was very pleased to have us there, and he also was very proud of his school. I was taken to a classroom with about 30 students aged 17-18. The topic was "The Origins of Hip-Hop and its influence on American Culture." I started the PowerPoint slide show, and after the title slide, I had typed this at the top:
"What's this almost middle-aged white guy doing talking about Hip-Hop?"
I then turned to the class and asked who in the room actually thought that? About half raised their hands. I then said, "It's ok. You're not going to hurt my feelings. Who thought it?" The rest of the hands went up, and everyone laughed. That's when I started talking about the history of hip-hop, my love of the music, and how I'd tried to get my hair to look like Kid from Kid n Play.
It was a great talk, and I had tunes for them to listen to, and we discussed how every bit of hip-hop came from a small area in New York called the South Bronx. No one would have thought that anything coming out of the South Bronx would influence culture, but it did. I reminded them that no one in the 1950s would have thought that two Nobel Peace Prize winners would have come out of Orlando, Soweto. They agreed, and some came to tell me they really enjoyed my discussion.
My second presentation was about the Little Rock 9. I went to a school in Soweto that had recently begun to receive attention for how well it was run, and the kids were graduating at a higher rate than the other schools in the area. When I came, I was greeted by the teacher, and he assured me this was going to be special. He took me to their auditorium, and there I saw a mass of seats set up. I'd expected 30-40 people, but instead I found out later I was speaking to 203 15-18 year old students. The room had no air conditioner, and it had a tin roof. It was VERY HOT. But, since the students were wearing sweaters (their uniform) I kept my jacket on in solidarity. I explained to the students why I was there, and why I was speaking about these 9 brave teenagers who helped kick-start the civil rights movement. I told them about how my father went to that school in 1961. How my great-grandmother lived a block and a half from the school, and that she'd told me when I was much younger that she'd brought lemonade to the 101st airborne because, in her words, "They looked very hot standing there." Not sure if it was true or not, but knowing my grandma, it wouldn't surprise me.
I also talked to them about what these 9 did after they left school, and how many had moved back to Little Rock later in life, even though they'd been through a lot. I told them that these 9 teenagers were the same age as they were, and that they'd become a symbol used throughout the 1960s civil rights movement. I explained that it didn't matter how old you were, that if there was something right, that you should stand for it. The teacher jumped in with a hearty yes and then added, "Something else he mentioned was that this was all non-violent. That's a problem we're having right now in our communities: our protests have turned violent. When that happens, no one remembers what the protest was, just that violence occurred." He had a point. Many of the students had taken notes, and some had questions afterwards. After I gave the school some resources about African American history, the came up to talk some more. Some wanted to take a picture with me, which I thought was awesome. Some wanted to ask more questions. (One of the questions was: "Did the Little Rock 9 have to pay school fees?" Interesting question actually, since everyone there did have to pay fees, even though this was a public school.) Most just came to thank me.
I've always wondered what I could have done as a PD officer. I like my job, don't get me wrong, but seeing all those people listening to me, and maybe taking what I said to heart, really made me happy. I'll keep doing this when I get a chance, but I'll always remember those two days.
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