Goings On

The Magic 8 Ball here says it all. While I (have to ) believe it’s all a temporary condition, for the time being, I’m living in a world where every request to the 8 ball ends up in such a response (or may as well anyway).

This fucking world series is killing me. If I am being honest, my Yankees are not playing as well as they could, or should. Dare I even say that for the most part they are kind of sucking and are really lucky that thus far, Philly has been sucking more (mostly). I very badly want he Yankees to win this thing but it’s out of my hands anyway – I gotta just deal with the nightly stomach acid until it’s all over.

And now for some bullets:

• I’m still intrigued by Mad Men
• A certain group of instructors are totally lazy asses
• Happy so far with my Fit
• Been having a hard time getting into my reading groove
• Joe Buck absolutely sucks!
• I know that I should break up with chocolate, I just can’t – it’s an addiction
• To all my blogger peeps, I miss you and am sorry I’ve been quiet-ish – things are dicey for now but won’t always be.
• 530

The Last Twenty

I used to purchase many more CD’s than I do now. With a mortgage and other financial priorities, I have taken to the public library as a great resource.

I also don’t care much for radio and as such, I don’t listen much at all. As a music lover, my main sources for musical discovery are recommendations (from a variety of sources), TBTL, NPR, and a few others.

So I get a bunch of things from the library, rip them into iTunes, then listen when I can. Of course, the music adds up faster than I can listen, so I made a few play lists to keep track of it all and then I listen when I can.

Today, I listened to 20 songs from these playlists. Some of them are songs I know and some are totally new to me. Some are by artists I am very familiar with and some are by artists that are fairly new to me.

I thought I would share a list of the songs I listened to – all come with a thumbs up:

1. Footprints – Bill Callahan
2. Life is Hard – Bob Dylan
3. The River – Brian Eno & David Byrne
4. So Beautiful – Raul Malo
5. Carpetbagger – Jenny Lewis (w/Elvis Costello)
6. Little Bit Stupid – Joe Jackson
7. Knee Deep at the National Pop League – Camera Obscura
8. Constructive Summer – The Hold Steady
9. Everybody Pays as They Go – Jakob Dylan
10. Old days – John Hiatt
11. Handle With Care – Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
12. White Shoes – Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band
13. Wine, Women, and Song – Harvey Danger
14. Endless Sleep – Leo Kottke
15. Two Cups of Coffee – Josh Kelley
16. ‘Til Summer Comes Around – Keith Urban
17. Things People Say – Lady Antebellum
18. Destination Unknown – Missing Persons
19. Communist Daughter – Neutral Milk Hotel
20. Turn This Car Around – Tom Petty

The Large Phillipino in a Hatchback Story

On April 17, 2008, I told a story that I titled, Wicked Monks and "The Big O" I Promised. Please click the link and go read that post, even if you recall it; that was a fun post – I just re-read it and laughed hard.

Anyway, in that post, I talk about this rather large dude named Nestor who hitched a ride with us, only the only place for him to ride was in the hatchback since the car only had 2 seats that were occupied. The photo above is the picture of Nestor in that hatchback – very funny!

Black and White

Funny how this language works. A statement could be made and depending on the context or perception, it could be taken as something very positive or something very negative.

For example:

1. There are some major changes happening in my life.
2. I find that I am randomly overwhelmed with an assortment of emotions.
3. I never expected this could happen to me.

Others apply…

Nothing more to say at this time.

Thankfully, It Didn’t Jump the Shark

The Jim and Pam wedding on The Office had me worried. Leading up to the one hour episode, all I kept thinking was that this could be a “Jump the Shark” moment for one of my favorite shows.

Having watched the episode almost twice, I can say definitively, that the show did indeed not Jump the Shark and I can be at peace having laughed my way through all of that worry.

In other comedy television news, I watched the first seven episodes of the first season of “Flight of the Conchords” today. I’m not going to say I am loving the show but there are (thus far) enough moments to hold my interest and keep me laughing that I will complete the season.

I am looking forward to this weeks season debut of 30 Rock. I only finished watching last season a few weeks ago and loved every minute of it.

Moving to drama, I have finally begun watching the highly acclaimed “Mad Men” having seen the first five episodes of the first season. Again, I am not yet in love with what is so highly acclaimed I expected to be blown away right off the bat, but I am interested and do agree with the brilliance in the quality of the production.

Later for now.

Sorry for the Silence

More time has passed than I wanted between posts so I thought I would stop by and say hi. I know I’ve made it quite clear that there are some things going on with me but have been mum as to what.

And mum I shall stay for now – it just needs to be that way for a while until I can get my head all together.

In the meantime, I am overjoyed to see my NY Yankees playing post season baseball again and really hope they go all the way, no team in the majors deserves it more.

I’ve watched the first two episodes from season one of “Mad Men” after hearing recommendations from numerous sources. Thus far, I like it but need to see more to make any definitive commentary.

When life hands you apples, make apple pie…so I did, and then I ate it (with ice cream).

I took this at lunchtime today outside my workplace.

Her official name is “Betty” – ain’t she purty?

530

Thinking About Things

Over the past four or five weeks, I’ve spent so much time thinking, my brain smells like bacon.

There’s the workplace. I work for a state funded community college and as such, our budget has been battered by the national and local economy. The state of our budget along with other factors have made the workplace very stressful. I still love my job and genuinely feel that I contribute a great deal every day – but feeling that stress is not a nice feeling and it’s just bad for the health.

There’s death….3 of them in just a couple of weeks time. The 23 year old son of a colleague; I didn’t know the kid and don’t know exactly what killed him – I do know that this kid only had half the time I’ve had thus far and it could just as well have been me – why do I deserve my life while his was cut short?

Diane, an old friend from the neighborhood passed away at the age of 46. I hadn’t seen or spoke to Diane in about 25 years but that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel just as close to her, as I feel about all of the old gang. I am who I am partly because of those early years and the people that were a part of it. I love all of them and losing one of them just plain hurts.

“Skip”. Skip was a 58 year old man who I first met when he was a student at the college where I work but later he began attending services at my church. Skip had be unhealthy as long as I have known him, was as close to the poverty line as one can be and still have some roof over his head, and had no family at all. The rector at our church was his emergency contact – that's how we learned of his death.

If anything, all of this death has me feeling much more grateful for the life I have been gifted with and more aware if it’s uncertainties. That, plus some pretty major stuff going on right now in my life and I’d be lying if I said keeping it all together was an easy task.

However, I am filled with hope and faith that the road ahead, though in the immediate future will be what it will be….beyond that I am confident there will be a new unknown to explore. Keep me in your thoughts – I need that right now….

Twists and Turns

Life's little twists and turns turn out sometimes to be not so little and every so often, the turn is far sharper than you were expecting. Then, sometimes even knowing of the inevitable sharp turn your complacency leads you down the road oblivious to the obvious. You read that right but go ahead and read it again, keep it stored in your frontal lobes and a few other places as backup.

I have learned something in my time on this planet, that just as such twists and turns make shake the foundation you walk on, sometimes faith and miracles can shake back and bring life back into balance. Right now, I am banking on that faith, as well as a few other things people should be able to bank on. Sadly, often the faith part comes through while the more tangible things don't but I guess that's just another think I must leave to fate…

Something to Talk About

or…

Ch Ch Ch Changes

I could probably come up with many names for this post but suffice it to say, my world is about to change in a big way. In some ways its as depressing as humanly possible and in some ways, there’s the potential for some excitement. Only one thing is for sure, it’s all about to change.

“Hey, what the hell is he talking about?” I assume that is the top question out there for those that are reading this and are wither curious, give a crap, or both. In the weeks and months to come, I will share it all, or at least all I will share – can share…

Right now I am overwhelmed, nervous, and even scared but in the words of George Michael, in who I am not sure is the mightiest example to be quoting – though the words are appropriate…”gotta have faith!'”

Until next time….

More Magnificence

Now that I've slept a few more hours, I thought I would say a bit more on the U2 concert; a few things worth mentioning that I overlooked (and a few things that could probably go unmentioned without being missed but I'll mention them anyway).

 

The set. I've seen some elaborate sets in my concert going career. I can't even begin to fathom how this particular set gets put up and taken down and moved from stadium to stadium – it is enormous, elaborate, mesmerizing, and seemingly integral part of the show. While I am confident that this band can do the barebones, no set, in your face show and let their talent and the music do all of the talking – as Bono described, and I paraphrase, "the design of this set has a purpose to bring the band and the audience closer together." As I mentioned in the last post, Bono has mastered the art of incorporating these multimedia elements and knows just how to use the set as a tool such that the set achieves its primary purpose and doesn't end up being a giant point of wonder. I had this grand vision (not to be confused with a hallucination) of the set, which is supposed to be a space ship, actually taking off after the show and getting to the next city on the tour on its own.

 

Politics, Religion, and Her (a title of a Sammy Kershaw album but an adequate opening to this paragraph). U2's music has always come with a message rooted in Bono's political and religious beliefs. One of Bono's skills, in my opinion, is to effectively express his point of view without being pompous, pretentious, or overbearing. I know there are some people who just hate the idea of mixing music with these sorts of messages and if that is the case with you, don't go see U2 and definitely don't go see Bruce Springsteen (the greatest live performer in performance history) – buy the CD's and be done with it, then you'll have nothing to complain about (though you'll consistently miss something special).

 

Oh, the Her part…what is that all about? I neglected to address the "Her" in the title of the previous paragraph so I will accomplish that here in this one. Folks, let's not forget this is Rock and Roll if Bono (along with the other guys in the band) is a bona fide rock star. As such, there was a point in the show where Bono cleverly brought a lady from the crown on stage with him to participate in the show and leave her with a night to remember in her fantasies while adding to the mystique of a guy named Paul Hewson, but goes by Bono (Vox). As Bono said, "there are advantages to being in my line of work." Let us not all forget that being in his line of work has both advantages and responsibilities, clearly, Mr. Hewson (I wonder how often he is referred to that way) wants us all to know he has a handle on both.

 

There's not much more I can say about the show specifically other than reiterating how amazing it was and how extraordinary this band is as a live act. After the show ended, things got pretty ugly as Gillette Stadium (and the entire Patriot Place complex) was poorly designed from a city planning perspective. Either payola on the Kraft bunch or stupid oversights on the town and state planning commission led to an oversight about how the complex would affect infrastructure; particularly traffic. I sat in my car for two full hours before even starting the car, much less any movement taking place. Once moving, the three short mile trek up route 1 to get me to a back road out of town took another hour and a half. U2 left the stage at about ten minutes before eleven and I didn't get home until three in the morning (I only live about 40 miles from the stadium). Other than the negatives – I'll just remember the good stuff…if you have a chance to see U2 for the first time (or any time), go for it.

Magnificent!

U2 was one of the bands I have always wanted to see live but until last evening at Gillette Stadium, I hadn’t. While I’ve seen the band perform on TV shows and films of concerts, I couldn’t have imagined the difference it would make to be there live during the performance. Bono commands the stage with a mystical presence and has mastered the art of incorporating multimedia elements into the performance.

The music and the message were loud and clear without pretentiousness but with charm and true rock and roll grace. There wasn’t a moment of the two hour show that I wasn’t feeling some deep connection to the band, the music, and the message – it was beyond what my simple words can describe.

Here’s the set list:

Main Set:
Magnificent
No Line on the Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Mysterious Ways
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Elevation
Your Blue Room
Beautiful Day
Unknown Caller
Until the End of the World
Stay (Faraway, So Close)
The Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
MLK
Walk On
One
Where the Streets Have No Name

Encore(s):
Ultraviolet
With or Without You
Moment of Surrender

With more than 25 solid  years or churning out incredible music, I knew it would be impossible to walk away from this concert without hearing something I wished I had, except, in the end…I was moved so deeply not just my the songs, but by the words and how they were delivered, there was no room for concern about what hadn’t been.

The Patriots and Me

How this boy from Brooklyn, New York came to root for the New England Patriots.

I must first proclaim my undying love for the New York Yankees; a love of somewhere between 35 and 40 years that will not ever change. I I preface this post because regardless of any other sports team I align with, I could never align with the Boston Red Sox - I will be a gentlemen and not bad mouth them, but I will never root for them.

Through the 7o's and right up through Troy Aikman's retirement, I had been a Dallas Cowboys fan. Despite growing up in NYC, I never considered myself a Jets or a Giants fan. The Roger Staubach (and accompanying team) years were truly memorable, especially when the rival team on the field was The Pittsburgh Steelers - it was always a magical contest.

The post Staubach, particularly the Aikman years were fun to watch as well, but clearly there seemed to be a shift in the Cowboy organization and after Aikman retired, I not only lost interest in the team, but the sport of football in general.

I took a few years off from giving a crap at all and as the 90's were coming into the later part of the decade, I moved from my native city of Brooklyn in 1997 to Massachusetts. I learned quickly that it was going to be difficult to be a Yankees fan in Red Sox land and while I hadn't watched so much as a single down of football (except for a few Super Bowls), I was itching to have a team I could give a crap about.

Since most of my new friends were heavy into the Pats, I thought I'd at least socialize a bit by joining a few to watch the games together and it was watching this team play that opened my eyes to something that I found to be rare in football and in fact, rare in most professional sports teams. I studied a bit more about the organization and such and found that I really liked the Patriot organization - it had a certain class about it. Perhaps it is all an illusion, a smoke screen - regardless, the players were fun to root for and along with the camaraderie of some buds from around here, I got hooked.

So, that is my story and I am sticking to it. I like the game of football - it interesting to watch and try to understand the strategies and logic that goes into the game. Some have mentioned that the Pats are "cheaters" and to that I say, If your only source in information is "Mangini", I think you might want to find a more credible source of information. I'm not going to say that Bellichick (who in my opinion is the best head coach since Tom Landry) or the Pats are perfect, but they do have what seems to be, or at least resemble what's been so lacking in the capitalistic generation of pro sports. I can't even bring myself to give a crap about hockey anymore...

Out With The Old and In With The New

I bought this puppy brand spanking new, my first new car, in October of 1998 and drove it right through last evening when I surrendered it to the government "Cash for Clunkers" program where it will be crushed (after being scavenged for scrap metal and the sort) and put to rest.

Other than bad gas mileage, this car has served me well and was an overall positive experience to own. I hope that it gets the 72 virgin greeting when it gets to it's final resting place like they told me it would.

Here's me and my new wheels, a 2009 Honda Fit Sport. The photo couold have been taken at a more interesting angle showing off the vehicle a bit more. Here's to hoping I can have as sweet a relationship with this car than with the last.

Teacher Files: Careful What You Ask For

I received an email from one of my students who had a few problems taking the online quizzes. Turns out, I had addressed the potential for this problem, and I was hesitant to offer this student an second chance for several good reasons. In fact, this was my exact response:

“I am inclined at this time to not reset either of these quizzes. On Thursday, I posted an announcement and a document that addresses this very issue. Also, I am uncomfortable with the fact that after having this problem with the first quiz, you just went on ahead with the next one instead of dealing with the issue on the first one. It appears that you took the practice quiz successfully and finally, you took this course, just a few weeks ago - you should know better. So, convince me why you deserve another chance to take these quizzes.”

You see, this student took this same course with me over the summer in an accelerated session and received a passing grade. However, it was a poor grade – not one that would successfully transfer and for other “personal reasons,” this student chose to repeat the course. Anyway, re-read the last sentence in my initial response before you read her reply back, which follows (I’ve removed names and altered town names):

Honestly,

Because I bombed the last class because my husband was addicted to prescription pain killers, had himself arrested, came back home, proceeded to smash in my windshield and tear apart the house. At which time I had him arrested again and placed a restraining order on him. His psychiatrist had him committed to a facility in [***far away town***] which is an hour drive from my house. This took a whole lot of driving time...I live in [***my town***], work in [***work town***} and went to see him in [***far away town***] before driving back home to [***my town***]. While committed, he called the police on me claiming I was stealing from him. I had to deal with many phone calls from the police who were, thankfully, understanding and did not give me any grief about the situation.

My husband tried to commit suicide while in the detox/psych. clinic. I visited him 4 times throughout his 9 day stay. This was very stressful and completely turned my life upside down. During this time my dog was also hit by a car. Thankfully, he survived and is almost all healed. Now.........

Despite all this I went online 2 or 3 times a week and did the best I could to keep going forward and do what I had to do to get one step closer to becoming a nurse. I knew that I needed to get a better job and that everything that was happening in life right then was temporary.......things would get better one way or another. So, now my husband is home, clean and sober, and I have purchased a new Dell computer that seems to be giviing [sic] me a few problems.

I will however, read your note about the problem that I experienced while taking these tests. I would very much appreciate it if you would reset these tests because I want to pass this class with flying colors as I know I am able to do. Please, please, please, give me one more shot.

I asked, didn’t I? I gave the student a second chance but that’ll be where it ends. It’s hard not to be compassionate to such a story. I hope this student didn’t bite off more than they can chew and that everything works out for the best.

Podcast: Dealing With These Deaths

There seems to be a whole lot of dying going on, and with people way to young to be dying. This podcast is raw and at times, a little all over the place. However, it is the real deal - me just pouring out how I am feeling about all of this in the moment.

When I originally recorded this it was about 14 minutes, there was nearly 6 minutes of silence - which I have edited out.

LISTEN HERE