Well, it looks like it has been slightly more than a week since my last blog, but since my goal is 52 blogs in the year, I am still ahead of the game...
I've been thinking a lot recently about my chosen profession. I ended up working in education much earlier than I had ever anticipated. I knew that when I went to grad school I would one day want to end up in the college environment. There are many reasons for this: job security, benefits, the ability to spend more time with my family than not, and the fact that I like school; I like to learn. However, I imagined that I would spend some time working as a freelance lighting designer, establish myself in the industry, and then move into the education field somewhere in my mid to late 30's. When Brigitte and I found out that we were having a child it suddenly meant that a lot of the reasons to be in education were pushed to the forefront. When we got the news from the doctor that Brigitte wasn't simply being paranoid, I was unemployed, having recently quit my illustrious position with Home Depot. I was in the process of starting up my own company, specializing in interior design (specifically lighting) named Flip the Switch, the name of which I owe to a longtime friend, Thomas DeMarcus, who came up with the name in the bar of TGI Fridays when I said "What should I name this company?" As he often did, he had a quick, smart answer and I ran with it, promising that I would never pay him a penny for the name, but that he could be Executive Vice-President in charge of names. This job would pay nothing but sounded kind of fancy. I had gotten my business license and was ready to start advertising the company, but other priorities suddenly presented themselves.
I wasn't really sure what to do about my lack of employment as an MFA in lighting design does not present a lot of options in corporate America and I didn't have any interest in returning to Home Depot. At the end of my tenure with the company I had had a bit of a run-in with the management of my local branch when during one of our mandatory, 5:00am employee meetings they announced that corporate had sent out a memo changing the policy regarding vacation time and removing the part of our contract which stated that they had to give notice of firing if it was without cause. Many of the employees, specifically those for whom this was a career, not simply a stop off on the way to something else, as it was for me, were quite upset about this change. One asked, "How can they do this when we have a signed contract?" As the store manager stammered out some nonsense about how it doesn't really change anything (other than the fact that you could walk in and not have a job for no reason other than corporate cutbacks) I responded, "It's pretty simple. Since we do not have a collectively bargained contract, as we would if we were unionized, they can change anything they want, including our pay, at any point with no notice. If you don't like it you should consider a position in a field that has been unionized." I said it in a fairly offhand manner. While on some level I felt bad for the people who were celebrating their 14th year with the company and were still driving the forklift (keep in mind that when you are hired you have to watch several corporate propaganda films, including one in which the VP of the company talks about how he started out as a cart pusher - however, that was back when there was one store and this guy was in high school - he subsequently got his MBA after he left Home Depot for college - information that they did not divulge in the film but that I found after about five minutes researching him online), I didn't give too much thought to it since I didn't really like many of the people I worked with. I thought that it was ridiculous that the people who worked there worked as hard as they did and still didn't make what I considered a living wage and didn't have any particular end in sight, but I was always thinking ahead to what I would be doing once I left the company.
After the meeting I started to head out with donut in hand (because these meetings were catered with glazed donuts and orange juice - because those things really go well together) since I didn't have to work until that afternoon, when I encountered one of the Assistant Managers (a guy who always seemed angry - but in his defense he had been the captain of Vanderbilt's football two years in a row, only the second guy to do that in the 124 years of the team at that time, and had subsequently played for the Cincinnati Bengals before he blew out his knee and ended up as an Assistant Manager at Home Depot) who told me that the manager wanted to see me in his office. So, donut still in hand I shuffled into his office where the rest of the management team was waiting for me. The manager looked very uncomfortable and asked me what I meant about all of this "collective bargaining crap?" I told him that I didn't understand his question. He in turn asked where I learned all of this "crap" that I was spouting in the meeting. Apparently the discussion of unions wasn't as much fun as singing about how much we love Home Depot (something that we had to do at the end of each meeting, and which was led by the aforementioned football player - I felt genuinely bad for him at those times). I responded that I had some knowledge of unions from learning about them in regard to theatre and that I had an interest in how they helped or hurt workers and consumers and that it was simply a personal interest of mine. With a concerned look on his face he said that we would talk more when I came in that afternoon. I didn't think too much about it as I didn't think that he would have much to say about it one way or the other as he never struck me as especially knowledgeable about much of anything. That afternoon when I arrived for my shift closing the store, I was told that I was to report directly to the manager's office. When I walked in the District Manager was standing there with the manager looking even more uncomfortable than he had that morning. The DM immediately launched into the conversation with the question, "Who do you work for?" Not understanding the question I responded, "The Home Depot." "Don't get smart with me," he responded. "Who told you to talk about collective bargaining with my workers? You're just going to scare them." Well, I didn't know what to say to that. I explained that I was simply answering the question posed by one of the employees during the meeting. Apparently he was under the impression that I had been sent in by a union to try to unionize the workers. The last thing he said to me was, "I'm keeping my eye on you boy." Well, as amusing as the whole thing was to me, I wasn't too worried about him watching my every move as I tried to explain to the customers that it would be a good thing to have the lights in their foyer and dining room match if you could see them from the other room. I also thought it might be kind of fun to try to unionize the workers, but realized that it would be much more work than it was probably worth. Instead, after a few more weeks of getting strange looks from the management, I simply called in one day and announced that I would not be returning. Since they no longer needed to give me notice for firing, I would not be giving notice on quitting. Amusingly, three weeks later I got a letter from the corporate office stating that I had been fired since I had not reported for my assigned shifts for two straight weeks. Apparently, the Assistant Manager who I spoke with on the phone failed to pass along that I had decided to quit, or they simply liked the idea of "firing" me.
So, a few weeks later when we found out Brigitte was pregnant I was in a pretty bad situation. I had no job and no prospects. I went to a Nashville Sounds game with Thomas and could not focus on enjoying the hot dogs and ice cream in a hat as I normally would. We were running through our savings pretty quickly and now the medical bills were starting to roll in. Through some sort of divine intervention, while at the ballpark I got a call from Tennessee State University asking if I could come in the next day for an interview. Of course, I enthusiastically responded yes, although I wasn't entirely sure who I was talking to since it was pretty loud and windy at the ballpark. The next question was if I would be ready to teach tomorrow as well. I didn't want to lose my shot at the job so I said that I would. Classes had started that day and they needed someone right then. That same evening I got a call with an offer to design a show at Seaside Music Theatre in Daytona based on the recommendation of Russell Sandifer at Florida State University, who had no particular reason to help me out, but I will always be grateful for him taking the time to think of me. It all came together at the right time. I went in for my interview at 9:00am, taught my first class at 10:00 and the next semester was hired on in a full time temporary position. The next fall I went from an Adjunct Professor to Assistant and stayed until I was offered that job here in Oxford.
And now here I am. Classes started this week. I am teaching six classes this semester, designing three shows, one with the department, one for the opera program and one with Tennessee Rep in Nashville. I still like to learn. I still like teaching, but I wish that I had taken the opportunity to be a freelance designer. I am still trying to get work designing around the country and it has proven most difficult. I am grateful that we have health insurance and I have a steady paycheck, but this job has been the most difficult thing that I can recall doing. That's another blog though...
Enjoy the big box stores!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
I forget you...
So, as I said stated in my post on New Year's Eve, here is the first in a line of posts detailing the music that I am listening to. For Christmas Brigitte and I received Zunes, mainly because you could get the 30GB model for $80 at the day after Thanksgiving sale. My favorite feature has to be the "Shuffle All" option. I have it all loaded up with as much of my music collection as I could fit and I have heard a lot of music that I have either never listened to or stuff that I have not heard in years. It has been a lot of fun so I will share some thoughts on the tracks with you here...
1. "On Earth My Nina" - Long Tall Weekend - They Might Be Giants
This song is from an EP that the band put out specifically to promote their association with eMusic back long before iTunes existed. You could pay a certain amount a month ($10 as I recall) and could download as much as you wanted. Each month TMBG would release 10 songs or so that they were working on. This EP is one of the things that initially attracted me to the service. Also, as eMusic was hitching itself to the independent artists, I got a nice TMBG / eMusic fleece pullover with my subscription.
At the time I was in my last year of school at the University of Tennessee and Brigitte and I lived together in an apartment called Cross Creek. I thought that it was a great place. It had two bedrooms with a nice stairwell with a landing. To me then, it was the nicest place in the world. We turned the dining room into an "office" where we had our computers set up (much as we do today). This was the first time that we really lived together and it was pretty rough, but we made it through (barely).
The song itself is one of the darkest TMBG songs I know of. There is no musical accompaniment, only John Linnell's voice singing in his odd lilting fashion, "her burden of things walking out" and how despite the burdens that she faces, she will remain "on Earth my Nina."
2. "Utah" - State Songs - John Linnell
Odd that this would be the next song up on the queue, but here it is. This is John Linnell's lone solo LP. It is an album made up entirely of songs either about states, or named after a state. This album reminds me of work calls that I ran when I was the Technical Director of All Campus Theatre, the student run theatre organization at UT. The cast of the show was required to come to the work calls to help prepare the set and lights for the production. We would also have a few volunteers from other students in the department. One of the "rules" was that as TD I got to pick the music that we would listen to. I think that I was seen as having a somewhat eccentric taste in music, and this album / song could certainly be part of why that would be. Looking back at those times, those calls, I probably had more "fun" doing theatre then than I have since, and while the shows were not the quality that I demand of myself today, I was working with friends who all just wanted to have fun and put on a good show. It was much simpler then. At the time I'm afraid that I overlooked that aspect of things.
The song itself is another dark number. "Were you the one I hurt, were you the one I betrayed? Did you stay angry with me? I forget you, I forget you, I forget Utah."
3. "King of Grey" - Carousel - Will Hoge
Will Hoge is an artist out of Nashville whose music I really enjoy. He has a very straight ahead rock n' roll sound, and in another musical climate I think that he would be wildly popular. I'm still hoping that he is able to break out. On a personal level, his brother, Josh is my age and we were on the same basketball teams growing up (which Will helped coach with his father). So, I am glad to see him having the success that he is. Brigitte and I went down to Orlando to see him opening for Lisa Loeb back in 2002 and had a great time. He put us on "the list" even though I hadn't seen him in years and after the show we all went out for pizza and tattoos. Well, he got a tattoo, and Brigitte almost did. I, on the other hand, had no intention of following suit, but it was still a great time. It was fun catching up with him and hearing his stories of life on the road. I think that the best thing about the evening for me (other than seeing Will play) was towards the end of the night we were sitting in the dressing room (a tiny little hole) as Lisa Loeb was finishing up her set and Will looked over to me and said "You may want to get up, you're sitting on her sweater." Sure enough, in walks Lisa Loeb, introduces herself to Brigitte and I, picks up her sweater and walks out to sign autographs for her fans. I distinctly remember listening to "Stay" when I was in high school and it just struck me as hilarious that I had been sitting in her dressing room, on her sweater for the last hour and a half. I was not star struck, just amused by the ridiculousness of the whole situation. A great evening all around! Check him out at his website.
4. "Over" - Mer de Noms - A Perfect Circle
I don't have any specific memories of this song, but the album as a whole I wore out in my car when I was first starting grad school. Maynard Keenan's vocals seemed to be much more prominent in the mix of this album than the ones I have of Tool and I just love the way it sounds. The bitterness in his inflection, the hurt was perfect for where I was in my first semester in Tallahassee. Luckily I came out of this by the time the second semester came around, but I still enjoy the album and find that it is perfect for the right moods, one that is not quite as angry as Tool, but not quite as depressed as...well, somewhere in between I think.
5. "Christmas Song" - Remember Two Things - Dave Matthews Band
I loved this song in high school. My friend Peter Rodocker had introduced me to the band through a tape that he had gotten, somewhere, of them playing a show in Charlottesville, VA and I instantly thought they were great. When I was able to finally get my hands on this album I was blown away. They were unlike anything that I had ever listened to. I think that my appreciation for the group is one of the things that instigated a friendship between Peter and myself. I remember one night sitting in Matt Wilson's bedroom with he and Peter and Peter going through the entire album on guitar, one song after the other. I had never seen anyone who could do that. He just listened and learned. I was amazed. I still love Peter's music (hopefully some of it will show up here on the shuffle). However, you should check Peter's music out at his MySpace page. You won't regret it.
6. "Endgame" - Out of Time - R.E.M.
Okay, this is an instrumental track which is absolutely gorgeous. I say instrumental, although it does have Michael Stipe in the background chanting along. But he is not saying words per se. R.E.M. is another holdover for me from 8th grade or so. I distinctly remember my friend Stephen Soltesz on the trip to the aforementioned Science Olympiad state tournament wearing a yellow R.E.M. t-shirt with a bicycle on it. I liked Stephen, so I checked them out. It was not until this album though that I really came to appreciate them (although I prefer Automatic for the People). I still love their music, as Brigitte can attest to (we spent the majority of our recent trip to Washington D.C. and back listening to them), and am eagerly anticipating their new album come April 1, 2008.
7. "I'll Be That Girl" - Stunt - Barenaked Ladies
I have a lot of different memories with this album. First, I bought it at the Tower Records in Alexandria, VA on my first trip up to see Brigitte our first summer dating. We had gone far enough out to get to the store that we were able to listen to the whole album on the way back to her parent's house, or so we thought. The next day when we got in the car we found that there were two bonus tracks. One of those is my favorite song of theirs. However, despite that pleasant memory, I will always associate my love of this group with my friend Dave Smith. Dave and I both really enjoyed this group and I can remember countless times riding around in his car, windows down, smoking a cigarette and listening to this album. I don't know that we were ever actually going anywhere, but Alcoa Highway could be pretty empty at night, as could the little bypass that took you from I-40 to the Knoxville Airport, and we would cruise through town having a great time with nothing to do. Dave was the one who inspired me to start doing technical theatre, and anytime I hear this group I think of him.
8. "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" - Reckoning - R.E.M.
I told you they would probably come up again. This is the final single released off their second album Reckoning, and one of the only songs that the band readily attributes to a single member as opposed to the band as a whole. Mike Mills wrote this song for a girl he was dating in Athens, GA who was going home for the summer. It is a very young and innocent song. It is touching in its simplicity and has a great little hook to it that is something reminiscent to a country sound, something that you didn't see much of at this time in their career. "It's not as though I really need you, if you were here I'd only leave you, but everyone else in town only wants to bring you down , and that's not how it ought to be. I know it might sound strange, but I believe you'll be coming back before too long. Don't go back to Rockville, and waste another year." As with many seemingly romantic themed songs of R.E.M.'s there is a darker side to it as seen in these lyrics, but the sentiment is still a strong one and one that I've felt at times.
9. "We've Been Had (Live)" - 89/93; An Anthology - Uncle Tupelo
I only recently got this album after thinking about it for years. This band includes Jeff Tweedy who later formed Wilco and Jay Farrar who later formed Son Volt. I enjoy Wilco and understood that Uncle Tupelo had more of a roots sound to it that I fin very appealing. I don't have a good story about this song, but I am excited to hear music like this. There is a lot of pedal steel guitar here and the music is really stripped down. It's not that it is simple, but rather that it hearkens back to a time in music where all you needed was an acoustic guitar and a story to tell. That type of music really appeals to me.
10. "Thunder Road" - Live/1975-85 - Bruce Springsteen
My last year in Knoxville I became fascinated by Bob Dylan. As I researched his life and music I decided that I really wanted to understand the roots of rock n' roll. I started as far back as I could go. I listened to Woody Guthrie and Alan Lomax's recordings of folk and blues music out in the middle of nowhere. I listened to Robert Johnson and I learned to appreciate country music. Eventually I began to look at artists who were influenced by Dylan. I was reluctant to listen to Springsteen for reasons that I could not explain right now, perhaps later. I picked up this set of discs mainly because it included a wide array of his music and I have always preferred to judge an artist on their live performances when I can. I loved it. This song in particular really struck me. It is a stripped down version of the song with Springsteen, a harmonica and a piano. It is haunting in its elegance, its desire for something more and the need to break out of his life and find something better before it is too late. It was perfect for me at the time when I discovered it for myself, just as I was setting off on my own search for what my life would hold. I had left everything I knew behind me in Knoxville and landed in Tallahassee, alone with no real idea why I had just turned down Carnegie Mellon for FSU. The song still haunts me and has some of the most poignant lyrics to describe this time of life. It also has a line that makes me laugh, "Well show a little faith, there's magic in the night, you ain't a beauty but, hey, you're alright, and that's alright with me." It stands out in this beautiful song and makes me smile each time. It is honest to a fault. If you've never liked Bruce, check out this song, this version of this song. I think that you have to be moved by it.
Well, that's enough for now. I will continue to keep you periodically updated on what I find in my music.
Enjoy New Hampshire!
1. "On Earth My Nina" - Long Tall Weekend - They Might Be Giants
This song is from an EP that the band put out specifically to promote their association with eMusic back long before iTunes existed. You could pay a certain amount a month ($10 as I recall) and could download as much as you wanted. Each month TMBG would release 10 songs or so that they were working on. This EP is one of the things that initially attracted me to the service. Also, as eMusic was hitching itself to the independent artists, I got a nice TMBG / eMusic fleece pullover with my subscription.
At the time I was in my last year of school at the University of Tennessee and Brigitte and I lived together in an apartment called Cross Creek. I thought that it was a great place. It had two bedrooms with a nice stairwell with a landing. To me then, it was the nicest place in the world. We turned the dining room into an "office" where we had our computers set up (much as we do today). This was the first time that we really lived together and it was pretty rough, but we made it through (barely).
The song itself is one of the darkest TMBG songs I know of. There is no musical accompaniment, only John Linnell's voice singing in his odd lilting fashion, "her burden of things walking out" and how despite the burdens that she faces, she will remain "on Earth my Nina."
2. "Utah" - State Songs - John Linnell
Odd that this would be the next song up on the queue, but here it is. This is John Linnell's lone solo LP. It is an album made up entirely of songs either about states, or named after a state. This album reminds me of work calls that I ran when I was the Technical Director of All Campus Theatre, the student run theatre organization at UT. The cast of the show was required to come to the work calls to help prepare the set and lights for the production. We would also have a few volunteers from other students in the department. One of the "rules" was that as TD I got to pick the music that we would listen to. I think that I was seen as having a somewhat eccentric taste in music, and this album / song could certainly be part of why that would be. Looking back at those times, those calls, I probably had more "fun" doing theatre then than I have since, and while the shows were not the quality that I demand of myself today, I was working with friends who all just wanted to have fun and put on a good show. It was much simpler then. At the time I'm afraid that I overlooked that aspect of things.
The song itself is another dark number. "Were you the one I hurt, were you the one I betrayed? Did you stay angry with me? I forget you, I forget you, I forget Utah."
3. "King of Grey" - Carousel - Will Hoge
Will Hoge is an artist out of Nashville whose music I really enjoy. He has a very straight ahead rock n' roll sound, and in another musical climate I think that he would be wildly popular. I'm still hoping that he is able to break out. On a personal level, his brother, Josh is my age and we were on the same basketball teams growing up (which Will helped coach with his father). So, I am glad to see him having the success that he is. Brigitte and I went down to Orlando to see him opening for Lisa Loeb back in 2002 and had a great time. He put us on "the list" even though I hadn't seen him in years and after the show we all went out for pizza and tattoos. Well, he got a tattoo, and Brigitte almost did. I, on the other hand, had no intention of following suit, but it was still a great time. It was fun catching up with him and hearing his stories of life on the road. I think that the best thing about the evening for me (other than seeing Will play) was towards the end of the night we were sitting in the dressing room (a tiny little hole) as Lisa Loeb was finishing up her set and Will looked over to me and said "You may want to get up, you're sitting on her sweater." Sure enough, in walks Lisa Loeb, introduces herself to Brigitte and I, picks up her sweater and walks out to sign autographs for her fans. I distinctly remember listening to "Stay" when I was in high school and it just struck me as hilarious that I had been sitting in her dressing room, on her sweater for the last hour and a half. I was not star struck, just amused by the ridiculousness of the whole situation. A great evening all around! Check him out at his website.
4. "Over" - Mer de Noms - A Perfect Circle
I don't have any specific memories of this song, but the album as a whole I wore out in my car when I was first starting grad school. Maynard Keenan's vocals seemed to be much more prominent in the mix of this album than the ones I have of Tool and I just love the way it sounds. The bitterness in his inflection, the hurt was perfect for where I was in my first semester in Tallahassee. Luckily I came out of this by the time the second semester came around, but I still enjoy the album and find that it is perfect for the right moods, one that is not quite as angry as Tool, but not quite as depressed as...well, somewhere in between I think.
5. "Christmas Song" - Remember Two Things - Dave Matthews Band
I loved this song in high school. My friend Peter Rodocker had introduced me to the band through a tape that he had gotten, somewhere, of them playing a show in Charlottesville, VA and I instantly thought they were great. When I was able to finally get my hands on this album I was blown away. They were unlike anything that I had ever listened to. I think that my appreciation for the group is one of the things that instigated a friendship between Peter and myself. I remember one night sitting in Matt Wilson's bedroom with he and Peter and Peter going through the entire album on guitar, one song after the other. I had never seen anyone who could do that. He just listened and learned. I was amazed. I still love Peter's music (hopefully some of it will show up here on the shuffle). However, you should check Peter's music out at his MySpace page. You won't regret it.
6. "Endgame" - Out of Time - R.E.M.
Okay, this is an instrumental track which is absolutely gorgeous. I say instrumental, although it does have Michael Stipe in the background chanting along. But he is not saying words per se. R.E.M. is another holdover for me from 8th grade or so. I distinctly remember my friend Stephen Soltesz on the trip to the aforementioned Science Olympiad state tournament wearing a yellow R.E.M. t-shirt with a bicycle on it. I liked Stephen, so I checked them out. It was not until this album though that I really came to appreciate them (although I prefer Automatic for the People). I still love their music, as Brigitte can attest to (we spent the majority of our recent trip to Washington D.C. and back listening to them), and am eagerly anticipating their new album come April 1, 2008.
7. "I'll Be That Girl" - Stunt - Barenaked Ladies
I have a lot of different memories with this album. First, I bought it at the Tower Records in Alexandria, VA on my first trip up to see Brigitte our first summer dating. We had gone far enough out to get to the store that we were able to listen to the whole album on the way back to her parent's house, or so we thought. The next day when we got in the car we found that there were two bonus tracks. One of those is my favorite song of theirs. However, despite that pleasant memory, I will always associate my love of this group with my friend Dave Smith. Dave and I both really enjoyed this group and I can remember countless times riding around in his car, windows down, smoking a cigarette and listening to this album. I don't know that we were ever actually going anywhere, but Alcoa Highway could be pretty empty at night, as could the little bypass that took you from I-40 to the Knoxville Airport, and we would cruise through town having a great time with nothing to do. Dave was the one who inspired me to start doing technical theatre, and anytime I hear this group I think of him.
8. "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville" - Reckoning - R.E.M.
I told you they would probably come up again. This is the final single released off their second album Reckoning, and one of the only songs that the band readily attributes to a single member as opposed to the band as a whole. Mike Mills wrote this song for a girl he was dating in Athens, GA who was going home for the summer. It is a very young and innocent song. It is touching in its simplicity and has a great little hook to it that is something reminiscent to a country sound, something that you didn't see much of at this time in their career. "It's not as though I really need you, if you were here I'd only leave you, but everyone else in town only wants to bring you down , and that's not how it ought to be. I know it might sound strange, but I believe you'll be coming back before too long. Don't go back to Rockville, and waste another year." As with many seemingly romantic themed songs of R.E.M.'s there is a darker side to it as seen in these lyrics, but the sentiment is still a strong one and one that I've felt at times.
9. "We've Been Had (Live)" - 89/93; An Anthology - Uncle Tupelo
I only recently got this album after thinking about it for years. This band includes Jeff Tweedy who later formed Wilco and Jay Farrar who later formed Son Volt. I enjoy Wilco and understood that Uncle Tupelo had more of a roots sound to it that I fin very appealing. I don't have a good story about this song, but I am excited to hear music like this. There is a lot of pedal steel guitar here and the music is really stripped down. It's not that it is simple, but rather that it hearkens back to a time in music where all you needed was an acoustic guitar and a story to tell. That type of music really appeals to me.
10. "Thunder Road" - Live/1975-85 - Bruce Springsteen
My last year in Knoxville I became fascinated by Bob Dylan. As I researched his life and music I decided that I really wanted to understand the roots of rock n' roll. I started as far back as I could go. I listened to Woody Guthrie and Alan Lomax's recordings of folk and blues music out in the middle of nowhere. I listened to Robert Johnson and I learned to appreciate country music. Eventually I began to look at artists who were influenced by Dylan. I was reluctant to listen to Springsteen for reasons that I could not explain right now, perhaps later. I picked up this set of discs mainly because it included a wide array of his music and I have always preferred to judge an artist on their live performances when I can. I loved it. This song in particular really struck me. It is a stripped down version of the song with Springsteen, a harmonica and a piano. It is haunting in its elegance, its desire for something more and the need to break out of his life and find something better before it is too late. It was perfect for me at the time when I discovered it for myself, just as I was setting off on my own search for what my life would hold. I had left everything I knew behind me in Knoxville and landed in Tallahassee, alone with no real idea why I had just turned down Carnegie Mellon for FSU. The song still haunts me and has some of the most poignant lyrics to describe this time of life. It also has a line that makes me laugh, "Well show a little faith, there's magic in the night, you ain't a beauty but, hey, you're alright, and that's alright with me." It stands out in this beautiful song and makes me smile each time. It is honest to a fault. If you've never liked Bruce, check out this song, this version of this song. I think that you have to be moved by it.
Well, that's enough for now. I will continue to keep you periodically updated on what I find in my music.
Enjoy New Hampshire!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
On A Completely Separate Note
So, for four straight days here in Oxford, we had incredibly clear skies out at night. It is wonderful how many stars you can see out in the sticks (as I refer to Oxford) on a moonless, clear night. I cannot recall a time where I have seen more stars. Everywhere that I have lived has either been fairly heavily populated, Nashville, Franklin, Knoxville, Tallahassee, or I have been in the middle of a bright part of the town, as in Pullman, WA where I lived on campus. Here in Oxford, we live about 4 miles from town in a neighborhood with no street lights. Therefore, if the moon isn't out, it gets dark out here, which can create some really beautiful skies.
Two nights in a row, Monday and Tuesday, I saw shooting stars. I do not think that I have seen more than two shooting stars in the 29 years prior to those nights, and I have spent a lot of time looking at the stars. I won 1st place in the state Science Olympiad for Astronomy (which meant that I could identify more constellations and stars than anyone else when seated in a controlled environment such as a planetarium) when I was in the 8th grade. That should clue you into how geeky I was/am.
The only thing approximating this view was back in high school when I used to drive out to the Natchez Trace bridge, about 10 miles outside of Franklin, before it was open. I would go out there, sometimes with friends, and lay out on the bridge and watch the sky, and pretend that we were philosophers who could solve all the ills of the world if only someone would listen to us. Well, at least the view was nice...
It's playoff time in the NFL. The Redskins lost today which I am sure didn't sit too well with my in-laws, and my wife was most displeased. She has a tendency to not watch the biggest games, because she gets too stressed and I think that she feels a sense of doom. I am sure that I will largely be watching the Titans on my own tomorrow night as all the "experts" are saying that the Chargers are going to wipe the floor with them. Unfortunately, I think they are probably right. However, I will have my jersey on hoping for the best while Evelyn runs around yelling "Go, football game!" I tried to get her to say "Go Titans," but this is the best I can get out of her.
Finally, while reading through several gaming blogs tonight I came across a best of 2007 list that included the game Free Rice. If you like vocabulary, and I know that many of you reading this were English majors, or if you like helping hungry people, and I know that many of you like to think of yourselves as trying to save the world, then you should check out this "game." Basically you go through and select the definition that corresponds to the word that they have given you. Once you get three right in a row, you move up a level and get harder words. If you miss one you lose a level, so it is somewhat challenging. For every word you get right, the site donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program which then distributes it to those in need. Through today the site has donated 12,837,581,130 grains of rice. So, for those of you who didn't get that "Word of the Day" Calendar you were hoping for from Santa, check out the site. It's like the SAT, but with rice!
Enjoy the fiber!
Two nights in a row, Monday and Tuesday, I saw shooting stars. I do not think that I have seen more than two shooting stars in the 29 years prior to those nights, and I have spent a lot of time looking at the stars. I won 1st place in the state Science Olympiad for Astronomy (which meant that I could identify more constellations and stars than anyone else when seated in a controlled environment such as a planetarium) when I was in the 8th grade. That should clue you into how geeky I was/am.
The only thing approximating this view was back in high school when I used to drive out to the Natchez Trace bridge, about 10 miles outside of Franklin, before it was open. I would go out there, sometimes with friends, and lay out on the bridge and watch the sky, and pretend that we were philosophers who could solve all the ills of the world if only someone would listen to us. Well, at least the view was nice...
It's playoff time in the NFL. The Redskins lost today which I am sure didn't sit too well with my in-laws, and my wife was most displeased. She has a tendency to not watch the biggest games, because she gets too stressed and I think that she feels a sense of doom. I am sure that I will largely be watching the Titans on my own tomorrow night as all the "experts" are saying that the Chargers are going to wipe the floor with them. Unfortunately, I think they are probably right. However, I will have my jersey on hoping for the best while Evelyn runs around yelling "Go, football game!" I tried to get her to say "Go Titans," but this is the best I can get out of her.
Finally, while reading through several gaming blogs tonight I came across a best of 2007 list that included the game Free Rice. If you like vocabulary, and I know that many of you reading this were English majors, or if you like helping hungry people, and I know that many of you like to think of yourselves as trying to save the world, then you should check out this "game." Basically you go through and select the definition that corresponds to the word that they have given you. Once you get three right in a row, you move up a level and get harder words. If you miss one you lose a level, so it is somewhat challenging. For every word you get right, the site donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program which then distributes it to those in need. Through today the site has donated 12,837,581,130 grains of rice. So, for those of you who didn't get that "Word of the Day" Calendar you were hoping for from Santa, check out the site. It's like the SAT, but with rice!
Enjoy the fiber!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Politics in America
When I first considered the notion of writing a blog of any kind (over a year ago) I thought at the time that I would not write anything about politics. Chances are good that my opinions on politics are irrelevant to anyone but me, or my poor wife who has to hear me talk about it when it comes up. However, now that we are in an election year, I may in fact write a few things here and there, trying to keep my personal opinions about candidates or their platforms at a minimum as I am sure that my thoughts will not sway you one way or the other.
To give some perspective, I go back and forth between being very wrapped up in politics and completely tuning it out altogether. I have not found a reliable source of unbiased reporting on the issues (other than perhaps CSPAN which I cannot bring myself to endure) and I hate the local news with its sensationalism and fear-mongering. "Cat stuck in tree. More at eleven," is not a teaser that is going to bring me into their viewership. I am socially liberal and financially conservative. In the years that I have been eligible to vote I have not found one major party candidate that has accurately reflected my views on our society or the direction that I would like it to head. The closest that I have seen is Ralph Nader in the 2000 election, but even then I had a hard time justifying voting for him. I believe that our electoral process, specifically as it relates to the presidential election is broken to the point that it would take major Constitutional reforms to make it work within our current society. I must admit that I find this unlikely and often forces me to become ambivalent towards the proceedings.
It is this electoral process that brings me to this blog. I am not going to spend time (at the moment) discussing why I find the Electoral College to be an absurd, outmoded remnant of a time long before standardized education and the easy dissemination of the platforms of the candidates. Instead, what drove me to write this evening is the Iowa Caucus.
The idea that our nation, and the major parties specifically, put so much weight into the Iowa Caucus is maddening to me. I cannot fathom a situation where the candidates, their campaigns and the parties which they represent spend millions of dollars to sway American's opinions and then let a small percentage of the state's population, much less the national population decide who will continue in their run for President. The New York Times has published an article tonight with the preliminary returns on the caucus and a preliminary report on how it is likely to affect the election season.
In the article in The New York Times they state that "An estimated 220,000 Democrats showed up at caucus sites, compared to 124,000 in 2004. About 114,000 Republicans turned out. The last contested Republican caucuses in 2000 drew about 88,000." These 334,000 people who showed up represent approximately 11.3% of the projected population of the state. Now, this population number does include children who are not of a voting age. Nonetheless, the notion that 11% of the population of Iowa should have a significant impact upon our Presidential race is absurd. Furthermore, this represents only .001% of the citizens of the United States as a whole (these numbers were obtained from the US Census Bureau's website based upon the 2006 Census).
How can we, as a responsible electorate, allow this caucus, or any individual state's primary, have this much weight over the final outcome in something as important as a Presidential election? I understand that the weight that is attributed to this caucus is manifested entirely in the reputation that the politicians gain or lose from the media reporting upon it, but it is our own mindlessness that perpetrates the notion that the state of Iowa, and the insignificant number of voters who turn out for the caucus should in any way reflect how we vote, who we support, or whose campaign we donate our time and money to.
Further aggravating the situation is a quote found near the end of the NYT article where they state that, "The campaigns, meanwhile, began executing the most sophisticated voter turn-out operations ever seen in Iowa, as campaign workers began calling people who had long ago been identified as supporters to make certain they would show up to make their preferences known. The inducements included free rides to caucus sites, baby-sitting and food." When the campaigns are essentially buying votes by offering free baby-sitting, food and gas then we have an openly corrupt system that belies everything that our electoral system is supposed to represent.
I am deeply troubled with the current state of politics in our country and am concerned that the only people with the real power to change it are the ones who have the most to lose by doing so, the politicians themselves, who have clearly benefited from the system as evidenced by them being in office. I am not writing this with solutions in mind. This is a systematic issue, and making a change in a system as entrenched as our political structure is something that would takes massive amounts of money as well as serious outrage from the electorate. When the most common response that I see in our culture is a general malaise and ambivalence toward politics, due in part to these very problems, I find that outrage is a very unlikely response.
This blog is not motivated because my "front-runner" did not place as well as I would have liked. To the contrary, I have no "front-runner" as, again in this election year, I find myself unenthusiastic about any of the major party candidates. I think that the fact that Obama came out on top of the Democratic caucus may be a positive indicator for where we as a nation are in terms of racial issues, but I would not stake anything on it. The pool of voters is simply too small and controlled. The University of Mississippi, where I work is hosting the first presidential debate (cross-party) in September so I am sure that I will have occasion to write more about the election as the year progresses. In the meantime I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Enjoy the spin!
To give some perspective, I go back and forth between being very wrapped up in politics and completely tuning it out altogether. I have not found a reliable source of unbiased reporting on the issues (other than perhaps CSPAN which I cannot bring myself to endure) and I hate the local news with its sensationalism and fear-mongering. "Cat stuck in tree. More at eleven," is not a teaser that is going to bring me into their viewership. I am socially liberal and financially conservative. In the years that I have been eligible to vote I have not found one major party candidate that has accurately reflected my views on our society or the direction that I would like it to head. The closest that I have seen is Ralph Nader in the 2000 election, but even then I had a hard time justifying voting for him. I believe that our electoral process, specifically as it relates to the presidential election is broken to the point that it would take major Constitutional reforms to make it work within our current society. I must admit that I find this unlikely and often forces me to become ambivalent towards the proceedings.
It is this electoral process that brings me to this blog. I am not going to spend time (at the moment) discussing why I find the Electoral College to be an absurd, outmoded remnant of a time long before standardized education and the easy dissemination of the platforms of the candidates. Instead, what drove me to write this evening is the Iowa Caucus.
The idea that our nation, and the major parties specifically, put so much weight into the Iowa Caucus is maddening to me. I cannot fathom a situation where the candidates, their campaigns and the parties which they represent spend millions of dollars to sway American's opinions and then let a small percentage of the state's population, much less the national population decide who will continue in their run for President. The New York Times has published an article tonight with the preliminary returns on the caucus and a preliminary report on how it is likely to affect the election season.
In the article in The New York Times they state that "An estimated 220,000 Democrats showed up at caucus sites, compared to 124,000 in 2004. About 114,000 Republicans turned out. The last contested Republican caucuses in 2000 drew about 88,000." These 334,000 people who showed up represent approximately 11.3% of the projected population of the state. Now, this population number does include children who are not of a voting age. Nonetheless, the notion that 11% of the population of Iowa should have a significant impact upon our Presidential race is absurd. Furthermore, this represents only .001% of the citizens of the United States as a whole (these numbers were obtained from the US Census Bureau's website based upon the 2006 Census).
How can we, as a responsible electorate, allow this caucus, or any individual state's primary, have this much weight over the final outcome in something as important as a Presidential election? I understand that the weight that is attributed to this caucus is manifested entirely in the reputation that the politicians gain or lose from the media reporting upon it, but it is our own mindlessness that perpetrates the notion that the state of Iowa, and the insignificant number of voters who turn out for the caucus should in any way reflect how we vote, who we support, or whose campaign we donate our time and money to.
Further aggravating the situation is a quote found near the end of the NYT article where they state that, "The campaigns, meanwhile, began executing the most sophisticated voter turn-out operations ever seen in Iowa, as campaign workers began calling people who had long ago been identified as supporters to make certain they would show up to make their preferences known. The inducements included free rides to caucus sites, baby-sitting and food." When the campaigns are essentially buying votes by offering free baby-sitting, food and gas then we have an openly corrupt system that belies everything that our electoral system is supposed to represent.
I am deeply troubled with the current state of politics in our country and am concerned that the only people with the real power to change it are the ones who have the most to lose by doing so, the politicians themselves, who have clearly benefited from the system as evidenced by them being in office. I am not writing this with solutions in mind. This is a systematic issue, and making a change in a system as entrenched as our political structure is something that would takes massive amounts of money as well as serious outrage from the electorate. When the most common response that I see in our culture is a general malaise and ambivalence toward politics, due in part to these very problems, I find that outrage is a very unlikely response.
This blog is not motivated because my "front-runner" did not place as well as I would have liked. To the contrary, I have no "front-runner" as, again in this election year, I find myself unenthusiastic about any of the major party candidates. I think that the fact that Obama came out on top of the Democratic caucus may be a positive indicator for where we as a nation are in terms of racial issues, but I would not stake anything on it. The pool of voters is simply too small and controlled. The University of Mississippi, where I work is hosting the first presidential debate (cross-party) in September so I am sure that I will have occasion to write more about the election as the year progresses. In the meantime I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Enjoy the spin!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Now That Christmas Has Passed...
...and the New Year has begun, it seemed only appropriate to start off my blogging adventure with a blog regarding my Christmas Ornaments. I have quite a collection of ornaments. Between Brigitte and I we probably have close to, (I asked Brigitte to estimate how many and she said, "Oh god...lots.) lots. These ornaments tend to be fun, at least mine are. Hers are more sentimental that she made, or her grandmother made, or her cat made, or some such nonsense. Mine, on the other hand are pretty much all media tie-ins further proving that I am just another consumer, fully enveloped within our culture. So, all of that being said, here are some of my favorite ones.
Okay, so this may not really be an ornament, but I am still a big fan of it. This is actually a snow globe with the character Opus, from the comic strips Bloom County, and later Outland by Berkeley Breathed. The reason that I enjoy this one so much is largely because it is so counterposed to what I am used to in seasonal items. The fact that he has smashed through the globe, breaking the fourth wall of the world within the globe makes me giggle and I just thoroughly enjoy this lovable loser in this terrible predicament. For more info on this comic strip see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom_County
As I mentioned earlier, I am a slave to the media tie-in ornaments. This one makes noise! I have always been a big fan of Star Wars and apparently feel like my ornaments should reflect this. The nice touch of the Snowspeeder flying around the legs really sealed it for me. I am a dork, but I enjoy it!
More media tie-ins! This one is of Rich Uncle Pennybags from the board game Monopoly one of my all time favorites. Brigitte refuses to play the game with me as she seems to think that I am being too competitive when I force her into bankruptcy instead of simply letting her slide by or giving her a loan. What does she think this is, Canada? This is America, and I am thrilled when I send my fellow players into bankruptcy. Enjoy the season...
An Opus ornament here. Something about the simplicity of this ornament really appeals to me. I imagine that if you were to read the comic strip, which you all should do, it is more endearing, but this one stands out to me as being most in line with the spirit of the holiday, even if it is something simple, non-Jesus related, and media driven. It's sweet.
I love The Simpsons. It is far and away my favorite television show. Before the DVD sets began appearing I had all of the episodes on tape, cataloged and prepared for repeat viewings (I had a spreadsheet with the time stamp of each episode on each tape for quick access). I also have quite a collection of the action figures, or toys as some may say, that have come out over the years. It is only natural that I would also have the Christmas ornaments. Brigitte keeps promising that next year we will have a "Simpsons tree" but alas, there was none this year. Something to look forward to.
Finally, this one is fun for me. When Brigitte was pregnant she would often walk past the Hallmark store in the mall (since she was a manager at another store there in the mall). She was amazed that this ornament was on sale for $1 and eventually decided that she couldn't pass up such a great offer. We were after all having a baby which would have its first Christmas. Better yet, her bedroom was going to have an overriding Pooh theme and this would be perfect for that. Eventually we had a bouncing baby girl and when her first Christmas rolled around Brigitte happily pulled out the ornament. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to take into account that our baby's 1st Christmas would be in 2005. The blocks here are off by a year. Ultimately, we got an ornament for the correct year, but we still hang this one up because, well, it's cute.If you would like to see more of my ornaments feel free to check them out at:
http://flickr.com/photos/michaelbarnett/.
Enjoy the New Year!
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