Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Song of the Week

Hello Peoples, 

This weeks song of the week comes from the Who.  We are on semester break at the moment which I have spent almost exclusively reading education philosophy, sociology primary sources, and planning the next three weeks of lessons in detail.  In short, its been a good break so far.  The snow has been nice as well because it and the 27 degree weather have taken away any motivation to go outside, making this my most productive "break" ever.  Accompanying me on this amazing journey of planning and reading, which I find infinitely more tiring than managing a class of middle schoolers, has been The Who and their rock opera about a young man named Thomas.  Thank you, The Who.  I hope you all enjoy this weeks song of the week, a live version of the song Sparks.

The Who
Sparks


Friday, January 27, 2012

The Blizzard

Hello People,

There is a blizzard outside.  Well, maybe not a blizzard, but it is snowing a lot.  Maybe I'll get out of the apartment in a little while and take some pictures, but for now I have to say, its pretty wonderful to be indoors.  As I claim, somewhat wishfully, to be a native Georgian, this is quite the new experience for me.  Our third or fourth snowfall of the year and January isn't over yet!  Even Hazel was so excited by the occasion that she got out of bed before eleven on a non-school day! She has to sleep for two now after al and lets face it, this baby is half me so I'm sure it is an exhausting child.  It looks like a snow globe outside.  And as proof and celebration of the wonderfulness that is today I present to you the following video of the view from our window, put to some wonderful music by Camera Obscura. Perhaps it will ease the pain of the brown earth outside of your window, or at least rub it in a little bit. 



Hazel and I think we know the gender.  Indeed, according to our doctor we know with 90% certainty... but we aren't telling you yet. If you were looking forward to learning it, I'm sorry.  You'll have to look forward a bit further.  We will tell you little Orbit's gender almost as soon as we know for certain...or will we? (cue the dramatic music).

We are on a semester break a day early today since the school had to shut down due to so many ill teachers.  Whether the illness was that of general demeanor or actual sickness I'm not at liberty to say, but you won't hear Hazel complaining.  You may hear me though.  I may have become a bit of a workaholic.  Give me a moment's downtime and I immediately devolve into a whining puddle of boredness. Especially on days like today when there isn't any point in venturing outside.  The worst bit about days like today is the way it reminds me of the distance between me and my family and friends and the general beauty of Northeast Georgia.  Most of my communication now looks something like this...
I'm really thankful, don't get me wrong, but if there is one group of people who can cure any case of boredom its my family back home, and well, they're back home.  Skype is nice, but I want to wrestle with my little brother and tackle my sister to the ground (either one will do).  I would like to play a game of whatever and yell and talk over each other until we give our guests a headache.  That's what I miss right now.  So family, be really loud for me today, ok?  




Monday, January 23, 2012

Balance to the Force

Hello Peoples,

Its time for the song of the week.  We will get to that later, but first I have to share with you a picture posted by one of my favorite music sites, Owl and Bear yesterday.  Everything I've ever felt about music is portrayed right here on the hood of this car.
This reminds me of the time when sitting in a tattoo parlor I witnessed a father urging his son to get the artwork from Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell tattooed across his chest.  This just sums it up so well!  If there is anyone who can be the standard bearer of rock'n'roll its Nickel Back.  Right?  All of the history of Rock music surely can be summed up in this band.  Jimi, Jim, Pete, thanks for everything, for pushing the limits and all that; we're going to go listen to NickelBack now.  

This week we get to find out, according to our Dr what the gender of the greatest child of the new millenium is.  I say, "according to our dr" because a friend of mine was told the same thing, and at this point in their pregnancy the dr informed them that there was a 51% chance that they were having a girl!  It was a boy. Thus, I am hopefully, but cautiously, looking forward to this appointment. People keep asking,  "What do you want? Boy or girl?"  Honestly, neither of us is really worried about it. We are just happy to be having a child.  The child as I refer to it.  You may disagree, but I'm convinced this is the child who will bring balance to the force.  

I wanted to post this as the song of the week sometime ago, but we hadn't issued the official press release about the baby yet, so I just sat on it until now.  So, in honor of you, Unborn Baby Strange Who will bring balance to the Force, I present, The Song Of the Week! 

Built to Spill-Cleo
(lyrics below)

Wiggly days wiggly nights

When it's dark bring in lights so you can see
What a sound straight through my spine
Bounced off me
Makes me round
3-D sound
Push it down move it around, see I'm fine
Ain't it strange that I can dream
(You can say it's night or day
Snow or rain it's all the same)
When there's nothing I have ever seen
(In here, In here)
Ain't it strange that I can dream
(You can say it's night or day
Snow or rain it's all the same)
Ain't it strange that I have brain activity
(In here, In here) 



Who brought those cameras in
Who gave who the right
Inside a sea turned from frog to freak
(Linnart Nilson shut off those lights)
To tiny, red, and meek
Strange that I'm a human being
Ain't it strange that I can dream
(You can say it's night or day
Snow or rain it's all the same)
Aint' it strange that I'm a human being
(In here, In here)
Ain't it strange that I can dream
(You can say it's night or day
Snow or rain it's all the same)
Living in the womb
Running out of room
Have to come out soon
Have to meet the sun and moon and

Friday, January 20, 2012

In My Beginning is My End

Hello Peoples,


It is 9:00 on this Saturday morning and I have just reached that state of caffeinated bliss that can only happen on a lazy rainy Saturday morning.  During the week, my coffee is a necessary commodity, but on weekends...Ahhh its wonderful.  I decided last week to do something that I have always sworn I would never attempt.  I decided to cut-back on my coffee intake. I woke up Sunday determined and then on Monday firm in my decision that cutting back had been a really bad idea.  So here I sit, sipping coffee and writing yet another blog post to be set loose unread in cyber space.  With any luck the U.S. Government will decide that it is unfit for reading and shut it down sans due process.  


Very recently I have determined two things which are absolutely essential for a proper study of sociology.   1) a hefty collection of punk rock songs and trivia to pull out of one's magic hat of uselessness and 2) an equally hefty collection of 1950s U.S. Government issue educational films and propaganda.  Have you ever watched these?  Seriously? Just see below for an idea.




 These are incredible.  I'm kind of obsessed with them at the moment.  From U.S. propaganda about Soviet propaganda, to a description of the rigid class structure of the U.S., to an amazing Disney short on Hitler, these films are indispensable!  Perhaps my favorite contains the quote, "Even the Soviets have social classes!"  Yes, apparently the Soviets are people too.  Who would have ever dreamed such a thing?  Another deals with "Women in the Work Place" and contains the line, "Jim thought the problem would just go away, but thats because he wasn't used to working with women." or the even better, "Joe comes from a lower class family.  Someday he may even rise to be an automechanic!"  Wow.  I could go on, but I think you get the idea, and in answer to your question, Yes I do show these in class. A Lot.  We just finished our 2 week study of gender stratification and thanks to Big Brother I had a different enlightening video to show every day! 


Recently I had a bit of a panic attack about the fact that we are going to have a baby.  It just hit me all at once that I'm now responsible for this little life and its up to me to raise him or her to love and respect God and, well lets face it, thats a big responsibility.  I know there's grace and no one is perfect etc, but it really scared me.  So what did I do?  What any self respecting member of the Millenial Generation would do.  I Googled it.  I found this great website with some lite, but helpful tips that made me feel a lot better.  After reading through and deciding that I did feel better I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich.  Five minutes later I heard Hazel, "What are you looking at on the computer?"  I went in and explained that I had a panic etc and found this website  etc to which she replied, "But why are you looking at this website???"  I looked, and I had been reading RaisingGodlyMormons.org.  
Don't hold your breath that his kid has any hope of normality.





Hello People,

I know its been a while. Sorry about that.  I've been floating on through my first year of teaching and continue to love it.  That has nothing to do with why I haven't posted here though.  To be honest, since Thanksgiving I've been loathe to post here for fear that I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut about our big news.  Oh, in case you don't know Hazel and I are going to have a baby this year!  Thats right, I'm a father now and soon you'll be able to tell.  Oh yes, come August I will have the eyes of a racoon adn a gut like a beach ball.  Bring it on!

So what have I been doing lately?  Well, teaching.  Yeah I know.  It turns out, go figure, that working full time takes up a lot of one's time.  Who would have thought it?  That being said, I really like teaching and if I'm going to do anything full time, this is it.

Anywho, I'm going to post a song now and get off.  I'll post again soon.  No, seriously I will.