I wanted to write a post, a little more in depth, about this past weekend. On the way down to Oklahoma City, we left at about 6 in the morning. Bibi slept a little, and I rocked out to my iPod. Now, when I say I rocked out...I need to be more specific. It's a little like one of those awesome Volkswagon commercials from the 90's. I was dancing, singing....hell, I may have even been tapping the brake pedal to get some strobe lighting going on for those people fortunate enough to be stuck behind me. At one point, while getting my groove on to The Sugar Hill Gang (may have been either Tonto, Jump On It! or Rapper's Delight...I don't remember)...I looked to my right, and there was Bibi, looking up at me with a huge grin on her face as she said, "you...are SUCH a dork..." Yes. Yes I am. But, what was cool was Bibi sat up and danced with me multiple times on the trip.
On the way home, we were rockin' out to The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again". It was so cool....we were rockin' out to it, and we started talking about the meaning. We had a great conversation about the message behind the lyrics, and how...at this time, it is especially appropro. Here they are...
We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed'
Cause the banners, they all flown in the last war
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!I'll move myself and my family asideI
f we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
For I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?
Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
There's nothing in the street
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the party on the left
Is now the party on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!
Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss
So, that's the song. I know it sounds pessimistic, but it's a great song. Very insightful. That's all.
We enjoyed talking about it. Oh! We also talked about what makes a song "great". The conclusion we came to is that there are two important aspects: 1) It's gotta be great instrumentation, and 2) it's gotta have good lyrics.
For example....ALL of Johnny Cash's collection. Someday by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Feelin' Good Again by Robert Earl Keen. Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve.
So...here's the question....what song(s) stand out to you...both musically and lyrically?
You have two minutes.....
GO!
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Dog Days of Summer....
Well, things are going swimmingly. Bibi and I drove down to Oklahoma City, OK this weekend to pick up the newest member of our family, Leo, a Rhodesian Ridgeback/German Shepherd mix. He's absolutely adorable and feisty to boot! He's rowdy, but sleeps A LOT! (It was so much fun to come home today after school to find the little guy awaiting my return....and, man did the time fly. It was time for me to make dinner for when Bibi came home in no time flat!!!
We're reading a book by the Monks of New Skete on dog training, and it's cool so far. Very common sense, but not what I would have naturally thought of. So, that's cool.
I also just finished the 9/11 commission adaptation. Very interesting, and a really good read....I'd recommend it.
So, yeah...that's what going on.
So....yeah...thanks for stopping by!
Tommy
We're reading a book by the Monks of New Skete on dog training, and it's cool so far. Very common sense, but not what I would have naturally thought of. So, that's cool.
I also just finished the 9/11 commission adaptation. Very interesting, and a really good read....I'd recommend it.
So, yeah...that's what going on.
So....yeah...thanks for stopping by!
Tommy
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
A Breaking Update....
Just wanted to let everyone know about something.
I just went and picked up a new book. It's called, "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation". For those of you familiar with Art Spiegleman's "Maus: A Survivor's Tale" will be prepared for this explanation of the events that unfolded that fateful day 5 years ago.
This book, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon, is basically a new version of the report put out by the independent commision. This is called a "graphic adaptation" because it is NOT a comic book and it is NOT a graphic novel. It is, as the title suggests, an adaptation of the Official Report, so it outlines the events of the day, with all four planes; the findings of the commission, and what I've found most helpful, a brief tutorial on the history of Islamic terrorism under the iron fist of Osama bin Laden.
I'm only a few pages into it, but so far I've found it interesting, and...really, it's an important work. So, I wanted to make more people aware of it. (It came out today.)
Oh, and I'm still reading Bill Bryson's "In a Sunburned Country". I have read "The Lost Continent", I think at your recommendation, Kelli, and to be honest, I found it a bit cynical. It's, of course, very funny....but I think I was in a stage where I found any negative comments about my home--the midwest--harsh and unnecessary. (In other words, I was being a bit of a baby.) However, I really, really want to read more of his stuff now because he's impressed me quite a bit.
Anyway. This post has been brought to you be the letter "R".
Thanks for reading. Oh! Real quick....anyone actually read the "9/11 Report"? And, if so...thoughts?
Tommy
I just went and picked up a new book. It's called, "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation". For those of you familiar with Art Spiegleman's "Maus: A Survivor's Tale" will be prepared for this explanation of the events that unfolded that fateful day 5 years ago.
This book, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon, is basically a new version of the report put out by the independent commision. This is called a "graphic adaptation" because it is NOT a comic book and it is NOT a graphic novel. It is, as the title suggests, an adaptation of the Official Report, so it outlines the events of the day, with all four planes; the findings of the commission, and what I've found most helpful, a brief tutorial on the history of Islamic terrorism under the iron fist of Osama bin Laden.
I'm only a few pages into it, but so far I've found it interesting, and...really, it's an important work. So, I wanted to make more people aware of it. (It came out today.)
Oh, and I'm still reading Bill Bryson's "In a Sunburned Country". I have read "The Lost Continent", I think at your recommendation, Kelli, and to be honest, I found it a bit cynical. It's, of course, very funny....but I think I was in a stage where I found any negative comments about my home--the midwest--harsh and unnecessary. (In other words, I was being a bit of a baby.) However, I really, really want to read more of his stuff now because he's impressed me quite a bit.
Anyway. This post has been brought to you be the letter "R".
Thanks for reading. Oh! Real quick....anyone actually read the "9/11 Report"? And, if so...thoughts?
Tommy
Monday, August 28, 2006
edit:
Oh yeah....it's a Rhodesian Ridgeback/German Shepherd Mix....and we're picking him up this weekend.
I'm takin' what they're given cuz I'm workin' for a livin....
Well, what a difference a day makes, you know? Friday night Bibi and I rented a couple of DVD's, ate dinner, and went to bed. At 7:30. At night. It was awesome. Holy crap, it was nice.
Got up early Saturday morning, made some coffee, and while Bibi was at work, I cleaned the house. (Yes, to all of my family members, you read that right, and no, it wasn't a typo. I cleaned. The house. All of it.) Then I read some more and finished the book on Apocalyptic literature; (it was very good....I'd recommend it.)
I then started a book by Bill Bryson called "In A Sunburned Country" about his travels through Australia. It's official. I wanna go.
After Bibi came home, we went to Hastings a local book store. Why, you ask? Well, we wanted very badly to look at books on different dog breeds. We have been talking about it, and we realize that we really want to get another dog. So, we are looking, and so far we're looking at quite a few different ones, but nothing for certain so far. So, there you go.
On a somewhat sad note, my beloved Captain, the statue of a sea captain that sits on my desk in my classroom, was completely by accident knocked from my desk this afternoon. He has been through quite a few years, quite a few miles, and has been in who knows how many locations...but, alas, he was unable to survive the fall. The captain...he is no more. )c; (Sniff....sniff.)
So, how was everyone else's weekend? And, back to the Bryson book....I love travelogues....any recommendations?
Thanks for stopping by!
Tommy
Got up early Saturday morning, made some coffee, and while Bibi was at work, I cleaned the house. (Yes, to all of my family members, you read that right, and no, it wasn't a typo. I cleaned. The house. All of it.) Then I read some more and finished the book on Apocalyptic literature; (it was very good....I'd recommend it.)
I then started a book by Bill Bryson called "In A Sunburned Country" about his travels through Australia. It's official. I wanna go.
After Bibi came home, we went to Hastings a local book store. Why, you ask? Well, we wanted very badly to look at books on different dog breeds. We have been talking about it, and we realize that we really want to get another dog. So, we are looking, and so far we're looking at quite a few different ones, but nothing for certain so far. So, there you go.
On a somewhat sad note, my beloved Captain, the statue of a sea captain that sits on my desk in my classroom, was completely by accident knocked from my desk this afternoon. He has been through quite a few years, quite a few miles, and has been in who knows how many locations...but, alas, he was unable to survive the fall. The captain...he is no more. )c; (Sniff....sniff.)
So, how was everyone else's weekend? And, back to the Bryson book....I love travelogues....any recommendations?
Thanks for stopping by!
Tommy
I'm takin' what they're given cuz I'm workin' for a livin....
Well, what a difference a day makes, you know? Friday night Bibi and I rented a couple of DVD's, ate dinner, and went to bed. At 7:30. At night. It was awesome. Holy crap, it was nice.
Got up early Saturday morning, made some coffee, and while Bibi was at work, I cleaned the house. (Yes, to all of my family members, you read that right, and no, it wasn't a typo. I cleaned. The house. All of it.) Then I read some more and finished the book on Apocalyptic literature; (it was very good....I'd recommend it.)
I then started a book by Bill Bryson called "In A Sunburned Country" about his travels through Australia. It's official. I wanna go.
After Bibi came home, we went to Hastings a local book store. Why, you ask? Well, we wanted very badly to look at books on different dog breeds. We have been talking about it, and we realize that we really want to get another dog. So, we are looking, and so far we're looking at quite a few different ones, but nothing for certain so far. So, there you go.
On a somewhat sad note, my beloved Captain, the statue of a sea captain that sits on my desk in my classroom, was completely by accident knocked from my desk this afternoon. He has been through quite a few years, quite a few miles, and has been in who knows how many locations...but, alas, he was unable to survive the fall. The captain...he is no more. )c; (Sniff....sniff.)
Got up early Saturday morning, made some coffee, and while Bibi was at work, I cleaned the house. (Yes, to all of my family members, you read that right, and no, it wasn't a typo. I cleaned. The house. All of it.) Then I read some more and finished the book on Apocalyptic literature; (it was very good....I'd recommend it.)
I then started a book by Bill Bryson called "In A Sunburned Country" about his travels through Australia. It's official. I wanna go.
After Bibi came home, we went to Hastings a local book store. Why, you ask? Well, we wanted very badly to look at books on different dog breeds. We have been talking about it, and we realize that we really want to get another dog. So, we are looking, and so far we're looking at quite a few different ones, but nothing for certain so far. So, there you go.
On a somewhat sad note, my beloved Captain, the statue of a sea captain that sits on my desk in my classroom, was completely by accident knocked from my desk this afternoon. He has been through quite a few years, quite a few miles, and has been in who knows how many locations...but, alas, he was unable to survive the fall. The captain...he is no more. )c; (Sniff....sniff.)
Thursday, August 24, 2006
A Treatise on Why The Reader Should Watch the Simpsons
So, I just read the chapter in this book on how the Simpson's has elements of Apocalytic (the literary element) at various points in the series. I have to be honest, I'm just now soaking it in, so this might not be entirely coherent....but, I'm gonna try.
Basically, Apocalyptic deals with connecting the spiritual to the physical....in that our spiritual lives should not be something purely ethereal and focused entirely in the realm of some far off day. Our spiritual lives should be intimately linked to the material and physical world around us. Our spiritual lives should be entirely about the people around us....the other human beings that make up our spiritual realm. (Spirituality means nothing if it's not about the people around us--think, Mother Theresa.)
In the Simpson's, we are given a glimpse of Carnival humor. Carnival humor is about seeing the folly of humanity in humanity...and that includes us. It's not about laughing at someone. It's about laughing WITH someone....everyone around us. And that's another thing...
Think of the great achievements of humanity...the architectual beauties, the monuments to God....often times they are high reaching steeples attempting to bring us closer to heaven, right? And, in the time of these buildings, Gargoyles were found built into these facades. These were frighteningly ugly little people laughing at the failure that we inevitably come to in reaching for these heights. (This does NOT diminish the heights we DO reach...it merely reminds us of the fallibilty of us all....). I don't think of that laughter in malevolent terms...it's a jocular and lighthearted laughter....
The Simpson's shows us all our failings....we see ourselves in the characters....not all of them...but we do see ourselves in some of them....we also see our attitudes reflected in our assumptions about the characters. (Sited in the book, we see Moe, a walking stereotype if ever there was one, in a totally new light when we see that he volunteers at an orphanage weekly.)
I guess the final issue that is discussed in the book that stood out to me was the treatment of Ned Flanders. Ned is seen as the consumate example of a goody two shoes Christian. However, he is never (or VERY rarely) seen in a derisive light.....he is often a satirical (sp?!) character, but not a jerk. He's not perfect, but he is trying. He's a PRACTICING Christian...not a perfect Christian.
Man....I always set out to write deep, enlightening, posts, and I always feel like I fall short. Anyway, you guys should definitely read the book, or at the very least the chapter on the Simpson's....
Yeah.
I once heard someone say that we find prophets (truth tellers) in very strange places. Like, the Simpsons. Where do you all see prophets?
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Basically, Apocalyptic deals with connecting the spiritual to the physical....in that our spiritual lives should not be something purely ethereal and focused entirely in the realm of some far off day. Our spiritual lives should be intimately linked to the material and physical world around us. Our spiritual lives should be entirely about the people around us....the other human beings that make up our spiritual realm. (Spirituality means nothing if it's not about the people around us--think, Mother Theresa.)
In the Simpson's, we are given a glimpse of Carnival humor. Carnival humor is about seeing the folly of humanity in humanity...and that includes us. It's not about laughing at someone. It's about laughing WITH someone....everyone around us. And that's another thing...
Think of the great achievements of humanity...the architectual beauties, the monuments to God....often times they are high reaching steeples attempting to bring us closer to heaven, right? And, in the time of these buildings, Gargoyles were found built into these facades. These were frighteningly ugly little people laughing at the failure that we inevitably come to in reaching for these heights. (This does NOT diminish the heights we DO reach...it merely reminds us of the fallibilty of us all....). I don't think of that laughter in malevolent terms...it's a jocular and lighthearted laughter....
The Simpson's shows us all our failings....we see ourselves in the characters....not all of them...but we do see ourselves in some of them....we also see our attitudes reflected in our assumptions about the characters. (Sited in the book, we see Moe, a walking stereotype if ever there was one, in a totally new light when we see that he volunteers at an orphanage weekly.)
I guess the final issue that is discussed in the book that stood out to me was the treatment of Ned Flanders. Ned is seen as the consumate example of a goody two shoes Christian. However, he is never (or VERY rarely) seen in a derisive light.....he is often a satirical (sp?!) character, but not a jerk. He's not perfect, but he is trying. He's a PRACTICING Christian...not a perfect Christian.
Man....I always set out to write deep, enlightening, posts, and I always feel like I fall short. Anyway, you guys should definitely read the book, or at the very least the chapter on the Simpson's....
Yeah.
I once heard someone say that we find prophets (truth tellers) in very strange places. Like, the Simpsons. Where do you all see prophets?
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Insert Amusing Title Here....
Well, today was the first day of the rest of my....um, well...it was the first day of the rest of the school year....that's what it was. And, it was great. Good times were had by all. I've got a great group of kids, and I have an idea of where I want to take them, and I've got a plan for how to get there. (And, knowing...is half the battle!)
Bibi and I have been enjoying ourselves, after work as well. Last night, after I met all the parents, we sat on the porch and chatted for awhile, then we went for a walk around campus. (It was REALLY funny seeing all the freshman walking around, seeing everything through their eyes....it was funny, just because it seems like SUCH a long time ago. (c;)
Other than that, things are going really well. I'm just very much enjoying myself, and things are good.
I finished both of the Pirates! books, and they were hilarious. Just good mindless fun. Well, actually not all that mindless...there are random and informative footnotes on nearly every page to inform the reader about Pirate lore in oldentimes. They're quite amusing. And educational!
I'm going to start a book now about pop culture and how it affects our view of certain philosophical questions. It mentions....well, actually, I just got up and grabbed the book, so it's actually called, "Everyday Apocalypse: The Sacred Revealed in Radiohead, the Simpson's, and other Pop Culture Icons". So, instead of "philosophy" it deals with the Sacred. Cool.
Alright, well, I'm going to get back to my wife now....you all have a great night....oh, and I wanted to ask...the "Pirates!" books are just mindless fun....does anyone have any suggestions for similar books?
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
Bibi and I have been enjoying ourselves, after work as well. Last night, after I met all the parents, we sat on the porch and chatted for awhile, then we went for a walk around campus. (It was REALLY funny seeing all the freshman walking around, seeing everything through their eyes....it was funny, just because it seems like SUCH a long time ago. (c;)
Other than that, things are going really well. I'm just very much enjoying myself, and things are good.
I finished both of the Pirates! books, and they were hilarious. Just good mindless fun. Well, actually not all that mindless...there are random and informative footnotes on nearly every page to inform the reader about Pirate lore in oldentimes. They're quite amusing. And educational!
I'm going to start a book now about pop culture and how it affects our view of certain philosophical questions. It mentions....well, actually, I just got up and grabbed the book, so it's actually called, "Everyday Apocalypse: The Sacred Revealed in Radiohead, the Simpson's, and other Pop Culture Icons". So, instead of "philosophy" it deals with the Sacred. Cool.
Alright, well, I'm going to get back to my wife now....you all have a great night....oh, and I wanted to ask...the "Pirates!" books are just mindless fun....does anyone have any suggestions for similar books?
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
Sunday, August 20, 2006
It's the Most Wonderful Time...of the Year....
Hey ya'll! School starts in two days, and I'm psyched. Good times, will be had by all, I assure you.
Anyway, Kirksville roared to life this morning...it's freshman move-in-day. Woke up at 7, made a pot of coffee, had a couple of friends over, and we all sat outside and watched, listened, and felt the town slowly wake up from it's summer sleep. I don't know if those of you who don't live here anymore remember what it's like....but, well...it's palpable. The town slowly stretches and shakes out the sleepiness, and by tonight the 16-block square around campus will be one mass of party and drunken freshmen. Ah....good times. (c;
Anyway, I finished my book on the language of politics. It was good. It's interesting to have a political debate, to have the other side explained in a clear and logical manner. One of the things I learned, oh, I don't know...back in high school sometime, I think, was that it's important to recognize that intelligent, thoughtful and reasonable people can often times look at a certain issue, all of the facts surrounding that issue, and come away with very different conclusions.
(In response to the comment left by Anonymous: You're right; Conservatives have some excellent ideas, but I think that point that this book was trying to make is that it is easy to persuade people when you have an understanding of the power of language....it's not necessarily deviousness, nor is it necessarily bad....it's a very intelligent, and at least in todays political environment, necessary skill, one that would serve Democrats well to learn.)
I'm now taking a brief hiatus from the political tomes, and I'm reading "Pirates! In Adventures with Scientists" to be followed by "Pirates! In Adventures with Ahab"
Well, I hope you're all enjoying the inevitable end of the summer....God bless, and have a great week.
Oh, and as always...thanks for stopping by.
Tommy
Anyway, Kirksville roared to life this morning...it's freshman move-in-day. Woke up at 7, made a pot of coffee, had a couple of friends over, and we all sat outside and watched, listened, and felt the town slowly wake up from it's summer sleep. I don't know if those of you who don't live here anymore remember what it's like....but, well...it's palpable. The town slowly stretches and shakes out the sleepiness, and by tonight the 16-block square around campus will be one mass of party and drunken freshmen. Ah....good times. (c;
Anyway, I finished my book on the language of politics. It was good. It's interesting to have a political debate, to have the other side explained in a clear and logical manner. One of the things I learned, oh, I don't know...back in high school sometime, I think, was that it's important to recognize that intelligent, thoughtful and reasonable people can often times look at a certain issue, all of the facts surrounding that issue, and come away with very different conclusions.
(In response to the comment left by Anonymous: You're right; Conservatives have some excellent ideas, but I think that point that this book was trying to make is that it is easy to persuade people when you have an understanding of the power of language....it's not necessarily deviousness, nor is it necessarily bad....it's a very intelligent, and at least in todays political environment, necessary skill, one that would serve Democrats well to learn.)
I'm now taking a brief hiatus from the political tomes, and I'm reading "Pirates! In Adventures with Scientists" to be followed by "Pirates! In Adventures with Ahab"
Well, I hope you're all enjoying the inevitable end of the summer....God bless, and have a great week.
Oh, and as always...thanks for stopping by.
Tommy
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Snakes on a Blog....
Hey everyone. Just in case there is anyone out there who thought that the movie "Snakes on a Plane" wouldn't be good, I saw it last night...and if it doesn't win best picture....than there is civilization to be found in this world. That's all I'm sayin'. It's the best movie I"ve seen in a LONG time...it's the crack equivalent of a movie-going experience...it goes straight to the pleasure center of the brain.
Go see it....or I'm going to send you Snakes in the Mail. And they're going to bite you. In the eye.
Go see it.
Now.
Seriously.
Go.
(Thanks for reading....)
Tommy
Go see it....or I'm going to send you Snakes in the Mail. And they're going to bite you. In the eye.
Go see it.
Now.
Seriously.
Go.
(Thanks for reading....)
Tommy
Friday, August 18, 2006
EDIT: Previous Post...
I forgot to ask...are there any political books that you find particularly interesting?
Tommy
Tommy
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Hey! It's been awhile, hasn't it?
Well, I just finished Bloodsucking Fiends, by Christopher Moore. (For those of you who read me regularly, it's pretty obvious I've got a thing for his books. They're REALLY good!!!! Oh, have you read Lamb yet? WHY NOT?!)
Anyway, back to BF's. It was really good. I am Moore's "friend" on MySpace, and I sent him a message the other day, and he told me that he just sent the sequel to his publisher, so that should be coming out around Christmas. (Yay!) BF's is a very funny novel about vampires. I know, I know, I'm not that into Vampire books either, but this one's really good. Basically, Moore turns the whole concept on it's ear, which is a good thing. Needs to be done every now and then, you know?
So, I started reading a new book today, and it's what I really want to tell you about. (Gee, don't I sound like some cheesy PBS special?) It's called, "don't think of an elephant!" by George Lakoff. It came recommended by a friend, (who has also loaned me an unholy number of books, and I'm getting to them....) after a conversation we had about politics, and how political capital is won through rhetoric and the use of language. I had heard a segment on NPR a few weeks ago about how the right has basically taken over the realm of political discourse. This led to the recommendation of this book. Basically, Lakoff's premise states that Republicans and Conservatives have mastered the art of phrasing their language in terms of a recognizable conceptual framework that registers in listener's brains upon hearing it. (Conservatives in the 50's and 60's created thinktanks, magazine's, and journals to help focus their leaders' minds in this direction. Democrats and liberals haven't done this yet, which is why Republican's are doing so well. (Says the premise of the book.)
Lakoff, in the rest of the book, creates a....handbook of sorts for progressives to be able to better handle this tricky rhetorical situation.
So far, it's been interesting. Lakoff puts his political theories into two categories; that of the "strict father", and the "Nurturant Parent". It's been interesting so far, and I'm very curious to read more about how language works in the political realm.
Anyway, that's all for now.
Thanks for reading!!!
Tommy
Anyway, back to BF's. It was really good. I am Moore's "friend" on MySpace, and I sent him a message the other day, and he told me that he just sent the sequel to his publisher, so that should be coming out around Christmas. (Yay!) BF's is a very funny novel about vampires. I know, I know, I'm not that into Vampire books either, but this one's really good. Basically, Moore turns the whole concept on it's ear, which is a good thing. Needs to be done every now and then, you know?
So, I started reading a new book today, and it's what I really want to tell you about. (Gee, don't I sound like some cheesy PBS special?) It's called, "don't think of an elephant!" by George Lakoff. It came recommended by a friend, (who has also loaned me an unholy number of books, and I'm getting to them....) after a conversation we had about politics, and how political capital is won through rhetoric and the use of language. I had heard a segment on NPR a few weeks ago about how the right has basically taken over the realm of political discourse. This led to the recommendation of this book. Basically, Lakoff's premise states that Republicans and Conservatives have mastered the art of phrasing their language in terms of a recognizable conceptual framework that registers in listener's brains upon hearing it. (Conservatives in the 50's and 60's created thinktanks, magazine's, and journals to help focus their leaders' minds in this direction. Democrats and liberals haven't done this yet, which is why Republican's are doing so well. (Says the premise of the book.)
Lakoff, in the rest of the book, creates a....handbook of sorts for progressives to be able to better handle this tricky rhetorical situation.
So far, it's been interesting. Lakoff puts his political theories into two categories; that of the "strict father", and the "Nurturant Parent". It's been interesting so far, and I'm very curious to read more about how language works in the political realm.
Anyway, that's all for now.
Thanks for reading!!!
Tommy
Monday, August 14, 2006
Things that make you go Hmmmmm...
All right! Hey, how's it going?
So, I REALLY didn't know that I would get that kind of response, when I decided to write about the current situation in the Middle East. I really dig the feed back, and I love that people have left some really intelligent and thoughtful comments.
I do want to clarify, however, that I was NOT, well...at least I was not INTENDING to align myself with either side. I have to say, I agree with Kelli when I say that both sides have done considerable harm as well as considerable good. It's really not simple, and there are definitely no easy answers.
I would, however, like to open up this blog formally for any other ideas or thoughts that people have. I'd love to hear 'em!
This past weekend Bibi and I went to Bloomington, Il for a friend's wedding. It was an excellent time. We're back now, and I'm back in the classroom, working on getting ready for the school year, which officially begins a week from tomorrow. (That's Tuesday.) We've got construction going on, so it looks like a disaster area. Hopefully, the school will be ready. (And, um....hopefully, I will be ready....)
Oh, and I finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It was good. Very good. The book had an interesting structure....it was like a comic book in prose form. In comic books, the author has no limit to how much time occurs between frames...it can be the next second, or years later. It can be the same moment from a different perspective, or it can be five minutes before. The comic book character's background can be filled in through flashbacks, or it can be filled in in pieces throughout.
All of these techniques were present, as well as numerous others, and it made for an exceptionally interesting book.
Anybody know of any other books that have a uniqe structure, that add to the enjoyment of the book?
All right...more later!
Thanks for reading....
Tommy
So, I REALLY didn't know that I would get that kind of response, when I decided to write about the current situation in the Middle East. I really dig the feed back, and I love that people have left some really intelligent and thoughtful comments.
I do want to clarify, however, that I was NOT, well...at least I was not INTENDING to align myself with either side. I have to say, I agree with Kelli when I say that both sides have done considerable harm as well as considerable good. It's really not simple, and there are definitely no easy answers.
I would, however, like to open up this blog formally for any other ideas or thoughts that people have. I'd love to hear 'em!
This past weekend Bibi and I went to Bloomington, Il for a friend's wedding. It was an excellent time. We're back now, and I'm back in the classroom, working on getting ready for the school year, which officially begins a week from tomorrow. (That's Tuesday.) We've got construction going on, so it looks like a disaster area. Hopefully, the school will be ready. (And, um....hopefully, I will be ready....)
Oh, and I finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It was good. Very good. The book had an interesting structure....it was like a comic book in prose form. In comic books, the author has no limit to how much time occurs between frames...it can be the next second, or years later. It can be the same moment from a different perspective, or it can be five minutes before. The comic book character's background can be filled in through flashbacks, or it can be filled in in pieces throughout.
All of these techniques were present, as well as numerous others, and it made for an exceptionally interesting book.
Anybody know of any other books that have a uniqe structure, that add to the enjoyment of the book?
All right...more later!
Thanks for reading....
Tommy
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
...the Man comes around....
Author's Disclaimer: This post may consist of numerous stream-of-consciousness ideas, as well as disjointed premises, and conclusions. There may also be several typos and mispelled words. Please disregard them. Read at your own risk.
This post has been several days in the making. I've had a couple of experiences lately that have made me feel more "grown-up" and adult than anything in a long time. (I know, I know...I'm 28...I "am" an adult. I don't feel like one though...most of the time I still see myself as that 14 year old kid with HORRIBLE acne and very little self confidence.)
Last night at karaoke, I was sitting between two faily diverse groups of people. On my left were a couple of slightly younger friends, who were talking about the pros and cons of different drinking games. On my right, were some slightly older friends who were discussing the benefits and liabilites of the varying benefits of various insurance programs. You know which conversation interested me most? Yeah, I now know all about the family insurance plan provided by Atmost Energy. It's really good.
Monday, Bibi and I spent most of the afternoon researching America's involvement in Iraq and our history with Israel and Lebanon. It was really interesting; we also have made a concerted effort to watch the world news every night. After our research, from a number of different websites, with a number of tangential side investigations, watching the news was MUCH more interesting.
Today, and a couple of times in the past few days, quite a few people, of various ages have expressed a fairly common objection to watching the nightly news: It's so damn depressing.
That got me thinking.
Bibi and I both mentioned how watching the news represents being an adult, based on our impressions of "adult behavior" from our childhoods. (Translation: Both of our parents watched the news, and that signifies responsible adult behavior to both of us.) So, it feels good...it feels...oh, I don't know...productive to watch the news. But, here's the thing....I don't get depressed watching the news. I know, there are horribly sad and depressing things going on out there....but, well...I don't see watching the news that way. This is cheesy, but it goes back to the G.I. Joe tagline from when I was a kid..."Now you know. And KNOWING...is HALF the battle." I guess I feel like watching the news puts me in a better position to be able to...do anthing about those horrible things. You know...reading is fundamental; and "knowledge is power". That kind of a thing.
It helps me to know our history with Israel, how we've continually helped them and backed them; but it also helps me to know that Hezbollah is backed by Iran, which is another reason that our government uses to justify backing Israel. However, from teaching American History, I know that George Washington, way back in the late 1700's advised us to avoid permanent alliances with foreign powers....which is way I think it's dangerous to blindly support Israel just because we have always supports Israel. However, researching Hezbollah shows me that it is a dangerously militant organization. (It also provides medicine, food, and water to the Lebanese people, which is why the Hezbollah is gaining support--it's also why there is a growing number of countries who think that Israel's actions have been way over the top.)
Ok. So, being educated, and watching the news shows me that there are NO easy answers. That CAN be disheartening, but it doesn't have to be....healthy and lively debate and discussion is a good thing.
Your thoughts?
This post has been several days in the making. I've had a couple of experiences lately that have made me feel more "grown-up" and adult than anything in a long time. (I know, I know...I'm 28...I "am" an adult. I don't feel like one though...most of the time I still see myself as that 14 year old kid with HORRIBLE acne and very little self confidence.)
Last night at karaoke, I was sitting between two faily diverse groups of people. On my left were a couple of slightly younger friends, who were talking about the pros and cons of different drinking games. On my right, were some slightly older friends who were discussing the benefits and liabilites of the varying benefits of various insurance programs. You know which conversation interested me most? Yeah, I now know all about the family insurance plan provided by Atmost Energy. It's really good.
Monday, Bibi and I spent most of the afternoon researching America's involvement in Iraq and our history with Israel and Lebanon. It was really interesting; we also have made a concerted effort to watch the world news every night. After our research, from a number of different websites, with a number of tangential side investigations, watching the news was MUCH more interesting.
Today, and a couple of times in the past few days, quite a few people, of various ages have expressed a fairly common objection to watching the nightly news: It's so damn depressing.
That got me thinking.
Bibi and I both mentioned how watching the news represents being an adult, based on our impressions of "adult behavior" from our childhoods. (Translation: Both of our parents watched the news, and that signifies responsible adult behavior to both of us.) So, it feels good...it feels...oh, I don't know...productive to watch the news. But, here's the thing....I don't get depressed watching the news. I know, there are horribly sad and depressing things going on out there....but, well...I don't see watching the news that way. This is cheesy, but it goes back to the G.I. Joe tagline from when I was a kid..."Now you know. And KNOWING...is HALF the battle." I guess I feel like watching the news puts me in a better position to be able to...do anthing about those horrible things. You know...reading is fundamental; and "knowledge is power". That kind of a thing.
It helps me to know our history with Israel, how we've continually helped them and backed them; but it also helps me to know that Hezbollah is backed by Iran, which is another reason that our government uses to justify backing Israel. However, from teaching American History, I know that George Washington, way back in the late 1700's advised us to avoid permanent alliances with foreign powers....which is way I think it's dangerous to blindly support Israel just because we have always supports Israel. However, researching Hezbollah shows me that it is a dangerously militant organization. (It also provides medicine, food, and water to the Lebanese people, which is why the Hezbollah is gaining support--it's also why there is a growing number of countries who think that Israel's actions have been way over the top.)
Ok. So, being educated, and watching the news shows me that there are NO easy answers. That CAN be disheartening, but it doesn't have to be....healthy and lively debate and discussion is a good thing.
Your thoughts?
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
An exercise in contextual understanding and historical serendipity
I'm reading a new book, titled "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay", by Michael Chabon. I've had this book recommended to me multiple times over the past two years, and it's proving to be an excellent read. Very exciting, very interesting, very well-written. It is also an intellectual lesson.
Let me explain.
A few weeks ago, when I read "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", by Joyce, I went through an experience that happens sometimes when one reads a well-written, but complex, book. I found myself barely hanging on, as it were. I was almost unable to keep track of the flow of the story, almost unable to stay with the narrative. I had to consciously remind myself of where I was in the story, who was speaking, and...well, basically what was going on at all times. Now, I don't think there is anything wrong with that, so to speak. I find a challenge to be invigorating. However, "Kavalier and Clay" is an entirely different kind of challenge.
Chabon has got to possess the most expansive vocabulary of any author I've yet to read. I find myself, nearly every paragraph, wanting to stop to look up at least a couple of words I don't know. It isn't that he's using words I know in a new way; he's using words I've never heard before, I've never read before....heck, I think he's making some of them up! (And, not to be conceited, but I don't think I have that limited a vocabulary at my disposal, although my ability to spell those words when I'm publishing my writing for a vast audience--such as this blog--certainly leaves something to be desired...). So, this book has challenged me in a new way, a way that, to be quite honest, hasn't been challenged in some time. I find that I simply press on, and Chabon's use of the words, his context, helps me through the text most of the time. To me, that is the mark of an excellent author. (Chabon, if you happen to google your name, and this comes up....Way to Go!!! (c;)
Ok, now on to the second part of my title: Historic Serendipity.
About a month and a half ago, I read a book on the Science of Super Heroes called, "The Science of Super Heroes". In this book, which was really quite interesting, I found out that, prior to the US involvement in WWII, comic book authors, and their lead characters, went to Europe to fight the forces of evil well before we wised up. I thought that was interesting--that, cheesy, child's play stuff, schlock in most people's opinions, was in the forefront, the vanguard.
Now, just a month or so later, I'm reading "Kavalier and Clay", which is about a Jewish man from Prague who escapes to to America, and creates a comic book--well before the US involvment in the war--about a super hero who fights the forces of evil abroad. It's basically a fictitious account of how the war was fought in the hearts of individuals in America before it was fought in Europe.
Good stuff....
Any books that you've read that were especially challenging? (I'm thinking, Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury"?)
And, hey...thanks for reading.
(And, thanks to all my spelling narcs who made me so self-conscious that I spell checked every "iffy" word in this post!!!!)
Tommy
Let me explain.
A few weeks ago, when I read "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", by Joyce, I went through an experience that happens sometimes when one reads a well-written, but complex, book. I found myself barely hanging on, as it were. I was almost unable to keep track of the flow of the story, almost unable to stay with the narrative. I had to consciously remind myself of where I was in the story, who was speaking, and...well, basically what was going on at all times. Now, I don't think there is anything wrong with that, so to speak. I find a challenge to be invigorating. However, "Kavalier and Clay" is an entirely different kind of challenge.
Chabon has got to possess the most expansive vocabulary of any author I've yet to read. I find myself, nearly every paragraph, wanting to stop to look up at least a couple of words I don't know. It isn't that he's using words I know in a new way; he's using words I've never heard before, I've never read before....heck, I think he's making some of them up! (And, not to be conceited, but I don't think I have that limited a vocabulary at my disposal, although my ability to spell those words when I'm publishing my writing for a vast audience--such as this blog--certainly leaves something to be desired...). So, this book has challenged me in a new way, a way that, to be quite honest, hasn't been challenged in some time. I find that I simply press on, and Chabon's use of the words, his context, helps me through the text most of the time. To me, that is the mark of an excellent author. (Chabon, if you happen to google your name, and this comes up....Way to Go!!! (c;)
Ok, now on to the second part of my title: Historic Serendipity.
About a month and a half ago, I read a book on the Science of Super Heroes called, "The Science of Super Heroes". In this book, which was really quite interesting, I found out that, prior to the US involvement in WWII, comic book authors, and their lead characters, went to Europe to fight the forces of evil well before we wised up. I thought that was interesting--that, cheesy, child's play stuff, schlock in most people's opinions, was in the forefront, the vanguard.
Now, just a month or so later, I'm reading "Kavalier and Clay", which is about a Jewish man from Prague who escapes to to America, and creates a comic book--well before the US involvment in the war--about a super hero who fights the forces of evil abroad. It's basically a fictitious account of how the war was fought in the hearts of individuals in America before it was fought in Europe.
Good stuff....
Any books that you've read that were especially challenging? (I'm thinking, Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury"?)
And, hey...thanks for reading.
(And, thanks to all my spelling narcs who made me so self-conscious that I spell checked every "iffy" word in this post!!!!)
Tommy
Monday, August 07, 2006
The shortest post ever
Thanks Chuck, for pointing out that my post on teachers in Mexico was obviously typed quickly, and included a really bad typo.
Thanks.
(c;
Seriously...I love my readers...but, do you have to read so damn closely?
(c;
Tommy
Thanks.
(c;
Seriously...I love my readers...but, do you have to read so damn closely?
(c;
Tommy
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Bordeom
Ok, I PROMISE...this is the ONLY one of these damn things I'll do. Seriously.
ABC's from Rachel
A is for age:28
B is for booze of choice:Jack Daniels--straight up.
C is for career: Fifth Grade Teacher.
D is for your dog's name: Kaya....well, in my heart at least. She is no longer with us.
E is for essential items you use/love everyday:Coffee and whatever book I'm reading right now.
F is for favorite song(s) at the moment: Hmm....Silver Sword by Huckleberry. If you haven't heard of it, well, your loss.
G is for favorite games: Vengence, and Monopoly.
H is for hometown: Cedar Rapids.
I is for instruments you play: Alto Saxophone, Piano (just barely) and I played the flute for hmmm...about one week in high school. Thanks Mr. Danser.
J is for jam or jelly you like: Grape. I know, boring.
K is for kids: None....YET.
L is for last kiss: Bibi.
M is for most admired trait: Sincerity.
N is for the name of your crush: None.
O is for overnight hospital stays: I got a deviated septum repaired during college.
P is for phobias: I really don't like spiders...although, I have made substantial growth in that I don't cry like a little girl anymore.
Q is for quotes you like: "Does it ever get any easier?" "No. Well, not if you're doing it right. But, it is the best job in the world." (Boston Public.)
R is for biggest regret: That I was actually worried about what people thought about me in high school.
S is for sweets of your choice:M&M's, snickers, chocolate in general.
T is for time you wake up: 6:30 during the summer (and then I wait til I'm ready to get up.) 5:30 or 6:00 during the school year.)
U is for underwear: Boxers. Knitted preferably.
V is for vegetables you love: I love asparagus. Zucchini. Corn. Broccoli. Green Beans. Tomato. (I know! It's actually a fruit, but most people don't know that.)
W is for worst habit: Picking my nails. Road rage.
X is for x-rays you've had: Wrist, back, teeth.
Y is for yummy food you make: Well, Bibi and I make cholay together. Does that count?
Z is for zodiac sign: Cancer.
There ya go. I PROMISE I won't do it again. (Maybe.)
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
ABC's from Rachel
A is for age:28
B is for booze of choice:Jack Daniels--straight up.
C is for career: Fifth Grade Teacher.
D is for your dog's name: Kaya....well, in my heart at least. She is no longer with us.
E is for essential items you use/love everyday:Coffee and whatever book I'm reading right now.
F is for favorite song(s) at the moment: Hmm....Silver Sword by Huckleberry. If you haven't heard of it, well, your loss.
G is for favorite games: Vengence, and Monopoly.
H is for hometown: Cedar Rapids.
I is for instruments you play: Alto Saxophone, Piano (just barely) and I played the flute for hmmm...about one week in high school. Thanks Mr. Danser.
J is for jam or jelly you like: Grape. I know, boring.
K is for kids: None....YET.
L is for last kiss: Bibi.
M is for most admired trait: Sincerity.
N is for the name of your crush: None.
O is for overnight hospital stays: I got a deviated septum repaired during college.
P is for phobias: I really don't like spiders...although, I have made substantial growth in that I don't cry like a little girl anymore.
Q is for quotes you like: "Does it ever get any easier?" "No. Well, not if you're doing it right. But, it is the best job in the world." (Boston Public.)
R is for biggest regret: That I was actually worried about what people thought about me in high school.
S is for sweets of your choice:M&M's, snickers, chocolate in general.
T is for time you wake up: 6:30 during the summer (and then I wait til I'm ready to get up.) 5:30 or 6:00 during the school year.)
U is for underwear: Boxers. Knitted preferably.
V is for vegetables you love: I love asparagus. Zucchini. Corn. Broccoli. Green Beans. Tomato. (I know! It's actually a fruit, but most people don't know that.)
W is for worst habit: Picking my nails. Road rage.
X is for x-rays you've had: Wrist, back, teeth.
Y is for yummy food you make: Well, Bibi and I make cholay together. Does that count?
Z is for zodiac sign: Cancer.
There ya go. I PROMISE I won't do it again. (Maybe.)
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Friday, August 04, 2006
Do you believe in magic.....?
Finished Christopher Moore's "Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings". Very enjoyable, very funny, wonderful book.
However, not his best book, and so I don't really have much to say about it. However, one line does strike me as noteworthy: "Science you don't know looks like magic."
I like that.
That's all for now...
Tommy
However, not his best book, and so I don't really have much to say about it. However, one line does strike me as noteworthy: "Science you don't know looks like magic."
I like that.
That's all for now...
Tommy
We interupt your regularly scheduled blog...
Rest assured, faithful readers, that I am reading a new book, and I will let you all now about that later...however, I'm listening to a segment on NPR right now, and I wanted to share it all with you.
In a city in Mexico (that sounds like Wahaca, but that probably has a bunch of X's in it), a group of teachers were marching in protest of low wages. (Sounds reasonable, right?) So, in response, the police in the city got in their helicopters and flew over head, not so that they could get a better view of the peaceful protesters, but in order to have a better view for when they dropped TEAR GAS on the peaceful protesters. Now. That in itself would be worthy of note...however, that is not why I am writing a post on blogger. The aspect of this story that inspired me to write this post was the response by the parents in this particular town.
A group of mothers, who felt that this treatment of the teachers by the police, was SO unjust and wrong, gathered together to march as well. In fact, not only did they march for the cause of the teachers....they came upon a television studio that was filming--LIVE. So, they entered the tv station, they took control of the tv station, and the broadcast their protest over the airwaves in defense of the teachers and in hopes that they could win higher wages for their teachers.
Now, I don't believe in taking hostages, I don't believe in pirating tv stations; however...I do think it's AMAZING the level of support that those parents showed towards their teachers.
I have been really, really lucky in that every member of my family respects and supports me as a teacher. My mom and stepdad are teachers, my sister's both are supporters of teachers (they teacher piano, cheerleading and dance) and my dad has said that teaching is the most important job in the world. So, you know, I've got a substantial backing from my family. However, I've had so many colleagues and Education students tell me stories of how they've been told that they should be doing something "more productive" with their lives....that they shouldn't be wasting their obvious talent and skill being "just a teacher"; it's sad, it's inappropriate, and it's patently false.
So, it struck me...in Mexico, teachers are seen as something...special...something worthy of standing up for. In America? Well, it's not quite so consistant, the value we place in teachers.
That's just kind of sad.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
In a city in Mexico (that sounds like Wahaca, but that probably has a bunch of X's in it), a group of teachers were marching in protest of low wages. (Sounds reasonable, right?) So, in response, the police in the city got in their helicopters and flew over head, not so that they could get a better view of the peaceful protesters, but in order to have a better view for when they dropped TEAR GAS on the peaceful protesters. Now. That in itself would be worthy of note...however, that is not why I am writing a post on blogger. The aspect of this story that inspired me to write this post was the response by the parents in this particular town.
A group of mothers, who felt that this treatment of the teachers by the police, was SO unjust and wrong, gathered together to march as well. In fact, not only did they march for the cause of the teachers....they came upon a television studio that was filming--LIVE. So, they entered the tv station, they took control of the tv station, and the broadcast their protest over the airwaves in defense of the teachers and in hopes that they could win higher wages for their teachers.
Now, I don't believe in taking hostages, I don't believe in pirating tv stations; however...I do think it's AMAZING the level of support that those parents showed towards their teachers.
I have been really, really lucky in that every member of my family respects and supports me as a teacher. My mom and stepdad are teachers, my sister's both are supporters of teachers (they teacher piano, cheerleading and dance) and my dad has said that teaching is the most important job in the world. So, you know, I've got a substantial backing from my family. However, I've had so many colleagues and Education students tell me stories of how they've been told that they should be doing something "more productive" with their lives....that they shouldn't be wasting their obvious talent and skill being "just a teacher"; it's sad, it's inappropriate, and it's patently false.
So, it struck me...in Mexico, teachers are seen as something...special...something worthy of standing up for. In America? Well, it's not quite so consistant, the value we place in teachers.
That's just kind of sad.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
an amendment....ah, a few provisos....
I have to amend my prior post about "The Devil in the White City." No, I'm not changing my mind on how good this book is; I just feel that it would only be fair to warn people that, towards the end of the book...it gets a bit....creepy. Twain was correct, "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't."
The subtitle of the book, which I failed in my last post to include is, "Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America". Not to put too fine a point on it, but, well, it couldn't be more true.
So, go ahead and read the book, but be forewarned....it gets creepy.
Anybody have any other books that are surprisinly creepy?
(Oh, and thanks Brad...for pointing out my typos...(c; But shame on you for not catching my GLARING typo on my post for July 25th: Ya'll come back now, ya here? I DO know the difference between hear and here.)
Thanks for stopping by!
Tommy
The subtitle of the book, which I failed in my last post to include is, "Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America". Not to put too fine a point on it, but, well, it couldn't be more true.
So, go ahead and read the book, but be forewarned....it gets creepy.
Anybody have any other books that are surprisinly creepy?
(Oh, and thanks Brad...for pointing out my typos...(c; But shame on you for not catching my GLARING typo on my post for July 25th: Ya'll come back now, ya here? I DO know the difference between hear and here.)
Thanks for stopping by!
Tommy
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
...the Devil went down to Georgia....he was looking for a soul to steal....
Greetings all! Hope your week is going as swimmingly as mine is. Bibi and I are enjoying--no, not enduring--ENJOYING--our A/C-less summer in Kirksville. (Ok, so maybe today it was a bit warm, and last night we both woke up numerous times because of the heat, but still...it's not so bad for us....)
I need to tell you all about this book that I'm reading...."The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. It is an historical nonfiction novel about the construction and events surrounding the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. It's a combination of history, culture, economics, politics, and crime novel.
First off, the book is really well written. It seems very conversational, and is extremely fast paced. The chapters alternate between two storylines that are equally interesting. (The first being the construction and execution of the fair, and the second is about our countries 1st serial killer)
The thing about this book, besides being well written, besides it's captivating narrative, besides the lush descriptions and direct quotations from actual people invovled in the events, is the nature of the fair itself.
The years 1892 and 1893 do not automatically bring to mind any particular events. No individuals immediately come the front of my imagination, and I don't remember automatically any particular inventions or note-worthy creations from that time period. However, the fair was one of those, almost cinematic events, that naturally draws people and ideas to one place and time. Reading this book is like watching a really well-written movie come together....seemingly isolated characters and events are seen in a new light, when the film shows that they are all indeed closely related. That's what the 1893 World's Fair was like; it was a mingling of the past, and the future. (I'm being purposefully vague because half of the fun in this book is finding things out as Larson wants you to find them out.)
So, I guess that's all I've got right now, but seriously....go read this book.
Now!
No, go....get it.
I don't care where you get it...just go get it.
I'll wait.
Well, now you're just trying my patience. I'm very dissappointed in you. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Well, fine. I'm leaving...but seriously....go get yourself a copy.
Oh, and anyone know of any other books that bring together so many aspects of history?
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
I need to tell you all about this book that I'm reading...."The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. It is an historical nonfiction novel about the construction and events surrounding the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. It's a combination of history, culture, economics, politics, and crime novel.
First off, the book is really well written. It seems very conversational, and is extremely fast paced. The chapters alternate between two storylines that are equally interesting. (The first being the construction and execution of the fair, and the second is about our countries 1st serial killer)
The thing about this book, besides being well written, besides it's captivating narrative, besides the lush descriptions and direct quotations from actual people invovled in the events, is the nature of the fair itself.
The years 1892 and 1893 do not automatically bring to mind any particular events. No individuals immediately come the front of my imagination, and I don't remember automatically any particular inventions or note-worthy creations from that time period. However, the fair was one of those, almost cinematic events, that naturally draws people and ideas to one place and time. Reading this book is like watching a really well-written movie come together....seemingly isolated characters and events are seen in a new light, when the film shows that they are all indeed closely related. That's what the 1893 World's Fair was like; it was a mingling of the past, and the future. (I'm being purposefully vague because half of the fun in this book is finding things out as Larson wants you to find them out.)
So, I guess that's all I've got right now, but seriously....go read this book.
Now!
No, go....get it.
I don't care where you get it...just go get it.
I'll wait.
Well, now you're just trying my patience. I'm very dissappointed in you. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Well, fine. I'm leaving...but seriously....go get yourself a copy.
Oh, and anyone know of any other books that bring together so many aspects of history?
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
Friday, July 28, 2006
It's nice work if you can get it...
So, I just finished "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore, one of my favorite authors. Man...he's good. This book is a creative and original--and down right hilarious--look at Death as an occupation. At first, before I began the book, I was a little worried that it might be a bit too close to comfort to the Showtime series "Dead Like Me", which is also a funny look at Death. However, as is usually the case with Moore, it was entirely creative and totally original. He has an uncanny knack for writing about topics that some people might find too serious to joke about. My favorite book by Moore, "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal", is a fresh look at the life of Jesus. It is both absolutely hysterical and touching, which is a difficult combination, especially when dealing with the life of the most famous man in human history.
"A Dirty Job" also tackles a touchy subject. While the plot hinges on the concept of a "grim reaper" type occupation, it in no way makes light of the difficulty of death on the people surrounding the deceased. In fact, Moore wrote this book after the passing of his mother as a kind of imagination of what death might be like.
I haven't read all of his books YET, but Moore is one of the few authors that makes me want to collect them all. It's difficult for me to loan his books out, because they are books that I know I'm going to want to read over and over again. (Like Blue Highways. Ahem, John!!!)
So, I guess I have a question for all of you...do any of you have authors that stand out to you? And, anyone know of any other books that so deftly tackle heavy topics and balance the drama with humor in such a great way?
(Oh, PS: Mom--do you still have Moore's the Stupidest Angel?!)
(c;
Hey, thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
PPS: For those of you who are on MySpace...I was, for some unknown reason, deleted from the MySpace archives this morning, and I'm not sure if I'm going to rejoin--just a heads up.)
"A Dirty Job" also tackles a touchy subject. While the plot hinges on the concept of a "grim reaper" type occupation, it in no way makes light of the difficulty of death on the people surrounding the deceased. In fact, Moore wrote this book after the passing of his mother as a kind of imagination of what death might be like.
I haven't read all of his books YET, but Moore is one of the few authors that makes me want to collect them all. It's difficult for me to loan his books out, because they are books that I know I'm going to want to read over and over again. (Like Blue Highways. Ahem, John!!!)
So, I guess I have a question for all of you...do any of you have authors that stand out to you? And, anyone know of any other books that so deftly tackle heavy topics and balance the drama with humor in such a great way?
(Oh, PS: Mom--do you still have Moore's the Stupidest Angel?!)
(c;
Hey, thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
PPS: For those of you who are on MySpace...I was, for some unknown reason, deleted from the MySpace archives this morning, and I'm not sure if I'm going to rejoin--just a heads up.)
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Just another angry little post...
All right, so Bibi and I enjoyed a little Kville culture this evening, and it's been both aggrivating and amusing. First, the aggrivating part. (By the way, this post has brought to my attention my inability to spell the word agg....uh, agriv...um "agrivating.". Argh.
All right, so TSU has created this thing called the JINS course. It stands for Junior InterDiscipliary Studies. It's a course, ideally taken by juniors, that combines different areas of study. Cool. Most of the topics sound awesome. The Rock Generation, a look at rock and roll culture, and the class that this post connects to: The Art and Science of Humor. For the final exam this professor arranged for his students to be able to do one of two things: 1) Write a ten page paper. 2) Perform a 5-10 minute stand-up comedy routine at a local establishment. (Read: Bar.)
Cool! Bibi and I were excited! Our friend was performing in at, at some point, and we were also really excited about seeing other people perform, too.
So, here's my question: Why, in the name of all that is good and holy in this world, do you go to an event, in the UPSTAIRS of a bar, AWAY FROM THE ACTUAL BAR, where there are people who came for the sole purpose of hearing amateur comedy at its finest, and TALK THE WHOLE DAMN TIME?! Ok, I'm counting to ten and breathing.....................................................................
Ok. I'm better. But, seriously...the setup for this particular bar? It's got an upstairs, which is entirely separate from the physical "bar" from which one might procure alchoholic beverages. So, WHY, in the name of Aisha, would you go ALL THE WAY UP STAIRS, away from the beer, to talk during their performances?! I MEAN SERIOUSLY?! AGH!!!! Good grief!
Sorry....I probably should breathe more, eh?
Oh, and the second thing. After the comedy night, we decided to go home. But, on our way out, we ran into some friends and decided to join them, in yet another part of the bar, for karaoke. This is where I saw one of the funniest things I've seen, in a long time. And, yes, this includes the comedy portion of the night. (c;
(Disclaimer: I may, or may not, use vulgarity in this section; I haven't decided yet.)
We're sitting at the table, enjoying some fine off-key singing (I'm really good at off-key singing, so that's how I know that it was "fine off-key" singing), when I glanced behind me. Two guys, two...burley, muscular, country-folk, cowboy-lookin', beer-drinking, chaw chewing guys, were ANGRILY shouting, and violently gesturing at Tim, the man who helps run karaoke. I mean, this was some good ol' fashioned bar brawl precursor that I was witnessing. I started to get a little tense....it was difficult to see this...Tim's a friend of mine, I went to his wedding, for crying out loud...I didn't want to see him get in a fight. These guys were dropping f-bombs (ok, so I decided not to curse) left and right, as well as a plethora of appropriate, and creative, expletives. I was concerned to say the least.
That is, until I realized what they were yelling about.
These two men...these red-neck, hick, hill-billy, walking stereotypes were angry because....
they wanted to sing more.
That's right. They were angry, because they hadn't been able to sing as many songs as they wanted to. Oh...and, the really great part? The song that had sung?
What a Wonderful World.
(c;
Sometimes ya gotta laugh.
Thanks for stopping by...and, ya'll come back now...ya here?
Tommy
All right, so TSU has created this thing called the JINS course. It stands for Junior InterDiscipliary Studies. It's a course, ideally taken by juniors, that combines different areas of study. Cool. Most of the topics sound awesome. The Rock Generation, a look at rock and roll culture, and the class that this post connects to: The Art and Science of Humor. For the final exam this professor arranged for his students to be able to do one of two things: 1) Write a ten page paper. 2) Perform a 5-10 minute stand-up comedy routine at a local establishment. (Read: Bar.)
Cool! Bibi and I were excited! Our friend was performing in at, at some point, and we were also really excited about seeing other people perform, too.
So, here's my question: Why, in the name of all that is good and holy in this world, do you go to an event, in the UPSTAIRS of a bar, AWAY FROM THE ACTUAL BAR, where there are people who came for the sole purpose of hearing amateur comedy at its finest, and TALK THE WHOLE DAMN TIME?! Ok, I'm counting to ten and breathing.....................................................................
Ok. I'm better. But, seriously...the setup for this particular bar? It's got an upstairs, which is entirely separate from the physical "bar" from which one might procure alchoholic beverages. So, WHY, in the name of Aisha, would you go ALL THE WAY UP STAIRS, away from the beer, to talk during their performances?! I MEAN SERIOUSLY?! AGH!!!! Good grief!
Sorry....I probably should breathe more, eh?
Oh, and the second thing. After the comedy night, we decided to go home. But, on our way out, we ran into some friends and decided to join them, in yet another part of the bar, for karaoke. This is where I saw one of the funniest things I've seen, in a long time. And, yes, this includes the comedy portion of the night. (c;
(Disclaimer: I may, or may not, use vulgarity in this section; I haven't decided yet.)
We're sitting at the table, enjoying some fine off-key singing (I'm really good at off-key singing, so that's how I know that it was "fine off-key" singing), when I glanced behind me. Two guys, two...burley, muscular, country-folk, cowboy-lookin', beer-drinking, chaw chewing guys, were ANGRILY shouting, and violently gesturing at Tim, the man who helps run karaoke. I mean, this was some good ol' fashioned bar brawl precursor that I was witnessing. I started to get a little tense....it was difficult to see this...Tim's a friend of mine, I went to his wedding, for crying out loud...I didn't want to see him get in a fight. These guys were dropping f-bombs (ok, so I decided not to curse) left and right, as well as a plethora of appropriate, and creative, expletives. I was concerned to say the least.
That is, until I realized what they were yelling about.
These two men...these red-neck, hick, hill-billy, walking stereotypes were angry because....
they wanted to sing more.
That's right. They were angry, because they hadn't been able to sing as many songs as they wanted to. Oh...and, the really great part? The song that had sung?
What a Wonderful World.
(c;
Sometimes ya gotta laugh.
Thanks for stopping by...and, ya'll come back now...ya here?
Tommy
Ireland, Ireland...I"m coming Home...
Listening to Jeffrey Foucault right now...man, he's good. If you don't know him yet, find him. He's a folk singer, and he's just really good. My understanding is that his new CD is even better than his already fantastic older albums.
Anyway....just as a warning, this post might be a tad disjointed. (Did I use that word correctly?) I just finished "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", and I'm going to attempt to put my thoughts into some semblence of order for you, my reader. (Wish me luck.)
Part of the problem, I think, is that I read this book right after Bob Dylan's Chronicles. You see, Portrait is just about as antithetical to Chronicles as two books could possibly be. And, by this I mean in structure and form. Chronicles was almost a blur of ideas and thoughts, it was mercurial and fast paced, reading almost made your heart beat faster in order to catch up with Dylan's thoughts.
Portrait, on the other hand, was exactly that...a snapshot. Although, "snapshot" is a poor word choice, because it truly was a "portrait". Snapshots can be taken quickly in succession so as to suggest movement and action. A portrait is, by necessity, much more painstakenly produced...it is the result of a great deal of effort on two fronts: the artist, who has to capture all of the details, and the subject of the piece, who has to stay still for the duration of the sitting.
Joyce accomplished this task in spades. This work was THICK with detail; each page was another layer in the painting, adding to and highlighting the work as a whole
One of the interesting details that came up throughout the book was the repetition of the color grey....(the grey sky, the grey water, the grey beard, the grey hair, etc.) At first I didn't know what to make of it, but upon completing the story, it becomes apparent that Joyce chose the color grey with good reason. The blandness, the monotony of the grey throughout the story contrasts with the bright and vivid colors that are very carefully distributed sparingly in the text. If I may go back to the metaphor of the painted portrait...imagine a faded and timeworn painting that has just a spot of color remaining from the original creation....it stands out and is that much more meaningful because of it's proximity to the drab colorlessness of the rest of the piece.
Joyce does offer an interesting summarization of the themes in the book near the end of the fourth chapter. The book is divided into five parts, and they are: To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, and to recreate life out of life. (p. 172)
The book does, indeed as the title would suggest, convey a portrait of the artist as a young man....you are given a glimpse at what happens in a young mans life to see how he gets to where he ends up. However, it is important to note, that as in all pictures....it is not fair to expect a complete and fully accurate view of the subject. The pictures cannot show what has happened in between images, and it's difficult to truly understand the individual, to relate to the individual, to feel a connection to the individual without these key moments.
Hmmmm....I don't know if I've succeeded in shedding any light on this book or not...but, having finished it...that's what I'm thinking. So, there ya go.
Going to begin "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore now. (It's a bit of an abrupt change, to be sure, but I'm ready for something a little lighter.)
All right...thanks for stopping by.
Tommy
Anyway....just as a warning, this post might be a tad disjointed. (Did I use that word correctly?) I just finished "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", and I'm going to attempt to put my thoughts into some semblence of order for you, my reader. (Wish me luck.)
Part of the problem, I think, is that I read this book right after Bob Dylan's Chronicles. You see, Portrait is just about as antithetical to Chronicles as two books could possibly be. And, by this I mean in structure and form. Chronicles was almost a blur of ideas and thoughts, it was mercurial and fast paced, reading almost made your heart beat faster in order to catch up with Dylan's thoughts.
Portrait, on the other hand, was exactly that...a snapshot. Although, "snapshot" is a poor word choice, because it truly was a "portrait". Snapshots can be taken quickly in succession so as to suggest movement and action. A portrait is, by necessity, much more painstakenly produced...it is the result of a great deal of effort on two fronts: the artist, who has to capture all of the details, and the subject of the piece, who has to stay still for the duration of the sitting.
Joyce accomplished this task in spades. This work was THICK with detail; each page was another layer in the painting, adding to and highlighting the work as a whole
One of the interesting details that came up throughout the book was the repetition of the color grey....(the grey sky, the grey water, the grey beard, the grey hair, etc.) At first I didn't know what to make of it, but upon completing the story, it becomes apparent that Joyce chose the color grey with good reason. The blandness, the monotony of the grey throughout the story contrasts with the bright and vivid colors that are very carefully distributed sparingly in the text. If I may go back to the metaphor of the painted portrait...imagine a faded and timeworn painting that has just a spot of color remaining from the original creation....it stands out and is that much more meaningful because of it's proximity to the drab colorlessness of the rest of the piece.
Joyce does offer an interesting summarization of the themes in the book near the end of the fourth chapter. The book is divided into five parts, and they are: To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, and to recreate life out of life. (p. 172)
The book does, indeed as the title would suggest, convey a portrait of the artist as a young man....you are given a glimpse at what happens in a young mans life to see how he gets to where he ends up. However, it is important to note, that as in all pictures....it is not fair to expect a complete and fully accurate view of the subject. The pictures cannot show what has happened in between images, and it's difficult to truly understand the individual, to relate to the individual, to feel a connection to the individual without these key moments.
Hmmmm....I don't know if I've succeeded in shedding any light on this book or not...but, having finished it...that's what I'm thinking. So, there ya go.
Going to begin "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore now. (It's a bit of an abrupt change, to be sure, but I'm ready for something a little lighter.)
All right...thanks for stopping by.
Tommy
Monday, July 24, 2006
the official "review" of my blog....
Here it is....straight from the proverbial horse's mouth.
(It's amazing what you can find on the internet, isn't it?
Review of My Life
"I just saw
(It's amazing what you can find on the internet, isn't it?
Review of My Life
"I just saw
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Afternoon Delight...
No...not that kind.
Just finished Chronicles....it was good. I don't think I'm a big enough Dylan fan to truly have gotten all that I could have out of the book, however. So...if you're a really big Dylan fan, read it. If you're not....um, well still read it.
I'm going to start working towards Ulysses by James Joyce. I don't think I'm ready yet, so I'm starting with "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". It comes highly recommended. However, I don't think I'm quite ready for it, yet, either, so first I'm going to have lunch.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Just finished Chronicles....it was good. I don't think I'm a big enough Dylan fan to truly have gotten all that I could have out of the book, however. So...if you're a really big Dylan fan, read it. If you're not....um, well still read it.
I'm going to start working towards Ulysses by James Joyce. I don't think I'm ready yet, so I'm starting with "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". It comes highly recommended. However, I don't think I'm quite ready for it, yet, either, so first I'm going to have lunch.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Friday, July 21, 2006
singin' in the rain
I'm sitting in the back room of our house, looking out the window, listening to my iPod watching the rain drizzle down through the post office parking lot. Bibi left this morning for the weekend, and I'm busy copying CD's to said iPod. It's fun. I'm also reading a whole lot. That is also fun. (c;
So, it's amazing, to me, the diverse subjects from which Dylan draws in his book....I mean, I never thought the guy was stupid, but they do say that weed kills brain cells, so I'm going to be totally honest when I say, 'holy crap! the guy is REALLY smart!!!'
He goes from discussing the applicability of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers to his reading newspapers from the 1850's so that he can better understand the language used by people from that timeperiod.
I just finished section where Dylan describes that mathematics that went into a major shift in his playing technique. It was massively and utterly confusing, yet highly interesting at the same time. He rattles off mathematical theories like it's a to-do list for a quiet fall morning dedicated to fixing up the house!
Wow...
thanks for reading....
Tommy
So, it's amazing, to me, the diverse subjects from which Dylan draws in his book....I mean, I never thought the guy was stupid, but they do say that weed kills brain cells, so I'm going to be totally honest when I say, 'holy crap! the guy is REALLY smart!!!'
He goes from discussing the applicability of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers to his reading newspapers from the 1850's so that he can better understand the language used by people from that timeperiod.
I just finished section where Dylan describes that mathematics that went into a major shift in his playing technique. It was massively and utterly confusing, yet highly interesting at the same time. He rattles off mathematical theories like it's a to-do list for a quiet fall morning dedicated to fixing up the house!
Wow...
thanks for reading....
Tommy
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
We are the Grapes of Wrath...so do not cross our Path!!! (Attempt Two)
Ok...this morning I tried to do this this morning, and it didn't happen...so, we'll try it again.
Sorry for the cheesy title, but I had to quote Veggietales. (For those of you who don't know what that is, carry on. For those of you who do, what are you doing watching cartoons at your age?!)
All right, so I was thinking about what I wrote yesterday about Dylan's writing. And, the thing that struck me, and that I forgot to write about yesterday, was how much Dylan reminds me of the main character from The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinback. Tom Joad exudes this sense of how things SHOULD be in the world...he is all about doing whatever he can...regardless of how small or how seemingly futile that work is....I don't know I guess I kind of see Joad as the polar opposite of Jack Kerouac....that's just my opinion, so it could easily be contested. (Holly!!!) But, I really found that I admired Joad, and looked up to him....he was someone that could easily be...sorry, not so much easily...but....well, hmm.....someone that I would WANT to emulate....does that make sense?
Anyway...thats all. Oh! Earlier this week Jenorama let me in on a new little toy for this blog. I now have a statcounter...so that means that I know how many people look at my blog! But, the REALLY cool thing is that I can see where, and who (by process of geographic origination) is reading my blog!
For instance, there is someone from Baring (I assume Dan!) reading...someone from Nebraska...(Brandon and Keri?!); someone from Philadelphia (hi Kelli!); a couple of people from KC (hi Rachel, Sarah, and Jen! (anyone else?!); as well as many others! (Georgia!!!)
And, who in the world is reading my blog from the United Kingdom?!
That's all!
Thanks for stopping by!
Tommy
Sorry for the cheesy title, but I had to quote Veggietales. (For those of you who don't know what that is, carry on. For those of you who do, what are you doing watching cartoons at your age?!)
All right, so I was thinking about what I wrote yesterday about Dylan's writing. And, the thing that struck me, and that I forgot to write about yesterday, was how much Dylan reminds me of the main character from The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinback. Tom Joad exudes this sense of how things SHOULD be in the world...he is all about doing whatever he can...regardless of how small or how seemingly futile that work is....I don't know I guess I kind of see Joad as the polar opposite of Jack Kerouac....that's just my opinion, so it could easily be contested. (Holly!!!) But, I really found that I admired Joad, and looked up to him....he was someone that could easily be...sorry, not so much easily...but....well, hmm.....someone that I would WANT to emulate....does that make sense?
Anyway...thats all. Oh! Earlier this week Jenorama let me in on a new little toy for this blog. I now have a statcounter...so that means that I know how many people look at my blog! But, the REALLY cool thing is that I can see where, and who (by process of geographic origination) is reading my blog!
For instance, there is someone from Baring (I assume Dan!) reading...someone from Nebraska...(Brandon and Keri?!); someone from Philadelphia (hi Kelli!); a couple of people from KC (hi Rachel, Sarah, and Jen! (anyone else?!); as well as many others! (Georgia!!!)
And, who in the world is reading my blog from the United Kingdom?!
That's all!
Thanks for stopping by!
Tommy
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
insert clever title here
So, I'm reading Chronicles, by Bob Dylan. It's interesting....the thing that I've noticed, is that Dylan's voice, his manner of telling the story of his life, well, it reminds me of Jack Kerouac. But, not the "real" Jack Kerouac; the Kerouac that I imagined Kerouac would sound like before I read On The Road. See, I had this vision of the beat poets, and it was epitomized by Jack. There was supposed to be an idealism, an optimism, a hope in their writing.
There wasn't.
In all honesty, in my humble opinion, and anyone is welcome to argue with me, I think that On The Road is one of the most overrated books ever. (Of course, I can only judge based on the books that I have read.) It was a jumble of ADHD-riddled prose that seemed more focused on writing a boring sentence in a creative way, using $5 words, than writing challenging thoughts and interesting ideas. Does that make sense?
Dylan though...man...what a voice! The way he writes about so many different things all in one paragraph! It's the same mixture that you'd find in Kerouac's writing, but...it's this heart stopping mind-grabbing text that takes your breath...it's fascinating....
Man, well, it's a bit intimidating trying to write about it.
So, that's all.
Thanks for reading.
Tommy
There wasn't.
In all honesty, in my humble opinion, and anyone is welcome to argue with me, I think that On The Road is one of the most overrated books ever. (Of course, I can only judge based on the books that I have read.) It was a jumble of ADHD-riddled prose that seemed more focused on writing a boring sentence in a creative way, using $5 words, than writing challenging thoughts and interesting ideas. Does that make sense?
Dylan though...man...what a voice! The way he writes about so many different things all in one paragraph! It's the same mixture that you'd find in Kerouac's writing, but...it's this heart stopping mind-grabbing text that takes your breath...it's fascinating....
Man, well, it's a bit intimidating trying to write about it.
So, that's all.
Thanks for reading.
Tommy
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Running Down a Dream....
Hello! It's late Sunday night....oh, wait...nope, it's VERY early Monday morning. (c; Bibi and I just spend some time out at Spring Lake. I became friends with the guy who bought the house right next to mine, right before I sold it, and he and his girlfriend had Bibi and I out tonight for dinner and really good conversation...it was really enjoyable. Bibi and I were both actively engaged in the conversation, and it was just really fun.
Today's been a pretty productive day. Bibi went to work, as I wrote earlier, and I read Into the Vicious Heart. I finished it around 7 this evening. It was thought provoking for me.
Background: My sophomore year in high school, I had a teacher who wanted us to watch Schindler's List. I really didn't want to watch it. I have no problem READING about the Holocaust, but I just really didn't want to watch a movie about it...it seemed wrong to me that I was being forced to watch something that I was, in my opinion at the time, fully aware of, and fully sympathetic to.
Flash Foward to Today: The epilogue of ITVH mentions how American and British soldiers in Europe attended showings of film footage from the liberation. At many viewings, the general audience would have many different reactions. Some people got physically ill, and some laughed because of the discomfort caused by what they were seeing. Still others got up and began to walk out. The GI's would block the exits and tell them to sit down. It was important for them to see it, not because it was shocking or explicit, but because the people, the victims that were shown in the films....they had no choice...they couldn't just get up and leave. It is important for us to remind ourselves of the depth that humans can reach in our "inhumanity". When I read this, I felt proud of the GI's for taking a stand against the people in those theaters. And then, I realized with a little bit of shame, how I had reacted to the teacher wanting us to watch Schindler's List. You see, I was REALLY mad that I had been forced to watch the movie. I don't really, in all honesty, know why it bothered me so much...but I remember that it really did bother me. And, in reading this book, I recognized a major change in myself that this book brought about. I recognize now...that there are times that might be uncomfortable....that might make us wince or make us ill, physically or otherwise, that are absolutely necessary...in order to understand who we are all linked....that this is not about me, or you, or even a small group of "us"....being a human is about being part of 'humanity'....
Ok...well, that was a bit jumbled...I hope that made sense. (If not....read that book.)
So, as I said earlier, today was a productive day. Bibi and I have been talking now for a while about our future plans. We made the decision, a while back, to agressively persue joining the Peace Corps. Originally we planned on waiting to have kids until she was 25. (I would be 31.) That was fine, when we started thinking about the Peace Corps. Now we're realizing that we may not want to wait THAT long to have kids. We'd both like to start trying in about a year. Well, we talked about it today, and we both feel very strongly that we want our 'family', not just our 'coupleness' to be more global and international. So, we're going to, at least for now, halt plans for the Peace Corps. (Now, for all of you quick-to-jump-to-correction type people, yes, we know you can't have kids and join the Peace Corps....wait for it....I'm going to address that particular issue shortly...you just need to have patience.....no, seriously....wait for it....) We realize now that there are many different options out there. And, in all honesty, there are opportunities that are not quite so mainstream that may be more attractive when the time comes. So, we're going to start looking to options for a few years down the road. (So, Sarah, and Katie, we're MOST likely going to be moving to KC in another year. (c; ) We're considering, among others, looking at the possibility of working on a Department of Defense base, and doing humanitarian work along with our regular jobs. (Lucas: "In this life there are nothing but possibilities." --Empire Records)
Wheww....that was a long paragraph.
All right you crazy kids....get a good nights rest...you're gonna need it.
Thanks for reading....
Oh, one more thing...I'm going to start the Bob Dylan Autobiography tonight. (A little light reading, after the heavy reading....)
Tommy
Easy like Sunday Morning....
It's Sunday, almost noon, and I'm sitting in our big comfy chair, sipping coffee (yeah, i know...it's 100 degrees, we don't have A/C, and still he drinks his coffee....) and enjoying the day.
Bibi just left for work, and we have a good morning together. Good conversation/discussion over breakfast, which was nice. It's wonderful being married to someone who challenges you, while still respecting your opinion, you know?
Had dinner and drinks with some friends last night. It was a lot of fun. Their kids were in and out, bobbing through the house and conversation; and a steady flow of unexpected guests made for a surprisingly enjoyable time. (We knew were were going to have a blast, but it's the unexpected that make things even more enjoyable!)
I finished the short story collection yesterday. It was good...very good. I found myself surprised during every short story, which was nice. He's a good author. (Richard Matheson, for those of you who don't want to look down one screen.)
I just started a new one yesterday. It's a book loaned to me by a friend who teaches high school history. It's called "Inside the Vicious Heart", by Robert H. Abzug. It is a collection of memories and first person accounts from Americans as they liberated concentration camps during WWII. The subtitle is, "Americans and the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps". No, not a light summer read, but one that I think is really important. I've never even considered what that must have been like....you know? I mean, I've been aware of the concentration camps most of my life, and with that constant knowledge there comes a certain...what's the word..almost numbness to the truth of what occured. But for people all over the world during WWII, it was an unexpressably horrible truth that was revealed by jouralists and GI's returning from Europe.
Anyway, not an easy read, but an important one.
Well, I'll keep you all updated...have a great Sunday, and thanks for reading...
Tommy
Bibi just left for work, and we have a good morning together. Good conversation/discussion over breakfast, which was nice. It's wonderful being married to someone who challenges you, while still respecting your opinion, you know?
Had dinner and drinks with some friends last night. It was a lot of fun. Their kids were in and out, bobbing through the house and conversation; and a steady flow of unexpected guests made for a surprisingly enjoyable time. (We knew were were going to have a blast, but it's the unexpected that make things even more enjoyable!)
I finished the short story collection yesterday. It was good...very good. I found myself surprised during every short story, which was nice. He's a good author. (Richard Matheson, for those of you who don't want to look down one screen.)
I just started a new one yesterday. It's a book loaned to me by a friend who teaches high school history. It's called "Inside the Vicious Heart", by Robert H. Abzug. It is a collection of memories and first person accounts from Americans as they liberated concentration camps during WWII. The subtitle is, "Americans and the Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps". No, not a light summer read, but one that I think is really important. I've never even considered what that must have been like....you know? I mean, I've been aware of the concentration camps most of my life, and with that constant knowledge there comes a certain...what's the word..almost numbness to the truth of what occured. But for people all over the world during WWII, it was an unexpressably horrible truth that was revealed by jouralists and GI's returning from Europe.
Anyway, not an easy read, but an important one.
Well, I'll keep you all updated...have a great Sunday, and thanks for reading...
Tommy
Thursday, July 13, 2006
MUST SEE BLOGGING!!!
No, not really...nothing too important, but it's hard to keep coming up with a clever title to entice people to read. (However, it has become apparent that I have more readers than I previously thought...hi becki and john!!!)
Today's been a good day. Bibi and I were planning on getting up early (around 8) but decided to sleep until....um, well....much later than that. So, we got up and had a late lunch ( (c; ) and then we watched 40 Days and 40 Nights. (Bibi had never seen it before.) Then, she got a call from Goody's, a store here in town, and they told her that she was hired! Whoo hoo!!! Yeah! (She's excited.)
So, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. I made some corn on the cob that we had gotten at the Farmer's Market last weekend...that was kind of depressing. It seems that it doesn't keep QUITE that long, and we stopped eating when we found the...maggot/meal worm/definitely-still-alive-and-breathing-thing in one of the ears. Ugh.
We then sat outside on the porch while Bibi talked to her folks and I read for awhile. I'm reading something that's a "bit" out of my normal range of reading...it's a book called "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson. It's a collection of his short stories and one of his novels. It's actually a vampire novel, but it's VERY different from the vampire books I read as a kid and the crap vampire books that Anne Rice puts out. (Sorry, I really don't like her books.) For example, at one point, the soul survivor in the world is wondering about all of the legends about vampires. He asks himself why crosses affect all vampires....what about people who were Jewish before they became vampires? What then? It's interesting...
All right everyone...have a great night, and...as always, thanks for reading....
Tommy
Today's been a good day. Bibi and I were planning on getting up early (around 8) but decided to sleep until....um, well....much later than that. So, we got up and had a late lunch ( (c; ) and then we watched 40 Days and 40 Nights. (Bibi had never seen it before.) Then, she got a call from Goody's, a store here in town, and they told her that she was hired! Whoo hoo!!! Yeah! (She's excited.)
So, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. I made some corn on the cob that we had gotten at the Farmer's Market last weekend...that was kind of depressing. It seems that it doesn't keep QUITE that long, and we stopped eating when we found the...maggot/meal worm/definitely-still-alive-and-breathing-thing in one of the ears. Ugh.
We then sat outside on the porch while Bibi talked to her folks and I read for awhile. I'm reading something that's a "bit" out of my normal range of reading...it's a book called "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson. It's a collection of his short stories and one of his novels. It's actually a vampire novel, but it's VERY different from the vampire books I read as a kid and the crap vampire books that Anne Rice puts out. (Sorry, I really don't like her books.) For example, at one point, the soul survivor in the world is wondering about all of the legends about vampires. He asks himself why crosses affect all vampires....what about people who were Jewish before they became vampires? What then? It's interesting...
All right everyone...have a great night, and...as always, thanks for reading....
Tommy
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
...stuck a feather in his cap and called it....
I just finished reading "Paul Rever" by....uh, someone. Hmm....if you're interested, I'll look it up...otherwise, deal with my laziness.
I found it pretty interesting; my friend Dave uses portions of it in his high school class, and I thought it did a really good job of putting common assumptions and popular views of historical events into a factual context. It was fascinating to see how events really played out in the weeks leading up to, and the few days after Revere's infamous ride. (Hmm...note to self: Look up "famous" and "infamous" to determine if you're actually using them correctly....)
The lesson that I gleaned from this book was somewhat of a paradigm shifter. It became apparent to me, through reading this text, that my understanding of the American Revolution was...well, incomplete at best. The thing that I've always felt was the underlying "theme" of the founding of our county was the rugged individualism that was the cornerstone of my "republican party affiliation" from high school. I mean, Paul Revere rides solo throughout the New England countryside, alerting everyone to the presense of the Redcoats; individual minutemen were their own commanders, as they ambushed and flustered the British "Regulars" with their irreverent and uncommon tactics. These were the ideas I USED to have....
First of all, Paul Revere had a partner. He was somewhat less successful in his ride, but William Dawes (anyone, anyone?) performed the same function that Revere did....the difference? He didn't have a poem entitled, "The Midnight Ride of William Dawes".
Furthermore, the success of Revere's ride hinged on the sense of community and the ability of the New England people to work together for a common goal.
And, as far as the minutemen working on their own? It was, again, an example of people coming together to work for a common goal that made it not so much an "army of one", but a highly disciplined and well-oiled machinery of differing parts working in symphony.
Happy belated Independence Day, everyone!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
I found it pretty interesting; my friend Dave uses portions of it in his high school class, and I thought it did a really good job of putting common assumptions and popular views of historical events into a factual context. It was fascinating to see how events really played out in the weeks leading up to, and the few days after Revere's infamous ride. (Hmm...note to self: Look up "famous" and "infamous" to determine if you're actually using them correctly....)
The lesson that I gleaned from this book was somewhat of a paradigm shifter. It became apparent to me, through reading this text, that my understanding of the American Revolution was...well, incomplete at best. The thing that I've always felt was the underlying "theme" of the founding of our county was the rugged individualism that was the cornerstone of my "republican party affiliation" from high school. I mean, Paul Revere rides solo throughout the New England countryside, alerting everyone to the presense of the Redcoats; individual minutemen were their own commanders, as they ambushed and flustered the British "Regulars" with their irreverent and uncommon tactics. These were the ideas I USED to have....
First of all, Paul Revere had a partner. He was somewhat less successful in his ride, but William Dawes (anyone, anyone?) performed the same function that Revere did....the difference? He didn't have a poem entitled, "The Midnight Ride of William Dawes".
Furthermore, the success of Revere's ride hinged on the sense of community and the ability of the New England people to work together for a common goal.
And, as far as the minutemen working on their own? It was, again, an example of people coming together to work for a common goal that made it not so much an "army of one", but a highly disciplined and well-oiled machinery of differing parts working in symphony.
Happy belated Independence Day, everyone!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Hallelujah...
I'm sitting here thinking about the lyrics to the song Hallelujah, performed by many, but most recently by Rufus Wainwright. "Love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken, 'Hallelujah".
The thing that I'm learning is that love is not about being right. When Bibi and I argue, I'm constantly having to remind myself that the point of our being together is not to exalt myself, it's not to prove how smart I am, or how right I am. She already knows that, she has spent time with me. She KNOWS me. The point SHOULD be to understand her point, not to slam my point in her face.
It's disGUSTing how earnestly I will argue, completely ignoring her needs in order to come out on top.
It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL the change that I see in myself, though. As we grow together, more and more in our discussions I find myself wanting to push aside the meaningless and hollow desire to be "right" and seeking a common understanding between us....it's not about a victory march of my "self"....love is about breaking that tie to "me" and forging the bond between the two of us.
I just wish I would learn faster, you know?
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
The thing that I'm learning is that love is not about being right. When Bibi and I argue, I'm constantly having to remind myself that the point of our being together is not to exalt myself, it's not to prove how smart I am, or how right I am. She already knows that, she has spent time with me. She KNOWS me. The point SHOULD be to understand her point, not to slam my point in her face.
It's disGUSTing how earnestly I will argue, completely ignoring her needs in order to come out on top.
It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL the change that I see in myself, though. As we grow together, more and more in our discussions I find myself wanting to push aside the meaningless and hollow desire to be "right" and seeking a common understanding between us....it's not about a victory march of my "self"....love is about breaking that tie to "me" and forging the bond between the two of us.
I just wish I would learn faster, you know?
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Saturday, July 08, 2006
S...A...T-U-R...D-A-Y....NIGHT!!!!
Today's been one heck of a day.
Bibi and I were going to get up early and go to the Farmer's Market, but she was really sleepy, so I let her stay in bed, and I walked to the square. I picked up some really tasty tomatoes, and a dozen ear of corn. SWEET CORN?! Sweet!
I walked back and sat on the porch reading my Paul Revere book, sipping a really tasty cup of coffee (of course) and just enjoying a pleasant Saturday morning.
Around 11 I realized I wanted my "Hang-Over Special" for lunch. (No, I wasn't hung over, I just really like it in general.) So, I hopped on my bike and rode over to the grocery store and got some supplies.
Came back, Bibi had gotten up and she was going to work out with a friend. So, I relaxed, made a little lunch (saved the HOS for dinner with Bibi) and read some more on the porch. We cleaned up some after Bibi got back from working out, and then watched a movie. I then made some sweet-tea and sat outside for awhile (man I love me some sitting outside!!!) and then Bibi and I made dinner. It was SO good....Sweet Corn, roasted zuchinni in a lemon-butter sauce and the Hang-Over Special. Here it is, in all it's goodness...deceptively simple, and surprisingly tasty:
One loaf of crusty, chewy, thick sourdough bread
One Ripe Tomato
One hunk of Colby Jack cheese.
You slice the tomato into moderately thick slices and place them on a slice of the sourdough bread. (It should be about two to three slices of tomato per slice of bread.) Then you cut some slices of the colby jack onto the tomato.
Now, there are two variations:
ONE: If you are eating this concoction on morning where you're not feeling " too well", eat this cold. The bread can be toasted, but the cheese and the tomato should be cold.
TWO: Dinner or lunch, you can toast the whole thing, and it's pretty damn tasty. However, the tomato is the key; if it's not bursting with juices? Well, forget the whole thing and take two advil and a glass of water. (c;
Now? Bibi and I are playing cards and listening to some of our favorite music. It's been a great night! (c;
Thanks for reading you all....
Oh, Brandon and Keri...thanks for reading!!! I miss you guys!!!
JNo, I know...I feel BAD for not getting together with ya'll after the last day of school. And, thanks for the b-day wish!!! (c;
Sarah, thanks for reading every day!
Tommy
Bibi and I were going to get up early and go to the Farmer's Market, but she was really sleepy, so I let her stay in bed, and I walked to the square. I picked up some really tasty tomatoes, and a dozen ear of corn. SWEET CORN?! Sweet!
I walked back and sat on the porch reading my Paul Revere book, sipping a really tasty cup of coffee (of course) and just enjoying a pleasant Saturday morning.
Around 11 I realized I wanted my "Hang-Over Special" for lunch. (No, I wasn't hung over, I just really like it in general.) So, I hopped on my bike and rode over to the grocery store and got some supplies.
Came back, Bibi had gotten up and she was going to work out with a friend. So, I relaxed, made a little lunch (saved the HOS for dinner with Bibi) and read some more on the porch. We cleaned up some after Bibi got back from working out, and then watched a movie. I then made some sweet-tea and sat outside for awhile (man I love me some sitting outside!!!) and then Bibi and I made dinner. It was SO good....Sweet Corn, roasted zuchinni in a lemon-butter sauce and the Hang-Over Special. Here it is, in all it's goodness...deceptively simple, and surprisingly tasty:
One loaf of crusty, chewy, thick sourdough bread
One Ripe Tomato
One hunk of Colby Jack cheese.
You slice the tomato into moderately thick slices and place them on a slice of the sourdough bread. (It should be about two to three slices of tomato per slice of bread.) Then you cut some slices of the colby jack onto the tomato.
Now, there are two variations:
ONE: If you are eating this concoction on morning where you're not feeling " too well", eat this cold. The bread can be toasted, but the cheese and the tomato should be cold.
TWO: Dinner or lunch, you can toast the whole thing, and it's pretty damn tasty. However, the tomato is the key; if it's not bursting with juices? Well, forget the whole thing and take two advil and a glass of water. (c;
Now? Bibi and I are playing cards and listening to some of our favorite music. It's been a great night! (c;
Thanks for reading you all....
Oh, Brandon and Keri...thanks for reading!!! I miss you guys!!!
JNo, I know...I feel BAD for not getting together with ya'll after the last day of school. And, thanks for the b-day wish!!! (c;
Sarah, thanks for reading every day!
Tommy
Friday, July 07, 2006
Roll Call Update
Sarah, apparently you're my only reader. So, thanks! (c; It's good to know that I can captivate at least one person's attention for five minutes every day.
So, thanks for reading....Sarah.
Tommy
So, thanks for reading....Sarah.
Tommy
Thursday, July 06, 2006
An Angry Post...
Hey ya'll!
Well, today was kind of interesting. I woke up and made some coffee. (Nothing too weird so far.) I was sitting on our front porch reading a biography of Paul Revere (it's good, and it's very well written.) when a truck started driving by. (Again, not too weird, it IS Kirksville, and pick-up trucks are the mode of transportation of choice for the vast majority of Kirksville's citizens).
This pick-up truck drove in front of my house. As it passed the tree, just to the left of the house, I glanced up again. I saw two young guys in the truck both laughing....the one on the passenger side leaned out the window, reached deep down inside and halked a ginormous lougie (sp?!) on my car. As the spit flew out of his mouth he looked up and saw me. I immediately threw down my book, jumped up and ran off the porch. I, again, immediately, stepped on one of those spiky pine-cone ball seedlings that litter my frontyard, (I was barefoot) and ran through the yard to try and get the punk's license plate (I was too late). I called the police (yes, I felt foolish reporting it, but damn it I was pissed!!!!) and they said they'd see what they could do. I sat for another hour on the porch stewing and HOPING they'd drive by again so I could get the license plate. Yeah, that didn't happen. Ugh. Stupid asshats.
All right....more later...
Thanks for reading! (c;
Tommy
Well, today was kind of interesting. I woke up and made some coffee. (Nothing too weird so far.) I was sitting on our front porch reading a biography of Paul Revere (it's good, and it's very well written.) when a truck started driving by. (Again, not too weird, it IS Kirksville, and pick-up trucks are the mode of transportation of choice for the vast majority of Kirksville's citizens).
This pick-up truck drove in front of my house. As it passed the tree, just to the left of the house, I glanced up again. I saw two young guys in the truck both laughing....the one on the passenger side leaned out the window, reached deep down inside and halked a ginormous lougie (sp?!) on my car. As the spit flew out of his mouth he looked up and saw me. I immediately threw down my book, jumped up and ran off the porch. I, again, immediately, stepped on one of those spiky pine-cone ball seedlings that litter my frontyard, (I was barefoot) and ran through the yard to try and get the punk's license plate (I was too late). I called the police (yes, I felt foolish reporting it, but damn it I was pissed!!!!) and they said they'd see what they could do. I sat for another hour on the porch stewing and HOPING they'd drive by again so I could get the license plate. Yeah, that didn't happen. Ugh. Stupid asshats.
All right....more later...
Thanks for reading! (c;
Tommy
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Humpty Day...
Hey ya'll! Well, Bibi and I made it back to Kville after an unbelievably relaxing weekend. We got to KC saturday, and hung out with Bibi's family and watched the World Cup game, which was cool. Then we played Vengence (the greatest card game ever) for a while. (I've gotten Bibi--and now her whole family addicted--thanks Dan and Matt for teaching me!)
We went over to my sis's house, and had a great time just relaxing and hanging out. We had good food, watched Memoir's of a Geisha, and slept in really, really late Sunday. (Ahhhhhh....) I wanted to wait and not watch the movie til after I'd read the book, but it was pretty good.
I took a book by Brett Easton Ellis with me, and--to be perfectly honest--could NOT get into it. I hate giving up on a book, but man...just couldn't do it. So, now I"m reading a biography of Paul Revere, which is good so far. (All of 3 pages.)
Sunday night we went back to Bibi's and hung out some more. We started watching True Romance with her fam, and man that's a great movie! Brad Pitt is freakin' GREAT in it. It's an excellent movie written by Quentin Tarrantino, so you should all check it out.
Went mini golfing with some friends in KC, and that was fun. Funny side note: anyone else ever witnessed a mini-golf accident that required the paramedics to come? I have. (c;
Monday morning we had breakfast with some other friends and then....Monday night...I got to see my very first Minnesota Twin's baseball game....it was GREAT! They, of course, kicked ass. (c; It was good times.
Tuesday, the fourth, Bibi's dad and I went to get fireworks for Bibi's little sister, and then we watched some more World Cup. I also got to read portions of a book that Bibi's mom is working on, which was absolutely excellent. It was neat seeing how she writes, and man does she have a knack for turning a phrase. It was absorbing, compelling, and fantastic story-telling. I'll let you all know about publishing dates so that you can all buy the first printing. (c;
Tuesday night we went to a park in Lee's Summit to watch the fireworks, and it was an unexpectedly great sight...the park was on a bit of a hill, which meant that we could see about 20 other major shows going on in the distance as we waited for the Lee's Summit show to begin. I've never seen something like that before...it was really cool.
Pet Peeve: Would someone please explain to me the logic in showing up hours before a 30 minute fireworks show, only to leave ten minutes into the program to "beat the traffic", and inadvertently (sp?!) obstructing everyone's view with your DAMN headlights?!
This morning Bibi and I woke up much later than we had planned and had breakfast with Bibi's dad and little sister. Then we got on the road, laden down with tubs of Cholay, (which if you haven't had, what the hell are you waiting for?!) some of the things we didn't have room for after the wedding and all the flowers from the wedding. Now we're relaxing and getting ready for some Chinese food. Mmmm....good times.
All right ya'll....let me know who's out there....it's the "My Life" role call....leave me a comment to let me know who ACTUALLY reads this damn thing. (c;
Oh....favorite "Knock Knock joke of the day"
Knock Knock.
"who's there?"
Madame
"Madame who?"
Ma' damn foots stuck in the door...open up!!!
And...
Why was Tigger digging in the toilet?
Answer:
He was looking for Pooh.
(c;
Thanks for reading everyone...
Tommy
We went over to my sis's house, and had a great time just relaxing and hanging out. We had good food, watched Memoir's of a Geisha, and slept in really, really late Sunday. (Ahhhhhh....) I wanted to wait and not watch the movie til after I'd read the book, but it was pretty good.
I took a book by Brett Easton Ellis with me, and--to be perfectly honest--could NOT get into it. I hate giving up on a book, but man...just couldn't do it. So, now I"m reading a biography of Paul Revere, which is good so far. (All of 3 pages.)
Sunday night we went back to Bibi's and hung out some more. We started watching True Romance with her fam, and man that's a great movie! Brad Pitt is freakin' GREAT in it. It's an excellent movie written by Quentin Tarrantino, so you should all check it out.
Went mini golfing with some friends in KC, and that was fun. Funny side note: anyone else ever witnessed a mini-golf accident that required the paramedics to come? I have. (c;
Monday morning we had breakfast with some other friends and then....Monday night...I got to see my very first Minnesota Twin's baseball game....it was GREAT! They, of course, kicked ass. (c; It was good times.
Tuesday, the fourth, Bibi's dad and I went to get fireworks for Bibi's little sister, and then we watched some more World Cup. I also got to read portions of a book that Bibi's mom is working on, which was absolutely excellent. It was neat seeing how she writes, and man does she have a knack for turning a phrase. It was absorbing, compelling, and fantastic story-telling. I'll let you all know about publishing dates so that you can all buy the first printing. (c;
Tuesday night we went to a park in Lee's Summit to watch the fireworks, and it was an unexpectedly great sight...the park was on a bit of a hill, which meant that we could see about 20 other major shows going on in the distance as we waited for the Lee's Summit show to begin. I've never seen something like that before...it was really cool.
Pet Peeve: Would someone please explain to me the logic in showing up hours before a 30 minute fireworks show, only to leave ten minutes into the program to "beat the traffic", and inadvertently (sp?!) obstructing everyone's view with your DAMN headlights?!
This morning Bibi and I woke up much later than we had planned and had breakfast with Bibi's dad and little sister. Then we got on the road, laden down with tubs of Cholay, (which if you haven't had, what the hell are you waiting for?!) some of the things we didn't have room for after the wedding and all the flowers from the wedding. Now we're relaxing and getting ready for some Chinese food. Mmmm....good times.
All right ya'll....let me know who's out there....it's the "My Life" role call....leave me a comment to let me know who ACTUALLY reads this damn thing. (c;
Oh....favorite "Knock Knock joke of the day"
Knock Knock.
"who's there?"
Madame
"Madame who?"
Ma' damn foots stuck in the door...open up!!!
And...
Why was Tigger digging in the toilet?
Answer:
He was looking for Pooh.
(c;
Thanks for reading everyone...
Tommy
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Saturday...in the park....I think it's almost Fourth of July
Hey everyone!
Things are going well here. Bibi and I are leaving shortly to go to KC for a few days. My friend Dave got us tickets to see the Twins play the Royals. The Twins are my favorite team, and Bibi and Dave like the Royals, so it should be a good time. (Especially because the Twins are going to kick some ass.)
I don't really have anything else to report, except that....um, well, nope that's all.
Have a great fourth, and let me know what your plans are for the duration of the summer!
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
Things are going well here. Bibi and I are leaving shortly to go to KC for a few days. My friend Dave got us tickets to see the Twins play the Royals. The Twins are my favorite team, and Bibi and Dave like the Royals, so it should be a good time. (Especially because the Twins are going to kick some ass.)
I don't really have anything else to report, except that....um, well, nope that's all.
Have a great fourth, and let me know what your plans are for the duration of the summer!
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
Thursday, June 29, 2006
June 29th
Hey ya'll! Well, today has gone well so far. Last night, (and it went past midnight, so it counts as today) Bibi and I went to Superman Returns with a bunch of friends. That was cool....it was a good time, and a great movie. When we got back, Bibi and I played a card game for a while. (I've gotten her addicted to a game called Nertz, or "Vengence!!!!)
This morning my mom called to with me happy birthday pretty early. That was cool. Then, an hour later, my sister called to wish me happy birthday as well. That was also cool. And, when I got online, my other sister had left birthday wished at my myspace page. I got a cool present from my mom in the mail, and now I'm sipping coffee preparing for the day. Good so far, I'll say.
More later, I'm sure. (c;
Thanks for reading!
Tommy
This morning my mom called to with me happy birthday pretty early. That was cool. Then, an hour later, my sister called to wish me happy birthday as well. That was also cool. And, when I got online, my other sister had left birthday wished at my myspace page. I got a cool present from my mom in the mail, and now I'm sipping coffee preparing for the day. Good so far, I'll say.
More later, I'm sure. (c;
Thanks for reading!
Tommy
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
...transitions...
So, I've got this theory. Kirksville, is a town in transition. As a college town, and one with a medical school to boot, Kirksville is a a very transitory experience. People coming and going like a busboy through the diner of one's life, and all that.
I've viewed this unique aspect of Americana for the past 9 years, with a range of emotions, although amused interest was the most prevalent.
However, it has become painfully obvious, in light of recent events, that my perspective has changed, entirely unbeknownst to me. Instead of seeing this transitory town from a transfixed position, I am now seeing it as one on the verge, the cusp, of leaving. And, I gotta be honest. It sucks.
There are aspects that are wonderful. I am SO blissfully loving married life. I'm really excited about our possibilities in the near future. However, somethings have become....different....they've changed. (Although, my beautiful--and wise--wife has pointed out that perhaps the "things" haven't changed, its' actually me that has changed....food for though to be sure....)
Karaoke.
I went tonight. As I always do. And, as Bibi and I sat there...at a table full of people...it dawned on me...that we didn't "fit". I realized that the people that we were sitting with...were not sitting with us. And, it slowly occurred to me that these people, who I've considered to be close friends, have become VERY distant recently. Just a few short years ago, karaoke was the one thing...the ONE thing that I missed most about Kirksville when I left town. Now? I'm looking forward to next week being out of town and the week after? Who knows what we'll be doing....but it won't be karaoke.
And, this sucks as well. Why? Not because I'm going to miss it all that much....but there are a few people that occassionally go that Bibi and I both really want to see. And, we're going to be going out of our way to set up time to see these people...but it's a new era in my life, and it's hard to enter into these times. Hmm.....prior to signing on and actually typing these words I had a rough idea of what I was going to be writing...and it included a great deal more cursing and more pointed discourse....but this is fine for now.
Huh.
Thanks for reading.
Tommy
I've viewed this unique aspect of Americana for the past 9 years, with a range of emotions, although amused interest was the most prevalent.
However, it has become painfully obvious, in light of recent events, that my perspective has changed, entirely unbeknownst to me. Instead of seeing this transitory town from a transfixed position, I am now seeing it as one on the verge, the cusp, of leaving. And, I gotta be honest. It sucks.
There are aspects that are wonderful. I am SO blissfully loving married life. I'm really excited about our possibilities in the near future. However, somethings have become....different....they've changed. (Although, my beautiful--and wise--wife has pointed out that perhaps the "things" haven't changed, its' actually me that has changed....food for though to be sure....)
Karaoke.
I went tonight. As I always do. And, as Bibi and I sat there...at a table full of people...it dawned on me...that we didn't "fit". I realized that the people that we were sitting with...were not sitting with us. And, it slowly occurred to me that these people, who I've considered to be close friends, have become VERY distant recently. Just a few short years ago, karaoke was the one thing...the ONE thing that I missed most about Kirksville when I left town. Now? I'm looking forward to next week being out of town and the week after? Who knows what we'll be doing....but it won't be karaoke.
And, this sucks as well. Why? Not because I'm going to miss it all that much....but there are a few people that occassionally go that Bibi and I both really want to see. And, we're going to be going out of our way to set up time to see these people...but it's a new era in my life, and it's hard to enter into these times. Hmm.....prior to signing on and actually typing these words I had a rough idea of what I was going to be writing...and it included a great deal more cursing and more pointed discourse....but this is fine for now.
Huh.
Thanks for reading.
Tommy
Friday, June 23, 2006
The wedding day...
All right ya'll....here's the deal.
The day of the wedding...Bibi and I werent' allowed to see each other....(which WAS pretty cool) and I felt pretty good all day. There were no nerves....well, there were nerves, but never doubt. It was a very peaceful nervous....is that possible?
After the tuxedo mishegoss, (which will be detailed later)all my guys and I went to the site for pictures, which were really fun.
All of my guys and I went to a great little bar after pictures while Bibi and her girls had her pictures. When we left, it was raining...(we were supposed to have the ceremony outside)...and we got back to the site. It was still raining. We were all set up inside the barn, which was great...the congregation was positioned so that their view was of the rolling hills just outside the barn. It was beautiful. I greeted some guests, and found out that our CD player had been left outside...the CD that we had made was trapped in the now broken CD player. My friend, Brendan, who was there to play one song, thankfully agreed to play some music before the ceremony and while the wedding party came down the aisle. (Which was fantastic!)
As the wedding party started coming down the aisle, I realized that this was actually it....the moment I had been waiting for for almost a year....
I surveyed the guests and savored it all as I took it all in. It was so touching, having everyone there....it was beautiful.
Then, I lost it. Bibi and her father came out from the back hall...she looked....amazing....her hair, was perfect, the veil, her dress....she looked absolutely amazing....
She came towards me, slowly looking around at everyone, and then we locked eyes, and smiled. we clasped hands, and her eyes twinkled. Our officiant welcomed everyone (which was great, thanks to Bibi's mom) and the ceremony began.
We had our friends, Brad and Jeff, share a few thoughts on committment. Then our friend Jen, the minister's wife, spoke about marriage.
Our friend Brendan, (mentioned above) and Bibi's sister sang a beautiful song, entitled "Eternal Love" (no...not the Bengal's version). While the song was being played, Bibi and I gazed into each other's eyes, and sang the song to each other.
We shared our vows, (written by ourselves) and then exchanged rings. After, we were announced, for the first time, as "Mr. and Mrs. Estlund".
And, we kissed. (c;
That's enough for now. More later...
Thanks for reading...
tommy
The day of the wedding...Bibi and I werent' allowed to see each other....(which WAS pretty cool) and I felt pretty good all day. There were no nerves....well, there were nerves, but never doubt. It was a very peaceful nervous....is that possible?
After the tuxedo mishegoss, (which will be detailed later)all my guys and I went to the site for pictures, which were really fun.
All of my guys and I went to a great little bar after pictures while Bibi and her girls had her pictures. When we left, it was raining...(we were supposed to have the ceremony outside)...and we got back to the site. It was still raining. We were all set up inside the barn, which was great...the congregation was positioned so that their view was of the rolling hills just outside the barn. It was beautiful. I greeted some guests, and found out that our CD player had been left outside...the CD that we had made was trapped in the now broken CD player. My friend, Brendan, who was there to play one song, thankfully agreed to play some music before the ceremony and while the wedding party came down the aisle. (Which was fantastic!)
As the wedding party started coming down the aisle, I realized that this was actually it....the moment I had been waiting for for almost a year....
I surveyed the guests and savored it all as I took it all in. It was so touching, having everyone there....it was beautiful.
Then, I lost it. Bibi and her father came out from the back hall...she looked....amazing....her hair, was perfect, the veil, her dress....she looked absolutely amazing....
She came towards me, slowly looking around at everyone, and then we locked eyes, and smiled. we clasped hands, and her eyes twinkled. Our officiant welcomed everyone (which was great, thanks to Bibi's mom) and the ceremony began.
We had our friends, Brad and Jeff, share a few thoughts on committment. Then our friend Jen, the minister's wife, spoke about marriage.
Our friend Brendan, (mentioned above) and Bibi's sister sang a beautiful song, entitled "Eternal Love" (no...not the Bengal's version). While the song was being played, Bibi and I gazed into each other's eyes, and sang the song to each other.
We shared our vows, (written by ourselves) and then exchanged rings. After, we were announced, for the first time, as "Mr. and Mrs. Estlund".
And, we kissed. (c;
That's enough for now. More later...
Thanks for reading...
tommy
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Preliminary Update
Well, things are going here in the Kville. Bibi and I are enjoying married life, and setting up house.
The stories? Well, I lost my ring in the Aruban ocean. We were swimming in about 5 and a half feet of water, and my ring just slipped off. I started hyperventilating, freaking out, and totally spazzing....(listen, I've owned exactly ONE ring in my life, and it's my damn wedding ring, and I DON"T want to lose it!! So, I feel it's PERFECTLY acceptable for me to freak out and scream like a little child....oh, wait...I didn't scream like a little child....well, not much anyway....)...when Bibi--VERY calmly says to me, "Hon, go get some goggles, I'll stay right here." So, I found this guy who had some snorkeling gear, he loaned me the goggles, and Bibi dove down to look for it. And...um, found it. (First look, too!)
As for the ceremony and reception? Well, it's hard to describe perfection....it was absolutely amazing. Bibi and I talked about it alot afterward, and we came to the realization that it was TOTALLY different than we thought it would be...but it couldn't have gone better! Go look at the pictures....man.
Oh, and the parasailing was fun....Bibi enjoyed it, and I thought it was cool, although one of the carabeaners (sp?) wasn't entirely closed...so, you know that scared me a bit.
All right. That's all for now...oh, I'm reading an interesting book called "The Science of Superheros". It sounds cheesy, and I want everyone to know that I didn't read comic books, but the book is pretty good.
Oh, and I love my new iPod. It's cool....mkay?
Bibi and I are going to Kansas City next weekend for my birthday and possibly a baseball game. Good times...good times.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
The stories? Well, I lost my ring in the Aruban ocean. We were swimming in about 5 and a half feet of water, and my ring just slipped off. I started hyperventilating, freaking out, and totally spazzing....(listen, I've owned exactly ONE ring in my life, and it's my damn wedding ring, and I DON"T want to lose it!! So, I feel it's PERFECTLY acceptable for me to freak out and scream like a little child....oh, wait...I didn't scream like a little child....well, not much anyway....)...when Bibi--VERY calmly says to me, "Hon, go get some goggles, I'll stay right here." So, I found this guy who had some snorkeling gear, he loaned me the goggles, and Bibi dove down to look for it. And...um, found it. (First look, too!)
As for the ceremony and reception? Well, it's hard to describe perfection....it was absolutely amazing. Bibi and I talked about it alot afterward, and we came to the realization that it was TOTALLY different than we thought it would be...but it couldn't have gone better! Go look at the pictures....man.
Oh, and the parasailing was fun....Bibi enjoyed it, and I thought it was cool, although one of the carabeaners (sp?) wasn't entirely closed...so, you know that scared me a bit.
All right. That's all for now...oh, I'm reading an interesting book called "The Science of Superheros". It sounds cheesy, and I want everyone to know that I didn't read comic books, but the book is pretty good.
Oh, and I love my new iPod. It's cool....mkay?
Bibi and I are going to Kansas City next weekend for my birthday and possibly a baseball game. Good times...good times.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Sometimes kids say the wisest things...
Hey everyone! I've got more to post, much...MUCH more to post, but I'm going to do it in pieces...so, here's one of 'em.
My 7-almost-8 year old sister-in-law wrote a very special book as a wedding present to Bibi and I, and I'm going to transcribe it here for your reading pleasure...
Here it is,
"Marriage Is..." by Ami.
"Marriage is being together...
Loving one another...
Standing up for one another...
Discipline...
Taking care of one another...
Jobs...
Money...
Fun...
Sadness...
Joy...
Anger...
Work...
Generosity...
Celebrations...
Talking...
Plans...
Going new places...
and most of all Love."
We just think that is the coolest thing...and, we really wanted to share that with all of you. (c; So, hope you enjoyed it.
Oh, and our wedding pictures are now up on the web, for anyone who would like to go see them...
www.collages.net
Username: 061006
Password: 10799
(They look GOOD!)
All right...I"ll give you all the juicy details about the wedding, the ceremony, the reception, the honeymoon...losing my ring (in the ocean)...parasailing, plane rides, the MASS NUMBER OF HONEYMOONERS we met...and more....later. (c;
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
My 7-almost-8 year old sister-in-law wrote a very special book as a wedding present to Bibi and I, and I'm going to transcribe it here for your reading pleasure...
Here it is,
"Marriage Is..." by Ami.
"Marriage is being together...
Loving one another...
Standing up for one another...
Discipline...
Taking care of one another...
Jobs...
Money...
Fun...
Sadness...
Joy...
Anger...
Work...
Generosity...
Celebrations...
Talking...
Plans...
Going new places...
and most of all Love."
We just think that is the coolest thing...and, we really wanted to share that with all of you. (c; So, hope you enjoyed it.
Oh, and our wedding pictures are now up on the web, for anyone who would like to go see them...
www.collages.net
Username: 061006
Password: 10799
(They look GOOD!)
All right...I"ll give you all the juicy details about the wedding, the ceremony, the reception, the honeymoon...losing my ring (in the ocean)...parasailing, plane rides, the MASS NUMBER OF HONEYMOONERS we met...and more....later. (c;
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Friday, June 16, 2006
Friday, June 09, 2006
break from posting...
Hey everyone...um...well, I won't be able to blog for the next week and a half or so. Why, you ask? Well....um...I'm getting married tomorrow. So, that's why. (c;
Thursday, June 01, 2006
books...hmm...what are those?
Well, I realized that the roots of this blog--the books that I'm reading--has largely been ignored lately, and this post is an attempt to rectify that glaring transgression. (It's also an excuse to use big words.)
I finished a new book by Steven King a couple of days ago, entitled "Cell". It's about a frequency transmitted by cell phones that creates a new national terror: Zombie-like creatures. (Anyone who has stood in line at a grocery store lately knows that this isn't too far a cry from what cell phones actually do!)
The book was interesting...I found that it recalled King's greatest work (in my opinion) The Stand. A small group of survivors attempt to place some level of normalcy into their lives after some horrible tragedy (The Stand: A plague; Cell: Zombies) knocks out seeminly all of the much relied on infrastructure of our country. There is also a "bad" guy (Stand: The Trashcan Man; Cell: The Raggedy Man--also called The President of Harvard--I prefer the second name.) The similarities between the two books were striking, and I thought a little distracting. It was, in all honesty, a bit disappointing. I used to love King's work, and this just seemed to lack originality. All in all, I would suggest reading the Stand, and skipping Cell.
(One note, King did make use of the post 9/11 terrorist fear that has America in it's grip, and that was interesting.)
I just finished another book today, one entitled Amish Confidential, by Chris Burkholder. I found that my expectations for this book FAR out weighed the actual quality of the book. It was VERY poorly written, again, in my opinion. I was really interested in finding out about the Amish culture, especially from someone who has experienced it first hand, and found that it was very boring. The writing was very immature...it felt like it was being written by a fifth grader. He was redundant, and the book lacked any semblence of organizational structure. It was confusing and the lack of a logical flow made what should have been shocking revelations (beastiality, incest, sex, drugs, abuse) dull and lackluster.
Wow...I don't think I've ever written such negative reviews of books before, have I? Hey, Hadler, apparently I don't love EVERYTHING I read, do I? (c;
Just started another book, entitled "Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About" by Mil Millington. Only about 10 pages into it, but already I've laughed out loud enough times to frighten Buddy the dog. (Poor Buddy...he doesn't understand good literature.)
All right...that's all.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
I finished a new book by Steven King a couple of days ago, entitled "Cell". It's about a frequency transmitted by cell phones that creates a new national terror: Zombie-like creatures. (Anyone who has stood in line at a grocery store lately knows that this isn't too far a cry from what cell phones actually do!)
The book was interesting...I found that it recalled King's greatest work (in my opinion) The Stand. A small group of survivors attempt to place some level of normalcy into their lives after some horrible tragedy (The Stand: A plague; Cell: Zombies) knocks out seeminly all of the much relied on infrastructure of our country. There is also a "bad" guy (Stand: The Trashcan Man; Cell: The Raggedy Man--also called The President of Harvard--I prefer the second name.) The similarities between the two books were striking, and I thought a little distracting. It was, in all honesty, a bit disappointing. I used to love King's work, and this just seemed to lack originality. All in all, I would suggest reading the Stand, and skipping Cell.
(One note, King did make use of the post 9/11 terrorist fear that has America in it's grip, and that was interesting.)
I just finished another book today, one entitled Amish Confidential, by Chris Burkholder. I found that my expectations for this book FAR out weighed the actual quality of the book. It was VERY poorly written, again, in my opinion. I was really interested in finding out about the Amish culture, especially from someone who has experienced it first hand, and found that it was very boring. The writing was very immature...it felt like it was being written by a fifth grader. He was redundant, and the book lacked any semblence of organizational structure. It was confusing and the lack of a logical flow made what should have been shocking revelations (beastiality, incest, sex, drugs, abuse) dull and lackluster.
Wow...I don't think I've ever written such negative reviews of books before, have I? Hey, Hadler, apparently I don't love EVERYTHING I read, do I? (c;
Just started another book, entitled "Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About" by Mil Millington. Only about 10 pages into it, but already I've laughed out loud enough times to frighten Buddy the dog. (Poor Buddy...he doesn't understand good literature.)
All right...that's all.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
HOLY TUESDAY BATMAN!!!!
Hey ya'll! Well, since I've arrived in KC, we've just had an amazing time. We had lunch with my mom, stepdad, and one of my sisters, and that was awesome. Great time relaxing, and my sister has a wonderful house, and it was just really nice and relaxing. Hung out with Bibi's family, and that was great, too. Good times abound.
Sunday night we hung out with friends, and that was nice. Yesterday, we got together around noon, and made our itinerary for the wedding, which was good. Every little thing we do that needs to be done before the wedding, seems like a symbolic huge step towards actually getting married, and I get more excited with each step!! I've had a perpetual grin/smile on my face since we got here. (And, even more importantly, I've had what an old friend used to call, a "soul grin" on the whole time. MAN I"M EXCITED!!!)
We also were able to line up someone to play the song that we really wanted to have played at the wedding, and that looks like it's going to go really well.
Oh, and along the excitement lines...
BACK STORY: Junior Year of high school, a Sunday in the spring, after church: I was absolutely stoked about joining the peace corps. IN FACT, I called them and asked about the possibility of joining before college. Realized, that wasn't going to happen. (They aren't that needy, they can actual limit volunteers to college grads (for the most part.))
FLASH FORWARD TO 16 MONTHS AGO: Bibi and I discussed how we had both kinda wanted to do the peace corps at one time. Conversation fizzles.
FLASH TO A MONTH AGO: Bibi and I realize that we want to wait to have kids for a couple of years, we are going to be in Kirksville until next year, but after that, well, the whole world is open to us. Why not? Why NOT?! Heck, let's go for it!! C'mon, when will there be a better time for us? So, yesterday we spent a bunch of time online researching and we're absolutly psyched about the whole thing. And, there is a conference in July about the Peace Corps in St. Louis, and we're planning on going. WHOO HOO!!!
All right...more later!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Sunday night we hung out with friends, and that was nice. Yesterday, we got together around noon, and made our itinerary for the wedding, which was good. Every little thing we do that needs to be done before the wedding, seems like a symbolic huge step towards actually getting married, and I get more excited with each step!! I've had a perpetual grin/smile on my face since we got here. (And, even more importantly, I've had what an old friend used to call, a "soul grin" on the whole time. MAN I"M EXCITED!!!)
We also were able to line up someone to play the song that we really wanted to have played at the wedding, and that looks like it's going to go really well.
Oh, and along the excitement lines...
BACK STORY: Junior Year of high school, a Sunday in the spring, after church: I was absolutely stoked about joining the peace corps. IN FACT, I called them and asked about the possibility of joining before college. Realized, that wasn't going to happen. (They aren't that needy, they can actual limit volunteers to college grads (for the most part.))
FLASH FORWARD TO 16 MONTHS AGO: Bibi and I discussed how we had both kinda wanted to do the peace corps at one time. Conversation fizzles.
FLASH TO A MONTH AGO: Bibi and I realize that we want to wait to have kids for a couple of years, we are going to be in Kirksville until next year, but after that, well, the whole world is open to us. Why not? Why NOT?! Heck, let's go for it!! C'mon, when will there be a better time for us? So, yesterday we spent a bunch of time online researching and we're absolutly psyched about the whole thing. And, there is a conference in July about the Peace Corps in St. Louis, and we're planning on going. WHOO HOO!!!
All right...more later!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Monday, Tuesday, Happy Days....
Hey everyone! I'm sitting here in our living room, typing away on my laptop--which is now internet enabled!!!--updating my blog. whoo hoo!!!
Bibi and I are leaving here in about 20 minutes to go down to KC for the rest of the time til the wedding. I. Can't. WAIT. !!!!!
Just had to pack for the next two weeks, as well as for the honeymoon. (THAT was awesome!!!)
All right....I"ll update from KC...hope everyone is doing well!!!
Oh, and Steven King's book, Cell, is really really good. More later!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Bibi and I are leaving here in about 20 minutes to go down to KC for the rest of the time til the wedding. I. Can't. WAIT. !!!!!
Just had to pack for the next two weeks, as well as for the honeymoon. (THAT was awesome!!!)
All right....I"ll update from KC...hope everyone is doing well!!!
Oh, and Steven King's book, Cell, is really really good. More later!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
...
Well, at last the day is here. I am done with school for another
year. It's always a bittersweet time. I'm going to miss these kids a
great deal. They're a good bunch, and I have a lot of fond memories. Good
times, good times.
Wedding plans are coming together. Bibi is amazing. She's really doing an
amazing job of organizing and situating, but I really feel like I'm a part
of the process--as much as I can be, before school is out.
Today is another one of those cool days where I get to play a fun song for
the kids...."School's Out" by Alice Cooper. Yeah, that's right. I'm THAT
teacher. (c;
Oh, and I found a HIlarious clip of the Peanuts Gang dancing to OutKast's
"Hey Ya", which I'm showing to the kids, too. (Thanks, Matt! It's
AWESOME!!!!)
Well, until later...God bless, and have a great day!
Thanks for reading...
tommy
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Update
Hey everyone...
just wanted to drop a little note.
The year is winding down. Tomorrow we go on our major field trip of the
year. At 7:15, we (7 of 8 fifth grade classes) will board school busses
and ride two hours to Nauvoo Illinois, where we will spend our day touring
an 1840's village. Good times, good times.
We've gotten Bibi's things moved into our house, and she's leaving this
afternoon to go back to KC til the wedding. It's getting down to crunch
time, and we'll admit, it's a bit scary. (Not the actual being married
part--we're both cool with that--but the throwing of a huge major shindig
has us both a bit harried.)
On a much sadder and personal note...Kaya, my beautiful boxer is not doing
well. She's doing very poorly, actually. She's been incontinent for more
than a year now, and it's not gotten better, even with different
medications. I talked to the vet, and he told me that basically, at this
stage with her age, we can put her through an extensive and costly (+$2000)
set of tests, which will (given the aforementioned age) have slim to no
chance of providing helpful answers, or we can consider what no dog
owner/lover wants to consider.
She's been an amazing dog, and Bibi and I will miss her immensely. We
spent about half an hour last night taking pictures of our little girl and
I'm really not looking forward to the appointment tonight. Someone sent me
a really sweet poem/story today about the "rainbow bridge" and that was nice.
I'll talk to you all later, and God bless....
thanks for reading...
Tommy
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
greatest news today!!!!
Knight Rider is being made into a movie. That. Is. AWESOME.
That is all.
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
Testing
So, we're going to test this new-fangled thing out...so, this'll be short
in case this doesn't work.
My thigh is the color of a smurf. And, it hurts real smurfing bad.
Today starts the beginning of the end of the year for me. I've gotten
everything planned, everything scheduled and the end is in sight. So, I
got that going for me.
Oh, and seriously, if you haven't read "Lamb" by Christopher Moore...what
are you waiting for? It's ded-funny! (Oh, um...except, if you happen to
think that God doesn't have a sense of humor...then, um definitely DON"T
read the book. Yeah.
Karaoke tonight, looking forward to that. And, I'm taking requests if
anyone has one.
"Lost" tomorrow night. Wow, what a great show.
What About Brian? was great last night....left Bibi and I both SCREAMING
for another episode. (If you haven't watched it yet, check it out in
re-runville this summer.
That's all.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Monday, May 08, 2006
Hey ya'll!
So, just tried something, and we'll see how it goes.
Things are going well. School is gearing up/winding down, and I"m enjoying myself, and I believe the kids are, too. I'm getting married in less then 5 weeks, and I can't wait.
I'm in our new house, and I love it. Great location, nice time.
This weekend I had my bachelor party, and that was fun. My stepdad came up for it, and brought me his old bike. It's great! I rode it to school today, and promptly proceeded to run into a telephone pole on the way home. (Please--don't ask.)
The bike's ok. (The front brake needs to be checked out.) And, my thigh has a MASSIVE bruise on it. Yeah!!!! (Sarcasm.)
I'm re-reading "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." I LOVE this book. Absolutely hilarious and really interesting look at Jesus' human side. Good stuff.
All right, I think I've worked out so that I can post more frequently. We'll see.
Off to watch the Season Finale of What About Brian?
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Things are going well. School is gearing up/winding down, and I"m enjoying myself, and I believe the kids are, too. I'm getting married in less then 5 weeks, and I can't wait.
I'm in our new house, and I love it. Great location, nice time.
This weekend I had my bachelor party, and that was fun. My stepdad came up for it, and brought me his old bike. It's great! I rode it to school today, and promptly proceeded to run into a telephone pole on the way home. (Please--don't ask.)
The bike's ok. (The front brake needs to be checked out.) And, my thigh has a MASSIVE bruise on it. Yeah!!!! (Sarcasm.)
I'm re-reading "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." I LOVE this book. Absolutely hilarious and really interesting look at Jesus' human side. Good stuff.
All right, I think I've worked out so that I can post more frequently. We'll see.
Off to watch the Season Finale of What About Brian?
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Midweek Update, and a request...
So, things are going really well. The new house is awesome, school is fantastic, Bibi is great, and things are good in general.
I just finished up "Thank You for Smoking". Really good book. Very funny. I wanna see the movie now.
I took up "Assassins of Memory" again. It's about people who reject the idea of the Holocaust. It's very interesting, but really sad. Scary, too.
The request: Jim, you mentioned that I can post by sending an e-mail...can you send me an e-mail so that I can learn how to do that? Thanks!!!
Tommy
I just finished up "Thank You for Smoking". Really good book. Very funny. I wanna see the movie now.
I took up "Assassins of Memory" again. It's about people who reject the idea of the Holocaust. It's very interesting, but really sad. Scary, too.
The request: Jim, you mentioned that I can post by sending an e-mail...can you send me an e-mail so that I can learn how to do that? Thanks!!!
Tommy
Monday, April 24, 2006
Hey ya'll. Just a quick note. Bibi and I moved me into the new house...and, it's awesome!!! I got out my record player, which I haven't had out for a while, and that was awesome. I put on The Who's "Baba O'Reilly", which, as my avid readers know, is my favorite. School's good, everything's great. My bachelor party is coming up, and I'm excited.
Looking forward to this weekend. Great band on Friday night, and I'm going home for the day Sunday. Good times.
Later...
Tommy
Looking forward to this weekend. Great band on Friday night, and I'm going home for the day Sunday. Good times.
Later...
Tommy
Monday, April 17, 2006
Update
So, went to the doctor today. My REAL doctor. Found out this morning that the guy I went to at the ER has almost killed three people by misdiagnosing, and thought to myself..."hey! Self, you should get to the doctor!" So, I did.
The real doctor told me that in all liklihood (sp?!) I pulled/strained/twisted something before the pain set in, and wouldn't have felt the effects until long after, when the muscles had a chance to tighten up. So, there ya go.
Oh! Bibi and I have REALLY exciting news!!! WE have someone to marry us now!!!! Dr. Dereck Dashke, of Truman State University has been ordained, and he will be officiating at the ceremony. It's awesome...he's a good friend of ours, his step-son was in my class last year, he goes to karaoke every week, and I was the photographer at HIS wedding, last summer! (It's a small world after....anyway.)
So, that'll be good.
This weekend was fun, and now Bibi and I are realizing that we are absolutly SLAMMED between now and the wedding. Every single weekend from here on out has multiple goings-on, and the weeks are just as busy. We are currently moving me into our new house, and it's EXCITING!!!! (c;
All right people...thanks for reading, and for what will MAYBE be the last time...
Life soundtracks, anyone? (c;
Tommy
The real doctor told me that in all liklihood (sp?!) I pulled/strained/twisted something before the pain set in, and wouldn't have felt the effects until long after, when the muscles had a chance to tighten up. So, there ya go.
Oh! Bibi and I have REALLY exciting news!!! WE have someone to marry us now!!!! Dr. Dereck Dashke, of Truman State University has been ordained, and he will be officiating at the ceremony. It's awesome...he's a good friend of ours, his step-son was in my class last year, he goes to karaoke every week, and I was the photographer at HIS wedding, last summer! (It's a small world after....anyway.)
So, that'll be good.
This weekend was fun, and now Bibi and I are realizing that we are absolutly SLAMMED between now and the wedding. Every single weekend from here on out has multiple goings-on, and the weeks are just as busy. We are currently moving me into our new house, and it's EXCITING!!!! (c;
All right people...thanks for reading, and for what will MAYBE be the last time...
Life soundtracks, anyone? (c;
Tommy
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
pain in the....back....
So, I woke up today, feeling pretty damn good. My back felt great, and I felt fine. I was going to go sans coffee today, in order to kind of facilitate cleaning out my system. Everything was going fine...head was good, class was good, everything aces...until after lunch...just shortly after lunch.
Up until then, I have to admit my pain, on a scale of 1-10 had been at most a 5. I thought it was bad, but in retrospect, given what I know now about pain, it was AT MOST a 5. We were playing a spelling game after lunch, and I started having this intense stabbing sensations in my back...and, within five minutes, I was almost on the floor...I swear, I held the tears back until I went out in the hall. (Then they flowed like wine.) I got a sub, Bibi picked me up, and we took me to the hospital. There I had multiple tests done, x-rays, etc, all so that the doctor could tell me:
I have one leg that is longer than the other one. This, in turn, has set my spine off kilter from my pelvis, which in turn led to me crying like a little girl.
However, they gave me some kind of pain medicine that is one step down from morphine, so I feel fine now. (c; (mmm....happy tommy....)
Oh, and my new addiction "Deal or No Deal" was good tonight.
That's all.
Oh, and Bibi and I are going to KC this weekend for her sister's birthday, and some wedding stuff. It'll be good to get out of town for a bit, and I don't have school Friday, so that'll make the weekend extra sweet.
All right, more later...
Tommy
Up until then, I have to admit my pain, on a scale of 1-10 had been at most a 5. I thought it was bad, but in retrospect, given what I know now about pain, it was AT MOST a 5. We were playing a spelling game after lunch, and I started having this intense stabbing sensations in my back...and, within five minutes, I was almost on the floor...I swear, I held the tears back until I went out in the hall. (Then they flowed like wine.) I got a sub, Bibi picked me up, and we took me to the hospital. There I had multiple tests done, x-rays, etc, all so that the doctor could tell me:
I have one leg that is longer than the other one. This, in turn, has set my spine off kilter from my pelvis, which in turn led to me crying like a little girl.
However, they gave me some kind of pain medicine that is one step down from morphine, so I feel fine now. (c; (mmm....happy tommy....)
Oh, and my new addiction "Deal or No Deal" was good tonight.
That's all.
Oh, and Bibi and I are going to KC this weekend for her sister's birthday, and some wedding stuff. It'll be good to get out of town for a bit, and I don't have school Friday, so that'll make the weekend extra sweet.
All right, more later...
Tommy
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
boo
So, I was going to post this morning before school started, but came to find out that my employer has blocked blogger from the school web. So....no more blogging for tommy, 'cept at Bibi's house. (I love you Bibi!!)
Today was decent....I woke up yesterday with this unbelievably bad back pain...it felt like someone was stabbing me repeatedly in the back. Didn't think anything of it...just though maybe I slept on it wrong. However, my overactive imagination has turned it into kidney stones, kidney infection, or perhaps I woke up in a tub full of ice, and there is a slit in my back, and I don't remember....
Finished New Religious Movements. It was REALLY good. Very enjoyable read, and very readable, at that. Plus, I have it on good authority, that Bibi and I might be getting the author to officiate at our wedding! (c'
I'm reading a book I picked up from a good friend of mine who teaches high school. It's called Assassins of Memory, and it's about people who deny the holocaust. Interesting so far.
All right! More later!
Thanks for stopping by!
Today was decent....I woke up yesterday with this unbelievably bad back pain...it felt like someone was stabbing me repeatedly in the back. Didn't think anything of it...just though maybe I slept on it wrong. However, my overactive imagination has turned it into kidney stones, kidney infection, or perhaps I woke up in a tub full of ice, and there is a slit in my back, and I don't remember....
Finished New Religious Movements. It was REALLY good. Very enjoyable read, and very readable, at that. Plus, I have it on good authority, that Bibi and I might be getting the author to officiate at our wedding! (c'
I'm reading a book I picked up from a good friend of mine who teaches high school. It's called Assassins of Memory, and it's about people who deny the holocaust. Interesting so far.
All right! More later!
Thanks for stopping by!
Monday, April 10, 2006
a quick note...
Here is a link to where Bibi and I will be spending our first week of wedded bliss...
http://www.lacabanaaruba.com/Images/HighResort.jpg
How was your weekend?
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
http://www.lacabanaaruba.com/Images/HighResort.jpg
How was your weekend?
Thanks for stopping by...
Tommy
Friday, April 07, 2006
struggling...
this week has been really hard; really, really hard. It's had some massive ups, and some fairly substantial downs.
I'm struggling with the concept of personal responsibility. Specifically, how I'm going to emphasize this unbelievably importnat concept to my students. There seems to me to be a complete and total lack of this value/quality/characterstic in my (some of my) students..and it's really frustrating. I can't really say anything more than that, but suffice it to say, I'm cooking up some lessons on accountability. Any suggestions will be duly noted and utilized.
On the up end of the week, Bibi and I are officially going on a honeymoon, and we're ecstatic! We're going to Aruba, and we bought our plane tickets earlier this week. (Thanks Bibi!)
I'm reading New Religious Movements still, and it's fascinating. I especially enjoyed the chapters on Rastafarians, and the Family Movement. Very intriguing. Curious theological ideologies. I found the idiosyncratic language used by Rastafarians quite inspiring, in all honesty. I've heard the whole Jamaican "I and I" phrase before, but I did not understand that it symbolizes the unity in the Rastafarian community, in that all people are connected, and when you say "I and I" for the pronoun "we" you are signifying the interconnectedness of the group. Really cool.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
I'm struggling with the concept of personal responsibility. Specifically, how I'm going to emphasize this unbelievably importnat concept to my students. There seems to me to be a complete and total lack of this value/quality/characterstic in my (some of my) students..and it's really frustrating. I can't really say anything more than that, but suffice it to say, I'm cooking up some lessons on accountability. Any suggestions will be duly noted and utilized.
On the up end of the week, Bibi and I are officially going on a honeymoon, and we're ecstatic! We're going to Aruba, and we bought our plane tickets earlier this week. (Thanks Bibi!)
I'm reading New Religious Movements still, and it's fascinating. I especially enjoyed the chapters on Rastafarians, and the Family Movement. Very intriguing. Curious theological ideologies. I found the idiosyncratic language used by Rastafarians quite inspiring, in all honesty. I've heard the whole Jamaican "I and I" phrase before, but I did not understand that it symbolizes the unity in the Rastafarian community, in that all people are connected, and when you say "I and I" for the pronoun "we" you are signifying the interconnectedness of the group. Really cool.
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Tuesday
So, I voted today.
Voting always--and, I'm honestly not being sarcastic here--fills me with a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. I turned 18 the summer before my senior year in high school, and was able to vote in the 96 election for president. It was really cool to be able to vote before all of my friends, and it really showed me how awesome a responsibility--and priviledge!!!-- it is to be able to vote. Every time I vote, it really makes me feel good, and I love talking politics--in recent years I've become more interested in what other people have to say as opposed to telling people what I think--and today was no exception. Good times...good times.
Oh, and New Religious Movements is going really well. It's interesting reading about this groups from their perspectives...instead of just hearing about it from an outsider explaining what the religion believes, you know? So, if anyone wants to read it, let me know!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Voting always--and, I'm honestly not being sarcastic here--fills me with a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. I turned 18 the summer before my senior year in high school, and was able to vote in the 96 election for president. It was really cool to be able to vote before all of my friends, and it really showed me how awesome a responsibility--and priviledge!!!-- it is to be able to vote. Every time I vote, it really makes me feel good, and I love talking politics--in recent years I've become more interested in what other people have to say as opposed to telling people what I think--and today was no exception. Good times...good times.
Oh, and New Religious Movements is going really well. It's interesting reading about this groups from their perspectives...instead of just hearing about it from an outsider explaining what the religion believes, you know? So, if anyone wants to read it, let me know!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Monday, April 03, 2006
Interesting fact...
This wednesday, at 1:02 and 3 seconds, the official date and time will be...
01:02:03 04/05/06.
Pretty cool isn't it?
That's all....reading a really good book called New Religious Movements about...well, new religious movements...VERY interesting stuff...I'm finding out things I really didn't know...I'd recommend it. (Plus, a couple of friends of mine wrote it!!! (c; )
Have a great Monday!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
01:02:03 04/05/06.
Pretty cool isn't it?
That's all....reading a really good book called New Religious Movements about...well, new religious movements...VERY interesting stuff...I'm finding out things I really didn't know...I'd recommend it. (Plus, a couple of friends of mine wrote it!!! (c; )
Have a great Monday!
Thanks for reading...
Tommy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)