Oh HELL yes. That's why for years Christmas was only 2nd to Valentine's Day for holidays I dreaded. It was especially rough when I was underemployed. I'd give into the temptation to measure myself up my society's standards.... "Let's see, no marriage, no kids, no job.....ergo....FAILURE!!"
And while that is still a temptation, I don't hold the grudge against Christmas anymore. Kids make all the difference...they just aren't mine. This year I have a whole school full of kids at work excited about Christmas, and their enthusiasm is infectious. I also have one niece by blood, and another niece and nephew by adoption. So I don't feel like I am being left out anymore.
Although I definitely lack the Christmas obsession gene of my father (who used to make sure the ornaments were in EXACTLY the same place each year in his childhood...) or my sister (who watches X-mas movies year round, whenever she needs cheering up.) One year my sister dubbed me the Grinch, and I dubbed her Cindy Lou Hoo. But of course, even the Grinch got into Christmas when he met the right kid, and was welcomed into the community.
Mabel Bunny was very excited, as she and Claire Usagi were exactly the same age. Nigel Bunny was less excited, as Julian Usagi was barely old enough to talk.
Around noon, the front door slammed against the wall. "Great Frith!" exclaimed Mr. Usagi. "That is quite the gale out there!" The strength of the wind was also clear from the Usagi family's appearance. Their auburn fur was sticking out in all directions. Mrs. Usagi quickly pulled out a brush and started grooming Julian, who squirmed with displeasure.
After a lunch of spinach pie, the adults retired to the living room for carrot top tea and conversation. The children all went to play in Nigel's room.
Julian was content to play quietly in the corner with Nigel's old Bunny Underground trains. Nigel lay on his bed and pretended to reread his latest issue of "Whizzy the Wasp." However, he couldn't help listening to Claire and Mabel who had dragged in the costume trunk and were playing dress up.
Claire could not decide between being a princess, or a superhero, so she decided to be both. She put on a tiara and tied a pink dress around her neck like a cape. She announced to the world, "I am Princess Superbunny!"
Mabel responded by putting a striped sweater over her ears and proclaiming: "I am Queen Fairy Princess Rainbow....the third!"
The two proceeded to parade around the room in a very regal fashion, the way all Princess Superbunnies and Queen Fairy Princess Rainbows do.
Meanwhile Nigel was lying on his bed with his feet on the slow slanting ceiling. Without really thinking about about it, he started bouncing on the mattress while pressing his feet on the ceiling. Suddenly there was a CRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCKK!!!!
Julian looked up from his train. The bunny princess parade came to an abrupt halt. Nigel's feet had gone right through the ceiling, leaving a huge gaping hole. All four bunnies stared for a moment at the blackness that used to be ceiling.
Then Nigel ran and hid behind his dresser. Mabel strode purposefully out of the room to grab an adult. She came back a few minutes later with Mrs. Usagi. Mabel pointed to the ceiling and said in a matter of fact voice, "Julian did it."
Nigel, who was still hiding, was not about to let somebody else take the fall for what he did. Tears in his eyes, he stood up, sniffling. "No, it was me."
Nigel was surprised at how understanding Mother and Father Bunny were about the whole incident. However what he always remembered, even years later, when he was a very old bunny, was that he had made a mistake, and his sister had not tattled. Nigel always breathed a little easier knowing that he could always count on his younger sister.
Mabel Bunny was elated. "Hooray! A whole day of swimming!" Mabel Bunny had been swimming before she could even hop properly. Mother Bunny called her a Mer-bunny.
Nigel Bunny sulked. He was terrified of the water. It would be just another day playing in the sand by himself. However, then Father Bunny looked at him with a knowing smile. "Nigel, I just called up Mrs. Krulik. She said it would be OK for your friend Melvin to come with us." Nigel's face brightened. Mabel rolled her eyes.
Father Bunny, Nigel Bunny and Mabel Bunny hopped over to the Krulik burrow. Melvin opened the door. He was a black and white lop-eared bunny with horn-rimmed glasses that were always slightly askew. He squinted up at Father Bunny and inhaled his usual congested wheeze. "Greetings Mr. Bunny, and bunny progeny." Melvin then wheeled out a suitcase that was nearly as tall as he was.
Father Bunny looked a bit confused. "Melvin....you do realize this is just a one day trip?"
Melvin failed to disguise his irritation. "Certainly, Mr. Bunny. These are merely all the supplies I require for a one-day excursion to the Shilly Shally Shore! One hypoallergenic carrot-free meal, my sand castle construction tools, my latex-free scuba equipment my..."
"Would you like me to take your suitcase for you?" interrupted Father Bunny. Melvin would ramble on all day if you let him.
"Most obliged, but I prefer to pull my own suitcase," insisted Melvin. He stayed fairly quiet for the rest of the walk to the Bunny Underground Station. He walked about 3 paces behind the rest of the family, sweating and wheezing, despite Father Bunny's repeated attempts to help him out.
The Bunny Underground Station was always hopping this time of year with bunnies taking the train to the furthest reaches of the Land of the Bunnies, and beyond. First Father Bunny bought 4 hare fare cards. First Nigel and Mabel stuck their Hare Fare cards in the gate and went down the near by escalator.
Melvin was having problems with the gate. First he tried to walk through at the same as the suitcase and got wedged in. Then he tried pushing his suitcase through first, but the gate would close before he could get through. Finally he tried to walk through the gate with the suitcase behind him, but kept accidentally slamming it against the gate walls. Finally one of the Bunny Underground workers took pity on him and lifted the suitcase over the gate for him, while Melvin protested "I am PERFECTLY capable of managing my own suitcase!"
The next obstacle for Melvin was the escalator. He placed one foot and his suitcase on the escalator, which both started moving rapidly downwards, while his other foot was still on the floor. Fortunately Father Bunny raced to the rescue before Melvin split himself in half.
The Shilly Shally Shores was bustling with activity. Mabel raced off to the water, and instantly made two new best friends.
Nigel was starting to feel nervous, but then Melvin ran up with a small rock he had found. "Nigel! Nigel! Feel the rock!"
The rock seemed to have something clear and squishy on it. Nigel furrowed his brow. "What is it?"
Melvin hopped up and down shouting "I have discovered a new life form!" Melvin kept hopping up and down until he became winded, and then reached in his suitcase for his inhaler.
Once Melvin caught his breath again, he had lost interest in the rock. He was looking at some nearby sand castles with some interest.
"Hey Melvin! Do you want to build a sand castle?"
Melvin looked thoughtful. "No...I would like to build a replica of the Panama Canal."
The rest of the afternoon Melvin and Nigel were completely absorbed in digging their canal. Finally, when they had dug a deep trench, Nigel decided they needed to fill it water. He took his bucket up to the Shilly Shally Seashore, and waded in. Nigel was up to his waist when he realized he was in water, and not scared! He started to hop, and realized in the water, he could float. He called to the shore. "Hey Melvin! You should come out here! It is like being in outer space!"
Melvin opened up his suitcase, and pulled out his special Whizzy the Wasp inner tube, and joined Nigel. The two bunnies spent the rest of the afternoon bobbing up and down in the water.
On the train ride home, everybody was tired, but in high spirits. Mabel decided to sing "Ninety-Nine Carrot Juice Cans On the Wall" and everybody in their car joined in.
That night in bed, Nigel still felt the motion of the waves. He dreamed that he and Melvin went on an underwater adventure with an alien and Whizzy the Wasp. When Mother Bunny came to tuck him in, he was smiling in his sleep.
Do you remember the things you did when you first started using the Web and how it has changed your life? |
I started using the internet in my freshman year of high school, 1995. The first thing interesting I remember finding was the "Captain Kirk Singalong Page" that was all recordings various Star Trek cast members had attempted. I still miss it.
My friend Michael and I were having a discussion on 80's music. I mentioned that at the time, I wasn't really paying attention to current music. I was too busy "living in the 60's." Michael said he was doing the same thing. I find it intriguing that both of us spent such a significant chunk of time "living" in an era neither of us were really a part of.
I've always had a sort of "grass is greener" sort of dissatisfaction....not only about where I was, but about when. I would look longingly at the bright colors and catchy tunes on "The Monkees," "Batman" "Laugh-In" and the Beatle cartoons. This was a time that looked very inviting. Mike Myers said when he was a kid, he used to cry at the end of "A Hard Day's Night" because he would miss being around those 4 guys so much. I had a similar feeling about watching "The Monkees." Although somehow I suspect Mr. Myers didn't play the sort of games like my friend Kari and I did. "OK. Let's play wedding again. You can marry Davy, and I'll marry Micky." My first concert was on the Monkees 20th anniversary tour. It made me indescribably happy to hear Davy Jones say "This is 1987!" I'm guessing because I just couldn't believe that anything I loved from the 60's could exist in the here and now.....or I guess I should say the there and then? Curse you temporal mechanics!
I was also strongly attracted to the idealism of the era. I was, and still am, passionate about peace, civil rights, and looking out for the underdog. In the materialistic 80's, there seemed a lack of any causes to rally behind. It's also no coincidence that what I use to name the two halves of my personality: the Vulcan and the Hippie....are also 2 icons from the 60's.
However I think the last of my false nostalgia disappeared when I went to school in Madison. I had some run-ins with people very much stuck in that era...and it often wasn't pretty. Plus, amateur historian that I am....I started realizing some of the less appealing details of the era. At the time I lived on a house in Frat Row....at one point I realized to my horror, that some of the Beatles behavior was a lot like the guys on my street. I realized I would have felt totally uncomfortable at Woodstock. I sometimes wonder, if I had been around for the 60's....would I have had a false nostalgia for the WWII era?
For all the problems....whatever you call this decade...the naughts?....has....I think I was born in the right era. A geek like me...with my poor handwriting skills...definitely belongs in the information age. Although I'd love to take a road trip elsewhen sometime. Just wondering, what would I use for the dates on those blog entries?
I've always had a sort of "grass is greener" sort of dissatisfaction....not only about where I was, but about when. I would look longingly at the bright colors and catchy tunes on "The Monkees," "Batman" "Laugh-In" and the Beatle cartoons. This was a time that looked very inviting. Mike Myers said when he was a kid, he used to cry at the end of "A Hard Day's Night" because he would miss being around those 4 guys so much. I had a similar feeling about watching "The Monkees." Although somehow I suspect Mr. Myers didn't play the sort of games like my friend Kari and I did. "OK. Let's play wedding again. You can marry Davy, and I'll marry Micky." My first concert was on the Monkees 20th anniversary tour. It made me indescribably happy to hear Davy Jones say "This is 1987!" I'm guessing because I just couldn't believe that anything I loved from the 60's could exist in the here and now.....or I guess I should say the there and then? Curse you temporal mechanics!
I was also strongly attracted to the idealism of the era. I was, and still am, passionate about peace, civil rights, and looking out for the underdog. In the materialistic 80's, there seemed a lack of any causes to rally behind. It's also no coincidence that what I use to name the two halves of my personality: the Vulcan and the Hippie....are also 2 icons from the 60's.
However I think the last of my false nostalgia disappeared when I went to school in Madison. I had some run-ins with people very much stuck in that era...and it often wasn't pretty. Plus, amateur historian that I am....I started realizing some of the less appealing details of the era. At the time I lived on a house in Frat Row....at one point I realized to my horror, that some of the Beatles behavior was a lot like the guys on my street. I realized I would have felt totally uncomfortable at Woodstock. I sometimes wonder, if I had been around for the 60's....would I have had a false nostalgia for the WWII era?
For all the problems....whatever you call this decade...the naughts?....has....I think I was born in the right era. A geek like me...with my poor handwriting skills...definitely belongs in the information age. Although I'd love to take a road trip elsewhen sometime. Just wondering, what would I use for the dates on those blog entries?
- Mood:indescribable
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
mezzolibra `s upcoming groovefest, but I've definitely been in a mad mod mood. So I decided to take a break from the presidents and the Fab Four to make a list of my favorite Vietnam era "the whole world is mad" movies.1. Harold and Maude (1971) - I was about 9 when I first stumbled across this movie. My dad and I were flipping through the channels. It goes without saying I was startled by the opening scene with Harold's "suicide." A few minutes later Dad informed me that Harold and the little old lady he was hanging out with were going to fall in love. I gave him an incredulous look.
I didn't try the movie again until college. I just adore Maude's whole "follow your bliss" attitude. The Cat Stevens soundtrack also adds a whole extra dimension to the movie. Nickel bet at some point I'll be dancing around with my niece singing "If you want to sing out, sing out."
2. They Might Be Giants (1971) - It's not well known that John Linnell and John Flansburgh took the name of their group from this George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward vehicle. This is another one my dad introduced me to. It is kind of a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Don Quixote. George C. Scott plays a judge who after the death of his wife, in quixotic fashion starts to believe he is Sherlock Holmes. Joanne Woodward plays his psychiatrist: Dr. Mildred Watson. Together they go on a quest through New York City and assemble quite an army of misfits...including a librarian.
3. The King Of Hearts (1966) - Guess who introduced me to THIS film? It takes place in a small French village during World War I. An unexploded bomb causes an evacuation of most of the visitors...except for the nearby insane asylum. The inhabitants wind up taking over the city....and I won't provide any spoilers so you can see this delightful movie for yourself.
4. Head (1968) The Cube (1969) - These two films are definitely flawed, but both have very similar themes. I think if you combined them you'd have one really good movie.
"Head" was the one and only feature film with the Monkees. Although it couldn't be less like the sitcom. It's a very surreal, rather dark little film about being trapped by image, and society's expectations....with other random bits thrown in. Some that work, and some that just left me shaking my head in confusion.
It was co-written by the TV series creators and Jack Nicholson. From a marketing standpoint, I can't think of anything more disastrous. It totally alienated the teeny boppers that were the Monkees main audience. And the sort of people that might appreciate this sort of picture weren't about to attend something made by a manufactured boy band. Basically anybody watching the movie that is expecting it to be like the TV show...is going to have the same sort of shock I had when I started reading Lord of the Rings expecting it to be like The Hobbit. "Gee...a lot of the characters are familiar....but where is the wackiness? Where did THIS dark thing come from?"
However, from an artistic perspective it is definitely one of a kind. Only in the 60's could you have a boy band deconstructing their image...and suddenly veering into material that has depth. Try imagining the American Idol types, or Hannah Montana, or the Jonas Brothers doing something like that today. I've also always loved that just when I think I've got the Monkees pegged, they come up with something totally out of left field like "Head" or their version of "Riu Riu Chiu."
"The Cube" was a rare Jim Henson film that included absolutely no puppetry. It is live action film about a man who is trapped in a cube, and doesn't know how he got there, or what to do about it. Various people visit him within the cube, one of which is a monk played by Jerry Nelson...who is better known as Floyd Pepper, Robin the Frog, and Gobo Fraggle. Not Henson's best work, but definitely an interesting curiosity if you are a fan. It can be found all over the internet.
Honorable Mention One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975 - OK technically the movie is after the Vietnam era, and the original book was before....but how could I not include this one? Definitely one of the more brilliant ensembles I've seen in a film. And probably a large reason why I picture Louise Fletcher whenever I imagine the Dolores Umbridge character in "Harry Potter."
But while I love the movie....I love the book that much more. Very interesting perspective from the Indian character, who doesn't talk. But he turns out to be an unreliable narrator (my favorite kind!) as you gradually realize he is mentally ill, and a lot of what he is describing, if not all of it, is only happening in his own mind. Still, as this good book says "Just because something didn't happen doesn't mean it isn't true." There's also a really fascinating scene that shows what is going through the character's mind after receiving electric shock treatment. I couldn't figure out how Ken Kesey came up with the idea...until I realized he was experimenting with LSD at the time.
Anyway....if you ever want to take a trip without the flashbacks, I'd recommend all of these.
James Monroe was born in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Not to be confused with the nation of Pottsylvania; birthplace of Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale.
Just like all the other Virginian Founding Fathers, Monroe went to college at William and Mary. However, not long after he started there, so did the Revolutionary War. Unlike fussy little James Madison, Monroe could handle being in the army, and became a war hero. In the painting of Washington crossing the Delaware River, that's Monroe carrying the flag. Fellow founding father John Adams thought Monroe was a moron. But I suspect that's sour grapes as Monroe was good-looking, well-liked and a war hero. Adams shouldn't have been so bitter...he had a much better marriage.
After the war ended, Monroe studied law under Thomas Jefferson. Like James Madison, he became a protegee of Jefferson. He had a bunch of government jobs....Ambassador to England, senator, a couple of positions on Madison's cabinet, and eventually got elected president.
Monroe was lucky enough to be president during the "Era of Good Feelings." Tra la la la la! Not a heck of a lot happened. There were the Seminole Wars in the Georgia/Florida area. Florida, which belonged to Spain at the time, had the added complication of attracting fugitive slaves. Andrew Jackson and his soldiers wiped out a fort with over 200 slaves in it.
Of course with Monroe you also have the Monroe Doctrine which is basically Europe should leave the Western Hemisphere alone and the Americas should leave Europe alone. Even though it's called the Monroe Doctrine...it was really more from John Quincy Adams.
During this time, freed African-American slaves were starting to colonize Liberia. They later named the capital Monrovia, as Monroe was a big supporter of the colony. It is the only non-American capital to be named after an American president.
Like the other founding fathers, Monroe spent his final years in debt. He died in New York city on July 4, 1831; 55 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and 5 years after the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Sadly I could find no Monroe-related muppet clips. However, if you search under "president" and "Monroe" in youtube, you get this result:
I used to think that when this country got started pretty much first we declared independence, George Washington won the war, there was a Constitutional convention and wham, bam, thank you ma'am we had a Federal Government. Reading about James Madison, often called "The Father of the Constitution" I got a much better feel for how the process went...and why while James Madison is a fairly well known name as a president and as a Founding Father...most of us couldn't tell you much about him other than he married a woman named Dolley.
First off, I've found to help get a better feel for how long it took our country to figure out what kind of Federal Government to have....let's look at the Bicentennials. The Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence happened July 4, 1976. It was the day before one of my childhood friends was born, and well over a year before Luke Skywalker and I would make our big debuts.
We celebrated the bicentennial of the Constitutional Convention in 1987, when I was in 5th grade. I participated in a mock constitutional convention. I went as an Anti-Federalist...the part of Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. We also had an assembly where a group of us performed "The Bill of Rights Rap." The group of us were dubbed "Hilarie and the Patriots" as I was in front with a Betsy Ross costume my Grandma had made, and sunglasses. I later went out to do my safety patrol duty dressed like that.
If there had been a bicentennial celebration for when the Constitution actually got RATIFIED, it would have been when I was in middle school. If we had celebrated the bicentennial of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, it would have happened my freshman year of high school. In other words, it took nearly 16 years between the Declaration of Independence, and the Ratification of the Bill of Rights. That is a long time for a country to be in turmoil about what kind of government it is going to have. It makes me feel a little better about how Congress is functioning right now...although Representative Joe Wilson could learn a think or two from Patrick Henry on how to be effective in voicing your opposition.
James Madison was along for the whole ride, although I'm convinced he had an Air Sick bag on his lap the whole time. While I was reading about him there were more letters that went roughly like this:
Dear Fellow Founding Father,
I'm sorry I was unable to attend *insert event here* but I was indisposed with (diarrhea/hemorroids/dysentery/menstrual cramps).
Sincerely,
James Madison
Now granted, the guy probably had some legitimate health problems. But he also lived to his 80's, so it couldn't have been THAT bad. I'm thinking Dolley did a great job of distracting him from his own neuroses.
Little Jemmy had the good fortune of being born in Virginia, birthplace of the most U.S. Presidents (with Ohio a close second.) Also like many a future president, he started his career as a lawyer. In one case he successfully defended a group of Baptist ministers who were fined for not getting the license required by the Anglican Church. Religious freedom became an important cause for him the rest of his life.
His political career began in the Virginia State Legislature. His most interesting accomplishment there was to ensure that we Midwesterners do not live in the state of Virginia. At the time it was the policy for new territories to become apart of existing colonies. Thanks to him Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and part of Minnesota became the Northwest Territory until they started splitting off into states about a half century later.
In this period of his life he became a protege/sidekick of Thomas Jefferson. He was one of the few voices of reason that Jefferson tended to actually listen to. There were a number of instances where Jefferson had some outlandish idea like "Hey! Let's totally change the structure of the government every 20 years!" Madison would respond with some eloquent way of saying "Boss? Baaaaad idea!" and Jefferson would back down.
During the Revolutionary War, he tried to enlist but....see the above excuse note....wound up spending most of it in the Virginia Legislature instead.
After the war the first attempt at a government was the Articles of Confederation. It was heavy on states rights, and light on ways to levy taxes or actually enforce anything nationwide. Technically it was the official United States government from 1781-1788 when it was replaced by the Constitution. Later the seceding states tried a similar form of government in the Confederacy, and it failed for similar reasons. The Founding Fathers caught on pretty quickly that this form of government wasn't working.
In 1787 was the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. One reason we know about the event in such great detail today is because of the thorough notes James Madison took. He also drafted the Virginia Plan which suggested a lot of what our current government has today. The biggest idea that came from it was to have a house in the legislature where the number of representatives per state was determined by population.
After the Constitutional Convention, Madison went home to duke it out with the Virginia legislature over whether to ratify the Constitution. Many Virginians objected to the Constitution unless there was a Bill of Rights included. Madison initially didn't think it was necessary, but later became the champion of the Bill of Rights. In 1792, Secretary of State announced the ratification of the Bill of Rights, almost as a footnote with other news from the Federal Government.
After the draaaamaaa of the Constitution, Madison learned to lighten up a little bit. He fell in love with the young widow Dolley Payne Todd. Too shy to approach her directly, like a good teenager he had his buddy Aaron Burr talk to her on his behalf. They were married in 1794. Dolley liked to call him "my dear little husband." Dolley at the time was a Quaker but was whatever the Quaker equivalent of excommunication is happened to Dolley because she married an Episcopalian.
Dolley became the darling of Washington D.C. While Madison was Secretary of State, Dolley largely served the function of being Jefferson's first lady, as Jefferson had been a widower for some time.
In Madison's first term as president, he once again had the role of cleaning up one of Jefferson's messes. Jefferson in his infinite wisdom thought the U.S. could use without much of a military. The British thought this was a great idea as well, and invaded. Hence the poorly named War of 1812 (which was actually more like the War of 1812-1815.) Dolley's dear little husband somehow managed to hold the country together. Meanwhile while he was off hiding in Maryland, she was rescuing documents and the famous Stuart portrait of Washington from the White House before it was attacked by the British.
Partway through Madison's second term the war ended and the Era of Good Feeling began. Except for some skirmishes here and there, there wouldn't be another American war until 1846.
When Madison's presidency ended he and Dolley hoped to do what my parents are doing as we speak: take a retirement trip to Paris. Sadly, Madison's farm and finances pretty much went down the tubes. He and Dolley struggled with debt for the rest of their lives.
Madison lived to be 85. In June of 1836, his doctor asked him if he wanted measures to be taken so he survive to see the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Madison declined and died on June 28.
As Madison was the Father of the Constitution, I thought this muppet clip suited him. I played it on Constitution Day. :)
So it shouldn't be a surprise that there was always a part of me that was rooting for Teddy Kennedy. I probably first found out about him during the 1988 presidential campaign. At the time I hadn't heard of him, but I knew that he lost one brother to war, and two to assassination. I flinched. Although not long after that, my sister and I had hours of fun with his "Wheeeeere was Geoooorge?" convention speech. (We'd go "Where was George? Eating porridge! In a gorge!" I don't think we'd had that much fun rhyming since we'd discovered the song "There's a Tear in My Beer"...)
Teddy had the double-edged sword of being raised with amazing privileges (like having his first communion from the pope!) and tremendous pressures. In his own family, he was dismissed early on as being a bit of a light weight intellectually, and heavy physically (hence the nickname "Muffin" from his brothers.) His father made sure he had a seat in the Senate, not because he thought Ted would have any talent at it, but because it was a way to further solidify the power of the Kennedy Dynasty.
However, while Teddy didn't have the intellectual prowess of his brothers Jack and Bobby, he did have stamina, (not to mention that amazing Kennedy charisma.) From the very beginning he slowly did a lot of listening, built a lot of personal connections with the other senators, and gradually began to be a champion for those less fortunate than himself.
Clearly the man was no saint. Anyone with lesser family connection would have spent a chunk of time in jail for an incident like Chappaquiddick. I do understand (although don't condone) why he totally wigged out at that period of his life. Besides the violent deaths of his brothers, becoming the patriarch of the Kennedy family at so young an age can't have been easy.
One thing I found intriguing is a big part of the reason he did not get the democratic nomination for president in 1980, was he really couldn't give a good reason for why he wanted to be president. He couldn't very well say "Because that's what my father would have expected from me." Ultimately the defeat freed him up to continue doing what he did best. Teddy spent more years in the Senate than any of his brothers spent alive. It always did my heart good, particularly in the years of the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations where liberal got to be a 4-letter word...to see good old bleeding heart Teddy still there fighting the good fight. Rather prescient that JFK gave him a cigarette case with the Bible verse "And the last shall be first."
For some reason these past couple of Beatle blogs have been showing up in my journal, and work as links, but don't show up on the friends pages. *shrugs* Anyway, here's a link to my Beatleblog on "Magical Mystery Tour."
http://direcorrector.livejournal.com/837
The Beatles were under contract to do another film, so they made "Magical Mystery Tour." I think the narration from the documentary "The Compleat Beatles" sums up the film best: "Largely a project of Paul's, the idea was to travel the English countryside in a bus filled with friends, actors and circus freaks, and to film whatever happened. Unfortunately, nothing did."
Another definite problem with the film was that it was released on Boxing Day, a.k.a. the Day After Christmas. I've heard the Beatles more than once make a comment that part of the problem was that the film was broadcast in black and white. This may be so, but I think a larger part of the problem is nobody really feels like watching a movie on the day after Christmas about a bunch of stoned hippies riding a bus. One of the more popular Boxing Day activities in Britain now is to listen to Stephen Frye read Harry Potter books.
Still even if it doesn't work as a film, if you fast forward past the lack of plot, it DOES work as a series of music videos.
Magical Mystery Tour (Lennon-McCartney)- This one is pretty straight forward. The video clip is the extended version from the movie that includes John Lennon talking.
Fool On The Hill (Lennon-McCartney) - One of McCartney's strongest songs lyrically. He's stated that is was about "someone like the Maharishi. His detractors called him a fool. Because of his giggle he wasn't taken too seriously."
Another potential inspiration for the song is according to Paul's friend Alistair Taylor, the two of them were having a walk on Primrose Hill and discussing the existence of God. A mysterious man suddenly was at their side, and after they had their backs turned, seemed to have disappeared. Now whether it was a mystical experience or better living through chemistry...I still like the story. On his Tripping the Light Fantastic Tour Paul McCartney used footage of Martin Luther King during this song.
The film for this song is Paul taking a day trip to France.
Flying (Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starr)- A rare almost entirely instrumental track, (except for the ba ba ba part at the end.) The first song to be credited to all four Beatles. The visuals in the video are scenes from Iceland used from outtakes from Stanley Kubrick's "2001: Space Odyssey."
Blue Jay Way (Harrison) - The lone Harrison song on the album. George went to L.A. in August of '67 with his wife and some friends. He was staying in a house on Blue Jay Way, and just like the lyrics say, it got foggy, and his friends got lost trying to find the house. While a very jet-lagged George was waiting for them, he started messing around with a Hammond organ at the house, and came up with this song. Some fans have misinterpreted the line "please don't be long" to say "please don't belong"...as in, please don't conform.
Hearing this makes me miss living in Madison. On one gloomy day, I went into a coffee house on State Street and heard this playing; a song that really only a hardcore Beatle fan would even recognize. I went up to the barrista and with a knowing smile said "Magical Mystery Tour, eh?" He smiled back and said "Yeah, it was just that kind of day."
The video I find disappointing as it just isn't trippy enough to match the music.
Your Mother Should Know (Lennon-McCartney) - A fun music hall style number written by Paul. One of the better videos as well. Notice Paul has a black carnation while the other 3 Beatles wore red ones. This was taken as further "evidence" that Paul was dead.
I Am The Walrus (Lennon-McCartney) - Here's what John once said to introduce this song: "Magical Mystery Tour is one of my favourite albums, because it was so weird. I Am The Walrus is also one of my favourite tracks - because I did it, of course, but also because it's one of those that has enough little bitties going to keep you interested even a hundred years later."
The first two lines were written on two separate acid trips. The Walrus is a reference to the Lewis Carroll poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter." Once again, in John's own words:
"It never dawned on me that Lewis Carroll was commenting on the capitalist and social system. I never went into that bit about what he really meant, like people are doing with the Beatles' work. Later, I went back and looked at it and realised that the walrus was the bad guy in the story and the carpenter was the good guy. I thought, Oh, shit, I picked the wrong guy. I should have said, 'I am the carpenter.' But that wouldn't have been the same, would it?"
The line "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye" came from a nursery rhyme.
Yellow matter custard, green slop pie, all mixed together with a dead dog's eye. Slap it on a butty, ten foot thick. Then wash it all down with a cup of cold sick.
A lot of the lyrics were purposely confusing, as John knew a lot of people were trying to interpret them.
Similar to "A Day in the Life" I could potentially have a whole book of material just on this song. The funky chord structure, the use of King Lear, the chanting of "Everybody's got one"... The best analysis of this song I've found is in the Beatle's Bible. www.beatlesbible.com/songs/i-am-the-walr
Surprisingly, this song was the B-side to McCartney's "Hello Goodbye" which royally pissed off John, and I'm inclined to agree with him.
The first part of the video is "I Am the Walrus." John is wearing a 18th madman's cap. (I always used to think it was to make him look like the Eggman.)
Immediately following is my favorite part of the movie: John and Little Nicola. My sister and I were saying "George George George Oops!" around the house for days when we first saw this. Although I kind of cringe that some parent let their child go on the Magical Mystery Tour.
Following that is one of the more famous scenes in the movie. One day John told Paul he'd had a dream about shoveling mounds of spaghetti on a large woman's plate. Some people think this scene is funny. I just think it's gross.
Beatle fanatic that I am, not only do I own 3 different versions of the Beatles performing "I Am the Walrus" but I also have 2 parody versions.
I thought it was very appropriate to include the Rutles parody "Piggy in the Middle" as Neil Innes was in the original film in the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. (Incidentally, their big scene in the original film was performing the song "Death Cab for Cutie.") The plane you see flying overhead...that wasn't planned. Scared the shit out of everyone.
In 1985 XTC made an album pretending to be a 60's band called "Dukes of the Stratosphear." Each song is done as a different style of 60's song. One sounds like something off of "Pet Sounds" one has a very British invasion feel...and then there's "Mole From the Ministry." Enjoy!
Hello Goodbye (Lennon-McCartney) - My parents dubbed most of the Beatles red and blue albums on a tape. This was the song where the tape ran out. So I probably heard this song about 50 times before I had any idea about the Hawaiian hula style ending.
John was resentful that this was the A-side for the single and his infinitely superior "I Am the Walrus" was the B-side. (Yeah I'm taking his side for a change.) He called the song: "three minutes of contradictions and meaningless juxtapositions."
The video does crack me up, though. The first time I saw it, my parents and I were laughing about how George looks utterly ridiculous and uncomfortable in his Sgt. Pepper uniform, while Ringo looks perfect in his.
I also have a theory that if you mated "Hello Goodbye" with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Gimme Three Steps" the offspring would be this song from "Sesame Street":
Strawberry Fields Forever (Lennon-McCartney)
If I were ever interviewed about what my biggest influences are as a writer, the first thing I would bring up is the Double A-sided single Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane. We've all heard the tired old adage "Write what you know." However, the Beatles taught me you can write what you know through whatever lens you want. In their case it was a psychedelic one.
One night in the 70's John rolled over in bed, and lamented to Yoko "Why don't people play my songs as much as Paul's?" If I'd been there, after whapping him one and telling him to find something better to lose sleep over...I would have said "Because your melodies are fricking HARD to play!!" Paul McCartney was, and still is, a master at writing a catchy tune. Melodies were never really John's strong suit. But the songs he wrote that did have strong melodies were also incredibly difficult. I have perfect pitch and it's taken me forever to work out how to play "Strawberry Fields Forever." John would frequently have the experience of being in a restaurant, and a musician would start playing "Yesterday" mistakenly thinking he wrote the song. However, could you imagine being in a restaurant, and a violinist comes over to your table playing...."I Am the Walrus" or "Tomorrow Never Knows"?!
You'd never guess it from the whole trippy dreamlike feel of the song, but Strawberry Fields is based on a real place. There was a Salvation Army Home for children in Liverpool called "Strawberry Field." Although what fascinated John about it was the gate and the wild garden beyond it. It was a favorite hangout spot for him from childhood on.
Knowing that Strawberry Fields was about an orphanage, I always used to think the lines "No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low" were about an orphan feeling isolated and feeling like they had no family tree. What he really meant was: "I was different all my life. The second verse goes, 'No one I think is in my tree.' Well, I was too shy and self-doubting. Nobody seems to be as hip as me is what I was saying. Therefore, I must be crazy or a genius—'I mean it must be high or low'"
Recording of the song took 55 studio hours; in contrast to 34 for "A Day in the Life" and 10 for their first album. The flute sound you hear at the beginning is off of a mellotron which is basically an early synthesizer. The rest of the song is a hodge podge of guitars, tape loops, bass, maracas, cello....the list goes on and on.
What I find most interesting about the recording process is John seemingly asked the impossible by having George Martin combine two different takes that were in two different keys at two different speeds. And George Martin pulled it off. The seam comes exactly at the 1 minute mark. It's pretty obvious: Let me take you down 'cause Iiiiii'm goooooooooing toooooooo...."
At the very end of the song which, to me sounds like some sort of festive bazaar/marketplace/carnival thing... the Paul is dead people claimed John is saying "I buried Paul." He's actually saying "Cranberry sauce." He liked throwing random words out just to mess with people.
Once again, if you are REALLY interested in this song in depth, I'd recommend the Beatle Bible article on it.www.beatlesbible.com/songs/strawberry-fi
This is the promo video they made, with a little intro from the Beatles Anthology. My synesthetic brain loves that Paul McCartney is wearing a red jacket as the color looks and tastes like the song sounds. Yeah...no need for me ever to use acid when listening to music has the same effect. :)
Penny Lane (Lennon-McCartney)
Most likely this song was written as a response to "Strawberry Fields." Lennon and McCartney tended to be at their best when they were trying to one up each other.
Although with "Penny Lane" it's a lot more obvious that Paul is talking about his hometown, albeit in a surreal sort of way. The barber showing photographs "of every head he had the pleasure to know" was a twist on the usual practice of barbers showing photographs of different hair styles.
The banker doesn't wear a "mac", slang for raincoat. "Four of fish and finger pie" is a bit of a dirty joke. "Four of fish" refers to getting fish and chips for four pennies. "Finger pie" is pretty much groping or heavy petting.
The overall sound of the song was most likely influenced by the Beach Boys. The instrumental part in the middle 8 is a piccolo trumpet. Paul decided he liked the sound of that instrument after hearing a recording of a recording of Bach's 2nd Brandenburg Concerto. One thing I am curious about, but haven't figured out yet, is just how many hours it took to record "Penny Lane." I'm wondering if it is even close to the same number of hours as "I Am the Walrus" as John Lennon later complained that his songs didn't get as much attention as Paul's.
Baby You're a Rich Man (Lennon-McCartney) - Once again, pretty straight forward lyrics. The oboe-like sounding instrument is a clavoline, an early form of synthesizer. According to the Bob Spitz biography, at one point John Lennon sang a line as "Baby you're a rich, fag Jew" as a slur against manager Brian Epstein. There is debate over whether this story is true or not, but I wouldn't put it past John Lennon to make a rude remark like that. Especially when you listen to songs he later wrote about the Maharishi, Paul McCartney and Allen Klein.
1967 Christmas Message - Before I go to the last song on the album....as I want this blog to end with a bang, not a whimper...to be complete, I'm including the 1967 Christmas message to the fans. Probably my least favorite of the Christmas messages. Mainly it's just singing "Christmas time is here again" and "O-U-T" spells out. And what does "L-A-M-E" spell? :P
All You Need Is Love (Lennon-McCartney) - In 1967, to show off the first live global television link, a program called "Our World" featuring little scenes of people doing things around the world: the construction of a subway system in Japan, a rancher in Alberta...from what I hear it was actually a pretty dull program. But it ended with the Beatles in the studio live recording "All You Need Is Love."
The Beatles and George Martin can't come to agreement whether John had already written the song, or whether he wrote the song specifically for the event. But everybody agrees that John wrote it. Several other 60's icons were present at the recording such as Mick Jaggar and Eric Clapton. To give the song a more international feel, the introduction is the French National Anthem "La Marsellaise" and if you listen carefully at the end, you can here "Greensleeves", "In the Mood" , Bach's 2 Part Invention Number 8, Clarke's "Prince of Denmark Waltz" and, just for fun "She Loves You." It's also notable for being one of two songs in 7/4 time to hit the top 20 in the American charts. (The other was "Money" by Pink Floyd.)
As for me, even though it is played to death, it is one of my favorite Beatles songs. I love that it sums up what the Beatles are all about. It's the first Beatles song I can remember hearing. Although at the time, I far preferred a different 1967 album: the novelty album "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" by Whistling Jack Smith.
Here is their appearance on "Our World" along with footage from the BBC documentary on Sgt. Pepper, where several 60's icons are asked "Is love REALLY all you need?" Paul McCartney gives a pretty wussy answer, but George Harrison knocks it out of the park.
One of the other challenges is finding good role models. That's one thing my parents can't provide. When my mother was my age, she'd been married 8 years and had two kids. So I always am on the lookout for potential role models, particularly both as a singleton...and as a late bloomer. Two this week caught my attention.
It Does A Body Good
I was bracing myself when I put in the "Milk" DVD. I was expecting yet another "brave" straight guy playing a gay character to get an Oscar. (I've noticed in most mainstream movies if there are gay characters they tend to be either a "brave" straight guy, or a total flamer. I'm waiting for mainstream movies to catch up with the Indie flix.)
Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised by the movie. But also found myself getting inspired. Turned out it was the perfect movie to see right before the school year. Until he was 40, Harvey Milk was living in New York City. He was pretty successful in corporate life, and pretty successful at staying in the closet.
Around the time he turned 40 he decided it was time for a change. Although somehow I don't think it was like in the movie where he rolled over to James Franco in bed and said "I'm 40 and I haven't done anything with my life." Personally...if I roll over in bed on my 40th birthday and there's somebody next to me that looks like James Franco...I'm gonna feel pretty damn CONTENT about life.
So Harvey moved to San Francisco which at the time, wasn't quite the gay-friendly mecca it is today. Ultimately what inspired me wasn't his ultimate martyrdom, or even his success as the first openly gay elected official. I was moved both by his persistance, and by his philosophy of starting just by changing one block in one neighborhood, and moving on from there. This is the sort of thing I think of when I feel overwhelmed by all the bad things happening in the world. There's no way I can fix the world...but I can start on my little corner of it.
Everything I Need to Know From Life I Learned in Middle School
In 6th grade my family moved to Janesville, and for the next 2 years I attended a school where my father was a guidance counselor. (My sister, then 7 years old, informed my father in no uncertain terms that he was NOT allowed to work at a school SHE attended.) It actually wasn't that bad. Kind of nice when you're going through hormonal hell that at least somebody around you is rooting for you.
We've had a lot of discussions about the staff at that middle school. It's pretty fascinating to hear about some teacher you had from the perspective of one of their co-workers. One thing we both agree on is it was a very eccentric bunch.
There was the music teacher who taught me the joys of three part harmony, Tom Lehrer, 1776....and how NOT to manage a room full of 7th grade boys. (Screaming "You assHOOOOOLES!" tends not to work very well...)
There was Mr. D., my Tech Ed. teacher, a black man from the South. In a town where MY name was overly ethnic "What kind of name is THAT? It's CERTAINLY not American!"....he definitely stuck out. It took him and I a while to get past the language barrier...but once we did, we got a kick out of each other, despite the fact that I was utterly dreadful at his subject, and seemed to constantly be breaking coping saws.
But two women in particular stick out. Both unmarried, and well over 40. One was the LD teacher. I mainly knew her as the lady who took photographs for the year book. Her favorite hobby was scuba diving. During vacations, she'd go scuba diving at locations all over the world...although the one that impressed me most was Lake Superior.
The other woman was my home ec. teacher named, I kid you not, Miss Potts. Like Mr. D., I was utterly dreadful at her subject area. (I often refer to myself as domestically challenged.) Although for the life of me, I can't remember anything we did in class. What I do remember is a comic strip on the wall, that somebody made specifically for her....and a photograph on her desk. Miss Potts travelled to 6 continents. There were pictures of her travels on her desk, the most memorable one being Miss Potts in the jungle with a monkey on her shoulder....although that might be my imagination exaggerating things. Regardless...I thought this woman definitely had the right idea. And also taught me that as a teacher, I can never be too sure what it is that will stay with the students.
I looked up Miss Potts on the internet yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she's still alive and kicking...and keeping very busy. She just got an award for the amount of volunteer work she does for the Janesville community. She commented that sometimes she lies awake at night wondering what MORE she can do.
As I wrap this up....the chimes are sounding that signal the beginning of my 32nd birthday. I'm rarin' to go so that in 8 years I can roll over and tell James Franco "I'm just getting started!"
My father likes to say "I lived in Europe. I lived in Louisiana. I lived in Milwaukee. Where did I meet your mother? St. Nazianz, Wisconsin!"
One of the common adages about the 60's....(besides the if you remember it you weren't really there part....) is that a lot of what we perceive to be "the 60's" really happened in the 70's. JFK Prep was definitely one of those. In the early 70's a Salvatorian priest was on the upswing of his bipolar disorder. He decided to take what had been a Salvatorian seminary (that my father had attended) and transform it into an alternative high school, partly based on the philosophies of John F. Kennedy....hence the name, JFK Prep. The result was a high school with a curriculum that was often decades ahead of its time. And an odd environment of 20 and 30-something teachers, middle-aged to elderly monks and nuns.....in an otherwise classic Wisconsin small town.
In Fall of 1973, my mother....then with a more traditional teaching job in Utica....came for a visit. She was impressed the scenery, and the progressive philosophy of the school. That January she packed up all her belongings into a car, and drove from New York to Wisconsin by herself. (Yes, roadtrips are in my DNA.) Not only did she meet my father, but also a group that would become life long friends.
Enough staff members were having babies they had a nursery for all of us. Hence I was in my first high school year book in 1978. There's even an "interview" with me in the school paper.
Prep closed in 1982, and by then my parents and most of their friends had moved on to jobs with salaries that could better support a family. (I didn't realize until recently my parents opted for Sheboygan partly because my mom liked the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. Yay!) However, growing up I saw the Prep staff and their progeny regularly....more often than my aunts, uncles and grandparents. A lot of them I consider to be my extended family. One fellow "prep baby" introduced me as her cousin at her wedding; which I figured was just about right.
I find intriguing is nearly all of us prep babies that actually lived on campus at some point, a good percentage of us have gone into education, and most of us have had some very creative endeavours. One went to Mexico to learn how to make jewelry. She fell in love with the town, and a local, and decided to stay. Another worked on a newspaper in Cambodia. Whereas, our younger siblings tend to prove the "Family Ties Theory": The best way to create a corporate God-bless-America type is to have two hippies have a baby. I always figured Alex P. Keaton's middle initial stood for "Peace."
A fellow prep baby got married this weekend at the governor's mansion. The setting was beautiful, albeit blazing hot. There will be some marvellous wedding pictures of the bride and groom standing in an arch, with the governor in front of them, and a sailboat on Lake Mendota off in the distance. I realized I felt a bit odd because in the past if I was at an event that fancy, it was usually as an employee.
Nonetheless, our hippie heritage was felt. 2 songs from the 70's, one by Van Morrison and one by Fleetwood Mac. (My parents had songs from The Moody Blues, Peter Paul and Mary and Delaney and Bonnie at theirs.) The flowers for the centerpieces at the reception were local grown, as was all the food. In the receiving line I found out that during the reception, there would be a slide show that had a couple of pictures of me in it. I'm thinking maybe baby pictures, or cute ones from when I was a little kid. Nope. MIDDLE SCHOOL....one in a swim suit. I suppose if I had wanted to talk to the governor I could have used that as an opening. "Hi Jim! I'm the girl with the bad teeth and long stringy hair from the slide show!"
Of course if I were a competitive type, I'd now feel the need to top this. "Hi, Senator Feingold? Yeah I know you're Jewish and all...and your Rabbi sister is usually the one that does these things....but could you preside at my wedding? Pretty please? I used to work at your synagogue! Cute confirmation pic!"
*snerk* OK almost got through that with a straight face. I did go to northwest Indiana last weekend, but it definitely didn't have anything to do with Jacko. About 6 months ago, I got a note from
unamundamour . Every summer she and her husband crostfingrs put on a production of Shakespeare with the local community theatre. This time around they were going to do a production of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" but Miz Una wanted to have a 1950's theme. So thanks to facebook, Una and I, who had never so much had a phone conversation...had a wonderful brainstorming session on how to incorporate 1950's music into the production.Once I knew that several of my ideas were going to be used....plus the desire to meet Miz Una in person...I decided to go down there for opening night. This was my first trip where Indiana was the destination...and not a place to stop and pee on the way to Ohio. ;) Traffic was actually a lot better than I expected. Was amazed at how many people were driving close to the speed limit. I didn't come down with my usual case of Illinois Teretz Syndrome.
When I got to the theatre, Una and I recognized each other right away. She informed me there would be a cast party at her house that night and I was invited. This prompted the Vulcan and the Hippie in my head to have one of their notorious arguments.
VULCAN: We got invited to a party....
HIPPIE: Hey look! We're in the program!
VULCAN: We don't know these people....
HIPPIE: Hey! That guy's kind of cute! Check and see if he has a wedding ring.
VULCAN: We are not very good at making small talk.
HIPPIE: Tell you what. We'll have a drink....that tends to shut you up sometimes...stay for an hour and if we aren't having a good time THEN we'll leave.
I stayed at the cast party until 3 AM. So guess who won THAT argument? Of course, most of the time the Vulcan wins...but those don't make for as fun writing.
HIPPIE: I don't LIKE this. Do we HAVE to sit here in this meeting?? I want to run away to Timbuktu.
VULCAN: Being here ensures we have an income which means we don't have to live with our parents, and can potentially afford a trip to Timbuktu later this summer.
HIPPIE: OK man, I dig.
The play itself was impressive, especially considering they had a very unforgiving locale of a gym with a stage in it...and classic malfunctioning community theatre equipment. What I liked best was Una and Crost clearly had a good feel for the people they were working with and selected a play that was a good fit. They also learned the lesson I did from my dire correcting....uh choir directing...days in college. When you are doing a creative endeavour with volunteers, inevitably not everybody is going to be brilliant. The trick is to place people strategically so everybody looks good. So for Midsummer's Night they had their real ringers (Titania, Bottom and Helena especially spring to mind...) in large roles. Then having the good people in roles where they would shine. And the not-so-good people in roles where they wouldn't fuck things up too badly. Bravo and brava!
Obviously had a good time at the party as well. Kind of strange meeting Una in real life at last. We'd never actually spoken, but already knew all about each other. I knew the party was going to be fun when I nearly choked on my sushi when Una made a Mike Birbiglia reference to me staying at "La Quinta." Also had a funny moment talking to the woman who played Titania. I found myself saying "You're
amndad ?! I'm direcorrector!" Definitely the best time I've ever had in Indiana. Granted, the only contenders for 2nd place in that competition are receiving a vanilla cookie at the Fort Wayne airport, and being introduced to the Far Side in South Bend.The next day I went to the mall in Oak Brook. Fabulous sushi restaurant, and nice variety of stores....but after a while I got really grossed out by the "affluenza" epidemic.
Then I visited a couple that I'm friends with who live in Hinsdale......sadly no sign of Spiny Norman the Hedgehog... We had a nice meal out. And then went back to their place to watch "Shaun of the Dead." This led to one of my favorite moments of the weekend....discussing who in our social circle would do what in the event of a zombie attack. We figured out one would probably be wielding an axe....a couple would be designing flame throwers....As for me, I'd be pretty useless on the battlefield (although I believe I have more hand-eye coordination than a zombie.) So I would be pulling a Willow and be on the Zombie Database or zombieinfestation.net to figure out the best plan of attack. :) I'm curious, gentle readers...what would YOU be doing?
Nearly all of my father's relatives lived in the same small town. So spreading the news wouldn't take long. If any of them did use the telephone, it was a party line. In other words, more than one family shared the same phone line, and you potentially could listen in on your neighbor's conversations.
My grandparents did not own a camera. The earliest picture we have of my father he's old enough that he can sit up on his own. It's a black and white picture that was taken by a professional photographer. For home entertainment, most likely the family would listen to radio programs, or listen to 78 discs on the record player. If you went to the movies, you might see the film "That Hagen Girl" that starred an actor named Ronald Reagan.
In the South, Jim Crow laws were active. Blacks had to ride at the back of the bus and had limited, if any, voting rights.
In the White House was Harry Truman, a nice man with a not so nice anti-Semitic wife. He would be the last U.S. President that did not have a college education. The United States was bouncing back from its involvement in World War II, and was in the 2nd year of a baby boom.
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In July of 1981, 3 weeks past the due date, my mother was very aware she was about to give birth. My father drove her to the hospital, and via c-section, she gave birth to a 10 pound 2 ounce baby girl. Our relatives lived in about 5 different states, so all were informed by phone. My Grandma Peggy, after hearing the birth weight, later came home, waved a 10 pound sack of potatoes and my grandfather and said "THIS is what she gave birth to!!!"
While all this was going on, I was supposed to be hanging out with our former neighbors, who were having a cook out. Instead I decided to go across the street to my best friend's house. So when my father called, he had to try two different landlines before he reached me. I was unimpressed. "OK. Can I finish my supper now?"
I was downright confused when I saw my sister for the first time. "Where are her eyebrows?"
At home we owned a television with rabbit ears to get the analog signal. It would be a few years before we got cable and a VCR. We mainly listened to music on 33 1/3 RPM records, and sometimes to cassettes. We didn't know anybody that owned a computer.
In the South, the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Law was active. Lyndon Johnson had correctly predicted that this meant "We will lose the South for a generation." The region tended to vote solidly Republican.
In the White House Ronald Reagan was 6 months into his first term. He was the oldest president in U.S. History, first divorcee and first president to have appeared in a film with a monkey. This was near the beginning of a Generation sometimes known as Generation Y, sometimes as Millennials, and sometimes as a baby boomlet.
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In July of 2009, as I was getting ready for work, I received a text message on my cell phone that announced the birth of my niece: 8 pounds, 9 ounces, via c-section, 12 days after the due date. I then got in my car and started listening to a podcast from England. My cell phone rang, and it was my father, just making sure I had heard the news. (I was a bit easier to reach this time!) Later that evening, while I was watching the latest Harry Potter movie, based on a book series that had started when my sister was 16....I kept getting distracted because I was receiving pictures of my new niece on my phone.
When I visited her today in the hospital I was most definitely impressed. I gazed at her adoringly as she concentrated on taking a dump. I couldn't help but remark "You have no eyebrows! Just like your mommy!"
In the South, two states that were formerly solidly Republican, cast their electoral votes towards a democratic presidential candidate. In Montgomery, Alabama, a few blocks away from the Capitol Building that has a painting of a governor who said "Segregation now, segregation forever" is a Civil Rights museum.
In the White House, Barack Obama is 6 months into his first term. He is the first Black President in U.S. History. His wife Michelle, is the descendent of slaves.
What the generation being born today will be called remains to be seen, but I can't wait to find out. However, a few things have stayed steady since 1947. Babies are still being born, and are still the center of gravity in any room they are in. Once they recover from their cone-head tendencies, any baby you are related to whether it is son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandson or granddaughter...is the most beautiful baby in the world.
I'm trying to read the Economist more. I like how it's more neutral politically, and isn't so American-centric. I'm also trying to remember to look to Al-Jazeera more for a different perspective on the Middle East. Mainly I get my news from Morning Edition on NPR, and headlines on the internet.
I actually got an e-mail from Arianna Huffington on what resources she used. While Huffington Post definitely veers to the left, they do have a nice thorough list of different news sources, left, right and center, at the bottom of their home page in a turquoise box. When I'm looking for some different perspectives, that's where I go.
I'm curious, gentle readers...where do you get YOUR news?
Then there's the other sacred trinity of Memphis, New Orleans and Detroit. So have to say say say just a little bit about Mr. Jackson. I feel like I always was a bit late to the party where he was concerned. The night that the "Black and White" video debuted, for some reason, probably an assignment due the next day, I missed the cool people of different races morphing part of the video, and instead came in for the last part where he grabbed his crotch and smashed up a car. I've always kind of felt with Michael Jackson that I showed up right when things started to get scary.
"Thriller" was one of, if not THE first video I saw on MTV. I was 7. At the time, as we didn't watch MTV at home, I felt like I was being REALLY naughty and rebellious. (That's right. I'm bad, sha-mo.) I am amazed that with my hyperactive imagination...that gave me nightmares from Scooby Do, and even the occasional sit-com...."Thriller" didn't affect me like that. Maybe it was because of the singing and dancing. Really ultimately the scariest aspect of that video for me was Michael Jackson himself. Still is.
I was older when I started to pay attention to his other work. His appearance as the Scarecrow in "The Wiz"....and of course, his work in The Jackson 5. "I Want You Back" is easily my favorite of his songs. I find it hard to reconcile that dynamic child singer with the ghostly figure in the surgical mask. Once when my mom and I were discussing John Lennon, she commented that yes he had a hard life, but it was probably better than it would have been if he had stayed in Liverpool. I wonder if that's the case with Michael Jackson. Gary, Indiana is a pretty nasty place.....but the avalanche of dysfunction partially fueled by wealth and fame seemed to aggravate an already messed up situation. The maternal part of me reacts the way it always does to stories of abused children. (Even if the child in question is older than I am.) I have the urge to go back in time, punch out the abusers, and take the child home with me. That not being an option *raises a glass in a toast* Michael, here's hoping the next world is kinder to you than this one was.
1. Ugh! Whatever Did I See In THAT?
When I was in high school, one of the local bookstores began having monthly poetry readings. It was a combination of people reading their own work, and reading the work of others. Only thing I remember reading myself was "To the Unknown Citizen" by W.H. Auden. One night, a man came in who bore a strong resemblance to Colonel Sanders. Most of his poems were about American History. I particularly liked one about "the grunt workers." I also liked his romantic poems.
Colonel Sanders was a successful enough local poet that he had a volume of his poetry at the Mead Public Library. As I knew I wouldn't be able to buy his poems anywhere else, I photocopied the entire book.
Over the years, I wrote quite a bit of poetry myself. Even though I write primarily essays now, the genre means a lot to me. You can always tell a writer that started out as a poet by how carefully they select their words...and stuff. (Sherman Alexie is a classic example. When his words do what he wants them to, he always pays them extra.) I was sorting through some boxes, and I found the copy of Colonel Sanders poetry. I was a little disappointed. The poems that had seemed so romantic, now just seemed clumsy and formulaic. "And if it were raining, we would go under a blanket, and make love. And if it were warm we would lie on the beach, and make love..." etc. etc. I thought "Gee, I've written better poems than THIS." Still....Colonel Sanders was the sort of writing I needed to see at the time, to encourage me to write my own. So I still appreciate the man even if I no longer appreciate his work.
2. Hahaha! This is terrible! But I still love it because I loved it then...
As most of you have probably guessed, my sister and I have very little in common besides DNA. Once in a blue moon we'd stumble across something we BOTH really really liked. When I was in 4th grade, the latest movie for HBO to play repeatedly was a Glenn Close movie called "Maxie." Glenn Close plays a mousy diocesan secretary. Mandy Patinkin is a librarian. Ruth Gordon is their feisty landlady. Glenn Close's character gets possessed by the spirit of a party girl actress from the 20's, who was in one little movie, but died right before she was going to become a star.
Rewatching it.....it is a TERRIBLE movie. The sort of movie I would haul out on a Crappy Movie Night for a "What are THOSE good actors doing in this terrible movie?" (See also: the 2000 version of "Godzilla." Great actors, lousy movie!) I was also surprised just how many sex scenes there were in the movie. One scene Glenn Close as Maxie is trying to get Mandy Patinkin into bed with her. She's chasing him around the bedroom giggling. At the time, I thought she was just chasing him for the sheer fun of chasing him...as that's something my sister would do. I also suspect that my family was one of the only ones at a screening of "Princess Bride" to say "Hey, that's the guy from 'Maxie!'" when Inigo Montoya first graces the screen.
3. This is as good as I remember! Better even, because I can appreciate it in more depth!
When I was in elementary school, there was an organization called Theatre in the Park. A group of high school students would perform their versions of various fairy tales in local playgrounds and parks around the city. One year they did a show called "The Superheroes Save Sheboygan." Basically a bunch of supervillains, including the Joker and the Riddler, hatch a dastardly plot in Sheboygan. A bunch of Superheroes, including Superman, Batman and Spiderman, unite together to save the day. I wish I could remember more...but only thing I really remember is the distinctive sound of my father laughing through the whole thing. He's always a good one to have in your audience for a comedy. Throughout my childhood, I viewed the people that were in that play as a sort of superhero themselves, because I wanted to be onstage too.
Years later I became friends with a few of the people that were in the show. Initially it was kind of strange. Picture whoever your childhood idol was...and then picture hanging out with them on a regular basis. Eventually, I got over the weirdness. Although with one, even though we've been friends for years, whenever we get together, the 6 year old part of my brain starts yelling: "BATMAAAAAAAAN! BATMANBATMANBATMANBATMANBATMAN!!!!!" Like with any other 6 year old in my life, I just acknowledge it, so we can move on to the task at hand. "Yes dear, that's the guy who played Batman."
Two other women from the show became such close friends, if I ever get married they'll be the bridesmaids. In fact I wouldn't at all be surprised if "The Mayor of Sheboygan" responded to this blog.
The other woman from the show I became closest to was the Joker. I'm Aunt to her children. I think it's classic me to be friends with Batman AND the Joker....but closer with the Joker.
One summer the Joker was involved in a play at the Arts Center in Sheboygan. The play was a series of monologues, all performed by women. The Joker was performing what was to me a really overused forensics piece called "Clear Glass Marbles." I was a bit nervous to see her do the show as I was worried I might have another Colonel Sanders experience. "Boy I liked you as a kid but.....ick!" Thankfully, that was not the case at all. She knocked it out of the park.
I'd Like to Thank the Academy...
I'm not sure which of the categories "Bosom Buddies" falls into. (Rewatching episodes is what prompted this blog entry.) Probably somewhere between 2 and 3.
I always took some pride that I was a Tom Hanks fan starting with his "Bosom Buddies" days. I absolutely LOVED that show. For me, watching Tom Hanks succeed felt a bit like a local boy making good. And part of me cheers every time Peter Scolari has a cameo in one of his movies.
There was a wonderful room in the Kronshage dorms in Madison called the Rose Taylor room. It came to be a hang out for some of my friends and I. It had a large screened TV and a piano. One night, probably during a commercial, I went over to the piano and started banging out "My Life" by Billy Joel. One of my friends shouted out in delight "BOSOM BUDDIES!!!!" It's the sort of show where I can't help but like somebody a little bit more when I find out they watched it too.
Watching it now....I can totally see why it only lasted 2 seasons. However, I can also see why I enjoyed it so much. Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari have a wonderful cameraderie and chemistry with each other, and an energy that is infectious. It got me thinking about Mike Myers watching "Hard Day's Night" on TV when he was a kid. Whenever the movie was over, he would start to cry, because he liked the guys on the screen so much. As for me, i just smile and think of that happy little kid who was about to become a life long Tom Hanks fan.
St. Louis was fun....although I'll have to visit it again when I don't have end of the trip fatigue. I normally pride myself on having an excellent sense of direction. Usually, even if I get a little lost, I'm able to get a feel of the place I'm in. I'm convinced that St. Louis, like Waukesha...is my kryptonite. For the life of me, I couldn't go from one place to another that was 2 blocks away without getting hopelessly lost.
Saturday morning my friend and I went to see Forest Park, which apparently is the pride and joy of St. Louis. It's bigger than Central Park, and has all sorts of museums that are all free. We went to check out the Science Museum. I was impressed by all the hands on activities available. My favorite was a view over the highway where you could clock how fast the cars were going, and also peek through a window through the floor to watch the cars.
Most of yesterday was spent driving home. I did have a happy little surprise in Atlanta, Illinois realizing the truckstop I was at, Dixie's, is one of the stops on Route 66. A good chunk of the rest of the drive home was spent obsessing and scheming how I can do a future road trip on Route 66. (Classic me....not even back from one road trip and already scheming the next few.) I think I could pull it off by splitting it in half. And the 2nd half, I would fly in, rent a car, and fly back. Anyway, I got home at about 10 last night. Am spending the day recuperating, cleaning my hobbit hole, and preparing for my summer school classes.
To wrap up this year's road trip, here's some highlights and greatest hits.
Places I'd Most Want to Visit Again
Montgomery, Alabama, the Gulf Coast region, and southern Louisiana
Best Meals
Romie's Grocery in Tupelo, Mississippi and Neely's Barbecue in Memphis
Most Emotionally Satisfying Moments
Going to Sun Records in Memphis, and seeing the water pump and kitchen at Helen Keller's house in Tuscumbia, AL
Creepiest Moment
Seeing the group of prisoners working along the river in Louisiana
Wyoming Award (for place I liked least and gave me the worst vibes...)
Birmingham
Best Surprise of the Trip
The Superman Festival in Metropolis, Illinois
Kindness of Strangers Award
One of the most satisfying parts of the trip was good old-fashioned Southern Hospitality. I was delighted by the warm, friendly attitude by so many of the people I met. I also just adore the dialect and the local expressions. Next time I go South I think I'll go with a friend so I'm more confident to talk to more people, easily the best part of the region.
This is Dire Corrector, back from her Road Trip 2009, signing out.
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