Baby in a Basket

Baby in a Basket
Originally uploaded by care_.

Teeny Tiny Chinese baby waiting for a train in a basket. I thought this was too funny!

Badgers and Mushrooms

If you haven't already, go to this site: http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/

My kids showed it to me, it will crack you up.

O For A Muse of Fire

My students are watching a Shakespeare DVD that was sent to me by the National Endowment for the Arts. Its mission, I beleive, is to inspire children to read Shakespeare. Not just read, but strive for understanding and appreciation of the Bard and all that he has to offer. I have been attempting to get my children to do this in class for 4 weeks now, with moderate success. I myself was greatly influenced by Shakespeare at a young age. He is what led me to act, he is what inspired me to teach, he has had more influence than most on my meek little existence.

I teach children who define apathy. They are listless, expressionless, hopeless little monsters some days. They are inspired, creative, loving little angels on other days. But everyday they are consistent in one area, they are challenging. They look at you as if to say, " Go on, I dare you to teach me!" I don't know how to get them to understand that I am not here to torture them. It is their choice. No amount of "No Child Left Behind" -like legislation is going to save their sorry butts when they hit the real world without ever once having been held accountable for any action, decision, or choice. I have passed high school, college, and part of graduate school for that matter. I have succeeded in conservatory, I have written papers on everything from Othello to the effects of female aggression on adolescent girls. And yet, here I am, struggling with verbs and adverbs, explaining the idea of goal verses obstacle and contemplating the failure of our current education system.

I can't help but wonder where they will all be in 10 years.

A Quick Note on Posting

To my fellow contributors,

Feel free to post as often as you would like. If you are curious as to how to post pictures, check out this link. If you are curious as to how to put pictures in your posts, check out this handy dandy tutorial made by my friends over at Paper-Thin Walls. If you are looking for general help for all the nonsense that is Blogging, check out this link right here. If you want to nominate anyone else for a contributor type post, please let me know. Also, tell your friends and enemies about our little site.

Crap, I can't help but watch "Idol"

As I write this post, I am watching another contestant get up in front of four judges and sing their heart out. Now they are showing the reaction shots of contestants as they are told they are going to Hollywood. I HATE to admit this, but I can't help watching this show. In my opinion, "Idol" shows so many things that are wrong with society today, but damnit, I can't stop watching, I want more, give ME MORE. I love the people who can sing, but I love the people who can't sing even more. Where do they find these people? I suspect that some of them are bad on purpose in order to get some air time, but the ones that are sincere in their horribleness are simply amazing.

The problem with "Idol" is that many members of "Idol's" audience is stupid people with little or no talent who think that they have talent. The show's very design makes it seem, to the untrained eye, that becoming the next "American Idol" is as easy as falling out of bed. Combine this with the inflated egos of today's youth and it is no wonder that you have some awfully bad singers. Excuse me while I sound old here, but more than any other generation, this one is told that their dreams are right around the corner and that minimal effort is worth praise. For some reason, it seems that we have lost our courage in telling people they suck. The real question is "Has this been the case all along and it has just taken 'American Idol' to expose the ugly side of the 'American Dream'?" I'd like to think that at some point in our recent history, we told people that had absolutely no talent that they needed to stop what they were doing and get a job. Sure telling a kid that they have little or no talent is hard, but isn't it better to say the hard things then to watch them stubbornly tell others that they will become famous someday?

Another thing I don't like about "Idol" is that I hate they type of music they are promoting. The whole vocal gymnastics that "Idol" encourages makes me want to vomit most of the time and I am not a big fan of crappy pop music. I can appreciate a good voice and even get goose bumps if I hear an amazing voice sing a song that I could care less about, but I would rather listen to the new "Iron and Wine" CD.

So...if I had any scrap of integrity I wouldn't be watching this show right now, but...I am. I can't help it. I love to see those who can't get there due and every once in awhile there is a story of a person that makes you cheer and hope. It is finely crafted television that has sucked me in. Now, I am not a consistent TV watcher, so I won't be clearing my schedule to watch, but if it is on and isn't cutting into "The West Wing" then I am there. Well, I've got to go, this next contestant is going to be sadly pathetic.

Random Thoughts

Wow, I haven't posted in awhile. Things have been extremely busy at work, and every night I come home with little or no energy to do anything, let alone type a post. So, while I am still not all the way through this busy spell, I do have enough time for some random notes. (I also put up some recommendations, so check those out.)

Have you ever written or typed a word out and thought, "There is no way that word is spelled that way," only to find out that it is spelled that way?

I have become a water snob. I refuse to drink water unless out of a water bottle and I am a little frightened about what that says about me.

While in most jobs, the harder you work the more money you make, in my job, the harder I make the same amount of money, but the emotional rewards are plentiful. I wonder how long that will satisfy me?

I hope the Colts win this weekend.

Have you ever been so embarrassed by something you were watching on TV that you changed the channel?

I've done all I can at this point, I promise that you will see a big post come next week.

The Lonely Doll

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4258856

I am currently reading the biography of Dare Wright, the lonely and seductively intriguing author of the controversial "Lonely Doll" children's series. The books were first published in 1957 to much success, but were later cited for being indecent and politically incorrect due to many different aspects of the stories including the picture of the lonely doll, Edith, being spanked by Mr. Bear.

I have found the story of Dare Wright and her isolated childhood to be both fascinating and terrifying, and as an artist always struggling with the why and wherefore of the arts I am continually driven to read her story.

click on this link to see the article at NPR, I highly recommend the book!

What do you want???

This is a statue of a naked man. He doesn't look very happy, does he? This was on display at Smithsonian Museum of Modern Art. I always wonder if I could cheer this guy up. Do you think he would be in a better mood if he had some clothes on?

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

So before I begin, let me just state for the record THIS IS NOT A REVIEW!!! "Monty Python's Spamalot" is still in previews and not open for official reviews. The show could go through many different changes before it makes its official debut on Broadway in February. All that being said, it is AWESOME!!! Some friends of mine went up to Chicago last week to see this highly anticipated musical. I was excited, but tread lightly. I didn't want to get my hopes up only to find something else that didn't live up to the hype. I am a pretty big Monty Python fan and I think that "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is pure genius. So, let’s just say without working myself up too much, I was already expecting greatness.

My only reservation was out of all of the Python alum, Eric Idle is not my favorite. I find Idle’s stuff almost too sophomoric and sometimes not funny at all. Idle is the driving force behind “Spamalot” and while the rest of the surviving members of Python have given their blessing, this is his baby.

I am not going to get into too many details, because a) I don’t want to get sued and b) I don’t want to ruin it for you, but let me say this, the show spares no expense for a good joke. There are still some rough patches, but I am sure those will be cleared out before the real run. The best part about the show is that not only does it take the best parts of “Grail” and use them in the show, but it also manages to make fun of the musical genre along the way.

Tim Curry as King Arthur is adequate for the role. He seems to be still trying to get his stage legs back and I sure that will come in time. However, the role of King Arthur is the straight man of the play and Curry does a good job of rolling his eyes at the right moments. David Hyde Pierce is excellent and has one of the funnier big production numbers in the play. Hank Azaria is fantastic in numerous of roles. Most of his are the old John Cleese roles and he handles them beautifully. While the men are great, the literal diamond in the rough is Sara Ramirez. She plays several different parts, but mainly the Lady in the Lake. She has some great numbers, a good voice and is overall a joy to watch.

So, bottom line, if you have the opportunity to see this show, go SEE IT!!! I have no doubt it will win a lot of awards and meet much of the same acclaim that “The Producers” did last year. And so I end with the predictable pun, go eat some Spam.

Ahhh....now that's weather.

Just a little inspiration for a cloudy, rainy day. New post coming soon, where I don't really review "Spamalot"!

Phooey to the Flu

The best thing that I can say about this round with the flu is that my timing is horrible. Last night I finally came down with some version of what the rest of my family had caught at Christmas. It seems that one of the little ones was carrying a virus and everyone, and I mean EVERYONE caught it. Everyone except me and except me until now. For awhile there I was starting to feel invincible, something about my makeup made me different from the rest of my family. Well, nature has a great way of making you humble really quick. I'm starting to feel much better and I really can't miss work tomorrow.

I hate being sick. That small consolation of not having to work or go to school when you are younger has long since faded, and it has been replaced with being annoyed. Doesn't this flu bug know that last week would have been much more convenient for me to be sick? I've never had a flu shot, but I think that next year I am going to have to break the trend, as this is three winters in a row that I have been struck down. I used to never get sick and now it is like an annual event in my life. My girlfriend just questioned whether or not anyone cares about my bouts with the flu, and she is probably right. However, it does make me feel better to wallow and share my misery with the unknown masses.

Carter says..."Happy New Year!!!"

This is my girlfriend's roommate's dog Carter. He is a little over two months old. During last night's party, Carter laid down in the middle of the floor admist 30 or so people and took a nap. Happy New Year!!!

I hate Tim Robbins

(This was originally published in the Indiana Daily Student on 9/23/2003)

I finally realized why I hate Tim Robbins. Don't get me wrong, I think that Robbins is a great actor. But as I watched "Real Time with Bill Maher" this evening, I realized why I get mad every time I see a celebrity spouting off about his or her political views. It isn't because I disagree with them (although most of the time I do). It isn't because I believe celebrities are idiots and shouldn't have the right to speak on political issues (although I think that until Tim Robbins mows his own grass or cleans his toilet, he shouldn't try to relate to the pain of the common man/woman). The truth is that I don't hate them; it's that I am jealous. I'm jealous that they get to go on TV shows and say what they believe in, what they think is wrong with this country and what they would do to fix things. Hey! I have ideas! I have opinions! Why am I not on "Larry King Live"?Celebrities have a much bigger sandbox where they can throw large amounts of sand in the air to get attention. I, on the other hand, play in a small sandbox that has very little sand and smells funny. Robbins and other celebrity activists like him have the opportunity to be activists. I have papers to write, grass to mow, friends to see, relatives to care about, jobs to do, money to make, take care of this, go do that, and if I have anytime left over I will try to help the local Girl Scouts by buying some cookies. The point is that our little deeds can seem small compared to Susan Sarandon flashing the peace sign at the Oscars or Sean Penn flying over to Iraq or Bono talking to every politician who will listen to him, even though they don't know who he is. So what? Just because our actions aren't broadcast on the news, doesn't make them any less meaningful. Small things count and they add up. One of my instructors took attendance the other day by asking, "What cause do you support?" to everyone in the class. Most, if not all, had a tough time responding. Answers were the general, important sounding themes, like, "the environment" or "health care." Causes don't have to be big and important; start small. I've picked mine and it is the "Be nice to others" cause. I am going to try to shoot a smile at someone I don't know, spare some change, offer encouragement, etc. Let Tim Robbins worry about the big things that I don't have a lot interest in or time for; I'm going to make difference in the little space that I occupy. Can you imagine if we all did that?

The first is always....the first.

Well, I finally went and did it, I started a blog. It is something that I have been thinking about for sometime now, but never got around to it for whatever reason. Of course now everyone and their half-brother has one of these things, but I guess that isn't really the point. I mean everyone ended up at least saying they liked Nirvana, but that doesn't lessen their talent or impact. The reason that I started one of "these here new fangled things" is due to an encounter last night at my girlfriend's New Year's Eve party.

After the countdown was counted-down and Regis was done talking and we had woken up all the neighbors, I got into a conversation with a friend of a friend. It was through this conversation that I finally decided to give birth to a blog. Now it wasn't because this person said, "You should start a blog," but the conversation did leave me convinced nonetheless. To understand why I started this you must first understand that I consider myself to be somewhat of a music snob, "I like what I like and what you like isn't that good." This person I met last night, however, makes me look like an all accepting music-phile with no musical taste whatsoever. I thought to myself, "If this snobby snoberson can post her opinions online, why can't I?" So, after I wiped the haze from my eyes I realized that a blog might be exactly the thing I have been looking for. I thought back to an editorial that wrote for the Indiana Student Union not too long ago (see next post) and realized that a blog would fit nicely into my hopes and wants. I then thought that maybe it would be something that others would need to, so you might see other "lighter people" posting soon. Anyway, I start this purely for selfish reasons and if someone else gets a kick out of it, then it will make me smile slightly.