Quodlibets

Frog's questions

So I asked frog three questions on her blog, and in turn, she asked me three, so here goes.  Sorry it took so long, frog!

Is your career what you'd hoped it would be when you decided to pursue it? Career, ha!  Seriously, though, when I decided to enter the library world, I never could have seen myself where I am now.  I thought I would have an MLS, first of all, and secondly, I thought I would be a reference librarian, which I am slowly coming to understand I would probably not like very much at all.  I've talked about this before in this space, but honestly, the idea of a career is still very foreign to me.  I am doing what I do because I have to be doing something, so why not this?  I don't have many hopes or expectations about what I'm going to be doing in 5 years or 10 years or 20 years. 

What's the best concert you've ever attended and why? Worst? Best concert. *Intake of breath*  So hard to just pick one.  I've enjoyed a LOT of concerts in my life, so it's really hard to pick best.  All the good ones sort of settle in.  In recent years, perhaps the Pete Yorn show I saw at Schuba's for its sheer intimacy and also for the Smiths' covers he played.  Also, of course, there is the church of Macca, which like I say, cease to be concerts and are my worship opportunities.  Those are always always wonderful.  Now, worst concert, that's a question I could probably go on about for post after post.  Eric Clapton has to be up there.  That was horribly bad.  I don't love wa-wa guitar solos, and those abounded in the show.  Also, he had NO personality.  None.  Boring and awful.  Any show I end up counting architectural elements at is bad bad bad, and this was one of them.  The two My Morning Jacket's shows at the Metro were similarly awful for the counting. 

Are you going to do NaBloPoMo?  I sure am.  I'm hoping that both other blogging members of my family will do it, too.  I'm pretty sure my sis is, and I'm crossing my fingers that my dad will.

Now, if you all who read this (all....6 of you) wanna ask three questions, go right ahead.  I'll do my best to answer those questions, but can't promise I will answer all of them if they're...uncomfortable.  In return, if you blog, I'm asking you 3 questions in the comments on this post, and I expect you to answer them on your blog.

War Criminals and Marathoners

At this point, the Chicago Marathon is sort of a national spectacle, so I'm going to share some thoughts about it.  The marathon goes by our apartment building in the first half of the race; last year, we could see the runners from our apartment through the balding trees.  This year, I actually had to go out onto the street and watch, and I only did so for about 10 minutes.  I also only saw the fastest runners, because I hit the streets early.  And actually, I'm fairly certain I saw the front-runners go by as I was waking up.  Anyhow, where we were, the runners were pretty bushed.  And it was pretty early in the race.  Sweat was POURING off these people--I was afraid of getting splashed by sweat in my spot on the curb.  I don't know about water supplies and aid stations, and I don't know how the cancellation was handled.  I was in the midst of football and sewing by the time the shit hit the fan.  And I guess, because I'm not a runner, I don't get it.  I understand that people spent money on this.  I understand that maybe things were slightly...less organized than they could have been.  But I don't understand what compels a person to go out and run for 3 to 4 to 5 hours in 90-degree heat.  Was it the entry fee?  If the entry fee is THAT important (if it's the difference between eating and not, say), perhaps you shouldn't be running the marathon.  Is it the training?  It seems like you should be running for the sake of running, not whatever glory you're going to get at the end of a race.  Training should be reward in and of itself.  Maybe again, I'm clueless.  But I can't believe that every single person out there made rational decisions to keep running in the stifling heat.  Whatever else you want to argue, it's pretty poor logic to insist that you can run 26.5 miles in 3 hours in 85-90 degree heat and be just peachy by the end.  I guess I just don't get it. 

As for that war criminal thing, last night during the 20-20 tie portion of the game, when things go too tense, I flipped over to an old episode of American Experience.  Sam and I only watched about 10 minutes of the show, but what we watched was footage of the Nuremburg trials.  Specifically, the footage of Goering pleading not guilty.  All I could think during it was how surreal it would be to see top officials from our own government on trial like the Nazis.  I'm not obviously any sort of expert, but it seems to me we've got some war criminals in power right now.  And while I think Americans should hand over our government officials for judging, if the case has any merit at all (it'd be a way to regain some of our lost to torture credibility, and anyway, I think torture is ALWAYS a crime.  Point blank, no matter what.), it's also very strange to think of Dick Cheney and Geo. Bush on trial like the Nazis were.  It's just...kind of a sad thought, as an American.  I'm not saying the Germans weren't complicit in the crimes those men committed, but isn't that the point?  We are too; we all have blood on our hands.  And no matter how uncomfortable it makes me to think of Americans tried as war criminals, it's probably justice being done, in this case.  Still, gives you an awful sort of insight into the minds of those German civilians in postwar Germany.  Just a macabre thought for your Monday.

Observation

Here's another reason I'm an old lady:  every night after dinner I have to eat my Viactiv caramel calcium chew.  Yes, you read that right.  Viactiv calcium chews.  It's only a matter of time before I start buying orthopedic shoes in hideous murky brown and wearing my sunglasses around my neck on a beaded chain.  Also, I'll be sporting a blue rinse next time you see me.

In all seriousness, though, my gynecologist fairly insisted that I add a calcium supplement to my diet because at my age, my bones are still adding density, and need calcium to do it.  I'm interested in not breaking when I'm 60, so I decided to take her advice.

However, this does not make me feel any younger.

Today is over, as far as I'm concerned

The unofficial worst day of the year is over for me.  Yes, ladies, I am speaking of the annual.  Men, I'm sorry if it's too much, but you probably have someone in your life who has to have one, so deal with it.

It's not that the annual is really that big of a deal, and it gets almost humdrum as the years go by, but it's still no fun.  Just like you don't want to have a doctor grab your balls and tell you to cough, we don't want a doctor to pry us open and poke a giant q-tip in.  In fact, I think the giant q-tip is worse. 

But it's over, huzza! and I'm clear for another year, provided that the pap comes out normal.  Two weeks and I'll know.  But my blood pressure is excellent (the nurse was so complimentary about it, it's kinda funny), my blood is normal and everything else looked fine.  Not that I was worried.

Anyway, whatever I spend the rest of tonight doing, it's all over for me.  364 blissful days to go before the ordeal happens again.  (With apologies to my sister, who has a slightly worse situation, having only a half year between each.  Sorry Kate!)

Sex Cannon and the Bad News Bears

Busy weekend, again.  Yesterday, of course, we went to the Bears game, which although was a win, led to a very unhappy feeling among some of us.  The Bears, you see, just don't look very good.  Yes, they won.  But they just look sad and defeated on offense.  I'm not confident that Cedric Benson is a good enough running back to pick up Mr. Grossman's lack of you know, skill.  My dad says he's too short, and he just can't see his receivers over the heads of the taller people around him.  I say, who cares?  He sucks, and that's bad enough.  There's no way in hell we're going back to the Super Bowl with these schmucks playing like this.  I'm not sure if that's debatable.  We may win all our games against the bad teams, but we're going to keep getting creamed by the SD Chargers of the world.  And let's be honest, how bad did the Chargers look last night?  I only watched the first half, because I was falling asleep on the couch by ten to nine (sunburn and lots of screaming = tired me), but it seemed bad.  I think the defense LOST my mom points in the FFL.  Anyhow, I did have a very fun time at the game, and doing the tailgating beforehand (not really a tailgater, normally).  Although we may have been the ONLY tailgate going on that day where not one beer was drunk.  Truthfully, there wasn't even any beer to be had at our tailgate.  Still, fun.  Glad I went.  But not at all optimistic.

On Saturday, Sam and I went to see Rilo Kiley at the Riv.  They were very good.  Jenny Lewis' voice is the real deal.  It's so amazing and pure that the show would have been enjoyable if it were just her out there singing hymns.  But the band obviously has a lot of fun out there, so it was enjoyable all around.  But man, the crowd.  If I thought Kings of Leon or Keane was a hipster scene, I was sadly mistaken, compared to this bonanza of hipsterism.  I think I was the only girl there who had no hipster clothing items on.  There were a lot of non-hipstery guys there (probably due to Jenny Lewis' indie hotness.  I think every guy who's ever seen a picture of her wants to bone her.  I'm not kidding.), but the chicks they were with if they were with chicks were little hipster chicks.  Obnoxious.  The place was musty with the scent of smug coolness.  It made me want to scream.

Before the show, Sam and I ate at a little gay bar down the street from the Riv.  A gay sports bar.  Is there anywhere better on the planet?  This is what I need, people.  A gay boyfriend who likes football and telling me if I look good in my clothing.  When you go to Crew, you feel like it just might be possible.  Also, great mini-burgers at the place.  If you're interested in that kind of thing.

I think that is all, for right now.  My face and chest are sunburned in a bright red color, and I'm feeling kind of out of it this morning, so I can't muster up anything else to say.

1 2 3 4 5 6 9 and 10

I know I like a song when it makes me feel like crying.  Not in a bad way, but in a joyous way, a way that makes me feel full of the beauty of the world.  Some examples:  "Wedding Day" by Rosie Thomas, "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley, "Teardrop" by Massive Attack and "Half-Acre" by Hem.  And now "1 2 3 4" by Feist.  I'll say this for Apple: they're marketing geniuses, though they're not successfully selling me a Nano, they're selling me brand loyalty and a Feist CD by advertising the new Nano with the song.  I have to hand it to Steve Jobs, who has exquisite musical taste, and even if it's not his taste, he's a canny mofo, because he picked a song that's ridiculously appealing.  (Not that I'm impugning Jobs' music taste, because he's a Beatle-maniac, and almost every song he's ever chosen to demonstrate and iPod with has been brilliant.)  Anyway, the point is, I plan on getting to the rest of the Feist CD soon, I swear.  It's really hard for me to get past "1 2 3 4" though, because it's a damn good song, and it makes me want to dance and sing, and anything that can get me dancing and singing at 6:30 am is worth it.  I have to admit, I have one other Feist CD, and I recently took it off my iPod, because it's just not breaking through for me.  I'll give this one a chance, though.

In other music happenings in the EfroMano house, we're getting into a band called Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.  The Dap Kings are the producers of Amy Winehouse's excellent CD, so when I saw a little blurb about Sharon Jones on Perez, I listened.  And damn, if Sharon Jones isn't true funk, I don't know what is.  In listening, you can definitely hear the sounds that shape the Winehouse album, but the voice in front of those sounds is more true, and less pop.  At first, I was very unsure, but I really do like her voice, and I like the sounds of the albums.  Sharon Jones' version of "This Land is Your Land" is insanely cool, and I really like the new single "100 Days, 100 Nights" (which happens to be the name of the new album too).  These guys are playing the Park West in November (I think?! Can't remember.) and Sam and I will def. be going.  It's a cheap show, and it'll be really different from most of what we see live.  I'm really looking forward to it.

And last in new music news, though it's not exactly new, Ani DiFranco has a greatest hits double CD out.  I have all of her albums (except the last few very newest, because I just haven't enjoyed her music lately), so it's not like I really needed it, except that I knew if I saw it and held it in my hands I'd want it.  Last night, we went to a bookstore that sells music, and I was doing my resolute best to not enter the basement of music, but Sam dragged me down there so he could buy me the Feist CD, and I knew that I'd be leaving with the Ani too.  And damn if I didn't.  The first CD is killer (though does anyone out there remember the three-CD Ani set I made three or four years ago?  That thing was KILLER.), and the second one is full of new music I don't like, but what really attracted me was the 5 newly recorded versions of older songs: "Napoleon", "Overlap", "Shameless", "Both Hands" and "Your Next Bold Move".  I can't help it, again, but I'm not really that big of a fan of the re-dos.  I want to be, but something about the production, and oh, Ani's voice, which used to be so magical, but isn't anymore, just turns me off.  It makes me very sad, because I was a very huge Ani fan for a number of years, and I just don't enjoy her very much anymore.  I am going to see her when she swings into town, thanks to a very generous friend who's sharing a ticket with me.  And I'm cautiously looking forward to it, but I'm nervous too.  I'll report back after the show.

Those who can, teach

When deciding on a career path (ha!), I never considered teacher.  I think I would be a miserable teacher, first of all, and I just don't like kids, which you know, are a central component to teaching.  I do have a few friends who teach, though, and as I understand it, it's a very hard job.  And actually, two of my friends teach bilingual education, which to me is above and beyond, because not only do you have to be a teacher, but you have to do it in Spanish as well.  One of these friends is starting a new job, in her own classroom for the first time, in the city.  She's dealing with supply issues that she can't believe, and she's dealing with having very little capital to invest in her classroom.  I'm guessing that the Chicago public schools aren't very generous with their allowances, because they can't be.  On Saturday, she told us that the teachers at her school still don't have a few of the textbooks they need to teach.  Class starts today.  I'm guessing those textbooks didn't show up between Saturday and now.

But that's not the point.  The point is that teacher-friend could use some things for her classroom, things that will probably last her a very long time if she gets them.  And the neat thing is, we can help her get those things.  There's an organization called Donor's Choose, and it exists solely to help charitably fulfill public school teachers' requests for things they and their school districts can't afford.  Teachers submit proposals, and then the public can choose to fund whatever projects they'd like.  Teacher-friend has submitted three proposals:

One
Two
Three

And no, I'm not above asking my friends and readers to contribute even just $5 to one of these projects.  Is there a worthier cause than helping a teacher to educate children?  I don't think so.  I'm definitely going to throw some money in the pot (though I haven't decided which project I want to support yet), and I can tell you that anything you can spare would be appreciated greatly.

Update:  I will re-post links as soon as the funding option is available.  I'm not sure if the person that is doing this knows that her projects are unfundable, so I'll talk to her.  But thanks for commenting, and I changed the title of the post. 

There'd be no distance that could hold us back

So the summer is officially over now, for me.   A new semester has begun at little college where I work, and I've felt it in my bones.  I'm tired, man.  After a whole summer of working hard at nothing, actually doing work poops me out.  Things have been ever-so-tense, here, too, with a bevy of computer and printing problems.  That storm that tore up Chicago tore up this college, too, and it's set us back days, in terms of having everything ready for the first day of classes.  Hence, everything wasn't ready for the first day of classes, and boy, can you tell when you're working the ref. desk.  Anyway, things seem mostly recovered here, though I'm not quite up to standard yet. 

Sam and I have been busy busy busy, and it's not letting up any time soon.  At least, weekend-wise.  The draft for my fantasy football league was Tuesday night (yes, it's a go!  I'm all fired up for football.), and it didn't last that long, but it felt very intense.  I was very sweaty afterward, in a very cool room, which should be a clue.  Then again, I did have my burning-up laptop on my lap, so that might have been it.  Either way, I definitely didn't get exactly the team I wanted, with my quarterback annoying the hell out of me.  All the mock drafts I did didn't prepare me for the fact that in my league, quarterbacks went FAST, and I just wasn't prepared to take a quarterback in the third or fourth round.  Plus, I picked second, which REALLY threw me off.  My best mock draft was at seven, so I wanted fervently to be in the bottom half of drafters.  Oh well, we'll see how this season goes, and if the ladies like this enough to keep doing it.  Fingers crossed.

What else?  Nothing very interesting, except that I'm already writing the first of my banned book book reports, and will post it during banned books week.  I'm enjoying the little oasis of YA books very much, and in fact, the book group I'm in will be reading a banned YA book for our next meeting, which is kind of neat.  I'm hoping to read at least two more for the blog, but we'll see how the reading goes.  I haven't been doing much of it, oddly enough, with the mix of crossword puzzles, cross-stitching and actual work keeping me from books.  It's very strange, and even more oddly, somewhat of a relief.  I'm enjoying having other pursuits. 

That's all for now, I guess.  Back to book report writing.

All We Are Saying

A long time ago, I rented "The US vs. John Lennon" and only sort-of watched it.  I fell asleep about 40 minutes in, and woke up to the gunshots that killed John.  I missed a lot, to say the least.  Tonight, it was on VH1 commercial free, and as luck would have it, I discovered it about 40 minutes in.  I watched the rest tonight, and making it twice today, cried at the end.  (I also cried when Sirius died in the HP V movie.  Too sad, even though I knew it was coming.)  The tragedy of John Lennon's death almost never fails to evoke something in me, even though as I've said before, I can get touchy about the martyrdom of John Lennon vs. the hate of the schlocky Macca cult.  But make no mistake about it, however you feel about the complicated end of the Beatles, John's death left us immeasurably poorer.  It was, perhaps, the most shocking musician death ever, and it's made worse by the life and philosophies of the man who died.

But what mostly struck me about this film, this time, was the sad, sad parallel to now.  Gore Vidal touched on it in the film, saying something to the effect of John standing for life with what he did, and Nixon and George Bush, our current president, being death.  And death being bad.  Gore Vidal said that, if no one else did.  But what other people were saying about Nixon and that immoral Vietnam War are things that can 100% be said about this immoral war we're in now.  The things that these people said about Nixon can be said about Bush.  Nixon's administration was criminal, and their twisting of the Constitution was shameful.  I believe 100%, with no doubt, that the same things can be said about Bush and his administration.

The film was, of course, telling a story, and it was the story of how the US government (Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, the INS) conspired illegally to deport John Lennon, because he was saying things against the war and government.  Tariq Ali, in the film, says it's absolutely laughable that someone like John Lennon could be a threat to the US government.  He's incredulous that Nixon perceived such a threat in Lennon that he illegally tried to remove him from the country.  And it was insane.  It was.  It's a fascinating story, politically and culturally.  It's also very sad to watch, simply because of the parallels.  And because of the ending, which we all know. 

The other thing that I couldn't not think during this viewing was how the world would be different if John Lennon had lived.  I honestly cannot imagine a world in which John Lennon was still alive.  I can't even begin to think of it.  I don't know what he would have done.  It's so heart-breaking to think, I don't think I ever really have.  It's hard, it's very hard to exert your mind that way, because it brings you right back around to the place you are now, a world that he left too soon.  But I think, and I don't think I'm even a little wrong, I think that John would have been doing the Vote for Change tour with other musicians.  I think he would have been a naturalized citizen of this country, and I think he would be doing the same thing now that he was then.  Trying so hard to get us to give peace a chance.

Watch the film.  Just don't be surprised when you end up heartbroken at the end.

Da Dum Dum Dum

I don't think Sam and I will ever have another two year period where we go to so many weddings.  I'm actually going to one tonight (as my mom's date!  I can't wait.), and yesterday, we got a completely unexpected one in the mail.  We knew that the couple was getting married, but Sam was sure we wouldn't be invited.  It's one of his best friend's older brother's wedding.  This is a family with four sons and a daughter, and we've already been to two weddings in the family in the last 12 months.  This wedding will make it almost pefectly 3 in 12 months.  The thing is, we're not super-close to the bride and groom (though at the last family wedding I spent a good deal of time with the bride-to-be, since both of our significant others were in the wedding.  I have to stress that I really, really like both the bride and the groom.  Whether or not Sam was good friends with the groom during his time in CA, I really like both him and his fiancee.  I WANT to go to this wedding.  It'll most likely be the last one of the family we go to, as the remaining siblings barely know Sam or I.

But it's far away.  In Seattle.  And it's on a weekend that we've already got stuff.  The stuff we've got is less imporantant than a wedding, that's for sure.  Not that we wouldn't gladly do these things we have planned--we're in fact looking forward greatly to these things.  (Don't worry mom, it's not Frankenmuth weekend.)  But.  A wedding should take precedence.  But.  It's a LOT of money to spend to go out there and go to a wedding.  But.  We've never been to Seattle and it might be fun to stay an extra day and do a little bit of sight-seeing.  Can you tell we're wavering?  My honest-to-god first reaction when I saw the invitation in the mail was "oh shit" which turned into "shit shit shit shit shit shit" when I saw the date of the wedding.  The only conclusion we've come to is that we'd absolutely be going if we could 100% afford to.  Since we can't, we're sort of in a no-man's-land of desire and duty.  The only thing I know for sure is that we're going to have to figure this out SOON, so we can book things and gently cancel our other plans.  Argh.

Unrelatedly, this morning I woke up with a mean itch on my right upper arm, on the side of the arm that's away from me, underneath (thus making it impossible to examine well).  I scratched the itch, and it was a bump...or...wait, two?  I used the mirror, bent my skin this way and that, and realized that some creature had chopmed its way down my arm, leaving a nearly straight line of 7 or 8 itchy bumps.  They're mostly hidden against my body, but if I don't wear a cardie to the wedding tonight, the top two or three bites will show.  And just what bit me?  I don't think it was a mosquito.  The bumps don't feel like that.  And if it was a spider *shudder* why the hell did it go crazy on me?  I'm thinking it happened during the night, and maybe I could feel the thing on me and I was trying to crush it between my arm and body and the spider got mad?  I don't know, but it's unsettling and very strange to see the line of bites down my arm.  Maybe they'll go away fast.  Who knows, since I have no clue what bit me.  Sigh.