I seldom go here…

out loud and in public (but H usually gets an earful….) This is mostly because I think that too many people open their mouths when they have little to no idea what they’re actually talking about.

And again, McLaren comes to my rescue with more eloquence, grace and knowledge than I can muster:

A plea for a new generation of Republican leadership (click link)

This quote gets to the issue of why I can’t sit quietly on this one.

“The Obama administration needs a worthy loyal opposition, just as any group in power does, and the president himself often says so. But people who shout “hitler, nazi, socialist” don’t constitute a worthy loyal opposition.  Nor do the birthers. Nor do the nostalgics, who seem to keep waking up in the 1980’s year after year, quoting Ronald Reagan.”

I told H last night:  I’m so tired of the demonization of “the other side”.    The fact is, I don’t think that either side has it completely right and to completely and blindly align myself and label myself with one political side seems stupid to me.

All I want is to be on the other side from stupid.

Guess what; School has started.

And it’s been exactly a month since my last blog entry.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Our Japanese exchange student, Saori, only has one more week with us.  She’s fixing us dinner tonight.  This afternoon,  Holly and Ivy were still napping.  I asked Saori if she missed Japan and was excited to be oing home soon.  She said that she wanted to stay here and that didn’t want to go back.  She said that she was worried about her host family, but that we’ve been very nice and that it’s been a good experience.  That’s nice to hear.  We’ve had fun with her, too.  I don’t know what Ivy is going to do when she leaves.

School has been good.    I haven’t said it out loud very much cuz I feel like I’m going to jinx it in some way.  It’s crazy that we’ve only been in class something like 10 days and I already feel way behind.  I lucked out with a fantastic schedule this year.  Another big plus for teaching in PG is that I get two days for Labor Day instead of just one.

Big deal on the horizon is Bill Mallonee is coming on the 17th.  Still trying to figure out how to get people to the show.

Ok. blog. done.

R.I.P. John Hughes

Ok, I didn’t wear the shoes (although I’m quite certain I owned some very similar at some point), and i can’t say I had all the fashion sense, but the character of Duckie cut way too close to the bone for me.  (I did wear a bolo tie with my tux to Sr. prom-see pic below….)  I really wanted to be Ferris Bueller.

The truth of the matter was that I really didn’t have the best high school experience.  I was from a tiny town in NW Kansas.  I wasn’t into sports.  I had allergies and didn’t do well on the farm or in the field.  I liked to sing.  I liked to read.  I played piano and liked synthesizers and Depeche Mode and Erasure more than Whitesnake or Cinderella.  I was skinny.  I cared how my hair looked.  You can go ahead and guess the label I got stuck with.

Of course, what the hayseeds didn’t realize is that I have always liked girls.  I know that most boys hit this stage in their development where girls are suddenly very interesting and not so gross anymore.  I never hit that stage because I’ve always liked girls.  While other boys were wrestling in the dirt and learning baseball stats, I was getting about a 6 year head start at figuring out how to spend time with girls.

Weirdly, I have always romanticized high school; even when I was in it and it wasn’t the best.  John Hughes gave me stories to hook my ideas into.  Like I said, I was Duckie.   I liked to think I was a little bit the nerd in Breakfast Club (without the drivenness and i would never take shop anyway…) who had the brains and reflection to give words to others’ feelings.  I was Keith in Some Kind of Wonderful, who could show the girl what she was missing if she’d give me a chance.

Anyway, thank you, John Hughes.  It’s silly, but your movies always make my favorites list.

Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club

The layers each, were plain to see…it was a dream…

(5,000 points and bragging rights to whoever can name the obscure reference the title of this blog came from!)

I so rarely remember any of my dreams, I thought I needed to share this.

I was hanging out at Daniel Lanois’s studio with Daniel Lanois.  (If you don’t know who he is; shame on you.  He’s an amazing musician/songwriter/producer best known for producing such albums as The Joshua Tree and So by Peter Gabriel.  Thanks to Rustin for turning me on to his solo music.)  Of course, I don’t know Daniel Lanois personally, but in my dream, his personalilty and the way I was talking to him was kind of an amalgam of two Nashville producers that I know.

We were pretty much just hanging out, listening to music, discussing songs and production and I said something about how all of the records I’d recorded so far, I felt like I’d found the best producer for my money/songs/project/circumstance I could find at the time.  But, I also knew that I’d not done anything to that point that could compare with what Daniel Lanois could do with me and my music.

Daniel’s response was as gentle and as nice as he could be while it was obvious that he was trying to be honest and just tell me the truth.  He told me that what I’d done so far was good, but that I might need to accept that maybe the producers I’d worked with were the best I should hope for.  Essentially saying he didn’t think he saw the potential in me and my music to feel compelled to work on a project with me.

He was very kind and I appreciated his honestly, but I was still very saddened and a little crushed.

At that point, we were all supposed to go to this debut performance at this little theatre coffee shop.  A friend of mine had taken all of my songs from Gypsy Heart and fashioned them into this 1 man musical/operetta/review that he was performing for the first time with a keyboard player.  I was not looking forward to it.  I thought the whole idea was kind of dumb and I was afraid it would be really cheesy.  Not to mention, when I agreed to let him use my songs, I had no idea I’d be going to see it the first time with Daniel Lanois, who’d just told me my music was good, but he didn’t think it would ever be great.

So, we went to the show.  And it was AWESOME!  By the time the lights came up, I was in tears, Daniel Lanois was standing and clapping with tears streaming down his face.  He turns to me and tells me “I get it.  I’m so sorry.  Forget everything I said before.  I’d listened to all your past records and didn’t really pay close attention to Gypsy Heart when I listened to it before.  Please, I would be so honored if you’d let me work with you to produce your next record.”

Then, I had to go around the corner because I had a taste test.  It was at a little bar and it was a mixed drink, so there were all these ditzy sorority girls hanging out in this little salon. They handed us each a drink.  I said it was good.  And then everybody started to leave except a bunch of the sorority girls because they’d ordered more drinks.  Then, I was confused and didn’t know if I was supposed to pay for the drink I had or if I was getting paid for the taste test.

it was a dream…

Are you kidding me? #127 or “Mother Theresa- Heretic”

“If you really want to bless the Lord and pour out your love on Him [worship],  he has told us how to do it….’In as much as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me.’ (Matt. 25)”  -Mother Theresa

Apparently, Mother Theresa said these words to some one whose area of expertise is supposed to be “worship”.   The bio blurb of his credentials said that he’s a songwriter, producer, publisher of “worship” music.  He’s an author who has written books with a name like “The Adventure of Worship”.  He’s a “worship teacher” for some organization called “worship schools”.

Whatever.  I’ve never heard of the guy.   But it really bothered me to think that Mother Theresa’s words were so revolutionary to this person who’s supposed to be an “expert” on worship.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the most dissappointing part of that article.   There were 4 comments at the bottom of the page.  3 of the 4 articles were jackasses informing anyone unfortunate enough to read their BS that Mother Theresa’s beliefs in general was not accurate and that she taught a “false gospel”.  Let me give a short quote from each of these idiots:

“We need to minister to the poor, but if we fail to give them the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, we have oppressed them worse than anyone.”
“Have you researched, on your own, the Catholic Church and it’s core and true beliefs? Misinformation is the reason we are separate. Jesus weeps at our separation…”
“M. Theresa, humanly speaking, did a lot to help the suffering of the lepers of Calcutta, but by teaching a false gospel she condemned her hearers to a Christless eternity. “

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?

If anything, Jesus weeps at your ridiculous, asinine, pharisaical blather.  Shut the frak up already!

I really need to read The Myth of Certainty again…

Book Reviewer

So, I found this thing where Thomas Nelson Publishing is trying to sign up 1000 bloggers to review their books.  I’m thinking:  Free books?  Ok.  All you have to do is write a review on your own blog and post a review on a commercial web-site like Amazon.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think to check and see what kind of books Thomas Nelson publishes.    The first time I logged in (after being accepted into the program) they gave me about 6 books that I could choose from to review.  None of them looked interesting.  In fact, they all pretty much grossed me out.  That’s why there’s a review of the I Believe Bunny on my blog.   I figure that if I’m going to need to read a book that I’m not interested in, make it the kid’s book so that it won’t take me long.

As far as that goes, the book wasn’t too bad.  But who the hell am I to be critqueing a book for 3 year olds?

The I Believe Bunny by Tish Rabe and illustrated by Frank Endersby

Apparently, The I Believe Bunny by Tish Rabe and illustrated by Frank Endersby is the first in The I Believe Bunny Series.  I can only conclude that because of the matching titles.  There’s no “#1” written anywhere or list of additional books.  (This sort of thing annoys me.)

Bunny is annoyed by a rainy day.  A small mouse had fallen in the river and didn’t know how to swim.  The Bunny rushes to help, although worried the he won’t be able to reach, prays to God for help.  No sooner does he pray than his friends come running to help also; saving the desperate mouse from watery doom.

This story is written in relatively simple rhyming and rhythmic poetry that make it fun for parents to read and children to listen.  Most of the book handles this very well, with just a couple of instances where the lines/verses seem forced and don’t really propel the story.  When faced with a problem, I appreciated that Bunny didn’t just throw up his hands and pray, but also took action however he could.  The illustrations seem adequate and support the story well. However, I’m not sure the pictures are interesting enough to hold a young child’s attention without a reader.  I’d think this book would be appropriate for little one ages 1-5.

Apparently, The I Believe Bunny by Tish Rabe and illustrated by Frank Endersby is the first in The I Believe Bunny Series.  I can only conclude that because of the matching titles.  There’s no “#1” written anywhere or list of additional books.  (This sort of thing annoys me.)

Bunny is annoyed by a rainy day.  A small mouse had fallen in the river and didn’t know how to swim.  The Bunny rushes to help, although worried the he won’t be able to reach, prays to God for help.  No sooner does he pray than his friends come running to help also; saving the desperate mouse from watery doom.

This story is written in relatively simple rhyming and rhythmic poetry that make it fun for parents to read and children to listen.  Most of the book handles this very well, with just a couple of instances where the lines/verses seem forced and don’t really propel the story.  When faced with a problem, I appreciated that Bunny didn’t just throw up his hands and pray, but also took action however he could.  The illustrations seem adequate and support the story well. However, I’m not sure the pictures are interesting enough to hold a young child’s attention without a reader.  I’d think this book would be appropriate for little one ages 1-5.

What do you think?

I couldn’t really get the hair right.

Welcome, Facebook Fans

I finally got around to fixing/adding a music page on facebook.  If  you’re new to this page,  thanks for stopping by.

Check out the music page here at shacknotes.   Come back to visit.

grrr….

I shouldn’t even think about posting when I’m in this frame of mind.  1) I have too many things swirling in my head to even THINK, let alone compose coherent thought.  2) I’m too angry and irritated because of different parts of the swirling eddy of my thoughts.

#1: Snide comments about Michael Jackson.

First off, I’m not really a fan.  I never owned Thriller, and honestly I get annoyed everytime the video is named greatest video of all time.  Mostly just because I’m sick of it.  The man could sing.  The man could dance.  He was an exceptional entertainer.  He brought a lot of music into the world, and I think he did a lot of good in the world.

Was he a child molestor?  He was acquitted of all charges.   I don’t know.  I do know that there are some people who got lots of money and publicity just for raising the question.   Was he jacked up? duh.  Was he creepy and strange? obviously.   He also lived his ENTIRE life outside any kind of range of normalcy and most, if not all of that circumstance was beyond his choosing or control.   How could you expect him to not be at least creepy and strange?  Does that make him a monster?  Instead of your conviction that he’s a child molestor (since, obviously you have inside info that the jury didn’t), or comments about his misguided beliefs (Jehovah’s Witness and or Islam) and condemnation and declaration of where he must be right now (as if it were your place to decide), maybe you should take a sec to repent of your own self-righteousnees and judgement and the putrid, disgusting, ugly glee at the demise of a severely broken human being who is just as much a child of God/Allah/Jehovah as you are.

#2:  “Gayby Boom: Children of Gay couples speak out” (click title to follow link)

Just found this article.  Got me all fired up about Arkansas’s prohibition of unmarried cohabitating couples from adopting or caring for foster children.  I know it was passed like 9 months ago, but it still pisses me off.   Wouldn’t it be best if orphans/foster children were raised by heterosexual, married couples? Well, maybe.  I know a lot of hetero/married couples that suck at being married and suck at raising kids.  It’s not difficult to imagine children would be better off with a loving homosexual couple.  And it’s just plain stupid to suggest children would be better off in an orphanage than with a loving family whatever the gender/makeup/orientation.

God, save us from our pride.  Save us from our ugly self-righteousness.  Teach us to love.  And for those who have it all figured out (except the loving part) at least shut them up so they stop representing you in such a horrific way.