Think tanks

Where are these things and how do I get a high-paying job with one of them?!?

Bebel Gilberto

 

Bebel Gilberto is a wonderful bossa nova vocalist from Brazil. I loved Gilberto's first CD, 2000's Tanto Tempo, even though it was a bit uneven. Bebel Gilberto's second full-length CD of originals is even better than Tanto Tempo. She has found the style she is most comfortable with and made a complete album that focuses on her strengths: light, relaxed bossa nova sounds and her sexy, breathy alto voice.

The writers/arrangers on this CD have really outdone themselves. The lilting flute dancing atop "River Song," the simple guitar accompaniment of "Every Day You've Been Away," the trombone/flute duet on "Winter," they all just fit. Gilberto's songwriting has gotten stronger, as evidenced by "Simplesmente," a beautiful melody over a haunting chord progression.

All tracks belong on this CD: no filler, no crossover mess, just simple bossa - and that's a good thing. Daddy like.

What am I thinking?

I love movies; I love musicals.  Why do I despise movie musicals?  Movie musicals involve lip-syncing, love stories, and me leaving.

Historical ramifications

This morning as I was writing the entry below, I was also considering the historical impact of blogs.  What if my father had kept a blog during the 40 years he served in the ministry?  This blog would be an autobiographical journal that would help me better understand this man.  What if my grandfathers (whom I never knew), had kept blogs?  Just think of the first-hand accounts of life during WWII and the Great Depression.  These accounts would be saved and backed-up in cyberspace for all time.  A housefire or flooding could not destroy them.  A careless housecleaning wouldn't throw them away.  The Internet may be the most important advancement in historical recordkeeping since photograph was invented.  While there is a lot of nonsense and gibberish kept in blogs, time will sift through these entries and the cream will rise to the top.  (How's that for a mixed metaphor?)  Although the method of data collection and storage will change, these documents may stand the test of time.  What a wonderful gift (or horrible warning) to future generations.

Things happen for a reason

Sometimes we don't understand the reason, though.  I worked in a particular small, rural school district for the 4 school years prior to this year.  Throughout those four years, I was either certified to become a principal or was eligible for temporary certification to become a principal.  I enjoyed working in the district, the administration was great, and I kept hoping that an elementary principal position would become open so that I could make the transition from classroom to administration without leaving the district.  When a district is run as well as this one, however, turnover is low.  In January of this year, I finally made the decision to leave my job and go to school full-time.  I kept telling myself that I probably didn't have the demeanor to be a strong disciplinarian, which a principal job obviously requires.  I kept interpreting events as "signs" that were telling me that I had made the right decision.  When you make a decision as monumental as quitting your job and changing careers, you often second guess yourself; in hindsight, it seems like I was just trying to assure myself that I had made the right decision.  In any case, I made my choice, and I'm trying to look forward with no regrets.  This should be an exciting time in my life, although it is full of transition.  I am anxious, but looking forward to the next 2 years.

This week, a principal job opened at one of the elementary schools in my former school district.  The pessimist in me wants to say something like, "this could only happen to me," or "why now?"  My ego wants the phone to ring with a job offer I could turn down.  My prevailing attitude, however, is one of calmed assurance.  If I had stayed in my old job, I probably would have either gotten the principal job or left the district for another teaching position.  Neither one of those options sounds appealing to me.  Like I said in a previous post:  "Who are we to question 'the plan'?"

Look forward!

It's not the heat...

I just mowed my grass with temperatures in the 90's and humidity reported at 70%.  I grew up in the west Texas desert, reported humidity tonight: 27%.  Maybe I'm living in the wrong part of the state?

The pendulum of distance education on the Internet

I've been online for about 10 years now and remember what the Internet was like during its adolescence.  Over the past ten years, I've seen great advances in using the internet as an educational tool.  My first online grad school class, back in 1999, was poorly organized so more time was spent teaching technology skills than class content.  In 2002, I took another online course where technological skills were assumed and the entire course focused on class content.  That's quite an advance in just three years.  The past 10 years have also seen the creation of colleges that are totally online (i.e. Univ. of Phoenix) and a move to more online classes being offered by universities.   

I believe that online education is a wonderful tool.  For people like me, living more than an hour's drive from the nearest university, it may be the only to pursue a degree.  When I was an undergrad (1984-88), doing research meant physically going to the library and searching the card catalog and other resources.  Now it is as simple as logging in and using search engines.  That is certainly positive change.   

Here's my prediction for the future of online learning:  schools will slowly begin to use more and more online classes, cheaper alternatives to the Univ. of Phoenix will appear, some colleges or universities will insist on going mostly online, maybe even going so far as making requirements such as "25% of all classes must be taken online."  This will be the pendulum swinging to the extreme.  Then, hopefully it will swing back to center.

Students love choices.  Students must be given a choice between taking face-to-face classes and taking classes online.  Each student has his/her own preferences.  I dread looking at a syllabus and seeing some sort of group work.  I can't stand working with others when it affects my grade.  I want to be completely responsible for my grade.  Some students surely feel the same way about online work.

I envision the Internet being a savior to many teenage kids that hate school for a number of reasons - handicaps, peer pressure, learning disabilities, and bullying and other social issues.  This may seem like hyperbole, but the Internet may save lives.  Given the choice of committing suicide because he hates school, or using an online alternative to school, a student (hopefully) would choose the latter.

Eventually, after the pendulum has swung to its extreme, it will come back and find a healthy balance between online classes for those who want them and face to face classes for those who prefer that way of learning.  When that happens, I hope that the analogy becomes not one using a pendulum, but more like a lead plumb weight, something that rests in the center without swinging to extremes.  I look forward to watching this happen.

Rear Window

One of my all-time favorite movies.  It truly shows Hitchcock's genius.
 
Favorite line-
Lisa: Where does a man get inspiration to write a song like that?
Jeff:  He gets it from the landlady once a month.

Coming soon

Two of my favorite movie directors have new movies coming out soon.  The Manchurian Candidate, directed by Jonathan Demme and Collateral, directed by Michael Mann.   I'm looking forward to both.  Reviews to come...

Blog/Education

A friend recommended Jerry Pournelle's "original blog": www.jerrypournelle.com.  Good stuff; you should check it out.
 
In his blog, Pournelle states "The US school system isn't designed to educate children. It is designed to look fair by leveling the playing field into a deep pit into which money can be thrown."  While that may be extreme statement (even for me!), I agree with the sentiment.  Bureaucrats that don't know diddly-squat about education continue to make unfunded mandates to make it look like all children get an equal chance.  What we need is not an equal solution, but an equitable solution.  Accountability-based education, that assumes all students should go on to college, treats all students equally.  Are all students equal?
 
Here's my two cents for all you conspiracy theorists:  No Child Left Behind is designed to be so difficult that it will fail, opening the path for the voucher system to save education.  It won't work.  I'm glad to see some states pulling out of No Child Left Behind and telling Bush to keep his federal money. 
 
I don't know much about the economy, foreign policy, or homeland security, but I do know education and the environment, and those two areas alone will make me vote for Kerry in November.

I did nothing today

You are looking at my complete work output for the day.
 
How beautiful it is to do nothing then rest afterward.

British Open

What Brits call simply "The Open Championship". I look forward to watching this tournament each year for a few reasons. Watching golf from 8 AM to 1 PM is a novel treat. The type of golf needed to play the links style golf courses is very different than what we normally see over here in the U.S. The field is usually more culturally diverse than what we normally see. I have short-lived fantasies every now and then about living on the British Isles. I recently met a woman who moved "across the pond" to see what it was like. After two years, she moved back to the states because she couldn't afford the taxes (isn't that why we left the Empire in 1776?). Back to golf; I have no prediction for a winner this week, but the Open has put together an exceptional website at www.opengolf.com. Daddy says check it out.

Content

As I sift through my Sunday newspaper, I throw out huge classified sections of advertising that I'll never need; I get them out of my way. I was talking to myself this morning as I was doing that:

"'Homes' - not looking for one,
'Cars' - not looking for one,
'Jobs' - not looking for one."

I'm so content, if I was a cat, I'd be purring.

1970's Top 40 AM radio

As you can tell from my recent reviews of CD's by Al green and The Bo-Keys, I have an affinity for 70's soul/R&B music. How did a redneck growing up in the oilpatch of west Texas develop this affinity? Shouldn't I have been listening to Conway Twitty and Glen Campbell? The answer is Top 40 AM radio. I remember listening to KRIG radio and hearing all sorts of "Top 40" music at the time. Back in the day, you could hear all sorts of music on a Top 40 station. Sample playlist, circa 1975:

Love Will Keep Us Together, Captain & Tennille
Rhinestone Cowboy, Glen Campbell
Shining Star, Earth, Wind & Fire
Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas
Thank God I'm A Country Boy, John Denver
Laughter In The Rain, Neil Sedaka
Pick Up The Pieces, Average White Band
The Hustle, Van McCoy
Boogie On Reggae Woman, Stevie Wonder
Fire, Ohio Players
Magic, Pilot
Mandy, Barry Manilow

All these could be heard on the same station within a two hour timespan. Although I don't listen to all the above music anymore, I was exposed to it. Top 40 these days is much different and AM radio is pretty much for talk now, so a lot has changed. I'm not saying that's good or bad, just different.

High School vs College

One of the bravest things I've ever done (although I didn't know it at the time)is to go to college away from all my high school friends, most of which went to UT-Austin. Many times during my undergrad days I would be on the verge of changing schools (to UT) and changing majors (to English Lit). Thinking back, the only things keeping me in Commerce were my girlfriend (future wife) and 2 friends.

I think back to the 80's; I spent the first half in high school (of which I have many fond memories) and the second half in college (of which I have so-so memories). People ask themselves the question "If I had to do it all over again, would I change anything?" If were to answer that question, I would change the college which I attended. But if I had done that, I never would have met my wife, who puts up with all my shit without complaint.

Just goes to show that all things happen for a reason. Who are we to question "The Plan"?

If you don't like change, perhaps a career in education is for you

Isn't it ridiculous to put students into large groups based solely on age?

---

Schools are out during the summer because, many years ago, students were expected to help their families tend their livestock and crops during these months. We are increasingly urbanized, yet schools continue to take a summer break.

---

Children learn more outside of school than during classtime.

---

Public schooling used to last 11 years. During WWII, it was increased to 12 grades. Over the last two decades, it has increased to 13 years with the addition of full-day kindergartens.

---

More wacko thoughts to come...

No, I'm not looking!

Ever since I quit my job this spring to go to school full time, people have been trying to find me work. I understand that these people have only the best intentions, but I would rather they be happy for me and encourage me in this endeavor. Maybe it's the course that I'm taking. If I were to say I was going to law school or med school, I would imagine a different reaction. For the first time in four summers, I'm absolutely certain of what I'm going to be doing this fall and I can't wait until August to get the ball rolling. Now if only I could get people to understand that I'm unemployed by choice, not by circumstance.

The Breakfast Club

I first saw this movie at a cinema in Austin with my buddy Scott in March, 1985. Just a year out of high school, I thought this was a deep, moving motion picture with a quality cast that really showed the feelings of different groups of students in schools. I could relate to the characters.

Move forward more than 19 years. This movie has not aged well. I read on the IMDB that John Hughes wrote this script in two days. After watching this movie again, I find that very easy to believe. It is horrible! - and this coming from a man who loves all things 80's! Was Judd Nelson about 35 when he made that movie? He looks about 20 years older than Anthony Michael Hall. Unbelievable characters and dialogue. Then they tie it up nice and neat at the end - with 2 unlikely couples pairing off leading us to believe there's no social caste in high schools.

With the small cast and lack of location shots, I'm amazed that I've never read about some high school drama club doing a stage production of this P.O.S. In any case, I've got a Breakfast Club DVD I'll never watch again - let me know if you want it.

Al Green - I Can't Stop

Picked up this CD this weekend out of the used CD bin. I came to Al Green in a roundabout way: I'm a big fan of Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" movie and CD. They record Green's "Take Me to the River" which led me Green's other music. My all time Green fav is "Let's Stay Together," but he's got many memorable tunes.

This CD, released on Blue Note(?!) last year is a return to Green's 70's roots with producer/arranger Willie Mitchell. When it was released, this album took a beating from some critics that complained that it all sounded like the same ole Al Green. That's a bad thing? It is great to hear these horn/string arrangements, Green crooning up to his trademark falsetto moans, and some incredible Hammond Organ playing by Robert Clayborne. It reminds me of Solomon Burke's recent release, "Don't Give Up On Me," classic music from a great musician. Just because a musician sticks with what he knows and doesn't want to stick a rap in the middle of a CD just to sell it to the younger audience doesn't mean that the artist doesn't still have something to offer.

Daddy like. If you yearn for some 70's soul music, check out the Rev. Green. You'll also like the Bo-Keys, reviewed earlier on this site.

Moving On

I never thought I'd write words like these, but I'm finally at a place in my life where I'm ready to move on from my current location (physically and ...).

I've moved back to town (twice) since graduating high school; therapists would say I was trying to recapture something that I'd had in high school. The people I attended school with was an exceptional group of over-achievers. I have good memories of high school (selective memory at work) and often reminisce about not only the people and places, but also popular culture of the time.

When my 10 year reunion came about in 1994, I was so very excited. I had a great time visiting with my classmates and catching up on their lives. (Sidenote generalization: I thought it was interesting that the "cool" cliche from HS had peaked at 17 and were then leading unproductive, uneventful, unloved lives.)

But now that I'm getting another degree (that will require a move to get the kind of job I'm aiming for) and my 20 year reunion is on the horizon, I'm ready to move on. This town is nothing like it was 20 years ago, I'm nothing like I was 20 years ago. With only one exception that I can think of, the reasons for which I moved back here are all gone. Since the most important things in my life (my family and my faith) can move with me, it's time to move on.

Anthony Michael Hall

Talk about freaky - I just watched "Sixteen Candles," turned off the DVD player and an ad for "The Dead Zone" comes on. I know I've changed a lot in the past 20 years, but WOW - dude's got me beat.

De-Lovely soundtrack

Alanis Morissette "singing" Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)?? Spare me.

Patriotic music?

When watching fireworks over this weekend, pay close attention to the music played. Most shows end with two patriotic pieces: Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever" and Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture".

1812 Overture?!?!?

Granted, the 1812 Overture is a patriotic piece - if you are a Russian. The piece, written in 1882, celebrates Napoleon's retreat from Moscow in 1812. However, Tchaikovsky wrote that famous cannon part at the end of the piece, ensuring that this piece will be heard at fireworks shows from now on.

Now a nation of musical illiterates will think that this great work has something to do with the USA. Oh well, never let the truth get in the way of entertainment.

School mascots

What makes these things enter my mind?

We live in a world where feminists constantly push for inclusive language. I notice this especially in religious circles where hymn lyrics are "revised" so that God is not referred to as a male entity. However, at many schools, the girls teams are given a manufactured female-sounding mascot. For example, at the school where I last taught, the mascot is the Tiger. The girls' teams are known as the "Tigerettes." Now I'm no lingual scholar, but wouldn't that "ette" ending simply mean "little"? Other schools put the word "Lady" in front of their mascot (The Lady Cats for the Wildcats, etc).

Let me go back to the Tigers. Aren't there male and female tigers? Otherwise the species would be extinct, right? Shouldn't the male and female teams both be the Tigers? I say yes. Of course, in this school district, the jr high team's mascot is the Kitten - sort of a "little tiger". But isn't a young tiger known as a cub? Wouldn't the cub be a more fitting mascot? Would the girls' teams then be known as the Lady Cubs or the Cubettes?

Or course, nothing dies slower than a stupid tradition. That means we are stuck with these mascots for better or worse. I'm sorry, this whole posting makes it sound as if I care about the situation and I truly don't. Just Daddy rambling...