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Sunday, November 16, 2008

Better be good to your students or else...

Hey!

Recently, I had the pleasure of talking to a guy whose sister is married to the drummer of Lynard Skynard. You may have heard of them...

Click on this link to see Lynard Skynard perfrom "Sweet Home Alabama."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHsDa9_HSlA


He was saying that he gets to go to concerts at least once a year and gets pretty decent seats to boot! He also gets back stage visits and the VIP treatment. Why not??? He's family!

Now, I had wondered where the band had come up with their name--after all, it is unique in the sense it isn't a label (like "The Beach Boys") or a family name of a band member (Van Halen) or just a word that may represent their message (Green Day).

Anyway, turns out that the original members of the band went to high school together. They had the long hair that was common in the sixties, but they wore it in a pretty conservative area. Their gym teacher constantly gave them a hard time about their appearance (among other things). The guys didn't like him much, I guess, but they decide to "honor" him nonetheless....

His name was Leonard Skinner.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Letters From War

Hi all,

I saw this video on Youtube a few days ago, and have not been able to get it out of my head. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmjhUPa65mk

I mean, I really can't get it out of my head. It "plays" as soon as I wake up and before I go to sleep. It plays in the grocery store and as I do the dishes. I love it...but it's driving me nuts!

I suppose it's because it can be digested from so many points of view and I always puzzle things out to the millionth degree. It's a double-edged sword, believe me! :<)

As an "artist" I think about how the song lyrics were fit together. As the minivan/shower singer that I am, I think about the voice of Mark Schultz who sings it.

As a wife, I think about the pain this woman must feel with her husband gone, having to miss him and also shouldering the anguish of the unknown fate of her son alone. I have always thought that not knowing is many times harder than knowing--even if it's a painful knowing.

As a mother...oh my God...I can't imagine waiting two years to know that my son was okay. When his mother collapses in the video, I could really feel it--albeit a fraction of the real thing--and I was so relieved to see it was him. Home and safe.

As a human being who--like so many others--tries to do the right thing, I think of the sacrifice of leaving your home and everyone you love to go off and fight a war. I have such a deep respect for anyone who sacrifices to go into the military. I think it takes a rare kind of heart to serve one's country this way.

As of last night, I have been thinking of it in terms of being someone's child, because after all, where not everyone is a spouse, mother, father sister, brother, whatever...the one thing we all are--is someone's child.

Yes, it's these multi-layered things I love--sort of! :<) You know, the "writing experts" are always saying you should write about things that you know but I have found (for myself anyway) that the sparks come when I write about something I don't know but desperately want to understand.

My God! I could have a thousand year career, huh?!

Boy Meets Girl


While on my Bowflew (which, if you haven’t seen one in person, looks like a medieval torture apparatus—and feels like a modern one!) I glanced to my left and laid eyes on what made my burst out laughing. It epitomizes what it’s like to raise a boy and a girl at the same time.

A lovely doll house, complete with a maid who vacuums (wouldn’t mind one of these for those of you wracking your brains for Christmas ideas) with giant, predatory Bionicles climbing the sides, preparing to feast on the ever-grinning Playmobile people.

Stereotypical “girl world” meets stereotypical “boy-world.” God love ‘em!