After stocking up at Bed Bath and Beyond, my 10 yo goes
"We got everything we needed and some of what we wanted."
So nice to understand the distinction!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Songs and poems
I realize I've been doing too many song lyrics, but really songs speak so much to me, they are the poetry I'm reading lately, current modern poetry not doing so much for me.
In passing conversation, gossiping about an acquaintance's divorce, I said, 'she's like the girl from the song, who realized at the age of 37 that she would never go to Paris and feel the wind in her hair.' Of course I couldn't remember the song at that moment, but I could remember the essential lyric and how years later, it still resonated. Even if you've been to Paris, and don't particularly like convertibles, you know what she means (for the curious, the song was The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, and the singer Marianne Faithful.)
And I've also been listening to Amy Winehouse's Back to Black. God that's a terrific cd. I really think its one of the years best, it's one of the best debut cd's I've ever heard. Makes me even sadder when I hear of her current crazed situation - not that she didn't describe it in detail in her music. It's like she wrote the script and now she's acting it out. The pain and knowledge and nuance in her voice, and she's all of 24, it's astonishing. I really hope we get to hear more from her...
And then we had homework poetry. My son (4th grade) had to read and analyse a poem. It was William Carlos Williams, The Red Wheelbarrow. Don't fret, here it is:
so much depends upon
a red wheel barrow
glazed with rainwater
beside the white chickens.
So my ten year old declared that he hated it and found it meaningless. I've never read WCW before, and after 10 careful minutes of consideration, I had to give in and google him, because, frankly, the poem didn't speak much to me either. Wikipedia had all sorts of information (as Wikipedia does)
But the link that gave us most joy, was to amazon, where we found this wonderful book - Love that Dog - where a 10 year old boy, who hates poetry because he thinks it's the sort of stuff that girls write, gives his own take on the poem:-
I don't understand
the poem about
the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
and why so much depends
on them.
If that is a poem
about red wheelbarrows
and white chickens
then any words can be a poem
You just
got to make
short lines.
Well, we laughed and laughed, it so agreed with his opinion and instantly ordered the book, and I'm so looking forward to reading it with him. It was just lovely to find someone else with his exact opinion, and I imagine the book goes on a bit more about it, but even if it doesn't, it sounds like it will be a lovely introduction to poetry for a 10 year old boy...
In passing conversation, gossiping about an acquaintance's divorce, I said, 'she's like the girl from the song, who realized at the age of 37 that she would never go to Paris and feel the wind in her hair.' Of course I couldn't remember the song at that moment, but I could remember the essential lyric and how years later, it still resonated. Even if you've been to Paris, and don't particularly like convertibles, you know what she means (for the curious, the song was The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, and the singer Marianne Faithful.)
And I've also been listening to Amy Winehouse's Back to Black. God that's a terrific cd. I really think its one of the years best, it's one of the best debut cd's I've ever heard. Makes me even sadder when I hear of her current crazed situation - not that she didn't describe it in detail in her music. It's like she wrote the script and now she's acting it out. The pain and knowledge and nuance in her voice, and she's all of 24, it's astonishing. I really hope we get to hear more from her...
And then we had homework poetry. My son (4th grade) had to read and analyse a poem. It was William Carlos Williams, The Red Wheelbarrow. Don't fret, here it is:
so much depends upon
a red wheel barrow
glazed with rainwater
beside the white chickens.
So my ten year old declared that he hated it and found it meaningless. I've never read WCW before, and after 10 careful minutes of consideration, I had to give in and google him, because, frankly, the poem didn't speak much to me either. Wikipedia had all sorts of information (as Wikipedia does)
But the link that gave us most joy, was to amazon, where we found this wonderful book - Love that Dog - where a 10 year old boy, who hates poetry because he thinks it's the sort of stuff that girls write, gives his own take on the poem:-
I don't understand
the poem about
the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
and why so much depends
on them.
If that is a poem
about red wheelbarrows
and white chickens
then any words can be a poem
You just
got to make
short lines.
Well, we laughed and laughed, it so agreed with his opinion and instantly ordered the book, and I'm so looking forward to reading it with him. It was just lovely to find someone else with his exact opinion, and I imagine the book goes on a bit more about it, but even if it doesn't, it sounds like it will be a lovely introduction to poetry for a 10 year old boy...
Friday, January 18, 2008
Quote of the day
Plato wrote (don't have a where and when for this quote, but I liked it):
The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, or the form remains constant (using Platonic terms...)
Okay, so because I'm a quote wonk, I tried to find where it's from... and this is what I found - it's not true! So while it's been around for 50 plus year and quoted by a Dutch Prime Minister, Plato never said nor attributed it to Socrates. Nevertheless the quote exists - and it feels true!
The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, or the form remains constant (using Platonic terms...)
Okay, so because I'm a quote wonk, I tried to find where it's from... and this is what I found - it's not true! So while it's been around for 50 plus year and quoted by a Dutch Prime Minister, Plato never said nor attributed it to Socrates. Nevertheless the quote exists - and it feels true!
This quote seems to be more valid: "The world is passing through troubled times. Young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no respect for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they know everything, and treat older people’s wisdom as stupidity. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest, and unwomanly in speech, behaviour and dress." and is attributed to Peter the Hermit/Monk in 1274, but just because it has a date, doesn't mean it's any more valid.
That's one of the things I find interesting about the internet, how one invention can be repeated and cross referenced so endlessly, that it becomes 'real' and it's only if you try to verify it that the holes emerge. So the Plato quote has been quoted since 1953 (at least) when someone put it in a text book, but no one, no Plato scholars, have been able to find an original quote, but still, the New York Times (the paper of reference) quotes it as real today, further establishing its veracity, but it's not... As for Peter the Hermit/Monk whatever - Madeleine L’Engle, the highly respected fantasy writer gave that quote, so it must be true :)
(okay, so now I had to find the Madeline L'Engle reference, and I couldn't, of course not, but did find this quote, which again, sounds like something she would say and is beautiful in it's own right, so I'm including it here:
“In the evening of life we shall be judged on love, and not one of us is going to come off very well, and were it not for my absolute faith in the loving forgiveness of my Lord I could not call on him to come.”
She may have written it, and she may not have, but I believe in it's essence, whoever wrote it, so I'm including it, but without any historical resonance... (how's that for a caveat) )
Monday, January 14, 2008
jet lagged...
I wrote this really interesting and witty blog entry in my head at 2 am last night, and was so alert I almost got up to write it up, but didn't want to disturb my family. Of course this morning I can't remember any of it...
Jet Lag is really awful this time 'round. I feel exhausted at 8pm and then perk up and then can't get to sleep till I give up and take something at 2.30 in the morning. I know, I know, I should just take something at 10pm and be done with it. I'll do that tonight.
If I remember my great insight from last night, I'll be sure to share it with you.
In the mean time we went and saw Howard Jones (remember, Dream into Action?) that was a good album. We saw him at this intimate concert hall on the upper east side - and the audience just loved him. They sang along, they knew every word, they laughed at every story. He was sweet and charming, but it was the audience who made it work for me. Their love was just so pure and happy, and they really did come to sing as much as listen, and they really did know every word, even to the more obscure songs, it was great.
He sang a song that I had not heard that he wrote with Duncan Sheik, Someone you Need and I really liked it - so here are the lyrics:
The streets here are empty
all the people went home well,
I was just wondering if you're alone
So how you've been lately?
I hear you're a little down
and do you think maybe I could come around?
I could be someone you need
wrap you in blankets on dark winter nights
be your best confidante
pay the right compliment
I could be someone you need
We had coffee on 3rd street
and talked for a time
I still have your letter
I know every line
I hope this ain´t coming
from way out of the blue
cause I got to thinking
and I thought of you I could be someone you need
keep you from burning in hot summer sun
roll you in clover
a coat for your shoulder
I could be someone you need
You need someone there
when the world isn't fair
or its all just too good to be true
Someone to care for you
issue a dare to you
when the moment comes you need to fly, fly.
I could be someone you need
wrap you in blankets on dark winter nights
be your best confidante
pay the right compliment
I could be someone you need
Jet Lag is really awful this time 'round. I feel exhausted at 8pm and then perk up and then can't get to sleep till I give up and take something at 2.30 in the morning. I know, I know, I should just take something at 10pm and be done with it. I'll do that tonight.
If I remember my great insight from last night, I'll be sure to share it with you.
In the mean time we went and saw Howard Jones (remember, Dream into Action?) that was a good album. We saw him at this intimate concert hall on the upper east side - and the audience just loved him. They sang along, they knew every word, they laughed at every story. He was sweet and charming, but it was the audience who made it work for me. Their love was just so pure and happy, and they really did come to sing as much as listen, and they really did know every word, even to the more obscure songs, it was great.
He sang a song that I had not heard that he wrote with Duncan Sheik, Someone you Need and I really liked it - so here are the lyrics:
The streets here are empty
all the people went home well,
I was just wondering if you're alone
So how you've been lately?
I hear you're a little down
and do you think maybe I could come around?
I could be someone you need
wrap you in blankets on dark winter nights
be your best confidante
pay the right compliment
I could be someone you need
We had coffee on 3rd street
and talked for a time
I still have your letter
I know every line
I hope this ain´t coming
from way out of the blue
cause I got to thinking
and I thought of you I could be someone you need
keep you from burning in hot summer sun
roll you in clover
a coat for your shoulder
I could be someone you need
You need someone there
when the world isn't fair
or its all just too good to be true
Someone to care for you
issue a dare to you
when the moment comes you need to fly, fly.
I could be someone you need
wrap you in blankets on dark winter nights
be your best confidante
pay the right compliment
I could be someone you need
Friday, January 11, 2008
The Shot misses
So I've been sort of watching a reality tv show called The Shot on VH1, which was about 10 aspiring photographers who want to break into fashion photography. I missed about half the episodes, so it wasn't the contestants conflicts that were getting to me, but I was actually interested to see what images a group of different people could do with essentially the same ingredients.
And the finale really hit the jack pot for me. They actually had a prize worth winning (and how unbelievable is that) which was to shoot a Victoria's Secret catalogue in Hawaii. So for once they had world famous models, an amazing location, and you could get a sense if skill made a difference, or if anyone could take an amazing picture in that circumstance. And of course, the website of the show - doesn't have the final photographs!! It has images of the contestants but not the photos they took! No wonder the show didn't work, even their own producers has no respect for it!
There is a video, where the photographs appear, but they are blurry, not because they were blurry irl but because the video does such a crap job of filming them. Really, the vh1 website folk ought to be the ones shot!
However I really liked that idea, seeing what they could do with world class models, and the results were obvious, some of the images were really much much better than others. Take a look at the video, crap as it is, and if gives you some idea...
And the finale really hit the jack pot for me. They actually had a prize worth winning (and how unbelievable is that) which was to shoot a Victoria's Secret catalogue in Hawaii. So for once they had world famous models, an amazing location, and you could get a sense if skill made a difference, or if anyone could take an amazing picture in that circumstance. And of course, the website of the show - doesn't have the final photographs!! It has images of the contestants but not the photos they took! No wonder the show didn't work, even their own producers has no respect for it!
There is a video, where the photographs appear, but they are blurry, not because they were blurry irl but because the video does such a crap job of filming them. Really, the vh1 website folk ought to be the ones shot!
However I really liked that idea, seeing what they could do with world class models, and the results were obvious, some of the images were really much much better than others. Take a look at the video, crap as it is, and if gives you some idea...
Monday, January 7, 2008
windmilling away...
After mentioning the song Windmill of your Mind (I know the Alison Moyet and new Tina Arena versions. Dusty Springfield also had a big hit with it. I hunted up the Sting version - interesting but not as intense as the other versions. And interestingly, the original version, sounds way too fast for me) Anyways, after writing about it earlier, the song was drifting through my head and I was getting stuck on the sad and mysterious lyrics, and thought I would include them here:
Round
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of its own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half-forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly?
Was it something that you said?
Lovers walk along a shore
And leave their footprints in the sand
Is the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And the fragment of a song
Half-remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over
You were suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the colour of her hair
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Having just listened to all the versions, I like the Alison Moyet one best.
I do love youtube for listening to obscure stuff!
Round
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of its own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half-forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly?
Was it something that you said?
Lovers walk along a shore
And leave their footprints in the sand
Is the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And the fragment of a song
Half-remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over
You were suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the colour of her hair
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever-spinning reel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Having just listened to all the versions, I like the Alison Moyet one best.
I do love youtube for listening to obscure stuff!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
I Still Call Australia Home
Last day of our annual holidays in Sydney brings with it a tinge of sadness. Sydney at Christmas is always warm, welcoming, happy, even when it's muggy and raining, you know it will pass in a moment and the glorious beaches will beckon again.
Highlights of this trip include swimming at Bondi, Maroubra (rough surf there, great white churning waves. I'm not much for being dumped, so more a watcher than a bather at Maroubra, but I love watching the waves there, they are so dramatic.) I went to Little Bay for the first time ever, a charming sheltered cove of a beach. We went sailing on the Harbour and danced under the Bridge on New Years Eve.
We went to far too many restaurants - and the standard of food was uniformly high. Sydney has great restaurants. My favorite, Longrain, was closed over Christmas so have to remember to go there earlier next time. The Quay Restaurant (at Circular Quay, great views of the opera house and city) was a bit too much for me, but DH and our friends just loved it (very pricey too). We went to old emotional favorites - Schnitzel at the Gelato Bar, ice cream at Bar Italia, didn't eat enough Thai (Asian food is fabulous in Sydney!) but ate a lot all the same...
We saw Tina Arena at the Sydney Opera House. Don't mix her up with the little girl you saw on TV, she's 40 now and with the most beautiful soaring voice. She sang with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra backing her, and sangs songs 'of love and loss' which were so beautiful. I loved her version of Windmills of my Mind. It was a great evening.
Cocktails have gone up considerably since I last noticed. Mohitos were $18 at quite a few places, but were all excellent. (then again, I love Mohitos)
The best thing about Sydney for me is catching up with friends and family and we were lucky that Christmas is a good time for them and we had lots of time and laughs together.
We leave tomorrow... not looking forward to that at all... luckily I lined up a few things to do in New York or it would just be too hard to go!
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