Sunday, April 08, 2012
Political Campaign 2012
What I'm Listening To #110
In for a penny, in for a pound.
just got Rosie Thomas' new CD "With Love". Like seeing an old friend after an unexplained hiatus, it's good to hear her voice again. I like my initial experience of it and I'm trying to decide if she's more tentative with her voice after an illness or just maturing. It's probably a little bit of both.
I know I'll always have her exuberant, playful early music; so I can certainly grow with her into more mellow, collaborative, serious music, only rocks change too slowly for us to notice or appreciate.
I know I'll always have her exuberant, playful early music; so I can certainly grow with her into more mellow, collaborative, serious music, only rocks change too slowly for us to notice or appreciate.
A School Rises Over The River
Perhaps the closest analogy I can make would be to a model train enthusiast, that is how my newly purposed and renovated basement space has inspired me to play! My vision is to create a Lego Urban Environment that is full of backstory and ideas. In other words: a fantasy world build one little plastic brick at a time.
Many of the buildings that I am starting out with I had already built over the past several years and with each staging I came to realize that only transforming the entire room into it's service would satisfy my growing desire to explore a complete world of Legolandia. At this point, mothers ought to warn their children; and fathers might prefer buying an etch-a-sketch and leave the Lego sets to less well informed parents.
Yet, be that as it may, in my Lego world the construction has begun in earnest on a public school.
This school, to be exact. It will be modular, but this ground floor is a single unit that actually snaps into place over the "River." It holds seven classrooms--K to 5 and a counselor's classroom, plus a nurse and two lavatories, as well as a receptionist space. I chose the shape of the windows on this floor because I like the idea of a classroom being like a fish bowl, and they are built over a river after all!
The 2nd floor will hold the formal Office, media hub, cafeteria, art and music classrooms. The 3rd floor is where you'll find grades 6-8, and the 4th floor 9-12. The class sizes are small and so the curriculum expands from a more traditional elementary set of content and instruction to a veritable university format in the high school.
In the process of construct- ing a building, I usually do a good bit of research and explore a wide range of examples, ideas and styles. This municipal building from Galveston, Texas built at the end of the 19th century was a particular inspiration, and then when push came to snap, I went with those crazy fish bowl windows! But fear not--I have not given up on my original inspiration. Time will tell how the two styles will meld into a unified idea. It's part of the fun.
Many of the buildings that I am starting out with I had already built over the past several years and with each staging I came to realize that only transforming the entire room into it's service would satisfy my growing desire to explore a complete world of Legolandia. At this point, mothers ought to warn their children; and fathers might prefer buying an etch-a-sketch and leave the Lego sets to less well informed parents.
Yet, be that as it may, in my Lego world the construction has begun in earnest on a public school.
This school, to be exact. It will be modular, but this ground floor is a single unit that actually snaps into place over the "River." It holds seven classrooms--K to 5 and a counselor's classroom, plus a nurse and two lavatories, as well as a receptionist space. I chose the shape of the windows on this floor because I like the idea of a classroom being like a fish bowl, and they are built over a river after all!
The 2nd floor will hold the formal Office, media hub, cafeteria, art and music classrooms. The 3rd floor is where you'll find grades 6-8, and the 4th floor 9-12. The class sizes are small and so the curriculum expands from a more traditional elementary set of content and instruction to a veritable university format in the high school.
Today's Sermon
from the First Georgic
When spring begins and the ice-locked streams begin
To flow down from the snowy hills above
And the clods begin to crumble in the breeze,
The time has come for my groaning ox to drag
My heavy plow across the fields, so that
The plow blade shines as the furrow rubs against it.
Not till the earth has been twice plowed, so twice
Exposed to sun and twice to coolness will
It yield what the farmer prays for; then will the barn
Be full to bursting with the gathered grain.
~ Virgil, 70 - 19 BCE
Translated from the ancient Latin by David Ferry
Saturday, April 07, 2012
What I'm Listening To #109
It's been a good while since I shared some of the music that is framing my world. So I am giving a series of reviews here.
Clarence Bekker is one hot Mother-fucker. Ain't no denying it. And he has a voice and a passion for singing that is as electrifying.
For the past couple of years, he has hitched his wagon to the good folks at "Playing For Change" as they seek to create a movement around music and music education that might bring hope and a brighter future to children in places like Nepal, Mali, South Africa & Rwanda. It's an amazing undertaking which has also enlisted some wonderful musicians like Clarence.
On this CD, he sings through some very classic and for the general audience obscure old school soul tunes. I liked it. It did not match the power or passion that I've come to expect from him, but it did broaden the scope of my musical lexicon.
For the past couple of years, he has hitched his wagon to the good folks at "Playing For Change" as they seek to create a movement around music and music education that might bring hope and a brighter future to children in places like Nepal, Mali, South Africa & Rwanda. It's an amazing undertaking which has also enlisted some wonderful musicians like Clarence.
On this CD, he sings through some very classic and for the general audience obscure old school soul tunes. I liked it. It did not match the power or passion that I've come to expect from him, but it did broaden the scope of my musical lexicon.
What I'm Listening To #108
What I'm Listening To #105, 106, & 107
That's the political take on what they do. The aesthetic point of view is that it's just some damn fine music!
Monday, April 02, 2012
Sunday, April 01, 2012
The Vision Unfolds
The point of renovating my basement was to give me a proper space in which to unleash my Lego vision. And the next to Legos, building things with wood a tools really psychs me!
I do have a masterplan!
So far sections A & B are completed with some alterations--all visions change in the face of reality...Don't ever let any prophet tell you otherwise!
Monday, March 26, 2012
My New Basement Ceiling Two Views
Very happy to have the floor, the lighting, and the ceiling done so I can focus on the real purpose of the transformation---Legos!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Today's Sermon
Back in the days when pots and pans could talk--which indeed they still do--there lived a man. In order to have water every day he had to walk down the hill to fill two pots and walk them home. One day it was discovered one of the pots had a crack and at time when on the cracked widened. Fine the pot turn to the man and said, "Every day you take me to the river. But the time you get home half of the water has leaked out. Please replace me with a better pot."
The man said, "You don't understand--as you spill you water the wild flowers by the side of the path." Sure enough on the side of the path where the cracked pot was carried beautiful flowers grew, while the other side was barren.
"I think I'll keep you," said the man.
~ Kevin Kling, 1956 -
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