Waylon

Does anyone else see a resemblance here?



Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Yes: "Owner of a Lonely Heart"

Weekend Observations

Friday was Maryanne's birthday. She wanted to go out and try the Cloud 9 Grille; my review is here. The weather was cold, but she got a good turnout, and was able to enjoy her day.

As a result of Sarah's ad nauseum viewings of Disney's Sleeping Beauty, I have come to the conclusion that all the misfortune throughout the movie is the fault of the three "good" fairies. (I use quotes because they could be subconsciously sadistic). Observe the following:

• When Maleficent arrives at the castle, no one does anything to stop her before she curses Aurora. The fairies would have had the best chance to do so.
  
• While hiding Aurora in the cottage in the forest, it is through their careless use of magic that they are discovered by Maleficent's pet raven.
  
• At King Stefan's castle, it is when they leave Aurora alone that Maleficent is able to draw Aurora away and cause her to prick her finger.
  

I'll concede that it has been a while since I've read Perrault's version of the fairy tale, the version on which the movie was based, and I don't recall which of the above are from the "book" and which are creative license on the part of Disney. I'll also concede that fact that the fairies do their best to redeem themselves, especially by effectively rescuing the captured prince. Still, for three fairies that are supposed to be good, they certainly do a good job of botching things before getting them right.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Ozzy Osbourne: "Bark at the Moon"

Greek

After finishing watching 300 last night, and with still reading The Greek Myths by Robert Graves, I came to the conclusion that until now I had an innaccurate understanding of ancient Greece. I used to think of ancient Greece as a more or less unified nation, with power shifting from one city state to another throughout history. I think now, though, some research and reading may be in order. I'm currently revising my understanding, realizing that Greece wasn't so much a place as Greek was a culture shared by different people throughout what we now know as Greece, people of similar ethnic background and with similar religious and philosophical views. The aforementioned movie is probably not a good history lesson, nor is the distorted mythical interpretations of still older events presented in the Greek myths collected in the aforementioned book. Nonetheless, it does show that I have a lot to learn about the people that shaped civilization and perhaps formed one of the first bridges between Asian and European cultures.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Ray Charles: "Ring of Fire"

Uncovered

I was listening to Rod Stewart's beautiful cover of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is the Deepest" the other day, and remembered that I had recently heard part of Sheryl Crow's version of the song -- only part, because I turned it off.

So I thought to myself, "How many more cover songs is Sheryl Crow going to mangle?" She already destroyed Derek & Dominos' "Keep On Growing." About the only thing she's done that I like is "Picture," and that's a duet.

Mood: Disgusted
Music: Great White: "Rock Me"

Fishes

The other day I remarked to Maryanne that not only do the Darwin badges some people put on their cars bother me, but so do the resulting Truth badges that feature a traditional ichthys eating the Darwin parody. While evolution and Creationism may be at odds with each other, evolution and Christianity are not mutually exclusive ideas. I think it's possible for a person to accept scientific ideas and still live a Christian life.

I think this also illustrates the absurdity of fundamental, hard-line Creationism. Maryanne started watching 17 Kids and Counting, a show I find somewhat disturbing not only because of the rigid, inflexible beliefs of the family members, but their belief in Creationism, which took them to a Creationism museum. The museum featured neighboring displays of dinosaurs and Adam and Eve -- not the same display, but they might as well be showing Jesus riding a dinosaur for the scientific inaccuracy of it all.

I also remarked that Creationism is also very self-serving and prejudiced; it presumes to suggest that the Judeo-Christian Creation story is the only one that's truthful, and the creation stories of any other religions (and mythologies) are wrong. I compared this to the First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me." It doesn't say there are no other gods; to me it just says God wants to be first and only on your list.

Enter The Greek Myths by Robert Graves. Here Graves not only analyzes the symbolism of the Greek myths, but compares them to the mythology and the cults of the rest of the eastern Mediterranean. The similarities are fascinating, as he draws parallels between ancient Greek myths and the myths of other cultures, including Egypt and Babylon, and even the Norse and the ancient Jews. It's the kind of academic examination of the stories that seems to be lacking from those who take a literal view of scripture.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Dazed and Confused"

Decorating

I finally got the Christmas tree up yesterday, which turned out to be a bigger project than I expected. It required moving a large number of large items out of the living room, including moving a number of Sarah's toys into her room and moving one of our end tables downstairs temporarily.

The remaining challenge is getting some Christmas shopping done. Between my work schedule, Maryanne's work schedule, and dealing with two young children, I really don't know when, or if, we'll get any of it done.

Mood: Stressed
Music: Autograph: "Turn Up the Radio"

Making Memories

When the Packers thoroughly dismantled the Bears, I thought maybe it was a sign of them getting their season turned around. Of course, that was before seeing them get dismantled in turn by the Saints, and then lack any kind of special teams play against the Panthers. I'm now anticipating them finishing 8-8 on the season. No, I'm not one of those people that's going to blame it on Favre being traded away. The quarterback has nothing to do with inconsistency on defense and special teams.

The Thanksgiving holiday was fun, though, and in retrospect I'll likely remember it more than the Packers' mediocre season. November 22nd saw the arrival of some family for Magan's baptism: my sister and niece flew in from Colorado for the event, and my aunt and uncle flew up from Florida; my mother even came. Then over the course of the next few days everyone drove to Door County to have Thanksgiving at my mother's house. It was good having everyone together, even if it was a saddening reminder of those that are no longer here to share it with the rest of us. I also got to see some good friends. Despite the stresses of traveling with a young infant I think we all enjoyed the trip. Even Sarah enjoyed it, so much so that she didn't want to leave Sunday morning and put up a terrible temper tantrum when we finally left.

December is here, now, and with it the feeling of winter and the holidays. We got quite a bit of snow last night, enough to cause some schools to be delayed this morning. I don't anticipate the snow melting anytime soon. I enjoy having a white Christmas; I think it somehow appropriate, even if it does add another stress to the holiday season. The next several weekends will be busy while Maryanne and I try to ready ourselves.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Scorpions: "Wind of Change"

Observations

Some weekend observations...

During Saturday afternoon's Badger football game, did anyone else find it particularly irksome that the first of the two Badgers to be injured was so injured due to an illegal block in the back?

Also, while watching the same game, I was wondering how many of the people calling for the firing of Brett Bielema are cognizant of the fact that many of the Badgers' woes have to do with poor decisions made by the players, especially the ones resulting in turnovers. It's not only the coach's fault if the quarterback throws an interception or a running back fumbles the ball.

Before the Badgers game I raked some leaves in the front yard. I didn't really get to the back yard, because I was running out of room at the curb to dump the leaves, mostly because the Stoughton street department hadn't picked up the last back of leaves I left there. We had the same problem last fall. Between this, how long it takes them to pick up brush left at the curb, and their mediocre performance at snow removal last winter, I don't have a very high opinion of their work.

Sunday brought what was perhaps the Packers best all around game of the season. The Bears didn't have many explosive plays, and the Packers were able to move the ball well both on the ground and in the air. Throw in a defensive touchdown, and it was the team's best performance so far, and hopefully indicative of getting their season turned around.

I turned on the TV before the game actually started, and caught the tail end of the Fox pregame show which featured Terry Bradshaw's rant about the Packers management and how they never should have let Favre go. Normally I like Bradshaw, and find him at least amusing if not insightful as well. However, the Jets success and the Packers mediocrity thus far are certainly not the sole result of Brett Favre, and I lost some respect for Bradshaw for him suggesting otherwise.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Judas Priest: "Breaking the Law"

Struggling

As they say on Fark, "this."

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Billy Squier: "Everybody Wants You"

Barsoom

I was thinking the other day, as I was reading The Chessmen of Mars, the fifth book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic Mars series, that the books would make spectacular movies.

Well, the staff of the Topless Robot website must agree, because it was included in their list of sci-fi and fantasy books in need of the movie treatment.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Free Bird"

Births

With autumn in the air, it is a time of change.

Tuesday, October 14th, Maryanne gave birth to our second child, Magan Jean. We were better prepared this time than with our first child. So far things have gone about as well as could be expected. Sarah thankfully shows more excitement than jealousy over it.

Yesterday there were snow flurries in the air, a sure sign of the coming winter. Hopefully it isn't as harsh as last winter.

This morning there was yet another change: I learned that the radio station I've been listening to, WHLK, 93.1 FM, "The Lake," is no longer on the air under its previous format. It was previously a classic rock radio station, evolving a bit over the last few years. Since early this morning it's been broadcasting nothing but hip-hop. No thanks.

I wrote a long e-mail to the station. You can view it in the full post.

To whom it may concern:

To say that I'm disappointed by the demise of WHLK "The Lake" would perhaps be a gross understatement.

I don't know if there was any advanced warning of the impending end, but imagine my surprise and consternation this morning when I tried to turn on my favorite radio station and instead found something else.

When The Lake first came on the air I was intrigued by its format: a classic rock radio station that went deeper into the roots of rock and roll than most stations did and playing more obscure songs by sometimes obscure artists.

Over the years the station evolved, and I accepted that evolution, as all things must change to stay relevant and current.

This most recent change, however, seems to be a surrender, as if Mid-West Family Broadcasting is saying it can't compete with other classic rock radio stations in Madison and just gave up to play something else.

The Lake gave me an alternative to the repetition of WIBA, a station owned by Clear Channel and therefore a station I don't wish to listen to; it also gave me an alternative to the more insipid songs played on oldies stations like WOLX. It gave me a morning show I could actually listen to, unlike the irritating morning show on WWHG. In short, I could almost always count on The Lake to play something I liked, and to feature radio personalities that were interesting; it was rare that I went searching the dial for something else.

Now, unless your company owns another classic rock station in the Madison area, I will most certainly need to search the dial for something else.

This was the response I got:

Terry,

Thank you for the email. It is very difficult to make these decisions but with that said we did what our Research has been telling us to do with this signal for 3 years now.

I thank you for your loyalty to The Lake and I am sorry MWFB does not offer an alternative station for you to listen to.

Thank you.

--
Jolene K. Neis
Chief Financial Officer
Mid-West Family Broadcasting
608-441-3601
Jolene.neis@mwfbg.net

Now I have to find a new radio station.

Mood: Pensive
Music: Rush: "Working Man"

Grounded

According to this article in Rolling Stone, Robert Plant denies rumors of of a Led Zeppelin tour.

Mood: Sad
Music: ZZ Top: "Got Me Under Pressure"

Stung

Saturday I was able to mow the lawn for what could be the last time before winter. While doing so I was either bitten or stung by a small hornet, first on the back of my left calf, then on the back of my right ankle when it somehow fell into the back of my hiking boot.

Perhaps it was an omen of things to come, as the Badgers choked away a shutout and ended up losing to Michigan, and the Packers fared little better against the Buccaneers.

I'm sure there will be some Packers fans out there that will use this weekend as an example of how the management should have found a way to keep Brett Favre, what with Aaron Rodgers's performance yesterday compared to Favre's. I think everyone has to remember that Rodgers faced the Buccaneers yesterday, a team that made the playoffs last season, while Favre faced the Cardinals. Favre did no better than Rodgers did when faced by the Patriots, and that was a Patriots team without Tom Brady.

So will the Jets make the playoffs? Maybe, but I don't expect them to go far. Will the Packers make the playoffs? They have a much tougher schedule this season than they did last season. With a quarter of the season over, both teams are 2-2. It's rare that 8-8 teams make the playoffs. The question then is which team can pull things together, get a record that's better than .500, and make the playoffs?

Speaking of playoffs, the Brewers are in the playoffs for the first time in 26 years. That's fairly exciting, and I wish them a deep playoff run.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Eagles: "Hotel California"

Flying

This is pretty awesome news.

Mood: Excited
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Ten Years Gone"

Fiendish

So one of the web 'toons I had discovered years ago, Making Fiends, is going to be appearing on the Nick Toons cable network. I'm excited to see what they do with it. The bumps they've been running to advertise it have been amusing. It kind of strikes me more as the type of thing that should be on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, though.

Mood: Amused
Music: Bad Company: "Bad Company"

Inseam

Yesterday I split my shift, which gave me a chance, among other things, to visit J.C. Penney. I was hoping to find some more pants for work, as I could use some more. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to find flat front trousers in a size 36/31. Now I know it's the inseam that does it. If I was a little taller (or shorter) I wouldn't have nearly as much difficulty with this. Still, it irks me knowing that the size is made by a number of brands, brands carried by J.C. Penney, yet they don't have them in the store. I could order them online, but shipping, tax, etc., are such a hassle. Maybe Amazon will be getting more of my money.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Pink Floyd: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"

Elitist

So Arianna Huffington appeared recently on Larry King Live with Chuck Norris. When the topic turned to Iraq, things got a little heated.

I can certainly understand her concern for the American troops serving in Iraq. However, the bulk of her argument, or at least the beginning of it, seemed to be based on how much money it's costing. When Chuck tried to argue that the U.S. is spending a lot of money in a lot of places, her response seemed to be "what's that got to do with anything" and she kept interrupting him. When he tried to finish what he was saying, indeed raising his voice to try to be heard, she just kept on interrupting him.

Leave it to the hippies and elitist libs that visit her website to only see her side of the issue, resorting primarily to ad hominem attacks.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Iron Butterfly: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"

Rabbits

I recently finished reading Watership Down, having borrowed it from Caly. It was a good read, perhaps surprisingly so. For a book that's a rather even mix of exposition and dialog it's a fast read, probably because the storytelling is fairly compelling. There are moments it gets a bit bogged down, but those are few and far between. For a book that's based on uniting stories the author once told his children (like another more recent English author, J.K. Rowling), it's rich and cohesive with its own mythos and language. I don't think anyone seriously willing to give the book a try will be disappointed, and I think that one day I will buy a copy so my own children can read it.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Queen: "Son and Daughter"

Bicycle

Recently I got into a debate online regarding bicyclists. (I know what's been said: Arguing on the Internet is like being in the Special Olympics -- even if you win, you're still retarded.) It was prompted by some vitriolic and overweening video about bicyclists some how standing up to ignorance and prejudice and this that and the other. I responded to the person that shared it that if more bicyclists followed the rules of the road and were more courteous then drivers would in turn be more courteous as well. Her response was to first ask if I wanted a medal for knowing the law, and then something to the effect that it's only commuters, recreational riders, and errand people that are to blame, and that true cyclists follow the rules of the road. My rebuttal was that I'd seen what I thought were true cyclists ignoring traffic signs, failing to use hand signals, and other wise being discourteous. She then chose to ignore me.

So I was reminded of this discussion, if you will, this past weekend. Friday evening while driving home Maryanne and I saw a bicyclist fail to stop at a stop sign posted on the bike bath she was using where it crosses a county highway, passing right in front of us where we had merely slowed for our yield sign.

We had also gone to Door County for part of the weekend, and while out driving Sunday we saw large number of what I would call cyclists participating in some large event. I can't answer to their actions around traffic signs and intersections, but I did see that as a whole they failed to ride single file near the shoulder of the road, thus making themselves a nuisance to motorized traffic.

So if the argument is that true cyclists obey the rules of the road and practice courteous riding, there must not be too many "true cyclists" out there, because I haven't seen very many of them.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Traveling Wilburys: "Last Night"

X Factor

Last night I watched X-Men III on FX, or most of it, anyway. I was... disappointed. While it was certainly compelling enough to keep watching it, and used some interesting characters, it was not canonical by any means, nor did it much resemble anything from the comics beyond the characters themselves. It seemed to be more of a means to conclude a trilogy of movies.

Mood: Disappointed
Music: ZZ Top: "Waitin' for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago"