Alexander

That Onion headline is one of my all time favs! Thanks for the congrats, guys. Don't worry: I keep my language squeaky clean in the classroom. I reserve the swears for you guys. Still haven't heard back from the school! Damn it! Have to wait until tomorrow...

After two years of school, a semester of student teaching, and six months of job searching I FINALLY GOT OFFERED A TEACHING JOB!!!! Of course, I don't know exactly what it is yet. There were two positions on offer when I interviewed: A full-time tenure track position teaching tenth grade, and a part-time (.8, nearly full-time with benefits included) job teaching students who are academically "at risk." At this point, I'll take whatever I can get. When I got home from taking my daughter swimming this afternoon (I had my follow-up interview this morning), there was a message from the Assistant Superintendent saying "we'd like to know if you're interested in the position." I called back, everyone was gone by then. She did leave her home phone, so I left a message there. Argh! Given that this is my first teaching job, I'm assuming that I'll get the part-time job, but I really hope its the full-time gig! I'll update again later when I have more news!

Well, you know what they say... Things go better with Coke! After a few lines, I'm sure Marvin wanted to teach the world to sing...

Listened to your disc this AM. Fantastic stuff! Even better than the last disc (and that's saying something)! Keep it up!

"He passes to the man, he shoots, and boom goes the dynamite!" ← This guy seems to have difficulty reading the prompter. He clearly reads slowly, and keeps losing his place. He's actually a bit better when he improvises.

It wasn't on my list, but 1745 was the year Jonathan Swift died. The Treaty of Dresden was signed that year too. As for 1885, Victor Hugo and former President Grant died that year. King Oliver was born that year as were Gabby Hayes, Ezra Pound and General George S. Patton (not to mention Huddy "Leadbelly" Leadbetter, Jerome Kern and Sinclair Lewis). The Washington Monument was dedicated in that year and the first skyscraper was built in Chicago. Pasteur introduced his rabies vaccine and "Huck Finn" was published. Oh, and the Statue of Liberty arrived in NYC that year (although it wouldn't be assembled for another year). Interestingly, the statue was intended to be a centennial gift, but it took so long to design and build that the U.S. got it ten years late...

To me, 1066 is just one of those things that you KNOW. The way you know your multiplication tables or that Charles Dickens wrote "Great Expectations." I don't remember learning about the Battle of Hastings or the Norman Conquest, but I know that I know it. One thing education has lost is the idea that there are some things you should just KNOW in order to be culturally literate. There are certain dates that should be automatic, like knowing your own name. 1066. 1215. 1517. 1619. 1776. 1789. 1792. 1812. 1865. 1876. 1914. 1917. 1929. 1938. 1941. 1945. etc, etc. If you don't know the significance of those years, you can't call yourself an educated adult. I would certainly expect any college graduate to know all of them and a high school graduate to know most of them.

Somehow I think "vagina" is one of less offensive terms they could have used. Surely it's preferable to "snatch," "cunt," or "pussy" isn't it?

Just watched it again.... That poor guy!

Well the magna carta guy at least had the right aeon. Right landmass too.

That was in exceptionally poor taste, Ray. Thanks for sharing. ← I know! I don't normally find that sort of thing amusing....but that was freakin' hilarous! I think part of it was the announcer's voice. He kind of reminded me of Larry Fine. This is actually just the sort of gag the Stooges would do if they were around today!

Yeah, the level of ignorance in the general populace is painful. I've asked AP students what event took place in 1066 and they didn't know. I've talked to GRAD STUDENTS who didn't know the significance of 1066! One Brianiac actually said that the Magna Carta was signed in 1066! It's tragic, really...

Seriously. The high school* newcasts I've seen are more professional! *I know that this was a college station. My point is that I've seen 9th graders who are more together in front of a camera than this guy was.

"Ah did NOT have sex with that...uh...horse."

Had a chance to listen to this yet? Any good? The cover has caught my eye more than once, already.... ← I've been listening to so much early 70's material that this one just didn't click upon first listen. I need to give it another shot. ← I thought it was quite good. The "In The Dark" material is even better here than on the studio album. The only thing I disliked about this disc was the "Drums/Space" segment (dated by drum pads and MIDI technology) and Brent's "I Will Take You Home" which is unbelievably schlocky (even moreso than on other live recordings of the period).

Ordered! Can't wait to hear it! I can't BELIEVE you guys covered Zappa! The samples sound AWESOME...

I got it from CD Universe and am enjoying it immensly.

I hear that there's a politically incorrect scene in which the Duke boys appear in blackface during the film...

When I go to sleep at night, I "hear" the sound of people talking. It's hard to explain. I can't understand what they're saying. It's almost as though they are whispering or murmuring. These voices can be men's voices or women's, and sometimes they sound almost familiar. At times, when I'm close to drifting off, I'll hear one of the voices very loudly in one of my ears which is enough to shock me awake. I know that these voices are not supernatural in any way. My theory is that my brain is replaying things I've overheard subconciously...

No one ever went broke underestimating the taste and/or intelligence of the American public. The Dukes of Hazzard? Jessica Simpson? Johnny "Jackass" Knoxville? It's got "Lowest Common Denominator" written all over it!

I'm not sure how a CD or LP can become "lost." Did it leave the house? How do you store/organize your collection? My stuff is alphabetical by artist. As soon as I bring a purchase home, it goes on the shelf in its appropriate spot. I seldom if ever lend (I usually burn rather than lend) and if something leaves the house, it gets put back in its place as soon as I get home. So no, I've never lost anything. I don't keep my books as meticulously organized as my CDs/LPs, so I have mislaid books now and then, although they always turn up sooner or later... Now I have gotten rid of CDs only to buy them back several years later, but that's not the same thing. I've also never accidentally bought something I already own...I'm very anal that way...

I've always been bugged by a scene in the film version of "The Talented Mr. Ripley." I'm a huge fan of the book (in fact, I love ALL the Ripley novels), so I was disappointed by the film in general (although I thought the casting was note-perfect). Anyway, instead of being a mediocre painter, they made the character of Dickie Greenleaf into a jazz fan/musician. Anyway, the film is set in the mid to late 1950s (the novel was published in 1957, I believe). At one point in the film, a copy of a Miles Davis LP is shown in a character's apartment...but the LP is "Tutu!" It has a very distinctive cover, so it's VERY obvious. Clearly, the props person didn't do any research whatsoever. Really pissed me off!

I was gonna give this a pass, but then I saw that Joss Stone is on it. THAT girl can sing!

"Oh, my God...the sun!" "What is it?" "It's the big, yellow ball at the center of our solar system...but that's not important right now!"

I would like to note that despite the fact that this disc was released on July 19th, I have yet to see it ANYWHERE. I've checked several stores in two cities (Albany, NY and Washington, D.C.). Normally Maxjazz doesn't have a problem with distribution, so I don't know what gives here. Anyway, I had to order it online...