According to Miss Gokey, the word "umami" is actually Japanese for "delicious." She heard it on NPR a while back. It's true. I checked her source. Good retention, Miss Gokey!
I forgot to get sunscreen. I hope you didn't.
Yesterday's planning activity was to make a plan for communicating with your family in case of a disaster. The calendar suggests e-mail, phone and cell phone. I don't know how well that would work if the power went out for an extended period of time.
Tonight I took a class that will enable me to legally attempt to save your life if you are choking or stop breathing for some reason. Actually, here in the Battle Born state where we have a Samaritan law, anyone is legally allowed to try to save anyone else's life. Indiana has one, too, so if you see somebody choking, Hoosiers, don't just sit there! I guess I just have an extra layer of legal protection if I'm ever in that kind of awkward situation, now that my CPR/AED card is good through 2015.
At class, I found out some very interesting information, again about vinegar.
DID YOU KNOW that if you are stung by a jellyfish, you are supposed to douse the sting in vinegar and then return to warm water? I didn't know it either, and now we both do! I am happy that my CPR class has enriched our lives, and that now we know how to survive the event of a jellyfish sting! The instructor informed us that most lifeguard stands have a supply of vinegar.
I think I'm going to seriously freak out if I ever run out of vinegar ever again in my life.
My ears are better, by the way. However, I suspect that bacterias are still planning sieges of various aspects of my existence. In the meantime, here is another interesting article about diet and wellness.
Yesterday I received a packet in the mail containing a book about tourism that I'd forgotten having ordered. Good! Something else to distract me from telling you all about your unconscious brain.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
A funny thing happened on the way to the magazine...
I misspoke and said the subject of the most recent chapter in the National Geographic special on our brains would be, "the subconscious mind," but it is not. It's "the unconscious mind," and so I haven't read it yet. The subconscious interests me much more than the unconscious. We all know that we can breathe and digest food without thinking about it. Let us take a moment to be extremely grateful for that fact.
A while ago, a Pinterest board called "infectious" invited me to pin to it due to my "Apocalypse" board. You can check out "infectious" here if you are on pinterest and into The Walking Dead and all that good stuff. There are some nice Zombie Valentine jokes and such.
Speaking of zombies.
Today in hour 6, I noticed an off-task student with a graphic novel in hand. He's an "A" student, and the graphic novel was Max Brooks's Recorded Attacks. Needless to say, I immediately swiped the book under the guise of confiscation to check it out and blog it in lieu of the brain special. In this way, the student was able to actually label about five of Europe's 49 or 50 countries. (When he fell to being a "D" student is difficult to say...)
Recorded Attacks maps and gives a graphic (by which I mean cartoon, not bloody) history of zombie infestation from the beginning of human time. The graphic depiction includes delicious MAPS and tidbits of actual history like Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, etc. After flipping through it, I approached my student and said to him, "Now explain to me how you are able to differentiate reality from fiction in your brain." There is only one word to describe his response. He stammered. "Uhhh...mmm...uhmm..."
From one row over and three seats behind him, one of the other two "A" students in the class piped up, "Hey! That's *my* book!" So I snatched it from D and waggled it in front of A (yes, he had >30 countries labeled at that point) and asked him the same question. He answered easily, "There's no such thing as zombies." I pointed out to A all of the savory geography/history bits in the book and then asked him a follow up question: "How can you be sure when you hand this book to a classmate that the classmate is able to keep reality separated from fiction in their head?" He answered easily, "I can't."
I informed him that if anyone included zombies in their upcoming narratives of the Roman Empire, I would seek him out and make him accountable for the error. He agreed and was happy to have the novel back. This may not be the most appropriate use of my class time, but it's kind of how I get things done.
And now the answer to the burning question that's on everyone's mind:
What happens when you pour vinegar into your ears?
Well, at first it's unpleasant. Then dizzying. Then, there is little to no effect. I am in fact supposed to be at a middle school basketball game right now, but I felt the need to pour more vinegar into my ears and relax in front of my replacement show for The Walking Dead season 2, which turns out to be Supernatural season 8.
Onward to the tea tree oil. I will avoid antibiotics yet!
The Unconscious Brain is coming soon, or perhaps a little story about How to Discipline a Gum-Chewer, My Version.
In the meantime, if you are still preparing for disaster, you're supposed to buy another can of meat/veggie soup, and some sunscreen.
A while ago, a Pinterest board called "infectious" invited me to pin to it due to my "Apocalypse" board. You can check out "infectious" here if you are on pinterest and into The Walking Dead and all that good stuff. There are some nice Zombie Valentine jokes and such.
Speaking of zombies.
Today in hour 6, I noticed an off-task student with a graphic novel in hand. He's an "A" student, and the graphic novel was Max Brooks's Recorded Attacks. Needless to say, I immediately swiped the book under the guise of confiscation to check it out and blog it in lieu of the brain special. In this way, the student was able to actually label about five of Europe's 49 or 50 countries. (When he fell to being a "D" student is difficult to say...)
Recorded Attacks maps and gives a graphic (by which I mean cartoon, not bloody) history of zombie infestation from the beginning of human time. The graphic depiction includes delicious MAPS and tidbits of actual history like Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, etc. After flipping through it, I approached my student and said to him, "Now explain to me how you are able to differentiate reality from fiction in your brain." There is only one word to describe his response. He stammered. "Uhhh...mmm...uhmm..."
From one row over and three seats behind him, one of the other two "A" students in the class piped up, "Hey! That's *my* book!" So I snatched it from D and waggled it in front of A (yes, he had >30 countries labeled at that point) and asked him the same question. He answered easily, "There's no such thing as zombies." I pointed out to A all of the savory geography/history bits in the book and then asked him a follow up question: "How can you be sure when you hand this book to a classmate that the classmate is able to keep reality separated from fiction in their head?" He answered easily, "I can't."
I informed him that if anyone included zombies in their upcoming narratives of the Roman Empire, I would seek him out and make him accountable for the error. He agreed and was happy to have the novel back. This may not be the most appropriate use of my class time, but it's kind of how I get things done.
And now the answer to the burning question that's on everyone's mind:
What happens when you pour vinegar into your ears?
Well, at first it's unpleasant. Then dizzying. Then, there is little to no effect. I am in fact supposed to be at a middle school basketball game right now, but I felt the need to pour more vinegar into my ears and relax in front of my replacement show for The Walking Dead season 2, which turns out to be Supernatural season 8.
Onward to the tea tree oil. I will avoid antibiotics yet!
The Unconscious Brain is coming soon, or perhaps a little story about How to Discipline a Gum-Chewer, My Version.
In the meantime, if you are still preparing for disaster, you're supposed to buy another can of meat/veggie soup, and some sunscreen.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Umami
Umami is a beefy flavor (which is of little interest to me), according to Chapter 2 of our National Geographic Special, Your Brain: A User's Guide. It is the fifth basic taste that has been added to sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
Chapter 2 is about perception, or the five senses. Aside from (or perhaps because of) umami, I kind of think National Geographic is making stuff up now. Is there really, for example, a "gustatory cortex?" I am certainly not going to claim that something does NOT exist just because I haven't heard of it. However, if I the reader am unlikely to have heard of it, the least the booklet could have done is link it to another cortex of which I have already heard.
Speaking of hearing, I am tuned in to the hydration station today because I have self-diagnosed an adult ear infection thanks to the absolute bombardment of my otherwise-iron immune system by stealthy tweenage germs during exam week. This is embarrassing because ear infections are for children.
:(
I am also surfing the "temporary avoidance of antibiotics" wave. According to Where There is no Doctor, earaches can be taken care of with water and vinegar. I'll let you all know how that goes. (Yes, I know. There *are* doctors here in Las Vegas, and good ones. I don't know where this hatred of visiting doctors comes from, but I feel like it's culturally appropriate. It may not be the doctor visit itself that I dread, but the waiting-room accouterments of hacking fellow patients and small wailing children.)
Chapter 2 also dedicates an entire little sidebar to synesthesia, otherwise known as, "I can see the music" syndrome, or seeing music as color. This reminds me of 1960s Grateful Dead followers, and although studies have shown that it does exist, I suspect that there may be something else going on besides just innocently listening to music. Be that as it may.
Late to the party, I only finished season 2 of The Walking Dead just last night. True to the mores of our time, during which many of us watch entire seasons of tv in just a few sittings, I am devastated that I will now have to find a new show with which to fill my time until season 3 pops up as available on netflix.
As to the activities to keep up with according to our 2013 disaster preparedness calendar, last Friday we were to have purchased an additional gallon of water, and a can of fruit. For our planning, we were to identify and discuss what kinds of disasters are most likely to occur and how they will affect our families and property.
Thursday: "The Subconscious Brain," your Friday shopping list, and a review of the vinegar technique. (If it doesn't work I'm going to try tea tree oil and if THAT doesn't work...)
In the meantime, I am doing a self-help thing. That's not like me, and it's rather embarrassing. I'll tell you all about it in the springtime, probably in May.
Happy healing!
Chapter 2 is about perception, or the five senses. Aside from (or perhaps because of) umami, I kind of think National Geographic is making stuff up now. Is there really, for example, a "gustatory cortex?" I am certainly not going to claim that something does NOT exist just because I haven't heard of it. However, if I the reader am unlikely to have heard of it, the least the booklet could have done is link it to another cortex of which I have already heard.
Speaking of hearing, I am tuned in to the hydration station today because I have self-diagnosed an adult ear infection thanks to the absolute bombardment of my otherwise-iron immune system by stealthy tweenage germs during exam week. This is embarrassing because ear infections are for children.
:(
I am also surfing the "temporary avoidance of antibiotics" wave. According to Where There is no Doctor, earaches can be taken care of with water and vinegar. I'll let you all know how that goes. (Yes, I know. There *are* doctors here in Las Vegas, and good ones. I don't know where this hatred of visiting doctors comes from, but I feel like it's culturally appropriate. It may not be the doctor visit itself that I dread, but the waiting-room accouterments of hacking fellow patients and small wailing children.)
Chapter 2 also dedicates an entire little sidebar to synesthesia, otherwise known as, "I can see the music" syndrome, or seeing music as color. This reminds me of 1960s Grateful Dead followers, and although studies have shown that it does exist, I suspect that there may be something else going on besides just innocently listening to music. Be that as it may.
Late to the party, I only finished season 2 of The Walking Dead just last night. True to the mores of our time, during which many of us watch entire seasons of tv in just a few sittings, I am devastated that I will now have to find a new show with which to fill my time until season 3 pops up as available on netflix.
As to the activities to keep up with according to our 2013 disaster preparedness calendar, last Friday we were to have purchased an additional gallon of water, and a can of fruit. For our planning, we were to identify and discuss what kinds of disasters are most likely to occur and how they will affect our families and property.
Thursday: "The Subconscious Brain," your Friday shopping list, and a review of the vinegar technique. (If it doesn't work I'm going to try tea tree oil and if THAT doesn't work...)
In the meantime, I am doing a self-help thing. That's not like me, and it's rather embarrassing. I'll tell you all about it in the springtime, probably in May.
Happy healing!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Getting to Know Your Machinery,
it's still Christmas, and a Vocabulary Quiz!
Ready?
You know about my magazine problem. Well, my most recent guilty pleasure is the National Geographic special, Your Brain: A User's Guide. You may keep your comments to yourself right now, and thank me later. As for my own machine, I know it pretty well. I even have images of it to share with you so that you can see the inner workings of your second-favorite blogger.
I made it through Chapter 1 of the User's Guide, "The Learning Brain." I really did. All I'm going to pass on to you is from one little sidebar, but if you want me to talk at you about axons and dendrites, I'd be more than happy to oblige. In the meantime, here are the tips the guide proposes for how to learn more efficiently:
- learn a new language
- listen to classical music
- do puzzles
- eat healthy foods (hold, please, the pizza man is here!)
- walk, jog, or cycle to keep that heart pumping blood up to your brain on a healthy basis
There you have it. The other interesting thing that I learned is that we are more intelligent today than we have been in the past because the world we live in is, get this..."more interesting" than the world of the past. Hmm.
On the Christmas front, I'd like to share an image of a truly heartfelt, thoughtful gift that I received from Amanda:
This, my loyal readers, is The Chain. Each link represents a day remaining in the school year. Certain links are emblazoned with inspirational words, which I have been hanging on my fridge:
I plan to liberally re-post my original image of the chain so that y'all can see the school year winding down, like I do. This time tomorrow, it will be exactly half over. It's simultaneously easy to believe, and hard to believe.
Now for the vocab. You may have noticed that this blog is not-quite-bicoastal. It is composed in Nevada and Indiana. I suppose that makes me a Battle-Born Hoosier. Is there a word for not-quite-bicoastal? Biregional? Bibiomal? Bistatial? Hmm.
This post has been about more than one thing. It may have been better to have broken it into two posts, but I treat my blog fodder like I treat my brain, with a use-it-or-lose-it attitude.
How can we pass along the cheer of the paper chain, before it gets lost in the grind?
Ready?
You know about my magazine problem. Well, my most recent guilty pleasure is the National Geographic special, Your Brain: A User's Guide. You may keep your comments to yourself right now, and thank me later. As for my own machine, I know it pretty well. I even have images of it to share with you so that you can see the inner workings of your second-favorite blogger.
- learn a new language
- listen to classical music
- do puzzles
- eat healthy foods (hold, please, the pizza man is here!)
- walk, jog, or cycle to keep that heart pumping blood up to your brain on a healthy basis
There you have it. The other interesting thing that I learned is that we are more intelligent today than we have been in the past because the world we live in is, get this..."more interesting" than the world of the past. Hmm.
On the Christmas front, I'd like to share an image of a truly heartfelt, thoughtful gift that I received from Amanda:
This, my loyal readers, is The Chain. Each link represents a day remaining in the school year. Certain links are emblazoned with inspirational words, which I have been hanging on my fridge:
I plan to liberally re-post my original image of the chain so that y'all can see the school year winding down, like I do. This time tomorrow, it will be exactly half over. It's simultaneously easy to believe, and hard to believe.
Now for the vocab. You may have noticed that this blog is not-quite-bicoastal. It is composed in Nevada and Indiana. I suppose that makes me a Battle-Born Hoosier. Is there a word for not-quite-bicoastal? Biregional? Bibiomal? Bistatial? Hmm.
This post has been about more than one thing. It may have been better to have broken it into two posts, but I treat my blog fodder like I treat my brain, with a use-it-or-lose-it attitude.
How can we pass along the cheer of the paper chain, before it gets lost in the grind?
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Disaster of the Day
This post takes its title from Anna Nalick's 15 minutes of fame back in the early 2000s, and also of course from the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER, which just keeps on giving!
Miss Gokey gave me some resources from inside and outside of our own community that will be useful for disaster prep, namely a book entitled 31 Days to Survival which I look forward to starting at the start of the next 31-day month.
Also, the Southern Nevada Health District's 2013 Emergency Preparedness Calendar.
Miss Gokey gave me some resources from inside and outside of our own community that will be useful for disaster prep, namely a book entitled 31 Days to Survival which I look forward to starting at the start of the next 31-day month.
Also, the Southern Nevada Health District's 2013 Emergency Preparedness Calendar.
Bad news, kids. We're behind schedule. It's January 15th (Happy MLK Day, everyone), so we already missed two supply-buying runs and two planning activities. Also, my blog page has just now defaulted to centering the text. Sorry about that. Hopefully it'll fix itself for next time.
Okay. I hope you already have a gallon of water, a can of meat (or soup, if you're me), a manual can opener, safety pins and 2 pairs of latex gloves. These are the things we were supposed to have purchased. I have all of these things except the two pairs of latex gloves.
For our planning activities, we were supposed to have made a family emergency plan and designated out of town emergency contacts. So, now we're up to date.
Don't you hate it when, on the news, they say, "Will your favorite brand of peanut butter kill you? Tune in later..." Well, that's exactly what I'm going to say about the stuff from the City of North Las Vegas. I have a radio show to listen to.
I! LOVE! THE INTERNET!
And if you're reading this, then you do, too. Have fun shopping. Perhaps I'll run into you at the Craig and Nellis Wal-Mart. I hope not, but...perhaps.
Friday, January 11, 2013
The Wood Sculpture
I have had most of this post prepared for a week, but while googling to possibly understand more about it, I stumbled upon an article on the Goshen College website. To me, it was a long article and difficult to stay engaged with, so I delayed my blog post. Then, this week flew by crash-boom-bang, and I only read the article carefully just now.
During the week before Winter Break, I decided that I wanted a collosal waste of time to eat up part of a class period, but I also wanted my students to practice for their upcoming semester exam. These two desires resulted in me passing out blank paper to my students and instructing them to draw a map of the world freehand. I then had them label various things on the map.
I was not used to seeing the level of engagement that resulted from this horrible, horrible activity that I would have hated as a student. I would have considered every second of hand-drawing a world map to be a special kind of torture chosen just because I hated it by a cold, uncaring universe.
My students loved it. Some freaked out, so I reminded them that, "this isn't art class. See?" I modeled my own lack of skills for them on the document camera.
While grading the maps, I came upon several no-name papers, including the two examples below. "Whose UGLY maps are those?" I thought. Oh, look. Each one has a little heart at the tip of Lake Michigan, which means...you guessed it: they're mine!
Ah-hahaha. Geography is definitely not art class!
I only found two of my own maps in the grading pile. I remember that my maps got worse and worse as the day went on...by 6th period I gave up and used a map from the morning.
I normally wouldn't link the Goshen College article, but I thought it had some important reminders about motivation.
Now that the world has not ended, it is time for us to pursue things we normally wouldn't, and to do it with reckless abandon (within reason, of course).
What crazy thing have you done lately that yielded a positive result? What wild idea will you try next?
Monday, January 7, 2013
What happened to social media while I was planning for the apocalypse?
*huff!* *puff!* I just finished labeling and tagging a new album of Christmas photos onto facebook. I don't think I will ever, ever tag an album ever again!
I shared it with the invitation, "Feel free to untag yo'selves," but still! I always appreciate being tagged in a photo so that I know that the photo exists. Then, if I don't like it, I can always untag it. I hope my poor photographed friends feel the same! Ugh.
Speaking of the holidays, which are now over and it's BACK TO WORK! *whip cracks*...
here's one last bit of love from the Northwest Indiana Times:
Ok. Really, now it's back to work...
I shared it with the invitation, "Feel free to untag yo'selves," but still! I always appreciate being tagged in a photo so that I know that the photo exists. Then, if I don't like it, I can always untag it. I hope my poor photographed friends feel the same! Ugh.
Speaking of the holidays, which are now over and it's BACK TO WORK! *whip cracks*...
here's one last bit of love from the Northwest Indiana Times:
Thursday, January 3, 2013
From See to Shining See
Today I had the pleasure of visiting with my cousin, one of my last goals on a long list that I have accomplished during my holiday break. We spent some time lamenting the death of all of the libraries in our hometown. Every one of them, even the one where I held my first job, has closed, except one. She says there has been a plan to tear that one down as well. She added that they never have anything new, and that if you want something new, you have to order it and they will buy it. I was reminded of volunteering at the library in a town in Pennsylvania during a proposed funding cut. We covered half of the books with black cloth to represent the books that wouldn't be there if the cut happened. There is no Borders anymore. There is no Barnes and Noble nearby - you would have to drive at least 45 minutes to the nearest new book, what gives? We decided that online ordering is about the only option we have left.
Blogosphere, remind me: I can't forget to ship one of the books I have listed on amazon.com once I get home. It sold while I have been here.
Then, this evening my Granny was going through a catalog from See's Candies. Apparently there is a See's Candies in Downer's Grove, IL. I thought it was a western thing. It seems to still be western. The list of See's Candies branches in the back of the catalog (is wrong, first of all - we have many stores in Vegas, not just the ONE listed in the catalog, so therefore what I'm about to say is moot...)only listed one store in the Midwestern region, the one in Downer's Grove.
I propose that the fact that so many businesses exist both here in Chicagoland and in Las Vegas has something to do with the Mob. I'd like to say, "More about that in a future post," but honestly, these two weeks every year are the only ones I have between August and June during which I am able to read books with reckless abandon and blog on schedule. Therefore, I may never mention the Mob ever again.
It is likely that the duplication of our favorite businesses is more about homogenization. I decided to google it, and in the process I believe I did find a new blog to follow. It's right up my alley and is called "Ecological Sociology." Y'all know me, I love maps, so I'll leave you to contemplate the homogenization of our society (and the destruction of our literacy? Or is it only the development of alternative modes of literacy?) by pasting this one from the aforementioned blog. The dots on this map represent McDonald's restaurants. Food for thought.
Blogosphere, remind me: I can't forget to ship one of the books I have listed on amazon.com once I get home. It sold while I have been here.
Then, this evening my Granny was going through a catalog from See's Candies. Apparently there is a See's Candies in Downer's Grove, IL. I thought it was a western thing. It seems to still be western. The list of See's Candies branches in the back of the catalog (is wrong, first of all - we have many stores in Vegas, not just the ONE listed in the catalog, so therefore what I'm about to say is moot...)only listed one store in the Midwestern region, the one in Downer's Grove.
I propose that the fact that so many businesses exist both here in Chicagoland and in Las Vegas has something to do with the Mob. I'd like to say, "More about that in a future post," but honestly, these two weeks every year are the only ones I have between August and June during which I am able to read books with reckless abandon and blog on schedule. Therefore, I may never mention the Mob ever again.
It is likely that the duplication of our favorite businesses is more about homogenization. I decided to google it, and in the process I believe I did find a new blog to follow. It's right up my alley and is called "Ecological Sociology." Y'all know me, I love maps, so I'll leave you to contemplate the homogenization of our society (and the destruction of our literacy? Or is it only the development of alternative modes of literacy?) by pasting this one from the aforementioned blog. The dots on this map represent McDonald's restaurants. Food for thought.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
What is Strange to us Today Will Be Familiar Tomorrow
These words were spoken by Chicago's notorious mayor Richard J. Daley at the dedication of "the Picasso" in 1967.
I learned that during the visit to the Art Institute of Chicago with my friend Caryn, which kicked off my Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana holiday festivities. I meant to share this image during the few days that followed the trip, but forgot until now.
It is a detail from one of the panels from Marc Chagall's America Windows.
Enjoy.
I learned that during the visit to the Art Institute of Chicago with my friend Caryn, which kicked off my Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana holiday festivities. I meant to share this image during the few days that followed the trip, but forgot until now.
It is a detail from one of the panels from Marc Chagall's America Windows.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Manic Panic!
The title of this post comes from a bodacious and obnoxious hair dye that used to sell in the 1980s.
It has to do with the first celebration on which I will make just a brief social commentary: New Year's Eve in Times Square last night (was that LAST night? Yeesh!). No, I wasn't there. I was snug in a cozy house in Weidman, MI watching the spectacle unfold on national television.
I have never been a fan of Carson Daly (in fact, I'm not even sure that's how you spell it), but I now feel a certain connection with him, or a kind of affection, born from the fact that as soon as we turned on the TV at 11:30, there he was looking and sounding terrified as he held on for dear life to some metal contraption high up in the air. He was saying stuff, but it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying because he was also talking so much about how scary it was to be that high up in the air and how he couldn't wait to be back down on the ground.
Once he was back on the ground, the TV host rambled on about how nice it was to be on the ground instead of in the air. He RIPPED the thing off of his head that whichever pretty quasi-celebrity he'd interviewed had put there, and then his eyes locked in to the teleprompter and he read like a robot. I hope he gets some comp time, or free medication, for his trouble, and I will hereafter view him as a human instead of a symbol of the decadence of American society. I think. Maybe.
I haven't finished reading I Am Number Four yet. I'm about 60% through. There is this totally disgusting puppy-love relationship between two of the fifteen-year-old protagonists and I'm all like, "eew! Gag me with a spoon!" The author, however, again describes feelings of panic in vivid detail, just like Carson Daly did. So. Although this book is clearly geared much more for age 10 than for age 35, there is still something relatable and appreciate-able about it.
Something else happened last night, as well. Shiloh took part in a New Year's Eve show. Despite the world not having ended on the 21st, the Doomsday Dashboard is still up and running (pandemic is trending in 1st place at the time of writing. A close second? Surprise! Economic collapse). I am happy that none of these disasters will prevent us from enjoying the timely record release of Shiloh's 2nd album on February 5th.
In other news, the Northwest Indiana Times reports that New Year's Resolutions are better if you post them publicly, so let this be my public announcement of my official 2013 resolution to be...more balanced.
There you have it. Do you have a resolution, or do you resolve not to make resolutions?
It has to do with the first celebration on which I will make just a brief social commentary: New Year's Eve in Times Square last night (was that LAST night? Yeesh!). No, I wasn't there. I was snug in a cozy house in Weidman, MI watching the spectacle unfold on national television.
I have never been a fan of Carson Daly (in fact, I'm not even sure that's how you spell it), but I now feel a certain connection with him, or a kind of affection, born from the fact that as soon as we turned on the TV at 11:30, there he was looking and sounding terrified as he held on for dear life to some metal contraption high up in the air. He was saying stuff, but it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying because he was also talking so much about how scary it was to be that high up in the air and how he couldn't wait to be back down on the ground.
Once he was back on the ground, the TV host rambled on about how nice it was to be on the ground instead of in the air. He RIPPED the thing off of his head that whichever pretty quasi-celebrity he'd interviewed had put there, and then his eyes locked in to the teleprompter and he read like a robot. I hope he gets some comp time, or free medication, for his trouble, and I will hereafter view him as a human instead of a symbol of the decadence of American society. I think. Maybe.
I haven't finished reading I Am Number Four yet. I'm about 60% through. There is this totally disgusting puppy-love relationship between two of the fifteen-year-old protagonists and I'm all like, "eew! Gag me with a spoon!" The author, however, again describes feelings of panic in vivid detail, just like Carson Daly did. So. Although this book is clearly geared much more for age 10 than for age 35, there is still something relatable and appreciate-able about it.
Something else happened last night, as well. Shiloh took part in a New Year's Eve show. Despite the world not having ended on the 21st, the Doomsday Dashboard is still up and running (pandemic is trending in 1st place at the time of writing. A close second? Surprise! Economic collapse). I am happy that none of these disasters will prevent us from enjoying the timely record release of Shiloh's 2nd album on February 5th.
In other news, the Northwest Indiana Times reports that New Year's Resolutions are better if you post them publicly, so let this be my public announcement of my official 2013 resolution to be...more balanced.
There you have it. Do you have a resolution, or do you resolve not to make resolutions?
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