Tragedy in a School Yard

Today a psychopath attacked school children at their school with murderous intent.

He wounded 22, but there were no fatalities.

This happened in China, where, due to the lack of readily available guns, he had to use a knife.

It's still a huge tragedy, but the parents of these children will be seeing them in recovery rooms, not morgues.

I am not making this up. Google it.

Also note, you almost never read about drive-by knifings, or innocents getting caught in the cross-stabbing.

Yes, people kill people. Guns simply make it a whole lot quicker, easier, more efficient and indiscriminate.

It's why we don't go to war wielding swords.

Sunday Music Blogging

A truly outstanding performance of this show-stopper by a high school cast.

I played for this show my senior year in H.S. - 48 years ago.  I see now that you miss a lot from the orchestra pit.

Granddaughter Rebekka has a part in the play right now, and a nice little feature in this number.

There is no set choreography for pieces like this.  It's all up to the creativity and ability of the local talent.





"Show-stopper" is used advisedly.  When I linked the vid on Facebook, one of my friends commented, "This is one of those 'mandatory' song-and-dance numbers that adds nothing to the story line."  This is true.  But I feel that musical theater isn't just about story line - the stories tend to be on the weak side anyway.  It's about a balance among story, song, and dance - and in the case of the Music Man, lots of particularly snappy and clever dialog.

And when he dances, certainly boys, what else - the piper pays him! 
Yes, sir.  
Yes, sir. 
Yes, sir.

Sunday Music Blogging

Brandi Carlile and the twins at the Mt. Baker Theater, Bellingham, WA. March 19, 2010.



If you have come to expect anything from my Sunday Music offerings, it would certainly not be this.

I'll admit that I never heard of Brandi Carlile or this song until it was featured in this NPR All Things Considered spot.

Then, it became pretty special.




Enjoy.

Holy Coleoidea!

I had a beautiful cephalopodian Bumpa-grandduaghter moment on Christmas (aka Cephalo-Festivus*) eve.  Nine-year-old Samantha had requested a fish from Santa Claus.  Her mom was adamant that no such fish would be forth-coming.  (As an aside, it was revealed that Santa will only deliver animals of any kind with prior parental approval.)  Sam was equally adamant the she was going to get her fish, and went around singing "I Want A Fish For Christmas," providing her own original lyrics to this tune.

Big sister Amanda (age 14) piped in, saying, "How could Santa deliver a fish?"  Evidently, his sleigh is not properly equipped for transporting them. 

"Well", I suggested, "think about how Santa gets from Scotland to Nova Scotia."

"He crosses the sea," Amanda replied, warily.

It was then generally - albeit reluctantly - agreed that he could at any random moment just swoop down and scoop a fish out from the drink.  "Actually," I said, "I was thinking more of a squid."

The look of disdain on Samantha's face was worth the price of admission, all by itself.

Pressing on, I asked, "If you got a squid, what would you name it?"

After a moments thought, Sam replied, "Squidward."   I thought that was quite good; but her dad interjected, "What about Squidney?"

On that cue, I started riffing about the squid's long, flexible tentacles.  Middle sister Rebekka (age 11) was sitting next to me on the couch, and from the corner of my eye, I saw the light bulb go on over her head.  We looked at each other and said, in perfect unison: "Squid don't have any knees."  The infamous Bumba-Bekka mind meld was in full force.

Then we high-fived amidst the groans.   It was fabulous.

After all that quieted down, I told Sam to call me on Christmas morning (but not too early) and tell me if she got her fish.  (In my exalted position of bumpahood, I had some inside information.)

When the call came she was one excited little girl.  Santa brought her an aquarium, and all the required accessories, along with a gift card to a pet shop, where she could choose her own fish.

That Santa - what a guy!

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* Find the explanation in comments here.

What I'm Thankful For

First off for my family - my lovely wife, who is my greatest supporter, biggest fan, and the love of my life; for our offspring, who gave me an anchor and enriched my life in more ways than they can possibly know; for our 11 smart, talented and beautiful grandchildren, who have been bringing us joy for a decade and a half, and give me hope for our future; for my mom, always there for me in a time of need, and still going strong at 90, and my sister, who brings us both strength; for nephews, nieces, cousins, and in-laws, who I don't get to see as often as I would like.

I love and appreciate you all.

I'm thankful for free speech, and the opportunity to exercise it that this blog provides; and for anyone who stops by to read, especially if you leave a comment.

I am very fortunate to have grown up where and when I did, as part of the only generation for whom the American Dream was a realistic expectation.  I'm thankful for the New Deal, that made America great, and the Great Society, which greatly reduced poverty, and moved us in the direction of equality and opportunity for all. I'm thankful for the opportunities I had: affordable education, a robust economy so I could find employment in young adulthood that was more than just a job; for American industry that gave me a career and a pension, for Social Security that allows me to have a comfortable retirement.

In my youth, my father often tried to impress on me how lucky I was to have all of these dreams, opportunities and expectations.  I did not get it then, but I do now.  We bumped heads - a lot - and I can't say it was all my fault.  But he gave me perspectives I otherwise would not have known, a foundation in duty and responsibility, a passion for education, and a healthy skepticism.

Dad's been gone a long time.  Our relationship was never easy, but he did a lot for me.  Rest easy, dad.  I'm thankful for you, too.

And, of course, for music, the great natural anti-depressant; along with all my musical friends and fellow noise-makers.

Oh - can't forget all my friends at the Crossword Corner.

Peace, love and joy to all on this Thanksgiving day.

Look Mom, No Future

This absolutely adorable six-year-old girl is named Abigail.  I'm listening to her dad talk to Randi Rhodes as I write this.  He's a big occupy supporter.  And so is she.

And so am I.

Knight's Castle

A request by Ari at EotAW for books to recommend to his precocious 9-Yr-old son reminded me of a favorite book from that time in my life

My comment:

I was 9 or 10 when I found KNIGHT’S CASTLE by Edward Eager at the Locke Branch Library in Toledo. Absolutely loved the dreamy magic realism. It’s a fine example of moral fiction that is not preachy. The story involves siblings and cousins, and does an excellent job of presenting the girls as equal to the boys, while recognizing each as a unique individual. This book was originally published in 1956! Went on a quest to find it again when my son was about 10. Fast forward: my wife gave me a set of Eager’s books a few years ago, and I read them with my grandsons – to their great pleasure.

That’s when I learned that Eager was from Toledo, also.

As a kid, I was enthralled with the middle ages - and dinosaurs, too, but that's a different story.

Was there a book that you were especially fond of as a child?

Posting Takes Back Seat

We just had a great weekend watching granddaughters perform in dance competition.

Tonight, I have a performance with a guest artist who flew in from L.A. for the occasion.  Hope he appreciates the snow.  (Yes, it SNOWED this morning.)

House full of granddaughters tomorrow, then I'm blogging the crossword puzzle, which will keep me up half the night.

Wednesday I'll probably be zombicated.

So if I post in the next few days, be on the alert for more than the usual level of babbling incoherence.

Here is something from tonight's program by way of compensation.

Haiku Wednesday - Disclosure (and More)

Sensational Haiku Wednesday is powered by Jenn.
This week's theme: Disclosure.

DISCLOSURE

Words that share something,

Revealing a deep truth, or

The thoughts of a child  .  .  . 

For Martin Luther King day, my 8-year-old grandson, Nate, had an assignment to write a poem on peace.

His poem took third place among the 3rd graders in his district.  Congrats, Nate!  You make a Bumpa proud.

Here it is.

          PEACE

       If we had Peace
        there would be
        no wars.

        If we had Peace
        no one would
        rob a store.

        If we're Peacefull
        We would not judge
        by color.

        If we had
        Peace we would
        not call people names.

        If we had Peace
        the World would
        be nice.

© 2011 by Nate

Reprinted with permission

All rights reserved.

Mellow Yellow Monday - 1/24

A granddaughter's hand

Print makes a bright flower for

My favorite mouse pad

Mellow Yellow Monday - 1/17

Trains and Tonka Trucks

Perfect gifts for a

Three-year-old grandson

Josh will be three on Wednesday.  Don't let him peek.
UPDATE:  My bad.  His birthday is Thursday.

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Just Because I Need Some Cheering Up

TINK!

I saw this clickable picture link in somebody's add sidebar recently.  Don't remember where, and it really doesn't matter much.   The link goes to this site.  It's the sort of thing that conservatards find very annoying, which is a no extra charge bonus!

Cheers!
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Sunday Music Blogging 1/09

For  Christina Taylor Green

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Shadow Shot Sunday - 1/09; Mellow Yellow Monday - 1/10

Samantha was born

With an intuition for

Knowing how to pose

Of Fairies, Republicans, and Being 4

An amusing -- ah . . . human* interest story from James Kwak.
 ____________________________________
* Yeah, that's the ticket.
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Mellow Yellow Monday - SHARK BAIT!

Could this be shark bait,

A minnow strainer, or a

Mouthful of cousins?

August 9, 2010

Ripley's Aquarium of The Smokies

Gatlinburg, TN

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Shadow Shot Sunday - 1/02

On a treck through the

Hills, on a steep rock-strewn path,

You might find these boys 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

August 8, 2010


Photo by Amanda

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Shadow Shot Sunday - 12/19

Play for me, Lauren,

In this cold, bleak midwinter,

A new song of joy

,

Six Word Saturday

Today - Our oldest grandson's birthday party.

We've a cluster of December birthdays.

Happy birthdays to us, to us, too.

What The Hell?!? Friday - Snowflake Edition

Here it is, the first Friday of December.  This week, we had our first snow of the winter season.  Unlike other places in and out of the country, here it didn't amount to much - but, hey -- what the hell?!?  It's enough to post this.  And it brings back memories of my only-slightly-miserable childhood.  Anyone who watched TV in the mid-west in the mid 50's (other places, too, perhaps) will recognize this genuinely awful song.  The quaint animation was probably state of the art at the time.  Turn off your critical faculties, and enjoy.  As so often happens on WTH?!? Friday, H/T to Sharon. Actually, now that I look at this again from decades remove, it's pretty darn cute. Check here for more info.




And, at the risk of oonching the cutitude to a level that might actually be unbearable, there is this. YouTube is an awesome and terrible thing.

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