Take This Tune

Posted: Monday, January 31, 2011 by Travis Cody in
7


My pal Jamie from Duward Discussion has reintroduced her wonderful weekly feature.  Take This Tune provides a musical prompt each week, usually a video with the song lyrics.  The task is to write something inspired by the song or something in the lyrics.

This week's prompt is actually your choice of two songs from the movie The Big Chill.  Jamie says...
One of my favorite movies and soundtracks is "The Big Chill" with its window on a generation. It featured 14 great songs that acted both as music for the film and commentary on the interaction of the characters. This week you get your choice of two songs to use for your Take This Tune prompt.

The Big Chill is one of my favorite movies too.  The song choices are Ain't Too Proud to Beg from The Temptations and You Can't Always Get What You Want from The Rolling Stones.

I chose The Stones.

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes
You just might find
You get what you need

My blog pal Lois wrote yesterday that she and her husband found a full service car wash.  They stopped in and got the works.  She wrote, "Those four sets of hands represent four families that have jobs.  So we'll be patronizing this place often."


Now, Lois and her husband have recently relocated to Ohio.  Ohio is getting snow these days, so you wouldn't think getting the car washed would qualify as a need.  Oh you could make the case, as Lois did, that the winter salt on the roads makes it necessary to periodically get a vehicle washed.  That stuff can cause corrosion which can lead to rust, which can lead to an early trade in for a new car.

Need versus Want.

One needs to be aware of what winter salt can do to a vehicle's undercarriage and exterior paint.  Then one can pay the relatively low cost of a full service car wash periodically to avoid needing to pay thousands later for repairs, or a replacement.  It's like getting the oil changed or having your transmission checked.  It's basic preventive care to secure your investment. 


The side benefit is that one's patronage helps another family by providing a job, so that family can meet its own needs.


I can extend that analogy to just about anything.  But my main point is this...what do you do if you have money left after you pay the mortgage/rent, buy groceries, and pay your subsistence bills?  You save some, if you're smart, and you give some to charities.  And you spend the rest on entertainment.


That's what keeps the economy chugging along.  Sometimes it rolls downhill like an out of control rock.  Other times it slows to a trickle like a dried up stream bed.

"Money, pardon the expression, is like manure.  It's not worth a thing unless it's spread around, encouraging young things to grow."  Dolly Levi, from the movie Hello Dolly

In December 2010, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the national unemployment rate was 9.1%.  That's so high, and I feel for all those who are still having trouble finding jobs.  They face so many challenges.  I've been there and it sucks.


But I always try to find the positive.  So 90.9% of the working age population is employed.  Most of us are working in this country.  For some it's still a struggle just to make the monthly nut, but they are finding ways to get it done.


And some of us are making the monthly nut and then some.  So we're saving as much as we can against the possibility that the economy might hiccup again.  We want to be prepared and we want to be cautious.  But we can also help the economy by giving in to what we want once in awhile.


I guess my point is, don't let fear stop you from doing what you want.  If you're struggling, of course you'll fall back as far as you can to meet your basic needs of food, water, clothing, and shelter.  


But if you are reasonably secure, then spend responsibly.  The responsible spending of those who can do so saves jobs, and can sometimes create jobs.


Maybe you can't always get what you want.  But when you can, you might find someone else gets what they need.

Five on Friday Set 53

Posted: Friday, January 28, 2011 by Travis Cody in
11


So I debated for awhile whether to embark on Year 2 of Five on Friday by calling this Volume 2 Set 1.  In the end I decided that was silly.  So Set 53 it is!

I've never really been much of a concert-goer, but I have seen quite a few performers in smaller venues like jazz clubs and such.  Just after I turned 21 and could actually get into a nightclub to see a show, I won tickets from a radio contest because I happened to know that although Rick Derringer played the guitar solo on the single release of Free Ride by The Edgar Winter Group, it was actually Ronnie Montrose who had the solo on the album They Only Come Out at Night.


I never thought it was all that obscure of a fact, but I won the tickets after about 40 callers got it wrong.  Go figure.


I was happy because I got to see one of my favorite groups, The Guess Who.  It wasn't the original line up, but I lucked out that it was one of the times that Randy Bachman was back with Jim Kale.  Alas and alack, I did not get to see Burton Cummings.


Stay tuned gang...I think there might be a round of Five Degrees of Musical Progression coming up soon!


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones


If you've never joined in, give it a try.  I know you've got some favorite music you'd like to share with the FoF gang.  Here's how to play along.


1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!


Thursday 13 from the Wayback Machine

Posted: Thursday, January 27, 2011 by Travis Cody in
19

I used to be silly.

I used to have real mojo in the silly department.  When I first started posting to message boards, I was the Sultan of Silly.

But that kind of silly really doesn't lend itself to blogging.  I don't really write comedy, although I do admit that I have written things that have been kind of funny.  But I'm not a joke teller or a comedian.  I'm certainly no satirist.

I do have a sense of humor.  And I just want to have a few silly moments.

There are a few of my Soul Patrol brothers and sisters who remain here in our blogging community.  Talk about silly?  Oh man!  We were all about the silly on the American Idol message boards way back in 2006 for Season 5.  We supported our gray haired Soul Man Taylor Hicks, and we came up with some off the wall crazy silly stuff.

So, as American Idol returns for Season 10, I want to relive some of the silly things I enjoyed with my SP pals on the message boards and in chat rooms.  Most of it won't mean anything to many of you, but that's OK because there's non-specific silly stuff too.

Anyway, indulge me.  I'm feeling a little nostalgic for some good times I recall.  Step into the Wayback Machine with me.  I've added some clarifying words to the original post, just for, well, for clarity.  These are in italics and parentheses.  Everything else is from the original post.

Thursday 13 - 100th Post, originally posted here at Trav's Thoughts on 8 February 2007.

Well gang, today is my 100th post.  YAY ME!  (Editor's note:  I just checked my dashboard and found that I recently posted #1400.)

In honor of this milestone occasion, my 13 today is a little different.  I met many of you over on the American Idol boards, specifically on the Taylor Hicks board.  We had great times and lots of fun.

And we celebrated milestone posts.  We celebrated with post parties and silliness.  We did some goofy stuff y'all.

For my 13 today, I present 13 of my favorite ways to celebrate a milestone post.  Don't worry if you have no idea what any of this means.  It's all about the silly!
  1. **tosses confetti and walnuts**
  2. **tosses flaming walnuts while juggling mittened kittens**  Note:  The mittens are so I don't get scratched.  (Editor's note:  I get that it doesn't make any sense.  How could I toss something while juggling something else?  Don't try to work it out.  Just go with the silly.)
  3. **does a hop jig, a soul twitch, and a left leg swing with extra thigh action while juggling leprechauns and singing in the rain**  Note:  Regrettably, sometimes a kitten gets dropped.  That's normally no big deal, 'cause kitties land on their feet.  But, see, the mittens make kitty feet very slippery.  Thus the move to leprechauns.
  4. **hops in the T-bird, screeches donuts in the driveway of the Original Soul Patrol place, breaks out in random song**  (Editor's note:  The Original Soul Patrol place was a thread that the moderators would constantly delete because it didn't really conform to the AI message board rules.  So we would restart it and continue to break the rules until they deleted it again.  It was one of those "run back home" threads, like a safe house where we congregated for conversation about anything.  That's what broke the rules...we were "off topic" in terms of not posting news or thoughts about our Idol.  But it was the way our community operated, before we discovered chat rooms.)
  5. **takes a quick running start, does a round off into successive back hand springs, followed by a punch front into a full twisting triple back somersault in pike position, sticks the landing without stepping out of bounds, vaults forward into a hand stand**  (Editor's note:  In my message board youth, I was a master gymnast and quite the amazing acrobat.)
  6. **plants feet, takes firm grasp of one wrist and one ankle, gets a good three spin wind-up, and tosses Gary Coleman with enough force to launch him into orbit**  Note:  Now you have to be careful with this particular celebration.  Most of the time we fail to heave Mr Coleman with sufficient trajectory and force to actually achieve stable orbit.  On those occasions we have special ships at sea to track his orbital decay on highly sophisticated radar.  Unfortunately, the radar has glitches and we inevitably lose track of Mr Coleman's re-entry.  Once, he actually crashed down in the OSP backyard and nearly killed the pool boy!  (Editor's note:  Clearly this is not so silly since Mr Coleman's death in May last year and there is no disrespect intended to his loved ones.)
  7. **see above, only substitute Emmanuel Lewis**  Note:  The diminutive star of the program Webster has a much higher success rate in achieving stable orbit.  Unfortunately, we tend to forget he's up there.
  8. No milestone celebration is complete without an open bar.  I'm a Gentleman Jack man myself, but we have a wide variety of spirits to satisfy the most diverse pallets.  For our Canadian Soul Patrollers, we have plenty of watered down American brews...wait...no, I've got that one mixed up.  We have all the best Canadian brews for our friends from north of the border.  Yeah - that's what I meant to say.  Oh yeah, for those non-drinkers we provide bottomless pitchers of ice cold milk and sweet tea - 2 of our man Taylor's favorite drinks. 
  9. We've had celebrations disrupted many times when someone forgot to shut the barn door and lock up the corral.  The cow gets a little crazy, llamas chase the ducks from thread to threat, while the twins Madness and Mayhem wreak havoc.  And then the Damm Duck breaks the thread and we all end up in banned camp.  (Editor's note:  This is one of those where you kind of had to be there.  I wish I had saved some of the threads to show you the sheer wackiness of the things people wrote.)
  10. Water balloons!  I almost forgot water balloons!  And whipped cream drawings of Onions and Ears and Tatas oh my!
  11. A favored spectacle during any milestone post celebration is the appearance of thread hoppers and the occasional flasher.  Sometimes all it takes is a little of this - (.)(.) - and you don't need a reason to celebrate.  Stare at 'em long enough...you'll figure out what they are.
  12. The party really gets hopping when the TK's show up.  TK stands for Thread Killers, but it's not what you think.  See, sometimes our board would be invaded by the dreaded trolls whose mission was to ruin all the fun and get people all ripped up and mad at each other. TK's started off as a thread for peeps who thought they were death to any thread they joined. Turns out, they are just about the sweetest group. They feel so bad about killing threads, that they just can't seem to let anyone be the last to post!! And when those dreadful trolls appear, TK's zoom into the thread and hi-jack it so fast, the troll has no choice but to begone!! And then the party is back on baby!!
  13. (Editor's note:  This last one is me being a flirt.  It pulls together the things that Soul Patrol gals love about Taylor's performances and was usually written out line by line in a chat or on a message board, as a tease with pauses in between to let people post their hoots and hollars.)  **puts on leather jacket, whips out harmonica, tilts head, batts eyelashes, wails Taylor-style on Tobbaco Road, bends knees, shakes tail with sexy mambo hip swivels, leather jacket flapping about the onion, numerous left leg swings with extra hip and thigh action, finishing with a fast and furious Taylor-go-round that makes me so dizzy I fall on the floor for one last fuzzy belly shot**
Now some of that stuff I didn't come up with.  I took what others had posted and made it my own...put my own silly spin on it, if you will.  The great thing about that Taylor Hicks message board and the Soul Patrollers who posted there was the sense of community.  We were fiercely devoted to voting our guy through every week.  We were dead serious about his talent and that drew us together.


In between working hard to bring in fans and votes, and to rebut the critics whenever and wherever we found them, we were outrageously silly.  The message boards, and later the chat rooms we ultimately established after Season 5 ended, always felt like we were actually in the room with each other.  Although we couldn't see or hear each other, the way we wrote in post after post made us feel as if we were.


It's hard to explain.  The boards felt real.  So when somebody wrote something like **tosses confetti**, it felt like a physical thing that had just been done.  And so we all piled in to write the things that we would do if we were all gathered together in a room actually tossing confetti.


Of course, if we'd really been together we probably wouldn't have been throwing flaming walnuts or juggling kittens...


At least, I don't think we would.

Good times. 

Wednesday Wonders

Posted: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 by Travis Cody in
11

We wonderss thingssess...yesss precious, we doess.  


Like...

...why not take the few extra steps to put the shopping cart in the shopping cart corral?

...why would anyone think that words and images don't influence people?  Isn't that what a marketing campaign is all about?  An advertising executive tries to build a series of images and slogans to graphically and verbally influence consumers toward a particular product.  If rational consumers can be influenced to buy a cheeseburger from Jack-in-the-Box over one from Burger King, then why would anyone think that an irrational person couldn't be influenced by words or images to act on his own perception of what the words or images suggest to him?

...why do some want to rewrite our history, and the literature that describes it, because it doesn't conform to the modern version of morality they practice?  Instead, why not teach children how to think critically so that when they are exposed to something a modern mind might deem offensive, they can question it and determine for themselves what the words say about the time in which they were written?  I don't think kids are stupid.  I think over-protective and selfish adults do kids a disservice by not teaching the fundamentals of thinking, research, reasoning, and determining context.


...if any part of your statement or commentary about an issue includes the phrases "I don't have any experience with that" or "I haven't really taken time to research the facts", or any words to that effect, shouldn't you maybe consider withholding your opinion?  I mean, you certainly have a right to your thoughts about a situation regardless of whether you have any experience with it or knowledge of the facts surrounding it.  But you're a bit lacking in the credibility department to pass any kind of judgment, don't you think?

...why can't the sports networks understand that college basketball games run longer than 2 hours?  And that means that viewers who want to see the second game invariably miss the tip off, and a good portion of the first half waiting for the first game to finally end.

Yesss precious.  Those are just a few of the thingsses that we wonderss.

Make your Wednesday wonderful.

Take This Tune

Posted: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 by Travis Cody in
9


My pal Jamie from Duward Discussion has reintroduced her wonderful weekly feature.  Take This Tune provides a musical prompt each week, usually a video with the song lyrics.  The task is to write something inspired by the song or something in the lyrics.

It's a shame that this feature isn't more popular.  I think it's a great way to combine music and writing.  It's not restrictive at all...you can write something or you can post another song inspired by the prompt.  You don't have to post on a special day...just pick up the prompt, usually posted by Friday afternoons but sometimes posted later in the weekend, and then put your post up sometime during the following week.

Then sign Mr Linky at the TTT blog and cruise around to read some great work.

This week's prompt is the song The House that Built Me, written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, and performed by Miranda Lambert.  The task is to share a story about what makes me, me.



Grab your Mr Peabody glasses children because we're taking a trip in the Wayback Machine.  I first posted this story in July 2007.  Some of you may remember it, but it's also new to some others.


San Mateo Bridge
When I was about 10, my parents divorced and my younger sister and I were raised by our single mom.  We lived about an hour and a half from my grandmother, and so we made lots of weekend trips over to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit.  They were like mini vacations for us.  We would laugh and sing in the car during the entire drive.

I remember the time we tried to take a short cut through Hayward to get to the San Mateo Bridge.  We ended up lost!  If there was a way to lose a large body of water like a bay and a huge bridge...we found it!  But such were our little adventures.

Editor's note:  I have inherited that trait.  Just after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, while driving late at night in downtown San Francisco, I managed to lose the Bay Bridge.  But that's a story for another trip in the Wayback Machine.


Anyway, that shortcut turned out to be the best thing because we passed right by a 7-Eleven convenience store on a side street.  Once we figured out the short cut, we almost always used it and Mom would give in to our begging and stop for Slurpees.  Not always, but more often than not.  If she didn't, we'd have to wait until we got to Gram's.


My sister and I were Slurpee-holics in those days.


Gram was the best.  She was a fireplug of a redhead and she was so much fun when I was a kid.  She'd take us down to Tanforan Mall in San Bruno.  We'd have adventures in parking.  She'd drive and drive around the side lot next to the Sears entrance to the mall, waiting for "her" spot to open up right near the front.  My sister and I would play scout from the backseat, keeping an eye on the entrance and watching for people heading to their cars.  And then, just like that, Gram's spot would open up and she'd swing the big Caddy in like a pro.


Honestly!  Can you imagine a woman all of 4'9" wrangling a huge 1970's model Cadillac around a parking lot?


After our triumph in parking, we'd walk into the mall through Sears.  This was my first experience with any large shopping mall.  Gram would always take us to the toy store and the pet store.  Sometimes she'd need to stop at a shoe store, and she always picked the one next to the book store so we could browse while she got her shoes.


Then we'd head over to the Walgreen's.  Now back in those days at Tanforan, the Walgreen's was more than just a place where Gram could get her necessaries, as she called them.  Once in awhile we'd get new coloring books and the small boxes of new Crayola crayons.  Of course we'd lust after the big box of 64 with the built-in sharpener, but that was always reserved for a holiday or birthday gift.


But the Walgreen's...it was a drug store like it is today, but it also had a cafe/restaurant!  My sister and I were always on our best behavior with limited fidgeting and whining during the shopping phase of our outing, because we knew that after all that good behavior we'd get grilled cheese and hot fudge sundaes at the Walgreen's cafe/restaurant.


The best thing though...the ultimate...the grandest thing about going to Gram's was that she lived around the corner from a 7-Eleven.  Can you imagine anything better for a couple of Slurpee-holics?  After a day of racing Big Wheels down the big hill, or building Legos and Tinker Toys in the backyard, or drawing and coloring on the big dining room table, Gram would hand us a dollar and send us around the corner for Slurpees.


My grandmother has been gone for more than 20 years.  But my grandfather still lives in that same house.  And right around the corner is that same 7-Eleven.  In fact, in 2006 when I went down for my cousin's wedding, my sister and I introduced my niece to the joy of walking around the corner for a Slurpee.


So what makes me, me?  


Memories.


Memories of my redheaded spitfire Gram, and Caddy wrangling in a parking lot, and Walgreen's grilled cheese and hot fudge sundaes, and Crayola crayons, and getting lost as an adventure, and Slurpees.


So many memories.

Super Bowl XLV

Posted: Monday, January 24, 2011 by Travis Cody in
14

Super Bowl XLV is set.  It's NFC Champion Green Bay versus AFC Champion Pittsburgh.  The Packers have a chance to win the 4th Super Bowl title in 5 trips to the big game, while the Steelers can win an unprecedented 7th championship in 8 tries.

Dallas (5-3) is the only other NFL franchise that has been to 8 Super Bowls.  San Francisco (5-0) is the only franchise that has been to multiple championship games and never lost.


The game will be played on 6 February 2011.


I don't have a favorite here.  In fact, I have disliked Green Bay since I learned about football and as a Raider fan, I have a traditional dislike of Pittsburgh.


I like Aaron Rodgers, QB for the Packers.  I kind of like Hines Ward, WR for the Steelers.


But I'm essentially indifferent to the result of the game.  The best I can say is that in two weeks, football season will be over and I can focus specifically and intently on college basketball.


Good luck to fans of both teams.

Five on Friday Set 52

Posted: Friday, January 21, 2011 by Travis Cody in
11


Wow.  Set 52.  That means I've kept this up for a whole year.


Yay me!  Have some CAKE!





Now I was all ready to post a Set of anniversary, birthday, and celebration tunes.  It would have been a great Set too.


But then I had an irreverent thought.

So instead of the expected, traditional, and perfectly acceptable Set of ABC tunes...that's Anniversary, Birthday, and Celebration...I have gone for something completely different.

Thanks to those who encouraged me to make this a weekly meme type feature with a Banner and a Linky and good blog pals who put together great Sets of music every week.  You're the best!



Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones





OK.  You talked me into it.  Here's the original ABC Set too!



Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones



If you've never joined in, give it a try.  I know you've got some favorite music you'd like to share with the FoF gang.  Here's how to play along.

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!


Thursday Thoughts

Posted: Thursday, January 20, 2011 by Travis Cody in
12


I love the way the full moon looks so large and close when it hangs low in the sky.  Yesterday morning it did just that...just over the tree tops with clouds wafting across its face.  Then skimming the mountain tops.  Then finally glowing from behind a bank of clouds.  I know it's an optical illusion that makes it seen bigger and closer, but it's gorgeous anyway.

People who walk or bike in the dark without wearing something reflective or carrying a lit flashlight are a menace, particularly when they don't obey traffic laws.  I can't tell you the number of times I've simply not seen a pedestrian or cyclist until I was nearly right next to them.  There's so much to be aware of and anticipate when you're behind the wheel.  I'm keeping my eye out for anything unusual, but pedestrians and cyclists would help their cause by making certain they can be seen and by following the rules of the road.  I'm bigger and meaner than you in my vehicle.  Do yourself a favor and make yourself more visible, and don't assume that I see you.


My Kindle has made me an even more voracious reader than I've been in the past.  But I still don't think you should walk and read at the same time.  Certainly not when you're walking in front of me on a narrow sidewalk next to a busy downtown Seattle street, when I'm hungry and there is a BLT with avocado in my immediate future and it's cold outside.  Go sit on a bench and get out of my way!


Is it just me, or is a double cheeseburger with just mustard and ketchup one of the all time great tastes?  It's simple.  It's basic.  It's delicious.  Sure, specialty burgers loaded up with toppings have their place, and I like them just fine as long as you remember to hold the nasty onions.  But the cheeseburger with mustard and ketchup...now that's comfort food.

It warmed up into the 50s recently, and I forgot it was still January.  It was cold in my house last night!

Turn your head once in awhile.  There's more to life than just what is directly in front of you.

Hot In Cleveland returns!

Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 by Travis Cody in
5


The gals are back on TV Land!!

Hot in Cleveland premiers tonight.  Check your local listings.  I've already set the DVR!

Chores

Posted: by Travis Cody in
9

Did you have a list of daily chores when you were a kid?  Garbage on Tuesday, clean your room on Saturday morning, wash dishes after dinner every other night, yada yada yada.

Well, we really fell down on our chores through the holidays.  Our place is pretty small and doesn't take much to clean.  But like any other, if you ignore stuff then it gets dingy and dusty and a bit cluttered.

So we've listed out the daily chores, two per evening.  We each take one every day after we get home from work.  In barely 30 minutes a day, we're gradually getting things cleaned up and getting back in the habit of keeping it that way.

I enjoy a clean house, but I hate doing the work to keep it clean.  Pam is the same way.  But keeping up on the house cleaning stuff during the week means the weekends are wide open for anything we want to do.

And that's got to be a good thing, right?

The Queen's Meme #68

Posted: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 by Travis Cody in
12


It's been a long time since I made space for a meme.  I guess I have lots of dungeon time coming up.  Let's see what our Dear Mimi has come up with this week.

Welcome to The Queen's Meme #68.  It's called the Basic Music Theory Meme 101.

It's simple!  Answer the questions and/or identify the following very basic music symbols and tell us what you think they mean.  You can answer correctly (don't peek in the dictionary!) or you can spoof 'em.  


1. What is the symbol above called?
Gosh.  I'm already stumped.  I like music.  But I'm a writer, not a musician.  So I say that those are the lines of a sheet of fresh paper, college ruled and blank, symbolizing the fact that I haven't written a single line of poetry in much too long.

2. Imagine you are playing saxophone and suddenly see the symbol above in your music score. What do you do?
It would truly be miraculous if I were suddenly playing the saxophone and reading a music score.  Now if I were editing one of my stories, I'd probably use such a symbol to denote that a section of what I'd written was crap and needed to be excised.
3. And this ornate object is???
 Well, if you turn it one quarter turn clockwise, it looks like a fancy mustache.

4. Are these two rests equal or unequal in value?
If I jam them together, does that mean I get a longer nap?  Or should I only use one and go for quality over length?

5. Name at least 2 things missing from the Treble and Bass clef shown below that would be seen in an actual piece of music.


I couldn't say.  I'm not being coy.  I really couldn't say because I have no idea.






6. Why is the treble clef above always getting in trouble? What is wrong with it?


I've heard that treble clefs are quite mischievous.
7. What is the name of this note?

It looks like a 4 wood with streamers.


8. What is the key signature in the piece of music below?
 This one should have been easy!  If only Mr Wade had signed the piece, I would have said his was the key signature. 

BONUS! The correct answer will keep you out of the dungeon for awhile.

9.  What is the last note on a piano keyboard?
// = the end
I hope Mimi forgives me!  I don't know anything about reading music, so I played silly with my answers.  But then my answers fell short of real silliness.
Ah well.  Maybe it will still keep me out of the dungeon.
Happy Tuesday! 

Take This Tune

Posted: Monday, January 17, 2011 by Travis Cody in
6


My pal Jamie from Duward Discussion has reintroduced her wonderful meme.  Take This Tune provides a musical prompt each week, usually a video with the song lyrics.  The task is to write something inspired by the song or something in the lyrics.

This week's prompt is the song South Coast of Texas, a song by Guy Clark. 

Reinvention.

That's what comes to mind when I think of coastal cities that are in hurricane zones.  I would imagine that the people living in these areas not only have to be hearty, but extremely adaptable.  You'd never be able to predict when the big storm was going to blow through and change everything.

That happened to the city of Galveston on the Gulf Coast of Texas in September of 1900, when a hurricane made landfall and devastated the region, killing more than 6,000 people and reshaping the Gulf Coast.  You can read the full account of the storm and its aftermath here.

The book Isaac's Storm recounts the early days of the US Weather Bureau and its absolute confidence in the science of the day to understand the vagaries of weather.  American ingenuity and confidence was high at the turn of the century, and part of this confidence was a pride in the ability of science to accurately predict and seemingly control weather.  And Isaac Cline was one of those who thought he could absolutely track a storm and guarantee where it would go and what it would do.


But history teaches us some painful lessons.  We can't predict what weather is going to do.  We can only study it and anticipate the worst.  We prepare for what could happen and hope it doesn't.


And then once the worst is past, we pick up the pieces and start over.


This particular Take This Tune prompt reinforced for me that things are constantly changing.  Sometimes the change is catastrophic...major storms, massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions.  Sometimes the changes is subtle and harder to see...that's the progression of entropy.


It can hurt to lose familiar things and places to time and change.  But that is the way of life.  What you had yesterday is going to be slightly different today.  And you won't be able to exactly recreate what you did today when tomorrow comes.


We can't control time.  We can't really effectively control how things change, although we spend an awful lot of money and effort trying.  


What we can control is our attitude toward change.  We can be part of it and embrace it.  Or we can fight it.


The ubiquitous "they" can drag you kicking and screaming into the future.  Or you can skip gaily downhill toward the excitement of something new.


That's your choice.

Five on Friday Set 51

Posted: Friday, January 14, 2011 by Travis Cody in
11


I want something beautiful to end the week.  I want to remember that there is love in the world.  I want to say that light does still shine even in the wake of terrible tragedy.

"...what we can't do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another.  As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility.  Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together."  President Obama, speaking at the memorial for the victims of the shooting in Tucson.

Surely, those words go well beyond the divisions of political ideology and speak to the commonalities in our souls.  

Tomorrow is the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.  He would have been 82.  Dr King taught us that peace is the way, and that fervently striving for what you believe in doesn't require you to trample on the passions of others.  Please take a breath and pause for a moment to reflect on how far we've come, and how very far we still have to go.

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."  Dr Martin Luther King Jr. 

Life is a work in progress.  Life is a series of challenges.  Don't turn away from it when it becomes hard.  That's the time to step up and be counted.  To speak.  To listen.  To encourage.  To embrace.  


It's time to be.  It's time to use your words.  They have power and consequences.  Use them to build up, to bridge over, to make things better.


"I believe we can be better.  Those who died here, those who saved lives here - they help me believe.  We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us.  I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us."  President Obama.

Smile at people as you move through your day.  Live up to your better expectations.

Peace.


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As always, if you'd like to join us in the musical fun, the guidelines are basic and simple.

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!


Dick Winters (1918 - 2011)

Posted: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 by Travis Cody in
11

Richard D Winters, former Major in the US Army and commander of Easy Company, who's story was told in the HBO mini series Band of Brothers, has died.  He was 92.

As a young Lieutenant, Winters joined the 101st Airborne and went through training as executive officer of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.  He assumed command of 1st Platoon when Easy's original commander was transferred to run a parachute school in England just prior to the D Day invasion in June 1944.

During the jump into France, Easy's new commander was lost and presumed killed when his plane was hit by enemy anti aircraft fire and exploded.  Lt Winters was the senior officer present for duty and so became acting CO.  On D Day, Lt Winters led a text book assault on a German heavy gun battery near Brecourt Manor, knocking out several 105mm howitzer cannon and killing or dispersing at least 50 enemy troops, with his small squad of 13.  That action earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, captain's bars, and definitive command of Easy Company.  The assault is still taught as a sand table exercises of a perfect infantry attack on an entrenched enemy position.


Captain Winters guided Easy Company through Normandy, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge.  In January 1945, after the Battalion was relieved from the defense of Bastogne, Captain Winters was promoted to Major and and became acting 2nd Battalion commander.  He led the Battalion in capturing Berchtesgaden.  Major Winters and Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division were at Berchtesgaden when the order came to hold in place, and major fighting in World War II came to an end.


Major Winters ended the war as a highly decorated Battalion commander.  He was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, 2 Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, and Presidential Unit citation with Oak Leaf Cluster, all for valor in combat.  In addition, he was eligible to wear the "I was there" ribbons offered for service in the European Theater of Operations.


Major (retired) Winters worked extensively with the author Stephen Ambrose to tell the story of Easy Company in Ambrose's book, Band of Brothers:  Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest.  From that book came the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.  There have been several other books written about Major Winters.  He was also an active speaker and lecturer.


What I remember most about listening to Major Winters and reading about him is how he never put much emphasis on himself.  To me, he defined the adage of an ordinary man who performed extraordinary things.  He put the safety and welfare of the men who served under him first and foremost, and would never ask them to do anything he wouldn't do himself.

Major Winters promised himself that when the war ended, he "would find a nice peaceful town and spend the rest of my life in peace."


Richard Winters was the big brother hero in a company of heroes.  I am most humbly grateful for his service, and wish him peace in his final rest.

Richard D Winters, Major US Army (retired)
21 January 1918 - 2 January 2011
"The Biggest Brother"

Five Degrees of Musical Progression

Posted: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 by Travis Cody in
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OK, you've waited long enough for the explanation of my Five Degrees of Musical Progression for the tracks from Five on Friday Set 50.  If you missed the Set, just scroll on down to check it out.

So here it is.

Magnet and Steel, written and performed by Walter Egan - This was the melody that stuck in my mind during my commute last Thursday.  The song was inspired by Stevie Nicks, who produced it with Lindsey Buckingham. 

Landslide - The song was written by Stevie Nicks and was featured on Fleetwood Mac's tenth album, Fleetwood Mac, released in 1975.  I was already in love with Stevie's voice, but this song taught me to appreciate what an incredible songwriter she was and is.

By the Time I Get to Phoenix - Stevie Nicks is from Phoenix AZ.  This song was written by Jimmy Webb and originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965.  Probably the most recognized cover of the song is by Glen Campbell, in 1967, although it is one of the most covered songs of all time.


Tender Years - This is a stretch and you probably won't have made the same leap I did.  Jimmy Webb released an album in 1970 called Words and Music, on which he sang his own songs.  In the movie Eddie and the Cruisers, the character Eddie Wilson (played by Michael Pare) says to Frank Ridgeway (played by Tom Berenger), "Words and music man, they need each other".  The song Tender Years is featured in the movie.  It was written and recorded by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band.


Angel - Here's another leap.  John Cafferty released an album called Roadhouse in 1988.  The movie Roadhouse was released in 1989.  The song Angel is by Jeff Healey.  He and his band were featured in the film as the house band at the Double Deuce, as well as friends of Dalton (portrayed by Patrick Swayze).

Making my Set from this kind of progression was really fun.  I'm going to do this again.  For those of you who enjoy playing along with FoF, I think I'll let everyone know in advance and we can all put together our progressions for the same day.

Sound like a plan?

Take This Tune

Posted: Monday, January 10, 2011 by Travis Cody in
4


My pal Jamie from Duward Discussion has reintroduced her wonderful meme.  Take This Tune provides a musical prompt each week, usually a video with the song lyrics.  The task is to write something inspired by the song or something in the lyrics.

This week's prompt is Big City Blues, recalling the making of 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe, a jazz album created by Barry Manilow and some great jazz musicians and vocalists.

I've never lived in a big city.  I was born in a San Francisco Bay Area suburb called Redwood City.  I was raised in and around Bay Area small cities, and then finally finished out junior high and high school in a small cow town in the central San Joaquin Valley of California.

From there I lived in the high dessert to the north of Los Angeles before settling in just outside of Seattle in the pacific northwest.

All of that from birth until today encompassed more than 25 different moves to apartments, houses, townhouses, and condos along the way.

I'm actually a little bit nervous in big cities.  I don't know that I could live in one.  I kind of like being just outside of a big city, in a suburb.  I'm not a rural kind of guy though.  Country living doesn't appeal to me much.

The thing I like most about living near a big city is access to theatre.  I'm not talking about movies.  I mean live theatre, whether plays or musicals, with sets and costumes and the immediacy of moments enacted on stage in front of me.

I've been to New York and seen two shows on Broadway.  It is one of the high lights of my life.  I hope to do so again.  I saw the musicals Chicago and Lion King on the Great White Way.

In San Francisco I saw Phantom of the Opera, with the amazing Franc D'Ambrosio in the title role.  I saw another performance of the Phantom story in Santa Barbara, as well as a production of Titanic the Musical.

In LA I had the great pleasure of seeing Alan Alda on stage, with Alfred Molina and Victor Garber in a play called ART.  I also saw Brian Dennehy in Death of a Salesman.  There were so many good shows I saw at the Ahmanson Theatre, which is in the LA Music Center.  That's the home of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion where the Oscars are often held, as well as the Mark Taper Forum and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.


There was a season of Shakespeare at a small theatre in Glendale CA, led by a fine production of one of my all time favorite plays, King Lear.  I also saw an amazing performance of West Side Story with few props on a small round stage, with the seats rising from it.  The cast entered through the aisles.  It was marvelous.

Last May, Pam and I went to see Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel in Grease at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle.  That led to our subscription to the 2010-11 season.  We saw In the Heights in November and then last month we saw the new musical A Christmas Story.  The rest of our season includes Vanities: A New Musical, 9 to 5 The Musical, Guys and Dolls, and Oklahoma!.


I like the things big cities have to offer, most especially theatre, but also museums and fine dining and jazz clubs, and so many other interesting things you don't find anywhere else.