random musings from a serialist
Finally! There is a music review website out there that says it all and pulls no punches. Tongue-in-cheek, of course, but often quite true
Finally! There is a music review website out there that says it all and pulls no punches. Tongue-in-cheek, of course, but often quite true
You can see how the Purdue University’s 2002 Poinsettia Trials are doing by watching them on the PoinsettiaCam [link updated]. Did someone say something about watching the grass grow? Remind me again why filters on computers in public libraries is a good thing? Flesh Public Library in Piqua (Ohio) had to change it’s domain name … Continue reading “flowers and filters and rock ‘n roll”
You can see how the Purdue University’s 2002 Poinsettia Trials are doing by watching them on the PoinsettiaCam [link updated]. Did someone say something about watching the grass grow?
Remind me again why filters on computers in public libraries is a good thing? Flesh Public Library in Piqua (Ohio) had to change it’s domain name because the filters on their public computers blocked access to their home page.
Maya Price has written an unpublished open letter to the editors of Rolling Stone magazine regarding their so-called Women in Rock issue. You’ll have to scroll down the page a little to get to it.
By RS standards, Rock is no longer a style of music but a trendy costume to be whipped up by expensive stylists and slapped onto the latest pop tart barbie doll. Give a girl some tight pants and a spiky bracelet and POOF! She ROCKS!
That’s right, I’ve been busy collecting all sorts of things to share. Women are striking for peace on November 11. Apparently, the British can’t rap, but I picked up a copy of Ms. Dynamite‘s CD, and it’s pretty good. The military’s homophobia could be a barrier in the War on Terrorism. Seven Arabic linguists were … Continue reading “Holy linkage, Librarian!”
That’s right, I’ve been busy collecting all sorts of things to share.
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My friend Drew has made a weblog that is a satire of George W.’s private diary. It’s pretty funny. “Just kickin’ back today. havin’ some Tecate, eatin’ pretzels and watchin’ some college football. Go Longhorns! Makes me miss mah days as a cheerleader back at Yale. Man, them were the days.” I have been a … Continue reading “Dubya, Vampires, and Mennonites, oh my!”
My friend Drew has made a weblog that is a satire of George W.’s private diary. It’s pretty funny.
“Just kickin’ back today. havin’ some Tecate, eatin’ pretzels and watchin’ some college football. Go Longhorns! Makes me miss mah days as a cheerleader back at Yale. Man, them were the days.”
I have been a part of a live-action role playing game for the past three years that is based on White Wolf‘s Vampire: The Masquerade. The game I am in isn’t as dark as RPG games tend to be, and I have had fun with it. I think if LARP as being more like improv theatre than the stereotypical D&D image that role playing games tend to bring up in the minds of the uninitiated. Anyway, while I was surfing around tonight, I ran across a list of Garou (aka werewolf) light bulb jokes.
How many Fianna does it take to screw in a lightbulb? One to screw it in, and nine to write bad poems and songs about it.
Today, I joined an online organization of folks who are willing to let independant touring musicians crash on their couches for a night or two. It’s called The Artist Couch Exchange and reminds me of Mennonite Your Way. Hmm…. I wonder if MYW will ever go electronic? Seems to me that it would be more up-to-date with out requiring frequent pressings.
I went hiking today at the Pinnacles near Berea. As I drove up to the Indian Fort Theater parking lot, I could see little droplets of rain on my windshield and I wished that I had remembered to bring the rain jacket I bought after a hike in the rain last spring. It’s the kind … Continue reading “hiking”
I went hiking today at the Pinnacles near Berea. As I drove up to the Indian Fort Theater parking lot, I could see little droplets of rain on my windshield and I wished that I had remembered to bring the rain jacket I bought after a hike in the rain last spring. It’s the kind of jacked that rolls up into a stuff sack the size of a hoagie bun. The rain didn’t continue, and by the time I got out of the car, it had stopped completely. None of the rest of my hiking companions had arrived, so I waited and watched the way the clouds draped over the tops of the foothills and attempted to read a book. Soon, Mary arrived and we decided to start hiking, since it didn’t seem that anyone else was coming today. The leaves on the trees had turned shades of red, orange, and yellow, with some greens remaining. When I would take my glasses off (the hike was strenuous enough that my body heat combined with the temperature made the lenses fog over frequently), it almost seemed like the far side of the hills were painted in watercolors that had bled together. I hadn’t hiked that trail in almost two years, and in the interim time I had forgotten that the trail went up and up without many level places until we reached the top. Once we were there, the view was well worth the effort. Mary and I stayed up there for fifteen or twenty minutes, catching our breath and enjoying the God-like feeling of watching the miniature world below. Then, we hiked back down (which was much easier than the hike up) and drove into Berea for a tasty lunch at Wanpen.
Two interesting articles arrived in my email today. One is yet another story about women in rock and how radio stations are starting to play them more. It’s well-written and does at least address the difficulty that women who write and perform original rock songs have in getting airplay on commercial radio stations.
“But not all radio stations are tuned in to the trend. When it comes to rock, testosterone still rules.”
The other story is the first positive article about weeding library collections I have ever read in a non-professional journal. It’s in the New York Times, so as usual, you’ll need to register in order to read it.
“In the lexicon of library science, managing such unwieldy growth is known as weeding. It’s the closest most New Yorkers will ever get to gardening.”
No dumpster diving in dmoz today, just a few things that I ran across while surfing around. Doonesbury has been doing a bit on weblogs this week. [the homeless guy] Google is removing links from search results in it’s French and German search sites. Lis Harvey finished up her 50 State Tour last week and … Continue reading “blogging, linking, and Guinness”
No dumpster diving in dmoz today, just a few things that I ran across while surfing around.
I was very sad to hear of Sen. Paul Wellstone’s tragic death today. I don’t think he had even been a blip on my radar before today, which is strange since he is exactly the kind of politician I would want representing me. After hearing the NPR’s All Things Considered reports about him and his work in the Senate, I nearly cried at the loss. His family and friends are in my prayers.
On Monday afternoon, while scrounging through the playbox at WRFL for something to play that is relevant to my show, I ran across a band from California that call themselves The Librarians. I had to play a track off of their CD, even though it really doesn’t fit the format of the Estrogen Nation. I … Continue reading “The Librarians and the Wishing Chair World Tour”
On Monday afternoon, while scrounging through the playbox at WRFL for something to play that is relevant to my show, I ran across a band from California that call themselves The Librarians. I had to play a track off of their CD, even though it really doesn’t fit the format of the Estrogen Nation. I must say, they rock! Too bad they’re boys…I’d give them many more spins on my show if they had at least one girl in the band. As it is, they are my top choice for days when I can’t find enough women to fill the required slots. Anyway, I went ahead and ordered their t-shirt – I’m sure it’ll be a hit at professional librarian meetings. Oh, and I’m emailing with one of the band members about setting up an interview for RiFLe.
My friends, the band Wishing Chair, are looking for places to play on their World Tour. So, if you live in a town with a worldly name like London, Moscow, Sydney, or most especially Versailles, drop them a line and let them know about local venues. In my opinion, house concerts are the most fun, so you should also consider this. Kiya has put some links to informative websites about hosting house concerts on the World Tour page. Oh, and they now have really cool t-shirts for the tour. According to the monthly mailing, there are “[m]any sizes and colors to choose from, all 100% cotten in 4 lovely colors, ready to flatter any complexion and guaranteed to last until you wear ’em out. We won’t have anything really big or really small till we do our run on hand dyed tees this winter, so you all just keep your shirts on til then!”
Can you tell I like t-shirts?
Continue reading “The Librarians and the Wishing Chair World Tour”
About a month ago, there was an article written in the New York Times about lesbians and folk music. I mentioned it here, but I didn’t say too much about how I felt about the article. Since then, I have read several commentaries about how degrading the article was, not only for lesbians in folk … Continue reading “folky lesbians go to beer church”
About a month ago, there was an article written in the New York Times about lesbians and folk music. I mentioned it here, but I didn’t say too much about how I felt about the article. Since then, I have read several commentaries about how degrading the article was, not only for lesbians in folk music, but women in all aspects of music. It did strike me as odd that a straight guy could presume to know enough about lesbian culture to pinpoint one genre of music that encompases us all, but his presumption didn’t make me angry until I read the well-articulated commentary by Amy Ray and realized that Hadju pieced together what he needed for his theory, and ignored attepts by other to enlighten him. By doing that, his article is reduced to a crack-pot anthropological theory by an “alien”.
“Why not interview lesbian punk, jazz, hip-hop, rock, or bluegrass musicians? There are plenty of them.”
On a lighter note, I found the most amazing church yesterday! Someone on one of the message boards I read frequently posted a link to the Beer Church. I haven’t read everything there yet; I got side-tracked by the mullet haikus. I even wrote one of my own:
Angry white boy yells
Lying on truck bed with Ray Bans
Damn! I am the shit!
My friend Kiya Heartwood recently sent me a link to Lisa Rogers’ campaign site. I think it is about time we put a folksinger in the White House! Especially if it means we boot Dubya and his clones out of there. “It’s so much easier just to complain. But I figure if I really want … Continue reading “Lisa Rogers For President!”
My friend Kiya Heartwood recently sent me a link to Lisa Rogers’ campaign site. I think it is about time we put a folksinger in the White House! Especially if it means we boot Dubya and his clones out of there.
“It’s so much easier just to complain. But I figure if I really want to help undo the mess, I should apply for W’s job. Let’s just say it’s my way, as a Texan, of apologizing to the rest of the world.”
What do you say? I’ll bet that if everyone who was dissatisfied with the current government situation (and it’s future prospects) were to write her on the ballot this next time when we have to choose between the Demagogue candidate and Dubya, she’d win! And wouldn’t the world be a much better place for it?
My friend Anna sent me a link yesterday to an article about folk music having become the sound of lesbian culture. I have noticed this phenomenon, but I had never really thought about it specifically. You can read the full article yourself, but it will require a free registration with the New York Times. “We’re … Continue reading “folk is lesbian music of choice, over-paid librarians, and other modern myths”
My friend Anna sent me a link yesterday to an article about folk music having become the sound of lesbian culture. I have noticed this phenomenon, but I had never really thought about it specifically. You can read the full article yourself, but it will require a free registration with the New York Times.
“We’re seeing the coming together of a way of life and a form of expression that’s kind of primary,” says Lisa Merrill, a professor of performance history at Hofstra University. “This doesn’t happen often.”
A county in Washington State wants to dissolve the entire county library system, according to this New York Times article. So far, petitioners have managed to collect enough signatures that it might actually make it onto the ballot. Aparently some folks are upset that they pay an average of $38 per year in property taxes to keep the rural libraries up and running. <sarcasm>Gee, that sure is a big chunk to be taking out of some family’s budget.</sarcasm> Seriously, folks, don’t you think that is a small price to pay to have access to free books and computers?
“I home-school my kids, and our four library cards are maxed out at 40 books at all times,” said Linda Arrell, who lives off the electric power grid with her family north of here. “They say everybody is on the Internet, so we don’t need a library. Well, some of us don’t have credit cards, and some of us don’t have power.”
Oh, and that bit about the head librarian’s salary being too high? Let’s put this in perspective here, folks. Ms. Robinson is responsible for nine library branches, which includes all of the staff and budget issues that any large organization spanning a geographic area that size would have. If she were in the corporate world, she would be making three times as much.
