The Daily News
1 Funny that Groundhog Day is over, because I keep re-living series/episodic teevee. The latest scoundrel is this series called The Blacklist.
2 I'm always busy with the babies, but yesterday I saw a guy get punted off a high tower building three different times.
3 Just once hurts.
4 I did establish the term "series/episodic" here, correct?
5 Permission to shorten that to SETV? The spelling of TV "teevee" has jumped the shark, as has the term "jumped the shark," which has jumped the shark.
6 The show is on throughout the day when we chase after lil' babies. Each adult misses a segment, so that is why we watched a guy get punted off a high tower building three different times. We do get out every now and again, and hit parks, malls, flea markets, and most recently, a home and garden show at Cal Expo. Still...
7 Tough to go on outings when you are glued to SETV, but we manage. I just worry a bit about a show that has guys getting punted off high tower buildings. Not my cup of tea, and it can become the stuff of nightmares.
8 Moving On, Part One: Is today Black Groundhog Day?
10 I hear there was a rush on Valentine candy at Walmart early this morning.
11 People huddled outside in tent camps.
12 'Murica.
13 Nah. I'm just boushittin'. But we've almost arrived at stuff like that, I swear. Everything is a hype.This is the exact reason that I taught seasonally, back when I was a teacher.
14 I began one of my earliest assignments, making magazines, right smack in the middle of the Back-to-School craze, so the students could benefit from the media hype, and get school items on sale once school was already in session. I let all the free advertising motivate the students.
15 In October, of course, I did the classic ghost stories. Those stories traditionally resulted in lots of coincidences and psychic occurrences, often in front of groups. We called them "Heidi trips," after the first "ghost" discovered in the Y.B. Theatre. Many believe the stuff to have been real. Fun unit, often genuinely scary. Chime in on Facebook if you would like to share a story that happened to you. I wouldn't be offended, nor would I be annoyed.
16 November was fiction v. non-fiction.
17 I taught the JFK assassination. The story told by the Warren people would have been an example of fiction, if you ask me.
18 I thought of selling tee-shirts that said "Back And to the Left" for ten bucks each, but thought better of it, even though I probably would have donated to some cause. I still thought better of it. What a guy.You can always count on me to take the high road. Could have made a fortune.
19 And then there was Christmas. I usually dropped the ball, but I did teach Christmas short stories. No major things planned.
20 Somewhere in there I fit the eight bazillion tests the students had to do using bubble tests.
21 It got better, but yeesh.
22 One time, during a weird-schedule week, I brought in It's a Wonderful Life, and included writing prompts.
23 The students wrote unbelievable papers on that one. I used it twice in my dubious career, and both times it worked famously. The quality of writing improved dramatically.
24 I have no test to prove that. I have my own brain.
25 I left a lot of that out there on the field.
26 I somehow survived all that madness.
27 And here I am, writing stupid stuff for the masses.
28 Pretty slick, huh? I could continue, beginning Romeo and Juliet on Valentine's Day, and all the rest, but you get the idea.
29 Moving On, Part Two: The babies just arrived. They're spending Wednesday at our house.
30 BRB.
31 They are here, and they charmed instantly.
32 Isla kept breaking into huge smiles and giggles. Maren was chill, watching the Super Bowl hype on TV.
33 See that?
34 "TV."
35 I'm thinking of moving away from the traditional DN spelling of "teevee."
36 No reason.
37 Just "TV."
38 Moving On, Part the Thoid: I'm still playing guitar once more. My singing has gotten a little better, although I can't hit the higher notes, which is essential to rock.
39 I have recently been practicing some obscure Beach Boy songs, and it is sometimes tough to climb that ladder.
40 I love their cover of the John Philips/Michelle Philips classic California Dreamin'. That song has a decidedly dark side.
41 Let's have a closer look at California Dreamin'. I sang this song for years without paying attention to the lyrics that I was singing.
42 Ever do that?
43 Here are the lyrics to California Dreamin', a song most anybody walking around has heard at one time or another:
44
California Dreamin'
All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray.
I've been for a walk, on a winter's day.
I'd be safe and warm, if I was in L.A.;
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
Stopped in to a church I passed along the way.
Well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray.
You know the preacher liked the cold;
He knows I'm gonna stay.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray.
I've been for a walk on a winter's day.
If I didn't tell her I could leave today.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
51 A lot of people are familiar with this song as well, but how many know the lyrics? I learned this song years ago when Nicole and I sat down with a guitar, and we realized that it is a song in part about how white people wiped out nations of indigenous people. We laughed while discovering it, because we always thought it was just a goofy song with Christmasesque harmonies. How wrong we were! Here are the lyrics to The Beach Boys' Heroes and Villains:
Heroes and Villains
I've been in this town so long that back in the city
I've been taken for lost and gone
And unknown for a long long time
Fell in love years ago
With an innocent girl
From the Spanish and Indian home
of the heroes and villains.
Once at night Catillian squared the fight
And she was right in the rain of the bullets that eventually
brought her down
But she's still dancing in the night
Unafraid of what a dude'll so in a town full of heroes and
villains
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Stand or fall I know there
Shall be peace in the valley
And it's all an affair
of my life with the heroes and villains
My children were raised
You know the suddenly rise
They started slow long ago
Head to toe healthy wealthy and wise
I've been in this town so long
So long to the city
I'm fit with the stuff
To ride in the rough
And sunny down snuff I'm alright
By the heroes and
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
52 Ambiguous yes. Let us see what the mighty Wiki has to say about this. The SMiLE project refers to an album that The Beach Boys were going to use, and showcase Heroes and Villains. It was shelved, and only later did it hit the charts. There were many different strands of lyrics over the years, but what is above is the latest version. There are many different versions that have appeared on compilation albums. Here's the mighty Wiki:
The song was written for the SMiLE project, Though the
lyrics are distinctly Western with some allusions to the American Indian genocides, former wife Marilyn Wilson claimed that Brian meant the "heroes" and "villains" to represent the ones in his life.
53 Allow me to tiptoe around the facts on this one. The history of The SMiLE project is pretty complex. It is an album that has been edited since 1967. In many ways, it can be likened to an unfinished symphony.
55 I researched this story, and just hit the surface. You can follow up with your own research. Wiki, of course, isn't the best. It's like a cheap encyclopedia. Here was one website that I enjoyed. It is from popmatters.com:
10 I hear there was a rush on Valentine candy at Walmart early this morning.
12 'Murica.
13 Nah. I'm just boushittin'. But we've almost arrived at stuff like that, I swear. Everything is a hype.This is the exact reason that I taught seasonally, back when I was a teacher.
14 I began one of my earliest assignments, making magazines, right smack in the middle of the Back-to-School craze, so the students could benefit from the media hype, and get school items on sale once school was already in session. I let all the free advertising motivate the students.
15 In October, of course, I did the classic ghost stories. Those stories traditionally resulted in lots of coincidences and psychic occurrences, often in front of groups. We called them "Heidi trips," after the first "ghost" discovered in the Y.B. Theatre. Many believe the stuff to have been real. Fun unit, often genuinely scary. Chime in on Facebook if you would like to share a story that happened to you. I wouldn't be offended, nor would I be annoyed.
16 November was fiction v. non-fiction.
17 I taught the JFK assassination. The story told by the Warren people would have been an example of fiction, if you ask me.
18 I thought of selling tee-shirts that said "Back And to the Left" for ten bucks each, but thought better of it, even though I probably would have donated to some cause. I still thought better of it. What a guy.You can always count on me to take the high road. Could have made a fortune.
19 And then there was Christmas. I usually dropped the ball, but I did teach Christmas short stories. No major things planned.
20 Somewhere in there I fit the eight bazillion tests the students had to do using bubble tests.
21 It got better, but yeesh.
22 One time, during a weird-schedule week, I brought in It's a Wonderful Life, and included writing prompts.
23 The students wrote unbelievable papers on that one. I used it twice in my dubious career, and both times it worked famously. The quality of writing improved dramatically.
24 I have no test to prove that. I have my own brain.
25 I left a lot of that out there on the field.
26 I somehow survived all that madness.
27 And here I am, writing stupid stuff for the masses.
28 Pretty slick, huh? I could continue, beginning Romeo and Juliet on Valentine's Day, and all the rest, but you get the idea.
29 Moving On, Part Two: The babies just arrived. They're spending Wednesday at our house.
30 BRB.
31 They are here, and they charmed instantly.
32 Isla kept breaking into huge smiles and giggles. Maren was chill, watching the Super Bowl hype on TV.
33 See that?
34 "TV."
35 I'm thinking of moving away from the traditional DN spelling of "teevee."
36 No reason.
37 Just "TV."
38 Moving On, Part the Thoid: I'm still playing guitar once more. My singing has gotten a little better, although I can't hit the higher notes, which is essential to rock.
39 I have recently been practicing some obscure Beach Boy songs, and it is sometimes tough to climb that ladder.
40 I love their cover of the John Philips/Michelle Philips classic California Dreamin'. That song has a decidedly dark side.
41 Let's have a closer look at California Dreamin'. I sang this song for years without paying attention to the lyrics that I was singing.
42 Ever do that?
43 Here are the lyrics to California Dreamin', a song most anybody walking around has heard at one time or another:
44
California Dreamin'
All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray.
I've been for a walk, on a winter's day.
I'd be safe and warm, if I was in L.A.;
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
Stopped in to a church I passed along the way.
Well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray.
You know the preacher liked the cold;
He knows I'm gonna stay.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray.
I've been for a walk on a winter's day.
If I didn't tell her I could leave today.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day.
Source: A-Z Lyrics
45 Up until last night, I thought the second stanza, third line was "You know the preacher likes the cold."
46 When I awakened this morning, I thought that this might be about a guy who was down and out, since he was pretending to pray. The word "likes" would have implied that he has been there long enough to know this. "He knows I'm gonna stay" suggests homelessness.
47 Not sure about "If I didn't tell her I could leave today," which is a bit enigmatic.
48 Interesting theory.
49 Want a little more?
50 Did you ever listen to the lyrics of another classic, Heroes and Villains?
Heroes and Villains
I've been in this town so long that back in the city
I've been taken for lost and gone
And unknown for a long long time
Fell in love years ago
With an innocent girl
From the Spanish and Indian home
of the heroes and villains.
Once at night Catillian squared the fight
And she was right in the rain of the bullets that eventually
brought her down
But she's still dancing in the night
Unafraid of what a dude'll so in a town full of heroes and
villains
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Stand or fall I know there
Shall be peace in the valley
And it's all an affair
of my life with the heroes and villains
My children were raised
You know the suddenly rise
They started slow long ago
Head to toe healthy wealthy and wise
I've been in this town so long
So long to the city
I'm fit with the stuff
To ride in the rough
And sunny down snuff I'm alright
By the heroes and
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Heroes and villains
Just see what you've done
Source: A-Z Lyrics
52 Ambiguous yes. Let us see what the mighty Wiki has to say about this. The SMiLE project refers to an album that The Beach Boys were going to use, and showcase Heroes and Villains. It was shelved, and only later did it hit the charts. There were many different strands of lyrics over the years, but what is above is the latest version. There are many different versions that have appeared on compilation albums. Here's the mighty Wiki:
The song was written for the SMiLE project, Though the
lyrics are distinctly Western with some allusions to the American Indian genocides, former wife Marilyn Wilson claimed that Brian meant the "heroes" and "villains" to represent the ones in his life.
53 Allow me to tiptoe around the facts on this one. The history of The SMiLE project is pretty complex. It is an album that has been edited since 1967. In many ways, it can be likened to an unfinished symphony.
55 I researched this story, and just hit the surface. You can follow up with your own research. Wiki, of course, isn't the best. It's like a cheap encyclopedia. Here was one website that I enjoyed. It is from popmatters.com:
56 Okay, that's about it for today.
57 Hope you enjoyed some of this.
58 Gottago.
59 Have a GREAT day.
60 See you again.
61 Peace.
~H~
fin.
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