Dance Sophia

I posted a new composition to Aime Street: Dance Sophia. You may ask, "who is Sophia?" Sophia is a personification of God's Wisdom. This work was inspired by the Book of Wisdom in the Bible--specifically the passage that begins "Wisdom is glorious..."

Please give it a listen.

Atonement

We saw the movie Atonement last night. Wendy wanted to see "No country for Old Men", but now that I am an old man, I find it disconcerting that there is no country for me. sigh.

The movie started a bit slow for me, but I think part of the problem was that I was aware of some of the major plot points. So I sat there waiting for them to happen instead of just letting the story unfold.

Although all the performances were good, Vanessa Redgrave at the end of the movie stole the show. Also, score was excellent, especially in the way that the sound of the typewriter was incorporated into the underscoring.

Still, Sweeney Todd was better and deserved the Oscar nomination more than this one.

Salut in Edina

Wendy and I were on our way to the Edina Grill when we passed by Salut Bar American (which is next door). Wendy had a hamburger and I had the walleye special. Both were great.

Nice Saturday

Wendy took Tommy to his piano lesson and then lunch. Tony just wanted to stay home and in reality so did I. Sunny day above 32 degrees after too many days of sub-zero weather. Time to get things done around the house and listen to the Met broadcast of Carmen broadcast from NYC. Nice change of pace after a stressful week at work.

My music is on Aime Street

My music is now on Aime Street. It's a place for indie musicians to get their music out there. I uploaded "Corporate Dance". Here's a link directly to it:

The judgment of Eli Stone.

"And let’s hope that in future episodes, Eli Stone and ABC show better judgment in picking causes."--NY Times editorial, 2/2/08

Yesterday the NY Times ran an editorial condemning the show "Eli Stone" for its first episode. The episode dealt with autism and vaccines.

The studies say there is no link. The show pointed that out. As the father with two sons on the Autism Spectrum I honestly don't spend much time thinking about this--I have other more immediate issues that need to be dealt with.

However, I do want to point out that in years past the scientific community knew with certainty that the mother's actions were to blame for a child's autism. Although this theory of the "Refrigerator Mother" is largely dismissed in the United States, the "latest" theory regarding "Therapy Moms" seems to be a thinly veiled rehash of this garbage.

The scientific studies to date show no connection between vaccines and autism. That is different from saying there is definitely no connection. And given the "scientific community's" track record I'm going to keep an open mind about possible linkage.

Funny how scientists get flustered when someone questions them. It is almost like a religious war breaking out. Who says science and religion don't have things in common?

Another Kennedy with Obama (...what does Arnold think?)

Maria Shriver's Surprise Obama Endorsement from YouTube:

A new generation? My generation...

Here's Obama's South Carolina Acceptance Speech:



I'm impressed by this speech. I'm impressed that he referred to the other democratic candidates as "my worthy opponents." My impression is that Obama does not always come off well during interviews or debates. But when I hear speeches like his it does remind me of the great speeches I've heard of FDR or JFK.

They talk of a "New Generation". Like myself Obama was born during the 1st half of the 60's. Are we the tail end of the baby boom or the beginning of Generation X? To be honest, I think neither. I do sense a difference of priorities with Obama than with older candidates.

He knows how to make a great speech. Somehow I don't think Dave Letterman's "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches" will work (or be necessary) with a President Obama.

Muisc for a faux Summer January Night

The temperature got above 30 today and I'm thinking of summer:

Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong from YouTube.

Philadelphia Electric Company Richmond Power Station

Urban Ruins can have some of the most beautiful landscape images that I know of. The first time I ever thought of something decaying as being beautiful was the first time I visited Venice. The whole place seems to be falling apart--but with such style.

But you don't have to go to Italy. You can find such things here. I recently happen upon some photos on the web. They were of a power station that was no longer in use. The first website I went to made a big deal out not disclosing the true location of the power station. (It seems likely that access to the site and the photos were not taken with approval of the "powers that be.")

Well, that got my curiosity going. After doing a bit of research on the web I found that the power station had been used as a location for the movie "12 monkeys". Using that info I quickly found that it was the Richmond Power Station in Philadelphia.

The place has been closed since 1985. But it was built at a time when technology "deserved" a proper setting. The remains of the building are still beautiful. All the more amazing when you think how few people actually ever saw the inside of it--I don't think it was meant in any way to be a public space.

The following is a Google Maps street picture of the site (which is not very impressive) followed by links to more information and better pictures.


View Larger Map


Philadelphia Buildings

Abandoned but not forgotten

Flickr group

Flickr picture

Opacity

Preservation PA

Billary isn't working

Watching "This Week" on ABC I saw a clip of Bill Clinton dismissing Obama's win in South Carolina by pointing out that Jesse Jackson won there (twice I believe). The implication there is that a win in South Carolina does not mean winning the general election. But there is also the implication that the last African American to run didn't win.

Here's the clip



I don't like this. For all the talk from Billary about Obama playing the race card, it is their campaign that I keep hearing about it from. I am concerned about how divisive this issue could be for a party that MUST come together in November.

State of the Dis-union

Well, President Bush's annual psychotic break with reality (The State of the Union Address) will be happening this Monday.

Oh darn. I think I have other plans that night.

(The mantra remains "less than one more year....")

John XXIII: Journal of a Soul

Pope John XXIII is a "spiritual hero" of mine; the "parish priest of the world." I believe that the Vatican Council II was one of the finest hours of the history of the Roman Catholic church. It took a brave man to "open the windows" of the church to the modern age. It makes it so sad now that I sense so many of those windows slamming shut.

Out of curiosity I checked out Journal of a Soul which is a collection of his journals from the library. I started to read it hoping to really dig into the book--but I didn't. I guess I was hoping for some "words of wisdom" that I would feel spoke directly to me and my life where it is now. No such luck. (Perhaps that was a bit lofty of a goal.)

I don't see this really as a failure on the book's part or on mine. This is still a man that because of his actions I admire. Perhaps his actions are more the "words of wisdom" I am looking for than what he wrote. Also, this book is a translation edited after his death it seems. One thing that I did appreciate about it was that it wasn't a diatribe about how the world would be perfect if everyone would just listen to him. Instead it concerned things he thought he could do better in his own life.

If you want to change the world, start with yourself.

I think I'm going to be returning the book soon. Perhaps at some other point in my life it will "speak to me" more directly.

However, I found this video on YouTube about VC II: The audio is in Italian (which I don't speak), so hopefully it isn't saying something really offensive.

It could be funny... really

BTW, here's why I had high hopes for the Veggie Tales movie. This is NOT from the movie. It's the silly song that inspired the movie. The song is nutty and funny. Something that the entire family can enjoy together.

Review: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

2 Stars (out of 5)

This best parts of this movie are in the trailer. I liked the 30 minute Veggie Tales DVDs. Nowadays, it feels like some people think "liberal" and "religion" cannot coexist within the same person. That is definitely not true for me. I liked the Veggie Tales because they did tell the Bible stories, but they also made it fun for both the children and the adults.

This movie for the most part lost the fun. Except for a few moment (especially the song "Rock Monster" at the end) it did feel like my boring CCD classes of my youth. If they want to fill 90 minutes of screen time, then put 3 of their DVDs back to back.

Being "Pawlentyed"

Well the following article says that Pawlenty isn't planning to give education any more money. But what I love is the URL for the article. Notice that one of the parts of the URL is "pawlentyed". I think that is about right. Education has been Pawlentyed in his administration.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/17/pawlentyed/?rsssource=1

A buzz cut

Today I cut my hair. A buzz cut. I was so worried it would be a Britney Spears moment.

I've been going to the same barber for a number of years now. It took a while for me to find one I liked. You see, I want a buzz cut. A nice simple buzz cut. The problem I ran into is that most places that I went to that know something about a good buzz cut also double as a "Right-wing, Red-State, Sportsman's Club, Chest beating, Do you want a porn magazine?, I'm more manly than you" barber shop. Going to a Great Clips really annoyed me. There, most times it was a woman who gave the buzz cut. I'm not trying to be sexist, but for whatever reason I was never happy with these cuts. There was just part of me that said "You just don't get it." (BTW--I did have a great barber, NOT stylist, once who was a woman who did a great buzz cut. But she specialized in men's hair. I think that was probably the point. She had done it enough to really figure it out.)

What I want is an old-man Italian barber shop. This is different from the type of barber shop I described above. They are (or were) common in the area around Pittsburgh where I grew up. This was a man's place, but not in a "I have to prove my manhood" kind of way. It was a place that said (without speaking) "You--you Italian. This is an Italian Barbershop. Be comfortable. You were born knowing how to act. No need to prove. How short do you want it today?"

A Buzz Cut is like Good Italian cooking. It is actually quite simple. The skill is knowing EXACTLY how much and EXACTLY when to do something.

My problem has been I live in Minnesota. There aren't a lot of Italians up here. But I finally found a Scandinavian barber shop I liked. It's a man's place, but relaxed. And they know how to give a good buzz cut. There are two barbers there I really like. But they are both nearing retirement (or actually past it). They have a new guy (who is probably my age). I've had a couple haircuts with him, but each time I'm not happy with the buzz cut I get. Now the barber I like the most is only working on Saturdays and the other one I like only works once or twice a week. Sigh.

So, I decided to take matters in my own hands. A buzz cut. It is the simplest of haircuts. We have a trimmer from back when the boys were younger. I figured if I really screwed it up I'll go find a barber (but not the place I normally go to) and have them fix it. I'll use the longest trim guard so there will be some slack to fix if needed.

I did it. Just followed the contours of my head. I kept telling myself "Take it slow. Don't push. Don't force." I walked upstairs to show Wendy. She was shocked...

"Wow, it looks really good" she said in great surprise. Wendy and I have been married long enough for her to know sometimes you just have to let me make a mess of things and then go fix it. I think she was expecting that today. But instead... "You look like you do when you come home from the barber."

There's part of me that is proud and happy. Plus I probably saved about $25 (with tip). But there is part of me that still wants a good old Italian barber.

(However, Wendy pointed out: "You know, you'll still need to go back sometimes to fix that beard of yours.)

Dave is back

Well, Letterman is back! And he has a beard--good for him! I wonder if he is going to shave it off when the writer's strike ends?

A good vacation

Well, tomorrow it is back to work. It is so crazy--I've been resisting the urge to check my work email all day. I think it is just that as a working geek you deal with information all day long. Being on top of that info helps to keep you ahead. BUT... there are times when you really need to just breathe, relax. Those emails will be there tomorrow and another day of resting my mind will help me keep it all in balance.

So.... Ommmmmmm... I will resist the emails.... Ommmmmmm....

Heroes is back on its game

I just watched the best episode of the season so far of Heroes. (Online no less--had a meeting Monday night.) Finally, it is back on its game. We had all the things that make Heroes cool to watch. The Sci-Fi, the secrets, the children, the parents--everything! And I guess just two episodes until this chapter finishes up and we're left to wait for the end of the strike--argh! (If anyone needed proof how important the writers are, this is the episode to watch!)