What's Up With That?

Kermit remembers

2013-05-17T06:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of Jim Henson's death. My first memories of television are of watching Sesame Street. Watching the show religiously made me a fan of Henson for life. As a tribute on the anniversary, Ricky Gervais tweeted a photo of Kermit the Frog poignantly touching a photo of Jim and the world's most famous frog together. I searched Google images and found the story of the photo. I managed nearly an hour of procrastination doing some Jim and Kermit surfing tonight. I have to admit that the Muppet Show always annoyed me a bit. I think that I was just a little too old, which created an urgency to distance myself from everything Muppet--even though I still watched nearly every episode of the television show. At the height of the Muppet's' popularity, I don't think that I knew a single person who didn't know who Kermit the Frog was, and a decent amount about him. Young, old, rich, poor, everyone knew the frog.

The image instantly makes me think of my children and want to go hug them. Henson seems so obviously Kermit's father, that the emotion is as powerful as if there were an actual little boy touching a picture of his father.

Photo taken by Kevin Williams and Lin Workman.

My quest continued to Wikipedia and this illustration drawn by Disney artists Joe Lanzisero and Tim Kirk, which appeared in the Summer 1990 issue of WD Eye — Walt Disney Imagineering’s employee magazine.

I have to remind myself that Kermit is a Muppet, to avoid feeling really sad for the little guy. I also need to remind myself to play with my own little muppets a lot more often.

To all of this ugliness, we must put an end...

2013-04-21T16:39:00.000-06:00

image from: http://vibethat.com

When I moved to the Philippines in 2007, I intended to travel the world for the rest of my life. Then came 2 kids, which changed the game a bit. I knew that I didn't want my kids to grow up in an environment that was so in-your-face corrupt. I also wanted them to go to school here in the U.S., because, despite what you hear endlessly, the vast majority of our schools are doing a great job.

When I left in 2007, Bush and Darth Vader still held the White House. I couldn't imagine that things could get any worse. Most of us hold multiple passports (Alexa has 3!), so we could have gone a lot of places. Even with the sad state of politics (and many other things) I still knew that of all of the places in the world we could go, that America was the place that I wanted my children to grow up. Then I returned in 2011 and everyone else followed a year ago this month.

I'm still in shock over how much the country changed in those 4 years. Everyone hates each other so much that they don't seem to mind what asses the politicians that they support have become. If there was ever a time to pause, self reflect, and adjust, now is it. I'm convinced that until we're collectively ready to criticize our own team, nothing will get better. I'll start. Our current administration is even worse than Bush. How is that possible? The other side? They're almost a parody of a parody of themselves at this point.

The easy thing to do would be to pack up and leave again. But, we're not going to leave. I'm going to teach my children to fight and hopefully they'll be part of the generation that changes course. The chance of my generation, or any before it, making a change now is nil. We're like little children, so easily distracted by shiny baubles that we don't notice anything else.

Before they started putting out made-for-prom songs in the 80s, REO Speedwagon put out some great material. One of my favorites is "Golden Country," which speaks to the mess that we find ourselves in now.

This video was posted on YouTube by user Fazelinear5666 They have a lot of great videos, check it out!

No money, no possessions, only obsessions

2013-04-04T17:41:00.000-06:00

image taken from: http://bibledude.net

As a reminder about how far I let myself stray from where I should be, I play "Between Angels and Insects" regularly. It helps to remind me of all the bargaining and compromising that I engage in on a daily basis.

I like stuff too much. Yet, when I lived in the Philippines, I realized that I could get by with very little in the way of possessions and not mind at all. Once I returned to the U.S. the hunger returned and it keeps growing. In the Philippines, my children lived for 4 years without ever really knowing want or envy of other's possessions. Now, having arrived a year after me, their appetites grow steadily. I'm not going to blame any of this on anyone but myself, and I'm the only one who can get myself out of it.

For all of the hate and derision that Karl Marx gets from people who have no idea what he thought or wrote, he made some pretty powerful observations and predictions about what all of the stuff we started making would do to us. We're alienated from what we make, what we consume, what we love, and each other. And what did we get for it? Not happiness, that much is sure.

I was in the Philippines from 2007 until 2011. I missed the downturn (my investments didn't miss it, only my physical presence was missing) in the American economy and the beginning of the excuse to destroy what's left of the middle class. I couldn't understand how things could change so much in a short time. When I repatriated, I saw and felt what I had missed. In my lifetime, there have been some major economic crises and scares, but something just felt different this time. People were nastier about it. Everyone knows that everyone else is responsible for the problems because of their laziness, sense of entitlement, and bad attitudes. Yet, I've heard very few people take credit for their own role in creating the current conditions. Teachers, police officers, fire fighters, tradespeople, and regular workers are demonized while politicians, bankers, reformers, lobbyists, and consultants play us against each other and get rich while doing it.

I'm tired of being blamed, and I'm tired of blaming without taking action, or at least righting my own actions. If things stay the way that they are, I'll be explaining to my children when they are 25 how i missed most of the only thing that has amy real value to me--their lives--just so that I could play this bullshit game.

I'm not going to do it anymore. I won't play. I won't make that trade. It won't happen overnight, but I'm going to change. Once I'm done with the addictions and obsessions, I'll be ready to really fight back.

meg & dia--monster (stuck in my head)

2013-03-31T16:50:00.001-06:00

It started by following a post in my twitter feed. Now i can't get the song out of my head, which isn't a bad thing. You can check out more from these sisters and their band at meganddia.com or visit their YouTube channel

I love seeing creative, talented, and successful Amerasian young people that my kids will be able to look up to as role models some day. Keep rocking, girls.

Originally posted October 15, 2011. Reposted to fix video issues.

Bringing down the temple or not caring anymore?

2013-03-26T20:43:00.001-06:00

a spectacular sculpture of Samson in Asdod, Israel.

And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

Originally posted 3/17/12, and reposted to restore video. There must be something about conflict and drama in March that I'm drawn to.

Humans are fortunate that none of us actually have superhero or god-like powers. There have been multiple occasions that I would have ripped the sun from the sky, were I able. If you are enjoying the return to spring in the northern hemisphere,you are aware that I haven't done this yet.

When people speak of natural disasters being a punishment from God, it seems that they hold onto a pretty weak version of God. If you are going to believe in the big man, you might as well imagine that he'd do a lot worse than a hurricane, earthquake, drought, or some other 'natural' disaster when he's pissed.

I've spent a large part of the last year contemplating the concepts of vengeance and revenge. We'll most likely never really know the right balance between forgiveness and revenge. For now, I can only say that I empathize with Samson's situation. If it was me, I'd probably go with tearing the temple down.

This contemplation on revenge and vengeance has been spurred on by Phil Collins. I came across I Don't Care Anymore, one of the all-time great screw you songs ever written, while trolling YouTube today.

Well you can tell everyone I'm a down disgrace

Drag my name all over the place -

I don't care anymore.

You can tell everybody 'bout the state I'm in

You won't catch me crying

'cos I just can't win -

I don't care anymore

I don't care what you say

I never played the same games you play.

see I've been talking to the people that you call all your friends

And it seems to me there's a means to an end -

they don't care anymore.

And as for me I can sit here and bide my time

I got nothing to lose if I speak my mind -

I don't care anymore

You hear, I don't care no more

I don't care what you say -

we never played by the same rules anyway.

I won't be there anymore

so get out of my way - let me by

I got better things to do with my time

I don't care anymore

Old Friends

2013-01-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

Now on the second week of a vacation filled with the flu and colds for the whole family, my mind has started wandering back to the tropics. I'm hoping that, eventually, we can find our way to a few more global adventures before calling it a day.

One positive effect of having disorganized photos is that every once in a while, I get to rediscover a moment that I'd forgotten. This must be around winter 2009. A friend on vacation in the Philippines recently reported back to us that Buster survived and is now living on an estate in Subic. I miss those dogs. If things go well, we may be looking for a few dogs at the end of the school year. I don't think that I'm over Rottweilers yet, so at least one of them has to be a Buster or Turtle Jr.

Will, Buster, and Turtle, Winter 2009, Angeles City, Philippines

I was here.

2012-12-15T03:25:00.000-07:00

Last May, we commemorated our first year as a school with a mural of hand prints on a wall in the outdoor classroom. I liked the idea when we created it and idea has only improved with age. I'm hoping that we expand the mural as we grow.

Sometimes I give my camera to a student and have them document their day. While starting to process all of this work has been an item on my massive to do list for a long time, I think that having the kids do it for me is a much better plan. Today I found a misplaced folder of photos that a 10th grader took at the end of August, 2012. In this shot, a girl connects with her hand print from last year.

Awesome Art 12: Metamorphosis of Narcissus

2012-07-24T21:53:00.000-06:00

Salvador Dali with Alice Cooper

Metamorphosis of Narcissus (1937) click for larger image

The world could use more Salvador Dalis. It's hard to call a Dali painting a favorite when so many of them are beautiful and brilliant. So, one of my favorites--Metamorphosis of Narcissus.

The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida: http://thedali.org
Brief Wikipedia biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD

Awesome Art 11: Nautical Art

2012-06-30T00:14:00.000-06:00

originally posted January 30, 2011 on Ed.ucate.Me

This photograph is by Martin Hughes. I found it in at a great Nautical Art Group on Flickr.

Honest Trailers

2012-06-28T04:56:00.000-06:00

A friend emailed me an 'honest trailer' of the movie Avatar. There are now 5 in the series, which i've saved you the trouble of searching for by including them here!

deMotivational Messages: The Power of Dreams

2012-06-28T03:48:00.002-06:00

originally posted on Ed.ucate.Me on December 22, 2011.

Reality can be so harsh!

Check out all that despair.com has to offer.

Wheeling and Dealing for Domain Names - WSJ.com

2012-06-22T23:47:00.001-06:00

Wheeling and Dealing for Domain Names - WSJ.com

I think that adding this many domains is silly. It will probably be a huge payout for a few and an enormous bust for most. That said, I think that assuming that everything ends in .com or .org is going to be the thing that grandparents do soon instead of complaining about the remote or how hard email is to use. Kids adapt much more easily and soon it will be easier to expand to *some* additional domains.

I'm pretty happy with my class site name, Ed.ucate.Me, but it even takes kids a long time to stop putting .com after .me

Awesome Art 10: Wassily Kandinsky

2012-06-17T12:27:00.000-06:00

originally posted November 14, 2010 on Ed.ucate.Me

"Landscape with Red Spots" by Wassily Kandinsky (1913).

The Tate Modern had a Kandinsky exhibit, which focused on the first half of his career, in 2006. You can read more about the artist and his work on the Tate Modern site.

The Clowns Running the Show

2012-06-17T01:10:00.002-06:00

When a system is in crisis, it is good to take a step back and have a good look at the clowns in charge. It's time for the blame to start getting pushed back uphill.

deMotivational Messages: Procrastination

2012-06-15T01:27:00.003-06:00

originally posted October 10, 2010 on Ed.ucate.Me

This post is one of my many forms of procrastination.

As a matter of fact, it is paying off right now!

Check out all that despair.com has to offer.

Awesome Art 9: The Best Painting in the Universe

2012-06-06T23:47:00.000-06:00

originally posted November 8, 2010 at Ed.ucate.Me

I was getting bogged down in my usual haze of trying to choose a new work of art for this week's entry. Just when I thought that I'd made up my mind, something else would draw me away on a tangent. Finally, I got really tired and wanted to go to bed. So, I did what any good teacher would do, and i just googled "the best painting in the universe." Google saves the day!

A photo of miss universe body painting came up in the first slot. The first painting didn't come up until position number 4 (ok, in position 2 there was another painting, but i didn't like it at all--we are talking about the universe here). Congratulations to Mark Chadwick on creating the best painting in the universe (that we know of)!

You can find more of Mark's work here: http://www.markchadwick.co.uk/

deMotivational Messages: Meetings

2012-06-06T05:12:00.001-06:00

originally posted on Ed.ucate.Me on November 23, 2010.

Ain't this the truth!

Check out all that despair.com has to offer.

A Bicycle Built for Three

2012-06-05T20:17:00.000-06:00

We're getting ready for our trip back to Chicago. Alexa and Christopher will meet their grandmother, one of their aunts, their cousins and extended family for the first time. I'm starting to get everyone's bikes ready for the trip.

Alexa and Chris have been dying to get at the Schwinn three speed since they got here in April. Today, i finally got it down from storage and took it out for a test drive. My parents bought this bike, and its girl-bike pair, in 1970. For the first couple of years, my sisters were too young to ride, so my father installed a 2x4 across the bar in the front where they could ride.

I've had the bike since the late 90s. I installed the baskets in the back, which make another nice seat. Now, we can pretend that we are back in SE Asia and see how many clowns can ride on one bike at once. We'll try to add a couple more clowns once we get to Chicago. It seems kind of amazing that the bike has survived for 42 years without showing any signs of age.

deMotivational Messages: Incompetence

2012-06-03T12:42:00.000-06:00

originally posted on Ed.ucate.Me on February 20, 2012.

I enjoy the demotivational posters. Unfortunately, they always make me want to quit work and live in a shack on the beach. Maybe that isn't so unfortunate.

Check out all that despair.com has to offer.

Awesome Art 8: My Blue Period

2012-05-30T21:03:00.000-06:00

originally posted November 22, 2010 on Ed.ucate.Me

One of only two surviving spin art creations from my 70s 'blue' period. I made dozens of these when I was about 5 years old. My plan was to try to sell them door to door in my neighborhood. Imagine how excited I was when a neighbor boy offered to buy several of my pieces soon after I began selling! He paid me with a check. I must have been a little sheltered and slow, because even a 5 year old should know that a 4 year old can't write real checks.

I'm pretty sure that the original is still in a box somewhere in my sister's basement right now, making it 40 years old, and surely considered a masterpiece. Someday, I want to live in a house with this either painted on the ceiling with a sky light in the middle, or on a wall with a window or fish tank in the middle.

deMotivational Messages: Blogging

2012-05-28T20:36:00.000-06:00

originally posted on Ed.ucate.Me on August 21st, 2011.

This one seems especially appropriate for this venue.

Check out all that despair.com has to offer.

Awesome Art 7: Robert Crumb

2012-05-28T17:00:00.000-06:00

transfer post from Ed.ucate.Me Originally posted December 10, 2010

If you ever meet Robert Crumb, don't tell him to Keep on Truckin'; it's a bit of a sore spot. The best way to find out about the celebrated American illustrator is to hear it from the man himself.

The first video is an excerpt from the excellent 1994 documentary "Crumb." Second is a 2011 interview. Finally the third video is an excerpt of a BBC documentary from 1987.

Official Website: http://www.crumbproducts.com/

75 day challenge to myself: day 1

2012-05-26T01:22:00.000-06:00

There are exactly 75 days until we begin school again. I know that number sounds huge to everyone who get somewhere between 0 and 2 weeks off per year; believe me, the time flies.

By publicly pronouncing what I manage to get done, I'm hoping to shame myself into having an extremely productive break. I have list upon list of tasks, activities, fun, chillin, exercise, cleaning, moving, traveling, and reading, and playing to cram into this 75 days.

Luckily for me, quitting smoking won't be on any list; this past Wednesday was my one month anniversary. Unless I get stupid again, I think that I have it licked.

Today was a good day at school for getting started. We walked, played Frisbee, walked some more, and ended our first school year on a great note. I walked a couple of extra miles tonight. Fitness is off to a good start. Tomorrow I'll try to ramp up the exercise and eat less and healthier.

I've gained too much weight since quitting smoking and indulging in Maylin's cooking for the first time in nearly a year. Excuses aside, I have about 25 pounds to lose.

by bullet point:

exercised
ate kind of better
figured out some website stuff and got some web stuff done
thought about how fast 75 days will speed by.

My theme song for this break is Between Angels and Insects by Papa Roach. I'm almost literally down to no money and no possessions, so I'll be concentrating on eradicating my obsessions over the next 75 days.

It's about a revolution in your heart and in your mind

you can find a conclusion. Lifestyle and obsession.

Diamond rings get you nothing but a life long lesson

And your pocketbooks stressing

You're a slave to the system working jobs that you hate

For that shit you don't need

It's too bad the world is based on greed.

Step back and see.

Stop thinking about yourself start thinking about..

There's no money there's no possession only

Obsession I don't need that shit

Take my money take my possession take my obsession

I don't need that shit

School's Out!

2012-05-25T23:56:00.000-06:00

We have a clean up day next week, but today was the kids' last day at school. This has been the most draining year of teaching for me since my first year. To give that statement some perspective for you, I started my first teaching job in January, 2002. I started mid-year, took 27 credits of classes that spring semester, and then switched to a new school after the first school closed in May.

Every break, I have a massive to-do / wish list of things that will keep me busy. I rarely get as much done as think that I should. Well, this break is going to be different. My next post will explain how.

It's a tradition for me to rock out to School's Out by Alice Cooper at the end of every school year. Here it goes.

deMotivational Messages: Motivation

2012-05-25T00:32:00.000-06:00

I've been in love with the posters from despair.com since they first came out. The idea is simple and beautiful. The company says that their "collection of cynical motivational parodies are reverse-engineered from some of the most nauseating motivational posters ever inflicted on mankind."

I'm transferring and continuing my collection of demotivational posters here. If you're a fan, check out all that despair.com has to offer. First up is 'Motivation.'