It’s 6am and still dark outside.
Of course I noticed the days getting shorter some time ago.
It’s a humid 70 degrees outside. The highs this week are predicted to be in the 90s.
School starts (officially) for my son today, although I think for the high school and younger crowd it doesn’t start until next week.
Labor Day weekend is coming.
Doesn’t matter much to me, I will irk, as always.
I have to go get stuck by a vampire this morning.
My son started his History of Rock class. I feel for his generation, because at least I recognize some of the names and styles of music he is learning about. I know who Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstrong, John Phillip Sousa, and Benny Goodman are. While I can’t tell you the technical terms that make ragtime ragtime, or the blues the blues, or jazz jazz, I can recognize them and tell them apart.
He hasn’t got a clue.
It’s going to be a struggle for him I think, until the class gets into the 60s and 70s.
Time to get showered and dress and ready to leave.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN 'Tis 73 Amurrkin out and clear (really, I see stars!) with a predicted high of 91 and mostly N.O.S. for the day. Today I shall somewhat defilthyfy da cave. Rah. Plus I need to clean up the smoker since I did not do so yestiddy. Double Rah. We shall sup upon pulled poke, baked sweet N.O.T., steamed cabbage and corn bread. YUM! Perhaps I shall get in some quality cee-mint pond time as well.
Sari sounds like an innerestin’ class for Sah-son. Hope he continues to do well in kollige and gets learnt up real good.
Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day. Triple Rah.
**sari **- if he knew all that stuff, there would be no value in the class, now would there? I grew up listening to Ella - my mom loved her and had a bunch of her records. I like a lot of what she did, tho I’m not much of a fan of scat singing.
And, yeah, it’s definitely darker when I leave for work. I especially hate it because my route to work is mostly a 2-lane unlighted road and my aging eyes don’t much like it. Fortunately, there’s usually enough traffic for me to see all the twists and turns coming up.
Tahred - didn’t fall asleep till after 11 and woke around 4:30. Gonna be a rough day. Happy Moanday. Blech.
It’s already the second week of school here. Believe it or not, I have just two students but they’re keeping us on our toes.
Tonight I’m taking my little poodle girl to a trainer for an evaluation. She’s a rescue from a puppy mill and has some significant issues including a strong resistance to potty training.
School means an extra ten minutes on my commute but nothing other than that. I’ve been out of the classroom so long, even as a teacher, that it really doesn’t register to me. Other than to think its all a fake and school doesn’t really start until the week AFTER Labor Day.
Getting ready for my double. Very humid and going 90+ today so it may be a fun day. People get silly when they get heat exhausted.
Schools been going for a week now in N. Ali-bama, the first High School tackleball games were played this past weekend so I guess that means summer is over…HA! temps are supposed to be around 90F all week, with a chance for tunder-boomers later in the week.
On the house front, tile for the bathroom is due to complete this week, then the cabinets are due on Thursday. So things will slowly begin to look like a house again.
Otherwise not a lot except soccer practices is on the agenda. Need to do some banking today and pick up a few things at the store.
Public schools in MD start the day after Labor Day. Why? No idea, but that’s how it goes. No effect on my morning commute, but in the afternoon, timing is critical getting past Benjamin Banneker Elementary - I’ve gotten caught behind exiting buses, including the one that seems to stop ever 20 feet. Not only can kids not walk farther than their driveways, many parents sit at the end of the drives to transport the little darlings the 100’ to the front door.
You know Stars and Stripes Forever.
Yes, he was mentioned in the course.
It has started out covering the music of the early 1800s through the early 1900s.
I’ve Got Rhythm is a very important song, which will be explained later in the course.
I’m taking this class with him Swampy, because it is interesting to me too. The problem with not knowing the styles of music is FCM, is that they are being described in beats, measures, and instruments. They are just words on a page for him, but when the book talks about rag time, I can hear it in my head.
Neither of my parents were into music very much. They had a stereo but only a few albums, musicals. I remember they had Around the World in 80 Days.
I’d love to take a History of Rock class.
**Sari, **if your son has trouble identifying different instruments, maybe he can find recordings (YouTube videos, etc.) of instruments that might be used in the earlier styles of music you mentioned.
Ragtime - piano
Early blues - guitar, harmonica, piano, vocals
Jazz - piano, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, bass, sometimes vocals
It’s the same in Wisconsin. The tourism industry has some pretty good lobbyists, I guess, because they’re the big reason why public schools don’t start until after Labor Day. My daughter goes to a private school, so she starts this Thursday.
{{{Midget}}} So sorry for your loss. I hope things start looking up for you. It may not be today or tomorrow or even this week, but someday soon.
Romeo Jr.'s cough turned into a weekend long cling fest. He was legit not feeling well on Saturday, so we snuggled and hung out and watched too many cartoons. But yesterday, I think he just didn’t want to be away from me. He was clearly feeling better because he was climbing all over and couldn’t sit still… but didn’t want to be outside of arms reach of me. He’s cute and all, but geez.
Also, in this video, you can hear what a 12-bar-blues chord progression is like, and even how it’s counted. The chords start at 1:03 in the video, and the 12-bar sequence restarts at 1:44. Not all blues songs are at this speed - I post this video more so that you can get the sound of the 12-bar blues in your head. And don’t worry about the first minute of the video, or the “blow” and “draw” indications - those are technical things for harmonica playing.
Skools round here start the first week of September, Kolej (legit spelling in Malay) 'n Uni starts later, I don’t go back ‘til the 26th September. Hence the sneaky Milan trip; I’m pretty sure the sole reason for Uni being so late is so Uni staff and students can go on cheap getaways once the kiddies are back slavin’ away and the prices all drop.
I went to one of my lecturers for one assignment and said ‘I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing on this assignment’ which was a scientific write-up, his response was ‘Great! If you did, in the first year, there’d be no point in you being here!’
I did get a few tips, but I see his point…
Just went down to the allotment today, mostly to tidy up a bit and pot up some strawberry runners. The season’s starting to finish up a bit, though if it brightens up at all, I could be picking some things for another month. It was chilly enough last night that I switched to the winter duvet though…
Hopefully it’ll warm up again once the kids go back, it often does.
It rained last night - yay! Now it feels muggy and blah. I’m having a panic attack trying to sort out what to do first today. I’ll get there I imagine.
I grew up listening to Ella - my mom loved her and had a bunch of her records. I like a lot of what she did, tho I’m not much of a fan of scat singing.