Random Neuron Firings

Today’s RNFs are the result of this morning’s readings, and last night’s observations.

• Finally, somebody stands up to Shaquille O’Neal. Note to self: beware of anyone who says, “Anyone who knows me knows I’m a comedian.” Ew.
• Don’t you hate it when you’re reading along, getting into someone’s personal story, only to find out at the bottom of the page that it’s a sales pitch?
• As much as I’m loving this jazz camp, the drive to Tiffin is starting to wear thin. Here is a picture of the lovely Je-nay-nay, doing her jam session performance. She was delightful, as was Samuel. (I forgot to take a photo of him. Nuts.)
• How long do you think this guy practiced?
• I have 5 pages finished on the 10-page project due this Sunday.
• This going to bed at 1 a.m. is for the birds.
• Bo Derek was 16 when she started dating John Derek. He was 46.
• I find it odd that alligators can only be found in the US and China. That’s it. Nowhere else. There are also 1.5 million alligators in the US alone…and less than 1,000 crocodiles.
• Ever wonder why honey is so easy to digest? (hork)

All right. No more excuses. Time to get back to “The Paper.”

Fink out.

Sheew…late night, late blog post.

Last Friday night, I went to my son’s house and played the Rock Band video game. I stood and watched for awhile, then jumped in. I sang “Long Time” by Boston, then launched into “Enter Sandman” by Metallica (fuzzy cell phone photo by B.J. here). Son Sean is playing “bass,” Lance is on “guitar,” and their friend Mark is on “drums.”

It was especially hilarious because all the people in the photo are actual musicians. So, why weren’t we making “real” music? (I had a discussion about this at a Summer Solstice bonfire I attended the other night, too.)

Well, I think part of the answer is “the challenge.” How close to the original — right down to the singers’ inflections and the players’ licks — can you get? It’s not as easy as you think, when every aspect of your “playing,” from rhythmic integrity to intonation, is taken into account when assigning the scores. The biggest difficulty for me was to avoid the temptation of putting my own licks in. That gets points deducted, Skippy. Found that out the hard way.

And here’s something new. According to this article in the London Financial Times, Apple Corps, the company started by the Beatles to control their empire…

…has become more active in recent months since Jeff Jones took over as chief executive. The company, whose board includes Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono Lennon, has allowed Beatles compositions to be used on American Idol and in a Las Vegas show.”

So it appears that the iron grip on the Fabs’ music in the mainstream might be loosening a bit, thanks to this Jeff Jones guy, whoever he is. I had a discussion over coffee this morning about this very issue. Mavis was unsure about the whole idea, her comment being, “Is nothing sacred anymore?” She worries about the trivialization (read: overt commercialism) of the Beatles catalog, basically opening it up to be viewed as video game fodder and not creator of the singular defining musical epoch in the history of pop culture (which it is).

I said I thought it was about time that Beatles music joined the mainstream because of the new fans they could attract — fans who would likely not bother with a lot of their music if it weren’t in a video game.

What do you think? Feel free to weigh in on the matter.

Personally, I will be first in line to beg my son to download the entire Beatles Xbox catalog. But that’s just me being silly. And I am not going to become addicted to Rock Band. I can stop anytime I want.

Fink out (to look at the latest Xbox song packs).

Last night, I went to a jam session at a nearby university to kick off a weeklong vocal jazz and pop singing workshop, for which I was asked to do a couple sessions on solo singing.

Well that was fun. Hadn’t been in front of a band in quite awhile. And the best part of the night: I sang a duet with this guy. How cool is that? He was really nice, too. We sang an impromptu version of Time After Time (not the old jazz standard, but the Cyndi Lauper version). He was sitting at the table next to me and we’d struck up a conversation. Then someone asked, “Who’s singing this?” (meaning the Lauper tune) and I made some comment about it not being the version I was thinking of, but that I knew the tune. Next thing I knew, Deke and I were onstage with it. Cat is an amazing singer, and if you close your eyes you won’t know that it’s not a human making those trombone, trumpet and electric guitar sounds.

Reminds me of Stephen Bishop’s mouth-trombone stuff on Careless.

I like being surrounded by good players/singers. I could get used to that. What I didn’t like was:

• Out of a faculty of 10 people, I’m the only woman (ok, I don’t exactly hate it)
• Out of a faculty of 10 people, I’m the oldest (that I hate)

Going back today to work with some aspiring jazz singers in preparation for their turn onstage at the jam session tonight. Should be a blast.

Ok, gotta make like a tree. Future Ella Fitzgeralds and Mel Tormés await.

Fink out.

Well, there are probably some girls in there, too, but that would have ruined my cute alliteration.

I read an article in the Canadian National Post last week about the alarming increase in the use of Tasers by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As the RCMP’s use of Tasers (“stun guns” that deliver a debilitating electrical charge that renders a suspect helpless and in temporary pain) rose a surprising 45% in 2007, critics pointed out that while giving a cop a Taser was initially a good idea, designed to protect citizens and police alike, it has “gradually become a tool to elicit quick compliance with police instructions, and sometimes just an easy means of silencing backtalk.”

<<<Hmmmm. Silencing backtalk. What’s wrong with that? *stroking beard* Kid talks back…give him the volts. I see nothing inappropriate here.>>>

Anyway.

Just this morning I caught this from Reuters: Mounties say they will curb Taser use. The subtitle said, “officers have been zapping suspects needlessly.” As you do. At any rate, it seems the RCMP got the message.

Hey, remember the “Don’t tase me, Bro!” video from last fall? That was intense (although the guy was a wackjob). I mean, the things are dangerous, right? But apparently, it’s legal in the US for citizens to own them. Can you say, “askin’ for it?” Who did this? They need a boot to the head. It’s like giving kids matches and saying, “Now don’t go burning yourselves or setting things on fire.” And check this:

Taser flavors! Only in the USA, people…

Leopard skin on a weapon. What next?

I don’t want to get into the whole gun control/right-to-bear-arms debate. I just wonder what’s going to happen now that everyone (with a thorough background check, of course) is allowed to buy these things. I suppose it could be said that you could do the same thing (hurt people) with an egg beater, but come on. There are people who should simply *not* be allowed to play with Tasers. And most of them would pass the “background check” with flying colors.

And don’t expect the Taser to just lie there, unimproved; the thing that just goes bzzzt-bzzzt. They’re already making these things more sophisticated. Pictured is the M18L model. Sure, it has cool stuff like identifying markers, imprinted with the serial number, which are discharged when the weapon is fired. But it also has…what?? Barbed probes??

Ewwww.

Chile, don’t expect ANYONE to behave with that thang.

Fink out.

*yawn*

Man, I overslept today. I hate that.

This will be a bit of a diversion from the usual Finkness. Today I am going to give a lesson to those interested. Ok, I’m also doing it because I’ve never done anything remotely artistic (visually) in my life, so this was a milestone for me.

While some may think this lesson is geared to women, I will say that any man (if he is smart) could do it as well. As long as a woman supervises.

The photos below were all taken at my house. My daughters, Sarah and Jessie, and sister Mavis joined me in the project. It was fun, and you should try it if you have a baby shower to attend. So, without further ado:

How to Make a Diaper Cake

(click on the photos for larger views)

At this point, get ready to insert rattles, bathtub toys, teething rings, bootie socks, little bottles of lotion and shampoo, gift cards, bibs, whatever, into the little open spaces as surprises that the parents will find as they use the diapers and the cake is dismantled. Wrap up the 2nd tier with a blanket and some ribbon, as shown above. Now, for the final tier:

Ok, now it’s your turn. Mark, get set, go.

Yikes, it’s 9 a.m. and I’ve nothing done (except this lovely picture lesson, which I enjoyed doing). Have a super Tuesday.

FO