Posted by fabricpile
Sat, 08 Sep 2007 12:27:00 GMT
When I was five or six years old, my parents traded in our piano for a small organ. I’m not sure what prompted that trade. I really liked listening to my brother Mark play piano.
We younger kids were immediately signed up to take organ lessons. The guy we took them from played at Komet hockey games and at the pizza place that had the giant pipe organ. That gave him minor celebrity status in Fort Wayne in the early 70’s.
I really hated organ lessons. I just wanted to play the piano! I quit for a time, and then when I was 10 or 11, my mom made me start taking lessons again from a woman who worked at the piano/organ store in the mall. I hated the way her fake nails clicked constantly on the keys when she played. I thought it was completely ridiculous when she made me play “Don’t it Make My Brown Eyes Blue” to a very fast samba rhythm. I guess when you’ve got “Samba” as an option, you just can’t let it go to waste!
My instructor freaked out when she realized that I couldn’t read music very well. I had been playing everything by ear. I finally convinced my mother to let me quit playing the Wurlitzer of my nightmares.
But, hey! I can play “Don’t it Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by ear to a fast samba beat! How’s that for musical talent?
I think that I’ll just leave the organ-playing to the sea.
Posted in links, fabricpile | 5 comments
Posted by fabricpile
Mon, 22 Jan 2007 18:30:00 GMT
It seems that when Joe was a kid, he watched too much Underdog and not enough Rocky & Bullwinkle.
He didn’t know what the WABAC Machine was. And I married him thinking he was a geek. Sheesh!
Check it out: Mr. Peabody and Sherman are coming to the big screen!
Posted in WABAC, links, joek | 2 comments
Posted by fabricpile
Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:58:00 GMT
No gingerbread houses for us this year. This Christmas I think we’ll go with the gingerbread Tie Fighter or At-At.
Posted in family, links | no comments
Posted by fabricpile
Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:59:00 GMT
Nasty! Just what we need—more fried fair food. I can just hear Homer, though: “Mmmmm! Coca-licious!”
Posted in links | 4 comments
Posted by fabricpile
Sat, 28 Oct 2006 01:35:00 GMT
Or at least make him affordable!
Bill Nye the Science Guy is 0wned by Disney.
Disney can charge whatever they want for their stuff, but they are clearly torpedoing their market around here, because nobody can afford $49.95 for each 26 minute episode. Of course, you can save by purchasing the entire 100 episode set for a measly $3,249.
Bill Nye is great stuff. I’d love to be able to purchase this series for the Otterbein Library. Presumably Disney is selling to the portion of the education market overflowing with Federal pork.
Whether legal or not, he pops up on Youtube. Thanks, Stephen for linking to this great commentary on astrology.
Posted in library, links, school | 4 comments
Posted by joek
Fri, 27 Oct 2006 01:19:00 GMT
Are the season’s icky political advertisements distressing you? Check out these delightful videos of people spreading a little more happiness in Sydney, Australia and Philadelphia, PA. Awesome!
Posted in links | 2 comments
Posted by fabricpile
Thu, 26 Oct 2006 01:20:00 GMT
They’re on to us! We were driving home from Buckles on Monday, bringing Maize her semi-monthly “Hoppy Meal” when we pulled up behind this car:
I’d say that we were a little unnerved, but you know better than that. The kids and I got a huge laugh out of the coincidence.
Of course Free The Mouse has nothing to do with us feeding our corn snake. It has everything to do with Mickey, Sonny Bono, and copyright law.
Posted in links | 2 comments
Posted by fabricpile
Mon, 02 Oct 2006 17:12:00 GMT
Our trips to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello always inspired me to plant new flowers. While walking Jefferson’s paths, I fell in love with Joseph’s Coat (Amaranthus tricolor). In Maryland I planted it, only to discover that it heartily reseeded itself over every available bit of dirt. I accidentally composted it and spread it even further. It’s gorgeous, but I wouldn’t plant it again.
I also fell in love with globed amaranth (Gomphrena globosa), which is a bit more finicky and stays where it’s planted. I order my seeds each Spring from Monticello’s garden center, even though I can get them just about anywhere. The globes are in full bloom both here and at the library, and I’m tickled when people come in and ask me, “What are those beautiful flowers?”
This year I planted coxcomb (Celosia cristata). The look and feel of these huge flowers delights me (and Emma). They are a little top-heavy for our soft bog soil, so I’ll be sure to give them plenty of support next year.
Posted in fabricpile, emma, bog, links | 2 comments
Posted by fabricpile
Fri, 22 Sep 2006 01:03:00 GMT
If you haven’t seen the 2001 film Rivers and Tides about Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy, you really should. His work is fascinating. When I watched him work, I kept vacillating between admiration of his genius and thinking that he is a total nut-job.
Inspired by Goldsworthy’s natural sculptures, the nutty geniuses here at the bog have been creating their own art projects from the local fieldstones we collect.
My rock pile has never looked quite so artistic!
Posted in bog, links | 4 comments
Posted by fabricpile
Tue, 01 Aug 2006 17:07:00 GMT
Finally! Something Emma and Henry can agree upon.
Posted in links | 5 comments
