Two. More. Days.

She is asking when Christmas Break begins. It begins in two days. Two more days, Athena. Then you can fetch a ball of yarn for me all day long if you'd like.

Ride or Die!

I got a text Sunday morning saying "have you seen this? this is you!"

Saturday Night Live had done a sketch about an argument between two Weezer fans. I must admit this sketch encapsulated perfectly what it means to be a Weezer fan. I have actually had this exact argument many times, sad to say. I'm on the Ride or Die side...

Strangers

 

I saw these words last September at the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris. George Whitman, the long time owner of the bookstore hand-painted the words on the wall himself. They are a paraphrase of a passage found in the Christian scriptures...

^"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."
 

- Hebrews 13:2

I made a small sign with these words and put them on the door to my classroom. 

Singalong

I bought and downloaded Sufjan Steven's Christmas album the other day. I really dig it. You can sample it HERE.

Persistence

Any reader of this blog (and there aren't many of them!) know that I've been a fan of the Oklahoma Sooners since before I can remember. So I do come from a particular set of biases regarding the events of the past weekend.

I am stunned that two Sooners won the Heisman trophy in back to back seasons. I was surprised enough by the ascension of Baker Mayfield last year but I never expected Kyler Murray to be so good. They proved everyone wrong.

I am very impressed with their persistence. I was skeptical when Mayfield transferred in, I was thinking he was going to be a distraction. I thought surely there was a reason why Tech never offered him a scholarship. After all, Kliff Kingsbury is supposed to be some kind of quarterback guru and if he let him walk, then there must be good reason. Mayfield played with a chip on his shoulder and blew everyone away. Bake is still proving the naysayers wrong with his play in the NFL.

I felt the same way about Kyler. I incorrectly assumed that a big program like Texas A&M led by another quarterback guru like Kevin Sumlin could not have been wrong in allowing Murray to transfer. Once again, I thought we were getting someone else's leftovers. And when it came to light that he was planning on only playing one year for OU so he could play major league baseball, I questioned his commitment to the Sooners.

How many times can I say I was wrong? A lot, apparently.

I expected a drop-off after last year's Heisman winner graduated. But wow, in many ways, Murray's Heisman season was even more impressive than Mayfield's.

I give my Aggie and Tech friends a hard time about squandering future Heisman trophy winners. That's gotta sting. But what persistence both these guys have. Everyone doubting them. Making the big decision to transfer to another school, then excelling beyond all expectations and winning what is arguably the most prestigious individual trophy in sports.

Amazing, impressive and historic.

Paris is Burning...Again

 

December 2018

Paris has a long history of barricades and protests. Still, I find it stunning to see these riots unfurling in places where I walked just nine weeks ago. In September, from the sheltered vantage point of a tourist, there was no inkling of simmering discontent. 

 September 2018

I sympathize with the plight of the "yellow vest" protestors. Sky high taxes are making it very difficult for millions of Frenchmen and Frenchwomen to stretch their paychecks to the end of the month. However, it is hard for me to understand the desperation of those who commit acts of violence or vandalize historic monuments (although seeing the Arc de Triomphe in person made me see the stark reality of Napoleon's narcissistic despotism). 

With the risk of sounding clueless and out of touch, I also empathize with those who saved their hard earned money and finally got to go on a trip of a lifetime only to have it marred by violence. It took us twenty years to finally make our anniversary trip to Paris last September. We saved our money and spent months in planning. We were lucky our trip was not ruined by riots. That may sound bourgeois but we are teachers and for us, these vacations are not done on a lark. I understand someone suffering economic deprivation could care less about the luxury of someone's vacation, and I don't fault them for that.

I hope fair and peaceful resolutions can be attained. I hope the tax burden can be alleviated for the poor. Beyond the glitzy center of Paris, suffering is real. I remember the images from the 2006 riots in the outer ring suburbs of Paris. I guess that didn't get quite the attention of the Yellow Vests since those riots pretty much stayed in the poor neighborhoods. 

Historically, the barricades have been quite effective in getting attention, for better or worse. My European History classes, at this very moment, are in the midst of their French Revolution studies. I don't wish to indulge in false equivalencies but there are some intriguing parallels. High taxes for one. Social class tension being another. Let's just hope it doesn't end with another Napoleon.

I'm also suspicious that some of these protests may have been hijacked by members of the far right. Right-wing white nationalism is on the rise in Europe. They wish to disrupt the modernization of the continent. Many in Europe truly have been left behind in the new economy. But the nationalists are simply resentful of their loss of place in the social hierarchy. I'm also troubled that white nationalism is on the rise in the United States. 

Lets hope beyond hope these movements are the last spasms of white anxiety as the world becomes more pluralistic. Let's hope these far right movements are the last bit of noise before they collapse into utter silence, forever. 

We can't only hope, we must take active measures to make sure white nationalists never feel comfortable to spew their hatred in a civilized society.

Rake America Great Again

It wasn't windy when he started raking. I was on the roof putting up Christmas lights. Then the wind came and more leaves began to rain down on the boy. Usually we wait until the tree is bare to rake but the yard was so covered it required immediate raking. He kept his spirits up and got the job done!

Instant Family

My wife and I recently saw the movie Instant Family. I highly recommend it. Instant Family, based on the experiences of the movie's director, follows a couple as they become foster parents to three siblings. The movie is a comedy but also is very poignant. It was one of the most realistic depictions of foster care that I've seen in a wide-release movie.

The movie especially resonated with us since we are on a similar track as the film's protagonists. My wife and I are also on a foster-to-adopt path. For several months we have been fostering a child that we are on track to adopt, hopefully in the early spring depending on the speed of the court system.

Fostering is not easy. It can be very challenging. But it is one of the most rewarding things we have ever done. People always comment that we are changing the life of this child, but the reality is she is changing our lives as well. She is a light in this world and our family somehow feels even more complete with her in it.

I greatly encourage everyone to see Instant Family. Such a great film.

1834-1934

A colleague of mine gave me this the other day. He got it at an estate sale and thought of me. It's the Texas Methodist Centennial Yearbook published in 1934. Even has a letter from FDR in the front. Pretty cool book.

la condition humaine

I will let you know when I'm finished...

steps

Sometimes all life is about simply moving three steps forward, two steps back. But as long as you're moving in the right direction, you're doing good.

But three steps forward, two steps back can be really hard.

First Man (the movie)

I saw the movie First Man this past weekend. It is an excellent film, a real cinematic achievement. I love NASA and space exploration movies. This one did an amazing job of trying to capture the danger, claustrophobia, confusion and exhilaration of a space mission. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As I was walking out of the theater, I became more and more upset. In the weeks leading up to the film's release there had been a great deal of criticism lobbed against the filmmakers for not including a scene of Armstrong planting the American flag on the moon. Our nationalist President, Senator Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Chuck Yeager and even Buzz Aldrin said this film was not patriotic enough.

What utter nonsense! The American flag is featured prominently throughout the film. There's a scene of the flag being hoisted. The American flag is shown on the astronaut's uniforms. The American flag is actually shown next to the lunar module on the moon in several shots. The words "United States" was featured as rockets launched. There were real interviews shown from around the world of people expressing their admiration of the United States. My wife said this was one of the most patriotic films she had seen in a long time.

It became clear that none of these "patriotic" critics had actually seen the film before making their ridiculous statements. This was an obvious pandering to a political base. It was disingenuous and cynical. Absolutely and blatantly untruthful.

I can understand Buzz Aldrin's unhappiness with the film. Although the overall impression of Aldrin in the film is positive it does show (based on Neil Armstrong's and other's accounts) of how Aldrin could be difficult to work with on occasion. Aldrin has a flamboyant personality, we all saw that a few years ago when he appeared on Dancing With The Stars. The movie showed just a hint of that and I would not have been happy to have been portrayed that way either.

Yeager is just being manipulated. He hadn't even seen the movie when he gave his interview. He fell for the deceit of the President and Senators Rubio and Cruz.

This is a very well done movie. It really shows the great efforts of engineers, pilots, and NASA administrators to do the impossible. It's apolitical. There's nary a hint of political agenda in this film. I'm sad to think some won't give this movie a chance because they buy into political propaganda.

Beto

I, for one, would vote for Beto for President in 2020. 

In all honesty I guess that's not saying much. I would vote for my neighbor's goat over the current President.

Young Lions that Roared Majestic

Divides

Some stats and thoughts only a former poli-sci/history double major finds interesting...

According to the Texas Secretary of State's office this morning, only 52.64% of registered voters in Texas showed up to vote in the mid-term elections. So all that excitement of high turnout turned out to be anecdotal. It was indeed higher than past mid-term turnouts but I wouldn't get too excited about 53%. 53% turnout is abysmal. 47.36% lost their right to complain.

Also, the Texas elections highlight the rural-urban divide in American society. However, despite what media analysts tell you, this is not a new thing. The rural-urban divide has been present in electoral American politics for over 200 years. Federalists (urban) vs Anti-Federalists (rural) comprised our first party system in the country's history.

This week my AP U.S. History students were assigned to write an essay that compared and contrasted the two parties of the Second Party System in America in the 1830s and 1840s: Whigs vs. Jacksonian Democrats. The Whigs were mainly urban, the Democrats rural. This is nothing new.

Beto won every urban center (save Amarillo and Texarkana). Even Tarrant County (Fort Worth) voted Beto despite being historically Republican. In most urban areas Beto won big.

But in the rural counties...forget about it. He lost big in the rural counties. Not even close. Even though I live in a county adjacent to Dallas County, Cruz won 68% of the vote. Most of the suburban counties ringing the urban islands also went Cruz by huge margins. Rockwall County 68.8% for Cruz.

The rural-urban divide is not new. Voter turnout is the key. If Democrats can't get a higher turnout than 53% for a charismatic figure like Beto O'Rourke, then the party is doomed to lose statewide elections for the foreseeable future. Very few people like Ted Cruz. But too many voters are straight ticket voters. Straight ticket voting is intellectually lazy, but it helps gets unpopular politicians like Cruz and Dan Patrick elected. No one likes these guys, their favorability polls are in the dumpster. But as long as people cede their ideologies to party politics they can win in Texas.

missionary and ministry of our music...

Wynton Marsalis composed this moving tribute to Roy Hargrove this weekend. I love these words...

We lost a true missionary and minister of our music this past week in Roy Hargrove.

Although he faced an uphill battle with his health over the years, it didn’t deter him or even slow him down from doing what he was undoubtedly born to do – minister through music. That he did until the end.

I first met Roy Hargrove when he was 16 years old in Dallas at Booker T Washington High School for the Performing Arts. He was a phenom, playing all of the lead trumpet with incredible accuracy and also improvising original solos with gleaming nuggets of melody set in harmonic sophistication with generous helpings of downhome blues and soul.

Roy played piano, wrote songs, sang and had a great sense of humor. To top it all off, he possessed an unerring sense of time, in the pocket at any tempo fast or slow. Kids in the school just loved him and were all excited about his great musicianship and about the magic they experienced everyday listening to him and playing with him.

He played with an unusual and infectious combination of fire, honesty and sweet innocence. The first time I heard him it was clear, he was an absolute natural with phenomenal ears, a great memory and tremendous dexterity on our instrument.

He was diligent about his playing technically and emotionally. Playing with an uncommon depth of feeling with a very developed internal sense of that which is unspeakable about the intimate. A Roy ballad was always exquisite.

Just as many in the continuum of our music poured information and aspirations into him, Roy gave selflessly to others, particularly to young musicians. He did everything he could to ensure that the circle would not be broken, at least not on his watch.

His participation on the scene in New York most reminded me of Woody Shaw. Roy continued Woody’s tradition of sitting in all around town and of playing, of encouraging everyone to play (not just with incredible solos), but with knowledge of songs and with advice and with just the feeling of “we are in this together and this is worth doing, and it’s valuable.”

While I am truly saddened as I write this, I am also encouraged by the life and the legacy that Roy left. He meant it.

Rest in Peace Baby.

Wynton

Remember...

Remember remember the fifth of November, The Gunpowder, Treason and plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.

Rest in Peace, Hargrove...

Roy Hargrove died yesterday.

Age 49. Gone way too soon.

Roy's been a jazz hero of mine since my early college days. He was one of the great trumpet players of all time.

He died of cardiac arrest due to complications to kidney disease that he had been fighting for years.

Such a tragedy. I was devastated by the news.

I blogged about him just last year...twice. I called him an exploding light.

My son said this when I told him about Grovey's passing...

"He's not really dead. He lives on through his music."

Wise words from an eleven year old. I needed to hear that.

If you want to hear one of his great concerts...here's one of my favorites. Back in 2010 when Hargrove played the New Morning Cafe in Paris, France. Such a great set. Rest in peace, RH.

False Fidelity

"Fidelity to one's political party at the cost of loyalty to one's humanity is not fidelity, but most often betrayal."

- Robert Zaretsky (from A Life Worth Living, his biography of Albert Camus)

Contemplation

Contemplating the world.

I was actually needing a break from standing so close to that rail so far up.

The world can be a beautiful place from high up. It's when you get down there that it sometimes can seem not so beautiful.

Reformation Day

what it is...

Nationalism is nothing more than extreme selfishness mixed with pathological narcissism.

Remember

1980 Brett

Last Thursday was 80's day at the high school. I dressed up as 1980 George Brett, the year he hit .390 and won the AL MVP.

sunlight

First United Methodist Church of Heath, Texas.

I Voted

For Beto.

Actually I voted for Democrats, a couple of Republicans and even a Libertarian. Straight ticket voting is dumb.

Wake Up America

I started this blog back in February 2006, over twelve years ago. After my first introductory post, my first actual post was about the evils of nationalism. I think it's worth a revisit. You can find it HERE

And back in 2006, this evil ideology must have been really weighing on me, because the fourth blog post ever on this blog was also about the evils of nationalism. Maybe it's also worth a revisit.

Because we now live in a country with a Nationalist as President.

Wake up America.

Nationalist

While you were looking, the current President of the United States of America just declared himself a nationalist...at a speech in Texas.

"A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much. And you know what? We can't have that. You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned. It's called a nationalist. And I say, really, we're not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? I'm a nationalist, OK? I'm a nationalist. Nationalist. Nothing -- use that word. Use that word."

 

There is a difference between a nationalist and a patriot. You can be a proud patriot without wishing to subjugate others. Nationalists are not only prideful of their nation, they want to dominate other races, nations and people groups. After two world wars and several genocides I think we can safely say that nationalism is one of the great evils of the modern era. Other proud nationalists? Otto van Bismarck, Adolf Hitler, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Generalissimo Franco, Benito Mussolini, and many many more.

 

And by saying he knows he isn't supposed to use that word, the president is not mistakenly or accidentally misusing the word. He knows full well the historical and ideological meaning of the word nationalist. He's wielding it as a badge of honor.

 

Wake up America. You have a proud nationalist as president.  

schism

When you weren't looking the Orthodox Church began the process this week of splitting and yes, it involves Russia, Ukraine and Constantinople (wait, isn't it Istanbul?)...read more here...

https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-10-19/orthodox-christianity-faced-political-dividehttps://www.pri.org/stories/2018-10-19/orthodox-christianity-faced-political-divide

Travelin'

I was listening to Live From Here with Chris Thile this weekend. One of their guest performers was a singer-songwriter named Gabriel Kahane. I was not previously familiar with Kahane's work but was immediately entranced by his performance on the show. After the show I immediately downloaded Kahane's latest album, Book of Travelers.

After the 2016 election, Kahane decided to break out of his New York City cultural bubble and see the country. He wanted to see a nation first hand that had become so divided. He left his cell phone at home and boarded an Amtrak Train for the next two weeks. He traveled the breadth of the country and back engaging in conversations with Americans from all walks of life and across the political spectrum.

His Book of Travelers is inspired by that sojourn. Kahane also wrote about his experience on the train for the New York Times. His column is insightful and hopeful. It's a quick read and well worth your time.

His album, Book of Travelers is also well worth the listen. It is a poignant work for our troubled times. Kahane is a wonderfully talented composer, pianist and storyteller.

The First Man (not the space movie)

As I blogged several days ago, stopping at the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris, was for me one of the highlights of our trip to France.

Being in France I decided to buy a book by one of my favorite French authors, Albert Camus. After much internal debate, I settled on The First Man.

The First Man was Camus's unfinished work that was found in the mud at the site of the car accident that took his life. He intended it to be his masterpiece but he had not completed it at the time of his untimely death. His daughter eventually set about publishing it. She included his notations in the margins and a thorough appendix of ideas he meant to expound upon. She made it clear that this was indeed an unfinished work.

But even in its rough state it is a poignant and beautiful work. The First Man is Camus's autobiography but with the names changed.

A few things stuck out to me in reading this wonderful book...

The greatest difference maker in changing his life path and helping escape the grinding poverty of his family was Public School. In particular, one of his teachers took him under his wing and pushed him to apply for secondary school when his family wanted him to go into the labor force. This one teacher made all the difference in Camus's life and Camus never forgot him. He dedicated some of his books to him and mentioned his teacher in his acceptance speech when he was awarded the Nobel Prize. His teacher sacrificed his time to help prepare him for the lycee entrance exams and mentored him. Albert was nine years old at the time.

Imagine that! A teacher noticing the giftedness of a what would be a Third Grader in the U.S.. Brought tears to my eyes. This kid, saved from a life of poverty and mindless work in the slums of Algiers because a teacher cared.

Another observation...the importance of the Public Library in Camus's childhood. He could not afford books and books provided him with an escape from the realities of poverty. Books transported him to worlds beyond the slums. Books were a spark for his imagination and creativity. These free books from the public library transformed him and gave him a larger view of life.

There is a sad poignancy throughout the story. Camus's father died in the Battle of the Marne in The Great War when Camus was only a year old. Camus never knew his father and that sense of loss pervades his childhood. His mother is half deaf and illiterate, she cleans laundry for a living. They live with his Grandmother and half-mute uncle both who are also illiterate.

Despite all this, Camus would break free from the obstacles of poverty and loss and become one of the 20th century's greatest writers and philosophers. He would serve in the Resistance against the Nazi's. Camus would give voice to those without a voice. He would provide moral clarity in a chaotic world. He died young, age 46, in that car accident. Gone way too soon. But what an impact he made in that short time. And man, what obstacles he overcame with the help of many but including the help of...

A Public School Teacher

and

The Public Library.

Rain

We haven't seen blue skies in a week. We even traveled five states this week and still its been all rain. Rain and more rain. Rain in Texas. Rain in Arkansas. Rain in Missouri. Rain in Illinois. Rain in Indiana and then back through all those states again. Nothing but rain.

Back in Texas

Well, it was a long hard trip over five states in the pouring rain, there to Indiana and back. But we made it back to Texas. Finally.

Loss

My wife's grandmother passed away last night. She was one of the most gracious and kind people I have ever met. Her loss weighs heavily on us but we are happy that she's at rest and in the presence of the God of her faith.

The Hollar, where she lived for almost ninety years is not quite as green today as it was yesterday. The trees droop a little heavier this day.

The Last Day in Paris

Our last full day in Paris we spent in the Montmartre area of Paris. The days had gotten cooler and the morning was sunny. We took the metro to the Abbesses station which features one of the last Beaux Arts station canopies in Paris. Right there next to the station is the Wall of Love with expressions of love written in dozens of languages. Of course, there was a french accordion player on the premises to set the mood.

We took the funicular up to the Sacré-Cœur. The Sacre-Coeur is a beautiful cathedral built in the early 20th century. It quickly became a legendary Parisian landmark. Being located on the highest hill in Paris it has some of the best views in town. We climbed up the 300 stairs to the top terrace for even better views. So many stairs on this trip!

We then meandered through Montmartre. We stopped and bought some art from a local artist. We ate at a very nice little cafe. Then the rains came. Just soft rain but we did have to dodge the chestnuts falling from the trees. We had dessert at the Moulin Galette. We wandered down and saw Van Gogh's Montmarte apartment. And after a day of wandering and looking at the beautiful scenery of Montmarte we jumped on the Metro and headed to our neighborhood.

We ate dinner at La Terrase by the Ecole Militaire Metro Station around the corner from our apartment. It had gotten cooler in Paris and the wind was blowing. We walked around the corner for one last look at the Eiffel from its base, called it a day and began to pack for our trip home the next day.

The Musee d'Orsay

The day after our visit to Versailles we headed to the Seine River and went to the Musee d'Orsay. In some ways we enjoyed our visit to the Orsay more than the Louvre. We both are great fans of the impressionists and they are spectacular in person. Degas, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Gaugin and so many more are just amazing.

The space is a wonderful place, an old train station transformed into one of the greatest museums in the world. Despite its size, it is quite a bit smaller than the Louvre. And maybe that freed us up to just enjoy the place. The Louvre is so big it can get overwhelming. The Orsay was just a nice relaxing place to see amazing art.

Tennis Anyone?

One of the great highlights of our Paris trip for me did not involve a famous site, as great as those sites were. A personal highlight was visiting one of the most important historical sites in France, a place overlooked by the tourist machine.

I teach AP European History and we spend quality time each year studying the French Revolution. In the summer of 1789 the three estates (social classes) were meeting at Versailles to discuss the crown's financial crisis.

 

One day, when representatives of the Third Estate (the lower class) came to the gates of the Palace of Versailles they found themselves locked out. Literally. The gates were chained shut. They were being purposely excluded from all future discussions.

 So the angry crowd of representatives gathered at the King's Indoor Tennis Court. There, they took an oath which became known as The Tennis Court Oath. They agreed not to disband until a new constitution had been written with greater freedoms for the lower classes. This revolutionary act took place almost a month before the Fall of the Bastille. Many historians consider The Tennis Court Oath as the beginning of the French Revolution.

 As a history teacher I wanted to see this place, if it still stood. I was surprised to find that the King's Tennis Court (Jeu de Paume) was not actually on the palace grounds, which makes sense if they were locked out. It was and is actually a little less than a mile away from the gates. Using Google Maps we saw that it's located about halfway between the Palace and the Train Station. 

So after our day at Versailles, we took the short detour into the neighborhood next to the promenade that leads to the station. We turned a corner and there it was. It had a big banner on the outside proclaiming it as the Jeu de Paume, the one we were looking for. 

 At the door there was only one employee. And we were surprised to discover that admittance is free. We were even more surprised to find no one else there. We signed the visitor's book and saw that the place does not receive that many visitors. That did surprise me. I understand how the place might not be of great interest to your average tourist. But I assumed that the scene of one of the most pivotal moments in French history would receive more attention.

The place had been restored and reclaimed by the French government in the late 19th century. Today the Palace of Versailles actually operates the place. It was exactly how I would have imagined it. On one wall was a massive mural sized reproduction of David's famous painting of the Tennis Court Oath. There were statues of many of those involved with the proceedings of that day. I took a photo next to Dr. Guillotin (yes, the guillotine guy). 

It was surreal to walk in the same space where so much changed and that I teach about each year. It was even more surreal that we were the only ones there. It was almost as if we had discovered something just for ourselves. It was a wonderful moment. Well, a wonderful moment for an enthusiast of history.