Weezer on Letterman

Here is Weezer performing two of the new songs on Letterman. They were on the Late Show both Thursday and Friday night which demonstrates their greatness. Only U2 and the "hippest" bands get to perform multiple shows on Letterman in the same week. The second song features the band (Including the CBS Orchestra) in the custom made Weezer Snuggies.

Despair or Graditude?

Robert C. Solomon, a well-known professor of philosophy at the University of Texas who died in 2007 of heart failure at the age of 64, used to tell the following story from his own personal experience...

He was a medical student at the University of Michigan when by chance he walked into the wrong crowded lecture hall. He had been unhappy with his medical studies when something the lecturer said caught his attention. The professor was lecturing about Nietzsche's idea of the eternal return and the the fundamental question:

"If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"

That very day Solomon went and changed his major to philosophy and would eventually become one of America's foremost experts on 20th Century Continental Philosophy and phenomenology.

Goodbye Geocities....

I am not alone in my fond nostalgia for the now dead Geocities webhosting platform. I have good memories of Geocities which Yahoo pulled the plug on this week. Geocities was the host of my first real presence on the web. My first platform, truepath, died a fairly quick and obscure death. Geocities was The Internet Lounge's first home. As blogs and social networks replaced homepages I relunctantly followed the masses by moving to blogger. The blog medium was much more intuitive and efficient than the old homepage format at Geocities. But it was at Geocities where I first learned how to construct a webpage no matter how primitive. R.I.P. Geocities...you helped invent the modern internet.


HERE is a very good article on the demise of Geocities.

See 'ya Slingin' Sam...

I was disappointed to hear the news that Sam Bradford will have season ending surgery on his shoulder. He has almost certainly played his last game as a Sooner. He had a short, yet spectacular career. It is tragic that it ends this way. Had the Sooners played a cupcake schedule the first weeks of this season like most of the other NCAA powerhouses out there (see Texas and Florida) Bradford's story probably would have ended differently.

I was fortunate to be invited by my uncle to go see Bradford play against Baylor a few weeks back. It was the only time I saw Bradford play in person. Little did I know that the Baylor game would be the only game this season Bradford would play the entire time (save for the last series when Landry "The Mustache" Jones came in for mop up duty).

Photo: Photo taken by me at the Baylor game...Bradford's last full game as a Sooner.

Candy Madness!

Last Saturday Jackson and the fam watched the annual Kaufman Scarecrow Festival Parade. There were lots of firetrucks, police cars, tractors, horses, two marching bands, floats, ATV's and more. The parade went on for more than an hour. Best part...candy! Jackson and I ran out into the street time and time again to grab candy being thrown by the paraders. JDW would yell "Candy Candy!" and we'd make a mad dash of it. He filled a whole bag. Pics are HERE.

U2 in Dallas

The U2 Concert at the New Dallas Cowboys Stadium last Monday night was spectacular. Everything worked out very nicely. We got parked quickly and easy. On the way out we only had to wait in parking lot traffic for 20 minutes...not bad when there's 80,000 other fans trying to get out. I'm thinking they have the kinks just about worked out on the parking front at JerryWorld.

The stadium itself is truly a wonder. When we walked through the glass doors on the north party plaza entrance I expected to see the usual concourses that have entrances to your seat. But instead you immediately are in the arena itself overlooking the playing field. It's only once you move to the left or right that you find the usual concourses. It's quite a jolt to find yourself overlooking the field so quickly. The bathrooms are spotless. The walls glisten. The concourses are wide and spacious. The seats are comfortable and well spaced. Jerry spent his 1.5 Billion well.

U2's stage was covered by a spaceship looking canoply with four massive exo-skeleton like legs descending to the ground. It was bordered by a round catwalk and moving bridges that allowed the band to play to the crowd in all directions (hence the "360 Tour"). Even the drum platform rotated. The giant videoscreen was round as well and lowered to right above the band and back up to the top of the stage. It could also break up in fragments and spread over the whole stage exploding with light and color.

The music itself was great. U2 is even better live than on disc. They played a great mix of old and new. During the song "Walk On" and "One" they had crowd members walk around the circular catwalk holding up masks of Ang San Suu Kyi...the Nobel Prize winning president of Burma who has been under house arrest by the repressive military junta since her election in 1990. Bono also thanked George W. Bush for his work with Africa and played an impassionate speech by Nobel Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu.

A once in a lifetime show. Our seats were great. The experience utterly fantastic. Here's the setlist. HERE you can find some pictures from the concert.

Breathe

Get on Your Boots

Magnificent

Mysterious Ways

Beautiful Day

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Stuck In A Moment

No Line on the Horizon

Elevation

Until The End of the World

Unforgettable Fire

City of Blinding Lights

Vertigo

I'll Go Crazy - Remix

Sunday Bloody Sunday

MLK

Walk On

One

Where The Streets Have No Name

Ultraviolet

With or Without You

Moment of Surrender

We Are All Neda

Neda died with open eyes. Shame on us who lived with closed eyes.

Moleskine Hacks

Moleskine Hacks can be found all over the web. Many of these hacks follow or personalize David Allen's GTD paradigm. I've been using a Moleskine for eight years. It's taken me several years to develop a systemic framework that I find useful. I'm always tinkering but here are the basics of my personal Moleskine system.

The first ten pages or so are dedicated to the following topics (in no particular order)...

Long-Term Projects
Books/Authors to consider
CD's/Songs to purchase or download
Movies to put in my Netflix Queue
Gift List
Blog Ideas
Vids to download from YouTube to my iPod
New Restaurants I frequented during the calendar year
Movies I saw at the theater in the calendar year (including a 5-Star rating system)
New Year's Resolutions
Books I read during the calendar year.

The rest of my Moleskine is journal form. I write just about everyday even if it's just a line or two. Interspersed are poems, haikus, short stories, sermon ideas, sketches, mind-maps, interesting quotes, etc...

On Sundays I write a weekly to-do/goal/action list on the top half of a page. I draw a horizontal line that bifurcates the page midway down. I label the bottom half ideas or miscellaneous. I don't make use of the GTD sticky tab methodology because these action lists are easily referenced since my Moleskine entries are in chronological order. The action list page is always near the end of the written pages.

I couldn't go hardcore GTD. It's just too regimented for my free-form tastes. However, I much prefer the Moleskine to the Hipster PDA which is just too chaotic for me. Any of these paper-based systems are much more preferable to an electronic PDA which I used for several years. I do use my cellphone for my scheduling and calendar since I finally have a phone with a qwerty keyboard.

BTW: I favor the Plain Pocket Moleskine notebook.

The Golden Arches Loom

If you live in the continental United States you are never more than 107 miles from a McDonalds. I thought about this as I ate McD's for the third time this week. Here's the article that tells how they discovered the fascinating fact.

The Mother of All Speeches

For all the wingnut teabaggers out there who think the President will be brainwashing our students tomorrow with Maoist propaganda you can find the text of the released speech HERE. You'll find some scary thoughts like "stay in school" and "respect your teachers."

My thoughts on this absurd and surreal controversy can be found HERE at my school blog.

And since it is Labor Day I am wearing my red Weezer shirt to show my support for the working class. Yes, there is much corruption in some labor unions. But without them we'd be back in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. Personally I like 40 hour work weeks and no forced child labor. But then again, I'm a radical. I got Raditude.

(If you're wondering if I want you to) I want you to.

So it's always newsworthy (at least on this blog) when Weezer has announced a new album. This week the official announcement came. "Raditude" will be out October 27th. The first single was released this week. You can stream "(If you're wondering if I want you to) I want you to" HERE.

Great title for a song and even though I long ago drank the Weezer kool-aid full on, I dig it...empirically of course and emotionally as well.

By the way, for those not familiar with the term "raditude" here's the definition from the Urban Dictionary...

raditude - 1 definition - Having the right state of mind to be able to efficiently use the word "radical".

I usually hear this word from my skateboarding and snowboarding students. You have to have a sufficient amount of "radicalness" to be described as possessing raditude.

Here's a more philosophical description that was deleted from Wikipedia under their patent nonsense policy. But it gives you the right idea.

Deleted From Wikipedia... Raditude functions around a bi-tiered system in which followers, travel through two stages in the first stage they learn Raditude. In learning Raditude followers learn to direct body and mind toward winning. In the 2nd and final Pinnacle stage of Raditude followers actually become Raditude, In becoming Raditude the creation or manifestation of Raditude is no longer controlled by the conscious. Raditude creates within the being, a new found ability to focus which consequently spills over into the followers scholarly work and even personal relationships. At the pinnacle of the final stage, the subconscious manifestation of Raditude causes the follower to lead with Raditude, and in doing so they find that they have reached an enlightened state or state of "Rad".

Sandy Lake Amusement Park

It's nearing the end of our last week of summer. So Kimberly, Jackson and I went to his first amusement park for one more summer blast. We eschewed the big corporate Six Flags for something very family friendly and a whole lot cheaper. Sandy Lake Amusement Park has been open for forty years in Carrollton (in the north Dallas area) and is one of those charming retro parks. Lots of picnic tables, clean restrooms and cool little rides that kids love. There's also a massive swimming pool we'll check out next year.

We had a lot of fun...having an H.O.V. lane all the way from Mesquite to Carrollton got us there in thirty minutes...like having a highway lane to yourself now that they've extended an HOV all the way to our neck of the woods.

Jackson rode the train three times. He also rode his very first roller coaster...the Magic Dragon. We had a great time. Pictures are available on my flickr site HERE. Here are some videos of our day.

Chris Isaak at the House of Blues

I know I know. Quite a gap between posts. It's been a busy summer. A very good summer. Don't get on the computer much at home.

Sunday night Kimberly and I went the House of Blues here in Dallas to catch Chris Isaak. I've been a big fan of Isaak since high school and Wicked Game stormed the country. I've got all 10 of his CD's (including his XMAS album). But I've never seen him live. He came to Big D a couple of years ago. But he was playing a double bill with Stevie Nicks and I thought the Starplex wasn't the right venue for his act.

So I waited and it was worth it. The House of Blues is the perfect venue. Small little place with great sound. Easy access, good parking, clean bathrooms and good sightlines. We were among the first to arrive...we had standing room tix...but I picked a pillar to lean against...we were about 20 feet from the mike.

Isaak and Silvertone (his band for the past 20 years) rocked the house. Great entertainers and amazing vibe in the room. Everybody was having a great time. I've been fortunate to catch a lot of great concerts (Willie Nelson, Weezer, Lyle Lovett, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Los Lonely Boys, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck just to name a few) but Isaak's show was among the tops. And the House of Blues is one of the best venues in Dallas. Will have to check out the restaurant another time.

Weird Mountain Weather

Tommorow is our last day reading essays. Word 'round the campfire is that we'll be done soon after lunch. I've now graded 650 essays. The grading went much slower this year on question three because so many more students seemed to have a grasp of it and actually attempted to answer it. Last year I had a ton of students not even try to write anything.

I've had fun again this year. The week started out a bit rocky. The weather was colder and rainier than last year. It took me a little longer to warm up to the grading rubric. Most of us feel that the rubric was too generous to the students this year. It took me an adjustment to hand out points for things I would never accept in class. But the motto here is to "drink the Kool-Aid." Just go along and no one gets sent home.

Once I acclimated things started to hum along. My table leader was cool. Good group of fellow readers both at my table and in my yurt (the ballroom is divided by curtains...two tables to a section...nicknamed yurts.). No annoying loudmouths as I've heard about at other tables.

The weather was weird today. It was nice and warm. Then around noon a front moved in. Lightning (mountain lightning is a whole lot scarier than flatland lightning) and hail. Me and a buddy had to run to our dorm for cover instead of the farther off cafeteria. Felt like we were getting hit by bb's. Pictures are on the flickr account HERE.

But yesterday was nice. (photo above is me enjoying the sun and mountains during lunch break.) We've had a couple of nice days. I got to walkabout last night for about an hour. Two days ago went to a movie with some of the crew. Good group of guys here. Have not been bored...except when reading cruddy essays. That can wear you down fast. I start to twitch everytime I hear the words "racial ideology."

Good trip but looking forward to getting these essays out of the way.

Flickr Update

I don't update my Flickr page as much as I should. Get too busy. Summer hours will help. I have added a bunch in the past few days including some pics of my stay at Colorado State University as a I grade AP exams. The photo to the left is of last night's misty evening walk from the cafeteria back to the dorm. You can find the rest of the pics here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcarltonwhite

Blogging in the Mountains

Just to let you know...I'm keeping my students up to date on my AP grading activities at my school blog here...in case you're interested. I know the minutae of essay grading is exciting stuff...here's the link...





http://thejedimaster.edublogs.org/

Back in Colo

Back in the high altitude. Rocky Mountain country. Temps are great. Tomorrow the high will be 53 degrees. Have already run into a lot of familiar faces from last year. Even ran into one on the plane. I took off from Love Field in Dallas. Landed in OKC. Dr. Williams...my mentor from SNU Days boarded...then we took off to Denver.

I have been assigned the third essay question of the A.P. World History Exam. The question deals with comparisons and contrasts between racial ideologies in Latin and North America from 1500-1800. I was hoping for the Silk Road question but oh well. At least I didn't get the DBQ (Document Based Question) which takes forever to grade.

Party tonight at 8:00 pm. Looking forward to seeing more pals from last year.

Renaissance Man

Sorry to hear about the passing of Wayman Tisdale. Tisdale was the greatest basketball player to ever play for the University of Oklahoma. He played 12 solid years in the NBA...unfortunately for cruddy teams where he was the lone star. But he never complained and never whined. He just played hard and wonderfully. Won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. When he retired from basketball he focused on his jazz music career which had been a sideline project while he played in the NBA. At first many thought this was another vanity project by a retired athlete. But he proved people wrong by his amazing musical talent. I had the opportunity to hear him open up for Dave Brubeck at the Tusla Jazz Festival in the mid-nineties. What a tragic loss due to cancer...at age 44. Rest in peace Wayman. You'll be missed.

The End of Brazzaville

I was saddened to hear this week's announcement regarding the dissolution of the band Brazzaville. Brazzaville has been my favorite band the past eight years. Weezer and Radiohead come in a close second and third.

I discovered Brazzaville by accident. I watching a Ford Thunderbird commercial back in 2000 and really dug the music for the spot. The commercial was part of a high concept marketing campaign which was ironic since Brazzaville is anything but commercial. Tropicalia alt-rock doesn't sell a whole lot of albums in a vapid Kelly Clarkson world. But Brazzaville allowed their music to be used as a way to spread their music to the "demi-monde."

Brazzaville was founded by Beck saxophonist David Arthur Brown. It featured a rotating cast of international musicians all committed to world-weary traveling music. Brazzaville made the kind of music you would hear in a third-world airport in southeast Asia on your way to find englightenment at Ankor Wat.

Brazzaville eventually moved their operations from L.A. to Barcelona. They became very popular in two unlikely places...Turkey and Russia of all places. They also had made it their goal to tour the world in a converted ocean freighter staging concerts at different ports of call throughout the world. They bought the boat but never set sail.

I actually was a bit depressed by the news of their disbandment. But the center of the band...David Arthur Brown...has stated he simply moving a different direction and will continue to write and perform. I also find it sad I never saw them live. The closest they ever got to Texas was Chicago. Early on Dave Brown actually responded to an email of mine and said someday they'd come to Texas. Hopefully he'll still make it by sometime.

I previously blogged about Brazzaville here and here

A Good Day

Today was a good day.

The Mini Cooper S (pictured left) was paid off today. Title is in hand. No car payments.

Got last statement from Sallie Mae. Student Loans are done. Not sad to break up with Sallie Mae. Glad she's out of my life.

Got word today that my Uncle Richard got the last elusive Sam Bradford signature on the football he got me as a gift this past Christmas. The ball now has the autographs of all four living Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winners...Steve Owens, Billy Sims, Jason White and Sam Bradford. That is an awesome Christmas gift!

Also, one more day and no swine flu reported at the school.

Yep, a good day.