"Do I want to blog today?", I asked myself. "I dunno. Maybe." So I'm sitting here, rehashing the last few days to see if there's an event worthy of me writing and you reading.
The cat went home, so I have no furry body sitting on the computer desk, competing for my attention.
It's payday (finally).
Yesterday was in the 50's, today the high will be 27, and the wind is howling. Tomorrow, sleet and ice are expected.
Son is back from a trip to Wisconsin. He has a cold, husband has flu-like symptoms.
Work continues. People are on edge. At a school close to one of mine, an angry parent threw a clipboard at office staff. A teacher confided in me yesterday that she "has had it with 'Johnny' (not his real name), and I don't know what to do. I'm on my last nerve with him, and I cannot take it anymore. I need help NOW." Someone complained that an evaluation was taking too long. A staff member is embroiled in a situation which is requiring top-level mediation.
I didn't win the "Biggest Loser's Club" prize this month. (You can't do that when you GAIN a pound on your diet instead of lose.)
I watched all of Gone With the Wind Monday night. I'm telling you, Clark Gable- the epitome of an actor who could sneer contempuously and sarcastically one minute and show his heart the next... Several weeks ago I picked up that book to reread it, and I'm about 3/4 of the way through - did you know that GWTW was the only book Margaret Mitchell ever wrote? And speaking of the movie, here's a quote from film reviewer Frank S. Nugent, from the New York Times: "We still feel that color is hard on the eyes for so long a picture."
And, so, comes the end of this post. To quote another film giant:
"T-t-t-that's all, folks!"
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Bela Bartok
I went to the symphony concert last night, and quite by accident, ran into a couple who have been life-long friends with my oldest brother. We enjoyed chatting after the concert, and I sent an email this morning to my siblings, who also know Don and Marilyn, to let them know of this chance encounter.
In the email, I made a comment about the opening piece for last night's concert-it was a work by Bela Bartok, one of the greatest of modern composers. Although Bartok was a genius in his own right, I am not a Bartok fan. Bartok's music just sounds so disorganized to me. In the piece the orchestra played last night, (Concerto for Orchestra), there was a lot of dissonant chords and sounds that never quite resolved. There were frequent time changes from measure to measure, making the piece list from side to side like a drunken sailor on a rocking boat. There was not any discernible melody I could pick out - and although I can deal with some of that, I have a hard time doing that for a 30 minute concerto. It seems that Bartok ignored all the "rules" of classical music in his composing. Wikipedia says he did not use traditional harmonic functions associated with major and minor scales. No kidding. The opening measures of that concerto was indicative of what was to come.
I told my brother's friend Don that I wasn't a Bartok fan, but he disagreed. "It's great music!" he said enthusiastically. "You can just see the dragons come out and breathe smoke..." Ok. Don's got a great imagination. Give me something I can hum - give me a tune I can remember in my head. Does this make me a classical music wuss? Probably. I'm not ready to give up on Bartok, though, I'll keep listening. Maybe I'll learn something.
In the email, I made a comment about the opening piece for last night's concert-it was a work by Bela Bartok, one of the greatest of modern composers. Although Bartok was a genius in his own right, I am not a Bartok fan. Bartok's music just sounds so disorganized to me. In the piece the orchestra played last night, (Concerto for Orchestra), there was a lot of dissonant chords and sounds that never quite resolved. There were frequent time changes from measure to measure, making the piece list from side to side like a drunken sailor on a rocking boat. There was not any discernible melody I could pick out - and although I can deal with some of that, I have a hard time doing that for a 30 minute concerto. It seems that Bartok ignored all the "rules" of classical music in his composing. Wikipedia says he did not use traditional harmonic functions associated with major and minor scales. No kidding. The opening measures of that concerto was indicative of what was to come.
I told my brother's friend Don that I wasn't a Bartok fan, but he disagreed. "It's great music!" he said enthusiastically. "You can just see the dragons come out and breathe smoke..." Ok. Don's got a great imagination. Give me something I can hum - give me a tune I can remember in my head. Does this make me a classical music wuss? Probably. I'm not ready to give up on Bartok, though, I'll keep listening. Maybe I'll learn something.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Dreaded Inservice
Well, I thought I'd try to post this morning, but I have to warn you that Smokey the cat is sitting up here on the computer desk and is being very affectionate. He's in a great mood, having just eaten his breakfast, and he's wanting some attention. This cat, I tell you, he just wants to be with people. He's so different from my other cat of 20 years who was very much in control of the people she lived with. She was properly aloof a lot of the time. This cat, on the other hand, wants to be right in the middle of what you are doing. He follows me around the house like a puppy, and I think I mentioned earlier that he comes when ya call him. He's a dog in Turkish Van fur.
We have "inservice" today. I'm sure those of you who have kids in the school system are thrilled with inservice days, just like I was when my kids were small. At one school, I'm attending a morning session about implementation of a school-wide behavior plan (BIST). This afternoon I'm heading downtown for some additional training with other psychologists on mental health issues. I know inservice days are a pain-we seem to have one about every month-but they do provide staff with training and what the district calls professional development. They allow teachers especially, time to look over classroom data to see if objectives are being met, and to revise plans if that's what's needed. In case you've been buried under a rock recently, the federal government now drives the teaching profession. As a teacher, your classroom must meet federal mandates of competency, and getting your kids to achieve those standards on district and state assessments are what every teacher from third grade on up MUST do. If you don't, people notice. You are targeted for more training, more meetings, and more urgent "memos". You might be eligible for extra help in your classroom, depending. You might be tempted to bring "slow" kids to the Child Study Team for evaluation-these kids, if they are labeled special ed, might do better if they can take an alternative assessment. If things don't progress, then you might, in the end, be reassigned to another school, and another whole team steps into your school to fix the problems you created.
The teaching profession is not what it once was, although, not all change is bad. There are some very good things happening in our schools, especially for special ed kids, that didn't happen 30 years ago. Or even 10 years ago.
Well, it's off to meetings. And a good Friday to all of you!
We have "inservice" today. I'm sure those of you who have kids in the school system are thrilled with inservice days, just like I was when my kids were small. At one school, I'm attending a morning session about implementation of a school-wide behavior plan (BIST). This afternoon I'm heading downtown for some additional training with other psychologists on mental health issues. I know inservice days are a pain-we seem to have one about every month-but they do provide staff with training and what the district calls professional development. They allow teachers especially, time to look over classroom data to see if objectives are being met, and to revise plans if that's what's needed. In case you've been buried under a rock recently, the federal government now drives the teaching profession. As a teacher, your classroom must meet federal mandates of competency, and getting your kids to achieve those standards on district and state assessments are what every teacher from third grade on up MUST do. If you don't, people notice. You are targeted for more training, more meetings, and more urgent "memos". You might be eligible for extra help in your classroom, depending. You might be tempted to bring "slow" kids to the Child Study Team for evaluation-these kids, if they are labeled special ed, might do better if they can take an alternative assessment. If things don't progress, then you might, in the end, be reassigned to another school, and another whole team steps into your school to fix the problems you created.
The teaching profession is not what it once was, although, not all change is bad. There are some very good things happening in our schools, especially for special ed kids, that didn't happen 30 years ago. Or even 10 years ago.
Well, it's off to meetings. And a good Friday to all of you!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Smokey
So, I'm cat sitting this week, and maybe next. This is my daughter's cat, Smokey. He's had a little surgery on his leg, and she's afraid her dog might unintentionally rambuctiously injure it, so, he gets to recouperate over here. We've been petless for awhile now. Our dog died several years ago unexpectedly, of a heart attack, and we put our 20 year old cat down last year. So there's a certain freedom in being petless, but, I sure don't mind having one around again. He's a sweet boy. He's the only cat I've ever known in my life who comes when you call him. She rescued him from a life on the streets and has a little money invested in him (neutering, declawing, eye infection medicine, shots, etc etc.) He has sort of odd fur-he's a Turkish Van (according to his owner the cat expert). It is very thick and soft, sort of like cashmere, and just feels different that regular cat fur. He has adapted well here, and responds to us with affectionate headbutts and rolling over on his back for a tummy rub. After his life on the street, he should be a cat with mental problems, but he's really got a wonderful disposition. Welcome, Smokey! You've already wedged your way into my heart.Monday, February 04, 2008
Updates
Well, the Kroger company emailed me back. They are very concerned (yadda yadda) about my angst regarding the Dillons at Meridian and Douglas closing.
"Dear Ms. Bass: Thank you for contacting the Dillons Co. We appreciate your feedback regarding the closing of the Meridian and Douglas store. It is never an easy decision when we must close a store and we realize the effect it has on many of our loyal customers. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and will relay your concerns to our regional office for review. Sincerely,Christie MetropulosConsumer AffairsReference: 4708610"
And regarding my input to KAKE about one of their news stories:
"Thank you Marianne,
I appreciate you watching and your views on the Etheredge story. We have been getting calls since the bankruptcy from viewers wanting us to find them and make sure they did not take millions of dollars and disappear. That is why we did the story. I'm sorry you feel we used sleazy news tactics. We don't believe we violated their privacy. We did not release exactly where they live or the name of the ranch they are working on. I can tell you we did what Cheryl asked us to do.
We are getting as many positive responses from the story as we did negatives.
Thanks again for watching,
Deb"
And finally, my blog about Charmin' toilet paper generated some comments. My brother went to the P & G website and attempted an email to company to let them know what he thought of them using "Hallelujah Chorus" to sell bathroom tissue, and apparently so did a lot of other people. As he was sending it, a window popped up which advised him that they had gotten so many complaints about it that they've taken the ad off the air, and substituted other music.
There ya go.
"Dear Ms. Bass: Thank you for contacting the Dillons Co. We appreciate your feedback regarding the closing of the Meridian and Douglas store. It is never an easy decision when we must close a store and we realize the effect it has on many of our loyal customers. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and will relay your concerns to our regional office for review. Sincerely,Christie MetropulosConsumer AffairsReference: 4708610"
And regarding my input to KAKE about one of their news stories:
"Thank you Marianne,
I appreciate you watching and your views on the Etheredge story. We have been getting calls since the bankruptcy from viewers wanting us to find them and make sure they did not take millions of dollars and disappear. That is why we did the story. I'm sorry you feel we used sleazy news tactics. We don't believe we violated their privacy. We did not release exactly where they live or the name of the ranch they are working on. I can tell you we did what Cheryl asked us to do.
We are getting as many positive responses from the story as we did negatives.
Thanks again for watching,
Deb"
And finally, my blog about Charmin' toilet paper generated some comments. My brother went to the P & G website and attempted an email to company to let them know what he thought of them using "Hallelujah Chorus" to sell bathroom tissue, and apparently so did a lot of other people. As he was sending it, a window popped up which advised him that they had gotten so many complaints about it that they've taken the ad off the air, and substituted other music.
There ya go.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
When things don't go right
So I learned that my little neighborhood Dillons store, which has been a part of my weekly (and sometimes daily) shopping experience for the last 22 years, is closing. I am stunned. Dillons is closing this little store and two other small neighborhood stores in this city of 300,000 people, and moving them to 3 vacant large store buildings that were owned by a competing grocer, who pulled out of the market. I'll have to drive 5 times as far, and shop at 5 times as large of store if I want to continue to patronize Dillons. They don't get it. If I WANTED to shop at a big grocery store, I would. I could go to any of the WalMart Supercenters, or the big Dillons down on Seneca. But instead, I chose to spend my money in a small neighborhood store, where I know Megan the cashier, Robert the dairy stocker, and Paul, the manager. Two of my three kids got their first jobs at 16 at that Dillons. The aisles are a bit crowded but they aren't a block long. You can usually park close to the door. I know where everything is. I really do! When I used coupons more religiously than I do now, I sorted them at home by the aisles the products were located in. Without a grocery store there, the building will sit vacant, and deteriorate. I never realized before now, the impact that a grocery store has on a neighborhood-particularly a small friendly store-I mean, it's MY Dillons!
I have emailed the Kroger company about my concerns. I do not really expect an answer back, they are a large corporation that could care less what I think, but we'll see. I'm sure they'll end up telling me how much better this will be for me, if I'd just give it a chance.
A second email this week went to a local TV station to express my views about a news story they did concerning the founders of Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper and Wild West World, Thomas and Cheryl Etheredge. Without going into details, I thought the news story was tabloid journalism, obtained by unethical means, and just sort of sleazy. The Etheredges, although they may have used questionable business tactics in financing WWW, have not been charged with, nor convicted of any crime. They just want their privacy-and it was violated by KAKE TV. The reporter quickly emailed me back, and defended the story, and the tactics, saying that it was in response to many viewers who wanted them to pursue the Ethredges and find out if they had absconded to Texas with all the investors money. Excuse me? Since when did KAKE become an attorney general for the state of Kansas?
So, there you have it. A better way to express an opinion, than the 74 year old woman, who, tired of poor customer service and having her complaints ignored by ComCast (a cable-internet provider), had her husband drive her down to their offices, and proceeded to smash their receptionist's phone and computer with a hammer. "Are you paying attention to me NOW?" she yelled at them. My quirky sense of humor found this funny on several levels, (74 years old! And a hammer! And her HUSBAND drove her down there and watched her do it!) and I found myself admiring her for her gumption. Maybe it's not the BEST way in the world to solve a problem, but ComCast indeed finally paid attention to her. Consumer vigilante justice.
I have emailed the Kroger company about my concerns. I do not really expect an answer back, they are a large corporation that could care less what I think, but we'll see. I'm sure they'll end up telling me how much better this will be for me, if I'd just give it a chance.
A second email this week went to a local TV station to express my views about a news story they did concerning the founders of Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper and Wild West World, Thomas and Cheryl Etheredge. Without going into details, I thought the news story was tabloid journalism, obtained by unethical means, and just sort of sleazy. The Etheredges, although they may have used questionable business tactics in financing WWW, have not been charged with, nor convicted of any crime. They just want their privacy-and it was violated by KAKE TV. The reporter quickly emailed me back, and defended the story, and the tactics, saying that it was in response to many viewers who wanted them to pursue the Ethredges and find out if they had absconded to Texas with all the investors money. Excuse me? Since when did KAKE become an attorney general for the state of Kansas?
So, there you have it. A better way to express an opinion, than the 74 year old woman, who, tired of poor customer service and having her complaints ignored by ComCast (a cable-internet provider), had her husband drive her down to their offices, and proceeded to smash their receptionist's phone and computer with a hammer. "Are you paying attention to me NOW?" she yelled at them. My quirky sense of humor found this funny on several levels, (74 years old! And a hammer! And her HUSBAND drove her down there and watched her do it!) and I found myself admiring her for her gumption. Maybe it's not the BEST way in the world to solve a problem, but ComCast indeed finally paid attention to her. Consumer vigilante justice.
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