We needed tough lessons as children. An occasional playground fight was expected as the norm, and if we complained to our mother that we were being teased, we were treated to this glorious aphorism: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” My mom used to say that all the time, one of the seemingly endless adages she had at her disposal to deal with any of life’s problems. To this day I think long and hard about the practical application that dogma had on my life.
The idea that you could actually choose whether or not to be hurt by words: that was huge for me. Even though it has been repeated ad nauseam for generations, “sticks and stones” really is a powerful bit of philosophy to a kid. That’s one of the great things about being a parent: you can spout nothing but clichés, and yet, to your child, you come off as one of the great thinkers in Western culture.
–from MEAN DADS FOR A BETTER AMERICA, by Tom Shillue
Me, Emily, Guy Benson, and Chris DeStefano. Here’s a look at Studio D about 10 min after the taping finished
Thank you for reminding me. I wanted to talk about our post-show hangout in Memphis and here it is:
I was talking about my “go analog” project on the live video. Here’s a scanned negative from my first roll of film. I had some problems- I don’t know if it was light leaks from the camera or some mistakes in the developing, but only a few came out and they had some scattered spots and streaks.
But it was a lot of fun and hopefully will get better. I’ve shot two more rolls since then.
OK, I'm going to try to post a video of the band. If this comes through OK, this is a song called Martha. It's a bout a chicken we met at the BBQ Pit Boys mother pit in Connecticut.
Just once more?
“I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought
That I’d see you
One more time
Again…”
“One day, one time,
will be the last time,
you will pick up and hold your child…”
“You can never go ‘Home’.”
The other day, I had a realization.
We’ve lived in the Big Blue Beast for almost 1/5 of our marriage. Almost 8 years out of almost 41.
Lots of life has happened in the last eight years. The birth of two grandchildren, two marriages and one divorce. My parents going from independent living to passing.
I’m stoic, so I take it all in stride.
I have one, strange life fear, I can’t conquer.
I don’t fear death.
I fear the desperate loneliness if my wife were to die first.
You may say
“Well that’s selfish.”
Yes it is, but if it’s any consolation, she would not fare better than I.
Someday will be the last; kiss, touch, hand hold, and look of love in her eyes.
...
