| Profilo di KimBimotaGrrrlFotoBlogElenchi |  Strumenti  Guida |
|
22 marzo Thoughts today on music...While I'm on my lunch break, reading news articles abound networking and stuffing my face with soup and pickles and sugar snap peas, I thought I'd share with you what I'm thinking about today.
I heard a statistic this morning while listening to NPR. [On a side note, you'd think there'd be more talk show choices here in Atlanta. I sure miss KIRO 710. :( Anyway, I digress...] The statistic was around the sharing of music, illegally and how it's impacting the international music industry. Purchases of music CD's are down 20% in the last year, due to the internet (actually, I'm surprised it's only 20%). The internet offers two choices to the music lover for the acquisition of music: legal or illegal. For those interested in acquiring their music legally, iTunes is by far the biggest provider; and they're on-tap to sell one billion tracks this year. Contrast that with the same amount (one billion tracks of music) which are currently exchanged illegally per MONTH. It's a huge problem. Economic pundits are quietly recommending to the music industry that they go find another way to make their money. This is profound. Now, I won't go and rant about the moral contagion in America; because, while I purchase all my music legally (I have over 1667 tracks taking up 6.67 GB on my iPod), there are other personal issues with which I struggle.
The other thing I'm thinking about is this article about how heavy metal music is a comfort for the gifted child. See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2007/03/21/nmetal21.xml. This is an excerpt:
This article seems cool and reasonable and true (given all the smart people I know and their musical preferences). But I wonder how close this article comes to rankling the hair on the necks of those in the minority community. I see where 18% listen to R&B, but I suspect that category doesn't include rap. I'd be interested to see how differently this article is embraced versus similar articles about how more intelligent men are than women; Asians than Caucasions; Caucasians than Blacks; or other such "scientifically based", but culturally scary articles.
One student is quoted in the article as saying, "It helps me with stress. It's the general thrashiness of it. You can't really jump your anger into the floor and listen to your music at the same time with other types of music." I can say the same thing about some rap - at times it's very angry and electric and rythmic and makes one very smart person I know 'jump his anger into the floor'.
What do you think?
Just so you know, I listen to Country music. Heck, I even play the banjo. I'm decidedly *not* in the 'bright' cateogy. Oh well...all I need is my remote control...
08 marzo Wow. That's all. Just ... WOWI love everything about this video...and...this...car.
Dear Santa...
06 marzo "Every OS Sucks"01 marzo really not sure what to Title this one...We’re having some severe thunderstorms this morning; they're predicted for all day. It's pretty funny – ‘cause well, we didn’t hear much of this in Seattle, right? If you don't know, it rarely ever thunders there. And, oddly, it hasn’t actually happened much since we got here, which I understand is pretty normal being winter time.
Sooooo, I take Kiera (my black lab) out this morning as I normally do to go potty. She *has* to go. But it’s raining and thundering and lightening. To put this in perspective, she spent all night in the bathtub. Yeah, the bathtub is the only place she feels safe during storms. LOL Anyway, so we're on the porch watching the storm roll. Kiera is clearly anxious to go, but she won’t even step off of the porch! She’s pacing back and forth and I keep saying, “Kiera, go potty”. She’s getting more and more stressed, but it’s raining harder and harder, and the flashing and thunder is getting intense. So I put my hood on and walk out into the rain, keeping near the garage to lead her and show her it’s OK.
She finally comes over to me in the rain and storm, but only so far as to wedge herself between my legs and the garage door! We both stand there, getting wet, hugging to our little covert in the wall. LOL!!
I keep saying, “Kiera, go potty” which is a command I’ve given her since puppyhood and which actually helps her go potty almost on-command when needed (car trips, etc.). Finally, she walks right along the garage door (protected from the storm by the slight overhang of the roof) and pees while shaking in the pouring rain and storm no more than 3 inches from the house!
I congratulate her. :)
Then, she skittles back to where I am and wedges herself between my legs and the house again. Now, I know she’s got one more thing to do. So I keep saying, “Kiera, go potty”; until I get a brilliant idea. I walk back to the porch which is where I keep her two Frisbees and tennis balls and chucker. I pick up a Frisbee, and she starts excitedly barking over the rumble and flashes of light. I throw the Frisbee far into the front yard, and she runs giddily after it. She picks up the Frisbee and then runs back to her original spot where she'd pee'd just a moment ago and does the rest of her business no more than five inches from the house...and all with that Frisbee still in her mouth!!
Because I play Frisbee with her twice per day during her potty runs, I now know that she can only go potty with a Frisbee in her mouth. When I was really young, I used to have a stuffed black and white kitty. I know how important these things are to providing needed comfort during stressful times.
|
|
|
