When is the last time you ventured over to...

...my blog?

A Substitute

Dumb Dumb is still vacationing in Barbados, so to hold you over for the next few weeks there will be an assortment of guest-hosts and even some older, thought to be lost footage. I know it's not the same, but it'll have to do for now.

A little dance for Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone, from Daniel, Zion and the rest of us.

Time for a smurfing good movie...

Ever since I was a little kid I had a dream that they would make this movie. I could never quite imagine how they would turn those little blue guys (and girl) into realistic, live action characters for the big screen... apparently wizard James Camron knows best. Now I am on my way up to Indianapolis to see my dream come true (in glorious IMAX 3D). All I know is this; I don't care that Gragamel is being interpreted as a cigar-chewing x-soldier, that Papa Smurf is being played by Sigourney Weaver or that Smurfette is not actually blond... the only thing I care is that they actually refer to that giant saber toothed beast from the previews as "Azrael". That's all I need.

Kid can't sing but sure can play!!!

California English Pt. 2

This is the new Vampire Weekend that was released with Cousins on the 7" single. It rocks the socks.

VW

Ben posted this a while back... worth another listen.

Fun w/ Photoshop

Lala

Want to know what the absolute best site on the interwebs is? Currently it's called Lala.

You may have seen Lala in the news recently since they were just purchased by Apple, but they are a free music/social network site. Here's how it works:

1. You sign up (click here)
2. Download the music analyzer. This will comb your computer for music then compare that list to Lala's catalog and make all matches available for you on their site. That means you can listen to your music anywhere, from any computer (with a high-speed connection). This of course might not work for all your chamber music or Nigerian Hip-Hop, but there is a huge library.
3. Add friends. With Lala you can find people you know or people with similar tastes and 'follow' them. That means you see what they are listening to and you can discover new stuff. They can also follow you and see that you listen to an inordinate amount of Kenny G.
4. Listen and discover. Listening to music is, of course, the main point. You can listen to any 'web' song for free (once) and buy it for 10c. You can download songs for 89c (unless Apple changes that).



There are a lot of cool features. For example you can be listening to a song and start building your queue on-the-fly. There is also a 'Mix it Up' option on artist pages where Lala builds a playlist for you. Check it out, friend me, and tell me what you think.

Christmas Tree Cutting

As I was thinking about cutting a Christmas tree tonight after work, for some reason, this got stuck in my head.

Have a great Christmas season:

For the cousins...

Thanksgiving

Matt and Jon making lunch.
Ashley standing next to Nate.
William and I discussing the physics of intercontinental highways.
Michal making three dishes at once for Thanksgiving dinner.
David effortlessly carrying the love-seat by himself.
My Dad walking through the Fall colors in the forest.
Aravis' legs sticking out from under the desk, in search of Crumpet.
Zion wriggling in my arms.
My wife Jess, holding her own against the famous Crum sarcasm.
Chipper super-excited. ready for dinner.
Jesse and Jude walking around in Washington D.C.
My Mom, wearing a sweater, surrounded by her boys.
Daniel and Ben debating candy vs. cough drops.
Thomas' prayer for his brother.
Jill, bumping and setting better than the rest of us.
Playing basketball with my taller brother Stephen.
Emily gracefully playing Crazy Pictionary.
The smile on Katie's face.

New Music Monday - Ramona Falls

For all of you suffering from colds, flu and the like, Ramona Falls, "I Say Fever":

VW - CONTRA

From the forthcoming album, download the new track: here

William's Report

William Henry Crum III
November 10, 2009

Great Explorers

David Livingstone was a famous Scottish missionary in Africa and one of Africa’s greatest European explorers. Dr. Livingstone was born in Blantyre, Scotland, on March 19, 1813. In 1836, David diligently began studying medicine and the Bible so that later on he could go to Africa as a missionary doctor. Dr. Livingstone was married in 1845 to Mary Moffat, the daughter of a fellow missionary. Later, in Africa, Livingstone took a four-year expedition to find the route of the Zambezi River to the Atlantic coast. Miraculously, Dr. Livingstone found a magnificent waterfall along this river which he called Victoria Falls. Thinking even greater, he took an expedition to find the source of the Nile. After Livingstone discovered the Nile’s headwaters, he died on May 1, 1873. His body was buried in England, but since he had loved Africa so much, his heart was buried there in Africa.

Similar to David Livingstone, Henry Stanley was also a notable African explorer. Stanley was born John Rowlands on January 28, 1841. When Rowlands grew up, he moved to New Orleans where he met a great friend, Henry Morton Stanley. Ashamed of his own family background, Rowlands adopted Stanley’s name. Unlike Dr. Livingstone, in 1867 Stanley became a special correspondent for the New York Herald. The newspaper commissioned Stanley to go to Africa on a mission to find the missing famous Dr. Livingstone. After Henry had continuously searched and searched for him, he finally found him at Lake Tanganyika. When Stanley met Dr. Livingstone he said a phrase that is very famous today, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.” Shortly after Livingstone’s death, Stanley continued his exploration of the region. Stanley had to travel the length of the Lualaba and Congo Rivers before he reached the Atlantic Ocean in August 1877. Retiring, and returning to Europe, Henry Stanley was knighted for his important explorations in 1899 and died May 10, 1904. Even though Stanley was born into a sad life, he is well known for his outstanding accomplishments.

Dr. David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley each had a great impact on Africa. Livingstone shared the Gospel with many of the Africans he met. Both men helped to bring light to the “Dark Continent”. Stanley, like Livingstone, explored much of the interior of Africa. Their discoveries helped cartographers map Africa’s previously unknown regions and features. After months of searching, David discovered Victoria Falls. Enthusiastically, Henry worked in the northern and southern regions of Africa and was the first to reach Zanzibar in 1871. Prepared for another adventure, Stanley went on to find the Nile’s source. Creating the Congo Freestate, Dr. Livingstone, who personally freed many African slaves, exposed the horrors of the slave trade to educate Europeans. Both men wrote about their adventures and discoveries and shared these around the world. Livingstone and Stanley were such an exceptional influence on Africa that we still remember them today.

William's Geography Paper: Africa

William would like to post a paper he wrote on Livingstone and Stanley, but we don't know how to import it (and I don't want to retype the paper here). Can anyone help?

Absolutely Unique

Have you ever sat in traffic listening to your favorite CD and wondered "is anyone else in the world sitting in their car listening to this exact song at this exact moment?" What are the chances?

Well there are nearly a billion cars on the roads of the world and, assuming that your favorite CD is at least a gold record, one million of those cars could contain that CD. Even if only one tenth of those CDs made it into cars, and only one one hundredth of the cars containing the CD are currently being driven, that's still 1,000 cars simultaneously being operated with the potential of listening to your same song. That's not terrible odds... of course you could add levels of complication like "...driving a Buick with a busted front end and heading North by Northwest while listening to..." and make the odds go way down.

There are also times when what you are doing is so strange that the question becomes "has anyone in history ever done this?" (which, by the way, if you can immediately, with confidence, say 'I am the first', you should probably stop right then... there's probably a good reason why no one else has done it). Some people get this feeling when walking on freshly fallen snow. I hate to burst your bubble but that snow has been walked on, peed on, sweated out of someones forehead, evaporated, shaken off a wet dog, boiled, drunk, and spit out millions of times over thousands of years. I, however, did something yesterday that has never been done before. I didn't realize I had done it till after the fact, but I am convinced that my actions were unique across time, space, and multiple duplicate dimensions; I watched the film The Remains of the Day while wearing a Bruce Lee t-shirt.

Let that soak in.

You might be tempted to think that it's not really that strange. I assure you, it is. You think, "well, I'm sure some random guy wearing a Bruce Lee t-shirt could have, spur-of-the-moment, decided to walk into the theater." But no, that never happened. I am the first, and may well be the last. I am a unique individual dang it.

PostPost: The image at the top has nothing to do with this blog entry.

Real Art

One of my favorite conversations to have with Nate is pondering the questions "What is Art?" Nate has what I would call a very closed view, basically if it is not paint (or ink or conté or the like) and if it does not possess some element of beauty, it is not art thus tossing out photography but not sculpture, that's art too. Okay, so it's an oversimplification of his position, but it's why we can have this conversation more than once.

So is the woman in the video above an 'artist'? She did scribble some stuff on paper and scan it in to her computer, but her 'art' is computer code with video driven user input. It's cool looking, it might even be beautiful, but is it art? What do you all think?

Tara and Bella

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Uprising

Check out this promo for the ABC show 'V.' If you like the Muse song you'll like the music video set to the film Equilibrium (over on my blog - contains scenes of violence).

David Byrne Interviews … David Byrne

This is a comical interview of David Byrne (Talking Heads) by David Byrne. I think the best interview answer ever is his "I'll tell you later."



Also, if anyone has this concert DVD and would let me borrow it, that would be awesome:

Don't Give Up On Your Dreams

We truly live in the land of opportunity. This is a country where anything is possible, where men and women overcome insurmountable odds to achieve their dreams.

Why then are so many of us asking the highest ranking member of this society to give up on his lifelong aspiration? We say; "everywhere that Socialism has been tried, it has utterly failed!" We list off the countries; China, The Soviet Union, Cuba, Canada, etc. and point out the poverty, the suffering and the corruption that has followed these Socialist experiments...

What are we, a bunch of quitters? This, I think, is false modesty. Do we really believe that we are not far better than any of those other countries? If anyone can do it, we can. We put a man on the moon, more than one actually, over 40 years ago! Isn't it about time for another milestone? What if Franklin, Edison or Einstein had thrown up their arms and said; "It just can't be done!"?

It is patently unfair to deny our President from fulfilling his destiny. Who are we to deprive him his place in history as the man who finally made Socialism work?

Thank You Hulu

TV Shows

I'm sure to Mom's surprise, one of the most influential shows of my childhood was a show that I never remember watching. We grew up watching --- sometimes against the rules --- shows like GI Joe, Square One, Murder She Wrote, Perry Mason, This Old House (Mom's 'show') and others. Going back and watching these shows is always bitter sweet (except for Perry Mason which is still as good today as it was when it was made). Shows like, forgive me Peter, MacGyver have simply not stood the test of time. I watched an episode of Night Rider a while back and almost cried it was so bad. I would suggest that these shows are often so bad it might be a good idea to never go back and re-watch them. It's better for me to know that the new GI Joe movie is pure crap and believe that the real GI Joe movie (the animate one) was pure cinematic excellence instead of putting on the old movie and realizing it wasn't quite the same as I remembered.

So what show could live up to my memory. For years I have made references to a show that Mom used to watch. I knew it was about Vietnam and I knew, more vividly than anything else, that the theme music was Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones. Still every time I hear that song I see helicopters flying over a jungle (the only clip I could remember ever seeing from the intro or the show). We weren't aloud to watch, but I couldn't help hearing. That song, the twangy guitar, the beating drums, that song, beyond it's words, beyond it's intended meaning is Vietnam to me. And beyond that, not knowing what branch of the military the show was about, to me that song is about Marines. I remember Pop being away from home a lot when we were kids, away on a ship, away in the field. Paint it Black, that haunting song from the lips of Mick Jagger, that song was a lullaby for me, maybe not as much as Africa by Toto was, but in the black of night I knew that the show was about Pop, and that when the show was over he was coming home.

Nam: Tour Of Duty:

Animal Noises

Most of you know that Daniel loves making animal noises, some of his best have been the horse, a pig, and the turtle ("doggle doggle"?). Anyhow, neither Michal nor I know where he learned this one:

Thanksgiving--not from scratch

Everyone is invited to come to Maryland for Thanksgiving dinner. Let me qualify that. I assume only family members are reading this blog. All the members of our family are welcome for Thanksgiving dinner. If you are reading this and would like to come, but are not a family member, let me know!

Anyway family--there are three things I want you to know (or to know from you).

First, this Thanksgiving dinner will not be entirely from scratch. I usually try to fix a home-made dinner (although I usually do use instant potatoes unless Peter is here), and I usually do the preparation all myself. But, this year I am certain that that much preparation would wear me out. So, I'm making it simple and making it easy. [However, be reassured, roasting a turkey is both simple and easy so there will be a real roasted turkey at the table.] I am accepting help of whatever sort is offered--from decorating the table, to doing the dishes, to bringing pie or cranberry sauce or appetizers. If you are coming and want to help, simply respond with a comment telling what you will do or bring.

Second, please Rsvp ASAP. If you are not coming for Thanksgiving but plan to come for Christmas, please let me know. If you are coming for Thanksgiving, but not for Christmas, please let me know. If you are unable to come for either holiday, please let me know. If you are coming for both--hurrah! This will aid me in completing my Christmas shopping.

Also, by way of reminder, I have declared that the gift exchange this year will include all individuals and families. Secrecy has been sacrificed for the sake of inclusivity. (I may have made up that word, but I thought its consonance sounded awesome in that sentence.) Let me remind you that Peter (and crew) have been assigned to buy/make a gift for Elisabeth, Matt and Emily have William, Ben (et al) have Jesse, Jon has Peter and family, Nate has Matt and Emily....just continue on down the line. Letting me know your holiday plans here will also allow all the others to know whether to send a gift or give it in person. If you need further information contact me directly.

Looking forward to a wonderful autumn and happy holidays.

A Milestone

The Dlog has reached its 50th episode. On behalf of Peter and Dumb Dumb, I would like to personally invite you to head over to see the newest installment (http://dumbdumbdog.blogspot.com/). Many thanks to all who have given of themselves to make this possible so far. Dumb Dumb is heading off to Barbados for a few months, so it's unlikely that we'll hear from him for a while. Peter plans on editing a certain wedding video he's in possession of. I for one never rest and I plan on keeping at it... if you know what I mean?

Rain

Saving this one for a rainy day,... well, it's raining now!

Hmmm...

"You know,.... it's actually not that bad." - What Daniel is thinking in the movie above.

Julie and Julia

I believe "Julie" comes first in the title of this film, and I suppose the front story is about the contemporary woman who cooks her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year(and blogging about it). But the bigger, more compelling story is the one about the author of that cookbook, Julia Child. If you haven't seen this movie, I recommend that you go and see it--or put it at the top of your Netflix queue if you don't have the money.

The love story between Julia and her husband is tender, refreshing, and affectionate.
Dan Ackryod's SNL sketch is an hilarious charicature; Meryl Streep's performance is an affectionate, realistic portrayal of a large woman whose personality was also larger than life." (I don't know why Peter's affectionate "Cooking Julia" sketch of cooking baby fish food was not also included in this movie--it must have been lost on the cutting room floor.)

I saw this movie with Aunt Beth, Elisabeth and Jordan the day before my surgery. Everyone in the theater laughed at all the funny parts, although I believe I was laughing loudest. Pop went to see it by himself about a week later and also enjoyed it.

WIUX - Pure Student Radio

Some of you may remember plugging in those giant stereo headphones of Pops and listening to your favorite tape. I know I spent many an afternoon with those cups on my ears listening to the pure stereo sound of Toto, Genesis, Amy Grant and Michael Jackson. Now that I'm all grown up and am past caring what I look like with headphones, I own my own pair of stereo cups (though, not as big as the ones Pop had). I may be the biggest dork at work, but I love the great sound I get at my desk.

This brings me to the high quality online stream of WIUX. The local, student radio station, WIUX, plays all kinds of weird crap. Actually, most of it is junk, but sometimes you hit a run of Band of Horses, Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, Beck, Radiohead and other bands that they don't play anywhere else. If you're local you can tune in to 99.1 FM, if not local, check the stream here.

New Music Monday - USoE

I know, this track has been out for a while, but the album is still a day away.

Matt sent me a link the other day to the Muse site where they were offering a free listen to the new album in it's entirety (for logged-in members, which I quickly became). In my opinion (and I know I will get a lot of flack for this), United States of Euroasia (+Collateral Damage) is the best track on this new album. I have always liked Muse for including classical piano interludes in their songs. Chopin's Nocturne in E-Flat Major works so well here that it almost sounds as if it were written for this song (I might also get shot for saying that too).

Anyhow, take a listen, compare it to Queen, and tell me what you think. Also, enjoy the album here } http://muse.mu/media-player/albums/47/the-resistance/# (once again, thanks Matt).

It's finally here!

The kids and I put together a little video in celebration of the release of The Beatles Rock Band game. I tried to get this up yesterday, but had some technical difficulties. Anyways, head over to Jude's blog to see the video, we hope you enjoy... http://judesmonkeyblog.blogspot.com

Monopoly - City Streets

Today is the first day of the largest Monopoly game in history [if it ever starts to work that is].

A new online game from Hasboro, Monopoly City Streets, goes online today and the registration process has been a pain. I have been hitting the refresh button over and over and when I finally got through, it played a little flash intro and stopped, I couldn't do anything (I think the navigation was hidden and I couldn't scroll to it).

Anyhow, the game is based in Google Maps and allows users to purchase any real estate (any street) in the world and then charge rent. You start off with 3 million Monopoly Bucks and, from what I've read, the game goes 'till January, making it not only the largest game (most players) but one of the longest (though, I think the board game averages 2 months to play and I personally have played one game that lasted 1 and a half years).

How many people will sign up? How many will play? That, obviously is yet to be seen, but one thing's for sure... if any of you are planning on building on any street that we have ever lived on... better think again... you'll be paying me rent! Bookbinder here I come!

Beck on Tuesday

Beck is, and has been for a long time, one of my favorite musicians. I remember Nate getting in trouble for a Beck track I included on a mix tape and I remember, just when it seemed Beck had hit the top, done everything, nothing new to add, he released Sea Change and started all over again. Sea Change is still my most listened to album by Beck, though Guero is close behind. I just ran across this version of the Loser video, adds a whole new meaning to the song:

Zombie Kid

check out my blog for some more funny and cool videos!!

Peter is a nerd!

While looking around at interesting stuff I stumbled across this and realized right away how excited Peter probably is...



By the way, if you want to read something truly interesting, head over to my blog right now.

Taken from the H-T

Emily recently visited the Teacher's Warehouse before school started this year to stock up on supplies for the year. The above video and her picture appeared in the paper and online, with the following caption.

Emily Crum, a speech and language pathologist at Childs and Summit elementary schools, looks for books Tuesday at Teachers Warehouse that might help students with sounds. Teachers Warehouse, at 1364 W. Second St., offers donated classroom supplies from which local teachers can draw.

Jowles

and also this, I dug this up from the family archive. I can't believe that I had never seen this before but I do remember some of these moves...

A New Episode of the Dlog (starring Jill)

So Far

I was pretty excited about getting to spend some time with my sister Jill and brother Jesse. William and Jesse were born after I moved away from home and Jill was only a baby at the time. This has already been a great two weeks, and I'm looking forward to the time we still have together. I took Jude and Jesse up to Buena Vista a few days ago, and while we were up there we did a little hiking at the Continental Divide. We took some footage of Jesse on the East Coast and Jude on the West. Here's just a couple seconds of us up on top of the world watching the Sun come up...

a book

This is a kinda weird thing for ME to be writing about. But, I have been reading an amazing book, and I am not yet finished, but it's a story that isn't over, so I guess I feel as though I am just catching up. It is Don't Ignore My Mind by Bob Kaplowitz. In our culture today we look up so much to celebrities or old dead people, but I have never been witness to a more amazing story then the one I am reading right now. So, if you like to read (not me) or you don't (me), then at least read this book. It is worth so much more then reading about General Lee or Brad Pitt.

This One's for Ben

Apparently Ben is amused by the pictures I am posting, so this one's for him.

Coming Soon

When we lived on Camp Pendleton I vaguely remember watching parts of a TV series called 'V' about green, lizard-like aliens. With the growing popularity of re-releasing TV shows on DVD I recently looked up this show and thought it might be interesting to watch. Now ABC is coming out with a whole new series, following the same premise, and under the same name... it's the return of 'V'. Looks OK.

Strawberry Swing

Not sure if you all have seen this, but the new Coldplay video is pretty cool:

What's New?

Answer: Back in May Emily and I closed on our first home, a nice three bedroom ranch style home located on Bloomington's south side. We, with the help of Nate, spent several days painting before moving our things, with the help of a lot of our friends, from our apartment into our home. I have been enjoying the larger space, the un-ending number of design changes, and like that I now have a lawn to mow. Grandmother and Grandfather have stopped by, as have the B-town brothers, and we're looking forward to William's visit. He will probably be more interested in our puppy, Chipper. For Emily's birthday I decided to get her a little Rat Terrier. When we got him he was about 8 weeks old and weighed 4-5 pounds. He seems to be growing bigger every day and already weighs 10 lbs. He loves learning new tricks, looks forward to his meals, and especially loves playing tug with his cousin Coach Suhr. We will be sad to leave Chipper behind for a few days next week as we will be headed to the Barrow family vacation in Door County, Wisconsin - Emily's mom's family.
Emily has instructed me to bring my video camera, so be looking for a new video soon.

Wired Podcast

Here's a podcast of some new-ish music for summer listening from Wired.com:

Playlist Podcast: Episode 11

Some of the Asian Pop is a little odd, but some cool beats.

This year has been full of surprise when it comes to music. Both Dave Matthews and Wilco have just put out their best albums ever.

If you like anything by Wilco than go out and get this album. In fact, if you like anything about good music, than go out and get this album.

Transparency

Apparently "Openness" and "Transparency" mean something different in the Obama White House. The video below is from a press conference in which Chip Reid (with the help of Helen Thomas) debate the legitimacy of an upcoming 'Town Hall' meeting in which the audience is pre-screened (invited) and the tech-savvy questions (twitter and facebook) come through a screening process before they reach the President.

Ima Same Ima Sound of Moccasin (or) I Was Saved by the Sound of Michael's Song

The younger Crum children have only heard stories about the acrobatic skill that used to take place on the living room floor when the "Thriller" record was put on the turntable (that's an old-timey listening device, predating CDs and tapes (small casettes with ribbons of tape that could record sound and play on stereos)). The carpet became a dance floor, break-dance floor, as Peter would back-spin and twist to Beat It and Matt would break it down to Billie Jean. As I recall crotch grabs were not in vogue with the Crum kids (nor allowed). Ben and Mom would duet on PYT and Pop would chime in for the Vincent Price dialogue on Thriller, great memories to reflect on this past weekend as the world said farewell to the King of Pop. As a pre-teen I remember Jamming with Peter to the Dangerous album, and looking forward to network TV premiers of MJ videos... Remember the Time and Black or White to name a few. As Michael began to change, not just in appearance but also his personality, I lost interest in his newer music. Several years back I witnessed Jim Hogue do a dang-good impersonation of Michael's dance moves and remebered that when I ran into him in Wal-Mart on Friday, we chatted briefly, talked about the loss, and I asked him if his wife (Annie) was O.K.
Over the weekend I added a few MJ songs to my iTunes library (for you old folks that's a computer program that stores MP3s (digital music files) for play on my iPod (a hand-held device that can hold thousands of songs))... the Bad album and a few of his newer hits.
The Man in the Mirror may no longer 'Be There but he can still Rock My World. The Way he Makes Me Feel encourages me to Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'. The Bad news is it isn't all Black or White. The Thriller, the Smooth Criminal is Gone To Soon, but I can still Remember the Time. Who is it?.... Shamone!!!

Heroes and Fools

Today is the anniversary of Custer's Last Stand. Back in 1876, close on the heals of the Civil War, Custer and his regiment were gunned down in the Montanan territory by a combined force of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne indians. I don't think I ever considered Custer a 'hero', but there was always a sense of awe regarding his bravery and courage. I don't really want to get into a discussion about the idea of the 'noble savage', the modern thought that indians, being 'one with all of nature' were somehow more pure than 'the savage white man'. I know that terrible crimes were committed against the primitive natives, but what I really want to look at it is that magnifies a man to the level of 'hero'.

For our wedding a woman from Mongolia gave Michal and me leather wallets. Michal's has a beautiful floral pattern and mine has a stamped image (now fading) of 'Chingis [Genghis] Khan'. Growing up I had only heard the name 'Genghis' in association with barbarian, tyrant, and monster. The history, as I knew it, was that this leader expanded his empire by brutal conquest. The truth is, he did.

Does that make him a monster? Maybe. But can a man simultaneously be a monster and a hero? I think the answer is yes. George Washington, hero or traitor? Abe Lincoln, hero to the freed slaves, or unjust tyrannical oppressor and constitution breaker? In our modern American way of thinking we are quick to dismiss any 'white oppressor' as simply being a tyrant, a monster, but we forget that all heroes to us must be someones Kahn.

Khan [wikipedia]
Custer [Wired.com]

Picture of the Day or "How to Become an Instant Nerd"

From [site]

What is this? (you might ask). Don't ask.

If you can't figure it out, you are way cooler than the rest of us.

For the kids...

The Flintstones - Have A Smoke

Whooped

Well this family done has us whooped. Some of you may have heard of the Dugger family of Alabama. There 18 kids put our measly 11 to shame. 10 boys, 8 girls, and apparently only one two set[s] of twins.



Looking through their photo album it appears as if all the boys share a room and all the girls share a room. They also have a cafeteria style lunch buffet and a coke dispenser in the dining room. I remember someone responding to Mom telling her how many children were in our family by saying "that's insane!"

"Insane?" Maybe not 'insane', but certainly not normal.

Dugger Family [site]

P.S. It looks like they might have some eligible young men and women for our eligible young woman and men.

Blue Monday

Check this out. Not some footage from the local air show, this is real, cockpit footage of the Blue Angels. I think the coolest part is hearing the pilot 'yeehah' like a cowboy:

2 Blurbs

So, I have one of the worst migraines that I have ever had. This is almost as bad as the ones I had as a kid. Now my migraines are different than yours 'cause I can listen to music when I have them. Go figure.

So I'm laying in bed and I put on the Sweet Baby James record that Jon has and I listen to the entire record straight through like in the olden-days. This is the first blurb. If you haven't listened to that record latley, than you should set some time aside and just listen to the entire album straight through. It is one of the best records and I just realized that.

Second, I want to talk about Dave Matthews and his new album. This is one of my favorite albums and I think the band's best. I just listened to the new song Funny the Way It Is and i have some thoughts to share. First, Carter Beuford is the best drummer and this song proves that. Second, this is one of the songs on the record that is inspired by Leroi Moore (the sax player who died last summer). Dave Matthews shows us a depth of emotion in this particular song in relationship to Leroi. This makes me sad for two reasons. The one is that Dave is not a Christian and therefore everything that he does falls short of the glory of God. The other reason that this makes me sad is because Dave shows a deeper love and respect for Leroi than any Christian artist out there shows love for anything. Christian music is so weak and gutless. Dave steps out on a limb and puts every thing, a normal person would keep in the dark, into the light. There is more raw emotion in his one song than in a christian music store. Period.

Dave Matthews Band - Funny the Way It Is

Bertie Wooster on Twitter

Here's a short audio clip from actor Hugh Laurie on the subject of Twitter. During election years I get really annoyed at celebrities spouting their feelings and thoughts as if we, the normal people, should care. This, however, is refreshing. Hearing someone, who could be using Twitter to grow his fan base by typing short messages about inane subjects, condemn the site as pointless is great. Now if only the millions of twitterers could stop typing on their phones, and start having real conversations... I don't know what that would do, but it would do something.

New Music Monday - Drakkar Sauna

Something New, Something Old.

This is one odd video. The sound is like 'Brother Where Art Thou" but the look is, well, you just have to see it.

Drakkar Sauna - The Family Who Prays

Drakkar Sauna: The Family Who Prays
Uploaded by eikonproductions - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

There web site is really bizarre, check it out at your own risk [site]

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Tomorrow night Michal and I are going to see this band. They just hit No. 8 on the Billboard charts for their new album. There sound is an odd combination of old-school Beach Boys, Beruit, and Fleet Foxes. I am real excited.



[Grizzly Bear site]

Black Cab Sessions

What could possibly go together better than live, acoustic music, and tiny British cabs? Well, maybe a lot of things, but here are some great selections from the Black Cab Sessions.

Bon Iver - For Emma

Bon Iver from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

Spoon - I Summon You



Brian Wilson - (wait for it...) California Girls (I think Jon and I have done a better rendition. In fact, I don't think Wilson sings for more than 30 seconds altogether)



And of course, Fleet Foxes - Crayon Angels (by Judee Sill)

Bird-brained

WARNING!!! The following video contains the misuse of a cricket ball and may not be suitable for small children, English aristocrats, or pigeons.



I haven't watched much cricket, but from this clip and from watching a lot of European league soccer games, I make the claim that English announcers are the most interesting to listen to for sporting events.

Daylight

This song is in the new Bacardi commercial and I think that both are pretty sweet.

Ask not what you can do for your country...

Personal responsibility has been an undue burden, an unnecessary millstone hung around the neck of Americans, ever since our founding. Finally a change has come, we have been unfettered, and for the first time are truly free. I for one am feeling what it is like to take full, deep breaths, a load has been lifted. I am amazed at how accustomed I had become to working, paying bills, raising my children and driving on the right side of the road. Without these antiquated limitations I am experiencing the richness of life to its full potential. Thank you for allowing us to transcend this glass ceiling that seemed so immovable. You have given us liberty to say "Ask not what I can do for my country, but rather what can my country do for me?"

Fun with Pixals

Notice anything odd about the image to the left and the image below?

How 'bout the fact that they're the same image?

Trippy eh? "Say what" (you say)? Look at the picture of Einstein, stand up from your screen and walk away (say, 15 feet or so). Now, who do you see? Wow, Albert never looked so good.

Half Stars in iTunes

For those of you who need more control over your music in iTunes, here's a quick 'hack' to enable half-star ratings (thus doubling the number of possible ratings ---- that's 5 times 2 kids!). Click on the image below to see the larger, readable version. Enjoy:



From Wired.com - Cheat Codes for Real Life

Classical

Just because someone is playing a classical instrument (in this case, a cello) does not mean they are playing classical music. An album a few years back featured songs from Metallica played on cello. The video below was posted on Wired.com today and shows an amazing performance by Zoe Keating on her traditional french cello and looping peddle and software. She plays one clip, recording it on her computer, then loops it back using the foot peddle. Enjoy:

Music Monday - May 04

There's a station in town that plays 'new music' on Monday. I hate when they say 'here's the new one from...' and it's from an album that's been out for a year. So here's one from Sam Roberts from last year (not new, but still good...)

Sam Roberts - Detroit '67

The Bowerbirs and Cold War Kids

Fruit Bats - When U Love Somebody

I just ran across this band (and this song). If you like the Shins, you might want to check them out:




The Fruit Bats

Protest Plane

Hey everyone, there's a Photoshop contest (of sorts) at the Daily News (New York). They want people to add AF1 to photos of New York with Photoshop rather than flying over the city costing tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Here's my quick submission. Vote for me here.

An Ode to Swine Flu

Mad Cow caused quite a riot
It impacted a global diet
The cows all said moo
But of course you know who,
PETA said, “Beef, don’t buy it!”

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Or SARS as it’s often known?
You did your worst in Asia
WHO said don’t let it phase ya!
And now where have you gone?

Avian flu is for the birds
But humans sure got scurds
Somehow we can catch this thing
From those feathery creature’s wings
It can kill you in other words.

And now we have the swine flu
This too can possibly kill you
There is as yet no vaccine
Which may not be too keen
Thanks Mexico, we owe you!

Where have I been?

I could go into this long, detailed, heartfelt excuse as to why I haven't written, blogged, called or uploaded any Dlogs recently, but I don't really feel like I owe anyone an explination. You see, when everyone is hanging on your every word it's easy to feel pressure to perform. Fortunately I have overcome that hurdle, and have reached that coveted plateau, whereat I know that it is the quality of my work, not the quantity that will truly leave a lasting mark. With that being said, may I please direct your attention to the most recent episode of the Dlog, posted below for those of you too computer illiterate to find it by tradition means...

Teaching Again

I got a call from Heritage Instructional Services (HIS) administrator, Rachael, this afternoon asking me to teach high school biology for the upcoming school year. Hurrah! Elisabeth will be a full-time student there--taking algebra, American government and worldviews, world literature and writing, and biology--two days a week. William will be taking three classes--geography, writing, and art. Jesse will be taking writing/grammar and art. Classes meet on Mondays and Wednesdays and students complete their assignments at home on the other school days. It's a home-school tutorial and I get to be the biology tutor! I'm already partially prepared, having taught this same text two years ago at St. Stephen's. I'll post more about it soon on my own blog.

Rap Music (is not very good)

New Track

For those of you who can't get enough Vampire Weekend... check out my new profile track in the banner above.

What do you think?

CD Tracks

For those of you who got a CD from me recently, here are the track listings:

My Hanging Surrender - The Wheel
Be Good - Tokyo Police Club
Meg White - Ray LaMontagne
Magic Show - Electric Owls
Pressure - Celebration
Children - Delta Spirit
Dead End Lies - The Presidents of the United States of A...
Ships - Tyler Ramsey
Ashamed - Deer Tick
To The Author (Version 1) - The Sea And Cake
Doomsday - Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Rock & Roll Queen - The Subways
Iron Lion Zion - Bob Marley
Election Day - Blaze Foley

A Quick Tutorial

Hey everyone, I am very glad to see (and read) all that's going on in this family and on this blog. I just thought, for the sake of those less-tech-savvy, that I would show you how to do a few things that will make your posts way cool.

First:

Posting Video (from YouTube) --- Nate, this one's for you.

On the side of the YouTube page you will see a sidebar with tons of stuff. One of those things is the word 'Embed' and a bunch of text next to it. Simply click that code/text and 'copy' it (go to 'Edit' at the top of the window, and click 'Copy').



Now, in your blog post, make sure you are in 'Edit HTML' mode. This tab is at the top of your editing pane.



Click in the editing section (where you write your post), go to the 'Edit' menu again, and click 'Paste'. Now you will see a bunch of code... that's good. Just type your post before or after it and when you push 'Publish Post' that code will auto-magically turn into a video.

Second:

Labels

This is not as big a deal but there is a 'Labels' field at the bottom of the blog post editing pane. You can use Labels to group together posts. So, for example, this post is listed under 'Music', 'Video', and 'Misc'. I could also type anything I wanted, like 'HTML Code Help' and it would create a new Label that I could then use next time I write a similar post.

This can be helpful when someone wants to read all the 'Music' posts or see all the 'Music Video' posts etc.

Just type what you like and separate all words or phrases by commas.

The Concert (Not Wilco)

So, this was one of the songs that the Avett Brothers played in Nashville, TN on Record Store Day. If you look closely you can see me in the upper right hand corner at the 20 and 50 second marks. I know... we (me and Thomas) did get a pretty good spot.

B.E.R.T., Part 3

Tom sat down to a large breakfast. His children had just left for school, a quiet little elementary school in their suburban Virginia neighborhood, and Tom stretched his legs beneath the table while his wife read the newspaper.

"Pass the syrup, would you, dear?"

As Mrs. Randle passed the bottle to her husband, she read, "A glut of calls floods Chesapeake Bay area."

"What kind of calls?" Tom asked. "Like the one we got last night?"

His wife sipped at her coffee and replied, "It doesn't say. Oh, wait a minute." She read to herself for a bit and then aloud again, "telemarketers have been waking cold call customers at all hours of the night."

"Must be some new scheme." Tom mused. "Maybe WalMart has gotten into telemarketing."

The phone rang and Mrs. Randle got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

Tom finished the last of the eggs on his plate. His wife listened for a few seconds and quickly hung up the phone. Tom took the last half a pancake and gulped it down in one bite.

"Who was that, honey?" He asked. She did not answer. Tom look up. "Sarah?" She was staring into space, her eyes were glazed over as though she were in shock.

"Sarah!" Tom yelled. She shook out of the stupor. "Who was that?"

"Another telemarketer." She whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear. And then she continued, still in a whisper, "selling AIR-2 Genie tactical nuclear missiles."

Glory Days (Avetts)

Since I have no clue how to put videos here, I guess just click on this link to see a sweet cover of Glory Days by the Avett Brothers.

The War to Begin All Wars, Ends

This day in history: The American Civil War ends at the Courthouse in Appomattox Virginia. The war of course did not come to a screeching halt, their were still casualties and battles, but the official end was this day, 144 years ago. As far as I remember, Mom can correct me if I'm wrong, I have always been a history buff. My favorite subject was history especially Roman history and American History around the Civil War. I just read a short little article about the Civil War as it introduced modern warfare into the old-school world. Part of the devastation of the war was that traditional strategy was pitted against modern technology. An interesting read if you have the time [article].

Washington

William. Here is my revision for your paper. You will notice a few embellishments, but most of your document has remained unaltered. Very good job, this was well written. Most of my changes simply open up some of the details that you left out.

On February 22, 1732, George Washington was born in the Grape State of Virginia. Texas, in the 1700's was known as the Grate State of Texas and Virginia as the Grape State because of their production of Cheese Graters and Wine respectively. Since then Grape and Grate have been eroded into the modern 'Great' lending much confusion to the debate over which State is the greatest. On April 12, 1743, his father died when he was eleven years old, people often died at a young age in the 1700's. George had to help his mother take care of his sister Elizabeth and his three younger brothers, Harpo, Groucho and Grover.



George also helped run the family business. The Washington family was known far-and-wide as the "go to" people for all things needed for powdered wigs. George was not only the spokesman, he too was a client. George Washington was a great, hard-working student in school. His favorite subjects were arithmetic, intersteller communications, modern dance, swordfish fighting, modern history and Legos™. To this day George Washington holds the Virginia state record in most wins at swordfish fighting*.



When George was sixteen years old he got a job surverying Virginia land pillaging villages up and down the Eastern seaboard. After that he made treasure maps. On January 6, 1779, George Washington married Martha "Twinkle Toes" Custis. Martha was a widow with two wicked children, born of her last merrage to the Admiral of the Martian Intersteller Fleet, Herzog B. Waternoofle. After George was married he sent the children to boarding school in Napal and moved into a Virginia home which once was owned by his brother, Groucho. George's favorite things to do were to boat, fish, hunt pirates, burn villages, browse YouTube videos of himself and most of all he liked to ride his giant seahorse.



George was appointed victoriously defeated his oponents in a bid for the possition of commander-in-chief for the War for Independence from the Tyrannical rule of the Man-Eating-Moths. He was appointed because of his great successes in the French Frog Eaters and Indian Martian War. In 1789 George Washington was elected siezed power as the first President of the United States of America. After being President for four years, President Washington assasinated the King of England and crowned himself Supreme ruler of the World. He was reelected as President in 1792. George ended his second term retired from public life in 1796, and is currently dead.

*Swordfish fighting has recently been outlawed in 48 states.

Limerick #2

Here's a poem I just finished that I thought you'd enjoy. Enjoy.

Note: you have to make limerick a three-syllable word for it to work.

A Limerick written to rhyme
Would not take too much of my time
I could do it right now
And you'd say "Holy cow!"
But I don't subscribe to your religion.

William's Final Draft

William Crum
April 7, 2009

First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of his Countrymen

King George III of England was a harsh king who imposed unfair taxes on his American colonists. While King George III was reigning over England, another important George was born in America. This George grew up, got married, and got his first job. Later, George had many successes in his military work and in the government.

On February 22, 1732, George Washington was born in Virginia. On April 12, 1743, his father died when George was eleven years old. George had to help his mother take care of his sister Elizabeth and his three younger brothers, Samuel, John, and Charles. George Washington was a great, hard-working student in school. His favorite subject was arithmetic. Even as a child, George was always a great help.

George Washington grew up to have a job and a family of his own. When George was sixteen years old he got a job surveying Virginia land. After that he made maps. On January 6, 1779 George Washington married Martha Custis. Martha was a widow with two children. After George was married, he moved into a Virginia home which once was owned by his brother. George’s favorite things to do were to boat, fish, dance, and most of all he liked to ride his horse. George grew up to be a brilliant man.

George Washington had success in the military and in the government. George was appointed by the American Congress as the commander-in-chief for the War for Independence. He was appointed because of his great successes in the French and Indian War. In 1789 George Washington was elected as the first President of the United States of America. After being President for four years, President Washington was reelected as President in 1792. George ended his time in office in 1796 even though the people wanted him to serve a third term.

In the Virginia home on Mount Vernon that once belonged to his brother, George became very ill. George Washington died on December 14, 1799. Because he was so important to our nation, George Washington is known as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

An Important Inventor and Writer-- by Jesse Crum

Jesse Crum
April 7, 2009
An Important Inventor and Writer: Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin has been an important man in American history for more than 200 years. Ben Franklin grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. Later, in Philadelphia, Ben liked to read, write, and invent. Ben was a hard worker because he loved his country.
The Franklin family lived in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben Franklin’s parents were Josiah and Abiah Franklin. Ben Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 . Ben Franklin had seven sisters and nine brothers. Because there were so many children, Ben Franklin had only two years of school. He was good at reading and writing but not at math, When he left school he was ten years old. Ben Franklin liked to swim. So, when he was eleven, he invented swim paddles and fins so he could swim faster, but the wood was too heavy. He kept on learning even when he was out of school.
Ben Franklin liked to read, write and invent when he was older. Ben began working as a printer when he was twelve. Ben went to live with his brother James, who was a printer, until he was 21. After work, Ben read by candlelight long after midnight. Ben got married in 1730 when he was 24 years old. He married Deborah Read. When Ben was 24, he also bought a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette. When he bought the newspaper he saw that it wasn’t interesting, so he wrote a better one. Ben also wrote almanacs. Ben also had the first lending library in the U.S. In 1752 Ben proved that lightning is electricity by flying a kite with a metal wire on it in the middle of a storm. Ben had the first fire brigade. It was called the bucket brigade. He invented the lightning rod to help stop lightning from burning the houses, and he also invented bifocals. Ben was a hard worker and liked to invent things that helped people.
Ben worked hard to help his country, too. Ben Franklin helped write the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Ben wrote a letter to General Washington recommending Baron von Steuben to train the army at Valley Forge. He wrote the Treaty of Paris to end the Revolutionary War. He also helped write the Constitution. Ben was a good writer.
Benjamin Franklin received an honor from the French government. It was a medal that said "He snatched the lightning from heaven and the scepter from tyrants." Ben Franklin died on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When he died he was the oldest person in Philadelphia by 20 years. He was 84 years old. He was famous then, and he is still famous today.

B.E.R.T., Part 2

Tom Randle pulled the covers over, settled down in the bed, reached up and flipped off the light. The slight buzz of the electric alarm clock read in bold neon letters 2:13. His wife was already asleep beside him, snoring lightly. But Tom was exhausted and even the noisemaker down the hall wouldn't keep him awake that night. He usually had such trouble falling asleep with all the ambient noise, but he was not accustomed to staying up this late. An emergency call had taken him into the middle of the city for a quick repair that lasted three hours.

The phone rang on the bedside table. Without turning the light on, Tom reached for the phone, pressed the talk button and whispered, "Hello?" He listened for only a moment and hung up without a word. His wife stirred beside him, rolled over and whispered in a groggy voice, "Who was that?"

"No one." He said. "Another telemarketer."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Who sells chemical solutions over the phone?" Tom wondered. He kissed his wife on the forehead and whispered. "Go back to sleep, honey." But she already had.

Want more?  Check out all the stories at Seventh Semester Sophomore.

White Sky - Vampire Weekend

To see the new and sweet Vampire Weekend song, click here now.  Then click on the second to last dot at the bottom of the video.  This will put you right at the start of their performance on the Jimmy Fallon show.

From the Memoirs of General Lee - Entry #37

Ulysses S. Grant stepped out of the tent walking under the sign that read, "Moo Shoo's Opium Den". He staggered across the muddy street to Buffalo Bill's Grand Tavern. Stumbling through the door, he made his way over to the nearest corner of the bar. Ordering a brew he bagan to regain his wits.

"Where am I?" he asked stupidly.

A young soldier spoke saying, "We're still in Gettysburg, sir."

Grant thought about this for a second. He had remembered ridding his horse Sally into town. It had been a beautiful spring morning. Flowers were growing and the children of the town were singing and dancing in the streets. He had also remembered growling at them because he despised singing and dancing children. In fact, Grant felt that at the age of eight all little boys should be sent off to military academy.

"That will teach them to sing and dance," he chuckled to himself. All of this was coming back slowly to his mind, but the opium's effects were still working on his mind causing him to forget why he and his army had come to this dismal little town in the first place. At that very moment, Robert E. Lee strode into the bar, and searching, his eyes fell on Grant.

"There you are you mangy dog," Lee barked. "Are you high?" He did not wait for an answer. "We are in the middle of a game of chess, a game that you suggested we should play to end the war, I am winning, I go to get a drink, and when I return, who just happens to be gone?" Again, Lee does not wait for an answer but gets right in front of Grant and yells angrily, "YOU... you aren't there anymore. You ran off like a sissy!" Grant, cowering, tried to explain that he had to rush off because one of his children had a nasty cold, but Lee would hear none of it. "You know that we have to fight now, don't you?" Lee questioned. Spitting on the ground at Grant's feet, Lee walked out the door calling over his shoulder, "I'll see you at Devil's Den you no-good-chess-player."