Hey all

I'm sorry I won't be there tonight, I'll be wrestling in Seattle. I hope you all have a great break and happy holidays!

=]

Tonight's Final

Yes--we are required to have a final. Those of you who have missed two or more classes should definitely show up.  We will meet at Stensland 202 and go from there.  I have asked Chef if we could borrow a corner in OCCI.  It will be quick, painless, and involve food, children,  a few readings and critiqes. (Amy, Richard, Wayne, Josh--be prepared.)

I'm bringing Chili.  

If you have outstanding assignments, pleeeasse get them to me if you are hoping for a grade. (But only if these show polish, effort, and care.) 

See you soon!

Songs for my 241 Peeps-

I apologize for not getting everyone a song. It’s hard to tell who is still in the class, so I opted for the most recent roll-call. The tunes aren’t meant to signify my intimate knowledge of your personality, perhaps just a reflection of one of your writings, or a particular aspect that has come out in class. Double nickels on the dime, no one will have heard of most of these bands/songs. I have included a link if you’re interested.

Richard: “Reach for the sky” by Social Distortion. I think you’re a hyper-intelligent writer who says little because he’s always thinking. Your insight portends a possible career in counseling. Keep your eye on the ball, hombré. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRK8P94QXxQ

Kesia: “Los Angeles” by X. The consummate tome for the disease-riddled lady that is LA. Just remember--nothing is what it seems, and you can always leave. Never get caught up in the façade that is illuminated by the mercury vapor haze. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of4XZVBVOIs

Frank: “The Curse of Millhaven” by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. I can totally see you as a hard-nosed editor at a newspaper one day (if they still exist). I can also see a perversely dark streak in you that sees the ridiculous nature of our modern life. I can appreciate this outlook. And this particular romp is just plain fun to sing along to as you’re eyeing the landscape. “Foul play can really get a small town going’” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACG9wv69bKU

Andrew: “True Confessions” by RJD2. I think you have some hidden (friendly) ghosts that follow you around. We should all be so lucky. If you find them, let them know it’s okay to come out in the open and dance in front of the choir. In fact, buy them a drink, get them really blotto, and make them tell you what they have been doing all these years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEEeiju9das

Gordon: “Eating People” by King Missile. Well, this song is about eating people. And you, Gord, should know the nutritional value of what we choose to put on our plates. Have you thought about writing a cookbook? Benevolent cannibalism might just save the planet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeDLzTObXFY

Ashley: “Plea from a Cat Named Virtue” by The Weakerthans. I see you as a cat in a previous life. And if this cat could talk to its owner, perhaps you might reprimand them as Virtue does in this song. But maybe I’m wrong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdwMkA1WaGU

Kelli: “Wrapped in my Memory” by Shawn Smith. I think of this song when I reminisce about a departed loved one. The story about your friend resonated with me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTYqojQmYiQ

Cat: “A distorted reality is now a necessity to be free” by Elliott Smith. The title says it all, but I think sometimes you might need a distorted reality to find your muse running around, screaming at you to take the next bold step. This is not a criticism, but a quality that I think you can bring out and get slightly off the bubble for a while. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgOn7wuC3tk

Meredith: “Basketball Jones” by Cheech and Chong. I couldn’t help it. This is some old school basketball nonsense. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIbp5C-5WXM

Noelle: “This is The Sea” by The Waterboys. I think you’ll surprise just about anybody who listens to you-when you speak. You’re on the cusp of swimming out past the breakers if you give it a chance. You might even run into Captain Jack Sparrow and his ship of misfits while you’re out there. Be crazy, get crazy, eccentricity will throw people off and get you where you want to be. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk469q3-EIc

Charity: “Wandering Stars” by Portishead. I picked this because I love her voice. It has a twilight quality that makes you want to walk out amongst the stars and look for night-blooming jasmine. You have a unique voice as well. Don’t argue with me--I was in radio. You can tell a story, and with your voice, you can tell it with more authenticity. Rock the mic, Charity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEQNAZGoZrw

Wayne: “Three Sheets to the Wind” by Sage Francis. After reading your blog entry, I realized that you are a true survivor. I wish you the strength and fortitude to keep up the good fight. Keep getting up. No half measures. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ozpjYidPh4

Bridget: “Up Over The Mountain” by Iron and Wine. To you and Cassidy. And “Moon over Marin” by Matthew Good (covering a Dead Kennedy’s song). A hopeful and scathing glimpse of this country’s environmental future. If we have one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kh09MuIfIU and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95KFYgDFe6E

Amy: “Waiting for the great leap forward” by Billy Bragg. The song makes me want to get up and get going. I think you’re already doing all that, but I though I’d send a little encouragement nonetheless. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFYyS-5i3y0

Josh: “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne. I see your boundless energy and I wonder where your nuclear reactor is located? When will the reactor shut down? I don’t see it happening anytime soon, and I hope that you keep an eye on the horizon. Things come at you quickly, especially if you’re running towards them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC-pkV1s0Zc

David: “Bus stop boxer” by The Eels. I have this image of you with a hooded sweatshirt on, standing at a bus stop, wrestling people for bus fare. That’s it. No real insight. Try not to break anything as your career progresses. Bionics aren’t yet able to completely rebuild you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJZ00sH00BI&feature=related

A book that kids should read...

...can be found here on my blog page... http://racerx2008.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/a-book-kids-should-read/

Songs for the Few :(

I could not for the life of me decide on a poem or song for everyone in the class. The more I thought about it, the more I became aware that I don’t have a wide enough working knowledge of these works, or that scraping by on an existence of job, school and more job has driven them from my mind. That’s something I’m trying to remedy. Anyway, I did think up a few, eventually. Here they are.

For Josh, “Never Surrender”, by Martin O’Donnell. It’s upbeat, and a bit quirky (hey, it‘s from a video game soundtrack!), but still has an air of determination.

For Frank, “Lost Keys” and its immediately following track “Roseta Stoned”, by Tool, because the set is a little freaky, and I know Frank would appreciate that, and the story seems to be of a mysterious character thriving through adversity and sickness.

I tried to think of something for Kelli’s piece, because it was very sad, but beautiful. I think I would go with “The Grey Havens” from the Return of the King film soundtrack. In that scene wonderfully illumined by James Galway’s flute, longtime companions are parting for what will be a long, long time, and will not meet again until the afterlife.

I know this is a pathetic entry, since I only scratched the surface of my classmates, but alas, my compendium of knowledge is just not holding up when I try to pick out songs for the rest of you. I could pull stuff out of a hat, but it wouldn’t be a real match, and seems like a tacky thing to do.

Cognitive Dissonance

Here is my assignment on Cognitive Dissonance.

Songs for the People by Frank Gracia

Songs for the People

By Frank Gracia

I apologize in advance for not knowing all your names and not choosing a song or poem for all of you. I have chosen songs for people that have stood out for me and hope the rest of you are not offended. I would consider it a disservice to choose a song for someone I barely know. What I have decided to do was pick the people that I think I have gotten clues to their personality and have also done songs for characters in my writings.

Andrew: What would I choose for a fellow U2 fan? While stating the obvious, I chose Vertigo because your life seems to be very similar.

To the guy who sits on my left side I chose the song “The Mark Has Been Made,” by NIN. It is a nice piece without lyrics, but a haunting flow that goes into a hard upward rise and ends with the same eeriness it began with. It was chosen because there are no words that I can use that would properly delve into personality, but given that you are a fan of NIN, I thought it proper to pick a song from there collection of talent.

To the track star I picked out “Pokarama” by Weird Al Yankovic. This song is a medley of different other songs done to a high beat polka style frenzy. You have a well rounded sense of humor and you have a great talent for comedy.

To the wrestler with that impressive number of broken bones sustained through life, I chose “I Want It All,” by Queen. This song speaks to your competitive nature and pursuit of dreams.

            To our fearless leader I have chosen “We Are All Made of Stars,” By Moby. This song is about growth, change, and perseverance through challenges. The role of a teacher is to inspire new growth in knowledge, talent, and ability. To challenge the students to do what was impossible yesterday.

            For my character John from Q&A I chose “Golotha Tenement Blues,” by Machines of Loving Grace. This song speaks to John’s stone eyed calm and instinctual intensity that he brings to his work. The interrogation John conducted that started with a simple question and ended with a bloody mess that was just another day on the job.

            I now feel the need to be a little arrogant and choose a song for just for myself, but I will be moderately arrogant and choose two songs for the simple reason that I am aware of all my personalities. When I am in a good completive mood the song that firsts comes to the foreground is “The Name of the Game,” by The Crystal Method. The song that plays when I am down and out is “The Man Who Sold the World,” by Nirvana.