Friday, May 29, 2009

It's About Not Knowing


"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity."

- Gilda Radner

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

No Mistakes



"Now, I made many decisions and made many mistakes
Walked on many lands and swam in many lakes
I did good, did wrong; I got props and pissed on
I was dissed by the system but I still tried to get on
No one could tell me that my style was unhealthy
I never listened, kept spittin' 'til the nay-sayers felt me
Lookin' back, I guess you haters helped me
My fuel, my drive,
All just increased when you hated on Classified
Here's advice, for every rapper startin' out
Don't release a record 'til you're happy with the bars you wrote
My fourth album's the first record I really liked
Before that my flow was too hype and I really couldn't write
So, I took the long way, we could argue all day if it's the wrong way
But sit back and let the song play
Props to Joe Bombay for hookin' me up at the start
I never had the talent but he knew I had the heart

Now understand, what I say
This year, no mistakes
Got here, no fate
Paid dues, won't wait
Made some mistakes and I'll probably make more
Just how it happens when you're try to go forward"

- Classified "No Mistakes" off the album Boy-Cott-In The Industry

This is a great video. I think I actually like it more than the album cut of the song. I like the acapella introduction and how the beat kicks in. I really like the lyrics in this song too. 

If you like what you heard, please head on over to Silent Cacophony to read the transcript of the interview I did with Classified. You can also download the podcast and hear the entire thing for free. So what are you waiting for?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Measure This

"A device is yet to be invented that will measure my indifference to this remark."

- Hawkey, played by Alan Alda on M*A*S*H

I don't think there has ever been or will ever be a television show quite like M*A*S*H. The show as a comedy that was never afraid to tackle a tough issue. There were some really touching and emotional episodes.

It aired for 11 seasons and ran 251 episodes. There aren't many shows that have ever achieved this amount of success. This comedy/drama actually outlasted the war it was set in.

The best thing about M*A*S*H is that it still holds up today. It is not dated. The stories and characters still captivate and entertain us just as they did when it premiered in 1972.

This remains one of my top 5 shows of all time.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Against the Wind

"When everything seems to be going against you remember that the airplane takes off against the wind - not with it."

- Henry Ford

What a great quote to start off the week!

I'm not feeling a 100% today but I know this is just a temporary set back and that I will be flying again soon.

I hope all is well with you today.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Level of Pain

"What's your level of pain on a scale of 1 -10? 1 being hardly any pain and 10 being the worst pain in your life?"

- standard nursing question

Why do nurses ask you this question? I have no idea how to answer it and I certainly don't know how it can help them do their job. 

I can handle some pain. I know that some people can't. It's a completely subjective thing. How does this question make any sense?

I know that when I had my appendix out several years ago, it definitely was the worst pain that I'd ever had in my life. I was asked the above question and I answered "6" because I could imagine worse pain.  

Today, when I was in the Emergency Room, I said "8" but I'm not sure my pain really was an 8. Sure I hurt just moving, or lying down, or turning, or looking a certain way. And the pain has been  constant and steady since yesterday morning.  

If you want to read more about my injury, check my post on my main blog,


Or check my Twitter page

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Same Song - 1st Time I Heard 2Pac



This was the first time I ever heard 2Pac. I was already a fan of Digital Underground at the time and I thought that his verse was the best on this song. I was excited to see a debut album from 2Pac shortly after this video came out. I have been a fan ever since.

This video is a bit weird because it starts with a scene from the movie "Nothing But Trouble" and then moves on to the music video for the track.

You need to watch it up to the point where Shock G says "2Pac go ahead and rock this"

"Now I clown around when I hang around with the Underground
Girls use to frown, say I'm down, when I come around
gas me and when they pass me they use to diss me
harrass me, but now they ask me if they can kiss me
Get some fame, people change, wanna live they life high
same song, can't go wrong, if I play the nice guy
(clamin that they must have changed,just because we came strong)
I remain, still the same (why Tu'?) cause it's the same song"

- 2Pac "Same Song" off of Digital Underground's This is an E.P. Release and the Nothing But Trouble soundtrack

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Brightness Doesn't Work

"I wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. There's a knob called 'brightness,' but that doesn't work."

-
Gallagher

Friday, May 15, 2009

Assessment Can Be a Learning Opportunity


This quote is for all the teachers out there. I got it from a workshop I attended in the winter.

"Every time you do assessment, it is not a decision point - it can be a learning point."

- Dr. Lorna Earl

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Without Books...


"Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation are at a standstill."

- Barbara W. Tuchman

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Unabashedly Canadian Hip Hop Video



This is some unabashedly Canadian content here.

I really like the way that Classified rhymes "innocence" with "fisher man" Nice Job!

If you like this video, make sure to check him out on tour. He's in Waterloo tonight and London, Ontario tomorrow.

Here are some of the lyrics.

"Welcome to the East Coast, home of the innocence
Still pigeonholed, as a farmer or a fisherman
No major league teams, baseball or hockey
No urban radio, just country and pop beats
I'm trying to shake these stereotypes
So give me space please, let me air out my life
I don't even eat fish, shit I never tried lobster
Cant play the fiddle, and never was a logger
But I swam in clean lakes, and enjoyed cool breezes
But Halifax Harbour's like swimming in diseases."

- Classified "The Maritimes" from Boy-Cott-In The Industry

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Stray Thoughts from Brian Krakow


"Apparently Delia Fischer smiles at everyone. She probably comes from one of those small towns where everyone's friendly and smiles at you for no reason. I hate that type of town." 

- Brian Krakow, character on My So-Called Life

Monday, May 11, 2009

When Things go Wrong...


"When things go wrong, don't go with them."

- Anonymous 

(taken from 443 Character quotes and words of wisdom... compiled by Deb Austin Brown in Growing Character)

This is one book that every elementary school teacher should own. Not only does the author share with us 99 strategies to use in our classroom but she also ends the book with some amazing quotations.

Enjoy!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Bushels of Tumbling Emotions

I am reading this book right now and came across this quotable passage last night. I thought it was the perfect description of how the students at my school have been acting now that there are only six weeks left of school. Let me know if you agree. 

"We middle-schooler had been pretty rowdy during the final weeks, shouting, racing down halls and across campus, pulling pranks. It was as if we had bushels of tumbling emotions and energy to get rid of, and we dumped them out whenever and however we could."

- Domenica Santolina Doone, the main character in Sharon Creech's Bloomability.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Children Need Stories

"They connect us with the past—once upon a time—and give us cultural roots.  Stories are the best of our heritage, the gift of minds that stay alive in us and help us to survive.  Children need these stories. "

- Joseph Gold. Read For Your Life: Literature as a Life Support System. Fitzhenry and Whiteside: Markham, 1990. pg 170-171

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

I Got News



- Sweatshop Union "I Got News"

I saw these guys play on the weekend. It was an awesome show. Check out my concert review on Silent Cacophony.

I love the energy that Kyprios had during this song. I like how he and Dusty run fast on the spot when Kyprios delivers the fastest lines in the song. Amazing!

I tried to take a video of them this weekend but it didn't turn out. Luckily, we have YouTube and I found this performance of their show in Toronto.

Here are some of the lyrics; (Parental Advisory)

"My lady friend loves to question me
About my life and my immaturity
She wants to know if there will ever be security
I'm like, "sure there will, baby, you'll leave me certainly"

Relationships are nothing but a headache,
Cause when you're not getting head, yes, it's a headache
Could you please make love to me for my bed's sake?
Help take away the loneliness a bed feels when you're awake."

- Kyprios from the Sweatshop Union album "Natural Progression"

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

We all Have Blind Spots

"It's been said that seeing is believing. But the fact is, we all have our blind spots...Sometimes we recognize them ourselves. Sometimes others recognize them for us...Distance has a way of distorting the things we see. But what appears as an obstacle may in fact be an opportunity. The trick is having enough faith to carry through."

- Everwood Narrator 

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Thing About It


"But the thing about it is we can't just sing about it

We can't just sit around and wait until they fit this out

We figure out where we're goin' while we live in doubt

If you want my truth, listen now, we'll just think about it

The thing about it is we can't even think about it

Can't afford a minutes time to figure how to bring about a change so

Take a second and shake your head and then

Take a step ahead and think about it."

- Sweatshop Union "The Thing About it"

Positive lyrics for Motivational Monday. Remember that it isn't enough to just think about things. You must act. 

I saw these guys perform in concert last night. Check out my review on Silent Cacophony. 

Friday, May 1, 2009

It Must Be Hidden!

"How many of us go on a search and assume we must look behind something or inside something or under something or above something – that what we’re searching for must be hidden in the sense that it can’t be picked out by the naked eye? Poe showed us that the best hiding place may well be somewhere in plain sight because human nature assumes this could never be a possibility. If we’re searching for something, it must be hidden!"

- Noble, Wiliam. Conflict, Action, & Suspense. Writers Digest Books, 1994 pg 122-123.

Great quote from an otherwise forgettable book. Sorry William!