The Power of Metaphor

Keep Me in your heart
Originally uploaded by avenue207

"The function of the heart became clear only after the invention of the pump. Indeed, as Jonathan Miller argues, the function of the heart became knowable only after the invention of the pump. Once people understood how a pump worked, they could use that knowledge to make sense of the heart’s function. With the advance of technology an analogy was provided which enabled understanding of things which were otherwise mysterious."

- Kieran Egan. Teaching as Story Telling. The Althouse Press: London, 1986 pg 31

This is exactly how metaphor works. It's not simply about comparing things for literary effect. We can't even seem to understand how things work without such comparisons. That is the power of metaphor.

Rationalizing to Justify

"Adults have learned to rationalize. This means using the skill of argument as a form of reasoning in the service of making ourselves feel better, justifying ourselves, or explaining away."

Joseph Gold. Read For Your Life: Literature as a Life Support System. Fitzhenry and Whiteside: Markham, 1990. pg 103

Go Ahead in the Rain

I was reminded of this track today by Dart Adams on Twitter. Enjoy!



"All I wanna do is get down y'all
Have a ball y'all and freak freak y'all
Lifeless ventures ain't new boo
So don't boo hoo, yeah, you too
Gotta get a grip on the culture
Swoop down, swoop down like a vulture
The rhythms will lurk into people
All funk ain't created equal
Looking for the beat to rupture
Like the rapture, gotta capture
Don't let the storm of life scare ya
Get funky, let me prepare ya
For the days of grimness and oppression
Ayo bro, here's your lesson
Even though the rain starts pouring
Start reaching, start soaring
Don't stop, if you do, you're stalling
Rhythm savior, hear ya calling
Instrumental to be freaky
Go ahead in the rain and you'll see

Can't we make you see
I mean, the fact that is the key, I mean
Devoted to the art of movin butts, so get on up and...
Think about what's yours
I mean your culture and your laws
I mean, I label you a sucka
If you're dumber, just stay dumber, but...
Stay in line and keep grooving
If it's moving, if it's soothing
Don't let a little thing like rain keep you under
Or the fun-da, look at wonder
Stomp til your soul is lifted
Get with it, rhythm's with it
Get inside the groove and get nasty
Funky nasty, crazy classy
Money is a first on the list here
It's the good time, it's the good cheer
If you got the ride then ride it
Don't hide it, provide it
Drop, drop, drop down the pants, shake your fanny
'Cause it's handy, not an Annie
Rock to the roll with the hair down
Get the lowdown, rhythm showdown
The simple explanation is nada
Make it hotter, thanks, de nada
If you wanna hear what I'm sayin
Clean your ears and just come on and groove"

- "Go Ahead in the Rain" by A Tribe Called Quest from their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm 

Piano Stairs

This is so cool. A group of fun people decided to turn a staircase into a working piano to see if it would encourage more people to take the stairs as opposed to the escalator.

Shake Off Wrongs

Navajo Bridge, Marble Canyon, Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Originally uploaded by Kaldoon

"Write injuries in sand, kindness in marble"

- French Proverb

I like how this quote tells us to shake off our worries, problems, or wrongs. We don't need to focus on them. We don't need etch them into anything to remember them.

On the contrary, we should try to etch kindness into stone and remember the rights instead of the wrongs.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Stories Knit Everything Together

"How can we be alive and not wonder about stories we use to knit together this place we call the world? Without stories, our universe is merely rocks and clouds and lava and blackness. It's a village scraped raw by warm waters leaving not a trace of what existed before."

- Douglas Coupland. Generation A pg 1

It Takes Two (classic hip-hop)

"I wanna rock right now
I'm Rob Base and I came to get down
I'm not internationally known
But I'm known to rock the microphone
Because I get stupid, I mean outrageous
Stay away from me if you're contagious
'Cause I'm the winner, no, I'm not the loser
To be an M.C. is what I choose 'a
Ladies love me, girls adore me
I mean even the ones who never saw me
Like the way that I rhyme at a show
The reason why, man, I don't know
So let's go, 'cause

It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
Hit it!

My name is Rob, I gotta real funky concept
Listen up, 'cause I'm gonna keep you in step
I got an idea
That I wanna share
You don't like it? So what, I don't care
I'm number one, the uno, I like comp
Bring all the suckers 'cause all them I'll stomp
Bold and black but I won't protest
All of my followers 'cause all I want is respect
I'm not a doctor, put them in rapture
A slick brother that can easy outfox ya
Cause I'm Rob, the last name Base, yeah
And on the mic, I'm known to be the freshest
So let's start, it shouldn't be too hard
I'm not a sucker so I don't need a bodyguard
I won't fess, wear a bulletproof vest
Don't smoke buddha, can't stand sess, yes

It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
Hit it!

The situation that the Base is in
I'm kinda stingy that's why I don't wanna lend
A funky rhyme to a foe or a good friend
But listen up 'cause I want you to comprehend
'Cause I'm the leader, the man superior
I take care of ya and then ya get wearier
So just sit, my rhymes are not counterfeit
The record sells which makes this one a hit
It won't hurt to listen to Red Alert
Take off your shirt
Make sure it don't hit the dirt
I like the kids--the guys, the girls
I want the ducats 'cause this is Rob Base's world
I'm on a mission, ya better just listen
To my rhymes 'cause I'm all about dissin'
'Cause

It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
Hit it!

I stand alone, don't need anyone
'Cause I'm Rob, just came to have fun
Don't need friends that act like foes
'Cause I'm Rob Base, the one who knows
About things that make ya get weary
Don't cheer me, just hear me
Out 'cause I got the clout--shout (Ho!)
Before I turn the party out
I won't stutter--
Project my voice, speak clearly
So you can be my choice
On stage or on record
Go to the Wiz and select it
Take it off the rack, if it's wack put it back
I like the Whopper, fuck the Big Mac
If you want static, so let's go
So, throw upyour hands
Go for what you know
Bro', I got an ego
Yo, talkin' to me? No
Oh
'Cause Rob is in the front, EZ Rock is on the Back up
We're not soft, so you better just slack up
'Cause I'm cool, calm just like a breeze
Rock the mike with the help of EZ
Rock on the set, the music plays
Only cuts the records that I say

It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
Hit it!"

- Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock "It Takes Two"

Can Make Any Man Desperate

Angela: "Why is dad playing catch with Brian Krakow?"

Patty: "I guess if you live with three women, that would make any man desperate." 

- My So-Called Life

I wish I had a screen shot or a clip from this episode to share with you. Angela's dad, Graham was playing catch with his younger daughter on the front lawn. She quit when she saw Brian coming and Graham coaxed him into picking up the baseball glove.

There's the context for this quote between Angela and her mother as they only see the two guys playing catch. 

Stop Failing Us

Checkered Flag
Originally uploaded by ThijsOverdeVest

"Everyone fails at some point. Everyone. Let's stop laughing at those failures and highlighting them on blogs or tweets. You fail us all when you do that."

- Chase March

I put this thought up on Twitter today in response to the few posts I have seen that blatantly highlight other people's mistakes. I don't think this is something that we should be doing, watching, or sharing. Let's focus on the positives people.

Get rid of the #fail hashtags and let's start celebrating #wins

Just a thought.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Heart Crushing Day

119/365 i HEART island life
Originally uploaded by oblivion head

Valentine's Day
is hard to ignore
and crushes my heart more often than not.

This day isn't supposed to hurt,
I know that,
but it only highlights what I don't have
like a fluffly cloud in the air,
untouchable and impermanent.

But that cloud reminds me
that love floats above us
and around us
and within us.

We might not even see it
if we don't take the time to look
but it is there
clear as a bright sunny day.

So there's no need to feel alone
even on this,
stupid yearly date.

- Chase March

A Piece of Music's Conquest

"A piece of music's conquest of you in not likely to occur the first time you hear it, though it is possible that the aptly named 'hook' might barb your ear on its first pass. More commonly, the assailant is slightly familiar and has leveraged that familiarity to gain access to the criss-crossed wiring of your interior life. And then there is a possession, a mutual possession, for just as you take the song as part of you and your history, it is claiming domination for itself, plantinmg fluttering eight notes in your heart."

- Arthu Phillips from the novel, The Song is You

The Untold Story

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

- Maya Angelou

Passing Me By

"Now in my younger days I used to sport a shag.
When I went to school I carried lunch in a bag,
with an apple for my teacher 'cause I knew I'd get a kiss.
Always got mad when the class was dismissed.
But when it was in session, I always had a question.
I would raise my hand to make her stagger to my desk and
help me with my problem, it was never much,
just a trick, to smell her scent and try to sneak a touch.
Oh, how I wish I could hold her hand and give her a hug
She was married to the man, he was a thug,
His name was Lee, he drove a Z,
he'd pick her up from school promptly at three o'clock
I was on her jock, yes indeedy I wrote graffiti on the bus
First I'd write her name then carve a plus,
with my name last, on the looking glass,
I seen her yesterday but still I had to let her pass
She keeps on passin me by...

When I dream of fairytales I think of me and Shelly.
See she's my type of hype and I can't stand when brothers tell me,
that I should quit chasing and look for something better.
But the smile that she shows makes me a go-getter.
I haven't gone as far as asking if I could get with her.
I just play by the ear and hope she gets the picture.
I'm shootin for her heart, got my finger on the trigger.
She could be my broad, and I could be her...
But, all I can do is stare
Back as kids we used to kiss when we played truth or dare
Now she's more sophisticated, highly edu-ma-cated
not at all over-rated, I think I need a prayer
to get in her book and it looks rather dry
I guess a twinkle in her eye is just a twinkle in her eye
Although she's crazy stepping, I'll try to stop her stride
Cause I won't have no more of this passin me by
Time for me to voice my opinion of not even pretending she didn't have me
Sprung like a chicken, chasing my tail like a doggie
She was kind of like a star, thinking I was like a fan
Damn, she looked good, down side: she had a man
He was a rooty-toot, a nincompoop
She told me soon your little birdie's gonna fly the coop
She was a flake like corn and I was born not to understand
By letting her pass I proved to be a better man

She keeps on passin me by...

Now there she goes again, the dopest Ethiopian
And now the world around me be gets moving in slow motion
whenever she happens to walk by - why does the apple of my eye
overlook and disregard my feelings no matter how much I try?
Wait, no, I did not really pursue my little princess with persistance;
And I was so low-key that she was unaware of my existance
From a distance I desired her, secretly admired her;
Wired her a letter to get her and it went:
My dear, my dear, my dear, you do not know me but I know you very well
Now let me tell you about the feelings I have for you
When I try, or make some sort of attempt, I symp
Damn I wish I wasn't such a wimp!
'Cause then I would let you know that I love you so
And if I was your man then I would be true
The only lying I would do is in the bed with you
Then I signed sincerely the one who loves you dearly, PS love me tender
The letter came back three days later: Return to Sender

Damn!

She keeps on passin me by...

She keeps passing me by."
 
- "Passing Me By" by the Pharcyde from the album Bizarre Ride II Tha Pharcyde

Afraid of Success?

"We walk away from our dreams afraid we may fail, or worse yet, afraid we may succeed."

- Sean Connery's character in Finding Forrester

The Price of Success

"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen."

–Frank Lloyd Wright

Happy Monday Everyone

Haunted By What We Want

"The mystery of the psyche is that we are haunted not by what we want out of life, but by what life wants out of us. We can never lay these unlived potentials to rest. Relentlessly they seek to be lived out, regardless of how deeply we bury them."

- Stephenson D. Bond. Living Myth: Personal Meaning as a Way of Life. Shambala, 1993 pg 117

Find the Truth

"The job of fiction is to find the truth inside the story’s web of lies. . ."

- Stephen King. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribiner: New York, 2000. pg 159

Post Teen Crisis

This is one of my favourite songs. "Post Teen Crisis" by superGARAGE.

This is an unofficial video but at least you get to hear the song.

Enjoy!



"Rise up with a morning shower
Pile my face like a flower on... the floor
Check myself out in the mirror
Lines on my face so much clearer than... before

Try to let it go
Try to let it...

Tuck my face inside my blubber
Pull my sheet until the cover's on... my ass
Today I think I'll exercise
My body tells me otherwise... pass

Try to let it go
Try to let it...

Before I get old
(try to let it)
Oh, before I get old
(try to let it)
Hmmm, try to let it go
(before you get it)
Before I get old
(try to let it)
No

More there must be
More this can't be my... life
No - space - rat - race
Must - keep - this - place... tonight

Try to let it go
Try to let it...

Before I get old
(try to let it)
Before I get old
(try to let it)
Try to let it go
(before you get it)
Before I get old
(try to let it)
No

Try to let it go
Try to let it...

Someone's got to help me try to find myself before I get old

(try to let it)
Oh, before I get old
(try to let it)
Hmmm, try to let it go
(before you get it)
Oh, before I get old
(try to let it)
Oh, before I get old
(try to let it)
Oh, before I get old
(try to let it)
Oh, I try
(before you get it)
Hell, I try
Oh, before
(try to let it)
Oh, before
Ohhhh... I get old... Hmmm, I get old... I get old"

- superGARAGE "Post Teen Crisis" from the E.P. Duct Tape

Fun Being a Wave

Beach (with rocks and waves)
Originally uploaded by sbisson

"There was this wave, way out on the ocean.

He was just racing along having a great time.

Sunlight glinting. Spray just flying.

Until one day he looked ahead and saw wave after wave in front of him crashing on the beach and he got scared.

And this older wave in front of him said, 'I know exactly what your problem is. You've been having so much fun being a wave that you forgot you're really just part of the ocean.'"

- A cop nicknamed Fearless, a character from the television series Boomtown

Put the Hope In

"Today's students can put dope in their veins or hope in their brains"

- Jesse Jackson

Make the right choice people. It's all on you.

Happy Monday Everyone!