Kick Push

"First got it when he was six
Didn't know any tricks
Matter of fact first time he got on it he slipped
Landed on his hip
And bust his lip
For a week he had to talk with a lisp
Like THISSSSS
Now we can end the story right here
But shorty didn't quit there was something in the air
Yea, he said it was something so appealing
He couldn't fight the feeling
Something about it
He knew he couldn't doubt it
Couldn't understand it
Branded, since the first kick flip he landed
Uh, labeled a misfit, a bandit
Kakunk Kakunk Kakunk!
His neighbors couldn't stand it so
He was banished to the park
Started in the morning wouldn't stop 'til after dark
Yea, when they said, "It's getting late in here...
... so I'm sorry young man there's no skating here"

[Chorus]
And so he kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast
And away he rolled
Just a rebel to the world with no place to go
And so he kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast
So come and skate with me
Just a rebel
Looking for a place to be
So let's kick... and push... and coast

[Verse 2]
My man got a little older
Became a better roller
Yea, no helmet, hellbent on killing himself
That's what his mama said, but he was feeling himself
Got a little more swagger in his style
Met his girlfriend she was clapping in the crowd
Love is what what was happening to him now
Uh, he said I would marry you
But I'm engaged to these aerials and variels
And I don't think this board is strong enough to carry two
She said Bow, I weigh 122 pounds
Now, let me make one thing clear
I don't need to ride yours
I got mine right here
So she took him to a spot
He didn't know about
Something odd in the apartment parking lot
She said I don't normally take dates in here
Security came and said, "I'm sorry there's no skating here"

[Chorus]
And so they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast
And away they rolled
Just lovers intertwined with no place to go
And so they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast
So come and skate with me
Just a rebel
Looking for a place to be
So let's kick... and push... and coast

[Verse 3]
Before he knew he had a crew
That wasn't no punk
And they spitfire shirts
And SB dunks
They would push 'til they couldn't skate no more
Office building lobbies wasn't safe no more
And it wasn't like they wasn't getting chased no more
Just the freedom was better than breathing they said
Any escape route they used to escape out
When things got crazy
They needed to break out
They head to any place with stairs
Any good grinds
The world was theirs
Uh, and their four wheels would take them there
Until the cops came and said, "There's no skating here"

[Chorus]
And so they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick push, coast
And away they rolled
Just rebels without a cause with no place to go
And so they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick push, coast
So come roll with me
Just a rebel
Looking for a place to be
So let's kick... and push... and coast."

- Lupe Fiasco "Kick Push" from the album Food and Liquor

Laughs from an Alien

Do you remember ALF? I used to love this show and was reminded about it today from one of my favourite blogs In Search of Isis.

The show is about a furry litle alein that crash lands into a house. His rocket is beyond repair and the family takes him in. The show is hilarious and can still be found on reruns in some areas.

Not much wisdom here today, but it is worth a laugh. Brain, the father in the show, is talking to Alf, the alien.

Brian said, "You'll have to chew with your mouth closed tonight, ALF."

ALF said, "All right, but on my planet, that's considered very rude. People think you're hiding something.

Reading Isn't Complicated

"When universities made literature part of their curriculum, they had to turn it into something very serious and professional in order to justify its inclusion. . . . In other words, they created an “expertise” of reading; they cornered the market in “understanding” literature, and they made reading seem very complicated."

- Joseph Gold. Read For Your Life: Literature as a Life Support System. Fitzhenry and Whiteside: Markham, 1990. pg 313

No Middle Ground

"We stretch toward the “bests” and “worsts” because story—when it is art—is not about the middle ground of human experience."

- McKee, Robert. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principals of Screenwriting. ReganBooks: New York, 1997. pg 207

Multi-syllable Brilliance!

When I first heard this lyric by Eminem it blew my mind. The multi-syllable rhymes here are just beyond amazing.

First off, nothing rhymes with orange. But this brilliant emcee manages to rhyme every syllable in orange juice THREE TIMES IN A ROW. Wow!

After that he rhymes every syllable in "chocolate milk" with "dropped and spilt."

Absolutely brilliant rhyming and delivery.

Think what you want about Eminem. I know that his subject matter turns a lot of people off but he is an amazing artist. The things he does with words is nothing short of brilliant.

Here is the lyric that made me a fan. The rhymes are in bold.

"kicked the door hinge loose and ripped out the four inch screws
grabbed some sharp objects, brooms, and foreign tools
'this is for every time you took my orange juice,
or stole my seat in the lunchroom and drank my chocolate milk.

every time you tipped my tray and it dropped and spilt.
I'm gettin' you back bully! now once and for good.'
i cocked the broomstick back and swung hard as i could
and beat him over the head with it til i broke the wood"

- Eminem "Brain Damage" from The Slim Shady LP

Secret Promise

"They say that from the instant he lays eyes on her, a father adores his daughter. Whoever she grows up to be, she is always to him that little girl in pigtails. She makes him feel like Christmas. In exchange, he makes a secret promise not to see the awkwardness of her teenage years, the mistakes she makes, or the secrets she keeps."

- Narrator on Everwood

Don't Quit!

"It is always to soon to quit."

- Norman Vincent Peale

Happy Monday Everyone!