Driving Daddy

When we went to the library this week I picked up a book for Sloane called Driving Daddy. I love it. I think that in the short simple book meant for young children the author manages to capture not only imagination and whimsy of small children, but also the way that a relationship with your kids and spending time with them can be more meaningful to them then we realize. It makes me want to make sure that I take time out for the little things.

Kill 'Em All

I've decided to see if I can write about each of Metallica's albums that I own over the next couple of weeks. I'll go in chronological order. Kill 'Em All was probably the third album from metallica that I heard. I was introduced to it by Out of Control Saturday night on WKLQ in Grand Rapids. I heard Seek and Destroy on the radion and asked my friend and the resident Metallica guru of our workplace if it was new. This would have been in the mid-90's and the only Metallica I had heard was "The Black Album/Metallica". While he did his best to stiffle his laughter he explained that the CD had been out for about 10 years. He then put his copy into the CD player while we cleaned.

I fell in love with it instantly and quickly went out and bought it. It is both a seminal thrash record and a fantastic introduction to Metallica. The lyrics are not overly deep and you can definately hear Dave Mustaine's influence on the group (he was kicked out of the band and replaced by Kirk Hammett right before the recording begain, but much of the music is his). The music on this cd still stands up 25 years later. Songs like MotorBreath, Jump in the Fire, Hit the Lights, Seek and Destroy, and Cliff Burton's masterful Bass solo Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) are classics.

I hadn't listened to this CD in quite awhile and I recently put it back into rotation. It has a unique quality of capturing the band with their youthful bravado, naivety, and skill wile giving glimpses of the greatness to come.

Batman is Back

I love comics. One of my early faves was Batman. I'm glad to say that the quality of the batman comics has gone way up lately. The comics are currently in a story arc involving the apparent death of Bruce Wayne and the aftermath it left. It was quickly decided that the world needed Batman but the big question was who would do the job. Candidates included Jean-Paul Valley who had previously stepped into the role, Dick Grayson (the first Robin), Jason Todd (the second robin), Tim Drake (the 3rd Robin), Damian Wayne (Bruce Wayne's son with his wife Talia Al-Ghul who is Ras Al-Ghul's daughter) and others. To catch up on what has been happening check out any of the Batman Reborn titles in the the Batman, Batman & Robin, Red Robin, or Streets of Gotham books.

The End of the Road.

Today was the last day of school. It could not have come at a better time. I'm fighting with a wicked cold. I'm glad to be done with this year. It was by far the toughest one I've had. We fought to get the kids to follow our directions from the first day of school to the last. Even today, the last day of school I was sending kids to the DMC. We also had a number of students decided to try and start a food fight. On the up side I had a 170 kids chanting for me to dance today. I danced for them during an assembly last week and they thought it was hilarious. Apparently if you take equal parts "Carlton" and "Elaine" 5th graders think it is pretty funny.

MXPX

I love this band and they don't get enough credit. When most people think about pop/punk music the first thought is usually Green Day, Blink -182, or Sum 41, I contend that MXPX should be placed in the mix. I think they are hampered by the label of "Christian." They create tremendously catchy songs in the 2:30 to 3:00 minute range. Some personal favorites are Chick Magnet, I'm Ok, Your OK, Teenage Politics, Sugar Coated Poison Apple, and Do Your Feet Hurt. One of the things I like best about this band is their ability to have fun and handle serious issues. They do both equally well and they do it well crafted well written songs.

MMMM!! Pears

All of my life I have been an avowed pear hater. Now when I was younger my mom assured me that as I got older my tastes would change and I would end up liking foods that I couldn't stand. In many cases she was wrong because my hatred was based on texture not taste. She was right about some things foods though and one of them was pears. I grabbed a pear for lunch a few weeks ago because the apples were gone. I loved. Now I can't get enough of them. The only problem is, is that because I eat them both of my girls have started to and they keep snatching them from me. Ophelia in particular can sniff out a pear and start eating it before I have time tell her I was going to eat it. I guess what I'm trying to say is I want my pear darn it. The crazy girls split it and devoured it completely on the way home. Sloane even ate the core. Its a good thing I love them.

Grrrrr.

When my computer died I lost all of my music. Most of it can be reripped but many of my more recent purchases were all through itunes and I didn't make archival copies. Grrrrr.