Some families have a side of family with really vertically inclined, mythologically proportioned, female kinsfolk – ah, – amazonians if you will.  And if you, in your life – will never, ever be biologically taller than any of those women…   You quite obviously have taller aunts. 

And if not – well you’re destined to be screwed and probably will end up ‘rassling’ all the time – until someone gives up and yells – ‘uncle’.  Now go figure that one out…  toleruncle. 

I was thinking the other day – smoke out the ears and all, just like them pope folks in rome are soon to be having – about a word that aptly describes our relationships with our fellow human beings.  And tolerance comes to mind.   A little of this, a little of that…

yeah – I’ve probably posted this before – but get over it.  It amuses me – and I’m allowing you to read my thoughts here.  See how that works?   And I’m not even a tall woman – go figure.

but really those roman folks don’t tolerate nothing that isn’t square with a book they deem righteous and has a very specific way of looking at the world and the ongoings of its inhabitants.  Hell – even the creation then thereof said orb.  After all it is round – meaning there is no start – no finish, everything is essentially the same distance from the center…  most equalitarian in it’s belief structure – man.

And now in rome – ‘it’s do as the romans do.’ Amirite ?!? (#peridot21 says so that, and i wanted to use it – word, sista)  so like black smoke means one thing – white smoke means another – there’s all these alliances forging for enough popefolk wannabe to want to like well enough one other popefolk in particular – enough so that the smoke is the righteous color.  Now I don’t think any cavefolk ever done worried about that back in the bedrock living days. 

(this cat – - bill carter – played electric guitar with no pick – just his bare fingers – damn – that’s some schnizzle and quite a bloody mess on occasion).  One if by night – two by four – they built a fire and stood back and said – ‘that’s a fire!’   sorry – im circumambulating – where was i?!?  oh – tolerating – with a reggae beat…

xanga?  What are your toleruncles? are they enough?!?

U2′s ‘the joshua tree’ was released 26 years ago today.  holy crap – feeling a little bit old.  i was in my third year of design studio – and most likely bought the lp the day it came out…  for the past few days i’ve been mulling a post where’d i pick my top 5 U2 songs of all time – and then as i was digging around i discovered today’s date and it’s ‘significance’.  in the grand scheme of life it has very little – but at the time to a kid who was just starting to come into his own – it meant the world.

our design studio’s were places that we lived.  our studio classes went from 7 credit hours to 5 starting in third year – and the number of students which started at 72 had dropped into the high 30′s or low 40′s.  they weeded and pruned and if they saw any weakness they’d slaughter you.  we had one professor (i’m only going to touch on this lightly because @bonmots and her apple influence spurred a separate post unto itself) but for this professors drawing class we’d have an assignment of roughly 3-7 drawings a week – and then we’d place them in front of the room.  then we’d all have to walk around the room and we’d have to pick – best and worst.  believe you me – if you were worst – well if you didn’t do the assignment you were told to leave. period.  see ya’ don’t come back.  and if you were worst – let’s just say the professor seemed to thoroughly enjoy seeing who he could break down into tears…  not just moist eyes – but full out bawling as he ranted in your face about what an utter waste of time and complete moron you were… it was insane.  we were paying to get slaughtered and he thrived on it…  but the mother fucker could draw.  he could stand in front of us holding a sketch pad and draw upside down with his back to the subject – what we were all looking at full on and right side up…  it was – it was well for me by the end of the semester i had this class i could have really given a shit.  i busted the whole semester and my final project sucked – but i couldn’t care less – i was so tuned out…

but back to U2 – so as i was drawing i’d have my headphones on…  and well i listened to ‘war’, ‘unforgettable fire’, and ‘joshua tree’ – countless times…  (i had quite a music library by then and would make tapes from the lp’s and everyone had their own walkman’s and everyone would borrow whatever the latest and greatest was – and i was deep, deep into the clash, U2, the ramones (i went with two friends when they played a country western bar in charlotte – who the fuck booked that gig and how three college punks from new jersey ever got out of that place alive that night – i have no idea (well my one friend and roommate was a body builder and john travolta look alike who charmed the ladies and scared the crap out of everyone on campus – but that redneck bar…  all i remember is we were scared shitless, we didn’t drink at all – the mosh pit was the most insane i’d ever been around – i’d had someone rip my glasses off my face as i was standing on the perimeter – and one of my friends dove to the floor and grabbed them… insane shit – good times i guess, and the only ramones show i ever went to…  that was enough…)

sorry i’m circumambulating…  i can’t pick five best…

off 1980′s ‘boy’ -

if you’ve seen the movie ‘it might get loud’ you’ll recognize the guitar ‘edge’ is playing…  that movie partially inspired this post as well…

off 1981′s ‘october’ -

off 1983′s ‘war’ – simply because they had the ‘balls’ to do it…

1984′s ‘the unforgettable fire’ – i can’t pick – but here’s one for the hell of it…

lastly (their music since hasn’t moved me the way these songs did – not that they haven’t written some memorable songs) – 1987′s ‘joshua tree’ (again, just one song for the hell of it) the whole lp is brilliant in my eyes – even more so past the first three and most popular songs… turn up and tune out…

hope you enjoyed…  i did…  peace out – xangaland…

 

 

 

 

 

 

i have a playlist thing on itunes called ‘reggae roots’.  it’s songs that – for me, were influenced by reggae or are ‘holy’ reggae.

it’s a fine way to start a sunday morning or if you are down and dreary – it’s – well – here’s some samples..

well the guy that everyone associates -

 reggae profoundly influenced a number of artists – from

these guys splintered to most notably form ‘general public’ and ‘fine young cannibals’

and of course – ‘the only band

that

has

ever mattered…’

i posted this – just to show the arrogance of the prick that destroyed one of the great bands of all time…

but hey – go hug a tree, toke a bit (if that’s something you choose to do) and

but mostly tap your feet and bounce a bit in your seat… or if you feel the urge…

dance… 

apparently i have achieved some level of something or other that i am now eligible to ‘apply’ for a ‘true’ badge. 

as i’ve seen that little note on the bottom of folks comments – that vast majority of whom i have some level of respect and usually enjoy their explorations of life. 

i thought that this would be quite a profound achievement – and that lights and whistles and bells and boobs would sound (oh yes, boobs can sound, they can have names and some can even speak – and some even quite nicely and eloquently – i might add) and i’d be smarter or more handsome for all my effort.  well – the reality was or is – it wasn’t or isn’t really an effort.  i type words here because i like to type words here.  i do and say what i want. 

and if i am unable to conjour the elvis in me on a particular day or regarding a particular post i simply twitch my lip a little and move on. 

i do usually like to see what a number of my fellow xangans and xangettes are up to in their lives,

or minds – or in some instances – how completely and utterly insane a warped sense of reality, ego and potently latent sexual organ size has displaced any semblance of compassion for our fellow human in others.  although as one navigates this realm of blogosphere you learn to stay away from certain folk, and to refrain linking to blind comments.  it’s truly – on most levels a dysfunctional family/community – and i do think that’s a fair assessment of what xanga is.  it’s really no different than other aspects of life – you have your trippy crazy whacked out uncles and aunts; siblings you can relate to; parents that you simultaneously love; respect and completely beyond any sense of logic fail to comprehend; friends that because you choose them and they choose you often – well who knows what the fuck i’m talking about by this juncture.  and no one else is reading anymore anywhey… so true or not – i really don’t know – it’s just me – bein’ – well – me…

and a chick thumpin’ a bass is pretty hot…

we’re supposed to get 10″ of snow in the next 30 odd hours.  joy. 

i love the lyrics of this song.  they crack me up and are spot on for the socially just do-righters… 

i’m already over winter – i have been since early november.  i’m ready for late may, early june – at least that’s how things work here in chicago.  i’m ready for fresh peaches and warm sunny days and blue skies and yellow hearts and pink moons…  i’m ready to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin – i think that’s the most bestest part. 

so earlier today i was picking my son up at the local school where he is dropped off from his magnet school.  and i watched at least 1/2 dozen cars blow through the stop sign where i was sitting.