Brian Crook, Where are you now?

Brian Crook is no longer Brian Crook. He changed his name, and we lost contact.

Brian wasn't even my friend, he was my brother's best friend when we lived in Sacramento. He and his younger brother, Brent, lived across the street from us, around the corner from Birdcage Walk as it was under construction. I would get sent over to call my brother home for dinner and
Brian's mom would always tell me to get a piece of candy from the dish--I was four or five, people, that was HUGE. Brian's family had also come from Redding, but they lived in Enterprise. Being four or five, I had no concept of subdivisions or parts of town. I thought Brian and his family had lived on the Starship Enterprise. I always wanted to ask if I could see their uniform shirts.

The Crooks moved back to Redding about the same time we did. The boys made their own skateboards, for YEARS. They became fans of Devo, of Blondie, of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. They double dated. Then Brian and his family moved to Portland. My brother went to live with them the next summer. It broke my heart. I hope Big O always makes time for Little O the way my brother made time for me. I'm sure a sister six years younger worshiping you was a drag sometimes. My brother sent me tapes for my birthday, Synchronicity, by the Police, and Bonnie something, she sang total eclipse of the heart. (Sweet lord, why am I telling you that? I apparently have NO kind of filters or dignity) I about wore out that Police tape.

I'm thinking of Brian Crook because after my brother went up, Brian came down and stayed with us. He brought his guitar, and on lazy afternoons, he would sit in the family room and play Beatles songs on his guitar and sing them with me. It was heaven. I sing. It's just my nature, I sing constantly, to the point of annoyance and monotony, at times.

I bought Little O the Disney sing it because my girl loves to sing, too. Imagine my glee at discovering that the microphone is compatible with Rock Band. The Honey bought me the Beatles Rock Band disc for my birthday. I told him we could get the guitars and drum set later, I just wanted to sing.


I didn't know I knew the words to Dear Prudence, but listening to it, I don't hear the Beatles singing, I hear Brian Crook. It makes me smile.

I hope someday he googles his old name and finds this. I hope his kids (I hope he has kids) buy him Beatles Rock Band and sing it with him.

Dark Confession Time--possibly a Dorkfession.

I have a secret to confess.

I really can't believe I'm going to tell you this.

Kristy, my world music loving friend, you should look away. I'm about to expose the shallow end of my musical gene pool.

I need to quit stalling.

Friends, all two of you still reading this FB orphaned blog, I have a weakness.

A prediliction, if you will.

I've tried to stop. I've tried immersion therapy in the good stuff, trying to cleanse my palate. (Jeebus, is that spelled right?)

But...but...I kind of, um, well, I may have spent more money on bad euro pop than on anything with a guitar in it. Music seems like such an indulgence, and because my tastes are sort of thrash-y I tend to leap at anything lighter.

Which is how I ended up with:

Robbie Williams*

Lilly Allen

and

Freaking Lou Bega (Oh, the shame)

I also purchased my first Madonna album as she was going through her cowboy/Ali G phase.

I hope you don't think any less of me. (sob!)

I know that Robbie Williams is a former boy band member, and come on, Lou Bega just seems like an ass. Don't mess with Lily, though, 'kay? I love to hear little O sing that song. It's less fun to hear her sing Alfie, which is her true favorite, but she doesn't know what she's singing yet, and it's still not Genie in a Bottle or anything.

*The Robbie Williams video goes a little fangoria on you at the end, just a warning.

Birthday Madness

So This Year Little O wants a princess party. But all of her daddy's friends have boys. So how do we make it unisex?

It's a Frog Prince party!

Little O has managed to learn all the words to "I Kissed a Girl" in spite of the fact that we do not have MTV, and the radio stations I listen to play things with more of a guitar theme. The ONE song she figures out all of the word correctly to has to be the one with lyrics I don't want to hear from my not quite six-year old?
(In answer to your question, no, it's not latent homophobia, it's my daughter singing sexual lyrics she doesn't understand just as she learns to shake her butt while she dances)

So we're changing the lyrics for her party"

I kissed a frog, and I liked it,
Hope dad (the king) don't mind it,
I kissed a frog and I liked it,
he went poof and became a prince...

Yeah, it's not perfect, but Little O is loving it.

Beautiful, Man.

I found this over at The Sir Marco Letters, which is yet another blog found through the one true original blog-stalkee, Jen at Casual Slack.

Still lovin' the Slack.

If the person who made that video has a blog, I'd be lovin them, too,

I need your help, friends!

So my twelve year old boy, light o' my life and the one that I lectured about classic rock while he was still in the womb, can totally kick my ass on guitar hero.

I bought him guitar hero in hopes of breaking the Pokemon fascination, and giving him something to connect to kids his own age. Well, Pokemon is not entirely gone, but GH is definitely IN. My happiness is only compounded by the fact that most of the GH songs are, in fact, kick ass, and far far away from the dreck I was afraid of my children getting into. (Little O may yet be my corporate-generated-band-of-the-week girl, but I will fight it for as long as I can...)

SO here's my dilemma. Big O has loaded his MP3 with the songs from the game. He has come to me, mortified, at the lyrics to one of the Rage Against the Machine songs, and confessed that he thinks I would not like it if I knew he was listening to it. (tee hee--Love my O) I want to build him a library of CLASSIC, EPIC albums that he should be familiar with.

Please, if you are normally a lurker, leave me something in the comments.

I started a debate in the office as to whether I should give him The Wall, or Dark Side of the Moon, or if Pink Floyd is just Smokin' music and I should keep it as far away from him as possible.

Which Rush album (can I pick 2, pleeease?)

In terms of a twelve year old, don't you think WAR would be more appealing than Joshua Tree?

Bob Marley, the Doors, even the Beatles can be greatest hits albums. But what MODERN albums belong (Other than Nevermind by Nirvana)? I would think Green Day would have to be in there--Are the Beastie Boys just an 80's sentimental favorite or a noteworthy reference?

Is it evil of me to make him write a report on each of these bands over the summer, one a week, as punishment for crappy grades? Mom's Version of summer school, since I WENT to summer school when I was a kid, and I know that he would meet all the WRONG kids and bond with them and become the central valley pre-teen I've been raising him NOT to be? Did that even make sense to you?

Help me, people-- give me your recommendations for a well rounded rock education.

Rock and Roll, baby!

So today at work we were forced to change the radio station as the alterna-pop station played Bon Jovi for the third time. Bre said he sounds constipated, Ann said he sounds like Adam Sandler doing a parody of an 80's rock ballad. Do you see why I luv these wimmin?

Lo and behold, the rockin' cool AM station was playing yet another song that I adore and Bre is too young to remember. Okay, this one was not a SPECIAL favorite or anything, but a trip to Wal Mart the Dentist with a Rush song beats a slow work day trapped with Jon Bon Jovi and his impacted colon.

I was amused to find debates about the intended deeper meanings of this song. Rush has some deep and meaningful songs, but man, who has time to ponder those once you've retired your bong? They rock, and I love 'em. I still want to see them live, and am very jealous that the Mind has seen them multiple times. But I just don't have it in me to actively debate the deeper implications of ANY rock ballads anymore. Is that parenthood? Old age? Is my iTunes membership going to be revoked now that I have confessed?

Oh, yeah--the song.


There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas.

The trouble with the maples,
(And they're quite convinced they're right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
But the oaks can't help their feelings
If they like the way they're made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can't be happy in their shade.

There is trouble in the forest,
And the creatures all have fled,
As the maples scream "Oppression!"
And the oaks just shake their heads

So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights.
"The oaks are just too greedy;
We will make them give us light."
Now there's no more oak oppression,
For they passed a noble law,
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe, and saw.

Thursday 13 # 26?

13 songs that are pure emotive songs--instantly trigger SOME kinda reaction!

1) Back In Black--AC/DC. My first reaction? where is my drink? I should have a drink in my hand!

2) VooDoo--Godsmack. First thought? Take off your pants! (If ever there were a chill inducing/let's be bad song, that would be it)

3) Whiskey Lullaby- Brad Paisley and (I think) Allison Krause. Such a beautiful melancholy song.

4) Brick House--Another "where's my drink" song. This one also makes me think that maybe I CAN dance, maybe everyone dances badly and I'm just self concious. This is bad.

5) All Star--Smashmouth. Happy happy happy- This was the first song Big O ever claimed as "his" song.

6) Master of Puppets--Metallica. Drive. Faster--FASTER! FasterI'mdrivingI'mdriiiivingsoFAAAAST.

7) Bad--U2, thank you, NOT Michael Jackson. This song is pure emotion to me and will level me out where ever I am on the emotional richter scale.

8) Zombie--The Cranberries. Another song that is so purely emotive to me--it came on teh radio and spurred this week's list.

9) 1812 Overture. --with live cannons. My family took a trip to Oregon and in our punch drunk state, came up with "Tongue-ducting". Yeah, it's as Dorky as it sounds.

10) Baby Seat--Barenaked Ladies. the chorus? "You can't live your life in the baby seat. You've got to stand on your own, don't admit defeat."

11) Alchemy of Love--Michelle Shocked. "Silence is Golden, Words are made of Lead, and in the alchemy of love, you know, some things are better left unsaid"

12)Consequences--Robert Cray. "I was smoking and drinkin' and thinkin' when you walked by. The next thing I knew, I was makin' up my alibi."

13) Shotgun--Southern Culture on the Skids. "You cannot BUY true love, but you can shoot it's ass."

Yeah, kind of a mixed bag.
What's the song that gets to you?
hmm...my linkies from my blog and Dorkbloggers seem to be connected. interesting.

I will attempt to actually list your links! Mr linky bettah give me some love, or gimme my moolah back!

Thursday 13 # 14--Rockin 80's songs, man!

Thirteen 80's lyrics from JENNFACTOR Name the song and the artist! I don't know who to give credit to! I've played on a couple of TTers song lyrics, and always had fun--if you had friends wearing black makeup in the 80's, you may be a little more successful with these! Love you, Kat! 1…. If you twist and turn away If you tear yourself in two again If I could,You know I would If I could,I would Let it go Surrender Dislocate 2. Someone write me a letter I need to know that I'm still alive Someone give me a telephone call I need to hear a human sound Someone open up a door And let me out of this place I've been caged up for oh so long I don't know of I'm living or dying Man, I was bright and happy teen, wasn't I? 3. And fiery demons all dance When you walk through that door Don't say you're easy on me You're about as easy as a nuclear war Cos the dream that strings the road With broken glass for us to hold And I got so far before I had to say 4. But I think that God's Got a sick sense of Humor And when I die I expect to find Him laughing. 5. You hear laughter Cracking through the walls It sends you spinning You have no choice... Following the footsteps Of a rag doll dance We are entranced (ahem, insert song title here) 6. He's got to make his own mistakes And learn to mend the mess he makes He's old enough to know what's right But young enough not to choose it 7. I see you've sent my letters back And my LP records and they're all scratched I can't see the point in another day When nobody listens to a word I say 8. In the silence, I think of you I send a message, and I hope it gets through Think of the distance Think of the miles All of the valley's, could take a while I miss the people I miss the fun Your my apparition She's my only one 9. I like the way that they walk And it's chill to hear them talk And I can always make them smile From White Castle to the Nile 10. Good times they come and they go Never going to know What fate is going to blow You're way just hope it feels right Sometimes it comes and it goes You take it ever so slow And then you lose it, then it flows right to you So we rely on the past Special moments that last Were they as tender as we dare to remember Such a fine time as this What could equal the bliss 11. Darkness Imprisoning me All that I see Absolute horror I cannot live I cannot die trapped in myself 12. Across the clouds I see my shadow fly Out of the corner of my watering eye A dream unthreatened by the morning light Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night There's no sensation to compare with this Suspended animation, A state of bliss Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies 13. When I'm out walkin' I strut my stuff Man,I'm so strung out I'm high as a kite and I just might stop to check you out Links to other Thursday Thirteens! I profess for a fifth week my forbidden love of Mr. Linky...

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Mom Moment 2

My kids are so different. Big O (my boy) was into EVERYTHING. He analyzed everything mechanical and took everything apart.
When he was two he locked himself in the bathroom with the with the water running in the sink so he could stop it up and play. I didn't want to panic him when I couldn't get the door open, so I just kept talking cheerily to him as I unscrewed the doorknob. Naturally, the doorknob fell off the other side, and the stupid door stayed locked. I eventually had to chip away at the solid core door (and doorjam) with a hammer and screwdriver until I could get the damned thing open. We had just moved in, and my brother always shakes his head and wonders why I didn't call the fire department. They are for EMERGENCIES, life and death, not stupidity and lack of foresight. (Aren't they?) My hallway was flooded in about two inches of water. We had to have the bathroom floor ripped out. It was a lovely way to begin our tenure as homeowners.
When he was four he went out into our childproofed (HA!) back yard and flipped the breaker for the house. I was thirty before I touched one!
But that's Big O.
Little O is going to talk me to death. At three and a half, her bigest joy is roleplaying like a chipmunk on speed. okayyoubeBeauty,andI'llbeBeastOkaynowI'MBeautyandyoubetheBeast. YoubethemamaandI'llbethebabynowyoubethebabyandI'LLbethemama.
Little O, It is now 11:30. Please go to sleep. Please, please go to sleep. She has not taken anything apart, unless you count my sanity. I relay this to my mama-san and she laughs. One of my strongest memeories of childhood is sitting behind her in the car, and she always said the same thing.
"Jennifer, I want five minutes... Five minutes of Complete silence. Not a word, not a peep. No. Shhhh..." I averaged about two minutes before I felt compelled to argue the fairness of this sentence or spotted a license plate that everyone needed to see, or wondered why we had TEN toes, not twelve.
Aaah, payback.