Anglophilia: Dose-Self Control; Maverick Sabre-IUTHIA (Remix); Kinks-Waterloo Sunset; Smiths-Headmaster Ritual;James-Laid;Downton Abbey;Cate Blanchett

There's a famous Smiths song that says, "I am the son and heir of nothing in particular." It's an amazing line-as are many Smiths lines-but when it comes down to it there are many things that can be passed down from parents to children. One thing I definitely got from my father is a love for words. I used to roll my eyes until they practically fell out of the sockets when he would launch into a lecture about cubist sculptures, or chide me for not wearing a sweatshirt on a day with such an intense "wind chill factor." But as I get older I realize that one of the main things I "inherited" from him is a love of words. Granted, I had to learn that an appreciation for ornate language can be an impediment rather than an asset in Words With Friends, but other than that it's fun.

While I've always loved language, it's sometimes been a hard thing to both fit into the curriculum and effectively teach my students. We've been teaching more Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes lately, and the results have been promising. We did a little practice test with the kids a couple of weeks ago, and some of them seemed to be getting pretty into it. Hopefully it will continue to go well, and next year's modified block schedule will allow for more in-depth vocabulary work.

I can't think about it too much or I'll start obsessing, but I'll say off the top of my head that my five favorite words are:

-circumlocution
-mellifluous
-somnambulatory
-quizzical
-bamboozled

For the most part I love them for the sound, and for the way the syllables dance around inside my mouth when I say them. Some of them, though, also have great definitions. The prefix circum- means around and alludes to a circle, and locution means style of speech. Circumlocution means "evasion in speech," or almost literally "talking in circles." I don't know, something about the way the word comes together both phonetically and in terms of meaning makes me freak out a little bit. Thankfully, I'm very comfortable owning my nerdiness at this point in my life.

It's fairly well established that the British are just better than most people at a lot of stuff. I mean, why do you think car companies always hire some British dude to do the voice-over for their only-borderline luxury cars? Well, because the tastefully refined British accent imbues any hunk of junk with a certain je ne sais quois (dash of francophilia thrown in for fun). Beyond that fetishistic sort of British admiration that is probably pretty annoying to Brits themselves, many people also admire them for the musicianship, acting, and other artistic contributions that come from the region. I will refrain from discussing Mark Rylance again (GO READ AND/OR SEE THE PLAY JERUSALEM IF YOU EVER HAVE THE CHANCE), but here are some of my favorite British things:

Some of the best drum and bass DJs in the world hail from the UK. Andy C, Friction, Goldie, Roni Size, etc. Friction just took over the BBC Radio 1 drum and bass show, and below are two great new tracks he played. The first, "Self Control," is grimy as hell, with a great bassline and groove, and the second one, "I Used to Have it All (Delta Heavy Remix)," has beautiful vocals, dark production, and ridiculous beats. Friction is an amazing mixer with great taste. I look forward to following his show.

The Kinks, though obviously famous, are a criminally underrated band. Everyone always discusses the Stones, Beatles, The Smiths and The Who as the greatest British bands-and they're brilliant-but the Kinks have their place in the pantheon as well. "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the most beautiful, calming songs ever written. I'd say it's evocative of a British countryside, but I've never been, so what the hell do I know?!?!?!?!

The Smiths are perhaps THE quintessential British band for people between the ages of approximately thirty and forty-five. Morissey's lyrics are melodramatic and biting, and Johnny Marr's guitar playing is incredibly melodic. "Headmaster Ritual" is a pretty scathing song about teachers, and every time I hear it I think to myself, "GOD I HOPE I'M NOT LIKE THAT!" James is decidedly less famous than The Smiths, but "Laid" was perhaps the first "non-classic" British song I became completely obsessed with. I fell in love with it way back in high school, and it sounds just as catchy today.

Downton Abbey is a very popular Masterpiece Theatre show about an earl and his family living on a manor in the early 1900s. I actually wrote about it a couple of posts ago, so I won't belabor the point of its greatness too much here. Suffice it to say, Maggie Smith alone makes this show well worth watching. Below is a hilarious clip of Maggie in all her snooty glory. And finally we come to Cate. Oh Cate. I always thought you were beautiful and talented, and then you said on "Inside the Actor's Studio" that circumnavigate was your favorite word (30:49) and I just didn't know what to do. You're now my second favorite British female behind Kate Bush, who I'm not going to post anything of because I've already discussed her. I don't want to overdo it, because that would just be in poor taste. DO GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF, SHANE!

"Roller-Skate Skinny" Songs: De La Soul-Eye Know; The Jets-You Got It All; Big Star-Thirteen; Carole King-I Feel The Earth Move

The Catcher in the Rye is a very polarizing book, and it's mostly because the narrator Holden Caulfield complains a lot, and generally comes off as annoying by repeating words and phrases like "g*ddamn," "depressing," and "he really did" all the time. I've always loved the book, and I tend to excuse his admittedly grating-at-times personality due to the fact that he's obviously still traumatized by his brother's death, and doesn't communicate with his parents at any point in the story.

But that's not why I love the book. The most touching parts are when Holden talks about kids. Sure, his reverence for children is at least partially tied to his rejection of adult society, but his description of and appreciation for the benevolence and imagination of children has always resonated with me. The way people feel about kids (and animals) sometimes says a lot about them. For instance, have you ever met a person who really didn't like dogs and wasn't a bit of a negative person in general? I mean for a more significant reason than excessive slobbering or the fact that a St. Bernard is too big to fit in a NYC studio apartment. "Man, the way dogs unconditionally love and support their owners is SO ANNOYING!" It's the same thing with certain people's views on children. "Ugggh. The way children have a sense of wonder about the most seemingly simple aspects of life really makes me appreciate how jaded and ruthless practical I've become!"

Anyway, it's not that I think adults are awful, reject the materialistic nature of modern society, or want to go live as a mute in a secluded barn somewhere, but I really appreciate the description of children that Salinger gives in Catcher. Here are a couple good examples:

"The kid was swell. He was walking in the street, instead of on the sidewalk, but right next to the curb. He was making out like he was walking a very straight line, the way kids do, and the whole time he kept singing and humming... The cars zoomed by, brakes screech all over the place, his parents paid no attention to him, and he kept on walking next to the curb and singing 'If a body catch a body coming through the rye.' It made me feel better. It made me feel not so depressed any more"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"But you ought to see old Phoebe. She has this sort of red hair, a little bit like Allie’s was, that’s very short in the summer-time. In the summer-time, she sticks it behind her ears. She has nice, pretty little ears. In the winter-time, it’s pretty long, though. Sometimes my brother braids it, and sometimes she doesn’t. It’s really nice, though. She’s only ten. She’s quite skinny, like me, but nice skinny. Roller-skate skinny. I watched her once from the window when she was crossing over Fifth Avenue to go to the park, and that’s what she is, roller-skate skinny. You’d like her."

Salinger's description of Phoebe as "roller-skate skinny" symbolizes the innocence and benevolence he views his little sister Phoebe as embodying. And her dialogue and actions throughout the story bear that out, such as when she shows up with the suitcase at the end of the story because she doesn't want Holden to move away alone.

There are some songs that are "roller-skate skinny" too: songs that do nothing but radiate benevolence, purity, and good vibes. There does not appear to be any cynicism attached to these songs, and they simply make me happy when I listen to them.



"Eye Know" is just the best. The Otis Redding whistle sample, the vocal sample, the horns sample, the lyrics, everything. It's all good, and De La is the best.



I love "You Got It All." It's just a perfect slow jam, and even the video perpetuates the sweetness. I simply cannot be cynical when I hear this song. I'm like Priscilla Presley repeating, "I MUST KILL FRANK DREBEN" in Naked Gun, but eventually faltering and dropping the gun when he starts talking about noticing stop lights since he fell in love with her. And I have no idea how the guy in the video disappears in an explosion of pastel lightning at 1:13, but that's some fine 80s video special effects if I've ever seen them.



"Thirteen" by Big Star is one of those perfect songs. Not one note is out of place. The understated acoustic guitar perfectly accompanies the "young love" theme in the lyrics. A classic song on a classic album.



If there ever was an artist who embodied the "roller-skate skinny" ethos, it might be Carole King. So good, and she's going off on the piano in this great old BBC clip.

Gang Gang Dance-Mind Killah/Glass Jar

There are so many reasons for me to be completely disenchanted with sports right now:

-My favorite baseball team, the New York Mets, are being run into the ground by an owner who has been sued for (unknowingly?) profiting from the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme. They lost their best player this offseason and do not appear to even be seriously attempting to put the best possible team on the field.

-The best basketball player, Dwight Howard, on my favorite basketball team, the Orlando Magic, finally accepted the option for the final year of his contract after an approximately three month period of time during which he threw the entire team under the bus by openly discussing other teams he wanted to be traded to, complaining about his situation on the Magic, and generally acting like a self-centered child who couldn't care less about his current teammates or acting like a professional.

- My favorite NFL team, the Miami Dolphins, has had the worst offseason in the league thus far, bungling the opportunity to get Peyton Manning or even Matt Flynn, and instead signing David Garrard to compete with Matt Moore for the starting job (looks weird to even write it out). They also traded their best player, Brandon Marshall, away for a 75th round draft pick and a Winter Music Conference VIP badge.

-Although the Gators made a great run in the NCAA tournament (despite choking in the Elite Eight for the second year in a row), this article is depressing and spot on about the state of college sports.

BUT. This is not meant to be a negative post, because it is not the time of year for negativity! It is the time of the year for Spring Break, the time of the year for the sun to beat back the rain and snow, and the time of the year for baseball! No matter how juiced up and economically imbalanced baseball gets, and how awful the Mets become (I take some solace in being a tier 2 Giants fan these days), I will always love baseball. Some things I am looking forward to this baseball season are:

-watching Tim Lincecum mow down opposing batters while sporting an embarrassing haircut that, combined with a pasty complexion, makes him look like Jabba the Hut's translator from Return of the Jedi.

-watching the Giants' "new-look lineup" churn out approximately 1.4 runs per game, while Matt Cain pretends not to be pissed off about having a 2.31 ERA and a 13-12 record.

-sitting in the worst seats at A T & T park and still having a great view of the game, especially when watching the outfielders track balls in the cavernous outfield.

-watching sailboats float lazily in the bay from said crappy seats.

-taking joy from the small victories of the Mets season, such as:

*a healthy (?) David Wright, Ike Davis, and Johan Santana having strong years and not getting traded at the deadline to teams that actually give a sh*t about contending (see, I can't write about the Mets and stay even-tempered!)

*young quasi-prospects like Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy having solid seasons with the Mets, and younger, actual prospects like Zach Wheeler (haha, Giants. suckers!), Matt Harvey, and Jenrry Mejia coming along and not blowing out their elbows lifting a Hello Kittie backpack onto the team bus during a spring training rookie hazing ritual

*the moved-in fences at Citi Field bumping Jason Bay's home run total from twelve to fifteen! Totally worth the contract!

*Mike Pelfrey only having complete psychological meltdowns on the mound every third start or so

*the season not being over by the end of May

- Forgetting all of the extraneous BS for a second: baseball is still baseball, and baseball rules. If they end up implementing the designated hitter in the NL, however, I am gonna be PISSED!


Gang Gang Dance are an experimental but fun group. "Mind Killa" is an upbeat tune with off-kilter percussion, and "Glass Jar" is a really cool, slow-building track with a nice payoff at the end.

Grimes-Oblivion; Chairlift-I Belong in Your Arms

I recently read this article, and it made me stop and think about the way I use my spare time. First of all, the fact that I felt I had the spare time to stop and think about how I use my spare time was a feat in itself. February and March are the grisliest months of the school year, and only now that April and Spring Break are here do I feel I have the opportunity to ponder such weighty issues.

I often bemoan the fact that I only get to read multiple novels of my choosing during summer break. I often feel too tired from school, or too obligated to re-read the books I'm currently teaching to immerse myself in a lengthier book during the school year. For instance, I've been reading In the Garden of the Beast by Erik Larson for way too long. I like it, but during the school year there always seems to be something else more imminently pressing. For the record, I am slowly but surely working on tweaking this borderline obsessive point of view.

There's also the issue of TV. I will stand behind the notion that there is good TV out there that can be almost as rich and compelling as a novel. Here are my thoughts on a few shows I've seen fairly recently:

The Walking Dead: I really liked this show at first, but it lost me by the end of season one. Every time someone dies there has to be a long, drawn-out scene where EVERY character pays his respects, slobbering tears all over the body until the most closely related character finally closes the corpse's eyelids and throws the body into a wood chipper or something. I'm alright with being emotionally manipulated, but don't make it THAT obvious. Ugh.

Mad Men: So glad it's back. Even when there are slight dips in quality it's still great. Don's rapid courtship (that'll turn out well!) of Megan makes me happy, because I was really starting to hate Betty, and Jessica Pare is magnifique. I'm looking forward to seeing how Sterling Cooper's business is going to build itself back up, and if Pete Campbell is ever going to truly get his comeuppance for being the most awful character in the show.

Downton Abbey: Yeah, so I guess this is basically just a stylized period-piece soap opera, but I still love it. I've only seen season one, but I'm hooked. Anna May is definitely my favorite character. I hope she wins the Downton Abbey Mega Millions (adjusted for deflation, of course) and starts a manor of her own with Bates. SHE'D TREAT THE STAFF RIGHT! Mary is a flawed but three-dimensional character, Sybil is kind of annoying and pathetic, and Edith is juuuuust right. I feel like Robert Crawley is a solid earl. If you think about it, you could probably get away with being a total d*ck if you were an earl. He's pretty chill about it.

So this summer I intend to watch Downton Abbey and Mad Men, and the rest of my leisure (pronounced leh-szurrrr, as the Brits do) time will hopefully be devoted to reading, writing, traveling, and watching some baseball games. Not too many Mets games, though. I WANNA BE HAPPY, DAMMIT!

I've been really drawn to poppy-sounding music lately. Maybe it's because the more complicated my life gets, the less complicated I need my music to be? I dunno. These two songs are good.