Thank you, Gentle Mac, I needed that. I will consider myself warned about the carts in Texas! It reminds me of my brain…four synapses left -- three looking innocently clueless and one watching and waiting to elucidate upon the results.
You Are Old, Father William
by Lewis Carroll
“You are old, Father William,” the young man said,
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head—
Do you think, at your age age, it is right?”
“In my youth,” Father William replied to his son,
“I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I’m perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.”
“You are old,” said the youth, ” as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back somersault in at the door—
Pray, what is the reason of that?”
“In my youth,” said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
“I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment—one shilling the box—
Allow me to sell you a couple?”
“You are old,” said the youth, ” and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the back—
Pray, how did you manage to do it?”
“In my youth,” said his father, “I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.”
“You are old,” said the youth, “one would hardly suppose
That your eye was steady as ever;
Yet, you balanced an eel on the end of your nose—
What made you so awfully clever?”
“I have answered three questions, and that is enough,”
Said his father. “Don’t give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I’ll kick you downstairs!
And because we’re better than all other sites…heh…here’s the piece the Lewis Carol Poem was in answer to. I’m sorry, I’m having a terrible time with formatting problems and my tech support guy is working a night shift! HOW DARE YOU
The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them
Robert Southey, 1799
“You are old, father William,” the young man cried,
“The few locks which are left you are grey;
You are hale, father William, a hearty old man;
Now tell me the reason, I pray.”
“In the days of my youth,” father William replied,
“I remember’d that youth would fly fast,
And abus’d not my health and my vigour at first,
That I never might need them at last.”
“You are old, father William,” the young man cried,
“And pleasures with youth pass away.
And yet you lament not the days that are gone;
Now tell me the reason, I pray.”
“In the days of my youth,” father William replied,
“I rememberd that youth could not last;
I thought of the future, whatever I did,
That I never might grieve for the past.”
“You are old, father William,” the young man cried,
“And life must be hast’ning away;
You are cheerful and love to converse upon death;
Now tell me the reason, I pray.”
“I am cheerful, young man,” father William replied,
“Let the cause thy attention engage;
In the days of my youth I remember’d my God!
And He hath not forgotten my age.”
The poem was brought over from Ace of Spades because it was so reminiscent of our comments yesterday about aging. I thought some here might be working too many hours to get to see it there.
Much as I would dearly love to meet you and dv8 RW, I won’t have any slack time on this SoCal journey. Perhaps another time? (And for the sake of humanity, please keep your bent wand pointed downrange.) 😉
Thanks for teh poem; love Carroll’s stuff. (If I ever get off my keister and put together One Last Band, I have done an arrangement of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” largely as an excuse to include a rapped version of “Jabberwocky”. Seriously.)
Mac --
Your thread pic applies in GA Walmarts, too. It seems ’round here there’s about a 1-in-3 chance there’ll be something amiss with a wheel on one of their “buggies” (a somewhat archaic but still-used local colloquialism).
I can generally deal with a partly-seized wheel, but occasionally I have to reject one where the wheel leaves scuff marks on the polished concrete. 😉
It’s somewhat amusing to watch multiple customers rejecting the same cart at the entrance to the store. And a bit surprising that in 2020, Walmart -- generally an efficiently-run outfit -- doesn’t seem to have any method of separating “wounded wheel” carts from the pack for maintenance.
Hot damn! Zigs!!!
Sven --
Heh!
By now, that’s become kind of a culinary Lost Land of Lyonesse (or El Dorado). But it’d be lovely to see both of you if schedules permit. (Too bad Paddy’s so far away…)
I’m so sorry you won’t have any slack time, Fatwa, for the sake of oyour own well being and for the sake of the pleasure it would have been to meet you. Another time, Sir. Any time, Sir! Just call!
Thanks for teh poem; love Carroll’s stuff. (If I ever get off my keister and put together One Last Band, I have done an arrangement of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” largely as an excuse to include a rapped version of “Jabberwocky”. Seriously.)
I would pay good money to hear that, Fatwa! I’ve recently had a musical experience that I would have said could never, ever happen! I now have a favorite rapper . That I have any rapper at all is stranger than the strange matter in a neutron star but this guy caught my delicate little ear bones in passing and I was stopped in my tracks. It’s Jake Hill and his rhythms are…his loops are so…as you can see, I have no words because I don’t have the language for this form. He’s very interesting and…after I finally got past his sheer musicianship to listen to what he was singing I found that his language makes one’s ears bleed less than other famous rappers of whom I’ve heard ambiently and his subjects are far less disgusting to me.
I think dv8 somewhat-recently mentioned Jake Hill; need to check him out.
That I have any rapper at all is stranger than the strange matter in a neutron star…
Olive that!
Re the lack of slack time: this project is a commercial building, so (unlike condos) we can work Saturdays. Which is handy, as it’s still “The Potentially Rainy Season” in L.A., and we have to coordinate our efforts with the installation of ~100 large solar panels.
Given the large number of “moving parts” on this project, I am particularly grateful for the JimCo crews’ level of professionalism and skill.
I love working with real professionals in any field. I even love watching them work in any field! Hurrah, for this job, Fatwa! It sounds like a good one.
Happy Friday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning, Plaguie, and Fatwa!
Why am I up so early? Glad you asked! I’m taking Mrs. Paddy and Teh Younger to LAX. They’re flying to Saipan as part of an UMCOR work team (sponsored by FEMA) to rebuild homes destroyed by super-typhoon Yutu (think Cat 5 hurricane). They’ll be gone about 2 1/2 weeks.
Good morning, Paddy. I was sorry to read about your teacher shortage. Do you ever get called into the classroom to fill in when things get hairy like this? Does teh union cry?
Good fortune and travel mercies to your family! That’s a fine thing. I hope you’ll keep us apprised of their doings and well being as news comes in from them.
I work at a virtual school, so there aren’t any classrooms to go into, unless you count the online classrooms we use. I do get called in periodically to fill in there. Fortunately, we’re not a union shop, so there are no worries in that regard.
Here’s to a safe and successful trip for Mrs. O’ and Teh Younger!
I even love watching them work in any field!
Understood. My cow-workers in L.A. really are roofing wizards, especially the foreman. Jim and I are very grateful to have him and his Merry Men. (And despite the demanding nature of their work, they have wonderful camraderie; customers often remark on that.)
I would pay good money to hear that, Fatwa!
If I ever get it together, your money’s no good; you’ll have to hear it gratis. Sorry…them’s teh rules. 🙂
Criminy…my head’s spinning with all of the stuff I need to get done today and tomorrow. Every time I think of one thing, I think of two more; not used to traveling on such short notice any more.
OK, I took one for the team tonight and watched some of the Democrats debate. I have no highlights to report except that Biden stayed awake, made few if any gaffes, and might have had his best performance to date which isnt saying much. Other than that, it was the same old leftist litany of stuff and orange man bad-evil-racist-stupid.
I do think, sadly, that this current angry version of America is what we have to look forward to for the rest of our lives. But at least the gloves are off.
I have been listening to this over and over. I have countless performances of several Ave Marias but this is wonderful. I have it handy on my desktop and play it often.
She is from the Netherlands. She won the Hollands Got Talent in 2013 at the age of nine. I ran across a performance and was impressed and curious so I looked at a few. Quite remarkable. I just loved this one.
I am always a little uncomfortable with children performing at such young ages but she seems to love what she is doing. I don’t know much about her.
She sounds interesting. David is setting things up so we can listen to your video and some of her other offerings later. Thank you, I’ve missed hearing about the new music you’ve found!
For my own part, I began dancing as a 3 year old ballet student doing The Nutcracker and didn’t stop until my body wouldn’t support me in the art anymore.
The professional part was the last thing on my parent’s radar, giving me the best teacher they could find so I wasn’t injured was. That combined with my talent/obsession put me on the pro track. My parents gave me lessons because I danced all the time…my mother said I started in the womb and never stopped -- morning to night, day by day. I was joyful when I was dancing and it showed -- I was around 15 before I was able to constantly hold that ballet dancer’s perfectly straight face. Before that I danced with a huge smile that lit up my face and delighted my mother. My ballet teachers tried everything to help me remember not to smile but I was a lost cause…
Now, the story of my father…
As a child, my father had a beautiful voice. His mother expected him to sing for church functions. After all, who would deny using his talent for He who gave it to him? Father was also taken on visits to those who were sick or widowed to sing and cheer them…visiting widows in their affliction, etc. Father was then carted around to the prisons to put on shows there. You get the idea.
He hated it! He really, really hated it!! As a child it scared him and as a teenager it ticked him off. When he was 17 he was told he had the voice for a professional career in light opera. He was horrified! My grandmother was overjoyed. It was a bone of much contention between them. Father joined the American Air Force to escape.
He never could figure out how I could stand to sing in public. It really bothered him. He never listened to me perform until he was tricked into going into the chapel at the mission in San Luis Obispo where I was singing solo for a special mass. I was 34 years old. (To his credit, he went home and praised my skill and talent in emails to all of my family and until his death he asked me to sing at least once at every family gathering that I was able to attend. He was very graceful about it all.)
The moral of teh story, my gentle friend, is that many, many child performers love to perform, they live for it, they crave the 8 hour practice sessions that it takes to be good enough and they can hardly be stopped from doing what they love -- especially these days. Enjoy your videos and don’t worry about the kids, they’re alright.
A late addition in answer to your particular concerns: I also worry about what bad teachers can do to the voices, bodies, etc of young performers. Not as much as in days gone bye for several reasons that I won’t go into here but still it’s a valid concern, just not as much as people think. I am more inclined to worry about the mental and sexual abuse. o_O.
The stage moms now gravitate toward the pageants even more than they used to because they offer more “TV/recorded images” type attention, much more valid parent over-involvement and far less nose to the grindstone work from the child.
Sorry it took me so long to type this. I think I fell asleep.
However long it was worth waiting for, my gentle friend. I love hearing about you and your take on it. I love a child being able to follow their passion, I just worry about parents pushing their children for selfish reasons. What I read made me feel she loved her singing and she has been successful with it. I have videos of her singing more recently and singing with Pavarotti and with Paul Potts. Probably I am more bothered when I see kids singing and dancing in adult manners on contest shows Elena watches. I wonder if some of the things I see don’t damage undeveloped voices and bodies. I am out of my depth there though.
For many reasons, I don’t approve of children mimicking adults as a fulltime gig. I do believe it’s usually far too open to psychological abuse, especially these days when gaslighting children to believe that fundamental reality doesn’t exist leaves the children already fragile.
As you have mentioned, over training a voice can be damaging and takes time and much training to undo. Some children are blessed with a talent for naturally being able to sound like an adult and it’s a riot! How do you tell the difference unless you’re a voice teacher?
Still, these remain in the minority of performing kids. If it’s not in your heart…if you don’t have the fire-in-the-belly, you might as well be playing, etc. on a typewriter. Correct but without the passion of an artist.
I remember when there were only a few debates, even in the primaries. I don’t know what’s going on these days. What’s up with 3500 debates per election cycle?
I thought it was funny how The Donald didn’t even bother to go to one of them, himself. I thought at the time, it might cost him points, but it just made him stand out even more from the crowd.
Hahahaaaaa*snort*
Thank you, Gentle Mac, I needed that. I will consider myself warned about the carts in Texas! It reminds me of my brain…four synapses left -- three looking innocently clueless and one watching and waiting to elucidate upon the results.
Good morning, GN! It’s Friday, isn’t it?
You Are Old, Father William
by Lewis Carroll
“You are old, Father William,” the young man said,
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head—
Do you think, at your age age, it is right?”
“In my youth,” Father William replied to his son,
“I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I’m perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.”
“You are old,” said the youth, ” as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back somersault in at the door—
Pray, what is the reason of that?”
“In my youth,” said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
“I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment—one shilling the box—
Allow me to sell you a couple?”
“You are old,” said the youth, ” and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the back—
Pray, how did you manage to do it?”
“In my youth,” said his father, “I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life.”
“You are old,” said the youth, “one would hardly suppose
That your eye was steady as ever;
Yet, you balanced an eel on the end of your nose—
What made you so awfully clever?”
“I have answered three questions, and that is enough,”
Said his father. “Don’t give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I’ll kick you downstairs!
And because we’re better than all other sites…heh…here’s the piece the Lewis Carol Poem was in answer to. I’m sorry, I’m having a terrible time with formatting problems and my tech support guy is working a night shift!HOW DARE YOU
The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them
Robert Southey, 1799
“You are old, father William,” the young man cried,
“The few locks which are left you are grey;
You are hale, father William, a hearty old man;
Now tell me the reason, I pray.”
“In the days of my youth,” father William replied,
“I remember’d that youth would fly fast,
And abus’d not my health and my vigour at first,
That I never might need them at last.”
“You are old, father William,” the young man cried,
“And pleasures with youth pass away.
And yet you lament not the days that are gone;
Now tell me the reason, I pray.”
“In the days of my youth,” father William replied,
“I rememberd that youth could not last;
I thought of the future, whatever I did,
That I never might grieve for the past.”
“You are old, father William,” the young man cried,
“And life must be hast’ning away;
You are cheerful and love to converse upon death;
Now tell me the reason, I pray.”
“I am cheerful, young man,” father William replied,
“Let the cause thy attention engage;
In the days of my youth I remember’d my God!
And He hath not forgotten my age.”
No, I’m not going to try to fix the repeated poem, I fear to mess with it further. I refer you to the thread picture above.
Oooooo…..things are being corrected as I watch on. Spooky!
Heh. I suspect dv8 might be working both jobs at once. Boy I’m a chatty little Plague Fairy this morning!
The poem was brought over from Ace of Spades because it was so reminiscent of our comments yesterday about aging. I thought some here might be working too many hours to get to see it there.
End Of Teh Work Week greetin’s, GN!
G’day, Harper!!1!
Harper --
Much as I would dearly love to meet you and dv8 RW, I won’t have any slack time on this SoCal journey. Perhaps another time? (And for the sake of humanity, please keep your bent wand pointed downrange.) 😉
Thanks for teh poem; love Carroll’s stuff. (If I ever get off my keister and put together One Last Band, I have done an arrangement of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” largely as an excuse to include a rapped version of “Jabberwocky”. Seriously.)
Mac --
Your thread pic applies in GA Walmarts, too. It seems ’round here there’s about a 1-in-3 chance there’ll be something amiss with a wheel on one of their “buggies” (a somewhat archaic but still-used local colloquialism).
I can generally deal with a partly-seized wheel, but occasionally I have to reject one where the wheel leaves scuff marks on the polished concrete. 😉
It’s somewhat amusing to watch multiple customers rejecting the same cart at the entrance to the store. And a bit surprising that in 2020, Walmart -- generally an efficiently-run outfit -- doesn’t seem to have any method of separating “wounded wheel” carts from the pack for maintenance.
Sven --
Heh!
By now, that’s become kind of a culinary Lost Land of Lyonesse (or El Dorado). But it’d be lovely to see both of you if schedules permit. (Too bad Paddy’s so far away…)
BBL.
I’m so sorry you won’t have any slack time, Fatwa, for the sake of oyour own well being and for the sake of the pleasure it would have been to meet you. Another time, Sir. Any time, Sir! Just call!
I would pay good money to hear that, Fatwa! I’ve recently had a musical experience that I would have said could never, ever happen!I now have a favorite rapper . That I have any rapper at all is stranger than the strange matter in a neutron star but this guy caught my delicate little ear bones in passing and I was stopped in my tracks. It’s Jake Hill and his rhythms are…his loops are so…as you can see, I have no words because I don’t have the language for this form. He’s very interesting and…after I finally got past his sheer musicianship to listen to what he was singing I found that his language makes one’s ears bleed less than other famous rappers of whom I’ve heard ambiently and his subjects are far less disgusting to me.
Hiya, Plaguie!
I think dv8 somewhat-recently mentioned Jake Hill; need to check him out.
Olive that!
Re the lack of slack time: this project is a commercial building, so (unlike condos) we can work Saturdays. Which is handy, as it’s still “The Potentially Rainy Season” in L.A., and we have to coordinate our efforts with the installation of ~100 large solar panels.
Given the large number of “moving parts” on this project, I am particularly grateful for the JimCo crews’ level of professionalism and skill.
I love working with real professionals in any field. I even love watching them work in any field! Hurrah, for this job, Fatwa! It sounds like a good one.
Happy Friday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning, Plaguie, and Fatwa!
Why am I up so early? Glad you asked! I’m taking Mrs. Paddy and Teh Younger to LAX. They’re flying to Saipan as part of an UMCOR work team (sponsored by FEMA) to rebuild homes destroyed by super-typhoon Yutu (think Cat 5 hurricane). They’ll be gone about 2 1/2 weeks.
Good morning, Paddy. I was sorry to read about your teacher shortage. Do you ever get called into the classroom to fill in when things get hairy like this? Does teh union cry?
Good fortune and travel mercies to your family! That’s a fine thing. I hope you’ll keep us apprised of their doings and well being as news comes in from them.
I work at a virtual school, so there aren’t any classrooms to go into, unless you count the online classrooms we use. I do get called in periodically to fill in there. Fortunately, we’re not a union shop, so there are no worries in that regard.
Oh, that sounds neat!
Good morning, Paddy!
Here’s to a safe and successful trip for Mrs. O’ and Teh Younger!
Understood. My cow-workers in L.A. really are roofing wizards, especially the foreman. Jim and I are very grateful to have him and his Merry Men. (And despite the demanding nature of their work, they have wonderful camraderie; customers often remark on that.)
If I ever get it together, your money’s no good; you’ll have to hear it gratis. Sorry…them’s teh rules. 🙂
Criminy…my head’s spinning with all of the stuff I need to get done today and tomorrow. Every time I think of one thing, I think of two more; not used to traveling on such short notice any more.
BBL.
OK, I took one for the team tonight and watched some of the Democrats debate. I have no highlights to report except that Biden stayed awake, made few if any gaffes, and might have had his best performance to date which isnt saying much. Other than that, it was the same old leftist litany of stuff and orange man bad-evil-racist-stupid.
I hope you washed your brain afterward. Ick. They used to be informative and interesting but now they’re just silly.
Prayers for safe travel for the Paddy O’Furnijur clan.
Where’s the job at, Fatwa?
Hello, Miss Harper, and thank you for the poem.
My pleasure, Sir! It’s good to see you. Are there more debates than there used to be or are dv8 and I remembering incorrectly.
I do think, sadly, that this current angry version of America is what we have to look forward to for the rest of our lives. But at least the gloves are off.
I sadly agree with you Sven. It seems in their desperation they have nothing else left to use. It is not a hopeful thought.
It’s so nice to see you this evening, Gentle Mac.
Thank you Gentle Lady. It has been so nice seeing you and DV8 here.
I have been listening to this over and over. I have countless performances of several Ave Marias but this is wonderful. I have it handy on my desktop and play it often.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEImCJWI_ak
Ooooo, a new one! I can’t wait to hear it! Tell me about her, she looks quite young.
She is from the Netherlands. She won the Hollands Got Talent in 2013 at the age of nine. I ran across a performance and was impressed and curious so I looked at a few. Quite remarkable. I just loved this one.
I am always a little uncomfortable with children performing at such young ages but she seems to love what she is doing. I don’t know much about her.
She sounds interesting. David is setting things up so we can listen to your video and some of her other offerings later. Thank you, I’ve missed hearing about the new music you’ve found!
For my own part, I began dancing as a 3 year old ballet student doing The Nutcracker and didn’t stop until my body wouldn’t support me in the art anymore.
The professional part was the last thing on my parent’s radar, giving me the best teacher they could find so I wasn’t injured was. That combined with my talent/obsession put me on the pro track. My parents gave me lessons because I danced all the time…my mother said I started in the womb and never stopped -- morning to night, day by day. I was joyful when I was dancing and it showed -- I was around 15 before I was able to constantly hold that ballet dancer’s perfectly straight face. Before that I danced with a huge smile that lit up my face and delighted my mother. My ballet teachers tried everything to help me remember not to smile but I was a lost cause…
Now, the story of my father…
As a child, my father had a beautiful voice. His mother expected him to sing for church functions. After all, who would deny using his talent for He who gave it to him? Father was also taken on visits to those who were sick or widowed to sing and cheer them…visiting widows in their affliction, etc. Father was then carted around to the prisons to put on shows there. You get the idea.
He hated it! He really, really hated it!! As a child it scared him and as a teenager it ticked him off. When he was 17 he was told he had the voice for a professional career in light opera. He was horrified! My grandmother was overjoyed. It was a bone of much contention between them. Father joined the American Air Force to escape.
He never could figure out how I could stand to sing in public. It really bothered him. He never listened to me perform until he was tricked into going into the chapel at the mission in San Luis Obispo where I was singing solo for a special mass. I was 34 years old. (To his credit, he went home and praised my skill and talent in emails to all of my family and until his death he asked me to sing at least once at every family gathering that I was able to attend. He was very graceful about it all.)
The moral of teh story, my gentle friend, is that many, many child performers love to perform, they live for it, they crave the 8 hour practice sessions that it takes to be good enough and they can hardly be stopped from doing what they love -- especially these days. Enjoy your videos and don’t worry about the kids, they’re alright.
A late addition in answer to your particular concerns: I also worry about what bad teachers can do to the voices, bodies, etc of young performers. Not as much as in days gone bye for several reasons that I won’t go into here but still it’s a valid concern, just not as much as people think. I am more inclined to worry about the mental and sexual abuse. o_O.
The stage moms now gravitate toward the pageants even more than they used to because they offer more “TV/recorded images” type attention, much more valid parent over-involvement and far less nose to the grindstone work from the child.
Sorry it took me so long to type this. I think I fell asleep.
However long it was worth waiting for, my gentle friend. I love hearing about you and your take on it. I love a child being able to follow their passion, I just worry about parents pushing their children for selfish reasons. What I read made me feel she loved her singing and she has been successful with it. I have videos of her singing more recently and singing with Pavarotti and with Paul Potts. Probably I am more bothered when I see kids singing and dancing in adult manners on contest shows Elena watches. I wonder if some of the things I see don’t damage undeveloped voices and bodies. I am out of my depth there though.
For many reasons, I don’t approve of children mimicking adults as a fulltime gig. I do believe it’s usually far too open to psychological abuse, especially these days when gaslighting children to believe that fundamental reality doesn’t exist leaves the children already fragile.
As you have mentioned, over training a voice can be damaging and takes time and much training to undo. Some children are blessed with a talent for naturally being able to sound like an adult and it’s a riot! How do you tell the difference unless you’re a voice teacher?
Still, these remain in the minority of performing kids. If it’s not in your heart…if you don’t have the fire-in-the-belly, you might as well be playing, etc. on a typewriter. Correct but without the passion of an artist.
Not quite in the same class, but I LOL’d at this version of this year’s SuperBowl halftime show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEaU3FC0TRc
I remember when there were only a few debates, even in the primaries. I don’t know what’s going on these days. What’s up with 3500 debates per election cycle?
I thought it was funny how The Donald didn’t even bother to go to one of them, himself. I thought at the time, it might cost him points, but it just made him stand out even more from the crowd.
Is it because there are so many people running in the primaries? Do any of you remember so many running at once before the last couple of cycles?
I think that is it, the huge field of candidates. No way to have all of them in a debate.
I guess that must be it. But every time I hear about another debate, I always think “They’re having ANOTHER one… already??”
It’s like a gladiatorial reality show. Each week we eliminate some.