The Median Sib

In my new resolve to stop obsessing about Islamic terrorism or U.S. politics in my blog, I thought I’d chill out by listening to music. I just heard a new Kenny Chesney song, “Living in Fast Forward.” Here are the lyrics:

The body’s a temple
That’s what we’re told
I treated this one like an old honky tonk
Greasy cheeseburgers
And cheap cigarettes
One day they’ll get me if they ain’t got me yet, ’cause

(Chorus)
I’ve been livin’ in fast forward
Hillbilly rockstar out of control
I’ve been livin’ in fast forward
Now I need to rewind real slow

My friends all grew up
and they settled down
Nice little houses on the outskirts o’ town
They work in their office
And drive SUVs
They pray for their babies
And they worry ‘bout me

(Chorus)

I’m always runnin’, son-of-a-gunnin’
I’ve had a good time, it’s true
But the way I been goin’
It’s time that I tone it down just a notch or two

Oh yeah…

(Chorus x 2)

Yeah I need to rewind real slow…
Yeah I still got some miles to go…

Just love it. “I” have been living in fast forward too much lately. I think I’ll do a little rewinding.

Thirteen things THE MEDIAN SIB likes or would like to hear 1. Wow! You’ve lost weight! 2. Who’s your personal trainer? You look buff. 3. Congratulations! You’ve won the lottery! By the way, it’s now considered non-taxable income. 4. It was announced today that scientists have discovered a medicine that completely heals ALL kinds of illnesses. 5. I love you, Grandma Carol. (Actually I like to hear ANYTHING said by Sweet Stuff and Sunshine) 6. There’s a new instant transporter available now, and it will shorten the trip to visit your mother from 3+ hours to 3 minutes. Now you can drop by for an evening chat several times each week. 7. This is the mall business office, and you’ve won an unlimited shopping spree. 8. Hi, I’m finished cleaning your house now. It is spotless. You’re laundry is finished and put away. I’ll be back tomorrow to clean out the garage and attic. 9. Welcome home. I’ve prepared a delicious meal for you. No, I don’t need any help. Just rest on the sofa awhile, and I’ll let you know when it’s ready. Here’s the book you wanted to read. Would you like a glass of sweet tea while you wait for dinner? 10. We loved your book, and we’ve decided we want to publish it immediately. We anticipate a large printing. Could you start on the sequel now? 11. New flash! Muslim leaders worldwide have denounced violence and terrorism. All Muslims have made a vow of non-violence and non-aggression. 12. Your teeth are perfect - no dental work needed. 13. Will you look at that! You’re ahead of Michelle Malkin and Instapundit in the TTLB system! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (Leave your link in comments, and I’ll add you here) Nicole Norma Kelly mar Killired Mary Ma Uisce Dariana Janne Karen Eric Stacie Kimmy Joan Megan Lazy Daisy Jane D Chickadee

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This afternoon my fifth grade reading group came to my classroom. Jeremy told me he had a joke for me. Here it is in its entirety:

Why was the man crazy?
Because he couldn’t have a drink of whiskey.

He went into gales of laughter. So, there you have it - fifth grade humor.

For anyone interested in education - the Carnival of Education: Week 53 is now up at The Education Wonks. I’ve spent awhile this morning reading some of the posts. The Carnival covers the spectrum of what’s going on in education today. Once again, I’m honored that one of my posts was selected for this edition.

A new carnival just starting is the Carnival of Children’s Literature. It will be hosted at Here in the Bonny Glen. I know some wonderful teachers drop by to read my blog. So consider clicking over to get information and then submitting a post for the first Carnival of Children’s Literature.

Joan at Daddy’s Roses has a funny post about dull sermons.

One thing I’ve noticed throughout all the news stories about the lunatic Muslims burnings, killings, rioting and boycotting…the signs are written in English.

The intended audience is the west. Their purpose is to influence westerners - not to express their beliefs/desires/insanities to their own people. A sign written in Arabic would be worthless for their purposes. English signs guarantee that their message will be spread here.

This topic has been blogged to death. However, if you want to read more, here are some of today’s posts on the irrational Islamic response to Danish cartoons that actually downplay and minimize the reality of what the “religion” of Islam has become. The Pirate’s Cove, Power Line, Right Wing News, Protein Wisdom, Dr. Sanity, The Anchoress, Blue Star Chronicles, Daily Pundit, The Political Pit Bull, Sanity’s Bluff.

And here are the cartoons that the Muslims “claim” incited them to their violence. It would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. Michelle Malkin has the Muhammad Cartoons Blogburst.

I support Denmark, and I support Israel. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Press are paramount - even if someone feels insulted or offended as a result of the exercise of those freedoms.

The Washington Post had a story this morning that made me laugh.

Afghan officials suggested that the violence outside Bagram air base indicated that insurgents were trying to capitalize on religious indignation . . . . “The protests started out about the cartoons,” said Kabir Ahmed, the Bagram police chief. “But there is the possibility that al Qaeda is motivating these people to use violence against the Americans.” (emphasis mine)

You think? Let’s not jump to any conclusions now!

. . . Iran, meanwhile, announced it was cutting commercial ties with Denmark, and the pro-Russian government of Chechnya said it would not allow Danish aid groups to work there.

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!

When I’m shopping and there’s a choice between a Danish brand and another - I’m choosing Danish every time. At least they are standing up to the bullies, and I respect and support that.

It’s a Tuesday Link Fest!
Blue Star Chronicles is part of a Tuesday Link Fest Party. Information can be found at Linkfest Haven. Others who are part of the link fest are: TMH’s Bacon Bits (who has a post on “safe self-harm” - interesting!), Stuck On Stupid.

Send a trackback to this post, and I’ll add you to the list (as long as you link back to this post/blog in the post you send.) Disclaimer: Opinions/Comments in trackbacks do not necessarily reflect those of THE MEDIAN SIB.

Trackback to this post: http://haloscan.com/tb/mcarol49/113931481870608869

Blame Bush! has a new post up discussing all the havoc wreaked by the Shrub over the past weekend. Follow some of the links. They show the nature of our enemy.

It’s the news story that won’t go away.

It’s obvious the Danish cartoons were just the vehicle for the Muslims to give rein to their intolerant, irrational and violent nature. I guess a day isn’t complete for a Muslim without beheading an infidel or two. (Infidel = Christian or Jew or you or me or your children. An infidel doesn’t have to DO anything - just existing is offense enough.)

I just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel, and it’s spooky how closely the attitude and behavior of the Muslims follow those of the Nazis. And governments are bending over backwards to appease them rather than standing up to them. It’s amazing.

For a little levity amidst the rioting and burning, head over to The Crazy Rants of Samatha Burns. She’s got some great cartoons of her own.

Just found some other cartoons at Mike’s America. A comic book, huh?

Now check out Michelle Malkin’s latest on the situation.

Atlas Shrugs tells us how Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has responded to the terrorists’ reaction to the benign cartoons. The United States and others should follow suit.

Then Iranians shows their distaste for cartoons that are disrespectful to Islam by publishing cartoons disrespectful of Jews. None of that “turn the other cheek” crap for them! You can read about that at Stop the ACLU.

“Brokeback Mountain” has been in the news a lot lately. I haven’t seen it. A movie about gay sheepherders doesn’t sound very entertaining to me. Except for “Lonesome Dove,” I’ve never enjoyed westerns. It’s the kind of movie that I figure I’ll wait a few months, pay $2.99 to see it on Pay-Per-View rather than blow a fortune at the theater for something I’m not excited about seeing in the first place.

I understand that it has great music and sweeping panoramic photography and that many who see it walk out weeping for the poor, misunderstood guys who have to try to be something they’re not because of society’s disapproval of their nature. The fact that it’s a tear-jerker doesn’t particularly make me want to see it, either. I don’t know. As I said, I haven’t seen it. However, I have heard lots of news reports and read lots of blogging about it. So I gathered the best of what I’ve found in the blogosphere on the topic. To save time, I’ll just refer to the movie as BM. And no, I won’t make a joke about that. So here is the best of the “BM Blogging” I’ve seen so far - some positive, some negative, some neutral, some humorous. You’re welcome to let me know if there are other reviews or commentary about the movie you think are noteworthy:

Conservative Cat has an idea for how the Oscars should be handled in order to take into consideration the expected sweep of BM.

Blue Star Chronicles advises “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”

Girl Friday writes from a Christian conservative viewpoint in her “Brokeback Mountain” Review.

Brokeback Mountain convinced me to feel compassion for two gay characters. But it didn’t make me agree with the homosexuality. And I don’t think it was trying to. The negative consequences of their relationship are everywhere.

In “Homo, Homo on The Range,” Rustbelt Ramblings discusses new brokeback vocabulary and phrases. My favorite is “Did you hear about Jack? He got all Brokeback after high school.”, but there are many others others to choose from.

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has a post that’s short - really the title of the post is the point of it. So I won’t give it away here. You’ll have to go and read it for yourself.

Ace Of Spades HQ gives a two-word review of BM. He also later describes it as “The Gay Slingblade.” Then there is another post that suggests that Hollywood doesn’t watch a lot of the movies they vote on.

Wizbang Pop! tells us that Brad Pitt is looking to cash in on the BM hype.

The Nihilist in Golf Pants gets musical about the movie.

Slapyo provides some Brokeback cartoons. (note: possibly offensive)

The Mumpsimus compared BM to “Munich” and then noted:

Brokeback Mountain could have been ridiculous. It could have been sappy and so earnest as to ooze good intentions all over the audience. It is, instead, remarkably restrained in tone. The only thing not repressed in the film is the landscape, which is vast and almost pornographic in its loveliness.

Reel Opinions definitely has an opinion on BM, and it has nothing to do with the gay sheepherder theme:

It’s so meandering and repetitive that I almost have to wonder how anyone can praise it to the skies the way many have. The movie attempts nothing new at its core, it’s simply an old story of forbidden love given a new coat of paint by having the two lovers be men.

So, there you have it. Lots of varying opinions about one movie. I’d say that’s typical. Some people like it. Others don’t. It’ll be interesting to see what the final score is after all the award shows are over.

The Super Bowl is over, and the commercials that were supposed to be so WONDERFUL were…..blah! Less than memorable. Except for the Hummer “It’s a Little Monster” commercial for H3 (HERE for info on the commercial) , they were completely forgetable. Not only blah, but bad. Seems to me that the sponsors paid a lot of money for 30 seconds and then didn’t spend enough on making a commercial good enough to make it worth their while.

And the game? Uhh…I guess Pittsburgh fans are happy. I don’t keep up with professional football much. I was kinda-sorta for the Seahawks simply because they were the underdogs. Until yesterday I didn’t even know what city the Seahawks were from. As I said, I don’t keep up with professional football. The game had a few exciting moments, but overall it was rather blah, too.

It looks like Darren at Right on the Left Coast agrees with me.

I’ve spent a little time surfing blogs this weekend. Topics range from crime, speeches, and poems to terror, humor and taxes. Here are some posts I found that get an A+. If you know of others, leave a comment about them.

Merri Musings gets a nod for this whole post but primarily for the title - clever and morbidly funny!

Charmaine of Reasoned Audacity discusses Tuesday’s SOTU speech.

Ruth at Ruthlace has a poignant poem in memory of her husband (who also was my father).

Michelle Malkin put together some clips to make a brief (under 2 minutes) movie. It’s good. She also has a post on buying Danish. I plan to print out the list and take it with me when I go shopping.

Captain’s Quarters take a look at the political party Hamas. It’s both frightening and informative.

Daddy’s Roses provides some humor to help us deal with the news.

Atlas Shrugs talks about Iran.

Baldilocks goes into a little background and her own take of the whole cartoon controversy.

Blue Star Chronicles is already looking at doing her taxes, and she’s not a happy camper.

Stop The ACLU wonders if we can co-exist with Islam.

When I was a child, my mother and father gave me the nickname Cabbie. I wrote about it awhile back. It always made me feel special when they called me that. Although my mother chose the nickname, I remember my father using it more often, and it’s tied into my memories of him.

A few years ago when my first granddaughter, Sweet Stuff, was born, I gave her a stuffed animal - a soft little brown dog. My daughter decided to call the dog “Cabbie” in my honor. Cabbie quickly became Sweet Stuff’s favorite toy - the one she HAD to have in order to go to sleep or for comfort when she was upset. When I realized how much she loved Cabbie, I checked eBay and bought 5 or 6 identical stuffed animals - just in case anything ever happened to Cabbie. However, having extra Cabbies didn’t help. Sweet Stuff knows the REAL Cabbie, and whenever she’d leave Cabbie at school or home, she wouldn’t accept one of the substitutes. Cabbie is now worn and dirty and the fur is worn off in places. The thread from some of the stitches is loose. The photo above is (obviously) one of the substitute Cabbies.

This past week Sweet Stuff’s class studied pets - especially dogs. On Friday the children brought in their favorite stuffed dogs for a class dog show. There was no doubt what Sweet Stuff would bring. Cabbie went to school for the dog show.

When the awards were announced, Sweet Stuff was THRILLED (to put it mildly) when Cabbie won a blue ribbon for “Oldest and Most Loved.” I got a call as soon as she got home from school telling me about it. I’m ridiculously pleased that Sweet Stuff loves Cabbie so much, and I’m ridiculously pleased that she’s so happy about the blue ribbon. BOTH the real Cabbies won that award.

I just read an insightful post from Baldilocks comparing two prominent women newsmakers from the past week. Go - Read. She expresses eloquently what I’ve felt all along. It comes down to dignity, respect and honor.

Nature woke me around 5:45 this morning. After a trip to the bathroom, I decided to come upstairs and check email before going back to bed. It’s Saturday after all, and the opportunity to sleep late is a treat that is usually reserved for only Saturdays. One of my emails was from my mother (of Ruthlace fame), and I wrote a quick reply to it. A few minutes later, I got the following email from my mother - in VERY large print:

Get back to bed! It’s too early to be up.

Yes, M’am! You don’t ever stop mothering your kids.

I’m finding that having morning bus duty can be enlightening. I greet the children as they first walk into the school from the buses. Then another teacher and I watch over the children in the gym and try to maintain some semblance of order and routine for 10 minutes before the bell rings for the children to go to their classes.

This morning, a kindergartener came in crying. Her older sister had her arms around her. I asked, “What’s wrong?”

Older sister: “Her back’s hurting bad.”

I bent down to talk to the kindergartener. “How did you hurt your back.”

Older sister again: “She wouldn’t get out of bed and Mama whupped her.”

“No,” the kindergartener corrected her, “Mama set me down hard and hurt my back.”

I sent her immediately to the clinic and talked with the guidance counselor. You just never know what kids are dealing with when they come to school.