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History repeating?

Wed, 14 May 2008 21:22:03 -0400

There was an interesting article on the front page of the Boston Globe today. Essentially it discusses the corporate hijacking of terms like “green” and “eco” to profit from peoples’ desire to save the earth, without losing their lifestyles. It’s become incredibly noticeable over the last 4 years or so, or about the time of the first “green-suv”.

It got me to thinking about the gentleman above. For those post 70’s kids out there, he was the star of a long running series of PSAs depicting a Native-American riding his horse across polluted lands or canoeing down filthy rivers, usually ending with a tear in his eye. Although I was young, I remember these ads and I remember what things were like. Big cars, pollution, fuel crisis and economic woes. (Sound familiar?) At the time this ad ran there was no cable tv, just the 3 networks, it reached the whole country and is often credited with shaming the public into change, although small. What kind of imagery would it take to shame today’s America into action?

As I’ve been sitting here writing with a ball game in the background, this car commercial comes on touting it’s newest sedan as keeping Mother Earth in mind. “Low emissions and luxury” all with a green forested background. They’re saying, “Here, buy this car. It still burns gas, but not as much. You shouldn’t feel guilty.” Since the modern public is so shameless, today’s PSA would have to FEAR people into action. I envision an average guy in a parking lot unlocking his older SUV. He gets tapped on the shoulder and turns around to see Samuel L. Jackson.

Jackson yells in his patented Samuel L. Jackson way, “Do you want save money?” .

Average Guy, “Yes.”.

“Do you want to use less gas?

“Yes.”

“Do you want to save the earth?

The Average guy is now emphatic. “YES!!!!”

“Then take the bus mother fu##er!!!”, Jackson reaches back and drops the Average Guy with one punch. Then turns to the camera,

“Take the G##damn bus or I’m gonna f##k your s##t up!!!”
Announcer- This PSA was brought to you by take a bus mother fu##ers.

I would definitely think about changing my commuting pattern.

Vader blows the blues.

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:58:23 -0400

Wow.

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:38:25 -0400

That’s what some local woman exclaimed as I dumped my recyclable bottles and cans into a bin at the transfer station. (Others may call it The Dump) I felt there was a fair amount of judgement in her “Wow.” It was slow and drawn out, accompanied by a cartoonish look of amazement.

For one moment I envisioned confrontation, “Wow what? What do you find so “Wow” about my bottles and cans? Is my recycling too intense for you? Do you think there’s too many beer bottles in there? Maybe I picked them up on the roadside? Maybe I entertain often? Maybe I like beer? Yes we drink a lot of beer and I’m lazy and now I look like an alcoholic.”
I decided not to say anything.

Missin’ in Action

Sun, 11 May 2008 20:16:26 -0400

This is a picture of Fenway Park. I haven’t been there since last Sunday and I couldn’t be happier. I am in the midst of a lengthy stretch off and have been so busy that the internets and the blogodome have not ranked on the priority list.

I got to enjoy my first three days with both my girls as Ella’s kindergarten was off due to pre-K screening. With gorgeous weather our highlights included mini-van washing, gardening, tee ball, friend visiting and play-group meeting. We played so hard one day that Moo Cow was snoring on the couch before dinner, not to be woken.

The play-group was interesting opportunity I haven’t had in awhile. Beth and I helped start the play-group when Ella was a toddler and it has since blossomed. I’m not sure if it’s more people having kids or just word getting around but at one point there must have been 25 kids and their assorted care givers. It’s cool to see it’s continuing and growing even as my kids begin school.

There was one little guy named Sumner who was there with his nanny. Sumner is the three year old realization of Buster Bluth. (If this reference is vague go here.) When asked his name he ran and hid, he would run up and randomly heave a ball toward you to join in a game. I have never seen a child so jarringly uncoordinated physically and socially. But Ella and her friend Olivia sure took a shine to him and soon had him trailing behind.

The other beautiful days this week were spent getting ready for summer. This included opening my favorite room in the house, our screened in deck. So once the deck is open it’s time to grill right? So I fired up the ol’ Char-broil and the top rack turned to dust upon opening. Well now, you can’t have the deck open with an inadequate grill. So after making Beth her Mother’s Day breakfast, the girls and I headed out to for a grill. Then, once you have a grill and a deck you have to have someone over for barbecue and maybe even the first gin and tonic of the season. Pete, Lori and Charlotte became our inaugural guests ending my first week off ended with a delicious flourish.

I still have four days left. I’m very excited. I don’t have specific plans but I’m sure getting used to being home every night. The next Fenway homestand will definitely shock the system.

This is what life in slomo looks like.

Tue, 6 May 2008 20:53:13 -0400

At least when it’s on a mobile production truck.

This is what I saw when I looked up. All that radiation can’t be good.

Fenway Public Gardens

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:02:15 -0400

I found some more spring in Boston on my way to work today. Beautiful sunny day, although much colder than the pictures would make you think.

The sport of blogging sports

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:46:43 -0400

Last night HBO aired a Bob Costas NOW special discussing the Sports Blogs versus newspaper sports coverage and traditional sports writing. After a taped piece on the matter, the show went to live discussion with Costas, Will Leitch, the creator of Deadspin (a widely read sport blog), Buzz Bissinger, an Andover educated “traditional” sports writer and a pro-bowl NFL player. That’s when the ambush happened.

Under the guise of civil discourse, Costas let Bissinger unleash a hateful rant of disjointed arguments against the blogger. I have never seen such a disgusting display of pseudo-journalism that wasn’t on FOX news. Even Costas, as the moderator, laces his questions with opinion against blogs and the end, he and Bissinger come off as Luddites, longing for the return of fedoras and typewriters.

As more people take publishing into their own hands, less attention is being paid to newspapers, books and television and their industry is trying to fight it. I know many of my readers may not be interested in sports blogs per se, but the arguments in this program can easily be turned into food blogs versus food magazines, or baby blogs vs baby books. Who makes the call as to what is “serious, hard journalism” and what is amateur hobbyist publishing?

Monster mask Monday.

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:25:25 -0400

Can you guess who the red one is?
How about this guy?

Play ball!!

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:02:28 -0400

Beth’s post really summed up the first day of tee ball. Here are some more pics from the big day. I must say, even though it’s tee ball, Ella’s teammates are hitting machines.
GO BRAVES!!!!

Fiddleheads and Friday Night

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:29:53 -0400

Spring has finally arrived in the form of fiddle-heads, forsythia and green fields. After a day of spring yard work, I welcomed the girls back from their road trip with a dinner in Portsmouth. Very happy to have them back.

I found a free spot on the way into town and walked through the old cemetery. We used to go to the old town cemeteries in grade school and make charcoal rubbings of some of the older ones as we studied New Hampshire history. I’d like make rubbings of some of the old ones in the area and frame them, but I read somewhere recently that rubbing old gravestones actually harms them. I wonder if there’s a scanner, something akin to a document scanner, that could make a digital copy of the stone etching so that it could be reproduced in a variety of media. Even a new stone. That would be cool.