People I Never Knew Whom I Mourn

Just finished watching the 2008 Mark Twain award. Given posthumously to George Carlin. Yeah, I sniffled. I started thinking.... We have so FEW free-thinkers on the public stage any more. We NEEDED George. I never knew him personally, but I miss him. There are others like him that are now gone that, when I think of our world's, country's, generation's, society's loss... I totally mourn. Something's coming, and we have hardly any nay-sayers left, or people sticking up for the little guy, or enormous examples to the next generation. I think of my son, and think that I cannot do it alone. I cannot be all people to him. (duh) He needs age-appropriate, insightful, dangerous, public and unafraid people to provide him with the examples he could use to encourage him along the way - to think for himself, to question authority, to stand up for the downtrodden, to care.

I know there were people like that for me, and one of them was George Carlin. Who will Gabe's George Carlin be? Perhaps there are people waiting to be discovered that I would rejoice to know exist. My fear is that while there may be folks out there with the potential and the drive to escalate their non-conformist, unique viewpoints to the public eye...we will never be able to find them, nor them us. Things have changed. The freedoms discovered in the 60s and exploited in the 70s have vanished. I hesitate to list reasons why - there are so many. The reality is they're going. In the 80s you could feel it dying.

So, here's my list of folks who I never knew personally, but whose passing I mourn. (Yeah, some of them are from other ages, but they would have LOVED the 60s!) Yeah, and some of these are "just artists." Yeah, right.

George Carlin
Fred Rogers
Mother Teresa
Jimmy Hendrix
Robert Heinlein
Gilda Radner
Bob Marley
John Langstaff
John Lennon
Joe Strummer
Bruce Lee
Jeff Buckley
Jim Henson
Freddy Mercury
Jim Morrison
Johnny Cash
Mark Twain
Edgar Allen Poe
Jane Austen
Jack London
John Muir


[oh, there's more, but it's late]

Making Desires Known

Gabe is musically inclined. Definitely something we encourage! He plays on all his toy instruments, some not so toylike (ukelele, harmonica). He's taking piano lessons and enjoying them very much. He's not so big on homework and in that takes after both his parents. He has definite preferences in the music to which he listens. For example, the Tad he has plays I think six or seven classical music clips. There's one I'm having trouble identifying that he absolutely HATES and will not listen to. Don likes to tease him and make him listen to it when it comes on (we use the Tad to measure the time we spend snuggling at bedtime).

Recently, he's started really enjoying one of the CDs I got him a while ago: Philidephia Chickens. He's learning the words and the tunes. We leave it in the car now as he prefers it the most. Truthfully, as far as kids' music goes, it's quite listenable. It's not annoying repetitive stuff like London Bridge, and it's all original.

A few days ago, he tries out this conversation on me...

G: I like Philadelphia Chickens.
M: Great! I'm so glad you like it!
G: Is there more? The music, is more music like it?
M: Are you asking if the group made another CD?
G: Yes!!
M: Yes, there's one called Dog Train, but we don't have that one.
G: [quiet]
M: Would you like to get Dog Train, too?
G: Oh, yes!

Which I interpret to sound like this....

G: The album Philidelphia Chickens is fantastic! I really enjoy it.
M: Great I'm so glad you like it!
G: Have the artists put out additional CDs?
M: Yes, there's one called Dog Train, but we don't have that one.
G: Oh, I would very much like to aquire and listen to that album soon!

So, for anyone wondering what to get Gabe for his birthday...... (Yes, it's on his Amazon Wish List)