Odds and Ends and Whatnot

So, I haven't blogged in quite a while....

I totally have excuses. But those aren't important. What's important is that right now I'm listening to a tympani concerto, and that's pretty bizarre. But fun! If you're me, and by "me," I mean "a huge nerd."

Today I decided to become a collector of podcasts, now that I'm getting more comfortable with the idea. I downloaded a podcatcher and subscribed to several different podcasts. Check me out with all my terminology! One of my subscriptions is to Naxos, which I've admired for a couple years now for their great catalog of classical music which you can hear in its entirety on the site. Now they have a podcast called Naxos Classical Music Spotlight, which is basically 20 minute shows featuring different themes. They have the most varied themes of all the classical podcasts I looked at today; most focus on one thing. But I just couldn't listen to too many 20-minute shows devoted entirely to Mozart. I know he was a genius, but I would die of boredom.

So this show is devoted to tympani concertos. Can you believe they actually exist? If you don't know which instrument it is, think giant copper kettle with... well, I just learned that it used to be cat or dog skin streched across the top. Gross. Anyway, I'm finding this interesting and informative. Another cool podcast I enjoy is called Coverville which is entirely composed of, you guessed it, covers of various pop/rock songs. Snigger if you will, but I just this week heard THE most kicking cover of U2's Pride In the Name of Love done by a high school a capella group.

In other news, we had a "from the mouths of babes" moment yesterday that I needed to share. Ben was watching some cartoon on the Disney Channel, and during a commercial break they had "Mike's Super Short Show," in which we see yet more evidence of the Disney Company's ridiculous excess (red carpet event for a DVD release) and devotion to shrill, irritating, young bad actors with some sort of amazing agents (read: stage-parents).

So they sent young Mike and his slightly-better-at-acting, yet still highly irritating sister to this ridiculous excuse for red carpet event and set them loose to interview the carpet walkers. All of them other beneficiaries of Disney's previously mentioned devotion. I wish I had a recording to tell you the exact exchange that occurred, but suffice it to say that brother and sister interviewed two teenage beneficiaries, and all I saw was this, the underlying message: "We are going to teach your children that being cool and outgoing is equal to having NO BRAIN WHATSOEVER." I got so annoyed that I told Ben "those girls are dumb!" I just don't want him growing up thinking that this is how people should be, or what "cool" is, or anything. I want him to see it for what it is, and Matt gave it its much more appropriate name: "Vapid. Those girls are vapid, Ben," he kindly clarified.

You know what Ben's response was?

"They're teenagers."

No sarcasm, just pure unadulterated fact. I'm 90% highly amused and 10% mildly bummed that he already thinks this is how teenagers behave by default. I really hope we're able to teach him otherwise before he gets there himself.

Hmmm.... I could swear I had more to say. Stink. Well, be sure you check out the latest episode of the Burrhaz Podcast, in which our children continue to be cute. Biiiiiiiig surprise!