The easy way out

I was still up last night when Facebook and Twitter started exploding with news of Ariel Castro’s suicide in prison. If you don’t recall the name, he was the guy in Cleveland who held three women captive for ten years, and he was recently convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

I refuse to post the bastard’s picture here, so you get Colonel Meow instead.

I felt about as angry Colonel Meow looks when I heard the news. What immediately struck me was that these women were strong enough to survive for ten years, and with the help of one brave Clevelander, were able to escape. Apparently their will to live and survive was strong, and from what I’ve read, they are doing as well as can be expected.

But not Castro. He decided that the prospect of life in prison was just too much for him to bear. So he twisted a bedsheet into a rope and hung himself.

You coward. You pussy (no insult to Colonel Meow intended). There is more strength and dignity in the pinky fingers of those women than there is in all of you. There is more courage in Charles Ramsey, the guy who saved them, than you could ever dream of possessing.

It’s times like these when I wish, just a little bit, that I believed in Hell.

I hope the women can take strength in this and will not feel robbed of justice. I feel a bit of that myself, because the guy should have had to spend the rest of his life experiencing what he put those women through, and that includes the rapes. I hope they can come away from this news realizing that in the face of their strength, he was weak. That they withstood years of imprisonment and abuse at his hands, but he was unable to make it past a few months in jail. That they are alive and he is dead. They will go on, and he will not. They have the rest of their lives ahead of them. His is done. Forever.

You’re still standing, ladies. Continue to be strong, and know that, in the end, you beat him.

The other class

No, not socioeconomic classes! Remember, Rick Santorum says we don’t have those here. That’s Marxism talk!

Today I started the second class I’m taking through Coursera. This one, Vaccines, is actually relative to what I did for many years (Microbiology), and it is taught by Dr. Paul Offit, who is an outspoken critic of the anti-vaxxer movement. He touched briefly on that in the introduction video, in which he talked about the three vaccination exemptions in the United States.

Medical: You have an allergy to one of the components of the vaccine, like eggs in influenza vaccines.

Religious: Obvious, but he questioned why any religion would specifically ban vaccinations, because religious books like the Bible and the Koran were written long before vaccinations were invented. He said this seemed to originate more with the Christian Science movement, which says that infections like smallpox are a “state of mind” and should be prayed away. No comment, but you can probably guess what I think about that!

Philosophical: This is the exemption that anti-vaxxers use. They choose not to vaccinate based on their personal belief system. Dr. Offit had a great point in that it doesn’t matter whether or not you believe vaccines work. They have been shown over and over in thousands of studies to effectively prevent infectious diseases. The supposed autism connection has been thoroughly disproven, the original paper from Andrew Wakefield completely discredited, and his medical license in England was stripped.

Then Dr. Offit talked about the earliest forms of vaccines, which involved whole animals for production. These included smallpox, polio, and rabies. The rabies vaccine developed by Louis Pasteur is still in use.

I enjoyed it very much, and I took the quiz. I found myself wishing there were a couple more lectures this week, but that’s it for the week. This isn’t anything new for me, but it’s something that I’m still interested in and it’s fun for me to do this course. I don’t get college credit for it, but I don’t really need that, do I? This is just learning for learning’s sake, and that can be the best kind.

Back to school

I hope everyone had a nice holiday! Today was an uneventful day for us, and I was happy to wind down a bit after a busy and fun week. We both did a few things around here (lawn is mowed!), and Ken stopped by to see his Mom, but other than that, we enjoyed our down day. Tonight is grilled pork chops, grilled potatoes, and a salad. Oh, and a bottle of Merlot. A “Walking Dead” episode followed by “Under the Dome,” and we’re good to go!

I believe I posted a while back that I was going to take a few online courses on Coursera. Tomorrow I am starting one about vaccines taught by Dr. Paul Offit, which I am really looking forward to. I loved his book Deadly Choices: How The Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All, and I think it will be cool to hear his lectures on the subject.

Today I started The History of Rock Part One with John Covach at University of Rochester, and let me just flash the double devil horns here and yell, “This course ROCKS!” I watched a couple of the videos earlier today, then watched a couple more later on...and ended up watching all eleven videos provided for the first week. I was fascinated! I did know quite a bit about earlier musicians and their works, including country & western artists (thanks, Mom and Dad!), but I really enjoyed learning about how radio influenced the proliferation of mainstream pop music, indie record labels, regional radio, and the confluence of three influences leading to rock and roll: mainstream pop, country & western, and rhythm & blues. (And yes, there will be a quiz next week! I’m taking notes!)

My absolute favorite was the last lecture, about hokum blues and sexual lyrics. I had never heard the term “hokum blues” before, but I guess it was about adult-themed blues songs, full of double entendres, and intended for mature listeners. Imagine the outrage when white teenagers started listening to the regional radio stations playing black music, and heard songs like “Let Me Play With Your Poodle,” “Work With Me Annie,” and the one I’ll post at the bottom of this entry, “Sixty Minute Man.”

I am really glad I signed up for this, and I am enjoying it thoroughly. I will definitely search out a few of the mentioned songs on the Interwebz to enhance my learning and listening pleasure, but it makes me feel good to know that I am familiar with many of the country and Big Band artists the lecturer discusses. As someone who loves rock and roll, I really like learning more about how seemingly unrelated subjects influenced the development of the genre I love so much.

Rock on, Citizens!

Beth’s Music Moment: Dropkick Murphys LIVE!

Step with me into the Wayback Machine as we travel back...back...back in time...all the way back to this past Wednesday!

After a quick bite to eat at Backstage Grill (mediocre food, but early access to seating in the venue, so it was worth it) we found a spot on the second level of Club Fever, a local nightclub. It had been ages since I’d been there. I think the last time might have been with Shane for Better Than Ezra, and that was before I met Ken. Anyway, this time we were there for Dropkick Murphys. (Click on picture to embiggen.)

First, we got to hear a couple of opening bands. I’m sorry I can’t recall the name of the first one, but they were one I wasn’t familiar with. High energy, and the drummer was great! The second band was the Swingin’ Utters (I double-checked, and it really is spelled with Ts!), and I was familiar with them from Rock Band, of all places! One of their songs was on Rock Band 3, and I liked it enough that I downloaded a couple of their albums. Also high energy and fun.

But the main attraction was, of course, the Murphys. They hail from the Boston area, and they’ve been around for quite a few years, but I only recently became familiar with them because they started playing one of their songs at Notre Dame football games. I was like, “This song is so cool, but I don’t know what it is!” My friend Bart informed me that it was “Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys. When I saw they were going to play Club Fever, I said I thought it would be fun to go. That’s a pretty high-profile band for a smaller venue, so I try to grab such opportunities when I can. I ordered a couple of CDs, and we listened to them on a recent road trip and enjoyed them. They bill themselves as an “American Celtic punk band,” and by science, that is exactly what they sound like! Although they are obviously a punk band, they add Irish folk elements, and include instruments like banjo, mandolin, and even bagpipes. It’s a fun mix.

All three bands were great, and the crowd was in a great mood, really getting into them all. As I’ve written, it was the Notre Dame home opener, so there may have been quite a few college students there. After the bands were done, someone started a “Here come the Irish!” chant, so I think it’s a safe bet that there were students and plenty of fans there! Lots of energy coming from the bands, and the crowd gave it right back. The sound was great, and there was even a mosh pit (and no, I did not participate). We don’t often get this sort of national act right downtown (we usually have to drive to one of the local casinos, or up to Chicago), especially punk bands, so this was a fun treat. I got a kickass black Murphys tanktop and I’m looking forward to wearing that soon. I am definitely a new fan, and I will seek out more of their music. We listened to one of their CDs as we were driving to the game and while we were tailgating on Saturday, and it was a great soundtrack for the day!

Fun show and fun bands...I hope we get a few more like that in the future!

Coming soon to this space: Friday night’s festivities and today’s lunch and tour of the State Theater with Drew.

Here is a snippet of video that Ken took. TURN IT UP!

Irish win!

Today was the first game of the 2013-2014 Notre Dame football season, and man, were we both psyched, or what?!

We were not quite as psyched about the weather forecast, which was originally calling for temperatures close to 90° and high humidity, which would have made for a pretty miserable day at Notre Dame Stadium. However, the forecast moderated a bit, and it ended up being not quite as warm, but still very humid. It wasn’t a huge surprise to see dark clouds move in and we got a little rain. It wasn’t a total disaster, because we sat in the truck and ate our lunch, and by the time we were ready to head into the Stadium, it was starting to let up. We were bummed that we didn’t get to hook up with some of Ken’s coworkers, though, who were tailgating in the parking lot. It would have been great to stop by and say hi and have a beverage with them, but the weather just didn’t cooperate with that. Hopefully next game!

It was great to be back at ND for football, and our new seats were quite good. Another of Ken’s coworkers sold us his and his Mom’s season tickets for this year (face value, no shenanigans there!), so we actually have ND season tickets...at least for one year! We are about a third of the way up in the end zone opposite the Notre Dame student section. Good seats!

The woman sitting next to me was from (I think) New Jersey, and it was her first time at Notre Dame. Her daughter, Lucy, was right behind us, and Lucy is thinking of attending ND. Ellen had lots of questions for me, and we enjoyed chatting. It was nice to hear her say that her and Lucy have had a great experience at ND, and that everyone has been very nice. She said she really enjoyed talking to me and appreciated me trying to answer her questions as best I could. It was my pleasure, Ellen, and I hope we see you and Lucy in the future!

The sun finally came back out, and let me tell you, it got hot and humid! It wasn’t like I had heavy clothes on, but I was still getting overheated. I can’t even imagine how bad it was for all the players. Ouch! After we got home and got stuff unloaded, we both took cool showers just to rinse off and get cool. Felt great...I bet the players enjoyed their showers, too!

Of course, the best thing of all was that we got the win. ND is 1-0 on the season, as is the Lucky Underwear (yes, it’s back!). I can honestly say that they have a lot of work to do, because the defense was a little porous, Tommy Rees didn’t always read the openings well, and we struggled a bit on offense. We’ll see what happens in the coming games, but I’m guessing that Brian Kelly is going to work the hell out of them this week. Love you, Irish, and I’m looking forward to seeing you all season...and seeing you WIN!

I have to say that I am about wiped out. Game Day is always fun, but it’s quite a hike into the Stadium from the parking lot (no guilt about skipping my workout today!). With today’s heat and humidity, it just about did me in. The next home game is September 21st against Michigan State, so maybe it will be a little cooler for that game. Fingers crossed!

A fun day, and Football Fangirl is very happy!

Tomorrow is a tour of the State Theater with Drew, and yes, there WILL be pictures of the pink-tiled women’s bathroom!

A gazillion thanks

Today was my 51st birthday, and I can’t begin to thank my family and friends enough for all the kind words and good wishes. I had a low-key day, which was probably a good thing after last night’s Dropkick Murphys concert! (Pictures and more info coming soon...I just didn’t have it in me to mess with it today!)

I got some great cards, a couple of phone calls, and Ken gave me a super cool book about Johnny Cash, and a Johnny CD with a couple of previously-unreleased tracks. I also got a package from Bill and Libby in Las Vegas: a nice card and a cool black Route 66/Las Vegas t-shirt! What a nice thing for them to do! I even got a present from Sheeba: a dead mouse on the basement stairs. Awww! Best kitty!

We’re actually not doing anything tonight, and that is fine by me! I got my ya-yas out last night, and we’ve got a busy weekend ahead, with a comedy show Friday night, a tour of the State Theater with Drew on Sunday, and of course…

The Notre Dame football opener on Saturday! Woohoo! I’ll be picking up sandwiches and stuff tomorrow for tailgating, and I am super excited to cheer on the Irish! It’s going to be a hot and steamy day in the Stadium...thank goodness I bought that ND tank top a while back, because even a t-shirt will be hot that day!

Thanks again, you guys. All the nice comments really made my day special, and it meant a lot to me. I’ve known many of my online friends for quite a few years, and after getting to know you over a period of time, I’ve even met many of you and look forward to more meetings in the future! I don’t automatically trust...it takes a bit for that, but when that happens, it’s been a pleasure to meet you on our various travels. We’ve never had a bad experience, but after you’ve been friends online for a while, you really get to know people, at least in my opinion.

Anyway, cheers to you all!

Save your money and your time

Yesterday, I saw that there was a new short “insider” book out about the Michele Bachmann presidential campaign. I’m sure most of you remember that I was thoroughly entertained by the crazy train that was the 2012 Republican primaries, and Michele “Crazy Eyes” Bachmann was, for one brief, shining moment, the conductor. She was definitely one of the most scarily hilarious—hilariously scary?—candidates I’ve ever seen.

So when I saw this book was out, I thought, “Oo! That’s worth a quick read!” Oh, how mistaken I was. At least I didn’t spend $2.99 on it (the price on Amazon) and instead chose to exercise our Prime membership and borrow it for free from the Kindle Lending Library (a nice feature). If I’d paid any money for it, I’d be pissed. I can never get the moments back in my life that I spent reading this drivel, though.

There is just so much wrong here. Where do I begin? The editing is pretty bad. The author speaks of “thunder and lightening.” I don’t fret about that when I see it posted somewhere, but when I read it in a book, I am not impressed. It was also written that there was an issue with “steeling the list.” Seriously? Inexcusable in a published work.

What really bothered me, though, was the nonstop snark of the main writer, who I guess was John Gilmore. Both he and his co-author, Peter Waldron, were higher-ups in Bachmann’s campaign, and seem to have grown rather disenchanted with their candidate. Mainly because she wasn’t religious enough, or took the advice of others over them? It was hard to tell in this jumble of junior high school Mean Girl snarkiness. Gilmore goes after everyone.

• He writes that Minnesota disgraced itself by electing Al Franken.
• He wrote something about the Democrats putting rollers on Walter Mondale and wheeling him out to campaign.
• About a reporter for The Atlantic, he wrote this: “No word if the reporter ever wrote a story about Bill Ayers. Her first name is French for a particular shade of red. You know the type.” What does that even mean?
• He writes that Ron Paul was a “seriously unserious candidate.”
• He went after Florida, writing, “In Lutz, Florida (only Florida would have a town that rhymes with putz)....”
• He went after Minnesota again: “Minnesotans, as is their wont, remain largely clueless.”
• He even went after Erica Jong for some reason, calling her a “dated, flash-in-the-pan author.”
• He constantly goes after the “liberal media.” Yawn.
• He goes into a long defense of Peter Waldron, his co-author. Why devote so much time and space to such a thing? Perhaps a little too much protesting?
• The real kicker for me was this about Bachmann, which morphed into a slam against Hillary Clinton: “...[S]he possessed no such skills. The same can be said of any number of democratic candidates, but, somehow, they are better actors, thus getting away with it. Nothing else explains the success of the very unaccomplished Hillary Clinton.”

We’re talking about the very popular former Secretary of State here, folks. And this guy calls her “very unaccomplished.”

The entire thing had a tone of misogyny, snarkiness, and pettiness, although he had high praise for Marcus Bachmann. Make of that what you will. He also seems to still have a thing for Michele, ignoring the rejection of his candidate by the majority, chalking it up to campaign mismanagement rather than the candidate’s own flaws. He truly seems to think that if Bachmann had been allowed to unleash her evangelical mojo, she would have appealed to more people. He just doesn’t seem to get that her extreme message didn’t resonate beyond a relatively small group of conservative Christians. I also have to say that if this guy is part of the conservative Christian evangelical movement, and he seems to be, he’s not exactly bringing anyone over to his side with his snarkiness and puerile insults. Just the opposite. He comes across as a petty little bitch.

He winds up with a slam on Michele Bachmann: “There may be second acts in American life, but if there is any justice, Michele Bachmann will not have one.” I can’t argue with that, but I have to wonder just what he thought his candidate was all about. I learned very little new from this book. It seems pretty obvious that there were ethical violations in the campaign, although the investigation is ongoing. It is common knowledge that campaign workers were not treated well and many went unpaid.

You know what you get when you treat people that way? You get a misogynistic former campaign worker writing a shitty book. I’m no Bachmann fan, but the tone of this book made me dislike the author even more. I’m glad the entire campaign tanked, because dealing with these insufferable idiots in a presidential administration would be close to torture.