Regular Life

At a recent Cub Scouts den meeting, one of the boys brought his mother to help explain and showcase the violin. It is one of my favorite instruments, so despite my usual reservations about taking Benjamin to a meeting that ends a half hour past his bedtime (on a school night), I looked forward to the evening.

I took along my digital recorder to capture some of the live music. What I got was not what I expected.

In this clip, the young lady explains the bow, and Benjamin’s input bewilders one of his fellow Scouts who happens to be just as vocal. If not more.

A transcript follows after the more link below, for those who either have no way to listen or cannot make it out.

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(Click to enlarge.)

 
Sound Clip – Ben explains how some spiders catch their prey.
 

It wasn’t what I had in mind when I started the car Sunday morning.

After my son and I played catch and other games in the back yard early, I decided we needed to get out of the house, to one of the places I recently discovered while wandering away from work.

On past walks and bicycle rides to the donut shop, Benjamin had toted along books in his backpack. The tradition became this: move a while, then stop and sit on the sidewalk for me to read him a book. Benjamin decided to continue this tradition on trips that don’t involve deep-fried breakfast food.

This time there was a twist that, while initially undesirable, turned out to be pleasant. (as usual, please use headphones or earbuds for maximum immersion)

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These sound clips should take some of you back to your childhood. Sadly, they may take some of you nowhere because you weren’t born yet. Or, and this might be sadder still, you just aren’t geeky enough.

Naming the clip is encouraged.

 
I wrote this in anticipation of a movie slated for a 2010 release. For extra phantom bonus points, name it.

Following my after-dark Harvard experience, I quickly made my way back to the “T” and rode back to Davis Square, where I ate at Redbones, a southern-style barbecue restaurant. Never would I have guessed that I would find barbecue to rival that found in Memphis and Alabama (can’t speak for Kansas City). Seated at the counter in full view of the grill and the rest of the kitchen, I got a firsthand look at how it’s all done, but I took pictures of the crowd instead.

I also came away with a much better understanding of what root beer can be. Tower Root Beer in a bottle — try it if you have a chance. Apparently it started in 1914, went out of production in 1978, and just returned to the market last year. It is made with (a lot of) pure cane sugar, not that corn syrup-based crap (but they now offer a diet option, too).

I got (and this time recorded) directions from a Redbones staffer and easily made it back to the main highway and then my hotel. I found during my trip that the abbreviation she used for “Avenue” is quite common in those parts.

The next day I ended up working later than I had anticipated, and missed meeting up with Dave and his brother in Boston. I was very bummed about that, but at least he had someone along with him to still have a good time.

Widener Library on Harvard Yard (click to enlarge)

One of my goals for the trip was to see and walk around the grounds of Harvard University.

I got out of the customer’s site a little late on my last night there, so I was in a rush to get to my hotel, change clothes and grab my camera, and get to the campus before dark.

As the pictures show, I didn’t make it.

Despite that, through the course of the evening, I:

• Rode a subway for the first time ever,
• Ate an amazing barbecue sandwich and drank the best root beer I’ve ever had, and
• Added another area to the list of places I would like to live

.

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Sometimes a walk with a child is just what the soul needs. The bird sounds help, too.

While visiting family over Memorial Day weekend, Benjamin and I lit out Sunday morning for a nearby Tulsa city park. The air was dry, the breeze was light, and the sun shone down just hot enough to make us appreciate the shady spots.

The birds sounded glad to be alive and were busy impressing, defending, and maybe even making small talk. Benjamin was his usual talkative self.

Use headphones or earbuds to let the clips below surround you in exactly what I heard (and hear what makes a binaural recording superior to mere stereo).

You might feel like you’re walking right alongside Benjamin. His mother and grandmother come up on the right in one clip, coincidentally about the same time a blue jay gets annoyed.

It sounds corny, but closing your eyes enhances the listening experience.

(click any image to enlarge and any play button to listen)

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It’s been too long since I’ve posted a sound clip out here.

Back in February, Benjamin improvised a song — part gibberish, part sweet, and part nonsensical. In other words, all the parts that make up most popular songs today (except the sweet part, maybe).

Click the “play” button below to listen.

The Hindu wedding we attended was an enriching experience.
(More detail another day. Click to enlarge)

I’m trying something different today — brief comments on What I’m Hearing, What I’m Reading, What I’m Seeing, and What I’m Doing, including sound clips and pictures.

What I’m Hearing

Lately I have been listening to a mix CD made by Moksha Gren (frequent commenter here). High points are artists Sufjan Smith Stephens, Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley, and The Hold Steady. While cruising home from work with the top down in Texas, I can’t get enough of the opening line, “They got to the part with the cattle and the creeping things,” on The Hold Steady’s “Cattle and the Creeping Things.”

Also, a Jedi with an identity crisis has been hanging around our house. I recorded a bit of my conversation with him.

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In an eastern Oklahoma convenience store near one end of the Cherokee Turnpike.

(click to enlarge)

(click the “play” button to listen)

when I have it all on “tape?”

When I recorded this, I was hoping for an encore performance of “Rock Band Goin’ On,” but I got something else entirely. (edited for time)

Fake Song

Okay, so the guitar doesn’t stay in tune all that well, but it’s still pretty good for a kid’s toy.