Must .. Block .. Backyardigans … before I completely lose my mind.

Noggin, the Nickolodeon preschool channel (best part = ZERO ads), has lots of good stuff that is consistently within the developmental range of our toddler. It is much appreciated but I MUST find a way to block to the following shows: The Backyardigans and The Wonder Pets.

Why you ask?

Because they DRONE ON in monochromatic and repetitive melodies (on different topics) that would serve well for torture interrogation techniques (that would contravene the Geneva Convention for sure).

Don’t be mistaken by the good review for wonder pets in it’s wiki-entry. A chimp could write better and DIFFERENT scores for these episodes (and THE SAME THING HAPPENS IN EACH ONE).

I can imagine that if they had the Backyardigans or Wonder Pets to blast during the Waco siege, we would have had a different outcome. Everyone would have run for surrender on the first day.

A beautiful example of a musical show that totally GETS it and doesn’t make you want to rip your eyelids right off your own face is Jack’s Big Music Show. My goodness its like comparing twinkies to apples, saccharine to fructose, ABBA to New Order, ok, I think that’s far enough.

I must figure out how to block individual shows on a satellite channel without blocking the entire channel.

Must .. Block .. Backyardigans … before I completely lose my mind.

Noggin, the Nickolodeon preschool channel (best part = ZERO ads), has lots of good stuff that is consistently within the developmental range of our toddler. It is much appreciated but I MUST find a way to block to the following shows: The Backyardigans and The Wonder Pets.

Why you ask?

Because they DRONE ON in monochromatic and repetitive melodies (on different topics) that would serve well for torture interrogation techniques (that would contravene the Geneva Convention for sure).

Don’t be mistaken by the good review for wonder pets in it’s wiki-entry. A chimp could write better and DIFFERENT scores for these episodes (and THE SAME THING HAPPENS IN EACH ONE).

I can imagine that if they had the Backyardigans or Wonder Pets to blast during the Waco siege, we would have had a different outcome. Everyone would have run for surrender on the first day.

A beautiful example of a musical show that totally GETS it and doesn’t make you want to rip your eyelids right off your own face is Jack’s Big Music Show. My goodness its like comparing twinkies to apples, saccharine to fructose, ABBA to New Order, ok, I think that’s far enough.

I must figure out how to block individual shows on a satellite channel without blocking the entire channel.

Q is always out in the yard looking at rocks she has dug up, asking me questions about this or that aspect of the rock. I can answer some of the questions but never really help ID the rock.

One day we were cruising a bookstore and she requested that we buy a rock field guide. This is a great one, called Collins wild guide “Rock and Minerals” by the Smithsonian.

Now she brings the rocks inside and tries to figure out what she has. Its still a challenge!

Q is always out in the yard looking at rocks she has dug up, asking me questions about this or that aspect of the rock. I can answer some of the questions but never really help ID the rock.

One day we were cruising a bookstore and she requested that we buy a rock field guide. This is a great one, called Collins wild guide “Rock and Minerals” by the Smithsonian.

Now she brings the rocks inside and tries to figure out what she has. Its still a challenge!

Q gets some help from her study-partner, a stuffed cat.

I never took a “real” geography class until undergrad and even then only because it was a prerequisite. I thought I was going to be bored, like I was in scociology and psychology classes. But, I LOVED IT! I think its because I am a traveler at heart. One without money and thus one that always WANTED to travel. In geography class you get to learn deeply about places far away or next door. Its always fascinating to delve into maps and archeological data and current demographics.

We are working through a resource book now that helps Q learn more about geographical resources. When we want to take a step further we always surf to the National Geographic site and immerse in whatever strikes the fancy.

You can visit National Geographic for Kids site at this link.

Old maps are amazing things!

Q gets some help from her study-partner, a stuffed cat.

I never took a “real” geography class until undergrad and even then only because it was a prerequisite. I thought I was going to be bored, like I was in scociology and psychology classes. But, I LOVED IT! I think its because I am a traveler at heart. One without money and thus one that always WANTED to travel. In geography class you get to learn deeply about places far away or next door. Its always fascinating to delve into maps and archeological data and current demographics.

We are working through a resource book now that helps Q learn more about geographical resources. When we want to take a step further we always surf to the National Geographic site and immerse in whatever strikes the fancy.

You can visit National Geographic for Kids site at this link.

Old maps are amazing things!

We have pre-ordered our copy of Neil Young‘s new protest album “Living with War”. You can get it too at Amazon at this link.

Read his blog here.

In case you have not heard about this, Neil Young has pushed out this album in record speed and with MAJOR record company backing. It features the song “Let’s Impeach the President.”

Young is also pushing it out into the cyberspace as a free listen and you can get a stream of the entire album at this link.

As Young says at his site, foreign media have been predicting that this album would get no play in the US, a rational assumption considering the lock that Clear Channel and other pro-Bush pro-war multi-national conglomerates has on all aspects of our media.

Thankfully major radio stations ARE playing this album. KLOS in LA played the album IN ITS ENTIRETY, with no commercials, on a recent Saturday AND Sunday.

If you are so inclined, please host the free listening option at your blog/site by going to this link (recommended by the Neil Young site) and post something for your readers to consider.

“Lets Impeach the President” – Lyrics

Let’s impeach the president for lying

And leading our country into war

Abusing all the power that we gave him

And shipping all our money out the door

He’s the man who hired all the criminals

The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors

And bend the facts to fit with their new stories

Of why we have to send our men to war

Let’s impeach the president for spying

On citizens inside their own homes

Breaking every law in the country

By tapping our computers and telephones

What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees

Would New Orleans have been safer that way

Sheltered by our government’s protection

Or was someone just not home that day?

Let’s impeach the president

For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected

Dividing our country into colors

And still leaving black people neglected

Thank god he’s racking down on steroids

Since he sold his old baseball team

There’s lot of people looking at big trouble

But of course the president is clean

Thank God

Thanks for reading!

Technorati taggage:
Neil, Young, Neil Young, Living, War, Living with War, Impeach, President, Impeach the President, George, Bush, George Bush, Impeach Bush, George W. Bush, album, protest, lyrics.

This last weekend Q and I got out of the house and went out to find a flea market or yard sale. Mostly we wanted some exercise and sun. The sun was amazing! As is usual with our trips to yard sales and flea markets, we bought exactly nothing! But we did take along a camera and Q did a bit of a photo-essay of the trip.

First off, we drove a WAYS to a flea market in Charlton that turned out to be a major let-down! It was one of those markets where you dont see any real antiques or anything of interest but lots of new socks, assorted cheap junk, and shampoo.

Q has sharp young eyes and so she caught stuff on camera that I didnt even notice!

The wonderful thing about this flea market was not the market at all. It was the horse ranch right next to it. We spent some time with the horses.

After this, we found a really scrappy yard sale that had much more interesting things to shoot.

Q found some tiny wrenches that she wanted a pic of.

KD got out into the sun too!

I would say that Q took some beautiful pictures and has a good sense for composition and subject. We will definitely go out on photo expeditions again soon!

We have pre-ordered our copy of Neil Young‘s new protest album “Living with War”. You can get it too at Amazon at this link.

Read his blog here.

In case you have not heard about this, Neil Young has pushed out this album in record speed and with MAJOR record company backing. It features the song “Let’s Impeach the President.”

Young is also pushing it out into the cyberspace as a free listen and you can get a stream of the entire album at this link.

As Young says at his site, foreign media have been predicting that this album would get no play in the US, a rational assumption considering the lock that Clear Channel and other pro-Bush pro-war multi-national conglomerates has on all aspects of our media.

Thankfully major radio stations ARE playing this album. KLOS in LA played the album IN ITS ENTIRETY, with no commercials, on a recent Saturday AND Sunday.

If you are so inclined, please host the free listening option at your blog/site by going to this link (recommended by the Neil Young site) and post something for your readers to consider.

“Lets Impeach the President” – Lyrics

Let’s impeach the president for lying

And leading our country into war

Abusing all the power that we gave him

And shipping all our money out the door

He’s the man who hired all the criminals

The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors

And bend the facts to fit with their new stories

Of why we have to send our men to war

Let’s impeach the president for spying

On citizens inside their own homes

Breaking every law in the country

By tapping our computers and telephones

What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees

Would New Orleans have been safer that way

Sheltered by our government’s protection

Or was someone just not home that day?

Let’s impeach the president

For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected

Dividing our country into colors

And still leaving black people neglected

Thank god he’s racking down on steroids

Since he sold his old baseball team

There’s lot of people looking at big trouble

But of course the president is clean

Thank God

Thanks for reading!

Technorati taggage:
Neil, Young, Neil Young, Living, War, Living with War, Impeach, President, Impeach the President, George, Bush, George Bush, Impeach Bush, George W. Bush, album, protest, lyrics.

This last weekend Q and I got out of the house and went out to find a flea market or yard sale. Mostly we wanted some exercise and sun. The sun was amazing! As is usual with our trips to yard sales and flea markets, we bought exactly nothing! But we did take along a camera and Q did a bit of a photo-essay of the trip.

First off, we drove a WAYS to a flea market in Charlton that turned out to be a major let-down! It was one of those markets where you dont see any real antiques or anything of interest but lots of new socks, assorted cheap junk, and shampoo.

Q has sharp young eyes and so she caught stuff on camera that I didnt even notice!

The wonderful thing about this flea market was not the market at all. It was the horse ranch right next to it. We spent some time with the horses.

After this, we found a really scrappy yard sale that had much more interesting things to shoot.

Q found some tiny wrenches that she wanted a pic of.

KD got out into the sun too!

I would say that Q took some beautiful pictures and has a good sense for composition and subject. We will definitely go out on photo expeditions again soon!