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According to the spinoff of the anime series, Yu-Gi-Oh, titled, Yu-Gi-Oh GX, the letters GX stand for for Generation Next.
How the bleeping Hell GX stands for Generation Next, I will never know. Well, its Generation neXt, I guess. Still seems like bull to me.
de Namahagetecno37 19 Iunie 2008
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Can you define these popular missing words?
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To trim an individual's ass hair with the aid of one's teeth.
"man, i totally gx'ed that bitch last night... like i gx'ed yo momma!"
de emily walford 25 Ianuarie 2005
Generation X: Wrestling faction of the Anarchist Wrestling Federation, Cape May County, NJ chapter.
A.K.A. the OTCRN or Organization That Chooses to Remain Nameless
A.K.A. the OTCRN or Organization That Chooses to Remain Nameless
Face the wrath of the members of GX.
Witness the return of GX
Witness the return of GX
de Chris Calvert 16 Aprilie 2004


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On creepiness; or, life under the male gaze
On creepiness. - untitld
A word on "creepy": I know it gets thrown around a lot without necessarily being explained, so I'll take a crack at it. "Creepy" doesn't have to be a one-on-one thing, or even an attraction thing. People can notice it even without an overt sexual aspect. I like to think of it as a Spidey sense women develop under duress. When you're female, unwelcome male attention kicks in when you're YOUNG, with no power to do anything about it. Sure, you could slug a classmate, maybe, but not six of them, or the grown men who follow you down the street in their cars trying to get you to come with them, or the mob of boys on bikes who chase you in a pack every time they see you, or the godfather who leers and says inappropriate stuff even with other people in the room, or the guys who scream "Cow!" out the car at you because they can see your (skinny, even!) midriff in the cool new shirt you cut up, or or or … and that's just stuff that happened to me in the year I was 12. It starts young (no, really, young) and doesn't go away. We don't get to fight back, either. When we complain, we're told the same things: "It means he likes you. You should be flattered!" "Oh, that's not that bad." "You should've known better than to wear that." "Well, walk a different way next time." "just ignore him." The only way we're given to deal with it is avoiding trouble, so we get really good at picking up on subtext. Like, REALLY good. "It's your job to predict the future and avoid it" good. Like, "your life actually depends on it" good. So we learn to see the world through that head-up display from "Predator." We don't get the luxury of not noticing stuff. . . .

subset: commoncrawl


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The Sound Box : Musical Listening Game
The Sound Box listening game is marvellous for toddlers and small children because they are insatiably curious and simply can't resist having a go and a guess! This game is perfect for encouraging shy children to come forward and speak up, and the more confidant ones to listen carefully before just calling out the answer. It can be played with just one child, or in a group and comes in handy at parties as a quieter activity for calming things down.
The Sound Box Musical Listening Game Song Lyrics
Here's a box! Here's a lid!
Can you guess, inside what's hid?
Can you guess? Can you hear?
If you listen with your ear!
(Sung to the tune of Little Brown Jug)
How to Play The Sound Box Musical Listening Game
What you need:
- A number of small containers that are not see-through (I use old film canisters, but plastic eggs/kinder eggs would work well)
- Collected items that make a distinctive sound for example : pennies, shells, sugar, rice, bells etc.
- A larger box to hide them all in
2. At the end of the song you produce one of the sound pots and offer it to the child to shake and listen to. Even really young toddlers love playing this listening game, and if they need a little help you can prompt them with easy clues like 'something you find on the beach' for shells or something that begins with a "sh" sound. They are usually desperate to see the contents, and you will have to be quick to supervise this in order to avoid showers of rice or the threat of small objects.
3. You can ask the children to help you count how many pennies or shells there are inside and encourage them to do this on their own if they want to. Repeat The Sound Box song before you bring out each new sound, and line up all the pots.
4. At the end, let the child shake each one in turn and see if they remember it's contents.
Children love routine and order, and the regular sequence of singing, shaking, guessing, counting and then remembering at the end appeals to them. They love the reasoning and predicting element and and are reassured by the repetitive pattern of the game. Older children really enjoy playing it too as it becomes a memory game. They will anticipate the sounds, listen carefully, and always love to demonstrate how clever they are!
Follow Sara @ Let's Play Music's board Listening Games on Pinterest.
If you enjoyed this post, come and join us on Facebook, Pinterest and Google + or subscribe to our free bi-weekly newsletter for many more musical ideas!
(17) Comments
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Fab!! It's intresting creative and fun and that's just for us lol the kids love this x
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What a great idea. I have featured this on The Sunday Showcase: http://www.herecomethegirlsblog.com/2014/02/23/prepare-for-school.html
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What a fun learning activity! I pinned!
thanks for linking up to TGIF! Have a great week,
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I love the pictures in this post. The set-up looks quite inviting. I'm sure even toddlers would love this game. Thanks for linking up to the Hearts for Home
bloghop last week. I'm featuring you tomorrow over at The Hands-On Homeschooler
as a part of my favorites.
I love this idea. Definitely makes them think while also having fun!


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New Orleans has many festivals celebrating music, food and culture all year round. We have listed some of th ehighlights here. For a more extensive list of Festivals in New Orleans, see: http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/festivals/festivals.html
There's no better place to be during the biggest party of the year! Canal Street Inn is locatedaway from themain hustle and bustle,but on the route for the grandest night parade. You'll have front-row seats to the perfect amount of action.
There are numerous St. Patrick's Day parades and activities around New Orleans and suburbs. More information about the parades.
French Quarter Festival
More than 800 musicians will perform over the course of the weekend, and more than 70 restaurants will be setting up on the French Quarter Festival. You'll find it in such places as Bourbon Street, Royal Street, Jackson Square, the open-air French Market and the grassy Woldenberg Park along the Mississippi River. Music event is free.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Canal Street Inn offers a great home base from which to enjoy the many varied events of Jazz Fest. We are within walking distance of the fair grounds, one of the largest Jazz Fest venues. Held the last weekend in April and first weekend in May, the Jazz Festival is the second-biggest event in New Orleans, so book early!
Free outdoor event in the beautiful Bayou St. John in New Orleans' Mid-City neighborhood for the annual Bayou Boogaloo.
New Orleans Wine & Food Experience
Thousands of wine and food lovers are expected to gather here again as they have done every year since 1992 for this extraordinary event. The NOWFE spotlights the city's legendary restaurants along with fine wines from around the globe.
Oyster Festival
This free, two-day, outdoor event is usually held primarily in the parking lot adjacent to the Jax Brewery, with a few related events held elsewhere in the nearby French Quarter. It features live music, contests and competitions, and tasting events starring the festival's namesake, the Louisiana Oyster.
4th of July
This Creole country house was once owned by New Orleans' first American mayor, James Pitot. A beautiful example of Louisiana Colonial architecture, the House is now a museum featuring Louisiana and American antiques from the early 1800s.
Satchmo Fest
Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong birthday celebration in U.S. Mint. Music all weekend on festival stages featuring traditional jazz, contemporary jazz, brass bands & children's programming.
Voodoo Music Experience
The festival takes over City Park with two main stages and several smaller stages not to mention countless local food and beverage vendors. New Orleans is under a weekend-long spell of music, food, crafts and culture. Come enjoy Voodoo Fest
Swamp Fest
Learn more about the Cajun culture with special animal feedings and hands-on encounters in addition to Cajun storytelling, pirogue-building, and wild fowl carving presentations in the now-famous Louisiana Swamp Exhibit. The event takes place at Audubon Zoo.
Christmas New Orleans Style
Free concerts are held in historic St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the U.S. Not far from Canal Street Inn, tour magnificent Celebration in the Oaks at City Park, a festive display of nearly two million lights decorating one-hundred-year-old oak trees.


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Villas-Boas wants title at Spurs after revealing Chelsea anger
New Tottenham boss says time at Chelsea was 'cut short' and Abramovich 'quit' on him
IT LOOKS like there could be some added spice in the London derby between Spurs and Chelsea this season after new Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas aimed a few well directed barbs at his former employers, and said he would "never accept" the decision of Roman Abramovich to dispense with his services last season.
He admitted that he had made mistakes during his eight-month reign at Stamford Bridge but also made it clear that he felt his time there was "cut short".
The Portuguese lifted the lid on what happened when Abramovich gave him is marching orders and said: "I told him that it was him quitting on me when he had been so much involved in the beginning in bringing me in and he was the one, also, who was not putting up to the things he promised."
The events of last season will not be forgotten, said The Guardian. "Villas-Boas insisted that he was not on any personal mission to restore his reputation at Spurs but, speaking for the first time about the heated confrontation with Abramovich in which he was fired, it was clear the frustration remains with him."
However, it could be beneficial at Spurs where Villas-Boas "is prepared to meet expectation head on – and then exceed it," according to The Daily Telegraph. "There is no need for motivation. He has a point to prove. And that includes being title challengers."
The new boss is certainly feeling bullish says the BBC. "Previous manager Harry Redknapp departed after guiding Spurs to fourth, fifth and fourth in the space of three seasons. But Villas-Boas thinks Tottenham can challenge for their first title since 1961."
But how can he avoid the mistakes he made at Chelsea? Portuguese journalist Goncalo Lopes, writing for the London Evening Standard, thinks the answer is simple. "He has to win over the squad, which he failed to do at Chelsea. The vast majority of players there had won more titles than he had. Most of all, they were not willing to listen to a man of his age who, in managerial terms, they regarded as a child."
And the new manager has already begun outlining his vision for next season, admitting that Luka Modric will be sold to provide funds for new players, possibly including Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho, while Emmanuel Adebayor could also become a permanent addition to the Spurs squad after spending last season on loan at White Hart Lane.


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Virginia is for Spammers? High Court Shoots Down Anti-Spam Law
The big court news of the day comes to us from Virginia, where Jeremy Jaynes — who in 2004 became the first person in the country to be convicted of a felony for sending spam — has been vindicated by the state's high court.
Here's the money passage from the opinion, which was penned by Justice G. Steven Agee, now of the Fourth Circuit:
Many other states have regulated unsolicited bulk e-mail but, unlike Virginia, have restricted such regulation to commercial e-mails . . . There is nothing in the record or arguments of the parties, however, suggesting that unsolicited non-commercial bulk e-mails were the target of this legislation, caused increased costs to the Internet service providers, or were otherwise a focus of the problem sought to be addressed . . . Therefore, viewed under the strict scrutiny standard [Virginia's anti-spam law] is not narrowly tailored to protect the compelling interests advanced by the Commonwealth.
The court held that the law "is unconstitutionally overbroad on its face because it prohibits the anonymous transmission of all unsolicited bulk e-mails, including those containing political, religious or other speech protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."
According to this AP report, Jaynes' attorney, Thomas Wolf, has said sending commercial spam would still be illegal under the federal CAN-SPAM Act even if Virginia's law is invalidated. However, he said the federal law would not apply to Jaynes because it was adopted after he sent the e-mails that were the basis for the state charges.
If you're curious about Jayne's spamming transgressions, here's what happened, according to the factual record laid out in the opinion. From his home in Raleigh, N.C., Jaynes used several computers, routers and servers to send over 10,000 e-mails within a 24 hour period to AOL subscribers. While executing a search warrant of his home, police found a cache of compact discs containing over 176 million full e-mail addresses and 1.3 billion e-mail user names. The search also led to the confiscation of discs which contained AOL e-mail address information and other personal and private account information for millions of AOL subscribers — all of which had been stolen from AOL by a former employee and was in Jaynes's possession.


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26 July 2011
I was craving coconut water the other day and then I had a flashback when my aunt and uncle used to crack open young coconuts and poured us a refreshing glass. Then, we'd use the coconut halves as bowls, scooped ice cream into them and ate it with the coconut meat. Yurrrm. Wow...that's like the roots of OLD BRAND NEW! Anyway, I decided to try it for myself and voila! I call it the island ice cream.
Have any of you ever opened a coconut? It's actually pretty easy. First, you hack around at the top of the coconut with the corner of a knife. Be super careful with your dainty fingers. And after the top is opened, pour coconut water into a cup. Young coconut water is the best so drink up! Now, hack the coconut in half and scoop ice cream into it. Here, I used green tea ice cream and durian ice cream and sprinkled raw, crushed peanuts. Enjoy!
25 Comments so far
Yum! That looks really good!ReplyDelete
Oh my: I saw this come up on Flickr, looking utterly delicious, and now that I know exactly what's in it, it looks even more irresistible...it's like a South-East-Asian flavour ambassador!ReplyDelete
wow...this is quite pretty.ReplyDelete
delicious! coconuts aren't exactly plentiful here in ohio, so i will have to try this next time i am in LA!ReplyDelete
Whoa, durian ice cream? Does it smell? Where did you get it?ReplyDelete
you amaze meReplyDelete
...and i love durian.
@ PoetessWug It's so good, you got to try it!ReplyDelete
@ Lynn South-East Asian flavor ambassador. That's so well put! :D
@ Amanda Jane Thank you.
@ Drew They're everywhere here, you can even find them on the streets! :)
@ Crystal It smells...sweet! You can find them at Asian markets like 99 Ranch or just hit up the SGV and there's one on every block.
@ Jennifer I love durian too! It sooo good.
this looks effing deliciousReplyDelete
Holy heaven! You are a master (in the kitchen + behind the camera). :)ReplyDelete
@ Rolerkite Haha. Hell yeah it is! :DReplyDelete
@ Little Bouquets Thanks! It's delicious.
@ Jessica You are too kind. Thank you! I'll have to make some for ya!
WOW. All I can say is... brilliant.ReplyDelete
♥ sécia
What gorgeous pictures, they look like they are straight from the pages of a beautiful food magazine!ReplyDelete
Ah, so refreshing!ReplyDelete
You are taking such excellent care of us during this heat wave ;)
Love this...very clever!ReplyDelete
Green tea ice cream is one of my faves!! and look at you with the cute coconut bowl. Aren't you fancy.ReplyDelete
so beautiful. let's do a jungalow cook book!!!ReplyDelete
Uhmm...hello ice cream gorgeousness!ReplyDelete
I never saw this kind of dessert before, it looks so so tasty and also just visualy beautiful.ReplyDelete
The photographs are also really nice.
I will propably make a try in the next days, thank you for sharing your tips.
These are gorgeous and look so delicious!ReplyDelete
Gimme that ice cream!!ReplyDelete
ahhhhhhh, you make me miss summer SO much!ReplyDelete
- PlumberThursday, July 28, 2011
ice cream looks mmmazingReplyDelete
Your ice cream looks so yummy!!! ♥ReplyDelete
Awesome concept and presentation. Sounds super yummy. I have friends with little restaurants in Bali where, of course, coconuts are in plentiful supply. I'll have to get them to put this on the menu!ReplyDelete


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When I was a teen and would see R-rated movies with my parental units, I'd pull a Angela Bassett from What's Love Got to Do With It and start feverishly chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" in hopes there wasn't a love scene because that would make the car ride home very awkward. But now that I'm an adult, when I see TV-MA on HBO, I react the way I do when I remember that it's my friend's birthday without getting a reminder from Facebook:
Basically, because I'm not 15, I don't go banana sandwich because there's sexy times in a film. This is not to say that I don't like them; I do. It just ain't my first time at the rodeo. So, these days, I get more excited about hilariously bad love scenes because a bunch of people had to join forces like Captain Planet's Planeteers to create them, and I love me a good group epic fail. I know I can't be the only one who feels this way. That's why I'm getting the ball rolling on this conversation by sharing with you with my list of the most ridiculous love scenes and in the comment section below, you can let me know what are yours. Let's get to it, shall we?
(WARNING: The videos in this post are super-duper NSFW. So please, please don't allow yourself to get caught reading this when you should be autosumming in Excel or watching Dora the Explorer with your daughter.)__
Shoot Em Up
In this 2007 action movie, Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci have sex while he's killing assassins. That makes about as much as sense as having sex while doing anything else! Hooking up is not the time for multitasking. Unless the guy is grabbing a boob and the vajayjay like a rock-climbing instructor does a rock-climbing wall. In that case, get your multitask on. Anyway, this lack of focus is not the most absurd thing about this scene. That would be the fact that Owen and Bellucci aren't fooling around in the simple missionary style. They're doing intricate spinning around like they're Brian Boitano doing a triple Salchow at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Oh, did I also mention that Bellucci's newborn baby is just chilling in the bathtub like a knocked-over bottle of Garnier Fructis shampoo as all of this is going on?
So you know how one of the prerequisites for being a lesbian is being a walking and talking JoAnn Fabrics arts and crafts factory (a.k.a. liking scissoring)? Turns out Hollywood doesn't care about that as evidenced by Gigli, the cinematic turd that put both of its stars'—Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck—careers on life support. The movie is written by a guy (of course) because in it, Lopez is a lifelong lesbian who is "turned" straight by Affleck's dimwitted junior mafia character mere moments after her girlfriend attempted suicide. Barf. Look, I believe that sexuality can be fluid, but it makes zero sense for her to be attracted to his lame-ass. #RealTalk, it takes a lot for people to change their sexuality when, for their entire life, they were one way. For instance, I have tons of pretty girl friends with pretty good Tumblr pages, and I'm still on Team Sauseege. Bottom line: If an awesome Tumblr page doesn't do the trick, then certainly a doofus in a white tank top won't either:
Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez Hot Love Sex Scene by Schutzengerl1205Howard the Duck
Shout-out to all the parents who let their kids watch this movie without explaining to their children about the whole almost bestiality thing. My mom and dad straight-up treated that subject like I do when I see there are bad ingredients on a box of food I'm about to buy:
a.k.a. I pretend I didn't read them and purchase the food anyway. My parents pretended the following foolishness didn't happen, so they didn't press stop on the VCR after this:
Team America: World Police
Like all the other clips on this list, this is funny. The only difference is that actually was South Park's Matt Stone and Trey's intention when they wrote the movie, which is about a North American anti-terrorist team portrayed by marionettes. Team America is full of laugh-out-loud moments, but one of my favorites is this sex scene. It's a commentary on how sex, especially in Hollywood films, can be silly. If you don't laugh at this, there's something wrong with you:
Last Tango in Paris
Hollywood, I'm tired of seeing love scenes where the woman's butt is exposed like the Coppertone girl, while the guy is fully clothed. Take Last Tango In Paris, for example. How in the hell is Marlon Brando having sex with Maria Schneider when she has no undies on, yet his pants are still up around his waist? Not that I'm dying to see middle-aged Brando buns, but sex needs to make sense in order to be believable. Finally, using butter as lube? I'm scarred for life:
The premise of this movie is simple. Jason Statham has poison running through his system that will kill him unless he keeps his adrenaline pumping above a certain level. Basically, it's Speed but for the human body. Pretty cool, right? Except for the scene where he semi-forces his ex-girlfriend, played by Amy Smart, to have sex with him in public so he won't die. Uh, time-out: We all know that as soon as dudes are done having sex, their heartbeats slow down, and they pass out like a someone who just had the Holy Ghost leave his body. In short, Statham would died right as soon as he finished. But putting that logic aside, the most ludicrous part is that Smart, who resists getting it on at first, suddenly and inexplicably gets extremely turned on. Ugh:
The Matrix Reloaded
Slow-motion sex scenes are beyond stupid. I understand that a lot of love-making is not like Seinfeld's George Costanza jackhammering a pothole. Plenty of people take it slow. But when movies portray slow boning, it looks cheesy and silly. And it looks even worse when in slo-mo like in The Matrix Reloaded. Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) sneak off to get down while the people of Zion are having a rave/orgy. This is supposed to be a centerpiece of the movie, but it's just awful:
10 Things Girls ALWAYS Do in Movies and NEVER Do in Real Life
The Room
Y'all, thanks to this 17-second scene, I learned two things: 1) that you can O-face before a sex act has begun, and 2) a dude's O-face can look similar to Tom Hanks chewing tobacco in A League of Their Own. WTF is wrong with this guy's jaw?! If my eyes could unsee, they would most definitely want to unsee this:
If you ever wondered what it would be like for Nemo to have sex while there's a toaster in the water, then this is the scene and movie for you. Most of us have seen this film, in which our darling Jesse Spano a.k.a. Elizabeth Berkley wanted to break out of the Saved by the Bell mold and let the world know she's not a teenager anymore. Unfortunately, instead of taking a selfie that was zoomed in on her budding crow's-feet and writing the caption: "Grown. Ass. Woman," she decided to make Showgirls, in which she portrayed a stripper who dreamed of becoming a Vegas showgirl. The movie is full of bad overacting, terrible plot developments, but worst of all, we have another example of a guy—the director, Joe Eszterhas—whose understanding of what is sexy is similar to a virgin teenage boy:
What do you think about this list? Agree or disagree? What are some of your favorite ridiculous love scenes?__


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SchoolBoston University
Class of2003
HometownBoston, MA
At a GlanceJames started stand-up in 2007 with the People's Republic of Komedy in Seattle, WA. He co-produced Laff Hole, Cracked-up, and the Bumbershoot Northwest comedy stage. For the past two years he has been chasing the comedy dragon in New York City.
BioSometimes you spend 27 years not writing, producing, or performing stand-up comedy. Then you try an open mic, dump your miserable girlfriend and decide to quit being a terrible real estate agent. That's comedy. The rest is a dream: Bumbershoot, Bridgetown comedy festival, and the cosmic leap to New York city.
The path of least resistance is choked with cars and lined with Walmarts and Ameri-trash chain restaurants like Chili's. To get anywhere interesting, you have to veer off course, even if you know there are sharks in the water. These are the adventures of the Half Dollar Rebel, a man who knows that a life well lived is going to cost some skin.
One Last Swift Kick to the Junk 6/24/12
The Devil I Know, The Demon I'll Become 6/14/12
If You Hate Gays, You Better Hate Cheeseburgers 5/29/12
When I'm Dead, Don't Touch My Shit 5/26/12
Apex Predator > Breakfast Bitch 5/21/12
Joss Whedon's Seventh Avenger 5/9/12
Kangaroo Court of Fighting Fish 4/30/12
Budgeting Plush Waffles and the Final Descent 3/7/12
Man's Triumph and the Vengeance of Sparrows 3/1/12
Every Beach Can't Be Normandy 2/21/12
Life is Going to Be This Way, Chandler Bing 2/13/12
Fallacy Frosting and the Blood Hunt 2/7/12
Goodbye My Love 2/3/12
Free Internet Gaming, Butler's, and the Blades 1/30/12
Beware the Foursquare Mayor and the New York City Fadeout 1/24/12
Tebow-mania and the Gridiron Grace 1/19/12
Low and Slow Occupy Chili 1/14/12
Paying Off the Midnight Waffles 1/11/12
Andy the Android, My Therapist and the Torque Therapy 1/8/12
Running the Dog through a Flaming Gorge en route to Manhattan 1/4/12


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What can I say but my life rocks – no other words can even start to describe my life – it is amazing. No – nothing will ever be perfect, I could still stand to win the lottery – but overall it's only money. Money can't buy you those things that are important. It's important to relish every moment we're given on this earth, put in 110% and make it our own – we control our own destiny and life gives you back what you put into it!
As I finish tonight putting up the TB pictures from the last month, an writing this, updating and thinking I'll never get this done before tomorrow when the next adventures start – I shake myself realizing how lucky I am to get to write this – so here goes.. 2 weeks off 1 ½ of those with 7 children in a cabin with not so great weather, 2 start of the day emergencies and a lost Dingo (yes the kind that eat babies), an Event, Conair @ Stoyoma an 2 trips to bridal falls – one planned an one was Karmic – and yes – Kam is staying for a bit.. yeah.. finally! – so ready for the ride – here goes.
We started out our trip in the best way possible - Jordy got to stop and see Ed again, funny how connected he feels to him - he always is happy to speak to him - talks to Ed more often then his own dad.. kind of neat to see him have that connection as he doesn't with a lot of people - Ed had his FTF prize for Hope Mountain - now we're hoping to claim some of those other FTF's a bit more North of here so we can have them engraved as well.. :)
|From http://picasaweb.google.com/trixnbun/ConairStoyoma
Ever since Jordy picked up Jingle Bells we keep running into Snow – at the top of mountains where we hike, top of mountains where we camp, top of mountains where we 4x4 too – imagine that and in August.. frustrating.. lol We started off the first day of vacation, Sat with a knock on the door at 8:30 – on Sat – neighbour needed help – late for work car problems. Cancel the sleep in – we then spend all day getting ready and finally get to the cabin. Sunday morning at Cabin at 9 AM, motorcycle in Drive way saying need phone, call 911 – dad hit deer on motorcycle. We call 911 an Jordy goes and help. Later that day we get adopted by a dog, figure don't feed it, he'll go home. No Dog didn't go home – so spend all day Monday finding who dog belongs too – after calling SPCA, putting up signs, buying dog food (this is in Tulameen.. lol) turns out dog belongs a few blocks down and is a sneaky little Dingo.. lol named Rigs – very nice dog – wanted to keep him – but alas no room in the in – besides right now my cat has fleas.. lol
We then spend the remainder of the week trying to entertain children in the lovely weather we were having, and decide let's go camping – so we make our way up to Apex.. yes cold, no fire won't start wood too wet. Fine make hot chocolate, go to bed will be better in morning – in morning snow all over everything – we still swear it's Jingle Bells fault.. lol so quickly pack up an back to cabin for remainder of week – finally Thursday – go home.. give kids to other parents and recover sanity.
Now to the fun stuff..
|From http://picasaweb.google.com/trixnbun/ConairStoyoma
Friday we get up excited - tomorrow we leave, we spend all day getting ready. Ribs, Prawns - wine, beer and yes dry Fire wood so we can leave nice and early Saturday and cache on the way up. We were to met Ashton, Natasha, Best Red & Teskelly in Boston Bar at about 2. Zuuk was to meet us at the campground - all should be good. Well you know those best laid plans, we got out of the house to have the #1 closed due to an accident so we made the best of it and figure still grab a few caches - 5 minutes in that traffic won't make a difference. So glad we did - we found Beastman's Evil genetic twin without the dog tag mutation.. lol
We get in the truck and go wait in line then all of a sudden are given a start when someone pops there head in the window and goes "hi" - lol it was Best Red, they were worried we might leave Boston Bar without them but were very pleased to know we were in the same line up as them just a bit further up. We finally make it to Boston Bar and meet up with everyone then can start the trip in. We went up the Utlize FSR out of Boston Bar, as the Spirious route appears to be closed. We then worked our way through the maze of trails - and yes we took wrong turns.. lol even though we've been there before. We finally made it into camp at about 6:30. Luckily Zuuk was already there, however he has his own adventure to tell. For the full version - best to read the logs on the Event.
But going to just paste the logs for best effect to capture the feelings.. It was great meeting Best Red & Teskelly, Zuuk and his gang.. :)
We made it - such an amazing journey there - and so happy we could make it with friends.
Funny, one of the last logs was from non-cachers who found it - and we know them, Jordy grew up with one of them in Tulameen, they were there July 9th - a few days after we tried.
We loved the hike in, glad to find out it was only 2 hours to get there at a non grueling pace and that there were no severe "mountain climbs"
Funny, one of the last logs was from non-cachers who found it - and we know them, Jordy grew up with one of them in Tulameen, they were there July 9th - a few days after we tried.
We loved the hike in, glad to find out it was only 2 hours to get there at a non grueling pace and that there were no severe "mountain climbs"
For future cachers we suggest to be prepared for every possible weather pattern - you will likely experience snow, hail, sun - and if it does start to snow just hold on for 15-20 minutes it will likely stop and the sun will come out and melt it quickly. We had sudden and severe weather pattern changes every 15-20 minutes. Going from short sleeves to full bundling up back to short sleeves again.. :)
When we rounded onto the final meadow of Heather near the basin (Jordy now realizes the trail is not named after a woman but the fact that there is Heather at the Basin..lol) we we crossing it and we looked up and saw the plane on the mountain side - amazing as it looked like a shiny pile of snow.. the hail then started to pour in buckets but we moved towards the plane we refuse to turn back..
|From http://picasaweb.google.com/trixnbun/ConairStoyoma
30 meters away from the plane the hail stopped, the clouds moved away and sun came out keeping us warm - we then spent about 45 minutes - Jordy & I - along with Ashton & Natasha (two friends we took with us) climbed up to the very top portion of the plan - absolutely amazed - but be careful up there as footing can be a bit loose.
we then took our pictures with us, then the TB's of course and made our way down again - thinking how amazing after all this time so much of the plane survives in such good condition and how we're happy the cache is placed here as other wise we never would have made the journey and would have missed this!
|From http://picasaweb.google.com/trixnbun/ConairStoyoma
As we moved away from the cache at about 30 meters away the hail started coming down in buckets again, so thank you Eric for allowing us to explore in sunshine. We then headed back to camp and the hail turned into snow flakes - which I caught with my tounge - then back to sunshine.. :)
Thank you for placing the cache here, thank you to our friends who came with us - we'll be posting the pictures up in the next few days :)
Now Caching Karma comes around - Zuuk left at about 3 pm from the campsite with all his vehicle issues, left us 2 mike's in exchange for the use of the tools and truck to help save them while we were hiking - very glad he made it out. On the way out the fuel filter/pump was having issues and we never made it to Zuuk's Nahatlatch cache - figure it wasn't safe and came home. So we looked at the available caches on Monday, still a holiday for us - thought let's go grab his cache in Bridal Falls - we can also work on Ed's Bunker cache.
Well apparently a huge coincidence (and regardless of what people think there was no conspiracy here.. lol) Zuuk happened to be out in bridal falls that day as well. He was running behind us - we figure about an hour at most. We had finished with the "hoser' cache and came down passing paragliders going to the take off- in his picture the paragliders were flying.. when we left Bridal falls paragliders were landing..
We worked our way through the 4 caches in the park, and the 2 above - also getting to meet Mr. & Mrs. Gigabyte and seeing the trailer that Zuuk's smart car towed. Well at work on Tuesday I was looking at the geocaching site at the caches we went and go and up pops caches still in Bridal falls - that can't be right.. Zuuk had placed 2 new ones up there and moved the FVRT there as well. Now I know we said we'd never go get that one again but being his mention of "turtles" in the cache pages couldn't resist - so thank you Zuuk - you made a great day.
I can only reiterate it as I did in the log for the one with the best view..
Yeah - our 2nd FTF for the day - well the adventure continues - on the way out to the caches we phoned a friend to see if they were out on their way to the cache - quite happy to know we were still in the running, but slightly feeling bad that we were past the point to pick them up.
We thought they would be able to get their in their Dodge Dualie - never realizing that it might not be the right vehicle to go up the road and that the Jeep would probably be a better choice - we will keep that in mind next time, as long as they let us know of new caches that we might want to get together on.. (hint hint)
We thought they would be able to get their in their Dodge Dualie - never realizing that it might not be the right vehicle to go up the road and that the Jeep would probably be a better choice - we will keep that in mind next time, as long as they let us know of new caches that we might want to get together on.. (hint hint)
We continued up the road from the last cache to what is litterally the end of the road - then walked up the trail - something tells us that there may have once been a cache up here as how else would 2 people know that the end of the road leads to a trail with an amazing view!! We walked along the trail, a bit scary at times with the drop offs and knowing that you are on sheer shale!
But none the less a breathtaking place to take in the sunset and hold each others hands as we realize how lucky we are to live in the best place on earth and have people help us discover these amazing places that we never would know exist..!!
We picked up the coins - hard to trade in the little container -however left the equivalent to our bottle of wine that we forewent tonight..the celebration was in the view and memories of the trip :) We'll likely hold on to the one coin for just a bit as we want to get some good photos of it..
Thank you.. for showing us how addicted we are - but more importantly why this is such a great sport for us - and for the distraction of helping us think we were on vacation for one more day, however now the budget kicks in and we have some reality calling us for the next bit as we fix fuel pumps, vacuum and get kids back to school (hint we can't rush out at the last minute anymore this week.. lol)
As I sit here Friday night looking back at the last two weeks, with Jordy up Whipsaw placing caches with the 4x4 club, and me running off to the Rally tomorrow and realize how blessed I am to have this amazing life. If you had asked me a year ago what I'd want to do and if I'd enjoy being around people, as anti-social as I am I would have said just let me be.. I never imagined that I would enjoy a group of people as much as I have those we've met through geocaching.. they're true, genuine, caring - a bit eccentric like I.. but all so good hearted - the ones we've met anyways.. I'm so genuinely happy right now with so much in my life - now wish me luck in the Rally and Jordy to not break a rear axle in this whipsaw run and the caches get places safely!
As we came back from Stoyoma - 2 guys in Jeeps pulled in, at 4 pm they decided to try to get to the plane - I hope they made it in and back ok - they seemed really cool. I'll leave you with one thought..It's about living, it's about caring, it's about just doing it.. no matter what you can be happy - it's all a choice
|From http://picasaweb.google.com/trixnbun/ConairStoyoma


text:
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 6:04 am
Post subject:
really it can be any age but the usual guideline is from about 6 months on. my son was teething for months on and off before they actually came through at 9.5 months whereas Maria was born either two teeth in the gums (not cut through but very prominent)again she teethed on and off and her first teeth didn't pop through til 9 months so I'd say your little one is bang on the right age for it. it's a dreadful time for them(and you!) Marias still teething now at 14 months and these top ones have been the worst so far for her.cue sleepless nights and lots of crying. hope your lo's pop through quickly for you!!! xxx
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 3:39 pm
Post subject:
My little boy started teething at 4 months and got 2 teeth at 7.5 months, think he is teething again now at over 8 months. He suffered with dribbling, waking ALOT at night, generally not very happy. I used teething gel, Abesol and Ashton and Parsons teething powder, plus calpol when he got really bad. As soon as tooth come through he was a happy chappy again. I found we would have a good few days,then a few bad ones!!!
Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 4:42 pm
Post subject:
Like the other lady said definite excessive dribbling, red cheeks and crying. Sometimes runny poos and a temp too. Once one come though they all seem to come. The first few are always the worst but yes, keep the calpol handy. Max has just started and as I remember Oliver going through it I can't say I'm looking forward to it!


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rogerfederer.com - Roger yet to drop a set
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Roger yet to drop a set
Roger booked his spot in the quarter finals of the French Open today after defeating fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
"I am super-happy because I knew after he (Wawrinka) beat (Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga, when he really dominated in the last two sets, what the danger was," Roger said.
Roger easily took the first two sets against his Olympic gold doubles-partner of Beijing. Wawrinka opened the third set well as Roger suddenly found himself trailing 0-3. But our champ came back right away and finally wrapped up the match with an ace on his second match-ball. He produced 32 winners while Wawrinka had 19. It is Roger's ninth defeat of Wawrinka in ten meetings and another milestone - he broke the record for most consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals he had previously held with Jimmy Connors (now 28).
Roger will now either face Spain's David Ferrer (ATP 7) or France's Gaël Monfils (ATP 9) for a place in the semi-finals.
Hope the rain will not stop you today!!! You are the best tennis player ever seen. The most important is your health, physical and mental, and just be calm and selfconfident! You can win, no doubt. Just go to win!!
Wish you all the best and good luck dearest Roger!
Go, Roger, goooooooooooooooo!
Love, Mimi
It also looks like it's chilly on the court...Roger isn't going to like that but he is such a superb champion that nothing will get in his way...I can feel it !!!
It's Roger's time to shine ! It's roger's time to win !
VAS-Y ROGER !!! BONNE CHANCE !!! conquère Paris jusqu'au bout !!!


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Definition of philosopher kings in English:
philosopher kings
Entry from US English dictionary
plural noun
(In the political theory of Plato) the elite whose knowledge enables them to rule justly.
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Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; GEPA Section 427 Guidance for All Grant Applications
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.
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The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.
Title of Collection: GEPA Section 427 Guidance for All Grant Applications.
OMB Control Number: 1894-0005.
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Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Governments.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 12,396.
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Abstract: On October 20, 1994, the Improving America's Schools Act, 103 (The Act), became law. The Act added a provision to the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA). Section 427 of GEPA requires an applicant for assistance under Department programs to develop and describe in the grant application the steps it proposes to take to ensure equitable access to, and equitable participation in, its proposed project for students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs. The current GEPA Section 427 guidance for discretionary grant applications and formula grant applications has approval through March 31, 2014 the Department is requesting an extension of this approval.
Dated: December 17, 2013.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2013-30294 Filed 12-19-13; 8:45 am]


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As tensions between Ukraine and Russia reach a boiling point, one Topeka family remains in the middle of it.
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News 12 at 11 o'clock July 3, 2007
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Kimberly and Beck, hosts of "The Breakfast Buzz" on 98.9 The Buzz (WBZA-FM) have been fired.
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Format of works
at 09:55 on 06 February 2009
This may sound like an anti-aesthetic question but on several occaisons I have had to write a piece (of about 80 bars) where the score has to fit on an open double A4 spread so as to be published in a magazine. (This is a very common format for early music where, particularly for didactic purposes everyone, including a tutor, has a score and no page turns.) (Page turns are one of my bete noires. They ruin many otherwise excellent publications.) (So are scores. They can cause players not to listen and read too much.)
So I have now found a need for lots of 1 page pieces (either in parts or score) to use as fillers in part books. I am thinking about what the aesthetic requirements of such a piece are now that we can't just write a 4 phrase song anymore. Webern had no trouble writing pieces that run out after 24 notes but I do not want to write 100 little pieces that sound like 2nd rate Webern. Should I give up and print 'This page intentionally left blank'. I know one publisher who could never bear to waste paper and always went to press only when all the part pages were full.
Re: Format of works
at 05:06 on 07 February 2009
you ask the most intriguing and bizarre questions :-)
"we can't just write a 4 phrase song anymore".
once again, my basic response is "why not?" really, i just don't get it - perhaps it is where i am from or something, but "can't" is not in my vocab in terms of what one can do in composition. in fact, i would say the word can't is very dangerous creatively.
so, here are some ideas:
1. write a lead sheet for a "jazz" tune. what i mean is some kid of melodic idea pared with some harmonic ideas, and leave it at that.
2. graphical piece - these can be fun, and i always like coming across them, and will often perform them.
3. a little solo trombone piece (heh heh)
4. ummm...why not a 1st rate "webern" piece. well, not webern, but you. but you could use webern as a model.
5. something like 10 repeated bars with each one saying "repeat 5-500 times"
6. why not scribe out your own cadenza for a famous concerto in a part for that instrument?
7. a round
8. a highly complex piano piece using serial techniques for every parameter that is ridiculously impossible to play but only 15 seconds. have each serial procedure must completed by the end of the piece.
9. a 4 phrase song!
make people go "huh, what is this?". intrigue.
just a few ideas of the top of my head.
but please, explain why you said "can't".
thanks for keeping the forum alive!
Re: Format of works
at 13:05 on 08 February 2009
I can't see what the problem is. I've written loads of one-page pieces (without gimmicks). These have been for friends, pupils and mostly myself. Nearly all composers - including contemporaries - have written short pieces as well as big ones. There was only one case which posed a problem, and that was when there was a possible commission/publication involved, and the piece HAD to be no more than one page long. I couldn't squeeze my material into the A4 page without sellotaping an extra bit, photocopying and reducing the lot. [But, in the, end they chose a four-page piece by Boulez instead!]
Re: Format of works
at 19:53 on 08 February 2009
Can't. Yes it is maybe a UK thing again...... We worry about if we are to get university or BBC work the music must be acceptable to the 'thought police'. I ought to be immune to this as I do not necessarially need the work but I still worry about it. I know of composers who keep separate portfolios of work, one for university eyes and another for music societies etc.. This is another symptom of division and alienation in the UK music scene. Another slightly humorous thing is I have to conceal the existence of my clarinet in Bb and horn in F parts for Giovanni Gabrieli from the 'authenticity police'.
So - very good point Scott, and very useful advice about the detailed genres. I should ignore what I think other people will think. Howard Skempton seems to go on writing the music he wants to and not worry. I will now even think about a strophic song, which has the same music for each verse.
Re: Format of works
at 20:15 on 08 February 2009
My mention of the BBC may be misguided but it comes from hearing their pundits in the interval talks in the prom season where they make it quite clear that music's quality comes from how 'advanced' it is that any looking back to Britten, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Bartok etc. immediately consigns the music to unimaginative inferiority.
I have recently edited a little piece by Max Reger. I was rather surprised by how 'conservative' it was so I suppose I am suffering from the same mindset. Anyway we must compose more than we write words. I am sure that is a good aspiration, not to be employed as a pundit but to keep writing notes. I am going to get up early in the morning, clean the ice of my wife's car then think short musical thoughts.
Re: Format of works
at 21:03 on 08 February 2009
Howard Skempton seems to go on writing the music he wants to and not worry. Yes but anybody who has to hear his attempts does. Everybody writes the music they want to. Beethoven went on writing the music he wanted to, but he worried. That's one reason why he's better than Howard Skempton.
I don't think you're accurate about the BBC either. What you mean is in any case just BBC Radio Three. There was a time (20 - 30 years ago) when what you say did partially apply. When Glock was in charge and did the amazingly thing of inviting Boulez to conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra.This did more British musical culture than any other single act in its long and undistinguished history. Those were the days of Hanns Keller's insufferably opinionated rants and lectures. Looking back on them, they were wonderful: a man with passion, intelligence, knowledge and opinions!! That has been abolished in a mind-bogglingly dumbed-down chat-show morass of ignorant uninformative sickly patronising snobbish conformist gossip motivated by the need to keep up audience-ratings and save its license-fee. Gone is any sense of trying to set standards or indeed stand for anything. In general, there is next to no public service element even to the BBC's broadcasting, let alone the openly commercial channels - hence there is little serious music at all with an edgy point of view except what had passed through the cosy chit-chat world which people like Skempton are so at home in.
By the way I was amused at Scott's list too. Surely he was being sarceastic? Weren't you, Scott? Please tell me you didn't mean all that, did you?
paragraph 2 line 5 should read: This did more FOR British.....
Re: Format of works
at 08:59 on 09 February 2009
Works to be forced into a fixed format / fixed occaison.......
As you may know Britain is about to choose a new Poet Laureate and someone said on one of these silly cosy chat shows that Misuc so loves 'The Poet Laureate should not be expected to write poetry to order'. I was flabbergasted by this. I was thinking 'Baroque composers should not be expected to write a cantata and get it ready for Sunday'. I have never heard it suggested that Bach's church music is 2nd rate because it was written to order.
However this set me thinking about what it would be like to write against the clock, say a fanfare for the launching of a ship or background music for an official banquet. These are things composers do not seem to get asked to do these days. (I once performed in providing background music for a group of people at a banquet where the performers were not allowed to know who they were...... interesting story but can't be put on the web for a few years. It was a politically sensitive meeting.)
I remember reading somewhere Stravinsky's description of a cocktail party where the background music was by Milton Babbitt, which lead to some very baffled looking people.
Three possible solutions to this problem...
1) Composers should not be expected to write background music.
2) Some composer's music should only be used for background music, which explains why some baroque music is as it is....
3) Some composer's music should never be used for background music.
Re: Format of works
at 17:55 on 09 February 2009
"Works forced into a format"
Well, I have been "forced" to write music for many kinds of occasions. I enjoy the challenge of fitting the request.
Sometimes it was more for the cash than anything (a bunch of fanfares in this regard - opening of buildings, anniversaries etc..). Sometimes they provided excellent opportunities to do something I have wanted to do (such as provide music for a party - one time I arranged techno tunes for jazz band which was great - in fact they had asked for one thing and I convinced them this is what they wanted because I wanted to do it). One occasion which was recently brought to mind, was composing music for the unveiling of the AIDS quilt whilst the names of the deceased were being recited...for 20 minutes. As I had only 2 weeks to compose and put the ensemble together, I only had about 12min of music ready. But when the music came in in the ceremony, it had an immediate emotional impact on the thousand or so in attendance. Not a dry eye in the house - which was the point - and would not have been achieved to such a state without the music. I felt a great sense of accomplishment.
So, these ARE things that composers do. And I fully support it. As long as the request does not go against your belief system, which is why I will never compose commercial music.
Ok, so, background music. Hummm, not so sure if this is a composers game, but more of a performers game. It is an interesting gig to fill, and once again, I have done it many times. The best music I find for this is jazz (but remember, I'm a trombonist!) It is a kind of music that can easily tune in or tune out. When it is out, it provides a stimulating but kind of monotonous backdrop - not overly dynamic, but when you tune in, you can become instantly stimulated by the interactions between the players, or the swing, or the voicings on the piano or... + as a performer, it is so easy to just enjoy playing the music with your ensemble.
And, well, sorry to disappoint, but my little off the cuff list above wasn't sarcastic - perhaps a bit cheeky and certainly not definitive - but honest. I was just brain storming ideas, and those were the first to pop into my head. I don't have any rules as to what style or genre or length or edgy-ness or modernity or whatever. I think, Misuc, you do have rules about this. We agree on many things, but not all. But, glad I could provide some chuckles :-)
And to be honest, I think gimmick pieces are in very short supply. I am reminded of the table music or the cannons etc that some olden day composers would write - little trick pieces that are much fun to play. Simple and clever. These are the perfect kinds of things to tack onto the end of a printed score. A little after dinner mint. But why not open our minds to what the gimmick could be?
Re: Format of works
at 19:18 on 09 February 2009
1. There are none.
Anything may happen or not happen, it may not even involve sounds: call it music or don't.It may accompany something else or may not.
It all depends on what you want to do and what you are doing it for. Talking about background music, there has been very little in the whole tradition of Western music ever which has not been background music. Foreground music just there to be listened to dates only from the time when composers thought they could own entrepreneurs and communicate with a public directly, without the need for an occasion or patron Church, Prince, Dance.... (The Opera House was half way there).
Composers had been striving to create their own links to the world for centuries, stepping out of the costumes given them by Church, State and 'Society' The Vatican at the time of the Counter-reformation was the body which was able to put an end to potential rival bureaucracies: to put composers in their place and enforce the rules on how they must curb and confine their techniques and styles to the composing of suitable background music [see the wonderfully revealing extracts in
Hence e.g. Fux's rules on 'Palestrina' polyphony (which amount to "avoid anything which draws attention to the music"):
1. Begin and end on either the unison, octave, or fifth,
2. Use no unisons except at the beginning or end.
3. Avoid parallel fifths or octaves between any two parts; and avoid "hidden" parallel fifths or octaves:
4. Avoid moving in parallel fourths.
5. Avoid moving in parallel thirds or sixths for very long.
6. Attempt to keep any two adjacent parts within a tenth of each other,
7. Avoid having any two parts move in the same direction by skip.
8. Attempt to have as much contrary motion as possible.
9. Avoid dissonant intervals between any two parts
And yet, what heavenly, deliriously vertiginous 'background' music these petty, officious, narrow-minded, obstructive, mean, envious dictats created!
Coincidentally, this was written before I had seen Scott's comments about rules. It seems that even here, we don't disagree that much. A technical device or clever 'trick' is perfectly honourable, and not at all a gimmick in the sense that I meant which is the usual commercial stuff - the kind of thing which brings out the schoolmaster in sensitive people and makes them want to say: "now come on now, just stop it! It's not clever you know."
There are no rules but, if in there are, then I agree with Schumann: "the rules of art are the rules of morality" (no more but also no less)
Anyway the chief reason for this extra comment is to point out another 'misprint'. Towards the end of the 2nd paragraph should have read: "...composers thought they could BE THEIR own entrepreneurs...."
Re: Format of works
at 20:50 on 09 February 2009
"the rules of art are the rules of morality"
life and art - same rules.
It is so interesting what you have written about Fux - I always thought the guy was a kind of fake - his "rules" are misleading and have almost nothing to do with artistic composition. My "parallel" is his rules have as much to do with composing as push-ups have to do with boxing. It absolutely amazes me how his species exercises are still considered "rules of composing".
I feel very fortunate to have studied 16th century counterpoint with Robert Gauldin. He shows that all of these tendencies (not rules...) of the music have much more to do with the ease of singing with melodic line, proper text enunciation, and perfect intonation. Talk to an early music singer and they will tell you why this music is the only music they want to sing - it is the only music that can be sung in tune!
At any rate, if you are studying this music with Fux, quickly run out and get Gauldin's books for a different perspective!!!
Re: Format of works
at 13:31 on 10 February 2009
Yesterday I spent some hours digging out examples to show you what I mean. Suddenly everything I had written and researched disappeared into some cyberspace wormhole. [This has happened to me before on this forum].
Today I have spent some more hours trying to find it and put it all together again. First I find that you now suddenly have to pay to see the pages to which I saw yesterday for free - and posted a link to yesterday giving pages of quotes from Popes and their lackeys about the disgusting liberties singers, congregations and composers were taking with their Holy rituals. Second I had great difficulty in finding the MP3 samples I had found.
Anyway to get back to Fux (in case anybody gives a Fxxx}...: is it the old story again? first composers and musicians do it - then a paid academic comes along perhaps a fdew centuries later and gives you the 'rules' [i.e. a long list of things you MUSTN'T do - but not the principles to inspire you with ideas about what you can do] This is after all what happened to the Church modes, serial and 12-tone music etc. - and it's even happening to 'Minimalism' now (which was a glint in the dead eye of the academic before it was even conceived).
Well, yes. But I find Fux quite a creative and dynamic composer in his own right, and his rules did wonders for Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven etc. The original principles were surely a more or less immediate response to the 'rulings' of the Church fathers....?
As one of them put it: "Inasmuch as it has come to our attention that the Antiphoners, Graduals, and Psalters that have been provided with music for the celebration of the divine praises and offices in plainsong (as it is called) since the publication of the Breviary and Missal ordered by the Council of Trent have been filled to overflowing with barbarisms, obscurities, contrarieties, and superfluities as a result of the clumsiness or negligence or even wickedness of the composers, scribes, and printers......" and "All things should indeed be so ordered that the masses may reach tranquilly into the ears and hearts of those who hear them, when everything is executed clearly and at the correct speed.... let nothing profane be intermingled, but only hymns and divine praises. The whole plan of singing should be constituted not to give empty pleasure to the ear: the hearts of listeners be drawn to desire of heavenly harmonies in the contemplation of the joys of the Blessed. They shall also banish from church all music that contains things that are lascivious or impure.
But No. I never studied with Fux. I studied with one of Europe's leading experts on Palestrina who, already in the '50s, had gone through his every cadence, checking for consecutive 5ths, and not surprisingly had found only [I think] three examples, and thus proved for all time that the rules were correct!! [When I showed him one of my compositions, he asked me if I had done any of this during term-time. ""You shouldn't have any time for that sort of thing", he confided in me: "Yes. I wanted to be a composer, but then I got this job at Eton...."]
Later I went on to study with Thomas Morley - as you can now do online [
and I also got some help from Thomas Campion's " A New Way of Making Fowre Parts in Counterpoint."
In this way I was able to find a way of letting completely untrained and inexperienced musicians improvise 16th-century polyphonic music in 4+ 'correct' parts. The main model was not to be found in books - even practical and authentic ones like these - but in the scores and in the recordings of real musicians/worshippers who are to this day improvising motets in Corsica (and Sardinia - and there are amazing traditions in a similar vein in Georgia and even in some South Pacific islands - or there were until globalisation really took off a few years ago)
Here are some examples:-
[You will note that none of these stunning musicians has studied his H K Andrews, Fux, nor do they follow Palestinian aesthetic ideals, but the people I was teaching were required shortly to pass exams testing their ability to pass exams.(London Uni Extramural). This meant that they could tell me a whole load of undigested crap about Lydian modes and Neapolitan cadences, the French and Italian style etc. but could not harmonise "Twinkle,twinkle little star" convincingly. This was to give them a taste of the real world of music out there and to experience the brush of Heaven in the daily ever-new discovery of melody, harmony and all the elements of music
(some of us went to on to create creative groups of one kind and another..)
When it came to my own 'doctorate' (Musiktheorielehrerdiplom) I handed in pieces using the idioms and techniques of Dufay, Frescobaldi, Muffat, Blow and some other favourites (and was told this was 'difficult' because no one had 'done' them - i.e. performed the statistical analysis to give me marks out of ten for whether I'd got it right or not. That, presumably, and snobbery, is why students are required to do mock-Palestrina before, say, the easier and therefore more instructive Italian Renaissance carnival music (as full of consecutive 5ths as the Corsican music - hence the need for the Papal rules and/or Palestrina's interpretation of them) and why they do mock-Bach without attempting mock-Corelli etc.
Re: Format of works
at 20:59 on 10 February 2009
Thank you Scott for reminding me about the table pieces. In the end I used short renaissance motets for the filler pieces but I now realise that I should conserve some short pieces, both original and editions for the filler purpose. The discussion about Fux is very interesting and I will have something to say about that.......
I wrote a few table canons (is that the right word) a couple of years ago and tried to write an 'In Nomine' which works in the same way. You can only make it work with conventional harmony if you use the constrained notes as principal notes and let the other notes be passing / ornaments.
The mirror image ideas made me think about what happens if you use a screw symmetry which corresponds to symmetry potentially in a helix, which can still have symmetry even though it is a chiral object. But then I realised that Bach does something similar in the Musical Offering with the perpetually ascending canon which rises a tone each repetition. May your notes go up Frederick.......
Re: Format of works
at 21:02 on 10 February 2009
Thank you Scott for reminding me about the table pieces. In the end I used short renaissance motets for the filler pieces but I now realise that I should conserve some short pieces, both original and editions for the filler purpose. The discussion about Fux is very interesting and I will have something to say about that.......
I wrote a few table canons (is that the right word) a couple of years ago and tried to write an 'In Nomine' which works in the same way. You can only make it work with conventional harmony if you use the constrained notes as principal notes and let the other notes be passing / ornaments.
The mirror image ideas made me think about what happens if you use a screw symmetry which corresponds to symmetry potentially in a helix, which can still have symmetry even though it is a chiral object. But then I realised that Bach does something similar in the Musical Offering with the perpetually ascending canon which rises a tone each repetition. May your notes go up Frederick.......
Re: Format of works
at 21:23 on 10 February 2009
The interesting thing about Fux' rules is that his Trio Sonatas etc. are rather interesting so he does not appear to follow them, though I have only played the Nuremberg Partita not studied it.... If as Misuc says pedants require analysis before reproducing styles and then marking them against a benchmark set of rules what would such analysis make of Purcell, particularly truely 'baroque' pieces such as 'Remember Not Lord Our Offences'. But I think we have covered this before re: transitional styles like Lawes, Biber, Monteverdi, Purcell etc.
However the 'Palestrina Style' does create a neutral background against which suspensions, anticipations and ornaments can create tension and at times incredible discords. The books largely concentrate on the main notes though if you play from figured bass the 4s and 7s, which can be in long running chains, (the 76 trombones suspension trick). You may remember I had ideas about neutral musical backgrounds against which objects could be placed and deleted in last months posts.
This discussion makes me want to go out and play the Purcell 4 part fantasias, and even see if there are any Fux Trio Sonatas I do not have..... (Talking of writing to order are the 4 part fantasies which took longer than a day to write better than the ones written in one day?)
Re: Format of works
at 14:39 on 14 February 2009
Re Fux's rules: they were meant to apply to an antiquated musical style, not his own. They were the basis of and perhaps more applicable to e.g. Beethoven's and Berlioz' inventive recreations of 'early music', than to the original music itself.
But back to the original topic: [was there an original topic?]I was listening to the radio this morning an they played some pieces by 1. Debussy 2. Satie 3. Messiaen. This demonstrated to me with excruciating precision the truth of the saying I quoted earlier about art and morality [after all, art - music in particular - is a social act, even though at one remove]. Debussy and also to some extent Messiaen put out some good ideas in their pieces (respectively "La Cathedrale Engloutie" and a piece for the 1937 festival, for six Ondes Martinots) but their totally cavalier and irresponsible dismissal or ignorance of issues to do with time-scale causes a great deal of unnecessary suffering and offence. To cut the rambling dithering longeurs, the note-spinning repetitions and sequences, failed climaxes, meaningless build-ups and false cadences, and, perhaps, to repaste some of the lucky ideas into different pieces would serve the cause of truth, beauty and virtue.
This really brings us back to the idea of short pieces etc. a lot of Satie is misunderstood (sometimes deliberately) because it is part of a tradition which nowadays is not altogether appreciated: music not suited or intended for the concert-format. There are literally millions of pieces from all periods intended for recreation/instruction/private perusal or to accompany other activities etc. Satie gives us examples of how it is possible to pack a few short and innocent-sounding bars with an immense amount of dynamic, contradictory but strangely balanced content. And once the point is made, the piece ends, and its power starts to take effect.
This is the awareness of time-scale at its most intensely focussed. (Other examples can be found in e.g. Stravinsky's last works, some late Beethoven and late Carter).
[The 'rules' of morality must include prohibitions on boring, bullying or browbeating or insulting the listener's intelligence/
imagination. Give the listener a look in, please!]
But in general timescale is the very foundation of classical (i.e. 18th century) tonality: the function behind 'functional harmony' the root of motif-, phrase- and sonata-form etc. structures. It had not been a crucial issue in 16th century music. The length of a piece at that time was not a part of the composer's domain. (Time-scale was determined by the nature of the occasion and the demands of its sponsors) There is nothing at any point in the score which intrinsically determines how long the piece is going to go on for. The same material may be deployed for a piece lasting 3 minutes or 3 hours: there is comparatively little differentiation between material for beginnings, middles and ends... Perhaps surprisingly the harmonic resources at any given point are far richer than in the later 18th century, but, by the same token, their 'reach' (their power to control a time scale) is that much shorter. It is this very fragility/indeterminacy which is used to such hair-raising effect in the best music of the renaissance.
In some of his earlier compositions (e.g. the amazing 'Suite Bergamasque'
Debussy had shown himself capable of great sensitivity to this subtle play of vertical [harmony] and horizontal [time-scale] but, as so often, delusions of grandeur got in the way.
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