Dream, Abridged (ha!) 8/22/08

Part I
I was in a line to go across a bridge. The bridge was a draw bridge. It began to draw. I, along with four others, arranged our cars facing the sky with the wheels touching some sort of belt that was to hurl us straight up the drawn bridge, where we would wait until it was back down flat. At this point our cars are as big as toasters.

I am having second thoughts. I don't understand how I'm to get back into my small car. I don't understand if my seatbelt will be sufficient. I don't think I can hold on for very long when I'm all the way up there with the birds.

My fellow drivers are not having second thoughts. They're repairing the belt's engine. One sexless person is checking its watch. They seem to be doing things typically associated with unsuspensful waiting. That's all.

Part II
I'm walking up the steps. The steps lead further up. In the middle of two flights of stone steps is a relatively flat slab of concrete. The slab's slope is mathematically equal to that of the stairs. In this way, the slab is roughly parallel to the steps.

Eventually, I reach a point where there the slab's slope becomes zero, concievably the top of the, whatever it was. I decide to walk out onto the slab, which immediately begins to incline, in the same way the flat plane of the draw bridge did.

As this begins to occur, I find myself unable to remain grounded. I start sliding down the slab. The slab's slope is beginning to approximate that of the slab contained within the stone stairs. I am sliding down the slab on my feet and butt, realizing that I've a suitcase or briefcase in my hands. Although I recognize this, I decide not to use it as a tool for retarding my speeding descension.

I begin picking up speed. As I do, I speed past my friend Seegs who is wearing windshorts. I decide not to grab his Umbro shorts. There next is a man who has recognized my distress. He lends his hand. I am going too fast. I continue to speed past people walking up the stairs, in the opposite direction. I can sense that they are reacting. I don't know if they're ridiculing or pitying me.

Eventually, I stop.

Part III
I'm with my third graders from Allan Elementary. One young girl is in an argument with some others. She tells the other group, "Eat my dick!"

I am terribly upset by this. I don't think she understands what she's said. I take her aside and we talk. I ask her if she knows what the word 'dick' means. She says, 'no.' I tell her that it's a fairly nasty word for 'penis.'

We laugh because, as I explain, her statement is impossible. I tell her that girls don't have 'dicks.' Only boys do.

We both seem satisfied with the progress.

Rosie's Tamale House

As a resident of central Austin, I have a high regard for the culinary arts, from the low end dives to the somewhat higher end dives. I'm used to flavor that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Unfortunately, I work in Dripping Springs. We tried Rosie's today at lunch, and before doing so, I had never actually been overtly offended by a food's claim to be of Mexican origin while tasting so much like it actually originated in a can. The salsa, which evidently is worth charging for, amounted to a can of tomatoes, which were, in their defense, sufficiently pureed. The queso wasn't much better, clearly of a line of products that contains the phrase, "cheese-flavored substance." I had the quesadilla. It reminded me of the one I left in the microwave of my dorm as an undergrad after a foam party at the ol' frat house. Good times. My colleagues were similarly dissatisfied, as the three of us were left searching for flavor like an oasis in a desert of blandness. Which brings me to the shining moment in Rosie's history. The best thing about the experience would have to be the 32oz waters you can take back to the office. They tend to make coworkers jealous, as they sip from their inverted party hats at the water jug. As for service...wait, there was no service. Of course, the rest of the folks seemed to be enjoying themselves, their slow, methodic masticating reminiscent of the grazing of cattle one might find around any corner here in DS. Oh, yeah, and not only did they make us pay for this little party, but the prices were unreasonable and predicated on culinary ignorance. I would comment on their tamales, which are their namesake, yet they didn't even have any available. One little piece of advice sums it up for Rosie and her crew, 'Vaya con dios!'

Notes from 8/11/08

-Occasionalism

Notes from 8/7/08

-Kolb's Experiential Learning Model
-Scholasticism, Bacon, Aristotle vs. Cartesian dualism
-"There's nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come" -Dr. Robert Urekew
-Plato-'Allegory of the Cave'
-'In Norse mythology, before the creation of the world, it was the divine cow Audhumla who, through her licking of the cosmic salt ice, gave form to Buri, ancestor of the gods and grandfather of Odin. On the first day as Audhumla licked, Buri's hair appeared from the ice, on the second day his head and on the third his body.' - from Wikipedia page on 'Salt Lick'
-Aristotle's 'Prime Matter,' 'four causes'
-material cause (matter)
-formal cause (form)
-efficient cause (process that brings it into being)
-final cause (purpose for existence, aka instrumental cause)
-Eudaimonia
-Lori Grinkler, photography

'Bloods and Crips War Poetry'

Second instillation of poetry...last, given it's not mine, just something I find fascinating as an educator whose focus is multiliteracies. Found under the heading 'Bloods and Crips War Poetry.' Very interesing literary style, unfortunately the possible hand-written visuals are not transferrable. I can only imagine the ways in which this language would have been further encoded.

Awesome. From http://www.gspoetry.com/bloods-n-crips-war-poems-94156.html

"
LaLa14:

imma crip an she a blood
when at war it cause a blood flood
she got dat red i got dat blue
which one u claim is up to you
gun wars an reppin our sets
on da street corner wit dice makin bets
crip love is above da rest
fuck bloods crips is da best
livein an diein protectin our fam
joined together cuz we give a damn

fuck dis blood imma da crip
stepin to us u betta not slip
unlike bloods we aint pussies
we got guts we aint no wussies
fuck da blood game
its bout crip fame

DatGuhShawty:

I am blood so a yall crip
aint got nothing on us
we alway winning so
yall beater watch yall
back we got this our
name fit us causes all
we do is Blood people
Dats how we do it
So If at not blood
Just yall crip azz
down cause blood
coming through this
think rememberer
We Blood cause we
dont do nothing but
show Red

LaLa14:

nobody could give a shyt bout a slob
pussie ass bytch's all get rob
robbed of they life dont make it get took
life for u is bout to get shook
cuz u cant step to our level or handle crip hands
they so hot snap ya neck like a rubba bands
cuz u cant stand to be up agains me
why cant u jus see
that bloods get defeat
by tha crips in da street
cuz they can't compeat
when tha crips bring dat heat

DatGuhShawty:

But u know we alway
have niggas hatting
on us and shit like
we be just minding
our own business
Just come fuck with
blood like yall know wat
the fucking deal it we
running up on us yall
get deal with by us
Crips dont fuck with
us know we red we
all read be the baddest



LaLa14:

ya'll be thinkin people hatein
but ya'll tha one disriminatein
about our color first
in tears ya'll bout to burst
cuz da crip game is higher den blood
cuz when when we cum tha river flood
da blue in da air when we step to ya'll
cuz ya'll pussie's an easy ass brawl
a fight wit a slob is a sure enough win
our style an movements get 10
ya'll can't defeat
with tha crip heat

DatGuhShawty:

We not worried about who game higher
Long as we know that yall we never get
on our level never spit like we spit we
aint worried about the game then
We will alway be Bloods so fuck wat
anybody else say cause we already
top of the line yall will never get
like us so try yall we not even
come close to it cause it just
like that cause we bloods
We alway step it rite
for them crip cause like that
song say we fly no lie u know this
BALLIN

LaLa14:

who u think better crips or blood u dicide


DatGuhShawty:

Bloods up crips down
"

Found Poem-Crip Anthem

Having been interested in the literacy of gangs for years, I went on a short search for 'gang-related poetry,' which I remember being introduced to in middle school. I've always been interested in it's proliferation through various means, because I think it would give folks an insight into the intelligence of these kiddos that, sadly, is generally overlooked given other aspects of appearance. Power of expectation. How might we expect to be involved in inspiring learning, empathy, and dialogue, when the majority of us are uninformed, taken aback, even scared of our kids?

Anyway, here's The (as opposed to the, I guess) Crip Anthem, discovered on http://www.freewebs.com/crippincuz1/ .

Tha Crip Anthem

C~R~I~P, C~R~I~P
CRIP! CRIP!
MINDS OF STEEL, HEARTS OF STONE,
CRIP MACHINE IS MOVIN ON.
BLUE STEEL, BLUE FLAG,
CRIPPIN HARD NO TURNIN BACC.
RAISE THA "C" AND HOLD IT HIGH
FOREVER FORWARD, DO OR DIE.
SPREAD YO WINGS, RAISE YO HEAD,
WE ARE RISIN FROM THA DEAD.
WHO SAY?
"C" SAY!
WHO THA GREATEST?
"C" THA GREATEST!
CANT STOP,WONT STOP,
WILL NOT CE STOPPED!

SOLIDERS! SOLDIERS!
WAR! WAR!
LOSE ONE, KILL TWO,
NEVER STOP UNTIL YOU DO.
HEAR THA SPIRIT FROM THA GRAVE,
GOT TO CRIP EVERY DAY.
THA "C" IS STRONG, THA WORLD IS WEAK,
STRENGTH AND LOYALTY IS OUR KEY.
ACROSS THA SEA AND OVER THA HILL,
GAUGE IN HAND WE COME TO KILL.
COAST TO COAST, STATE TO STATE,
C-MACHINE IS ON ITS WAY.
WHO SAY?
"C" SAY!
WHO THA GREATEST?
"C" THA GREATEST!
CANT STOP, WONT STOP,
WILL NOT CE STOPPED!

IN SIXTY-NINE THA "C" WAS BORN,
34 YEARS AND GROWIN STRONG
FROM OUT THA EAST CAME THA "C"
FROM THA WEST CAME THA REST.
EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE,
NORTH SIDE, SOUTH SIDE,
NATIONWIDE, UNIFED,
CRIP! CRIP!

RAYMOND WASHINGTON DID HIS BEST,
CRIPPED FOR YEARS, NOW HE REST.
BIG TOOK, CE LIKE HIM,
DARE TO STRUGGLE, DARE TO WIN.
MAC AND SATIY, THEY WERE DOWN,
O.G. COMPTON, STRONG AND PROUD.
HOOVA JOE, HE WAS RIGHT,
CUTTIN THROATS DAY AND NIGHT.
UP THA HILL, DOWN THA HILL,
THROUGH THA LAND, KILL THA KLAN,
KILL THA DOG, ON THA WALL,
BRING HIM DOWN, BUST HIS CROWN!
WHO SAY?
"C" SAY!
WHO THA GREATEST?
"C" THA GREATEST!
CANT STOP, WONT STOP,
WILL NOT CE STOPPED.

KEEP THA BUSTAS ON THA RUN,
IF YOU CATCH HIM SLICE HIS TOUGUE.
BACC HIM UP AGAINST THA WALL,
TO HIS KNEES HE WILL FALL.
HOLD YOUR SWORD, MAKE HIM BEG,
NO COMPASSION, TAKE HIS HEAD!
PLANT THA "C" EVERYWHERE,
FORWE ARE THOSE WHO WILL DARE.
UPTOWN, DOMNTOWN,
BLUE FLAGS ALL AROUND.
CHITTY-CHITTY BANG-BANG,
NOTHIN BUT A CRIP THANG.
C~R~I~P! C~R~I~P!

Notes 8/6/08

-Frank Serafini
-Canon Underwater Case
-SHDH 8GB memory card
-Luke and Freebody's '4 roles of the reader'