Sense and Sensibility

Today I was in Scotts Valley, CA (10 min from Santa Cruz) for two shows. The first was at the local high school. All went great until the show. The kids were the most unruly and disrepectful ones I have ever put on a show for. The topic of our high school show this year is on pressure. We talk about three topics of pressure that teens are faced with today. Pressure from the media, friends and yourself. It contains scenes with drugs and alcohol and sex, so the material is PG-13.
Even before the show the principal could not get the kids to stop talking. He said he would not continue until they had stopped, but they did not, so he tried to talk over them. Then the show began...
The kids would not only not stop the constant noise amongst themselves, they laughed and clapped loudly when any scenes with the aforementioned items of topic were on screen. I was very frustrated and near upset. After the show the principal asked me what kind of response I usually get from students. I told him honestly that this was the worst group I had ever seen. Then a teacher came up and advised the content was not appropriate because they had all "had a beer" and many have had sex. He said we needed to have some heavier content. I did not know that drug use and sex was a "light" subject, but maybe I am more out of touch than I thought. They were even making light of a story where a teenage girl dies from an overdose of cocaine. I know that the teen and college years have historically been all about "sex, drugs and rock-n-roll", but that is usually reserved for the lunch table/locker room talk, and the parties on the weekend. Most teens I have come in contact with at least has the decency to act civilized for a 40 minute program. What was more frustrating was the teachers did NOTHING to keep the noise down!
Teaching is a noble profession that requires you to be able to juggle several titles, but the most important is to be an example. While they cannot make the students make good choices, they should be able to facilitate a place where they can discern between good choices and bad choices. Of course, even more important is the things they are taught at home. When parents or guardians are not responsible enough to help their teens make good decisions, they are doomed to not only make wrong ones, but will be unable to learn something positive from those choices.

Good Southern Cookin'

I watched Fried Green Tomatoes tonight on TBS. I hadn't seen it in years and now I don't know why. This is a great movie! I know, I know...the first thought many have when they hear the title of this movie is "chick flick", but let me tell you it is much more than that!! It is a story of love (and love lost), Southern-livin', racism and of course good Southern cookin'! It's female lead is a Huckleberry Finn-type character and the stories that are told are exciting, with not a dull moment in the whole movie (except the woman's group when they are told to look "at themselves" in the mirror - if you've seen the movie you know what I mean). Anyway, if you have not seen the movie, watch it! If you have seen it, watch it again. Better yet, read the book. They are almost always better.

Music, Sweet Music

Today I spent some time at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA. It was an interactive and informative display of music from the past century, circa 1890-1989. It gave a detailed history of popular music from each decade and the instruments of the period, as well as the advancements made in instruments as well as the whole music industry. As a lover of music of all kinds, this was very informative and worth while. I also got help tuning my guitar (thanks, Lisa) that I have borrowed to get back on track learning to play it. It is not an easy instrument to learn on your own, at least not for me. But, as with anything else in life, it is about practice and putting it to use often, if not daily.
That brings me to my next subject. After lunch, I stopped by Barnes and Noble and picked up a couple of books on writing. Thanks to my friend Dave, I am going to make a concentrated effort to turn off the TV more and learn to write. It has always intrigued me, so I thought now would be as good a time as any to start. English has never been my best subject, so, like the guitar, it will take time and an honest commitment to be good at it.

Happy Birthday Texas

This past Thursday, Texas celebrated its 170th birthday. It was March 2, 1836 that Texas officially claimed its independence from Mexico. It is a special day for all Texans, and especially for me. I was born in Brazoria County, a central figure in the early days of Texas. Anglo-Texas began in Brazoria County when Stephen F. Austin (known as "The Father of Texas") authorized 300 American settlers (known as "The Old Three Hundred") to settle at the mouth of the Brazos River. The first capital was in Columbia (now West Columbia) for the first 3 months. Austin died in West Columbia and was initially buried in the Gulf prairie cemetery in Peach Point, Brazoria County, TX, before being moved to Texas State cemetery in Austin, TX in 1910.
My family, like many of the people that started Texas, came from different parts of the country. My brothers and I were lucky enough to be born Native Texans. Every Texan has a strong sense of pride and a chip on their shoulder. I cannot imagine being from or living anyplace else! Here is a copy of an email I have received from my brother (author unknown):

~~~TEXAS - When you're from Texas, people that you meet ask you questions like, Do you have any cows?" "Do you have horses?" "Bet you got a bunch of guns, eh?" They all want to know if you've been to Southfork. They watched Dallas. Have you ever looked at a map of the world? Look at Texas with me just for a second. That picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast, and the Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as anything ever will be. As soon as anyone anywhere in the world looks at it they know what it is. It's Texas. Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt and he'll know what it is. What happens if I show you a picture of any other state? You might get it maybe after a second or two, but who else would? And even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you? In every man, woman and child on this planet, there is a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride off in a pickup. There is some little bit of Texas in everyone. Did you ever hear anyone in a bar go, "Wow...So you're from Iowa? Cool, tell me about it?" Do you know why? Because there's no place like Texas. Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed instead to fight and die for the cause of freedom. We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and James Bowie and Crockett and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and and they decided to cross it and be heroes. John Wayne paid to do the movie himself. That is the Spirit of Texas. Texas is Sam Houston capturing Santa Ana at San Jacinto. Texas is "Juneteenth" and Texas Independence Day. Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crockett National Forest. Texas is breathtaking mountains in the Big Bend. Texas is the unparalleled beauty of bluebonnet fields in the Texas Hill Country. Texas is the beautiful, warm beaches of the Gulf Coast of South Texas. Texas is the shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas. Texas is world record bass from places like Lake Fork. Texas is Mexican food like nowhere else, not even Mexico. Texas is the Fort Worth Stockyards, Bass Hall, the Ballpark in Arlington and the Astrodome. Texas is larger-than-life legends like Michael DeBakey, Denton Cooley, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Janis Joplin, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Landry, Darrell Royal, Rick Husband, Eric Dickerson, Earl Campbell, Nolan Ryan, Sam Rayburn, George Bush, Lyndon B.Johnson, and George W. Bush (and VINCE YOUNG). Texas is great companies like Dell Computer, Texas Instruments and Compaq. And LOCKHEED MARTIN AEROSPACE, Home of the F-16 Jet Fighter and the JSF Fighter. Texas is NASA. Texas is huge herds of cattle and miles of crops. Texas is skies blackened with doves, and fields full of deer. Texas is a place where towns and cities shut down to watch the local High School Football game on Friday nights and for the Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and for the Night In Old San Antonio River Parade in San Antonio. Texas is ocean beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies, and modern cities. If it isn't in Texas, you probably don't need it. No one does anything bigger or better than it's done in Texas. By federal law, Texas is the only state in the U.S. that can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. flag. Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland, California, or Maine and your state flag, whatever it is, goes at 17 feet. You fly the Stars and Stripes in front of Pine Tree High in Longview or anyplace else at 20 feet, the Lone Star flies at the same height - 20 feet. Do you know why? Because it is the only state that was a republic before it became a state. Also, being a Texan is as high as being an American down here. Our capitol is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building in Washington, D.C. and we can divide our state into five states at any time if we wanted to! We included these things as part of the deal when we came on. That's the best part, right there. Texas even has its own power grid!!~~~
Finally, for those that really want to know what the men that wrote and signed the Texas Declaration at Washington-On-The-Brazos were all about, click here.

God Bless Texas!

"The Great Communicator"

Today I spent my afternoon at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
in Simi Valley, CA. Being a fan of history and a fan of President Reagan, it was a great trip to see the history of a true American hero, as well as a hero to the world. The museum had several displays of the President and Mrs. Reagan's personal items, several short films, an exact replica of the Oval Office when President Reagan was in office. But, by far the coolest thing there was the Air Force One 737 used by President Reagan (as well as six others, including our current President, George W. Bush). You were able to go through the plane and view the inside of this magnificent flying machine. It was a lot smaller than I thought (I hear the newer 747 is a lot bigger), but is was no coach flight.
My first memories of a President on TV was President Reagan. I was only 8 when he was inaugurated for his first term, so my knowledge of the political world was nil. In fact, the only reason I remember him at first is because I happened to be "sick" the day of the assassination attempt on him (March 30, 1981). I remember my mom crying on the phone as the news hit the TV. I also remember him grieving with the nation as they held a memorial service for the 7 astronauts that lost their lives on the Space Shuttle Challenger, and I remember him when the Berlin Wall fell.
The last one is probably the one that will last as one of the greatest crowning accomplishments during his presidency. The ideals of Communism had conflicted the United States and the USSR for almost a half-century . President Reagan stood firm against the Russians and their desires for a Communist world-order. His policy of "peace through strength" is a lasting legacy.

17-Mile Drive and Steinbeck

Well, my time in the Bay Area is over for the time being. I'm back just north of LA tonight and will be in the San Diego and LA area next week. I had the past two days off so I took advantage of it by going to Pebble Beach yesterday and today I spent a few hours in John Steinbeck's hometown of Salinas, CA. I visited the National Steinbeck Center today and learn a little about one of America's greatest authors. I bought Cannery Row last week and am in the process of reading it now. I think my next read will be Travels With Charley: In Search of America. I became intrigued by the concept of that book because it is Steinbeck traveling the country with his dog Charley, exploring America. It is a non-fiction work with some mixed results from Steinbeck fans, but I think I can relate to it a little, at least the traveling part. I have really enjoyed seeing different parts of America, and while I am not a writer, I enjoy keeping a log of where I have been and what I have experienced.
Anyway, back to 17-Mile Drive...
It is, like the name suggests, a 17-mile drive around Pebble Beach, which includes some of the most famous golfcourses in the USA, breathtaking views of the Pacific coast and several stops along the way to take some photos and just walk around. I asked a lady at one of the shops what the green fee was at Pebble Beach...$425 (and it's going up next month). So, I will not be playing there unless I win the lottery, but i did pay a visit to the 18th green.