Never mind the homework, here's the Vegan Teacher

What’s mine is yours

dallas444 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:04:21 +0000

It’s been very cold. My New Years Resolutions included writing more and cutting out the hooch for a while . I also received a cajon over the holidays and I’ve been finding it useful when it comes to demoing new songs in my apartment. Here is one of them:

In elementary for the next couple of days and then it’s off to my favorite high school for some Science. I’m anticipating a productive week and I’ve even got an interview for a teaching position stuffed in there somewhere.

The little guys have been funny to be around. Last week one of them kept yelling “oh yeah, who’s the mac daddy?” at his computer screen whenever he’d be playing this one game in the lab. Another one was keen to let me know the condition of his feet as often as possible. At one point he felt it important to tell me that his feet were hot, but later they were itchy. “I think it’s the one with the warts on it”, he told me. “No wait, it’s the other one”.

Winter Torpor, Engage

dallas444 — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:00:24 +0000

I’ve been posted at an elementary school for the last week or so, in a grade 3/4 split class of behaviour kids. It’s been going well, after the initial couple days of them thinking that it was cool to goof around, I’ve finally got them in somewhat of a routine. I’ve never spent this long with an age group this young before, and it’s been pretty fun. Since their regular teacher has been down for the count since last week, I’ve been winging all of the lesson plans. Adjusting my instructional methods for their grade level has taken some time, but I think I’ve got it figured out. I know this because I’ve only had 2 criers in 5 days, (usually the affect I have on kids this old is such that I have at least one a day).

I know I haven’t been posting much. My excuse is that it’s cold out, and this has made me very lethargic. All I really feel like doing is changing into sweats, hiding under the Blanket of Shame and playing Super Mario World.

2112

dallas444 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:27:07 +0000

It’s true, I’ve been listening to a little bit more Rush than usual lately. Anyways, inspired by the move Fugazi made last month (organizing and planning to release their entire archive of recorded live shows), I’ve been going through posters and itineraries in an attempt to try and list every show I’ve ever played. It’s interesting, for me anyways. I’ll keep plugging away at this thing for the next little while. I’ve come up with over 200 so far. Maybe I can dig up some old photos to go with certain tours, or some other audacious task.

Something to Write Home About

dallas444 — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:30:18 +0000

In Germany, actually throughout Europe (with the exception of the autobahn) there are photo radar boxes all over the highways. Interestingly, when you’re driving around with a GPS, none of them should come as a surprise as they all show up on your map as you approach them. It took us a few days to understand how this worked.

This fall, a few weeks after we arrived home, I received a letter in the mail postmarked in Germany. Originally, I’d thought it was dough for the band, as we’d signed these papers that are similar to SOCAN agreements after every show. (In Canada, you can actually get paid by SOCAN if you perform in certain venues). But they weren’t writing to give me money, they were writing to tell me I owed money. Or we owed money. Inside the envelope there was a picture of the bass-player at the wheel with an accompanying note claiming that we’d blasted by a photo-radar box, 22 kms too fast, in small town Germany. Anyways, I emailed central bureaucracy in Bleifeld, DE, told them that it wasn’t me in the photo and promptly forgot about it.

A month goes by and I receive another letter. My pretending that the ticket had ceased to exist added an extra 20 Euros in late fees to the original amount. I wasn’t about to pay the $250, but I didn’t want the ticket to show up on my passport the next time I tried to clear German customs. I sat down and wrote them an actual letter explaining that I wasn’t the driver on the notice and sent it to back central bureaucracy, Bleifeld. Then I forgot about it.

Last week, I received one more letter. This one much shorter than the others, and printed in bold. All of these letters were in German, and would take some time to translate. I was mad at this one, so I left it on the table. A few days later, roommate’s girlfriend came over with some news. Her Dad is German, and roommate had taken the letter over to be translated. Turns out the last letter was written to inform me that the ticket had been pardoned, but that my name was going up on the Wall of Shame at City Hall in Bleifeld, DE, for the whole town to see.

dallas444 — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:17:31 +0000

Heh heh heh.

Not tryin’ to cause a big sensation

dallas444 — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:20:59 +0000

Ah! My band kids have done it again! They played at the school’s talent show on Friday, rockin’ the gym with a cover of My Generation. For a band that’s been playing less than a year (and are still in Jr. High!), they’re making serious progress! I love watching these guys play, they get better and better every time I see them.

dallas444 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:00:12 +0000

Sometimes I can’t help but think about how traditional education has partially limited my personal approach to the creative process. That A grade must mean that I’ve done something right, followed the right procedure, jumped through the right hoops which means my interpretation was bang-on. I played the perfect show because all the right notes were hit, flawless delivery, the drum fills were in exactly the right place. Applause and complements further solidifying that my take on things is truly new, or refreshing. But the other part of my brain argues that my idea of creativity is a mere casualty of what I’ve been brought up to admire, and their innovations severely lack a global influence. Appropriations, riding on coat-tails and co-opting the achievements of others.

This is how your head ends up when you’re lying in bed with the flu, on a diet of faux chicken soup and ginger tea. Too post modern for your own good.

dallas444 — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:40:35 +0000

Etsy profile update on the right. All books reprinted and available on that site or through me directly.

Also, after self-publishing 3 books, learning a bit about how to make ‘m look nice and getting them out there, I’ve decided to open the Pattern Press to manuscript submissions. If you’ve got a project you’d like to see available in print form, send me a draft to look at, I might help you put it out! Please keep in mind the stuff I’ve been releasing as well as the demographic.

I’ve also decided that I’ll open up the shop to binding projects. If you have something you’d like to see printed and hand-bound, I will do it for a small fee and send it back to you.

Inquiries for both should be sent to pattern (dot) press (at) gmail (dot) com.

dallas444 — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:42:45 +0000

Music section updated.

I’m also working on making the books available for downloading. If I can figure out how to make it work, you’ll be the first to know.

Let it come

dallas444 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:33:49 +0000

The Canadian Government’s reluctance to take any kind of a stand on climate matters is really starting to bring my piss to a boil. As a Canadian child of the 80′s who grew up during a time when we were leaders of the environment – saving forests from being clear-cut, establishing the Montreal Protocol to deal with the problems CFC’s were causing (which even had the support of Ronald Reagan) and the promotion of the Three R’s – it’s absolutely infuriating to watch Canada with its head in the sand at the international climate talks in Durban.

I’m not quite sure what it’s going to take until the threat of human induced climate change is taken seriously. A massive drought that threatens our water and food supply? Weather patterns that physically disrupt our comfortable way of life? When an alarming number of biologists and climate specialists warn that we’re already starting to see some devastating impacts of carbon output, it doesn’t lead me to believe that the Harper Government is really looking out for my best interests.

Shame on you Peter Kent.

Minister@ec.gc.ca