A couple of weeks ago my I went to Colonial Williamsburg and could not resist getting a colonial tri-corner hat.

This of course could not be wasted on Halloween as I pimped myself out with the appropriate red-coat vest and knickers.

What I was surprised was at the numerous and various responses I got from people regarding who I might be.

The most popular were indeed a pirate, but it seems there are sort of odd associations with a tri-corner hat.

Here’s the list:

A Pirate

Captain Morgan

A Wiggle (Someone with kids help me out here.)

The guy from the Free Credit Report.com commercial

John Smith

and finally a Red Coat…. Kudos to Jason Teague for “getting it.”

I’ve not been doing well on according to the purpose of this blog. My mantra was to post often, not worry about perfection and be truly authentic. After having my laptop  and friends GPS stolen from our car, my faith in humanity wained a bit. But I’m back to post all of my back dated thoughts, that I didn’t have time to finish the they I wanted to….. reality is that this is all can I can give you at this time….

Last February I attended the inauguration of Barrack O’bama as President of the United States of America with a group of friends.

I started this post then remarking about two subjects. Mantle of Authority and Diversity.

Recently I watched the DVD set, John Adams from HBO starring Paul Giamatti. This movie was a great portrait of a lesser known founding forefather that was impressive for many reasons. Most of all it reminded of the wonderment I felt at the inauguration. Since living in the D.C. area I’ve attended 3 inaugurations, most of which have followed a bitter year long campaign of  accusations, false rumors and attack under the guise of useful criticisms.

What I’m always amazed by at the inaugurations is the free and peaceful transfer of power. Indeed there is a palpable feeling when the mantle of authority is past and taken on by another. Regardless of how bitter the debates were, there is a true intangible but real power in the peaceful and humble change of possession of the executive authority.

I’ve played about a handful of musical instruments in my lifetime but none to such skill that I felt I could fully express myself in the language of music.

I do remember days of chore sitting at a piano keyboard or snapping the spit valve of my trumpet, dreaming I commanding the attention of thousands on a rock stage.

So when I see people who stayed true to their skills but felt all types of music my heart sort of leaps up to applaud them for having the discipline to gain that power of expression.  Once you’ve gained it you can do whatever you want with it. Play rock songs on a violin, awesome.

Check this duo out: Pianafiddle

Power to ya!

I’ve cracked my knuckles for years….I think I’ve finally found the cure!

Bad Habits:
How To Stop Cracking Your Knuckles

A fun way to update my POV! A DIY windshield cam.

I love the tinkerers of the world!

We are hours away from the beginning of a new college football season and I have been feeling the excitement for weeks now! I heart college football!

I mean I really love it. But I’ve become aware that it could be because I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. Even when we were terrible at football the pageantry, enthusiasm and celebration surrounding game day is the glue that binds the community together.

In fact I think that’s the point. I love community events. People come together, even if they’re opposing sides to celebrate the exciting of human achievement, camaraderie and the excitement of life.

To sum it up, there’s nothing like sitting among 85,000 of your best friends and screaming your head off for no apparent reason.

Reasons to love College Football:

• Community, Colors &Tailgates
• 
• Traditions & Songs & Mascots
• 
• Pagentry , Halftimes, Bands (5th Quarter if your’e a Badger fan)
• 
• Passion -Originality Cheer, Frivolity
• 
• Rivalries and Underdogs
• 
• Bowl Games & Heros
• 

For this post I’m giving you a reading assignment, then hurry back for my comments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/opinion/17brooks.html?_r=1

President Obama got this one absolutely right.

The article reveals the frailties of the community colleges, but hopefully the Obama aid with help alleviate some of the problems.

I am a graduate of the former Ricks Junior College, in Rexburg, ID. (Now BYU-Idaho) It absolutely was the right place for me at the time. Since then I have reflected often of the power of the Junior College in the American education system. The Junior/Community College is the “THE” American opportunity. Anyone, I mean anyone regardless of your background can get into a Junior/Community college. Once you get in, the environment is sufficient for you to make something of yourself. Graduation for a community college can get you into a top tier University or can give you very relevant technical skills. At that point you have the power to fulfill any dream you like.

Even though American education gets bagged on around the whole, no one can compete with the advantage of a the junior/community college system. No where else in the world can people more easily access higher education channels.

A week or so ago, I was at the gas station about a block from my house. Where there is an e-play video dispenser.  You’ve probably seen the Redbox at your local grocery store. This a similar experience, but it’s actually located outside, near the building. A convenient way to get a movie anytime. We must be grateful for the convenience we are served. In fact we are super-served in that way. Almost to a fault. I’ve definitely exploited the fact that I can pay up at the very last moment given our current technology. In fact I’ve often wondered how much of a slacker I would be if I were born 50 years earlier. Having to remind myself of all the things to do on time, wait in line. Put it in mail…. ugh.

Anyway. This experience was great, not only could I be recognized by CC, but also by an email address, or barcode on the sleeve after purchase.It then has my history when I showed up. The return was easy and simple. No instructions really needed. The only weird thing was the sleeve they give to you when you purchase a rental. it doesn’t actually fit the CD/DVD well. But who cares. Plus you pay just a buck for every night you keep it. One night, one dollar. Two nights, two dollars. So you have incentive to return it but it’s not going to kill you if miss it for a day.

I hope you’re more responsible  than myself but that you also find yourself super served cause it just feels good!

On the fourth I went down to Eastern Market for some Independence day fun at Eastern Market. Amongst the fresh food and the artisans is a pickle vendor. YES! A pickle vendor. To me this was absolute heaven. I’ve been a pickle fan for as long as I can remember. I have great memories of following my mother down to the Capitol farmer’s market on a brisk autumn morning when the cucumbers were in bumper crop and enjoying the sounds, smells and smiling faces. Shortly thereafter finding myself sitting in front of a towering pile of cucumbers on the kitchen table while a striking smelling brine brews on the stove. My mother was an industrious canner so I have some experience with how a cucumber become a pickle. But I don’t think I was ever a real connoisseur until I discovered the IN A PICKLE, vendor. IN A PICKLE sells a variety pickles and olives all made from a local farm. They sell individual pickles on a stick, pickles by the pint and quart. I never really liked the fresher pickles until I hit my thirties. Before I wanted my pickles good and petrified. I remember anxiously waiting for the pickles we packed in the fall to be ready to be eaten in the early spring. I in fact would run down to the cellar, and look at the color change over time, my mouth salivating for that salty goodness. A few things I learned from the IN A PICKLE folks were these variations. A kosher pickle has Salt, Water, and Vinegar, as well as the appropriate blessings or authorizations. A (Full) Sour Pickle is only Salt and Water. Of course you can add dill or whatever special spices you like. But then there’s the Half Sour Pickle, which basically means it only sits in the bring for half the time of a full sour. Full Sour = 3 months or more) Wish I’d know that was an option as a kid, I’d have been pickling it up a lot sooner! Since discovering the pickle vendor I’ve been back for more varieties, and find myself feeling a bit glutenous after I down a pint single-handedly, but hey at least it’s not ice cream right?!!!

Make your own pickles.

Check out the history of pickles

Boom De Ya Da!

Play is the highest form of research. – Albert Einstein

I am prejudiced when it comes to college nicknames and mascots. Nicknames and mascots serve as a rallying cry and source of pride to all those affiliated with the school. Some schools only have a nickname, others have a nickname and mascot which are different, while the majority have a nickname and mascot which are the same. I love the ones dripping with folklore and traditions. Every time I hear some crazy idea, like oh the students have voted to change the colors or the mascot, I think… they’re missing the point. They must have no soul or school spirit. Most people don’t realize that nicknames were created by the press in the early days of organized sports. The nicknames came from an either inspiring moment or  a coined phrase that gained popularity over time.  Though not a college team, a great example are the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were just plainly the Pittsburgh Baseball Club until they pioneered the art of buying out another players contract to “steal” them from another team. Hence the Pittsburgh Pirates.

My Nickname / Mascot Criteria:

• Penned by writer, journalist as a characteristic about how they’ve played, or reference to folklore in their region.
• Regional Folklore.
• Stories that gathered a following and taken on power of its own.
• Mythical beasts or apparitions rate very highly with me, as well as ordinary creatures with extraordinary names, particularly when the names aren’t readily identifiable by most people without reference to a dictionary or encyclopedia.

Criteria for Soul-less Nicknames for institutions that feign as impostors of higher education.

• Any decision voted on by students in any given year. Since when did a poll taken from one body of students represent the whole body of the community who embrace the ideals, and have contributed to the identity of the university?
• Any ferocious animal that doesn’t have regional/cultural significance or folklore.
• Native American Tribal names – I defer to the delicate sensibilities of some tribal members; , but don’t get me wrong I don’t think the NCAA’s championship rule was right.(This could be a whole other blog. I’ll leave for another day.)

The Point

It’s a matter of pride and celebrating who you are, rather than trying to create a moniker for things you think are cool, or things you’d like to be.

History, Traditions, Real History and Evolution.

The Alabama Crimson Tide

The origins of the Crimson Tide first developed with Alabama’s first football teams.  Dressed in crimson attire and described as malnourished, they were known as the Thin Red Line or the Crimsons. Two former writers are credited with the name evolution to Crimson Tide.  Hugh Roberts, the sports editor for the Birmingham Age-Herald is said to have first used the nickname when he described Alabama’s efforts in a muddy 6-6 tie against Auburn in 1907. During a World War I experience, Zipp Newman noted how the “tide incessantly pounded on the seashore”; When he returned to cover Alabama Football he made the comparison of how the team was a “Crimson Tide” that continue to pound on their opponents.  It was this 1919 description that many say was the catalyst for the name’s popularity.

The University of Wisconsin, Badgers

The team’s nickname originates in the early history of Wisconsin. In the 1820s and 1830s, prospectors came to the state looking for minerals, primarily lead. Without shelter in the winter, the miners had to “live like badgers” in tunnels burrowed into hillsides.[1] As a result, the territory was dubbed the “Badger State,” and the team took its name from that.

Louisiana State University Tigers

Although LSU adopted the Tiger nickname in the same time period that many other schools were selecting ferocious animals as their nickname source, the Tiger term lept into LSU tradition as a tribute to a group of State Civil War heroes. The LSU “Tiger” nickname first roared into existence in the midst of the school’s undefeated 1896 season. The name reflected the honor once achieved by another band of Louisiana men that had distinguished themselves on the field of battle during the “War Between the States.” The Confederate soldiers consisting of New Orleans Zouaves and Donaldsonville Cannoneers were dubbed as the fighting band of Louisiana Tigers by other Southern troops thanks to their fighting spirit displayed at the Battle of Shenandoah.  LSU’s nickname became more closely matched with the state’s military heritage in 1955 when it evolved into the “Fighting Tigers.”

University of Michigan, Wolverines 

If  you’re ever watching the television program “Unsolved Mysteries,” don’t be surprised if the University of Michigan nickname isn’t examined.  Since the earliest memories of Michigan athletics, its teams have been known as the Wolverines.   However, there is no known reason why this animal was ever associated with the university.  There has never been a verified trapping of a wolverine inside the state, nor have there been any skeletal remains of a wolverine found that would suggest a history with the state.
The nickname topic has been debated through the years.  Legendary Michigan football coach shared his theory when he wrote about the subject in the 1944 Michigan Quarterly Review.  Yost thought the nickname evolved from the trading of wolverine pelts at a Sault Ste. Marie trading station.  The fur
traders may have referred to the Michigan trappers as “Michigan Wolverines.”  This fact would have
led to the state nickname and eventually to the University. Albert H. Marckwardt described another theory eight years later in the 1952 Michigan Quarterly Review.  His thoughts focused on when the French first settled Michigan in the late 1700s.  Their appetites were so gluttonous or “wolverine-like” that the wolverine name was given to them. A border dispute between Michigan and Ohio in 1803 is the catalyst for the third nickname theory. While the two sides fought over the proper establishment of the state line, the Michiganders were
said to have called themselves wolverines for their fierce negotiating skills.  The Ohio version leaned
more to the wolverine name being more associated with gluttonous “wolverine” habits of the
Michigan natives.

University of Nebraska, Cornhuskers

The term husker might confuse college football fans that lack an
understanding of an ear of corn’s anatomy.  If your only acquaintance with
corn has been the canned variety, then you might know that the starchy
vegetable comes complete with a husk.  A husk is a thin dry covering of a
seed or fruit and a husker is something or someone that strips the husk
away. While Nebraska grows its fair share of corn, it was the University of Iowa’s
football teams that first were labeled the Cornhuskers.  However Iowa
followers preferred Hawkeyes, opening the door for another school to adopt
the name. Sure enough the nickname finally ripened in 1900 when former Lincoln
sportswriter Charles S. (Cy) Sherman grew tired of Nebraska’s nicknames
that included Antelopes, Old Gold Knights and Bugeaters.  Sherman was
aware of the Cornhusker nickname that Iowa had used and began applying
it for his Nebraska stories.  The Cornhusker name grew tall in Nebraska
circles and eventually became the state’s nickname as well.

The Ohio State University, Buckeyes

One of college football’s most puzzling nicknames is the term “Buckeye.”  Unless you hail from Ohio, you might have driven yourself “nutty” by wondering where this nickname “sprouted” from.  Have no fear, you’ll “leave” this page with a new understanding. A buckeye is a tree that is common in Ohio.  The tree’s “standing” in the state is so tall, that Ohio citizens have been referred to as buckeyes and Ohio is know as the “Buckeye State.” The buckeye tree produces an olive sized mahogany colored seed and leaves that are replicated on OSU football helmets for player achievements.

University of Southern California, Trojans

The Trojan nickname took its first steps when Warren Bovard, director of athletics and son of university
president Dr. George Bovard, asked Los Angles Times sports editor Owen Bird to choose a more suitable
nickname.  Bird was later quoted by USC sports officials on how he selected Trojans to symbolize the
school.
“At this time, the athletes and coaches of the university were under terrific handicaps,”  explained Bird.
“They were facing teams that were bigger and better-equipped, yet they had splendid fighting spirit.  The
name ‘Trojans’ fitted them.”    “I came out with an article prior to a showdown between USC and Stanford
in which I called attention to the fighting spirit of USC athletes and named them ‘Trojans.’  From then on,
we used the term ‘Trojan’ all the time and it stuck.”

University of Indiana, Hoosiers

The Hoosier term certainly has received vast exposure through the years. The Indiana Hoosier basketball team has long been a household name in college basketball circles.  Despite the common usage of the word, it seems there have been more theories of its origin dribbled around by historians than
basketballs in Indiana.One theory that was fostered by Indiana historian Howard Peckman, was that the nickname might have resulted from the work performed by crew that was directed by either Samuel Hoosier or Hoosher.  The men, most of which hailed from Indiana, were building a canal on the Ohio River in 1825 and were referred to as “Hoosier’s men.” Perhaps the most popular “Hoosier” tales is the one that echoes a response to a knock on the door.  Apparently when early Indiana settlers were alarmed by a knock on their cabin door, they would respond with the question: “Who’s there?”  Eventually according to the theory, “Who’s
there,” evolved into “Hoosiers.”

I cite my sources:

http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/23743.html

http://www.mentalfloss.com/quiz/quiz.php?qAnswer4751=12298&qAnswer4752=12346&qAnswer4765=12351&qAnswer4766=12354&qAnswer4767=12355&qAnswer4768=12358&qAnswer4769=12363&qAnswer4770=12366&qAnswer4771=12369&qAnswer4772=12372&qAnswer4773=12376&qAnswer4774=12373&q=466&mode=multiple&adserved=1&p=1

http://www.smargon.net/nicknames/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._college_team_nicknames

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-top10.collegenicknames.pg.1210,0,4155456.photogallery

http://www.statenews.com/index.php/blog/the_huddle/2008/11/the_list__best__worst_college_nicknames

http://www.theheismanwinners.com/CollegeNicknamesandMore.html

http://www.sportslogos.net/