ketchup 1: birth of the cool

I prefer mustard, & I love that on Hot Dog Paradise I have seen restaurants that absolutely refuse to put ketchup (or even "catsup") on a hot dog.

Cleveland's Stadium Mustard (kinda like a spicy brown) & raw onions win, here.

Burgers: well, yeah, ketchup & mayo, maybe bacon, a chile, some guac or bbq or steak sauce or hot sauce, depending on mood.

Anyway the"ketchup" in our title here is a phonetic spelling of "catch up," or get back in the proverbial groove after a week off at midterms.

Oh, & Miles Davis has an album ("collection of songs not stolen") called Birth of the Cool, by the way.

So, let's get at it . . .


You can read the artist & title.

I played the trumpet for about 3 minutes in 6th grade, when we chose instruments. I wanted to play drums, which seemed the only "cool" instrument available--because "loud, obnoxious shred electric guitar" was not available--but 4 of my best friends went that way, so I had to do something else. & the saxophone had way too many buttons . . .

I couldn't play the theme to Rocky in those 3 minutes, & the experiment ended.

But years later I got into Miles Davis because he was cool.

He embodied cool.

& the trumpet can add texture to any rock or funk song, & rock & funk rule my world.

If you ain't got Kind of Blue--or better yet, this one, which covers much of his amazing versatility:


. . .go get it now.

(buy, don't steal, please)

ON TO THE ENGLISH STUFF:


Juniors, last Friday:
FORWARD!!!

You checked your CST scores, & many of you stayed "advanced," but slightly less advanced.

Aodhan, Linda & I talked about the fact that he scored "perfect" in language arts his 1st year & "perfect" in math his 2nd, but not "perfect" in both.

What does that mean?

It means he's still "advanced" & has something for which to shoot.

As do you.

Gulliver's Travels rocks, by the way, & you looked at those little fellers.


Sophomores, last Friday:

FORWARD!!!!!

You worked on reading, & you did well.

Seriously, let's look at these tests as a kind of competition, not necessarily w/ Los Osos or Rancho or Etiwanda, but as us against the test.

It's like golf: you play no one but the course.

Let's beat it (cue the Michael Jackson).

(Wow, Mile Davis & Michael Jackson in one post . . . how to top that?)

be "cool," like Miles