perspective

Jason Becker, Collection

We don't call people "heroes" & such.

We whine a little too much when things don't go our way.

Here's a guy who might make you think, put it all into perspective.

Jason Becker was an up-&-coming guitar god back in the late '80s (& we all thought he'd be the man in the early '90s)--check out his work w/ Cacophony, which also included Marty Friedman.

He got the coveted post-Steve Vai gig w/ David Lee Roth.

While recording the album A Little Ain't Enough, he started feeling strange, stumbling around a little, getting weak feelings in his hands . . . & eventually was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or mayhaps more commonly as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."

He was 20.

He was given 3 years to live.

He lost the ability to speak in the mid-90s, & he was soon completely paralyzed, before age 30 lacking pretty much all movement except for his eyes.

About the disease he says, "It has crippled my body & speech, but not my mind."

Go here for more info on this amazing human being:

http://jasonbeckerguitar.com/

[Also, check out youtube for some pure shred guitar.]

"Hero"? Maybe, maybe not.

"Dude who has done more than I ever will"? Probably.

"Inspiration"? Yeah, that's it.

& as for the music, some key cuts on Collection are "River of Longing," "Opus Pocus," & "Electric Prayer for Peace."

Also, he has another album w/ a great title I wish we all would consider.
'
It's called Perspective.


Juniors:
"Psychological Approach to 'Young Goodman Brown'" quiz today.

Also . . .

Dexter
House
Nina (Black Swan)
Forrest Gump
Sheldon (The Big Bang Theory)
Tyler Durden
Tara (True Blood)
Lisbeth Salander
Amir (The Kite Runner)
Rorschach
Humbert
Boo Radley
Yossarian
Holden Caulfield
Ichiro (No-No Boy)
"one I have yet to come across"

Some of our most interesting characters.

Round, not flat.

Dynamic, not static.


Sophomores:
Unit 7 vocabulary quiz today.

Grammar--parts of speech & parts of sentence--quiz tomorrow.

Unit 8 definitions due Wednesday.

OR 2.2 due Friday.

be cool