We may have made reference to this guiding principle of parenting in the past. Yes, moms can enjoy a lovely Mother’s Day, full of pancakes in bed, trips to the spa, and salmon salad dinners in fern bars, but there’s no reason in the world for Mom’s fun to end there. All it takes is a little advance planning.
I think the creators of children’s cartoons get away with murder because they know damn well Mom is in the kitchen finishing her coffee or her gin depending on the kind of day it’s going to be, and not in the living room supervising what her kid sees on tv.
As I may have mentioned, I’m An Old. I remember when black and white cartoons were in black and white because colours hadn’t been invented then. And yet, even I remember how children’s cartoons pushed the envelope (or is that the closet door) with some marvelously camp and butch characters.
How many can you remember? Velma. Peppermint Patty. Bugs Bunny in certain moods. That poor cat Pepe LePew was always chasing. And was there anyone on television, Liberace included, as gay as the Great Gazoo?
Take this quiz and find out which gay childhood icon you are. You can copy the code and post the result in your blog, or just come out in the comments section of this post.
Here is my result, and no surprise: it was either Velma or Peppermint Patty, and there were NO BASEBALL QUESTIONS! This quiz is rigged! Let’s call Scooby and the gang and investigate what’s really going on here…oops, slipping into character.
You Are the Very Gay Velma! |
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But Velma is all about Daphne… not Fred! |
Back in the sepia-toned, bell-bottomed days of the Seventies when this documentary was shot, Langley was a lovely village surrounded by stables and farms, three-quarters of an hour’s leisurely drive outside of Vancouver. Now it is a strip-mall-encircled bedroom community an hour’s infuriatingly tense drive outside of Vancouver with, improbably, stables and farms still interspersed between SUV dealerships.
And this is the Langley School Music Project, a public school initiative by Hans Fenger, a teacher in the system. Just another public school teacher.
In the early 70s, Vancouver musician Hans Fenger decided to get a real job. His girlfriend was pregnant, and he couldn’t raise a family on earnings from club gigs and guitar lessons. He got a teaching certificate and a job in the Langley school district.
Here is some great analysis from The Delete Bin:
The recordings were literally a school project, headed up by music teacher Hans Fenger based in Langely B.C (just up the road from where I’m writing this), and incorporating 60 students who sang and played percussion instruments on songs which included David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”, Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Band on the Run”, the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows”, and the Eagles’ “Desperado”. The record polarized opinion. Some said that the takes on the songs create a sort of ghostly, otherworldly effect, while others denounced it as sounding amateurish and very “school assembly” in delivery. Perhaps it’s their origin which makes these recordings so compelling. Fenger had this to say about the project and the kids who created it:
“I knew virtually nothing about conventional music education, and didn’t know how to teach singing. Above all, I knew nothing of what children’s music was supposed to be. But the kids had a grasp of what they liked: emotion, drama, and making music as a group. Whether the results were good, bad, in tune or out was no big deal — they had élan. This was not the way music was traditionally taught. But then I never liked conventional ‘children’s music,’ which is condescending and ignores the reality of children’s lives, which can be dark and scary. These children hated ‘cute.’ They cherished songs that evoked loneliness and sadness.”
And now, click on to see (and hear) the kids:
(more…)
It’s that time again! When the flowers are blooming, the weather turns warmer, and you can finally kick those kids out of the house!
Here are some fabulous things to keep them occupied through the long summer months…
Megaland I am liking quite a few things about this toy. First, children from 36 months to 8 years can play in it! Now perhaps an 8 year old is too cool to play with it, even if it lasts until 6 years, that’s still a bargain! Also, it can be configured in many ways, so if your kids get bored easily, it can be changed.
Naturally Playful Woodland Climber. Are you a bit weary of your child trying to climb up your counters, cupboards, or onto your sofa? Then this toy just might do the trick. Step 2 makes some great, long lasting toys.
Naturally Playful Sand and Water Activity Center I can speak from personal experience when I say that my son loved this toy. It’s better than a regular sandbox in two ways. 1. They don’t get sand in their pants. 2. They can do what every kid loves to do, mix sand and water, and did I mention not getting sand in every crevice? Also comes with a lid that stays on tight, keeping out bugs and rain.
Blast Pad Missile Launch System Some rocket launchers are difficult to use, somewhat dangerous, and easily broken. This one beats them all. Not a whole lot of effort to launch, but they go up satisfyingly high!
Ultimate Beach Ball Sprinkler Perfect for those days when you are feeling slightly lazy. Just fill up the ball and let the kids do all the work! Wait, but isn’t that almost every day? Or is it just me?
Splash Balls Sprinkler Sprays tons of water every which way! More unpredictable (and therefore, better) than the sprinklers that just sort of rotate around in a circle.
Naturally Playful Picnic Table with Umbrella Got one or more kids? Do they have any friends? Then an outdoor picnic table is a great solution to the dilemma of letting dirty kids in the house to have a snack. I also have personal experience with this table, and not only is it “pretty,” it is sturdy and well made. It seems a bit expensive, but it is well worth the money.
Neat & Tidy Cottage Looking for a playhouse, but need to pick yourself up off the floor from sticker shock? This cottage is a bargain for the price compared to other playhouses with similar features. It also has that all-important kitchen.
Radio Flyer Pathfinder Wagon We also own this wagon, and it rocks. Are we noticing a trend, here? Hey, when possible I like to speak from experience. With seatbacks, seatbelts, real rubber wheels and cup holders, this wagon is one sweet ride!
Push Around Buggy If your child is not yet able to propel themselves around in the Cozy Coupe, then this is your solution. Yes, you have to do all the work, but isn’t it worth it? Also comes in pink!
My dear friends, you’ve no idea how brutal this world can be to an artistic soul. One by one, it eats them alive. Raymond Chandler. Dashiell Hammett. Dorothy Parker. Damon Runyan. Anita Loos. Ernest Hemingway.Mother Goose.
Yes, for is there any soul as fragile and artistic as that of a child’s storyteller? And yet as each tender Easy Reader, picture book, or pop-up manuscript is born, it is ruthlessly wrenched from its creator’s loving embrace and cast upon the heaving black waters of the heartless book market, there to sink or swim as its now-helpless progenitor can only clutch pearls or fedora and gape, wreathed in cigarette smoke and sheer terror (and then write about it on the Oprah forums). Oh! The Humanity!
Here, thanks to Kids in the Hall, perhaps the greatest sketch comedy troupe in history, is archival footage of one such writer’s brutal struggle through the long, dark, teddy bear’s picnic of the soul.
I was going to use their Teddy Bear’s Picnic skit, but that’s too dark even for me.
Dear Hugh Jackman Fan Club,
So far, you have enabled Mr. Jackman an unprecedented fifth win over Matthew Fox, who is certainly no slouch in the looks department. Not to mention Patrick Dempsey, Jason Bateman, Will Smith, and Daniel Craig, who also went down in flames.
Therefore, I have decided to throw some really big guns at you, just to see exactly what you are made of. Will you crumple in the face of the awesomeness that is this week’s challenger, or will you triumph yet again?
Only time will tell, my friends.
Let the showdown begin…
vs. 
That rapier wit, that irresistible malevolence, that roguish smile, the manly tan, the arm/chest pelt, those perfect teeth, those suspiciously buff pecs, the himbo pinup calendar: is it any wonder that Simon Cowell, evil overlord of American Idol, has won the hearts of so many? But there’s one more reason:
The hair.
We at TeenyManolo, as dwellers in the Manolosphere and survivors of the Eighties, are uniquely placed to reveal to the world the secret of Simon Cowell’s mane muse. Where, in a world dominated by variations of the Trent Reznor and the George Clooney does a man get the inspiration for such a vividly gravity-defying, yet carefree and jungle-lush look?
From just one place, my friends:
Yes, it’s the comeback of the hottest look of the Eighties: The Monchhichi. Via toybender.com. Sex-AY! Is it any wonder they’re also the inspiration for a line of condoms?
Here’s a little something to sustain the grownup in you through the umpteenth viewing of The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, or Insert-Kid-Fave-Disney-Flick.
Remember that tip to help nervous people relax and enjoy public speaking? The one where you’re supposed to imagine the audience in their underwear? Well, it works pretty well for Disney films, too, as you will see if you click onward. (more…)
via WanderingCoyote
Okay, so it’s not Beethoven. You think Beethoven’s Fifth would calm a crying baby? Behold the power of the greatest pacifier known to humanity, the ever-reliable Rickroll. I wonder what would happen if they played Rick Astley in Helmand; the entire region would break into a soporific version of the Hustle, shake hands, and declare peace. You doubt? You watch!
via Defamer.
Science Fiction changed my life (Museditions)
Wonder Bread as avant-garde art (Disembedded)
The littlest urinal (LilSugar)
Japanese booze for babies! (TrendsInJapan)
My kid is better than your kid (BarkeysGotBite, hat tip to CelebratingTheAbsurd)
My mom is worse than your mom (Dooce)
Dumb and Dumberer: new Food Network shows (FromScratch)
I hereby claim this female reproductive system in the name of…ME! (50books)
Craniofacial duplication: two perspectives (Fracas)
Make someone’s day: tell her your life sucks too! (WorkItMom)
April 1st comes later than expected (AwesomeMom)
More on the heartbreak of middle-class rejection (Dadsmacker)
Free the Fart! (MagnetoBoldToo)
Seat safety warning (SeismicTwitch)
Book vs Blog (PetiteAnglaise)
