Music, Food, & My Owie!

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2003 - 7:45 a.m.

Thanks to JJ for turning me on to this...

Did you know that Diaryland has an official theme song? It's very cute and clever.

---

Yesterday and today, I have asked the following question of six people, one of which was my husband.

I warned them that it was one of those existential bullshit questions, but they all said okay and to bring it on.

The question was four words long: "Do you need me?"

The kind of answers I received ranged all the way from an unequivocal YES, in under thirty seconds with a single-sentence clarification that had a charm and an openness that left me in tears, to an evenly concocted mixture of vaporlock and verbiage that took three quarters of an hour to impart the phrase "there's no easy answer to this."

I'm grateful to the people who were able to answer me. Especially the one(s) who answered before their scheduled caffeine intake.

---

P@ul Schu!tz sent me more salsa! Nummy nums! I had myself a little moment there when I first opened the box -- and discovered that yes, there is in fact somebody on the planet even more retentive than I am when it comes to preparing a package for mailing.

As I shoveled through the peanuts and newspapers and styrofoam, it was as if I'd found somebody else on a deserted island.

I don't think that salsa would have shattered if it had been dropped out of an airplane.

---

I've just seen this come across the wires:

MANAHAWKIN, N.J. (AP) - Jethro Tull is off the playlist of a classic rock station after the band's frontman criticized displays of the Stars and Stripes.

"I hate to see the American flag hanging out of every bloody station wagon, out of every SUV, every little Midwestern house in some residential area," Ian Anderson was quoted as saying in an interview published Sunday in the Asbury Park Press. "It's easy to confuse patriotism with nationalism. Flag waving ain't gonna do it."

The verdict from listeners of WCHR-FM's "The Free Beer & Hot Wings Morning Show" was swift.

"The reaction of our audience has been 99 percent in favor of the ban and 99 percent incredulous that he would say such stupid things," said Phil LoCascio, WCHR program director and on-air personality. "He is a smart guy. As far as we're concerned, this ban is forever."

He said the ban isn't censorship because "our listeners' right to ask us not to play the music is equal to his right to say what he wants."

I don't disagree with the station's decision to ban the music of a given artist.

But the thing is -- Ian Anderson was right. He spoke the truth.

And sometimes, the truth hurts.

The flag of any given nation is just a piece of cloth. What makes any given flag particularly special is what the flag represents.

In this case, I think what Mr. Anderson was railing against was not the flag itself, but rather, the group mentality that was causing people to purchase flags and hang them from everywhere if they wouldn't have done so otherwise. He's right. Flag-waving ain't gonna do it.

And the fans of that morning show may as well burn their flags, as they don't seem to understand or accept the concept of free expression -- especially if it forces them to think.

---

And finally -- Owie Alert: Here's what my burn looks like three weeks after it happened. I think the scar will be around for awhile, but otherwise, this officially ends Blister Watch 2003. :)

---

what you missed - what's next - leave a note
first post - cast page - diaryrings - top ten

THE LEGAL STUFF: All content on this site that was created by me is copyright 2003-infinity by Brin Marie McLaughlin. Steal my stuff and I'll squash you like a bug. All incoming email or any other form of communication with me is subject to publication or other distribution by me in whole or in part at my sole discretion. This diary features the sole opinions and experiences of one person, namely me, the person who is paying for this space. In the interest of safety and accountability, no anonymous input will ever be allowed here, ever, for any reason in the entire history of ever. Whenever there is a comments section appearing in this diary, it's to be considered part of my paid presence on the web, and shall be used by my readership to supplement the things I have written here with relevant information in a polite manner. Comments that do not fall in that category are subject to deletion at my whim. Your visit to my diary along with your use of my comments section constitutes the understanding of this statement. Anything else on these pages including any comments belongs to whoever created it. All external links are current as of the date of the entry in which they are first featured, but at no other time. News excerpts used here are for educational purposes and are permitted under the Fair Use Doctrine. Hold hands when you cross the street, and play nice.