Photo potpourri

Lady E. is learning to play music. This year she is taking band and orchestra classes from two exuberant, excellent teachers.  In the space of several months she began to learn how to play the flute and violin. We saw a few concerts at her school.

Grampa K. also took in a performance a bit later in the spring.

I love motorcycles. That said, given my profession, I have grown quite fond of cars. In February the lease for my beloved Nissan Note came to an end. Known to my co-workers as “The Lustmobile” due to its decidedly unsexy qualities, I was sad to see it go. 

I wanted a pic to show my woe and got a wee bit creative (see left). Marina latched on to the idea and expressed her feelings (see right). She celebrates the happy drives we shared!

We haven’t done justice to the delights of Nashville and are still discovering new places. One was our visit to the Parthenon in Centennial Park. Built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, it is a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens.

In April, right in the heart of downtown, Nashville holds its very own Cherry Blossom Festival. It’s a full day of traditional music, dance (& taiko drums), martial arts, plenty o’ Japanese food, roving cosplay types, the curious and Japan fans alike. 

Courtesy of Nashvilleguru.com

We have participated every year since we arrived in Music City. This year I visited the JET Program tent. That program, after all, was a major turning point in my life journey.

One major perk of living in Tennessee is that Grampa can visit more easily than other places we’ve lived. This particular visit featured a download of his recent trip to Nepal and Thailand. We did a lot of grandchild-focused stuff. I drank a lot of beer. Grampa drove an awful lot coming and going. We love having him here.

In May, we ventured out to the Tennessee Safari Park near Jackson, TN. It’s a drive-through safari, meaning you drive around the 5.5 miles of Safari roads in your own car and interact and feed animals as you putter along.

We bought plenty of feed buckets going in and arrived early enough in the morning that the animals (Zebras, antelope, buffalo, goats, ostriches, llama, and assorted other animals) were still hungry. They are accustomed to us humans, instinctively knowing the cars driving through the park have feed. There is no hesitation popping their heads into the car and gulping the grub. 

We all adapted to the animals’ behavior. They only wanted to eat the food. It was fun. Both Marina and Elena eventually stood up through the car's sunroof and enjoyed the view. 

Only this buffalo stood his ground, refusing to move despite our SUV in his face; we drove around. 

“Kiddovation” is Nissan USA’s version of “Bring Your Child to Work Day.” The event focuses on lighthearted games about innovation in cars and mobility with a kid-friendly twist. It gives a parent like me a chance to share my working world with the kids so they understand about my job. It was a great experience for me and them. 

Marina was interviewed for the company's internal communications video that captured the attending kids' impressions.

Florida is the state of tropical manic genius

Florida…the state of:  Blue Jays spring training, jungle, concrete, tourists, and a magnet for families like us.

Day 4 - Tampa

Given our familial aquatic bent, naturally we toured the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa. I had a mild heart attack on account of the entry fee. 

The building and exhibits were great; given how many aquariums we’ve visited over the years, we can be judgy. Overall, the experience was mostly fun--mixed with some sibling fights.

Due to traffic, it was a long drive out to the Blue Jays spring training stadium in Dunedin. It’s located in a lush neighborhood that at that time was brimming with pasty, deliriously happy Spring Break Canucks strolling the sidewalks. Marina and I tried to get into the stadium grounds around the 8th inning of a game to buy Jays gear at the clubhouse but they wouldn't let us in. Photos instead. This wouldn’t happen if John Gibbons were still the skipper of the bluebirds!! 

Evening drive through Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and all the way back up to Tampa. Stopped at a DQ for ice cream after the Sunshine Bridge. The Rising Daughters needed dinner: ice cream! We are bad parents.

Day 5 - Tampa

Busch Gardens: we walked an awful lot during the day. The girls and I stood for 45 minutes waiting for Sheikra, a pretty good roller coaster. But the lack of a quick queue option put a damper on any kind of Disneyesque technique to avoid line-ups. At one point, I went off with Lady E. in tow because she was fixated on attractions that M. could not ride. Sibling Cold War resulted. Beautiful weather out—80 degrees and lots of sunshine. Maxed out the available hours, from 1000 until 1900. Overall, we had a good time but not a great time. Mostly family discord was the main culprit. It happens.

Day 6 - Tampa

Off to a visit an animal shelter in the north Tampa area outfitted as a private zoo that started as a working farm. Surprisingly good time, beauty weather again. Just walking around looking at animals in a farm converted to a NPO, pony rides and homemade coops, many horses. 

Marina spent the bulk of her time taunting the goats and petting the horses. I think she really wants to take horse riding lessons. Also lots of petting guinea pigs. Lady e., being older, is not as giddy but also loves dem animals.

Evening spent by going to Madeira Beach’s John's Falls section to board the "Calypso Breeze" passenger booze-cruise enabler for an evening dinner cruise. Basically, drinks, food, dancing, then back to dock. Best thing about the night was that I got to dance with Marina, two times. (The second time was her choice, heh heh.) Elder sister laughed at my antics, but it was a moment in time. Topped off the evening with a languid night cruise in our Rogue, windows down, back to the hotel room.

Day 7 – Homeward bound

One last whiff of sand, salt and the musky perfume of decomposing tropical foliage in the morning before departure northward. Specifically, a short visit to Cypress Point Park for some surf. We lingered as long as possible, and were sad to leave.

Motoring along the I-4 from Tampa to Orlando’s Celebration area we spotted a biplane slowly bringing religion to the cloudless indigo blue skies above. Seems there is a local skywriter bearing religious messages almost daily. He wrote “LOVE GOD. U + GOD = (Happy Face).

It was mesmerizing to see this slowly materialize above our heads. I later found out this spiritual skywriting is a regular thing. That pilot is a true believer.

Ate late lunch at Boston Lobster Feast in Celebration, Fla. Oh…my…Lord…no…more…seafood.

Outbound to mid-Georgia. We bunked at a Scottish Inn “economy” motel just off the interstate.

Day 8 – Resigned to the road back to the real world

Opened the motel door to see nine cats patrolling around, soliciting food.  M. went nuts over them. She wants to be a zoologist.

Then an almost straight shot homeward. Hit the H-Mart in Atlanta to buy Asian food. Arrived home by 1530. Sunny skies but the trees were still brown in Tennessee. Our flirtation with summer weather was over. The Rising Family had a dang good time.

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Florida is the state of sublime

Florida is the state of extremes, excitement, excess, contrasts, continual change, big theme parks, surprises, immigrants, evangelicals, toll roads and turnpikes, and different ecosystems.

Spring Break was the perfect time for our family getaway and we were eager to experience warmer climes in the Sunshine State. Here are some samples from our visit.

Day 1 – To Destin, Fla.

Leave home 0845. Take I-65 south for five hours, then turn east on Hwy 31. Cross into Florida. 1600 arrive Destin. Drive around this beach town. Check out the expensive houses on the seashore. Beaches! Love the musky ocean smell (as always). Ate dinner at the Crab Trap, a restaurant on the beach. Crabs for the girls. $118 bill for me.

Day 2 - Delicious Destin

Morning stroll on the white sands of the beach strip. Feed the seagulls the morning waffles the girls wouldn't eat.

Great fun at the go kart track. I cut off Naomi and forced her and Lady E. into rubber guard, Victory was sweet for M. and me.

Lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. More crustaceans. Another $100+ tab.

Walked to the $5.99 gift store. Then the Emerald Isle hotel and boarded the Destin Snorkel adventure cruise. Out on a boat to see dolphins in the wild. Saw plenty of those but also a group of manta rays that gracefully traversed under our tour boat. Found out such groups are called a “squadron.” Thanks, Google.

Our exploratory visit to Destin garnered a thumbs-up; we’ll be back again.

Day 3 - Trippin’ to Tampa

Leaving Destin, I was caffeinated and ready to d-r-i-v-e. I thoroughly enjoyed the first flush of the journey, going through the wealthy beachfront home areas in Sandestin and beyond…slow, two-lane roads but lush greenery and Mayberry feel. Motored up through the hurricane devastated inland areas to I-10, hauled ass east, and then made a beeline southward.

Touchdown at the Tahitian Inn in downtown Tampa. Described online as a “boutique gem” it actually lived up to its name. 1950s allure and palm trees, faded but still glorious. Peter Lawford and lesser Rat Pack members’ hangout vibe here.

Had another seafood dinner at Crabby's in Clearwater (another shoreline Shangri-la). YET MORE LOBSTER AND CRAB! These women in my life are remorseless seafood eating machines.

-to be continued- 

More on M: Part IV

Here’s another installment in our Rising Daughters™ series of interviews with the terrific twosome.  We last spoke with Marina back in October 2017. We were on the cusp of leaving Gurgaon for our new home in the U.S. Read on to discover the rambunctious Ms. M’s current views on life, laughter and the pursuit of happiness.

What's been the hardest thing for you to adjust to since you moved to Tennessee?

Sleeping with the door closed, not sleeping with Mommy, and not being able to use my flashlight when I go to sleep in my own bedroom. Also, finishing my breakfast in the morning isn’t easy.

What are your favorite clothes these days?

I like to wear shorts as much as I can. But skirts are distracting when you run. Shorts don’t flap like skirts when you run. I also like T-shirts.

Embarrassing habits? 

Sometimes I sniff my own farts and compare it with other ones from before.

What's your favorite ice cream/or candy?

Well, I like Laffy Taffy (candy). Chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and soda. I like Nerds when we go to see a movie. I once ate too many Nerds and got sick to my stomach.

Who is more fun to play with, boys or girls?

Girls are more fun. Why? I don’t know, ‘cause I’m a girl? Boys do scary sports and people really get hurt. I don’t want to get hurt, so I don’t play with them. The games are Dodgeball and Nosebleed.

Are you more of a guys' girl or still a girls' girl?

Both. At my birthday party I got around four pounds of Slime, confetti, beads and glitter. Four guests got one pound of it and other stuff. We saved some for a late party arrival so she could play with Slime, too. Elena got the clear Slime. Sometimes girls fight, though.

What's your average day like?

Dad wakes me up at 0655 with rock n’ roll. He carries me to the big bed in Mommy’s room and throws me on the bed to wake me up. I change into school clothes after that. Then I eat breakfast, brush my teeth. The bus comes at 0755. My friend comes, so we pet the other friend’s dog and wait for the bus to come. When we get to school, we wait for the car kids to come, then the gym teacher releases us into the school. We get to our classrooms and do grammar, math, social studies. Yeah.  That’s about it. 

Tell us about the past year at school in Tennessee. What have you learned?

I learned about the circulatory system and the solar system. Plants. U.S. states and history—and a project about Pres. Abraham Lincoln. I got extra points for the beard when I dressed up like him. I really liked Field Day games outside, when it was warm and school was ending, and Sunday’s ice cream. I won a spot in an art contest!

What books are you reading lately?

I still read SpongeBob but lately I really like reading Dork Diaries. Dork Diaries is a girly book, but there’s this other one, the Diary of the Wimpy Kid, that I like. It’s for boys but I still enjoy it.

What’s your favorite toy or thing these days?

I enjoy the camera that Mommy and Daddy got me for Christmas, and the drawing iPad they gave me, too. I love the robot dog, Maya, that Grampa gave me for my birthday present. It’s kind of like a real dog. It kinda walks, rolls over, and barks. 

What would you like to say to your future self?

[For Marina in six years from now/i.e. 15 years old] Hello, I’m fifteen years old. I’ve got a husband, he works for Nissan. I’m a zookeeper and I have 20 children. Apparently we sold them all and only have two children that we adopted. We sold all the children I gave birth to because we didn’t like them. We didn’t have money until my husband George found Nissan and I got to be an employee at the zoo. I live in MarinaWorld Castle and I am the Queen. ‘Bye!

###

Fields and Dreemz

"Human vs. Machine", courtesy of JennyConnected on Wordpress

A few days ago, I wrote about parenting in the internet age and the avalanche of technology that will have a tremendous effect on my kids as they grow up. While pecking at my keyboard I spied the dog-eared copy of W.P. Kinsella’s mystical baseball novella, Shoeless Joe, in my bookcase. That eased my introspection.

I first read Kinsella’s work not long after Hollywood’s take on the book, “Field of Dreams,” starring Kevin Costner, charmed North Americans in the late 1980s. The book was filled with wonder about life, the afterlife, and how people handle metaphysical curveballs pitched to them. It’s a work replete with plot twists focused on dreams, hopes and second-guessing on choices made. Gooey feelings galore. I saw the movie with my mom, who was pregnant with my younger brother at the time, because I thought she would enjoy the underlying spiritual themes. I went on to relish Kinsella’s many baseball stories in addition to learning about Canada’s indigenous peoples, of which he also used humorous storytelling to inform with wit and grace. His stories entertained, and made me think about how I approached and dealt with the unknowns, and failures, that all young adults grapple with.

Here’s the tie-in with the technology element in the previous post. People like booing umpires after a call is made that we don’t agree with, even when we know the umps are probably right. It’s contradictory and defies rational thinking. They’re human, therefore fallible, those damn umps. But who doesn’t enjoy the theater of the manager ambling out to do verbal battle with the umpire crew chief on a questionable call? Even if he knows he’s in the wrong, the manager will argue and put on a show, sometimes get thrown out of the game, just to show his allegiance and rally the fans and his team. It’s a human reaction. Calling balls and strikes, or making close calls just by the sound of a ball hitting a glove, is nigh impossible to get right every time. But we accept that. 

Thank you, ESPN

Since 2011, ESPN’s K-Zone – a square representing the player’s non-official strike zone superimposed on the TV screen for viewers -- has been visible during its ballgame broadcasts. Traditionalists decry it, claiming it removes human judgement and control from the game. Others think it makes baseball games move faster, with more precision and impartiality. Machines and radar don’t have biases.

Both sides are right. For me the K-zone and other adjustments to baseball are reminders that faith in our humanity and our imperfect ways will continue to triumph over the tech tools we create to assist us. But that’s the same reason I like umpires, not computers, making the final call on a ball or a strike. It’s because of the fallibility of man, the mystery of life, and accepting occasional value judgments rather than cold, binary yes/no decisions.

If I can divine some larger philosophical significance from a book about baseball then certainly the future technology that awaits today’s kids will continue to serve them if we don't delegate control too much. The man versus machine debate will not fade away. Zeros and ones do not govern our squishy thinking. Nor do they determine if a pitch is called a ball or strike. 
The kids will be alright.

HAL9000 and my kids

[Forward: This entry is contemplative and wonky, so forgive me. I must exorcise the thoughts.]

Access to technology has forced the several battles and a strategy rethink amid the Rising Family's childrearing campaign. TV and cellphone screen time have launched a hundred headaches in the last six months. The problem is that one kid now has a basic cellphone. The other one doesn’t, which is an affront to the kids’ perceptions of natural justice. It’s the perennial question: why does she get one just because she’s older? It’s not fair! Slamming doors, tears, and terse silence at the dinner table abound.

So how have these tiny screens -- and the software and the expanding artificial intelligence that make them all so addictive -- provoked such outrage? Why do smartphones, YouTube 'slime' videos and texting hold swath over the Rising Daughters’ budding brains? 

Courtesy of Facebook

Rhetorical question #1: If 2016 proved that Facebook subverts our democracy, what will Alexa do in 2020?

Before Stephen Hawking died, he warned that AI could spell the end of the human race. His prediction feels a lot closer to reality to me when I cannot pry M. away from Siri long enough to hold a real conversation.

Sometimes I get the Technology Terrors when I think about the future. Visions of my daughters being deprived by my weak discipline in the face of the siren song of Tech. Giving in means sleep affected by screen time before bed; micro attention spans; lapses in logical reasoning; difficulty in socializing; incipient ADHD diagnoses; and eventual fears over contact with online predators. These dark visions come with every hour they spend on the PC or with eyes glued to the cellphone. Let alone the opportunity cost in outdoor activities and organized sports. Doom and gloom stuff, right?

Maybe so, maybe no. I think previous generations of parents had similar fears for their kids about the advent of radio, TV, and personal computers. 

Silly rhetorical question #2: 2001: A Space Odyssey’s infamous HAL 9000’s vocal sounds have a Canadian accent. Stanley Kubrick chose a Canadian stage actor for HAL’s voice because he wanted a flat, geographically ambiguous tonal delivery for the emotion-free, murderous supercomputer.

Anyway, I think Technology need not provoke Terror. I love The Matrix trilogy—even the third film. Something about our lives being simulations on another being’s program…supreme fodder for daydreams. And, if nothing else, The Matrix showed that what makes us human are feelings such as doubt/disbelief, fear/fright of things we don’t fully understand, shame/pride, and any number of emotions and feelings that go hand-in-hand with the technology pervasive in present-day life.

Yet humans are not logical beings and we often consciously make poor choices. Computers don’t. Life isn’t as easy to understand as a smartphone application or made easy by rigid adherence to algorithms. So maybe the key is first regulating their technology impulses until the kids can make their own informed choices. Sounds like classic Parenting 101 after all.

We can still deactivate HAL with effective parenting! Thanks to MGM for the screenshot.

I boil this down thusly: kids are similar to tiny drunk adults. They have poor impulse control. They scream bloody murder when their worldview, decision-making, or desires are called into question. That’s when the sober ones in the room have to take away the keys until the time is right to unleash them back into this brave new world.

Musical immersion: Sweet Jane & Sweet Tea

Many describe Toronto’s Cowboy Junkies as an alternative country and folk rock act. I’ve been a fan of this band for almost three decades and saw them live years ago back in the Great White North. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would attend one of their concerts in the South.

When the opportunity came up to attend a show during the All That Reckoning tour at the Franklin Theater in March, I leapt at the chance. It’s a gorgeous venue, a former movie theater, first opened on old Franklin’s main street in 1937. It now hosts movies, theater, and concerts. The Junkies’ musical style pulls together the blues, folk rock, and country into a sweetly subdued sound all their own. People sit down and absorb the luxuriant guitars, wind instruments and vocals. During the concert, I was lost and contented in the music.

Music is a powerful emotional draw for me as with most people. This music-focused blogpost coincides with my recent entries mulling my family’s experience of living here in middle Tennessee. That music is impacted by cultural influences and the history is not a new insight. What’s relevant here is the Cowboy Junkies opened their audience interaction by mentioning their early bus tours throughout the small cities of the South, and the influence of country music on their sound and writing. As it turned out, one of the first songs of the evening was “200 More Miles”:

Atlanta's a distant memory, Montgomery a recent birth

And Tulsa burns on the desert floor

Like a signal fire

I got Willie on the radio, a dozen things on my mind

And number one is fleshing out

These dreams of mine

I've got 200 more miles of rain asphalt in line before I sleep

But there'll be no warm sheets or welcoming arms

To fall into tonight

In Nashville there is a lighter in a case for all to see

It speaks of dreams and heartaches left unsung…

So, it seems music has fused who I am – the person I became thanks to where I was born and lived -- and where I live now. Obviously, there’s much more in common between Ontario and Middle Tennessee than previous stopovers in Japan or India. Still, all this thinking -- about cultural differences, history, and simply listening to the damn radio every morning on the commute to work with an open mind -- got me into a major Southern Rock phase. Heretofore I wasn’t a fan of the genre. 

I have to come clean and admit that I drive around in my electric vehicle signing along to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” without derision and now refer to country/roots rock without use of the term “shitkicker.”  

Just for the hell of it, here’s a list of songs that, for me, best exemplify Southern Rock.  

Sweet Home Alabama  - Lynyrd Skynyrd

No Rain – Blind Melon

Ramblin' Man -  The Allman Brothers Band

Mississippi Queen - Mountain.

Black Betty - Ram Jam

The night they closed old Dixie down - The Band

Can’t you see – The Marshall Tucker Band

Southern Man – Neil Young

Let it all hang out – The Hombres

Hard to Handle – Black Crowes

All right now – Free (English band)

Slow Ride - Foghat 

American Girl - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

La Grange - ZZ Top

Roadhouse Blues - The Doors

Copperhead Road – Steve Earle

Rain on the Scarecrow – John Mellencamp

New Orleans is Sinking – The Tragically Hip