A PSA About Protection

All of these pictures are here to remind you how important it is to always wear protection.

By all means, have kids if you want them (I love mine) and whatever you do, keep enjoying live music and share that love with your kids. But noise causes hearing loss. It is inevitable and irreversible. But it can be slowed by minimizing exposure to extremely loud noise, like heavy machinery and amplified music – any amplified music, even if the sound is “mellow”.

For years I thought I was too cool for earplugs, and went to scores of concerts without them. Now my hearing loss is typical of a person a decade older than me. When your kids go off to college they might be stupid like me, but until then it’s up to you to protect their ears.

Helmets when they ride bikes or motorcycles. Protective ear muffs when they are little, ear plugs when they are big enough. They are not expensive, but not wearing them is.

 

Exploring the Dark at Reykjavik Calling

“Oh, so you’re going to see the girly band?” Our neighbor looked sympathetically at my husband, sure he was being dragged to Mammút’s set by me, his wife.

We laughed him off. We had already identified the middle-aged man in the camper next to our tent in the Eistnaflug campground as one of those whose only measure of quality was the yardstick of external genitalia, and knew there was no point in arguing the merits a witchy band like Mammút to such a person.

Dear Diary, Constitution Article 1 §5.3

It’s not exactly great literature, but like a lot of literature, the Constitution is a simple text people have argued about for centuries. Unlike most literature, the outcomes from those arguments affect our lives every day, even if we aren’t aware of them. I like to know about the things that affect my life, when I can. That’s why on Wednesdays we study the Constitution.

Crocodile Kids

My husband was in a band all through college. Seattle had just hit peak grunge, and competition for gigs was fierce. He played around town in lots of the smaller clubs, most of which no longer exist. The Crocodile was one of the important venues back then, as it is now, and they never got to play there.

But my daughter did Rain City Rock Camp for two summers. So she’s played the Crocodile twice.

My Favorite Opera: The Barber of Seville at Seattle Opera

Daniel Sumegi (Basilio)/Kevin Glavin (Bartolo)/Marc Kenison (Ambrogio)/Margaret Gawrysiak (Berta)/Will Liverman (Figaro)/Andrew Owens (Almaviva)/Sofia Fomina (Rosina). Jacob Lucas photo c/o Seattle Opera

I think The Barber of Seville might be my favorite opera. The only thing that detracted from my enjoyment when I watched it last weekend was that every scene made me think, “I wish I’d brought my kids.” Because every single scene is so delightful, so funny, so beautiful, I hated for them to miss it. Even though my kids have already been to the opera before, I left determined to come back with them before the production finishes.

Rules of Order, Jimmy Stewart and the Supermajority, Constitution Article 1 §5.2

It’s not exactly great literature, but like a lot of literature, the Constitution is a simple text people are still arguing about centuries after publication. Unlike most literature, the outcomes from those arguments affect our lives every day, even if we aren’t aware of them. I like to know about the things that affect my life, when I can.  That’s why on Wednesdays we study the Constitution.

Next up, Article 1, Section Five, Clause 2. You’re going to love this one. It’s sexy.

Laser Iceland

The first laser show I ever attended was in a symphony hall in 1991 or 1992. Accompanied by a classic rock soundtrack, green lines flashed around the room, sometimes joined by a smoke machine. I wasn’t particularly impressed.

The next laser show I attended was Northern Lights, part of the annual Taste of Iceland Festival. Hosted in the Pacific Science Center Laser Dome, the free show was set to an hour of Icelandic indie music curated by KEXP DJ Kevin Cole. It was a little different from what I remembered.

Doe Babies Forever

October is a favorite month, filled with birthdays, anniversaries, and that bestest of holidays, Halloween. But in a few more weeks, the winter gloom will start to sink in, the holidays will start to feel like pressure, and I’ll start thinking about early bird tickets to summer festivals. I’ve taken my kids to lots of them, but nothing compares to Doe Bay Fest, where grown ups are almost as welcome as the kids.

Tasting Iceland, Naturally

Taste of Iceland, the annual, four-day Icelandic culture festival in Seattle (and a few other cities) turns 10 this year. October is high season for colds in my child-filled household, so I don’t always make it.

For the 10^th anniversary, Taste of Iceland is pulling out all the stops, with so many events that they have begun to overlap like a miniature multi-art Airwaves, so even if you dedicate the whole week to it, you couldn’t make it to all the events. I was therefore incredibly stoked to be invited to the press preview.

Self-judging Elections, Constitution Article 1 §5.1

On Wednesdays we study the Constitution. It’s not exactly great literature, but like a lot of literature, it’s a simple text that people are arguing about centuries after publication. Unlike most literature, the outcomes from those arguments affect our lives every day, even if we aren’t aware of them. I like to know about the things that affect my life, when I can.