Ziggy Stardust Helps With Homework

Though my musical preferences are mostly along the lines of Sinatra, Big Band and Satcho, I'm currently "rocking out" to classic David Bowie. I'm working on a paper for my class in Cross Cultural Communication (okay so right now I'm taking a break to write this). The wife has "West Wing" on the telly. I hate that show. I think its the totally unrealistic rapid fire dialogue with everyone being so bloody smart 24/7 and speaking as if reading from a script. I don't want to hear it while I'm trying to write so I put the headphones on and have Bowie blasting in my ear. Bliss.

Part of the allure of listening to this and similar music from bygone days is that recalls those bygone days. Bowie takes me back to junior year in college and pre party music. I thought Bowie was really deep then and I'd achieve enlightenment by listening to him (I thought that about a lot of music). Now I just think he sounds really good. I've long since given up trying to find enlightenment from rock music. Or any other kind of music for that matter.

Truth to tell I'm not all that keen on enlightenment anyway. It was a big deal when Ii was young. I guess its a big deal when everyone is young except for Young Republicans. I guess what's big to them when their young is how rich they're going to be when their old and electing people who they assume will help that happen.

If I were to seek enlightenment I think I'd just redouble my reading and watch less sports. It'd be cool to have more reading time, but I don't feel a burning desire to achieve enlightenment. Frankly I no longer know what it would mean. Just to contradict myself I am understanding more about me, different cultures and the world through the two classes I'm taking: Cross Cultural Communication and Linguistics for ESL teachers. Have the same professor for both courses and here's a shout out to him, Dr. Steven West. He makes ordinary blokes like yours truly smarter just by yakking at us. He gets us to think and talk. Hmm, so maybe education, whether formal or not, is the key to enlightenment.

I'm taking these classes towards an ESL certificate to go along with all of the other educational crap I have (two BAs and MA a teaching credential, since you asked). The certificate along with my EU citizenship could land me a job teaching English in Europe some day soon. Maybe in Paris where the family and I will be spending Christmas this year. (Stay tuned to this blog for posts from there.)

I like being a student now. It's a lot easier to learn when you've got a lot of life experience. I'm more patient now. More open to ideas. More eager. And I'm not drinking massive quantities of alcohol on weekends or any other time.

So I've babbled here a bit and have not mentioned movies. Fair enough here we go: earlier today I watched a 1934 comedy starring Carole Lombard (God, she was gorgeous) and May Robson called Lady By Choice. It was pretty bad. That's okay, Lombard more than made up for it in umpteen other films.

Okay, I've got to get back to my paper. Bowie still singing to me. The wife still watching West Wing. Life is pretty good.

Peace.