December 2022 - Page 2 of 7 - Ramblin' with Roger

Lydster: Back to college

Power Dad

This is a day or so in the life story of my daughter’s return back to college after Thanksgiving.

My wife and I bolted home after an unusually long church service, only to find that our daughter was not at home. It turned out that she had gone to Dunkin’ to see a friend. When she returned, my wife gave my daughter the treats she had purchased for her. We got started about 45 minutes after our 12:30 pm estimated time of departure.

The skies were overcast, but the roads were dry when we arrived at the second rest stop on the Massachusetts Turnpike at Blandford. They were right; it was a heavy-duty travel day, with more cars than parking spaces. I got a couple of sandwiches at McDonald’s; there was no other choice of restaurant. Despite the heavy flow of people, Mickey D’s staff was amazingly efficient with no terrible wait.

The wait came as we tried to get back on the highway. It was a parking lot. We went about three miles in the first 30 minutes. I don’t know if there was an accident; no road construction explained our lack of progress.

Then the rains came. Do you know how many people rag on the National Weather Service when their forecasts aren’t entirely accurate? This one was dead on. It was pouring when traffic recommenced and all the way back to the college.

I schlepped my daughter’s suitcase up a flight of stairs; no elevator. I don’t know why it was so heavy for a five-day weekend. Did she bring home her laundry? Fortunately, Power Dad… could… handle… it.

One more meal

She suggested that we pick her up for dinner. Well, we DO have to eat. So we went to a nearby hotel, checked in, unpacked, rested for about a half hour, and then went back to the college, picked up our daughter, and went to a local Panera.

When we dropped our daughter at college in September, we accidentally left my wife’s rewards card with our daughter. We told her she could use it, and she had. She has mastered the display terminal the restaurant wants customers to use rather than having a human take the order.

Finally, the final goodbyes at college. “I love you, ” I say. “I know,” she replies.

The next morning, my wife and I went down to breakfast. A guy was making a waffle and then pouring on various condiments. He said, “I’m making it for my teenager. It has to be just so.” And a few minutes later, as I saw his daughter’s sullen face buried in her phone, I laughed just a little. Not that my daughter is like that…

On Christmas Day, in the morning

mostly Isaiah and Matthew

On Christmas Day, in the morning, I decided on three pieces. The third one I always select for this day.

The shepherds farewell from the oratorio L` enfance du Christ by Hector Berlioz, performed by the Chorus of the Royal Opera House. Kelly Sedinger wrote:” Since the events depicted in the oratorio come after the birth of Jesus, maybe this isn’t properly a Christmas selection, but that’s how I tend to view it.” Since Christmastide begins with Christmas on the church calendar, I would agree.

Not incidentally, I love this piece, in no small part, because it has an inverse pedal point. Kelly explained to me what the heck that meant. Other pieces with this feature include Maybe by Alison Krauss and Raindrops by Chopin. The effect practically brings me to tears.

We Three Kings – Patti Smith. Also, after the birth of the child. This rather astringent version of the song is from A Very Special Christmas 3 (1997). As the narrative goes, Herod sent the wise guys to Bethlehem not to honor the child but to find him so he could be eliminated. It’s a none-to-cheerful detail of the narrative.

Finally, Messiah by Georg Frederick Handel, the Christmas section. I’ve sung And The Glory Of The Lord, And He Shall Purify, Glory To God In The Highest, and especially For Unto To Us A Child Is Born often.

The scripture is, in order, Isaiah 40:1-5; Haggai 2:6,7; Malachi 3:1-3; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah 60:1-3; Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 2:8-11, 13, 14; Zechariah 9:9,10; Matthew 21:5; Isaiah 35:5,6; Isaiah 40:11; and Matthew 11:28-30.

The eve of Christmas

O Holy Night

This is the eve of Christmas, and a Saturnday to boot. This will be a different year. Our daughter has gone off to college, and while she’s back for the holidays, it’s a different dynamic. I think she’s stopped believing in Santa Claus, but I’m not positive.

Every year, I threaten to write a Christmas letter, and each year it fails to happen. Not that much happened in 2022. My wife retired from teaching. The three of us all got COVID, delaying said entry into college.

Our car got stuck in the ice in front of our house for a week.

We saw several plays and musicals this year, at Mac-Haydn and Barrington Stage in the summer and Proctors in Schenectady and Capital Rep in the spring and fall.

I’ve been writing in my blog about the events of 1972.

Well, I guess no Christmas letter this year either.

The music

These are the pieces I decided on for this year. Or maybe they decided for me.

Shepherd’s Hey by Percy Grainger, “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band

Gloria by John Rutter. I have sung this.

O Holy Night – Carols from King’s Chorale

Wexford Carol – Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma. This is from a compilation album my wife owns. Alison Krauss is one of her favorite artists.

What Child Is This? · Vanessa Williams. This is from A Very Special Christmas 2 (1992), one of the best tracks on the album.

Star Carol · Simon and Garfunkel. This appears in the Simon and Garfunkel box set from 1997, though it was recorded 30 years earlier.

Away in a Manger – Pentatonix. My daughter was really into this group for a couple of years before being into BTS.

Silent Night – Sarah McLachlan. One of my favorites.

O Holy Night – Trombone Shorty. Yes, a second version of this song, but a very different read.

Social media and bias

woke

The Weekly Sift guy linked to articles about social media and bias. He discredits the belief offered by conservatives that “social media algorithms are biased against them… But it’s worth pointing out that people who have done research on the topic have found the exact opposite…

“When you think of people who have been banned from social media, the names that pop to mind are high-profile conservatives like Trump and MTG, rather than equivalently high-profile liberals.” Even when she rewrites the January 6 script or fantasizes about killing her colleagues, that’s free speech, right? (The latter may be treasonous.)

So I’m always looking for my own bias. It’s always a challenge to double-check one’s own assumptions. On 60 Minutes, Jonathan Haidt, “a social psychologist and professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business… says the people most likely to fire their social media dart guns are those on the far right and the far left.”

But damn! Jordan Klepper Fingers the Conspiracy on The Daily Show podcast over the issue Is JFK Jr. Still Alive? It would be easy to dismiss true believers as “crazy.” But “crazy” has roots in real-world facts, mixed with extrapolations that I can’t understand.

Psy-Op

When I read that some “researcher” has “proved” that George Floyd’s death was “a Psy-Op to Usher in U.S. Race War,” I first had to ask, “What the heck is a Psy-Op?” OBVIOUSLY, I’m just not with it.

“Definitions of psyop. Military actions are designed to influence the perceptions and attitudes of individuals, groups, and foreign governments. Synonyms: psychological operation. Type of: military operation, operation. Activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)”

One example of PSYOPS is “propaganda, a type of communication or advertisement that aims to influence a targeted group’s way of thinking or decision-making. Ultimately, the goal of a propaganda campaign is to compel a population to take action in line with a specific message by introducing influential information.”

The Deep State paid for Floyd’s funeral, so obviously, there is a nefarious objective at work. Florida’s General Counsel, Ryan Newman, explained what “woke” means to the DeSantis administration. “It would be the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them.” The description actually seems reasonable. But Newman thinks it’s a BAD thing.

Social Media

Tressie McMillan Cottom, the writer, sociologist, and MacArthur Fellow, was on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in early December. She talked about The Illusion of Twitter as a Public Square. I think it’s worth the ten minutes to take in her POV.

Of course, the whole Internet may be vulnerable to attacks on the infrastructure. But also underwater cables keep the system operating. “When they congregate in one place, things get tricky.”

Your comments: Ask Roger Anything

You KNOW you want to ask me SOMETHING

Some of the things I most appreciate about blogging are your comments. Some of them come to me via Facebook. Occasionally, someone will email me directly. And, of course, I get a few on the blog directly.

Most of the comments are thoughtful. A few have surprised me. And more than a few, written mostly in response to one particular post of mine about race, are rather… let’s say, telling. But those are far in the minority, thankfully.

I know for certain that comments influence what I write. Sometimes, they may lead to posts in response. I admit I LOVE these. When I write a post, I don’t usually come with the thought that what I think is the gospel. I can be persuaded about some topics, although anything involving a lack of civility probably won’t sway me. By the same measure, it’s why I tend to read more right-wing newsletters. I’m willing to be persuaded.

Really, I am!

So I’m interested in whatever you are interested in asking me. I write this to say that when you think of your Ask Roger Anything questions – and SURELY, you will – see if there are ideas, thoughts, and ideologies of mine that have changed over the years. I’m sure there are some. I hope I’m not the same person I was when I was 24 as I am now. Maybe you can probe into some specific topics.

As I’ve indicated in the past, no questions are out-of-bounds. Well, at least so far, I haven’t received one. Maybe yours will be the first! And even the ones I might duck, I’ll point out WHY it is not being answered.

As always, I’ll be sure to respond in the next four or five weeks. Post your questions in the comments section of the blog. OR contact me on Facebook. Always look for the duck.

I’ll use your name unless you specify that you want to be anonymous. Hey, why don’t you come up with a pseudonym? Comment here, e-mail me at rogerogreen (AT) Gmail (DOT) com, or send me a message on Facebook.