The Great Dance Party
Today's soundtrack:
Beautiful Rivers and Mountains: The Psychedelic Rock Sound of South Korea's Shin Joong Hyun, 1958-1974
There is something interesting listening to music that epitomizes a particular era. Something about the reverb on the voice, the organ sounds, that make me remember the smell of lacquered wood cabinets carved with intricate designs and adorned with engraved metal reinforcements. These cabinets resided in every Korean house of my childhood. I don't know where they came from or how they arrived in this country in that era before modern mass manufacturing and modern shipping expectations. They were as ubiquitous as embroidered silk pillows.
I remember one of my uncles talking about one of his brother's get rich quick schemes (he always had get rich quick schemes). It involved shipping a crate of live eels from Korea, but the crate got held up in customs, and by the time the shipment was released... you can imagine, it was not good.
The music, the smell of lacquered cabinets, the embroidered pillows, and the voices of my uncles getting more heated as they drank more alcohol, and then the interventions of my grandfather, and ultimately my mother, they all harken a different era for my family, one that was more adventurous, more entrepreneurial, more fraught with little disasters, more heated arguments, and always wonderful meals.
 |
A cool car at the local nursery.
|
There was the one time when the eel uncle called our house in a frenzy because he thought he had won the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. We ended up at his kitchen table in Brookline as my father tried to talk him down as he picked out what color speedboat he wanted and licked the stamp onto the appropriate location.
He was always my favorite uncle because he seemed obstinately cool. He carried the disco era with him out of the 70s, into marriage and home ownership. He had the Playboy channel on cable that I would sneak glimpses at when babysitting his kids, until he and his wife came home from their night out with a big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Our fingers and faces would get all greasy from the chicken. He drove a black TransAm with Recaro seats. That car was his pride and joy until a neighbor threw a brick through the back window. Then I think it became a source of worry, but until then he was my own personal David Hasselhoff from the TV show Knight Rider.
A lifetime later, my Uncle John helped me rehab the house I'm living in. His hard work, and sometimes questionable judgement (and my own), surround me every living day. He is gone now, but it is fun to remember his disco swagger and cool smile even as he struggled in his later years.
Cheers to you, Uncle John. I hope it is a great dance party where you are.
Take care and be well,
Leo
 |
My daughter lighting a candle at All Saints in Sewanee, TN
|
From Our Friends:
From Higher Ed Hot Topics:
Support & Response to the Current Climate |
|
|
The current crises of COVID-19 and civil unrest have exacerbated pressures felt by Asians and Asian Americans. Over thirty percent of Americans have witnessed COVID-19 bias against Asians, according to a survey conducted by Center for Public Integrity.
Get actionable takeaways and join this critical conversation with your peers on September 2, 2020 when our expert presenter will share key issues, best practices and insights on establishing impactful campus initiatives, responses and actions to bias, and long-term programming for Asian and Asian-American populations.
You’ll be able to sensitively and inclusively understand and support this population on campus, as well as address unconscious bias and systemic racism against Asians within interpersonal interactions, departmental approaches, and institutional policies.
|
|
|
From Good Docs:
From our Friends at CISA:
CISA is hiring for two positions and we are trying to reach wide and deep and would so appreciate your help in spreading the word.
The two positions are: Communications Coordinator and Program Assistant
And here is a little background on CISA.
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) is a nonprofit that works with hundreds of local farms and the community to get more local food onto people’s plates. We run the Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown® marketing campaign, outreach around buying local, trainings and workshops for farmers, and programs to increase access to local food. We believe that the local community is essential to successful local farms.
Our team has a range of skills and life experiences and who all believe that a diverse and resilient food economy has viable farms, fair and just working conditions, strong environmental stewardship, and accessible local food in all of our communities. We are committed to understanding the history and current impacts of racism in the food system and actively work towards equity. We are committed to recruiting and retaining creative, ethical, smart, and innovative people.
 |
Franklin found a little cave!
|
Today's Online Teaching Tips:
From Education Admin Web Advisor:
Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson Tuesday, August 11 11:30 AM Eastern; 10:30 AM Central; 9:30 AM Mountain; 8:30 AM Pacific Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction. Please join us! | | |
|
Comments
Post a Comment