These things I think

I was watching television last night, or better put I was flipping through the programming guide hoping to find something with commercials that were worth sitting through, and caught a clip about how "Scientists" can predict hurricane seasons based on tree rings.

That's cool.

But that isn't what cause me to remember that tidbit. What got me was something that's been chewing me up for a few months now--the term "expert". I put up a quick post about experts last week or something like that but that didn't help get rid of the anger. (That's what this blog is all about, making you read my anger and thereby taking it from me and making it your own.)

What's the big deal with the tree rings, you ask? It was the way it was phrased on the tele. "Scientists can determine..." as if one has to be deemed a scientist in order to understand these sorts of things. Maybe it's a little of my philosophical training that's coming through here along with my "don't tell me what I can and can't do" attitude that 's making an ocean out of a fishbowl but the issue is still there--the notion that if someone has training and skill-sets, they are then able to be labeled with a term. For instance, since I play guitar, I'm a "musician". Since Travis plays bass, he's a "roadie". But then, am I really a "Musician" proper or am I just a hobbyist?

Transfer this back to "Scientist" and apply it to someone with little scientific training (read: blowing things up in a lab) but curiosity and base understanding of scientific concepts and allow or grant them the time to explore these curiosities and suddenly, you've got yourself a scientist. Or do you? It depends...

(Hmm, this idea is still in the oven.)

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In other news, Cloud Cult is coming to Madison's own High Noon Saloon for a one-night performance.

AND

Yesterday was Travis' birthday. The jerk ditched me and our plans for sitting around to watch Nova's Deciphering Mayan Hieroglyphs so he could go have dinner with his ex. I told him that if he kept this sh&t up, he would have a new ex... his new Ex-Best Friend! So we'll see if he keeps ditching me to hang out with girls, let alone girls he's already run the entire relationship gamut with.

To spoil the surprise for him if he checks this while at his parents, I got him 4 clearance LPs.
-Pablo Cruz
-The Little River Band
-Berlin
-Boz Skaggs

Don't ask me which albums they are (except for Berlin. It's "Fashion Victim"[Correction the album is Pleasure Victim, not Fashion Victim". I own that but I don't know where it is... sort of like my Wang Chung "Mosaic" disc.)

I also got him a DVD of Hare Tokidoki Buta . The description on the back read as though it would either be entertaining to watch or entertaining to mock and quote in the company of the uninitiated. (or it will most likely fall into the category of "WOW, this is unfortunately neither entertaining nor mock-able... and really boring!") And the only serious present was a copy of Annie Dillard's Holy the Firm. He will like that one.

And Lastly,

Band news? Neh... I'll talk about that tomorrow. There really isn't that much going on right now in that department. Apparently there is a show scheduled on May 1st at the only place in town that will book us, the Klinic. 9PM is the slated start time. Most likely we'll get bumped to a different spot. enough... I talk about this tomorrow.