i made it back to the comedy club tonight, since i wanted to see one of my buddies perform in the contest. and he did do my favorite joke, which was nice. he did quite well, finishing first, so he will advance on in the competition at the end of the month. i still like it how so many people recognize me there. but why not, since i'm a regular? i do like the sense of community, after searching for it for so long. i went, despite being tired. i needed a laugh anyway since it was a busy day at work, playing catch-up after a busy monday. but i did end up perfecting plenty of contracts, which i do like doing. a lot.
after work, i added more things i like to my facebook page. most of those things were movies. may have helped that jennifer hough from the previous day said she liked seeing many of the movies on the page. and how i had a 'passion'. and i do, for writing.
i looked at the facebook page about emerson hough school, and i was annoyed to read a recent posting about how things are already being tagged to be moved to other schools in town. as the posting caption said, it just seems wrong to pick over the bones before the mourning is over. apparently the last day- at least for now- is wednesday. snow day makeups extended the school year a few more days. i don't think they have as many in schools that are in big metro areas, but then again newton,iowa, is no metro area. some buses go onto dirt or gravel roads. sometimes the announcement is on certain days that buses will only run on hard-surface roads. makes sense why, as a bus could easily get swallowed up on those soft roads.
it is not over yet with the school. the appeal to the state board is pending, to be heard in july apparently. it in some ways reminds me too much of the movie 'final season', about the norway,iowa, baseball team. it happened to be playing at newton's movie theater when the maytag plant was closing in october 2007. i was in town that weekend for the newton football game against des moines lincoln. newton won that night, 49-14, to advance to the state playoffs. and the news story the next day in the des moines register was also about what happened at the american legion next to the stadium. there was a 'maytag party' where people took turns swinging a sledgehammer at an old whirlpool dryer. whirlpool had bought maytag, and decided to pull out of newton shortly after the sale closed. i preferred them smashing it to any type of vandalism that could have happened. when i was in high school there was a statewide news story about union members smashing a japanese car, a 1974 subaru, as they were frustrated about many of their fellow uaw members losing their jobs since many were buying japanese cars. i liked what my english teacher said at school the next day: people will buy american cars when they make better cars. later, there was a story in the paper about the previous owners of the car. they hated seeing it smashed on t.v., and i don't blame them one bit. their story said they bought american cars again when the quality got better, kind of like what my teacher suggested. i still don't know how to feel about all of this. i had little interest in staying in newton for long after finishing college. i had seen a wider world, and once i found a job after a few months i moved to the des moines metro area. i know the ills in newton are in too many other small towns as well- left behind by the economy because they are small towns. and young people not wanting to stay around, since the opportunity wasn't there like in larger towns.
it seemed appropriate on some level some of the movies i added to my facebook page. some of them remind me of my hometown all too well. 'roger and me' by michael moore. the others were fictional ones, 'gung ho' and 'all the right moves'. all were about crumbling factory towns. and when i bought a DVD copy of 'moves' it was when the maytag plant closure was announced in may 2006. i followed it with the 'greatest hits' CD by bruce springsteen. one of the songs on it was 'my hometown'. how the town crumbled due to factory job losses. 'son take a good look around, this is your hometown'. i did my best to do just that the last time i was there, and will try to do the same on my next visit as well. but i wish i didn't have to, but i have a hard time recognizing the town i one knew. it's hard to say goodbye, and it's sad.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
spreading the word
i am becoming more aggressive on spreading the word about the plight in my hometown. i have been trying to find as many tie-ins as possible to emerson hough to get more help. i was amazed that he has a listing on the mtv website! but he was one of the first western writers to sell the movie rights to his books.
i have sent messages to authors who have mentioned hough in their books, as some still do. these tend to be not just books about the west, but also world war I. billy the kid continues to be a fascinating subject to many, and hough was one of the first to write about him- and pat garrett. i checked not just bookstores on saturday, but also sunday- making it to barnes and noble. i had hoped to find mention of hough in the index of books about pres. theodore roosevelt, but i haven't just yet. his auto-biography is there, but it has no index.
also liked finding a small book about the forts in the plains states, a reminder of my native state. there were some forts there, like ft. dodge and ft. des moines. many cities- like chicago and pittsburgh-started as military forts.
some might laugh about some of those i have contacted for help on saving the school. i went to filmmaker michael moore's website, and submitted a story about it. don't think he has covered schools much yet in his books and movies, but i think he would like the story. i said he would probably like the story's title- 'fighting mad'. and said more media attention may help in making a difference here. another is the white house, and i said pres. obama might recall visiting newton last year, touring the wind turbine plant. i said it was sadly a case study on the ills of schools.
even looked for tie-ins on facebook, such as others with the name hough. this included julianne hough of 'dancing with the stars' fame. also found jennifer hough, a holistic nutritionist in canada. she said her dog's name was emerson hough, but it is for the philosopher, ralph waldo emerson, and not the western writer. her website is called "the vital you", and is a best-selling author. there was some mention of matt damon on the site, who was in my favorite movie, 'good will hunting'. i was unable to get her help on spreading the word, but i do like how i got a quick and courteous resp0nse.
the next idea i have would be derek hough, julianne's brother, and charlie hough, who was a major-league baseball pitcher. according to wikipedia, he is now a coach with a minor-league team, a dodgers affiliate, one of the teams he played for. some called him 'the chuckster'.
might be a good publicity stunt for derek and/or julianne, to make an appearance or even do a concert at the school, or somewhere else in town. i think pres. clinton may have done this while a candidate: visiting clinton, ia., so it was 'clinton in clinton'. the town was likely named for dewitt clinton, of 'erie canal' fame if i'm not mistaken. in my wikipedia searches i even found an article about the 'hough riots'. it was a race riot in a section of cleveland,ohio, in 1966. i was more familiar with riots in towns like detroit, or the watts section of los angeles.
no matter what happens, i have found a real passion here- writing, and activism. i have learned plenty as well.
i made it through the workday, which wasn't easy since i was tired. haven't gotten enough sleep recently since i have been doing so much research. this is why i decided to rest and not go to the comedy club for open-mic night. but one of my good buddies- and favorite comics- will be performing tuesday, so i do plan on going to that. when i went to get dinner tonight, i was told that i would 'turn into' what i was eating. it was egg rolls. you are what you eat, and there are less healthy things to eat out there. i've lost more than 20 pounds in the past year, so i've learned plenty about diet and exercise and applied it to my everyday life. one of the staff members said they would like to see me perform soon, i said i was going to be in a comedy contest next month. one of the few good things about skipping tonight was seeing 'big bang theory'. it was tough to give up watching it regularly, but i did it.
last night i wanted to do an entry but system problems prevented me from doing so. i liked making my first visit to a satellite location of a comedy club i frequent for open-mic nights. impressed with the paintings there, told the club owner it reminded me of 'royal family' portraits. the man was in a top hat. he said it was once owned by a man named 'diamond jim', whose companion was actress lillian russell. it reminded me of how smashing pumpkins, a favorite band of mine, named their first album 'gish' after actress lillian gish. i still like learning history wherever and whenever i can, and you will if you're willing to pay attention and look for it. i find that this is true of most things though- it you want something bad enough, you find a way to get it done.
i have sent messages to authors who have mentioned hough in their books, as some still do. these tend to be not just books about the west, but also world war I. billy the kid continues to be a fascinating subject to many, and hough was one of the first to write about him- and pat garrett. i checked not just bookstores on saturday, but also sunday- making it to barnes and noble. i had hoped to find mention of hough in the index of books about pres. theodore roosevelt, but i haven't just yet. his auto-biography is there, but it has no index.
also liked finding a small book about the forts in the plains states, a reminder of my native state. there were some forts there, like ft. dodge and ft. des moines. many cities- like chicago and pittsburgh-started as military forts.
some might laugh about some of those i have contacted for help on saving the school. i went to filmmaker michael moore's website, and submitted a story about it. don't think he has covered schools much yet in his books and movies, but i think he would like the story. i said he would probably like the story's title- 'fighting mad'. and said more media attention may help in making a difference here. another is the white house, and i said pres. obama might recall visiting newton last year, touring the wind turbine plant. i said it was sadly a case study on the ills of schools.
even looked for tie-ins on facebook, such as others with the name hough. this included julianne hough of 'dancing with the stars' fame. also found jennifer hough, a holistic nutritionist in canada. she said her dog's name was emerson hough, but it is for the philosopher, ralph waldo emerson, and not the western writer. her website is called "the vital you", and is a best-selling author. there was some mention of matt damon on the site, who was in my favorite movie, 'good will hunting'. i was unable to get her help on spreading the word, but i do like how i got a quick and courteous resp0nse.
the next idea i have would be derek hough, julianne's brother, and charlie hough, who was a major-league baseball pitcher. according to wikipedia, he is now a coach with a minor-league team, a dodgers affiliate, one of the teams he played for. some called him 'the chuckster'.
might be a good publicity stunt for derek and/or julianne, to make an appearance or even do a concert at the school, or somewhere else in town. i think pres. clinton may have done this while a candidate: visiting clinton, ia., so it was 'clinton in clinton'. the town was likely named for dewitt clinton, of 'erie canal' fame if i'm not mistaken. in my wikipedia searches i even found an article about the 'hough riots'. it was a race riot in a section of cleveland,ohio, in 1966. i was more familiar with riots in towns like detroit, or the watts section of los angeles.
no matter what happens, i have found a real passion here- writing, and activism. i have learned plenty as well.
i made it through the workday, which wasn't easy since i was tired. haven't gotten enough sleep recently since i have been doing so much research. this is why i decided to rest and not go to the comedy club for open-mic night. but one of my good buddies- and favorite comics- will be performing tuesday, so i do plan on going to that. when i went to get dinner tonight, i was told that i would 'turn into' what i was eating. it was egg rolls. you are what you eat, and there are less healthy things to eat out there. i've lost more than 20 pounds in the past year, so i've learned plenty about diet and exercise and applied it to my everyday life. one of the staff members said they would like to see me perform soon, i said i was going to be in a comedy contest next month. one of the few good things about skipping tonight was seeing 'big bang theory'. it was tough to give up watching it regularly, but i did it.
last night i wanted to do an entry but system problems prevented me from doing so. i liked making my first visit to a satellite location of a comedy club i frequent for open-mic nights. impressed with the paintings there, told the club owner it reminded me of 'royal family' portraits. the man was in a top hat. he said it was once owned by a man named 'diamond jim', whose companion was actress lillian russell. it reminded me of how smashing pumpkins, a favorite band of mine, named their first album 'gish' after actress lillian gish. i still like learning history wherever and whenever i can, and you will if you're willing to pay attention and look for it. i find that this is true of most things though- it you want something bad enough, you find a way to get it done.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
attended a graduation
this afternoon, i went to a high school graduation. my student from the mentoring program was graduating. it was held indoors, good thing-since there was rain. i was moved by one of the songs the choir performed in the ceremony, it was 'stand by me'. i was singing along with them. the oddest thing to me was how the graduates weren't crossing the stage in alpha order. i saw my student after the ceremony, who said it was due to not everyone getting their diplomas. there was a recent news story about some students not meeting math standards, but i thought none of it at the time. i liked being able to find my student, as it meant i could give him the picture from last week's event. it also meant getting better pictures, since we were outdoors and my camera- albeit digital- doesn't always take goos pictures indoors, especially when dark. so i have one of the graduates spraying silly string all around. after the ceremony, i didn't go back to my car right away. i wanted to find a candy bar, since i like having one after lunch. i had enough time for lunch, but wanted to get to the venue on time- the auditorium on the university campus. found a candy bar at a gift shop inside a hotel, along with some nice postcards. and i noticed a nearby movie theater had been closed about two weeks ago, unsafe to occupy. i had seen one movie there, a documentary filmed in my native iowa called 'king corn'. it was a good story about 2 college grads from boston that move to iowa to farm one acre of corn- and all of the things they found out about the industry of farming.
but that is not the reason why i said the movie plans were a no-go. i fell asleep for a while after getting home, then decided to see a movie in a nearby town, 'robin hood' with russell crowe. but the showing was sold out, and i didn't want to wait until late in the evening for the next showing. so i finished my drink and breadsticks outside the theater before leaving. i had eaten at a target snack bar nearby, there was a personal pan pizza special. hard to say when i will see it now. i know this had happened before, over a year ago. i wanted to see the jim carrey movie 'yes man' with my then-lady friend but it was sold out. so we went to her place and saw a video there, 'the great debaters'. i eventually saw the movie at a discount theater by myself about a month later, she had broken up with me by then. i do like russell crowe movies, as he did 'american gangster', 'cinderella man', and 'beautiful mind'.
i didn't go home right away. i noticed there was a borders bookstore nearby, saw it while on my way back. so i decided to do more emerson hough research, what else? i'm wondering if anyone else is blogging about him, if there is there's not too many i would expect. i wanted to see how many listings there were of his books in their database, there were 280. but i recognized many as just different printings of the same novel. i knew he didn't write THAT many novels, the bio by delbert wylder only said he wrote 37. that makes it comparable to the number of plays by shakespeare. hough did do some plays, though apparently they are long forgotten, along with many of his novels. thanks to this, i found more things to look up online. i decided to order a piece of carrot cake and some juice from the cafe, since i had been there a while. even looked up the world war I books that reference hough, but like hough's novels they were listed as 'see associate to order'. so they were not in the store, but i know borders doesn't keep all books in their store. many can still be ordered through their database, new or used, as they do have an extensive network of stores, especially for rare or out of print and used books. i did go over to the history book section to see what was there, and one book caught my eye. it wasn't a lincoln book, i have a decent number of those already. i was interested in how much, and what they say about ann rutledge. historians debate what ann was to abe, if they were engaged to be married. we only know for sure that she died of typhoid, eventually he met mary todd.
the book i found was one about pat garrett and billy the kid. i knew hough had written about them in 'story of outlaw'. he gets a few pages in the index, and i looked at those pages. there was mention of hough being approached for money to investigate the murder death of his friend, pat garrett, but hough apparently said 'leave it alone'. there was mention of theodore roosevelt as well, since 'teddy' was president at the time, in 1908. on another page it spoke of replacing garrett in one of his federal lawman positions, and his financial problems. hough had wrote to roosevelt on garrett's behalf, as all three were friends.
after getting back home tonight i did read through the hough bio i have, giving me even more things to research. before, i had only looked at select pages due to checking for certain names in the index. since i like history books, i like reference books and being able to flip right to what i want to see. the index allows me to do this. he sure seemed to be a mover and shaker, knowing many of the prominent people of his time based on all of the names in the bio, various people he was in contact with over his literary career. there was mention of joining the same organization as jack london did. the more i read, the more i like as i can relate to some of his struggles. but as lincoln said about himself, 'paint me, warts and all'. hough has some warts in his bio, at least by today's standards. but who doesn't have any warts? who isn't above reproach?
but that is not the reason why i said the movie plans were a no-go. i fell asleep for a while after getting home, then decided to see a movie in a nearby town, 'robin hood' with russell crowe. but the showing was sold out, and i didn't want to wait until late in the evening for the next showing. so i finished my drink and breadsticks outside the theater before leaving. i had eaten at a target snack bar nearby, there was a personal pan pizza special. hard to say when i will see it now. i know this had happened before, over a year ago. i wanted to see the jim carrey movie 'yes man' with my then-lady friend but it was sold out. so we went to her place and saw a video there, 'the great debaters'. i eventually saw the movie at a discount theater by myself about a month later, she had broken up with me by then. i do like russell crowe movies, as he did 'american gangster', 'cinderella man', and 'beautiful mind'.
i didn't go home right away. i noticed there was a borders bookstore nearby, saw it while on my way back. so i decided to do more emerson hough research, what else? i'm wondering if anyone else is blogging about him, if there is there's not too many i would expect. i wanted to see how many listings there were of his books in their database, there were 280. but i recognized many as just different printings of the same novel. i knew he didn't write THAT many novels, the bio by delbert wylder only said he wrote 37. that makes it comparable to the number of plays by shakespeare. hough did do some plays, though apparently they are long forgotten, along with many of his novels. thanks to this, i found more things to look up online. i decided to order a piece of carrot cake and some juice from the cafe, since i had been there a while. even looked up the world war I books that reference hough, but like hough's novels they were listed as 'see associate to order'. so they were not in the store, but i know borders doesn't keep all books in their store. many can still be ordered through their database, new or used, as they do have an extensive network of stores, especially for rare or out of print and used books. i did go over to the history book section to see what was there, and one book caught my eye. it wasn't a lincoln book, i have a decent number of those already. i was interested in how much, and what they say about ann rutledge. historians debate what ann was to abe, if they were engaged to be married. we only know for sure that she died of typhoid, eventually he met mary todd.
the book i found was one about pat garrett and billy the kid. i knew hough had written about them in 'story of outlaw'. he gets a few pages in the index, and i looked at those pages. there was mention of hough being approached for money to investigate the murder death of his friend, pat garrett, but hough apparently said 'leave it alone'. there was mention of theodore roosevelt as well, since 'teddy' was president at the time, in 1908. on another page it spoke of replacing garrett in one of his federal lawman positions, and his financial problems. hough had wrote to roosevelt on garrett's behalf, as all three were friends.
after getting back home tonight i did read through the hough bio i have, giving me even more things to research. before, i had only looked at select pages due to checking for certain names in the index. since i like history books, i like reference books and being able to flip right to what i want to see. the index allows me to do this. he sure seemed to be a mover and shaker, knowing many of the prominent people of his time based on all of the names in the bio, various people he was in contact with over his literary career. there was mention of joining the same organization as jack london did. the more i read, the more i like as i can relate to some of his struggles. but as lincoln said about himself, 'paint me, warts and all'. hough has some warts in his bio, at least by today's standards. but who doesn't have any warts? who isn't above reproach?
Friday, June 4, 2010
Emerson Hough
i am amazed at what i am still able to find about emerson hough. while trying to find an article that identified hough as a co-founder of the izaak walton league i found another honor bestowed on him. a street named for him. the ike's chapter in newton is named for him, and in one cross-reference i found emerson hough drive. i recognized the name of the resident on that street, it was the parents of a classmate. and i knew they lived in lambs grove, a 'suburb' of newton. its main claim to fame is having one of newton's schools there, thomas jefferson elementary. according to the wikipedia article i found it gave the town's population as 200. some are likely surprised to hear how a town of about 15,000 would have a suburb. i felt the same way when i saw biographies of filmmaker michael moore. it listed him as being from davison, mich., a suburb of flint, instead of flint itself.
didn't go to lambs grove much, aside from going to t.j. school a few times like for a chorus concert in junior high. some think i still look and act like a choirboy, it depends on who you ask. others think i am the complete opposite, a hothead. it likely also depends on my mood and the environment. students from rival schools liked to call the school 'town junkyard'. one time in college i did make a pizza delivery there as well, to that same classmate. her mom said the change i gave was cold, it was after all winter in iowa. so on my next visit to my hometown it means getting a picture of that street sign as well.
i did find other pictures of hough honors, some are higher quality than others. the ones from my visit two weeks ago for the fundraiser are good, like the school and the 'fort' playground. the one of the ike's chapter is good, from 2007, when i was back for my most recent class reunion. a reunion was being held there, but not mine, which was at the country club. i also have one of the school and the boyhood home marker, from 2005, i think i was back for a cookout with family at woodland park. but i was trying to get the house in the picture, so it is hard to read the marker itself. i was pleased to find how the boyhood home marker is considered a landmark in town, there were plenty of hits online when i entered those key words. but no pictures of it were easily found. it's odd how attitudes change about things over time. but it's true how some things mean more to us when it's no longer 'old hat' to see it. i was largely unaware of the boyhood home marker when living there, maybe since i went to another grade school in town. i knew there was a big rock in front of a house near my cub scout pack leader, and he happened to live near the home and the school. this was why we sometimes had cub scout meetings at the school. my greatest recall was of things like the pack leader's son, who was also a little league teammate, pretending to be a lion tamer at a circus. and i was one of the lions. we went by initials for the lion names, having 'double a, double l, and jc'. it may have been the same one when we had a sign up saying 'happy birthday to us', meaning the anniversary of the cub scouts organization.
also notable was finds i made when looking up 'far from the madding crowd', hough's first published article. found out there was a book, and many movies, of the same name. the book was written a few years before hough's 1882 article, by thomas hardy if i'm not mistaken. i know it as the name of a bookstore in west des moines,ia., where i bought my copy of 'gilbert grape' after it gained notoriety from media attention that an iowa school had banned it. likely made the book even more popular than ever, got me to read it. and get the movie version as well. i had lived in that section of west des moines for a year and a half, called valley junction, after college. but i don't think the bookstore was there then. it has been a while since i've lived there though. it's a nice historic section of town, plenty of antique shops there, and a farmers market in front of my apartment building every thursday. i lived right over the businesses on that street, hence the number was 224 1/2. also liked the words 'valley junction' spelled out in red brick in the wall
at the end of the block, and on the other side of the cross street.
work was a little easier for me today, maybe since it was friday. there were concerns about traffic problems due to a protest downtown, late in the afternoon. but it was over before my workday was done. looked outside the window and saw mountie cops, which are popular for crowd control. a colleague told my boss about it, something about protests at a state government agency in our building, and trade with israel.
i once made an observation in a writing that was in a national publication saying 'lincoln is everywhere'. well i find that if you're willing to look, emerson hough is everywhere, or at least his influences are. praise to the internet, it is a wonderful search tool!
didn't go to lambs grove much, aside from going to t.j. school a few times like for a chorus concert in junior high. some think i still look and act like a choirboy, it depends on who you ask. others think i am the complete opposite, a hothead. it likely also depends on my mood and the environment. students from rival schools liked to call the school 'town junkyard'. one time in college i did make a pizza delivery there as well, to that same classmate. her mom said the change i gave was cold, it was after all winter in iowa. so on my next visit to my hometown it means getting a picture of that street sign as well.
i did find other pictures of hough honors, some are higher quality than others. the ones from my visit two weeks ago for the fundraiser are good, like the school and the 'fort' playground. the one of the ike's chapter is good, from 2007, when i was back for my most recent class reunion. a reunion was being held there, but not mine, which was at the country club. i also have one of the school and the boyhood home marker, from 2005, i think i was back for a cookout with family at woodland park. but i was trying to get the house in the picture, so it is hard to read the marker itself. i was pleased to find how the boyhood home marker is considered a landmark in town, there were plenty of hits online when i entered those key words. but no pictures of it were easily found. it's odd how attitudes change about things over time. but it's true how some things mean more to us when it's no longer 'old hat' to see it. i was largely unaware of the boyhood home marker when living there, maybe since i went to another grade school in town. i knew there was a big rock in front of a house near my cub scout pack leader, and he happened to live near the home and the school. this was why we sometimes had cub scout meetings at the school. my greatest recall was of things like the pack leader's son, who was also a little league teammate, pretending to be a lion tamer at a circus. and i was one of the lions. we went by initials for the lion names, having 'double a, double l, and jc'. it may have been the same one when we had a sign up saying 'happy birthday to us', meaning the anniversary of the cub scouts organization.
also notable was finds i made when looking up 'far from the madding crowd', hough's first published article. found out there was a book, and many movies, of the same name. the book was written a few years before hough's 1882 article, by thomas hardy if i'm not mistaken. i know it as the name of a bookstore in west des moines,ia., where i bought my copy of 'gilbert grape' after it gained notoriety from media attention that an iowa school had banned it. likely made the book even more popular than ever, got me to read it. and get the movie version as well. i had lived in that section of west des moines for a year and a half, called valley junction, after college. but i don't think the bookstore was there then. it has been a while since i've lived there though. it's a nice historic section of town, plenty of antique shops there, and a farmers market in front of my apartment building every thursday. i lived right over the businesses on that street, hence the number was 224 1/2. also liked the words 'valley junction' spelled out in red brick in the wall
at the end of the block, and on the other side of the cross street.
work was a little easier for me today, maybe since it was friday. there were concerns about traffic problems due to a protest downtown, late in the afternoon. but it was over before my workday was done. looked outside the window and saw mountie cops, which are popular for crowd control. a colleague told my boss about it, something about protests at a state government agency in our building, and trade with israel.
i once made an observation in a writing that was in a national publication saying 'lincoln is everywhere'. well i find that if you're willing to look, emerson hough is everywhere, or at least his influences are. praise to the internet, it is a wonderful search tool!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
anniversary party
after a day at work that meant dealing with an annoying, nit-picky colleague, i liked going to do something i really enjoyed. it was going to the loft in minneapolis. they were having a 35th anniversary party and i got the invite due to being a member. i liked sharing my story there, on camera and on a stickie i placed on a timeline wall. i recognized many of the writers who had appeared there over the years, like susan allen toth, garrison keillor, maya angelou, billy corgan, and madeline albright. enjoy the cheese they have at these banquet- cocktail party type events. also saw an accordion player, reminding me of cajun mardi-gras music as well as polka music from my annual visits to oktoberfest in new ulm.
i got some contacts that should be able to help get more exposure on the blog, and mentioned it when i had the chance tonight. i liked sharing my story, and my inspiration- you guessed it- being emerson hough. i seemed to get a 'wrong start' just like he did.
i said i would mention the loft in my blog, and as you can see i kept my word. i like keeping my word, doing what i say i will do. one has little without it. street cred goes a long way in life. anyone familiar with 'the boy who cried wolf?' i once dated somebody that had flimsy excuses, so i call her the GIRL who cried wolf'.
this entry should be shorter than others, as i am tired and want to catch up on sleep tonight.
i got some contacts that should be able to help get more exposure on the blog, and mentioned it when i had the chance tonight. i liked sharing my story, and my inspiration- you guessed it- being emerson hough. i seemed to get a 'wrong start' just like he did.
i said i would mention the loft in my blog, and as you can see i kept my word. i like keeping my word, doing what i say i will do. one has little without it. street cred goes a long way in life. anyone familiar with 'the boy who cried wolf?' i once dated somebody that had flimsy excuses, so i call her the GIRL who cried wolf'.
this entry should be shorter than others, as i am tired and want to catch up on sleep tonight.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wikipedia Searches
i got a good look at the links on the wikipedia page about emerson hough, there were 5 but i only liked 4 of them. project gutenberg doesn't list all of his books, and it's harder to select his listing as it's one big scroll. 'covered wagon' is missing, which became a movie. big omission! where's imdb when you need it? i liked world cat more, showing the most widely held works about hough. i have 2 of these bios, the one by delbert wylder and the auto-biography as well. though one of them listed is the covered wagon movie, not ABOUT hough! then it goes to the most widely held books by hough, which is nice as it lists how many editions, how many libraries have it, and the beginning and end dates of these editions. there is also a description of the content for some of the books. it then gives related identities, either those he wrote about or worked with, like bobbs-merrill, a publisher.
next is the collections held at the u. of wyoming, and u. of iowa. made sense for both universities to have some of hough's papers. he attended one, and of course yellowstone park is in the same state as the other. though it says the wyoming collection is no longer being maintained, unsure what this means for sure. it states what is included in the collection, and a brief bio of hough after it. the iowa collection is a larger article, 9 pages. i like how there is a picture of hough on the first page, next to a covered wagon. looks like the same photo in the book covered wagon. also has a brief bio, then the box contents list. finally is emerson hough's american west, a 10-page article by carole johnson from books at iowa 21, published in november 1974. i think i had seen this one before, as it mentions how he sadly didn't enjoy a big success for long. he died just a week after seeing the chicago premiere of the movie covered wagon, based on his 1922 book. the first page has covers of 6 of his books. the last 3 pages are just the bibliography.
i still don't like how it's hard to find mention of certain important things that are his legacy. i again mean in his hometown, like the school and the ike's chapter. most are just covering the man, and it would be nice to see mention of the two stories together.
not too much to say about work today, though it was nice to see my 'work spouse' show up for a half day, must have been after an appointment. i showed her a gift card i had ordered through our reward plan. it is for barnes and noble, i go there but go to borders more often. both are nice stores. the card had a caricature of shakespeare on it. hard to say what i will get with the card, though i noticed an auto-biography of theodore roosevelt at one of their nearby stores. i liked his lively spirit, known for saying things like 'speak softly and carry a big stick'. i like one quote about him, by one of his opponents, after he became president due to mc kinley's death by assassination. 'great, now that damned cowboy is president of the united states'. i saw theodore roosevelt island in washington, dc, in my last visit a year ago. and who could forget ways he keeps showing up in pop culture? robin williams played him in 'night at the museum'. truly one of a kind, a legend- then and now. a classmate called me a legend, since i did things my own way. some call this being a 'maverick'. it's the only way to be truly successful, going with a game plan
that works for you personally.
next is the collections held at the u. of wyoming, and u. of iowa. made sense for both universities to have some of hough's papers. he attended one, and of course yellowstone park is in the same state as the other. though it says the wyoming collection is no longer being maintained, unsure what this means for sure. it states what is included in the collection, and a brief bio of hough after it. the iowa collection is a larger article, 9 pages. i like how there is a picture of hough on the first page, next to a covered wagon. looks like the same photo in the book covered wagon. also has a brief bio, then the box contents list. finally is emerson hough's american west, a 10-page article by carole johnson from books at iowa 21, published in november 1974. i think i had seen this one before, as it mentions how he sadly didn't enjoy a big success for long. he died just a week after seeing the chicago premiere of the movie covered wagon, based on his 1922 book. the first page has covers of 6 of his books. the last 3 pages are just the bibliography.
i still don't like how it's hard to find mention of certain important things that are his legacy. i again mean in his hometown, like the school and the ike's chapter. most are just covering the man, and it would be nice to see mention of the two stories together.
not too much to say about work today, though it was nice to see my 'work spouse' show up for a half day, must have been after an appointment. i showed her a gift card i had ordered through our reward plan. it is for barnes and noble, i go there but go to borders more often. both are nice stores. the card had a caricature of shakespeare on it. hard to say what i will get with the card, though i noticed an auto-biography of theodore roosevelt at one of their nearby stores. i liked his lively spirit, known for saying things like 'speak softly and carry a big stick'. i like one quote about him, by one of his opponents, after he became president due to mc kinley's death by assassination. 'great, now that damned cowboy is president of the united states'. i saw theodore roosevelt island in washington, dc, in my last visit a year ago. and who could forget ways he keeps showing up in pop culture? robin williams played him in 'night at the museum'. truly one of a kind, a legend- then and now. a classmate called me a legend, since i did things my own way. some call this being a 'maverick'. it's the only way to be truly successful, going with a game plan
that works for you personally.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
so and so
work sucks, especially the day after a holiday, since things pile up. that's all i should say, as i liked seeing this workday end.
so yes, this is one day where i needed a laugh and got one. i went to a comedy club inside a mall for a comic contest. i did sign up but just missed the cut, though i said to the coordinator that i would make myself available as a fill-in. i know there are no-shows from time to time. i knew many of the comics onstage tonight, and even though i had heard many of their jokes before i wanted to hear my favorites and did.
though the highlight was seeing somebody that wasn't performing tonight. it was seeing a comic that i share more laughs with than most. except for the m.c.- he's a friend too. i will do my best to describe him, usually i go more by what their jokes are than their appearance. he does have a shaved head, hard not to notice that. i laugh hysterically when he does a voice just like the grizzled, wise old trainer in the 'rocky' movies. then there's ones about his garbage bag window and real estate brokers, and his dad. i guess we do have some important things in common- both from small towns in the midwest and we like to get our dad in some jokes. don't know if i ever have known anyone like the comics i know now. they wouldn't have been fraternity brothers, as i never joined a greek house. guess they are what they are- drinking buddies. kind of like the ones in 'good will hunting', my favorite movie.
he would call me 'you old so and so' and then i made that one my own, so this is how i greet him. he has also called me ' you SOB', which i don't mind at all. now 'rapscallion', one that i really like, after looking it up of course. defined as 'rascal'. which makes me think of going to a minor league baseball game in davenport,ia., last season and seeing their mascot, a raccoon named 'rascal' since the team is called 'river bandits'.
i've encouraged this comic friend to read my blog, i'm wondering what he would say. i picture him saying things like 'who is this emerson hough you speak of?' and 'you're a nerd!' well yes, I AM A NERD. Duh! i majored in history, after all. and i made it a joke one time onstage, how the only time it looks cool is in movies like 'bill and ted' and 'night at the museum'. hopefully he would also say 'you're still cool, since you spoke of lady gaga'. yes, her song, 'alejandro', is one i heard again tonight while driving home from the comedy show. it's a captivating song to say the least, really catchy.
well this means i have to talk more about emerson hough now since i've already mentioned him. enjoying all of the research i've done. i read the wikipedia article, among other things. no pictures with it, some entries have pictures. i was familiar with the DAR placing a marker in front of hough's boyhood home in my hometown. so i decided to look up isham randolph, since this is the name of the chapter on the marker. found out it was a grandfather of thomas jefferson, and he was a son of a founder of william and mary college in virginia. this is one of the oldest schools in the nation. this was found on a page dedicated to the elizabeth randolph chapter, in missouri. elizabeth was jefferson's aunt, and isham's daughter. but i didn't find anything on isham's chapter, may be an inactive one. i know there was no listing for a chapter in newton, but there is one in marshalltown, 30 miles away. i did tour the DAR building in washington,dc, last year, before seeing a concert by gladys knight at their constitution hall.
next article i have is the national register of historic places listings from november 8,2002. it was a weekly list of actions taken. this is where emerson hough elementary school is announced as being listed, as of october 24. 2 high schools in des moines- roosevelt and lincoln- were listed as well. finally we have chapter 12, 'a national park service is born', in 1916. hough is mentioned early. 'before and during the hearings [in congress] and on into summer, the friends and adherents of stephen mather and national parks let loose a torrent of publicity for the parks and for the bill. george horace lorimer and his saturday evening post, featuring herbert quick, emerson hough, and other writers, kept up a running commentary.' this was the only mention of hough in the article. plenty of times did i see mention of yellowstone park, which comes as no surprise since it's the first national park. the next thing would be to look up mather's connection to hough further, and to the sierra club.
odd that i only became interested in hough's life and legacy only after leaving iowa. i had enough chances before then, like looking at the hough collection of letters at the state historical building in des moines. could have looked at them in my spare time since i held a clerical job through a temp agency there. actually at a records center nearby, but under the same 'umbrella'. i went to visit one of my former bosses and mentioned this interest, he informed me of the collection. same is true with the collection at the university of iowa, as i went to that school. but my literary interests only seemed to come to the surface after a job transfer six years ago, when i joined a literary center and started taking writing classes.
at least i finally made it, doesn't matter how long it takes as long you make the most of it once you get there. my main regret from learning tough lessons wasn't the lessons themselves. they were valuable ones. but it was the time i wasted to get there. but i know i usually didn't get where i wanted to without making a few wrong turns first.
so yes, this is one day where i needed a laugh and got one. i went to a comedy club inside a mall for a comic contest. i did sign up but just missed the cut, though i said to the coordinator that i would make myself available as a fill-in. i know there are no-shows from time to time. i knew many of the comics onstage tonight, and even though i had heard many of their jokes before i wanted to hear my favorites and did.
though the highlight was seeing somebody that wasn't performing tonight. it was seeing a comic that i share more laughs with than most. except for the m.c.- he's a friend too. i will do my best to describe him, usually i go more by what their jokes are than their appearance. he does have a shaved head, hard not to notice that. i laugh hysterically when he does a voice just like the grizzled, wise old trainer in the 'rocky' movies. then there's ones about his garbage bag window and real estate brokers, and his dad. i guess we do have some important things in common- both from small towns in the midwest and we like to get our dad in some jokes. don't know if i ever have known anyone like the comics i know now. they wouldn't have been fraternity brothers, as i never joined a greek house. guess they are what they are- drinking buddies. kind of like the ones in 'good will hunting', my favorite movie.
he would call me 'you old so and so' and then i made that one my own, so this is how i greet him. he has also called me ' you SOB', which i don't mind at all. now 'rapscallion', one that i really like, after looking it up of course. defined as 'rascal'. which makes me think of going to a minor league baseball game in davenport,ia., last season and seeing their mascot, a raccoon named 'rascal' since the team is called 'river bandits'.
i've encouraged this comic friend to read my blog, i'm wondering what he would say. i picture him saying things like 'who is this emerson hough you speak of?' and 'you're a nerd!' well yes, I AM A NERD. Duh! i majored in history, after all. and i made it a joke one time onstage, how the only time it looks cool is in movies like 'bill and ted' and 'night at the museum'. hopefully he would also say 'you're still cool, since you spoke of lady gaga'. yes, her song, 'alejandro', is one i heard again tonight while driving home from the comedy show. it's a captivating song to say the least, really catchy.
well this means i have to talk more about emerson hough now since i've already mentioned him. enjoying all of the research i've done. i read the wikipedia article, among other things. no pictures with it, some entries have pictures. i was familiar with the DAR placing a marker in front of hough's boyhood home in my hometown. so i decided to look up isham randolph, since this is the name of the chapter on the marker. found out it was a grandfather of thomas jefferson, and he was a son of a founder of william and mary college in virginia. this is one of the oldest schools in the nation. this was found on a page dedicated to the elizabeth randolph chapter, in missouri. elizabeth was jefferson's aunt, and isham's daughter. but i didn't find anything on isham's chapter, may be an inactive one. i know there was no listing for a chapter in newton, but there is one in marshalltown, 30 miles away. i did tour the DAR building in washington,dc, last year, before seeing a concert by gladys knight at their constitution hall.
next article i have is the national register of historic places listings from november 8,2002. it was a weekly list of actions taken. this is where emerson hough elementary school is announced as being listed, as of october 24. 2 high schools in des moines- roosevelt and lincoln- were listed as well. finally we have chapter 12, 'a national park service is born', in 1916. hough is mentioned early. 'before and during the hearings [in congress] and on into summer, the friends and adherents of stephen mather and national parks let loose a torrent of publicity for the parks and for the bill. george horace lorimer and his saturday evening post, featuring herbert quick, emerson hough, and other writers, kept up a running commentary.' this was the only mention of hough in the article. plenty of times did i see mention of yellowstone park, which comes as no surprise since it's the first national park. the next thing would be to look up mather's connection to hough further, and to the sierra club.
odd that i only became interested in hough's life and legacy only after leaving iowa. i had enough chances before then, like looking at the hough collection of letters at the state historical building in des moines. could have looked at them in my spare time since i held a clerical job through a temp agency there. actually at a records center nearby, but under the same 'umbrella'. i went to visit one of my former bosses and mentioned this interest, he informed me of the collection. same is true with the collection at the university of iowa, as i went to that school. but my literary interests only seemed to come to the surface after a job transfer six years ago, when i joined a literary center and started taking writing classes.
at least i finally made it, doesn't matter how long it takes as long you make the most of it once you get there. my main regret from learning tough lessons wasn't the lessons themselves. they were valuable ones. but it was the time i wasted to get there. but i know i usually didn't get where i wanted to without making a few wrong turns first.
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