|
Michael Parker's Journal
 |
Thursday, June 29, 2006 |
Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate and one of America's best-selling poets, has a remarkable Flash Poem showing on Yahoo! Animated by Julian Gray. Check it out while you still can!
5:57:26 PM  | |
|
|
|
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 |
My 2nd poetry challenge is inspired by Sanna Annukka’s stunning cover art (which she created in PhotoShop) for Keane’s sophomore CD titled "Under the Iron Sea," seen here.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to write a poem (title of your choice, any length, and/or form will suffice) and submit it to me, either in the Comments section or via the e-mail link. I'll publish the noteworthy ones.
The last challenge, Mammatus Clouds, was a great success. Two of the poems (by Pris Campbell and Lorna Dee Cervantes) went on to be published in MiPoesias Magazine: Women's Edition, earlier this Spring.
Good luck!
Regarding Keane's New CD
Keane is famous for "Somewhere Only We Know." They toured as a front-band for U2 along the East Coast of the US, where they recorded many of the songs on this CD.
"Under the Iron Sea" has been met with a few acclaimed reviews by Entertainment Weekly, Urb, and Aidin Vaziri of Amazon. It has met with fair reviews, however, by Billboard, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and Slant, to name a few.
Consider this snippet of a review from Slant:
What they have done, to their credit, is take the best elements from those bands--Radiohead's soaring melodies, U2's scope and volume, Coldplay's dogged earnestness--and combine them into something that, for much of Under The Iron Sea's running time, is a perfectly respectable alternative to, say, the likes of Train or The Goo Goo Dolls or to Coldplay's comparatively bland X&Y.
To get a complete sampling of reviews for the album, visit Metacritics page.
To view some of their music videos, go here.
I encourage you to have a listen to all of them, but I am most impressed with "Is It Any Wonder?" "Bedshaped," which has extraordinary animation; "Everybody’s Changing;" and their smash hit, "Somewhere Only We Know."
Read an interview with Sanna, regarding her work for Keane, on the Keane website.
9:32:11 PM | |
|
|
|
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 |
I haven't been able to do much writing the past two nights. Last night, I believe my allergies got the best of me--I became dizzy and sluggish. I came home from work, ate, and slept on and off till morning. Today, I immediately took Tylenol Allergy Plus and had a better day. I came home from work and ran twelve miles tonight in Provo canyon with my friend Brian.
A trip to the dentist: My daughter K (6) went to the dentist today because one of her new teeth is growing in behind the old one. The old one was loose alright. But for the life of me, I could not get my fat fingers around it to get a grip good enough to pull it out. The dentist ended up pulling two of the teeth out. The had to hold Kennedy down. This evening, I came home from the run and found a note on the white board in the kitchen. It read: "Dear Tooth Fairy, The dentist pulled my teeth today. May I please keep both of them?"
Politics: Harry Reid is playing Democrat with a spine again! I wish the others would catch the same fire. Consider this news item:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A week after the GOP-led Senate rejected an increase to the minimum wage, Senate Democrats on Tuesday vowed to block pay raises for members of Congress until the minimum wage is increased.
"We're going to do anything it takes to stop the congressional pay raise this year, and we're not going to settle for this year alone," Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said at a Capitol news conference.
"They can play all the games the want," Reid said derisively of the Republicans who control the chamber. "They can deal with gay marriage, estate tax, flag burning, all these issues and avoid issues like the prices of gasoline, sending your kid to college. But we're going to do everything to stop the congressional pay raise."
The minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. Democrats want to raise it to $7.25. During the past nine years, as Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to increase the minimum wage, members of Congress have voted to give themselves pay raises -- technically "cost of living increases" -- totaling $31,600, or more than $15 an hour for a 40-hour week, 52 weeks a year, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In floor debate last week Republicans argued the raise for low-income workers would hurt small businesses. They offered an alternative measure to raise the minimum wage that was tied to tax breaks for small businesses.
The main proposal fell eight votes short of the 60 it needed to pass with 46 opposing; the alternative measure mustered only 45 votes in favor, while 53 senators opposed.
Reid wouldn't spell out the specific tactics he would employ to block the congressional pay raise -- which is triggered each year with the passage of an appropriations bill not by a vote on a stand alone bill to increase pay for members.
But he warned, "I know procedure's around here fairly well."
Give em hell, Harry!
11:03:24 PM | |
|
|
|
Saturday, June 24, 2006 |
The teen sensation that brought us "I'm Like a Bird" is back, this time with the hottest (and sexiest) new song, Promiscuous (featuring Timbaland).
Yes, I'm speaking of the grown-up Nelly Furtado.
From her latest CD, Loose, also co-produced by Timbaland, (who has transformed Missy Elliot and Justin Timberlake), Promiscuous will prove to be one of summer's defining monster hits.
Listen to it or view the music video. Be prepared to dance under its provocative beats and heavily hypnotic spell.
10:40:01 AM | |
|
|
|
Thursday, June 22, 2006 |
"Can you understand being alone so long/you would go out in the middle of the night/and put a bucket into the well/so you could feel something down there/tug at the other end of the rope?"
This is the question Jack Gilbert asks the reader who stumbles upon his poem, "Abandoned Valley." It’s the perfect question that represents the heavy thread of loneliness woven through the lines of his latest, and masterful work, Refusing Heaven.
Even the cover of the collection depicts the theme, displaying broken statues, deep fissures, and figures of wide-bellied natives jutting out of a granite rock temple that stands in the foreground of a sheer granite cliff that is being held up by Tuscan-like columns. Amidst this domineering, and starkly lonely landscape, sits a solitary little native girl high upon the edge of a rock dwelling.
Read the entire review at MiPoesias Blog.
10:17:01 PM | |
|
|
|
Monday, June 19, 2006 |
This week I'm working on reviews for "Refusing Heaven," poetry by Jack Gilbert (which will be published on the MiPoesisas Blog) and the Disney Channel hit phenomenon High School Musical (appearing right here at the Journal).
Stay tuned.
10:58:31 PM | |
|
|
|
Sunday, June 18, 2006 |
Tomorrow is Father’s Day. To commemorate the day, Entertainment Weekly posted their list of ten funniest movie dads, as follows.
- Eugene Levy, "American Pie"
- Sean Connery, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"
- Robin Williams and Nathan Lane "The Birdcage"
- Chevy Chase, "National Lampoon's Vacation"
- Adam Sandler, "Big Daddy"
- Gene Hackman, "The Royal Tenenbaums"
- Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, "The Inlaws"
- Steve Martin, "Parenthood"
- Alec Baldwin, "Outside Providence"
- Dustin Hoffman, "Meet The Fockers"
Check out their reasons for picking these fathers.
In situational comedy, father’s are often relegated to reacting to events, or over-reacting in a goofy way that brings smiles. That’s what makes comedy...well, comedy. I prefer the dramatic roles, however, in which events trigger transformations, either for the better or worse. Here are just a few of my favorite fatherly roles in all the genres of film: comedy, drama, thriller, horror, etc. (Not in any order.) Jack Nicholson, "The Shining"
Jack Nicholson plays one of the his greatest roles of his illustrious career! Jack Torrence is a struggling author who is tormented that he’s not able to support his family. His young son’s introverted behavior also weighs on his mind because he can’t afford needed counseling or therapy. But he lands a dream job as the caretaker for a resort hotel in the Rockies. Goals of writing a best-seller are destroyed as the isolation of the hotel slowly drive him mad.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: F
Kevin Spacey, "American Beauty"
Lester Burnham’s life, job, and family have dictated his path for so long that he has lost all sense of self-worth and motivation. His wife is disgusted with him and plays the field; and his daughter hates his guts and wants him dead. The storm front of a huge mid-life crisis prepares to strike when Lester becomes attracted to his daughter’s best friend, Angela Hayes, played by Mena Suvari. He starts working out and running in the mornings. He grows back a spine, not letting co-workers or his wife boss him around un-needlessly. The redeeming quality in Lester’s final transformation comes when he has Angela Hayes in his grasp. In a poignant moment, he comes to his moral senses and turns her away.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: D Chevy Chase, "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"
Clark Griswald is expecting a Christmas bonus that would allow him to put a swimming pool in their back yard. With his wonderfully odd extended family camped out in the Griswald house for the holidays, everything comes unscrewed at the hinges, including the promise of the bonus. Clark does his best to hold it all together, despite the strain of the family’s needs, the in-laws’ dislike for him, and a squirrel chase with a mad dog that leaves the house in ruins. But when he doesn’t get the bonus, he snaps, and what transpires is a classic silly ending that makes the film a Christmas season must-see.
Film Grade: B
Father Grade: C
Mel Gibson, "Signs"
Graham Hess has a deep struggle of faith. He used to be a minister, but after the tragic death of his wife, he gave it up. The reasons for doing so are kept deep inside him and we only sense the faint shadows of them like we see only the shadow of the cross on his bedroom wall. But as is normal in times of hard trials or imminent doom, in this case the arrival of an alien race intent on destroying the world, Graham finds the meaning of life. And this is where the real story of "Signs" is, and it is a good one.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: A
Tom Hanks, "Road to Perdition"
Perdition is about the father and son relationship of Mike Sullivan (Tom Hanks) to his god-father John Rooney (Paul Newman) and then his relationship with his own son Michael Sullivan. Mike had no family growing up. John Rooney (Paul Newman), the father of the mob, took him in under his wings. Mike ended up working for him. Now, Mike has a family. The oldest son, the 12-year-old Michael, has no idea what his father "really" does for a living and he wants to know. He's been told the usual story—Mr. Rooney took him in; he goes on important and sometimes dangerous assignments for him; etc.
Michael is too old for these vague answers. When he is around the mob family, he sees and hears things that lead him to believe that his father is a hit man. When his father announces that he can't attend his younger brother’s concert at school because he has to work, Michael hides in the car so that he can see for himself what his dad does. What Michael sees will change the landscape of his life forever. And in order to save what family Mike, the father, has left to him, he must decide where his loyalty will lie – with his son or his god-father. What results is a thrilling journey to try to win back his life away from the mob, and win a decent future for his boys.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: B Tom Hanks, "Sleepless In Seattle"
Sam Baldwin is recently widowed. His son, Jonah, takes it upon himself to find him the perfect soul-mate. Enter stage left, Annie Reed. When Sam discovers what Jonah has done, he delivers one of the greatest exchanges in film:
Sam Baldwin: Didn't you see Fatal Attraction?
Jonah Baldwin: You wouldn't let me!
Sam Baldwin: Well I saw it and it scared the shit out of me. It scared the shit out of every man in America.
In a move that gives nightmares to every parent, Jonah runs away to New York City to find Annie by himself. Sam follows. Sam finds Jonah. Sam and Annie meet. They smile that good-ole "could this be real" smiles at each other for far too long but we eat it up anyway because it is a happy ending and love triumphs.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: B+
Tom Cruise, "War of the Worlds"
Ray Ferrier is a dead-beat dad, so much so that his kids don’t consider him their dad. They definitely don’t call him dad. In a most telling scene, Ray is trying to play catch with his teenage son, Robbie. The verbal exchange between them is sharp as knives. It proves that Ray isn't interested in getting to know his son, rather just to lay down the rules of his house. As their verbal blows become more cutting, their throws increase in velocity. Inevitably, Ray returns a pitch that is obviously meant to hurt Robbie. But Robbie steps aside and lets the ball pass by. It shatters the kitchen window. After Robbie walks into the house, the camera captures Ray through the shattered window. It's the image of a man whose life is empty: there are no lasting relationships. He’s as shattered as the window. The long journey to Boston amidst the seemingly inevitable destruction transforms him as he is forced to protect his kids the best way that he can.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: C
Don Cheadle, "Hotel Rwanda"
Paul Rusesabagina is a hotel manager (and Hutu) during the genocide that ravaged Rwanda in 1994, in which over one million Tutsis were slaughtered. Rusesabagina took in and eventually saved 1,286 Tutsis refugees (including his own wife and children) from being slaughtered by the Hutu militia.
Cheadle is nothing more than exceptional as Rusesabagina, a man whose career of styling ambassadors, generals, and diplomats allows him the leverage to save lives. It's a highly dynamic, stirring, and emotionally-charged performance. Some people step forward in the only way they know how , or out of the basic need to survive, and by this act take upon them the salvation of many. In an industry that is becoming saturated with films about super heros, its refreshing to see one devoted to someone who is flesh and blood real.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: A Christopher Plummer, "The Sound of Music"
Georg von Trapp is more a captain to his brood of kids than a father, ordering them around the house to the varying sounds of a whistle, communicating to them as he would a unit of soldiers standing in attention. All of this changes when the new nanny from the local convent, Maria, comes into their life. Her love of music and fun softens Georg’s heart. One of the most memorable scenes of the film occurs when Georg returns home from officer’s duty. Maria and kids are practicing the song they have prepared just for his return, (specifically, "The Hills Are Alive"). As he enters the house and hears his children singing for the first time in years, you can see his hard exterior melt away. Emotional. Magical. Unforgettable.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: A
Robert Benigni, "Life Is Beautiful"
Guido Orefice has a gift of humor, for making people happy. He is able to win the love of Dora because of it. When the Nazi’s invade Italy, and his family is sent to a concentration camp, he uses his humor to defuse his son's fears and literally keep them both alive. One of the most heartbreaking scenes in film occurs near the end of the film. Being chased by German soldiers, he hides his terrified son, telling him that they are going to play a game– the most quiet wins a tank. He then allows himself to be captured, a sacrifice to get the attention off of a search for his son.
Film Grade: A
Father Grade: A
Remembering Other Great Movie Roles Highlighting Fathers:
Nicolas Cage, "The Family Man"
Mel Gibson, "The Patriot"
Michael Keaton, "Mr. Mom"
Donald Sutherland, "Pride & Prejudice" and "Ordinary People"
Darren McGavin, "A Christmas Story"
Jimmy Stewart, "It’s A Wonderful Life"
Robin Williams, "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Hook"
Kevin Costner, "Field of Dreams"
Tom Wilkinson, "In the Bedroom"
Steve Martin, "Father of the Bride"
Viggo Mortenson, "The History of Violence"
Richard Dreyfuss, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
Richard Gere, "The Bee Season"
Dustin Hoffman, "Moonlight Mile"
Billy Bob Thornton, "Monster’s Ball"
Denzel Washington, "John Q"
1:02:34 AM | |
|
|
|
Thursday, June 15, 2006 |
Years ago, I received a few Dialogue Magazines. Thumbing through one of the issues tonight, I came across a wonderful poem by Philip White. This helped win him second place in the magazine’s 1987 poetry awards:
A Place for Roses
The spring moon sheds
its bloodless gray tonight,
and the pruned thorns spread
their dead stick shadows
like a hand of blessing
across the prints
from your canvas shoes.
All day you spent digging
about the roots, loosening
the soil, turning in
bone meal and nutrients.
Tonight, something in me
stirs at the memory
of the ruddy leaf shoots,
furled and tender skinned,
that now are horned
and liverspotted and stiff.
After your day of labor
I can almost believe
these lopped, ill limbs
will rise up
and bear life.
Philip White's poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The New Republic, The Southern Review, Antioch Review, New England Review, and elsewhere.
9:40:42 PM | |
|
|
|
Wednesday, June 14, 2006 |
An aspect of mysticism that fascinates me is the concept of awareness. In kabbalah, specifically, awareness is the sloughing away of our self-importance--pride and the characteristics born of it.
Years ago, I read Rabbi David Cooper's book God is a Verb. These are his thoughts on awareness: "One of the more important concepts in Kabbalah teaches that whatever happens anywhere in the universe reverberates throughout the totality of creation. Thus, our lives are affected by what is happening everywhere; moreover, whatever we do in our lives affects everything in the universe....[A]wareness is a holistic continuum. Once we enter a holistic frame of reference in which all parts are complete and are replicas of the whole, then everything in the universe, by definition, is integrally connected."
I've been working on a poem that reflects this view of self and universal responsibility. Here's the first verse.
I am insignificant. I sense it
as I sense the approach of rain
as I hear it in its sounding--
each drop hitting the sidewalk.
It is the mantra of a wise man:
I am one drop of rain in the storm.
I am a grain of sand in the vast
universe and it is eternity.
10:41:43 PM | |
|
|
|
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 |
I could see how some poets might think that Flash poetry weakens poetry-- eliminating the process of imagining the poem from our own experience or interpreting the meaning of the poem from what the poet gives us. With Flash poetry, imagination and interpretation are nearly disarmed, taken over by the influence of the visual presentation. An interesting thesis might be this: does the viewer remember words or the images of a Flash poem? Knowing we are visual creatures, I'd guess the answer might be "images."
Nonetheless, I'm very intrigued by this new art form because poetry, after all, is an art form that relates images and impressions. Born Magazine features such collaborations of work.
I'd like you to conisder two noteworthy Flash poems: "Author's Prayer" by Ilya Kaminsky (2002) and "Cobweb" by Maribel Vega. (Pris highlighted "Cobweb" on her site this week. Thanks for the introduction, Pris.)
10:37:38 PM | |
|
|
|
Monday, June 12, 2006 |
The cover of the Dixie Chicks new album "Taking the Long Way" could be a shot of downtown New Orleans or some older section of any city where nightlife reigns. Neon lights illuminate two-story storefronts and bounce off windshields and wet pavement, creating a glare that turns reality slightly over-exposed. A streetlight floats behind each of their heads like ghostly orbs. Maybe they’re symbols of where they’ve been.
At the forefront is Maines, Maguire, and Robison, posing in front of an antique black car positioned to take them away from this place. Anywhere, really. It is most evident to look at this darkly lit scene, except the white light exposing the worn cobbled stones under their feet, and see this is nothing like Nashville. There is not a sliver of Nashville in these women. Rather, their dark eyes and heavy rouge (that brings out the shadows in their cheekbones) is a sexy, street-wise look that evokes the fashion chic of the late 70's and 80's female rock scene-- Linda Rhondstat, Pat Benatar, and Blondie, to name a few.
And for the record, the Dixie Chicks have sought to distance themselves from Nashville since Maines criticized the president three years ago. The backlash and the death threats revealed a side to the country-western genre that surprised them, though many of us non-country-western listeners believed existed all along. Professionally, this backlash allowed them to transform their sound to a sound that Maines stated she always wanted to sing.
The music of the Dixie Chicks never interested me until their wonderful remake of Stevie Knicks, "Landslide." I followed the news of their political comments and fallout with interest, but never ventured to take a listen to "Home." (I am not a fan of country. Period.)
Earlier this year, however, I read an article in TIME or Newsweek in which Maines mentioned that they had changed their sound. This interested me enough that I logged onto their website the last week of May. This is when I was first introduced to the song "Not Ready to Make Nice," which speaks directly to Nashville and their fans--how they treated them after their comment about the president. I was immediately taken by the heavy guitar riffs opening the song. It sounded more like a song from the rock band LIVE. I was also taken by the lyrics and emotion behind the vocals. It's fitting that this was the first single released from the CD:
Forgive? Sounds good. Forget? I’m not sure I could.
They say, time heals everything. But I’m still waiting.
I’m through with doubt. There’s nothing left for me
to figure out. I’ve paid a price and I’ll keep paying.
****
I know you said can’t you just get over it.
It turned my whole world around and I kind of like it.
I made my bed and I sleep like a baby, with no regrets
and I don’t mind sayin’. It’s a sad sad story when a mother
will teach her daughter that she out to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I’ve said
send somebody so over the edge that they’d write me a letter
sayin’ that I better shut up and sing or my life will be over?
"Taking The Long Way" highlights the trio’s acclaimed harmony throughout the CD, but especially on songs such as the beautiful "Lullaby," "Easy Silence" which speaks at the state of the world, "Silent House," and "Baby Hold On." But Maine’s vocals on many songs (especially "Baby Hold On") exhibit an emotion that is so vivid and on the surface that it is absolutely exemplary–there is an immediacy to it that is utterly convincing and striking to the heartstrings.
"Taking The Long Way" is a compilation of songs that are solid, timeless, and simply delightful. Hear their new sound shine through on songs such as "So Hard," "Favorite Year" (co-written with Sheryl Crowe), "Voice Inside My Head," and "Silent House" (co-written by Neil Finn, formerly of Crowded House). Pay attention to their hell-raising attitude of "Lubbock or Leave It" and "Not Ready to Make Nice," both of which gives country rock a run for ingenuity and style. And be convinced by their closing number "I Hope" that these women have just given music a classic song and album. They’ve won me over. Hook. Line. And sinker.
I can just see it now: the Dixie Chicks and Kanye West are vying for the top Grammy’s of the night-- Song of the Year and Best Album of the Year. And Kanye loses for the second year in a row. That’s how solid this "Taking the Long Way" is.
"Taking The Long Way" has been at #1 in sales for two weeks running now (526,000 units sold the first week, 271,000 units the second week). Home sold 780,000 units in its first week of release in September 2000.
12:24:18 AM | |
|
|
|
Tuesday, June 06, 2006 |
It is not uncommon for writers to step outside the box, the box representing social mores, or even their own better judgement. We tend to try on the masks of others, even our enemies, in order to better gain insight into their actions and beliefs. Call it the philosophy of liberal arts, if you must. But there is some form of consilience in attempting this feat of transformation into the psychological mind of someone else and walk the cultural, theological, social, and political landscape upon which this person leaves their mark.
I read with much interest today the summary of John Updike's press conference at the National Book Expo in Washington, D.C., for his new novel, Terrorist, "a novel about Ahmad Mulloy Ashmawy, a New Jersey high school graduate whose disgust with the material world leads to his recruitment as a suicide bomber."
I'd like to highlight two points he made in his speech: 1) Book sellers must defend the printed book, for they are like "citadels of light" in their communities; and 2) writing about the current state of the world and its complex dichotomy of class structures and terrorism, he created this novel out of a "gesture of friendship." Consider these paragraphs from the article:
"I've often wondered about suicide bombers, because to a Western Judeo-Christian, it's pretty much a no-no, it's almost the ultimate sin," Updike says.
"And I'm impressed by not only the number of suicide bombers but the continued ability to recruit young men and young women. It's a measure of the depth of resentment and the sense of depression and helplessness that certain parts of the world feel about the West."*****
"I think certain of our Puritan forebears would find a great deal in common with some of the imams and mullahs," Updike says. "What we're facing in Osama bin Laden is really a revival movement, like the American fundamentalist movement is a reaction to liberalism in the church."****
"I knew when I wrote this ('Terrorist') that this was sort of thin ice, a touchy matter," he says. "On the other hand, as an American writer, one should have right to write about the world as best as he can and as variously as he can. That's why you have an imagination, as well as a memory."
Updike has won two Pulitzers and two National Book Awards.
7:27:57 PM | |
|
|
|
Monday, June 05, 2006 |
There is one aspect of running that I never tire of. It’s being able to meet and see real-life heroes. I came upon such an inspiring runner Saturday during the Salt Lake Marathon, approximately seven miles into the race. I was about to climb out of SugarHouse Park when I saw Ben Wilkinson, age 28. I didn’t stop to ask his name. I know that from the news story I saw later that evening. But I did run up beside him to let him know that I thought he was "so very awesome for running this race!" What inspired me so? Ben was running even though he has cerebral palsy. KSL highlighted his story on Saturday evening’s edition of SportsBeat. See this heartwarming and amazing story.
SPOILER: If you do not watch the news story, continue reading: When Ben was running the final stretch on the Gateway road, he came across a family with a young child with cerebral palsy. Ben stopped, said "hi," and told him that he can do whatever he wants to accomplish in life; don't let anyone tell you that you can't. When Ben started running toward the finish line again, the little boy followed him and finished the last 100 yards with him. At the finish line, Ben received his medal, kissed it, and then gave it to the little boy. The race operators were so touched by this gesture that they gave Ben a second medal. Ben was already a hero in my book when I met him in the park. This just amplified my admiration of him. You rock, Ben!
Regarding My Run
After I passed Ben, I went on having a good race until mile 15, when the heat coming off of Van Winkle Way depleted my energy. It was at this time that I began struggling with my own agonizing pains in my hip joints, which I figured was a residual effect from earlier arthritic flare-ups the past week. I totally wasn’t expecting this pain but I have learned through experience that you can never predict the pains you are going to feel during a race. They come on suddenly. Many times they linger for a few miles then completely disappear. Sometimes, they stay. This time, they stayed and my overall time suffered. I finished at 5 hours and 3 minutes, my second worst time. But I’m not crying about it. I finished. I’ll live with it; learn from it. For instance: next time, for starters, force yourself to go to bed early every night the week of the race.
10:13:39 PM | |
|
|
|
Friday, June 02, 2006 |
Today it was back to work.
Tomorrow, I’m off to Salt Lake to run in the third annual Salt Lake City Marathon.
So give a holler and a cheer tomorrow morning, even if it is while you are sleeping in. I need all of the psychic energy I can get. I’ve not been getting good sleep all week and I feel like I'm coming down with something. But I can't not participate in this. I've been wanting to do this race for two years now. The first year, my back went out on me and I was hobbling around for a month before I could even start running again. Last year, I became very ill and ended up having my gall bladder removed. This year, I believe I could have used many excuses to stop me. But no. I'm running. I've dedicated the race to my grandfather.
I have been hydrating and carbo-loading very well. If I can get through that last hour tomorrow, when the temps will start creeping into the high 80's and low 90's, then half the battle is won.
If you want to check out the course map for the marathon, how it weaves around the greater salt lake city suburbs, click here.
IN the photo above, in the back, along the mountains, sits the University of Utah and 2002's Winter Olympics' Village. That is where the race begins. The course runs to the right of the picture and out of it. Then the course does this u-turn and returns to the downtown area, seen at the front of the picture. The race ends at the Gateway center, at the fountains (seen in the lower-left corner).
9:26:57 PM | |
|
|
|
Thursday, June 01, 2006 |
Today was my grandfather's funeral. It was a wonderful memorial for him. In the viewing, my daughter (6) wouldn't leave the side of the coffin. She had voiced her sadness about his death the past couple of days. She even hugged my dad, her grandpa, and told him that she was sad that grandpa died-ed (she ends all past-tense words in an -ed). She said "he was such a nice man." So today, standing by the coffin, she wanted him to come back alive, as if this death thing was a mere sleeping illness. She noticed blood on collar of his white shirt also and was very concerned that he was hurt really badly. It choked me up trying to talk her through this moment.
I began the program with this tribute, seen below. My older cousin, Chandra, gave a wonderful tribute, in which she highlighted his love of animals and how he taught her through example to be a caretaker of animals and the earth. My youngest sister sang a beautiful religious hymn. And my dad, John Jr., finished the program with stirring remarks about his dad.
The national columnist Garrison Keiller wrote this week that the best way to honor someone is through a monument of words. It’s my hope that my words help build an image of John Ira Parker, Sr., husband, father, uncle, grandpa, and great-grandpa, an image that can stand as a memorial and monument for us to remember and pass on.
John was born in Chilly, Idaho, October 1919. The youngest of eleven children, John grew up in the midst of great depression. So he grew accustomed to learning multiple skills and trades, and working hard in order to help the family financially. During the family’s years in Chilly, his parents owned a horse & wagon freight company. He would grow up living in Chilly, Levinworth, WA., and Seattle. In Levinworth, his mom took care of borders and operated a laundry service.
The family had moved to Kennewick, WA by the time grandpa received his Certificate of Graduation. He had just finished eighth grade. His certificate showed exceptional grades in Spelling, Reading, Arithmetic, and U.S. History and Civics. He struggled in Geography, Physiology, and Grammar. Who doesn’t?
After graduating, he worked as a laborer.
On October 19, 1939, John enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was a work relief program for young men established by President Fanklin D. Roosevelt "to combat the poverty and unemployment of the Great Depression."(1) Young men worked on conservation projects in rural areas for $1 a day.(2) John served at camp f-85 in Washington, learning and working on the Fire Prevention unit and on Road Construction. He was with the CCC for four months.
After the CCC and before joining the army, we know a few things occurred. 1) He was working as a machinist at Boeing, in Seattle. 2) He met Josephine, by chance one hot summer day when he was washing his car without his shirt on and spied Josephine and her girlfriends ogling him from the window across the street. 3) He married Josephine Madeline Brenn on May 31, 1942.
John joined the Army Air Force on Sept. 23rd, 1942. He achieved his rank as aerial sergeant gunner in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 28th, 1942 and was assigned shortly thereafter to the Southwest Pacific theater, for the 5th Air Force, 43rd Bombardment Group, and the 64th Bombardment Squadron, also known as "Ken’s Men" because they were under the command of the famous Lieutenant General George Kenney.
Living as a soldier wasn’t always the most comfortable experience. For example, in their base in Dobadura, John noted that even though they could watch the wallaby’s hopping around like jack rabbits, there were "lots of chiggers and something else you couldn’t see. If you hung your clothing on the post of a tent, you had a terrible itching or biting when putting it back on. The latrine was the worst place to go."
And at the Port Moresby air base, John wrote, "we were taken to our planes in large trucks with wood & bench seats over rough roads. It was a jolting good time. The best time, however, was for Petey, our engineer. Several times after returning from our missions, the Red Cross would greet us and hand out shots of whiskey. Petey would always lean in to me and say: "Let me have yours."
"With the tension of flying, bombing, shooting, and being cooped up in a gun turret, my muscles wouldn’t relax. I had terrible pains in my back and chest while I was there from the tension."
There are two surviving letters that grandpa sent to his parents. Both show a young man who loved his parents, loved his wife and longed to be back home with her, wished he could be eating his mom’s homemade pumpkin pie, who thought about his personal faith in God, acknowledging the blessings of this faith in his life.
John carried a pocket-size notebook on all his flight missions. He was a meticulous note taker, documenting vital details of each mission such as which base the mission originated from; the type of mission it was (reconnaissance, attack, strike, search, or move); description of events; which crew he flew with; and how many hours the mission took. He nearly documented all 300 hours of missions.
From these notes, we learn that he participated in multiple attacks on such sites as Salamava, Wewak, Alexis Haven, Lae, Rabaul, over the Bismark Sea, Markham Valley, Rapapau, Finsch Haven, Gasmata, Cape Gloucester, Hoskins strip, Saider, and Kaveing.
Rarely did he add, however, his own thoughts or feelings regarding what he saw. But when he did, they were fascinating.
Consider this note on Mon. Sept. 27: "Target was Wewak. Weather was good. Reached target and dropped our bombs. Coming off target we were jumped by zeros and tony’s. First one dove on us from clouds above and went between our plane and the one on our right and back. One came in at three o’clock where he had been flying along with us and passed over our tail going straight back. Then another came in the same direction. I fired approximately 150 rounds. It smoked slightly when I shot at it. Another came in at 7 o’clock and passed underneath plane."
Consider his note on Mon. Oct. 18: "I didn’t go out on this strike. I had squadron detail. On the strike to Rabaul that the crew and I usually fly with, ran out of gas and crash landed after Dobadura. Crew bailed out and pilot and co-pilot landed ship. Pilot and co-pilot were picked up but rest of crew hasn’t been found yet. They bailed out over the swamp." Below this post, in different handwriting, is the added note: "All were picked up." I like to think these notes highlight grandpa’s sincere concern for his buddies and friends.
But it would be his flight over the Bismark Sea that would lead to his Air Medal Award. This letter was sent to his wife, Josephine, on February 28th, 1944.
[READ LETTER FROM General GEORGE KENNEY]
Music played an integral part of grandpa’s war experience, as evidenced by a listing of numerous popular songs in his flight notebooks. Titles included "Midnight Mood," "Green Eyes," "Black Magic," "Time Was Strolling," "Lovelight in the Starlight," "Sleepy Serenade," "Cow Cow Boogie," "My Little Girl," and "Walking the Floor Over You." Favorite musicians included such names as Glenn Miller, Freddie Martin, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Spike Jones, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Duke Ellington, and The Andrew Sisters.
Grandpa, believe it or not, also had a softer, romantic side to him during this time, most likely out of his longing for his new wife back home. On the back page of his pocket-size notebook that he took up with him flying is inscribed the lyrics to a popular World War II song, song by Dale Evans and Joan Brooks. The lyrics sit on the back page as if they were final remarks, possibly a closing soliloquy.
I just kissed your picture goodnight.
And now, dear, I’ll turn down the light
your picture ‘neath my pillow
works like a charm it seems
for you steal thru my pillow
into my dreams.
You know we’re not really apart
For we’re still in each other’s heart
So till the dawn my darling
I’m sure I’ll sleep tight
For I just kissed your picture goodnight.
John got on every flight mission he could in order to obtain the 300 hours needed to be able to return stateside and to see his family. He was in Lae when he was notified that he acquired the hours and was being transferred stateside. In personal notes that he penned on November 12th, 2004, John explained his feelings: "It was with mixed emotions when I was preparing to leave. Talking to crew members some of them giving me addresses of wife or family members to call on. It was emotional. They wished they could go but wished me well." But John was so eager to return home to Jo and his son John, who was born January 1943 and had not yet seen.
Stateside, John moved around fulfilling assignments in Wichita Falls, Texas, Sacramento, California, and finally Walla Walla, Washington. These assignments exemplified John’s proficient knowledge of vehicles and his mechanical, training, and managing skills. In Sacramento, for example, he test drove all vehicles and wrote repair requests for each vehicle. In Walla Walla, John was an aerial gunner instructor. John noted regarding this job that "[f]lying with a green crew was exciting."
John was literally a jack of all trades, proficient at most everything he put his mind to. He was a car salesman, car mechanic, plumber, electrician, home designer & builder, automotive architect...you name it. He could do it.
We will remember John, grandpa, for many things: his love of country music and The Lawrence Welk Show; his work ethic; being a man of action and not words; sometimes coming across harsh; that it was futile to debate with him (especially over the proper name of the Swiss dessert "pasta flora"); his generosity; caring for grandma after her stroke; his great laugh; building the Kennewick house, the Parker house, and the apartment on top of the theater; his love for vintage cars; his ability to repair anything; love of movies; love to drive and travel; and the love of the Oregon Coast.
In the song "Lullaby" on the new Dixie Chicks CD, they sing "How long do you wanna be loved? Is forever enough? Cause I’m never going to give you up." Grandpa, we won’t forget you. We won’t ever give you up.
Grandpa’s passing ends our living four generation. You leave behind your son, John Jr. , grandson, Michael, and great-grandson, M, who all have aspects of your features in their faces. This past week, I’ve noticed this as I have looked at myself in the mirror. I have your smile and your eyes. And when I smile, my eyes squint and nearly disappear. Many of us Parker’s have these very features. How can we forget you when your presence is so visible in all of us? We never will.
Grandpa, thank you for teaching us hard work. Thank you for your kindness and support to us and our families. You always seemed interested in what we were making of ourselves. We greatly appreciated this. We will miss you.
(1) Civilian Conservation Corps, Wikipedia
(2) ibid.
11:06:09 PM | |
|
|
|
|
