.023 Chaos, Muses, and Blue Men

Currently, I am reminded of a book I first read when I was nine or ten, titled ”Absolutely Normal Chaos“, and which was written by Sharon Creech.  I re-read this book many times over the following years.  I tried to find an online review to do the book justice, but didn’t have much luck, so I hope that this excerpt does the job.

The book is written as the summer journal of thirteen-year-old Mary Lou Finney.  It’s a nice book and I would certainly reccomend it, particularly to girls somewhere between ten and fifteen.

The particular part of this book that came to mind today is from the entry ‘Thursday, June 28th”.  To get her mind off of some stuff she’s dealing with, she decides to work on one of her summer assignments, which is to read Homer’s Odyssey.  She writes:

“I tried to read The Odyssey today, but I couldn’t get past the first couple of pages.  Homer writes so strangely.  He begins, “Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who traveled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy.”  Doesn’t that sound a little much?

Fortunately, I knew what a Muse was from English last year.  A Muse is a goddess who sits around inspiring people whenever she feels like it.  If you’re telling a story and don’t feel too inspired, you’re supposed to call on the Muse for help.  It looks like Homer needed some help right from the start.  If I were Homer, I don’t think I’d admit that right at the beginning of the story.“

Any time I am tempted to start a blog with, “Not much has happened”, or “I don’t have anything interesting to say”, or “I don’t know what to write”, I think of that passage.  If I have nothing to write, why bother telling people?

And now for something completely different.

This summer, during my various travels, I had the opportunity to see the Blue Man Group.  If you ever have the opportunity to see them, take it.  It was the most bizarre, strange, and interesting theater/concert experience I’ve ever taken part in.  If you need convincing, check out these videos (beware, there’s a lot of them)!

I’m not much of a ‘greenie’, but this is a great ad for enviromental awareness.  This is the live performance version of the same bit.  And this is the same performance concept, but a different skit. 

This is an ‘experimental’ video shoot, or something like that, done in a subway.  This is a little bit about what the shows are about… there’s all of these psycological aspects that are just facinating about the way these shows are done. 

This clip is one of their music videos, “Sing Along”, with Dave Matthews featured on vocals and guitar.  You get a good look at a few trademark Blue Man instruments.  This is another music video, this time featuring Gavin Rossdale, called “The Current,” which has something to do with one of the Terminator movies.

This Intel commmerical is based on a classic Blue Man bit.  This is the bit it’s based on, as performed on the Berlin Music awards.    This is another commericial, this time for some kind of keyboard toy. 

This one is Ellen DeGeneres helping the Blue Men hold “auditions”… it’s long, but watch to the end and you’ll see her help them play Drumbone, it’s funny.  This clip talks a bit about their instruments.  This bit is long, but good- it’s a ‘behind the music’ special about their first CD.  This clip is actually the ‘making of’ a new bit for their Orlando show, and you actually get to see the Blue Men out of costume in rehearsal, which is a bit bizarre to see once you’re used to them actually looking like Blue Men.

Well, that’s all.

Take care,

-Lucy