Owner: Riley Central URL:http://rileycentral.net/wordpress/ Join Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2006 23:09:20 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The personal blog of Damien Riley: teacher, musician, dad, writer. Categories include:
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People you Can Crack Up With 2007-02-08 22:15:33 I haven’t posted much lately and I apologize. This blog is a priority for me, but work and family have kept me from it lately. I promise to delve back in with some thought-provoking, if not well-attempted stuff in the near future. Today, I’m on my lunch hour and just have to write about how much I appreciate a sort of friend.Â
I’ve acknowledged this day the best kinds of friends, whether it be at work of in personal life or even on the web. Those people are the ones you can crack up with.
The secretary at the school where I teach is a scream. She makes my sides hurt from laughing sometimes, though she probably dosn’t see herself as all that funny SHE IS!!!!
I remember once she told me a story about how her kid was so proud of hmself when he used the toilet the first time that he wanted to call gramma. He wanted her to see it (LOL) so they flushed it and over the phone, gramma said to the boy: “Oh I can see it in the pipes coming through.”
Not What They Used to Be 2007-02-11 02:05:38 What do you think of it when people say things are “not what they used to be?” In my humble opinion (and no one has those on his/her own blog we know) things stay the same and we change.
Take rock and roll for example. People say there’ll never be another Beatles, but there are tons of bands out there doing the same thing the Beatles did if not better.
Then take drugs and teens for example. people say the myspace generation is horrid and the teens of the 50’s and 60’s were much more straight-laced. Hmmm. ever hear of drag racing deaths? Stilletto fights? Grease? I think it’s all a matter of perspective.
Socrates and Plato theorized that the 20’s were for one thing, the 30’s another and all the way up until you’re dead. I think they had it right then that life is stages, whatever the generation you’re in. It seems inevitable the older you get the easier it is to judge the youth. Instead, we oughta be making
A Thought on Anna Nicole's Passing 2007-02-11 18:04:24 I think from this sad (but not tragic) news story, we can glean three things:
1. We are all mortal, whether our image is on a screen or in pictures. We need to take care of ourselves.
2. You can’t just numb your pain with drugs, it will bite you in the @ss one day.
and
3. Anybody can become famous under the right circumstances. It’s not, in and of itself, an “arrival” of any magnanimous proportion.
It reminds me also of how, when someone dies, they leave their “mess” so to speak. While living, we have the chance to leave our mark. That mark could be as inconswquential as taking care of a sick elderly loved one for years or as “fantastica” on the surface as starring in a Naked Gun movie or posing in Playboy. One day, our life will be left to others to bury, possibly get nostalgic about at a funeral, and yes . . . ultimately move on from. Anna’s untimely death at 38 reminds me of that.
She came from a small town. Her on
3 Questions 2007-02-11 03:57:38 Ok, I took the bait on Ægir’s myspace blog -
The Rules: You ask me three questions in a comment to this blog. I must then answer them. But if you ask, you gotta pay your dues and repost this to your blog.
My blog here is new, so I hope get a few people to ask me some questions! Don’t be shy.
So there you have it. Game on!
Tags: 3 questions, meme
Rock n Roll, Barnes n Noble, and Sex Illustrations 2007-02-12 23:31:12 I used to go to rock shows like once a month when I was a youngen’. I caught a bunch of shows in my day and figured I’d be goin’ to shows into my wee old years. I used to also think bookstores were boring. Weeellllll. . . now in my late 30’s I’ve found a trip to the mall and a good book purchase at Barnes
n Noble
is a veritable hootenanny. Right up there with a good rock show. Don’t knock it, if you’re game, it’s a dang good time! (those who go . . . know)
I like the Self-Improvement section. There’s all kinds of stuff to make you into the ideal and perfect human of the earth (like that’s possible). I picked a book last night called “The Relaxation Response,” by Herbert Benson, M.D. I can’t put it down! It’s about learning to destress on command . . . what a concept!Â
Apparently it worked with monkeys and rats, so why not humans? It explains that the best response to stress is Read more:Illustrations
Yahoo! 360 Grovels for Would-Be Bloggers 2007-02-13 18:28:13 Ordinarily I have much respect for Yahoo
! and its many services. They are not advertised in your face and they do offer valuable services. Apparently, judging by an email I got in my inbox this a.m., they are not having the traffic they imagined on their “myspace-like” Yahoo! 360. I’m not impressed with their attempt to infuse blogger enthusiasm. This is what it read:
Update your blog now
Myth #1: Blogging is time-consuming.
False. Take as much or as little time as you like.Â
Myth #2: Anyone can peek.
Nuh-uh. Only you decide who sees what’s on your Yahoo! 360º page.
Myth #3: Deep thoughts are mandatory.
Again, incorrect. Not convinced? Blog on:
 What I was doing 10 years ago today
 Sports update
 ”Happiness is…”
 Vacation pix
Here would be my response to the company, if they gave a damn:
 Top 3 Yahoo! AD Campaigners myths:
1. All people have a hidden blogger living inside them
2. If we build it, they will come
and
Why Can't I have Cool Inventions Like Pee Wee? 2007-02-17 04:14:23 My son and I are watching “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” and marveling at his gadget inventions that lead him through his morning. I could really use a few like these. For example:
1. A helmet that buzzes my head. This would be awesome. I’d never get “wings” waiting too long to shave it. Just put the helmet on and “voila” fresh buzz every day!
2. A machine that makes our lunches for work/school.
3. Cheese Omelet maker.
4. Belt that holds laptop so I can check my email while moving around.
5. Orange juicer on a timer. (and coffee)
6. Large grabber device that makes bending over to pick stuff up unnecessary. (So I can leave the house spotless for wife when she and baby wake up)
7. Remote control that starts car and heater warming up.
8. One of those Sharper Image massage chairs to sit in while I eat my breakfast (and a small one for my son).
___
If I had these inventions, I would smile more.
Tags: Pee Wee Herman, Inventions
Reno 911 2007-02-26 00:57:44 I just saw this movie and laughed my ass off. It wasn’t oscar worthy by any means, but if you can set your expectations aside for 2 hours, you’ll have a good time (minor spoilers ahead). It opens with Clementine roping down from a helicopter with a quite revealing black spandex suit (holes all up the side). I am sure they did this to quickly answer the question of whether cleavage would be featured in the film! Anyway, I was all ears, or all eyes I guess you would say!!! LOL. The premise is that the RENO cops we know and love from the Comedy Central quasi cops spoof are invited to a police convention in Miami. Once there, they aren’t let in because they look so goofy (and each in his own way looks REALLLL goofy!!!) So at that point you think, oh they’re gonna hang out in Miami the whole show . . . only true for one night. The next day it turns out they are the only cops in the entire city because of a terror quarantine insode the convention cen
I Hate Blogs 2007-03-02 02:15:05 Actually I don’t, I think they’re kinda cool. However lately I have become familiar with a few too many. I feel guilty when I don’t comment on all of them!!! But there are so many to visit! I have my friends here on MySpace, then I have a blogroll on my other blog: http://rileycentral.net with some good friends who post daily most the time. Then there’s Technorati.com Arghh. I regret the day I discovered that site. I have about 30 favorite blogs there and many post 2-3 times a day!!! So . . . if you are one of my blog friends and I haven’t commented on your posts for a while, please forgive me!!! It’s not always easy to tell what the blog posts will be like just by reading the title (take this one for example). I suppose I will have something to blog about Saturday since I’m playing a club Friday night. But then again . . . apart from my myspace bud Damian, does anybody really care? sniff sniff (I know this post su Read more:Blogs
Looking Out from Center Stage 2007-03-03 21:09:55 Last night I played at a place I’ve driven by before but never gone into. I arrived about an hour before showtime. After entering, the right side was a bar replete with a stripper’s pole (that wasn’t being used). There were probably 15 or so big screen TV’s playing random shows from ESPN to a hunting show.
Nobody was there from my crowd yet, so my wife and I sat down on the bar side and just chilled. Her parents showed up in a few and we had some laughs about old memories and such. I was thinking a little about my upcoming show: my song choices, who might show up.
After a while we meandered over to the other “wing” of the place where the bands play. I hopped up on stage and left my guitar up there while we waited for my group to arrive.
I sat on the band side waiting and talking as more and more in my group arrived. Before long, the 9pm start time had rolled around. The soundman tapped me on the shoulder, so I hopped up on s Read more:Center
, Stage
How to Handle a Bad Performance Eval. 2007-03-07 07:26:03 I’ve seen a lot of commercials lately for “Career Builder” and other job-seeker websites that portray miserable executives in dead-end jobs. Usually they are humorous, but often when I see them I find myself moaning inwardly “Get over it!”
Many people think there is a better job out there, and I am not saying that isn’t true. The problem I have is when people refuse to accept the task at hand in lieu of some fantasy job that may never exist.
I’m not in business, but I do work with professionals. I am a public school teacher (when I’m not strummin’ the 6-string) and I can tell you that over the course of my career thus far I have come across every type of do-you-want-some-cheese-with-that “Job whine.”
Every type of job has an “evaluation” or “performance review” process. Many teachers I have known (myself included) at one time or another have feared this process, seeing it as a way for a ma Read more:Handle
, Performance
The Egret 2007-03-09 05:10:08 Ok, so I’m sitting down to make a comment on this new book and movie out called “The Secret.” As if that Tom Hanks movie about Michangelo’s codes, oh yeah . . . the da Vinci implode, wasn’t bad enough on my brain vessels, our culture has produced another high-priced method to achieve happiness . . . bullshit, pardon my Francais.
Watching Larry King tonight I learned from the Secret’s author that the book is about a “law of nature” called ‘attraction.’ If we have unwanted stuff in our lives, it’s because we attracted it. Heaven help me for not turning the channel at that moment. He went on to say that when we say, believe, and act on our dreams, they will become real with time . . .
YA KNOW? I liked this better before when it was THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING by Norman Vincent Peale. It was also better in the skin of “Possibility Thinking” by Reverend Schuller. Rollo May’s seminal work Read more:Egret
My Next Show, April 27th at Teazers 2007-03-11 05:22:14 Thanks to all the good friends and fans that came out to my last gig. I got a call from the promoter last night. He had an opening up Friday, April
27th at Teazers again so I took it.
If you live local, come on down. The room sound is great and there is an awesome light setup. They also have drink specials and there’s no cover charge.
I’ve played a few places up here (that’s about all there are!) and Teazers is probably the place I like the best. Also, I may put some new music down on tape before then. If I so, I’ll press it to CD and we’ll bring a handful down to the show. Keep on rocking!
Tags: Damien Riley, Acoustic concert, April 27, Teazers, 2007
Dublin 4 2007-03-12 02:34:32 I’ve just been to the Pomona Fairplex Fairgrounds drinking green beer, devouring spicy sausage, watching a Merlin magic show and hearing a great new band from Dublin
Ireland called Dublin 4. These guys won’t be releasing any pop hits, but their indigenous sound is thick with Irish presence. I recommend you check their MySpace out if you like authentic Irish music.
http://www.myspace.com/dublin4
The Magic guy was awesome too but I can’t find any web info on him. His name was Merlin the Magician. He told one funny story:
“There was an Irishman who got pulled over drunk one night. The police officer said ‘O’Malley, you’re drunk again!’. The man asked “How do you know?” The cop replied: “Your wife fell out 2 miles back.”
“Thank God.” O’Malley said, “I thought I had gone deaf!”
Here’s the official website of the Irish fairplex event.
http://www.la-irishfair.com/2007/Hom
On the Subject of Songwriting . . . 2007-03-16 03:23:00 Songwriting is like keeping a savings account: you save small amounts to use later . . . and you really can’t spend it right away.
I have 4 great songs (among a laundry list of marginal ones!)
1. Talk to Me
2. People
3. Matter of Fact
-and-
4. Soul Traveler
Now before I go on, I just want to say that I am not assuming other people find my songs great. I am only referring to my feeling about them in comparison to the whole of my repertoire.
Each one of these 4 songs I wrote with little tune ideas I had in my head for years prior (except Talk to Me which I wrote over the course of a month).
In my opinion, too many people write songs “just to write songs.” These usually suck. What the worst scenario is when a “signed” artist writes a whole album without inspiration “just to” appease their recor company’s contract.
I don’t have a record contract, but I know I’d rather renig on one than force a single song to be written Read more:Songwriting
“October Road” abc’s dramatic series 2007-03-17 18:29:57 October Road is a new show on abc. It is the story of Nick, a prodigous novelist (28 years old) who left his small factory town (as they call it, most people know that there are no factories, let alone &ldquo
;factory towns,&rdquo
; in our current American civilization) to write a novel ABOUT his small factory town. The novel was a #1 bestseller, and guess where he decides to go back to after 10 years? Yep . . . that one factory place I mentioned.
The way he gets there is that his agent tells him the college there, you remember in the factory town, is pleading for him to go there to teach a course in novel writing. As we all know, there are many students of novel writing in factory towns. Wait, eek, sorry . . . I forgot: FACTORY TOWNS DO NOT EXIST. Colleges do still right?
Every facet of this show is so self absorbed and separated from any form of reality that it literally makes me feel physically bad to watch it. It’s shows like these that make people jump off a bri Read more:October
, dramatic
, series
, October Road
Can I go to the planet where people are sane? ((rant)) 2007-03-17 05:39:04 I just read an article on Yahoo! about how you can stay and salvage a relationship where you spouse has cheated on you. Do we need 27 reasons to stay? How about just one? I like what the Who said: “Won’t get fooled again.” Of course my wife has never cheated on me, and she never would . . . I believe that. I think she knows that if she did somebody would be on the curb. Of course I know the versa is true for me, and I would never cheat anyway.
People who cheat are slime. They deserve to be lieft in the dust. It’s amazing to me how many people
tolerate this action and then “work it out.” The Kobe Bryant thing is a classic example. I guess a million dollar ring makes all things new again.
Everybody wants to belong to someone. We all have a desire to be heard and to listen deeply to another person. In my opinion, when someone cheats, they decleare themselves as someone who will never fit the bill and therefore they should not g Read more:planet
American Idol Keeps its Worst 2007-03-22 23:47:44 This blog is about two things:
1. American
Idol’s “Sanjaya” contestant/ reality star.
and
2. The website http://votefortheworst.com/
First of all, American Idol
has a contestant this season named “Sanjaya.” He is apparently the son of an Eastern professional musician, and therefore considers himself a singer. I beg to differ. But you be the judge please. Below is a link to his latest performance on Idol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aal_KE-3×0
Ok, convinced? Now my second point:
There is a site out there called http://votefortheworst.com that is dedicated to getting people to mess with Idol by voting for the worst, instead of the best, singer on the show.
I am torn.
One part of me wants to see a pure competition where the best singer gets the prize. But then I think . . . are these the best singers in the whole world? Definitely not. They are a smal group thinned out from open calls by television casting people and finally a smal
Rock and Rollin’ When the Stress Tries to Bite 2007-03-26 00:20:48 I forgot what it’s like to work a normal job. As a teacher, I work in spurts: August to December / January to April / May to June / then . . . summer off.
To most in the working world, this may seem like a “posh” work setup . . . in some ways it truly is. It gives me the breaks to focus on my family and my music more than I can in the working times. It is also a stressful setup in that I have deadlines by which my students need to meet certain proficiencies, and sometimes they are easier said than met. April 30th is the week our students take the California Standards Test.
With one week left to Spring Break, there is really not much time left to prepare for the test. Therefore, the heat is on for us as teachers at my school. I work in a PI (program improvement) school and if we don’t meet our goals, it’s a big hassle with the state and their remediations. The test is one week after we return from break.
So . . . how do I deal with it? Better Read more:Rollin
All Eyes on Sanjaya Tonight 2007-03-27 17:44:32 Tonight on American Idol we get to see the 17 year old Indian singer “Sanjaya
” do his thing as part of the top 10 on American Idol.
The controversy surrounding Sanjaya is as wavy as his shiny brown locks. He has been judged by many in the media and on the internet as the “worst” performer as of way back. Nonetheless he keeps getting saved as arguably more talented performers are sent packing.
Last week one myspacer started a hunger strike until Sanjaya is voted off. A popular website votefortheworst.ccom encourages its voters to vote for Sanjaya.
One thing that is sure, he has sparked controversy. Tonight will be a deciding moment for folks on both sides as we decide if he is as bad or as good as the powers that be all around us dictate. Stay tuned!
Tags: sanjaya, american idol Read more:Tonight
Iran, Sanjaya, and My Life Goes On 2007-03-30 04:56:54 I was so grouchy yesterday, it annoyed me when I almost swerved off the road . . . signs that I’ve been working too hard. Today was better, I was ahead of my game most the day and hen I got home it was just like “ahhhhhh . . . let’s go out and eat!”
We went to Baja Fresh and I had a burrito “enchilada” style (God I love those). My baby girl impressed me in that she enjoys dipping her chips in salsa now and she’s only just over 2. She has an iron will and definitely will run a company if not the world one day. My wife, now 8 months pregnant, was feeling better so she went to her college class. Thus, I am left at home with my son and daughter.
I couldn’t believe what I read yesterday about Iran seizing that British ship. What the hell right do they think they have to do that? If anybody reads this from Iran, please explain it to me okay? We are in a war with Iraq over there and the British are aiding us. It has nothing Read more:Sanjaya
, Life Goes
Directv Gets to Live 2007-04-01 05:06:37 I LOVE it when a company does what it takes to please the customer, especially when the customer is me!
Our Directv signal has been pixelating for the past couple weeks at odd times. We hate dealing with Customer Service departments so we waited for it to fix itself. Instead, it got worse.
Make a long story longer, we called tonight and after 50 billion troubleshooting “twister-like” exercises with cables and reset buttons, they agreed our box was the problem. They are sending us a brand new TIVO box in the next 2-3 days.
This is the kind of solution every customer should get. In this age of required contracts and automated help desks, a human answer is like a kiss on the lips!
Soon, we’ll be enjoying lustruous colors and 400 channels of nothing on again. Whew, I can hardly wait!
For the record, Directv gets an endorsement from us. Unless the box doesn’t work . . . then this blog will be continued!
Tags: Directv, customer service, TIVO, pixel
Test Almighty . . . and Rambling 2007-03-31 04:11:28 What an elation it is to complete a Friday as a 3rd grade teacher. I got into this job partly for the weekends and the breaks. The next two weeks for most teachers wil be Spring Break, but not for me. I accepted the job of teaching “Spring School,” that’s right. I’ll be teaching a group of 33 kids standards and test prep 9-12 M-TH. Why did I volunteer for this seeming insanity? Simple . . . I want my class’ scores to be high on the Califiornia Standards Test in May.
As a teacher, we don’t work with dollars or bottom lines. For us, the bottom line is the human product, and . . . thanks to “No Child Left Behind,” (NCLB) the test scores. I used to be bitter about it, but after 7 years of teaching, I’ve learned that it’s simply a target. Unfortunately, we as teachers don’t get to make our own targets anymore.
Once you let that go as a teacher, you can get excited about hitting the target the state has s Read more:Almighty
, Rambling
“Meet the Robinsons”: Extending Walt’s Dream 2007-04-01 22:24:30 Disney’s &ldquo
;Meet the Robinsons&rdquo
; doesn’t start out like a Disney wonder, but it ends that way.
If you can make it through the first 3/4 of the movie, you’ll be greatly rewarded (incidentally, I found that “Bridge to Terabithia” was the same way . . . is Disney using a formula here?)
The story is spotty at the beginning and not much really makes sense. It reminded me of “Alice in Wonderland” at first the way it shifted from one (as Windows Vista ads would say) “wow” to another but without any real plot development. But just when you think it’s a random remake of Fantasia, a very sweet and human story about dreams and invention comes into focus.
This is a great movie for kids, but also for grown-ups (hmmm I find myself saying that a lot lately). The graphics, of course, are stellarly cool. Watching the spaceship alone is a marvel worth the 10 dollar admission. But there is much to marvel at in this movie. It Read more:Dream
How to Build a Good Relationship with Your Child’s Teacher 2007-04-03 16:35:29 This education-related article I wrote is currently ranked second place at Helium.
Read the original article here: http://www.helium.com/tm/118732/teacher-brings-about-questions
How to Build
a Good Relationship
with Your Child’s Teacher
by Damien Riley
A new teacher brings about a lot of questions. Is this person qualified? Are they patient with children? Will they understand my child’s special needs? These are just a few of them. While it seems inevitable to have mystery, the truth is that you can get all your questions answered and form a relationship with your child’s teacher to set your mind at ease. I am a teacher in my 8th year and I make develop relationships with parents every year.
Before contacting your child’s teacher, you should consider three truths. They are as follows:
1. Public school teachers go through extensive training and screening to be in the classroom with your child. While this doesn’t ensure 100% that they are good teachers, you
damienriley.com up and running 2007-04-03 06:37:57 Did some work the past 2 days and now my home page http://damienriley.com is up and running
. It’s a little short on content but I’m very pleased with how the design came out. More music and content coming soon so check back!
Tags: Damien Riley, website, home page
www.voteforthelegs.com 2007-04-05 00:58:46 I’ve been watching IDOL this season and getting more out of the internet game surrounding Sanjaya and votefortheworst.com . I think it’s time I tossed out the singing part of it and focused on something more interesting (and that requires more talent) . . . legs.
After boring Chris Sligh was voted off, Sanjaya did his ambisexual bathwater routine, and I’ve learned to leave the room when Blake starts to sing, I’ve discovered in the past two weeks a pair of legs that are much finer item for my attention . . .
They’re owned by a little lady named “Haley Scarnato.” Simon told her last night she has great legs, I have to agree. Could this unwitting strumpet be the upcoming receptor of mass IDOL internet attention? Could be.
It seems I am not the only male recently smitten. In preparing to write this blog, I sought out some photos to help prove my point (that she is hot!). In my search, I found many fan sites already budded and bloom
Sign Damien’s Guestbook! 2007-04-06 07:05:40 Hey there! If you have a second, click over and sign my new guestbook at damienriley.com. It would be awesome to hear from you! To get there, just click somewhere on this comment. See you soon. Damien
Tags: Damien Riley Guestbook
, damienriley.com
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