A simple little vest, finished except for the ribbing around the neck and arms, originally intended for J., but if I hurry, it might still fit N. Oh the drama one finds in a messy closet! The heartbreak, the shattered expectations, the nagging sense of shame at the unfinished project which has languished amongst stinky sneakers and dustballs.
Behold the instrument of my torture.
The dreaded plastic recorder, a staple of third-grade music education. J.'s class received theirs a week ago, and we've have been listening to the tootles and stepped-on-pig noises ever since. (On the bright side, I have a call in to Donald Rumsfeld to tell him I've found a surefire method of coercing information from terrorists that is fully consistent with the Geneva Convention.) Of course, J., being J., was immediately able to figure out such classics as "Jingle Bells."
Can the jazz flute
be far behind?
Wow, J looks a lot older than he did in the last picture you posted!
ReplyDeleteOh ... wait ...
ah, the recorder. How it takes me back to the boys' childhood. The fond memories of zambuca, rye whiskey, and red wine. And the thankfulness I felt when neither one wanted to progress on to the ukelele.
ReplyDeleteBarb B.
Back in my day, we called them "flutophones."
ReplyDeleteBut they didn't sound any better.
Aaahahahaha...jazz flute. Too funny.
ReplyDeleteI'd gladly change places with you, my dear. My lovely 4th grader is going tonight for his 3rd lesson on his AMPLIFIED electric guitar.
But can't you get headphones for that and make him plug himself in? Flutophone = no headphones.
ReplyDelete"Born Free", the ultimate recorder classic. My Mother never let me forget it.
ReplyDeleteWill Ferrell. Genius.
ReplyDeleteBut, boy, does he ever make you squirm with discomfort, eh?
He's so sweet in "Elf"...so cringe-inducing in "Anchorman".
Much like Ricky Gervais in "The Office".
Like almost everyone in "The Office".
Best sitcom ever (the UK not Us version) besides "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin".
You know, Kath, the American version of "The Office" doesn't suck nearly as much as most other stuff on TV. Even though not as good as the UK one.
ReplyDeleteOh, sweetie, I agree.
ReplyDeleteThe US version is very good.
It's just not THE BEST SITCOM EVER.
The Ricky Gervais version is.
Gosh, and here I thought "The Ropers" was the best sitcom ever.
ReplyDeleteI thought nothing could be worse than the recorder .... until the day my second daughter brought home a baritone horn.
ReplyDeleteFeeling your pain,
Diane
Why do schools insist on the recorder?! It's something I've just never got my head around. It has to be the worst instrument ever invented...
ReplyDeleteAre you going to finish the vest? I just had a clean-out of our closet too and had to wrestle some of the stuff out of Mark's hands, despite the fact that some of the shirts he wanted to keep had holes in them, were shapeless, covered in pilling, and had paint splatters on them!
I think it's because plastic recorders are cheap and easy to play.
ReplyDeleteEven though I play recorder myself, I find those plastic soprano fweepers utterly horrible; mine is a tenor recorder made of actual wood, and it has a rich and lovely sound -- nothing like that shrill, brittle bleating.