This week, we’ll be visiting the archives here on TommyMom. All eyes are on education with “Back to School.” While different states and even different districts now have variables in start times; Labor Day has always officially marked the end of summer.
Get ready for an amazing month! I am blessed. Dr. Shanon Brooks, a leading Leadership Education authority and true statesman, will be at Las Palmas Community Church, 47-783 Monroe Street, Indio, CA 92201, Friday, September 16th from 7-9 p.m. Admission is free. For other information regarding where he will be speaking, as well as conducting a Face to Face With Greatness Seminar, visit here.
This series was originally published in 2010. It is still a great reminder.
April 16-18, here in our valley, we all got the distinct “pleasure” of experiencing “Coachella Fest” together.
Basically, what this amounted to for locals…
was the privilege of possibly sitting in traffic for 2-3 hours…
to travel what would normally take 20 minutes!
This happened, even if you accidentally took one wrong turn…
because Coachella Fest wasn’t on your radar 24/7.
Everyone that’s “anyone” apparently wants to attend “Coachella Fest” because it’s the “hip” thing to do.
And all eyes are on this speck of the world map…
when it comes to this annual musical “extravaganza.”
Yippee.
We were expecting 75,000 “hip” individuals this year and got a record breaking 180,000!
That isn’t a typo.
The headliner was an artist named Jay-Z.
I had no clue who this was.
Another reason that I am “old” in the eyes of my children.
Last year, Paul McCartney headlined.
I do know who that is…
and so did the 100,000 people from every age group and profile that showed up the night he played!
Jay-Z brought along this woman, who is a fellow artist and friend.
Her name is Alicia Keyes.
I’ve heard of her…
but wouldn’t recognize her if she stood in front of me at the market.
Apparently, she came to “sing along” on a few songs.
And then there was this woman.
Beyonce.
I do know who this one is…
but strictly for one song…
not by sight.
And she also happens to be Jay-Z’s wife.
I would pass right by her…
should we ever happen to be in Target at the same time.
Something tells me not to hold my breath for an encounter in that locale!
Sons #2 and #3 worked practiced near slave labor for this auspicious event…
along with some of their parent’s closest friends…
for a local restaurant.
Son #1 was determined…
in the days leading up to this celebration annoyance for locals…
that I needed to leave my naivete’ where Jay-Z is concerned behind.
I can certainly understand.
No one wants to be the “kid” with “the McFlys” from “Back to the Future” for parents…
should the social need arise.
He met me, with arms crossed, in the bathroom…
where I was cleaning the toilet.
There is an unspoken assumption between us for these encounters…
that is screaming out, “Please stop what you’re currently doing and pay close attention…
I have something important to say to you.”
I obliged, brush in hand.
“Um, Mom?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t think you comprehend how big Jay-Z really is.
When I last checked, two years ago, he had tied the Beatles…
for the number of albums that had gone Number 1.”
Me, thinking…
And where was I when these world acclaimed accolades were being handed down?!…
Oh, probably doing something mundane, like raising children, fixing a meal…
or cleaning a toilet.
“Are you sure that anyone could pass up the Beatles, son?!”
“Mom, I’m serious.”
“This is a big deal, so please try to act like you know something.”
Thinking again: What I know is that this guy, this Yankee-loving…
“thuggy-looking”…
(yes, that is a Mommapedia word, so feel free to look it up)…
rapper dude isn’t even on my radar…
much less on the list of vital information in my mind such as…
lists of products that remove lime rings from toilets!
“I’m trying to be kind, Mom, so you don’t look ill-informed.”
Good grief! How “thoughtful!”
Can this guy even sing? What does he sing?
As if reading my mind…
“And Mom, his genre of music is hip-hop.”
Okay…
searching, searching, searching for some form of information bank on several counts.
#1: Why is this important?
#2: Do I really care?
#3; Wouldn’t a “good, conscientious student” not know a single pop cultural fact?
#4: Is there anything I can glean from storing this information that would further my own passions where Leadership Education and its tenets are concerned?
I didn’t think the answer was “yes” to any of the above.
I was wrong.
Tune in on Wednesday…
When the newly “Hip” TommyMom…
“Hops” on over to the nuggets that she found!
Until then…
If you are around kids 14 and over…
and feel the need to be “hip”…
Try throwing out the above artist’s names.
Live life on the edge…
It’ll keep them guessing in more ways than one!
p.s. Son #3 just looked at this, jaw dropped, he exclaimed,” SOMEBODY on here is really going to complain, Mom!”…to which I replied,”Why?” “It’s just “how you all are”!” SIGH.
So Teri do I need to RSVP for the Sept. 16th event? If so where should I go when I followed the link from your last post the Indio event wasn’t on the list.
Luckily over at our house the coolest people we have to be familiar with are Phineus & Ferb and a few other Nick and Disney characters of the moment. My kids have also had a pretty steady soundtrack of what my husband deems good music since birth which included a lot of jazz and classical when they were little and now includes the Beatles, Hendrix, Led Zepplin, AC/DC and many more. I should also mention that School of Rock is one of their favorite movies.
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haha well we ‘old moms’ may not know who some current stars are..but today at Soak City I heard a kid ask his mom who the vocals were on the radio and I smiled and responded to him..”That’s the Beach Boys..they grew up down here in Southern California.” The kid didn’t know who they were.
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