Meet some of my teachers...
who don't know that I am their student!
The heroic can not be common
nor the common heroic.
- Ralph Waldo Emmerson
Some people collect Precious Moments Figurines or beanie babies -- that's not for me (Precious Moments collect dust which just means more house work, beanie babies are cute little stuffed animals that take up precious space!) so I collect HEROS and Quotes . An interesting thing happens when I started to compile an official list of people I really admired -- I used to think I had a wide assortment of heros but I have started to notice big similarities between who I admire and WHY --- interesting very interesting
I saw an "expert" on Oprah who said that the qualities one sees and admires in other people are qualities they themselves have. I don't think so. The people on this list are all heros because they are what I would LIKE to be, but do not see in myself (maybe it's the opposties attract thing!)
Heros from the world of music . . .
Yo-yo Ma More Yo-yo info coing someday
As far as I"m concerned everything Yo-yo touches will turn to gold. He's done it all and still looks for more! (I'm developing a new standard for judging musicians. An appearance on sesame street is almost mandatory if one wants to be great (think about it --- Perlman, Yo-yo, the Beatles, REM ("shiny happy monsters!") -- everyone who is awesome has had their music on sesame street!) Yo-yo has been in at least THREE episodes PLUS he's done Aurthur and Mr. Rogers (non-PBS shows include the West Wing and the Simpsons!!!)
THE KRONOS QUARTET
Peter Schickele Besdies being the definitive scholar on all things PDQ Bach, he is the funiest musician around (yes, he is even funnier than viola players!) His show Schickele Mix (which lost funding and is no longer being aired) is "dedicated to the proposition that all musics are created equal, or as Duke Ellington put it, 'if it sounds good it is good!'" Great Stuff. Just as good in concert (although he didn't swing on stage from the balcony -- I feel gipped!)
NON MUSICAL HEREOS
Madeline L'Enlge (Brilliant - she'll have her own page here someday, with lots of quotes and links and general hype!) Madeline does play the piano, but since I"ve never gotten to hear her play I consider her a hereo for her writing and thinking, not for her music making!!
Grandma A.
The grandma I'm named after - so of course she has a special place in my heart - but the more I learn about her life the more I am amazed and impressed. (There'll be a GRANDMA A. Page here someday too!)
Cecilia Pyne figured out that the sun was made of hydrogen, but no one believed her!! (She also liked hot coco and laying on the floor -- what more could I ask for in a role model???)
ACADEMIC / GEEKY / PEOPLE WHO AREN"T REALLY HEROOS (yet!)
but are interesting enough to stick at the bottom of my collection and HAVE POTIENTIAL IF I"D BOTHER TO REASEARCH THEM A LITTLE MORE!!!
!
Michael Hawley -- I only know of him because of an article in Arts Journal the other day (i'll link to the articel when I'm on a better computer system!) - he is an MIT proff and a yo yo champion, and he won the Van Cliburn Amature Piano Competition. He's worked with steven S. -- Once again, I don't know much about him, but he seem interesting enough to bother to looking into a little bit more.
Dean Kamen -- I heard about Dean K. on a 60 minutes interview. I think what I like best is that he made his own country. (I like new countries!!!) The "ginger" scooter looks cool (I even considered bidding on one at Amazon last spring -- but I don't have that kind of money, and really don't have a use for a scooter!) Once again - looks cool but I don't know enough!
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