Comments on: Ten Pieces of Inspiration #22

By: NP

NP — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:21:17 +0000

My kids are also fans of TMBG. When I read that they would be in Des Moines, I wondered if you would go, whether it would be something worth the monetary expenditure for the Hamm family. I contemplated seeing them last year when they came through FL–an adult show was easy to get to, but the family show was more than 3 hours away. We didn’t go, but DID make it to Weird Al, who is just as appealing to our kids. Hope we get another opportunity for TMBG one of these years.

By: M E 2

M E 2 — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:14:48 +0000

5. Plato on wealth and poverty
Discontent comes from both wealth and poverty?

Wealth is the parent of luxury and indolence, and poverty of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent. – Plato

I tend to think that discontent comes from neither wealth nor poverty. Instead, discontent comes from the person who is discontented, the person who cannot find happiness in what they have.

Ummmm, that’s what Plato (already) said.

By: Joan

Joan — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:28:17 +0000

I loved the picture of your children and hearing about what they are doing. In my opinion the years between 6 months and five years are so much fun watching how very much the children are changing and learning. The terrific twos were my favorite years of my children. Everything was so exciting to them. Looking at life through a child’s eyes makes the ho hum interesting again. #8 He was talking about the children who were enjoying the show. His younger son is really not old enough to enjoy the show.

By: kristine

kristine — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:28:28 +0000

@valleycat- “My daughter” would do. No names/initials necessary. There are warmer and fuzzier identity occluding pronouns than “the girl”. “The girl” presents an appearance of detachment, and the reduction of a family member to gender label only, that clearly makes some readers uneasy. Surely unintentional, but it pops up time and again.

By: Lance

Lance — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 01:11:12 +0000

Trent,
Love the Earl Nightingale speech – really great to listen to!

And the picture of your kids – awesome!

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:44:28 +0000

Well, he’s mentioned the (presumably real) names of all three of his children in the past, so I’m not sure why he doesn’t just keep using those. Initials would work too.

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:08:52 +0000

re #3 – not only ‘the girl’ but ‘our two children’, not two of our children (the baby apparently was there but slept most of the time per Trent’s later comment).

Maybe Trent needs to follow blogger tradition & make up names or use initials for his family members so he doesn’t stumble over what to call them every time.

By: lurker carl

lurker carl — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:24:06 +0000

I choose the likely man in preference to the rich man; I want a man without money rather than money without a man. – Themistocles

Imelda Marcos would not be an appropriate person to quote regarding frugality without a bit of investigation. Themistocles is no different. Quotations taken out of context is not an invitation to apply new interpretations. The same idea applies to national holidays as well.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:22:06 +0000

I find #9 kind of weird. I could throw any two entities together and ask which you’d rather have standing next to you…what does it even matter? Would you rather have a rich guy to ask for money or a clown? Would you rather have a reliable guy standing next to you or a dinosaur? I don’t see the value in pitting a rich man against a reliable man…what’s the point? What am I missing here?
And why reduce a person to “rich” or “reliable”. People are not just one thing. So there’s a rich man next to me, am I allowed to ask him a few questions about himself or is that all he is, rich? Does the reliable guy have a car? Because I need a ride, and if he had a car, he’d drive me, he’s so reliable, but with no car…what good is he?

By: Looby

Looby — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:57:24 +0000

+ 1 to Michelle’s query. My oldest son and “the girl”??

By: SwingCheese

SwingCheese — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:19:24 +0000

I am jealous! I love They Might Be Giants, and I would have loved for my son to have the opportunity to see them. However, we’d just gone to the DSM area a couple of weeks ago, and we’re leaving tomorrow for the Twin Cities (about a 6 hour drive), and we thought it would be too much car time for a 2 year old. I’m hoping they come back again in the upcoming years. :)

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:36:18 +0000

Did you really call your daughter “the girl”?

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:16:36 +0000

Your kids are adorable. And your wife and son have excellent musical taste – They Might be Giants are one of my favorites. The old stuff and the new, even though my daughter is much too young to appreciate it yet.

By: Alice

Alice — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:53:03 +0000

I really like this series. I was never one for looking at video recordings online, but I did start checking out Trent’s video link postings as they were short in time and I had Trent’s short descriptor to tell me what it’s about. I’ve really found some of them very thought provoking. Thank you, Trent, for opening up a new genre to me.