It's World Breastfeeding Week so here's a song, written by a nursing student, about the subject.
I don't usually
do a long narrative for my Music Monday posts but I'm got to say that
I'm so amazingly proud of Shea for the dedication she put into
breastfeeding Pace for over two and a half years - never spending more
than 24 hours away from him in all that time (actually, she might not
have done so to this day!)
Breastfeeding
(and especially extended breastfeeding) is one of those things in life
that you feel like you can't talk up because it's (sadly) such a
minority position. Shea once mentioned to a friend that part of the
reason we haven't had a second child yet is that it's so draining to do
extended breastfeeding and she feels like she's just finished doing it
for our first child even though he was now three.
"Well, you don't
*have* to do it that long" the friend responded. Now this friend
wasn't one of those new mothers who leaves their freshly hatched baby with the
grandparents when the baby's three (weeks, not years! ) to go on a jaunt to Vegas. In fact, she's fairly "crunchy" (eg.
hippy-esque) in most ways. But still that suspicion of extended
breastfeeding comes through when you hear comments like that - even from
people who you'd expect to be a bit more open-minded.
Another
friend who's otherwise extremely intelligent brought out the "I was
formula fed and I turned out okay" argument. True, this person is smart
but apparently not smart enough to recognize that a sample size of one
is statistically invalid!
Anyhow,
I didn't mean this to be a rant (and I'm very aware that's how many
"lactivists" are thought of within larger society. Or should I say,
that's how they're portrayed. There are some very powerful corporations
and special interests who stand to benefit greatly by marginalizing
breastfeeding and making it shameful.)
But one of the ways that Shea's influenced me is by making me an even
bigger believer in breastfeeding than I hope I would have otherwise
become. (It's not something I probably thought a lot about before
getting married and having kids. But I'm pretty sure I would've been a
breastfeeding believer on some level - if for no other reason than the
common sense science of it. Hmm, something the human body has evolved
over thousands of years as the perfect food to give a newborn every
advantage or...a powder made in a factory?)
We happened to
just watch *Grown-Ups* the other night (thanks to the staffer at "Live
with Regis & Kelly" who put it out as a torrent! ) and one of the running jokes was that one character's wife is still breastfeeding their child at four years old. "Oh well, at least extended breastfeeding is getting some publicity?" I said to Shea.
On the other end of the pop culture spectrum from Adam Sandler fart and poop movies is the supermodel Gisele who is a proud breastfeeding advocate,
saying it helped her regain her figure after giving birth and if she
could, she would make it law that new mothers have to breastfeed for a
minimum of six months. (Yes, I know all the arguments about "My milk
didn't come in - I had to bottle feed" or "My baby just refused to latch
so I had to bottle feed" but that's a whole other post for some other
time.)
So anyhow, given a choice between a supermodel and Sandler, I know who I'd pick!
I remember watching this performance live when it was first broadcast - I think on MuchMusic back in the day.
At the time the song "Nautical Disaster" hadn't yet been released and was only a rant in the middle of "New Orleans Is Sinking". I didn't realise this and thought Gord Downie was being his usual quirky self introducing the song "New Orleans Is Sinking" as "Nautical Disaster" - which was/is actually quite fitting.
Beck apparently gets together with a group of musicians regularly. They record a cover of an entire album in a single day then release the results. Here's their haunting take on a well-known song from INXS' "Kick" album (and yes, I'll admit it - one of my favourite songs from high school):
I'm about as far from a Pitchfork following, Fleet Iver Weekend-listening hipster as you'll find.
But I do have friends who fit that category and a recent visit to Vancouver where I got to catch up with one of those friends also introduced me to a new singer-songwriter who I think is probably very much in that mode of music listening.
We're back from our trip (actually, have been back since last Thursday night but I was enjoying my blog holiday too much to start posting right away.) But today was back to work and so I'll get back to working on my blog as well.
I'm not sure if the blog holiday will influence how I go forward with this site. Part of me thinks it'd be nice to post a little less often but I also realise that if I stop aiming to do daily posts, it's really easy to slip to "okay, as long as I post weekly" then "okay, as long as I post monthly" and so on until the blog withers and dies. But we'll see. Anyhow, a Music Monday post is a nice way to gently ease back into things...
Does anybody else have a song that becomes their "theme" when they're doing something - whether it's a vacation, a conference or even sometimes just something simple like a walk to the corner store or whatever.
For example, at the recent CLA conference in Edmonton, I kept having Moxie Fruvous' song, "River Valley" run through my head. Nothing mystical there - just a natural connection since the conference was held in the Shaw Convention Centre which overlooks Edmonton's River Valley.
Same with this trip. This song kept running through my head - especially during the week we spent in Vancouver (I like that this video is a bit like a home movie travelogue instead of the Blue Rodeo concert video you might expect. In fact, this video could come from our own digital camera videos - though it doesn't).
...you probably should send Gord Downie a thank-you note! Might be time to update the lyrics though - "Outdoor patio and free WiFi/(Still) can't afford the luxury" (Actually, it's surprisingly affordable considering the view and some of the amenities offered.)
I asked at the check-in if they had many people mention the Tragically Hip song when they checked in (too embarrassed to admit that's exactly why I chose this motel) and the clerk said, "Not as much as there used to be when the song first came out but it still happens occasionally." He went on to say he was on desk when the Hip checked in. Their tour bus had broken down in the mountains and he didn't like the looks of them - a typical long-haired rock band, he thought they'd trash the place! He then asked if they were still making music. Man, if Canada's biggest band made your motel famous, you'd think you might follow their career a bit. I mean, your motel does have free wireless!
[Edit: Seeing some reports that the taping is on June 14 and the show will be broadcast on June 18. I always thought Letterman taped around suppertime for broadcast the same day so jokes, etc. were timely but just to be safe, you may watch to watch both nights.]
(via MetaFilter which has a good discussion of the implications for the deaf community, many of whom are opposed to this type of operation. Man, I never would've thought there was any question about doing something like this!)
(Anybody have any theories on where this trend comes from? When I was a kid, a rock band was lead and rhythm guitar, bass and drums, dammit! Oh, I see the band answers these questions themselves in a recent piece - they're not like those other bands except "there's a lot of us on stage" and they like the multi-member approach because it's more fun to stretch beyond the traditional rock line-up.)
This band come by their name honestly as someone told me that at least one of their members is the child of former RPL director, Sandy Cameron. And with all the good fortune and buzz from The New Yorker and Spin, they may still be the unluckiest band in Canada having had all their equipment stolen about a year ago and then recently losing it all again in a flood!
So after you download the free single (get it quick - today might be the last day!) go ahead and buy some of their other music as well!
(Warning - this chorus will be in your head for awhile...)
) to go on a jaunt to Vegas. In fact, she's fairly "crunchy" (eg.
hippy-esque) in most ways. But still that suspicion of extended
breastfeeding comes through when you hear comments like that - even from
people who you'd expect to be a bit more open-minded.
) and one of the running jokes was that one character's wife is still breastfeeding their child at four years old. "Oh well, at least extended breastfeeding is getting some publicity?" I said to Shea.
