It’s Sunday, the day before Memorial Day, and the Indy 500 starts in less than a half hour. The pre-race is on and I wish I could watch it with my science students. It’s speed, physics, material science, and adrenaline all wrapped into 500 miles. I’ve been to the race track many times before, but this year I’ll be watching from the family room with B, W, and O. We’ll be thinking of B’s dad who was our ticket to the track. JD passed away last year after a long life of service to his country, community, and his family. He’s always in our thoughts.
In my last post, I honored my dad, whom also is never far from my thoughts, either.
Singing the Birthday Blues | Levi Strauss http://t.co/3Wuz0qBNK5
— Clay Watkins (@makingdayscount) May 21, 2015
There is irony in my last post because my dad’s birthday – 5/20/1933 – is also another birthday, of sorts: blue jeans were born, or rather patented by Levi and Strauss. Irony. I shared this with my classes and reminded them that education was the key to not wearing blue jeans as my dad believed deep in his core. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with hard, physical work – it needs to be done – but, most folks don’t aspire to it.
Irony #ThisDayInHistory in 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for blue jeans. Read More http://t.co/2MoHqeuKP7 via @History — Clay Watkins (@makingdayscount) May 24, 2015
Neil Diamond recorded a song in the seventies and the lyrics are at the end of the post, but the chorus is below.
Money talks
But it can’t sing and dance
And it can’t walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me
I’d much rather be
Forever in blue jeans
That was my dad’s point of view – money talks. But, as Mike Rowe – the guy from Dirty Jobs and the host of Somebody’s gotta do it points out there is money in hard physical work. Somebody’s gotta do it. My dad didn’t understand Indy. He was a F1 fan, having lived in France and England off and on for over twenty years. 200 circles, 800 left turns was his argument; but it’s more than that. It’s sport and sport tests the human condition and pushes our limits.
We all have flaws, Lord knows I have mine. Procrastination is one of them. Another is the desire to be perfect – dad and I shared the flaw, maybe I inherited it, maybe he taught it to me, but regardless I’ll hem and haw searching for the right word or phrase and a short post morphs into hours. If I am not careful, I’ll miss the start of the race.
In class last week, I challenged my students to calculate the forces a drive feels when the car enters a turn. It was an assessment of what they had learned in class – motion, speed, and acceleration. It was exciting to see them unravelling the mystery of speed and competition. They are driven, so to speak.
Today is gonna be a great day and tomorrow could be a million and six times better, but for now I have today. I am not going to let a minute slip by. So, I had better jump up, jump in and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, since the day before Memorial Day 2010.
What tests your limits?
Forever in Blue Jeans
By Richard Winchell Bennett, Richard Bennett, and Neil DiamondMoney talks
But it don’t sing and dance
And it don’t walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me, I’d much rather be
Forever in blue jeansHoney’s sweet
But it ain’t nothin’ next to baby’s treat
And if you pardon me
I’d like to say
We’ll do okay
Forever in blue jeansMaybe tonight
Maybe tonight, by the fire
All alone you and I
Nothing around
But the sound of my heart
And your sighsMoney talks
But it can’t sing and dance
And it can’t walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me, I’d much rather be
Forever in blue jeans, babeAnd honey’s sweet
But it ain’t nothin’ next to baby’s treat
And if you pardon me I’d like to say
We’ll do okay
Forever in blue jeansMaybe tonight
Maybe tonight, by the fire
All alone you and I
Nothing around
But the sound of my heart
And your sighsMoney talks
But it can’t sing and dance
And it can’t walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me
I’d much rather beForever in blue jeans
And if you pardon me
I’d like to say
We’ll do okay
Forever in blue jeans, babe
And long as I can have you
Here with me I’d much rather be
Forever in blue jeans, babe
Blue Jeans are as American as baseball and apple pie! Hope you and the family had a great holiday weekend!
It was a great weekend and it was fun to watch the race together – three of them watched on iPads following a different driver and the television which depending on the iPad was 20-30 seconds ahead. It was a great ending and very competitive race. I told the kids hte story and a couple pointed out it is denim – not blue jeans. Have a great week!
I’ve never seen an Indy 500 race. It’s an American thing I guess. Europeans seems to be more into Rally or Formula One when it comes to car racing.
My first Indy 500 was in 1991 and I was hooked. I went to the F1 race at Indy in 2000 and it was a spectacle and good racing, too. Thanks for stopping in – have a wonderful week.