The annual baby name report from the Social Security Administration has been released and the popularity of the name Mark continues it’s plummet from the lofty heights of popularity it enjoyed in the 1950’s and 1960’s (when it finished in the top ten for 15 straight years.)

According to the SSA statistics, my name finished in 129th position last year and has now dropped to 138th. I fear that Mark might be heading for the same hapless fate as that of Mildred, a name which despite being the bee’s knees and finishing in the top ten for the first three decades of the 20th century, hasn’t even been in the top 1000 since 1984!!

In other news, did you see that a robot conducted the Detroit Symphony last night? Nice publicity stunt, but a little frightening. I wonder if its audio receptors are protected under EU law from prolonged noise exposure?

I’ve been taking a bit of break from politics over the past month or so, so last night as I was running through my links on the right, I ran across this message on the Rockridge Institute’s Website:

While the Rockridge Institute closed in April 2008, the Institute’s staff remain committed to fulfilling the progressive vision it advocated and are available for consultations, trainings, and speaking engagements.

Disappointed is the only word that comes to mind. I truly enjoyed their articles and books, especially those of George Lakoff whose discussion of “framing” in political discourse opened my eyes to a whole new way of looking at the politicians and what they say. It’s a bit sad to see a progressive think tank go out of business.

I guess they didn’t have an oil company for a sugar daddy.

In my current role as supportive husband and adjunct faculty, I’ve got plenty of time on my hands. So much time in fact that I feel that I need to find a few more diversions to keep myself motivated and busy. After all, opportunities often come at unexpected times and as I’ve recently learned, the old saying about making one’s own luck is a good piece of advice, and the business of manufacturing good fortune just can not wait until tomorrow.

Throughout my life, I’ve always observed that when I feel the busiest and under the most pressure I have also been the most productive. With the end of my spring semester last week and without our normal trip to Europe to occupy my time, I’ve got even more downtime than usual so I intend to throw myself into a few projects in the hope that it helps keep my mind engaged and spurs on my creativity.

Although I have several compositions to finish and a collaborative project that’s been on hold for over two years that needs to be addressed, I want to take on some research in theory pedagogy that has been bouncing around my melon for a few weeks and also seriously consider getting out into the community and doing some volunteer work once school resumes in the fall.

In the future I’ll have some more on the research I’ve been thinking about, but in the meantime, I really wanted to get a sense of what sort of community service my peers and colleagues are doing out there. What are some good ideas and good ways that you’ve brought music to your community, especially those that involve education, children, and don’t require the infrastructure and financial backing of a university or college to be successful?