Something possessed me to make rock candy with the boys today. Which was great - all fun and hot and scientific. But before long, inevitably, I set to humming “Big Rock Candy Mountain.”
“What are you humming, Dad?” I told him, and he was pretty hyped that there was actually a song about rock candy, and a dang ol mountain of it to boot.
I dialed it up for a listen. I had to fight past some instrumental versions and a pretty impressionistic take by ol Burl Ives, so it didn’t occur to me until we had our ears on a good raw take that this was kind of the “Fuck Tha Police” of its time. OK, I’m sure there was rawer stuff, but still: “All the cops have wooden legs...” and “The jails are made of tin / And you can walk right out again / As soon as you are in...”
He’s baffled. “Why would the cops have wooden legs? Why would you want the pokey to be made out of tin? It doesn’t make sense.” Which of course it doesn’t, when your understanding of criminal justice is based entirely on LEGO City: Cops and Robbers and Paw Patrol.
So. Here I thought I’d only be explaining a bit of supersaturation and crystal nucleation. Instead I’m scrambling to explain the social and economic circumstances where it might be justifiable to dodge the police and bust out of jail. He's 6.
Tackled for loss again by parenthood. It’s 3rd and 32. Hike!
“What are you humming, Dad?” I told him, and he was pretty hyped that there was actually a song about rock candy, and a dang ol mountain of it to boot.
I dialed it up for a listen. I had to fight past some instrumental versions and a pretty impressionistic take by ol Burl Ives, so it didn’t occur to me until we had our ears on a good raw take that this was kind of the “Fuck Tha Police” of its time. OK, I’m sure there was rawer stuff, but still: “All the cops have wooden legs...” and “The jails are made of tin / And you can walk right out again / As soon as you are in...”
He’s baffled. “Why would the cops have wooden legs? Why would you want the pokey to be made out of tin? It doesn’t make sense.” Which of course it doesn’t, when your understanding of criminal justice is based entirely on LEGO City: Cops and Robbers and Paw Patrol.
So. Here I thought I’d only be explaining a bit of supersaturation and crystal nucleation. Instead I’m scrambling to explain the social and economic circumstances where it might be justifiable to dodge the police and bust out of jail. He's 6.
Tackled for loss again by parenthood. It’s 3rd and 32. Hike!
