Luol heads up the South Sudan Basketball Federation now. That’s noble as fuck and I’d absolutely sit down with this guy and listen to his story.

Also there’s a chance he’d buy. I’m all about a free McChicken.

Whatever.

GenX who act like this get kicked out of the generation and are forced to join the boomers.

I stopped reading the news, and I block any and all feeds that relate to politics.

I know, I know…staying informed and all that. Except I’m hard pressed to name a news outlet that informs. What I see is so driven by the engagement metrics, rage baiting, if-it-bleeds-it-leads mentality that any modicum of facts or truth gets lost. Journalists seem to have forsaken their obligation to hold leaders accountable and have become complicit in the problems they’ve created.

I’m old, I’m jaded, and my activist days are far behind me. I’m just done with that shit. My own mental and physical health are my top priority at my age and switching off the never ending River of Doom has improved both.

Oh, so that was you behind me?

Jim?

Don’t forget lube. Might have some at checkout. They get it.

I wish you and your teachers the best of luck in your musical studies.

I don’t refer to 4/4 at all.

I refer first to the whole note, existing independently of any time signature. In fact, you don’t even have to assign a rhythmic value to it for now; the purpose of this exercise is to learn why the rhythmic names of the notes are what they are.

Next, envision the half note. So named because they are exactly half the value of the whole note. Two half notes = one whole note. With me so far?

Next, we move to the note in question - the quarter note. So named because it takes four of them to equal the rhythmic value of the whole note.

Now this is important: You originally called it the “fourth note.” So take note: do not confuse the word “fourth” here to mean “fourth in a series,” or “the fourth beat of the measure,” because that’s not the correct application of the word. “Fourth” in this context is synonymous with “quarter.” So a “fourth note” as you call it is so named because it’s one-fourth (¼) the value of the whole note.

This is about as EILI5 as I can make this.

I had the idea that a way to solve this would be to create a symbol that means, “play this note for the entire duration of the measure, regardless of meter.” As far as I know such a symbol doesn’t exist in standard notation.

The term “quarter note” or “fourth note” applies to the note because there are four of them in a whole note. In other words, the names of the notes apply to their subdivisions respective to each other, not the time signature.

Still feeling this at 55.

The first roundworm to see tape:

“Guys, I have an idea!”

Fart in comically obnoxious ways. Examples include the Doggy Leg Lift, the Goatse, the Modified Goatse, and one I simply call “The Hamburgler’s Revenge.”