Dear Internet,

I dislike painting ceilings.

Sincerely,

Rich.

Operation "No Loafing" continues with mixed success. Any weeknight I post on here is a sign that I have not loafed.

School is settling down. I've gone through all of US History with my class and started review for their high stakes testing today. I made a time line on the board and gave them little cut outs of the presidents they were supposed to know. First we used the wars to sort of anchor way points they could remember the presidents around. I'm going to see if they remember them all tomorrow (where the presidents go on the timeline that is) In case you're wondering these are pretty much the only presidents you need to know to graduate high school in Virginia:

Washington
Adams
Jefferson
Jackson
Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Grant
Teddy Roosevelt
Taft 
Wilson
Hoover
FDR
Truman
Kennedy
Nixon
Reagan

I am wondering if I can get away with showing them gangs of New York after their big test. I already showed them the episode of "All in the Family" where Archie is upset because he thinks another black family is moving into his neighborhood.

An attempt to rank songs with "A girl like you" in the title... from good to awesome.

"A girl like you" by Edwyn Collins - This song kind of reminds me of everything I found annoying about the 90's. I feel like this belonged in some Tarantino movie.

"A girl like you" by the Simithereens - I owned the cassingle back in the day. Anyone else remember cassingles? You could buy them  at Sam Goody's for $1.99

"A girl like you" - by foreigner a catchy song but it looses it's hook after the second refrain or so.

"A girl like you" - by Wolfgang Press, (and your mother too?!!) I was never that impressed with these guys but this is one of their better moments. They took a pretty mediocre song and dressed it up nicely.

"A girl like you" - by the Rascals - I'm a sucker for songs with flutes and horns. It's because I'm 37 1/2.

The most awesome one however is a little song that goes by the title "A girl like you" It's by the Troggs, who are better known for a song called "Wild Thing" which I kind of can't stand.

I volunteered to attend this three day training session for a new class that they are going to require kids to take in Virginia to get their high school diploma. The class is called "financial literacy" or something, but it basically covers all the economics stuff they were supposed to be teaching the kids anyway in government (but most teachers ignored). 

I was in a foul, foul mood for this by the third day, a Saturday, and a lot of it had to do with the fact that the instructor would occasionally say stuff that was flat out wrong, and it just irked me to no end. I can be an insufferable know-it-all, so they put me in a room with another one, only this one was defective. Every time this person corrected me (when I was pretty sure I was right) I would bite my tongue but still make this little face of displeasure. I went home and googled all the stuff, and was truly ready to learn I was wrong, but I wasn't.

Some things were nit-picky, non crucial stuff, like when this person tried to tell me that Francs were still changeable for Euros, but other stuff consisted of weirdly wrong fundamentals of economic theory. This person asked the class the definition of Entrepreneur, and everyone in class started calling out the textbook definition, at which point they got this smug look on their face and was all "the real definition is someone who finds a way to use externalities for profit." That was the first big weird face I made. Then I was told that bartenders are mainly employed in providing goods (not services) and when I pressed the point, was told that economists and the bureau of labor don't "really care" how many service vs. manufacturing jobs are created in a month. They kept saying things like "We economists think ..." but I just checked and I don't think this person is actually an economist.

I have a hard time letting things go... 


like nine hours of my life on a Saturday.   

I need to relax more.

There was a pregnant raccoon living in the walls of the school I teach at. Because of the construction going on, the kids could look out the big wall window on the third floor where she had nested and be about twelve inches away from her. She had become quite the fire hazard. The kids named her Rocsie (pronounced roxie) after some "respect your community" campaign at the school. The thing has disappeared now and the kids are all distraught. Strange how when babies enter the picture disgusting things turn cute. I saw a baby possum while I was walking the dog last night. I wanted to take it home with us so my dog could have a buddy when we go to work during the day. Humans are like that too though, I mean are we ever more disgusting than when we are closest to death and birth? But these are stages of life when people's helplessness and level of pathetic clinging to life make us feel like staring at them more. I remember feeding my dead grandmother one of those easy to digest milkshake things on one of her last days. She didn't have her teeth in, She was all sweaty and didn't have her wig on, (which I guess I had never seen before) They told me she wasn't really all there, but I think she at least recognized me. She gave me this pathetic smile, and I felt like I was supposed to stand there stroking her sweaty almost bald head forever (We knew she was going to die soon) It feels almost wrong that you would ever leave that person that was close to dying, but I leave people all the time, let go of people I'll never see again, it's easier if they don't look disgusting I guess.

Wow. Your writing really goes downhill if you don't practice...

Operation "No Loafing" continues in full effect.

No sooner do I become a prospective homeowner, than I can feel myself becoming what I once despised. I'm seriously considering purchasing a gigantic TV for a tiny room in the basement. Does the fact that it will be the only TV in the house coupled with not having cable make that ok? It's difficult to say. Still, that fact that I paid like money for three cans of "Jersey Cream" colored paint has me looking at myself a little harder in the mirror each day.

I just finished watching "Submarine" I can recommend that one, without too many reservations. I have a real soft spot for Noah Taylor though, anyone who looks that weird and is successful with out being some goofy sight comic actor deserves support.

I am determined to get rid of some stuff before we officially move, though I'm finding it very hard to let go of great deal of worthless crap. Not really worthless, just next to worthless in the eyes of the almighty amazon market. It bugs me a little that I can't just let go of really stupid things like DVDs of mediocre movies. Ideally I should be able to just put them in a box and take them down to goodwill or something, but I have this need to "get something" out of losing them. Does anyone want a directors cut of Toxic Avenger?

I am reminded of this Will Farrell movie that no one saw but me, called "Everything Must Go" They market it as a comedy. It's not. Anyhow, this guy is weighed down by his possessions and ultimately feels this liberation as he divests himself of everything. I don't want to throw it all away, but I really feel like I'd like to get down to some essentials at least. Just a few records, movies, and books I genuinely love. The books are going to be the hardest part.

I logged into livejournal to do my yearly post, and it's like finding abandoned leftovers in the back of the fridge. Well, maybe not quite that disgusting. I guess more disappointing than disgusting. My credit card expired a couple months ago. With it went all the files that were used in my little comic strip and ironic LP cover posts. So those are all just gone. Forever. This makes me a little sad, but I guess I can use it as some sort of ridiculous life's crossroads type thing. It also presents an opportunity to return to writing regularly on here, which I think would be good for me.

I look at the things I used to write, and think about the person I used to be (he wasn't a bad person). Here and there are posts that stick out as well written, but a great deal of it is pretty dated I guess, but isn't that part of its charm?

In the past year I've gotten the job (or pretty close to the job) that I'd been working towards all this time. The fancy school in the fancy district, teaching history, government, and English everyday with at least a few genuinely smart kids (if not the most ambitious). Sara and I are buying a little house in an extremely nice neighborhood, literally across the street from the BonAir memorial Rose Garden. I worry about having to keep up with home stuff. We move in at the end of May, after painting the inside all the ridiculous colors we nearly killed each other picking out.

Some tough shit happened earlier in the year, I like to think it's behind me, but some stuff just hangs around your neck forever, and I'm worried. I worry, I worry, I worry. I don't really get anxiety or panic attacks like I used to (knock on wood) but all the same, worrying seems to be something that stays.

This June, the day after school is over, we fly to Paris for five days, and then on to Istanbul for another five days to attend a wedding. Jealous?

I have instituted a "No Loafing" program here at home. Results are mixed, but I have been watching TV less since I cancelled cable, and I am finally making some real progress on the Bass Clarinet (I found the sheet music for the score to Watership Down) <-- Still a nerd.

So, just like Donna Martin. I graduate...

Not sure why I'm posting tonight. I have so much love to give to the internet world, but I'm all stopped up inside, like I ate too much facebook. I almost feel like facebook has ruined the mystery of the internet (that and twitter).

Anyway, here's something interesting. I'm attempting to read my first full length real book in French. Flora Tristan's Promenades dans Londres. I need to be classified as reading proficient in a foreign language for my next grad school adventure (should I choose to accept such a challenge) and I reckon if I just start reading I'll get better at it. Hey, it worked when I was little.

Sara and I went and saw Yelle. Somehow I think I should feel more ashamed for genuinely enjoying electro-pop music. I think we were the youngest straight people there. Am I allowed to say that?

TURKEY WAS AWESOME. More on that later but as a transition today's Mark Trail was friggin' hilarious.




No Words

This snow hole thing is frustrating me to no end.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2011/01/national_weather_service_advis.html

The fates are conspiring to rob me of every conceivable snow day this year. The worst thing is, if things work out like they seem they will, and there is a late opening on Wednesday, it just means that they change the early release day to a regular release day. In effect I have to work twenty minutes longer than I normally would!

Jeeze I must sound really jaded. I have to report though that I am feeling much better about my job lately, and the progress these kids have made under me (with help from lots of others of course) I actually went into school today feeling completely positive and left feeling the same way, not exhausted or drained or anything. The really good news is that as of today, four out of the five kids I'm working with are attending class with their mainstream group everyday. That is HUGE for these kids. Now I'm going to start concentrating on getting them past these SOLs.

I bought a kindle. I was originally against them, cause you know, I like to advertise what an intellectual I am by showing off the cover of the book I am reading. But free 3g wifi for life? Anywhere? That's too good to pass up right?