Date: 2010-08-13 22:26 Subject: The creator has a master plan Security: Public

NO NEW JOB.

Just as well I guess. It would interfere with my vacation anyway. Did I mention we are visiting Sara's friend in Turkey for Spring Break?

Date: 2010-08-10 18:50 Subject: Love isn't always on time Security: Public

Still waiting to hear back one way or another on that county job. I'm guessing that's not a good sign. At any rate, I am totally fine with spending another year where I am. It will be easier for me to do a teaching portfolio for my Masters there anyway.

Sara finished watching the UK version of the Office with me last night. She was all pissed at the season finale and then she cried and cried at the Christmas special. It was fun to relive that through her. Tonight we are going down to enjoy the two dollar burgers at the drafthouse.

The fair is next week. I guess I better start preparing to make-a-da-pie. I could stick with apple, but I think if I did peach, I'd be virtually guaranteed a blue ribbon. I'm going to start a movement that grants all blue ribbon winners unlimited free rides at the fair. It's just common sense people.

On the reading front for my course in post war Europe next semester, one down, fifteen to go. I started with the shortest, which was this women's persepective of eastern europe. I didn't like it very much, and not because the material wasn't interesting or relevant to me. I just found it very disorganized and unclear at times. It's a really fast read though if it's a subject that interests you, and you can be sure to find a copy at your local library (the more you know and stuff...)

Date: 2010-08-05 19:46 Subject: Lazy Friday Security: Public

My interview seemed to go a lot better than I thought it was going at the time. I am told to expect a call within the next few days. Did I mention this gig would be exactly one mile from where we currently live? How cool would that be?

It annoys me to no end that the only resource available for tone deaf horn players "horntabs.net" has such a crappy selection of songs. I want the notes for the horn parts of "Everybody is a Star" by Sly and the Family Stone, and I can find this nowhere. All they have on this site are those shitty new ska bands that were spawned in the late 90s.

If I don't get the county job, and therefore DO get to teach World History 1 next year, I am going to make the kids watch this video narrated by Orson Welles that I had to watch when I was a lad. So deliciously early 70's... creepy.

Date: 2010-08-03 21:37 Subject: Wow two nights in a row. Security: Public

On a whim I applied for this job with the county this morning, and went all aggressive emailing principals and whatnot. By gum if it didn't work, within a couple of hours I got a call back asking me to come in and interview on Thursday. (yay)

Was Dan Akroid ever really cool? I mean he was pretty good for the blues brothers, but even for Doctor Detroit he was kind of trying too hard. Then he got all fat. Not that being fat makes you a bad person, or not funny .... but he couldn't make up his mind and I think to be truly funny you either have to super fat(John Candy) or not fat at all (Peter Sellers). In between fat... like Sam Kenison (remember that guy?) = not funny. And while we're on the subject how did Rodney Dangerfield become famous?

Date: 2010-08-02 17:55 Subject: Yes, it's been that long... Security: Public I'm listening to: I could never take the place of your man

I got an email a couple days ago reminding me they were going to charge me their yearly MONEY for me not using this journal, so I thought I'd better write something.

What did I do since the last time I was here? Well, I got married. I finished my first year teaching history. I wrote a giant paper on pre-war Romanian Fascism. This weekend I organized my balcony. Today I baked a pie. Yeah so, pretty much the stuff I've always been doing, except for the comics critiques and bad record collecting. (For better or worse, I'm pretty focused on the good records these days)

The wedding was pretty snazzy, and the venue was for free. We had it at Sara's theater courtesy of her group the Washington Shakespeare Company. It was a basket of work getting that place gussied up for a real wedding, but I think we did a great job, and I got over my fear of hanging out on top of giant rolling scaffolding. We sold the joint out which was nice to see, unless you were me when I was walking out there alone. I remember standing there looking at everyone staring at me and heaving this deep breath and everyone laughing at me. HA HA IT IS TO LAUGH! Our song was Sara by Bob Dyland which I really liked, but there was this bad mistake and the father/daughter, mother/son dance was unchained melody, a song which I really do not like, but I suppose this was my fault for planning the entire wedding music list morning while I was watching the Tottenham game in a bar. Spurs won though, which had to be a great sign for my the marriage right?

Oh speaking of which, I saw my first Spurs game in person. Not a proper league game, part of the New York Red Bulls little tournament. Still, it was an experience, and GREAT views at Red Bulls arena. It was great fun singing the songs and let me tell you, the NY Spurs fans are SERIOUS.

The first year of teaching was ROUGH. I had to teach four completely different classes every friggin' day. This year will be three, which should be a little easier, only I am going to be taking six credits in grad school each semester, which would actually not be so bad if they were only educ classes. However, I have started my serious History work and have learned about the ridiculous book loads. The classes I took over the summer with four books each were apparently an anomoly. 16 books for the one history class I'm taking next semester. Should be fun.

Oh the paper on the Iron Guard. I got an A, but did you expect anything less? As I plan it, my Masters in education will be done this Spring, and my Masters in modern European history will be done a year from that. Then I will decide if I want to just go ahead and pay for 42 more credits.

Date: 2010-02-12 20:26 Subject: Sharing Security: Public

Allow me to share the following video from the early 90s, never before seen by the online world, freshly uploaded from my personal stash, with delicious Michael Landon references.

Date: 2010-02-09 19:50 Subject: Respect it! Security: Public Tags: tuesday comics

Normally, I'd say never question the AUTHORITY of lantern jawed sideburns guy, but this silver haired max headroom obviously has some serious cajones. (the Spanish word for "pizazz")



The deer has that awkward look I get every time I see a fight developing in bungalow billiards. "Should I step in?", he seems to be thinking. Don't bother my proud antlered friend. No mammal is quick enough to prevent that master backhand! Such a manly slap is surely a move that one can only learn in the "fancy city" alluded to in panel two. .... He must be one of those fancy lads. (Hey kid, wanna buy a monkey?)

Do you ever notice that every adult male character in mark trail wears the exact same double pocket shirts?

It's been a while ain't it?

Date: 2009-09-09 23:40 Subject: Just made it... Security: Public

9-9-9 makes it my 35th birthday. Practically half my life done with and just yesterday I started teaching "for reals" It feels like its been weeks ago right now. I'm still getting the handle of things bu I havent broken down in tears just yet.

Thanks to everyone, sincerely for the birthday wishes. I really needed to see them today, it helped a lot. Will post at the end of the week when I can breathe.

Date: 2009-08-31 21:57 Subject: First day of school Security: Public

Like clockwork the autumn weather shows up on my first official day as a history teacher. No students yet, I spent the day cleaning up my very own classroom. It's huge and has two walls of windows. There was a fake tree in my classroom and I offered it to any other teacher who wanted it. My neighbor said I don't want a fake tree or a real tree. I hate trees. I said "Sounds like you picked the wrong profession. You should have been a lumberjack." She looked at me and said "No, I'm a teacher." Then the longest three seconds in the world passed. Then she looked at me and said "OH. I get it! You're funny." I considered saying "So are you, but looks aren't everything." but I figured that would be too much for her.

Fall brings the start of professional American football, and with that American football announcing which is absolutely unbearable. Two phrases that annoy me to no end.

1) "Smashmouth football" Besides coming off like a really a desperate and overcompensating ploy to make football sound more masculine it also reminds me of a certain crappy 90's band. That band of course is Fastball.

2) "Ticky Tack Foul" No grown person, man or woman, should ever be heard to utter such an infantile sounding phrase unless their job involves changing diapers.

What's up with you guys?

Date: 2009-08-25 16:52 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

The most amazing thing happened yesterday. After doing the holocaust museum thing I went to the Salvation Army to look for records. They basically don't have them anymore (there were just a handful of classical music ones) So I was about to leave all bummed when I saw this Selmer case behind the counter. "Hmmm" I thought, "That looks pretty long, it's probably a trombone." The guy behind the counter was helping a woman with some jewelry so I decided to just quit wasting time and leave, but then I turned around and figured what could it hurt to ask. So when the woman was done I asked what was in the case. He didn't know, so he opened it, and in it was a bass clarinet, complete and fully playable. The thing that's been on my list to buy for the last like 5 years. It's so weird cause my birthday was coming up and just the day before my mom and Sara had been asking me what I wanted, and as usual I ask for that, and as usual they say it's too expensive. The cheapest old used ones cost $500 and that's without the mouthpiece. And here I just stumbled by chance on one for, get this, $79.99!! It's wierder because they are kind of rare, they don't usually end up in places like thrift stores. The guy said it had just come in that day. I can only assume this is fate! So I started up again last night. Considering the last time I played it was in 1994 or so, I think I did alright. There are two notes I can't play right now, the very highest and the very lowest, but I think I should be fine with some practice.

In the meantime here is( the furniture I designed and built from scratch... ) The stuff still needs one more coat of stain and then it's delivery time.