The defect in this one...

I had a Napoleon Dynamite moment of sorts, today. After track practice, my brother (who volunteers as my assistant coach) had to go to work at his restaurant job. Since we have a track meet in two days, I decided to go to his place of employment and sat at one of his tables to fill out my order of events for the meet. I ordered a beer and onion peels, and he'd come by once in awhile to see what person I'd put in each event, check out the relay orders, etc.

I took my second sip of beer and I thought to myself, "Man, this is a funny tasting beer!" I could smell something and I licked the top of the bottle and confirmed the thought that had come to my mind. My brother walked by, and I said (maybe too loud), "This bottle has bleach on it!" He told me not to make a big deal out of it and went and got me another beer. He brought another one to me and I had a quotable ready:

"The defect in this one is bleach."




He laughed. I laughed. An odd moment, but we had a good time and got our meet assignments ready for Thursday..

Evidently, they have to do a lot of cleaning around the bar. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

A New Attitude?

After lunch, I was opening my door for my class to enter, when one of my students said to me, "Mr. [Feanor], you look like a new man with an new attitude." Am I? I hope so.

Vindicated

As most of you good readers know, this year has been sort of a baptism by fire for me. While the year has had its good points, often it has been easy to be dragged down by the negative aspects of a school where discipline, by and large, is not maintained.

A lot of the high points of my year have centered around my work with student council. I've been fortunate to work with a great group of kids and often wish I could spend more time doing that and less time doing the regular part of my job. Over the weekend (Saturday morning to Monday afternoon), I took four of my boys to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for the Louisiana Association of Student Councils' Annual Convention. We all had a blast.

It would be laborious to go into every detail, but some of the highlights were:

1. We brought a video camera from school and shot a lot of great, entertaining footage of the guys goofing around. We'll be able to edit it and present it in segments on the school tv station.

1.5 We ate some good seafood with a very good friend of mine who reads this blog.

2. One of my students won FIRST PLACE in the middle school essay contest, competing against student leaders across the state. There's a great story behind it, one part being about him being "the only African-American in the room," and the other being that he made up the content of his essay right there in the room. It was supposed to be about an activity that the student council did this year that was special. He made up something about bringing canned goods to a nursing home or something like that.

3. My boys all came back excited and hoping to get more involved in the state organization. I hope that they will be able to do this. I told them that I would not be able to see it through personally, as I plan to move, but I know they are resilient enough to find someone else to take my place... or at least I hope so.

4. On Sunday afternoon, I went to a luncheon/business meeting for advisors, where we each received an envelope. I opened it to find notes that my students had written to me in a session the evening before. I nearly broke down crying in front of everyone as I read the four notes, but caught myself as I was tearing up and did not make a fool of myself, thankfully. I never had realized just how much I am appreciated.

One of my students wrote, "you are my friend," and that really hit me the hardest. I know the "experts" tell you that the object of teaching is not to "be their friend," but in my eyes, "friend" is the highest compliment one of your students could ever give you. Given the adversarial nature of our public education system, it's special when you turn the system around enough that even one person sees you in a positive light.

For that moment, all of the bitterness and resentment that had been building up all year disappeared, and for that moment I had NO REGRETS. I will carry that feeling with me through the next forty days of school because in spite of the challenges I continue to face, there's no place I would rather be, and I finally understand why the Lord put me here. This sounds kind of cheeseballish, but the fact that I have touched a handful of lives far outweighs the inconveniences of my struggle.

Monument to Pro-Life

I was reading the news during a break in this student council convention (I'll post a summary later) and I came across something interesting. Evidently, artist Daniel Edwards has sculpted a "Monument to Pro-Life" in the form of an idealized depiction of Britney Spears giving birth:

I'm sure a sculpture like this is going to result in all kinds of different reactions. While I may not agree that Spears is the "ideal model for Pro-Life," as Edwards puts it, I know one thing is for sure: while pro-lifers may be divided in their reactions, all of the pro-choice liberals are going to hate it! So, naturally, that automatically makes me a fan of this endeavor.

I think the liberals are going to be upset primarily because any monument to "pro-choice" would be so hideous and ugly that nobody would ever endeavor to idealize it. That point of view can never be idealized. While people love to talk about "pro-choice" and idealize it with words, no one really ever wants to look at the reality of a defenseless life being extinguished before its first breath.

The act of birth, on the other hand, represents the best within us. In this culture of war and death that we live in, any monument to life and the miracle of birth is a light shining in the darkness. And besides... there's something sexy about a pregnant, naked woman on a bearskin rug.

For more information, visit the Capla Kesting Fine Art Gallery where the monument will be displayed (it also has some good shots from other angles).

More on Dr. Howell

A full-text interview with Dr. Howell on his reasons for leaving Louisiana College can be found at the (Alexandria Daily) Town Talk website. I am quoting his final remark below, as I sort of feel the same way with my impending move:

It's not happy for me, not a happy occasion. I like Pineville, I truly do. I like the students here, I truly do. ... As you see, I'm somewhat emotional. I like the Alexandria community -- wonderful people. We have a great relationship with the community. We have great friends here. But I really have to leave. I have a teacher institute this summer. I'll do my bit for education, and then I'll take my show on the road.

May the road love your show, Dr. Howell! I sure loved it when it was in town!

Birthday Profile

Another personality gimmick brought to you by sweekbabyk:

Your Birthdate: August 7

You are an island. You don't need anyone else to make you happy. And though you see yourself as a loner, people are drawn to you. Deep and sensitive, you tend to impress others with your insights. You also tend to be psychic - so listen to that inner voice! Your strength: Your self sufficiency Your weakness: You despise authority Your power color: Maroon Your power symbol: Hammer Your power month: July

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Conspiracy Theory

After yesterday's 9/11 Truth post, I am already being accused of being a conspiracy theorist. I suppose it's necessary at this time to clarify what a "conspiracy theorist" is in regard to the 9/11 tragedy. As I quoted Charlie Sheen below, even the person who buys the official story is a conspiracy theorist. In reference to the JFK assassination, you had folks who believed in a "conspiracy" vs. those who believed in the "lone gunman" theory.

When it comes to 9/11, there is no lone gunman theory. We all can agree that there was a network of people secretly plotting together. That's all a conspiracy is. The only question left is... WHO?

Sure, there are ways one can defend the Islamic terrorism theory, but it's still a conspiracy. However, although Islamic terrorism happens around the world on a nearly daily basis, it is usually a "lone gunman" or lone bomber kind of deal. Someone blows themselves up, or crashes a car into a building, etc. Never before or since can we find an example of Islamic terrorism involving such intricate planning as was involved in 9/11. However, we know for sure that there are elements in our own government who envisioned similar plans, the best example being Operation Northwoods.

We are all conspiracy theorists, here. Which conspiracy is the most credible? Let's not leave any stone unturned.

The truth is being set free!

I saw a great post on AWG's blog, Spelunking through the Chaos, concerning Charlie Sheen's public endorsement of the 9/11 Truth movement on the Alex Jones radio program. This post is worth reading.

In short, Sheen is calling for a truly independent inquiry into the 9/11 tragedy. Many of us who believe that the destruction of the Twin Towers was a controlled demolition performed with government co-operation have been referred to as conspiracy theorists, but Sheen says it best when he says:

"It seems to me like 19 amateurs with box-cutters taking over four commercial airliners and hitting 75 per cent of their targets, that feels like a conspiracy theory. It raises a lot of questions."

I know this is something that a lot of people don't want to think about, but I am finally having some hope that soon, people will have no choice but to think about it. Alex Jones was featured on CNN's Showbiz Tonight program (view video HERE), which is the first time that the 9/11 Truth movement has been given attention by the mainstream media. People are growing more aware and it's time that we let our government know that we're sick and tired of our government running on autopilot. I've put a link to Alex Jones's site on my sidebar. Once again, this is something a lot of people don't want to think about, but everyone should at least give this guy an ear and hear the evidence.

On a side note, I notice that CNN is covering this story the same week they have been dumped by Gallup Polling due to low ratings. You won't hear Fox News covering this. Perhaps, CNN is starting to realize that people want to hear the truth, and the best way to reclaim viewers is to stop spinning left and start reporting truth. Let's hope this is the beginning of a wave of coverage and not just a fleeting blip on the radar.

Shaking the Foundations...

"Sometimes there's a man, and I'm talking about the Dude here, sometimes there's a man, well, he's The Man for that time and place. He fits there. And that's the Dude." -- The Big Lebowski

And sometimes there are people who run the Dude off with their ignorance, belligerence, and lack of faith in an intelligent person to do his or her job. This sort of scenario plays itself out all the time, but this week it has played itself out at Louisiana College. Dr. Thomas Howell, the chair of LC's history department and professor for forty years, is submitting his resignation this week. Howell is leaving on the grounds that LC is moving away from its traditional academic focus and toward the realm of "indoctrination." He is accepting a post at William Jewell College in Missouri.

When I looked at Jewell's website, some things looked familiar. For one, it has been declared one of the "best values" among private colleges, and is ranked by US News and World Report in the list of best private colleges. Why do these things look familiar? Because these were the same things that LC could boast about 10 years ago when I was being recruited as a high school student! While I was told that LC was a Christian college, I was told that academics would always come first. As a student, I saw the focus shift from academics to enrollment and finally to fundamentalism as I was nearing graduation. I am sad to see that these changes have resulted in the loss of Dr. Howell, a man who personifies everything that makes LC great.

While Howell noted LC's transition from "education to indoctrination," the Rev. Tim Johnson, chairman of the board of trustees, offers another assessment:

"What's happening," Johnson said, "is that LC is going back to its roots, to its foundation."

This foundation that Johnson speaks of must be one of sand because this foundation has resulted in SACS probation (which has been lifted, but still an embarrassment nonetheless to any credible academic institution), a loss of "best value" status, a backslide in national rankings, and the loss of many great professors - the most recent being Dr. Howell.

May the folks at William Jewell appreciate this man and others like him more than the current leadership of Louisiana College has.

For Further Reading:

LC to inaugurate Aguillard today

Department chair to leave Louisiana College

I want some grape DRINK!!!

It's been a pretty slow week with statewide testing going on... not really much to write about, but one of my students told me about this Dave Chappelle clip where he's making fun of the old Sunny Delight commercials. I always hated Sunny Delight and was glad my mom never bought it. Here's the link to the clip that I found:

www.riotvideo.com/Dave_Chappelle_Grape_Drink.html

When I was little, I always thought, "Why does he want Sunny D over the purple stuff?" I always thought the purple stuff looked much more appealing. People always told me in school that I was the whitest person they knew, but I'm starting to wonder about that.

Sign Language

I awoke around 11 on this quiet, rainy Sunday morning, poured myself a glass of water, and took a walk to my living room to admire the azalea bushes blooming in my front yard. Of course, I saw the For Sale sign, which I expected to see in our yard, but I saw the back of another sign that someone had posted. Although it was raining, it bothered me that there was a sign out there and I could not see its contents. (Perhaps, it was an old college buddy letting the world know "[Feanor] is gay.") Anyway, [Feanor] was curious, and took a little walk outside. I was shocked by what I saw:

THANK YOU FOR VISITING [NAME OF CHURCH]

Some lady had given my brother a $75 tip and asked him to visit the church. Being the [insulting terms here] that he is, he went and apparently gave out our address. Apparently, these people don't care if you own the place or if someone else does, or if you own the place whether you want a sign put in your yard without your consent. I'm trying to sell a house, here. I don't want some other sign to attract attention. At least some of these aggressive churches give signs to their members to put in their own yards.

I guess you always have to be on guard when you give your address - or someone else's address - to people. You never know what they have planned.

Still Got It!

We had a good track practice yesterday. My brother has started working with the sprinters and it's helped me a lot to have an assistant coach. I'm glad he stepped up and volunteered to do this since the school will not provide me with an assistant.

Meanwhile, I'm free to do more work with the distance team. My runners need to learn to pace themselves, and I decided to suit up and set the pace for them on a three-mile run. Three eight-minute miles would provide for 24 minutes of continuous running - or so I thought.

I started with three, then ended up with just one staying with me after the first few laps. After we hit two miles, nearly at the 16 minute target, my last runner gave out and I continued to run the last mile on my own while the rest of them did it at their own pace. I finished at 24:34, which is horrible compared to my time 10 years ago, but it still felt good to know that none of my kids can keep up with me in a three mile race. It may be some incentive for me to get back in shape!

PS - Anyone else having trouble adding images to their posts?

Look mom(s)... No hands!

I saw the funniest thing as I drove home today. When I was about to turn in to my driveway, I noticed some Mormons riding on the sidewalk in the direction of my house. I turned in, watched to see if they would stop, but saw that they simply rode by. The first rode by, then the second... not gripping the handlebars! I wish I could have taken a picture.

It had never occurred to me before, but Mormons are probably awesome with bike tricks. I wonder if they ever "take it on some sweet jumps," to quote Napoleon Dynamite. I mean, you can't ride a bike every day for two years and not become an ace.

Gettin' Some Ed!

One of the advantages of teaching in the inner-city is that you're always up to speed with the latest trends in hip-hop, and thus - to a certain extent - pop culture. The newest rap songs are always sung at the top of many a set of lungs in hallways, breezeways, and classrooms. I was so happy when the kids stopped singing this stupid song, "Lean wit it, Rock wit it," by Atlanta's Dem Franchize Boyz. That song was highly annoying.

The song has been replaced with something that is quite amusing. Lately, kids have been chanting the recurring line from Ludacris' new song, "Gettin' Some." The chorus goes a little something like this:

I was gettin some head
Gettin gettin some head
I was gettin some head
Gettin gettin some head
I was gettin some head
Gettin gettin some head
I was wit the kinda girl dat make yo toes curl

A few students have been a little more creative and say things like, "Gettin' some bread," but most of my students are not that creative or discrete. I finally interrupted one student in class today, saying, "You need to worry about gettin' some ED, as in 'jucation!' Then, maybe you'll get ahead in life." There was a laugh, followed by some comments that were among the funniest that I have ever heard.

"Mr. [Feanor]," one said, "That's what the song's about. Like, you're putting things in your head." Without missing a beat, I dropped my jaw, opened my eyes wide, and yelled, "like KNOWLEDGE!" The kids agreed, and I said, "That's awesome! A song about education and learning. And I was beginning to think it was about something... nasty... or something."

I spent a few more sentences praising the Atlanta rapper's commitment to academic excellence before the discussion moved on to something else. During the last few minutes of class, one of my students came up to me and told me, "Mr. [Feanor], that's not what the song's really about. It really is about something nasty."

"You've got to be kidding." I replied, a look of mock shock and disappointment on my face.

It feels so good to play the fool, sometimes. It feels even better when they fall for it. And it feels the best when one of your students - convinced that you have fallen for it - cares enough about you to let you in on what's really going on.

I live a beautiful lie. It makes my toes curl.

Apathy and High Hopes

I'm in the middle of day 3 of my new/old position as a social studies teacher. A lot of my co-workers tell me stuff like, "I can't believe she'd move you around again like that (this is my second intra-school move this year)," but really, I think this will work out for the best. No more do I have to worry about annoying sixth graders running around and making it impossible for me to show them anything. It's amazing how your stress level goes down when you are suddenly NOT surrounded by over $50 grand in expensive equipment and rowdy kids who don't behave themselves.

I spent the first two days setting up, and today I actually did a little review for a few minutes of some stuff we had studied first six weeks. They've learned little since I've been gone, so we're kind of picking up where we left off. It's not so bad... aside from an interesting incident where some student set a sheet of paper on fire, it's been fairly quiet and I'm managing to keep most everyone in their seats.

I've gotten a hold of a tablet computer and we've got flat screen monitors just installed in the rooms. I think I've got plenty to keep me occupied for the remaining 49 days of the school year. Track is going well, class isn't so bad, and I think I'd venture to say I'm content if not happy. I'll continue to proceed with a carefree attitude, facing the challenges at hand with apathy and high hopes.

The tide rushes in...

Yesterday, I noted the quiet in my life... due to my relaxed demeanor of late, this day has been pretty quiet, yet eventful at the same time. About halfway through the day, someone gave me a heads up that the principal was planning another set of switch-a-roos which would involve me leaving the computer lab and going back to social studies. This is the same thing my principal threatened to do back in December but it fell through. I thought she had just heard old news, but when my principal's carrier pigeon (a fellow staff member) came and told me that the principal wanted to see me before I left that day, I figured something was up.
Heart rate goes up, then I am reminded that I was to spend the last half hour of the day giving a lecture on economics to a friend/co-worker/(anonymous) READER's class. It had been quite a while since I had given a good lecture, so I was a little nervous, but I got there and it was great. A good time was had by all and I'm glad that I was able to see that I still have it in me to teach something.

Sure enough, the switch-a-roo was on and I just took it in stride and told my principal that I may be resigning after track season is over in mid-April... we'll see how it goes.

We heard from the principal that we interviewed with not too long after I got home. My wife is on his short list and she'll either get a job or a recommendation from him, which will guarantee her a job there or somewhere nearby. Of course, as I expected, I lack the relevant experience for the AP job that he had open, but I just wish he could have told me that when I interviewed and not wasted my time.

Having that out of my way, I e-mailed Clemson and told them that I'll be attending there next year as a full-time student. I got a pleased reply from the graduate co-ordinator and I'm quite thankful that the Lord has allowed me to glimpse a bit of my future... the immediate and not-so-immediate.

All Quiet...

This has been a quiet week. Things have been pretty good at school with the new schedule. The classes are 10 minutes shorter so the kids don't get as restless and it's worked out well with less horseplay, etc. I actually found myself losing track of the number of days left to work this year! I consulted my calendar and there are 55 (54 after today concludes). Track practices have been going well and that's made things even better for me.

A week from now, our house will be on the market and I expect that my wife and I will hear about those jobs we applied for. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the eye of the storm. If posts are few in the next week, be patient (although it looks like my readership has declined, anyway). I will return in due time.

A Load of Bull

...or at least these people walk kind of like a bull would if it had hands. I read the most ridiculous article today about these five people in Turkey who are walking on all fours. Of course, those who want to prove that there is no higher power(s) are jumping for joy that this is some sort of key to our evolutionary development.

When you read on in the article, you discover that they are also mentally retarded and their parents are closely related. So, according to the god(s)less elite, the origin of humanity is inbred, retarded, and walks on all fours. Sure, we're all God's children, and so are they, but I hate when people make a discovery like this and they're like, "Yes! THIS is the origin of humanity!"

These people have a problem with "intelligent design" so they've replaced it with unintelligent design. What's so hard to fathom about humanity being created as an act of love?!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm representing Bipeds to the fullest!

Hello Lent... Hello Veganism

The Eastern Orthodox season of Lent has started today, and it comes time again for me to rethink my life. I have done little to prepare (as in the previous post, I outlined my own personal "Mardi Gras" of sorts), but I am hitting it today with a vengeance. Lent works a little differently in my Church, in the sense that you don't give something up in particular as much as devoting yourself to prayer and fasting in general. The fast guidelines are pretty strict, banning all meat and dairy products, as well as wine and olive oil on most days. I suppose that any of us who don't live in a monastery cheat a little bit, but we make a good effort.

I brought a bowl of brown rice to school for lunch and was amazed at how satisfied I was after the meal. Rice is quite filling, and since it's tasteless by itself, you tend to eat more slowly and be satisfied by the time you finish eating. Tonight, I'm cooking a marinara sauce and am looking forward to my vegan spaghetti supper. Although I didn't grow up in a church that celebrated Lent, I am realizing again what a celebratory season it is. By saying "no" to animal products, I am also finding it easier to say "no" to whatever frivolous urges I may encounter. I can feel myself returning to the exalted state of life before we all became carnivorious sinners... or at least starting on the journey to that point.

L to the izzAy

I got back yesterday evening from an exciting, yet restful, weekend visiting my cousin in LA. While the main purpose of my visit was Lebowski Fest LA, the highlight of my weekend was walking down Sunset Strip. I visited an awesome music store and ate at the California Vegan. The whole concept of a vegan restaurant is just plain cool, and I wish we had something like that here, but alas... We also went for a nice drive in the Hollywood Hills. I didn't realize that people live right there by the Hollywood sign (which was initially just a real estate "Hollywood Land" advertisement). The hills were beautiful. It's amazing how you can have a HUGE city like LA and something so scenic and beautiful just a stone's throw away.

As a whole, Lebowski Fest was a letdown. There were so many people there that there was nothing intimate about the gathering. The high point was the actual screening of the movie, which was cool to watch with hundreds of other die-hard fans. Imagine hundreds of people yelling, "Shut the fuck up, Donny!" at the top of their lungs. Basically, that's what happened.

The second night, we went out to Long Beach for the bowling part of the festival. By the time we got there, I was so drunk that I told them I'd stay in the car and join them a little later. They came back a few minutes later and said the place was so packed that they could not get a lane or shoes... so we left.

I flew out the next morning, and a good time was had by all. Where we are moving, I'll be less than 2 hours away from Atlanta and thus, will be able to take more mini-holidays like this. Next time I'm in LA, I want to catch a Dodgers game... I got to see them in Atlanta and Houston in high school, but I'd love to go to a home game and be able to pull for the home team. One has to get out once in awhile. I'm thankful that I'm able to do that. When you fly, you become painfully aware of the fact that the skies are largely an Anglo/Asian-American playground and that there are many people who don't have these opportunities to travel. However much I might bitch about stuff, by and large, I'm one of the luckiest people on earth.

iPod Marketing Campaign

I've rented a cubicle at Laptop Lane for a few minutes of my stay in the Atlanta airport... quite comfortable! I'm here to launch a new marketing campaign for iPod, or any other such listening device company that will pay me for my idea - doesn't matter.

Anyway, here's the ad:

There's a guy trying to catch some Zs on a flight when he is awakened by a wailing baby. I mean this baby is going to town and it is downright agonizing. The guy puts his face in his hands, and the bubbles show various thoughts, including a vasectomy, until he looks in front of him to someone (perhaps a woman for gender balance) who is listening away on their iPod and having a great time. Looking over to the guy next to him, he points to the person in front and says, "I have GOT to get an iPod."

END AD

I know you're all wondering, how does one come up with such great ideas? Well, I have just LIVED this scenario (along with the quote at the end) for an entire hour! I'd GLADLY take some of that hearing loss we're hearing about in exchange for not being annoyed by a damn baby that won't shut up!

And you all thought I was just someone with great ideas.

Another one bites the dust...

Two-time Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne died today:

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/3/2/214920.shtml?s=ic

What shocked me the most is that this was actually NEWS, as in Drudge Report. Not that I'm complaining, but why can't Libertarian presidential candidates get some coverage while they are ALIVE?!

Then maybe we could get some real change in this country.

Fuck it, dude... Let's go to LA!

I'm flying out tomorrow morning for Lebowski Fest LA... the REAL LA, not the Louisiana abbreviation that I'm used to. I'll try to take a few pictures. I will be staying with my cousin, who I haven't seen in years. His mother introduced my parents, and mom talks about how she has pictures of us playing together in diapers. "It's so great that you're going to go spend the weekend with your first playmate!" Whatever, mom, but it should be a fun time anyway.

www.lebowskifest.com

Oh yeah, since people seem more concerned about what music I'm listening to than the other crap I write (not a bad thing... amusing, really), I've been listening to this band called Clutch. They've got a song called "Rock and Roll Outlaw" that I really like.

Where rock is criminal, criminals rock.
Where rock is criminal, they rock like this.
Where rock is criminal, criminals rock.
Where rock is criminal, they rock like this.
Hee haw, hee haw, hee haw, hee haw,
I'm a rock and roll outlaw!

Spring is here again...

I arrived at work this morning after a wonderful and restful Mardi Gras break and noticed a change in the air. The sun was shining (I'm noticing it's rising earlier again), the air was crisp and clear and NOT COLD. I took a deep breath and allowed myself to come to life along with everything else that surrounded me. There are only 60 working days left - of which I only have to work 45 due to sick leave - and I know I'm going to make it... well, I think strongly that I'm going to make it. Track and Field is going well and I'm looking forward to my athletes competing in the meets.

While we still await some news from South Carolina, I take comfort in the fact that it's in the Lord's (or the Anglo-Saxon pagan god of jobs') hands, who rejoices in our victories. After doing a little painting, we will be putting our house on the market and hopefully making a slight profit. Life is good and on the way up.

Listening to:
Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction