A Jeep In Summer

Give Me A Big Ol' YEAH

School is OUT. Time to go dream it all up again and take a nap. Uh, I mean get to CHA and work my butt off and work on the house.

I just hope that I don't end up sleeping in public places.

images from flickrstorm

Soaking it up while I can

I stayed out a little too late last night, but it was worth it.

And I had possibly the best bacon cheeseburger ever at Clover Grill.

Don't worry Mom, I didn't look like this guy this morning.

New Music

I've been raiding my roommate's music collection. Weird artist and band names, yeahuh.

Amon Tobin
Burning Airlines
Crystal Kay
Do Make Say Think
Dragon Ash
Failure
Grandaddy
Meat Beat Manifesto
Mouse on Mars
orange pekoe
Sneaker Pimps

Maybe I'm a real life sneaker pimp.

So Extremely Damn True

"Only a few years ago, on the night of Bush’s victory in 2004, the conservative movement seemed indomitable... Conservatives knew how to win elections; however, they turned out not to be very interested in governing."

Hit up The New Yorker for the full article. Even if you think I've just committed fairly ultimate political heresy. It might be good for you.

American Airlines announces bag fees

WHAT THE FAT. $15 for a bag and $25 for an extra bag.

American Airlines, hit hard by escalating fuel prices, said Wednesday passengers will be hit with fees to check any bag, starting with tickets purchased after June 15.

American and its American Eagle subsidiary will also trim their fleets, cut their flight schedules and lay off workers in the coming months.

Read the full report here.

Is it passion or athlete's foot?

Ok, now you're putting down the book that is not a book. It's a Reader's Digest condensation of literature, which is like drinking orange juice made from concentrate. It has no pulp. The key vitamins have been processed out. You're pressing your head against his shoulder. I can see your toes move inside your pink socks on the coffee table. What's with this toe movement? Is it passion or athlete's foot? There is some kind of serious itch there.

--David Klass

now i know what's been wrong with me all year.

They say that even one night of sleep deprivation leads to power failure in da brain.

image from flickrstorm and Out Came the Sun

What movies would you show to an 8th grade class?

I'm taking suggestions.

Someone who is filled with ideas, concepts, opinions and convictions cannot show hospitality. There is no inner space to listen, no openness to discover the gift of the other. It is not difficult to see that those who “know it all” can kill a conversation. Poverty of mind as a missional stance is a growing willingness to recognize the vast mystery of life.

To prepare ourselves for mission we have to maintain an articulate not knowing, a docta ignorantia, a learned ignorance. This is very difficult to accept for people whose whole attitude is toward mastering and controlling the world. We all want to be educated so we can make things work according to our own need. But training for mission is training not to master God but to be formed by Him.

--Henri Nouwen

I wish I could use a pressure washer on my classroom walls.

It's kind of over

The eighth graders finished today. I still have to go to work and 7th, 9th, 10th, and 11th graders still have to go to school until the end of May. But much weight and stress and craziness is gone. Today I felt like the mounted cops on Bourbon Street at 12:01 am on Ash Wednesday, since I was walking through the halls proclaiming and commanding: "Eighth grade is over, now GO HOME."

I have said the funniest things this year

"Get down and don't shake your booty ON THE TABLE. If you're gonna shake your booty, shake it ON THE FLOOR."

I might miss 'em a little bit

Cupcakes

How do you deal with making 120 cupcakes in 24 hours? Rum and coke.

So how did the kids react when I brought them cupcakes today? "Maybe Mr. Hardie put something in these." "No, he didn't, he ATE ONE!"

When you get to the end of baking that many little cake things you don't even want to lick the mixing bowl, even if there is extra CHOCOLATE batter. Though it would have been kind of nice to have someone grab the bowl out of my hand and shout, "Since I have been deprived of your company while you've been baking for those little wretches, this is MINE!"

By the way, if you make 5 batches of cupcakes you can get away with using 4 tublets of frosting. I chose 2 cream cheese, 1 strawberry, and 1 chocolate.

Annie (the other Annie, not the sun will come up tomorrow one)

I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea of the power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flare; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping God may walk someday and take offense; or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return.

Annie Dillard

My girl

is going on tour again. I just have to figure out how to see her, since she's not coming to NOLA...

Bell to Bell?

We're constantly urged to teach bell to bell.

I have trouble dealing with that expectation. When 4H kids get pulled out of first block with no warning. When the teacher appreciation donut cart pulls up outside my door during class. When I am asked to sign special ed documents during second block.

What the heck.

Oh, and the male student bathrooms have been out of tp for about a month now.

However, my 8th graders will be done with classes on Monday. Then they have two days of testing and they're DONE. I still have to go to work, but I don't have to teach. I have almost made it.

Heart

I love google documents. Especially since I can't find the word processing software on my work-issued laptop.