I love this man's wit and prose. I also like the fact that he's a Brit who recognizes that British disdain for Yank culture is misguided.
I taught Home Economics again today. THe kids were a little rambunctious today - they smeared themselves and me with hand lotion, threw butter packets, and one kid smacked me in the forehead with a piece of paper he shot from a rubber band. I broke down toward the end of the day. I got tired of yelling at the kids and making them do homework so I let my seventh period class watch Osmosis Jones, a kid-friendly gross-out movie starring Bill Murray's immune system.
I am a little surprised. I got turned down for a job today. I was pretty certain I would get the job and was already making plans. I'd been to two testing sessions and one interview and everything had gone so well that I just took it for granted that I would get the job. Oh well...
11.09.2002
11.08.2002
I taught Home Economics today! Apparently, kids do more than bake cakes in Home Ec; although, I am told one boy has a killer recipe for 7-UP cake. Later in the year the students tell me they will take home a life-like baby doll that eats, wets its diapers, cries at night, and reports on the quality of its care. Boys take the class in large numbers now.
I was teaching at Marsh Middle School (probably for the last time at least till January) so many of the kids remember me and teachers request me by name. It's a wonderful relationship. I even see the kids after school at the I-Can't-Believe-It's-Yogurt at the shopping center behind the school. I stopped in for a double dip pecan pralines in a waffle cone. It was so good I fail to see how an orgasm could be better. Several of the kids I have taught at Marsh were there and we played the what's-my-name-game; the kids love to test my ability to remember their names. They also told me the story of how one of their buddies urinated into a bottle during lunch at the table with other people their and got away with it. Kids these days man...
I was talking to somebody on the bus ride home today describing what I do for a living and realized I didn't really do anything for a living. I am almost like the Pretender. I can show up at almost any job doing anything at any time. A jack of all trades. It's kind of cool. (mostly becuase it's been my secret desire to be a pretender)
I was teaching at Marsh Middle School (probably for the last time at least till January) so many of the kids remember me and teachers request me by name. It's a wonderful relationship. I even see the kids after school at the I-Can't-Believe-It's-Yogurt at the shopping center behind the school. I stopped in for a double dip pecan pralines in a waffle cone. It was so good I fail to see how an orgasm could be better. Several of the kids I have taught at Marsh were there and we played the what's-my-name-game; the kids love to test my ability to remember their names. They also told me the story of how one of their buddies urinated into a bottle during lunch at the table with other people their and got away with it. Kids these days man...
I was talking to somebody on the bus ride home today describing what I do for a living and realized I didn't really do anything for a living. I am almost like the Pretender. I can show up at almost any job doing anything at any time. A jack of all trades. It's kind of cool. (mostly becuase it's been my secret desire to be a pretender)
11.07.2002
11.06.2002
Visit these fine bloggers from my home state, Texas: Greg Wythe, and Jennifer . (Forgive the familiarity, I can't seem to locate her last name.)
Bad news in Democrat land! If Republicans are so evil and George Bush is so dumb how did this happen? Democrats tried to embarass the president in Florida by defeating his brother. They failed. They tried to beat him in Texas by taking the governorship and a Senate seat. They failed. Why didn't anyone see this coming?
11.05.2002
Any attractive women who want to do this I offer to pay the two bucks. Shoot, I'll pay 50 more on top.
Come rain, come snow, come shine I am registering the domain and purchasing hosting for my non-profit tomorrow. I think I'll have the money. Otherwise I'll just borrow it. Is there something special about tomorrow? I was just down at the mall in fye and they said the new Dave Matthews CD would be out tomorrow along with several other big releases.
A story near and dear to Computer Science grad students everywhere, an Indian professor has developed an algorithm for proving that a number is prime. Had he discovered a method of finding prime factors the entire internet security business would have come to a crashing halt. This link was ripped shamelessly from Shacknews.com.
11.04.2002
BMX XXX being downgraded to a PG-13. Stole the link from Shacknews. Akklaim sould havestuckto their guns. Any damage that has been done has already taken place. In fact, people will probably be disappointed when they play and don't see anything over the top.
China Telecome is having an IPO and this guy thinks you should stay away. I tend to agree.
The last post wasn't great writing and parts of it seem ill-considered now. I am leaving the rant up though. College athletics do suck.
The last post wasn't great writing and parts of it seem ill-considered now. I am leaving the rant up though. College athletics do suck.
I am awake now and I am furious. (I remember being vaguely angry at something over the weekend but now it is clear.) The politics of America's parents are kiling young people. The political parties have geared their issues to appeal to people 40 and older and are in a constant tug of war over seniors. This last election has been the worst - the democratic party even had geriatric candidates step in at the last minute to replace dead and disgraced candidates.
I can't help but look at the issues and feel like both parties are scamming me. Social Security at best is a legalized pyramid scheme. At worst it's a joke, and I'll never see a dime. My problem with Social Security is that it's a half measure and a step toward socialism.Very few people can live on what they receive from Social Security alone. I want to know why we are paying people dollar amounts that have nothing to do with their actual contribution to the system. The money we pay is not invested or even held in a bank. It is doubtful that inflation is taken into account at all. Instead the government relies on today's Social Security taxes to pay for yesterday's workers. As with any pyramid scheme, this cannot go on forever. Am I trying to scare seniors? YES. To make matters worse both parties delight in dipping into Social Security revenues to fund partisan largess. It makes me sick.
Another way that political parties scam young people, is the discrepancy between voting age and drinking age. Children become legal adults at the age of eighteen yet they cannot purchase alcohol or enter houses of ill repute till 21. I am not suggesting either are healthy practices or that either are things that young people should be doing. But there is no reason for the discrepancy in ages. Eighteen year olds can fight wars, be prosecuted as adults, have sex with other consenting adults, sign legal documents, and vote but they can't buy beer. Either eighteen yr. olds are adults or they are not. The same reasons a kid shouldn't be allowed to purchase alcohol are the same reasons they shouldn't vote, have sex with adults, sign legal documents, be prosecuted as an adult, and go to war. Young people need to be given full responsibility.
The quality of education in High Schools and the application of law to education is a mess. Teacher's unions step in with self-serving protests anytime substantive changes are suggested for improving schools. Cost of education keeps rising while at the same time the quality is continually diluted. It seems anytime politicians tinker with education disaster results. The worst of it all is college athletics. College athletic departments are sacrificing smaller men's programs to their hungry football teams, excusing the act because football teams are revenue generators. I have no beef with women's athletics and inclusion of women in sports. Women should be allowed to play. What should not be allowed is wholesale destruction of other men's athletic programs. Perhaps, money generating programs should be allowed to "buy" the right to unequal scholarships. A revenue generating football team or basketball team shouldn't count against the overall total.
What is worse though, is that athletes in money generating sports and programs are exploited in my opinion. People complain that male athletes fail to graduate, cheat, womanize, and party. They have no incentive to behave in any other way. Many athletes come from underperforming schools and teachers have inflated their grades to maintain their eligibility. They go to school with very little money of their own and no academic preparation. So what's a poor college student to do for cash when he isn't allowed to work (several programs ban student athletes from taking jobs) or he simply doesn't have time to? Simple, accept money from boosters. What is worse colleges use money and lavish parties to attract high school recruits. It is not unheard of for current students to take high school kids with them to on campus parties. Colleges earn millions of dollars from athletes yet claim no responsibility at all for the well being of the athlete when he is not performing. Is this a political issue? No. Should it be? Yes.
I can't help but look at the issues and feel like both parties are scamming me. Social Security at best is a legalized pyramid scheme. At worst it's a joke, and I'll never see a dime. My problem with Social Security is that it's a half measure and a step toward socialism.Very few people can live on what they receive from Social Security alone. I want to know why we are paying people dollar amounts that have nothing to do with their actual contribution to the system. The money we pay is not invested or even held in a bank. It is doubtful that inflation is taken into account at all. Instead the government relies on today's Social Security taxes to pay for yesterday's workers. As with any pyramid scheme, this cannot go on forever. Am I trying to scare seniors? YES. To make matters worse both parties delight in dipping into Social Security revenues to fund partisan largess. It makes me sick.
Another way that political parties scam young people, is the discrepancy between voting age and drinking age. Children become legal adults at the age of eighteen yet they cannot purchase alcohol or enter houses of ill repute till 21. I am not suggesting either are healthy practices or that either are things that young people should be doing. But there is no reason for the discrepancy in ages. Eighteen year olds can fight wars, be prosecuted as adults, have sex with other consenting adults, sign legal documents, and vote but they can't buy beer. Either eighteen yr. olds are adults or they are not. The same reasons a kid shouldn't be allowed to purchase alcohol are the same reasons they shouldn't vote, have sex with adults, sign legal documents, be prosecuted as an adult, and go to war. Young people need to be given full responsibility.
The quality of education in High Schools and the application of law to education is a mess. Teacher's unions step in with self-serving protests anytime substantive changes are suggested for improving schools. Cost of education keeps rising while at the same time the quality is continually diluted. It seems anytime politicians tinker with education disaster results. The worst of it all is college athletics. College athletic departments are sacrificing smaller men's programs to their hungry football teams, excusing the act because football teams are revenue generators. I have no beef with women's athletics and inclusion of women in sports. Women should be allowed to play. What should not be allowed is wholesale destruction of other men's athletic programs. Perhaps, money generating programs should be allowed to "buy" the right to unequal scholarships. A revenue generating football team or basketball team shouldn't count against the overall total.
What is worse though, is that athletes in money generating sports and programs are exploited in my opinion. People complain that male athletes fail to graduate, cheat, womanize, and party. They have no incentive to behave in any other way. Many athletes come from underperforming schools and teachers have inflated their grades to maintain their eligibility. They go to school with very little money of their own and no academic preparation. So what's a poor college student to do for cash when he isn't allowed to work (several programs ban student athletes from taking jobs) or he simply doesn't have time to? Simple, accept money from boosters. What is worse colleges use money and lavish parties to attract high school recruits. It is not unheard of for current students to take high school kids with them to on campus parties. Colleges earn millions of dollars from athletes yet claim no responsibility at all for the well being of the athlete when he is not performing. Is this a political issue? No. Should it be? Yes.
It's Monday morning and I feel sluggish and stupid. Everybody read this blog. It'll be good for you.
11.03.2002
Now that Google has decided that my site is worthy of being searched I have looked at the search queries that bring up my site. Thus far most of them have been about jeans - Levi Jeans. Also, one person was looking for "Howard Fineman Strip". I am going to assume that the person meant comic strip. Or maybe Howard Fineman has some really devoted fans.
Somebody tried to kidnap Victoria Beckham.
Another sex related blog. I suppose sex has a way of being infiltrating every online phenomenon. (I came thisclose to using the unfortunate phrase "penetrating every online phenomenon")
I haven't read the book and have no intention to now really but this review from Robert H. Bork (yes that Bork) is a delicious read - if you are not a left-wing idealogue. Sorry, I couldn't resist making a snide remark.
Notre Dame goes down.
Another sex related blog. I suppose sex has a way of being infiltrating every online phenomenon. (I came thisclose to using the unfortunate phrase "penetrating every online phenomenon")
I haven't read the book and have no intention to now really but this review from Robert H. Bork (yes that Bork) is a delicious read - if you are not a left-wing idealogue. Sorry, I couldn't resist making a snide remark.
Notre Dame goes down.
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