The Daily News

1   I don’t know about any of you, but I managed to dodge the Wednesday bullet!

2   Yee-HEEEEEEEE!

3   Wednesdays we have meetings.

4   As most of you know, I LOVE meetings.

5   Except when I have to go to them.

6   Meh.

7   I am going to risk all sorts of things by saying this: most meetings are a complete and total waste of time.

8    For the record, this one wasn’t.

9    I became engaged in all sorts of multi-colored papers telling me what I should be doing in order to improve education/

10   Normally, I hate meetings, but this one: omg.

11   Wah-la.

12   We teachers should always soldier to the findings of people who either have been out of the classroom for years, or who have simply never taught.

13   As most of you know, I’m all ears when it comes to amateurs telling teachers how to teach. Like most of you, I am happy to have people who have no idea about my work tell me how to do my work. I think it’s a grand idea. Let us expand:

14   Maybe we should have the citizens tell the cops how to police. Personally, as a citizen, I think police should put their guns down and try to communicate, using zen, chi, and mysticism. Maybe we should have moviegoers tell film directors how to direct.

15   Or maybe we should have the families of doctors tell doctors how to doct.

16   What a story!

17   Yeesh.

18    So yes, it was quite a good time having a fifteen or sixteen-page document outlining things that we have to do, written by people who have either been out of the classroom for years, or by parents who have never taught, or by teachers who might have remained silent because other voices intimidated. The result: this fifteen or sixteen-page document outlining things we have to do. A camel is indeed a horse created by a committee. Living proof.

19   There were some amazing things they asked us to do, like magically make test scores for low achievers improve ten per cent.

20   I’ll try that. How did I never think of that? So simple! Why not shoot for a hundred per cent, by next year?

21   The entire state of California’s teachers have been unable to do that for a bazillion years, but I can imagine we could achieve that goal. I just need to envision it.

22   So I’m excited, just for the record.

23   I can’t wait to see how our school can improve things that much by next year.

24   I’m proud to be a part of that process.

25   Moving on, Part the First: On a better note, yesterday I did a few things that were fun. As always, I had my students write vocabulary sentences, and the had the groups write the sentences on the board.

26   As always, when they approached the board, I played some songs from Curious George. Jack Johnson’s wonderful Upside Down has become the anthem of my classroom. They always enjoy this, and I always enjoy going through this vocab ritual.

27   I was excited to get that done. Earlier in the morning I stumbled upon a dusty VHS of Godspell, arguably the best show I ever directed. When I first arrived at YB, I did musical direction for that wonderful show, but I never directed it. When we finally got Ponch and Shawna, I decided to go in. The result was one of the most charming shows we ever did. And yesterday morning I found the VHS, which had disappeared for a few years. I was pretty happy.

28   I got to school early in order to set up the video.

29   After the vocab sentences, the students were ready for more drama lessons.

30   I put on Godspell. I told them about how Godspell is a series of creative skits telling the Gospel story according to St. Matthew. I told them how when my cast did the song Save the People, they went into the audience and painted the faces of all the kids. It was adorable! The cast dazzled those kids.

.31   I told my students about how Godspell used what I used to call Uncle Sluggo’s, skits in which a narrator would begin narrating, and the people in each skit would act out the narration. Here is basically what I said:

32   “For example, if the narrator says, ‘Once upon a time, in a  beautiful forest , the sun came up faster than usual.’ ” I then said, “A performer could suddenly pop up from behind a chair, spread his or her arms, and break into a huge smile. They would be the sun!”

33   They loved it. Continuing.

34    “The narrator could then say, ‘That same day, a beautiful young girl named Little Red Riding Hood skipped through the forest and looked up at the early sun.’

35    <girl comes out skipping wearing a red hooded sweater> Back to the narrator:

36   “She looked up at the sun and said, ‘Oh, what an early sun! I think I’ll get some goodies together in a basket and go visit Grandma!’ “

37     The key to an Uncle Sluggo is that once the narrator says, “She looked up at the sun and said…” that the narrator stops, and it is Little Red Riding Hood who says, “Oh, what an early sun…”

38    The skit could then continue. Performers could become the sun. They could become cathedrals, trees, or even jails. Godspell showed my students that sort of outside-the-box creativity.

39   So I showed them bits and pieces of Godspell.

40    I showed them songs. I showed them Gabe and Jeremy, and Raul, and all the rest of that magical cast.

41    I don’t know if they were as dazzled as was I, but it was pretty fun watching that small miracle playing in the background of my lessons all day. 

42   The copy was pretty good, and I put the sound through my Altecs. We used microphones beautifully in that show. Considering it was a VHS, the sound quality was relatively good

43   I really wanted the students to understand that imagination and creativity are paramount to critical thinking. 

44   When Rhonda sang Day by Day, the classroom fell silent. The connection was Stephen Schwartz, who did the music and lyrics to Wicked. The lighting swirled and twirled, the tree silhouetted, and the cast loved.

45  Yesterday the past and the present connected.

46   I fully intend to bring more Godspell into these lessons, because we are well into a drama unit. 

47   I don’t need a fifteen or sixteen-page document outlining things that we have to do.

48    I have the past. I have former students teaching present students through singing, dancing, acting, and being soulful and being filled with love.

49   Godspell traveled through the years of the Drama Workshop, and still rains its magic over all of us. When Jennifer and the cast made it rain by snapping fingers, pattering knees, and stomping floors, a rain storm happened. 

50   Come sing about love.

51   I can’t wait to get to school today. As always, I am well into the four a.m. and will now go back under the covers. I may show On the Willows, We Beseech Thee, and the Finale.

52   When I awaken, I’ll edit this stuff, and then go in. 

53   I may even let you know when I awaken.

54   Have a GREAT day. I know I’m going to. I’m awake. See you again.

55   Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

 

 

The Daily News

1  I think I have officially skipped my twenty-first Oscars’ show in a row.

2   I won’t go into why; it’s just a bit too full of glitz, glam, and show-offs for my liking.

3   I really want to see an awards show that awards daily schmucks for hauling their butts out of bed to go to jobs that are utterly tedious and nerve-wracking, and who do so with healthy attitudes. 

4    On my way to visit Dad yesterday I started thinking about local awards I would give to certain people who I think work just as hard as people in the Industry.

5    Here are some things awards I came up with:

6    Best Guy Who Carries Around Poison Award: Our Orkin guy, hands down. He is the nicest guy with poison you will ever meet. He sort of looks like a caveman dressed in an Orkin suit. He always smiles and chats. He likes my dog. Just the other day he gave me a handful of glue envelopes for cockroaches. I’m not sure what message I was getting, but I do give him the Best Guy Who Carries Around Poison Award.

7   Best Old Lady Who Works at Walgreens Award: The old white-haired lady at the Walgreens on Landess. She always smiles and says things with this odd manner of speech in which her voice goes from high to low on different syllables. Imagine the caps being high notes and the uncaps being low: ”HAL-lo…HOWA you?….THAT’S nice…HAVE A GOOD day!” She IS Walgreens. Hands down winner.

8   Best Bartender in Town Award: James at Henry’s Hi-Life. No one is better. He always sets me up with free root beers and whistles. He has a stool reserved for Dave Righetti. He lives and dies for his Giants. Ribs, root beer and James. Winner.

9   Best Pho Gal in Town: The little gal who runs the Ca Mau on Quimby Road, right next to Kragen’s. I know what you’re thinking. “He’s a white guy. What does he know about  Asian stuff?” Look. I’m not EVEN gonna lie. I’m a big white guy who probably eats more Pho than anyone else in town. This place treats you like you are the mayor. It is clean, friendly, and even features veggie pho! The lady who runs the place is the nicest person on the planet, and she works her tail off every single day. She deserves this reward. Winner.

10   Best School Custodians: We have three winners. Rafa, Vernon, and Francisco, the holy trio at my school. They’ll do anything for you, and all three are friendly and helpful. Great dudes. Trifecta. winners.

11   Best Waiters in Town. The guys on the night shift during the week at Original Joe’s downtown. They are STILL the best, even after the passing of the late, great Randy Ritchie. These guys are fast, witty, and and quick to clean up a spill. AND they are already dressed in Award Show tuxes. Winners.

12   Best Underrated Bookstore Greeter: The guy at Barnes and Noble at Eastridge. He doesn’t say much, but no one is better. Probably because no one else does that. 

13   Best Small Store Owner: The gal who runs the former 7-11 on Cropley. She calls everyone who comes in, “Friend,” and sometimes gives people down on their luck free coffee or sandwiches. She is a saint. Plus she loves her dog with all her heart. I walk in and she lights up, and says, “Hi Friend!” Sweet gal. Total winner.

14   Best Local Icon: The Beehive Lady of Berryessa. She’s this lady who is up there in years but still sports a 50′s beehive do. She can be seen at Bingo parties, art and wine fairs, churches, and anywhere where there are horses.

15   Best Crossing Guards: Any that don’t smile, point, or wave at cars. 

16   Best Roadside Owner: The owner of the Swanton Berry Farm near Davenport. Not only does he have a nostalgic, quaint place, he also has the best spiced apple cider on the planet. AND he has free jam tasting. AND he runs the place on an honor system! You get what you want, you go to this banking box, you pay what you need, and you make your own change. I’m too East Side to rap my head around that one. 

 

17   Best Homeless Guy: The guy who sits outside the Starbuck’s by Mi Pueblo on the Capitol Expressway and Story. He dresses in a Cat-in-the-Hat sort of outfit, decorates the rocks on the island he has usurped, and  often holds a sign that says, “Shitty Advice.” I’ve almost asked him stuff a number of times, just to see what kinds of advice he gives. Technically, he has to schlep off to that job too, and he occasionally gets run off by the cops, but he seems more contented than most people walking around. He seems to be a mellow fellow. He is far and away the Best Homeless Guy in Town. Winner.

18   Best News Reporter: This guy. Nah. Just kidding. I had to throw that in. 

19   The Best News Reporter: Joe Rodriguez of the Merc News. Winner.

20   Best Sportswriter: Purdy. Winner.

21   Best Artist: The guy who sold the town aldermen on the idea that a Pile-of-Poop statue should be our city’s showcase work of art. It was supposed to look something like this:

22   But it came out like this:

23  Are you also amazed and no not what to say?

24   Another blow against the Empire. 

25   Sue me. Sue me.

26   Shoot bullets through me. 

27   Moving on, Part the First: Anybody else enjoy the tease of the past few days? I went to the beach twice, and yesterday at noon I sat with my Dad in his backyard eating a sandwich and listening to the ball game. Birds tweeted, baseball played, and I pretended I was at the game. 

28   With John Miller announcing, I WAS at the game. 

29   Nothing like a sunny day sitting around listening to a ball game with your Dad. 

30    Spring fever. 

31    Moving on, Part Two: I told my Dad that I have been eating healthier lately. We fell into a conversation about healthy eating, and it moved to Tahoe, as do many of our conversations. 

32     I told him that one of my favorite pizzas is this veggie Greek salad pizza at this pub called The Brewery in South Tahoe.

33     He asked me where it was, and I told him it was about a mile south of Harrah’s, near the Bikini store. 

35     I also told him that every time my daughters would talk about going to the Brewery and the Bikini store, I always quip, “We should go today. I hear the Bikinis are half off!” ,groan!>

36     Not my fault! Not my fault! Get off me!

37     Dad asked if I could help him do a little yard work the other day, and for some reason his electric edger wasn’t working. He asked me if I could take a knife and do the edging on the front lawn, and I said, “Sure.” I was wearing shorts, so I went into his garage to get a small board that I could kneel on so my knees wouldn’t get grass-stained. 

38    He had mowed most of the lawn, and then sat down in a chair and said, “I’m out of gas.” 

39   I said, “Well, you’re not a young guy.”

40   He said, “I ran out of gas, and the gas container is also out of gas. I gas we can’t cut the lawn.”

41   Apple.

42   Tree.

43    I returned to trimming the grass using a knife and a board to protect my knees. 

44    After a while he walked over to see how I was doing. I looked up and said, “You know why I’m doing this, don’t you?”

45     He looked slightly confused. 

46     “Because I’m bored of education!” <you are hereby entitled to a second groan.>

47     I’m not really. I had a pretty restful week, and a fun weekend with my Dad. I’m tanned, rested, and ready.

48     I think I’ll put this guy to bed for the night. 

49     I need a little more rest before I jump back into the pool that is school.

50     Lousy analogy, but then, when haven’t I delivered them?

51     I like that it showed where my mind is right now. 

52     Half-off=Bikini puns, pools, and summer. 

53     It all has to start somewhere.

54     So we’re baaaaaack!

55     It’s Monday. Fly low. Avoid the miscreants. Coffee break is over. Back on your heads. Old joke. I’ll tell it some other time. See you again.

56     Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

  Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daily News

1   Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

2   I had already written a darned good DN this morning when Windows decided to upgrade my stuff.

3   I had well over fifty items, all philosophical and with a whole bunch of stupid thrown in when the entire thing caved in on itself.

4    I talked all about Valentine’s Day, and all its stuff.

5    It was all a bunch of blather, so no great loss.

6    I had completely finished it, and was ready to put it and me to bed, when Windows decided to upgrade and re-start my laptop.

7     

8   My laptop has been shaky lately.

9   It’s my belief that it is on its way out.

10  Most of my computer-savvy friends agree.

11  Something about the motherboard.

12  I have to turn the power on by pushing the escape button. That should tell you something.

13  Sometimes it comes on immediately; other times it won’t start for a half hour.

14  So it re-started okay, but it didn’t save my tear-jerking Valentine’s piece.

15 

16   Okay, so it wasn’t tear jerking.

17    It just covered the topic.

18   Valentine’s Day, it said, is good for young people who are “in love.”

19    It is awesome at my school, because they go red roses.

20    When I ran activities, the entire leadership area became a sea of red roses and love grams.

21   I launch Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing today. Roses, love, and chocolate will mingle with poetry all day.

22   It’s absolutely romantic. It’s absolutely magical.

23    It’s also a tad ghastly.

24    I always subdue Valentine’s Day though, because I know that it breaks a lot of hearts.

25    I think of the thousands of Charlie Browns out there who don’t get Valentines.

26    I think of people who have just had their hearts broken, and how difficult it must be for them.

27     Heck, I even think of adults who have just had their hearts broken.

28    So it’s a bittersweet day, I guess.

29    Some people absolutely loathe Valentine’s Day.

30    Moving on, Part One: The best thing about Valentine’s Day is that the day AFTER Valentine’s Day you can get Dove chocolates at half price.

31    I once wrote a play called Morning which dealt with broken hearts and the magic of chocolate.

32   The tag line was this: “All you need isn’t love. All you need is chocolate.”

33   Maybe that will sweeten Valentine’s Day for you.

34    I do believe that you should send out love and prayers to everyone you love today. That’s a nice thing.

35    Moving on, Part Two: Interestingly, there’s this old film playing on TCM right now, The Americanization of Emily, starring James Garner and Julie Andrews. I haven’t really followed the plot because I have been wrangling with writing this, but there is this great departure scene where Garner is told by Andrews that she doesn’t love him.

36   He is about to board a plane for the invasion of Normandy, and she breaks his heart.

37    He first calls her a bitch, then turns around.

38    He is eating a Hershey bar, a running theme of the film. Because of the war, a lot of things were cut back, including chocolate.

39    For some reason, Garner’s men have a plethora of chocolate.

40    Keep in mind I have been busying myself with writing this, so I have paid no attention to the movie, nor do I have time to remind myself of the plot. Maybe later.

41   When Garner stops and turns, he looks at Andrews perhaps for the last line and lays this parting shot at her: “I want you to remember that the last time you saw me, I was unregeneratively eating a Hershey bar.” He then takes an angry bite and boards the plane.

42    I looked up from writing this and broke into a wry smile.

43    A Valentine’s coincidence!

44    So love, love LOVE today.

45    And at some point, spoil yourself.

46    Tomorrow all Dove chocolates will be half price.

47    Or whatever your favorite chocolate is.

48    Sneak off to any store and spoil yourself.

49    As for today, nearly anyone will share with you.

50    Have some chocolate.

51    Pamper yourself.

52    Valentine’s is only once a year.

53    Thank God.

54    Have a lovely day. With the help of sweets, you shall endure. Go forth.

55    Peace.

~H~

 

www.xanga.com/bharrington

 

 

 

                

 

 

The Daily News

1  I didn’t really listen to the State of the Union address. I guess I should have, but I knew exactly what it was going to be. “Things have never been better…” and blah, blah, blah.

2   New plans.

3   Interrupted applause.

4   Rebuttal by Repubz.

5   And blah, blah, blah.

6   Just another sideshow.

7   I used to get into those.

8   Within a day or two, the same stuff will resume.

9   I don’t really believe a war has ended, or that we won’t be sending more troops somewhere else. Who believes that?

10  When in our lifetime have we ever been at peace?

11  Don’t worry. I won’t rant.

12  Too tired.

13  Moving on, Part One: I guess my hand is forced on the Dorner story.

14  My read: there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

15  This story has so much potential corruption and lies that it almost isn’t worth following.

16  It seems to have an agenda; I’m just not sure what.

17  It’s too bizarre. I’ll just watch Facebook, and whatever everybody agrees on has something to do with the agenda.

18  I have read too much over the years about the thought police, and they are pretty good at what they do.

19  Something is clearly not right with this story, and I’m going to need to do a little research before before commenting too much further.

20  I do know that if you want to get to the truth of a breaking story you need to pay attention to every second of every early report.

21   A story of this magnitude is going to have tons of conflicting reports. The fact that they heard a gunshot and that the place burned down immediately thereafter, and that they aren’t REALLY sure if it is the guy instills fear. Fear is what they want. Whoever that might be. 

22  This story smacks of what the CIA calls “Psy Ops.” Big story to destabilize everyone, and to instill fear into the minds of the masses.

23  I have no idea what the agenda is, but this is too weird of a story for it not to have an agenda. I’ve seen too many of these over the years.

24  Anytime you have anything involving the LAPD, there is going to be a rat somewhere. 

25  My guess is it is to prevent an investigation of corruption and racism in the LAPD.

26  Like we didn’t know that was happening.

27  I think it has a lot to do with that. “We shouldn’t let the behavior of this madman dictate investigations and blah, blah, blah.”

28  And it shouldn’t. Prediction: no investigation.

29   Moving on, Part Two: On the other hand, this entire thing steers attention away from the Pope’s retirement.

30   The Vatican is a pretty corrupt place, and one of the richest places on the planet.

31   The Pope is leaving in a few weeks?

32   Interesting how Popes change hands.

33   The Vatican is a world cash cow.

34   It’s history of corruption is long and involved.

35    Maybe the Dorner story is a diversionary tactic. I know nothing about Pope Benedict except that like most popes, he is old, has white hair, and dresses funny.

36   I do know a lot about the history of the Vatican, and how they helped Nazi’s escape through a rat line at the end of World War II.

37    My source is a 1984 book called In God’s Name by David Yallop, among others. In God’s Name is an explosive investigation into the death of Pope John Paul I, who was about to blow the whistle on Vatican corruption. He purportedly died of food poisoning, but this book blows that theory to smithereens.

38   All apologies to my Catholic friends out there, but when you have a tax-free area of the world where gold and money pour in, there is liable to be someone at the other end bathing in the glow of that gold.

39   The Vatican reminds me of Scrooge McDuck’s house.

40    LOTS of money.

41    LOTS of corruption, with due respect to Uncle Scrooge fans. 

42    Moving on, Part the Thoid: Don’t worry. I won’t rant.

43    The State of the Union has never been better.

44    I know, because my President told me last night.

45    The State of the Union has never been worse.

46    I know, because some Repub with twitches told me.

47    We don’t know if we caught this distorted ex-cop. He might be dead. He might not be. Stay in your homes. Remain scared.

48    The State of Your Mind must continue to live in absolute fear.

49    Buncha nonsense.

50    I think I’m going to curl under a blanket and watch an old movie.

51    This crap is outta control.

52     Who needs it?

53     Don’t worry. I won’t rant.

54     Have a wonderful day.

55     I’m gonna curl under a blanket.

56     And fear nothing.

57     Have a good day.

58     Peace.

~H~

 

www.xanga.com/bharrington

 

It’s Fat Tuesday!!!

Pitchers and Catchers Report

For Duty!!!

               The Daily News

1   Happy Fat Tuesday, AND pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training!!!

2    If you’re a baseball fan, that’s good news. Heck, if you enjoy the Spring that is good news!!!

3    It IS Fat Tuesday, correct?

4    If you enjoy the Spring, then here is the first real sign..

5    It sorta works for me. Can’t wait!!!

6    Moving on, Part the First: My classroom has Renaissance masks hanging on the walls. Interestingly, they aren’t creepy. They are the work of many students over the past few years. To me, they add to the happy atmosphere to my classroom.

7    I do enjoy teaching.

8    My students make masks in the coming weeks. They study the Renaissance as preparation for Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing, my play of choice for this Shakespearean season’s English 2A classes.

9    Teaching becomes instantly fun when February hits.

10  We study love, beginning on Valentine’s Day. I teach seasonally. As I teach these wonderful plays, roses get delivered all over campus. 

11   It is fun.

12   It is a celebration, and it is a lot of fun.

13   As always, I ask my freshmen how many have read Romeo and Juliet.

14   Two hands per class.

15   They have no idea.

16    It is odd as an adult thinking that there are people out there who haven’t a clues as to the plot of Romeo and Juliet.

17     I think back to when I was young, and somehow I had gotten through my junior year without having read Romeo and Juliet, let alone any other Shakespearean play.

18    I assumed, as do many students, that he was far too difficult for me to handle.

19    I was too busy with trying to live as a teenager than to give too much thought to something as heady as Romeo and Juliet.

20    When I finally saw the film, I stood astounded. I couldn’t believe that I could understand it, as well as the power and lushness of its language.

21    I now see it as a doorway play. Young people don’t buy the story as readily as my generation did. We were schooled on films and songs that repeatedly had people falling “in love.”

22   This generation still gets it, but they have seen enough to realize that the plot of Romeo and Juliet makes no sense.

23   How could two people from warring factions fall “in love” and eventually marry, and then die for their love all in a couple of days?

24   I try to counter that with, “You might not, but there are dreamers who might.”

25   The stuff gets heady, and only THEN do we climb into the world of Shakespeare, and of thought, and of poetry.

26   Moving on, Part the Second: I have spent the entire first part of the year attempting to teach writing. I don’t just throw out a bunch of strange words like “gerunds” or “infinitives.” I have gone further than ever before this year, and have them teaching themselves how to use striking words, how to use parallelism, and how to use sentence concisement.

27  I teach the rules of the language. It becomes painful.

28  But I teach the rules. I use a grammar book. I don’t allow them to say, “I seen this guy…”

29   From around early November to February I pummel them with grammar and composition.

30   They are getting good. I often feel like an art teacher, or a music teacher, only with an insistence on not only the rules of the language, but of the nuances of good writing.

31   I just wish I could practice what I preach when I am into the three a.m. writing this folderol!

32   <sigh>

33    Moving on, Part the Thoid: The 1939 Hunchback of Notre Dame is on right now. I think it’s because it is Mardi Gras on TCM. It is the one with Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and Maureen O’ Hara as Esmeralda.

34   It’s a bit perfect working as a backlight to this.

35   Well, maybe a frontlight that seems in the background.

36    It’s fun. Poets, vagabonds and theives.

37    I watch something like that and I can’t understand how the human race ever survived.

38    Somehow it does.

39    I got home late last night. Meetings. Yeesh. What else is new?

40    That usually means that I conk out earlier, and that this becomes quite a chore. I awakened at around three a.m. as I said, and spent a little time on Wastebook, just goofing on all of the inane stuff that seems to drift through.

41   I mustn’t do that.

42    It cuts into my time, and lately, I haven’t had the time to do anything.

43    I have to tread a bit today, and then the remainder of the week should be a tad easier.

44    For now, I think I must needs grab a little rest.

45    Today will be stressful.

46    I guess stress isn’t altogether a bad thing, but it does wear on one.

47    So I’m going to take my carcass back to bed, and I will awaken, edit this stuff, and send it out to the masses.

48    Have a GREAT Mardi Gras day. And have a great Spring training to both the Giants and the A’s. I’m excited about the upcoming season. I’m also excited about the Spring. 

49    See you again.

50    Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

Happy New Year!!!

 The Daily News

1  Chuc Mung Nam Moi and Gung Hay Fat Choy, and a Happy New Year to everyone out there!

2   We had sizzling, cracking, and popping going on the entire weekend. I went to a nearby shopping center to run some materials for school and an entire group was outside this shopping center with drums, rhythms, and a beatiful snake dance that stopped everyone around.

3   I kept watching and smiling as I saw our small community coming out of their houses and enjoying the sunny day, and the great start to a new year. What impressed me was that it was not all Asian; people of all different races had cameras out, smiles on, and hope within.

4   After an entire week of horror stories coming at us from the media, it was nice to see that most people enjoy the cultural richness that defines our community.

5   I had been stuck indoors all day grading papers and planning lessons, and almost made an excuse to get out. Glad I did.

6   So a happy new year to everyone. I always go to this pho place near my school and have gotten to know the people there. The gal who runs the place is really wonderful, and I visited in late December. She hadn’t seen me because of the Christmas break, and was smiling when I came in. I enjoyed my pho, and when I went to pay, she said, “Happy New Year!”

7   I said, “TWO new years! We’re lucky!”

8   She laughed, and her eyes twinkled.

9   Hopefully it will be a good one.

10  I hope you have enjoyed the weekend. I sure did.

11  Moving on, Part the First: I slept through another Grammy Awards. I wish I were better with awards’ shows, but frankly, they bore me.

12  I always think of how I’d love to give awards to guys with regular jobs,guys who work just as hard as all the celebs, but without the glitter and glam.

13   I’d love it if they had “Buttcrack-of-the Year Award” going to the best plumber in town.

14   I dunno.

15   Everybody does something well.

16   Award shows are no longer even about awards. They are about overdone performances, and a bunch of tech. It’s all hype.

17   I’ll hold back.

18   I was more entertained yesterday by regular people enjoying an almost impromtu Tet celebration outside of a small supermarket than I was by Hollywood people posing for an artificially overdone Grammy celebration.

19   Maybe I’m just getting old.

20   Award shows always seem contrived and overdone to me.

21   I couldn’t care less.

22   The media.

23   I swear.

24   Always inventing make-believe worlds.

25   Yellow journalism gone wild.

26   God I’ve become crotchety.

27   I like to think that I have mellowed with age.

28   I just don’t buy into all of the hype, and it is everywhere.

29    Moving on, Part the Second: I’m also a hypocrite, which I claim with a huge Cheshire smile.

30   I buy into sports, for example.

31   That’s always a bunch of hype. But it’s my kind of hype. Anything can happen, and it often does.

32    Iono.

33    To each his or her own, I imagine.

34    His or her.

35    Not trying to be sexist here, but it used to be just “his.” It was designed that way just to keep things easier.

36    I get it, because everything has to be politically correct nowadays.

37    Do people really get that upset about anything grammatical?

38    Most people don’t give a hoot about grammar, at least that’s been my observation since the day I was born.

39   Moving on, Part the Thoid: The dog just awakened. I got to sleep early last night after having worked on school stuff all day, so it is just into the one a.m. and Phoebe is already snorting and shaking. I hear her in the slight distance.

40   She won’t fully awaken until I am ready to conk out. The second I go into my first rapid eye movement she will bark. It’s a guarantee.

41   I will get up with one eye open and the other closed, put on a robe, switch on a light, and open the sliding door to let her bark into the night.

42   She’ll be getting revenge on all the firecrackers and celebraters I’m pretty sure.

43   She isn’t up yet, mind you. Pets aren’t that polite.

44   They wait until you are completely wiped out from the day, and then they get up.

45   How is that?

46   Moving on, Part the Fourth: Ah, meh.

47   Short week.

48   Trying to steer the ship and avoid icebergs.

49    Not easy.

50    I’m glad it’s a new year. It’s like I didn’t really think about the other New Year at Christmas time, because I don’t like that New Year for some reason. It’s boozy and weird to me.

51   I somehow prefer this one. It fascinates me. It is powerful and ancient.

52   I’m grasping at this one for peace, prosperity and hope.

53    I need those things.

54    We all do.

55    Maybe it’s that. Maybe it’s that its focus is on simply living.

56    Have a peaceful, prosperous and hopeful day.

57    I have to turn in, after of course, some barking from my pup. She has peace, prosperity and hope every day.

58    See you again.

59    Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daily News

1   I love coincidences, as anyone knows.

2   Yesterday morning I wrote about how I thought all day was Friday, right?

3    Later in the day some kid said, “Isn’t today Wednesday?”

4    Coincidences. Yeesh.

5    The other day when my sophomores had come in after having taken the California High School Exit Exam, I decided that my students needed a break from all the prepping, grammar, gerunds, and headaches.

6   I told them that I would let them watch a movie, just to rest their heads.

7   I thought I had Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, but when I looked, I couldn’t find it. We had just read Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron, so it seemed good timing.

8    I made a promise that evidently I couldn’t keep.

9    I looked into my box of films worthy of discussion, saw Ed TV and thought it might be worthy of philosophical discussion.

10   I also saw The Sixth Sense, which I didn’t show during the Heidi/Halloween stories. It’s a long story, but I usually show that at the end of the unit as a punctuation mark for my entire ghosts/ myths in literature unit.

11   I thought Ed TV would be more interesting and would move the class forward during this transition from the holidays to Valentine’s Day, when I begin Romeo and Juliet.

12   I teach seasonally.

13   I use American marketing to augment my lessons. I’ve been through that concept before. Why not use advertising to keep my students interested in things?

14   It works.

15   Ed TV would have been a great transition. An entire generation of people are now being filmed every minute of their lives. They know no other way. A camera goes on them and they organically pose.

16   My generation didn’t really have that. We got filmed and cameraed also, but not 24/7. We were taught to think about our pose and say of all things, “Cheeeeese!”

17   The newer generation has everyone taking pictures of them constantly, and then posting them all over the web. They have set smiles, and set ways of instantly posing.

18   They still say “Cheeeeese!” in traditional poses, but these guys are professionals at posing, make no mistake. When people take my picture, I never think to stage a smile. I’m usually caught in transition from human being to horse.

19   That’s why I thought Ed TV would be an interesting topic for discussion.

20   But Ed TV was on VHS, and my VHS player is about a hundred years old, and is slowing down to a putter.

21   On the other hand, I have a brand new DVD of The Sixth Sense.

22   My challenge is that I don’t want to go backwards seasonally. I like to move forward every single day, and put the past in its proper place.

23   When my students came in, I looked at the dusty, faded box that held Ed TV, and I looked at the bright packaging of The Sixth Sense and realized instantly that the latter would serve better.

24   Without hesitation I introduced the students to The Sixth Sense.

25   Suddenly I was hurled back to the entire ghost unit.

26   Things turned strange pretty quickly. The room was cold when I first arrived yesterday, so I set it at sixty-nine, because once I set if for seventy it gets overly warm and muggy.

27   I turned down the lights, put on the film, and everything traveled back three months.

28   About fifteen minutes into the film, my room turned cold. The entire thing became unworldly.

29   Coincidence, I’m quite certain.

30   After the same thing happened with my next class, I had to turn the heater up to seventy-two.

31   My next class came in, and one girl said, “It’s so warm in here!” I explained that we had been watching a film about ghosts the past two periods, and that the room had turned cold, and that was the reason it was so nice and warm now.

32   Later in the period, two girls were talking about another girl, and one said, “What is her name?”

33   “Heidi,” the other responded.

34   Moving on, part the First: Some fun.

35   I have a hand saw in my room, which I use occasionally for building puppet theaters, or for building mini-sets when my students do skits. That same girl asked me, “Mr. H, why do you have a saw in your room?”

36   My response: “A saw is a story, or saying, which is literary. I also leave things out  that foreshadow what I am going to teach. In the typewriter over there, for example, I put a scrapbook entitled ’Hamlet’ in it just yesterday. It’s a mini-scrapbook that some students worked on in my Shakespeare unit last year. They let me keep it, so I planted it over there because we are going into Shakespeare next week. Valentine’s Day. Romeo and Juliet. Midsummer. It’s all part of the scheme.”

37  ”I teach seasonally.”

38   She got that.

39   The room remained nicely warm the remainder of the day.

40   I had a nice break after that class, an hour-and-a half. I straigtened up my room, went off campus for a bit to get some lunch, and returned for my last class of the day.

41   Just after the bell rang, a girl who is prone to coincidences came to me with a script she had been working on with students in her drama class.

42    It was a script she and her fellow thespians had put together.

43    It was a rap version of Hamlet.

44    Her desk sits right next to the typewriter with the other Hamlet project on it.

45    Coincidence, I suppose.

46    Sometimes, man.

47     Ah, good times.

48     Moving on, Part the Second: That same period another kid said, “Hey Mr. H, our grammar exercises are about cockroaches!”

49    ”Yes?”

50     Some of our classmates think the pronunciation is wrong, and that we should insert some mysterious “a” so that it is pronounced “cacaroach.”

51    I put on a wry smile. With no hesitation, I responded with this:

52    ”There’s a reason I have a job.”

53     There sure is. 

54      Late.

55      I gottago.

56      Have a wonderful weekend.

57      See you again.

58      Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington