Month: February 2013

  •  


    The Daily News

    1  IT'S NOT FRIDAY???

    2  Ever have one of those Thursdays?

    3  Just happened.

    4  Thursday nights are garbage nights in my area.

    5   Last night I was about to take the garbage out to the street when I remembered it was Wednesday.

    6   You know how it is. Once the idea that it is a day later occurs to you, you keep thinking it is a day later. 

    7   I woke up into the late four a.m. and smiled, because I knew it was Friday, a classic fly-low day in Cali.

    8   And then the horror emerged. 

    9   The reality set in. 

    10  It's THURSDAY???

    11  Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. 

    12  Normally I'm a Thursday sort of fellow. I usually love it because Wednesdays are meetings' days, and you know how much I loves me some meetings.

    13  Because of state testing, we didn't have meetings yesterday, a rare Wednesday sans meetings.

    14  It wasn't a skate, mind you.

    15  I still had normal life irritations happening. They never go away.

    16  It foreshadowed yesterday when my students departed, and I shouted at them, "Don't forget you have  a vocab test tomorrow!"

    17  <basketball buzzer> "It's Thursday Mr. H! Our test is on Friday!"

    18  And later into the night I almost put the garbage in the street.

    19   And now I awaken to Thursday.

    20   Moving on, Part the First: If you have to error about what day it is, your best day to error is probably Thursday. 

    21    Still.

    22    I wake up screaming. I swear to you.

    24    Hey.

    25    If waking up a day early is my problem, I got no problems.

    26    I pretty much eliminated the word problem from my vocab years ago. 

    27    I once talked with a few positive, spirited young people who convinced me that we should replace the word "problem" with the word "challenge."

    28    It has worked swimmingly. 

    29    Ha.

    30    "Swimmingly." I watch too much TCM.

    31    "Darling, you handled that challenge swimmingly!"

    32    "I couldn't have done it without you, darling!"

    33     I love it.

    34     Moving on, Part the Second: Phoebe the Pooch doesn't seem to care what day it is. She thinks it is time to get up, and keeps slipping out to our living room looking for a handout.

    35    I slept an extra hour last night because I got to bed later than normal, so she is disoriented. I gave her breakfast, which is done every night. I split her breakfast into two halves. She gets the first half during my insomnia, and the second half way later in the morning.

    36   She's disoriented because she thinks it is later than it is, and I think it is Friday.

    37   Confusion abounds.

    38   We exist on a space ship that seems to have entered a weird time warp.

    39   Normal things aren't happening here on a Thursday.

    40   The coffee should have come on.

    41   It has not. 

    42   Is it set?

    43   I don't know.

    44   The clock radio, which ordinarily pops on at five a.m. sits silent, like someone who wants to tell you something.

    45   Everything else is happening ordinarily, but the universe seems at odds in a clumsy sort of way this morning. 

    46   If the clock were at 5:59 I would feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

    47   Classic.

    48   I remember once seeing some meme likening medical school to Groundhog Day. Same day. Over and over. 

    49   Okay, the real world has finally awakened.

    50   The clock radio has begun blasting me with KGO's staccato bad news. The only reason I listen to KGO anymore is for morning traffic. That station deserves nothing more. It is owned and controlled, and were it not for traffic, I would boycott it with a bullhorn. 

    51   The coffee is bubbling calmly, as always. Coffee. Fresh brewed coffee. Nice.

    52    Phoebe, my little Charley, has been spoiled with her second breakfast, and will surely benefit from all the confusion. 

    53    I have normally already written this rubbish and have gone back for a few more hours of sleep.

    54    It's okay, because it's Friday, right?

    55    Argggggggggh!

    56    I'm going back to sleep for around fifteen.

    57    Meanwhile, have a GREAT Thursday.

    58    Fly low, and leave yourself enough petrol for tomorrow.

    59    See you again.

    60    Peace.

    ~H~


    www.xanga.com/bharrington


     

  • a a a crab nebula 1 
    a a a music 14 I love music a a a stonehenge a a a Alice 1 Cheshire cat a a a Alice 2 Alice a a a Alice 4 painting the roses red a a a Alice door knob
    The Daily News
    1  Ah, yeesh.

    2  I'm trying like crazy to get this off in the 7 p.m. last night.

    3  I'm obviously doing it.

    4   Cabaret is singing to me from the always vigilant teevee.

    5   Yeesh.

    6   Not what I expected.

    7   Well, I might as well address the Niners once again.

    8   Dudes.

    9   It's now all drivel.

    10  What happened happened.

    11  I free you now to stop.

    12  End it. 

    13  Time to start living again.

    14  Let's change the topic. Time to move on. I look at it like when a show would close. Students would bathe in their glory for one day. Any more than that and everyone around them starts to walk in another direction. You strike a set right after a show for a reason. You can't live there for a week. The world gives you one day, in a pretty grim and unforgiving way. They will sympathize with what you have done, pat you on the back, but that's about it. Families can talk about it forever, of course, but people won't put up with it. So let's move on.

    15    Moving on, Part One: On my end, my students took one of a bazillion bubble tests yesterday.

    16    I proctored, and I was pretty vigilant. 

    17    I was put in a classroom that had only twenty students.

    18    Three teachers proctored. 

    19    Pretty good coverage.

    20    I left me with a little time to read the test.

    21    Almost every single question had something to do with things I taught.

    22    The only two vocabulary words that appeared on the test were words that I taught this year!

    23    I pumped my fist and kissed my arm tattoos.

    24    Might not sound like much to the lay person.

    25    Sidebar: Liza Minnelli was a helluve a sexy actress in her prime. Am I aloud to say that?

    26    Mein herr.

    27    What a performance!

    28    <sigh>
    29    Sometimes. 

    30    I lost track of where I was, and I'm quite certain that this news makes YOU sigh.

    31    So I'll cut my own bragging short. 

    32    What I taught was totally on this bubble test. 

    33    My students who took the test came in thanking me. 

    34    Aw, shucks folks, I'm speechless. 

    35    Made me smile. 

    36    I neither won nor lost a Super Bowl, but I definitely loved that all my work helped those kids. 

    37    Hubris, hubris, hubris. 

    38    Thank the pacing guide, not me. The District told me what to teach and I taught it.

    39    In my own inimitable way.

    40    Okay, hubris, hubris, hubris.

    41    I was so proud of them.

    42    They did it, and I know they did it.

    43    Pretty good coaching, excellent players. 

    44    There was applause, because I insisted they give themselves applause for staying with all my jawing. 

    45    I'm really proud of my students tonight. 

    46    Last night.

    47    This testing throws all of us into some sort of strange schedule that nobody really knows for which to prepare. 
     
    48    One girl came into my room yelling, "Mr. Harrington, they had din on the test, and I knew what it was!!!"
     
    50   Din for the layperson, is excessive noise, as in a classroom.
     
    51   It was on the test. Touchdown.
     
    52   And I'm over the Niners. Clearly. I clean out my locker today.
     
    53    We have another testing day today, and then we return to normal, whatever that is. I won the big one yesterday, which was the English portion. So yeah. I clean out my locker later toda. 
     
    54    So I awakened into the 3 a.m. to finish this thing off, and I must now needs get some sleep. Testing changes one's entire daily routine.
     
    55   So good night world, good night Liza, and good night to all.
     
    56   And good mornin'. 
     
    57    See you again. And yeah, I'm over the Niners. It must be clear as a final whistle.
     
    58   Peace.
     
    ~H~

     

      
  • The Daily News

    1   I'm already over the Niners' stuff.

    2   I have a saloon to run.

    3   It is now into the six p.m. yesterday.

    4   I am a walking dichotomy.

    5   I am over the Niners' stuff, and yet it keeps coming back and to haunt me.

    6   But like most of you, I'm over it.

    7   I'm now into the sunset hour of yesterday.

    8   I'm listening to some Allman Brothers and trying to enjoy Bonnie and Clyde, this weird film from WAY back-in-the-day.

    9   Yay.

    10  The Niners's stuff still haunts me because the stupid media won't stop with their relentless pursuit of all that happened.

    11  <yawn>

    12   Dude it happened. Get over it.

    13   I tend to like what is going on now.

    14   The trouble is, nothing really is.

    15    Honestly, the entire Niner thing is all about this: that was not an ending, it was a beginning.

    16    I'm proud of my Niners, and nobody will ever convince me otherwise.

    17    It was just so bizarre.

    18    Instead, I'm sitting here the night before swaying to some old music and some old movie.

    19    It is sunset. I'm with my puppy Phoebe who is around a hundred-fifty in dog years.

    20    She's my pal.

    21    She's Charley, and Steinbeckian, if there is such a word.

    22    It''s quiet.

    23    It's somewhat reflective.

    24    It's about as bizarre as that game.

    25    I must move silently into the present.

    26    Which is now.

    27    Nobody is home.

    28     Well, nobody except me and Charley.

    29     Bonnie is now reading this horrible poem to Clyde.

    30    In the kitchen the Allman Brothers are playing Desdemona, an awesome blues tune. It's blasting out of my iPod.

    31    My computer just went into CAPS LOCK, one of the most irritating inventions in the history of computers.

    32    The outrageously soulful Desdemona continues to rock my early eve.

    33    I'm still bereaving.

    34    But I trying desperately to keep from saying to myself "Don't Stop Bereaving."

    35    Sorry.

    36    I swear to you.

    37    Yesterday I got in there and taught the kids. I came prepared, and delivered the goods.

    38     It's now into the six p.m. Unusual time for me to be doing this. I prefer my insomniacal three a.m. I just got buzzed on my made-up adjective. Hey. Computer. It's my DN, so I can make up any word I want. 

    39     I'm already over the Niner stuff. Honestly.

    40     The dog is barking at nothing.

    41      Next year, Niners' fans.

    42      Don't stop.

    43     The dog is barking at nothing outside. That's her second round of barking.

    44     Niners' fans: it is just the beginning.

    45     Don't stop bereaving. At least for one more day. It tore my heart out. I feel like something was stolen from me. So you have at least one more day of bereaving. 

    46     But more important, don't stop believing.

    47     Enough of this.

    48     I have a saloon to run.

    49     I'm over it.

    50     Sort of.

    51     I gottago.

    52      Nah. I'm over it.

    53     Enjoy today.

    54     Put everything in perspective, and let us all move forward.

    55     I kept it pretty low key yesterday. I had to. I had to go in and throw the kitchen sink at my students. It was obvious which ones were Niners' fans. They sported their stuff proudly. At the end of each period, I put on Fleetwood Mac's Landslide from their awesome live album The Dance

    56   They all gathered their backpacks, zipped things up, stood by the door, and I said, "I want to dedicate this song to all the Niners' fans out there."

    57    Each period, during Lindsay Buckingham's classic solo, the bell rang, and they soldiered out. My heart bled for the kids wearing their stuff, because other kids were in their faces, but they stood proudly. That stuff is tough enough on an adult, let alone a high school kid. 

    58    They remained faithful and they stood tall. Landslide worked perfectly. Some of them needed prompting. 

    59    I said, "This is the song that was played in the Super Bowl commercial that featured the guy hugging his horse." They lit up. "Oh yeah!!!" they smiled.

    60    Well I've been afraid of changes 'cuz I built my life around you. 

    61    Time makes you bolder; children get older and I'm getting older too.

    62    I'm getting older too.

    63    Soldiers.

    64    I gottago. But first I gotta get out of CAPS LOCK once again. Useless invention.

    65    See you again.

    66    Peace. 

    ~H~


    www.xanga.com/bharrington







     

           

  • Thanks for a GREAT Season 

    Niners!!!  We Love You Man!!!


    The Daily News

    1   Niners.

    2   <huge sigh>

    3   No jabbering. I'm tired of listening to jabbering.

    4   Great game.

    5   I KNOW there is much more news, but to me?

    6   Great game.

    7    It was one of the greatest Super Bowls in history. It had absolutely everything.

    8    Did the better team win?

    9    I'll leave that for the ages.

    10   Were we robbed by the no-call?

    11   Clearly.

    12   It is what it is.

    13   We could have scored on a call, but there was still time left.

    14   And the Ravens came to play.  They looked unbeatable. Then WE looked unbeatable.

    15   It's still reeling in my head.

    16   So I'll part early. We should never have had to rely on a no-call. And yet...

    17   28-6 with 12:10 left in the third quarter, and the final score 34-31?

    18   Great game. STRESSFUL game, as my former student, Jason Cuascut put it live from New Orleans. He was at the game. I can't even imagine. 

    19   It's too late to break down the entire game, but the best way to remember this game is that two awesome teams fought to the bitter end. They both proved that there is no such thing as perfection. But they fought, exposing weaknesses, and fighting a bloody battle. 

    20   History will show that these teams were closely matched, that the first half showed how awesome the Ravens were, and the second, how amazing the Niners were, and what both did to get to this game.

    21   I'm fine. I'm not quite equipped to do an in-depth breakdown of the game when it is two hours past my bedtime on a Sunday night.

    22   If I learned anything about this game, it is that the Super Bowl must be moved to a Saturday.

    23   Seriously.

    24   The "seriously" came from my daughter Caitlin.

    25    We need a movement.

    26    Americans worship God on Sundays.

    27    Why interrupt it with such nonsense as the Super Bowl?

    28    Uh..Christians? Rise up dudes. Make some noise. 

    29    The Super Bowl is becoming more important than God. And that is not right.

    30     John Lennon forgot to say, "And that is not right."

    31     But I digress.

    32     Who's with me?

    33      Move the Super Bowl to Saturday.

    34      If anything came out of this game, it's that two teams run by the sons of the same parents fought and fought and fought. 

    35     They looked like mythical gods. They were powerful, but showed a lot of human weaknesses. Strange gods, but gods we worship, if we are true sports' fans. I'm not EVEN gonna lie. That's what we do. 

    36     Our strange gods should be worshiped on Saturday.

    37     Somebody else embrace that cause. I'm too exhausted to even think about it.

    38     Even to think.

    39     Normal human games are okay to be played on Sundays. 

    40     The Super Bowl should be moved to Saturday. It is the ultimate sporting event. Let's allow people to recover on Sunday. Let's let people go to church on Sundays, and remain focused. 

    41   Let's let atheists and agnostics be free to relax on Sundays. 

    42   I hope you are taking this all with tongue planted firmly in cheek. 

    43   Great game. 

    44   Congrats to the Ravens for a great battle. 

    45   And congrats to the 49ers for a great season. 

    46   Have a great Monday.

    47   It should be Sunday, but whatevs.

    48   Fly low.

    49   Peace.

    ~H~


    www.xanga.com/bharrington







  • LET'S GO NINERS!!!!
     
    The Daily News

    1   NINERS!!!!

    2   Lovez me some Sharks, some Giants, some Warriors, and all other Bay Area sports, but come now.

    3   It's ALL about the NINERS this weekend.

    4   Let's send our team all the support we can!

    5    Sorry all you squealers and naysayers. 

    6    We have the best team in the NFL, bar none.

    7    We have suffered fools.

    8     We have been to the mountaintop five times, and come away with five rings. 

    9    And we are going to go into New Orleans and get our sixth.

    10   Finally.

    11   Will it be easy?

    12   Should be, but anything can happen on a Super Sunday.

    13   Is there enough champagne?

    14   Probably not.

    15   The only news happening right now on this rag is the Super Bowl.

    16   Sixteen items and out!

    17    Peace.

    ~H~



    www.xanga.com/bharrington















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